#you know what actually this is funny i'm tagging it

[clouds-of-wings]

Because Spotify doesn't really know that much about my listening habits and because I enjoyed writing this kind of post last year I'll once more make a post about my ACTUAL musical favourites this year. So here goes! Album time!

Grendels Sÿster: Abstieg in die Traumkammer (2024, heavy/folk metal) -- This was by far my favourite album of the year. It came out this August. First album by the band, and what a debut! The album has an English version too (which you can also find if you click the link), but I vastly prefer the German one. The lyrics are really excellent and they fit so, so well with the character of the German language. Musically I would say they sound like "early Týr with a female punk singer", the lyrics feature retellings and re-imaginings of various mythologies and mythological themes of the world, ranging from Norse to Greek to (on their EP) Hinduism or even Tolkien's Valar. They once called their genre NWONOEM (New Wave of Nerd-Oriented Epic Metal).

Other albums I liked, in no specific order:

Kornalyn: Intemporel III (2024, folk) -- Kornalyn has been at this for a few years. He's a French anarchist and folk musician who records modernized versions of traditional leftist & worker songs. He's versatile, he's talented, he's got spirit and a great voice. Worth checking out whether you're a comrade, a history enthusiast or a folk fan.

Alice Longyu Gao: Let's Hope Heteros Fail, Learn and Retire (2023, hyperpop) -- Okay, I'm versatile too. Or at least not so set in my ways that I can't appreciate different genres than I normally listen to. Alice's hyperpop songs have a chaotic artistic spirit that I find charming. In a way, some of her songs are pretty metal-ish too - they remind me a little of old SOAD songs. She's funny, she's innovative, she's a delight.

Stonefield: The Light of Lies (1990, prog rock) -- Some awesome prog rock from the 90s. The singer sounds like DIO. If you like the hammond organ, CLIK TEH LINK! If not, click it anyway, you may start to! When I tried to find out which year the album was from, I found their EP The Eyes of the Dawn (1989), which is also so fun.

Alvader: Hereniging (2024, folk metal) -- Hey you! Do you like Heidevolk? If you found this post through the folk metal tag I bet you do. In this case definitely listen to this band. It's made up of ex-members of Heidevolk and sounds a lot like the "original".

HammerFall: Avenge the Fallen (2024, power/heavy metal) -- What can I say about this one. It's HammerFall. It rules by default. It sounds like all their other albums. HammerFall are one of the few bands where that's a compliment.

molllust: In Deep Waters (2015, symphonic metal) -- There is no music I like better than symphonic metal that takes the "symphonic" part really, really seriously. molllust are one of the few bands that do. Between Janika Groß's gorgeous orchestrations and her operatic voice, this is one of the bands that give me hope for the genre. At first I actually found their older stuff too inaccessible, but after I listened to the newer and more straight-forward Mother Universe album a lot last year, In Deep Waters became a lot more approachable to me.

Wintersun: TIME II (2024, Extremely Delayed Technically Complete Symphonic Death Wish Metal) -- I still can't believe my eyes, or ears. Am I dreaming? Is this the real life? It's really out! And Nuclear Blast didn't even give it a digibook edition (I have the one of TIME I and thought I might have a matched set one day). Is this because their corporate overlords don't care about physical media or are they just so DONE with the album, and Jari in general, that they didn't make more of an effort out of spite?

Norrsinnt: Djupt inni skoga (2024, folk metal) -- Somewhere between heavy folk and very folky metal. A collection of songs the artist released individually over the past years, but the album only came out a short while ago. He fortunately seems to have decided against using an AI image as cover art in the end, so I don't feel bad listing this album here. Oh, there are albums that I found this year and liked musically which I'm not listing for this reason, definitely! I'm glad this one isn't among them, because I've known all these songs for years and I'm quite fond of them, and of the power and originality of the vision behind this project.

Nightwish: Yesterwynde (2024, symphonic metal) -- I didn't expect too much from this album, but ended up really liking it! My favourite parts are, of course, the orchestral passages. I like how Nightwish are still capable of evolution, new paths, instead of being stuck in the 2000s. And, after all, what could be a more fitting topic for music that's as larger than life as symphonic metal than just the totality of existence, the universe, the human equation, the meaning of it all?

Romuvos: Spirits (2024, folk) -- Pagan Folk, immersive, meditative, dark. I don't have much to say about this, other than that I have listened to it a lot this year.

KAMIJO: ??? (????, symphonic power metal) -- I usually only have albums on this list because I'm old-fashioned like that, but that's really unfair to Kamijo, who's my top artist of the year on Spotify and whose greatest songs are spread out across a multitude of single bonus tracks and short EPs. So I will link his song TEMPLE and say doumo arigato gozaimasu, vampire prince rockstar-san, nay, -sama!

---

I also continued my exploration of the world of opera. Since I think I'm beginning to know my taste, there were a lot of works I started and didn't finish, but some I liked very much. My favourite was L'elisir d'amore (1832), which I watched in two different versions and listened to all summer. It's a rather light-hearted one, but the music is nevertheless dramatic, it's fast, it's powerful and... somehow rich. And it's just pretty, I'm not immune to the charms of the easily lovable Italian opera, or of Rolando Villazon and his musical and comedic talent. I'd definitely recommend this recording even to people who have never watched an opera before.

I also really liked Eugene Onegin (1879, can't find the recording now) - much more tragic than the one above, few operas I've watched had a better plot, I read the novel it's based on afterwards - as well as a whimsical 1979 recording of L'incoronazione di Poppea (1643) and a gorgeous staging of Atys (1676, only French subs here, sry). Baroque opera is superior to the later stuff according to me. The beautiful music, the melancholic observations on life in the libretto, the way the operas always seem to reach for the divine, beyond the limits of mundane human existence - it strives for perfection, and my ears think it comes close.

And that's my musical breakdown of the year :)

[depravityfever]

warning for yan content and aventurine being annoying

“I didn’t realize you were so fond of Christmas.”

You don’t know what your reaction should be upon seeing the sight when you flickered on the lights. The decorations are minimal, a few lights and a decorated tree, but those aren’t what catch your attention. It’s caught by the dozens of presents, all neatly wrapped in various designs of paper and tied together with flowing ribbons. Atop each box rests an identical gift tag reading the same text:

From Aventurine

To [First]

“Ofcourse, I’d never miss a chance to spoil you.” You bite back the remark that that has never seemed limited to holidays with him. “And besides,” he continues, “Christmas is the season of giving. Did you expect me to let you celebrate empty handed?”

The irony makes you huff. Having taken so much from you, he doesn’t have the right to talk about giving anymore. Even if you sold all the gifts he’d gotten you throughout the time he’s forced you spend with him, you’re sure it still wouldn’t be enough to pay for all the damage caused by being in close proximity to him for such an extended period of time.

He knows you don’t care about the gifts he gives you, far too bitter towards him to care about material goods anymore, and you know he knows, but you decide to voice it anyway.

“I don’t want any of this,” you say, “especially considering it’s coming from you.” You cross your arms and give him a pointed stare to solidify your words, but they don’t seem to affect his uplifted demeanor.

“You wound me. I’m just trying to get you into the Christmas spirit.” He’s pouting, but you can tell he isn’t actually hurt. “If you’re really not interested, then I can offer you something else instead.”

“I’m not interested.”

“If you can win a single game of heads or tails, I’ll leave you alone for the rest of Christmas. How does that sound?”

Even if you don’t want to play along with his games, the offer is too enticing to turn down. You nod and he gives an amused smile. The coin boasting his signature colors is tossed into the air and then caught. “Tails,” you say, filled with determination. He pulls his hand away to reveal the result, showing …

Heads.

You visibly deflate, much to Aventurine’s amusement. “A game with only one round can be pretty disappointing,” he admits, “How about a retry?” Even if he seems confident, the odds are clearly in your favor. How hard can winning one round be?

“Toss it again."

Heads.

“Again.”

Heads.

“... Again.”

Heads.

You can’t help but groan, earning you a chuckle as he pockets the coin back into his coat. “It’s not funny!” is your irritated response. “I'm sorry.” “You don’t sound very sorry.” “It seems luck is on my side today. We’ll have to spend Christmas together after all.”

You scoff but don’t give any further reaction. While you’re still moping over the results of your coin toss, Aventurine must decide it’s funny to rub some salt in the wounds. He rummages in his pocket until he finds his desired object and holds it above his and your head.

“Mistletoe.”

It takes every fibre in your being to resist the urge to punch him.

[sleepyssnail]

Results are in! Now to announce my Mom's actual favorite characters!

Her #1 favorite is Wei Wuxian! She thinks he's funny, cute, and loves listening to his voice in the donghua.

Her #2 favorite is Jin Ling! To quote her, "Jin Ling is annoying and stubborn, but he's adorable, annoying, and stubborn!"

She's actually outraged that he didn't get a lot of votes.

Her #3 favorites are tied between Wen Ning and Lan Wangji! She calls Wen Ning a sweetheart and thinks Lan Wangji is an interesting character.

NOW ONTO HER OPINIONS!!!

She's actually aghast that anyone voted for Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng. To quote her, "I'm shaking my head, they voted for the HEAD SHAKER?"

And about the poll's winner, Lan Sizhui!

...she has no idea who he is.

Not even kidding, I had to remind her THREE TIMES who he was by asking, "You know Jin Ling? You know the two Lan kids he hangs out with? Lan Sizhui is the older sensible one."

She doesn't remember him, has no idea what he contributes to the plot, and doesn't know why anyone thinks he'd be her favorite. To say @lanaserra's tags aged poorly...I'm so sorry. I love him in abundance to make up for my mom 😅

Now that my Mom has finished watching MDZS with me...

I'll share her top three favorites in order when the poll concludes! She really enjoyed the show and is firmly set on her favorites!

[alicemarion]

whatta hell... they put alice in pokémon

[babacontainsmultitudes]

RIP Will Campos the only person who was murdered this episode.

[demaparbat-hp]

I believe July is trying to tell you something, Nico.

[bacchuschucklefuck]

pygmalion and galatea for aroace people

you should tell your friends what I look like, riz gukgak.

[commsroom]

mission launch for minkowski's crew was in march 2013. ostensibly, they were put through some mission training, though the extent and effectiveness of that is kinda dubious. pagliacci takes place in 2013, exact date unspecified. but it has to be early. let's say... mid-january.

eiffel thought he had ruined the rest of his life before he'd even turned thirty. he probably spent his thirtieth birthday in jail. and then... for some number of days, weeks, maybe even a couple of months, he exists in this state of, well. of limbo. cutter gets him released from prison, and flies him out to canaveral. he doesn't speak to his family, obviously. they don't want to hear from him, and don't even know. he's still a prisoner, but no one around him knows that, either. at some point in this time frame, goddard first exposes him to decima, before hilbert even knows who he is. and he lives wherever goddard is accommodating him, and he has to go about his day-to-day life in this transitory state between a 26-year sentence he'd just started really grappling with, and the very immediate reality he's now about to be sent into deep space instead.

they give him a certain amount of freedom; it's not like he can go anywhere. he doesn't do much, anyway, is not feeling appreciative for his momentary second chance at life, given the circumstances. he blows off most of his mission training, and they're surprisingly lax about that, which in retrospect probably should have been a sign. he sits around and smokes, mostly. gets takeout food. but he goes to see movies, as much as he can. as much as he wants to punish himself, he needs to do something, or he'll go crazy, and it's not like he'll get a chance to see a movie in a long time. he was already resigning himself to maybe never going to a movie theater again.

the film adaptation of les misérables was released in december 2012. it's entirely feasible it could've been one of the movies he saw in this time period. i think the idea adds some resonance to his shared reference with minkowski in the finale, at least, in the way it pulls things full circle. intentionally or otherwise. and, incidentally, the 2012 film adaptation of les misérables, a story that notably features an ex-convict protagonist seeking redemption, was released on december 25th. call that serendipity.

[beargregor]

Chef greg delivery just for you. it's a wonder I hadn't bearified him yet, he's my fave greg too 🔪

gays literally only want one thing (to be chopped up and eaten by a depressed man) and it's fucking disgusting

[crystalchimera]

Originally posted July 29 on Twitter/X.

A sketch that got out of hand

Also!!! Here's some never before seen stuff about this since I remembered. This sketch was actually planned to be a full body pic but I didn't like how it was going so I just quickly slapped some colors on the upper body cause that was the only part of I liked LOL

There's also this sketch which is on the same canvas. You could say this was the original sketch before I redraw it

I actually forgot this doodle existed until I decided to poke around in the layers LOL

[torchickentacos]

The fact that Brock hates Drew is sooo funny to me but understandable tbh. Imagine being Brock. You've questionably made it your life goal to woo every woman you come across, and it goes poorly despite all of your best (and worst) attempts. and then some random bratty green 10/11 year old with a pet houseplant has more game than you and gets a canon-adjacent ship in like a sixth of the time it took you to accomplish nothing at all. like yeah I'd be fucking pissed too. what's even the point anymore. how do you survive that.

[astrolotte]

assuming Pokemon isn't planning to be 1:1 with its time periods, but similar... Serena/Calem and Dawn/Lucas could be time travelling besties that's all I'm saying

[peridots-pixiwolf]

[Start ID. A three-circle venn diagram with Gabriel from Ultrakill, the Lonely Wizard from Inscryption, and the Hollow Knight from the game of the same name. Between Gabriel and Lonely is the text "guys will see a character with vague biology, say 'is anyone gonna buggify that' and not wait for an answer". Between Lonely and Hollow is the text "void beings placed in solitary confinement by a superior they admired with the intention of keeping them there forever". Between Hollow and Gabriel is the text "existed only to be a tool for their god. just wants to be perfect. never allowed to be a person". In the center between all three is just the word "trauma". End ID

having Thoughts

[beebfreeb]

hiii ive never interacted w you other than rbing sometimes but i just wanted to let you know that theres something ab the wir takeover of your blog ive genuinely loved. like i watched you get into it and then it just slowly took over your blog as you made it your own n like what youre posting now is almost in the territory of unrecognizable from the source material and i just think thats fun :) youre taking the world and characters from the movie and twisting it and adding onto it n idk, its special to me. its your wreck it ralph now. its filling the good sequel shaped space in my heart but way more creative n out there than disney would ever create

I'm glad you're having fun! A lot of people have unfollowed me LOL. I am easily delighted by characters made for a specific purpose and their relationships to that. I like playing toys with the setting and characters because there is a lot of questions that are never explored due to the scope of the movie.

What if the arcade had a GameCube in it for hosting Super Smash Bros. tournaments?

[kayvsworld]

sorry to be doing mcu throwback complaints again and EXTRA sorry for it to be about cacw and aou, sorry, i just am thinking again that if marvel had. in aou. committed to letting steve rogers see that captain america graffiti calling him a fascist with his own two eyes i would have forgiven many of their subsequent deeds and crimes

[the-real-list-of-ominous-threats]

I will defeat you with the power of friendship