#Diviser podcast spoilers

[foxdrawdoodles]

I have finished Deviser and I have to say I liked it, it was definitely very graphic at times so read the warnings first before you listen to it.

This is the second horror podcast I’ve listened to, the first one being The Magnus Archives which I haven’t finished yet (I’ve just finished season 2) and I’m really loving listening to them, I have a couple other horror podcast lined up for when I finish TMA but if anyone have any suggestions for other horror podcasts I’d love to hear them <3

[silly-lil-scribbles]

Introduction post!!

freeeeeeee

status: i need someone to kill me right this second actually

current chance of a response if you dm me*: 1%

* does not apply to mousie cuz its my emotional support friend

- My name is Finn! You can also call me scribbles, soup, or really any dumb nickname will do. it/he <3

woah look at that.. its me.. on another website!! slight flash warning for spacehey btw ^^

if you havent read this in a while, i would suggest reading again cuz i update it a lot <3

- im oriented aroace! and graysexual (i think? idk man i just work here.)

- im boyflux but also im just a creechur

- I MADE A JAIL ACCOUNT SO IF IM JAILED I MIGHT BE OVER THERE ‼️ @soup-has-been-imprisoned-noooooo

- I post about the magnus archives/protocol and my chem frequently, though I also just reblog a ton of random shit. may be nsfw but never anything explicit. Also I forget to tag for spoilers a lot so just know that there are magpod spoilers in general on my blog.

- Music artists I like: Cavetown, MCR, Mother Mother, Lemon Demon, Will Wood, Dazey and the Scouts, FOB, Nova Twins, p!atd, Noahfinnce, qbomb, Gum Disease, Sparkbird, Mischief Brew, Poppy, Be Your Own Pet, Pierce the Veil, Chloe moriondo, Faetooth, IDKHOW, the mechs, rabbitology, madalyn mei, scene queen, MARINA, she/her/hers, femtanyl, leathermouth, baby queen, pansy division, the spook school, specimen, egg, the crane wives, and of monsters and men

- Shows/Podcasts/Other Media that I like! DANGER DAYSS, Malevolent, The Magnus Archives, Stranger Things, Welcome to Nightvale (though I haven’t finished it yet), the Osemanverse, Nimona, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, ATLA, LOK, It, Hilda, Camp Here and There, Radio Rental, warrior cats, the silt verses,,,, there’s probably more but my memory is shit

- my blog is super messy so all of my art is under the tag #scribbles draws a thing and my original text posts (not the short personal ones typically, just the one i actually want people to see) are under #scribbles says shit.

- my body hates me very much (in other words im physically disabled)

- surprise, my brain also hates me very much! And yes also undiagnosed!

- tone tags are appreciated <3

boundaries n stuff:

- not ok with sexual or romantic comments

- platonic flirting is ok if we’re moots

- sex averse, feelings on romance fluctuate a lot but usually indifferent

continued:

- my feeling are really fucking wonky so 80% of the time i dont/barely feel emotions. please be patient and if i sound like i dont mean what im saying, i promise you that i do. but since i know how i would feel if i could, but i still cant feel anything, im trying my best to react accordingly so it may seem like its not genuine but it is. like. imagine youre writing. youre writing your characters reactions to everything, despite not actually being able to feel it. but since you know your character, you can judge hiw they feel in the situation you make them react accordingly even though you arent actually experiencing it yourself. now replace the character with you, thats kinda how i feel. sorry i know that probably didnt make sense but trying my best here lol

- i have a tmagp fic i just starting writing! If you wanna know more, posts related to that are under #electric desires have unraveled all my wires :(

- I have 4 cats and a dog, also a gecko

- i have a queerplatonic partner!! hes awesome and swaggy and writes so much. so. much writing. wow. not saying wow in a bad way im just genuinely impressed. chou if ur reading this i love you <3

- i also have a lovely best friend named zero whos super fun and cool and pathetic /vpos. my favorite excitable soggy cardboard box ilysm <3

- coyotekin therian !!

- My favorite colors are purple, cyan, neon green, and red

- I love interacting with mutuals and getting asks! plspls send me random shit in asks im begging

- I’m creating an animated series called Catlantis (still in progress)

- I have a love hate relationship with writing but i do it anyways so oh well

- Frogs.

other tags i use a lot are:

#soup poorly draws gay people out of obligation; my series of promised dyhard drawings.

#soup gets pathetic abouut friendship; me when im a sappy bitch about my friends or partner

#objectives list; save file for when i say im gonna do something so i dont forget about it

#catlantis save; hoarding info for catlantis

#insomnia induced rambles; i cant sleep and im making it your problem

#our lady of sorrows; not the song, my mcr inspired goddess i made up for my dnd character to worship

#scribbles asks; asks

#info save; good to know

#scribbles liveblogging tmagp; exactly what it sounds like

#art save; resources for doing art

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[vonkarma2]

literally over a year ago I did a wolf 359 survey with a total 180 responses and then forgot to publish the results 😁 sorry everyone. but I thought I might as well post them now in case anyone is interested <3 spoiler warning also btw

question 1: who is your favorite character

solid mix as you can see, but Hera and Eiffel beat everyone else by a fairly decisive margin

question 2: who is your least favorite character

most people just chose the major villains, though it’s interesting hilbert and kepler also had quite a few people put them as their favorite. by this metric, hilbert is the most divisive character

question 3: which group of characters do you most enjoy to listening to?

I don’t have any commentary this is pretty expected. Fans of the podcast tend to enjoy listening to the group with by far the most screentime

question 4: which group do you find the most narratively compelling?

all the “side character” groups got a bit more attention, but the responses for lovelace’s hephaestus crew doubled. presumably, something about their offscreen tragedy had versus the relatively little of that that was shown in their episode intrigued people

question 5: which group do you think is the most well-written?

si-5’s time to shine, though of course the hephaestus crew was still more popular. it makes sense for 3 people introduced a cohesive team and handled as such for a long time

question 6: which characters do you like as a person? (not as in thinking they’re a good person, but as in feeling some amount of affection for them)

Eris wasn’t added for a while, so the results are skewed for her. Interestingly, Eiffel was more people’s favorite character, but Minkowski got slightly more votes by this metric.

question 7: which characters do you like in the sense that they are well-written and contribute to the podcast’s themes?

The “villain” characters got way more votes in this sense, especially Hilbert, but all the original Hephaestus mission characters except Eris had several fewer.

question 8: which characters do you think are funny?

Doug Eiffel crowned the king of comedy. That result would probably be different in-universe.

question 9: did rachel young killing kepler make you like her more or less?

strong plurality of survey respondents did not care. still, despite the frustrating nature of the death and the unpopularity of young’s character, more people approved of it than not.

question 10: who had the best monologue in Am I Alone Now?

makes sense based on how popular hera was earlier in the survey, especially when her monologue here pertains very strongly to the core of her character.

question 11: is minlace real?

sorry for putting this question on the survey. there were a lot of “yuri”/“ambiguous” or polyamory-based write-in answers

question 12: what is Kepler’s sexuality?

Even more sorry for this question. Pretty even split, but I really liked the 7 pages of write-in answers.

question 13: Did Miranda Pryce have girl power?

Despite being the most hated character, respect for women in stem remains strong among wolf 359 fans.

question 14: if you got to kill one wolf 359 character, who would it be?

basically just the most hated characters again, though seeing the difference between Cutter 23 responses and everyone after him is pretty funny.

so that’s how it panned out :) iirc there’s an image limit on posts, so I’ll do an addition with funny things people said on this in an rb 👍

[dreamweaversfavsandthoughs]

Rick and Morty S7 Ep. 8: Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie

(I do care!)

Don’t forget to add spoilers to the equation

My Favs

Reminiscent of HarmonTown

I use to listen to HarmonTown back when Dan Harmon was still doing that show and I felt this episode was the most HarmonTown-esqe episode they have even done. It was written by HarmonTown regular Rob Schrab and had Dan Harmon and Brandon Johnson as basically the two leads of the episode and I felt I was listening to that podcast once again.

It broke the formula the hardest out of any episode that has been done

Mainly because Rick didn’t show up at all. I guess he’s still so depressed he couldn’t be bothered. I appreciate when the show is able to take a wild swing like that and having Rick present would have taken away from what they were trying to accomplish with Mr. Goldenfold

Mr. Goldenfold’s character was fleshed out

Mr. Goldenfold has always been the butt of the joke so it was a nice change of pace to show him as someone who is passionate about his subject matter and cares about teaching. I think the episode could have done more but it was nice seeing the character taken somewhat seriously.

Math/Letter puns

This episode was chock full of corny, sometimes clever math and letter puns and it was kinda fun trying to hunt them all. A few of my favorites include:

Bracket shield

All Type strikers attack. I want his serifs.

Subtract Water-T to life and carry the one to me

Helvetica Light speed

Threesus Christ

E-10

“I’m a prime number and I’m only divisible by myself”

“And my dick is magma but we’ll figure it out.”

Not My Fav

Morty’s role in the episode

I like seeing Morty in any episode I can get him. I really do, but Morty being in this episode felt like an executive saying, “We can’t have both Rick and Morty not be in an episode that’s a bridge too far. Just find something for Morty to do and call it a day.” As others have pointed out, you could take him out of the episode and nothing would be affected. I wish more had been done to justify him being there other than to commentate.

I’m starting to worry that the show is relying too much on older characters/older concepts

I’m not necessarily opposed to older one-off characters coming back, fleshing out old stories, or explore old places, but if done too much it can start to feel like a crutch. I feel now as we approach the end of season 7 that they might be creeping into the territory of being over reliant on old material. It might be time to start course correcting for that.

My Thoughts

I might be a bit of an outlier on this one but…I kinda enjoyed this episode. I mentioned earlier that this episode felt the most HarmonTown-esqe of any episode they’ve ever done--and I really missed that podcast. This episode seemed like something that they would have improvised or joked during an episode of that show. Also, I had read a couple reviews before the episode aired so I already knew ahead of time that Rick wasn’t going to be in it and that the episode really had nothing to do with the lore or developing the family so I went into the episode not expecting that and I had fun with it.

This episode was a love letter to schlocky 80’s action movies that seem serious on the surface but are, at their core, just dumb, corny fun. I think not having Rick in the episode was a good call because he would’ve just been a cynical voice to an episode that didn’t need any cynicism. Speaking of Rick’s absence, when I heard that he wasn’t going to be in the episode and that Water-T and Mr. Goldenfold were the main focus I expected that the episode would be a bit divisive among the fan base and they did not disappoint. It’s exhausting being in this fandom.

This episode is certainly one of the weaker episodes this season I won’t dispute that but I think a weaker episode from this season is leagues better than that sperm episode ( or some of the weaker episodes from seasons 4 and 5) and I will die on that hill. There was some clever moments, like the primitive googas being reminiscent of early pictographs and the relationship between math and music with Mr. Goldenfold teaching Ice-T about time signatures. That connection makes the logic of Mr. Goldenfold’s and Ice-T’s friendship and falling out make sense, albeit, in a deeply silly way. The writer clearly loves 80’s action movies and used the characters and settings of Rick and Morty to accomplish his own version and I’m here for it.

[quibliography]

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 🎣

Synopsis:  This novel is a memoir about the life of Trevor Noah growing up in a post-apartheid South Africa. He was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother during a time when it was forbidden for these two people to so much as interact with each other. But even with the end of apartheid, Trevor Noah still had to learn how to live in a fractured world, navigating the differences between being white, being black, being colored, being many of these things, and being none of them.

My Quibs: I already adore Trevor Noah, as a comedian and a storyteller. Seriously, even a short clip of an episode of his run as host of the Daily Show or his podcast What Now, it's so clear how well spoken he is. So obviously, a whole book of it? Sign me up! But I would also recommend listening to it (even maybe reading along as you listen) because 1) the presentation of his words makes the story so much more impactful but 2) I couldn't even imagine how to pronounce the various African languages and names he uses. I think I've learned how to pronounce Xhosa by now though🤞. So just to preface, I came into this memoir with a hint of what to expect and an undying love for the author.

I really believe everyone should read this book. There are so many points that initially is about apartheid and South African history/culture, but actually has a larger message about race relations and how we connect to each other as humans. He tells a story about how his school playground was divided in groups by white/black/colored/other. And how even among the black kids, because Africa of course has its own diversity, there was division by spoken language. And it's not an uncommon experience, considering how America can do that as well. I mean, just as a stupid example, the Mean Girls cafeteria scene when the "cliques" are explained to her. In reality we also divide social lines by what we see and what we hear. It's a universal experience. But his message was how to cross those lines. Trevor Noah is good with languages and uses communication as a means to connect across these divides. He quotes Nelson Mandela saying "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

But because Trevor Noah is also a comedian, he balances out the seriousness with outrageous stories of the hijinks he got up to. From having to covertly poop in front of his blind grandmother to his "Long, Awkward, Occasionally Tragic, and Frequently Humiliating Education in Affairs of the Heart" (in three parts). Everything he writes is so endearing and feels so relatable despite it being an entirely different life experience than I know. And I've heard many people say now that it's a gateway to wanting to learn more about that part of the world. Americans, at least, have so little education about international history and Trevor Noah provides a great sample of a world that we should be more aware of.

Should you read it? Yes. No conditionals. Just yes. Can't read? Listen to it. Actually, if you can read, listen to it too.

Similar reads? I don't read many memoirs so it's hard to compare. Any one that I have read is distinct in their voice and personality. But if you already like watching him on the Daily Show or on his podcast What Now, I guarantee you'll like this book.

(Spoiler Alert!) He's alluded to his mother being shot in the head when he talks to the audience or his guest on the Daily Show, off air. So I was aware this was not only an event in his life, but obviously a very significant one. So the entire time I was waiting for the full story. To those who didn't know what was coming, apparently it was such an intense ending. (Someone literally had to pause it while they were driving because they wanted to devote their whole attention to this last chapter.) For me whom it was a long time coming, it was still pretty gripping. And dammit, it made me want to keep reading. I need a sequel, Trevor!! Please! Or can his mother write a book about what it was like raising Trevor? I'll take that too, thank you!

What did you think of Born A Crime?

[darthkvznblogs]

I actually am looking for more PS5 games to buy. A more detailed review/recommendation of Spider-Man 2 would be appreciated if you have the time.

Alright, I'm gonna try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible!

THE PROS:

-Story's great! Perhaps not as emotionally resonant as the first game (they really did knock it out of the park with the Otto-Li-Osborn story), but still very impactful, and I loooved everyone's characterization. The setpieces were freakin' wild, so much more intense than almost anything in the previous entries, but the smaller, quieter moments were also very well done. Dialogues are great, can range from corny to eye-roll worthy, but in such a way that it matches Spider-Man's vibe very well.

-Traversal is the best in the series, with multiple new options that feel seamlessly integrated and a boost to swinging speed that can genuinely get you across the city in just a couple minutes, if that.

-Combat has been streamlined in some ways, deepened in others. YMMV on some on the missing gadgets from previous games, but I found the new ones and the new abilities (and the much simpler activation mechanic, ditching the slow "weapon wheel" style for an L1/R1 + assigned button method) an overall positive change. You kinda need it, because this game has a much steeper difficulty curve than the previous two.

-Aside from some facial oddities (I do find it a bit annoying that they keep changing how Peter looks, and even though it's the same MJ face model she looks super different from the 1st game to me, too, while the characters from Miles' side of the story look better but still perfectly recognizable), game looks incredible. Visual design, costumes, special effects, just all around a gorgeous game, and incredibly well animated, too.

-Practically zero loading times or any sort of performance issue (I did play on the 60 fps performance mode, tho)

THE CONS:

-Some real narrative Choices(TM) are made that could definitely be divisive if you're expecting more of a traditional Spider-Man story. I personally wasn't bothered by most of these (especially as this is its own universe), but I could understand some ruffled feathers.

-The expanded map can get a bit same-y, outside the obvious landmarks, especially with the added speed which blurs things together a bit more.

-Like I said, some facial models/animations kinda dip into uncanny valley territory, at least for me. It's not game breaking, but it could potentially take you out of a scene if you're more bothered by it.

-Less activities/sidequests than the first game (but what's there is very good!)

-This is mildly spoilery, but my biggest complaint with this game is that they got rid of minor but valuable worldbuilding elements like the Twitter-esque social feed or the in-universe character bios. I get that that's a lot of writing that a lot of people are gonna skim or skip, but you want to see people's reactions to the crazy stuff that happens in this game, trust me. Also, if you miss the podcasts or they get cut off when you're swinging around, there's no way to replay them this time around, for some reason? Maybe I just didn't find them?

So, yeah! I think it's an easy 8.5 or 9 out of 10 for me! I had a blast, and even if I don't agree with some of their choices, I respect the hell out of them for making them. Insomniac!Spidey remains my favorite of all the Peters in the Multiverse <3

[greaterblogston]

The Lonely Side of Salad: Writing Half of ‘Arugula’

Warning - This post will have heavy spoilers for Episode 44 of Greater Boston (Arugula).

Before the start of pandemic I was thinking about changing jobs. I had worked at the same college for nearly fifteen years. I loved it but things were beginning to wear on me in ways that were continuously frustrating. Then the pandemic grew to the point where quarantining was necessary and I found myself working from home, sitting next to my daughter, logging her on to Zoom kindergarten every morning. We did YouTube Yoga. I helped her learn how to ride her bike wearing masks in a nearby church parking lot. We even made a storytelling podcast. 

Then my college started rumbling about financial shortfalls. They laid off my boss. They promoted me and then told me I had to help layoff 12 people. Then a job I had applied for before the pandemic hit reached out and asked me if I was interested. I interviewed and got the job and was so distraught about what was happening at my current college that I accepted. 

I started a new job in June of 2020. I can not begin to explain to you how strange this was. We had meetings every morning to discuss what initiatives we were working on. I panicked about this every day. I was new. I didn’t have any initiatives. Nobody was talking to me. I’d get the occasional email, the odd request. But days would go by with no feedback from my boss or colleagues. I sat at home refreshing email and literally trying to Google what I should be doing for work. 

Soon after, my new supervisor quit. Then several other colleagues quit, more than a dozen key college figures. There was talk of a toxic work environment driving people away. I would come to find out this was true later. As more and more people left, this particular person would become my supervisor. I logged into work every day assuming I would be fired. My new supervisor was mean spirited, critical, and vindictive. I had full-on panic attacks. And the whole time, I continued to try and help my daughter survive Zoom school. My wife works in healthcare and clinics never close. 

I was writing Season 4 of Greater Boston at the same time and I was having a difficult time with it. The show we started was full of optimism and hope and I was sitting there thinking about how wrong everything was. The horrible day of letting people go over zoom was in my thoughts daily, and although I knew it would happen whether I was involved or not, my involvement left me emotionally devastated. These were colleagues I had tried to energize to buy into an unhealthy work ethic our college promoted - do more for the spirit of the place. We’re a family. We can do this if we pull together. And then seemingly overnight we were cutting costs, we were letting them go via a streaming service. Dispassionately. With tight legal wording. 

Meanwhile communication continued to be an obstacle at my new job. When people were communicated with, it was with derision and division. Faculty felt cut off from their students. Students were having a difficult time learning in a forced learning environment. Without face to face interaction, with only emails and forced sterilization of Zoom calls (cameras off, mics muted), the different unions and working groups were assuming the worst about each other. Everything was broken. Nothing felt like it mattered. 

At night I would sit and listen to music and ask myself this question. How did I get here? How did my life unspool in such a direction that was making me completely miserable? Obviously the pandemic played the biggest role but there was so much wrong beyond that. I felt completely cut off from my family even though we were spending more time than ever. I would break down into tears occasionally and it scared them. I would try to hide my emotions but then resent that I had to hide them. Even therapy wasn’t an outlet. It just felt like work. Zoom call. Discuss your feelings. Breakdown. (Nods sagely). See you in two weeks. 

So it was with all this in mind that I sat down to write half of Episode 44. Every character is in a precarious place in this episode. Leon is struggling with having so many characters and people to deal with, and Ethan’s experiments aren’t helping. Gemma is struggling to disclose that she actually has the spirit of Leon in her possession all while Dimitri has joined her, despite Leon’s pleading. Dimitri is struggling to find his place in Red Line, helping Gemma. And he’s struggling to give hope to Nica. And Nica is struggling to find any sense of hope at all. The only hope here is Omi’s offer to take a few of them with her. There is a comfort in her decision to sink into her sadness, to own it, to wrap it around herself like a blanket. Hope, after all, is a struggle. It’s work. At the time even though I was only at this job for months, I was applying for new jobs, telling myself it could be better, that I still had control. And I was exhausted in doing this. Not only was it taking significant physical energy, the emotional energy was draining - forcing myself to focus on a better future during an unprecedented global disaster that had left me numb at best, overwhelmingly depressed at worst. 

I knew I had to address these feelings with my writing. That’s how I best process most of the things I struggle with. I started Episode 44 over and over again and was not satisfied with it. It felt like the antithesis of what Greater Boston should be. There was no finding strength in community, no comfort in each other. I was reminded of a quote from one of my favorite writers, Richard Yates. “If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy.”

This is of course true. But I’ve always subscribed to the notion that what unites us is the fact that we are all cut off from each other, and that we’re all looking to each other for comfort, guidance, and love. *Spoiler Alert* - there is even a line that touches on this later in Season 4. 

So this episode starts not with any of our main characters. It begins with people waking up, starting their days. And the only thing that unites them is that they are alone. They are alone and the sounds of their routines are being processed by Leon, who is also struggling to accept all the various characters thoughts and internal narrations. The sounds of people in isolation adding to a symphony of loneliness. In the episode description, I wrote the following:

[The morning routines slip back, one at a time. Someone is crying silently. We do not know who. Nobody speaks to one another. There is no talking. Nobody is together. Everyone is alone] LEON (pained) My head…I can’t — 

And then to top all this off, I have a character we’ve never heard from call their partner and tell him they’re leaving. They can’t deal with it anymore. It could be they’re saying goodbye to their partner. It could be they’re saying goodbye to...well, everything. I wanted to leave that ambiguous, but also hint that the loneliness of a life surrounded by so much possibility, vitality, people was too much for someone who had all that around them all the time and still felt impossibly alone to their core. It just doesn’t seem right or fair. Their partner composes a song to deal with his sadness. This is a standin for me, writing this episode. He writes and sings these lines:

If you dug yourself a hole Unearth the lonely dirt below You still won’t find, my love Space for loneliness to grow.

Nica gets the submarine at the end of this episode. Dimitri means it to be a signal of adventures to come, but Nica takes it her own way. She’s sinking, settling into her cell, her loneliness. There was once a fantasy of her meeting celebrities and getting famous, a fantasy of what she would amount to. But at this point in time, she feels her cell - completely cut off and isolated - like a ship designed to sink in the water - is all she can amount to. 

But it’s important to remember that this is a choice she’s making, just like Gemma is making a choice about not disclosing Leon to his siblings. To lead back to the conversation Michael has with Chelmsworth in Episode 11 - choice really does govern everything, even how you feel.

Speaking of Michael, it wasn’t originally intended this way, but we ended up pairing the sadder aspects of this episode with something completely different - Michael and Louisa going to meet Autumn West. Originally this was going to be parts of its own episode Alexander was writing, but we combined them not only to give people a break from the bleaker stuff, but to show the other side of this choice. Michael is with one of his best friends. He is apprehensive about meeting the wife of the man who attempted to kill him, but focuses not on that aspect. Instead, he focuses on the connections they share. He gets excited by what they have in common, not what divides them. 

It’s obviously not always that easy, but I think for me writing this episode helped reinforce that two things can be simultaneously true. We are all, in the words of Richard Yates, inescapably alone. But that by itself isn’t reason to despair. Hope and human connection? It is challenging, difficult work, but in choosing to look for our commonalities, even if they exist only in the way we are all isolated? We chose to not give in to something that can never grow for the sake of something that may. Loneliness is easier because while everyone says there are no guarantees in life, being sad and isolated absolutely provides one. I urge you to gamble on believing in something greater. 

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, August 24th and Friday, August 25th

DRUSILLA: (leans toward Angelus) Psst. We're going to destroy the world. Want to come?

~~Innocence~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

dreamer by voices_not_echoes (Drusilla & Dawn, T)

fate’s already fucked me sideways by JustGail (Buffy/Spike, E)

His Dark Childer by EustasiaVye13 (Angelus/Drusilla, Angelus/Spike, M)

Dare by simmony (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

BTVS plays Among Us by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Eurotrip - Ch. 1-3 by RavenLove12 (Buffy/Spike, Willow/OFC, M)

The Year With No Slayer - Ch. 22 by Nonkosherian (Fred/Gunn, Buffy/Faith, Faith/various, Willow/Kennedy, T) COMPLETE!

Doing my best to get back to you (Ain’t nothing I’d rather do) - Ch. 25 by My_Barbaric_Yawp (Buffy/Spike, M) COMPLETE!

Batman: The Buffy Chronicles - Ch. 9 by BrennaLynn (Buffy/Bruce Wayne, Batman xover, T) COMPLETE!

The Time We Had - Ch. 51 by Dusty87 (Buffy/Spike, M) COMPLETE!

Seven - Ch. 52 by HollyDB (Buffy/Spike, E) COMPLETE!

The Nips! - Ch. 4 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

California Sun - Ch. 5 by To Be Hers (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The Plunge - Ch. 18 by Harlow Turner (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Oh The Sights You'll See - Ch. 28 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Neighbor's Point of View - Ch. 37 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, PG)

A Family Room at the Heartbreak Hotel - Ch. 9 by Julikobold (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

From Hell with Love - Ch. 23 by temporarytitle (Buffy/Spike, R)

In The Dark With You - Ch. 18 by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, R)

A Spark of Hope - Ch. 1-2 by DrThothEvans (Xander, multi xover, FR13)

Impression, Sunrise - Ch. 26 by EnergyBeing (Buffy, Star Trek xover, FR13)

I Remember You - Ch. 1-2 by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, R)

The Nips! - Ch. 4 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

A Call from Home - Ch. 5-6 by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Alphabet of Spuffy - Ch. 23-24 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Other Side of the Door - Ch. 12 by myrabeth (Buffy/Spike, M)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Icons: 20 BtVS Icons [one with nature theme] by debris4spike (ensemble, worksafe)

Fanvid: DC-SlashCon 2023 Opening Vid by Aaronantium (multi fandom, brief Buffy/Faith, worksafe)

Gifset with lyrics: [goodbye, goodbye, goodbye...] by detectivedawnsummers (ensemble, worksafe)

Gifset: dailyats : 2.21 – "Through the Looking Glass" || 3.06 –"Billy" by dailyats (Fred, Angel, Wesley, worksafe)

Gifset: Anya becomes a vengeance demon again // Spike gets his soul back by andremichaux (Anya, Spike, D'Hoffryn, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: 5.20 The Girl In Question by Angel on Top

PODCAST: Buffy S6E17: Normal Again by Booze & Buffy

Beyond Buffy's Impact: Ranking the Most Powerful Faith Episodes in the Buffyverse by Brandon Page and Lee

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: ddeeramone seeks [advice] What do I do with this huge trove of Buffy memorabilia??

ISO: pinenutty23 seeks [Spike poster] HEELP! Intel needed on sourcing a good Spike poster? : buffy

[Fandom Discussions]

Why don't Willow and Tara get jobs? updated by various

Season 4, Doomed - is Giles lip syncing? by InterestingSecurity8

Weird question, but who would you ship Anya with if not Xander? by Imaginecoolname

Who here has read all of the Season 8-12 Comics? [discussion of various seasons] by GarthTDdraig

Charles Gunn by Fantastic_Active_899

Cordelia Chase: How do we feel about.... ?(spoilers for Angel and Buffy) by kipcarson37

Better Idea for Season 4 [ATS] by kipcarson37

Y'know, as much as I hate Connor and everything to do with him in season 4... by kipcarson37

Season 1 as a camp horror movie! by justtakessometime48

POLL: If Buffy did a crossover what franchise would you like to see the Scoobys crossover with? by Quiet-Living8975

spike’s backstory [his mom] by Low-Cockroach-3141

Spike and the Witches had an underrated dynamic by The810kid

Complete List of Spike Lines A-Z by ginime_

Dawn and Spike [they're family] by mskisskissbang

so here are my thoughts on Warren... by Quiet-Living8975

What's a divisive situation in the show/s you have a more positive/empathetic take on? by illvria

POLL: Best character's return in one-off episode (spoilers) by ethihoff

What is a plotline you disliked in Buffy? by themostbluejay

QUIZ: Do You Know Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Test Your Skills With This Trivia! by Hunter Boyle

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[denimbex1986]

'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One director Christopher McQuarrie addresses Barbie and Oppenheimer's negative impact on his film's box office. Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt for the seventh film in the long-running action franchise, which earned strong reviews from critics. Despite strong reviews, however, the latest sequel has struggled financially, with excitement around the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon ultimately eclipsing Hunt's latest adventure.

Now, in a recent interview on the Empire Spoiler Specials podcast, McQuarrie addresses Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One's box office defeat at the hands of Barbie and Oppenheimer.

McQuarrie chooses not to focus on his own film's financial shortcomings, but instead expresses his excitement for fellow filmmakers Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan and what the success of their movies means for cinema. Check out McQuarrie's full comment below when asked about the "tsunami" that is Barbenheimer:

“I couldn’t be more delighted. We meant what we said when we went out and bought those tickets. I meant what I said when I went on Twitter – my last ever post on Twitter – and said, ‘Go pink or go home.’ Could not be more thrilled for Margot [Robbie], who I think is an extraordinary talent, a mega-star. And I’m delighted for the validation that the movie gives to that part of Margot that is that mega-star. And I hope the lessons learned from that are applied. Couldn’t be more thrilled for Greta.

“Chris Nolan… you want to talk about between a rock and a hard place? You want to talk about a guy whose movie was a three-plus hour R-rated drama with nudity that leaves you feeling quote-unquote 'devastated’. That’s a tough sell. That’s one helluva marketing strategy. And he won. He called it like Babe Ruth and he won. God bless him. Congratulations. That’s fantastic.

“And it’s a triumph for original movies. It’s a triumph for films that are not sequels. And in the case of Oppenheimer, a drama. What movies used to be all the time. Tom and I just look at each other all the time like, ‘Man, it’s just about quality.’”

Why Barbenheimer Beat Dead Reckoning Part One

When it comes to movies, this year has been an interesting wake-up call for several big-budget action franchises. After disappointing performances from Fast X and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Mission: Impossible 7's performance strongly suggests that audiences might be craving new things instead of additional installments in long-running franchises.

That being said, Mission: Impossible 7 has been a hit with those who saw it. Unlike Fast X and Indiana Jones 5, the new Cruise film hasn't been really divisive in terms of its quality. Really, then, Mission: Impossible 7's underperformance can seemingly mostly be boiled down to bad timing. The film was only able to play for less than 2 weeks in IMAX, a format that has traditionally been strong for the franchise, before Oppenheimer took over all the screens due to pre-existing agreements.

The lack of premium large format screens was undoubtedly a major blow, but excitement for both Barbie and Oppenheimer was also way higher than really anyone had anticipated. Both films have broken records and shot past projections. In hindsight, clearly, Paramount should have moved Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One's release date, and it may have enjoyed a much more profitable run.'

[kudosmyhero]

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear (vol. 1) #4: Part 4

Read Date: January 09, 2023 Cover Date: January 1994 ● Writer: Frank Miller ● Penciler: John Romita, Jr. ● Inker: Al Williamson ● Colorist: Christie Scheele ● Letterer: Joe Rosen ● Editors: Ralph Macchio ◦ Pat Garrahy ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● I can see the influence on the first couple of episodes of the Daredevil tv show ● Harvard, huh? Nah, my head canon is still Columbia ● back in NYC because his boss at the law firm in Boston sent him on an errand ● why does Matt look so blond in some panels? ● Matt chasing after the last still-conscious member of the gang is legit intimidating

● aww the gym is closed… ● Foggy! ● They're gonna regret going after Mickey ● that cab still waiting, Matt?

● one kidnapper dead. Matt noticed by Larks ● both kidnappers are dead and Larks had Mickey ● yuss black uniform! ● Matt is being kickass! ● gah! ending there?? That was abrupt. ● 👏👏👏👏

Synopsis: Kingpin builds his criminal empire alongside his mercenaries and his right-hand man, Larks.

Matt graduates law school and gets a job at a large law firm in Boston. They send him to New York for a case where he reminisces about his childhood. He's stopped by a group of muggers, but deciding that they are no different than the bullies that taunted him as a child, he fights them and hurts them all severely. He then returns to his father's old gym, now abandoned, where he meets a young girl named Mickey. She reminds Matt of his younger self.

After weeks in New York, Matt runs into his former roommate Foggy Nelson and they catch up. He helps Foggy with a case against a slumlord, and Matt remembers that he became a lawyer because he wanted to do good.

Kingpin orders his men to cut costs in their film division. The order goes down the chain of command until two drug-addict criminals are ordered to kidnap a young girl. They kidnap Mickey.

Matt leaves for the airport so he can go back to Boston, but decides to say goodbye to Mickey first. Upon reaching the gym he finds her hat on the ground, which he had never known her to take off. He uses the address in her hat to find her home. The criminals call the home to ransom her. One of the criminals calls her boss to tell him that the kid is being ransomed against his wishes. Kingpin sends Larks to set things straight.

Matt watches Mickey's father deliver the ransom the money in a drop-off. He waits until the criminal takes the money and then follows him. Larks kills the criminal and sees Matt. Kingpin deduces that this must have been a vigilante. Mickey is taken to a warehouse were several children are being kept, but Matt follows Larks. He moves silently around the facility, taking out all of the guards, and sabotaging the getaway car.

(https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Daredevil:_The_Man_Without_Fear_Vol_1_4)

Fan Art: Daredevil vs Kingpin by spidey0318

Accompanying Podcast: ● Dave's Daredevil Podcast - episode 13

[thateclecticbitch]

The reading comprehension isnt just bad on tumblr and twitter. It's bad everywhere.

For many years I've known that over 1/2 of Adults in the USA cannot read a book written above an 8th grade level. I've been trying to figure out why this is. Surely this many people don't have an actual learning disability, do they?

Well two weeks ago I stumbled on this podcast, and then this related article.

The reason so many people don't know how to read, is because we have not actually been teaching them how to read.

Oh, Teachers think they are teaching kids how to read, but in reality it's all a buncha baloney based on a long debunked theory on how children learn how to read. And it's been widespread curriculum in school districts rich and poor for decades.

Needless to say, I am nothing short of absolutely horrified.

Now, I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist. And by conspiracy theorist, I mean I've done extensive study, research, and observation on the increasingly divisive and hostile political climate if the Not So United States Of America (spoiler alert, its been going on for decades, not years). I know about the GQP plan to privatize public education. It is extremely unlikely this was a part of that.

The curriculum was originally meant to only be used with the poorest of readers to help them keep up with their classmates, and it was a massive oversight to apply it accross the board. It happened to have the unfortunate side effect of contributing to extremism and cultish mentality. That isn't to say that educated people cannot become extremists. No one is immune to Authoritarian Thought Control Tactics. But having good reading comprehension and internet literacy skills lowers your likelihood of falling prey to misinformation and brainwashing.

The GQP didn't start this. But they do want to keep it this way. "They don't want an educated populace capable of critical thought, sitting around the kitchen table realizing how badly they're getting fucked!" -George Carlin

Okay. So.... What now?

Now that we know about the problem, we can do something about it. Fortunuately, we know how kids learn to read, which means this is a fixable problem. If you are in or near a school district that uses the "Three Cueing System" as their reading curriculum, go to district board meetings. Make petitions. Sign petitions. Call your local representitives. Fight like hell for effective evidence based reading curriculum based on science. Please. The kids need it.

[nikolaidelphiki]

I've been reading fandom blind fic for a specific and large fandom since about late 2021 and because I have no preconceived bias I am able to read nearly *everything* and get into the story and not the worry about the fandom riggamarole nonsense that happens on soc med. if you know me you know i am nosy and love spoilers. this puts me in a very specific conundrum where I know just enough about the actual plot to be dangerous but not enough to be divisive. lol. also I've read about 200 novels worth of new content for free while still supporting hardworking fans. I comment on the story and plot not about characterization and comparisons. I've laughed and cried. I've found other new media from crossovers. like all the benefits of consuming media without all the cons of consulting media. some people took up knitting or started a podcast. I decided to extrapolate the entire plot of a novel I never read through the interpretation of hundreds of other fanworks.

[pint4punt]

The AFC West Has Become a Reality Show:

Inside the NFL’s Most Dramatic Division

Despite 75% of the NFL still being in playoff contention, it’s become impossible to ignore the drama in the AFC West. In 2023, following these teams feels like binge watching Selling Sunset. You know it’s a shitshow, but you can’t stop watching. You just have to find out who is gonna backstab who, who’s going to hook up, and who makes the worst deal (spoiler alert that was clearly the Broncos).

Before the start of last season, we detailed how we thought this could be the most compelling division in football in our previous article ‘Are the Broncos (still) the Worst Team in the AFC West?’ (Link here) And while it hasn’t been the most competitive division in football, it has been entertaining as all hell. Today we’ll take a look at how surprisingly and uniquely dysfunctional each team from the AFC West has been this year starting with the reigning Super Bowl Champions.

Kansas Pity Chiefs

That’s right despite winning it all last season and still being in the playoff mix this year, the Chiefs look shockingly beatable in the second half of the 2023 season. Travis Kelce is going on profane rants on his podcast while his Superstar girlfriend looks like she’s writing their breakup song up in the booth. Their receivers can’t catch a ball to save their lives, Kadarius Toney almost certainly has multiple bounties on his head, and Mahomes looks the most sexually frustrated he’s been since high school.

Their consternation reached its climax after the offsides call heard round the world when Mahomes finally snapped unleashing the full breadth of his vitriol on the officials despite them clearly making the right call. After being restrained and calming down, he turned to Josh Allen to hear about how he felt they didn’t get a fair call. Allen’s dismissive reaction echoed all of America’s sentiment towards Kansas City finally not benefiting from a flag.

Mas Vegas Raiders!!!!

If you’d told Raider nation that they would have fired their ‘fertile offensive mind’ in Josh McDaniels and benched their starting Quarterback for a struggling rookie, they would have gone on a bender the likes of which only Las Vegas can facilitate while writing off another lost season (though only after celebrating McDaniels’ well-deserved termination). Instead Raiders’ fans probably think they’re experiencing deja vu watching their decorated Head Coach being replaced with a relative unknown only for the team to overcome an avalanche of adversity and go on a potential playoff run.

After seemingly everyone even loosely affiliated with the Raiders told Josh McDaniels to go fuck himself and their now interim Head Coach shit on his greatest life accomplishments in a team meeting aimed at clearing the air, Mark Davis finally appeased his fanbase and shitcanned McDaniels in even fewer games than his division rival Broncos. Davis then handed the reins over to Anthony Pierce and Jimmy G was promptly benched. It was fair to assume the team was looking to the future and punting this year.

Instead the Raiders have a winning record under Pierce with back to back impressive divisional wins over the Chiefs and Chargers, the latter of which produced 63 points for the Raiders and resulted in another Head Coach firing for:

The Lost Angeles Chargers

Rumors of Brandon Staley’s tenuous grasp on his position persisted back to his team’s embarrassment of a playoff debut in which his defense allowed a shocking 21 point comeback in the 2nd half. While he was inexplicably retained, it seemed to go without saying that this was a major prove it year for the Defensive Mastermind whose team loaded with Defensive stars couldn’t play Defense.

Kellen Moore was brought in to help Justin Herbert take the next step in his development while providing a more potent yet balanced Offensive attack. As highlighted in our previous article ‘Revenge of the Nerd’ (link here) Moore’s hiring yielded dramatic red zone improvement and produced the best year of Keenan Allen’s prolific career. Despite this, the Chargers could never shake their reputation of always finding a way to lose games. So far this year they’ve gone 1-6 in one possession games, with the one win being against the Patriots in a game which neither team scored a touchdown.

When asked if his messaging was still getting through to the team, Staley responded affirmatively stating “Yeah, otherwise you’d get blown out of the stadium”. Four days later, they got blown out of the fucking stadium by the aforementioned Raiders. As funny as the Staley saga has been to follow, the big twist in the Chargers’ drama is the rumblings of who may replace one of the worst Head Coaches in recent history…..the greatest Head Coach in history. With the Patriots and Bill Belichick rumored to finally be parting ways this offseason, it would seem that the appeal of this Chargers’ roster has caught the eye of the evil emperor himself. Belichick vs Reid twice a year? Yes please!

Denver Uh Oh’s

As dramatic as this division has been as a whole, it comes as no surprise that the team featuring a guy hated by the team he won a Super Bowl with and the guy behind Bounty Gate, would be the Jerry Springer to every other team here’s Maury. Things got spicy before the season even got underway with Sean Payton basically calling Nathaniel Hackett the worst coach in history and suggesting he kill himself.

After those comments, Payton’s squad went on to get 70 hung on them by Miami (T-2nd most in NFL history), lose to the very Coach he torched, and starting 1-5 before going on a shocking 5 game winning streak beating Josh Allen and getting their first win against the Chiefs in EIGHT years. Things were looking up until their momentum was stopped dead in its tracks with back to back prime time losses to Detroit and New England, the former of which led to Sean Payton’s now viral tongue lashing of Wilson. Despite Payton’s comments about Hackett’s tenure, his regime has been more of a media circus than an orgy between the Kardashian family and the NBA All Star Team.

And they’re ending this season with a bang as the long awaited Russell Wilson breakup is now official with this week’s announcement that Jarrett Stidham will start the rest of the season. This move is surprising on many fronts. The least controversial of which is the fact that this team is still in playoff contention with two games left. The juicier aspect of this move is the manner in which it transpired behind the scenes.

After that long-awaited victory over the Chiefs, a truly triumphant moment for a team that has struggled since Peyton Manning gave them their last championship, Broncos’ brass suggested Russell Wilson’s injury guarantee made him a giant pussy and that he should gamble his financial future on not getting hurt the rest of the year. Needless to say, Russ forced their hand and now the Broncos are back where they started before the Russ trade sans several valuable draft picks and players. That hardly seems to matter to Sean Payton, as he is clearly past the point of trying to make this marriage work. As a wise Hall of Fame Tight End recently said on Thursday Night Football: “Why is divorce expensive? Because it’s worth it!”

[hoagmaster]

Cody's Mission: Impossible Revisit

Several days ago I finished up the latest marathon building up to a new release. Although this one was a new entry that didn't seem like a bad idea from the jump: Misson: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.

We've been getting a lot of part ones lately that pull the move of "Hey, we're stopping the movie in the middle of the climax. Hang tight until the next one!" So I have some thoughts about how this one did it.

I first got into these movies in 2015 in the buildup to that year's entry and because Now Playing Podcast was covering them. I credit that podcast for getting me to watch more movies and to try and engage with them more when I can, along with other stuff since.

Anyway, on with the recap and a few sentences about each one.

Mildish spoilers await maybe?

Mission: Impossible - Here we go with the one that started it all in the mid-90s, which come through in a nice quaint way. This is the entry that feels the most like a spy movie with plenty of slow, quiet moments and an overall focus on espionage rather than spectacle. But the tense scenes we do get, such as the crew breaking into the CIA to steal the coolly-named NOC List, are some of the most entertaining and enjoyable I've seen. A strong start to the series and one I will continue to revisit.

Mission: Impossible 2 - This one seems to be the most divisive for all the impulses of director John Woo coming through along with Tom Cruise's ego being in full force in 2000. He wants you to think he's the coolest person on screen at all times. But all the over-the-top spectacle honestly makes me laugh more than anything. Maybe the most quotable movie of the bunch with all the slow-motion gunplay, explosions, and motorbike antics you could want. I like this one a lot.

Mission: Impossible III - We took a few years off for other stuff before this one drops in 2006. The star is a bit more fine with everyone else doing stuff and Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives us the best antagonist of the series with his calm, intimidating demeanor that gives the impression he's in control in every scene even when he's not. It also has perhaps the most visceral moment in the series with one character's end, so that's something. This one is certainly enjoyable, but maybe lacks that one detail to make me hold it up like the others.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - And now we get to dropping numbers and picking up subtitles of varying lengths! We still have some cool spy stuff in here, seen most prominently when going into the Kremlin, but this is also when the series begins to focus on spectacle above all else. And I daresay it might be better for it, because the Burj Khalifa sequence with the climbing and the running might be my favorite bit in the entire series. It's noted for being the one where everything goes wrong, which we've all felt!

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - The original stopping point for my marathon ended on a high note with a ridiculous action bit on a plane that also works as a slow burn with the opera sequence and bits of espionage. But then we get to the submerged tunnel and subsequent car and motorbike chase and the action escalates until the end. Lot of fun that maybe in retrospect makes it my favorite movie of that year.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout - My first series revisit was capped off in 2018 with what was really my favorite movie of that year. The sequences like the HALO jump, brutal bathroom fight, big car chase and the other chase that led to the star breaking his ankle are just the tip of the iceberg. But it also packs an engaging plot that, even on this rewatch with some time away, got me more than once. All that stuff makes the two-and-a-half hour runtime fly by and, showing my hand, make this one my favorite to date.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - I'll say up top that I'm hesitant to give a full evaluation because as seen in the title, it's a part one. We have not gotten the full story. I felt this way about Fast X and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse from earlier this year. The second one could totally botch everything and sour me on it! But unlike those two movies that pull the "stopping the movie mid-climax" stunt I mentioned before, this one feels like it does have a definite end that just also has a set-up for the next one. The action remains as fun as ever even if some of it doesn't feel as "grand" as some of the earlier sequences. That said, the one bit that's seen in all the ads, when pulled off in the full context of the movie, made my crowded theater go silent for a good five seconds. It was a rad moment, and the movie is rad. The newly begun (and justified) strikes might impact the timing of the next one, but I'm down if it helps the people making these things get better pay and treatment!

Thus wraps up my latest mission. As I do with each series go, I like to cap off with my ranking of the series. This one feels a bit distinct because unlike most series where I find one or two clunkers, this is a series where I like every entry and love quite a few of them. Hence, this might actually be my favorite movie series ever!

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible 2

Mission: Impossible III

Anyway, time to see series is up next.

This post will self-destruct in five seconds.

[comicconradio]

Obsidian Entertainment and publisher Private Division have today announced that The Outer Worlds will soon be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms. Originally released in 2019, The Outer Worlds was quickly met with acclaim from both critics and fans alike. And while a sequel to the game is already in the works at Obsidian, the studio is now opting to bring the original game to next-gen platforms in the coming week. Revealed alongside a new trailer today, The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition was unveiled by Obsidian and Private Division with a March 7th release date. Along with being natively upgraded for PS5 and Xbox Series X (in addition to PC), Spacer's Choice Edition will also package all post-launch DLC in with the base game. Although The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition won't be available as a free upgrade to next-gen platforms, those who already own the game will be able to grab this new version for a reduced cost. "You've tried the rest, now come back to the best! The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition includes the base game and all add-on content as the definitive way to play the beloved RPG from Obsidian Entertainment," says the game's official description. "This updated masterpiece is optimized to be the absolute best version of The Outer Worlds… even if you choose to play this critically acclaimed RPG as the absolute worst version of your character."⚡️🍿🍿🎮🎮 #comiccon #spoilermagazine #news #losangeles #podcast #magazine #art #instagram #galaxy #film #tv #hollywood #feature #movies #fandom #graphicdesign #nyc #spoiler #comicconradio #comicbooks #ps5 #gaming #games #gamer #game #theouterworlds #playstation (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpRGDBVpz2M/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sublimationleblog]

“Stick It In Your Mind” : le live mix à Ixelles débriefé !

#SublimationIsWar, le concept podcasterroriste, n'obéit qu'à deux règles intangibles : éclectisme et qualité musicale. Les deux premières mixtapes éditées sous ce label (disponibles en ligne sur toutes les plateformes) ont surpris les auditeurs, peu habitués à ce type d'audaces dans les DJ sets contemporains; elles ont aussi reçu de bonnes critiques de spécialistes. L'étape suivante fut de défier un contributeur externe pour ce que l'on appelle communément une Battle. Ce fut "Tits, Ass And Pussy", un mix explosif et qui sent le souffre réalisé en duo compétitif avec l'artiste underground Yeti Popstar. Il fallait ensuite quitter le confort du studio et se frotter à un vrai public, pour sublimer en live. Il y avait une demande pour cela. Ce fut chose faite au Korner Ixelles le 15 octobre dernier. Le set a été enregistré et il s’agit désormais de la troisième référence disponible sous le label #SublimationIsWar. (*) Son titre : "Stick It In Your Mind".

(Attention, spoiler : ce débriefing comprend des indications précises sur le contenu de la playlist du live mix.)

Stick It In Your Mind, titre que l'on traduirait approximativement en français par Enfoncez-vous ça dans la tête. L'ordre est scandé par Richard 23 sur Commando Mix de Front 242 et ré-utilisé ici dans un mash-up original avec Driftin de The Hacker. Cet enchaînement a lieu alors que l'on s'apprête à transiter vers le morceau final et conclusion spectaculaire du live-act : une véritable surprise pour les mélomanes insolents (et cinéphiles).

L'univers du Western marié à de l'Electro Body Music, c'est tout un pan de l'identité #SublimationIsWar.

Les auditeurs attentifs des deux premières mixtapes n'auront pas manqué les références multiples à la culture country, qui émanent de celles du Western. Le rock’n’roll y puise une partie de ses racines profonde; c’est dans son ADN. La musique électronique n’en est qu’une variation aidée par la technologie. Je ne vois absolument aucune incompatibilité entre country, electro, ou même house. Comme je n’en voyais déjà aucune entre rock, new-wave, punk, electro et musiques de films lors de mes DJ sets au DNA, et ailleurs, en 2008. Au diable les étiquettes; l’important, c’est que les morceaux choisis soient bons. Les frontières entre les styles sont faites pour être franchies, sinon c’est la sectarisation culturelle.

La new-wave, et ce que l’on appelle communément le post-punk, sont bien présents dans ce live mix.

The Cure, Alan Vega, The Bollock Brothers, The Neon Judgement, Fad Gadget et Joy Division figurent tous à la playlist de ce set d’une durée d’1h29. Il est donc difficile de nier qu’il y a une forte coloration new-wave dans Stick It In Your Mind. Il y avait une envie justement de jouer un set tels que je les concevais en 2008 ou 2009 (à la Pilgrimage Party au West-Side, par exemple) car aucun n’a jamais été enregistré. J’y place donc le fameux enchaînement entre Soft Cell, Serge Gainsbourg et Joy Division dont je parlai avec nostalgie dans le podcast #SublimationIsBack “Oh Isn’t It Wild ?”. J’enchaîne toutefois les trois titres dans un ordre différent que par le passé. À côté de ça, on entend aussi James Brown et Ennio Morricone !

Plusieurs morceaux ont déjà été entendus dans les mixtapes #SublimationIsWar.

Et pour cause, je vois les mixtapes #SublimationIsWar I & II comme des opus à part entière; c’est un diptyque conceptuel. La prestation live au Korner Ixelles prenait place dans le cadre d’une soirée labellisée #SublimationIsWar (et dont l’affiche était illustrée par la couverture du premier tome), j’abordai donc ce set tel un groupe qui tourne pour défendre son nouvel album. Avec aussi le mindset du concept, un esprit commando : prendre possession des lieux, accomplir le plan, ne faire aucun prisonnier, se retirer.

On y entend plusieurs titres mis en avant dans les mixtapes, et non des moindres; mais amorcés avec des enchaînements différents cependant. On s’y délecte ainsi, par exemple, de Panic de Lloyd Green, la bande-son d’un Western imaginaire que Tarantino a oublié d’utiliser dans l’un de ses films. On omet cette fois d’y superposer le speech d’Iggy Pop chez Dick Cavett (“I hate punk rock”), pour vraiment faire primer la musique (quasi totalement inconnue en Europe).

Tout aussi inconnu du public européen, The Fuzz de Grady Martin se devait d’être présenté en live également. Tout comme, dans un autre style, la reprise détonnante de Be-Bop-A-Lula par Alan Vega : pour moi, l’une des interprétations les plus singulièrement rock’n’roll de tous les temps.

Je conclus ce débriefing en remerciant encore une fois mon guest DJ, Stefke van Namen, pour son warm-up tout en finesse et son after-show explosif. Stefke avait été présenté aux auditeurs de Sublimation à l’occasion du podcast #SublimationIsBack “Prêt pour la bagarre”. Je remercie évidemment également toutes les personnes qui avaient fait le déplacement au Korner ce soir-là, et le staff du bar pour son accueil chaleureux.

Stick it in your mind !!!

(*) C'est technique mais "Tits, Ass And Pussy" est parue sous le label #SublimationBattle, faisant bien de "Stick It In Your Mind" la troisième sortie de #SublimationIsWar.