op-holding

[boi-zizzoi]

Can we talk about the Ever After album by Marianas Trench? I just-- it's beautiful. I used to listen to "Ever After" (the song) on repeat for hours when I was in high school, and while I liked a lot of their other songs, I never realized the absolute EXPERIENCE listening to the entire album in order would be. The song I've memorized all these years essentially continues for about an hour. I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS

[glassessence]

Elriel Hint and Analysis - includes analysis of Feysand & Nessian (ACOSF Spoilers)

I’m pretty new to the fandom, but I am currently obsessed with Elriel. This is my ship and I will go down with it until the day I die. As a fairly casual reader, I honestly had zero doubts the next book would be Elain’s and that the couple would be Elriel. 

Then I discovered the existence of the extra POV chapters and Azriel’s threw me in for a bit of a loop. Especially with the ending (which I genuinely believe is a red herring. I lean very heavily into the lightsinger Gwyn theory).

However, stalking Tumblr made me come across this again: 

Life and death and rebirth

Sun and moon and dark

Rot and bloom and bones

Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. 

Love me, touch me, sing me.

And then my brain accidentally vomited an essay on the symbolism in each sister’s journey... 

Life and death and rebirth so clearly symbolise Feysand’s journey. Feyre leaves behind her life of poverty for a brand new one with Tamlin. She journeys Under the Mountain for love of him and ultimately succeeds in saving not just him, but all of them. In the process, she dies. Not just in the physical sense, but spiritually too. Feyre the human perishes, giving rise to Feyre the High Fae. In a purely physical sense, this is definitely a rebirth. But it’s stilted, incomplete. She’s the newly born phoenix - young, fragile and yet covered in the ashes of its fiery death. Her spiritual rebirth lags behind her newly changed body. Like a bird in a cage, she is trapped in Tamlin’s realm, unable to finish developing, to spread wings and fly. 

That all changes when she is whisked away to the Night Court. She learns to read and some of the ash falls from her body. She makes friends and some more ash is brushed away by the Inner Circle. The final remnants of ash are blown away by the taste of freedom and the kiss of wind, and Feyre’s rebirth is finally complete. Spiritually and physically, she is changed. She becomes Feyre the High Lady. From life back to life, she is returned through the power of love. Take note that while love is important in all the sisters’ journeys, it is the focal point and highlight of Feyre’s. She is someone who has never been loved in that wholesome, selfless way Rhysand loves her. Tamlin was possessive and abusive; Nesta was barbed and sharp. Elain was fragile and ethereal. Love was something she had never really known and consequently something she desperately, desperately needed. That’s why the phrase that symbolises her is love me.

Sun and moon and dark refers very much to Nessian. Nesta is the sun and she is burning. Has been burning for a long, long time. She is aflame, nothing but ashes inside, and her words are fire. She scalds anyone who dares approach, just as everything melts before the sun. Like Feyre, she has had her physical rebirth, but not her spiritual one. She is trapped in her own head, locked behind her own self-hatred, her own raging inferno that yields to no one. Like Feyre, she is also a phoenix, but one whose fire never stopped. In that sense, she has never died. Her spiritual rebirth is not simply incomplete; it has never happened.

Until she starts training with Cassian. Until she starts befriending Emerie and Gwyn. This is what marks the death of Nesta the human and the emergence of Nesta the High Fae. (I use the term ‘human’ loosely here, mostly as a way of conveying my point about her spiritual journey rather than the state of her physical being). She loses her solar flare, that inner blaze that was killing her and blackening her soul. She mellows from unapproachable sun to a softer moon. It’s here that she stays a while, seeming to progress and regress in her healing journey as the moon waxes and wanes. It’s not until the hiking scene that she finally breaks. She weeps despite Cassian’s expectations to the contrary. Through her tears, she finally extinguishes the long-raging fire and hatred that has been destroying her. No more blazing sun, no more wavering moon. Only darkness to cradle her, and acceptance. Through Cassian’s ceaseless efforts and her friends, her journey reaches its apex. She finally becomes Nesta the Valkyrie. 

Her journey hinges heavily upon the fact that nobody could reach her through the flames. Nobody had kept trying after getting burned again and again. Nobody except Cassian. He reaches out, time after time, even when she hurts him. Even when she burns him. Until he succeeds and touches her soul. That’s why the phrase that symbolises her is touch me.

Of course that leaves only the last line: rot and bloom and bones. I wonder who this could symbolise! Surely not the Archeron sister who is associated with roses and has a complicated romance dilemma with someone from the Autumn Court (rot) and someone else from the Night Court (bones)! Surely not!

Jokes aside, I strongly believe this line reveals Elain’s journey. If we continue thinking of the words as a progression, I think it makes a lot of sense. Keeping in mind the theme of life, death and rebirth, this is how I think of it: 

Life / Rot / stagnation, the start of the journey

Death / Bloom / change, the start of healing

Rebirth / Bones / ascendance and acceptance, the start of the future

There are several interesting things to note about the sentence: 

The word bloom is nestled among rot and bones

Elain’s two potential love interests both have strong associations with those words

I’ll address each point as we delve into Elain’s analysis. 

Let’s start with Elain the human. As previously established, this is when the character is at their worst, blind in the dark before the dawn. I see this as Elain’s forced transformation by the Cauldron. Everything she knows is ripped away from her and her marriage crumbled to dust. She is thrust into a world both unknown and at war. She emerges changed and cursed with powers she cannot control and does not understand. Her life, once a slow-blooming flower, has just rotted into nothing. She is lost, confused and deeply depressed. Her physical rebirth may be complete, but her spiritual rebirth cannot begin until she gathers the shattered pieces of herself back together.

This happens slowly. So slowly, in fact, that it’s hard to notice and easy to dismiss. She befriends Nuala and Cerridwen. Begins gardening again. Talks to the Inner Circle and buys them gifts for Solstice. Slowly, so very slowly, she is starting to piece herself back together. Off-page, she quietly unravels Elain the human and emerges from her cocoon as Elain the High Fae. Like a wilted flower that has dropped its petals, a new season has come, bringing with it new buds. She is blooming, opening herself to new possibilities for companionship, love and for a new self to rise to the surface. But blooms are fragile, newly born things. Elain hasn’t dealt with the full force of her trauma, of her lifelong lack of choice (I’m not going to delve into this as there are so many amazing analyses out there!). She is a trembling fawn, still trying to learn how to walk.

But her spiritual rebirth will remake her. Bones. It’s so different from the previous two words that it really leaves an impact. Blooms rot and fade. Flesh breaks and dies. But bones are strong, the frame that holds up our entire beings. Bones are unyielding and solid, taking no other shape like blood nor bruising like flesh. I see this as Elain standing up for herself, unswayed by external forces that have always governed her life and breaking away from the fragile flower people have always thought she was. By cutting away the rotting flesh, she will reveal the backbone beneath and ascend as Elain the Kingslayer/Seer. 

Of course, closely tied to each sister’s personal growth arc is her love interest. For me, I don’t see it going any other way than Azriel. 

SJM chose rot not only to represent the ‘life’ section of Elain’s personal journey, but also to represent Lucien. He has connections to the Autumn Court, a season that is often associated with decay and rot, but also with harvest and bounty. Highlighting the negative aspects of autumn invokes a strong sense of wrongness. Lucien is not right for her. Not to say anything bad about his character; he’s just not right for Elain. His presence in the books eats away at her newfound boldness; he rots away the path she is trying to carve for herself. 

On the other hand, Azriel is closely tied with death, with blood and bones and shadow. He’s not only Rhys’ spymaster, he’s also his torturer. His association is with bones, a word that invokes a sense of everlasting, of persevering beyond death. Bones is also used to describe the ‘rebirth’ section of Elain’s personal growth arc, the final aspect that leads to ascendance, and acceptance of one’s past and present. Meanwhile, bloom represents Elain herself and the ‘death’ portion of her story, the aspect that heralds change and healing. 

Rot, bloom and bones represent both her personal journey and her love interests. It’s all intrinsically linked. Lucien is ‘life’ and stagnation, Elain is ‘death’ and change, and Azriel is ‘rebirth’ and acceptance. As a progression, this is how I interpret the sentence: 

By rejecting the bond with Lucien, she is stepping into herself and forging something everlasting with Azriel.

Lastly, let’s not forget that the phrase symbolising her is sing me. This didn’t make much sense to me until I read Azriel’s bonus POV. In it, he confesses to Gwyn that he does sing. Why include this if it’s not a subtle callback to this prophetic paragraph in ACOMAF? It feels like a treat to hardcore fans who like finding all the little connections (since they’re the ones most likely to have read the bonus chapters). The fact that Gwyn also sings signals to me there’s an important plot point regarding song. Maybe homegirl Elain will be forced to throw a hardcore metal concert to save Az XD Wouldn’t that be a plot twist HAHAHA. 

I don’t know when SJM started planting seeds for Elriel in any serious capacity, so perhaps I am reading WAY too much into this. Either way, I am super keen for the next book!

Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts! I am desperate for Elriel right now hahaha. Thanks for reading! 

OH, BUT ONE MORE THING. 

The greetings are really interesting. Sweet thing obviously refers to Feyre. Lady of night and princess of decay are clearly meant for Nesta. 

Fanged beast and trembling fawn are left for Elain. It’s easy to write this off as being about her LI and herself, respectively, but I don’t know. The sentences build upon each other. A single moniker grows to two - the first separated by a comma, the second expanding to use an and. It’s something you see a lot in poetry, generally used to emphasise a point. I’m not entirely sure what the point is; it might just be a nice writing flourish, but wouldn’t it be interesting if both those statements were referring to Elain herself? Wouldn’t it just be juicy? 

[takakuteki-butterfly]

Free! The Final Stroke fundown rundown

I just came out here for fun swim times, and now Haru’s evil.

Ok, I’m just gonna post things as I remember them.

Spoilers, obviously.  And this gets really long.  Have a snack ready.

As a warning, my Japanese isn’t fantastic, so I may have missed some things or misinterpreted some things (though, to toot my own horn a bit, I understood a lot more with this film than with other raw Japanese movies I’ve watched).  Also, at this point it’s been several hours since I saw the show, and my memory is shit.  Take anything I say here with a grain of salt.

So.

Movie starts off cute, with Nagisa, Rei, Makoto, and Rin making some kind of video about (for?) Haru.  I think it took place in the past?  Because Haru, Makoto, and Rin are in their high school uniforms, so I think maybe this takes place before Dive to the Future.  Maybe.

There’s a childhood flashback with Hiyori and Kaede.  Seems Hiyori is actually the one who got Kaede into swimming, though Hiyori ended up moving before they ever got a chance to swim together.  If I understood right, Kaede’s family member(???) was also a swimmer.  And in fact, because of stuff that’s shown later in the movie, I think it’s strongly hinted that the friend that Coach Azuma lost in his past was Kaede’s family member(???).

There’s some stuff with a school festival, but it must be joint because Haru/Asahi’s university and Ikuya/Hiyori’s university are both involved.  Rin and Sosuke go and Rin and Ikuya tease each other relentlessly, then run off to compete against each other at a game booth.

And that’s all well and cute.

The bulk of the story takes place in Australia, with Haru, Rin, Ikuya, and Kaede (and Kaede’s friend, who’s name I forget, but apparently is a crazy strong breaststroke swimmer) representing Japan in an international tournament.  Stuff happens, Rin and Ikuya both lose their matches (in butterfly and breast, with Ikuya losing to that friend of Kaede’s).

Before Haru’s match, he and Kaede are in the locker room.  Albert comes in; Kaede tries to rile him up and is blatantly ignored.  Albert says straight up to Haru, “I’m not swimming for fun today.  I’m just here to do my job.”  D=

Haru swims against Kaede and Albert, and swims so hard he can’t catch his breath afterwards and falls down a flight of stairs (no worries! Ikuya catches him).  Albert wins, but Haru does qualify for the next round.  At some point, Haru yells at Azuma about how to get stronger?  But I didn’t really understand that bit.

For the next race (the next day), Albert drops out for unknown reasons.  He gets shit for it later from that old guy who controls him (father? grandfather? caretaker? idk).  It’s clear that Old Guy is using Albert for sponsorship money and to live vicariously through him.  I don’t know which is worse.

So Kaede gets bronze in that race.  Haru doesn’t place.  Everyone goes back to Japan.

Meanwhile!

While all that is going on, it also frequently cuts to what the others are doing in Japan.  Makoto has basically taken on coaching Sousuke, and they spend nearly the entire movie together.  Asahi, Hiyori, and Kisume also spend much of the movie together, streaming the events in Australia and talking about the future and stuff.

And in a scene that is a clear callback to the rainy poolside scene in Eternal Summer, where Haru, Rin, and Makoto talk about what they’re going to do after graduation, there’s a scene with Rei, Nagisa, and Gou by the poolside, in the rain, talking about what they’re going to do after graduation.  Sounds like they all have a plan, but if specifics of those plans were mentioned, I didn’t catch it.  But they all looked happy and positive about their futures.

And at some point, Sousuke, Makoto, and Hiyori have a backstroke race.  Hiyori wins, though they don’t actually show him winning (-_-); they just show pictures of the batsu game Sousuke and Makoto had to do because they lost (dressing up and taking obnoxiously cute photos).

With everyone back in Japan, there’s lots of talking and... stuff.  Then they all go back to their hometowns for New Year’s.  There’s a scene of Haru and Makoto in that place where the fireworks scene took place in Eternal Summer, and Makoto is about to tell Haru something, but then his phone rings and he remembers that he promised his siblings he would do something with them, so he runs off, leaving Haru alone.

There’s also a scene of Ikuya and Asahi swimming alone in a pool at night.  They praise each other’s swimming, saying how they’ve both been impressed with one another since middle school.

And there’s a scene with Hiyori in Kyoto (looks like he’s at Kiyomizudera, but it’s night time and is that place open at night??), and Kaede approaches him.  They talk.

Haru goes to Iwatobi Elementary and is standing under that sakura tree when Rin finds him.  Haru talks about how they’ll challenge the international tournament next year, and they can do it! because they’ll be together.  Rin tells him that he and Ikuya both have decided not to participate next year; they’re going to go pro instead.  Haru gets really upset, because they’re abandoning him and he’ll be all alone.

Then he gets possessed by the ghost of Albert and basically tells Rin to piss off and that he doesn’t need him or anyone anymore.

The end!  To be continued in seven months!  =D

Other bits:

Though the character count has exploded, I felt there was a good balance between showing what everyone was up to, while still keeping the focus on Haru, as the main character.

60% of the movie was flashbacks to stuff that happened throughout the entire series.  Saving money on animation, or trying to hammer in the memories before the grand finale?  You decide.

Flashbacks also includes the animation from the original commercial that started this all.  =D

The English voice actors for Albert and Old Guy can not act for shit.  >_<  It’s so jarring.

I’m pretty sure I didn’t hear any OLDCODEX.  I knew they were on hiatus; I didn’t think they’d pull the song from the movie at the last minute.  (Unless that was them, and it’s a totally new style than what we’re used to.)

If you’re here for the shipping, you’re going to be disappointed.  There was very little.

There was a preview for the next movie, but literally the only thing I remember is “REI~!! <3″

They also showed the main image for the next movie, which is almost the exact same as this movie’s (see above), except instead of looking pissy, Haru’s expression is incredibly soft.

The end~!

[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

Guess I Misunderstood

Part 2 of Not the One series. 

Summary: Kurt's trying a find a way to end things with Adam and Blaine Anderson is one of the reasons why. 

Notes:  Open for more prompts in this 'verse but I only intended it to be 2 parts of a two-sided story. I hope you enjoy.

Read Part 1 here

AO3

The first time Kurt saw Blaine Anderson, he was spying on the bulletin boards. He, like every other Apple, was worried about how many freshmen they could pull this semester. With a majority of the current Adam’s Apples being seniors, they needed to fill those spots with freshmen. Better to round them up this year so they’ll already have a year of acapella under their belts.

He's just standing there reading all the flyers. Kurt’s trying to look busy with his phone to not draw attention. But he can’t help but access this man. 

Firstly, Kurt doesn't recognize him so he assumes this is a freshman, exactly the demographic their flyers are trying to bring in. The second thing that makes this man stand out among the others Kurt’s observed thus far is how nicely dressed he is. It is the first day of school so one would think a little effort would be put in but some boys their age won’t even put on a stain-free shirt to come to school. Luckily, most NYADA students care about their appearances, this freshman is no exception. 

He’s wearing tightly fitted, dark green, capri pants and a crisp, white, collared polo. 

Then his hand is reaching up to the green flyer Kurt designed. 

He takes it. 

YES!

Kurt tries to collect himself when he walks over to the boards. Don’t scare him away is his new mantra.

“The Apples?” He asks. 

The freshman was shy at first probably because he didn’t expect to be approached. Before he answers Kurt, he does manage to meet his eyes. 

Well, Kurt thought, if he sings as well as he looks the Apples could make Nationals. 

In the past, Kurt would’ve berated himself for checking out guys while being in a relationship but he’s becoming less sure about Adam lately. His boyfriend is becoming a bit pushy about things like this. But Kurt isn’t about to stop doing it. If Adam really trusted him, he could see all of this was harmless. 

The guy was gorgeous, no one should really blame Kurt for staring. His bowtie added a dash of adorableness, which would only draw Kurt in closer if he was single. Which he is decidedly not. 

“I love to sing.” 

Kurt could certainly relate. That’s how he got involved with glee clubs in the first place. Hell, that’s what got him to New York. 

“Me too,” he said, “I’ll see you at auditions, break a leg.” 

Only while he was walking away did Kurt curse himself for not catching the man’s name. 

Before he knew it, they reached the point in the school year—day two—where Rachel was would start harassing him about “getting his name out there” and listing off all the auditions she had lined up. The only way Kurt could hear another word of this was over coffee so he dragged Rachel there before his class. This meant she had exactly 35 minutes to talk at him about it until he inevitably came home for the night and had to share the loft with her. Halfway through the conversation, he notices a finely dressed young man in line.

 He’s not ashamed to admit the man’s best asset drew his attention. Though it wasn’t a difficult feat considering Power-Hungry Rachel was his other option. 

Thankfully, her time was running out, “Rach, I’ll see you at home, I have Tibideaux.” 

With one last look at the man, Kurt rushes off to class. 

When Adam’s Apples auditions are up and running, Kurt is fuming. His boyfriend thought the perfect time to discuss their future as a couple was directly before they had to sit on their asses for 3 hours listening to a bunch of freshmen sing their hearts out. 

Of course, they fought over it. Kurt was pissed about the timing, Adam thought he was being careless about their future plans because he refused to talk about it. 

“I’m refusing to do it publicly when we have obligations!” Kurt had told him. 

He had stormed into the empty auditorium at that point, casting aside Adam’s idea to move away after graduation for the moment, and sat in the third row. Unable to take a hint, Adam sat beside him. 

Kurt was barely able to pay attention to the singers until Blaine. Once again, the man was pleasantly dressed. This time in bright yellow capris and a lovely yellow and blue bowtie. Kurt wondered if he had an affinity for them. 

Adam coughed next to him, Kurt reverted his eyes. For the rest of the song, he was trying not to stare because Adam didn’t need another reason to blame Kurt for their relationship problems. When Blaine was finished, they clapped, Adam leaned in, “I’m sorry, you’re right.” In reply, Kurt kissed his cheek. 

Knowing a simple kiss could smooth things over for now. They obviously had a lot to discuss. 

As school picked up, Kurt mostly forgot about his little soft spot for Blaine until he was pulling a tipsy Adam off of the Lion’s Den dance floor Saturday night. 

They knew their potential new recruits would be at Callbacks, Kurt wanted none of that. If they were going to celebrate the first week of classes as a couple, he wasn’t about to be interrupted by a drunk NYADA student begging to know how their glee audition went. So he was here and apparently so was Blaine. 

He almost turned right around wanting to ignore the man. This is the exact situation he was trying to avoid. But Adam pulled him forward, slurring “bar’s this way.” 

Kurt tried to catch his eye from across the bar but instead watched as Blaine slung his drink back and paid his tab. By the time Adam was finished ordering, Blaine was gone. 

The fourth time Kurt thought he’d see Blaine never came. 

Kurt had posted the Adam’s Apples list of new recruits himself. Blaine Anderson was at the top. Alphabetically speaking. Yet, he never showed up to their first rehearsal. Everyone else had come. It was difficult to listen to Adam’s introductory speech when he kept waiting for Blaine to walk through the auditorium doors. 

He never did. Did Tuesdays at 7 not work for his schedule? 

They sat in a circle on stage playing ice breakers, learning each other’s names and special interests in regards to their studies at NYADA. 

When rehearsal ends, Adam tapped his shoulder, “you seem distracted, what’s up?” 

Kurt remembers what Drunk Adam told him on Saturday and lies, “nothing, I’m fine. Just something Rachel said.” 

“Well,” Adam helped him up, “don’t worry too much about her. Before you know it, you and I will be taking on the West End.” 

He smiles until Adam turns away. 

When Adam had first said they should move, Kurt thought he meant out of the heart of the city. Which was something he could understand. If Kurt’s dreams of starting a family someday were to be met, he saw the appeal of a move. It never crossed his mind that Adam meant to move across the ocean. 

When they first started talking, Kurt loved the allure of an older man. Being a freshman at the time, Kurt had been desperate to fit in in ways he never could at McKinley. So when Adam took him under his wing, showed him the ropes of NYADA and New York, it was only a matter of time before Kurt had a crush on him. Initially, Adam was too busy for a relationship, he had told Kurt as much so Kurt keep the crush to himself...and Rachel. 

When NYADA’s spring formal rolled around, Kurt was already planning on going with his roommate. Rachel had been trying him to match in a terrible shade of pink. It didn’t go well with either of their complexions. The text came in mid-argument about their outfits.

Adam: wanna go to formal?

Kurt dropped his phone. Luckily, he was sitting on the couch and it fell onto the cushion. Rachel, of course, knew something was wrong because Kurt paused in the middle of yelling at her about the tackiness of matching when they could complement each other instead. 

“What’s up?” she asked, leaning in to glance at his phone, “it’s not your dad, right?” 

“No, no, no,” Kurt assured her, tilting his screen so she could read the message. 

“OH!” she squealed, jumping up. “Tell him yes!” 

“He probably isn’t asking me, just wants to know if I’ll be there.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, “don’t stupid, Kurt.” 

Ignoring her, Kurt texted back and slumped down. 

Kurt: Rachel and I are going to go together, yes

Instantly, another text came in. 

Adam: Would Rachel be upset if I took you instead?

Rachel was biting her lip excitedly. Practically dancing as she sat on the couch next to him. 

Kurt: I think she’d be delighted. As would I.

The two of them did some jumping up and down together before Kurt settled back onto the couch, holding his phone to his chest. 

 “Guess that means I can wear pink if I want to,” Rachel said before disappearing into her bedroom. 

But that was then. It had been a long time since Kurt felt butterflies in his stomach when he thought about Adam. He never thought they’d completely disappear but these last few months he felt stagnant. When he expressed these concerns to his boyfriend, Adam’s solution was, once again, to move across the pond. 

Like that would solve their issues. 

That wasn’t what Kurt had meant by stagnant but Adam kept going on and on about how New York may be the city that never sleeps but he couldn’t wait to get back to the excitement of London. 

Kurt could never see himself moving so far away from his dad or his friends. New York had become his home these last three years. Maybe Adam always dreamed of going back to the UK but he had never told Kurt that explicitly until the start of this semester. Dating for 2 years and it never came up. 

By the time they were having their fifth fight about this, Kurt knew they were going to have to break up. It was just a matter of when. 

The actual fourth time Kurt saw Blaine Anderson was two weeks before Thanksgiving break. 

He was sitting in a corner of the library. Sheets of music spread across his lap. Titling his head so a single black curl dangled in his face. Blaine keeps blowing the curl away to no avail. It took everything in Kurt to not laugh. 

Adorable. 

Kurt wasn’t really here to study. He finished up his assignments for the weekend. There was a major test next week for one of Rachel’s classes. She was in a study group and forgot her yellow notebook so Kurt offered to bring it to her. 

Wasn’t it just his luck that Blaine Anderson was here? Right in his line of sight. The universe must be having fun with him tonight. He was about to go home to an empty apartment and write a breakup speech for Adam. 

Kurt had plans to talk with his day over Thanksgiving break—Burt insisted on planning for his flight. He just needed someone, not Rachel, to tell him it was the right choice. For so long, Adam, being his first boyfriend, made Kurt feel like he owed it to Adam to continue this. Kurt had just reached the end of his rope. 

He did end up talking to his dad about everything other than the impending breakup. In fact, Kurt couldn’t seem to get Blaine’s name out of his mouth. 

“We had this really talented singer come in for auditions, dad,” Kurt said. “Blaine Anderson, he’s a freshman.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

This was the second time Kurt had brought this up. 

“He’s going to do big things someday.” 

By the fourth time, Blaine’s name was mentioned, which was a lot of times for a man Kurt had only spoken to once, Burt had something to say about it. 

“You gonna ask him out, bud, or just keep talking to me?”

Kurt paused, blushed, and stumbled out a “no.” 

“No what? You won’t ask him or he won’t go out with you.” 

“Dad,” Kurt said, “both of those imply, I do ask him out.” 

“Well, you should.” Burt shrugged. “You clearly like him.” 

His dad did always know how to read him. This wasn’t the time to remind Burt of his boyfriend. Of whom, Burt was indifferent. Dating for years and Adam couldn’t seem to break down Burt’s overprotective walls. 

Now that Kurt was alone in their apartment thinking of those conversations. All of them. Every single time he had asked Burt about Adam or called his dad after a ridiculous fight. How many of those conversations contain happy stories? 

Kurt and Adam had loads of good times but none that he ever shared with his dad, no memories that become inside jokes, nothing like that. 

It was the Monday after Thanksgiving, Rachel was in class, Adam’s professor had let them out earlier, and Kurt had an empty apartment. 

Kurt: let’s get coffee

Adam: Be there in ten

When Kurt came back, he was a single man in New York once again. 

The fifth time, Kurt saw Blaine Anderson was on purpose. He meant to run into him in the NYADA auditorium. Kurt had asked around and found out Blaine had joined a different glee club. Amy said they rehearsed on Wednesdays and Blaine was always there a half-hour earlier to warm-up alone. 

Sure enough, Blaine was center stage pacing in a circle doing one of Rachel’s favorite scales. Kurt is creeping in from one of the back entrances. Slowly, he makes his way up to the stage unsure if he wants Blaine to notice him or not. 

Eventually, he reaches a moment when he has to say something. About fifteen feet from the stage, Kurt speaks up, “you’re very talented, you know?” 

Blaine looks down at him, a quick smile, and blushes, “thanks.” 

“We were sad to not see you at rehearsals but The Singsations benefit greatly.” 

“Yeah, I felt bad about it…” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “but it just wasn’t going to work.” 

“Well,” Kurt replied, “acapella isn’t for everyone.” 

“Funny enough, it wasn’t the acapella part.” 

At that, Kurt’s not sure what to say. He wants to ask what the problem was then.

“Sorry, did you just come here to ask why I didn’t join the Apples?” Blaine asked. 

“Um no, Amy said you warm up here before rehearsals.” Which was Kurt’s way of stalling. “I…”

This is exactly why Kurt hadn’t had a boyfriend before Adam: he was too nervous to make the first move. 

Blaine is sitting on the edge of the stage now so they’re almost level. Kurt could just push his legs apart, stand between them, and kiss him. That’s all he wants to do. 

“I’ve seen you around campus a lot.” Four times.

“Me too,” Blaine said, which has Kurt smirking slightly. So he did notice him too. Then Blaine continues and knocks that smirk right off his face, “how’s your boyfriend?” 

Well, Kurt should’ve expected that blow. His and Adam’s relationship was pretty well-known. In just two weeks since the breakup, Kurt’s surprised more people aren’t gossiping about it. 

Honesty is the best policy, right? 

“We broke up.”

“Oh,” Blaine replied, “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“Are you?” Kurt asked, “because I’m not sorry at all. I should’ve done it sooner. We weren’t meant to be together as long as we were.” 

“You broke up with him?” Blaine asked, confused. “But you seemed so in love.” 

“A year ago, I would’ve agreed with you but one too many problems later it was never going to work,” Kurt told him, “but that’s not why I’m here either.” 

“So, why are you here? I was pretty sure you didn’t know I existed.” 

“I definitely do,” Kurt said, “and now it’s my turn to ask if you’re single.” 

Blaine blushed again, “Not sure that’s what I meant earlier.” 

“It’s what I meant.” 

“I’m not seeing anyone right now, I’ve been pining after this upperclassman who was with someone.” 

“Oh yeah?” Kurt asked. 

“Yeah.” 

Kurt took a step closer and placed his palms on Blaine’s knees. 

“Well, I think he likes you too.” 

Then, he pushes his legs open with no resistance from Blaine. It isn’t Kurt who leans in first though. 

[aibafiles]

RWBY Score Breakdown - Midnight (V8C6)

Okay!! This is something I've wanted to do for quite a while this volume. What I’m hoping to do is a series of posts breaking down the musical score of each episode, looking at character themes & leitmotifs, their instrumentation, how they interact with each other, and how they’ve developed. I was going to start with the second half of the volume (and then maybe work my way back) but I decided I really wanted to cover 6 and 7 first, so here we go!

As a quick aside, I’m relatively new to RWBY and its music. I got caught up between volumes 6 and 7, and spent an even longer time trying to familiarize myself with RWBY’s huge backlog of music and dozens upon dozens of leitmotifs. I think I have a decent ear by now but there’s always stuff I want to go back and pick apart! I do have some experience studying theory & composition, but I am by no means an expert, and if anyone wants to chime in and correct me on something/point out a detail, please do so! Also, this is my own interpretation of the music and in no way a definitive statement on Alex Abraham or Jeff Williams’ intent. (Or any of the other new composers brought on this volume!)

(I don’t think I can work audio examples into this post so this is more of a “pull up the episode and listen along, if you want to” kind of deal. Or hopefully I’m descriptive enough that you can just read it if you’d prefer not to.)

So, Midnight starts us off with some slow strings that lead into Cinder’s leitmotif—but it cuts off before we can reach that last note. It’s still incomplete—put a pin in this; we’ll come back to it. We cut to Atlas, where we hear a really nice jazzy rendition of a piece from way back in Volume 2, when Cinder returns to the dance. (Alex actually responded to a Reddit post about this particular callback and described it as a “maybe? it could make sense in a meta way” decision. I think it’s fitting for another place with a fateful stroke of midnight.)

And then...the new song! I'm mostly here to talk about the score so I won't dwell on it for long, but it is worth noting that this song's melody borrows heavily from Sacrifice (here’s a quick comparison!). It's almost an exact match save for one interval. I’m unreasonably excited for the full version of this song. I can feel the guitars begging to kick in after the episode version cuts off. But I digress...

The next music we hear is a piano variation of Cinder's leitmotif during her training montage with Rhodes. Cinder’s theme is one of the most abundant and easily recognizable in the series. Her leitmotif, as we’re used to hearing it, is typically a perfect fifth up, major second down, and a tritone down. The tritone is a very dissonant interval that is rarely used to end a phrase because of its unresolved sound. That sound is perfect for someone like Cinder (see also: Raven) because it makes her feel harsh and sinister. But in this episode, she hasn't become that person yet, so we get this variation. Instead of her usual tritone, the last note is a step lower, making it another perfect fifth. She’s landed on that last note she didn’t reach at the start of the episode. It’s a friendlier, more hopeful sound that hasn’t had the chance to warp into something twisted yet.

This Cinder variation moves to the strings, and the piano changes to something else: a version of the music from the beginning of Chapter 1 this volume, when we saw young Cinder scrubbing the floor. We can associate that piano with her old life in Mistral, trapped and toiling away endlessly. In a sense, Cinder is still in a very similar position here—but she has some kind of hope now, and this piano line has moved into a major key. Both her established leitmotif and this new idea are coming together, her past meeting her future. And both of them are the sweetest we may ever hear them.

And then it all crashes down. As far as I can tell, Casey’s vocal line when Rhodes walks in on Cinder isn’t based on any established idea. But it does sound sick as hell, as does Awake, which you should absolutely listen to the full version of if you haven’t already.

Back to the present with Hazel and Oscar! The bulk of this scene uses some musical ideas for Hazel established back in Volume 5 in the low brass and strings. There's also the slightest hint of Ozpin in the bells (? I think? it’s tricky to pick out the instruments here) around "I know how you see me."

When Salem gathers everyone, we hear a few different ideas associated with her—her slow, menacing leitmotif in the low strings, and a creepy choir chant. This phrase the choir sings has actually been around since the very end of Volume 3, but hasn’t had much use until the Atlas arc. It was subtle back in the confrontation in Ironwood’s office last volume, and over the course of Volume 8 it’s grown more and more prevalent as we get face-to-face with Salem. To me, this theme feels like it represents the immediate threat of Salem’s presence. She’s right here, and she’s about to do her worst.

But before that, she turns to Cinder, and her eerie choir morphs into something else. It's a bit tricky to make out over all the dialogue and sound effects, but this is Cinder's new song. Salem's own choir is turning these lyrics on her, all the while manipulating Cinder back into her good graces. The music builds and builds, and as Salem takes Cinder’s hand, the melody of "no one's ever loved you" echoes behind them. The scene finishes with Salem in the low strings/brass again.

Salem strikes Atlas. The melody the choir sings appears to be based on the piano from Chapters 4 & 5 when the Grimm rivers appears in the tundra, but now it’s loud and out in full force. (Interestingly, this melody shares some similarities with Lusus Naturae and Cinder’s new leitmotif from Volume 5, both of which are four-note, dissonant descending phrases. While the latter was simply intended to be an additional idea for Cinder to add variation, there was some past speculation about it representing her Grimm arm. All three of these ideas would have an association with Grimm of some kind, although I can’t say that’s necessarily intentional. But it is neat!)

The episode ends with one last version of Salem's leitmotif on a haunting piano, accompanied by the massive low strings that signify Monstra's presence.

Next up: War! There’s a lot going on in there so it may be some time, but thank you for reading!

[astro-break]

Thoughts on the third ep of Hypmic Rhythm Anima (as always, spoilers beware but not only for the anime itself but for future things covered in the Drama CD and the Manga. If you’re an anime only, those are marked with a *)

Right off the bat. Super disappointed that it isn’t a MTC episode. I wanted an MTC episode. :((((

Still got my MTC crumbs this week tho and I think I can hold out until next week which hopefully will give me the MTC episode I so desperately want (Yes, i have a division bias and i’m not afraid to show it)

Jakurai entertaining kids are just so cute. I think its very very precious.

* Also. What kind of doctor is Jakurai anyways? So far we know that he’s a councilor/therapist (helps Doppo w/ his anxiety), a pediatrician (he helped a kid), a family doctor (I think i might be wrong on this one), a surgeon (In the FP vs MTC manga he’s shown preforming surgery), a hitman/assassin (:/ yeah evil line records seems intent on retconning this one), a battle field medic (he’s state to be one during WWIII) and now he’s getting called into the orthopedic (things concerning the musculoskeletal system) and gastroenterology (working w. the digestive system) department, two things that have nothing in common with each other. And I’m sure I’m missing some. There is no way in hell this man can do all that he’s 35 for fucks sake. You’d be old and grey before you could learn and complete the credentials needed to work half of these jobs

Nice to now that theres some hints of jakurai’s past. I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing more of the detective later in the story, esp for Matenrou

Doppo being overworked as usual *sigh*. When will the man ever rest? Never... Though im a bit skeptical as to why one of his co-workers calls him doppo. this is a work environment, usually he’d be called “Kanonzaka” for the least amount of informality. seems sus to me. Though his depiction of his insecurities is nice

I love how his first reaction is to call Hifumi and as him if he’s killed anyone. Peak bromance guys. 

Honestly Doppo’s method of trying to calm down is nice but not at all effective. He has the right mindset of calming down and letting his body breath, but the way he goes about it is... eh. 

Tom and Iris’ argument is hilarious and I really want to see more of them and Rex! Can’t wait to see what happens with these three new characters

Iasdgfjsd;flkasjdflkasdjfkasdlvn ajsdk, MTCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

MY BPOYS OH MY GOD RIOU NEVER CHANGE

fsajghasdf i love them asdhfoiksldjfasdfj riou’s food looks so so so so so good omgggggg

Samatoki respecting the fuck outta Jakurai is amazing and I never get tired of their father-child kind of relationship (yes jakurai is a dad to TDD fight me.)

The Riou and Samatoki interactionnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ah my heart!! they know each other so well and play off each others strengths. its so cute and I love how Samatoki knows his teammates well enough to know when to play each of his pieces. He isn’t just some brute who speaks through his fists, but he does use his head too. I think this is one of the reasons why he’s also high up on the Yakuza ladder since he’s not only brawny but also brainy

EAT RIOUS FOOD SAMATOKI

ah yes, Jyuto kneeing a bitch. just what I needed to see on a stressful friday thank you for feeding me

I love MTC, im very happy with the MTC crumbs. Since MTR showed up in BB’s ep last week, i really really hope that next week’s ep will be MTC

There it is. Jakurai’s “Jitsuni Kyoumibukai” line

lolololololol the sound effects for MTR is hilarious. Though please give Doppo a break, man deserves it

Jaku’s hair man. its beautiful

Again, please give Doppo a break, he deserves with the 4 joints that they attacked

They say 3 times, but they attacked 4 places?? Did they not report one of them?

Ahhhhh the DoHifu interaction on the temple grounds is both hilarious and cute. Though I can’t help but feel bad for Doppo

* Huh, Jaku did you get that from your hitman days loll

Oh man host mode. Though I like how Doppo recognizes when Host Mode is  a legitimate shield that Hifumi needs and is willing to give him that shield when he needs it. God I love their dynamic]

wow... yet another female stalker for Hifumi... very original. This is pretty similar to the stalker girl from the manga and CD

Lol callback to when Doppo was in the toilet and trying to calm down. 

pffft the girl is so weird. I can’t stand her or Uwabami. 

The plot is so convoluted holy shit. Is this a drama now? (I’ve never watched any c-dramas or k-dramas so I’m the furthest thing from a voice of authority but this seems like a drama show plot lmao.)

This is just a drama at this point lol. Misunderstandings, plot twists and cheesy shit all over the place. Its a badly written and hilarious drama thats for sure

Someone please write a fic where instead of the hypmic universe, the boys are all in a tv drama show plot and their hijinks bc it would fit perfectly. please

Ah, Doppochin snapped~ He’s very interesting once he gets fired up and thats when I really really like MTR. Don’t get me wrong, I love them normally but its when they get down to it that really makes me squeal in delight

Oh! So i think each character gets their own personalized intro w/ their speakers, not just the leaders. Thats honestly so so so cool. The 3D didn’t get in the way of the sequence and was really flashy and smooth. I love how they show the transformation and reveal of the mic and speaker. Honestly the Anime has so many good takes on thigs that aren’t touched on often in the franchise.

The rap was honestly fire this time around. I love it and have replayed it almost 20 times. According to the ending credits its called Welcome U which is so cute for such a funny and badass song. The strong base beat and imagery were so strong and included a lot of homages to things that really matches both Shinjuku, Matenrou and the lyric’s themes and they’re really small but important details! The humor was on point without sacrificing any of the amazingly cool elements and the three distinct styles of rap were integrated in such a catchy melody!

EG) the verse All Year Round features a quick shot of the four seasons and the things most prominently associated with each season. Spring has cherry blossoms and flower viewing, Summer has festivals, Fall and Winter have food that corresponds to events that happen in those seasons.

Doppo’s line of “The flea counters w/ a bite” is so so so cute bc he’s got a little w at the end and thats jp chatspeak for a laugh and skjdfhsdjfkslad adorable

Hifumi picking up right after and asking if Doppo is okay is just. Goals. And his gratutious english works really well and is super smooth! Very very good

Also the small homage to The Champions with Hifumi’s “Jump around” line and the format where Hifumi takes separate lines than Jaku and Doppo. Its a brilliant way to sneak these references in and they’ve kept that theme going from last episode

Foreshadowing with “We’re the true leader, Matenro!” Nice touch there lol.

Lol of course its attempted murder. Still gotta keep this PG 13 even though theres swearing abound

The ending w/ mimimi..... leaves me kind of torn since i don’t like how it ended but they did provide some nice advice. i guess

lsdf;jsalkdfjsldf Hifumi please you’ve known Doppo for over 25 years, you should know better than anyone what his charm points are. and shouldn’t you be the one who understands Doppo’s appeal? smh

SCREEEEEEE THAT TITLE OF THE NEXT EP. if its an MTC ep i will scream even more bc asudhfsdkjflasd A friend in need is a friend indeed this is just pushing my Poly!MTC agenda isn’t it

Final thoughts:

Please please please let next week be MTC please please please

DoHifu are goals, both romantically and platonically

The rap was fire and I’m going to keep listening to it on repeat. First ep was a bit of a disappointment in terms of CGI and raps but these latest two eps are really picking up the slack! I really hope they continue this for the next two!

JAKURAI WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR ARE YOU PLEASE TELL ME

[ultraericthered]

TOP FAVORITE SVTFOE EPISODES

1. “The Battle For Mewni: Toffee” - I could only put one episode from the big movie event on here, and this was it. I cannot find a fault in this one. It’s still the best episode in the whole series for me. Everything about the writing and direction here and how it all perfectly pays off the entire story that was building since the end of Season 1 makes this episode my personal favorite. It invokes all kinds of strong emotions while also giving us great character moments and, for the most part, making logical narrative sense. The climax where Star does her Dip Down to save the last fragment of pure magic, finally completes her Mewberty, and blasts Toffee into near oblivion is bar none the most thrilling moment that the show ever gave us. And it goes without saying that after this one, the show never got close to being any better.

2. “Storm The Castle” - The first season’s finale and the episode that got the ball rolling for the epic storyline that culminated in the above episode. This one felt different from any outing with this show that had preceded it, as Toffee proved to not only be a formidable villain but one who was thinking several steps ahead. After getting Star in the spot he wanted her, he has her destroy her handed down wand in a positively chilling sequence, and even after Castle Avarius is reduced to rubble, the feeling that Toffee accomplished exactly what he wanted to accomplish lingers. The final shot assures us that this was only the beginning of something greater, something we don’t quite understand yet but are eager to find out about.

3. “Bon Bon The Birthday Clown” - Talk about a mid-season finale that unexpectedly puts you on the edge of your seat and leaves you hanging. I most liked this one for how it fleshed out Jackie Lynn Thomas and her relationship with Marco better than all previous episodes, how well all the characters interacted with each other and how all of them, even Glossaryck, come off as likable, and how this was Ludo’s most downright terrifying display of menace and competence as a threat - he implements a well thought out plan and actually succeeds at stealing the Book of Spells from Star! The episode’s final minutes definitely leave an impact!

4. “Into The Wand” - As I’ve mentioned before, this is the episode where Daron Nefcy really set up the ideas for the show’s future direction and ultimate endgame that she’d gotten in her head by this point. Not only does it further the Corrupted Magic story arc, reveal crucial information about Star’s mother Moon and Toffee, and bring in the important McGuffin of Toffee’s severed finger, but it’s positively packed with foreshadowing and ominous hints at the plot later on down the road regarding the other past queens of Mewni. The climactic scene in the Grandma Room remains the eeriest and most pivotal moment in the entire show.

5. “Cornonation” - This episode is very much to the plot threads that started in Season 3 what the last “The Battle For Mewni” episode was to the plot threads that started in late Season 1. You really get the sense that this is what the story of Eclipsa and the racial tensions between Mewmans and monsters that correlated with it was all building towards. Globgor gets to prove just how sweet and awesome a guy he is beneath his intimidating appearances, the fight with the Magic High Commission is one of the show’s finest, Tom and Marco perform a show-stealing callback to Season 2, and the ending resolution leaves me with the warmest, fuzziest, happiest feeling as Eclipsa sings a new song and everyone unites in harmony. Rhombulus’ Heel Turn was a bit out of left field, but otherwise this was Season 4′s peak.

6. “Face The Music” & “Starcrushed” - An incredible two-part finale for Season 2 and one that left just about everyone with an absolute need to watch how this story would resume and conclude in “The Battle For Mewni” afterwards. Also gave us some incredible music, especially Ruberiot’s big ballad for Star in the first part, and the battle of Moon and the High Commission against a Toffee-possessed Ludo was the show’s most exhilarating action sequence. In fact, if I had any problems with them both, it’d be that the main action is more centered on Moon, while Star...doesn’t fight any forces of evil. In fact, her parts end up being very Starco shipping-heavy, which ended up doing more harm than good in the long run.

7. “Divide” & “Conquer” - Another incredible two-part finale, this one for Season 3. After the bulk of the season was above average at best in terms of quality, this finale really stuck the landing in delivering an exciting, emotional, and just plain satisfying wrap-up to the season’s main story arc. Some parts felt like they were going a bit slow, particularly in Part 1 and in everything regarding Star and Moon in the Realm of Magic, but the rest was exceptional. The part where Star enters Butterfly Castle and has to pass all the floating soulless corpses of people brought down by Meteora has to be the most nightmarish moment the show ever did. Seeing Eclipsa in action and learning the meaning of “Globgor” was the icing on the cake.

8. “Ludo In The Wild” - The latter section of the Season 2 premiere was the part I found to be stronger, as it was so unusual and styled more dramatically than what we usually saw on this show. In just this single episode, Ludo Avarius went from being a character I liked and found amusing to a character I loved and found engaging, as he unexpectedly developed from a total joke villain to a fierce, resourceful badass who survives the wild, makes new allies in Spider and Bird, and at the very end finds the other half of the wand cleaved apart by Toffee, putting into place what’s to be a major component of the season’s storyline going forward. 

9. “A Boy And His DC-700XE” - Not only was this one just absolutely hilarious the whole way through, but it is completely Tom’s episode - the definitive Tom episode. We get to see his character further grow and develop in a context not relating to his relationship with Star, see him put in a position where he’s the awkward loser among cool kids rather than the charming bad boy, and his bromance with Marco is solidified as the best teen love story on the show.

10. “Mewnipendance Day” - While “Mewberty” planted the seeds for deeper territory that this show could tackle and “Fortune Cookies” brought in it’s first true villain, this episode is THE game changer for the series. This is the first time Star is made to confront the reality of her family and the magic-based system of Mewni’s imperfections, the unfair treatment and unwarranted persecution of monsters by her own family and people, and how all she was taught to believe to be good and bad was not as black-and-white as it seemed. This puts into place the anti-prejudice themes that become one of the show’s strongest assets, and also begins Buff Frog’s turn from being one of Star’s persistent enemies to being one of her dearest friends and allies. My one complaint would be the depiction of Ludo here, as he’s written to be WAY too child-like and simpleminded even for him and it’s just cringe-inducing. That aside, it’s a very well done, crucial episode that the show wouldn’t be the same without. 

11. “Fortune Cookies” - A highly enjoyable episode but not the kind I’d normally think of as “best” material. It’s just a fairly silly plot about how Star thinks the fortune paper slips in fortune cookies can accurately predict the future so she becomes obsessed with this idea, which Ludo and his monsters take advantage of as per the planning of Ludo’s newly hired “evil efficiency expert”, a stiff and professional businessman lizard monster named Toffee. On first watch, I’d assumed the B-plot with Toffee was just part of the episode’s whole joke and that it’d be over with by the end. But how the episode actually ends is what shot it up to this spot on the list: “a great evil has been unleashed.” Toffee was sticking around and there was far more than met the eye about him, which totally caught me off guard and got me intrigued. Toffee would end up being this show’s best villain and the centerpiece of it’s best story arc, and just for that, the episode that brought him onto the show deserves high regard.

12. “Monster Bash” - While not as strong as the previous season’s mid-season finale, it’s an absolute step up from everything the season had given us following “The Battle For Mewni.” The advancement of the bettering of Mewman-Monster relations was interesting, there were meaningful character interactions, Mina Loveberry’s return was welcome, and the twist about the forgotten true identity of Miss Heinous and how it ties in with the season’s current plot was one of the greatest, most unexpected reveals for any character in the series, paying off all the early build-up of Miss Heinous and turning her into a deeper, more crucial character than I ever could have expected, and it certainly leaves you with a lot to think about.

13. “St. Olga’s Reform School For Wayward Princesses” - The payoff in the episode mentioned above would not be possible without this episode that introduced the character of Miss Heinous and built up how involved she is in the process of making “proper princesses” out of rebellious girls from royal families (ironic since she herself is an unconventional Mewman princess-to be) and how she might just be connected to the Butterfly royal family herself. In addition to that, it pays off the looming terror of St. Olga’s in the first season in a tremendous and surprisingly unsettling way, further developing bonds of friendship between Star, Marco, and Ponyhead, and bringing in the famed “Princess Marco Turdina” guise.

14. “Ludo, Where Art Thou?” & “Princess Quasar Caterpillar and the Magic Bell” - Despite being in two different points of two different seasons, these two episodes feel like a two-part story, one that serves to deliver closure and the final steps of growth for the character of Ludo Avarius. They tackle all the issues Ludo has had with his family, his self worth, his addiction to powerful magic artifacts, his desire for acceptance and love both of himself and from other around him, and even his darker tendencies as he makes the life for himself that he’s long deserved and further connects with his younger brother Dennis, who loves and idolizes him for all he’s pulled through. You come out of these episodes with an even deeper appreciation for Ludo and how much his character developed since his debut in episode 1 of the show. 

15. “The Monster and the Queen” - This is the episode that properly introduced us to Globgor. Spent on almost nothing but Eclipsa and Globgor together for almost the entirety of the episode. One that shows us the pure, affectionate, unmarred love these two have for each other, selling us the best romance in the whole series. How couldn’t I love this episode?

16. “On The Job” - I love the character of Buff Frog and this episode was the quintessential showing of what makes him so endearing and awesome, so that’s what puts it on here.

17. “Meteora’s Lesson” - This episode, with Glossaryck giving baby Meteora her “dip down” lessons via a trip backwards in time, which shows us the black sheep (or giraffe) of his magic family, the truth about how the first settlers of Mewni got access to magic and even how Stump Day became a thing, and a young Toffee among his peers in the Septarian army? It’s just packed full of goodness and leaves you very intrigued about the nature of this universe’s magic, Glossaryck’s part in it, and just what exactly his ultimate aim could be.

18. “Butterfly Trap” - Aside from the relief of finally getting to the trial of Eclipsa that was set up so early on in the season, this is the episode that divulges the whole truth about a royal scandal: what became of baby Meteora and why her place as heir to Eclipsa’s throne was taken by Festivia instead. It’s also the episode where Eclipsa finally goes from a sketchy pseudo-antagonist to a sympathetic character who is most assuredly not an evil person with any evil objectives. It also represents a major growth point in Star’s journey to queenhood. 

19. “Sleepover” - I just loved watching Star, Marco, Jackie, Janna, Ponyhead, and even Starfan13 all hanging out together at a slumber party and getting caught up in a party game far more intense and dangerous than they’d anticipated. Jackie and Marco especially start to develop more starting here, Sean Schemmel is both funny and terrifying as the episode’s antagonist, and the conflict’s resolution is actually quite brilliant. The only thing holding this one back is the ending, with the out-of-nowhere reveal that Star secretly crushes on Marco. 

20. “Cornball” - Another great episode for Buff Frog, a surprisingly funny one for Marco, a point to really stress the message of what could turn the tides of racial relations against prejudice and hatred in the future, and odd enough, probably the best episode for Kelly. 

21. “Britta’s Tacos” - Oh the sheer amount of emotional catharsis this episode gave me. Being back on Earth in Echo Creek, seeing the major recurring residents of Echo Creek again, legit funny and even surprisingly dodgy jokes, acknowledgement of what a terrible boyfriend Marco was to Jackie, and a much better resolution for Jackie than what Season 3 offered.

22. “Friendenemies” & “Pizza Thing” - The former is the episode that really kicked Tom Lucitor’s character and the relationship between him and Marco into high gear, being one of the show’s funniest episodes ever and also bizarrely sweet in how well the two boys are able to bond with each other despite having different personalities and some different interests. The latter is kinda the Marco/Ponyhead equivalent to the former, being another particularly funny episode about an awkward bonding and the definitive example of how to make Ponyhead actually likable and entertaining in spite of her grating, self-centered personality.

23. “The Hard Way” - Ludo had been getting a surprising amount of development in Season 2, but mostly to the end of making him a more formidable villain for Star and her friends to face. This is the first time since the season premiere where we saw him in a different, less villainous light and got to see the true character beneath the surface, even learning about him coming from a bad family and seeing that a need for love, guidance, and acceptance makes him tick, as displayed in how he looks to Glossaryck like a new father figure. And then of course there’s that SURPRISE ending, which made everyone shit bricks when it happened. 

24. “Just Friends” - Not a whole lot of action or plot advancement happens in this one - it’s just dedicated to us spending time with Star, Marco, and Jackie on their way to a big concert. But the development of these three’s relationships with each other and their individual feelings put on clear display makes it an exceptional episode all the same, giving a perfect bittersweet feeling as you’re watching it go on, an ideal stage-setter for what’s coming next.

25. “Gone Baby Gone” - Despite a lack of screen time for Hekapoo, this is easily the best Neverzone episode the series did. Mariposa and Meteora are BroTP or OTP material, and Wyshcan the Granter was one of the most memorable one-off antagonists in the show. 

26. “Star Comes To Earth” - The one that started it all. Can’t not have a special place in my heart for this one. Revisiting it after knowing how certain characters (Star, Marco, Moon and River, Ludo and Buff Frog) develop later on in the show and looking for tiny hints at what’s to come later on (Glossaryck cameo, St. Olga’s references, Buff Frog’s use of dimensional scissors, lots of stuff in Star and Marco’s earliest interactions) is a weird but special feeling.

27. “Escape From The Pie Folk” - While Part 1 of the final season premier felt like a bit of a time-waster, this second part delivered much more. I particularly liked how Foolduke was tied to Pie Island and it’s people, how Fesitiva having been one of the Pie Folk is used to justify Moon’s presence there, the touching lullaby shared between Star and Moon, and Tony Hale as the Pie King, a particularly fun and memorable villain for this show. Good stuff all around.

28. “Beach Day” - Pays off a running thread throughout Season 4 and does so in a way that’s actually very enjoyable to watch, well written and true to the spirit of the show’s two main characters, and with a good thematic message to it. It feels like it could’ve been a good first or second season episode. The bit with Father Time speaking of Star’s hardest trials being ahead of her was also a great way to start building tension for the series finale. The score is lowered, however, when considering how underwhelming that finale actually wound up being.

29. “Mewberty” - This was the first “Growing The Beard” episode for the series, the first one that gave us something more than what we expected to see in a show that seemed so off-the-wall crazy, silly, and lighthearted at first. Sure there’s still lots of comedy, with Janna and Glossryck both seeming more like throwaway gag characters in their proper introduction, but the part towards the end where Marco thinks Star might have just abruptly exited his life is quiet, understated, and emotional in a way that was just downright alarming to me when I first saw it given how off-tone it was to all else in the show to that point. My faith in the show to evolve into something far deeper than it’s surface really started here, though it was a bit undercut by it being followed by “Pixtopia”, one of the series’ weakest outings.

30. “Interdimensional Field Trip” - This one is just classic SVTFOE in it’s heyday, with it’s fun mixing of regular human characters from a mundane Earth setting with bizarre beings and magical phenomena from fantastical otherworldly dimensions that the show really ought to have held onto the whole way through but instead tragically lost in much of it’s latter half.

[pitchingmoundideas]

Super Smash Bros Character Suggestion 01: GIEGUE

Name- Giegue (Giygas) Universe- Mother First Appearance- Earthbound Beginnings (1989, NES) Latest Appearance- Earthbound (1994, SNES)

Starting off my wishlist/ideas of new characters for Super Smash Bros on Nintendo Switch, it’s a new character from the MOTHER franchise. Nintendo’s cult RPG trilogy has only been represented by heroes Ness and Lucas so far, so I think it’s due time someone new joins the fight. But who? Well since the original Mother (now known as Earthbound Beginnings) still needs a playable rep, most would go to the main hero Ninten. And while I would love to see him, he’s way too similar to Ness. So I decided to go a bit more... unorthodox, for my choice. Someone who you’d never expect to join the battle but also makes weird sense. Which is why I want the main villain of the first two games, GIEGUE, to make his debut.

Who is he?

Giegue first appeared in the Famicom game Mother, where he appears as the final boss and main antagonist. An alien from an unknown part of the galaxy with immense psychic power, he was raised by a couple known as George and Maria from an unknown age after their abduction in 1906. Two years later, George escaped back to Earth with the knowledge of PSI causing Giegue to eventually invade the planet 80 years later to make sure humanity had no knowledge of psychic power. Thanks to Ninten and his friends, as well as the lullaby his adoptive mother Mary used to sing, Giegue retreated promising that one day, he and Ninten would meet again.

Sometime later Giegue, now known as Giygas, witnesses his defeat from a boy named Ness via an Apple of Enlightenment. In a future where he rules the planet, and not wanting this to happen, he traveled back through time 10 years to prevent this from happening. Wielding vast cosmic power, Giygas is a threat to the universe itself, and spread his evil influence throughout Eagleland and recruiting Ness’s neighbor Porky to his side in the process. Eventually Ness and his friends traveled back in time themselves in robot bodies to fight and defeat Giygas within the Cave of the Past and the Devil’s Machine. Defeated by the heroes with help by the prayers of Earth (and the player), Giygas breaks down into nothingness, his dark future erased from history.

Why Giegue?

I’m sure a lot of you are utterly confused right now. Why Giegue, of all characters? Not Masked Man? Or another party member from the trilogy? Well at first, I never thought of this character to be in. I knew about Giygas and his horrors way before I even played Earthbound for the first time, and barely knew anything about his appearance in Mother 1. But after seeing a few suggestions from other fans it all clicked.

Smash Bros needs more villains! In Smash 4 there were really only 3 true villains (Bowser, Ganondorf, King Dedede) and a few anti-heroes (Wario, Dark Pit, Meta Knight) so Giegue would be one of the two best bets for a Mother series villain. Hint hint at who you might see later on Pitching Mound~ Not to mention his utter weirdness and obscurity is a perfect choice for an off the wall character.

How would he play?

This artwork by JNRedmon (https://jnredmon.deviantart.com/) is a pretty good idea of how Giegue could look and play in Super Smash Bros. 

For his special moves, they’re each inspired by attacks and elements of Giegue/Giygas in Earthbound Beginnings and Earthbound.

B- Inexplicable!: “You Cannot Grasp the True Form of Giygas' Attack!” Giegue releases a shockwave around him that stuns nearby enemies for a few seconds. The move can also be charged, allowing for a bigger shockwave that, while it takes longer to activate, causes people to outright fall asleep instead of just get a quick stun. Side B- PK Rockin’: Ness’s Signature Attack in Earthbound that Giygas also happens to use in his final battle. This move acts similar to moves like Din’s Fire and Explosive Flame, which has Giegue unleash a large flying projectile across the stage that he can very slightly control. Eventually, the move will “explode” into a cloud of colors (resembling the screen effects in Earthbound) that hurt opponents. Up B- 4th D-Slip: Being an alien with the ability to travel through space and time, it only makes sense for Giegue to take advantage of this maneuver from Earthbound Beginnings. Giegue creates a rip in reality, complete with psychedelic colors inside, which he hops through into another rip further away. This move acts similar to most teleporting moves like Mewtwo’s and Zelda’s, and if you happen to be near where the exit Slip happens, you’ll take some damage. Down B- Alien Capsule: Giegue retreats into the capsule he was held within in Earthbound Beginnings. While inside, Giegue himself is immune to all attacks, but the shield can easily be damaged and eventually broken by other fighter’s attacks or items. Once this happens, Giegue will enter a dizzy state and he will be unable to summon the shield again for a short while. If this move is preformed in Midair, the capsule will plummet to the ground, hurting any players on it’s way down. Final Smash- Devil’s Machine: Giegue disintegrates from the battlefield, seemingly vanished. Suddenly the background becomes covered in red and black, and Giygas in his Earthbound form appears. With the press of a button Giygas will scream, causing damage to all fighters. Additionally while Giygas is on screen, fighters will succumb to a variety of random effects (similar to Luigi’s Negative Zone). After about 15-20 seconds, Giygas will disappear similar to his defeat animation from Earthbound, with Giegue coming back together on stage.

Giegue’s standard attacks consist of various slashes and whips with his tentacle-like arms and long tail, with grabs having him force choke opponents with his PSI power. Height wise Giegue is significantly taller than Ness and Lucas, standing around the height of Lucario and Mewtwo. Overall he is a very lightweight character due to his body, similar to Kirby and Jigglypuff, while also not as heavy as someone like Mewtwo. 

Anything Else?

Entrance Animation: The eye-like orb from the Devil’s Machine is on stage, opening to reveal Giegue materializing out of it

Victory Pose 1: Giegue faces away from the player, screaming as he unleashes a burst of red energy

Victory Pose 2: Giegue sleeps within his alien capsule, before opening his eyes and looking menacingly at the player

Victory Pose 3: Giegue opens a 4th D-Slip and stares at the player before teleporting away 

Up Taunt: Giegue enters an embryo like position, floating in place

Down Taunt: Giegue spins around, with a familar 8-bit noise in the background (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlSJmqmwoII)

Side Taunt: Giegue puts his tentacles over his face, before pulsing with red energy

Victory Theme: A remix of the first few seconds of Giygas’ Intro theme from Earthbound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6wyrjH1jrs)

BONUS: Home Stage

MT. ITOI (from Earthbound Beginnings)

The final dungeon of Earthbound Beginnings, and easily one of the more memorable parts of the Mother saga, Mount Itoi. 

The stage’s layout is decently large, taking place on a rocky plateau overlooking the mountain itself, taking it’s design from the famous Mother commercial though now with a visible path up the mountain that resembles the actual dungeon layout from Earthbound Beginnings. Occasionally the clouds will even part, to reveal Giegue’s spaceship resting on the mountaintop. Various rocky columns and floating metal platforms can be found on plateau, with an overall size similar to Big Battlefield. 

Mt. Itoi’s main gimmick is the robot EVE, who appears as a stage boss. EVE will occasionally peek in on the fight, and if a player manages to find and hit a hidden switch on the stage, she will activate and join your side by attacking opponents with swings of her arms and firing lasers from her eyes. Like most stage bosses she can be attacked, and with enough hits will go down in a smokey blaze in a callback to her defeat in Earthbound Beginnings. If she is KO'd, the player who KO'd her also gets an extra point (similar to Ridley on Pyrosphere).

Music:

Mt. Itoi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nc83W2Hrsk) [Remix]

Giygas Medley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z4LTs2LcG8) [Remix]

Sanctuary Guardian (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVcyZ_TtLhI)

Otherworldly Foe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrvbsNlOtoA)

Fourside (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h8q9aCxw0g) [returning Remix]

Monkey’s Delivery Service (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5Ff0fJDTVo)

Unfounded Revenge/Smashing Song of Praise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2xuX8TmjjU) [returning Remix]

[aion-rsa]

Archer Season 11’s New Direction for Sterling Explained

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Any television show that has been on for 11 seasons is bound to change. Archer has gone through so many metamorphoses that it’s surprising that Franz Kafka isn’t in the writers’ room. The most recent seasons of Archer have attempted to reinvigorate the show’s formula through genre pastiches like a film noir or sci-fi space adventure. All of this has been justified by the lengthy coma that Archer has now been in for several years. The series’ efforts to distance itself from generic spy missions has been a curious experiment, but Archer season 11 brings with it the biggest changes of all by returning back to the basics.

Archer finally returns to its “prime timeline” as Archer wakes up from his coma and experiences a very rude awakening to how the world, and those closest to him, have moved on in his absence. The season premiere, “The Orpheus Gambit,” isn’t just a reintroduction to how much these characters have changed during Archer’s coma, but it’s also an excellent example of the series returning to spy-based missions, but in a way that feels challenging and different than before. Casey Willis, Archer executive producer, helps break down the many changes in this busy premiere, what could have been, and where Archer’s head is at during this difficult period of transition. 

Episode 1 – “The Orpheus Gambit”

“Archer’s back in the spy game and his first mission is to guard a priceless statue. His second mission, to tell Lana his true feelings. His third mission, to get blind drunk.”

DEN OF GEEK: Adam Reed, the creator of Archer, has slowly been taking a reduced role in the series and this season marks the biggest example of that. Did he help provide a framework for the season at all, or weigh in or character and plot decisions?

CASEY WILLIS: Absolutely! For the past few seasons, Adam and I get together and discuss the season, plot out storylines, and pitch episode ideas. It’s been very enjoyable bouncing ideas back and forth and surprising each other. There were more story ideas than episodes, so I hope we get to explore some of our other ideas in the future.

Considering that Archer went into the coma for three years, did you consider the idea that some of these characters would perhaps no longer be a part of the Agency, or that there would be new members on the team?

We went through a lot of iterations of the team and their personal and professional lives. We had different characters quitting and working in other fields, but in the end we liked the idea of the Agency continuing and being successful. We liked how it alienated Archer even further from the group. Additionally, keeping them all together lets them have their own inside jokes and stories of which Archer isn’t a part. 

Adam and I both remembered an odd moment from an episode of Growing Pains. Mike is watching TV and turns it off to go and catch the bus. A bit later he walks back into the shot (having missed the bus) and turns the TV back on. He is confused that the show had kept going without him watching. We wanted to give Archer that same quality. He can’t comprehend that the world has moved on while he was in a coma for three years. It’s the ultimate in self-centeredness.

Did you always have the idea for time to have passed in “real time” during these past few seasons, or did you ever consider that maybe Archer had been in a coma for a much larger span of time and even more had changed in the world?

Just like the composition and jobs of the team, we had a lot of ideas regarding the length of Archer’s coma. We toyed with the length being really short in real time, but that felt like a bit of a cop out. The idea of a much longer coma, and Archer being in a future he doesn’t recognize, felt like just another season not based in our reality. We didn’t want things to have changed too much so three years felt like a pretty good sweet spot. Things feel familiar, but there has been enough time for characters to have made real changes.

I really love that the mission in this episode is more so just the framework to explore Archer’s pain and transition back to the team. Did that seem like the most important story to tell in this premiere?

We needed Archer to have time to process his new surroundings and for the viewer to do the same. We skipped over the weeks of Archer getting back to his apartment and just staying there, depressed, afraid to come out. We hint at that in the beginning of the first act with the remnants of a party still strewn about Archer’s place. Malory is concerned about Archer, but also needs to give him a bit of tough love. Providing security for a museum gala seems like the right level of risk to ease Archer back into work. Malory knows being a spy is a large part of Archer’s identity and she wants to give him a win. However, she thought the job would be easy and didn’t expect such an explosive reintroduction for Archer.

Archer finally grieves over Woodhouse in this episode, even though his death was seasons ago. Did that seem like an important anchor for the character during this difficult transitory period?

We really only saw Archer deal with Woodhouse’s death in the Dreamland season. We wanted to show Archer dealing with it and also show that Woodhouse is irreplaceable. Could anyone ever come close to filling his shoes? Probably not. Is that a hint about an upcoming episode??? Maybe.

Archer and Lana’s on-and-off romance has been a tenet of the show from the start. This episode dives right into Archer’s feelings for her, but also her new husband, Robert. Were you always leaning in the direction that Lana would have “moved on” during Archer’s coma?

We always wanted Lana to move on, but we had many ideas about how this would happen. Lana has a lot on her plate and we wanted to make sure she was thinking about herself and AJ. Also, we wanted Lana to be happy. After all these seasons, Lana deserves to be in a kind and loving relationship. We wanted to explore sides of Lana that we hadn’t seen in a while on Archer. We also wanted to explore how Archer could screw it all up.

Since it’s established that Tobolowsky’s character was in Archer’s hospital while he was in the coma. Did you ever consider using an actor for Robert who appeared in the coma seasons as some kind of commentary on how he was still in Archer’s subconscious on some level? 

We had some great guest stars during the coma seasons and the thought did cross our minds to connect Archer’s subconscious to reality, but we wanted more of a separation between the coma seasons and this new season. Also, timeline-wise, it didn’t work out for us (more on this in future episodes). Finally, we enjoyed the idea of characters making deep impacts on Archer’s psyche and that is who shows up in his coma dreams. Some examples are Trinette in Dreamland and Charles and Rudy making an appearance in Archer: 1999.

I think it’s incredible that Pam is the only one who’s there for Archer in the end and the person who may be his sole friend throughout this season. Archer has occasionally flirted with the idea that Archer and Pam are more endgame material than Archer and Lana. What’s your take on their relationship?

Archer and Pam have always had a special relationship. In fact, we often refer to Pam as the heart of the show as she is the kindest character. Sure, she can be brazen and raunchy, but at the end of the day she is very caring and will always have her friends’ backs. We wanted Pam to be excited that Archer is back. Sure, the Agency may have been successful while he was away, but Pam feels it was missing a level of excitement and chaos that only Archer can bring.

The tactile-cane is a glorious joke and a wonderful callback to Archer’s tactleneck. Did this James Bond-like angle come into the picture fairly quickly once you knew Archer would have a limp, or was it a later development?

The idea of the spy cane came very quickly. We knew we wanted to show some physical change in Archer and a remnant of those three years in a coma. Additionally, the spy cane is the perfect way for Krieger to work on new gadgets and for Archer to always have a weapon at hand. If you notice, the limp is more perceived because of Archer holding the cane rather than actually animated. It was a nice trick because there are times where Archer will need to run, jump and dive, and we were having a hard time figuring out how to represent that.

Holy Hell, the action sequence that kicks off the premiere is maybe the best cold open that the show has ever done. The show always looks gorgeous, but did you really want to kick this season off in an explosive way?

Definitely! We wanted the season to kick off with a bang. We put extra time and effort into the first sequence and spent a little extra money to license the Judas Priest song. We have shown it to several people who were surprised at Cyril’s reveal. That was really satisfying to us and we hope many viewers are just as surprised.

This Archer Season 11 post-mortem will resume with the season’s fourth episode.

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The post Archer Season 11’s New Direction for Sterling Explained appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[the-desolated-quill]

The Snowmen - Doctor Who blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

The Snowmen has got to be the least Christmassy Christmas special ever, and believe it or not I mean that in a positive way. Doctor Who Christmas specials have always left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, not just because most of them have been poorly written and just plain idiotic, but also because every year the show seems determined to drown you in slush. To its credit, The Snowmen does manage to escape that somewhat, keeping the slush to a minimum. Okay the villain is ultimately defeated by ‘a family crying at Christmas’, but it never comes off as mawkish and there is actually a decent in-universe explanation for how that worked, so I’ll allow it just this once.

So who are the villains? A deadpan Richard E. Grant and some carnivorous snow voiced by Ian McKellen. Compared to other Christmas special villains, they’re fairly good. Out of the two, Mr. Simian’s character is the weak link because we don’t learn anything about his character or the nature of his relationship with the snow, but Grant’s performance is still pretty good and it holds your attention. Ian McKellen also does a decent job with the material he’s been given, and I do like the idea of alien snow, even if the bitey snowflakes and smiling snowmen were a bit gigglesome (and the less said about the bad CGI ice governess, the better I think). It’s a bit like the robot Santas and killer Christmas trees from the RTD era. It’s silly, but it’s enjoyably silly. And as an added treat for us classic series fans, it turns out this episode is actually an origin story for the Great Intelligence. Usually you can see Moffat’s plot twists coming several galaxies away, so I was kicking myself that I didn’t pick up on it the first time. Particularly considering how the hints and Easter Eggs are so obvious on rewatches. The Snowmen as in The Abominable Snowmen and the Yeti. A disembodied voice trying to gain a physical form. The map of the London Underground. The snow is being kept in a giant sphere inside Simian’s office. And of course the initials GI. So yeah, that was a nice callback.

All in all, this could have been a fairly decent Christmas special. Nothing to write home about, but still watchable. Unfortunately The Snowmen is ruined by one thing and that’s the characters. Good fucking God are they horrendous!

Let’s start with the Doctor. After losing Amy and Rory, he has decided that he doesn’t want to travel or help people anymore and is now living above England on a cloud as a lonely old miser.

Fuck off! Not in this universe nor in any other universe would this EVER happen!

You may recall a couple of years ago when I reviewed the RTD era that I really didn’t like the Doctor’s reaction when he lost Rose. it just felt too human and it didn’t really gel with his character. He’s lost companions before. He mourns, but he moves on. Why would Rose be any different? But credit where it’s due, at least the Doctor kept travelling through time and space rather than stay in once place and sulk because RTD knew that that at least is something the Doctor would definitely never do. Here... I mean you can’t even use the excuse that the Doctor was in love with Amy. I’m not saying he wouldn’t be emotionally affected by what happened. I’m just questioning why he would be this emotionally affected to the point where he would actually refuse to help people in need. It just feels totally out of character.

Plus it really does display just how arrogant Moffat is. Of course it would be his characters that caused the Doctor to sink into a deep depression and only his character can bring him out of it. And of course his characters are what inspired the creation of Sherlock Holmes, which he will later adapt in his god awful Sherlock TV show. Christ Moffat, I hope you’ve got plenty of tissues to clean the mess up with after you’ve finished wanking yourself.

Matt Smith doesn’t help matters. His turn as a reclusive miser just isn’t in the least bit convincing, but at least it’s preferable to when he magically makes a full recovery and reverts back to his obnoxious goofy self. This is the Doctor now everyone. A man who has arguments with his own hand and sexually molests Punch and Judy dolls. (Sigh. Only 11 episodes to go Quill. Just hang on).

We also see the return of the Paternoster Gang. A group of one dimensional, unfunny cardboard cutouts that people really seem to like for some reason. Strax is by far the worst, with each bad joke and moment of incompetence driving another nail into the coffin of the Sontarans forever. (But wait, isn’t Strax supposed to be dead? Ah fuck it! Everybody knows death is only a minor inconvenience in the Moffat era. Who cares if it ruins the impact of future deaths or that it completely contradicts Sontaran lore. Just laugh at the Doctor calling him a potato, something the Doctor would also never do because I’m sure that’s racist to Sontarans). And Vastra and Jenny have the same problems as every other Moffat woman in that they have no character or agency of their own. They exist solely to help the Doctor. Also Jenny is in a dominatrix outfit for some reason, and they openly talk about being gay. Two things that would definitely have caused shock and outrage in the rigid and repressed Victorian era.

Actually that’s one thing that really pisses me off about New Who and this episode in particular. None of it is true to the period. Clara is completely contemporary in both her outlook and behaviour, and everything unsavoury about the period is dismissed with the Doctor’s sneer of ‘Victorian values.’ Yes this is the Victorian era, but it’s the Victorian era you’d find on the front of a Christmas card. It’s very easy to just sneer at a period of history and congratulate ourselves for how much better we are today, but why not actually explore the era properly? What’s that saying? The past is like another country? Let the audience see that. Why not have Clara behave like a woman during the Victorian era would and have the Doctor come in to challenge that? Have the episode be a clash of different attitudes and values.

Speaking of Clara, she is by far the worst thing about this episode. I honestly didn’t think it could get any worse than Oswin in Asylum Of The Daleks, but boy was I wrong. She is just insufferable. She’s really smug and smarmy and not in the least bit likeable or believable. She’s like River Song, but 10x worse. Also it doesn’t help that Jenna Coleman decides to give Clara this really bad ‘gor blimey guvner! Strike a light! Up the apples an’ pears’ Cockney accent. (Brief side note, why was she keeping the whole nanny thing secret?). I’m certainly not buying her supposed special connection with the Doctor. That’s another thing Moffat is guilty of. He’s so shit at writing female characters that he can’t effectively convey whey they might be so unique in their actions or behaviour, so he has to just flat out tell the audience instead. Well I’m sorry, but that shit just won’t fly. What reason does Clara have for chasing the Doctor’s cab? What reason does the Doctor have for being impressed with Clara despite the fact she’s done nothing remotely noteworthy? What reason does Clara have for snogging the Doctor’s face off despite the two sharing no romantic chemistry whatsoever? Answer: the script said so. Maybe if Moffat spent less time writing stupid scenes like the ‘respond with one word’ interrogation and more time actually developing her character, I might have actually given a shit when she died. (I mean for fuck’s sake, talk about disappearing up your own arse. How the fuck would Clara have known the word ‘Pond’ would have passed the one word test? How does ‘Pond’ convey she needs the Doctor’s help? What is even the fucking point of the one word test other than as a pathetic attempt for Moffat to try and look deep and intelligent as opposed to a pretentious halfwit? God, he’s such a shit writer).

Worse still, despite the fact Moffat had insisted that Series 7 won’t contain a series arc, it turns out Clara constantly dying is going to be a series arc now. So it looks like we’re going to be stuck with this ungodly annoying woman for quite a considerable time. Bugger!

While The Snowmen is considerably less slushy than some of the previous Christmas specials, I unfortunately have to stick this in the bad category along with the likes of Voyage Of The Damned and The Doctor, The Widow, And The Wardrobe due to its terrible characterisation and Moffat’s pretentious, egocentric bullshit.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About “Together Again” from Adventure Time: Distant Lands

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When Cartoon Network/HBOmax announced Adventure Time: Distant Lands, there were only two of the four specials that got my attention. There was "Obsidian" for the undeniable factor of sweet, sweet Bubbline content and "Together Again," which marks the return of Finn and Jake. And honestly, it was hard to tell which one had me the most excited.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for seeing two gals being much more than pals, but there has always been something about Finn and Jake that I just adore. Their brotherly dynamic is as endearing as it was realistic, and I couldn't help but smile whenever I saw them goofing around in the original series. So, seeing one last adventure between the two of them is an idea that I'm all for. After watching it a second time...yeah, it was everything I could have ever hoped for and much, much more.

Unfortunately, to explain why means that I'll have to go into spoilers. So, this is your last chance to watch "Together Again" if you haven't already. It is a heartbreaking yet funny special that requires an in-depth look to suitably explain why "Together Again" is the perfect send-off for Adventure Time: Distant Lands, as well as a much better end to Adventure Time as a whole...Yeah, I know it's not actually the end. But it's so clearly meant to be the end, and I will treat it as such because of it.

So shut your pieholes.

WHAT I LIKE

Return of the original intro: This makes sense for a story and for an ending (shut your pieholes).

Narratively speaking, it adds to making it clear that it's Finn and Jake's adventure. They're the only two characters mentioned in the theme song, and they're also the ones who prominently take the spotlight in the special. It makes sense to play this theme song one last time.

This also makes sense for why it works for a finale (shut your pieholes). If this really was meant to be the end of Adventure Time as a whole, why wouldn't they play the theme song one last time? Dozens of fans everywhere have memorized every frame of that intro, and I feel like they would feel cheated if they don't watch it play out for the final episode (shut your pieholes). And, c'mon. You had to admit that your poor, little nostalgic heart didn't feel something when seeing it again. It's a sweet moment that adds to the episode while still appealing to fans in the most subtle ways.

Finn and “Jake’s” little adventure: This was a ton of fun to watch. As I said, it's endearing to see Finn and Jake act as the bestest of bros, and it just felt nice seeing a classic F and J adventure again, even if the real Jake isn't present. Although, on the one hand, a part of me wishes it wasn't too obvious that it was just Finn going through an illusion and played more into the idea that it's a flashback with only subtle hints that it isn't. Because the second they showed Gumbald as a snow golem, it is clear from the getgo that this wasn't one of their past adventures. But, on the other hand, we still get some solid foreshadowing with the fifty-flavor ice cream, on top of really stellar performances from John DiMaggio and Jeremy Shada as Finn is forced to see Jake die a second time. Seriously, that hit HARD as it not only sets the tone of the special but also perfectly explains Finn's motivation. Speaking of Finn...

Finn: The first thing I want to get out of the way is that Finn is, like, eighty or something years old in this special. It's easy to forget, given how he looks like his young (or rather, identifiable) self throughout most of the whole thing, but it's true. The Finn we see is one from the far off future of the series. And I'm gonna level with you, it is all kinds of pleasant to know that he hasn't changed a bit with old age.

The second he believes to be trapped in a dungeon, he wastes no time trying to get out while also saving those he thinks are trapped with him. When he realizes he's actually dead, Finn almost instantly looks at the bright side with the fact that he gets to see Jake again. Then after finding out the afterlife is being run by some buttface, Finn takes a break from finding Jake to kick New Death's a new one. And even once finding out how bad things are, Finn does everything he can to teach New Death a lesson. It's that last part that gets to me the most because it's the idea that even in death, Finn still finds a way to serve justice. Which makes way too much sense.

Plus, going back to what I said earlier, Finn's motivation is set in stone from that fake adventure he went on. Even if his actions come across as selfish, you understand why. Look at how devastated Finn was after thinking he saw Jake die again. It's clear that his brother's death heavily affected our boy, and I can't blame him. Especially with how well Jeremy Shada does at voicing some heavy scenes (Seriously, the guy's come a long way). The amount of raw emotion and identifiable motive help elevate Finn into one of the best things about "Together Again" while also making the special one of his better stories. More so in the fact that he has no hang ups over a lady ONCE in forty-five minutes (which is impressive in itself).

“Cause of Death?”/”Who gives a toot?!”: Agreed. I don't need to know how Finn died. Knowing him, it's either employing a heroic sacrifice, or he just kept adventuring until his body couldn't take it anymore. The reason doesn't matter. Besides, it leaves room for all the angsty fan-fics from writers who want to play around with how exactly Finn bit the dust, cashed in his chips and bought the farm. So, you know, there's that.

Adventure Time’s version of the afterlife: I'm actually into the notion that Adventure Time doesn't subscribe to a single idea of the afterlife and instead combines several concepts made by different beliefs. The thoughts are still the same: You act like a good person, you spend eternity in peace. You act like a dillhole, and you spend eternity in torture. Speaking of which, it's a pretty cool callback that the inhabitants of Dead World #1 are past villains. And it's also funny that Tree Trunks share the same Dead World with all of her lovers, except for Wyatt. Which I would feel bad about...if it wasn't Wyatt.

And, to any conservative people who believe the show is disrespecting your religion, here’s what I have to say: Nobody knows for sure what's going to happen when any of us die until we...well, die. The knowledge we have comes from a collective belief and no farther. Besides, Adventure Time is a work of fiction. Therefore, its version of the afterlife is also fiction. Meaning that complaining about something that is definitely fake is nothing short of a waste of time. Seriously, I'm Lutheran, and I even take a moment to appreciate that the writers created an excellent and easy-to-understand explanation for what happens to these characters after they kick the bucket.

Return of Mr. Fox: I'm actually cool with this. Mr. Fox has always been a chill character and might just be the most normal person in the entire series...ironic, given the fact that he's a talking fox...and now the living embodiment of Death. But hey, it's still nice to see him again on top of it being sweet to see him get some semblance of a win.

(Even if the sick, twisted bastard in me can't help but chuckle at the idea of Mr. Fox icing souls by smothering them with a pillow.)

All the callbacks: "Together Again" might just have the most callbacks out of all the Adventure Time: Distant Lands specials so far. Whether it's through brief cameos of classic characters, the swift return of Shoko, the Waving Snail making a comeback, and some tiny tidbits like Finn doing that clapping thing that Jake randomly came up with within some episode. It all makes being a fan rewarding as you get the inside jokes while incredibly fitting seeing how it's the end of Adventure Time (SHUT! Your pieholes).

Tiffany: Finally, we get some official closure with this character. I had no problems with Tiffany in the past, but I find it weird how we never got a solid ending to his character/arc aside from this half-a-second-long glimpse of him being a cyborg in a wasteland. Here, not only does he have some form of redemption, but Tiffany's story feels like it has concluded. Technically, you could say that it did in "Preboot" when he sacrificed his life to save Finn and Jake. But at least this time, he gets a much happier ending.

Also, tell me a better secondary antagonist that would work best against Finn's journey to find Jake. Go ahead. I'll wait. Until then, let's move on.

New Death: This might just be one of the best one-off villains that Adventure Time has ever had. Sure, his goals and motivations are pretty standard. But except for a select few, the series never had complex and thought-provoking villains. Adventure Time was one of those shows that knew personality, and sometimes even cool designs are enough to make a baddie work. That is certainly the case with New Death. His dude-bro persona never failed to be entertaining, principally when you remember it's the living embodiment of death itself. 

And his design. Goodness gracious, his design! You know that a show is doing something right when the first thing that comes to mind when looking at a character is, "Well, they look awesome." Which he does! New Death looks like the most over-the-top, heavy metal-esque thing that the character artists have ever come up with for the series, making a villain look about as epic and ridiculous as he acts. He might not be as tragic as Ice King or as terrifying as The Lich (I know, and I'll get to that), but he's certainly entertaining. And sometimes, that's good enough for me.

“So, y’all are...eating each other. Ok.”: ...There are some people on the literal Hell we call the internet who would love to go to that Dead World...and those people are sick.

Joshua and Margaret: Gonna level with you: I love these two so much. Their love for each other is quick to understand, just as much as it is easy to see how Finn and Jake turned out how they are. Joshua taught them to be brave, strong and always remember to have fun. Whereas Margaret taught them to be practical, kind, and always remember to be prepared for anything. You see that just through their personalities, which are just so charming to watch. So I'm glad that they have a more significant role in "Together Again" other than a brief cameo, and much like Tiffany, get a more official end to their story other than just dying off-screen. Because I adore them and wouldn't mind at least one more story with these two if it was possible.

“Right. Right. I’m just messing with you fern.”/”...Are you still messing with me?! *cries*”: You call it a sick joke. I call it kind of funny.

(It's also the most subtle of callbacks in the entire special. RIP Fern.)

Jake: As much as it is unsurprising to know that Finn still finds a way to kick butt even in death, it is just as easy to believe that Jake found nirvana after passing on. He was always this relaxed and wise character, even if he did come across as greedy, selfish, and lazy at times. Look back at what he said about having a chip stuck between his teeth: "To live life you need problems. If you get everything you want the minute you want it then what's the point of living?" Jake might not get everything right, but he definitely understands how the world works better than most characters in Adventure Time.

Also, while it's great to see Jake has achieved ultimate peace, it's downright heartwarming to know that all it took to snap him out of it is to see Finn get hurt. Seeing Jake immediately destroy anything that harms his boy has always been delightful, and it proves he also hasn't changed with age either. Just like Finn, this the best story Jake has ever had, as the writers kept what we liked and ditched the rest. 

(Thank goodness too, because Lazy Jake is easily the worst Jake).

Princess Peppermint Butler: ...I'm choosing to believe that Bubblegum left Pep Butt in charge while she and Marceline ran off to clone gay babies together in a cave that's shaped like home somewhere. Because I want those two to be happy, and I refuse to accept any possibility that Bonnie's dead and that statue is memorializing her instead of reminding people who their best princess is. So, ZIP IT!

But in all seriousness, I'm glad to see Peppermint Butler make a return. There's no one else from the living world that Finn and Jake could have contacted that's better than him, and with his quick appearance, he gets the second funniest moment in the special (I'll talk about number one later). Peppermint Butler asking for Finn's bones is the right amount of creepy/weird to make it funny, and it reminds me so much of how hilarious this character became after the writers leaned into his surprising expertise with magic and demons. He also acts as a solid expectation subversion. We usually associate P.B. with Princess Bubblegum, and not many people expect that Finn and Jake meant Peppermint Butler. The result is a pleasant surprise that may offer more questions than answers, but it's still a blast nonetheless.

Life: Life is a pretty neat addition to the special. Her design references how two snakes intertwined symbolizes fertility and regeneration, which shows how keen the cast and crew of Adventure Time really are. There's also this fantastic attention to detail of how plants grow wherever she walks, being something that can't have been easy to keep track of. And I just love how she immediately loses it after finding out that New Death is cutting off reincarnation. Hell really does hath no fury like a mother scorned, does it?

Speaking of which, I adore the fact that Life fell in love with Death. Not only is the irony just *chef kiss*, but it's another callback to the original series. Not many fans know this, but this short called "The Gift That Reaps" was about how Death tried to win Life. "Together Again" shows how things lasted well for them, even if it inadvertently resulted in Old Death's demise. It might be one thing to reference past episodes and characters, but a short that some people might not have watched shows how much the writers genuinely care about the canon. Adventure Time might have had its fair share of retcons and redirects, but stuff like this shows that not everything has to be forgotten.

Finn and Jake just whacking New Death with a stick: This is the funniest moment in the special. It's a battle against the living embodiment of a state of being, and it's decided by two idiots taking turns twatting him around with a stick. If you didn't lose your s**t to that, there's either something very wrong with you or very wrong with me. And because this is my Tumblr, I'm deciding that it’s you who’s a part of the problem.

The Lich returns: ...You know what, sure. Why not?

Some people might take issue with this as the Lich isn't all that necessary of an addition, especially with New Death doing a great job as a solitary antagonist. But, the Lich is still as terrifying as ever, and I won't lie when I say that I got goosebumps when he still referred to Finn as a child, despite how our boy is a grown man now. It shows how the Lich acknowledges Finn as an opponent but not more dangerous than himself. And while it makes too much sense to know Finn and Jake are still kicking butt in the afterlife, the same can be said with the fact that the Lich is still trying to conquer everything even after his...is it fifth death?

The point is, while he might not be essential, he is still just as well-written as ever.

Finn and Jake fighting over who becomes New New Death: This showcases how selfless Finn and Jake are, on top of how strong their bond as brothers is. The two of them literally fighting over who takes the reigns of being the New New Death isn't done out of how "cool" the job might be. Instead, they realize that being Death is not only a curse but a curse that neither wants anybody to go through, especially each other. And even when their motivations are the same, their reasoning is just slightly different. Jake is willing to be New New Death for the sake of Finn getting the best life, whereas Finn wants the job knowing that it won't matter unless Jake's not by his side. It proves that while they're both true-blooded heroes, they're still two different characters. It's the little details like this that make me appreciate this strong writing all the more.

Finn and Jake getting reincarnated together: ...Gosh dangit, I'm gonna miss these two :'[

Yeah, like everyone else, I got a little emotional during this moment. I didn’t full-on bawl my eyes out like others, but a few tears did manage to leak out. Which is the most Adventure Time has done to me since "I Remember You." Still, seeing Finn and Jake getting reincarnated together, sharing one last fistbump as they do, is a potent moment that can make new and old fans' hearts break in all the right ways. It's just the perfect emotional conclusion that "Together Again" requires, and I couldn't have pictured a better ending to Adventure Time as a whole...Too bad it isn't the end of Adventure Time.

WHAT I DISLIKE

It should have been the last special: I know, I know. It's petty, it's pointless...BUT IT'S HOW I FEEL DAMNIT!

Finn and Jake are the main characters of the entire series, with "Together Again" being their last adventure. So having it be the last special in Adventure Time: Distant Lands would have been perfect! Because after "Wizard City," that's it. No more of this series until some idiot decides to reboot the whole thing (which I believe no one wants). To be honest, I feel like this decision will really hurt "Wizard City" in the long run. It might be fun, but having it come off the heels of "Together Again" will result in dozens of people saying it's weaker in comparison. Hell, people are already saying they're not going to watch it because of how perfect an ending "Together Again" was. And I can't blame them. I mean, the end of Adventure Time as a franchise is going to ride on Peppermint Butler? Peppermint Butler? Over the main characters?!

...Yeah, someone f**ked up. I don't know who specifically f**ked up, but someone f**ked up.

But to be fair, this has nothing to do with the special itself. It has everything to do with network meddling, given how the network decides when which episodes come out. And given how my only complaint of "Together Again" isn't an issue with the actual special, you know that's a good thing.

-----

"Together Again" is easily an A+ in my book. The characters and story are solid and endearing, the comedy is hilarious, and the callbacks make up a pretty fitting finale, even if it isn't actually a finale. Because while the fun has yet to come to an end, this is still one of the best stories of Adventure Time.

[jbonesy]

Music of 2018

Top 10 Albums (No Particular Order)

Death Grips - Year of the Snitch

Even though it’s had some time to settle, I’m still not 100% sure where to place this album in Death Grips’s discography. Regardless, Death Grips continues to reinvent themselves more and more with every continuous album, and continues moreso to be more unpredictable than ever. The departure from their earlier hip hop sound and more toward experimental punk and rock suits them better than ever. While I’m a bit shaky on the predictability of the sound of some songs (Flies & Streaky notably), the songs of which do fall flat, I absolutely love the direction the majority of the album trends toward - songs like Death Grips is Online, Black Paint, and Dilemma perfectly embody the direction I’d hoped they’d go into after The Powers That B. Meanwhile, songs like The Fear and Little Richard continue to be as odd as ever - in the best way possible. My one complaint is that I’d wished they’d have departed a bit more from the predictable hip hop songs I’d mentioned above, but overall, the rest of the album is so great it’s hard to complain. 

Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (Rerecording/Remaster)

Car Seat Headrest’s original Twin Fantasy is a kind of cult classic bandcamp album which garnered a lot of notoriety, so the 2018 reissue garnering just as much should be a surprise to no one. While it’s true that the original rough quality added to the charm and in the re-recording process certain elements of the original don’t have the same effect, the strengths of the album shine through regardless. What can I say about this album that hasn’t already been said? This is the best indie rock album about depressed gay furries on tumblr I’ve ever heard.

Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E

The Kanye Wyoming sessions were definitely a spectacle at the time, and because of all the chaos surrounding the releases, and the incredible amount of hype that was generated during the time, KTSE was unfairly overshadowed by a lot of the other albums that came out at the end - and it being the last to release, further mucked by delays and technical problems, didn’t help its case. Listening to the album in full though, it’s pretty sad this was the case, but in my opinion it’s the best album to come out of the Wyoming sessions. It’s an amazing call back to Kanye’s ability to still sample soul, and some of the instrumentals took me right back to the early 2000s, like a time machine. Teyana Taylor might not be the strongest voice in R&B or the most well known, but her performance alongside these instrumentals is definitely something to be lauded. In addition, Gonna Love Me is one of my favorite songs of 2018.

IDLES - Joy as an Act of Resistance.

While I have to admit I’m not as hot on some of the social critiques this album delivers in its music, its done in a way that I can definitely appreciate it. That said, the music on this stuff itself is some of the best punk I’ve heard in forever - maybe this decade. There’s some points of contention in the bluntly direct, sometimes annoying lyrics , but overall, a lot of the politics can probably be seen as a callback to the roots of punk with a modern spin. That said, the instrumentation and vocal performances on this thing are great. As a punk fan at heart I have to say this if there’s one punk or rock album you listen to this year, it should probably be this one. It’s amazing.

Parquet Courts - Wide Awaaaaake!

Continuing on from the last entry above, Parquet Courts smashed it earlier in the year with this post-punk revival album. While post-punk may continue to be influential to a lot of artists, I admittedly haven’t heard a lot of straight up post-punk revivalism, especially not as enjoyable as this, in a long time. While the themes of the album are honestly pretty similar to the above album as well, this is probably the closest you’re gonna get to a Talking Heads or Joy Division album in 2018 - and damn is it good.

Hermit and the Recluse (Ka & Animoss) - Orpheus vs. the Sirens

Two darlings of the real hip hop underground link up for one of the best hip hop albums of the year - and probably the best written. Ka continues to push for his well deserved title of one of the best lyricists to ever enter the genre - which is near insane given his very underground status. A lot of the instrumentals on this thing perfectly suit Ka’s style - lots of looping, eclectic beats, with a hint of eeriness or vintage shine. There’s some soul-like samples mixed in as well for good measure, something I’d never complain about on a hip hop album. Ka’s writing is arguably some of the best in his career as well - which given his portfolio up until this point, is really saying something. His densely layered, metaphor and thematically driven calls to mythology and poetically-inspired style of rapping are the perfect complement to the instrumentals over this album.

J.I.D - DiCaprio 2

J.I.D is one of my favorite newcomers in hip hop, and definitely one of the acts in the genre I’m hopeful for the future - not that this is an uncommon opinion. At this point, he’s got cosigns in coming from every direction - enough that people are already calling him overrated - and he hasn’t even really gotten started yet. The Never Story was an interesting debut album when it came out last year - a case study in an eclectic hip hop album that manages to encapsulate much of the modern trends in the genre while also incorporating some fantastic rapping and some oddly enchanting music choices. DiCaprio 2 - in J.I.D’s own words - is not his magnum opus, or his GKMC - an album comparison common in those already comparing him to a young Kendrick Lamar (despite JID being almost 30, surprisingly). However, despite that, this is a fantastic album regardless; the rapping is some of the best of any newcomer to the genre. There’s punchlines and flows that make callbacks to Lil Wayne, and technical skill to match many currently lauded acts. It’s a great mix of technicality, fun, and skill. While not every song is perfect - Tiiied and Westbrook were a bit underwhelming in my opinion - when this album reaches highs, it reaches REALLY high. Songs like Off Da Zoinkys, Skrawberries, and Despacito Too to name a few are hints that J.I.D isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and I’m certainly excited for his future.

MGMT - Little Dark Age

A lot of what I’ve heard from MGMT has been hit or miss for me, but their synth heavy album from earlier in the year is one of those times where when they hit with me, they really seem to hit heavy. The psychedelic vibes on this album are pretty entrancing, and while I can see the vocals as being love or hate, personally I’m a great fan of them on most of the songs. There’s a few low points where they feel a bit robotic - perhaps on purpose - but outside of those few grating moments, the album’s highs are too high for me to ignore otherwise. Mark it up as a win for psychedelic pop.

Pusha T - Daytona

As I said earlier, Kanye’s Wyoming sessions were one of the biggest music spectacles this year, especially for those in the hip hop genre. Combined with the massive hype circling Pusha T’s supposed release of King Push - an album up there with Detox and Doomstarks in probably never coming out - most hip hop fans were posted up for hours each night in anticipation of what would actually release (and what wouldn’t). While I can’t say I enjoyed this as much as KTSE, it’s still a great album regardless. The instrumentals are gritty and tight - there’s no room for mistakes, and there’s rarely any lows. Pusha raps as great as always, minus some slip ups with some poor or awkward lines. Overall, it’s a great album, but it’s short nature and lack of experimentation or boundary pushing leave a bit to be desired. Kanye’s fantastic production shines more than Pusha does at times - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it never feels like Push really leaves his comfort zone; especially after hearing songs in the past like Lunch Money, it makes me wish he did. Regardless, I can’t really thrash this album; it’s a perfectly compressed hip hop album, and one of the best of the year.  

Blood Orange - Negro Swan

Devonte Hynes, better known as Blood Orange, is one of those musicians I’m suprised we don’t hear more about. I have to admit - his voice can be a bit grating at times - but overall, it’s one of those albums whose highs far overshadow subjective lows like that. The instrumentation is varied and lush; overall, Hyne’s production is some of the best its ever been. There’s a nice dip in pop, r&b, hip hop, funk, and other genres throughout the album. While I may have said his voice can be grating at times, I will say when it works - it works. Songs like Charcoal Baby are great examples of his voice working in tandem beautifully with his instrumentals. There’s some great vocal performances on this, and again, I think there’s some amazing production. It’s also more impressive when you realize Hynes alone produced the vast majority of this album, along with singing on basically all the songs. Other complaints? I do wish he brought back Despot because Clipped On from Cupid Deluxe. is an amazing song.

Honorable Mentions / Albums I Found Interesting but not Amazing

Lil Peep - Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. 2

COWYS2 isn’t a perfect album. None of Lil Peep’s albums are perfect - his music has largely remained controversial; it seems to piss off both rock and hip hop fans.There’s a lot of complaints I’ve seen about this album - “it’s overproduced” seems to be the biggest one. Is it? Maybe. But man, this album appeals to my love of emo music like no album has in a long time. His writing might not the best, and the instrumentals might be a bit weak at times, but overall, as a posthumous album, you can only complain so much. It’s not perfect, but neither have any of his other albums been. For what it is - a mix of hip hop and early 2000s pop punk and emo - it’s great as it is. Runaway is one of my favorite songs of the year.

Lil Peep - Goth Angel Sinner EP (Unofficial Leak)

I was debating if I should include this at all since it’s technically unofficial, but given I included COWYS, I figured it was worth it. Peep’s death was an untimely shock, and while his music might not have always been the best, I think his interesting blend of music and notably recognizable voice was something he’ll be remembered for regardless. He was growing in his sound, moving away from hip hop and more into that musical sphere of punk and emo - and GAS is a sad hint at what could have been. It’s some of his best music by a wide margin, and it’s profoundly depressing that we’ll never see him at his true potential. RIP Peep.

Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts

One of the hipster darling albums of the year, I wasn’t as impressed as everyone else. It’s not bad by any means, but I didn’t think it was amazing. There are some great points the album - the production is pretty good throughout, and Cudi and Kanye both deliver some great performances, but overall, I feel like it fell a bit short. The 7 song length didn’t help either; unlike Daytona, it doesn’t feel as tight, and sometimes it sounds more muddy than anything. Cudi’s vocals can be a bit lazy at times as well, and some of the insistent repetition on the songs doesn’t work well in an album so incredibly short to begin with. All that said, it’s a good album - I don’t want to disparage it too much. It has some of Kanye’s best rapping in ages (regardless of whether he wrote it), and it’s a fun listen. Kids See Ghosts and Cudi Montage are my favorite songs. 

Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs

Some Rap Songs is an album I’ve gone back and forth on quite a lot, which is impressive considering it’s barely been out as of writing this. It’s a short album, so I’ve managed to listen a few times, but even so, I’m torn on a lot of it. Earl’s writing is good, and some of the production is eclectic and interesting, but there are times the album dips in severe quality. Regardless of if it was intentional, the muddy (if not straight poor) mixing, lofi recording quality, and lack of variation are some of the few complaints I have on the album. It feels incredibly lazy at times - whether on purpose or not is a different question - but whether it “works” isn’t. There are some songs I do really like - I think Peanut and The Mint are some of the more interesting cuts, but songs like Nowhere2Go among others feel unimpressive, if not falling flat completely. If anything else, it’s an interesting listen, and especially emotional for those already fans of Earl.

Frank Ocean - ENDLESS (2018 Remaster/Reissue)

Frank Ocean is one of those artists who deserves the vast majority of his widespread acclaim. While his less than ideal music release schedule and mysterious public persona (or lack thereof) certainly play into that, his music really is what takes the trophy at the end of the day. When Endless originally released, Blonde definitely overshadowed it (and for good reason), but on its own, Endless still shines bright. The 2018 reissue adds a few new points to the album as well, which overall manage to improve it to a great degree. I was considering placing it in my top 10, but it felt unfair considering this album didn’t “really” come out in 2018, and the changes aren’t big enough to warrant considering it a new album. Still though, it deserved a mention.

Kero Kero Bonito - Time ‘n’ Place

I’m still a bit disappointed at KKB’s artistic choice to change their image and focus - it feels a bit cheap and insulting to some of their audience - but I can’t really disparage their music. While their artistic and musical growth seems more artificial and inorganic than anything, at the end of the day, it’s still growth. On its own, Time ‘n’ Place is a good album. It’s a good mix of their own brand of fun, experimentation, and genre hopping. While the pop fans they courted with their debut might still be disappointed, I did enjoy the album quite a lot, even if the aesthetic felt a bit annoying and - again - artificial. Taken on its own in isolation though, again, it’s a good album.

Anderson .Paak - Oxnard

There’s not a ton I can really say about Oxnard. It’s a good album. There’s a few points in which it falls flat, but even then, it’s not really bad. Okay, maybe except for the last song, which feels completely out of place. It’s no Malibu, no Yes Lawd!, and no Venice, but it’s a good album. Paak’s talent shines through no matter what. Dr. Dre’s influence really does shine through on this album though - it’s very reminiscent of some of Compton to me. I can see hardcore fans of Malibu or Yes Lawd not really liking this album, but the exploration of hip hop and funk more than r&b and soul really do suit Paak during a lot of this album. I say this as a massive fan of Malibu as well - it was one of my favorite albums of the year it came out. He’s branching out and experimenting, and it’s not a bad thing - especially when you look at his entire musical history. It’s worth checking out.

Leon Bridges - Good Thing

I haven’t seen his album talked about, like, basically anywhere. I’m surprised, because it’s a really good neo-soul album. It feels a bit repetitive at times, but the quality is consistent throughout. It’s an enjoyable listen if anything else. It’s not experimental, it’s not super varied, but it’s a tightly strung together, quality listen. The instrumentation is rich and catchy, the Leon’s vocals are great, and overall, much of the album is what I’d expect a neo-soul singer who isn’t D’Angelo in 2018. That said, there are a few weak points in the album where it’s a little week - and trends a bit more towards pop disappointingly, but the pure soul parts of the album are where Leon really shines the best.

Playboi Carti - Die Lit

Carti really can’t write music if his life depended on it, but he doesn’t need to. This thing, as a mainstream trap album, is weird. The instrumentals are odd, definitely not the type of thing you’d expect to hear on this type of album for the most part. They’re reminiscent of cloud rap at times, and at other times so incredibly minimal you can’t help but praise Carti for making the song still get stuck in your head. Overall, the instrumentals are entrancing, hazy, sometimes even bordering on possibly experimental. There’s a unique usage of samples that’s just instantly entrancing on a lot of these songs. That said, there’s still a lot of pop sensibilities, and these songs kind of water down the album a bit by departing from these aforementioned traits. It’s also just incredibly long at 19 songs; while this may work for some albums, for the type of music Carti is making, it kind of suffers from its length. Carti’s performances are the point of contention with most people. His writing is, again, basically nonexistent. Still, he manages to somehow steal the show over the production on a lot of this album. Whether it’s just his excessive usage of adlib ridden, partially lazy flows, or half-sung, half-slurred delivery, he just manages to carry a charisma that’s hard to ignore - even when he is saying literally nothing. It’s catchy, and in this type of music, that’s what matters. For hip hop fans especially, it’s an interesting listen. 

Biggest Disappointments & Least Favorite/Worst Albums (No Particular Order)

Kanye West - Ye

I’m a massive kanye fan, and I recognize that a lot of his more recent work can be panned a bit before growing into place. Yeezus and TLOP were two albums which were more growers than straight out the pan classics or similar. Ye, however, is no TLOP or Yeezus. It’s disappointing because a lot of good music came out of the Wyoming sessions, but for as much of a spectacle as it was, its centerpiece really fell flat. There’s some good songs on it - I really do like No Mistakes for example. Overall though? It’s length does it no favors, and at the end of the day, most of the album is incredibly medicore - which is exemplified even further by the fact that it’s Kanye producing it. Certain songs like Violet Crimes, which were at least meaningful, completely lose their meaning once you realize Kanye didn’t even write them, or given his recent associations with certain people, even mean the words written for them. It’s a mess, but not the good type of mess like TLOP. It’s just a mess.

Nas - Nasir

It’s a throw up between this and Ye for what’s the worse album out of the Wyoming sessions. I mean, in the very least, at least Kanye brought his efforts to this record. The production is honestly not bad, and at times, pretty unique. Cops Shot the Kid is a pretty good song, albeit a little bit annoying because of the repetition. The real problem with this album? Nas. For someone with such a reputation for being a legendary rapper - I mean, he wrote Illmatic - what the hell is this? It sounds like he put this together on the taxi on the way to the livestream release party (which unsurprisingly, didn’t even work). Even beyond, the uh, downright insane anti-vax and 5%-er conspiracy shit on the first song, the writing’s just straight up lazy, and Nas sounds like he couldn’t care less. It’s hard to believe a Nas and Kanye collaboration turned out this awful, but here we are.

Denzel Curry - Taboo/Ta13oo

I know people are going to kill me for putting this on the list, but I have to be completely honest. I really like Denzel Curry, and I’ve been cheering for him since before he even made Ultimate. I’ve known him since he was on Raider Klan and working with LUM on Twistin’. I really like him and his music, which is why I’m so disappointed by this album. It’s not as bad as a lot of the other stuff in this list, but it’s not really that good either. Coming off of his last few projects, it feels like a massive step down, and a failure to utilize his best skills while, for the most of the project, capitalizing instead on most of his weaknesses.I won’t say it’s a bad album, but it falls short of expectations. His lyricism is incredibly weak, and when doing a supposed concept album, that’s pretty important. His rapping - and conveying the concept - is subpar at best. He has some good tracks on this, but not enough that it overpowers the vast amount of mediocrity on it. Denzel isn’t a super impressive singer, and he overdoes it a bit with considering this one of his strengths. There’s a lot of boring songs that say very little but masquerade as being deeper than they actually are. There are lots of instrumental choices that destroy the replayability of otherwise good songs too - for example, the high pitched background noise and odd gargling/scratching on Sirens. Overall? It’s not as bad as other albums on this list, but I’m incredibly disappointed with it. Probably the most overrated album of 2018.

Gorillaz - The Now Now

Not sure what to say about this other than it’s about 40 minutes of mediocre, forgettable electropop and synth funk. It’s uh, better than Humanz at least I guess. 

Princess Nokia - A Girl Cried Red

Oh my god, Princess Nokia, why? I love your music, and you were one of my favorite artists to be recently receiving more acclaim - definitely one of the best upcoming women in hip hop too. But this is...awful. I mean, I get it. It’s a fun side-step project that calls back to her roots as a goth kid, something that’d been prevalent in her music. I like emo a lot myself, as I’ve said earlier, but this is just straight up bad. I hope she had fun making it, because I didn’t have any fun listening to it. It takes the absolute worst parts of Lil Peep’s music and exaggerates it; the emo-inspired instrumentals are cheap and unimpressive, and her singing is...awful. It’s like, parody level of bad. Incredibly unpleasant and grating to listen to, and her lyrics are parody level as well, which I assume is at least purposeful. Might honestly be in the running for not just one the most disappointing albums, but one of the worst in general this year.

J. Cole - KOD

J. Cole is a skilled rapper and producer who’s really overrated in social media and music spheres. While I’m glad it’s gotten a bit better, I have to say, the album he put out altogether this year is pretty unimpressive. I’m happy he’s trying a bit better to be accessible, but it’s just not a great attempt at what it could be. His rapping is still pretty good, and I’m glad he’s trying to reach out and make a bit more “accessible” music, but I think a lot his attempts at things on this album fall flat. The production is subdued and forgettable, which can be alright, but combined with his repeated use of repetitive, uninteresting hooks and little progression in each song, it’s just an overall forgettable album. It’s sad, because he touches on some important topics on the album, but it’s just not that well done - and not nearly as profound as J Cole himself seems to think it is. It’s also a step down from 4 Your Eyez Only, which was already quite polarizing. He took the worst parts of that album and carried them to this, while not having the rest of the elements of the album be strong enough to really carry it. Props to J. Cole for his amazing run of features this year though.

A$AP Rocky - TESTING

Testing sounds like what someone who’s never listened to anything experimental would think experimental sounds like. It’s the type of hollow artsy album whose sole artistic merit is constantly reminding you how artsy it thinks it is. There are some decent tracks on here, it’s not awful or anything, but god, it’s just so mediocre. Nothing on here is really memorable; tracks come and go, and features seem incredibly tacked on at times, such as FKA twigs on Fukk Sleep. Rock has flow, but he’s just such a mediocre rapper still. It’s a bit of a mess, and again, not the good type. There are a few good tracks, and a few catchy moments, but with the wait and rollout leading up to this, I can say none of the hype was worth it.

6ix9ine - Dummy Boy

One of most controversial figures in modern music abandons the style he embraced along his come up to further embrace watered down pop music. There are a lot of features, and some of them are good, and some of them aren’t. It’s a compilation of singles made to chart, and any listener can tell on one listen. Sometimes it’s fun, and sometimes it’s downright awful. Did I really expect anything else? Well, I liked a lot of his pre-fame music to be honest, back when he was still signed to FCK THM and repping Scumgang. Stuff like Yokai for example. Unfortunately, this album just isn’t good at all. Formulaic, drab, and watered down pop rap with little identity or variation; and when it does vary - see the latin trap songs - it’s beyond horrible. Sad!

JPEGMAFIA - Veteran

Not gonna say this is the worst album in the world or a necessarily bad album or anything, but it doesn’t deserve the hype. It’s experimental, sure, and impressive at times, sure, but it’s one of those albums which people say they love to appear a certain way more than they actually will ever listen to it. I know peggy couldn’t give a shit what I or anyone else has to say about his music or his messages, and all the more power to him; even though I disagree, I respect it .That all said, I appreciate experimentation, and some songs are okay, but I’m never listening to this again.

Travis Scott - Astroworld

Rodeo-era Travis Scott is never coming back, and that’s a hard thing to deal with. The album has some highs - Stop Trying to Be God is great for example - but its lows are quite low. Again, it’s not a bad album by any means, but when Rodeo is in your discography...meh. It feels like album release schedule is a Fibonacci sequence, because this album is a collage of his last two - Rodeo and Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight. There’s some impressive directing and musical choices on this, but a lot of that super hollow pop sensibility and pop musical direction of the latter shines through as well. Artists grow, and as Travis has gotten bigger, he’s trying his best to keep his entire audience satisfied. With hits like Sicko Mode doing so well, he’s accomplished that. I can’t really sit here and disparage him in full for doing that, but I also can’t lie and say this album wasn’t a little disappointing knowing what highs he could reach if he wanted to.

Yung Lean - Poison Ivy

I love Yung Lean and will defend him and his music no matter what, but this isn’t one of his better ventures. Coming off of Stranger, Lean showed immense growth and experimentation in one of his best and most personal albums yet. He had a few singles in between that and this which were alright, a bit more reminiscent of Draingang and Bladee’s work. When I saw the album cover for this, I assumed it would be in the direction of his punk band, Dod Mark, maybe with a mix of elements from Stranger. Unfortunately, Poison Ivy falls flat on that. It feels like a massive step back for Lean stylistically, especially given he just released one of his best albums prior. The production is pretty great though on its own, just not really in greater context. It’s more of a Draingang-styled album, which is a niche I’m not a massive fan of comparatively. I’ll still be looking forward to his next album though.

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V

This isn’t a bad album, and before anyone says anything, I’m not a hater of Lil Wayne. In fact, I think there’s an argument for him being one of the best rappers to exist in the genre. That said, the album’s massive wait and hype just wasn’t worth it. People really didn’t know what to expect, and the massive saga that lead up to this couldn’t possibly have met expectations. The music is from an older era, and on a lot of it, you can really tell. Wayne’s rapping is pretty fantastic, and his punchlines and verses are on point as usual. He isn’t really the problem as much as the rest of the album is; dated production, hooks, and features are just a few of the problems I found on the album. It’s a bit sad that this came and went with such an air of general mediocrity around it, because after the saga and the all the shit Wayne went through, he deserved better. Again though, there’s no way this could have met expectations, so in a vacuum - it’s a good album. If this has released when it was originally supposed to years ago, it’d probably be amazing. It’s just in the current musical climate, it feels out of place and dated.