#half-baked sketches are so fun

[stopwatchclockwatch]

I have disappeared for a good minute and i bring back half-baked sketches!

[yyokkki]

Asking to Sketch Them

HEARTSLABYUL

Riddle Rosehearts

Honestly a bit shocked you’d ask him

But he’s had practice from posing for family portraits, so he isn’t too nervous

Until you say you want the backdrop to be Heartslabyul’s garden

It doesn’t break any rules… but that doesn’t mean someone else won’t break any rules

He doesn’t collar people as often as he used to, but he still makes it a point to lecture rulebreakers on the importance of said rule

So imagine the strain on his face when Ace walks by with a vase full of roses and it’s Wednesday.

In the end Ace sits beside you while Riddle gives a long lecture, keeping the rest of his body perfectly still so it doesn’t interfere with your work

You are sweating in fear. 6/10 a good model but it’s hard to draw when your model is half yelling at the dude sitting right next to you

Trey Clover

Might hesitate to say yes because he’s a busy guy,,

I mean they have tea parties like everyday and he’s always in charge of sweets-

You say he can go about his business and that you’re going to capture him in his natural habitat then he agrees

Raises an eyebrow cuz you make it sound like you’re on national geographic but ok

Anyways you’re drawing him while he’s baking and damnnn those biceps pop when he’s whisking

Secretly, however, he’s been holding back for a while now/

When you’re least expecting it he comes closer to you… and bam whipped cream on the side of your face

Devolves into flour tossing and chaos

6/10 you got whipped cream on your sketchbook and it was half finished but it was a fun memory

Cater Diamond

“OMS YAY of course ;DD”

Internally screaming because his makeup isn’t that good today and why him I mean there are better looking people in nrc and maybe he can get his clone to do it instead-

Overthinker fr

He’s a bit stiff at first, trying to only show his good side and checking his camera constantly to see if his smile looks good

If you’re close and you start talking to him about something he’s passionate about while you’re sketching he’ll loosen up a bit and his pose becomes a lot more natural

Eventually forgets you’re even drawing him and now it’s just him showing his true colours

Takes a pic of your finished sketch along with the both of you and posts it on magicam #muse #artistbestie

8/10 the sketch turned out well and you had a nice chat 

Deuce Spade

Has never been asked this question in his life

Boy is so stiff and awkward pls baby

He smiles like Oga from Beelzebub at first

Pls pls pls get this boy to do something else while you’re drawing him to get him to relax

Might be studying across the table from you while having a nice chat

Forgets you’re drawing him eventually pt.2

Tbh moves around a lot especially if a senior enters the room cuz he makes it a point to turn around and greet them while standing up

Is a bit surprised when you say you’re done because shit I forgot and I moved so much im sorry-

Also takes a picture of the sketch

Texts his mom the pic “I made a really good friend who’s great at drawing :D”

Will ask if you can draw a portrait of him and his mom together when you get the chance (will pay for it he just doesn’t know about the concept of commissions TT)

4/10 he’s so precious but not the best model tbh id still ask him again idc

Ace Trappola

Little shit (affectionate)

Not hard to make him agree but boy will he give you shit for it “my face is just that handsome ig” “you want me to get nude?” someone kiss him and make him shut up

At first he’s making a bunch of dumb faces and exaggerated poses and once he determines that you’re sufficiently annoyed he starts actually posing normally

Might get up halfway through and start stretching or laying down cuz he got tired though

Depending on how late he slept the night before and if you’re keeping quiet so he doesn’t get the chance to tease you, he might fall asleep

His sleeping face is cute so it works out for you ehe

When you’re done he acts all non chalant and smug about it but inside he’s sooo happy damn tsundere

Asks if he can draw you next and draws a potato with three dots on it <3

2/10 its only easy when he falls asleep but he’s cute so ill give him 1 extra point

-----

Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia

Graphic design is not my passion dear lord i really need to read a guide on how to format tumblr posts TT

Also first time writing omg depending on my mood next part will either be out tomorrow or next month see yall

[yutaan]

Sketch sheet commission of the client's half-elven bard Peony! She's a polite, soft-spoken young lady who enjoys baking... and, due to a childhood brush with death, can speak to ghosts. ^_^

As I'm also fond of baking, love pink, and and enjoy drawing characters in fancy clothes, Peony's design was right up my alley! I had so much fun drawing her!

[mikodrawnnarratives]

OK

Before I talk a LOT (I'm not joking, A LOT)

About this au, how I stumbled upon the idea, story and all in a rushed format,

APPRECIATE THIS

TOOK FOREVER

COMPLETELY out of my general comfort zone in art BUT OH WELL LOOK AT IT :DDDDDDDD

Also serves as a good hook for what this post is about mehehehehehehehe

CUT TO RAMBLINGS

Oh I have your attention?

Excellent.

It started with me thinking and wondering about a specific fic that is unrelated to this post, frankly different fandom, and I was wondering how it would play out in a movie format, but seeing as the fic in question currently is unfinished and won't be for a while I decided to direct my attention to other fandoms, got to DCA fandom, came up with a few cute ideas i didn't write down for unfinished fics, for the record I do think it would be interesting if Solar Lunacy was a musical just saying, and then I started to think about ok what fics ARE fini-

SLEUTH JESTERS HECK YEAH

Unfortunately at the moment I don't have any digital sketches to share for some of these points and the sketches I do have are pretty messy SO I'LL JUST RAMBLE cause I already wrote down a lot of these separately

Firstly, I imagine this kind of musical being in universe kind of au. Possibly an extension of the Actor AU where the original media (tv show? movie?) got so popular it got a musical adaptation

I imagine the actual music, whether the songs or just sound track, would be heavily inspired by Jazz or smthn. Like, the genre of music most popular during the time period Sleuth Jesters is in ish. It would still be musical-like but you can tell the genre they are going for

And before continuing, to get around not actually saying "y/n" on stage cause that might be a little awkward MAYBE there could be some kind of special sound affect for the actors mics that the audience knows is y/n's name?? Half baked tho

COSTUMES

Sun, Moon and Eclipse (at least) would have highly decorated masks to match the original just added onto because they are on stage. Masks, so that there are more options for who to cast. To make up for this, the actors have to make it clear in their body language to make up for lack of expression

in productions with higher budget mayhaps one function could be the eyes have options for what emotion they could express

In most productions there will be sound effects in the background that mimic the noise that Sun Moon and Eclipse make as they move. Or at least be incorporated into the sound track ooooo

Y/n's clothes would have an easy to notice difference in quality compared to the DCAs, which makes the bell and ribbons much more noticeable on stage

Smaller note but I think y/n's make up could be kind of fun with how they show the y and n on their face

Would probably have a wig colored various shades of silver but not required

FIRST SONG FIRST SONG FIRST SONG

Would be the introduction (of course) and depict the first chapter and likely have something to do with "Until Next Time". I think possibly it would have little breaks in the song to fit in the dialogue

Honestly, in an adaptation there might just be more scenes added between the earlier chapters to fill in points in time or smthn

OR (the answer I like better) The first act uses time between chapters to fill in reader watcher on backstories or past's of characters

Actually yeah little hints would be packed in the first half

Any other songs could be filled in for the boys or y/n that could have the potential to return as a Reprise

Now listen Mandatory Eclipse Villain song(s)

this is not optional

Duets Duets DUETS

One duet could be between characters that are foils or mirror each other but it's one of those duets that have different lyrics that still match up musically

Particularly I think the latter could be used for Sun and Moon's complicated relationship with Eclipse but not completely sure where that would be, probably second half, speaking of which...

ACT ONE ends in the chapter that Y/N has to return the favor to Eclipse, where he crashes the party and they go with him, reassuring Sun and Moon that they allways can wiggle out of situations

REPRISE OF THE FIRST SONGGGGGG

Until Next Time Reprise

Which will have a moment of silence after, showing their mutual understanding yet make it perfectly clear sun and moon don't want to do resort to this

Doesn't last to long as it proceeds with the sound track DROPPING in tone as Eclipse stuffs y/n into the car, that is actually just a prop that leads to the back stage

FADE TO BLACK INTERMISSION

ACT TWO (any major costume changes or forever hold your piece) I think would start off with Sun and Moon's dilemmas first before getting back to y/n

WHICH would likely cut to y/n maybe already in the burgundy shirt but meh that's not solid

I think the way Eclipse gives them the burgundy ribbon and bell could be changed in an adaptation of the story since it would be easier I imagine to show it later than in a car set piece

(Admittedly I have to reread these specific chapters to know specifically the order) But when Eclipse drops the bombshell he knows their past, and I think he leaves them alone for a bit after that, SONG TIME (though song could still happen with him there honestly)

Something similar to the theme "I thought I burned everything" and would just

And after that likely more backstory could be cut to depending on what it is and how relevant it is at that point. WOuld be much grimmer in tone but hey it's the second act.

Though if this opportunity is taken, this could be reprised later when Y/N proposes to the boys, with the necklaces to show being more comfortable with their past

More song opportunities with Y/N's trust issues, Sun and Moon's brother issues, etc

Final act-ish, where y/n first runs away after Sun and Moon "find out" and from there would have more focus on the score than any songs that could be fit into that small frame.

My thoughts went kind of to Heather's Dead Girl Walking Reprise and then Veronica and JD's tussle toward the end if songs got implemented there

AND OF COURSE The moment of Eclipse's death is really what makes me think this would be adapted into a musical in universe

Because it does kind of fit the bill for being tragic

You feel bad enough for what could have been

But also remember "Nah that bitch deserves it"

But also.. it's sad

PERFECT FOR MUSICAL ENDING

ish

After proposal, there is possibility to do a QUICK little glance into the future at the end, not unlike Dear Evan Hansen's ending, but maybe not

Ok now Applause section!!

Freddie and Gregory would bow together

I forgot to mention earlier, but the character that is revealed to be a spy for Eclipse at the police station I'd imagine would have hints on their clothing (like burgundy) that would foreshadow their side

Eclipse would bow by himself, flaunty as ever, yet you can still kind of tell the actor is kind of a sweetheart

Sun and Moon would enter, bow together and then welcome Y/n

Who would get to bow on their own, then with Sun and Moon

Then the rest of the cast is welcomed

How the arrangement would go from left to right I was thinking

Law Enforcement and basic background cast making up crowds, Freddy, Gregory, Sun, Y/N, Moon, Eclipse, Michael, Other Aftons and Spy, rest of Law Enforcement and basic background cast making up crowds

AAAAAaaand thats what I've got.

@naffeclipse did you catch all of that?

and @sunnys-aesthetic for their detective au! :3

[jadeleechisagoodboy]

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, and an even longer time since I’ve posted any art or fan fiction. It’s not that I haven’t been making any new stuff, I absolutely have, but the problem with making stuff solely for fun is that I only work on it up until I’m not having fun any more, then I drop that particular piece forever.

As a result, the vast majority of my writing and art remains in the bullet-pointed draft/messy sketch phase forever. I don’t particularly consider them “unfinished”, because frankly they are as “finished” as they’re going to get, which is perfectly fine for me because I get just as much enjoyment from the half-baked product as I would from a hypothetical “finished” product, but it also means that I never end up posting any of it.

So I decided to get over my perfectionism a little bit and post some of my messy sketches here for you guys to see!

(The first five are Jade x my Yuusona and the last one is Floyd x Riddle).

1).

Okay so this one I drew all the way back during the first Vargas Camp event. It was basically supposed to be Jade complaining about how both his brother and his girlfriend were going camping without him lol. I was also going to put Floyd and Azul in the background looking very unamused by their theatrics.

2 & 3).

Jade hugging Yuu from behind and Yuu hugging Jade from behind. The idea for the second one specifically was that Jade was too busy working on something to pay attention to her, so she squeezed herself in between him and the back of the chair to hug him while he worked.

4).

This one was just me wanting to draw Jade having a cute reaction to getting kissed on the cheek ☺️

5).

This one was going to be a wedding photo, but I never got around to designing actual wedding clothes for them

6).

Aaaaand finally Fem!Floyd pinning Fem!Riddle to a wall

[desire-mona]

Opinions on jacksfilms v sssniperwolf?

Penny for ur thoughts plz 🪙 (<- pretend that is a penny shhhhh)

this ask is an equivalent to asking for my hand in marriage just btw.

so in case anyone doesnt know anything abt this old ass drama (i dont know as much as i could either, this is a retelling from the bits and pieces i remember):

so basically sssniperwolf used to be this gaming youtuber but she eventually turned into a half baked "reaction" channel where she just watches tiktoks, makes low effort surface level commentary, and then doesnt credit the creator of said tiktoks. jacksfilms is a comedy youtuber who does a bunch of stuff (sketches, streaming, something called YIAY where he gives ppl prompts / questions to answer n reads em out(with credit!(also hes been doing stuff with ai recently but mostly to show how mid it is which like. eh idk how i feel abt it but its not a dealbreaker))) and he at one point in 2023 called out sniper for her content stealking and lazy content.

he started doing this thing where he reacted to her videos the way she reacts to the videos she steals? i think? and then he gives credit to the creators that sniper reacts to i hope ur following. sniper eventually got mad and was like "uhhhmmm ur stealing from me....." which is rly funny considering she steals from SO many ppl. they had lowkey beef for a while (and obv jack was in the right the entire time) and on uhhhhhh lemme look this up hold on. october 13th of last year sniper posted an instagram story poll like "jacksfilms is close to this place im shooting at should i go see him" i guess to like? talk things out?

(src)

and then some amnt of time later while jack was playing jackbox on stream with his editors and stuff (dubbed the council) sniper showed up at his house, stood outside, and posted a video OF HIS HOME ON HER STORY. ON HER INSTAGRAM WITH OVER 5 MILLION FOLLOWERS. also to add even more context that i found out from youtube comments, sniper has been arrested for armed robbery before, so! some council member alerted jack and erin (jack's wife) was like "erm im gonna go outside" and everyone was like NO DONT OMG. eventually she deleted the story but by that point it was like wayyyy too late. and photos of his house were alr on twitter and stuff. the most ridiculous part is that when jack was rightfully like WHAG GHE HELL she was like this guy is creepy and hes been harassing me! i just wanna talk!!!

jacksfilms made a video being like heyyyyy youtube can u do smthn abt this???? youtube, of course, did nothing in response. i honestly dont know how it ended but snipers still doing her thing and so is jack so ultimately nothing substantial came of it, i guess. i wasnt on stream when it happened but i was GLUED to twitter as it was unfolding since ive been a big jacksfilms fan since i was 12ish. crazy times

WAIT EDIT I FORGOT TO ADD MY OPINION OOPS LOL: FUCK SNIPERWOLF

also fun fact! ive had a couple convos with a council member (marshaldoesstuff u will always be famous) and i was in his discord FOREVER ago. like 2018 forever ago. got groomed in that server it was kinda goofy (NOT marshal's fault - nor the mods of said server, im still friends with a few of those mods and they were always so protective of me and were there to put a stop to everything, i love them dearly.) so yeah im kinda etched into jacksfilms lore in a way that VERY few remember. which is the case for a few different fandoms tbh.

second fun fact: jack and erin r house md fans (erin has a crush on house and jack has a crush on cuddy which is sooo based of them)

thank u for asking and thank u for reading :3 i luv jacksfilms

[consumeroflemoans]

Hello, you asked for Vilidia asks and I'm gonna try my damndest to deliver because I crave content of them as well, so I'm just gonna knock out a few scenarios I have in my head, they're a bit half baked, but I hope that's fine

So the social event thought, Vil is famous, Idias family is kinda too, he's bound to be forced to attend something at some point and does acting coincide with conglamerate shit? Probably not, but I don't know how being famous works and a man can dream

This then could lead to a classic run-in and then "chilling outside because you're the only person here I like or maybe even know", but what I personally think is just a tad funnier is if the rest of Idias whole extended family was also present and Vil can be introduced to those guys for a nice little "wtf Idia has friends/a boyfriend", depends on wether he'd be willing to tell them, and not only that it's Vil fucking Schönheit

Of course there's Mr. and Ms. Shroud which in and of itself already good, but an idea I've seen floating around too is that Idia has a cousin who could be TWST Zeus and I like that thought plus aunts, uncles, whoever you want really

Secondly, something smaller is that I like to think Idia at some point in his life is going to get glasses because I have glasses come on, he sees more blue light than sunlight

And now that could go over into funky glasses frame shopping because just because glasses are made to make you see better doesn't mean that they aren't just as much capable of looking fun and I think Vil would agreePlus you could also get a nice chain to attach if you wanted to

Proceeding with more fashion stuff, now it's no uncommon scenario to see Vil dress Idia up a bit, but I also like the thought that by the end Idia is so flustered that his hair is entirely pink and now the outfit colours Vil picked out don't work anymore

I might come back at some point and tell you about more thoughts, but I feel like that's enough for now and I hope you enjoyed them

Have a nice day :]

Dude I am going absolutely insane

AUACAUA omg

Vil and Idia at some stuffy party they don’t want to be at is golden.

I absolutely adore Vil having the chance to meet Idia’s family but also consider:

They’re the only two outside and already familiar with each other. Vil notices Idia visibly uncomfortable. He doesn’t want to have to dress up and socialize, that much is obvious. They stand in silence for a long time, far enough apart to not intrude on one another. Vil mentally debates the whole time, wondering if he could be irresponsible for just one night. He wants to help Idia, but he has an obligation to make his presence known at the party. Eventually he decides, sweeping over towards Idia in whatever elegant gown he donned. Vil asks point blank if Idia wants to get out of there. Idia’s obviously taken aback but stutters out an agreement. They take a night out, finding some gazebo far from any human life and spend the night together. They’re still in their formal wear as they explore together and chat, but neither of them mind much. Outside of the obligations of the party, it’s nice to have a chance to be themselves.

Augh actually on the topic of Vil and family I feel like he’d be kind of shocked by Idia having a large family. It’s always been just him and his dad, so him suddenly having a massive extended family would be so fun. Also I feel like he’d be the kind of guy to absolutely adore kids. He might not have them for himself, but he loves Ortho and any of Idia’s younger cousins. Idia finds it really endearing seeing Vil get along so well with his family.

ALSO OMG IDIA EITH GLASSES

I’m just imagining Vil looking over the options with Idia, both of them trying to find the perfect one to match his vibe. They can’t seem to find the perfect one, so they take matters into their own hands. Both of them have the money and talent to design custom glasses. Vil would sketch out designs for different outfits and scenarios while Idia would build the frames and add some sort of techno magic to them. He can’t have boring regular glasses after all.

Omg one of my favorite things ever is them combining Idia’s technological genius with Vil’s skill with design. They could pull together so many cool tech savvy outfits

Just them trying fashion together!!! Aaaaa Vil dressing Idia, standing back to appraise him, and saying Idia looks stunning. Idia immediately breaks, his hair flaring a bright pink and Vil watches him smugly. Vil adores how easily he can break Idia and he often will whisper small compliments into his ear just to see that reaction. They pass each other in the halls and Vil leans down for a brief moment to say Idia looks cute. Idia tugs his hood over his head and quickly shuffles away, now unable to think about anything besides Vil.

Swipe you thank you so much for feeding me. As promised I am kissing you platonically /silly

Now excuse me while I die

[transmutationisms]

i think that greg was always meant to remain a somewhat callous and opportunistic, but ultimately insipid figure within the narrative - just because it contrasts so beautifully and effectively with the nuanced hell-funnel of psychological damage that is present in the siblings.

& the dynamic between tom and greg was always interesting and fun to watch for sure. in s3 we got to see new facets to tom as a character and thus his relationships became a more prominent factor. so of course greg became more intriguing as a character within that context. a lot of this probably also has to do with the actors’ performances and chemistry (no fucking roses for n*c braun though) - i reckon it made people project a lot of depth onto greg that i don’t believe was necessarily there at all.

this last season - with its shortened time frame, new narrative structure and deserved focus on the sibling - doesn’t really provide enough opportunity for greg to be sketched out more clearly. choices had to be made by the writers in regards to character exploration and i think that, ultimately, greg was an easy “sacrifice” to make.

i could, of course, be completely wrong in this. hell, the last four episodes might zone in on him for some strange reason, but just going off of my general opinions on the character, this is what i think might’ve happened. would love to know your thoughts on this:)

honestly.... here's the problem with greg. the gregtastrophe. if you wrote down all of greg's biographical details on a piece of paper, you would have the skeleton of what could have been fleshed out into an interesting character. like, it's there. but pretty early in the show, the writers decided they were not interested in doing that. and honestly, it's not like this show lacks for psychological depth in its main cast, so really, who cares? the issue is that greg for some fucking reason (comic relief) has always had way more screentime than his half-baked writing needs or deserves. like, shit or get off the pot, you know?

anyway, i agree with your gregnosis: we are not gonna get anything more interesting from him in the last four episodes. obviously his relationship with tom depends on tom's overall happiness, place in the company, and relationship with shiv, so i won't pretend to be able to predict where that's going. but like, greg exists for tom to objectify and chuck water bottles at. he is simply not written with enough care to be interesting beyond that. truly i am sorry to all those whose high gregspectations were dashed upon the rocks of four seasons of sitcom-calibre writing :'(

[thesinglesjukebox]

YEAH THAT'S RIGHT WE'RE BACK WE WEREN'T JOKING AROUND NOW GET IN THE CAR BEEP BEEP LET'S RIDE

CHARLI XCX - SPEED DRIVE [5.07]

Oliver Maier: A dark cloud seems to hang over Charli XCX as of late. Last year's perfectly passable Crash was touted by her as her "sellout" album, and while it charted impressively, it didn't demonstrate the effortless hitmaking that Charli sometimes implies she could pull off any time, if she only felt like it. That success instead has rather randomly gone to the risible "Speed Drive," her first UK top 10 since 2015 and first Billboard entry since a year prior. There's a lot I don't like about it, but enumerating its faults feels futile when it has the baked-in defense of just being a cute song for the Barbie movie!(!!!) Put simply, though, it's lazy to the point of feeling contemptuous. I have far fewer reservations about switching my brain off and having fun with pop when it feels like the artist is laughing with me, not at me. [2]

Alex Ostroff: On Crash, Charli started leaning into obvious interpolations to try to hit the charts. Hopefully, "Speed Drive" is the tail end of that tendency and not her new normal. The mashup of "Hey Mickey" and "Cobrastyle" works significantly better for me than the way she lifted from September and Robin S. for Crash singles, and there are a few excellent line deliveries, but this still feels like Charli on autopilot. The album's worth of unreleased songs with SOPHIE do more exciting and interesting things sonically than this PC-XCX retread, and if she isn't pushing the boundaries of pop music in weird and abrasive new directions, I'd much rather have the hooks and big choruses of "New Shapes" and "Lightning" than an under-two-minute sketch of an idea. The problem, of course, is that Charli on autopilot mashing up Robyn and Toni Basil, but fully committing to the performance and vocal delivery, still ends up giving us a: [6]

Alfred Soto: Charli XCX's reputation as a unsung pop master crumbles every time she releases another middling single. From the "Mickey" lift to the perfunctory rhythm track, "Speed Drive" is closer to assembly line than a Barbie factory. [4]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The best Charli XCX songs in this lane are cleverly stupid ("Hot in It", "Yuck") or stupidly clever ("No Angel", "Vroom Vroom"), but this is just normal, garden-variety dumb -- less a song and more a collection of Pavlovian cues for stans to go wild over. All points here should be allocated to Easyfun, who at least does his job competently. [3]

Will Rivitz: Crash was Charli's worst release in nearly a decade for more reasons than I can fit in these few sentences, but most salient to "Speed Drive" was the record's uncharacteristically smooth polish. Her music achieves transcendence when it leans into its unsanded edges and hungover hedonism, channeling self-destruction and snottiness into bombast and excess. If it sounds like a first or second draft slapped onto Spotify before it's had the chance to hit a mastering studio, it's succeeded. Crash was too careful to hit those same highs, and as a result, its attempted mess felt lethargic and flat, indulgence as a single drunk cigarette instead of half an Adderall chased with absinthe. So, since "Speed Drive" sounds like it was mastered on a 2015 MacBook speaker and plays its two main interpolations as insouciantly straight as possible, it represents a return to form. Mess is more. [7]

Aaron Bergstrom: A perfectly acceptable Charli-by-numbers exercise: shiny, metallic PC Music production smeared over otherwise kitchy sonic references (and "Cobrastyle," which rules in any context); lyrics referencing cars, Japan, or cars in Japan; halfhearted attempt to tie it all back to Barbie somehow. [5]

Rachel Saywitz: Sonically, "Speed Drive" is one of the more interesting songs from this year's Barbie soundtrack -- unfortunately, that isn't saying much. A flurry of bubbling synth patterns echo the song's title, but what should be an exhilarating digital rush is overset by drab lyrics that sound like they came out of a Mattel exec's secret poetry diary (+ charm bracelet which unlocks the diary + a copy of the 2006 hit Barbie mocap film, The Barbie Diaries): "She my best friend in the whole world / On the mood board, she's the inspo / and she dressed in really cute clothes." Charli is in on the joke, but the joke isn't actually a joke -- it's a corporate branded major studio movie that was made to sell more toys, unable to subvert its maker no matter how many jokes it makes about male CEOs, discontinued toys, and "tax evasion issues." Can we just get Charli to soundtrack one of those poorly animated Barbie movies that know exactly what they are? Can we get a Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper remix album? Oh my god wait that would be incredible Mattel please call me I'll revoke my DSA membership please [5]

Hannah Jocelyn: I am a Barbie movie defender; you take your $100 million toy commercial and make the best possible trans allegory a cis woman can make, you have my respect. (Just as Little Women is the best queer movie a straight woman can make, love ya Greta!) I feel like mainstream feminism-attempting films, Barbie included, are so preoccupied with being Statements they'll sacrifice any momentum to get a message across. This is much less messy and complex than the movie it soundtracks, content to get in and out with its endearingly obvious samples. Charli's attitude makes the song sound more chaotic than it really is, but that effortlessness is a neat contrast to a movie that tries really fucking hard. Suddenly, I want to buy a 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. [7]

Brad Shoup: Like the vast majority of thinkpieces this movie elicited, this isn't really about Barbie, is it? It leaps into a gear and holds; there's nothing to distract you while the motor hums. It ends with Charli chanting "red lights," like she's desperate to pull over. [4]

Andrew Karpan: Perhaps the most important of the pop hits salvaged from an '80s nite at a club near you, "Speed Drive" is already a Greatest Hit among the stans, and justifiably so. Charli boils down what these nostalgia grabs are all about: misrememberences of a more understandable past, the fantasy of driving cars, the mood board stretched infinitely into the promise of a new century, the crux of Barbie itself. [10]

Jonathan Bradley: [A whiteboard with "Charli XCX Barbie soundtrack????" written on it and nothing else.] [3]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Even on this throwaway soundtrack cut where Charli sounds like she's putting in 25%, her pop flourishes and mannerisms are undeniably powerful. It's the way she rhymes "whole world" with "inspo", knowing it doesn't work; the way she races through the chorus like she's bored and speed-reading random words on a page; the way she robotically drones "Li-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ghts," unbothered at the laziness of the hook. This can't even clock in at two minutes. Give us nothing, queen! [7]

Kayla Beardslee: Charli understands how to craft a hook better than 99.99% of all musicians that have ever existed. [7]

Dorian Sinclair: I would not have thought to combine "Hey Mickey" with Robyn's "Cobrastyle" at all, let alone as part of a massive Mattel movie. Perhaps this is why Charli XCX is a pop star and I decidedly am not. The result mostly works, though it feels a bit less than the sum of its parts. And while I don't entirely get the focus on the car, maybe it's so she can run it back for the Hot Wheels film? [6]

Peter Ryan: Pop's foremost interpolator doubles down for a truly inspired how-hasn't-this-been-done moment. As a chase scene backdrop it's an [8], but on its own it's not even her third-best car tune. [5]

Katherine St Asaph: Brainless, reckless fun utterly unfit for purpose. The song is called "Speed Drive" and is perfect in tempo and stupidity for racing down the highway faster than God intended. And Charli still interjects "hah!" like no one else. But when do you go on the highway? When you're planning on driving for more than 2 minutes! [6]

Jeffrey Brister: Sleekly built, moves quick without fuss, pushes up a bit, but never really crests into high gear. I'm not asking for transcendence, but maybe an acknowledgement of a higher power while you lightly tap the gas pedal? [5]

Edward Okulicz: Having stopped writing good Charli XCX songs years ago, Charli XCX has, with this, ceased to even sound like Charli XCX. The only good bit about this is the "Mickey" interpolation. Driving around with this would give me a headache within about two miles. [2]

Vikram Joseph: In which Charli decides to write an AI version of a Charli song before the machines get there first. [4]

Will Adams: I will own up to being one of those who were WRONG and DUMB about "Vroom Vroom" when it first came out; I still wouldn't rate it highly, but I recognize its importance and impact on pop music. Special thanks to "Speed Drive" for helping me through that process by demonstrating what "Vroom Vroom" would sound like if there were significantly less effort. [3]

Jibril Yassin: Sucker needed this more than we did, but I'll take any new Charli songs that use actual choruses again. [8]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: I applaud Charli for staying faithful to "Hey Mickey": the only good thing here is the hook. [3]

Crystal Leww: Funniest thing about this song is that one of my best friends in the whole world made an edit of it, and once we were out, the original played and I was like, "man this is so slow." And then she told me that the BPMs are actually exactly the same. Good song for Charli in her popstar elder era, but I'd always rather be listening to the edit. [5]

Michelle Myers: This would have been a fine addition to my 2009 pre-gaming playlist. I can taste the Smirnoff Ice and MAC Lip Gloss. [6]

Samson Savill de Jong: This is a banger that resists much discussion, just pounding you with being really really good and fun and HOT (but not, funnily, at all sexy). It needs a third verse, as it's over just as it really gets going, but ultimately probably better to leave you wanting more than wishing it was over -- though I find it hard to imagine this couldn't have stretched all the way to 3 minutes. [8]

Ian Mathers: It's good, but I've gotta knock it for three things (all possibly totally unfair, but that's the Jukebox babey!!!!!): 1. "Mickey" is a fine song but I am so sick of this kind of interpolation; 2. it reminds me at least by implication of "Vroom Vroom," and you, ma'am, are no "Vroom Vroom"; 3. it's only my second favourite 2023 soundtrack Charli XCX is featured on. [6]

Leah Isobel: Enough time has passed that we can admit Crash was mid, right? That in marking the moment in which Charli finally, actually committed to being a pop star, it also signaled her turn from real emotion to two-dimensional shtick? That her fanbase not only enabled this particular turn, but made it her only viable option? That her career is now defined by the need to please a group of people who treat her work as impersonal meme-bait instead of creative output from a real person? That, viewed in this light, the fact that "Speed Drive" has become her biggest hit in a decade makes perfect sense, even though it's the unsatisfying sonic equivalent of a single leftover french fry, drenched in grease? That pop stardom is, in itself, the reduction of a real personality and perspective into a flat and marketable image; that the aching, sincere heart of True Romance is actually dead and buried; that my youth is never coming back; that all I have left is this shitty, misogynistic world? And that, despite everything, I am physically and emotionally incapable of scoring a Charli XCX song that samples fucking "Cobrastyle" lower than this? [4]

Tara Hillegeist: It says a great deal about Charli's grasp on how to make hedonistic abandon actually catchy, even after the multiple ways that particular approach to imperial phases has shown their ass, that she can nearly faceplant on a still-mangled enunciation of "kawaii" and yet almost get away scot-free with her brazen interpolation of "Hey Mickey." I can yet imagine this scoring a campily villainous dance number in a Russel T. Davies SFnal dramedy on BBC Three and working. Sadly, Rusty's currently on contract to Disney instead, so an entirely different sort of Toymaker seems to have run off with the obvious bait for tiresome queens at present, and I'm not sure the vibe quite comes together as the prophecy was meant to foresee. Too bad. It'd be an [8] if it did, but only hypothetically. [3]

Nortey Dowuona: The problem with "Speed Drive" isn't the flat, pedestrian drum programming, even though that roots the song to the ground and never lets it become the exciting driving song it's meant to be. The problem is Charli constantly pushing forward in her music to embrace the more compelling and vivid music of the late '10s, only to be over-praised for a competent rehash of already marked territory by her elders. The same happened to Earl Sweatshirt, who doubled back to play in more conventional positions then, after the praise, re-doubled down on his direction. The way to engage with their music is to stop jumping up to beg them to pander to our changing taste and the industry's desire to cling to conventional wisdom. Let the Charli XCX of 2014 go -- she doesn't exist anymore, Charli's competent Toni Basil cover notwithstanding. Maybe actually trust them to chart their own paths -- you crafted your own, right? [6]

Frank Falisi: The streamlining of Charli's glitch-heat into soundtrack-ready radio-licking songs is good! PC Music was always a project about products, caring and careful as it was. Pop is a product about the project of being alive -- it's its own experimentation, it doesn't require archness. But to be alive is to seek out live wires and hearts to plug into, to give shape to. The pastiche that has haunted Charli's work in recent years takes as its engine dead objects: nostalgia (Crash), flippancy ("Hot Girl", Bottoms), and now, incorporation (Barbie). Can you feel a song begin to think of itself as servicing an occasion instead of a feeling? But you don't have to rope in career tea-leafing to know "Speed Drive" is plain boring. More like a treatment for a song than a composition moving through ideas, it cannibalizes the occasion of "Vroom Vroom" for a compensatory GM tie-in, settling for chorus as brand shoutout and production that's nearly apologizing for itself. Haters -- Lovers? Likers? I can't imagine a human being loving this song -- will tell me it's a fun, short song written for a fun movie that's been over-think-pieced and that doesn't deserve the hyper-scrutiny it received. I still think we deserve better than just "just" as far as the product-as-art future Barbie takes to be inevitable. I also think -- whatever their occasion -- all the song sequences in the film felt disposably-conceived, thinking a little of partnering with the image and thinking a lot about servicing the partner, which is the brand. Maybe pop music in cinematic space has always been product placement of a kind. Or worse, once it was a way to show love through intertextuality and now it's the moving image as Tumblr page, a cloud of association, a hungry rolodex of fits. And the suggestion of a pleasurable essence isn't the presence of pleasure. I know there's no purity, I don't want purity. But you have to let "want" in, have to want "want" to mean more than "get." Otherwise it's the experimental rendered in a language we already know. What I mean is: every day the inclusion of "Boom Clap" in The Fault in Our Stars feels surer. [2]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[seaseraphic]

A new personal best- I'm on a winning streak! Used this lovely drawing for reference.

A dear friend of mine asked if I could post my art and I do thrive off validation so, post I shall. Showing off my work is what this blog is for anyway.

Where I'm at with my art right now (and more recent sketches) below the cut.

If you are a frequent reader of my tag rambling on my main, you might have seen me mention how little I've been able to draw over the past few years but also that I'm finally turning that around.

The power of Baldur's Gate 3 and Loving Astarion somehow tipped the scale for me and gave me the drive I needed to sit down and actually work on improving my art. Even before I stopped drawing altogether I'd been unhappy with my art for some time, feeling that it had completely stagnated and, after trying nothing, it didn't improve. So I actually went back to look at some fundamentals and gods. I wildly underestimated how much I needed this.

After only putting a small number of hours into dedicated practice I've seen my proficiency leap forward. That euphoria that all these half baked understandings, and everything that I've learnt from just looking, have finally come together into something I can do with my own hand.

I'm not 'where I want to be' yet, in the sense that I feel like I'm a little stuck only being able to sketch but I'd love to actually do some illustrations and completed work. Not yet frustrated by this, since I'm learning from myself as I go.

(Did you know when you have ADHD you don't always remember how you did things before? So every time you attempt something you have to learn how to do it all over again? Getting medicated changes this. I have memory now. Memories of how I worked through a task that I can use again and iterate upon in the future? Wild.)

There is a lot of mental health bullshit and anxiety that actively gets in the way of my ability to draw and commit myself to all kinds of creative endeavors. I'm not sure how long its going to take before I can start drawing out some of the things I'm imagining, but I think I'll get there. It's not like I've never drawn (and sometimes even finished!) ambitious things before. I'm having fun! And I only want to race forward so I can have more fun! But it's okay. I have all the time in the world to keep doing this.

[neos127]

[4:45 pm] Jaemin loved people watching, as weird as it sounded to others. It wasn’t in a creepy way, he just loved to observe life and the happiness of others. Often times he would sketch random people that passed by at the local cafe he liked to sit in. The place was cozy, with dim lights hanging down from wooden beams on the ceiling and comfy chairs the lined the walls. It always smelled like coffee grounds and baked goods making it hard for Jaemin to stay away.

“Don’t you ever like to switch it up a bit?” You asked, placing a small cup of iced americano on the table. A smile tugged at Jaemin’s lips, recognizing your voice before his eyes could even meet yours. You were one of the baristas at the cafe, one of Jaemin’s favorites. You were absolutely beautiful and your nature was very comforting. You always greeted customers with a sweet voice, making people feel welcomed and warm inside.

You made Jaemin feel happy the more he got to know you. He never went anywhere else to get coffee, wanting an excuse to see you whenever he could. You got to know him as well, memorizing his usual order and always bringing it to him whenever you saw the man enter. Sometimes you even gave it to him for free, which caused Jaemin to argue that he should pay. He always felt bad about it, but you just wanted to do something nice for him. It also always got a conversation started up, and you definitely couldn’t complain about that. You loved talking to Jaemin, he always had some great story to tell or something about his life that fascinated you.

“I don’t really like change that much.” Jaemin shrugged as he finally answered your question, slowly and subtly closing the notebook that was settled between his arms. He didnt want you to see his most recent sketch, which happened to be the pretty barista he had set his eyes on. As much as Jaemin loved drawing people, he also loved to draw things he found to be pretty. There were a couple sketches of flowers or the sunset— you were the most recent addition.

“What are you drawing?” You asked, looking down towards the pink colored notebook. Your eyes sparkled with curiosity, making Jaemin’s heart drop. He let out a strained chuckled, reaching up to tug at the ends of his hair.

“Its nothing—oh, you should probably get back, looks like someone’s waiting at the counter.” Jaemin spoke up, trying to quickly change the topic. When you looked back you noticed your coworker, Jeno, treating the customer. When he looked up he gave you an exaggerated wink and a thumbs up, knowing about your attraction to Jaemin.

“Stop avoiding the question.” You whined, taking a seat next to the man. He sighed, gnawing on his lip as you kept eyeing the notebook.

“Im not gonna make fun of you, I’m sure your drawings are amazing.” You reassured, using that soft tone of voice of yours that always made Jaemin melt in his seat. He nodded knowing that you wouldn’t give up and hesitantly slid his notebook over with a small sigh. You opened it excitedly, your eyes scanning over the random sketches. You noticed that his style was unique but very beautiful, capturing people’s expressions so realistically despite the design looking like a cartoon. After flipping through half the book, you settled on the most recent page with wide eyes. The drawing was of you, smiling wide as you handed coffee to someone. The detail put into your eyes and smile was evident and you couldn’t help but think that was what Jaemin noticed the most whenever he looked at you. The thought made your heart rate speed up.

You looked at Jaemin with an unreadable expression and the man wanted to dig his own grave at the moment. He was convinced that you thought he was weird for sketching people without their consent. Fortunately, the wide smile that soon came over your face told him otherwise. You’re stunning smile that made his stomach twist like the lovesick fool he was.

“The sketches are really nice, Jaemin, you’re insanely talented. But, why did you decide to draw me?” You asked, delicately closing the book and handing it back to Jaemin. He met your gaze for a few seconds before turning away, an obvious blush on his cheeks.

“I like to draw things that are beautiful.” He finally answered.

©yyx2 all writing belongs to me. do not copy or modify my

[silentwillowwhisperer]

I'm finally doing it.

Hi! Ummm... I'm pretty sure you've noticed the fact that I haven't posted the tattoo parlor thing for the past 2 weekends, but Imma do it now.

HUGE thanks to @multi-fandom-collection for their ideas!!! I'm gonna be using a few. (Some will come later though.)

I'm currently sketching out a tattoo for Lance, and I'll either do watercolor accents or just do the whole thing digitally.

By the way, here's a fun fact about me! I'd like to be a tattoo artist at some point. I have a mini-fantasy of opening a tattoo parlor that connects to a flower shop.

------------------------------------------------

Keith spent the next half hour asking Lance basic questions about why he wanted the tattoo, and what he had in mind.

As the other man spoke, Keith found himself drawn into his bubbly personality. Sure, he came off as rude and a bit cocky, but he could tell that Lance was a naturally friendly person.

Keith still ignored the various pick up lines hurled at him, though.

Apparently Lance had been wanting to do this for a while, and his friends had taken matters into their own hands. They placed a bet with him that they knew he would lose, but everyone knows that Lance can't back down from a bet.

As Lance mentioned something about getting his ears pierced, and Keith found himself imagining Lance like that. Hiding his blush, he made a mental note to ask Shiro about that. He was fine sticking needles in people, but it freaks him out to see it come out the other side. Whenever he gets a new piercing, he has to ask Shiro to get rid of the mirror. If he can't see what's happening, then he doesn't mind the pain too much.

Keith is derailed from his train of thought when he realizes that Lance is holding a phone in his face.

As he takes the device, he takes note of the Forget Me Nots and blue Hydrangeas dotting his phone case.

The image Lance is showing him is one of Keith's own designs. Its a purpleish-gray dagger surrounded by roses.

Shut up, Keith's allowed to be cliché sometimes.

"I noticed that you put a lot of flowers into your art. Could we maybe do something with that? I was thinking about going for a blue theme. I don't really mind what flowers you choose. And could we replace the dagger with a lion?"

Keith smiles. All his last client told him was that she wanted something 'aesthetic.' That's it. It makes Keith's job a whole lot easier when people actually know what they want tattooed onto their body for the rest of their damn life.

He grabs the nearest sketchbook and doodles a rough design of a lion.

"Like this?"

Lance nods excitedly. "Yes! Thank you! This is awesome."

It's so sincere that Keith decides to give Lance another shot. He holds out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Keith, and right now is gonna officially be our first time meeting. I have had no crappy first impressions of you, and as far as I know, you have no association to Allura."

Lance grins and returns the handshake. "Oh, thank goodness. I was honestly worried that you were gonna hate my guts for the rest of time. And my name is Lance. It's nice to meet you, Keith."

The both laugh for a second before Lance glances at the clock.

"Oh crap! I'm late to help Hunk out with his baking! See ya, Keith!"

Keith chuckles as he watches Lance race to his car through the window.

Thank goodness not all cute boys are jerks.

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

[lcvergrl]

❝ When I was a kid, people used to make fun of me for eating chapstick. Well . . . if I wasn't supposed to eat it, why'd they make it taste so good? ❞

Seline is a villager who lives in Pelican Town who is often chatty and adventurous, loves art, and always gets injured. She works at the Blacksmith most days between 9am to 4pm and has a busy social life. She goes to Zuzu City on Fridays and has weekends off. She’s available to marry.

Monday, Wednesday

9am — she wakes up 30 minutes before she is scheduled to work , rushes through a half - baked morning routine ( wash face, moisturize + spf, lipgloss, go ). she shows up late most days but especially on monday. 10:30am — ever the silly little drink enthusiast, seline takes an inappropriately long morning break to find a caffeinated, syrupy concoction. she also picks up a Little Treat to make herself feel better for being late ( again ). if she's low on funds, she'll trot back to her house & make a drink there. she might throw on some eyeliner and mascara if she's feeling like it. during this 15-20 minutes, seline is hard to find. 1pm — by now, she's hungry for a Bigger Treat and finds somewhere to eat lunch. on nice days she will throw something together at 1am the night before & eat it outside. if she's super busy or inspired, she'll eat it at work and doodle. sometimes, she'll make her way over to wherever ( or whoever ) has something to eat. 4pm — home to shower, change into something more comfortable, and waste time. on nice days, she takes the long way home. she might go around and visit some of the residents or lolly-gag near the icecream stand. 5 pm — seline makes her way to her shed-turned-art studio and gets to work on her newest creation. 9 pm — she finishes up, goes inside for a late supper, does her quick 4 step skin care routine and some light chores. 12 am — seline is in bed reading fanfiction, trying to get her brain to shut up so she can sleep for work tomorrow !

Tuesday, Thursday

9am to 5pm is the same as monday and wednesday. after work, however, she will make a point to go to the beach and search for seaglass. 6pm onwards — seline is open for interactions and different plans. if unplanned for, seline will go to the skatepark and hangout with her sketchbook.

Friday

8am — seline wakes up disgustingly early ( for her ) with a lot of excitement. she packs a small bag with her daily essentials ( peach lip gloss, water bottle, spf, emergency hat + umbrella, phone charger, headphones ). she eats a big breakfast. 9am to 6pm — she packs up all of the glass creations she has completed this week and makes her way to zuzu city where she drops them off at a few shops she has consignment agreements with. she also puts up a few posters about her commissions. if she has time, she will stick around and shop or visit some art galleries, but she mostly tries to stick to her plan. 7pm onwards — seline either has other plans or you can find her at the stardrop saloon, socializing or sitting down and sketching some new ideas to get up to this weekend.

Saturday

this day is completely free for seline, but she sleeps in extra and then explores the valley for materials she can create art with. there are many-a-trip to the beach for sea glass hunting & she often goes by the general store to bug maude if they're working or look through the recycling bins for glass bottles.

Sunday

seline cannot be found anywhere besides her workshop from dusk til dawn. you'd have to be very special for her to spend time with you on a sunday. on the occasional day where seline does not have muse, she might have a "self care day" and spend the entire time in a blanket fort in her bedroom watching reruns.

[hecatesbroom]

For the fic titles ask game: number 9 for "the finish line" and "it's still the same old story", number 11 for "i'm tired of wanting more / i think i'm finally worn", plus a bonus - one question among these you really want to answer for any one of your fics! :)

Ooh different fics in the same ask, that's fun! Thank you! <3

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

the finish line

Not exactly, but also kind of? I started with the introspective bits in chapter 1, but there was no setting yet. Eventually I added in the bits where Dorothy is looking at Lucas and holding back her tears, because I thought framing this in an actual scene would give it more weight — and would make it easier for people to connect to the emotion.

I was originally planning to leave it at that, but felt so bad for Dorothy (and honestly also a little for myself, because I'd properly broken my own heart 😂) I had to give her a hopeful ending. So I added chapter 2 as a fix-it (and an apology) for the pain I inflicted lmao

it's still the same old story

Ohh my Maude fic! Thanks for asking about this one! :')

Yeah, there were two! The original version of this didn't include the movie theater — it was just the introspective bits. And while those worked fine on their own, I thought I could increase the tension and weight of the story if I added an actual scene to frame it. Kind of like the finish line, haha.

Though after writing the movie theater scene, I felt like a different setting might suit this better — so I started a half-baked attempt at another scene, one where they're having a movie night at home. It was fine, and I think it could've worked out well, but my mind was already set on the initial setting and I couldn't get the new one to work. So I ended up going with the first (ish) option eventually!

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I'm tired of wanting more / I think I'm finally worn

Ooh, this is a hard one. In terms of technical details, I had a great time with the way this is structured. Going through Dorothy's life year by year, opening with a similar line each time. I gave myself a few rules to stick to (open every part in the same way, sketch her life at that moment, and tie it all in with the physical weight of it all) and I think it ended up working really well :)

I also like that this gave me the opportunity to explore how to write about different types of exhaustion and fatigue, and distinguish between them. It's a topic near and dear to my heart, so let's just say it was nice to be able to put my knowledge to good use for a change!

And for the bonus question (thank you for that!) I'll add on to #11 with another fic :)

Farewell to a Daughter (in C Major)

I tried to include some symbolism in here, and it was so much fun weaving it in! There's Sophia's gray dress, of course, but there's also the second to last line -- where she finally dabs at her eyes with a black handkerchief, essentially giving in to the notion she's been struggling with throughout the entire scene: she's mourning, instead of celebrating.

My favourite part of symbolism in the entire fic might be the title, honestly. The tragedy of Farewell to a Daughter, contrasted with (C Major) at the end -- putting Sophia's feelings against a cheerful tune that is, in fact, the key Mendelssohn's wedding march is played to. But of course you knew about that already, haha.

[returnofahsoka]

update on the dnd character under the cut

i've been thinking a lot and i think i'm ready to give up on them. i've never had this much trouble with a character. and you know me, i have tons of ocs, i write both fanfic and original stories, i love drawing and designing characters just for the fun of it. so creating this new character is fun! it should be a breeze, shouldn't it? it's not. i have like a dozen sketches and none of them are right, i thought long and hard about the character themself, their backstory, their motivation and couldn't come up with anything that makes sense to me. and there's a pressure to finish it because you can't play with a half-baked character. it's not as fun as when i just create for myself. it's probably in part the general depressed funk of winter that i feel so depleted of my creativity, but in another part it's also fear and anxiety. the concept of ttrpgs always amazed me but the reality is new people and a new set of rules that i don't understand and improvisation (historically i never worked well with that) and maybe the reason why i can't finish this character is that if i did finished them that would mean i actually have to play. so yeah. idk how i'm gonna tell this to our dm

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

It's been a little while since I've said this, so I'd like to repeat my recommendation that everyone immediately get the fuck of Twitter, and also Instagram and all those other things, and follow your favourite comedians only via their mail lists (I assume you all use Twitter only for following news of your favourite comedians - that's all I'd use it for, if I were on it, which I am not, it was a terrible website before Elon Musk and now it's even worse so a better time than ever to get out). If your favourite comedian does not have a mailing list, then they are primarily marketing themselves via world-ruining social media sites (and yes that is every social media site besides Tumblr, Tumblr is the only one where no one gets paid to spread Qanon theories or exploit their children, the few people on here doing that shit are at least doing it for free), and are therefore not worth being your favourite comedian. It's a tough principle to try to hold in 2023, but we all have to draw the line somewhere.

Anyway, I'm sort of half kidding about the above (I genuinely do not use any non-Tumblr social media and get my comedian news via mailing lists, genuinely think others should do the same, I have not yet managed to genuinely work out my life so I cut off everyone with a Twitter account), but I do enjoy the mailing lists. They're fun! Lots of comedians write them in character as their comedy personas, and you can get a nice email into your inbox that says "[famous comedian]" sent you a message! Mark Watson writes little sketches in his sometimes.

Anyway, got a fun one from Frankie Boyle today. He really does nail the aspect of writing his emails in character.

I'm going to read/listen to all of that. His novel that came out last year, Meantime, was really really good. Its biggest flaw was that sometimes that characters and the narration sounded a bit too much like mouthpieces of Frankie Boyle's views and comedy material. But as a big fan of Frankie Boyle's views and comedy material, I loved every moment of it (it wasn't that big a flaw, the characters did still work as characters, it was actually a good novel in addition to having a lot of interesting/funny Boyle-esque views and comedy material and just being a great read).

So I'm very pleased that he's writing a new book. Obviously I'm going to listen to that podcast. If anyone likes Frankie Boyle but hasn't heard his audio collection The Promethiad, I recommend it very highly. I've seen and enjoyed all his stand-up DVDs (I've also heard the Lap of Shame show that he's advertising in this email, it's worth watching if anyone has the opportunity), I loved his New World Order Show, his era of Mock the Week is a big guilty pleasure for me, like I said his novel was brilliant, but I still think the stuff collected in The Promethiad is the best stuff Frankie Boyle's ever done. So of course I'm going to listen to his new podcast, pretty much no matter what it is. It could turn out to be a history of the baked apple pie or some shit and I'd still listen.

Obviously Whiskey in the Jar is a great song, but I don't know how anyone can talk about Killarney around Christmas and associate that with anything except this:

That's 1998. I saw that same band live in October 2022 and they were brilliant. This post isn't about the Barra MacNeils, but they're a wonderful band that made one of my favourite Christmas albums ever.