#if you are a Tommy enjoyer I would highly recommend

[theeretblr]

Hi Eret! I was at Tommy's show tonight and I just wanted to say that I'm so, so deeply sorry if us in the vip section pointing you guys out caused you or any of the other ccs there any trouble. It was absolutely amazing being able to see you though, even from the first floor. I hope you still enjoyed the show!

No worries! Let me explain how it was from our perspective

I was invited to TommyInnit's LA show last night with some other creator friends (e.g. Slimecicle, Ted Nivison, RubberRoss, and more). Security tried to make sure that we wouldn't get swarmed, so they brought us in at the back of the theatre and took us away for the intermission.

We were brought back a bit early for the start of the second act. All the lights were still on, and when one person saw us and shouted our names, everyone else started turning around!

It was so sweet to see how excited everyone was! But I did definitely appreciate that the security was on top of it to prevent it from getting too rowdy! I hope you enjoyed the show!

[booksandwords]

The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Deer by Ember White. Illustrated by Marta Maszkiewicz

Age Recommendation: Pre-School Topic/ Theme: Integrity/ Authenticity (it's all about being true to yourself so...) Setting: Unspecified, America at a guess

Rating: 4/5

I never would have found this or read it without stumbling across the author on social media showing some of their... weirder reviews, and tbh asking for Aussies to balance out the crazy. I saw at least one review calling The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer grooming and to be honest, if you want to see it that way, that's how you will see it. Though why you would choose to see it like that I don't know. That's just weird. To look at this absolutely beautiful book as something with a malicious message is beyond me. I'm glad I did read this though. Not so much for Ember White's story as lovely as it is but for Marta Maszkiewicz's stunning illustrations.

I will make some comments on Ember White's story first. Let me start by sharing a quote from one of Ember White's tumblr posts. "I wanted to tell that story of anyone's who ever felt that they didn't belong anywhere. Whether you are a nerd, autistic, queer, trans, a furry, or some combination of the above, it makes for a sad and difficult life. This isn't just my story, and this is your story as well." Ember's story is quite unlike anything I've read in a while. Their story is well thought out well, and you can see that all their heart is in their book. You can see that their book is the book that they wish they could of had as a child. Embre gives us Tommy a young boy with a secret. In his case it is a pair of deer antlers that he keeps in a box and a want to be something else. The message of The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer is to just be you. It shows the pain of repression, the pain that happens when you try to be someone you aren't. The phrasing is beautiful and enjoyable. I can see how this could be a very good read-to, it has the right message and easily memorable writing. The choice of a deer as the animal the boy wants to be is a good one. It's one of the animals with the most diverse symbolism some of the basics are harmony, happiness and innocence (phrased as being in touch with your inner child).

I would love to know who paired illustrator, Marta Maszkiewicz and Ember White. Marta's a perfect match style-wise for Ember's script. I adore her beautiful style it feels young and playful when it needs to and adds that moment of darkness when it is necessary. Her dark stormy moments with the purples and blues have the perfect depressing tone for Tommy's sadness. Storms have a rainbow-like background a nice touch. There is a scene where Tommy is looking at potential future careers (doctor, accountant, engineer), I love the choice Marta makes to give Tommy oversized clothes, a child playing dress up. Not just playing dress up but uncomfortable and awkward more than expected. Marta has done a fantastic job of aging Tommy up from his child self to his adult self to his true self. His true self is kinda in the middle in appearance, like he has shed the weight that he was carrying around as an adult that he has now shed. The dance/performance element is executed particularly well. I can sense the movement coming off the page and that outfit is lovely. The final illustration is just beautiful it is light and hopeful and innocent. Honestly, I can't praise the illustrations enough. I really want to find more of Marta Maszkiewicz's illustrations.

This is highly controversial and will remain so. It does what Ember wanted it to, it challenges the status quo and some people aren't ready for that. But some of us, librarians, parents and those outside the neurotypical, cishet sociocultural norms that are ready for it. The ending is unexpected but I really like that The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer chooses to break the conventions that the children's publishing by giving the reader an unexpected ending of fulfilled dreams. I'm happy I read this and I think many others willing to look beyond the judgemental reviews probably will too.

Ember White is @emberwhite on here.

[chaos-in-bright-pink-hair-dye]

hey i'm new to the fandom uhh. what's the general kinda. commonly-known lore. like i know the bare minimum and i would like to know more if that's alright :D thanks!!

Hi and welcome! I hope you're having fun so far :D

But commonly known lore, that's a tough one because honestly there's very little official lore, ofc the music videos are great base followed by the comic(definitely go read it, many of us still ignore the lore from it but it's great starting point) but from there most of us just run completely of the rails.

I have compiled some basics like important characters, main ideas and believes, some resources etc. but probably the best way to learn more is to discover. Look through different blogs, enjoy fanart, read fics, talk to people, this fandom has wide range and no two people have the same version of the world and that's the most beautiful part. And ofc you are always welcome here if you have questions or just to chat! Maybe don't even read all these boring paragraphs and go explore instead if you want. And here's a link to a masterpost by vinyls-and-valentines with even more links. Oh and definitely read the comic before this post if you haven't yet, there are some spoilers here and it will be more enjoyable that way.

There are archives of the twitter accounts which many use as a reference but the posts themselves are kinda incomprehensive and the only important part are some characters that are not included in any other media but I'll mention those later

Besides the main characters - The Fabulous Killjoys often also called The Fabulous Four and the Girl who they hope will save them all we also have:

Dr Death Defying, a radio host and as many believe, adoptive father of every lost kid he finds

Agent Cherri Cola, killjoy as old as the fab four, he's both in the comic and on twitter but his personality completely changes between these two medias, it's wildly accepted he hosts Cherri Cola's poetry corner on the radio

Tommy Chow Mein, runs a shop in the zones - the shop where the Girl finds Party Poison's mask in the comic, he is the seller, wildly overpriced, also robs corpses for anything that's still usable, popular joke is that he and Dr Death used to be married

The Ultra Vs, the gang from the comic, not really that popular since the characters are very underdeveloped, but many people still write awesome fics with them and do them justice, highly recommend if you get tired of the usual fab four stuff at some point, also we hate Val Velocity

Red and Blue, the two droids from the comic, they are girlfriends obviously

Korse (the bald bad guy, a Scarecrow=agent specially trained to hunt killjoys), Exterminators (soldiers with white sacks over their heads) and Draculoids (guys with ugly latex masks, usually believed to be dead people/killjoys that got turned by the mask) if you need bad guys for your fan work these are your people, no danger days fanart can exist without them

Show Pony, the killjoy on roller-skates from na na na music video, believed to be non-binary by many

NewsaGoGO, a character from twitter, also a radio host

DJ Hot Chimp, a character from twitter and a radio host as well

When someone mentions the Radio crew or something in that sense they usually mean Dr Death, Cherri Cola, Show Pony, Newsie, Hot Chimp

Also as you can notice pretty much no one uses the full names they are too long but you'll get used to it in no time

Mad Gear, probably the most popular singer in the zones, has a band called Mad Gear and the Missile Kid, sometimes Missile Kid is an actual member other times it's more of an imaginary concept, here's an EP MCR released

Oh yeah also the desert is often referred to as the zones, here's a map as well. The zones surround Battery City which is run by Better Living Industries, shortly BL/Ind, how the whole situation came to be is explained shortly here. Killjoys are people who escaped the city because of the way it's run (different versions but usually brain washing, propaganda, pills etc.) and obviously BL/Ind is not very happy about that so they send scarecrows, exterminators and draculoids to catch/kill the runaways. Also the city turns souls of dead people into electricity.

Big part of killjoy lore are also their masks and bad luck beads, masks tie their owner's soul to them and so when the owner dies (gets ghosted, dusted etc in killjoy slang) the mask is put into a special mailbox where a deity called Phoenix Witch saves them from being turned into electricity in the city. In many cases she can also return people back to life if she wants to. (also Witchfucker Wednesday is a thing I think you can guess what that's about) Bad luck beads are beads killjoys wear around their wrists and they are supposed to keep them lucky

Forementioned Phoenix Witch and Destroya are deities, both are quite well explained in the comic.

Also people often mention Graffiti bible in their works, that's a book similar to bible created by droids, but when I say book it's more of an idea usually it doesn't have an actual physical form of a book rather some scattered pages at best.

And if you see someone talking about Party Poison's piss kink that relates to hanky code and Party's yellow bandana they wore around their leg

That reminds me of another thing, go wild with pronouns and gender when forming your versions of the characters, some people use he for one character, other use she or neo pronouns for the same character and it's all fine and gender is fake there's only sand but also everything is very gender and everyone is very queer, it's a lot of fun

Some more interesting stuff to look into:

Little list I made with common headcanons (since venom brothers isn't explained people often use it to refer to Party and Kobra)

Dr Death listening Party

Sing outtake version (the story goes slightly different here)

Mousekat episode (Mousekat is presumably a show for kids made by BL/Ind as a form of propaganda. It's also Party Poison's furry head)

playlist of few other interesting videos

[bonesandthebees]

hey there! ur one of my favvv authors and i love getting your updates! (Loved the most recent update of the stars and their children, Wilbur coming across mean despite his best intentions is one of my fav characterisations, I love imperfect protagonists so much).

Anyway, I was just wondering if you knew any other wilbur centric, or at least crimeboys centric authors?

I like to project onto wilbur as coping mechanisms sometimes, and I have to spend hours sifting through tommy/techno/sleepy boys general centric often. :) Tysm if you can rec a couple!! (And tysm anyway if not, you’re a brilliant author!!) <<<<3333

aaa thank you!!! I love writing wilbur in stars, he's such a bitch and he kind of means it, kind of doesn't. it's a mix of him being naturally petty and bitter but also knowing you make more friends with honey compared to vinegar. also, mood to the projecting thing lmao. although I love writing both crimeboys, I do have a preference for writing wilbur partially because I can project more of the existential dread of being in my twenties onto him compared to tommy

anyway yes yes I love giving recs. okay, so while not all of these are wilbur/crimeboys exclusive, these authors all have multiple great works that are wilbur/crimeboys centric

bari_astralis - has written a lot of really cute crimeboys stuff especially recently, REALLY funny author who nails characterizations and manages to balance humor and fluff extremely well

shutupanakin - I haven't read nearly as much of beth's works as I should have but the few things i have read have been so so fun. not exclusively crimeboys centric, but does a LOT of great crimeboys stuff it's so good

Zannolin - it would be a crime not to include zanna on this list. very based wilburian who writes a ton of really great wilbur-centric stuff, especially crimeboys. planetarium stickers by her is so great highly recommend

birdfeet - i feel like black honey should be required reading for every crimeboys enjoyer out there. bird has FANTASTIC characterization for both wilbur and tommy and writes just the dynamics and dialogue so fucking well. definitely check out their stuff!

hope this helps!

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

The Dos and Don’ts of Writing Smart Characters

Since I started this blog, one of the most common questions I’ve received has to do with the portrayal of intelligent characters.  This is also one of the most difficult to answer -- excluding questions about characters with specialized knowledge sets, which are fairly easy to answer with source compilations.  Most of the questions have to do with:  how do you portray a smart character believably?  How do you make the audience relate to them?  Can I still make them likable?  How do I avoid the pitfalls of popular media?

Well, I’m finally here to answer, utilizing examples from some of my favorite (and occasionally, not-so-favorite) media.  Let’s jump in to the dos and don’ts of smart characters!

1.  Do let the audience follow the character’s thought process.  

As demonstrated by:  Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders

Albert Einstein allegedly once said, “If you can’t explain it to a five-year-old, you don’t truly understand it.”  And the sentiment rings true:  true genius doesn’t need to dazzle with big words and technobabble.  Instead, it makes the complex appear simple.

The same rings true for brilliant characters.  BBC’s Sherlock (more on that later) ceased to satisfy in its later seasons because it began to rely too heavily on visual glitz to avoid actually explaining its mysteries and how they were solved.  Similarly, the biggest complaints with block buster franchises -- Star Wars, The Avengers, Game of Thrones -- is that they became obsessed with “subverting expectations” cleverly instead of leading the audiences to their most logical and satisfying conclusions.

Meanwhile, the smartest and most satisfying media dazzles not by staying over the audience’s head, but by illustrating how simplistic the solutions can be.

Let’s start with my boy Tommy Shelby, the charismatic, swaggering protagonist of the charismatic, swaggering crime drama Peaky Blinders.  Using only his intelligence (and complete disregard for his own life/suicidal tendencies, but that’s not the point here), Tommy claws his way up from the near-bottom of the social ladder (an impoverished Romani in early 20th century Birmingham) to being a decorated war hero, to being the leader of a feared razor gang, to dominating the race track business, to becoming a business mogul, to becoming a member of parliament and trying to assassinate the leader of the fascist party. He’s also one of the paramount reasons why I’m bisexual.

So how can such a drastic social climb be conveyed believably?  Because Tommy -- as the viewpoint character -- is placed in seemingly inescapable situations, and then proceeds to demonstrate that the solutions to those situations have been there the whole time.  I recently watched a brilliant video on how this is done, which can be viewed here.

Early in season one, for example, he responds to aggressive new methods by the police by organizing a mass-burning of paintings of the king, and uses the press this garners to publicly shame the methods of the chief inspector who’s been antagonizing him.  In the next season, he talks his way into a deal by bluffing that he planted a grenade in his rival’s distillery.  My personal favorite is in season four, when he responds to being outgunned by a larger, American gang by contacting their rival -- none other than an Alphonse Capone.

All of Tommy’s victories are satisfying, because they don’t come out of nowhere -- we have access to the same information he does, each victory is carefully foreshadowed, and we are reminded at every turn that failure is a very real possibility (more on that later.)  So when he wins, we’re cheering with him.

Other examples:  Mark Watney from The Martian, who explains science in its most simplistic terms and with infectious enthusiasm.  He would make every character on The Big Bang Theory cry.  

Also, Miss Fisher from the AMAZING Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.  The dazzling, 1920s, female Sherlock Holmes of your dreams.  I cannot recommend it enough.

To apply this to your own writing:  Remember you won’t dazzle anyone if you smack them in the face with a “brilliant” plot twist.  They want to take a journey with your character, not be left in the dust.  

Also, for everyone in my askbox concerned that they’re not smart enough to write intelligent characters, just remember how simple the problems confronting smart characters can be.  Put them in a difficult situation, and provide them with a means of getting out.  Then, just let them find it. 

2.  Don’t assume the audience is too stupid to keep up (or try to make them feel too stupid to keep up.)

As demonstrated by:  Sherlock Holmes from BBC’s Sherlock.

Say what you will:  there were reasons why everyone was so captivated by this show during its first two seasons.  It felt fresh.  People had yet to become frustrated with the inescapable thirst for Benedict Cumberbatch.  The writing was sharp, and the editing clever.  And it wove a tantalizing web of mysteries that demanded solution.  The problem was, there weren’t any.

The most frustrating for many was how Sherlock faked his death at the end of season two, after which devoted fans spent two years creating intricate theories on how he might have pulled this off.  The creators responded by mocking this dedication in the opening episode of season three, by showing a fan club spinning outlandish theories (one of which included Sherlock and Moriarty kissing.)  This might have been laughed off -- at the time, many seemed to consider it quite funny -- if the creators had bothered to offer their own explanation of how Sherlock survived.  They didn’t.  And so began a seemingly endless loop of huge cliffhangers that promised -- and consistently failed to deliver -- satisfying answers.

The most egregious examples occur in season four, which provided answers to questions no one asked, and withheld answers for things everyone wanted to know.  For example, did you know that the real reason Moriarty engaged Sherlock is because he was hypnotized by Sherlock’s secret evil sister?  The same one who killed Sherlock’s best friend, whom Sherlock convinced himself was a dog?  Yes, that was a real plot point, in the climax of the series.  It’s an effort to befuddle the audience with brilliant and unexpected writing, but instead pulled them out of a story they were already invested in and made them far more critical of its pre-existing faults. 

It’s pointed out in the brilliant (if bluntly named) Sherlock Is Garbage, And Here’s Why that Moffat can be a great writer, but is a consistently terrible show runner, because he’s more interested in dazzling the audience with cleverness than actually telling a satisfying story.  The video also points out that the show often implied Sherlock’s brilliance, without ever letting the audience follow along with his actions or thought-process in a way that DEMONSTRATED his brilliance.  

I highly recommend giving the aforementioned video a watch, because it is not only a great explanation of how Sherlock Holmes can be best utilized, but about how writing itself can be best utilized.

Other examples:  The Big Bang Theory.  As Wisecrack points out in their wonderful video on the subject, the punchline of every joke is “oh look, these characters are smart nerds!” which is repetitious at best and downright insulting at worst.

How to avoid this in your writing:  Treat the audience as your equal.  You’re not trying to bedazzle them, you’re trying to take them on a journey with you.  Let them be delighted when you are.  Don’t constantly try to mislead them or hold intelligence over their head, and they will love you for it.  Also, cheap tricks do not yield a satisfying story:  readers will know when you went into a narrative without a plan, and they won’t appreciate it.

3.  Do remember that smart people can be kind and optimistic!

As demonstrated by:  Shuri from Black Panther.

Yes, brilliant people can be unhappy and isolated by their intelligence, or rejected by society.  But remember that intelligence isn’t synonymous with a cantankerous attitude, or an excuse to be a pugnacious ass to those around you!  

Part of the reason why Shuri of 2018′s Black Panther was such a breath of fresh air was the fact that she subverted almost all preconceptions about how a genius looks, acts, and regards the world.  And it’s not just the fact that she isn’t a sullen, middle-aged white man that makes her stand out:  Shuri has an effervescent attitude, and genuinely loves contributing to her country and family.  She referred to sound-proof boots as “sneakers” (and then explained the pun when her brother didn’t get it.)  She’s fashionable.  She teases her older brother, and cries when he is apparently killed.  She’s up on meme culture.  This makes her unlike pretty much every other genius portrayed in the MCU.

Except maybe the Hulk.  He can dab now.

Shuri is also allowed to take pride in her genius, and can be a bit insufferable about it, which makes her more enjoyable and rounded.  But she is an excellent example of how genius can be explored and portrayed in fiction, and I will forever be embittered that she was underutilized in Infinity War and Endgame.

Why, for example, are all geniuses portrayed as arrogant misanthropes?  Albert Einstein battled depression, but he is also said to have enjoyed blowing bubbles and watching puppet shows.  He was kind to those who knew him.  Similarly, Alan Turing behaved little like his fictional counterpart, described as “shy but outgoing,” with a love of being outdoors.  Nikola Tesla fell in love with a pigeon.  Why do we have to portray these people so damn gravely?

Other examples:  Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds.  Also an excellent portrayal of an intelligent person on the autism spectrum, as he struggles to interface socially but cares profusely for his fellow human beings.  He is brilliant, and completely precious.

Also, Sherlock Holmes -- the original version, and all faithful adaptations thereof.  Anyone who thinks Sherlock is an austere, antisocial jerk isn’t familiar with the original canon.  He blushed when Watson complimented his intelligence, for God’s sake. 

Then there’s Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and Marge from Fargo.  Brilliant, upbeat, optimistic geniuses.

To apply this to your own writing:  If you have a smart character who hates everyone around them for no identifiable reason, ask yourself why this is necessary and what this adds to the plot.  Are they angry about injustice, towards themselves or others?  Are they frustrated with an inability to relate to people?  Do they want to protect themselves or their family at all costs, including politeness?  If not, question why your brilliant character can’t also be kind to those around them.

4.  Don’t make your character perfect at everything they do.

As demonstrated by:  Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Ah, Wesley.  Some call him the original Mary Sue, and it’s one of the only times I’ve seen the term applied with some accuracy.  He is somehow the most gifted and least qualified person on The Enterprise.  He’s Hermione Granger without the charm, jumping in to answer questions before any of the trained officers in the room have the chance to, always in the right.  His only obstacle?  Why, the boorish adults he’s surrounded with simply don’t understand his brilliance!

As early as the series’ very second episode, Wesley -- inebriated by an alien illness -- forcibly takes over the ship from Captain Picard, only to later save it from a threat with a reverse tractor beam of his own design.  

Wesley was obviously inserted as a means of attracting younger viewers, but failed egregiously, because he was too annoyingly perfect for kids to relate too, and not cool enough for them to be invested in.  I binge-watched the various Star Trek series in my youth for Spock, Data, and my wife Seven of Nine, not to watch seasoned military and scientific officers get lectured by an adolescent.  Even Wil Wheaton, who had the misfortune of portraying this character, expressed a dislike for him.  

Precocious children are great, if you get them right.  But get them wrong, and they can easily become your most annoying character, marring the face of otherwise great media.  The most important thing you can do for a brilliant character is endow them with weaknesses and flaws -- even something as small as Shuri’s fondness for teasing her older brother made her enjoyable, as anyone with siblings could relate to their dynamic.  

But, what if you want a supernaturally talented character who not only fails to be a ray of sunshine, but is something of an arrogant, antisocial jerk?  Can they still work, especially if they also happen to be a child? 

Yes, under one extremely important condition:

5.  Do keep your characters out of their depth!

As demonstrated by:  Number Five from Umbrella Academy.

Okay, he’s not exactly a child.  He’s a fifty-eight-year-old trapped in a child’s body, who’s traveled back in time from a post-apocalyptic future to warn his siblings of an incoming Armageddon.  In other news, Umbrella Academy is a weird show.  Unlike the comics, however, the apes don’t engage in prostitution. 

 The effect, however, remains the same:  a preternaturally talented child who talks down to everyone around him, including his (apparently) older siblings.  So why does he work while Wesley fails so egregiously?

For one thing, it’s demonstrated early on that Five has the skills to back up his sanctimonious attitude, with the delightfully ultraviolent Istanbul (Not Constantinople) sequence.  It also helps that he lacks Wesley’s squeaky-clean moral code, to the point at which he can get drunk in public or kill without remorse.  

But:  the element most vital to his success as a character is the fact that he’s kept completely, and consistently, out of his depth.  He knows the world will end in eight days, but he doesn’t know how this will transpire or how to stop it.  Ultimately, he fails again to stop the apocalypse, and must travel back in time with his siblings for another chance.  

Most authors have the impulse to demonstrate a character’s brilliance by allowing them to succeed against insurmountable odds, but the Umbrella Academy writers show tremendous wisdom in allowing Five to fail.  This allows the audience to empathize with him, and countermands the effects of his arrogant attitude.

This advice isn’t just true for pint-sized prodigies.  Look back over this list, and take notes of how often the most successful characters are allowed to fail, to have flaws, and to ascend past their comfort zone.  

Other examples:  Virtually every successful example on this list.

Tommy Shelby, a character of limitless ambition, conducts a new, perilous climb outside of his social rank each season, which almost always puts him in positions of mortal danger.  He faces threats both external (rival gangs, evil priests, and rising fascists) and internal (hello PTSD, suicidal tendencies, and crippling addiction) but either way, we understand that his fast-paced climb is not for the weak-willed or faint-hearted.  

Mark Watney is a brilliant scientist who has been stranded in an utterly impossible situation for which absolutely no one could be adequately prepared (spoilers:  it’s on Mars.)  We are drawn in by his plight, and how he could possibly escape from it, and there we come to admire him for his courage, optimism, and humor.

Shuri, though not the main character of Black Panther, is allowed to show off both tremendous gifts and vulnerability, as she is powerless to stop the apparent death of her beloved older brother.  She watches Wakanda’s takeover both as an innovator and a young woman, and a large reason for her success is that she is allowed to be both.  

How to apply this to your writing:  When portraying intelligent characters, take stock of how often they fail, their level of control over their surroundings, their vulnerability, and their flaws.  We don’t want to read about flawless deities.  We want to read about characters who embody and personify our humanity.  So remember they need to fall down in order to pull themselves up.

Happy writing, everybody! 

[jaime-the-antihero]

! DreamTeam Fic Recs ! (Part 1)

Fic: Wouldn’t It Be Nice? by Qupid   https://archiveofourown.org/works/26201704/chapters/63764839 Status: Incomplete, 12/? Chapters Pairing: DreamTeam, Dream/George, Dream/Sapnap, Sapnap/George  Rating: Teen  Summary: Just a collection of interconnected oneshots told completely out of order.Dream is on a journey across the continent, searching for answers of some kind. Sapnap and George are determined to follow him, even if they don't know a single thing about the masked man. He's mysterious and definitely not entirely human, but between Sapnap's tendency to set things on fire and George's constant confusion, the three of them still seem to fit together perfectly. Comments: This. Fic. OML this fic. In my opinion, one of the best in the fandom. The way the characters are written means you cannot help but love them. Slight Fantasy AU, but all amazingly done/written. Mysterious, Realistic, Exciting, Fluffy, Angsty and just amazingly well written. Once you start reading this, you will be checking for updates everyday, or just re reading it constantly. Perfect Human/Seriousness Placement, and amazing irl situations.  Fluff Fics:  Fic: Chu! Chu! Chu! by  jardindefaerie    https://archiveofourown.org/works/27055921 Status: Complete. #2 of the Series  Pairing: Dreamnap Sapnap/Dreamwastaken Rating: Teen Summary: "best friends don't kiss," sapnap said quietly, his voice balancing on a tightrope. "not a lot of them... i don't think. "dream hummed thoughtfully, eyes lifting to the sky then dropping back to sapnap's. he knew very well where the conversation would be going and he was happy with its journey.it was about time they talked about what they were, what they really were."i guess not.""but... my mom and dad kiss," sapnap stated, his voice trailing off and then rising. "and they kiss because they're married... you know?" dream blanked. all right, they were skipping some stages here. or the one where sapnap and dream kiss lots and lots. Comments: Very cute, lots of fluff. Not the best grammar/capitalization, but still a very good read. It is a ship fic, so if that bothers you don’t read. Overall very sweet and cute! Will make your heart melt. If you read the series, bring a toothbrush or all the fluff will rot your teeth.  Fic: How to Piss of Dream 101 by  WinkBonk1210 https://archiveofourown.org/works/26370034  Status: Complete  Pairing: No Pairing/Gen Friendship Rating: Teen  Summary: Where everyone is a god. Tommy and Tubbo start shit, Techno and Wilbur try to clean it up but fail, Sapnap and George are also blamed, and Dream is angry. Comments: Another Fantasy AU/God and Goddesses AU. Really Hilarious. Borderline Crackfic, yet still a very enjoyable read. The grammar and spelling is not top-notch, but hey, its still a good fic. Little Brothers Tommy and Tubbo, Best Friends DreamTeam, and Exhausted Older Brothers Wilbur and Techno.  Angst Fics: Fic: light a fire, watch it burn by  balimaria https://archiveofourown.org/works/26554168 Status: Complete  Pairing: Dream and Sapnap  Rating: Teen  Summary: Something churned deep inside his chest. An intoxicating kind of ecstasy- overwhelming, addictive.Fire became an obsession. Comments: Pyromaniac!Sapnap. Very good, kind of dark though. The fic sheds a strange light on loyalty and fire both. The characters are slighty OOC, but only for AU purposes. Highly Recommended. It’s a short read, but worth all the seconds.  Fic: if we knew the end by Miyula https://archiveofourown.org/works/26175862/chapters/63694456 Status: Incomplete, 2/? Chapters Pairing: Dream Team Close Friendship Rating: Teen/Gen Summary: It wasn't supposed to end like this.It wasn't supposed to start like this. From waking up in a biome as rare as time, to seeing the ferocious flying beast of the end thrice the size and covered in layers of thicker scales and purple-ish black grime.What happened?What had happened to have caused this? Comments: Spooky Mystery Fic o.O This was one of the first DTeam fics I read, and I will always recommend it. The adventure story telling in this is just perfection. It leaves you speed running each line of text. I can’t say much without spoiling, but I can say this fic is worth the read. Amazing grammar and spelling, and all round good writing. I know I put this in the angst section, but it has a good amount of fluff as well. Just dumbasses boys being boys y’know?  Fic: And I’ll Love You Still. by  sleepyspookyghosty https://archiveofourown.org/works/25970911?view_adult=true Status: Complete Pairing: One Sided Sapnotfound :( Rating: Teen  Summary: {“Once you had put the pieces back together, even though you may look intact, you were never quite the same as you'd been before the fall.” ― Jodi Picoult}  In which Sapnap learns some information that he didn’t want to know, and is now not the same. Comments: Oh how relatable this fic is. Sapnap’s emotions are so easy to connect and relate with, and it just leaves your heart aching. A good story about love, friendships, and highschool, all rolled into an amazing little one-shot. Highschool/Human AU. Sap has some self depreciating thoughts, so be warned if that triggers you. Have some fluff on hand for the sad ending btw. 

Favorite Authors + Series:  Anything by Aria_Cinabun is a guaranteed 10/10  Make sure to check out their series “Tommyinnit Stories”  “You Said Family Went To War” Series by  Lillian_nator !! EXTRA !!  Just a statement, No. I do not ship these people, I ship their personas in a fictional game. I do not condone any explicit Tubbo/Tommy, Tubbo/Anyone, or Tommy/Anyone as they. are. minors. If you are okay with that, get the hell away from my page. Another thing now that thats all out of the way, If you would like to see a part 2 make sure to follow and like! I have a SleepyBois Inc Fic List coming up soon as well, so eyes open! If you ever just want to peruse my bookmarks, my Ao3 is @/JaimetheAntihero!! 

[sage-nebula]

Game Review — Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The first new game I played in 2020 was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and like many people, this game took up a huge chunk of my playtime this year, and in fact continues to take up a chunk of it each day. With all that said, it’s only natural that this is the game these reviews start on.

So let’s get started.

Overall Score: 9/10

I feel like it would be disingenuous to give a game that I’ve thus far clocked 545+ hours into anything less than a 9/10. (The actual playtime is probably longer due to a two Switches fiasco, but that’s another story for another time.) I’ve been a fan of the Animal Crossing series since the very first one released on Gamecube, and New Horizons met all my expectations and then some. While I know this game is divisive among some members of the fandom (though I don’t know too many details since I tend to stay away from the negative people), I personally feel like this is the best Animal Crossing yet, and I’m eager to see what the fall update is. With that said, let’s go into a bit more detail with some pros and cons. (Note: I recommend reading this in full on my blog, since bullet point lists now look atrocious on the dashboard.)

The Pros:

Obviously, there is so much to do. You’re essentially building the town from the ground up this time, meaning that there’s literally nothing on the island when you first arrive and you have to do everything to create a functioning society. (Even though it was supposed to be a temporary vacation . . . but that part of the plot is forgotten almost immediately.) While that may seem like a monumental task, what it really means is that a.) you have full control over your experience on the island, and b.) you have hours and hours and hours of playtime ahead of you. Particularly since a nasty pandemic in real life has made game development and release slow, New Horizons was perfect in this aspect.

The in-game tutorials don’t really feel like tutorials. Of course this means that you might have a bit of fumbling as you figure out how to use this or that new feature, but you really feel like you’re a newcomer to an island figuring things out rather than being slowly walked through a step-by-step guide on how to play the game. It made the experience feel more natural and immersive, which I really liked.

You are no longer punished if you don’t play the game for a while. This is a big one, mostly in the sense that although you do still have to deal with cockroaches and the like, never again do you have to deal with your favorite villager spontaneously packing up and leaving because you had to take some time off the game to study instead. While all this does lessen the “the game plays even when you aren’t” feeling a bit, I remember losing all will to play New Leaf when Freya up and left, on top of the Beautiful Town Ordinance making it boring since I never had to worry about weeds or anything like that again. The fact that villagers have to have permission to leave now really takes a load off your mind, especially if you took FOREVER to get your favorite (rather than using an Amiibo or villager trade to get them in).

You can place furniture outside! You can move buildings around! You can terraform! I touched on this a bit in the first bullet, but the fact that you can completely control what the island looks like through various tools is honestly the best thing Nintendo could have given us. I still remember how, in New Leaf, Paula plonked her house down RIGHT where I wanted to build a bridge, and so I had to wait for her stupid, ugly face to get out of my town before I could build it. And it took THREE MONTHS to do that. Now if something like that happened, I could just tell the villager to move their house and they’d do it, no sweat. On top of this, being able to place furniture outside makes the island look so much more natural, since it’s normal for people to decorate patios and the like, and being able to terraform means you can really have fun with the design of your island. It’s great, I love it.

We’re getting a steady stream of updates and events. Holidays are update-locked now, meaning that you can’t time travel ahead to experience holiday events and therefore ruin the game for yourself. Instead, Nintendo is surprising us with new content and updates, which I feel makes the game last longer and keeps it exciting. As I mentioned above, I’m excited to see what they have planned for fall. A Halloween event? Maybe a certain coffee shop opening in time for pumpkin spice season?! I don’t know, but I’m excited to find out.

The day-by-day nature of it also makes it a game that I feel like I can always have on the side, rather than one I complete and then never touch again. When I first got it I played it constantly, and then (due to a pandemic-induced game drought) I immediately did play by time traveling day by day, doing things, and then going back to the present to start the process over the next day. But now that there are other games out to play and I have a 5-star island, instead I play it as the first game of the day to do dailies, and then I save and put it aside. I pluck any weeds, water any flowers I’m growing, hit rocks, dig up fossils, talk to my neighbors, check which vendor we have, and then I save and end for the day. It takes me about 30 minutes to do my dailies, but it’s a nice little thing to do in the morning when I’m still in the process of waking up. One weekend morning I sat on my porch, drinking a cinnamon latte, doing my ACNH dailies. It was so peaceful and nice. ACNH is a great daily game, just a quick little thing to do before you move about the rest of your day.

The Cons:

There are definitely quality of life improvements that I feel should be in the game, but aren’t, even after players have been mentioning wanting them online every month since the game’s release. These features include, but are not limited to:

Being able to craft in your house without needing to remove materials from storage.

Being able to buy multiples of an item by putting in the number you want to buy, rather than having to buy them in groups of five.

Golden tools NOT BREAKING, especially since they NEVER USED TO. (Granted, normal tools didn’t break at all in previous games save for the ax, but the Golden Ax never broke. That was the entire point of getting it. What the hell, Nintendo.)

Being able to group like items, such as manila clams, fish, or bugs in your inventory.

Having Isabelle announce which daily vendor is on the island in her morning announcements.

Being able to buy different color variations of the same item at once at the Able Sisters’ shop.

Being able to switch between crafting and customizing without leaving the bench completely and then going back into it. (So like, you craft an item, and then you can immediately customize it if you want.)

Being able to call villagers to find out where they are on the island so you can easily find them if you have to return an item to them, or want to give them something, etc. Why have a NookPhone if you can’t actually use it as a phone?

Letting you lay down paths with terraforming more than one tile at a time. Like let you choose how many tiles you want to lay down in a row at the start, and then immediately place them.

Similarly, make it so you can’t scuff away custom paths, and also let custom paths keep the shoes-on-brick or tile sound if you have brick or tile beneath them. And so on. Little tweaks that aren’t necessary, but would make the game more enjoyable if they were implemented.

Some of the updates are coming too slow. In particular, I’m thinking about how it’s only possible to upgrade Nook’s Cranny once at present. I have put well over 500 hours into the game; by now I should reasonably have a Nookington’s (or whatever Timmy and Tommy will call it), but I don’t. I could understand if it was one shop upgrade per season, but that hasn’t been the case and I don’t know what the hold up is. It’s a bit disappointing.

That’s about all I can think of in terms of cons, at least at present. Most of my gripes are with minor quality of life implements that they could reasonably do, but aren’t doing for some reason. Otherwise, I think it’s a fantastic game that I still get daily enjoyment out of. If you like slice of life games and are looking for something new and warm to pick up, I highly recommend Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

[jingle-bones]

THE SHAGGY DOG (Dir: Charles Barton, 1959).


Walt Disney's first live-action comedy movie, suggested by 'Bambi' author Felix Salten's novel 'The Hound of Florence'.


Wilby Daniels (Tommy Kirk) discovers an ancient Borgian ring which magically transforms him into a shaggy Bratislavian sheepdog. Unfortunately for Wilby he has no control over when or where he will change. Also unfortunate is Wilby's father (Fred MacMurray) is a dog hating postman! As if this wasn't problem enough, Wilby is soon mixed up with Russian spies in what is undoubtedly one of the oddest concepts for a movie of all time!


Two years before the release of The Shaggy Dog, the Disney Studios scored a massive hit with Old Yeller (Robert Stevenson, 1957). This set the standard for a series of boy and dog movies such as Big Red (Norman Tokar, 1962) and The Biscuit Eater (Vincent McEveety, 1972). On the surface The Shaggy Dog might appear to be another boy and dog movie but the twist here is that the boy IS the dog. This weird set up was a welcome riposte to horror movie I Was a Teenage Werewolf (Gene Fowler Jr, 1957) and set the template for the seemingly endless steam of kooky comedies released by Disney for the next two decades.


Fresh from Old Yeller, Tommy Kirk was one of Disney's most appealing juvenile stars and here shows a knack for quirky comedy. MacMurray too, though a highly capable dramatic actor, had a flair for light comedy.


The plot is ludicrous, certainly, but it is very funny. Much of the humour comes from sight gags such as the dog putting on pyjamas and cleaning his teeth. Honestly, there is little I find funnier that a sheepdog driving a hot rod! The pre CGI effects that allow Wilby to turn canine are neat, low tech but effective.


The Shaggy Dog would eventually make over $12 million at the US box office, a massive return on an investment of around $1 million and 60 years after its original release has lost little of its peculiar charm. Disney comedies were notorious for their reliance on formula. Here the formula still feels fresh. It may not be high art but it is highly entertaining.


On a side note, the movie was computer colorized in 1986. While I highly recommend this enjoyable shaggy dog story I would implore you to watch it in its original beautiful black and white.

Check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more reviews of vintage Disney classics! Link below.

[trollkarlgteborg-blog]

Trollkarl

With Over fifteen decades of experience as a professional magician in EnglandI will tip you the secrets of employing a premium excellent magician for the event, and also the way to prevent the minimal quality magicians that may really do more harm than good to your occasion.

Trollkarl

Straightforward Magicians jargon, the 3 Chief Kinds of magicians:

Any event, it is crucial if you'd like to not just provide entertainment to your event, but to boost the air and give it that particular advantage, selecting the most appropriate magician can be somewhat more'catchy' than you might imagine. A premium excellent magician with years of expertise will not come particularly cheap, so here are some top recommendations to make sure you find the very best deal for the money.

Trollkarl

Request Google or some other search engine  How do you select them? And, how can you know they'll be the very important ingredient for your occasion?

You may observe many market on their sites exactly the very same buzzwords like'Unforgettable','Unique',''World Class Magician',''Absolutely Wonderful ',''Perfect to your occasion' etc , but just how much of this is fact, and how much that is fiction? Before long you will learn to distinguish the facts from the augmented reality.

Firstly, pick  Precisely what type of magician you believe could be ideal for your occasion. To assist you search with using search engines for the ideal magician to your event utilize the'magicians jargon' phrases together with the following to assist your hunts turn into that little bit simpler. If you'd like a magician which could mingle with your guests at a drinks reception kind surroundings you'll have to hunt for close up magicians in the regional area; should you require a magician to get a ball or supper exactly the identical search phrases or table magicians rather than close up magicians inside the regional area will provide exactly what you require, acquiring a magician work round the classes isn't any difficulty whatsoever to the practitioner, however the amateur could have a tricky time with coordinating their amusement round the meal. If you're seeking a wedding enthusiast, again you really do need someone who specializes in weddings, perhaps not especially someone that really does the'entire shebang' as it - as the old saying goes do not spread yourself too thin.  I strongly suggest not selecting a close up magician which also does children's celebrations, sadly there are lots of fantastic children's entertainers on the market, but a lot of them believe the very same rules apply to fun children as amusing adults - in fact it is an entirely different ballgame. Both are highly skilled arts.

Tricks and attempt to piggyback close up magical work out of their children's parties. Ideally in the event that you would like a children's entertainer, find someone who specializes in entertaining kids and should you'd like a magician for adults find someone that only performs high excellent magical for adults. Maybe you desire a cabaret magician, or point type amusement, there are lots of genres ; thoughts reading, humor, stand up magic, hypnotism, illusions,'Tommy Cooper kind' magicians and so forth, consider what could be ideal for your guests and event - should you believe that your audience would love a comedy magician over say that a mind reader, then hunt around for humor magicians in your region, a major trick here is to be sure they have a minumum of one video of them doing, there's not anything worse than an unfunny comedy magician!  Fantastic point magicians and illusionists are typically quite great audience pleaser's, but it is usually old fashioned style entertainment which will not suit everyone. Illusionists and conventional stage magicians are perfect when you've got international guests since they possess'non patter' acts which are performed simply to music. A fantastic mind reading series can be exceedingly impressive, it may be entirely baffling, entertaining your entire audience and also be quite amusing, however there's lots of dull mind reading reveals rather than all them are geared towards relatives when there are kids in the crowd, again check references and movies.

After  You understand just what you need for your occasion, and possibly a fashion which you believe will best fit your involvement, maybe you want the old looking magician type magician or your youthful fresh and contemporary near magician, take a look at a numerous websites until you encounter a couple that you believe could be excellent for your occasion. Pay attention to there style and picture - Whether it is a black tie occasion, you most likely don't need a magician who wears jeans and t-shirt and other casual wear to performances, even if you have got a young trendy crowd maybe you desire the rather young magician who really does dress much more casual. Maybe you need close up magic and stage magic, find out whether they provide both solutions - most will provide you a fantastic package deal for the two.

To employ someone non local for you personally who covers doing in your town, a great deal of magicians have a'one charge anyplace' for doing any place in the nation so that you aren't landed with a massive travel expenses in addition to the acting fee.

Each magician's site should have; real  Premium quality testimonials and references, photos - rather than only studio photographs but real performance photos, a movie if possible so that you may find a clearer idea about what they do, and eventually they ought to present to you all of the info that you need about there doing experience. It should let you know how long they've been doing, notable areas and businesses they've worked for and making them stick out over the crowd. When you get in touch with your brief list of magicians make certain to include all the essential info regarding your event; such as type of event, date, time, place, number of visitors, and in case you've got some notion of the budget you've allocated for a magician, or mention that as well.

Agency site will pop up with numerous magicians and other entertainments, recall brokers usually charge around 15 percent commission, which means you may wind up paying more via a broker. Sometimes it's far better to cut out the middle person to get one performer. If your event needs several functions of distinct amusement branches, bureaus are typically the best approach to visit supervise your amusement, nevertheless most magicians are going to have the ability to urge colleagues that work well together in the event that you would like to employ numerous magicians.

Unlike many professions where there Are constantly'cowboy' providers, surprisingly there are very few'cowboy magicians' on the market, but there's a massive range in grade. The simplest way to detect the fantastic excellent magicians in the reduced quality magicians is from the fee. A complete time specialist will work hard on his trade, he's got the expertise and the ability needed, devoting their life to doing magical, their commission reflects their clients will pay the commission each time to get an unbeatable support. On the opposite end of the spectrum you've got the amateur, the man just beginning, or the'experienced professional' that maybe should of retired if his tie went outside in vogue in 1963. These are normally the weekend amateurs who is going to do the task for you and will not bill you very much.  It takes a very long time to turn into a fantastic magician, amateur magicians could possibly mess up your occasion, but they may create an off the cuff remark towards the guests that's not well accepted, but their magical may not be that great or they may only be exceptionally unsuitably dressed for the occasion. Total time professional magicians need to be good in every facet of operation and people skills, normally you can not fail with a complete time professional which has all of the appropriate credentials I outlined previously.

Many Magicians provide close up magic within 1 hour or 2 hour slots, normally two hours to get about a hundred guests would be your best bet, which provides the magician sufficient time to view as many individuals as you can.

After  You've back your info, done by telephone or email, here comes the difficult part - that you will select? Unfortunately I can not make that choice for you, usually the greater magicians are going to be in precisely the exact same price range, as I mentioned previously - the reduced cost magicians will often be part time magicians which may not provide you the complete magic experience which can make your event stand out a mile. Magic is a really unique art form, the very best magicians aren't just good at magic they're also good with people which comes with several years of expertise.

 Your occasion. Magic is among the most enjoyable, interesting and enjoyable   Only can it be universal in appealing all ages but may bring individuals  Collectively, even help promote products or incredibly increase the air  Of an occasion.

[paniqueenreads]

dirty charmer by emma chase

since i dont expect anyone to read this, what i write in here will be super messy. but i think it’ll represent what i thought about this book. 

woah that’s a really big picture of a half naked guy right there. 

let me begin with a statment that i don’t hate this book. i’ll give it like, 3 out of 5 stars. the story is not that boring, the characters are likeable but definitely not ones i’d remember for a long time, the book is well written, and the cover is, ehhh i wouldn’t say i like it but it’s not that bad. 

let me start with the story. it’s about a girl named abby haddock which is studious, i-dont-hang-out-like-normal-people kinda girl, ambitios, has goals for (idk) eternity, from a family of (i guess kinda like) royalties with basically unachieveable achievements, and she was the average one. introducing tommy sullivan, the bodyguard, the one who is always having fun and determined to make little abby have fun too. yeah. pretty standard, but i kinda like the prospect. 

weirdly, turned out i don’t like it as much as i wanted to. i think the writer mostly tells and not shows. like, we know abby doesn’t have fun that much and focused, but instead of showing us the focused aspect of her life, we were told that she’s focused. do you guys get it? well, something like that. and there’s a lot of sex scenes (and i’m not against it you guys) but they’re relationship (for me) is basically it. sure, we get to see some oh-a-deep-secret-being-revelead kinda conversation, but honestly it’s not that much. 

what i like about the story tho, i feel like this book isn’t set like most books. you know, like introduction, climax, and ending? yeah, nope. there’s a problem, and then it’s solved. and then there’s a problem again, and then it’s solved again. this thing goes on for a few more times. at first i was like, “well that was a quick break-and-make-up thingy.” but the more i read, the more i feel like all the problems make them stronger in terms of being a couple. some of them are silly (i mean, i doubt it happens irl so i think we can’t really relate), but some aren’t. pretty enjoyable. 

the characters. hmm. i’m having mixed feelings about them. tommy is mature with a right amount of recklessness. he’s pretty interesting even though for me who has read hundreds of books, he’s pretty basic. but maybe that’s the appeal of this book, you know. basic guy who you probably will meet irl. also, i like that he’s considerate. overall, nice one to read over the course of 2 days. if he was my boyfriend i’d be very happy. 

abby... in the beginning i kinda disllike her. she’s so uptight and closed off and for some reasons i didn’t like reading her pov. buttttt, at this point (after reading the whole book), i need to applause the writer. I HAD TO HATE HER IN THE BEGINNING, because then we’ll see how much tommy and abby grow up and become better people. so, success i guess. 

i think that’s all i can say. i feel like i can’t pick up the moral of this story. i doubt there is one.

conclusion : 3/5 stars

would i read it again? highly unlikely. 

would i recommend it? yes only for light read. 

[bnfbc]

Bullshit Jobs - by David Graeber - April 2020 - selected by Jachles

Andy: “This didn’t feel like it needed to be a book to me. It was originally an article and probably could have stayed that way. The author’s argument that a good portion of jobs are bullshit makes sense to me. He claims to have no policy to fix this but then talks about universal basic income for many pages. I would rather have read the article and then maybe a book about UBI.” C+

Gabe: “Bullshit jobs? Bullshit book. This book started as an article, and probably would have been best served had it remained an article, as probably half the book was unnecessary philosophizing. I did appreciate the anecdotes and thinking about a provocative idea, however, especially considering most of our books are about people or events in history.” B

Jachles: “Listen up all you Chief Functionality Planners and Regional Usability Specialists. My communication and rhetoric background helped me get a bullshit job and it’s also gonna help me write a helluva non-bullshit review of this great book. It’s not surprising to me that there are so many people out there that feel that their jobs are useless. It was surprising to me that the average bullshit job holder is deeply unhappy in their job, even though they were essentially being paid to do nothing, but it makes sense when you stop and  think about it. It’s unfortunate that there is no clear solution to this problem, though the universal basic income discussion was intriguing. I loved how the book brought to light how unnatural an 8-hour work day is and how much time the average person wastes while “working” for 8 hours. I really enjoyed the anecdotal stories that people submitted to the author. If only I had known about David Graeber back when I interned at one of America’s premier companies, we could have read an anecdote about how I spent my days listening to Max Kellerman, Brian Kenney, and Paul’s college radio show. There’s bullshit everywhere folks. Lastly, I highly recommend the Anarchist Library free version of this book, both for its price (free) and its excellent footnotes.” A-

Paul: “First of all, I’m totally on board with this theory. These ideas were given extra weight because we were reading it during a pandemic, with unemployment at a near all-time high, and non-bullshit jobs feeling more essential (and more underpaid) than ever. It’s fascinating that western democratic capitalism has somehow resulted in a system where people get paid to waste their time while slowly but surely becoming depressed anarchists who post on message boards. Unfortunately, after the first 50 pages or so, the book totally lost its momentum. It felt like there were missed opportunities to explore the deeper root causes of our current state of bullshitization. The anecdotes were enjoyable, but contributed to the feeling that we were only getting a very limited picture of the situation at hand. By the way, that limited picture consists almost entirely of British anarchists who work dull office jobs and dream of writing novels. Also, I hate to kink shame Graeber, but the part that compared bullshit jobs to S&M sex was just weird.” B-

Tommy: "I was somewhat surprised to enjoy this book in the beginning and even laughed out loud at some of the personal stories. Unfortunately, my enjoyment faded quickly as Graeber blathered on. It seems like Graeber would be better served to direct his intellect to a heavier subject as his arguments and logic were sound. There's only so much to say about bullshit jobs and I felt like the book missed some opportunities to explore some of the more interesting topics that were mentioned, like universal basic income. I wish Graeber had spent more time expanding on how society could possibly fix all of its bullshitization. This was also my first, and hopefully last, BNFBC book on Kindle. I'm still a hater of non-paper books." C+

GPA: 2.80

[itkmoonknight]

ITK Newsletter, no. CX: ISLA RA SESSIONS - Featuring Guest John Harrison

Hello Dear Loonies!

Welcome back to the ITK newsletter which had gone missing for a while. As a matter of fact, the episode had been missing last week, and if it wasn’t for the generous effort made by both High Priests Rebecca and Connor, episode 118 would not have been dropped in time as well! Yes, there have been some turns in life which had made it hard for me to focus on the show and without getting too much into it, I just wanted to spend as much time with my family as I could. It was a tough couple of weeks, but I now feel ready to continue making the best damn possible Moon Knight podcast out there!

So, this coming weekend, I’ll be dropping an ISLA RA Session which I had recorded in early October. I’m only half way through editing it now, but it’s a handsome sized episode and it was again, a massive amount of fun - I hope you enjoy listening to it…!

PHASE OF THE MOON: WAXING CRESCENT (due to scheduling delay, this is slightly out of sync with what we're meant to do)

ISLA RA SESSIONS - JOHN 'DOC' HARRISON FROM TV PODCAST INDUSTRIES

I've always wanted to get the boys from TV Podcast Industries on the show as I'm huge fans of theirs, and after having Chris and Derek on the show, having the chance to speak to John about his desert island books - amongst other things - had been so special and thoroughly enjoyable.

Admittedly, I’ve not conducted an ISLA RA session with Chris, but it could be argued that his and my almost 3 hour episode we had when he guested on two chat about Spidey, was the genesis for the ISLA RA sessions. It was a peek behind the podcasting host facade and a chat about what Chris loved about Spidey and comics. It wasn’t long after that, that I decided to delve into more stories from Loonies, and voila - the ISLA RA Sessions were created!

So, there’s plenty to look forward to with John’s chat - as always, we conducted our chat in and around the Moon Knight corner of the universe…so this time around, we’re at Gena’s diner. Later on, we head out to some other locations - but I’ll leave that for you to discover when you hear the episode!

John's Top 4 Isla Ra (Desert Island) Comics: ???

As always, we aren't giving anything away! Below you'll find encrypted links to John's books. These will be in the show nots as well, but if you want to prepare for the show and discover what books John has chosen - and read them ahead of our discussion - then look no further than below - 

JOHN'S TOP 4 ISLA RA BOOKS:

John's Top Pick

John's 2nd Pick

John's 3rd Pick

John's 4th Pick

FANTASY COMIC LEAGUE - OCTOBER PROGRESS

Oh boy, it's been a bit quiet on the FCL front, but we finally got the cards in for the progress this month, and I must say Tommy has returned with a vengeance!

Looks like he'll no doubt take out this month as he has an unbeatable lead it seems...I'm still in the mix, and hopefully if I can just hang in the top 2 every month, then I'm in with a good chance to take out overall.

However, Tommy and Jason are making good ground and in particular kudos to Jason for his maiden season...he's one to watch! Dustin and Chad unfortunately have drafts (like myself....c'mon Wolvie!!!!) who haven't fired...but anything goes int he last week of October, so you never know!

Below are the progress cards for our #ITKMoonKnight division for you perusal!! I think the big player this month surely has been The Thing from Contagion...plenty more points to be racked up by ol' blue eyes!

Well done Tommy - you'll be the man to beat in the coming months!!

THE COLLECTIVE NEWS

Another plug to our fellow Collective members! I'll try and make this thing a regular thing, so you fair Loonies are in the loop with all these other great podcasts out there, which we highly recommend!

As some of you know, The Collective are a band of like minded podcasters who formed a few years ago now to act as a supportive network for one another not only in promoting each others' shows, but also as a creative hive, where we bounce ideas off one another as to how to improve our shows.

We've crossed over more than once now with other shows, and I know from listening to all of them, that they are highly entertaining and fun to listen to!

I've got a few recommendations which I'll list here, and each newsletter I hope to give a shout out to the recent episodes of these great shows.....I've actually got a couple of other recommendations from a podcast which isn't a part of The Collective (but I reckon they should be!)

All further information on all the shows can be found in teh link at the bottom of this page...

Anyway, here's just a few of what's happening in Collective-Town....

A shoutout to Paul from The Collected Edition with their recent release of a review of the Warren Ellis Moon Knight run! Check out Episode 49 - Moon Knight ...highly entertaining and informative!

Although not part of The Collective (maybe I'll ask if he wants to join), good friend Scott Weatherly from 20th Century Geek released two Moon Knight-centric episodes! I had the fortune of guesting on Part 2 as well... Check out Episode 89 - Spotlight on Moon Knight Part 1, and Episode 90 - Spotlight on Moon Knight Part 2 for all your Moon Knight needs!

Upcoming guest John Harrison & the other boys from TV Podcast Industries have been covering the recent release of the TV show 'Watchmen', which seems to be getting rave reviews...I gotta catch up myself, but after I do, I'll be sure to tune in to these fantastic hosts to get their take!....Check out discussions on Episode 1 and Episode 2, plus they also have a couple of other episodes based on feedback and a prelude to the TV show....Top quality stuff!

Our good mates over at Inner Demons - A Ghost Rider Podcast have released their 46th episode, reviewing a couple of recent releases and a couple of classics. Always fun, always great to hear these guys (incidentally, Brian, one of the hosts, features on a Terminator retrospective on 20th Century Geek Podcast as well....check it out if you can!)...Check out Episode 46 - 'Unoriginal Sin' for their latest and greatest!

Be sure to always check out the Capes & Lunatics Newsletter for all their shows. These guys are more prolific than a Catholic rabbit...so instead of showcasing all their shows here, it's better to get it at the source! I was also honoured to feature on The Quantum Zone for Part 6 of their review for Operation Galatic Storm too... it'll be up and dropping in a month or so I think...

Sons of the Dragon - An Immortal Iron Fist Podcast have also released an episode - Episode 101 is a review of Contagion issues #2 and #3... I bet these guys are happy that the Contagion event is Iron Fist-centric! Can't wait to chat about the final two issues with them on their coming episode too...but be sure to listen to their latest to get up to speed!

Finally, can't NOT shout out The Signal of Doom Podcast featuring good mate, David Finn. This episode, their latest, has the return of Connor McKenna (host of Sons of the Dragon - An Immortal Iron Fist Podcast and fellow host for Last Sons of Krypton - A Superman Podcast)....these guys are heaps of fun to chat with in their own right, so when they are together...BOMBS are set off!! Check out Episode 137 for their latest show...The Signal have also just released a Patreon Page, so I highly recommend checking it out and considering becoming a patron to gain exclusive episodes form The Swamp!

Oh, final, FINAL plug will be for Last Sons of Krypton - A Superman Podcast. Since I've been away, Connor (my valued co-host) has been keeping the show running and has been getting guests from The Collective and elsewhere to come on and chat Superman...I'd be remiss to not mention the latest offering...Episode 29 - Return of The Phantom King is a cool review on a Halloween-esque issue with Superman. Guesting is Tyler Patrick from The Krypton Report....Worth a geeze!

CONTACT US!

You can always chat or leave feedback to us - 

We absolutely LOVE to hear from you, and will always address and give you shout outs on the show, so please don't hesitate to drop us a line!

We've got various social media outlets and we use these to read Loony comments on the show - if you DON'T want your comments broadcast, please just add, "(DNB)" at the end of your comment, and we'll be sure not to broadcast it. We'll pick a few comments from here and discuss on the show!

Email: itkmoonknight@gmail.com

Podcast Page: http://intotheknight.libsyn.com

Facebook Page: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Podcast

Facebook Group: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Fan Base

Twitter: @ITKmoonknight

Discord ITK Server: ITK Server

GetVokl : Into the Knight Welcome Room

Well, that'll do me for this here return newsletter for y'all!! Thanks for sticking by us, and don't forget....it won't be long before the TV show hits, so buckle in, stake your claim and be sure you're the one who can say, "I've been a member waaaaaaaayyy before it bcame way more popular!" :P ....ok, I might be reaching for the stars there...but I just want to say, thanks for all the support!!

Catch you very soon (i.e after the pre-recorded episode which drops this coming weekend...ahh, y'know what I mean!)....I'll be more active on our social media platforms again...so looking forward to chatting with you!

May Khonshu Watch Over the Denizens of the (K)Night,

Rey

Proud Member of The Collective

  Remember! You can buy your official ITK merchandise at ...ITK Store Front @ TeePublic

Check out this episode!

[shapesclothing]

Hiring a Magician, The Real Keys - Honesty From a Dishonest Profession

Implementing a Magician, The Real Secrets - Honesty From a Dishonest Profession

Trollkarl Göteborg With Over fifteen decades of experience as a professional magician in England, I will tip you the secrets of employing a premium quality magician for the event, and also how to avoid the low quality magicians that may actually do more damage than good to your event. Straightforward Magicians jargon, the 3 main types of magicians: o O A oA Magician that performs head reading or'Derren Brown Style Magic' is popularly called a Mind Reader, Mind-reader, Psychological Illusionist or Mentalist. Trollkarl Göteborg A Fantastic magician may be worth their weight in gold at |} Any event, it is crucial if you'd like to not just provide entertainment for your event, but to boost the atmosphere and give it that unique advantage, selecting the most appropriate magician can be somewhat more'tricky' than you might imagine. A premium excellent magician with years of experience won't come particularly cheap, so here are my top recommendations to make sure that you find the very best deal for your money. Request Google or some other search engine For a magician in the local area, and it'll unmercifully spew a mind overload of potential close up magicians, children's magicians, stage magicians, entertainers, mind readers, comedy magicians, illusionists, jugglers and many more - but who do you choose? How do you select them? And, how do you know they will be the very important ingredient for your event? If you've already began your search for a magician You may see many advertise on their websites exactly the same buzzwords like'Unforgettable','Unique',''World Class Magician','Absolutely Wonderful ','Perfect for your event' etc , but just how much of this is fact, and how much that is fiction? You will soon learn how to separate the truth from the embellished truth. Firstly, decide Precisely what kind of magician you believe would be ideal for your event. To assist you search with using search engines for the ideal magician for your event use the'magicians jargon' terms along with the following to assist your searches become that little bit simpler. If you want a magician which could mingle with your guests at a drinks reception type surroundings you'll have to hunt for close up magicians in your regional area; should you need a magician to get a ball or dinner the identical search terms or table magicians rather than close up magicians inside the local area will give what you require, having a magician work round the courses is no difficulty whatsoever to the professional, but the amateur could have a difficult time with organizing their amusement round the meal. If you're looking for a wedding enthusiast, again you really do need somebody that specializes in weddings, not especially someone that really does the'entire shebang' as it - as the old saying goes don't spread yourself too thin. I strongly suggest not selecting a close up magician that also does children's parties, sadly there are many fantastic children's entertainers on the market, but a lot of them think that the same rules apply to entertaining children as entertaining adults - in reality it's a completely different ballgame. Both are highly skilled arts. Many children's entertainers will find out some fundamental magic Tricks and try to piggyback close up magical work out of their children's parties. Ideally if you want a children's entertainer, find somebody that specializes in entertaining children and should you want a magician for adults find someone that only performs high quality magical for adults. Maybe you desire a cabaret magician, or point type entertainment, there are many genres here; thoughts reading, comedy, stand up magic, hypnotism, illusions,'Tommy Cooper kind' magicians and so on, consider what would be best for your event and guests - should you believe that your audience would appreciate a comedy magician over say a mind reader, then hunt around for humor magicians in your area, a big tip here is to be sure they have a minumum of one video of them performing, there is nothing worse than an unfunny comedy magician! If you know the sort of people at your event aren't the kinds which like to be in the limelight, a hypnotist is certainly not for you! Good stage magicians and illusionists are typically quite great crowd pleaser's, but it is generally old fashioned style entertainment which won't suit everybody. Illusionists and conventional stage magicians are ideal when you have international guests as they have'non patter' acts which are performed simply to music. A fantastic mind reading series can be exceedingly impressive, it can be completely baffling, entertaining your whole audience and also be very funny, however there is lots of dull mind reading shows and not all them are geared towards relatives if there are children in the audience, again check references and videos. After You understand just what you need for your occasion, and perhaps even a fashion that you think will best suit your involvement, perhaps you want the older looking magician type magician or your young fresh and modern close up magician, have a look at a various websites until you come across a couple that you think could be excellent for your occasion. Pay attention firstly to there style and image - Whether it's a black tie event, you most likely don't want a magician who wears jeans and t-shirt and other casual wear to performances, even if you've got a young trendy crowd maybe you desire the fairly young magician who really does dress much more casual. Perhaps you want close up magic and stage magic, find out if they offer both services - most will give you a fantastic package deal for the two. To employ somebody non local to you personally who covers doing in your area, a lot of magicians have a'one fee anyplace' for doing anywhere in the nation so you are not landed with a massive travel expenses on top of the performing fee. Every magician's website should have; real Premium quality testimonials and references, photographs - rather than only studio photographs but real performance photographs, a video if possible so you can find a better idea of what they do, and finally they ought to present to you all of the info you need about there doing experience. It should tell you how long they have been performing, notable areas and companies they've worked for and making them stick out over the crowd. When you get in touch with your brief list of magicians make certain to include all the necessary information about your event; such as type of event, date, time, location, number of visitors, and in case you've got an notion of the budget you have allocated for a magician, or mention that as well. Agency site will pop up with numerous magicians and alternative entertainments, recall brokers usually charge around 15 percent commission, so you may wind up paying more through a broker. Sometimes it's far better to cut out the middle person to get one performer. If your event requires multiple acts of distinct entertainment branches, bureaus are typically the best approach to visit supervise your entertainment, nevertheless most magicians are going to have the ability to urge colleagues that work well together in the event that you would like to employ numerous magicians. Unlike many professions where there Are always'cowboy' providers, surprisingly there are very few'cowboy magicians' on the market, however, there's a huge range in quality. The easiest way to detect the good quality magicians in the reduced quality magicians is by the fee. A complete time professional will work hard on his trade, he has the expertise and the ability required, devoting their life to doing magic, their fee reflects their clients will pay the commission every time to get an unbeatable support. On the opposite end of the spectrum you've got the amateur, the guy just starting out, or the'experienced professional' that maybe should of retired if his tie went out in fashion in 1963. These are normally the weekend amateurs who is going to do the job for you and will not bill you very much. Whilst every magician has to start somewhere, don't settle for anything less than the finest when it comes to high quality, professional magic entertainment. It takes a very long time to turn into a fantastic magician, amateur magicians could possibly ruin your event, they may create an off the cuff remark towards the guests that's not well accepted, but their magic might not be that good or they might only be exceptionally unsuitably dressed for your event. Total time professional magicians have to be good in every aspect of operation and people skills, generally you can not fail with a complete time professional that has all of the proper credentials I outlined above. Many Magicians offer close up magic in 1 hour or two hour time slots, generally two hours to get about a hundred guests is the best bet, which gives the magician sufficient time to view as many people as you can. Once You've your enquiries back, done either by telephone or email, here comes the hard part - which one will choose? Unfortunately I can not make that decision for you, generally the greater magicians will be in the same price range, as I mentioned previously - the reduced price magicians will often be amateurs or part time magicians that might not provide you the full magic experience which can make your event stand out a mile. Magic is a really unique art form, the very best magicians are not just great at magic they are also good with people and that comes with many years of expertise. As with all rules there are of course exceptions, But if you follow my guide, I'm sure you'll get the perfect match for Your occasion. Magic is among the most enjoyable, interesting and enjoyable Only is it universal in captivating all ages but can bring people Collectively, even help sell products or incredibly increase the atmosphere Of an event.

[humanoid-lovers]

Good read despite an unwelcome left turn. This was a funny and casually well-written book, a good read But it's a little frustrating because it abandons the "narrative," if you will, without finishing it. The first 2/3 of the book deal with Spade's upbringing, his grind through the comedy club scene, and his slow climb from SNL writer to SNL performer. Even though it's written with a light touch, that stuff is all pretty compelling. But it drops that thread after he's made it as an SNL cast member. It doesn't tell the story of what prompted him to leave SNL, or his movie career (except for Tommy Boy), or his experience on sitcoms. Instead, the last 1/3 of the book morphs into more of a George Carlin "Brain Droppings" type thing -- little observational essays on miscellaneous topics ranging from doing cocaine to his thoughts on dating tricks that women pull. I would have been really interested to hear why he made the jump from SNL when he did (given how hard his climb there was) and whether he's happy or not with his sitcom and movie work. The guy writes so well and so honestly about his career that I certainly could have read a lot more of it. But still, this is an entertaining read and I'd recommend it for anyone who likes a fun, self-aware memoir. Go to Amazon

Makes me nostalgic for the 90's. As a Gen Xer going to college during much of David Spade's SNL stint and loving the entire cast and every sketch during those early 90's, I became a fan of his a long time ago. I love his standup, so funny to watch. This book is not written by a professional writer which makes this better...he writes this book like he's doing standup which works perfectly for his story and his personality. As was mentioned previously a million times, I hope he comes out with another book picking up where he left off and talking more about the rest of his professional life (and personal). Dennis Finch is one of the best TV characters of the last few decades....would love to read more about that. This book gives a really fascinating insider's look at how the SNL sausage was made during that time. I have read several books by comedians but this one gets more personal than other's I've read. After you read this, you come to the understanding that he was a regular schlub, just like the rest of us, who worked his butt off to get where he is...and he must be a really charming guy. Go to Amazon

Self-deprecating, Honest, and Relatable Lots of interesting and comical situations. The sacrifices and hard work he has done shows why he has the success he has. While he doesn't have what most would consider a great writing style, I got quite a few laughs out of it. He seems to be honest and straightforward because his prose is self-deprecating yet doesn't have to be. The ending was weird, though. He stops somewhat abruptly and we miss out on his current events. The book primarily covers his childhood, his early stand-up, SNL, and Tommy Boy with Chris Farley. After that, not so much. The ending oddly detailed several bits of advice about relationships, which, I have to admit, was somewhat educational, surprisingly funny,and shamefully accurate. Don't expect the whole book to be an autobiography and don't expect the book to cover his life up to the publish date of the book. Still a great read that earns 5 stars. Go to Amazon

Spade book is a stinker It starts off ok. You get Spade as he grows up in Arizona and finds his way as a comic. When it hits Saturday Night Go to Amazon

Funnier than expected and a great light read. I ordered a sample after reading another comedic celebrity book, and it had enough interesting parts to keep it. Go to Amazon

Funny yet exceptionally written Lets face it David Spade is a funny guy, so as expected his book was funny yet honest. The way it is written it makes you feel as tho your hanging out in his den, having a bud and chatting. He lightly touches on Chris Farley which everyone always wonders about. I mean come on, they were THE comedic duo! As expected there is an inherit sadness which is totally understandable. Of course he isn't going to divulge everything but that period of time had to be extremely painful. Even with that sort of brutal honesty and raw emotion, his tale of making his way thru comedy mean streets is fantastic. I laughed, I cried and everything in-between. It made me view David Spade as more than just Dirty Joe Dirt. However, I get the distinct feeling Dirty Joe Dirt lives somewhere in Mr. Spades past. It was a eye opener to learn he grew up in Casa Grande, Az. I live not too far from there, but he has left Casa Grande in the dust. All in all I would highly recommend this endearing book to anyone who is, or isn't a fan of David Spade. Go to Amazon

Almost an interesting read It was indeed almost interesting. Go to Amazon

Good Read, But Far From Complete As others have mentioned the first 2/3 of this book is very good, but he pretty much stops after Tommy Boy and does not talk about any of his other films or TV shows. It is rather odd, unless he is planning on saving that for another book. I also had no clue that he had a daughter, only finding out by reading another review here on Amazon. She is not mentioned in the book. Bottom line, it was an enjoyable read, but it is far from a complete autobiography. Go to Amazon

The ending was kind of odd, but overall the book was interesting and fun. Pretty ineresting Very Interesting Spade's a great story teller Enjoyable read A fun real life read David's style of writing is like no other. Very Childlike. Easy read. Enjoyable Spade is a great story teller

[antfull]

10 Albums To Hear Before You Die

2016 was the year I finally listened to music. I set myself a target of listening to every album I owned. For years I had always been a journey man listener, listening to compilations and greatest hits. With an interest in 60-70s music there’s so much to listen to, it’s time consuming to get around to listen to back catalogues. I used to make Spotify playlists and only listened to songs I really loved. I felt like this type of listening has its negative effect though, listening to your favourite songs over and over can get tiresome, I hate it when you start to skip that song you once adored. I took it upon myself to actually listen to every album I had collected over the years, often sourcing all time greatest hits lists and user contributed lists. My goal was to listen to every album from start to finish and rate each album out of 5.

It was the year I truly started to appreciate the studio album. I used to always have that typical simplistic approach to studio albums - of only liking 1-3 hits. After taking the time to listen to a bunch of albums, I found that studio albums have characteristics that a collection album will never have - such as flow, structure and concept. I love how I start like the lesser known songs and sometimes they even become my favourites. Some artists I found were definitely superior when it came to curating a studio album even if it meant having lesser well known tracks, the overall experience from the album would be far greater. When a studio album comes off great, it’s a rewarding feat. The list may seem very vanilla classic rock - but these albums are truly classics and I sincerely recommend listening to them at least once in your life.

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles (1967)

I’ve listened to this album a few times over the years, but it was at some point in November when I listened to this album again that it struck me and I thought, “Wow, this album is incredible”. I’ve often seen it touted as one of the best albums of all time and I now tend to agree. It was a huge achievement in their career, the days of touring had ended and all focus was on producing solid albums. 2016 made me a even bigger Beatles fan, I watched a half dozen documentaries on the boys from Liverpool. I found their life and rise to fame truly exceptional, but what keeps me really interested is the music and their cohesion as a group through the madness they endured. This album does actually feature hit after hit. The Beatles reinvented what an album could achieve, they used the studio as an instrument in itself. The album artwork became one of the most recognised pieces in the world. The Beatles transformed rock and roll.

2. Abbey Road - The Beatles (1969)

Another Beatles album? Damn right. These boys knew how to make albums. This album is also personal to me. I once worked as a decorator with my Grandfather, we worked at this place in St John’s Wood and we would drive over Abbey Road zebra crossing every day. My Grandfather on multiple occasions, would remind me that this is where The Beatles took a famous picture for an album and recorded their music here. At the time The Beatles weren't really on my music radar, so my reaction was always “yeah cool, Granddad”. I always remember seeing people outside the studio taking photos and writing on the wall, which gets repainted on a regular occurrence. A few years later it hit me the massive significance of this place - a holy grail of music.

Although the album is the penultimate of the Beatles releases, it was actually recorded last. It’s somewhat saddening listening knowing that this was the last recording they would do together as a four, but boy, did they pull it off once again. The album features great hits at the start but my favourite part is the ending of the album, The Beatles took half finished songs and created a medley to finish the album and to great effect.

3. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie 1972

It’s a pop masterpiece which doubles as an interesting concept album. What’s interesting is that even as a concept album the songs in their own right make for great solo songs. David Bowie has such a plethora of strong albums, I spent most of the later part of the year listening to most of them. He certainly has one of the most strongest studio collections of any artist. Ziggy Stardust is definitely the one that stands out the most. I would argue that this is the most approachable album on the list. My personal favourites are ‘Moonage Daydream’ and ‘Ziggy Stardust’.

4. Who’s Next - The Who 1971

The Who probably earn their place as my favourite band. I could sit here and say the catalogues of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin were stronger, and even some of the instrumental abilities of Page and Harrison were better than that of Townsend, you could even argue that with the leading vocals. Although for me it still doesn't distract from the fact that The Who still knew how to rock. Their raw fiery passion and amazing live performances (I’ve seen them twice) will keep me a listener for years to come. The Who had great personality and their sometimes explosive literal performances define who they are.

Who’s Next is the very definition of a Rock album. This album came sandwiched between two other great albums, the rock opera’s of Tommy and Quadrophenia but Who’s Next’s lively and highly energetic sounds just cannot be missed. The album opens and closes on two powerful tracks, one of which is my favourite song of all time. I can often praise The Beatles for being creative and experimental with their albums but Pete Townsend does it to create effect here with his use of synthesisers.

5. Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin 1969

Led Zeppelin were the first band were I downloaded a vast majority of their studio albums. I remember putting most of their discography on my ipod and listening to it on the train while at University. I found Led Zeppelin had a listening curve. Their deep tracks take a bit of getting used to but I soon became a Zeppelin fanatic.

I personally love build up songs. Songs that start off slow and mellow but gradually the tempo increases, the volume increases and the song hits it’s climax. Led Zeppelin strike this to great effect a few times on this album in various ways. ‘Bring it on Home’ and ‘Ramble On’ and perfect examples of songs that hit that note.

The album is most memorable for it’s opening track ‘Whole Lotta Love’, which is probably the most Led Zeppelin tune around. By the way there’s only one way to listen to Led Zeppelin and that’s loud. 

6. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin 1971

Most Zeppelin fans will argue that Led Zeppelin IV is their best album and it’s hard to argue that. Some say IV is a return to form for Led Zeppelin after a slight experimentation with Led Zeppelin III, which was more of a folk rock album. The track ‘Rock and Roll’ is that most bad ass song ever. It was created as a response to critics who said they couldn’t rock anymore. Overall the album is just rock and roll euphoria. It’s incredible to think that in the space of just 3 years that band created 4 showpiece albums. Led Zeppelin were just the coolest band, even their album artwork reflects that. They didn’t plaster their image over the cover, or even include their name, yet their albums still were best sellers. Everyone knew Led Zeppelin.

The entire band was firing on all cylinders during the recording of the fourth studio effort. It’s their most complete album and a showcase to their instrumental abilities.

7. All Things Must Pass - George Harrison 1970

This was the only album I was contemplating to include. I’m a big Rolling Stones fan and it was hard not to include a single Stones album. Although I cannot omit the single best solo album from a Beatle. Paul and John did have a few great solo albums but they all just miss out when comparing it to this classic LP. A triple album which finally released George from the shackles of the Beatles. As the years advanced so did his song writing ability. George now a solo artist, put together a masterpiece of an album. He takes you on his spiritual journey with songs like ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ‘Hear Me Lord’. Some songs are also a middle finger up to Lennon-McCartney with ‘Wah-Wah’ and ‘All Things Must Pass’.

Take your time to listen to this. It’s sweet and personal. It’s a weird but magical effect.

8. Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan 1975

Die hard Dylan fans would recommend the early albums but for me, this is where the magic is. It’s a personal album for Bob Dylan linking the difficult times he had with his wife. It’s for sure, the most listenable of his albums. He has since said that this album is not a autobiography of his life at the time. Some tracks on the album make you think otherwise, with lyrics that seem straight from the heart. Overall it’s an fantastic listen with ‘Meet Me In the Morning’ my favourite.

9. Graceland - Paul Simon 1986

Not many great pop albums will include huge influences from other cultures and still keep it’s quality high for the pop masses, but Paul Simon uses his western folk roots to blend with South African music.

Paul Simon creates a joyous and warm celebration of music. As simple as it sounds, this album just makes me happy, it’s such an enjoyable listen and it includes one of my favourite songs to get up and groove to. ‘You Can Call Me Al’. I love the origin of the songs title. Composer and conductor Pierre Boulez while at a party kept referring Paul and his wife as Al and Betty. Graceland is an album I always come back to. I get to thank my Dad for getting me into Paul Simon.

10. London Calling - The Clash 1979

I’m not normally a fan of double albums, I always feel even with great double albums there are songs that could be removed and make for a terrific 12 track LP. London Calling on the contrary is an exception. It may take non punk rock fans a few listens to get into, but once your in, it leads to a brilliant and engaging album. London Calling isn't just a punk rock album, it explores reggae, rockabilly, ska, R&B, pop and jazz.

The Clash help rise punk rock out of its confined corner into a much broader music world. It’s probably the album I find myself playing single songs off the most. Most people will know the title track ‘London Calling’ but for me, songs like ‘Train in Vain’ and ‘The Right Profile’, keep me coming back.