#it also makes the emotionally heavy eps hit harder

[panicbones]

its so sad to learn ppl dont like beast wars bcuz of its stupid loony toons style slap stick humor eps like bro thats what makes it the best. youre telling me you dont think its the best shit ever to watch inferno slam quickstrike into the ground hulk style by his tail??

[yukisohmasmokesweed]

heeey... so, might be still a bit early to ask, but: top 10 "things" about season 2? could be eps, moments, characters, things they did, whatever you feel like, literally ur top 10 favorites from it

i interpreted this to mean top 10 moments so....top 10 moments!

10. (from 2x4)

i love this whole fight so much. it’s kind of an unspoken thing after it’s first established that they have to hide a huge part of their lives from everyone around them since it’s a given, so i like this bottled-up frustration over having to live constantly walking on eggshells coming out. i also really really like that we get to see haru acting genuinely scary as dark haru; it’s introduced as a comedic thing and haru is a generally well-adjusted character compared to the rest of the zodiac, and so i like that we get to see just how destructive and chaotic his coping mechanism really is. filmmaking-wise it’s a little boring but i don’t really mind because it’s tense enough that i don’t really notice it.

9. (from 2x17)

this is the only funny one on my list because i live for the drama haha but i like this scene for more than its humor! this episode takes place at a point in the season where yuki has been able to accept that he is allowed to put himself and his recovery first, and has spent enough time with others and pushed himself out of his comfort zone enough to shake off the instantaneous automatic fear of rejection that his social anxiety manifests as. because of the slow undoing of this hardwired reaction and because he’s become very comfortable around kakeru, though, his real, unrestrained personality as well as his actual opinions start slipping out. i like that this scene shows us 1. that he cares for tohru so deeply that he would end a friendship over her getting hurt, even though he thinks it’s childish after he says it and 2. that not even yuki knows what his real personality is like because he’s kept it repressed for so long. and i think for people with social anxiety the reaction to this kind of thing is embarrassment, but despite his embarrassment kakeru accepts what he says at face value because he likes yuki for who he is, not who he pretends to be for other people’s comfort. this is a very sweet moment between the two of them even if it’s buried a bit underneath the humor and kakeru’s easy acceptance of yuki’s more dramatic and snarky side is one of the reasons yuki trusts him so much when it comes to heavy stuff. i don’t love the bg changes to this cartoony thing in fb but in comedic scenes like this one it didn’t bother me, and i thought all of the art in this episode was really nice. this was also one of my favorite voice acting moments from shimazaki, i looooved loved loved him stuttering as he turns around right after he has this revelation, i think it’s super funny and also very natural-sounding, plus it’s a different kind of delivery from yuki but it fits him so well.

8. (from 2x19)

i love this little moment between shigure and hatori. the way they talk about the curse in this scene is very indicative of their characters and how they feel about the curse: shigure is flippant and casual when he says rin visits him to see if he knows how to break it, and hatori is shocked at the idea of it, then instantly becomes resigned, claiming it’s not possible. but this moment right at the end is just *chefs kiss* the way shigure says hatori’s name so weighty, and the delivery of “...do you hear it?” is curious if not hesitantly hopeful, some of my fav line readings in the whole show. i also really love the pan up the stairs back up to the house when he says “the sound of breaking,” the implication of tohru’s involvement in this clear. this scene is also visually stunning and i like the track under it a lot.

7. (from 2x18)

i’m obsessed with this scene and i’m obsessed with every line reading from nakamura, he is so incredible. i thought the art in this scene was gorgeous and every blocking choice was amazing, the body language and where they moved and when was perfect. also one of my favorite tracks off the ost plays under this scene, and i love that it ends just before shigure delivers his line, “i’m the worst.” and rin looks over her shoulder in silence other than the sound of the door(!) sliding closed as shigure exits. you can feel in this scene how desperate rin is and how frustrated shigure’s flippancy is making her. i also really like rin’s body language in general, she’s a good amount touchier than anyone else, and she’s all over shigure in this scene, both because she’s propositioning him but also because of her implied closeness (gure-nii) to him.

this is an excellent shigure scene, and i love these lines included in particular as well as the repeat of them in the finale. it’s a moment of actual self-awareness and self-reflection from shigure for sure, you can tell by his face, but in true shigure form he is not saying it because he’s trying to be emotionally open with rin; he’s saying it to get her off his back. he knows that the curse is weakening but he also knows that the harder he pushes people and the harder they struggle to get out, the more likely the curse is to break. it’s cruel and manipulative and the most painful way to go about things, but hey at least he knows it!

6. (from 2x25)

this whole scene between shigure and hatori in the finale is a super hard hitter; they both know everything about one another and have nothing to hide and they are also very desensitized to cruelty, and so their conversations are incredibly frank, and they don’t skirt around anything, either. i like that hatori doesn’t hesitate to put shigure in his place regarding akito’s status (a good example of hatori as akito’s enabler and the upkeeper of the status quo in order to keep everyone’s lives as calm as possible at the cost of his own happiness), and i like that shigure immediately gives it back by calling out hatori’s attachment to the bond—which is an interesting thing to bring up and speaks to the bond as not just a curse, but of how it is also their family and community. their lives do revolve around it, so the curse breaking would be an unthinkable change to something integral to their existence. 

i chose this moment in particular because it’s a great insight into shigure’s emotional state, one of deep jealousy and pain over akito’s rejection of him. i like that it’s a close-up of his eyes here; shigure’s eyes are important in the reboot, and seeing them here tells us that this is his emotional truth. when hatori calls him out, though, they are hidden again. these lines are also delivered so well, i love how low in his register he’s speaking, it’s not something we hear from shigure a lot. it’s very heavy and very indicative of his pain.

also, i like when they copy things exactly from the manga, so i liked this shot a lot as the closer of the scene:

5. (from 2x21)

ok obviously i had to put this because it’s my favorite scene in the manga...i thought this was very visually beautiful, loved that they had yuki standing in darkness (in front of a door!) and kyo illuminated by the light, but a light from a place he’s not allowed to enter. i think the lighting design speaks to how yuki views kyo, not only when he’s a little older as someone who is naturally charismatic and attractive, but in the moment, as a potential ray of light, a possible friend who could understand his situation through shared life experience. i just love the puff of breath yuki gives in reaction to kyo confirming what akito has been saying to him about how everyone hates him and everything is his fault, and i love yuki’s hands folded in front of his chest, protecting the most vulnerable part of his body as a reflex to words that deeply wounded him. 

i like this scene for its function of the root of yuki and kyo’s conflict: that kyo needs to hate yuki and scapegoat him for his own problems due to yuki’s status in the family, and yuki hates kyo back to protect himself. it’s a very nuanced and deep take on a fictional rivalry that comes from a very realistic place of maladaptive coping and morphs into something more habitual and every day over time. also big love the casting choices for these two as children. this scene was amazing, it’s super short but i like this specific moment in it because it does a great job visually showcasing yuki and kyo’s immediate reactions and emotions to meeting one another for the first time.

4. (from 2x25)

i thought this whole sequence was incredibly well-done, but specifically i loved this part where the music swells and the loom crashes down onto the floor over akito’s repeated lines. also one of my favorite voice acting moments of the season, i loved akito delivering these lines through hiccups and sobs and trailing off into childish crying, and the art and animation was very visceral. seeing akito this out of control was amazing and kureno’s reactions to akito hit very very hard; it’s easy to sympathize with him and see why he would agree to this, and it contextualizes his decision to do so when all we the audience has seen before this is akito’s terrible and abusive behavior. 

i also really liked kureno’s hands coming in towards akito to comfort, it reminded me of this

from 1x9 but flipped; instead of kureno’s hands coming forward to comfort akito but representing his choice to trap himself in the curse, it’s akito’s hands coming from behind to force yuki to stay with akito against his will. they also both cut off very suddenly, which i like a lot.

3. (from 2x8)

this transition makes me go absolutely ballistic. visually i love akito and tohru turning to look over their shoulders in opposite directions, i just think it looks very sexy and it was a cool way to transition out of one scene and into another. i also like the mirrored body language to set them up as each other’s foils in these two scenes. akito brings kureno, who is functionally their love interest, out for a walk and then proceeds to belittle him, his status, and his opinions. tohru goes out with kyo, her love interest, so they can have a nice time at the beach. they have a very open conversation about the “monstrous” aspect to kyo where tohru validates and appreciates his thoughts and emotions. having these two scenes back to back was a really smart move to contrast our protagonist and antagonist and set them up as each other’s foils, and it’s definitely my favorite scene transition in the season.

2. (from 2x10)

i loooove how insanely tense this scene is. i really like that shigure and akito are sitting in silence here until akito starts their monologue in full, and then the track is cut off at its crescendo by kureno’s knocking. the track being bookended by low ambient sound from outside makes it more impactful when it does start playing, and the track cutting off with the knocking makes the sound of akito’s clothes moving as they get up and the door sliding open while the camera is still trained on shigure’s expression deafening. i also like the shot choices in this scene, particularly the close-up of akito’s hands around shigure’s jaw and that we can only see their mouths, as well as the shot of shigure seething but partially blocked by akito’s torso. the voice acting in this scene is also bonkers good, particularly yuichi nakamura’s shigure.

this is the first time the audience has seen shigure mad, not just annoyed or frustrated, and that’s definitely a big part of why i love this scene. his conflict with akito adds a lot of depth to his character and i like seeing a different range of emotion from him than normal. i also just love the introduction of their whole relationship drama love triangle thing going on with the adults, i honestly think it’s hilarious that takaya baits the audience into thinking it’s going to be a love triangle between the teens and it just completely is not but is instead a deeply fucked up one between the older characters. truly a stroke of genius

1. (from 2x8)

i love this whole scene so much. i think cinematically it’s gorgeous, i love that they’re surrounded by greenery and i really like the leaves starting to fall around them and the beams of sunlight behind tohru. those choices could have come off flashy and overdone but i feel the way it was directed was subtle enough that it didn’t feel like ibata was holding my hand through my emotions, but impactful enough that it’s an emotional gut punch every time i watch it. the moment where the flute ends with tohru’s internal line and transitions into strings/chimes mixed with the sfx of the wind rustling through the leaves is beautiful and probably my favorite use of soundtrack this season. 

the reason i love this moment in particular so much is because it so encapsulates yuki and tohru’s relationship. she sees him so clearly and has been in his life long enough to tell that his reaction to rin is a marked change from who he was when they first met. she also knows that yuki working through his trauma over akito is something he needs to do on his own, and that the best thing she can do for him is to support him and show him that she loves him. on yuki’s end, he already knows tohru will support him unconditionally, but he’s now at a place where he’s able to accept it in stride and knows without a doubt that she’s there for him. this little moment really showcases what their whole relationship is about and was gorgeously done. this scene very quickly became one of my favorites when the episode came out and i’m pleasantly surprised that it’s stayed there; in fact, it was totally enhanced by the development of their relationship this season, which has undoubtedly become my favorite relationship in all of fruits basket. i think a friendship as deep as this one is a rare gem in fiction, let alone one between a man and a woman. this whole exchange is very beautiful and touching and a great summation of what they both mean to each other.

[blue-maiden4]

Together Forever and Growing Pains

I'M IN LEGIT PAIN RIGHT NOW.

MY POOR BOY 😭😭

Anyways I'm gonna leave my thoughts on these episodes down here so spoilers right ahead:

-First of all: Ruby, Sapphire I know you tried to help, but dear Arceus proposing at the age of 16 IS NOT A GOOD IDEA AT ALL.

-Can we appreciate how handsome Steven looks on that shirt and suit? Damn he looks good on it 👀 (If he weren’t a minor I would marry him, but my heart already belongs to Leon so nevermind, pretend I said nothing)

-Rather than saying a straight 'no', Connie said 'not now', AND HONESTLY THAT'S SO SWEET AND IM DYING. And Steven's heartbroken face DESTROYED ME. I've never experienced such feeling but I can imagine how much it hurts. I really appreciate how Connie handled the situation in such a mature way, like she wanted to talk out things first and such. She is without a doubt Steven's soul mate ❤️.

-Watching Steven just laying on the sand while crying broke my heart in a million pieces, I felt your pain Steven, and it sucks that you have to go through this when you’re dealing with some heavy issues right now.💔

-"There isn't a future where you didn't proposed" I'm double dead now, the fact that no matter which time line they're on, Steven would propose to Connie. My heart 😭.

-Also I've seen some people asking why Steven is so worried of Connie leaving, like, he can just go visit her with Lion's help, but remember he can do the same with Lars and he acted the same way, so despite being able to visit them, the whole feeling that he's getting left behind is what is triggering these kind of reaction (or at least that's what I think).

-And remember, no matter how much you love a person, do not propose to them at the age of 16 (sorry I had to this xd) 

Okay now moving onto Growing Pains aka the episode that destroyed me physically and emotionally:

-BOI Where do I even start with this one? Okay first, seeing Steven all depressed over Connie's rejection and just eating ice cream and all kinds of sweets as a coping mechanism hits home. And this is something people do in real life when they are going through a heartbreak. Poor boy he needs a hug. 

-I would be lying if I said I didn’t scremaed the moment his body started growing our of nowhere, HOLY SHIT THE CORRUPTION THEORY IS SLOWLY BECOMING A REALITY. LIKE THAT SHIT STARTED AS SOME SORT OF JOKE, IT AIN’T FUNNY ANYMORE 😰.

-Connie being concerned about Steven and convicing him to see a doctor is the best thing ever. FINALLY SOMEONE THAT MAKES HIM SEEK HELP (Sort of)

-Okay, the fact Steven’s bones are fractured or broken is really worrying. Like, the only reason this kid isn’t dead is because of his healing powers is really messed up, and if we remember what happened in CYM, it makes sense why he was so weak and nearly dying, it was ‘cause his body was so damaged on the inside and the only things keeping together was his own gem half.

Seriously just look at all those cracks in his bones

-Also, the way Dr. Maheswaran explained how his body was constantly healing, yet it looked that mentally he hasn’t healed, that hit me like a truck. It also reminded of Pink Pearl, her gem showed no signs of damage, yet that crack on her eye was mostly due to the trauma she still had.

-The fact Steven is having the same side effect is just so....AGH I can’t even describe it, there’s no words that can say it.Seriously, he’s been through some heavy stuff since he was 13, with being so close to dying a million times, seeing loved ones die in front of him, his self doubt and existencial crisis due to Pink’s/Rose’s mistakes. That’s some serious and heavy shit, that surely was to have some effect on Steven at some point.

He’s been trying so hard to just forget about it and move on, but it’s not that simple. Those experiences are somthing that will haunt him forever until he adresses them properly. Also, the fact he tended to bottle up his emotions as a kid had also a role in all of this, he had to deal with this stuff on his own, he couldn’t talk to anyone about it, ‘cause he didn’t knew what else to do without becoming a burden.

-”What you haven’t told her?!” 

DUDE, YOU SERIOUSLY EXPECTED CONNIE TO TELL HER MOM HOW YOU FRICKING PROPOSED TO HER? COME ONE, SHE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT GONNA TELL HER, SHE WOULD HAVE FREAK OUT AT THE IDEA OF 16/15 YEAR OLDS GETTING MARRIED FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE.

-Bruh, the moment he was starting to tear up, due to all the stress and pressure he was feeling at that moment. And the way he snapped out at Connie....oof, like I don’t blame him at all, but it broke my heart. The pain he was feeling at the moment...god...😭😭😭.

-Greg getting in there and comforting him, that’s what made me cry, the whole thing that Steven’s feeling like he’s always about to die, and how he’s supposed to be happy now that everyone is saved but just can’t....it hurted....a lot. 

-And my respect and love for Connie and her mom increased here, not only she called the only person that could calm him down/help him, but they also treated Steven in way as to not alter him more and without judging. Seriously, I’m surprised Dr. Maheswaran, wasn’t like WTF the moment Steven started listing all of his traumatic experiences, instead she only explained how all of this gem stuff he’s been involved with has caused him so serious trauma.

-Now let me just say, that even though it is mostly th CG and Greg (to some degree, like the dude tried his best), we have to remember that the Gems have no idea about how a human body works, let alone how a mind of a person works. And it’s true that it wasn’t a good idea for Steven to move in with the Gems at such a young age, heck Greg is his father, he is supposed to take care of Steven and such, but considering the circumstances and that Steven is half-gem, he probably thought it was for the best, as he couldn’t teach him about gem stuff, probably the CG convinced him about this. Now, with the whole ‘they should have noticed or figured out something was wrong with Steven’, let me tell you one thing: that’s not how it works. Sure a parent should be able to tell when there’s something wrong their kid, but considering Steven became so dang good at avoiding the subject and bottling up his emotions (keeping them to himself), it practically impossible to tell when something is wrong. Parents aren’t physics, they can’t read our minds, so unless we are the ones that address the issue, there’s no other way they can’t find out about our problems. And that’s what happens in Steven’s case, and since they didn’t wanted to push him to talk about it, well, that makes it harder.

CONCLUSION: 

THIS TWO EPS DESTROYED ME, SERIOUSLY THEY LEFT ME IN LITERAL PAIN.

I was expecting them to make me cry, but dear lord, they were such heavy episodes, they even suprassed Prickly Pair, which is an episode that also messed up with my emotions. But these two made me cry. They just hit so close to me.

I’m not sure I’m gonna survive til the finale (really one of the next week eps is called Fragments, and that doesn’t give me any good vibes)

NOW IF YOU’LL EXCUSE ME, I WILL GO CRY IN A CORNER WHILE CURLED UP IN A BALL AS I LISTEN TO DEPRESSING MUSIC CAUSE I DON’T KNOW OF ANOTHER WAY TO COPE WITH THE PAIN.

[dragimal]

Longform Audio Creepypasta Recs

hey TMA fandom! as a new TMA listener but looooongtime creepypasta fan, I find it rly cool that ppl who aren’t into horror are getting into TMA! I’m hoping this will help bring fresh blood (hah) to the horror fandom, so if you’ve realized that you rather like audio horror but don’t know what else to look into, I’m here to recommend my favorite longform creepypasta narrations! 

this is far from an exhaustive list of long creepypastas, but I just want to introduce some of the stories I consider to be the best of the genre. and while I’m just reccing longform in this post, there are plenty of short one-shots I could rec if anyone wants to ask me abt a specific theme/Entity or even a specific ep of TMA (there are several MAG eps that brought me straight back to a specific creepypasta or two, lmao)

also, I’ll just be linking to MrCreepyPasta’s narrations b/c I’m heavily biased so I mostly listen to him, but there are plenty of other great narrators out there like CreepsMcPasta, CreepypastaJr, etc. (most of their names are variations on a theme asdfgh). and if u just want the text version of any of these, every video I link has a link in its own description back to the original text posting of the story

THAT outta the way, here are my recs! I’ll try to remember all the trigger warnings I can, but keep in mind I tend to be p hardy to most horror content, so there may be some things that slip past simply b/c they don’t register to me. also it’s been a minute since I’ve listened to some of these, so some have updated or I may have just forgotten some aspects. I’ll also update this if ppl find it useful and I find more good long pastas~

Penpal (2.5 hrs, complete)

op recounts some of their odd experiences as a child, all of which stem from an elementary school project involving a pen pal. as he recalls these experiences, a horrifying picture of his past begins to emerge...

easily my favorite pasta of all time-- and that’s saying something, considering there are some damn good recs here. it’s one of the first I read so long ago, and few have come close to what this one made me feel. op does an incredible job of capturing the nostalgia and childhood wanderlust of youth, and the last few lines of each chunk of the story hit like a goddamned truck-- esp "Friends”, I cry like a baby every time, it just.... hits something tender in me...

TW: stalking of children, subsequent kidnapping and child abuse at the end (and while it’s not necessarily *confirmed*, heavy implications of child sexual abuse, for that last bit). implied cat death. some graphic description of the victim of a hit-and-run

Search and Rescue Woods (~5 hrs, ongoing?)

op recalls several of the strange and disturbing experiences (their own and quoted from coworkers) of working search-and-rescue for an unnamed national forest in the US

y’know that feeling u get when u see photos lawn chairs just sitting at the bottom of the ocean? even if there’s a perfectly good explanation for why they’re there, it’s still haunting b/c it feels wrong to see them there, in that context? that’s basically this entire assortment of stories-- the obvious example being the stairs, of course, but even a lot of the human elements feel so out of place and wrong. if you’re a fan of Spiral-type horror w/ a hard edge of Stranger, this is the story for u

TW: generally clinical but graphic descriptions of mutilated bodies. use of the r-slur against an nd individual (it’s during a story that the main character is quoting from a different one-off character, so it thankfully only happens the one time..). child death, in certain stories. some wild animal death

Borrasca (2.5 hrs, complete)

Sam moves to a small mountain town with his family after his father’s job relocates them. he hears some spooky legends about the town, but doesn’t think much of them... that is, until his sister disappears. as Sam and his friends dig deeper into the town’s history to find any clues to his sister’s disappearance, they begin to realize there’s something deeply deeply wrong with their quaint little home

I’ve always loved horror that’s ‘mundane’ enough to be done by regular humans, but vague enough that it could actually be supernatural, under the right circumstances-- and this is one of those mysteries that keeps u guessing until the VERY end. my mind felt like that Pepe Silvia corkboard meme the first time I listened to this, I was losin’ it. this is also prolly one of my favorite examples of MCP’s talent as a narrator, b/c he adds in his own subtle foreshadowing with his voicework, and it blows my mind every time I listen to it again

also worth mentioning there’s a (3.5 hr) sequel! since the horror/mystery is basically done after the first one, the sequel is mostly suspense/thriller and character closure. if ur just here for the horror/mystery and the gut-punch of that first ending, then the sequel isn’t necessary. but if you want more closure for our dear sweet cast who deserve so much better, then by all means!

TW: the ending involves heavy sexual abuse (involving underage girls, no less), part of which is graphic. like I know I joke abt having to take breaks after reading emotionally exhausting stories, but I genuinely had to take a couple days of recovery after this one-- and that’s from someone who’s p hardy to all kinds of graphic content. do NOT take this warning lightly if this is a sensitive topic for you

Tales From the Gas Station (10 hrs for free, otherwise ongoing)

Jack works at a gas station at the edge of a middle-of-nowhere town. Strange things happen at the gas station-- bipedal deer stopping by for a drink, dark gods leaving vague messages, fingers growing from the ground out back, sudden lawn gnome appearances-- All just a part of the daily grind, right?

so if I wanna be totally fair, this is more a rec for Night Vale fans than anything (tho the TMA/WTNV overlap seems to be p significant). the comedic, nonchalant tone taken towards everything supernatural and horrific is p much 1:1 WTNV. I’ve genuinely cried laughing at some of the fuckshit that happens, esp anything involving Jerry. not to say that GST doesn’t have its heavy-horror moments, but the frequency is more comparable to Night Vale’s approach-- dark comedy definitely takes center stage, here. tho this also varies by the POV-- the “Finding Vanessa” arcs are told from the perspective of a more serious character, so the heavy parts are far more frequent and hit a lot harder

as for the time estimate, here’s where it gets a littleee bit complicated. the first version was put out for free, and read for free by MCP (among a few other narrators). this came out in several different parts, and the one video I linked above has compiled *most* of volume 1, but not the Halloween story, featured here. HOWEVER, the author has taken a second go at v1 and beyond, which is currently ongoing and available to buy as books or audiobooks ALSO narrated by MCP!

as for deciding which version to listen to, I’ll just try to describe the differences here. the first version was written entirely via Jack’s online forum posts, which were subject to more direct reader interaction and Jack’s scatterbrain. thus, the first version leaves a LOT more details up to reader interpretation/theorizing, straight up doesn’t have or explain certain plot arcs yet, and is very disorganized in terms of timeline all due to Jack’s canon memory issues. this all, personally, made it v fun and silly to follow, but I’m aware that’s not for everyone. the second version is written from a more standard first person narrative from Jack’s perspective. while Jack’s memory issues still make him an unreliable narrator (often *upsettingly* so in this version), the actual narrative is far more organized, complete, and easy to follow. the fun thing is that the first version can still be considered canon material to the second version, as Jack references making those very forum posts within the second version narrative. so, personally, I consider the second version to be the core cohesive story, while the first version is supplemental, fun material that provides more context for a few of the strange bits that happen in the story (like Jack’s ‘secret admirer’ makes more sense if u’ve listened to the first version). either way, the second version is the only way the story is going to continue (as far as I’m aware), so if you’re ONLY going to listen to one version of the story, listen to the second version

TW: for the first version, there are some uncomfortable jokes/implications at certain points-- associating villains/assholes with fatness and/or personality disorders is unfortunately a running theme, and a few off-color jokes are made abt some of Jack’s conditions (general mental health and his brief use of crutches). there’s also a point at which it’s implied that a specific one-off arc is a ploy to rape Jack, tho nothing actually comes of it beyond awkward scheming (but just in case, that story is specifically “Death at the Gas Station” at the very end of that long compilation, if u wanna skip it). for the second version, I believe the author was made aware of these issues and either straight-up removed or fixed most of them in some way. there’s just one point where an intentionally-questionable character uses the g*psy slur, and a few points where a regular commenter on Jack’s forum posts has w*ndigo in their username

in terms of gore for either one, uhhh maybe some descriptions of injuries? body horror? this one’s a lot harder to call for me, b/c the comedy softens the blow on a lot of the horror

Accounts From a Lonely Broadcast Station (5 hrs, ongoing)

Evelyn is the new voice of a small mountain town’s local radio station. her job is to take calls, play music (ALWAYS play the music), and broadcast emergency warnings whenever the fog rolls in from the surrounding forest. pretty standard stuff. she tries to make the most of it-- if only that damn crow with human eyes would stop watching her...

this one’s similar to Gas Station Tales with its heavy reliance on dark humor, but it takes itself a bit more seriously, with a more even split b/t genuine horror and comedy. also MCP brings in wonderful extra voice talent w/ this one, I RLY love Evelyn's va ;w;

TW: graphic descriptions of mutilation and body horror

My Friend Has Been Living in an Alternate Reality (4 hrs, complete)

op’s eccentric friend, Clint, turns up on op’s doorstep unannounced after several years missing. Clint vanishes again just as abruptly, leaving op with a journal detailing a horrifying, dangerous journey that’s almost too bizarre to believe, yet...

so this one’s more like an action/thriller with horror garnish, tbh-- very exciting and suspenseful! I love the weird, apocalyptic world Clint describes in his journals, and the societies that have cropped up around these hostile circumstances

TW: graphic descriptions of mutilation/injury

My Name is Lily Madwhip (~8 hrs, ongoing)

Lily Madwhip sees things before they happen. they’re usually horrible things like deaths and injuries that she wishes she could prevent but often can’t. at least her best friend-- an angel possessing one of Lily’s dolls-- is around to provide advice

this one’s from the perspective of a little girl, and it leans into dark humor enough to soften at least some of the more traumatic moments. Lily’s young enough that she’s somewhat removed from the full gravity of the deaths around her, but the fact that it’s happening so frequently at all seems to be warping her perspective towards death to be more... casual? is that the right word? it’s just a rly interesting perspective to see for horror. also we’ve got another rly great guest va here for Lily~

TW: brief descriptions of injury, but they’re not graphic. frequent animal death.

The Showers (2.75 hrs, complete)

op recounts a scary story he heard from a teacher back in high school about a vague location and a terrifying encounter. he later ventures to find this location to see the truth for himself, but is it worth it?

this one’s a classic-- I think it was of the first creepypasta I listened to? not this version, but I wouldn’t be able to tell u which narrator it was at the time. I won’t say that this one’s the most unique story out there, but something abt it has always stuck with me?.... idk, I think the premise rly hooks me

TW: oh god it’s been a while, but I don’t remember anything particularly triggering? maybe body horror?

[evilradmedieval]

Kendrick Lamar - “DAMN.” Review

I’m gonna be that guy and say that I’ve been listening to Kung-Fu Kenny for a hot minute, now. He’s been around since the early 2000s, hanging around longtime friends such as Jay Rock and several others who would soon become known as the Black Hippy collective of the then-future TDE label. Dropping Lil Wayne-inspired mixtapes here and there while collaborating with TDE labelmates ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul, he didn’t quite come into artistic fruition until his release of his debut EP, The Kendrick Lamar EP in 2009. Lyrically and instrumentally raw, the EP was packed with both anthemic and lowkey cuts, and showcased a fairly young Kendrick rapping about more common hip-hop themes such as relationships and coming up in the rap game. He then continued this onto his major fifth mixtape Overly Dedicated, an album with more lush production and a more central over-arching theme of “gangster-realism”, while also including more sensual tracks as well. He included bigger-named features, most notably a young Jhene Aiko, LA-native Dom Kennedy and underground legend MURS. However, it wasn’t until 2011 when K.Dot made major waves on the internet with his major debut mixtape Section.80. Fully honing his lyrical skill over more illustrious and well-sampled production, I was simply blown away. He truly embraced his more nasally delivery, however his technical skill was ridiculous. Lyrically he stood out over cuts such as “HiiiPoWer” and the ridiculous “Rigamortis”. There are bangers here and there as well, yet also had its fair share of more laidback, drugged-out cuts. However, topically he seems to go deeper and darker, referencing themes of racism in the system and medicinal tolerance. One can also make the claim of calling this a concept album, as he explores the stories of women who are going through hardship such as abandonment and the circumstances facing teen pregnancy. At this point, King Kendrick has really caught my attention, whist also being deemed “worthy” of carrying the torch for the west coast by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and The Game. Then he drops a song called “Swimming Pools”, a song that seemingly sounds like another drinking anthem, but is genius in the sense that it talks about alcoholism in a different perspective. Little did I know that this banger of a track came through in a bigger context within an album, as the 2012 release of good kid, M.A.A.D. city proved to be the epitome of the modern hip-hop storytelling album. Here, we follow the narrative of a young Kendrick Lamar, growing up in a very dangerous environment of South Central LA. Gang violence, racial profiling and even the dreary recollections of a woman really put us in his point of view, while flawlessly making every song act as one chapter of his life. However, each song acts as a great stand-alone track as itself, as bangers like “Backseat Freestyle” and “m.a.a.d. city” are one of the hardest beats I’ve heard Kendrick rap on to date. After a bit of a 3-year hiatus, we find ourselves with probably one of the most socially conscious albums, let alone hip-hop albums, that I’ve ever heard. To Pimp a Butterfly was packed with so many different layers upon layers of instrumentation that pulls from Parliament/ Funkadelic-esque soul-funk rock, gospel, jazz, spoken word, G-funk and boom-bap. Production by artists such as Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Flying Lotus, Knxwledge, Boi-1da and TDE affiliate Sounwave. yet, with all these genre-bending instrumentals, we get an album that comments on today’s current African American culture, racial inequalities, institutionalized discrimination and depression. The album honestly is hard to digest track by track, but once you dig deeper within the narrative of the LP as one cohesive project, it becomes apparent how well-crafted and thought-out this project was. I understand that a lot of people did not like this album due to this experimental and avant-garde approach, but what many of those people don’t understand is the scope of the album and magnitude of its message is. The instrumentation is beautiful, and the more aggressive “The Blacker the Berry” hits harder the more I listen to it. It was honestly perfect in my eyes, and I cannot see how Kendrick would ever be able to top this masterpiece.

But then again, I thought about it and realized that each album he’s ever released came with completely different narratives and themes. In a way, he reinvents himself every album in order to fulfill each respective albums’ content. good kid, m.a.a.d. city was an on-going narrative on his life growing up in Compton through several perspectives. To Pimp a Butterfly was an encompassing. cohesive work that gave us more insight with different perspectives on the current state of African American culture and racism in America. The theme on DAMN.? It’s a little... disjointed compared to his previous works. Not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s just something he hasn’t necessarily done on his past projects. In comparison to his last album (not including his unmastered. untitled. compilation), this album sonically sounds way more accessible and would appeal to more types of people across the board due to its more poppy, trappy-flavored and skeletal instrumentals. The features? U2 and Rihanna, along with a random feature from a Jeremih-esque singer and Kid Capri adlibs sprinkled throughout. There are random gunshots and reversals of tracks, giving me allusions of death and then resurrection? In addition to so much talk about death, we get a very wishy-washy Kendrick going off about various topics here and there, hence the slight incohesiveness, which isn’t necessarily bad. But here on this album, I can be the cause for some slight blunders and conflicting points of view which can be interpreted either way as intentional or not. The songs titles are also pretty vague and bold topics to be addressing topically, with tracks such as “GOD.”, “LOVE.” and “LOYALTY.” Of course, you can’t entirely break down such topics within a couples minutes on a conventional rap album, but it still was interesting the way he decided to proceed with what songs topically to include. 

The intro "BLOOD.” is interesting in the sense that it begins with Kendrick telling the story of encountering an old woman who seems to have lost something. The elderly woman then proceeds to shoot him with a gun, which then sents him into a strange spiraling out of reality which conveniently careens you towards the start of “DNA.” Probably one the hardest tracks on the entire project, we get a banger of a trap-flavored anthem about Kendrick lashing out against his haters and critics. Here, he explores aspects of black history and African American culture, topics in which are deeply rooted in his lyrics. The track also features a sample of the dialogue of Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera. Being criticized for his lyrics that openly disapprove of law enforcement, he lyrically roasts Rivera claiming how he was preaching hope and not adversity. I especially love how towards the middle-section of the track, the album decides to come through with the heaviest of bass that I’ve ever heard from a Kendrick Lamar song, which really reinforces his constant bar after bars regarding African royalty, a common tenet of Afrocentricism. “DNA.” is heavy song with fantastic delivery and lyrics all-around.

The next track in “YAH.” delivers a very stripped back and repetitive instrumental. Supposedly being referenced to God’s name in “Yahweh”, the song has very deep religious undertones. The hook showcases a very slurred delivery, similar to a “buzzing noise” whenever he repeats the song title, announcing his awareness of everything that’s happening around him.  With it, he continues on his tirade on Fox News, how he is labeled another generic rapper that detriments society due to the content of his music. he then throws Bible verses and allusions left and right, which may need some room for interpretation. A very lowkey and skeletal instrumental with a slurred delivery, the track isn’t one of my favorites but has a definite eeriness to it.

“ELEMENT.” happens to be one of my favorite songs on the album. I’m not sure if there’s a Big Lebowski reference in it, but I love the part of the chorus whenever he says he’ll “make it look sexy.” But essentially the track is a bunch of shit-talking and braggadocio, with clever lines left and right. He also delves into his personal life regarding his family and his upbringing, and how he basically went from the bottom to the top of the game within years. Surprisingly, James Blake had a share in the production, assisted by TDE’s Sounwave. The track is atmospheric and skeletal, yet upbeat and still hits hard with Kendrick’s unrelenting delivery. Definitely a noteworthy cut from the album.

From the heavy-hitting flows of “ELEMENT.”, we transition into a more depressing and lowkey cut off the LP which actually sounds like something I’d find Kanye singing on. Here, we get a very confused and depressed Kendrick, rapping about deception and abandonment. It’s quite apparent that beneath all that success and fame, there’s underlying feelings of toxicity that ultimately lead to suffering. Probably one of the more negative-sounding cuts off the tracklisting, he’s seen to definitely struggle emotionally and interpersonally. This is something we don’t normal get from him, which was interesting to see. 

It’s kind of crazy to think that the next track “LOYALTY.” was a flip of Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic”, reversing and slowing the hook of the track. A very poppy yet G-funk-inspired instrumental, pop icon Rihanna comes through with minimal backing vocals, but was able to contribute a pretty decent rap verse herself. The song is pretty straighforward, regarding loyalty in both platonic and romantic relationships. I thought the song was just run-of-the-mill for me, as he doesn’t too philosophically deep into the tracklisting, but the track still sounds great as a stand-alone single for the radio.

Next up, we get this constantly changing vocal inflection of a delivery on “PRIDE.” With help from The Internet’s Steve Lacy, we get these really melodic garage rock riffs, along with this thumping and groovy tempo. He also contributes to the hook, which has these really dreary and high-pitched harmonizing vocals by Anna Wise.  Here, we get more religious allusions, in which Kendrick delves more into his position in the rap game and how his recognition causes tensions between his own ideals and actions. Despite the sound being really lowkey and melodic, this track actually contrasts itself with the ever-sarcastic follow-up in “HUMBLE.” Taking a huge U-turn and doing the exact opposite of being modest, Kendrick drops bar after bar of obnoxious braggadocio , and urging his contemporaries (*coughs* Big Sean *coughs*) to “sit down” and “be humble”. Working into the context of the album, it doesn’t really add more meaning than it did initially as a single, but contrasts humorously with the previous track in the sense that each song evokes emotions the opposite of the established topic. 

Sexual intimacy and... well lust are dominating topics on the track “LUST.” He discusses not just sexual drive, but also things that we strive for that are for self-indulgence. Money, drugs, and fame are a couple things, hence the refrain for “water” to quench his thirst for such things. Again, the track is stripped back and minimal instrumentally, with his high-pitched vocals dominating the hook, which aren’t necessarily his forte. Not one of my favorites, but still an intriguing track. 

The next track “LOVE.” is absolute garbage. I don’t care for the Jeremih-esque vocals by Zacari, and the really annoying refrain by Kendrick with the “I wanna be with you!” just kills me every time. The only thing I like about the song is Kendrick’s flow, but again despite this, he comes through with underwhelming lyrics and a really lazy R&B-tinged inflection in his voice, similar to Drake’s rap-singing. The track is ethereal, atmospheric and really skeletal with looming synths in the background. Additionally, the track doesn’t elaborate much upon such a generically topical song.

“XXX.” came through with a U2 feature that actually went over well better than I expected, as I’m not a fan of Bono’s work other than Joshua Tree. I love how the track has these three segments where the beginning starts off with K.Dot delivering this sort of monotone flow over a skeletal trap-flavored instrumental, which then climaxes around the middle-section of the track where the heavy sub-bass kicks in that is accompanied by these blaring sirens that really fit well into the beat. The track then abruptly settles down into a momentary lull, in which Bono delivers some decent vocals. Kendrick then follows the hook with more bars about the current state of the United States, including gang violence, the recent Trump election and the hypocrisy of our nations leaders. 

“FEAR.” appears on the tracklisting as one of the longer tracks, sitting at a whopping 7 minutes. Here, there is an obvious allusion to the biblical scriptures, which heavily draws from the story of Job. Kendrick gives us a very paranoid point of view of being fearful of all the bad things that are happening to him and everyone around him, beckoning towards the mercy of God. This is the first time I’ve seen Kendrick act so unsure of himself and really draw from more religious themes in any part of his discography. There are vocal samples throughout, alluding to how the African Americans are the Israelites of the country. In my personal opinion, this is an interesting take, however I can see how it can draw away some fans from this album. The religious undertones are more apparent than you think, however this track really takes the cake in regards to directly addressing Kendrick’s suffering due to God’s will. Sonically the track sounds great, but the content of why Kendrick is so heavily in constant sorrow can be unsettling.

“GOD.” happens to be one of my least favorite tracks, in which he pulls from the trend of rappers who need to sing their own hooks on their tracks. He does okay for a majority of the singing until he attempts to croon then throws in these Kanye-inspired vocal snippets that sound Autotuned and strangely altered for the sake of sounding like Kanye. The track has a pretty generic trap-flavored, atmospheric instrumental. The track has a decent pair of verses in which he alludes to how rappers view themselves in very god-like figures. But the singing really kills it for me.

“DUCKWORTH.” closes out DAMN. with one hell of a standout. We have this soulful ballad sample in the beginning which then drops you into a beautifully-sampled vocal loop over these boom-bap drums. 9th Wonder does a fantastic job on the boards, giving a very jazzy and soul-inspired hip-hop beat, an aesthetic I wish Kendrick tried to opt towards more on this LP. The track has a couple beat-change-ups, which really make Kendrick’s bars pop even more with every transition with each topic. The track is simply a recollection of when his father almost got killed accidentally by a future musical contributor in his life, TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. The track then ends with another gun shot, which then reverses the track into the entire tracklisting and then drops us off back into the intro to the LP like some sort of freak time-machine accident, where we meet the same old woman Kendrick encounters in the beginning. 

It was honestly a huge challenge breaking down every aspect of this album. The more and more I listen to it, I get more and more addicted to trying to interpret every single moment. The gunshots, the track rewinds, the simplistic instrumentals, the constant biblical allusions... everything just seems to make this album more intricate than it actually sounds on first listen. DAMN. gives us a Kendrick we haven’t seen before: vulnerable, depressed, and yearning for forgiveness and mercy from a benevolent God. The song titles are extremely conceptual, yet most of the tracks don’t completely make a sufficient comment or complete central theme honed in upon the said title. “LOVE.” for example, gave very little in what it had to do with topically, yet songs like “PRIDE.” and “HUMBLE.” were clever in the way that their assumed meaning sarcastically flipped sonically upon each other with the former being more lowkey while the latter being more obnoxious. Kendrick delivers, however, a collective of tracks with one of his best rap flows yet, despite some vocal blunders on several tracks. The instrumentals were a little too dumbed down and accessible for my taste, as the lush and heavily sampled live instruments and influences spanning various genres on To Pimp a Butterfly really gave me a sense of maximalism in regards to instrumentation. This album has a more straight-forward sound, yet has very hard-to-interpret moments that keep many listeners still scratching their heads. Additionally, with the rumors of follow-up album NATION. being an upcoming release, DAMN. makes me also yearn for more material to satisfy all the questions that have arisen from listening. Not the best in Kendrick Lamar’s discography, but that doesn’t really anything wholly negative, as he’s released several of the most influential benchmarks in modern hip-hop today through his previous two albums. 

RATING: 7/10