#its even funnier that they have changed some of the song but not all of it

[hadrianblackwaters]

Everyone's talking about mclennon when Ringo's literally right there

The Beatles said "we let Ringo do one song a show and it's this one. Yeah, we support him.". True allies to the end.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Daddy-Daughter Podcast 2023

11 years ago, my kid's daycare surprised us by announcing that they were closing for Christmas break a day before everyone else, so I ended up with our then-four-year-old daughter, Poesy, at my office for the day.

After she got bored with coloring and playing with my office toys, I sat her down on my lap in front of my podcast mic and we recorded the greatest, all-singing episode of my podcast ever:

https://craphound.com/news/2012/12/21/happy-hols/

Thus began an annual tradition. Every year since – save one, when my mic was busted – we have recorded a podcast: I interview the kid about her favorite media, apps, books, and hobbies. Sometimes, she gives a tutorial. Then, we sing a song.

She's 15 now (!), and I still managed to drag her to the mic this weekend. We discussed her musical favorites, old (Ike and Tina singing "Proud Mary") and new (Dominic Fyke). We discuss high school, volunteering at the zoo, and the rigors of dance team. She teaches us how to drive. She runs down her favorite apps, and discusses her recent name change. And then, we sing!

https://craphound.com/news/2023/12/10/daddy-daughter-podcast-2023-edition/

This is the eleventh installment in this time-series snapshots of my kid, starting in London, then moving to LA, and every year I go back and listen to the previous recordings. It's not just a wonderful moment of nostalgia for me – it's also a powerful way to put everything into perspective. Anyone who's kept a journal (or a blog!) knows, the act of regular record-keeping, combined with regular revisiting of those records, turns the impressionistic jumble of memory into a clear picture of your life and its trajectory. We remember so poorly, but our treacherous minds fill in those omissions with whatever's going on right now, so if times are good now, we remember all times as good. If times are bad, everything seems bad.

The following year sees Poesy far more confident and even funnier – and excited about working at the zoo someday:

https://craphound.com/news/2013/12/23/christmastime-daddy-daughter-podcast-with-poesy/

At six, Poesy has learned a little French, and some naughty words for Jingle Bells (and she's got a lot more vocal control!):

https://craphound.com/news/2014/12/22/podcast-happy-xmas-guest-starring-poesy/

At seven, Poesy is living in Los Angeles and my mic is very busted, but Poesy knows all the words to Frosty and she's got the barrelhouse walkout nailed:

https://craphound.com/news/2015/12/25/podcast-happy-xmas-guest-starring-poesy-2/

We didn't manage to record the next year, so we catch up with Poesy at nine, with her English accent all but gone – but her memory for lyrics is better than ever (who knew there were so many choruses to "Deck the Halls?"). This is the first time I interviewed her, for an in-depth discussion of how to make slime (remember slime?):

https://craphound.com/news/2017/12/23/reviving-my-christmas-daddy-daughter-podcast-with-poesy/

At ten, Poesy is now watching online makeup tutorials and has lots of advice for you, and is super into squishies:

https://craphound.com/news/2018/12/24/christmas-podcast-with-poesy-2018-edition/

At eleven, Poesy's no longer willing to sing, but she has lots of information about riding horses. This is the first year that she's got her own music preferences, with half of them being contemporary artists like Billie Eilish and the other half being older acts like Queen. This is also the year that she got rid of all her old toys, books and clothes, because they were "not her style":

https://craphound.com/podcast/2019/12/20/my-annual-daddy-daughter-xmas-podcast-interview-with-an-11-year-old/

Twelve sees us podcasting from covid lockdown. No song this year, but she's playing video games (Among Us), thrifting (while double-masked), and she's just discovered Tiktok, along with Tiktok dances, and she's started to find cool music that I enjoy:

https://craphound.com/news/2020/12/11/daddy-daughter-podcast-2020-edition/

At thirteen, Poe's a high school freshman and the singing is back! She's big into Drag Race and Ru Paul. And high school sucks so hard that she'd rather go back to Zoom school. She's still riding horses, and she's fallen in love with a book for the first time in years: Animal Farm (but she hates the ending):

https://craphound.com/news/2021/12/23/daddy-daughter-podcast-2021-edition/

Last year, Poesy was fourteen, and my office had just flooded out in a freak rainstorm. Poesy has discovered her argumentative nature, and she loves hiking in nearby Angeles National Forest. She's getting into hiphop – Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Cyprus Hill – and South Park (also Fleetwood Mac!). We get a lot about Big Mouth, and a long discussion of her short fiction writing:

https://craphound.com/podcast/2022/12/12/daddy-daughter-podcast-2022-edition/

These annual time-capsules are just tremendous. I may not have had the discipline to do daily, time-lapse ready photo portraits, but this corny, silly yearly tradition is more than a way for my kid and me to spend a few minutes together just before Christmas – they're a way to connect to our past and think about the future to come. I can imagine doing these over Zoom when the kid's away at university in a couple years, though who knows if she'll stand for that.

Here's the podcast episode:

https://craphound.com/news/2023/12/10/daddy-daughter-podcast-2023-edition/

And here's a direct link to the MP3 (hosting courtesy of the Internet Archive – they'll host your stuff for free, forever):

https://archive.org/download/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_457/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_457_-_Daddy_Daughter_Podcast_2023_Edition.mp3

And here's the RSS feed for my podcast:

https://feeds.feedburner.com/doctorow_podcast

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/11/daddy-daughter-2023/#not-bye

[velvetjune]

List of unrelated Control (2019) things I noticed on my second playthrough:

Langston (highly likely) being behind the Tennyson Report that Trench was investigating: The report loudly criticized Trench and Darling for being “anti-esoteric” by pushing the FBC in the direction of science instead of faith. Langston’s comments that Darling gets away with his strange behavior because he’s charming, disliking but giving Trench some credit for even going with the Panopticon, mentioning how altered items need to be treated better with rituals and kindness.

Langston taking a traffic light altered item to a movie

The archives having Pandora’s box (aka Hiss in a mod box) along with two astral spikes. Why. I fought so much for that extra Darling video and Threshold Kids episode (it was worth it).

Trench, Darling, and Marshall’s inner circle and close relationship that destructed with the investigation into the Ordinary AWE and Dylan. All three of them being figures of the old Bureau Jesse wishes to change (Trench being secretive about the Hiss; Darling with Heston/Polaris; Marshall with the Foundation; All about Dylan). Wish the game hinted at their connection and past more. Maybe they’ll still be in contact through the hotline.

Underhill and Darling being old friends, maybe exes (?) who still care for each other. Honestly, I love the mild one-sided animosity from Underhill for Darling’s research getting more attention (that we know is because he was committing ethical violations with Trench) while clearly having fun hating on him and working at the FBC again. Even funnier that HR was looking into their possible relationship status.

Underhill dropping her career and life in England for mold. Iconic

The sheer difference between Underhill’s shocked and sad reaction to hearing of Darling’s death versus Pope not giving a shit (and saying she’s sure he’s happy as long as he can take in his surroundings). Love Emily

The amount of drama between coworkers and departments. I’m convinced working in HR at the Oldest House would single-handedly be the most stressful job there.

There’s no way the Blessed organization/Chester Bless won’t be a part of a future Control game

Spoilers for Alan Wake 1/2: The night springs manuscript pages reflecting what happened to Trench and Darling. Incredible. But it only feeds into my belief that Alan is great at writing fun, cheesy genre stories. He was made for writing over the top sci-fi or noir mysteries (or even musicals). Let him write a Goosebumps book

Spoilers for Alan Wake: The Vivid Dreams dead letter by Bowker being a reference to the Bright Falls AWE. Being in a lake and seeing shadows that whisper phrases.

Spoilers for Alan Wake: Zane’s shoebox from Alan Wake maybe being o.o.p. that was found in Ordinary, Maine, protecting its contents from the effects of the AWE. The mention back to Samantha Wells from the House of Dreams ARG where Wells communicated with Zane in her dreams. The shoebox effects could be replicated, but it mysteriously went missing in the FBC.

Spoilers for Max Payne 2: The Flamingo altered item on the TV being the same as the logo for the Address Unknown show in Max Payne 2 (…which was a parody of Twin Peaks,, and would later become the plot of Alan Wake 1 and 2)

Spoilers for Alan Wake 2 Final Draft: The HRA video with Darling quoting Space Oddity—“Commencing countdown, Major Tom” (same song at the end of Alan Wake). 665 Neighbor of the Beast for black rock quarry in Darling’s presentation and room 665 for Zane. The Darling music video at the Oceanview Jesse finds in her dream state possibly being filmed at the Dark Place’s Oceanview Hotel. No idea of these were all fun Remedy references to itself for laughs (665 is in Max Payne too), but it truly is incredible that it led to the Zane and Darling collaboration.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 15/05/2024

Mallstep‼️

Season 8 No Album Release (Read More)

Ripped by BluLuigi7

Can I just say: I am SO happy to see that Jay Eazy posting is still going so strong past January 7th? Like, we pretty firmly established back with Hella Pummel that venula is the champion of Jay Eazy posting, but we've had tons of other talented rippers take their own crack at it - there's circunflexo back with You Are Book Smart, of course, but also the focus of today's rip - BluLuigi7. After making the first-ever Jay Eazy Raft Ride with She Gon Make Me Ride On Her Raft Like I'm Link‼️, he's finally ready for the main stage with perhaps one of my favorite Jay Eazy rips to date - or, if nothing else, one of the most creative ones.

See, a lot of people still only really know Jay Eazy as the funny Mega Man rapper, and fair enough - it is a very funny video, and a lot of his music sounds rather...homogeneous, for lack of a better word. But there is a silver lining to his songs sounding so similar, in that rips like Mallstep‼️ are able to leverage different ones at the same time without it clashing. Indeed, Mega Man is only one part of the rip, the part that introduces the rip with the iconic "Yo bro, why are you doing that??" - but after the most iconic bars of said song drop, it changes seamlessly to using Respect Your Elders without missing a beat. And honestly, that's absolutely the right call for a song like Pigstep, I think Respect Your Elder's flow fits the track far better - but I love that Mega Man still gets incorporated AT THE SAME TIME as the former song, with it being used as a backing layer to the whole thing.

It's just a very clever rip all around, tons of small touches you'd otherwise find unneeded but just make the rip funnier in the long run - small uses of sound effects call to mind rips like Locked In The Underground except here done explicitly for comedic purposes, playing a sudden Nutshack sample when Jay Eazy says "nuts" or a reverb fart SFX far in the distance when the lyrics mention "shittin' on 'em". It's primarily a mashup at first, but with tons of these small additions throughout, little edits to how Respect Your Elders flows through Pigstep's ebb-and-flow lead melody, all of course culminating in a fully pitch shifted section at the rip's melody. The Jamminest Of All is a recent example of it, but these kinds of surprise pitch-shifting rips are always a favorite - it can be overbearing at times if done for an entire rip, yet it adds just enough variety when used as spice to an already fantastic rip like it is here.

The point is - a rip like Mallstep‼️ is at once very funny through its concept alone, but elevated even more through how prominently BluLuigi7's own character shines through it. It feels like a flex in the best ways possible, a big grab-bag of additional notes onto an already super-solid rip. The star of the show, fittingly enough, is the short little nod to Starboy near the rips end, which was the joke in one of the first-ever Pigstep rips on the channel in I'm a motherh*cking Starpig, a rip that's evidently still remembered fondly even four years later. I received a comment a while back noting that nobody loves SiIvaGunner as much as the team itself, and it's the stuff like what Mallstep‼️ pulls that keeps reminding me of that: the rips made by people like BluLuigi7 who just love having fun with their ideas althewhile paying small tributes to past rips on the channel. Hugely popular rips like Stickerbrush Queen are far from the only ones to get references like this, and it always makes me so happy to see, to be reminded that each individual ripper has their internal web of rips that means more to them than I've ever considere that they could.

Back to the rip as a whole, though - it just kind of bangs in that very particular Jay Eazy way. For as stupid as his music may be to some, it's difficult not to love with everything that the meme of his music has wrought. So much passion from the side of the internet that just loves to have fun spawned purely from a guy promoting his music in a bizarre way on TikTok, and Mallstep‼️ is just one of many examples - a rip that has fun with its concept, fun with the very channel its on, but most crucially of all exudes the fun energy of its very ripper in spades. To say that I'm happy that Jay Eazy is a reoccurring gag on the channel would be a grave understatement: I'm looking forward to just how many fun ways his music will be reinterpreted with next with far too much excitement, and thus far SiIvaGunner has not yet failed to deliver in regards to fresh ways to go about it.

[gritsandbrits]

Regarding Wish, I don't know why people seem to hate the movie since IMO it wasn't even that bad at all, if anything, it's actually a really cute movie.

While I do have small issues with it, it's mostly just the songs ( except 'This is the Thanks I Get' ) since I found them not having that 'Ohmmph!!' energy where people would love to sing and repeat the songs over and over again.

And just Amaya immediately getting over Magnifico so quickly, I'm not against her turning her back on him after he literally pointed his magic staff on her, I would've like it if it's a long process where, sure she'll fight for what is right, but by the end of the movie, needed more time to sort her feelings and get over him, slow yet natural.

Other than that, there's no issues in the movie that I have a problem with, Asha is a cute protagonist, and for some reason, people think of her as some evil young teenager when she's just simply, and politely ( might I add ), suggesting Magnifico to hand over the wishes if he couldn't grant a lot of the people's wishes ( even calling her own granfather's wish 'evil' or 'dangerous' is a stretch, given it's just him playing an instrument ).

The funny part is the movie gave them exactly what they wanted. They wanted to movie to fail and have a bad story and it did kinda, so now they're walking around with an inflated sense of superiority because they were right. But it's not enough, now they're celebrating by shitting on people who like it while also making up problems that weren't even in the movie, just to find a reason to drag it just that more. They can't even praise Nimona without having wish in their mouths which shows just how obsessive the hate train has gotten. And I love Nimona!!

And funnier still, in the off chance Wish get a spinoff or sequel that does improve on its faults, Twitter will still find a way to drag it down because to them, media can't change for the better, especially media they already hate, so they need to have come up with excuses to not give it a 2nd chance. It's like with the recent He Man cartoon. Revelation had a ton of issues that got better by the time Revolution came out, but some grifters still tried to bash on Revolution because they couldn't stomach the fact the show actually listened to the criticisms and fixed itself. It didn't give them to satisfaction of getting worse and it pisses them off.

I also noticed when raya or Asha show up in official art or tweets people get angry, but I'm over her saying, even Disney acknowledges characters from Cars 2 and chicken little and they had bad stories yet they not allowed to mention Asha and raya?

[thewertsearch]

Asks Comp - 16/4

I literally did not know The Baby Is You was a thing. To be welcomed back into the comic like this after four months is very on brand for Homestuck.

... and wow, its outro really does match the end of this song, doesn't it? That's even funnier than if he'd snuck some of Megalovania in there.

Ooh, that's another liveblog I'll want to check out when I'm done! I've never actually seen a Worm liveblog before. Adding it to the list myself!

Nothing's really changed since I've been gone! I make a conscious effort not to do much Homestuck analysis off-blog, since I want my journey to be fully documented here.

It's good to be back! I'm looking forward to a full reread when I'm done.

Would you believe I didn't even know there was a book?

I also didn't know the movie had two (allegedly) terrible sequels, which is very funny. Neverending story indeed.

Thank you! I can't take too much credit, though - most of my tagging system has been crowdsourced from askers!

At some point, before we reach the end of the comic, I'm going to have to formalize my approach to liveblogging Homestuck's side content.

What I'll probably do is give each of them the 'lite' treatment initially, but if they turn out to be more canonical than I thought, or particularly interesting to liveblog, I'll 'zoom in', and analyze them properly. We'll see how we go!

Could you imagine the relationship dynamics in your average troll soap opera? The shipping web for a single season would make our heads explode.

It's a fun question. What sort of object symbolizes everything?

The first thing I'd try would be a star chart, Dave's magnifier and a literal planetful of Grist.

Added to the list! Not until later later on, though - I'd worry that the opinions and theories of another liveblogger could interfere with my own, especially if they're talking about it with someone who's already read it!

I would find it hard to disagree.

Do people think Act 1 is pointless?

I mean, it is the slowest Act in terms of pacing, but slow pacing isn't always a bad thing. You sort of have to take it slow when your readers have this much to get to grips with.

...okay, maybe we didn't need quite as many Sylladex mishaps as we got. But we still needed some. Homestuck has a lot to introduce you to.

I always pictured an English accent for Hass - although, interestingly, I didn't picture one for Jade. As a headcanon, I like the NZ one better.

Where did Grandpa grow up again, actually? He was raised by Fake Mark Twain, who was from Missouri - but I don't have a clue what a Missouri accent sounds like, let alone one from a century ago. I have a funny feeling that it's not the accent I'm imagining coming from Jade.

Now that's a ship I'd never have seen coming. Props to Hussie for coming up with something more controversial than my Feferi<>Equius.

All four kids, with four endgame weapons, might be able to challenge Jack's current incarnation - but they're not going to get the chance. You've hit the nail on the head - he's semi-perfect Jack for a reason.

I have several theories for Jade's prototyping, and every single one of them would make Jack even more dangerous than before. It's just barely possible to challenge him now, but things will only get worse.

Read the room, Serket!

Would Vriska have tried to negotiate? She feels like the type of person who'd rather take a beating than admit they're outclassed. Plus, I'm not sure how much she'd have to offer Aradia, who seemed entirely motivated by revenge (and, possibly, secretly motivated by timeline stuff).

All that said, I would have loved to hear Vriska trying to worm her way out of this.

I love it! Please send in the completed house, if you get the chance. That's going to look so cool with a moving meteor.

And they're both easily distractible! This feels like two people who might actually get on surprisingly well, if they were in, say, the same high school class.

It's hard to say what's a rarepair, since I don't know what ships are rare in the fandom - although I'd have a few guesses about the most common ones.

If we're going for a ship with very tenuous connections, I will submit Rose x Feferi for your appraisal. They're both fans of the Noble Circle, and their signature colors are pretty close.

You know what, I'll just review all of your ships. Tavros/Gamzee - PB&J - is pretty cute. [] I'd recommend Miracle Child for a number of reasons, but it does include a well-written Gamtav. Jack/Droog is more <> to me than it is <3. Like One Sundered Star might be influencing that? I'm not really sure. Somewhere I think I saw a Jack<>Droog. Your pre-shipping chart post isn't in the chrono; also, I'm pretty sure the A6A6I5 ask is one of mine. Gamzee/Eridan is a rarepair; I've seen it, but not often, and it's a <> in the fic I'm referencing. Kanaya<>Terezi and Feferi<>Vriska are strange enough that I've never seen them anywhere, really. [] And finally, Vriska and Tavros. These two are the textbook example of why the ashen quadrant needs to exist, and they're a perfect pair for it. [] ~LOSS (8/1/23)

I don't even know if Carapacians have moirallegiance - but those two would definitely work if they did.

Out of all my ships you flagged as rare, I think my favorite is Feferi<>Vriska. I just think they'd gel weirdly well together!

[purple-scrunchie]

Who's the best Heather in the movie and who's the best in the musical? :3

Firstly, thanks for the question! I could talk about both these wonderful pieces of media for hours. (Sorry for the oncoming infodump lol, nobody irl wants to hear about this. The TLDRs are bolded if you don't wanna read the entire thing lol) Feel free to give your opinions too! To begin, let's talk about the movie.

Tl;DR: my favorite movie Heather is Heather Duke.

I love this movie with my whole being. The characters are so beautifully written and portrayed, and everybody is a three-dimensional human. While they all have strengths, each character is defined by their flaws. Since I adore them all, choosing a favorite Heather was very difficult.

Chandler is short lived, but oh so iconic. Her 30-ish minutes on screen were some of the most powerful. (I could literally quote almost all of her lines from memory lol) She's essential to kick the plot into motion, igniting Veonica's anger and setting JD off on his murder spree. Since she doesn't get as much screen time as Duke or McNamara, she's the least defined of all the Heathers. Most of what we learn about her is information shared or fabricated after her death. While this is unfortunate, it made her perfect for her role in the musical.

McNamara is a stunning example of a people pleaser relegated to the outskirts. She's certainly a Heather, but not as integral to their group dynamic as Chandler, Duke, or even Veronica. After Chandler's death, Duke often sidelines her the same way she was once sidelined. She suffers in silence the entire movie, leading up to the moment where she tries to end it all. Her story creates empathy with the audience and reminds us that these characters are all just teenagers. Duke, in my opinion, is the best of all three. She starts out as a crony living in Chandler's shadow, but changes the game and becomes so much more. In all the early scenes, she's getting belittled or shut up. She's shown to hate Chandler (rightfully so) and be looking for more in her life. In the croquet scene right before Chandler and Veronica head to Remington, her impossible trick shot sets off a bit of beautiful foreshadowing. The last person you'd ever think would stand up to the Head Bitch in Chief calculates her odds and siezes the prize. Her arc from sidekick to antagonist is one of the best I've ever seen. In my mind, it's on par with Zuko's redemption arc in Avatar.

***

In the musical, my answer is a little different.

Tl;Dr: my favorite Heather from the musical is Heather Chandler.

I love the musical adaptation almost as much as the movie. I recognize that it's meant to be more of a lighthearted nod to the original rather than a remake. Its simpler characters and impeccable comedic timing are certainly easier to write for, but it just doesn't quite hit as hard as the 1988 version (No shame to anybody who likes it more, to each their own!). Choosing my favorite Heather in the context of the musical was definitely easier since their characters are less complex.

Musical Duke isn't quite as terrifying as before. She's just a cruel, jealous ripoff Chandler. She really doesn't have any discernable personality besides being a bitch. While this transformation was a necessary evil, it was dissapointing nonetheless.

McNamara also doesn't really do anything, she's just a background comedic relief character with a few nice songs at the end. Her buildup just isn't there this time around. While I certainly appreciated her before watching the movie, I think you need to watch both to really understand her in the musical.

This leaves Chandler the most in-tact of the three Heathers. As I mentioned in the movie section, she was never meant to be entirely three dimensional. She's just as mean as she was in the movie, but this time even funnier. I love that they kept her around for the entire thing and did such a great job of preserving everything fans of the original love about her.

Anyways thanks again for the question! As mentioned earlier, I'd absolutely love to hear any different takes/ideas too!

[myjustice]

🌿🍒

it was something she never thought she would ever get to do. to see the fortress from within herself & see all of the people within it, some vaguely familiar given the many trials she had been present in. everybody was so hard at work here & being able to see just how much wriothesley changed things down here ... she found herself almost speechless. it was still a thorn 'pon her finger, he really never should have gotten sent down here but he had grown into a fine man, the fruits to his labor were evidence & proof enough. he was well respected down here.

as it was the holiday season, it seemed like even within the fortress the duke allowed some semblance of celebrations, it was easy to tell with some of the lights & choice of decorations. she was the one who presented the idea of her coming down here actually ... ideally without neuvillette knowing if only to spare him a headache was all. she wanted to perform for the people here, she wanted to sing for them. it was hardly anything, she was well aware, but it was a start. the majority took well to her presence, some didn't seem huge fans, which she hardly blamed them, & they probably kept to themselves because the duke was present the entire time.

when she took to the stage & sung her song for them, she beckoned that their hearts find it within themselves to forgive her. it was selfish, she knew, but when she sang she poured her heart into every word & vocal. she saw stars in their eyes, admiration, & awe, shades were all too familiar. the white dress she donned stuck out like a sore thumb here, but she had to look the part of course. even if she, as an individual, was not fully well received by everybody, her performance was. when she concluded her song, furina bowed to them & the applause was loud, echoed throughout meropide from both those who inhabited it & its guards. though the hearts of many she may not have down here, it was without question that while she was on the stage she did if only temporarily. it was fragile & sensitive, but she would find a way.

after her performance she mingled among them alongside the duke by the cafeteria. compliments & praises, those came in abundance, it came with her territory. some so happy to see her in person & some found it in them to share their woes with her & their concerns. throughout the entire night, furina listened & listened & listened, & she would remember everything, all of it. her heart ached for most, but she would remember & she would make sure to at some point bring this to attention to those above.

' you have done so much down here, wriothesley. ' it was admirable & even she knew it. everybody here had nothing but good things to say about him to her. her eyes wandered towards the crowd before them, some merely conversing whilst others engaged in some of the activities that were set up for them. this community of his ... she could only imagine how hard it must have been to get to this point. furina's eyes then wandered to the decorations if only out of her own curiosity, quite taken by how well they fit the fortress & it was in the wandering of her eyes that she noticed a certain ... festive ornamental plant hanging above their heads up high. was that always there? & it was upon realizing that single one that she also takes notice that there's actually quite a few hanging here & about down here. why does this almost feel like ... a setup of sorts? a trap for those unsuspecting even? & why does that sound so like the duke? now she wondered if he found entertainment or enjoyment out of playing some sort of cupid. she'd laugh, but she couldn't find that want to laugh even if the thought was rather humorous to her.

he seemed oblivious to the fact that he had fallen into one of his own traps as well & that only made it that much funnier to her. what prompted her following actions were many things, though mostly to play the hand that got dealt ... she felt a sense of gratitude & a need to display that for him.

furina reached for the duke's face, his cheeks cupped warmly by her gloved hands as she guided him downward to meet with her height halfway & pressed a soft lasting kiss upon his cheek, right underneath the scar under his eye. ' happy holidays your grace. ' she bid him a festive time as she pulled away & released him with a smile. ' thank you for giving so many people a second chance here. ' there was still so much about her people that she didn't know, so much that she was blind to, but over time she would see more, & on that journey she'll find a way to help. stepped down she had to, but she was not going to abandon them, divinity or not, she was not going to leave them.

... she hoped he wouldn't mind the lipstick stain, that was completely unintentional from her part.

mistletoe meme. / @vaultingfist

[thesinglesjukebox]

babyMINT - "Hellokittybalahcurri3 hellokitty美味しい"

We head into week two of Amnesty, and Crystal introduces us to Taiwanese reality TV...

[7.59]

Crystal Leww: Sixteen is now nearly nine years old and it finally feels like we've achieved peak competition show in Asian pop, with three of the big four labels in K-pop coming out with their own versions this last year and increasingly more depressing formats. It's unlikely that any group from NEXTGIRLZ will become the next TWICE (or even I.O.I... or even Kep1er...) but one of the joys of operating out of a smaller market in Taiwan is that it's possible to get wilder. It's possible that TPOP Entertainment and Wildfire Entertainment actually wanted a commercially viable group to debut but handing over control for babyMINT to producer AF resulted in something way funnier and something actually thrilling. "Hellokittybalahcurri3 hellokitty美味しい" is stuffed full of like twenty different ideas -- like after the endless debates of "what is hyperpop," AF said "fuck it, let's put them all into one song." This is like video game music, cheerleading music, meme music, regular pop music, idol music, rage music, and rave music all in one. Every moment in this is absolute nonsense (my favorite is the babytalk rapper in the 2nd (?) verse (?) imploring you to eat your green vegetables), a maximalist embrace that maybe nothing that is "good" matters, and yet, more than once this year, I have found myself singing along to "baby, please don't 放开手!" babyMINT makes me feel young again. [9]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: I broke down in tears when I first heard this song. The only way to explain my reaction is that it's similar to when you reflect on a relationship you have with someone you love, and how beautiful it is that you've come to understand who they are over many years and in many circumstances. They've remained inspiring, their presence indelible, and you know that there's still more you'll come to appreciate. This song is like that but with the past decade-plus of idol music. [10]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: One of those weird cases where getting too specific about any particular aspect of this would ruin the fun of experiencing "hellokittybalahcurri3 hellokitty美味しい" live for the first time -- it's the best time I've had listening to a pop song in... maybe ever? [9]

Will Adams: The first 90 seconds was some the most exhilarating music I've heard this year -- MAKE. IT. FASTER. -- and then it switched into some alternate universe Ariana Grande x Iggy Azalea song. They went back to the hyper-tempo, but by then the momentum was fully killed. [5]

Katherine St Asaph: I'm not sure what to make of this as a whole track, and I'm not sure I'm meant to. So, by parts: The part of this that sounds like the OST to Yoshi's Cookie

Michelle Myers: Judging idol pop as music, in isolation from its visual elements, will always feel a little wrong to me. The live stage of this track is a [10] for me. From the bored flossing that starts this performance to the headbanging chaos at the end, the choreo is even more delightful than the music supporting it. Listening to this on my headphones, I can't help but hear the seams between the disparate sections of this song. Linlin's rap, which feels deft on stage, sounds rushed and sloppy here. I'm nitpicking, but only because this song absolutely slaps. [9]

Rachel Saywitz: I could care less about the memeability of "hellokitty" -- it's too sincere to be a parody, and while I do find the earnestness preferable, the initial excitement I had for this ridiculously conceived track went away when I realized this wasn't a full-on girl group concept, but a costume of sorts as babyMINT attempts various musical styles to win a competition show, wherein supposedly, their official concept is still not self-determined. But I also think that performativity makes it possible to fully sink into the track's asinine lyrics and abrupt shift changes: these are girls playing a role, and doing so with a sprightly wink. There's no joke to be in on, just a part to play. [6]

Taylor Alatorre: Hmm... come to think of it, being in the beginning stages of a relationship is sort of like being initiated into a new and unfamiliar subculture, whether that be otaku maid cafés, retro arcade games, idol groups themselves, or... boba tea, I guess. Why has no one ever thought to put it like that before? Bonus point for the "ohmygah!" shout actually being transcribed as "omega," which adds a theological tinge to what must be the sweetest-sounding memento mori ever committed to record. [9]

Brad Shoup: A few years ago I wrote a career overview of Dave Matthews Band, because I do not back down from a challenge. In putting it together, I gained an appreciation for just how haunted their music is by death. Not loss, necessarily -- though that's a symptom -- but the sense that a lifespan is short, so eat, drink, etc. For them, it's a bittersweet realization, not something to rage against like some of their arena-filling elders. babyMINT spend more time on the eating and drinking, and I do appreciate them vocallzing a thought ("I will die, you will die") I've had about 10 to 20 times a day for the past three years. But it's cheap heat. [5]

Alfred Soto: This deejay set/Stars on 45 approach to tempos and modes is fun for all ages, as I demonstrated last night by keeping it in the background while my nieces opened gifts. [7]

Ian Mathers: Hmm. I might need to up the amount of shitposting I consume. [7]

Kayla Beardslee: You know some shit's about to go down when the girl groups hit you with "Are you ready for this?" and then introduce a silly-sounding phrase over deceptively chirpy synths. Brace yourself for brain melting; you didn't need those thoughts anyway. [8]

Micha Cavaseno: A manic sugar-rush of getting pranked, viciously blending periods of pop in a way that puts the "hyper" back in "hyperpop." I lost count of genre-jumps at a certain point, spotting at least five different songs where my review and consideration would be skewed only to get confronted with another one, so my sense of trying to provide an average based on any of these things is utterly overwhelmed. I'll never figure out which of them locked me on target and killed me at this rate. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: The first refrain is sped up. For what purpose I can't really ascertain. For one, unless you have good breath control, you can't keep and you might even fall off the rhythm, especially once it speeds up during the chorus. The pre chorus is as direct as one could be, with "I will die, you will die, baby/What a life, what a life/Why don't we just right now/Step out to the balcony and put everything aside? Never mind," ending with a reminder to not worry but to instead eat curry and drink boba instead. But the song completely splits apart, mixing up what it's supposed to be done with curry and boba until it shatters completely and comes to a stop. Guess I'll drink this curry? [7]

Dorian Sinclair: This fall, many reviews of Super Mario Bros. Wonder made the same basic point: there are multiple mechanical ideas in that game that could sustain an entire platformer on their own, but in the context of Wonder are picked up and cast aside within a single level. That kind of creative "wastefulness" is in some ways the ultimate flex -- you don't need to explore the full potential of every good idea you have, because there's always another one right around the corner. "hellokittybalahcurri3 hellokitty美味しい" has something similar going on: there are at least three killer melodic hooks, and that's without considering other standout elements (that guitar skitter! the rhythmic use of the title phrase!), any one of which could be developed into a whole other song. There's something thrilling about the speed and profligacy with which babyMINT chew through motifs here; I just hope they're holding some back for future releases. [8]

Michael Hong: babyMINT were fascinating on arrival: it wasn't just the stylized fashion of their name, or that they were under HIM International Music -- the company that formed Mandopop's only great girl group, S.H.E -- their debut stage saw five members, including former Cherry Bullet member LinLin (cannot think about this fucking group without thinking about Bora being villain edited on Queendom Puzzle -- compliment] -- singing in a mixture of Mandarin, English, and Spanish in a manner that was both prim and tipsy over a Brazilian funk beat. Tuning in weekly yielded more rewarding thrills: "R!ng R!ng R!ng" is cursed doll drum 'n' bass and their Jersey club remix of "Nobody Loves U :(" dials up the jejune silliness of Karencici's original. By this point, I was already all-in on babyMINT, a group helmed by a producer A.F who was weird as hell -- he donned the alias of DJ Banana Hammock for their "R!ng R!ng R!ng" performance and committed to the bit each week -- but had admittedly forgotten to check out "hellokittybalahcurri3 hellokitty美味しい" until two in the morning. I conked out with no recollection of the track -- it's pure sensory overload, impossible to retain any feeling on your first listen other than "Cool Japan!" and that this AF guy should seek help -- the only evidence that I heard it was a series of texts that said, "oh my god... the new babyMINT song is so... i'm crying they are so good. i'm obsessed." I've written about how all of it is primed for memeability -- how the "now, speed up" sets my heart aflame, how the final screams of "drink curry, eat boba" are one of the few things in music that could ever elicit a laugh from me, how LinLin is perfectly charming on her silly little nonsensical rap -- but the best part is that all of this is directed towards this lust for life. "I will die, you will die baby, what a life, what a life, why don't we seize the moment?" ponders Lyu Hsi-yan, what should be nihilistic transforming into something celebratory. "I want to stay cute everyday!" she cheers earlier in the track. The two lines work hand-in-hand, as if each searching for some form of optimism. It's an idol version of AF's song for some competition show and hearing them side-by-side is just proof that this guy knows exactly how to make music for idols. This week, I've been giggling to myself over the line "每天多吃一點蔬菜... 這才是我的菜," the latter part of which is just such an absolutely, unbelievably dumb pun. I play it in the car, to elicit groans, to cheer myself up. I catch myself muttering things from this damn song every day. babyMINT continued to offer surprises after this one. There's this disgusting way one member from the group CRIMZON sings her line "be my bae honey, I can be your bunny" (compliment) on "DAAAAAMMMN" (and the way it builds to some club breakdown just to go nowhere is so funny), "GrAb Me If U CaN" is the last shred of hyperpop I'll ever need to hear, "Ocean Bomb" is a delightfully cute post-NewJeans two-step number until LinLin raps about "Spongebob on her back," and grand finale "2023: BBMeme Odyssey" is so delightfully weird and stupid and fun that it sent me into hysterics on first watch (please just click on the video and watch it, I don't know how to describe what happens here; also Crystal asked me if they cut the one girl's hair just so she could be the prince and it makes me laugh every time I watch this fucking performance). They're the Mandopop artist who define the year, a group who were exactly as game as they needed to be to their producer's weirdest antics, who knew exactly how weird to be to be memeable without playing themselves down. [10]

Iain Mew: When I think of the most successful several-songs-in-one hits ("Biology", "I Got a Boy"), I think of density of hooks and dizzying switches in style. I also think of how they have one melodic hook sweet enough to be first among equals, a unifying glow cast by those highs with "The way that we walk/The way that we talk..." and "I got a boy meotjin/I got a boy chakan". Babymint take things further in the stylistic clashes, with some aggressive bosh and forceful rapping, not to mention ending in pretty much the same full-on fashion as The Knife's "Full of Fire." They do have a hook of more than equivalent sweetness, the "I will never let you go" section like "Super Shy" minus the shyness. That can't take on the same role for the song though, because there just isn't room to, not with the title section drilled in so hard before it even gets that far. So they play a very different game, seeding that phrase throughout but making it fit in with every different section anew. It's audacious enough to make for a spectacular first listen, which makes sense in the context that it's made for performance, and that they are not stars at the top of their game but a new group trying to grab attention. It works better than I expected for further listens because there's a thematic trick to match the musical one. They say up front that they're going to teach us a secret, and so it follows us through however far we go, presented like a universal cheat code. Everything dies, but babyMINT have taken these words and scattered them in time and space and maybe they will lead us through. [7]

[Read and comment on The Singles Jukebox ]

[starswallowingsea]

tell me about ummm. uhh. ibara

okay

mr sneaky snake himself coming to my grandma's house asking where i am /j

the first thing i think of when i think about ibara is how he seems to be a planner but has like. no plans for when they go awry which seems to be happening a lot especially in !! era (i have not read a lot of stories with him in ! era so i will not comment on that here). like rinne doing his whole thing in the main story with drawing all the ire towards himself and trying to let the rest of crazy:b go on their own, himeru rejecting the song in ariadne despite being offered it and a way to perform it without suspicion, nagisa's whole thing in the !! era (bogie time, conquest, and secret service all involve nagisa taking his own action away from ibara and thus throwing his plans off every single time). i think ibara should also take some improv acting classes so that he can get a little more comfortable with spontaneity because up til this point he's like. he's had this regimented life with the military school and then with regular idol boy school and keeping order and schedules. he makes a very good vice president because he can (generally) see through others' plans and plan around them but he's not very good at thinking on the spot.

i have almost no screenshots of ibara but its okay i'm insane enough about this game to just remember these things you can trust me /half joking. anyway the fact that frontline watchdogs exists and he just. cannot handle taking care of bloody mary or even call her by her name at the start of it. my man needs a fucking break and fr needs to embrace the spontaneity that eve does. there is a time and place for order but he just needs to learn to let go sometimes and i do think he is working on that and being able to stay calm when plans go awry and think on the spot will only help him develop. but it is funnier when he's forced to do some variety show because nagisa wanted to. shout out to bogie time my friend bogie time. bogie time really was good for him in being able to let loose in a safe environment and get more comfortable with thinking in the moment rather than pre-planning everything. a little change can be good ibanyan.

i do also think its very funny and cute that he kept the nicknames from bogie time for hajime and himself. the way he just told gatekeeper to stay away from jimenyan in the satellite prologue and hajime hadn't even used his nickname. its a nice touch that he still holds onto something silly like that. even ibara who has constructed a very careful image of himself has this one single silly habit of calling his (unexpected!!) friend a cat nickname from one show they did together.

[bearpillowmonster]

Star Wars: Visions S2

Instead of doing awards, I'll just do thoughts.

The Sith - It's up and down for me because I really like the aesthetic and it looks gorgeous at times almost like spiderverse but also very corrupted, like I get why everything's a canvas and how the colors change depending on what's happening but I actually wasn't sure if it was supposed to look like that at first, it looked corrupted or glitched and I had to look up some more footage to make sure. Weird.

Screecher's Reach - I feel like there's a trend with these shorts where there's a potential Jedi, a Sith shows up, they defeat it, the end. Like, I get that you're pressed for time but I've thought of all kinds of diverse shorts in general. Here's one right now, have someone scarred by a lightsaber keep one in their drawer, scared of the thing. They challenge themselves more and more to look at this thing, to touch it, to even go as far as to grab it but nothing more, we never see any colors. Then there's a disaster (house crumbles on the pet Massiff or something) and they have to use the lightsaber to cut them out of the rubble. They begin to learn new ways and uses for it. Cutting crops, starting a fire, etc. Really push the limit of what a lightsaber can be used for and how it reacts in certain situations. Anyways, as for Screecher's Reach, the style is unique and it's an interesting ending but nothing beyond that, just like half a prologue. Don't just bank on a twist or sequel, give me flavor.

In the Stars - Easily the best one so far, and I do mean that for both seasons. Other than Tales of the Jedi, this is the best thing I've seen in Star Wars in a while. The claymation, the hieroglyphics and the tribal-like setting, the characters, the plot, the scenery, it all just works. Give me this. I'll be surprised if anything surpasses it in this season.

I Am Your Mother - Play on the- I don't have to explain it but it sounds cool already. Not sure how they could top the last one though. It was good though, another claymation with british humor AND IS THAT AARDMAN?! FINALLY! It'd be a lot funnier if the mom was evil though and that's why the daughter is embarrassed. (Creates mini Death star) "Mom!" "I can't help it honey, it's how I was raised."

Journey to the Dark Head - Film level. Wow. Had to shut everything else out after this one so it could consume my thoughts. And people were disappointed with this??

The Spy Dancer - That sounds...really cool actually but eh. I see that they followed tradition in a way, a lot closer to something you'd see in S1 but I imagine it better as a Clone Wars episode where they're watching the opera (like in ROTS) and the performers use that to extract information whereas in this one, the actual spy part was a failed attempt because we didn't get to see what would've happened with that, we can only imagine. Fight dancing is cool and all but I just think it could've been delivered better.

The Bandits of Golak - 3D, fancy shaders, could've been about anything. Might've had a more interesting dynamic should he have resented her for her powers, idk.

The Pit - Sarlacc? No, a dark little oppression short. I'm not too sure what to think about this one, definitely interesting. The whole chanting thing was a bit cheesy though.

Aau's Song - Big finale. What'd they save for last? The Halo theme is magical, I'll tell you what. I'm interested in these creatures, I want to see more of them in the Star Wars universe, perhaps even Aau herself but the plot remains an AU. Its a strong premise, though different from Star Wars lore, it makes sense that the kybers would have a voice since they "scream" at ignition and its implied that being in its raw form can cause damage as well, making the saber the tool that grants it a voice and manipulates it. I always love the exploration of kybers in general from quests to get them in TCW and Fallen Order to having them be a part of Jedi Knight II in weird, unconventional ways. And the styling of this short is neat, they have set models for everything, just change the eyes and switch out the heads sparingly to accommodate the mouths and such. It reminds me of something you'd see out of Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio.

[thealmightyemprex]

FAvorite Movie Ramble:The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad

Lets get into animation by looking at a childhood favorite of mine ,The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad

This 1949 film was the last of Disney's package films of the 40's (And in my oppinion the best ) ,telling two stories ,The Wind In the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Wind In the Willows tells the tale of J Thaddeus Toad (Eric Blore) a thrill seeking and fad loving rich amphibian who gets into trouble with the law when he is framed for stealing a motor car

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the tale of Ichabod Crane(Bing Crosby/Pinto Colvig) a schoolmaster who seeks to woo heiress Katrina and incurring the wrath of Brom Bones (Also Bing Crosby) ....Until one Halloween night where the Schoolmaster meets a certain specter...

So OK,on paper this is a weird mix of stories :One is a anthromorphic animal tale and the other is a ghost story .We also have celeb narrators (Yeah that was a thing in the 40's Package films,theyd get a big name to narrate or sing some songs) and even the pair chosen are kind of odd on paper :To narrate a light hearted animal story we have....Basil Rathbone known at this point for either being Sherlock Holmes or being a go to movie bad guy fighting Robin Hood,Romeo and Zorro .To narrate our spooky ghost story we have....famous singer Bing Crosby ,who is not who I associate with spooky .This sounds bizarre......But there is a connection ,a small one but it makes the film work for me : these are both works of literature, one from the UK (Wind in the Willows) and one from the US (Legend of Sleepy Hollow) ,so the wraparounds are in this mysterious library,giving the film a very calm atmosphere,with a touch os spooky cause we dont see either Basil or Bing . The narrators are actually very brillaint choices ,for the English tale we have a respected and beloved British actor in Basil Rathbone ,and for the American tale you get American superstar Bing Crosby .I'm a big fan of Rathbone,and it is a delight to be whimsical for once instead of sinister ,and he does the dry wit very well.Crosby's narration is phenomenal ,he gives it this very chill vibe ,and I feel really captures that old school Americana feel

So lets start with Wind In the Willows ,which is a fun comic romp .I due find this segment charming and underrated ,though I do prefer other tellings of this story(My favorite being the stage musical and I have a soft spot for the Rankin Bass version),and I do find the changes to the tale kind of conflicting. See the story follows Mole and Ratty while Toad is more of an agent of chaos ,but in this movie Mole and Ratty are just side characters and gives the spotlight to Toad......But I get why cause Toads a fun character .I also get why the story makes Toad more heroic,with him being tricked into giving Toad Hall to the villainous weasals and framed for the motor car theft.On one hand I think it is much funnier when he just steals the car ,but on the other it is more thematically satisfying for Toad to prove his innocence and take down some baddies then just shooing away some random weasals who randomly moved in .The only change I puresly dont like is the central villain Winky cause despite a fun design ....He doesnt really do much to show off his character .Other then that I really like this segment .I think Toad is played marvelously by Eric Blore ,I like the new character Cyril the horse who is even more hilarious with some of the funniest moments in the segment(PRobabbly my favorite Disney character played by J Pat O Malley ) ,and the battle for the deed in Toad Hall is a very fun set piece

But the best part of the film is really the Sleepy Hollow segment,which is almost a silent film,it is all told through song and narration.All of Ichabod and Broms singing is provided by Bing Crosby , though Pinto Colvig provides the laughter and screams of Ichabod .So with not much dialogue this one is a real animation showcase ,especially on Ichabod.I also like that its not cut and dry ,Brom despite being the model for Gaston in Beauty in the Beast and a prankster,is specifically pointed out not to be malicious and seems to genuinely be into Katrina ,Katrina has a manipulative side and Ichabod welll he is full of vice,one of the reasons he wants to woo Katrina is for her fortune ,but honestly I love that they have nuance.EVen though Ichabod has his jerkish qualities,I still like him ,you genuinely feel for him when he is scared.There also a lot of great comedy business .....But thats not what ya'll wanna hear about...So lets just cut to the chase....Litterally

The best part of the movie....Is the finale,where ol Ichabod after hearing a scary story on Halloween goes to ride in the woods.....And meets the Headless Horseman .....The Horseman was the scariest Disney villain to me as a kid. His shadowy figure ,the way he just relentlessly swings at Ichabod .....But most of all his DEMONIC laughter provided by Billy Bletcher AKA Peg Leg Pete (Best evil laugh ever by the way ) ,he just scared the hell out of me and even now I find him intimidating .The whole chase scene is amazing ,it is one of my favorite climaxes in all of Disney while still being very scary and I like the ambiguous /almsot dark note it ends on

(Also spoiler,my personal reading is that while in the original tale it is Brom disguised as the Horseman....In the film I genuinely believe the Horseman is a supernatural entity .Also in both story and film,I think the Horseman killed Ichabod )

Now lets get to the songs which are a staple of Disney .Gonna rank them

4.KAtrina:Its good just the one thats the one thats the least memorable to me

3.Ichabod:I actually love this one with everyone reacting to this weird guy ,gives me Belle from Beauty and the Beast vibes but more 40's

2.MerrilyOn Our Way to Nowhere:UNDERRATED ,I love this energetic song between Toad and Cyril as they wreak havoc through the countryside

1.Headless Horseman:This is one of my favorite Disney songs period and a must listen too during Halloween ,and I love Bing Crosby's performance in it

Overall this is a delightful watch ,highly reccomended

@ariel-seagull-wings @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @amalthea9 @angelixgutz @princesssarisa @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland

[standingonnewgrounds]

Since ‘Friday Night Funkin’’ headcanons on Ao3 is set to be demolished, how about I repost some of its ‘chapters’ here with some few format changes?

Actually, it’s more like recreating those chapters from scratch.

Let’s begin with Hank.

…

Name: Hank J. Wimbleton

Species: Crossling (headcanon name for grunts), second generation

Age: 21 (post RfM), mentally around his 40s

Pronouns: He/They (demiman? Non-binary?)

Height: 3'6 (grunt/crossling form), 6'2 (if transformed into a human)

Sexuality: Asexual and aromantic

Birthday: September 22

Headcanons

As he is born without a handler (basically a crossling equivalent of a parent), he didn’t learn manners, and is pretty blunt on his words and insults.

As a result, he can be brutally honest, and doesn’t like to lie.

Acts like a grumpy middle-aged man. He’s 21.

Then again, all crosslings are born as adults.

Hank never learned how to cook before and during the events of this version of Madness Combat.

Well, that is if you don’t count him ‘cooking’ instant noodles. It’s pretty decent.

Likes to blend things on a blender to a pulp. Even things that were never meant to be blended into a pulp.

The reason for that is because ever since he had his jaw ripped off and replaced with a metal one, he can’t eat hard foods lest his jaw hurts. Soft food and liquids (like soup and smoothies) are the only things he could consume anymore.

His favorite food (and probably the exception to the soft food only rule) is hotdogs.

Also thanks to the metal jaw, he can’t speak certain sounds.

Then again, he doesn’t talk much. If he can, he tries to use body language to communicate.

He’s learning sign language, though.

Touching the halo on episode 9 (events differ in this AU but it still applies otherwise) not only gave him the power to defeat the Auditor, but also gave him telepathy.

Hank is a visual learner. He watches someone do things, and chances are, he would learn something from it.

“The J stands for Motherfucker” is a rumor that has been spread around Nevada. He doesn’t confirm it, but he doesn’t deny it either.

It’s actually “Jolly,” by the way. It’s funnier that way.

Probably autistic.

Definitely has C-PTSD thanks to the events of Madness Combat.

Warning: denial, depression, suicide mention, and some other stuff. This gets pretty dark, and I thought that was only reserved for the consequences section of things!

His denial of things and the surrounding stigma against him probably made him think that he is just a machine made for killing and obeying orders, and nothing else.

He successfully convinced himself that he does not care for anything and anyone when that is not the case.

He tells himself he doesn’t care about anything except for killing, even though the truth is that he does care.

Which led to… well, betraying Sanford and Deimos, even though his inner self is yelling at him to not do it.

But… truth is, he hates that he is nothing but a machine. He figured that he should die once and for all and make sure he won’t be revived again.

And so, he wanted to destroy the world to end his—and everyone’s—suffering.

Consequences

Basically, things that are not headcanons, but rather, information about the SoNG AU version of the character. It is named as such because these facts are the results of me using my Friday Night Funkin’ headcanons to create this world.

If you have seen Madness.exe/988, you know how that turned out, but we aren’t talking about that.

After that, he has somewhat changed to the point where he starts to accept that he cares for people.

He is still suicidal, but it’s a good thing that the Status Quo is on suicide watch duty as a secondary mission.

And then a young Boyfriend pops up. He was given a mission to protect him and make sure he goes home.

The experience made him a bit more humble and caring, to the point where he can consider the little human as a friend.

Frankly, he missed the little human when he finally came home.

To be honest, I’m not sure if the events of Hank’s week is going to be canon. Then again, I don’t know what it’s about, but it’s likely that it has something to do with DD hiring him to kill Boyfriend after Pico refused to do so.

But here’s the thing: after everything, Hank decided to stop killing once and for all.

Anyways…

Very curious about the world outside of Nevada.

Mesmerized about everything that was rare—or don’t even exist—in Nevada, but common in the outside world, like colors.

Favorite color is sky blue, mostly because of the color of the sky in daytime.

Doesn’t tolerate racism against their species, mostly because he feels guilty for giving them a bad reputation and the negative stereotypes of being either incompetent or violent.

“Yeah, us crosslings are territorial creatures, but that doesn’t mean we can’t coexist in peace!”

[m39]

Doom WADs’ Roulette: Revenant Awards 2007

300 REVENANTS AND THE WORLD ENDING PHOENIX – REVENANT AWARDS 2007 EDITION

And so, we once again reached the end of another roster of Doom WADs. And despite personal stuff making me change my breaks between each WAD to not experience burnout (and having more time to play other stuff that is not Doom-related), I would say that this roster was rather good.

Like with the 2006 roster, this ceremony will have three main events for the lack of better words; but instead of the Golden Spider award, it’s Pug-of-Pink one.

Without wasting any more time, let’s look at the first category.

SOLE SURVIVOR – BEST ONE-MAP WAD OF THE YEAR

Here, choosing the winner for the category was closer to being easy rather than hard, even though I feel like the maps here are good at best. The most disappointing map from 2007 was definitely The Dying End; the fact that it is a galore of almost every cheap, difficulty bump on a map based on the original MAP29 is already bad enough, but knowing that it was made by Christopher Lutz, who’s WADs from 2002 and 2003 I really enjoyed, hurts even more.

And as for the other two maps, Songs of the Damned and Outer Darkness, these two can be fun to play, but they don’t really stick out from the other standalone maps I’ve played before. And since one of them needs to win, I say Songs of the Damned wins the award, due to being a Doom II WAD unlike the other map (that is a Doom I WAD) and having no hitscanners on it; and for a Doom WAD/map, that’s very rare.

PUG-OF-PINK – BEST 2-7 MAPS LONG WAD OF THE YEAR

Finding a winner for this award was easier than I thought since one WAD decimated the other three. My memories of both Demons of Problematique and Genesis of Descent are rather muddy at this point but I think these WADs were rather good to play through. As for Sine Die… that was just okayish; still, I would rather play something else.

At this point, it shouldn’t be surprising that Epic wins the award for this category. It might be unpolished in some places but the fact that one of the Eternal’s earlier WADs managed to outclass the other WADs is an achievement on its own. Play this WAD. You won’t be disappointed.

OFF THE WALL – BEST PARTIAL/TOTAL CONVERSION OF THE YEAR

All of these WADs are related due to many enemies from the Monster Resource WAD being used in each of these.

Starting with Knee-Deep in ZDoom, it was a WAD (that I personally think is rather good) filled with useless and/or questionable ideas that it became a joke among the community (I guess); a WAD tarnished by the ambition of the team behind it. I could say the same thing about Ultimate Torment and Torture, with the difference of it being more of a solo project and with pretentious cutscenes.

And so we are left with the winner of this category: Cheogsh. It’s not a perfect map; the catacombs section is horrible and the cutscenes with marine ghost go on, and on, but aside from these, this map is incredible. It’s like something finally snapped in place and didn’t go overboard with ambitiousness. Play this map too; you won’t be disappointed.

OTHER AWARDS

And now for the WADs that won an award by default.

The Platinum Revenant award (10-19 maps) goes to It Only Gets Worse. I completely forget/don’t know what to think about this WAD aside from being funnier than the Mockaward winner from 2006.

The Full Deck of Diamonds award (30-32 maps) goes to Community Chest 3. But don’t have high hopes for this compilation, people. It might have better quality control than CC2 and is less of a mixed bag due to that, but it’s not as memorable as its predecessor.

And the Big Fucking WAD award (at least 33 maps) goes to Wonderful Doom. A perfect choice for someone who wants to replay Ultimate Doom but slightly different; with all of the pros and cons that the original game has.

CONCLUSION

And that’s all for the 2007 roster of Doom WADs. There are still two things related to that year, but I’ll take care of them in the near future. For now…

sigh

I have 007 WAD’s locations to take pictures of. But at least I won’t force myself to play through all of this filth.

Speaking of filth, thank you all for reading, and I’ll see you next time.

Bye!

[cascada-showers]

How LED Shower-Heads Can Modernize Your Bath

Modern science is supplying the fundamental juice to the lavish people to be more luxurious than ever. LED shower heads are such an invention. It is a modern innovation that can significantly enhance your bathing experience by adding a touch of luxury, fun, and functionality. You can regulate the shower heads LED, its dancing quality, color playing, illuminating strength, and more. You can also get dream color by removing controller devices. This LED shower is designed with a thermostatic feature to warm up water as per your needs.

Here is how LED shower heads modernize your bath:

Visual Appeal

LED shower heads are equipped with built-in LED lights that can emit various colors. It dances with its specific rhythm to make your bath funnier and more enjoyable. These lights can create an aesthetically pleasing and relaxing atmosphere in your bathroom. The colors can change gradually or according to a pattern previously programmed. Adding a unique aesthetic component to your shower routine, this shower head transforms yours into a place of fun in the bathroom.

Mood Enhancement

LED lights are bright and colorful. When the lights of various colors play in front of you, it has a psychological impact on your mood. Warm and vibrant color is preferable to everybody, from the young to the aged ones. If you get such a colorful start to the day, you will surely hum a lovely refreshing song and your mood will be refreshed. Morning shows the day! So, your bathroom will make your mood refreshed to go ahead of the day.

For example, warm colors like orange and red can create a relaxing ambiance, while cool colors like green and blue can evoke a sense of calmness and tranquility. This can help you unwind and de-stress after a long day.

Therapeutic Benefits

Apart from getting a refreshed mood, you can also get warm water from thermostatic shower heads. You can get instant hot, cold water, or normal water. It has a powerful impact on health. Warm water helps increase blood circulation in the body and reduce the pain. Besides, you can also get other features from these shower heads.

Water Temperature Indication

Modern LED shower heads may change color, based on the water temperature. This can help avoid unexpectedly cold or hot water flow from the shower. However, a thermostatic temperature management shower can give you ultimate efficiency by making your bathing water instantly warm. You can add a color-changing light indication to determine the present temperature of the water. e

Enhance your fun

Turn on The Fun in Your Shower. Just by the Thermostatic Shower Head with 4 Functions: Electronic LED Rain Shower, Rainfall mode, Rain Curtain mode, SPA Misting mode, Massage and mix. Therefore, you will get ultimate refreshment and fun juxtaposed when you install these modern showerheads with LEDs.

Energy Efficiency Lighting System

LED lights are known for their energy efficiency. They consume the least electricity and even run on DC power. This means you can enjoy the visual effects of the LED lights without significantly impacting your energy bills.

LED lights with an in-built sound system

An in-built sound system with Bluetooth connection has been launched in the premium segment of shower heads. By connecting with your mobile phone, you can play the songs you like most. During the bathing of your little ones, you can play enjoyable songs that they like most. Shower heads with LED and sound systems will make your bath more enjoyable. Your bathing experience will be utterly unique and lavish.

Entertainment for Children

LED shower heads can make bath time more fun for kids. The color-changing LEDs can capture their attention and give them an exciting experience. This might even inspire them to look forward to bath time. After all, some kids do not want to bathe. They will always be willing to have funny baths.

Easy Installation

LED shower heads are easy to install. You can easily install it by replacing your existing shower head. However, you have to follow some specific rules for turning off the previous plumbing pipe. This means you can upgrade your bathroom without asking for a plumber to remodel it. Still, you should ask for the plumbers’ support so that they can finish the job professionally and flawlessly.

Customization

Some LED shower heads allow you to choose the color settings or patterns as per your preference. You can change the mode of color from the remote controller device provided with it. This customization option lets you customize the lighting to match your mood and preference or bathroom decor.

The most important benefit of LED shower heads is that you can enjoy any color you like during the bath. With personalized customization, you can create your bathroom as a room for refreshment and enjoyment. The instant water heating system and sound system make the person in the bath glee and jovial. If you are interested in adding a touch of modernization and luxury to your bathroom routine, an LED shower head could be a great boon for you. Contact Cascade Showers and choose the model you like from the premium shower heads with hose.

[the-cat-chat]

September 17, 2022

Constantine (2005)

A chain-smoking, world-weary demon hunter helps a cop investigate her sister's death, plunging them into a plot involving the forces of heaven and hell.

JayBell: After watching the Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman and seeing Jenna’s Coleman’s version of Constantine, I figured it was time to check out this Keanu Reeves angsty gem.

I loved the world building in the movie. They managed to create an environment with its own rules and creatures in a pretty limited amount of time. And no matter what Anzie says, the special effects weren’t actually that bad. Technically, I also liked the way it was shot, the cinematography, the lighting, and the framing. It added to the atmosphere and tone of the movie overall.

The actors all did a great job in their roles. Keanu Reeves managed to showcase his character’s personal journey throughout the movie effectively. His character wasn’t too much of an asshole in the beginning of the movie, so he remained likable, yet still managed to change for the better in the end. It was funnier than I predicted a dark and dreary movie like this to be, which was a fun surprise.

On the other hand, I felt like the stick or spear of destiny or whatever it was called could have been included into the movie in a better or more inclusive way. It felt like a forgettable side point until it became relevant. And as much as I appreciate baby Shia LaBeouf’s performance, his character felt largely irrelevant and unnecessary. The movie would have been fine without his small comedic bits, and his character’s story arc felt like an easy way to get an emotional response from the viewer. If his character had more of an impact throughout the story, instead of just briefly in the beginning and end, then I would feel differently.

Rating: 7/10 cats 🐈

Anzie: I’ve always wanted to see this, but the fear of early 2000s cringe always made me think ehhh maybe some day but not now, and honestly- it may or not have been Something Corporate’s almost 9 minutes long, even older song from 2000, “Konstantine,” that for some unknowable reason wormed it’s way out of the deep holes of my Swiss cheese brain and convinced me that this weekend was the time to watch Keanu Reeves in all his glory smoke cigarettes and kill demons (yes that was a sentence, yes that’s how my brain operates).

And I thinkkk this was the PERFECT!!! movie to to kick off spooky season. It not too scary, but kinda funny just a bit- and although it’s two hours long it is totally bearable. And they better hurry up with the sequel.

The plot and story is really engrossing, and all the actors are great and well cast too- and they all really do well with creating the vibe for this movie, which makes up for the super funky early 2000s CGI. Small issue with the plot was the feeling that the main plot about the blade of destiny felt kinda unrelated and was forgettable while watching the other side of the plot, even though the two plots are actually one? But for being such an elaborate idea it feels like they did get the main point across best the could in 2 hours.

Soooo many actors are in this that I had no clue because I was blinded by Keanu Reeves’ presence. Most notably baby Shia Lebeouf, who was totally unbelievable driving that car, and the Narnia Witch. And we love a good cat cameo. My only complaint is Lucifer needs to chill it with the weirdness bc it was a lot and not in a good way, like yeah you’re the devil sure be a freak- just not like that.

Rating: 5.8/10 demons 👹