#its so nuts finally getting to see all these iconic scenes like

[moist-von-lipwig]

anyway sorry for abruptly becoming a supernatural blog again in the year of our lord 2022, but back in... whenever it was, 2012 probably?? I only watched Season 1-5 cos that's all I had the DVDs for, and so I'm now watching the whooooole thing with my friend so I'm just losing it a bit. my 16 year old self is living vicariously through me rn 😭

[zozophoenixxx]

Serotonin Booster :D 🐉

How to train your dragon edition

Here are some things I had forgotten or little details I just noticed on my rewatch, maybe even Unpopular Opinions 🤭👀

✨Race to the Edge ✨

SEASON 4

Tuffnut choked on a stun dart- I think I've seen it all regarding the twins HAHDHSHHA

Fishlegs really had Meatlug opening its mouth WIDE JUST TO SAY ABORT THE VERY LAST SECONDHAHSHGSGG

I love how Hiccup and Astrid can communicate without actually talking 🥺

I love how all dragons are a reflection of each of their owners like even tho Barf and Belch aren't the smartest they can be whenever they actually try

- Snotlout and Hookfang are both hotheaded and never really listen

- Fishlegs and Meatlug both are sweet, smart, resourceful and jealous sometimes hehe

- The twins and Barf and Belch are crazy and dumb but can be smart and strong whenever they need to be

- Astrid and Stormfly are both authoritative and badasses but also caring

- Hiccup and Toothless are both natural born leaders

Astrid built the ballista

Fun fact: Mala means bad in Spanish and it makes sense if you think about it cause Mala is BADASS HAHDHSHAHA😂 sorry I make bad jokes like that

Hiccup referring to Tuffnut as one of his best friends is adorable 🥺

"Flattery has no effect on me, mainly because I never hear any" dudeee ruff that's so saddd🥺😭

JAJDHHSJSJS TUFFNUT REALLY SAID "IT'S TIME FOR BALLISTA-NUT" AND JUMPED RIGHT OFF OF TOOTHLESS

And then him actually fighting Gruffnut is pretty badass I mean they threw actual punches and kicks and everything 😳

Why was Hiccup so cold towards Astrid? When she was just trying to help with his bounty problem

The way Toothless prevented Stoick from killing Savage 🥺🥺🥺

Now that I think abt it Hiccup got kidnapped so many times

Stoick punching Ryker and threatening him is one of the best things I've seen 🤩

Dude poor Snotlout was just insecure in ep4 And I love how Hiccup tried to help him and even then Snotlout still tried his best to show that he can be a leader

- i really loved how he learned that he couldn't just stop covering someone, I mean even when Astrid told him to "peel off and help Hiccup" he was like "no way I'm not leaving your wing" 🥺🥺🥺

Submaripper - tidal class, super powerful, prefer deeper open water and typically very reclusive. Extremely territorial and dangerous.

I LOVE HOW THE SUBMARIPPER SAVED HICCUP, and Toothless's face whenever he couldn't get Hiccup out and Barf and Belch breaking the pod to get him 🥺🥺🥺I can't

𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕝𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕕𝕖𝕡𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕤𝕪𝕞𝕡𝕥𝕠𝕞𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕤

- multifaceted disorder

Uncontrollable euphoria - Astrid

Lack of coordination - Heather

Mood swings - Snotlout

Complete catatonia

Cold ankles

Rash

Paranoia - Fishlegs

I CAN'T LOOKING AT THEM LIKE THIS IS JUST TOO FUNNY. NO ISTG EPISODE 7 IS GOLDDDD AND WHEN THE DRAGONS TOOK OVER 😂

Stoick is so fine 🤩

JAHDHAHSHA HICCUP REALLY OUT HERE FAT-SHAMING HIS DAD when poor Stoick is just trying to tell him that going after Viggo only for revenge is neither safe nor the right thing to do

- "What? What do you mean? You love revenge. Revenge is your thing. Weren't they gonna name you Stoick the Vindictive before... Well you know." *signals to Stoick*

Shadow wings - ep7 they follow, herd and shadow. Big one isn't as fast or maneuverable. Small ones are smart and quick. The big one looks like the submaripper.

AND THE WAY TOOTHLESS DEALT WITH THE LAST OF THEM. It was amazingggg he dived down towards a lil pond but he couldn't see cause of the dust and so HE USED THAT ONE SHOT THAT LETS HIM SEE TO KNOW WHEN TO GO BACK UP AND ALLOW THE BIG SHADOW WING TO CRASH AGAINST THE WATER.

The Flying Shatter-Scatter move with Shattermaster and Windshear was so cool and it's also basically the only thing that has pierced through dragon-proof ships

Bro I really wanted to see Astrid saving Toothless when she saw he was in danger in ep8

I DONT WANT HEATHER TO LEAVE UGHHHH 🥺

HEATHER AND FISHLEGS ARE SO GOALS I CANT 🥺🥺🥺🥺😭 I LOVE THEM TOO MUCH

Everyone's shocked faces whenever Hiccup and Fishlegs weren't thinking the same thing HAHDHSHABA

Toothless's facial expressions whenever he saw Astrid was in danger and the way he grabbed Snotlout and went down the volcano just to try and save her- I love their relationship 🥺

And how Hiccup was so worried when he saw Astrid in the lava and the way he grabbed her 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Dude I shipped Throk and Mala so harddd

And the red night terrors ufff we love them

Tuffnut just killed Macey

Ruffnut is so badass bro I love her she really had a sword to her neck and was like "take your best shot pal"

Project Shellfire: a weaponized dragon, Shellfire - tidal class, Titanwing, bigger than a submaripper, long range firing capabilities.

Hiccup just saved Astrid from falling to the water and the way he looked at her right after he put her down- he seemed so concerned I can't 🥺😭

BLINDSIDED ALSO LOVE THIS EPISODE 🤩🥺

First name Astrid calls out is Hiccup's 🥺

Her eyes omg

The way she started hyperventilating and the way he held her hand with both of his and the way he kneeled down next to her and made sure she knew that he was still there and the way Toothless's facial expression went 🥺😔 and the way he put his wing on her legs to try and cover her or protect her 🥺🥺🥺I can't

I mean Imagine how Astrid must've felt I just can't I'd be so stressed out and desperate and the next day she was just like I'm going to look for my dragon idc

No dude because the way Hiccup grabbed her by the waist to prevent her from falling off of Toothless and how both of their expressions softened whenever he told her not to apologize and whenever she hugged him 🥺

I love how the twins are trying to learn how Astrid feels but Ruffnut takes advantage of "blind" Tuffnut and has him run off of a cliff

AND HOW HE CAUGHT HER AND GOT SO NERVOUS WHEN THEY BOTH FELL DOWN 🥺 wait now that I'm watching it again he actually prevented her from getting hit in the head omg

"Of course she's not gonna hide. What was I thinking? She's Astrid."

MISTAKE whenever Astrid took the dragons out of their pens they weren't wearing their saddles and now that they've found them they have them on.

Them spending time with each other's dragons is so funny

Nonono I can't this is the beginning of it all! The beginning of Hiccstrid dating is HERE!!!! and that scene whenever he tells her that she's strong and they'll get through it and he holds her arm and then slowly moves down to her hand 🥺 I love them too much I can't- I want what they have. HE WAS GOING IN FOR THE KISS TOO I CANTTTTT OK THIS IS TOO MUCH

"There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. Always."

TOOTHLESS'S FACE 😳

I love how Meatlug got so serious after she heard Toothless's distress call

ASTRID IS SO BADASS I CAN'T SHE'S JUST SUCH A NATURAL AND AUTHORTITAVE I LOVE HER

THE HAND THING WITH ASTRID AND THE TRIPLE STRYKE 😩

Fishlegs riding Hookfang is HILARIOUS

That final scene is gold bro I just can they're too perfect I mean we get Toothless and Stormfly messing around in the background and then we get Hiccup scooting towards Astrid so that their shoulders were touching and also Hiccup asking Astrid if she's really ok and then him telling her that he never stops worrying about her and her saying that she feels the same way AND HER ASKING HIM ABOUT THE ALMOST-TO-BE-FIRST-KISS IN THE FOREST and him getting all nervous and being like "no it wasn't perfect" and telling her that he thinks abt kissing her a lot AND HER BEING LIKE "this seems pretty perfect to me" AND THEN BAMM THE KISS UGHHH IM NOT CRYING OK... yes I am😭

Hiccstrid kiss count: 2😘

I love how Astrid comforts Hiccup and puts her hand on his chest

Wait shit I completely forgot That Snotlout is actually the one that came up with ~Hiccstrid~ hehehehe -> also the first one to notice that they were acting kinda sus (nvm he thought one of them had a gambling problem)

Ruffnut's impression of Viggo is actually pretty accurate

Heather knowing about Hiccup and Astrid and just getting the gang away so that they can have a few seconds alone

OMG THE SUBMARIPPER I LOVE IT!! It is the natural and hated enemy of the Shellfire

The Triple Stryke let Dagur ride him

HICCUP CALLED DAGUR BROTHER I CANT

No and when they kissed IN FRONT OF THE GANG AND THEY WERE ALL LIKE 😳😦 AND "This. Changes. Everything." Iconic

I can't imagine watching this season by season and having to deal with that cliffhanger LIKE WHUT- the whole volcano just exploded and ur telling me that's IT!! Nope nope nope

[the-acid-pear]

Tumblr refuses to let me reblog the post again, so this is the second part of me reading the second btg book! ☺️

Still Chapter 211

Son on son violence

Chapter 212

This dude pretty cute ngl

Shit, rip

AAWW HIGH 5 🥺🥺

It's almost like they are a regular father and son 😭🥺💔

Chapter 213

Look how thigh those shirts are hehehoho 🥴

OYXITSITDITDLTD

Ooooh there goes my man Jyaku ready to kick some ASS

🥺😭💞

Baki really just forgot his mom eh, thought you were getting stronger for HER smh

Oh Jyaku vs Retsu? Nvm Jyaku i can only hope Retsu is nice w you

I like how most are like, confused over who to cheer for lmao

I know he won't make it but I'm cheering for Jyaku btw i like him more <33

Chapter 214

Love that title, can't believe Jyaku is gonna ask Retsu out 😍 /j

He really is just honest Igari

I love that he apologizes

Chapter 215

OJFOYDITDISTOTDG

HIS FACEEE THIS FUCKING CLOWN 😭😭😭

THIS IS JUST SO FUCKING FUNNY

Chapter 216

Burgir

GHZJDUDDRHD THEY ARE SOOO MAD

That smile so cute...

Jyaku is a king

Love it when Retsu throws that pose, though y'all know why

HDGSSGSGF you are coming to Japan wether you like it or not 🔫

Chapter 217

Finally Jyaku got serious too

WITH HIS TOES 😭

King is just obsessed i luv him

HEHE HAIRY LEGS

It does seem like Jyaku is trynna confess his love jfnshdshdf

Chapter 218

I remember i almost laugh cry with my dad when we saw this

His damn beard... 💔

THE HAND OF THE TRAITOR

He has a good point

They be calling my man Jyaku a masochist noooo yfjdhdgs

Chapter 219

Okay seems kinda into it <:/

Old man? He doesn't look that old Baki :/

That was so smart 🥺

Chapter 220

Retsu calm down please you are gonna break his back

Oh my god Retsu, oh my god.

He did apologize at least

Chapter 221

Damn dude be a little more gentle with him

Oh, get was picking him up, okay

FR FR

🥺🥺🥺

FARHDHDYFTH THE KINGGG

Chapter 222

I love how everyone completed him (except Yujiro but not surprising), these warriors are such a good team

I want to eat an apple too now

That was fast

I got distracted watching a vsauce react video sorry

Okay I'm glad a comment actually mentioned Sik

Chapter 223

Had to take a uh idk 5 hour break bc lights went out :/

Feet be fuming lmao

Ohhh that's a cool analysis

Chapter 224

What a good punch

That "please",,,

Poor Li man, having to see his brother DIE /j

No, Viêt Long, i have not been hit by a truck before.

Chapter 225

It's so funny how Jyaku lost bc he fought a main charac and only those win

Sad day for the Chinese citizens

Mf got tits in his back

This is gonna be so goodddd

Chapter 226

Look at the size of his tits, the slut

INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER POSE WOOO

These two are cool fighters

Chapter 227

Old man showing skin

His smile is so fucked up lmao

Chapter 228

Baki what the FUCK are you wearing?

I just remembered when Hana did a flip, that was so good

Retsu babey 🥺

I love how confused Yujiro looks

Chapter 229

Hey, i recognize that name...

Kaku just too op

Yujiro you are gonna pop your testicles if you do that with your leg

Chapter 230

God that's such a good threat

Love Retsu's confusion

Damn bitch you saying we gotta keep up w this whore cuz you were too slow? Ffs Kaku 😢

I love when you can tell someone is still hanging around just quietly by seeing their response in a comment

Chapter 231

God this just feels so good, to see Yujiro actually scared 😍

YOOO THAT'S POG

Chapter 232

I wanna finish this book and start the next one grrr

This fight is so satisfying

That last bit is so cringe but whatever that's okay

Fight so controversial comments were deactivated

Chapter 233

Itagaki hincha de boquita el más grande? 😳 /j

Okay yeah it IS just rude

Hohoooo shit getting nice

Chapter 234

This asshole lmao

Yuji-chan really went "how many times do i have to teach you this lesson, old man?!"

Mfs be doing Jojo references in the comments lol

Chapter 235

GTFO WITH THAT LOGIC RETSU IM SORRY CHINA IS LOSING BUT GET LOSTTTT AJSGAJGS

Ffs Kaku you are doomed 😢💔

Yujiro so strong my mouse disconnected

Chapter 236

Abs in his back...

Crying and shaking that is NOT true

DON'T FEED HIS EGO, KAKU

LIONS CAN BE KILLED BY TIGERS TOO!!!!

I thought Yujiro was bleeding for a second there smh

Chapter 237

OKAY YEAH IT IS HIS BLOOD ITS COMING OUT OF HIS NOSE ITS NOT MUCH BUT HE BLED

THE HEAD APPLAUSE

HE'S SO UPSET LMAOOO

Yujiro surprised is good shit

GSJDUFTHSTD

KAKU YOU LEGEND LMAO

Kaku has boyboss energy

Chapter 239

This cover almost gives me a stroke

I love how they all just shat their pants

These minor Chinese characters were so good tbh, sadly i don't think they will ever return

Don't worry Retsu, we the viewers have seen a man revive before

King i don't think any of us understands

It really is

CAN MEN IN THIS FRANCHISE JUST OPEN BOTTLES REGULARLY?!

Oh my god i though Yujiro was sitting on the air for a second i almost cry 😭

Coca cola must have paid Itagaki /j

Chapter 240

Oh so the Kaioh part takes the name, not the surname

...is Yujiro wearing a floral shirt? 😭

I LOVE THAT ENDING SO MUCH 🥺😭

Jyaku has his eyes fixated on Retsu eh, proud of having him come to Japan lmao

Chapter 241

HORRIBLE fit Baki

CHILDHOOD SAGA PART 2? 😰

Jk though i do miss Yuri 🥺

Oh hey Jr

You gonna fuck his girl, bro?

Chapter 242

So straight forward lmao

I'm starting to appreciate Baki's feminist ass every day even more

AAAA GRANDPAAA 🥺🥺💞

This page didn't allow me to call two mfs virgins smh, 1984

Chapter 243

Grandpa they shrunk you

Chapter 244

Kings idc about this

Okay true but also he's 70 dude pls... Though idk if this guy will go thru worse than Jack lmao

Such a nice lad

Chapter 245

Baki being such a feminist icon is so meaningful considering how his parents were,,,

MY MAN IS BACKKK AND AS DAPPER AS EVER

Doppo he's called Ali Jr how are you surprised?

OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED HIS EYE PATCH HAS A PATTERN THAT'S SO COOL 🥺🥺😢💞

These men love throwing their glasses eh

Chapter 246

If only Igari and Toba had done this lol

OKAY THATS COOL I LIKE THAT

Me lo re devaluaron a mí pelado eh

HEHE OOOOH NICE 😳

Scenes that give me a boner

CHU...

Such a good callback...

Chapter 247

My man got serious, sweet

Doppo has been trying out his luck a bit too much like he's been betting with his life an uncomfortable lot like king do you need to talk? Are you okay? First asking Gouki to kill him now this like, is everything alright Doppo?

YEAH A BIT FUCKED UP TO THINK ABOUT

I love that blocking technique

OSHWOWHIWWH "gay ass Orochi, out of option so he touching dick" SHUT UPPP 😭😭💀

I really wish he got kicked in the nuts again see if he's still using his technique

Chapter 248

Poor guys thought he was bout to get murdered

A kiss? 😏 /j

When i saw this in the anime i actually thought Orochi was going to die, i was gonna get sooo angry

Chapter 249

What a way to cockblock em

Feminist icon

Jack is that the only sweater you own?

Chapter 250

I have been thinking of that scene of him eating the whole steak a lot

Jr like 🥺

Imagine being stupid enough to tease Jack like, i get he defeated two masters but they are NOTHING compared to this monster

Imagine jack just smoked some weed right there lmao

Jack needs to bite people more

Chapter 251

My shitty ass son gave me parkinson's

Jack that's not how human anatomy works what the fuck did Kureha do to your body spine?

Chapter 252

DAMN JR WHAT A FAT ASS

Looked like Jack was going for a handful

Those techniques must fuck your neck up so bad

Okay Jack you are going a bit far now don't cha think?

Chapter 253

You are tempting your luck sunny boy

Look at that, you pissed him off!

You cannot just know out jack hanma bro

HHH

This was so stupid yet, unironically, iconic

Chapter 254

Bruh i thought it said Pog 😭, ain't manslaughter poggers Mr Hanma?

OKAY THANKS JACK

Such a simp he downed that coffee cup

Grandpa put here cockblocking

Chapter 255

"no he didn't >:/"

These two masters are a pair of fucking idiots like understand this i love my grandpa and i love my man but mfs have to take the L for this one time sksgwjgshgw

Gouki bro my senses gonna shut down if you put your sucks against the dirt again OUGH sensory hell 😭

FOR FUCKING REAL JR

STOP ENABLING THE OLD MAN!! WKSGKSGSJSHDD for once I'm on Viêt's side 😭

Chapter 256

Hoho Gouki out here getting a panty shot 😳

Grandpa i love you but this was unnecessary

Chapter 257

Kozue should wear a Korn tshirt

GET HIS ASS KOZUE

OWHWLWGISGSJWG 😭😭 MF JUST STANDING THERE LIKE A FREAK I LOVE HIM BUT I HATE HIM SM!!!

Love how consistently round his hands are, king got no knuckles

HEY DONT CALL MY MAN A FREAK KOZUE

King hasn't changed his clothes ever since i see

His shoes look so nice...

OKAY OKAY HE HAS A POINT AT LEAST, HE AT LEAST ACCEPTED HE LOST BUT HE'S STILL BUTTHURT FROM IT SKSGAJGS BUT HE ADMITS IT!!

Doppo i love you but shut UPPP you lost get over it!! You are just going for the rematch bc you have the higher ground against a injured guy!!! Like Shibukawa didn't have time but you were already getting serious!! Hhhgrrrrrr doppo i love you but I'm going to bark

Hehe nvm he still hella fine... keep talking king 🥴

This was so mean of him sjsgwjwg

Chapter 258

Low-key starting to believe these two mfs plotted against Jr sjshsj

THAT FACE AKSGWJGS just 😐

If i didn't know you would get your ass handed in a plate i would be a lil mad he's planning on being that savage

He has been thru worse, sunny boy

Niceee

Tbh. I don't care anymore. Doppo is in the wrong, but GOD I'm a simp and i love seeing him fight 😍😍🥴

Yeah a comment mentioned it, we all were on Jr side until he threatened to kill Doppo Orochi like, even if not everyone here is as horny as me we all like an og fella

I also love how the prisoners really changed them all, the scars (both physical and mental) those 5 left will be remembered lol

[shirtlesssammy]

1x02: Wendigo

Then:

No Chick Flick Moments

Now:

In Blackwater Ridge, Colorado, three dudes enjoy the wilderness by gaming inside their tent. Something stalks their campsite from the shadows but the unattended fire that’s dangerously close to their flammable homes must be keeping it at bay, right? Erm, well, one dude heads out to the little boy’s room (a nearby tree) and gets snatched. 

Another one pops his head out the tent door and gets snatched as well. The third dude kills his light and watches the shadow of a very fast creature circle his tent until it slashes the side and snatches him as well. 

Palo Alto, California

Sam’s visiting Jessica’s grave. It really didn’t affect me the first time I watched this. It’s devastating to watch now though. Knowing Sam now --knowing how he doesn’t let people in, knowing how he didn’t even really let Jess in but loved her and wanted this world he could never have with her. Knowing that it’s fifteen years later and he’s had no one to really be with (Amelia was a construct of his damaged brain when forced to face the supernatural without Dean or Cas. I will not be taking questions at this time.) (But I guess he gets a blurry wife so ALLS GOOD FOR SAMMY.) He tells Jessica, “I should have protected you. I should have told you the truth.” Gah. Nothing could have saved her, and he has to go another fifteen years before he realizes this for good. 

Psych! He was actually dreaming, but I hold firm with my thoughts on the dream scene. 

Dean asks if Sam is okay. 

Sam says yes and clears his throat. Classic! Then Dean asks if Sam wants to drive for a while. GAH. Like, Dean’s looking out for his little bro in the only way he knows right now --letting him drive. 

They discuss leaving Palo Alto, and Dean points out that if they’re going to find the thing that killed Jess, they have to find their dad. He’s sending them to Colorado. Specifically to a National Forest in Lost Creek, Colorado. 

They get to the warden’s station and introduce themselves as Environmental Study majors from UC-Boulder. “Recycle, man.” Bbys. The ranger sees right through their bullshit though. He asks if they’re friends with “that Hailey girl.” Dean sees his chance to learn more and leans into it. Hayley apparently has a brother that’s on Blackwater Ridge. He isn’t technically missing but she knows something is up. 

Dean gets the brother’s camping permit. And now I need to process the next couple of lines. Sam asks if Dean wants a hook up with Hailey. Like, fuck you Sam for not knowing your brother at all, but also I guess you’re forgiven because your brother does do everything in his power to project that kind of energy. However, Dean is working the case and wants to know what they’re dealing with on this mountain. 

Dean and Sam head over to Hailey’s to ask her about her brother, Tommy. They say they’re rangers.

Hailey gets on Dean’s good side by complementing his car. Hailey tells the brothers that she feels something is wrong because Tommy checks in every day via his cell and satellite phone. Hailey’s heading out first thing in the morning to try and find him. 

Later at a bar, Sam “NERD” Winchester pulls out his extensive research on the area. People disappear on the ridge every 23 years. There was one survivor in 1959. They go to interview him. He tries to stick to the grizzly bear story, but eventually admits that they won’t believe him since no one else ever did. He said it moved fast and came into their cabin. It took his parents and left him with a horrible scar. 

The next morning, Sam and Dean meet up with Hayley, her brother Ben, and the guide, Roy. The guide is skeptical but Dean just wants to help find her brother. 

Cut to Tommy tied up in a cave. He wakes just in time to watch one of his friends get chomped to pieces by the monster. 

Dean and Roy try to out alpha each other. Roy finds a bear trap and saves Dean from a nasty injury. I’m over here wondering wtf that’s doing in the middle of a national forest. 

Hayley calls Dean out on their lack of provisions and wants to know who they are. He comes clean and tells her that they’re brothers looking for their father. But also, uh, Dean wearing jeans and boots is way more practical than SHORTS when hiking. Who wants to fuck around with ticks and poison ivy? All these years we thought Dean was just posturing about shorts when he was actually being a practical son of a bitch. 

They reach the ridge and hear absolutely nothing. Roy decides he’s going to wander off alone. Solid choice, dude. The rest stick together. Soon they hear Roy call for Hailey. They run to him. They find her brother’s destroyed campsite. They find tracks of where the bodies were dragged and Tommy’s destroyed phone.

They explore the campsite, which is torn to absolute bits. Dean tracks the struggle to just outside of the campsite, where the trail quickly grows cold. Everyone gets lured further into the woods by desperate cries for help but it gets them nowhere. When they return to the destroyed camp, Sam pulls out their dad’s journal and they use it to pinpoint the monster: it’s a wendigo. 

They hunker down for the night at the camp, and Dean protects them with Anasazi symbols drawn in the dirt. Soooooooooo in one breath you’re telling me that wendigo are found around the upper midwest / Canada, and in the next you’re telling me that the Anasazi (Southwestern/Western US) created widely-established protections against the wendigo? STARES DIRECTLY INTO THE CAMERA. The timelines! The geographic areas! Sigh...Supernatural ain’t ever had that good of a track record.

Dean tries to unpack Sam’s gourd. Sam doesn’t want to waste time hunting a wendigo when he can find their dad and hunt for what killed Jess instead. Dean holds out John Winchester’s journal like it’s a friggin’ (gags a little) bible and delivers the now-iconic line: “I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.”

Sam wants to know why John doesn’t just call his boys and give them an update - “It makes no sense.” OMG RIGHT, SAM? #JohnWinchester’sA+Parenting 

Dean tells Sam that helping other people and other families is what helps him make it through each day. We cry in Dean’s face a little, even when he immediately attempts to mask his empathy in his very next (also iconic) line: “Let me tell you what else helps. Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can.”

Pleas for help start to echo through the woods again. Roy fires indiscriminately into the trees and races after his prey, sight unseen. Hands grab him by the head and haul him up into the trees. Everyone else makes it through the night safely and Roy’s demise reminds us that toxic masculinity KILLS.

The next morning, Sam’s moodily staring at their dad’s journal while Dean chats with Haley about the hunt. 

For LOOK AT THIS BEAN Science:

We get info-dumped a truly mixed bag of lore, attributing wendigo tales to the Cree people (right region, at least!) and saying that wendigo are created by cannibalistic acts gone into overdrive. The implication here is that cannibalism equals power but alas, it also turns one into a monster. Wendigo like to squirrel away humans like nuts, so Haley’s brother might be alive and trapped for later snacking. And they can kill it! Kill it with fire. 

Cut to Dean striding through the woods with a molotov cocktail in hand. THAT’S MY BOY. They follow an easy trail of bloody claw marks along the trees. Too late, Sam realizes it was TOO EASY.  Roy’s body drops from the canopy and the group splinters as they flee. Dean and Haley get nabbed, leaving Sam and Ben to find their missing siblings. Ben finally gets some lines, alerting Sam to Dean’s breadcrumb trail of peanut M&Ms.

They head into a defunct mine. (Speak friend and enter?) Growls echo through the darkened tunnels, but Sam and Ben discover the body storage by accident when they fall through floor boards into a lower level. They discover Haley and Dean trussed up and free them. Tommy’s there too! And still alive! 

Dean finds some flare guns and they make their way out of the tunnels. Dean tries to lure the wendigo away from the siblings and Sam. All his attempts are for naught, because the wendigo tries to attack Sam, and the three siblings. It’s okay, though! Dean fires a flare gun right into its gut and it burns into embers.

Later at the ranger’s station, they spin tales to the cops about a grizzly. 

Haley thanks Dean with a gentle kiss, and Dean watches the siblings leave with a fond and wistful expression. JENSEN ACKLES YOUR FACE IS A MENACE!

The Winchesters hit the road, Sam behind the wheel of the Impala. Time to hunt some evil sons of bitches and play some classic rock!

Oh sweetheart, I don’t do quotes:

Recycle, man

Nobody likes a skeptic

I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business

Man, I hate camping

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[ducktracy]

185. porky’s hero agency (1937)

release date: december 4th, 1937

series: looney tunes

director: bob clampett

starring: mel blanc (porky, emperor jones), tedd pierce (gorgon, assistant), sara berner (porky’s mom)

the final porky cartoon for 1937, and what a busy year it’s been for him! hard to believe he had an entirely different voice, look, and demeanor just 8 months prior. even then, his character still had much to explore, as we see here—in this cartoon, he’s cast as a child again. curiously, bob clampett is often credited as the one who refined his personality into the one we know today (he did give him his iconic suit and tie), but, like everything else, it was more of a collaborative exploration by all of the directors.

the title card is one of the more interesting title cards in the warner bros. repertoire—it’s a photo of a porky statuette! bob clampett would make several statues during his time at WB and distribute them to his top animators. while the statue in the credits is painted over, you can view an unpainted model here!

here, porky dreams of the wonders of ancient greece, prancing around as the mythological messenger parkykarkus. however, a gorgon has her sights set on turning him into stone, and it requires some quick thinking from porky to weasel his way out of this mess.

bobe cannon animates the expositional sequence, with porky propped up in bed, sucked into a giant book full of greek myths. his mother (offscreen) tells him it’s time to go to sleep, but porky objects, protesting that he was just at the exciting part. cannon’s animation is easy to spot with his trademark buck teeth, yet the gestures he gives porky--finger points, turning the page, etc.--give him a nice dose of youthful energy as he recaps the story, telling tales of gorgons and “great great great” greek heroes.

nevertheless, a disembodied hand turns out the light, dismissing porky’s protests. he heaves a resigned sigh, lamenting how he wishes he could be a great greek hero. 

the cartoon doesn’t make any attempts to keep the dream sequence a surprise--instead, the face of the book’s cover takes up the entire screen, the pillars emblazoned on the front melting to life as we fade into ancient greece. and, as to be expected, our favorite porcine hero proudly stands in front of the building, proudly advertising “HERO FOR HIRE AGENCY -- PORKYKARKUS PROP.”

porkykarkus is a play on parkykarkus (”park your carcass”), a character on eddie cantor’s radio show “the chase & sanborn hour”. truck into porky’s services as he narrates over the specials:

“has anybody any eh-deh-deah-deah-dragons you want seh-seh-sleh-slay-slaye--rubbed out? or maybe ya have some, uh, fair meh-mai-meh-maide--honeys ya want rescued! it’s a peh-pleasure. is your daughter safe? phone eh-peh-porkykarkus at olympia 2222!”

porky’s narration, as always, is fun to listen to, and the physical advertisement has its own charm and appeal, with discounts and deals on certain rescues. not only that, but it’s a damn smart way to save money, having just the narration over the still frame. smart thinking!

conveniently, porky gets a phone call, sparking the tried and true “gear up for a big sprint but merely tinker on over to your destination” gag. as porky answers the phone, filling us in by repeating the hidden dialogue from the other line, we find out it’s the emperor--he wants one hero to go.

chuck jones’ layouts stick out quite strongly throughout this cartoon, especially in the human designs. porky’s statue of mercury is no exception--the bulbous nose and rounded body construction are all surefire trademarks of his work. porky grabs the messenger’s hat and winged shoes from the statue, never once taking a beat to stop as he hobbles along, dressing as he prepares to head out. woodblock sounds simulate the sound of his hooves clopping, but also add an extra jaunty jive to the merry score of “have you got any castles?” in the background, the cartoon’s motif. it would also be a merry melody courtesy of frank tashlin not even a year later.

with that, porky takes off, soaring in the skies like a pro with his winged shoes. if the scene wasn’t appealing enough with the overhead layouts, the animation of porky steadying himself is wonderfully smooth and fun--the cherry on top. he circles the palace where the emperor is located, swooping down to his destination. complete with airplane sound effects, of course.

“howdy, empy!” another bulbous-nosed jones character silences porky from behind his armchair. emperor jones (boy, who could that name reference, i wonder?) speaks in a ridiculously hilarious dialect, completed with a thick accent: “shh! i’m making a fireside chat with my sheeps!” his voice then slips into a rooseveltian draw as he coos “my friends, grecians and customers, this is emperor jones speaking...”

pan to the audience, which consists of a sea of smiling statues. this entire speech sequence is wonderful--not only is his terrible grammar terribly amusing, (”statistics show... what last season at this time was population in greece from 6,000 with 500 with 54 people, with 17 statues.”) but little touches such as one of the audience statues roasting marshmallows and later a hotdog over the fireplace, the emperor making his audience clap by pulling on ropes tied to their arms, and so forth make the entire charade highly amusing with lots of details to look out for. porky standing idly in the background, awkwardly fidgeting as he tries not to intrude is a great little piece of character animation as well.

the emperor gives the skinny, all while chowing down on a hotdog: a gorgon has been turning more and more people into statues, and they need a hero to steal her life-restoring needle in order to turn all of the statues back into humans again. the hero he has in mind is, of course, porky, who bashfully accepts the offer. when the emperor asks those in favor to raise their right hand, he pulls on a lever that causes all of the statues to raise their hands in unison, including a hand on a nearby clock. with a handshake, empy concludes “it’s a deal!”

one of the most impressive pieces of animation in the cartoon (i actually dedicated an entire drawing to it!) is when the emperor sends porky on his way, who waves goodbye as he flies through the air with his winged shoes. just as he tips his hat, he knocks into a pillar, which sends him tumbling upside down, but still airborne. the wings on his shoes form hands as they shake their fists in the glory of the good landing, with porky flashing a cheeky grin to the audience before spiraling lower in the air, regaining his balance, and barreling onward towards a smoldering volcano. the animation is full of life and character--though porky is consistently jolly in the B&W clampett cartoons, the grin towards the camera as he prides himself in his save is a great little touch of personality. slowly but surely, bits of character are now becoming more defined.

a gag that took me just now to recognize it--porky swoops into the heart of the volcano, where we spot the source of the black fumes pouring out the top: the gorgon statue factory. a merry score of “you’ve got something there” serves as some easy listening as we’re treated to a sign gag:

outside of the factory is a human picket fence, comprised of familiar faces: statues of bobe cannon, norm mccabe, john carey, bob clampett himself and chuck jones surround the area. directly outside of the factory is the frozen statue of a salesman with his foot in the door--the joke is not only amusing, but the pose is quite strong and readable, too. though nowhere near the dynamism of frank tashlin’s poses in the mid ‘40s, clampett’s poses in this cartoon are quite defined and exaggerated for the time period. this is especially sharp in the scenes with the emperor.

porky knocks on the door held ajar by the ceramic statue’s foot, holding out an envelope. “telegram for the guh-geh-gee-geh-gee-gor-geh--” a hand snags the envelope out of porky’s grip, causing him to mutter “aww, nuh-neh-nee-nuh-neh-neh-nut--shucks,” a phrase he echoed in clampett’s previous entry, rover’s rival.

we transition to the inside of the factory, where we see the gorgon herself, positioned in front of a camera, awaiting to take “pictures” of her models. tedd pierce voices the gorgon, whose vocal stylings are a parody of tizzie lish, bill comstock’s character on al pearce and his gang. interestingly, the cartoon before this, the woods are full of cuckoos, featured a caricature of lish as well, also voiced by pierce. 

clampett and pierce’s comedic timing is sharp--not nearly as sharp as tashlin’s timing in the woods are full of cuckoos, but abundantly amusing nonetheless. the gorgon asks for a boy--”a sorta young-ish one”--and in comes a decrepit old man who can hardly hold himself up. the gorgon waits for the man to assume his position on the podium where his picture will be taken, singing a pitchy rendition of “am i in love?“, another homage to the characteristics displayed by lish’s character on the radio.

the gorgon snaps her photo, which turns the shaky old man into a stone statue at once, cheekily labeled “ANTIQUE --  $60,000 (P.S.: 000,000)” before he’s yanked off of the podium with a cane. 

“now let’s try a group picture.” you know it’s a ‘30s cartoon if the three stooges come waddling in--they made their caricatured, cartoon debut in the 1934 film the miller’s daughter, notorious for being chuck jones’ first animation credit. as expected, they all beat the tar out of each other while on the podium, rendered immobile only through the power of medusa’s camera. they turn into the three wise monkeys, labeled “3 MONKEYS OF JAPAN -- MADE IN GREECE”. 

norm mccabe’s animation is easy to spot in the next scene with porky, characterized by his signature double eyebrows. porky knocks on a door, parroting a favorite catchphrase from the al pearce show that frequented many a clampett cartoon: “i hope she’s eh-eh-at home, i hope, i hope, i hope, i hope, i hope...”

porky shakes the hand of the assistant, unfortunately a blackface caricature (save for the voice, who is just tedd pierce speaking in a deep, suave voice) as he greets “welcome, stranger. won’t you come in?” before porky has time to answer, he’s yanked through the iron bars of the door and placed neatly in line for the photoshoot, where he peeks through the door to see the action inside.

a pile of men form a pyramid, where the camera turns them into a literal statue of a pyramid, with some slight imperfections. “aw, shucks!” laments the gorgon. “you moved!” she approaches them with her life restoring needle, allowing the men to form into the proper position, maintaining good balance. she gets her “genuine egyptian statue”, quipping “ought to make a handy paperweight!”

the assistant informs porky that he’s next. porky backs up anxiously, echoing a short-lived catchphrase of his from the joe dougherty era: “nuh-neh-no! eh-nn-nee-no! a-a thousand times no!” the decision to make his thoughts visible (his head is slapped onto that of a piggy bank’s) is playful, and also reflects just how big of an influence comics had on bob clampett’s work: comic artists such as milt gross and george lichty have been cited by clampett as inspirations. the george lichty influence is definitely noticeable in rod scribner’s animation under bob clampett, as we’ll discover in the coming years.

in the midst of his panic, porky backs into a statue of "dick a. powello” (dick powell and apollo), causing it to break. but, rather than fuss over the mess, porky uses the opportunity to hatch an idea instead.

in comes strolling porky, concealed by powello’s upper body and a blankett hiding his hooves. the triumphant score of “he was her man” and the gorgon’s smitten woos makes the scene hilarious as is, but the blanket falling off and revealing porky’s pudgy little hooves is the icing on the comedic cake.

porky perches himself on a conveniently placed couch, where the gorgon approaches him. “pardon me, is this seat taken?” she doesn’t wait a wink before snuggling right up to him, a heart symbolizing her affections popping in the air. though clampett would play with typography at times and maintain an overarchingly jovial mood to his cartoons, it’s an odd thing to see him play with comic-like visuals in this manner, such as porky physically envisioning himself as a piggy bank or the heart from the gorgon. i wish he had done it more in this nature!

with the gorgon too close for comfort, porky uses this as an opportunity to grab the gorgon’s life-restoring needle, dangling from her neck and lying against her body. it wouldn’t be a clampett cartoon without sexual innuendos--porky reaches aimlessly around for the needle, prompting the gorgon to let out a shriek, cooing “why, mr. a POWELLo!” 

she smothers the ceramic head in kisses, giving him a nice lipstick finish to boot as she pretends the statue has given her a ring. her ecstasy is hilarious and WONDERFULLY conveyed through strong, rubbery poses worth freeze-framing. picturing porky’s befuddlement is another humor within itself. 

finally, porky’s disguise is revealed when the gorgon literally crushes the statue in an embrace, stone crumbling around him as he desperately slips out of her grip. as the gorgon makes threats to call the cops, reciting the WB favorite catchphrase of “calling all cars! calling all cars!”, porky makes with the needle and jabs it in various statues, warning them “uh-geh-uh-get goin’! i-i-eh-it’s the guh-geh-geh-eh-geh-gorgon!”

as the gorgon chases porky with her camera, he continues to revive a barrage of statues: the antique, the famed discus thrower (who throws himself out of the scene rather than the discus), the man from the end of the trail statue, who exits riding his horse like a merry go round (a nod to friz freleng’s sweet sioux), a woman who marches off with popeye’s forearms--note the bobe cannon statue in the back here--and a mermaid who unzips her fin and makes a run for it. the highlight of the entire montage is when porky approaches two temples (the two of them together labeled “shirley temple”) and injects the needle into them, prompting the temples to use their pillars as legs and run for the hills.

the chase reaches its climax as the gorgon pursues porky with a movie camera, turning the crank ferociously as she runs. her plan works--porky slows down, freezing in mid-air as the gorgon cries “hold it!” thus, the gorgon pins porky to the ground, who tries his hardest to fight back, but ultimately flailing around as she commands him to open his eyes.  

we melt into the present, where we find porky’s mother in place of the gorgon, telling him softly to wake up. he does so, after she pries one of his eyes opens. relieved that it was all a dream, he embraces his mother, prompting a happy end and an iris out.

this cartoon has a soft spot in my heart--it was one of the first LT cartoons i saw on this whole venture. i thought i was the smartest person alive, understanding the three stooges, popeye, and shirley temple references. who knew just how much i had (and still have!) to learn! though even without my sentimental biases, this still stands as a very good cartoon.

as i mentioned previously, the poses in this are full of elasticity and energy, especially in the emperor and the gorgon. porky does a very nice job as well--little pieces of animation such as him fidgeting awkwardly while the emperor rambles on, swinging from side to side as he’s offered the job to be a hero, etc. etc. are full of charm and character. while his personality isn’t the most electric in comparison to characters like bugs and daffy, it’s the little things like these that really make porky stand out. with him, a little subtlety goes a long way, and that’s why he’s one of my favorites. he’s so reserved in comparison to such a wild cast of characters that his timidness actually shines through and sets him apart! (though, on the other hand, he can still have quite the personality, as we’ll discover!)

personally, the only gripes i have with this cartoon is the blackface caricatured assistant (which, in comparison to some cartoons we’ve seen and still have yet to see, is relatively mild, but uncomfortable nonetheless). the jokes, while corny at times, still hit, the animation is full of life and vigor, and the short as a whole has a lot of charm, whimsy, and personality. it has my seal of approval! go check it out!

link!

[mettywiththenotes]

I got tagged by @haleigh-sloth! 😊

Why did you choose your URL?

Metty is a part of my name and whenever I get into a new series, whatever it may be, I usually type down my thoughts in the notes app on my phone. I’ve done this for years and it was what I used before I got a tumblr account. I even still use it! Not to the same extent I did before, but I still do it to organize my thoughts

I only realized after I made this account that it kind of sounds like I’m bragging or smthg lmao. But thats not the case, no. I just type things down in my notes app a lot

Any side blogs?

Nope

How long have you been on tumblr?

Hoo boy this is kind of an unspecific question. Okay so I got an account 4 months ago. However, I’ve stalked tumblr since I was 11 or 12. So I didn’t have an account back then but I have been going on tumblr most of my life. Of course now that I look back on it, it isn’t the same thing as actually having a blog on here, cuz I never interacted with anybody or even any posts, but idk I’d say it still counts. Kind of? A little bit? Technically? Idk lol

Do you have a queue tag?

Nope

Why did you start your blog in the first place?

This is actually kind of funny. As I’ve just said, I’ve been stalking tumblr for a long time, and I’ve been a fan of BNHA ever since chapter 150 (cuz thats what the latest chapter was at the time I caught up), so naturally, I stalked the BNHA fandom out of curiosity to see what people thought of it. So I’ve seen a lot of varying opinions on the series

It was literally on the same day BNHA chapter 317 came out, and I decided to actually make an account because there were so many bad takes on that chapter that I just decided to make a blog and put down my own thoughts

I can’t even remember what those bad takes were lol (it was probably just fans complaining that the series is going downhill and jumping to conclusions just because of what happened in that specific chapter. as usual). But I was frustrated enough to sign up, thats for sure

ANOTHER REASON why I joined is because, throughout the years I’ve been stalking the BNHA fandom, not once did I see any posts about Izuku and Shigaraki and the potential of their relationship. I’m aware now that there were probably some hidden blogs I hadn’t come across that maybe did talk about them, but if there were, I didn’t see it in the main tags and thats what annoyed me

Hate to brag, but I was thinking about The Boys since all the way back with Overhaul. And going through the tags was so lacking sometimes when nobody was talking about them. So you can imagine my reaction when that MVA chapter where Shiggy said “What I wanted you to say was...” happened and the fandom went NUTS over it. I was really happy to see people finally talking about them. And then that kind of died down, and I wasn’t really seeing anybody speculating about their relationship. Even when War Arc came around, I thought people would talk about their interactions more (NOT in a negative “Izuku is gonna have to kill Shiggy” way, but in a positive way), but that didn’t happen until chapter 295

So yeah. Thats another reason why I joined, and it’s kinda connected to the first reason. I wanna talk about The Boys. I wanna fill the bnha tags with posts about these two. Be the change you wanna see in the fandom ig lol

Oh, and also talk about the stuff that interests me. Obviously. But the actual reasons for joining are just spite

Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

That sketch of Shiggy and Izuku is the only one we have of them being goofy, and I’ve always wanted Hori to do a sketch of them being silly. So its like nailing proof of their interactions to a front-and-center wall so everyone can see it

Why did you choose your header?

I couldn’t think of any other header to have. I wanted one that looked nice, so I picked the background for Nine and Shiggy’s flower island scene

What’s your post with the most notes?

The Shouto joke post with the record scratch freeze frame lol

How many mutuals do you have?

6 mutuals

How many followers do you have?

182 followers

How many people do you follow?

24 people

How often do you use tumblr each day?

Oof. Quite an embarrassing amount. I try to keep off it during leak nights though, so I skip one day out of the week, if I can resist lol

Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

Nope

How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

Ahh. Well, if its posts about info that could potentially help somebody, I do reblog them after doing a bit of my own research. They could help people or they couldn’t but if there’s a chance that they could, and I agree with what it says, then I reblog

If its those posts that are like “you need to reblog this or else your dog will die” or smthg, then no I don’t like them and I scroll past them

Do you like tag games?

Yes!

Do you like ask games?

Yes!!

Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

Ahh... haleigh-sloth honestly. The reason I think that is cuz every time she reblogs one of my posts it always gets loads of notes lol

Do you have a crush on a mutual?

What is this, the bachelor? Who should I give my rose to🌹👀 lmao nah I don’t

Tagging: @frappyflop, @zinatina, @villainsandvictimsalliance, @lastsunlight

njksdnsfd sorry for that one long answer btw. I have a whole Origin Story apparently lmao

[dansnaturepictures]

19/06/21-Arrival in and journey to Anglesey and Red Squirrels and more at Newborough Forest

Today was the day we have been waiting for, the much mentioned by me Anglesey holiday intended for this week last June postponed rightly due to the pandemic was finally able to happen. As we got everything packed up and and ready to go and on the way out to the car this morning at home I took in an assortment of varied and colourful flowers in one pot in the garden and a delicious looking rose bush as well as some Starlings and House Sparrows in the garden getting pictures of the flowers which I tweeted tonight on Dans_Pictures. The wi-fi at the cottage very luckily again seems all right for posting photos and these posts. I can’t guarantee that won’t change but I’m encouraged.

On the long journey it was great to take in some nice sky scenes especially at Keele service station, and the usual when travelling lovely raptors Red Kite and Buzzard beautifully in the air. I also liked seeing oxeye daisies and foxgloves taking over the verges nicely the former continuing that nicely from at home lately. Then we had the exciting moment when I personally crossed the border into Wales for the eighth time and the land then became more and hilly and mountainous and I knew I was back. Crossing the Menai strait over the impressive bridge and seeing a lovely statue into the Isle of Anglesey was just as exciting as crossing the border. I was happy with how much of the sea we could see on the journey in North Wales too with Puffin Island where we hope to go visible from the road so this was nice.

On Anglesey we wound our way through the sleepy red campion and herb-Robert clad lanes. When at our cottage foxgloves and possible kidneywort by a wall added nicely to these two flower species which were here as well. And at the cottage and driving around we were stunned to see the mountains of the beautiful Snowdonia including Snowdon itself so clearly. It looked astonishing and so beautiful. And it was as though we were right next to it rather than over the water what breathtaking view. I had expected this as we went to Snowdonia in 2016 on holiday and had a day trip to Anglesey for RSPB South Stack. But it was just so nice to be in the midst of it again. I very soon saw in lovely bright and sunny conditions that this welcoming and lovely cottage is one of the better ones we’ve stayed in for views around they really are so stunning I took the first picture in this photoset of this view. And it was also one of the better ones for wildlife as I saw Swallow on a wire around, Chaffinch and Buzzard being mobbed by crows really well. I took the second and third pictures in this photoset of daisy and other flowers and herb-Robert in the cottage. A special welcome and I am so excited for the week to come here.

We then found the perfect place for a first evening walk always such a memorable moment in any trip in the gorgeous and rich woodland of Newborough Forest one of the places on our list to come this holiday to try and see a Red Squirrel one of my favourite mammals and one we love seeing. It was so lovely to walk through this forest with the sun lowering in the sky. I took the fourth, fifth and sixth pictures in this photoset of this very beautiful forest tonight. It became a day of favourites for me as we saw Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker two of my favourite birds well. I liked taking in these quintessential woodland species, and I also enjoyed finding a special Jay feather with its exciting bright blue edges. Also as we arrived and throughout the nice walk alongside beautiful Blackbird we heard a stunning Song Thrush singing it’s heart out one of my favourite bird songs as well as Blackbird so loudly the sound was extremely soothing and melodious. A great sound track to the walk.

Walking on towards a lovely pond here as well as a tiny frog, insects and more great red campion and herb-Robert and ivy and nice yellow flowering some broom in the beautiful tree scenes I was thrilled to see two Red Admirals exceptionally well in the air and still. It was great to see Little Grebe and Coot with adorable chicks among other birds on the lake. And we also noticed a big dragonfly flying delightfully over. Looking in the binoculars I made out the green and blue of a Southern Hawker one of my favourite dragonflies. My first year tick of the trip so soon and a crucial one to see going into the summer months so this did feel good.

The moment of the day came next though as me, my Mum and Missy reunited with my Mum’s partner who indicated he had seen Red Squirrels. We sat quietly with him for a bit and were amazed to notice a Red Squirrel sneak through the trees and come down to two lovely feeding boxes as my Mum had heard happens here. Two came down in the end and we spend a perfect few minutes watching these rare and warm coloured typical woodland mammals making out their charming features with one darker than the other I took the seventh and eighth pictures in this photoset of these. Sat in a nicely lit forest of sweet seasonal aromas with midges on the wing, watching one of the most beautiful and iconic species we have was an exceptional start to the holiday and exactly what we love having time away for. It felt like we had really made excellent use of this nice and dry evening to see one of the species we had so hoped for.

We missed these last year after seeing them three years running with the Highlands of Scotland in January 2018 sightings in the snow sandwiched between years with autumnal Brownsea Island visits. This ensured we have seen Red Squirrels in England, Scotland and Wales which I am very proud of. It makes it my second earliest sight of one ever in a year too. They can largely be a seasonal thing at Brownsea Island or although I’ve never seen them there Isle of Wight our local refuges for this species. Today it was entertaining seeing one Red Squirrel put itself into the box of nuts to feed and stay in there ages and all you could see for a few minutes was it’s bushy red tail! It really was an amazing few minutes enjoying this precious species. What a sensational start to the holiday! It was great to share our sighting of the squirrels with some fellow holidaymakers who had never seen one and they seemed to see them as we left which was great. Chaffinches were around here and nicely on the walk too.

Tonight at the lovely cottage I took the final two pictures in this photoset of a sky scene with the moon and clouds in and a moth in the cottage. I enjoyed some special sky scenes with some mist coming over the mountains too and some Blackbirds in the garden male and female tonight which was great. The day did truly start to belong to mammals though with views of Rabbits there seem to be a lot around here adding nicely to our Hare experience in Hampshire on the Stone Curlew trip on Tuesday. And magically tonight as has happened at a cottage we stayed in on our Northumberland holiday at Seahouses in 2019 we saw some bats I saw one beautifully drift over through the night’s sky tonight. A small one so I believe a pipistrelle. I’ve had a good year for bats. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary for journey, home and arrival: Two of my favourite birds the Red Kite and Buzzard, crow I couldn’t quite tell which, Herring Gull, Grey Heron nicely over a main road, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Starling, one of the regular Feral Pigeons at home, Swift, Swallow, Chaffinch, rabbit, the bat, a butterfly I couldn’t quite tell which and other insects.

Wildlife Sightings Summary for Newborough Forest: My first Southern Hawker and Red Squirrel of the year, two of my favourite birds the Great Spotted Woodpecker and Jay, one of my favourite butterflies the Red Admiral, Chaffinch, Robin well too, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Little Grebe, Common Blue Damselfly, frog, midges, other insects and I heard Song Thrush.

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

The Goonies: Facets of Filmmaking

From the get go, The Goonies seemed destined for success.

Everything seemed perfectly in place: director Richard Donner (of Superman and The Omen fame) producer Stephen Spielberg (director of Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, and the Indiana Jones films), screenwriter Chris Columbus, (also worked on Gremlins) and Spielberg’s production company Amblin Entertainment.  With all of these talented people, a great script, and a production studio that had a decent record under its belt already, The Goonies was a surefire win.

And a win it was.

But it didn’t come without its challenges.

The film The Goonies was originally conceived by Stephen Spielberg as the basic idea of: “What would bored kids get up to on a rainy day?”  After pitching the idea to screenwriter Chris Columbus (who had wrote the script to the film Gremlins, which Spielberg had also produced), the script was written with the obvious conclusion: search for pirate treasure, of course.  It was a traditionally Spielbergian ‘high concept’ movie, for sure, but oddly enough, The Goon Kids, as it was then called, didn’t end up a Spielberg film after all.  

After a string of successes already beginning throughout the ‘80s, with E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones films, and The Color Purple, on top of being the producer for many other films, Spielberg, originally the director for the project, passed off the reins to established director Richard Donner instead.

None were more surprised than Donner himself.

“My first thoughts were, ‘why me?’  Because it was Steven Spielberg who made the best movies for kids and for dreaming in the world. So, why are you giving this to me?  He said because he was busy doing something else and he thought I was as big a kid as he was and he gave it to me.”

In a way, it made perfect sense: Donner was already used to big-budget films with huge setpieces and soundstages.  On the other hand, he wasn’t terribly experienced with working with children.

Thankfully, instead of leaving him with the project on his own, Spielberg stayed on as producer, even directing a few scenes in the final film.  The pair worked together fairly closely, with their combined talents having a marked influence on the film from their blended styles.  However, despite this seemingly ‘dream team’ combination of directors working on the combination of Spielberg’s idea and Chris Columbus’s script, there were still plenty of challenges throughout production, some of them where the cast was concerned.

By necessity, production had to begin by breaking the well known rule: “Never work with animals or children.”  Already a successful director, Donner found himself challenged by the unique experience of trying to wrangle the young cast to focus on the movie that had to be made.

The main cast was almost entirely newcomers: Kerri Green and Josh Brolin were making their onscreen debuts with The Goonies, and the others weren’t much more experienced.  Sean Astin, although coming from a Hollywood background, was relatively new to acting at the time, as were Jeff Cohen and Martha Plimpton.  Ke Huy Quan, having just previously starred in Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, had relatively little experience as well, with Corey Feldman having the biggest portfolio of the young cast, having previously appeared in Gremlins, as well as multiple commercials and television episodes.

The inexperience, as well as the youth, showed throughout production, with Donner worn thin by the antics of a high-energy cast of children.

“The annoying thing was the lack of discipline, and that was also what was great because it meant that they weren’t professionals. What came out of them was instinct and that was beautiful. But because it was instinct they didn’t have the discipline of a professional actor, a trained actor who knew that on that line or that move they were going to scratch themselves or drink a Coke or eat a slice of pizza, so every time you would make cuts to match, they were all over the place. Never on the same marks. But the reason they weren’t is because they were functioning on their instincts, and their instincts at that moment told them to go there and not there. I just had to figure my way around it, but it drove me nuts.”

The other members of the cast included Anne Ramsey as Mama Fratelli, and Joe Pantoliano and Robert Davi as Francis and Jake Fratelli, and, most memorably, NFL defensive end John Matuszak as Sloth, underneath several hours worth of makeup and prosthetics.

There was more to the assembly of The Goonies than just the cast, however.

The Goonies came at a time before CGI was widely implemented in special effects films: meaning that the effects on screen were shot with real sets and props.  While most of the shots hold up (once they deleted the octopus sequence), there is one prop, one set, that far outshines every other (admittedly impressive) effect in the film:

One-Eyed Willy’s pirate ship.

The famous pirate ship that is the main set piece for the climax of the film was constructed on the Warner Brothers lot, on soundstage 16, the only stage big enough for not only the ship, but the cave and 2.3 million gallons of water that the ship was sitting in.  The ship took approximately six months to build, and the surrounding cave waas no less a chore to create, with plaster rocks reaching up to the top of the soundstage.  

All the hard work paid off, evidenced by both the reactions of fans everywhere and the reactions of the kids themselves when they first laid eyes on the ship (Donner wanted to capture the expressions on the first take, and the kids were not permitted to see the ship beforehand.  The take used in the film is the second take.).  Unfortunately, once shooting wrapped, the pirate ship was destroyed when no one would take it, and one of Hollywood’s most iconic sets and props was lost forever.

For the most part, besides the usual hiccups present in filmmaking, the production of The Goonies went off fairly smoothly, and after five months of shooting (followed by more months of dubbing), The Goonies wrapped.  On June 7th, it was released in theaters, becoming one of the top ten highest grossing films of the year.

As time went by, The Goonies truly proved to never say die, with more generations of fans being added to it’s already impressive roster.  There have been documentaries, reunions, script readings, and, above all, requests for a sequel in the thirty-five years since it’s original release, with no signs of it’s popularity dropping off.  Currently, The Goonies is fondly remembered as one of the best known and best loved films of the 1980s, full of iconic moments and quotable lines that have continued to live in the public consciousness in the years following its debut.

In short:

The Goonies seemed destined for greatness from the start, and it certainly followed through.  Whether a sequel is ever made or not, no matter what, the original will continue to be loved and treasured for generations to come: as long as audiences remember how, for just a short while, to think like a kid.

It’s almost time to close on our analysis of The Goonies.  Join me next time as we take one last look at this classic film: combining the facts with the feelings for a sum-up.  Stay tuned, and thanks so much for reading!  I hope to see you in the next article.

[lavendernhoney]

Things from glee! that drives me nuts to this day:

Warbler Leadership:

Ok so season 2 we meet the Warblers. They are the only glee club we ever see that appears to have no adult supervision. Instead they are lead by a council which is cool, student leadership and all. Except the council is heavily swayed by a Sophmore who has probably only been in the club for a year or less just because he’s talented? Upperclassmen taking direction from any Sophmore is hilarious and unrealistic to me.

Season 3 they appparently disband the council and elect a captain who, again, has been around less than a year. They do a bunch of crazy shit but clearly regret it and learn some good lessons about not taking stuff to far ok.

Season 4 the warblers forget all of their development from season 3 and again, elect an absolute newb to be their captain. Under his direction they do kick ass and bully less than season 3 but they still try to win by cheating and take performance enhancing drugs.

Season 5 I’m pretty sure they’re barley in it? We see them during the Klaine proposal and it seems like maybe Sebastian is in charge again?

Anyway season 6 it must have been decided that after the drugs thing from season 4 that these teenagers needed an actual adult coach. So the council has been reinstated but they have a college dropout who is only 20 and was a part of the rival schools show choir longer than the warblers as a coach. Ok.

Adam Crawford Conpiracy

This is controversial lol but Adam had possibly the best character intro in season 4, a season with a lot of new characters.

The way he introduced himself to Kurt, who he was clearly crushing on, and then had his glee club sing him a slowed down version of Baby got Back?? That’s literally one of my favorite covers in all of glee its just so funny

Anyway right when it seems like him and Kurt could actually be something he just completly disappears from the show??? He was honestly really funny and pretty and I swear the reason he wasn’t in the rest of season 4 is because to many ppl would have jumped ship from Klaine if they actually saw Kurt with someone else.

Seriously go rewatch all of the scenes he’s in (it won’t take long unfortunately) he’s so sweet and hilarious. He says dumb dumb shit like “what’s shakin bacon?” But makes up for it by being very endearing

Demi Lavato Should’ve Gotten a Solo

I honestly really like Demi Lavato because I grew up on Disney when she was getting famous (Camp Rock, Sunny with a Chance, Princess Protection Program?? Awesome). So her being in Glee was so fun for me.

Her character was so fun! I love Dani! By like most of the really interesting characters they introduced late in the show she was severely under used. They got Demi Lavato and never gave her a solo. Wtf

NYADA could’ve been the most iconic part of the show post season 3

This might be controversial I’m honesty not sure but I really liked NYADA and I think it was under used too.

Like Glee was a show for theater kids and they had an excuse to actually finally pull of huge weird theater scenes and numbers and we really don’t get much of that.

Also we don’t get nearly enough NYADA culture but the little bit we do get is amazing. Midnight madness? Adams Apples? Weird theater kid film projects? Cassandra July in general (I know we got a good amount of her I just wanted more lol). Like this is a school full of extremely talented actors but they are also dumb college kids and I wanted way more of that.

Anyway this is dumb but I think about it a lot

[blorbosexterminator]

AND I am back. Once again on this lovely day to give my review for the EPISODE 24 so, here we go :

Agustin is squinting his eyes at him, as Sergio keeps muttering that Agustin has in fact done what he just mentioned he did and which both of them have known for years. 

Federico is 99% dead?! Damn, what is Sergio's gonna do?! Make it 100% ? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

(I got a feeling that Federico is the kidnapper or atleast a very important lead to them)

Btw, WHO IS FEDERICO?! Tatiana's alive husband?!

(Look at me, hoping like a moron she aint dead

My dog : Yep, total moron 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Me :

Me : NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR BITCH-ASS OPINION, YOU DUMB-FUCK DONKEY!!!! 😡😡😡)

Martin, my darling, my sweetheart, my poor angel. Nada, some help? Atleast gimme some tips, bruh, come on, you cant desert me like that. Not when I need to help someone 🙁🙁🙁

since, drunk, the last idea he got was that Laura turned out to be completely insane and kidnapped Andrés to marry him

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Martin, honey, stop drinking. This getting out of hand 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. But then again, Andres is so hot poor thing keeps on doubting.

As Roci said in one of the tags, his wives deserve the highest civilian award for putting up with him.

(Although, I just had a frisky thought. What if Sergio wanted Andres away from Martin, not because he cared bout his hermano but......😳😳😳😳😳 *whispers loudly* he wanted Andres all for himself? In *frantically looks around* INCEST WAY?!)

(Calm down, my deranged mind, you went too far 🤣🤣🤣)

Who knows, it could be the professor he punched in the middle of an exam once. Martín doesn’t think he has forgiven him.

Mood, bruh, such a mood 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 NO, OMG 😆😆😆 I didnt do it, but I do kinda have a beef with my Organic prof. I'll go off tangent again, so tell me if you wanna know the story.

He sent Silene in disguise to collect the cctv from the nearby shops and streets. His own cctv has been disabled since the IT bitch ruined it, Martín will kill him when he gets them back.

I think if and only IF Silene finds something good, her % of redemption will increase.

(Raquel s2e7 deja vu, I see what you did there 😏)

And Martin about to go John Wick on anyone & everyone. I tell ya Keanu Reeves will be crying when he sees Martin go nuts. I am willing to bet he'll pull a gun on the poor milkman, who just wanna do his job 😆😆😆

So he calls Bogota, with a little (not that little) handwritten list in his hand with the names of people he thinks he might have ruined their life in the past. 

Martin : Okay, I'll just take out the list and

*the paper rolls out the door, travels around the world for 5 times and comes back while going over top of Everest and bottom of Marina Trench*

No, it’s because when he hated Martín, he had always hated him openly. If he wanted to hurt him, then he’d just try to stab him in the middle of the living room.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

“Bogota, did Tatiana have any family?”

“No, who of us did, Martín?”

“You literally have 7 children and 7 ex-wives.”

COMEDY GOLD, NADA 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

“Those kids are ungrateful bastards, if I fall dead tomorrow they would just run to see what they’ve inherited.”

Aka THE PLOT of 70% Indian Telenovas 🤣🤣🤣. Also this line alone has so much soap opera vibes 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

He has no choice but to go to fucking Sergio Marquina. And if it’s his wife, then even better. Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. 

For fuck sake, Martín, Ive been telling you from last 2 ep

Stop. Blaming. Raquel.

Also, 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 damn, these 2 assholes cant keep away from each other. Nada, are we sure these 2 married the right people? As much I am a Berlermo ship stan, this here is just smth else 😆😆😆

Uh-oh 🙁 this asshole son of a bitch just poked the mama bear. And if ANDRES of all people narrows his eyes at you, You are, quoting Martin from last ep, truly, utterly, entirely, thoroughly and wholly fucked.

“Do you know him?”

“Oh yes, a childhood friend, I stole his pencil once and he never forgave me. Have you heard this Paula? Don’t steal your friends’ pencils, they will never get over the betrayal. You could steal the teacher’s ones though.”

“Why did you steal his pencil?” Paula asked seriously, with a delirious tone, and too tired to even move her head upwards. Raquel is gonna kill every single person involved for doing this to her daughter.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Sassy Andres = Best Andres. Words that should be written with GOLD. Wisdom passed onto generations

Poor Paula 🤣🤣🤣 I just imagine this in some other situation :

Andres : *saying smth smth*

Paula : *taking notes & asking questions*

Raquel after seeing her daughter :

Look what you made me do

🎶But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined

I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!

Ooh, look what you made me do

Look what you just made me do🎶

(Look what you made me do by Taylor Swift)

I am telling you Nada, by the time Raquel will be done with everyone, Uma Thurman will cry buckets because no one, okay?, no one can compete with A MAMA BEAR RAQUEL MURILLO.

“Poison is a woman’s choice of weapon, Anibal. Don’t be disrespectful.”

Again, words of wisdom. Only time hes not being a misogynist.

Also, Andres, my dear, are you speaking this from experience?

(Why do I think that Martin got Tatiana killed cause she poisoned him and Martin had to watch Andres fight for his life in hospital?)

“He won’t say anything, Mama. He’s the one who kidnapped grandma with Silene!”

Is anyone gonna listen to her? Or do I need to bonk Raquel myself? 🤦‍♀️

“Silence!” she screams. “I need to know everything that happened, if we’re getting out of here alive.” 

FINALLY!!!! SOME COMMON SENSE!!!! WE THANK THE LORD FOR MERCY!!!

And as for me, its time for me to say goodbye and goodnight (Cause its quarter to 12 rn in my watch)

AND ILL SEE YALL TOMORROW 🤗 BYE!!! 🙋‍♀️

I'm back as well! And we've finally caught up with each other.

Valid reaction. Sergio is also slowly going insane. Love that for him.

He's hoping he could. We all know this family has beef with that last one percentage.

(we'll see👀👀👀)

Hope is all we got at this point afabgs.

Now, now, don't speak to him like that. He has valid criticism.

I'd help him if I could, but alas (lmfao no, I do love them suffering)

Same recommendation. But he just, poor boy, could nothing to think of. So might as well be Laura. (also fair, who knows, maybe Andrés gets constantly kidnapped and forced into marriage)

Definitely, she's 100%. I really don't know how they do it.

Avsnsjsvjshsjs all theories are valid. Maybe Sergio does want Martín or Andrés, who knows what goes in the head of that fucker.

Seems like an interesting story! I never got along with my chemistry teachers. (Got one once to tell me that he's still not kicking me out of class only because he feels bad for my parents that they have to deal with me and they'll be the ones who will have to deal with the mess lmfao.)

Yes, have some faith in her!

100% accurate. Martín is this close from just shooting random people in the supermarket because they also could be the ones who kidnapped Andrés.

HAHAHA YES. This is exactly how the scene went.

We stan honesty in this house.

So happy you found it funny!!

I can confirm! Like 70% of all Egyptian drama as well.

I don't think he's hearing you well. But afnajscsgsh SAME. Okay look, now I really understand show runners with super homoerotic ships that they refuse to make canon. You try and make two male characters hate each other so much for plot then it slips and gets homoerotic.

Totally agree. This guy isn't making enemies with the right people (they are all dumb, but also none of them have anything that even resembles a moral compass)

Totally agree. This guy is honestly super amusing to watch and it's mainly because he's incapable of taking any situation in life seriously.

This family is really iconic. (love the song agsnsg) but also like Raquel would basically tell her after writing done his notes just put the title on top: things to never, ever, do.

I believe you! They really fucked with the wrong dumb family.

I mean, he's still a misogynist. Maybe some of us really like dagger, has he considered that?

That's as valid theory as any right there.

Hopefully Raquel will finally start listening to the child!

Raquel is the only one with a semblance of common sense.

Hope you had a good sleep! I'll see you tomorrow!

[adamwatchesmovies]

A Fall from Grace (2020)

A Fall From Grace is probably the best unintentionally funny movie of 2020 but its so-bad-it's-good factor has diminished since its original release. Seems writer, producer, director Tyler Perry heard the complaints of continuity errors, distracting extras, and other technical issues and addressed them. What's available now is a revised version that isn’t nearly as fun to watch as it should be. For the first half, it’s a badly written drama/courtroom case. The second half is when it gets crazy enough to be enjoyable.

Around the office, public defender Jasmine Bryant (Bresha Webb) is known for taking plea deals. When a seemingly open-and-shut case is brought to the firm, her boss (Tyler Perry) instructs her to do what she always does. Grace Waters (Crystal Fox) confessed to murdering her husband Shannon DeLong (Mehcad Brooks). Prompted by her husband (Matthew Law as Jordan), Jasmine starts investigating this sensational case.

What makes this film as pleasant as a strawberry-and-hair smoothie isn’t evident at first. The dialogue isn’t so good but nothing painful. The drama is over-the-top but mostly standard fare for these non-Madea Tyler Perry films. You can spot a few technical errors but the bulk of them have been edited out with alternate takes (something that should’ve been done in the first place). You don’t like Jasmine because frankly, she sucks at her job - how much becomes evident later. Your main source of entertainment is Grace’s story. She fell in love with a younger man who swept her off her feet with 2 am champagne at a dingy dinner, cheesy picture-perfect moments in the park, and a chaste courtship. They're worth some chuckles. When Grace begins seeing Shannon for who he really is, things start to get good.

As we approach that fateful night, the performances get crazier, the dialogue worse, and the plot goes nuts. Shannon goes from prince charming to Satan. How do we know he’s gone bad? He starts smoking. Has he begun just to stink up Grace’s home? I think so. Otherwise, she would’ve noticed the smell during the month(s?) of courtship.

While I snorted from amusement a few times, particularly at the scene’s most iconic line (if you’ve seen the movie, you know the one). Then, the movie drops a bombshell of a revelation midway through Grace’s trial. You thought Jasmine was incompetent before? You have no idea. See, Shannon’s body was never recovered. Any lawyer worth a nickel would’ve found a way to dismiss the case immediately but in this movie, the judicial court's like Vietnam: there are no rules. And I know what you’re thinking. Shannon is still out there. He’ll turn up somewhere, probably swindling some other lady out of her money. That’s how Jasmine will prove her client’s innocence. It would only solve one of Grace's many problems but you're not supposed to think about that. Or think at all. This movie takes it up to 11 during its conclusion and I was glad it did.

I can “recommend” A Fall From Grace solely for its conclusion. The plot’s as floppy as a slice of processed cheese in the sun, which can be fun but for a bad movie to be worth seeing, it’s got to do something so loony no one in their right mind would’ve ok'd it. This one does and the audacity of its final shot is just what A Fall From Grace needed to become enjoyable for all the wrong reasons. (January 11, 2021)

[stimmypaw]

stimmypaw reads Thunder & Shadow, another blog post

much like the first time, I am continuing to read A Vision of Shadows for the first time and sharing my thoughts as I go! This post of course has a bunch of spoilers for Thunder and Shadow. It’s all in the read more, have fun!

I'm so glad echosong is okay but what will she do??? Where will she go??? I'm so worried

I don't like it that Briarlight is stuck in the medicine den all day, love to see her playing with kits and showing her strength tho she's so sweet and good she deserves better

Now littlecloud is sick too???? Fuck!!!!

Also seems Needlepaw and Alderpaw haven't managed to get along better yet, maybe Alderpaw can talk to her through Leafpool since she's going to Shadowclan?

Also graystripe is awful as always and I love him 2 bits

I love Rowanstar's character too, he's so stupidly proud. Shadowclan has a fun trend of having a long line of mediocre to awful leaders and I feel bad for Tawnypelt, Shadowclans braincell who should be leader.

Jayfeather is gonna miss his friends

YES, SKYCLAN!!!! SKYCLANNNN

Twigkit lifting her front paws im 💖💖💖💖 AAAAA BABY

Graystripe :] he's silly

Omg feather time

If something bad happens to this feather ill fraud my taxes I will commit many crimes this delivery must happen safely and if anyone takes it from violetkit I will Kill

Omg sleekpaw don't be so mean poor littlecloud :c medicine cats are important!!

I see alderpaw leaving his feather behind alderpaw get it to violetkit Now

Oh God imagine being puddlekit, shadowclan needs to get its shit together real fast

Leafpool is just that picture (i do not see) while trying to process the mess they got her in

OKAY SO I'm glad he's getting along with needlepaw and that he can finally give violetkit her feather but LITTLECLOUD GUYS??? LITTLECLOUD?????????

My heart melted with violetkit, this was so sweet, why are the queens so mean to her??? She's just an autistic icon bro!! Like every cat I like in these books.

Alderpaw: hey I have an idea, why don't we commit crimes?

Needlepaw: FINALLY I THOUGHT YOUD NEVER ASK

VIOLETKIT POINT OF VIEW FINALLY???? FUCK YES YESSSS YES YES SHADOWCLAN TIME IM SO HAPPY THIS IS SO COOL

Last time this happened the character immediately died tho

Hm

I am suffering for violetkit

i wish violetkit would spend more time with leafpool im sure she’d be caring maybe?? maybe im just desperate for violetkit to be loved

no one here knows how to treat a kit

OH YES YESSS

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS SSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATHEYRE TOGETHER AGAIN

im so sad

im 

broooooo

aaaaa i hope needlepaw treats violetkit better from now on, this is hearbreaking.

Fuck I knew it, the rogues are coming for them aren’t they? And where’s Skyclan now????? fuck fuck fuck

ok I have no clue who Fernsong is but he’s funny already why is he like this what is happening why is he blocking them from looking at Honeykit while talking about how worried he is about her?? Absolutely misterious I love him

  Jayfeather 🤝 Yellowfang

 “I don’t want kits around me”

oh the girls are fighting

oh the girls ARE fighting

furzepelt had a cool name im sorry to hear he only existed to die immediately :c

onestar also is very proud, im glad he accepted help this time tho

SPARKPAW MED CAT MOMENT HAHAH

i forgot bumblestripe was a cat and i was wondering if it was just a typo for bramble

also what’s up with dove and tiger??? i forgot everything about their relationship in the previous books because i don’t care about it and the erins tend to write some pretty boring straight couples

the way they’re described makes me feel like needlepaw and sleekpaw are just differently colored versions of each other at times, are they related?? they don’t seem to be.

and here’s the bit that’s previewed, oh boy, it must have been seriously scary being violetkit, but i hope they don’t convince her the clans hate her :c thunderclan likes her shadowclan just sucks

What do these background cats want from Twigkit???? To shoot lasers out of her eyes?? I guess she isn’t magical or anything but also she’s just a kit??? Firepaw was also just a kittypet and he’s a big deal :/// y’all just don’t get it, I hope Twigkit doesn’t get Dovepaw’s protagonist anxiety

I know Twigkit is being scolded but this scene is just so cute like Jayfeather is just tucking her in a moss bed while being mad at her for leaving camp

Thats another one I need to draw i love them

SPARKPELT YESSSSS YESS SYE SYES YES 🎊🎉🎉🎉🎊🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈💖💖💖💖💖💕💖💕💖💕💖💕💕

Mothwing ableist????? That's cringe

Omg poor kestrelflight

Jayfeather misses Leafpool so bad, Puddlepaw must feel awful though

OLD AGE? H HOW OLD IS LEAFPOOL THEN???

?????? OH GOD IM LOVING THIS???

This apprentice rebellion is Nuts its so good oh fuck!!! I'm loving whats happening here its awful and perfect

Violetkit is getting bitter :c she needs 2 be embraced and loved stat

She is also clearly getting some bad dependency and abandonment issues, desperate to do anything to please so she won't be left alone again :c

FUCK NO NO NO AAAA NEEDLEPAW WHAT WWERE YOU THUNKING??????? JESUS POOR VIOLETKIT

Kitnapping, this is bad

Oh, very interesting

These apprentices and rogues are so smart god this is a perfect plan

Twigkit absolutely is the sunshine

I love her interactions with Alderpaw, I wish she had gotten to see her sister

In comparison Violetkit looking around camp desperate for attention is awful

Oh fuck bribing

NEEDLEPAW DONT BE MEAN TO VIOLETKIT :C

Oh fuck ou fuck the 4chan kids are angry

??? BRO WHAT??? DONT KICK OUT VIOLETKIT, THATS WHY YOUR APPRENTICES TURNED INTO ANCAPS DAMN

I'm angy

Oh no

Something bad happened :c

Bramblestar: good day!

Rowanstar: Oh Is it??? You could say that while starving in winter, cringe ass

Mistystar: its not winter tho

Onestar: well you're fat

God rowanstar must be obliterated

Hey where's the rowanstars maps use idk loon on a lake or something this man has angst!!!

I appreciate Ivypool is her mentor, at least Someone is honest about whats going on and hey they can both relate on the fear of not being special! Ivypool can be very good to Twigpaw im counting on her

Oh fuck

Violetpaw sounds like she's in trouble with the rogues :c aa

AAAA TWIGPAWWWW AAAA

Violetpaw don't be mean about your sister :C she misses you so bad

Sleekwhisker is like that dad that let his kid starve until she learned to open a bean can she didn't want

Holy fuck

Aaaa violetpaw D:

Jesus christ that was awful

That was so intense I was so nervous for Violetpaw, I'm really happy for her now aaaa

Another gathering already? Wowie

I hope Shadowclan gets those herbs soon :c

I see he appeal in FernIvy and I appreciate it

Violetpaw and Twigpaw sharing a den my heart......this is IT

Jayfeather: I want to steal

I'm listening to Burn Pygmalion! and "viscious kin" is very fitting for this series ehhehe

I love violetpaw and twigpaw btw

IM CRYING

I cant believe Alderpaw is an all lives matter kinda guy

Yesss rebel get those herbs alreadyyy

Starclan has agreed to let kestrelflight kill onestar, goodbye onestar /j

Epic I love you harespring

Alderpaw being confused at Jayfeather saying he is proud is the Best

What an ending! Terrifying and hopeful at the same time, I am very excited to see the hijinks Bramblestar and Rowanstar will get into and how they will go searching for Skyclan, it was PAINFUL to have that prologue talking about them with 0 hope of them showing up again Nothing Nada Zilch, feels like that and the ending were just 2 remind us that that was still the major plot point hahaha, I appreciate it I guess. I'm glad Violetpaw and Twigpaw are on uh good terms despite it all, not very ideal and they're both upset but they still consider each other siblings and know they care about each other :'0 Alderheart getting his name is epic too!!! I was hoping he would soon. I loved everything about his interactions with Jayfeather here, loved all the characterizations really it was just top notch, Onestar being a bastard, Needletail, OH AND SHADOWCLAN JOINING THE ROGUES, top notch!!!! The ancap apprentices were a riot.

This was a good book!!! Flowed very nicely and smoothly, reading in shadowclan's point of view for more than around 3 chapters was great. I can barely wait for the rest!!! Will Violetpaw find belonging in this new era of Shadowclan??? Or will she leave again??? Will Alderheart somehow figure out where Skyclan is and get them together at the lake??? Will Twigpaw get all the spicy details of Dovewing's secret romance with Tigerheart??? Who knows!! But I am very excited to find out what happens next :D

[rallamajoop]

Some musings on symbiote morphology (AKA when size does matter)

So, back when Venom was still in cinemas, I saw it with a friend who (like me) enjoyed it mightily -- though said friend did roll her eyes pretty hard at the She-Venom scene, because of course the female!Venom has to be skinny and sexy. Of course she does.

I mean, the sexual dimorphism on display here is, uh... pretty extreme.

Usually, this would’ve gotten to me too. Few issues in genre film stick in my craw like the double standards applied to male and female bodies (ask me my thoughts on the likes of Wonder Woman or Gamora at your peril). So it was a little surprising to find that this was one I was mostly willing to shrug off.

Why? Well, that requires a bit of backing up and some more context. But mostly, it’s the perfect jumping-off point for a whole lot of rambling about visual shorthands and how symbiote morphology has been handled in the comics over the years, which apparently I had a whole essay’s worth of thoughts on. So here we go.

Now, Comic!Venom =/= Movie!Venom. They aren’t the same character, don’t have the same history, and their biology doesn’t follow the same rules.  But one is still the basis for the other, so we’re going to start waayyy back at the beginning.

Since the symbiote's introduction back in '84, precious little about the species has remained consistent through the many writers and retcons, but one detail that Marvel was -- mostly -- consistent on back in the early days is that the shape a symbiote takes depends a lot on the body of its host. So when Spider-man was wearing the symbiote the result was (by design) literally just Spider-man-but-in-black:

But Venom's next host did not have the muscularly-lean body of Peter Parker, he had the jacked-up muscle-mountain that was Eddie Brock’s -- and the result is the Venom we all know and love.

Whereas when completely-normal-human-woman Anne Weying first bonds with the Venom symbiote in Sinner Takes All, we get a much slimmer She-Venom.

You can see the same trends at work with the Life Foundation Five and various other examples. So, in the comics at least, there’s some internal consistency explaining why He-Venom and She-Venom should look so very different. (Why Eddie and Anne should be such wildly different sized humans is a whoooole other topic, but best left in the Don’t Get Me Started pile for now.)

Of course, when the guy you've cast as Eddie has the physique of Tom Hardy rather than, say, He-Man, the logic of why Venom looks so huge falls apart. 

  ⬥ Venom and She-Venom, actual size comparison.

While comic book writers of the 80's may have been able to convince a generation of fans not to question why a professional journalist would be jacked enough to dwarf Captain America, film adds a layer of realism and audience expectations that would make that a much harder sell (not to mention limiting your casting options to a much smaller pool). Casting Tom Hardy was inarguably the right call. 

If Eddie no longer looked like Venom, the other solution would have been to make Venom look more like Tom Hardy--but good luck getting that past the existing fanbase. When it comes to pleasing the longtime fans, it's safe to say that Venom, not Eddie, is the character who has to look the part. Plus, Venom is entirely CG, so casting and realism no longer have to matter. Fanboys can have their giant Venom and tiny She-Venom, and the fangirls can have Tom Hardy getting all prettily roughed up. There are worse solutions.

Don't get me wrong: they could and absolutely should have evened up the difference on screen by giving She-Venom some extra body mass (she is on screen for like ten seconds, the fanboys can effing deal). But when the key decision that fucked up those ratios is making Eddie so much slimmer and sexier than he was originally supposed to be, I am unusually willing to give them a tentative pass. I mean, I love comics!Eddie too, but I can’t see him working on screen.

While I’m talking symbiote-bodies, it’s worth going into some of the other reasons to make Eddie+symbiote so huge, the obvious ones being to a) make him more threatening, and b) emphasise that Eddie's bonded with the symbiote in a way Peter never did. As a shape-shifter, Venom can make his host look bigger but not smaller (which is presumably why Rad Eddie may look younger than regular!Eddie, but is still suspiciously large for a skateboarder hanging with teens).

But size isn't the only way to make a character like Venom threatening. Compare Carnage, who is much more dangerous than Venom -- but (along with his host) fairly consistently drawn as smaller and leaner than the original.

He's still plenty threatening, though -- not because he's huge, but because he's completely bugfuck nuts and into murder for recreation. His design gets this across with a texture less like skin than a mass of veins and tentacles. Size is a good visual shorthand for danger, but it's not the only shorthand that works for symbiotes of the 90′s heyday.

You can see the same logic at work in Toxin too (a lesser-known and sadly mistreated Carnage-spawn from the early 00's). Precious little about Toxin's look remained consistent from one creative team to the next, but the impact of the host body is still there. His first host, Pat Mulligan, was a pretty average-sized dude, which is reflected in his bonded form (left), but when Eddie gets the Toxin symbiote later on, we get a much bigger Toxin (right). And Eddie's Toxin has more tentacles and rougher skin, so we know he's not going to be friendly (Eddie was really not in a good place at this point in his history).

Perhaps the most interesting example is Agent Venom, who turns up when the military bonds the Venom symbiote to Flash Thompson: disabled vet and card-carrying Spidey fan. His Venom-look is a brilliant bit of storytelling-through-design: the face and overall build hearkens back to Spider-man's time in the symbiote, the equipment signposts his military connections (past and present), and black will always be the signifier of a guy working black ops.

Perhaps most important, there's no mouth (compare both Spidey and Toxin #1), which is our sign that the symbiote's under control -- drugged into submission by the military, in fact.

But key to Flash's time in the role is that the Venom symbiote doesn't always stay drugged and docile, and whenever it starts to break free, Agent Venom morphs into Venom's traditional look -- gaping mouth, no belts or shoulder pads, and lots of bulky muscles a la the original flavour Eddie Brock (you can see him mid-transformation on the left below).

Does that make sense, when Flash is the host? Probably not, but comic book logic, as usual, is suspended for the sake of visual shorthand: fans know what Venom is "supposed" to look like, so that's what he looks like when the comic wants to telegraph that Flash is losing control. And that, I suspect, is why Lee Price's Venom (above right) looks more like Eddie's, even though Lee Price looks more like Flash. Price may be the one in charge, but he’s also a madman, so his Venom has to look out of control. The comics have officially hit Tom Hardy territory: Venom is huge now because people have come to expect Venom to look like the original Eddie-Brock!Venom, regardless of who’s inside.

There are bigger exceptions to the rule, however -- two of the more interesting turned up almost simultaneously in 2015, when both Venom!Flash and Toxin!Eddie got significant redesigns in the pages of Venom: Space Knight and Carnage (2015). Now Flash's Venom is the bulky muscular one, while Eddie's Toxin looks slimmer than Eddie has ever been before or since. What's going on here? Did the artists just screw up?

Well, not entirely -- the characters haven't just flipped looks, they've flipped roles. Now Toxin's the one being drugged into submission by a US agency (and we can only assume those drugs somehow prompt a symbiote to produce pouches, because we're two-for-two on that front). Meanwhile, Venom's been "purged of corruption" and has finally bonded with Flash as a full partner, which may be why they opted for something closer to his original look. Note that Venom has no mouth, and Toxin's is positively restrained by symbiote standards, which tells you a lot about the temperament we can expect from both of them.

That said, I don't think either design really works. Venom's new look is a real step back in creativity from his Agent Venom days, and the helmet-face would be better suited to a mech design than a symbiote who's being treated as a real character for the first time. Meanwhile, Toxin’s look doesn't really work for Eddie, for all the same reasons it did work for Flash: Eddie isn't a trusted agent in this scenario, he's more like an intelligent animal on a short leash. It isn't just the builds that are wrong -- none of the story comes across well in these designs.

All in all, the longer Venom’s been around, the less the standard host=symbiote rules seem to apply. Venom is huge because his look is sufficiently iconic that that’s what the fans expect, regardless of who’s on the inside, or whether we’ve just rewritten his entire backstory and made the jump to film.

Speaking of which, it’s worth pointing out that there is actually precedent in the comics for female symbiotes who aren't drawn like a bikini model in a layer of black body paint. One is Patricia Robertson, who bonds with the "Venom" symbiote (read: not actually the Venom symbiote) in the 2003 Venom series.

Though Trish is a woman of fairly average build, her "Venom" is virtually indistinguishable from Eddie's (too much so, if anything -- it's very hard to tell which is which when they clash). Unfortunately, the 2003 series is otherwise an ugly, incomprehensible mess of a comic, containing almost nothing that has ever been referenced again. I can really only recommend it to absolute completists.

Somewhat better handled is Tarna, a skrull Agent of the Cosmos who appears in Venom: Space Knight. Tarna's symbiotic look is not remotely feminine, and one suspects that's the point: it's ugly, threatening, and gives no clue as to who's inside. (Her symbiote can also separate from her while maintaining form, making the comparison pic unusually easy for me).

But as a shapeshifting alien bonded to a shapeshifting symbiote, Tarna perhaps doesn't make the best example for general principles. It’s worth keeping in mind that every design has a storytelling function too: Patricia’s Venom needs to be mistakable for the original Venom for plot reasons, and the reveal that Tarna is a humanoid woman under her symbiote is set up as a surprise. But the creators of the film wanted us to know that was Anne under the symbiote from the moment she appeared, so sexy!She-Venom it is.

All that said, at the very end of the day, I’d much rather not have to make these excuses for the film. I’d much rather see more Tarnas and fewer She-Venom’s, and both film and comics have a long way to go before we get there yet.

[morievna]

Japanese maple tree – peace and balance

So time for more symbolism – this time Japanese maple tree. I just had to check that xD There are lot of meanings, what surprised me a bit. Some of them are lined up with what I wrote earlier, so I feel quite validated actually.

But let’s take a look at illustration first:

That could be whole comment xD

I like that even though we don’t see Akihiko here, but there is his presence since there is only one person at which Ugetsu smiles that way. Also maple tree has red foliage as sign of autumn - reference to Akihiko’s name. In addition, there is fun fact – squirrels (Akihiko’s stand) often forget nuts they buried, which results in growing new trees. So I would say that tree is kind of stand-in for him too. All is connected, you know.

What’s interesting that there are two another versions of that illustration. One without hand and phone, which btw was used as icon in Kizu Natsuki’s twitter account previously. Other one seems to be first project of volume 5 cover of german release – though i am not sure what happened since there are different covers on Amazon and Egmont’s website so it seems that it was discarded? My German is rather so-so and I couldn't find anything more either. I just hope that we will get Ugetsu on cover one day.

Besides, in ch 22 we see that image of Ugetsu in Akihiko’s memories:

As off-topic remark I want to emphasize that Akihiko words from that chapter should not be taken as gospel – he was trying to cope with their breakup and rationalize everything. But he didn’t still know Ugetsu’s reasons. Not to mention that Ugetsu makes his decisions mostly on feelings not rationality xD

But let’s go finally into symbolism.

Japanese maple trees have been considered a symbol of grace personified by many Asian cultures for hundreds of years. Associated with peace and serenity of the world's elements, Japanese maple trees represent balance and practicality and are called "kito" in the Japanese language, which means "calm," "rest" or "at peace."

[source]

I would say that peace and serenity describe perfectly atmosphere of that illustration. That particular feeling is present on most panels with them pre-breakup and underlined by light-dark clothes (balance). Again soulmates vibe.

There is another set of meanings of maple tree, which is rooted in biology – patience, endurance and survival.

For Japanese maple tree to attain its full nature and beautiful structure, there has been a whole lot of patience associated with this. The tree grows in most cases a foot in year and to reach its required height it takes about 20-30 years.

This tree is popular with its association with areas with partial shade, that is, places where there is little exposure to sunlight. They possess the ability to survive every challenges that are directed towards them and they do this at all cost.

[source]

Little sun exposure – sounds familiar, isn’t it? Like certain basement for sure.

And I wonder what could mean that aspect of surviving every challenge for Akihiko and Ugetsu’s relationship. In stories about soulmates/red string of fate there are always themes of passing trials and enduring hardships (like separation for instance). So maybe some reunion and reconciliation at the end? Personally I think it will lead to it:

There is similar sense of peace and balance here. Unlike earlier panels  Akihiko has his piercings, so it is not past. But what it quite peculiar it is Ugetsu’s expression – more vulnerable than guarded as usual. Therefore I assume that it is scene from future. Of course, it doesn’t have to happen literally – more like a clue to where story is going. I won’t say that I am 100% sure or any of that is definitive proof, but it is still very fun to check all that symbolism.

As always thanks for reading.

[doomedandstoned]

PSYCHO LAS VEGAS IV

~Festival Review~

Words by Roman Tamayo | Photos by Sally Townsend | Films by Arturo Gallegos

Psycho Las Vegas is a unique experience: more than 70 bands play for 4 days in 4 stages. This is not a regular festival; it represents the triumph of the underground scene that loves heavy, slow, and psychedelic riffs. We are living in the golden era for this kind of music: bands like Electric Wizard or High on Fire playing in a big arena, the dream has come true. This festival is opening the doors on the American continent for new bands, while consolidating the old ones -- they will probably be the next legends like Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. I flew in from Mexico City for Psycho this year and hope that in the near future the festival will turn its eyes to the thriving Latin America scene.

PSYCHO SWIM

The first day of the festival, I had the chance to see bands like Primitive Man, Danava, Lucifer, and Corrosion of Conformity playing on a stage overlooking a big pool, affectionately nicknamed the "slosh pit." For such a setting, the sound was amazing, the atmosphere unique; it was the start of a big party that would continue non-stop for the next three days. You could see fans from different parts of the United States and other countries like México, Argentina, France, Canada, and so forth. The cultural exchange and the vibe of friendship were amazing.

Primitive Man

I don't have words enough to describe how loud and heavy these guys are live. I think the correct way to describe it is: a massive wall of sound melting your face. In my opinion, Primitive Man emerged as one of the heaviest bands of the festival.

Lucifer

Lucifer was one of the most anticipated bands of the event. The line to access the stage was long, with people waiting upwards of 20 minutes to get access. As for the show, I think they stole the night. Nicke Andersson and Johanna Sadonis have an incredible band. You can feel the fuzzy vibe of the ‘70s all over their songs, carried out by musicians who are quite skilled for the job.

Corrosion of Conformity

Kirk Windstein from Crowbar introduced Corrosion of Conformity in the final show of the night and the entire crowd started to party. The sound was amazing, you can see why they are living legends. They played a lot of classic songs like "Albatross," "Clean my Wounds," "Broken Man," along with plenty of surprises beneath the starlit sky.

DAY ONE

Arthur Brown

It's Friday and Psycho Las Vegas has officially begun! I saw the God of Hellfire himself, Arthur Brown, to open things up on the main stage -- a big arena with an amazing sound. The living legend was back once again to offer us one of the most magical shows of the entire festival. The godfather of the shock rock let us know that there is no age restriction to being a rocker. The mix of clothes, musicians, vibe, passion, and love were the perfect combination, and the audience warmly recognized Arthur Brown for his many years of music.

Graveyard

After Arthur Brown, it was Graveyard's turn to wow us. The arena was full for this show. The Swedish stoner-blues outfit played an incredible set with songs from all of their albums: "The Siren," "Hisingen Blues," "Please Don't," "Goliath," etc. The sound was impeccable. With wider exposure like this, these guys could very well be recognized as the next Led Zeppelin.

Godspeed You Black Emperor!

After the break, I saw Montreal experimentalists, Godspeed You Black Emperor! Without doubt, one of the most impressive acts of Psycho -- more than music, it was a breathtaking experience. The visuals coupled with the sound had me in a trance for the duration of the performance by these eight musicians. One of our favorite shows.

Yob

Next, I arrived at the Beach Stage for Yob. I was very excited about this show, but unfortunately the audio from this venue was horrible during all three days. The mixing console was next to the stage and the audio engineers did not have a clue of how the sound was outside. Yob played an incredible show, nonetheless. During the last song, Colin from Amenra sang with Mike. What a great collaboration to witness!

High on Fire

After YOB, I ran to see High on Fire on the main stage, but it was the same story -- the sound was terrible. That, however, didn't stop the crowd from getting into the spirit of the songs, and they formed big circles for the mosh pit. The new drummer suffered a little bit during some of the numbers, though Matt and Jeff tried their best to coordinate with him. Certainly not the best show from the band, I’m afraid.

Fu Manchu

On the other hand, Fu Manchu radiated with pure energy. The sound was a little better than it was for Yob's set and the Cali legends did their best to offer us a killer show even with these conditions. Fu played a lot of classic songs: "King of the Road," "Saturn III," "California Crossing," "Evil Eye," and "Laserbl'ast!" One of my favorite bands of the festival and, in my opinion, deserving of a better stage.

Electric Wizard

Finally, I arrived to Electric Wizard. Tons of people tried to access to the main stage, it was crazy. Thankfully, the sound was beautiful. EW is heavy and loud, so imagine this sound in a big arena: massive waves of sonic force crashing against your face. The new bassist Haz (ex-Hawkwind) gives a new sense of heaviness, you can feel the difference he contributes. The band looked so happy playing songs like "Return the Trip," "See You In Hell," "Black Mass," etc. An unforgettable sonic encounter to be in the first rows for.

DAY TWO

Old Man Gloom

During my second day, I spent a lot of time at the main stage. The first band that opened the stage was Old Man Gloom, one of the best acts of the festival. After the loss of Caleb, Aaron Turner and the other guys continued the project. The sound was pure and direct -- you could feel your chest vibrating with every riff. Seeing Aaron Turner play made you want to move your head like a crazy.

Triumph of Death

Triumph of Death is a tribute to Hellhammer with Tom Warrior on front -- one of the most anticipated acts of the festival. The legendary Warrior played classic songs in a new way, like "The Third of the Storms," "Massacra," "Visions of Mortality," and "Triumph of Death," -- all amazing songs. The band was brimming with enthusiasm by the end of the show.

Sumac

Sumac is one of the heaviest bands of our time. Unfortunately, the sound of the Beach Stage was abysmal. The band, however, put on an incredible performance. To see Aaron Turner play twice in the same day was simply legendary. I hope next time the festival are able to troubleshoot the nuances of outdoor acoustics and put Sumac and Yob on a proper stage.

Clutch

Clutch was a lively, unforgettable experience, the legends playing a killer show. Neil Fallon is one of the top frontman these days -- he makes you want to jump, sing, hoot, and holler. One of the best moments of the gig was when we heard "Supergrass" and "Willie Nelson" -- what a great surprise. Clutch also played standards like "Earth Rocker," "X-ray Vision," and "Firebirds."

Misfits

After Clutch, the arena was packed to the gills for the Misfits. These icons of the underground put an unforgettable set, even with the technical problems experienced by Doyle. The crowd was crazy -- I saw four circle pits emerge from the beginning and they never let up. Glenn's voice continues to be one of the best in the industry. The band played some classics: "Where Eagles Dare," "Die Die My Darling," "Hybrid Moments," "Halloween," and "Hollywood Babylon," to name a few.

Full of Hell

I visited the House of Blues following this, where Full of Hell was on fire. I was particularly shocked by the drummer, one of the craziest and fastest in the biz. Hardcore, punk, noise and power violence -- Full of Hell is an experience-and-a-half. You can feel the hate in mere moments of these absorbing songs.

The Obsessed

The last band of the night was The Obsessed, and the place was understandably full for Wino. The sound was nice and balance; the crowd was crazy. Wino appeared and played some songs like "Soden Jackal" and "The Way She Fly." It's probably just my point of view, but Wino did not look excited about the show, though perhaps he always looks this stern. Whatever the case, it was great to see this giant of doom. A great way to close the Day Two.

DAY THREE

Weedeater

The last day came all too soon, but sadly all good things need to come to an end. However, some great things did take place throughout the day, like the marriage of Matt Pike (congrats). On Sunday we saw Weedeater. They are like an urban legend, where I'm from. Dixie Dave appeared on the stage and the crowd went nuts. The sound again was not the best and the guitar player suffered some troubles with his amp toward the end of the show. Such are the perils of change, Psycho having ventured out of their three-year home of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino this year to embrace a series of new venues on the Vegas Strip.

Mogwai

Mogwai is another affair entirely. Their music makes you feel a lot of things at the same time, like happiness, hope, and sorrow. The ambience was perfect for this performance. I don't have words to describe the sensation.

Dead Meadow

I moved on to see Dead Meadow and they were a trip. The light show by Mad Alchemy gave the place a unique ambience. The band played a special set for the people of Psycho Las Vegas, Jason having worked very close with the festival organizers to plan every detail from the get-go.

Uncle Acid and the deadbeats

From there, I ran to see Uncle Acid and the deadbeats and was an amazing show. Even if, God forbid, you don't like the band, their live performance is undeniable: the visuals, the energy, and the sonority make everything moving and memorable. They played songs like "13 Candles," "Waiting For blood," "Mind Crawler" and, of course, "I’ll Cut You Down."

Truckfighters

From there I ran over to the Beach Stage to see Truckfighters. It was the same story as with Yob or Sumac, the sound engineers still hadn't figured out their shit. Nonetheless, The crowd was happy and supportive. Truckfighters offered an incredible show with the new drummer, Toro. Two words: pure energy! The band played Gravity X and that was a joy to hear live, as this is one of the great contemporary stoner rock albums.

Power Trip

I spent some time watching Integrity, a lesser known band to me, then moved back to the Beach Stage for Power Trip, the modern heroes of thrash and crossover metal. The area was packed and when the band appeared on stage, the biggest mosh pit in the pool erupted. The guards tried to stop it, but it was in vain. This was surely one of the most iconic moments of the festival: the slosh pit. What energy; what a band -- long live these guys.

Twin Temple

Twin Temple was a great surprise. Imagine a black mass in middle of House of Blues with a band that combines rock 'n' roll, country, and garage rock. To see Twin Temple is a very unique experience, like the satanic version of Amy Whinehouse. I loved how all the crowd joined in the chorus: “SATAN, SATAN, SATAN!”

Amenra

The last band of my weekend was Amenra. I don't have enough words to completely describe the experience. The heaviest and loudest riffs, sadness, pain, and anger all wrapped up in one moment. That's Amenra, and it was a truly spiritual experience. Also, the visuals offered us a lovely trip. Amenra deserve to play the main stage when they come back to Psycho, as they are the rising legends of the scene.

Despite a few technical glitches here and there, Psycho Las Vegas was amazing. All in all, it's the best party for the scene, with a ton of bands, nice people, and smooth-running logistics. I hope that the organizers of Psycho start checking out bands from Latin America to join next year's roster, for the scene here is really blowing up. Thank you to the festival organizers, Liz Ciavarella-Brenner, and the team who run the press table for making my first US festival rad!

[slamsams-blog]

From Russia With Love - #24WeeksofBond

24 Weeks of Bond continues this week with “From Russia With Love”.  Sean Connery has come back for a second installment in the Bond franchise, and unlike most sequels, it does not disappoint.  Isn’t it funny to think about now?  How Bond was once just a movie with a sequel?  In fact, I would say in this case the sequel far exceeds the original...but I haven’t seen “Dr.No” in quite sometime, so it will be interesting to see how that opinion changes later on.  But let’s get to the subject at hand.

This film, in a nutshell, is sort of a cat and mouse game.  Except that the mouse is James Bond...and just when the cat thinks he’s nailed down his prey, the mouse opens up a can of tear gas in the cats face.

This is the first time we are introduced to the man behind the evil intelligence operation known as SPECTRE, an acronym for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. (thanks wikipedia).  In the previous film, Dr.No, we are simply told about SPECTRE by Dr. No himself, but here, we are fully immersed in the organization.  Blofeld, the head and mastermind behind the organization, has hired two figures to plan out and execute a scheme to essentially, kill two birds with one stone.  

They want a Lektor Cryptography decoder to extort the soviets with, and they want Bond dead for killing Dr.No...(spoiler, sorry...but it shouldn’t surprise you). So we have a master strategist creating the plan - that’s established right away because dude won a chess game...and Colonel Klebb carrying it out.  Klebb is a former soviet counter intelligence officer working for one terrorist group who is now secretly working for a bigger terrorist group in SPECTRE.

Klebb hires a beautiful soviet cryptologist to lure Bond over to Istanbul where the Lektor is.  Klebb also hires a big ox named Grant to secretly keep Bond alive until he has possession of the Lektor and then to kill him, and bring the Lektor to SPECTRE.

So Bond is sent on a mission by MI6 knowing full well that this is a trap, but like the master strategist predicted, the opportunity to obtain a Lektor is just too enticing to pass up.  So the mission begins with Bond looking over his shoulder and trying to anticipate every move and countermove to somehow escape back to England with the Lektor, and hopefully Tanya Romanova, the girl hired to entice him to the Lektor.  Of course throughout this mission, they end up actually falling for each other. 

Whew...when I write it all out, it seems rather convoluted.  But the good thing about this film, is that it doesn’t feel convoluted, it’s rather easy to follow and allows you as the viewer to put the puzzle pieces in place as you are watching it.  While “From Russia With Love” isn’t very abundant on the action, it delivers with its methodical plot and story telling.  That’s NOT to say that there is no action...we have a fight between two gypsies, a shoot out at the gypsy coral, a fight between Bond and a flying helicopter with grenades, a boat chase, and of course the scene that I always think about when I think of this movie...a nasty, brutal train car fight.

Bond and Grant (the hired hitman to kill Bond and retrieve the Lektor) eventually come to blows in one of my favorite fight scenes in the whole catalog.  With no intense music behind it, just the sound of a train, Bond and Grant brutally beat the holy shit out of each other in a dark train car, shoving each other into the walls, applying full nelsons, breaking glass, and just straight up fist-a-cuffs that make you feel every hit.  Theres just so much beauty in simplicity sometimes.

Speaking of simplicity, we are first introduced to the iconic character Q, played by the beloved Desmond Llewelyn (who would go on the play Q for the next 36 YEARS).  He gives Bond a nifty briefcase with a bunch of defense mechanisms in it.  I’m sure people went nuts over it, because the following movie you start getting things like ejectable car seats.  But the briefcase really comes in handy.

Everything about “From Russia With Love” feels like it has a purpose.  There is not one scene that has any sort of wasted dialogue.  The only wasted scene, for me, is the pre-title sequence.  It opens up with an unusually timid looking Bond who is seemingly chasing the man trying to kill him (Grant) in a hedge maze.  Grant finally catches bond and strangles him to death...only for the lights to come up on this weird training session where Grant was being timed, and then they proceed to take the Sean Connery mask off to reveal it just being a guy.

This is amusing to think about, someone hired someone to create a mask that looks exactly like Bond to use for Bond killing training sessions.  It’s like, why bother with the mask?  Anyways, I get it...they wanted us to believe that this Grant guy just killed Bond.  But it just seems so ridiculous.

From Russia With Love is a Bond movie I highly recommend and is regarded as one of the better Bond movies by numerous experts.  I would have to agree.  It also reminded me just how damn great Connery was.  Everything he does is just so smooth.  Theres a scene where Kerim Bey (Bond’s contact in Istanbul) tosses him something, and Bond just catches it in stride and carries on.  It was a moment so small and insignificant to the story, but I saw that and went, “man, that’s why Connery is so awesome”.  Give this movie a watch to remind yourself of just why Connery is regarded as one of the best Bonds ever.

That’s it for this week...Let me know what you thought, and I’ll paste it on at the end!

Reviews from Friends:

Jeremy Bent

Train fight is maybe my all time favorite Bond fight.

My Mom

I enjoyed it. But I liked the other one more. I always thought Bond was kind of futuristic but this movie had a shoot out at the OK Corral feel. It was a surprise to see a young blonde Robert Shaw. I hate to admit it, but I think I liked roger Moore’s portrayal more than Connery ‘s.

24 Weeks of Bond will be back next Monday with - 

Tomorrow Never Dies