#like jonny and jon r so different

[saym0-0]

i love mechs x tma aus and i love jmart but i dont love jonny x martin,,, the dynamic is just so slightly off,, like,,,,,, i cant articulate it its just wrong 2 me,,,,,,,, okay actually the tags r vital to this one read those

[someplayfromthepast]

things no one talks about from the reunion concert

the event itself honestly was not that well organized and it took almost 2 hours to get everyone into the theatre. the good news is i was able to run around and meet some ppl there

also you could see everyone in the wings? jon and lolo were standing there for a good majority of the time before the show just looking out at the audience

GIDEON GLICKS OUTFIT WHY WAS BRO DRESSED LIKE HE WAS ON A JOG

and then once the show started it took so long for anyone onstage to even sit down. the time before lea sang the first note felt like an eternity

christine estabrook pronouncing wendla with a soft W at the beginning of the show💀

oh and then i sat and watched lea michele READ (Yes u read that right. I saw her read in real time) her first few lines. so

MAMA. WHO. BORE. ME. REPRISE. i have genuinely never heard a more electric version of this song. all the girls' voices have aged beautifully and yet it was still somehow the same as it had always been.

the absolute flood of spit that came out of jon groff's mouth every time he said "you waTCH me"

jbw smelling his hand after my junk?

THE UNDERSTUDIES ENTERING 💀 it was so funny for some reason. they weren't onstage until brian sang his verse in touch me. so weird

jbw and gideon all over each other during touch me

watching lilli and lauren sing the dark i know well was beyond unreal. i felt like i was in a different world watching them sing it. they were like 40 feet from me.

john gallagher jr did NOT remember any of the words to these songs My guy was holding his script for the entire show. How did u play this role for years and i know it better than u do by watching the bootleg like 30 times

vs jon groff performing the mbn choreo flawlessly (and me sobbing)

the jgroff lea michele making out action that was just there . Like guys this is just a semi staged concert why r u horizontal kissing at the imperial theatre on a monday evening

they showed a video during intermission that i've never seen anyone post anything from. i guess i should upload that somewhere

THE BABY CRYING DURING THE GUILTY ONES. WHO BROUGHT THEIR MF BABY TO THIS EVENT. i lowkey think it mightve been one of the casts babies but also Why did they bring the baby .

john. gallagher. jr. and the way he welcomed us back to moritz's world of neon lights and angst in a single beat. as soon as john started the chorus of dds that was it for me. i was back in 2006 and i was watching moritz, not john.

and also just in general how we (the generation who grew up on the bootleg rather than seeing the show for ourselves) never really saw what became of john's moritz. the last we saw of john in the role was almost a year before he left. it was very different from what i'd known of him. but never ever in a bad way i love you john.

john's chair sat empty for the entire rest of the show after dds which just kind of hit hard

how the theatre EXPLODED for the entirety of totally fucked. if you've seen the boots from any of the final performances you know. everyone in the theatre was cheering and screaming and weeping

jon groff singing to the girls in the front row during fucked oh my god i was so JEALOUS

the applause for totally fucked lasted a solid 5 minutes probably. totally fucked was never my favorite song until i experienced that

jonny b and gideon glick going at it during woybr . Rekindling an old romance i fear

gideon was trying not 2 laugh during reformatory scene. actually he wasnt really trying not 2 he was just laughing his ass off

i honest to god don't remember those you've known or song of purple summer. i was so in the moment that i just didn't take it with me, and honestly i am okay with that. it's the part of me i left at the imperial that night.

thank you forever spring awakening. i can't believe it's already been a year.

[kairos-polaris]

For the alphabet fandom ask game -

G,U,N,P,O,W,D,E,R,,, T,I,M. you agree?

I love you, btw <3

Hi hi hi I love you

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it?

I can't remember my first one because bad memory but one of the oldest is definitely the Doctor and Rose Tyler. I just love them so much and I think about the Bad Wolf so often

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

Jonathan Archivist Sims (the Magnus Archives) - my beloved asshole <3 He is so creature and I love his moral conflict. And while I think he should get worse and more evil, I love how clinging to his humanity is a central part of his story line

Itadori Yuuji (Jujutsu Kaisen) - he is my precious sunshine whom I love so so much. My boy deserves a happy life. I love how human he is, despite the hellish circumstances. The way he disregards his own life for the sake of others is just so tragic. I am very proud of him and his insane progresss

Jonny d'Ville (The Mechanisms) - bastard (affectionate). Everyone's favorite First Mate. I look at him like this 👁️👁️ while he commits acts of unspeakable violence, I take notes

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

I can't really think of anything? Maybe more queer platonic relationships and focus on friendships without calling them siblings or parent/child

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

TMA AU where Jon is kidnapped by Nikola and becomes the avatar of the Stranger (you already know this one but I couldn't really think of anything else)

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

The very first song I thought of was The Old Witch Sleep and The Good Man Grace and starting from 5:30 and to the end of the song it fits sukuita so perfectly

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

I generally don't hate tropes specifically and will read anything if well executed, but I do dislike "it was all a dream"

Also, I tend to avoid college/school/no powers au because they are pretty boring to me but I don't hate them

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

Oh, there are so many. Stsg, jmart are the first ones that came to mind. They just don't have anything that makes me want to think about them :/

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

Nope

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?

In TMA it's Jon and Sasha (they could have been best friends!!!) and also Jon and Daisy, especially post coffin. For jjk, it's probably Yuuji and Nobara, their friendship was incredibly precious to me and I need Nobara to be alive and well so bad

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? 

Can't think of any right now, I don't think so

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

Nope, I don't let social media influence my enjoyment of something. If I stop liking something, it's because I lost interest organically and not because people were annoying about it

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

Yuuji!! He is a great friend and I am sure we would be besties :D I would say Jarachivist but we would argue about the stupidest thing 5 times a day because our autism would clash in the worst ways

[its-your-mind]

TMA Web Theory

Before tomorrow’s episode comes out, I need to write some things down about the Web and Jon and Martin and the apocalypse because I feel like I see where Jonny Sims is going and I’m so scared about it (and also I’m excited to see how wrong I am)

I’ve relistened to all of S1 in the past four days and BOY OH BOY did I Notice some things (some of these are from things I noticed myself, others are pulled from the collective consciousness of the fandom that bled into my listening)

Anyway, before I give EVIDENCE, here is my conclusion:

The Web has been in control of this whole situation this whole time.

I’m talking everything. All the avatars, Jon getting hired at the Institute, Jonah’s apocalypse plan, e v e r y t h i n g.

EVIDENCE: (in no particular order and missing things bc it’s 1am)

There were cobwebs on the tape recorder when Tim first found it. Honestly, I read this in someone else’s post, and I really do think the tape recorders are Web.

Spiders and webs led Jane Prentiss to the wasp nest in her attic. She heard the spiders “singing a different song” than the wasps. The Web guided Prentiss to be who she was, and then she eventually attacked the Archives and Jon became touched by the Corruption.

When Breekan and Hope delivered the Web lighter to Jon, they delivered the Not Them trap table at the same time - here’s the chance for Jon to get touched by the Stranger - and Not Sasha said that Elias was looking at her strangely - the Not Them wasn’t part of Elias’s plan.

When Jon asks Martin why he doesn’t quit, Martin says AND I QUOTE: “the more I struggle, the more I’m stuck... whatever web these statements have caught you in, well, I’m there too. I think we all are.” LIKE ??? MAYBE THE WEB IS KEEPING THEM ALL IN THE ARCHIVES, NOT THE BEHOLDING

The Web led Jon to finding the worms before they were ready to attack, but not before they had amassed a huge army that would DEFINITELY lead to Jon getting hurt

JON ONLY JOINED THE INSTITUTE IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE OF THE MR. SPIDER BOOK

Every other Power has gotten it’s time in the spotlight to be Plot Important - EXCEPT the Web.

Stoner!Elias lies and tells Jonah that he’s scared of spiders, and all of a sudden THERE’S ONE! That Jonah can use! To freak out his new host! Hmm maybe the Web has been working closely with Jonah for a long time and hmmmm maybe the Web did what it does best and manipulated him subtly.

Jon can’t See the full picture of the Web - he can barely follow one strand - and that would make sense if Jon’s whole WORLD was encased in Web (remind anyone of a certain S1 statement?)

Anyway there is certainly more please yell at me about it, but I am convinced that all of this, literally everything that has happened up to this point, is just the Web’s way of achieving... SOMETHING. Bringing the whole world completely under its control through the Beholding’s avatars? Using Martin as leverage against the most powerful person in this brave new world to accomplish whatever its final goal is? Hurting me, personally, because I had a deep fear of spiders before this podcast destroyed my life? WHO KNOWS???

[kkodzvken]

luuuune can u give music recs? the songs your fics are named after are all so good

grouping these all together bc most of my inspiration does come from music!! usually, my ideas start w a general vibe or “spark”, and then i flesh it out from there. the spark normally comes from music, but sometimes it’s a book i’m reading, or a conversation i had, or just random things (for example, i saw some flowers earlier this week that gave me an idea for a dabi fic KDHFJSK). i usually pick one song and loop it while i’m writing bc otherwise the variety gets too distracting lol

recs under the cut!! i went pop -> kpop -> punk/emo/alt

to start out w, everyone and their mom recommends chase atlantic lmao but they r just SO GOOD !! and the vibes r so sexy and give me so much angst inspo skfjdkskw

songs: slide, like a rockstar, lust, consume, i never existed. the don’t try this ep is my favorite, and i’m writing a dabihawks punk band au inspired by it!!

i also listen to the weeknd (trilogy), khalid, sza and kehlani (their latest album, it was good until it wasn’t, is a fucking masterpiece) a lot while writing!! 

one of my faves is shinee, specifically jonghyun and taemin’s solo albums (ot5 until i die, but their solo music is sexy and sets the ~mood~ for writing smut lmao). i gave some jjong rec’s in the tags of this post!!

taemin songs: heaven, love and pansy hurt my heart. thirsty, criminal, famous, and sexuality are hoe songs lmao

speaking of shinee, i like other kpop as well!! bts are forever my number #1 (hyyh is one of my favorite albums ever — so bittersweet, makes me painfully nostalgic). also looove monsta x !! tomorrow x together, stray kids and ateez are also great. mamamoo r the only girl group that i like, i just can’t vibe w a lot of gg concepts skfjfjsj (although i do like a few soloists)

a lot of people stan kpop just for the idols but i do like the music a lot!!

txt: ghosting, blue hour, drama (the japanese music video is haikyuu concept lmao), our summer

monsta x: middle of the night, nobody else, gasoline (the title is in hangul so you can’t look it up specifically on streaming services, but it’s the second song on the fatal love album), last carnival, blind, my beast, turbulence (again, hangul title, but it’s track 7 on take.2 we are here)

i also recommend solo albums/mixtapes of the monsta x members!! joohoney’s psyche, i.m’s duality, and wonho’s two eps!!

and speaking of solo work, all of the bts rapline have amazing solo mixtapes. i love their group music that’s hype w heavy concepts/production/choreo (ot7 always), but the mixtapes hold a special place in my heart because they feel so ...intimate, almost? like a piece of their hearts that they’re sharing with the world. rm’s mono is the definition of comfort. j-hope’s hope world is lots of fun, but he just released the extended version of blue side, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking (and reminds me a lot of touya lol). and agust d... listen, i love him more than words can say, so his mixtapes d-2 and self-titled, along w the other song’s he’s solo produced like eight by iu, are very special to me.

i’m not majorly into skz/ateez/mamamoo like i am w the other groups, but they’re all amazing performers so i recommend checking out their comeback + awards show stages!!

i also really love eAeon, he’s a korean indie artist, and his music is breathtaking. he just dropped an album called fragile that’s i adore, the lead single don’t features rm of bts and is unbelievably beautiful.

okay that’s all good and fun but the majority of what i listen to is emo shit lmfaoo i’m definitely more into alt + punk music, here are some of my fave bands and fave songs from them!!

blood command: they are unreal i love them SO MUCH!! they’re a norwegian punk rock band w a female singer, return of the arsonist ep is when i got into them and it’s golden. no thank you i’m more into fake grindcore, saturday city, white skin/tanned teeth, and alarm all assassins are some of their best songs imo

dance gavin dance: listen... their music scratches a certain itch in my brain that makes me go insane akdjfjsk they’ve had a bunch of different lineups but the more recent albums with tillian and jon on vocals are my favorites (jonny craig can suck my dick, fuck that dude). lost, son of robot, bloodsucker, young robot, inspire the liars, jesus h. macy are all great. acceptance speech, man of the year, and evaporate make me cry/lose my mind

mannequin pussy: *chefs kiss* drunk ii is a masterpiece, i cried to that shit every day after a break up, so cathartic. cream and kiss are more upbeat, and their latest song perfect is also vv good!!! patience is a beautiful, emotional album, whereas romantic and self titled have more classic alt bops

G.L.O.S.S.: listen, theyre so fucking cool, and i respect the hell out of them. they only released a few songs before disbanding but i’ll cherish those songs until i die. they perfectly embody what punk should be. demo 2015 is on streaming services, and their second and final ep trans day of revenge can easily be found online!!

wow this is getting fucking LONG so i’ll just quickly list a few more, but this was so fun, i love talking ab music!! pls don’t be shy, i’m always down to give more recs or hear about the stuff that u like!!

movements, yonaka, shiny wet machine, real friends, skating polly, nova twins, the japanese house, bratmobile, yours truly. and, ofc, the pop punk staples: jimmy eat world, paramore, waterparks, stand atlantic, neck deep, the story so far, etc etc !!

[arce-elliot]

Magnus Archives - First Impressions (151-175)

We’re almost there, gang. Out of the Lonely and into the Eyepocalypse we go! Blah blah I had 75% of the series spoiled and am jotting down my thoughts, you know the drill.

EP 151 (Big Picture): - OH SIMON??? - okay okay Simon's kinda funny, you go you funky little sky grandpa - Martin Tell Her The TRUTH EP 152 (A Gravedigger's Envy): - oooh another ancient one - hey that's terrifying wtf - can someone please comfort jonny boy good lord EP 153 (Love Bombing): - Idk why the cult ones freak me out, maybe because cults are real? - oh god what's gonna happen to that dog - I literally just made my dinner with white wine vinegar that's a little old are you sHITTING ME - GIRL GET OUT OF THERE WHILE YOU HAVE A CHANCE YOU KNOW SOMETHING'S OFF - AYYY THE HUNTIN' GANG - tbh it was weird that they helped him even though they knew he wasn't human actually - DAISY!!!!! - Jon can you chill w/ the sass if you're not gonna help - Okay I'm gay but Daisy Growl Hot - Two dying monsters trying to reconcile their humanity, this is sad I hate it here EP 154 (Bloody Mary): - oh god it's This Episode I've been dreading it poor Eric - g o d Gertrude sounds so upset - I would die for Eric - "Eric I'm gonna count to ten and you're gonna tELL ME HOW YOU QUIT" - I'm already crying good god - "he needed me" o w - MARTIN GOT TO SAY FUCK!!!!! - O U C H - i am so upset FUCK this podcast - the catalogue of the dead is just the Delano-Keay family album EP 155 (Cost of Living): - CALL HER OUT JON - Tova, to this doctor's heart: it's free real estate - A FUCKING C H I L D?????? - ah yes, some more DIY surgery, who needs doctors when you have knives? EP 156 (Reflection): - ayyyy adelard how are ya - oh fun flesh time - oh? extinction? - also that was gross what the fuck - M A R T I N EP 157 (Rotten Core): - go save Martin before I cry - ADELARD!!! - ah no, I'm gonna miss this dude he was kinda cool - this hits different in corona times - okay this is actually pretty gross wtf - Martin's lonely because he chose to be, Jon is lonely because everyone hates him, poetic cinema EP 158 (Panopticon): - Ah Shit Here We Fucking Go - OH WHAT THE FUCK NOT!SASHA???? - AYYYYY THERE'S JONAH MAGNUS WELCOME HOME RAT BASTARD - uh oh bye bye Gertrude Time - mom and dad are fighting to be Martin's favorite parent lmao - no not the promise :C - Martin is the brain cell, he really just played both these men like kazoos - gdi Peter give me my boy back EP 159 (The Last): - hi I am Sad - Marto blease just go with the tired eyeball man - "i see you" MY B O Y S EP 160 (The Eye Opens) - oh lord here we go - at least we get some Jonmartin conversation - Monologue Time! - Jon: can I just say, from the bottom of my heart...my bad EP 161 (Dwelling): - welcome to the apocalypse bitches - FINALLY i've been waiting for these tapes for my entire life - TIMMMMMM! SASHAAAAA! - Elias being a normal person is unsettling - ALL THE EYE JOKES gdi I refuse to simp for eyeball man - THE JARRING "ARCHIVIST" I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD - "If I wish for all of you to go away do you think it'll work?" well it worked on Tim and Sasha - Elias: I'm a cool boss, I can drink wine - the image of Jon just huddled on the couch with a bag of tapes and listening to them over and over is so sad - sorry Gertrude no Sasha, just a sad little man - thank u for the powerpoint Gertrude - JON DON'T SNAP - i love them so much your honor EP 162 (Cosy Cabin): - GERRY GERRY GERRY - okay Gertrude and Gerry are adorable I love goth boy and his badass grandma - Gerry, ever the pragmatist: but what about TAXES gertrude - Tim and Sasha interacting is the sweetest thing ;_; - oh this is AFTER the hookup lmao - OH WAIT Sasha canonically knew about Danny??? I didn't know that oof - Oh Jon's getting a phone call I suppose - Jon's trying so hard to be dramatic and Martin's like "okay bitch grab ur backpack and lets go" EP 163 (In The Trenches): - "Tell everybooooody I'm ooon my waaay, new frieeends and new plaaaaces to seeeee" - YESSS LET MARTIN CURSE OVER THE GUNSHOTS AND BAGPIPES - "Martin can you stand over there and cover your ears while I cast Eldritch Ramble" EP 164 (The Sick Village): - another one that hits different in corona times - I hate the word soupy - what in the midsommar - if you can't find your own statements, DIY your own - Martin: fuck u Jon, Helen's my friend now - Martin: can I get an Uber, can I PLEASE get an Uber EP 165 (Revolutions): - this is my friend's favorite episode so I'm excited - oh circus music gross - THE RHYMINGGGGG OH I LOVE THIS - my arms are sore from happy stimming at this audio oh my god - SHUT UP JON IT WAS A GOOD POEM - GET HER ASS JON - is that our first "Ceaseless Watcher"?? I think it was! - Jon: Level Up! - Martin: that's hot EP 166 (The Worms): - HELL YES JON SAID FUCK - oh worm? - Martin answer your damn phone - awww Martin don't doubt yourself :C EP 167 (Curiousity): - Fiona: lmao watch this -passes out- - oh I didn't realize Eric was one of the OGs, their conversations make more sense now - Michael :c - Gertrude you got played like a fiddle damn EP 168 (Roots): - jealous Martin lmao - Jon just tell him why you woke up that would probably solve this - As someone who also freaks out about every little twinge this episode felt targeted EP 169 (Fire Escape): - desolation time? desolation time. can't wait to walk through hell - so aside from Smirke's 14 we have the 3 additional fears: the Extinction, the Scotland, and the Landlord - oh this one is terrifiyng i love it - OOOOH the "jons" slowly fading in was really clever - G O D martin sounds so defeated poor boy EP 170 (Recollection): - Martin finding tape recorders is the cutest thing - Oh fuck are we in the Lonely oh shit - this is so disconcerting i love it - someone get this man a better chair EP 171 (The Gardener): - Martin: damn that's a lot of bones - oh not THIS dude again I can barely understand him oh my GOD - well that was interesting EP 172 (Strung Out): - oh web? - oh this is sad shit - I think this is one of the worst domains yet for me personally this sounds like hell - g o d the web makes my brain hurt blease Jonny I'm stupid EP 173 (Night Night): - oh dark? - oh so the darkness is just the apocalypse daycare? nice - oh and this tween runs it, nice - Jon: are you SURE you want me to kill this middle schooler? - wow this is depressing EP 174 (The Great Beast): - oh hunt? - oh vast? lmao that's what i get for assumptions - Martin just wants to kill a man is that too much to ask someone give him a gun EP 175 (Epoch): - ex...tinct...ion? - “Peter was right” no FUCK YOU I refuse to give Peter any credit LOOK ADELARD WAS RIGHT, Adelard Decker laid the BLUEPRINT - poor Jon he's gettin these hard-hitting google searches - Basira and Daisy?????? OH WAIT THAT MEANS OH NO

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

p & q?

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I’m a pretty hardcore architect. I tend to have everything super planned out way in advance. Sometimes I’ll write a scene for an unplanned story if I really like it, but I don’t really go past that. I wrote the start of the first chapter of nhthcth way back when I first listened to the A Guest for Mr. Spider episode and got the idea for Tommy Bradstaff (and later went back and changed a bunch of it once I got to more reveals, like the Jonah body snatching bit) and I’ve had the fic planned out for a LONG time. I spent the entire finale chanting “jonny please don’t fuck my ending.”

I’m actually more of a gardener when it comes to the atmospheric details/character details, though. Like, I knew walking into this that Jon would reveal the truth of the universe to Danny and Tim in Eldritch Horror McDonald’s, but the poor minimum wage worker? Danny deciding to aggressively befriend Jon? Those came just in the process of writing the scene. I tend to have general vibes as to where they’ll be characterization-wise in my plan, but I’m pretty quick to change it if I figured out something else while writing. So like, the plots of my stories are always the architect method, but I got a little bit of gardening going on with like, settings and characters.

Q: Do you have any discarded scenes/storylines/projects?

I won’t say I have discarded projects so much as like, stories I’ve bounced away from? The problem with my stories is that I only do like, really long multi-chapter stories, and I tend to not commit the time to writing them out in full because I always bounce away to a new story before I can get far in the fic writing itself. As of right now, I think I have like? Eight? Long fics planned for TMA specifically? And like, some of them have a good few chapters written, but I can’t really commit to the full story as of right now so I guess they’re effectively discarded in my WIP folder. But they never stay discarded because I always have periods where I bounce back and take them up again. Nhthcth was effectively discarded for a good long while before I bounced back and decided to commit to writing it in full, so like, I guess there’s every chance I’ll decide to try with another. 

As to storylines, usually the early planning phase goes through a period of like. A lot of abandoned storylines. They usually start as just like, one scene or idea I like and it just sort of spawns from there into other scenes I like in the same universe, and trying to figure out how to connect them. If there’s a really important thing that needs to be accomplished, like a big reveal, usually there’s a lot of really different versions of how that might go, and usually they take the story in a lot of really different directions. I always end up settling in a final version and discard  the others.

[youdothetalking]

HEY.. the rant about s5.. im askin

its a very bad way to conclude a podcast overall so heres literally all the reasons y.

also disclaimer to all of my tma mutuals these r my OPINIONS n if u say that they rnt true ur 100% right god bless.

⚠️SPOILERS BTWWWW ⚠️

anyways.

1. theres no drama or diversity to the statements like there was before. each statement was unique n different n if u described an episode to me id probably b able to say OH I RMBR THAT ONE !!! thats not the case with this szn

2. I HATE THIS PLOT DEVICE SO MUCH. ITS THE SAME THING AS KILLING OFF CHARACTERS JUST TO BRING THEM BACK. y start the apocalypse just to smite the guy who tricked u into starting it ??? wouldnt it b much more interesting to watch jm learn to adapt than to try to change it ?? id love to know new life in hell !! id love it !! speaking of which

3. JONNY DOESNT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HIS WELL WRITTEN CHARACTERS. [allegedly.] i hate jon as a protagonist bc i find him DREADFUL n martin has been nothing but another name to me [tho he does have his moments. hes a very funny character.] BUT GEORGIE IS RIGHT. THERE. MELANIE IS RIGHT. THERE. its not the format ik to switch up narrators unless its a statement but I WANNA KNOW WHAT THE APOCALYPSE THAT FEEDS OFF OF FEAR N THAT GATHERS INFORMATION THRU HUMAN EYES is like with two characters WHO R FEARLESS N BLIND . I CANT B THE ONLY ONE RIGHT ??

4. melanies blindness btw ?? huge. huge. this is the same point. u have a disabled character who hasnt given a single fuck since she was first introduced n u sideline her ?? the only canonically disabled character for miles n jon doesnt know where she is ?? an all seeing being doesnt know whats going on with a real live living breathing human person ?? tell me that isnt a cop out rn istg

5. i dont go to new episodes wanting to know how all of this ties up, im sitting there wishing smth cool would happen. when jon first smited the not!them THAT WAS AMAZING. RADICAL. THE ONLY EXCITING THING THAT HAD HAPPENED SO FAR. n then everything turned boring again. martins lonely episode ?? boring. meeting basira ??? BORINGNFJDJ PLSS I DONT CARE ABT THE HUNT JUST MAKE SMTH HAPPEN JONNY I BEG

6. the umbrella was kind of funny actually ngl but also jons getting annoying. i nvr rlly liked him n all of my hcs r god tier but yall better call me the most patient bitch the way i put up with him for 4 szns. n now hes an all knowing smart ass who i want to punch in the face everytime he speaks.

7. SPEAKING OF. JON IS A FUCKING COWARD. Y DIDNT HE SQUARE UP WITH SIMON RIGHT THEM N THERE. FUCK JONS LITTLE WEAK BABIE ASS HE HASNT THROWN A SINGLE PUNCH THE WHOLE SHOW

anyways yea so im not a fan of szn five. SZN THREE THO ?? LETS GET INTO IT !!

[double-moonlight-lonelyeyes]

TMA 162 Liveblog

No one wants a raw feed of my emotions while listening to the latest episode, but we've begun to get used to not getting what we want, now haven't we?

So more backstoryish stuff, I'm guessing from the summary? Any chance we're actually going to LEAVE the cosy (goddamn brits) cabin by the end of the episode?

Gosh I'm nervous. What's going to happen?

G E R R Y ! ! ! ! Gerry is going to happen!

He seems so...chipper. You can hardly hear the years of childhood trauma.

Omg he and Gertrude like each other so much!

So Gertrude is really going the "hiding in plain sight" route as far as the tunnels are concerned, huh?

Sure sure, Gertrude, a post-ritual world would be an unimaginable hellscape, just rub it in why don't you.

Yeah I'm leaning in to the theory that others have posited that the End is getting the raw end of this deal and is not best pleased.

YES. Thank you, Gerry! Give us some optimism!

Wow Sasha really was the only qualified person in the place. S A S H A! HHHNNNNGGGGGGGG.

I mean, Elias does totally strike me as the kind of person who gives off an aura of "Actually we tried having a lady archivist and it sucked. No more of that nonsense!"

Wait wait wait wait wait.... TIM/SASHA CONFIRMED????? How much of that was just joking around...?

Sasha knows everything about everyone??? Hhdiidjhdbh Jon was the ONLY ONE who didn't know about Martin's CV.

TSUNAMI OF BACKSTORY

Gertrude Robinson: Stone Cold Bitch CONFIRMED

Okay all this talk of burning down the Archives is shooting straight past "foreshadowing" and into "orgy of evidence" territory. Now I'm half convinced it's a red herring...or thinking Watsonianly, the Web is trying to push Jon in this direction, meaning he's gonna end up doing something different out of pure spite and/or stupidity.

"I find it highly unlikely this Sasha even ever existed at all." Jonny. Turn on your location. I jUSt WAnt To tALK.

Jon...are you...okay?

More modeling of healthy relationship dynamics!

So we're agreed that the correct decision is to leave the cabin. "Cabin".

HELL YEAH! APOCALYPSE ROAD TRIP! LET'S GO!

I don't say this often, but I would totally welcome a few episodes of monsters of the week to fight and/or befriend as we trek toward London. Whatever is out there, I expect it to be just comprehensible enough to tell a good story with and not a smidge more.

[saym0-0]

oh my god. oh my GOD mechs esmp crossover. this is for SUCH a niche audience the esmp fandom is dead i dont care mechs esmp crossover

LISTEN TO ME okay ill have to add a sci-fi element to my established esmp world i am OKAY with this, grimlands are already victorian steampunk its not that big a stretch to add space travel, especially in the place of dimension travel.

okay so in my esmp lore the emperors are blessed by the gods with conditional immortality and flight, they know a new ruler has been born by if they're born with wings. i bet though i could twist that into the king cole/olympians idea of trading their citizen's lives for immortality. although it is kinda reversed? (mechs immortals tend to stop aging but can be killed, emperors still age and can die of old age, but cant be killed). hmm i mean theres definite differences between king cole and the olympians so maybe its just another variation, or something closer to the mechs themselves? though that ones less likely

honestly there literally is an esmp1 musical so i reckon its interesting enough to attract the mechs

but lets be honest with ourselves here, the only reason im doing this is so i have an excuse to draw grimlands!marius lmao

i think raph would be interested in it too though, with how they're so much more reliant on technical advancement than magical.

ivy would love the rivendell library, and crystal cliffs

hmmm jonny might have fun between mythland and the cod empire,,,

hmmmm brian would maybe like to hang out with shrub in the undergrove? he does like his garden,, maybe the overgrown with katherine too,, or gilded helianthia!

hrm,, i keep wanting to put people in the grimlands but i know thats only because its my favourite so therefore the most developed and also the most similar in vibe to the mechs

with that said though, tim really would have fun there,, like hes the gunpowder guy!! fwhip is the gunpowder guy!! they both r in charge of weapons!! guns, crossbows, same difference really

oough back to raph i think she and fwhip would bond over making their own wings,, fwhip made his to prove that he is fit to rule after gem fucked off to wizard school and raph,, uh actually i never found out raphs backstory beyond the fact im like 78% sure she made her and marius' mechanisms,, although that could be widely accepted fanon who knows not me

i think marius would also enjoy mezelea

but OH MY GOD TOY SOLDIER IN MEZELEA,,, i cant believe i almost forgot it,, i think it would immediately blend in with the clones and pretend to be one right up until they leave the planet, and have the time of its life the whole time,,

i dont know where ashes would go either.. i cant just say grimlands again because theres like four of them there already but,, the explosions!!

maybe mythland, or rivendell, those both seem like they'd appreciate a good mob boss taking over the place tbh

i think brian would get along with pix also

okay this isnt mechs but the fandom is a circle so if theres actually any fans of both out there reading this post, has anyone else noticed just how similar pix and jon's (tma) voices are?? genuinely when i started listening to the podcast i had to double check the va wasnt pix (and imagine my confusion when they share the same name too..)

anyways if anyone wants to scream about this with me please do, or if you want to know more about my esmp expanded universe feel free to do that too! in asks replies or reblogs idm

[the-golden-ghost]

Dracula: A Comprehensive Summary

Part 1 (I wrote the whole thing out and it was too long, so I’m gonna do it in parts.)

This is so that @necromancy-savant can participate in that sweet, sweet Classroom Discussion and Get An A

Also because I was super bored HERE WE GO:

Chapter 1:

Here we meet the guy who you’d think would be our hero but isn’t, Jonathan Harker. He is a good soul. Really likes his fiancee, Mina.

He is traveling to Transylvania to meet his new client, a gentleman known as Count Dracula.

As he’s going there he talks about the food too much and describes the scenery a lot. But what’s this? The locals constantly make the Anti-Evil Sign at him whenever he mentions his destination? Rumors abound of a warlock, demon or other spooky spook living in Dracula’s castle?

But that’s surely all superstitious nonsense, says Jon. Those silly locals.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Also wolves exist outside the castle and some of them chase Jon’s carriage so surely this is going to be a good trip.

(Also just a note on how the book is written; it’s done in like a collage format, with different parts being done as different people’s journals, or sometimes as memos, letters, or news articles. The first bit is Jon’s travel diary, and then later in the book the narrator will switch like crazy, sometimes multiple times per chapter. It’s a weird style so I thought I’d point that out.)

Chapter 2:

Now it’s time to meet our villain, Count Dracula!

Dracula is this weird old dude with wild hair and a monobrow and protruding fangs and hairy... palms. Yeah really. Jon thinks he’s just the Ugliest Shit but he doesn’t say anything, cause he’s very polite.

Dracula basically is a nice host and leaves Jon all alone at a table to eat like an entire roast chicken by himself. Because he doesn’t eat dinner. Ooooh spooky

Also he likes wolves. He has a bunch of pet wolves. Why?  We Just Don’t Know

Anyway the next day (or night, rather, since all of Drac’s meetings take place at night ooooh spooky) Dracula invites Jon to a business discussion in which they talk about real estate. Because heck

I guess Jon like sells real estate in London. Booyah

And then Dracula goes off on this long creepy tangent about nobility and his bloodline and loosely implies that he’s hundreds of years old.

Oh and he also really likes dead bodies cause that’s not weird

Then he ditches Jon again and Jon goes to shave in his bathroom, only for Dracula to show up for some reason. At which point Jon sees that Dracula does not show a reflection in the shaving mirror! Egad!

Panic ensues, Dracula gets pissed and tosses the mirror out the window, Jon cuts himself with the razor in the event, Drac sees blood and wigs out and briefly strangles Jon before he accidentally touches a crucifix that Jon conveniently had on his neck, which turns him Normal again. And then he just scolds Jon for having such an evil, wicked bad device as a mirror and leaves.

Jon is like “what the fuck how am I supposed to shave without my mirror though :/ “

The next day Jon’s like “all right fuck this shit I’m out” and realizes that - oh dear - he is Locked In.

Chapter 3:

I mean, he can wander around the castle but all the doors are locked.

The next day night Drac and Jon have a long talk about Transylvanian History. It’s boring.

Although Dracula does let it slip that he intends to keep Jon For All Eternity “for at least a month :) “

Jon’s like “ah FUCK no”

And Drac also lays down some Rules like “Don’t Write Letters Telling People How I Live” and “Don’t Wander Around the Castle At Night”

Jon’s like “whatever bro” and goes back to his room where he spots Dracula pulling some Spiderman bullshit along the side of the castle wall.

Like, crawling along the side “like a lizard”

Jon’s like “all right fuck this noise” and decides to break the Don’t Wander Around the Castle At Night rule.

He breaks into a locked room which is Clearly A Great Idea and wakes up - to no one’s shock except Jon’s - in moral peril.

Basically Dracula’s three wives live in that room and Boy Are They Hungry.

They attempt to eat Jon except Dracula shows up and tells them all to fuck off so they just retreat and eat a baby that they were carrying around in a bag? I guess?

Chapter 4:

Jon wakes up and everything seems normal. Or Is It?

It isn’t. Drac starts making him write Fake Letters home so that he can make it look like Jon vanished on the road home. Oh dear.

Jon begins trying to Escape. It fails miserably.

He also watches Dracula feed some lady to his pet wolves and realizes that He’s Next.

He eventually manages to spot Dracula in his coffin (in the daytime) Nopes the fuck out of there, and goes back to his room which is at this point the only place he feels safe. Ish.

He decides the next that he’s going to find Dracula’s Creepy Coffin and go and steal his key while he’s sleeping. (A+ Plan but he doesn’t really have a lot of options so)

He does this except he gets caught and proceeds to beat Dracula up with a shovel

He doesn’t find the key either. He just plans to Escape By Any Cost and also to rob Dracula while he’s at it because he feels like he’s entitled to financial compensation for putting up with this bullshit lol

AAAAND that’s the end of Jon! No, really. It just ends on a big ol’ cliffhanger and we make a jump to London to meet the rest of the cast. Eventually we find out what happened to poor Jonny, but.... it isn’t good. And that is why Jon is Not Our Hero! He’s not dead though don’t worry

Chapter 5:

Time to meet the Rest of the Squad!

Mina Murray (eventually, Harker) is our Fearless Heroine. She’s kind, she’s brave, she’s loyal, and she has All The Rationale and Reason of a Man (because nothing like good ol’ fashioned Sexism veiled as compliments!) She’s engaged to Jon.

Lucy Westenra is Mina’s Bestest Buddy and is also a good soul. She’s more of a Society girl. Engaged to a lord and stuff. She also doesn’t have a Man’s Brain :(

Lucy and Mina discuss their love lives through letters back and forth. Mina is waiting for news of Jon, Lucy, meanwhile, had proposals from THREE men!

Who are also significant characters so here we go

Lord Arthur Godalming is the man Lucy actually loves and decides to marry. He’s... I dunno. Pretty boring as a character tbh but he’s there a lot so I’ll mention him.

John Seward (yeah Stoker decided to have two guys with almost the same first name, gj, although Seward mostly goes by Seward and Jon goes by Jonathan) is a doctor at a local asylum. Which isn’t creepy. He likes to Study his patients I guess. I say “patients” loosely cause he only has one and Hoo Boy Are You Going To Hear About That One.

Quincy P. Morris is a cowboy. Yes. A cowboy, straight out of Texas. Why did we need to have a vampire-slaying cowboy? No reason, we just did, AND WE’RE GONNA LIKE IT.

Also Quincy, Arthur and Seward were like college friends or something idk

Moving on

Chapter 6:

Mina goes down to the dock and talks to a weird old man about superstitions of dead people coming to life. Fun times. She’s also trying to figure out where her fiance is :(

Seward actually does some doctor business to take his mind off the fact that Lucy rejected him. He adopts R. M. Renfield (the R. M. doesn’t stand for anything as far as we know) as a patient because he’s the most Interesting of all the lunatics.

And he confesses to pushing him to act more insane because he finds him interesting to study? Seward is a terrible doctor fyi

So Renfield is ah... fun. He keeps pets! Specifically, flies.

Seward says “no flies in your room :/ “ And Renfield promises to get rid of the flies.

So Renfield gets rid of the flies by using them to lure spiders so he can have New Pets!

Seward The Buzzkill says no spiders either

So Renfield just starts fucking eating the spiders AND the flies because He Can’t Have Nice Things. Also he wants to absorb their life

And then Renfield catches a sparrow! And tames it and keeps it as his friend and pet. How the fuck did he get a sparrow in his room? Uh

And then he gets a whole BUNCH of sparrows and any idiot could tell you this is going downhill but Seward is simply too Curious, you see

Anyway Renfield tries to get a kitten

Seward does not give Renfield a kitten

Anyway as it turns out Renfield fucking ate all his pet birds and Seward is like “aha! This is a victory for psychology! I have discovered a new form of lunatic!” and it’s like bro you already knew he was eating the flies, you dork

So Renfield never gets a kitten. :(

[meadowmines]

MAG109

ok look I don’t want that monkey’s paw to curl up another finger but damn would I ever listen to a whole podcast of Julia and Trevor hunting monsters and affectionately roasting each other

Ah, Jon having a nice little getaway in a nice cozy cabin with two monster hunters who might be thinking about killing him and also a... whatever the fuck Mustermann is. Yeah, if Musty wasn’t one of those weirdos in the anatomy class (yes, I know that was an Erika Mustermann but if he’s sitting there regrowing internal organs I think we can just brush off trifling little details like first names and genders and shit) he’s got to be the same kind of thing.

Oh cool, we get to hear how Julia and Trevor met! And uh. Listen. I am sure Jonny did not direct this at any real-life people but it sure did hit a chord with me and probably with anyone who’s spent any time in online fandoms:

“Maybe we're all just broken inside, unable to really grasp the difference between fictional people, and people we just don't know. They're all just abstract ideas we're happy to have suffer for our enjoyment.”

And I’m just gonna leave that at that.

Anyway. Outer Bay Shipping, delivering a box of maybe dead body! Great. Rad. No telling what the hell they were doing in there, probably not a capital-R Ritual but... yep. Not good.

Oh lord, they were there to hunt the werewolf guy down, which... huh. If Trevor and Julia have been Touched By The Hunt... and the werewolf guy and I’m gonna guess the vampires are also of The Hunt... okay, that’s just weird but it does make sense, hunters gotta have stuff to hunt, so what if Trevor and Julia just happened to figure out that there’s other targets out there besides what The Hunt is giving them...

...oh jesus Musty please shut up until your lungs and vocal cords are all back where they need to be, that’s creepy, you’re creepy, stop it

[musicgoonmail]

Lovingkindness

In This Edition

In this week’s edition, I share lessons from my life on how God closes and opens doors, what’s new with my book reviews, and what I’ve been enjoying in entertainment. As always, I point you to all of the new free eBooks I’ve found around the web.

Is there something you want me to write about? You can always get in touch by replying to this email. Thanks for spending your weekend with me here!

God Closes and Opens Doors

Sunday Tapes

Giveaway: A Signed Copy of The Wisdom Pyramid

Book Reviews

More Than a Battle

Free eBooks for February

More Free eBooks for February

Extended Play

Lightning Links

Playlists

Coming Soon

Weekly Review

God Closes and Opens Doors

Jess and I have been working on something big, and while I can’t reveal much right now -- I want to share a story of how God seems to work in our life. It seems that with every closed door, we wait for a bit and it appears that God was preparing us as he opens another door. 

One example from our life is how God closed the door for furthering my education, but he later opened a door in providing us a home. And we can see God’s hand in it because the timing, location, and occurrence of events could not have been coincidental. We see God’s providence in every situation and circumstance.

As Christians, I believe we have a Biblical warrant to say that this is true. Joseph’s story is one of suffering and being forgotten, but God later opened doors to save him, his family, and his people. The life of Christ is full of examples of God closing doors for others so that Jesus could open other doors to display his glory. Death was a closed door for Christ until he burst forth to redeem his people. And in the life of Paul we see God closing doors and opening others so the Gospel could be spread in jails, houses, churches, and nations.

To be sure, I’m not saying that you will find open doors immediately when things turn sour. And if you find yourself behind closed doors, I’m not saying that God will always open new ones for you. But what I do believe is that God works all things for the good of those who love him. And I’m here to tell you, when you find yourself in the middle of opened and closed doors, that he is right there with you.

Sunday Tapes

We sang Be Thou My Vision on Sunday, and my friend Angie was awesome leading music with me. Her vocals were soaring, and she displayed her skill and control even with the song at a such a quick tempo. 

I also appreciate how she's open to try my arrangement ideas, like the a cappella first chorus and last verse. I'm always blessed and humbled to sing with her. We were both smiling at the end because my son Linus walked right up to the front next to the camera! You can watch the video on YouTube.

For more, you can find the rest of our set which included Sovereign Grace Music's "Turn Your Eyes," Keith Green's "O Lord You're Beautiful," and our original "God is the Strength of My Heart and My Portion Forever. Watch on YouTube.

Giveaway: A Signed Copy of The Wisdom Pyramid

SOLA Network published my review of Brett McCracken’s The Wisdom Pyramid and you can read it on their website. To celebrate the launch of the book, Brett put together a wisdom diet challenge for Lent. Many digital detox programs are mostly about how to rid yourself of screens for a period of time. His challenge is different in that it’s less about what not to do and more about what to do. Read about the Wisdom 40 Challenge on his website.

SOLA Network has a signed copy of the book by author Brett McCracken for a giveaway. In all honesty, there aren’t that many entries, so you have a good chance of getting this one. I would love for one of my newsletter readers to win. Enter on Instagram.

Book Reviews

This week I reviewed 3 books. In More Than a Battle, Joe Rigney shows us how to experience victory, freedom, and healing from lust. In Worshiping with the Reformers, Karin Maag takes us on a tour of what it was really like to go to church during the Reformation. In The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People, Matthew S. Harmon beautifully traces this biblical theme through the canon.

Book Review: More Than a Battle by Joe Rigney

Book Review: Worshiping with the Reformers by Karin Maag

Book Review: The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People by Matthew S. Harmon

More Than a Battle

With the news of more Christian leaders failing to kill their sexual sins, Joe Rigney’s More Than a Battle proved to be a timely read. Writing pointedly, Rigney says that pornography rewires the brain. He also says that explanations are not excuses, and that God can renew our minds, giving us hope. 

Throughout the book, Rigney shows the devastation of sexual sin, but he is also ready to state the decided victories available to us in Christ. For more, read this longer excerpt from his book: How Porn Weaponizes the Body.

Free eBooks for February

I found two books by Spurgeon and two books by Murray this week for you to download for free on Kindle. Remember, you don’t need a physical Kindle to download and read these books. You can simply start with the free Kindle app. It’s a fantastic way to get focused on reading!

Tim Challies is hosting a giveaway for Cruciform Press. They are giving away four-book packages to five winners. Each winner will receive The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity by Michael J. Kruger, Galatians: Redeeming Grace and the Cross of Christ by Melissa McPhail and Lisa Menchinger, The Joy Project: An Introduction to Calvinism (with Study Guide) by Tony Reinke, and On Purpose: Living Life as It Was Intended by Jonny Ivey. I linked the titles to my reviews, and you can enter on Challies’ website.

Kindle: Lectures to My Students: Practical and Spiritual Guidance for Preachers (Volume 1), by C. H. Spurgeon

Kindle: Come Ye Children (Updated, Annotated): Obtaining Our Lord's Heart for Loving and Teaching Children, by C. H. Spurgeon

Kindle: The Ministry of Intercession (Updated and Annotated): A Plea for More Prayer (Murray Updated Classics Book 1), by Andrew Murray

Kindle: Humility (Updated, Annotated): The Beauty of Holiness (Murray Updated Classics Book 2)

More Free eBooks for February

Passion is the free eBook this month from The Good Book Company. Mike McKinley walks readers through Luke’s Gospel to show how Christ’s final day transforms not only their future but also their present.

I found several free Kindle titles by J. C. Ryle and listed them below. You don’t need a physical Kindle to download and read these books. You can simply start with the free Kindle app. It’s a fantastic way to get focused on reading.

The Good Book Company: Passion by Mike McKinley

Kindle: The Cross, by J. C. Ryle

Kindle: Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew, by J. C. Ryle

Kindle: Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark, by J. C. Ryle

Kindle: Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke, by J. C. Ryle

Kindle: Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of John, by J. C. Ryle

Faithlife: Deep Church, by Jim Belcher

GLH Publishing: A. W. Tozer Daily Devotional

GLH Publishing: John Calvin’s Commentary on Hebrews

FTC Preaching Guide: Philippians

ERLC Light Magazine: Hidden in Plain Sight

DesiringGod: Designed for Joy: How the Gospel Impacts Men and Women, Identity and Practice

Kindle: Does God Control Everything? (Crucial Questions Series) by R. C. Sproul

D. A. Carson: For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word, Vol. 1.

DesiringGod: Habits of Grace by David Mathis

9Marks Journal: Heaven: Rejoicing in Future Glory

Crossway: Coronavirus and Christ by John Piper

Kindle: Crucial Questions by R. C. Sproul (39 eBooks)

The Gospel Coalition: 9 Free eBooks by D. A. Carson

Extended Play

I’ve been thinking about WandaVision all week, and I can’t wait to watch the new episode this weekend. For Valentine’s Day, we plan to watch Robin Hood,  Lady and the Tramp, and more episodes of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings.

Two years ago, before we adopted our son, I wrote a poem about waiting for adoption. I wrote it for my wife, Jess, who shows me what it means to love and trust Christ. Read it again on my website.

Throwback: In Our Waiting: A Poem for My Wife on Valentine’s Day

Article: Meaningful Lives in a Purposeful World: How Providence Changes Everything, by Jon Bloom.

Podcast: Ask Pastor John: Has Porn Already Broken My Future Marriage?

TV: WandaVision

Book: Being the Bad Guys, by Stephen McAlpine

Song: Lovingkindness, by Keith & Kristyn Getty, Matt Papa, Matt Redman, and Matt Boswell

Lightning Links

These quick hits are exclusive to my newsletter readers. Some struck immediately before writing this newsletter. I don’t necessarily endorse the positions or lives of these authors. Some may contain sensitive language. I find them all extremely interesting.

The New York Times Magazine: “The Many Lives of Steven Yeun: What’s a typical immigrant story? In his new film, “Minari,” the “Walking Dead” star has his own to tell.”

Marvel: “WandaVision: Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez Break Down the TV Theme Songs.”

/Film: “20 Years of Disney California Adventure: Exploring How Disney’s Theme Park Misfire Came Back from the Dead.”

Playlists

MUSICGOON: 7 songs I enjoyed this week.

SVRGNLA: Jess and I love these songs.

ETJ: Music that inspires my band.

DIDD: A crowd-sourced worship playlist.

TGIF: SOLA Network friends and faves.

This is FCBC Walnut: The songs we sing at church.

Coming Soon

Next week I plan to publish reviews for at least 3 books. In Gospelbound, Collin Hansen and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra share stories that teach us how to live with resolute hope in shaky times. In Being the Bad Guys, Stephen McAlpine shows you how to live for Jesus in a world that says you shouldn’t. And as a part of Lexham Press’ Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (EBTC) series, Joe M. Sprinkle’s commentary on Daniel is an excellent and epic entry.

My sermon to our Youth Group went well last week -- thank you for your prayers! If you recall, I also spoke with author Brett McCracken about his new book, The Wisdom Pyramid. SOLA Network plans to release a video of our conversation next week.

We’ll be celebrating Lunar New Year this weekend! In case you missed it, here are some previous editions of this newsletter that you can find in the archive:

All My Favorite Songs: I share what’s new with my book reviews, and what I’ve been enjoying in entertainment. I also share preaching and music ministry prayer requests for this weekend.

Rewrite the Stars: I discuss my recent IG LIVE interview with Russell Moore, share about overcoming the barriers to creating, what’s new with my book reviews, and what I’ve been enjoying in entertainment.

Concerning Hobbits: I reveal my special guest for an upcoming IG LIVE interview, what’s new with my book reviews, and what I’ve been enjoying in entertainment.

Weekly Review

Hobbit History: Let us first do what we must do. – J. R. R. Tolken

SOLA: God Among the Crowds / The Seductive Sin We Never Talk About / The Proverbs 31 Man

TGIF: DesiringGod: Has Porn Already Broken My Future Marriage? / 9Marks: The Church Should Sing for Heaven’s Sake (with Matthew Westerholm)

Book Review: More Than a Battle by Joe Rigney

Book Review: Worshiping with the Reformers by Karin Maag

Book Review: The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People by Matthew S. Harmon

Recommended Reading: ‘Whoever Is Ashamed of Me’: A Call to the Quietly Christian / Four Things Pastors Wish Their Churches Knew About Them Right Now / Your Spouse Should Complete You: What It Means to Become One / How Do I Talk to My Children About Sex?

[everythingmusicandfilm]

Oscars 2018

I can’t believe it has been a whole year since La La Land was best picture for a whole two minutes. Yes, it’s that time again, oscar season. Although I am most excited to see Tom Holland in a suit, I am also eager to see who takes home the golden statues. Every year I try my best to watch the oscar nominated films and this year was no different. Before I get into my picks for the oscars, a little reminder that these are my own personal opinions. I do not claim to be a film expert or anything, this is just who I think should win for each category!

Writing

Adapted Screenplay

“Call Me By Your Name” James Ivory

“The Disaster Artists” Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

“Logan” Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green

“Molly’s Game” Aaron Sorkin

“Mudbound” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

As much as I LOVED Logan and think it is without a doubt the best wolverine film we have seen, Call Me By Your Name is my pick here. The story addresses a romantic relationship between an unlikely pair, a 30 year old man and a 17 year old boy. As we live in a time where a racist and misogynistic male is president of the free world, this film offers us an escape to remember that love is important. Elio’s father’s speech as he explains that he accepts that Elio is gay, is a moving and inspiring monologue. The story provides a beautiful representation of homosexuality and reminds the world of the importance of love, especially in a time of struggle and pain.

Original Screenplay

“The Big Sick” Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani

“Get Out” Jordan Peele

“Lady Bird” Greta Gerwig

“The Shape of Water” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Martin McDonagh

Get Out offers a surprisingly unique storyline that successfully combines elements of psychological horror with dark humour. I have never been a huge horror film fan, however I really enjoyed this film and was constantly engaged. The film had me hooked right until the end. It addresses a particular side of racism as it is set in the post-obama era. It connects historical themes of slavery with the contemporary nature of white people being envious of black people. The story line is captivating and innovative and hence why I think it should win best original screenplay.

Technical

Cinematography

“Blade Runner 2049” Roger Deakins

“Darkest Hour” Bruno Delbonnel

“Dunkirk” Hoyte van Hoytema

“Mudbound” Rachel Morrison

“The Shape of Water” Dan Laustsen

Without a doubt. Every single frame in Blade Runner 2049 is a piece of art. The cinematography in Dunkirk of course is spectacular and captivating and don’t even get me started on the lighting in The Shape of Water, however Blade Runner 2049 is so visually stunning that the light almost feels alive. Roger Deakins paints a picture almost frighteningly realistic as the audience faces the realities of human nature. The cinematography highlights the importance of the visual in science fiction films and is a refreshingly unique and powerful aspect that makes Blade Runner 2049 so incredible.

Visual Effects

“Blade Runner 2049” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover and Gerd Nefzer

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick

“Kong: Skull Island” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, ScottBenza and Mike Meinardus

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould and Neal Scanlan

“War for the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Joel Whist

Even though I am obsessed with the visuals in Blade Runner 2049, I think it is about time that Planet of the Apes is recognised for the stunning visual effects. Weta Digital has once again proved themselves to be one of the best in the business as they bring these apes to life. Their performance capture technology is so innovative that it captures the smallest details of Andy Serkis’s facial expressions and manages to translate it onto the ever realistic ape. The first two Planet of the Apes films were snubbed by the academy and I really believe that it should win this year.

Production Design

“Beauty and the Beast” Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer

“Blade Runner 2049” Dennis Gassner and Alessandra Querzola

“Darkest Hour” Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer

“Dunkirk” Nathan Crowley and Gary Fettis

“The Shape of Water” Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin and Shane Vieau

Austerberry, Melvin and Vieau successfully manage to create an entire world in The Shape of Water. The sets, props and lighting all come together to create a magical film. Elisa’s theatre apartment is so beautifully detailed that it took almost 3500 colour samples to create. Each of the sets are inspired and shaped by water from the rusted down walls to the pipes in the lab. So much thought and detail has been put into the design of this film and that is why it is one of the most beautiful films.

Film Editing

“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss

“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith

“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel

“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

It doesn’t take an expert to recognise the amazing editing skills being portrayed in Baby Driver. The entire film is cut to musical cues, which meant that it had to be edited on set. The editing successfully falls to the beat of the music without the audience even realising. The editing is thorough and naturally allows the film to flow the way it does. The pacing and editing of the film is what makes it so unique so I really hope it takes home the oscar on Sunday.

Makeup and Hairstyling

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard

“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Gary Oldman is completely unrecognisable as Winston Churchill in the Darkest Hour. The transformation is shocking and although Oldman’s performance definitely contributes to the amazing portrayal of Churchill, the makeup and hairstyling is what makes it oscar worthy.

Costume Design

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran

“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran

“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges

“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira

“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

As the film is a story about a fashion designer in the 1950s Couture World of London, it is no surprise that the costumes in the film are stunning. Each piece is so detailed and intrinsic, it is easy to see the hard work that went into making them. Although I feel like any one of these films could take home the oscar as this was a relatively hard category to pick one favourite. Phantom Thread however has become known for its costume design and this could be what edges it out slightly from the other nominees.

Sound

Original Score

“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer

“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood

“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

Although personally Call Me By Your Name should win best original score, The Shape of Water is a very close second. The delicate, beautiful piano pieces add to the stunning elements of the film. The score transports us to this other world as we follow Elisa’s story. The music is what successfully balances the science fiction side of the film with the sad story of Elisa wanting to be heard for once. Because Elisa is mute I often feel that the music in the film speaks for her as it reflects how she feels. I believe that the sound is one of the most important elements of filmmaking and if you have a successful score then you will have a successful film, and this is definitely the case with The Shape of Water.

Original Song

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige

“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens

“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren and Common

“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

This is a particular tough category as “Mystery of Love” from Call Me By Your Name is a gorgeous piano piece that makes me feel like I am in Italy during the summer and “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman brought tears to my eyes. However “Remember Me” from Coco is an emotional and inspiring piece of music that represents the entire film. Pixar is not often recognised for the music in their films and think that should change this year with this song.

Sound Editing

“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater

“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini and Theo Green

“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King

“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce and Matthew Wood

The difference between sound editing and sound mixing is that sound editing is about what you hear, sound mixing is about how you hear it. Screw the 70mm screen, I think Dunkirk should win best sound editing because it is the sound that makes the war film so immersive. The sound editing in Dunkirk is so precise and captivating that the audience has no idea they are being manipulated. The constant ticking, the ocean waves and the ascending pitch creates an increasing intensity that unites the three different storylines. The war film that shows no blood is still so intense and captivating because of the sound editing.

Sound Mixing

“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater and Tim Cavagin

“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hephill

“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo

“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker and Michael Semanick

Sound mixing however deserves to go to Baby Driver. The entire film is choreographed to the sound yet it does not feel anything like a musical. This is because the sound mixers successfully managed to have the action cut to the sound while still allowing the film to not feel so choreographed. The diegetic and non-diegetic sound perfectly mix together to make a film based around music, to not be anything close to a musical. Every sound from the placement of a cup to the chewing of gum is synched in time with the music. So much work went into this film to ensure that the sound would drive the story and that is exactly what it does. 

Acting

Best Supporting Actor

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”

Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”

Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”

Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

SAM ROCKWELL 100% !!!!! I was absolutely blown away by his performance in Three Billboards. Rockwell plays a problematic character of a racist cop who’s only answer is violence. While there is criticism of the film trying to get the audience to sympathise for his character at the end, there is no doubt that Rockwell’s performance is inspiring. Dixon is such a complicated character with so many different sides and we see Rockwell successfully show us all of them in this film. Everyone is always talking about Frances in this film but I believe that the best acting performance came from Rockwell.

Best Supporting Actress

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”

Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”

Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”

Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”

Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Although Allison Janney is picked to be the favourite and I did admire her performance, Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird is the winner for me. Metcalf has a way with words that really brings out her performance. She understands the importance of a mother’s role in her daughter’s life as she delivers an inspiring performance.

Best Lead Actor

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”

Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”

Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”

Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”

Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Another tough pick as Daniel Kaluuya delivered an amazing performance in Get Out, Daniel Day-Lewis and Denzel Washington were as incredible as ever and Gary Oldman in the Darkest Hour is possibly his best performance yet, however Timothee Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name is my favourite performance of all. This was the first time I had seen Chalamet in a film, and he blew me away. He is so young yet his performance is so inspiring, it is what makes the relationship between his character and Armie Hammer’s character work so well. Although I think Gary Oldman will probably win on the night, I think Chalamet deserves it the most.

Best Lead Actress

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”

Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”

Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”

Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Every single one of these lovely ladies deserves best lead actress however if I had to choose one it would have to be Frances McDormand. Her performance represents the pain and suffering of a world where so much sexual harassment is happening and nothing is being done about it. The audience is moved to tears as we follow her struggle of finding justice for her daughter. Frances truly leads the film to success and this is what a lead actress does. Her passionate monologues are just as empowering as to what she doesn’t say and this is why she deserves best lead actress.

Best Director and Best Picture

Best Director

“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan

“Get Out,” Jordan Peele

“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig

“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson

“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Is it possible to have all five directors win? Because that would be my pick. Jordan Peele delivers what has been called ‘the film of the year’ with Get Out. Greta Gerwig is the only female to be nominated and hence I think she should win solely for that reason, also because Lady Bird is the stunning, coming of age film that we have all been waiting for. Paul Thomas Anderson somehow manages to make emotions visual with his lovely film Phantom Thread and Guillermo del Toro who is an extremely close second delivers my favourite picture The Shape of Water. However I think it is about time that Nolan finally received the oscar for best director. There is no doubt that Christopher Nolan is a mastermind when it comes to filmmaking. Each and every one of his films are incredible pieces of work. Dunkirk however is the unconventional war film that I never thought I needed. There is no blood and guts in this film and the simple long takes and minimal dialogue makes it seem rather minimalistic. However the film still has so much depth and impact. Nolan chose to strip the film down and focus on what is important, the framing and the sound to create an immersive epic film. His choices in the film reflect his genius mind and clearly show that he is indeed the best director.

Best Picture

“Call Me by Your Name” Luca Guadagnino

“Darkest Hour” Joe Wright

“Dunkirk” Christopher Nolan

“Get Out” Jordan Peele

“Lady Bird” Greta Gerwig

“Phantom Thread” Paul Thomas Anderson

“The Post” Steven Spielberg

“The Shape of Water” Guillermo del Toro

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Michael McDonagh

I think this is the hardest year ever to pick a film for best picture. There have been so many amazing films this year. I chose The Shape of Water however because it is the only film that exceeds in all areas of filmmaking. The score as I have already explained drives the narrative of the film and contributes to the beautiful aesthetic. The production design transports us to another world. The cinematography and in particular the lighting is so beautiful it perfectly reflects the nature of being underwater. The story is unique and innovative as we are able to look past the weirdness of a woman sleeping with a fish to realise the true meaning of a mute girl wanting to be heard. Sally Hawkins plays a difficult part in making this story focus on the beautiful hidden meaning rather than on the science fiction aspect, and she does this very successfully. Guillermo del Toro manages to bring all these elements together to create a unique and stunning film that has everyone talking. I never thought a film about a romance between a girl and a fish could be so beautiful and that is why it is my pick for best picture.

[occupyvenus]

JxD smells of fanservice to me. I mean, OOC character who *nudges nudges wink* screams it. If it was meant to be for bigger reasons we wouldn't be getting things this way

Same. I don’t even care if they are really going for a romance anymore. I’m not particularly keen on it, but if they could only do it well. It feels rushed and forced, they obviously didn’t put much thought or heart into it. If it is supposed to be the grand love story of GoT, they didn’t put any effort in to make it worthy of that title. But then s7 simultaneously feels like filler and throwing too many plot points at us at once. I’ve said it before, the pacing this season is weird and unless they really turn it around in the last three episodes, or use it to set the stage for an amazing s8, I’m not sure reducing the numbers of episodes was a good idea. It feels like they’re simply working off a check-list of what has to happen, without building any suspense to those moments. 

@iqqsgonnabeokay I wanted to respond to your reblog, but since I was already working on this ask, I’m just going to tag you here. (-: That scene annoyed me to no ends, you can’t even imagine. 

Spoilers for episode 4 under the cut. IF YOU ARE ON MOBILE AND THE “READ MORE” DOESN’T WORK, CLOSE YOUR EYES AND KEEP SCROLLING A LITTLE BIT. 

It was already bothering me in the last episode. We go from Jon and Danielle fighting and her accusing him of being in open rebellion (it’s not like they were close to coming to any kind of agreement before Varys interrupted) to them having a private, somewhat intimate conversation in the next scene they have together, where they kind of end with the note of we are not so different you and I, let’s agree to disagree but work together anyway. I know that wing-man Tyrion talked to both of them, but that was a drastic shift in tone for them being face-to-face.

We never see them growing closer through their own interactions. We never see them understanding the other or starting to respect the other through how they act around each other, their relationship primarily progresses through what other people tell them. 

When did Danielle start to respect Jon’s opinion to such a degree, where she would ask him about advice? That would have been an issue that could have been discussed with another character. Dany talking about her perception of Jon to somebody, not the other way around, someone telling her what they think of him. Hell, they could have put that at the end of their Missandei x Greyworm conversation, would have taken them a minute of screen-time, giving some proper depth to what follows both in the cave and on the beach.

Missandei asking her “Lord Snow, he still refuses to bend the knee?” with a kinda suspicious, worried tone. Danielle could have replied with something like “Yes … though I have to admit it does take courage to deny the Mother of Dragons.” Both of them giving each other *that look*. Danielle taking a deep breath. “He is doing what he thinks is best for his people.” Looking at jon, unsuspectingly waiting on the beach “He will soon understand that what I want is for the best of his people.” Showing that she has softened on her “breaking faith with House Targaryen” stance. Showing that while she thinks he’s wrong, she has come to appreciate his good qualities and at least understands where he is coming from. She has gained some insights into his character and articulates them to herself, her best friend and the audience.

We never see Danielle do anything that makes Jon realize that she indeed has a good heart neither. What about her, that she did in front of him, that he witnessed, lead him to that conclusion? She didn’t leave an especially lovable impression in their first meeting, she then keeps him on Dragonstone against his will. Yes, she allows him to mine for the dragonglass, a few points for that. I suppose the cave-scene built some kind of “personal” connection, but Jon is the one carrying the “we are all in this together” banner, Danielle persists on him bending the knee. She didn’t do anything to prove to Jon that she has a good heart. He only “knows” that because other people told him about it. Seriously, allowing him to mine some fucking dragonglass shouldn’t make up for all the unappealing characteristics she displayed in front of him. It makes no sense for them be so comfortable around each other, but all of a sudden Jon is all touchy-feely and drags her through a cave. Nothing we saw explained that development. 

If D&D had some balls to cause engaging conflict and tension, Jon should have replied with “My pride? We are facing certain death and you will only help us if I proclaim you queen against my people’s wishes. Do I care more about my pride or their survival? You should ask yourself that question“. Would have been some food for thought for Danielle, we could see how Jon’s actions influence her and them overcoming this obstacle for their potential relationship in the end would have been way more satisfying. Instead we get a Jon Snow who looks like a wet puppy someone forget in the rain. He went from a man with convictions he believes in and stands up for in ep3 to “i would … but my bannerman though… like THEY wouldn’t like it… so … /: in ep4. You are thinking with your dick, Jonny. Please, just don’t be thinking with your dick. Don’t let me down like that.

Jon and Davos talking about Danielle, really properly talking about it, not this unbelievingly stupid “what do you think about ~her~?” …  “well, you’ve been staring at her” *wink* *wink* that basically means nothing but: HEY AUDIENCE! JON STARED AT HER! YOU DIDN’T SEE IT, BUT IT TOTALLY HAPPENED! DAVOS TALKS ABOUT IT! AUDIENCE! ARE YOU LISTENING? THESE TWO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER! DAVOS SAID SO! IN CASE YOU DIDN’T NOTICE BECAUSE WE’VE DONE A SHIT JOB AT DEVELOPING THIS RELATIONSHIP AND SHOWING IT TO YOU THROUGH VISUALS! SHOW, DON’T, TELL YOU SAY? EXPOSITION-DAVOS, I SAY! This is the most lazy, unoriginal, disconnecting way of pushing a romantic plot and I can’t even begin to explain how much I hate it. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

But them having a real conversation about Danielle, Jon admitting that she wouldn’t be bad ruler, maybe saying something a la “does it really matter if I’m King or Warden of the North once the Wall falls? She won’t help us unless I bend the knee.” Davos nodding with an exhausted look on his face “That’s true.”  Jon doing some nervous movements, tapping his foot, pounding on the stone-handrail(?), before saying “she has a good heart.” Davos giving him an amused look before saying “is that what you’ve been staring at, her “good heart?”. Just give us some fucking emotional build-up to this, don’t just throw it in our face, because you couldn’t come up with a better way to convey this to the audience. Show us Jon staring at Daniella, show us Davos noticing it. Show that Jon is still conflicted, he is duty-bound to serve his people after all, but has softened his stance after getting to know Dany (ON SCREEN!) and that he has come to admire and like her somewhat. 

It’s no secret that I believe in Jonsa being endgame. I still do, because I agree that the way it looks, D&D just wrote the Jon x Danielle stuff in there for fanservice or to get a sexscene with Kit and Emilia. You are completely right, if this was supposed to last, they would have at least tried to get us emotionally invested in it. Together with Mels “Ice and Fire”-comment this entire thing looks like a major red herring. They will fuck once, maybe twice, before r+l=j comes out and targbowl happens. I’m pretty sure, that if they were supposed to end up together, they would have fought for longer than 5 seconds. They want to throw us of the rail and they are doing a shitty job at it. And I’m not happy about it. 

This isn’t really about what I ship, want to or think will happen / be endgame, anyway. If jon€rys is supposed to happen there is nothing I could do about it, after all. Even if I’m wrong about Jonsa (unlikely. Jonsa is endgame), there’s no reason to serve us this bland, unimaginative, rushed love story. I’ll admit that Jon and Danielle have potential, if not for a happily ever after, at least for a passionate tragic love story. I would gladly admit it if D&D are building a strong case for them, but until now, that was just shitty, lazy, sloppy 0815 screenwriting. It’s wasted potential. Even for GoT standards. It’s on-par with “Dorne”. It’s mediocre screenwriting.