#obligatory among us crossover

[parallelpie]

More assorted lethal things

[pinkeoni]

During his emotionally charged speech in the van, Will says one particularly potent line.

"When you're different... You feel like... a mistake."

This line is highlighted visually by the camera shifting positions to outside of the van, a shot that is only used one other time to punctuate the end of the scene. This line holds extra weight and the show wants you to know it.

I already made an analysis on the word mistake and what that means for Will, but I want to look at the word different, which feels emphasized in the delivery of the line as well.

"When you're [pause for effect] different..."

It's popular headcanon among st fandom that "everyone in Hawkins is gay!" which sometimes bleeds from into their belief of real canon. Sexuality headcanon lists suddenly are seen with an air of truth to them, and a number of fanon queer ships are accompanied with evidence of their supposed endgame status.

I realize that this is kind of a... weird post to make. I'm not really making this to tell people to stop doing something, this is more of just a rattling off of some opinions I've had for awhile.

I do wanna start off with the obligatory: Do whatever the hell you want. I'm not here to stop you from doing something or tell you that you are wrong for thinking that a character is gay or for shipping something. You are allowed to ship whoever you want, think whatever you want about any character, any ship I don't like I have filtered. But I'm also allowed to not like these ships, or disagree with how others view certain characters. Just as others are allowed to have and express their opinion, I'm also allowed to have and state my opinions on the opinion website.

I think the important thing regarding Will being different is the fact that he is different. As my good friend @karenchildress once put it, if everyone were queer, it would cheapen the message the show is trying to give. Sure, the show displays a variety of ways of being different, but being gay is, among other things Will has been through re: being taken into the Upside Down, is Will's way of being different in Hawkins.

And of course Robin is gay as well, and while there is some crossover, the lived experiences of a gay man is different from that of a lesbian woman, which the show does touch on. Will's story is part of an extended AIDS metaphor, and Robin struggles to gain the attention of women in a world that seems to revolve around the attention of men.

It might be nice to have a moment between Will and Robin, although that alone won't solve Will's problem, i.e. his belief that being different makes him a mistake. Cause that's the thing: the resolution is that being different is a good thing.

If everyone character were queer, this would cheapen the message. Suddenly the resolution isn't that being different is a good thing, but that he isn't different after all.

So then, are queer stories meant to have only token characters?

I think it depends on the type of story, and what it's trying to say. Heartstopper has an eclectic queer cast, but it's also a show that embraces finding community and other people like you. Sex Education has a variety of different sexual identities, but it's also a show that aims to explore a lot of different perspectives.

And there are also queer stories where the queer character's disposition, and their struggle because of that, is a big part of the story. I believe this is what this show is trying to do— highlight Will's difference and how that pertains to his personal struggle and the resolution of that.

One argument that I hear against Will with powers is the idea that making him more different would be bad for his character, because he hates being different. But the thing is, Will is going to learn that his differences are a good thing, which may include any possible powers.

Of course Will isn't the only one with powers, and he also isn't the only gay one. El, Henry, and Kali all have powers, and Robin, Vickie, and Mike (and maybe Henry? I haven't seen TFS myself so I'm not commenting on that) are all gay. So while he's not alone, these things are still a rarity. It's not a case of a headcanon list with mostly everyone gay and some token straights.

"Characters are not straight by default."

This sentiment isn't unique to the st fandom and also didn't originate within this fandom, but it is something that I hear often. And it's... not really true, although it kind of depends on the piece of media we are talking about. It might be easy to say this about a show made in the 2020's, although this same sentiment is hard to state about, well, most shows made before the 2020s. And even then, it depends on what the show is going for.

People being not straight by default is a true statement in real life. You shouldn't assume a sexuality for anyone, gay, straight or what have you. But characters are made by people, and people have different biases on how these characters should be written. Calling the Duffers "two straight men" would go against what I just said, although I don't think that the show was written with everyone being gay in mind. Aside from the 4 (maybe 5) I listed, the other characters are not written to be queer. They just aren't.

All of the queer characters have arcs that feature their queerness. Will's queerness has been mentioned since season one. Robin's romance becomes part of her plot in season 4, and Vickie is introduced as her love interest. Romance has always been an important facet of Mike's story since season one, and his failure in a straight romance is highlighted in seasons three and four. Chekhov's painting of season 4 seems to solidify a gay Mike.

Elmax and Ronance as endgame options not only have no lead up but are also mean spirited towards Lucas and Vickie. Elmax gets together, breaking up Lumax, which has been built up since season two, and Lucas is supposed to be okay with this because????? Ronance get's together, effectively writing off a queer character that the show had introduced, and she can't even fulfill the reason she exists in the first place? Rockie is not the most well developed relationship out there, but it's the one that the show has decided to go for. Maybe Ronance could work, in an alternate universe where the show actually wrote that in.

For those that argue that both Max and Nancy are queer I simply... disagree. And you can disagree with me too, we'll both just agree to disagree. I'm not against headcanons, which are usually harmless, but also usually driven by the desires of the headcanon-er and less so the canon of the show. Which again, is fine, but it's also these headcanons which are being used to drive an argument for actual show canon. Usually the argument for any character being queer that wasn't already listed in canon rests solely on vibes, not any concrete evidence that may suggest actual attraction to the same sex.

More substantial evidence usually comes when someone applies a queer lens to a certain character, but an interpretation can be different from authorial intent. And sometimes, the viewer may be so focused on the metaphorical, that they fail to see the literal.

I do think that you could easily apply a queer lens to El's story. Her story is about, in her words, "not belonging," in society, having to remain in hiding, and deviating from feminine norms. I can easily see how you can derive a queer message from this, but all of the traits listed above are a result of her having powers and being raised in a lab, not being attracted to the same sex. Metaphor alone cannot prove that she likes girls.

Going back to Nancy, Nancy's romantic options are between Jonathan and Steve, although the show seems to make it clear that it's going with Jonathan in the end, what with Jancy holding hands at the end of season 4. Steve get's brought up in conversation between the two, alluding two some unresolved tension that's likely to be brought up in season 5, and Robin is... at the high school with Vickie. That is the end of the season establishing the arcs and romances for the final season.

"Gay people didn't exist in the 80's."

That's an argument on the opposite end of things that just isn't true, although I've also heard the counter for this argument, that gay people did in fact exist in the 80's, as evidence that everyone is gay. I'm not really here to argue whether or not gay people existed in the 80's (they did) I'm just here to argue what I think the canon of the show is presenting.

That being said, the show taking place in the 80's is still significant. It may not be a hyperrealistic depiction of the 80's, but the show does seem to understand the idea that at that time, it was very difficult for gay people come out and to start relationships. It's the reason that Robin can't just go up to Vickie and ask her out, and it's the reason that Will can't just say that the painting is from him. It's the reason why Mike hasn't quite yet left his relationship with El and accepted himself. It's the reason why Rockie has to discreetly flirt through peanut butter sandwiches. A character who hasn't had queerness built into their plot, or a relationship that has no buildup, isn't suddenly going to become canon in the last season.

I was talking about this once with a friend who used the show Only Murders in the Building as an example. In the shows second season, Selena Gomez's character is revealed to be bisexual and dates a character that Cara Delevingne plays for most of the season. The show doesn't build up to her character being bisexual, she doesn't come out as such, the other characters don't make a big deal out of it, she just is. So why can this show do something like that but Stranger Things can't?

Well, Only Murders is a show that takes place in present day, and is a light-hearted comedy (albeit with murder). A character suddenly being bisexual with no set up makes sense for the tone that the show has established and when it takes place. Stranger Things takes place in the 80's and establishes within it's first season and maintains it throughout that gay people get killed and are seen as social pariahs.

It's not that I don't understand where the desire to have more characters be queer comes from, especially characters that people already like and relate to. I don't think it's harmful to think that these characters are queer, I'm making an argument purely with regard to authorial intent and the actual outcome of the show. Again, feel free to disagree with me and continue to do whatever you want, these are just some thoughts that I have had on my mind for a while and wanted to put out.

[appsartstash]

Had a maybe-odd idea a while back of homebrewing a DnD setting based on Miitopia of all things. My playthrus of the game itself already included ocs, so I basically made it a three part crossover including my own stories.

Art-wise, I wanted a somewhat-simplified style of drawing characters so I could focus on general design instead of worrying about hands and stuff. I ended up really liking how it turned out; might have to use it for distant characters in actual scenes.

I'm gonna explain some of the setting changes and who's who under the cut. Obligatory spoiler warning for Miitopia and, if you happen to be one of my friends who might want to play a campaign of this, spoiler warning for that, too.

First things first, the setting had to be made a bit more serious, just because I wanted it to fit among actual DnD content a bit more. Miitopia is a very unserious game (despite the main conflict of "people's faces getting stolen" having genuinely concerning implications), so many points have been slightly changed. Without explaining everything, a few of the changes include:

Location name changes, since Greenhorne and Neksdor are blatant puns. (Peculia gets to stay though, I imagine they're just Like That.)

Allowing for DnD's variety of sapient species. And dragons, of course.

Taking some characters a bit more seriously, namely the King of Greenhorne and Prince of Neksdor.

And various monster changes, especially the goblins, minotaurs, and lizardmen, since they overlap with DnD player options.

Plus there's just some custom worldbuilding, but if I explained everything, this post would be too long.

My main campaign idea for this setting would take place after an altered version of the game's events, but the characters here all fill in game roles. Left to right, it's:

Acanthus, my stand-in for the player character. In-game the classes I used were mage, scientist, and flower, which I've swapped to be a wizard/druid multiclass for DnD. The thing in their hat is an acanthus plant.

Nexus, who was my Reborn. Along with Acanthus, he's had more changes for a DnD setting than most of the characters, though the Reborn role also just allows for a lot of interpretation.

Lullaby, who is the Great Sage. Their main character changes are backstory-related, mostly made so they'd have a real reason to now about the Dark Curse.

And last is Chiron, the former Dark Lord. His changes are more based on my own stories, since he's a former knight in my canon and the Ex-Dark Lord is very weak in-game.

[callgespenst]

Finished Media, November 2022

I’ve barely been on here for the last month but that’s only because I’ve been having a weird time lately. Going to try to get back into the habit and start by going through all the stuff I watched last month.

Velocipastor: saw this at a friend’s house for their birthday party. Possibly the best b-movie ever made. Definitely best watched with friends for optimal riffing. Toes the line on how dumb it wants to be flawlessly in a way other b-movies have attempted, but have come just short of.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: Absolutely flawless escalation. Starts out normally enough and before you know it, Al and Madonna are reenacting Metal Gear Solid 3. Daniel Radcliffe is an extremely convincing young Al, even when playing against actual Al Yankovic as a label producer. The more Yankovic lore you know going in, the better, but probably still entertaining otherwise.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: this is the first Marvel movie I’ve seen since...Endgame? The movie’s biggest strength is definitely divorcing itself as much as possible from the rest of the goings-on of the MCU so it can be just a Black Panther sequel. Almost all of the screen time features black women, and when it’s not them, it’s M’Baku, which is also good. The first two thirds are a compelling statement about loss, and I was so into it I forgot about the obligatory CGI slugfest that would come at the end. My main criticism is that it feels ever-so-slightly too long.

Scooby Doo Meets Courage: A crossover that works so well it feels like a miracle it happened at all. Has some really good CG (very expressive and fun car chase scene) and some not so good CG (Giant CG cornfield? That’s a little much).  Scooby spoke in too many complete sentences for my liking but otherwise, good fun.

Flying Phantom Ship: An absolute must watch. One of Hayao Miyazaki’s earliest works (as a key animator) from 1969. Completely bonkers in a way nothing else I’ve ever seen is. Lots of early voice work from now legendary seiyuu (Goro Naya, Kosei Tomita, and Masako Nozawa as the main character).

Phantom of the Paradise: Another one of those movies that influenced almost everything that’s come since, and yet the original still stands above the rest. Draws from a lot of classic stories and mashes them together in a fascinating and compelling way. Phenomenal music, too. A film everyone should see at least once.

Glass Onion: Just as good as the first Knives Out. Long, but doesn’t feel long at all. Best use of celebrity cameos in a movie I’ve seen in a hot minute. Pulls together at the end in a way that feels almost viscerally satisfying. Daniel Craig plays Among Us, like, literally, that’s not a joke or anything. Might have to watch this again once it’s available on streaming.

That’s it for November! And here’s what I’m up to now:

Playing: Spider-Man PS4

Watching: Witch from Mercury, Do it Yourself!, Pop Team Epic S2, FMA:B, Slime Diaries, Urusei Yatsura (2022).

Reading: Spy x Family

[charming-mage]

Prompt Masterlist

I’m going to put all my prompts in one post. It’s going to be on my page’s sidebar called Prompt Master list. This will contain not just Lila Salt prompts. It’ll also include prompts from regular ML AU to other fandoms. This master list will have all my prompts in one place. I’ll update as I make more prompts.

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Camp Half-Blood Slice of Life Prompt

Miraculous Ladybug

Lila Salt Prompts

Exposed by the Media Prompts Part 1

Exposed by the Media Prompts Part 2

Opposite Day (Or Dupont High’s Worst Nightmare)

The Ladybug TV Series Prompt

Lila’s Feud with Mr. Pigeon

Charity Fraud

Angry Mob

Body Swap Revenge

Lila Discovers Chat Noir’s Identity 

The Search For Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Framing the Wrong Person

Lila Takes the Fall From Someone Else

Into the Saltverse

Lila’s Passive Aggressiveness

Disneyland Paris Trip

Laptop Repair

High School Musical: Miraculous Edition

Plugging the Leak

School Transfer Mishap

Trick-or-Treat! Give Me Something Good to Eat....Or Else

Dressing Up As My Bestie for Halloween

Ouija Board Prank

Lying Karma

Chloe is on the Hunt

Ghost Stories

Prank Gone Wrong

Firefighter Callout

The Thanksgiving Special

What’s Yours is Mine

The Rumor Mill

My Celebrity Friend

Embarrassing Christmas Present Mix Up

Credit Card Theft

Santabug

Replaceable 

Caught on Camera

Karin in the Wild Encounter

Too many excused absences

Mystery Saboteur

An Alliance Made in Hell

ML AU  

Lila Exposes Herself

Why Hawkmoth doesn’t Akumatize People near Halloween Anymore 

Unsolved Mysteries

Obligatory Coffee Shop AU

Valentine’s Day One Upping

Miraculous Ladybug Crossovers

Lila Salt Prompts

Miraculous Ladybug x Invader Zim Crossover

I’m a Normal Human Attending Human Skool

Miraculous Ladybug x Toy Story Crossover 

Miraculous Toy Story

ML AU Prompts 

Miraculous Ladybug X Hocus Pocus Crossover

Alya & Jalil Vs. The Sanderson Sisters

Miraculous Ladybug x Nightmare Before Christmas

Miraculous Halloween

Miraculous Ladybug x Among Us

Miraculous Among Us

[lous-commission-corner]

Obligatory First Post: Writing Commissions Open!

Hey there! My name is Louis and I’m a 23 year old aspiring author looking to share my writing as well as make a little money for it. 

If you would like a sample of my writing, go ahead and check out my ao3 here!

Now obviously, there are things I will and will not write so let’s go ahead and get that out of the way before I talk about my pricings.

Fandoms I write for / Others:

Yuri!!! On Ice

Detroit: Become Human

Given

Bungo Stray Dogs

Banana Fish

Celebrities** (I must know them, see blacklist for more information)

OC works

OC/Reader x Fandom** (See blacklist and pricing for more information)

Among Us OCs

Light gore/horror

Mentions of/Non descriptive NSFW work

Letters from your favourite anime character/celebrity** (Once again, I must know them, see blacklist for more information)

Things I WILL NOT write (no exceptions):

Underage characters in a romantic/sexual way

Incest

Rape/Non-con

Explicit/Detailed NSFW work

Fandoms I’m not a part of (I want you to be satisfied with what you pay for, so I will only be doing the listed animes/games for now.)

Once again, I would like to stress this. I absolutely will not write anything romantic or sexual about underage characters/celebrities. 

Now that we have that established, let’s talk pricing and what I can offer! I can write letters from your favourite fictional character or celebrity as well as stories, scenarios and headcannons! My base price is 10 USD per 1000 words, capping at 10,000 words with add-ons I will list below. I only accept payment through PayPal as of right now and will accept half up front and the other half when the project is finished depending on the length and what you want! 

Addtional Charges for add-ons: 

Reader x Celebrity: Additional 2 USD charge

Letters printed and mailed: 2 USD charge

Candies/Small gifts included in letter: 4 USD charge

Fandom Crossovers: 1 USD charge

If any of this interests you, feel free to message me with your fandom/celebrity(ties) of your choice, what you had in mind for the piece/letter and how many words you want and we can get started on commissions ASAP! If not, I hope you have an amazing day/afternoon/evening! Thanks for taking the time to read!

-Louis

[mechanicalinertia]

What’s next for Divine Patronage?

So my Ranma / Ah My Goddess! / other miscellaneous anime that take place in 1990′s Tokyo fanfic has become more popular than anything else I’ve ever written. I may have classes but this is my designated ‘leisure activity’ now for sure.

Anyway, I have a rough idea for this initial ‘arc’, and how it’ll end. Fine. Whatever. More importantly, though, I have continuing ideas about how to cross over more and more mid-90′s anime and other things into this mishmash where Urd and Ranma have to ‘problem-solve’ things. Christ I wrote like 9 possible arc setups last night; it’ll take me years to make good on them if I do at all.

That’s why I’m a-posting brief summaries of them here, so if I give up on these people can just steal em’.

1. CRIMES OF THE MISHIMA GROUP AGAINST GOOD TASTE

Sayoko Mishima and her zaibatsu god-nap Keiichi and in doing so royally piss off Belldandy. Urd has to snatch the poor kid, who is now a minor god, out from Sayoko’s clutches before Belldandy just loses it and nukes earth in silent rage. Ranma can’t beat the compound alone, though, so Urd turns to Akiko Natsume - the actual head of Mishima - and her all purpose combat android for some help. Unfortunately, the android has a cat brain. Cue Ranma struggling to confront his fears to save the world.

Crossover with: All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku, a medium-obscure OVA from the 90′s starring Megumi Hayashibara as the wacky cat-bot-girl with Saeko Shimazu (Kodachi’s voice among others) as Akiko. Good fun.

2. FATE / STRANGE; DAYS

Remember Lind, the Valkyrie from the Angel Eater Arc of AMG? Well, she back. She intervened in Fate / Zero’s Holy Grail War (assumed to take place around 1994) and contracted w/ Kiritsugu the way Urd did with Ranma. Now Kiri may have lost all his lady companions, but he gets Illya back from Germany and is raising her alongside Shirou with the help of Illya’s wacky maids. Maybe lil’ Rin and Sakura are involved, too, I dunno.

Anyway, Lind considers the Sailor Senshi a threat to the divine order (they do appear to predate human civilization) - especially since Saturn’s Glaive of Silence is believed to be the Norse Gungnir, Spear of Destiny, Odin’s superweapon that could (even in the OG myths) rewrite reality itself to render enemies nonexistent.

So Lind gets Kiritsugu, Arturia Saber, and Prisma Illya to go to Tokyo and track down Sailor Saturn with Ranma’s help. Then they end up teleporting to the distant past of the Silver Milennium, back when the Senshi’s magic rendered the other planets of the Solar System inhabitable. Cue a string of John Carter references.

Crossover with: Fate / Zero, Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya. Might even separate the Fate story from the whole Saturn / Gungnir subplot - they’re just hunting Kirei and Gil, then. Sure. Fine.

3. THE FUTURE IS HERE AND IT SUCKS

Skuld time travels into the future, only to find that almost every single timeline ends with humanity being wiped out before the 22nd century - perhaps by SM’s Great Freeze, perhaps by other factors. Unfortunately, she forgot to close her possible-future-timeline portals properly, which leads to various cyberpunk futures bouncing off one another for supremacy in 1996.

(Look I wanted to just fuckin do BGC or GITS crossover. Couldn’t decide. Why not both?)

Crossover with: BGC 2032 (Or my 2069 rebot), Ghost in the Shell, Silent Mobius (maybe)

4. GAMES OF THE GODS

The obligatory ‘gang plays an RPG’ sitcom episode, only a) it’s Cyberpunk 2020 because I’ve read that system’s books, and b) the goddesses all bring their boytoys along to be sucked into the game world as their player characters. (Urd gets Ranma, Bell gets Keiichi, Skuld is the GM, Peorth gets Ryoga, Lind gets Kiritsugu) (I guess I better do an arc where Peorth patronizes Ryoga to screw with Urd...)

5. GUNS, BOMBS, ROCK N’ ROLL

Ranma gets dragged along by Urd for a vacation, theoretically to LA. But then after getting bored of the Obligatory Beach Episode, Urd rediscovers that she has a daughter in Chicago - Rally Vincent. She and Ranma rush off to screw up the events of the manga and protect her daughter from the brainwashing of a lesbian rapist crime lord. (I wish I was making that last bit up). Maybe Priss of BGC tags along to really hammer in the WACKY KENICHI SONODA CROSSOVER thing?

Crossover with: Gunsmith Cats, Riding Bean, maybe BGC

6. HEISEI BLOSSOMS BLOOMING

The Japanese government decides to reactivate the Teikoku Kagekidan project, this time using idoru as the mecha pilots instead of the Takarazura Revue thing they had going on in the 20′s. The K-on girls audition, the Love Live girls audition, someone in the Ranma cast or something tries out as well. Mecha are now nuclear-powered instead of steam-powered (whatever that means)

Crossover with: Original Sakura Wars franchise, Tite Kubo iteration non-involved. maybe K-on and Love Live

7. RANMA’S LUDICROUS EXCURSION: STAR-DIAMOND DUST IS UNCRUSADERABLE

Ranma gets a stand. Urd thinks it’s like her angel. Yare yare daze.

Crossover with: What do you think, genius?

8. ETERNAL SUMMER

Ranma gets trapped in a temporal anomaly centered around Tomobiki Town. Now it’s August 1982, Ataru and Lum are about to get married, and unless he can stop the total breakdown of the pocket reality within the seven days before the time loop resets he’ll become part of it forever. Trippy New Wave Existentialist Bullshit - Screwball Comedy meets Body Horror. Also see: Higurashi.

Crossover with: Urusei Yatsura

9. TRICOWBOYOUTLAW BEBOPGUNSTAR: EFF YOU, SPACE COWBOY

A valiant attempt to crossover all three of the late 90′s ‘Cowboy shonen’ anime of the time in one universe. A shared universe? Nah. We’re probably just gonna transplant all the characters into 90′s Tokyo again and watch the body count pile up.

Crossover with: Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Trigun. Oh, and maybe one of those ‘robo-maid’ shows from the aughties (Hand Maid May, Mahoromatic, Steel Angel Kurimi), just to fuck with everyone.

10. COPS AND ROBOTS

Ranma gets in trouble with the police for sneaking onto the Babylon Project, forced into community service, and then ends up blackmailed into the long-running grudgematch between the SV2 Labor Squad and the Tokyo Highway Patrol.

Crossover with: You’re Under Arrest, Patlabor (original OVA mostly)

11. SUPERIOR AUTOMATRONIC DISPUTE RESOLUTION: GO NAGAI EAT YOUR HEART OUT

Skuld gets in a fight with some deities from some rival pantheons, and as a proper grudgematch resolution they all resolve to build Giant Robots and then Battle Royale them. Ranma has to pilot one.

Crossover with: NOTHING.

12. THE HOUND OF ULSTER BARKS AT MIDNIGHT

Cu Chullain, husbando of Ex-Valkyrie and turncoat Irish goddess Scathach, teams up with Ranma in Dublin to stop IRA extremists from resurrecting the Tuatha De Dannan, specifically the Morrigan. A teenage Bazett (from Fate) shows up and gets all fangirly.

13. TALES FROM THE OOPS

An abandoned particle accelerator built in the 80′s near Stockholm may or may not cause Ragnarok. Ranma and some edgy Swedish Teenagers have to deal with 90′s recession bullshit and clean the place out

Crossover with: Tales from the Loop, Things From the Flood

That’s about it, honestly. I have other things I’d like to crossover with, tbh, mostly mecha stuff. Among them:

- Cannon God Exaxxion

- Eva

- Gundam UC

- Muv-Luv

-Negmia / another Ken Akumatsu trashpile (and I mean that in the best possible way)

Shit this is fun. Imma make another one of these posts with even more ludicrious crossovers later. Peace out.

[adoranymph]

I’m not a fan of horror.

I’ve acquired a taste for things that contain horror elements, like Stranger Things, which contains moments of comedic heart and compelling character drama in addition to the horror, more so than say something with similarly disturbing horror moments like Alien or Aliens, and Shawn of the Dead, which is a romantic comedy spin on the traditional zombie apocalypse movie. And I’m more than certainly looking forward to checking out Lovecraft Country when it comes out. I’ve even gotten over my squeamishness concerning the face-melting in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the villain aging rapidly and ghoulishly into dust and then exploding in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 

Actually, one of my favorite movies to watch with my father was the original Predator, probably because it was as much a movie about an alien trophy hunter hunting humans for sport as it was a macho action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. And unlike Alien and Aliens, didn’t involve that oh-so-disturbing means of procreation we all have come to know and love about xenomorphs. Which means that no, much as I’m chill with the Predator, I still have little desire to watch its crossover with the xenomorph menace, Alien vs. Predator, all the way through. Admittedly, I have, in the past, watched clipped reviews of the Alien movies, including AVP and even AVP Requiem, which I think if I had watched in full would have made me sick. Because my curiosity just gets the better of me from time-to-time, and I know that about myself only too well.

And as much I love Michael Biehn in a James Cameron movie, and was touched by the concept of the found-family storyline in Aliens, I just don’t think I can stomach those chestbursters (ha ha).

I can’t even watch John Hurt reprise his role as “Kane” in a parody of his iconic horror scene in Spaceballs, and, like Shaun of the Dead, that’s a comedy! Even more so than Shaun of the Dead! Well, I do watch the part after when the CB sings, “Hello My Baby,” but by that point the parody of the worst part of that scene is over and done with, and there’s nothing but the joy of a dancing baby alien with Michigan J. Frog’s singing voice coming out of it while John Hurt “Kane” laments, “Oh no! Not again!”

And however compelling The Exorcist is in terms of character…yeah no, not touching that.

It is weird though given how far I’ve come in tolerating horror gore, but that’s just not a line I’m willing to cross yet as of writing this.

But back on track.

Sprinkling this in to counter-balance the PTSD I get from the mere thought of xenomorphs.

A few weeks ago, I got a taste for a different kind of horror, and honestly the kind I’ll take over gore in a heartbeat, even if both equally can get stuck in my head to an ugly degree. And that was rewatching M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense. Probably because I got it in my head to watch Ari Aster’s Midsommar, and I still needed something else to fill out my creep-factor quota. I thought about backpedaling and watching his film before that, Hereditary, but I already know that that one ends far more bleakly (compared to Midsommar, depending on how you look at it, mind), and I needed something that was creepy and tragic, but had an ending that positively affirmed itself.

Then I remembered that The Sixth Sense sort of did that, and it had been a while since I had seen it, but I remembered it from as far back as childhood, me with my parents, adamantly not understanding how they could be fans of things like Alien and Aliens. More than that, I remember actually being able to enjoy Sixth Sense somewhat, even then. Appreciate it for its horror elements and moments of tragedy, rather than shrink away from it.

So I that’s what I did. And for all that Shyamalan has done (botching the first attempt at a live-action adaptation of Avatar: the Last Airbender chief among them), this one still gets me in the feels. Helps, I suppose, that I faced certain deaths and griefs at a far tenderer age than I was “meant to”, but even so, what Shyamalan does best, he does best here. And probably in Unbreakable and even Split too, but I haven’t seen those, and apparently after all that, Glass got panned so…yeah.

Still, if nothing else, it was fun to remember that Toni Collette was in this, and now that I’ve grown and seen her in things like Little Miss Sunshine, and clips of–that’s right, Hereditary–not be surprised, but no less pleased for her performance. Not only is she in a Shyamalan film that works its earmarks to its advantage, but she sells her character as a single mom at the end of her rope, with both a son, Cole, going through a difficult time that they can’t talk about, considering the kid knows what she’d think if he told her he sees dead people, and haunted by the death of her mother with whom she clearly had a difficult relationship. Not saying that this still couldn’t have worked, but given what The Happening did to Mark Wahlberg, color me double-rainbow impressed.

Bruce Willis too. Plus he had the advantage of working with Shyamalan on Unbreakable. So he probably knew how to play things in either situation. That and it’s honestly not a badly written character, all things considered, any more than Toni Collette’s character was. Or, even if it was, again, he sold it with his performance. He has a handle on subtle gravitas as much as he does going toe-to-toe with Alan Rickman (rest in peace) playing a terrorist.

Picked this one for the nostalgic fondness of, “Rent it on video. DVD’s also an option!”

Then you have Haley Joel Osment as Cole. And again, given he’s supposed to be this awkward kid with the added burden that he can see ghosts when no one else can and they scare him and even if he tells someone no one will believe him, any stiffness that comes with the Shyamalan style makes sense here. Death makes everything…stiff. Moreover, he sells it too. I get a lump in my throat just thinking of that moment when, after he’s at least told Bruce Willis’s character, as his therapist, about his secret, he tearfully demands, “How can you help me if you don’t believe me?”

Then there’s the revelation itself of the probably reason the ghosts come to him in the first place. Even if they’re not appearing to him with any conscious desire, some subconsciousness of their incorporeality compels them.

They need help.

In death, they’re lost, but maybe, as Cole’s still alive, there are loose ends he can tie off that they can’t. Not that he should, or even can–like I’m not sure what good he can do for that deceased housewife who clearly committed suicide to escape her abusive husband–but when he’s visited by the girl who’s mother poisoned her to death in a little fit of Munchausen-By-Proxy Syndrome, and he goes to her wake, finds the tapes that prove her mother’s guilt, gives them to her father, and the father confronts the mother about it, that got me more even than it did when I was younger and still trying to wrap my head around the concept of mothers poisoning their daughters.

That’s when things start to turn around for Cole. It’s still scary, but he takes that leap of faith, if you will, and one of the last times you see him with a dead person he’s conversing with them rather normally. Going over lines with them where he gets to play Arthur in a reenactment of the legend of the sword being pulling from the stone. You don’t even realize they’re another ghost until his teacher asks him who he was talking to and the ghost turns her head and you see the burn on the other side that obviously came from the fire that killed her. There’s just something so pure and honest in that, the idea of not only facing your fears, but doing so for the sake of lost souls who otherwise have no other hope because they’re dead.

After that is the one-two punch feels conclusion.

One being Cole not only confessing to his mother at last that he sees dead people, and her clearly starting to freak out about it, until he tells her that, “Grandma says, ‘hi’.” And communicates to her something that her mother never got to tell her herself. Of course, after thoughts of, “Oh dear lord, my son is insane,”, when the proof that Cole has indeed been talking to her mother’s spirit, that goes out the window in favor of,

“Do I make her proud?”

and she just cries and she and her son hug it out. And again, Toni Collette sells it.

Then you have the revelation of Bruce Willis’s character: he was dead the whole time! His wife wasn’t just distancing herself from him and then maybe cheating on him, he was dead and she was a widow who was simply trying to find love again. A moment of horror, and then tragedy, and then bittersweet letting-go all in the last few frames of the film. There’s the two in the one-two punch.

Not to mention my first experience of a “Shyamalan twist”. One that was set up well. Scenes constructed to lead you into thinking that of course he’s alive, details you glaze over, and then you realize, “Oh sh**.”

Which was probably part of the problem with some of his later works, where the twist became synonymous with his style, so sometimes it felt like they were put in there in future movies of his without any real rhyme or reason other than that the public were expecting them and thus somehow obligatory to the script.

Just as I haven’t seen Unbreakable, or Split, and certainly not Glass, I haven’t seen The Visit, either, though from what I understand, it almost sounds like Shyamalan went back to the same headspace he had here in The Sixth Sense, using the awkwardness that seems to come out in his work to an advantage in the found footage format. And the twist was apparently actually hilarious. Which is nice. Good for him.

Not everything someone makes is going to be a hit, even if they’re getting paid for it. But when things are a hit, sometimes, they hit so well that it can make up for all the misses. Or almost make up for them.

Honestly, Sixth Sense is, ultimately, the only Shyamalan film I’ve seen in full. But I enjoyed it no less this time, in fact, enjoyed it more now that I have a better understanding of death and grief and loss.

Guess that’s kind of a weird thing to say, but it’s that same kind of “enjoy” that comes from feeling like someone understands something about something you understand, and maybe even feel a little bit less alone for it. Not only did I experience a lot of grief as a preteen, but before that, I was the weird one that most everyone else at school generally avoided if not viciously teased, with the exception of a few fair-weather friends. All these elements and story beats used to creepy effect in Sixth Sense, along with that sense that some horror doesn’t so much horrify me as actually make my own life seem brighter rather than darker, made for a viewing experience that I place value in as I write this. (Especially given right now we are all apparently living a Stephen King novel right now.)

  So even if I still can’t handle body horror to the degree of stuff like Alien or Aliens, or David Cronenberg’s The Fly (much as I would love to see Jeff Goldblum in all his 80s hair awkward nerd glory as he romances Geena Davis), there is some horror I can handle. And figuring out why is yet one more thing that I place value in.

Keeping this link up to their donation page!

Sixth Sense Post I'm not a fan of horror. I've acquired a taste for things that contain horror elements…

[kreeborn]

                               MCU DISCORD RP SERVER

PLOT:

Endgame. Avengers versing Thanos. The final battle between good and bad, for the sake of the universe, but one mistake was enough for the Avengers to lose. The mistake was simple in itself - Stephen Strange told Tony what had to be done for the battle to be won. Proxima, being the closest in the madness on the battlefield, overheard them both. Once Tony had the Stones in his possession, it was easy for the trained warrior of the Black Order to cut off his arm with one swift motion and give the stones to Thanos. 

 With Thanos once more in the possession of the Infinity Stones, another Snap was inevitable. This time, however, there was no going back. There were no second chances, no battles anymore to be won and as if the acceptance of loss wasn’t enough, Thanos presented the Avengers with an ultimatum. In three days, he would destroy Earth completely, as a punishment for thinking they could stop him in his quest of bringing the universe to a balance. In Thanos’ eyes, however, that was also an act of mercy, as he didn’t kill any of them that weren’t dusted away once more, an act of mercy that contained them witnessing the aftermath of the Snap once more and live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

During the battle against the Avengers, the Kree were among those who fought for Thanos’ side, thanks to the alliance forged between the now dead Ronan the Accuser and the mad titan. The Kree had hoped for protection against everything from Thanos yet suffered the same fate – half of the population was gone. Realizing they have done wrong in siding with the wrong person, the Kree government and Emperor decided to take in as many of the Terrans as they could, as a way of redeeming themselves in causing wrong in the final battle. 

With that offer on the table, which was taken by the Avengers after discussing their options, the Avengers were the first ones to step foot on Hala, the home capital planet of the Kree, followed by as many Terrans (and other intergalactic species living there) as they could save before Thanos destroyed Terra for good.  

Now in their new home, it’s up to the Avengers and Terrans to try and make a new living on their new home planet, with or without the help of the Kree.

HOW TO APPLY:

Send a message to either @mvspelheim, @ironxhero (who also made the amazing banner!) or me with the following:

Nickname: Age: Character you’re applying for: Short bio that fits the timeline of the plot:

RULES AND TAKEN CHARACTERS ARE UNDER THE CUT! Come and join us!

RULES:

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TAKEN CHARACTERS

Tony Stark Michelle ‘MJ’ Jones Valeera Surtursdottir (OC) Morgan Stark Wanda Maximoff Daisy Johnson Yon-Rogg Peter Parker Carol Danvers Eddie Brock/Venom Pash-Kel (OC) Pepper Potts Karter Kane (OC) Andrea Stark (OC)

[hakka84]

I read one, ONE, issue of (as-of-now-aged) Captain America with Falcon on the field for crossovers reasons and they manage to make him kickass by just having him make good use of his flight added with fighting training!

I know little to nothing about Falcon, so I’m judging just what I’m seeing in this specific issue and its specific fight: he does nothing that Warren couldn’t. No special fighting jujitsu, no super strength (as far as I know), no healing, no ability to sustain damage different than an athletic physically fit man who fights for a living. Just literally a trained man who happens to have a tech means to fly. And he fucking kicks asses.

Then I turn my head to the X-Titles and see how no writer manages to make the same with Warren Worthington/Angel (the only ones who managed had to do with Archangel sharp-razor wings ONLY when equipped with his murderous instinct/persona).

And I go, why oh why? Because I'm pretty much tired of reading people calling Angel lame when he could kick ass, if only handled by a writer who cared or if thrown in a more balanced team that isn't made only of powerhouses and features even "skilled humans".

Falcon in this issue even goes and flies up and out of the atmosphere to diffuse a bomb. Literally what Warren does as Avenging Angel right before joining the X-Men, for fucking sake!!!

Not reading any Avenger-related title, I don’t know how Falcon handles himself against heavy super-powered villains (I still wonder how Steve does, and in this very issue he - old granpa and such, managed to stop an intruder that has defeated easily Thor, Iron Man and Hulk, which got a WTF moment), I don’t know how he’d fare against powered-up people that could be a challenge to the resident Asgardian God, but it seems that - as Avenger and “human” superhero - he’s allowed to face more “power-less” enemies, villains that use their genius or other skills to fight (and not superpowers per se). The X-Men don’t have this luxury like never, that may be the reason why Angel is almost out of place in the X-Titles even when he’s the powered-up Archangel.

Just move the damn guy to a team more Avenger-like, and let him shine. Because, seriously, PRETTY. FUCKING. TIRED.

He was created when flight wasn’t a common power, when you could still count the supers who could fly on their own power (mechanical or not). At the time Magneto floated, Jean Grey didn’t know she could lift herself with tk, and fliers like Human Torch and Iron Man were put to a shame by Angel’s flight skills. Now flight is just pretty much standard, of course he’s become “useless”. Warren is just misplaced in the X-Teams, as of now.

I do have to suffer through “Angel’s lame”s because X-Men fights are so powered up Dragon Ball’s style that anyone who isn’t an Omega Mutant or a fan favorite (or Wolverine) gets defeated in the lamest way in the first panel of the battle. Beast (not the one below) has “only” agility (his brain might help in a fight, but it cannot save you from an Omega Mutant set on killing you, thank you) and walks among the Cyclops and Rogues, yet they don’t call him lame!!!!

Warren has “only” flight but if the wing of a goose can break an arm’s man, what damage could do Warren ridiculous-span wings? The very moving of the air caused by his wings could fall people! Flying down at top speed, like a hawk or an owl, could KILL people. But NO FUCKING WRITER GIVES A DAMN!! 

(Besides Claremont in his Excalibur (2005) run. Everyone says that series was bad, but that small story-arch with Warren as supporting character was BRILLIANCE. Yes, and you too, Kurt Busiek. Warren’s guest-starring in Thunderbolts (1999) was top notch).

P.S.: Obligatory disclaimer.

This post is in no way meant to ridicule Falcon’s powers, skills or position in the Avengers universe. I don’t know enough of him to judge the character. For what I’ve seen so far ( Captain America #22-#24 (2015) - the issue that lead into March to AXIS ) he holds himself as best as a fighter who cannot rely on photons, cosmic rays, eye optic blasts, super-force or lightning could. I just want my winged (X)Man to be portrayed the same without the writers relying to his murdering machine persona (especially considered that such a kind of approach is frowned upon between the X-Men ranks themselves, Wolverine notwithstanding).

Falcon isn't considered lame, and I refuse to believe that it's the whole "control birds" that makes a difference. Sam's a soldier, Warren trained since he was 16 (or 15) by a mab who did treat his students like little soldiers, which makes him a (gene-X) soldier.

[myhauntedsalem]

Reflections on Mirrors, Ghosts, and Souls

Ancient Chinese myth features a very specific view of mirrors known as the fauna of mirrors, wherein behind every mirror is an alternate universe full of creatures not of this realm. Mirrors were open portals at one time, allowing beings from both sides to crossover freely, but this ability was halted by a magic spell cast by Yellow Emperor Huangdi. The spell trapped the fauna on Earth and stripped them of their powers.

In other cultures mirrors are thought to have the power to capture and trap souls. In Serbo-Croatian cultures mirrors were often buried with the dead to trap the deceased soul to prevent it from wandering the Earth. Similar customs were also practiced in Bulgaria.

Some cultures reportedly even cover mirrors during sleep or illness to prevent souls from becoming trapped in them if it would leave the body and roam.

Not surprisingly with the mirror’s reputation as being a soul stealer, the soulless vampire is often reported to not have a reflection in one.

When mirrors with trapped souls move to new homes, they are often blamed as the origin of hauntings.

It is also impossible to write a story about ghosts and mirrors without bringing up Bloody Mary, so consider this sentence to be the obligatory mention. Now, moving on…

Among the frequent ghostly mirror encounters are shadow people. Shadow people are those dark masses, often humanoid shaped, seemingly made up of a dense static material. Unlike traditional ghosts, light doesn’t even pass through their dense makeup. For that reason, some don’t even classify them as true ghosts because of these unique characteristics. Many stories involving shadow people also begin with a sighting in a mirror.

Mirrors are even used in divination. Catoptromancy and enoptromancy are practices in which mirrors are used to capture the reflection of the moon for the purposes of seeing the future. In cataptromancy, writing would appear in blood on the reflection of the moon. Ancient Greek texts even refer to practices similar this, in which a mirror tied to a string would be hung adjacent to a basin of water while the practitioner prayed to a particular god before gazing into the rig for answers.

If nothing else, the long history of mirror stories might account for its continued presence in modern ghost sightings and stories. As long as there have been mirrors, there have been weird tales about them. It makes one wonder if humanity isn’t much better than the cat who sees his reflection in a mirror for the first time and sniffs at it before swatting it with its claws.

When we look into a mirror we see a reflection of something we don’t normally see. We see our hands, feet, belly, and other parts all the time, but the only time we really get to see our own faces, the part of us most often stared at by everyone else, is in the mirror.

[morika]

X & V Class Popularity Vote

Provided a really rough translation of the latest article regarding the ranked popularity of Etrian Odyssey’s classes from EO1-5 that will be featured within the X & V art book. Not to be confused with the popularity rankings for Nexus’s featured classes. These classes in the article were voted upon appearance and skill flexibility.

These were the comments and specifics regarding the top ten popular classes. Please note that the commentary does have mild spoilers for EO1-5.

Popular Class Placements:

Zodiac (10th Place) Hexer (9th Place) Harbinger (8th Place) Medic (7th Place) Protector (6th Place) Ronin (5th Place) Sovereign (4th Place) Landsknecht (3rd Place) Imperial (2nd Place) Nightseeker (1st Place)

ZODIAC (10th place | 50 votes)

The magic-based class featured in EO3. From here on out, there will be spoilers regarding characters so watch out! But this class was at the top for being the best elemental class.

Commentary: "Really loved the cool motif of astrology and having to manipulate the stars. The use of magic being incorporated into the design, the flexibility, and overall appearance of the Zodiac made them really likable!" - AkiUsagi

"Casting meteor shower during the half-way point through the game was so much fun!" - Nue

"The satisfaction of hitting enemy weaknesses with their elemental skills is the best feeling! Also if there was a remake of the game, it would be nice to have that girl [Hypatia] be added as an ally." - JukaiNoYoubun

Misc: - Meteor and the extra Search skills used out of battle were voted as the best skills by many players and thus boosted the class's popularity.

HEXER (9th place | 52 votes)

The ailment and binding class featured in EO1. This class and Zodiac were very close in their vote placements by just two votes! Just what do people think of the dark-themed Hexers who give off an antagonistic impression towards RPG fans?

Commentary: "It always makes me excited to know that their skills of spreading status ailments hit well. These Hexers sure have a shady role (in battle)." - Rororock

"I don't see how people can't use them because they have such good skill names, good team flexibility, and a good design! (And with lines like "Be in fear, for we...", oh but that's sort of like spoilers [Tlachtga]) . There should be no reason to leave them out of anything." - Ruki

"Though they were difficult to work with as a party member, their skill Life Trade really made them one of my favorite classes." - Leaf

Misc: - Life Trade was mentioned by many fans as being their favorite skill. Seems as though this class has been a central favorite of long-time fans of the series!

HARBINGER (8th place | 54 votes)

The scythe-wielding class of EOV makes it up the ranks! Their appearance seems to be praised due to the series' shift in art style and focus. They have placed as 8th in this popularity vote!

Commentary: "With the gothic punk and Grim Reaper motifs, I really think the design for all the portraits give off a good Chuunibyou vibe!" - Suiyo

"I really enjoyed the design of the goth girls especially the twin-tailed girl (lol). I ended up giving them Name Titles with lots of drama like "Icy Ash Scythe Firepower". I won't ever forget that moment during my play through.." - MacaronTower

“The scythe and Grim Reaper motifs had made me excited because I also thought about them [Harbinger portraits] acting like Chuunibyous. I think out of all the EOV classes, they strike as the solid example of what a Chuuni looks like and it’s the best LOL. The Harbinger mascot featured in the promotional art works is my favorite!” - Remori

Misc: - The striking appearance of the class and the flashy weaponry made this class very popular among the fans. Many players seem to have concluded that the class’s impression of being very Chuunibyou-like is also what made it extremely popular. Another factor that made them even more popular is that in Nexus, their skill and flexibility have been written entirely different than from EO5, making them more reliable as back-lined party members who can recover easily in battle.

MEDIC (7th place | 59 votes)

The obligatory healing class from the series! We have put in the total votes of EO1, EO2, and EO4 to make this voting more simple due to the similarities of them all in their respective games. Many find it hard to remove them from their party because of their healing skills and aid with recovery!

Commentary: “I fell in love with the good damage outputs when using skills like Heavy Strike on an enemy. The idea of having a medicinal worker use brute force in battle is really rare in other games so it’s interesting to have that option of an offensive healer who doesn’t prioritize just healing skills.” - Nerujera

“I really liked the pose of the female portraits! I feel like just having them be in the series brings a good balance.” - TamagoKayu

“They’re all just really cute and I felt like seeing them was a good opportunity to get into the series.” - Nanakamado

Misc: - Many players were in awe that the class’s design with a traditional lab coat and sneakers was put in a fantasy game. Though with skills like “Heavy Strike”, it broke the stereotypical healing role of the class to which many fans enjoy as there is more to a healer than just recovery skills.

PROTECTOR (6th place | 60 votes)

The strong-footed tanks of the series. Among early fans of the series, many have taken a liking to the strong impression the mascot “Teach” gives off. She has been a strong favorite since her extra content had been introduced in series’ character designer, Yuji Himukai’s promotional works for the series.

Commentary: “I was enamored with Teach’s design. Eventually, I ended up picking up the rest of the series as well..” - Kitomiya Ryu

“I won’t ever forget the fearless Protector who fought as my party’s shield until the very end!! Especially during the 3 Elemental Dragon fights!” - Awara

“I know that the Protector is usually the one who has to defend everyone but I was surprised to find out that they can do tons of damage--even more than my other party members!” - Raidenjuu

Misc: - Fans have concluded that having a Protector during the Elemental Dragon fights made them extremely reliable. Also with the popularity of just the blonde mascot, many found themselves leaving her name as “Teach” in their games to commemorate the official side-content where she is referred as such.

RONIN (5th place | 65 votes)

The high and mighty offensive class from EO1-2. This class was the first eastern representation for the series as they study the Bushido arts and attack using katanas. This has lead them to become very popular among players!

Commentary: “I loved using a Ronin to fight in the first game so when I found out they were featured in Nexus, I thought ‘Wow, they’re even more easier to use’!” - Sink

“They’re pretty reliable as they’re a sturdy offensive unit. Having a good attack is key to having a good defense for your team.” - Echika

“You would think they could be labelled as the Samurai class but somehow the name Ronin fits best for the series...” - Furunosuke

Misc: The high performance that urges many to want to be experimental with this class was brought on as a popular point among players. Also, those who were great fans of the first game have concluded that they think very fondly of the interactions with the ronin, Ren, with this class.

SOVEREIGN (4th place | 72 votes)

The royal class made it in at 4th place for being the best support class. They are a primary support unit for Nexus with tons of powerful ally-buffing skills!

Commentary: “I subclassed my Princess as a Shogun so I just went all out with using as much HP and TP skills to do tons of status ailment damage.” - Bosodo

“They’re a balanced class with a lot of flexibility and the idea of a royal exploring is pretty intense. I actually started to come up with backstories for my party members when I subclassed them as Sovereigns and wrote that they had been royalty all along...” -Honey Oolong

“Princess Arianna (EO2U) is just really cute!!” - Meshitero

Misc: - Lots of players found them to be quite charming due to the idea of having someone of a royal status be exploring the labyrinth. The popularity for this class also spiked due to the fact that Princess Arianna Caledonia from EO2U, was featured as the main heroine of the game. Now onto the top three placements...

Landsknecht (3rd place | 94 votes) 

The masterful class that uses links as their strength in battle. They have the most flexibility and are usually quick on their feet to strike with tons of strength against enemies. Much like the Medic class, we accumulated the votes from EO1, EO2, and EO4 for their placement.

Commentary: “When I first picked them, I was really nervous because they seemed like they couldn’t be a reliable offensive unit. Though their TP expenses were really little for doing so much damage! I also thought that the models for the Mystery Dungeon crossover game were very cute for this class..” - Tokoha

“Even though they’re just a Landy, it was real interesting to have even an enemy [Logre] have these skills. But, their skills really are powerful!” - Coffee

“The raw damage they do is insane!” - R-chan

“No matter how I look at it, the best design is the blonde girl with the hood! I also think that the link skills and the skill Sword Tempest are real easy to use.” - SakuraAme

“Because of the nature of their link skills, I love fighting with a full party!” - A.A.

Misc: - Many players thought that the Landsknechts in the first two entries gave off a decent impression but as they returned for the fourth entry, lots of people picked them for their spotlight on the game’s cover!

IMPERIAL (2nd place | 110 votes)

Right behind first place is the powerful Imperial class! Their drive skills can take out tons of difficult enemies with just a few slashes at the cost of having great strains onto the blade.

Commentary: “Something about the design of a gun-blade is real simple and real cool. Also Logre is really handsome...” - Baado

“They have a pretty rustic design with all that armor but their mechanical swords are what made me really interested in them.“ - Akina Yuki

“So flashy! So cool! So beautiful! Epic! Fire power! Heavy armor!!” - Tony Man+

“I love the bespectacled portrait with the cool weapon design~” - Levanthin

“Because I became really indecisive with my party, I figured strong attack skills were the best so I picked them. Also, I found the drive blades to be quite charming!” - Yutaro

Misc: - As mentioned by many above, the concept of the Imperials’ drive blade was a charm point for the class. Also, the primary reason as to why fans chose this class as their favorite was due to the fact that players favored Logre for his role as a boss, ally, and for his sportiness!

NIGHTSEEKER (1st place | 112 votes)

The class that wins first place is the famous Nightseeker class from EO4! They have overwhelming power and great flexibility with inflicting status ailments on enemies. They had previously won as the best class in the Best Job vote prior to Nexus’s release so they have been crowned the top class twice!

Commentary: “I can’t stop loving the dark visuals of this class! Also, their offensive skills are extremely handy and I loved using them!” - Forest Rat

“When I first bought EO4, I was just really amazed by their skills. Their defense ain’t all that great but their explosive damage outputs is crazy! Though, they also give off a Chuuni-like vibe!“ - EngeiNobyou

“First off, they’re really cute and super cool!! The sort of give off this dark aura but they’re still pretty strong! Their damage towards the end-game boss is something else with all that damage output..” - Berukanto

“The damage output if you subclass the Nightseekers as Imperials blew me away..” - Miitatsu

“It’s such a unique class when compared to other RPGs. It really stands out as being a strong offensive class for a series like EO.” - Beibeikani

Misc: - Seems as though Nightseeker is very popular for its high damage outputs as well as cool, dark appearance much like the Hexer and Harbinger classes. Who is to say that with the power of the player’s imagination, they may also be Chuunibyous with how their designs are?

Special Shout-Out Placements for those who didn’t make the top ten are:

11. Fencer 12. Gunner 13. Dragoon 14. Masurao 15. Survivalist 16. Dark Hunter 17. Dancer 18. Shogun 19. Arcanist 20. Ninja 21. Highlander 22. Rover 23. Alchemist 24. Fortress 25. Rune Master 26. War Magus 27. Hero 28. Warlock 29. Necromancer 30. Troubadour 31. Bushi 32. Farmer 33. Hoplite 34. Buccaneer 35. Sniper 36. Monk 37. Wildling 38. Arbalist 39. Shaman 40. Pugilist 41. Botanist 42. Beast 43. Yggdroid 44. Gladiator

[musicallisto]

† The White Dove II (Gale Hawthorne x Reader)

Hi guys! Here's my first Hunger Games imagine. It was actually the first chapter of a fanfiction I wrote a long time ago, in French, a crossover between My Candy Love and Hunger Games (yeah I swear that happened, it explains the title that basically has nothing to do with the story itself). since it's mine, I guess I can translate it and change all the OC mentions so that you can read it aye. this will be in two parts!

word count: 2500+ words

summary: In which Y/N is only sixteen, but very unlucky, and her best friend Gale is here to save the day - or crush it.

warnings: Female reader, needles, blood, mentions of death, swearing

Asleep like a log, Y/N didn’t even hear the painful sound of her clock, which more resembled the shrieking of an excruciating, wounded beast than an actual sound made of the human ear to wake up to. By dint of leaving in poverty and dirt, unlike District One who practically poured its money down the drain, she was used to living a little more rudely than most of the girls her age.

When the music stopped, Y/N was still snoring like a trooper. She was only ripped apart from the arms of Morpheus when her little brother, Noe, a clever boy of only eleven, went to hit her in the face with his pillow. She should have been up for more than half an hour and yet she was still drooling on her quilt.

Noe took perverse pleasure in besieging his big sister from all sides until she opened a sleepy head and mumbled a faint “What?”

He took an even greater perverse pleasure in slowly explaining as if she had been completely stupid that she was very late for the Reaping. Those words threw Y/N into a sudden and violent panic. How long had she slept in? With a vivacious gesture, she jumped from the bed and rushed to her closet.

Most of her times were stained with lawn and dirt because of her escapades on the hill, or else too small for her to fit in. Even so, she managed to find a little brown dress that smelled musty and she hadn’t worn in months; she didn’t have the time to wash it, even just humidify it a little - moreover, water had to be reserved for important tasks, and she was pretty sure washing an old-time bister dress was not one of them, and it was the only piece of clothing she could fit in and that was somewhat elegant, so she hurriedly grabbed it; but in her haste, and without paying attention, she stuck the bottom of the dress in the handle of the closet. She drew the fabric towards you with a sharp movement, but it didn’t budge and a loud “crack” could be heard. Y/N grew pale, noticing that all the lower part of the dress had been ripped. Desperate, she even considered going to the Reaping in her pajamas, before remembering that if she was chosen, she would appear on the Capitol’s channel and that perhaps it wouldn’t be the best idea to display a candy-pink bathrobe on national television. Therefore she unenthusiastically took the brown dress and donned it. Once dressed, Y/N rushed to the bathroom and quickly proceeded to brush her rebel hair and tie it back so that it wouldn’t bother her during the important ceremony. Only by thinking about it, she could feel herself growing nauseous.

“You look... splendid,” Gale mocked his Y/H/C-haired friend.

“Oh shut up, you! I swear that coming here was already harder than the Games themselves!” Y/N stormed while racing towards the group of girls from fifteen to eighteen years old.

As she was walking away, Gale suppressed a laugh, observing her old, torn robe, her tired eyes, her disheveled, pale face and her tousled hair; she looked like she had just run a marathon. Y/N didn’t really care about her appearance anyway, whether it was a hunt in the woods or a formal, national event that would define the rest of her teenage years. But she really was risible in that ruffled outfit. Gale hoped that she wouldn’t be chosen, first of all, because he would have rather died than watch her become a murdered or a murderer; and also because she would never have gained any fans if she got onstage with that Sunday best.

Y/N grimaced when she felt the slight injection at the tip of her finger. A little blood drop dripped from her bruised finger. She was violently pushed on the side. Her breath taken away, Y/N looked at where she was standing and understood she had been moved aside just like the others because her turn was over. The Capitol was even gruffer than usual.

Other girls that were around her age were standing in front of the stage where the Capitol representant would be arriving shortly to announce the names of the Tributes of District Twelve. She identified her mother among the curious yet terrified heads and took her place on her left. The latter did not lecture her daughter on her lateness since it was prohibited to talk during the commemoration.

She longly stared at the stage, blinking excessively little. It should have been ten in the morning judging by the position of the Sun, but it was already blazing hot. Eventually, when all the youngsters from twelve to eighteen years old had affixed a drop of their blood on the paper and had regained the seats they were given, a woman with a more than excentric style appeared. Her face was painted with a bright white Y/N found absolutely repulsive. Her hair was raised on her head in fuschia pink curls, and her lips painted with a coral-like color that echoed with the shade of her mane. Her dress was the exact same pigment as her hair and lipstick and barely reached her knees. The straps were made of gigantic, purple flowers in the most precious fabric; it was no secret that the eyeshadow she had used alone was a year’s worth of work for any of the inhabitants of the last District. Y/N stared at her without batting an eye. She had already seen that woman and knew idiosyncrasy was one of the most important characteristics of the Capitol.

The clown-looking woman went up onstage, struggling a little to walk in a straight line with her luxuriant, red high heels that a member of District Twelve could not have afforded even if he had worked for four years straight. She finally approached the microphone, patted it carefully to check if she had everyone’s attention, cleared her throat then began her traditional speech.

“Good morning everyone,” she started with a faux smile, almost angelic. “To those who don’t know me, my name is Effie. I am from the Capitol, and I am in charge of you, dear District Twelve. I’m sort of... your mother, and you are my children. My very numerous children!”

Apparently very appreciative of her joke, Effie chuckled lightly, but seeing that no one reacted - firstly because it was not funny and secondly because it was forbidden to talk, she recovered her straight face and positioned herself in front of the microphone once again.

“Hem! We shall shortly be proceeding to the draw of the male and female Tributes, but before that, let me explain why we organize those games annually.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. She knew it was obligatory for the children or twelve-year-olds who didn’t know the full story and its details, but she, on the other hand, knew the legend from A to Z and was tired of hearing it every year. She listened anyway, trying to figure out what exaggeration Effie would be adding to the original tale.

“Seventy-four years ago,” the woman commented, “the thirteen Districts rose up against the Capitol. The District Thirteen was behind the rebellion, and, since evil must be punished, we were sadly compelled to eradicate Thirteen.”

Y/N saw kids shivering out of the corner of her eye.

“However, in spite of all the efforts made by the rebels, the Capitol crushed the riot. The period that followed the Capitol’s victory was called the Dark Days. The retribution was terrible but the revolutionists had to understand, whatever the price, that what they had done was terribly wrong. Since the Dark Days, a boy and a girl from twelve to eighteen are sent by each District to an arena to kill one another. The winner is covered in wealth and food for the rest of their life. That fight to the death, the Hunger Games, is broadcast everywhere in Panem.”

When Effie stopped talking, a cumbersome silence reigned on the crowd. Even the Capitol soldiers had kept quiet, and only the coquettish singing of the dove in the woods or the cries of the seagulls from the ocean could be heard, just like everything had suddenly died or withdrawn in respect.

Effie noticed the lack of enthusiasm, and immediately continued.

“Well! Upon these words, we are immediately going to carry out with the selection of the Tributes. As usual...”

Effie moved away from the microphone for a few seconds and took a few steps towards her right. On a small table was disposed a transparent ball that contained an enormous amount of little, white papers. Y/N was well aware of what they bore: the names of each teenager in District Twelve, including hers. She also knew the older she got, the more papers with her name would be carelessly thrown into the glass candy box, meaning the older she got, the more chances she had to be selected.

Effie made a ridiculous wrist move just above the glass ball, probably trying to add more drama to the instant. Her hand dove into the sea of notes and ambulated there for a few seconds, mixing all the papers. Eventually, she firmly grabbed one and came back in front of the microphone.

“Ladies first.”

Y/N was breathless. If Effie pronounced any other name, whichever, she would be out of trouble for another year. She would just have to hold on for two years, two years before being able to flee to Europe, with Gale, her parents, Noe. She was certain life was much easier in Europe than in Panem. She had read that many years before, her home region was much wider and its name was the United States of America. Twelve was located on the ruins of what used to be the city of New York. What a peaceful life she would have lived if she had been born in New York City! No Hunger Games, no deaths, no blood, no fea-

“Y/N Y/L/N”, Effie announced in an upbeat manner.

Y/N’s expression blackened in a second. Her blood froze in her veins. She tried to yell “No, no, no!”, to beg the sky to provoke some kind of error, to make Effie realize she had misread the handwriting, no, no, it was impossible...

One of her first reflexes was to babble a few unintelligible and almost inaudible words, then touching her cheek, and she noticed it was ice-cold.

But why her?! There were tons and tons of girls who could have been chosen instead of her, and it somehow happened to her! How were lucky people never tabbed for the Hunger Games? Did they bribe the Capitol? Or did life prefer them over her, Y/N Y/L/N?

“Come on over, Y/N, we don’t bite!” Effie exclaimed.

Y/N comprehended she was playing hard to get and sketched the beginning of a few movements, but she was still trembling too much due to the horror of the last minute. She, however, managed to reach the stage without tripping over her own feet. She knew she was in a deplorable state, but she couldn’t care less. She couldn’t bring herself to look at anyone. Not even her parents, not even her brother. Not even Gale.

She finally climbed the stairs at an unsure pace and was welcomed by Effie’s make-believe smile. She placed her right before her and announced with a clear voice to the crowd:

“Here is our female Tribute: Y/N Y/L/N!”

Y/N closed her eyes. She didn’t want to face anyone’s inquisitive gaze. She seemed to hear what sounded like a lukewarm applause - but who could really be cheerful when a sixteen-year-old girl was about to be brutally murdered right before their eyes?

Y/N sensed something moving on her left and reopened her eyes. Effie was now placed in front of the ball that contained the boys’ names. Y/N felt her throat compressing at the thought of her future “comrade”, that she would have to kill coldly.

Effie picked up another paper and slowly opened it; after what felt like hours to Y/N, she declared:

“Peeta Mellark.”

Y/N thanked the gods for sparing Gale. She longly stared at the immobile crowd until she noted a blond-haired boy, maybe around her age, was being pushed by his neighbors, apparently paralyzed. Y/N didn’t know him personally, although she had sometimes crossed his path and knew he was the bakers’ son, a good guy overall from what she had seen; it grandly pained her to be forced to assassinate him.

Until an exclamation made the tables completely turn.

“Wait!” a voice cried from the multitude of boys.

Everyone turned to find out who had just screamed. Y/N did the same. She recognized with pure horror a familiar strand of brown hair.

“Oh... no,” she mentally pleaded.

Y/N held her breath, benumbed by the sudden events, apprehending the next seconds.

“I volunteer as Tribute,” Gale stated loudly.

His voice didn’t show any emotion. Y/N was unable to tell if he was enraged, heartbroken, if he really wanted to volunteer or if he was just offering her his pity. Pity? Gale? No. It couldn’t be. Surprised whispers rose from the crowd. Effie regained the place she had been attributed and tapped on the microphone just like when she had arrived; all susurrations ended immediately.

“Well, well, if you are so sure of yourself, we can’t make you change your mind. Are you sure this is what you want, my boy?”

“Yes.”

He had already climbed onstage when Y/N looked at him, still petrified.

“Why'd you do that, you dickhead?!” she whisper-shouted furiously to her best friend.

“To save your life, Captain, and to destroy the Capitol from the inside,” he simply whispered back as if it were the most uncomplicated thing in the world, as if they weren’t destined to a cruel death.

Hearing Gale’s “Captain”, the nickname he always used ironically, Y/N felt a sudden wave of tears grip her throat. She wanted to go back in time, to come back to her routine life. When Gale always replicated back with some well-thought, bitter argument when she ever thought about defending the Capitol, when they snuck out at the unholy hours of the night to explore the woods... there was no way back. She was about to become either a murderer, or either a victim.

“Let me present you our two Tributes from District Twelve: Y/N Y/L/N and Gale Hawthorne,” Effie’s voice resounded behind them.

Y/N should have smiled, but she remained reclusive, withdrawn. She didn’t even have the courage to cross her parents’ grieving eyes.

There was no acclamation.

They all knew it was the last time they saw the two best friends alive.

[beastoftheblackhole]

got tagged by @d--t​ to do this, so here i go :>

things i read in 2020

i’m just gonna list the stuff i actually finished, bc i’m a great one for starting a book but never finishing it ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ this list would be twice as long if i included stuff i started and abandoned. stars next to rereads, stuff i liked/recommend in italics. i read more than i thought i did, dang.

harrow the ninth

monsters among us

haunted files from the edge

the hunt for the skinwalker*

snow crash*

the interdimensional universe

monsters of the sea

helter skelter

mirrorshades

a cruel wind: pandemic flu in america, 1918-1920

the indifferent stars above

the druidry handbook

backwoods witchcraft

queering the tarot

witchcraft and the gay counterculture

‘salem’s lot*

sesqua valley and other haunts*

the strange dark one*

sabriel*

lirael*

neuromancer*

wyrm (ugh)

end of october (ugh)

this republic of suffering: death and the american civil war

books of blood

burning chrome

appaloosa

resolution

brimstone

does the coffee table tom of finland book from taschen count? it’s mostly pics (natch) but there’s actual like. words in it, essays on his work from fans and some biographical stuff

i wasn’t gonna list fanfics bc wow that’d make this list too fuckin long but reach out and touch faith gets a special shout-out bc a) @d--t wrote it and b) its rly fuckin good

poss other books, but icr them. also countless fanfics, mostly for ravenous, star wars, and star trek tng. also the obligatory articles abt spanish flu, the biology o covid, an article or two abt film photography, etc. u know, special interest stuff and story research.

things i wrote in 2020

i don’t think i finished anything? i finished my blood drive/ravenous crossover, but i did that like. friday? saturday? so in 2021. fucker clocked in at 106-107 pages so far, depending on what happens when i’m done editing. it’ll start going up in a couple weeks, prob. but i did work on it in 2020, so i guess that counts. i also worked on all three o my novel projects, tho i decided to shelve the pandemic novel until covid’s over. it’s hard to write abt a pandemic while ur living in one, or at least i found it so. so: 

a fantasy pandemic novel feat. politics, crisis response, and more queers than u can shake a stick at, basically camus’ ‘the plague’ or soderbergh’s ‘contagion’ in a fantasy setting, which i’ve been working on since. 2018?? 2019??

an epic fantasy western abt Big Nature, cosmic horror, and magic-as-radiation inspired by ansel adams, the donner party, high strangeness, and nuclear disasters

a very absurd crossover that’s basically cannibal murder husbands vs murder husbands in cars that run on blood, feat. a cameo from mad science and musings on the nature o immortal relationships

cyberpunk retail trauma with necromancy and designer pathogens and more mad science and queers. so like. futuristic arcane-/bio-/cyberpunk i guess.

i also poked a few odds and ends among my wips, tried and failed to write a smutty side story abt the two leads from the fantasy western, but nothing to shout from the mountaintops abt.

things i’m gonna read in 2021

bruh idk i can’t predict what’s gonna catch my eye and be my next book. i started rereading ‘american gods’ a couple days ago and ‘the andromeda strain’ yesterday, so prob gonna finish those. i do know i’m gonna at least try to read:

tarot for writers

the spectral arctic: a history of ghosts and dreams in polar exploration

the ghosts of cape sabine: the harrowing true story of the greeley expedition

full body problem: growing up in the nuclear shadow of rocky flats

exploring the northern tradition

norse mythology (the guerber one)

history of the donner party: a tragedy of the sierras (maybe)

we’ll see how many o those i actually get thru lmao. i’m in the process o reading the norse mythology book at least, so that stands a good chance. 

anyway, i tag u, gentle reader.

[localocksmithnearme]

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[sheilacwall]

L-FRESH the LION, Tones and I, Tkay Maidza: the best Australian music for September | Music

L-FRESH the LION – Born to Stand Out

For fans of: the Neptunes, Childish Gambino, Missy Elliott

“I’ve never been one to just integrate,” spits L-Fresh the Lion as he kicks off this celebration of individuality. Over a Neptunes-style slinky beat, L-Fresh asks: “Why blend in when you’re born to stand out?”–  a slogan lifted from a hoodie the rapper says he bought five years ago and wore to the point of disintegration. A trippy vaporwave bridge slams this inspiration song to a halt mid-track for a comedic conversation about a Sony Discman. It rings a little like one of those obligatory skits on early hip-hop albums – an odd touch, but perfectly in line with the theme of the song. A solid contender to make the crossover to commercial radio – it would certainly be a welcome addition.

For more: L-FRESH the LION tours the east coast of Australia next month

Even – Mark the Days

For fans of: Ice Cream Hands, Bob Mould, Redd Kross

One of Australian music’s finest and most under-appreciated rock bands are touring this month to celebrate 25 years since they formed. To mark the occasion they have casually pumped out a new single that easily sits among their very best work. Mark the Days sounds as though it was spawned in Minnesota in the 80s and dragged through the Melbourne suburbs throughout the 90s, with plenty of time spent in pubs hammering together the riffs and sanding down the rough edges. The production is warm and rounded, sonically landing somewhere between Big Star and Teenage Fanclub, while the song swings confidently from hook to hook, suggesting that Even have some of their finest work still ahead of them.

For more: Listen to any of their seven albums, or catch their 25-year anniversary tour, which starts in late September and carries through until November

Tones and I – Never Seen the Rain

For fans of: the Jackson 5, Hanson, Macy Gray

Last month Tones and I became the first Australian artist to top the singles chart for more than a year, with the infectious Dance Monkey. The song hit the top spot a few weeks after Toni Watson’s festival-stealing performance at Splendour in the Grass, where a crowd of 20,000 gathered at noon to watch her play the opening slot. Dance Monkey is still sitting at No 1, where it has been for five weeks now. Never Seen the Rain is an even better tune. And, while this is going to sound like a back-handed compliment but it is meant with the utmost respect: this song sounds a hell of a lot like Hanson. Watson’s voice is a dead-ringer for a 15-year-old Taylor, and skips deftly across a sprinkling piano and drum-machine claps like the Motown singers of old. It’s breezy and economically produced, the chorus sounds like a gospel rave-up, and it’s one of the most interesting and infectious songs I’ve heard this year.

For more: Tones and I tours the country in September and October

Tasmanian band Luca Brasi. Photograph: Ian Laidlaw

Luca Brasi – Tangled; Content

For fans of: Jimmy Eat World, the Starting Line, Yellowcard

Tasmania’s finest are back with a slice of mid-tempo emo that sounds as though it belongs on the mix CD in Seth Cohen’s starter pack. Open-hearted punk rock is hard to master without sounding adolescent or cloying, especially after four albums, but Luca Brasi have honed their songwriting to a point where they can channel and command nostalgia without wallowing in it. “It’s not the length of the years / It’s the length of the days,” Tyler Richardson sings, echoing the US author Gretchen Rubin’s self-help edict. It’s a story of living for the moment, if only in order to later pore over every detail. This song is so well-crafted, it asks the question: can Luca Brasi’s forthcoming fifth album be their best yet?

For more: Luca Brasi headlines the Til the Wheels Fall Off festival in Launceston, November 1-3.

Tkay Maidza – Awake

For fans of: Nicki Minaj, Santigold, MIA

Musicians are prone to insomnia. The combination of travel, blurred timezones, hotel pillows and periods of intense boredom, interspersed with rocketing adrenaline and varying states of sobriety lead to less-than-ideal sleeping patterns. “I don’t even know how to be tired,” Maidza claims in Awake, returning for the first time this year with a huge, hypnotic home run. Technology looms large in lethargic lyrics, with a woozy and warped trap beat adding a dystopian drone to the insomnia-riddled lyrics – the aural equivalent of a screen-induced headache. A minute-long barrage from the Baltimore rapper Jpegmafia peppers the listener with violent imagery quite removed from the song’s theme but it still works a treat. A beautiful bridge floats in and threatens slumber at one point, but the dream is stillborn.

For more: Listen to Maidza’s singles Flexin’ and Ghost, and catch Jpegmafia at the Listen Out festival in late September and early October

Alex the Astronaut – I Like to Dance

For fans of: Josh Pyke, Kasey Chambers, Dolly Parton

I Like to Dance will make you sigh, make you angry, make you cry. One of the most heartbreaking and visceral songs released in years, this tale of puppy love slowly soured by violence is told bluntly and steadily, never couched in easy metaphor or reliant upon clever wordplay. The escalation of events is sickening and rings all too true, iwth details unspooling and being related in a casually muted way. “I’m mostly like everyone else,” the protagonist quivers nervously, the use of the qualifier being perhaps the most striking moment of a breathtaking song. Towards the end, she lists reasons not to leave – financial, parental, fear-based – but also allows herself to imagine a life free of domestic abuse, where she could be a doctor, an artist, anything she desires. Tragically, it sounds a lot like like wishful thinking.

For more: Alex the Astronaut is touring nationally from September

Kate Ceberano, Steve Kilbey and Sean Sennett – Monument City Lights, 1973

For fans of: the Church, Pretenders, Nancy and Lee.

This is late-night driving music: wind roaring in where the windows should be, green and red lights reflecting in the rain, a lost highway, a Lynchian mood. The Church’s Steve Kilbey and Kate Ceberano didn’t meet during the recording process, instead they transmitted their voices to each other. Both are much richer vocalists now than they were during the 80s, and here they follow in the tradition of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, lazily harmonising then sliding into unison, and delivering rich, cracked and wonderful textures over a chugging rhythm. This recalls the best elements of Australian rock: chiming guitars, thwacking drums and a dark propulsion that threatens to soar over the cliff into the abyss at any given moment. “It’s tight jeans, bad skin and kissing in dark places,” explained Ceberano of the nostalgic air of this track. “An indelible tattoo on the psyche.”

For more: The trio are now recording their debut album. Maybe they will meet in person. Stay tuned

Julia Why?

Julia Why? – Holden On

For fans of: the Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive

Halfway through this MBV-indebted slice of cloud-skipping shoegaze, a surprising one-liner comes out of nowhere and slaps the listener across the face. It’s a relatively depressing scenario delivered in a dreamy deadpan and repeated ad nauseam for the rest of the song, as if to indelibly print the image on to the inside of your eyelids. I won’t spoil the surprise aside from warning you to expect one, but the shock of it somehow lifts this dreamy dirge closer to heaven. Along with this majestic left turn, there is plenty else to love here: luscious layers of Julia Wylie’s vocals, blasts of infinity guitars, earworm melodies, reverb on reverb on reverb.

For more: The second Julia Why? album Hysteria! is out now

Holy Holy – Maybe You Know

For fans of: Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, late-era Death Cab for Cutie

This is perhaps the slowest-burning Holy Holy single to date, which might not bode well for a generation of streamers who demand immediacy, but it will be richly rewarding for those willing to indulge the band with more than a single listen. There is the hypnotic sway of the falsetto vocals, subtle synths and guitars that bleed together into an unholy wave of noise. There are subtle drum pattern shifts that masterfully change the momentum of the song, an urgent vocal crack on the line “and it felt like nothing”, a satisfying sonic build that creeps up like a killer – and the final pull of the rug just as you feel the track is about to engulf you. What a delight.

For more: Holy Holy’s third album My Own Pool of Light is out now; the band tour nationally in September and October

Sui Zhen – Matsudo City Life

For fans of: M83, Spacemen 3, Animal Collective

Matsudo is known as a “bedroom community”, a Japanese city filled with hotels frequented by businessmen who use them only to sleep in between work shifts. It’s a stark and unsettling image: a city of sleep pods. Sui Zhen, who recorded her forthcoming album in one of these Matsudo hotels, manages to perfectly escapulate the ghostly, desolate mood of the city streets while also acknowledging the lonely romance of wandering through an empty metropolis designed for slumber. This song channels and draws together sonic touchstones as diverse as Annie Lennox, Animal Collective and Spacemen 3 to arrive at a glassy, claustrophobic dystopia where men “only come home to dream”.

For more: Sui Zhen’s album Losing, Linda is out on 27 September

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