#the composer(tm) movies

[hughlauriebf]

Whiplash (2013) | Tár (2022)

[unproduciblesmackdown]

obligatorially thinking through [uhh "i don't dance" from hsm2 crossover with summer stock joke] instead i'm posting that umm "like me" from meta dcom musical "teen beach movie" crossover put it in summer stock ('50 movie) where the main problem is jane as mack (green) isn't telling gloria as lela (pink) to be more feminist as much as a dcom character a decade ago could do so (girlboss through personal choices, which eventually (sequel ending) lela does so hard she becomes a god in the teen beach cinematic multiverse which includes the "real world." win) but rather jane is hardworking enough to never Need to be ordered with increasing browbeating into doing things correctly, while gloria is so sillily insistent on thinking of herself as a person, oversensitive as she is, that she ends up with orville who is silly enough to be focused on his fiancee being a person with feelings, instead of romantically bossing her around, and doesn't mind that gloria has Too Much Moxie, while himself interestingly indeed having an arc about behaving more "correctly" that still only hinges on telling the other guy who's being pushy & demanding & mean to back off (his father) (gloria getting to do the same to joe When. while jane is like "oh whew i thought you were going to yell at me. wow i can hardly believe you aren't" to joe while their romantic future is assured to us) like gloria and orville as sympathetic & uncondemned & deserving of a happy ending too but also still like haha smh oh those two. surprise, the [husband ready to declare his demands and his wife who is hopefully so dutiful he doesn't even need to give them] dynamic isn't Timeless somehow. anyways every teen beach movie number rules also. and jordan fisher is there

[delphi-shield]

OLD FOLKS HOME ↪ age gap hcs

the people you love & the shit they do that reminds you of the dreaded Gap (tm). characters included: leon kennedy, chris redfield, jill valentine, claire redfield, rebecca chambers no warnings to speak of. remember kids, if you're gonna date people in their 30s and 40s, you're gonna have different cultural contexts and, most likely, different senses of humor.

Leon is eight levels of irony deep. He started doing Old Guy Shit just to mess with you, and now it's all come full circle. 

It turns out he actually likes watching the weather channel. He’s monitoring storms that are miles and miles away from you, pointing out the feeder bands like it’s some kind of sporting event. 

He's genuinely invested in Ice Road Truckers. He asks you to TiVo it for him when he's gone. You do not have TiVo. In fact, you're pretty sure no one still has TiVo. 

Or you were, until Leon once again committed to the bit and got TiVo.

Really, genuinely annoying about old movies, actors, and directors.

”What do you mean you don’t know who Robert Redford is? The Candidate? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? C’mon. He was even in an episode of The Twilight Zone. You’ll know him when you see him.”

At least you get movie dates out of it.

Movie dates that he will pepper with trivia about the film, by the way. You don't need the commentary track. He is the commentary.

I'm so, so sorry about this. 🤪 is his favorite emoji. I know. I'm sorry.

Chris cannot fucking hear. To be honest, I think most of them have some degree of hearing loss - but Chris in particular seems to have very subjective hearing loss.

Yes, you were just having a full-fledged conversation. No, he didn’t hear you ask him to take out the trash. He didn’t forget, he just didn’t hear you. Sorry, you were standing on his right - come on, you know that’s his bad side.

Explains basic technology to you because he’s not sure if you know what it is. Then, in the same breath, crams in so many military acronyms he may as well be reciting the alphabet. Does not explain the acronyms.

Like, yeah, Chris. I know what a landline is. Dial-up internet, too. Now, what the fuck is an ORE?

Have you ever gotten ‘ok’ in response to a nude? You’re about to. Completely demoralizing, by the way.

He didn't know you wanted him to compose a poem dedicated to your beauty, okay? He tries to get better, but winds up sending shit like 'wow 👍'

Does the dad thing where he insists he's not interested in watching what's on TV and then stands with his hands on his hips in the middle of the living room, enthralled by the show.

Jill does not understand your music. She will not make an attempt to understand your music. If you see her tapping her foot to the beat, no you do not. She is not interested in expanding her musical horizons.

She only bought you tickets to that concert because she knew you would love it. She only went with you because you’re cute when you’re so into this stuff. She only bought that t-shirt because it would be a good souvenir, and eventually, a good grease rag.

Generalized distrust of social media. Do not show her a tiktok. She will ignore the video and lecture you about data safety. Jill, please. Just watch the fucking cat video.

And then she turns around and opts in to literally everything on the McDonald's app.

If there’s a rewards program, she’s in. Already sold. Didn’t even read the fine print. All that shit she was telling you about how you need to be more careful is right out the window for some free fries.

Anything for the thrill of a good deal. If she had more time on her hands, she would be couponing.

Buys in bulk. No, it doesn't matter if the two of you could not physically eat that much rice. It's cheaper to buy it like this. It's fine. It's good for you.

Gotta stock up on non-perishables, too. You gotta be prepared in case something happens. "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

Claire cannot stop shopping from QVC. She's in the kitchen with David. It Takes Two with Mary and Sandra? Wrong. It actually takes three. Mary, Sandra, and Claire.

Infomercials have got her by the throat. You have so many gadgets and gizmos around your home that are just collecting dust.

Gets wine drunk and goes online shopping. Legitimately does not remember what she’s bought.

Absolutely will not let you open the packages. (“Some of this stuff could be for you, you know.” “Claire, last time it was a 10,000 count package of googly eyes.” “And I used all 10,000. You still haven’t found them all.”)

Uses every piece of technology until it’s about to fall apart. Absolutely not interested in having the latest and greatest. She’s one of those people who insists that as long as her phone can make calls and send texts, she doesn’t need a new one.

Speaking of texts. Somehow, she got it into her head that a read receipt is equivalent to a reply. She doesn't get what the problem is. You know she saw your text. Why does she have to reply?

Genuinely doesn't mean anything malicious by it - but also, if you did that to her, you would never hear the end of it.

Rebecca legitimately has facebook humor. They all have some degree of facebook humor, but she's got it the worst. 

Will blow up your notifications tagging you in shit that is just straight up not funny. I’m talking full on tagging you with “😂😂😂”

Unironically sent you a minion meme once.

It's not that she's disconnected. She teaches undergrads. She knows what’s in, even if it’s only from the periphery. It’s just that she doesn’t care. She has no interest in keeping up with trends just for the sake of it. She’s so used to being the youngest person in the room and having to keep up expectations that she just absolutely does not care anymore. She's glad she's not one of the kids anymore.

If it made her laugh it made her laugh, her enjoyment isn’t shackled by feelings of shame!!

If you have a group chat on any platform with your friends please invite her. She's just happy to be included. She'll make a discord if she has to, and she'll brag about it to her students.

Yeah, she says pupper and doggo. She does. Look at her.

[kinopioa]

Sonic OVA thoughts (Part 1)

OVA is generally beloved by the fandom as a cool piece of Sonic media in the mid 90s. What gets me is how different it was compared to typical none canon Japan Sonic media at the time

For the follow up we have; -The 1992-94 Shogakukan Nicky manga of a timid kid

-The 1992 Sonic 2 promo manga, done by some of the artists in the previous Shogakukan Manga

-199?-1995 Harmony magazine exclusive art

-The 1994 TMS animated short featuring Eggman impersonating as Sonic out of jealousy

All of these typically depict Sonic (unless drawn by Oshima) as kiddier or cutesy, typically missing his attitude, or in the case of Nicky, is completely off base. This was even noted by Naka in development of Sonic Adventure, hence the need for the 1997 Project Sonic competition to reinvigorate edge and attitude

So OVA NOT being cutsey weirdly stands out for the period*

*While Junio/Toei's work for CD also isn't cutesy, that's core from games, not alt media, despite design difference

How does OVA stand out? Well...the prior context might've been why it didn't get to accomplish its goals

The OVA was initially rental tape only available between Jan 1996-March 1996, not getting a formal home release until May 1996. This is already odd, given rumors of it being intended to be a TV series but scrapped. The OVA was split into 2 parts originally, the first half focusing on going to the Land of the Darkness and fighting Mecha Robotnik, the latter focusing on Metal Sonic and the polar ice caps. The base story is concieved by Mayori Sekijima then scripted by Masashi Kubota, both having done full series by that point. Given 1997 Naka admitted that people in Japan didn't really know Sonic by that point (which was why Jam was made alongside lack of Sonic Saturn rep)...I have a feeling this wasn't that popular, despite ads

Anyway, the movie itself

We start with a dark room with monitors and a motionless floating mech of Metal Sonic. Eggman proclaims that he needs Sonic's DNA (more loosely called lifeforce essence here) to complete Hyper Metal Sonic. Note: Hyper Metal Sonic references the new mold he had for Chaotix in games!

We then cut to aesthetic landscape expanses of the Land of the Sky. It helps give us a picture of their world. Refreshingly, not just checker spam that 2nd game devs randomly did a lot despite Sonic Team doing other types of locales. We also see the Old Man Owl flying a spluttering ship, more on that later...

We end up at Sonic's island, composing of wrecked airplanes, buses-i-is that a Star Wars ship!? Pretty interesting, I wonder if they'll tell us where it came from-

But we get interrupted with Tails showing Sonic his newest invention to try out. Sonic isn't interested, so Tails goes out to try it for himself, splashing Sonic accidentally

Note: Tails does note Sonic can't swim here

We hear Tails calling for help soon after, which Sonic coldly ignores. This is something that gets me for this feature, Sonic has attitude, but is weirdly also dismissive of his friends that already run contradictory to games at the time. Even Tails screaming bloody murder doesn't do much as Sonic loudly tells him to shut up (Eng memes aside), only changing his mind when he see the old Owl Man crash through where Sonic was

Tails checks on the blue blur to see if he's ok, which Sonic is. He notes that they should help the Old Man, but Sonic again tells him he's not interested, flat out out saying "hey, you can fly bitch, you do it!", to which Tails calls him out, then takes it upon himself to save the old man. While at first it goes well thanks to surfing, both soon realize they'll crash into the cliffside, to which he screams. At that point Sonic realizes "oh, they might die", then saves them

Speaking of, they seemingly know of this guy before this event. Who is he? How'd they meet? We'll never know!

Afterwards, Owl Man is in shock, which Sonic gets a Crabmeat (wouldn't that still have a Flicky given this period?) to pinch him, bringing him back to his senses, then rambling about how he was an expert racer in his day that got chicks. Tails reminds him that he had something important to say, and we learn that the President wants Sonic due to an emergency. Sonic and Tails then have the aesthetic plane sequence and head out, leaving the old man to watch over Sonic's...well, wreckage is more apt

We have more aesthetic shots showing the capital city of the Land of the Sky, though there's a weird lack of people here... Inside it's revealed Eggman has taken over, shooting Sonic/Tails, and having the President and his daughter held as hostage. We-

Wait, this landmass is South Island!? What's with none canon Sonic media spamming South Island, when mainline games went to different areas

Seriously, most of the STI and Aspect Ltd 8 bit games do this unlike Sonic Team. Even Fighters by Sega AM2 did. Why? Sonic is noted to exploring other locales, likewise Eggman isn't too stationary if a plan fails one spot. It's just...why?

Also epic sub typo

Anyway, Eggman explains the history of the Land of the Sky and Darkness, and how they are 2 split halves. This bores everyone, so he demands Sonic to help him stop a generator in Eggmanland that's out of control, thanks to an upsurper called Mecha Robotnik (Black Robotnik in Japan). If it isn't stopped, the generator would destroy the Land of the Darkness, which would in turn destroy the Land of the Sky. Everyone again is bored, flat out sleeping, so he stresses that someone needs to bypass his taken traps and stop the generator. Sonic dismisses it, despite Sarah and the President begging, as he believes Eggman to be lying, which takes Tails to convince him to just do it. Sonic overall is pretty unhelpful here honestly. Eggman gives Tails a navigator (which Sonic questions way too late if it's rigged AFTER they fly out), and the plot's moving...

Oh nah, we just have Eggman and Sarah playing fighting games

Contrary to popular belief, this is not a Sonic the Fighters ref. This OVA came out well before that arcade game was out

Ignoring filler, everyone's pretty lax about the kidnapping here. Sarah even threatens to stop being hostage, which...doesn't make sense. She's surrounded by a bunch of robots. We then have a mecha crash in and open its hatch, so we now know Eggman's up to something (which was obvious)

Back to Sonic/Tails

Come to think of it, this all implies Sonic never fought Eggman there before. Which gives interesting implications of Eggman only causing trouble in the Land of the Sky, then retreating after failure to Sonic

Anyway, they crash land due to turbulence, and set out on a path straight to Eggmanland

We have a montage of Sonic going through the various landscapes, with him noting how many robots (no Flickies, huh) and traps there are. Tails assures that it is the quickest path, leading directly to a warp zone (?), and the two wound up in E 44th St. in an ancient city

We don't have much explanation for this area, and Tails confirms this isn't Eggmanland yet. Sonic scours the skyscraper to get a better view on their location, and the two head towards Eggmanland, only to be stopped by...

Mecha Robotnik, who attacks and gives chase

Note, Sonic's unable to hurt him

The two dodge its attacks, hiding behind a bus to figure what to do. Sonic notes that they can't waste time fighting it, and Tails notes the direction they should go....

Only for Sonic to moronically alert Mecha where they are by taunting it. Side note: contrary to rumors, this was never censored in English

This Sonic is stupid, I'm sorry. He lacks tact Game Sonic would have

So anyway, the two are chased through the highway, reaching by a broken edge near the water. Mecha shoots by their feet, causing them to fall, and the two take advantage of the obscurity to try to trick Mecha Robotnik him into thinking they fell fully and drowned. But Mecha isn't stupid, so they get further chased. Mecha Robotnik soon shifts to shooting glue from its ass

Due to a lightning shock, Tails gets scared and freezes, which gets him trapped. Before Sonic can save him, Mecha Robotnik shoots several missiles that home in on the hedgehog, with several causing explosions throughout the city as Sonic runs away. This alerts...

Knuckles? So Angel Island doesn't exist? Just unexplained like Triple Trouble I guess...

I swear these noncanon devs never legit played Sonic outside Sonic 1-

Rant aside

While it seems hopeless for Tails, it turns out that Sonic hitched a ride on one of the missiles, redirecting it to hit Mecha Robotnik

It's a clean shot, but the blast weakens the structural integrity of the area. Worse, Sonic lands on the sticky glue from earlier, and the collapsing ground floods from the lake nearby. Mecha Robotnik wobbles back, about to shoot him, but right at the last second, Knuckles flies in to stop it, then frees Tails

Tails unfortunately can't fly to Sonic as his tails are stuck and unable to spin for approximately 10 seconds before it becomes a literal none issue

While Tails reaches the drowning hedgehog and tries to pull him out, Knux is distracting Mecha Eggman. Unfortunately he gets stuck in glue as well

Mecha, running out of bullets, decides to crush the echidna. Tails finally manages to free Sonic

Who then-

Hey, his right arm wasn't hit hit by the missile! Don't bullshit suddenly being able to cut through it

Now fully disarmed (kicks self), Mecha makes a retreat. Thanks to somehow being able to fly, Knux gets Sonic close enough to hurl him at the flying mech, leading to Mecha getting skewered and split

Sonic and co leave, revealing Eggman and Sarah in the wreckage. The doctor fumes about how Eggmanland hosts something far worse than Mecha, which Sarah calls BS

Cutting to another scene, Sonic thanks Knux, with Tails mentioning this

Yeah you guys really need a TV series to flesh this out, there are too many unexplained points for char introductions given how different this is to games, yet casually act like this is status quo. Also why is Sonic the only one shaded there?

Sonic and co realize the sun is setting, meaning that time is almost up before the generator explodes. So they head out, leaving Knux to do his own thing...for about 5 seconds

Knux joins the two, defying gravity while Sonic constantly has to deal with awkward terrain. Given he's a dick, eh

This isn't even an animation error, even bios for this OVA says he flies and not glides for some dumb reason. He's incorrectly referred directly as a mole in dub bios as well (like cuz Harimogura out of context is directly translated as "spiky mole")

But fans like his hat, so Knux is apparently excused for unexplained adaptation changes

That wraps up part 1 cuz of image limit, my thoughts

-Sonic is too douchey and dumb personality wise. His feats mask that for a lot of fans, but I don't buy it. Tails and Knux are alright though, especially with Tails copying Sonic's poses at bits, astraphobia, and his tech prowess, but Knux is just there. Eggman's good though

-The plot is messy. They needed to flesh out char origins for some, and the city

-This won't be fixed, but despite the expanse landscape, there's no fauna or other people shown. Feels weirdly empty

-I'm watching the Bandai Sub version. Eng dub there aren't major changes to plot though, and the translation error is strictly for DVD bios

-Not a fan of South Island being focus for Capital. It weirdly shrinks the world. Insert rant of how everyone is ignoring Sonic Team themselves changing locales

It's aesthetic and fun, but broken and poorly paced when looking past that. I can't fault the Eng dub

@randomthefox @darklightheart @beevean

[ithillyienseowyn]

Re: my thoughts about the solos now that I've really thought about it...I know I singled out Evermore and Wild Uncharted Waters back when I was reading The Little Mermaid Novelization because of how they chose to summarize both moments in both Novelizations: But if there is one thing I can say for the solos from all three films is that I appreciate that:

Evermore starts with the Beast hunched over the rose as it dies and by the end makes his way up to the top of the turret as you see Belle riding off in the distance. And how the first half of the song is how she just torments him calms him hurts him and moves him {pretty much the opposite of what the whole second half of the song is} which is him listing how she inspires him and IS a part of him {in everything he does} Tim Rice and Alan Menken I'm kissing the ground for whatever the hell you were smoking {it's still my second favourite solo I can't totally toss it away} this song was playing every day for a whole year and a half in 2017-2018.

And how in Wild Uncharted Waters the song pretty much starts with Eric feeling suffocated with not being able to leave and tormented with the whole aftermath with Ariel and how he is just too gone for her and how he's just descending farther away from the palace and closer and closer to the shoreline pretty much ready to just swim to her if I'm being honest and ends with him on the ship vowing that it would take his whole life to find her {like ffs HOW COULD THIS NOT BE MY NUMBER ONE SONG} people are delusional if they think this song is MID its anything but that and thank you again to LMM and Alan Menken we are GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE} Seriously this is THE MOST ROMANTIC SONG. {But TLM is also Alan Menken and HA's first disney collab baby so of course she's the best (TM)}

I just really cant get over how good the entire soundtrack is in fact I'm going to go listen to the song AGAIN.

Also with Speechless {Part 2} mainly {but also just the full thing} because in the film it literally starts with Jasmine getting sent away because no one wants to listen to what she has to say {really the whole plot line with her becoming Sultana was my fav part of this whole movie} and how in the middle it hits the chorus and she breaks free to march back in face to face with Jafar and the whole room in freeze frame??? Basically telling his frozen stature that he could essentially try it bitch but she wont have it. And top it all off with that PIANO and BACKING ORCHESTRATIONS.

{head in my hands, clenching my fist} I just love Alan Menken composed solos man.

[nesting-dreams]

I love everything Lupin except part 5 and 6. I usually only concentrate on stuff outside of these two and I post positively about them all the time and reblog all kinds of art, so I’m not prone to focusing on stuff I don’t like, but it does need to be said what some of the issues are for these two parts cuz what I dislike about them is sitting away just stewing in my head and it’s annoying me. If you’ve not seen these two parts then I suggest you watch it yourself and just decide for yourself if you like it or not. I don’t personally like part 6 cuz it’s too serious and everyone doesn’t act like themselves. Lack of focus on our main 5 for most of it too. I give examples: Lupin can’t figure out how technology work for some reason when he always is savvy on the latest tech for every series. Then with the fight against the little girl half his size. I’m expected to believe Lupin finds this girl an issue? Fujiko and I are grown women and we could grab her by her neck and toss her off that roof easily. Why’s Lupin struggling so much? He’s a burly, grown man who goes to the gym cuz he’s bored of waiting for Jigen to finish at the gym. 😂 Lupin almost lost to a scrawny girl. If the girl had been hitting the gym too, then maybe I wouldn’t find this so hilarious. Buff flower girl, could of been a thing. Maybe the blood loss is getting to him cuz part 1-4Lupin wouldn’t ever throw fists at a woman or little girl. He’d find a different way to deal with her without throwing hands, especially if she’s half his size in weight. Men can still do stuff when bleeding, I’ve seen men fight in real life over the last beer can or soccer teams and bleed and still use their full strength. . They cockteased the audience with Lupin’s heritage and then chickened out. Nobody really cared to know about his heritage in the first place for this series tbh. So I don’t know why they brought it up just to chicken out. It ends with the show going “Lupin is still Lupin. Where he comes from doesn’t matter”. Yea. I know already. I don’t need this ring around the rosy crap to prove what I know already. The creator Monkey punch always saw Lupin 3 as a mix of Loonie tunes, and Tom and Jerry. Things aren’t supposed to get this serious and boring.

(it feels like the tms team isn’t very good at long arcs. They should just go back to what they are good at which is episodic or get some people who do know how to do them. I didn’t like part 5’s ending cuz suddenly the villain changes his mind for no reason when he said to Ami the previous episode that he doesn’t give a fuck about her. Fujiko had left Lupin with Adeiu which is goodbye forever and then she questions if he loves her at all. Feels like I was gaslit as an audience cuz he literally moves mountains for her. It wouldn’t be a problem if I’ve not seen their history together completely, but it is cuz I know the history. Fujiko forced Lupin to reveal his face in front of people, and Lupin stupidly revealed himself when he never would of done that in past around people over feelings for somebody, he’d do it in a smarter way for Fujiko and his own wellbeing, the villain was literally talking about revealing his face to the world and suddenly changed his mind last second that he’s gonna be a good guy with zero hesitation, gonna conveniently not reveal the secret, felt like how an AI would write a human being, and I didn’t find it romantic or touching at all. Part 5 also made Fujiko into a whiny brat in the flashbacks when she was more composed and collected in previous parts. Part 5 added timelines and continuity as a massive plot point and it basically wrecked the timeline. Things don’t make sense when movies are supposed to be set).

[burlveneer-music]

Økapi & Aldo Kapi's Orchestra - Pardonne​-​moi, Olivier! (feat. Geoff Leigh, Mike Cooper) 16 oiseaux pour Olivier Messiaen - plunderphonics + instrumental overdubs

The album is a plunderphonic parabola of the imaginary world, mystical and ornitological, of the French composer of the XX century, Olivier Messiaen. A sort of birds' catalogue, as Messiaen tried to do during his life. As always, even in this case økapi composed a little sound-collagism opera, which includes a video development. This is the soundtrack of this "movie". For this A/V-project, økapi is co-working with the italian video-artist Simone Memé, part of the collective MoreTv-V. Because of his dixit plunderphonic nature, and for the occasion, økapi involved Geoff Leigh (sax/flute) and Mike Cooper (guitar) into his phantomatic virtual orchestra. Økapi is Filippo Paolini (see also OCD032 K-Mundi), an Italian turntablist and sample cutup artist. Filippo has recorded several solo albums, as well as recording in the duo Metaxu and with the trio Dogon. He has performed live for national Italian State radio broadcasts (RAI) with renowned avant-turntablist, Christian Marclay and collaborates with numerous international artists such as Mike Cooper, Geoff Leigh, Peter Brotzmann, Mike Patton, Matt Gustafson, Zu, Damo Suzuki, Andy EX, Kawabata Makoto, Metamkine…

ØKapi's album releases illustrate his unique and edgy use of turntables and computer beyond the hip-hop school of chopped up music, creating music that veers from orchestral to lounge with quirky experimental electronics that maintain a delicate and spacious sound throughout. Website: www.okapi.it. Økapi: Direction Geoff Leigh: voice, soprano sax, flutes Mike Cooper: guitars Aldo Kapi’s Orchestra: Olivier Messiaen - Jon Appleton - Senking - David Berezan - Kyoka - Marc Tremblay - Aoki Takamasa + Tujiko Noriko – Paul Dolden - Ryoji Ikeda - Mochipet – Elsa Justel - Circuit Bent- Subjex - Mr. Ours & 4bstr4ck3r - Coh - Martin Leclerc - Herve Boghossian - Monty Brigham bird sounds collection - Adrian Moore - Signal - Christian Bouchard - Anemone - Kangding Ray - Louis Dufort - Hildur Gudnadóttir - Wolfgang Voigt - Marc Tremblay - Atom Tm - The Three Suns - Åke Parmerud - Emptyset - Spontaneous Music Ensemble - Ivor Darreg Visuals: Simone Memè

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy Storyteller Saturday, if you're participating!

If your WIP were to ever get an adaptation: Who would you want to compose the soundtrack and why? (me, for instance, I would want John Powell to compose FSF because of Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon, and I would want Hanz Zimmer to do TCIO because I love all of the superhero movie scores he’s done.)

Bonus: give us some examples of the composer’s stuff you like!

Hi!! So sorry for the late reply 😭 I keep forgetting to queue my weekend hiatus post - I'll make sure to send you a reciprocal STS ask in the morning when I have more brain!!

(also no brain = no specific links because tired and late at night, but i know for a fact all of these songs are on youtube because ive linked to them in the past! and all of them are on my spotify writing playlist, theyre just... also mixed in with 250+ others, so it might be a good idea to use the search function there)

BUT the soundtrack/composer thing is something I've thought an inordinate amount about for both of my WIPs, so...

For Whispers I'd have to go with Bear McCreary and/or Audiomachine - because of the dual storyline taking place, I think it'd be cool if there were a different composer for each, and when the stories finally collide for it to be like... a huge flex of their ability to meld their styles together, if that makes sense? If that happened I doubt it would be those two specifically but they're my favorites when it comes to Vibes.

(Bear McCreary songs on my Whispers playlist include A Son's Path, Huldra Brothers, and Giantess of Ironwood - Audiomachine songs include Russian Spring, The Crimson Drawing Room, and Vindication)

For The Millennium Saga... well.

Kevin Penkin's music, especially the stuff he's composed for Made in Abyss, captures the vibes perfectly for almost every part of the story... except most of the stuff in Goddess-Touched. Which are also heavily influenced by the more sci-fi pieces by Audiomachine.

AND I think it would be dope if Nimbus' arc in GT was characterized by having an entirely electronic + dubstep soundtrack. For that, I'd lean towards Ummet Ozcan simply because the vibes of their more recent work is PERFECT for that!

(Kevin Penkin songs that are applicable: Pathway, DRUMS OF GANJA-TAI, Glass, and Rishia Theme (III) - Audiomachine songs for TMS: Festival of Light, Ion Storm, Guardian Angels, and Langskip - Ummet Ozcan songs: Xanadu, Bifrost, and Manipulated)

[supercantaloupe]

late sleepover saturday question: which musical theatre composers would you chose to adapt musical versions of which operas

pasek and paul cosi fan tutte

jk honestly i don't think there are any operas i'd want to particularly see adapted into musicals. they're two distinct art forms even though they look really similar in a lot of ways that i think trying to adapt one into the other invites a level of competition between them in how they're received by audiences that i'm not into. also while i don't think an artwork necessarily needs to have A Reason(tm) to be adapted into a new medium, i do think that an adaptation should have a purpose for existing As an adaptation rather than just its own original work.

(and how often is that Reason anyway "how can we Fix the original", which, in the case of opera -> musical, is not an approach i want to follow)

like groundhog day the movie didn't NEED a musical adaptation but the musical adaptation added to the movie in making itself an adaptation, and beyond that they are two stylistically distinct experiences even if it's the same story. and even if opera and musicals are different art forms they are still pretty similar on first blush (people singing onstage and whatnot) i fear that adapting an opera to a musical (or vice versa) would just lead to, like, a competition of "who can write better music" which again i think is a stupid way to go about things.

i guess if dave malloy took a crack at adapting die zauberflote that would be interesting, not that i think that will or even should ever happen but i would be curious to see what he'd do with that thing

[ask meme]

[love-and-i-am]

Unofficial Chronological History of Marilyn Manson by Angelynx (Paula O'Keefe) 1990-1996

(c) 1999 by Paula O'Keefe / angelynx@spookhouse.net

Our subject is a five-piece band from the Fort Lauderdale area of southern Florida, previously best known for its metal scene. By all reports, it was founded sometime in 1989, when a restless journalism major with a dark exacting take on American culture and a notebook full of poem/commentaries met an equally restless guitarist-composer with five bands behind him and an itch to do something really different. The writer had done some music coverage for local publications; the musician had last been involved in a Cocteau Twins/Sonic Youth blend of ethereal noise called India Loves You; neither was content. Lyrics and music clicked, and the pair joined forces.

The writer's first move was to change his name. Immersed for months in tabloid TV shows, he had decided on one that he felt displayed the entire spectrum he wanted to project, borrowed from two classic icons of the 1960s: Marilyn Manson. The guitarist agreeably followed suit and became Daisy Berkowitz, setting the pattern for all members of the band until 1996.

By 1990 they were Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids: Manson singing and Berkowitz as lead guitarist, drum machine programmer and general tech whiz kid. Their earliest known lineup included Olivia Newton-Bundy on bass (Brian Tutunick, later to join Florida metallers Collapsing Lungs before moving on to Nation of Fear), Zsa Zsa Speck on keyboards (one Perry Pandrea, who didn't stay long) and a nameless drum machine. Newton-Bundy and Speck were soon replaced by bassist Gidget Gein and keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy.

Their first cassette releases, Meat Beat Cleaver Beat (or Beaver Meat Cleaver Beat, by some accounts), Snuffy's VCR, and big black bus, were created during this membership shakeup. More on the cassette releases a little later on.

Among their gigs at this point was one which which would have far-reaching consequences: they opened a show on Nine Inch Nails' summer tour. NIN was still embroiled in the TVT battle, and Trent's ownership of his own label was a long way off, but he liked the young band ("It must have something to do with both of us coming from the Midwest," says the Ohio-born Manson, though probably only a relocated Floridian would think of Mercer, PA, as Midwestern) and became a friend and informal mentor. Manson and Reznor would stay in touch and trade tapes over the following few years.

The Spooky Kids were set apart from the start by Manson's ambitious and imaginative promotional campaign. The memorable logo he designed - the now-well-known black and white "Eyes" design - displayed "MARILYN MANSON" in a dripping monster-movie font with narrow images of Marilyn Manson's seductive gaze above and Charlie Manson's wild-eyed stare below. The band wasted no time in getting this striking visual onto a line of T-shirts and stickers, a move credited with grabbing them a good deal of local attention. Meanwhile, connections Manson had made while wearing his journalist hat helped to spread the band's name and get tracks from big black bus onto local radio.

At the same time, the Spooks were tossing a wide range of theatrical, visual, and shock devices into their rapidly evolving stage presentation. Anything might turn up, from a Lite-Brite [TM] toy arranged to read "Kill God" or "Anal Fun" and peanut-butter-&-jelly sandwiches tossed from the stage, to caged or crucified girls, skinned goats' heads, nudity and arson. Manson might wear an entire outfit of stripes or a woman's bathing suit while playing Charles Manson soundbites or reading from "The Cat in the Hat". Gacy had a little booth marked "Pogo's Playhouse" standing over his keyboard (he had already adopted child-killer Gacy's clown pseudonym as his own nickname). Berkowitz might play in skirt, halter and long blonde wig, guitar worn low and cigarette hanging off his lip, born to the role of cute debutante gone bad. Anything was fair game for maximum effect.

It's hard to be this flexible while tied to a programmed rhythm track, so in 1991, the Spooks retired their drum machine, an event celebrated by a jubilant little newsletter. Illustrated with a mixture that would become a band trademark - Manson's morbid cartoons and band caricatures, altered Dr. Seuss figures, guns, needles, and characters from "Scooby-Doo" - it welcomes Sara Lee Lucas, who is credited with "baked goods and percussion". (Though the first cassette release to actually credit Lucas is 1992's The Family Jams, he had probably played on at least the previous tape, mid-'91's Lunchbox as well.) The addition was a good one, and the band began to draw notice. By now they were writing and performing songs that are still staples of their repertoire, including "Cake and Sodomy" and "My Monkey". (They carried lunchboxes, too.) By the time South Florida's Slammies, designed to offer recognition to the overlooked thrash, hardcore and "hard alternative" scene, held nominations for its first award show in 1992, the Spooks' fan following was large and vocal enough to get them nominated for both Best Hard Alternative Band and Band of the Year.

Another 1992 event of note was the "Miami Rocks" East Coast Music Forum, held Jan. 30 - Feb. 2 1992 at the Button South. A promotional event designed by local music business folk to draw national attention to the Florida scene, it featured bands submitted for consideration by area managers and chosen by a panel that included radio and recording studio reps. Marilyn Manson made the cut (beating out their then-manager John Tovar's other submission, the redoubtable Amboog-A-Lard) and played on Feb 1st. A cassette tape was issued to promote this event.

Some of the aforementioned fan loyalty is almost certainly due to the band's direct efforts to connect with its listeners. They issued a newsletter, designed and distributed elaborately illustrated concept flyers for shows, and operated an answering machine "hot line", evidently taking the role of mentor quite seriously. In a 1991 Florida newspaper article on the band, Manson explains that he wrote the lyrics of "Learning To Swim" in response to a request for advice, and says, "…in this position I've put myself in, I have the responsibility of influencing the minds of teenagers. So I do choose my words…because I care. I care about what I say." [Such earnest gravity, from someone all of 22 years old at the time. Though the nickname was frequently used with perverse overtones, it's still no wonder that fans began calling him Daddy.]

Another means of staying in touch, and one that's perhaps more interesting to current fans, was the band's series of self-produced and self-marketed demo cassettes. Very little information on the previously mentioned first two demos - Meat Beat Cleaver Beat and Snuffy's VCR - has turned up, save to say that in all likelihood only Manson and Berkowitz played on them, and that they were composed of (to quote a fan interview with Daisy) "weird instrumental stuff that we never sold." According to studio engineer "Graveyard Ralph" Cavallaro, the lineup on big black bus, too, was solely Manson and Berkowitz - Gein and Gacy, though in the band at the time, did not play on these sessions. Keyboard effects were created on a Yamaha RX8 synthesizer by the versatile Berkowitz (who also played both lead and bass guitars and programmed the drum machine). An entire side of this was reportedly taken up by answering machine messages, a practice the band has never abandoned. The late 1990 demo Grist-O-Line was the first one to feature the band's full lineup of Manson, Berkowitz, the drum machine, Gein and Gacy. It would be followed by After School Special in January 1991, Lunchbox sometime in mid-1991, The Family Jams in mid-1992 and the band's final cassette release, Refrigerator, in early 1993. Produced and mixed by the multi-capable Berkowitz and decorated with more of the above-mentioned idiosyncratic artwork, these little gems feature the first recorded versions and variations of "Cake and Sodomy", "Dope Hat", "Lunchbox", "My Monkey", "Dogma" (as "Strange Same Dogma"), and "Cyclops", along with a wealth of otherwise unavailable originals. Though produced in tiny batches -Refrigerator was an edition of only 100 copies - and sold only at the band's shows and in local record stores, the cassettes still prove the Spooks' determination not only to be heard but to be presented on their own terms and maintain complete creative control.

By the end of 1992 the name "Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids" had apparently become too awkward, and was trimmed to just Marilyn Manson. This caused some temporary confusion with the lead singer's chosen name, but after tossing it around a little (he's credited as simply "M. Manson" on the Refrigerator cassette and as "Mr. No Name Manson" on The Family Jams) he settled on the semi-formal "Mr. Manson" for general purposes.

None of the changes troubled the fans one bit. They turned out loyally in the voting for the 1993 Slammies, piling up a stack of nominations for MM: Band of the Year, Best Hard Alternative Band, Best Local Release (the Family Jams cassette), Song of the Year ("Dope Hat") , and even a Best Vocalist nomination for Mr. Manson. "Dope Hat" won in its category, and the Mansons collected their first Band of the Year award. --Mr. Manson also added a memorable touch to the ceremony as presenter of the Best National Release award, which went to Saigon Kick for "The Lizard". To a chorus of boos from the crowd (home-state fans considered SK to have abandoned them at their first touch of national fame), Manson ascertained that there was no band representative present to collect their engraved ceramic skull, and simply tossed it into the moshpit, where it was stamped to bits. (Amusing side note. Manson had a cohort in this small crime: the Slammie-winning rhythm guitarist for local metal band Amboog-A-Lard, a close friend of Manson's. Within the year he would undergo a magical transformation…)

The summer of 1993 was a busy stretch for the Mansons, who picked up not only their first Slammies but a genuine recording contract. Having finally won a measure of independence from TVT, and launched his own label, nothing, Trent Reznor had offered the band nothing's first contract plus a support position on his upcoming "Self-Destruct '94" spring tour. Both were accepted, and they headed into Criteria Studios to begin recording their first LP, Portrait of an American Family.

The sessions, however, didn't go well. Reznor, then busy with The Downward Spiral, assigned producer Roli Mossiman to the band. Mossiman, who had worked with Young Gods, Machines of Loving Grace, and Jim Thirwell's multi-named Foetus project, was expected to bring a raw sound to the mix. By all reports, however, he did just the opposite. The band was unhappy with the results they were getting, feeling that the sound was being smoothed and polished out of all recognition. Manson: "I thought, 'This really sucks.' So I played it for Trent, and he thought it sucked." Reznor, supporting the band's decision, took over the production reins, and they spent seven grueling weeks of fifteen-hour days in L.A.'s Record Plant, tearing down, repairing, even recreating parts of Portrait from scratch. (Reznor is credited as Executive Producer on the LP.) In January 1994, the project was finally finished and presented - doubtless with a collective sigh of relief - to Interscope, distributor for nothing.

By Christmas 1993, however, bassist Gein was no longer a member of Marilyn Manson. In Mr. Manson's words, "he felt that his drug addiction was more important than playing bass for us." (One might speculate that it was the stress of the studio marathon that forced the issue.) His replacement was - you guessed it - that aforementioned member of Amboog-A-Lard, who was apparently more than willing to mutate from jeans-wearing rhythm guitarist to transvestite bass player. In a move that caused harsh words and a reportedly permanent chill between the Amboogies and the Mansons, Twiggy Ramirez became the newest member of Marilyn Manson.

While Twig went into training for the NIN tour, Interscope's qualms about Portrait were settled (two photos were removed from the design for the sleeve, including a childhood shot of Mr. Manson, discreetly nude), and things seemed to be on a relatively smooth upward course for the band. Their first single was "Get Your Gunn", released with accompanying - and widely unplayed - video on June 9, 1994, followed by the LP on July 12. The album's release was celebrated by the band and 1200 or so close friends on July 3rd at the 1994 Slammie Awards, where the Mansons headlined the show and won their second "Grand Slammie" for Band of the Year. Mr. Manson also collected that year's skull (plus a free tattoo) for Best Vocalist, his only receipt of that honor.

[Side note: Fans will have noticed that in the sleeve and promotional photos for POAAF and its singles, Mr. Manson is still wearing blue contact lenses in both eyes. It's not certain when he decided to wear only one lens, creating the bi-colored blue/brown stare that has become his trademark. Quite possibly one blue lens was simply lost or damaged. It is however definite that the blue eye is a contact lens and not a glass or artificial eye; in early Spooky Kids video footage his natural jasper-green (tends to photograph as an amber/golden brown, but it's green) eye color is clearly visible in both eyes.]

After some scattered May and July 1994 dates with NIN, the band officially hit the road with them for fourteen weeks, from August 29th to December 11th. This was, without a doubt, the major breakthrough of Marilyn Manson's career, establishing in one swoop virtually their entire non-Florida fan base. Their powerful material, combined with an intense and highly visual stage show which had developed and tightened steadily since the early days of animal entrails and women in cages, made instant converts. (Footnote: It also caused enough invasion of new MM fans into the Usenet newsgroup alt.music.nin that the eventual proposal to establish alt.music.marilyn-manson passed virtually unchallenged. Today the band is represented on the Internet not only by that newsgroup, but also by at least two mailing lists and a constantly-growing host of Web pages. In fact, if you look up the name "Manson" in AltaVista, you'll find more citations for Marilyn than for Charlie.)

The tour produced several incidents which have made their way into MM history, notably the Salt Lake City, Utah, show on October 18th. Though this episode is commonly blamed on the city's notoriously conservative Mormon patriarchy, it was actually an independent decision by the equally tense management of the evening's venue, the Delta Center. Center staff had gotten advance warning about the Mansons and sent a delegation to view their October 16th show in Las Vegas, which they found objectionable on several points. As a result, the Center first made some stipulations about the presentation (which were accepted by NIN and MM); then, when the tour reached town, decreed that Nine Inch Nails would be allowed to play, but MM - though they would be paid - were forbidden to play unless they met an additional and more stringent list of conditions. According to a SLCity radio interview with Manson at the time, these conditions included demands that Manson not say anything between songs, that he alter the lyrics of certain songs, and that MM not sell any of its t-shirts or other merchandise at the venue.

The bands allegedly agreed to these terms, but during NIN's set the newly-ordained Reverend Manson was invited to join Trent onstage. He brought along a copy of the Book of Mormon. Reznor read a letter explaining why MM was forbidden to play, then offered his candid opinion of the letter and the situation in general. The Reverend made a few pointed comments about sin and the crowd's general beliefs, shredded the book (intoning the old daisy-petal chant "He loves me, He loves me not…" topped off with a bitter "--fuck Him!"), tossed it to the crowd and went off to help trash the dressing room. --When a Salt Lake City date was announced for the 1996-97 tour, no one was surprised to see that it was not at the Delta Center. (Or that it, too, was eventually postponed and relocated out of town.)

October, it should be noted here, had already included an event of personal importance, namely Mr. Manson's meeting with Dr. Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan. Long influenced by LaVey's writings and philosophy, Manson arranged the meeting while the band was in California, and the two had an apparently cordial conversation. "He shared with me a lot of very important things that I've taken into effect in my life," said Manson to Seconds magazine, "and he also expressed that he felt Marilyn Manson was one of the more Satanic bands to come around in our time…. I was very happy that he noticed me for what I was doing." As a "reward for my good work", Dr. LaVey named Manson a priest of the CoS, and he has accordingly taken to using the title "Reverend", particularly when signing his writings. (It also for some time was his favorite form of direct address.) --The California date nearest to LaVey's San Francisco residence was in Oakland on Oct. 14th, so Mr. Manson quite probably received his new title a mere few days before the Salt Lake City show.

The other incident which has become well-known is the elaborate hazing which NIN engineered and executed on the hapless Mansons on the last night of the tour, December 11th. Something was expected, Manson explains, since it's commonplace for the headliners to prank the opening act at tour's end. This one, however, began before MM's set with a fistfucking dare (Manson duly performed the deed - as fistfucker, it should be noted; not fistfuckee; the recipient has never been identified), followed by a dousing in salsa and baby powder; male strippers sent onstage during the set; a further dousing after the show (whipped cream this time), and the topper: handcuffing the Mansons, hauling them away in a pickup truck, and stranding them, soaking wet in 25-degree weather and with exactly $1.00 between them, in the very nasty downtown area of Philadelphia with a parting "Find your way home." By a nearly miraculous turn of luck, they were able to persuade some college students to drive them back to the venue. (Manson has commented that he was able to respect this, as it represented considerably more cruelty to a friend than he thought himself capable of, but what he thought at the time can only be imagined.)

After this, the Mansons may have counted themselves lucky to be back in Florida's relatively friendly surroundings, but by now they had seemingly become a trouble magnet. Hardly more than two weeks later, kicking off a set of four in-state dates at Jacksonville's Club 5, they discovered that their audience included a clutch of vice cops. Mr. Manson was arrested after the set, harassed, and spent sixteen hours in jail on a charge of "violation of the Adult Entertainment Code" - i.e., public nudity. Club management had been under pressure from the Christian Coalition to cancel the band's performance, and Manson has said he feels the club basically handed them over to the law. (--When MM played the same club about six months later on the Danzig tour, their set was cut short by a sudden loss of electricity. Curious…)

With the second single from POAAF, "Lunchbox", now in release - accompanied by a video shot in 48 hours snatched from the NIN tour back in September, under the direction of notorious underground filmmaker Richard Kern - the Mansons hit the road once again for two months in early 1995, this time headlining, with Monster Voodoo Machine as support. MVM, an energetic hard rock-metal outfit, proved a fairly comfortable fit, and the shows were impressive. However, the next key element in the MM pocket mythology - the chicken - was about to assume prominence, and MVM must be held somewhat responsible.

Once again, it was the last night, this time March 11th, at Alcatrazz in Columbia SC. Acting on the January 13th incident at Trees in Dallas TX -- in which MM knocked a caged chicken around the stage, then tossed it into the mosh pit, and were later widely reported to have killed/sacrificed the bird (though it in fact escaped without losing more than a few feathers) -- MVM blanketed the stage with chicken parts, forcing the Mansons to perform in a slippery minefield of raw meat. [To be fair, the Mansons, having apparently learned bad habits from NIN, had sent their road crew to assault MVM during their set and plaster them with eggs, tomatoes, flour and vinegar; "got the makings of a complete Greek salad up here," cracked MVM singer Adam at one point. However, the voodoo monsters' retaliation was particularly inspired.] The set was disastrous, exacerbated by an indifferent-to-hostile audience, but some of MM's improvisations - notably MWG's "Kill the chicken!" and of course "Next motherfucker's gonna get my chicken" - became staples of the following tour, along with a flock of similar references. (We can testify that during at least one 1995 Ohio soundcheck the band was heard to play a thunderous new song with a chorus that unmistakably howled "Kill the chicken, break its wings!" Pity it wasn't committed to tape.)

It should also be mentioned here that the previous night's show had featured another milestone, namely the last straw for drummer Sara Lee Lucas. Relations between Manson and Lucas had reportedly been tense for much of the tour (the Limelight show had featured a running barrage of water bottles and drumsticks between the two), and Manson had been repeatedly frustrated during the North and South Carolina gigs by local ordinances barring elements of their performance. Bad combination. Mistakenly believing this was the last night of the tour (he overlooked the Alcatrazz gig, which had been scheduled to make up for an earlier cancellation), he decided to go all-out with his beloved butane, torching not only his usual lunchbox but Sara's drum kit for a grand finale. Problem is, Sara was still behind it at the time, and found his exit route suddenly blocked by a bank of flame. The unnerved drummer lost some hair in his hasty escape, and by several reports, quit as soon as the tour was over. (Later remarks from Manson that Sara couldn't keep time may or may not be so, but almost certainly isn't the only reason for his departure.)

The hardworking Mansons, who had now been on the road virtually nonstop for seven months, took a bare two weeks off to catch their breath and run drum auditions. New drummer Ginger Fish, a likeable and accomplished studio tech, rose commendably to the considerable dual challenge of mastering their set in next to no time and making peace with the good-looking Lucas' disappointed fans.

Then they were off again. This time they centered the bill between KORN and black-metallers Danzig, from March 24th to May 19th, 1995. Anyone who speculated that there might be some interesting common ground between Glenn Danzig's oft-mentioned interest in diabolical lore and Mr. Manson's connections with the Church of Satan - misinformedly, of course, as the CoS doesn't believe in an actual Devil - was disappointed, as no such camaraderie materialized. Mr. Manson told a startled interviewer from South American MTV's Headbangers' Ball that "we've been naked with his (Danzig's) bus driver [the now-infamous Tony Wiggins], but that's as close as we came to sharing." (And said it with a straight face, too.) --Indeed, inter-band relationships reportedly grew a bit edgy as the tour progressed and the Mansons, tight, ferocious and honed to a killing edge, consistently blew the headliners' performance off the stage. If anyone thought being stripped of their usual props, limited to an abbreviated set, and (incidentally) plagued by equipment problems would show them up as a gimmicky concept band, s/he soon ate those words raw; Marilyn Manson won more fans every night with a series of blazing gigs that proved their stage sets and toys mere buttercream frosting.

--Not to suggest there was serious hostility between the bands, however. Mr. Manson soberly credits Glenn with saving his life at an East Coast venue, where "security" thugs took offense to being spat upon, and attacked Manson, Pogo, and road manager Frankie after the set. The assailants meant business, and this might be a shorter and sadder article had not the muscular and martial-arts-trained Danzig waded into the fight swinging a set of nunchuks.

With all this going on, it's understandable that the Mansons didn't go home for the 1995 Slammies. Nominated for Band of the Year, Best Vocalist, Best National Release for "Portrait of an American Family" and Best Single for "Lunchbox", they won the latter two. "The only band not on hand to accept their skulls was Marilyn Manson", noted the ceremony's press release in disappointment. "The band is filming a new video in New Orleans, where they plan to relocate." You can just hear the Floridian fans thinking: Saigon Kick all over again. --However, the band's New Orleans move was only temporary.

By now online fandom was buzzing about the next single, "Dope Hat", originally rumored to come out in late June/early July with another headining tour in support. But twas not to be. The Mansons wrapped up the Danzig tour and took a much-deserved but semi-working summer vacation, which included not only the shooting for the "Dope Hat" video but the studio sessions for what was rapidly spreading and crawling out of all semblance of a mere single. As summer became fall the "Dope Hat" single morphed into the EP Smells Like Children (the title's a quote from beloved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang villain The Child-Catcher), a 15-track mini-album including some of the band's most loved cover versions and illustrated with an inspired photo-portrait of Manson as a nightmarishly charming synthesis of Willy Wonka, the Child-Catcher, and the Cat in the Hat. It debuted on the Billboard charts at #53, while Portrait of an American Family finally achieved gold status in the fall of 1995. And speaking of Willy Wonka, the mind-boggling "Dope Hat" video, a hallucinatory, brightly colored and deeply disturbed riff on the boat ride sequence from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," was approved and rejected by MTV enough times to give it a complex (they did actually play it a handful of times, albeit nervously, in an edited version, and in the freak-basement hours of 2-5 AM).

By October 24th, when SLC was released, Marilyn Manson had become cool news. Mainstream rock magazines began elbowing the newspapers and local zines aside in their haste to describe, review and interview this latest voice of the extreme edge. RIP's cover story led the way for features in Live Wire, Metal Edge, and a big push from that voice of grassroots American fandom, Circus. Guitarist Daisy even got a solo interview in Guitar World. Formula/nothing's clever press release for SLC sounds downright prescient in retrospect: "See them now before they are in jail, dead, or the hottest rock band in America!" "Hottest in America" is stretching it a long way (remember, POAAF had only just gone gold) but they were definitely growing out of cult status.

And see them you could, because they were back on the road as headliners, with thud/thrashers Clutch and a scattering of others opening. (Dull as wet cement and Christian to boot, Clutch failed to endear themselves to Manson fans, and will not be mentioned again.) The "Smells Like Children" tour opened on Sept. 12, 1995, at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa OK, and ran almost nonstop until the first week of February 1996, when it wrapped up on the Mansons' Florida home turf. Those five months took the band and their fans through some of the most extreme and bone-chilling winter weather in U.S. history; when in January a tired-out and flu-suffering Daisy dubbed it the Snow Tour, no one disagreed. (Alternate sources for this term have since been suggested.) Manson, prone to respiratory ailments, was reportedly ill with varying degrees of colds, flu and bronchial pneumonia for much of this stretch. This played havoc with his throat and vocal capacity, and at several venues he resorted to hits from an oxygen tank to carry on. As the tour wore on, such measures were no longer enough, other vagaries arose, and a string of January shows was cancelled altogether.

The most famous incident of the Snow Tour, and one of the few MM stories that's purely comical, is the stranding of the band in Allentown, PA, after their Jan 6th show at Starz. The culprit was the titanic Northeast blizzard of that weekend, which dumped 2-3 feet of snow on the seaboard, completely closed the city of Philadelphia, and generally forced anyone anywhere in Pennsylvania to stay put for at least the following few days. (Except, of course, us. We had no idea what we were heading into, and headed home from Allentown the morning after the gig; the usually-casual 3-hour Philly-to-Washington-DC drive took us eight scary and grueling hours. --But I digress.) The Mansons' Allentown hotel was also temporary home to, as only a fate on drugs would have it, the touring company of "Sesame Street Live" and the Orlando Magic basketball team, home of seven-foot superstar Shaquille O'Neal. A memorable quote to the New York Times from Orlando backup center Jon Concak sums it up: "Remember the bar scene from Star Wars with all the animals [aliens]? That's what it looked like last night. It was the Twilight Zone, man. A bunch of basketball players, Sesame Street, and some guy with green hair dressed like the Grim Reaper, chain-smoking." --At last report, all parted on friendly terms, though there may not have been the 3 AM "C Is For Cookie" singalong we can all picture.

As the New Year 1996 got underway, news and rumors were already beginning to circulate about the band's forthcoming second LP, Antichrist Superstar. The interviews which describe the history and creation of this "soundtrack for the Apocalypse" are without a doubt the strangest given by Manson and Twiggy to date, and boosted the fear among online fans to a level of sustained dread which took months to subside. The album was already recorded, because it came from the future, they said; it meant the end of Marilyn Manson, the end of the world, the end of everything; it was being created in Trent's New Orleans studio, in an organized torture chamber of sleep deprivation, pain, Kabbalistic magick and heavy drugs that made it possible for them to exactly capture Manson's vivid dreams; and it would be their last recording. No one knew what to make of this, and literal-minded speculations of band separation and even mass suicide were pandemic.

Out of this period also came another wave of rumors, and these regrettably proved true: lead guitarist and MM co-founder Daisy Berkowitz was unhappy with the new music, on the outs with Manson, and planning to leave the band. After a flurry of announcements and denials, during which it was unclear if he was even present in the ACS recording sessions, his departure was made official in early April. Fan sorrow was keen, as the good-natured guitarist with the vivid blue-green hair and unique sonic style was a great favorite. Tension had obviously been developing throughout the Clutch tour --most blatantly displayed in the NYC New Year's Eve show, when Manson actually shoved Daisy off the edge of the stage at the end of the set-- but outsiders couldn't be aware things were this bad, and the shock expressed online was genuine.

Both Manson and Daisy have commented at length regarding Berkowitz' departure. It is beyond the scope or intent of this article to cover their arguments in any detail. Manson's general line is that Daisy was unwilling to completely commit to the band and its ideas, and considered Marilyn Manson basically a lucrative day job; Berkowitz, for his part, is considerably more acrimonious, and has filed a lawsuit against Manson for financial damages and breach of contract. See Kurt Reighley's 1998 biography of the band, titled simply Marilyn Manson, for details. The lawsuit is still pending as of mid-1998.-- Under the name Three Ton Gate, the Artist Formerly Known As Daisy (plus vocal support) issued a 1997 LP, "Vanishing Century", before joining perennial Florida shockdolls Jack Off Jill.

Back to 1996: Spring and plans therefore progressed, and the second single and video from Smells Like Children were released. This was the much-contested "Sweet Dreams," a darkened cover of the 1984 Eurythmics hit. Easily the most accessible and radio-friendly of the SLC tracks, it was the natural choice for a single - a deceptive bait for SLC's trap. With the help of a cryptic and visually striking but carefully inoffensive video, which (to some fans' horror) attained Buzz Clip status on MTV, SD looked likely to be Marilyn Manson's next breakthrough. But its very openness attracted a wide range of new listeners, from the newly devoted to the merely curious and the thoughtlessly trendy, and this influx of strangers into our little world polarized MM fandom like nothing before. The debate raged among online "Spooks" (the "Spooky Kids" moniker dropped by the band has been adopted by its followers) for months - some tearful and bewildered, some reasonable, many defensive and furious. Who were these know-nothing Manson newbies, the much-reviled "SweetDreamers"? Mindless consumers, sucklers at the MTV nipple; flighty fun-seekers who'd be gone tomorrow; cynical sensation junkies here to vampirize the energy; violent mosh addicts out for blood; or genuine could-be Family members who'd just arrived a little late?

--All of the above, of course, but that didn't keep many online fans from pulling up the drawbridge and taking to the barricades in a determined attempt to keep the newcomers out. To a degree this is understandable. The core of Marilyn Manson fandom is hurt and troubled kids to whom MM's music and ideas are intensely personal. Like NIN fandom when "Closer" became an unexpected hit and swamped them with hordes who only knew "that fuck-you-like-an-animal song," many Spooks thought of the SD'ers as outsiders who didn't and couldn't truly understand. Eventually it should dawn on everyone that we were all new here once, but SD long remained a bone of great contention, and for quite awhile any new arrival who wanted to be taken seriously took pains to state that s/he was not a SweetDreamer.

As the summer passed, rumored release dates for Antichrist Superstar came and went. June 6th (6/6/[9]6 - cute) was popularly batted about for awhile, but October eventually delivered both the true release date, 10/8/96, and the schedule for the band's next headlining outing. In America, some record stores opened at midnight to sell copies of ACS as soon as October 7th became October 8th -- an unusual tribute for a band of MM's stature, as special openings are usually reserved for hot commercial acts like Hootie or long-standing stars such as U2. Keen speculation and a few clandestinely-leaked advance tapes had helped push fan anticipation to a fever that undoubtedly boosted ACS to its surprising debut in Bilboard's #3 slot. Reviews were overall positive, generally agreeing that ACS was a serious, dark and intense work showing considerably more maturity and depth than POAAF. Fan feeling ranged from mesmerized awe to a rather poignant regret, as some mourned the stark darkness of tone and the loss of the old songs' creepy carnival humor. Others dove into analysis of the new work, recalling Manson's statements about the use of Kabbalah, numerology and other occult systems in its creation. The cryptic and complex packaging was scrutinized almost as closely as the songs, much time being devoted to figuring out the numerical codes and sigils tracing through it. Deserving of equal study is Dean Karr's evocative photography, including an amazing sequence which shows Manson's actual metamorphosis from a half-larval "wormboy" to a triumphal insect-winged angel-form.

The Kabbalah, an ancient system of Jewish mysticism, also served to provide the name for the newest Manson member, Zim Zum. After screening a reported 150 respondents to their Village Voice ad, Marilyn and Twiggy chose as their new guitarist this Gothic-looking Chicagoan, formerly (briefly) with Life Sex and Death. (He does not play on LSD's one CD, which had already been released when he did his two-week stint with them.) While the name Zim Zum has been defined to some of the press as the name of "an angel who did God's dirty work," it seems as likely to derive from the Kabbalistic term tzimtzum or tsimtsum, which refers to the empty space God made (i.e., withdrew his presence from) in the Universe, to make room for the Creation. Magickally-inclined fans can perhaps see the parallel here, in which band co-creator Daisy is withdrawn, leaving an empty space that must be filled with a new creation. (It should be noted that diligent Spooks did manage to turn up a serial killer and a fashion model who could fit the name "Zim Zum" into the per-existing nomenclature mold. Zim himself admitted he was impressed by their ingenuity, but the name isn't intended to match that pattern.) --Zim was introduced to fans in the video for ACS' first single, "The Beautiful People" - where some baffled fans mistook him for Trent Reznor - and was featured in the flood of publicity that accompanied ACS' release.

This barrage of coverage was the most impressive - and somewhat unsettling- that Marilyn Manson has received. At one point in late 1996 it was possible to walk into your local magazine dealership and see the band's name or Mr. Manson's face on the covers of no fewer than ten periodicals at once, from the cheesy pulps - Hit Parader, Metal Edge and Metal Maniacs - to high-end glossies like Details and Rolling Stone. HuH Magazine did an insightful feature with moody sepia-tone portraits of Rev. Manson by James&Matthew; went for a full-splash fashion spread delectably photographed by Bettina Rheims, putting the Rev. in velvet tuxedos and riding jackets by Gucci and Jean-Paul Gaultier, or sheer rayon mini-dresses and dripping stigmata, sprawled and bloody Zim and clutching Twiggy at his feet; veteran UK metal mag Kerrang! announced its sponsorship of the band's forthcoming British dates; a full-color, inch-square, 1992 photo of the Spooky Kids --yes, the Spooky Kids, with Gidget and Sara Lee! -- even appeared in, of all places, Seventeen magazine. (November 1996 issue, page 108. Check Marilyn's red vinyl jacket and Sara's leopard spots!) Fans who had been distressed when SD became an MTV Buzz Clip must have found this flash of high visibility downright nightmarish; even for those of us who didn't really mind, it was acutely surreal. The band that we were convinced was just too weird and subversive to ever appeal to any but a cult following, was suddenly this month's mass-market slice of freak chic.

Zim Zum's first live show with MM was at this year's "Nothing Night" showcase on September 5th in New York City. According to all reports, it was a rocky debut, ending in havoc, thrown guitars and overnight hospitalization for drummer Ginger. Trent Reznor, thanking the attending bands at the close of the show, pointedly did not mention Marilyn Manson.

This can't have reassured the new kid, who, like Ginger before him, now faced the prospect of setting out on tour within a mere few weeks of accepting his Manson role. The stats in themselves were daunting. The "Dead To The World" Tour was to be the band's most extensive yet: 18 months, including MM's first ever shows in South America, Europe and the UK, plus showcasing an elaborate stage design unlike anything MM have used before. About the only mercy the fledgling guitarist could count on was that he didn't have to learn much of the band's older repertoire along with the new material, as the set for this tour was predominantly songs from ACS.

The stage production was truly impressive, including a full backdrop suggesting a ruined church complete with stained-glass window (depicting a female angel in combat with Satan), framed by impaled angels; a pipe organ for Gacy; a towering podium for Manson; costume changes and even snow machines.

Tied tightly to a precisely-timed succession of per-recorded material and audiovisual/lighting cues, the tour's stage presentation was early on plagued by technical glitches and the resultant frayed nerves, causing a string of Eastern shows to conclude unfinished. These were (thankfully) ironed out in the second half of the tour, of which only a few gigs failed. The nervous tension was doubtless worsened by a series of macabre rumors that raced with viral speed through the Internet during September and October 1996, predicting Manson's onstage suicide at the band's Halloween concert. It was shocking to see how many audience members (we will not call them "fans") at the Oct 30th and 31st shows clearly believed their ticket price included a good look at the public death of at least Mr. Manson and possibly the whole band. (The Reverend is reported to have stated decisively that he wouldn't be that easy to get rid of.)

In December, while Manson was dealing with media hysteria and shows in Great Britain hastily relocated under pressure of moral outrage, an old enemy resurfaced at home. In mid-December, former "drug czar" turned self-styled "culture warrior" William Bennett held a press conference to chide MCA Music for releasing several objectionable CD's - one of which was Antichrist Superstar. (We and our "NINnie" cousins well remember Bennett as then-Senator Dole's ally in the 1995 attack on Time-Warner, which prominently targeted Nine Inch Nails.) Bennett alleged that MCA head Edgar Bronfman, who as CEO of Seagrams (the well-known whiskey distillery) purchased the 50% of Interscope which Time-Warner was harried into selling, had promised Bennett he would not profit from the sale of any "violent or profane" material. --Alas for Bill, with sales of 600K units ACS may well be considered profitable. Bennett, flanked by Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn) and long-time pro-censor/anti-rock & rap crusader C. DeLores Tucker, made a memorable presentation backed by an enlargement of the ACS back cover art. Indicating the image, which shows Madonna and Twiggy inhaling from face-mask hoses attached to Manson's prosthetic dildo, Bennett charged that if Bronfman "can't tell this is filth and crap" he shouldn't even be in the business. Bronfman's response is not recorded. --The news conference was actually reported on CNN, probably the widest single exposure of Marilyn Manson's name and image up to that point.

Reported in the band's future at the end of 1997 were: the tour's return to America; cover features in Rolling Stone and Spin magazines (yes, like his beloved Dr. Hook, Manson finally makes the "cover of the Rolling Stone" --and within days of his birthday too); the already-legendary February 14th 1997 show; the "Tourniquet" single and video; and breast implants for Marilyn and Twiggy. Or so they say. =)

[misspoetree]

Tagged by @majestictortoise - thank you, what a pleasant surprise! 😊

Last song I listened to: Everything Black by Unlike Pluto; because I got annoyed by something and needed a quick little dance break in the bathroom to cleanse myself from negative feelings. And the beat drop in that song served me well. (Fun Fact: I discovered this song through a random Lee Soo-hyuk / Park Joong-gil edit YouTube recommended to me. And now I feel like I must rewatch all of his Tomorrow scenes. Fuck, this man is fine. 😫)

Three ships: Well, the Jolly Roger - NO, I'm not going to steal that joke. (Even though that specific ship "has sailed and there's a pirate on it". Man... I haven't had OUAT and Captain Swan on my mind in like 5 years. RIP to the person I was, lol.)

I'm legally obliged to say VegasPete because they irreversibly changed my brain chemistry. I haven't had a peaceful day since June 18th 2022.

The second one is WangXian. The Chinese sword gays*TM are the reason why I'm in this Asian BL mess in the first place. I watched the opening scene of The Untamed in April 2020, heard Wei Wuxian say "Lan Zhan" while hanging from that cliff and my brain went WHELP THAT'S IT. THAT'S OUR LIFE NOW. And the rest is history. 🤡

But I feel like these are quite obvious (and so are my other main ships) - so let's make it interesting with the third one: Geraskier. Not the Netflix version of them (DEAR GOD), not the book version of them (infinitely better though) but my personal AO3 version of them that's composed out of the few hundred hurt/comfort fics I read through the whole of 2021. These h/c fics were my number one coping mechanism through that particular year. They still are, in a way. It's always hurt the bard o'clock somewhere, I guess.

Currently reading: I'm about to start a new book but I can't decide which one to choose out of my art installation of unread books. Probably A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab. I really enjoyed the first novel of the Shades of Magic Series. Yesterday I re-read Quiet by didoandis on AO3, a Geraskier fanfic I like. And I really need to read fuck it all back down by syzygetic because people just keep recommending that one to me. 👀

Most recent movie I watched: Men by Alex Garland. I was quite intrigued by the setting and the atmosphere and the feeling of danger - in the first half. And then they fucking lost me. I was more or less...laughing? through the last 15 minutes. Because what was that, my dude. You can push weird, shocking, and disgusting stuff only so far until it gets boring. Even if it is supposed to be full of meaning, an abstract representation of the greater issue at play. Watching an infinity loop of bastardised mpreg! fanfics come to live just didn't do it for me, I'm sorry.

Craving: A piece of the Pumpkin Spice Loaf Cake from Starbucks and a glass of La Cidraie. I'm craving the inner peace I felt the last time I had that.

I'm tagging @scarefox @a-cookie2121 @hedgewyse @chalkrevelations and @thoresque if you guys didn't do that one yet (and as always no pressure 🤗).

[soleadita]

hiiiiiiiiii coming to my fellow narnia enjoyer <333 because i'm going through Finals (tm) and pretty much the entire soundtrack of the first 2 movies is on my playlist and i just <33333 harry gregson-williams i am under your FLOORBOARDS <3333333333333333333333

hiiii winter!! omg, the narnia soundtracks go SO HARD. they're so...evocative???? literally cannot remember the last time i watched the movies but i still get the music stuck in my head out of nowhere.

(also. the Core Memories this message just unlocked. i forgot how obsessed i was with them as a kid. i...taught myself how to play part of the main theme on the clarinet? i...started to be able to identify other harry-gregson-williams-composed songs in movies based on nothing but vibes and "hm something about this reminds me of the narnia music"??? truly a wonder i wasn't Diagnosed sooner.)

anyway, this has inspired me to listen to the soundtracks while i finish off the second half of my workday. i hope you emerge from finals relatively unscathed (what a thing to have to go through, as if december isn't hard enough already). <333

[happytapirstudio]

March 2024 Book Log

(bold means new this month)

Bosnia: A Short History by Noel Malcolm

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Book 6: Ghost Hunter by Michelle Paver (reread, finished)

Crowded Volume 2: Glitter Dystopia by Sebela et al. (finished)

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older (unfinished)

Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Orochi Volume 2 by Kazou Umezz

Ranger's Apprentice Book 1: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (reread, finished)

Ranger's Apprentice Book 2: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

So CoAD 6 and the first Ranger's Apprentice both got read in a single weekend each. This is strange for CoAD because book 5 took me several months, for some reason, despite being an embarrassingly slim book. I think once I finished 5 I was like "the end is in sight LET'S GO" and just took off. Also I had a dream after finishing book 5 that the series had been adapted into a movie and it sucked ass. I'm telling you, this series had a grip on my entire psyche. Felt a shaking sense of loss and nostalgia when I finally finished it, but then I remembered Paver wrote three more books in 2020. My diseases shall continue...

Now Ranger's Apprentice is a weird one, because I genuinely do not like this series, but I think it was the exact genre and/or brand of mediocrity that I needed at the time I picked it up. Both that series and Graceling are books I remember my high school friends reading and loving, and they actually have a lot in common. They're essentially reverse sides of the same coin: the coin that represents the state of YA fantasy in the 2000s. That is... Boy Fantasy (TM) ...and... Girl Fantasy (TM) (C) (R).

As always I could say a lot but I'll restrain myself. Neither of these books/subgenres are ones I particularly enjoy reading or writing, but it's for that precise reason (in addition their overall prevalence in the YA scene) that I'm drawn to them. I need to know how they tick. I need to pick them apart page by page.

My briefest review of Ranger's Apprentice is that it's possessed by the spirit of passive misogyny. That is to say, male characters far outnumber female, and the few women we do see are constantly measured by their attractiveness to male characters. Thus far, we've yet to meet any ladies who are framed as obnoxious or villainous because of their female traits (i.e. shrill, cunning, bossy, sexy-evil), but I wouldn't hold my breath. Insanely enough, I think I'd find that much less misogynistic than this bouquet of sweet-smelling Women (c) (TM) who are So Very Pretty and can Do No Wrong and Never Ever Say Anything Mean Whatsoever.

Also I always find it interesting when a series chooses to have the antagonist's supporting forces be largely composed of "stupid" monsters simply taking orders from a single Big Bad. Definitely a major characteristic to me of the "Boy Fantasy" genre. To me it automatically makes the story much more shallow. It takes a certain power away from the battles, because at that point you're not killing soldiers, you're disabling robots and racking up points. And it (deliberately and understandably so) removes any difficulties from the concept of killing, which takes the interesting edges off all these rugged warrior-men and turns them into a pack of two-dimensional action figures. This is the blonde one. This is the one who gets mad at other people. This is the fat one.

Oh. Do not get me started on the fatphobia in this series lmao.

Compare that to Graceling, where (chapter 1-level spoilers here) the main character is a girl gifted with superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes, making her an exceptional fighter and killer. Her uncle, the king, uses her as an assassin to punish those who've wronged him. She has a body count that would put half the cast in Ranger's Apprentice to shame, but she's not exactly proud of it the way they would be.

In fact, her feelings about herself and her powers are very complicated...she sees herself as a monster, a dog who works for her uncle. She tends to isolate herself from others in a way that comes across as conceit. For the most part, she is proud of her skills, partly because she's spent so much time honing them, and partly because she truly is better at what she does than basically anyone else alive. But she knows she's ruining lives for her uncle. She recognizes her enemies are people just like her, not campy villains or flat stereotypes. She understands that she isn't just taking a life or breaking a finger, she's effecting change that impacts the lives of everyone around them. For this, she resents her uncle, and she especially hates her inability to resist his commands. She can't imagine herself as anything other than an outcast because of her gift and her history.

That's not to say Graceling is without its own set of flaws, but I definitely take its story and characters more seriously than those of Ranger's Apprentice.

[cgunawan]

Film Journal #6

DuckTales (1987) Season 1 Episode 1: Don't Give Up the Ship

Directed By Alan Zaslove

Produced By Disney Television Animation.

Written By Jymn Magon, Bruce Talkington & Mark Zaslove

Animated By Wang Film Production, Cuckoo’s Nest Studio, TMS Entertainment, Burbank Films

Original Air date: September 18, 1987 (premiere)

1) Technique section:

Cel Animation. Cel animation is the process of manually drawing 2D animation on sheets of clear plastic called "cels."

After a planning phase, animators transfer rough sketches onto translucent plastic sheets known as cels. On one side of the plastic, each cel has a single drawing that is filled in with colour on the other. Then, these "cels" are set up over a backdrop and captured in succession.

They give the impression of movement when played back at a speed of 12 or 24 frames per second.

Even though 2D animation of today uses several cel animation techniques, computers are used for practically all of the work. Despite digital tools is utilised to speed up the process, 2D animations are still created mostly human animators.

 

2) Representation section:

The show follows Scrooge McDuck, his three grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, as well as close friends of the group, on various adventures. The majority of these either involve seeking out treasure or thwarting the efforts of villains trying to steal Scrooge's fortune or his Number One Dime. The show is based on Uncle Scrooge and other Duck universe comic books created by Carl Barks.

When their Uncle Donald joins the Navy, Scrooge McDuck is forced to take in his three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. As they get along, the mysterious El Capitán employs the Beagle Boys to rob Scrooge's museum of a miniature wooden ship, claiming it is a map to a real treasure ship.

3) Reception section:

Collider's Maximilian Leunig stated, "Characters that had previously only appeared in comic books were introduced in this legendary series, especially those created by Carl Barks and Don Rosa. Famous antagonists like Magica De Spell, the Beagle Boys, and Flintheart Glumgold, as well as allies like Gyro Gearloose and Glittering Goldie, were included in this group. Naturally, the programme also gave rise to adored sidekicks like Launchpad McQuack, Gizmoduck, and Webby, all of whom added adventure and excitement to this Disney classic."

According to Common Sense Media's Emily Ashby, who gave the programme a rating of 4 out of 5, "During its four-year run in the 1980s, DuckTales was a huge hit with viewers, and it still entertains today thanks to its great stories, exciting adventures, and iconic Disney characters like Scrooge McDuck and the dynamic trio of Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Because the stories frequently take place in exotic locales like Greece, Antarctica, and the Klondike, young readers are exposed to fundamental geographical ideas and a variety of global cultures."

DuckTales was named second by BuzzFeed's Jeremy Hayes in their "Best Cartoons From The '80s" list, stating that it is "perhaps the finest Disney cartoon show ever; from what I've seen of this show, the animation and voice acting truly stand out." The series continued for four seasons after its September 1987 premiere and is frequently cited as one of the most underappreciated cartoons ever."

The series was so successful that they even made a reboot in 2017.

Along with a theatrical animated spin-off feature named DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, which was released to cinemas across the United States on August 3, 1990, DuckTales has served as inspiration for video games, merchandising, and comic books. Because it was the first Disney animated series made for weekday syndication, the success of the show paved the door for later Disney animated series, including Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers and TaleSpin, which led to the creation of the syndicated block The Disney Afternoon. Mark Mueller composed the show's well-known theme song. Launchpad McQuack eventually made a comeback and became a prominent figure in the Disney cartoon film Darkwing Duck.

I personally love this series so much. Though at that time I didn't understand what they were talking about (because English is not my first language, and I wasn't thought English until I was older), I can still remember the opening theme song until today. It is one of the most iconic animation series of all time.

Source:

[smallblueandloud]

okay i’m gonna have to admit to y’all that i made that post to remind myself about all of the valid compliants about the sequel trilogy, because i learned about something that i’m VERY prettily upset about and like, personally insulted by, even though it’s literally not about me and it was never about me and it’s not even a big issue in the grand scheme of things.

[spicytrashthe1st]

Obey me boys reation to Mc "heavy petting" them in public

Lucifer

Gives u the look tm.

R u gonna grow meek under his gaze? Fuck no. Double down, ruin him, 10 points if u get him to lose his composure.

Just imagine, y'all r at a student council meetin when u smooth a hand over his thigh until ur hands over his (unfortunately) clothed cock. Give it a good squeeze before u start rubbin at it. Take ur time, the goal isnt to make him cum in his pants in the next 5mins, no, the goal is to lull him into such a relaxed state that he doesnt pay attention to the meetin. Instead his eyes flutter close, pen dropping from his grip as he sinks into his seat. Fuck n when he finally looks at u again only to give u those eyes, those pleadin eyes w such a soft expression that so very rarely graces his face.

*sighs* hes such a sweet thing, its a shame that hes gonna lecture u for 3 hours after this.

Mammon

Squeaks but denies it later.

If u can get him off discreetly u deserve a reward. Man is a mess under ur hands like fuckin always. But lets just say y'all have been doin this for a while so he's not so jumpy when u get handsy. So y'all r at the casino, Mam's is havin a lucky night n hes got that dumb happy look on his face that makes u go all mushy. So u come up behind his seat, wrap ur arms around him n nuzzle at his neck. Ur hands wander down his chest n torso until ur hands frame his cock. He tenses, bitin his lip as his mind whirls, wonderin how far ur gonna go this time. Will u be content w just holdin him like this? Maybe you'll jerk him off under the table, or maybe you'll throw him ontop of it n fuck the shit outta him. Who knows.

Leviathan

Well, thats one way to kill him.

Says he hates it but asks u to do it again. So u take it slow. Its movie night and everyone has long fallen asleep, everyone except u too. Y'all r cuddlin on the couch, hes little spoon cause how can u not want to hold this man in ur arms? The hands wrapped around his waist start to get that itch, the itch to touch, to caress, to feel the heat of his fleash under ur palm. So u slither a hand up his shirt, his cute nipples r just too inviting so u pinch n rub n twist them until theyre hard. Ur other hand dips under his waistband to wrap around his quickly hardenin cock. Hes holdin his breath, tryin so hard not to make any noise as pleasure shudders through his body.

Satan

Proceed w caution, this man is a cat after all.

Usually y'all r in his room w him lyin against ur chest as he reads to u n u thread ur fingers through his hair. But sometimes y'all go to the library, and today this fucker has the audacity to look so fuckin good. I mean sure hes just leanin there readin to his hearts content. But a strand of hair is out of place n he just looks so good. So u grab him by his lapels n drag him into one of the rows, shovin him against the bookshelf before shovin a hand down his pants.

Asmodeus

U think ppl bein around is gonna stop this man? Pft. It could be a regular ol tuesday when he gives that look, that look that has u burnin for him. How can u not shove him against the nearest surface?

Beelzebub

So, ur a good christian right? U can keep ur hands to urself right? U can watch this man workout for hours, gettin all sweaty w his titties out without goin to have a taste right?

Belphegor

We all agree that the cow bitch has a somnophilia kink yeah? Well considerin the fucker is asleep most of the time feel free to grop to ur hearts content. Pull out his chair durin class n show all the lesser demons what his pathetic cock can do.

Diavolo

Two words, touch, starved.

Would love to have ur hands on him 100% of the time, but he gotta work so that cant happen...unless? Unless u take advantage of his free time inbetween, or u could just walk into one of his meetings order him to get outta his seat so he can sit in ur lap. Do not do this in front of Lucifer, or do, ur funeral...again, anyway, play around w his titties. Rip open his fuckin shirt n let those puppies breath.

Barbatos

Dude doesnt show it but he really likes ur touch, like to the point where he seeks u out.

Ma'am this is a kitchen, u make food here...but u also eat food here to n Barb is lookin like a snac. U dont want to interupt his work but damn. Maybe pull his pants down just a little, maybe pull his hips back n eat his ass a little?

Simeon

I can be ur angel, i can be ur slut uwu.

Either hed be like "whatre u doin senpai?" Or is the one to put ur hands on him. So desperate for ur attention, he needs u to touch him, make his body sing. Doesnt want to get caught but also kinda does.

Solomon

He's too composed, mess him up. Is this hard to do? Yes, but its rewarding.