#they made me laugh so much and it was a good brand of comedy

[asunflowerana]

Salmon - Inumaki Toge

summary: you always wanted to meet your soulmate; you just didn't thought he would have to save your life along the way.

warnings: soulmate!au, comedy, curse appearance (nothing frightening), and some good old fluff.

“Finish your soup, _____, you don't want to faint in front of your soulmate.” Says your grandmother, trying to persuade you to eat another portion of her still-warm pumpkin with ginger soup.

She’s been using this tactic since you were four, and to her delight, sooner or later you’d end up lifting your spoon and serving your empty bowl again. You can’t help your heart’s greatest desire, yearning for the day you’ll finally find the person who, according to other people’s experiences, will brighten up your whole world.

It sounds almost like something out of a fairytale, your destiny tied to someone especially made it to love you. To be honest, you wouldn’t believe it if it weren’t for the bold letters embedded on your wrist since the beginning of your life. The “soulmate brand”, as your grandmother once explained — the literal first words your soulmate will say to you. Each person has it somewhere on their skin, and nothing, absolutely nothing, can erase it, as the mark is part of your entire being as much as your beating heart is. 

“Will you grant me this dance? ” is your grandma’s brand, the first words your grandfather said to her after gazing for a long time at the prettiest woman he has ever seen around the neighborhood festivals.

And the brands are varied, but they usually make sense for a first meeting, from simple “Hi” and “Excuse me”s, to “Would you like some coffee?”. Well, most of them are understandable, but there are some not-very-funny cases, like yours, that they’re completely senseless.

“Salmon” hides under the long sleeve of your shirt. 

What does “salmon” have to do with all this? Why not something simpler, like a “nice to meet you”?

You’ve created so many theories over time, trying to find a logical scenario where this would be a first-thing sentence. Maybe your future partner is a cook, and he’ll prepare you a Baked Salmon; or maybe he’s a fisherman, trying to sell you one of his late products; or maybe, you’ll work as a waitress at a seafood restaurant, and he’ll just order the best fish of the restaurant. Sometimes you laugh at yourself, just imagining one of these scenes actually happening.

You know that finding soulmates takes time, but if you could only get a hint. Almost all of your friends already found their partners, so why haven’t you? You sincerely don’t care about appearance, or culture, you just want to meet your “universe’s best gift” and understand why the heck his first words to you is a marine fish.

Months pass by, and still, nothing comes your way. You can count on hope, and move forward with your life.

As you finish your second bowl of soup, you wish your grandma a good day and pack your purse to head off to the library two blocks away. The historic building is the best place to spend your autumn afternoons, sitting on a comfy armchair with a book in hand and a tasty hot chocolate along the way. However, your oasis received an interesting addition in the past weeks: something, or rather, someone, has been catching your attention. You don’t know the new customer’s name, but from what you’ve observed (stared, to be frank), he enjoys a lot of mythical books, and prefers to sit alone at a table. 

You know you shouldn't be spending time trying to take note of someone else’s life, but there’s something about him that attracts your mind and takes your eye's attention off the book. It could be the fact that he always wears his coat’s collar up to his mouth, his intriguing grayish hair, or the shape of his beautiful purple eyes that perfectly match his face. 

Okay, maybe you’re noticing too much. 

Sometimes you catch yourself daydreaming about a date with him. He seems like someone polite, even if you never heard him speak. But you don’t have the courage to start a conversation with him, he’s just so… focused on his reading, you wouldn't want to intrude. And besides, a guy like him probably has a girlfriend already.

You return to your previous reading, and by the middle of the sunset, you leave for your house. Grandma said she was going to the supermarket early, so you weren’t surprised to find the place empty when you entered.

But you were surprised when you spotted a finger on the dinner table.

As an instinct, you grab the white porcelain vase from the shelf near the doorway and use it as a protection, your gaze scanning every spot of the living room, and every room of the house. You frown, not finding anything broken or messed up, and the windows are all closed. How did a human finger get on the dinner table then? As far as you know, your grandmother only collects shells.

You type 911 on your phone, anxious by the whole creepy situation, eyes, and ears alert to any signal. While the call is on hold, you approach the table to inspect the unknown finger: It isn’t fresh or dripping with blood, but it strangely looks well-preserved, not marks of degradation. A wave of shivers runs through your body.

“What’s your emergency?” A female voice says through the call.

“Hi, I-”

In one second, your body is thrown hard against the wall by an incomprehensible force. The hit is all your senses can figure out, the sudden pain increasing on your right side while potent dizziness takes over your brain. Fallen on the wooden floor, you take the last of the strength that remains in your muscles to look for what hurt you.

You immediately wish you didn’t make that decision, for you wouldn’t face the haunting creature staring in your direction. A monstrous black shape slowly approaches you, a mouth full of sharpened teeth, and a single lifeless white eye glazed at your form. It mumbles unfamiliar words as it levitates above the floor, a horrid sound that makes you tremble in pure panic.

Is this how you’re gonna die?

Suddenly, you hear the sound of the window breaking into dozens of glass shards, caused by a human form that lands inside your house. You swear, from a quick glimpse, that is the library man five feet away from you, but maybe you’re too dizzy to actually see right. Scared, your eyelids close, and you can only hear the sounds of furniture falling and the creature’s terrifying shrieks. It’s a vivid nightmare, one that you can’t wake up from, but that fortunately ends.

You only open your eyes when you feel two warm, human hands gently holding your shoulders, filling you with the hope that the creature it’s gone. Your gaze widens at the face of your savior.

“It’s you.” You whisper, and unknowingly to you, your sentence is exactly the same words embedded in Inumaki’s wrist. His eyes widen as he realizes it, being able to contemplate the unnatural glow that comes out of your being, the glow that only soulmates can find. 

He found his soulmate.

“Salmon.”

And so did you.

a/n: not gonna lie, this is probably my favorite creation so far. hope enjoy it and giggle with it as much as I did.

© asunflowerana 2024 — all rights reserved.

[sirfrogsworth]

It was 1991. I was 10. And the other white kids at my Catholic elementary school started getting into rap. And I always thought if I did what my bullies did, they would bully me less. So I got a cassette tape of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and the new "Hammer" album. He dropped the "MC" part of his name because he wanted to be taken more seriously as an artist and too many sketch comedy shows had made fun of parachute pants by that point.

So he was just Hammer.

Apparently I screwed up because they only liked the white rappers. Because they were all a bunch of little proto-racists. But that pretty much limited you to Marky Mark and Vanilla Ice. But I liked the way MC Hammer danced so I picked that out at the music shop.

Other things I tried to get on the good side of my bullies...

I learned how to play hockey (which I ended up really liking).

I had my parents get me a White Sox Starter hat. It had to be from that brand though. And despite being in St. Louis, it had to be the White Sox. For some reason it was cooler to root for a non-local team at the time. I guess that was the extent of edgy counterculture for 10 year olds.

I got shoes that had little air pumps in the tongue. You'd press a little basketball and it would inflate the top of your shoe.

Oh, and you had to get this Adidas jacket.

This was fun because it came in a bunch of colors but I got black just to be safe.

The Adidas jacket was my last attempt to get on the good side of my bullies. One of them took apart an ink pen and dropped it in my hood. I spent all day with it just jostling around and spreading ink everywhere. When I came home at night my mom noticed the entire hood was stained with ink. I cried my eyes out and she tried her best to clean it. And I think I got mad at her when she couldn't. I asked her to buy me a new jacket but I'm pretty sure they couldn't really afford to buy me that one to begin with. She assured me you couldn't even tell and no one would notice if I never used the hood. But the bully who did it knew and pointed it out the next day. And they all made fun of me for my ruined jacket.

I think it finally dawned on my tiny squishy brain that I would never appease these jerks no matter what I did. No matter how much I tried to fit in. And that's when I had the discussion with my parents to switch schools. They told me the only other option was public school. They worried there would be a lot more kids able to bully me. Because I was a weird kid and said weird things. But I wanted to try it. Plus, it probably saved them a bunch of money in tuition. My bullies all told me I was going to get stabbed because of the Black kids. But, in reality, it was the best decision I ever made.

It took me a little while to adjust. I had been so traumatized at my previous school that I had trouble controlling my emotions. So I would cry at the drop of a hat. And one of my teachers got upset with me because I'd cry if I got a bad grade or if I forgot my homework. One time my dog actually ate my homework and she didn't believe me and I cried, so my parents had to write a note for me.

But eventually I learned I was not actually a big weirdo as my bullies had said. I was funny. And I made people laugh. And they liked laughing. And it turns out, if you entertain people, they don't want to make fun of you anymore.

What was I talking about?

HAMMER!

Yes, that was my first CD.

And I liked 1 song on it.

Because Hammer got too serious and I wanted parachute pants.

[cazzyf1]

Some of my favourite quotes from David Benson's 'Hunt v Lauda'

'He was nursing a toy yellow-eyed gorilla which made alarming noises and clapped a pair of cymbals attached to its hand.

"Whats with the gorilla?"

James looked tired. "It's called smiler. Alistair and Teddy gave it to me to celebrate my championship."

Teddy smiled benignly: "The gorilla was not very popular in first-class lounge I'm afraid."

"No," said James, "and they wouldn't let me blow my whistle either." He produced a police whistle and blew it.' - p7

"When we boarded the plane, he (James Hunt) insisted on joining mechanics in touring class until the lights were turned down for passengers to sleep." - p8

"Niki had always wanted to marry Mariella but she had refused to do so until he had become world champion." - p21

"The unsuspecting young actress Marlene Knaus was going to endure a trial that few women, even with a tremendously experienced and well-founded background, could have endured." - p21

"I telephoned James Hunt in Johannesburg where he is preparing for the South African Grand Prix. He told me, "I have been in daily contact with Susy and am fully informed about what is going on. I wouldn't stop her getting a divorce. I am trying to help her as much as I can so that she makes the right decisions. Obviously if she wanted to come back to me, I would help her do that." - p40

"I walked out of the dinning-room to an annexe alongside it, and sitting in the corner with a lady I didn't know was Niki Lauda; he smiled and asked a Carol and me to join him for a cup of coffee. He introduced the girl alongside him very simply, "This is my lady," She was, of course, Marlene Knaus, a very beautiful girl, with her hair in a rather severe style, brushed back, and a bun on the top of her head. We had a long chat about seat belts - both were empathetically in favour (that evening the house of commons in the UK were debating on making seatbelts in cars compulsory) - but the important thing was that I established a friendly relationship with Marlene when other people on the racing circuit cold-shouldered her, thinking she was merely some local pick-up. In fact, she and Niki were planning to get married as soon as they flew back from South Africa." - p44

"The main topic of conversation was the break-up of the long relationship between Niki Lauda and Mariella. Helen (Stewart) offered, with the best possible intentions, to get in touch with both Mariella and Niki is necessary to heal the breach. Having seen how close Niki and Marlene were in South Africa, I doubted if this were possible. As it turned out, a day after we had our discussion in Nina's home, Niki went quietly to a register office near Vienna and married Marlene." - p47

"He tried awfully hard not to hurt me." - (Susy about James) - p58

"James was standing right alongside me. Tears welling in his eyes. "It's stupid," he said, "It does not affect the performance of the car or make it any faster. Not even the Ferrari team protested and they were the ones who have the most to win..." - p62

"It was in triumph, therefore, that Hunt, six weeks before his 29th birthday, left for Britain in preparation for the John Player Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. With good humour and in high spirits, he took part in an event before the race and revealed another facet in his talents. It was at the Albert Hall at the Grand Prix Night of the Stars, a concert in aid of the Graham Hill Memorial Fund. The hall was packed with evening-suited celebrities who had paid up to £500 for a private box. Hunt was introduced by astronomer Patrick Moore who had just done a soft-shoe shuffle. Suddenly, Moore reached for a trumpet left behind on the bandstand by Chris Barber, who had done an earlier turn. "You're supposed to be good at blowing your own trumpet," he said, "so try this one." The audience dutifully laughed expecting a knockabout comedy turn. But Hunt took the trumpet, the studio band started to play and Hunt's clear, clean notes echoed through the vast auditorium. It was a memorable moment. When the audience realised that Hunt was playing for real, they roared their approval and then sat in silence as James plaved like a professional. Hunt's brother, Peter told me later: "I had a hell of a job convincing the BBC, who were recording the show, that James really was a good enough trumpet player to perform on TV. He learned to play at about 12 or 13 when he was at Wellington. He was in the school orchestra and the school band and played solo at concerts. Stuart Turner, Public Affairs Director of Ford of Britain, had a box at the Albert Hall. He turned to me after Hunt had finished his solo and said: "Now I have seen everything: James Hunt playing the trumpet at the Albert Hall we'll have Niki Lauda doing a comedy act next." - p73-4

"Niki himself, having almost killed himself in a first-lap accident there in 1974, has always campaigned against the Nurenburgring. He argued that the 1976 German Grand Prix should be switched to the Hockenheim Ring, a purpose-built circuit with outstanding safety facilities installed after the death there of Jim Clark in 1968. But Lauda was reviled by the Germans for his attempt. In practise at Nürburgring spectators displayed a huge poster of Lauda and his car. Across it was written, 'Lauda 20 kilometres per hour. Aus.' Ring bystanders are hard on anyone threatening the thrill of the race." - p80

"Sunday's race day was altogether depressing from the start. The young American driver Brett Lunger had heard the night before that his father had died unexpectedly in the United States and Brett decided to stay and go on with the race before returning home. It was to be a vital decision in the saving of Niki Lauda's life." - p81

"Jackie had a remarkable story to tell that Niki's agents had telephoned him soon after the crash and asked him to appear at a promotion for a new line of jeans which were being marketed in Niki's name. Jackie refused, saying he would only appear with Niki's permission. Niki was telephoned and they were told that he was determined to be there himself." - p86-7

"What would the situation be if Niki was fit to drive and Ferrari still wouldn't come to the track?" I asked Alastair, without hesitation he replied: "We will lend him a car so he and James can fight it out." - p89

"Then Niki arrived in his Jaguar with Marlene and Willi Dungl, his masseur/confidant, the man responsible for building Niki up physically in preparation for the race. There was a last-minute panic when it was discovered that Dungl had left his passport back at the house but he had an identity card and Niki knew that with Ferrari influence we would have no trouble getting Willi into Italy. Niki insisted on carrying out all the check-out procedures himself and we made a beautiful take off from Salzburg Airport." - p95

"At one point I was asked if I wanted to see a priest. So I said: "OK." He came in, and gave me my last rites - crossed my shoulder - and said "Goodbye My friend". I nearly had a heart attack! I wanted someone to help me live in this world, and not pass into the next." - p98

"I was watching his wife Marlene's eyes as she protectively, solicitously, studied her husband. She seemed almost proud of his scarred features." - p101

"A beautiful elegant grey/green-eyed young woman by the name of Marlene Knaus enjoyed life of a promising screen actress and model. A member of one of the most respected families in Austria she fitted easily into the jet set world of show business. She moved easily too in the rarefield world of medicine in which her grandfather was a renowned gynaecologist and in the artistic circles into which she was born as the daughter of a famous painter." - p101

"I used to smoke maybe one or two cigarettes a day, but from the time of the accident I have become a chain smoker. I know that this is not good for my health but it helps me through the crisis." Niki does not smoke and he says that this fact helped him recover from his lung injuries, but he does not reprove Marlene for smoking." - p102

"Marlene is a delightfully warm person. Her handshake is firm. Her eyes are steady and constant. They are the eyes of a woman who could inspire a man to great things, and she likes to touch the person that she is talking to. She looks at her husbands scarred face and gently strokes it." - p103

"Hunt, who had trotted through the driving rain along the length of the pits to salute the supreme courage of his world title rival Niki Lauda." - p104

"I just wish there bad been no accident, no disqualifications, no aggrevation, and Niki and I were fighting it out fair and square on the track. After what Niki has achieved, he deserves that at least. What Ferrari have done is to devalue the world championship and to cloud Niki's brave recovery. His recovery is absolutely amazing and he really is fit again." - p125

"His wife Marlene was happy with his decision. She had said earlier; "When he got into the car and drove away, I wanted to throw myself in front of it and stop him." - p140

"All Hunt knew was that he had to pass everything in sight. It took him two laps to catch and pass Alan Jones in the Surtees. Now he was fourth. Almost on the same bend he came upon Regazzoni in the Ferrari. Would the Swiss Italian let him through or hold him back? Ostentatiously Rega moved over and waved Hunt through ar a point where the Ferrari pit could clearly see his manoeuvre. As Rega passed his pit he gave them the two finger sign to show his disapproval that he had been dropped from the team for 1977." - p142

[akiyamanemu]

🍼.Gun & Goo on a nanny day:

As those huge, bright eyes glared at JongGun, he reflected on the decisions he had made during his life that had led him to this point, babysitting the daughter of his once favorite Jang Hyun, but the worst part of it was that JoonGoo was there to help. It looked like a comedy scene, two gangsters and a baby.

-Gun you don't think she shit herself? Goo was sitting in the living room peeling some potatoes for dinner, he was talking nonstop.

-Uh? Gun lifted Yenna with one hand sniffing all over the baby like a bloodhound. -Don't say "she shit herself", and she's fresh!

-Then maybe you should feed her! Goo went into the kitchen to get the bottle, he seemed to be putting a little too much effort into taking care of Yenna.

In a second Gun's sunglasses were in Yenna's hands, she smeared the glasses with saliva and shook them in the air, Gun looked around looking for something for the little girl to play with but he didn't see anything that could serve as a toy for a child , Gun cursed wondering why the hell Jang Hyun hadn't prepared a bag with Yenna's things before sending her there.

-Your dad is being very negligent little princess, it looks like uncle is going to have to take you shopping...

-Are you going out with the baby? Goo asked, heading out of the kitchen.

-We're going out with the baby! Gun smiled at Yenna, settling her in his arms as he grabbed his wallet and keys to leave.

-Why do I have to go?! Goo grumbled taking off his apron.

-You live in these housewife stores, you're going to help me buy things for Yenna! Gun shrugged putting the frilly sunglasses on his face.

-But my soup is boiling... Goo was muttering at the kitchen door, he wasn't in the mood to leave.

-Fuck your soup... I mean, leave the soup for later... Gun clears his throat looking at Yenna, the baby didn't care about their fights, she seemed more interested in chewing Jong Gun's expensive coat.

The three drove to an expensive mall in the area. Out of nowhere Gun had become a mother ready to spend every last penny on her baby, he went to brand stores buying expensive dresses, shoes, he had gone to the mall to buy a bottle and some toys.

-I think it's good, right Yenna?! Goo said as he adjusted the bags in his arms.

-Not! Gun smiled at Yenna as he pushed the baby stroller he had just bought, extremely expensive.-I want to buy her some hairpins!

-But didn't you buy some at Dior? Goo snorted, he could feel his arms surrounded by bag straps burning.

-Yes, so what? Gun lowered his sunglasses, frowning.

-Your favoritism over Jang Hyun is no joke. Goo mocked being ignored by Gun who used some teddy bears to entertain Yenna, her laughter echoed around while she had fun with her new uncle.

At the end of the day Gun and Yenna ate ice cream while Goo struggled to find a taxi or something to take them home with so many bags. Gun acted like the perfect uncle, or rather he was ready to spoil that child by spoiling her with all the good and the best whenever she smiled or laughed, Gun didn't understand what he felt when he saw those huge eyes shining when they looked at him, because he was always scary and intimidating to everyone, in his mind maybe Yenna was strong and brave enough to be his successor.

-Hey, you crazy man, stop raving, this child will still take a long time to be old enough to start illegal businesses! He said through gritted teeth drawing Gun's attention to the taxi that was waiting for them.

So they went back to Gun's house where Jang Hyun was waiting anxiously at the door wondering what had happened to his daughter, only to see her covered in extremely expensive and luxurious things with her face full of ice cream.

[I hope you like it, someone asked in the comments, I wrote it and forgot to post it lol]

[For me Gun must be really good with kids, even with his bad personality, so I couldn't pass it up]

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Re-listened to Somewhere Over the David O'Doherty this morning, the 2011 show that became a significant part of DO'D's We Are Not The Champions album. What a good show. I've re-listened to his Bandcamp albums a lot, but I think I'd only heard that show once before, about a year and a half ago. I remembered it being very good, and it was. Possibly his best one until his excellent 2020 Live in His Own Car During a Pandemic, that was done as an audience-free recording rather than a live show, for obvious reasons.

I think Somewhere Over the David O'Doherty was a quintessential show, it had a lot of songs and routines that he frequently picks to perform at showcases and on TV and things, although he's not nearly as good out of context. I see why he's a common choice for doing one song on dictionary corner and things, but it's so much better when it ties together with his other stuff.

The word "gentle" gets thrown around a lot about him, frequently used by DO'D himself to describe his own stuff, but every time I listen to him I get reminded of what that means in his case, there's a lot more depth to his brand of gentle than you imagine just from hearing the word. Hearing of his songs out of context on TV will make you think "Oh that's fun gentle comedy". Hearing his stuff fall into place together will make you say "Wow, I had no idea gently could have so much substance." And by "you", I mean me. I can't speak for you. But everyone should go buy his albums on Bandcamp.

I mean, of you just take that show, there's a lot more edge to the material than you'd expect from gentle. Somewhere Over the David O'Doherty features stories about getting into fist fights over racism, social commentary on the economic crisis in Ireland, jokes about the violence and religious divides between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland, general and specific heartbreak, references to the IRA, and the time he got robbed at gunpoint by members of a terrorist organization. He doesn't undercut the seriousness of any of these topics, and yet he still manages to do all of them justice while remaining gentle. It's brilliant.

And it was funny. I always feel the need to mention that, if I write a post about a comedy show that focuses too much on the things about it besides how funny it is. Because I can hear people say "Yeah, okay, he spoke very well about a perfectly blended mix of serious and lighthearted topics in a way that feels soothing and hopeful despite the darkness of some subject matter, but that's not the point of comedy. Was it funny?" Yes it was funny. It made me laugh out loud on a bench. What more could you want?

It was also a nice soothing thing to listen to on a morning train after a stressful night, though. His We Are Not The Champions song gets to me every time. Very nice to hear.

I mean, for example, this might be a nice and relaxing and reassuring thing to listen to if the night before, you had a panic attack during a Daniel Kitson show and missed the overnight train you were supposed to catch right after it, and as a result had to book a last-minute Travelodge and go sleep there for 6 hours (I mean, that's how long I was in the room, I actually slept for almost no hours) before getting the 5:45 AM train to Scotland instead.

There were a lot of factors as to why that happened, but to be honest, it was possibly inevitable, I'm sort of surprised it didn't happen earlier. I think I should get credit for managing to keep it together in the four days of heat (it's actually slightly cooler in London than at home, but only slightly, and at home I'm not out in the sun all day) and massive crowds and navigation of an unfamiliar system where you ruin like 400 people's day if you stop moving for a second to figure something out or do it wrong.

I mean, London was amazing and beautiful and I'm still in awe of it, I'm very very glad I did it. Only a few of the things I did are things I wish I'd skipped. I wouldn't go to Covent Garden again, or the touristy cathedrals. Wouldn't bother with the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. But everything else I saw, in London and Cambridge, was very very cool and I'd happily do it again. But it was stressful, overall. Cumulated in significantly higher baseline anxiety levels, anything would have messed me up at that point. It didn't help that the night before, I got back from the Soho Theatre late and was too tired to dig through my suitcase and find my anxiety meds, so I just skipped it.

I was then incredibly anxious about the fact that I'd have to sneak out of the Kitson show slightly early to catch my train - a show about the way Daniel Kitson used to yell at people for leaving during his shows. It's also a show about how he doesn't do that anymore, but still. It doesn't help that I basically agree with him - it is rude to leave a show early. And the venue was so much more full than it was on Monday, even though I'd intentionally sat at the back, I'd still have to walk by people.

So I sat there worrying about that, which it turns out is not the best mentality for enjoying a play collaborative experience. And then there was some stuff in the show, very new as it hadn't been there on Monday, about how Daniel Kitson doesn't like people who do exactly the sort of thing I've been doing, this week in particular. Which I haven't actually written about on this blog, but I've vaguely referenced it, and there's a recipie for an utterly irrational anxiety spiral. I mean, obviously he did not write those pages this week because he was Googling himself and read that on my blog. Obviously. He hasn't Googled himself since late 2019, he tells us in the show. But he also tells us he's 46 in this show, even though he's reprinted the scripts since turning 47, so he seems to be relaxing his previous standards of taking factual accuracy to pointlessly meticulous levels. Also, I know he's Googled himself recently, because a few months ago he referenced on stage his old BBC Awards TV set from 1995, he mentioned that just after my friend uploaded a video of that to YouTube, and I'd never heard him mention it before, that can't be a coincidence.

Literally everything in the above paragraph was something that crossed through my mind as I was in the audience going through an increasingly irrational anxiety spiral and ended up convinced that everything I've ever done has been wrong. Then I got a line and was convinced I'd yelled it much too loudly, and then my brain shut down and I didn't hear most of the rest of the show, I definitely did not sneak out at the right time to catch a train.

That, as I mentioned before, was meant to be the show that would override the memory of when I saw him on Monday, met him briefly afterwards, and as they say, got it wrong. Very wrong. And I actually did. Because I know anyone reading this will be kindly thinking "Aw, your irrational anxiety makes you think you conducted yourself incorrectly in front of someone you're a huge fan of, I'm sure in reality you were perfectly fine." Nope. I know what irrational anxiety is. I got that last night. I promise that I am correctly appraising the situation when I say that after the show on Monday, the people I was with very kindly introduced me to him, and I immediately forgot every single word in the English language. It was so weird. I kept trying to think of anything whatsoever to say but could come up with nothing so I just stood near him while not looking at him or talking, leaving him in the awkward position of having been asked to speak to someone who refused to acknowledge his presence. I think we did a fist bump for some reason. We definitely took a picture, which I cannot look at it.

There's something I like in the radio shows that Kitson did from Melbourne in 2009, where he introduced this band he loved called The Lucksmiths who were live in the studio, and to explain how excited he was to have them there, he said "I can't even look at them." I've always liked that as an accurate description of how being star struck feels. But it's not meant to be quite so literal.

I came out of that with a sense that I can't think of Daniel Kitson without horribly cringing at the memory of that, and decided I re-listen to his stuff too often to let that be a lasting thing, so it's good that I'm seeing him on Thursday, leaving me with the overriding memory of a good show, rather than anything else. Not sure it worked out that way, even though it was in fact a very good show, from the 60% or so during which I could process the words.

So it's nearly 8 AM now. I'm on the train to Scotland, have been since 5:45 AM. This one is going to Edinburgh, then I get another one to Glasgow, and another to Fort William, where I'll be tonight. Then trains through Scottish Highlands tomorrow, ending up back in Edinburgh, then 5 days there of comedy shows. Because you know what's probably a good cure for being overwhelmed by the crowds in London? The Edinburgh Festival. I hear that place is nice and quiet.

At least it won't be so hot in Edinburgh though. The heat in London made everything else much harder to handle.

It's been a nice train ride. Listened to some David O'Doherty. Saw some fields. I'm still seeing fields. Have already listened to the entirety of David Francey's Skating Rink album, since finishing DO'D's show, because that's the level of gentle I'm going for this morning. It's nice to have a train journey of a decent length. The train journeys to and from Cambridge yesterday were fun, but too short. Everything in England is too close together.

I came to England for a week when I was 16, but I've never been to Scotland before, and we'll be entering that soon. Not arriving by night train as I was meant to, but I'm still going to arrive in Edinburgh by train, which is pretty fucking cool, as I've spent most of my life hugely romanticizing both Scotland and trains.

This is definitely going to be one of those posts where I hit post because putting it up makes me feel better in a blog-as-therapy way, and I'll take it down pretty quickly. Don't need that up there forever. I've been doing a few of those overly personal posts like that lately. It's not great, but there are worse coping mechanisms. I still haven't had any alcohol since I got here, which I'm pretty proud of, given how badly I wanted something to take the edge off some of those London crowds.

[megan-loves-surveys]

#16.

What is your Starbucks order? or any coffee shop order? I change it up - mocha java chip frappe, caramel frappe, cookies & cream frappe etc. I also love trying the limited time drinks, I try every single one of them lol.

What is your dream vacation? OMG, so many options.

Would you ever go on a game show? Which one? I'd go on Mastermind and have a wrestling thing as my subject, maybe about The Shield xD

What TV show character do you relate to most? Dunno.

If you had to choose to be an animal, what would you be and why? Cat.

When was the last time you wore a dress/suit? The other day I wore a cute summer dress.

Have you ever been to Tennessee, USA? No.

Do you prefer more mellow music or loud? Both.

Do you get along well with your family? I don't see them much outside of my immediate family.

When was the last time you played in the snow, if ever? Never.

Are you clumsy? Not really.

Does anyone you know have a birthday coming up soon? Not super soon, but my boyfriend is next.

Do you ever go bowling? Not regularly, but on occasion.

Have you ever worn a wig? Probably.

Do you enjoy musicals? Depends.

What shoes did you wear today? None, I haven't gone out. I'll probably go for a walk later to my boyfriend's place (he lives down the street from me lol) and wear flip flops.

Do you enjoy 60’s music? Sure.

Do you know anyone who is a great drummer? No.

Would you rather watch or play sports? Neither unless it's wrestling lol.

Does your name have a meaning behind it? It's a variation of my Mum's name, but that's not why they picked it oddly. It also means pearl.

Do you have a certain brand you are very loyal to? Converse. I don't wear any other sneakers but them lol, my collection is growing <3

Are you too short for the sun visor in the car to work properly for you? Yes haha.

Do you have a favorite planet? Dunno xD

How often do you spend time on Bzoink? It shut down, but I was on there a lot.

What did you last have to drink? Water.

What type of movies are you most amused by? Comedy :P

What is your sense of humor like? Sarcastic, but also random shit makes me laugh too.

Are you materialistic? I can be.

Do you listen more with your heart, mind, or stomach? Haha mind.

What are some things that fascinate you? Scams, glitches in video games, geography, useless facts about my fandoms like wrestling and Pokémon etc.

Do you suffer from any diseases? No.

Have you ever broken a bed? No.

Have you ever worked in retail? No.

What’s the strangest food combination you’ve seen someone eat? Dunno.

Do you pick up on others feelings easily? Sure.

What is your current mood? Hungry.

Do you prefer shopping online or in store? Both - I love ordering stuff online that I can't get in NZ, but I also like going to the store and seeing it in person, plus no delivery fees lol.

What did you last remember dreaming about? Dunno.

What’s your favorite condiment? Ketchup/tomato sauce.

What is the last thing you borrowed? Hmm, not sure.

When was the last time you took a group picture? Does my pic with Five count? There's a group of us xD

Name the first person who pops in your head whose name starts with T. Dunno.

Is there a song or songs you can rap all the lyrics to? Yes.

Have you hugged anyone today? No.

What did you last watch on TV? Shortland St.

If your last words were the last message you received, what would they be? "Love you!" Aww, from my boyriend.

Are you good at keeping secrets? Sure.

What last disappointed you? Not sure.

If you could see a concert of any celebrity who has passed away.. who would you like to see? Girls Aloud with Sarah there, cos she passed from cancer :(

How many blankets do you own? A few.

What was your favorite food as a child? Mac & cheese, like it is now.

Do you like denim shorts? Yes, love them!

What was the last picture you looked at? A photo of Jon Moxley above my desk.

What’s the main thing you use the internet for? Loads of things.

How many questions do you prefer in a survey? Depends.

Have you ever made someone cry unintentionally? Probably.

Is it easy to offend you? Not really.

When did you last wear a hat? Hmm, a bit back at an outdoor event.

Do you work well under pressure? Depends.

What is something that is or was hard to let go of? Hmm.

What colors do you normally use to decorate with? Purple, green, black, white, grey etc.

Have you ever bruised one of your ribs? Yes.

Have you ever burned yourself on a candle? No.

What is one of your toxic traits? I procrastinate a lot.

Have you ever found a skeleton while outside? No.

What time is it currently? 12:28pm.

How many mirrors do you have in your bedroom? 1.

What is something you cannot get enough of? Chips.

When is your birthday? July 13.

What do you usually do to celebrate? Go to lunch with my Mum, do something with my BFF and with my boyfriend.

Do you enjoy surprises? Sure.

Have you ever had a surprise party? No.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? A kitten. And it wasn't even from my parents, it was from my aunt and uncle!

Do you ever get sad on your birthday? Not really, but I'm not a big fan of getting older.

Do you like ice cream cake? Yes.

How about sprinkles? Yes.

What cake is your favorite? Any!

Do you tend to go all out for others birthdays? Not all out, but I always do stuff.

Have you ever thrown your own party? Yes, all the time. If I didn't, I'd never have one xD

Do you just prefer a more low key celebration? Sure.

Have you ever forgotten your birthday or anyone else’s? Most likely.

Do you share a birthday with any celebrities? A Google search tells me Harrison Ford, Patrick Stewart and Ken Jeong just for three. Pretty cool.

What season does your birthday fall in? Are you happy with that? Winter, and no, I hate it lol.

Do you know anyone born on a holiday? Yes, one of my cousins is born on New Year's Day, and a friend of mine was born on Christmas Eve.

Can you say happy birthday in another language? No.

Isn’t being sang to so awkward? Yes haha.

Have you ever baked your own cake? No.

Baked anyone else a cake? No.

Do you dress up? Oh yeah.

Have you ever worn a tiara or sash saying it was your birthday? No.

What year has been your favorite? 2016 was great.

Are you happy with your life so far? Mostly.

What age were you when you stopped believing in Santa? I have no idea actually.

What was the last thing you had to drink? Water.

What was the last movie or video that made you cry? Oddly, it was part of a Simpsons episode lol.

Which would you sing at karaoke: “Don’t Stop Believin” or “I Will Always Love You?” Don't Stop Believin'.

Do you binge watch TV shows or watch one episode at a time? Depends on if the show is available all at once or not.

Which do you prefer: getting the perfect gift or giving the perfect gift? I love both!

Did you ever have a first impression of a coworker that was totally wrong? Yeah, one of my coworkers I thought looked like a bitch, but she's actually very kind.

Do you send memes to friends/family/coworkers? Sometimes, mostly to my boyfriend.

Do you prefer salty snacks or sweet snacks? Salty!!!

Have you ever gotten a really bad haircut? No.

Would you tell a friend if their outfit was hideous? If they asked me about it and told me to be honest.

Do you know where your car keys are right now? -

Have you ever met your doppelganger? No. The idea of that freaks me out lol.

Could you draw a horse? A super bad one, lol.

When was the last time you stayed up past 2AM? The other night, I got distracted watching a YouTube video and it was like 2:15am when I finally went to sleep lol.

Beer, wine, cocktails, or alcoholic beverages? Cocktails and the rest, cos beer is gross and I can't drink wine.

Have you ever ordered from the secret menu of a fast food restaurant? No idea.

Do you wear jewelry? Yes.

Do you wear makeup? No.

What is your favorite way to work out? Treadmill and cycle.

Do you send handwritten letters to anyone? No.

[anonanimal]

ok we watched the barbie movie and i must be ovulating because the emotional levers were successfully pulled and i did cry but i was also mad part of the time.

i'd say i have a few thoughts and questions about the depiction of ruth handler lol but i haven't put it into succinct enough words yet

interesting they'd do the jokes about earring magic ken and growing up skipper and uh whatever pregnant midge was called and do a joke about ruth handler's...tax evasion? did she really do tax evasion? but they didn't touch on bild lilli. maybe they can't

sooo barbie is a god and mattel are her... stewards. lmao? what the fuck is gonna happen in barbieland if god is not in her heaven... whatever. just like in preacher when god goes missing (yes i watched part of the preacher amc series with my mother). i feel like the "barbie is a god, she is every barbie and every barbie is her" would have been the explicit focus of MY barbie movie (what can i say, i love a good story about a god becoming human, it's the christianity i've been steeped in) but they kind of don't do much with it

actually ruth handler = god, barbie = jesus?

ken becomes a ... men's (ken's) rights activist. lmao?

anyone else think the car chase was filmed like a car commercial. like weirdly obviously so? i feel like product placement has come farther than this

they want people to say it's a gay or trans allegory sooooo bad between the birkenstocks and the "you don't get permission, it's something you discover about yourself" they want it sooooo bad ok you win i'm saying it. but i know you wanted me to say it. you won fuck off!!!!!! or maybe i'm reaching because it's easy to read the emotional journey of coming out to yourself in a general coming of age tale. but come on. i'm not that smart so if i'm picking up on someone wanting me to think something, they probably do. the only way this movie could have been gay would have been if the weird barbies led a new society.

so was this their way of saying they're debuting a line of kens with jobs...?

i liked the comedy of 2001 monolith barbie and the barbieland physical comedy stuff. maybe i should have rolled my eyes but i'm easy. rollerblading executives also killed

i liked the little twist that barbie's crisis was precipitated by being played with, not by a maturing child, but her mother. kind of in line with how the movie itself is an ad for the barbie brand for adults. there's quite a few moments that i thought had to be intentional references to the function of the movie itself in the real world, and they all felt weird and bad, like someone screaming "let me out!!!!!" i've forgotten a lot of them now because i'm adding this bit in an edit the next day.

*guy who has only seen south park voice* getting a lot of imaginationland vibes from this

i kind of expected for there to be like a joke about allan being in unrequited love with ken but i now think there probably was in an earlier draft and it didn't mesh with the final product and they had to nix it. or like surely someone floated it at least

you know they tried to save it from being too much about ken by having someone literally say "what about barbie's ending?" and then doing barbie's ending but...it was still kind of more about ken i think. he did a dance number for christ's sake. i almost forgot that barbie got to dance too, but barbie's dance was also mostly about ken wanting her to notice him. "he's just ken" "kenergy" "i am kenough" come on. i think the biggest laugh in the theater was actually the kenough hoodie. biggest laugh for me personally? sasha saying, (and i'm paraphrasing of course bc i'm not bothering to look it up) "are you two shining?"

i got SO close to killing the mood when we walked out by saying "hey lets google mattel factory working conditions right now" but i decided that was too far / probably in poor taste for me to flippantly use in post-movie discussion

the feminism 101 stuff was whatever. it made sense within the setting of the movie since america ferrera as a human had to introduce ideas into barbieland for them to take hold, and ideas just kind of manifest whatever happens in barbieland, but i'm very surprised they didn't do a joke like "gee i wish it was this easy in the real world" like how did they miss that opportunity, it would have worked. or maybe they did and i missed it because i had my hater goggles on

sooo velveteen rabbit?

all in all, as a member of the moviegoing public, i guess i got what i wanted. an experience that left me with something to think and talk about.

p.s. this was, for me personally, an ad for ryan gosling. i didn't find him interesting until now. they really got me there.

p.p.s. obviously any criticism i have of the like existence of the barbie movie is hypocritical because i haven't said it about gundam (yet)

[gogandmagog]

What's your favorite vignette or chapter from TBAQ?

(My beaten and battered copy; this book groans audible complaints at me when I pick it up.)

Just one? 🥺🥺🥺🥺 I’ve been thinking about this since you asked it, and am still scrambling for a decent answer. I think I had an easier time ranking the Blythe kids. This whole book is so 🤌🏻, it’s total art. Someone, somewhere, maybe it was on goodreads, once essentially said that TBAQ is so good for Anne fans, because it’s like getting to spend a whole day with someone (someone you dearly loved) that passed away many years ago. And I think that totally rings true but ALSO, how often is it that readers get such thorough insight into the ‘ever after’ part of the ‘happily,’ where we see war (+ it’s aftermath of wreckage) and sorrow and death try to poke holes of darkness into joy, and then witness a whole family persist bravely into life together, with their aching memories. In the second part of TBAQ, the Blythes (Baker-Meredith-Fords) demonstrate what it is to carry on, even with such sharp wounds of the heart. They’re resilient. We see laughing, we see crying, we see guilt, and we see the embrace of what was inevitable. All this NOT EVEN beginning to mention the humanity and comedy and peculiarities of the Four Winds community around them (we’ve got ghost stories, grudges, canon pyjama references, various character crushes on both Doctor and Mrs Blythe, as well as their daughters, people annoyed with the Blythe’s influence, illegitimate children, middle life marriages), that Montgomery writes so well it’s visceral. TBAQ was my gateway drug into other Montgomery books, and it made me actually ashamed that I hadn’t read anything else of hers before that, because it was a discredit to her that I hadn’t.

I’m going to cheat a little and pick;

1. A HAPPY FAVORITE;

Anne was a million years ahead of her time with this poignant and true sketch. And meanwhile, Gilbert McJokeyPants, probably feeling a little bit called out by these lines for yes, having always wanted to be Anne’s first and only (which, thanks to TBAQ, we know he is), and despite not being the subject of the poem (Anne says this was written at Redmond, which was prior to their engagement), decides he doesn’t much care for it. BUT, he still puts his hands in harms way to rescue the ‘nonsense’ from the flames, because to him, Anne’s work is still Anne’s work.

Honorable mention: (for the lol’s)

ANNE, trying to laugh; “Would you marry as quick as that if I died, Gilbert?”

DR. BLYTHE, really laughing; “Quicker if Susan would have me. Isn’t it about time for supper?”

2. A SAD FAVORITE;

Of course it’s this. Like… of course it is. It’s sad for the very obvious reasons (Walter always ‘stirs the deeps’ for me, especially when he’s gone), but then it’s extra sad because we’re, timeline wise, steady on to WWII and the overall feeling is… what was all the sacrifice of WWI for? The one thing worse than WWI itself was the stripping the achievements (the cause, the reason) of the sacrifice of soldiers (those that lost their lives, and didn’t). To make it all fruitless? It’s an actual abomination. A blight on every soldier’s memory. To see a whole new generation suffer the same fates and ultimate consequences… utterly maddening. And it broke my heart all over again to read Anne (she’d be around 80 here) saying she’s glad, for his sake, that Walter didn’t make it back to see the continued nastiness of the world. I don’t quite believe her. 🥺 What’s more? That she’s only shared this poem with Jem, likely because he is, as he says, a ‘tougher brand.’ Excuse me pls, I’ll just be over here UGLY CRYING.

NOWWW, if you ever have the time, I would also love to know your favorites!!!

[idontwanttowhy]

Review: Destined With You (2023)

An instant classic...for some

Synopsis: Being a civil servant is not the easiest job, and for Lee Hong Jo, its only made worse by being transferred to a team that can't stand her. Her first assignment on this team is to demolish a centuries old shrine, which is held on the private property of Jang Sin Yu, a sharp lawyer haunted by a curse as old as the shrine. Her efforts surface a spell book with a mysterious past that only she can use. In need of a miracle, Sin Yu makes a deal with Hong Jo to use one of the spells on him, in a move that ultimately sets their fates in motion. Can love bloom in cursed soil, or will they be cut red-handed?

MZ Overall: 9/10, you had me at "I am Groot"

... aaaand absolutely not before "I am Groot." Seriously, I almost gave up on it early, thank god I didn't. When I saw the love triangle blooming I stuck around and am glad I did. If you are looking for a romcom that hits all the hallmarks (past lives, love triangle, jealous ex, etc.) you are in the right place. The leads have great chemistry, though it does feel like they are sometimes off in their own little worlds. Rowoon (as Jang Sin Yu) is great at playing a love-sick character, and Jo Bo Ah (as Lee Hong Jo) is the perfect ingénue AND doomed shaman--talk about range. Definitely give it a watch, this is easily one of my top favorites of the year (right behind Love to Hate You, of course).

MZ Review: Parks and Recreation, but make it a supernatural kdrama rom-com (no spoilers)

no one:

absolutely no one:

Jang Sin Yu: ThAtS A cRiMe!!!

Ok, I got that out of my system. This was my second Rowoon drama and now Netflix thinks he's the only guy I want to see on my screen. I'm not mad at that, but I do think if his role in this and Extraordinary You (2019) are any indication, I may need a little bit more time before I can handle the brand of lovesick desperation that he brings. Not a bad thing, but much like candy you can have too much of a good thing. I will be looking out for his stairs scenes going forward, in much the same way I have cataloged Hyun Bin's elevator scenes. (It's an art people!)

This show strikes a near-perfect balance between time spent on the side characters, developing the main couple, fanning the flames with the love rivals, and hinting at the past lives of this group. Seriously well done, I did not have any complaints in this area. Really my only gripes would be the first few episodes, which really tested my resolve on supporting womens' wrongs. If it were not for the next episode previews at the end, I would not have made it past episode three. After that, it's smooth sailing with lots of laughs, drama, and suspense as the many mysteries of the show unfold. Those first eps are why this only gets a 9/10 for me though. Otherwise, A+ work!

As I sat down to write this review, it occurred to me that the setup for the show was kind of similar to Parks and Rec, if you're mainly looking at the fact that the context for the show is a municipal parks department, leading to lots of outdoor events and internal politicking. It also works in the comedy department, because both shows had me absolutely ROLLING with laughter at the absurdity of some of the stuff going on. I cannot recommend this drama enough!

AC Overall: 7/10, could've been great but

It took me sooo long to finish the show, even on 1.5x speed (thank you, Netflix). And I was so excited at first! Like MZ, I thought the first few eps were...off, but once the show fully planted its feet I fell for the silliness, especially the supernatural love-spell aspect of the drama, and the stupidity with which those entranced acted "because of it". But the show ultimately became unbalanced, and the fantasy charm faded to reveal...a few thriller episodes within a cute and silly rom-com. It's not bad, just...took a turn I wasn't looking for at the time.

Honestly, its fine if you don't take it too seriously, and don't barf at cute moments like I currently do. Solid, just know what you're getting in to. It's definitely a cutesy rom-com with a dash of thriller and pinch of fantasy.

AC Review (with miiiinor spoilers):

It wasn't all bad! I cheeeesed at Sin Yu inadvertently confessing his "love" for Hong Jo against both of their wishes, and was curious about how Hong Jo's crush on her second lead Jae Gyeong would play out considering. It was a pretty unusual and juicy love triangle at first, especially with the fantasy aspect of Sin Yu's feelings...and possibly Jae Gyeong's...but somewhere they decided to ignore the whole love-spell part of the drama and Sin Yu just--accepted his love for Hong Jo? And Jae Gyeong barely put up a fight. And and I wasn't convinced Hong Jo actually had feelings for Sin Yu, I feel like he just wore her down with pretty words and concern. And and and I just kept thinking of Legend of the Blue Sea the whole time--much better fated love fantasy drama. But alas, I got too far along to just stop.

Hong Jo's character annoyed me quite a bit. She had a way of acting shy most of the time, but would suddenly talk with her chest at other moments...it's personal, but I really dislike the demure act when it's clear it's not real. But, Rowoon as Sin Yu made up for it in the beginning. The character was played and written well; we could feel the (delicious) inner turmoil when he recognized his feelings.

Overall, this was a drama-that-couldn't for me. But I must admit, the early, fun moments of Sin Yu fighting his inexplicable love for Hong Jo were classic in itself.

[ericspeartree]

Hey all, here are my creativity test results. Think there's some work to be done! Here are some design preferences and prejudices too:

Design Preferences: 

Subversive Film - I am absolutely crazy about movies. I won’t sit here and try to argue that there’s one kind I love more than any other, because I’ve seen so many that I can find one from any genre that I absolutely adore. Still, I have extra respect for movies that push the boundaries of what can/should be done in film. I love any film that goes out of its way to defy the medium and any established rules of filmmaking. Within these terms, I’ll mention a few favorites: Mulholland Drive (2001), Pierrot Le Fou (1965), Persona (1966), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and Gummo (1997) stand out above many others to me. If I had to pick a favorite genre, it’d probably be horror, but if it ever comes down to movies I’m ready to talk all day about them. 

Sample Heavy Music - I adore the art of sampling. Few things give me as much of a genuine rush as when I’m listening to an album and I recognize the origin of a sample used in a song. My favorite album of all time is “Since I Left You” by The Avalanches, an album under the Plunderphonics subgenre that is made up of between 900 to 3,500 different samples, depending on who you ask. It is an album full of lively, danceable tunes that I cannot recommend enough. Other artists I love for their sampling abilities are Daft Punk, DJ Shadow, the Beastie Boys, MF DOOM, Madlib, Earl Sweatshirt, and Boards of Canada. 

Varying Kinds of Literature - I would hesitate to call myself well read, but I do try my best to read as much as I can. I think the novel is one of the most powerful mediums, since it can be formed in any way the author sees fit. It is truly a playground for creativity and I’ve found great pleasure in many kinds of literature, so I’ll name a few writers and works I love: Cormac McCarthy (Blood Meridian, All The Pretty Horses), Flannery O’Connor (Wise Blood, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Good Country People), David Foster Wallace (Infinite Jest, Good Old Neon), Thomas Pynchon (Inherent Vice, Gravity’s Rainbow), and Toni Morrison (Beloved). I think what I love most about these writers/works is how much they all utilize the flexibility of the novelistic form to create worlds and characters that could not be rendered in any other medium, or at least would be very difficult to. 

Design Prejudices: 

Minimalistic or Overly Plain Branding: I know many people generally despise the concept of branding as a whole, but I think I’ve pretty much come to terms with its universality. I often find that I grow attached to some kinds of branding, particularly logos, which upsets me even more whenever companies go out of their way to “rebrand” to some minimalistic junk. I understand the need (or perceived need) to appear modern/sleek/cool but to me there is nothing cool about something that looks like it can belong to any old brand. Some entities who I believed have changed their branding for the worse over the years: Pringles, Snapple, La Liga, Firefox, and Google. God forbid they do anything to the Coca-Cola logo. 

Clothing With the Brand Name on It: This one is real specific. I won’t pretend that I have a clue when it comes to fashion; my method for getting dressed every day is to wear whatever happens to be at the top of my drawer. Still, I find that I simply refuse to buy any clothing where the brand’s or store’s name is just blasted onto the front of it. The worst for this are places like Hollister, Aeropostale, even some of the hype-beast luxury brands, but special mention to Gap because I didn’t think I could hate 3 plain letters on a hoodie so much. 

Sitcoms About Nice/Overly Dumb People: Full disclosure, I have a dark sense of humor (within reason, obviously). I find that what makes me laugh in comedy is people acting completely awful. Think shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Veep. It works best because it shows the absurdity of life and the situations that arise from it. That’s why so many other comedies simply don’t work for me; they’re too focused on being nice that they just end up feeling toothless and milquetoast. I won’t name the shows I don’t like out of respect (it’s hard to write and direct!) but it’s something that always gets on my nerves. 

[michaelgruberfan]

All of the photos I could find from “History Of Sex” which was at the Golden Nugget in 1998! It was a short show only being about 75 mins and the story "starting with Adam and Eve and ending in an overlong dance sequence as WSEX radio captures the music of the 1970s, '80s and '90s"  Gruber plays the "star/ Narrator" Here are some articles about the show incase you wanted some extra reading: By Jess Cagle - Published August 14, 1998 For Entertainment Weekly “Vegas Stage Reviews: 'Siegfried & Roy'; 'EFX'; 'The History of Sex'” (X) By Joe Delaney - Published July 24, 1998 for The Las Vegas Sun “‘History of Sex’ told by capable cast” (X) Plus one little paragraph about the show from the same as the previous source Published Oct. 30, 1998 (X) Below the cut you can find the full 3 articles

“Vegas Stage Reviews: 'Siegfried & Roy'; 'EFX'; 'The History of Sex'” By Jess Cagle - Published August 14, 1998 For Entertainment Weekly (X)

”There is a very special guest in the audience tonight,” said Siegfried, the blond half of Siegfried and Roy at The Mirage on July 10. ”An Oscar-nominated actress whose performances have moved us…”

Cathy Moriarty, the beautifully blowsy star of Raging Bull (Best Supporting Actress nomination, 1980), Soapdish, and Casper — and who happened to be seated next to this ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY critic that night — slunk deep into the show-room banquette. ”I can’t believe he’s going to do this,” Moriarty growled. ”This is so embarrassing.” Siegfried extended his arms grandiosely in our general direction. Those of us lucky enough to be sitting with Moriarty straightened our posture, preparing to be doused by her spotlight.

Tension at the table mounted, until: ”Ladies and gentlemen,” said Siegfried, ”Miss Gloria Stuart!”

As Moriarty just sat there, either calmed down or let down, the 88-year-old Titanic star took a bow and a microphone and began expressing her appreciation for Siegfried & Roy’s artistry. And then expressing her appreciation for all the people who made it possible. And then expressing God knows what all; the woman can go on, and Siegfried seemed not quite sure how to get her to stop. Stuart was wearing a spangly little heart-shaped beauty mark decal on her cheek, which was enough to give me a giggle fit. Put off by such rudeness, Moriarty punched me in the arm — hard.

This incident, in a metaphorical nutshell, sums up a great deal of the current Vegas entertainment experience: magicians, tourists, quasi-name-brand celebrities, disappointment, a good laugh now and then, and not a little pain. And if the Vegas hotel-casino operators have a say in it, you’ll be having that experience soon. Despite the worried Asian economy, the glut of hotel rooms in Vegas — more than 105,000 by last count — is expected to increase by about 15,000 by the end of the millennium. Vegas wants you, and Vegas’ stages are considered a major untapped resource for keeping you happy. Casino mogul Steve Wynn and Hollywood producer-manager Sandy Gallin are planning to develop Broadway-caliber shows, and Peter Morton’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is catering to its young clientele with acts like Sheryl Crow and the Wallflowers. (Take a look at the new breed of Vegas tourist lounging by the Hard Rock pool — nubile hipsters hell-bent on disposing of income.) What, then, does this impending renaissance mean for the old-fashioned Vegas spectacle — the long-running comedy-variety shows installed in hotel show rooms long ago in order to lure gamblers? A quick tour through three shows from different Vegas genres — a spectacle, a star vehicle, and a T&A romp — reveal a very American art form (if you could call it that) at a crossroads.

It costs $89.35 per ticket to get a look at our first genre, represented by the two taut Teutonic titans of magic. I refer, of course, to Siegfried and Roy (The Mirage; 702-792-7777), though if you think you’re buying a magic show, think again. What you’re getting is pure Vegas-style spectacle. Siegfried spends much of the 95 minutes posing and gesturing amid a dense population of dancers; the chorus boys have big leonine hair, the girls are dressed, I think, as some kind of insect. There is much fog and fire, and Roy keeps popping up like a bad penny — from boxes, the back of the show room, etc. But the real star is the glorious parade of rare white tigers, all of whom pose as professionally as Siegfried, and one of whom is hoisted high … and then disappears! Whether this magnificent menagerie is worth the price of admission is up to you and your accountant. Siegfried & Roy are as slick and interesting as Wayne Newton’s hairdo, and they’re just about as hip. The face of Vegas is changing; it’s time Siegfried and Roy changed theirs. From the looks of them, this would not be an alien concept.

Speaking of hair, remember when David Cassidy’s cascaded past his shoulders and you thought Shirley Jones was the coolest mom in the whole world for allowing such a thing? Well, the hair is cut short, Cassidy is 48, and he’s Vegas’ resident former superstar — here to remind us (and this information will cost you at least $45 a ticket) that he’s still kicking, not to mention singing, leaping, and flying through the air in the monolithic, cast-of-thousands $45 million musical-variety show EFX (MGM Grand; 800-929-1111). Cassidy stars energetically as a busboy who takes a journey through his childhood imagination, bounding into the shoes of Houdini (magic tricks!), P.T. Barnum (trapeze artists!), and H.G. Wells (a 3-D time-travel movie! You can keep the glasses!). To call EFX a star vehicle is an understatement. It’s a star battleship; you may never see a live show this extravagant, which makes it somewhat important and a joy for the kids. But the show’s script makes The Partridge Family look like the Brontë sisters, and that makes EFX weirdly pornographic — so much to see, so little to think about, and after you’ve seen enough of it, your own boredom might surprise you. Until Cassidy starts pattering with the audience, shaking us awake with self-deprecating humor and a few topical jokes. The audience roars, free for the moment of empty glitz and common-denominator humor. Under Cassidy’s famous hair lies EFX‘s brain.

Then again, who goes to Vegas for brains? I, for one, was titillated by the town’s promise of south-of-the-neck entertainment. But while the signs on some shows say ”adults only,” they’re largely PG-rated affairs, many of them operating on the premise that audiences are still capable of lip-smacking over two bare breasts, even when their showgirl owner is otherwise covered in gowns by Bob Mackie wannabes and Teletubby headdresses. The T&A arena seems wide open for shows that can appeal to audiences born after 1955, and there is a new show that does just that: The History of Sex (Golden Nugget, 702-386-8100). Starring handsome Broadway vet Michael Gruber (Cats) and gorgeous Candace Davis (she paid her dues singing on Norwegian Cruise Lines, bless her heart), The History of Sex bounces through the titular topic, beginning with a nearly naked Adam and Eve and consistently — cleverly — objectifying with equal opportunity the 12 Fosse-esque whistle-worthy male and female dancers. In a retrofitted version of the Cole Porter ditty ”Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love,” Gruber tells us that ”For cash a girl on the phone does it/George Michael all alone does it.” That’s smart stuff by Vegas standards, making the small-scale, unassuming History of Sex the best adult bet in town at $29.95 a ticket. This is not to say that Siegfried & Roy and David Cassidy should take their clothes off, but even Gloria Stuart might appreciate a good George Michael joke. Siegfried & Roy: B- EFX: B The History of Sex: B+ ---------- “‘History of Sex’ told by capable cast”  By Joe Delaney - Published July 24, 1998 for The Las Vegas Sun (X) 

"History of Sex," new at the Golden Nugget, is an original production with a fine off-Broadway feel. The print and video ad campaign is extremely well done, promising more than the show actually delivers. Ted Pappas does make an auspicious Las Vegas debut as producer-choreographer-director. He has assembled an impressive, very attractive, mostly local company backed by a small but mighty seven-piece orchestra under the direction of Hap Smith.

Michael Gruber, not local, is the star, narrator and an excellent singer-dancer, with fine comedy timing. He takes the audience nicely through the 75-minute series of well-performed vignettes, starting with Adam and Eve and ending in an overlong dance sequence as WSEX radio captures the music of the 1970s, '80s and '90s.

Candace Davis, also a non-local, has a stately presence even when singing "Ten Cents A Dance." Earlier, in her first number, she starts out as a nicely under-stated Lena Horne but soon becomes Barbra "Strident" and remained so for the balance of the show.

Comedian John Padon, a local, an Emmy-Award winner, enters at the 25-minute mark and had a never-miss, today-fresh routine, scoring consistently, and with the entire audience of approximately 300 in the 400-seat Theatre Ballroom. This is quite a feat considering the variety of ages and types present. His turn would work even better at the 40 or 45-minute point in the show.

The song selection is outstanding, as are Ned Ginsburg's orchestrations as performed by Smith and his men, occasionally replaced by taped music also well selected and reproduced. Compliments go to the 14 men and women who sing, dance and go through an athletic dance mini-decathlon, plus an extra nod to Michael DiFonzo as assistant choreographer.

James Noone's set design, David F. Segal's lighting design and David C. Woolard's costume design deserve mention, along with comedy writer Bruce Vilanch's dialogue for Gruber and special topical lyrics for several of the standard songs -- very funny.

It is well worth the trip to Casino Center if you're staying on the Strip, or if you live some distance from there. Would I see it a second time? I think not, but I would go see John Padon again wherever he might be playing.

JOE DELANEY is a Sun entertainment critic.

---------------- (X) "History of Sex" ends its run -- somewhat suddenly -- on Nov. 12, at the Golden Nugget. ... Officially, the story is that, despite heavy advertising expenditure in all the media, the show never achieved satisfactory attendance numbers. ... Unofficially, it may also have been artistic differences between management and the producer-choreographer.

[soundofseclusion]

46. Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

Release: 2017, Switch Beaten: July 24th, 3DS (Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove) Playtime: 3h 43m

Specter of Torment was one of the first games I played on my Switch because it initially launched for that system only, and I haven’t really touched it or thought about it since that launch.  I remembered liking it, and after replaying it on 3DS, I still like it very much.  The levels are designed differently from the first two campaigns in that they rely very heavily on flow.  You’re encouraged to dash from one screen to the next in a continuous motion, and the levels being brand new and designed specifically for Specter Knight’s moveset leads to a really tight platforming experience that feels like a blast to play and totally stands apart from the stiffness of Shovel Knight.  I wouldn’t say it’s inherently better, but it clicks with me more than Shovel Knight.  Playing this made me realize that I tend to be better at platformers that are traditionally considered to have a higher skill ceiling, purely because those games typically demand a much more involved and impulsive form of gameplay.  I just function better under circumstances where you’re encouraged to--for lack of a better term--schmove.

And of course, Yacht Club’s masterful storytelling shines through here even brighter than their first two campaigns because it’s a tragedy rather than a comedy.  I actually cried.  I like when games can do that to me.  The game also manages to be funny, so don’t assume it’s going to be utterly bleak and depressing.  If anything, the ending is tragic but hopeful.  But the game also got a lot of the typical laughs from me that the Shovel Knight series is so good at delivering on.

[wikiangela]

she hulk finale!!! 😍 it was awesome and I loved it and here are some comments I made while watching (kinda long post sns)

spoilers under the cut!

the opening was fantastic, so funny lol

oh shit and Bruce is still in space huh 😳

and she can't turn, just like Blonsky? I mean, from the perspective of the witnesses... understandable

aw I feel so bad for her, she doesn't deserve all that 😭

oh no she's moving 😭 like, I get it, but I love her apartment, it's so cute lol

"by any and all means" I fucking love Nikki 😂😂 where do I find a bestie like her lol

Dennis what the fuck 🤦🏻‍♀️ tbh I genuinely forgot this guy existed lmao "dated for a significant about of time" HA, you fucking wish 😂 you wish you could pull anyone even remotely as awesome as Jen lmao

we're gonna see Blonsky again??? yaaay!

"I'm not running from my problems, it's a mental health break" ain't that a mood lol

Nikki's a genius 👑

"deep haikus" by Emil Blonsky - I fucking need this book in my life 😂😂😂

I love Pug, I wish we could've seen more of him in this series lol

"I would have the exact same criticism if she was a man" OMG but this is exactly what males say on the internet 😂😂😂

fucking Todd 😂 for a second there i was afraid Pug's cover was blown lol

Pug is doing so good and I'm loving how uncomfy he is about all that 😂

TODD is HulkKing???! I mean, there were theories after he called her a specimen and all, but I honestly didn't expect that, because I was sure it had to be someone smarter 😂😂😂

I still don't trust the wrecking crew guy 👀

wait, is Blonsky with inteligencia?????! WHAT? obvi he wasn't suddenly good but like... why - also, how can he suddenly transform without alerting his parole officer now????

seeing Blonsky's voice come out of the Abomination is so silly oh my god 😂😂

fucking Todd 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

oh, and Titania's here! "does that bitch ever use a door" seriously 😂😂

oh, so Emil protected Jen - so he really does do it for profit huh - still doesn't make it okay hah

BRUCE IS HERE!!!! OH MY GOD?? I thought he was in space???

noo, Bruce, wrong guy to fight 😂😂😂

"what is even happening here" 😂😂 it's so chaotic and I'm loving every second 😂😂😂

oh my god for a second I panicked when it switched to the Disney plus menu 😂😂 this is so funny

so she broke the inhibitor and jumped into marvel assembled - aka the real world???! this episode is completely unhinged and insane and I love it 😂😂😂

is she going to complain about the storylines 🤣 this is so meta and that whole thing was unexpected but it's so good???

Kevin 😂 or, K.E.V.I.N. 😂😂 so funny

"you are very expensive" I cannot stop laughing 😂😂😂

THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF META JOKES I LOVE 😂😂😂

okay, I fucking love this episode 😂 😂

making fun of the usual overdone formula? I'm all here for it 😂

no, but seriously, I kinda love that she's like: the stakes were high enough for me personally, I don't need to have to save the world or anything, it was supposed to be a fun legal comedy with me coming to terms with my superpowers - because I genuinely loved the show and this brand new thing they're trying and I love that for once the stakes don't have to be threatening to everyone around

"save it for the movie" YES - as much as I loved seeing Bruce again, it is kinda like: a man has to come to the rescue because she wouldn't be able to do it without him 😅 he's getting his own project, we don't need to know now (even tho I'm curious haha)

"when are we getting the x-men" wait I need to finish the movies 😂😂😂

"I smash fourth walls and bad endings" AS YOU SHOULD 💪😂😂 I can't believe we finally got marvel saying "yeah, it's been repetitive, let's change it up" 😂😂

"and sometimes Matt Murdock" YAS, get it girl 😏😂

MATT IS BACK????!!!!! FUCK YEAH!! (but seriously, get him the red suit back, the yellow looks so bad 🤢)

he met the fam? 👀 so they're a thing? I'm so here for it, pls let them be together forever lol

And Bruce is back the right way lol

wait what, a son??? I am so confused 😂

Wong breaking Emil out again 😂😂😂

so

oh my god I loved it!!!! so good!!! honestly this might be my fave finale of marvel shows so far because it was SO unexpected and different and just completely chaotic and unhinged and I'm here for all of it 😂😂

the meta jokes and comments were absolutely hilarious and I laughed my ass off

I love how the ending was finally something different and more grounded I guess (as much as it can be in a hulk show lol) with no nonsense about Todd getting powers and all that

and I think everyone got what they deserved, with Todd being sued (it is a lawyer show lol) and Blonsky going back to prison - tho obvi he's not there anymore lol

despite being a superhero show, it dealt more with Jen and her life and coming to terms with herself, balancing her life as she hulk and Jen, and it was a legal comedy (could've used more legal stuff but those were 20 minute episodes so I get it lol) and I'm glad it all ended the way it ended rather than have the usual everyone shows up completely out of the blue for the last big fight that the hero's gonna win anyway

(and Matt!! god I hope they're dating lol I can't wait to see him again in born again!)

I fucking loved the show and this ending completely subverted expectations and made this show even better

so good, I hope we'll get s2 and I really hope to see her on the big screen one day (also, Bruce has a son wtf, when is his movie or whatever coming out lol)

[athetos]

thoughts on the progression of the Paper Mario series? my friend said Origami King was the first in a while to return to the "classic" paper mario vibe, but I have zero idea what that means

I’ve only played the first 4 games, I’ve heard origami king was a lot better but still missing the charms of the original, it’s a step in the right direction but lacking that classic feel.

Paper Mario n64 - second best game in the series, and easily a 9/10 game at least. Even today the game is still hilarious, the combat is fun, and the environments are wonderful. The boss fights in particular are a blast. Toad town is one of my favorite hubs in any game ever, with so many npcs and attractions that open up as you progress. Keeping leveling up simple, by only offering to upgrade one of 3 stats, leads to way more strategies than you’d think. A lot of brand new species were made for this game, and the enemies have so much variety and flavor. And the soundtrack is wonderful, with many different variations of each tune (toad town has so many changes in instrumentation depending where you are in it). The premise is pretty standard but it makes for one of the best showdowns with bowser. The peach interludes were also a nice change of pace and gave her such personality… and of course the partners were true stars, it was always exciting to find the right character for the right job.

The thousand year door - the best in the series, a true 10/10 game. Everything I said about paper Mario 1 is still true - rogueport is such a darker and “edgier” hub that leads to no small amount of comedy, the partners are equally fun, a lot of the dialogue still makes me laugh out loud, and the npcs are goofy and cool. Perhaps the best part about this game is that it really leans into the paper motif! You can turn sideways to slip through cracks, turn into a paper airplane, roll up into a tube, etc. it’s just… it’s so GOOD. And the plot takes things up a notch, being much more fascinating with more peach interludes that can even feel tense. The Glitzville tournaments, the train murder mystery, the shadow sisters… so many amazing moments. And that’s not even including the sinister final boss fight that did irreparable damage to my sexuality as a 10 year old.

Super paper Mario - the first game to move away from the core formula, changing partners to pixls that while full of personality were less interesting, and to move from turn based battles to platforming. That said, while being a significant departure it’s a blast due to the insanely good story. This game could have been a phenomenal visual novel. For real! The plot had a big impact on me and my storytelling, and many of my friends also agree. I cried. It went to a lot of unexpected places too, such as a G-rated version of Hell of all things, fighting a weeaboo fedora-wearing chameleon guy, and even exploring outer space. It’s a game that’s hard to revisit solely because I find the actual gameplay a bit underwhelming, I love watching videos to see the dialogue and cutscenes.

Sticker star - most disappointing game I’ve ever played, most likely. Chuggaconroy on YouTube has a multi part series talking about why this game sucks, that’s really informative and puts a lot of frustrations into words. But to sum it up, the battle system is changed so drastically that it actively discourages you from battling; there’s so much backtracking because the game’s clues are obtuse and the puzzles make little to no sense; the levels are uninspired; many things are never communicated to the player; the npcs are generic species with zero charm; and kersti is perhaps the most annoying support character in anything ever. It’s not just that they removed the rpg elements, or the partners, or the more “open” world. They literally made the game utterly insufferable.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

There’s a video on YouTube of the finals of the 1995 Open Mic Awards, broadcast on the BBC in September, 1995. I haven’t seen it before, but I think this calls for a post in which I write my thoughts down live as I watch.

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- Right off the bat, here’s Barry Cryer telling us about the recent stand-up comedy boom, and he lists the most important, moneymaking comedians who’ve been to the Fringe: Monty Python, Rowan Atkinson, Jo Brand, Julian Cleary, Eddie Izzard. So I guess it’s 1995.

- They announce at the beginning that it’s a contest for any comedians who’ve never been paid to do stand-up comedy before, they started with over 500 and now they’re down to 8. So that’s sort of cool, that we talk (well, I talk about this, maybe other people don’t so much) about what comedians started at the same time as each other, but any who are in this have started at exactly the same time, having never been paid for it before but now being good enough to make this shortlist.

- Oh, here’s Boothby Graffoe hosting the event, a man whom I know as a voice on Radio 4, looking a lot more telegenic than I picture most people on Radio 4.

- First judge is Tony Hawks (the S is important there, not the skateboard guy), the guy who wrote two books that are on my shelf: Round Ireland with a Fridge, and One Hit Wonderland. I read both those books about ten years ago and recall them being quite funny and the former making me really want to go to Ireland. I mean, I already wanted to do that, and that’s why I read the book, but the book made me want that even more. Looking back, it's possible that that book may have been vaguely condescending, an Englishman saying "look how cute and quirky Ireland is." But if that was the case then I didn't pick up on it at the time.

- “[The stand-ups in this competition], they’ve not really done it much for money… if you’ll pardon the expression…” Tony Hawks making a joke right at the beginning in which I think he’s called Lee Mack an aspiring whore (it’s relevant to know that Lee Mack is one of the finalists).

- I apologize for anything I said about assuming voices on Radio 4 are less-than-telegenic. The next judge is Sandi Toksvig, and she has never, ever been less-than at anything.

I’m so pleased to see her that I’ll even overlook Boothby Graffoe using the word “comedienne” to introduce her.

- I’ve not heard of the next judge, apparently he’s an important decision-maker at the BBC. Or he was one of those, at least. Now all the decisions are being made by... oh God, I'll end this point here, I've done enough ranting about the cancelation of BBC topical comedy lately, I won't get into it again, I promise.

- Barry Cryer is the fourth and final judge, and they immediately make several jokes about how incredibly old he is. In 1995. His recent death was very sad, but he did have a long run.

- Barry Cryer on what he looks for in good stand-up comedy: “Originality. No sex, 70s, or Star Trek.” That's interesting to me. In the last 10 years, 90s nostalgia has been everywhere. In 2023, 00s nostalgia is taking hold (I don't mean to be dismissive about that, it's certainly taken hold of me). In 1995, someone was complaining that 70s nostalgia was so ubiquitous it had become unoriginal. As, apparently, had Star Trek and sex.

- I’ve seen pictures and videos of Baby Lee Mack before, I know what he looks like, I was prepared for this. But still, Jesus Christ.

- There is an amazing contrast between how much Lee Mack has physically changed since this video (drastically), and how much his comedic style has changed (not at all). It’s not my favourite comedic style, but I do respect it when it’s done well, which I think it is in Lee Mack’s case. And to be fair, he did make me laugh a few time in the set from this video. His stand-up DVDs made me laugh as well, when I watched them a few years ago.

It's now been more than two years since I watched Lee Mack’s stand-up DVDs, but I still recognized a couple of jokes from this 1995 set – they made it into his first DVD, which was released in 2007. His later shows no longer recycled exact jokes from 1995, but they never changed style.

I also respect a comedian who decides what they want to be early on because they truly love that thing, and then they continue to love it enough to stick with it. And I think that is real for Lee Mack, I’ve read his autobiography and so much of it’s about being really into the comedians who came before him and did that style. Comedy changed around him as he grew up, he definitely saw the alternative comedy stuff and then the other styles that branched out from there, but no, he wanted to be one type of comedian that is what he did. It's worked damn well for him, credit goes to Lee Mack for that.

- Next up are three comedians I hadn’t heard of, a couple of whom were a bit funny, followed by:

John Oliver has some stand-up jokes in his early career about how he looks like he’s Jewish, and I never understood those jokes until I saw pictures of him from even earlier in his career, when he did look exactly like a young David Baddiel. He wrote those jokes back when he looked like that, so people probably did often assume he was Jewish, and then kept telling them even after he didn’t look that much like that anymore.

I think I’ve just had a similar moment of understanding about all the jokes in The Mighty Boosh based on Julian Barratt’s eyes being too small. By the time they filmed the Mighty Boosh things that I’ve seen, he’d apparently learned to open his eyes properly, because I heard those jokes and thought, okay, they’re a bit small, but not really enough for the jokes to make sense. This, however, suggests that the issues used to be more pronounced. I'm not sure that man even has eyes.

- On the subject of The Mighty Boosh, you know how Julian Barratt’s the straight man there? Apparently he wasn’t always. He packed an impressive amount of offbeat stuff into only a couple of minutes there. Not even really a character act, just fucking weird. Possibly just as weird as the old clips I've seen of Noel Fielding's 90s-era stand-up. I see how they ended up together.

- I’ll be honest, and say the next one is the actual reason I’m here:

Jesus. I've seen a lot of different Daniel Kitson looks from different Daniel Kitson eras, but had not seen that one before. This gives me the same feeling I get from watching his Blockbusters thing, which is... okay, I love finding old footage of comedians I like, but if they're an actual child in that footage, at what point is it a weird thing to have? I think he's actually older here than he was on Blockbusters, but looks younger, possibly because of the shorter hair and/or the vest.

Seeing his age right after Lee Mack and Julian Barrett puts that difference in perspective, too. I’d been thinking that them all being in this means they all started at the same time so are the same comedic generation, but they’re really not. Because that is a small child. It takes a hell of a lot of confidence to think you can do something like this when you’re that young. I say this as someone whose brother started doing stand-up when he was sixteen… it requires an uncommon level of self-regard.

- I’ve now watched the set, and it was primarily about A-level results, his glasses, and his failure to get a girlfriend during high school. I have heard him do material even in his polished shows as an adult about his glasses and his failure to get a girlfriend in high school, and I can even think of a couple of routines that have discussed his A-level results. So he didn’t stop using the topics. Just changed every single other thing.

There was only one tiny bit when the crowd laughed too early, he got mildly annoyed and said that was just a word, that wasn’t the joke, and it was this little flash of reality. Like for about a second and a half, a curtain moved and you could look at this strange teenager and see Daniel Kitson. And then the curtain closed again and it’s just a kid with way more confidence than anyone that age should be allowed to have.

- The video cuts off the ending, but I looked it up and learned that Julian Barratt won. Which makes sense, especially if the judges were, in fact, looking for originality. He definitely had that. A very weird and creative set that would lead you to never guess he's destined for "straight man" status in his double act.

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Review: Small Miracles by Anne Booth

How could I not be instantly intrigued and taken in by this adorable cover? I have a soft spot for cosy reads, especially in colder months, and I just knew this one would be a great, snuggly time.

Set in the 1990s, the final remaining nuns at St Philomena are struggling to stay afloat. The convent is in desperate need of repair and new nuns if it stands any chance of survival. However, they’re very short on money and interest. But then Sister Cecilia decides to enter the brand new National Lottery and that’s when the miracles begin to happen.

I loved watching the dynamics between the three nuns. They argue a lot but the love between them is so evident. In so many ways, their sisterhood felt real and unlike women who had just been thrown together randomly. It was perhaps fate that they were the last remaining nuns of the parish, as their combined forces was surely what was needed to revive it.

Of course, their simple, pure life isn’t always as straight-forward as they’d like it. They become involved in the lives of their neighbours and display complex feelings for men, which they know they can’t act upon. I think I’d have liked to see this conflict in more detail, as both Cecilia and Bridget clearly experience attractions to men. What would have happened if one or both of them had wanted to take that further?

I love Sister Bridget. Her compassion, empathy and all-round good egg aura made me smile every time it showed. She loves making cakes for pretty much anyone and everyone, so she makes friends everywhere. She is fascinated by people’s stories and other cultures, which perhaps isn’t something you’d typically expect of a devout Catholic, as the faith is often followed closely by conservatism and intolerance. However, Bridget turns that notion of a nun on its head and genuinely is a friend to everyone.

The humour in the book is quiet but charming. I laughed several times, despite the comedy not being covert. A lot of it comes from social awkwardness and misunderstandings, which I think is quite a British way of delivering humour. There is a really good dose of it and I loved how it added an extra sparkle to the whole book.

The idea of miracles ripples throughout the narrative and I started to realise that the nuns were very much the source of them. They never realised it themselves but it appeared that the nuns’ doings always seemed to create the perfect conditions for other people to fall into the path of good things. It was a really clever, subtle way of giving the nuns a kind of magical vibe while still keeping us very much in the realm of reality and possibility. It’s not like the nuns were deliberately making other people’s lives better -they just naturally, incidentally did. Unintentionally magical is really how I’d characterise the book.

Small Miracles is a unique, warm-hearted book about love, healing and of course, miracles. There are some gorgeous characterisations, plenty of wonder and even a romance that is very easy to root for. Themes of friendship, sisterhood, faith and courage are also present in this funny, feel-good hug of a book.