#this segment shows og vibes

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Halo Theme

I've never played any Halo games before, ever (though I've heard of it, obviously), and this isn't one I watch/listen to very often, but I knew there would be a few things for me to talk about, not just in regards to the actual video, but also in regards to the history of Voiceplay (formerly known as 4:2:Five).

The video was uploaded on the 2nd of October, 2021, and features Scott Porter, who was a founding member of "4:2:Five" (Geoff and Layne are the only two OGs left in the group), and these days is a bit of a small-scale actor, starring in series like Friday Night Lights (the show, not the movie), and Ginny & Georgia. The video was dedicated to Voiceplay's friend and collaborator, Rek Dunn, whom Scott talks about in a segment at the end of the video (which I shall talk about as well, because, well, it gives me more to talk about).

But anyway, let's actually start including some screencaps, shall we?

Holy apocalypse doomsday Batman!

(I swear I'm not actually making fun of the outfits, I just don't really have any specific thoughts on the costuming here, other than there was obviously a theme/vibe/aesthetic they were going for here, and they basically nailed it (and I love Cesar's jacket))

Is it just me or is there a sense of pain/sorrow in Geoff's eyes during a lot of this video? 💔 (he was no doubt thinking of Rek, and I'm sure Layne, Scott, and Eli were thinking about him the whole time as well)

(Also you think this is sad? Well it is, but I've never even watched the video for The Heart Of Life, because I know the context of it, and I've listened to it on Spotify, and the cover alone is heartbreaking enough - watching the video might actually make me tear up)

The editing work on this video is insanely good. This was Layne's arrangement and Layne's video, so I guess it was his editing job as well? There are so many quick cuts and zooms and vocalists popping in and out of sight! And all timed to the arrangement perfectly, of course.

Just to keep viewers on their toes (ayyyy 👉👉)

Those shoes are definitely cool. Who was wearing them, I wonder?

Cesar hitting us with the side-eye!

(Also, probably unintentional, but him being the only one not actually looking to the side (though his head is turned that way) highlights the fact that he is the youngest and newest member. Though undoubtedly a brilliant fit for the group and beloved by fans, he doesn't have the history that the rest of the guys do).

"Red team!"

"Blue team!"

So here's the thing: "Voiceplay" actually just started off as a traditional barbershop-quartet acapella singing group with Geoff, Layne, Earl (yes, he was a founding member (that's why it hurt so much when he left)), and another guy (Michael/Mykhal(?) Kilgore or something like that?). Layne was the baritone of the group. The group decided to add a fifth member, a beatboxer, after being inspired by the group Rockapella, and that fifth member was Scott Porter. They called themselves "4:2:Five", because, literally, they went from 4 to 5 members (they didn't become "Voiceplay" till 2011 or 2012). When Scott left the group to go pursue an acting career, Layne took over as the beatboxer/vocal percussionist (and was shown the ropes by Geoff, actually), and he's stuck to it ever since!

All that to say, this is a fun little moment of OG-beatboxer vs current-beatboxer 😁

Really brilliant effects/editing for this one

So that's the actual acapella bit of the video, now time for the elaboration/dedication at the end from Scott! (Also I really love his shirt)

Surprise! Old Voiceplay/4:2:Five pictures! And by "old" I mean look how young they are! I'm guessing that's Earl on the far left, that's definitely Geoff next to him (my god look at how short his hair used to be!), and that's Layne in the middle (he really was always that tall huh)

Look at them!!! (Layne on the left end, Geoff on the right end)

Apparently the first ever Halo game released, Halo: Combat Evolved, was released in November 2001, so this photo is probably from either late 2001 or sometime in 2002. Maybe a year or two later, but one way another, this is Layne and Geoff in their very early 20s (and look at them now! Aged like fine wine I tell ya.)

Selfies from the Aca Top 10 Disney Sidekicks video!

Rest in peace, Rek 💜

(Also I don't know anything about Halo but apparently this video/arrangement was impressive enough for the actual official Halo Youtube channel to comment on it and call it "legendary", as well as a comment from the guy who wrote the theme in the first place, so yeah damn well done guys)

Not exactly a typical Voiceplay Visuals post, but it was one I didn't want to skip over, and for the next post we will be back to our usual fun theatrical awesomeness! Stay tuned!

[popculturebuffet]

Since I asked for modern Disney TVA I'm gonna ask for Cartoon Network too (but obviously splitting it up instead of every show at once). Who is your favorite character from each of the 90s half of the Cartoon Cartoons-era shows you've seen like: Dexter's Lab, Johnny Bravo, Cow & Chicken, I Am Weasel, The Powerpuff Girls 1998, Ed Edd n Eddy, Mike Lu and Og, and Courage the Cowardly Dog?

I appricate that as there are a lot. But I'm also happy to talk about these and almost all need a rewatch from me (Ed Edd N eddy is the exception not due to quality but due to my top 25 episodes list, i've seen most of the ones i'd want to rewatch)

Dexter's Lab: An awesome show and one close to my heart. It has a few eps that are a bit too mean spirited for it's own good (a trait that most of these shows share, it's a common problem in children's comedy), but overall is just a fun show with a simple but effective premise. It also has Phil Hartman in one of his final and best rolls as Dexter's dad, so that's a bonus. I do feel the film and revivial seasons aren't as good, with Dial M For Monster being a better finale, but overall the series is a nostalgic classic to me.

Edit: So yeah turns out I was wrong. It was Jeff Bennet. I just always asumed phil hartman was his dad and that's why it was canceld. A good reminder to always check an assumption you had when you were 8.

Johnny Bravo: your timing on this one is good as I got the season 1 dvd on a whim a few weeks back at walmart and while I need to watch more of it, what i've refreshed is great. For a show about a wannabe pickup artist, the show's aged remarkably well: most of the violence against johnny is too slapstick to be a double standard and Johnny is more a clueless man child than actual threat to any woman and gets brushed off or outright punished when he does his cheesy pickup routine. Not only that but the humor.. is delightfully nuts. You've got episodes where Johnny dates an antelope, thinks time has stopped and in a faviorite bit of mine no one talks about gets a career in the moving pictures cumilating in the beloved classic

Cow and Chicken: This one.. yeah I have some nice things to say. The designs are nicely grungy, the theme song's a banger and it uh.. yeah that's about it. This one's a sadist show with Chicken sometimes getting punished for doing genuinely bad stuffa nd often getting punished for existing. It's far from the worst cartoon i've seen but is entirely not for me. Again except the theme song, and even then it's in an era of outright banger theme songs

I Am Wesel: This show .. is okay. The segments on cow and chicken were the highlight and while the show does lap into those sadist show tendicies I mentioned for cartoons in general it' snot nearly AS consitent with it as it's sister show and Weasel and Baboon are just fun to watch with great voice work. Weasel in paticular is just awesome. Solid show.

The Powerpuff Girls: one of cn's best shows and one of the ones i've rewatched more as my niece was really into it years ago. It has a sweet vibe to it at it's best, creative villians, some of the best voice actors there ever were in character defining rolls, and some solid aseops other shows weren't doing like how cops can be assholes and feminism can be complicated. Like i'm starting to realize ALL of these it once again has episodes that are just unwatchably mean, seriously I wasn't wrong when I said it was a common problem, but the bulk of the show is just a joy to behold.

Ed, Edd N Eddy: A true classic. I talked about this one a LOT in my top 25 episodes list but it's got slapstick gold for days, a great cast and a truly unique art style. It is held back a bit as episodes can be hit and miss, and out of the shows here it falls into the sadist show trap the most. It misses it more than cow and chicken, but it also has more standout examples of

It just stands out enough in it's GOOD episodes and has more than enough of them that I still love it.

Mike Lu and Ogg: A show I find highly underated and wish I could rewatch. It's where my decades long love of Nikkita Futterman as a voice actress began, and she's still great as Luna on the Loud House after all this time. Worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

Courage the Cowardly Dog: The best show here and that's saying something and one of my faviorite cartoons period. No hyperbole: long before I got neck deep into horror, this primed me for the genre, a love letter to b movies with a truly wonderful protaganist, the kindest damsel in distress in existance and the greatest asshole old man whose ever lived whose not named stan pines. The series has great humor, truly good horror in places, and a LOT of heart. I can't say enough good about this show and if there's enough intrest or someone willing to bankroll it , i'd be mor ethan willing to do a full series review of it at some point. I cannot say enough good about this show, truly one of cartoon networks best and only not firmly the best because Steven Universe came along later.

[readsalot1]

Just found out they made a movie version of Matilda the Musical. As someone who was so obsessed at age 12 that I can still remember most of the lyrics to the songs at age 19, I've decided to chronicle my thoughts as I watch. (NOTE: anytime I mention "the OG" I am referring to the broadway musical, not the book)

I thought the "I can be a solider and shoot you in the face" line was very fun and original. Can't believe they sanitized it and we're not even 3 minutes in.

I am enjoying the "Miracle" segment so far. It's giving music video vibes. (but also, Disney just straight up added the Hamilton stage performance to their streaming service, and I'm already wishing they did that. The show was really fun!)

I thought part of Mrs. Wormwood's denial could've been more convincing if she wasn't obviously pregnant (admittedly they didn't do that in the original either--it's too bad; she should've been in really good shape to still almost make her dancing competition)

They cut Ruuuuuuudolpho the dancer how could they

Library bus is fun but real actual libraries are also great. Mrs. Phelps seems nice so far.

Mr. Wormwood being worried about debt actually makes more sense for him to be doing all his shady stuff.

Miss. Honey seems like she's doing her best.

I take it back the dad's even more of an ass in this--I don't remember him setting her up and then GLOATING ABOUT IT

I liked "Naughty" except for the roof bit; Matila's supposed to be smart, not climbing all over the exterior of her house like an idiot. (note: Movie Matilda is also a bit of a dumbass)

Since Mr. Wormwood is going on about the escapologist, does that mean we're getting less of Mrs. Phelps?--never mind

So is the Trunchbull not the acrobat's sister in this one?

They changed some of the story--she doesn't try to do the *circus announcer voice* "it is the greatest feat EVER known to man"

Kiddo knows that turnabout is fair play

Isaac the lizard might be the best addition to the story (we will see)

"School Song" is simultaneously most similar and most different from the musical and I didn't like it at first (I thought the school gate with the letter blocks was the coolest thing) the way they managed to incorporate a lot of stuff from the original

Nigel panicking about advanced math (relative to himself) is very relatable

They're all so tinyyyyyyyy when you're 12 you don't notice as much

Thinking she meant finish instead of erase, omg kiddo

That booklist, holy crap. I was a reading addict in HS and now the most I read is sections of my textbooks (I love STEM but it's so much workkkkk)

They cut all of "Pathetic" except the last line (don't be pathetic, netflix)

OMG it's the Hammer song (can't remember the official name right now D: oh no) The actress doesn't make the song hit the same way as the OG actress. The recording part is funny though

Honestly the bits of Miss. Honey's voice from the hammer song makes me even more disappointed they didn't include "Pathetic" she sounds good

The dad had a fun song making fun of authors and also the audience; it doesn't lend itself well to movie adaptation but it was funny as hell.

Pretty sure the book that was ripped up in all the previous adaptations was Moby Dick

The dad is even crazier business-wise in this and in the OG he cheated the Russian mafia

"Telekinipsis" you precious child

Wait omfg they brought back Hortensia

I liked "Chokey"

Narcolepsy was kept yay

Poor Amanda

OOOOOOOO evil stepsister (wait was that the original plot anyway?)

It was indeed not the OG plot I now remember "Forgotten by everyone except... the acrobat's sister" was the line

Mrs. Phelps I love you omg

The kid constantly trying telekinesis is so cute

The hug was interrupted how could she

Bruce I hope you get your song

"a pact with Satan and stolen my cake" she's so extra

Yay he got his song!

Where did she even get a teaching certification

"When I Grow Up" had no lyrics changed and yet the vibes were entirely different. I liked the adult ensemble coming in and all the swings and stuff in the OG. Again, Miss. Honey has a great voice and I'm disappointed they cut "Pathetic"

The story sequence was good, but it would've been better if they kept the fire extinguisher foam bit.

Mrs. Phelps ready to call CPS on Matilda's nonexistent aunt

The dad was a comedy figure in the OG why is he like this

The story is back yay and I like that she's putting herself in the daughter's place (we know it's Miss. Honey but she doesn't)

"Don't Cry" was excellent

It's fun that everyone thinks Matilda is a hero

"Smell of Rebellion" is more solid than "Throw the Hammer"

Gym is apparently the hell class

Zeke was a dwarf I think why is he a parrot now???

OMG the telekinesis boy was Eric Ink

I liked this version of "Quiet" but thinking about it now, 90% sure it's called dissociation, kiddo

"My House" was really nice but I feel like the actress was a bit breathy at first; she did better when the song let her push more. (again, she'd be really good with the song "Pathetic" (open the door))

Chokey is supposed to be a tiny closet, not an outhouse

Oh good, they kept the mafia that was a good subplot

*rebels* [insert 50 chokeys here]

THEY CUT REVOLTING CHILDREN THE RATING IS GOING DOWN

WAIT NO NEVERMIND

I like that Hortensia got to be the deuteragonist in the song initially written for her. However, the song wasn't quite as good as the OG version.

The song Miss. Honey sings after the parents drive away I'm 90% sure is movie-musical-only

Isaac deserves the best life I'm glad that Lavender got her bestie back

THE CREDITS VERSION IS THE OFFICIAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING OF WHEN I GROW UP I KNOW THIS SONG (sidenote, I am dancing in my dorm room at 12:25 am and having the time of my life)

Final rating 6.5 to 7 out of 10. Solid, would recommend, but the stage musical is still better. Would listen to my CD of the show rather than watch again.

((I would like to specify that my family IS NOT RICH. There's this option on Broadway that you put your name in a raffle for a show that day (I think? again, I was 12) and if you win the tickets (which are like the last few seats in the theater) are much cheaper. If you are in NYC and you have this option, 10/10 would recommend))

[asseater3k]

Metal gear mania days 1&2

Game: MGS2

Got started yesterday and cleared the tanker and got past the basic setup of the main game. I’ve played Twin snakes a lot back in the day so I was vvaery familiar with the controls and was able to slide back into that control scheme very easily in MGS2 save for a little trouble converting muscle memory from a game cube controller to a ps3 controller. If you’ve played either you know how good this scheme feels, responsive movement leaning around corners and first person aiming combined with the lovely shoulder button menus makes this a great experience from a gameplay standpoint I’d imagine that at launch the tanker segment was a very engaging playground for learning and testing the new controls while it my case and Im sure others who started with the twin snakes it worked as something of a check list like a pre flight check to makes everything was up and running. The tanker also does very well at setting up plot hooks and intrigue some of which went very different directions than I thought they would as always it makes me happy to hear Snake and Otacon.

(Spoilers below the cut)

I was also happily surprised to hear cam Clarke back at it as liquid snake in the form of an arm ocelot picks up being the funniest guy ever right where he left off after the post credits of twin snakes immediately showing up acting goofy doing gun tricks and turning on his allies before succumbing to the horrible fate of being British even if just for a moment. I don’t have much to say on the shift to Raiden as it was something i knew would happen, hard to keep stuff like that under wraps these days. Something I really did appreciate was just how hard this game attempts to gaslight you into thinking everything’s hunkey dory from raidens initial codename being Snake or Campbell, who I’ll talk more about in a bit repeating the lines about the Soloton radar from the first game, not much to say naritively about the early game as most of the conversation where about using the action button is various wacky ways. The main thing that happened during the first day was mostly me trying to wrap my head around why people seemed to hat raiden so much when this game came out. This guy is hilarious and frankly pretty adorable. One of my favorite things about the first game is how it makes you the player and solid snake the character feel like this expendable grunt even while doing insane shit like rocket jumping to kill a helicopter, something I haven’t seen talked about a lot is just how much of the game is something of mystery story and you ALWAYS feel like your the last to know and that Carries over to this game. At this point my naritive thoughts are gonna blend days 1 and 2 together and I’m not gonna really section things out super hard between them, I think a strength of this game is how that sense of being left in dark carries over but is fundamentally different due to having played the last game. At the beginning of MGS there’s no real hint that this is going to be more complex than it presents itself to you. The vibe early on is one of a cool action game where you go in and do snakes solider man things maybe this is different if you played the OG metal gear but for me I was unaware and that feels intentional by the time you get to the DARPA chief you start unraveling these threads and dont really stop untill the end of the game. MGS2 starts you the player and Raiden at about the same point in terms of knowledge with one key difference. You the player KNOW what really happened on Shadow Moses and raiden does not you start the game knowing that something isn’t right and there are these crossing wires but even after all you did in MGS 1 you still dont know enough. I think having the two man booth really adds to this and Campbell repeating lines from the first game weaves that beautifully to give you the sense that something isn’t quite right before you even really start the story. Those lines put you in the headspace of MGS with this full support team but here at this point you really only have the colonel and Rosemary, who I really like i think her dynamic with Raiden is cute. On the other hand Campbell feels off. I love Paul riding hearing is voice makes me feel as though I’ve consumed a lovely warm stew in an otherwise frigid winter is that warmth that spreads through out your body. I do not feel that here at all. I know he kept secrets in MGS and was pretty shady at the end (though the specifics escape me and I was too spoiler scared to check a wiki) but this feels like a whole different level At the point I’m currently at so much of the initial details have been showned to be incomplete or flat out untrue not to mention aspects of the situation he doesn’t include. The combination of his insistence that you can’t trust pliskin ( who IS solid snake I’m not gonna bother with the bit here even though its really funny) and the at times very aggressive tone with which he interacts with raiden makes it really hard to tell if this is stuff he genuinely doesn’t know or if he knows way more than hell let in on. This is another thing i think works really well in conjunction with the first game.\

In that game Campbell was a solid grounding presence which was used by the game later when even he starts becoming unsure and untrustworthy just how much you don’t know and how little of a grasp is had by the cast on the reality of the situation at shadow Moses. In MGS2 you are armed with that knowledge but are still presented with Campbell as the grounded athoritiative figure this creates a sensation of unsteady ground to the player immediately while providing a lot more incentive to interact with and trust pliskin aside form the fact he’s obviously snake he feels like hes got more of the situation figured out and is much more willing to tell Raiden. Side note these feelings of uncertainty and distrust are defiantly also influenced and reinforced by the tanker incident but I find myself unable to articulate that to the degree I could with stuff from the first game.

The Game is also paced very well even if you’re playing it like a nutcase like I am as you go through more and more of things you were told about the mission prove to just be untrue beyond just its more complicated than we initially thought, like i said I’m not sure if Campbell is traight up lying to me or not but at the point I’m at now I’ve just learned about the patriots and its hard not to notice how much the plan of action Campbell insist upon lines up with what it seems they would want at this time I can’t be sure if cause he works for the military of hes just being fed just the same bad info we are or if theres more to it but I am intrigued

On a final note the antagonist situation is interesting. Dead Cell are, objectively, hilarious. I lost my mind when Fatman in particular roller bladed up with his bomb disposal gear and wine glass to talk about how epic his next YouTube prank was gonna be, Vamp just does increasingly more ridiculous things every time hes on screen, Fortune is cool as fuck and her theme fucking melts. After that it does get a bit confusing as which out of the three between ocelot the patriots and solidus i should focus on and I think that’s intentional. It does feel like being in a room with three people where on of which is going to kill you and the others but you don’t if its going to be all of them or just one and if so which one. It all adds up to give a sense that you can’t stay still or in one place too long you have to keep pace with something to stay alive but figuring out exactly what or who is anything but easy

In conclusion: four stars check it out.

[my-gf-is-kazuichi-soda]

Hey no hate, you realize that you’re literally in love with your own version of Kazuichi right? Literally no one in this entire world thinks of Kazuichi the same way as you.

Heeheehee, yes! Ngl my ego is having a feast with that last sentence.

You've unlocked an essay! Have fun reading lol.

Honestly though, I do think of my Kazuichi as an extension of the og Kazuichi, but like, in a different timeline. Not an entirely different personality, even if it seems like that because I draw fanart of her at different points in time without much of an explanation.

I've been thinking about that rule of fandoms post I reblogged earlier. I feel like I only barely scratched the surface of a thought with my tags, but I only had a few minutes left in my break at work. Also, wasn't sure how personal I wanted to get on someone else's post.

At what point does fan-written character development end and "an entirely new character, completely different from the original" begin? Even characters in canon, written differently in some way, can be considered "not canon" by fans. Take "modern-day" Simpsons for example; there was one segment from a "recent" episode (honestly, I don't remember how long ago I heard this statement, so "recent" could mean anywhere from the past 10 years) where Bart genuinely asks "what's the 90s?" This made a lot of people angry, because Bart Simpson was a staple of the 1990s that embodied the vibes of that era, so hearing him say this felt like a far cry from his old self. This Bart is technically "canon," but a lot of people would argue that this is Not Bart Simpson.

Another example is Steven Universe Future. I did not like that epilogue season. I liked the 12-to-14 year old Steven's optimism, and it felt like they strayed so far from his character to have this kindhearted, loving character become so selfish and bitter and, there's no way to explain it without spoilers but he commits an act so heinous that I honestly felt like they took his blind rage too far just for shock value and sacrificed the entire character for it. But, some things just don't reach everybody. What I saw as "That's Not Steven", some people were able to enjoy and get a cathartic story of someone healing from trauma (I wish I felt the same about that show). For me, it was painful to watch, and I only finished the season to end my anxiety about it, seeing him get worse and nothing get better at the end of each episode was bringing me to tears ("Then how can you play Danganronpa if you're so sensitive?" you might ask? I have different expectations and standards for an edgy murder game for teenagers than I would for a kids' cartoon. I'm less shocked when violent acts happen in Danganronpa or Family Guy than I was at Steven Universe Future). Anyway I would consider this version of Steven Universe's character "not canon," and I cringe when people bring up his character in Steven Universe Future as canon, despite that, yeah, it's canon. It's canon but I hate that it's canon.

Anyway, I have a point here, and it is that what is considered strict canon to some may be considered more loosely by others. And fandoms are where we should be free to explore ideas that the writers cant do, whether it's because it doesn't fit the themes, or it isn't "marketable," or it's because the canon writers wouldn't come up with it, or just simply because you wanted to see it and no one can stop you. I understand some people have ideas about characters you'd want to keep the same, I do too! I hate when people reduce Kazuichi to just "fuckboy who flirts with Sonia and parties all the time and is really dumb" (tell me you fell for Kazuichi's act without telling me you fell for Kazuichi's act) or "sad pathetic meow meow" (like, aside from the "blorbo" language, this feels like one part of Kazuichi that gets misunderstood as the entirety of Kazuichi. Kazuichi can be pretty badass.)

Fandoms have been getting more picky and hostile lately (I'm realizing I have too, so I'm working on that), and I think we could all benefit from letting go of some of our stricter ideas about "sticking to canon" and being more easy-going about people writing a character differently than you would, especially because it's fanon. Because we're doing this on our own volition and not for a paycheck. Because kids writing for the first time shouldn't feel like quitting if they can't make the characters "on-model" or "in-character."

Also, Danganronpa at times is kind of poorly written and sexist, so why should I have to stress over adhering to the standards set by those writers and then carried on by teens in the fandom (who might be looking at it uncritically, not that I blame them they're still learning) when I can set some standards of my own?

The "canon" version of Kazuichi, according to the spinoff games I never played, is that she's forever doomed by the narrative to spend at least three years after graduation still pining over the same damn character who has repeatedly shown no interest. Also, doomed to keep the same appearance that she canonically doesn't like (and everyone else also looks exactly the same as their child selves). Like, this is the same character who changed her appearance in middle school because she was sick of being taken advantage of by people who didn't give a rats ass about her. There were other reasons too, but I feel like nobody talks about this one in particular: she wanted to change, so she did. So why does she need to keep the same appearance after that, when she's older and the stakes are lower and she's gone through so much and gotten some development in the second game's end? The meta reasons are so that Spike Chunsoft doesn't have to pay someone to update the sprite model, because Kazuichi is recognizable (marketable) in her canon look, and because it's easier to leave everything the same.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if Kazuichi wanted to keep the same appearance, that's what attracted me to her in the first place. But she herself isn't happy with it (evidence: the last FTE). I just filled in some blanks in the story in my own way, because there's a lot of ways to interpret her character and they don't have to fit in with whatever canon says is the way. I don't 100% trust Hajime's word, Chunsoft's word, or what other fans have to say. I'll listen to it, though, but yeah I am going with my own interpretation.

Don't worry, when I say "Kazuichi is a girl because I said so" I do mean my Kazuichi (and whoever else wants to make Kazuichi a girl, which, go for it!). I don't mean "I'll fight you on it if you think differently." My ideas for Kaz are just one possibility for her, there's tons of others and they're valid whether I personally care for them or not. I don't mind boy Kazuichi at all! I just...I love girls...so she is a girl. In my heart. On another level, I was tired of boy characters getting the cooler designs that don't have a boob focus, so when I saw her I was like "that one has to be a girl! I'm claiming her right now. And probably also a lesbian, just because!" And then I ended up adoring her, because she's so adhd/autistic and I relate a lot to her struggles in socializing and making friends. I hate when people say she's "not emotionally mature enough for friendships/relationships" (that's such a mean statement! I've heard it before about myself. It hurts to hear. ;-; It sounds very victim-blamey.) Yeah, her social problems from autism/adhd definitely play a large role in her problems in making and keeping friends, but another large reason she struggles is because other people don't get her, and that's not her fault. She tries, she tries way harder than I did when I was a teenager to make everyone like her, and it doesn't work, because other people can be shallow assholes who see a "weird kid" and just don't care. I'm not saying that's everybody who doesn't want to be friends with her, Kazuichi can also be mean and push people away and also can be bad at reading the room, but her struggle to make friends is not all everyone else's fault just like it's not all her fault. Some people just have too much neurodivergent swag or uncanny valley for others to get us. So we need to find each other.

Anyway, wow I guess I really needed to talk. It frustrates me that so much of my story is only in my head right now. I want to actually show the progression of Kazuichi's character (so that her character progression looks less like "I just pulled this out of my ass" and more like "I swear guys, I'm actually going somewhere with this! It'll make sense later!") and my s/i's character progression too (in the fanfic we grow alongside each other and because of each other), but it takes time to write a story when I'm also learning the work-life balance. This was my first year having a "real job" and of living alone, I basically get home after the 8 hours of busywork and then get to drawing Kazuichi and watching cartoons and playing video games. Trying to be really patient with myself.

[motorfestgames2023]

The Crew Motorfest: A Unique Spin on Racing Games for PS5

As soon as they dive into "The Crew Motorfest," one might lowkey think they accidentally started the latest "Forza Horizon" chapter. The vibes between "Motorfest" and that Microsoft racing game are already hella obvious in the kind of interactive prologue. Switchin' between various rides, sometimes hittin' the regular roads, and other times going off-road, gives off some serious déjà vu. But you know, "The Crew Motorfest" ain't just a straight-up copy of "Forza Horizon." The peeps at Ivory Tower added some unique twists that set their new jam apart from the OG source, making it a fantastic choice if you're looking to buy PS5 games.

Island Racing Adventures: A Playlist Journey

The playlists take you on a ride from one race to the next, letting you explore the whole island. "Hawaii Scenic Tour" is like a chill starting point, with long races to help you get the lay of the land. It's all relaxed, not super competitive, and helps you get the feel of the island. "Made in Japan" is a bit of a mixtape, showing off modern Japanese cars and throwing you into some drifting, drag racing, and more. "American Muscle" blends off-road with street action, and then there's some super-specific love for car brands, like "A Porsche Story: 911 Legacy." Each playlist takes you on a unique journey, with commentary fillin' you in on those cars' histories. One even showcases the Japanese custom shop Liberty Walk, with real-life footage to keep it real. There's a more playful playlist where you take on challenges for Donut Media, an online car geek crew. You get to 'pick a side' in car showdowns and riff on their most popular show segments. Oh, and the playlists have their vibes, too. The "Made in Japan" playlist has that neon, fire-breathing dragons, and Japanese style that turns the city into a super-slick Tokyo. Donut's got a bunch of goofy parade floats like donuts everywhere. And "American Muscle" is all about the stars and stripes, complete with fireworks. It's dope how each playlist makes the island look different even though it's the same spot, you feel? By the way, if you ever want to enhance your gaming experience, you might want to consider checking out where to buy PS5 games.

The Crew Motorfest: Racing Through Thrills and Challenges

There's also plenty of online action, including weekly challenges, and other modes like Grand Races, where you battle it out with 27 other players on a massive track, switching between rides and chasing ever-changing checkpoints. It's also lit just cruisin' around the island with the squad and smashing out playlists together. Motorfest nails makin' online play super easy to jump into, with no drama. And hey, if you're lookin' for a chill road trip, gas up, let's roll, and maybe even pick up some new PS5 games along the way.

The Crew Motorfest is a big step up for the series, but it's kind of sad that it can't shake off those "Forza Horizon" vibes. Still, this is a seriously fun racer with tons of stuff to do in the game and more on the horizon, whether you're playing online or not. Even though it might seem alike on the surface, Motorfest is still the GOAT when it comes to wild gameplay that switches up rides on the fly.

[bugsbenefit]

agreeed, prev tags! (also more random ramble look awayyy, sorry for hijacking with my own thoughts here)

for me i think it's also the noticeable shift in character focus that's a bit disorienting as well and fumbles the og vibe of the show. s1 and 2 are very compact and reflect the small town horror feeling pretty well bc you're mostly focused on the kids and Joyce, Hopper, Nancy and Jonathan. despite that being 12 characters as of s2 is still feels pretty well structured. the characters relations also help since that has them interacting even before the final merge. like shared dinners between Mike and Nancy or Jonathan and Joyce struggling together. the plot just feels much more connected and tension riddled since the characters depth and communication is much more prominent and there's not just the supernatural suspense but also the way the storylines Almost overlap

but then in s3 the cast starts to really expand and those new characters get more focus to flesh them out, which is understandable, but ultimately leaves the original characters that carry the heart of the story and are still the main characters of the show as of s4 with little plot or lines. like how Murray, the scoops troop, and so on took a Lot of screentime

and that's not saying i don't like Robin, Erica or Murray etc. i Do really like them. it's just that all their subplots were Removed from the main groups and still took so much screentime

adding a new character like Max or adding Steve to the main likable character roster was done much better since they were added straight to the main group and interacted with multiple characters and the plot and didn't just exist in cutaway segments. so you get a feel for dynamics and get to keep that close knit character roster feeling. like how Max immediately feels like a solid character that's connected to the other characters and the plot. and the same even goes for smaller character like, say Mr Clarke, who's a really funny side character but still doesn't feel like he "distracts" from the main plot since he mainly gets established through his relationship with the main cast and help he can provide for the plot whenever he's on screen

s4 also feels impersonal to me because of how much time is spent with the Vecna victims for example. and i completely understand why they'd get screentime since their deaths are important. but spending multiple minutes per episode with someone that we Know is going to die and doesn't matter as a character in the long run just takes even more of that closeness and suspense away. also same with how much screentime Hopper gets in jail, despite there being no character development or interaction since he's alone, and there being little plot, like him trading soup or getting tortured

s3 and 4 are just SO disjointed when compared to the original charm of s1 and 2. the scoops troop in s3 is jarringly different to the other storylines, basically a military escape movie. and then there's the kids mostly doing relationship drama, Jancy are in a detective subplot, and Jopper is playing Terminator. and there's only the fight at the Very end that's kind of connecting the characters and storylines (and relationships are Still not developed at the end, like someone besides Dustin and Steve meeting Robin so she feels a bit more like she's "in" now)

(s4 has some similar structure with a Russian escape plot, feelings focused California roadtrip, the lab memory train, and the main horror plot in Hawkins. which only really overlap in the last 10 minutes. to the point where someone like the Cali or Russia characters only get the full story off screen. but i think s4 never bothered me as much since it's so clearly a part1 of the finale, so by the end of it i didn't feel left hanging or disappointed)

honestly though, with s5 being set exclusively in Hawkins again i feel much more confidant in s5 vibewise. s4 already has a different vibe than s3 and with the characters being in the same geographical location the small town and tight knit character focus is much more likely to be a focus again

S1 and s2 (but especially s1) feel so intimate and grounded and personal. I am watching these character’s lives.

But s3 and s4 (ESPECIALLY s3) feels fake and removed. I’m watching a tv show.

[twinklnyan4life]

Having DisliKing to cheer himself up gets out of hand but at least he tried his best to be happy but didn’t go well…

[thefuchsianeko]

As a "fun" design exercise I decided to mess with the Hazbin characters' designs... Not really "redesigns," but more so "refined-designs"-- Keeping their overall look or "essence" while trying to simplify them and clean up their colour palettes, as well as making sure they all look distinct from one another.

I tried to stick close to the original's style but I couldn't help using thick lines, lol. Along with the simplified shapes, it gives them an early 2000s cartoon vibe I think.

For the colours I tried giving them more unique palettes, as well as making sure that they had enough contrast (the colour value of this show tends to be... not great). Also the lineup at the bottom isn't my final selection, it's just a selection to get a better idea of how they all might look together side-by-side.

Eh, tell me what you think. I could keep editing these but like, I'm tired of looking at them lol. More info on each design (plus a speedpaint) under the cut. It gets wordy, sorry.

Charlie: Not much to say besides she needs more contrast in her colours. I changed her shirt to the same colour as her corneas (yellow) so it doesn't blend in with her skin. I wish her eyes were still black (not only does it bring better attention to her face, but it works better with the idea that she's a doll-- yknow, painted on eyes? Does that make sense lol). In retrospect, maybe it would've been good to try some browns with her colours? Idk. I kept her red since she's the princess of Hell, and Hell's main colour seems to be red. Oh also, I gave her some lines on her face and hands just to make her look more like a puppet/doll. The rest of her body would have the same kind of joints/segments.

Vaggie: Ok I know her hair technically looks more moth-like in her og redesign but... it just seems like too much? Yknow? It's kind of outrageous. Idk how well my solution works but I tried simplifying it. I simplified her bow as well and made her stockings more like leggings. Her X-eye now hides behind her hair. Her gloves are shorter. Also I took away that thing around her waist that.... seems to be a different colour than everything else??? Idk what's up with that. Sorry I took away her feet. I tried out some blue and purple with her, I think it looks nice. Only thought about keeping the red bow because I thought maybe it'll match her with Charlie. Also sorry I took away her boobs 💀💀💀

Angel Dust: So unsure about how I drew him... Specifically, his 2nd set of arms looks so floppy and tacked on, and his legs... Idk I'm not great at digitigrade legs but I'm pretty sure that's officially what kind of legs he has. His head is weird. I think I got the idea of giving him big feet from Meppity's redesign video (her redesigns are some of my faves). I took away his bowtie because... too many of these guys have bowties, and he already has a choker too. Also I had the funny idea of all the Hotel employees wearing bowties/bows of some sort, and Angel is a patron but not an employee... Anyway. Kept his gold tooth to link him to Val (who also has a gold tooth), and kept the dots under his eyes since I THINK they're supposed to be representative of his spider eyes? They can be taken away if need be, though. His gloves don't go all the way up and kind of look like dish-washing gloves again but, the way his gloves go all the way up and his sleeves go into them... it just looks so weird to me. Idk, maybe I should've just given him shorter sleeves, or even no sleeves at all 🤔 And honestly I still have no idea what's going on with his pants. Are they short-shorts? Underwear? Didn't change them anyway. For the colours, I made sure all his gloves were the same colour (still don't know WHY they decided to make his 2nd set not only a different colour, but the SAME colour as his skin/fur????). Turned down the saturation on his hot-pink, and gave his right eye the light pink instead of that almost-black colour (still kept his eyes different colours because I remember seeing a really old sketch page of Angel that insinuated that there was a reason for his eye being black). Made some of the darker parts straight-black just because I've been using that in all the other character's palettes, but this can be changed to his almost-black colour. Also tried a more purple palette to get away from all the pink, kinda really like it.

Alastor: I originally tried his coat with coattails, but wasn't sure about it and made it the original shape. Took away his monocle because fuck that it's unnecessary and clutters his face. Made his antlers bigger. Swapped out his shirt collar to be like the one Charlie's og redesign has, because the way it goes all the way up like that gets on my nerves? Idk maybe I just don't know anything about fashion design but it doesn't scream 30's-suit to me. You could probably take away the collar, though. I wanted to try a lot of darker colours for his palette since he's like... kinda the bad guy. Dark colours would work well for him. I'm worried about his arms getting lost in the black of his coat, but that's why his cuffs and hands are a different colour. Really wanted to give him more than just red so I spread out the yellow of his teeth; I like how it looks for his shirt, it also works well with his eyes to draw you towards his face. I also tried to (again) lessen the saturation of his reds and pushed them more towards orange to better match the yellow. Kept all the brighter colours to his upper body to keep your eyes there, too.

Husk: I think Husk was one of my least favorite designs when the pilot came out because he's a real mess of detail. His wings are the worst. His redesign isn't much better (like dawg why's he got these random-ass hearts everywhere). Simplified his wings to just have some circles and rounded shapes. Kept some heart shapes (like his nose, bowtie, and paws) but added a couple diamond shapes, too (mainly his suspender buttons and the shape of his white chest-fur). Really wanted to have more blatant club and spade shapes too (to add to the poker theme), but didn't want it to get crowed and decided the rest of the rounded and heart shapes worked well enough. Made his eyebrows shorter and more square-shaped. Didn't have many ideas for colours but knew that I wanted to try some oranges and yellows. Made his eyebrows a darker colour, and changed his eyes to yellow corneas with black pupils. Stands out more that way, I think.

Niffty: Did you know her name is spelled with two Fs? I didn't. I don't like it... Anywayyyy. Swirled her hair a little more, and took the yellow streak out. Added some fluff under her dress just to match her apron. Kept the dots on her shirt (though there are only two now instead of three) because I'm assuming it'll make sense later (like idk maybe she was shot to death and that's what they represent), but I wonder if you can take those away for a cleaner design? Gave her more rounded shapes. I said before that all the Hotel employees would have bows/bowties of some sort for these designs: Niffty's would be her handkerchief (yknow, it's tied into a bow in the back? That works right...? Eh.) I took away her cheekmarks 1) to clear up her face and 2) to make Charlie's cheek marks seem more unique and doll-like. For Niffty's colours, I (again) turned down the saturation on her pink. I wanted to try using some green and purple on her, since her inspirations include B-movie aliens and the song One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater. Tried using different colours for her skin, since a lot of characters in Hazbin have white skin, and for Niffty specifically I think the white skin along with her white apron dries-out her look (if that makes sense?) Though I do agree her having yellow skin is NOT good if she really does end up being Japanese. I think pink skin works well for her, though. Oh! And again, it helps make Charlie's design more unique with her white skin, making her seem more porcelain. I made Niffty's eyes yellow like her teeth, and then used the same colour for her apron to unify the palette.

Cherri: Ok Cherri's design was my ABSOLUTE least favorite from the pilot, too many senseless details I HATE her ripped pants. So hard to look at. Idk if you noticed in the time lapse but I had to re-sketch Cherri because 1) her pose was too similar to Niffty's (I was making their poses similar to their official art) and 2) her hair was giving me trouble... I kinda hate how her hair hovers to the side like that? Tried re-shaping her hair and now it looks like she uses a TON of hairspray or something, lol. Took away her tattoo but kept her freckles. Took away the skirt thing(?) she's got on her pants. Took the symbol off her shirt, but added an X to her pants (can be taken away, though). Simplified the rips on her pants to just be ripped knees. put a heel on her left shoe so she doesn't look unbalanced/uncomfortable. Made her gloves shorter. For colours, I again took away her white skin for the same reason I took away Niffty's white skin (less "dried out" palette and makes Charlie look more unique/porcelain). Afaik Cherri's not Asian so yellow skin could work for her, though I also tried green skin. Since one of her themes is cherries I wanted to use reds, pinks, greens, and blacks. I tried some green for her clothes (and again her skin), and also turned some of her pinks more red. Made her hair darker for more contrast, and tried using some red for her hair instead of pink (I like the pink hair, but again... red like cherries). In general her colour palette was the hardest to figure out but I think I found some interesting things.

Sir Pentious: Sir Pent was my 2nd least-favorite pilot design by only a little 🤏. It's all his eyes. He's very hard to look at. I took away all the eyes on his tail, and turned down the saturation on the rest of the eyes EXCEPT the ones on his face (maybe I should have just made those reds much different colours, but it still looks a lot better with just the saturation down). Took away his stupid-ass goggles and made the face on his hat a lot simpler (combined the mouth with the hat band; it can still emote btw). Replaced his bowtie with... *quick google search* A jabot? It's supposed to be a jabot I think. I think that's what it's called. More 1700s than 1800s, but eh. Maybe I should've given him *quick google search* a cravat maybe??? Eh, eh, not a fashion expert but anyway. I thickened his mid-section so it eases into his tail better because, the way it is in the official design it always made him look like a slug to me? I looks too... squishy. Banana-slug-lookin' ass Also took away his red-tipped claws and made them straight black. For his colours, I think the grey and yellow works for him already, though I do wanna see how he'd look with more green or blue. Most of what I did colour-wise was the eyes, but also his suit; still grey, but trying both darker colours and pushing it more towards blue and purple. I wonder if I made his skin a little too dark? Is it kinda hard to see his features? Idk. Idk how I feel about these colours. Bleh.

[gamerbearmira]

OH OH have u hear of welcome home yet if u have?its the arg game (it does give off Dhmis/Sesame Street horror vibes) cause like there’s a sentient house call home and we’ll casita but there’s a lot of implications of horror and dark secrets like maybe Mirabel gift could be freeing them from that horrorshow but inviting the darkness to the real world but mainly cause I wanna see casita and home interact cause it’s heavily implied that’s homes malicious among other stuff so like the madrigal family would be scared of them due to so many things (but good news the village won’t advantage of their gifts anymore cause bris they’re freaky despite a majority of them being all smiles haha) their uncanny behavior like wally is never seen not smiling his eyes but I think the puppets would get along well with the kids or maybe it’s an au where Encanto takes place as it’s like the neighborhood where the madrigal are silly puppets but eventually realize stuff ain’t right and become self aware like the show omg so many possibilities

Ok so. I actually had to research this. I have heard of it but I never got into it, at least not till now. I think it's a cool idea! Welcome home in and of itself is cool, and personally I like the idea of the Madrigals becoming self aware 🌚

I did try and draw them as close to puppets as I could. Can you tell its my first time drawing puppets 💀

They aren't all human, cause I saw on the OG that not all the characters are human so. I played with that ❗❗

I'm going to wing this and hope it makes sense. Again, I'm still learning about this Welcome Home stuff, so feel free to suggest edits to the idea or correct me on things I've referenced wrong 😭

But. Basically the Madrigals each have a segment about. Whatever it is they specialize in??? I guess. Felix and Pepa talk about the weather. Julieta and Agustín both do kitchen and cooking. Isabela does gardening, Dolores and Camilo is basically about playing nice and having fun. Luisa and Mirabel are about helping others out. Antonio does animals (occasionally accompanied with Mirabel). Alma is basically about family, and does the nighttime segment.

Bruno. He HAD a segment. He actually still does, but it's different from what it was when they initially aired (debuted?). Bruno used to do the bedtime story/nighttime segment. But upon an incident (becoming the first to be self aware), he now always wears a space helmet, and does a hand puppet segment. Though, it is hard to understand him, due to his helmet muffling his talking.

I think Bruno would have tried to tell the others about what was going on but was silenced. But through his hand puppet shows, he slowly makes the other Madrigals become more ans more aware.

These are just close ups <33

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

top 5 magical girls of all time, ranked. Go go go go go og

This is a more interesting challenge if I limit myself to one per franchise so as to not have loads of Madoka rep, so we're doing one per franchise. Also finding an order for this was fucking hell. Also finding and taking my own good images for some of the girls was also fucking hell. Okay let's go.

5. Cocona Cocomine

It's been so long since I did a top 5 that I don't actually know how to introduce each segment. Anyway we start with Cocona, from Flip Flappers! Really hard not to love Cocona honestly - she's very down to earth and relatable, especially for the genre she operates in, but still ends up on an arc all about becoming proactive in her life and making her own decisions for herself and all that based shit I love a bunch. Being very very cute and very very cool and very very gay on top of that enhances her even further. Watch Flip Flappers.

4. Ami Mizuno

Ami is perhaps the simplest character we'll be talking about today - Sailor Moon of course having quite simplistic character writing and a structure that lends itself less to long form character arcs and more so to just kinda vibing with a familiar cast that don't change all that much, but hey we love that structure a bunch so! Ami is a very smart and sweet and nice girl who's a little socially awkward and struggles to interact with others, but she tries her hardest and people are very touched by how kind she is and it's the best and I love her and the literal best episode of the entire series is about Ami so hey. Also blue is my favourite colour and Ami is one of the most blue girls ever, we love.

3. Fate Testarossa

Fate is similarly a fairly simple character, although hey she does actually have a longer form character arc across s1 of Nanoha and then the rest of the show having actual meaningful timeskips means we get to see what sort of person Fate grows up into as well and it's awesome! Poor little girl was like the sweetest person alive but forced into being a bit of a dick thanks to an abusive mother, though with the help of Nanoha, Fate is saved from her mother and herself, and starts being able to live truly to herself and all that good stuff. From then on she is literally the most genuinely kind and sweet and loving person in the entire fucking multiverse, on top of being an absolute fucking badass too. And then in StrikerS and shit she's just like ready to adopt every single orphan in the universe and she likes to drive cool expensive cars and aaaaaah she's just so cool man. Need to rewatch Nanoha soon.

2. Hibiki Tachibana

I literally don't actually know where to start with Hibiki, right. Because there's literally so much to love that what are you even supposed to say? In many ways she's the genuine platonic ideal of what a magical girl is and should be and ends up being a literal perfect protagonist for Symphogear as a series as well because of that. The character arcs she goes through and how she comes out on top of it all having learned and applied whatever lessons are relevant that season is fucking gripping as shit, by the end of it all we have a girl who's as based as you can possibly get, someone who can create a history with the light God could not know. I absolutely adore her. Also, she punches things. She holds a determination to fist. This is objectively better than any other magical girl weapon and more magical girls need to just literally throw hands. Plus Aoi Yuuki is perfect casting for her and Hibiki is literally one of the best voice performances I've heard in any show ever. Stan Hibiki.

1. Homura Akemi

The sheer baggage surrounding Homura as a character is such that one could very easily write a full length novel going into just her specifically. And I'm not about to be the person doing that! So I'm gonna try keep this brief. In many ways, Homura is kind of the antithesis of everything all these other characters embody and represent, but in many ways she's also a twisted exaggeration of some of those elements too? Hibiki wants to protect Miku so fights gods as an example, meanwhile Homura wants to keep Madoka safe so rewrites the universe and declares herself a Demon for it. Fate did horrible things under her mother, but tried to make up for it through the rest of her life, meanwhile Homura did horrible things trying to help Madoka, and decided that she's evil and doesn't even deserve to stay friends with that same Madoka. At the same time though calling Homura a twisted exaggeration seems unfair since that's just, by and large how she sees herself? Homura is a wounded 14 year old girl who got thrown into an inescapable labyrinthian time loop and got increasingly mindbroken from the whole thing, crushed so deeply by the experience that she doesn't even register herself as human anymore, she can't even think of her feelings as valid. In the truest sense imaginable she is a magical girl operating inside of a perfect yet painful tragedy. It's a tragedy that reveres the magical girl genre but Homura wants to cut herself out of that entire equation, declaring herself an inhuman devil that doesn't deserve Madoka's love. It's tragic. It's painful. It's compelling as all shit though. Homura is nothing like any other magical girl and we adore her for it. Hope in movie 4 she can forgive herself.

Anyway think that's it. Homura in #1 will likely never change but honestly with the rest the order is fairly loose and I might not even agree with it like an hour from now lol. But hey that was fun, ty for asking.

[willel]

I hope they explore more will dynamics in s5 since in seasons 2-4 we mostly see him interacting with the same people (exluding s1 since he was stuck in the upside-down for most of it). It makes sense for his character since compared to the rest of the party he's quieter and more introverted but still. In s2 he's mostly seen interacting with joyce, Jonathan, Mike, Dustin and Lucas with a few others but mainly these 5 and maybe hopper and even though max was introduced this season we don't get to see that much with them. In s3 will mostly interacts with the same people and compared to the rest of the party he doesn't really interact with characters like Steve, Nancy, Robin or El and he interacts with max a bit more but still not that much. In s4 the byers moved to California and we get to see him interact with el but other then her and I guess argyle (Suzie and Murray too but those are very breif) he mostly sticks to the same people again. He was also the only og party member to not really bring anyone in since Dustin, Lucas and Mike (but mostly mike) brought el into the party in s1 while it was mostly Dustin and Lucas bringing max into the party in s2. Sorry if I ranted in your inbox but this just popped into my head

I think the main problem is that he's quiet and introverted. He's not just gonna immediately start vibing with people like Steve or Robin for example, he'll need some time. I can see him getting along fine with Nancy though, he's known her for many years so he wouldn't feel that awkward about it. Plus she's dating his brother.

If the whole team is going to be less segmented this year, maybe Will will be getting a lot of time with his siblings (Jonathan and El) and in doing so, he'll get to spend a lot of time with Nancy?

Nancy is the only one on that hill that can tell all of them exactly what happened while they were all away. Nancy, being the smart lady she is, can also probably put the pieces together and realize Will is in danger just like Max was.

We only got a little bit of Nancy and Max content, but I really love that exchange they sorta had.

Max: Try not to miss. Nancy, later: I won't miss.

She's even directly confronted Vecna multiple times now. Would be cool if she took an older sister stance like "Nah. I'm joining the Will Byers protection squad and I won't let Vecna touch him. -loads gun-"

That would also be a shame though cause we'd end up with Nancy acting like more of an older sister towards Will than her own little brother so I dunno about that 😂

If my theory about Will being able to go into Vecna's mind and interacting with the souls trapped there is true, I think that could introduce a lot of opportunities for Will and Max scenes. At least a couple of them, if he's able to act as the liaison between her and the real world. They made a point to show that El couldn't find her, but maybe Will can? Max and Will have a lot of the same grief regarding their family life (though luckily Will's big bro isn't an asshole towards him), would be nice if that gets acknowledged.

If Will and Robin gets some scenes together, firstly, I hope it doesn't overpower and scenes with Jonathan. Like, I want Will to come out to Jonathan or Joyce first period end of story. But it would be interesting if we got indications that Robin is picking up on signals Will isn't even aware he's putting out and goes out of her way to try to be friendly with him? Like the extroverted kid adopting the shy kid dynamic. But Robin herself is in the closet and is terrified of being exposed so I don't think she'd go out of her way to be super obvious that she knows or cause him more anxiety than he already has.

LUCAS. I DEMAND LUCAS AND WILL SCENES END OF STORY. LUCAS, EL, AND WILL ALL TRYING TO SAVE MAX FROM VECNA. I NEED IT NOW. LUCAS AND WILL HUG NOW

It would also be really cool if Dustin and Will were the dnd consultants and had discussions on theories with each other. Other than Dustin, Will is the most invested in dnd. Like I know he gave away his manuals and whatnot, but he obviously still loves it dearly. I would like to see Dustin turning to Will for his opinion to see if Will's knowledge on Vecna lines up with some kind of dnd lore or rules. Or Will suggesting something and Dustin backing him up. Stuff like that.

There are many opportunities to be had here, but who knows if they'll actually follow through.

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Ishqbaaz Liveblog, E1: Yeh Lo, Intro Waala Episode Aa Gaya

Nahi nahi, don't be afraid. I'll never leave IPK. I was just craving desi trash with our favorite tropes and classic scenes and @tellywoodtrash has convinced me that IB fits the bill rather spectacularly.

And since it's me - toh iska and things that could have been in IPK ka lamba segment toh hoga. And things that IPK did better.

In short it's this one clip of Omkara and Gauri that's been floating in my head, that's everything Khushi should've said to Arnav convinced me to watch this.

Beware, I'm very bhadda at liveblogging but please enjoy the ride.

Also - this is all for Gauri and TTji.

Love,

S

Episode 1 - Yeh Lo, Intro Waala Episode Aa Gaya

- Yo Ganpati, namaste.

- Full on K3G vibes with all the bros doing aarti.

- Aaah, Omkara ke baal. Totes need his shampoo.

- WTF, who's making himself a candle and doing live aarti to Ganpati - #ganpatinotimpressed.

- I already wanna kill the editor.

- Dadi/Nani (not sure) is cool. Okay she's Dadi.

- Dadi already giving romantic tips, I stan with Dadi. I love old people recounting prem kahanis. I don't get it, with Nani of IPK and Dadi of IB being so romantic, what happened with their grandsons?

- Aye haye, OG Ishqbaaz is Dadaji. DUDEEEE I'd legit watch a spinoff of badass Dadi and badass Dada in their 60s/70s! (Hate the echo effect, whyyyyy, Dadi is anyways doing mast acting, why do the effect).

- OK I LOVE DADI, SHE IS PRECIOUS AND I WANT A SPINOFF. SHE LOVES HER DEAD HUBBY SO MUCH. I'LL BE LIKE HER WHEN I'M OLD.

- Okay, despite having a great lovestory their oldest - Tej - seems off.

- YAY, he had bodyguards. But based on IPK experience the guards disappear post episode 1.

- Random chashma waala here, will he get slapped like Mool Rajani?

- Ok Tej dude is a film dialogue writer in his heart.

- Wait does Dadi have all crappy children.

- Shakti is weirddddd! Smart, but deceitful - I like his vibes, his dialogues and double standard. I like Shakti. OOOH BHAI BHAI RIVALRY. It's nice to see older characters have solid roles.

- KIS BAAT KO? KAUNSA BAAT BHOOL CHUKE? Aye haye, mystery vibes - yes. Back when everything was not released in promos and we had something to look forward to in the show.

- Arrey Dadi, none of your sons turned out happy?

- Ok, here's the comedy of the show - the bahus. THIS WOMAN IS MANORAMA'S COUSIN FOR SURE. I'm not happy they chose a dark skinned woman as a stereotype for comedy.

- Woah, we have an alcoholic here.

- How did these people end up with Om and Rudy? How did these two ka kids turn out ok?

- Double shut up and shut up? Lol.

- Wait so Dadi had great marriage but shit kids, yet her shit kids ended up having great kids? #sowhatdoesthatmean

- Hi Shivaay, ooh I like the music here. 

- OOOH HI ANIKA! WITH LAAL DUPATTA! I like the softness in the music here. Surbhi is soooo young here! Wait they're already meeting?!

- SHIVAAY LOOKS NICE, HOPE HE DOESN'T OPEN HIS MOUTH AND SAY SOMETHING STUPID.

- OFC THEY ARE FATED.

- OFC THE sunglass nikaalna. Would he be a 4 lions hero if he didn't do that?

- Ugh, corruption in bhagvaangiri, FOLLOW THE LINE SHIVAAY!

- Anika, chill. Ah, VALID POINT! VALID POINT!

- Pandit ji, you totes not nice. You should prachaar equality and shit, not teach people about khandaan and stuff.

- Hah Anika, get that pandit ji! Yes woman you have your own identity.

- Hi Nakuul's blye eyes.

- AND THE GHOORING STARTS.

- I don't like the cgi mandir tho.

- SHIVAAY I WILL FREAKING SLAP YOU. HE BROKE ALL RECORDS. HE DIDN'T OPEN HIS MOUTH AND I WANT TO SLAP HIM? WTF? HE'S IN A MANDIR!

- GANESH JI, THROW A FLYING COCONUT AND-

- Le, meri jooti ke keemat bhi lele! Shivji, the dude you’re named after hates you too.

- Aah, Tej and all are behind making their kid the heir.

- Wait, comedy aunty ka beta is Shivaay? Yeh kaise hua?

- ANIKA CLASS LE ISKA! 4Lions has a different level of addiction to sunglass scenes.

- Oh I like the bg here!

- ARREY WHAT A SHOT! I TOLD YOU TO BREAK HIS HEAD AND YOU BROKE HIS CAR! ANIKA WE’RE TELEPATHICALLY CONNECTING RIGHT NOW!

*me and anika*

- I have to find this editor and ask why... why? Why this Matrix shot all of a sudden?

- Not a fan of the editing but what bg and what car breaking! Wah, I love this. DUDE TOTES DESERVES THIS! 

- I’m anti violence but THIS IS PAYOFF! 

- Why the wind tho? It’s not a Rabba Ve - I mean Jaana. So why the wind? Please for the love of God don’t play Oh Jaana, it was sweet as intro but they need time-- ok they started playing Oh Jaana. 

- Don’t guys.... I loved this face off and the other music. Kyun?

- I will ship them, the show doesn’t need to make it obvious. 

- EWW THE CGI OF PHONE BREAKING. I don’t like his aggression - bitwa needs help. 

- OM IS HERE!!!! GUYS OM IS HEREEEEEEEEEEEE. CRORES? FOR BEING AN ARTIST? SIGN ME UP! 

- OM IS CHASHMISH? Woah dude, you’re my weird alter ego with better hair. Also, I think you’d put the red lines later? But cool location. I already shipping you with Gauri <3

- Damn he’s handsome *cough cough* Long hair? Intellectual type? Focused? That’s my kryptonite.

- Dude is melancholic, with Kal Ho Na Ho in the bg. All ok boo? WOAH he’s TEJ’S SON???? No wonder dude’s got issues. 

- Oh Dad Issues. Can’t call his dad dad... if my dad was Tej I’d... probs do the same. 

- I can’t believe Shivaay is these two jokers ka beta. 

- But I completely believe that Omkara is these two f-ck up’s son. Good job on casting and chemistry. 

- OOOH, family rivalry. I like this. There’s shit lot to unpack.

- Poor Dadi. 

- LOOOOL, RUDYYYY GONNA GET AN INTRO NOW!!! 

- Aunty, question your own beta before other women. 

- Hi Cutie! In our sweet line of NK, Joey <3 I feel older protective sis vibes towards this baby. 

- Lol, Nani from IPK would get a heart attack seeing his dance on ‘Character Dheela!’

- Bhai bhakt, that’s good.

- Ah the middle generation of Oberois still having rivalry over heir shit. 

- BROS PLEASE MAKE AN ENTRY TOGETHER. PROVE YOUR RUDE PARENTS WRONG. 

- I PREDICTED THE FUTURE!

- I am Dadi right now.  

- I’m preemptively getting mad at how they’re gonna ruin a show with a really good premise!

- The boys doing a total advertisement for themselves. Yeh lo, Tinder bios.

“I know you were trouble when you walked in,” Omkara Oberoi. Daddy Issues. Extremely intellectual. Hot. Has Brains. Even tempered. If Akash was expanded as a character with issues. 

“I JUST MET YOU, THIS IS CRAZY, HERE’S MY NUMBER, CALL ME BABY” Rudy. Bhaiyas took all the brains so here are the brawns. This is NK in another universe.

“Who the fuck made my Tinder?” *crashes phone* Arnav who prays, with more issues, I didn’t think this was possible. 

- The End - 

Phew I enjoyed this - see me tomorrow with Episode 2! 

[siryaksalot]

Mink’s thorough and comprehensive list of pros and cons and stuff from the reboot after watching it all! Will contain spoilers. May update as I think of more. By the way, I’m a lifetime fan. I’m 22, so the whole time they’ve been away I’ve been here, loving the original.

PROS:

The animation. It’s great! Maybe the more neon bright colors are jarring after watching the original which is more washed out, but you get used to it. I can’t tell whether it’s Toonboom or Adobe Animate, but there’s a liiiiittle bit of sneaky puppeting of characters if you have an animators eye to look for it. And I do. When something is ESPECIALLY puppeted, I notice it but it doesn’t ruin anything. It doesn’t look cheap, it looks cost efficient. That being said if you HATE this type of animation you won’t be happy. I’m fine with it!

The character design is the big thing here. The Warners look fantastic and super sleek, all the credit to Genevieve Tsai, she’s a genius. Posing of characters is great too. It’s nice having a consistent look. Maybe you’ll miss the variety of the old 8 studios, but it’s okay.

The voices. Despite people saying Tress and Rob are older and sound different I think they sounded just the same. They were obviously well directed. It’s probably not Andrea Romano this time around but that’s okay.

Slapstick. It’s still the same, they didn’t hold back.

The music. Lovely as ever. We miss Richard Stone but it really was good either way.

The songs, lyrically, are all great! Clever songwriting I’ve come to expect.

EVERY PATB segment. I have close to no complaints about their skits. Just one, it’ll be below.

Them saying FUCK the Elmyra spinoff. Brain was busy these 22 years. That show never happened.

GOING HAM on Tucker Carlson. They absolutely tortured the guy. Fuck him.

The Warners still do their regular ol thing, go in on the jerks. I was afraid they’d be knocked around too much but no, they get control and succeed every time. Thank god.

I enjoyed Nils Niedhart coming back for a second round. The Warners have definitely tormented people more than once, it’s cool.

Seeing the inside of the tower more fleshed out! Me likey.

Yakko says sibs a lot. They know I wanted this. He also STILL does his Uhhhh. Good.

He also calls Wakko “baby bro” a few times and I 🥺🥺... gh...

Wakko and Brain saying hell. Wakko ALMOST saying motherfucker.

Yakko trying a few times to sing educational songs and Wakko and Dot having NONE of it. He gets really upset when he can’t do it, which is also hilarious

Yakko actually getting upset when no one is around to laugh at his jokes. I loved it. I’m glad this moment wasn’t dragged out as well.

CHICKEN BOO. CHICKEN FUCKIN BOO. YES IT WAS NICE TO SEE EVERYONE BUT. I LOVE CHICKEN BOO. HE IS TOP OF MY FANLIST.

The old Chubby Baby clown song playing deep and ominously over Nicklewise. LMAO

Like 15 uninterrupted seconds of Wakko without a hat. Baby. Baby boy.

Still got pretty good reference humor. A few I didn’t get, and that’s how you know it’s good LOL

The little Looney Tunes / Loonatics cameo.

CONS:

The “reboot it” song. Seriously, what happened to the voices? Rob sings ONE LINE as Yakko in the song, the rest is someone else??? And you can’t hear Dot for most of it. She’s just mouthing along I guess 🙄🙄

Adding to the previous, about 4 other people besides Jess Tress and Rob are credited for performing that song... so... hm. I don’t know which guy replaced Rob, but it’s one of them for sure.

The first episode in general was weak. Yes yes we get it, you need to be modern now. Just get to the funny skits.

Lack of Scratchy. I liked seeing him when we did but I love him... want more.

Speaking of him, his new long nose is BAD. Gives me Jewish caricature vibes. Bad.

No Slappy. I get why, you’d need Sherri and she might try to get Tom along with her. WB doesn’t want to pay Tom I GUESS.

The Cutening skit. The song sounds bad... it’s just a little weird. Tress isn’t singing it. Without the Warners on screen, you can barely tell it’s Animaniacs at all. The ending is gross. The beginning of it has some great lines, though. Hell I’m using one as my blog title now.

I dunno, the new original stuff didn’t appeal to me. I’m glad it was sparse.

SOME of the “goodnight everybodys” felt forced.

Hm... Dot’s line in the theme being changed. “Dot Has Wit”. I don’t think it was necessary. You can still say she’s cute, we all knew she was way more than her cuteness anyway! The new line throws me off for whatever reason despite being the same amount of syllables. idk, the flow is just odd.

Giving Brain backstory. It’s ... not a bad backstory persay but I feel this is a thing the original writers only have the right to do. I dunno.

The show says on MULTIPLE occasions that it’s “biting satire”. PLEASE... you don’t have to tell us. Over and over. Just make it biting and people will call it that. pointing it out feels SO forced.

Episode 6 having to be pulled because of the fuck up with Brain’s phone number. THAT is unprofessional. Did no one check??

After reflection... there may be TOO much politics. I think it should be toned down. There sure is a lot of Russian collusion jokes. 

NEUTRAL:

The Warners call each other by name a LOT more now. I dig it but maybe it’s a TEEENY bit forced? Idk

Ralph has a brown uniform. Maybe it’s more accurate to the security guards at WB?

Plotz is in a portrait, but no mention of what happened to him. Going to assume he’s dead, LMAO

The new CEO! She’s not THAT interesting but I’ll give her time. She has a name but it’s not even mentioned in the show?? Uh ...

Scratchy saying that Hello Nurse is with Doctors Without Borders now. Good excuse. Good for her.

Saying Yakko can’t do math!! Did y’all see the multiplication song? ok this is a nitpick LMAOOO it’s just silly.

...The anime segment. It’s cool animation, I love Studio Yotta, but idk how to feel. It’s a little much.

The other new lines in the theme. They’re alright, maybe a bit too specific to fit the whole show, but it’s whatever. The conservatives will be mad and THAT makes me happy. 😋😋

The human designs are ugly but they’re definitely supposed to be. The were in the original show quite a bit too.

The reboot gets a solid 7/10 from me! 70% is good, the 30% will be very divsive I feel. It’s a mixed bag, with a majority of the mixture being good. It is NOT on equal footing with the original, but it comes close. If you liked the reboot, haven’t seen the OG? Watch it. I’m serious. Watch it.

[astro-break]

Quick first thoughts on the first ep of the Hypmic Anime. Spoilers beware (and im writing this as I watch so :p)

Otome’s speech is.... questionable from a persuasive point of view. Manga did a great job of introducing her (which you can read here) but they really cut out the more terrifying parts of her speech and how she uses force to show people that she's not to be messed with

Its cool seeing everyone in their respective environments though. thats cool. Though they could have added Sasara and Kuuko (shhh i know why they didn’t let me dream)

I love how poppy the typography is. Its amazing how the visuals just leap out at you. The OP does a great job of this. The first few seconds before the title really gives me Persona 4 OG OP vibes with the influx of information given. The rest is a clear concise and streamlined way that still gives character. Animation is sparse but still carries across a general idea of each character and shows off each character object. Rendering is really nice and pays a bit of homage to the posing artwork thats done for the MVs. They also do their division hand signals and thats cute

Love how the OP has blatant HifuDoppo and DRB matchup foreshadowing

so far I really like what theyre going for. BB is about brotherly familial bonds and they show the goods and the bads. Jiro and Saburo bickering right out the gate really cements the fact that they get along like cats and dogs but you can still see that they love each other, working together when the situation calls for it

Now the 3d models. Theyre... not great but usable if you don’t look too hard. They serve their purpose and don’t actively detract from the viewing experience.

Visual typography in the rap itself are fun and poppy but they dont.... speak to me? like theyre there yes and I appreciate them but the only ones that got me excited were from Ichiro’s rap

I take my words back the group portion was kickass and I apologize

I love how they interpret the Hypnosis Speakers though. Esp. Saburo’s organs. That was super creative and I love it! If there was one thing that I felt was missing from the franchise was a deeper exploration of the speakers but the anime puts a new and fresh spin on it! Love it, especially with their attack patterns!

If the production team ever feels inclined to, Id love to see those info sheets on Otome’s desk released. There seems to be very interesting info and stats written out about each member (like capabilities, personal status etc.) They all seem unique too so I really really really hope they release images of those sheets

OOOOOOOOKAY MTC. I have such a big biased for them so Im very torn to see what unfolds

Rio striking out on his own is interesting. Out of everyone in MTC hes the biggest team player yet here he trusts his teammates to go ahead. This either displays Rio’s willingness to trust his teammates or it becomes very OOC if the anime wants to set him up as a lone wolf like character

I love how they specify its a drug deal. It means that Jyuto surely will show up and it also shows that Samatoki knows Jyuto’s motives and willingly gives black market info that he knows aligns with Jyuto’s goal. Thats A+ detail writing there and a great establishing characteristic for both of them

OOohhhhhhhhhhhhh man Asunama-san’s voice acting is god tier his work as Samatoki is phenomenal. He pulls of Samatoki’s threatening voice so well with those almost calm words before his voice becomes loud and confrontational. Those rolling syllables in contrast to Komada-san’s almost lyrical and airy speech and Kamio-san’s strict and enunciated words is such a delight to hear. It just speaks to how amazing and great these Seiyuu’s are in order to pull of such amazing work

Im so biased but MTC has such a better rap than BB im so sorry. Just by watching Samatoki’s part, the imagery is amazing. Even the arrival of his Hypnosis Speaker was awesome and sent a shiver down my spine. using the lyrics to form blades and blood was such a great thing to do. Theres so much more variety that just him standing there and shots of his hypnosis speaker. The old fashioned vignette shots, the four panel spread, the nods to old Kurosawa era films are great and I love these small details. Even the typography looks better.

Again, the interpretations with the speakers is fresh and new. Its great and I love the different imagery and attack patterns. Each one is so unique but carries across each different style of rap.

The 3d modles aren’t any better tho lol

(Hi this is Astro who is reading over their assessment again and making a note. Yeah I’m a bit harsh on BB’s rap. I’m not going to change it since I still stand by it and this post is supposed to be a documentation of my first impressions. I think one of the reasons why I’m so harsh on BB is because of their dynamic as a trio of brothers. They Have to have a more uniform approach than the other divisions. Which in of itself isn’t a terrible thing, it just doesn’t catch my eye as much as MTC did. Thats all! I definitely don’t hate BB, they’re maybe my 3rd favorite division out of the current lineup [not including TDD era teams like Kujaku Posse, MCD, and Naughty Busters] its just that their rap was pretty meh)

Samatoki crouching like a real gangstar and the cigarette kiss killed me

sadjkhfjkasdghsadjkcsdjhsdfsjhf im dying i love these trio of dumbasses so uch oh y fod someone save me aaaaaaaa (Astro note here! yeah i died when the jyuto and samatoki’s stomach growled im weak please. Samatoki’s face is just so precious and funny I might set it as a profile pic somewhere)

But also my initial assessment of Rio possibly being characterized as a lone wolf is very much jossed and im very thankful for that. It seems that Rio was simply trusting his teammates to carry out their part of the plan while he carried out his own. I like that, it really shows how much of a team these three are and that they genuinely trust each other. He’s also comfortable enough around them to invite them to dinners after work casually and not just for special occasions.

I really love MTC guys

Oooh! we get Ramuda on his design process which is really cute. the inside of his studio is super cute and retro and i love it. the poppy old music you would hear in a cafe or 90′s resturaunt is also really cute (astro note: yeah i know that in ARB you see the interior of Ramuda’s office but its kinda different seeing it animated)

the translation i have has gentaro speaking in early modern english (Shakespearian english for those who aren’t english nerds like me) but from what I can hear, he doesn’t speak in a particularly old fashioned way? Its more formal than old? and hes speaking without any of his character persona lying thing that he likes to do (as he refers to himself as “Shousei” throughout the segment where hes in Ramuda’s office which is kind of his default pronoun of choice). so its kinda odd for the translation to go in that direction but im not complaining

Gendice banter is gold but it feels... flat? a little? it doesn’t have the same impact as in the drama cds or in the manga? i feel? Also Ramuda using gratuitous english is??? idk how to feel about that

kjshf thats against the rules Ramuda omgggg,,,,,,,, (astro note again: while watching i was under the assumption that using your hypmic for monetary gain such a as buskering [which is what FP is doing] is against the rules. May not be the case but whatever)

FP’s rap might be my favorite in terms of tune and lyrics though. It’s a nice laid back bop and really gives of chill vibes. the integration of 3d and 2d is really nice and i love how they play off each other in the rap. The wordplay is so fun with little nods here and there and the beat is poppy too so it really energizes me.

Ramuda’s rap concerns me slightly since he makes very subtle and small nods towards his past (being created in a laboratory, warfare, and his overall very unpleasant life experiences) but spins it into something cutesy. It could be a coping mechanism, it could be me overthinking it. But it does make me worry a bit. Gentaro and Dice’s rap really play off each other with Gentaro sticking to stories and Dice taking up the baton by carrying on that same imagery but putting his own spin on it.

the self awareness of how scattered they are as a team is interesting though. It doesn’t seem like something you’d speak about in a rap? but i guess since its not really a do or die situation they can afford to be looser on things like this.

Right off the bat, i don’t like how they handled Hifumi and Doppo in relation to Hifumi’s fear of women. Slug made a post once talking about this and I echo many of his sentiments. Hypmic has never been very tactful about tackling this particular issue and while I didn’t have high hopes that the anime would be any better it hurts to see Doppo take away the one thing that allows Hifumi to function within society.

Doppo’s breakdown mirrors a lot of my own mental state when I spiral though its shown a lot quicker than what happens to me oof. that hits close to home. though Jakurai’s advice is. Questionable. Its not the best advice to give to someone but we have no idea what kind of doctor Jakurai is so ill let it slide

Jakurai’s pose looks like hes going to do a mahou shoujou transformation lmao

I don’t have many thoughts about the rap though again. How they visualize the rap is interesting. the different imagery is quite interesting for each of them and the typography is nice a distinct but im still on the fence about the visuals here

The sound is in the same boat. The sound effects either drown out the rap or are too quet but some parts are nice at least. When they talk about Tokyo’s beating heart, the heartbeat sound is a but distracting especially since its only played once. But the imagery is at least nice

I wonder if for the eds they’re going to take a similar approach to what Enstars did and have a four different endings, one for each division. I love the blend of styles here and it really accentuates that although they’re different they mesh well together.

Ramuda’s silhouette though is hilarious. Love it.

:p and thats it. Uh not bad for a first episode. Established all 12 characters really nicely and their dynamics. I had some problems with it but then again nothing is perfect. I look forward to what they show us next week

[mooosicaldreamz]

Have you listened to folklore yet?? Can you do commentary on all the songs??

it’s time.

THE 1

This song has a funny vibe in comparison with “I Forgot that You Existed” - it really sets a tone of calm, quiet vibes in comparison to the more bombastic stuff on Lover. Also this song is kind of a banger. It has a very gentle rhythm, like I’m in the sun in the woods and I’m in my hammock. I have a hammock now and I’m considering moving into it. “It would’ve been fun / if you would’ve been the one.” Also I love the “I had this dream you’re doing cool shit” - so fun, so sweet. Taylor said a curse word.

CARDIGAN

This song is proof to me that this album was produced by a Dessner because it has the same repetitive piano that I would say is a hallmark of National songs - it sounds a lot like “Light Years” to me. That song is, by the way, an absolute banger. This song? Fun! It’s an interesting metaphor, and an interesting way of saying the point of the song. And I think it’s much more grounded than some more old school Taylor metaphors of like fairytale stuff. “Tried to change ending / Peter losing Wendy.”

THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN DYNASTY

As we ALL KNOW, this song is about Taylor’s wonderful little house wherein the great Fourth of July celebration took place all over Instagram in the Red era. I googled it and it’s semi-biographical! I think it’s clear that Taylor is making commentary on her life on the Cape just as much as she is telling the story of this person, Rebekah Harkness. It’s an interesting piece of self-awareness to compare herself to an oil heiress who caused quite the stir in a segment of the world that is full of big stirrers (ie the Kennedys who I’m pretty sure she was neighbors with somewhere down the beach). I’m intrigued. She is having fun.

EXILE (FEAT BON IVER)

This will sound like absurd hyperbole but between Bon Iver and Taylor Swift, I’d be hard pressed to name two artists who have fucked up my life more. Getting to hear his beautiful baritone without layers of distress like he’s been rolling with lately is a gift. Thank you to Taylor Swift. “I can see you staring, honey / like he’s just your understudy / like you’d get your knuckles bloody / for me.” VIBEZ???? ARE WE VIBING????? I AM VIBGIN!!!!!! “Those eyes add insult to injury????”” BANGER!!! IT’S A BANGER.  THAT BREAKDOWNN!!!! LET’S ROLL!!!! LET’S GET FUCKED UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m PUTTING THIS ON SO MANY PLAYLISTS!!!!!!!!!!

MY TEARS RICOCHET

LET’S GET EMO !!!!!!!! You know, just recently I was discussing with Lynne (or myself? I talk to myself about Taylor a lot) about how she’s gonna go on her like farewell tour when she’s 50-60 or whatever and it’s gonna be all these low-down sexy baller mixes, like when Cyndi Lauper did her greatest hits cover release (it’s a banger!). This album is just an excuse for her to sing in her low register. God, I’d die for her. I love how sad this is. I have too many favorite lines. “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace / ‘cause when I’d fight, you used to tell me I was brave / And if I’m dead to you why are you at the wake?” ALSO “And you can aim for my heart, go for blood / But you would still miss me in your bones.” OKAY HONEY!!!!!!! This is a clear Supercorp song. Since I know this is why you are asking. Start here for fic titles.

MIRRORBALL

Oh, okay, Taylor went to the woods and listened to Ryan Adams, Bon Iver, and just fucked around and made shoe gaze pop? What kind of talent!!!! Her last album was premium pop. Why is she like this. This song is very interesting. It’s very sweet. The phrasing on “tallest tiptoes / highest heels” oh my God. I love this song. I might cry.

SEVEN

Another absolute National-style production, God, we are living in my dream world on this album. “I’ve been meaning to tell you / I think your house is haunted / Your dad is always mad and that must be why / And I think you should come live with me / and we can be pirates.” WHAT A JOKE. WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!! What a beautiful portrait of childhood. There’s a scene in Spring Awakening (the musical, I can only assume now that Taylor is a big fan), where they talk about playing pirates when they were younger and now everything is tragic. “Are there still beautiful things?” It shouldn’t be that easy bro.

AUGUST

This, like “Seven” is an Antonoff production, which is just vibes. The dreaminess. We are vibing. As much as I am inclined to hate the line, “August slipped away like a bottle of wine” it is phrased so well and delicately that it comes across more dreamy than wine mom memey. I also just want to say that I bought the OG vinyl and the “meet me behind the mall” vinyl and after hearing the song that it comes from it’s a vibe. This is obviously a teenage romp song, which is really great because obviously Taylor wrote about being a teenager in love when she was a teenager and wrote about like, the classic world-ending Romeo and Juliet style fairytale. But this is….”meet me behind the mall.” Which is such an adult perspective on what being a teenager is. It’s so wonderful to see that artistic depth in an artist we’ve literally watched grow.

THIS IS ME TRYING

I feel like this is the depression song that should have been on Reputation but was so out of step with the rest of the album between it’s thunderous anger / thunderous oh-shit-I’m-into-this-dude that they couldn’t work it in. And it doesn’t quite vibe with Lover either…this whole song is GREAT. It’s very depression 101. It makes me cry also. “They told me all of my cages were mental / so I got wasted like all my potential / and my words shoot to kill when I’m mad / I have a lot of regrets about that.” I LOVE the way she sings “I have a lot of regrets about that.” Also “and it’s hard to be at a party / when I feel like an open wound.” Absolute banger.

ILLICIT AFFAIRS

I feel we should give this song the true banger status because Taylor wrote a song about a girl who is the other woman and it’s empathetic. God, we love progress. This song also does a good job of being about the other woman, but also has a little more universal appeal. I know when I heard this I was like, “oof, okay, I don’t miss being 16.”  The word mercurial is used in this song.

INVISIBLE STRING

Not to get too emo about it, but this song is adorable and it’s messed up that she wrote it. The idea behind it that I think must be fairly common for people who are in love, that their lives have unique crossover moments, and there’s this hope/want to believe that you were always going to end up in this place because of all those connections? That’s kind of a complex thing (imo) to express. And she WROTE IT!!!! God. If I were Joe Alwyn I would cry every day.

MAD WOMAN

The fact that Taylor would ever attempt to make me believe this is not about Scooter Braun is insane. I love this song. Proof of concept that you don’t need to yell to show how mad you are.

EPIPHANY

This song is sad. But very interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her write anything like this. I think the back half of this album is a little more experimental.

BETTY

I’m not sure what I’m expected to say here. I know that this song is not actually gay. But I don’t care. It’s country twang from a boy’s perspective and you know what? We’re taking it. We are taking it for ourselves. But also, I love that she chose to write this weird “teenage love triangle” set of songs and that she chose to write none of them from like, her perspective? Right? “August” is James cheating on Betty, “Illicit Affairs” is the other woman, and this is James…when Taylor was 17 she would have written this song from Betty’s perspective. And that’s what we would have got. There’s real growth in storytelling here, and a real interest in expanding the canon of what she’s writing about. It’s really great to see an artist do that. Also the way she sings “The worst thing that I ever did / was what / I did to you.” This whole song is a masterpiece. I hate her.

PEACE

I just learned that Joe Alwyn is a Pisces. I am A PISCES. TAYLOR!!!! WE COULD BE TOGETHER.

I love the “I talk shit with my friends / It’s like I’m wasting your honor.” This song is so adult. She’s in like. Real love bro. BRO. I AM HAPPY FOR HER. BRO!!!!!!

HOAX

I am interested in why this is the last song on the non-deluxe version of the album. I don’t have a lot to say about this but that it reminds me of Wuthering Heights. Also if you wanted to get emo this is probably a good SC song.