#with a rotating stage set like in the video

[larrylimericks]

5Feb23

Our hearts raced, our palms — they were clammy; The card then got handed to Granny. The night’s biggest honor And all eyes were on her ... Well, shit! Harry took home THE Grammy!

[canmom]

the Spirited Away theatrical adaptation

today I went with @birdfriender to see the stage production of Spirited Away, produced by Toho, currently on tour in London.

and like. holy shit??

you might say how the hell could you adapt a film like spirited away to stage. the answer is: incredibly inventive stagecraft, puppetry, costumes and especially choreography.

I was completely blown away by how this play flowed across the stage. set transitions were masked with lighting to direct attention, with the descending screen, with the rotating central platform that managed to function as nearly every part of the bathhouse. stairs, rotating bridges, creative use of size to indicate perspective (like the tiny train that circles the stage), and just the way the crew would move the props with a flourish -

but also the puppetry, like man! the way characters like Kamaji, Yubaba's giant head (used only at moments of intense emotion), and No Face would be operated by entire teams of puppeteers - it was extraordinary. the puppetry director was Toby Olié who's worked on a million different things including War Horse and you can really see them applying all these tricks accumulated over the years...

the show is remarkably faithful to the film; a few scenes are slightly abridged but every sequence I remembered was there and deliver with style. where it does need to pause and breathe, like in the famous train scene, it does. and like... it is fascinating to see an adaptation from animation to theatre. seeing how Mone Kamishiraishi (Chihiro) would stumble and bumb into walls just as she would under the pen of Shinya Ohira. or how a memorable sequence in the film could be represented symbolically: a collapsing pipe as a string of segments pulled on a string, a flower garden by dancers in flower outfits.

some of my fave sequences involved wooden panels carried by dancers, choreographed so the characters would weave between them, or they'd rotate to represent elevators on different floors. it was also fascinating to see how they'd symbolically represent things it would be impossible to stage, often representing fluids with fabric sheets. a transformation could be shown with actors swapping places with a flourish. at other times, it feels like stage magic tricks are in use, like a flash of light drawing your attention to a rope that was there all along. sometimes the puppeteers will be on stage, wearing simple beige outfits that mark them as not being 'present' as they manipulate the soot sprites and frogs and so on.

they also made effective, sparing use of a large projector screen, which descended at certain points, primarily for the driving scene at the beginning and the train scene. this actually didn't use scenes from the movie, but more of a soft, painterly style applied over... probably animated video? hard to say with the blurring, could be live footage. it reminded me of the use of similar screens in the later YoRHa plays, although it was a minor element here.

we weren't allowed to take photos (i took this one during the final bow anyway) and I would have been too busy watching to take them anyway, but this teaser shows briefly a number of the coolest setups. still, it's so much more when you see the whole thing flowing along without interruption.

and it was very interesting to me looking at this kind of show - big stage, directly homaging an animated film - from the eyes of someone who knows a lot more about film and animation than I do about theatre.

compared to film, you simply do not have closeups; the closest thing is when the puppeteers bring out the segments of Yubaba's giant floating head, but this is used sparingly. so everything is basically a long shot. however, because the acuity of a human eye is much greater than that of a camera, even from near the back of the theatre you can make out a lot of details that you wouldn't be able to make out with an equivalent camera shot. this allows compositions where there is loads going on at stage at once, with the eye being drawn to different areas by lighting and movement.

I do feel like there are definitely things to learn for animators from this kind of stage choreography. so many times I thought like, wow, that's so clever. like how chihiro riding haku was shown by splitting the dragon puppet into segments and putting her on the shoulders of one of the puppeteers.

and everything was done with such style too. if something shuffles off stage, you know it will be done with a wiggle and a flourish. small things but they add so much.

presumably because this seems like an incredibly involved show, there are multiple performers for each major character: four Chihiros, and three Hakus, Yubabas, Kamajis and so on. I'm not sure the exact lineup tonight beyond Chihiro. the exception is Kaonashi (No Face), who is played only by Hikaru Yamano, who gives an incredible performance, sidling and flexing around the stage in all sorts of strange ways that really get across the character's whole deal despite literally performing under a white mask and concealing robe. it's kinda amazing.

another fantastic casting is fundoshi dancer Yuya Igarashi as Kashira (the stack of three big heads that serve Yubaba, and speak only in wordless grunts). he basically has his real head as one of the three, and he has two more heads on his hands, and moves them around in incredibly energetic and funny ways. it's a brilliant way to interpret this, somehow feeling perfectly appropriate to have a buff guy in a red loincloth moving them around.

Yubaba's actress tonight would have been either Mari Natsuki or Hitomi Harukaze; either way she did an incredible job, it was really cool seeing a more human-proportioned version of the character and she brought a lot of energy and authority to the role.

the whole cast did a fucking amazing job honestly. I wish I knew more about theatre acting so I could comment more specifically on the tricks they were doing, but you definitely felt Chihiro's emotions

the production is in Japanese; English subtitles were shown on two screens on either side of the stage. the translation was on the 'honorifics included' end of that scale, but absolutely clear and idiomatic. the format worked - it was generally not hard to follow the action and glance at the subtitles, even though they were further away than they would be in film - and it definitely filled the theatre. I really hope this leads to more Japanese theatrical productions going on tour like this. wish i'd been able to see the Totoro one a few months ago.

definitely this kind of theatre must depend on a fairly obscene budget of the kind that only comes to biiiiig properties like, say, an adaptation of a beloved Studio Ghibli movie (one family turned up in cosplay) - there's a lot to be said for less extravagant staging. at the same time... this really was something.

i gotta go to the theatre more

[ladykailitha]

Icarus Part 3

Hello! If you haven't seen it yet, I've got a set schedule for what story posts on what days now (as seen here) and this one as well as Well Met By Moonlight, Batshit Soulmates, and Never Hold Back Your Step... will still be posting just on rotation until I can finish some of my WIPs. (I may be stretching myself a bit thin having six going at the same time.)

In this one we have the concert. Eddie stumbles on something big and doesn't know how to deal with it all. And Uncle Wayne is bestest as always.

@emly03 @redfreckledwolf @itsall-taken @rozzieroos @mira-jadeamethyst

Part 1 Part 2

****

The day of the concert dawned abhorrently cheerful and bright. Not a cloud in the sky or any accidents that would prevent Eddie from having to take Dustin to this event. He wouldn’t deign to call it a concert. He had heard the album and seen their posters, but he refused to wander over to YouTube and watch videos of their concerts, interviews, their music videos.

He didn’t want to be even more disappointed that they were all flash and no substance then he was sure he was going to be for the next two hours.

Dustin rolled his eyes when Eddie parked in the huge concert parking lot.

“You’re just salty because I like them as much as I like Corroded Coffin,” he huffed getting out the car. “You have to concede that Abaddon’s vocals are killer.”

Eddie scoffed. “Do not. I haven’t heard them live. Way too many artists use autotune too much these days.”

“You sound like that meme,” he sneered, “‘Old Man Yells at Cloud’.”

Eddie swatted at him playfully. “Am not.” Dustin raised his eyebrow skeptically and he threw his arms in the air. “I’m not. I am a very serious musician, Dusty. The last thing metal needs is some band that can’t write or even play their own instruments. This isn’t pop.”

“You are such an asshole,” he said and turned toward the entrance, leaving Eddie to jog to catch up with him.

Eddie sighed and put his arm around Dustin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I am being an asshole. I turned into the person I swore I would never be. Those shit for brains critics that hated Corroded Coffin when we first got on the scene. And that was wrong of me.”

Dustin sighed, too. “I just want you to like them too. They are so good if you’d just give them a chance.”

Eddie breathed out through his nose. “Yeah. I can at least give them that.”

They got to their seats and Eddie was a little impressed at Claudia Henderson’s Ticket Master foo. They weren’t front row, but they were only a couple of rows back so you could actually see the stage without having to strain their necks and smack dab in the center of the row.

Dustin would have the best time. And now it was up to Eddie not ruin it for the kid. Because yes, he was still a kid as far as Eddie was concerned. Twenty-one was so fucking young. That was how old most of the band was when they got their record deal, after all. They weren’t prepared for what came next, that’s for sure.

They got settled into their seats and Eddie watched as the rest of the crowd shuffled in. They were all about Dustin’s age with very few exceptions in either direction.

There seemed to be a color theme going on with the girls in the audience though. They were grouped in clumps of red, black, blue, or white. Which made sense if each band member stuck to a certain color palette.

Well he was about to find out, he supposed.

The lights dimmed. The crowd quieted down. The spotlight lit up the drumkit first. And Eddie knew that Gareth would be drooling over it. It was all black with black metal fittings. The kit seemed to collect light almost like a blackhole.

Then from the ceiling, a man dressed all in black being lowered onto the stage with large black raven wings on his back. He wore a black hooded coat over what, Eddie couldn’t tell. It was all black. The shirt, the pants, the boots. Even his mask was all black with even the eyes appearing closed. His feet touched the ground and the crowd went wild.

“Azrael!” the announcer called out.

Azrael settled on the throne and picked up black drum sticks.He counted time above his head and played a wicked solo to the adoring crowd’s absolute delight.

Dustin jumped up and down, screaming.

The spotlight moved to the right side of stage and the next band member descended from the ceiling. Large bat wings adorned his back and he was dressed in red leather fetish gear. Complete with tight leather pants that looked painted on and a matching harness highlighting his bare chest, peeking out from the red leather hooded coat.

His guitar was fucking gorgeous, though. A Warlock, much like Eddie’s own. It was custom painted red with black flames licking up the neck.

Eddie rolled his eyes, but it seemed he was the only one who thought the whole thing was over the top judging from the screams from the girls in the audience.

He didn’t just land gently on the stage like the drummer did, oh no. He fucking stomped onto the stage with a howl.

His wings, like the drummer’s ascended back into the rafters as the announcer shouted, “Asmodeus!”

And then Eddie really did roll his eyes. The demon of lust. Of course he was.

But seconds later Eddie’s jaw dropped to the floor as the man wailed on his guitar driving the crowd further into the frenzy.

Once he finished his solo the crowd quieted again and he could see why. Because just then, descending on gossamer wings that shimmered like starlight, was their bassist.

Everything about him was midnight blue and shimmering like the night. His mask was the face of the moon. He had his own hooded coat, but it was like the night sky, with some kind of crystal or gem sewn in to make the coat glimmer like stars.

His bass was something that Brian would have sold his own mother for and they were as thick as thieves. Eddie didn’t know much about basses considering his sweetheart was an electric guitar, but he could tell it wasn’t expensive but was perfect for his style. A style he showed off with gusto to the audience’s obvious delight.

“Astraeus!” the announcer cried.

Eddie decided that this one was his favorite. It played up the whole mysterious thing without the over the top flash of the guitarist or the sheer void of the drummer.

The audience hushed as the three members of the band began to play what was clearly the lead singer’s entrance music.

And holy fuck was Eddie screwed. This man was descending like a fucking angel sent from God, Jesus pose and all.

He was all in white with an opaque lace mask that had his mouth and chin cut out for him to sing. That surprised Eddie somewhat. He figured that the guy would have his whole face covered like everyone else in the band and that he could lip sync.

But nope. Apparently no one in this band did anything by halves.

The lead singer was wearing a sheer mesh crop top under the hooded floor length coats the whole band was wearing. Only his was white with a silk powder blue lining.

Eddie winced in sympathy. They must get boiling under the lights with those things on.

A few feet from the stage floor there was an explosive pop! And the feathers from his wings flew out into the crowd who was now screaming as if their life depended on the sheer volume coming out them. He looked over at Dustin who was no different.

When Eddie could see the stage again, this angel’s wings were now skeletal and gothic.

He landed in front of microphone whose stand had been decorated with a scarf in each of of the band members’ signature colors.

“Abbadon!” the announcer yelled for the final time.

And Eddie was in love. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Dustin must have seen his expression because he was suddenly tugging on Eddie’s arm and screaming, “I told you!!”

“Indy!” Abbadon growled, grabbing the mic. “Thank you so much for having us! Let’s get this started.”

Then he began to sing and yeah, Eddie knew that the guy had charm, but this was a whole new level of epic. He was enthralled.

He didn’t utter a fucking word for several songs. But then it happened. Eddie couldn’t believe it. He hurried to snap a picture to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

But there it was it in living color. He turned to Dustin to see if he saw it too, but the kid was too busy screaming and jumping up and down.

Eddie’s jaw fell.

That couldn’t be right, couldn’t it? That Dustin didn’t know? Eddie looked back up on stage and a lot of the puzzle pieces started slotting in place. His heart sank a little.

He shook his head to clear it of dark thoughts. He didn’t know the reason for any of this and leaping to conclusions would only get a shit ton of people hurt. Especially the boy next to him.

Eddie let the music wash over him. Let the magic of metal soothe his soul. Soon he was jumping up and down and headbanging with the rest of the crowd. Right hand flashing the devil’s horns, left hand out to steady himself he let himself enjoy the band’s stage presence.

****

To say that Eddie’s mind was fucking blown would be an understatement. He pestered Dustin all the way home with rapid fire questions. Where did the band tour last time? What was their schedule this time? Was it a six month tour or an eighteen month tour last time?

Dustin answered each question with growing excitement, thinking that Eddie had finally grown to love this band as much as he had.

Eddie on the other hand felt a growing sense of dread. Well... maybe dread was the wrong word. It was certainly a sinking feeling. One he really had to exam closely.

At least he could honestly say that he fell in love with the music before he found out his little secret.

And fuck what a secret it was.

He dropped Dustin off at home and drove out to the ranch that he had gifted to Wayne when Corroded Coffin first made it big. It was a beautiful, sprawled out home surrounded by acres of land and Eddie loved it even more than Wayne did.

Eddie stumbled through the door and was surprised to see Wayne drinking hot chocolate and reading a sports magazine in his expensive recliner. And yet, at the same time, not really that surprised.

“You do realize I’m no longer that fucked up kid with anger issues,” Eddie huffed on his way to the kitchen to grab a beer, “that were almost as bad as the troubles with the law, right?”

Wayne chuckled. “Maybe so. But you’re still my boy and I’ll keep worrying about you until the day I die.”

Eddie popped open the can of beer and sat down on the sofa. He leaned his head back on the back cushion with a heavy sigh.

Wayne raised an eyebrow. “What’s stewing around in that head of yours?”

Eddie slowly raised his head. “What would you do if you accidentally found out something about a friend that they were keeping from everyone they knew?”

Wayne set down his magazine. “That would depend on the secret. Is it hurting anyone?”

“Is what hurting anyone?” Eddie asked. “The secret?” Wayne nodded and Eddie frowned, really thinking about it.

“Maybe some feelings,” he said after a moment. “But it’s not dangerous like they committed a crime or anything. It’s not even about their sexuality.”

Wayne hummed thoughtfully. “And is it a big secret or a little one?”

Again Eddie was forced to think hard about what that meant. “I guess it depends on the person, but in my eyes it’s pretty big.”

The elder Munson nodded. “Do you feel hurt by this secret?”

“Yeah, yeah. I guess I do.” He bowed his head and let out a shuddering breath.

“Is there a reason you think he wouldn’t have told you?” Wayne pressed.

“Of course no–” Eddie stopped as his brain caught up to his mouth. “Shit.”

Wayne raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Eddie admitted shyly. “There’s a pretty good reason why he wouldn’t have told me. And now I feel like the shit friend.”

Wayne stood up and pulled Eddie into a big hug. “Maybe so, but you have the time to course correct and show this friend that you are worthy of his secret.”

Eddie nodded. “Thanks, Uncle Wayne,” he mumbled into Wayne’s neck.

“I’m just glad I could help.”

****

Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @danili666 @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @val-from-lawrence @goodolefashionedloverboi @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @yikes-a-bee @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman @eyehartart @dawners @y4r3luv @cryptid-system @thespaceantwhowrites @tinyplanet95

[forgetmenauts]

Happy Forgetmenauts Friday! We just put up a video to a full acoustic set we did at the Ivy Room in Albany, CA, back in February.

*FLASHING LIGHT WARNING: Because of the angle of the camera and the rotating stage lights, there are a couple of places in the video where the light accidentally produces an intermittent strobing effect. Sorry we couldn't edit these out! The timestamps for the strobing light parts (and for the start of each song) are in the video description.

Hope you like it! <3

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP I love Jimin but the autotune is bad. 😔 I don't know how to feel about it. I wish Jimin did a song like Promise or Serendipity it wld be better for more people right? I hate how pdogg ruined Jimin's debut. We should admit it. Nobody is even streaming it on youtube. Armys are pretending it's a good song but kpop fans are right BPP, the song is bad.

*

Ask 2:

Hi BPP,

I hope you are well.

I have read and continue to read your blog. You seem to think so highly of the rap line which is wonderful. My post isn't about them but I do like them more than the vocal line. Please note I am not trying to be negative with my question below. I am more curious because this has been observation lately..

I am not trying to be negative but I was wondering if you could help me understand this. Being in K-pop for a while, I knew I would come across BTS at one stage in my life. I have always known they are popular. I would have to be living under the rock to think otherwise. But one thing I have always heard is a discourse around Jimins popularity. Even before I got into BTS, I would hear Jimins name thrown here and there. I knew BTS had a guy named Jimin but recently I have been thinking that perhaps he isn't as popular as I had assumed. I would have thought his music video would garner million and millions of views easily but it's not even at 15 mil. How could that be? Similarly, people aren't purchasing his songs on iTunes. I see people begging them to buy the songs on twitter. My understanding was that he is the most popular member of BTS but looking at his views compared to the rest of the members, I am thinking he is on the lower side of popularity. I am surprised to be honest. I know popularity doesn't mean everything but wouldn't he need that to be a successful artist outside of BTS?

I am also not sure if the new song is good. The autotune feels too jarring. The video is nice but the song in itself doesn't do it for me. I would have really liked to minimise autotune. It would have also been nicer if his song was more on the lines of lie. I feel there is too much focus on visual representation rather than the quality of the song. People will listen to the song more than watch the video so it's disappointing. It's also not doing that well. I mean Taylor's re-released songs are beating him already. I am worried his album won't be successful. I was hoping they would use this solo era to gather more fans but I don't see how Jimin could possibly garner more fans with a song thats so jarring to listen to.

***

Sigh, y'all should never say I didn't allow room for other perspectives in this space because I'm humoring this talking point far longer than I honestly care for. Not trying to be rude, just honest.

Hi Anon(s),

So... um, let's see. Please remember y'all are talking to someone who thinks UGH is the best song in BTS's discography. My playlist order for Set Me Free Pt 2 is:

Arson -> SMF Pt 2 -> UGH -> What Do You Think? -> SMF Pt 2

I mix it up with As I Am by JB and Khalid, Indigo, NewJeans, On The Street, and Smoke Sprite. For playlist switches I rotate between rock albums, hiphop, and lofi.

So, that's my taste. Usually.

What do you notice in all the songs in the first sequence? Think about it for a sec. With the exception of What Do You Think? to some degree, they all use autotune. A disgusting amount of it, and I love those songs so hard I would fuck them if I could.

I'm not sure if people understand what I mean when I say I'm a fan of BTS's music, that I'm an ARMY. I mean I actually love their sound and have reached this conclusion recently after following them since 2014. So PDogg's stylistic choices are ones I like most times.

Yoongi and Jimin are very similar. In my opinion. And there is no member who embraces autotune and pitch distortion more than Yoongi. He is also the only member who blatantly and unapologetically displays his alter-ego in his music - in Agust D - and that's not a coincidence. Jimin does the same thing or at least tries to create the same effect in SMF Pt 2 by using autotune. Pitch distortion is the easiest way to other yourself in a song, to create a secondary personality. Tyler Joseph does this a lot with a shadow personality within himself that he calls Blurryface in his music. Jimin in SMF Pt 2 is done playing games. That man has rage buried inside of him and somehow, he has transcended it. Yet he expresses that rage in his first song as a solo artist, through a secondary voice. The one that voices the animal in him. That Jimin is telling y'all to come correct or fuck off. And he calls out his opps. Yeah, his opps. It's Aave and yes it's sometimes unfortunate when k-pop idols use it, but sometimes it's not. Think of 'finna'. And none of the people up in arms about Jimin using that word give a rats ass that XG, a rookie group, have used it more often than Jimin to no issue, but yeah it's impossible for the idol so targeted by death threats the Texas police got involved, to say he's got opps. But I don't really care either way.

I digress. My point is the audacious and offensive use of autotune is the point in the song. It's aggressive. It's supposed to annoy you and if you happen to be a weirdo like me, it's supposed to tickle your brain. Like, this song seriously has me fucked up. I like it a lot and it's just a testament to years of discipline that I'm not looping it on Spotify.

Anon in ask 1, it's possible Jimin would reach a wider audience with a ballad, pop track like Promise/Serendipity, or a more conventional hiphop song. I'm sure he thinks so too, maybe. And yet that's not how he wanted to express himself. He chose the harsh autotune and I happen to think he sounds incredible with it.

Now Anon in ask 2, Jimin is one of the most popular members in BTS, and BTS is of course still popular. We both know that. But it's also true BTS has become less popular within k-pop spaces in general, but that's predictable given how the industry runs, and it's possible that was all you were experiencing Anon - an environment where BTS and by extension Jimin, just isn't that popular.

If that were even possible. Because like, this is Park Jimin we're talking about here.

For the people apparently begging others to buy the album, I guess they are simply people who strongly want Jimin to do well on the charts and are trying everything in their power to make it happen. I'm yet to see any of that personally though on my side of ARMY twt, what I'm seeing is organized and spontaneous purchases done out of love for the artist and his art.

*

You both mention YouTube views/streams so let me just say something on it. Personally, I don't care. I mean I care enough that we at least try to meet the goals and I genuinely love the video so I've watched it multiple times today, but not really beyond that. All this to express the extent of my interest in this matter. But even I know YouTube changed their view-counting algorithm in 2021 to increase a migration of users to their paid platform, YouTube Premium. Views today are harder to count and so one way k-pop agencies have worked around to gaining views, is to buy ads on YouTube. Perhaps it would be great if BigHit was as involved as other agencies in helping that way, but they haven't been so far except for the Pandemic English Trilogy (PET), and ARMY has more reason to stay engaged. All this to say, the views we currently have are one of the best records the fandom has ever achieved for BTS, no matter how it stacks up to the others because there are too many people who love SMF Pt 2, are talking about it, re-watching it, too many of them to not be significant enough. For YouTube we're doing fine and enjoying it at our pace.

Also I don't know what y'all want me to say about how a white American woman performs on US charts, relative to BTS members. I'm curious, did you check for their relative performance on Korean charts? Since you're so interested in the question.

You don't need to be worried about Jimin's album not being successful. It already is.

[bluebudgie]

Hello peeps!

Thought some of you might be interested in some tips and tricks for making gifs of your GW2 characters. Don't get me wrong here please, I'm by no means the be-and-end-all of gif-making, but maybe a handful of you might enjoy this? I do at least have experience with throwing myself in front of chak for hours. You decide if that's good or bad.

This is how I personally proceed and maybe some of you have better ways to do it! Feel free to share your own advice here :D

Let's get started! ･°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°.

Choosing a location

So you chose a victim and have a neat little idea of what you wanna show. Now all you have to do is find a fitting location. Here's some things to consider:

How's the ambient lighting? Rotate your newly found top model at your location of choice to make sure the light hits from the best angle. Keep day and night cycles in mind. Some places also simply have bad light for your character; in that case try to think of a similar location that might look more flattering.

How busy is the background? You probably want your character to pop out, so the choice of scene is important especially if you don't have access to 3rd party depth-of-field filters. Keep in mind that moving background elements might look distracting.

If there are enemies around, can you get rid of them reliably or will they keep interrupting you? Are there safe spots to stand in outside of enemy range? Most enemies really don't hate you as much as you think. Unless you're in the Crystal Desert.

Strike a pose!

The basics:

Play around with the camera sliders in your options. Having your character big in the frame goes a long way! The vertical, horizontal and zoom sliders are your best friends.

Remember the UI doesn't have to be visible for you to type emotes in chat. Just to be safe from (public chat) typos though, I like to type the command with the UI turned on, then hide the UI, and then once I've adjusted the camera hit enter to play the emote. This is especially useful if you're trying to pose around enemies and don't have the time to frantically type things in chat.

Some tips for posing:

Rotating the camera while in first person mode rotates your entire character. This way you can turn around without having to redo your /emote all the time. This is especially useful if you use persistent emotes that last an infinite amount of time (as opposed to emotes that play an animation once and then return your character back to the default idle).

Similarly, zooming into first person mode and zooming back out will (client-side only) display your weapons and back piece. Those usually get hidden during emote animations.

If you swap weapons via keybind mid weapon idle animation, the animation will usually keep playing despite not fitting your newly swapped in weapon. This will often look silly, but can sometimes get you some cool poses too. Try out some combinations!

The technical side

So you're a master at staging the perfect shot, how do you get all of this into a neat little moving image?

To capture your gameplay, any recording software of your choice works. Windows 10 should by default come with the ability to record your game (press the Windows key + G to bring up the overlay; you can change keybinds for active and retroactive video recording & other things in the settings).

Once you've made your video file, the tricky part begins. It's kind of difficult to write a definite guide for this since programs and methods for making gifs vary so much. Different programs might compress your file differently, giving you different results in terms of file size and quality. Personally I've been using an ancient student version of Photoshop CS6 since the dawn of time, and it took some trial and error to figure out a good balance between quality and size.

About posting on tumblr:

tumblr currently allows a file size of 10MB max per gif (you can have several <10MB files per post).

The tumblr dashboard displays images at a width of 540px, so make this your gif's absolute minimum width if you want to ensure a crisp image.

Now for some subjective observations based on my experiences with how I create gifs. ! Important ! This is how my particular version of Photoshop handles sizes. You might get completely different results using any other software that compresses files differently.

Getting a good balance between image dimensions, quality and length of animation is hard if you're limited to a maximum file size of 10MB.

Your file size will depend on: The amount of frames your animation is using, the amount of colours, how much movement there is, and of course the dimensions of your image. Editing your image in terms of colours, saturation, contrast etc. can also impact the file size (it can go both ways).

Using a video recorded at 60 fps I can usually squeeze about (give or take) 3 seconds of animation into the gif before it gets too large (given a – by my standards – decent image quality). Take this into consideration when you pick your poses.

Things you can do to reduce file size, other than the two obvious solutions of simply making your animation shorter or image dimensions smaller:

Lower the amount of dither. This has a huge impact on file size in my experience. If you have many transparent effects (e.g. smoke, fog) or use strong depth-of-field filters in your image it will look bad if you go too low.

Limit the colour palette when you export your gif. Highly dependent on the scene, sometimes you can get away with reducing your colours by half, sometimes it will look atrocious.

In the end I don't think there's one formula that works for every situation. It really depends on what you're showing, so mix and match different methods to try and get the best compromise between quality and size!

And that's all I can think of right now! I hope that maybe one of these points could help someone :D

[accio-victuuri]

this is the text version of his recent fox factory interview video ( via sohu.com ) 🎤

Xiao Zhan shared recent happy events and praised netizens for their excellent interpretation of "Yu Gu Yao"

Xiao Zhan's perception and control can still be seen in the character Shiying. After reading through the script, the key word of the character that flashed in his mind was "listener", which is perception; enriching the character's history for Shiying and designing action details that are not in the script are in the control of the actor.

He felt that replays should be taken 200% seriously. The same is true for the famous scenes of Xinghai Yunting and Ten Thousand Tribulations Hell in "Yu Gu Yao". He also advocates integrating the character's nature and experience into the character's words and deeds, and believes that the rationality of the interpretation is very important, but the most important thing is to ensure that the state of acting is comfortable. "If the actors themselves are uncomfortable acting, no matter how much design you do, it will actually be useless."

After the show was broadcast, he received a lot of comments from the audience, including in-depth interpretations of the plot and characters. In Xiao Zhan's view, these interpretations and comments come from the audience who like the series from the bottom of their hearts, and receiving their opinions is also an inspiration for the actors.

Conversation with Xiao Zhan: Recently, I mainly take classes and don’t have much time to go surfing

Sohu Entertainment: Want to know why you chose "Yu Gu Yao" among a bunch of scripts?

Xiao Zhan: Because it is different from some scripts I have read before. All the plots in it are very reasonable, very smooth, everyone is a part of all living beings, everyone has only this chance in life, so every choice you make, every thing you experience is more precious .

Sohu Entertainment: What is the scene you most want to shoot after reading the script?

Xiao Zhan: Of course, what I look forward to the most is the hell of ten thousand calamities. I want to take off the robes of God, and then I want to be a mortal again.

Sohu Entertainment: Is it the scene of taking off the robe?

Xiao Zhan: Right.

Sohu Entertainment: I haven't seen it yet. Why do you want to shoot that scene the most?

Xiao Zhan: Because there is a lot of room for imagination, I want to know what it will look like when it is shot, and how its special effects will be presented in the end.

Sohu Entertainment: Have you watched it?

Xiao Zhan: Of course I have seen it, I dubbed it myself.

Sohu Entertainment: I feel that you have a very good manner in the costume dramas. I think you are hanging on the wire. If someone is hanging on the wire, just go up. If you step on the air twice, you will feel that you are really there. you know how to fly. Is it your own way of handling ancient costumes and manners?

Xiao Zhan: I think this is due to our martial arts teacher, who teaches well.

Sohu Entertainment: You still have that series of movements of turning around, hiding Zhu Yan in your sleeves and then saluting.

Xiao Zhan: It seems that we discussed it with the director on the set. Because the script only said to hide Zhu Yan in the sleeve, but it didn’t tell you whether you want to rotate or what, and then I just wore clothes, and I said I’ll try it, is there a way? , it is both beautiful and neat, and it is also in line with the beauty and aesthetics. It has the beauty in the sleeves, so we tried this one.

Sohu Entertainment: Flowing clouds and flowing water, it seems that you designed it yourself, and there are those who take a scroll and click on the air to say "don't flatter", it seems that you designed it yourself.

Xiao Zhan: Yes, it definitely is.

Sohu Entertainment: You said that Shiying is a listener. I want to know if this is a positioning of yourself in the performance after you understand the characters in the early stage, or is it something you have explored bit by bit?

Xiao Zhan: Actually, when I read the script, a keyword flashed in my mind. He rarely talks about his inner feelings. He is more of a role of a very reliable listener.

Sohu Entertainment: When writing a character, the screenwriter will write a biography of the character. I wonder if you will form your own, similar to the biography of the character?

Xiao Zhan: Yes, the biography I wrote is actually about Shiying, he left the imperial palace when he was a child, and then went to Jiuyi Mountain, and spent the years on the mountain by himself. Because there is no explanation in the script, so I wrote about how he spent this time on the mountain.

Sohu Entertainment: Is it the kind of enriching the history of the character, not the generalization of the character?

Xiao Zhan: Maybe everyone's way is different. For "Yuguyao", my method is to make up for some lack in the script that are not described, so that I can better understand this character. According to different scripts and different characters, we will make some different adjustments.

Sohu Entertainment: Some netizens have interpreted that it is because Da Si Ming called you Yinger, and then you may have never been a master, so you just learned the way of Da Si Ming.

Xiao Zhan: It makes sense, maybe this is the reason. In fact, sometimes I really admire them. A lot of what they wrote really touched my heart.

Sohu Entertainment: Because your performance has been picked up by everyone, it means you performed well.

Xiao Zhan: Thank you.

Sohu Entertainment: Do you know what is the big house that everyone dreams of now?

Xiao Zhan: Big house, what is it?

So hu Entertainment: It's your sleeve. Do you have something to say to your friends who want to make a home in Time Shadow's sleeve?

Xiao Zhan: This clothes can also be washed, what should I do if it gets wet?

Sohu Entertainment: I can come out for a while and let others stay for a while. Do you have air conditioning in your big sleeves, we are really hot.

Xiao Zhan: I probably don’t know about this, so I have to ask Xiao Zhu Zhu.

Sohu Entertainment: After watching the behind the scenes, I realized that you designed the scene where Zhu Yan got drunk, so you taught him how to pull your sleeves and so on.

Xiao Zhan: In fact, it was not designed by me. It was actually a result of everyone's joint discussion. She can add some of the wildness of the princess from the west, or the kind of freedom and wantonness in it, don't be too obedient. So I thought about what it would be like for her to be drunk and crazy, and then I discussed it with Xiao Min on the spot. She also thought it was ok, and the most important thing is that she herself is comfortable. If the actor herself is not comfortable acting, No matter how much design you do, it is actually useless.

Sohu Entertainment: Episode 35 has the famous scene of Xinghai Yunting, absolutely, I have already watched that part in advance, because I went to watch the drama in advance, and after I saw it, I immediately sent a text message to my friend, The thirty-fifth episode of Xiao Zhan's acting skills is a godsend, you must watch it. It turned out that you actually said something to the director during the filming of the sideshow, your tears fell too early, and then you had to change it.

Xiao Zhan: Because of the heavy scene, we must treat it 200%, because it gives Shiying very few lines. At this time, I just want to see if my beloved is sad for me, if she is for me When I am sad, I am happy.

Sohu Entertainment: I read that there is a passage in the original book, that is, there is a faint smile in the eyes.

Xiao Zhan: The screenwriter will feel that it hurts the design, isn't this intentionally abusing Xiao Zhuzhu? But I think that only in this way can Shiying be a very lively person. We discussed this bridge for a long time, for a few days. Then in the end the director also felt that it was ok, so we followed this method, and there was the last paragraph. The last paragraph is actually just two sentences. Will you be sad when I die? Will it be more sad than when that person died? Actually It's short, so it's more stressful for me. Because your words are few, but you have to add emotion. When I looked at the monitor for the first two, I felt that the emotions were released too early, because in fact, you should be in sync with the audience at this time, and the audience doesn’t know how Zhu Yan will answer you, so you can’t advance emotions, so I told the director that we have another one, and I said that tears are too early, and I should cry after I get the answer.

Sohu Entertainment: Thank you, let me say thank you Xiao Zhan, for letting me see the famous scene. The scene of taking off the god robe is to be hanged in the air to be tortured. I wonder if this is the most difficult torture scene in the drama?

Xiao Zhan: Yes, it is very difficult, because it requires cooperation in all aspects, such as photography, lighting, props, and all aspects, because it requires me to hang up. If he didn't give me strength, my hands would be fake and float in the air, so he tied my hands up for a while, and then I asked them to lift them up and bring them to me. Hurry, your hands should have been worn out at the time, but when you were acting, you didn’t think about it at all. Your body was also going through an uncomfortable process like this, and your emotions happened to be in the same place. It's a very sad emotion, so the two of them just merged together, but it was a very correct scene. I really didn't think about whether my hands hurt or my feet hurt. I remember the director told me that you must imagine that the lightning is introduced from your hand to your body. I want to say, this is too difficult, and I have never been shocked, what should I do. It is reasonable to say that the current is drawn first, and there must be a perception in the hand and then to the body.

Sohu Entertainment: Did you know that when you were tortured in pain and blended into the emotions of the characters, the extras all lay down and watched you?

Xiao Zhan: Ah really?

Sohu Entertainment: What kind of props might they want to control.

Xiao Zhan: I really didn’t pay attention.

Sohu Entertainment: Mom, today I lay down and watched Xiao Zhan act. "Yuguyao" also used the original sound, and then you changed into a little white beast, and after changing into Hakimi, you also changed your voice.

Xiao Zhan: There is no such misunderstanding, I did not change, I did not change the voice line.

Sohu Entertainment: You have become cute.

Xiao Zhan: Well, this is still my own voice.

Sohu Entertainment: It just became cute.

Xiao Zhan: Thank you little white beast, thank you for making me cute.

Sohu Entertainment: After the Great Shenlong came out, everyone was talking about what to do. Our Kongsang seemed to be doomed, so we used Hakimi to compare the Great Shenlong.

Xiao Zhan: It won't be over, it won't be over, how can it be over when there is a time.

Sohu Entertainment: If you want to walk on the bridge of chaotic heart now, and you have to share a happy thing about you recently to cross the bridge, what would you share?

Xiao Zhan: "Yuguyao" is finally aired, and this happy bridge can extend directly from the head of the bridge to the end of the bridge

Sohu Entertainment: Seeing that everyone likes "Yuguyao" so much?

Xiao Zhan: It directly pierced the bridge of the heart, right?

Sohu Entertainment: For the first episode "Where Dreams Begin", the video of primary school students making friends shocked the whole Internet. I want to know if you have any jokes?

Xiao Zhan: Yes, I was laughing all the time during the filming, the three of us laughed non-stop, and I filmed three times, twice.

Sohu Entertainment: Very professional.

Xiao Zhan: Anyway, it’s just for fun.

Sohu Entertainment: I look forward to seeing you bring us such an explosive publicity method again, and we must continue to work hard next time. It feels like your surfing speed will keep up during the broadcast.

Xiao Zhan: Recently, I mainly take classes, and I don’t have much time to go surfing.

Sohu Entertainment: Then I will test you. Do you know what it is, the bone of "Yu Gu Yao".

Xiao Zhan: That’s the literal meaning, isn’t it.

Sohu Entertainment: I want to ask if you have picked up any new memes?

Xiao Zhan: There are no new memes, as I just said, I saw some netizens wrote their own understanding of "Yu Guyao", just like when "Meng Hai" was broadcast before, everyone had their own understanding . I think I really like watching this kind of stuff, because I think it will inspire me. I like this drama from the bottom of my heart, I like this plot, I like this character, I think it is very interesting.

Sohu Entertainment: I will post 10 when I go back today.

-END.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Sonic Youth - Freilichtbühne Loreley, St. Goarshausen, Germany, June 20, 1998

We heard embryonic versions of the Thousand Leaves material in last week's #SonicSummer installment. Now, we can check out that same stuff in full bloom just about a year later, when Sonic Youth was taking the just-released LP around Europe. Here, they're playing in the German countryside — in the (recommended) video of the event, I like how the editor cuts from nasty noize freakouts to bucolic visions of boats bobbing on the Rhine. Wunderbar!

For the very best live tape from this era, I'll direct you to the Los Angeles gig from a few weeks prior, which the band has kindly made available via Bandcamp. It's amazing (and I was there!). But this festival performance (an alterna-grab bag bill featuring the Beastie Boys and Pulp) has a nice edge to it; some of the Kim songs hearken back to the Dirty days in their feral energy, while other moments point towards the free-flow of Murray St. and Sonic Nurse. I especially dig the surging rave up that rises out of "Wildflower Soul," with Sonic Youth still finding new textures within their now tried-and-true sound.

In the video, it's also cool to see who's doing what at this stage in the band's three-guitar attack; it's often not who you think it is, with Kim regularly taking the lead. Mainly, it's a very sweet tapestry, the players giving and taking, trading lines and riffs back and forth, jagged at times, gorgeous at others. (Im)perfect harmony!

The set is made up of Thousand Leaves and SYR numbers, with one big exception: the closing "Death Valley 69" blowout, which is as magnificently malevolent as ever, despite having been out of rotation for the past several years. It rolls into an extended feedback orgy, something slightly at odds with the pastoral outdoor setting, but radical all the same. Adventures in modern music, baby!

Bandcamp | Merch | Concert Chronology

[karaloza]

Legend of Zelda Theme Park - Zora's Domain (UPDATED)

Zora’s Domain is in the southwest corner of the park, corresponding to the Triforce of Wisdom. It is a peaceful area, with many fountains and open waterways crossed by footbridges, and structures designed with sweeping curved lines, or else taking the form of water-sculpted caves. The outer edge of the area borders an artificial lake that also serves as the boundary for that side of the theme park. Music for the area consists of not just the literal Zora’s Domain theme, but the themes for other water-based settings and Zora characters.

Attractions

Spirit Train (Sea Station): One of the stations for the Spirit Train (see the Castle Town writeup) can be found here.

Whirlpool Rapids: In this cousin to the Tilt-a-Whirl found at many carnivals, guests board little “boats” on a rotating platform. In addition to the usual rising and falling and spinning motion of such rides, lateral movement is possible via a “rudder” in the boat that tilts part of the platform so that the seat slides along it. And guests will want that control, because the ride is ringed with hostile River Zora, Lizalfos, and other aquatic monsters spitting water at everyone who passes by!

Zora Water Wonderland: For a different sort of look at the Zoras in their natural habitat, guests enter a cave lined with genuine aquarium tanks containing live fish and other creatures (many of them the inspiration for the fictitious species featured in the game franchise), which slopes down and eventually opens up into a glass-walled tunnel at the bottom of a saltwater lagoon. More live animals can be found here, along with Zoras in the form of both animatronics and occasionally costumed performers (trained divers). This means that yes, the theme park is a certified aquarium.

OCTAROCALYPSE!!!: Despite this being a theme park based on video games, not many of the attractions have video game-style interactive elements. This is simply because if visiting the Zelda park is too much like playing a Zelda game, a large portion of the potential market will be content to save their money and just stay home and play the games. But it didn't seem right not to allow guests any opportunities for in-person monster-slaying, so here's something that hopefully is elaborate enough to transcend its vague video gaminess. It begins similarly to the Goro-Gondolas, as guests board boats that cruise at a leisurely pace past scenes of Zoras at work and play. However, it soon becomes evident that all is not well when the boat enters new scenes where Octoroks are menacing the innocent fish-folk! This is where the guests come in—each seat in the boat is equipped with a water cannon, and scoring a direct hit on an Octorok takes it down (the mechanical figure tips over or sinks or otherwise indicates defeat). Unlike most theme park shooting games, there is no scoring system; the rewards are intrinsic as the rescued Zoras turn and wave to the boat or otherwise show gratitude. In later scenes, the Octoroks are bigger and require more hits, maybe even simultaneous hits (teamwork!) to take out. In the final stage of the ride, the boat climbs a tall lift and enters a dark, stormy cavern, in which a huge Octorok is rising out of a whirlpool! Trident-wielding Zora warriors are attempting to hold it at bay, while the boat makes nearly a complete circle around it as if caught in the whirlpool. You can't actually take this one down, but if each of the flailing tentacles is hit at least once, that will (implicitly) weaken it enough that the Zoras can finish it off after the guests escape...down a steep drop into a final splash pool!

Zora King's Throne Room: A spot for guests to meet and take photos with Zora characters such as Princess Ruto (Ocarina of Time), Lulu (Majora's Mask), Mipha (Breath of the Wild), and Sidon (also Breath of the Wild). While they wait, they can get a few shots of the (huge) king himself, there on his high ledge (a visual taken pretty much directly from Ocarina of Time, although Breath of the Wild codifies that Zora kings are gargantuan). He blinks and shifts, and occasionally raises one spindly arm to make a proclamation in the Zora tongue.

Shops

6. Great Bay Goods: Named for the beachfront area in Majora's Mask, this shop offers souvenir beachwear and accessories, water toys, driftwood and seashell artwork, and various ocean and fish-themed knickknacks.

7. Lovely Scales: A music shop for every Hero who ever picked up a time-traveling Ocarina, Goddess Harp, Full Moon Cello, or simple recorder. Most of the instruments for sale are simple—bamboo flutes, handheld percussion instruments (think maracas, sistrums, castanets, etc.), and of course ocarinas, but higher-end instruments are available and can be examined upon request by adults or children with adult supervision. There is also a stock of sheet music—some from the LoZ games, some songbooks for learning specific instruments, some just for fun/popularity—and a small rack of game soundtracks and tie-in albums on CD (a dying format, but it's not dead yet). A large video screen on one wall plays video clips from LoZ orchestral concerts, and the many legendary instruments from the game franchise can be seen in their own display cases.

8. Clear as Crystal: A small shop specializing in glass and lead-free crystal sculptures, figurines, and other art pieces, mostly with LoZ or aquatic motifs. An on-site glassblower creates unique small pieces while guests watch.

9. Healing Waters: Hot or cool, there’s nothing as soothing as a good bath, especially when enhanced with specialty bath salts and herbal soaps. This store offers a huge variety of both, and the salts can even be custom-blended with a selection of aromatherapy ingredients.

Eateries

10. Rockin' Rolls: A counter-service sushi restaurant with a surf rock atmosphere, including a music loop of LoZ tunes remixed for surf guitar and similar styles. You can grab a set of pre-packaged rolls for convenience or wait while a trained sushi chef makes your meal to order. Patio seating overlooks the aforementioned artificial lake, and the interior décor features references to the Indi-Go-Go's (the Zora band from Majora's Mask).

Miscellaneous

Along the exterior of Lovely Scales, just where the inverted corner of the building facade is (marked with an asterisk), there is a fenced-off pond with a handful of brightly colored frogs sitting on logs and lily pads in the water, and matching colored pressure pads in the ground nearby. This is Don Gero’s Frog Chorus, an interactive mini-attraction. Hop from one pad to another or collaborate with friends to make the frogs sing!

[krikeymate]

So I've seen stuff where Sam sneaks off to the shrine alone after Gale's attack. But what if Tara snuck off instead? Like after Sam offers to give herself up maybe she tells Sam that she left her inhaler in Bailey's car or uses Danny showing up to slip away and then leaves to try to stop them herself. She calls Bailey to set up the trap at the shrine after leaving. Because we all know Sam ain't the only one that would do anything to protect her sister.

OH. GENIUS THOUGHT MY FRIEND.

Tara sneaks off and calls Bailey to set a trap. She isn't going to give Sam the chance to sacrifice herself, not after everything she's done.

Bailey can't believe his luck.

Ghostface sends Sam a video of Tara in the shrine, alone, with them waving a knife in front of the camera (like the Amber video, Ghostface is standing on the balcony looking down at her). The follow-up message says come alone or she dies. She tells the others she's gonna go find Tara, and makes her own escape. She sends Kirby a text as she stands outside the shrine: going to the shrine, my sister's in trouble, if you don't hear from me in half an hour, I might be dead. She turns off her phone.

Meanwhile, Tara is standing in front of Billy's case, thinking about how this all started, wondering how he and her mother - two of the worst people she knows - could have made something so wonderful as her sister. She hears a noise from somewhere behind her, but doesn't see anyone come in the entrance. Something feels wrong, she opens the case and takes Billy's knife.

She goes through the stage side entrance, quietly, to investigate. Bailey said he was on his way, but that was a while ago... surely he should be here by now? She feels like she might be on her own in her plan after all.

~

Sam enters the building, preparing herself for the worst. It's empty, it's quiet. She thinks about calling out to her sister, but she knows there's at least one Ghostface here already. She scans the display room, looking for any sign of movement. Finding none, she decides she should move on... then she spots a chain and a padlock resting on a nearby display case beside a familiar pink jacket.

She decides to lock the entrance, she doesn't want any more surprises showing up, and if no one can get in, no one can get out either. She knows what Tara came here to do, and she wasn't wrong, Sam can begrudgingly admit... she just wishes she hadn't tried to do it alone.

"Like you were planning?" says a familiar voice from somewhere over her right shoulder. "Shut up," she mumbles. She's so not in the mood for his commentary right now, or ever. "She's smart," the voice continues, "your clever little sister, trying to lure these fools into her trap... or maybe you're the fool falling into hers." Sam spins around, ready to confront the voice. But there's no one there, it's all in her head. Fuck, she wishes she'd kept her meds on her.

Sam turns and yanks open a side door.

~

Tara's finished tying a knot when her phone rings... it's an unknown number. She wants to ignore it, her thumb swipes to accept the call anyway as she gets back on her feet.

"Tara, Tara, Tara. Did you really think you could make a difference? That you could save your sister? Save yourself?"

"You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Oh but I do, I've been watching you."

Tara's eyes flick to the camera in the corner of the room. Bailey said they could use them to their advantage, but it seems the Ghostfaces were one step ahead of them.

"It's you who has no idea what I'm capable of. Your sister is on her way, and I'm going to gut you while she watches. But first... I'm going to make you beg."

The caller hangs up as the door behind her opens. Tara spins around, knife slashing out. An arm collides with her hand, knocking her armed hand to the side as the figure steps into her trap. The figure is pulled upwards by their ankle. She can't believe that worked! I mean- wait, "Sam?"

Sam's unimpressed face rotates into view. "What the fuck, Tara?"

"Oh shit, give me a second." Tara cuts at the taut rope, releasing her sister from the snare trap.

"I can't believe you would do something like this," Sam begins, voice angry as she gets up from the floor. She's about to continue when her eyes are drawn to the rope and the makeshift pulley around the door frame, then back at her sister and the bloody knife she holds. "Did you make this?" she asks in disbelief.

Tara frowns, a slight pout to her expression, "it was supposed to be for Ghostface."

Sam shakes her head, she can praise her sister later, after she's scolded her for scaring the life out of her. "What were you thinking, coming here alone?"

"I just... every day you make the decision to protect me, I just wanted to protect you for a change." Tara makes it so hard for Sam to stay mad at her. She pulls her in for a hug. "You have no idea how scared I was," Sam confesses, "every time you're out of my sight I'm terrified that it might be forever, that the last time I saw you could be the last."

"You're never going to lose me, Sam. I promise." Tara's arms squeeze around her tight, and Sam closes her eyes for a moment, resting her head on her sister's.

When she opens them again, it's to a Ghostface stabbing her sister in the back.

[satoshi-mochida]

Some thoughts and details on my latest Gamefly rental, Rayman Legends Definitive Edition.(Switch version)

This is the first Rayman game I've actually played. I've always been curious, but never got the chance to play the others. This is also a sequel to Rayman Origins(which I haven't played yet), being in the same graphical and gameplay style.

Rayman's basic controls are:

Y to attack. Pressing and holding it will have him charge an attack that will go farther.

B to jump. Pressing and holding it after jumping will have his hair spin and let him glide.

Holding ZR while moving will have Rayman Dash. Doing this towards slopes will have him run up them.

There actually are many unlockable characters beside Rayman, though they're more like Rayman and other characters(Globox, Teensies and new character Barbara), but in different costumes since I think everyone plays the same, but their actions look different, for obvious reasons.

The game's main hub is set up like an Art Gallery, with each Mode/World/Stage being a painting to jump into like in Super Mario 64. More are unlcok as you progress and collect blue creatures named Teensies(who I found out are from older Rayman games after watching videos on them), who are held captive in the game's stages.

There's not a lot of detail to the story ingame, aside from the intro and a few short cutscenes here and there, and that makes the ending feel kind of abrupt.

At the end of stages, you're given trophies based on how many Teensies you've saved and how mnay Lums you collected. I've only ever gotten up to Gold, but can apparently got up to Platuinum.

One of the rewards for getting enough Lums in a stage is a Lucky Ticket, which is basically a scratch-off ticket, having you move the cursor over the 6 spots on it until they're all revealed, and you're rewarded based on what there was 3 or more of.

Creatures, which go to a certain room in the Gallery, and once a day, give you Lums.

'Back to Origins' stages, which seem to be levels from Rayman Origins, which also have Teensies to collect.

Lums. Getting more of them unlocks more chracters/skins in the character select, needing 1 Million to get all of them.

Teensies, 60 of which have to be found from the Tickets.

One of Rayman's allies in this is Murfy(also from the older games), who appears in some stages to help out. When he does, he'll hover over certain parts as you proceed, and hitting the A button will have him do something, such as poke an enemy in the eye or move a platform. There are also touchscreen-only versions of these stages to do where you need to tap, slide and rotate the screen at parts to have Murfy do these actions.

There's some Minigames to play, which seem to be sports related, but I didn't try them out much. ^^;

The second to last stages in a World are Boss levels, which all felt pretty fun, and were unique to each other, such as one against a giant Luchador.

The last stage of each World is a Musical level, which are my favorites. They have Rayman running through the stage to the timing of the music, which are also great to listen to, and are very quick and frentic. After getting 400 Teensies, you unlock the final World, which is ALL Musical levels. They have a screen filter applied in each that makes the platforming much harder, though.

Each Stage feels unique and different enough from each other to keep it interesting.

Rayman normally can only take 1 hit, but collecting a Heart gives you an extra hit. There's no Lives or Game Over in this, just getting booted back to a checkpoint if you get killed.

There's a Challenge Mode that has weekly Challenges that I think can use to farm for Lums. More become available as Rayman's 'Awesomeness Level' incresses, which I think rises from getting better Trophies from Stages.

There are a whopping 826 Teensies to collect in total; I stopped after getting 400+. ^^;

When finding/near a secret area, Rayman will say "Ooh" to tell you about it, and if a Teensy is nearby, you'll hear them call out "Help me'. They are also shown in order of their appearence in a Stage in the top right/top of the Stage's portrait to make collecting them a bit easier(except for ones behind hidden doors, which are in the middle).

This was pretty fun. I may get to Rayman Origins at some point, too.

Next game being sent is: Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection.

[mettatons-fat-doughy-asscheeks]

Prompt:

Mettaton's undeniable failing heath betraying his public image of denying his obesity live during one of his shows in some way...

*The barely mobile robot enjoyed the chance to go to a guest event while his current projects were on a worryingly indefinite hiatus. While she'd not reached his levels of fame Undyne had become a minor social media personality on the surface, her former status in the royal guard and close connection to the missing child that freed the monsters leading to late night interviews that made her a household name to some. She was vague on the details but doing ANYTHING besides over the phone interviews or fan shoutout videos was a welcome change of pace to Mettaton.

*As he waddled up on stage, an Undyne themed workout jumpsuit with matching sweatband given by the costume department and hugging every bloated flabby curve of his body, he immediately began to sweat under hot lighting. Before he could wave to the crowd a familiar voice rang out over speakers, Undyne yelling into and peaking a microphone from above that stage on scaffolding. Live footage of her was mirrored on a large screen.

*HELLO AND WELCOME FITNESS MANIACS!! ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE RECOGNIZE OUR NEXT CONTESTANT?! OF COURSE NOT HE'S A WHALE COMPARED TO WHEN HE LAST SHOWED UP ON TV!!

*The screen flipped from the muscled host to the less than fit guest, an overlay put next to him of an older FAR thinner photo of himself. Before he could even react to what he felt was pure SLANDER against him muscled stage hands arrived to walk him over to the first fitness challenge. The grave and insurmountable obstacle? A treadmill set on its lowest setting of course.

*TRY THAT ONE ON FOR SIZE, PORKER!!

*While most would need to keep up at most a brisk walk to keep up with treadmill like this it was a marathon for the oversized robot. He was moving faster than he had in over a year at this point, a pathetic sped up waddle that had him wheezing like a hog in less than a minute. A large timer appeared on the screen, counting down 5 whole minutes he'd need to "run".

*At minute one he was softly wheezing and the sweat from moments earlier began to leave visible stains on the pits of his sweatsuit. His waddle required a wide gait to keep speed, the excess of movement wobbling his stacked rolly gut and making the moobs sagging atop them slap softly on its surface. His arms, although unintentional, were probably moving more than they had in weeks.

*Minute two his labored breaths were picked up by his lapel microphone, broadcasting to the entire audience a mixture of exhaustion and involuntary moans.

*Minute 3 the sweat stains were visible on every roll covered by the sweat suit, something it wasn't particularly holding up to. The top had long rode up and let his gut free to the viewing pleasure of the entire audience. The bottoms were no match for an avalanche of ass the oozed out, it's entire top half uncovered and showing a pair of boxers with a stretched out graphic of Undyne's smiling face. His mic began to pic up something besides breathing, a soft rhythmic sound.

*Minute four would be the last milestone. Not only was it evident that Mettaton's battery was beginning to run on its last quarter but the treadmill wasn't able to stand much more either they both slowed down as the rhythmic thumping grew louder and louder. By the time he gripped his chest with 30 seconds left on the timer it became obvious what it was. As he stopped and let the treadmills final rotations push him off and onto his back with a loud WHUMP he wheezed out helplessly a few words barely loud enough to be picked up on the microphone.

*A-Alphys.... Heart..... Pain.... Hungry....

*Undyne being the good host she was jumped down from her scaffolding and onto the main state just beside the collapsed robot, a wide sharky grin on her face while she looked down at him condescendingly and spoke.

*Don't worry butterbag! Our resident scientist is just backstage ready to keep you from flatlining! If you're lucky she'll give ya some lipo too!!

[sunburnacoustic]

I first got into Muse in 2013. Looking back at some fan response from the time, it’s actually amazing I managed to stay in the fandom (simpler times, no phone, no social media, blissfully unaware of what people online were yelling about by only occasionally going to twitter dot com forward slash muse /, and like, NME dot com it was a good life). 2012/2nd Law era has to be the most corrosively toxic I have seen fans ever get, and you know it was because of Madness and Follow Me, both of which are bangers. I mean, hello? “Ugh I liked them when they were heavy” did you listen to Follow Me? Did you listen to Unsustainable? Or by “heavy” do you just mean “trashy club band whose instruments sound shit” be real with yourself. Muse were always, always more ambitious than that.

Hang on, I have to find a post/video, sometimes I hate Muse fans' constant complaining.

Found it. This interview is from the OoS era, when Muse were on tour in Japan in 2001. Matt’s talking about his grand plans for rotating stages with multiple bands, feels and the stage being part of the set. If anyone’s upset about them having big ideas, about the Resistance era stages (at the time the only precedent, now of course, something Muse are known for), about their ambition, you’ve attached yourself to the wrong band. If someone’s out there complaining about liking Muse “better when they didn’t do all this bombastic stuff” but the stuff they’re talking about has been there since 2001, since album #2, since everyone’s favourite era, then pray tell what part of the band’s career are you talking about. The bit where they didn't yet have the money to put on the show they wanted to?

(I don't really have a transcript, but in the linked post I sort of talked about what Matt was describing so I won't write it out again.)

[carveredlunds]

inspired by this post and this post (and probably others i’ve seen over the years but can’t remember! if you’ve talked about this idea before, chime in!) and the fact that i’ve just watched “the man who would be king”. but why didn’t season 15 have more meta episodes? 

we had “atomic monsters”, where becky called out chuck’s bad writing, which was kind of meta, and we had “the heroes’ journey”, a send-up of sam and dean’s plot armour that ground the dramatic tension of the season to a screeching halt and was played for laughs. i guess we had chuck watching tv screens in “galaxy brain”, and several references to chuck ‘cancelling shows’, but the meta was shockingly light for a season where god is your final antagonist.

why didn’t we have sam and dean look directly into the camera, like castiel does in “the man who would be king”? they could have looked directly at the camera, begging the audience to let them go (because what was the ‘point’ of season 15 if not to be a commentary on how it had become a shambling and zombified version of its former self, with the characters desperately fighting for freedom?)

instead of whatever the heck “the heroes’ journey” was, why not go the opposite way with it, and go full existential horror with the idea of plot armour? instead of having sam and dean lose their plot armour, why not increase it? have sam and dean on a regular hunt, and sam gets stabbed, but he doesn’t die, because chuck doesn’t want him to go out this way. or dean gets horrifically injured, but it just heals by itself, in front of his very eyes, because chuck doesn’t want his favourite toy to be broken. 

why not have them become aware that they’re in a tv show? have them say they’re going somewhere one scene, and then suddenly, the scene changes and they’re there, but maybe sam says to dean “what just happened?” because they insta-travelled. they didn’t drive or walk. (side note: an episode of “doctor who” called “forest of the dead” did this, and it was so creepy.) or how about the brothers become aware of background music? suddenly, the music goes all tense and scary, and tfw look around wildly for where it’s coming from, before a monster of the week shows up.

and, to take that further, imagine having chuck interact directly with the scenes themselves? imagine something absolutely wild happening. like in “proverbs 17:3”, we open on one of chuck’s planned endings. sam is dressed all in white, clearly possessed by lucifer, and dean shoots him in the head, only for him to sit back up again. the scene freezeframes, and chuck steps into the shot and says “nah, too old school” or something like that, and rotates his finger, and the scene rewinds like an old video tape, and another ending plays out. the big thing here? this isn’t alternate universe sam and dean, but our sam and dean, playing out endings for a while until chuck gets bored and leaves or something.

sam and dean did talk about free will and destiny and yada yada yada, but they never truly acknowledged the cosmic horror of being two very special bugs in a jar that god has personally kept alive and suffering for his own entertainment. the season 14 finale set up such an interesting and self-aware situation that season 15 never followed through with. the penultimate episode was literally what was left of tfw, alone on a dying planet, the only characters on an empty stage, and the absolute mind fuckery of that was never really talked about.

for a show as meta as “supernatural” that had iconic episodes like “the french mistake”, lines like crowley’s ‘castiel, haven’t seen you all season’ in “caged heat”, and so many directly paralleled shots to past episodes, season 15 could have really gone full meta, but they were cowards.

[fourseasonsfigs]

Concert Twirl

This beautiful fig is inspired by one of my favorite moments in one of my favorite things - the Word of Honor Concert.

To explain how much I love this twirling concert intro, I have my phone lock screen set to this image:

It looks beautiful on the phone with the gorgeous swirly colors and the gorgeous swirly men, just saying.

Zhehan swirling/dancing/swift moving steps during his whole concert intro (and also moonwalking in the BTS) is just a perfect encapsulation of his personality, Gong Jun's personality in being game for whatever his Zhang Laoshi throws at him (in front of 7,000 people notwithstanding), and their caring and trusting relationship. I love it so much. I woke up at 3:30am Pacific Standard Time to watch both days of the concert live, knowing I wouldn't understand a word but not caring - which, may I say, felt like the height of my fandom craziness at the time. What could possibly top that level of insanity??

Ahem, right, moving on.

I remember being so surprised and delighted that the two of them were showing so much fun and personality from the very start of the concert. What nerves? So charming and so fun. Also, it's an incredibly beautiful visual image.

Since Zhehan's the focus of this fig, let's check out the actual video here:

The main camera angle didn't give us a great view of the twirl (OR of Gong Jun twirling), so let's have some inspirational stills of him floating across the stage:

It's incredible how beautiful he is. I had to hold myself back from putting sparkles and glitter hearts all over my header pic, because he's just so bright and sparkly and alive. His whole personality just shines through.

Ah, no wonder this fig maker was so inspired by this. Who wouldn't be?

When the box arrived at the warehouse, the photos taken of the inside looked like this:

You can just imagine my expression when I saw the flowers just thrown on in there all together! There's no way those resin petals would survive the journey - it doesn't even bear thinking about. I paid 62 cents for the warehouse to wrap the flowers to protect them and called it a bargain.

And here it is! Mindful of the way the flowers had looked in the warehouse, I was still worried they might be broken, but they unwrapped - shockingly - perfect.

Here's the base and the flowers. Thrilled at my good luck, I pulled up the fig maker's photo so I could make sure I was putting all the pieces in the right place, and started flower arranging.

And - well, precious readers, if you've been with me through the Hanye with a Sword post, you'll know what I went through with modifying that fig's little hand. So you can imagine how my heart sank when I found that two of the flowers did not want to fit into their little holes in the clouds.

I tried gently wiggling them, rotating them, angling them...nope.

You can see this first one has the stem almost pre-trimmed down to fit, but it sure didn't work.

The good news, of course, was that I had just gone through all of this with Hanye and his sword, so I re-gathered up my nerves, and got to work. I carefully sanded down a small part of the stems verrrrry very slowly, turning it to try to make it even on all sides, constantly testing to make sure I wasn't over-sanding.

It ended up being way easier than Hanye's hand, plus something about it being a flower instead of, well, a hand, just mentally made it less stressful.

Ta da! Whew, so glad that's done. It's not perfect, but I will say that one of the many things that touched my heart from the concert was that I actually, for the first time in my whole life, saw with my own eyes and actually believed that things don't have to be perfect to be beautiful. In fact, things can be more unique and precious because they're not. Gong Jun's off key singing, Zhehan losing the key, Wang Ruo Lin slipping and falling, etc etc ... all the chaos and mayhem and sheer, utter delight. It's hard to undo a lifetime of programming that perfection is everything, but I will tell you that this concert cracked that wide open and a real and lasting way for me.

Zhehan attaches to the base via feet magnets, which I am a big fan of. I wish more figs had magnets! The little feet go on those circles there you can see on the base.

Since he's twirling, I'm going to treat this like my music box posts and do a 360 degree photo roll so you get all the angles:

Whew! Very tempted to invest in the USB rotating platform. If only it wouldn't use up my one-video-per-post slot, I would.

Not all resin figs come with printed boxes - a lot of times they are just a plain white box, but this one did. (The printed stickers are a reminder to film an unboxing video) It's very beautiful! The writing on the box says, Goodbye Jianghu, which is certainly apropos to the concert.

I didn't have a box card in my box, which is too bad, because it would have been lovely to have this a pic of the fig with this art in the background. So I kind of made one myself with the header pic. I think it turned out really nice, but you can be the judge!

Material: Resin

Fig Count: 205

Scene Count: 18

Rating: Endless Happiness

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[junonreactor]

rotating my video game guys around in my head before bed

trout i'm still rotating for how i want its story to roll out. i know where i want to end up by the time it hits enw but the post-hvw stage is really murky except maybe for some eden stuff where i would be totally rewriting at Least the last set + i would need to workshop lore more as we get further in. pashtarot shard and not an azem shard, which does mean like. Making Another Guy (ascian) that ends up contrasting ardbert. works out because trout needs to be dragged to continue the story at a lot of points it hates that it ended up quitting its job and joining the scions' emo band. fun things to work with with gaia. unexpectedly visceral negative feelings towards alphinaud currently which is kind of funny

rue is easier because i am just fucking around with crystals. she's a sharlayan student working on her thesis. she's doing field work and tracking down her missing advisor. she grew up in what is now idyllshire and as a young teen figured out that some unaspected crystals can be used to store memory. but she was like. 16. so what she does fucks with her aether and half deletes the memory in question and also the crystal is not white auractie and is Not meant for memory storage so it leaks (luckily the world is full of aether-eager voidsent). she used it as a trick to forget unpleasant things she was pretty sure would never be important again and also to like. un-have echo visions. eventually fucked up badly enough (with help of voidsent. that will happily eat you) to get noticeably fucked over in her early 20s. gaps in some personal memory but everyone figures she's as recovered as she can be. they never caught the voidsent that 'did that to her' (surprise tool that will help us later) (i am replacing the rpr quests). she also doesnt actually stop fucking around with auracite. Anyway her thesis is along the lines of differentiation of concentrated elemental aether into elemental cores and aspected crystals which is why she went to gridania first.

man. i abandoned my guys i need to go back to them since unwavering is done with new msq. trout is a few trials away from unlocking coils im pretty sure.