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johanna-swann · 6 months

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I've been discussing how we would rank the Star Wars Episodes with one of my friends, we watched a film critic's take on it too, I asked my brother and cousin about it and it seems like everyone has a different opinion. My friend really like the sequels, my brother prefers the prequels and my cousin stans the original trilogy.

Eventually I always come back to the conclusion that it's not about actual quality. All three Star Wars trilogies have their ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses. Which of the weaknesses you're happy to bear and which ones you can't stand is personal preference.

The original trilogy often gets more nostalgia points than it probably deserves. Yes, it's cinema history and I kinda love the low-key trashy vibe, the characters are pretty basic yet very iconic, but the pacing. Oh my. I don't mind a little slow burn (Andor did this brilliantly), but there are often spans when for 20 or 30 minutes nothing happens. Then again the important moments often come on so suddenly and happen so fast that it feels almost anticlimactic. And Episode VI? Everybody complained when the sequel trilogy came along and copied Episode IV, but Episode VI does the exact same thing and it's fine?

All in all iconic, loveable movies (especially Episode V), but they do have substantial weaknesses (especially Episode VI).

The prequels are often more appreciated by younger fans, hated on by og trilogy fans and they have a completely different vibe. Less space-magic fairytale, more political intrigue and tragedy. This trilogy has a very low low and a very high high.

Episode I wasn't super exciting, but kinda cute. I love that we meet Anakin so young, Darth Maul is pretty cool in this movie and Qui Gon and Obi Wan's relationship is really touching. Episode II was a dumpster fire. Everything it tried to do was done 10000 times better in Clone Wars. Episode III then was really great again and very emotional. Was Anakin's fall to the dark side a bit sudden, yes. Some of the dialogue is still very cringe worthy. But this is the movie that gives you the real classic tragedy stuff. You're rooting for Anakin, hoping he'll come through when you already know where his story ends.

The sequel trilogy is a tough one and is strongly disliked by all kinds of Star Wars fans, but sometimes I think people are too harsh and unforgiving with it. Episode VII isn't bad, quite good even, the visuals are great (compared to prequel cgi...), it introduces a bunch of new characters really well and those characters are so interesting. I love the main trio so much. It felt in parts very Disney and the plot was copy pasted from Episode IV, but as I said, that's basically what Episode VI did too. It was a solid start, then came the problems.

I didn't mind Finn going of with Rose in Episode VIII all that much. It wasn't really that important to the main plot, but it showed that while the galaxy suffers there's also war profeteers living their best life. Both Rose and Finn have never really known anything but war and suddenly they're confronted with this high society living in luxury at the cost of innocent lives. I also wasn't annoyed with Rey trying to save Ben yet, that came later. Poe's story on the other hand was complete nonsense. Leia's friend (I forgot her name) risked the entire rebellion because? She wanted to teach Poe a lesson about patience? And Luke would never, ever, not for a moment raise his lightsaber against a sleeping child. Again, the visuals were great. That last battle with the red and white landscape looked amazing. There are worse Star Wars movies.

Episode IX is where it completely fell apart. Somehow Palpatine returned. Rey is his granddaughter. After not only having killed his father, having tortured Rey and friends and having declared himself the new supreme leader of the galaxy, Rey is still trying to save Kylo? Kylo made his fucking choice. Several times actually. The last hour or so it felt like watching a pingpong match. "Oh, Palpatine returns, but Rey is on her way! Oh, he has a fleet. Don't worry, the rebels are coming! But there's too few of them! Nevermind, they got backup. But Rey is still losing against Palpatine! But what is that? Kylo Ren with a steel chair!" It was like a drawn out back-forth-back-forth which then climaxed in Kylo Ren kissing Rey back to life? I think the only way to enjoy this movie is to be a Kylo Ren fan. Which I am not. So yeah, I can't say anything good about Episode IX. Except the trio looked hot. Not even Episode II sucked this hard.

This rant got out of hand, but oh well. My point stands. All three trilogies have at least one rather strong movie and one not all that great, pretty bad actually movie. Og has pacing trouble, prequel has dialogue cringe, sequel lost the plot halfway through. At least my friend, brother, cousin, the film critic and I all agreed that Rogue One is an unexpected masterpiece and that the worst Star Wars movie of all was Solo.

#star wars #sequel trilogy #prequel trilogy #original trilogy #me stuff #i'm still so salty about episode IX #you can pry my love for episode III from my cold dead hands though

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dhampirslays · 2 years

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5. What is a character you love, but don’t think you can write?

6. Name 3 things you love most about your muse/muses.

7. What is one overrated roleplay trend?

QUESTIONS FOR MUNS ! ( meme / accepting )

5. What is a character you love, but don't think you can write ?

shfkgjhsfgsk holy shit, this question. For starters, I fucking ADORE Hope Mikaelson and the complexity that is her life and her emotions and I have been writing her since the main idea of her was introduced in The Originals on the facebook platform. And still, I have seen so many great people write her in here to the point where I highkey believe I'm a literal potato and can't write her for shit. This is how amazing those lovely people are. My friends however ( Tiffany the most ) are still encouraging me to write her on her own blog so I have to swallow my inferiority issues and just do it :,)

6. Name 3 things you love most about your muse / muses.

i ) Jo's character development. Honestly, I never expected of this little ball of fury to come this far. She started as an experimental idea on my multimuse on facebook and with the help of @ sacredslaycd, i have brought her forth on tumblr and oh how lovely she has blossomed. She started as a child who was heavily influenced by the council and even saw the world in black and white, good and evil, viewing the world as demons origins = bad, humans = good and in the span of one year she had been around so many lovely characters who are supernaturals ( such as witches, mostly vampires and werewolves ) that her world has been shaken up and her eyes just. . . opened. Don't get me wrong, she has a lot of work to do on that department, but the point is, she has come a long way from where she started. And over all, isn't that what character development really is ? ii ) the second thing I love most about her is less of a fact and more of the way she is. the longer she has stayed in Monterey ever since she graduated from the watcher / slayer academy, and the more time she has had to be around her family ( and less of the council ) has helped her develop the attributes that make her a person; she is finally in a place where she can even say she's growing to be happy, even if her life is anything but. In fewer words, I admire her optimism, the way she forms connections and relationships and friendships, and most of all, I love how terrible her puns are. I love her passion. I love that she'll do whatever it takes to save the people she loves. I love that she tediously loves and she gets burnt but she still picks herself up and does it again because that's just the person she is.

iii ) the girl is hella strong and resilient. It's no secret that life has had a tendency to beat her down, from buffy leaving, to the council taking her away from her family, inflicting its own closed-minded mindset, to losing ethan, to being tossed in the arena and having undergone a slayer underground slavery because her watcher betrayed her, to everyone in the council turning their backs on her and declaring her an enemy, to eventually dying and being turned into the one thing she was raised to hate. And throughout all that, she's still somehow standing, and she's still gentle and loving even though she's literally falling into pieces. She's no god; sometimes she questions herself and her bravery falters and she has had times where she acted selfish and petty ( cause no one is flawless ) and can occasionally be mean about it, but she's still there and she's trying to be a better person and SUE ME, but being mean is part of life. Somehow, even after everything, she still manages to push to her feet. I don't know how better to explain it.

7. What is one overrated roleplay trend ?

Enemies to friends to lovers to oh-no I'm a baby maker who always believed we'd end up together even though when we first met all i wanted to do was slice your throat open or whatever The Vampire Diaries Delena / Klaroline was. In general lines, this trope can be good if handled the right way but most people just dive in because they lack the patience of it and for me personally, it's like i'm watching something go 0 to 100 within the span of 2 minutes.

#thatslayer #( ❛ to feel alive: not just the carcass but the sparkle ❜ ― answered asks )

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padfootagain · 3 years

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Something Good (III)

Chapter 3: The Second Meeting

Here we go again with a new chapter! Not any warning, we're just slowly getting in the story.

I hope all of you enjoy it! See you next Friday for a new chapter!

Pairing: Ben Barnes x reader

Word Count: 2222

Eight days. Miles had managed to spend eight working days away from the office. But the truth was, he was bored.

After all, his husband was not retired just yet, and he was left on his own in their house, to take care of their cat. And even if he adored the animal, he was too used to spending his days surrounded with humans to get used to having only a cat for company. At least, not so quickly.

He had been a senior professor for so long at the University that he still had an office and was allowed to come spend time there if he wanted. He simply couldn't give classes and didn't officially work there anymore, but these were some of the advantages of professors in universities. His husband didn't see this as an advantage, but simply a proof that this work made anyone attempting it to either break or turn it into their entire life. If they didn't breathe research, they suffocated as if the very air around them didn't store oxygen anymore. But if they adapted, it became such an important part of their life that balance was almost impossible. It was like a drug, in a way. And at the end, one couldn't even escape to retire completely. At least, that's what George said. Miles, on the contrary, thought it was nice to go back to work without the pressure of actually having to work there. He was done with grading, done with teaching and more importantly, done with looking for money. He would not be put in charge of projects anymore, which meant that he didn't need to look for funds ever again.

It was really his old job without any kind of stress, and to be honest, as he stepped into the corridor leading to his office, he had no real intention to be working that afternoon. He did intend to, however, drop by to Ben's office with some tea and have a chat with him.

"I have to admit that I was expecting for you to come back even sooner," Ben smiled as he welcomed his friend in his office, pushing a pile of papers aside to clear some room for the teapot and the two cups that Miles carried in.

The old man let out a chuckle.

"Well, I was tempted more than once to do so. But George and I had a bet going on, and I didn't want to lose against him!"

The two friends let their laughter fill the room, while Ben poured the warm beverage.

"How has the retirement been so far?"

"Good! Excellent, even!" Miles lied, but Ben was far from fooled.

"You're bored out of your mind, huh?"

"I am."

Miles heaved a sigh, while Ben was shamelessly laughing at him.

"I don't know, I just… I don't know what to do of my days."

"You'll find out, don't worry, you just need a little bit of time to adjust," Ben reassured him, blowing on his hot beverage. "And George is going to retire next year, I'm sure you'll appreciate your free time much more once you have your husband to share it with."

"You're right. But in the meantime, all I can do is come here and bother you with my curiosity for gossips."

"You're the one who's good for gossiping, you might be disappointed if you rely on me to be your main source of information."

"Let me worry about that," Miles replied, dismissing Ben's argument with a brush of the hand. "What about you? How are you? Not too overworked?"

"I'm… staying afloat. Which, considering the time of the year, is more than good enough."

"What about our club? How is it going with Y/N?"

Ben winced, unable to hide his reaction, and Miles quirked an eyebrow at his reaction.

"This bad, huh?" Miles pressed on.

"Are you sure you can't come back for the club?"

"Absolutely not. I don't understand why the two of you can't get along anyway. The girl is very sweet."

"She isn't," Ben replied with a pout.

"What happened?"

"She wants to do a musical this year. A musical, Miles!"

"Well, that isn't such a bad idea."

Ben stared at his friend in utter shock.

"Miles… did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, a musical. Have you chosen which one?"

"No, no… not yet but… She wants to do a musical."

"Yes, I understood you, Ben."

"Don't you think it's a crazy idea?"

"It will be a change," Miles conceited.

"A change?! No, this is not just a change I… I don't even know how we would manage something like that! I'm not a musician, and she doesn't seem to be one either…"

"Now, now, don't play humble with me. You performed in musicals when you started."

"I was a student, it was years ago!"

"You also play the drums, and the piano… and you can sing! You'll do just fine if the two of you adapt a musical. Besides, it's not as if you were to write the play, you'll just adapt one! You don't have to write the songs."

"I can't believe that you think it's a good idea…"

"She's bringing something fresh to the club, I think it's a good thing. What did you expect? That you'd keep on doing Shakespeare till it was your time to retire?"

"I… I don't know but… no, I guess, not…"

"Do you want to know my earnest opinion about this, Benjamin?" Miles asked as he put down his cup of tea and crossed his arms before his chest.

"Fire away," Ben answered, rolling his eyes.

"I think you are afraid of change, and that's why you hate the idea of working with Y/N. Because she will force change to come to you faster than you would like it o."

If there had been some humour adorning Ben's feature before, all traces had vanished then. He merely stared at his friend, feeling uncomfortably understood. The comment was hitting him way too well, but he was far from ready to admit it. So, instead, Ben clenched his jaw and after a few seconds, looked away.

"I know that you suffered a lot because of her and that now you're afraid of change but…"

"Miles, that's enough."

The old man fell silent, only shaking his head. He gave Ben a couple of minutes, knowing his friend would start talking again if he gave him a few minutes to get over his remark. He was right, but for now, Ben was not ready to admit it. And there were some things that the mind could not be told, but had to slowly fathom by itself in order to recognize the issue and be ready to change. Ben though, was far from being ready. But Miles was hopeful, maybe you were just what Ben needed.

Keep an open mind.

Miles' advice remained stuck in Ben's brain, a phrase that repeated itself again and again like an unwanted mantra.

Give her a chance.

Ben was well aware that his friend was right, at the very least partly so. But it was something else entirely for him to manage to put the advice to practice.

He took a deep breath before knocking on the door of your office.

"Come in," your voice echoed shushed by the wood between the two of you.

He walked in, his notebook stuck under his arm and two cups of tea in his hands. He offered you a polite smile, it was the best he could do.

"Oh, thank you!" you quirked an eyebrow at the sight of the warm beverage but accepted his offering with a bright smile. "Please, sit down, and make yourself comfortable."

You pushed a few piles of paper aside to make him some room, but given the chaos across your desk, it was hard to free any space at all. Your shelves, were stacked with books and papers that didn't seem to be organized in any way. A large pile of paper rested by the side of your desk, directly on the ground. There was so much clutter everywhere, Ben wondered how you could find anything at all in this mess.

On your wall was hanged a picture of mountain tops covered in snow, next to one of a sunny beach. There were pictures set on your desk too, the frames turned towards you, next to your computer screen, and Ben guessed they were pictures of your family, probably your children and husband… or wife? Ben suddenly questioned the gender of your significant other, before he could catch himself thinking. It was none of his business, after all. The two of you were simple colleagues, and giving how the two of you got along, it would forever stay that way.

He checked once again, but there was no wedding ring at your left hand.

"So, did you have some time to think about what we could do?" he asked you, forcing a smile.

"Sure, but what kind of music do you like? It could guide our choice."

"Hmmm… well, anything, really."

"Well, that does narrow the choices," you replied with sarcasm, but Ben still hated your reply. "I am putting my veto on West Side Story."

"Why?"

"We are not doing just some hidden Shakespeare," you replied.

"Right…" Ben nodded, but felt annoyed already.

Why though? Was it the sarcasm? Or you in general? He liked West Side Story, why not do that?

"Then I am putting my veto on Cats."

"I mean… the costumes would indeed be a mess," you laughed, apparently relaxing.

"Exactly, I don’t want to get involved with something that hard to handle."

"Agreed. What about… Les Misérables?"

"Depressing. But very good. They could also read the books to get ready for the roles."

"The point is not to add even more books to read on the long list they'll have to go through for their real classes."

"There's nothing wrong in advising them to read another classic…"

"Right… Anyway… Between how many plays do the students usually choose?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"The students who have signed in the club… they're choosing the play, I guess, you just point in the right direction?"

"Oh… huh… no. We're the ones choosing the play we'll perform this year."

"But they're the ones who are going to be performing, it should be fun for them!"

"It's way simpler if we choose…"

"Simpler, probably. Better, I doubt it."

The gaze you shared turned into a glare, and you reckoned that this was it, the fragile truce between you and your co-worker was gone already.

"We can choose the production," Ben insisted. "It's not just about choosing a random play, we have to think of how we're going to plan it, what is doable considering the resources we have, and if we just let them decide for everything, we might end up with something we can't present at the end of the year."

"You're taking this way too seriously."

"And you are not taking this seriously enough. It is important for those kids. And it's important for me as well."

You heaved a sigh. Ben's features were tightly set in an expression of anger he was struggling to hide and soothe down. All he managed to accomplish was to turn his handsome features into a wince.

"I didn't mean to say that it wasn't important. I meant to say that the point of a club is to have fun. They should be involved in the creative side of the play they're performing. And they should choose what to perform too."

"I…"

"What if we narrowed down the choice to three plays," you tried to offer a compromise. "So, they can't do anything too crazy, but they still have a choice."

Ben considered your offer, while Miles's voice kept on ringing in his ears.

Give her a chance.

"Alright," he agreed. "Let's do that."

"Wonderful! All we have to do now is narrow down the list of musicals. I'm sure we'll find something we both like. Let's just put our favourite musicals and one extra! What do you want to include?"

Ben thought for a moment, but found himself short of an answer. It was hard to decide of just one…

"What about you?" he asked back.

"The Sound of Music," you replied without an ounce of hesitation.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"That won't be very practical," he argued while you were already writing the title down on a notebook.

"Why? It's not the most difficult one to stage. There aren't so many places to recreate. The songs are very famous…"

"But we don't have children to cast."

"We'll just have some of the students play the children."

"But how… it won't work."

"Let them decide if it will work or not. I guarantee you that we can do this one."

Ben heaved a sigh, but let you start the list with your favourite musical all the same. He didn't mention that the reason why he stopped arguing was that he highly doubted that the play would be chosen though. It was an old movie, that he deeply enjoyed, but the students had probably never really heard of it. No, he was certain that they could come up with more attractive shows to adapt.

It would be a very, very long year.

#ben barnes #ben barnes x reader #ben barnes fic #ben barnes imagine #ben barnes series #ben barnes x you #ben barnes fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #series #imagine #writing #ben barnes au #au

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nightcityheat · 3 years

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ᴠ ᴀs ɴᴘᴄ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴀᴛᴇ

|| "Vɪʀᴜs" ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ

i. name

Rome Kilgrave, although he barely uses it.

ii. alias

Virus, from his first years netrunning as a teen. Surprisingly enough, it stuck.

iii. age

27, born the 10th of June 2049.

iv. gender and pronouns

cis man, he/him.

v. sexuality

Gay.

vi. skill set/class

Netrunner. Generally speaking he's also skilled in infiltration and stealth work.

vii. appearance

Black undercut, pale skin, green eyes, moles, goatee and stubble, silver piercings and geometric tattoos.

viii. aesthetic

Clothing-wise he has a dark punk aesthetic, some semi-vintage streetwear kitsch with a glamorous side and a sprinkle of goth. Green neon, some city grunge and rock fashion style.

ix. location

He has an apartment in Northside Watson, but he's easier to find chatting up with Nix at the Afterlife in the early evenings or eating lunch at Lizzie's.

x. idle animations

Playing candy crush on his phone, fiddling with his rings/earrings, drinking coffee, tapping his foot to music as he scrolls the net.

xi. occupation

Netrunner, occasional old-time merc.

xii. gigs

He doesn't offer gigs per se, he usually handles his own business hands-on. That being said, it's possible for V to stumble into some "tracks'' of his work on certain gigs, either shards mentioning a recurring "virus" or, with enough Intelligence, some coded files on Rome's research/hacking. Once enough of those are collected, V can reach out to him and unlock a short chain of gigs they'll be able to work on together, with Rome helping from a distance [T-bug style], rewarding V with some high quality quickhacks.

xiii. holo icon

0s and 1s text in the background, a spiked skull icon with a toxic/contagion symbol.

xiv. calls and texts

He prefers to text, even though he doesn't mind occasionally chatting on call as he works. Texting wise he doesn't much believe in punctuation, and if he's busy he can devolve into hieroglyphic-like communication.

xv. approval

He appreciates people who understand the weight of words and how to use them, people passionate about netrunning (or, at least, respectful of the craft), and, generally, responses that make use of Intelligence or Cool.

xvi. disapproval

Mistreating or bad-mouthing Moxes and sex workers in general. Pacifism for the sake of pacifism, or, just, idealism for the sake of idealism. He's a practical man.

xvii. quality time

He would bring V to a lzrpop underground hardcore rave. He's a fan of electropunk vocaloid-like industrial shit, feels like there's a whole intimism to the scene, to the mood and all.

xviii. jobs with V

He would help as long as he has an interest in it. (That interest can be V themself, as long as their relationship is developed enough.) He's a very good netrunner, both in combat and in all things involving breaching and programming. He's passionate about all the logic behind the net in general and would eagerly offer his support to any mission that deals with the subject.

xix. about Johnny

The idea of V losing their identity is one that Rome would be sensitive to, some big existential dread at the idea of dying without the fairness of even leaving their own corpse behind. He can't really see how he can help with the whole thing (even if he does have some research regarding Alt Cunningham's work in his belt), but he would want V to live his days with no regrets, make the sort of memories that make life worth it.

xx. backstory

Rome is born and raised in Watson, until he runs from home in his late teens and is taken in by the Moxes, who are the first to really introduce him to the inner workings of Night City's streetlife. He never joins them per se, only works as a sort of outside man –spying, stealing, sabotaging in exchange for board and lodging. Netrunning is his passion since before all that and under Nix's care it's eventually what he specializes in, leaving Lizzie's protection to do his own thing.

He has a small role in both Judy's mission and Nix's, but also has a main quest of his own, if V choses to get involved.

xxi. driving

He can drive, although it's unadvised to let him do so. I don't really think he has a car, to be honest, he's a metro guy. If he does it's an old, trashy model he barely uses.

xxii. radio station

He has complicated tastes and a personal playlist of what most would categorize as "pure trash" so he doesn't really listen to the radio that much. Radio Pebpak is usually what he goes with for background music if he has to choose. He doesn't mind "easy" popular hits either and can actually sing along decently to some pop stuff, in light dosages.

xxiii. romance option

Yes, he'd be a romance option. Rome has a hard time letting his walls down but he's passionate and extremely devoted to those he holds close to his heart. He's a sweet talker, loves some spice and play, but he's just as fond of private, quality time with his significant other.

xxiv. love interest

His OG love interest was Kerry, but I can't really see them meeting in a context where he doesn't have Johnny in his brain, so, not really, no.

(ocs: I assume Victorio is still his ex, but they would have broken up before he left for Atlanta.)

xxv. friends

He has friends at Lizzie's, Judy amongst them, even if they've been known to not agree on a number of subjects. He's close to Evelyn too but doesn't have Judy's ability to keep contact with her outside of the casual meets-up, and their friendship suffers from the distance. Nix is a mentor of his and Rogue occasionally indulges him with some of her time too, with how often they cross roads at the Afterlife.

(ocs: He has an old childhood friend in the Maelstroms, Cami, and a former-Tyger-turned-Corpo friend at Arasaka, Ryo "Five" Kasumi, that has an important role in his personal quest line.)

xxvi. enemies

He doesn't particularly like Royce ever since he took control of the Maelstrom, but it's nothing too personal. He also had some not-so-pleasant face to face with the VDBZ that, at best, concluded in a truce. In general, he tries not to make enemies.

xxvii. personal quests

** here for length

xxviii. personal quests' names

Notorious - Duran Duran [meeting at the Afterlife]

Toxicity - System of a Down [mission at the scavs' hideout]

Stupid, Sadistic and Suicidal - Mindless Self Indulgence [conversation with Arasaka]

Marry the Night - Lady Gaga [rave to find the mole; possible kiss]

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics [friendship/romance scene]

xxix. unique weapons and clothing

He has a pistol with built-in silencer that deals chemical damage –called "Disease", and he wears a black glam-punk leather jacket with matching pants and boots, on top of a black netrunner suit.

xxx. loot

Lots of very high quality quickhacks, his custom weapon and his jacket, and a shard about his personal research on Alt Cunningham's work.

#cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk2077 #cp77 #v as npc #male v #street kid v #oc : virus

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anyways-wonderwall · 3 years

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Album of the week #2

Comedown Machine

(2013)

By The Strokes

Overall rating: 8.5/10

TL;DR: This album is like your favorite pair of jeans. It looks like all of the other ones you own but something about it feels like home.

Hey everyone! Sorry this is a few days late but I actually got a concussion the day I was going to write this so I would argue that I have a fair enough excuse. Don't worry I am staying away from screens and I'm really only typing this in 5 minute intervals, meaning I am trying to type as fast as humanly possible. Future me is going to have a field day proofreading.

Anyways, this week's album is Comedown Machine by the Strokes, a band that I definitely should listen to more but haven't fully gotten around to it. I know more of their songs than the average person and have a few of their albums on my phone, but I haven't really fully gone in depth with them like some other bands. I actually already had this album on my phone, which worked out great because I ran out of data this week and could only play downloaded music in my car.

But enough about the interesting week I had, here is my review on The Strokes great 2013 album, Comedown Machine. (Also totally unrelated but I absolutely love the cover? It is just simple enough to not be boring. Reminds me of old vinyl covers and the red makes it really easy to pick out on my phone.)

General Thoughts:

The best way I can describe this album is that it is a very solid vibe the whole way through. It kind of falls into the trap of every song sounding the same, but at least its a good same. When prompted with a title of a song on here I 100% could not tell you what the melody is (minus “Call it Fate Call it Karma”) but there was not a single song on here I didn't like.

The songs in this album have a very detached old energy, that kind of feels like a hug. I kept finding myself coming back to this album as a kind of home, because I know that it would be comforting. A bad day at work? Just listen to this and I'm instantly calmed down. While I usually like variety, what is repeated in this album is so good I can't be mad at it.

Song Breakdown:

I. Tap Out

This song starts out exactly like the intro to my favorite Wii game, Guitar Hero III, so I already liked it without actually hearing what the rest of it sounded like. This song sounds so 2010s indie that I felt like I was living in a John Green book and honestly? I'm not mad at it. Its just mellow enough for my concussed head to vibe along with it but it still has enough of a beat that you can dance to it. The ideal dance would be that one kid vibing in the club with sunglasses. You know the one? I hope you know the one or I sound crazy.

2. All the Time

Okay so this one definitely belongs in a Guitar Hero game. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't been in one yet. Like the last one it makes me feel like I'm in a teen coming of age movie and this is playing in my car as I go on a road trip to “find myself”. Passes the vibe check and is a very solid song.

3. One Way Trigger

This is one of the most, if not the most memorable song in the album, and the one of the only ones that gets stuck in my head. That little riff thingy is super super catchy and repeated enough that you would think it would become annoying, but there is just enough going on that it balances off. I like this one so much that when I was listening to it right before writing this I honestly forgot I was doing a review and was just grooving along. Very very good song.

4. Welcome to Japan

My second favorite on the album babey (you'll see which one is my favorite because it will have a whole love letter written to it). This is definitely a song I want to sit down and learn all the parts on every instrument, tinkering with them until I can get them to sound like the actual song but funkier. The vocals balance goofy and good with thought-provoking lines “what kind of asshole drives a lotus.” The vocals also use a wide range and aren’t just falsetto, thank GOD.

5. 80s Comedown Machine

This song is familiar to the point it is killing me. The main riff is so so so close to something I know but I can’t put my finger on what it is. At first I thought it sounded like the theme song from an old DS game I had as a kid, but after looking up the theme it's not that. It is so familiar sounding the song hurts to listen to because I just feel like I’m missing something. My only guess as to why it sounds so familiar is it sounds like the music used during the climax of The Royal Tenenbaums, it sounds so close that I had to look up the actual soundtrack just to check that the song wasn’t actually there. (The song is actually “Needle in the Hay” by Elliot Smith and while they don’t sound alike they have basically the same vibe to me. Wes Anderson if you need help with soundtracks call me because this song would fit any of your movies.)

6. 50/50

Meh. The songs do all sound the same in this album and this one doesn’t have something about it that makes it stand out in a positive way. The vocals are new I guess, but they just remind me of something out of Scott Pilgrim vs The World so that kind of changes it. Good song that isn’t bad, it’s just not overwhelmingly good.

7. Slow Animals

I really like this one :). Honestly I don’t know what else to say about this one because everything has kind of already been said. All the songs had the same energy so I like them about the same. This one maybe a tad more than the others though. Especially the Waluigi Pinball part.

8. Partners in Crime

This is the only super upbeat song in the entire album and both my regular and concussed brain find it too jarring. Like I was lulled into this false sense of security by calm distortion and layers of vocal harmonies and now that really violent opening riff in this song. I know I’m extra sensitive right now but it’s a no from me.

9. Chances

The teen coming of age movie that is this album is now coming to an end, and this is the song that plays on the car ride home after the climax. It’s dark outside and the bushes and trees are whizzing past, getting more and more familiar as they approach their small hometown. While not my favorite, this song is amazing and sounds especially nice to my concussed brain after the last song.

10. Happy Ending

And now the coming of age movie is over! The main character learned a lesson just before being forced to go off to college in a new town and make all new friends. This song doesn’t have anything that is super different from the others, so all I can say about it is that it was really solid and nice.

11. Call it Fate, Call it Karma

Here is another entry on the “do you ever just want to become a song” list. I want this song to be played around me for the rest of my life. I want to be surrounded in it and put into a stasis pod. Love does not cover what I feel for this song the same way Amazing does not cover how god this song is. The whole album kind of feels like a comforting hug, but this feels like home. It feels like you will be okay and that the world is calm again. My years of music education can’t even break down how it does this, it just does. 50/10, this is the song that made me buy the album. Every part of it is good. Every part.

Final Verdict:

Well I already had this album on my phone, but if I didn’t I would 100% buy it. While individually the songs don’t stand out too much, the album as a whole is something that is worth listening to time and time again. I haven’t listened to many Strokes’ albums the full way through, but as of right now this one is my favorite. A masterpiece of early 2010s alternative rock in my nonexpert opinion.

#album of the week #album 2 #the strokes #comedown machine #music review #music recommendation

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citkats · 3 years

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Love, Victor and it's problems

Hello! First post here! I know this isn't a movie, instead of a show, but I feel like I have a few things I have the urge to spill out, so here it goes.

I've watched both seasons of Love, Victor and finished the second one the day it came out, June 11. It's now June, 26 and I've let a few thoughts and problems I've had about the show sit in my brain for a while now but they're starting to get antsy. Is the show really that serious to pick it apart and point out its flaws? No, it's supposed to be a cute little show about a boy exploring his sexuality, and I know that. But man I can't help myself, what else am I suppose to do this summer anyway? So, that being said, let's get started!

Actually, before I start I just wanted to get out of the way that I am a queer girl myself, who is also a teenager, so that is the type of viewpoint I am watching this show through. Do with that what you will :D Now we can get started, here are the three main problems I had with the show;

i. The Writing

The writing of this show is... something else to say the least. It has its good moments for sure, but man is it hard to get through an episode without cringing once or twice. Now I am no writer myself, so I can't judge too hard, but I wish the show didn't try to fit in so many pop culture references and twitter lingo to try and appeal to teens. It's so obvious while watching that the writers themselves only have a vague idea on how to use it. There is a scene of the show that is going around on twitter, instagram and tiktok where a character says something along the lines of "We stan you!" and "We're all gay AF!" (link below for the whole video).

.... like... what? My god my body collapsed in on itself when I heard that. I think the writers maybe tried to make the line of "We're gay AF" as a cringy joke to show how oblivious the character was, but the line "We will forever stan you" shows how oblivious the writers are to the use of the word "stan", or at least that's how it came off the way the actor said it. The line is said with no implication that it's supposed to be cringy or something to laugh at. I don't know if the writers were aware at the time that this is something teenagers do not say about or to their friends unless they purposely want to sound out of touch. Someone in the replies even said "In real life that won't happen ever" and they're correct. This is just one instance where the writing feels shaky but there are many more sprinkled throughout the show. This probably is super nitpicky but it's just so prevalent in the show that I felt that I had to write about it.

ii. The Love Interests

Now on to another problem, The characters of Rahim & Benji. Let's start off with Benji. He serves as the love interest for the main character Victor, which is fine! It's great! Except it isn't because that's all Benji is... a love interest. He barely has any personality and the only three things I know about him are that he is gay, is in a band, and is a recovering alcoholic. With those three things, there is so much to do with his character. They mention in the show that his dad wasn't too happy when he came out, and brought him to a strip club in order to make him "straight". I thought maybe the show would show how his relationship with his dad has been damaged and how they're slowly trying to repair it, or maybe Benji doesn't want to forgive his dad and all! But no, the restaurant scene comes and everything seems fine like something as traumatic as your own father refusing to accept your sexuality and trying to convince you to be someone else never happened. If you're going to make your character go through something like that, it would be good to show its consequences, not to sweep it under the rug! In the first half of the season, if I remember correctly, we see almost every character in a different location doing their own storyline, except Benji, who only exists at school and in the coffee shop to show that he's Victor's boyfriend. I don't think there's a single scene where it's just Benji alone doing something that doesn't involve Victor. It isn't until the later episodes where he gets his own plotline, one that revolves around him being a recovering alcoholic and being 1 year sober. Now don't even get me started on this... the fact they waited a whole season and a half to get to this huge revelation?? This is a big part of Benji that he kept secret and they could do so much with it, but it ends up being just a plot device so that Victor can break up with him and end the season on a cliffhanger. It seems like every one of Benji's plot points is to benefit Victor in some way (all except for the band, but they also never expand on that either so :/). The other couples, for example, Lake & Felix, have their own problems and stuff they're going through, not just things to benefit their love interest story. I get that Victor is the main character, but if this show is about him discovering his sexuality, should his love interest be a huge part of that? Shouldn't there be more focused on his love interest rather on his best friend? I don't know that's just how I view it.

Rahim is Victor's second love interest who is introduced halfway through the second season in the episode called Sincerely Rahim. He, like Benji, the only purpose of his character is to serve as a love interest for Victor and create a love triangle that can end season 2 on a cliffhanger, just like season 1 did. The show cared even less about Rahim than they cared about Benji since they didn't even bother to show his coming-out scene. It sucks because he comes from a Muslim family and that coming out scene could've been really meaningful, for once showing a Muslim family being accepting of a gay son instead of shunning them, which is how the media normally portrays Muslim families.

iii. The couple bias

Probably my biggest problem with this show is the clear bias to the straight couples compared to the main gay couple of the show. Like I said before, Benji being a shell of a character compared to everyone else, I don't think that's a coincidence. I am aware that there was at least one gay writer on the team, but they didn't seem to make up the majority. It's obvious the writers felt more comfortable writing straight characters and couples (eg, Victor and Mia as a couple for the majority of season one) which is fine, but if you're writing a show with a gay couple in it then get gay writers who will actually understand and have an easier more natural approach to them. This is why I think diversity in the writer's room is just as important as diversity on screen. You can put a gay character in your show but if they're written by a straight person it's not going to feel authentic and can easily fall into stereotypes. But that's a conversation for another time.

Some other small problems I had but weren't worth a whole section

-The lack of sapphic women. I think they might start a wlw plotline the next season with Lake but man.. took them two seasons in a show that's suppose to be a representation to even hint at a sapphic relationship.

-Benji's timeline for his alcoholism... if he's 16 now (junior) and been sober for a year... that means he entered rehab when he was 15... which means he's been drinking heavily since he was like 14, so much so they had to put him in rehab?? Are his parents really that neglectful? This why I am so confused about his parents because what his dad did to him was awful and yet when they show Benji's parents, his mother seems to adore him and they are both extremely welcoming to Victor. The only reason I see why he would start drinking at such a young age is that he felt bad because of his sexuality... but man, at 14 do you even understand what's going on enough to be like "this is bad I should drown my sorrows in booze".... idk such a strange timeline.

-They didn't keep up Rahim's texts to Victor, it was one and done. I get that it was supposed to be like continuity with what Simon did to Bram and then what Victor did to Simon but it felt so forced that I wish they didn't do it at all. Felt like they just left it hanging there.... ok I will admit it is really nitpicky and I'll stop now I promise!

So... that's it! I know this can come off as annoying or I'm giving huge pessimist vibes because of this but I swear me having long rants about how I feel about a show's problems is rare. Normally I like deconstructing the parts I did like rather than the parts I didn't. I do think this show is cute and serves its purpose of entertaining, and I don't hold anything against someone who enjoys it! I can easily see this being someone's comfort show, and that's completely fine. I also realize that I did dig into the writers quite a lot here, so I just want to make it clear that in no way am I questioning their talent (one is a new york times bestseller and two others have been nominated for Emmys). Hopefully, my posts in the future will be more positive but for now, I hope this deconstruction was decent!

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leadersdontrun · 7 years

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iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ VERSE ﹚quote.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

tag drop; verses ﹙ 1/5 ﹚

CANON // CANON DIVERGENT BASED

canon - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ CANON ﹚one who rises purely on the strength of the character; by virtue; by sheer force of will.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

canon divergent - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ CANON D ﹚it's always been better when we tell the truth.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

main - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ MAIN ﹚life can't ever be all good or all bad.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

s1 - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ S1 ﹚okay, seriously, who made up these rules?❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

s2 - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ S2 ﹚nobody trusts anyone; that's the problem.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

s3a - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ S3A ﹚i look for my friends.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

s3b - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ S3B ﹚that's the plan i'm going with.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

s4 - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ S4 ﹚not all of us are.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

s5 - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ S5 ﹚something's changed; i think it's because of me.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

s6a - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ S6A ﹚it’s not up to them; it’s up to you.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

s6b - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ S6B ﹚ what did you think we were going to do? run?❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

post show - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ POST ﹚you're not a monster; you're a werewolf; like me.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

misc - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ MISC ﹚i promise it won't be ephemeral.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

tbt. - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ TBT ﹚nothing gets past those keen werewolf senses.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

crack - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ CRACK ﹚i thought it was guacamole.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

kid - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ YOUNG ﹚we were nothing; we weren't important; we were no one.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

older - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ OLDER ﹚there's no such thing as fate.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

ALTERNATE UNIVERSES

alpha - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ ALPHA ﹚become the alpha you're meant to be; become a killer.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

alternate - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ ALTERNATE ﹚something's changed. i think it's because of me.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

android - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ ANDROID ﹚and i don't know how to fix it.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

apocalypse - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ APOCALYPSE ﹚people say too easy and bad things happen.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

artist - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ ARTIST ﹚boy; it’s a good thing you drew me a picture.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

boxer - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ BOXER﹚you have to want this because they're going to keep coming at you.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

child - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ CHILD ﹚i’m gonna be better this year; a better everything.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

college - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ COLLEGE ﹚part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

cured - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ CURED ﹚i want a semifreaking normal life; do you get that?❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

dark - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ DARK ﹚something that exists out of its normal time.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

detective - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ DETECTIVE ﹚i'll do something about it.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

emissary - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ EMISSARY ﹚eventually things have to come back to the middle.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

frat - iii.┇*:・ﾟ✧﹙ FRAT ﹚on second thought; i think i’ll take that shot of tequila.❜ ✧･ﾟ:*

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