mongoliaisbelowrussia

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

When Donald Trump said he could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue I didn’t know it was a prophecy.

What the actual fuck is happening?

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

When Donald Trump said he could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue I didn’t know it was a prophecy.

What the actual fuck is happening?

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

When Donald Trump said he could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue I didn’t know it was a prophecy.

What the actual fuck is happening?

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

When Republican's publicly say they are against Democracy, we need to believe them.

VOTE BLUE 🌊🌊🌊🌊

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

"It's better to do one thing well than two things poorly" is definitely a solid rule in game design, but I have to admit a weakness for old console games that were basically two different games stacked on top of each other. Zelda II: The Adventures of Link (top-down exploration overworld which becomes a side-scrolling action platformer in dungeons), Blaster Master (side-scrolling metroidvania which becomes a top-down arcade shooter in dungeons), and The Guardian Legend (top-down action RPG which becomes a vertical shoot-'em-up in dungeons) are all titles I remember fondly, but I think my favourite example of the type is the Super Nintendo version of Jurassic Park, which has a brightly coloured Legend of Zelda style top-down overworld, then when you go inside buildings it becomes a survival-horror first person shooter. It's a game-mechanically incomprehensible choice which actually makes perfect sense in terms of emulating the source material, and it's a small disappointment to me that nobody's ever made a serious effort at elaborating on it.

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

its important to do this every time a museum or school thinks this is a good idea

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

public service announcement

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

public service announcement

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

Quiet Quitting is when you're not doing anything wrong but the vibes are off

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

Well. Uhh. I think we're officially at the point where Jews existing or being mentioned in media is political and in support of Israel

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

The default length of pasta is designed to fit on a supermarket shelf, not to be the best length for cooking/eating.

Feel free to break it to any length you want (don't let the Italians know I said this)

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

[mongoliaisbelowrussia]

Good Morning⚜️

I just found your account and I’m not sure if you’ve gotten this ask before but could you post your top 5 favourite operas?

Thank you♥️

It's not easy to name a top 5. I love so many operas, and which ones I most want to listen to depends on my mood. But I'll narrow it down to these:

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

It was my first opera (as it is for so many of us) and it's still the opera I probably revisit the most often. I've written a novel based on it. Yes, the sexism and racism in the libretto are problems; I always hope the productions I see will deal with those issues instead of just playing them straight. But the fairy tale is engaging, with its struggle between darkness and light, and with its portrait of young people searching for love and for their place in the world. It's open to so many rich philosophical interpretations, yet it's entertaining for kids and casual audiences too. And of course there's Mozart's music.

Don Giovanni

If I had to name my favorite opera that doesn't hold childhood nostalgia for me, it would almost certainly be this one. For starters, you can't go wrong with Mozart's music. But just as importantly, the characters and the various ways they interact with each other are so engaging and full of potential depth and humanity. They can all be interpreted in so many ways, as can the entire opera's tone and meaning – no two productions are alike, which is why I never get tired of seeing them. The balance between comedy and seriousness is incredibly effective too, and makes the opera feel true to life, even when the action is outlandish.

Carmen

This opera's wild popularity is no wonder. It's lively and fun, yet it's also a compelling drama. As with Don Giovanni, this makes it feel true to life, and its gradual transformation from comedy to tragedy is handled in a subtle and sophisticated way. Carmen and Don José are complex, engaging characters, even when they're not likable, and the tragedy deals with relevant themes of gender, class, and race, as well as broader themes of love and freedom. It's a passionate opera, but there's also a certain detachment to it (a very French quality, I think) which is key to its success for me. The two morally gray protagonists are both allowed to be ambiguous, rather than one "good" and the other "bad," because the opera doesn't tell us how to feel.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)/La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

I couldn't chose between these two Rossini comedies because they're almost interchangeable to me. Zippy, funny, full of sparkling music, and the perfect choice when I want to listen to an opera that's light and happy. If I had to choose, I'd say that Barber of Seville is the stronger of the two – it has a tighter libretto, at any rate – but I love them both equally.

Madama Butterfly

This is so embarrassing to admit. I know it's problematic. As a non-Asian person, I can't begin to scratch the surface of how problematic it is, and I know there are valid reasons to wish it would be banned from the world's stages. But the music is truly luxurious. The tragedy is poignant and arguably has valid things to say about East/West relations and colonialism, even if it's not executed in the best way by modern standards. And I'll die on the hill that Cio-Cio San is a richly drawn, complex, engaging heroine, not just the pathetic little porcelain doll she's stereotyped as being.