#edit 2: i guess jimmy has one too

[cerealforkart]

I made myself these little dress up dolls because everyone’s getting changed all the time, here’s the first batch, outfits pre-episode 13

Design notes under the cut

[part 2] [part 3]

Lincoln

* I would first of all like to thank Lincoln for being shaped like a model (long boy) and thus very easy to dress up

* I forgot that Link needed to tear off his sleeves to make Normal a diaper in lesson 14, so in lesson 11 he grabs a sweater when I assume he goes home between escaping the FBI and returning to school

* Lincoln is so comically tall the Teeny costume (which I just moved from Normal to Link and edited to match Link’s pose) only reaches his knees. It actually looked so stupid that I had to edit it to make the Teeny costume slightly longer in the legs

* Link has two roombas in his room, he’s a clean boy, he isn’t walking around Taylor’s house in his bare feet, he doesn’t trust like that, it’s sock time

Scary

* I actually originally planned for Scary to have more piercings, but I forgot to add them in lesson 1. Let’s just say her mom won’t let her go crazy on the piercings, from what we’ve heard in rad facts (wouldn’t let her get a tongue piercing or learn guitar) that sounds in character

* I wanted to do the Shit Garden logo on Scary’s shirt like one of those metal bands that only people who like metal can actually read, but I only have so much time and patience

* I want so badly to play with Scary’s hair more, but I haven’t really had the chance, I hope there will be more excuses to give her different styles in the future, I like the braided bun for fancy occasions a lot

* Big T-shirt and shorts are peak pyjamas, love it for her. Also, you don’t need to know how long I spent trying to come up with something for her shirt to say

Normal

* Don’t tell anyone but I kind of miss drawing Teeny’s big stupid head every day, it was easy comedy

* I did actually draw a Jimmy Buffet design on the shirt before scribbling over it, you can barely see if you look closely

* I don’t actually have anything to say about Normal’s dance outfit so I guess I’ll just take this opportunity to talk about my Normal design in general. He was the one it took me the longest to land on and I’m still unsure if I’m happy with him, I want his hair to be long enough to just sorta hang and be greasy, but not so long that it will get in his face too much and I still consistently fail on it

* Not much to say about his sleepover fit either. Froggy :)

Taylor

* I had originally planned for everyone to be wearing their bracelets on their left wrists but in episode 8 it’s mentioned that Taylor is wearing his on his right, at that point I think I had only drawn Taylor’s bracelet once so it was easier to just change his and let him be a special boy (also, they keep the bracelets on post-FBI because Taylor never really has an opportunity to take it off and the others wear theirs in solidarity)

*After Lesson 10, Taylor swaps out the crest of friendship from Digimon to wear his dad’s ring of swapping as a necklace, he tends to grab at it when his dad or the topic of betrayal comes up

* I hate Taylor for his dance fit. No longer my favourite son

* Not really a design note but I watched the Sailor Moon dub in three parts on youtube with my little sister huddled around our home computer after school, we’re real OGs

Hermie

* I finally decided to add the Joker makeup to my Hermie design, I found a powdery sorta brush to use for it so now he’s a true clown. Good for him I guess

* You may notice that I’ve tweaked my Hermie design and his colour scheme just a little bit. This is because white Hermie is dead and you know what? Good for him. I also made his hair a little wavier for Scam, you’ll start seeing the updated Hermie design (as if you can tell there’s a difference other than the very slight change in hairstyle) in lesson 16, because I drew the lesson 15 pages before episode 23 came out and I wasn’t going to go back and change them

* Stupid Joker tie. Hate it

* No sleepover fit for Hermie. Tragic. They need to have another sleepover and include him

#these are so much fun #love my kids #love their stupid outfits #dungeons and daddies #dndads #lincoln li wilson #scary marlowe #normal oak #taylor swift dndads #hermie the unworthy #doodly

[morkofday]

7.7.2023 (1, 2) – Last Twilight Filming

+ bonus: The first look on Night

I doubt I will be posting all the preview pictures like this, but I might occasionally drop some here as Tumblr and my own blog are both my archive and my safe space. So welcome on this journey with me if you choose to follow along ♥

I also try to keep away from talking too much about my own opinions and expectations when it comes to this series bc I don't really have much to add to the general discussion. Also, I hate to be known like that. But I wanted to share a few thoughts on these pictures nonetheless.

First of all, I am extremely curious about the whole mood change we can notice in these pictures. The warm and soft yellows in the trailer have changed to these stark and cold blues and grays. I know this most likely won't be their final look as the actual filmed material will go through coloring and editing in the post-production process, but these colors on set and in their styling are definitely a choice. I'm personally expecting this to mean the story will hit even harder, though I also think that was a given either way. They're out to murder us, I'm just saying.

I love what this change has done to Mork however. I've seen a lot of people on Twt say they don't really approve Jimmy's new hairstyle and that they cannot recognize the character of Mork without the longer hair, but I'm stoked. He looks worse, in a good way, than he did in the trailer. He's sharper, rougher from the edges. I can see that he can be even mean like this if he wants to, and I was kind of expecting the beginning of MorkDay's story to be based on some level of distaste or even hostility towards each other. Mork is not a natural caretaker and Day doesn't really want to be taken care of so I'm excited to see what will become of that.

(Also I will not talk about Mork with his bike bc my brain is just empty when it comes to that. You point that picture out to me and all you can hear are crickets. Though my brain will insist that the one in that picture is Wai which I find hilarious.)

With Day, I'm a bit more indecisive. I'm honestly surprised how much he suddenly changed from the trailer and how much the feeling I get from him changed when they decided to put these colder colors on him. Sea's hair is styled down which somehow makes me think about an anime character, and it doesn't help that he's dressed in those black shirts/jackets? with the stickup collar. (The blue stripe in that second picture makes me think about Connor from Detroit: Become Human which. Not an AU I thought I had in me lbh.) I am not against it though. He looks younger if colder, and with the casual t-shirts, he has this almost child-like feeling to him. Makes me think that Day will be a bit of a brat. I love that for us.

My biggest grievance currently is that they apparently changed the actress for Day's mother. I love the lady they had in the trailer and I was honestly so excited to see her working with JimmySea. She has, after all, played some of my favorite mothers in Thai BLs (Ayan's mother in The Eclipse, Mon's mother in GAP, and Junior's mother in Bad Buddy). I like her face and she has this very warm and gentle feeling to her. Maybe changing her out also had something to do with the overall mood switch, we will have to wait and see.

Overall very excited to see what actually happens in this. Also excited to see other locations than just Day's house but I guess we will have to wait for that for a while. Same with anything softer which I'm not against bc the first hint of intimacy between MorkDay will probably make me pass out.

#asiandramanet #last twilight #morkday #jimmy jitaraphol #sea tawinan #lt filming #am so stoked so excuse my ranmbling

[kanmom51]

https://mobile.twitter.com/jimsparkle/status/1644882706436595712

What do you think about this? I know when the choreography happened everyone here were preaching a male and female dancing together doesn't means they are falling straight into bed. But this was so unprofessional from her side and it's not even an army edit, she did it herself. No army is going to edit her with him like this and it's not a repost too. According to theory, she was supposed to be his shadow right then why the same girl is crushing hard on him now ? Making their wedding edits ?

Or maybe, just maybe, they indeed got intimate with each other after rehearsals ? So she thought it's OK to do this ? Otherwise who's editing themselves with a celebrity they only danced with and met just 2 days ago ?

Are you a Jikooker? I can't help but wonder? Weren't you the one to send me the DM about how Like crazy is clearly JM having it on with the female and that he's clearly not queer? I wonder.

I was contemplating if to answer this ask of yours, I really did. But seriously, this was so ridiculous I just had to say something about it.

If it wasn't so very fucked up it would be actually be funny how people have a warped view of reality.

I'm sorry. I don't know just how much you understand JM (clearly you know nothing about this man) or the relationship between JM and JK, because if you did you would NEVER even toy with the idea.

One thing is for sure, 100% JM did not get nor is not getting 'intimate' with that dancer. That woman. Funny how you are all over this one because she's a woman, while the queer male dancer that wrote the heartfelt message about JM, he's not and never will be a 'threat' to you. Food for thought whoever you may be.

Not sure your ask really deserves this, but I will answer it seriously.

I went looking at her account. Did you? Actually go search it, see what she's all about?

The girl, a dancer, trying to make a name for herself, promote her own dancing career, had the opportunity of a lifetime. She got to dance with JM. The JM. The megastar. The first Korean to top Billboard (let's be real, we knew JM had the power to do this). I mean, really, can you imagine it? I won't call her a nobody dancer, cause she's not, but she is definitely unknown, and connecting herself with JM, that brings her clout. It did for those lovely ladies that have connected themselves with JK in the past. Saying that, I don't even think she's like those others. She actually danced with JM, she's proud of it, and is showing it off mostly.

And as far as she's concerned: no harm no fowl, because, let's be real here for a second. Who the hell would actually think she has one going on with JM because of an edit like this she's uploaded?

Clearly it's a joke.

I guess she was hated for it, so she took it down.

She, for one, probably was unaware of the might of Army. How dare she associate herself with JM? Obviously people don't know how to take a joke. You, my dear friend who sent me this ask, are a clear example of that. "Making their wedding edit". Really? You really truly believe that's what it was? The LOL is kind of a giveaway.

Being on Jimmy Fallon, dancing with JM, that was a pivoting moment in her career, one she is utilising and, I'm not sure you'll agree with me, but rightfully so. This was her moment to shine for a whole world to see, and something to definitely add to her resume. Which she is - has it all over her IG account for good measure. Again, promoting herself, because that's what she needs to do really. Promote herself to get more jobs. And what better way than connecting herself again and again to JM's tailcoat?

Truthfully, there is nothing wrong with it. It's like that one big gig you did with a super famous amazing artist. Sure she'd broadcast that over and over again.

How do I put this once again, just to be clear?

She's a professional dancer, who had the honour of working and performing with JM. The JM. Of course she'll ride that wave. Who wouldn't.

So, she or someone she knows (I'm thinking someone sent her this and she posted it with the LOL) did this. It's a joke. It's clearly a joke.

I actually feel for her.

She really had no idea who she's getting involved with.

The mighty hand of JM solos.

Here is how it should be treated:

#ask

[jalo-parker]

Ok I'm making an official post for Estrials. (or well official until I make a better one)

Everything below cut so I don't make anyone scroll past the novel length (/hj) post I'm about to make when they're just trying to browse their dash :]

Alright so Estrials! They're a species I made up (though they are definitely inspired by some other things like atla cause of the elemental abilities) and they can be anthro, feral, or even like catboy esque(?) (for the lack of a better term) (an example of what I mean would be my sona)

Heres some examples of existing Estrials (in order: my sona (he/it/pup) (small child edition), evil xisuma (little creature and non little creature forms), jimmy (again little creature and non little creature forms), amd bigb (only little creature form i still need to draw his more humanoid one) gotta love bigb and his little sweater) (also ex is part voidwalker too which is why he looks so different from the others, so like yeah you go combine Estrials and another species that would be epic)

If you're still here, now I'm going to tell you how to make your own! (please do I beg I want more little creatures in the world)

Ok so, they are an open species, though there are a few rules (both like actual rules and trait rules so you stay in line with the species)

-First rule: don't be a dick. I will revoke your Estrial rights if you're not a decent person (no like actually I can't take your character but I can make a list of no good icky people so other Estrial fans know not to interact with you)

-2nd rule: have fun! No really I'm not going to be an evil overlord about people making Estrials. Just enjoy yourselves and be kind to others

-3: more of me just saying this than a rule but you can totally have more than one Estrial! Make like 50 of you want I really don't care

Now rules for like traits and stuff

-1: your Estrial has to have some sort of wings (preferably feathered ones but you can do bug or bat wings if you want) (mechanical wings are also cool! Especially if they're meant to be like a prosthetic or something that would be sick) and some sort of horns (literally any horns idc go wild) you can have any number of these traits too

-2: only one elemental ability per Estrial please (or none at all, you can make an element-less Estrial if you want) there's only one Estrial that has more than one elemental ability and he's not even really an Estrial (it's my sona, it's complicated and lore related don't ask unless you want a novel length reply full of lore)

-3: they have to be either based off of some sort of canine or some sort of feline, though you can totally add features from other things (ex: lizards or fish or deer idk) as long as the base creature that has most of the features showing (so like the main body and head I guess?) is a canine/feline you're good (so like the tail, legs, and even ears can be some other creature if you want) (i actually have one that isnt shown here that has a fish tail and some fins kinda like vaporeon. So really, go wild)

-4: any patterns and colors are ok, so yeah make that sparkle dog looking thing !! Go wild, be free my friends. Make the shadow the hedgehog Estrial (no actually you totally could)

Ok no more rules! Info time 😈😈

-Estrials can be any size that's bigger than like a small dog (so like chihuahua ish or bigger) and smaller than a horse (yippee big creature)

-The anthro and catboy(?) Estrials can be any human height btw (anthros can be a little smaller than humans too as a treat)

-They can have any length of fur (so yeah you could make a hairless one, I'd actually be real interested to see that someone do it before I do) and be from any region (hence the different fur lengths. Some of them live in real cold places and have to be real fluffy to keep warmth in, and some live in warmer places and have a lot less fur to cool off easier)

-All Estrials can hide their wings (like magic poof they're gone completely and then poof they're back now) and the catboy(?) ones can sometimes hide all their Estrial features (so like their nose, horns, ears, wings, and tails)

-I'm leaving a whole lot up to interpretation so like go wild I guess. Just don't do anything too weird.. I don't want strange things associated with my species..

Ok now the big thing: elemental abilities

So we have 5 elements + no element (though I'm kinda thinking of adding a 6th.... maybe..). Every Estrial falls under one (and only one) of these categories, though their power levels can vary (so like some fire Estrials can only do tiny poofs of flames and others can have like whole fire tornados going on)

Fire, water, air, earth, and plant

They all overlap with others a little too

-Fire Estrials can bend/control/whatever you want to call it magma, lava, fire, and lightning. They can also heat things up, which does mean they can heat other elements enough to somewhat control those (so like heating metal until it's molten and being able to shape it, or heating water enough that it turns into steam. Though steam is a lot harder for fire Estrials to control) though they lose that ability once the element cools off again

-Water Estrials can bend things like water, ice, some gasses (if the gas has a liquid state at a reasonable temperature. So like not things that require to have subzero temps to be liquids like oxygen), and any other liquids (not including molten things if you count those as liquid).

-Air Estrials can control all gasses (unless they need to be superheated to be a gas) and air. They can also definitely move things with air, so like sandstorms and using lots of wind to lift and move big objects. They can even control the weather a bit because of this (though water Estrials also kinda can. They can make it rain at least) by blowing storms around (including hurricanes and tornados, though they can also cause them too)

-Earth Estrials can control anything that's made of some sort of metal or mineral. So like glass (even if it's not molten, they can still change its shape, though they can also control molten glass) any rock, and all kinds of dirt (including compost in case you were wondering. So like if its considered dirt they can control it)

-Plant Estrials can control all plants. And can move things using plants. And can grow plants. Idk what you want from me the name is kinda self explanatory.. they can also grow plants in their fur (or hair if you have a catboy(?) Estrial) (again I don't really know what else to call them..) this does include stuff like coral, mold, and fungus btw so go wild with your biohazard mold guy (omg Ethan Winters ??? Somebody call crumb immediately) (that is a joke do not call crumb cuptoast just because I referenced Ethan Winters..) (though crumb if you somehow see this hiiii you can make an Ethan Winters Estrial, that would be so sick actually)

That's about it for now! If you have any questions feel free to ask away by commenting, dming me, asking them in the reblogs, sending an actual ask, hell you could even dm me on another platform like twt or something idc. Also, if you make one Please.. please show it to me.. I will be so incredibly happy if I saw your Estrial.. as a treat, for me.. please.. (also do credit me for the species if you post about them. You could just tag me or do like a @/jalo-parker just as long as my user is there you're good)

Ok, bye bye now have a good day :DDDD

#estrial species #they get their own tag #use it when talking about them please i want to know what you guys are saying #original species #open species #make your own #like actually #please do make one #i could even make you one #just drop a color palette #what animals you want (so like type of bird for the wings and a horn shape) #what element #and maybe a pinterest board #or even a pre existing character that i could estrial-ify #like dm me or send an ask ill do it #(if i dont get too many people asking for them that is..) #(also it will probably just be a colored sketch) #ooo and accessories if you want any for your character #cause yes estrials can wear clothes if they want #original character #species info

[sillygooseness]

My Playlist: Jimmy Kaga-Ricci Needs a Hug

A Song Analysis.

1. Hey Angel by One Direction- starting off strong with this one for multiple reasons. the one-sided dialogue with an angel reflects the religious imagery of the book and jimmy taking comfort in his religion by talking to god. the words also work really well if you imagine this as jimmy talking to angel about switching roles in life. also, the one direction larry stylinson situation very much fueled alice's idea for jowan, i think, the parallels are very clear.

2. Play My Music by The Jonas Brothers- a fun little jam about a boy just wanting to play his music

3. Salt by Bad Suns- the lead singer of bad suns wrote this song for his transgender friend, but i really would not have guessed that this was written by a cisgender person if i had not looked it up. phenomenal articulation of a transgender experience, obviously the song belongs here

4. Love Me by The 1975- the lyrics reflect jimmy's theme that it is silly to idolize somebody that you don't know

5. Social Cues by Cage The Elephant- another song about coping with fame and anxiety

6. Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots- jimmy is very stressed, obviously, and reminiscent of when times were simpler

7. You’d Be Paranoid Too (If Everyone You Knew Was Out To Get You) by Waterparks- another song about his anxiety. this song makes me think about how he is so worried about somebody breaking into their apartment and his room. he is frequently worried about being in danger from others

8. Karma by AJR- a song from the perspective of a famous person in therapy. in a podcast explaining the making of this song, the lead singer explains that they edited multiple takes of the bridge together so that there would be no audible breaths in between lines, which heightens the sense that the narrator is spiraling into a panic attack. very much how i imagine jimmy finally in therapy

9. One of Us by Joan Osborn- alice said so and i agree

10. Starting Line by Luke Hemmings- this one is hard to explain, but it's essentially about feeling emotionally numb throughout life due to poor mental health and feeling like life is flying by without really experiencing any of it. i have multiple songs from this album sprinkled throughout all of my playlists for the ark boys, and this one just feels the most like jimmy

11. Only The Brave by Louis Tomlinson- i love that this song has been adopted by fans to be about lgbtq+ bravery. it has to be included

12. Lights Up by Harry Styles- really reflects how little sense of self jimmy has. the main line "lights up, do you know who you are?" really stands out because jimmy states multiple times in the book that he does not know who he is

13. Run Boy Run by Woodkid- maybe this one is a bit dramatic, but it's my running away song, so it naturally goes here

14. Laura Palmer by Bastille- gosh, i love this song. it's another one that's hard to articulate, but it's perfect. "you ran into the night, you can't be found. this is your heart, can you feel it? pumped through your veins, can you feel it?" jimmy runs away, finally acting on his own autonomy, and this song is perfect for it.

15. Make it Stop by COIN- another song about being anxious and overwhelmed. reflective of jimmy trying to put a hold on his chaos that is life by running away from it

16. Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift- this is how jimmy views himself

17. I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes) by The 1975- this song reflects the comments jimmy makes to lister in his childhood bedroom. you know what i'm talking about

18. Weight of Living, Pt. 1 by Bastille- what's this? another song about jimmy's anxiety and the weight of his fame and chaotic life? wow!

19. Earth To God by COIN- a great song narrating a one-sided dialogue with god. this song makes me think of the scene where he stops inside the church in kent

20. 2011 by 5 Seconds of Summer- this is THE jam-session-in-pierro’s-basement song, i don't make the rules. listen to the lyrics and tell me i'm wrong, i dare you. it's literally a band jamming out reminiscing on the days before fame when life was easier and they could just be innocent and play music for fun

21. Comedown by Luke Hemmings- 🎶it’s been a hell of a week🎶

22. Guys by The 1975- alice said so and i agree

23. Give Yourself A Try by The 1975- this just gives end of the book vibes. i hope jimmy starts to give himself a try after all of this

#i really hope you guys enjoy this #let me know your thoughts #music #playlists #jimmy kaga ricci #the ark #i was born for this #iwbft #osemanverse #I love talking about music so much

[sunburnacoustic]

HI MUSE ASKS

2, 11, 14, 32, 36 (I love this question), 45, 51, 59!!

sorry it’s a lot but I’m also not sorry

Hi hi hi @goosetown5! Thanks so much the ask 😊Don't be sorry at all, I'm so pleased to chat to you about Muse!

2. What's a Muse song that sounds better live than in the studio?

Without a doubt, Verona, that's the first song that comes to my mind! I had the pleasure of seeing it live, it's a literal religious experience. Matt lost in the sauce, eyes closed, playing guitar on the verses. My gig had a really good crowd too, so in my mind, I'll always remember Verona now with the chorus of fans singing, "I neeeeed you sooo" in a slight French accent, the reverb around the stadium on Matt's guitar and just how much bigger the song sounds live: you can feel the drums under your skin, in your chest, in your bones. Confetti blasted out into the air just after Matt belts the chorus, blue light lights up the stadium, hands are in the air, ugh. Beautiful. It's an experience just listening to the song in normal everyday life can't recreate. It's a great song otherwise, lyrically it's my favourite on the album, but holy shit you can't return to the studio version after the experience of seeing it live :) I need to experience this song again!

Eyes closed, just lost in the sauce guitar line.

EDIT: My pictures don't half do this moment justice, so enjoy these pics from @prttyinpvnk!

Pretty special, eh?

11. Favourite song that's never been played live?

Falling Away With You. I love that song so much, the way it transitions between the verses and the choruses, such agitation on that chorus, the change from a major -> minor feel, the synths, the lyrics; oh, rip my heart out! I'll never understand why Muse have never played it live. I guess, technically the did almost play it... that one time at an iHeart Radio gig or festival or something in 2018 that Matt began playing its intro on the acoustic guitar and then went "nah, just kidding" and began playing Something Human. Matt why would you toy with our hearts like that </3 They've teased it a few times before.

Map Of Your Head is another. Muse can write such addictive pop songs! (I would also want to say Falling With The Crowd because that's an old one from one of those demos that we have no live footage/audio of, but it was supposedly played regularly in 1997. It's quite fully formed for a song of that era, it's a proper song with verse-chorus-bridge-outro, and I think it's a tune. The problem is, it wasn't played at the one and only 1997 gig we have audio of*, Plymouth's Soundwaves Festival, that was taped by a friend of Muse's off a radio live broadcast locally in Plymouth. And there are no known setlists on which it appears, so has it ever been played live? Who knows.)

*Update, nevermind I found out we have a tiny clip of video footage by someone who saw Muse at a different gig in 1997! It's 50 seconds long, the videotaper seems to have been keener on recording Dom, and it's of the song Boredom. No mention of Falling With The Crowd on the set though. Still, what a treat, it's from so long ago, Matt wasn't nearly the performer he would shortly become. I'll make a different post about that though, so that I actually answer your ask here!

14. Favourite live riff/jam/intro/outro?

I love this question because I've been thinking about it recently! 😊

The improvised, extended Jimmy Jam riff at Wembley before Time Is Running Out. What annoyed me for years is that they split up the clip on the Muse Youtube in ~2015 to separately have the Jimmy Jam riff as one video and TIRO as another, and they fade Jimmy Jam out and that got stuck in my head without the ending. I should make a proper edit of it from HAARP because that jam is my jam, I love it!

Also, how it ends is so cool:

A second favourite is the outro to Assassin played at the Mayan Theatre in 2015 (Theater?), it's so fuzzy it's so filthy, it's so heavy I could listen to it all day. Drones was a good era for Muse's slow-heavy/chugging stuff that The Handler kicked off. I don't know the name of this riff, but it's so good.

And I must mention the riff played during the French 1999 Olaive interview, where the interviewers asked Matt questions and he had to reply by largely playing his guitar, an acoustic, and it was so beautiful despite Matt being really young and nervous, that one of the interviewers told him at the end of the interview that there was magic in his guitar (how poetic the French were, but he's right!). I'm not cheating on this question though, it is a legitimate intro because they brought it back years later and opened Unintended at Wembley with this piece, but transposed higher. It's a classical guitar etude by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer.

(And of course, some classics - Helsinki/Glasgow jam -> bringing bagpipes to a stadium rock gig and then playing Muse fuzzy bluesy hard rock under it is something I admire so fucking much)

32. Have you ever followed Matt's advice to not give a fuck if people think you're a pretentious wanker?

Yes, definitely, and the realisation came for me more from an off-stage moment rather than one on stage, because I guess in some ways you personally can write off on-stage ambition and personas as just something that's easier to do on stage, a place for theatre, but the fact that Matt just lives his life without shame, without feeling self-conscious, without giving a fuck what anyone else may think— I'm learning that from him, and it significantly came from this moment back in 2014:

He's out there living his best life, unbothered. He's knows not to care what anyone else thinks of him (and my respect for him just skyrocketed after this). That made it click for me, just don't give a fuck, don't care if anyone thinks you're a pretentious wanker, cut all the hangups in life—don't be afraid to be yourself! I've kept that in mind since 😊

36. Favourite song to sing along to.

Hm, I suppose it depends on the setting! In a stadium, hanging onto people, bouncing around, headbanging, screaming together "No one's gonna take me alive..." is a life-affirming experience!

Otherwise at home, on your own, a really satisfying vocal part to sing... I'd say a lot of Matt's falsetto bits are so much fun to try and do because you can lose your head and turn into an absolute diva for 20 seconds, I highly recommend trying it with no shame (refer to Q. 32!) And have I tried Micro Cuts out loud? Yeah, while fearing for my life I have lmao. Don't need neighbours calling the paramedics on me! Supermassive Black Hole is fun to try and sing along to (multiple parts). I Belong To You is nice. Showbiz is fun. Undisclosed Desires is another, Screenager too. Dead Inside is so good to sing along to! (and we haven't even got into singing riffs live, something Matt noted Muse fans do a lot live :D)

You're so right, I love this question too!  😊 (Side fun fact, a singer friend of mine told me that Time Is Running Out sung properly is actually quite technically difficulut— it's an acceptable Grade 5 piece to perform on Trinity College vocal exams (the rockschool ones))

45. Tell me a little-known fact about Muse

Oh, yes please! (not the song :P) I've been hoping someone would ask this one :)

Here's one I've decided on at random: Muse played a gig away in North Devon on Matt's 17th birthday. Someone found a poster for the gig years later in like 2008, look at how Muse sometimes stylised their name—quite psychedelic! This was on 9 June 1995, in Torrington.

51. Dom - bleach blond era, 90s slacker-band, wraparound shades era, surfer dude era, Drones black hair era, 2022 'pornstache' baby blue hair era, or 2006 aviators era?

Do you know what, I'm partial to aviators Dom. I'm so fucking partial to aviators Dom. But I think we all know which picture from Dom's Instagram I had in mind when I typed up "surfer dude-era Dom", don't we?

59. Favourite Muse accessory? (Matt's OOS era thick necklace, the guitar-pick necklace, any rings, etc.)

Very partial to the pick-necklace! Independently of Matt, I'd been doing it myself for years, so I was delighted to find that Matt had a pick necklace phase too (except mine is very DIY: it's a pick held together to a chain with paperclips lmao. I haven't lost the pick in 7 years so clearly it works... happy to show pictures of it if you like!)

Matt's 2006-era braces are a top notch accessory too, that was a really good look! I picked up a fondness of scarves from him too, which was also mostly BHAR-era photoshoots as well. Glitter in Matt's hair, A+ accessory; love it.

That time someone stuck a star on Matt's forehead

And of course, Matt's sunglasses. I wouldn't be the "Matt wearing his sunglasses on his head like my mum" blog if I didn't mention that.

(^3 pairs! of sunglasses!)

(This got quite Matt-heavy, didn't it? I love Dom's ever-expanding shades of trousers too! Orange is the latest one the WOTP tour has blessed us with :) Not really an accessory though, is it? Otherwise I'd be able to openly drool over Matt's cool jackets.)

#this was fun! #asks #muse asks #it's (not) too much to ask #niche muse asks #muse nitty gritties asks #muse band #musers #muse #long post #but utterly fun to do :) #hey thanks for this! 😊

[lonelier-version-of-you]

I’m gonna watch S15E34 “Home”. I considered putting it off because I’ve been feeling really tired and I thought maybe I should watch it when I’m more energetic, but I’m so interested in Malick’s storyline that I decided to watch it now anyway. Also, apparently Gemma also gets a fair bit of focus in this one and I love her too so yeah, I’m excited.

Edit 1: Lmao what a fucking joke, my laptop crashed the moment I started the episode. It's going to take like 20 minutes for it to turn back on so I can watch and liveblog the episode. 😩

Edit 2: Right, here we go. Hopefully my laptop won't crash again.

Edit 3: Gemma!! And her calling Harry "Lord Snooty" 😂

Edit 4: Henrik and Malick! 💕

Edit 5: Oh yeah, this one’s got Sian Webber, aka Ritchie Scott from Eastenders in it.

Edit 6: Gemma's son has shown up at the hospital again 😂

Edit 7: I love Gemma so much. Also, I didn’t realise her son was 8 (at this point) - she must’ve had him really quite young then, what would she have been... 16, 17? Have they retconned his age, because I swear I remember them saying he was 5 in a previous episode, but maybe I’ve imagined it.

Edit 8: That scene with Malick and Simone’s mum was really interesting, and it makes me even more curious how Henrik would’ve reacted if he’d been confronted by a relative of one of Gaskell’s victims (I still would have picked Fiona’s mum).

Edit 9: Gemma getting Harry to look after her son 😂

Edit 10: Jimmy Akingbola is SO GOOD.

Edit 11: Lmao, Gemma’s son ran off and is now exploring the hospital!

Edit 12: Gemma’s son has now locked himself into an ambulance.

Edit 13: I don’t think we’ve seen Darwin at all in this episode. That feels so weird. Actually, I’m pretty sure the only ward to properly feature has been AAU, as obviously most of the Keller lot are in court (except Chantelle).

Edit 14: There’s like 15 minutes left of the episode and I still have no idea how Malick’s plotline is gonna be resolved. I might know from having seen the Henrik scenes, but my big Henrik watch was back in 2019, and obviously I didn’t have context for this whole storyline back then so I guess I’ve just forgotten.

Edit 15: Ah, so it seems like Amanda wasn’t lying after all!

Also, I’m getting second-hand embarrassment from seeing poor Malick have to stand up in court (in front of Nathan!) and admit he slept with Dom to explain Dom’s grudge against him. Oof.

Edit 16: Oh no, not Gemma kissing Harry! Gemma, you can do so much better!!

Edit 17: That was such a good episode (apart from Gemma kissing Harry). I didn’t realise it was one of those format-breaking episodes (one outside-the-hospital storyline, one at-the-hospital storyline, in the style of “Hanssen/Hemingway” or “The Prisoner”), but I really enjoyed it.

#holby s15 rewatch

[chargetheintruder]

Random wrassle gibberish.

And some of it might even be true?  We’ll see.

--John Cena is back in WWE, for what it’s worth.  Meaning he’ll be an expensive part-timer and you watch, 2-4 more people will get cut just because of “budget concerns”, meaning activist investors have to punish WWE as company for hiring one person, like ever.

--Naomi has been making the rounds to the wrestling press saying “she’s part of the Bloodline” now, thanks to her marriage to the guy behind, what, Jimmy Uso?  My apologies for not knowing the details but this is one fan-favorite bit of speculation I DID NOT want to see happen, but here we are.

--Likewise, Solo Sikoa in NXT might also be declaring he’s part of the Bloodline too.  Him, maybe half of Pensacola, Florida and everybody on Lena Fanene’s farm over there.

--Anyone who has listened to more than two of Lacey’Evan’s Trauma Bomb’s?  Congratulations, you have more patience than I do, and I’m saying that as someone who has survived abusive parents.  There’s a time and place for that, and it’s usually not at work, on-camera.  But a thing that’s come up, right, is the catch-phrase, the whole awkward, “I’m not better than you, but you sure aren’t better than me,” business, right?  The counter-programming to CM Punk.  Which of course has me wondering, who could come back and be Lacey’s MFJ, Bayley?  Are there that many other women left who could do this, as heavy-hitting and big as Lacey Evans is? And is it just me, or is it slightly “wrong” that WWE wants to push Lacey as their “ultimate babyface” when Bayley literally was that for how long?

Edit/Update: And it was all wrong indeed, as WWE went ahead and made Lacey a Heel As Usual.  :P  What even guys?  How much time do you expect us to waste?  You had a clever idea with potential but it was accidental so “flush it down a toilet” was your option?  And you wonder why nobody respects WWE.

--It’s occurred to me that Rhea Ripley is either going to get swerved by, or swerve, Edge’s “Judgment Day” faction.  Ms. Ripley just doesn’t seem to be in a tag-team, joining others mood.  And she might not be in a mood to be dragged down to the level of “old man Edge” there.  Especially when it comes to his “mountain of omnipotence” there, since there might be a literal such mountain in Australia where Ms. Ripley is from. But maybe WWE writers aren’t allowed to give women wrestlers that much free will or independent thought, who knows?  It would just be funny if Edge and company picked another woman to join them, only to have Rhea spoil the party and bury the faction.

--Speaking of factions?  Team SERIOUS is a thing now.  It’s literally going to be Literal To A Fault, just two women here under their real names and making people regret it.  Or at least under their prior names of Piper Niven and Nikki Cross.  Nobody’s got the guts to make them nWO level literal but yeah, the whole “bring their real names back!!1!” business is going to be rubbed in our faces now until we regret it.  Or until Piper picks the wrong fight with “random Japanese Enhancement Talent” Urai, Kanako, and it turns out to be ASUKA in no disguise, just here to tell someone to “lighten up” and not as a fat joke.  And then mayhem ensues.

--A faction that won’t happen?  A creepy/babyface faction for Liv Morgan to join up with.  At least not in any organic way.  I had an idea for this a couple of times but every time it gets to four women, at least one of the women gets Future Endeavored or otherwise released.  So yeah, no Mob of psycho glitter-pixies (with or without the occasional unhinged catgirl) in Liv’s future I guess.

;)  I made this one too easy.

#wwe #news #and what should be news #now if only people stopped sucking up to that Bloodline over there

[alleunwalk]

tokyo revengers idol au hcs part 3 that no one asked for AGAIN here’s part 1 and part 2 to get a better understanding.  this is what the members would be doing alongside their idol promotions+ what they would post on social media  toman tbh these guys are all just so damn funny on their own that they would constantly be invited to comedy variety shows. maybe perhaps doing something similar to seventeen or wanna one where they even have their own variety show on youtube (ie. seventeen’s-going seventeen series or wanna one’s show on mnet)  mikey-he would post basic food pics like of his parfaits or taiyaki but also it’s rare because he’d constantly forget his password. however on important days he’ll post long emotional and sentimental posts that hit you in your feels thanking his members and fans always. he also has a youtube channel posting random funny vlogs. draken- he has his own personal soundcloud to upload solo mixtapes/songs feat diff members. posts photos of his bikes and different tattoos he would be getting. responds with 1-2 words to fans during fansigns or ig comments but like mikey, once in a while, will also write heartfelt posts thanking everyone.  baji- his ig feed is filled with animals + dance practice vids. also has his own soundcloud too. trolls his members by commenting on their stuff. “delete this u ugly mf no one wants to see this”.  takemichi- very chatty, (sometimes too chatty where he’ll end up accidentally spoiling their next album info) and interactive on social media to his fans. tries his best to respond to most comments or ama ig stories questions. posts a lot of selfies and photos of his members. king of fan service.  chifuyu- beautiful photos of the sky a lot on his ig (in canon he wanted to be a pilot :,) ) along with cute soft selfies. (which baji and kazutora troll and comment being like “damn....u ugly AF!” “lmao stop pretending to act cute u loser”  kazutora- his ig is filled with pure chaos. just pics of him catching his members slipping (sleeping photos where they’re drooling or have their eyes slightly open or making ugly faces behind the scenes). also has photos of cursed memes and memes made by fans. he’s a literal enigma.  mitsuya- very wholesome ig photos- lots of photos of his family, group photos, sometimes cool artsy edited selfies. occasional photoshoot photos.  hakkai- ig is filled lots of #ootd photos and occasional photos from his modeling or acting gigs (he’s the visual, duh!) gets a lot of sponsorships from big brands.  pah-chin: has a joint youtube channel with peyan. they do silly challenges but will sometimes post dance videos (feat. baji) since they’re the main/lead dancers. fans love him because of his “matter-of-fact” responses that are funny without even trying. (example- fan comment: omg i love u guys soooo much u guys are the best in the whole world!!!<333 toman OUTSOLD!.  pah-chin: idk about best in the world but we’ll just take “the best in our neighborhood” for now i guess. thanks.”)  peyan: joint youtube channel with pah-chin. at fan signs mikey has to warn him to chill out cuz peyan will accidentally yell and scare fans without meaning to, but he’s just really excited to meet his fans is all ^_^   angry: posts a lot of wholesome photos like mitsuya (selfies with smiley) and writes a lot of motivational sweet captions cheering fans up and reminding them to always be happy :,)  smiley: joint youtube account with angry. smiley does a lot of prank videos and angrys just usually in the back like  🧍‍♂️... he also does tiktok- he would be doing all the dances, memes, and trends.  inui: ok hear me out, i mentioned before inui has similar vibes as cha eunwoo so i’d figure his ig would give the same vibe as his (iykyk). since he’s the other visual he would be getting a TON of acting and modeling gigs. idk why but i feel like inui would be a great actor (his facial expressions during tenjiku arc, the range!). actor of the year. gets a lot of skincare commercial deals too. 

black dragons shinichiro- photos of bikes, cars, and photos where hes pretending to do a cool pose but his members (+mikey) would troll and comment “LAME!!!!!” “why tf do u look like that?” “hey leader, it’s not too late to delete this now bestie :)” does fun ig lives. on variety shows as a joke his members tease him there as well. really great at fan-service and pulls the whole “pretend boyfriend” scenario with fans (the delusional fans are gonna act up if he keeps this up...).  taiju- (if shinichiro did not exist in this au OR if you wanted both in the group) photos of him at the gym, photoshoot photos.  inui- similar to if he was in toman, his ig would just be a lot of cool and cute photos of him from behind the scenes of dramas or photoshoots. a soft visual king. occasional selfies with koko and bike photos.  kokonoi- has a personal youtube channel but he would be Drowning in sponsorship videos all from high-end designer brands. he’s just casually flexing that PPL in his vlogs. ig feed is a lot of #ootd photos or pics taken with inui. him and inui would be makeup brand ambassadors or faces of brands (ex: like jennie from blackpink represents chanel). in this case kokonoi would be the face of fendi (he wears fendi slides in the manga cover) and inui would be the face of jimmy choo (his heels in the manga cover looked like jimmy choo but i could be wrong.. but u know what i mean) 

tenjiku  izana- pretty leader has a very artsy ig feed. extremely photogenic like inui. has photoshoot photos and candid pose photos. acts in dramas time to time (gg second male lead syndrome).  kakucho- posts gym or dance practice videos on his feed but he posts rarely because he’s just too busy or forgets he actually has an ig. loves commenting on takemichi’s posts “haha no wonder ur called baka-michi!” as a joke.  kanji- posts gym photos but it’s rare because he always forgets his password.  ran- the other visual. he would be modeling for high-fashion brands and go on runway shows. also definitely gives off actor vibes (he would be constantly casted in dark action movies hahaha). loves giving fan service.  rindou- in contrast to his brother, rindou when it comes to fan service, he loves trolling fans. also he’s really good at drawing a line between fans (y’know, keeping the delusional ones in check...which means he ‘friend-zones’ them but it’s for their own good tbh idols need to remind people their boundaries). has a youtube channel where he just posts random dance practice vids and occasional vlogs. also comments under his brothers ig posts “you look stupid af in this wtf”. on variety shows people find their brotherly banter hilarious.  mutou- posts gym photos, also really awkward selfies (he doesn’t know what his angle is lmao). another member who also reminds fans of their boundaries and keeps it real. (sanzu always likes his photos though and hypes him up in the comments).  sanzu- shy baby. constantly following mutou around. posts a lot of cute selfies and random pics of shogi stuff (he tags mutou in it of course). during fan signing/autograph sessions they love putting cute headband props on him like this or this. 

bonten because this group’s concept and aesthetic is mysterious, mature, artsy, gloomy, and dark they will take this concept to the grave. (minus a few exceptions) they are invited to variety/talk-shows but never make an appearance because they want to keep the air of mystery around them. (it’s a good marketing technique).  mikey- does not have any social media. he does have a private account to lurk around but no one knows what it is.  kokonoi- has a youtube channel but it’s locked and you have to pay to get into it. posts super short vlogs and teasers. thats it. (the ultimate scam! but their fans love them too much to notice). lots of sponsored #ootd posts on ig.  kakucho- he would be modeling ONLY high fashion brands and high end editorial places. his instagram is just his exquisite and expensive modeling photos whether it be candid backstage photos from shows, candid runway walk pics/vids, pics of diff photoshoots you name it. doesn’t really comment much.  ran- visual. similar to kakucho- modeling ONLY high fashion brands and editorial places. instagram is filled with modeling photos but also some artsy scenery pics he took.  rindou- posts short artsy dancing clips (like modern dances in black&white filter) on ig.  sanzu- since he’s the other visual, he also posts a lot of his modeling/acting photos on instagram. also pretty chatty (he’s the exception) on social media and loves teasing and trolling fans. posts with a lot of random cute emojis on everything. “just ate lunch and now im off to practice hehe 🍜🍇🤟💃🤠🧚‍♂️💞🦋” no one really knows why he uses random emojis but it’s just endearing lmao.  kanji- no social media at all.  akashi- manager....or if you made him the rapper in this au then he too would also not have any social media. 

#tokyo revengers #takemichi hanagaki #mikey #manjiro sano #draken #ken ryuguji #nahoya kawata #souya kawata #peyan #chifuyu matsuno #baji keisuke #kazutora hanemiya #hajime kokonoi #inui seishu #ran haitani #pah-chin #rindou haitani #sanzu haruchiyo #takashi mitsuya #izana kurokawa #kakucho hitto #idol au

[cremdotexe]

So who do you think died in the upcoming episode of 3rd life, because we all know someone did and the CCs has not been subtle about it at all. Under the cut’s my thoughts that contains bit of a spoiler, and it’s also quite long.

So based on the following:

- Scott’s skin that’s been going around.

- Bdub’s replied to someone’s joke that said he went red to kill everyone so he could sleep with “That WAS the plan.”

- Impulse’s replied to Martyn losing his facecam footage with “So I don’t get to see how shocked you were when [redacted] happened?”

- Martyn replied to someone else saying “But for real when [redacted] flipped the script I was SHOOK.”

- Impulse tweet about him finishing editing the next episode , stating that It’s spicy.

- Scar’s tweet about the next 3rd life episode with a link to the song ‘Danger Zone’

- Appearently Tango gave a 1 word hint about it on stream, though I couldn’t find it yet.

So what I’m guessing happened is another war broke out, which is not surprising. However, This time I think 2 things could have happened.

1. Red desert had the upper-hand and possibly killed some people on the Red army, but they successfully killed Scott and posibly Bdubs.

2. Red army had the upper-hand, killed Scott and possibly Bdubs, then somehow Red desert made a comeback and killed people in the red army.

Because let’s be honest here, it’s not going to be just 2 people who died, that’s near impossible. As for who exactly died, here’s my guesses.

- Scott, the most obvious one, because I bet he made the skin before hand or perhaps right after the session.

- Bdubs, as his tweet was heavily implied that his plans went very wrong, so I personally think he probably died.

- Scar, he’s been playing very aggressively, I wouldn’t doubt that he got into a fight and lost, and plus it’s Scar, I love him but mans known to be very clumsy. That said, I also wouldn’t be surprise if he’s the cause of a few deaths instead.

- Ren and/or Martyn, judging Impulse’s reply, if he wanted to see Martyn’s reaction, if it’s specifically Martyn, that could mean something happened to the duo. Martyn also had the fact that Scott, Jimmy, Cleo and Joel targetting him last session, despite Joel not being in the upcoming session.

- Etho, this one is purely on my gut-feeling, but out of everyone, I think Etho have the highest chance of trying something alone and being teamed up on regardless of success. He would most likely take someone else with him, though.

People who I doubt died in this session (It’s a very short list).

- Joel, because he wasn’t there.

- BigB, because while he’s in an alliance with red army, both Grian and Scar had made a comment about not wanting to kill him, and he’s been doing a really good job to stay neutral and not get involved in smaller conflicts, so no one want to kill him specifically. I think he’ll probably be the last green alive too.

Yeah that’s it, I just wanted to ramble about 3rd life.

#3rd life smp #3rd life #3rdlifesmp #3rdlife #long post #I'm not going to tag anyone just because it might be a clue to the spoilers

[z0mbie0fzombies]

More lollipop chainsaw incorrect quotes because life is nothing

( @battered-fried-colostomy and @mariska howdy)

1. Lewis: Hewwo.

Vikke: Hihiiiiii!

Zed: Greetings, Humans.

Josey: Three kinds of people.

Mariska: I want pudding.

Lewis: Four kinds of people.

Killabilly: WHAT’S UP FUCKERS?

Josey: Five kinds of people.

2. Lewis: Who the fuck added me to a fucking group chat?

Vikke: >:O language

Zed: Yeah watch your fucking language

Mariska: OKAY WHO TAUGHT ZED THE FUCK WORD?

Josey: 'The fuck word'.

Killabilly: Are you stupid? You guys use the f word all the time

Zed: Oh my god they censored it

Josey: Say fuck, Killabilly.

Zed: Do it, Killabilly. Say fuck.

3. Killabilly: If you were to vacuum up jello through a metal tube, well I think that’d be a neat noise

Lewis: I beg to differ

Killabilly: Then Beg

4. Killabilly: I'm 10 times funnier and sexier than you

Lewis: 10 times 0 is still 0 though

Killabilly: Jokes on you, I can't do math

5. Killabilly: Whaddya call a fish with no eye?

Lewis, not looking up: Myxine Circifrons

Killabilly:

Killabilly: fsh

6. Killabilly: Lol heads up if you try to make a candle with food coloring, the food coloring will just sink to the bottom of the glass, and when the flame eventually reaches the bottom all the food coloring will catch fire and become one giant tall flame that you cannot possibly blow out and the glass will start to crack and then you'll throw your tea on it in a panic and then the extremely hot food coloring will boil and sizzle horribly and then the glass will shatter. Please take my word on this lmfao

Lewis: What did you do op?

Killabilly: A MISTAKE

7. Killabilly: I learned some very valuable lessons from this.

Lewis: I’m guessing they are all horrible distortions on the lessons you actually should’ve taken away.

Killabilly: Death isn’t real, and I’m basically God.

8. Killabilly: Okay, help me please!

Lewis: Got two words for you.

Killabilly: I bet they won't be helpful.

Lewis: Your problem.

Killabilly: I was right

9. Killabilly, in a beach shirt: So sue me, it's October and I'd like to be on Island Time for a day!

Lewis: I have Spotify open right now on my computer, do you want me to blast you? Do you want me to put you on blast? Cuz I've got your history right here on the sidebar,

Lewis: Take it Back by Jimmy Buffet, Nautical Wheelers by Jimmy Buffet, Jolly Mon Sing by Jimmy Buffet, Steamer by Jimmy Buffet, trEAT HER LIKE A LADY BY JIMMY BUFFET, MAÑANA BY JIMMY BUFFET, WHEN SALOME PLAYS THE DRUMS BY JAMES BUFFET, HAVANA DAYDREAMIN BY JIMMY BUFFET- What the FUCK happened to you?!

Killabilly, laughing: I HAD A CASE OF THE MONDAYS

Lewis: ARE YOU HAUNTED?! ARE YOU FUCKING POSSESSED?!

Lewis: YOU USED TO BE MY FRIEND

Killabilly, cry-laughing: ᴵ ᴴᴬᴰ ᴬ ᶜᴬˢᴱ ᴼᶠ ᵀᴴᴱ ᴹᴼᴺᴰᴬʸˢ

10. Lewis: What is your biggest weakness?

Killabilly: I can be uncooperative.

Lewis: Okay, can you give me an example?

Killabilly: No.

11. Lewis: How petty can you get?

Killabilly: I once edited a Wikipedia article to win an argument I was wrong about.

12. Lewis, watching the news: Someone tried to fight a squid at the aquarium today!

Killabilly: *walks in covered with ink* Well, maybe the squid was being a dick.

13. Killabilly : I’ve come to a point in my life where I need a stronger word than fuck

14. Killabilly : 'Person of interest' is almost too flattering.

Killabilly : Like, if the police were to pound on my door and go, 'A man has been murdered in your building and you are a person of interest,' I'd be like, 'Moi? Oh, do go on.'

15. Killabilly : If I'm really as evil as you say I am, then have the gods strike me down where I stand.

*Lightning strikes Killabilly *

Killabilly : Ha! Nice try, jackass! Next time, give it your A-game!

[trihardent]

Was watching back Scar's Episode, trying to pick a favourite moment and it's all so good like; Top 15 of things I loved below the cut. it's.... a little long. Spoilers for Scar's 3rd episode, obviously

In chronological Order

1. Scar saying Rapscallions. Happens a fair amount during the episode and every time it's fantastic. Bonus points for Grian and Scar Both calling Etho a Rapscallion at different times

2. "Now, you maybe be wondering what these friend certificates are backed up by, diamonds, food? No. Love. And it can't be disputed, love cannot be disputed!"

3. Grian pulling up in a boat and turning around so Scar can easily hop in. Like, theoretically? He could've right clicked in regardless. But the theatre of it all ! Fantastic

4. Bigb slowly backing away in his boat, Scar inching closer each time, "Man the currents here are strong, but our friendship will always bring us together. But we never certified our best friendness... [cue sales pitch]"

5. Etho's testimonial. I think the framing of him on lilypad from SCar's pov adds a lot to the moment

6. At like, 6:45 when he says "but I still really wanna trade up, and get an enchanter today" he sounds so villainous and foreboding iconic, he's an icon, who else brings this level of drama on a regular basis on the server?

7. The entirety of Jimmy coming over for cows; Grian and scar working together to get the diamond chestplate, Jimmy breaking under very minimal pressure, fantastic interaction, 10/10 I cannot wait for Solidarity's POV for that one

8. "Scar I can't give up the business it's not just me, it's- Martyn has kids he's gotta feed-" "When I Turn Red Ren, You're on My List" I appreciate the fact that Scar slowly walked away the entire time Ren was explaining, the cinematography... again, who is more dramatic?

-1. Negative 1, because Grian was very much helping Cleo out during the Pizza talks and it gave me pain, from telling her not to settle for paper, to sort of egging on the "how much is pizza worth to you angle", TELLING cleo about the diamond chestplate? TELLING her he was lying? "Might as well take his pants too" WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? THE ANSWER SHOULDN'T BE CLEO HERE but it was kinda funny, but also a little sad

7. version 2: We're slightly off time here but Scar sliding into his salesman voice offering Cleo the friendship pack I-

8. Saying he worked hard for the diamond sword he "bargained for" with Joel- I'm wheezing. "That's not just a diamond sword that's a sword with great history behind it."

9. "I can't take off my pants! That's InApPrOpRiAtE!"

10. Turning to Grian the second Cleo was out of sight to say "Oh good I hid the chestplate"

11. The montage of 5 second clips of A) Cookie mountain B) There's some weird stuff going on in there C) Yeah that's a Bdubs Castle. Great 15 seconds 15/15

12. The entirety of both interactions with Joel. I would list the things I loved but it would make this post Even Longer, like Way Too Long and I should probably wrap it up soon. Again, skipping around a bit, but they were both so funny. His house feels like a drive-in, it's fantastic. "Hello hello hello it's uncle scar, coming to visit!"

13. Scar trying to explain why what he's been doing isn't blackmail

14. "Can we still be friends?" *throws flowers* - actually the entire Scar coming back was very funny

-1 for Grian not disagreeing when Scar said he was hideous :( /hj

13. Ren escaping from Etho's, "It's a shame there are others who decided... not to align with me..." zooms in on Ren swimming away. This episode I'm really noticing a lot of the ways in which Scar does a great job of positioning his camera for maximum comedy/effect, and the editting is really good too.

14. The 2nd Ren threatening scene..... "You said you'd kill me first" "Oh no I've come to threaten you first" ......... "I won't kill you or your- partner"........ "He's on the payroll. Disposable, some even may say"......

15. The Second Visit to Joel's

Anyway Stan GoodTimesWithScar I guess!

#scar #goodtimeswithscar #3 life smp #3rd life #3rdlifesmp #3rdlife #triharding

[laceyeb]

Because I’m determined to be excited about this season of DWTS (and I genuinely am!), I’m going to try to post much more about this season than I did last season and start sharing my opinions now! Starting with the cast thus far of course, with my excitement ranking out of 10 because I do what I want.

Jojo Siwa and Jenna - 1000/10

As soon as I heard about Jojo being with a female pro, I started manifesting Jenna with all my heart and I am sooooo excited!!!! I’m not saying that ANY female pro on this show is even remotely homophobic in any way shape or form because I do NOT believe any of them are. HOWEVER... If I had to pick one female pro who I feel like would be most “onboard,” it would be Jenna. (Or Sharna, but I’d prefer Jojo with Jenna just because Jenna is younger.) If this sentiment/how I expressed it comes off problematic, please let me know because that is absolutely not what I intended and I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. Anyways... I don’t know if I’m anxious, excited, terrified, curious, overjoyed, etc. etc. etc. Perhaps all at once. I can’t wait to see how this goes and how it is received. I’ve already had a small rant about the target demographic of this show, but I’m choosing to be optimistic. I would definitely prefer that they don’t spend the ENTIRE season talking about the ground-breakingness. First episode, yes. Very important, very groundbreaking, etc. Then I’d like this to just be normalized. I don’t want them to be treated any different than any other couple. I just want them to be like everyone else. I don’t expect them to change the entire world, but this is still very very important and I am very very excited. And anxious. (Also not my anxiety acting up when I sent my mom the rumored list so far and her response was “I’m disgusted.” She’s apparently “disgusted” by the fact that there are people on the cast she’s never heard of. As if we haven’t been doing this for 30 seasons now.)

Sunisa Lee and Sasha - 8/10

I did not pay any attention to gymnastics during the Olympics (aside from the general news I stumbled upon on the internets) because all my waking hours were focused on soccer, but she’ll obviously be great. I would not say that Sasha is my favorite pro, but they’ll likely be a great match. I need to find some interviews of her or something to get a sense of her personality. I’m excited though because I’m sure they’ll be fun to watch.

Kenya Moore and Brandon - 2.5/10

I’ve never heard of her, so I have no opinion. I do have a soft spot for Brandon though. Is she like well known? Popular? Likable? Dancingly inclined?

Amanda Kloots and Alan - 6.5/10

You know I love Alan with my whole heart, so that automatically gives them some points. I recognize her name and that’s about all I’ve got for her. In the little bit I see (I’m just using the Kristyn Burtt article for this), she seems very excited to be there. Dream come true and all that. I will always give anyone a chance if they come in with such a good attitude.

Olivia Jade and Val - 5/10

Right in the middle 5/10 for this because I just don’t know what to expect. Like are they going to edit her packages sympathetically or actually sympathetic AND convincing? Do I feel any excitement for her to be in the spotlight like this? Not really. But she might surprise me. Val can really do no wrong, though, at the risk of starting an uprising, I’ve kinda lost interest in him as a pro as of late. No real reason. Just feel like there’s other pros I care more about/am more invested in.

Matt James and Lindsay - 5.5/10

I’m very excited to have Lindsay back, so let’s start there! It feels like it’s been about 27 years since we’ve seen her, despite the fact that she posts about 4 hours of IG stories a day and I happily watch every second. I don’t know a whole lot about Matt aside from the fact that he’s a Bachelor guy. I don’t think I’m exactly thrilled about what little I’ve seen and I don’t know what he’s like personality-wise. But at least Lindsay is back and seems happy so far.

Iman Shumpert and Daniella - 2/10

I’ve never heard of this guy and could not care less about basketball, so I don’t even have a reason to get excited. I’ve got nothing against Daniella at all, we just don’t know her that well yet. Is he well-known/likable/have a likelihood of dancing skills?

Jimmie Allen and Emma - 9/10

I don’t know a great deal about him personality-wise either, but I’m already excited! I love Emma, I love a country singer on DWTS, I love getting to see someone on the show who I already know. Very excited all around! Can he dance? Who knows! But I look forward to finding out! He’s got a few great songs that I absolutely adore and I need to make a playlist! I think they are going to make a good pair and I’m glad he’s with a pro I really like (aka not Cheryl I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️).

Brian and Sharna - 11/10

Sharna. Sharna’s man. Sharna in love. Sharna happy. What else could I possibly ask for?! I wondered if they would partner them together or not. In a non-pandemic world, maybe not. What with married pros living apart from each other for the season, they would have to too if they weren’t partnered together. Not that they deserve any special treatment. But if they don’t HAVE to be apart, why have them be apart you know? It’s going to be really entertaining to watch Sharna post about her “partner” for the next two weeks when we all know it’s him. Believe it or not, I have not followed their relationship really super close and they also don’t post an excessive amount together (which I have no problem with because people are entitled to their privacy and what not), so I’m excited to get to see so much more of them together! If Sharna’s happy, I’m happy. Can he dance do we think?!

Christine Chiu and Pasha - 1/10

Uninterested. No idea who she is and like with Daniella, I just don’t know Pasha enough to get that excited. Again: Is she likable/popular/dance-inclined? Beats me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Mel C. And Gleb - 4/10

I like Gleb more than most do, but I’m not obsessed by any means. (I mean, he’s not Sharna.) Nothing against any Spice Girls, but I’m fairly neutral on the whole. She will likely be pretty good and probably fairly popular. I look forward to seeing how she does, but I’m pretty much take it or leave it with them. It’s entirely possible she could be the dark horse I fall in love with by like week 3 and then decide she’s my favorite of the season.

Melora Hardin and Artem - 10/10

I’m VERY excited. I’ve already posted about her a bit, but oh boy I’m excited! I’ve seen exactly ZERO episodes of The Office, but I know her and LOVE her from The Bold Type aka one of my most important Gay Awakenings™️. (There were several...) I love me some Artem and he will be a great match with her as well. She’s definitely going to be one of the older pros this season (though I think she’s in her 50s which is decidedly not OLD old), but I know she has Broadway experience. I would love a week 1 foxtrot to put her solidly in a 3 way tie for third place with 4 7s and then coming in week 2 with like a samba that she absolutely nails (8,7,7,8) to prove she really can do it all. (It’s possible I’ve been watching this show for too damn long.)

Mike Mizanin - 1.5/10

I will not call him “The Miz.” I do not know this man and I do not care. Put him with Cheryl and send them home week 1. Ok wait. I’ll be nice. I definitely know NOTHING about him, but maybe he’s a fun and pleasant person. We’ll see. And if he is, I might entertain the possibility of calling him “The Miz.” (Whenever they have anyone from like WWE, UFC, boxing, or anything like that, I just do not care because I don’t know anything about them. But Paige VanZant was my actual Gay Awakening™️, so I try to keep an open mind.)

#dwts30 #will update when the last ones are announced!

[stuonsongs]

My Top 10 Favorite Songs of All Time - 2006 Edition

2021 Editor’s Note: I was looking through some old files and found this thing that I wrote sometime in the summer of 2006 at age 22. For all I know, it could’ve been 15 years to the day! Looking back, I’m not sure how many of these songs would still make my top 10. Don’t get me wrong, I still love all of these tunes, but I’m sure you know how it goes - You get older, you get exposed to more things, and your idea of good music expands. Anyway, I thought it might be nice to share with anyone who still uses this site. I present it in its original format without edits to my writing. I ended up writing full posts in this blog about some of these songs if you go through the archive. 

Stu’s Top 10 Favorite Songs…Ever

Let’s start with some honorable mentions. These were so close, and I thought about it for so long, but they had to be left off.

Honorable Mentions

All Summer Long – The Beach Boys

All Summer Long. 1964. Capitol

This song has been described so many times as being “the perfect summer song.” When you listen to it, you can’t help but smile from the opening marimba intro, all the way through. It just screams “summer” and it hurt me to leave The Beach Boys off my top 10.

Bleed American – Jimmy Eat World

Bleed American. 2001. Grand Royal

So full of energy, so rocking, and so what would’ve been the most recent song on my list. I wanted to keep it in the top 10 just so I could have a song from the ‘00s, but it wasn’t meant to be. When the chorus kicks in, I can’t help but headbang.

Marie – Randy Newman

Good Old Boys. 1974. Reprise

Randy has said that a lot of young composers pick “Marie” as their favorite Newman song, and I can see why. The idea of a guy having to be drunk to tell his wife that he loves her is pretty funny, and throughout the whole song it’s just the beautiful melody with tons of strings, all to a tune about a guy ripping on himself as he comes home drunk to his wife.

Does He Love You? – Rilo Kiley

More Adventurous. 2004. Brute/Beaute

I guess this is newer than Bleed American, so it would’ve worked too. This is another more recent song that it killed me to leave off the list. The outro is an arrangement of the main tune with a different chord progression performed by a string quartet. Very beautiful. Also when Jenny Lewis screams “Your husband will never leave you, he will never leave you for me,” I get chills every time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

So here it is. After a long day’s work, I’m finally finished. It actually turned out much different than I was thinking when I first started. The number one wasn’t really even in my top five when I started, but I slowly realized I loved it so much. I also left Ben Folds (Five) off this list completely, and I don’t know, I just feel the whole catalogue of Ben is so solid, none of the songs stick out to me that much. But anyways, here it is! After the break of course…

Stu’s Top 10

10.

(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave – Martha and the Vandellas

Heat Wave. 1963. Motown.

This one beat out “Bleed American” just barely. The reason being that somehow, despite being nearly 40 years older than Bleed American, it still has so much energy that it kills. Dan Bukvich once told our Jazz Arranging class that you can boil all the oldies you hear on the radio down to three categories: 1) Great Song. 2) Great Performance. 3) Great Arrangement. This song is one of the great performances. The handclaps throughout, combined with the driving baritone sax behind everything and constant snare drum action will keep anybody with blood running through their veins dancing all night long.

9.

Bodhisattva – Steely Dan

Countdown to Ecstasy. 1973. MCA

This song is my Freebird. It’s just a basic blues progression song at its core with some minor changes at the end of the form. The real kicker that drives this song home is the three minute guitar solo in the middle that isn’t nearly as rocking as Freebird, but it is highly proficient and takes me to places that just make me want to play the song over and over again. I have no idea what this song is about, probably Buddhism, but hey, this once again proves that lyrics rarely matter and the music itself is the core.

8.

Zanzibar – Billy Joel

52nd Street. 1978. Columbia

This song reminds me of long car rides on vacations down the west coast with my parents growing up. They used to play a tape of 52nd Street, or at least their favorite selections, constantly on these trips. I didn’t hear this song again until early in my senior year in college and remembered why I loved it so much. The song has a heavy jazz influence, displayed in the breakdown where Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard does a solo. The best part of this song though is at the end of the 4th line of each verse, Billy does this “Woah oh oh!” thing that just makes me want to sing every time. It was between this and “Miami 2017 (Lights Go Out On Broadway)” which is also a great song, but the “Woah oh oh!” is too much for ol’ Stu boy.

7.

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) – Bruce Springsteen

The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle. 1973. Columbia

Early Bruce Springsteen records have something that very few other artists can ever pull off without sounding cheesy or forced. It has this undeniable sense of urgency, like the world will fall apart and life will crumble through your fingers if this one moment in time doesn’t work out the way Bruce describes it. There are so many early Springsteen songs that just set a scene of “We have to get out of this town right now girl before it kills us, no matter what any of our parents, friends, anybody has to say.” There’s a line that kinda sums it up: “Well hold on tight, stay up all night ‘cause Rosie I’m comin’ on strong. By the time we meet the morning light, I will hold you in my arms. I know a pretty little place in southern California down San Diego way. There’s a little café where they play guitars all night and all day. You can hear ‘em in the back room strummin’, so hold tight baby ‘cause don’t you know daddy’s comin’.”

6.

I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Frank Sinatra

Songs For Swingin’ Lovers! 1956. Capitol

This song falls into the category of great arrangement. This Cole Porter classic tune was arranged for Sinatra by Nelson Riddle. The story goes that he was still copying down parts for the players while riding in the cab to the recording studio on the day of recording. After the players ran through it once with Frank, they stood up and applauded. The Baritone sax takes control here, outlining a Db6/9 chord throughout the intro. Of course, Frank’s vocal delivery is spot on and goes up and down in all the right places for the biggest emotion impact. It’s amazing how a song with no real chorus can be so good.

5.

A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke

Ain’t That Good News. 1964. RCA Victor

This song was not even going to be on this list, but then I ran across it while scouring my collection of music and remembered how good it was. Then I listened to it and was blown away by the level of detail that went into this arrangement. Sam’s vocals soar above the mind blowingly beautiful arrangement. The lyrics to this one actually add to the tune itself, speaking of wrongdoings in the world around him, and how social change is on its way in the form of the civil rights movement. The song flows with such ease out of Cooke that one might forget the weightiness of the content, but the song’s content is just so heavy that it’s impossible to deny it.

4.

Whatever – Oasis

Whatever EP. 1994. Creation

This song was released as a Christmas present to the U.K. from the Gallagher brothers and company. It never appeared on any full album, only being released as a single, and amazingly, it blows away anything else they’ve ever done. Think “All You Need Is Love,” but with tons of rocking energy and a snide, nonchalant attitude. The chorus speaks, “I’m free to be whatever I, whatever I choose and I’ll sing the blues if I want. I’m free to be whatever I, whatever I like, if it’s wrong or right, it’s alright.” Not exactly poetry, and the song isn’t exactly breaking any new ground either, but the song is absolutely perfect in every way, and it was going to be my #1, but perhaps the only reason it’s not at number one is because I’ve played this song so many times that at the moment, these next three are beating it, but who knows how I’ll feel in a few months. This song also pulls the same “outro performed by a string quartet” thing as “Does He Love You?” but even better. It’s so simple, but I can’t get enough of it.

3.

Mr. Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra

Out of the Blue. 1977. Jet

This is obviously the best Beatles song that the Beatles never wrote. The staccato guitar during the verse combined with the strings present in just about every ELO song combine to make a force that is undeniably catchy and musically challenging at the same time. This is really what makes ELO so good. I didn’t discover this song till probably Nov. 2005, and it was one of the best days of my life. I didn’t want to include two songs by the same artist in my top 10, but if I did, I probably would’ve added “Turn To Stone” on this list too because it is almost as awesome as this one. It’s a shame that just like Billy Joel, most critics at the time hated ELO for being overly creative musically (they called it pretentiousness). These days we have acts that really are pretentious (see Radiohead), but everyone loves them, even critics. I’m not knocking all Radiohead, just most everything post OK Computer. Sorry, got a little sidetracked there.

2.

Only In Dreams – Weezer

Weezer. 1994. Geffen

This has been my favorite Weezer song since about a month into me picking up Weezer’s debut album back around early 2000. It has this ostinato (a repeated motif over and over again) in the bass throughout most of the whole song, never even really resolving to the Gb major chord (excluding chorus, which never really resolves) that it wants to until the end of a 3 minute contrapuntal guitar duet when everything dies out except the bass which just retards on its own until it finally plays the single Gb we’ve all been waiting for. The song on the whole up until the guitar duet is pretty tame, but once those contrapuntal guitar lines start intertwining, my ears perk up every time. I can sing both lines at separate times upon request and when the drums finally kick back in fully at the climax of the song, I let out a sigh of relief or bang on my car wheel in exultant joy, whichever is more of an option at the time.

1.

All Is Forgiven – Jellyfish

Spilt Milk. 1993. Charisma

I always loved this song from the first time I heard it, but I didn’t realize how much I loved it until maybe April 2006. I found out about Jellyfish first semester of college in the Fall of ’02 and heard this song, and knew it was great. The constant tom-tom driven drums, the fuzzy, almost white noise distorted guitar, and the half time bass throughout. It was great. Then in April I put it on my mp3 player for the walk to school, and then I listened to it for about two weeks straight. Seriously. It runs into the next song entitled “Russian Hill” which is almost as good, but because it’s a separate song, I couldn’t include it on the list, but in my mind, they always run together and are basically one long 9 minute song. The ending just gets more and more white noise filled until you can barely take it anymore and then it just cuts off completely into the slow acoustic intro for Russian Hill. It’s perfect in every way. I think this would fall into the category of great song. And the way the song builds up right to the middle of the song and then cuts out completely except for some very VERY faint xylophone noodling, and then busts back in with some feedback directly into guitar solo. Man I love this song.

#2006 #Me #All Summer Long #The Beach Boys #Bleed American #Jimmy Eat World #Marie #Randy Newman #Does He Love You #Rilo Kiley #(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave #Martha and the Vandellas #Bodhisattva #Steely Dan #Zanzibar #Billy Joel #Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) #Bruce Springsteen #I've Got You Under My Skin #Frank Sinatra #A Change Is Gonna Come #Sam Cooke #Whatever #Oasis #Mr. Blue Sky #Electric Light Orchestra #ELO #Only In Dreams #Weezer #All Is Forgiven

[garazza]

Action Comics #1023 Review

“The House of Kent: Part 2″

Action Comics #1022 “House of Kent: Part 1″ Review

Hoo-boy.

I actually appreciate this recap page, I really do, but it just rubs me the wrong way. I’m not sure if it’s the content of the recap that pisses me off or if it’s for the fact that they literally just took a page from the previous issue and slapped in some new dialogue (see Bendis’ Man of Steel mini for this to be taken to the extreme).

Most likely the latter, but there’s a good argument for the former because reading objective statements about what Bendis has done tends to do that. I guess what they could be going for is for something similar to when Svengoolie comes back from commercial break and it’s a still from the movie with Sven’s face superimposed somewhere and he makes a quip about the movie before it starts back up again.

But I digress. It fills me in on what’s been happening in the book and that’s what I needed it to do.

The art really goes down in quality since last issue. Romita, Jr.’s pencils aren’t as good, Janson’s inks are heavier and a lot more boring, and Anderson’s colors are bland and flat and not as lively. There are a few good spots and I’ll point them out, but they’re infrequent, and overall, the quality of the art is much more similar to the art in the Metropolis Doom arc than it is to last issue. This leads me to believe that editorial only gave the art team enough time over the pandemic-induced break in publishing to produce one good issue before forcing them back into a deadline where Romita, Jr.’s work is not as good and tends to suffer.

Red Cloud attacks and attempts to kill Jimmy Olsen instead of Lois Lane to send an even greater message to her and Clark.

For those of you that don’t know, the Invisible Mafia speak in code to avoid detection by Superman’s super-hearing and meet in areas surround by lead to hide from his supervision. In the beginning of this confrontation, no one says anything that Superman would respond to if he hasn’t already tuned it out, which is why Lois says out loud her nickname for her husband to get his attention.

It’s a sign of affection for them and could be utilized for such a scenario, but I don’t see why she had to say his nickname over anything else to get his attention. Maybe because since he revealed his identity to the world his real name is being said a lot more often in non-criminal ways, so he doesn’t respond to it as much as he has in the past. I’m not sure if I’m trying to come up with a rational excuse for what is actually a writer’s weird and out-of-character creative choice or if it’s what an actually competent writer intended for a discerning reader to infer and get joy from a successful analysis.

Regardless, it’s what got Superman’s attention at the end of Superman segment in the last issue. I don’t think what was supposed to be conveyed with those panels last issue was accurately conveyed by the art. Either Romita, Jr. didn’t sufficiently depict (but still beautifully rendered) what Bendis had directed him to draw, or Bendis had poorly directed Romita, Jr. in what he wanted him to draw. With this added context, however, these panels do make a lot more sense, but only with the added context. Without it, the scene is a little unclear.

You can clearly see the change in art with the two issues side by side like this. This issue, the art just doesn’t look as good. It’s just kinda blegh. It accomplishes what it needs to convey the story, but in a very boring and unspectacular way.

Also, this panel is very Harry Potter to me. Superman’s more subdued face is similar to that of book!Dumbledore in Goblet of Fire, but the almost hyperbolic dialogue is more akin to that of movie!Dumbledore. It’s very dissonant.

I really want to hate the humor of this panel, but it’s just so fun, so I won’t.

This is a really cool panel, one of the few standout moments, but I have issues.

First, I may have enjoyed the humor in the last panel, but Bendis’ attempt at humor with Jon here just makes me want to cringe. Whenever Bendis makes Jon talk, it just pisses me off and makes me want to stop reading.

Second, I see what they were going for with the glowing eyes, but this is some more of that dissonance between the art and the writing. It actually looks quite menacing, but the dialogue has a more humorous tone. Also, the actual effect for the glow is just two red circles, making their eyes look more like flashlights than radiating energy. I also want you to keep this moment in the back of your minds, I’ll refer back to it in a second.

I think the dissonance is the result of the Bendis-speak, where some of the characters are quippy, but other characters are playing the situation straight and are reacting accordingly to the incorrect behavior. There’s nothing wrong with a superhero comic being light-hearted, but it just doesn’t quite fit here. All the right ingredients are present, but they’re not all in the right proportions.

Another panel I really like. The smoke and its color are really well done, especially in contrast to the all black silhouettes except for their back logos of the Supers.

The eye glow effect looks much better here. It’s simple yet powerful.

I don’t know how important this revelation is actually supposed to be, so I’ll defer to the depiction of the comic instead of playing the fool and acting upset about something I’m ignorant about simply because I’m not a fan of the writer.

This moment is cool and all, but I don’t think Conner has super-breath. He doesn’t actually have the powers of Superman, he uses his tactile telekinesis to mimic some of the powers of Superman.

The “extreme high-velocity super-speed” was this issue’s first indication that Bendis might not know anything about this character he has stewardship over, but that can just be chalked up to Superman not remembering the powers of Conner. We don’t know the upper limit of Conner’s tactile telekinetic flight, nor should we care, it’s supposed to be a fun line.

The second indication is that Conner is shown to have heat vision when his eyes glow alongside Clark and Jon’s. He only has heat vision when he wears special goggles or a visor. Again, he doesn’t have all the powers of Superman. Tactile telekinesis only covers so much of Superman’s powers. But this can be forgiven because it is a pretty cool image.

“Once Is Chance, Twice is Coincidence, Third Time Is A Pattern.” This panel is the third instance of Bendis’ lack of understanding of Conner’s character. If this was the only instance, this would be fine, but it’s not. The moment is cool, but it’s a bridge too far.

Refer to my review of the first issue for more of Bendis not knowing anything about Conner.

EDIT: Thanks to @thebartallenblog​ for pointing out to me that Conner does in fact start developing more Kryptonian powers outside of his tactile telekinesis in the 2003 Teen Titans  book by Geoff Johns, so Bendis does in fact know more about the character than I give him credit for, which is more than I can say for myself in this instance.

Also, this moment goes on for way too long, almost two entire pages. Beautiful, the art of decompression and wasting reader’s time and money.

“Should I super-inhale?” Shut up, Bendis.

Also, why is Red Cloud is so fixated on Superman’s family instead of just Superman. Does the Invisible Mafia have something against his family as well? It was my understanding that they have it out for him specifically, anything that is ancillary to him is extraneous and not worth their time.

“Hey! It’s not my favorite super-move on a good day.” Then why the fuck did you even make him suggest it, Bendis?

I don’t know if loved ones referring to Lois as Ma is something Bendis has been trying to push as a character quirk or if it’s some sort of weird one-off. Either way, I don’t like it. It’s not bad in of itself, don’t get me wrong, it’s just not my thing and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Again, I’m not sure how significant Jimmy figuring out Red Cloud's identity is supposed to be to the plot and the narrative, but this seems to be a bit of lampshading from a writer who literally has no right to be lampshading.

Couldn’t give a shit about the plot, I’m just here to nitpick. Next.

Feels a bit janky in the art department, but the dialogue is surprisingly in character. They all feel like they have their actual voices. It’s a nice little moment.

I would address all the instances of Bendis making Jon talk, but that would make this longer than it already is, so I’ll only do it when it’s particularly egregious.

Red Cloud comes back and attacks not!Jon and I couldn’t care less. Kill the bitch. Please.

The next two pages are a lot of nothing, just a boat load of Bendis-speak.

I’m pretty sure this played out a lot differently and more humorously in Bendis’ head when he wrote it down and Romita, Jr.’s art makes it all the more funny but for all the wrong reasons.

Who’s his partner? Officer Tomasi?

You know when I said that one panel with Lois, Clark, and Jimmy was written really in-character? This panel with Conner and Jon is the exact opposite of that.

Red Cloud and Ms. Leone have a fun back and forth for two pages. It’s a good example of Bendis-speak working well.

“Black Label Club?” One meta-reference is enough, but two is stupid. I actaully feel a little conflicted nitpicking this, but Black Label is in such a weird place right now, so why reference it?

But “Clark Kent walked into a bar...” is a pretty bad ass line, very John Wick.

A very cool sequence, but it’s full of Bendis-speak and very decompressed.

Why the fake-out of the Superfamily executing a gangland-style shooting with Jon being the one pulling the trigger? I get it’s a story beat the narrative is supposed to hit, but still.

The reveal is pretty funny, shrinking the club, so it’s a little forgivable, but the set up and the pay off don’t quite match. It’s just another example of that dissonance I’ve been mentioning.

I know that “supersons” line was put there by Bendis as a deliberate dig at his detractors, so I’m not going to take the bait and get pissed. Nice try, big guy.

All in all, this issue was not as bad as I initially thought. It’s series of some really big highs and lows.

#superman #superboy #conner kent #jon kent #lois lane #jimmy olsen #red cloud #robinson goode #ms. leone #invisible mafia #brainiac 5 #clark kent #action comics #brian michael bendis