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xxarmchairphilosopherxx · 1 year

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A rational explanation of why Jojo’s is a great anime

I have no doubt you have some expectations of how this is gonna go down. Lots of bombastic and strange praise, many odd memes, and references that are without a doubt… biza- peculiar. But I’m not. This will be a calm analysis and thorough dissection of just why I love this anime and think it is one of the most creative stories ever made.

I detest over exaggerations. They tend to be very misleading, though for purpose entertainment, are all fine and good. But even still are buy and large ,overused and thus have lost all real meaning. I do all of this to tell you that I am not over exaggerating.

There is no other work of fiction as creative as JoJo’s bizarre adventure. I would go so far as to say the series itself is nothing more and nothing less than a love letter to creativity. Araki is more than willing to reference, remix, and reexamine anything and everything that crosses his path; while seamlessly and shamelessly experimenting and creating new, fascinating abilities, designs, and character concepts. Now some of you might be thinking “how can one be called creative if he makes so many references?” Allow me to show you the greatest truth of storytelling that no one is really comfortable talking about.

Story telling is really like the wheel. No one knows where it came from and all we have done and will ever do is make simply make it better. That means taking things that came before, mixed with some other thing you saw another guy do, and maybe some weird stuff you found in the back alley. You put your own flare on it and send it running. And there is no better example than JoJo’s. From turning song lyrics into characters, their abilities, and even entire plot points. Like how under pressure defines Kira’s life in hiding. Or how killer queen’s allusions to explosives made his stand a bomb creation stand. And that’s just one character how about the band areosmith inspiring one of the few and greatest nonhumans stands of Narancia’s plane. I could go on for a while but there is still more to discuss. In a different genre of art…

Fashion, anatomy and shot composition. JoJo’s has exiled So much in these categories that even real-world art galleries and fashion brands have taken note of its pure genius. JoJo’s characters whether emulating the muscular vibrato of the 80’s action movie, or the subtler elegance of the slimer frames of the latter parts. There is an expressed mastery of anatomy, not only its natural forms but it’s almost surreal combinations. These poses are not just done for strangeness’s sake but are done to express the pure artistry of the human form and its myriad of forms and positions. The outfits also are not random and without design they are meticulously selected and obey the fundamentals of high fashion. All of these combing to ground a story featuring such seemingly conflicting ideas like Victorian vampires, to serial killers, evil priests, and president in search for the pieces of Christs body... Into something that not only defies the mind but celebrates the strangeness most people want in their stories anyway.

Then there is a wholly different way which makes JoJo almost infinitely enjoyable. Unlike many stories featuring combat and violence as the main conflict resolution system, which tends to be one of the most engaging of conflict resolution in fiction. I mean come on court cases and investigations are all good and exciting. But nothing can be as pure in establishing steaks and motive then the conflict between bodies against each other in a struggle for survival. But JoJo’s avoids the greatest flaw of these purely physical combat systems while gaining usually something lost to it.

You see in a normal combative setting, a story can only do so much. There are only so many ways a combat encounter can go and eventually one expects the heroes to grow in power and so too the bad guy. This can unfortunately however spiral into the absurd feats of power to the point where the audience becomes bored or unable to really relate to the struggle. This is commonly referred to as power creep and JoJo’s dodges this masterfully. In JoJo’s the fights remain physical and intensive but avoid power creep because in JoJo’s no fight is as simple as power levels. But instead are based on the application of those powers and abilities, turning mere brawls into a beautiful and ethereal game of mind and body. How will the stand that can leap through any reflective surface defeat the stand who can increase the gravitational pull on any object? With this no two fights will ever be the same and yet each fight can maintain the same levels of excitement and stakes just based on the characters abilities presented. Simply brilliant.

Following this point is something I think really sets JoJo’s above and beyond. Any show can have great and thought provoking conflict, but what sets JoJo’s beyond is the struggle. It’s a true and universal experience I think every life that has ever drawn breath can relate to. That moment where that breath is called upon and one must put everything one has to achieve ones goal, to overcome the obstacles before them to grit one teeth, to bear ones lashes and push on. This is JoJo’s

From bullets to overwhelming odds to near physics breaking hurdles, the characters fight on even to the presence of death. They push beyond the walls and fires and see the path to victory and through blood sweat and tears obtain it, in a usually karmic and cathartic fashion. Showing all they are and all they have learned up to that moment and shine like gold, better and stronger than before.

For those who don’t know JoJo’s is it is known as a generational story. Ever new season or part, has a new member of the JoJo family facing a new threat. Sometimes these relate to a previous part or sometimes its something new altogether. This is what I think makes the story so great. Not the Joestar family itself but the idea of family both by blood and the found ones we make ourselves and how sometimes those can coincides or not at all. No man really acts alone, he is always supported by and supports other around him. There’s a reason why we have the term Joe-bro in our fandom it’s because each and every JoJo has that most trusted companion or group of companions and JoJo’s does not treat them as mere support or comic relief each one has their own unique personality, backstory, and reason for staying by the Joestar’s side and it’s not in the combat or the mysteries or peril where these moments shine the brightest. It’s in the little breaks the show takes to let the characters eat or rest, the conversations they have in long car rides or the little handshakes or dances they do. The jokes and teasing the share with the other. Its with these moments of calm and pearl that these friends become more than friends but family.

Then there is the actual family itself, and I think it’s in here where the show gains such respect from its fans. It’s not like most shows where there is a deep connection between ancestor and descendant and sometimes the bloodline isn’t even so clear. For example, my favorite is the relation between Joseph and Josuke. You see Joseph is Josuke’s father from an affair. Now most shows would treat this revelation and their inevitable meeting with allot of drama and try to maybe alleviate this into a proper father and son relation. But JoJo’s chooses not to. Josuke when he meets his actual nephew Jotaro who is much older than him (yeah family trees can get strange like this). He doesn’t really care all that much he doesn’t want to butt into Joseph’s family or cause them any trouble he even refuses any chance at an inheritance and is perfectly happy with his one not so traditional family of his single mom and loving grandpa. Eventually of course he meets his father Joseph and they basically get some closure, but they don’t become instantly father and son close. It’s awkward and strange, they both get the closure but Joseph doesn’t gain a son and Josuke didn’t get a new dad. And they were both ok with that and even a little happier for it. But the show isn’t afraid of the closeness a family can share either. You see Jotaro and his daughter Jolene were quite at each other’s throats and didn’t have that great of a relation but during and after the Crisis of Stone Ocean their bond grew stronger and impart that bond gave them strength. Its honestly some of the sweetest imagery to see Joslyn embracing her father, the character we all know and maybe even look up to like she does. It’s a beautiful display of all a family can be and what it means blood relation or otherwise.

And I find it so shocking in show of life, laughter, family, and friendship. That there is so much death... But when you think about it long enough, doesn’t that just make so much damn sense? How could someone, anyone set out to write about life and its nearly infinite experiences, and not touch on that one universal experience. Death. From tragic losses of fate, like a mother lost in a carriage accident, or loved ones dying at the hands of murders, heroic sacrifices made for the sake of ones friends, and the sudden unexpected loses of those so young and full of life. There is not a single part free of that pain. And if I may be so bold Arkia is at his greatest when depicting loss, both its grief and even its sometimes ethereal beauty of not only what could lie beyond, but the spark of life that was lived. For greater love has no man to lay down his life for his friend.

So yeah, there it is, a very serious analysis of a show that most people think can’t even take itself seriously. I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe you can enjoy the show for yourself now. Or if your already a fan maybe you got an even deeper appreciation of it. Or hey, if you didn’t like it, maybe you can now see why other do. No pressure bud. Well, see you guys latter.

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cornaby · 1 year

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List of things in Falsettos that Killed Me ™️

**This is based on Mad Theatre of Tampa’s production which I saw on Friday, not the 2016 revival

I basically decided to compile a bullet list of my favorite little moments the cast added in (they had SUCH good chemistry ;-;)

-Whizzer held Jason protectively during the Slap, it was genuinely so fucking heartbreaking and cute

-’I’ve improved, or else the hydrants moved’ *Cordelia hysterically laughs* ‘SEE, I’M FUNNY!’ *silence*

-During act two, Marvin and Whizzer are in the hospital bed (it’s located in the foreground) during other scenes, and they’re doing little things like snuggling and talking, at one point Marvin is flipping through a magazine with him. You can tell he doesn’t really get it, but he’s so desperate to spend time with Whizzer before it runs out. Even though stuff was happening with Mendel/Trina/Jason during Canceling the Bar Mitzvah, my eyes were just glued to Whizzer and Marvin, it was so cute and sweet.

-After Father to Son, Marvin extended his hand out to Jason, they made eye contact for a brief moment, and then Jason ran to him and hugged him. Everyone was crying

-This isn’t really an acting decision or anything but Evan (Whizzer)’s long luscious hair is so important to me and I didnt think I needed long haired Whiz but now idk if I could see it any other way. He was also flamboyant to the nth degree (after meeting him afterwards I can conclude it wasn’t even acting, he’s just that perfect for the role)

-In a similar way Markus (Marvin) was honestly the perfect Marvin, both in looks and voice/acting. He was really scruffy looking in a perfectly dad way and his voice was super deep (that vibrato was killer too) -Sam (Jason) was very reminiscent of Anthony Rosenthal, he was so so good. If that kid keeps acting he’s def gonna end up on Broadway someday.

-SPEAKING of Jason, during act 1 he was wearing a Star Wars shirt, which I thought was adorable and time-appropriate BUT THEN in act 2 he was wearing an Empire Strikes Back shirt Fuck the deep meaningful symbolism, that shit was so clever LOL

-Before the show started, they were playing music and I feel like someone made a Whizzer playlist because both It’s Raining Men and Dancing Queen played

-After the show, I Am What I Am from La Cage Aux Folles was playing, and it caused me to immediately burst back into a sob

-During The Games I Play, Whizzer was crying. Like, tears streaming down his face.

-THEY USED THE HAIRLINE LINE IN THE BASEBALL GAME

-Mendel (during Everyone Hates his Parents): I. AM. YOUR. STEPFATHER.

#I will probably do a part 2 as I remmeber more #its late and I havent relistened to the audio yet #falsettos #falsettoland #march of the falsettos #whizzer falsettos #marvin falsettos #the marvin trilogy #my stuff #idk

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deep-hearts-core · 10 months

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1996

i'm not reviewing the songs from the prequalifying round here. those will be in a separate post after and not included in my yearly top or average table (just as i don't count the songs from 2020, or ro 2016/ru 2017).

Turkey This rocks - the piano part in the instrumental is super catchy and memorable. And ofc I think Sebnem's voice is great and she has a good, subtle stage presence. The prechorus is a bit of a vibe killer, though, it feels really off and destroys the momentum.

UK Gina G herself is undoubtedly the best thing about this performance. I like to watch her and I like the way she looks in that dress. However, her backup dancers are simply too hype (the routine could have been pared down or eliminated altogether) and whatever camera or lighting effects they were trying to do don't come across well, at least not 25 years later. The song is just ok. A little too frenetic for my liking but not terrible.

Spain That's a pass from me - it's better once the beat kicks in but I'm pretty bored by the whole thing and I don't like his voice.

Portugal This is a hard one. On the one hand, the sections of the song don't cohere, leaving it pretty jumbled-sounding. On the other, I like all of the different sections of it, even though I don't think it works as one piece. So it's good, but also fragmented.

Cyprus He sounds good, but again, I am bored. Ranks above Spain because he just sounds better.

Malta It's a very good song for her. It isn't personally to my taste, though, and more importantly there are moments where she overperforms physically and that affects her singing. But ultimately she looks good and sounds good for most of the song and we have to give her credit for that.

block ranking: Turkey > Portugal > Malta > UK > Cyprus > Spain (this was hard!)

Croatia Those screamed notes my GOD. Just. Frankly startling. Not welcome. Certainly, uh, gives the song a unique character. Ignoring those (hard not to), it's an OK song but she's got so much vibrato. Too much. I don't like it.

Austria Ok, let me get this straight, it's a gospel song sung in Austrian dialect by a guy who sounds like Elvis but just sits at the piano the whole time? Ok! Great! Um, I fucking love this and I think it's a lot of fun but I think it's also performative multiculturalism at its finest and that George sitting at the piano the whole time really detracts from the performance. His backup singers were so much more fun to watch - the male backup singer probably could have performed this as the lead artist and it would have gone better.

Switzerland I am learning why everyone hates ballads.

Greece What I will say is that this year is turning out to have a hard dichotomy between "good songs" and "boring songs" and while this is less boring than the last one it fails to capture my attention. The most memorable thing about it is the photobooth filter.

Estonia Maarja-Liis has a really beautiful voice, but it doesn't match too well with Ivo's, and the song doesn't have as much structure as I want it to. I'm never certain on where the verse is and where the chorus is.

Norway Something funny about her vocal quality on the word "evighet". A little too shrill, she's not exactly on the pitch or there's something wrong with her vowel or I don't know, it just sounds wrong. Anyway this is one of the better ballads, it's beautiful and all, but I /still/ find my thoughts wandering all over the place.

block ranking: Austria > Norway > Estonia > Croatia > Greece > Switzerland

France It's nice but I'm BORED! aGAIN! why is this contest so excruciating every other song. Please god. I wanted this to be good I wanted a good minority language song and then it was not that.

Slovenia This one is ok. She sounds good and there's some interesting chord progression stuff going on.

Netherlands Probably felt a little dated at the time, but here it is a welcome break from the deluge of boredom! There's good vocal match here and they seem comfortable with each other onstage too.

Belgium I'm glad it was another upbeat one but it wasn't the best of the upbeat songs for me tbh. I liked the card visual effect. And the further back I watch the funnier it is for me to see the camera effects like we've been seeing all night here. Poland 2022 did not come out of a vacuum, people!

Ireland It's different from everything else we've seen so far, and Eimear has incredible control over her voice. Her soprano range is light and airy and she makes hitting all those notes seem effortless. I wish there was something more to it, it feels like something is missing. But I am definitely not complaining about its win.

Finland It was okay? Nice guitar. It felt cohesive which is probably the most I can say for it.

block ranking: Ireland > Netherlands > Finland > Belgium > Slovenia > France

Iceland She sings this just fine but I do not really like jazz, sorry Anna

Poland One of the better ballads, it has good movement to it. She sounds very strained vocally though.

B&H This year is going to be so hard to rank because all the ballads are going to blend together and it's going to be awful

Slovakia Gets points above all the other ballads because of how gorgeous this man's voice is.

Sweden This is so unlike what I usually conceive of Sweden sending but I kinda like it. Nice passing tones in the chorus. Idunno.

My top 23 1)Austria 2)UK 3)Turkey 4)Portugal 5)Slovakia 6)Norway 7)Malta 8)Ireland 9)Netherlands 10)Slovenia 11)Sweden 12)Cyprus 13)Estonia 14)Croatia 15)Finland 16)Belgium 17)Greece 18)Switzerland 19)Iceland 20)Spain 21)Poland 22)France 23)B&H

^^ not sure what tf this is. the ranking's a mess, and i'm realizing that i maybe enjoyed, like, four songs out of 23. godddd.

Miscellaneous Thoughts at least these hosts did a good job. they're pretty funny and had good chemistry with each other, and the male host is a really good singer! especially obsessed with him trying to talk to the austrian guy's mom in german and being so utterly confused. i'm also a fan of the green screen scoreboard. all in all i think this was a well-done show, just with shit songs. it's very interesting for me, watching this voting sequence. ireland, about to get their 7th win, soared ahead in the juries very quickly, making the winner fairly obvious from the jump; i imagine that audiences in 1996 felt rather the same way as audiences in 2023 when loreen did the same. it's likely no coincidence that televoting was trialed the next year. i know that the ebu is likewise in discussions about the format and weighting of the juries. and lastly, it's kind of funny how ireland gave their 12 this year to sweden. the country at its peak, about to fall from grace, handing over their 12 to the country that will tie their record. [brb googling who sweden gave their douze to this year] oh, it was finland? in both the juries and the public? hm i guess we better get ready for finnish domination at some point in the next 30 years!

#esc reviews

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t3nshiii · 2 years

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songs every kpop stan should know.

if ur new to kpop, listen to these iconic kpop songs ! <3

mr.

gee

nobody - wonder girls

bad girl good girl

good bye baby - miss a

i am the best

ring ding dong

bang bang bang

fantastic baby

the boys

trouble maker

run devil run

bo peep bo peep

abracadabra

dalla dalla

wannabe

russian roulette

god’s menu

cheer up

fancy

miniskirt

rollin’

love shot

call me baby

asap

stereotype

after school

tag me

oh! my mistake

blue hour

wonderland

dolphin

cat & dog

feel special

what is love

bboom bboom

mafia in the morning

up & down

catallena

love bomb

not that type

wee woo

we like

move

like ooh ahh

unnatural

bubble pop!

electric shock

very nice

egoistic

touch my body

panorama

fiesta

cherry bomb

hi high

mago

me gustas tu

very very very

whatta man

tomboy

oh my god

genie

just right

shake it

my house

lucifer

ah choo

into the new world

mr. chu

ice cream cake

roly poly

so hot

girls on top

only you

lion heart

gashina

tail

hello bitches

lip & hip

step back

loser lover

love4eva

be natural

cause i’m your girl

dreams come true

up no more

hello - twice

monster

picky picky

tell me

why so lonely

psycho

tiger inside

boy in luv

hellevator

hwi hwi

hallu

change

get up

killer

bar bar bar

hello - joy

sticker

o.o

thunderous

wa da da

eleven

savage

no.1

growl

red flavor

ddu du ddu du

hip

paint the town

heart attack - loona (chuu)

butterfly

twenty

gangnam style

gentleman

step

peek a boo

i feel you

ping pong

knock knock

heart shaker

yes or yes

likey

heart attack - aoa

like a cat

dally

vibrato

wiggle wiggle

oh!

ma boy

lilac

drunk dazed

crazy

hush

next level

any song

fire - 2ne1

i got a boy

as if it’s your last

something

fearless

pop!

mmmh

idol

black mamba

bad boy

day 1

roller coaster

bang

expectations

i don’t care

you and i - 2ne1 (bom)

butter

lalisa

crown

boca

#Spotify

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andyjwaldron · 5 months

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ANDY WROTE ABOUT GOOD ALBUMS FOR HIS JOB

End-of-year list season is a big stinkin' deal over at Rough Trade. Listening back to the previous twelve months' worth of releases not only became a clear delineation of time passing (especially during the pandemic that kept us asking, "Oh, wait, what month is it again?") but it was also great for Andy when he worked there, as staff were asked to write about a few albums that really stuck with them.

Plus, it's always refreshing for a record store employee to provide a solicited opinion, rather than the usual unsolicited comment while ringing you up.

Here are some blurbs Andy wrote for Rough Trade about LPs from SASMI, Bartees Strange, Little Hag, Mitski, and Illuminati Hotties:

SASAMI - Squeeze

In the same way one realizes working retail can seem like you're creating sand mandalas (i.e., organizing LPs in the morning), knowing full well how ephemeral they can be (finding Sheryl Crow in the Metal section at night), the turbulent start to the 2020s has proven that, despite the best efforts to make sense, everything is messy now. I've held onto SASAMI's Squeeze in the same way we grasp for something steady when the boat starts swaying.

In a little over a half hour, hard truths are thrown down (the systematic aggression detailed in "Skin a Rat") and then processed ("I tried to understand," "Don’t wanna agonize, just say it") and met with earned affirmations ("I want you to know you're not alone…you can always call me home"). The guitars that accompany these sentiments shred, strum, and surround the listener – almost swallowing us whole. By the time "Not a Love Song" arrives, the waves of distortion become still enough to see ourselves in the reflection.

Writer Michelle Hyun Kim put it best: In "[bringing] seemingly disparate elements together, finding slippery ways to be both/and, neither/nor, between/outside in all categories," SASAMI meets a messy world with messy creation – gleefully collapsing genre with artists who know a thing or two about frustrating binaries (Patti Harrison, No Home, Rin Kim, Vagabon, Mitski, Andrew Thomas Huang). Squeeze recognizes those who've worked hard on themselves and the world around them and gets drinks with them afterward to celebrate: a beautiful, beautiful sight. (x)

Bartees Strange - Farm to Table

Building on the promise of his first album, Live Forever, our On the Rise artist Bartees Strange carries a fiery ambition throughout his next chapter, Farm to Table. It lights up the dance floor on "Wretched" and "Cosigns" and powers the fanfare of my personal song of the year, "Heavy Heart." It becomes a campfire that warms the quieter second half, carrying the heartbreaking ode to Gianna Floyd ("Hold the Line") to the closing, cyclical singalong, "Hennessy."

It's been exciting watching artists of my generation make work reflective of our fickle upbringing; the way we've watched genre break down, earnestness break through, and connection rise above all other priorities. And while Farm to Table may seem like a 4AD fever dream (from the belt and croon of TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe to the inertia of The National's most anthemic moments), make no mistake: Strange's first LP with the storied label marks a young, bold new moment in capital I capital R Indie Rock™ – one whose flame won't go out anytime soon. (x)

Little Hag - Leash

Take a heaping spoonful of Liz Phair's down-to-earth humor, a touch of Elvis Costello's cutting attitude, and a splash of Jeff Buckley's killer vibrato, and you get Little Hag's Leash, one of the most exciting releases to come from Bar-None Records in recent memory. Avery Mandeville, the NJ-based songwriter behind Little Hag, may be one of the legendary indie label's newest signees, but she's been honing her unique knack for catchy and sardonic tales of her self-described "absurd and profane occurrences of being a woman" for the better part of the past decade. Her lyrics deliver the anthemic quality from other accomplished musicians who have emerged from the Garden State. However, the power that drives them is less "We gotta get outta here!" and more "I'm stuck here… now what?" While their other digital-exclusive releases that came out in the past year (Whatever Happened to Avery Jane? and Breakfast) are worth adding to your playlists, Leash, their first album full of new material for Bar-None, is next level for Little Hag. Stories bearing weighty text messages ("The Whole World," "Cherry," "Red"), dangerous and disappointing men ("My Last Name," "Get Real!"), and self-defense weaponry ("Brass Knuckle Keychain") are conveyed with an urgency matched by a skilled rhythm section that rips. Sure, these eleven tracks are told by a singular voice, but the universality of both the shit that they’ve gone through and how she's powered through all of it makes a vital promise for anyone who listens: crank this up, and you'll feel less lonely. (x)

Mitski - Laurel Hell

The new wave nods of Mitski's Laurel Hell come in spades; not just in its production (where uptempo numbers like "Should've Been Me" navigate the liveliness of ABC and moodier tracks like "Working for the Knife" find kinship with Peter Gabriel's self-titled era) but also the paranoia and devotion beneath the sheen (the album starts with "Let's step carefully into the dark / Once we're in, I'll remember my way around" and nearly ends with "I'm standing in the dark / Looking up into our room / Where you'll be waiting for me").

In meeting acrobatic arrangements with clear lyricism across five records, the 32-year-old songwriter has proven to be one of her generations' strongest craftspeople. The difference now on her sixth is how a wide-eyed weariness emerges in a familiar fashion to the era Mitski references, how the push-and-pull between partners can stand in for the heart and mind… or the artist and the consumer: "I give it up to you / I surrender." (x)

Illuminati Hotties - Let Me Do One More

At times in-your-face like an unexpected conversation from a hilarious stranger at a dive bar, while at other times contemplative, standing beside you and huddling for heat during a smoke break, Let Me Do One More was the perfect buddy to have during a year of bumpy restarts. My favorite albums have historically become teaching moments, usually by artists getting by despite constraints both internal and external, and this album finds the endlessly-talented Sarah Tudzin doing her best in trying relationships with the personal ("Growth") and political ("Threatening Each Other re: Capitalism"). These songs truly helped me find warmth through the uneven sway of 2021. (x)

***

You can go back home by clicking here.

#does.a.lot #rough.trade

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analogskullerosis · 1 year

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Tagged by- @cowgirliee and @delanore-roosevelt

Rules: shuffle your “on repeat” playlist from spotify or the music service of your choice and post the first 10 tracks

Note: These are all from Spotify, but I'll also be providing Youtube links for any non-Spotify users. :)

1 : El Dorado - Magdalena Bay (https://youtu.be/mA6lKJNsrqg)

I enjoy the way that singer Mica Tenenbaum switches between Spanish and English on a dime. It's like how Sarah Bonito switches between Japanese and English on Kero Kero Bonito songs. I also enjoy the late 80s atmospheric synthpop vibe this song goes for.

2 : So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings - Caroline Polachek (https://youtu.be/sn3cHUtNZKo)

I want Caroline Polachek to kick me in the head and run me over with her car.

3 : Funky Duck - Vulfpeck (https://youtu.be/dhNfddJRulQ)

"He owns a truck, but he drives a Saab" is the line that keeps me coming back. Also, Antwaun Stanley is just a killer vocalist.

4 : Mr. Pink - Level 42 (https://youtu.be/Dt1APRRddS4)

Imagine this: a fun little dance contest for couples, but they have to figure out how to dance to every second of this song.

Every Slowbro I run in Pokemon these days is named after this song.

5 : pRETTy - Lil Yachty (https://youtu.be/8w3z-7Hq9Ak)

Yachty's weird vibrato moaning at the beginning of this song will not leave my head. It makes me laugh. Fousheé's guest feature on the second verse is great.

6 : Unconditional - Magdalena Bay (https://youtu.be/hQjqyxC97gA)

My new go-to example of how to define "catchy, fun pop song." Chorus is infectious and has gotten lodged in my brain for days, bass line rules, the whole song is everything I enjoy about pop music.

7 : Romanian Drinking Song - Vulfpeck (https://youtu.be/Xg-5ie0OCo8)

Theo Katzman is the greatest kazoo playing drummer of our generation. When his kazoo follows that bass run at around 2:43 it is nothing short of spectacular. Also, Joey Dosik's sax keys apparently got stuck near the end of the recording but it still sounded good enough to keep. These dudes rule.

I've been listening to Vulfpeck's Schvitz album pretty much on repeat all year so far. The whole album rules and this one is a fun highlight.

8 : Woww - Magdalena Bay (https://youtu.be/mb-PYrATAuI)

This is the last Mag Bay song, I promise. This song always reminds me of something that seemed like it came from the Kirby SuperStar soundtrack. This mini song features classic insults such as: "Get out my face / With your stupid face." Lyrical masterminds. Mica Tenenbaum and Matt Lewin are the best pop duo working today.

9 : I Don't Want It At All - Kim Petras (https://youtu.be/JC9FA8lZRy8)

My personal issues with Petras aside (she REALLY needs to understand why people have a big problem with her choosing to defend and keep working with Dr. Luke, infamously known as the man who sexually and emotionally abused Kesha) this song rules. Like "Unconditional," this is everything I really enjoy about modern pop music. It's fun, it's catchy as hell, and Petras is fantastic performer. She's been deserving of the recent hype she's been getting (criticisms aside).

By the way, in case you were curious, yes, Dr. Luke is one of three producers on this song (though it's not under his usual name. He likes to use aliases sometimes in order to hide it... probably no big reason why). Yes, I can still enjoy this song despite knowing that. No, I don't think he should be allowed to keep producing pop hits.

10 : Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney & Wings (https://youtu.be/ZwnX0iqKDdQ?t=7)

This has been on repeat because I plan on writing about it (which you will be able to find over at @therecordconnection in the next few days. Shameless plug? I don't know what you're talking about.)

I'll at least say that this is in my Top 5 of 007 movie themes. I love how explosive and cinematic it is and the way the song randomly transforms into a reggae beat halfway through for like 40 seconds ("What does it maaaatter to ya?") is classic McCartney songwriting (even though that bit was provided by Linda McCartney). It's good stuff. Wings' two 1973 albums, Red Rose Speedway and Band on the Run, both turn 50 this year. They're worth your time. :)

Thanks for stopping by! These are always fun. I'd like to tag @memento-more-tea @themarvelousinterrobang @tahlwyn @the-mind-wanders @oleskellybones and anybody else that would like to join in! :)

#tag post #Spotify

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plungermusic · 2 years

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“Indian Summer, It’s On It’s Way, Cool All Night…”

“… And Hot All Day.”

Maverick Saturday kept its (nearly) perfect run of perfect festival weather - blue skies, hot sun and light breeze greeted the gathering crowds, particularly on the open air Green Stage. Drew Young Band (below)had the honour of opening on the Green, and despite expressing shock at the early start (“I mean, I knew there was an 11am but the idea of playing music then was a new one!”) Drew and co (Kelly Bayfield second vox/bvs, David Booth drums/bvs, Kilby Mears bass, Andy Trill electric guitar) impressed with a suitably warm-but-breezy set, including a Knopfleresque Clearly with its airy harmonies, the chicken-picking line-dancing chug of It’ll Be Soon, the darker melancholic country of Georgia Line, and Sideways’ bouncy Tex-Mex-spiced stroll. The joker in the pack was the beefy roadhouse rocker Stuck On Believing, with Kelly doing a fine Shaun Murphy gritty counterpoint vocal, great drum and bass work, and gutsy guitar.

Following Drew, Suffolk locals The Joe Keeley band tempted us to stay put with a promising soundcheck for their twin-guitar line-up (particularly Jack Lawson’s cranked-up Les Paul!) Sadly once they got going proper, Jack’s way-down-in-the-mix sound and an opener drawn from the southern rock cliche songbook (name a bunch of states, mention outlaws, badmen and women) lost our interest and we headed for the bar.

Hannah Aldridge (above), another Maverick favourite, was playing as a duo (nominally… as her set progressed she was joined by various ‘friends’ from her UK touring partner Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes). Her honeyed Nicksian tones were perfect for the mix of Cali-country and southern gothic, with some excellent near-a cappella harmonies particularly in a cover of Lachlan’s Dugdemona with added atmospheric fiddle, and her own anthemic Burning Down Birmingham with its customary crowd-participation choir finale.

Blue Highways’ Brucetastic bluster was an ideal match for the Green stage: very much Plunger’s idea of ‘proper festival music’, they took full advantage with the full-on sprawling Bossness of Take Me Away, a barrelling She Moves, Have You Seen My Baby’s bouncy saloon country and the high-octane post-pandemic hedonism of I Wanna Party… and despite the setting they still held the crowd rapt with another emotional and intimate rendition of Tonight.

Canada’s Redhill Valleys (above) were another “Never heard of them… Oh, they’re great!” bonus: Chelsea McWilliams (bass/vocals), Tim Allard (lead guitar/vocals), Danielle Beaudin (guitar/vocals), and Matt Soliveri (drums) lit up the green stage with a mix of slick multi-vox Laurel Canyon country rock, Sunset Strip sleaze and 70s N’awlins funk. Nice to see them making full use of the two guitar line-up on Burn It Down and they also gave us a killer cover of Lucinda Williams’ I Lost It. Right up there with Mickelson as this year’s Maverick surprise discovery.

Evangeline Gentle’s self-titled release was one of Plunger's fave releases of 2020, but ‘events, dear boy’ had conspired against us seeing her live until now. She has a new look (think tycoon’s wayward daughter in a 40s Hollywood noir) but the sublime voice is unchanged, and although the rich production of the record was perforce absent in this duo performance, songs from the album (So It Goes, Long Time Love, Drop My Name) and new ones like Dancing At The Gay Bar, stood on their own right and stripped back highlighted Evangeline’s seductive fragile-but-defiant vibrato-laden vox… it wasn’t just the sun that had Plunger melting like mivvi by the end of her set.

Still a bit Evangeline-dazzled we drifted down to the Green to catch the end of Peter Bruntnell’s set. Shamefully (as he’s a bit of a ‘ledge’) Plunger have no idea what he played or even if it’s typical of his output, but it sounded pretty damn good blasting out across the sun-baked grass: Youngian anthemic progressions with extended wild flaring solos, eastern-drone spacey passages and hallucinatory shambling grooves with harmony guitar. One for further investigation, definitely.

The Sam Chase was a big Plunger favourite on our three viewings of him last year, and he proved just as entertaining here. His folk/rock/roots/kitchen sink-and-anything-else-to-hand set delivered tales of horror, murder, ghosts, drinking and despair with lots of excellent strings from violinist Chandra Johnson and cellist Devon McClive, as well as a generous helping of wry dark humour (like introducing Everyone Is Crazy But Me as “a children’s song - now what they mean is that it’s simple… since kids are generally at the dumber end of the spectrum.”)

Next up on the sun-drenched green were Treetop Flyers (above): presumably named for the Stephen Stills song they’re often billed as CSNY-ish. While chugging progressions and a splash of Youngian harmonica did hint at ‘Y’ occasionally (and there was indeed a brief snatch of intricate CSN harmonies) mostly this was robust, rollicking 70s roots à la Caravan-era Van Morrison, as epitomised in the soully bustle of Golden Hour - keys, sax and guitar driven by a Chapman-like powerful lead vocal - and several snare-led upbeat Motowny numbers, all ideal to get the Green moving.

Plunger’s first Saturday foray down to the Moonshine was for Tim Gerard: another return visitor and Plunger favourite, Tim proved equally at home in the Greenwich Village coffee shop troubadour narrative of Pretenders, the bluesy boogie of Trouble On The Move or the impassioned western-tinged Savannah. The impressive set also featured the live premiere of new song International Show a somewhat wry look at the ‘jet set’ life of the travelling muso!

Returning to the Green we caught the tail end of The Hanging Stars: despite the presence of the brilliant Joe Harvey Whyte on shimmering pedal steel what we heard leaned more toward indie rock than their professed cosmic country, although the not-entirely-protest song I Don’t Want To Feel So Bad Any More (introduced as being “for anyone who hates the Tories” - which raised a cheer from at least half the assembled crowd!) did combine pedal steel and jangly Rickenbacker to just that effect, so we could be wildly far of the mark…

Fellow Londoners Forty Elephant Gang (above) brought their newly beefed-up presence to the Barn, the addition of drummer and bassist adding a punchier feel to the mando folk-meets-punk field holler of Songs Of Praise (we did say it was perfect festival fare!) and the crowd-pleasing crowd-participation stomp of Hands Out Your Pockets. A particular Plunger favourite was the slow and Squeeze-y Nashville-via -Neasden waltz Young Man’s Game with its tight three-part harmonies.

Nashville native (and previous Maverick attendee… admittedly 12 years ago) Rod Picott drew a reverential crowd to the Barn. However for Plunger’s tastes his solo acoustic set was a bit unremarkable (despite some fine guitar and a nice line in US/UK culture clash gags… “A whole HOUR of radio for women?”) lacking either the variety of a Tim Gerard, the treacly warmth of a Drew Young or the grit of a Mickelson, so it seemed an appropriate time for a meal break …

Plunger often lazily pigeonhole Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes as solely purveyors of outback outlaw ballads, and while there were some of those in their Barn return, particularly Ballad Of A Young Married Man, we tend to forget the Springsteeny lopes, dark tom-led swampy grooves and of course the previously Hannah-covered epic Dugdemona that really is a ready-made classic (and notable post-festival earworm).

With night falling, Plunger took to the Moonshine for another dose of Mickelson, passing on the way the Peacock stage which was rammed solid for the Gram Parsons tribute. With songs from all available acts, covering the alt-country hero’s back catalogue, including Tim Gerard (above) and most notably The Sam Chase who covered the Gram and Emmylou cover of Love Hurts in their own inimitable gruff, threatening manner: you really believed that love would definitely hurt delivered in those tones… Down by the waterside, Mickelson’s smouldering twilit performance was another hugely atmospheric highlight (unchanged set or no) with some fantastic banjo playing, chiming Stillsian guitar and spine-tingling vocal sincerity.

Terra Lightfoot’s headline slot in the Barn (the first of two) was a stunning tour de force (and boy, what force - both vocally and with her cranked Gibson SG)! A trouser-flappingly loud guitar intro heralded Stars Over Dakota, followed by more heavy-riffing-and-doo-wop Stax/metal hybrids Called Out Your Name, It’s Over Now and Hold You with its audience call-and-response. Plunger can’t think of anyone else who can successfully mix light soully pop with rafter-rattling rock to make bobbysox metal (bubblegum rock?) Slightly (only slightly) more relaxed vibes came in new song The Only One Of Your Kind, and the shoutalong Pinball King. Slick Back Kid included showboating solo spots for both bass and drums, and a thrashy Consider The Speed (with Redhill Valleys sitting in) ended a thrilling set. Or almost… to the surprise of everyone (including the crew) Terra did return for a gooseflesh-raising solo encore of Angel From Montgomery, showcasing that phenomenal voice.

Ears still ringing, we stumbled off into the cool of the night, a little thunderstruck and somewhat crisped by the sun. Bring on Sunday!

#Maverick Festival #americana #terra lightfoot #mickelson #tim gerard #forty elephant gang #treetop flyers #drew young band #hannah aldridge #evangeline gentle #redhill valleys #lachlan bryan

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frecklystars · 4 years

Audio

THIS is what I’m referring to when I say Plankton and Karen’s harmonization is the absolute best part of When the Going Gets Tough

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fallout-drabbles-n-stuff · 3 years

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Companions, but if they were in a choir.

(Nope, still isn't rock bottom ❤️)

Cait:

Soprano 2 with a voice clearly suited for rock.

Curie:

That one soprano that is actually really good but doesn't sing loud enough to over power the bad ones.

Danse:

Decent bass. Only problem is that he sings really low so no one else can here/judge him.

Deacon:

This man has some pipes. He can sing from baritone to alto notes with no problem.

Gage:

Bass that kind of just does whatever he pleases and some how pulls it off.

Macready:

Tenor, with surprising talent and excellent tone.

Maxson:

Snooty baritone who also does some soloist work on the side.

Nick:

Tenor..but he starts getting killer vibrato (shakes) if he is forced to sing alone.

Old Longfellow:

Believe it or not, one hell of a tenor.

Piper:

Typical alto diva.

Preston:

Angelic Baritone. That's it.

Sturges:

Eh..not much of a choir kind of man. He'll sing solo for a country song any day, but choir? He doesn't think it suits his voice.

X6-88:

Bass with one of the most lovely, rich voices you've ever heard. Kind of intimidating tho..very rigid stance when he sings.

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honalele · 3 years

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Barriers

The cold steel of Phil’s sword slid smoothly through Wilbur’s chest like his skin was made of melted butter. He felt his heart stop and everything below the neck go completely numb. He tried to speak, but instead of words, his lungs poured warm streaks of blood out from the corners of his lips. The light started to dim around him and the world became a soft blur of color and noise as he felt himself slip away from his father’s cradling arms. His head rolled back towards the sky and fireworks flooded his deteriorating vision. His soul tried to strip itself from his body, but he grew panicked and afraid. Instant fear and regret crawled under his skin and up into his brain. His mind tried to save him, but the blood wouldn’t stop spilling.

Then, he began to hear a chorus of instruments start to play over the desperate screams of war in the distance. A symphony. A song just for him. This was it. This was the part where he died and became the martyr for all those ignorant revolutionaries. The war would continue without him. He could finally let himself float on the soft vibrato of warm strings and low tones of vibrant brass. A strange sense of serenity swept over him as his soul slid into the music’s comfortable embrace. Death’s dark wings fell like a heavy curtain over his eyes and the orchestra drifted into the decrescendo of its final note. The long awaited conclusion had finally arrived. The symphony was finished.

Wilbur waited for the release of the last note, but the orchestra continued to play long passed anything musical. The note swirled in place like a loose piece of string caught in the wind of a quiet mountain range. Then it started to rise in volume. The violins pressed the hairs of their bows hard into strings of steel and the trumpets blared over the loud tuba dissonance. The piccolos started screaming in sharps as the trombones rolled in harsh flats. The music boiled over, mixing itself into a terribly brash noise that cut through the air like wind through a tunnel.

Wilbur’s disoriented soul fell apart like tulle and then wound itself as tight as a spring board. He was being pulled apart at the seams and stitched back together over and over in rhythmic disarray. The noise continued to echo all around him as his senses began to collect themselves in the aftershocks of afterlife. Florescent lights flashed quickly across his otherwise blind eyes and he felt himself being pushed against some centripetal force. There was a loud thumping in his ears and a deep sickening pain in his chest. He couldn’t decide whether to scream or vomit. The noise grew louder and louder until Will was finally able to open his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a stream of grey concrete rushing past a glossy rendition of his own bug-eyed reflection. He was sitting in a polished silver seat at one end of what appeared to be an empty underground train car. The smell of grime and polisher woke him from any leftover sleepiness, but he remained frozen in place. His limbs felt like gelatin and his chest was weighted as if it had just caved in on itself. He sat there for god knows how long just watching the concrete walls flood along. The sound of the train screamed in lengthy breaths that faded in and out with high-pitched squeals.

After a while of traveling, the tunnel that the train was speeding down opened to a wide empty station. Wilbur flailed for the railing of the seat in front of him as he was lurched forward due to the train’s screeching halt. All was quiet for a few moments, then Wilbur jumped at the hissing sound of pressurized doors opening. He stayed in his seat for a while, fully confused. Perhaps this was all some sort of strange dream one might have before the neurons in their brain stop firing and they died for good. He didn’t have long to wonder about it as a disembodied voice came on to the loudspeaker. The only words he could make out were “get off”, and the rest were nothing but indistinguishable radio chatter.

Wilbur obeyed the voice. What else could he do? Stay on the train? He clung to the seat in front of him for support as he stood up in a dizzy haze. His body felt thin like paper. He had to look down at the floor to make sure his feet were grounded, otherwise he might assume he’d been floating. Wilbur made his way to the double doors, frantically clinging to each seat along the way as if he would get swept away like sand in the wind if he didn’t. When he finally made it to the doors, he paused to take one final look around the train car. There was absolutely nothing here. Wilbur swallowed in uncertainty which only made him realize how dry his throat had become. He turned around and peeked his head out just beyond the barrier doors. It seemed same as the train with nothing out there, completely abandoned. He took a cautions step forward, like a fawn venturing out into a questionable field. He would’ve kept one foot on the train, but the doors closed as soon as Wilbur was far enough out.

“Wait.” He called in panic and reached his left hand into the station’s barrier doors as they closed. A deep-throated cry fell out of Wilbur’s lungs as he shouted in not only pain, but regret. He wanted to get back on the train. He wanted to go back to the war. He wanted to feel his father’s comforting embrace, even if it was only for a few seconds more; even if it meant he’d have to face the failure of his broken nation. Wilbur cried at the crushing weight of the doors on his arm. He felt his tendons pop and the bone underneath splinter apart like bits of brittle. The static voice appeared on the radio again murmuring something in the tones of a fast apology, then the doors opened just enough to free Wilbur before closing completely.

He gulped air, trying to push the pain out of his mind. He looked down at his arm, it was twisted and bleeding. Surely he couldn’t be dead, not if he could still feel pain? Wilbur’s attention was stolen by movement from the train and he watched as it promptly left the station. He tried to catch a glance at the conductor, but the gapping underground tunnel had already swallowed the front of the train down its large ominous throat. Brassy rails rattled loudly and continued to ring in the empty station chamber long after the train had fully disappeared. Wilbur turned his gaze to his reflection in the glass of the barrier doors. Though there were more important things to be concerned about at the moment, he only noticed that his clothes had been changed. He wore a long dark jacket that was buttoned by two elegant brass chains and draped over a mustard-yellow shirt. He looked down at the tattered left arm sleeve. Pain licked his wounds like fire round a log, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Wilbur turned around and took in his new surroundings. It was a quiet station covered in white tiles and grey concrete. There was some sort of food or ticket station on the far wall, but it was barred off with a curtain of steel netting and he couldn’t see anyone inside. The ceiling was held up with rows of grossly blue-painted support beams, and there were markers on the floor that told him to “mind the gap”. Wilbur began to wonder over to the barred off stand despite the disoriented feelings of shock swimming around his gut. As he closed in on the stand, he saw posters of food and advertisements for little trinkets. He tugged on the netting with his good hand. Fortunately, it was unlocked. He rolled the curtain up above his head and then carefully climbed his way over the polished counter.

He caught a stinging hot flash on his left arm when he accidentally grazed it on a small basket filled with various colored lighters. He clutched the poor arm with his right hand as he hopped off the counter and started searching for anything that might be useful. Whoever worked here must’ve had a first aid kit somewhere. He checked in cupboards and on top of pantries that were filled with all sorts of unhealthy snacks and goodies. He checked behind the pop machine, around the registers, and even under the coolers until he finally found that immaculate white and red box nestled sweetly between a rack of magazines and a display tree of playing cards and cigarettes. He quickly grabbed it and threw it over to the empty counter. He began digging through all of the supplies until he found the bandages he was looking for. He did his best to tie them around his sore arm, making awkward positions with his fingers and tightening the ends with his teeth. It wasn’t the most attractively wrapped wound, but it kept the bleeding down.

Then he stirred through the kit a bit longer in hopes of finding any pain killers, but fate was absolutely determined to fuck him over. He could feel the anxiety coming over him now. It almost overtook the throbbing in his arm. Wilbur shoved the emergency kit’s entrails back inside their plastic chest and slammed it shut. He tossed the box over to the magazine stand in frustration, but his aim was dreadful and he ended up knocking the whole thing over. Various articles of hot gossip and designer clothing spilled out onto the black and white tiled floor. Wilbur stared at the mess he’d made, considering whether or not to clean it up. Whether or not it mattered. Then his eye caught a glimpse at that display tree of Mayfair and Modiano.

Wilbur wasted no time, and hurried over to the tree, swiftly plucking one of its morbid fruits off its stainless-steel branches. He almost turned back to the counter before deciding that a pack of playing cards would hardly be missed, especially over a pack of smokes. He nabbed the pretty blue deck of Modiano that matched the blue-boxed Mayfairs and skipped over to the counter where he’d seen the small basket of lighters from earlier. He stuffed the cards in the right pocket of his jacket and opened the box of those tantalizing orange and white sticks, all perfectly bundled up like a freshly sharpened carton of back-to-school pencils just waiting to be used. He slid one of the sticks out before setting the box on the counter. He placed the fag between his lips and struck the lighter in one fast click, the sound filling him with that secure feeling of familiarity. He brought the flame close and held it in place until the cigarette burned and the smoke fell into his lungs.

Wilbur held in the fumes as they swirled together like heavy thunderclouds in his chest before finally breathing out a long stream smoke one might see from the smokebox of a steam train. Even though he’d been smoking for most of his life and even up to the hour of his death, that first hit was always something special. Something longed for. Something that never failed to satisfy. Wilbur stayed behind the counter and smoked away until he’d finished the entire fag, then he reached for the box and pulled out another stick. He lit that one as well and smoked until all of his nerves had quieted down and the fire in his arm cooled to a dull ache. Then, he stuffed the lighter in the right pocket of his trousers along with the Mayfairs and climbed over the counter.

He strode into the open area and spun around the steel-blue pillars like a lazy kid swinging on the monkey bars, sluggishly going from one to the next. His mind was loaded with thoughts and questions as if a dozen weighted blankets had just been dropped on his head. Had he really died? If not, then where was he? Would another train come by soon? Would it even let him on?

Then he noticed that further down the station, there was a tunnel. He leaned away from the pillar he’d been swinging round to get a better look, his right hand acting as a tether to keep him from falling. He could see stairs at the foot of the tunnel, and a sign overhead that read “way out” with an arrow pointing up. Wilbur’s heart didn’t exactly leap for joy, but he was intrigued, so he let go of the pillar and thoughtfully made his way over to the tunnel. When he reached the base of the stairs, he saw that the “way out” had been closed off with a barrier of heavy metal shutters. A part of Will stayed at the base of the stairs in pessimistic lethargy, but the other side of him hoped that the shutters would be unlocked like the netting at the food station, and that he would be capable of lifting them on his own despite the electric shocks in his left arm.

He was about to take that first step when suddenly, the thundering blast of a toilet flushing filled the station. The sound caused his heart to leap out of his chest and nearly choke on his own saliva. He turned around and searched the station for a lavatory, but was caught off guard when, from out of his periphery, a blue door swung open. Wilbur stubbled back in shock at the sight before him. The man with those distinguished ram horns that never failed to call attention to his corporate composed face walked out of the nearest toilet, completely wrapped up in wiping his hands off with a fluffy white towel. By the time the man looked up and actually noticed Wilbur, Wilbur’s ass had found a place on the floor and the cigarette was dangling from his lips as his jaw had gone lax in utter disbelief.

“Holy shit.” Was all the man could say upon seeing Wilbur. And Wilbur, though speechless, felt the same. For the man that stood before him had died only hours before he’d died himself.

“Schlatt.” Wilbur said. They stayed like that for a while. Analyzing the lines of each other’s ghostly faces. The two of them had died. Wilbur was actually dead. And they were both here. All of the questions came bubbling up in Wilbur’s mind once again about how he had gotten here and where “here” actually was. But he remained silent. Schlatt’s cold eyes burrowed into Wilbur’s and for a moment, they seemed to share a privet conversation, or rather an understanding, that all of the heartache and blood spilt in the land of the living due to their rich rivalry meant absolutely nothing. They were just two insignificant souls trapped in the same universe and destined to die for power trips and shit coke.

And then Schlatt started to laugh. Each cackle, every snort, was like the claws of a house cat digging through Wilbur’s chest in a frantic attempt to find his heart. Wilbur sat back and took it. He noticed that Schlatt’s clothes had changed as well. Instead of his normal formal wear, he was in a white tank top and gym shorts. Wilbur would have pointed and laughed as well if the situation hadn’t been so mind-boggling. He watched as tears developed in Schlatt’s eyes from laughing so hard and the man use the towel to wipe them away.

“That’s a good one.” He sighed as he pressed the towel up under his eyes. “Anyway.” Schlatt tossed the cloth at Wilbur and it plopped directly into his lap as Schlatt turned away from him and bounced up the steps. For a moment Wilbur found himself incapable of reacting, but as soon as his wits came about, he grabbed the towel and raced up the stairs to catch up to his old rival.

“Do you know what this place is?” He asked hurriedly. And when Schlatt didn’t answer, all of the questions came flooding out of Wilbur’s mouth with such force that not even the Hoover dam could’ve stopped them. “Did we actually die? Is this Hell or something else? When my arm got crushed in the barriers, why did it hurt? Why have my clothes been changed? What the hell are you wearing? When did you-”

“Get here?” Schlatt cut Will off from his waterfall of wonder without taking his eyes off the steel curtain at the ridge of the staircase. Wilbur forced himself to shut up as he climbed alongside the man in silent suspense. “Five days ago.” And then ice coursed through Wilbur’s veins, causing his legs to malfunction and his mind to glitch as the answer began to register in his brain. Schlatt kept walking. If it hadn’t been for the fear of losing track of the only other living being in the place, Will would’ve stayed frozen. Instead he raced back into step with Schlatt and tried desperately to gain eye contact with him again.

“That’s impossible. We died hours apart.”

“You still believe in the word ‘impossible’ Will?” Schlatt answered. And he had a point. Though he couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around it, Wilbur was beginning to understand that everything he thought he knew about the universe was just a bunch of old lies delicately put together like a papeir-mâché mask, and it was falling apart right in front of him, rotting at a million seconds per minute, the flakes of his prior knowledge floating away with the ghosts of his past self.

“As for the other stuff,” Schlatt spoke above the panicked screams in Wilbur’s head, “didn’t you listen to the guy on the radio? He explained everything.” Schlatt asked, finally glancing in Wilbur’s direction.

“I couldn’t make anything out.”

“That’s what growing up in the country will do to you.” Schlatt scoffed. “Allow me to translate.” He said as they reached the top of the staircase and Schlatt pulled a pair of keys out of his pocket. Wilbur watched as he bent down to the ground and unlocked the shutter door. “Basically, this is limbo. We’re stuck here until we reach our ‘second death’ whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean. You can get hurt, but you can’t heal so be more fucking careful.” Schlatt grunted as he pulled the steel curtain up over his head. “The rest is a mystery.” He said as he stepped into the room behind the curtain.

Yes, room. Not a “way out” like the sign had promised. Wilbur peeked inside and saw various workout equipment and tastless posters decorating the place.

“What is this?” Wilbur asked. But Schlatt was already closing the shutters behind him.

“Mine.” Was the last thing he said before cutting off their conversation with a loud clang. Wilbur stood alone, looking at his warped reflection in the stainless steel door, just like he had done at the glass barriers not moments ago, only this time with more earth-shattering knowledge than before. All from the mouth of that grease ridden asshole who had probably just finished clogging the toilets with his deplorable shit.

Limbo. He had called it. Five days ago. Wilbur counted the hours in his head as he turned around and made his way down the concrete stairs in heavy contemplation and inhaled the cigarette’s sweet nectar. Was it five hours or three? Six? Maybe two? And as his boots hit the station’s floor, Wilbur came to the heartbreaking conclusion that a day on earth could quite possibly equal a month in “limbo”. He stared out at the grimy abandoned station, the dank air stale on his tongue and the quiet, screaming into his mind. This was no afterlife. This was prison.

Wilbur wondered over to the tube’s barrier doors in a hazy daze and plopped himself down next to them. He reached for the smooth glass with his right hand and pressed his fingertips against it. He gently rolled his fingers into a loose fist that gradually tightened with the knot of anger and sadness developing in his stomach. Then his cigarette fell out of his mouth as he allowed his lungs to heave one singular sob. The sound resonated so loud in his ears that he could have mistaken it for an oncoming train. The tears were trapped in his eyes, and the world became a soft blur of color and noise, absent of cradling arms. Will’s heart shattered and the universe seemed to stop spinning for a moment, as if it heard the sound like a mother’s china being carelessly knocked to the floor by her rambunctious children. There was nothing left to hold onto. He had lost everything.

And then Will did the only thing he knew how to do. He rolled over so that he was leaning his back on the barriers and reached into his right jacket pocket for the pack of cigarettes. However, when he pulled open the lid, the sticks were gone and they had been replaced with sleek slabs of thin plastic. He’d accidentally grabbed the playing cards. Wilbur pushed a few of them out of the box with his thumb. The first card he saw was the joker, silently cackling at him. Wilbur pulled the card out along with his brother and held both of those smiling sons of bitches between his fingers. He laid the rest of the deck on the floor and then picked up his discarded cigarette and pushed its smolder into the faces of those ugly bastards. Those fools. Those worthless, stupid, insignificant beings that thought perhaps a poetic death would endorse their suffering. Those selfish idiots that thought failure was so harsh a word, they could somehow snuff it out with the blade of their father’s sword. That perhaps beyond the stars, beyond years, beyond people, beyond time, there was something the universe had to offer them. Something the universe could give to them so that they weren’t always grasping at tobacco wrapped fucking straws or packages of red wrapped gunpowder. And then the orange and red flames enveloped them both. They curled in hot pain and eventually burned into a sad stack of ash.

Then Wilbur turned his gaze upon the living and he knew he’d done right by them.

He dumped the jokers’ family out onto the grey concrete in front of him. The diamonds glowing with purpose. The clubs sitting in silent strength. The spades clear of grime and gore. The hearts full and unbroken. And the royal court looking stoic as ever. Will pulled them all together and thought of a game to play. He shuffled the cards in his hands, ignoring the vicious pain looping his left arm. The cards had edges so soft that they trickled like rain through his fingertips. Then he laid the cards down spreading their smooth surfaces out like seamless lines of coke and his sadness seemed to soak into the intricacies of their pretty blue design. This would be his first game of solitaire. The first game out of 58,728.

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whimsicallyreading · 3 years

Text

The Death of Me

Part Two-

Danika stares at the gelatinous pony on her bedside table with empty eyes. It’s lifeless gaze kept a constant vigil that she found strangely comforting, especially after Ruhn Danaan ordered her ass home.

Now she was basically a prisoner in her own room. Sabine and the 33rd had already wrung all the information they could from her. Bryce’s piece-of-shit father hadn’t even bothered to show up at HQ.

She would rake him for that.

To ignore your child in life is one thing. But to ignore your daughters death and allow the CC Media to run wild with the stories as they have been? It was disgusting. It made her ill. He would pay for his negligence.

But first, she had to talk to Ember.

~~~

Lunathion’s Party Princess gets taken down a peg!

Notorious partner in crime, Bryce Quinlan massacred in the up-and-coming Alpha’s mutual residence.

~~~

Danika new it would be a rough phone call. She knew that the woman on the other side of the phone would be grieving. That grief makes people act out and say things they don’t mean.

Still, the guttural cries on the other side of the line shocks her. It evokes the first twinge of emotion she’d felt outside of her own pain in days.

Guilt.

“What happened, Danika?” Her surrogate mother sobs over the speaker. “They won’t tell me how it happened. I don’t even know when they will release my daughter’s body for burial.”

The weeping increases in intensity, as Danika bites back her bitter thoughts. Ember would likely never get to see her daughter’s remains. There was nothing left. No fixing the damage done to Bryce’s frame. She was cracked like a shell and vacated, the autopsies they would need to perform would only further ruin her flesh.

“I can’t tell you anything yet,” Danika consoles. “There’s a lot I don’t know, but I will find out the details. In the mean time...I know this is a lot to ask-“

Danika chokes over the words. Emotions were never her strong suit. On an average day it didn’t matter, people knew it was her nature to be blunt. They took no offense to her crass personality. Even if her words hit a mark, who would say anything to her?

Ember was different. She cared for the woman who’d loved her like she was flesh and blood. Who mothered the person that was her soul friend. Danika didn’t want to cause Ember any more pain than she was already going through, but this request would not land lightly.

“What is it?” Ember’s voice rasps over the phone.

Danika pulls air deeply into her lungs and closes her eyes. “I need you to stay away from the city.”

Silence.

“It’s dangerous right now. I don’t know why Bryce was targeted. If there is any link between you and the killer whatsoever I don’t want you in their line of fire.” Danika knows she rambling, but her composure couldn’t exist in the blanketed quiet.

“I promise I’ll take care of everything. I’ll figure out where Bryce is and make sure she gets home to you. Paperwork, medical issues, I’ll take care of it all, Mama Ember.” The promises she makes are big, she’s not even sure she can fulfill all of them. “Just please, stay back and keep safe.”

More silence. Danika’s stomach is rolling and she’s not sure if Ember is ever going to reply when a new voice sounds from the device.

“Danika, it’s Randall. We understand what you mean. Ember is just- processing right now.”

The loving, vibrant man who mailed them chocolate croissants, and could out shoot every member of the city’s aux units sounds hollow. None of the normal jovial inflections or calming vibrato. Randall sounds like he’s been choking down glass. “We will stay in Nidaros.”

Danika’s shoulders curl in relief. “Thank-“

“On one condition.” Randall cuts her off commandingly. “You bring whatever is left of my babygirl home, Danika. We don’t want her body dumped in that river.”

He wetly sniffles and something shatters in the background.

“I promise,” Danika whispers, feeling like a small child again. “I promise.”

Bryce Quinlan’s questionable lineage could be to blame!

Could halfbreed Bryce Quinlan’s vanir parent play a roll in the brutal death she received over this weekend?

“A bastard daughter is never a good look to a powerful vanir,” says councilwoman Sabine Fendyr

Connor and Bronson had a grip on either of her arms as she tries to refrain from clawing her mother’s face off.

“You bitch! You had no idea what you were talking about,” Danika spits, and it only makes her blood boil further when it misses the mark.

Sabine was too poised for a woman who’s daughter was actively trying to kill her. She fiddled with the rip that Danika’s claws left in the shoulder of her expensive suit, and raised a manicured brow. “I only spoke the truth. Are not most young demifae deaths due to domestic disputes with the vanir parent?”

“For children, yes!” Danika can feel her wolf pushing under her skin, begging to take control. “Bryce knew her father, he has no interest in her whatsoever. You are distracting from the actual killer.”

“Danika, I know this isn’t what you want to hear,” Sabine steps closer, only to stumble back as Danika’s wolf releases a throaty growl. “It looks like a home invasion. Things are missing from the apartment. Quinlan was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“No,” Danika half growls, half whimpers.

“Someone wanted a token from one of the most powerful alphas in all of Midguard.” Sabine continues. “Bryce, with no magic to her name, no way to defend herself got caught up in the mess. It’s unfortunate.”

“You called her a halfbreed,” Danika can’t force the tears back anymore. They run in rivulets down her cheeks, and Connor leans his face against her shoulder as he cracks too.

Sabine shakes her head, “It’s what she is. I raised you to be more logical than this, Danika. You can leave when you regain some semblance of composure.”

The door clicks behind her. She’d locked them in her room. Danika growls and storms over to the door, grabbing the knob with clawed hands. The wood gouges, and the hinges creek as she shakes the lock.

It doesn’t budge.

Bronson walks up beside her, currently the calmest of the three of them but equally downtrodden. He eyes the door, and with one swift movement, kicks the door and sends it flying off the hinges.

“Screw her,” Bronson mutters under his breath.

Connor is sitting on her bed, head in hands. “They are dragging her name through the mud.”

Danika purses her lips, but she can’t disagree. The headlines were only becoming more inflamed.

Bryce Quinlan’s History of Public Indecency

Reed Redner claims that Quinlan attempted to solicit him for a chance to stick her hands in the family fortune!

Does Jesiba Roga’s apprentice manage her dark dealings in Lunathion’s Meat Market?

Leaked! A photo of Bryce Quinlan with Prince Ruhn Danaan. Secret lovers or vengeful baby daddy?

“She’s going to pull the aux units off the case,” Danika breathes out. “She is already setting up an alternative story to pacify the media and her family.”

Connor shakes his head, “her family will never go for the home invasion shit.”

“They won’t,” Danika agrees. “If she pulls the wolf aux off the beat, that only leaves the Fae or the 33rd looking into this.”

“So we gave to work with the 33rd or the faerie squad? Great.” Bronson rubs his face. “Just great.”

They would have to work with one or the other. When Sabine pulls them, they will lose access to all of the research equipment and aux recourses. Danika would not sit idly while Bryce’s death was swept under the rug.

“Let’s start with the Fae. Ruhn is as invested in this as we are, he may be of some assistance.” Danika pulls out her phone to texts the rest of the pack.

Fury Axtar- Danika. What’s going on? yesterday at 8:07

Fury Axtar- I heard. I’m coming. yesterday at 8:10

“Well, it looks like Fury is on her way. We’ll have more help than we thought,” Danika texts Fury to come to the packhorse, not the apartment.

“Do you think she could do something about these articles?” Connor gritted through his teeth, his phone white-knuckled in his hands. Alerts had been popping up on their news apps all day. They’d tagged everything with Bryce’s name thinking something useful may come up, but it was all gossip and slander.

“That’s not really Fury’s expertise,” Danika thinks out loud. “Declan Emmet may be able to help with that.”

“Anything to get this shit taken down,” Bronson’s wolf flashes in his eyes. “Her family doesn’t deserve to be bombarded with this shit.”

“Bryce wasn’t like this,” Connar rakes his hand over his scalp. He was already looking sallow from lack of rest. There was a hollowness to him, that Danika could feel echo in her own soul. Neither of them would forget what they’d seen

“She wasn’t. We will fix it,” Danika makes another promise. “All of it.”

Bronson and Connor tip their heads in respect. They trust her as their alpha to lead them. Bryce was honorary pack. All of them are grieving and looking to her for guidance. To avenge the lost member of their family.

All Danika can do is assure them and hope she’s telling the truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@cursebreaker29

@firestarsandseneschals

@julemmaes

@tillyrubes10

@live-the-fangirl-life

@ghostlyrose2

@kingandfireheart

@fredweasleyhasadhd

@vanzetanze

@wordsxstars

@highladyof-erilea

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thatringboy · 4 years

Text

All of my other TWST HCs

Because my Twisted Wonderland Headcanons have been my most popular posts, here I am giving the mob what they want! An almost complete list of Headcanons I have about every character and house!

This is by far my longest post and it took me three days to type, so I hope you guys get a laugh out of it!

WARNING: THESE ARE MY PERSONAL OPINIONS ABOUT EACH CHARACTER. IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH ONE, PLEASE DON’T ATTACK ME OR OTHERS WHO SUPPORT MY HCS. JUST DON’T BE A DICK.

Heartslabyul

The word “Queen” is gender neutral

Frequently allows students from other houses to study with them

Recently expanded into two buildings dedicated just for dorms to house all of the students

Actually lots of words are gender neutral

Riddle

Does rebellious things with Trey sometimes

Actually struggled with gender for a while because of his mother and responds to all pronouns (he/she/they), but identifies as male

Sometimes uses the label “Androgynous Male”

Is attracted to Trey, but he can’t tell if it’s because of his childhood or because he genuinely likes his Vice DH

Has Tea Time TM with Vil

Abolished gender roles in NRC despite it being an all guys school

During Summer Vacation he wears jean shorts and mint green tank tops with red flip flops

Has a pet crab that is red and named “Queen” despite Riddle not knowing Queen’s gender

Queen is the mascot for Heartslabyul despite being a sea creature

We stan Queen the Crab in this house.

Trey

Enjoys breaking the rules with Riddle, even if it’s not very often

He dyed his hair green as a joke with Cater during his first year, but decided to keep it

Has fallen for Riddle. Hard.

But between his dignity, his position and him not knowing if Riddle likes men, he won’t say anything that could ruin the friendship

Rook found out by accident and actually helps Trey try to work up the courage to ask Riddle out, but Trey always backs down

Invented a type of Tea that soaks clover leaves and it tastes like vanilla mixed with mint

Cater

#SELFIE

Not really a drama queen, but will egg on fights for views

Sometimes his clones will develop different accents and that’s how you tell them apart

Has a pansexual flag in his room

Spends more time partying in Scarabia than in Heartslabyul

Is close friends with Kalim and actually crushed on him for a bit, but got over it once he noticed the way he looks at Jamil

Actually gives good relationship advice

Deuce

Was Bi-Curious during his Pre-NRC days and actually tried to put it behind him like everything else

However, like, everyone at NRC is some flavor of gay

So he gave up on his internalized homophobia and now lives his full authentic life!

Still uses the labels Bi-Curious and Questioning and often goes to Cater for advice

But his buddies love and support him no matter what

Is a huge feminist

Cater fully believes that Deuce likes Ace, but he actually doesn’t

Deuce admits when men are attractive, no matter if it makes them uncomfortable or not

Didn’t go over well with Jack

But the two are cool now

Ace

Probably one of the straightest guys you’ll ever meet besides Rook

Actually learned what the different teas smell like so that he never messed up again

Enjoys his fights with Grim, even if Grim is a little shit

Like seriously Grim is a little flying rat shit turd fuck but that’s just my opinion

Almost never learns from his mistakes and always pays the price

Chaotic Good.

Loves going on adventures with the Prefect and Grim!

Has never gone back to the Mostro Lounge without Jack or the Prefect

Also got really into Mermaid culture and regularly goes back to the Atlantica Memorial Museum to talk with that one guard

Has memorized the script from the Little Mermaid

Can sing You Pour, Unfortunate Soul in a perfect baritone vibrato despite his high voice

Also takes singing lessons from Azul, but only if someone else is in the room with them

Savanaclaw

Throws pool parties regularly

Octavinelle is almost always invited

Magift between the two houses is insane

Leona

Raging Bisexual, need I say more?

Goes to great lengths to find loopholes and just be lazy

Also goes to great lengths to help Ruggie

Hates his brother, but loves Cheka and his sister-in-law

Can’t properly digest seafood, but eats in in front of Azul and the Leech twins just to be a bitch

Is kinda clingy

Even if he doesn’t want to, he goes to all of the Savanaclaw vs Octavinelle vs Pomfiore karaoke battles

Can’t sing for shit, but likes to watch Ruggie and Jack duet and destroy everyone

Constantly reminds Malleus about the time they swapped robes

Actually swaps clothing with Malleus quite often on purpose to see how they feel

Ruggie

A good singer

But kinda self conscious about it??

Also a Raging Bisexual

Play flirts a lot with Leona, even though they don’t like one another like that

Is FtM Transgender, fully transitioned, and wears his scarf to cover the fact that he doesn’t have much chest hair and his scars

Only Leona and Crowley know

Gets a little dysphoria because his voice is still so high and because he’s shorter than everyone in Savanaclaw, but takes one look at Riddle, Lila and Ace and forgets about it

Jack suspects, but the two make a killer duo during karaoke!

Jack

Is straight, but won’t get in your face about it

Actually learned how to become a fast swimmer just to flex on Jade and Floyd

Has memorized almost all of Heartslabyul’s rules just because he didn’t want to be disrespectful

Arm wrestles with Floyd often

Helps out in the Mostro Lounge pretty often when he’s bored

His karaoke skills are out of this world!

Also has memorized the layout for Ramshackle Dorm just so he wouldn’t get lost in there

Tsundere? Maybe.....

Knows something’s different about Ruggie, but can’t figure it out

Respects privacy like crazy

Just a cool guy to be around

Octavinelle

Hosts the karaoke battles

Now pays their employees in the Mostro Lounge

Gives free singing lessons

Azul

Choir Gay TM

Aromantic Homosexual

Constantly has Boss Bitch by Doja Cat in his head

Actually has shit handwriting and it made his Golden Contracts all the much more powerful

His handwriting is beautiful underwater, though

When he’s feeling lazy, Azul transforms into his Merman form and uses his 8 extra arms to do things for him

Has a single picture from his childhood that he has not edited (or tried to edit)

It’s of him, Jade and Floyd graduating Junior High

All three of them are linking arms and smiling brightly

It sits on his nightstand in a golden frame

Gives most of the singing lessons

But doesn’t participate in the karaoke battles

“I’ll join if Leona joins.”

Petty about the karaoke

Jade

Once swapped clothing styles with Floyd for an entire day and was just chaotic towards everyone

Does this more often now just to relieve stress

Only the Prefect could ever tell them apart

Not even Azul knew they had swapped

Is Pansexual and liked Azul during Junior High, but got over it once they started at NRC

Can scare someone so badly that they tell the truth regardless of Jade using his magic

50 students were asked who they’d rather have to fight, 42 of them said “Floyd all the way! No way am I fighting Jade!”

Was actually popular in Junior High, but turned down opportunities to be more popular to spend time with Floyd and Azul

Can cuss in 8 languages

Floyd

When he swapped clothing with Jade, he actually enjoyed being calm and responsible

Loves to do things like that for Jade

Raging Homosexual, need I say more?

His Bakugou impression is on point

There are several videos of him just standing at the end of a dark hallway laughing and whispering “Die, Deku!”

Also really likes Volleyball despite being on the Basketball team

Takes Bean Day a lot farther than it needs to be

Flirts with Riddle a lot, knowing it upsets Trey

But doesn’t know that Trey actually likes Riddle

Has sea related nicknames for everyone

Scarabia

Everyone has to help take care of Snake

Monthly competitions where Kalim hands out free vacations

The competitions involve taking care of Snake

Who is Snake? You’ll see.

Kalim

When he learned what Pansexual was, he went around Scarabia clapping pans together to come out

Cater was the one who explained it to him

Loves to party and flirt with Jamil, but can be serious if needed

Sometimes holds group therapy for his dorm residents

But also PARTY 24/7 IF IT HAS ALCOHOL WE CHUGGIN’ TONIGHT!

PARTY ROCKERS IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT

Named his magic carpet “Jamil Jr.”

Flexes on Azul with Jamil Jr.

Is open about his attraction to Jamil, but also respects Jamil’s personal space

He and Lila sneak out at night to mess with people

Jamil

Has a pet snake that he never named

Just calls the snake “Snake”.

When Jamil’s busy, other residents take turns taking care of Snake

There is an entire chore chart and half of the chores involve Snake

Snake isn’t even the dorm mascot, he’s just Jamil’s pet

Tsundere TM

The only reason he doesn’t accept Kalim’s professions of love is because of his family obligations to serve the Al-Asim family

Takes family and traditions very seriously

Internalized homophobia? Maybe....

Petty as well

Has poured sand into people’s shoes and hidden scorpions in beds

Pomfiore

Usually wins the karaoke battles

Unless Ruggie + Jack join

Make up tips

Vil

I’ve said most of my HCs about him

But I’ll retype them

Wine Mom TM

Musical Theatre Gay TM

Tea Time TM

Fashion Police TM

NRC James Charles

But also respective of people’s sexualities

Has poured water into people’s makeup

Has attempted to give Rook a make over, but Rook is more acrobatic then he looks

Has never actually sung in public

Likes to keep people guessing over his singing voice

Has a cherry apple tree in the school garden that he spends time every day taking care of

Runs NRC’s GSA

Rook

Heterosexual TM

Wears Doc Martens sandals with beige cargo shorts and white polo shirts when not in uniform

Can be seen back-flipping away in this outfit while Vil chases him around the dorm

Is allergic to strawberries

Epel’s bodyguard

Throws rotten fruit at people and calls it a prank

His bangs were by accident

But decided to keep them

Pretends to hunt, but can’t shoot for shit

However does go on fishing trips

Has to have some Heterosexual Hobbies TM

Epel

Is an actual Prince

Like owns land

Everyone in the dorm protects him

Is actually like Honey Senpai

Will put you in your place.

Like fr is a top.

Despite being so small

I don’t know what his sexuality would be

Probably Bisexual

Can lower is voice a lot if needed

Ignihyde

There’s magic inside of the dorm that turns all fire blue, but the fire turns back to normal once outside the dorm

Doesn’t apply to Ortho’s hair, though

Has the most LGBT residents - even more than Pomfiore surprisingly

Actually, not surprising - have you seen Disney’s Hades????

Iida

Cat-sits for Professer Trein

Everyone believes he can set his hair on fire, but he actually can’t

His hair is naturally that fire-y color

Loves to prank people, but never in person

Social Anxiety? Personified.

Before he rebuilt Ortho, Iida had a robot he controlled from his room that went to class for him

The robot was named “Meg”

Now he just uses his screens

Owns a crop top that has a cat face on it that Ortho made for him

Actually wears it a lot, but nobody ever sees below his shoulders on his screens

Oh yeah, also constantly questioning his sexuality

Currently likes guys, but that might just be because he goes to an all-guys school

Ortho

Has tons of cat plushies in his room despite not needing to sleep

Also has a mini library in his room, but he memorized all of the books

Burns things with his hair

Also sews a lot

Spills tea about the dorm residents with Trey, Jamil and Lilia

Has a couple pictures from before he became a robot, but doesn’t remember taking them

Has a bulletin board where he hangs pictures of his friends and family

Actually takes photography classes from Cater

Doesn’t focus on sexuality, so he just goes with “Queer”

People assume he’s scared of water because of his fire hair, but he loves playing in pools

Once cosplayed as Alphonse Elric and Iida was Edward from FML

Has pictures of that as well

Diasomnia

Basically one big family

Even more-so than other dorms like Ignihyde

Has a vault of hard liquor that has been sitting there for centuries

Malleus

Responds to Tsunotaro

Smuggles hard liquor into Scarabia despite not being a drinker

Has a YouTube account where he visits old buildings

Floyd ruined his Ramshackle Dorm video by standing at the end of a hallway and laughing

Can turn into a Dragon

His horns aren’t sensitive

Lilia once hung Christmas lights from them and Malleus didn’t notice for the entire day

Sometimes Lilia jumps and pulls on Malleus’ horns when he’s being dumb

Polysexual, but leans towards men

When he looks surprised by something - he genuinely is surprised, not faking it for someone else

Doesn’t believe in hiding emotions

Is actually like 300 years old, but was frozen for a good amount of it

Also immortal and is stuck at being physically 18

Damn Fairy magic

Oh and he didn’t mind wearing Leona’s ceremonial robes that one time

They were comfy

Enjoys swapping clothes with Leona a lot

Also had a crown made of thorns that is uncomfortable to wear

He burned it, but hasn’t told anyone yet

Takes the term “mom friend” to another level

Just ask Silver

Lilia

Only calls Malleus “old man” to be a prick

Is like 500 years old

Has gone through high school many times

Can undo stitches in people’s clothing without them knowing until their clothing falls apart

Asexual Homoromantic

“Who needs sex when you can be a bitch?” - Lilia Vanrouge, 2020

Is Malleus’ royal advisor

Spills tea like crazy

Has catfished people

Is the cool dad

Sebek

Is a Malleus fanboy???

He named his horse Draco

I don’t have many Headcanons about Sebek actually

Probably drinks tea with Riddle sometimes

Oh and definitely a bottom

Is he Bi? Poly? Pan? No one knows

But he’s a power bottom

Silver

Doesn’t have a last name because he was raised by Lilia and Malleus

Is indebted to Malleus because of this

and Lilia too, but like I said, Lilia is the cool dad

(he is actually indebted to Malleus in canon, but idk if it’s for this reason or not)

just let him have two platonically gay dads that go to school with him

Once in a Diasomnia/Savanaclaw sleepover, he and Leona passed out on each other’s shoulders while Ruggie and Lilia took photos

The photos haven’t been seen in a while, but are still around somewhere

Actually has several photos of him falling asleep with his head in Lilia’s lap

His bed stretches across his entire wall, forming a bench almost

Owns a suit of armor

It has a sword

He can use the sword if needed

Can he just get a nap????

Because of his relationship with Malleus, seeing fireflies calms him down

Is this guy wholesome? Yes.

Is he a Bisexual top? Also yes.

Can’t make everything wholesome

Holy fuck my fingers hate me. If you managed to read this far, I hope you enjoyed my headcanons for Twisted Wonderland students and houses! I don’t know enough about the teachers to make headcanons for each them, but I do have one for the staff:

Sam and Dire Crowley

Married

This is the only reason Sam runs the school store

Sam is not qualified for anything else

But Dire loves him too much to fire him

Forget the wholesomeness between the Dorm heads and their Vices

This is the most wholesome pair

Okay seriously - I need to stop making these headcanons it’s midnight at my house. I’ve spent probably close to 13 hours (give or take with a lot of breaks) writing these down and doing research on characters just so that my headcanons don’t seem completely out of the blue. Also, don’t be afraid to post your own headcanons, even if canon doesn’t always support them. That’s the thing about fictional characters - they’re open to interpretation!

And now to the long list of tags....

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legalvinyl · 3 years

Text

Epitomizing Classic Rock Lead Guitar

Half the fun of being a musician is trying to look like, sound like, and play like your heroes. While this path often leads to expensive sessions on websites like eBay and reverb searching for that next magical piece of gear and alternating between moments of joy and frustration as you get a little closer to playing like your idols but then realizing the closer you get just how much better they are than you - regardless, chasing this dream is a lot like chasing the dragon; it probably isn’t possible but you’re going to try anyways.

In the world of guitar playing, which is a world I’ve proudly inhabited now since the single digits in age, the unfailing chase for ‘that tone’ is something that comes as a universal qualifier once someone gets comfortable enough to rip a pentatonic scale with a little bravado and confidence. While I love rhythm guitar playing and think it’s one of those areas that truly makes a great guitar player (especially when playing with others or in a band setting), my heart rests in the beauty and magic of the solo and melody in lead guitar playing. There’s something so expressive, like a direct link from your emotions and your soul to the fretboard that creates a special bond and demands full attention from not only yourself, but also your audience. It’s a spotlight moment, and as much as it presents an opportunity to sound like a cliché poser, it can also bring a strong moment of glory that feels so gratifying after rehearsing and practicing licks repeatedly until one can play them from muscle memory alone. This compilation of songs demonstrates some of my favorite and most influential guitarists at the top of their game. I hope it can serve as inspiration for aspiring guitar players and entertains some rock music fans who just want to groove along with players that make the connection between the instrument and the individual seem more like a spiritual illumination than just a guy pulling on some strings on a dead piece of wood.

Starting with the most classic rock sounding classic rock possible, we have Paul Kossoff ripping his Les Paul into a cranked Marshall stack (the true epitome and peak of rock n roll) in the song I’m A Mover from the Free Live! album. That crunchy guitar tone makes up the vast majority of the left pan of the mix, so listeners can hear every detail and nuance in his playing clearly. And boy does he use that space to good use. Kossoff combines some tasteful but not overly exaggerated riff-based rhythm playing with opportunities to launch off into vibrato heavy solos all the while keeping a perfect understanding of the timing of the song and the rest of the band. It’s a tight song that gives the lead player just the right amount of ‘free’dom without getting lost in excess. Kossoff doesn’t try to use too many notes or pull the song in his direction entirely; he stays central to the bluesy message of the song and lets his fingers do the talking with impactful and purposeful words with every note.

Next, we’ll move to my two favorite guitarists of all time (which I could’ve used as examples for probably over a hundred songs of lead mastery) starting with Eric Clapton. This recording is unique for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it features such an incredible all-star lineup called the Dirty Mac which features (get ready for it) John Lennon on rhythm guitar and vocals, Keith Richards on bass, and Mitch Mitchell on drums. And for you guitar nerds out there, Clapton rips his signature cherry red es-335 into a fender stack that conjures up serious undertones of Clapton’s biggest influencer, the great B.B. King. The tone is a little thin and snarly for Clapton during this stadium-playing Cream-era time of his guitar career, but I love it as a deviation from his usual sound that also informs his playing and almost shows his personality more in a lot of ways than his typical Marshall stack sound does. And Clapton is really at his best here soloing over the entire 4-minute song with all the soul and character that made countless guitar players in the late 60’s gush over. Just watch the video, these are all legends in rock music having fun and absolutely killing a great Beatles cover.

youtube

My second favorite guitar player, Mick Taylor from The Rolling Stones, is rarely mentioned in debates of sensational lead players for very strange and inscrutable reasons. Simply listen to his lead work on Hide Your Love and you’ll get goosebumps at Mick’s ability to combine difficult sequences with endless amounts of taste and feel. This classic blues song lets Mick showcase his chops in the background during the entire song, and Jagger even shuts up every once in a while, to let him really steal the show. There’s this sense of control and expertise that comes across in this track that only a true master could convey, and I really think this represents unbeatable guitar work no matter who would try to challenge him.

The passionate, almost violent guitar sound from Jeff Beck’s Let Me Love You is unique and gutsy in all the best ways. Another very bluesy track from another English group, this track demonstrates how fighting with your guitar can feel like a bluesman at the crossroads who’s truly battling with the devil. The tone is unique, the playing is inflamed, and the notes are all creative and expressive in a manner that would make a lot of guitar players scratch their heads and think ‘how the hell did he do that?’.

Another angry song from a player who needs no introduction, Tony Iommi’s playing on the track Jack the Stripper / Fairies Wear Boots is genre defining and innovative to say the least. The song’s introduction almost has a jazzy feel; it’s free-flowing and loose, but the unity between guitarist, bassist, and drummer is so tight that the listener never feels lost and the track never seems directionless. Although this track isn’t one big soloing showcase like some of the others, I challenge any guitarist who thinks they know their chops to play along with this in perfect time and with the same refined rage that Iommi musters. It’s a killer track with a distorted metal tone that takes its roots from more bluesy and latin-flavored backgrounds, and it shows that heavy rock and metal sounds can come from fewer notes played with fervor rather than haste.

The last track ends this list like a sweet desert. Blue Sky by the Allman Brothers is a masterclass of taste and self-command. Two guitars trade solos that feel exactly like a warm summer sun, and the notes seem to radiate out from the guitarist’s souls rather than their fingers. Almost as if Jerry Garcia had grown up on a peach farm, the solos are melodic and don’t feel like standard pentatonic runs or played out blues riffs. Every note is purposeful and connects the phrases together with a real naturalness that somehow makes the listener feel like they’re in the middle of a field on a beautiful day no matter their setting or time of year. It’s a song that captures a vibe unlike any other, and the guitar playing is so perfect for the track that you can’t help but smile.

Obviously not an entirely exhaustive list as I’ve had to omit a few guitarists that certainly deserve your attention, as well, but I hope this gives the classic rock guitarist a wide range of sounds and playing styles to learn from and appreciate. Every guitarist mentioned in this list has other great tracks in their catalogue, and I strongly encourage you to invest yourself into their playing even more to discover further inventiveness that should provide countless hours of learning and inspiration. Cheers and enjoy!

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeFwaWFTGYU

Mick Taylor Photo: https://sfae.com/Artists/Dominique-Tarle/Mick-Taylor-Recording-in-the-Basement-Studio-Nellc

#guitar #paul kossoff #eric clapton #mick taylor #jeffbeck #toniiommi #allman brothers band #classic rock #guitar solo #masterclass

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nobody-wants-ice-cream · 4 years

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Everything Wrong With The Umbrella Academy. Episode 1, We Only See Each Other At Weddings and Funerals.

Some context before the cut: This is all in good fun! I wanted to do a really nitpicky re-watch of the series and found some really cool and interesting things I didn’t notice before. This is meant to have a Cinema Sins-esque tone. However, I did take off a lot more sins than Cinema Sins would have because I do genuinely like the series and the people that made it possible. So all of the good things got one sin off and all the bad things got one sin added. This is a really long post, so grab some popcorn. If there’s anything that I missed, feel free to add it!

We Only See Each Other At Weddings And Funerals

The story opens with a random scene. I know why this is important now, but for a first time viewer this is a strange Russian show with no subtitles. Sin for the fact that this opening scene could drive away audiences when they could have opened with Pogo’s monologue or the sudden birth scene. +1

Sudden birth. I know that this is what starts the whole series, but not once do these assholes discuss the implications of sudden birth. That shit is traumatic and must have induced a lot of trauma in the mothers. Sinning for trauma. +1

The russian ladies all help this poor girl. Teamwork and togetherness gets a sin off. -1

How did they get her swimsuit off enough for her to give birth without just taking the whole thing off? Did one woman happen to have a pair of scissors on her so they could cut the crotch? Because one piece suits are not that flexible downstairs. They didn’t take it off her, it’s still covering her. Sinning for lack of realism or explanation. +1

This narration should have happened much sooner. +1

Buying children. Literally buying children. And he gets seven so he buys them wholesale. Seven sins because Sir Reginald Hargreeves is a dick that bought seven children. +7

One sin off for the soundtrack now. All the songs used in this show are bops! -1

Ellen Page starts playing the Lindsey Stirling Phantom of the Opera piece on the lowest string when the piece starts on a high note. One sin for lack of musicality. +1

Minus one sin for Ellen Page’s vibrato. Not many people pretending to play the violin get that so accurate. That or this was the talented body double. Either way one sin off for musicality. -1

“Please send more food” Reginald Hargreeves is a dick to his adopted children. He didn’t feed Luther enough, so who knows what he did to the ones he didn’t like as much. +7

Also, Luther has presumably spent four years in this base on the moon. Did he hit his head every morning? You would think that he would learn to duck. +1

One sin off for the moon plant. -1

I’m taking 10 sins off for the special effects of this entire series. -10

That car transition between Diego’s and Allison’s entrances was out of place. I know it’s meant to show that Allison is far away from the action. But did we really need that? It’s not shown when transitioning from the red carpet to Klaus in rehab. +1

What is keeping the lawnchair that Luther has on the moon down? It looks lightweight. Does he have it nailed to the moon? Is there now a lawnchair on the moon forever? +1

Tom Hopper is an excellent actor. He nailed the “just got the news that my father is dead” without saying a single word. -1

Diego doesn’t bother to untie the family he saves. He caused property damage and severely injured the thugs that broke in. No wonder Patch has a problem with him being a vigilante. +1

“Allison, will you wear Valentino to the funeral” +1

One sin off because Robert Sheehan has already won my heart as Klaus and he hasn’t said a single word yet. And for the little jig he does when he gets the drugs. Interesting choice, but I like it. I could be biased because I’ve watched the series already, but I don’t care. One sin off for Robert Sheehan. -1

Why was Vanya allowed to be playing to this empty theatre with spotlights on her? Does she have an arrangement with maintenance? Is that why the orchestra isn’t set up? +1

One sin off for the Hargreeves mansion. The set designers did an amazing job.-1

Creepy shrine portrait of Five is creepy and somehow manages to not look like Aidan Gallager. This could be a stylistic choice to show that Reggie didn’t care about Five, in which case, another sin for child abuse. +1

Creepy statue of Ben is creepy. And it doesn’t look like Justin Min or Ethan Hwang. Who is this statue honoring? +1

It has been stated that Ben’s death broke up the academy. Yet, the other four assholes stuck around for one more portrait after his death? +1

Vanya doesn’t close the doors behind her when she walks into the mansion. +1

Diego’s outfit is central to introducing his character. However, it is dumb as hell and he probably stabbed himself with the knives in the harness multiple times. Especially the ones on his back. +1

Diego is a dick to Vanya at their father's funeral. I know Reggie was a jackass, but Jesus Christ, Diego. Have some tact. I know this is meant to show that Diego doesn’t have any tact, but this is such a severe line. +1

In the first shot of Reggie’s bedroom there are 6 freaking lamps. What is he, Bella Swan? And later, there are three more. +1

David Castaneda really brings Diego to life with his interaction with Luther in Reggie's bedroom. -1

I know I already took sins off for the special effects, but Pogo deserves another two off. Special Effects team, you did good. -2

“How long has it been since Five dissapered” is the most obvious bit of exposition/foreshadowing. To the point where it reads lazy. Another option would be Vanya asking “How long has it been since” and trailing off from there. Pogo knows what happened. This is a crucial reveal, let the audience wait for it a bit. +1

One sin off for Vanya being a good sister to Five. Fluffernutter sandwiches and leaving the lights on is heartwarming. -1

Props to these child actors for being able to portray the way Reggie treats them and how that affects their emotions in the scene where they wanted to say goodnight to Reggie. -1

However, Reginald Hargreeves is a dick to his adopted children. I will keep sinning this. +7

After Reggie shuns and ignores his children, Luther’s hand on Ben’s shoulder is a subtle way to show that Luther and Ben were sort of close, which is what an excerpt from Vanya’s book implies in the comics. Good job directors or actors for making that choice! -1

Robert Sheehan in the office scene. This is where we meet Klaus as an audience for the first time with dialogue, and he fucking nails it. -1

“Thank God he’s not our real father so we couldn’t inherit those cold dead eyes! Ahh! Number Threee-” The delivery on that line is excellent. -1

Klaus’s dangly necklace that looks kind of like dog tags foreshadowing the real dog tags he wears later on in the show. -1

No way in hell Klaus’s skimpy outfit provided enough concealment for that massive box. In fact, in the shots we do see of his back, we should have seen the outline of the box. +1

Sir Reginald Hargreeves is as obsessed with lamps as he is with collecting children. His office is full of them! +1

“Do you think he wears that thing in the bathroom” “Like in the shower” “Yes, absolutely” Allison and Luther have some good interactions. This is where they really act like siblings making fun of another sibling. -1

A woman who told bedtime stories to her kid about her uncle on the moon forgets that said uncle has been on the moon and judges him when he doesn’t know about her divorce.+1

“Rumor thing” Way to be specific, Luther. +1

Allison’s expression at the family meeting when she takes a sip of her drink. Emmy Raver-Lampman is what makes this character likeable. -1

Reginald Hargreeves was a dick to his children. The whole favorite spot thing? Yeah that. Golden child abuse victim. +7

Sir Reginald playing tennis with Hitler line. -1

Luther accuses his siblings of killing their father. Have some tact man, not at the funeral. This makes sense for the character and his circumstances, but I am still sinning it because Luther doesn’t think he did anything wrong. +1

I feel kind of bad for Luther after his siblings leave the room. Great acting on Tom Hopper’s part. -1

How did Allison get into the bank? +1

Luther straight up throws this man out of a building! That guy is 100% dead. And then he admonishes Five for being a killer later! +1

“Guns are for sissies, real men throw knives!” is a line that would only be spoken by a twelve year old that has never faced the judgement of people he isn’t related to. Also, Diego practiced this line in front of a mirror. +1

But that throw was badass, so... -1

Also, how did Klaus, Diego, Five, and Ben get into the bank as well? We only see Luther enter. And presumably Five teleported in. So were the rest already in there? +1

Five manages to jump faster than a bullet here, but in episode two he’s a lot slower when jumping from one side of the table to the other. You could make the argument that the table is in the way, but there was a human being and a bullet in the way here. +1

“Woah! That’s one badass stapler!” This is the first sin off because Aidan Gallagher can act, and it will not be the last. For all his grumpy 58 year old man, he also manages to shine while playing a young version of said grumpy 58 year old man. You would think that one or the other would be a little weak, but no he nails both performances. -1

But, how did Five switch the gun and the stapler? And why do we never see him do this again with more useful items like a briefcase or one of the machine guns used by the local commission hires? Can he only switch items with a similar mass? How does this power work? +1

Luther is the one that tells Ben that there's more guys in the vault to kill. Not Klaus who could have been like “a ghost said there's more guys in the vault”. What exactly did Klaus do on missions? He isn’t shown helping the hostages or fighting in any way. +1

“I didn’t sign up for this.” yeah Ben, like it’s a summer camp and not your abusive father buying you as an infant and then forcing you to kill people. +1

Kenny’s mom appearance. Also, the woman mixes leopard print leggings, a black dress, a square pattern cardigan, and a hat with stripes and a pom-pom. +1

“Can we go home now” Ethan Hwang had great delivery on that line. -1

Sir Reginald Hargreeves is a dick to his children. He forces 6 of them to kill, and then makes it seem like it’s all fun and games to the one he isolates. +7

When did they get coats and scarves? Did Reggie bring them coats and scarves while coming down to address the crowd? +1

Also, Reggie was on the roof of a different building with vanya! What did the kids do while they were waiting for him? Stand around and look pretty? Not likely, Ben was covered in blood. +1

Also, when did Ben have time to clean up? He is significantly less bloody in the scene where Reggie talks to the press. Yet his mask, uniform, and a bit of his jaw still have blood. This suggests he had time to wipe down. What kind of magic wipes are these that soak up and remove blood quickly and where can I get them? +1

The way the children wear their scarves show their personality. Luther has it done properly, Diego has his flapping around, Allison and Klaus have tied it fashionably, Five has it done well, but not as proper, and Ben has it done like Luthers. Well done costume people or actors who made that character choice. -1

The entire scene when Klaus attempts to summon Reggie from the afterlife. -4

I forgot that Klaus actually calls him Reggie in this scene. I thought it was just a fandom thing lmao. -1

How did Klaus clean up the ashes without leaving evidence on the bar? Did he vacuum it? +1

The cutesy fighting posters are a great set design choice. -1

Allison had her trauma tattoo refreshed at some point. It’s faded on Klaus, but on her it’s perfectly visible and stark. I’m sinning because they don’t show or tell why Allison might want to do this. +1

Also, that guitar Klaus was cuddling in a later scene, was just in the kitchen for some reason. Why? +1

Five and Ben are not part of the I Think We’re Alone Now dance party. I know it’s for plot, but come on! They don’t even have another dance party later to make up for this. +1

Diego and Vanya totally saw each other when Diego went to close the door between the foyer and the living area. +1

Luther and Vanya’s dance moves. No hate on either though because I dance like them if it isn’t swing or any other partnered dance +1

Diego, Klaus, and Allison’s dance moves. -1

Also, the song is heard all the way in the kitchen. There is no soundproofing in this mansion. +1

Luther punching down the airplane is funny. -1

David Castaneda doing those amazing dance moves in character. -1

Oh hello Five. Nice of you to show up and kickstart the plot into being something other than washed up superheroes are really sad and abused. +1

“Daddy!” -1

Why were Five’s powers affecting random objects? +1

Klaus is the only one with self preservation. “I vote for running” +1

“Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me” is a great line because Klaus can see the dead. However, the dead don’t show up in massive portals, otherwise something like that would have happened when we see Dave in The Day That Wasn’t. +1

Five asks for an exact date and then Vanya gives him “the 24th” real specific, Vanya +1

Five doesn’t close the fridge properly because that doesn’t matter in the apocalypse -1

“In the end I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time” “That makes no sense” “well it would if you were smarter” the mark of someone being smart is being able to explain concepts like this in layman's terms. If Five were as smart as he said he was, then he could have been able to come up with an analogy. That or the showmakers have no clue what they’re talking about and wrote a bunch of science-y bullshit to make Five sound smart. +1

Diego was ready to throw hands with Five, someone who looks thirteen and was thirteen until Five explained otherwise. +1

“Dolores kept saying the equations were off” so in other words, Five knew that his equations were off, but he still risked it. +1

But also, Five knew his equations were off, but he was so desperate to see his family that he risked it anyway. -1

Nations Gazette paper has articles that look like they’re actually about the headline. -1

“What part of the future do you not understand.” -1

Aidan Gallagher’s delivery in that scene really set the tone for his character. Impressive. -1

Five decides to dress in the full on school boy getup. Complete with the tie and the blazer when those items aren’t necessary. +1

Aidan Gallagher and Ellen Page are two kick ass actors. They play off each other surprisingly well. -1

“You mean like what happened to Ben” “Was it bad?” What happened to Ben? This remains a sin until they explain it. +1

“May the darkness within you find peace in the light” that sounds really bad. What a horrible thing to have on your statue. +1

Jordan Claire Robbins’s performance of Grace -1

Luther and Diego are so emo that they don't need umbrellas. You’re in The Umbrella Academy! This had to be a personal choice to not carry one. +1

Klaus’s face when Luther dumps out the ashes. -1

The camera cuts to Five when Diego says that Mom gave them actual names. -1

The fight between Luther and Diego is stupid. +1

Klaus and Five fight over who is going to protect who. +1

“Stop it!” “Hit him! Hit him!” -1

The detail on Ben’s statue. It shows his toe and knee have been touched many times by people who presumably miss him and love him. -1

Luther punches Ben’s statue in the crotch, which makes Klaus’s face 10x funnier once you remember that Ben was probably there too. -1

Luther punches Ben’s statue in the crotch and beheads it, suggesting that Luther had something to do with Ben’s death. -1

Luther punches Ben’s statue in the crotch. +1

Klaus puts his cigarette out in reggie’s ashes. -1

Reggie narration +1

Reggie is a dick to his kids +7

The stupid, bright green jumpsuits +6

What is the point of this exercise? How does running up the stairs make them better heroes? +1

Young Diego either practiced “That’s not fair, Five’s cheating” or his stutter is only there when the plot calls for it. +1

Child Abuse tattoos +12

The fact that Vanya feels left out because she didn’t get a child abuse tattoo. Reggie, you fucked up these kids real bad. +2

We think that Reggie is comforting Luther after he got a child abuse tattoo, but no, he’s actually just attaching monitors to his head. +1

Reginald Hargreeves likes to watch young children sleep. +7

Vanya foreshadowing. Her monitor showing more activity then the cut to her taking one of the pills is brilliant. -1

Vanya still doesn’t close the academy door behind her when she leaves. +1

“An entire square block, 42 bedrooms 19 bathrooms” Five are you a real-estate agent now? +1

“Dad hated children too, but he had plenty of us!” Klaus would be excellent at cinema sins. Seven more for child abuse +7

What are the rules to Five’s jumps? We only really see him jump to places he can see unless he is time traveling or in the instance where he jumps to the car. Speaking of, the car had the keys in it. Reggie, are you trying to get it stolen +1

Diego is a dick to Allison about her divorce. +1

Klaus and Diego’s interactions make me happy. -1

The Klaus theme is a wonderful piece of music. -1

Robert Sheehan making David Castaneda laugh. -1

We get our first glimpse of Luther’s arm here. It’s super weird and vague and only teases the reveal. This is where the ape reveal should have been for the audience and where it would have made sense. Doing the reveal in a later episode is weird. +1

Five doesn’t know how to break correctly, which contradicts “I know how to do everything” +1

Something I just noticed, Five completed the uniform not only with the tie and blazer, but with the hair gel too. +1

The towing guy chooses to sit next to Five at an empty counter. +1

Five looks so offended when Agnes refers to him as “the kid” -1

The creepy smile Five pulls in an attempt to look innocent doesn’t make Agnes scream in terror. Seriously Aidan Gallagher, what the fuck was that that was absoulutely terrifying. +1

Five attempts to relate to a man that looks the age that he should be, but it ends up exceedingly awkward because Five looks 13. +1

The tow truck driver helps him out, but how was Five going to pay for his coffee? We don’t see him with money. Was he just going to jump out to the car? +1

Five never gets his cup of coffee :( +1

“Istanbul was Constantinople/ Now it’s Istanbul not Constantinople”. This whole scene is great. Five plays with them like he did in the bank scene which shows that even if he did age, he didn’t do it around people so he doesn’t have maturity. -1

Five stabs a guy with a mop and kills him. -1

Five stabs a guy in the crotch with a pencil, then uses the same pencil to stab him in the eye. In between he throws a plate at another guy. This is badass. -1

Five jumps in a way that actually does make two of the idiots shoot each other. Which means that technically, Patch was right. -1

Five kills a man with his bare hands. -1

But he stops to put his fucking tie back on. +1

And yet after all that, the goriest thing is when Five pulls the tracker out of his arm. Props to the makeup department and Aidan Gallagher’s acting skill for making that look so real. -1

Five should be way sweatier when he walks out of Griddys. Unless he moped that up with some napkins? What are these super absorbent napkins and where can I buy them? +1

Agnes should be far more traumatized. And definitely shouldn’t have survived that. +1

Diego is emo with the monocle. +1

Luther flashback narration. +1

Klaus, thankfully interrupts this. -1

“Number 6 “Ben” (deceased)” -1

We can see Ben depending on if it’s Klaus or Diego talking. -1

The vigilante mask Diego wears +1

Five jumpscare in Vanya’s apartment. +1

“Rapists can climb” yes Five. Continue with the criminals that can climb. Including you. +1

This whole scene is the best ending to an episode in the entire season. -1

Aidan Gallagher and Ellen Page play off each other with subtle expressions. This acting talent is amazing. -2

“The world ends in eight days and I have no idea how to stop it” “I’ll put on a pot of coffee” roll credits. I love this ending for many reasons. It’s a total mic drop moment. -2

Overall review:

While actively looking for nitpicky things, I got to see the first in a whole new light. Both the great parts and terrible parts stood out in a way that they didn’t when I wasn’t looking for them. Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, and Ellen Page were the stand out actors in this episode. All three contributed something significant that didn’t heavily rely on the script writers.

The child cast also really stood out to me. All seven of them had very limited screen time (I am counting Gallagher playing a child version of his character in this assessment) and they absolutely made the best of it. Out of all of them, Ethan Hwang stood out to me because of his overall great delivery. I hope that we see him play Ben in a more in-depth way in season 2.

Don’t get it twisted, I genuinely like this series and I think that it tells a great story. I just think it’s fun to nitpick and look deeper. After over analyzing everything else, it’s time to get back to basics. Especially because the season 2 trailer could drop any day now.

Total: 82 sins

Sentence: Tennis with Hitler and Sir Reginald.

#The Umbrella Academy #all in good fun #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #Allison Hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #i worked really hard on this

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taste-in-music · 4 years

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Incredible Artists You Should Check Out

I haven’t made one of these posts in a big long while, so here we are! I’ve been cultivating this list for some time now, so without further ado, some artists that I think deserve a little love.

Emotional Oranges: This group has it all. Male and female vocals, both of which are silky as heck? Check. A chill R&B sound with bubbly beats that’ll sweep you off your feet? Check. Summery vibes that will keep you warm even during the coldest of winter months? Check. This group’s music is so refreshing, with a zesty twist, almost like... what is that fruit? A lime? Yeah, definitely a lime.

Check Out If You Like: Dominic Fike, Frank Ocean

My Top Tracks: Motion, Just Like You

Love You Later: This woman’s music has been my one-stop shop for melancholic dream pop as of late. Her first longer project is called How Many Nights Do You Dance With Tears in Your Eyes?, and I think that about sums up the atmosphere of her sound. Her emotional performances, paired with glistening, synth-laded production make for songs you could slow-dance to with a pang of sorrow in your heart.

Check Out If You Like: The Japanese House, Lorde

My Top Tracks: Emily, Making Plans

Ariana and the Rose: If you’re on the hunt for some euphoric synthpop, then I have some good news for you. Ariana and the Rose has been dropping singles for actual years now, but I found her music through her most recent release, her “Constellations Phase 1″ EP from last year. It’s got some of the freshest pop bops I’ve heard in a while, from the funky, “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe-eque “You Were Never My Boyfriend” to the endlessly danceable “True Love.”

Check Out If You Like: Foxes, MUNA

My Top Tracks: True Love, You Were Never My Boyfriend

Half Wolf: This woman may only have a handful of tracks to her name, but she’s already established herself as a fantastic balladeer. Her voice ranges from delicate and soaring up into the upper register to powerful and rich in vibrato. Her instrumentals are simple, but never boring, always serving to elevate her beautiful performances.

Check Out If You Like: Jade Bird, Julia Jacklin

My Top Tracks: Pretty Lonely, Cigarette Smoke

Joy Crookes: I am obsessed, OBSESSED, with this woman’s voice, her cadence and intonations are so laid back and effortless. The way she blends hip hop and R&B sounds with organic instrumentals is so relaxing, and it projects an aura of warmth that I can’t get enough of. She’s got three EPs out and they’re all gold. She also did a Kendrick Lamar medley that’s amazing.

Check Out If You Like: Khalid, Jorja Smith

My Top Tracks: Hurts, Yah/Element (Medley)

Kelsy Karter: I mean, her Spotify bio says: “If Angelina Jolie and Mick Jagger had a one night stand you’d get me,” and I’m not here to disagree with that. Kelsy Karter is a force to be reckoned with, she’s got a voice full of husky grit and rock star swagger. Her songs balance classic-sounding instrumentals and a modern wit in the lyrical department, like in her song “Harry,” which plays off a crazed stan character à la Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” over a crunching electric guitar.

Check Out If You Like: Amy Winehouse, Elle King

My Top Tracks: Harry, Liquor Store On Mars

Stereo Jane: This power-pop duo came up on my Instagram feed a few weeks ago and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. Mia (right) slays on the drums, and Sydney (left) kills it with the vocals. Their sound blends brooding lyrics and instrumentals with a spark of energy that will make you want to take on the world. They’ve only got three recent singles, but it seems like they’re building up steam for something big. Also they’re twins!

Check Out If You Like: FLETCHER, Madison Beer

My Top Tracks: Strangers, Real World

Arlo Parks: With her smoky-smooth vocals and confessional songwriting, Arlo Parks is making waves at just nineteen years old. Her music is so achingly relatable in both its simplicity and its genuine execution. Whether you’re looking for chill indie pop ballads to yearn to or a new bisexual icon to stan, then I can’t recommend her enough.

Check Out If You Like: King Princess, Daniel Caesar

My Top Tracks: Cola, Eugene

Blu DeTiger: What about this woman isn’t cool? Her name is cool, her aesthetic is cool, and most of all, her music is cool. I first came across her due to her bass-playing videos on TikTok, (which are all FIRE,) and her instrumental skills really come across in her tunes. Her music is fun, funky, and always has a killer groove driven by an awesome bass line.

Check Out If You Like: The Aces, HAIM

My Top Tracks: Tangerine, Mad Love

No Frills Twins: This identical twin duo had such a long hiatus I feared that they had disbanded, but no! With the release of their latest single, it appears that they are back on their game. If you’re into music with a danceable pulse, thundering bass, sharp synths, and a twinge of strangeness, then you’ll dig this group’s thrilling take on no-frills pop. Not only that, their voices have a distinct deep timbre that is totally unique.

Check Out If You Like: MARINA, (especially The Family Jewels era MARINA,) Charli XCX

My Top Tracks: Love Me Tender, Paper Love

LoveLeo: Apparently this guy is John C. Reilly’s son? I don’t really care, because he’s dropped nothing but bops. His music has this breezy, playful, and jaunty feel to it that slots perfectly into a Summer stroll playlist. If you’re into laid back, somewhat low-fi bedroom pop or indie pop then you’ll love what he has to offer. Also his visuals are mind-bendingly creative.

Check Out If You Like: Gus Dapperton, Still Woozy

My Top Tracks: BOYFREN, ROSIE

#new music #music recommendation #artist recommendation #emotional oranges #love you later #ariana and the rose #half wolf #joy crookes #kelsy karter #stereo jane #arlo parks #blu detiger #no frills twins #loveleo #check them out!!!#taste in music

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taxicabinmemphis · 4 years

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Gossipy Janus and Roman in theater together (they're friends, it can be romantic if you want but not necessary) and they love to talk about everyone else in the class (they can also be doing a play or auditions if you want more interesting stuff)

apparently I am unable to write anything without insecurity and romance so here we have pining janus. I think it’s a hs au but idk up to your interpretation.

(tw swearing, food mention, insulting made up people’s dancing and singing if that's a thing, minor injury on a background made up person)

Roman crossed his legs, putting his arm on the armrest and leaning his chin on his fist. He was thankful to be seated at the very back of the theater, so he could talk without anyone hearing.

He watched his fellow actors rehearse their scene. It was one of the few scenes Roman wasn't in. His friend, Janus, wasn't in it either.

Roman, momentarily distracted by his own shifting, didn't see exactly what had happened, but Janus let out a quiet whistle.

"Claire needs to watch her steps or she's gonna break her feet," he commented.

"Oh dear," Roman sighed, "what did she do?"

"She's learning the choreo today and she's already being so confident about her leap off the chair? Her foot barely positioned itself right in time for the landing, not that she cares of course."

"Just because sis knows ballet doesn't mean she's immune to all other types of foot injury."

"You know it, hon."

They watched as the dance continued. Half of the guys had to do a series of dances. At noticing one guy's clumsiness, Roman hissed.

"Oof, Alfredo is going to pirou-out of consciousness if he doesn't straighten out his directions. Homeboy's gonna hit the wall hard."

"Mm. And Dustin has to point that toe if he doesn't want to stand out like bright pink on a white wall," Janus added.

"Look at Sasha. He's slouching."

"He can't afford to do that after today," Janus said in a sing-song, judgemental voice.

Next, the women and the other half of the men were supposed to run through their singing, so they could put it with the choreography.

"Janine, honey, you're not a helium balloon."

"Marco is slacking on that vibrato so hard."

"You're right, Roman, he sounds flat-out bland. He's even turning the heads of Quique and Carter."

"They know what's up."

Roman's eyes widened at someone else on stage. "Theo is killing that note."

"Yeah, but it's not supposed to be a solo."

"Sure, but he's leading all the other voices to sound better and much less bland. They'll catch up."

Janus nodded and continued watching.

"Damien's flat."

"He's a bass, Janus, his highest note is an F#. It ain't his fault Mr. T is forcing him to sing an A."

"He is?"

"Yes," Roman said enthusiastically. "He has a killer, deep, moving voice but Mr. Someone just cares about being able to sing tenor. Just let my man sing what he's good for."

"It'll become a problem in a day or so. Mr. T will pull him aside and he'll remind him he's a bass and he'll sing the low harmony. Don't worry for him."

Roman hummed in acknowledgement and continued watching.

The people switched roles, and half the guys were singing and everyone else was dancing. Three people then collided and Roman and Janus made various sounds relating to "ewwwwfff".

"Ow."

"Must've hurt," Janus mused.

"Look, Sienna's resisting the urge to clutch her side."

"Marty kicked her there," Janus told him.

"Did they?" Roman made a face. "Ow."

The number continued like nothing happened, and the two friends were transfixed on the performance.

In one dramatic beat, the number ended and the front row held a pose.

"Oh, look at Ryder," Roman gasped. "That...everything. He is so sexy, just look at that. The leg, the arms...he could step on me and I'd thank him."

Janus scowled. "His head is tilted too far back."

"No. This way we get a better look at that glorious chest."

"You're such a slut, Ro."

Roman put a hand to his heart in offense. "You wound me. All I am is someone who is very gay and can recognize beauty when he sees it."

Janus rolled his eyes. "So am I, and I don't thirst after Mr. Straight Boy."

Roman huffed. "You cannot recognize beauty."

Janus tore his eyes away from the stage to glance at Roman. "I most certainly can."

Janus returned his glare to the stage before Roman could notice his line of sight.

Roman’s phone vibrated, signaling that someone texted him. He opened it to find that his friend Remy had canceled on them.

“Remy canceled our Starbucks get together,” he said with a frown. “He was gonna drive me to the one near my house after rehearsal.” Roman sighed. “Oh well. Emile asked him out so I guess I understand.”

“Emile asked out Remy?!” Janus exclaimed in shock, turning in his seat to face Roman. “They’re finally together?!”

Roman nodded. “Yes. Emile is gonna take Remy to the new sushi place on Main and 4th.”

“Oh my god.” Janus put a hand over his mouth. “They’ve been pining for four years. And they’re finally together.” He paused, then furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought Remy would be the one to ask Emile out.”

Roman smirked. “It can seem that way to the untrained eye, can it not? But alas, Remy is too insecure about whether or not he’d be good for a relationship and too scared of his feelings for Emile to be the one to ask him out. Patton owes me three dollars because Emile asked, by the way.”

“I owe Logan five.”

Roman snorted. “I thought I told you to never bet against Logan.”

Janus rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. He texted Logan. “Why aren’t you reacting in any extreme way?”

“Emile has been asking me about the best way to ask out Remy for a couple days now. He told me he’d do it this morning.”

Janus nodded, putting his phone away. He went back to watching the rehearsal.

“I never should’ve relied on Remy,” Roman said sadly. “Oh well.”

Janus frowned. “The closest bus stop to your house is really fucking far, right? That’s why you wanted Starbucks, ‘cause it’s closer?”

Roman nodded. “I can walk it though, it’s just a couple miles.”

“Nonsense,” Janus said with a wave of his hand. “I can drive you home.”

Roman’s eyes widened. “Oh! Um, you don’t have to, really. It’s okay. I don’t want to trouble you-”

“You’re no problem, Roman,” Janus dismissed. “No trouble at all.”

“My house is really far, though.”

Janus shrugged. “I don’t have anywhere to be.”

Roman slowly turned away from Janus, returning his eyes to the rehearsal. He immediately winced at a terrible pirouette.

“If you really think it’s such a bother for me to take you home, you could treat me to dinner at that wonderful Chinese place that’s on the way tonight.”

Roman choked on air.

Hope you liked it! Yes, it was supposed to end there, and yes, Roman treats Janus to dinner. I know I’m taking for. ever. on these prompts but I have like three wips and school. I love writing Roceit and haven’t in a while so this was nice and fun, thanks for sending it.

#roceit #ts fanfic #roman #janus #romantic roceit #fic #ask #prompt #somehow-i-got-an-account #swearing tw #food mention #roman sandres #janus sanders #sanders sides #kill writes #ts roman #ts janus

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