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deisbookofdemons · 25 days

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Meet the Mun

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴜꜱᴇ(ꜱ) ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ?

Okay I'll put this for my canon characters. Pamoon, Lance, Shelby are from main and ended as my favorite ZB characters. Zatch Bell is also my childhood. Fango and Adler are underrated and I decided to have them as muses originally on an older blog. Ra- Always thought he was a cool deity soooo. Zorc- Had fun with him influencing Ramses so I ended up making him a full on muse. Charles- Who doesn't love this man? Of course I had to pick up Charles. Fredrick- Cheese hat. Need I say more? Jaques- I found him an interesting past Toppat leader. Larry- Thought he'd be interesting to play. Sheriff- Cause yes. Whitty- Whole reason why I got into FNF and I think he's a cool character. Tricky- Tricky mod is what got me into Madness and boi was I right when I though this crazy fucker would be fun to play. And ofc I just had to have his minions and that gremlin. Tiky I just found cute. The Sheriff- Hmmm... don't know other than I just like him. Gestalt- Boi did he scare me in the game and I like some characters like that. Plus a cool looking monstrous big boi. V2/V4- Big bois and I like em. The Maker- I love star and galaxy stuff and instantly liked this deity the moment I saw him so how can I not rp him? White Hank- Bestie got Hank and I ended up liking White Hank so I added her. She's a lot of fun. Franziska- Picked her up cause she was my first fav AA character. Until I started liking Sebby. Sebastian- Still like him VERY much and I picked him up since he's a very fun character. Delicia- A fun and underrated character. I like her nicknaming thing too. Twinkle- How can I not pick up a tiny star fellow? I had to not long after I rolled him up and played as him in the game. Axem Rangers X- SMBZ is a big part of my childhood and I always thought they look cool. HIM- PPG is another part of my childhood. Also love just how creepy and how much of a threat he is. And I tested rping as him in Among Us. DJ Music Man- Asked if I or bestie should have him. Bestie said I should so he ended up as muse of mine. DCA- Help Wanted 2 brought back my love for this boi and bestie was fine with duplicates so Daycare bois ended up being the first duplicate. Brighton and Twila- Old muses I brought to this blog. Muse came back for em.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ?

Don't like NSFW stuff.

ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ?

I like just about anything. And boi do I love angst and dark stuff. Shippy stuff to ofc.

ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ?

Things connected to canon usually. Sometimes I have help from bestie.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ɪɴ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏʀ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ?

Always have a song playing or watching something in the background.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʟᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇꜱ ᴏʀ ᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ?

Winger. 1000% a winger. Not really a planner.

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ꜱʜɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ?

Selective. Usually ship characters with bestie. Multi on occasion.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀʟɪᴀꜱ/ɴᴀᴍᴇ?

Dei

ᴀɢᴇ?

ʙɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ?

October 8th

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ(ꜱ)?

All

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴏɴɢ(ꜱ)?

I love so many. Madness 7's theme is one of them along with Enter the Nexus.

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

A bit of a certain Sonic ova movie I think.

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ?

Watching the Powerpuff Girls rn. The og ofc.

ʟᴀꜱᴛ ꜱᴏɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ?

-Looks at playlist- A remix of the DJ Music Man boss fight.

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ?

I'll eat just about anything. Love that Ramen I had on my birfday and love buffalo chicken maccy cheese.

ꜰᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ?

Winter

ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ?

@corruptedbunny-multimuse is bestie.

tagged by: Stole it from @timid-plumber tagging: YOU and @corruptedbunny-multimuse

#a thing

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joemuggs · 4 months

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Albums of 2023 part 2

And so, on from part 1, we continue. This is more dreamy synth-dub that sits perfectly next to the Harrow album: Richard Norris is another artist with an extraordinarily long and illustrious career but who also has never lost the exploratory urge and total delight in sonic finesse.

Honestly Uruguayan-in-Ireland Lila Tirando a Violeta is right up there with the very best of the "deconstructed club" generation - dark, gothic, complex, VERY WEIRD - and this collab with Berliner Sin Maldita is up there with her best. It's really, REALLY intense!

Just impossibly beautiful elegies from ambient harpist Mary Lattimore which builds towards the final track collaboration with Slowdive's Rachel Goswell that is so lovely it will single handedly bring back swooning as a popular pastime.

Officially an EP but there's enough here to cement Nia Archives's place as a heavyweight - add "Off Wiv Ya Headz" and that Jorja Smith remix, and she's had a humdinger of a 2023....

Saw some discourse suggesting that Burna Boy is resting on his laurels here, but I don't hear it. Maybe it's the fact that the cover looks dashed-off? But musically, this bangs: it expertly joins so many dots but keeps his voice and personality right at the heart of it.

I mean come on there was no way a collab between Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist was going to be anything but good, right? Just purest essence of deep and dreamy stoner hip hop. Yet another small (27min) but beautifully formed album - definitely a trend there.

Feels kind of (literally) sacrilegious to say I prefer Cleo Sol's more personal, less scriptural records (e.g. Rose in the Dark) - and this is, top to bottom, a gospel album - but the conviction to her performance and the whole realisation of it here is still really magical.

From Coventry via Skopje, man like NOT_MDK's first album in 23 years, and he's zooming into the deep flows that join grime and dubstep into the longer, deeper electronic funk continuum... These tracks are so crisp and crunchy!

She's from Turkey but Ahu's been plugged into the London Plastic People / NTS / etc scene for years - file this with Yazmin Lacey and similar LDN soul-jazz, also it's very Boho and vibesy and incensey, definitely one to light your best candles for.

Can't remember who put me on to this, possibly Radio 3? Anyway if cold wet misty Scottish hillsides are your jam Claire M Singer has you covered - these slower-than-slowly unfolding organ-led pieces practically smell of wet moss, and are extremely beautiful.

He's lent vocals to a who's who of electronic music, but it turns out Paul St Hilaire's own studio craft is the equal of just about any of them - this is just a stunning, ocean-deep album of dub abstraction and subtly potent lyricism.

Icelander Eva Jóhannsdóttir aka EVA808 has already made a name in the dubstep/grime world but this is her really spreading her creative wings. Mad psychedelia, elemental abstraction, movie-theme composition - there's not much she can't do. Big things beckon!

There's still SO much to say about amapiano, and so much incredible UK, SA and wider world stuff last year (this isn't even the only great DJ Maphorisa album - he had THREE out in 2023, including a mini album with Shino Kikai and a 25-track one with fellow originator Kabza De Small!!). Suffice to say this has gorgeous songs, primal grooves, endlessly sophisticated mixdowns and bass that'll take your breath away.

Just gonna link to my review for this one (it's got the music embedded) - but TL;DR Darren J Cunningham aka Actress is the holy prophet of the era of enshittification, yet for all that his music is constantly "off" and made for a world that is "off", he alchemises it into real gold.

Yeah I'm going to be THAT space-jazz hipster and say this is the record I wish Andre3000 (who is on it, and Carlos Niño co-produced his album) had made. It's just a more lavish, free, FUN way to cavort with the five-dimensional fractal machine elves.

Zoning in on the platonic breakbeat mathematics that underly Jersey / B'more club Chicago hip house, UK rave, trip hop etc, Bored Lord could seem arch or retro if her beats weren't so gloriously functional and bumping.

Fed up of generic records? You will never EVER find another one that sounds like IFS MA. Polish abstract slightly Autechre-y footwork / drum'n'bass with Japanese rapper MA sounding like a cyborg beat poet Taliban Trim and I.... 🤯

Every man jack and their dog are doing high bpm retro rave lately but you can trust Meemo Comma to put a fresh and uneasy twist on it. These tracks will get you proper buzzing up loud! I got to DJ for her live performance of this at Spiritland earlier in the year, hearing them on that system was a real treat.

You get a twofer with this one. Phil Kieran's ode to Belfast is gorgeous in studio form here, but he also recorded and released a version with the Ulster Orchestra that single handedly revivifies the idea of electronic music done classical style!

Two true underground troupers teaming up here - Jordan GCZ from Juju & Jordash and David "Move D" Moufang with some otherworldly good-dream ambient, deep house and space-soul jams heavy on the Fender Rhodes, fuzzy reverberation and sensually sweeping portamento.

My musical safe place for so much of this year. Brooklyn "electronic jam band" Purelink somehow burrowed into electronic music history and found the softest, happiest, warmest fur lined chamber and then invited us in. I cannot emphasise enough how LOVELY this record is.

More modular synth grooves from E Ruscha aka Secret Circuits, but no over-indulgence here and the grooves REALLY DO GROOVE. Trippy as a weasel circus and twice as funky.

Talking of trippy, here's Optimo Music's second acid-drenched entry, from the man formerly known as TB Arthur and the mighty Magda trading as Blotter Trax, it's a kind of parallel universe early 80s alt disco where everything gurgles and melts.

More from South Africa - King Mzaiza Sound via the reliably tough Parisian PSSNGR label - not 100% sure what you'd call this though it definitely has some gqom sonics, some trap drums, and some strident rap vocals... It's HARD AS NAILS is what it is.

EVEN HARDER - Nyege Nyege brought us a sampler of this (and I don't use mental health language lightly) FUCKING MENTAL shrieking, raging, solvent-huffing sound from São Paulo stewarded by the young DJ K, and it's extremely funky and scarily thrilling.

OK there we go, part three is here.....

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catinfroghat · 1 year

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Just saw someone complaining about mario movie spoilers... Bro it's a kids film what's there to spoil? The ending will be mario defeating bowser and saving whoever has been kidnapped (probably Luigi so they can generate liberal feminist thinkpieces about subverting the rescuing princesses trope). Then the mushroom kingdom throws a party where all the characters dance to a pop song and/or a remix of the mario theme tune. The final shot is mario jumping, saying "wahoo", and punching the air.

#i kind of want to watch the end to see if i was close but the idea of listening to chris pratt mario is too repulsive to me

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silvermoon424 · 2 years

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Most disturbing anime you saw?

I'm very hard to scare or disturb, so despite watching/reading a lot of horror anime/manga there aren't very many that have gotten under my skin.

I will say that Perfect Blue has always stuck with me as creepy ever since I watched it over 10 years ago, and I think it's only gotten more relevant in today's age of social media influencers (and how most of us have personas on social media in general nowadays). I really highly recommend this video on the topic (spoiler warning though if you plan on watching Perfect Blue, I do recommend it because it's only a movie as opposed to a full series)

youtube

Devilman Crybaby also unsettled me in a way I can't really explain. The remix of the theme song is a bop, though.

#horror anime

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scary-ivy · 1 year

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TMBG concert at the Filmore thoughts

I think they opened with synopsis for the latecomers, very fitting

When Will You Die!!! Yes! Was not expecting that

Love the rapport between John and John, they're somehow telling jokes and yet also feeling honest and relatable at the same time

I think both their voices have gotten higher? Idk Flansburgh sounds better than ever with his high singing, while I remind stunned by Linnell's vocal control and ability to hold long notes

YOUR RACIST FRIEND verses Soo good, but then on the guitar solo Flansburgh shredded so insane I felt like the floor was shaking. Love the contrast between his soft vocals and That.

In general I felt like a lot of their songs sounded Better than they do on the records, like they've added to them and improved them over the years.

Marty and Dan's good as usual but the horn section especially got to do a bunch of cool solo jams, with trumpet and saxophone

I cried during moonbeams rays :')

DARLINGS OF LUMBERLAND THREE PART HARMONY INSANELY GOOD

LOVED DEAD, hypnotic how the backing vocals and lead vocals mesh

Flansburgh invited the press photographers into the stage to take pictures from behind the drumset, which seemed kind of unconventional and they joked about it later

They talked about not being able to enjoy a quiet moment in Japantown because some type of festival was happening

Linnell said the Bart made the subways in New York look good by comparison. Then added that the respected public transport.

lead into a joke about how everyone came here to see old men complaining.

At one point they went right from the end of one song into Minimum Wage and it was amazing

Whistling in the Dark the stage lights go down

said they were practicing Brontosaurus for a tv show?

SAPPHIRE BULLETS BACKWARDS WAS AMAZING. THEY'VE GOTTEN SO GOOD AT SINGING BACKWARDS, IN HARMONY, AND THE RIFF SOUNDS SO AWESOME BACKWARDS

Had fun dancing to Lucky Ball and Chain

Said "this is our last song" before doing Particle Man, and it had a whole extra part at the end about Triangle Man going to the planet Venus, more minor key and different rhythm and I really liked it

Intermission, why don't more bands do these?

Sadly, Hearing Aid was just a intermission remix song. But the remix was super cool! Minor and industrial

I always forget how cartoony John and John's voices sound. Linnell also did a couple different funny voices.

Let Me Tell You About My Operation, amazing amazing, Flans doing funny dramatics all over the stage.

Spy!!! Great, they started doing a thing they do where they gesture to different instruments, to play and then not play, sounded cool, BUT THEN it turned into a complete different thing were John Linnell did a funny announcer voice and recited some lines that sounded like a vintage commercial for records while turning the band off and on, to a cacophony of sound.

Road Movie To Berlin sounded amazing, everyone in the audience was swaying as if under a spell.

John Flansburgh joked about not saying "Live in my head rent free" because it was on Marty's list of things they shouldn't say because they were outdated. John Linnell said he was trying to remember something else on the list, joked about blurting it out during the song, WOMEN AND MEN HELL YEAH, then he said he remembered it during the song (it was "saying the quiet part out loud). And I feel like I could tell exactly when he remembered it, he slightly flubbed a line of the song

I think I saw Flans look at his pick, reach into his pocket, and get another pick during a song.

I also saw him take off his glasses and wipe his whole face down with a towel.

I never noticed when Linnell picked up the accordion he just somehow instantly had the accordion

MESOPOTAMIANS, BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL, GREAT AS USUAL

It was fun seeing them sing Theme from Flood, and the whole audience join in

Great audience

Linnell has such a unique and powerful presence. Almost made eye contact with him.

Don't Let's Start, instead of screaming he now melodically sings the I Don't Want To Live In This World part

double encore really faked me out.

Underwater Woman, unexpected but cool!

Dr. Worm!! Ending song.

Amazing concert, I loved the variety of songs

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heloflor · 1 year

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Finally saw the Mario movie last Thursday (I like to wait a week so that the theatre is emptier) and here are my 2 cents on it (very long post + spoilers ahead) :

- First of all note that I’ve seen many spoilers before going in because I didn’t know what to expect so I wanted to know what people thought of it, but it’s one of those movies where knowing things in advance doesn’t ruin the enjoyment for me. Hell I intended to go with no expectations whatsoever and reading spoilers actually got me a bit more excited about it.

- Overall, it was fun. Like many people here already said, the movie really could’ve used more time in order to be more character-focused, and I’ll admit I got a bit bored by the time the third act rolled in. But if you just want to have a good time, it’s a good movie for that. Nothing groundbreaking, but fun enough.

- As an adaptation as in “bringing the world into the big screen regardless of the story”, I do think that it does a fantastic job at it ! Absolutely everything feels like it comes straight out of the games. And while some references are a bit in your face, most of them flow very naturally with the world they created. It’s especially impressive how they managed to make a small Toad Town work while mixing it with platforming elements.

- The story is simple like you’d expect but sometimes simple is effective, and I do think this is one of those times. Only issue is that simple stories are meant to be carried by the characters, and there was a heavy lack of character-focused moments. On top of this you have the weird pacing, in particular the promise of a great adventure only to have a 15 seconds montage and boom, Kong Kingdom.

- The action was honestly very good all around ! They knew how to idolize both the power-ups and the environments, and it looked really cool !

- At first I thought people were exaggerating when saying there was too much slow-mo but after the 6th time or so…yeah, there was too much of it.

- Loved when the music used were remixes from the games or songs like the Mario Cartoon theme/DK rap ! Not so much when it was random pop music…

- Usually when I see people gush over characters I tend to view it as exaggeration but OH MY GOD I CANNOT OVERSTATE HOW MUCH I LOVE BOWSER IN THIS !!! As someone who grew up with Super Paper Mario I can assure you he is 100% in character and he is literally the best thing about the movie ! They managed to bounce off of both his menacing and goofy sides in an amazing way and I cannot get enough of him ! Kinda wish we saw his kids tho : /

- As someone who doesn’t ship it, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the sexual tension scene between Bowser and Luigi as much as I did but damn that scene is gay ! Love it !

- The humor was something I was really afraid going in and I was honestly surprised by how medium-good it was actually ! Can’t say I laughed every time but the bros shenanigans definitely was fun.

- On that note I could’ve watched an hour long movie of just the two bros doing Brooklyn stuff. This whole sequence was adorable.

- Speaking of Brooklyn, the ending was…weird on that front. First of all I’m surprised Mario didn’t expect the Bullet Bill to arrive in Brooklyn and literally kill everyone (like dude, do you realize how dangerous that thing is ???) and second of all those people are surprisingly calm to see the invasion of a whole other species. Seriously, why are these people so chill about it ?

- I guess I could also mention the fact that there’s no dialogue related to Mario and Luigi deciding to settle into the Mushroom Kingdom but considering the lack of development in everything else, I’m not surprised they went so fast on that.

- I’d also add that the ending of the Rainbow Road scene felt a bit jarring in how dramatic it was, though I don’t know how to explain it other than saying it felt like the movie didn’t “deserve” to have such a dramatic moment ? Really not sure how to explain it better… And on that note, the whole “fake death/everyone think they’re dead” moment with Mario and DK felt very unnecessary, but at least they didn’t drag it out.

- Last negative comment on the story itself because it is so true : I saw the review of a French youtuber (Mayo-Lek) and he pointed out how the whole story is about Mario and Peach going to the Kong Kingdom for help, only for the Kongs to get kidnapped a few minutes later. So…what was the point in asking for their help if they ultimately don’t do anything ?

- Going back to the characters, Luigi was great ! And like everyone else here, I do wish he would’ve had more screen time. But other than that, love his character for what we saw of him.

- The Luma that is apparently divisive amongst people was very funny in my opinion. Also at some point they literally get out of their cell for a second there ! Tells you all you need to know about their character (low-key surprised they didn’t jump into the lava by themselves but then again it’s a kids movie).

- That blue-shelled koopa dude clearly loves his job. Good for him. Weirdly enough, his enthusiasm in trying to kill Mario makes him very fun and a pretty compelling character for the small screen time he had.

- Toad was…there. At least he was entertaining instead of annoying. So that’s a plus.

- Btw the fact that they didn’t have Toadsworth was already a bit sad but THEY HAD ANOTHER TOAD WHO HAD THE EXACT SAME ROLE AS HE DID WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL NINTENDO ??!!! WHY DO YOU HATE ORIGINAL DESIGNS SO MUCH ???

- Kinda random but I don’t know the reference for that Kong who drove Mario and co to Cranky Kong, so my only thought was “it should’ve been Funky Kong”. I mean he had the glasses ! And yes I know Funky is in the movie in the background.

- I cannot fucking stand Donkey Kong. Not exactly sure what kind of personality I expected them to give him since he doesn’t really have one in the games, but I absolutely hate what they did with him. “Boastful douchebag with nothing in their brain who tries to be the center of attention constantly and annoy the hell of everyone around him” is a type of character, and on that note a type of person, that I can’t fucking stand. That being said giving him a power up for a minute was really cool and made for a great action scene ! Same for his fight with Mario in the arena, but again the action in general was really good.

- Peach. Oh Peach. Peaches. Peachounette as he calls her in French. Look how they massacred my girl !

- More seriously, my biggest issue by far with Peach is just how much she was willing to throw hands all the goddam time. I’m sorry but to me that’s just not Peach ! While she can absolutely spring into action, her constantly wishing to fight as a first solution is just not something she does. Hell why do you think her people are so weak and pacifist in the games ! Peach is a diplomat who only fights herself if there’s no other option.

- On that note, I have no issues with her knowing how to parkour, how to use power-ups or how to drive. It makes sense she would given she was raised in this world. Her being athletic isn’t an issue, she’s always been athletic (just look at any sports game). Plus in the games where she’s playable she’s capable of keeping up with the others.

- My second biggest issue with her is her body language. Again, most of it didn’t feel like Peach. She had none of the delicateness and elegance of the games. Literally the only moment her body language felt like her was during the fight between Mario and Dk, and even then it was only when the movie wasn’t focusing on her (aka when she wasn’t talking to Mario but just reacting). Her face was also unsettling to look at sometimes, I think it has to do with her eyes. Idk, sometimes some of her facial expressions made her look old and I can’t explain why. 🤷‍♂️

- (Also it’s incredibly funny how some youtube thumbnails have edits of Peach moments but as Daisy and that body language fits Daisy perfectly. That being said, I wouldn’t call Movie Peach a clone of Daisy, as Daisy is a very spunky tomboyish character who gives a “I don’t care all that much about ruling my kingdom” vibe. So while movie Peach has a body language that fits Daisy, their personalities are still completely different.)

- A good example of my issues with her behavior and body language has to be the way she addresses Cranky and the rest of the Kongs. Peach in the games would have a completely different behavior when asking for their help, regardless of how dire the situation is.

- And on that, the only scene where she felt in character personality-wise was when she confronted Bowser and he threatened to hurt her people if she doesn’t marry him. This scene was absolutely *chief kiss* for both of them (then again every scene with Bowser is amazing; I can’t get enough of this guy !). But then she started becoming a martial-artist and suddenly we were back to her being OOC (you can have her use the power-up and manage to stall the cages + trap Bowser without having her look like a professional fighter, Smash Bros apparently already does it).

- I guess I could also mention how overly sassy she is, which again doesn’t feel like Peach as, while she does have some sassiness in the games, it’s not to this extent. The fact that the Toads made her their princess doesn’t make much sense either, like why electing some random person who comes from another world ? What about the government before her ? (note that I’m a big fan of the “she’s a toad wearing a super crown, in this case her blue gem” headcanon so I might be biased) But yeah those two issues are kinda minor for me compared to her behavior and body language.

- All this to say if they wanted Peach to have a more action-oriented role, they should’ve taken inspiration from Super Paper Mario in which she’s incredibly sweet to pretty much everyone but can still easily get angry and has no issues throwing hands when needed (thinking of her confrontation with Mimi in 8-2, and even then, like I’ve seen people point out, the first thing she does after the fight is trying to save/befriend Mimi).

- I guess there’s also that one comic people keep bringing up but the fun thing about Peach in it is that she’s all bark and no bite. She keeps getting angry like she can actually do anything but then gets captured very easily, spends most of the fight scenes running around, only gets away from Wendy’s tower by sheer luck (finding the cape) and does nothing when Wendy calls her bluff with the bombs. The most she does in this comic to defend herself, outside of when she outsmarts the Koopalings (which I’ll admit was pretty badass) is throw furniture around. In a way, it’s pretty reminiscent of the 1986 anime/movie in which she gets angry on several occasions, defends herself by throwing shit around and manages to outsmart Bowser at some point, but ultimately doesn’t stand a chance against him.

- (Btw if you haven’t read this comic you need to ! Everyone is an absolute dumbass in it but in a funny way and it’s great ! Can’t say I know much about them but reading it low-key feels like watching an absurd play. Nothing and nobody take itself seriously in this comic and I love it !)

- On an unrelated note since I mentioned the wedding, I really liked the pink tones on her wedding dress ! The ice dress did look a bit weird tho in the sense that it makes me think too much of Frozen, though I’m not sure what they could have done about it since ice = blue and white colors so I can’t blame the movie for this one 🤔 (also fireflower Peach didn’t have her ponytail, 0/10 /j)

- And since I’m talking about clothes, not much to say for the most part as it’s all stuff the characters wear in the games but still I really liked the look of DK using the fire flower, plus the Koopas wearing helmets was a nice touch.

- Last thing about Peach and then we move on to the others, apparently Miyamoto said this version of Peach is what he’s always imagined the character to be and honestly, I’m having a hard time believing him. Like, I can definitely see it when it comes to the old comic and the 86 anime, since in both Peach is very temperamental (the comic especially). Paper Peach is also not one to sit idly and tends to have a lot more agency, at least in the first trilogy. But if you look at more modern depictions of her…Luigi Mansion 3 ? Mario Odyssey ? The online ads and shit ? Mario and Luigi ? The second Paper Mario trilogy ? The Rabbids games ? Hell in the first Rabbids game she had a gun but in the second they went back to her parasol.

- What I’m trying to say is that if Miyamoto had always wanted Peach to be written this way, why didn’t he write her this way ? Isn’t he one of the most higher-ups at Nintendo, at least when it comes to Mario games ? How come her older depictions are closer to her movie self in terms of temper than her modern depictions, to the point where people need to dig up some old comic to “prove” that Peach had always been this way instead of using modern material ?

- And for those who might say it’s because the goal of the games is almost always to save her, it’s not like she can’t both get angry easily and be the damsel in distress. In the first two Paper Mario games and the comic/86 anime, she was the one in need of saving but still had some agency. The two aren’t mutually exclusive (and like I said the humor with her in the comic is the difference between how much she wants to throw hands and how weak she actually is). Hell, on the opposite end Super Paper Mario had her as an active hero but portrayed her as sweet and kind + a diplomat. So yeah, I’m having trouble believing that this whole “this is how I always imagined her” is anything other than a publicity stunt.

- And on the other end of the body language, Mario was absolutely fantastic as a character, especially when it comes to his reactions to things ! Best example I can give because it amused me a lot was when Luigi mic-dropped his phone and Mario hid his face behind his hat in embarrassment, made even cuter due to him jumping to Luigi’s defense a second later. But yeah, overall, I really liked Mario’s character, not just his body language but his personality as a whole.

- They kinda tried to give a few hints that Peach and Mario like each other but honestly I found it to be very clumsy. Basically you could tell they were planting the seeds for a possible romance but were using moments that you’re used to see in a movie where the characters end up together. And since they never truly commit to them ending up together, while it does make perfect sense as they just met, it still makes the whole thing feel weird. Also the scene with DK teasing Mario about it and Toad jumping in was cringe af.

- Not really any opinions about Mario’s family. They were there. It’s nice to acknowledge them being Italian-americans and how they feel about the bros’ new job in regard to their upbringing, but other than that, I don’t really have anything to say about them.

- I watched the movie in French and the voices were pretty good ! Different from the game voices, but fitting enough for the characters. Only issues were Peach sounding too deep but then again that’s not my biggest issue with her character, and the second issue is the song “Peaches” where the French voice just…doesn’t sound all that good in some parts ? Though I think it might have been on purpose to accentuate the comedy of that scene ? Idk, I need to listen to the English version. Maybe the fact that people kept hyping up this song led me to believe it sounded genuinely good instead of people liking it for the comedy and how out of left field it was (on that note, I was surprised by how short this scene was due to how much people talked about it; this song is actually the one thing I regret being spoiled about).

- (also you have no idea how much I hope someone will make an edit/animation of Bowser playing the piano but with “You’re the Greatest” from Wander Over Yonder)

- And since we’re talking about voice actors, obviously Charles Martinet was 100% robbed and the only valid reason that I can accept is “Martinet himself said he didn’t think he had it in him to voice Mario and possibly Luigi as well for over an hour, given he’s getting rather old; especially if he does it in several languages”. If that’s not why he wasn’t casted, then he was robbed ! He’s literally the main reason why Mario and Luigi have the personalities that they have in modern games ! (at least I think that’s the case ?)

- Overall, favorite character has to be Bowser, with Mario and Luigi not too far away. Least favorite character is DK. It could’ve been Peach but my issues with her stem from how different she is from her games counterpart. If you take her movie character as a brand-new character rather than a game adaptation, she’s actually pretty great as a guide and strong mentor. But DK, regardless of whether or not he’s faithful to his game counterpart, is just a character I can’t stand.

- Favorite scene is either the beginning at Brooklyn with the bros being bros because it’s adorable (granted the whole dog thing wasn’t very funny. I have no issue with them doing slapsticks but the fact that they used some random dog just doesn’t do it for me), or the scene where Bowser proposes to/blackmails Peach because finally Peach is in character and that whole interaction is really great ! Least favorite scene is by far the insides of the eel with Mario and DK. I just don’t give enough of a shit about DK to feel invested in an emotional moment focused on him.

- And lastly because I realized I forgot : the movie was really pretty, with the decors and animation being absolutely fantastic. Only issue is that it’s not the type of stuff that sways me into liking a movie. I’m the type of person who finds retro games to look great so yeah… Same for the references btw. Like if you ask me about a detail in the movie I liked, instead of mentioning a reference, I will mention something like that confrontation/confession between Bowser and Peach and how, when Peach threatens Bowser with her weapon, the koopas around her immediately raise their spears, ready to protect their king. Like I said, this has literally nothing to do with references, it’s just a random detail I really like. I still really enjoyed all the references but it’s just not the type of stuff that makes me like a movie. I’m here for the story, the characters and the emotions first and foremost.

Final verdict : either 5.5/10 or 6.5/10 The simple plot makes it seem like a character driven story but outside of the bros’ adorable relationship and Bowser being Bowser, there wasn’t much character here. Also Peach and DK were pretty bad, the former due to being OOC most of the time and the latter because he’s just annoying as all hell.

I’d also add that, in my opinion, the biggest mistake Nintendo made with this movie was trusting Illumination with it. While I’m very much aware that Nintendo likely had a very strong grip on the team working on it and that Nintendo also isn’t known for liking deep Mario stories (*cough* modern Paper Mario *cough*), I still think that the lack of character development and interesting dialogue interactions (+ pacing issues) are due to Illuminations, given their track record.

Weirdly enough since I’ve only seen a few of their movies, I feel like Dreamworks would have been the best at handling this property. Like we’re all quick to jump on the Disney/Pixar bandwagon (and tbf Disney does know how to write female characters that are considered princesses) but in that case I can’t help but think that Dreamworks would have been the better choice. Maybe it’s due to Disney and Pixar being not so great recently. 🤷‍♂️

In any case, I do think that making it an animated movie was 100% the right call. Mario is a bright and colorful world filled with imaginary creatures, something animation excels at. Also Nintendo already tried Live-action once and failed miserably so maybe that’s why they took the animation direction.

#Mario Movie #Super Mario Bros Movie #mario movie spoilers #Video Games #I need a Mario tag eventually #Flor talks #long post #fun fact : I actually started writing this last week as soon as I came back from watching it #but everyday would add something new to it; hence why it took so long to post #also I love how 1/3 of this post is a rant about Peach because of course it is #kinda sad how Peach as a character has TONS of potential in regards to her role as a monarch; her relationships;#and the magic she supposedly has according to the RPGs; but Nintendo doesn't do shit with that potential #and that movie doesn't tap in this potential either #Super Mario

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orphilos · 1 year

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GET TO KNOW THE MUN.

what’s your phone wallpaper : minato ! my whole phone is meant to have a persona 3 theme going on ! with my lock scene being tartarus & custom p3 icons to replace my apps. last song you listened to : Paulownia Mall (Lofi Remix) ! currently reading : nothing as of right now ! i have been suggested some books to read though ! i really need to go to my local library to find them ! last movie : evil dead rise ! not as scary as many made it out to be, I blame the saw series for making anything related to gore not freak me out last show : technically, cyberpunk: edgerunner ! but if we're not going off by animes... wednesday ! what are you wearing right now ? : my pajamas ! piercings / tattoos ? : ear lobe piercing ! i plan to get a tattoo somewhere either this year or next year ! glasses ? contacts ? : i do have glasses, that I should be wearing... but I'm far too use of not wearing them ! last thing you ate : i believe a chocolate brownie? i only had woke up, and I don't ate breakfast much. favourite colours : switches between pink, blue, white and purple!current obsession : persona, and star rail ! i'm sure once tears of the kingdom drop this Friday, that will be my next obsession. do you have a crush right now ? : nope ! favourite fictional characters : minato/minako ( persona 3 ), march 7th & clara ( star rail ), sailor chibi moon / sailor mars ( sailor moon ), utena tenjou ( revolutionary girl utena ), flannel, eirika & byleth ( fire emblem. )

tagged by : little late on munday for me, but I stole it from @enshijou ! tagging : nobody ! feel free to steal it !

#* XIII ⫶ life is short. the art long ⊹ ( out of character. )

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mccoys-killer-queen · 1 year

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Nick Perri & Walt Lafty in concert

I'd never been to this venue before, it's essentially a tiny movie theater! So I only went to this bc Nick filled in for Adam Slack of The Struts back in May and his band also opened for them. Turns out he and Walt were in a band called Silvertide in the very early 2000s, so they kinda reunite every now and then and tour together as two solo acts. They call this the "Going Solo Tour" and this is the second year in a row they did this. Everything about the tour promotion is Star Wars themed.

this is the first show i actually got to at a late time bc the venue is that tiny and this is such an low publicity act (underground if you will lol) that I was not worried at all about "getting there at a decent time"

this means doors were at 7 and i got there at 6:40

this lobby place is h i p. string lights draped from the ceiling, dim lighting, random artwork, vintage couches, splattered floors; the works.

Walt actually came out to use the bathroom before doors and despite never having seen a pic of him before I just knew it was him for some reason

AT FIRST GLANCE I THOUGHT HE LOOKED LIKE THE LEAD SINGER FROM LEVON (WHOM IS H A W T) AND I HAD A HEART ATTACK

I was the only person on the guest list LMAO

I swear I overheard someone say "she's with the band" very quietly and it made me like C: "do I pass that well as someone important"

an older man asked me if I was with the band bc he saw me doing test shots in the lobby and I said "sort of"

Nick poked his head out of the doors at one point and I was like :DD bc i only saw him one time and it made me so happy to see that this year is coming full circle

so this venue,,, half the seats are couches.

I was up front in this entirely cushioned chair and i must say, most comfy i've been at a show fr

i should mention this takes place on the anniversary of my first ever concert uwu

the music they were blasting before the show was F I R E (the who, heart, bowie, etc.)

when the show started they just flooded the tiny stage with smoke and deadass- a dramatic star wars/carol of the bells orchestra remix started playing

walt is fucking hilarious i was DYING he's just so funny he's a dork

him telling us a story before every song he played

him saying nick is a much better guitarist than him bc "you know i only strummy strummy right"

after one story he looked at his setlist and went "ok time for this next song.... if i can remember how to play it" and forgot for like a solid minute and said "adhd brain at its finest"

someone in the crowd said something about a lobster suit and walt was like hOW TF DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT STORY HOLD ON- I AM TELLING THIS-

so the story goes that like c. 2001 Walt went to a yard sale and found a VHS case and on the cover was a photo of Ronald Mcdonald in a "half black half white tuxedo and holding a .45" and he asked the yard sale guy what it was and he said "oh i made that movie it's about fast food companies going to war with each other. I still have the Red Lobster costume I made" and he dug out the costume from his basement and showed him and it was like LEGIT HIGH QUALITY and Walt said "$15 later it was mine" so he went offstage at Silvertide's next show and came back out wearing the lobster suit with the mic gaff taped to one of the claws since there was no hand function in them

apparently Nick didn't even know some of this story until last night

the two of them advertising for the venue's food multiple times simply bc they wanted to gush about how good it is

Nick doing his solo set and Walt standing in the back having a convo with him at times as if there wasn't a crowd between them

I cannot for the life of me remember what Walt said from the back of the room when Nick asked him a question from the stage, but Nick made this face when Walt answered him:

I felt so weird moving around even as little as I did bc THERE WAS NO ROOM IERFNOERWINFROIFNRF i went to the center twice (one for each solo set) FOR A FEW SECONDS EACH and even then I felt like I was in the way so badly LMAOO

when I did that for Walt he made sure to look right at the camera and sarcastically smile the doofus

Nick Perri is so goddamned talented I hate it like hOLY SHIT HE CAN SHRED

the lighting at this place was terrible so all my photos kinda look bad in terms of quality oifnveosrinferf

I lost one of my DL buttons in the chair I was sitting in :( oh well I didn't really care about them anyway

I sat in the lobby again after HOPING to meet them bc again super tiny venue there was maybe like 50 ppl in the crowd at most

this is the first show I did not buy a shirt from bc "we didn't do shirts- everyone does shirts"

at one point I noticed Walt was sitting at a table and then noticed that Nick was BEHIND ME at the merch table and there were these two kids that kept talking to both of them and I didn't want to interrupt bc I don't even listen to these guys I just think they're cool

Walt came up to me and i asked if he has insta and he disappeared for a minute and came back with a business card and we talked about the design for his new album

I mainly came for Nick bc he's the only one I knew of prior to this show and I didn't want to interrupt those two dudes talking to him so I just waited patiently at a table nearby and at one point Nick just beelined to me bc he knew I was waiting and said hi and jfc he's so charming it was HARD not to catch feelings yet another time after a show

i thanked him for getting me into the show and i already had my camera out so I held down the scroll button and all the photos flew by like a fast slide show playing the whole show in reverse and he was like "woahh :o"

did I mention how charming he is like uwuwuwuuwuwu

I told him how i saw him in harrisburg back in May with The Struts and how I was kinda happy Adam wasn't there bc i got to see him instead and he was like 🥺

he said he liked my earrings (big sparkly lightning bolts) and i said I got them at 5below and he was like what's that :o so I told him and i think he realized what I said bc he just kinda smacked his forehead and went "oh- duH"

i asked him for a photo and the second I put my front camera on us we both simultaneously went to fix our hair, to which i said "ugh i hate my bangs" and he said "I think they're cool bangs c:" and I think my heart stopped

the photo of us looks SO GOOD??? literally best pic i've ever gotten with an artist??

that was basically it, I hung around for another minute and then left

bonus:

so i had to park in a parking garage a block away. you get a ticket and have to put it in a machine when you come back. the machine sucks it up and you pay. well turns out it gives it BACK TO YOU AFTER U PAY and that's how you GET OUT OF THERE?? so me being a dumbass took my change and went back to my car and when i was trying to get out the barricade wouldn't lift bc it WANTED ME TO INSERT A CARD??? i was like BUT I PAID???? luckily this maintenance officer guy was there and saw me leave my car and opened up the barricade for me and I was like :#D thanx sorry I've literally never had to pay to be in a parking garage before

#concerts #concert #concert log #nick perri #walt lafty #silvertide

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sorrowful--owl · 2 years

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Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTSJPhPXdxQ - Had this on loop when I first saw it on twitter, holy moly was I ALIVE; PV for the new theme song for the compilation movies (Part 1) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvOid0XJSjg - Got so emotional watching this while watching it, in contrast to the anime's main 2 themes (Nornir and Boys Come Back to Me), to me, both convey a mournful and melancholic tone to them, Boys Come Back to Me especially... but listening to Proof of My Existence, it stills feels a bit melancholic, yet, sounds hopeful. Which given the context of the anime... these characters DERSERVED BETTER, especially the 2 brothers you saw in the posters! (Red - Kanba Takakura, and Blue - Shouma Takakura); and lastly, the PV for the soundtrack of the movies, which remixes of the original OST of the anime, and covers of the band, ARB, sung by the show's in-universe idol group, Double/Triple-H! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJr9Zj-JvX4 - Rocking Over Japan~ Also sung by a new baby penguin with a bib and pacifier, Purinchu Penguin u///u

I mean just from watching that trailer, it does look really pretty! Might not entirely be up my alley b/c of my own ordeals but it does look very nice! Though maybe I should actually give it a try before deciding such but dfhsdfh I'm p picky about my stuff. But def will say it do look pretty, and a bit sad indeed from what I got from it!

but the music is Very Nice, I love me some music that b like that -- course I'm a sucker for music that isn't in english lol it's just nice to listen to

#Owl's Ramblings

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cappuccinopoweredsprite · 3 months

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1, 7, 11, 20, 30 for the songs ask please

1. three songs that come up when you put your phone on shuffle

well well, let's see what my liked songs have in store...

Numb Little Bug - Em Beihold (how fitting lol)

Industry Baby - Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow (another fave fr)

Rockstar Sea Shanty - Nickelback, The Lottery Winners (preserving the silly)

Anyway yes, a pretty representative trio if i do say so myself.

7. three songs you didn’t expect to like but eventually loved

Roadtrip - Dream, PmBata

yeah yeah a Dream song. "loved" might be a strong word here tbh. It gives me feelings of nostalgia but like, for something I never experienced myself.

Beh - Korben Dallas

When I encountered this one for the first time, I saw it just as a quality track I didn't really understand... then I re-discovered it in my final year of high school and i Understood.

just about any Ghost song

Around 18 months ago, I saw an unknown-to-me band being described as "metal for people who don't like metal" and, in direct response to that, as "scooby doo chase music". I didn't expect to find so many of the band's songs Quite Alright, nor did I expect the band to take 1st place in my spotify wrapped. Both of the aforementioned descriptions were correct btw.

11. three favourite songs from movie or TV series soundtrack

So This Is The Famous Suicide Squad - John Murphy

A fairly unremarkable piece of background music, but it made one of my coolest gaming moments ever.

Can't Leave The Night - BADBADNOTGOOD

my guys did NOT have to go that hard in 2014, but they did, and Lockwood and co. got an absolutely banging intro track.

No Big Deal - Brenda Song, Haley Tju, Anna Akana

killer birds and it's no big deal 🪿

riding snails and it's no big deal 🐌

eating flies and it's no big deal 🪰

finally me and it's no big deal 💎

20. three songs that remind you of the person who sends this one

oh that's not hard,

Ghost - Twen- just kidding lol Jesus He Knows Me

ABBA - Dancing Queen

Måneskin - Gossip

30. three songs you really want your followers to know (for reasons other than all those above)

Steel City - Kazzer

i'm not the only one who thinks this song slaps incredibly, right?

Tokyo Calling - ATARASHII GAKKO!

their entire aesthetic is chef's kiss. go listen to them.

Die Biene Maja - Emi Flemming SCHLAGERTECHNO Remix - Emi Flemming, Karel Gott

it doesn't get more outta pocket than a techno remix of the most legendary Czech singer ever singing the theme song of a popular Czech children's cartoon in German. and it also slaps. naturally.

Thank you for the ask <3

#music #ask tag #long post #hyperobsession

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getmemymicroscope · 8 months

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In a time where Bollywood continues to flounder with shitty remake after shitty remake, and shitty remix after shitty remix, it's nice to turn to some relatively recent movies from the 'smaller' industries (are they really that much smaller, I have to wonder) and get amazingly done stories. Especially my faves, the whodunnits.

This is an interesting take in that category (in the sense that the whodunnit is sorta secondary for a good part of the story) - a judge, through some coincidence (and an admittedly pretty bad appearing CGI car crash at the beginning) happens across a kid who is telling these stories about murders/deaths, in great detail. And upon investigation, because he's a judge with a lot of free time (and, at least initially, a huge problem with hallucinating rain, which they attribute to his aforementioned car crash), he comes to realize that these stories are true. .... Which, well, the kid is like 8 years old and the murders are like 30 years old, so ... how could he know these details?

And with that, the investigation is off. It's not exactly the fastest-paced movie - just like the other Kunchacko Boban movie I watched (and loved!), Vettah - but in taking its time to get where it is going, it's able to slowly fake you out with momentary turns into "is this a horror movie?" and "is this going to end up being a ghost story?" and the likes (answer: no, thankfully). And, most enjoyably, that theme song that plays in the background at multiple points throughout the movie (apparently a song called 'Story') is absolutely fucking amazing.

Story’s burning like a fire See the shadow lighting, lighting up the pyre

This is the gist of the lyrics (which are excellent), which I think plays only once - otherwise it is just the epic music.

I've seen Boban once before, and loved that movie, and he's excellent yet again. Nayanthara, too (I saw her recently in Godfather, where she was also good), is absolutely wonderful in this role. And the supporting cast is good too. But really, these two as the leads (and the kid, of course) really just hit it out of the park. Even when he spends the first third of the movie in a face mask (because apparently that really bad crash - in this instance, I mean bad as in 'horrific' and not as in 'bad CGI' - caused only 2 issues: hallucinating that it was always raining, and a broken nose).

The beginning - literally, it starts with that CGI car crash - is a bit slow and uneventful, and it is only once you learn that the rain he's seeing isn't real that things start getting a bit interesting. And once the kid's story is introduced, it really picks up Did they need to show that crash? I don't know. Did they need to show it in the background while focusing on a bird? Definitely not. But then, I'll give it a pass because things do get better from there - and generally stay that way.

When the truth - about how the kid knows the stories - is revealed, that's masterfully done. The suspense, the music - brilliant. The second reveal is also pretty good, but at that point, you only really have a couple of options (assuming, of course, that 1) the culprit is actually part of the story and 2) this isn't going to turn out to be a ghost story after all), because, I mean, the murders were 30 years ago. Assuming she was playing her own age at the time the movie released (no reason to think she wasn't), Nayanthara's character would've been like 7 at the time of the crimes, so she's unlikely to be the culprit. And that's true for most of the people we meet, who additionally have no real relation to the kid until this story starts, so they're also unlikely culprits. So, yeah, limited options in terms of suspects. Not that that's a bad thing, because for most of the movie, the question isn't really "whodunnit" (because they're still not sure that anything was actually done) but instead "whotoldhim." And the story plays that out really well.

The movie isn't as good as I remember thinking Vettah was, or Mumbai Police, but it's probably next up amongst the 9 or 10 Malayalam movies I've seen. I really enjoyed this.

#movies #movieblr #gmmm does movies

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slowpoke272 · 1 year

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“pet sematary” by stephen king

finished: february 2, 2023

okay, so i have a lot of thoughts about this book. this is my fourth stephen king read, following: - "IT" read in 2019 (hardcover) - "'salem's lot" read in 2020 (paperback) - "the stand" read in 2022 (audiobook)

(why did i put those details, i'm not sure, but they're there now.) i was pretty excited getting into this one because of what i had heard, but it was a nice balance of me being familiar with the premise without knowing much of the story or what happens. this worked to its advantage and disadvantage, as i think even seeing a trailer for a movie adaptation changes what you know about a story and helps frame it. this has also made me really consider whether i want to watch any stephen king adaptations in the future, knowing the book is always going to be so different, and in most cases, much better and more thought-out. the irony here is that i never would have gotten into reading stephen king until i saw "IT (chapter 1)" in 2017, and initially when i first saw the trailer for that movie, i immediately said out loud "nope, nope, i don't want to see that, i never want to see that, how could anyone choose to go see that." how things change! thankfully. actually, after reading "the stand" and watching the trailer for the recent 2020 adaptation, while i thought the casting was pretty good (although nadine is so wrong to me and unacceptable tbh) i could see so many differences already and i further read what the changes were and decided it wasn't an adaptation of the story i needed to see. that's probably the best way to frame it; just a different adaptation of the same story. like a reboot of a television show, a revival of a broadway play, or a remix of a song, it will never be the original piece its derived from. comparison is unhelpful and we should just take each story as a different take on a similar universe, but there are some adaptations not worth seeing. in my case, i feel like i've seen enough stephen king stories on the big screen already that i don't need to seek any out until after i consume the original story. "the shining," "shawshank redemption," and "the green mile" are movies i grew up watching.

with that in mind, when pet sematary (2019) came out, i was intrigued and wanted to see the film. from the trailer, i gathered that death of animals was a prominent theme, and that made me nervous about whether i was able to handle it. they cast john lithgow as jud though, and that seems perfect. that seems to be a recurring theme in movie/tv adaptations, maybe the story isn't as solid as the original but it's cool to see actors take on the role and fit it so well. so if you think of pet sematary (2019) as john lithgow's monologuing of the character with all the other millions spent just to make it decorated nicely... well, maybe it's worth it then, heh.

this is all context leading me to explain that this is my fourth king novel, seeing the movie trailer exposed me to some of the story, i loved the story and the thrill of it, but... the ending was weird. and i don't mean weird in a "horror" kind of weird, obviously it was leading us to this place and so in that way it landed where i thought it would, but idk. i guess i need more time to process it? this was a short novel and i loved how the pacing felt so quick but we really felt like we got the depth of each character and how they handle death. by now i'm starting to see the stephen king pattern, or really any author or story pattern really, of introducing characters, getting deep in their psyche and desires while a mysterious scary thing is surfacing, the thing gets closer, the characters grapple with it head on, shit hits the fan, and then.... i guess what i'm learning is the resolution may vary based on each story. i feel like "IT" and "the stand" were given such fledged out resolutions, regardless of what happens you can pretty much guess where the characters go after. "'salem's lot" was more like "pet sematary," sometimes the shit hitting the fan IS the resolution? sometimes there is no resolution? obviously i'm fine with no happy ending, obviously i wouldn't take on reading stephen king if that weren't the case... idk, i just can't pinpoint what it is about the ending of "pet sematary" that left me... empty. not in a good way. but maybe that's how this novel is meant to be taken.

i did really enjoy and appreciate king's forward, or his warning rather, that this story he felt he took too far. i totally understand what he means, there are certain lines even in horror movies we don't cross, but it was tactfully done. having said all that, despite my love for john lithgow and believing that he would make the perfect jud, i don't have any specific need to see the 2019 adaptation of the movie, or even the older adaptation. i feel like the book is worth revisiting for the first 3/4 but that last part... i got through it and i don't feel the need to do that ride again. and that's a first for me for any stephen king story.

from here i'm gonna get into some spoilers and details, so i'm placing that behind a cut. and if you think it took me a long time just to confess that i wasn't wild about the ending of the book, wait until you see how long it takes me to talk about the things i did love, because i loved a lot about this book! hehe

oh, where to start. i guess i'll start with the characters. they are great. louis is immediately established as a trusted narrator (even though it's third person, it's clear from the start that louis is our main guy and who we will be experiencing the bulk of the story through) and i loved that he was a doctor. he believed in science and his brain was logical. i also fully believed his number one devotion in life was to his children and protecting them at all costs, which ends up being the ultimate horror as we get into the bad side of not being able to accept your child's death. rachel, sweet rachel was wonderful. i loved the arc about her sister zelda and her trauma regarding that, and the after effects it still had on rachel and her parents. i wanted to reach through the book and hug rachel, listen to her, help her, make cookies with her and ellie. i think one of my favorite things about the book was rachel's resistance to death and how it led her ultimately to chasing it down as she tried to save her husband. i think there's a lot of rachels in our society and i don't blame her for wanting to protect ellie's innocence when she (rachel) herself suffered so much from death at an early age. but let's face it, zelda's loss wasn't just about zelda dying, it was the heartbreak that was taking care of zelda at all and the way it changed rachel and her parents and their relationship to one another. that seems like a pretty harrowing warning, an appreciation that if you've never had to care for someone who can't take care of themselves.... consider yourself grateful, it's the toughest job. rachel and her parents never seemed to find peace regarding zelda (and her frankly bratty behavior despite her condition) and they focus on the loss of zelda rather than addressing the turmoil that surfaced prior to her death. also very on point and representative of a large population, i suspect. i personally have never had to care for a human in that way, but i have cared for (don't laugh, i'm white, i know) numerous pets in their old age as their health declined, i know the hopelessness. i know the heart it takes for a pet, and while i consider pets to be part of my family and i've been closer with more animals than humans, i understand that it's not quite the same as a human, but i hold the respect for anyone who is a caretaker and i respect the heart they need to withstand that day in and day out.

the kids. from the beginning with the bee sting it was clear that gage would be the story's resident embodiment of innocence. the biggest change i can gather from the 2019 adaptation, at least from the trailer, is it appears ellie is the one who is exhumed instead of gage. my main gripe with the trailer now looking back is it gave me an understanding that the children being different would be the horror of the story, and the adults would have to figure out how to fix them/stop it. that's not really the case, the horror is really the burial ground summoning louis and jud to a degree. after all, if it weren't for jud and his prior connection to the burial ground, none of this would have happened. i feel like it was an obviously massive red flag to the creeds when they first move in and meet their news neighbors and within their first few meetings, jud is like "well i oughtta take you back to show you this thing all the kids play on." anyway, the kids. i loved the kids, i loved ellie's curiosity for life, the only thing i found kinda off with the kids from the beginning is their ages. whereas it appears the 2019 adaptation has them a bit older, the kids don't seem quite age appropriate to me, even for having a doctor for a dad. ellie is 5 but is asking some pretty eloquent questions on her own, and i'm sure it's possible and there are kids out there that are like that from a young age, but then she would like snap back to acting like a 5 year old. it's like she was 7-8 years old when speaking with her parents but the rest of the time she was 5, then eventually 6. i feel the same for gage too. i get that he was an innocent baby and for purpose of the story he's meant to be totally vulnerable and defenseless, so he barely even crawls, but he's able to repeat words back easily. i just imagined the kids a little bit older than what they were stated as, a little nitpicky of me and doesn't really change the story. they're kids, we get it.

i have to say though, if i had to pinpoint something about the ending that i straight up didn't like, or felt robbed of, it's ellie. she was left with her grandparents and????? then what??????? i totally supported rachel leaving her behind, and i also would understand if she ended up just staying with her grandparents, but that we had no resolution or revisiting of poor ellie felt cheated. her mom was murdered, her brother just died, she was experiencing the messaging from the burial ground and felt things were off, she knew enough of what was going on but was left in the dust. and louis, who started out as the devoted father who would do anything for his kids, suddenly is fine leaving his 6 year old with her grandparents who he hates? i mean, to this point at least we saw louis breaking down slowly his grip on his ability to protect his family. he felt he was doing the best for his family by exhuming gage but he was hurting rachel and ellie in the process and didn't even bother to notice. i just wish we even heard from ellie in the sense of maybe her waking up in the middle of the night in terror or something like she had been. both her parents were gone, she was grieving gage wicked hard, she was in tune with the burial ground and felt the presence of evil, but we just left her without any acknowledgment whatsoever. poor ellie.

i also kinda felt like jud was given a cheap send off. i know he was old and his age was a constant reminder, so i expected him to die, but the way he was so determined and willing to die defending louis, i just thought he would have been able to put up more of a fight in the final battle, or had some cool last line or something. he had seen church before in his exhumed state, he knew what the burial ground was capable of, so i just can't imagine seeing gage would make him freeze up, but i guess.

which leads me back to king's warning at the beginning: this book was the one he thought he took to far. well, damn, i understand why he felt that way. i liked the way gage's death was nonchalantly mentioned before it happened; as gruesome as it is, the baby dying isn't the horror of the story. the horror of the story is the burial ground influencing the educated, logical, devoted father into thinking exhuming his child for a rebirthing would be any kind of a good idea. and man, was it horrific. starting from gage's death, you get a real feeling that louis is drifting away immediately, as are rachel and ellie, but that's where the story sticks with louis as its protagonist. by the time louis arrives at the decision to dig up gage's grave, we already know what he's thinking, we already know he's going to do it, and just in case we didn't we had jud checking in on him. the cemetery parts were so unbelievably uncomfortable i thought i was going to jump out of my own skin. really impressive writing.

of course one of the main reasons i was drawn to listen to "pet sematary" was the narrator being michael c. hall. as a big dexter fan, i knew michael would take it where it needed to go and was delighted at the idea of him reading a king novel. michael. did. such. a. phenomenal. job. like. scores above what i ever thought he could, and i knew he would do great. i lovedddddd his accent for jud, to me he nailed that perfect and i ironically was picturing john lithgow. BUT from hearing john lithgow talk in the 2019 adaptation trailer, it doesn't even sound like john had that accent for the movie. this is why any desire i had to see the adaptation, even just for funsies, has mostly died. you can't cast better than john lithgow for a jud but the fact that he didn't have that accent tells me everything i need to know about how seriously and delicately the film took the story. if you're willing to do that to jud idk what else you're willing to do to it but i don't need it, thank you. michael also did a phenomenal job with the kids, he just absolutely nailed this narration and of course when louis got into his dark element, michael shined brightest. i swear i could hear the dexter main theme playing in the back of my head while hearing michael spout off the graphic monologuing of louis. simply fantastic and made the horror of the story that much more intense.

i was delighted that while there was a cat death, it was manageable. i'm childless but have always had a special connection with cats, so if a death is gonna hit me, it's gonna be church's. i really like the name church for a cat and might have to name one after him someday, although his name would be winston churchill, he would be named after stephen king's fictional cat.

overall i just really loved how this story handled death, it feels like stephen king is the louis assuring us, society, rachel that death is natural and we don't have to like it, but we need to accept it. to this day there are still so many of us who would rather not talk about it at all, as if it doesn't exist, but we've all obviously got our zeldas in all shapes and sizes. i would definitely not recommend this book to just anyone, i would say it takes someone very comfortable with death, and even then i would specifically warn about child and animal death. it's very heavy and very much not for everyone. this is the brand of stephen king that makes some folks turn their heads immediately and run the other direction. but with finishing this book i can confidently say i wanna get through stephen king's entire catalog, all 70+ novels and short story collections. 4 down, something like 73ish to go?

rating: 8/10 thought it was worth at least reading once for avid readers; the story will stick with me for quite some time

#stephen king #pet sematary #michael c hall

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