#especially when it was a LIVE DEBUT are you FUCKING kidding me

[andoutofharm]

sometimes i get on tiktok because i am bored and i immediately remember why i usually do not go on tiktok

#i dont CARE if you dont like abap or favorite record maybe consider not everything is for or about you and SHUT UP #like. if you want to say ‘oh i wouldnt have wanted this one’ to a friend or whatever fine. #but can people stop doing this on their platforms and shitting on everyone who did want it and saying ohhhhhh i didnt like it #WHO CARES. 1) you werent even there so why does it matter and 2) if you were there and were disappointed uhhhhhhhh get better soon #idk something about this massively rubs me the wrong way #also the argument of ‘i saw them a lot during that era so i dont want it :/‘ GUESS WHAT. AGAIN. THIS IS NOT ABOUT OR FOR YOU. #especially when it was a LIVE DEBUT are you FUCKING kidding me #anyway. i am eating abap haters whole and distributing their tickets to abap lovers <3

[lila-pitts-apologist]

Not to rise from the dead and post on here after months, but I wanted to touch on an aspect of the show that I feel is misunderstood by the fandom, especially in season 3.

I hate to bring it up at all, but I’m talking about Luther and Allison’s relationship(?). I know it’s a part of the series that most of us ignore or joke about, but in actuality it sheds light on how the siblings were raised, especially Allison, in a sadly realistic way.

While I obviously see Allison and Luther’s relationship as troublesome and unhealthy/weird, I don’t think I have the same ‘gawk in disgust’ reaction other people in the fandom seem to have when the complexity of the relationship is brought up.

This isn’t because I think incest (what I would label the relationship, even if it was more emotional than physical!) is acceptable, but because I think it makes total sense within the show, especially within the character dynamics of Allison and Luther.

Even though it’s a hard thing to bring up, sibling incest is more common than we think. It’s not always full-out or malicious, but it does occur way more often than most of us would assume. Specifically, it’s more likely to occur amongst siblings that are not properly socialized as youths, or ones who are full on isolated.

When we think of isolation we think of olden time families living on a farm cut off from any other societies, and I feel like that makes people underestimate how much the Hargreeves siblings were isolated from their peers and just other people.

I mean, we’ve seen Reginald’s parenting! The kids make their superhero debut at age 11, and by the way it’s described who knows if the kids ever even properly went outside before then. Growing up the Hargreeves had only the seven of them (6 if we account for Viktor’s separation).

All of the personal growth, all of the curiosity about the outside world, all of the teenage melancholia and growing pains, all of it has to occur within the bounds of the seven siblings because there’s literally no one else.

So of course this is going to make for oddly bonded children! Of course they’re going to blur the lines of what siblings should act like, because they know no objective standards! We see this in their competitiveness stemming from being pitted against each other, we see it in their ‘ride or die’ mindset even when they don’t like each other, and we see it in Allison and Luther.

I see the fandom spin it into Allison and Luther being freaks, especially as the other siblings find it odd as well. While I agree it’s weird, I think it’s unfair to paint it simply as ‘grown adults have a thing for their own sibling’ because we’re then ignoring their unique upbringing.

I mean, i find it hard to even treat the siblings as adults on an emotional level, because they were never truly allowed the development needed to grow into stable, mature adults.

You have one sibling who is reared to crave attention and validation, who didn’t see much kindness or empathy due to his envy-inducing status as Number 1. And you have another sibling who is purposely left devoid of proper morals, who is used to getting everything she wants and being wanted by everyone in the way she wants them to, by charm or by force.

Is it really hard to see what those siblings would find in each other, the validation that they surely would’ve found in non-relatives had they been allowed to grow up normally?

One of my favorite parts of TUA is that it’s not afraid to give us a fucked up family, exploring how such an unorthodox childhood allows for ugliness to rear its head in the craziest places. To me, the too-intimate bond of Allison and Luther isn’t something to just be written off as an awkward writing choice, it’s another very real and sad example of how the Hargreeves’ morals and minds were doomed from the start.

#pretty sure this is too long for anyone to want to read #thanks for coming to my TED talk #tua #tua s1 #the umbrella academy #allison hargreeves #luther hargreeves #is this fandom hibernating until s4 comes out??

[nicohischierz]

connor getting traded to devs and devs player is so ecstatic like connor is living with her, and they get put on a line togetehr and is one of the best lines in nhl

you’d gotten a call to come to the gm’s office and now you were panicking so you asks nico to come with you and refuses to go in without him.

so now both of you are sat holding hands preparing for the worst. in your head you were trying to figure out where you’d end up and how you relationship with nico would change especially with saira.

nobody had said anything until the gm’s phone rang. “bring him in,” he instructed.

you and nico looked at each other before turning to the door and in walked connor. you immediately got up and ran to the boy, bringing him in for a hug.

connor held onto you, melting in your arms. he waved at nico as the older man held his hand out to shake.

“what’s going on? why’s connor here?” you asked letting the boy sit.

connor smiled “you got room for one more kid?”. the meaning of connors words hit you instantly and you hugged him again.

“no way. you better not be fucking with me connor bedard,” you swore.

“i asked for a trade. i needed out of there and this is the only other place i wanted to be,” he explained.

connor got all his things sent to your apartment and you, nico and connor got to arranging his room when the three of you had off days.

saira’s happy her favourite uncle is here.

on the day of connors debut with the devils it just so happened that connor wore a smiling suit to you and nico, making everyone go crazy.

you and connor end up on the same line and you guys are dominating. like when you’re on the bench, you guys are watching film and you tease him for something but on the ice you guys know where each other are without any form of communication of looking.

hands down one of the best lines in the nhl and it’s no surprise when your line ends up with the game winning goal in the stanley cup finals

#nico hischier x player!reader #saira hischier au

[mobiused]

To be honest the fact we got to the stage where we could agree that boycotting is the right thing to do kinda surprised me cuz I'm so used to people going "but what about the babygirlywirlys feelings🥺🥺 they are just simpleminded feeble little girls who dont know what a big word like BOYCOTT means and theyll think we dont wuv them and will want to kill themsleves,, so we cant do that to them🥺" Obviously the notion that these grown women would be unable to wrap their head around the concept of a boycott being for the greater good is even funnier seeing as Lawsuit Line have organised their own boycott (‼ so awesome!!) of Fab. So yeah they understand what a fucking boycott is and won't take it personally.

Like. if you have been an orbit for a long time you will remember how wuebits spoke and still speak about Choerry's boycott and how it mustve hurt her little feelings... like paying to see a child in a miniskirt moan in your ear and dance provocatively is somehow OK if you say you only paid money to the company that did this her because you........ don't want to upset her..??? (I hope you never have children if this is your mindset regarding safeguarding and welfare of kids.) So yeah I am actually impressed that Orbits have finally fucking finally changed their tune, especially in this day and age where a tweet talking about how gross it is to support children in the industry gets 20k RTs and yet somehow all you guys know the names of these freshly debuted kids and their favorite colors their token animal their mothers maiden name etc etc etc. Are you not embarrassed lol...

And I hope we shame everyone we see who fails to boycott because it *is* embarrassing and it *is* weak, and it *is* putting money in the pockets of criminals and abusers. We can't just say it's okay~ I understand~ because no actually I don't understand how you can be so lacking in self control that its actually harder for you to literally do nothing than to waste money on some junk when you can pirate it anyway. How could you be so pathetic and somehow claim to care about these girls' wellbeing? Like this about people's real lives and real human rights and we need to take it as seriously as the girls deserve.

#loona boycott

[jucyfruit]

boygenius: “This is the time we finally get to be around each other – we’re gonna enjoy it”

As they release The Record, one of the year's most anticipated and acclaimed debut albums, we meet Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker in New York City to discuss their unique creative bond

by Gemma Samways

Tonight, the room is playing host to the 36th annual Tibet House US Benefit. Curated by Philip Glass – and featuring Laurie Anderson, Arooj Aftab and Bernard Sumner and Tom Chapman of New Order – the line-up reads like a particularly A-list episode of Later with… Jools Holland. It soon transpires its staging is similarly chaotic, with the event running approximately an hour behind schedule and artists often walking onstage unannounced.

boygenius are one of the few acts to enjoy a proper introduction. Added to the bill just 24 hours ago, their first public appearance in almost half a decade has prompted a frenzied, last minute scramble for seats, with $35 tickets exchanging hands for ten times that amount. A day later, in a photo studio in the East Village following our shoot at Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn, the trio admit to having felt a little freaked out in the build-up.

“I was really emotional because I’ve been obsessed with Nina Simone’s Carnegie Hall album of late,” Lucy Dacus confides, sat on the sofa, sandwiched between her bandmates. Julien Baker nods, confessing to having been “so stressed about doing my job that I couldn’t fully absorb that I was playing alongside living legends.” Meanwhile, Phoebe Bridgers was still semi-delirious with jetlag, having recently landed back in the US from Japan.

“Look at this photo,” she laughs, extending her phone to me. Taken pre-gig, it shows her passed out on the dressing room floor while Lucy smirks in the foreground. “With full make-up, I look like I’m in an open casket. And because Julien was playing piano, I was having Julien-fuelled dreams.”

Certainly there were no visible signs of unease as they stepped out onstage to play stripped-back versions of ‘Not Strong Enough’ and ‘Cool About It’ – taken from their long-awaited debut album The Record – for the first time. And despite the all-star bill, the supergroup proved one of the night’s biggest draws, eliciting excited whoops from an audience who had greeted every other performer with respectfully restrained applause. Ultimately, once they started playing, they enjoyed the experience.

Less gratifying was the discovery that a group of particularly intrusive fans had tracked down their hotel after the show. “They were like, ‘Don’t worry, you’re safe’,” Lucy shudders. “And it’s like, ‘No, we aren’t: how’d you find out where we are? That’s stalking. Don’t do this.

Phoebe continues: “I mean, interactions with fans can be really sweet, especially when it’s a show like Carnegie Hall which might’ve been hard to get tickets to. But often there’s this weird thing where the rudest people bubble to the top, and the poor kid who just wants their record signed is too nice to ask. And so, while I’m trying to escape the fucking full-grown man who just grabbed me, I’m ignoring the sweet kid.

It’s fair to say a certain level of hysteria has surrounded boygenius ever since their formation. Five years ago they were all ascendant stars of the alternative scene, with the Tennessee-born Baker and Richmond, Virginia-raised Dacus being the most established, with two acclaimed albums each. By the end of 2018, the trio were being breathlessly billed by Vogue as “the Infinity War of female-led indie-rock outfits,” while their self-titled EP received widespread praise.

Objectively, it’s a collaboration that made – and still makes – total sense. Despite outgrowing their respective DIY scenes, they had each retained a fiercely independent outlook and an emotional authenticity, and that struck a chord with similarly principled, serotonin-starved audiences. Just as tantalisingly, interviews and social media interactions revealed that they didn’t take themselves especially seriously and seemed keen to distance themselves from the pedestal that fans were so intent on putting them on.

“It’s probably refreshing that we’re not character artists,” Lucy says when asked to summarise the appeal of boygenius. “Because ultimately we’re talking to you now how we usually talk to each other. Even when I’m doing my own [solo] stuff, I present a curated version of myself – like, I pick one aspect of my character per album to share. But with this band it’s totally artless.”

It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that The Record is one of the most anticipated albums of the year. To some degree that demand can be explained by Baker and Dacus expanding their fanbases further off the back of their 2021 solo records Little Oblivions and Home Video. But the real responsibility for the band’s reach surely lies at the feet of Bridgers, whose second album was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon.

Unanimously agreed to be one of 2020’s standout records, Punisher propelled the Pasadena-raised artist into music’s A-list, resulting in four Grammy nominations, an offer to found her own label (Saddest Factory, home to MUNA) and invites to collaborate with household names like Paul McCartney, SZA, Lorde and The 1975. Just days after our interview Phoebe is named one of Time’s 2023 Women of the Year, alongside Cate Blanchett and Megan Rapinoe. This coming May she will open for Taylor Swift in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Despite the difference in their public profiles, the power dynamic in boygenius appears impressively balanced. A friendship first and foremost, they’ve signed the contract by acquiring matching tattoos of a tooth and of a cluster of goblets, the latter inspired by the tarot card the three of cups.

“That’s based on the first tarot reading Julien ever got,” Lucy – the band’s resident tarot expert – recalls fondly. “We were all together and that’s the first card she pulled. Plus it’s three women partying. Friendship is the highest form of love and that felt like a sweet entry into that world.”

Having been raised in the world of evangelical Christianity, Julien was initially resistant to the idea of tarot. “When you started doing a reading, I got up and sat in the tour van by myself because I thought God was gonna steal my soul,” she explains, totally serious.

“Does God do that?!” Phoebe laughs, incredulous.

“Yes! In [the book of] Samuel! But then I was like, ‘Alright, I trust you guys. I guess you can guide me through this.’ That was a fear that you guys helped me dismantle. Because by watching you engage with it, I realised that this was a tool for self-interrogation, not for summoning the devil.”

Within the band, all decisions are made democratically and affectionate ribbings are a big part of their social currency. “Roasting each other is an act of love,” Julien reasons, to the others’ approval. “If your friends aren’t talking shit about you, I don’t think they care about you.”

With Phoebe based in Los Angeles, Lucy in Philadelphia and Julien in Memphis, they largely stay in touch via group chat and FaceTime – a support network they all clearly cherish. “I can text cold something horrible that happened to me and not feel the pressure to look at my phone for hours,” says Phoebe. “But when I do I’ll see a bunch of validation.”

Julien concurs: “It’s neat that we can confide in each other. Because sometimes my sense of imposter syndrome makes me not want to talk about how excited I am about this with friends who don’t work in music. I’m talking to them like, ‘You gotta get on a plane super early and carry all this heavy equipment, so it’s not all fun.’ And having people understand it’s a job and that I’m dedicated to it is very important. But equally, with y’all I get to be like, ‘Shit’s so fucking sick!’ Like, in this band I get to be the type of excited and thankful that lacks decorum, especially when there are so many talented people in my life where our roles could have been switched in an alternate timeline.”

The roots of boygenius were laid in 2016, when Julien and Lucy performed on the same bill in Washington, D.C., followed by Julien meeting Phoebe a month later. When a canny promoter booked all three to tour together in 2018, they decided to record a collaborative seven-inch, a creative experiment that proved so fruitful they emerged with their eponymous EP.

By all accounts, the story behind The Record is similarly stress-free. Phoebe kickstarted the creative process just a week after releasing Punisher, sending a demo of ‘Emily, I’m Sorry’ to Lucy and Julien with the words, “Can we be a band again?” From there, the floodgates opened, with all three uploading demos to a shared drive, followed by two in-person writing trips – one in Healdsburg, California in April 2021 and another in Malibu in August of the same year.

Though carefully scheduled due to their individual work commitments, Lucy describes these retreats as anything but regimented. “We didn’t intend to work that hard,” she insists. “If anything, the regimen would have included breaks and we didn’t allow ourselves those.” Julien expands, “We’d be like, ‘Okay, today is a chill day,” but then we could not stop thinking about the record. And it’s just nice to be around a bunch of people who are passionate about the exact same thing.”

After whittling down the demos from a pool of 25, the final 12 were recorded at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in January 2022, with the help of co-producer Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice, Foals, PJ Harvey). Lucy specifically cites Marks’ work with Manchester Orchestra as a motivating factor for them initially reaching out, and Phoebe enthuses about her hands-on approach. “She’s the kind of producer that immediately kicks off their shoes. Wait, I’m gonna text her and tell her we’re talking about her.” She takes a group selfie of them all grinning, flicking Vs, and hits send.

Other key contributors included engineer and producer Sarah Tudzin (Slowdive, Weyes Blood), plus Jay Som’s Melina Duterte on bass. Melina will also appear as part of Boygenius’ seven-strong touring line-up, set to be unveiled at Coachella in April. Given that their band name specifically mocks society’s tendency to unfairly exalt male creatives, the idea of boygenius assembling a largely female team for this album feels satisfyingly utopian. Today, they insist it was purely circumstantial.

“They are the best people we could think of,” says Lucy. “Some days I’m like, ten-year-old me would feel that this is very important. But also there are days where I’m like, we’re doing press right now and it’s completely uninteresting that we’re women. Why are we talking about this?”

“Plus, it’s not a given that if you work with women you’re not also working with a bunch of assholes,” Phoebe grins. “Fortunately, we picked a bunch of people who aren’t assholes.” Lucy laughs. “Women can be assholes: there’s your pull quote.”

Sonically, The Record is a much richer, more ambitious collection than anything boygenius have produced previously, taking in widescreen folk-rock (‘Not Strong Enough’) and low-slung punk (‘Satanist’, ‘$20’), campfire folk (‘Cool About It’, ‘Leonard Cohen’) and string-flecked dream-pop (‘Revolution 0’), plus a swooning a cappella piece shaped around a lush three-part harmony (‘Without You Without Them’).

Though written by Lucy, Phoebe can take full credit for unearthing the latter. “I was like, ‘I want a song that’s like ‘Blue Velvet’.’ And Lucy’s like, ‘Oh… Actually I might have a song…’ And I’m like, ‘What the fuck are you talking about?!’”

“It was a washing the dishes song.” Lucy protests, smiling. “There’s, like, this whole category of songs that I don’t show people. And I didn’t think of that as a ‘me’ song because it doesn’t sound like what I do, you know? But Phoebe was like, ‘We have to do it.’ Plus, I like that it kind of picks up where we left off with ‘Ketchum, ID’ [from their 2018 EP]. So I’m glad you made us do that.”

This process of mutual encouragement is integral to the band. They’re the first to admit they’re one another’s fiercest supporters, to the extent they accidentally plagiarise each other on a regular basis. “I totally wrote ‘Garden Song’ the other day,” Julien tells Phoebe, who cheerfully bats back. “‘Revolution 0’ is basically me ripping off ‘Good News.’”

Jokes aside, all three songwriters boast instantly recognisable styles, as demonstrated by the triumvirate of singles with which they announced The Record. ‘Emily, I’m Sorry’ is quintessential Phoebe Bridgers, a slice of folky introspection that wouldn’t sound out of place on Punisher, while ‘True Blue’ showcases the quietly anthemic indie-rock that Lucy has made her calling card. Meanwhile, the buoyant ‘$20’ sees former hardcore kid Julien leaning into her love of riffing.

With most structures initially emanating from one particular songwriter, it does beg the question, what makes a track right for the band rather than remaining a solo endeavour? According to Phoebe, she relies on a type of benign Spidey-Sense. “I always know when I’m writing a boygenius song. Even with ‘Me And My Dog’ I was like, ‘I don’t think this is a solo record song.’”

Lucy is more specific. “A lot of times I’ll write a song for us in a different frame of mind, so you can be harmonising with me and saying something that’s still true for you. I don’t want to make either of you sing lyrics that don’t resonate with you.”

“I really struggle with that,” Phoebe says. “So much of my music is directly my point of view and so specific.”

“Totally,” Lucy nods, “I feel like on a lot of your songs we’re supporting…”

“…like a chorus in a Greek play,” replies Julien, finishing Lucy’s thought. “We’re not a part of the action: we’re standing behind, commenting on or observing it. But these songs only exist because we made The Record. They’re an article of the endeavour rather than a pre-planned thing.”

Lucy takes the final word on the subject. “These aren’t solo songs that we donated to each other: we had to be together to make it.”

Lyrically, The Record treads a tightrope between deadpan humour and quiet devastation. The opening line of ‘We’re In Love’ sees Lucy resolutely opting for the latter, singing, “You could absolutely break my heart / That’s how I know that we’re in love.” ‘Leonard Cohen’ falls firmly into the former camp, delivering a frontrunner for lyric of the year in: “Leonard Cohen once said there’s a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in / And I am not an old man having an existential crisis / In a Buddhist monastery / Writing horny poetry / But I agree.”

“I think my songs have a theme of being known and feeling present,” Lucy reflects. “Because I don’t feel that at all points in my life, I’m expressing my gratitude for that.” Phoebe sees her contributions as aspirational; evidence of the very process of self-improvement. “Each of the songs I contributed have a vibe of me trying my absolute hardest to not float ten inches above my body at all times. And you guys have helped me with that, so it makes sense that it would make the album.”

‘Not Strong Enough’ is perhaps their most collaborative song: a patchwork of ideas in which each band member takes a verse, as Julien jokes, “boyband-style”. Musically, it’s also the album’s most uplifting moment, its bright melody providing a smokescreen for lyrics exploring panic attacks and low self-esteem. When I point out the deception, Phoebe laughs. “You know the meme of the pink house and the black house next to each other, where it’s like one is the music and the other is the lyrics? That’s literally a couple miles from where we recorded our album. We’ve been talking about taking a photo in front of it for years.”

After an hour in their company, it’s not difficult to see why boygenius are inspiring such levels of adoration. A tight-knit gang of smart, talented, young songwriters, they’re the sort of band I wish had existed when I was growing up, even if I am battling to resist the urge to cast them as role models. After all, why should the men of rock be lauded for chaos while women have to be figures of unimpeachable virtue? When I mention the double standard, Lucy rolls her eyes.

“I remember when Phoebe did that Playboy article [in 2020]. People were texting me like, ‘I thought she was a role model for young girls?’ And I was like, 1. You can pose in Playboy and be a role model, and 2. When exactly did she sign up for that?”

“It is tight to me that you got texts and I did not,” Phoebe smiles. “I want to be scary. Like, as women or as queer people, we’re taught that anger is not useful and that forgiveness is the highest form of enlightenment. But I don’t think so. I think that I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to make everybody in a room feel ok when I don’t feel ok. It’s great to have boundaries. And as a band we’re all really good at protecting each other.”

Staying loyal to their DIY roots, boygenius are ultimately motivated by creating a community and enjoying the process of a shared endeavour. “Writing songs for this band is the opposite of saving your darlings for yourself,” Julien explains. “I want to bring the best possible offering to the band because it’s my favourite thing. It feels good to give the songs away.”

“Seriously, we have been looking forward to this time together for years,” says Phoebe. “This is the time we finally get to be around each other so we’re gonna enjoy it.”

(x) 4/5/23

#don’t mind me i just live in fear that these interviews will be taken offline djsjskdjs #boygenuis #julien baker #lucy dacus #phoebe bridgers #interviews #archival #april 2023

[torifloop]

I'm being kicked out

I'm being kicked out by my housemate Mark. His reasoning is to move his daughter (my ex-housemate I literally ran away from), her partner and her kid into the room I'm living in right now as she fucked things up again with her mom. He also cited what boils down to communication issues (on his end) and not cleaning up his mess (I did when i first moved in, he messed it up again). I was hoping to not have to move until as late as possible tbh - I've wanted out of here for a while but I wanted to save up the money myself over time. Now I have to be out in a month.

Thankfully, several very kind people have already raised a lot of money to help get me out and some others are planning to road-trip to physically get me. I also have a place to go, just south of Chicago, with friends. I won't say no to more funds but commissions will be very hard to take due to my mental state and moving. As such, comms might close during this process. Leftover funds will pay for furniture that I must replace (as what I have isn't mine).

I will be putting as little of my current funds into my current living situation as possible, with the exception of buying a bag of cat food (cause he doesn't take care of his cats) [8:41 AM] Thank you guys for all your support and I'm sorry this came up so suddenly, especially after my chibi model debut. If you can't financially help, that's understandable!! Don't worry - you can help by sharing on social media (repost/retweet), commenting & liking Youtube videos, and hanging out in stream chat (lurking with interaction redeems or chatting)

Donate: http://ko-fi.com/torifloop Comms (currently longer than average wait): http://vgen.co/torifloop Non-financial help (retweeting, algorithm boosting on other platforms) is also greatly appreciated other links: http://torifloop.carrd.co

#torifloop #disabled artist #trans artist #furry artist #lgbtq+ artist

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 113

Chapter 113: “The King of Paradise”

Not being able to hear Barbara’s song is just one of the endless reasons why I still feel bitter about the second season and now that we’re getting to the later half of the story that was sorta kinda animated, y’all are gonna hear a lotta complaints about that disappointing adaptation.

Hasn’t even been a full five pages since her debut and we already know she’s a bit crazy and not a girl to mess with. Even Cislo is a bit creeped out by her habits.

Hey, Vincent, ya wanna know what pisses me off? like, really pisses me off? When an entire season totally disregards the whole middle of a fantastic story and cuts nearly half the cast and major character development, especially when said story is already finished and had no reason to divert from the source material at all. Are you aware of that? Crazy, huh? Other than that, the poor guy is practically begging them two to act a little more civilized, whereas Zazie is trying his best to communicate period.

I love how he wastes no time to give proper examples on how to better phrase their frustrations and how Norman steps in and explains when there’s confusion. Both could’ve been perfect teachers in the human world.

I know these kid’s lives are so dependent on these machines and couldn’t be saved regardless, but damn, indirectly killing ‘em off like this is still tragic. The squad just killed all the demons who run this farm, so did he really need to shut it all down? I guess new workers would just come by and start everything up again afterwards so it would be better to destroy the place completely, but still unfortunate for the kids.. and Norman’s sanity maybe. 

Typical GF kid setting stuff ablaze. Ray & Emma would be so proud.. of just the arson plan, not the many lives he just ended.

Sir, your God complex is showing.

Firstly, kudos to the kiddos for even figuring out that a bunch of random numbers were supposed to be used in such a way. Secondly, how the hell did Norman even remember the exact pages and numbers for the words he needed? I thought Ray was the one with the good memory here. Boss has gotta have a copy of the same book lying around somewhere.

Yeah, go ahead and just stab my heart one last time. Surely I can handle it. No problem. Yup. Totally fine.

Favorite panel/moment:

They have such a badass reveal, like look at this! Casually walking through a dangerous farm and killing the demons effortlessly like it’s just an ordinary day for them. Surprising that three of ‘em are only teenagers but scary nonetheless. It’s wonderful.

And yet the anime decided our first look at them was gonna be.. this? Fuck. Talk about a serious downgrade on all levels.

#the promised neverland #tpn manga #182daysoftpn #chidoroki used chatter

[tomatoteddy]

Thoughts while watching Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure Episode 18:

Cure Butterfly debut let's gooo!!!!! Spoilers ahead, but thought I would chronicle my thoughts here as I'm watching it on my tablet!!

btw I just finished my exams this is the best way to celebrate it perhaps

NEW SUMMER OUTFITS!? I LOVE THEIR OUTFITS SO MUCH MAN MASHIRO AND AGEHA LOOK SO CUTE!!!!

Seeing how small these kids are reminds me of what small I used to be oh my god

"I'm not a Precure" *stares at the episode title skeptically*

Tsubasa enforcing the fact that things could get dangerous if their identities are revealed meanwhile Sky and Prism reveal themselves to an old lady to help her get to the airport (no shade tho love that episode)

Also him trying to be serious while in bird form <3

Also his little orange v-neck sweater is so cute need me one of those for the trans vibes

Also also love Ageha's bouncy and excited animation hope they hold that up for her transformation

Love that Ageha gets to stay over with them! Pretty Cure sleepover!!

Love that little dance Ageha does with the girls.

Takeru, punching your classmates for cutting in line isn't the same thing as punching sentient robot magic beings that can kill and might destroy the universe

Ageha I love you I love you I love you so much allfhkrbekhskfbn (⁠●⁠♡⁠∀⁠♡⁠)

Tsubasa I know you want Elle to see what's happening but it's gonna be pretty obvious if you're holding a purple-nette baby above your head

BATTAMONDA NOT THE ELEPHANT WATERING CANS NOOOOOOO

Also just saying Butterfly joining the team means we'll have a new eyecatch and opening!! So excited!!

Battamonda is such a pathetic loser (/both affectionate and hostile)

Also also I can't wait for them to add her to the pose screen of the transformation

YOU LEFT THE BABY BEHIND!?!? YOU LEFT THE INTERGALATIC SKY PRINCESS WHO'S CURRENTLY BEING CHASED BY MONSTERS BEHIND!?!?!?!?!?!!

"I don't like picking on weaklings, but I will" Me when I tease my little sister

NOT THE DARK BLAST OF ENERY NOOOOOOOO

"Now you're birds in a cage-" Shut up you fucking grasshopper I could literally kill you with a shoe

He is such a sore loser you're a full grown adult (assumedly) beating up teenagers for a living

I miss Kabaton btw

I love you Ageha 🦋🩷💖

Go run girl!!!!!

Battamonda's shocked face when his Ranborg faints from a girl running around it <3

Also also I really love her ponytail (it must be annoying for me to point out every little detail but this is what happens when I hyperfixate on stuff)

True true- nursery school teachers really do have guts, especially if they willingly agree to just be around children all the time. Can't imagine it's easy, I was a bit of a rascal as a kid I would know

Takeru finding connections between Wing and Ageha just strengthens my "Tsubasa and Ageha are siblings" heart

Tsubasa enforcing the fact that things could get dangerous if their identities are revealed meanwhile Ageha transforms in front of a child

IT'S ALMOST TIME LET'S GET EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also the lesbian colours on that Sky Tone do not go unnoticed

CURE BUTTERFLY TRANSFORMATION LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My thoughts on her transformation it's like- it's so different but in a good way from the others?? It's not as fluid as Sky's or Wing's or as strangely stiff as Prism's. It's like jittery and energetic in her own unique way? Like obviously her hop step jump screens don't like pan out like Sky and Wing's, they're more like Prism's. But I feel like the absolute energeticness of the transformation makes up for it?????? Also can I just say I love all the butterfly shapes in her transformation, gives me early 2000's Barbie movies vibes.

ngl kinda dissappointed the sky in her pose scene isn't pink or purple like how wing's is orange and prism's has a rainbow, but I'll give it a pass since I'm a simple fan who just really wants Ageha content

I'm really here for Battamonda and Cure Butterfly bug rivalry 🦋🦗 fight fight fight fight

We really doing the Coral X-Shield now but with the butterfly let's gooooo!!

SHE JUST EXPLODED AN ELEPHANT WITH A KISS AKFHDOBSNHAGAKNAVOAGDNRBGIDH

Her stealing an entire building blanket (is that what they're called) while Battamonda is standing on it

SHE STRAIGHT UP NAPPY WRAPS THE ELEPHANT DKSHDKFHKDIJEN

Love that literally she gets to crush the enemy to purification 💖💖 Closest thing we'll get to her hitting someone with a bat me-thinks

My feet are going staticky right now wtf I don't wanna get up though

Yesss giiirllll go threaten the twink stick-ass bugman 💖💖

Takeru being a Cure Wing and Cure Butterfly fan just strengthens my "Tsubasa and Ageha are siblings" heart

throwback to her debut ep where she jumps onto Sora at the door + Sora somehow carrying an entire eighteen year old woman carrying a suitcase on her back (what sort of training do they do in Skyland???? I'm older than Sora by a year and I'm weak as hell!!)

YAYYYYY PRETTY CURE SLEEPOVER!!!!!!!

Also can I just say her hair looks so tasty?????? Like the yellow looks so appealing???

AGEHA AND TSUBASA GET THEIR OWN DUO ATTACK NEXT EPISODE I'M SO FUCKING EZCITED DKSJKABDOSGWBBWOZHXB

Overall, I really loved this episode!! I'm usually not one for making reviews as my thoughts usually add up to "omg magical girls!! Skehoeishaohjeidohagjajh" but they really did my girl Butterfly justice!!

#pretty cure #precure #hirogaru sky pretty cure #hirogaru sky precure #hirogaru sky #hirogaru sky spoilers #hijiri ageha #cure butterfly

[lopez-richter-fangirl]

Just finished my rewatch and it’s swinging even more in favour of being my favourite show and it definitely might be the *best* show

The opening sets the tone so well but also, pleasantly surprised how long it took someone to die once we get into the show for real!

I do wish we could have got more of bryce but her onstage debut with them is so fun and she’s SO good

The title projection is COOL AF. I can’t remember if tcb said how they knew/found Joey but the lighting design of this show 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

Lauren’s soprano I cryyyyy

This is suchhh a good opening number 

Will NEVER STOP YELLING ABOUT LAUREN’S CHOREO I’LL ENGRAVE THE DAMN AWARD MYSELF

How anyone can say this show isn’t as horny as mamd with lauren’s scream/moan wait maybe that’s just me

Pete/steph I’m sorry I doubted you

The writing of this show is just so fun

Will is SO great as max

Obviously Grace is still unhinged but I do think she was a more grounded character in this show so while I definitely think it was a good move to make pete and steph more the main characters than they were originally I did find her fun to watch

Love this trio of nerds <3

“You don’t even need to try with me Pete”jokes 👏🏻 that are objectively 👏🏻 funnier 👏🏻

How did I not notice how GRABBY Lauren was in this scene the first time

Joey as pete I love himmmm

AND HE SOUNDS SO GOOD

Angela does these freudian slips VERY well 

Dirty girl alone really is hornier than anything in mamd

The spins are so dumb but so fun

This is such a fun group too

Ruth baby I’ll talk to you <3

“I don’t want to though” Need I say it again jokes 👏🏻 that are 👏🏻 objectively 👏🏻 funnier 👏🏻

The escalation from bully the bully to bury the bully is so funny

I don’t know what it is about the nighthawks song but I LOVE it

“I love being alive” is so devastatingly good, you KNOW. You know </3

The SFX makeup is also so cool

Still feel robbed of their finest work the smoke club kids but it’s FINE

Joey’s “oh no” is too good

Lauren’s face when steph and ruth almost hold hands is also too good 

Dan and donna <3 who are definitely married with dogs and kids

Hatchet town is so good

Okay didn’t notice Arm the first time

Barbecue monologues has no right being that funny

Lauren KILLS this scene. And just for once is such a great song and she also blends her character and normal voice really well. Took three hatchetfield shows but Jeff nailed it 🙏🏻

PAUL AND EMMA PAUL AND EMMA I know I already said it but it’s *perfect*, the flirting is perfect, and the 5 year joke *chef’s kiss*

Not even really a joke but spitting in his hot chocolate… objectively funnier

Twist of all twists (although I really should have foreseen it tbh) I am OBSESSED with if I loved you

Bisexual ruth special to us all <3

So glad we got a goof best part of live shows 

The lighting with max in the car is also very cool!!

The LiB scene!!!!!!! It’s TOO good. I can’t even articulate how good

If there’s one thing about Joey Richter it’s he’s gonna make me cry with an emotional sacrifice scene 😭😭😭

Did get scared for one sec here in the reprise though even though someone already told me I was good 

HEARTBREAKING AND HE DOESN’T EVEN DIE </3

Grace saving the day is proof you can have a predictable “twist” that’s still good!

This song is so fun!!! It’s such a great closing number because we all know this is where the show ends!!!

And lauren’s DRESS!!! It was worth being totally surprised by that. And lauren’s choreo will never shut up about it bestie girl its SO GOOD

And I hateeee to say it but pete and steph probably should have kissed. Suspicious 

Also lauren in curtain call loml she looks so happy

It would have been a fucking blast to see this show in person especially for the first time, I should have done it tbh. I was so scared for WHAT. But they simply have to do it again sorry 2 weekends was not enough 

#npmd spoilers

[grandhotelabyss]

I guess they're about to learn this the hard way on Wikifeet, but the only thing worse than reading philosophy is reading contemporary popular political nonfiction. The past's popular political nonfiction, if it's ripened into a classic, is fine to read—often better than philosophy, in fact, hence my elevation of Emerson and Chesterton over the philosophers. But trying to sift through present-day material for the gems is too much of an opportunity cost. I had the patience for it when I was a kid but not now. I read so many of the Bush-era political books, for example, and what do I have to show for it? When's the last time you heard anybody deploy an insight gleaned from the once painfully au courant Verso volume, Afflicted Powers? Ironically, given how things turned out for all involved, the best of the W. books were probably Mark Crispin Miller's Frankfurt-School-inflected Bush Dyslexicon and Cruel and Unusual.

Anyway, I haven't done an ad on Tumblr in a while, and in another Xeet Anna K advocates "grandiose narcissism," so please let me renew my recommendation to Tumblr's apparently substantial Red Scare contingent of Portraits and Ashes, a novel I wrote in 2013, which foretold the whole Red Scare sensibility. In my later material, though, I have moved on thematically. (A paid subscription to my Substack gets you access to a post containing pdfs of my three prior novels, including Portraits and Ashes, as well as to my serialized novel-in-progress, the occult-themed American epic, Major Arcana.) I wrote my last Red-Scare-ish story, "Sweet Angry God," in 2015, three years before the pod debuted. You can read that story for free here. The opening paragraphs:

Apparently it began with a hate fuck. There was a dirtball café, no doubt collectively owned, a few blocks from the art school. He worked there, and she had been watching him for some months, maybe even her entire sophomore year. The first time she went into the place she noticed him, how hateful and stupid he was. Some kind of percussion-heavy music rumbled over the speakers, hissing with analogue static. She thought she felt the tuba thrum in her throat. Above the music she heard him talk to his co-worker as his face glistened in the espresso machine steam. He didn’t look at her, not even when his dirty fingernails grazed her palm with the change. “No, Romanian. It was a group, yeah, I mean they allied with Hitler. Not saying I’m defending them, but, I mean. They were pissed off that their culture was being violated by the modern west. Yeah, they hacked people’s heads off. Limbs. Like werewolves, man. Okay, it’s fucked up. But today you just push a button. Is that better? This is their marching music.” She kept her eye on him after that. Maybe he was dangerous. She would look over her laptop screen when he came out from behind the counter to wipe down the tables. He stomped around in careless bursts, like a toddler. He had a pervert’s goatee and wore bowling shirts stained at the armpits. When she saw his sneakers, so old they’d become fashionable again, she understood what “down-at-heel” literally meant. His body looked sinewy, a bad cut of meat. Stupid-ass white boy. Sometimes she checked certain books out of the library to read in front of him, anything by or about men ready for violence. Marinetti, Mao, Fanon, whatever. His eyes were always elsewhere. Men ready for violence unmade and remade the world. She just lived in it. She wondered if he didn’t want to just live in it. Her sophomore-year final project she called Men Ready for Violence. Blood-spatter paintings were arrayed around a screen showing various armies on the march. Their choreography contrasted with the chaos of the red paint. She loaded the artist’s statement with jargon, quotations from Klaus Theweleit and Judith Butler, so that her teachers didn’t call a shrink or a cop. Everyone was polite about it, one professor even enthusiastic. Her classmates looked at her strangely. Especially the girls. Then the semester was over. One week left before she had to come home to mamá. She sat in the café reading Ernst Jünger. He wiped down her table while she was still sitting at it, his face vacantly smiling, the dirt-nailed knob-boned fingers sinking in the washcloth’s soft folds. One week. What would a Romanian fascist do? She reached out and grabbed his wrist hard. Her face must have looked like it couldn’t believe what her hand had done. Her nails were red-stained with oil paint. He was looking at her nails and then turned to look into her eyes. He showed smoker’s teeth.

How did I know in 2015 that this type of young woman, then still immersed in pop Jezebel-style feminism, would soon be getting into aesthetic fascism? Because I'm not a philosopher. I can't afford to let logical argument block the truth.

#anna khachiyan #red scare #creative writing #mark crispin miller #sohrab ahmari #richard hanania #nonfiction #literature

[sugoi-and-spice]

Chapter One - Game Start!

Pairing: Tomura Shigaraki x Fem!Reader, (3rd Person)

Rating: Explicit - Minors DNI

Summary: Tomura Shigaraki was her dad's boss's son. He was the creep that stole girls' underwear and tried to grope her in his room. But it's not like he could get her Dad fired just because she wouldn't sleep with him, right? ...right?

CW: Quirkless!AU, Explicit Smut, Dub-Con, Coercion, Blackmail, Cheating, Sexual Guilt, Humiliation, Unhealthy Relationships, Virginity Kink, Groping, Power Play, Hate to Love

A/N: My Tumblr debut on this account! I hope you all enjoy. This is a fic I started a couple months ago as just a one-shot, but became absolutely ADDICTED to the concept. Chapters are long, so excerpts will just be posted on Tumblr. But if you like my style, please please please give me a follow and a request. Looking forward to your thoughts! ^_^

Read Full Chapter on AO3

[EXCERPT]

All things considered, it was kind of strange how ordinarily this entire situation had started. It was a lazy Sunday — the first day off she’d really given herself in months between cram school, swim practice, and studying for entrance exams. She was just laying on the couch playing Animal Crossing on her Switch, when her Dad entered the room, oh so casually bringing up:

“You know the President of my company? He’s got a son that’s about your age.”

Oh no. She knew that tone of voice. That was the, “Let’s get excited about something awful” voice that made her Dad think he was so slick. The, “help me clean the gutters” and “you have an orthodontist appointment” voice. Indicating that it was something so supremely unenjoyable that he needed to trick her into thinking it was something fun or god-forbid cool beforehand.

“He even went to your school, isn’t that neat?”

She shot him a glare. No. No, that was not especially neat. They were a couple of rich kids that lived in the same commuter vicinity of a private school near her fathers’ company. A school that every employee of said company got a nice little stipend to send their kids to due to the large donations that the head of that company made every year. Of course they went to the same school. It was practically custom made for them.

“The President has expressed a lot of interest in introducing you two to each other. Thinks you’ll be a good influence for him!”

“Why does he even know about me? That’s a little creepy.” she joked.

Her Dad was less than amused, “Of course I talk about you with my coworkers. Not to mention you’ve met him at company parties.”

“Huh. I don’t remember.”

That was kind of a lie. She did remember. She particularly remembered that the company president liked to talk about himself and his visions a lot. To the point that she had started calling him “All For One”, in her mind and had completely forgotten his real name. But in all honesty, she didn’t really think about her Dad’s job — let alone his boss — unless she really had to, unless it was right in front of her. So maybe the more honest response would’ve been “I don’t care”, but that was pretty rude.

He reached over, forcibly pausing her game, “That’s because you always have your face buried in your devices, Peanut.”

She rolled her eyes playfully, unpausing the game just as quickly. “What’s his name?”

“Tomura. Do you know him?”

Her fingers froze, her little villager sprite swaying on loop as they waited for her to click forward to the next dialogue option.

Oh she knew him alright. Everybody at her school knew him. Tomura Shigaraki was a fucking freak. And not in the Judd Apatow, misunderstood renegade type of way — this guy was genuinely creepy. The type of guy that brought knives to school. That stole underwear from girls’ lockers (although this was never proven). One of the senpai in her club was convinced that Tomura was stalking her. And he was the type to get away with it all. And now she knew why.

Kamino High had universally let out a sigh of relief when the creep had graduated back in April.

“I think it’d be a good idea.” her father continued, “He’s a first year at Todai, now. Maybe he could give you some entrance exam pointers.”

“No, I think I’ll be okay.” she said.

“He likes video games.” her dad tried to sell.

“Most kids my age do Dad. It’s really not that big of a selling point.”

“What if you just—”

“Dad.” she sat up suddenly, “I really don’t want to.”

He looked at her genuinely surprised. This wasn’t like his daughter to so vehemently oppose him on something. Especially when he was making it clear that it was something important.

“Why not?”

“Because he’s creepy! I don’t like him and I don’t want to spend time with him.” she insisted.

He frowned, “Honey, how can you say that? You don’t even know him.”

“Yeah and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Her dad sighed, “Come on, kiddo. I thought I raised you better than this.”

She looked down to her feet, guilt making its way slowly but surely through her body.

“I’ve met this kid. Sure he’s a bit of an odd duck, but I don’t think he deserves to be called a creep for that. He’s just a little awkward and lonely. Honestly, I think he just needs a friend.”

“And his Dad thinks I’d make a good one…?” she muttered.

“I think you’d make a good one.”

He leaned over, pinching her cheek teasingly, “You’re my friend after all!”

She snorted, swatting his hand away lightly, “Oh god, please stop.”

“Just hang out with him one time, alright? Can you do that for me?”

She sighed, “Fine.”

Her Dad grinned, clapping his hands together excitedly, “Great! It’s a playdate!”

“Please don’t call it that!”

Continue on AO3

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#TOMURA SHIRAGAKI #TOMURA SHIGARAKI X READER #tomura shigaraki x oc #SHIGARAKI #TOMURA SHIGARAKI #BNHA SHIGARAKI #MHA SHIGARKI #SHIGARAKI FANFIC #READER INSERT #LONG FIC #SMUT #SHIGARAKI SMUT #TW DUBCON #QUIRKLESS AU #SPICE WRITES #mha #bnha #mha smut #bnha smut #play nice fic

[silverfoxlou]

FAITH IN THE FUTURE

Superstar idol, indie acolyte, festival boss - Louis Tomlinson has been a lot of things over the course of his time in the spotlifht, but as he prepares to release his second solo album 'Faith In The Future' this November, he's set to surprise the world all over again.

"Tiktok is probably telling the kids what to drink these days. I just still drink me vodka Red Bell, you know what I mean?" For an artist who found fame as part of one of the biggest boy bands of all time, Louis Tomlinson is remarkably down to earth.

Sipping on a Stella, he sits down with Dork on one of RMT's August strike days - which he's 100% here for, btw. We're pulling a lot of strings for this. Frantically organising our shoot and interview in the space of about 48 hours, Louis takes it all in his stride, plopping down in the evening for a a supremely relaxed chat after a cig and a beer.

He's about four shows off finishing his first solo world tour (another sell-out under his belt), which actually began in 2020. Maginingt o squeeze in a couple of dates before the pandemic hit, it was the energy of those initial gigs that sparked the inspiration for his forthcoming second album 'Faith In The Future', arriving in November.

For the first five years of his career, the cycle of touring and recording and touring and recording was ll Louis knew. Then being the last of his of ex-bandmates to relaese a solo album, taking his time creating music to actually hit the road with, meant he was a decade into being a musician before toured alone.

"It was a long, long time for to wonder what it might be like," he says. "And also, there was a fear in the back of my mind that, because I've experienced touring at such a high level with the band, in amazing, massive fucking venues, I didn't really know what my tour was going to look like or feel like or even sound like in terms of energy in the room and fans singing back."

He needn't have worried. Never disappointing, his Louies showed up in droves. "It's blown all my expectations. I've felt fucking blessed this whole tour, like every place I've gone and I'm not just being dramatic; it's been fucking amazing everywhere." A proper World Tour, he's played to more than 500,000 people across 80 shows over the last year. Getting back on the horse and smashing arenas quickly became his life again.

"That obviously gives me a lot of pride, especially going places like Australia. It's a long fucking way from Donny, you know?" he laughs. "So to play sold-out shows over there, it's fucking mind-blowing, really. Every single night, it doesn't really matter how my day's going; after the first song, I just get slapped in the face with the energy of the crowd and the adrenaline that then feeds me."

It's a tale as old as time at this point, provided your calendar only starts in early 2020. Artist plans a tour, pandemic hits, doesn't happen. Except Louis found himself in limbo. Caught between feeling the highs of his first solo shows at the start of the year, then crashing into the isolation of what followed, he wrote 'Faith In The Future' imagining what the tour would be like when it went ahead. The process saw him moving away from the intimacy and emotional weight of 'Walls' and creating something more uplifting.

"Originally, in my master plan that I had in my head, I was going to on a year's worth of touring," he explains. "That was going to feed me full of experience that I could then go on to write about. It didn't. I almost ended up in kind of a middle ground where I was lucky enough to get a taste of what the shows would feel like, so that was part experience and part imagination going into the this next record."

When reflecting on his debut, he found that there weren't enough uptempo numbers for a live show. 'Walls' was Louis telling his story so far - effectively twelve ballads detailing the love and loss that was recent memory at the time. That's not to say he isn't proud of his debut. I twas a necessary step in his career that cemented the vision he had for his own sound after spending years finding his feet in the public eye post-One-Direction.

But with the heavy stuff out of the way ("I don't like people feeling sorry for me. That's not the way I carry myself in life in general,: he says of his first album), Louis landed on the phrase 'Faith In The Future' in early 2021, setting about making a record based on hope, and more importantly, bangers.

"I had the title for the album before I'd written any songs for this record. I was 99% sure I wanted to call the album 'Faith In The Future', then COVID happened, and that was, like, weirdly appropriate. I feel like people needed that kind of hopeful sentiment."

He tweeted out the phrase and found legions of fans naturally gravitating towards it, which sealed the deal. Fast forward to September 2022, and he was putting it out online again. This time , it was in tandem with an album announcement and introductory single 'Bigger Than Me', which takes the balladry of 'Walls', puts a positive spin on it, and blows it up big enough to match the arenas he's filling.

"That was definitely the first moment where I had a song that I felt represented the ambition and the statement of intent,: he says of the track. "It's got one of those big choruses, and I think my vocal shines off it. Out of everything on the album, it was pretty clear what the first thing was going to be. I think I would have struggled to pick another first track. It just felt so appropriate."

He notes that writing 'Bigger Than Me' gave him more confidence in writing the rest of the record, and doing it in a way that finally felt like he was making something that aligned with his personal tastes. At the very beginning of his solo venture, he'd played with dance-pop on collaborations with Steve Aoki ('Just Hold On'), and Beebe Rexha and Digital Farm animals ('Back To You'). Then he'd sacked it off and run in the other direction on 'Walls', choosing a sound indebted to the early 2000s indie rock he grew up on. 'Faith In The Future' is where he finds a happy medium, spurred on by an interest in Stuart Price's work on Australian trio DMA's last record, 'The Glow'.

"With the first album, I was so particular about every specific sound, especially what I didn't like. So, for example, because I'd done the song with Steve Aoki - which, again, was a great launch to my career, but musically never felt that true to me - I was like, well, I'm just going to kind of deviate from those sounds and go all-in on the guitars with as much authenticity, musically, as possible. It wasn't until I heard the latest DMA's album where they managed to use all these really interesting dance sounds, but in a very authentic, unique way. I think it gave me food for thought going into this album."

Remaining authentic has clearly been a huge part of this process for Lois. Tracks like opener 'The Greatest' and 'Bigger Than Me' are expansive and wide open, while 'Written All Over Your Face' melodically pulls from indie floor fillers akin to early Arctic Monkeys singles. Then he dials it right back to the conversational intimacy of 'That's The Way Love Goes' on the closer.

Seeming slightly disgruntled with previous writing sessions, he set out to work with more artists who aligned with his currently philosophy on songwriting. Those being Hurts' frontman Theo Hutchcraft, Courteneers' bassist Joe Cross, indie-pop songwriter Nico Rebscher (Who gets a special shoutout for being a "good boozer"), and the 1975 and Wolfe Alice producer Mike Crossey. He wanted to keep the writing team smaller this time around because he'd worked with "about a hundred different fucking people" on 'Walls', making it harder to maintain the sonic continuity he's achieved on 'Faith In The Future'.

"What's been slightly different about the writing process this time is that I tried to work with less professional songwriters and more artists, because there's a different level of care and love for the music you're doing. And that's not undermining an other session I've been in. It's just sometimes when you go into these sessions with certain professional songwriters, they're looking for singles, you know? And sometimes that comes across in the writing as well. If you want to have authenticity, and you want the music to have a soul to it, you can't really be going in whit that kind of intention because it kind of dumbs down the reason that you're writing, and it becomes something else. Do you know what I mean?"

At heart, Louis has and will probably always be A Normal Bloke. Despite the dizzying heights of fame he's reached over the years, his feet have always been on solid, Northern ground. What Sam Fender is to Newcastle, what Adele is to Tottenham, that's what Louis Tomlinson is to Doncaster. He rarely discusses his fame in song, if at all. In fact, he hasn't really addressed it since 'Perfect' In his One Direction days. Instead - and especially on 'Faith In The Future' - he favors songwriting that resembles pub chatter and inherently human topics. From one of the tracks borrowing its title from Pulp (yep, that'd be 'Common People') to the fact that he consistently pronounces another tracks as "art a' me system" (that's 'Out Of My System' for any non-Yorkshire-dwellers), he's remained proud of his roots and finally, properly, getting the chance to shout about it.

"Even conceptually, and with the topics that we speak about, I think it's a better representation of who I am as a person, this record. And those things are important to me. It's also, as a songwriter, where I feel most comfortable - writing about these kinds of really normal things. It's something that I'm definitely conscious of. It was a deliberate choice."

It's refreshing to see a star of his scale consistently in touch with his working-class beginnings and conscious of the changing landscape across the industry. Of course, Louis is an anomaly in that he's probably set for life off the back of selling millions of records in his early 20s, but he's always got those in mind who don't have that luxury. In 2021, he put on his first Away From Home festival, for which tickets were completely free, at Crystal Palace Bowl when the live music circuit was getting back up and running post-pandemic.

"This is not me pointing fingers, but I don't see enough of that in the industry to be fair," he says of the decision to make it free. "That's something that I think is important to me, definitely, everyone being represented. It's something that I'm very conscious of across everything I do - prices for merch, ticket prices, etc. etc. It's something that is very, very important to me because I know myself, if I hadn't got into this, I don't know, some people are charging like 400 quid a ticket or summat daft. I wouldn't be able to afford that. So it's important that this is representative. And also, when you put your tickets at that price, you create a certain type of audience. It's good to have everyone in the room, I think."

Nowadays, Louis is redefining what success means to him. While he admits he felt the pressure when venturing out solo, he knows he wasn't alone in that. These days, he's less focused on scoring a Number 1 record (although it's pretty certain his fans could get him that), and more invested in creating moments with the fans that are exclusive to them, hence why his first world tour has been such a turning point.

"I'm sure other people can relate to, you know, your previous experiences. They're relevant when you're speculating what the next stage of your career might look like. I think we all [the One Direction boys] will have had a similar feeling going into that first record. But for me, it was an especially long time. It's been seven years now since the band, and I think I've just got a different understanding of what the word successful means to me. this tour definitely has taught me that. It's only really me and the fans that have got me to where I am here in my solo career."

He describes touring as black and white, with none of the nuances he has to deal with in the rest of the music industry. It's the one thing that's barely changed over his career, the simple exchange of getting a ticket and seeing your favorite artist. It means the world to his fans, and it turn, it means the world to him.

"My biggest aim since I started my solo career, because it was my favourite shit in the band, was can I create something where it gives me the ability to tour for the next 10 years? So I've got one year down. If I could do another nine, I'll be happy."

We ask, rather cheekily, if the general public - because we all know what they're like, don't we, Dear Reader? - might be surprised to see that Louis is still selling out venues as big as Wembley Arena on his solo tour. Testament to his personality, he actually agrees that it's a good point, but he's used to people underestimating him by now.

"I think that's a frustration I've found across my career to date. But you know, there's a little thing that me and the fans say together, and ti's that they never see us coming. It doesn't matter how many times we fucking do what we do, they never see us coming. But you know what, I like it that way. I like catching people by surprise."

Louis Tomlinson's album 'Faith In The Future' is out 11th November.

#dork #louis press

[hexfloog]

Hakuba?

disclaimer: i haven't seen ep.479 yet, it's been a hot minute since i read magic kaito, and i wrote this after a few drinks

(in no particular order below the break)

they got done dirty by fans • despite being basically prototype shinichi (and, appropriately, looking a bit like the end product of using polymerization on him with shiho), he gets relatively little attention. obviously most of this is just due to the fact that he just doesn't appear in anything-- and hasn't for a not-insignificant amount of time-- but that and personality and flaws aside, i think it's kind of a shame because of most everything else on this list, such as...

wasted potential / didn't get enough screen time / they work better as part of a dynamic • his relationship with kaito is so funny. he heckles him """knowing""" that he's KID but has never actually 100% without-a-doubt, irrefutably confirmed it. he gets bamboozled every time but is just so dead set on it that he completely ignores kaito's repeated insistence that he isn't who he thinks he is and just continues to talk to him as if he's talking to KID and that's just hilarious to me. it's kind of like if conan never disclosed his identity as shinichi to heiji but heiji treats him like he does in current canon anyway. of these interactions by far the best one is the volunteering of valuable information to kaito in the middle of the chat noir heist as an under-the-table, backhanded sort of bidding of "good luck." it's a lesser mirroring of the relationship kaito has with conan - but arguably funnier since hakuba """knows""" the truth but conan does not (and likely does not care to, as it would not alter the dynamic). • the above, but now with the added hilarity of him being 1 of 3 members in a group of 4 (one of whom is JUST KAITO HIMSELF sksksk) who know that kaito moonlights as KID at the conclusion of MK1412. i'm a little mad this didn't continue like WHAT were they gonna do LMAO • adjacent to the above: his apparent (former? is he still into her?) infatuation with akako. obviously it's just/mostly a result of him being under her spell but it's so fucking funny that she still sort of notices him regardless. even if he is just a means to an end she calls upon him when kaito is in danger in sun halo, which is... wild?? akako is also member #2 of this KID group which makes this even funnier, deadASS what was the endgame of this group gonna be in practice LOLOL, everyone just uses everyone else as bait for something or other and the end goal of unmasking KID is just completely moot if 75% of them already know

wow! they are a horrible person

• you cAN'T JUST SAY THAT TO HEIJI AND GET AWAY WITH IT

• *wildly gesturing* YOU ALSO CAN'T JUST ACCUSE OTHER PEOPLE OF NEPOTISM (something something people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones etc. etc.)

• in the MK anime specials canon, hakuba has relatively little interest in capturing KID and instead uses him as bait iirc?? tbf they're all guilty of this in the MK1412 canon, but it rubs differently when spider is the prey they're trying to catch - different if only because he poses a legitimate threat to even kaito. even if he saves him before he's lost to the nightmare that's still something of a MASSIVE gamble, especially if both he and kaito combined are not much of a threat to spider T___T like this is like... how conan tends towards recklessness when the black organization is involved, including the disregard/failure to consider the full consequences of involving or using the people around him, villain or otherwise (pisco and itakura, at least, come to mind).

why do they look like that • he LITERALLY debuts in sherlock cosplay • his eyes are red?? hello???? (why is this so vivid in my memory but now when i try to look up screenies to corroborate they're brown in every single one of them)

whatever. they're red to me. makes things more interesting sksksks

i don't really have much to say about them / i forgot this character existed (am i the biggest lying liar or nah. look at all this text) • despite all of this, that's kind of all i have to say about him. i didn't do my homework and am drawing purely on memory and that's a little hard when he makes so few appearances even in the MK canon(s). MK in general has a lot of wasted potential tho imo and i think that extends to its primary cast too, including hakuba. personally i think he's far too wacky to mesh well into detco canon, in the same way that detco kaito is not quite the same as MK kaito.

all in all i think hakuba, unlike his successor, is really not at all tolerable on his own and works infinitely better with practically anyone else in the ekoda gang (but mostly kaito, bc they are both proprietors of a part of the MK-brand of Shenanigans).

anyway thank you for the character!! nice opportunity to think about the fellas i don't typically yammer about :D

#ask #ask game #marshmallowgoop #dcmk #hakuba saguru #internal screaming hours #text

[mach-speed-spin]

oh yeah, i'm curious- throughout all 3 series, what would you consider some of the most impactful moments? like, something you just kinda think about occasionally like "oh yeah. that sure happened!" but like in a good way y'know? that or it just kinda sticks around in your mind for whatever reason.

i've only really seen bakuten shoot as of now (god i need to get back to metal fight but that's a whole tangent right there), but i think probably the biggest one that comes to mind for me is. unsurprisingly The Yuya Incident, genuinely i did not expect v-force to deliver a gut punch like that EVER, especially when earlier in the same episode i was just joking around with no idea how fucked up things were gonna get. aside from that there's a few things to pick from, but i can't really say any of them hit Quite as hard

Metal Fusion finale: body horror, beys go to space, and Gingka rides Pegasus's spirit (I think that's the only time a blader did that)

Metal Masters: before the finale, Ziggurat unveils the spiral core, which he advertises as solving the energy crisis with a beyblade-powered reactor. He turns it on and turns part of New York State into a desert. In the finale, the spiral core has a meltdown after crash landing (the reactor was in a flying city) and the only way to stop it is to launch it into space

The Tower of Babel tournament: not only does the Tower of Babel canonically exist in this universe, but they host a tournament in it

Shogun Steel finale: [spoiler] straight up kills themselves

Reiji vs Hyoma and Reiji vs Kenta: Reiji sacrifices efficiency to make his opponents suffer for longer in battle. He also breaks down at the idea that his opponent isn't scared of him (not fearing him also causes him physical pain)

Captain Arrow's reveal: the circumstances around his debut were very similar to Reiji's. Unlike Reiji, Arrow isn't a sadistic villain. He introdices himself as "a soldier of love and friendship" and says he has "the power of justice." Everyone else knows he's a villain (he's part of the very obvious villain group), except himself

Hades Gate: special move that send people to hell

[Spoiler's] death in Metal Fury

The Destroyer Dome tournament uses a giant hamster ball of a stadium. It breaks off from the supports and starts rollling through the city

Beyblade Atlantis

English dub Ashindra speaking for the first time: so you know how Seiryu speaking was a big deal? Ashindra's first word was "yo." He calls his blader a "good dude"

Ghasem trying to drop kick Sisco: forget blading. Ghasem is ready to throw hands

The fact that in Burst, there is a gang of clows that live in the sewers and this is never questioned

The Beywheelz finale: the villain tried opening a portal to conquer other universes. He's defeated but the portal opens anyways. Rather than the portal fitting the 6-9 people he thought it did, it accidentally transports the entire city

Multiple burst characters have no eyebrows. This is never brought up

Phi's eyes casually turn black during battle

Burst's mc in season 6 is just a theater kid who turned his mansion into a haunted house and calls himself the Demon King

Brainwash tank where you are forced to (mentally) fight holy beasts yourself. The character that does this summons an oversized axe

Several beast designs in Burst (Deep Chaos is a floating mass of flesh, Orb Egis is a hydra with necks made out of rainbows, Twin Nemesis wields a hammer made of dlesh and teeth, etc)

#beyblade #mfb #beyburst #beyblade burst

[birindale]

I'm curious to hear your overall thoughts on the original Princess of Power.

While Filmation's He-Man had to come to an end, due to TV stations not being willing to pay for TV show episodes beyond 100, it was still a bold move to carry on Masters of the Universe in a girl-centric show.

From some of the interviews you've posted, it doesn't sound like Mattel Marketing had much faith in PoP, saying things like "Oh, she's a flanker brand: she'll succeed, increase gross doll sales, and when she stops selling after a couple of years Barbie will gobble up the increase."

It especially struck me in the interviews about the Star Sisters engineering how much more creativity and tooling money "action dolls" took than fashion dolls. It's a bummer to think of so much heart and intellect was being poured into something doomed to be short-lived.

She-Ra has of course had two limited revivals, in a (predominantly male) adult collector form for MotU Classics, with no action features and sculpted hair, and then as more conventional dolls when SPOP debuted, but being canceled after only a few characters.

So what do you think would be the ideal way to handle these characters?

my thoughts on the original? six words:

capitalism is the death of art.

i wrote like four thousand words about it but ultimately it boils down to Mattel ignoring market research because doing so was cheaper in the short term, which killed the original toylines & had already squashed Janice Varney-Hamlin’s original pitch for an action doll.

the same 1984 FCC repeal which allowed He-Man and She-Ra to have tv shows at all marked a sharp decline in 'gender neutral' toy advertising, which had been on the rise since the early 70s. In 1975, <2% of the Sears toy catalog was marketed to a specific gender. By 1995, it was nearly half--numbers that hadn't been seen since WWII.

By reinforcing binary gender norms, the toy industry is able to capitalize on specific play patterns (what was once ‘homemaking’ is now ‘disney princess’) and condition the market to accept pink taxes, and.

Okay I’m starting to rant again. Reining it in. No death threats this draft. Anyway Mattel killed both toylines by trying to maximize their profits & Filmation was doomed from the moment RankinBass realized it was cheaper to outsource animation to other countries. Hell, from the moment the SCG was formed. It’s so much cheaper to extract value from people you’ve fucking colonized and. uh.

No. okay I’m fine. I’m fine. We’re just gonna move onto the modern toys now.

MOTUC is its own can of worms for me. On the one hand, they didn't have the Filmation design rights until like 2012, so there are a lot of things they couldn't do, but the number of MOTU vs POP figures has always been disheartening. And the bios... it's gotten better since Penny Dreadful & gbagok have come aboard, since they're like human encyclopedia for MOTU lore, but in the early days, when Toyguru was in charge?

I should be nice but i’m still annoyed he’s making me check his youtube channel instead of just answering my questions like a normal person. what does “near future” even mean. When is “soon”??  i am currently disinclined to be charitable towards your lore, Scott! answer my riddles three or i start listing grievances!!!

The Dreamworks toys... honestly, I think the big failure there was marketing. For one thing, I never saw a single advertisement for them until I went trawling through the official Youtube channel (and that video put me off very quickly). And I can recognize that I'm not the intended demographic, you know? I’m like thirty years old & i’ve never been into dolls. Did kids like them?

My ideal toyline would have an emphasis on accuracy. Looking as on-model as possible. When I was a kid my favorite (non-stuffed) toys were those little pokemon figurines; articulation isn't really necessary for me as long as the figures can stand up by themselves. The Super7 toys were pretty good, I just wish they had more of them--or that they were sculpted in more interesting poses. But that line, too, suffered from a dearth of advertising. Who can buy these toys if they don't know they exist? Especially during the pandemic, when fewer people were willing to linger in the toy aisle and happen upon things--that's when you should be promoting shit. hell, put a bumper at the end of the episodes if you have to. as long as it was skippable idt there would be much flak for that, given we all signed up to watch a toy-based cartoon in the first place.

the type of toy i prize above all others, though? the kind of shit i went bananas for as a child & still delight in to this day?

toysets.

give me a crystal castle toyset with a little pocket guide on reading first ones' script. give me castle bright moon (WITH A MAP. PLEASE). a hordak's sanctum set that's the only way to get an imp figurine--kids love evil lairs & adults love collecting. a little Darla set that comes with spacesuits if the toys themselves are still Dolls.

but that’s not cost-effective. so. yeah

#answers #lemaistrechat #sorry this got away from me like eight times i'm just. i have a lot of feelings

[chorusfm]

Keane – Hopes & Fears

There was something in the water in 2004. Not every year delivers even one classic debut album; 2004 was serving them up like it was going out of style. Hot Fuss; Franz Ferdinand; Funeral; Bows + Arrows; The College Dropout. Not all of those albums have aged well, but they all left an indelible mark on music, and most of them delivered at least one iconic hit – the kind of deathless single that will live on forever and ever on wedding dancefloor playlists or supermarket sound systems. I have, at one time or another, loved all of those albums. But in 2004 proper, if you’d have asked me which brand-new artist I was most excited to follow over the course of their career, I would have answered Keane, and I’d have done it without hesitation. Keane were never going to be cool. They were pitched as the heirs apparent to Coldplay, which is probably a pretty big “strike one” for most tastemakers. They also made big, grandiose soft rock that wore its heart on its sleeve; there was no wit or irony here, just uber-emotional songs about unrequited love and the pains of growing up. Probably fair to call that strike two. And perhaps least cool of all, Keane were a rock band with no guitars. Even Coldplay, as wussy as their reputation would suggest they were, still had songs with Big Ass Guitars. Keane were a three-piece with a singer, a drummer, and a keyboardist, and the pianos were front and center in every single song. Do I even need to say it? Strike three; get outta here! While those three things may have caused a lot of people to turn their noses up at Keane, though, they were all extremely attractive to 14-year-old me – especially the piano thing. Growing up, I wanted to play the guitar. I was the classic “raised on rock music” kid, who thought there was absolutely nothing cooler than a person standing on a stage and playing a guitar extremely well. In an alternate universe, maybe someone gives me a guitar for my 14th birthday and I devote my entire life to mastering it. In this universe, though, I spent my childhood suffering a form of eczema that caused my hands – and especially my fingertips – to dry out, crack, and bleed. My fingers were such a problem that I couldn’t hold a pencil the normal way growing up, much less try to play an instrument notorious for tearing up your fingers. And so, I learned to play piano instead. That sometimes hurt, too, and I definitely bled on the keys once or twice (the things we do for our art!) but it was a hell of a lot easier than trying to push down metal strings. Needless to say, I didn’t get a guitar for my 14th birthday. What I did get was a copy of Keane’s Hopes & Fears. Seeing Keane emerge and turn into a big fucking deal was, for Craig the piano player, a formative moment. It’s not that I wasn’t aware of piano’s status as a rock ‘n’ roll instrument; I’d obviously heard my parents listening to Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel and Elton John over the years, or my brother listening to Ben Folds Five, or the likes of Five for Fighting or (again) Coldplay playing on the radio. But Keane coming up just as I was starting to take ownership of my own musical journey was different somehow. Maybe it’s because it felt like I was discovering them for myself; maybe I just liked the songs better. Whatever the reason, when “Somewhere Only We Know” started cropping up on radio playlists and in TV commercials, it sent a message I’d never really heeded from any other music before: You could play piano and still become a rock star. I’d been taking piano lessons for five or six years at that point, but I’d never invested my heart into it. I dutifully practiced every day, and I took on the classical pieces that my teachers assigned me, but there wasn’t much passion there. Hearing Keane got me thinking about piano in a different way. Soon, I was bringing my own ideas into piano lessons, taking pop and rock songs in and telling my teachers that this was what I wanted to learn. And before long, I was learning how to play and sing at the same time.… https://chorus.fm/reviews/keane-hopes-fears/