#its the fourth song and the prequel song

[myheartissetinmotion]

just thinking about how the musical numbers in wonka are so much more fun when you think of them all as diegetic

(i’m gonna put a read more for courtesy but. please click it i put so much thought into this)

some of them are explicitly so-scrub scrub is stated to be the group’s work song, lofty says his own song and dance can’t be stopped once it starts, abacus cues the wash crew on beat as they work behind the scenes of the shop’s opening, etc. this doesn’t happen super often in musical movies nowadays, which adds to the whimsy of this one

in the original catcf book, the demise of each “bad kid” (and the ethics of that is a WHOLE different-and lengthy-post) gets a song from the oompa loompas, and all adaptations include those; the 2005 film is the only one to have no non-diegetic songs, while the 1971 film and west end/bway stage adaptation have loads. this prequel, however, seems to lean hard into the idea of wonka as a showman-but an earnest one-who brings not only a new taste but also a new sound to the Unnamed European City™️ that he turns upside down.

colin’s newfound confidence wins the day when barbara sees him singing and dancing on a table, which is apparently just the kind of adventure she was looking for. willy shows his plan to the wash crew by presenting it in a reprise of their song, like he’s speaking their language. it’s the sound of the newcomer’s siren song, not just the crowd, that draws the scheming cartel to their windows. there are so many interesting things revealed about the characters if you look at it that way

for a moment starts rather quietly, and noodle’s singing to herself; she doesn’t sing aloud to start, but then willy does, and he’s in perfect counterpoint to her melody that he’s barely even heard yet. then, by the end, she’s *really* singing, because she’s finally found someone who’ll listen. they literally invented siblingism i’m gonna cry

and don’t even get me started on sweet tooth. mat and paterson said in an interview that the cartel sort of stops being villainous the second the music starts, that their number is a seduction at its core, which is so damn true. the fact that it’s acknowledged as diegetic-the chief’s “why am i singing”, slugworth’s “let’s give him the big sell”, etc-means that this is something planned and practiced. there is so much comedy in that-scary powerful capitalists working on their fan choreography is a great image-but it also shows just how sinister they are. “conceal” rhymes with “deal”. they knew he’d say yes in the end. it was predetermined all along.

and a world of your own!! (this might not be a whole analysis paragraph i just wanted to say the way the pulse of the orchestration slowly builds starting at “chocolate bushes, chocolate trees” is so thrilling omg i felt like a kid again)

all this to say that i got sucked into this story for good upon hearing pure imagination for the first time in fourth grade and never looked back so it’s so neat that the prequel involves music in such a thoughtful way OKAY BYEEEEEEEE *mic drop*

#wonka #wonka 2023 #wonka movie #movies tag #music tag #books tag #musicals tag

[space-morningstar]

Ghost is a Swedish rock band that was formed in Linköping in 2006. In 2010, they released a three-track demo followed by a 7-inch vinyl titled "Elizabeth", and later their debut full-length album Opus Eponymous. The song "Ritual" was chosen by Kerrang! as one of "The 50 Most Evil Songs Ever". The Grammis-nominated album was widely praised and significantly increased their popularity. Their second album and major label debut, Infestissumam, was released in 2013, debuted at number one in Sweden, and won the Grammis Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album. The band released their third studio album, Meliora, in 2015, reaching number one in Sweden, and number eight in the US. Its lead single, "Cirice", earned them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The band released their fourth studio album, Prequelle, in 2018. The band released their fifth studio album, Impera, in 2022.

#Ghost band #The band Ghost #shitghosting

[jayrock4891]

GHOST

Ghost is a Swedish rock band that was formed in Linköping in 2006. In 2010, they released a three-track demo followed by a 7-inch vinyl titled "Elizabeth", and later their debut full-length album Opus Eponymous. The song "Ritual" was chosen by Kerrang! as one of "The 50 Most Evil Songs Ever." The Grammis-nominated album was widely praised and significantly increased their popularity. Their second album and major label debut, Infestissumam, was released in 2013, debuted at number one in Sweden, and won the Grammis Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album. The band released their third studio album, Meliora, in 2015, reaching number one in Sweden, and number eight in the US. Its lead single, "Cirice", earned them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The band released their fourth studio album, Prequelle, in 2018. The band released their fifth studio album, Impera, in 2022.

#metal #ghost #tobias forge #papa nihil #ghouls

[dhr-fics]

Author: MusikLuver

Calm And Collected (5KB - One Shot - G) Late at night, the Giant Squid gets to hear lots of interesting conversations.

HELP the SPEW Campaign (12KB - One Shot - PG) Based VERY loosely in Fourth Year after Hermione meets Dobby in the kitchen. DHr interaction.

Hidden Dragon (285KB - 13 Chapters - R) Prequel to Hidden Lioness, but you don't really need to read this one it's kind of bad anyway I just keep it up for memory's sake.

Hidden Lioness (252KB - 11 Chapters - PG-13) The sequel to Hidden Dragon but its not required. Five years later, and it hasn't gotten better. Hermione has a secret, Draco is forced into living with someone he doesn't like, and there's a new woman. The question is who is she?

It Starts (15KB - 2 Chapters - G) A twopart story involving the upcoming War First part Hermione POV, second part Draco POV. Based in 7th Year, where Hermione contemplates and Draco takes action.

Living Arrangements (60KB - Incomplete - PG-13) Has more pairings than DHr, but they're going to eventually be the main ones. To summarize it all up, basically, 10 former students from Slytherin and Gryffindor are tricked into living together for 6 months. How will it all play out?

Mr Wrong (133KB - Incomplete - PG-13) Hermione Granger’s life is going great: She just got a promotion at the Ministry, & she’s engaged to the perfect man, Harry Potter. But what happens when Mr. Totally Wrong comes into her life? Is he really so wrong?

Night Stalker (39KB - One Shot - PG) What's the harm in walking your dog? That's what Hermione figures, until she hears something--or someONE rustling around in the night. Once she finds out who, Mione's gotta think, 'What could HE possibly want with her'

The Little Things (5KB - One Shot - G) It's the little things that count, right?

The Restless Dragon Meets the Icy Queen (164KB - Incomplete - PG) Two words: Role reversal. Hermione is dead-set on getting revenge on Draco. The perfect plan forms, but what happens if the renowned Slytherin Queen falls unexpectedly for him?

True (7KB - One Shot - G) Songfic of the song True. Hermione struggles to tell Draco how she feels.

Twisted Realities ( - Incomplete - PG-13) If Hermione and Draco aren't Heads, who is? And just what will they do to get the position back? Why? Things have changed, here in Twisted Realities.

Unheard Of (6KB - One Shot - G) She wanted to know anything and everything about him. Didn't she know they were never going to be friends?

#author: MusikLuver #published: 2003

[fairyysoup]

i‘ve been trying to get into ghost for years but idk where to start pls help -ts anon

*cracks knuckles* i am so glad you asked bestie

I would honestly start by focusing on the music because they are, after all, a band. i think a lot of people tend to get either confused or intimidated by the lore surrounding the members and the storylines that go on from one album release to the next, so it's easiest to start with the roots of it and worry about the rest later (i think). but once you pick apart the themes of the different albums themselves, i think you kind of naturally fall into the lore of the band by default. so when in doubt, start with the music

i started off with meliora, which i think is their most popular album?? (but i'm not sure it could have changed since tbh). it's a good mix of heavy metal and more pop rock, and most people at least know the song square hammer from it. the story of the album is about religious apathy when there is no presence of a god, and the band introduce themselves as a guiding hand of hope in those kind of bleak times. which is why i think it's good as an introduction to the band- you have a band with lore where the members are supposed to be a satanic church, so here's an album introducing them as exactly that, an anti-church.

from there you can do what I did and backtrack through their first two albums, which are heavier and deal with themes of the antichrist. or you can go on to their fourth album, and my absolute favorite, prequelle. it's a concept about the apocalypse, equating it to the times of the black death, and it's quite honestly a no-skips album for me. it has two of thee best instrumental numbers i've ever heard in my entire life, and it'll also have you shaking your ass to the words "while you sleep in earthly delight someone's flesh is rotting tonight" so that's fun.

then there's their most recent album, impera, which includes the song from the halloween kills soundtrack (hunter's moon), and i would describe its theme as being like a post-apocalyptic steampunk future after the fall of an empire?? i have to be honest i haven't deep dived into it yet, that's just what i gathered from listening to it lol

i'll also admit that for as much as a fan as I am, I have no IDEA what we are calling the nameless ghouls anymore or how to differentiate them. like i know they're identified based on their instruments and occasionally their uniforms (meliora era had only four of them if i remember correctly and they each had a different symbol highlighted on their costume but idk what we're going with anymore there's so much). i tend to focus mostly on papa emeritus (number whichever) in any era for the most crucial bits of lore info. there used to be a post floating around with a crash course on the different papas, but idk where it is now rip

and, if you're interested in that one song everyone knows from tiktok, mary on a cross, that is from their ep seven inches of satanic panic. it was basically them going "lmao what if papas 1, 2, and 3's dad was papa 0 and started the band ghost in the 1960s and this was their first single, how sick would that be." that's why both songs off of it sound very heavily influenced by bands like the doors and donovan, it's basically meant to be from the late 60s.

that's it that's what i got. thanks for coming to my ted talk 💕 happy rabbit-holing

#asks #ts anon #the band ghost #ghost

[hangingfire]

Yuletide 2022

Another Yuletide fic exchange has come and gone, and now it's time for the reveals post.

First: my wonderful gift. It's the Christmas special The Bear deserves; funny, moving, sharply observed. It is, as Sydney Adamu would say, fire.

Sunday Special Author: LearnedFoot Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Details: Rated T, Gen, 2073 words Tags: Sydney Adamu, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Richard "Richie" Jerimovich, other characters make appearances too, Friendship, Found Family, Christmas, Post-Canon Summary: The Bear stays open for Christmas.

Second: my recs list for Yuletide 2022, a work in progress. It's an eclectic bunch of stuff right now, including Stand By Me, Piranesi, 17776, Ask a Manager, and more.

And finally, my works.

Below the Waves for rueckenfigur Fandom: Polar Explorer RPF Details: Rated G, Gen, 1813 words Tags: Francis Crozier, HMS Terror, Historical, Sailing, Franklin Expedition, Ross Expedition, POV Inanimate Object Summary: "A ship can have favourites; sailors know this in their bones. And Crozier—quiet, steady, respectful—was hers." Notes: This isn't a Terror fic per se, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't heavily influenced by that show. I mean, I went and stuck a quotation from the show in the epigraph, and Lt. Little in this story maybe owes something to Matthew McNulty's portrayal in the show. In any case, my recipient had asked for a story about Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier, and after a speed-run through assorted works of nonfiction, this is where I ended up, telling his story from the point of view of his ship, HMS Terror, who still dreams of him as she lies 21 metres below the surface of Terror Bay. The title is from Heidi Berry's song of the same name, and the mood of the story is basically that song as well.

Bell, Book, and Candle for BeccaLee Fandom: Control (Video Game) x Piranesi - Susanna Clarke Details: Rated G, Gen, 1533 words Tags: Emily Pope, Original Characters, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Found Documents, case files Summary: Correspondence relating to OOP27-UE. Notes: I wasn't sure if I was going to manage to write anything other than my assignment this year, but I'd been listening to the audiobook of Piranesi while doing some long pre-holiday drives. So I went poking around the prompts and found that BeccaLee had requested both Piranesi and Control. I did very much like the idea of mashing up the House and the Oldest House, and also the idea of there being other Oldest Houses. There's not really a plot here per se; it's more of a vibe, and in particular the shared vibe of both canons that suggests something Larger and More Powerful At Work. And of course the characters from the world of Control would see Piranesi's House as something creepy at best, and outright dangerous at worst.

The Cunning of the Goose is Immeasurable; Its Mischief Infinite for Lielac Fandom: Untitled Goose Game x Piranesi - Susanna Clarke Details: Rated G, Gen, 1133 words Tags: Piranesi | Matthew Rose Sorensen, The Other | Valentine Andrew Ketterley, Goose (Untitled Goose Game), Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Prequel Summary: Entries for the Fourth Month in the Year the Albatross Came to the South-Western Halls. Notes: Lielac had requested Untitled Goose Game fic and their prompt offered a blank cheque for crossing the game over with literally anything. And, again, since I had Piranesi very much on the brain, I thought, well, why not have the Goose pay a visit to the House? What if the Goose is an agent of mischief and chaos that transcends space and time? Once the idea formed, the story practically wrote itself. I also constructed it such that it is set a month before the beginning of the novel, which averts spoilers of any significance. I'm tempted to expand on it—probably the only reason it's not longer is that I literally wrote it two days before the collection went live, and I wanted to get it done. But really both Piranesi and the Goose deserve more shenanigans together before the Goose buggers off to wherever it came from.

#yuletide #yuletide 2022 #my work #fic recs #the bear fx #piranesi #control game #untitled goose game

[so-i-say-no-to-status-quo]

in honor of May the Fourth i rewatched Ani: A Parody and wrote down some thoughts (idk if anyone wants to read them but i had fun lol)

ACT 1

• "it's a humorous play on words and that's where the comedy comes in" no matter how many times they say it in ani i laugh every time

• "you must not know dick about star wars" also a good line throughout

• ani's casual-ness about the younglings at the temple akshsjdk

• just mara jade in general

• the reveal of nick as palpatine makes me laugh even though i've seen this a million times

• the black bathrobe, the voice, the demeanor, everything is so funny

• "we're gonna paint these walls right?" is just incredible

• the characters interacting with clark and the rest as the cantina band is *chefs kiss*

• never noticed the wink that mara does after ani says he's old enough to be her father in law!! omg akshdjd

• chaotic iconic trio of brian/walker/nick with bonus eric as sebulba!!!!!

• brian picking up nick is perfect as is ani saying "they've got the high ground"

• brian holden as jar jar is also perfect

• the whole ani/jar jar conversation is so funny and clark laughing in the background is great

• tarkin yelling stop it at ani & jar jar as well as the band so then music stopped is so sjdhjdkddk

ACT 2

• the crop tops!!!

• jj using the force ahhhh

• tarkin "holy smokes look at the time"/jj "I CANT READ"

• "yousa even say she be lookin' like natalie portman" i forgot about that joke and i can't stop laughing

• the locker being a band member

• the ~romantic~ lines from ani to padme is iconic

• adding the red hair to denise's actual headshot is hilarious

• the walking through the door bit always great

• clark nodding when oola aka meredith asks if they can get a drink later asjsjdkdksk

• the astronaut helmet looks like it's from that OMG space short that a lot of starkids were in (okay checked an it's not, it's just very similar but you should watch it anyway haha) (also written and directed by chris allen)

• and nick as obi wan in a brown bathrobe & a taped on beard is great omg

• "i'm better now, i'm drunk"

• this whole dinner conversation is incredible

• "you think you kill a guy and comes back as a goddamn robot. and this is the second time it's happened to me" oooooh my god akhshdksjsk

• haunted by the kiss ahhhh

• the song, their dance, the fact the lyrics are from that speech lol

• when i watched the prequels this song kept repeating in my head

•  ngl jj's death hit me

• the chancellor valorum joke was pretty funny actually ajhshdjd

• boba fett taking off his helmet to reveal the hood on the onesie zipped up to be the helmet is chefs kiss

• meredith and brian duo!!!!!!

• "what was dat?" all i can think of is hmb now lol

• tarkin "you've got the high ground"

• eric as a force ghost!qui gon jinn is amazing and i forgot that happened omg

• the ending!! denise is incredible and i love the dancing

• shoutout to katie spelman the choreographer who killed it. i loved every dance

ENDING THOUGHTS

• just overall the songs are great and i adore the soundtrack so so much. clark and meredith and pierce sound so good! just every song is fun and i love the distinct vibe they all have

• i for one love that the cast (except meredith) don't sing (i also know some people don't like it) but i think it fits the show and they do more intense dancing to make up for it in a sense. it's just a great time and i am not complaining about hearing clark singing at all haha

• i love ani. every time I watch it i swear i catch a new star wars joke i didn't hear before or just a new appreciation for them

• if you look at my blog i'm a fierce ani appreciator and defender lol its a good show yall!

• when i first watched this in 2014 (which btw i can't believe how old this is lol) i did not know much about star wars beyond very surface level main movie knowledge, now i would say i know a lot more than i did then. and i think ani is great bc even though i didn't know a ton it didn't decrease my enjoyment of it. so anyone with any amount of star wars knowledge can watch it and enjoy it (and even if they don't know star wars it's still a blast)

• i love this show so much and i will recommend it forever. and happy may the fourth!

#ani a parody #starkid #ani #may the fourth #star wars

[tinx-methinks]

EOY book asks - 2, 6, 17, 24 :3

2. Did you reread anything? What?

Yes! Last year I read Dracula Daily, this year I did Re. Dracula which is practically an audiobook of the same thing (fully voice acted! with original songs! its amazing I totally recommend this podcast!).

Also a lot of the short stories Luke and I have been reading are ones that I've read before. Things like "The Lottery", "A Good Man is Hard to Find", and "Masque of the Red Death" were ones I'd already done.

Other than those I didn't do much rereading this year. I keep buying books as I get them read so I always have new ones in my TBR and I never make any progress lol

6. Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

I bought a pretty copy of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea last year I've been dying to dig into but didn't get the chance. I'm looking forward to doing that this year. I meant to read The Turn by Kim Harrison. It's a prequel to a series I love and anxiously await. I dunno why I keep putting it off. My brain just keeps saying "The Stars. Can't do it. Not today." Also there's a couple I wanted to read but I just didn't buy because I was hoping to see them on sale and didn't or because their popularity meant their coverprice was higher than I wanted to pay or simply because something else caught my eye first, those titles include: I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Paladin's Strength by T Kingfisher, Ruthless Gods by Emily A Duncan, Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin and The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen.

You'll note a bunch of these are things I already know I enjoy. For some reason it's harder for me to buy a sequel of a book I really like than it is for me to buy a new book I might not like because the Sunk Cost Fallacy guts me much worse so sometimes I end up wanting the sequel for months/years because the fear I won't like it makes the money so much harder to spend lol.

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Oh yeah a bunch of them! Animorphs have been super surprising! Murderbot was so good! I didn't expect to like Legends and Lattes or Lavender House nearly as much as I did! I found The Watchers so genuinely creepy! Also I had written off as The Fourth Wing as booktok junk pretty much before I read it but after I did read it I thought it was way better than I expected. I think I can really see what people liked about it even though it wasn't for me.

Books are great for surprises like that.

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

I almost never DNF a book. I will put myself through unspeakable agony to finish a book. It has to offend me to my core for me to put a book down because I think there's value in a book that's bad. If I find a book bad I really try to figure out what makes me feel that way so I can apply it to my own writing/storytelling...

That being said I am working on a couple visual novels I started last year because while I'm great at making time for books, video games are a whole other story. Sigh.

Thanks for the asks Bec! Love you!

End of Year Book Asks

#thank youuuuuu #personal #Tinx Reads 2023 #rablecca

[thenightling]

Here is the teaser trailer for The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep. This is the second Witcher animated movie from Netflix. Remember, just because it's animated does NOT mean it's intended for children. There's violence, nudity, and swearing.

Abridged explanation of What is The Witcher: In a medieval-fantasy world in a place called "The Continent" (resembles Europe) in a region that resembles Poland we meet Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher.

Witchers are semi-immortal (they don't age as humans do) male witches trained since childhood to be monster hunters.

Geralt travels the countryside with his effeminate bard friend, Jaskier, (called Dandelion in the English language versions of the novels. Note: Jaskier is Polish for Buttercup), and Yennefer, Geralt's sorceress lover.

This barely functional trio end up, together, raising an orphaned princess, named Ciri. Ultimately Ciri grows up to be a Witcher, herself.

Plot of The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep:

Set before episode 6 of season 1 of The Witcher Netflix series, Sirens of the Deep has Geralt summoned to a sea-side kingdom where there is political unrest between the human kingdom and the neighboring sirens (mermaids whose voices can lure men to their deaths). The prince has fallen in love with a siren and one must give up their world to be with the other, much like The Little Mermaid.

This story was previously told in the song "A little Sacrifice" song by Princess Ciri in season 3 of The Witcher (live action Netflix series).

For those keeping score here are all the adaptations of The Witcher so far.

First there were the original Polish novels and short stories (available as a box set in English).

Then came a short lived Polish TV series.

After that came three very successful Witcher video games.

Then came The Witcher comic books (new short stories in comic book form).

Then Netflix created their own UK / American produced English language Witcher TV series, which is currently filming its fourth season. Henry Cavill played Geralt of Rivia for three seasons but Liam Hemsworth will take over the role for season 4.

Then came The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (first Witcher animated movie by Netflix (also in English). Prequel to the Netflix show). This is set roughly a hundred years before the Netflix series.

Then came The Witcher: Blood Origin (also from Netflix). This is a live action prequel mini-series to the Netflix show but it uses Jaskier being told the story to bookend it. This is an origin story for the very first Witcher.

Next comes the latest Netflix animated movie. The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep which is set during season 1 of The Witcher Netflix series, some time before episode 6 but after episode 2.

Currently another Netflix spin-off series is in development called The Witcher: The Rats dealing with vagabond children in a major city of The Continent, who befriend and help Ciri in her travels.

Season 1 of The Netflix live-action English language Witcher series has an unnecessarily confusing timeline, probably inspired by HBO's first season of Westworld. If you are just starting on The Witcher don't be intimidated. Just know that the story about Yennefer is set at least thirty-years before the events happening with Geralt and Geralt's story is roughly twelve years before Ciri's story. And the timelines converge near the end of season 1. They don't bother telling you that the stories are taking place in different time periods. And it's needlessly confusing because half the characters (Geralt and Yennefer in particular) don't age. And the show forgot to age Jaskier during the first season.

In The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep Geralt is not voiced by Henry Cavill but instead by Doug Cockle who voiced Geralt in The Witcher video games and actually inspired Henry Cavill's portrayal in the live-action show.

When Henry Cavill speaks as Geralt in the Netflix show he's actually impersonating Doug Cockle's version from the video games.

Doug Cockle is currently battling prostate cancer.

I'm glad Doug Cockle was finally given the opportunity to voice Geralt in a movie since his video game voice is what inspired how Henry Cavill speaks as Geralt in the Netflix series.

I appreciate that Netflix pushed to allow him to do this.

Many people expected The Witcher to be Netflix's Game of Thrones but it ended up being more like a gender swapped Xena: Warrior Princess. And… It's good.

#The Witcher #Witcher #Sirens of The deep #Youtube

[mytastessuck]

Sick Puppies: War

A while back, Sick Puppies released a single called Street Fighter (War). Believe it or not, it was offered to Street Fighter for its fourth (annoyingly prequeled) official installment. We got a bitching commercial and opening cinematic from it and a surprisingly non-cringey edgelord moment from the franchise that brought us this:

My point is, Menat is hot, she walks funny and War is awesome (not the concept, the song.).

Song Score: 14,000/10

#sick puppies #street fighter #war #street fighter iv #music #review #Youtube

[veworgrand]

Fate hollow ataraxia eclipse scenes disappearesd

Fate hollow ataraxia eclipse scenes disappearesd how to#

Fate hollow ataraxia eclipse scenes disappearesd series#

Julian then arrives, telling Shirou that he had been looking for Miyu for the past five years in order to finish the ritual he had started. Feeling guilt for his past actions, he takes her to the ruins of her original family's home where he admits that he and Kiritsugu originally took her in to exploit her powers, not save her. Shirou decides it is time to let Miyu experience the world outside their home, with Miyu saying she wants to see the ocean. During this, Miyu's powers have disappeared with age as Kiritsugu had originally feared.

Fate hollow ataraxia eclipse scenes disappearesd how to#

Regardless, Shirou begins to bond with Miyu and Kiritsugu passes away before he can learn how to use Miyu's powers.įive years later, Shirou is living as a regular high school student with Miyu as his adopted younger sister and attends school with his classmates Julian and Sakura. Shirou and Kiritsugu take Miyu back to their home, where Kiritsugu makes it clear to Shirou that they should only consider her a tool and not a human. Kiritsugu declares that he will use her power to save humanity. Kiritsugu explains that Miyu has the power to grant wishes unconditionally, and that the storm was most likely caused when she was inadvertently exposed to humans thoughts and desires. They enter the ruins of the city where they find and rescue Miyu, the child they are looking for. However, they arrive to find the city engulfed in a massive black vortex which is banished by a mysterious light. Critical reception to the film has been positive for its handling of an alternate take of Shirou and his battles in the Grail War.Ī young Shirou Emiya and his adoptive father Kiritsugu travel to Fuyuki city in order to investigate the Sakatsuki family, who are rumored to be harboring a child with powerful magic abilities. Sentai Filmworks released the film's Blu-ray in English regions during July 2020. The film grossed $1,118,410 in Japan while the home media releases were also one of the best selling Japanese DVDs and Blu-rays by 2018. Singer ChouCho performed two theme songs that are played in the film's ending primarily centered around Shirou's actions.

Fate hollow ataraxia eclipse scenes disappearesd series#

Shin Oonuma and Silver Link returned from the anime series to direct and produce the film, respectively. The film was first announced on Septemwhen the finale of the anime's fourth season, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 3rei aired. The plot follows a teenager named Shirou Emiya who becomes involved in the Fifth Holy Grail War to protect his foster sister, Miyu Satsuki, from being used as a sacrifice by the Ainsworth clan. The film stars multiple voice actors including Noriaki Sugiyama, Kaori Nazuka, Rikiya Koyama, Natsuki Hanae and Noriko Shitaya for the main characters. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya: Vow in the Snow ( Japanese: 劇場版Fate/kaleid liner プリズマ☆イリヤ 雪下の誓い, Hepburn: Gekijō-ban Fate/kaleid liner Purizuma ☆ Iriya Sekka no Chikai) (also known as Oath Under Snow) is a Japanese animated fantasy film prequel of the manga Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya by Hiroshi Hiroyama, released on August 26, 2017.

#Fate hollow ataraxia eclipse scenes disappearesd

[tigerrampage]

First Virus Resistance l Episode: Shut Down ft. Kagamine Rin & Len - Minus-P

#kagamine rin #kagamine len #minus-p #wonderful opportunity #2013 #first virus resistance series #its the fourth song and the prequel song #and my favorite #now if hed update the older songs in the series...- #which i think he might theyve updated a lot of their old songs recently #uploads #birdys favs #first virus resistance

[mrfutureboy]

this took me literally all day but i wanted to try my hand at making a fancam for my favorite girl! it’s pretty basic but i feel like the other two versions (because i almost always have more than one version of digital stuff i make) were kinda overwhelming and distracting. maybe i can be convinced to post them. i probably wont make a habit of making fancams because this took forever and prequel’s free trial only last 3 days, but this was a fun experience!

song: dictator by rei ami

#marlene mcfly #back to the future #bttf #fan art #my art #original entry #part of the reason it took so long was bc i started making it with kapwing but it kept fucking up when i added in the audio #so i just ended up using imovie even tho i wouldve preferred to do it on my laptop #and then i used prequel for the effect. i DO have a fourth version actually w a different vhs effect from an app whose name i cannot remembe #capcut thats what its called #i still have it installed lol #also i will probably never listen to this song again haha now that ive listened to this 20 sec clip ALL DAY #i hope this looks ok on various screens and screen brightnesses #i did this with the brightness halfway up and usually keep my brightness all the way down

[tisthenightofthewitch]

The story behind the song: Dance Macabre by Ghost

"What I’ve tried to do is make Ghost a little more Queen than AC/DC,” Tobias Forge says, of the ambitious menagerie of sounds of his band’s 2018 album Prequelle. “I don’t mind a good rock banger at all, but with Ghost every song has to have its own clear idea and structure.

"What I expanded on in Infestissumam and Meliora was that a Ghost song is not necessarily something that just starts with a big guitar intro. With Ghost you can do pretty much anything.”

He pauses, before adding with a smile: “I’m a little rock opera with my music.”

By this point the hitherto ‘secret’ (but not really) identity of frontman Papa Emeritus (reborn as Cardinal Copia, but more on that in a moment) was officially out. A lawsuit involving former bandmates accelerated Forge’s decision to ‘unmask’. Come 2018 and the release of fourth Ghost album Prequelle – with a new band – and the spotlight moved to the songs themselves.

They didn’t disappoint, least of all Dance Macabre. Classic Rock’s album review said it was “a pure 80s rock-club banger that’s as audacious as it is glorious”. If Europe revisited The Final Countdown, with Satan, and swapped some (but not all) of the synths for guitars, this could have been the result.

Warmly embraced by the metal world, despite being about as un-metal as ABBA, Dance Macabre defied heavy music conventions and nailed one of the most irresistible choruses of the century. Like Iron Maiden, Marilyn Manson and Slipknot before them, Ghost have become one of those rare bands for whom a new album is so much more than a new album. It’s an event, a chance for fans who’ve waited with baited breath to see what new imagery, storytelling and feats of showmanship await them.

In the way only the best bands manage, it seemed that just as we were starting to get used to the Ghost formula, Tobias had fucked with it spectacularly.

“I’ve always tried to make things hard for myself,” he says with a sly grin. “Instead of just doing big, blunt commercial statements, I’m trying to do things in a more cinematic way. If we just continued with Papa to Papa to Papa to Papa, that would grow very boring.”

If this talk of Papas and secret identities has thrown you, here’s a brief explanation. Pre-Prequelle, Ghost’s frontman had always taken the form of Papa Emeritus, a corpse-painted, Pope-like figure delivering sermonic odes to life, love, death, sex and Satan on behalf of the mysterious Clergy, backed on stage by hooded, anonymous musicians known as the Nameless Ghouls. Each new album meant a ‘new Papa’ with a modified new look.

Then, just in time for Prequelle, things changed with the arrival of the more youthful, agile Cardinal Copia. Dressed in a black cassock, his sunken, haunted eyes peeking out from under his biretta, and sporting the kind of villainous ’tache that would have Dick Dastardly twiddling with glee, Cardinal Copia is part Monty Python, part medieval nightmare; the kind of character who perfectly occupies the murky space between camp showmanship and gothic horror that Ghost have inhabited since day one.

In short, he’s the personification of Prequelle, of which Dance Macabre is the ultimate drug that metalheads, rockers and pop fans alike just can’t resist. In the run-up to the album’s release, its gleaming, musical theatre-rivalling refrain of ‘Just wanna be, wanna bewitch you!’ was the one that everyone in the Louder offices sang at some point.

For Forge, being recognised as a shadowy, face-painted lothario, rather than his actual trendy Swedish 30-something self, feels comfortable for the time being. “I will never be able to outshine my characters,” he says. “And I’m fine with that. I am quite happy not being the main visual aspect of the creation. I would like to take credit, in as much as I’m responsible for it happening, but I don’t have to be the focal point.”

CLASSIC ROCK 

#Cardinal Copia #The Band Ghost #Ghost Band #Tobias Forge #Tobias Interview #Dance Macabre #Nameless Ghouls #Papa Emeritus IV

[blossom-hwa]

inspired by a song from ‘the ballad of songbirds and snakes’ (I highly recommend the book!!)

(lyrics modified slightly to fit the story, and no copyright infringement intended!!)

wc: 2.4k ~ haknyeon x gender neutral!reader ~ nobility!au (ish) ~ triggers: blood, death (nothing graphic) ~ the boyz masterlist

prequels: don’t be silly | shattered

for @thepixelelf​​​ :)

[ birds in the heavens ] Lying on a field filled with smoke and ash, you drag in a long breath.

So this is what it’s come to.

You cough, pain shooting through your chest as the metallic tang of blood fills your mouth. Just a few years ago, you never would have imagined this – a battlefield death, so far from home, a fall from grace…

No, not grace. Not you. He was grace. He was everything beautiful in this war-torn world, sunlight on the grass, stars in the sky, flowers in the meadow beyond the village, blue and red and pink and white woven in a wreath that you placed on his head with trembling fingers and a smile only he could put on your face.

Where was grace but in the curve of his lips and the scrunch of his eyes as he laughed? Where was grace but in the rough brush of his fingers to your smooth skin, worlds apart united for brief, beautiful moments in the touch of your hands together? There was a time when you thought you were grace, fine clothes and elegant dances and lilted words, but he was grace, truly, sunbeams personified, tanned hands rough from work deftly twisting grass together into a makeshift ring that fit perfectly on your fourth finger, a crude proposal in the eyes of anyone in your circle but so beautiful in your eyes, accompanied by a voice of sugar and honey, birdsong whispering between the blades of shifting grass, promises of a future where the warmth of his touch would never leave your skin.

What was the song he sang? Something about valleys and trains, roses and violets and red and blue…

A memory of his voice washes through your mind, a taste of honey sweet against the bitter ash coating your tongue.

Down in the valley, valley so low,

Late in the evening, hear the train blow.

The train, love, hear the train blow,

Late in the evening, hear the train blow.

He used to say that he’d wait to hear the train whistle during the months he knew you’d be there. He said it took everything in him not to run to the station and blow both of your covers, he wanted to see you so much.

What wouldn’t you give to see him now?

Go build me a mansion, build it so high,

So I can see my true love go by.

See him go by, love, see him go by,

So I can see my true love go by.

A smile stains your trembling lips. Where the first verse was his, this one was yours. Only you could speak of mansions and true love and not be entirely joking – you used to promise him you’d build yourselves a house someday, a house where you could live together in secret peace, away from the prying eyes of your family and their spies.

Go write me a letter, send it by mail,

Bake it and stamp it to the capital jail.

Capital jail, love, to the capital jail,

Bake it and stamp it to the capital jail.

A sob racks your body, ash settling in your throat and mixing with the blood bubbling on your tongue. How were you two to know that the third verse he sang so teasingly, eyes squinting with laughter as he swore to you with honey-sweet seriousness that he’d love you to the end, would become truth? That he’d be imprisoned in that very jail and later killed, with you sent to the battlefield to die? You couldn’t even send letters, like in the song.

There’s a fourth verse to the song, a verse you’d sing together, but the sun burns overhead and seals your lips shut. Its rays sear into your eyes, scorching your heart with the guilt, the knowledge that you have no right to sing or even remember the verse, and it hurts, but you can’t look away. Won’t look away. It’s the sun, what he was, pure warmth and light made whole into one human being whom you were lucky enough to love – how could you let that go?

How could you let him go?

Tears spring into your eyes. They fall slowly, cutting tracks through the grime on your face. One hand struggles to rise, to wipe them away, but you can’t. You can’t. The tears… they’re him. What you have left of him. Tears, tears only, and the dried grass tied around your finger…

Your face burns under the sun. It’s bright, so bright, just like him.

You were so bright, love. The hand that tried to wipe the tears now aches to reach up to the sky, fingers enclosing around a ray of light in a futile effort to bring it to your lips, to kiss him one last time before the darkness blurring your vision takes you completely. Bright as the sun. I could never close my eyes to you.

Even if it burned.

An image appears in the sun, his face contorted in pain and agony as they dragged him to the center of the square. Two guards held you back as you screamed. Four more stood in front of him, guns raised.

The sun blazed that day, just like his eyes as they stared into yours with all the conviction of a man who knew he had done nothing wrong, the bravery of a boy who had been taught to love and only love.

Even when the one he loved could do nothing to save him.

The same sun flares overhead, witness to your love, witness to his death, and now, soon, a witness to yours. It shines unflinchingly, fierce, unforgiving – you couldn’t save him. You couldn’t.

I couldn’t. A sob rips through your bleeding body. Pain tears into every wound in your skin, but it can’t compare to the ache in your chest, the knowledge of a death you couldn’t prevent. I’m sorry. I couldn’t.

I failed.

The sun feels colder now, warm rays chilled under your confession of failure. It hurts to stare, to keep your eyes open even as cold fire sears anger into your wounds, but it’s penance. Punishment. Just like when they stripped your title and shoved you into war, a nameless foot soldier to be buried under a heap of other nameless bodies, retribution for loving a boy they believed to be beneath your station.

Beneath my station. If you could, you’d snort. If only they could see that the farmer boy they scorned to death was so much more than all of them. Than all of you.

Sunlight personified, sparkling in a blue sky without a cloud.

You blink. There are clouds now, of gray smoke from firing guns stained red from the screaming bodies falling all around you. But the sun cuts through it all to shine on you, cold, unforgiving in the knowledge that you failed to protect the boy who loved you to the end, even as bullets ripped into his body the way they now have ripped into yours.

I failed.

I’m sorry.

I failed.

Blood trickles down your face. Your eyes remain open, focused on the sun. They burn, but it’s nothing compared to the punishment you deserve for not keeping him alive the way you promised yourself you would.

I couldn’t. Another sob wracks your bloodied chest. Everything hurts. I couldn’t.

But then –

A face you never thought you’d see again leans over your ruined body, bright, visible, even as darkness further coats your eyes.

The sunlight grows a little warmer.

Haknyeon?

You couldn’t, love. A hand reaches out, caresses your bloody cheek with a softness of touch that almost makes you close your eyes. You couldn’t. And that’s okay.

Tears fill your eyes afresh. No, it isn’t, you try to argue with the vision that can’t be real but that feels so real, so frighteningly warm in this one moment. I couldn’t save you. You should’ve lived.

You couldn’t, Haknyeon repeats, eyes sparkling. He looks so healthy, so whole – no bullets in his chest, no blood running down his face. Your heart aches. It’s okay. Please believe me, love. It’s okay.

The softness in his voice makes you want to believe it, makes you want to fall into his honeyed words that flow, smooth, through your ears, soothing the pain throbbing all over your body. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, you try to argue through cracked and bloody lips that cannot speak. Don’t give it to me. I don’t deserve it.

His touch feels so real against your skin. It’s a good thing I’m not here to forgive you, then, he laughs, for there was never anything to forgive.

Blood bursts from your lips as ash tickles your nose and you cough again, this time curling into his phantom touch. Then why are you here, if not to condemn me?

A question remains in the air, unsung, unsaid, but heavy as the clouds of smoke settling on the field.

Surely you can’t still love me?

He shines, warm, light, brighter than the sun overhead. You hear the answer to your question in his next words even if he doesn’t say it and it hurts, hurts so much – you don’t deserve it, you don’t deserve any of the love he still holds for you –

Close your eyes, love, Haknyeon whispers. Close your eyes. I’ll take the pain away.

Panic rises in your chest. You can’t. You can’t close your eyes, can’t lose sight of him or the burning sun, penance for your crime, the last sight of your lover that you will take as your soul slips away – you can’t let this gift go, this last vision – it’s all you have left of him besides the tears and the grass ring wrapped around your finger –

Close your eyes, love. His smile trembles, but his palm remains steady against your cheek. Close your eyes, and I promise you will still see me.

You blink unsteadily against the black spots dotting his face and the sunlight. Truly?

Truly.

The sun dances between the spots in your vision. To close your eyes and lose sight of the sky and of him, or to keep them open and take the image of him, smiling to your grave?

But it hurts so much to keep them open. Burns. And he said he’d still be there even if you closed your eyes against the burn, against the sun…

Maybe you will still feel his warmth, even if you give in to the darkness.

Slowly, slowly, your eyes flutter shut. Black washes across your vision and you almost panic – you can’t see him, he said you’d see him but you can’t and now you don’t have the energy to open your eyes once more – but then warmth settles on your forehead and, oh –

It’s him. His lips, kissing your grimy, bloody skin. And you can still see him, see his smile as he comes closer to cup your cheek with his hand once more, his palm warmer than the sun ever was.

It’s okay, Haknyeon whispers, words ghosting across your skin. I’ll take the pain away. Remember our song?

It hurts so much to breathe a few words from your lips, but for him, you manage. Yes, I do.

Sing with me.

And somehow, you know that if he were granted a last request at the end of his life, it would have been this. For you to sing with him one more time.

Who are you to deny him the last wish he never had?

Your lips begin to move, ever so slightly.

Down in the valley, valley so low,

Late in the evening, hear the train blow.

The train, love, hear the train blow,

Late in the evening, hear the train blow.

His song buoys you on, lifting words from your throat even as the pain begins to blur, to fade, taking your voice with it.

Go build me a mansion, build it so high,

So I can see my true love go by.

See him go by, love, see him go by,

So I can see my true love go by.

You falter at the next verse, unshed tears choking your words, but he continues, fingers still stroking your cheek as his song filters through your ears, soft, sweet.

Go write me a letter, send it by mail,

Bake it and stamp it to the capital jail.

Capital jail, love, to the capital jail,

Bake it and stamp it to the capital jail.

Bitter grief wells in your throat, mixing with the blood. If you couldn’t sing the last verse, there’s no way you can do the fourth. You can’t. You don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve to sing the verse that you always sang together, soft under the sun in a meadow of flowers, holding each other close as you whispered the words into each other’s ears. You don’t deserve to say those words to him, I love you, because even when he loved you to the end, your love wasn’t enough to keep him alive.

Come, love. A hand takes yours, toys with the dried grass tied around your finger. Sing with me. Please.

I don’t deserve it.

Yes, you do. He kisses your forehead again, soft as a flower petal against your skin. You still love me, and I still love you. Nothing has changed.

But –

Nothing has changed, he murmurs. Nothing has changed.

Tears no longer spill from your eyes, but if you had the energy, you’d let them fall. Okay, you whisper. Okay.

Thank you.

You struggle to move your lips as the pain fades, disappearing into the touch of his skin against yours. But his voice stays strong, warm, golden as the sunlight still washing over your skin.

Roses are red, love, he sings. Violets are blue. Birds in the heavens know I love you.

A last trembling smile spreads small across your face, lyrics lingering on your lips.

Know I love you, oh, know I love you…

His arms wrap warm around your shoulders, warmer than sunlight, and the last words whisper soft into your ear as the world finally slips away.

Birds in the heavens know I love you.

If you enjoyed, please don’t forget to reblog and leave a comment to tell me what you thought! Thank you for reading and have a lovely day <3

(1 reblog = 1 well wish for the couple they deserve it)

#tbznetwork #destinyversenet #kpopscape #the boyz #tbz #haknyeon #ju hakneyon #juhaknyeon #the boyz haknyeon #the boyz juhaknyeon #the boyz scenarios #tbz scenarios #the boyz imagines #the boyz oneshots #the boyz haknyeon scenarios #the boyz x reader #tbz x reader #the boyz hakneyon x reader #haknyeon x reader #ju haknyeon x reader #angst #nobility!au #birds in the heavens #scriptura-delirus

[aaronmaurer]

TV I Liked in 2020

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

Was there ever a year more unpredictably tailor-made for peak TV than 2020? Lockdowns/quarantines/stay-at-home orders meant a lot more time at home and the occasion to check out new and old favorites. (I recognize that if you’re lucky enough to have kids or roommates or a S.O., your amount of actual downtime may have been wildly different). While the pandemic resulted in production delays and truncated seasons for many shows, the continued streaming-era trends of limited series and 8-13 episode seasons mean that a lot of great and satisfying storytelling still made its way to the screen. As always, I in no way lay any claims to “best-ness” or completeness – this is just a list of the shows that brought me the most joy and escapism in a tough year and therefore might be worth putting on your radar.

10 Favorites

10. The Right Stuff: Season 1 (Disney+)

As a space program enthusiast, even I had to wonder, does the world really need another retelling of NASA’s early days? Especially since Tom Wolfe’s book has already been adapted as the riveting and iconoclastic Philip Kaufman film of the same name? While some may disagree, I find that this Disney+ series does justify its existence by focusing more on the relationships of the astronauts and their personal lives than the technical science (which may be partially attributable to budget limitations?). The series is kind of like Mad Men but with NASA instead of advertising (and real people, of course), so if that sounds intriguing, I encourage you to give it a whirl.

9. Fargo: Season 4 (FX)

As a big fan of Noah Hawley’s Coen Brothers pastiche/crime anthology series, I was somewhat let down by this latest season. Drawing its influence primarily from the likes of gangster drama Miller’s Crossing – one of the Coens’ least comedic/idiosyncratic efforts – this season is more straightforward than its predecessors and includes a lot of characters and plot-threads that never quite cohere. That said, it is still amongst the year’s most ambitious television with another stacked cast, and the (more-or-less) standalone episode “East/West” is enough to make the season worthwhile.

8. The Last Dance (ESPN)

Ostensibly a 10-episode documentary about the 1990s Chicago Bulls’ sixth and final NBA Championship run, The Last Dance actually broadens that scope to survey the entire history of Michael Jordan and coach Phil Jackson’s careers with the team. Cleverly structured with twin narratives that chart that final season as well as an earlier timeframe, each episode also shifts the spotlight to a different person, which provides focus and variety throughout the series. And frankly, it’s also just an incredible ride to relive the Jordan era and bask in his immeasurable talent and charisma – while also getting a snapshot of his outsized ego and vices (though he had sign-off on everything, so it’s not exactly a warts-and-all telling).

7. The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

This miniseries adaptation of the Walter Tevis coming-of-age novel about a chess prodigy and her various addictions is compulsively watchable and avoids the bloat of many other streaming series (both in running time and number of episodes). The 1960s production design is stunning and the performances, including Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role, are convincing and compelling.

6. The Great: Season 1 (hulu)

Much like his screenplay for The Favourite, Tony McNamara’s series about Catherine the Great rewrites history with a thoroughly modern and irreverent sensibility (see also: Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette). Elle Fanning brings a winning charm and strength to the title role and Nicholas Hoult is riotously entertaining as her absurdly clueless and ribald husband, Emperor Peter III. Its 10-episodes occasionally tilt into repetitiveness, but when the ride is this fun, why complain? Huzzah!

  5. Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC)

A limited (but possibly anthology-to-be?) series from creator/writer/director/actor Jason Segal, Dispatches From Elsewhere is a beautiful and creative affirmation of life and celebration of humanity. The first 9 episodes form a fulfilling and complete arc, while the tenth branches into fourth wall-breaking meta territory, which may be a bridge too far for some (but is certainly ambitious if nothing else). Either way, it’s a movingly realized portrait of honesty, vulnerability and empathy, and I highly recommend visiting whenever it inevitably makes its way to Netflix, or elsewhere…

4. What We Do in the Shadows: Season 2 (FX)

The second season of WWDITS is more self-assured and expansive than the first, extending a premise I loved from its antecedent film – but was skeptical could be sustained – to new and reinvigorated (after)life. Each episode packs plenty of laughs, but for my money, there is no better encapsulation of the series’ potential and Matt Berry’s comic genius than “On The Run,” which guest-stars Mark Hamill and features Laszlo’s alter ego Jackie Daytona, regular human bartender.

3. Ted Lasso: Season 1 (AppleTV+)

Much more than your average fish-out-of-water comedy, Jason Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso is a brilliant tribute to humaneness, decency, emotional intelligence and good coaching – not just on the field. The fact that its backdrop is English Premier League Soccer is just gravy (even if that’s not necessarily represented 100% proficiently). A true surprise and gem of the year.

2. Mrs. America (hulu)

This FX miniseries explores the women’s liberation movement and fight for the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and its opposition by conservative women including Phyllis Schlafly. One of the most ingenious aspects of the series is centering each episode on a different character, which rotates the point of view and helps things from getting same-y. With a slate of directors including Ryan Bowden and Anna Fleck (Half-Nelson, Sugar, Captain Marvel) and an A-List cast including Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, Sarah Paulson, Margo Martindale, Tracey Ulman and Elizabeth Banks, its quality is right up there with anything on the big screen. And its message remains (sadly) relevant as ever in our current era.

1. The Good Place: Season 4 (NBC)

It was tempting to omit The Good Place this year or shunt it to a side category since only the final 4 episodes aired in 2020, but that would have been disingenuous. This show is one of my all-time favorites and it ended perfectly. The series finale is a representative mix of absurdist humor and tear-jerking emotion, built on themes of morality, self-improvement, community and humanity. (And this last run of eps also includes a pretty fantastic Timothy Olyphant/Justified quasi-crossover.) Now that the entire series is available to stream on Netflix (or purchase in a nice Blu-ray set), it’s a perfect time to revisit the Good Place, or check it out for the first time if you’ve never had the pleasure.

5 of the Best Things I Caught Up With

Anne With An E (Netflix/CBC)

Another example of classic literature I had no prior knowledge of (see also Little Women and Emma), this Netflix/CBC adaptation of Anne of Green Gables was strongly recommended by several friends so I finally gave it a shot. While this is apparently slightly more grown-up than the source material, it’s not overly grimdark or self-serious but rather humane and heartfelt, expanding the story’s scope to include Black and First Nations peoples in early 1800s Canada, among other identities and themes. It has sadly been canceled, but the three seasons that exist are heart-warming and life-affirming storytelling. Fingers crossed that someday we’ll be gifted with a follow-up movie or two to tie up some of the dangling threads.

Better Call Saul (AMC)

I liked Breaking Bad, but I didn’t have much interest in an extended “Breaking Bad Universe,” as much as I appreciate star Bob Odenkirk’s multitalents. Multiple recommendations and lockdown finally provided me the opportunity to catch up on this prequel series and I’m glad I did. Just as expertly plotted and acted as its predecessor, the series follows Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman on his own journey to disrepute but really makes it hard not to root for his redemption (even as you know that’s not where this story ends).

Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim)

It’s hard to really describe the deadpan and oddly soothing humor of comedian Joe Pera whose persona, in the series at least, combines something like the earnestness of Mr. Rogers with the calm enthusiasm of Bob Ross. Sharing his knowledge on the likes of how to get the best bite out of your breakfast combo, growing a bean arch and this amazing song “Baba O’Reilly” by the Who – have you heard it?!? – Pera provides arch comfort that remains solidly on the side of sincerity. The surprise special he released during lockdown, “Relaxing Old Footage with Joe Pera,” was a true gift in the middle of a strange and isolated year.

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

One of the few recent Star Wars properties that lives up to its potential, the adventures of Mando and Grogu is a real thrill-ride of a series with outstanding production values (you definitely want to check out the behind-the-scenes documentary series if you haven’t). I personally prefer the first season, appreciating its Western-influenced vibes and somewhat-more-siloed story. The back half of the second season veers a little too much into fan service and video game-y plotting IMHO but still has several excellent episodes on offer, especially the Timothy Olyphant-infused energy of premiere “The Marshall” and stunning cinematography of “The Jedi.” And, you know, Grogu.

The Tick (Amazon Prime)

I’ve been a fan of the Tick since the character’s Fox cartoon and indie comic book days and also loved the short-lived Patrick Warburton series from 2001. I was skeptical about this Amazon Prime reboot, especially upon seeing the pilot episode’s off-putting costumes. Finally gaining access to Prime this year, I decided to catch up and it gets quite good!, especially in Season 2. First, the costumes are upgraded; second, Peter Serafinowicz’s initially shaky characterization improves; and third, it begins to come into its own identity. The only real issue is yet another premature cancellation for the property, meaning Season 2’s tease of interdimensional alien Thrakkorzog will never be fulfilled. 😢

Bonus! 5 More Honorable Mentions:

City So Real (National Geographic)

The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)

How To with John Wilson: Season 1 (HBO)

Kidding: Season 2 (Showtime)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs The Reverend (Netflix)

#tv #television