#lets the series as a whole read a little bit clearer? idk i know that Jay does Claim to think that Alex was bullshitting him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

brittlebutch · 3 months

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Desperately trying to make sense of Alex's motivations in Season Two and you know, I do eventually have to wonder if maybe Alex wasn't actually lying in the majority of those tapes.

Like, we tend to assume that Alex's motivations have been a consistent throughline since the college years, but do we actually know that that's the case? Do we know for sure that Alex was acting in deliberate, calculated ways in 2006; or could it be that he's telling the Truth on those olds tapes when he says he's blacking out and can't remember what's happening to anyone? After all, if we're assuming that Season 2 Alex's motivations are the exact same as his motives in Season 3, then it doesn't make any sense at all that he spend months working with Jay to try to find Amy; Season 3 Alex would have attempted to kill Jay like, on sight just to get things over with as quickly as possible and contain the spread of contamination as best as he could.

But, maybe, if Alex really had been separated from Amy after the events of the 04-04-10 tape, and if he really doesn't know where she is, then maybe that could make things start to make more sense. Maybe he really had been watching Jay's channel, and seeing Jay start going through the same things he went through in college without things devolving into violence and disappearances, and wondered if things maybe could play out differently this time. Maybe he really did send that tape to Jay to ask him for help, maybe he really was just trying to find Amy.

But then, instead of actually being helpful, Jay makes it extremely clear that he's a lot more interested in stalking Alex than he is in finding Amy. Alex asked for help, and instead there's a bunch of masked dudes on Jay's heels that keep attacking him, Jay is breaking into his house, stealing his things, leading the Operator right to him all over again, keeps trying to get other people (namely: Jessica -- if Alex is being honest when he says that his call reassuring her that Amy had been found was an effort to make Sure she stayed away from everything that was happening) involved; and instead of anything getting better, instead of anyone finding Amy, things are just getting worse all over again.

It's not until after the incident at the tunnel that things seem to start rapidly devolving. Rather than a calculated attempt to finally follow through with his need to curb the spread of contamination, this is very clearly an outburst of rage and terror. Alex's "I told you not to follow me" line in conjunction with Jay speculating that Alex didn't know who that guy was, to me, pretty firmly seems to speak to Alex having mistaken that stranger for Jay. From his point of view, Alex knows that Jay and totheark know where he live, have broken in before, he suspects that Jay stole a key to make it easier to get into his house, and he's been followed on the daily for months -- Alex is sitting at the tunnel because he doesn't know where else he can go without being constantly surveilled, hunted, and assaulted. And instead of getting a moment by himself to breathe, Jay followed him out there all over again (it feels like Alex looks directly at the camera in Jay's footage of him from this day; he knew for a fact that Jay was there), and then to make matters worse now 'Jay' won't even keep his distance anymore.

So Alex lashes out. And it's not until afterwards that he looks down and finally recognizes that this wasn't Jay -- it was someone completely innocent. Things have finally reached the low point he was at in college all over again; maybe even worse this time. If Alex doesn't remember attacking anyone in college, but he was at least partially conscious of it this time, then things have reached an entirely new rock bottom, they've reached an absolute point of no return.

He has no idea what happened to Amy, and he's spent months trying to find her with no hint of where she could be; he doesn't know where Jay actually is or what additional trouble he could be causing at this point; he does know that now innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire (in regards to the stranger in the tunnel, and also Jessica now that Jay has her phone number, and the untold number of people Jay got involved when he started posting videos to the Marble Hornets channel); things are spiraling out of control and there's no one left to ask for help. The situation isn't getting better, it's getting worse; things aren't getting easier to handle, they're just getting more out of hand; the negative impact is spreading and who knows how much further it can still go?

So, Alex decides to go scorched earth. He disfigures the body with the rock either to hide evidence or to make sure the guy would actually stay dead and not just get back up to start his own cycle of contamination in a few years. He tries to give Jay one last chance to back off, and Jay instead admits he's been talking to Jessica, acts obstinate and lies about not having Alex's spare key, and then breaks into Alex's house a second time (minimum). If Alex doesn't stop him now, who will? Alex met with Jay planning to kill the others, and then himself, so he could put a stop to this once and for all and keep things from getting any worse than they already were.

Maybe it makes a lot more sense if, rather than being a strangely incomprehensible detour on what should have been a straight path, the events of Season Two were the breaking point that put Alex on that path to begin with.

#N posts stuff #idk!!! I've been thinking a lot lately about the tendency to take Characters at Face Value; when they tell us things we tend to #automatically believe them despite what evidence we might have to the contrary. & like when it comes to deciphering what #went down during the college film project it's mostly totheark that posits that Alex was Definitely Lying and Definitely Acting on Purpose #(even Jay is largely ambivalent - wondering which way it leans and basically saying it could go either way)#but. do we KNOW that they know that? Do we Know that they're Right when they claim that? Or are they just Assuming based off #of their own rage and animosity towards Alex due to what happened? Do we Know for Sure that Alex Was Lying in s1?#i don't know if we do!! And so without Knowing that for sure; how can we speak to Alex's motivations in season one OR season two?#now TO BE CLEAR: I am not saying this in an attempt to claim that Alex is somehow completely innocent of all guilt and that like.#Jay is the 'Real Antagonist' of the series - not at all my intention. this is just More of my usual 'look. Everyone in this series is #all kinds of Morally Grey; no recurring character in this series is free of guilt they ALL have unique fatal flaws & trends towards #antagonism that makes things worse and dooms them all' shtick - a la 'everyone Thinks they're doing the Right Thing but No One Is'#BUT i Am wondering if this Does help to like. clear up some of the ambiguity/uncertainty of Season Two - and even Season One - and #lets the series as a whole read a little bit clearer? idk i know that Jay does Claim to think that Alex was bullshitting him #the whole time & was Actually planning on tying up loose ends the whole time but AGAIN it doesn't make Sense he'd wait so long #idk - Am i making sense? does any of this track? i'm trying to figure it out; i am open to comments on the subject to help #i haven't rewatched season 3 yet today and so maybe there's stuff in there that contradicts this whole theory lmao but i'm taking a break #and just posting this anyway; we'll see what happens lol #marble hornets #mh lb

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chaininsilenthill · 1 year

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Aaaand that's it!! Man. What a game. What. A. Game.

I'm not the best with flowery words but I will tryyy to give my final thoughts lmao!!

Silent Hill (1999) is a fantastic game. Is it a bit dated with the graphics? Yeah. That and the occasionally hilariously bad voice acting bits are honestly just a staple for that time. I can look past it, because it still holds up. The sound and level designs give the feelings of loneliness, of isolation, of inescapable twisting nightmares where danger could be literally anywhere, there isn't a single point where you feel like you can actually take a breather imo. Even rooms that are safe don't feel safe, because they look rotten, or pieces of the floor are missing, or it's all rust and chainlink, and the ambient music/noise makes things feel urgent like the movie serial killer is stalking and closing in quick.

The story issss.....meeeeh? I wouldn't say it's bad, but it's not the best for someone like me who needs things to be obvious and upfront. I've relied pretty heavily on reading through Silent Hill wikis, so idk if the story elements are obvious to others (and if there's extra environmental storytelling or messages the player simply didn't show) because I already know the story and characters. I think if this were a blind watch I'd probably have to have read the wikis to get the full picture. So I'm not jabbing at the story itself because me needing things to be clearer isn't necessarily a failure on their part. I doooo however always find the use of "magic" in this setting a little silly and out of place. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's the whole calling it magic instead of demonic powers or something - they're not really all that different, but maybe it's the mindset of magic = whimsical or fantasy. Again not really a failing on the story's part, just personal taste lmao. And certainly not enough for me to not still enjoy the story it tells!

I'm pretty sure I've seen videos explaining how Silent Hill was a pathway to more horror games, much like how Amnesia: The Dark Descent set a new precedent. As long as you don't mind old as balls ps1 graphics for the humans, and the FMV cutscenes, (because let's be real the set designs work SOOOOOO fuckin good with those old graphics MWAH), please give this game a shot if you never have, or revist if you did. See what started this series. As I said in an earlier post, these games are all about the atmosphere and drawing you in the world. You're meant to feel how tortured Alessa is, and how desperate and alone Harry is for most of it. One day I'm gonna replicate the feeling that being in the Otherworld gives in a picture goddamnit

#chain watches sh #Final Thoughts #Final Thoughs on SH #Silent Hill #anyways like and subscribe lol ✌️#jk but yeah this is really fun!!!#silent hill 2 will be next >:3c #James Sunderland my stupid sopping wet man. i cannot wait to watch his personal hell unfold again

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makeste · 3 years

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BnHA 326: What’s up Kids, It’s Me, Your Old Pal Stain

Previously on BnHA: Ochako shamed the U.A. Clown Mob into letting Deku go back inside his own fucking school by giving them an hour-long speech about how not to be humongous dickheads. Kouta and Gigantic Fox Lady saved the manga by being the only ones brave enough to give Deku a hug. Shouto was all “man, all this togetherness sure does remind me of that promise you made that we would handle Touya together which you immediately bailed on, doesn’t it, Dad.” Aizawa was all, “for the one and a half people out there who thought that my losing an eye and a leg might actually make me less sexy, I’m very happy to prove you wrong.” All Might was all, “[standing outside the U.A. fortress alone in the rain talking to someone or something??].” Like seriously, what was up with that though.

Today on BnHA: All Might is all “here I am in Kamino having a belated mid-life crisis because Deku abandoned me and I’m a terrible mentor and everything sucks and I hate myself.” Stain is all, “don’t make me come over there and give you a ten page speech about why you’re still the goat while menacingly holding you at swordpoint the entire time” because idk if you knew this guys, but Stain is pretty crazy actually. Anyway so he does that, and then All Might gets all emotional, and then the lady from chapter 92 shows up and gives All Might’s statue an encouraging pep talk, and then Horikoshi is all “and it even stopped raining lol can you believe this shit I’m not even a little bit subtle,” and he really isn’t. But I still got emotional anyway, because seeing people reassure All Might that everything he’s struggled for his entire life hasn’t been in vain just got to me okay. Horikoshi knows I am weak to the All Might feels and he just goes for the jugular every time, that bastard.

lmao. “in the neverending downpour, All Might is...” yeah, thank you, glad we’re getting right to that then

“All Might is driving 95 mph in his busted ass car in the pouring rain, is what he’s doing.” huh

so basically a day or two after his adopted child refused to accept the handmade bento that he packed with love, my man is out here acting like he’s got nothing to live for anymore. this sure bodes well for certain prophecies on which the clock is still ominously ticking down

his fucking face though omg. is it weird that I’m kind of hoping more people ambush him just because I think it’d be funny to see them get their asses kicked like the last bunch

(ETA: or maybe he will just stand there openly not giving a fuck and basically daring them to stab him!! get it together please All Might.)

side note, “anti-hero supporters” is such a strange way of saying “people who hate heroes”, which I’m assuming is what they actually wanted to say?? this makes it sound like it’s a group that really loves antiheroes. “these Hannibal stans have been a real menace lately. time to go deal with them”

ha ha ha, fucking ouch

are you really gonna do it Horikoshi you bastard. are you really going to let that be the final encounter between the two characters whose relationship you once described as the vertical axis of the entire fucking story. are you really gonna?? huh??

huh

you’re telling me you were driving 112 mph and you still didn’t get there in time. you’re losing your touch old man. lol Todo’s ice is almost fully melted already, how late were you

(ETA: so apparently this is taking place after the end of chapter 325, meaning he went to U.A., hung out for a bit, saw the kids come back with his bedraggled half-dead protégé in tow, watched as they shamed the civilians into some long-overdue character development, and then was all “welp, time to go argue with the hero-hating faction or something because I’m feeling useless.” and Edge just let him go, just like that. though to be fair I have to imagine it’s pretty hard to say no to All Fucking Might.)

also belated lol at the fact that the kids were all “yeahhhhhhh we are definitely not gonna touch that thing, let’s just leave it here, he doesn’t need it anyway.” probably the right call to make since they couldn’t get a hazmat team on such short notice

fuck. ha ha ha fucking ouch part two

All Might please put that thing down before you get gangrene. also yeah, you dropped the ball, good for you to acknowledge it. nobody’s perfect and you did your best. but yeah you could have handled a lot of things completely differently. but I still love you

is Horikoshi really putting this flashback here. are you serious. what kind of fucking sadist

look, I swear I’m not one of those people that runs up and down the street shouting “DEATH FLAG!!” at every third panel lol. but this shit screamed Death Flag when we originally got it, and it’s screaming DEATH FLAG!!! even more now. like with the capital letters and exclamation marks and all. and that’s just a fact. I don’t like it but that’s how it is

ffkdjslk

“DID YOU READ THE SIGN??!” Horikoshi asks while zooming in maniacally because he thinks we’re blind or something. lol what

-- though actually, it only just occurred to me that this sign is actually written in English. I never really paid attention up until now and had been assuming it was written in Japanese and translated by the scanlators, but the writing here is clearly part of the original image. anyway so maybe that’s why he’s zooming in?? just to make sure everybody pays attention lol

okay fuck this

see, this is the whole problem right here. once again All Might is all on his own. Deku’s self-destructive angst spiral was fortunately brought to a grinding halt because he actually has support from his friends and family and teachers and classmates. but All Might never had that same kind of support, and it’s made all the difference between the two of them, and not in a good way. Katsuki wasn’t wrong when he said All Might and Deku were both cut from the same cloth. but now when it’s All Might’s turn to go all “I WALK A LONELY ROAD~~” once again, there’s nobody in sight

just, after forty plus years of him carrying this torch, I just wish someone would finally come along to let him know he doesn’t have to. all those things that he wanted to say to Deku are also things that he needs and deserves to hear himself. Aizawa was making a little progress there, but now he’s got his sad zombie cloud boyfriend situation to deal with, and we can’t expect him and his perfect hair to solve all our problems. someone else has gotta step up

oh my god

“you rang?” never mind I take it all back sob

omg why am I laughing. shit

this man truly has the best PR game in the series. we were truly convinced he was gonna suddenly become a good guy and defend All Might against the other villains or some nonsense. as if this wasn’t the same man who decided on a whim that Iida Tensei deserved to be paralyzed, and that his fifteen-year-old brother deserved to die for daring to be upset about it

lol even All Might is all “I genuinely never saw this coming” lmao

just want to say, for the record, I have always harbored a very sensible hatred toward Stain. feeling very vindicated right now. good job Past Me

adsfklwkfsdwgkj

ffffwefjslkg. ghsdlkg. dsfkkkslkjldwkjrg

STAIN: heard you talking shit old man

ME: smh that’s what I thought you’d say you dumb fucking Stain

STAIN: how dare you talk about All Might that way

ME: gljfljgk

(ETA: in hindsight I have no idea how I didn’t clue in sooner that he didn’t recognize him -- or, well, ~didn’t recognize~ him, to be more accurate lol. I think it was the whole “is that a slight against the heroes?” thing that threw me. Viz’s translation makes it much clearer that he’s offended on behalf of All Might specifically, not heroes in general. anyways.)

sob. so All Might is all “yeah I don’t blame you for not recognizing me in this sweet leather jacket”

good thing he still knows how to do this party trick

A+ reflexes on Stain’s part presumably pulling the sword back a few inches to keep this dumbass from impaling himself with his whole pufferfish routine. can you imagine if that was the gruesome death Nighteye foresaw. and he was just too embarrassed to say anything

lol anyways guess I was wrong about Stain everyone

way to fucking go, Past Me. you really biffed this one

oh wait

Stain sure is one wacky rollercoaster ride

oh fuck me lol I forgot how much I did not miss this

(ETA: “this here is the sacred ground where All Might gave up the last of his power and turned into a shriveled old man!! please ignore the part where I admit to knowing all about that, and yet pretend not to recognize said man when he’s standing two feet in front of me.”)

Past Me, I know we’ve had our ups and downs these past ninety seconds, but I’m really starting to think you were on to something. this dude has always been kind of insufferable. always acting like his high horse is a fucking giraffe when it’s actually a Shetland pony

dammit now he’s got All Might going off on a depressed monologue

oh my god my heart

shit

why the fuck does that hit so hard. he became a hero because he couldn’t bear to just sit back and let bad things happen to people who didn’t deserve it. I mean that’s basically the same as every hero ever, right? so why does it still hit so fucking hard every single time though. what is it about seeing someone so determined to stand up for other people and fight on their behalf. it just never loses its impact no matter how many times I see that determination mirrored in so many of my favorite characters

“I wanted to make the world a better place.” omg. but you did, though. like seriously, I feel like people are always dogging on him for not being 100% perfect, and fandom really doesn’t give him enough credit for everything he still managed to accomplish. this man came of age at a time when Japan was by all accounts a total shitshow, and singlehandedly managed to bring about an era of peace that lasted for four fucking decades. can you imagine having peace for that long?? that’s longer than I’ve been alive. shit

and he gave people hope. he inspired them and protected them and made them feel safe. and no, he couldn’t save everyone, because he’s only one fucking dude (and also because the whole time AFO was also out there desperately working to undermine him so that he could keep preaching his narrative of “heroes are bad actually”). but you know what he did do, is inspire multiple new generations of heroes who, if they can all manage to work together, will finally be able to accomplish everything he never could

so yeah. forty years of peace, and inspired the “that’s how we all became the greatest heroes” generation -- that’s a fucking win in my book. talk about having a net positive impact on the world. lol anyways now I’m all fired up and ready to fight anyone who tries to talk any shit about you, All Might

“but what if I talk shit about myself” okay listen up All Might I’m gonna need you to try just a little bit harder to work with me here okay. please calm down and stop blaming yourself for every single bad thing that’s ever happened in the world. do you remember that time Bakugou was blaming himself for Kamino, and you gave him a hug and told him it wasn’t his fault, and that he was only a boy, and that even though he was strong, even strong people can struggle with the burdens they place on themselves, and that you were sorry for not seeing that earlier? do you remember all of that? that’s what I want someone to tell you too, dammit. anyway please stop breaking my heart please and thanks

wtf

are you dead All Might

I don’t even have the slightest idea what’s happening lol

oh snap did he grab him so they could hide??

hold the fucking phone. don’t tell me this person in the background with the umbrella is here to actually do something decent??

oh my godddd

and here come the feels. oh boy. okay don’t mind me, I’m just gonna sit here sobbing over this fictional lady and her simple act of kindness in this weekly shounen manga that I care about way too much

FUCKING DAMMIT AND HERE’S A SECOND HELPING

DON’T MIND ME, I’M JUST GETTING DISPROPORTIONATELY EMOTIONAL OVER THIS WOMAN’S DETERMINATION TO HONOR A MAN WHO SACRIFICED EVERYTHING TO SAVE HER AND COUNTLESS OTHERS. I’M JUST HAVING SOME FEELS OVER HERE ABOUT HER HEARTFELT, DOESN’T-EVEN-KNOW-ANYONE-ELSE-IS-WATCHING FEELINGS OF GRATITUDE THAT COMPELLED HER TO COME OUT HERE AND MAKE THIS SMALL BUT POWERFUL GESTURE. I’M JUST OUT HERE GETTING ALL PROFOUNDLY WORKED UP ABOUT STATUE MAINTENANCE AND THE HUMAN RACE. NEVER MIND. JUST IGNORE ME AND CARRY ON

holy shit. I was not even remotely prepared. you can’t just do that to me. you can’t just leave all these death flags on my lawn and then suddenly shift gears to show me the best of humanity in a chapter where I was expecting the worst. that fucks a person up lol

OH ARE WE STILL GOING

my heart. you see that, All Might. your legacy is so much more powerful and meaningful than you think

...has. has Stain actually been giving All Might a pep talk this entire time

I give up lol. this dude is a fucking enigma

YAYYY

it may just be a metaphor panel, but I’ll take it lol. I missed them. nice to see the traffic light trio front and off-center. I know the whole “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes” thing had left some questioning whether certain characters would continue to play a central role in the narrative, and hopefully this will help to ease those concerns just a bit

anyway, so idk if it’s getting a bit chilly down there in hell, but damned if Stain didn’t just give an actual decent fucking speech

I have to say, earlier when I was whining about All Might not having a support squad, I really was not expecting Stain to be the one to come over and pat his head and reassure him that he made the world a better place

-- okay LISTEN

YOU CAN’T JUST COME INTO MY HOUSE AND HIT ME WITH THOSE ALL MIGHT TEARS AGAIN GODDAMMIT THIS ISN’T FAIR. my god. first 317 and now this

holy fucking shit

“I’m just gonna pretend like I haven’t been stalking him for two days and didn’t see the entire Deku bentogate thing go down, and then I’ll give him the whole big speech that I rehearsed, and then I’ll turn around and be all ‘BUT IF YOU’RE A TRUE HERO’, and then I’ll toss him the super-secret AFO wifi password that I stole from Tartarus. god I’m such a badass. fucking give myself chills”

so basically what you’re telling me is that this whole time my “what’s up kids” characterization of Stain from this shitpost has actually been 100% accurate. just want to make sure I’m understanding this right. okay then

“and then I’ll dramatically spin around and be all NOW COME KILL ME BITCH”

it must be so much fun to write Stain. drawing this coked-out maniac who talks like a chatbot that was trained to speak by reading Alan Moore monologues. that must be a trip

anyway so All Might is still crying, the awesome lady from chapter 92 is admiring her handiwork totally oblivious to the batshit insanity going on fifty meters to her right, and it’s finally stopped raining lol

“THE RAIN WAS A METAPHOR YOU SEE” yes, yes, we got it lol. thanks for that Horikoshi. don’t think we needed any help putting the pieces together on that one but I appreciate the effort

so that’s the end! and as I mentioned in another post, I had the count off by one chapter, but next week should be cliffhanger week! so break out your U.A. Traitor bingo cards, friends and fiends. either that or something else happens that I’m completely not expecting at all. which, based on my success rate with Stain predictions, I’d say is more than likely lol

mmm but anyway, so now that the Hug Deku 2021 campaign has finally come to an end, what’s it gonna take to get a hug for my struggling bento-preparing jacket-rocking world-weary death-flag-waving husband who is the worthiest man to ever live and deserves the fucking world, goddammit

#bnha 326 #all might #yagi toshinori #stain (bnha)#bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha

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dodgergilmore · 4 years

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3: after Jess came back/their argument at the Pub because Rory went back to her mom and basically 'rejects' the whole preppy rich lifestyle after getting her drive back. I think it would've been interesting for Rory to maybe stay single for the rest of the season and work on herself more (and get some actual serious therapy), it would've also been an interesting contrast to her mother finding herself in a very serious relationship that is also riddled with some serious

4: questions and conflicts (though I know that all of this goes against Amy's plan for Rory and her mom, but still. I just wish there was a more original positive ending/development to Rory as a character). Rambling aside, this makes me wonder. If you could change anything in the OG series/revival for the general plot/characters, what would you change?

Definitely agree there should’ve been more single Rory! That’s a good point, too, that after Rory goes back to Yale the story really just marches right on without really unpacking the events of 6x01-6x08. It doesn’t help that the April plot comes immediately after, so there’s not room for the Rory/Lorelai story to breathe because we’re right into the next conflict. Again, what a shame!!

I find season 7 to be a real slog to get through where it feels like those moments where you’re reading and you suddenly realise that you didn’t internalise a single word you just read, but they stick the landing with 7x22 especially with where Rory is concerned!

It’s easier for me to think about what I would change about the revival, maybe because there’s significantly less material to pull from? I always love hearing what other people would change about the series/revival, though!

With the revival.......the way for me to change as little as possible is just if the character motivations were better fleshed out or, in some cases, given at all.

I like the idea of Rory’s conflict centering around her professional life and even shifting course (similar to how it was Harvard until it was Yale) but let’s begin the episodes with more success for Rory! Let’s see the exact moment where journalism stops clicking for Rory – it doesn’t even need to be this big dramatic moment, it can be as simple as it no longer feeling fulfilling and I think there’s plenty of material there for conflict given that this was always the plan so what happens when that’s no longer the plan?

Let’s just scrap Paul altogether. Please. Please. Luke’s wifi passwords may have been the only running gag I liked?

I know people hate it but I can see how the Rory/Logan mess could fit in as a way of clinging to the past and escapism, which was how I interpreted it in the revival anyway but I need clearer character motivations!! The relationship is given so much real estate in the revival but we still know so little about what’s going on there? Instead of dropping the audience right in the middle of the affair, let’s see the actual moment they see each other for the first time after however long and see the struggle of the situation there, like addressing the whole ‘he proposed’ elephant in the room.......idk I have zero emotional investment there so I’m not too interested in delving into what that story would look like, but, importantly: let there be consequences! Again, it doesn’t even need to be this big dramatic thing but some disapproval from Lorelai’s end, even if it’s just in conversations with Luke, and some guilt on Rory and Logan’s end would be appreciated! I can actually see a path for Logan regressing in the time since Rory rejects his proposal, but I do feel for his fans here. If we see those beginning moments of the whole affair, though, we could get an explanation for how he ended up here.

More Jess, obviously! The stuff we got was good but I would especially loooooove to see some Lorelai and Jess hijinks. I can’t cook up something worthy but I want it to be an actual plot line and just be something light-hearted so we can explore that dynamic further!

Give Lane something to DO!!!!!!!! I’ve seen people mention maybe she runs the music shop in Stars Hollow or gives lessons, which I can absolutely vibe with! But I would also love some Lane/Rory/Paris fun-times! I don’t know what this would look like or where it would be but this revival needed more friendship moments.

Luke and Lorelai have moments of poor miscommunication in the original series, yes, but nine years later and they haven’t actually discussed kids? They’re only now getting married? Not to sound like a broken record but I need better character motivations here!! The kids stuff gets completely dropped after, I believe, the second episode? anyway so I wouldn’t even include that stuff – let’s get Paris involved with the plot in other ways, even though I liked all that we got of her. I think Richard’s death could’ve been used as a turning point for Lorelai – same with Rory, actually – with regard to getting married.

With the LL wedding, I totally buy that they would do a quiet little secret wedding before the big event and it was a sweet moment, but knowing that it only happened this way because of budget reasons is kind of annoying! I would think that this wedding would be, like, top priority because it’s The Ship of the whole show and also because it’s a natural way to bring all of these characters we’ve come to know into the same space: Emily, Jess, April, Sookie, the townies, etc. they all should have been there!

Also, because I am me...........Rory and Jess would share a dance at the wedding and there would be a callback to how he owes her a whole prom. Pepper in a little romantic tension from both sides, y’know?? Just a peppering, though, because I am shooting for a slow burn here and I actually like the foundation the revival sets up with them and her book writing.

The pregnancy................sigh. My feelings on this are very complicated and I am still unpacking them tbh! My biggest issue with it is that this show has a weird history when it comes to pregnancy/sex that it feels kind of......icky. Given how much the show focuses on parent-child relationships, I think there is potential there for a what would Rory as a mother look like? story. How does that change the dynamic between her and Lorelai and Emily? It would be very different from Lorelai’s experience because Rory is an adult and has a huge support system. The lack of build-up to this in the revival, though, is so questionable. Like, we see Rory with both Paris’ and Lane’s kids and they don’t really do anything with that???? I’ve decided that I don’t like it as an ending, but I can see how it could work as the beginning of a story if that makes sense? As an ending, it’s just this big, ‘gotcha!’ plot twist that we don’t know how we’re supposed to respond to, and Lorelai looks horrified! Again, it feels icky. As a beginning, though, it opens up stories to explore and I think it would allow for Rory to let go of some romantic dependencies and invest herself in a non-romantic relationship – even moreso in the actual revival, obviously, but girlfriend needs to be single for a bit, phew!

Emily is actually my favourite character so I come out of the revival feeling very validated lmao BUT I am scrapping that “Berta has an indistinguishable accent, isn’t that hilarious???” mess! I am scrapping it right out of my redux!!!

I really liked the Michel stuff! All of that stays!

#ask #i am not a writer at all #i take so long to respond to questions but i just want to be as comprehensive in my answers as possible lol #hope this along the lines of what you were looking for!#Anonymous

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mobu-time · 5 years

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Read the tag and out of curiosity, how would you pacing the broccoli arc for season 3?

lmao I'm sorry you probably weren’t asking me to go so hard on this but uhhh this is my favorite arc and I've got some opinions

Here’s how I’d love the arc to be paced

Episode 1: Youkai Hunting

-Chapter 93

-probably include and end with the Has It Begun? My Era? panels from Chapter 92

Episode 2: Future Prospects + Carried Away

-opening from chp 94 (the youkai getting pulled into the broccoli)

-Chapter 92

--skip right over has it begun bc it was in ep1 and go straight into next scene

-Chapter 94

-end with dimple leaving after the “eat shit, dimple” smackdown I guess

Episode 3: The Psycho Helmet Cult Part 1(things start to get weird)

-Chapter 95

-if they wanted to, this would be the episode to add in a new scene with Tsubomi or remind the audience that takenaka was a character at one point

--basically as just a bit of prep for the other two arcs

-either ends where vol13 ends (teru setting out for the broccoli) or ends where the teru fight cuts off (just after dimple reveal)

--I think ending with the dimple reveal is the way to go, plus this way there’s a fight scene in this episode and not two in the next one

Episode 4: The Psycho Helmet Cult Part 2 (things go wrong fast)

-Chapter 96 and 5-6 parts of Chapter 97

-The quest to destroy the broccoli

-The teru v mob fight

-probably end just before or after dimple actually shows up

Episode 5: Dimple and Mob

-The rest of it

--@bones pls do go ham with the dimple v psycho helmet fight

Here’s how the episodes fit into your mp100 season patterns, which are Very Correct btw

I big agree with you about having the youkai hunting as the first episode. It’s a super solid way to start the season. It’s also especially funny bc this chapter starts with a parody of the show’s usual introduction to psychics, replacing “psychics” with “youkai hunters”. It’s a good piece of mob growth+slice of life, at some point Amakusa wonders if the broccoli is attracting spirits that want to use its life energy or whatever (foreshadowing), plus inukawa (who plays a bigger role later in the season) is in it.

For the second episodes, I would def say it’s just fun stuff for most of the ep, but I think another thing the second episodes do is that they end with something that sets up the third episode and is usually the start of a big chain of events. S1: join BIC, S2: reigen puts up the website, S3: dimple leaves

Future Prospects is important to include here bc it’s an easy way to reintroduce mezato and the psycho helmet cult plot. It’s also some of Serizawa’s only screen time this arc and we can’t let it go to waste.

Ep3 is still mostly a mob character study, bc a lot of the chapter is mob dealing with being (or suddenly not being) recognized as the psycho helmet cult leader + reacting to the spread of the cult’s influence in general.

Ep4 is the beginning of mob’s concrete The Broccoli Must Be Removed quest, which continues into Ep5

Ep5 -Dimple was a friend r.i.p.

Side Note: I desperately want the omake adventures of Hoshino and Asahi to be referenced in some way. Maybe when the shiratori brothers show up they can have a “what are the other awakening kids up to rn?” 10 second bit.

And now here’s the reason WHY I organized things the way I did, but it’s under a read more bc this post is already too long

So full disclosure: the reason I paced the broccoli arc the way I did is entirely bc it’s my favorite arc and I want them to take their time with it. It’s also an arc that requires a LOT of setup before getting to the payoff, so I’d like the arc to be more like 4-ish episodes instead of the 3-ish episodes you predicted. This isn’t an arc you can just kind of start. Part of why the separation arc worked as well as it did was because they were subtly setting it up all season with little comments here and there between reigen and mob. It wasn’t something that just happened one day. They had to lay the groundwork and build off of it, and this arc isn’t much different.

Another thing is that the vibe of this arc is one that will take some effort to establish. The slow, creeping influence of the psycho helmet cult is unsettling, and then suddenly getting caught up in the effects of the widespread brainwashing is even worse, but in order for those feelings to really come across we have to spend time with them. Slowly realizing that something is very wrong and then being horrified by it is something that, unsurprisingly, has to develop slowly. And by ‘slowly’ I mean spreading it across two episodes (3-4) instead of shoving it all into one.

This arc, more so than most of the others, is driven by a complicated combination of emotions that can very easily be misunderstood if they aren’t displayed fully. I know this because when I was reading this arc for the first time I read through it too quickly, and had to start over because I didn’t pay enough attention to what was going on and confused myself. One of the only weaknesses, imo, that the anime has is that they have to cut stuff out. This is usually fine, but sometimes it can have a significant impact on the audience’s understanding of a character. It’s something that happened with ritsu’s arc. It wasn’t really That much different in the anime, but a few lines were cut here and a few shots were skipped there and the result is that ritsu’s fall is a bit harder to actually understand. At least for me, somehow the manga only has a few more lines and yet it makes ritsu’s character and his whole character Arc much clearer.

I feel like something similar happened in the anime with dimple. There isn’t much aside from a few cut omakes and punching Suzuki in the face that’s significantly different, but a decent amount of time his lines get cut or altered a tiny bit over the course of the series and ultimately the result is that manga dimple is a slightly different, and slightly fuller, character than anime dimple. Idk fam I just watch people’s reactions and I worry that the fact that dimple actually has feelings that can potentially be hurt isn’t something the anime-onlies are prepped for.

If the anime doesn’t take its time in this arc, and decides to cut some things here and there the way it has in the past, it runs the risk of 1. Being all around harder to follow, 2. Feeling out of character, and 3. Not hitting nearly as hard. Feeling out of character is the riskiest part of all this because mob and dimple ARE acting out of character. That’s the point! They both get carried away and they fight and they do and say things they shouldn’t and usually wouldn’t do, but if it isn’t clear that that’s what’s happening then their behavior can feel confusing or even disappointing.

One more thing. I love mob psycho fight scenes. I really do think they’re some of the best I’ve seen, and there are a lot of fights in this arc I can’t wait to see animated. It can kinda become a problem though if emotional content screen time is sacrificed for action content screen time. Not to beat a dead horse (or cat in this case), but, uh, *cough* mogami. I’d rather they go ham with the animation in the confession arc and spend more time in this one on the other stuff.

There’s just a fuck ton of shit that happens in this arc and fitting it all in before episode 6 without rushing anything is gonna be a process. It’s possible, but it’s really gonna take some planning.

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 manga spoilers #mp100 #broccoli arc

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tayegi · 7 years

Note

Hii u lovely creature. First i just wanted to say i love ur work, this last chapter was...quite shocking since well how Jk was talking and reacting towards the OC. Im really not good with theories really and specially if i gotta write them down in english but i was thinking since u said this would have 3 parts that maybe...just maybe was like one part of each of the characters? Like one were we view in detail the feelings of the OC, then JK and the Jimin? Maybe? Idk sorry. Anyway love ur work :)

Anonymous said:Thank you for being able to find the time to write equilibrium, and thank you for being able to find the time to update it as well- and come on tumblr at all tbh. I know it must not seem like it but most of us really really appreciate it. Please don’t feel rushed to update and take as much time as you need. Thank you again for your work.

Anonymous said:hey! thank you SO much for continuing equilibrium. I’m really enjoying the plot and character development. its very interesting and you do a rly good job at weaving all the layers of meaning together. you’re one of my favorite writers 💗 hope ur having a great day!

Anonymous said:(3) I wonder what is it that jimin saw on jungkook as well, I don’t think that just good looks and the fact that he is good at a lot of things are enough to fall in love or accept being in that kind of relationship ¿ or maybe yes or I’m missing something. Anyways I absolutely adore this fic!! I love your detailed descriptions and how you put important little things and hints and how you think of every single word!! Really thank you for sharing it with us! You have created a huge masterpiece.

Anonymous said:(2)The days when jimin went away must have been the best days of his life, and I wonder now with Jungkook away how the dynamics between jimin and the oc would be, especially her. It would be really wow and not wow at the same time if she turned like kook. I doubt because she knows she doesn’t have a “connection” with jimin, and is more than aware that he wants jungkook. But maybe things will change like they did with him.

minsuguk said:(1) It surprises me how the oc feels about jimin, accepting jungkook’s possesiveness and mad terms in order to keep him in that crazy relationship which is the only way she can have a just little bit of jimin. But again, I’m not surprised because it’s kind of what Jungkook felt ¿ I mean he saw something in her, and she saw something in jimin. And jungkook was aware of her and jimins feelings and he proposed being together in order to be with her as well.

Anonymous said:I want to feel bad for all of them, but I feel bad for none of them. That’s a lie I feel slightly bad for o/c but shes doing it to herself because she wants to keep this tiny connection to Jimin and that’s the start of her problem! All in all this is gonna end badly. I knew that necklace was gonna come back and bit her in the ass.

Anonymous said:(part 2) You know how Jungkook is all fucking crazy in denial about having a connection with her could she be in the same denial except (but not crazy) I mean Jimin had to have noticed the reader was always with him in the beginning now they don’t even touch each other its all so fucked up because you cant feel bad for anyone at this point (I am scared for the reader though because how far will jungkook go if she let jimin touch her)

Anonymous said:Jimin CAN’T be oblivious to this whole situation if he was able to hear his name being called when Jungkook was fingering the mc he had to have heard something else. Could he be ignoring this situation to make sure he is able to stay with jk the same way jk and mc are using each other for the same thing? bc if it was obvious that jimin was in love with jk before anything happened did he have to “get through” 1 on 1 with the mc like she did with jungkook (part 1)

Anonymous said:oh dude the relationship in equilibrium is on the verge of becoming a huge trainwreck but i can’t stop reading it cos i want to see how big of a trainwreck it will become. can’t wait til we get to the point where the relationship just swerves off the track and just goes kablooey! rip.

Anonymous said:oh my gosh I absolutely adored reading the new chapter of equilibrium! I’m so amazed that you find the time out of your busy day to write so much! thank you so so much for the new chapter. i’m really curious to see how this story line will progress, and I do wonder what will happen with jimin and y/n over that weekend… hmm anyways thank you again!! this is my first time writing to you aha I’m so nervous and also !! I love you please take care of yourself

Anonymous said:I HATE YOU SM I’m kidding I love you lu 💕💕 I can already feel the angst approaching aghhssh I’m going to die

Anonymous said:The new update has me a bit fearful of jungkook. He seems to be a little bit to possessive-at least to me anyways. I wonder if jimin has noticed the change in jungkook as well? When he said that the oc was the only one who understood him it reminded me of the conversation they had in ch4 about his family not approving of his major. When i read that scene the first time, i kinda got the sense that that was why jungkook liked the oc.

Anonymous said:Shook again from Equilibrium updates @.@ Thanks as always!!

Anonymous said:omggggggg equilibriummmm the tension just keeps building and building up I AM SO READY FOR THE SHIT TO HIT THE FAN

Anonymous said:It’s really interesting because there are elements that show a legitimate fear the OC has when it comes to Jungkook. I can’t wait to see more (well I can obv and I will NO PRESSURE FJDKSKSKS but you know what I mean~). Also thank you for updating so often like. I have barely any work & a shit ton of free time and I still just can’t write so you’re??? Like how??? Thank u sm. 💕

Anonymous said:First of all - thank you for updating. You could throw a sentence of Equilibrium in my way once a year and I’d still cry of happiness. And second - I love this story so much you don’t even know. Their relationship has taken such a sharp turn suddenly and Jungkook’s motives are clearer and clearer while the MC still seems to be sort of oblivious? Ah I have so many speculations but there’s not enough characters in asks haha. Anyways it was amazing once again, thank you!

yaja-time said:Equilibrium is too my favorite writings of your.. probably one of my favorites out of all the fics I’ve ever read. But I love it so much I would wait 10 years for you to update. Shit I’d even be happy if you updated with only using 10 words. I understand you have a life and I for one am very grateful for your writings, because they are amazing. So thank you for writing.

Anonymous said:Poor Equilibrium OC :( Sadly this scenario hits close to home with her and Jungkook. But good job as always Lu! I appreciate the work you do, have me on the edge of my seat!

bluefullmetaltitan said:Lol. I’ve been waiting for you to say that!! Yayayay! I support you 100% cause like, it shouldn’t matter how long it takes. I’m in love with all of your writings!! Thank you!!

Anonymous said:bruh, equilibrium tho. i loves it like i loves you. but for real, its amazing and incredible reading smaller details from earlier chapters come back into play and seeing how everything slowly links together (how you have the willpower to write so much is incredible)

Anonymous said:I loved equilibrium babe it's so good keep up the amazing writing I loved the last chapter it's a very good storyline 👍🏼👍🏼 and please In the equilibrium let her end Up with jimin and more jimin smut please 😂😂 seriously loved it 💋💋

Anonymous said:When I first started reading equilibrium I thought it was about the three of them learning how to function in a polyamorous relationship. But in the first 4 chapters, you revealed the MC's feelings towards Jimin, & then showcased Jungkook and MC alone. Then, when Jungkook got possessive, & you wrote Jimin's and MC's back story, I was like, "she's not seriously trying to romanticize this relationship, is she?" BUT YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE SHOWCASING LEGIT PROBLEMS IN A REALISTIC STORY. I AM HERE FOR IT

Anonymous said:Im living for Equilibrium rn🔥🔥🔥🔥, your such a good writer. Loving all your works 💖💖

Anonymous said:why do I feel like jungkook semi poisoned jimin so he couldn't go 😫equilibrium is so good rlly got me questioning everything lol

Anonymous said:Hello tayegi, i just want to say, you're the first writer I read in this bts fandom and im so thankful for that. And im so pumped for equilibrium jajajajajaAaaaa 🙏

Anonymous said:I have to be honest I was all for jungkooks protectiveness in early chapters cause I thought it was hella cute but after reading equilibrium chp 11... Im not too sure anymore. Like he actually made me kinda scared and trapped especially during the end (guess that's how good you're writing is). On a positive note, loving this series and I hope all three characters get backlashes for this messed up relationship lmao

Anonymous said:I don't get how anyone can complain about ch11 being "only 3k" like there was so much that happened in that chapter it didn't even feel like it was "short." I'm even amazed you can write such great quality stories despite being a phd student (do these children know what that is???) AND it's like midterm season rn like the quality doesn't drop despite this. And honestly I feel like these chapters have been getting updated pretty frequently these days I feel really spoiled haha

Anonymous said:EQUILIBRIUM IS SOME OF THE BEST WORK I'VE EVER SEEN ON HERE!!! LIKE I WAS AT SCHOOL TODAY AND I READ EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER AND I WAS SO OVERCOME BY WHAT WAS HAPPENING. AND WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT JUNGKOOK WANTED THE READER TO HIMSELF I GOT SO SHOOK!!!! LIKE I KINDA KNEW SOMEHOW THAT HE WANTED HER ALL TO HIMSELF. HE JUST WASN'T GONNA LET JIMIN HAVE HER ANYMORE HUH? BUT I'M SO EXCITED FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!! *sorry for yelling i was too excited for this series ily~*

Anonymous said:Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?! There was an Equilibrium update?! *runs to open tab so that it's the first thing I see after class* Bruh, I can't wait to dive in. Thanks for being a thug about all of those comments. Best part about creating works of art/expressing creativity is that you get to make people think, invite them to have an opinion and start conversations. If anything, Equilibrium provokes its readers to have a clear opinion. That's a success in my book. ;) Fighting always! - Happy Reader

yonggukssmolgf said:I love you. I love your blog. I love your writing. I love the equilibrium series. And I just love how you just take your time to update. Like you do things at you own pace and I like that about you. I followed you because you're an amazing person, you love your followers, and you never disappoint with your fics. Thanks for existing and I hope I made your day a little bit happier!🐼😙😀

Anonymous said:Excuse me young lady... yeah I'm talking to you Lu...Yupp.... you're being mad disrespectful, how dare ruin my nights peaceful sleep but updating equilibrium like that... do you not want me to graduate... it's senior year and I'm head deep into my writing... yeah thanks a lot for ruining my life... JK I LOVE YOU 💕

Anonymous said:I just read chapter 11 of Equilibrium and it made me want to CRY! I love the story so far and it's written amazingly well but it's tOYING WITH MY EMOTIONS! I'm super excited for the updates 💙💙💙💙

seokjinniemin said:oml I just finished chapter 11 of Equilibrium and boy howdy am I SHOOK. Equilibrium is by far one of my favorite fanfic series I've ever read! You're such an amazing writer, they way you convey the stress and anxiety of the oc is just phenomenal. And the small details you put into it like damn! I'm so anxious about this and how it's going to progress, especially with the oc and Jimin being alone. I feel like shit is going to hit the fan real soon o_o

Anonymous said:oh my god that new chapter of Equilibrium actually murdered me LMAO. i absolutely LOVE how every detail counts; like all the little small things that readers wouldn't think matter end up mattering the most. i love this series so much and ily Lu!!

Anonymous said:wtffff please ignore that anon i think you've been updating so quickly!! and i love the story sooo much it's so great no matter how lengthy it is. the content is what matters quality >>> quantity i really love it and know you work hard and appreciate it ❤❤

Anonymous said:Sometimes I think people are just plain dumb. Like, wtf, i am happy that you updated such an amazing story! You do not have the obligation to provide anything for us, you do it because you like it. People should be more grateful and learn to respect. Thank you for de update, you are straight up amazing

aichan11 said:I just read Equilibrium 11, it's so good! I sent you a message before, sorry if it was out of line. Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your writing :) of course I have my own wishes/hopes about how the 3 people in Equilibrium would turn out but I don't want to risk influencing your writing. I can't wait for the whole balance to just tip over and see what happens. Is that too evil of me? Hahaha

Anonymous said:The new chapter was intense! I wonder what Jeon is hiding.. I feel bad for both Jimin and OC. Poor jiminie doesn't know what that kid is doing, and OC is stuck cos of jjk. I love your work Lu, stay classy ❤️❤️

Anonymous said:ahhhhh!!! another amazing chapter babe!!! Love the dynamic,screwed up characters

#sugarmartu #lu answers #equilibrium #beautiful ppl

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thatswhywemusyc · 7 years

Text

A CONVERSATION WITH: Upright Man

Nestled deep within the hustle and bustle of New York City lies Upright Man, a rock group made up of guitarist Aidan Dolan, bassist Nick Katz, and drummer Max Yassky.

The band combine elements of alternative, psychedelic and classic rock with complex harmonies and non-traditional time signatures to create a sound that is both eerily comforting and pleasantly interesting.

Their debut album, Upright Man, is out now, and they're just off a run of shows opening up for Robert Randolph and the Family Band. You could say they've been pretty busy.

In this interview, we chatted about the band’s new album, what their idea of "chemistry" really boils down to, and meeting someone inside a music festival port-a-potty.

Angie Flores: Hello! Congrats on the new album release. That’s exciting stuff.

Max: Thanks.

Aidan: Thanks! It feel’s good to have it released

Nick: OHHHHH YEAAAHHHHH

Angie: So, let’s talk about your album/single covers. The artwork for “Animals,” “Three Easy Pieces,” and “Checked Out” all look like pictures from some trippy, far-off world. I love that they all go together well. What was the inspiration for the album’s cover art and how does it tie into the cover art for the singles?

Max: The artwork was done by a friend of ours named Andrew Vickery. I believe the album art and single artwork is the same. The whole vista really comes together when you see the back and inside of the album, which you’ll have to get your hands on a physical copy to do. It’s worth it.

Aidan: Thanks for the great question! I think there are a lot of ways to read into the album cover especially when you see it as the full 4 panel CD case. The skeleton’s posture and the general art style were geekily inspired by the 18th-century anatomist and artist, Albinus. He painted some famously accurate sketches of skeletons and we decided to put our Upright Albinus skeleton in a world that’s maybe another planet, or could it be earth in another time? The imagery ties into the lyrics of our song “Upright Man” and the themes in other songs off of our album.

Nick: Basically what they said.

Nick: To clarify, the separate pieces of art for the pre-release singles were just different crops of our final album artwork. Gotta stretch what you got.

Angie: For the new album, you took an Elvis Costello approach to songwriting where you wrote and recorded over 20 songs and then released 10. What was the process like for narrowing down songs and getting to the final tracks?

Max: The three of us can really write a lot in a short amount of time; maybe a chorus gets written for a song but doesn’t fit and becomes its own tune. Maybe we shouldn’t have written and recorded a song about Hobbits.

Aidan: The process of elimination was pretty natural. We had two batches of recording and mastering over the 2 years of building the band. The first one was a shotgun approach, where we came in with a lot of material and ended up with around 14 recorded tunes, some of which sounded very different from each other. After taking those songs into a live atmosphere and playing a lot of shows, we started to evolve more as a band and realized there were certain songs that were clicking for us and aging well and others that weren’t. That inspired us to write some more songs and go into the studio again. The second time around we recorded six songs, all of which made the album. We have become a lot more focused in our writing and in touch with the fact that we want to rock. It was easy to pick after going through all that.

Angie: Why ten songs?

Max: We tracked 17 songs in 8 days and played some of them live for a few months but most of the first batch of tunes were either too clunky to play as a trio, or just didn’t roll with the rock. 11 is a hard number to count to, so we stuck with 10.

Nick: We thought the 10 made a cohesive record. We didn’t set about to make a ten song album, we just wound up with it. Also IDK WTF Max is on -- LOTR lyrics are awesome, he’s just too “cool” to admit it. Speaking of, anyone wanna buy a song about LOTR?

Angie: You met while studying music composition at New York University, then went on to form Upright Man. How has your music education background influenced how you approach both songwriting and performing?

Max: How? In some ways, and not all the time. Sometimes I’m more fixated on what I’m eating, and I’ll use the neurotic energy of desperately wanting my hands to be free of barbeque chip-grease to get inspired about a lyric or series of chord changes. Sometimes I'm thinking about implying subdivisions or pedal tones. Coin toss.

Aidan: I knew based on my informal music training before college that I needed a good educational ass-whooping in music to become a better musician, so I took it gladly in the form of studying music theory and composition at NYU. Along with all the standard music history and formal skills, I had a private teacher that pushed me to write complex modern classical pieces with heavy rhythmic elements and changing time signatures. I went full on into those studies for four years but quickly reverted back to my singing, rocking, songwriting self after graduating college, just with a lot more tools and tricks up my sleeve.

Nick: I know nothing.

Angie: You've mentioned that, at first, Upright Man's music was very scattered with no real identity. What was the process like for you all when trying to discover and create a consistent sound?

Max: There weren’t too many twists to the path. We just stuck with what worked naturally. I remember one day we started talking to each other about “the band’s sound,” and that was about the time we started excising tunes until we were left with what you hear now.

Aidan: We started with a collection of songs that we wrote together for fun. We were exploring with little direction, but the intention to create something. Once we started talking about the types of songs that we write together and want to write more of, we were basically on our way to being a band. By the end of our recording process for this record, our vision of what Upright Man sounds like became clearer to us and we didn’t feel the need to try so many extremely different song ideas.

Nick: I think a lot of it has to do with what it feels like to play the material live. It’s easy to sit in a recording studio and go “Oh, this is a great song, let’s just follow it and record what we get,” but once you get in front of a group of people, you can feel which songs work and which ones don’t.

Angie: You talk about how strong of a chemistry you all have. Seems like you really lucked out. What are some important (and often overlooked) things people should think about when starting a band with their friends?

Max: We worked together a good bit before we got to the point of writing songs as Upright Man. Aidan had brought me on to play drums for his friend’s band, then I brought him into my own music where he read charts that I’d wrote. After that, I did the same thing for him when he got Nick and I to read and perform his complex rock-ensembled prog jazz. At that point, we were all friends and used to playing with each other. But chemistry is kind of a red herring. Trust and respect are earned, lost, and regained. Those qualities don’t just happen and they’re more important than something intangible like “chemistry”. What we have is a commitment to our music, which means we have to have a commitment to each other. The only way we actually lucked out is that I can always count on Aidan and Nick to play the shit out of their instruments.

Aidan: At some point, understand that you’re all going to have to get in a van together and spend a good deal of time driving, moving gear, and waiting around. Oh, and you’ll get to play some music too. The reality of the grind required to get something happening for a band is something to be realistic about, in the beginning, knowing it has to be a priority for everyone and it’s always a big risk.

Nick: I think there’s an element of chemistry in terms of the writing. We tend to, intentionally or not, come up with ideas that are cohesive and demonstrate an understanding of where the others are, musically. All of the songs were written by the three of us together, the melodies, the changes, the grooves, all of them are a group effort. To have three sets of ideas that actually work together the majority of the time is what I’d call chemistry. I do think Max is right though, we approach this with a dedication to the music and a professional trust between the three of us that we know that no matter what happens we’ll play the living shit out of the stuff and everyone will deliver. It’s easier to solve personal differences when they’re inconsequential to the task at hand and when we all know that performing the task at hand is the main priority for everyone.

Angie: You all played Savannah Stopover earlier this year!

Max: That was a blast.

Angie: What were some major differences between playing a festival of that caliber compared to, say, a small club show?

Max: We befriended a few bands down there that we’re still in touch with. Show-wise it really wasn’t too different except that afterwards we really hung out. Can’t do that when you’ve got a five-hour drive back to NY.

Angie: What were some things that surprised you about playing a festival?

Max: We got free festival merch.

Angie: Free merch is always great!

Aidan: It was pretty different than a normal club show in NYC, where you step out of the club and you’re in a big a city where no one cares. Savannah Stopover had the feeling of a scene that loves and propagates music. Before and after our show we walked around the nearby streets, hearing the buzz about other bands and meeting other musicians in a similar developmental place as us.

Angie: If you were playing your own headlining tour, what musicians or bands would you want to open for you?

Max: By the time we get there, there’ll probably be a smattering of new awesome bands out.

Aidan: Mini KISS.

Nick: I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here.

Angie: Well, which bands would you want to open for if you had the chance?

Max: BECK and Crowded House would be incredible. I’d also love to meet Dave Grohl or Glenn Kotche. So if we got the chance to play for Them Crooked Vultures or Wilco that’d be a dream come true.

Aidan: Radiohead would be an awesome one..

Nick: Dr. Dog

Angie: What was the most interesting way you’ve met someone, either a fan or someone in the industry?

Max: The bathroom door in the band lounge at Savannah Stopover didn’t lock, so I had to multitask (crap while listening for people striding confidently towards the bathroom). I pantslessly had to refuse this woman entry, which I did courteously by complimenting her sweater. Later I saw her play an awesome set and she complimented my jacket so our friendship was cemented. Speaking of laying bricks.

Aidan: There was that one time at band camp …

Angie: At That’s Why We Musyc, our staff members participate in a feature called “Growing Pains Playlist.” What are a few artists who were important to you growing up?

Max: Most things from 2007 (In Rainbows - Radiohead, Boxer - The National, Era Vulgaris - Queens Of The Stone Age)

Aidan: Eric Clapton, John Scofield, Trey Anastasio, George Harrison--just a few of the many.

Nick: The Beatles, The Who, Beck, Led Zeppelin, U2, James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, XTC, Crowded House, Leon Russell, Little Feat, Elvis Costello, Stevie Wonder.

Angie: Thanks for the interview, guys!

Aidan: Thanks for having us!

Angie: Do you have any last words you’d like me to pass along to our readers?

Max: If you find yourself in a place you’ve never been and you’re having to weigh the pros and cons of ordering fish tacos, just get french fries.

Aidan: We’ll be playing a few shows at The Bowery Electric this Fall. October 5th, and another date to be announced. Keep an eye out for a music video we hope to release this Fall.

Conversation with: Angie Flores

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