Skyrim Scenery - The Southern Region of Falkreath Hold

Fandom song animatic tournament: Side A Round 1

Your Stupid Face - Kaden MacKay

"I just really like your face You don't have to look so happy I'm not really into love that you flaunt In some glittery font But if that's what you want Make it snappy"

Ready as I'll ever be - Tangled the series

"So gather around now (ooh) It's time to sing It's bittersweet (ooh) but it's a hell of a silver lining I tell the same old stories As y'all get your wings And I get better every time I kiss a weathered cheek And watching doves fly Sooner than me I guess I'm ready, ready as I'll never be"

Remember that we're voting on how Iconic they are for ANIMATICS, not for the song itself. In order to make things fair, the tone and mood of the song should not affect how iconic it is (for example, a serious song should not be considered more iconic than a joke song just because it's serious)

Propaganda and animatic links of the songs under the cut:

Your Stupid Face - Kaden MacKay

Propaganda:

Ultimate enemies to lovers potential as it starts with tge singer hating the other party and slowly growing to love them. Also has an excellent tma animatic (haven't watched any other animatics for it but a quick search shows there's a lot)

Animatics with the song:

Helluva Boss Stolas x Blitz

Don't Starve Together Wxwood

The Magnus Archives

DSMP TNTduo

Toilet Bound Hanako Kun Mitsuba Animatic

HFJONE Sodapack

Ready as I'll ever be - Tangled the series

Propaganda:

I can list at least three full animatics for this song for every major fandom I have ever been a part of, and still it's so hard to find them because there are so goddamn many

It's an absolute banger from the absolute King Alan Menken, originally from the pretty underrated Tangled the Series. I've seen animatics for this for like every fandom I can think of, and it deserves it because it slaps and has great vocal performances from Jeremy Jordan and Eden Espinosa.

i'm pretty sure this song is more well known than the show it came from is lol. i looked up "ready as i'll ever be animatic" on youtube just to confirm and counted 20+ of them, and i didn't even finish scrolling. it is a genuinely really good song from a /surprisingly/ good show that imo is super underrated. i definitely would recommend checking it out if you get the opportunity!

it's a fandom song that transcended its fandom and became a hit for twist villains.

The song really fosters creativity with how many animatics can create a darker AU where the usual protagonist (or a close associate) is made to be the antagonist because of injustice suffered and the other characters have to fight against them

I've seen *at least* one animatic of this song in almost every fandom I've looked into

It has a lot of Animaniacs because it is sung by an ensemble cast It is good for demonstrating a lot of different conflicting perspectives of characters for your big dramatic fight and its catchy and I love it

I mean everyone loves a scenario where one of the main cast becomes a villain for tragic reasons and the rest of the characters have to fight them while dealing with the betrayal and attempting to make them see reason

How in the actual hell does a song from a Tangled spinoff series go this spectacularly hard? More to the point, how does it have an animatic/AMV for practically EVERY FANDOM IN EXISTENCE?! Yeah, most people know it from that one Warrior Cats MAP, but there is SO much more. Not to mention the bucketloads of people who used this song for their own OCs, which is always a bonus.

Animatics with the song:

Star Vs The Forces Of Evil

Miraculous Ladybug

Sander Sides

Danganronpa V3 fantasy AU

BNHA Villain Deku Animatic

DSMP

Please keep in mind that I don't know all the media and fandoms of the animatics provided as examples and I don't have the time (nor the will) to research them all. Don't come into my notes or my ask box complaining about them being included, I will simply block you. HOWEVER, if a ship animatic includes a minor and an adult, do tell me, I'll remove it.

hi! you asked for marauders fic recs so im here to give you some :)

idk if you’ve read these or any yet, so they might seem kinda basic. they’re just to introduce you to this world/the characters. i wish i had a list like this when i first got into the marauders fandom ngl

also these are only gonna be marauders era fics, if you want golden trio era fics as well, i can give you some!

anyway:

all the young dudes by mskingbean89 (completed, 527k words, wolfstar & jily): this is THE marauders fic for most ppl, and i just think of it as what happened canonically. no fic is perfect, but this should be every1’s first marauders era fic imo (you might’ve read this already cuz it’s SO popular). its from remus’ pov and it follows him throughout hogwarts and until (i think) poa or ootp

the wolf’s tail by myheadsgonenumb (wip, 457k words, no ships yet but prob wolfstar & jily): this one’s pretty underrated imo, and it’s SO WELL WRITTEN!!! this also follows remus throughout hogwarts. however id say the diff between this and atyd is that (so far at least) it focuses more on the war side of the marauders era, even when they are still young and at hogwarts. so if you’re interested in how actually dark and dangerous the times were back then, even for children, you will like this one! the only thing ill say for this is that its kinda very descriptive at points (ex. there’s a lot of newspaper clippings, book quotes, interview transcripts etc) but you can just gloss over them if you think they’re not that important. rn i think their 5th year just started, so keep that in mind (its gonna be a long one)!

the cadence of part-time poets by motswolo (completed, 980k words, wolfstar & jily): AAAAAAHHHH this one is my ALL TIME FAV (marauders era) FIC <33333 this is a muggle au, so no magic! this is also a remus pov (😭) and he goes to hawkings (which is basically hogwarts) in his (i think??) 4th year? or younger? smt like that :,). this fic also has my fav oc (tomny) hehe. as the tags say, its a band fic/au, but i’ll spoil no more!

the making of the map by fox_pitch (completed, 79k words, wolfstar & jily): this is a shorter one, but its also rlyyy good. pretty sure this starts and ends in their sixth year, but as the title suggests, its how the marauders map come to exist! its also how wolfstar gets together and its very cute and wholesome. the ending is kinda ambiguous in the sense that it doesn’t give any hints as to if anything changes in this fic’s universe’s future, but id assume not.

choices by messermoon (completed, 624k words, jegulus, wolfstar & jily): i kinda assumed you wanted the “canon” ships (aka jily and wolfstar) but if you’re interested in jegulus (james potter/regulus black) then this one is prob for you. i personally haven’t finished this fic, but ik its a jegulus classic/canon, just like atyd is for jily (& wolfstar). this one follows james, and it doesn’t start on his first year i think. it has alternating povs as well! however, as the tags warn, it is canon compliant, aka reg dies in the end, so do w that what you will :,)

only the brave by solmussa (completed, 646k words, jegulus, wolfstar, dorlene, rosekiller & pandalily): this is another jegulus fic! it has started being considered a classic and if you read it, you’ll understand why. this also does not start from their first year, and this one also has alternating povs! i love the writing and just general concept/plot of this one; i don’t love jegulus but i was still HOOKED w this fic, so yes. its rly good. and as you can see w the tags, this is a happy ending (aka, reg lives)!!!!! mwah love those.

art heist, baby! by otrbs (completed, 219k words, jegulus, wolfstar, dorlene, alice/frank longbottom - idk their ship name): i also have not read this fic, but ive only heard good things about it (and some sobs but that’s what you get for “major character death” : ) )! i know the ending of it tho, and it is kinda sad, so prepare yourself. it is a muggle au, and they basically wanna pull an art heist? yup lets go w that simple explanation.

that’s it for now bahhaha, and its a LOT, so enjoy! if you want shorter ones, i also have some i can show you, and if you’ve read these, lmk if you like them! <3

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH 🙏🙏🙏 Ur my savior bro. I'm abt to finish ATYD and I started reading The Making of the Map per your suggestion because it was short enough to download a pdf to read in class 💀💀 I really like both of them!! I need to psych myself up to read some of the 500k+ fics tho bc atyd took me so long 😭😭😭 I'll let you know how I find the rest of them ^^ TYY!!!

13-16 with challenge mode: none from a game you've mentioned yet

Keldeo pls I made sure to write everything from a different franchise ok challenge accepted.

13. What's your favorite sad piece?

Don't Speak Her Name!

the parts with just the piano are so lovely. ;_; I get kind of bored when all the instruments kind of swell up actually, I just want to hear the piano. my absolute favourite part which is honestly the part I listen to the entire piece for is the part at 1:56. the piano is just soooo pretty and sad and the left hand part is such a nice accompaniment.

also since it still meets the rules of challenge mode here's the backup piece I mentioned when I couldn't remember my main choice for this one (I am cheating so much on these asks to post multiple tracks lmao):

man I used to listen to this on repeat on the bus in first term uni. I really like the intro but also my favourite part is at 1:28. especially the contrast with the buildup in volume right before. it is so nice. ;_; and also when it loops again at around 1:40. omg lol apparently YouTube now has a "most replayed" feature and it keeps suggesting I go back to 1:29.

14. What's your favorite happy piece?

man do I even like happy pieces? somewhat unsure what makes a piece happy now that I think about it. I don't know if any tracks I like are specifically "happy" but here's one from Pokémon Conquest that's, triumphant?

Pokémon Conquest was such a good game and also such a missed opportunity tbh. Conquest 2 when??? I need it. I love so many tracks from this soundtrack and I think it is so underrated I could probably answer like half this ask game with conquest tracks. (well maybe not since they don't really vary that much in mood)

15. What's your favorite relaxing piece?

p sure I still have Ace Attorney to draw on, so I really like both Elise Deauxnim's theme and Hazakurain for this:

the mood at the start of case 3-5 is soooo nice. love it so much. my favourite part of Elise Deauxnim's theme is 1:03 up to when it loops and in Hazakurain I particularly like the part starting at 0:48 but I love both of them in their entirety really.

16. What's your favorite intense piece?

fortunately I saved three hopes for this:

actually I prefer embers but that doesn't qualify so much as "intense". I loooooove the original Roar of Dominion and the first time I heard it in three hopes I was completely blown away, I actually didn't recognize it right away and I was like WHAT IS THIS AMAZING PIECE??? the first route I played was golden wildfire which imo has BY FAR the best presentation of the map that plays roar of dominion because none of the characters have any idea what the fuck is going on and the literal name of the battle is just "???" and you get the whole thing with "CHOICES YOU MAKE HERE WILL GREATLY IMPACT THE OUTCOME OF THE STORY" and you're running around Ailell with all the lava and stuff while this is playing and also Yuribird is there. and also the really excellent cutscene after if you don't recruit Byleth. I love it so much. the embers version is sooo good with the piccolo? flute? trills and the instrument playing the main melody aaaaa I love it. ;_;

A Decade of Horror Recommendations: Millennium Edition

After my 2010s horror recs post, @comicreliefmorlock asked me to do some for older films. So I figured I’d just work my way backward. 

The lists might get a bit shorter and less diverse as I go back in time as I’m not as well-versed in older horror films, but I’ll toss out some recommendations for what I’ve seen and maybe some will be new to you anyway :)

Long post under the cut! 

2000: A Surprisingly Good Year for Horror 

Maybe we don’t think of the Y2K year as a big one for the horror genre, but it was still riding the tail end of the slasher/teen horror revival. Some must-sees:

Final Destination: I’ve written pretty extensively about this movie and it’s no surprise that I like it a lot, even if the sequels get downright ridiculous. The original still stands on its own feet. 

Ginger Snaps: Maybe one of the best werewolf movies, period. Smart writing and a strong female cast as an added bonus. 

American Psycho: Did you know this came out in 2000? I honestly always thought it was older, somehow, maybe because by the time I watched it in college it seemed like everyone had seen it. Fun fact: did you know it was directed by a woman? 

What Lies Beneath: Part psychological horror, part drama-thriller, and sporting a surprisingly A-list cast. It has some well-worn tropes, but it’s a solid watch. 

Battle Royale: Speaking of movies that seem like they’re way older than they are, did you know Battle Royale only came out in the year 2000? 

There were a smattering of Asian imports in 2000 but none of them quite got their feet under them. I will make a shout-out/honorable mention here for Blood: The Last Vampire, an anime film that’s pretty well-known and gets referenced a lot. 

2001: The Beginning of the End (for a little while)

Some solid stand-alone titles came out this year, but it also was the start of when the 90s revival started to dwindle down, I feel, with plenty of disappointments to go around. Scary Movie didn’t help much (and it also launched a whole trend of really awful spoof movies, which tried real hard to kill the comedy genre for a long time, imo). Anyway, some recs! 

Jeepers Creepers: The director is an unfortunate sack of shit, but the movie is quite good. The first part, which draws heavily from a true story, is especially chilling. 

Thirteen Ghosts: An underrated gem. The plot twists too much for my liking, but the ghost designs are super cool and the whole concept of the house is neat. A+ for originality. 

The Devil’s Backbone: Maybe my favorite Guillermo Del Toro film, and a damn good ghost story to boot. 

Suicide Club: A Japanese import that feels a bit ahead of its time in terms of pop culture (and internet culture especially). Features a couple of squick-heavy scenes I still struggle to watch (but, like, in a good way). 

Ichi the Killer: Another Japanese import and my introduction to Takashi Miike, who makes me more viscerally uncomfortable than just about anyone. 

It’s also probably worth mentioning From Hell, the Johnny Depp movie about Jack the Ripper, which many people enjoyed. I personally strongly dislike the film for reasons I can’t fully explain. 

2002: Wait, That’s When That Movie Came Out? 

I feel like 2002 was a big year for me in the “movies I enjoy but didn’t watch until years later” department, probably because I was a teenager with minimal access to decent cinema. It was also a rocking good year for Japanese horror. 

28 Days Later: A movie that brought about the return of zombies in a big way, and also introduced (or at least popularized) fast zombies. Also it’s super scary. 

May: I don’t even know if May counts as horror, but it’s a dark, quirky movie that I try to make everyone watch because I love it so much. 

Ghost Ship: Honestly the bulk of the movie is pretty forgettable, but the opening scene is one of my favorite moments in gory cinematic history. 

Signs: M. Night Shyamalan’s last decent movie or his first shitty one, depending on who you ask. I liked it a lot when I first watched it, and it started to fall apart more and more as I got older. 

Ju-On: The Grudge: One of the better-known Japanese horrors and one whose tropes still get referenced and re-used. Skip the 2004 remake and watch the original trilogy. 

The Ring: Probably the best-known Japanese horrors and maybe the import that put “Japanese horror” into public consciousness. 

There was a lot of shlocky dreck in 2002, some of it decent (Cabin Fever) and some of it downright awful (Pinata: Survival Island/Demon Island). I should also mention Red Dragon, based on Thomas Harris’s novel of the same name, which quite a few people liked (I’ve only seen it once but I recall being underwhelmed). Also an honorable mention to Dog Soldiers, which I have not seen but which I hear frequently recommended as an A+ werewolf film. 

2003: Wow that’s a lot of dreck 

Look fam nobody said these film recs would be objective. There were a ton of horror movies that came out in 2003, I just didn’t really like hardly any of them. Some exceptions: 

Willard: The movie that made me want to start keeping rats as pets, which says more about me than it does the film. It’s a great movie, though, the first thing I ever saw Crispin Glover in (and god, he’s amazing), and one of the few films that I think is better than the book. 

Identity: A pretty decent psychological horror starring John Cusack. Watch this and 1408 together as a double-feature for maximum fun factor. 

House of 1000 Corpses: Look, if you’re reading this blog, you probably already have an opinion one way or another of Rob Zombie. The movie’s on the list because it’s arguably historically important, not because it’s objectively good. 

A few other notable moments from 2003 included a Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake (just watch the original, but if you insist on a remake, this is one of the better ones), the second Final Destination film (the last good one in the franchise), the Jeepers Creepers sequel, Freddy vs Jason, Darkness Falls, and Dreamcatcher. Like I said, there were lots of movies that came out this year, I just don’t think they were very good. 

2004: Oops we created torture porn 

I was in college at this point, which meant I was watching less horror than at any other moment in my life (I had a roommate who really hated scary movies) so maybe that’s why I haven’t heard of the majority of movies that came out that year. Or maybe they were all just really bad, hence why I still haven’t seen them. Hmmm. But! A few shining stars: 

Saw: Obviously a classic. I’m lukewarm about the franchise, but the original is an excellent film and well worth watching, especially given the impact it would have on the next many years of horror cinema. 

Shaun of the Dead: Hilarious, and honestly one of my favorite zombie films of all time. 

Dumplings: A Korean important you likely missed in 2004 but may have seen in a Three Extremes compilation. Well worth the watch if you’re not squeamish. 

Otherwise 2004 was pretty lackluster. Some forgettable franchise installments, some shlocky creature features, some unnecessary remakes. Lots of titles I’m unfamiliar with, though, too, so somebody tell me if I missed a big one that year! 

2005: Ehhhh

Just a couple important titles this year too: 

Hostel: Not a great movie. In fact, pretty damn campy. But an important one to watch to understand the torture porn genre. 

The Devil’s Rejects: See above re: House of 1000 Corpses. Hit or miss but a well-liked film by Rob Zombie fans. 

And  you know what, I think that’s actually it. I mean there were other movies -- a remake of The Fog,  the infinitely predictable Hide and Seek, the second Saw installment, and of course Doom. But it just wasn’t a great year for horror, imo. One shout-out here though for Wolf Creek, which is on my to-watch list; I haven’t seen it so I can’t vouch for it, but it does get recommended to me a lot. 

2006: Mostly more of the same 

Did we seriously have a Saw movie every year in the 2000s or what? No wonder everybody got sick of them and thought all horror was torture porn for a while. Talk about market saturation. 

Anyway, some shout-outs: 

Stay Alive: This movie is ridiculous, but I love it a lot. It’s about a video game that kills you in real life, and is a more successful video game movie than most actual adaptations. 

ReCycle: An Asian import. I missed this one entirely when it came out, but it’s one of my favorites to have discovered in later years. It’s a seriously cool movie, both fanciful and deeply uncomfortable. Content warning for abortion, but it’s not what you think. 

Otherwise, just some mostly soulless remakes (The Omen, The Hills Have Eyes, The Wicker Man), some franchise installments (Saw III, Final Destination 3, The Grudge 2). I will give an honorable mention to Black Sheep, which is so-bad-it’s-good ridiculous, and to that cult favorite Slither. 

2007: Wait, is horror getting good again?

Well, not quite, but we’re back on the map with some promising additions in a year where the genre seemed to be struggling to rediscover its identity: 

The Mist: One of the better Stephen King adaptations. 

30 Days of Night: A divisive entry in the canon, but a pretty interesting piece to study for anyone interested in vampires. 

28 Weeks Later: Not exactly a direct sequel to the earlier 28 Days Later, and probably not as good of a film, but pretty good in its own right. 

1408: Watch this one with Identity (see above) and enjoy a night of John Cusack going crazy in hotel rooms. 

The Orphanage: One of my favorite horror films of all time, both deeply unsettling and agonizingly sad. 

Paranormal Activity: The highest-grossing film of all time thanks to its low budget. Also what we can blame for the burst of popularity in the “found footage” style. 

Dead Silence: A movie that still frequently gets recommended and delivers some solid spooks. I’m not as fond of it as a lot of people, but it deserves a mention for how often it gets referenced (and for playing “killer ventriloquist dummies” straight as a trope). 

Trick r Treat: A Halloween classic. 

Of course the year brought us another Saw and another Hostel, a contentious Halloween reboot, another stab at I Am Legend (often adapted, rarely well), and a smattering of other sequels. I have not seen The Girl Next Door but based on how rarely I hear it recommended compared to the book, I imagine I’m not missing much. Borderlands was OK but, for my money, forgettable. Oh, there was also Grindhouse, a double feature which I quite enjoyed (I saw it in theaters, where it came with a warning for length, which I found amusing) but which history does not seem to have remembered positively. 

2008: Did Somebody Order a Recession? 

Back to slim pickings, although I admittedly have not seen most of the films released that year (I was pretty damn broke in 2008, so maybe that’s why). Still: 

Let the Right One In: Skip the later English remake, you cowards, and watch this with subtitles. It’s so good. SO GOOD. An unexpected twist on the vampire story, and kind of a romance to boot. Sort of. In a really messed up way. 

Cloverfield: A couple things are neat about Cloverfield. One, it was an early adopter and trope-setter for found-footage movies. Two, it successfully spawned a franchise where none of the movies feel related at all. Three, it launched with some really cool viral marketing that was utterly ahead of its time. On the downside, the shaky cam may in fact make you vomit if you get seasick easily. 

Repo! The Genetic Opera: A classic. Also may in fact be the only film of its kind, or at least the only rock-opera scifi-horror that comes to mind. 

I haven’t seen Pontypool, though it’s on my watch-list -- I’ve heard it’s quite good. Ditto Tokyo Gore Police which delivers, to my understanding, exactly what it says on the tin. Speaking of movies I didn’t see, can we take a moment to appreciate that a film called “Sauna” with the tagline “cleanse your sins” came out this year? Jfk 2008, are you OK? 

2009: Why are all the best horrors comedies this year 

It really does become obvious just how much the genre was floundering to figure out what it was doing the latter half of the decade, because the movies are so weirdly hit-or-miss. I do have some favorite hidden gems, though, alongside a couple well-known recs: 

Zombieland: A genuinely funny feel-good zombie comedy-horror, feeding right into a growing cultural fascination with zombies. 

Jennifer’s Body: Is this a comedy? Is this a horror? What is this? I’m not sure how to classify it but I sure do like it. 

Antichrist: Ok I don’t know if this is a recommendation per se, but if I had to watch this with my own eyes, I’m making y’all watch it too. Have you ever wondered what it might look like to watch a filmmaker have a psychotic break while making a movie? That’s almost literally what this film is. 

The Human Centipede: This is a cop-out because I have not watched these movies and I in fact refuse to watch these movies because the premise is fucking stupid, but I will acknowledge the historical, ah, importance? of this film in the greater scheme of 21st century horror. 

Dread: One of my favorite movies, and the film I recommend to anyone who wants to watch a torture film done right. I love the shit out of this movie. Please go watch this movie. 

Grace: Deeply disturbing and pulling approximately zero punches. It’s one of the best films to tread the “horrors of motherhood” territory, which is saying something because that’s very fertile (ha, ha) ground. 

I actually have not seen Drag Me to Hell or The Last House on the Left, although people have recommended both to me. Anyone want to chime in with how good they might be? I also want to make a shout-out to Daybreakers, which I feel like nobody ever talks about but which actually has one of the most fascinating vampire concepts I’ve ever seen on film. The movie itself is kind of boring and forgettable, but the idea is really neat. 

And that wraps up my journey through the 2000s in horror. Next decade: The 90s, coming right up! 

The 4HW,Asuka and the SD Women’s roster

These subjects have been a hot topic on social media since SD last Tuesday night and everyone seams to have an opinion.Some people think what happened was wrong,some people think it might mean the title’s will be unified or that we will have an undisputed champion,some people think it will make the match better while others not so much.One thing is certain every WWE fan seem’s to have an opinion myself included.So I wanted to share my opinion and break it down int categories I feel seem to be the most important to me and the most talked about by other fans. Keep in mind this is my opinion no one has to agree with it I just felt like sharing and i’m stuck in bed with the flu.  

The four Horsewomen love them hate them every wrestling fan seems to have an opinion on them.Personally they happen to be my favorite superstars female or male.Iv’e seen some people say that they only get opportunities because they’re the horsewoman the ever “lovely” diva stans really love to use that one I disagree but hey again everyone has their own opinions.To state mine and try and prove my point i’m gonna break down the career’s of each one.I will then give my thoughts and opinion. 

Let’s start with the least problematic and in my opinion most underrated not only horsewoman but wrestler Bayley.In NXT Bayley was more loved by the NXT crowd than anyone else has ever been.She won the NXT title did a great job at putting people over lost it to Asuka and finally made it to the main roster.At first things were going great for Bayley the crowd was completely behind her much like they had been in NXT.But as good as things had been the moment Bayley won the Raw Women’s title things turned that bad that quick.For all intensive purposes 2017 should have been Bayley’s year it was not.I personally think they put the title on her way to quick which of course was not her fault.The whole thing with Bayley in NXT was that she was the underdog she was the last of the Horsewomen besides(Becky who never won the title) to win the NXT title and it really felt like she was in NXT forever before she won it.That was part of what made her NXT title run so special she was the true underdog and the crowd was behind her because of it.So Bayley wins the title against Charlotte on Raw and then snapped Charlotte’s undefeated streak and went on to defeat Sasha,Charlotte and Nia Jax at WrestleMania.After that evry thing went downhill how can anyone forget the Bayley this is your life segment with Alexa Bliss in one night they managed to kill one of the most lovable characters in the company.Then they had her lose the title in her hometown in a kendo stick match and wouldn’t let her pick up the kendo stick.After that a lot of people stopped caring about Bayley except for her die hard fan’s and she spent the rest of 2017 as a jobber.Fast forward to 2018 and it looks like we may be getting Sasha vs Bayley they teased it some then had Sasha turn on Bayley several times then Bayley finally had enough and bet the crap out of Sasha and said the infamous you ain’t shit line to Sasha.People were excited this was a different Bayley we thought we were gonna get another epic Sasha/Bayley feud but instead we got Dr.Shelby and another year of jobbing and a whole lot of six Woman tag matches with the Riott Squad.Which leads me to the present day,the first ever Woman’s tag titles and the Woman who should have been the first Woman’s champion at WM 32. 

The Legit Boss Sasha Banks.The Boss in NXT was the most best character in NXT.Sasha was a great Nxt champion she was so entertaining so extra and such a great heel.Sasha in my opinion is right there with Asuka as the best female wrestler in the WWE.Heel Sasha is my favorite Sasha she and Bayley had what I steal consider the greatest Women’s match of all time at Takeover Brooklyn an then they killed in the first ever Women’s iron Woman match.When Sasha came up to the main roster and became apart of Team B.A.D she helped bring out the best of Naomi that was when I felt Naomi became the Naomi we have today. Even Tamina was the best she had ever been.When Sasha wasn’t in a Woman’s (Diva’s at the time thank god that’s gone)match people were chanting we want Sasha.I had never seen that for a female wrestler before even with Lita at the height of her popularity.When Team B.A.D inevitably broke up I knew Sasha was gonna be champion is was just a matter of time.She was having great matches and then we found out she was gonna face Charlotte and Becky at WM 32 in a triple threat imo they had the best match that night and there is no doubt in my mind Sasha should have walked out champion no one was more hot than she was.They had the superstar shake up Paige got injured Becky and Naomi moved to Raw and we got Charlotte and Sasha I remember when Sasha won the title on Raw and she got Dana thrown out of ringside with a little Eddie Guerrero tribute it was great we went into SummerSlam and she lost the title.She then won the title back on Raw to lose it back at Hell in a Cell in her dang hometown of all places.She then one the title back from Charlotte in Charlotte I just really wanted to type Charlotte in Charlotte in a really great falls count anywhere match.We then head into Road Block I believe for an iron man match where once again Sasha/Charlotte killed it went into over time I remember Sasha had a busted nose possibly broken but still kept going and lost the title again.The fact that they hot potatoed that title like that still makes me mad and I know they did it to have the number of title reins go up for Charlotte.Sasha at least got to be in the Raw women’s title match at WM 33 that match was not one of my favorites but the Horsewomen involved had amazing entrances and Bayley got her WM moment.Sasha one the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam and then the moment she wen’t to defend it she lost it on Raw.Sasha and defending titles haven’t gone well thanks to WWE booking. She spent 2018 with Bayley doing six women tag matches with the Riott Squad.Finally in 2019 she seems to be back on track she made history with Bayley had a Raw women’s title match with Ronda and is going to be on the main card at mania after being stuck on the pre show with Bayley and Becky last year.I’m about to make some people angry especially Diva stans with this next part.Sasha and Bayley are the only reasons that the Women’s tag titles exist.They bothered Vince until he cracked and gave in and let them have the titles and a tag team division. That’s dedication especially given the fact that Vince changes his mind more than a Kardashian changes clothes.Okay time to move on to the most controversial Horsewoman i think you know who I mean. 

The Queen love her hate her i think for most people it’s the latter of the two everyone has something to say about her.I’m gonna put this out here right away yes Charlotte get’s more opportunities than the rest of the Women’s division because she’s Ric Flairs daughter there is no denying it.She is also a great athlete and delivers in big matches and has come along way.A lot of people say if other people got the opportunities Charlotte does they could probably deliver to and I agree certain people probably could.By the way in case you have been living under a rock she ain’t done winning titles she’s gonna pass Ric’s record.But let me say this i’m glad she is done apologizing for getting what she get’s and you don’t have to and probably want agree with me but she is that good.Let’s go back to NXT Charlotte’s first title she beat Natalya in a great match and it was only like her 3rd or 4th match.Her character was kind of bland then if i’m gonna be honest but her athleticism made up for it.When she got the call up to the main roster with Sasha and Becky we got PCB and for whatever reason they made her a baby face to me you can’t call yourself genetically superior and use the whole second nature thing and be a baby face it doesn’t work luckily she figured this out started using the Flair last name and became a heel.I know a lot of people say she’s not original she just copies her dad and woo’s.My answer to that is she’s his daughter Flair’s are natural heels Ric was the dirtiest player in the game of course she’s gonna us his catch phrases because they work. I enjoy Charlotte’s heel work she’s okay at being a baby face but being a heel is where she excels.I think it was pretty well explained what went down with the Raw Women’s title with the Sasha part so i’m gonna skip ahead to her going to SD.From the moment she arrived on SD WWE seemed to be turning her face putting her up against the welcoming committee and teaming her up with Becky and Naomi.Let’s see she was gone a little while because Ric got sick she beat Nattie for the title she beat Asuka at WM 34 and then lost the title to Carmella.Then won it back then Becky turned on her we were given one of the greatest feuds ever with them.Now 2019 Charlotte according to most people got shoehorned(I’ll go into that when we get to Becky) into the WM main event won another title breaking Trish’s record and according to most people she screwed Asuka and everyone’s afraid she will win at mania.Now onto The Man of the hour(see what I did there) 

Becky Lynch The Man. let’s be honest shall we who saw Becky Lynch going from the most underrated and overlooked Horsewoman to the main event of WrestleMANia? Okay Becky probably has had the worst booking of not only the Horsewomen but the Women’s division as a whole.When Becky was in NXT the moment she caught my attention was when she turned on Bayley and joined Sasha to create in my opinion the greatest tag team of all time Team B.A.E they then imploded and we then got the match that put Becky on the map Becky/Sasha Takeover Unstoppable that was also the night she debuted her orange hair and the steam punk look.That match is in my top 5 favorite all time matches.People that say Becky isn’t that great a wrestler go watch that match cause your clearly delusional.Becky when into that match that night everyone was team Sasha when that match was over they were singing her song she won the fans hearts and there respect that night.Not long after that she got the call up to the main roster she got put in team PCB and she had some great matches then team PCB broke up (hey Charlotte fans remember when Charlotte turned on Becky but when Charlotte got hers you conveniently forgot or ignored it) here’s something interesting Becky got added to the WM 32 match because of the fans insisting she should be in it(sound familiar we’ll get to that)I discussed this earlier they had the best match on the card imo.We got a little Team B.A.E reunion afterwords then Becky got drafted to SD.After being the only Horsewoman to not win the NXT title when she won the SD Woman’s title I think it made that much better Becky Balboa baby.Then she lost the title to Alexa (see a pattern hear) after one successful defence. after that we got La Luchadora and then she jobbed out the rest of 2016 and then 2017 and then 2018 didn’t start of great she had an ok Rumble and then was in the kick off show battle royal and then up until may when she beat Mandy and Sonya to qualify for MITB she was on a losing streak. She had a great showing at MITB the WWE finally realized the fans were behind her(btw you would think after she got added to WM 32 because the fans wanted her in the match they would now that) She finally got her push and she turned on Charlotte but the crowd cheered her which we already know but I want to point some things out.People cheered her for multiple reasons one being they including me saw where this was going trying to make Charlotte the victim at the person who had a legit reason to be angry. They in Becky’s words shoehorned Charlotte into the match at SummerSlam the second a lot of people were tired of Charlotte winning and of Charlotte in general.Another reason was it was about time Becky stood up for herself how many times had people stabbed her in the back this was a different Becky and the people weren’t buying her as the bad guy so they cheered her and booed the woo.Another reason for me personally I was happy was because I had watched her cut promos on dang quinoa on instagram in the back to stay relevant because they weren’t using her on tv.I watched her try and open a can of pinapples on instagram and was more entertained than I was with most of the other Women and tea time should have been on youtube.The difference between the Becky who lost the title to Alexa and this Becky is day and night she has said it’s because she believes in herself now and she’s done lowering herself so everyone else can have opportunities now they have to bring themselves up to be on her level.She has earned everything she is getting she did this Charlotte didn’t make Becky anymore than Becky made Charlotte so saying that makes people sound stupid.Becky saw her chance she grabbed the ball and refused to put it back down.You can say she got luck because of Nia botching for the umpteenth time.But if you go back and watch Evolution she was on a whole other level all ready.She has gotten the people emotionally invested in the main event she’s why people care.Let’s move on to the last topic of conversation shall we. 

I wanna start this off with this the idiots telling Naomi to be quiet need to shut up.She has a right to be upset and say what she’s feeling with that said.After Mania the Women need to make WWE take notice.Becky went from the kick off show to the main event so nothings impossible.As far Asuka if Asuka is as good as I know she is then she will recover from this.You can’t bury someone if they refuse to die.I’m one of those that thinks the titles should be unified so that the women can jump back and forth between brands so we can have more match possibilities.The Women main eventing mania is gonna change everything and the rest of the Women need to start taking opportunities don’t wait them.It’s on them now after mania they will be equal to the men in that aspect not everyone gets an opportunity not everyone is gonna make it to the top and a lot of Woman are gonna be stuck in catering.Some of the Women complaining i’m not naming names not all of the Women complaining shouldn’t be because they have had shots and proved they weren’t good enough.But i’m ready to see who actually walks the walk. 

Again these are my opinions and my thoughts and feelings on everything that has happened.

David Bowie - Space Oddity (2019 Visconti Remix)

I’m a fan (so far) of all the times Bowie commissioned a remix of an entire album. Individual tracks, not always, but albums, yes. Some were desperately needed (Lodger and NLMD) some fixed technical flaws, restored sequencings, and generally balanced things up (David Live, Stage) some were about detail and subtlety possibly lost on casual listeners, but reward active listening (Ziggy Stardust, Station To Station.)

But with those wrapped up and in the can with the Legacy Box sets, I didn’t anticipate any new remix work, mainly because the key works/fixes are completed and the remasters of all the original mixes are overall pretty gorgeous. So this announcement of Tony Visconti’s two-month-long remix project of this brilliant 1969 record surprised me. Doing some digging, TV made his case and it makes sense. Limited funds originally to do the mix, so very limited time. The whole record was mixed in less than a week. So I could see the appeal for him, the original engineer, to sit with those recording sessions for awhile... revisit what did and didn’t make the cut, look at the balance of instruments in the stereo field, play with all those stems and see if anything special grows.

So yeah - I was happy about that and excited to hear his work. To some degree, I expected to hear some new parts, probably DB vocal layers never heard, a “modern” mix that shimmered and enveloped and impressed as is typical of Tony’s sympathetic and DB attuned aesthetic.

What we got instead was something much more sludgy and of its time. A psychedelic aural sieve with tracks jammed through it like hand-mixed sausage through a press. Holy shit! What the hell is this? If like me you have heard this album 100’s of times since you were basically a kid, it’s absolutely disarming. This is brave work. It’s not safe, anticipated or typical in any way, save the majestic treatment of the title track, which by the way, is not indicative of the overall effect this new mix has.

Fans of this record understand its depth, and I still hold that lyrically it’s one of his most profound and sincere works - and Visconti has absolutely impregnated this material with a dense gravity that I could not have seen coming. It’s just *heavy* man. The vocal treatments and layering make me feel like DB is alive and tracked these himself from some planet like Venus, with its crushing atmosphere and yellow green swamps of mystery. It’s one of those listens that happens sometimes in music where you sit there with your jaw open, not sure if you even like what you are hearing. Like the sound is happening and it’s something beyond your judgement until you’ve at least honored the work enough to listen through it quite a few times. Like you have to earn your hall pass, and until you get one, your job is to shut up and just listen.

The album opens of course with a stratospheric Space Oddity, with just absolutely amazing and heart rending strings and a vocal treatment that is alive with power and mystery and echoes into the universe from which it arrived. Instantly my favorite version of this well-known song.

Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed blends much more smoothly with the title track, but then begins to morph as the bass stabs into the speaker cones, mixed high and defiant, and by the time “I’m a phallus in pigtails” arrives, you’ve got a glorious sludge of footstomping thick-as-theives rock and roll. Guitars are nasty and tightened up, harmonicas drip sweat, and the dirty ride cymbal washes it all out over an extended Americana deep-south voodoo coda that just keeps on keeping on in spite of the oppressive humidity.

Letter To Hermoine is also thickened with an almost suffocating warmth and reverb - the sparkle of the original is dampened into a mush and David’s vocal is made stark, demo-ish, slipped more to the right channel forcing it to stick out even more than its already increased amplitude. I would never have considered treating this song in this way, a mix like this, but it makes a more personal song even more so, in a way that makes every crack of David’s voice feel like he stayed up all night writing it just for you. An extraordinary interpretation by Tony Visconti.

And now an album centerpiece, Cygnet Committee, with its lyrical themes that speak to literally the entirely of Bowie’s remaining career. The reverb immediately noticeable on the opening bass part unifies what has come before, and I’m impressed how “Beatlesque” this mix is, with the drums hard-panned, the rosedale electric chord organ mixed higher, the vocal reverbs appearing and disappearing, going from a near complete wash to totally absent when the narrator has a point to make. It’s not a “modern” mix at all, but perfectly suits the material and the time in which it was written. It doesn’t play tricks, or attempt to tickle ears with novelty - it lets this incredible song stand on its own and march it’s way to closing out the A-side.

So how to tackle Janine after all that? Tie it directly to an album to come, TMWSTW, stick that bass out far, and make all those whooping and earnest vocal layers pop. Wonderful B-side opener, begs you to turn up the volume and feel the bass in your gut.

One of my favorite mixes on the record is An Occasional Dream with its confident flutes and recorders, shimmering prickly guitars, and unusual and dreamlike backing vocal layers doing some very odd things. What an incredible song to be written by someone so young.

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud is fascinating with its horn-centric arrangement and elevated strings and harps. Is it my imagination that I’m hearing entire vocal passages that I’ve never heard before? Are these vocal takes that were on tape but totally unused in the previous mix? I’d have to do an A/B comparison, but I think so.

“really you and really me.”

Hearing this vocal is like a timewarp into the future to his work on Baal. Like he’s able to suck up the experience and timbre of his own self 30 years on and use them when he likes. Incredible.

Aww man. Wow. How nicely does Conversation Piece sit here as originally intended... whew. Emotion. “I can’t see the road for the rain in my eyes.”

I’ll just let you enjoy this song in your own way without my input, expect to say that you will miss this artist’s presence in the world.

So yeah. Get it together. Alrighty. “God Knows I’m Good” is a brilliant song IMO although plenty seem to disagree, and that’s cool. Lyrically, it’s just killer, and I’m enjoying David’s natural centered vocal clean and clear. Beautiful smoothed out 12-strings gliding and gorgeous. Nothing out of the ordinary here besides some balancing and reverb choices, but an honest and heartfelt interpretation of an underrated DB song.

I’m expecting more of a Beatles/George Martin approach to the mix of Memory Of A Free Festival, and we’ll see. Lovely, honest and direct vocal treatment on David’s voice, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this morphs into the slew of background vocalists that include Marc Bolan and friends... wait - what? A Pink Floydian bridge into the coda? Wow! The Sun Machine is coming down and it joined a religious cult and it wants you to believe! Alright well, this is amazing.

If you have any love for this record, and aren’t one of those people who think remixing is akin to spray painting over the Mona Lisa, GET THIS. You’ll be surprised and touched by it, I guarantee. Hearing these voices swirl and smear at the end of this record makes me feel like Tony Visconti made this for David, his friend, and we just get to enjoy it too. Tony captured lightning in a bottle with this work here. Having access to original track stems included unused music, and the privilege of being there for the recording sessions so long ago, he’s in a literally singular position to rebuild and reinterpret these songs from scratch in a way that would be impossible for anyone else, even if they had the access to the masters that this requires.

I think one of the reasons I love it so much is that it lays bare the importance of mixing and mastering to the artwork itself, and Tony’s voice is all over this. And unsurprisingly, it’s a voice filled with genuine emotion and reverence for his friend. Space Oddity blows me away. For a song that is SO well known to fans and otherwise, one that is intimately mapped on our minds, it’s just remarkable that he can mine, find, and yank this sort of soaring majesty out of well-trodden aural paths. It’s just a wonder, and without hesitation my favorite version of the song. It’s absolutely perfect. His use of modern delays made me nervous with Lodger (I’ve since warmed to them) but in the context of this lead off track, they are just... yeah. David’s still around.

From the dizzying psychedelia of Unwashed, to the chiming percussive harmonics flittering like butterflies all over Letter To Hermione, to the brilliant inclusion and interpretation of the deeply lovely Conversation Piece, to the closing triumphant aural densities of Memory Of A Free Festival, this record is a masterful window into the genius of music itself. But the fact that it shows off Tony’s skill without feeling arrogant or showy at all is just wild. Work like this is risky, and guaranteed to smack a glowing target on your back from the “why-do-we-need-this-cash-grab” crowd - so I’m impressed with his ability to honor the art and the artist in this way, and to respect the impressive craft of audio and sound studio science. He’s one of the Masters of the craft and this is Legacy work. A gift and a treasure.

I liked the style of X/Y but I don't think it'd fit a LoZ game. I have entirely forgotten the looks of whatever came after. A Link between Worlds was... I won't say ugly because I do like it but, different. It was clearly the new version of aLttPs style, and that alone was enough for me to like the style. And the Maiamai were so cute, the annoying little brats. Getting themselves stuck in hard to reach places and crying about it. (1/5)

i liked the x/y overworld look, but to me all the 3d pokemon models just have this... lifeless quality to them or something, idk how to explain it. tbh it’s weird bc it’s gamecube but i liked how the pokemon looked in pokemon xd: gale of darkness lol. they actually look like they’re solid and a part of the environment they’re in. maybe it’s bc nintendo hasn’t updated the 3d models in a while that makes them look pasted in to me, i’m not sure. again, i liked the albw overworld look (and it was cool how they did the slanted top-down perspective in 3d!), but i thought the cutscenes looked a little goofy bc of the character models. but yeah i love those maiamai, i would die for their annoying asses fdkjsghkf

I know there’s a map for LoZ1 in Hyrule Historia, I’ve used it before. My mom got me LoZ2 when it was rereleased for the GBA, I played once. I do like the odd references to the game, such as the names and ‘it’s a secret to everybody’ but my do I dislike the game itself. I was alive when the 3rd and 4th games were released but only just. My mom bought a SNES when I was like 5 and I've been hooked on LoZ since. It's been a while... (2/5) 

aww, it’s so cool that your mom got you into zelda! my first video game was pokemon sapphire on the gba sp (it was a blue one). my mom learned to play pokemon so that she could help me when i got frustrated :’) and now she plays animal crossing so i help her with that. i’m glad i played zelda ii bc completion and the references are cool, but yeah it was just like, too hard in a not-fun way, but in that how-did-that-even-hit-me way lol. i don’t play very “hard” games tbh (maybe hollow knight? idk if people find that hard), but with most newer games the difficulty is intentional and not caused by the engine being weird (cough super mario sunshine). i like that nintendo games are so accessible, that you can decide whether to take on additional challenges or not

If it was about making clear they were just infected they should have altered the first and fourth boss too, but they didn’t. I do remember people saying Goht and Gyorg were very difficult and with the time limit it was a bit of a hard task. Their dungeons weren’t the easiest either, especially the water temple was a maze. But the original battles were so much more fun because they were hard, so I’m still bitter. Also, nostalgia. (3/5)

i think that’s fair, to me the boss battles didn’t leave that much of an impression, but if i had grown up with mm i’d probably notice the difference. like, i get why they didn’t actually render all the friend areas in the new pokemon mystery dungeon remake, but for me i remember being little playing it and i loved going through the actual camps seeing my teammates. so just having a menu feels like a letdown. nostalgia’s a valid reasoning tool imo and it is weird that they didn’t change the first and fourth bosses

Honestly, I would hate for LoZ to go actually realistic. While I love the way the FFVII remake looks I can’t imagine LoZ like that. But if it’s Zelda I’ll play anything once no matter how ugly I think it is. Nintendo doesn’t seem to have any plans for a new console yet so we might be in luck. Personally I’d rather have SS or the Oracle games rather than TP but they do love TP the most. It’s already been released for three consoles so what’s one more, right? (4/5)

honestly same. i know some people really want it, but for me hyrule warriors is abt as “realistic” as i want zelda to look (and i thought the twilight realms looked really cool in that game. i’d just make them slightly less colorful for an actual tp remake). i’d like it if nintendo focused on remakes for a while during this pandemic... i could be wrong but i’d think remakes are less work than a brand new game from scratch. ss and the oracle games are so underappreciated :’( idk how they’d have to reconfigure the motion controls for ss but i’d love to see it in hd. and the oracle games could be combined somehow... we’ll see. that one picture of mario in shorts eating a watermelon made everyone jump to sunshine remake, we’re all so desperate lmao

For BotW, I do hope it won’t be the whole game with Link and Zelda. Part of the ‘epicness’ of the games for me comes from the whole doing it alone. I’d love for the dragons to play a bigger part, of even for their existence to be explained. Ganon looks a lot like the WW zombies though, and those are even worse than the OoT ones. So I’d really rather not. But yeah, pulling whatever he is now from wherever he is now will probably involve loads of redeads. Woe is me. - Pokenon (5/5)

agreed! i still really want playable zelda, and i’m mainly a zelink fan lol so i like seein em together, but having zelda around the whole time would kind of kill the vibe bc every two seconds i’d be like “look at how cute she is!!” so i’m curious how it’ll play out. i’d like to see parts of the game with them together bc the only other game that did that was spirit tracks (also underrated...), but i feel like they’ll be separated somehow. i definitely wanna see more of the dragons. and tbh it does seem like we’ll be getting some undead action, i’m sorry. u can do it, i believe in u

also this is unrelated but a question for ALL the nintendo ladies out there: who do you wanna see in smash?

senhora crocordile (is that partly correct?), i recently found a sadly now-inactive blog called fyeahchildrenofhurin which had lots of older posts you made about COH. i've always thought COH was underrated in silm fandom, and i think it's because the long version's a lot better than the chapter in the silm, the characters are much more alive and rounded. but i was wondering if you can specify better than me some of the things in COH that are lost in the short version?

1) it’s correct and i appreciate the effort (even if it makes me feel oooold hahahahaha)

2) GOD do I miss that blog!!! We used to have a slightly bigger CoH crew around a few years ago (slightly, like, maybe two other people hyperfocused on that book besides me and swampdiamonds) :’(

3) OH MY GOD, so MUCH! A lot of people actually read and liked the book, but they don’t seem to feel invited to come and meddle with this story and these characters, or to even get that invested in them emotionally even if they love them, or the story. I theorize that it comes at least partially from Túrin not being the most charming or relatable protagonist… Or maybe because the story actually feels sort of complete… Who knows!

It has been my long held dream to read all three published versions (in the Silmarillion, in the Unfinished Tales and in the Children of Húrin) at the same time and map the different information we get , but right now I don’t have time to start that project :’( Maybe in january during my summer vacation?

Still, I can pretty safely say that the biggest differences are a) in the actual dialogues and b) in the background information given, especially (iirc) regarding Túrin’s infancy (the most important difference, IMO), Morwen’s and Nienor’s stay in Doriath, and Túrin’s ill-fated return to Dor-Lómin.  Dor-Cuarthol, Túrin in Nargothrond(to a degree) and Túrin and Nienor in Brehtil are, if I’m not mistaken, the parts the Silm version focuses on the most? Which is mostly Túrin-as-a-foreigner, (almost) making a place for himself somewhere where he doesn’t seem to belong. Túrin’s infancy and Túrin’s return to Dor-Lómin round up that ‘exile’ arc pretty nicely by showing where he comes from, a “belonging” counterpoint to his “not belonging”, and make the whole ‘exile’ aspect weight more by actually making it real, showing the changing of the land as something traumatic - and not just to Túrin. Also I’ve rambled a lot about Túrin’s scene with Aerin before, but I really think it’s an extremely important scene thematically, not just because I really love it but because something very important about the narrative gets resolved there (the impossibility of returning, Túrin’s failure as the heir to the house of Hador, the reader feeling the weight and reality of the death of the Hadorian Dor-Lómin, etc..)

As for the women’s stay in Doriath, I’m not gonna say I think it brings new elements into the thematic narrative as much as it just… enriches the book a LOT, especially when it comes to Morwen. She’s great in the silm, but more like… an idea of baddass, like so many other Edain. And then in the CoH she absolutely comes alive and is given a lot of depth and nuance, to the point where she really only shows up twice in the narrative? In the beginning and later on in Doriath? Iirc? And still comes off as one of the most memorable characters in the book, and that alone would make me love the book hahaha. I really wish we could have seen more of Nienor, though. 

don't be sorry!! it's been fun lmao i'm very grateful for your part in this

SADHLG i've started writing notes in my planner abt who i'm talking to bc i swear i'll forget otherwise. it's a little sad bc it's such a small thing but. i will forget. (yEAH where are all the boys??? we could have had so much more of them. also it's been years since i read the books but i'm ~80% sure we do get little updates on the other boys.)

YEAH i can only look at listings online rn so it feels kind of futile but eh. i'm getting well acquainted with the area on maps i guess. and the room aesthetic is important!!! we spend most of our time there so ofc it has to be great

YES THE SPREADSHEET ahaha i'm glad you liked my contribution. i love seeing things like this bc it reminds me how hq has so many unique characters and that they're all loved by someone and it makes my heart vv full. so pLEASE give updates. (also, after more reflection yamaguchi has SHOT up my faves list like i want to be his friend but also i'd have a crush on him asjklfh ignore me pls, a bunch of headcanons made me realize that he's v similar to a guy i used to like and it spiraled)

-🍁

crying in the club :')) again v glad you're here ooo 💓💓

THAT'S SMART maybe i should start doing that too hmmm (i told myself i'd read the books when i saw the first movie but realistically idk if i ever will tbh but we'll see!!)

oh i feel 😩😩 YES lmao i keep checking the walking distance or drive to places in the area haha. and you're right heheh 😈😈 rn i'm thinking a sage green neutrals vibe for mine but still thinking about it

i think that's one of my favorite things about hq!! lol i saw a tiktok and they were like 'it has every boy. there's a guy for every season. one for every day of the week' and the aCCURACY AKJDHD. i will absolutely give updates 😌😌 (AS. HE. SHOULD. YESS he is very underrated imo. also the same thing happened to me w kuroo in the beginning i saw the similarities w a previous guy i liked and i was just 🤨🤨🤔🤔)

NESMaker’s Byte Off 19

Byte Off 19 is officially done and I am very happy to have been a part of it.  Here is a break down of the demos that were made available.

Airboat Apocalypse -Great combo of race against the clock arcade action and world map exploration in a monster swamp. Renegades Mountain Showdown -A very unique and humorous mix of fantasy and everyday life in this solid top down adventure. Time Survivor -Deserved award winner with excellent art, and a massive world and original story that will keep you exploring for answers in a "virtual" world. To The Ends Of The Earth -Deserved award winner with a very detailed and stylistic high fantasy adventure that will tug at your heart strings. Fight of the Phoenix -Exciting, crystal punching action with beautiful artwork. March of the Minotaurs -Maze games are always classic and MotM is a solid contender. Dodge the monsters, get the star, it doesn't get old. Llamagade -Action platformer demo with the wildest attack move :D Shaolin Squirrel -Tiny character, big moves. I really wish there was more of it. Hazard: Let Us Out -What's going on with the machines at work? Dodge and deliver bullets while searching for answers. Pizza Party! A proper party game with a solid co-op mechanic that's unique both on and off the NES. Dimension Shift -Gorgeous award winner that puts even official NES games to shame. Flea! -Probably the longest "Demo" in the collection? Level after level of tough as nails platforming and it never gets old. Diablobetes -Classic, addictive, arcade maze action with a great sense of humor. Nix -Truly underrated sci-fi, action/adventure with a one of a kind special move system and a vast world to explore. Dummy Duck 7 -A humorous adventure demo with such strong characters that I keep wanting to call it an RPG. 40 Thieves -A skillful Arabian arcade platformer that will steal your whole afternoon if you let it. Miner -Tiny player makes for a great big platformer. The Delivery -Probably the fastest paced game in the collection. Stay in the lines to collect and deliver packages. Simple and addictive. SpaceVania -A deceptive title in more than one way. Almost a winner for creepiest monster. Hey Reset -Quality all around in this striking minimalist, cartoony, platformer with a great soundtrack. Nessy The NES Robot -If your nostalgia strings haven't been pulled yet, Nessy will be the platformer to do it. Attack of the Gummy Bears -Hardcore vertical platforming. Very solid game if you have the skills. Time Chaser -Another unsung entry with impressive mechanics not seen natively in the NESMaker software. Doodle Land -A simple sketchpad theme executed well and taken as far as it can go. A definite fan favorite. Twilight Of Powers -Amazing creature designs in this dark and creepy action platformer. Eternal Prelude -A challenging dark and sombre fantasy that will draw you to try and try again to coax its secrets from a decrepit castle. Spacepunk'd -The funkiest neon sci-fi shooter. Underground Adventure -The game that gave us all proper two player capabilities. Kubo 2 -A pyramid adventure with many secrets and power ups. This simple game will surprise you with its depth. Silver Island -Heavy metal monster hunting action with multiple weapons and flip flip flip! Turtle Rescue: Unhatched -IMO this was the most polished and complete "demo". Adventure, power ups, puzzles, collectibles, and a boss rush all in a tight narrative about saving turtle eggs from crabs. Buttons that change function depending on what you're interacting with, whoa. Artix -Feel almighty as you hunt dragons and monsters with your gargantuan axe. Happy Scrappy and the Haunted Mansion -Cute, creepy, and a bit psychedellic. This extensive platformer pushes a few boundaries. Jane Jones, Poet Detective -Nesmaker's groundbreaking point and click inspired adventure. By and and for literature lovers! Bohpoli! - Magical Warps -Definitely one of the most stand out titles with amazing art and challenging puzzle platform gameplay that breaks all the rules. Space Raft -Fuel your van with hamburgers in this detailed post-apocalyptic runner. Pingback -A maze adventure to get lost in.  One key, many doors, can you find your way out.  Or, is that really all that your supposed to be doing here? Hmmm. Jelly Jam'd -Capture the jelly fish. This stylistic shooter should have got the cutest content award. From pixels to buttons, everything in this demo chirps fun. Xeno Creeps -Fantastic and unique arcade action, blast hopping enemy to enemy. Ski Pirates -The title still makes me wonder what could have been. Harry Dwarf -A bad joke made into a gorgeous and addictive puzzle platformer. Shadow -Collect cats in this quality, black and white, classic, platformer. Adventures of Eldorin -Traverse the kingdom to find the cure for your beloved. Closeout -A great start on an Atari port. Bogen -Rock solid, pixel perfect platforming. Made by and for nostalgia. Soko Banana -The most polished puzzle demo with amazing art, animation, and box pushing game play that we all want more of it. HammerSmack! -The title is also the gameplay, and it smacks so well! Swamp Donkey -Cutest main character? An adventure to discover what's going down in your swamp... with rockets! Office Hero -Pick-up-and-play stealth game that will keep you entertained for hours finding all the endings. Grave Adventure -Purple never looked so good. An edgy platformer with loads of style. Page Turner -Explore this classic adventure island to witness the actual creepiest character of all the contest entries. Pandora's Blocks -By NESMaker developers, for NESMaker developers. Project Kunoichi -More than meets the eye in this action platformer with stealth elements. Nezumi -Amazingly detailed, cinematic, samurai fantasy, action platformer. Momoc -Well deserved award winner that shocked us all with it's well executed resource management puzzles. Witch City -Fight creepy monsters while exploring the city in this fantastic, gritty, action adventure. Pink Fucking Face -The only other adventure maze game that I would still be trying to find the exit to if the dev didn't admit that it wasn't complete. Possibly the most expressive main character of the lot. Dragon Master -Defeat monster after crazy monster in this kung-fu action demo. Shokan Doro -One of my personal favorite epic samurai adventures. Windermere -Classic haunted mansion horror adventure with an in-depth story and creepy vibes all around.

Fandom song animatic tournament: Side A Round 2

Open Up Your Eyes - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

"Open up your eyes See the world from where I stand Me among the mighty You caged at my command Open up your eyes Give up your sweet fantasyland It's time to grow up and get wise Come now little one Open up your eyes"

Ready as I'll ever be - Tangled the series

"Now it's time to step up or it's time to back down And there's only one answer for me And I'll stand up and fight 'cause I know that I'm right And I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready Ready as I'll ever be"

Remember that we're voting on how Iconic they are for ANIMATICS, not for the song itself. In order to make things fair, the tone and mood of the song should not affect how iconic it is (for example, a serious song should not be considered more iconic than a joke song just because it's serious)

Propaganda and animatic links of the songs under the cut:

Open Up Your Eyes - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Propaganda:

The older, jaded villain both goading--and trying to offer a kindness to--the young hero by telling them what the world is really like. The villain feels trapped by their traumatic experience and wants to spare the protagonist the pain of finding out firsthand, but the world is more vast than the villain realizes, and the protagonist can open up THEIR eyes. Bro....

Fits with tragic villains, anti-heroes or AUs where the hero lost their friends

Animatics with the song:

Star Vs The Forces Of Evil

Steven Universe

The Owl House Hunter Animatic

Welcome Home

Boku No Hero Villain Deku Animatic

FNAFHS

Ready as I'll ever be - Tangled the series

Propaganda:

I can list at least three full animatics for this song for every major fandom I have ever been a part of, and still it's so hard to find them because there are so goddamn many

It's an absolute banger from the absolute King Alan Menken, originally from the pretty underrated Tangled the Series. I've seen animatics for this for like every fandom I can think of, and it deserves it because it slaps and has great vocal performances from Jeremy Jordan and Eden Espinosa.

i'm pretty sure this song is more well known than the show it came from is lol. i looked up "ready as i'll ever be animatic" on youtube just to confirm and counted 20+ of them, and i didn't even finish scrolling. it is a genuinely really good song from a /surprisingly/ good show that imo is super underrated. i definitely would recommend checking it out if you get the opportunity!

it's a fandom song that transcended its fandom and became a hit for twist villains.

The song really fosters creativity with how many animatics can create a darker AU where the usual protagonist (or a close associate) is made to be the antagonist because of injustice suffered and the other characters have to fight against them

I've seen *at least* one animatic of this song in almost every fandom I've looked into

It has a lot of Animaniacs because it is sung by an ensemble cast It is good for demonstrating a lot of different conflicting perspectives of characters for your big dramatic fight and its catchy and I love it

I mean everyone loves a scenario where one of the main cast becomes a villain for tragic reasons and the rest of the characters have to fight them while dealing with the betrayal and attempting to make them see reason

How in the actual hell does a song from a Tangled spinoff series go this spectacularly hard? More to the point, how does it have an animatic/AMV for practically EVERY FANDOM IN EXISTENCE?! Yeah, most people know it from that one Warrior Cats MAP, but there is SO much more. Not to mention the bucketloads of people who used this song for their own OCs, which is always a bonus.

Animatics with the song:

Star Vs The Forces Of Evil

Miraculous Ladybug

Sander Sides

Danganronpa V3 fantasy AU

BNHA Villain Deku Animatic

DSMP

Please be cautious and read the title, description and warning cards on the animatic videos if you decide to watch them. If you've got specific triggers I'd recommend even more caution when watching animatics of fandoms you don't know, since sometimes canon-typical themes don't get warnings.

Please keep in mind that I don't know all the media and fandoms of the animatics provided as examples and I don't have the time (nor the will) to research them all. Don't come into my notes or my ask box complaining about them being included, I will simply block you. If a ship animatic included is about an adult and a minor, do tell me and I'll take it out of the post

ALSO keep in mind that I don't know all the artists submitted; in fact, even if I do know them I do not know absolutely nothing about them as people (I do not have twitter nor tiktok) and I could not POSSIBLY have the time to research ALL of the artists' controversies and what came of them so PLEASE don't flood my inbox with the artists' entire crime list.