Quick dooble as celebration of catching back up with Pyroclasm by @aceofintuition go read etc etc!!!

Hi!! I saw you've been reblogging OTH and remembered that I have so many UOs about that show! I was hoping to confess them to you and would obviously love to hear yours as well if you're comfortable sharing! A few: I hate Leyton, don't think they have any chemistry and they bring out the worst, most unhappy sides of each other - i like ships who have similarities but these two are alike in the worst ways that just bring out each other's flaws. And the attempt to show Leyton being more playful and carefree once they were together just felt so forced and unnatural that it was cringey. I LOVED Jeyton and think that ship brings out by far the happiest and best Peyton and love how Peyton makes carefree goofy Jake deeper - they're perfect for each other. I love Brucas despite not liking the love triangle or really Lucas in general with anyone other than Brooke. Despite season 2 being Naley's worst season, I really love it -mostly because of Brooke's growth, Jeyton, Brucas developing such a deep friendship etc. And finally even though I really wanted to love Brulian I just don't - something about the writing and acting for Julian doesn't work for me AT ALL, he came off like such a sleazy, slick jerk initially and then they tried too hard to make him endearingly dorky and neither persona felt authentic, and he and Brooke just felt so forced to me. We all want to see Brooke get the happily ever after she deserved but it just feels so unearned and unnatural to me and I swear I'm not saying that just because I love Brucas's dynamic! Also regarding Clay and Quinn---the Clay forgetting he had a son thing was insane even for this show and just has me genuinely worried for his stability going forward and Quinn kind of came off like a vapid moron to me not gonna lie lol. Okay, thank you SOOOOO much for letting me vent these to you - it was the OTH-themed therapy I couldn't afford! And despite all this I still love the show and may even start a blog about it lol. You're the best :)

LOL thank you for feeling comfortable sharing all of that with me!

First of all, I pretty much agree about Leyton. They're one of my least favorite ships of all time for a reason. I could understand the appeal back in season 1 and even think they had a smidgen of chemistry back then. But later, absolutely not. The narrative deviated too far away from the idea that Lucas and Peyton were supposed to end up together. Lucas had a big crush on Peyton and was very into the idea of her. But after deciding he wanted to become a better guy and getting to know both girls as a friend, he realized he was in love with Brooke. It's never made ANY sense to me in universe that Lucas would decide to go for the much more difficult option of winning back Brooke over trying again with Peyton if his heart wasn't 100% with Brooke. So by the time the story started to change in season 4, it felt abrupt and unbelievable for Lucas to be "in denial" about his true feelings. Even worse, they played out the exact same story beats in season 5 when the triangle was between Peyton and Lindsey. So, does breaking up with Peyton result in Lucas becoming so distraught that his feelings for her go in the proverbial vault where he genuinely believes they're not there anymore, only for them to come out at just the right, convenient moment? Or does Lucas use Peyton as his easy, backup plan and only passively return to "true love always" when he has no other option and feels she's waited long enough? Anyways, I completely agree about Lucas and Peyton bringing out each other's worst qualities. I strongly feel that they become the worst, most selfish versions of themselves when they're together. They are incapable of getting their shit together without emotionally devastating other people in the process. And by late season 3, Peyton is such a lesser version of who she used to be in service of her being the ideal person for Lucas. Like, the idea that Brooke is becoming more independent and maybe not relying as much on Lucas's physical presence is supposed to signal alarm bells ringing that she doesn't love him enough? But Peyton's love is true because the writers constantly stick her into situations where the prince has to save the damsel in distress? It really does Peyton a disservice. It's okay to desire love and to want someone who will care for you and have your back when you need them, but Peyton's life always takes such a depressing turn right around the time she decides she wants Lucas. Ex: attempted rape, Ellie's death, school shooting, not being successful in LA. The problem with LP is that they were such an angsty couple to begin with. That's where they thrived. Whenever their relationship became more happy and cheesy, the chemistry was completely off. Whatever the opposite of natural chemistry is, that's what they had.

I don't have much to add about Brucas and Jeyton, but I feel the same way. I feel like their love stories were well written during seasons 2 and 3 and even parts of season 1. The chemistry between both was undeniable, and Brooke and Jake brought out much more likable, more selfless sides of Lucas and Peyton.

YES. I'm a big fan of season 2. While not every aspect of it was the best, the highs outweighed the lows for me. Almost all of the episodes are watchable and have great moments in them that don't detract from them. In my opinion, season 4, in contrast, is actively more bad than good up until 409, and overall has a much different tone from the first three seasons. Both Brooke and Peyton suffer from awful writing, and Haley is pushed into the background during her own pregnancy to focus almost exclusively on Nathan.

I get what you mean. I haven't gotten to the Julian years on my current rewatch, but they never grabbed me the way Brucas did. The chemistry was just.. lesser. It's no one's fault. You can't predict which actors are going to pop on screen. It makes sense that Brooke's chemistry and relationship with Julian would feel more comfortable and sweet rather than passionate and intense. But at the same time, I don't root for them as much as I'd like to for those exact reasons. I feel like when Brucas was at their best, none of Brooke's other relationships could come close. Julian's writing was odd. He's actively a different character in season 6 compared to seasons 8 and 9. I really wish he hadn't been introduced as Peyton's former love interest. That wasn't needed.

As for Clay and Quinn, I'm mostly neutral on Quinn as a character and their relationship. But I agree that Clay forgetting he had a child was A LOT. They could have easily adopted a child together, but instead they decided Clay needed a long lost child with his dead wife. The only reason they halfway got away with that is because Logan was by far the cutest kid alive.

You should definitely start an OTH blog! I'd follow you. <3

Unpopular opinions:

I could never hate or resent Haley for the tour. I think the writing surrounding all of that was incredibly sexist and kind of manipulative so that it would be in Nathan's favor rather than Haley's. We spent so much time on his perspective and his depression over the whole thing, but pretty much no screen time was devoted to Haley's time on the tour or what her conflicting feelings were re: Nathan and her marriage until she came home at the end of the season. There were different ideas offered up in regards to Haley/Chris. One was that she was simply envious of his freedom to pursue his dreams. Another is that Haley had genuine romantic feelings for Chris and was lying to herself for obvious reasons. I don't feel like any of that was given any closure.

I actively ignore the Brooke/Nathan sex tape. It was painfully clear the retcon was only added in to let Peyton (and Lucas) off the hook for betraying Brooke a second time and to conveniently "even the score" while making it appear Brooke had been a hypocrite all along.

Peyton confessing to Brooke that she still had feelings for Lucas wasn't noble, and her behavior after Brooke became hurt and angry to the point of asking Brooke whether or not she loved Lucas makes it clear that at least subconsciously, Peyton wasn't saying what she said solely to be honest and clear the air.

I shipped Haley and Chris a little bit. I'm so happy they never got together because it would have ruined everything, but there were vibes there.

I liked Alex better than Mia.

I love Rachel and think the writers did her SO dirty.

Deb was cringy after season 1. She still had good moments and I know that professionally, Barbara preferred her work as later Deb, but I always preferred the Deb that somewhat had her shit together. Later on, it felt like she was turned into too much of an anti Karen.

Anna was a good character. She was just awkwardly paired with Lucas and attached to Felix - who was the WORST.

So I guess my unpopular opinions are that I love most of the female characters? Even Peyton, even though it probably didn't come across that way LOL

💞💞💞💞 give me them all pls and thanks

ethan

the love language my muse receives love in

Probably quality time? He just wants to be in the same room as the people he cares about. And then second would be words of affirmation. Ethan likes to take people at their word, so if you say you love him...

the love language my muse expresses love in

Hmm. Quality time still, and then maybe physical touch? Those two are always tough to separate because physical touch implies quality time, but I guess it's sort of his secondary expressive language?

how demonstrative my muse is with love

Not terribly tbh? He's pretty consistent, though--I don't want to say routine per se because that has a negative connotation, but there will just be a steady stream of small ways he expresses love.

one random love-language related headcanon

Ethan is definitely a person who does the "I saw this and thought of you," kind of gift giving. He doesn't overthink presents at all! Just buys anything that makes his brain go "they would like this." This can be a strength or a weakness.

sonia

the love language my muse receives love in

I know I've said Sonia's love language is all of them (and it is) but if I had to pick two that are the most, it'd be physical touch and words of affirmation. She does definitely do all of the love languages well but those are probably her top most preferred two.

the love language my muse expresses love in

Again, all. If I had to pick two, physical touch and acts of service? She's affectionate, and if you're away from her, she's going to try to make your life easier.

how demonstrative my muse is with love

Extremely! She loves love; she loves being in love; she's gonna shout it from the rooftops, etc. etc. etc.

one random love-language related headcanon

Oooh, hm. She's the kind of person who loves personality quizzes and loves making other people take personality quizzes so she probably has all her SO's take the love languages one online to figure out their love language.

wynter

the love language my muse receives love in

Hmm idk. Maybe acts of service, maybe physical touch. It very much depends on her mood.

the love language my muse expresses love in

Quality time/physical touch and words of affirmation. When Wyn loves someone, she's very physically affectionate with them.

how demonstrative my muse is with love

She's just touchy, but it's often little things like resting her hand lightly against yours or leaning so your legs touch. Subtle touches. Beyond that, idk that she's very demonstrative.

one random love-language related headcanon

Wyn is equally touchy with her platonic/familial loves as she is with her romantic loves so Julian would not be the first person who thought she thought of him as a friend when in fact she had Feelings (tm)

astrid

the love language my muse receives love in

I think at the end of the day Astrid is a quality time person, maybe with an honorable mention for acts of service/gifts?

the love language my muse expresses love in

Acts of service or gifts. They're a big time "I saw this and thought of you" person or a "I did this for you" person.

how demonstrative my muse is with love

Very not-demonstrative. She has a hard time remembering that thinking of someone isn't the same as talking to them...

one random love-language related headcanon

Astrid doesn't really recognize how much they want/need quality time, so for them it'll be like "I was in such a shitty mood all day and I was alone and then I ran into you and now I feel so much better isn't that weird?" without connecting the dots there at all.

The dialect quiz is actually pretty good! Got me to within 20 miles of home and I havent lived there for 20 years by now.... I was interested in your definition of northern England English, which many writers do often use indiscriminately for tv etc but I have less qualms about (posh southern) julian fellowes using it because it was 100 years ago so obviously people would talk differently

they did a really good job!!!! you guys have a lot more englishes over there because you've been talking in the same places for longer so it is easier to pinpoint where you started talking 😈

for a lay audience for simplicity's sake, when i say "northern england english" i'm mainly referring to the englishes spoken in the modern political boundary area from the southernmost borders of yorkshire and lancashire up to the scottish border, excluding the isle of man, especially by middle and working class speakers

but, as i think you are getting at, there is a TON of variation in this area and you can't really define it as One English beyond a surface level because, like i said and like you said, in the british isles in general you can ascribe unique linguistic features to a very specific area and sometimes they can be pretty wildly different, usually completely independent of modern political boundaries

but it IS more simple to draw the lines of where the Groups Of Englishes begin and end. not Simple just more simple, like in the area i mentioned there are enough common linguistic features, many around vowel sounds, that are unique from the south and moooost of the midlands, such that you can group those together coherently

in linguistic terminology, you define language areas using an isogloss, which is an imaginary line where, for example, most people on one side pronounce rhotic/r sounds after a vowel and most people on the other side don't.

there are a few of these people look at for northern england englishes, one good example is the trap/bath split isogloss. if you learned how to speak english north of this imaginary line you probably pronounce the vowel in those words differently than if you learned how to speak south of it. this line actually goes through the midlands, which is also true of the foot-strut vowel distinction isogloss

that said, that vowel distinction is less reliable these days bc, 1, language changes all the time, and 2, especially w/ stigmatized language varieties you tend to see change as standardization toward the prestige variety, so some of the distinguishing features of 100 years ago don't exist much anymore

the really fun thing about downton abbey and i think what must have been a good challenge for their dialect coach, is, you have many northern actors who speak w/ local accents, some of which are stronger than others, and you want to take advantage of that where you can so broadly you will encourage people to keep using them

but there are some changes that have happened in language over time that can be reflected too, and those have to be coached, but you also need to keep in mind that this has to be comprehensible across multiple english speaking markets worldwide so you can't go Too historically accurate or a lot of it would be very tough to understand even for modern speakers of e.g. yorkshire english(es), and SIMULTANEOUSLY there is historical context about working in service and the effort people put into changing their speech for their jobs, so... it's just a lot of layers! cool to implement. and like i said in my thomas post a lot of it seems to come down to direction and/or actor choice, jf didn't always include northernisms in the script where they appear in the show

I Just Think It's Neat

idk if this touches on what you were getting at sjjfjd but thank you for the ask either way!!!

Main 6 as affectionate cuddles. What would they coo while they hold mc? How tight? Is mc allowed out of their arms?

Now this,, this is the shit I like brother, thank you for your request dawg! I actually had loads of fun writing this

Asra:

- if it’s one of those days where you two are okay with being joined, you bet Faust is cuddling with you both! she’s probably right by your head, body totally curled up, and has her head on your shoulder

- considering its no secret they’re blatantly the romantic type, they whisper mounds of sweet nothings in your ear

- (just like the switch they are) they can switch between being the big and little spoon, although they prefer being the big spoon so you’re trapped in their strong embrace, but don’t worry, it’s a gentle squeeze, they wouldn’t ever hurt you

- things such as “How did I get so lucky to end up with such an angel?” and “I’ll never be able to comprehend that the love of my life is truly mine.” they’re kinda extra with it, but it’s all in the name of proclaiming their endless love for you

- they trail soft little kisses along your forehead, cheeks and nose if they’re able to reach, the tip of your ear, wherever they can reach they’re smoochin’ it up

- you aren’t allowed to leave their arms for hOUUUURS, unless you absolutely HAVE to (a meet up with someone, work, etc.), considering they’re naturally very touch starved and crave long, (schlongs) affectionate moments with the love of their life very frequently, they want you to be in arm’s reach for as long as possible

Nadia:

- much like Asra, she enjoys going all out with what she whispers to you, thinking carefully as to what she plans to say next. More often than not her words grow dirtier and dirtier every time she whispers something against your hair, but that’s a bullet for another time

- if you two are spooning she is always the big spoon, unless you’re taller than her, then that’s the only acceptional term

- she tells you how beautiful you are, and how you’ll always be the only one for her, how you’ve made her life so much better since you first came into it, and continue to praise you and comment every other sentence about how you’re a sight for sore eyes, etc.

- you aren’t leaving her grasp for anything, don’t even try to ask or wiggle away, her grip gets even tighter

Bonus, Devil! Nadia: 

- if you’re okay with it and y’all are both horny, you bet she’s going to start muttering some dirty shit in your ear while she touches you in all the right places that you like, avoiding giving attention to the one place you need it most, and by god this woman doms you HARD that night WHEW, have fun lounging in bed and being pampered half to death by servants

Julian:

- just like the devs themselves said, he’s most of the time (I know majority of y’alls apprentices are short mfs don’t even try me there) physically the big spoon, but he’s emotionally a little spoon, so please, PLEASE, if your MC is tall enough (such as my 6′2 boy Luther) let him be the little spoon sometimes or all the time, it’s all he asks 

- however when he is in fact, the big spoon, his noodle legs and arms are coiled around you so tightly, because he’s shamelessly in constant fear of losing you (again) someday, and he also doesn’t want to let you go, so

- Juju is one affectionate dude so although he’s probably the type to make sweet little comments while you two are out and about or through song form, he isn’t opposed to telling you how grateful he is that you’re in his life, and will go as far as to say he’s excited for the future of your relationship

- if you want out of his lanky limbs you better have a GOOD reason to want to leave, otherwise it’s an immediate sleepy “mmmmm five more minutes”

Portia:

- she is the little spoon she is the little spoon sHE IS THE LITTLE SPOON SHE IS THE LITTLE SPOOOOOON!!!

- unless you’re shorter than 5′1, or she’s in a mood for being the big spoon, that’s her only exceptions bc she’s small bottom lady who needs comfort after a long day of working at the palace

- she is probably giggling a little now and then, especially if you’re whispering sweet nothings in HER ear

- there’s no point in whispering if it’s not going directly into your ear so she’ll probably give you a five page essay on how much she loves you while stroking your arms around her beautiful self

- unless you absolutely have to go, or she herself needs to get up for one reason or another, she wants to lay there until you both fall asleep, and believe me, it’ll happen MAAAANY times

Muriel:

- unless you’re seven fucking feet tall he’s basically always the big spoon, unless you’re CLOSE in his height and have long ass fucking limbs because otherwise uhhh, good luck even attempting to be the big spoon lmao

- he’s not really used to the whole “whispering sweet nothings to your lover” deal but after a long time of being with you, giving him the opportunity to get more comfortable around none other than his lovely MC, he gives it a go, but it’s more like low grumbles about him being grateful that you love him and that you’re actually his, plus he’ll mumble an occasional “I love you” if he’s really soaking in the feels

- please tell him you love him back every now and then or let him know how you’re feeling because he doesn’t want to make you feel trapped or like you HAVE to stay there just because he wants you to

- dawg if you have to go he’s off you in half a second, but he himself is very hesitant to let go when he has to for his own purposes, the big guy wants his cuddles too once he gets used to your loving touches

Lucio:

- if you’re chill with it, Melchior and Mercedes ARE joining you both, no doubt about it, Squeezing in Lucio’s humungous fucking bed with you both (they try to smell ur asses too before passing out lol)

- however if it’s just you and guccio, he isn’t opposed to either position, both little or big spoon suit him well (we all know that, he may be a god at being a dom and topping the fuck out of his lover, he just needs to be pushed around to the point that he’s at your fucking service, so he secretly PREFERS being the little spoon but shh, don’t tell anyone or he’ll be embarrassed)

- he isn’t that great with being verbally affectionate so he’s more likely to describe your physical appearance in his perspective in ways that have you a blushing mess and hardly able to even form a sentence (interpret that how you’d like, who would I be to not slip in an opportunity for hinted nsfw?)

- he takes any sharp plates off his mechanical arm so he won’t hurt you or even risk hurting you, not his precious MC, no no no

- you’ll need to fight him in hand-to-hand combat before he lets you out of his grasp/lets you let go of him aside from using the restroom, if it’s matters he has the power to cancel/decline you access to attend you bet he’s ensuring you don’t leave

Community OC asks! What is some original lore you added to the Arcana-verse with your character? (locations, cultures, magic, etc) Tell us about it!

(Possibly spoilers!) Before the story takes place, Rue was one of the Travelling People, hence the unusual magical abilities - the Travelling People in this world, in my headcannon, have very versatile magics and tend not to specialise, though have been known to be particularly proficient in travelling the realms of the Arcana. Rue left their nomadic life behind to settle into Vesuvia and open the shop with Asra, but it’s always a part of them. The Travelling People prefer the term Witch to Magician, however in Vesuvia ‘Witch’ seems to be an insult, which is a pet peeve of Rue’s.

The Travelling People tend to travel in small groups, sticking to the more northerly places- they don’t always get along with the southern tribes. They can be unpopular in some places, as people don’t always understand their magic or ways of life, but in other places they are revered for their talents and their arrival in a place is celebrated. Most Travelling People have at least some magic, it’s well ingrained into their culture. They rarely trade in money either, preferring to exchange skills and services for favours, animals, food, and fine things.

Before their life in Vesuvia, Rue had a beautiful caravan and a horse, but they sold the horse to the palace where it had a luxurious new life, and they sold the caravan to an elderly retired couple who use it for holidays, which is how Rue pitched in for the shop.

Rue lost an eye during a magic experiment (to do with their work during the plague) and Asra helped them to make a lovely golden glass eye. It has no particular properties other than the gold looks liquid and swirly and is fun to gaze into. This suits Rue very nicely as they’re not really into direct eye contact, despite being a rather flamboyant extrovert they can be awkward when it comes to things like eye contact and personal space. Them and Julian make many jokes about not seeing eye to eye, and no one else finds it particularly funny 😌

Thanks for the ask! 💖

Hi! I saw your Arcana+Mobility Aids post and I was wondering ... could I request a headcanon? About the Apprentice is losing or has lost a heavy chunk of their eyesight? Or having irreparably blurred sight. Not necessarily an Apprentice that is completely blind but ... well, I've been having vision problems over the past year+ and I'm still trying to save my eyes. (If you can write one up, I'll use software to select and read the text back to me so I can listen to it instead of seeing. Thanks!)

No problem! I’ll try to make this so it sounds good in a robot-voice (and minimize emojis, for once)

Main 6 + MC with Vision Loss

Asra

Teaches you a bunch of charms and quick spells to help you get around

One makes anything with text automatically read itself, from books to menus to street signs

Another tells you the identity and color of things you cast it on

Always happy to describe things to you in elaborate detail (with no small amount of commentary - he’ll tell you all about the brilliant colors and graceful curves of the Southern Lights over the water...and how they glow just like your eyes)

Julian

If there’s anything that can be done for your sight, you’re already doing it. He’s more concerned with helping you manage what you’ve lost

You didn’t even realize the blurred vision was giving you headaches until he sat you down and started massaging your temples

He uses a touch of aromatherapy oil on your hair to help you relax, and reminds you to rest your eyes after long days

Loves playing music for you (and with you, if you play) and taking you to see little bands all over Vesuvia

Nadia

Picks out dates that aren’t visually-based, like going to the symphony instead of a play

It’s also a good excuse to have a spa day every other week; your eyes are covered during a massage, anyway

She really loves reading books together, curled up in the library with her head in your lap, reading aloud

Her favorite novels are comedies, because your laugh is so contagious - and she’ll do different, goofy voices for every character (but no one will ever believe you)

Muriel

He’s gonna have to get used to making more noise

You joke about putting a bell on him - he normally moves so quietly, you can’t keep track of him

When it’s just the two of you, he does a lot of talking - narrating what he’s doing, telling you stories, etc. - so you can still see him

Inanna always gives a little snort when she’s near you, so you know she’s there, and follows you around when you go into town

Portia

Pepi hates bells and always pulls them off, but she learns to make little sonar-peeps when you’re in the same room, so you always know where she is

Loves cooking with you; most of it’s muscle memory, anyway, and she swears you have the best palate of anyone she knows

Also picks up more knitting and sewing, and you build cuddle forts from the wacky, brightly-colored blankets you make together

Asks which eye is worse so she can get you a cool eyepatch. She ends up getting you two

Lucio

Even with a good chunk of vision lost, you can usually see him - loud, brightly-colored, one glowing arm - and if not, you can always hear him

It’s actually good practice for him to read things out loud to you (he learned Vesuvian mostly by ear), and it’s not like he has any shame doing it

Mercedes and Melchior are great hunting dogs. They’re not cut out to be service dogs

Camio is surprisingly helpful, though - he can’t read, but he has a big enough vocabulary he can point out things like “CART” and “STOP”, and he’ll follow you wherever you go

@starblazerm31 You asked about questions 10, 11, and 19. Here is my response! Thank you for creating this apprentice ask and being even more extra by asking a no name blog like me to answer some! It was a lot of fun and I hope I answered to your satisfaction. Some of these really made me have to think!

10. How often do they need to be intimate?

Physical intimacy is a constant. Odelia is touchy with people she loves, so if she can curl up on Julian’s lap while she reads or have any sort of skin contact, she’s happy. She’ll pepper Julian with kisses, hug him often, take piggy back rides for no other reason than she wants to cling, hold his hand when they walk, plays with his hair when it is in reach, etc. Though she’s small, she enjoys being the big spoon when they cuddle but will not argue if she ends up being the little spoon either.

Sexual intimacy doesn’t come as naturally to Odelia. She’s on the ace spectrum (more demi than ace probably), so her sexual appetite is low (not nonexistent, just low and can be easily ignored). It’s only an occasional itch she needs scratched and even then she’s picky about bedmates (just Julian). However, Julian is quite needy when it comes to this sort of affection though, and she has discovered that she’s very happy to oblige him in all his subby bottom needs. She mostly gets off getting Julian off and, though he’s always up to returning the favor, she’s not always interested in having services exchanged. So it’s a big treat when she’s in the mood to let him service her.

11. Have they ever fought?

In the beginning, no. Not because they never disagreed, but because Julian would give into her every word, worried about losing the relationship if he spoke up. Which was not the point of being in a relationship with her. Odelia had to work with Julian about voicing his opinion and that it would not destroy their relationship if they really were meant to be together. He had a say in the relationship (though she wasn’t always happy she had encouraged the behavior when they actually fought and he was pissing her off with his argument- especially if she was in the wrong and didn’t want to admit it). Always agreeing and being a happy couple that never fights or disagrees is an illusion. Healthy relationships have fights when opinions clash, but it was how they come to terms with the clash that makes or breaks a couple.

So now when they don’t agree, they actually discuss it, but there are the rare times where tempers flare and they full out shout at each other. And when they can’t come to a middle ground after a lot of arguing, either Julian’s sleeping on the couch (when Odelia is angry with him) or he is leaving to spend the night at Mazelinka’s (when he’s angry at her). Their tempers never stay flared very long and Julian usually comes home crying and anxious before the night is over (or she comes down to cuddle him on the couch at the first tiny sob she hears because she loves him more than she’s angry with him) and they discuss things more levelheadedly once no one is distraught or crying anymore.

19. Do they stay in Vesuvia, or eventually move somewhere else?

Odelia has lived in Vesuvia for the entirety of her memory (3 years and counting!) and she’s made it her home and Julian quickly rerooted himself there as well. That doesn’t mean the two of them don’t move out of the shop eventually or travel. At least once a year the two of them travel for a month or two (unless something big keeps them from honoring that tradition) and then return to Vesuvia and devote their time to their lives there. They do move somewhere a bit more spacious and out of the city proper, but with Odelia’s unique magical inventions, they are still able to get to all their favorite haunts (and places of business) without taking a ton of time out of their days to travel.

1. How settled/comfortable do you feel in your ace identity? 2. What made you a Beatles fan? 3. Who is your favorite ACNH villager?

Thank you anon :)

1) I think these days? Pretty settled. I mean, I always *knew* on some level, but had no real comfort with it until the last year or so… I think the most important thing is that I’m finally certain and secure that it’s a real thing and what I am rather than listening to the tiny voice that was always saying ‘what if there actually really *is* something wrong with me’. (Thanks, Dan)

Comfort in terms of talking about it is a bit different; most of my friends are great about it, but I think there are some people I know I probably won’t ever go out of my way to bring it up with, but I’m not too concerned that they don’t know. I think some people at work probably assume I’m gay, which is understandable, and it doesn’t bother me. (For things like being in the employee LGBT+ network etc) Nor is it *entirely* incorrect, I suppose. I’m always a little aware that many people won’t have heard of it and as such won’t think it exists, so sometimes it’s not worth the energy I know it’d take to explain, you know? Other times, though, I feel like it’s worth it. I’ve been helped a lot by people just talking about it more, so I’d like to try and do the same myself, where I can.

2. I think like a lot of people who are too young to be OG fans, I discovered them through my mum; she was a huge fan and so they were always playing in our house. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t listen to them. (And we used to religiously watch Thomas the Tank Engine because Ringo was the narrator lol) As a kid I watched the movie Help! over and over and listened to compilations a lot; I remember the Anthology project in the 90s (when the remaining 3 got together for a retrospective project and made 2 new songs using some of John’s demos), and I got my first Beatles thing that was my own and not CDs I nicked off my mum - a tape of their new single.

I properly *properly* got into them as in a ‘we have no choice but to stan’ sort of way in 2004. I’m not making this story up - I was 20 and wandering around my local HMV (rest in peace) looking at nothing in particular when I had one of those cheesy movie-moments where I stopped in my tracks at the sound of a beautiful, heavenly voice like I was a fuckin Disney prince hearing the princess sing in the woods for the first time or whatever. I didn’t know who it was, but in the store they displayed the album that was currently playing behind the counter and imagine my surprise when I found out it was the Beatles! While I’d always listened to them, I hadn’t listened to all of their albums, mainly the greatest hits compilations etc. (The voice in question belonged to Paul.) So I turned around and got a basket (who gets a basket in HMV, smh) and immediately bought every single Beatles album they had (I think there were about 3 they didn’t have I had to track down online). No streaming services in those days, and the Beatles didn’t negotiate being put on iTunes etc until 2009, so CDs it was. I went home and started obsessively listening to everything from the start, aaaaaand here we are.

3. My favourite is Julian! I ‘met’ him in Pocket Camp and almost died from the cuteness. I LOVE HIM and his galaxy themed house and his space parka and his little handbag.

You don't need a lot of product between layers. And keep your skin as moist as possible during the process, but not dripping wet. Then top it off with a cream of your choosing. This sounds like my buying process. If the price is good, I consider it. Usually I see something on sale and decide if it something I want. These pearly pinks and peaches gained popularity in the '60s. Translucent makeup powders were also introduced during this time, and Max Factor's pancake makeup continued 대전출장샵 to be popular in the '60s as well. Faces were, as in the 1950s, flawless and matte.. I planning on moving in with my bf soon and looked into an app called Splitwise which keeps track of all shared expenses and does all the calculations for you so there always a record of who paid what and how much is owed to the other person. It seems convenient because it count, split and add everything for you so you or your bf could send one monthly lump sum to the other person at once rather than losing track of separate venmo payments. You can also then see exactly how much each of you spent in any given timeframe.. Thanks to each of you who commented! Took the 78 via Poway and had so much fun eating pie and drinking cider and throwing snowballs! We even sledded a tiny bit and parked at the Julian public library where there was no ice or snow to even worry about. The signs for "Carry Chains" were out but if you stayed on the mains roads you didn't even need them. Then I went to the beach after in Del Mar and I'm about to start my service job shift. He sadly and sorely missed Little Dorrit. He had been prepared to miss her very much, but not so much. He knew to the full extent only through experience, what a large place in his life was left blank when her familiar little figure went out of it. This chart supports a lot of what I thought about Pokemon trends. It kind of funny to see Ruby/Sapphire so low comparitively to the other generations overall, I was a kid when those were new so all my friends RAVED over it. I however was the youngest child in my family so my pokemon journey actually started when my brother gave me his copy of Silver back in when I was a wee little boy. There are 7 billion people on this earth. There are literally millions of people that are either smarter, more charismatic, better looking, healthier, wealthier, etc than you. If you let the knowledge that someone is "better" than you on some metric bother you, you will never be happy. Also, I never understood the whole down the family line thing anyway because it so arbitrary and pointless. Society decided that men and women don when it comes to family lineage purposes? Why? It not as if a daughter and a son don carry the same two halves of DNA. Plus, who cares about the name I an individual, not a peon that exists to propagate a clan, 대전출장샵 lol. So I was a "guru" back in the good ol days (10ish years ago) and it was hard then. I honestly can't imagine how hard it is now with the extreme expectation of professional video/sound/lighting, the editing, the insane excess of product and requirement to have vast product knowledge, the additional regular maintenance of all social media platforms, not to mention having some kind of talent or on camera presence. PLUS, don't do absolutely a single thing wrong or risk people "spilling tea" about you.

Not a ship, but characters: Elsie Hughes or Cora? Carson or Robert?

First off, and this is very important, I really love all of these characters. Truly. I would have been really upset if anything had happened to any of them. I say this, because I'm about to rag on one of them a bit. I will likely use words that, in our time period, are considered near-obscenities. This is not from dislike, but rather an academic examination of their faults, using proper language.

Secondly, I will undoubtedly refer to the shooting scripts with commentary by Julian Fellows. I bought the one for first season as reference for my fan fiction and bought seasons two and three because I loved the commentary so much! I am seriously beyond annoyed that the later seasons aren't available, in no small part because I suspect it would shed light on the problem of Henry's personality. Anyway, they're great and I highly recommend them.

Next, I apologize for any massive grammatical errors, logic jumps, and other such communication glitches. I don't really intend to spend hours revising this, and I suspect my eyes will be crossing by the end.

And lastly, get comfortable. Get some tea, maybe a snack. Use the loo. Make sure you have no urgent appointments.

You will be here awhile.

In fact, in the interest of not taking up your entire dashboard, here. Have a 'keep reading' cut.

Mrs. Hughes vs. Lady Grantham is a difficult call because they're ultimately such similar and yet different characters. They're both involved in running the estate, but Mrs. Hughes is more involved with the back end schematics and Lady Grantham is more involved in presentation to society as a whole. Some would consider Mrs. Hughes's job more important, and ultimately it might be, but at the turn of the century Lady Grantham's job was not to be underestimated, by any means. She was essentially the sales, marketing, and public representation departments all wrapped into one person. Mrs. Hughes was production.

They are also bother nurturing to their 'families': Cora to her daughters and husband and Mrs. Hughes to her staff. They both do this well.

At the end of the day, having to choose, it becomes a call between Cora's growth as a character, which is interesting, and Mrs. Hughes's stability as a character, which is necessary to allow the movement of everyone else. Steady anchor points are often overlooked in stories, but they are terribly important to keep things moving along and stop them from devolving into a three ring circus. While I enjoy Cora's growth immensely, I think I'm going to have to choose Mrs. Hughes for this one. Downton really would fall apart without her, even if her husband doesn't want to admit it.

Which brings us to the easy choice: Robert.

Hands down Robert.

Charles Carson is an entertaining and enjoyable character. As a human being, he is a basically good man, but is an unfortunate product of his society. Very unfortunate. He is, by dictionary definition (see here) a bigot. He's rarely willing to change his opinion on things, sometimes flat out refusing. Despite his protests to the contrary, he's rarely sympathetic with anyone. He doesn't realize how much the firm structure he requires for comfort hurts others and will deny it when pointed out unless something really, astonishingly bad happens. You know, like one of his underlings trying to kill himself.

When not being asked to choose characters, I'm willing to overlook all of this to a certain degree, because he is human and he does try. The harm he causes is almost entirely unintentional, and when it is intentional, it's generally caused by the belief that he needs to be firm to be a good leader. Show them who's in charge, allow no shenanigans, etc. This is how he was trained. It also hurts him as much as it hurts everyone else. I mean, who else is actively leery of having fun?

No, generally Mr. Carson is a curmudgeon whose bark is worse than his bite and, along with his wife, I love him for his good points and despite his copious glaring faults.

Robert Crawley still easily wins.

People really like to go on about Robert's faults and his prejudice. After all, he is a "privileged white man" and our society hates those. We don't want to understand them. Papers can (and have) been written about how prejudiced Robert is.

The thing is, and what I find more important, is how prejudiced Robert isn't. Seriously, for a privileged white guy at the turn of the twentieth century, he could be far, far worse (see Larry Grey). Here, let's take a look at a few things, shall we?

We'll start with something very general. We'll start with his response to change. There sure is a lot of it in this show! And let's be honest, change is stressful. A lot of people don't handle it well. It's actually quite understanding that Robert's not fond of it. Up until that time period, things had moved around rather slowly. There would be the occasional war or medical discovery. There were always new fashions. That 'industrial revolution' thing had happened and things had started going faster, but compared to today's world when a phone you've had for a year is an old model, time might as well have stood still.

Robert still handles this change with relative grace for his age and station. Okay, Matthew and Tom, both being younger, from more hands-on view points, and more in touch with the world handle it better, but Carson and Lady Violet both handle it worse. Especially Carson. Robert handles it like a horse who has had something new suddenly introduced to the paddock: he shies, he bucks, he might run a bit or kick out a time or two, but if you slowly lead him back around to this strange thing enough times, he eventually figures out "Oh, hey. This thing isn't really a big deal after all, is it?" And he accepts it - embraces it even, in some cases - and moves on.

This brings us to the first point of actual prejudice and the one he is most undeniably guilty of, classism. First off, people ignore the fact that classism runs both ways. Miss Bunting was probably the single most classist bigot of the show, followed by the Sinderby's butler, then Lady Violet (who, according to every poll I've seen, is the most popular character in the show). Robert's classism (as with most of his prejudice, honestly) is institutionalized rather than personal which doesn't make it okay, but does make it easier to understand and fight once it's attacked in a rational manner. In other words, yes, he pitched an ever loving fit when Sybil married the chauffeur, but he got over it. He went from "you will have no money!" to "...okay, you haven't asked for it, but the money thing can happen" far faster than Carson went from "I will not dress the former chauffeur!" to accepting "Branson is part of the family now”. Carson also didn't have the excuse of feeling like his daughter was actively being taken away from him, off to a different country, a different life, and that he had somehow failed as a parent, which is undoubtedly how Robert felt.

Admittedly, once started, it wasn't all forward progress, but the hiccups there were tended to be fairly legitimate. Grief over Sybil's death combining with the last vestiges of feeling like Branson had taken his daughter away from him. Finding out his son-in-law had abandoned his pregnant daughter in hostile territory after helping to burn down someone's house. I mean I understand why Branson was doing what he was doing, but having an arsonist in the house is something to worry about!

The other thing to note about this is that while Robert definitely believes in the class structure and holds to it and sees himself at the top, he actually values the people below him. The reason Mrs. Patmore was so panicked about her failing vision in season one and so relieved when Robert sent her for surgery rather than turn her out with a meager pension is because so many people wouldn't have. It would have been "thank you for your services, good luck" and that would be that. He sees employing people and making it so they can have a wage his job and when he started not being able to pay a competitive wage or replace people when they quit, he saw it as a personal failure. His decision had created the underbutler position and I don't think he was really happy to have to do away with it (and, observant and in touch with things as he isn't, I am positive he didn't realize how pushy Carson was being about the whole thing. I doubt he would have liked it). He shows up at everyone's weddings. His perception is skewed, but his heart is in the right place.

And speaking of Miss Bunting, there is the point of his not being able to produce Daisy's name on demand. He doesn't deal with Daisy on a regular basis, so he would absolutely be less aware of her than he would be of, say, Carson or the personal staff. However, he did attend her wedding and she has been there for fifteen years. So what makes more sense - that he honestly doesn't know her name or that he straight up blanked on it? I think the second. After all, I once spent probably fifteen minutes all told unable to remember the name of my oldest cousin. He knew her at her wedding, he certainly knew her at the auction in season six and after!, I'm pretty sure when not being put on the spot by someone aggressively vilifying him to his face, he'd do a bit better.

The next big prejudice covered by the show is religion. This is one Robert has, but not in the way you would expect. In a society that could be very anti-Semitic, he doesn't give a flying fig if you're Jewish. His father-in-law was a Jew. Lady Rose married a Jewish boy and there's no indication of disapproval from Robert what so ever. He does have a problem with Catholics and that, Julian Fellows explains, was largely a point of national patriotism. England, as a whole, did not trust a religion that answered to an Italian instead of the Kng. It was seen as something of a conflict of interest. Again, this doesn't make it alright, but it makes it understandable within the context of the society (especially when your Catholic son-in-law burnt down someone's house) and was really more political than anything.

There were more issues at play with Sybbie's being Catholic, of course. There was that whole grieving thing, again the lingering feeling that Branson had taken Sybil away, etc. As usual, though, once it was clear he was outnumbered and the change was happening, Robert set aside fears that his granddaughter might go burning houses if that Italian guy thought it was a good idea and got on with life.

(Seriously, this really does seem to be comparable, at least in the mindset of the English, to a modern day Englishman following the president of a different country rather than the Queen. Not necessarily terrible, but potentially so, especially if war breaks out and the two countries are suddenly on opposing sides. Treason is a thing that can be kinda messy.)

Then there's sexism. I honestly think Robert gets way more flack for this than he truly deserves. It's not that he isn't sexist at all (again, institutionalized sexism), but that most of his worst offenses are actually a combination of his being legitimately not-super-observant and the aforementioned "horse in paddock" syndrome. He is used to his family behaving in a certain way. He is also, as with Cora, part of the sales/marketing/pr department. He is concerned about what the neighbors think because he is expected to and people in this day and age just don't get how important that was. The thought that his family would be seen poorly was not just a threat to him and his masculine pride, but to them and their opportunities in life. A lot of his keeping them at home was honestly trying to protect them, even if it was also underestimating their abilities, and really - they were just discovering their abilities! How was he supposed to know all about it?

Suddenly the war happened and his wife and daughters started behaving differently. He was legitimately confused, and no wonder! Can you see season one Mary slopping pigs? Can you see season one Edith running a magazine? People really did think that things would go 'back to normal' after the war, but they didn't. The women in his life started moving without warning and left him struggling to cope with the unexpected change.

Once he circled back around enough times to realize this big, scary change really wasn't big or scary, he was proud of them. He was proud of Mary for taking on the task of agent. Heck, he was practically proud of her for growing up enough to have an affair with Tony Gillingham! He accepted Marigold without batting an eyelash and got to the point where he was pleased to call Edith an "interesting woman". He was really, really proud of Cora after Rose lured him, carrot in hand, to the hospital!  He had never been more proud or the woman he loved.

And he loved her. She was the pillar holding him steady, and that is not just a pretty turn of phrase. One thing our society that has not changed one whit in the past hundred years is that men are supposed to be emotionally dependent on the women they are intimate with. There is huge pressure put on men to have a girlfriend or to be married, and it's not all machismo and Mummy dearest wanting grand kids, it's "this is the person you should talk to about your problems." This leads to emotional discussion being firmly linked, in the male view, with sex. Women, being encouraged to have friends to talk to, don't have that mental connection, and this causes a metric ton of relationship problems. So we come to his affair, if you want to call it that, with Jane (And honestly, while it nearly went beyond two kisses, I still think calling it an affair is giving it an awful lot of credit).

The war was over. Things were changing. While it might be socially permissible for him to discuss the politics of the changes with Bates or some other man, the resultant emotional turmoil was something Cora was, by societal standards, supposed to help him get through. For over half of his life, she had done just that. Now, he needed that emotional support and suddenly it wasn't there because his wife was off learning how to be useful and important. This was a great thing for her, and ultimately for them as a couple, but everything has consequences and the immediate consequence of this was that she didn't need to lean on anyone, he did, and he didn't have anyone. It is really rather unbecoming for a fifty year old man to go crying to his mother every time he needs bucking up.

Jane was young, pretty, was going through the rough transition of losing a spouse, was lonely as a result, and had a son, which appealed to Robert since he'd always wanted one. I seriously think he initially took an interest in her as much to take an interest in something as anything. Things got worse the longer he went without someone to talk to about his feelings, and she wasn't getting any less lonely or in need of someone to make her feel wanted.  Then, finally, Cora got the flu. While it seems outrageous that he would have an affair with a maid while his wife was maybe dying, his wife maybe dying was why he badly needed the emotional support of his wife, which he in turn couldn't have because his wife was maybe dying. Again, at fifty, running to Lady Violet at this juncture would have been viewed as A Bit Much by a lot of people. The fact that those people were absolute prats from a modern view point doesn't change this.

So, while both his society and ours agree that having an affair at the time was wrong, the real question here is what his society would have considered right. Please do ring me up when you've figured out the answer, because honestly? I've no clue.

Of course, once Cora didn't die, he looked back at things, got his head on straight, and ended things with Jane like a gentleman. He did the right thing, in the end. I consider this to be a far more material point than the fact he didn't intuitively pull a graceful way to maneuver a situation that he had no real coping mechanism for out of his ear.

There is one prejudice that I've seen him assigned in fan fiction, and it pisses me off every time: homophobia. This is one prejudice that Robert has barely any of. Yes, it's there in his little chuckles with Bates, but honestly? Compared to Carson? Compared to Jimmy and Alfred and the police and parliament? A little chuckle in private that is meant without malice is hardly a complaint. Thomas isn't happy at Downton most of the time, but he's there. Other employers would have sacked him the second they put two and two together. Heck, left to his own devices and reasonably assured there would be no scandal, Carson probably would have sacked him. I am quite certain that at some point there was a conversation in which Robert brushed that concern off as absolutely no reason to sack a perfectly good footman. This doesn't mean he didn't make a hash of things on a regular basis, but that was more from not understanding the problem than actual malicious intent. If, for example, someone actually pointed out that in hiring Bates he'd basically told Thomas "I would rather have a normal man who will never be able to do his job than a filthy degenerate like you" I would expect him to balk ("I never said that!"), bolt ("Pff, none of the staff would think that!"), and then, when finally reaching the point of accepting it, feel absolutely terrible. He flat out lied to the police to keep the man out of prison, for crying out loud!

While he is not an advocate for gay rights, by any means, it is something that he is absolutely not fussed about.

He has other legitimate flaws. His temper. His passiveness in many situations. But he is a genuinely good man. He cares about his people and wants them to do well. He wants to protect them and provide for them and make their lives comfortable. He is genuinely interested in improving the world as a whole.

There are so many people you can not say that about, and many of them get far more credit.

And on that note, I am going to bed.

New Netflix Christmas Movies in 2020 Ranked from Best to Worst

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Netflix is doing its level best to eat everyone else’s entertainment lunch, and the holiday movie game is no exception. Just a few short years after planting the flag that was the cult megahit A Christmas Prince, the streamer has more offerings than ever, including some sequels to their top-notch 2018 productions. We break down some of this winter’s already released heavy hitters so you know what to watch and what to skip.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Available Now

This star-studded Christmas musical is the most magical of the bunch. Picture The Wiz meets Willy Wonka, with John Legend as a producer. Forest Whitaker stars as a down-and-out toymaker who has lost his touch and everything else that makes life special: his wife (Sharon Rose) has passed and his daughter (Tony winner Anika Noni Rose, Little Fires Everywhere, The Princess and the Frog) moved away, estranged. Years earlier he created a unique matador toy that comes to life (voiced by a delightfully villainous Ricky Martin, who has a lot of fun with a wandering accent). The naughty toy and the toymaker’s apprentice (Kegan-Michael Key) left with the toymaker’s book of ideas, putting him out of business and making themselves mega-rich.

Things really get going when the toymaker’s granddaughter (bonafide star Madalen Mills, who I can’t believe is a newcomer) comes to town and she, along with a neighborhood boy with aspirations of being a great toy inventor, try to save the toymaker from himself. There’s singing, dancing, baroque steampunk galore, earnest lessons learned, and magic that’s something like science. It’s the kind of movie the phrase “family fun adventure” was invented to describe.

Clocking in at more than two hours, this one could tighten up the runtime a bit, but that just means there are plenty of safe opportunities to refill your eggnog or run to the restroom. I dare you to watch this movie and not feel the holiday spirit.

Operation Christmas Drop

Available Now

In order to protect her boss’ interests, congressional aide Erica (our girl Kat Graham/Bonnie Bennet from Vampire Diaries!) is sent to a military base in the Pacific over Christmas to find excess spending in order to justify budget cuts. Her biggest target is Operation Christmas Drop, a real-life program where service members from the U.S., Japan, and Australia drop presents (and life-saving supplies) to remote surrounding islands. Hyper-focused Erica knows there’s a possible promotion on the line and she has to work harder than a bunch of white dudes named Matt back in DC in order to get it, putting her at odds with the base’s own Santa, Capt. Andrew Jantz (Andrew Ludwid, Vikings, The Hunger Games). 

Any time one of these movies has a protagonist of color, it’s unfortunately notable, though Netflix (with the exception of the Christmas Prince franchise) creates more diverse offerings than just about anyone else. In addition to directly engaging with how much harder the Ericas of the world have to work to get their due, Operation Christmas Drop also highlights the people who live on Guam and the surrounding islands, as the first full-length major studio movie filmed there. 

Featuring the old favorite romance trope “enemies to lovers,” a tropical Christmas, and some of the real-life people who make the actual Christmas Drop possible, Operation Christmas Drop is an ideal holiday romcom. It’s still goofy at times and heart-fluttery at others, and of course everything will work out in the end, but it’s better written than most of what’s on TV and casting Kat Graham is always a good choice.

The Princess Switch, Switched Again

Available Now

It’s not Christmas until you’ve seen Vanessa Hudgens chloroform herself. The sequel to 2018’s The Princess Switch, The Princess Switch, Switched Again, rightly knows that Kevin (Nick Sagar) is a better leading man than the walking melba toast that is Prince Edward (Sam Palladio). When we last saw the sous chef dad with the six-pack abs who likes sappy Christmas movies and wearing the hell out of sweaters, he was making out with Lady Margaret. In the two years since then, they’ve split up, the king of Montenaro has passed away, and Margaret’s cousin who was next in line for the throne has abdicated, which means Lady Margaret will be crowned on Christmas. Naturally. 

The Princess Switch franchise has found the sweet spot between “painfully bad” and “so bad it’s good.” The latest iteration adds what the first lacked – a worthy villain. Vanessa Hudgens gleefully vamps around as a Kardashian-esque cousin of Lady Margaret’s who goes after the Montenaran crown. It’s fun to watch Hudgens be bad, and it adds a requisite layer of novelty to the proceedings. 

There’s also a little crossover moment from the Christmas Prince franchise. It’s very quick and I don’t think anyone even says a word, but it’s a fun one for fans. It also probably means that in the world of the NCCU (Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe), The Christmas Prince movies are documentaries, which is more than I can handle. 

It’s a rarity, but with The Princes Switch, the sequel is even better than the original. The Princess Switch 2 knows exactly what kind of movie it is – fun, silly, romantic, distracting, a purveyor of both great and terrible fashion, and maybe a little eye roll-inducing. Perfection. 

Holidate

Available Now

If you like a little spice with your sugar, Holidate is the right holiday rom-com. Netflix is already the anti-Hallmark in this category, trading judgey and Jesus-y for a sense of humor and soundtracks worth bookmarking on Spotify. And Holidate doubles down on the snark and PG-13-ness of it all.

Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey star as Sloane and Jackson, two singles sick of shrugging off a million questions and setups throughout the holiday season. The cast is rounded out with Frances Fisher (Watchmen, Titanic), Jessica Capshaw from Grey’s Anatomy, SNL’s Alex Moffat, Jake Manley from The Order, and Manish Dayal of Halt and Catch Fire and The Hundred-Foot Journey, proving he deserves to play a romantic lead.

Taking inspiration from Sloane’s perpetually single Aunt Susan (Kristin Chenoweth, who gets away with being so much weirder than anyone else ever could thanks to her many charms), Luke and Sloane go out as platonic dates to a year’s worth of holidays, starting with New Year’s. That also means that while we see two Christmas’, the movie spends a large chunk of time on the other holidays – St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July, Halloween, etc – so this one doesn’t always feel the most Christmas-y. 

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TV

Christmas Movies and TV Specials: Full 2020 Schedule

By Den of Geek Staff

Movies

The Best Alternative Christmas movies

By Mark Harrison

This flick may end up being too tart (or just plain awkward) for some, and the repeated use of the word “pussy” during what’s ostensibly a Christmas movie is not for everyone. But if all the sappiness of the season is feeling too saccharine and you’re sick of being seated at the kids table or getting grilled about when you’ll finally get married, Holidate might just hit the spot.

The Christmas Chronicles 2

Available Now

The follow-up to one of Netflix’s best family holiday offerings, The Christmas Chronicles 2 brings back Kurt Russell’s cool Santa for a sequel that has 100 percent more wormholes and time travel than fun side characters and snappy jokes. There’s a much larger role for Goldie Hawn’s Mrs. Claus, who is something of a kind-hearted Christmas sorceress. Kate (Darby Camp, Big Little Lies) is now staring down the barrel of teenagerhood and spending Christmas in Cancun while her mom makes heart-eyes at a new guy, who brings with him his 10 year-old son, Jack (Jahzir Bruno).

Big brother Teddy (Judah Lewis) moves into the backdrop as Kate and Jack go on an adventure in the North Pole, squaring off with one of Santa’s former elves, Belsnickel (Julian Dennison, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Deadpool 2).

While it’s always nice to revisit a favorite – and Christmas Chronicles is so much about the best aspects of a family movie – the sequel loses a lot of that appeal. Without a clear and compelling story to drive the plot forward like the original had, Christmas Chronicles 2 lags significantly throughout and it’s unclear when the adventure starts, what it’s goals are, and then the movie even struggles to wrap up as a result.

It doesn’t help that this movie is bogged down by some convoluted mythology tying the elves to Christianity via the Star of Bethlehem that low-key paints Santa as a Moses-like figure.

The musical number does bring things back to life for a while. This time it’s in a 1990-era Logan airport in Boston with Darlene Love singing a duet with Santa instead of Stevie Van Zandt, though they are singing his song, “The Spirit of Christmas.”

This makes for Darlene Love’s second appearance in the NCCU; The first was Holiday Rush, where she played Rush’s Aunt Jo. I’m ignoring the fact that she’s credited as “Denise” in Christmas Chronicles 2 and choosing to believe that Aunt Jo worked a desk for Pan Am, TSA or whoever in the ‘90s to pay the bills while waiting for her true calling as a singer to take off.

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square

Available Now

In between funding a possible cure for the coronavirus and trying to solve illiteracy, Dolly Parton found time to star in and write 14 original songs for a Christmas special. The great Debbie Allen of Fame fame (more recently, Dr. Catherine Avery on Grey’s Anatomy) directs this all-singing, all-dancing Christmas musical, bringing her multi-talented prowess to bear. That means this thing follows the musical tropes more closely than those of a typical Christmas TV movie, even though it also falls into the Hallmark penchant for religiosity that feels a bit off.

The best parts of Christmas on the Square are all the toe-tapping small-town songs about the townsfolk banding together to stop local Scrooge named Regina (played with adroit dry wit by Christine Baranski) from selling off their town. There’s a pastor named Christian (obviously) and a cute kid who gets hurt but only in a way that’s dramatic and leaves her still very cute and able to join in the final town celebration. That’s the kind of silly holiday fun we all signed up for. 

Regina’s best friend Margeline (Jenifer Lewis, The Princess and The Frog, Black-ish) is a scene-stealer and the back half of the movie is lesser for her relative absence. The numbers get a little less zippy and the movie feels a lot longer than roughly an hour and a half. Somewhere along the way, we get the sort of slutshame-y backstory of Baranski’s character, whose first-ever high school dance resulted in a pregnancy which she (obviously) carried to term. Her father took her baby away from her while she was crying in the delivery room, giving it up for adoption. Pretty intense for the genre! 

It’s not like the movie becomes a portrait of gritty realism from there–Dolly Parton is definitely a floating, glowing, rhinestone-encrusted angel, although that’s closer to what folks come for. An underutilized Jeanine Mason (Roswell, NM) and Matthew Johnson (Songland) – whose voice is arresting – add to the fun, but there’s no two ways around it: It’s an odd little movie.

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ARCHITECT & INTERIORS INDIA / HOT 100 May 30, 2017

When and how did you establish your practice?   Sunitha Kondur, my partner, and I started our practice in June 2003. Our first commission was a ‘graphic’ wall for a software office (thanks to my friend & classmate Hareesh Asnani) and soon after, out of the blue we were contacted by an old client from the US who was planning to build an orphanage in Trichy. We soon set up shop in a bedroom at home, hired three young architects and were off.

What is the nature of services offered by your company? We work across scales, from product & furniture design to master planning. We also make movies and have done some branding and graphic design. Sunitha also runs Source, a product sourcing company focused on Furniture and accessories.

What is the design philosophy of the firm, one that is manifested across all projects in some form or the other? The studio’s approach is grounded in the search for contextually appropriate solutions. Special emphasis is given to the response to climate, the existing scale and character of the context, appropriate use of materials and construction techniques, and the development of the project aesthetic as a result of these specific conditions. We believe that this recognition of what exists leads to a more sensitive speculation of what can be. The work seeks to identify appropriate metaphors for the particular exigencies of a project and our larger identity as a people - a search for ‘the beautiful idea’.

What prompted you to choose architecture/design? I got into architectural school purely on the advice of my school warden, Bro. George Kalangod, who in all his wisdom saw potential in my talents in drawing, physics and performance. It wasn’t till my third year at BMS, Bangalore, working on NASA, that I really began comprehending what I had got myself into.

What role did your family play in your decision of choosing this profession? There are no other architects or designers in my family, nonetheless, they supported me wholeheartedly. My grandfather came with me for multiple entrance exams (CEPT, SPA, Delhi) all of which I flunked and then finally thanks to Mr. Bhaskaran, an uncle of mine in Bangalore we managed to get a seat here. In fact, with my parents in Dubai, I (conveniently) stayed with Bhaskarettan and Thangachechi through my five years at architecture school!

What are your educational qualifications? What were the lessons learnt at your alma mater? I have a Bachelor’s degree (B.Arch) from Bangalore University (BMS College of Engineering) and a Master’s degree (S.M.Arch.S.) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Last year, we were at a retreat with Aniket (Bhagwat) and Samira (Rathod), and I was to talk about architecture and education and of course, I spoke about good teachers, the well-equipped library, access to illustrious minds often - a place of exchange, etc. and BMS was none of that. We had a couple of really good teachers but by and large, the college ran on auto-pilot.

We had no attendance requirements, and we were on a yearly scheme but there was something about the place then and it reflects in a lot of contemporary practitioners here – Vimal, Sandeep, Manoj (Architecture Paradigm), Nagaraj (Vastarey), Amaresh (Khosla Associates), Latha, - wonderful, sensitive people.… And I do not know what it is about that time at BMS where in spite of the fact that there wasn’t this kind of inspired instruction, it was nevertheless a place of incredible energy. And most of this energy was focussed on the NASA trophies. This exposure at NASA, competing with the rest of the colleges was really the testbed for a lot of us. And so when I think back, I do not know how you institute that as a principle for an architecture school – that you have to have inspired colleagues, as students and the sublime work coming not from a solitary genius but from a ‘scenius’. A collective, shared project.

This rather loose structure at BMS prepared me well for MIT, where we had very few prescribed courses and had to structure our two years there mostly on our own. Doing a graduate degree abroad forces one to confront one’s own identity. The foreign context calls into question one’s deep seated values, assumptions, and prejudices. It was invigorating. MIT also introduced me to some incredible teachers - Julian Beinart (City Form), Michael Dennis (Urban Design), Dennis Adams (Public Art) and colleagues. This experience made me realize my own inadequacies and has since forced me to always carefully consider how we work and what we produce.

What or who inspires you and why? Inspiration comes often from the most unlikely sources - a random conversation with the client, a movie poster, a line from a song, the colour of the sky just before sunset, the left over pieces of mill board, The sudden (and substantial) reduction of the project budget... Rafiq Azam, the great Bangladeshi architect, told me once that he often spends a whole day at site, getting to know it - that light breeze that comes in from the south, the early morning sun that lights up a patch of the grounds, the family of monkeys who come to eat the Jackfruits...soon these are all informing subtle shifts in the plan, accommodating a life that already exists here. As Mr. Doshi says, “So always there are clues. We must be aware to use them.”

Who would you consider to be your mentors? How have they influenced you as a person and as a professional? I have been really fortunate to have had so many great teachers. I would like to specially mention Mr. Anil Dube, my teacher at BMS, who taught me to draw, to carefully consider what exists, to evocatively represent ideas, and to listen.

Which, according to you, are your milestone projects? And why? Which projects represent the turning points of your career? Ones that have either shaped you in a certain way or propelled your practice to the next level. Alila.Bangalore & Nua were important projects for us. We were very fortunate to get clients like Gautam Nambisan and Vinutha Kondur. Both projects were on site simultaneously and we really got an opportunity to test many of the ideas we had, here. These projects gave us the opportunity to design everything, from environmental graphics and signage (my brother Premjit did this), furniture and product (lights, accessories) design to landscape, interiors and architecture. They were also kind enough to involve great consultants, like Allies and Morrison (on Alila) who taught us so much about architecture and the way to practice.

Our early work for Hope Foundation (mostly community buildings in the Tsunami hit areas of Tamil Nadu)has also been very instructive. We did eight buildings with them, all on very limited budgets (on an average around Rs.700/sft). We were forced to consider what was truly indispensable for us - settling often for a careful articulation of structure and choice of materials to establish the aesthetic of these buildings. In hindsight, these early projects informed our practice in fundamental ways. We continue to approach our work with a certain pragmatism and resist the ever-present temptation to be willful or capricious.

What is your dream project, whether or not it could be realised? I often remember Kahn’s comment about ‘spaces full of wonder. Spaces that rise and envelope flowingly without beginning, without end, of a jointless material white and gold’...every project begins with this dream and it is always less...I guess this is the great joy of being an architect - the next project will almost certainly be different and hopefully better - a little more of that wondrous space tamed and brought into the world.

Where do you see yourself and your firm in the next decade or so? Hopefully still enthusiastic, making more buildings, more movies, and being more engaged with the world around us.

In addition to the above, we would like you to mention: 1. A built structure that gets a perfect score in your opinion... and why. I enjoy the first phase of IIM Bangalore (Administration, Director’s office, library, first classroom and faculty clusters, etc.). This is an incredible synthesis of Doshi’s ideas about the open ended frame, allusions to ancient temple precincts, managing & celebrating water, landscape... I still remember that first glimpse of the triple storey pergola’d connector  - something archaic and yet modern, systematic and yet messy and open-ended, voluminous and yet intimate. This idea of an ambiguous, difficult to define entity is such an apt metaphor for this place of higher learning...an open frame constantly expanding, able to receive any number of variations and additions and yet retaining its integrity. What a beautiful idea!

2. An Indian practice that you would give a perfect score... and why. Mistry Architects, Bangalore. Not only do they produce sensitive work, but they have created a rich ecosystem where young architects flourish and there is a shared sense of authorship and learning. Just being around Sharukh Mistry is inspiring, invigorating and a real life lesson.

3. An international practice that merits a perfect score... and why. Allies and Morrison, London. I am familiar with the way they work, the care they take both with designing buildings and working with each other. They have created a wonderful, civil & generous environment to produce architecture.

200 + 1: The Music Of 2016

Africaine 808, Basar   [Golf Channel Recordings] Africans With Mainframes [Heiroglyphic Being + Noleian Reusse], K.M.T.   [Soul Jazz] Afro-Haitian Experimental Orchestra, Afro-Haitian Experimental Orchestra   [Glitterbeat] Alpha 606, Afro-Cuban Electronics   [Interdimensional Transmissions] Oren Ambarchi, Hubris   [Editions Mego] Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Real Enemies   [New Amsterdam] A$AP Ferg, Always Strive And Prosper   [RCA] Asda, The Abyss   [NoCorner] Atlantis Jazz Ensemble, Oceanic Suite   [Marlow Records] Audacity, Hyper Vessels   [Suicide Squeeze] Babyfeather, “BBF” Hosted By DJ Escrow   [Hyperdub] Azealia Banks, Slay-Z   [self-released] Kenny Barron Trio, Book Of Intuition   [Impulse!] Beekman, Beekman Vol. 2   [Ropeadope] Bent Shapes, Wolves Of Want   [Slumberland] Beyoncé, Lemonade   [Parkwood Entertainment] Big Ups, Before A Million Universes   [Exploding In Sound] BJ The Chicago Kid, In My Mind   [Motown/UMG] Black Bombaim & Peter Brotzmann   [Shhpuma] Black Milk & Nat Turner, The Rebellion Sessions   [Computer Ugly] Carla Bley/Andy Sheppard/Steve Swallow, Andando El Tiempo   [ECM] Jane Ira Bloom, Early Americans   [Outline] Bombino, Azel   [Partisan Records] Brookzill!, Throwback To The Future   [Tommy Boy]

Danny Brown, Atrocity Exhibition   [Warp] Jaimeo Brown Transcendence, Work Songs   [Motema Music] Taylor Ho Bynum, Enter The PlusTet   [Firehouse 12] Uri Caine Trio, Calibrated Thickness   [816 Music] Will Calhoun, Celebrating Elvin Jones   [Motema] Car Seat Headrest, Teens Of Denial   [Matador] Causa Sui, Return to Sky   [El Paraiso] Cavern of Anti-Matter, void beats/invocation trex   [Duophonic] Chance The Rapper, Coloring Book   [self-released] The Chicago Plan, The Chicago Plan, [Clean Feed] Chimurenga Renaissance, Girlz With Gunz   [Glitterbeat] Brandy Clark, Big Day In A Small Town   [Warner Bros.] The Coathangers, Nosebleed Weekend   [Suicide Squeeze] Avishai Cohen, Into The Silence   [ECM] Leonard Cohen, You Want It Darker   [Sony] Kweku Collins, Nat Love   [Closed Sessions] Frankie Cosmos, Next Thing   [Bayonet Records] Andrew Cyrille Quartet, The Declaration Of Musical Independence   [ECM] Damana (Dag Magnus Narvesen Octet), Cornua Copiae   [Clean Feed] The Dead C, Trouble   [Ba Da Bing!] Deap Vally, Femejism   [Nevado Music] Death Grips, Bottomless Pit   [Third Worlds] Debo Band, Ere Gobez   [FPE Records] Jack DeJohnette, In Movement   [ECM] Olegario Diaz, Aleph In Chromatic   [SteepleChase]

Whit Dickey / Kirk Knuffke, Fierce Silence   [Clean Feed] DJ Rude One, ONEderful   [2RBR] Pierre Dorge & New Jungle Orchestra, Ubi Zaa [SteepleChase] Dave Douglas, Dada People   [Greenleaf] Dre Hocevar, Transcendental Within The Sphere Of Indivisible Remainder   [Clean Feed] Mark Dresser Seven, Sedimental You   [Clean Feed] Dressy Bessy, Kingsized   [Yep Roc Records] Drive-By Truckers, American Band   [ATO Records] Earprint, Earprint   [Endectomorph] Harris Eisenstadt, Old Growth Forest   [Clean Feed] Eskimeaux, Year Of The Rabbit   [Double Double Whammy] Family Atlantica, Cosmic Unity   [Soundway] The Field, The Follower   [Kompakt] Fire!, She Sleeps She Sleeps   [Rune Grammofon] Flatbush Zombies, 3001: A Laced Odyssey   [Glorious Dead Recordings] Zélia Fonseca, O Terceiro Olho da Abelha   9Yellowbird] Michael Formanek / Ensemble Kolossus, The Distance   [ECM] Daniel Freedman, Imagine That   [Anzic Records] Free Nelson MandoomJazz, The Organ Grinder   [RareNoise] Fruit Bats, Absolute Loser   [Easy Sound Recording Company] Robbie Fulks, Upland Stories   [Bloodshot] Ras G, The El-Aylien Tapes   [Leaving Records] Gambari Band, Kokuma   [Membran Media] Giant Peach, Tarantula   [Don Giovanni Records] Bob Gluck [etc], Infinite Spirit: Revisiting Music Of The Mwandishi Band   [self-released]

GoGo Penguin, Man Made Object   [Decca Records France] Brian Groder Trio, R Train On The D Line   [Latham Records] Los Hacheros, Bambulaye   [Jacob Plasse] Charlie Haden/Liberation Music Orchestra, Time/Life   [Impulse!] Mary Halvorson Octet, Away With You   [Firehouse 12] Handsome Family, Unseen   [Loose Music] PJ Harvey, The Hope Six Demolition Project   [Island] Alexander Hawkins & Evan Parker, Leaps In Leicester   [Clean Feed] The Heliocentrics, From The Deep   [Now-Again Records] The Fred Hersch Trio, Sunday Night At The Vanguard   [Palmetto] Hinds, Leave Me Alone   [Mom + Pop] Anna Högberg Attack, Anna Högberg Attack   [Omlott] Homeboy Sandman, Kindness For Weakness   [Stones Throw] HXLT, HXLT   [Def Jam] The I Don’t Cares, Wild Stab   [Dry Wood Music] Ethan Iverson, The Purity Of The Turf   [Criss Cross] Jigmastas, Resurgence Resurgence   [BBE] Julie Ruin, Hit Reset   [Hardly Art] Ka, Honor Killed The Samurai   [Iron Works] Matthew Shipp/Bobby Kapp, Cactus   [Northern Spy] Kaytranada, 99.9%   [XL] Allan Kingdom, Northern Lights   [So Cold Records] Aly Keïta, Kalo-Yele   [Intakt Records] Kel Assouf, Tikounen   [Igloo Records] Alicia Keys, Here   [RCA]

The Knocks, 55   [Big Beat Records] Kirk Knuffke [& Jesse Stacken], Satie   [SteepleChase] Konono No. 1, Konono No. 1 Meets Batida   [Crammed Discs] Kool A.D., Official   [self-released] Glenn Kotche / So Percussion, Drumkit Quartets   [Cantaloupe Music] Krakauer’s Ancestral Groove, Checkpoint   [Table Pounding Records] Julian Lage, Arclight   [Mack Avenue] La Sera, Music For Listening To Music To   [Polyvinyl Record Co.] Lady Gaga, Joanne   [Interscope] Kendrick Lamar, untitled unmastered   [Aftermath/Interscope] Law Holt, City   [Soulpunk] Okkyung Lee / Christian Marclay, Amalgam   [Northern Spy] Steve Lehman/Sélébéyone, Sélébéyone   [Pi] Jinx Lennon, Past Pupils Stay Sane   [Septic Tiger] Jinx Lennon, Magic Bullets Of Madness To Uplift Grief Magnets   [Septic Tiger] James Brandon Lewis Trio, No Filter   [BNS] L’Orange & Mr Lif, Life & Death Of Scenery   [Mello Music] Baaba Maal, Traveller   [Knitting Factory] Luísa Maita, Fio da Memória   [Cumbancha] Mantra Percussion / Michael Gordon: Timber Remixed   [Cantaloupe Music] Milton Marsh, The Music Of Milton Marsh Revisited Vol. 1   [Alankara Records] Leyla McCalla, A Day For The Hunter, A Day For The Prey   [JazzVillage] Lori McKenna, The Bird & The Rifle   [CN Records] Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom, Otis Was A Polar Bear   [Royal Potato Family] Nick Millevoi, Desertion   [Shhpuma Records]

Mr Fingers, Outer Acid EP   [Alleviated] Mr. Lif, Don’t Look Down   [Mello Music Group] Moksha, Beauty Of An Arbitrary Moment   [Jazzland] Heraldo do Monte, Heraldo do Monte   [Biscoito Fino] Moodymann, DJ-Kicks   [!K7 Records] Clara Moreno, Samba Esquema Novo De Novo   [Far Out] Maren Morris, Hero   [Sony] Murray, Allen & Carrrington Power Trio, Perfection   [Motema] Roy Nathanson & Friends, Nearness And You: Duets And Improvisations   [Clean Feed] Willie Nelson, Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin   [Sony] Nisennenmondai, #N/A, [On-U Sound] No Em Pingo D’Agua, Sambatologia   [Biscoito Fino] Nots, Cosmetic   [Goner] NxWorries, Yes Lawd!   [Stones Throw] Frank Ocean, Blond   [Boys Don’t Cry] Aruan Ortiz Trio, Hidden Voices   [Intakt Records] Anderson .Paak, Malibu   [Steel Wool / OBE] Jeff Parker, New Breed   [International Anthem] Aaron Parks, Groovements   [Sundance] Parquet Courts, Human Performance   [Rough Trade] Florian Pellissier Quintet, Cap De Bonne Esperance   [Heavenly Sweetness] Luis Perdomo, Spirits & Warriors   [Criss Cross Jazz] Pet Shop Boys, Super   [x2 Recordings] Ralph Peterson, Triangular III   [Onyx/Truth Revolution] Richard Poole / Marilyn Crispell / Gary Peacock, In Motion   [Intakt]

Margo Price, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter   [Third Man Records] Psychic TV, Alienist   [Dais Records] Punkt3, Ordnung Herrscht   [Clean Feed] Quantic Presents Flowering Inferno, 1000 Watts   [Tru Thoughts] Isaiah Rashad, The Sun’s Tirade   [Top Dawg] Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau, Nearness   [Nonesuch] Renegades Of Jazz, Moyo Wangu   [Agogo] Eric Revis Trio [w/ Kris Davis and Gerald Cleaver], Crowded Solitudes   [Clean Feed] Rhythm Future Quartet, Travels    [Rhythm Future Quartet] Rihanna, Anti   [Westbury Road Entertainment] Jim Rotondi, Dark Blue   [Smoke Sessions] Rudy Royston, Rise Of Origin   [Greenleaf] Roswell Rudd, Jamie Saft, Trevor Dunn, Balázs Pándi, Strength & Power   [RareNoise] Wanda Sá, Cá entre nós   [Fina Flor] Sao Paulo Underground, Cantos Invisiveis   [Cuneiform] Savages, Adore Life   [Matador] Scarcity Of Tanks, Ringleader Lies   [Total Life] Mikael Seifu, Zelalem   [RVNG Intl.] Noura Mint Seymali, Arbina   [Glitterbeat] Shabaka & The Elders, Wisdom Of Ancestors   [Brownswood] Paul Simon, Stranger To Stranger   [Concord] Sleigh Bells, Jessica Rabbit   [Torn Clean] Wadada Leo Smith, America’s National Parks   [Cuneiform] Sneaks, Gymnastics   [Merge] Snowboy & The Latin Section, New York Afternoon   [Mark Cotgrove]

Elza Soares, The Woman at the End of the World   [Mais Um Discos] Solange, A Seat At The Table   [Columbia] Sonzeira, Tam Tam Tam Reimagined   [Brownswood] So Pitted, neo   [Sub Pop] Vince Staples, Prima Donna   [Def Jam] Robert Stillman, Rainbow   [self-released] Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth   [Atlantic] Sun Ra / Merzbow, Strange City   [Cold Spring] Swet Shop Boys, Cashmere   [Customs] Tegan And Sara, Love You To Death   [Warner Bros] The Thermals, We Disappear   [Saddle Creek] Thug Entrancer, Arcology   [Kemado/Mexican Summer] A Tribe Called Quest, We got it from Here...Thank You 4 Your service   [Epic] Trio Da Paz [Lubambo/Matta/Fonseca], 30   [Zoho Music] Ukandanz, Awo   [Atypeek Music] Caetano Veloso & Gilberto Gil, Dois Amigos, Um Seculo De Musica David Virelles, Antenna EP   [ECM] Dan Weiss, Sixteen: Drummers Suite   [Pi Recordings] Kanye West, The Life Of Pablo   [self-released] Waco Brothers, Going Down In History   [Bloodshot] Greg Ward, Touch My Beloved’s Thought   [Greenleaf Music] Warehouse, super low   [Bayonet] White Lung, Paradise   [Domino Recording Co] Wussy, Forever Sounds   [Shake It Records] Eri Yamamoto Trio, Life   [AUM Fidelity] La Yegros, Magnetismo   [Soundway] Yoni & Getti, Testarossa   [Joyful Noise]

-- jazz, pop, avant: a jumping off point for explorations.