you are terrifying and strange and beautiful
First: an apology. I was so exhausted while writing my last newsletter that I managed to not mention Beyoncé, or Lemonade, at all. Which is insanity, because to pretend that I didn’t spend a solid week listening to nothing but Lemonade would be grossly misrepresenting myself.
If you haven’t listened to or watched Lemonade yet, I highly recommend it. If you can, start by watching it. It’s an hour long, but the visual messages in it, as well as its use of Warshan Shire’s poetry, really deepen the experience of the album. If all you know about Lemonade is “Jay-Z cheated on Beyoncé and she made an album about it,” then you’ve definitely missed the point. And if you’re looking for sources picking apart the many, many references and influences in Lemonade, I’d recommend starting here. Imagine being on the research team putting together this work of art. What an accomplishment it is.
Notable Breakfast
Dog Thing
Mixed Media
I spent a long time looking for the perfect screenshot to use to encapsulate how beautiful a game Uncharted 4 is, and there were too many to choose from. It is, simply put, the most beautiful, realest looking game I’ve ever played.
I’ve loved the Uncharted series for a long time. I actually chose to get a PlayStation 3 rather than an Xbox solely on the basis that Uncharted is PlayStation-exclusive. I do not regret that decision. The makers of Uncharted, Naughty Dog, have spent years building on Nathan Drake’s narrative, turning what could have been a thin story about a knock-off Indiana Jones into something with emotion and depth. It’s also one of the best romances in video games.
The Uncharted games are a mixture of things–they’re adventure games, with puzzles and temple-crawling, they have combat, as well as meaty, stunningly-animated cutscenes. Nate’s always on the path of some treasure, and the mysteries he solves along the way are well-written. Uncharted games are linear, and cinematic, closer to an interactive film experience than anything else. It’s a singular genre, and Uncharted 4 hits the peak of it.
It’s also funny, and fun, and challenging. I played it in two days, then ordered the remastered versions of the first three games so I could replay the whole series over again.
Also:
I saw Sing Street, a sweet film about a boy in 1980s Ireland who decides to form a band after telling a girl she should be in his music video. It was lovely, and the original music was great.
Despite my love for it, I missed the first half of the first season of Elementary when it aired, and had never managed to watch it. It’s on Hulu now, so I got an account to watch the episodes I’d missed, then found myself wanting to keep going. So I’m rewatching Elementary now. I still love it.
I read Guadians of the Louvre by Jirô Taniguchi, about a Japanese businessman in Paris who goes to the Louvre while feeling a little under the weather, and in his fever sees the artworks come to life. It’s a beautiful work, about art, and artists, and the history of the Louvre itself.
I’ve listened to Annabel Jones’ first EP, Libelle, many, many times, and I love all the parts of it. The single, “IOU,” should not be missed. Tegan and Sara’s new single, “100x,” is fantastic, and not just for its dog-centric video. Henry Jackman’s score for Uncharted 4 is excellent.
Anxiety Pyjamas
Fics I Shouted About
A Hawk in My Heart by napricot Elementary, Joan/Sherlock. Sherlock goes missing, Watson goes on the case. One of my favourite things about Joan is her ruthless streak. This fic leans into it, and leans into it hard.
Not Just One Time by coffeeinallcaps Star Wars TFA, Finn/Poe. Poe gets captured, Finn goes to the rescue. There might be a theme in these fic recs today, maybe.
Death Before Dusk by Yahtzee Elementary, Joan/Sherlock. An asteroid is hurtling towards Earth, promising to end all life as we know it. An excellent fic about Joan and Sherlock solving a murder at the end of the world.
untitled by des-zimbits Check Please!, Jack/Bitty, future fic. This is what you’d call a not!fic, a little what-if exercise, where the what if is Jack and Bitty adopting a child, and the public’s reaction. Lovely.
Lastly
bye!
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