Kevin VanOrd 🏳️‍🌈 🐻

I'd propose it's related to way art has been devalued to become 'content'. If it is content, it is immune to critique. This is, in my experience, a very common way to devalue both art and critics in a single stroke.

The deciding factor seems to be budget: there's a way for a film to be technically good, and as long as it meets the technical requirements, it's good by default. Expense is worth. It's consumerist at it's core.

It's the movie equivalent of the game getting a 10 because it's playable and suitably pretty.

An addendum from the poster was that 'movies are just movies', and I have to disagree, much as I'd disagree that music is just music, or that paintings are just paintings. Art is communicative; it carries meaning and feeling. I hope I never think of a symphony as merely notes played in a sequence.

Social media post: anything that makes it to the theater is cream of the crop.

I've been thinking a lot about this take I saw yesterday - and I think that's to do with how dismissive it is to art. If all films in a theater (or books in a store, or symphonies in the concert hall) are all cream of the crop, if there is no place there for 'bad', then what room is there to grow?

With due respect, I'm bowing out, because whatever conversation you are having is not the same as mine.

I was a professional singer, composer, and violinist for many years. I was a games critic for more than a decade. I've been making and writing games for another. I well understand the mediums I've worked in.

And you could say books are just books. Music is just music. I'm not so reductive about art; that book is a vessel of meaning and emotion, and same for that symphony, or that painting, or that film. It appears we think about art in very different ways from each other.

YouTube video by Vienna Teng Vienna Teng - "Gravity" Official Music Video

And this is one of the all time great chamber-pop greats.

YouTube video by Vienna Teng Vienna Teng - Level Up (Official Music Video) feat. Tommy Guns Ly

Her album Aims is amazing. Waking Hour. Really, you can't go wrong with any of them.

Vienna Teng mention which means I get to post this. @viennateng.bsky.social

omgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

Screenshot from Hell is Us. The player, a man clad in a white cloak and a small drone perched on his shoulder, approached a remote cabin. Blue flowers line either side of the path.

Screenshot from Hell is Us. In the player menu, a scroll appears with four quadrants. Lower left: an ooverview of a man-made pond. Lower right: A plinth with a crown atop it. Upper right: A blue flower. Upper left: writing in an unknown language. As a whole, they represent a puzzle solution.

Screenshot from Hell is Us. The player, a man clad in a white cloak and a small drone perched on his shoulder, navigates a narrow, rocky cave. His flashlight illuminated the darkness ahead.

I am once again asking you to play Hell is Us.

YouTube video by ARD Klassik Szymanowski · Sinfonie Nr. 4 · Jonathan Nott · SWR Symphonieorchester · SWR Kultur

Tonight's music: Karol Szymanowski's 4th symphony, in honour of the composer's birthday. (Oct 6, 1882.) A fascinating work, like he couldn't decide whether to write a symphony or a piano concerto and just made it both. I really like it.

I meant comments on Caro's post of course, but now I feel silly because this sounded like I meant your comments so I am going to slink away now.

Nick reading some of those comments and I feel like I have entered a new dimension of weird takes.

I mean, if you believe every high-budget film is amazing, all the power to you. You don't need critics, other people's opinions, or even your own opinions in a world where you know it's good every time, and nothing's bad.

I strongly reject the notion that budget is related to whether a film, or any artistic endeavor, is good, and that something must be good if it made it to theaters. As for every film in theaters representing the cream of the crop - I don't even know how to respond to that. It's a silly assertion.

Selfie. I'm a bear man with blue mustache and beard wearing a green shirt and rainbow cap.

Rough day still gay.

A screenshot of an email from the Bluesky Moderation Team with the subject line “Bluesky Account Behavior” sent at 22:15. The email states that a Bluesky account controlled by the recipient, with the handle @spacelawshitpost.me, posted a reply with an image where the alt text reads: Charlie Kirk sitting in a white T-shirt that says “Freedom.” A negative consequence follows. The email indicates this post violates Community Guidelines regarding violent or threatening speech, specifically listing threats of violence or physical harm against individuals, groups, institutions, or the general public, and incitement of self-harm or suicide.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A screenshot of an email continuation from the Bluesky Moderation Team displaying a bulleted list of Community Guidelines violations. The first bullet point describes threats of violence or physical harm as including threats or encouragement of violence against individuals, groups, institutions, or the general public. The second bullet point defines incitement of self-harm or suicide as content that encourages self-harm or suicide. The third bullet point explains wishes of harm as expressions of a desire for harm directed at a specific person or group. Below the bullets, a paragraph states that users may not use Bluesky to break the law or cause harm to others and that all users must be treated with respect. The next paragraph informs the recipient that as a result of these violations, your account has been taken down. A closing paragraph thanks the user for doing their part to keep Bluesky a welcoming and empowering place for all users and instructs them to email moderation@blueskyweb.xyz if they have questions or wish to appeal the decision. The email ends with the signature Bluesky Moderation Team.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A screenshot of an email reply from a user with the initials AJ and profile picture to the Bluesky Moderation Team, sent at 08:01 with the subject line Re: Bluesky Account Behavior. The email states the user wants to appeal the decision, asserting there was no threatening or violent connotation behind their use of the image. The user explains that the Charlie Kirk post is not a threat but rather a reaction meme expressing disappointment, with no threat made and no incitement of violence. The user mentions they have attached multiple examples and explanations, specifically 12 images in total, demonstrating the use of the image as a reaction meme. Below this text is a blue hyperlink to a Bluesky post URL. At the bottom of the screenshot is an embedded image showing a Bluesky post from a user with the handle @britculpsapp.bsky.social with several emoji reactions and a repost indicator showing Bluesky Elder. The post text reads: how to explain: this has been used as a reaction image to spending $20 on doordashing wendy’s & isn’t a threat. The timestamp shows October 5, 2025 at 3:34 PM.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A screenshot of an email from the Bluesky Moderation Team sent at 08:11 with the subject line Re: Bluesky Account Behavior addressed To: Hide My Email. The email reads: Hi there, Thank you for reaching out to appeal the takedown of your account on Bluesky. We have carefully reviewed your case, including the information you provided and the activity that led to the suspension of your account. After investigating, we have determined that your account activity was in violation of our community guidelines, specifically promoting hateful content or being disruptive to other users. We take these guidelines seriously to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all our users. As a result, we regret to inform you that your appeal has been denied, and your account will remain suspended. This decision is final and cannot be reversed. We understand that this may be disappointing news, but we must prioritize the well-being of our community and maintain a consistent enforcement of our policies. We encourage you to review our community guidelines to better understand the expectations we have for user behavior on our platform. Please do not create new accounts, since those will be taken down for ban evasion. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Unfortunate update: Link reached out to BlueSky and got email back now on reason.

His appeal is denied. He will remain permanently banned on BlueSky’s side.

Here are the screenshots he just sent me as of 8:22 AM EST(my time)

the outsiders game studio is closing after 10 years because of funcom layoffs

Famously, when celebrity women go to space, no one thinks to mention it.

Donate to Help Rebecca Ann Heineman Fight Aggressive Cancer, organized by Rebecca Heineman I’m Rebecca Ann Heineman. The very first video game champion, creat… Rebecca Heineman needs your support for Help Rebecca Ann Heineman Fight Aggressive Cancer

Listen, @burgerbecky.bsky.social is one of the greats. If you can spare anything at all, and you have love for this medium, I can guarantee she's in some way part of the games you love. Please help our industry help her out.

www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebec...

Bluesky post: To me it's only pointless when there's no context for why it's happening. People having sex just because the author got horny? Cringe. People having sex because of themes in the story that have built up to that moment? Tends to be interesting.

Kudos to everyone writing sex scenes because they're horny. Do it as often as you like.

Kevin VanOrd, Edge-Case Gay (@fiddlecub@mastodon.social) 114 Posts, 247 Following, 260 Followers · 🏳️‍🌈 Game designer and writer: Baldur's Gate 3, Divinity: Original Sin 2, EarthNight | Violinist and composer in the olden days | He/Him | #BlackLivesMatter

I do have an untended Mastodon presence. Maybe it's time to tidy up over there.

NEW: Extraordinary scenes in Amsterdam this afternoon (Sunday, Oct 5).

An estimated 250,000 bring the city to a standstill; people all wearing red to show solidarity with Palestine 🇵🇸

(🎥 Ahmed Zantac)

I'm impressed by the BSky team's goodwill-loss speedrun.

YouTube video by Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra - Topic Variations, Chaconne, and Finale: I. Theme and Variations

Oh something that always struck me: I don't know if you know Norman Dello Joio's Variations, Chaconne, and Finale (I only know it because I performed it in my youth), but the opening is *strikingly* similar to the opening the final movement of Vaughan Williams 5.

The Romanza's climax *is* stunning, but do you know what got me? The following violin solo and the muted-strings shimmer after - not to mention when the entire lower string section performs the little motif at about 10:29. It's the perfect close.

OK I was absolutely in chills when the first movement hit the 8:30 mark, this is really well judged.