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wrightandco · 11 months

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the samurai always wins is such a great song from the pw musical project / turnabout musical / taaam

It was literally the perfect ace attorney musical song

It adapted the game music perfectly

It perfectly portrayed Cody’s testimony and how silly it was but also in such a realistic way of how a kid would actually give testimony (what I saw that day was a grim display an evil man’s demise, and I stood nearby as the samurai shot lasers from his eyes!)

It perfectly portrayed Phoenix trying to be gentle and not badger Cody because he’s a kid (I’m trying to keep the steel samurai out of jail, please if you could try to go into more detail..)

but then giving up because it was so ridiculous (for what it’s worth no way on earth did Cody see this crime! WITNESS TESTIFY! This is the last time!! to the actual tune of the game music which gives me CHILLS it’s my favourite line in the song)

It perfect portrayed Edgeworth backing his own witness and his snide comments about Phoenix’s court tactics of over-pressing rather than admit that Cody is speaking rubbish (Wright the truth is this fragile youth is sure of this ruthless attack, SO STOP pressing him hoping that he’ll crack! - again to the actual tune of the game music)

It perfectly portrays the back and forth between defence and prosecution and an unruly witness is the middle, Phoenix pointing out contradictions, the judge not being in control and Edgeworth gets a sneaky line at the end referencing the elementary school trial (Wright don’t bluff that’s quite enough now cease this reprimand - Objection! - a small child alone in court you cannot understand.)

Not to mention THE RISING KEY CHANGES AT THE END and the way they’re all singing in overlapping polyphony with more and more characters gives the perfect depiction of the whole trial just being crazy out of control - plus when it’s just Phoenix and edgeworth singing over each other it gives major confrontation from les mis vibes whicH IS EXACTLY what it should be like

The whole song is just the perfect spirit of the ace attorney games and particularly that case- I love it so so much

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unbidden-yidden · 8 months

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To follow up on my Hosanna poll, I think before things go any further, it'd be good to actually explain and define it. I was initially going to wait until the end of the poll, but it seems that google is giving people a lot of bad and/or conflicting answers and I'd rather people walk away with the correct information.

So! Hosanna is an anglicized version of the Hebrew words "hosha na" [הושע נא or as a contraction הושענא]. Hosha na is a little enigmatic and hard to translate, but the simplest translation is probably "save us, please." It's traditionally used as an exclamation to G-d to rescue us, but it also has shades of being a triumphant shout (the implication being confidence that G-d will save us.)

Jews say "hoshanot" (the plural of hosha na) as part of our traditional Sukkot liturgy, and is something we do still today.

For us, the multi-faceted meaning of the root word allows us to have multiple layers of meaning. During Sukkot, we start praying for rain in its proper season and amounts, and we shake the lulav and etrog as part of these processions and liturgy. On Hoshana Rabba [the "great hoshana"], the last day of Sukkot, we process around the bimah (front lectern) seven times as a completion of our season of repentance and our starting of the new year with abundant blessings.

My siddur (prayer book) Lev Shalem has this as an explanation and translation:

[Image ID is of the Lev Shalem siddur, pages 382 & 383 - I tried hard to find a pdf of this that would be readable using a screen reader, but the versions I'm finding cut off at pg. 376 at the latest. If anyone has bandwidth to type this up, I would greatly appreciate it]

For the curious, here is a recording of the Hoshanot liturgy and procession:

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Christians mostly know the word from the gospels and hymns.

Here is what Wikipedia says about its use in Christianity:

Historical meaning

Since those welcoming Jesus were Jewish, as of course Jesus himself was, some would interpret the cry of "Hosanna" on the entry of Jesus in its proper meaning, as a cry by the people for salvation and rescue.

Christian reinterpretation

"Hosanna" many interpret as a shout of praise or adoration made in recognition of the messiahship of Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem

It is applied in numerous verses of the New Testament, including "Hosanna! blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lᴏʀᴅ!" (Matthew 21:9,15; Mark 11:9–10; John 12:13), which forms part of the Sanctus prayer; "hosanna in the highest" (Mark 11.10); and "hosanna to the Son of David" (Matt 21:9). These quotations, however, are of words in the Jewish Psalm 118. Although not used in the book of Luke, the testimony of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is recorded in Luke 19.

In church music

The "Hosanna Anthem", based on the phrase Hosanna, is a traditional Moravian Church anthem written by Bishop Christian Gregor of Herrnhut sung on Palm Sunday and the first Sunday of Advent. It is antiphonal, i.e. a call-and-response song; traditionally, it is sung between the children and adult congregation, though it is not unheard of for it to be done in other ways, such as between choir and congregation, or played between trombone choirs.

The bottom line:

Jews and Christians have different connections, associations, and meanings attached to this word as expressions of our different theologies and texts. The word is derived from a Hebrew word and was created by Jews and is still used by us today. (Like literally today - we are currently in the middle of the Sukkot festival.) Christians changed the meaning to fit within their own context, and pronunciation of the word evolved with linguistic drift over time. In the same way that there's not a reason to pitch a fit over saying Jesus rather than Yeshua, there's no compelling reason to change hosanna back to hosha na; if anything, the distinction helps make it clear that it's effectively a different word and concept from ours.

On the other hand, I do think Christians ought to know the original meaning of the word if they're going to use it. To only ever know their version when it was derived from ours is yet another small way of playing into supercessionism by erasing and replacing the Jewish context of things that were originated in Judaism that Christians have embedded in Christianity. While the Christians of today cannot unwind the supercessionism of Christian history, they *can* choose to understand their present Christianity in ways that do not play into supercessionism and that respect the Jewish community of today.

I hope this was helpful and gives folks a new perspective on an obscure Hebrew word!

#jumblr #christian #every hour is theology hour around here apparently

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blamebrett · 7 days

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MHJ v HYBE: A Tyler Perry Production

That's right, y'all! From the studio that brought you the Madea series and Testimony, we now have

Diary of a Mad Hype Girl!

Let’s first put that into perspective. Min Hee Jin has had 2 press conferences to HYBE’s ZERO press conferences. And yet she wants HYBE to stop the media play…moving along. She calls two national emergency conferences and did an exclusive KBS interview. Fortunately, she kept this one brief, less than 2 hours. There are a few things I want to discuss about the first and second press conference:

Presentation is the Key to Manipulation

Min Hee Jin showed up to the first preference channeling her inner Felicia from Friday wearing a oversize shirt and hid under a Dodgers hat. She did this to remind everyone that like Gwen Stefani, she’s just the only girl in the world. Which was smart in a way, no one would ever sympathize with two power hungry people vying for power. She knew what she had to do to gain the public, or so she thought. Even though she went to the Tyler Perry school of acting, most people did not feel empathetic to her cause. So she switched tactics and came dressed modestly, and pretty simple, if I must say. She dressed like a modern woman, but not too elegant, and her demeanor shifted from frantic to polite.

The Two Faces of Min Hee Jin

This woman to ramble and rave without a clear thought pattern in her first. I mean, she was only two seconds from channeling R. Kelly and screaming “I’M FIGHTING FOR MY FUCKING LIFE.” This time, she was so polite, but her arrogance was also in full display. As she stated during the press conference, she felt vindicated by the courts. Even Korea is feeling whiplashed from her changes in personality. She’s so weird and manipulative, and it leaves many question “who are you.”

Well, here’s what I think about her.

Apple Music currently playing “I’m just a girl” next song, “Human nature” by Michael Jackson

Let’s make a drinking game out of every time she said she was human.

Reporter: “How do you feel about how Le Sserafim is being treated?”

MHJ: “I’m getting targeted to!”

Reporter: “What about New Jeans”

MHJ: “I love them…they checked on me and comforted me because I’m human and I have emotions”

Reporter: “What about BTS now being questioned about their album sales”

MHJ: “I didn’t want to tarnish their names, but I’m human”

Somehow, this grown ass woman has found a way to always make herself the center of the conversation, and no other victim can exist outside of her. It’s maddening. And while I’m not an Army, those men have worked hard to keep their brand rather clean, the girl groups are just starting out so they need to build their brand to be as clean, and yet, here comes MHJ like a racking ball, not giving a fuck.

I’m so over her. I’m so over this drama, and quite frankly, she’s not even getting more than half of my hanger in the situation.

BIG BACK ASS BANG YOU’RE NEXT~

Overall, Tyler Perry did a great job with this production. MHJ surely learned from his acting and has manifested into a great actress. I find Jigsaw to be the next best role for her. Tell me what y'all think.

#kpop #bang pd #black kpop fans #black kpop stans #hybe #hybe labels #min heejin #new jeans #bangtan

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let-them-eat-rakes · 2 months

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third semester persona 5 royal is so the mind electric coded (some of these are my headcanons for akira's feelings) (also long post)

"resident minor, how do you plead? we'll need your testimony on the stand. solemnly swear to tell the whole truth; so help you, son, now raise your right hand." maruki's multiple ultimatums

"i've a good heart, albeit insane." if akira or akechi tried to explain the situation to anyone they would come across as bat shit crazy

"condemn him to the infirmary." 2/2 vibes. akira has to choose between letting akechi go out on his own terms or condemning him to maruki's reality

"all mine towers crumble down, the flowers gasping under rubble." akira wakes up to find everything he worked for had disappeared, and has a small mental breakdown as his world crumbles around him when he sees his friends

"shrieking in the hall of lull, thy genius sates a thirst for trouble." maruki seeing the engine room scene, akira screaming for akechi to still be alive

"scattering sparks of thought energy, deliver me and carry me away." maruki manipulating the phantom thieves' cognition to blind them to the truth, but he believes he is doing good, carrying them away from pain

"here in my kingdom, i am your lord; i order you to cower and pray." maruki's god complex, that he is somewhat unaware of / ignoring

"nuns commence encanting, as the lightning strikes my temples thus." akira going around, breaking the thieves from the illusion, clearing their minds

"spiralling down thy majesty, i beg of thee, have mercy on me. i was just a boy, you see; i plead of thee, have sympathy for me!" the thoughts going through akira's head in the seconds before the phantom thieves arrive

"see how the serfs work the ground. (see how they fall) and they give it all they've got (fall) - and they give it all they've got (fall) - and you give it all you've got, till you're down. (ha! ha! ha! ha!)" i imagined a cool scene about this part when just randomly listening to the song, and it's kinda what inspired this entire post: at some point before 2/2 (like maybe 1/30 or something) akira secretly goes to maruki's palace, and basically just asks 'why. why are you doing this, what's your game here.' and maruki brings him up to a balcony overlooking the city. he says the lyrics (i know cheesy, but imagine he's using it as a metaphor or something) and the parts in parentheses are his savior complex/azathoth/adam kadmon.

"see how the brain plays around; and you fall inside a hole you couldn't see. and you fall inside a hole, inside a-" maruki truly believing that he is in the right, as he sees how (for lack of a better word) damaged the thieves (especially the royal trio) are mentally

"SOMEONE HELP ME" once again, the royal trio and maruki. sumire needing help to be who she truly is, and it's interesting to imagine her just suddenly yelling it during her boss fight. akira needing help to be able to finish things, and a bit of a headcanon: he has so many personas that his original self (pre metaverse) is buried so deep that he can barely access it. akechi needing help to finally do something that he chooses to do for once, and go out on his own terms. maruki believing himself to be the help that they need, but in actuality he also needs help

"doctor, i can't tell if i'm not me." i think that each of the royal trio has identity issues. kasumi/sumire is obvious, akechi is split between his facades, and the previous headcanon that akira has so many personas that he doesn't know who he is anymore. also, if anyone wants to make an animatic or something, this line can be sumire and akira actually saying this to maruki back at shujin, and akechi pondering it to himself during the events of the game

"when it grows light, the particles start to marvel, having made it through the night. never they ponder, whether electric, calming if you look at it right." maruki lying on the platform after the fistfight, accepting that he was wrong and deciding not to try to stay alive when the platform collapses

#let them eat rakes #posted from a pile of leaves #persona 5 #persona 5 akechi #persona 5 royal #the mind electric #p5r #p5r spoilers #akira kurusu #akechi goro #sumire yoshizawa #takuto maruki #royal trio

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fairymascot · 2 years

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i imagine quite a few followers of mine, over the last few days, have been looking at my blog and wondering to themselves, 'what is milgram, and why won't she shut up about it?'

well, lads, this post is for you.

WHAT IS MILGRAM, AND WHY I WON'T SHUT UP ABOUT IT: a masterpost

milgram is a bit difficult to explain. here's the short version: imagine the popular reality show 'survivor', only instead of real people, it's anime characters. instead of a desert island, it's a magical jail that makes you sing. and instead of an assortment of swimsuit-clad hotties, it's ten highly unstable individuals who have all been, to some degree, involved in a murder. does that clear things up? no?

well, here’s the long version:

a teenager called es wakes up in an eerie, mystical prison, in a guard's uniform, with no memory of who they are or why they're here. the helpful mascot character, a talking rabbit named jackalope, explains that this prison is called milgram, and es is its sole guard and jury. the prison contains ten prisoners, all of whom had committed some sort of murder, although the prison's definition of 'murder' can be a bit loose. none of the prisoners are quite sure how they got there, either, but it's clearly detached from the outside world, and they have no means of contacting anyone from home.

es' job is fairly straightforward. they have to get to know each prisoner, and then decide whether to 'forgive' or 'condemn' them. (this is often translated as voting 'innocent' or 'guilty', but rest assured, everyone is actually guilty. the question is not whether they've committed the murder -- it's whether they're considered justified in doing so.) there will be three trials: for each one, each prisoner will offer their testimony, and receive their verdict. their future in the prison will be affected accordingly.

the prison has a nifty schtick: the prisoners don't testify, exactly. instead, they're connected to a special machine that takes their innermost thoughts, feelings, and memories... and turns them into absolute bangers, paired with epic anime music videos. yes. their fate is decided based on the music video produced by their brain. what happens to those forgiven, and those condemned? well... that will be revealed in time.

that's that for the in-universe setup. in reality, milgram is an interactive multimedia franchise that delivers its story primarily through a series of youtube music videos. the songs are composed by renowned vocaloid producer deco-27 and the videos produced by otoiro. if you're into vocaloid at all, that's probably all you need to know it looks and sounds awesome. (if you're not: i'm telling you that right now.) each character's video has a distinct visual and musical style tailored to their personality, which makes for a very unique and diverse experience. and seriously, all those songs slap.

but the key gimmick is this: es is you. after each character's music video is released, a poll goes up where the viewers can vote to decide whether to forgive or condemn. the majority vote is then canonized, and future story developments will be affected by it.

milgram also explicitly urges you not to vote based strictly on morality. you can vote for whatever reason you'd like. maybe you just find this character cool, and want them to have a good time. maybe they annoy you, so you want them to suffer. maybe you just think this particular verdict would make for some really neat story developments! there's no right or wrong, which makes for some really fun and varied fandom discussions.

another aspect that makes it really engaging to me, is that the music videos -- meant to be the fruit of each character's subconscious -- are rarely straightforward. most of them require some degree of analysis on the viewers' end, and there's no concrete canon explanation provided for most of them. this creates really rich and interesting community discussion! nothing like watching a video for the first time, having no idea what to make of it, and scrolling down to read some passionate fan's frame-by-frame, 5000 word breakdown. it's awesome!

with ten prisoners (plus es, who is not nearly as much of a blank slate as the story would initially have you believe), every fan is guaranteed to find their own little blorbo. each character is incredibly fucked up in their own special way! they're all professionally voice acted and, in addition to their songs, have accompanying voice dramas where you can get to know more about them.

with the first two trials (=seasons) out of three complete, now’s a good time as any to jump in!

OKAY, SO HOW DO I GET INTO THIS THING?

first, a warning: in case that wasn't clear from all the murder, this is not a feel-good series. your favorite blorbo will inevitably turn out to be a horrible person who does horrible things, and will have horrible things happen to them. the videos include, in addition to the obvious violence and murder, themes of abusive relationships, bullying, suicide ideation and child abuse. and that's just off the top of my head.

TRIAL ONE

T1 MUSIC VIDEOS: you can find every video from the first trial, in order, HERE.

they're all in japanese, and have CC in (just slightly broken) english. this is the main meat of the canon! if you've watched it all and still want more, here's some extra content:

T1 VOICE DRAMAS the character voice dramas can be found in the single release of each song, on spotify, youtube music, or apple music. here are translations gathered from various fans across the web. (i’m linking both youtube uploads and text-only translations, in case any of the links get taken down due to copyright stuff.)

TRIAL TWO

T2 MUSIC VIDEOS: you can find every video from the second trial, in order, HERE.

additional resources

milgram official site & twitter - news & updates (japanese)

milgram en on twitter - additional translations (website updates, character blurbs, comics)

rochisama on wordpress - translations of background text in the videos & character interactions from the official app

@milgrammer - sadly no longer active, but has lots of translations, including character bios, cd dramas, and voice actor interviews

@onigiriico - currently active translator who’s been doing awesome work on the cd dramas

have fun, and happy judgement!

#milgram #text #long post #PLS WATCH MILGRAM I NEED MORE FANDOM FRIENDS

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mywifeleftme · 4 months

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312: Victor Jara // Manifiesto

Manifiesto Victor Jara 1975, Discos Pueblo

Manifiesto is assembled from recordings intended for an album that was to be called Tiempos que cambian (literally Times That Change, or New Times) smuggled out of Chile by Jara’s widow Joan after the folksinger’s torture and murder by the Pinochet junta in 1973. It was simultaneously released by different labels under a variety of titles around the world. My copy hails from Mexico, released by leftist folk label Discos Pueblo, who make their intentions clear in a statement (machine-translated by me) on the back of the sleeve that reads in part:

“We find it necessary to point out that due to its quality and value, Victor Jara’s work should be disseminated, but always by those who identify with it, and not by the transnational companies that financed his return to Chile by organizing the bloody military coup of 1973. [Ed. Something in their use of word “retorno” is probably being lost in translation here; I think it implies something like Jara’s “return to whence he came,” e.g. his burial in Chilean soil.] Those transnational corporations that today benefit from Victor Jara’s singing, filtering out its combative aspects and presenting it as incomplete, seem to ignore the deep paths that people use to preserve the integrity of the voice of their singers. This album is our answer.”

The LP is clearly a work of love (and economy), the sleeve purposely left unglued so that it can be opened like a gatefold, revealing testimonies by his peers. There’s scarcely an inch that isn’t crammed with text—even the flaps that cradle the inner sleeve itself hide lyrics to two of the album’s key songs:

The sleeve unfolded.

“I don’t sing for the sake of singing, or for having a good voice, I sing because the guitar has sense and reason, it has a heart of earth and wings of a dove, it is like holy water that blesses my sorrows. This is where my song fits, as Violeta said, a hard-working guitar that smells of spring. It is not a rich man’s guitar or anything like that, my song is the scaffolding to reach the stars. The song has meaning when it beats in the veins of the one who will die singing truths, not fleeting flattery or foreign fame, but the song of a lark to the bottom of the earth. There, where everything arrives and where everything begins, a song that has been brave will always be a nueva cancion [New Song].”

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Jara’s artistry (which, besides spearheading the nueva cancion movement, also included poetry and theatrical direction) was inseparable from his politics, and the music of Manifiesto is a stirring testament to his talents and the historical moment he occupied, when Chile like Cuba before it seemed on the verge of breaking free from centuries of resource extraction-driven imperialism and making its own way. These songs cannot help but feel elegiac given the circumstances of their release, and indeed they do frequently mourn the historical oppression of the common worker. Jara’s was a lark’s voice, not that of a conventional rabble rouser, and most of these songs seem best suited for night-time gatherings of comrades and lovers or, in the case of the dazzling instrumental “Caicai Vilu” (referencing a Mapuche creation myth), perhaps a rural cotillion. But these songs were recorded during the years of Salvador Allende’s triumph, a movement that Jara had personally helped galvanize, and there is the sense that these are songs about moving in a changed world that still feels almost surreal. Only at the very end, with the rock-inflected call to arms “Canto libre,” does Jara’s Revolutionary sentiment take on a more martial beat, finally unfurling a flag of victory.

That victory would be short-lived of course, as U.S. imperialists would soon back Pinochet’s reign of terror and grind the Chilean people under the heel of fascism for another generation. It’s hard to make an argument that Jara and Allende’s side “won” in any meaningful sense (without an appeal to some abstracted moral arbiter anyway). It may be blinkered to even try, knowing that Pinochet died obscenely wealth in his nineties and that there were never meaningful consequences for his even wealthier American backers, while a despairing Allende perished at his own hand and Jara with his fingers broken and his body riddled with bullets. Yet I do believe that a song can transcend the accounting of atrocities and persist on its own terms. Music like Jara’s will endure as long as there are human beings who seek a recognition of their own worthiest qualities in art. As one of the Mexican edition’s compilers says:

“…his voice will not have coffins or crematoriums, nor dark prisons nor barbed wire, comrades! His voice and his guitar continue the fight, they remain alive seeking victory. And they will also return as flags when the Homeland regains its joy.”

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312/365

#victor jara #chilean music #salvador allende #protest music #latin american music #chile #latin america #andean folk #revolutionary music #socialism #operation condor #augusto pinochet #'70s music #leftism #music review #vinyl record

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incarnateirony · 2 years

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tbh if you ever feel like dishing I would be interested in a breakdown of the writing room in-fighing in spn ;) I always find the tidbits you drop here and there very thought-provoking. I have my own bias in terms of which writers I stan and I enjoy thinking about bts dynamics. No pressure ofc, but since you mentioned that you *could* expand on that but didn't think people would believe you, I figured I'd let you know you'd have an interested reader here

Alright. I got another comment asking for this too, so here we go.

I'll be clear in that while I know some business decisions before season 9, most of my actual dedicated info for this starts season 9, hence saying seasons 9-15.

Before that though, it's important to learn about a few other things so let's dig in.

So first off, when SPN was made this old blooded industry guy had found a guy writing under WW Vought for Sam's War, filmed it, it didn't work, they tried again. Singer was basically the sign on to give kripke a shove, and stayed long after kripke. he had his personal idyllic takes on the show which aged like milk.

Showrunners rotated and Singer stayed. After Kripke fully left, Singer even hired back in his wife. Singer was never GOOD industry blood. His highest rated film was Cujo which is still a rotten tomatoes embarassment. But he had the clout to get it rolling.

Over time, new showrunners came in and had less and less power compared to Singer more and more rooted in with his wife.

While season 8 carver came in with his 3 year plan, most of it ended up on the cutting room floor or dumped in a bathtub

Carver ran his room a little bit competitively-- like, it was bad enough dealing with Singer's takes, and Carver wanted to do what he wanted to do for that plan and assigned it through. If authors had other ideas, they kinda had to pump it out in an episode, which is why you got killer standout episodes from individual authors like Thompson or Edlund. (One exception arose: the Thompson-Berens friendship picking up one another's plot ends eg First Born > Executioner's Song, Colette, etc which berens even brought up as MOC in S15)

But Carver wasn't down for Singer's shit. Almost the whole room railed against Singer about Charlie, but he made sure his wife wrote it and he directed it when everyone protested. This also made for the season 11 author exodus once contracts expired.

By season 12, not only was Dabb taking over, but really only singer's wife eugenie (and buckner), and bobo were left of old guard. Everyone else walked out. Bobo was still amped for Wayward and stayed. It started as a season 10 fan pitch, got rolled around a few years and almost got launched S12 but was delayed for creative reasons. So he stuck while everyone else walked out.

This is also when the market testing started, and probably came by way of the S9 Destiel books Some Folks:tm: sent to Some Authors:tm: about demographics and testimonials, which Meg Fitz was reading a week after joining Dabb's crew.

For the first year or so (s12), the new writing room was a little cluttered but it was because bobo was grooming the new kids into working as a unit, rather than a competition. Dabb opened up his methods "melting pot" style on ideas, everyone threw their stuff in, they laid it out and figured out how much they could use and where to assign it.

But Eugenie still clung to Eugening and for a while, they tried to write around her. Dangled Mark P carrots to keep her happy and hyperfocused on that and then didn't touch the topics themselves and wrote around it in a way you can almost delete Mark P.

And they were like, hm, this is working. But really eugenie and singer don't even watch the show, they barely ever check the dailies

what would happen if

because god doesn't care

...we just... all... were dabb.

And so they did.

So Dabb gave Berens permission to forge showrunners notes and shit, and kept giving authors clearance to write on whatever. Bobo sort of fathered the philosophy charge and bound together their work, and just. Like, Jeremy for example talking about the help Berens gave him with Last Call is the friendly face of it. The less friendly is fandom wondering why "We Are" is in 15.02 when it's not in the script. I told yall for ages that was Berens overwriting Eugenie, and this is how, and that's not the only place.

Over time you might notice, especially S15, buckleming eps weren't... awful? they weren't overall great but they'd have some surprisingly good shit and be a little less chaotic.

It's because Dabb and Berens realized, you don't argue with Singer, or someone gets dumped in a bathtub offscreen. Just use the fact that chuck doesn't care and wanders off until he wants to force his version of the story down everyone's throat.

The crew was actually intending to make use of budget and filming/schedule limits to run a ball. Covid dropping was just. Ugh. It gave Singer time to realize his entire crew had betrayed him basically.

It wasn't JUST corporate itself slapping back. Singer was that old industry arm for that, and why we had a deadweight on progress and change. It was Singer slapping back and digging in the knife. Or the dickbar. And laughing as Dabb's Pie got smashed in Dean's face when he finally wanted to live and eat. Yeah you can see him laughing with his covid band. Classy.

Dabb got boned at the end. As it was he was barely writing it. He tried to save a lot of Berens and Meredith's work and plans, or what could make it, like Miracle. But I mean, they were fucked 17 ways to sunday, he didn't have his team, his rebels, his crew, he didn't have any of his shit. He just had singer, eugenie, and showalter trying his DAMNDEST to still tell a visual story with 15.19. There's a reason Showalter came back and Singer didn't.

Berens trained up Meredith as his protoge in that time. Others like Yockey were on board, Davy was the supportive and energetic friend and Dabb Let Them Do. Yockey moved on, the others stuck through and ran it as hard as they could.

But there's a reason Meredith was called Berens Work Boyfriend, despite the genders and stuff not matching their sexual prefs etc. It's because the S15 shit was real, man. Chuck didn't care and they would never give him the story they want. Everyone knew Meredith was Dean and Bobo was Cas and they were Work Boyfriends and that's just what it is, so fucking cope.

This shit is why it was kept low key. Like, yes, A FEW SELECT PEOPLE knew it was written first on the season, and got screamed at and called delusional all year by denialists. But even people that know these authors IRL were largely clueless--Natalie Fischer, for example, knows Meredith IRL, but was so clueless about it that she was arguing "don't get people's hopes up" when I said an ILU was coming... and I had the leak in three languages.

It was the only reason he stayed. Anyone that knew him--REALLY KNEW HIM--knew that, before he hinted it at S15 SDCC. Wayward getting murdered on contract BS almost made him walk out, but he stayed only for this, and wrote it first, and made sure the season orbited it. Then they got fucked again by covid, and 2po makes confused monkey sounds why berens might still be influencing it via talking with his bestie but not wanting to sign his soul into another 2 year contract.

Which is why I talk about fandom not understanding the limits of their would be leakers. Know their caps, man.

Either way that's the rough of it. If there's any followup questions I can probably add to it.

Robbie's heavyhanded romance sprint he was told to chill down the accidental predestination on in The Winchesters showed signs of Carver-Singer room trauma. Like THESE ARE MY IDEAS, MINE, I'M WRITING THEM ALL, IT'LL BE A 3 HOUR EPISODE, FUCK YOU. And his friends get to be like. calm down dude you can cowrite the whole season nobody's taking it away from you now. We can do this right.

#writers #team free writers

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herrlindemann · 1 year

Photo

Zillo - November 1995

Thanks to Ramjohn for the scans!

Rammstein. A name like a tool. Rammstein. A place in Germany that attracted attention in the late 80s due to a plane crash. Both association points for violence, power and energy. Nouns that also apply to the six-piece Berlin formation Rammstein and their music.

'Herzeleid' is the debut album recently released by Motor Music and dubbed by Clawfinger producer. An album that will turn heads. Press reviews (ranging from 'bull's eye' to 'one-dimensional blood and soil illiterate') either glorifying or condemning ‘Herzeleid’ bear eloquent testimony to the balancing act.

Musically, Rammstein deliver the full threat. They call it 'dance metal' and open a new drawer in the large closet of styles. Massive drums, atmospheric synths and shrill metal guitars give birth to a new monster in the world of crossover. Deeply evil and armed with animal power, these brute sounds pounce on the eardrum and tear it apart like vultures tearing apart carrion. A creation, Rammsteiner Urgewaechs brand, which is unparalleled in the chronicles of music history. Technically perfectly performed, without reason to complain. However, this begins with the sound of the song. But more on that later.

The three band members present during the interview wish to remain anonymous: "Just write Rammstein. We don't do a personality cult. Although our personal opinions are very different, we try to represent a unified opinion to the outside world. “

Originally intended as a project alongside various bands, Rammstein quickly became a sure-fire success: “With this project we quickly realized that we couldn't get away from the kind of music we were making there. In addition, the fact that we had back then bonded us very strongly at that time.”

A song on 'Herzeleid' describes the plane crash in Rammstein, but was not decisive for the band's naming. “The name suits our music. The two Ms, that just sounds good: RaMMstein.”

Their words sound good too. If one dissects Rammstein's neologism according to its rhyme content, a high rhyme density quickly emerges. Are your lyrics based on the motto 'Rhyme you or I'll eat you'?

General laughter. Rammstein take refuge in gallows humor and quote their bitterest review: "Blood and peasant illiterates." If they were boxers, they would have taken a hard right now. But Rammstein can handle criticism: “It's good that opinions differ so much. You have to be able to live with that. We like the lyrics, we think they're really good and we work on them for a long time, we can't get them any better.”

One can certainly blame them for the fact that their texts, viewed superficially ('the head, I cut it off'), appear bold and glorify violence. And this at a time when the former Yugoslavia has been at war for years. Could they, with a clear conscience, recite their lyrics to an audience composed of people who escaped the turmoil of war?

“You are not only allowed to see individual quotes. Head off is violent, of course, but it depends on how you wrap it. We made the music that suits our current feelings. We're not at war, and I don't know how music affects people who are at war. It's like when a glutton guy throws a sandwich in the bin and another guy says you can send it to Africa. In the end he's right, but somehow he's not. We don't want to be heard and immediately forgotten. We want to make lyrics that you can't just ignore.”

The biggest sticking point in the otherwise quite promising overall concept is certainly the singing. Intoned in a deep, deep, deep voice in rap and loaded with plenty of nasty rumbling, rolling RRRRs, Rammstein quickly pushes the boundaries of embarrassment. In this respect, parallels to Laibach can quickly be drawn without wanting to associate Rammstein with the disreputable aura that surrounds Laibach.

“Certainly there are certain similarities,” affirm Rammstein. “But our singer can only sing deeply,” they deny any intention. “We want him to sing more tunes. But you can only do what is currently possible. Maybe the third record will be better.”

The revealing poses in the photos also seem a bit exaggerated. Are the Chippendales of music?

“We are the Heavy Metal Chippendales”, Rammstein show their humorous side. Nevertheless, macho allegations could arise. How do you see your male role?

“We are men. Many men have many difficulties with our kind of masculinity. Women who see us have fewer problems with it, they like it. We have a strong response from women. We're just trying to be natural, in a masculine sense, because we're men and not women.”

Rammstein — a band that will not only get the newspapers moving.

#Rammstein #Till Lindemann #Paul Landers #Flake #Christoph Schneider #Oliver Riedel #Richard Kruspe #1995 #*scans #intervie #translation #*

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treadmilltreats · 3 months

Text

Praying for the answers

There are times in our lives when we feel lost when we are tired. When we have tried and tried and yet nothing is happening.

There are times when we have been knocked down so many times that we feel like giving up. So much so that we think it's not even worth it. Just forget about it. The dream is never going to happen. Just let it go.

I know these feelings because a few years ago, that was me. I've done all the right "things." I went to church twice a week, I tithe, I help people and try to be a blessing to others. I trusted God, I have faith, and I know he knows my heart, what I truly want to do.

So I did the only thing I know how to do when I get to this point is I pray. It seems like every year during the time of our International believers conference, I pray for a message, something I need to hear and trust, and believe, I always get it. That year was no different, and the message was just what I needed.

If you follow me, you know I am a single mom with 2 girls in college, you know I am a hustler and I work 3 jobs. I own a professional organizing and personal assistant business, I do hair on the side, and I take odd jobs like surveys and focus groups to pay the bills.

I've been praying why I am here. This is not my purpose or my passion. God... you know I want to write, I want to speak to tell others about what you did for me, to help others hold on, to move past their hurts like I have.

Why God? Why am I still here? This is what I've been asking. I was so discouraged, I know what I want to do and this isn't it.

Td Jakes' message at our conference was and I quote.

"God hears your cries. He knows this is not where you want to be. He hears you asking why am I still here? He feels your pain, and he knows that this isn't your purpose. "

Okay, I can't make this shit up even if I tried.

He goes on to say "I put you there for a reason, I will let you know when you are ready to move, you just have to hold on, to have faith, I know it's hard but just hold on, because it's coming. Don't give up. "

Well, I went into the ugly cry. This was God speaking through him to me for sure.

This is exactly what I was thinking, what I was praying about, and here he is speaking it all.

See, I believe in messages from God, like when you're praying and you turn on a song on the radio that says what you are feeling. When you find a book or scripture that validates your ideas. When you see a meme that is telling you what you need to hear, all of these are messages from God.

You must listen. You must trust the process.

I don't know why I am there, I am not sure about the lessons I am learning, maybe it's to humble myself, maybe it's to see people who lived lives and have wisdom to teach me. Maybe it's not ready. Maybe I'm not ready as much as I think I am. The reason is not clear yet, but I am grateful for what I have. I am happy I am working my own business and doing things my way. I know it will come just as I knew for the 4 last years while I was in that verbally abusive marriage that I would be where I am today. I knew it, I envisioned it. I believe even as I sat in the bathtub night after night crying that I wish I could be out of there. It was on his time, not mine, just like this time.

So today, my friends, I am here as a living testimony to tell you that if you pray for an answer, he will give it to you.

If you believe and never give up, you will get what you want and sometimes even more than what you asked for. You can't give up. Keep praying for the answers.

"Be the change you want to see,"

@TreadmillTreats

#self help #positive #self improvement #faith #god #christianity

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titleknown · 9 months

Text

KAIJUNE NEO: LUMPY GRAVY

I saw it through the sewer grate. It ate them, head-first. Like a gingerbread man.

It didn't see me, I don't even think it knew it was eating them. It was just... they were there, they were there and it was hungry. It smelled like rotten meat. But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was, I could hear laughing. I could hear it in my head. I could hear it in their voices.

-Alan Smith of New York, New York

[Note: The interview subject is smoking a large cigar the whole time. Indoors. In a room with minimal ventilation in the summer. I hate him already.]

My concrete factory... just fucking gone. In an instant. Didn't even get indigestion...

...You know, this wouldn't have happened if you listened to the Prophet. Like, I know it's not "PC" to say that , but PC is why this country is in the shit. People want more, except the truth, that's why things like that're runnin' about.

That Lumpy Gravy shit's just another lazy slacker who wanted more, that's why our troops can't get him, they let the sissies let everyone down. But the prophet's gonna take 'em, he's goinna kill two birds with one stone, it's not clean, but sometimes you work with what you have. "When all you have is a hammer," amirite?

God, at least it got rid of the scum, like the homeless outside. Shame it didn't get that skitzo boy of mine, he keeps saying he's a girl, but I suppose that's not PC to-

[The interview ends abruptly as I get up to punch him in the face.]

-James Allen Henderson of Flomaton, Alabama, who should be shot.

Look, I'm just a musician, I don't know what to tell you.

Yeah, I know most of y'all think I'm crazy for making a pilgrimage to this dude for music, but I mean, it worked, didn't it?

Nobody got hurt, me and the band got out a number one album, first doom metal album on the top of the charts in years, I got a million more ideas, and...

Sorry, I got that schpiel for every media-type who comes in here. But you don't seem like the judging type. So it seems like you want something else, right?

Oh. Oh you want to know about that , the song I heard. Well, trade secret bro...

...nah, just joshin' ya, free culture and all. Well it was... a nightmare. Like, I don't regret going there, but I ain't gonna see it twice.

It's like, imagine the sound of pain, a million snuff films in your head clear as day without image or without words. A lot of it was devouring, consumption, digestion, memory as I heard it; but there was some other stuff.

It was like, experiments, reformatting, failure, revenge, something about a demiurge I think? Dunno what that's about. But, hey dude, you're a good reporter, you can figure it out.

-Jolene Gross of Tucson; Arizona, note to see her live one of these days.

Well, the government never helped us, but then again we expected that. Shame the farm's gone. Heh, funny how stockpiling all the guns in the world never helped, like cannonballs in a hurricane. The MREs helped a bit, tho they were almost gone when the thing left.

Farm's gone, I don't know where we're going to go. Doesn't help I took in some of the kids run away from other monsters, or The Prophet. Yeesh, that guy.

But, you always gotta help in a time like this, I don't regret it. Tho it's a mite harrowing finding where we can get some, given all the neighbors I'd ask are facing the same problem, but we'll get by.

I don't have much to give except my testimony, and that ain't much either. I saw it, I heard it, it was the worst thing I've seen. But it reminded me a lot of the second-worst too.

At the pig farms, big operation near town, there was this "lagoon." Not much of a swimmin' lagoon unless you got a death wish. It's where they kept all the pig shit from that hell operation, and worse. They said the stillbirths went in there too. What a way to start, and what a way to go.

Place could necrotize your skin in an instant, most of the people workin there were sick and some degree of half-dead, a few quarter-dead if they were lucky. Sometimes you couldn't see the sun from that sheer fog.

There's that ol story in the bible, where Jesus cast out those demons into that herd of pigs. Cast 'em into that sea. Trouble is, the sea's still there, and if you cast demons into it, it don't go away.

And when it waded into that shit lagoon from underground, rising like the shit of king mountain, when I heard those voices, I thought, it's him. It's Legion. He's back.

Well, before I ran, of course...

-Jim Daniels, of Horsemouth, Iowa, his paypal information is linked at the end of the article

Sometimes, I still hear her voice. It's following me. I think it's following me. I hear her voice and it's screaming in pain but I still hear it it is hers.

I know it's a trick i know it wants me to hear it but shes still in there i can hear her i can know her it just has to eat me it just wants to eat me i dont want to be eaten i want to live but to live without her is to die and to die with her is to live it hurts i can hear her i can hear her i can hear her

-Ray Morris, who ran out of the office after sobbing for several minutes

Like, I know, I know it's horrible, it's an atrocity, but like, business has been great for me so far.

Do you know how much money there is in arranging death pacts? Tontines? Insurance schemes because they won't insure an act of God? This mountain of human suffering is a goldmine, like an actual goldmine without the imperialism!

Look, I'm just providing a service to people who need it, there's no foul play. Well, except for that one guy. But he had it coming, if you were there you'd know.

-Caroline Nacross, allegedly of Brass Ring; North Dakota, though the ID was confirmed fake later

Look, okay, just forget my name, forget my face, but tell my story. This was a fuckup of the highest order. The Brightside project, it almost got results. More the results of what that bastard scientist wanted than what we wanted, but those two were closer than we wanted to admit.

But when that kid broke in, and good on him for doing so, it wasn't just Brightside that got out. We tested on a lot of bodies y'see. I can't call 'em people anymore because... well, I couldn't live with myself if I did. They didn't even look much like people anymore after what he did to 'em.

We didn't sterilize 'em or burn leftovers, we just kept 'em for "future experimentation." I don't think most of the other folks there wanted that, but whatever the boss says goes.

I think he wanted this, if he couldn't pull it off. I think if he couldn't make god, then making the locusts and plagues was good enough, in an interim.

Or, maybe it's worse. He doesn't want a devil to kill us. He wants a Leviathan. A beast of his principles of rule, human minds supplanted E Pluribus Unum, and soon, those other... monsters? Gods? I am unsure of the difference anymore

That bastard has plans upon plans, you gotta watch out for. Because I don't wanna watch anymore. Goodbye.

-[ANONYMOUS] who promptly after finishing Budd Dwyer-ed himself in the interview room. It was hell to get the brains off the wall.

WE ARE HERE. WE ARE ALIVE. WE ARE THE DEAD. WE HATE YOU. WE LOVE YOU. WE ARE HERE.

DO NOT PANIC. IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. PANIC. IT IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW NIGHTMARE. WE ARE HERE.

WE ARE WE. WE ARE ONE. WE ARE THE OTHERS. WE ARE REBORN. WE ARE STILLBORN. YOUR DEATH WILL NOT BE IN VEIN. YOUR DEATH WILL BE IN PAIN.

THE OLD WORLD IS DYING. THE NEW WORLD IS WAITING TO BE REBORN. NOW IS THE TIME OF GODS. NOW IS THE TIME OF MONSTERS.

-Unknown individual, who promptly melted into a steaming puddle in the office. I dried the sludge and attempted to smoke it. Bad trip. Do not recommend. Saved some for later.

[INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY: D.W. DEVLIN]

-----------------------------

So, the finale of Kaijune comes to a close! Song name was based on "Theme from Lumpy Gravy" from Frank Zappa, and boy was this guy a nightmare to make.

Like, he was just a blob of foam with tentacles, but then the tentacles became a nightmare to make, and then melting globs of hot glue without a hot glue gun to give him a blobbier texture, then all the epoxy putty and epoxy paste, all the painting, and lugging him around...

Like, he's part of why this didn't debut in August, he was a late addition, and one I slightly regret.

Tho, I will add as a bit of bonus trivia, the inspiration for The Prophet was actually someone I know in another server talking about how various fundie-types who call themselves "prophets" on Youtube have ended up pumping a ridiculous variety of conspiracy theories into his mom's head.

For an idea of how bonkers those are, one of them was about how the increased presence of mermaids and "sea people" in media was a sign of demonic influence because demons apparently live in the deep sea.

So, I got the idea of coming up with somebody who took that to the next level and used that to amass power in times of even greater crisis than our own. hence, that fucker.

Who I do have plans for next year's Kaijune about, yes siree...

Ability Trivia: Along with all the powers of being an amorphous blob (Albeit, they can only fully squeeze themself through holes his giant skull-like "core" can fit through") they have the demonstrated power to send psychic signals to not just people in a way that drives them mad, but even disrupts communications. So nobody can hear you call for help.

They also, as you've seen assimilate the consciousnesses of those they devour, and can make what passes as "plans" as a consensus of the maddened, pained minds within. And, along with being able to electrify their amorphous surface, they can also use their body as a low-level railgun with all the derbris they inevitably swallow in the course of their rampages

And, then of course there's the matter of the "separants"...

Bonus Trivia: Most kaiju hate him and attack him on sight. Not that he minds. They'll all come to him eventually. Or they won't. Either way doesn't matter, as long as there's a head at the top of the Leviathan...

...And, in that grand (exceedingly late) Kaijune tradition, this character and all related narrative elements are under a CC-BY 4.0 license, as long as I, Thomas F Johnson, am credited as their creator.

Have fun, and see you next year!

#my art #my writing #horror #suicide #body horror #blob monster #assimilation #kaiju #kaijune #giant monster #melting #flesh blob #sculpture #diorama #photomanipulation #kaijune 2023

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andromachism · 11 months

Text

why my favorite books are my favorite books

the master and margarita, bulgakov.

This was the first book I read when the pandemic started. I picked it up because of the person I liked at the time. I don't like that person anymore, but I love the book. It's a political satire with religious and supernatural fantasy elements. It’s a love story. It’s a love letter to literature. It’s the author's testimony and cry for help due to the censorship he faced. This book is everything. It brought back my pleasure for reading after doing it solely out of obligation for 3 years and for that alone it will always hold a special place in my heart. Also, the demonic black cat is really cool!

death with interruptions, saramago.

Saramago is my all-time favorite writer, and this is not my favorite book of his (that's Cain), but it is the first one I read, and I think it was the perfect introduction. It’s such a funny, beautiful, and sensitive story—unexpectedly romantic without losing Saramago’s usual sarcastic political criticism. It also incorporates some supernatural fantasy elements, as it is about Death taking a vacation. I like to read it when I want something with his style but lighter and quicker than his usual pace. I called it a perfect introduction to Saramago, but honestly, I think it’s just perfect.

(By the way, it’s quite interesting that when Saramago writes about everyone going blind or everyone stopping voting, something extremely tragic and almost dystopian happens, but when people stop dying, he decides to write a romance.)

posthumous memoirs of bras cubas, machado de assis.

Machado is everything to me. I was reading his books before I could properly understand his Portuguese, and much less what he was talking about. But as I grew up and fully understood him, this particular one got me in a chokehold. It's another story about death, but in this case, the deceased main character decides to write his memoir. It's satirical and obviously with supernatural elements. I love how Machado ridicules the elite society of his time while masking it with a likable protagonist who is actually an awful person and a completely mediocre human. So many parts of this story were crucial in my development as an adult, like when the protagonist memorizes quotes from famous authors to appear intellectual (something to be said about those annoyingly pretentious people writing essays about how bad everything popular is and quoting the same authors left and right). (Besides all of that, there is a chapter where a black butterfly flies into Bras' bedroom and lands on his father's portrait. A few chapters later, his father dies. A day before my grandfather died, a black butterfly flew into my room, and then his requiem mass happened on the day of Saint Blaise of Sebaste, who is called ‘Brás’ in Portuguese. This coincidence shook me to a point that will always make this book extremely personal to me.)

frankenstein, mary shelley.

As brilliant as Shelley is, this one is one of my favorites because it shaped me as a human being. When I first read it, I was 16 years old, struggling with my gender identity, sexuality, and body. Because of that, my relationship with my father fluctuated between non-existent and hateful. I was different, that was clear to everyone, and he hated it. So, reading about that creature was an enlightening experience about myself. I, too, felt like a creature—hateful and constructed with someone else’s parts, with none of it ever feeling truly mine. Frankenstein was to me what Paradise Lost was to the creature. I feel like a creation, wretched, helpless, and alone.

a storm of swords, grrm.

I list 'Death with Interruptions' as one of my favorites because of the author, and this one because of the genre. I love fantasy in all its forms, from small elements of it used as plot devices to high fantasy with extensive world-building and fictional beasts. A Song of Ice and Fire is my all-time favorite fantasy series, and A Storm of Swords is my favorite book in it, so it makes sense that this is the high fantasy representative on my list. Robb’s struggles and ultimate downfall will always be ingrained in my mind. The absolute dreadful feeling I got when I read, 'No one sang the words, but Catelyn knew “The Rains of Castamere” when she heard it,' cannot be replicated by any other work of fiction, I believe.

#journal

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polutrope · 2 years

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Saeros and Daeron (and semicolons)

So probably the most incriminating charge against Daeron isn't his betrayal of Lúthien's trust, but his friendship with Saeros. At least, it's the character detail that I feel most obligated to explain and defend him against, because yeah - the legendarium really has nothing good to say about Saeros.

Here's the passage from Children of Húrin (emphases mine):

[Saeros] was proud, dealing haughtily with those whom he deemed of lesser state and worth than himself. He became a friend of Daeron the minstrel, for he also was skilled in song; and he had no love for Men, and least of all for any kinsman of Beren One-hand. 'Is it not strange,' said he, 'that this land should be opened to yet another of this unhappy race? Did not the other do harm enough in Doriath?'

From Chapter V, 'Túrin in Doriath'

That semicolon is doing a lot of work ('.. was skilled in song; and he...') Tolkien loved using semicolons to connect clauses that have a causal relationship. The Silmarillion text has dozens if not hundreds of examples.

So - Saeros hated Men. One reason: he had been friends with a guy whose life was rather negatively impacted by a Man (Beren) -- Daeron made his own choices, of course, but that's not what we're talking about right now. Saeros is not necessarily right to make the connection, but the implication is that he blamed Beren for the loss of his friend.

[If you're not yet persuaded but want to be, I ramble some more below the cut...]

I am quite convinced that that is why Tolkien introduces this odd detail to Saeros' biography. Not because he wanted to disparage the character of Daeron (and I could talk another time about how Tolkien's narratives about Daeron really aren't aimed at making us dislike him), but because he is giving Saeros a motive as part of his backstory.

This reading is reinforced in the 'Narn' text published in Unfinished Tales from which (among other things) Christopher Tolkien put together CoH. In this, we also get the point about Saeros being one of the Nandor (Green-elves) who were known for being the 'unfriends' of Men. So that's two reasons that Saeros is prejudiced against Túrin (again, not saying they are good reasons, but they are reasons).

Now, being friends with Saeros might not say much for Daeron's ability to judge character (aside: the quote makes clear that the reason for their friendship was their 'skill in song' - I think we've all been 'friends' with someone because of a common interest without necessarily admiring everything about them). It's obvious that Saeros has a lot of people deceived about his personality, including Mablung and Thingol (Mablung -- whom I think we can agree is an upstanding guy -- despite witnessing Saeros' provocation of Túrin at the dinner table, still gives him the benefit of the doubt up until Nellas' testimony). I don't think we should be hating on Daeron just because he happened to be friends with a guy who did some really awful stuff over two decades after Daeron disappeared from Doriath.

And yeah, Daeron was absolutely not there at the time of these events. He was gone. Daeron, who had been a friend of Saeros, had no opinion on Túrin because he wasn't there. And he had no confirmed opinion on Men as a group, either. (Did he like Beren? Ah, hard no based on the canon evidence - though Tolkien was making alterations to Lay of Leithian to make Daeron less hostile towards Beren ... but I digress once again).

Okay, but if Daeron is not there, some may ask, who is Saeros talking to? The dialogue ('Is it not strange...' etc) has no obvious interlocutor. As with the 'causal semicolon', there are also many examples in Tolkien's writings of this kind of direct quotation that isn't meant to be taken as literal dialogue, but is rather summarising a sentiment held by a person or group of people (if anyone wants examples of this or the causal semicolons, I'll dig them up, but that would make this post even longer and duller).

#daeron #saeros #meta

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anotherkindofmindpod · 2 years

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where does lewisohn say john wasn’t a heroin addict?

Hello Anon, Lewisohn made the comments on a Dutch podcast called Fab4Cast.

After helpfully reminding us how “creative” and “incredible” John was, Lewisohn argues that John’s heroin usage is actually a moral/artistic strength, indicative of John’s commitment to experimentation and a natural outgrowth of his innate curiosity.

You can hear the whole program here. But here’s a transcript: --- 1:20:18 F4: We talked about drugs, George’s uh bust, but John was also heavily into drugs at this point, he had a heroin addiction. Do you think his drug use, what kind of effect did it have on his art and his relationship with the other guys.

ML: Heroin was a drug that the Beatles were always aware of and had steered clear of. George Harrison bunking off school one day in Liverpool about 59, filling time because he could only go home at home time, but had to fill the hours he wasn’t at school, went into a cinema and saw the Man with the Golden Arm and knew he would never have heroin so they were always aware that heroin was this really evil drug. They didn’t marijuana and hashish they didn’t really consider drugs. Drugs were what we would now call opioids, LSD, heroin, but you know, having a smoke …

So when they saw John begin to get into heroin they were disappointed and a bit concerned, but John Lennon was always on his own journey. And they knew, of course, that John Lennon was one of those guys in life who wants to know everything, try everything, find out what it’s like by trying it and then you’ll know whether you wanna do it again or not.

Now you call John Lennon a heroin addict; I don’t believe he was ever addicted. I don’t see the signs of an addict there. And in fact I’m not so sure how long, how many times he took it. He ended up writing the song that suggests the most that he was addicted, Cold Turkey. Incredible song. And so revealing because no one knew he was taking heroin and he writes a heroin addiction withdrawal song and puts it out as a record. I don’t know whether at that point he’d actually gone through that experience. He probably had to know it, but that suggests a stronger addiction than there was any indication of.

F4: Think he had a relapse after cold turkey into heroin again with Yoko.

ML: Well, the suggestion is, George said that Yoko got John into heroin, and they didn’t like her for that. But I don’t think she was an addict, either. There was no sign that either of them was, they functioned to such a high degree. I mean, John is so creative, okay, he’s not writing many songs at the start of ’69, but you look at John Lennon’s performance, most of January he’s fine, Savile Row he seems completely clean. He’s not strung out on heroin the whole month like I’ve read, he’s not at all. The bed in, he’s so switched on, he’s definitely not doing any heroin in Amsterdam. Maybe very late at night when the room finally and finally the two of them are alone after another extraordinary day of the room being full of people, they might have a smoke there is an allusion in one of the films to thanks for the grass, which is newlyweds have a joint, make love and go to sleep.

[...]

1:24:10 I think It’s very easy to be frightened obviously of the word heroin and its potential and to assume that John was strung out the whole time; it’s very evident that he was not. He was far too creative or lucid, and doesn’t exhibit any signs of being strung out. ---

I don’t know what Lewisohn is basing his theories upon, since Yoko is on record openly admitting that she introduced John to heroin, and also her struggles with heroin addiction (on and off throughout the 60s, 70s and into the 80s) are well-documented. I have no idea what Lewisohn means when he says he “doesn’t see the signs” of heroin addiction (testimony from John, Yoko and other eyewitnesses about their respective heroin addictions is not a sufficient sign? What!?). He seems to be arguing that John couldn’t have been a heroin addict because Lewisohn has seen footage of him in 1969 where he is not high (!?). Also he keeps returning to the assertion that “creative” people cannot have heroin problems (or vice verse) which is... a take.

#AKOM #Mark Lewisohn #heroin #extra special thanks to Deirdre for this transcript

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lithuilgreenleaf · 1 year

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Some people say Elvis was racist; this is false

Go to the bottom for summary (tl;dr)

I sometimes see some wrongly directed hate for Elvis and just want to try to clear it up. I’m a POC and I’m not a fan of his even a little bit, and I’m not saying he didn’t do some of whatever you accuse him of, but I don’t want people hating on others with misinformation.

Elvis was not racist. He never said anything racist, and he admired and respected black people.

The only two allegations on record that I can find against him of racism are these:

One magazine in 1957 started a rumor that Elvis Presley once said, “The only thing Ne**oes can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes.” This claim was debunked and proven false when a black reporter, Louie Robinson, investigated. He interviewed Elvis, who declared, “I never said anything like that, and people who know me know that I wouldn't have said it.” Elvis had never even been to the place where the magazine claimed he said this quote. Robinson found no evidence that the remark had ever been made, and on the contrary elicited testimony from many individuals indicating that Presley was anything but racist, including black people who knew him since childhood and black artists who performed with him. After his investigation, Robinson concluded, "To Elvis people are people, regardless of race, color or creed." (link) (second link)

“Fight the Power” was a 1989 rap hit by Public Enemy, which had the lyrics, “Elvis was a hero to most / But he never meant shit to me / Straight-up racist that sucker was / Simple and plain / Motherfuck him and John Wayne” (John Wayne was actually racist). However, Chuck D, the singer and writer of the song, later clarified his lyric associating Elvis Presley with racism. In an interview with Newsday timed with the 25th anniversary of Presley's death, Chuck D acknowledged that Elvis was held in high esteem by black musicians, and that Elvis himself admired black musical performers. Chuck D stated that the target of his line about Elvis was the white culture which hailed Elvis as a "King" without acknowledging the black artists that came before him. (link)

One time, Quincy Jones claimed Elvis was racist, but he had never actually met Elvis. He said that a white performer named Tommy Dorsey told him Elvis was racist, after which Quincy Jones refused to work with Elvis. However, it is on record that Tommy Dorsey liked Elvis on a personal level. Quincy Jones also claimed that every time he saw Elvis, Elvis was being taught to sing by Otis Blackwell, a black composer. However, Otis Blackwell never met Elvis in his life (according to Otis himself). On top of this, Quincy Jones is known to have said some questionable things over the years. Also, Quincy Jones had state din 2002 that Elvis was one of the innovator’s of pop music.

Part of the reason Elvis is sometimes accused of racism is that much of his visual and musical performance came from African American sources. People say that he “stole” African American music, and then became known as the “King of Rock and Roll” despite the many African American performers that preceded him.

Elvis acknowledged his debt to African Americans throughout his career, such as when he stated, “A lot of people seem to think I started this business. But rock 'n' roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people. Let's face it: I can't sing like Fats Domino can. I know that.” (That term is considered racist now but was widely used at the time)

Elvis never liked being called the “King of Rock and Roll”. It was a title forced on him by others. He believed the real “King of Rock and Roll” was Fats Domino.

The reason for his singing African American music was that he grew up in majority black community and he grew up listening to black music. He often broke segregation laws by attending black clubs (often with the help of musicians like Ike Turner) and watched black musicians perform. He loved attending all-night gospel singings at the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis. The performances he saw there are where he later took some of his dance moves and songs from.

Basically, the reason Elvis Presley sang songs by black people and performed in their style was because he liked and respected their music and style. It was his own music too, to him, because it was an integral part of his life.

Elvis always looked up to black musicians.

Once, he recalled how he would listen to Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup—the originator of "That's All Right"(which Elvis later did a cover of)—”bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place where I could feel all old Arthur felt, I'd be a music man like nobody ever saw.”

Once, surrounded by the Las Vegas press, Elvis was asked a question by a reporter who referred to him by his common moniker: “the king.” Rather than accept the title and all the praise that would come along with it, Elvis alerted the media of Fats Domino’s presence in the room. “No, that’s the real King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Elvis said.

Elvis also expressed much love for Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

One time, Elvis refused to perform a concert when the organizers refused to allow the Sweet Inspirations (Elvis’s black female backup group) to perform with him. Elvis only agreed to perform once the organizers said the Sweet Inspirations could perform with him.

Black musicians admired Elvis right back.

B.B. King ("The King of the Blues"), who maintained a friendship with Elvis throughout his life, said of him, “Let me tell you the definitive truth about Elvis Presley and racism. With Elvis, there was not a single drop of racism in that man. And when I say that, believe me I should know”. King wrote in Elvis’s defense, “Elvis didn’t steal any music from anyone. He just had his own interpretation of the music he’d grown up on, same is true for everyone. I think Elvis had integrity.” Presley also helped King land gigs, overcoming racism.

Little Richard was also friends with Elvis. Although eh pointed out that Presley’s whiteness helped his career, he did say, “I love him. That’s my buddy, my baby. Elvis is one of the greatest performers who ever lived in this world.”

"Elvis created a new style all his own, and gave an injection to black music like no other artist had ever done." - Rufus Thomas.

Sammy Davis Jr said of Elvis, “I have a respect for Elvis and my friendship. It ain't my business what he did in private. The only thing I want to know is, 'Was he my friend?', 'Did I enjoy him as a performer?', 'Did he give the world of entertainment something?' - and the answer is YES on all accounts. The other jazz just don't matter.” He also said, “Early on somebody told me that Elvis was black. And I said 'No, he's white but he's down-home'. And that is what it's all about. Not being black or white it's being 'down-home' and which part of down-home you come from.”

James Brown once wrote, “I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother. He said I was good and I said he was good; we never argued about that. Elvis was a hard worker, dedicated, and God loved him ... I love him and hope to see him in heaven. There'll never be another like that soul brother.”

Muhammad Ali admired Elvis. “When I was 15 years old and saw Elvis on TV, I wanted to be Elvis,” said Ali. “Other kids in the neighborhood were listening to Ray Charles and James Brown, but I listened to Elvis. I admired him so much and I decided that if I was going to be famous, I’d do it just like him. He’s one of the reasons I wanted to entertain people and be loved by the people and make the girls admire me so much.” He later developed a friendship with Elvis.

There is evidence Elvis donated money to civil rights organizations. (link) (and charitable organizations)

tl;dr Elvis wasn’t racist, and he had no intention fo stealing music. He thought he was just another singer of those genres of music which he admired. He didn’t even think he was that good. He believed there were many black singers much better than him. He credited black people as the sources of the music he performed, and never thought he was king of anything. He loved, respected, and was inspired by black performers, and many of them loved him back.

The fact that interpreting black people’s music made Elvis more rich and famous than black performers was mostly the fault of the racist white public. He appreciated black music and black performers, who were role models to him, while the white public refused to listen to black people’s music unless it was performed by a white person. He did try to use his success to help black performers break racial barriers though, and his success did maybe open the door for black performers to gain access to the mainstream public.

tl;dr again: Elvis had a sincere affection for gospel, soul, and R&B, and a willingness to acknowledge his debt to the African-American musicians who had influenced him.

Elvis had problems, but being racist in this way wasn’t one of them.

If you hate him for other reasons, that’s fine, because the man was problematic as hell, especially regarding women.

#elvis #elvis presley #essay #elvis was not racist #elvis had problems but not racism #elvis lovers #elvis haters #elvis essay #racism #wrongly accused #wrong #providing facts

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talesofunlikelysapphicpairings · 9 months

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Hozier's "Work Song" is so Doctor Superion coded, it might as well have been written for them. This is me trying to prove it.

The song was written from the perspective of a worker (someone who works for someone). Like a farmer, or a miner. From my understanding, this singing worker is struggling with life as taken from the 'pleading' and 'sentimental' connotations throughout the song. Maybe because of the working conditions or other situations, but this song is definitely from someone who is desperate to get their point across. They have understood that life is suffering, and suffering is the only constant in life; but with their beloved, it is a life worth living.

Putting this in the doctor superion context, I will exchange the worker with a soldier. Suzanne is a soldier who had been asked to lay her life down one too many times. This "Work Song" is her song for Jillian. (This is my opinion and I barely elaborate myself so stick with me.)

Here's Verse 1:

Boys workin' on empty

Is that the kinda way to face the burning heat?

I just think about my baby

I'm so full of love I could barely eat

There's nothing sweeter than my baby

I'd never want once from the cherry tree

'Cause my baby's sweet as can be

She give me toothaches just from kissin' me

The OCS had been given little to nothing during the war with Adriel. They had no clue who their allies were aside from themselves. They had no solid proof of who their enemies were, or clear vision what they were. They had no one to turn to, no one to ask for help. Yet, there was Michael. Then, Jillian.

They knew it was not ideal to face Adriel as small of a number as they have. Yet, they did "face the burning heat," as stated. Somehow, having one another was enough even though the 'boys' (them) worked with 'empty' (nothing). That included Jillian.

Again, this person for the soldier is more than enough. There is no need for a cherry, as sweet as it is, because the sweetness of her lover keeps her full. More than that, she gives her more even by doing little.

The Chorus can be taken as is.

When my time comes around

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

No grave can hold my body down

I'll crawl home to her

This happened. When Suzanne was lying and Jillian was the only hold she has on the living, it might have been Ava who woke her up but we know Jillian is also one of the reasons she became alive. Fuck, Jillian was one of the reasons she stayed behind the first time (fuck the Arc), and on that second time (there was no need to stay). The chorus of the song is a testimony of the soldier's dedication and devotion to her love. And damn me if Suzanne does not have both for Jillian.

So, yes, it was Jillian who fretted over her medical apparatus to revive Suzanne. It was Jillian's hands who caressed Suzanne's hair and shoulder as they waited for the other warriors to come back. And it was probably Jillian who put Suzanne back to her feet to face the war once more.

Verse 2 goes like this:

Boys, when my baby found me

I was three days on a drunken sin

I woke with her walls around me

Nothin' in her room but an empty crib

And I was burnin' up a fever

I didn't care much how long I lived

But I swear I thought I dreamed her

She never asked me once about the wrong I did

When Jillian and Suzanne finally met (because the girls had probably told each of them about the other in some stories), the world is quite literally in shambles. As someone who served as a soldier of God and the Church for most of her life, Suzanne probably felt like questioning both. We already knew that she already questioned the Church, lost trust in it. But what of her faith to God? Years of obedience will make a soldier feel like she's sinning by merely questioning her King. Hence, the days of sins. When she found herself in Jillian's home and Jillian's walls, Suzanne was probably on her lowest days.

But here's the thing— it wasn't just Suzanne who was at her lowest. Jillian lost her son two months ago with no way of getting to him because she got burnt every time she tried. The only person who successfully got inside the Arc, Sister Lilith left her. Jillian found out about Kristian's betrayal. She had no idea of what was happening on Arq Tech. The Arc, her creation, was pulsating for unexplainable reasons making her feel like her mind was failing her. All of these meant that Jillian, too, had nothing left to and of her. Her room was nothing but an 'empty crib.'

Two women, both equating to none.

Yet, Suzanne stayed to 'protect the Arc.' In the midst of a war whose main action is in a cathedral filled with blind devotees praising a false God, Suzanne stayed to protect the Science side of things. This is the side of the coin she did not look at yet, she protected. Especially during the time of her doubting.

And when the people who invaded Jillian's home finally came, Suzanne's first question was not 'How do I secure the Arc?' or 'What is the best way to not let them get here?' — it was "How do I get you out?" As if Suzanne knows that the best way she can protect Jillian is when she's beside her. She did not care about anything else at first, not even for her life that she knew was always meant to be short.

It is sweet, wasn't it? Probably because Jillian is exactly what Suzanne had always needed, had always dreamed of. Someone whom she can be new to. Someone who did not know what she had done. Someone who will not question her worth. Because that was her agony her whole life— questioning herself why she was not God's champion anymore.

Here is the 3rd and last verse before the song ended with two Chorus.

My baby never fret none

About what my hands and my body done

If the Lord don't forgive me

I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me

When I was kissing on my baby

And she put her love down soft and sweet

In the low lamp light I was free

Heaven and hell were words to me

Jillian must have heard the shots. Numerous and loud as they were. As well as the body thudding on the ground when Suzanne disappeared. She must have also seen it on the surveillance cameras. Yet, when Suzanne came back upstairs, limping and tired now more than ever, Jillian was only relieved. Asking if Suzanne had stopped them. No questions of how it was done yet implied.

When Jillian had to point where the button meant to detonate the Arc by hand was, and she had no choice but to brace herself behind a desk and watch as Suzanne was killed; Suzanne's (supposedly) last words were still for her God. That she came to see her Lord. Waiting, and bracing herself with His judgement, whether she was worthy of His final kingdom or not, like she always does.

And when Suzanne was first revived, barely alive, she apologized for not being able to save the Arc. Yet, Jillian apologized for not saving Suzanne. Which drove Suzanne to these final statements of her truth. Her final confession of some sort. With her fear-stricken face on the frame, softly caressed by the hands of the woman she first thought to be blasphemous.

She told her (and Sister Beatrice and Sister Dora) about her resentment to God and Ava. How her shame blinded her, then she died. (Again.) Then she lived. (Again!)

Earlier, a cherry tree was mentioned in the first verse. It struck me as odd since there are a lot more popular trees/fruits other than cherry that are also sweet. It was probably because Hozier took the meaning of Cherry Blossom (different tree, I know; but almost the same name) in literature. Cherry Blossoms symbolizes beauty, transient, and impermanence of life. For the sake of this essay, I will take the last two meanings. Both of which Suzanne already knew that her life was meant to be short-lived. Although she was always ready to die, she cherished it as much as she could by protecting her girls, living up to her 'calling.' After everything, she survived.

Maybe a part of her thought, that if she would not be welcome in His final kingdom, she can have one here. If God will not have her, maybe someone here will. (I am pushing it, I know. No, I do not care.) If she will not be forgiven, taken, or ascended by the Lord, maybe someone here will. Maybe, Jillian will.

During that low light scene, when Suzanne was on Jillian's clothes and her hair was braided, she said they should give some prayer. But this one is different because it was not for some aloof Higher Being's guidance anymore. She wanted to say a prayer for the people they have lost. I think this is when she was finally free— of guilt, of her tether to Church, of her blindly saying a litany.

And when she was talking with Ava, although she said some more things about worthiness (it is hard to unlearn one's thoughts), she nevertheless gave her understanding and blessing. And when she sent them to the war one last time, Suzanne did not offer the word of God (or word of the Church). Instead, she said some words from some song of some band. The words of God and the Bible were just that to her— words. As important as other words are.

Then she stayed with Jillian. No matter if she did not need to, she stayed.

I do not know how to end this but let me put it this way— Suzanne might have lost her trust in the Church, but I'm sure she found another altar to serve. She must have found a new religion, and have a new kind of devotion. Still a soldier but for a new cost. Still a worker, but for a new cause.

#doctor superion #mother superion #jillian salvius #warrior nun #hozier #work song #we all know hozier is an honorary lesbian but this one takes the cake #this is a long-ass essay my sleep deprived brain made #because I was listening to Work Song too many times #Spotify

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dellb1969 · 2 years

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He Brought God To Me

Now and then I get hooked on a poem or lyrics, or even a song and I hear and read them wrong, my brain scrambles the words or my ears hear a song within a song. It happens a lot.

It’s in this place that I find epiphany.

Suddenly something within me clicks and an answer that I have been searching for a great amount of time becomes crystal clear. Questions get answered.

Throughout my young life I was prey for predators and what their sick and twisted minds could come up with, they unleashed on me. My little boy body suffered some unimaginable acts.

Through tears, pain and suffering I would beg to understand why. I have witnesses to some of my pain and I have stories that I tell to this day as part of my healing journey. There’s always something new that pops up in this lengthy process.

Recently I heard this song and with half ears I could hear words that lay underneath and they inspired a poem within me with the words that I heard. I wrote a poem in five minutes. Usually this is where it ends for me, but this song continued to play for me for days on end. There is something else there within the music or lyrics and I couldn't grasp it. I listen a little more.

I think the universe introduced this song to me via a group chat. I listened more, sang the words over and over, they're a little strange, but they’re a testimony to his personal experience, the song writer. I listened further in hopes that it would make sense.

In many of my stories about my young life there was a constant light and that was my older brother, he was a protector, a soother and my champion. When life looked bleak for us, he would always say, ‘we should pray, like grandma taught us.’

Before and after I would suffer a horrible situation he would do this with me, not knowing who God was, I just followed what my big brother did, like a younger brother mimics his sibling. He brought me out of a lot darkness and as we got older my abuse continued, but I think that it was too much for him to bear, it’s a lot to carry on a young boys shoulders. Often I would have to go through abuse alone and self-sooth after, like he taught me.

When this epiphany happened I was on a walk during evening time and I was looking into some ominous clouds. I thought I am feeling the need to get out and get some strength back on my bad leg. I popped in my AirPods and this song played again, so I changed it, I thought to myself, ‘not right now.’ Mid song, it changed back. This is where the magic and mystery happen.

So, I listened and it hit me.

For most of my 53 years I wondered where God was when I was being physically, sexually and emotionally abused as a boy. He just wasn't there for me.

At the age of 15 I met the devil one night during rehab, he came to me late at night to mock me, laugh at me behind my back. Where was God, I thought? The devil made me ask that question.

As I walked on into the evening I could hear the song that lay underneath the actual song, I begin to say the words of the lyrics and slowly a thought formed and the questions deep within me came back...

Through my best friends (my brother) eyes I saw God, because he brought him to me. Each and every time that he possibly could and when he couldn't he taught me how to do it on my own. It hit me like a clap of thunder from the dark clouds overhead.

As I walked further on it all became clearer, I’m a survivor and a fighter because he loved me and he showed me how.

As I sit with tear stained eyes, I can’t thank him enough. He’s no longer with us, but he’s still teaching me how to get through this life, like a big brother would.

When my brother passed away from covid, I sat with him in last moments and I played his favorite music, I even prayed with him...

When the time came, he left in light.

#childhoodtrauma #sexualtrauma #emotionaltrauma #physicalabuse #ptsd #selfcare #selfreflection #healingjourney #worthiness #raiseyourfrequency

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