#(though i may transition them to an original verse instead but for now ! that’s where they’ll be hehe 🖤)

[thedeadthree]

ok ok listen…….. what if i made a oc verse set in m*etriod.. like a clown or two set in the verse ✨👁🥀❣️

#for the audience of me hehe but they’re the clowns of my heart at the moment along with t*lou clowns and the asoiaf dears hehe #i mean ive had this storyline in my mind since i was like.. a kid and playing the remaster of p*rime it brought back all those memories? ✨😭 #they were some of my first ocs too ! and returning to them again with fresh eyes im like.. a little emotional u know? #likely will yell more on ye olde oc blog but wanted to hear the besties thoughts on it if i were to talk about it? #(though i may transition them to an original verse instead but for now ! that’s where they’ll be hehe 🖤) #but ! yea ! for setting its like.. g*ot in space skzjjzjx and the empire is the liege lords of the space pirates hehe #they were brought up by the c*hozo and ofc they disappear and this gave the current empress an in to overthrow the old emperor #(and dad of one of the antagonist/deuteragonists !) #so that’s a little bit of it ! #leg.txt #*personal #i am thinking as well of like a sort of a*nastasia sort of plot where a princess (and the daughter of the new empress) loses her memory ? #her love interest is the son of the old emperor and the current right hand of the new empress (its actually what she’s using against him ?) #(that he loves her and for that she would zero her if he didn’t aid her in overthrowing his father? it’s a time to be them!) #he was also brought up and raised by the same c*hozo who raised s*amus so they’re childhood friends ! #basically he can’t stand her now bc he isn’t aware of her memory being gone and thinks she’s her hostage sksjzjjx #a bit of a misunderstanding going on! in later things he joins the team but! and he also has a brother as well! #and there’s a director of r&d who’s a bit of a snob and an master of intelligence who join the team too later!

[thenightling]

The Dreaming: waking Hours issue 11 review

Okay, there’s a  lot to unpack here.   First the good.

Daniel was actually portrayed as competent and compassionate. Hurray! 

Too bad those sparks of intelligence from Daniel don’t seem to last very long when he’s not being written by Neil.  

 Also I was right that Heather is trans and that was not treated as a major plot point.   More on that later.

Though I have to wonder, with all her power, why she transitioned medically instead of magically.  I imagine if she used magick to transition she wouldn't need permanent hormone medication.  I know it helps to represent the real trans condition but sometimes you want a little convenient magical escapism of making it easier. 

Now for the picking apart / bad stuff.   

Though G. Willow Wilson is well-versed in faery lore enough to know the rules about true names and concepts like The Unseelie I am afraid she mishandles them a bit.   For example she treats the Unseelie like this one specific faceless type of fae instead of an entire fae court of dark fae that usually entails goblins, trolls, drow, imps, etc.  

She also doesn’t seem to know that in most depictions of Oberon and Titania they were nonchalant and very familiar with each other’s infidelities.   Oberon should not have been surprised (especially this far into things) that Titania slept with Morpheus.  

Titania all but bluntly spelt it out at The Wake.  I am fairly certain Oberon was there.  Where was he when she spoke?  Drinking in the back?

In some faery lore Nuala was Oberon’s lover.  I had figured that was the reason Titania saw to it she was given as a gift to Morpheus.  It was both a means to possibly get rid of her or if Morpheus didn’t accept the gift (she must have known his anti-slavery stance) it would have given a justifiable excuse for the Fae to go to war with The Dreaming and potentially lay claim to the key to Hell in Season of Mists.   

Even Disney’s Gargoyles acknowledged this aspect of their character dynamic. When Oberon learned that Titania had a half-human child in the episode The Gathering Part 1 of Disney’s Gargoyles his response was (while grinning and chuckling) “Mother?!  Titania, what HAVE you been up to?”  

In the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it was pretty clear that Oberon wanted Titania to sleep with Bottom while he had an ass’s head (blatant metaphor) as a means to humiliate her. 

Moving on.

Yes, I was right that Heather is trans.  I am very glad it was not a major plot point before now.  However, the way her “True name” was handled wasn’t as good as I had hoped.  I had hoped that the fact that she chose the name Heather After that this has become her true name.  But the implication here is her deadname could have been used as her true name.  That bothers me.

I always figured true names (the name that can be used to summon and bind a magick user or supernatural creature) didn’t necessarily have to be the name you had at birth.  For example Vlad III of Wallachia is more well known as Drakulya (Dracula), the name he chose for himself as a patronymic homage to his father and so got used as his own house name.

In the 1985 Fright Night the character of Peter Vincent at first said “That isn’t even my real name.” But after he undergoes considerable character growth and puts protecting others before his own fear he starts saying “I AM Peter Vincent, the great vampire killer!”  The persona became his true name. 

True names are NOT necessarily the name you had at birth.  This is part of why I feel the previous aspect of Dream may have Morpheus as as close to a true name as he’s got.  That’s why he’s credited as Lord Morpheus instead of Dream in The Sandman audio drama and calling out to him by the name Morpheus is how he came to rescue Rose from Funland in The Sandman: The Doll’s House.

 So anyway, I’m conflicted about this scene in The Dreaming: Waking Hours.  I’m glad the deadname didn’t work as the true name but I would have felt better of Heather had become her true name.  That would have, in my opinion, been more satisfying than “There’s no such thing as a true name.”

Something else that bugged me... All the ham-handed anti-monarchy commentary.  In real life monarchies are not great buuut we’re talking about the faerie court here. They’re not human.  Can you even imagine what the goblins would vote for if they had a democracy?   “Okay, that’s 97% in favor of abducting every infant in Manhattan.  And 3% wrote in ‘Chilli dogs.’  I didn’t know they could spell...”

It’s become a little embarrassing to me how every fantasy written by Americans has become anti-monarchy. Disney’s Descendants, Once Upon a time’s finale (they voted...), Game of Thrones’ ending, because having any sort of vote in a world that never had any before would totally work out well at that point in their culture....  Even on Tumblr I came across someone who thought they could “fix” the “Dumpster fire” that is Nightmare before Christmas by having the mayor strip Jack Skellington of his Pumpkin King title as punishment for what he did to Christmas since “You can’t learn your lesson if you do wrong without punishment.”    Frankly, I’m tired of the anti-monarchy stuff where it doesn’t actually work.  

And the deliberately weak argument written for Titania of “But I’m Beautiful and Ancient!”   Also what’s with the weird almost-fetishism that she’s still wearing those manacle cuffs? Why didn’t Oberon or even Nuala take those off of her yet since they’re working together?  

This is interesting because right here in the final page Heather quotes the very spell that invoked Morpheus.  I have been mentally conditioned that every time I see black talk bubbles with white text in a Sandman universe comic my first thought is “Morpheus?” even though we have already seen it used for other characters in things like the Dan Watters run of Lucifer.

But the combination of quoting the invocation spell that trapped Morpheus, the talk bubble, and the golden thread (that resembles Morpheus’ life thread) has me intrigued and I don’t want to get my hopes up at the possibilities. 

And still, for all my nitpicking, this IS the best version of The Dreaming to date. 

I love Heather.  I think she’s very well written.  She’s the best original character of any Sandman spin-off.  I just think the anti-monarchy ranting is very misplaced in the realm of Faerie.   Think of what their parliament would consist of.   It’s like the minion of Jadis, The White Witch from Chronicles of Narnia, combined with the goblin muppets from Labyrinth, and the fae from Lost Girl combined.  

#The Dreaming #The Dreaming: Waking Hours #The Sandman Universe

[path-of-my-childhood]

Taylor Swift’s “Beautiful Ghosts” might be the best part of the Cats movie

Vox // By Aja Romano // November 20th 2019

“Beautiful Ghosts,” the song that Taylor Swift put words to for Tom Hooper’s upcoming Cats movie, has arrived - and guess what? Swift might be Cats creator and famed Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ideal lyricist.

Lloyd Webber is the man who brought the world Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and one of the most recorded songs in theatre history, “Memory” from Cats. He is notorious for writing musicals with beautiful music and weak lyrics. But “Beautiful Ghosts” makes a compelling argument that what every ALW musical needs is a shrewd lyricist who was once a teenage girl - and who, consequently, is not embarrassed to embrace the gushy romantic heart of his music. Here are five reasons “Beautiful Ghosts” is worth a second listen, or several.

1) It adds to our understanding of Victoria, the White Cat. “Beautiful Ghosts” isn’t a showy end-credits pop song; it’s a new song inserted into the plot of the show. It will follow “Memory” in the upcoming film. The cat who sings it, Victoria has a bigger role: Now, the entire story is framed through her point of view, and Victoria is a younger mirror of Grizabella.

In “Beautiful Ghosts,” Victoria echoes “Memory” and reflects on Grizabella’s tragic life, as well as her own. “Memory” keeps calling for “new life,” while through “Beautiful Ghosts,” Victoria transitions from “Memory’s” sadness to a joy that’s all her own - through the realization that she loves the life she has. Where “Memory” is fuzzy, with vague hints of former happiness, “Beautiful Ghosts” weaves a mini-narrative of Victoria’s life: cast onto the streets, apparently by cruel former owners, she distrusts other cats, but eventually befriends them and comes to love her life. With this one song, she goes from being opaque and silent to having depth, complexity, and a backstory that doesn’t involve her being a sex object.

2) It helps us understand “Memory.” Even though “Beautiful Ghosts” is sung by Victoria to Grizabella, it also gives us crucial insight into Grizabella’s life. When Victoria sings lines like, “Should I take chances when no one took chances on me?” she’s simultaneously referencing her own life and Grizabella’s: Grizabella at least knew a time when she was loved and admired, and had human companionship to look back on. Victoria has only known rejection.

Taylor Swift has clearly asked herself, “How can I bring more coherence to “Memory,” a weird-ass song about a cat who is also a sex worker who is also dying and friendless and stuck with her memories of having once been very hot?” The solution, which she provides in “Beautiful Ghosts,” is to give Grizabella slightly more of a past.

In a recent radio interview, Swift described her approach to creating the song - which involved contrasting Victoria’s life with Grizabella’s: ‘Memory’ is Grizabella singing about how she had all these beautiful, incredible moments in her past. She had these glittering occasions and she felt beautiful and she felt wanted and now she doesn’t feel that way anymore.’ This is fanfic on Swift’s part. While this glittering history can be implied, it’s not literally in the lyrics to “Memory,“ or anywhere else in Cats - the most concrete detail “Memory” offers is that Grizabella once enjoyed “days in the sun.” It’s a huge bonus to see Grizabella given a more concrete backstory that has nothing to do with her, uh, hanging out in brothels.

“Beautiful Ghosts” explains that Grizabella was “born into nothing” but now has memories of “dazzling rooms” and a time she was not just beautiful, but loved. In essence, Swift has not only crafted a satisfying character song for Victoria - she’s deepened Grizabella and “Memory” too.

3) It’s clearly a song that could be sung by a cat. This is hard! “Memory” couldn’t manage it and from the first line of “Beautiful Ghosts,” the song feels like one that could be sung by a cat - one who has wandered the streets, hearing the voices of its fellow cats in the dark. Victoria sings of the “wild ones” who “tame the fear” within her as she longs to “get let into” the rooms inhabited by the humans she once knew and yearned for love from. These are bittersweet lyrics, but more importantly, they’re lyrics that pretty clearly describe the life of a cat.

The extent to which Swift has thought about how cats feel becomes increasingly apparent when you realize that “Beautiful Ghosts” is a hymn to found family and the alley cat existence, the freedom of a life lived on the streets, and the beauty of, well, a gang of stray cats. (This may also sound like a metaphor for marginalized communities finding strength in each other after being turned out of their homes.)

4) It hints at what a new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical could be like with a smart lyricist who embraces his romanticism. The typical trade-off with Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals is that his lush, lofty melodic lines take priority over lyrics. The general wisdom among musical theater fans is that ALW was only truly great when he was composing with his earliest collaborator, the brilliant lyricist Tim Rice. The ALW/Rice shows (Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita) are fantastic - witty, satirical, and incisive, ranging from complex political themes to rollicking whimsy and charming pastiche.

ALW’s later shows’ scores were often gorgeous, full of beautiful melodies. But the plots were often too soapy, and he bounced around between lyricists who frequently paired his music with asinine words. When ALW was working with someone equally as or more talented than he was, he managed to create popular, lasting shows, including Cats and Phantom of the Opera. But ALW didn’t always work with equals who could rein him in. And so he only kept getting more extravagant in his desire to combine deeply emotional musical motifs with schmoopy, overblown storylines. In other words, post-Rice, ALW has always been hampered by his own self-indulgence and the lack of a lyricist as good at writing lyrics as ALW is at writing music.

That’s why a Taylor Swift-ALW collaboration is genuinely exciting. In the annals of ALW collaborators, Swift may be the first lyricist with the range, experience, and stature to stand alongside Rice. But more importantly, she clearly loves Cats, loves the music, and loves actual cats. In that interview quoted above, for example, she discussed Victoria’s cat psychology at length. I cannot imagine any circumstances in which Tim Rice would say, as Swift did in that interview, “I got you. I know what that cat would say.”

And that may be what so many previous ALW musicals have lacked: the enthusiasm of a smart, savvy songwriter who’s also not afraid to unironically love and embrace her subject matter. Taylor Swift isn’t just a brilliant songwriter who credits the lyrics of Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz for teaching her to write music with sharp edges and blatant emotive power. She’s also a fangirl. And fangirls know how to deliver deep, smart character studies while amplifying the emotional core of the stories they love. That combination of shrewd songwriting and passion is what propels the final verse of “Beautiful Ghosts” into something truly great.

5) “Beautiful Ghosts” has a surprise twist ending. Taylor Swift learned a lot from brilliant country songwriters, and one of the common country song traits she likes to carry forward is the “twist.” That’s when the final stanza upends the original meaning of the song and shifts the refrain into something new, surprising, and even richer. Throughout “Beautiful Ghosts,” Victoria has emphasized the fact that Grizabella still has her memories: “at least you have beautiful ghosts,” she sings, and the ghosts are the memories of Grizabella’s life of being beautiful and adored.

By contrast, Victoria herself has always lived on the streets, eventually taken in by the stray cats she eventually began to see as family. Initially, she describes the strays as voices she can only hear in the dark, while she wanders the streets, “alone and haunted.” Later, they become “phantoms of night,” as they lure her into her new exciting life. Finally, when Victoria has her epiphany that she’s happy with her friends, and she loves her alleycat life, she shifts from singing enviously to Grizabella about the “beautiful ghosts” of her memories. Instead, she sings, “So I’ll dance with these beautiful ghosts.”

The ghosts at the end of the song are the cats! Victoria’s ghosts are flesh and blood, and also have you ever met a cat, cats are clearly ghosts, with their silent paws and their eerie glow-eyes, and their ability to vanish into thin air. (Holy shit, the ghosts are the cats!) Only Taylor Swift could turn a metaphor about lost memories into a literal description of cats that is also a metaphor for found families and friendship. Don’t argue with me, this is perfect.

#this was a very fun read - it is however shortened a bit so go read the linked original #thanks anon for sending me this =) #it helps to understand everything a bit better #taylor swift #article #beautiful ghosts #andrew lloyd webber #cats #about taylor #Vox #songwriting

[unsettledink]

Instead of thirty asks:

So @the-faultofdaedalus had a bunch of posts about ABO and genetics and how things might be able to function and ending up with some really interesting stuff about types beyond alpha/beta/omega (which I will totally end up playing with in a fic at some point because COOL).

And that sparked off a bunch of ABO related thoughts in my head. A... bunch. So I'm putting them all in one hopefully easy to ignore post if you are not into ABO at all. It's probably a little disjointed – none of this is stuff I've thought at length about, just sort of gone BUT WHAT IF??? I tend to veer more into the societal stuff because I know nothing about genetics and if I spend too long thinking about world details I never get anything written, BUT I STILL THINK THEM.

Interestingly enough I used to not be into it much? And I think I'm still not into the older classic stuff – I will literally run from anything that had mpreg in it 99% of the time. I also get really annoyed at the tendency to always make characters of certain builds/ages/attitudes one type.

But I really, really like ABO because of all the opportunities. So many! It's one of those things where you can go as much or as little into the worldbuilding as you want, in pretty much any direction. I think that's just so cool. Pretty much every single one of my ABO's has been a different 'type' of ABO (oh shit how many are there anyway? 10?? Well fuck.).

So!

A lot of this may make even less sense if you haven't read their posts because it's in re: to things they bring up. Also how much do I miss LJ and threaded comments right now? An obscene amount.

Thoughts more along the 'shit genetics can do' side and as you go down they slide more into the cultural/social/mind fuckery stuff:

(Also I know very very little about anything re: genetics.)

what if there's some sort of pattern/color type thing, like color morphs in reptiles, or heat sensitive color points like in cats and such?

uhhh I don't remember if it's like, lizards or fish or something, but the ones that change sex if there isn't enough of the type needed? What if that's a thing certain subtypes could do? Would it be controllable to any degree, or makes things wild in terms of types associating with each other? On the horror end, what if it's something that can be forced?

Hair? Facial hair things?? Body hair things??? Pattern baldness and the like????

ok yes so classic ABO = canine traits. And I've totally seen some different takes but I always want more. What about feline based? Or reptile? Or bird?? Some kind of insect hive/colony type thing????

WHAT IF SOME TYPES FLOURESCE?? and only certain other types can see it and I just find the idea of distinct type markers that only a percentage of the population can see really fascinating. Underground clubs with lights so everyone can see, testing people by shining a light on them, people faking it...

P H O T O S Y N T H E S I Z I N G??? Look I don't know there wasn't much thought associated with that. But like, we already have huge problems when we don't get enough sun, what if it was something even more dramatic and literal? Anyone seen Farscape?

Re: terrible cooks – what if some subtypes straight up can't taste a whole 'taste'? Like – don't have sweet receptors and have all kinds of issues with 'normal' food and wf is up with the other subtypes and their love of desserts??

they also touched on it briefly but seriously, all the even crazier food intolerances and allergies and things that would just be utterly toxic to one group?

re: two nips=1 bb, what if there are large litters but there's something more like an insect hive structure? Or 'pack' communal type thing, a good family has an omega + alpha + other, omega has the litter and the non alpha is able to nurse as well??

POUCHES. Marsupial style or seahorse. Just. Pouches.

multiple sperm donors in one litter and the possibility of not even knowing it, some sort of shenanigans with what types can get who pregnant and carryover from who they had sex with before the person pregnant and people doing this intentionally as a sort of surrogacy thing even?

Literal eggs?? EGGS?? soft shell eggs???

why are omegas so frequently the tiiiiiny ones? (I mean I know why and I don't like it.) But aren't most young bearing larger than males? If omega is for babies, then shouldn't they be built for it? And how might that affect subtypes?

advantages/disadvantages physically due to genetics and 'hidden' beta typing in regard to sports or fine motor skills or art (seeing/hearing more/less than other types?)

maybe the 'alpha voice' stuff could be attributed to some types able to hear different frequencies or tones/sub harmonics or/and alphas/maybe a type betas being able to produce different sounds and why? Vocal cord stuff????

seeing further into either end of the spectrum for certain types? Something creepy advantage heat and fertility/pregnancy related, being able to look and *know* and how that's changed in more modern times – could it be a career? Considered super rude? Hipaa violation?

re: leftover traits – things like third eyelids or shiny at night eye thing for certain types and various cosmetic alterations as those things go in and out of vogue

re: medical variation like blood typing – organs not being compatible or even in different places due to wtf omegas have going on in there

re: dogs are horror to wolves – what if even the nulls are NOT HUMAN. There actually are just like true standard humans and like, aside from genetically there's next to no difference between them and nulls though it's more visible differences with standard vs a/o? Something about the purpose behind omegas because they are the only link that can properly/safely interbreed and/or produce non sterile offspring? Or maybe standard and a/b can mate but they only produce nulls or standards or sterile like mules??

what if a/o ISN'T rare? If that's the norm and betas are the rare ones and sort of seen as residual hanger ons since they don't have whatever advantages omegas/alphas have? After all, what advantage does a beta have over an omega? The societal aspect of risk if all can interbreed and like, does an a risk mating with a b and risk having a null? Or knowing they can only have a b?

Trickier and could come off really poorly, but how might being trans function with so many types and the additional divide of sex/gender/secondary sex? What the hell might hormone therapy or surgery or transition in a scent based society be like??

and intersex? Like especially if you've got limited grasp on genetics and then you have these typed betas who aren't recognized that way, what about the people who don't fit even on that spectrum?

and sexual identities! The possibility of like, some groups being much more likely to lean in one direction or another and some of it due to not understood sub beta types and that complexity. Just the complexity of interest at all with a whole third factor added in!

horror aspect if m/f can be determined before birth but not a/b/o status, if there are actual environmental factors like TSD that could change that and people trying to ensure they have x type? All omegas are allergic to peppermint so if you eat peppermint your whole pregnancy you won't have an omega or some shit. Does an of it work or is it all old wives tales? D: D: D: D: (as much as I really prefer to write ABO's where things are more equal because of it, I read a lot more of the uglier verses where everything is worse)

Bonding???? how could it be an actual physical genetic thing and the differences across types and who can bond with who and why and are only certain types able to initiate/accept it and the whole fascinating culture stuff from THAT

and then the bonds that are of the mental type, either some sort of emotion/pain/thought sensing that's limited or full on sharing, how each type could differ and maybe only certain types could be broken or certain types are able to have them with multiple people/types??

formation of bonds and what environmental factors exist and what genetic and things like forcibly separating before x amount of time is tantamount to torture or ruining a bond that can't be fully stable/broken and fixed?

the scent stuff – beyond the whole 'smell like strawberries/whatever' the stuff about smelling emotional states and types that are able to smell that or not, hormonal based scent changes are super common but also one of the slightly more plausible things? Are certain types with sensitivities to different types of smells prone to go into certain fields because of it?

More scent stuff – things about your scents that are influenced by origin/area growing up in. that you can acquire a 'type' or base of scent that is hard to get rid of or change for a lot of people and is often obvious but indistinct. Like accents? And then the people who are REALLY GOOD at changing it.

i fucking love the typed jewelry trope (lol hit me up for a whole other post JUST about that) and even more when it's not just 'pretty showing off socially' but actually has some sort of biological effect but then why? Weird metal imbalance lol? Typed betas more vulnerable to that as well as full types and cultural stuff about that?

wtf family groups I mean. Possibilities of more than two genetic donors and paternity and custody and filling out demographic info on forms ahahahaha oh god

the whole more sensitive to smells – the hilarity of like, sending strongly scented flowers to an omega as an insult. To one type, that floral delivery is romantic, to another it's a giant 'fuck you' from an ex.

Yes I might have a problem ok.

#yes that is 1700 words of slightly incoherent abo ??????'s #abo #writing about writing

[a-patheticapathetic]

Rishloo - Feathergun: Review

New year, new me. Let’s repeat that until it becomes true. 

There seems to be a pattern with how I discover music. At a very young age, I hear a song in a very specific circumstance. It has a big impact on me, but I make absolutely zero effort to check out any of the artist’s other music and instead meander onto another earworm. Then, years later, I have another chance meeting with the same song/album/artist and fall completely down a rabbithole that foundationally changes my taste in music. It happened with Radiohead (High and Dry as one of the default songs in the original Rocksmith), Queens of the Stone Age (Lost Art of Keeping a Secret in a stick figure animation), and Nine Inch Nails (Hurt (Quiet) on Spotify radio). Then, there was this strange song called “Scissorlips” that I saw on a very small Rock Band 3 drum channel. I showed it to my brother because of how fun the chart looked, and made the mistake of watching his reaction to the video. His disinterest embarrassed me enough that I never chased the music. That is, of course, until many years later, when I was introduced to Tool. The rest is history, and is frankly stalling me from starting the actual review. Let’s get to it.

Scissorlips - 8/10

The strange, dark jungle the album begins with is a nice representation of the album cover, although it won’t rule over the entire runtime. Don’t let the de-tuned guitar under the vocals deter you; the rest of the guitarwork here is beautiful. As we reach the pre-chorus, the percussionists may hear why I was interested in this song as a kid. This is also where the sonic background really opens up, swallowing you for a moment before the intro verse comes back. The lyricism here is also very abstract, yet isn’t impossible to follow. A couple of metallic bites taken out of the mostly psychedelic walls of guitars, then, the first of many beautiful delay effects. The build-up got me pretty good when I heard this so many years ago, and It’s still damn good. For the love. There are so many guitar lines here that just intertwine and enlace you. Then, something a bit heavier (yet oddly hopeful) to round the song out.

Turning Sheep into Goats - 7/10

This intro is more of what can be expected for the rest of the album, sonically speaking. A lone guitar with delay playing a complicated and alluring line in a strange time signature, then built upon. The path you may assume this song will follow is extremely suddenly changed at the chorus, the vocals really driving it home. Then, back into that nice opening riff like nothing happened. The next time that chorus comes thundering around, listen to that low guitar and the way it combines with the drums. Then drop out the ugliness into a floating mesh of palm mutes and synthetic strings. And don’t miss the fl

Systematomatic - 7/10

awless transition into the next song. Immediately, a new riff rises from the pond of reverb. You may not identify it immediately, but don’t worry, you’ll get more chances to. Very fast guitar-work that somehow doesn't sound so frantic, although the chorus definitely has a certain desperation to it. The mood gets heavy again, before quickly sliding into a strange, feverish haze. Some hits of percussion, then a recontexutalized and slower return to the riff at the start of the song. Weave us back into war.

River of Glass - 8/10

Now this is an ear-catching introduction. What seems to be a calm wave of delay is punctuated by war drums and a grimier lead. The mood builds, then crescendos into the song proper. The chorus is hear damn near immediately, and is extremely catchy for prog. This album is really just full of extremely memorable vocals, and the instrumentals complement them perfectly. We get two goes-around before we fall into these twisting and sliding strings. The drummer is also on his A-game here. Then, the guitars push into the clouds before coming back down with another short but heavy low. Then it all cuts out for a second, juts to make the burst into the final chorus that much more effective.

Keyhole in the Sky - 7/10

This one is simpler, but also very filling and peaceful. Unfortunately it does begin to showcase my only problem with this album; the vocals are mixed too loud at times. And while the singer is absolutely incredible, sometimes I’d like the instrumentals to breathe a bit more. The walls of high guitar come back around, this time feeling much more friendly and familiar. One last chorus, closing on a quiet note. Though it’s not over; an alien feedback loop and somber, echoey horn passage lead us into the next track

Downhill - 10/10

This song has two main phases, and is absolutely perfect throughout. An easy start; a relatively simple and serene riff fed through a pleasant delay pedal, with some subtle synth and bass backing. The vocals shine through, as clear as ever. And wave, goodbye. Then, like stepping through a portal into phase one. A very interesting, rhythmic and almost bluesy instrumental accompanies the title-drop. Then, we fall for miles down a well of piano. The bottom greets us with a moonlit key solo, then an incredible Floydian guitar solo. Hanging on the last note, phase two begins with an ominous drone and repeating guitar line. The drums rise, give a false start. then... perfection. I cannot do phase two justice with words. Just close your eyes, listen, and be swept away in what I believe to be one of the greatest vocal performances of all time.

Lost.

Feathergun in the Garden of the Sun - 9/10

Not to be outdone by the previous masterpiece, the title track opens with another wonderful soundscape, before the distortion comes in. The drums pick up the tension, bringing us into the pre-chorus. That riff is going to be impossible to tap your foot to at first, but the next ones should be easier. And here we have perhaps the best chorus on the record; extremely powerful in writing and execution on the parts of every band member. The second time around is just as good as the first, then the brdige begins. Ready, aim... The heaviest riff on the album, and an abrupt switch into the last chorus. Fade out.

Dreamcatcher - 7/10

A nice break from the intensity. This feels like a peaceful tidepool on an alien world, with creatures and colors beyond the world floating around my head. Short but sweet.

Diamond Eyes - 6/10

By no means bad, I do feel like this one may be the weakest track on the album. While it’s certainly beautiful, I feel like it doesn’t do a whole lot that’s new or interesting. Also, when listening at high volume (which is the proper way to listen to this album), the faults in the mixing really rear their ugly heads during the choruses. Still, there are some very pleasant rolling delay loops here during the bridge, and a nice and satisfying buildup towards the end.

Katsushika - 7/10

While the guitar opening this track may be the most straight-forward and least effects-driven riff we’ve heard so far, this song will eventually become the most alien one of the entire lineup. In a good way, of course. I can barely even decipher exactly what’s going on in the instrumentation during that build. The chorus also ends with a nice drop-off into the next verse. You may be noticing a pattern with the songwriting, where the chorus usually leads into the second verse, following the pattern of the first one but with more layering. I like it; it gives the ideas present more time to mature and develop. Anyways, here comes the bridge, where everything changes. Out of everything going on here, I feel like the drums and the background vocals are the most striking thing about this outro. What a fantastic progression and dropout. Beautiful monsters.

Weevil Bride - 8/10

The finale. This riff here is extremely well-done. The tone here is somehow piercingly bright and concerningly dark at the same time. The lyricals themes of the album also come to a head here. This chorus is another incredibly written and performed beast; just wait until it’s modulated. The second verse lays away with the subtleties and strikes at the head. And I just need to know that everything is fine, and everyone’s alright. This bridge also kicks ass, with its heart-pouding combination of guitars and toms. Then, comes the heaviest part of the entire album: Yes, please. Then we are snapped out of the masochism and lifted back to hear the main point of the album, before the intro riff carries us into an uncertain but complete conclusion. After the “true” song ends, there is a long passage of somber horns and a tranquil, almost lullaby-esque keyboard. There’s something extremely nostalgic about this outro to me, but I still can’t put my finger on where it comes from. This section almost feels like the music they play after the end of a play, as the lights come on and you make your way down the dimly-lit theater steps on slightly numb and shaky legs. The story is over; this is your time to reflect.

The main reason I wanted to write about this album in particular is because I feel like it hasn’t gotten the attention it’s deserved. It truly feels like a masterpiece worthy of widespread recognition and praise, but despite being released over a decade ago, few people have even heard of this band. It feels like injustice, not only for Rishloo’s efforts, but for the people who would connect with this album as much as I have. Also, there’s the slightly selfish hope that increased attention would incentivize the band to work on more new stuff, or better yet, remaster their older works.

In any case, It’s very late, my back hurts because my spine hates my nervous system, and I need to actually get to sleep tonight so I can heal the godforsaken nerve that wedged itself in my inner workings yesterday. On a scale from “Your all-time low just lowered again”, to “Want some? Yes, please”, I give Feathergun a “Oh, what beautiful monsters”.

#music #music recommendation #music reccs #album review #track review #rishloo #feathergun

[johncardozas]

A list of (I think) all the changes that Moulin Rouge has undergone since Boston to previews to opening. If I missed anything or got anything wrong then please add on and/or correct me bc my memory is terrible.

Also let me preface this by saying the Boston show I saw was during the first week of previews so there are things that probably changed after I saw it there. I also saw the first two Broadway previews and then two shows after it opened. 

Act 1

- Boston and first previews: Zidler says “I adore each and every poverty-stricken one of you.” Now: Zidler says “I want to make desperate love to each and every one of you.”

- There’s a longer pause between Lady Marmalade and Because We Can.

- Zidler did not introduce the Duke by name until after previews in Boston. He originally said “come to me, plutocrats!” before it transitioned into the Duke’s money medley. Now the Duke is introduced as the Duke de Monroth.

- Bohemian medley in Boston started with Rhythm of the Night. First/second previews had them singing “Some things sure can sweep me off my feet. Burning down the house.” Now they sing “Watch you you might get what you’re after. *Rouge, baby! strange but not a stranger. I’m an ordinary guy. Burning down the house.” According to the Playbill, Rhythm of the Night is still in the show. Idk where though. There’s a bigger dance break, plus Baby Doll gets their own sequence.

*EDIT: I couldn’t tell what they said from my audios so I had googled the lyrics to Burning Down the House and assumed it was “Booms, baby!” but they actually say “Rouge, baby!” Thanks to @rhythmstarfruitcitrus and @promisesyoumadetome for confirming that for me lol.

- When Christian first starts telling his story about going to Paris he said Satine died in his arms in the Boston version. This was taken out for Broadway.

- Karen’s dress for her entrance has changed. It was red in Boston, it is now black and silver and a tad shorter.

- “Brick House” has been added to the Diamonds medley. It’s sung by the male ensemble.

- When Satine loses her breath, Nini now helps her up. The choreography during this scene has also changed since Boston.

- In Shut Up and Dance, Satine saying “I’ve heard that about your kind…’never carrying any money me’” has been removed.

- “Your Song” is sung differently from Boston. Emphasis on some notes has changed.

- Right before The Pitch when Satine tries to escort Christian to the balcony, only Ricky comes in through the window now. Sahr goes off stage and walks on stage from the side.

- Elephant Love Medley has gone through a lot of changes. After the Duke says he’s basically buying the Moulin Rouge, it transitions to Karen singing a reprise of “Diamonds are Forever.” One of my favorite additions is the pause between Christian singing “One Night. Just me just one night.” and Satine saying “There’s no way ‘cause you can’t pay” and Christian’s just standing there stunned lol. Boston version had Christian and Satine standing together with their backs facing the stage while Duke makes an offer to Zidler. This has been taken out and instead Aaron and Karen sing “We can be lovers.” “We can’t do that.” “We can be lovers and that’s a fact.” Come What May has been taken out and is now substituted with Karen singing “how wonderful life is” and Aaron singing “we can be heroes” simultaneously. Boston version had Max coming in off stage and tossing the pink umbrella to Aaron, now Reed slides (literally) from offstage and just hands it to him. Scene ends with Aaron and Karen in the sparkly blue coat and dress with Kyle and Bahiyah doing acrobatics.

Act 2

- Bad Romance has been taken up about 800 notches.

- Dialogue introducing Come What May has changed a bit.

- Boulevardiers just graced the stage in Boston. They now sing reprises of “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ride Wit Me.”

- “Shake it Out” has been removed. Instead it’s just dialogue between Zidler, Satine, and the Lady Ms.

- Aaron’s dialogue in Boston before Chandelier about “going mad” has been removed. Instead, Zidler tells Satine he’ll deal with Christian which then transitions to Toulouse’s loft. Sahr sang the first part of Chandelier in Boston but now Danny sings it. Karen still makes her entrance as the green fairy but instead of being on stage for a split second like in Boston, she’s actually on stage more. Christian tries to chase her around but keeps getting held back. The dancing from Boston was removed and now just has the ensemble on stage drinking absinthe. Aaron singing “gotta get out now here comes the shame. here comes the shame” was taken out. Instead the ensemble sings out the last note in Chandelier and it transitions into Roxanne, which also has a much cleaner intro.

- First/second preview added some verses from Chandelier into Roxanne towards the end. A chunk of that was removed and he now sings “put on the red light” a few times but they did keep him saying “help me out, i’m holding on for dear life.”

- The scene when Satine has to break Christian’s heart is somehow even more upsetting than Boston. He tries to convince her to leave with him by singing “Come What May” and she interrupts him and tells him he means nothing to her.

- Crazy / Rolling in the Deep has a different ending. Boston/Broadway previews had Aaron on the way left and Karen on the way right. Now they’re both in the middle right next to each other, Karen on the left and Aaron on the right. Ends with Karen holding up her bloody rag and Aaron holding up the gun.

- Satine basically tells off the Duke and he just leaves. I thought they would fix this but apparently not lol.

- I probably don’t even need to add this bc it was so short-lived but In Boston (at least during the first week of previews), right before the start of the Finale, Christian came in from the back of the house, slamming the doors open yelling “SATINE!” as he went up to the stage. I think this was taken out a week later and when I asked Kevyn about it he said that part would never be coming back lol.

- Finale scenery has changed. Broadway version has a more vibrant background that’s a drawing of Satine’s view from her dressing room. Boston version was red/green and kinda dull. Satine’s dress has changed from the all black one to black with hints of blue and red. When Christian turns the gun on himself, Satine now sings “Come What May” to him before singing “Your Song.” The ensemble sings “Your Song” from the stage and audience while Christian and Satine sing “Heroes” and “Your Song” which I’m just now realizing is basically a reprise of the end of the Elephant Love Medley and now I’m FUCKING SAD.

- Boston didn’t mention the Duke having left Paris and never returning, but they added it for Broadway previews, but took it out again.

#moulin rouge #fancynewaddress #promisesyoumadetome #idk who to tag bc a lot of people were interested in this lol

[jh-mus-transcr-and-blog]

Ktheju tokës and Ethnomusicological Tidbits

Hello Europals and all!

I made a remake for Jonida Maliqi’s song “Ktheju tokës” (words and music by Eriona Rushiti). I’ve loved the song for a long while, though I didn’t hear it until pretty deep into the national final season. In this entry, I wanted to point out a few things that I found to be most interesting about the original song and what I wanted to achieve with this remake!

Calls to Iso-Polyphony Tradition and Heritage

Albanian iso-polyphony has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2008. Here is an introductory video giving examples of variations within this art form:

In this video, two forms of iso-polyphony are discussed, split by Albanian dialect. The Tosk regions (the southern part) is known for a drone - a long held note - that is “always continuous and sung on the syllable ’e’, using staggered breathing”, according to the UNESCO site.

The use of this very ethnically salient art form suggests that this song oozes Albanian nationalism even outside the lyrical content, which urges the Albanian diaspora to return to Albania to fix issues within the state that have existed since even before the Hoxha Communist reign. (interview for source)

Changes in each revamp

Besides the final stage version of “Ktheju tokës” (3), two other versions were played in public - the original studio version of the song (1), available here, and the live version with orchestra, performed during the first night of the show as well as during the final, as shown here (2). While the final revamp did not come to be until about 3 months after the show’s end, the framework for the final revamp was already in the making. Among them are:

Strong percussive elements. In the first version, the idea for the opening verse was already established, though the mix was changed in the final mix. The interlude between the verse and chorus also originally had a busy programmed cymbal part that was removed in the final version. The transition back to regular drum patterns in the second half of the verse (after the mid-song instrumental following the chorus) was changed in the final version, but included the first part of the sliding bass and cymbal parts. More bass was added in the final version as well.

The chorus is the biggest change between the first version and each successive version. The first version copies the rhythm from the verses, while the other versions use a common rock rhythm. The biggest difference between these two rhythms is the focus of accents (and claps) on different parts of each repeating pattern. See the video below for a demonstration of the two different rhythms in question:

Much music of non-black origin - among others, big bands and classical Western music - utilize this 1 and 3 clap rhythm. However, most popular music nowadays has borrowed from black culture (jazz, blues, rock ‘n roll) and does clap on 2 and 4. This is what the new rhythm does, and it drives the chorus more than the original rhythm does, even as Maliqi claps on 1 and 3 in a capella fashion during her press conference here. However, the kind of a cappella she was doing was more in line with classical and (white) folk music, which does focus on said beats.

Mix. From the beginning, there are differences between the two studio versions. (The live version will not be discussed as much due to the numerous differences between live and studio mixes.) Besides the slightly different drum sounds used and the repeated parts removed for time considerations, the revamped version markedly reduced reverb. Reverb is an effect which in conjunction with delay makes an audio signal sound like it is being played from some type of space - cathedrals, studios, halls, etc. Less reverb usage makes a signal sound more focused, which the revamped version does seem to be. The male belt voice in the choruses was not in the first versions of the song but was rather added in, and the chanted Clannad-like “Ktheju tokës” in the ending was mixed higher in the final version as well.

Everything in the previous versions, while still good, were even further refined in the final version, and it added to the overall effect of the song.

Dynamic contrasts

In all three versions, the beat after the lyric “shpresë” in both verses is accented in all instruments. Dynamic contrasts such as those played here play a role in creating drama in any musical contexts. Beyond the music, the dynamic (volume) level in the vocal parts - between head voice and a very throaty belt - also add to this drama, which fits the gravitas of the subject matter.

Articulations such as legato and rhythmic accents also add to this dynamic contrast. For example, the interlude between the full verse and first chorus was sung in a much more connected (legato) fashion, while the live and final versions used much more staccato (sharply detached singing, more or less), which is both harder to do and gives each note more emphasis by design. Similarly, the triplet accent in the bass and drums on the second “shpresë” really emphasizes their rhythms and the vocal rest right after the rhythms turn back to verse 1 rhythms along with the bass. The dynamic contrasts really add feeling in songs when used effectively and even give playback performances a livelier realization.

Polytonality

Ktheju tokës is in D# (D-sharp) minor throughout. However, there are several considerations when addressing minor keys, in particular when it comes to classical music and songs based off of a classical vocabulary. Each minor key has three forms - the natural form and two forms made to compensate for harmonic and melodic tendencies in the Common Practice style (think 18th-19th century classical music for greatest concentration of said style). The note right below the key note - in D# minor, the key note is D#, so the note right below is usually called D (C𝄪)* - leads up more strongly than the normal note C# (which is further away from the key note, also known as the tonic) and is called a leading tone in music theory parlance. The verse melody follows in this melodic minor pattern with the D (C𝄪), but the higher electronic loop that plays throughout the second verse fragment as well as the bass both play the C# found in natural minor. A similar effect is found in Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze, and the chord in question - 7#9 - has definite uses (see here for examples). However, this usually implies that the equivalent to the C# is higher in frequency than the equivalent to the D (C𝄪), and in this case, it is not. Therefore, this part in Maliqi’s song sounds far more unsettling and can be argued to be an example of polymodality.

Polytonality, as Adam Neely explains in the video below, is defined by the presence of two different sets of notes playing at the same time, which can be used for comedic or unsettling effect. Polymodality is a related but more specific concept, where the home notes of both sets are the same. In this case, both D# natural and harmonic (or melodic - hard to tell without a B note in the context) minors are used. (This is a slight simplification, as it is not necessary to dive further right now. I’ll talk about that a bit more when I have written another post about “Arcade”.)

* in this case, the sound associated with the note D actually called C𝄪 (C-double sharp) due to each group of notes in a key having one of every letter A-G in some form. That’s a long discussion for another post, though, so I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible.

About the remake

I transcribed most of the song and was really struck by the pain and yearning for fellow countrymen to come back home, so I wanted to capture that feeling of mourning and some type of motherliness while also keeping to my classical roots. I found it harder to keep the polytonal sections, but instead reharmonized and used the instruments I was most familiar with. I did most of this on the road - working slowly on adding more real(istic) instruments (and vocals, and by golly, they’re difficult to sing) and can post here later.

Overall

This isn’t a typical pop song by any stretch of the imagination, and its very ethnically salient elements may contribute to its divisiveness outside the Albanian community. However, to the numerous Albanian diaspora scattered worldwide and to musicologists alike, it holds a lot of deep and fascinating elements that blend folk culture with modern touches, and a call to come back home.

#music theory #musicology #ethnomusicology #music #cover #music cover #adam neely #eurovision #albania #iso-polyphony #albanian iso-polyphony #albanian isopolyphony #isopolyphony #jonida maliqi #ktheju tokes #ktheju tokës #eurovision 2019 #counting #music remake #remake #eurovision covers

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Estonia to Eurovision with a lowkey tribute to Avicii soundwise I guess

I’m not one of those people to go all their way out to overdefend Eesti Laul as “THE most diverse NF to ever exist songwise”, but even I was disappointed in this sudden rush of radiofriendly pop music that I would rather refuse to describe if I had to endure any of them ever again all at once this year. Remember - Netta won with being CRAZY! Why can’t Estonia be CRAZY even more! Was this secretly a bigger demand from the new producers or so that Estonia would need to out-radiofriendly the Latvians whose goal actually was to find a good radiofriendly song that’s enough for qualification????

Also, I kind of wanted to watch Eesti Laul, but I haven’t really settled with it, as I didn’t have enough patience to watch it one time it wasn’t on Saturday (!!). Even with Eesti Laul usually taking the live tweets from foreign fans into account and displaying some of them on the national Estonian television for good measure. And often showcasing their weirdness through crude animations every so often. But I already saw my Twitter timeline being full of that stuff, and for that I’m happy.

I did have some favourites despite being tired of all this pop stuff, and one of them was the ever-so-gender-ambiguous INGER (I say so cuz I thought it was a guy, turns out it’s a she, yeah), and I kind of wanted to see her win after the lowkey last minute interest towards her? But the televote didn’t seem to want any of it during the final public say, and didn’t even want Kerli (not the Spirit Animal Kerli) through despite of her being “hot” (are we now choosing ESC NF winners based on their looks??? tighten up ffs). Instead the final’s televote thought it’d be a good idea to fuck up the international jury’s expectations by putting through an act that got 2(!!!!!) finalised points from them jurors overall and making it win the superfinal. That televote 12 the act got beforehand was just enough for the guy to last-minute qualify over another act of 14 overall points, and who knows, maybe if it wasn’t for that 12, the winner would’ve been someone else. But it didn’t and we have a last minute qualifier victory because televote superfinal is a thing.

And in the literal sense of the way Estonian minds thought their victor that was unfairly treated by the juries was a Swedish singer Victor Crone and his song “Storm”, which was written by the one and only Stig Rastafarian~ err I mean Rästa. Stig is one mythical human creature that never rests a minute without really wanting to appear in the Estonian delegation somewhere every year - whether as all by himself, with someone else, as a songwriter for someone else, or even as part of a band (remember Traffic, anyone? Now that I think of it, the whole band looks like a puppet-act just for Stig to get to Eurovision and the other band members didn’t even want any of it in the first place). Just exactly what is Stig’s aim here? To "take it back to Tallinn”? To meet new people in Europe because he’s too lazy to travel otherwise? To boast about the many Estonian entries he contributed to? Beats me.

That and Victor Crone being Swedish, therefore a man more suited to Melodifestivalen (where he actually once participated in) and only on Eesti Laul because Stig really wanted to save his voice for this one and tag some randomer along with him just for the sake of yearly input to Eesti Laul. Well, at least Victor is historically joining Sahlene and Sandra Oxenryd as “a Swede represending Estonia for a year because what do we know for the Estonians that weren’t chosen instead”. Let’s check his song out.

First and foremost, as the title obviously states, the song reminds me of the late Avicii’s music style, especially around 2012-2013, when he was just starting to get bigger post-”Levels”-release. Just with a bit more singing surrounding the song because... well, maybe to fill up the song some more in order to not look awkward on stage during an instrumental part of the drop being as long as would be one you hear on the radio.

Then he has this easy-listening generic male radio voice that the audiences can not necessarily reasonate with, but it’s memorable, together with the chorus, whose purpose is to be memorable - you don’t need no message that’s special, you just need a melody to hum in your head for the next few weeks, and that’s basically what Stig was able to achieve with this little ditty. Then there’s the amazingly easy song structure: verse - chorus - verse - (extended) chorus - bridge - chorus (+ song ending). That’s a structure that works on basic songs to make them more user-consumption-friendly and not too overbearingly dragged out. And I enjoy it, just like I did “Light Me Up” last year, which was also sung by a mediocre-live-vocalist-Swede that could have easily ended up 6th in Melodifestivalen edition with such song, sadly. I do acknowledge that it’s basic, but I enjoy it.

The problem the Eurofandom finds with this song is that it’s too basic of a song from Eesti, Victor’s proven himself to be a dull live singer, and the chorus rhymes “like this” with “like this”, and all the self-rhymes are automatically shite. And it’s fine if a song I like has its flaws, but it automatically worries me that its live potential is automatically down the drain because of the singer’s lack of vocal compassion or strenght. That begs the question, why choosing THAT kind of song if it’s totally going to underperform live in Eurovision if the singer wasn’t sick in the NF at the time???

...oh I get it now, you Estonians must have thought Stig deserves another year in the Estonian greenroom. Or you found Victor hot. Or you find it great that a song about a storm actually was originally staged to look like Victor’s in a storm. At least for the televiewers’ eye. Because all that they see in the real arenas is the singers’ backs if they don’t turn around in time.

With visuals like these, why even need a music video! (except that there already is one, look at the beginning of the review)

All in all, all condiments are there: just the sugar, spice and everything nice there’s needed for a song like this to break a fandom like this. You can practically smell the Hesburger grease from this song. I don’t care if that’s a bad thing - if you like the song, that’s fine, just shut up and enjoy... but if you dislike it, welp, there’s no way I can change your mind then.

And a random backing singer. Not that she’s helpful as the one for Ott Lepland or anything, she just strikes like thunder and leaves no lasting impact whatsoever.

Greta Salóme’s imaginary cousin, is that you????

Now excuse me while I contradict and repeat myself some more in the next few paragraphs:

Approval factor: As you might have seen me shading Elina a lot last year, I can safely say that at last I’m spared from her vocal practice entrapped in a porcelain-and-silk dressing!!! I like “Storm” myself so I’ll sheepishly approve the hell out of it, lolol. :-)

Follow-up factor: I would be lying if I didn’t say that after a risky-ish way to get all out opera and then coming back to a safe song after doing well with that opera number weren’t a complete nosedive into an empty pool. Subjectively it flows way better for me, but objectively, and the same could be, once again, said for Eesti Lawl [sic] 2019, it is rather interesting of a letdown? But hey, maybe it was finally time for the Estonians to chillax a bit and cave in to send an Estonian-Swedish pop number after the opera stuff, after the 80s synthpop stuff, after the smooth and slightly orchestrated and a little bluesy number, and heart-grabbing ballads... just so they could keep up their ‘variety’ in case Hungary runs out of ideas and starts sending cop-outs of themselves. They already did it with rehashing one artist and one lyrical idea already this year (the catch is that the father’s alive!), honestly. And oddly enough, they have yet to send something a little more modern/electro-influenced that appeals to the common crowd... (”Running” may not count because not everyone can relate, whereas there are more cases of broken-off love (as if in the other half being a heartbreaker or the first half missing the other half so much that they feel “incomplete” than abusive fathers. Just what I think there is? If I’m wrong I obviously expect to be @’ed in the replies section lol) For this conclusion though I’ll say that my opinion says it’s a ‘’’decent’’’ follow up, but for Eurofans, it’s not very much so of such, idk.

Qualification factor: you may think it’s dead while going to perform in between the more badass entries AND mediocre live vocals, but it won’t at least be the worst Stig entry to ever place - around 14th in the semi at the very worst and maybe in the lower half of top 10 at very best imo. Nothing more, nothing less.

NATIONAL FINAL BONUS

I actually barely even bother with Eesti Laul since they don’t accept my Twitter comments live on their television anyways. Say, were there any Twitter comments live on their television this year? No one on Twitter boasted about it if they saw theirs from what I’ve seen, but what I’ve definitely found from the eager Eesti Laul watchers were some casual and usual Estonian oddities thrown on the broadcast, such as:

• The soft and warm but also random and deranged yearly transitional postcard animations (that were refered to as “crude” earlier in this review), which I commonly know now as “my last two braincells”. Even if the graphical theme itself of this year’s Ee-Lawl were oddly-shaped birds coming out in forms of letters, they didn’t really show up much in the broadcast I suppose, and the best fuckery with my mind this year definitely happened when I saw some of THOSE pop up on my Twitter timeline:

We now return to your regularly scheduled news programm~ wait why are you saying that the scheduled programme should be Eesti Laul

• Even if the most acts themselves weren’t that kooky musically, they were obviously interesting performance-wise. We were greeted with an impulsively quirky crazy cat lady Kaia Tamm who bemoaned the absence of the fluffy creatures in German somehow (you know Germany’s a terrible track-record keeper when the only song in German this year featured on Estonia and the only German in Eurovision this year was gonna be sung by an Ukrainian entrant if she was alowed to), as if a song in full Italian from last year wasn’t enough. Not only did she dress up as Alice in Wonderland with kitty ears, but her costumed dancers were entertaining, the violinist was FIRE and a cute large teddy bear looked cute on stage. Not to mention, someone have rightfully noticed that some costumed felines in the audience looked like as if they were to kill someone:

• Lumevärv too is an interesting thing. Never forgetting Lumevärv. This Inga woman, the fiery orangehead she was, used her 3 minutes on stage the best possible way with dancing with her back turned on at the audience and only looking at the camera, while millions of lights (which is sadly not what the songtitle "Milline päev" means) shone in the audience, creating an amazing mood.

• Hey everyone, the 10 years challenge is back! This time it’s with the violin virtuousess(???) Sandra Nurmsalu, the lead of Urban Symphony, who deserved much more than a 3rd place. Unfortunately the Estonians did not bring her back to get her desired revenge, which meant that they thought that they woodn’t need no magic tale fairy that’d grant them tree wishes and let her magic wand our out the wondrous [sic] sawdust. I’m already seeing myself out for how terrible this sounded. And it’s a bit saddening about this not doing as well as some hoped, considering she would have brough out the new and the better Jacques Houdek teas:

• Other favourite act of mine from this year, besides the aforementioned “ever-so-gender-ambiguous-looking INGER” with her indie-folk jingle “Coming Home”, was the charming disco-haired Sissi Nylia Benita with a wholesomely radio bop “Strong”, and they both actually looked like they stood a chance in the superfinal vote-up now that the actual Eesti Laul fan favourites, pretty cute pop boys like piano-indie-pop-driven Stefan and electro-pop-and-Kirkorov-driven Uku Suviste, were not receiving enough support by the juries I guess??? I’ll show a video to INGER if anything and link you all to the rest so you could judge these young and beautiful souls to yourselves in a way!

• Other note-worthy acts include another song about the notorious instrument horsefly in Ee-Lawl’s history that stood even less chance than “Parmupillihullus” but is still fun regardless, and the united forces of Tanja (EE 2014) and Birgit (EE 2013) trying to compose a bigband talk show anthem and dedicating the lyrics for them being ladies with their high heels out on. And honestly, that’s all I’m gonna talk of acts-wise because most other songs were THAT of a radiofriendly-radio-filler that they don’t warrant anything else exciting for me to say.

• No but for real, the voting to the superfinal was completely off-rails. Instead of Victor, juries were there to support that Kerli woman that wasn’t from 2017 (and her soft acoustic song too), as well as Sissi and INGER (but you already know that because I barely read my write-ups before I finish them, hence lots of redundancy). At least that’s all to my knowledge. But everything definitely changed when the televote attacked! And turned the top 3 all male, lol. This voting was rather random simply because the juries didn’t really love Victor, but it definitely took the televote to convince them that “lol Victor is definitely worth of Eurovision!!! screw that he’s non-Estonian!!!” (the difference is that Victor doesn’t have a big social media following unlike Bilal and didn’t win an obnoxiously people-powered talent show unlike USNK from A Dal 2018 - it’s just that he’s more backed by Stig Rästa, and Stig is love, Stig is life.) Honestly, I am all up for unpredictable voting, but if it looks unpleasant to me, then I feel like tuning out.

We’re over with this write-up, thank-fuck-fully, so that you won’t need to hear me lamenting how supposedly cheap “Storm” is ever again. But before that I will have to leave you with some Eurovision 2019 facts coming on: Estonian delegation can be lucky for once - instead of having had to panic for spending an egregious amount of money for a staging detail, this year they don’t have to worry, as the organizers were so shook by Victor’s stormy sky effect, they offered to pay for it themselves!!! Crazy, huh??? (reported for favouritism)

And now I’m done. And we’re moving on to another review and I end up wishing Victor Crone the every best of luck out there. Storm out with a good time well spent! (Whatever that might mean.)

#eurovision 2019 #tel aviv 2019 reviews #estonia 2019 #victor crone #storm #estonia

[necromancy-enthusiast]

Day and Night

Fandom: Danganronpa

Pairing: Sonia/Akane

Words: 1,688

Rating: Gen

Warnings: N/A

AO3: x

Summary: As Sonia prepares for her first firework festival with Akane, she reflects on their relationship.For the Danganronpa Rarepair Week Day 1 Prompt: Fireworks.

Notes: If your unfamiliar with kimono-related terminology, there’s a bit at the end with an index for your reference.

Thanks to @danganrarepairweek

“Are you almost done?”

“Just another moment, please.”

Akane sighed, looking over her shoulder to see Sonia struggling with the obi she insisted that Akane wear with her yukata. It had been at least ten minutes since Sonia had begun trying to tie the obi, and never had she wished for the assistance of her dressing maids back home more than now. Despite Akane’s extreme disdain for being fussed over, she had been a good sport for Sonia’s sake. But Akane had never had much patience, and what she had mustered up was starting to wear thin.

“Can’t you just tie it in a shoelace bow or something?” Akane asked.

“Absolutely not!” Sonia replied. “Now please, hold this,” she continued, handing one end of the obi to Akane. Akane sighed quietly, holding the end while Sonia struggled with the other, trying to remember exactly how to tie it into an elaborate fashion she had read about in a book some time ago.

It was Sonia’s first summer vacation in Japan. Last year, she’d returned home to Novoselic at her parents’ request, but this year she’d convinced them to let her stay. This finally gave her the chance to see one of the firework festivals she’d long to witness ever since she first read about them as a little girl. She was eager to go with her classmates, and especially with Akane.

“Ah, forget it, I don’t need an obi,” Akane said. “I’ve got the kumihimo tied on already, it’ll hold everything together fine.”

“Akane, I’m sorry, I really appreciate your patience...But just let me try for a little longer?” Sonia asked.

Akane sighed. “Alright, but just because I can’t stand it when you give me those puppy-dog eyes.”

Usually, when people found out that they’d been dating for a couple of months, they assumed it was a joke. They would laugh, but it would inevitability dissolve into uncomfortable, half-hearted chuckling once they saw the unchanged look on Sonia’s face and realized that yes, she was in fact dating Akane Owari.

Some had been polite enough to keep their doubts and questions to themselves. Others, however, were more than eager to express their confusion, even bewilderment.

Why would a princess ever date someone like her when she could have anyone she wanted?

Another moment of silent struggle passed before Akane spoke up again. “Hey, maybe you should check Youtube or something. They must have videos about tying obi on there.”

Sonia stopped mid-action, looking up to meet Akane’s gaze.

“Youtube...Of course!” Sonia said. “You’re a genius, Akane!”

If Sonia had been told two years ago that many people in Japan didn’t know how to properly wear kimono in the traditional fashion, she would’ve been shocked. But she had learned a lot in her time here, a lot she never would’ve learned from books or foreign diplomats. For instance, not everyone in Japan knew how to wear traditional dress. Not everyone was intimately familiar with Japanese dramas. Not everyone was well versed in Japanese history. And the most relevant lesson to her current situation, putting on a kimono and tying an obi was not as easy as it seemed.

“I mean, I don’t get that compliment often, but hey, I’ll take it,” Akane smiled. Retrieving her smartphone, Sonia opened the Youtube app and quickly found a video guide on how to tie an obi. It was a much simpler fashion than she had originally wanted, but given how much time she’d already spent struggling with it, Sonia decided that at least in this case, she could settle.

One of the things Sonia had most looked forward to about attending her first firework festival was getting to wear a kimono. True, she had some back home, but they were all elaborate affairs, some with multiple layers that required the assistance of her dressing maids to properly put on, and the more casual nature of the festival called for a yukata instead. For weeks, she’d been looking forward to taking Akane shopping and finding the perfect outfits to wear together.

Of course, Sonia had done all the appropriate research beforehand. She had asked Hiyoko where her family purchased her kimonos, and took Akane to the most affluent store Hiyoko had mentioned. Sonia had to frame it as a ‘surprise date’, but Akane, despite what many thought, wasn’t totally clueless. She became more suspicious as they’d neared the store, and once she knew where they were going, had nearly refused to go in, citing every possible excuse.

“You know I don’t like dresses. Those things are so expensive! I’ll just end up tearing it or staining it, then you’ll have spent all that money for nothing.”

It wasn’t just dresses that Akane tended to abstain from, she avoided just about any sort of elaborate or fancy clothing if she could get away with it, she didn’t even like wearing their school uniform. Despite Akane’s claims of more utilitarian reasons, Sonia could sense a deeper reservation.

“Aaaaaand...Done!” Sonia said. She lead Akane over to the full body mirror nearby and turned Akane around so she could admire Sonia’s handiwork.

“It’s nice babe,” Akane said. “You did way better than I would’ve.”

“Only because of your suggestion,” Sonia said.

“Hrmm…Can’t promise I won’t accidentally ruin it with all the street food I’m gonna eat, but you did insist.” She made a full turn as she checked her reflection in the mirror. “This is probably the most expensive thing I’ve ever owned.”

“Imagine how many people you could feed with all the money you’d spend on one of those kimonos. It feels like a waste.”

Akane had never been secretive about her less-than-ideal background, about how she often went hungry and cold as a child, but she still hid things deep in her heart. She always insisted that she didn’t need much, just the feeling of the wind through her hair as she climbed and jumped across the city and a full sensation in her stomach. From an early age, she’d learned that asking for or wanting anything more was a sign of weakness.

Sadness and vulnerability were also synonymous with weakness, and where Akane came from, the weak had a tendency of disappearing. Sonia couldn’t blame her, after all, she’d been taught that it was a princess’ duty to always smile and be strong for her people. There was no room for frailty, perceived or otherwise. If you were weak, you didn’t survive.

“I want to do this for you. You deserve something nice every now and then, don’t you think?”

“Well…”

“I’ll take you to your favorite ramen shop afterwards, my treat.”

A beat passed.

“I’m in.”

Sonia had wanted to get Akane one of the gorgeous, elaborate furisode on sale, and had even talked Akane into trying one on. It was a brilliant shade of crimson with a gorgeous floral and mountain scenery pattern, and with matching kanzashi, Sonia had absolutely fawned over how beautiful Akane was. But Akane had balked at how confining and pointlessly complex the furisode was, and how hot it would be to wear in the middle of summer.

Sonia decided that in this case, Akane’s complaints were fair, so they opted instead for a deep blue yukata for Akane with a maple leaf pattern and a red obi to go with it, while Sonia purchased a lavender yukata with a chrysanthemum motif and light green obi for herself. The furisode would have to wait for colder months, hopefully by the time Akane had forgotten all her woes about being fussed over by what she referred to as ‘an army’ of dressing assistants.

“I suppose I should start on my own obi,” Sonia said, picking it up from the dresser nearby.

“I can...Try and help?” Akane offered. Sonia laughed, wrapping her arms around Akane.

“Don’t worry, I just need you to hold my phone up for me as the video plays.”

“Alright!” Akane said, picking Sonia’s phone up from where she’d placed it on the dresser. “I’m gonna hold the hell out of your phone!”

Sonia giggled boisterously at Akane’s remark, waiting until she calmed down to tell Akane to replay the video.

There were many things that Akane didn’t know, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t taught Sonia more than almost anyone else during her time in Japan. Akane had shown Sonia the best ramen shops in the city, how to ride public transit, the best way to minimize personal injury when falling, how to use more modern slang and vernacular. The nature of Akane’s knowledge and skills were vastly different from Sonia’s, but that didn’t mean it was any less valuable. Sonia wanted to learn everything she could, and Akane had been one of the best teachers she’d ever had.

Before long, Sonia’s obi matched Akane’s.

“Looks great,” Akane said

“Thank you. I’m glad it took much less time than yours.”

“Ah, it’s fine, as long as we make it in time for me to get first pick of the street vendors.” Sonia laughed again, something she did far more around Akane than most people.

“I’m sure they’ll have more than enough food for you and everyone else.”

“They’d better. It’s not a festival without good food.”

It was Mahiru that had said that Sonia and Akane were like day and night, and Sonia would be lying if she denied it. It wasn’t at all that she wanted to, though. After all, what would one be without the other? They brought out the best in each other, complimenting each others’ strengths while helping to address their weaknesses. And really, wasn’t that what love was all about?

“You ready to go?” Akane asked after Sonia had gotten her purse.

“Ready!” Sonia said. After they.made their way to the door, Akane linked arms with Sonia before they headed out into the dusk.

Later that night, as they watched the fireworks light up the sky, Sonia held Akane’s hand. True, they may have been like day and night, but just as true was that fact that without one, the other wouldn’t be as remarkable.

NOTES ON TERMINOLOGY:

Yukata: An informal, unlined kimono consisting of only one layer meant for warm weather. Furisode: A very formal, colorful kimono mostly worn by young women and girls. Consists of two or more layers. The kind of kimono Hiyoko is always wearing. Obi: The ornamental sash worn with a kimono. Kanzashi: Traditional Japanese hair accessories. Kumihimo: AKA karihimo. It’s similar in function to an obi but more utilitarian, thinner, non-ornamental, and with a wider range of uses.

#sdr2 #soniakane #danganrarepairweek2018 #sonia nevermind #akane owari #danganronpa #necro writes

[god-whispers]

mar 12

good morning people.  i know this doesn't affect everyone who receives these briefings (whatever one calls them), but here in the neck of the woods where i live, we will be shifting time.  we will be turning our clocks up one hour in order to, supposedly, save daylight as it becomes more abundant in the transition from winter to spring.  all we're really doing is getting up an hour earlier.  to serve as a friendly reminder, the quote how one may "fall back" or spring "forward".

this all appears as an innocent way for man to manipulate time and "feel" as though they have more of it.  agreed, it seems harmless enough.  those who exist in the futility of their mind that there is no here-after, decidedly want to feel they have a sense of control of it; even to the merging of man, animal and machine together to extend it.  we willingly submit to organ transplants from animals or machines to subsidize human life.  if we consider it truthfully, how is that different different from what the fallen angels did?  they sought to manipulate mankind from God's original intent.

this world is always seeking a means to do things their own way and the devil is willingly urging them on.  to be as God.  the original lie.  what was the intro to the old show, six million dollar man?  we can built him better, stronger, faster.

yes, better than even God could.  actually, we have no idea how much man has fallen from God's original creation.  God set him over all of His creation and gave him dominion.  how much of creation now dominates mankind instead?  even in revelation 6 when a fourth of the earth is killed, many will be by the beasts of the earth as they apparently lose all fear of man.

still, in man's "supposedly" enlightened state, we bear witness in today's world of how man seeks more and is willing to destroy others to get it.  it is an unquenchable appetite than can never be satisfied.  it is man in his fallen state.

whatever one does to manipulate or control things God has set in motion, is ultimately doomed to failure.  why?  because God's way is always the best way.  what is the end of man's way without God?  i would like to quote a few verses from nahum about nineveh.  nahum 3:1-7

"woe to the bloody city!  it is all full of lies and robbery.  its victim never departs.  the noise of a whip and the noise of rattling wheels, of galloping horses, of clattering chariots!  horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.  there is a multitude of slain, a great number of bodies, countless corpses — they stumble over the corpses — because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, the mistress of sorceries, who sells nations through her harlotries, and families through her sorceries.

"behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts; 'I will lift your skirts over your face, I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.  I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle.  it shall come to pass that all who look upon you will flee from you, and say, ‘nineveh is laid waste!  who will bemoan her?'  where shall I seek comforters for you?"

perhaps this is not the loving God we all perceive.  love separates the vile from the innocent and judges it.  it's very condemnation is an act of love for those seeking His mercy.  it was love that destroyed the world in a flood, saving only eight.  He destroyed the entirety of mankind before the eight remaining of pure bloodline could be soiled and prevent the coming seed of redemption.

the wrath of God - does it exist?  although the wrath may not be in God, even a with holding of His grace is sufficient for death and destruction to ensue.  a cessation of light ensures darkness.  a cessation of life leaves only death.  not a death of void and nothingness; that's what many believe, even hope for.  it will mean a life of separation from all that is good into all that is bad.  the right must be separated from the wrong; the good from the bad.

if i have driven fear and terror into anyone's heart, i am glad.  the only good fear is the fear of God.  if one recognizes that, it will eventually turn to love.   "but we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."  2 cor 3:18

i used to have a pastor that referred to 2 pet 1:5-9 as our "exercise program".  "but also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  for if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  for he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins."

so let us "exercise" our righteousness.  let us "walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness."  prov 2:20  Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life".  john 14:6

remember ever as our world sinks into the darkness and judgment of nineveh, "your redemption draweth near."  luke 21:28  our king is coming!

linda

[congregamus]

“Just....look”

My homily for tomorrow is below the break. The gospel from the lectionary is Matthew 7:13-21, quoted below.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

In the name of one God, undivided.

Just….look.

OK. As I read it, there are three quick take-aways from this passage we just heard.

If it’s not easy, it’s probably worth doing, but don’t expect a crowd to help.  (AKA “Narrow is the gate”...)

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. (or, “wolves in sheep’s clothing”...)

You can trust yourself. (Jesus said, “By their fruit you will know them.”)

Now, these teachings come in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, a treasure trove of spiritual wisdom. We should remember, too, that this list comes only one verse after Jesus reduces the totality of the Mosaic law to “the golden rule.” So, let’s grab that one, and finish our list with it, expressed for our purposes in the negative:

       4. If you don’t want it done to you, don’t do it to anybody else.

These lessons, enshrined within one of the most celebrated spiritual elucidations from antiquity, have been treated as icons, revered, worried over, and re-interpreted by every generation that approaches the text.

They have also been hashed and re-hashed, warmed up, served cold, and, worst of all, taken for granted. The Sermon on the Mount is part of the core of Western culture, and often enough, Western identity.

Jesus’s genius as a spiritual teacher comes to us in the gospels in the form of our never quite knowing which way the Master would have us take him.

Is this a passage where Jesus is being riddlesome or ironic? Is he hiding some deep truth behind common words? Which Jesus do we encounter in this reading? 

The four “take away” statements I began with are examples of common sense handed back to us as deep spiritual wisdom, so I would argue that here Jesus is being as direct as he gets. He essentially says, “I’m just reminding you of what you already know. You trust me, but you can trust yourself, too.”  Remember! These nuggets are right on the heels of the teaching that even we, when our children ask for bread, do not give them rocks to eat.

But is it really as easy as all that?

[TIME/TRANSFORMATION OF MOOD]

Recently, the Steward Guardian accompanied me on an outing to see a film adaptation of a book I read over and over as a young’un. The book is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, one of the Episcopal Church’s many ambassadors to the world of fantasy fiction. In the tradition of C. S. Lewis, L’Engle makes no mystery of her faith in her story telling, and her moral outlook might as well be written in neon on every page.

Briefly, the story concerns Meg Murray, a troubled high schooler whose father disappeared four years before the action of the story begins.

The father has gone missing because the work he was doing on a secret project for NASA was in some ways successful, but, inexperienced at interstellar navigation as one might be, he became lost light years away from Earth. 

Everyone in the town, though, whispers that he abandoned the family. School and life are hard for Meg, and though it seems that she and her highly prodigious younger brother Charles Wallace should give up on the hope that their father will ever return, they encounter… difficult-to-describe messenger-guides of great wisdom and experience—we would call them angels. These messenger-guides help them in their Odyssey, eventually leading them to the dark planet CAMZOTZ where their father is trapped.

Now this planet is a special situation. Evil as it is, the messenger-guides cannot materialize on this planet, so the children are left alone, with only some advice to help. (Sounds awfully familiar to me.)

Strangely, once they reach the outskirts of the nearest town, they discover no immediate threat of harm. In fact, it seems the opposite of dangerous. Everything is tidy. Everything works. Everything is accounted for. At first glance, it’s a utopia, the American Dream™: a sparklingly clean suburban development whose well-behaved children do not argue when their mothers call them to dinner, but stop playing immediately and head inside. Our heroes, though, warned by their guides, know to remain on guard.

What we come to discover, with just the slightest bit of looking, is that on CAMAZOTZ, all personhood or individuality have become absorbed into a sort of super-consciousness, called “!!! IT !!!!” (can you hear that IT is written in all capital letters? It is.) And IT runs the planet.

A barely disguised metaphor for the egoic structures of the mind, IT wants to absorb everything into itself, especially the loving, precocious grade-schooler Charles Wallace. IT accomplishes this with a surprising lack of difficulty. And so Meg now has to retrieve both her brother and her father from the clutches of IT.

What makes IT so dangerous is that IT speaks exactly the language that our tired, scared selves want so desperately to hear. In fact, if we look at IT even just a little, we can see that IT gives exactly the opposite advice Jesus offers in Matthew. 

Instead of “Narrow is the gate”, “Wolves in sheep’s clothing” or “Trust yourself”, IT offers Meg an easy way, along with some lies about how giving into ITs control really is as good as it sounds. 

Instead of encouraging Meg to seek the Truth within herself, which you may remember from above as “you shall know them by their fruits”, IT tells her what her truth is, and then demands all trust be put in IT alone.

In fact, IT makes all manner of promises in ITs bid for control of Meg’s consciousness, including showing Meg a glamourous vision of herself, free from all her faults, no matter that in the vision she is soulless and in ITs control. IT shows ITs diabolic nature in this method of operation. No “golden rule” for our planet-sized Ego. Rather than functioning from a baseline of relationship, IT only imprisons, commands.

This is precisely the game of the Adversary—the original false teacher.

But how can we tell what’s real when the false teacher is good at illusion? IT on CAMAZOTZ presents such a picture of order, ease, and control. The Egoic Adversary is desperate for the same and presents us with as many lies as we will listen to in its bid for power over our decisions.

So was Jesus wrong? Can we not trust ourselves?

Indeed, we can. Jesus said that we will know the tree by its fruit, but he didn’t say we’d know from across the field. We actually have to perceive something, to look at it rather than look through it. We don’t really know if a tree is producing delicious or rotten fruit from the safety of distance. We have to get close enough to sense it fully. Only then can we properly discern if the “fruit” is health or poison.

It’s the same with wisdom. Some “wisdom” seems great from a distance—“an eye for an eye” anyone?—but the closer you get to it, the easier it is to figure out how bad of a decision it would be to live your life by that. It seems right, but it’s not if we look, and I mean really look at it.

[FINAL TRANSITION]

To some, Jesus, before he is anything else, is a savior. To me, he is above all a revolutionary in the arena of consciousness, and here, Jesus tells us to step out of our habits and to gaze, not glance.

If we look, and I mean really look, this reading is a wake-up call. Salvation, Enlightenment, Unity Consciousness, whatever you want to call it, is hard. Not many people are working on it. Plenty of so-called spiritual teachers, ready to take advantage of the open heart of the seeker, will use manipulation to accomplish their own goals. They may succeed for a time, but they WILL NOT WIN. Because it’s only through deeply relating—which was Jesus’ choice in the Incarnation—that we can hope to come close enough to the inner truth of both ourselves and the Other.

As much as we would like for the church to be easy, convenient, and right all the time (which is what our tired and scared selves desperately want to hear), the church can be a false teacher, too, demanding our full allegiance in exchange for answers to unanswerable questions, and the peace of seeming to be on the winning team. The relaxation of seeming to have the right answers.

I hasten to remind us, however, that Jesus was not on any winning team, that he looked to all the world like a loser, but if we just… look, and I mean really look, we will see that it doesn’t matter if it’s too hard to “win” and we’ll just “do whatever he tells us”. We’ll trust ourselves enough to ignore the seductive lies the Adversary offers us, finally bringing the realm of heaven to earth to rest upon the mercy seat in the holy of holies of the temple made not with hands, not by loving our neighbors as ourselves, but because we have come into the truth that our neighbor is not separate from us, and what we do to each other, we also do unto ourselves. 

Narrow is the gate. Many are the wolves, but we can trust ourselves. It only takes something that’s really hard—but not impossible—for humans to do: that is, to remain rooted in relationship rather than in a struggle for control, which, not being God, we will never, ever have anyway.

#feedback appreciated #minutiae #chapter 5 #text #sermons

[madokasoratsugu]

therefore you and me post-production notes (or: murphy’s law as a project that has been two years in the making)

ive had this idea for ‘therefore you and me’ and Fritz ever since i first played CindPhenon. nothing ever fell into place until i played Evermore though, so here we are!

drafting this project was pretty easy tbh (see: hubris). the parallel imagery and everything about the lyrics was right up my alley aha.

fun thing with the lyrics: TadanoCo uses ‘要る (iru)’ in the line ‘Which do you want (iru)? Or do you want neither (iranai; aka negative form of ‘iru’)?’

‘ 要る ‘ as a verb can mean ‘to be wanted’ or ‘to be needed’. 

hence, the line can also be read: ‘Which do you need? Or do you need neither?” or any other variation of the verb’s usage. 

it’s halfway through drawing the lineart that murphy’s law began. 1) i drew ~15 panels on the wrong dimensions, and had to redraw them all (lol), re-grey tone (LOL), and re-ink (LOLOL). it was not a fun three days.

then i lost momentum because of lunar new year (happy late lunar new year btw! happy year of the ox :”) )

anyway: the moment i regained momentum for the project again, i hit a roadblock in the form of overconfident, sloppy drafting (see: hubris is my downfall). 

because of the lack of clear drafting for certain panels (and changes to previous panels), i had to redraft two different sections of the PV while keeping in mind that there was the bridge still to be drafted. fun ! 

i decided to simplify the bridge. can you believe it was supposed to be another animation. i can’t. so i scrapped it.

(slight tangent. Evermore’s release honestly cleared up a lot of uncertainty regarding the direction of the PV and whether or not to include Fritz’s mother (who I still fondly call Beatrice). im really happy the PV never came to fruition before Evermore’s release, as im not sure i would have done half as good a job without Evermore’s content.)

back to the hubris of proceeding with a messy draft - there was a lot of push and pull internally for me as to how much i should keep to the original PV and how much i should just put my spin on things. i ended up doing a bit of half-and-half, i think. 

but really, it only delayed things as i ended up redrafting and having multiple drafts of certain panels haha//

the last two choruses were honestly my favourite parts to draw. the shift from Varg’s clothes and colours to Fritz, Fritz’s acceptance of Varg and the soft way Varg looks at Fritz (and no one else). there’s something cathartic about acceptance and acknowledgement. i think that’s what i aimed to really capture.

also: in between drawing all the panels, murphy’s law 2) my Evermore itchio game file ? got deleted off my computer ? 

it’s a very old, barely functional brick so im lowkey unsurprised but at the same time it was a crazy experience and setback when i needed to reference certain scenes. oh, and Steam decided to not download Evermore too. i still haven’t fixed that one. haha. ha.

i have screenshot posters to thank for uploads of certain CGs, although im still pretty sure its best not to post a ton of those publicly at one shot?

also, i had to scrap the recreation of the famous ‘did you love Varg’ scene because of this aha. looking back now, i think it worked out. 

(another tangent: using referencing as an excuse, i actually took the opportunity to replay Fritz’s route for the third time. i ended up checking nothing at all and falling in love with the masquerade scene again.) 

up till the very end, im still not sure if everyone got that the line “You are love itself.” was meant to be said by Lucette to Fritz. i colour-coded Lucette with her own unique blue for the PV, which was the same hue as the line. i hope that it got across, aha.

with that said, video production was a whole entanglement in and of itself. i think murphy’s law really took up a hammer and swung hard at this stage.

timing was actual hell. im usually not this bad at it, but this project in particular was tricky bc TadanoCo uses a lot of background beats that aren’t overt, which his PV also matches - i think? or maybe im just not good at recognising beats from lack of video/music production haha//

hence there were certain scenes i was stuck at and kept revising because i wasnt clear where the beat was meant to be, what transitions i should use, and when the transitions should be.

subtitling was actually really fun! until i rendered my first version and realised all the subtitles were completely off and blurry.

turns out my project properties were different from my video properties, hence the off-alignment. huh. didnt know those were Actual Things(tm). 

also, quick tip to all vid-making amateurs like me out there: you may have to double the dimensions of the font’s media properties if you dont want them to come out fuzzy. another thing i didnt know lol. 

anyway all this lead to: me needing to spend another evening to redo subtitles. haha. it was not a fun two back-to-back 3am nights + extra evening afterward.

in between all this was countless rendering tests to guess-and-check what’s causing numerous errors in the video btw.

and with those rendering tests came: glaring mistakes in the panel art that i only now spotted and had to fix, and refix, and refix again. then reimport into sony vegas, put it into the video, render and double check if it’s alright. rinse and repeat countless times ! haha ! PV making is fun !

i think i nearly redid a certain scene with the exact same panels once. like i said: not a fun two 3am nights.

that said: i dont know how all this technical issues (and more) popped up and were resolved over two 3am nights and one evening. im not about to question it either. 

at this point: panel art - fixed ! subtitling all redone ! render works fine, everything checks out.

i make the mistake of uploading it directly to yt instead of leaving it unlisted first.

murphy’s law 3) when im watching the vid on yt, the yellow parts in the second verse were completely unable to be seen. 

panic put it on unlisted. people are already watching it and leaving (very sweet) comments. panic delete it.

btw if you’re one of the first three commenters reading this: thank you for the quick response !! it means a lot and made me really flustered in a good way :”))

cue me re-colouring those scenes, redo-ing the section and oops, is that a panel in the masquerade scene where Fritz literally is missing his mask ??? 

i think i lost my mind entirely at this point. from then on i was fueled by spite to complete this cursed project.

at thereforeFINAL.mp4, (version five of the full PV, version maybe 10-11 of all the rendered videos, including tests) finally. finally it is done. 

i upload it.

the end !

(except, not really. because here you are at post-production notes detailing the worst luck i’ve ever had with PV making. 

i learnt a lot from this though, and honestly on hindsight i should have learnt all these from my first PV but nothing went wrong at this magnitude so i kinda just...shelved it aha//

but really, im relieved it turned out well, and that i took the time to redo scenes until i was satisfied. for a PV that’s been waiting in the background for two years now, i think this is the least it deserves. 

if the comic about Fritz and Varg (which i referenced in one of the last choruses, i wonder if anyone caught that?) was meant to be a love letter to Fritz’s route, i think this PV ought to be a tribute to the character himself. 

although - hm, this isn’t quite as good a tribute to Fritz as it is to his route, maybe? i don’t know, haha ! maybe it’s just myself wanting to make excuses to create more for him//

i was thinking of continuing on about the PV and it’s significance to Fritz and Varg, but hm. maybe not on this post. maybe some other one, some other time.

but at it’s core, at it’s simplest, most raw - i think i just wanted to explore what it means to Fritz to ‘want’ and to ‘need’ with this PV.

thank you for watching the PV, and thank you for reading this.

- blu.)

#linear notes #notes #bluh bluh text #long post

[bitchfromtheseventhhell]

oh boy ok oh boy

a year late with starbucks, here i am with book-and-show sansa #discourse.  because i finally watched her stuff in s6 and while i don’t think i have anything #new to all y’all who watched her stuff in s6 as it was airing, i needed to process my thoughts about the entire seasons 5-6 conundrum so here they are.

some structural elements before i dive in:

i recently rewatched the entire series with my roommate who loves the show.  she keeps me honest about my thoughts regarding the show because she demands an internal cohesion of me that i tend to be more fluid with online.  in that spirit, i’m going to be looking at the characters equally.  book!sansa is book!sansa; show!sansa is show!sansa; neither will be written below as sansa.  the only instances where there won’t be a show!- or a book!- before any characters name is when that character does not exist in one of the two canons and thus i expect you to know which canon i’m talking about.

i will be discussing--specifically--the information that would cover affc-twow and beyond in book!verse, and the second half of s4-s6 in show!verse.  the emphasis will be predominantly on the show, though, with supplementary information from the books where it makes sense for what i’m talking about.  while there are still differences between both sansas in earlier books/seasons, i am considering that out of the scope of my thoughts for the sake of keeping my thoughts from going all over the fucking place which--you guessed it--they already are.

my reasons for this are also linked with narrative structure.  if you are assuming a structure for both media where you have an a-b-c structure, where a is the first chunk (agot-asos; s1-s4); b is the intermediary getting from a to c, and c is the #final countdown, you must look at b as a complete entity.  for a song of ice and fire--and specifically sansa’s case--it’s easy: she doesn’t appear in half of the b section (affc-adwd; though when twow comes out we may have to adjust this assumption of the b section, i think it’s a fair assumption to make now) since she does not have a pov chapter in adwd.  for game of thrones, it requires looking at s5 & s6 in tandem.  i honestly do not think it’s fair (in either direction) to judge s5 without looking at s6, and i do not think it’s fair to judge s6 without looking at s5.  they comprise the same narrative chunk.

i wear my biases on my sleeve: i think that s5 was a revelation in terms of the showrunners really being complete fools when it comes to confronting major adaptational challenges that they were facing.  while i do not--and honestly have never--expected perfection from them in terms of a perfect page-to-screen adaptation, this season to me was a sign to me that they were not equal to the task facing them. this is not to say that martin is: the jury will be out until we have twow and possibly ados in hand.

to me (and this does not mean you have to share this opinion), a good adaptation is not whether or not characters’ lines are reflective of the book, it’s whether the grander theme of the adaptation matches the original’s.  it’s a metric i use for all book-to-film adaptations, be it the lord of the rings, the handmaid’s tale, harry potter, american gods, the various pride and prejudice adaptations, and whatever else the film industry throws at us next.  this is an unfortunate metric for game of thrones, however, because the showrunners hamstrung themselves fast on that front, and it’s something that they even admitted to when saying “Themes are for eighth-grade book reports.” [source]

thinking something is a (not-)well-done adaptation and thinking something is a (not-)well-done show are two completely different things in my mind.  i don’t necessarily think that the harry potter movies are good adaptations; i think they’re decent movies--and the later ones are even full-on good.  in the case of show!sansa and the storyline constructed for her, and looking at them not as an adaptation but as a creation, here is what i will be considering

does the character make internally consistent choices?

are the choices the character makes substantiated by their experience?

how does the character fit in with the larger story?

lastly, this is a critique of seasons 4-5-6 of game of thrones.  i understand completely that there are folks out there who prefer game of thrones to a song of ice and fire; i know there are folks who prefer a song of ice and fire to game of thrones (i am one of this latter crew).  this is not meant to be a value-judgement on what you find enjoyable.  you do you.  i’ll continue to do me, and i do have major criticisms of various narrative arcs and setups in the books, though, due to the differences between the two media, they tend to be of a different variety.  if you don’t feel like reading through a long critique of this arc (because god knows there have been enough of them at this point since i’m a year late with starbucks) by all means skip this one.  i am processing for my own sake, and wanted to share what i think in case it’s constructive for others who haven’t had it already with the books-vs-show discourse on this particular arc.

a point that doesn’t easily go anywhere: a major difficulty when encountering books-vs-show, with really any of the characters but in this specific case definitely so: age.  book!sansa is 13 going on 14.  show!sansa is at least 18 if not older.  the difference between how a 13 year old would behave and process and how an 18+ year old does behave is vitally important and rarely discussed.  for all my frustrations with benioff & weiss’ adaptation with the series, i wonder to what extent (and i mean i literally wonder--i can see it going many ways) a lot of the deviations from between book!- and show!sansa comes from their respective ages.

show!sansa & rape

show!sansa was raped.  

she was raped on her wedding night to show!ramsay, and was raped repeatedly and psychologically and physically abused afterwards.  at the time that the episode aired, there were many comments flying around, but especially you have the following comment from brian cogman, one of the lead writers on the show:

“This isn’t a timid little girl walking into a wedding night with Joffrey. This is a hardened woman making a choice and she sees this as the way to get back her homeland. Sansa has a wedding night in the sense she never thought she would with one of the monsters of the show. It’s pretty intense and awful and the character will have to deal with it.” [source]

there are two things i want to unpack from this quote; i’ll get to the second of them in a different section.  the first part i will fixate on is one that frequently gets fixated in on in discussions of season five--specifically that show!sansa’s wedding night is one of “a hardened woman making a choice.”  

the problem we have here is that we don’t see her “making a choice.”  there are many discussions to be had about the nature of agency within westeros--both in the books and in the show, and involving characters beyond either book!- or show!sansa--but it is fairly certain from the beginning that show!sansa does not have a choice in the matter.  from the moment that show!petyr brings her away from the vale (not even telling her where she is going) and then surprises her with the view of the north at moat cailin, it is clear that he is not interested in her “choice.”  the “choice” that show!sansa has to make is what to do with her newfound situation--which she had no hand in choosing.

one of the seminal issues with season 5 is the way that benioff and weiss ended season 4 for show!sansa--specifically they had her looking at show!petyr and saying “I know what you want,” and then had her descending the staircase in the vale in a dress of her own making, hair freshly dyed, and seemingly liberated after three seasons of captivity in king’s landing.  this makes the transition into season 5, where you have a show!sansa who is distraught in episode 3 at the concept of going north to the boltons, who is blindsided that show!petyr would have masterminded this for her--inconsistent with the end writing of season 4, and with the commentary on the show from the episode where show!sansa did say “I know what you want,” 

“Up to now, Sansa has been a piece that other people have moved about the board to achieve their own goals, using her, discarding her, using her for a different purpose, you know, ‘You’re gonna marry Joffrey.’ ‘No, you’re gonna marry Loras.’ ‘You’re gonna marry Tyrion.’ She is beginning to at least try to understand how she can play the game of thrones and be, not a piece, but a player with her own goals and moving other pieces around. And she’s not a warrior like Robb, Jon Snow. She’s not even a wild child like Arya. She can’t fight with swords, axes. She can’t raise armies. But she has her wits, the same as Littlefinger has.” [source]

perhaps, instead, it was arrogance; alternatively, it is hubris that she assumed she knew what show!petyr wanted; or perhaps she is not in fact a player (to use terminology that is based in book!sansa’s arc), but still a piece, and a piece whose player has misread the board--show!petyr telling her “Better to gamble on the man you know than the strangers you don’t.  And you think you know me?” could well be mocking of both her and her strategy for he himself is about to gamble on strangers he doesn’t know--and drastically so.  that’s a valid interpretation of the beginning of season 5 in my view, but it stands at odds with her trajectory in the second half of season 4, while being consistent with her trajectory in season 6--where you can argue that show!sansa does begin to emancipate from piece-dom to player-dom.  this is something even sophie turner made note of while discussing season 5:

When I got the script, I was shocked to my core. Because I was just like, is this really going to happen for her again? It’s really quite devastating. It is “Game of Thrones,” but when you had the moment at the end of Season 4 you think, “Oh her life is going to get better. She’s going to take matters into her own hands and she’s gonna be this powerful woman and liberate people and manipulate people.” And then it was just kind of like, “Oh.” [source]

regardless--this makes the setup to this entire arc a rocky one because even the actor involved feels as though it’s a major step back for the character.  it makes the characterization inconsistent since it doesn’t seem to follow naturally from the end of season 4 and thus how the viewer comes to see show!sansa in the a section of the narrative.  it makes the justifications for the need to have her fill the role of show!ramsay’s wife and rape victim seem all the more nonsensical.

benioff’s commentary is revelatory on the matter:

“Sansa started as such a naive innocent...She’s been traumatized by what she’s seen and she spent almost a couple years in shell shock. At a certain point she’s either going to die or survive and become stronger. She’s chosen the latter option and she’s learned from an incredibly devious teacher in Littlefinger. The interesting thing about Littlefinger is he seems to have no almost no weaknesses aside from his affection for Sansa. He’s been obsessed with her since that early episode at the joust.” [source]

the tricky thing about this comment is that it has two theses: the first is that show!sansa’s only options are “to die or survive and become stronger.”  this comment in and of itself is not one that is necessarily untrue: book!sansa, after all, definitely spends the course of several books trying to figure out how to survive the situations she has found herself in, noting even that “one slip and [she is] dead,” even after she has left king’s landing.  it is certainly true of show!sansa, who during her time in king’s landing definitely was playing a game of survival and one the likes of which she in season 1 would not have imagined. 

what is frustrating is that the idea that this version of “survive and become stronger” was not something that they had already set up at the end of season 4, that show!sansa has thrown herself in with show!petyr and is prepared to outflank everyone for show!petyr has “almost no weaknesses aside from his affection for Sansa.”  she exited season 4 with that “survive and become stronger” mentality, only to have it torn to shreds in season 5.  the idea, then, that show!petyr’s affection for show!sansa would blind him into sending her to this specific marriage reflects that he does--in fact--have a weakness (his own hubris) and that, furthermore, show!sansa’s strength (which, quite apart from “shell shock,” was what carried her through seasons 2 and 3) came not from her trying to take advantage of her situation as she was at the end of season 4, but rather from her being raped instead.  independently about what that means for the character, it says rather a lot of misogynistic things about the showrunners.

i stand firmly believing that the showrunners mishandled show!sansa’s rape.  i do not particularly think they handled the episodes immediately following her rape in a consciencous way, though i think they do manage to capture show!sansa’s nihilistic desperation at her situation which leads her to insult show!ramsay to his face and to leap off the walls of winterfell with show!theon, both actions that display a brash bravery that she is rarely credited with (either because insulting show!ramsay to his face is deemed “stupid” and “dangerous” because he will abuse her further, or because it stands at odds with the idea of show!sansa as one who waits, and thinks, and uses her wits before acting--a trait that is frequently talked about in commentary of the show).  to stand up for oneself against a rapist, abuser, and--beyond her relationship with him--torturing murderer and to declare that this is an unacceptable situation to exist in is an act of profound backbone.  

the simple fact of show!sansa unflinchingly and unapologetically overseeing the death of her rapist and the man who murdered her brother is the only way to have ended that subplot.  it was a good ending to a storyline that was shoddily structured in both its preparation and in its early execution.

show!sansa & the north

“This isn’t a timid little girl walking into a wedding night with Joffrey. This is a hardened woman making a choice and she sees this as the way to get back her homeland. Sansa has a wedding night in the sense she never thought she would with one of the monsters of the show. It’s pretty intense and awful and the character will have to deal with it.” [source]

i mentioned above that i would have a second thought about that quote.  here it is.  the point of show!sansa going north to marry show!ramsay was to get her north.  her “choice” was to try and reclaim her homeland, however she could, after having been separated from it and her family for so long while held in captivity, and after having mourned and longed for it during that brief period in the vale of arryn.

both sansas are characters who want to go home, who long for paths to bring them home, who miss their family.  book!sansa assumes that the vast majority of her family is dead (it is a shock for book!sansa to remember that book!jon is alive--the sole family member from her nuclear family still remaining to her; she has an uncle and a great uncle in the riverlands, but those don’t cross her mind particularly, possibly because they are tullys and not starks) and is completely unaware of what the reader knows is going on in winterfell (which book!petyr is involved with by virtue of jeyne poole’s presence there).  meanwhile, show!sansa knows that arya lives, learns from show!theon that her younger brothers are alive as well before physically reuniting with show!jon early on in season 6.  

i completely understand the need to change the way that martin has been writing his story in order to fit the constraints of television, and the story that the showrunners have been working on since the first season.  i understand, furthermore, that while martin has the luxury of being able to miss every deadline set before him for whatever reason he sees fit--that’s not something that benioff and weiss are able to do in order to write a season of game of thrones.  

if it were simply a matter of show!sansa working to reclaim the north, i would have many fewer quibbles with the execution of this storyline.  the problem is that that the emphasis of season 5 (and thus something that they had to fix in season 6) was not the north; it was the rape.

The showrunners first thought about putting Sansa and Ramsay together back when they were writing season 2. “We really wanted Sansa to play a major part this season,” Benioff said. “If we were going to stay absolutely faithful to the book, it was going to be very hard to do that. There was as subplot we loved from the books, but it used a character that’s not in the show.”

Writer-producer Bryan Cogman had some insight, as well. “The seeds were planted early on in our minds,” Cogman said.  [source]

there are many elements to the subplot that they chose to adapt that were not present in season 5.  the major elements of the subplot that were present involved the marriage of show!/book!ramsay and the horrificly abusive marriage that that becomes, the psychological grapplings of show!/book!theon, and show!/book!stannis’ march from the wall to winterfell (though there are major differences in the adaptation of this march; i won’t be discussing them here).  the problem is that while all of those are vitally important to the book plot, the reason that they are all there in the books to begin with is the power vaccuum of the north following book!robb’s death--and none of them would be present without the political pressure of what is going to happen in the north, and that is the vital backdrop of everything.  it is startlingly absent in season 5 and has major ramifications in the writing of season 6, especially for show!sansa, though also for show!jon.

in the book iteration, you have the northern lords who have gathered in winterfell for the marriage of book!ramsay with jeyne poole.  the marriage is a way to legitimize bolton rule, since one of the “stark daughters” will be married to book!ramsay before all of the north, making it that much more difficult for them to rally against the boltons and say that their rule is illegitimate. one of the many points of the subplot (and certainly one of the most important) is that it happens where everyone can see it, and yet book!theon is the only one who knows all the details.  

the northern lords--for the most part--are disgusted with the entire situation.  they are livid with book!theon for having (supposedly) murdered book!bran and book!rickon, they hate the boltons for being turncloaks who participated in the red wedding, where many of their brethren were slaughtered (not to mention the starks who died there), but they are also fully aware that many of them still have living family members who are held hostage beneath the twins and so they must make nice with their new lords, lest something bad happen to their family members.  it is in this subplot that we have some insight into seeds laid in book!davos’ storyline--that wyman manderly is working to undermine the boltons and the freys, that there is someone in winterfell who is murdering turncloaks (though that person is unknown), and that “the north remembers” what happened to the starks, to their own families, and that they hate the boltons for it. furthermore, they are flatly disgusted with book!ramsay’s treatment of jeyne, whom they believe to be book!arya. 

“Not me,” the Lady of Barrowton confessed, “but the rest, yes. Old Whoresbane is only here because the Freys hold the Greatjon captive. And do you imagine the Hornwood men have forgotten the Bastard's last marriage, and how his lady wife was left to starve, chewing her own fingers? What do you think passes through their heads when they hear the new bride weeping? Valiant Ned's precious little girl.” [source]

the show’s adaptation of this scenario does not include the northern lords.  it mentions--briefly--ramsay terrorizing the old lord cerwyn and replacing him with a new one in the first episode of season 5, but after that we have literally nothing for an entire season.  the only sign that “the north remembers” comes from a little old man and a little old woman who ally themselves with show!brienne and show!sansa.  indeed, this brave woman ends up being murdered and flayed by show!ramsay after he discovers her plans to help show!sansa escape and that, it seems, is that.  “the north remember[ing]” seems to be a flimsy, hopeless thing, and not enough to help show!sansa at all in her current situation, for it cannot connect her with show!brienne (present and earnestly hoping to help show!sansa, if unaware of the explicit details of her situation).  

stepping away from the issues that arise from adaptation here and looking at game of thrones without a song of ice and fire to compare it to--in order to be sure that show!sansa was isolated enough for show!ramsay not to worry about having to rein himself in, the showrunners left several major worldbuilding plotholes and really shot themselves in the foot for the next season and the character development they could have had for show!sansa.  for all they say that the “choice” that motivated show!sansa’s actions was an attempt to reclaim her homeland, their focus in this arc for an entire season was her abuse, and then her desperate need to escape from it, not her political aims.  rather than giving show!sansa scenes where she was interacting with lords and ladies she would have to convince in season 6 to join her cause, scenes where northern lords might see how show!ramsay truly was treating their beloved show!ned’s daughter, or where they might be appalled that show!sansa would agree to marry him, or whatever could be written to add in conflict later, they gave show!ramsay pointless scenes with his girlfriend, a poorly contrived plot involving being able to see a candle in a tower window, and an isolation that made no political sense given that the whole reason that show!sansa married show!ramsay from the bolton perspective was to legitimize bolton power in the north.  they did not care to focus even a little bit on the rest of the north and showed literally no perspective on the match from any northern characters.  it was only show!sansa and the boltons.

the trouble is--the rest of the north does exist, and show!sansa (and show!ramsay) has to confront that in season 6, since it was not done in season 5.

the first thing to bring up before diving into that, though, is the red wedding.  the red wedding--in both books and show--was an event orchestrated by the rooses bolton, the walders frey, and the tywins lannister.  in both cases, you have an event where the robbs and catelyns stark were slaughtered--but also where members of other northern houses were slaughtered and/or taken captive.  this is vital to the frustration of the northern lords in the book as described above.  they blame the boltons far more than book!robb for the red wedding, not least because many of them still have family members held hostage at the twins, pending their allegiance to house bolton’s regime in the north.  they recognize book!roose as a traitor, and that book!ramsay is his son and heir and thus as vile a kingslayer and traitor as they could find, on top of being the fiend who married lady hornwood and then left her to starve to death and eat her fingers so that he could claim her lands through marriage as his own.  it is not simply a matter of being frustrated with book!robb’s choice to marry jeyne westerling (though there is definitely frustration there)--they know that the destruction of--not just their king but their autonomy rests on bolton shoulders.

the northern lords in the show, far from blaming the boltons, seem to blame the starks for it.  they blame show!robb’s marrying talisa and shirking his commitment to marry one of show!walder frey’s daughters.  and while i think, given what happened at the red wedding, it is justifiable from their end to see their king as having not taken his oath seriously, the leap from “show!robb did a bad thing” to “the kinslayer of the kingslayer of show!robb now sits in winterfell and should sit in winterfell” makes legitimately no sense as a baseline for why northerners would side with show!ramsay and it is the baseline.  

there are, of course, logical explanations to why many of the northern lords chose to absent themselves from season 5, and to help substantiate the decision season 6 in aligning with the boltons (even the ones who want to “stay out of it” have chosen house bolton over house stark).  the problem remains that none of those explanations happen in the show canon until season 6, making it impossible to deny that season 5 wasn’t about the north it was about rape.  there is no dialogue to explain it, and there aren’t any of benioff & weiss’ much beloved monologues to explain it and, given how frequently they use monologue to provide political backstory/understanding to their viewers, the lack of it in this plotline which is supposed to be about show!sansa “see[ing] this as a way to get back her homeland” is really noticeable.  there are explanations for the choices, but those explanations must come from the viewers, not from the show itself, which makes it no more or less canon than the questions demanding to know why the north did or did not remember in this way.  

it means that the northern plotline has to play catch-up with itself in season 6 and that show!sansa shows an understanding of the north and its politics that were denied her by the showrunners not sending any northern lords to winterfell in season 5 in the first place.  her understanding of the north was that brave woman’s assertion that “the north remembers,” and it gets flung in her face repeatedly when she brings it up.  and while it would make sense for her to have some instinct for politics after her time in king’s landing and her time with show!petyr, and for her to understand show!ramsay better than show!jon and show!davos in anticipation of the battle of the bastards, it doesn’t make sense that she would have a better sense for northern politics as a genre than show!jon, who has been much closer at hand to the north than she has since the beginning of the show by never having left it and who has had to deal with a northern political backdrop given his stance about the wildlings since season 2. 

the first instances of northern lords being present in winterfell are a karstark and an umber.  the karstark’s justification for supporting ramsay makes sense, even if it’s belated: there’s a great deal of bitterness for show!robb’s beheading of show!rickard karstark in season 3.  it’s a clunky scene but it follows from what came before.  this is not even a little bit the case with the umber who brings show!osha and show!rickon into show!ramsay’s hands.  the scene in which this umber is showing that he supports show!ramsay follows literally no logic.  the reason for support is that show!ramsay slew his “cunt” of a father.  what made show!roose a “cunt” is hard to say--it’s never explained.  perhaps, it’s that he slew his king in cold blood; if that’s the case, one wonders why a man who kills his king is worse, somehow, than a man who kills his father in plain view of his vassals.  but that is speculation.  there is no mention of the red wedding (where presumably show!greatjon was...but who knows because he hasn’t appeared since season 1), of the betrayal of the starks and the umbers’ fellow northern lords by the boltons, and no real understanding of why show!rickon and show!osha, who presumably have been in last hearth since the end of s3 when they said that was where they were headed, would go from being people who deserved protection to prisoners of the house who slew show!robb and show!catelyn.  

the only conclusion that can be drawn, given the lack of setup for it, is that benioff and weiss were ramroding their plot into place, just as they did by sending show!sansa north to begin with, and are trying to convince the viewer to “just go with it” in order for the rest of the season to make sense and to have the military setup they so desire for the battle of the bastards in episode 9.  in focusing only on show!sansa’s rape the season before and none of the northern politics, we then are left questioning why the everloving fuck the karstarks and umbers think the manderlys would throw in with show!ramsay when benioff and weiss were so proud of having a manderly at the red wedding (presumably to die or be captured) to when season 3 aired.  it does not follow logically or politically--it only follows if you stop assuming that this house, and other northern houses, has any memory, agency, goals, familial relationships, and has miraculously lost the sense of honor that led its members to crown show!robb following show!ned’s beheading and that they only exist as a function of show!ramsay’s power in the north...and the whole point of show!ramsay’s marrying show!sansa was that the power he held in the north was unstable to begin with.

ironically, the lord glover that show!sansa and show!jon have to try and convince to join their side gives a better justification for it than either of these two more powerful houses--in pointing out that show!ramsay helped retake his keep from the ironborn, and that show!ramsay helped him rebuild his home (which....he didn’t need to marry show!sansa for, and which is a very different tune from show!roose’s warning to show!ramsay in season 5 that “We can't hold the north with terror alone”).  his refusal to help show!jon given that it is an army of wildlings show!jon’s asking him to join also makes sense, but it is so belated and following so contrived a setup that it feels like an afterthought for the baseline above, rather than the primary motivation of mistrusting show!jon’s choices.  but at the same time, this lord glover does address the fact that it was the boltons who perpetrated the red wedding which destroyed the lives of so many including his brother, pinning the blame on show!robb and his choices instead.  it perpetuates--rather than the boltons being hated for turning their cloaks--the idea that they might, in fact, be liked for it which is so mindboggling when you also have this mentality that “the north remembers.”  treason and kingslaying are suddenly oddly forgivable in a region that prides itself on having an ancient honor.

the viewer has been given the sense since the very first scenes of the show that the northerners care intensely about the old way, about righteousness and justice.  but what we see from the northern lords--or rather, from the lack of the northern lords in season 5--stands at odds with the starks and the northern “old way” of making justice with their own hand.  show!sansa and show!jon alone seem to remember it, seem to care about the boltons and justice for the red wedding.  the rest are unwilling to help, and the reasons that they give do not align with what the viewer has been led to believe about the north in the a section of game of thrones.  if it does remember, it remembers the wrong things and is better to think that, in fact, it might not.

and--to make the whole mess even more frustrating--in the scene in which show!jon is crowned the king in the north, the northern lords speak of how he avenged the red wedding, which they had seemed to forget or not care about in joining the boltons or rejecting show!jon’s and show!sansa’s call for aid.  little show!lyanna mormont declares that “the north remembers” to murmured assent and that’s true: she did.  the others--they made it quite clear that they didn’t remember the red wedding or the horrors that show!ramsay was capable of throughout the entire season.

show!sansa & herself

now is where i’m going to shed commentary from the showrunners for a section.  the reason being that in order to look at show!sansa as her own character--no matter what my frustrations are with the crafting of her arc--it is a waste of energy to compare what the showrunners intended for her versus what was actually depicted on the screen.  it means that book!sansa in the vale, grappling with the web of lies she’s found herself in, must cease to exist for a time, and that benioff, weiss, cogman, and martin do not get to say a word.  only show!sansa does.

show!sansa begins calmly confident in her choices, since the end of season 4 ended with “i know what you want,” the dyeing of hair, and a confident stroll that implies that show!sansa is ready to take control of the situation.  that calm confidence slips away very quickly when she finds that she has been sold into marriage as she was by show!petyr and finding herself in the wolf’s den with those who slaughter wolves.

it results in an understandable, natural irascibility.  show!sansa in her newfound freedom is infuriated by the presence of the boltons in her home.  she speaks and acts boldly.  she seems to have forgotten everything she learned in king’s landing, that the viewer spent several seasons watching her navigate with enough capacity for her to have made it out alive--with show!petyr’s help.  show!sansa knows the boltons to be terrible for they murdered her mother and brother; show!sansa knows that they have the capacity for craftiness, for their betrayal was not discovered before it was too late.  and show!sansa behaves almost as show!ned did in season 1: speaking her mind and damn the consequences.  perhaps she is trusting in the fact that show!petyr, her ally, made the match for her; perhaps she is trusting in her name and status as a legitimization of show!ramsay’s position to serve as a protector for her.  perhaps, still, she is determined that in this place, in her home, in winterfell, she will not be the sansa stark who had to hide everything about herself in order to escape abuse at show!joffrey’s hand.  she is determined to retain a part of herself no matter what.  as she tells show!theon in the last episode of season 5 “If I’m going to die, let it happen while there’s some of me left.”  she is not there yet, of course, but i think this line is vital to understanding her earlier behavior in the season, especially when considering her history in the a section of the narrative as an abuse victim who was never allowed to be herself and who routinely had to denounce her father, brother, and mother as traitors, and tell everyone who would listen that she had the traitor’s blood also.  

show!sansa is allowing herself to be “herself” as best she can, which is jarring for a character who has existed to be different versions of herself depending on those around her and what they need from her.  this version of herself is an impulsive one ( “You can’t!”) and one who digs into her abuser where she can (“Or maybe he’ll give me yours”).  the viewer knows more than show!sansa does: we know what show!ramsay did to show!theon, we know that show!ramsay has literally hunted like game a woman who no longer pleased him and set his dogs loose on her to kill her, we know that he is a different breed of cruel from show!joffrey.  but show!sansa does not yet.  she will learn all this--she will see hints of it when she finds show!theon in the kennels--thinking that he deserves his state, given that he supposedly murdered her little brothers--but she will not learn for true until after she is married.  

she marries show!ramsay, is repeatedly raped and beaten and abused psychologically by him, and she tries twice to convey to show!brienne that she needs her help, that she needs to get out.  both are failures that result in the death of others: in one case, the old woman who told her that “the north remembers,” the second in show!myranda, whom show!theon kills before he and show!sansa leap to their freedom and potential death from the walls of winterfell.  the progression of season five, for me, is a smash repeat of seasons 1-2 for show!sansa, only this time for an older woman with an older abuser.  she thinks things will be fine, they are not fine, she is sexually and psychologically abused.  there is even the hope that show!stannis will kill her captor for her which happens on neither count.  the difference is capacity for agency: show!sansa in seasons 1-2 was thirteen-fourteen years old and is being watched very closely at all times in a place she doesn’t know very well.  in season 5, she is a stark of winterfell in winterfell and is able to slip out of the room in which she is being held and sneak her way to try and transmit her plea for help.  and, when she is unsuccessful, she chooses to leap from the walls with show!theon, rather than choosing to stay in a space of abuse.  in king’s landing, there remains some hope for her--that show!robb will live and come to find her--in season 5, whether or not there is hope for her safekeeping doesn’t matter to her.  she’d sooner try all she can to get free.

there are inklings of show!sansa’s pride throughout season 5.  i should note: pride here is not intended as a value judgement for show!sansa, though frequently it is used against her.  i think she is entitled by her experience to have her pride.  people have tried to strip it from her throughout the seasons.  her holding onto it, even when it causes conflict, i think is a sign of her tenacity in light of abuse.  she is proud when she arrives in winterfell, head held high to face show!robb’s and show!catelyn’s murderer and his son, she is proud before the wedding while dining with the boltons, refusing to be brought low, she is proud in interactions with show!theon before she is married, and she is proud enough to say that she’d rather die while there is still some of her left than to return to her chamber  and face whatever show!ramsay has in store for her.  that pride takes on a different shade in season 6 when she finds show!jon at castle black.

there, her pride becomes more mixed.  it flares at random moments.  sometimes she is proud in a way that includes show!jon--making him a cloak like their father’s, for example--and other times she is proud in a way that doesn’t include him.  show!sansa’s pride, to me, helps explains why she doesn’t tell show!jon about her contact with show!petyr when he first comes to molestown to see her, and then returns to the knights of the vale at moat cailin.  she doesn’t want to admit to any contact with him, because it is both painful and humiliating to acknowledge that show!petyr has anything valuable to convey to her after what he was responsible for in season 5.  it is pride as well that means she doesn’t tell show!jon that she is sending for the knights of the vale after house after house after house has closed their doors to the starks’ plea.  show!sansa has been told that “the north remembers” by the brave old woman.  there were no other northern lords in winterfell to prove otherwise while she was there as well.  she clung to it as hope in her most nihilistic moments and now that hope has been turned on its head and it is something she refuses to accept because she’d rather die than go back to ramsay--so she calls upon show!petyr.  it can only be pride that keeps her from telling show!jon, fear that he will call the move stupid, that he will call her stupid for trusting show!petyr in an hour of need.

and, of course, it is pride that leads her to reconnect with show!petyr wordlessly when show!jon is crowned: if show!jon gave her credit privately, no one gave her credit for helping to retake winterfell during that meeting--not even her half-brother--no one except show!petyr and her pride is wounded and he is planning to prey upon it once again.

show!sansa & the larger story

while drafting this, i reread the post that i wrote in the immediate aftermath of unbowed, unbent, unbroken.  it, like this, was a processing post, though of a very different variety, and it, more than this, was expecting a tighter adaptation to the books.  one of the major points that i was making was that, in sending show!sansa north to fill the role in this subplot, there was a major ripple effect in the larger story--beyond just what happened in the north.  this ripple effect struck out as far as dorne, for that was where show!jaime found himself in season 5, rather than in the riverlands where his book counterpart was.  book!jaime would be lured away by book!brienne on lady stoneheart’s orders while book!brienne is still on her thus-far fruitless quest to find book!sansa. because of the adaptation of show!sansa’s storyline, you can’t send show!jaime to the riverlands just yet (this will happen in season 6) so instead he goes to dorne, which changes the dynamic of his and show!cersei’s relationship, which changes the moves that show!cersei makes, which changes the moves the faith makes.  you also have show!petyr who inexplicably tells show!cersei precisely where show!sansa is and why and somehow doesn’t end up dead but instead gets show!cersei to agree to name him warden of the north at the end of everything (an additional interesting layer to his shared glance with show!sansa at the end of season 6).

the trouble i find here is simple--and to me much shorter than any of the points i’ve made above--the decision to send show!sansa north in season 5 is directly connected in my view to the dorne subplot was poorly conceived on every possible count (“i’m going to honor my dead lover by....killing his entire family....” + badly shot fight sequences).  and while i think that the king’s landing plotline in seasons 5 and 6 was better upon a rewatch than i was anticipating it being, i also think that there are major gaps in it and in how the north is being treated by a show!cersei who is doing what she can to consolidate her power, especially a show!cersei who has just lost the second of her three children and who believes that one of those responsible for the first’s death is in the north.

i think that more broadly, the writing and worldbuilding in season 5 went downhill; i can’t parse out if i think that’s because of the northern plot, or if it’s simply a correlation.  it’s hard to know since it’s the first season where they depart so thoroughly from the books, which makes it hard to know until the winds of winter has been released and until game of thrones is finished as a television series.  in terms of the show independently from the books, however, i think it’s undeniable that season 5 is a weak point and that the victories of season 6 are still built on a bad foundation which makes them harder to see as full-on victories.  you can’t leave out season 5 (unless you’re talking about show!bran since he--mercifully?--wasn’t in season 5) in terms of talking about narrative because it’s the linchpin and it’s a bad linchpin. it’s how you get from a strong start to a--hopefully--relatively strong finish.

final thoughts

looking at show!sansa in a vacuum (ie pretending for a second that book!sansa does not exist), i feel just plain bad for what the writing of her was.  it was hamfisted, unsubtle, poorly conceived, and poorly executed.  it frustrates me that a narrative arc with all of those traits has a ripple effect on the narratives in the rest of the series, but that’s how it goes i suppose.

i’m proud of some of her choices: i will never not be thrilled by the way she #ended show!ramsay, and i’m curious about what show!bran’s return to winterfell will mean for her.  i’m frustrated with some of her characterization, but lbr here are there major characters on game of thrones whose characterizations i adore?  because for the most part the characters i am at my happiest watching are the minor ones these days because most of the major ones are inconsistent in a way that personally is very frustrating.

i don’t really know what else i think.

i also don’t think i have to.  i don’t know if i will until the show is over.  and i imagine that my thoughts will continue to grow and change as time goes on because that’s what thoughts do.  i literally could not have foreseen writing some of what i’ve written in here two years ago when season 5 was airing.

but i suppose all this is where i am right now.

#books vs show #show sansa #sansa #the show #a year late with starbucks #this was cathartic #honestly writing this was so similar to writing the dany meta i wrote a little while ago #talking about show!sansa is hard #largely because there are major systemic issues with her writing and narrative #which like...she as a character is not to blame for #she's the first victim of those systemic issues #on a number of counts #but it makes it really hard to unpack when trying to talk about her #because where are her flaws and where are her *writing's* flaws #and how do you dilineate #and different people will handle it differently #which only makes it harder

[themusicenthusiast]

Saturday, April 15th, 2017 – Just Another Line in the Story Your Life Will Tell: A Revived SouthFM Shakes Off the Dust During a Nostalgic Set at Trees

The celebration at Trees on this Saturday night may have centered around Big Story and the release of their debut record, however, there was something else that was every bit as monumental-arguably even more so-going on as well: a legend of the D-FW music scene was returning. A couple years or so out from a fairly vague Facebook post Paco Estrada made hinting at another chapter in SouthFM’s presumably finished book and nothing had happened. No further statements had been made about resurrecting the titan that had become one of North Texas’ elite bands. I don’t think many people thought much of it, especially as they continued to support Estrada’s current endeavors; and while SouthFM may have reunited to perform Swallowing the Pill acoustically last December, by all accounts even that was a one-off thing. Just a reason for the former band mates to join forces on stage one last time before finally leaving it to rest for good. And then came word of this show, SouthFM listed as main support for Big Story, where they promised some classics along with a few new songs. And so it was, ten and a half years after their initial breakup and a few reunion concerts in between, that SouthFM would once again become an active force the music scene. And at the risk of sounding sacrilegious, it did seem appropriate that they would begin their second coming on Easter weekend. With three-fifths of the final lineup returning (Estrada, guitarist Chad Abbott, and bassist Dave Shafer), the two remaining positions were filled by Andrew Pederson, the drummer being a familiar face to anyone who has seen Estrada in the past couple of years, while Cody Sowell picked up the duties of lead guitarist. Trees was packed, to the point it was hard to tell which of the final two bands had the most sets of eyes on them, the spectators cheering when as the lights dimmed shortly after 10:30, eagerly awaiting whatever was to come. “The Wound” clearly set the stage, the instrumental piece tacked on at the end of the third cut from Swallowing the Pill playing over the PA system. It made one feel as if they were listening to the record itself, the opening riffs of “Killing Me” roaring into action as soon as it had concluded.

One of their signature songs and, best of my recollection, the routine closer, was surprisingly moved to start of the set, and while it may have felt a bit odd, it came across as a powerful opener. It immediately had all of the longtime fans enthralled, being the first of many songs that several patrons joyously sung and shouted along with. That feeling of elation wasn’t confined to just the crowd, Estrada being unable to hide the grin on his face, which was all too noticeable even as he sang. “…Your love, you see, is killing me. And I don’t want to waste more time telling you how I feel...” It was as if that, in that moment, it was truly hitting him that he would be performing these songs again, a flood of emotions and memories coming with them, and he was loving it. Those authentic reactions would persist throughout the show. The quintet would prove to be masters of the segue this night, Sowell lightly picking at his guitar as Pederson supplied some gentle percussion for a transition piece that led them into “Push Me Away”. With each passing minute, this new lineup was starting to find their footing and develop their live chemistry, while the original members grew more confident in their performance. Shafer in particular, as the bassist began to thrash around more as they hit the second chorus of that one, really loosening up and getting into it all. Mixed in with the handful of fan favorites they were able to work in to their brief set was a couple new songs, and afterwards, they struck with the first. It was interesting one, and personally, my favorite of the new ones. Interesting in the fact that it so perfectly showcased the songwriter and lyricist that Estrada has evolved into, even transcending where he was at when writing that twelve-year-old record. However, it also felt like a natural progression for SouthFM, fitting nicely within their wheelhouse thanks to some catchy riffs and at times downright brilliant guitar work from Abbott. The robust percussion solidified it as a captivating number. “…Open your eyes. Open your heart,” the first verse concluded, the chorus beginning with, “Only love…” Everything about it embodied positivity and it felt rather inspirational. A couple more classics separated them from the next new number, and there was little doubt that “Surface (Wake Up)” was one of, if not the top song everyone was anxiously waiting to hear. “These are not the words that I would like to be saying to you… And I hope that in the morning you will feel the same way that I do…” several of the spectators chimed in, assisting with the choruses. It was one of those rare and magical moments where you get to see just how closely people identify with a certain song and how much it means to them. In the local scene especially that’s seldom seen, though only reaffirms that “Surface” is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written thanks to the honest sentiments and sheer vulnerability that it captures. “…Can we ever take the chance to see what happens? What we really want we fail to mention…” Another instrumental song from the album bled things into the next song, the delicate sounds of the instruments keeping it concealed for a time. Some haunting notes then rang out as Abbott proceeded to pick at his axe, unmistakably being the opening of “Regret”. Arguably their best song of the night, Shafer was able to provide plenty more backing vocals, accenting Estrada’s voice quite well as they were layered atop one another. That was also the song where Sowell appeared to truly immerse himself in the music. He had no more reservations of making certain he was getting each note right and instead just followed his gut, still nailing his parts as he at times shredded on the guitar. That song alone was quite the display to witness, Estrada taking a deep breath before the bridge, preparing himself for the rapid-fire part. “And kiss me in our darkest hour, kiss me when it’s pouring rain. Kiss me when the full moon begs and when the sun awakes again…” As usual, the emotion and passion he was packing into the lines bled though on his face, which further reminded everyone why he is one of the most talented vocalists there is; while Pederson ensured the song came to a phenomenal close, his drumming sounding more forceful than it had all night. With this 36-minute long set nearing its end, Estrada addressed the crowd, mentioning how excited they were to be there and on the bill, while also quipping that it was the night of “big singers” and shouting out J.R. from Stareview, who had played before them. “Randy’s not that big, though,” he noted, soon recalling when he first met the current frontman of Big Story. “He was a cocky young asshole,” said Estrada, before Shafer began bantering with him, asking him if anything had changed. “Now he’s a grownup cocky asshole,” remarked Estrada, who noted he had asked Randall Stephens if he’d mind him saying that about him. As he spoke, he was fighting against a growing chant of “SOUTHFM!”, the fans declaring their adoration for the band. The other new tune seemed a bit slower at times, adding a decent balance to a set that was otherwise dominated by intense rock tracks, and though it did have some serene moments, it also swelled to become a striking number. And that was when it happened. It was at the second chorus when you saw a shift in the overall demeanor of the musicians as they truly hit their mark and gelled with one another. It finally looked and felt cohesive, as if they were all crucial components of a much larger machine rather than five people each doing their own thing on stage. And with one song left to go, that couldn’t have come at any better time. Given the way the show had started, there seemed only one song capable of bringing the set to a close. Estrada turned his back to the audience, arms folded behind him while some fuzzy notes courtesy of Abbott acted as the segue. After a decent amount of time to build suspense Sowell sprang into action with the exhilarating riff that defines “Vesica Piscis”, a fitting and thrilling end to a show that offered but a brief glimpse of what the iconic Dallas group is still capable of. Thrilling due to its exceptionally high-energy, and fitting because of the holiday weekend, the story making it all too easy to draw some religious connections. “And he said, ‘Son, don’t you know it has to be this way? Your wounds will bring them life.’ And he said, ‘Son, don’t you know it has to be this way? So maybe someday they’ll understand grace.” This wasn’t the SouthFM that was easily in their prime in the final year or so of their existence, nor was it a SouthFM covered in dust and cobwebs, straining to shake it all off. It was something in between the two. Understandably, even after many years together, Estrada, Abbott and Shafer can’t just dive back in and have the same level of chemistry they enjoyed before. Factor in the two new members and the dynamics are completely new; and the only way a strong bond between them can be forged is by getting in the live experience. There’s no substitute for it and that is what will allow them to mesh with one another and eventually become a force to be reckoned with once more. Bearing all that in mind, it was a solid show. Sowell and Pederson did look new to the group, though they played it off as if they at least had a few shows under their belt, each bringing a good bit of energy to the mix to boot. As for the other three, while not to the point of merely relying on muscle memory and the confidence that comes with that just yet, none of them appeared too far away from that. After a few more times on stage it seems reasonable that performing these songs will be back to being second nature for Shafer, Estrada and Abbott. To the die-hard fans this was still akin to a religious experience, the simple act of hearing those five old songs again being euphoric. And that was just scratching the surface, a set clocking in at about half an hour forcing them to cherry-pick what they felt everyone wanted to hear most. They did a great job of that, everyone probably wishing they had heard this or that, though I don’t think anyone felt like they had missed out on anything. It will be fun see how this all unfolds, a new album already in the works, even if it’s only in the formative stages at the moment. Hopefully more shows will follow soon as well, and at least one where they’ll have ample time to delve into their catalog. But for now, it’s just great to know a band like SouthFM is back on the active roster. There aren’t many bands of that caliber anymore, and at least the scene has one more shining star then it did. Stay tuned to their FACEBOOK for news on future shows; and for those whose libraries’ may be lacking some SouthFM, you can download their full discography (for free, if you desire) on BANDCAMP.

#SouthFM #SouthFM 2017 #SouthFM Dallas #SouthFM The Music Enthusiast #SouthFM Review #SouthFM Live Review #SouthFM Show Review #SouthFM Concert Review #The Music Enthusiast #2017 #Dallas #Texas #DFW #Deep Ellum #Trees #Trees Dallas #Rock #Music #Dallas Music Blog #Texas Music Blog #Paco Estrada #Chad Abbott #Dave Shafer #Cody Sowell #Andrew Pederson #Music Enthusiast #Review #Concert Review #Live Music #Local Music

[shenanigumi]

Actual First Impressions: HakuMyu LIVE 2, Act 1!

Also contains some of Act 2 for reasons. Prepare for a LOT of rapid-fire half-asleep chocolate-high thoughts, consolidated into a single super-long text post to avoid spamming and/or oversqueeing.  Good luck disentangling my observations from my emotions long enough to make any sense of either…

Atsuku Ikiro => SAMURAI Future => Yaisa! Yaisa! Yaisa! – I love this song! It’s catchy as hell and everyone gets a verse and—WAIT IS THAT SAMURAI FUTURE?!?! They’re actually quoting music from the original run?!?! Oh hey it’s Yaisa except oh my god this instrumentation is fabulous. Pieces with traditional instruments and modern beats (or really any genre of music not typically set to a modern beat) is my not-so-secret weakness. That’s why electro swing is my favorite musical genre. AAAAHHHH THIS IS SO BEAUTIFULLY ARRANGED

Sidenote: The original cast can hold their own during solos, but get them all together and they’re nothing super-special. Conversely, the new cast sounds AMAZING all together, but with a few exceptions, solos seem to be their weak points. I’m still severely biased toward the original cast in most cases, but I won’t deny that I ADORE the group numbers with the new cast.

[interlude] – Huh, the audience is even more involved than usual… must be an unwritten rule of HakuMyu that Souji is a total attentionwhore. Is that Kazama and Shiranui in the background? Are they gonna reuse the “where are they” gag from the first LIVE? Oh wait. Oh wait… What the hell is happening? What are they giving Kazama, and why? Is that pocky, or something? No, that can’t be pocky; it’s too thick. But it is edible, judging from the fact that Shiranui is feeding it to him jfc please you two or else I’m going to start headcanon-ing that Shiranui hits on Kazama to make him uncomfortable whenever he steps out of line

Okita’s song (???) – …oh thank god another musical number to break up all the confusion and awkwardness. Except I don’t really recognize this? Either it’s new or it’s from Reimeiroku since that’s the only one to which I paid like, negative attention, since I hadn’t even seen the anime and had no connection to most of the actors and. yeah. nice shoutout to his part in “SAMURAI Future”, I guess, but made somewhat less awesome by the fact that they already performed the real thing. also oh Souji you just have to blow the audience a kiss at the end too, you know you’re the favorite. ugh. insufferable child.

[SKIPPING AHEAD TO] Hisuru Hana – …my mom’s watching this with me and she really doesn’t care about most of these guys, so I’m gonna see if I can’t find Kazama to make it worth her while till she goes to bed… oh hey that’s Kazama in a demon mask isn’t it. OH HEY THAT’S HISURU HANA ISN’T IT. OH HEY THEY’RE BRINGING IN MORE SONGS FROM THE ORIGINAL RUN. OH HEY HE SOUNDS A LITTLE ROUGHER THAN USUAL AND HIS MOVEMENTS AREN’T QUITE AS SMOOTH AS IN HIS OWN MUSICAL BUT GOD DAMN.

Harada’s song (Shinsengumi Kitan) – HOLY FUCKING SHIT HARADA AND CHIZURU ARE CUTE TOGETHER HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT OH MY GOD HE’S LIKE 50 MILES TALLER THAN SHE IS AND HE’S CARRYING HER AND HE’S DANCING WITH HER OH MY GOD HIS SONG IS LONGER NOW AND THEY’RE SO FUCKING ADORABLE THANK GODS HARADA IS GETTING A MUSICAL YES PLEASE ALSO WAY TO SUBSTANTIATE MY BULLSHIT SUPPOSITIONS THAT THEY’RE A THING IN SHINSENGUMI KITAN

[Interlude] – lolol hey it’s the idiot trio what if they do “Asonde Bakka Jyanai Ze!”?! …nah Harada already had some time in the spotlight but… wait, do Nagakura and Heisuke have any songs, just the two of them…?

Jiyū ni Narero Basho – YES, YES THEY DO! ANOTHER FAMILIAR TUNE!! One of the ones I always forget I love, too. Heisuke—good job, kid. You may not be Ikeda Junya, but I’ll allow it. Nagakura, I am thoroughly unimpressed with your voice thus far. I need to do a comparison gifset between Toudou-hen and this choreography tbfh, so much of it is a direct parallel. oh hey Heisuke’s stomach is growling!! hahaha wouldn’t it be funny if they used that to transition into—

HUNGRY GUYS => mealtime number (Shinsengumi Kitan) – FUCK YESSSS THEY’RE DOING IT!!! I LOVE THIS NUMBER OMG YES oh too bad they didn’t put the fish gag in though. Wait, did they rip this out of “Twist and Shout” by the Beatles? Oh no that’s just the transition into the roughly equivalent number from Shinsengumi Kitan. Damn they sound good together.

[Interlude] – GOD DAMN IT YOU TWO YOU ARE LITERALLY GOING TO MAKE ME SHIP RYUNOSUKE/CHIZURU JUST BECAUSE OF THIS SCENE JFC YOU’RE BOTH SO GODDAMN ADORKABLE but my mom doesn’t really care too much about Chizuru or most ships so let’s just keep right on going

[SKIPPING AHEAD WAY TOO FAST TO]—

Me: *MAKES LOUD AND SUDDEN GROANING NOISE* Mother: [annoyed] What?! Me: SHIRTLESS SHIRANUIIII Mother: …Oh.

[GOING BACK TO] the obvious femservice scene (Shinsengumi Kitan) – [here are the few semi-coherent thoughts I can remember] – fuck off Okita with your stupid suggestive water bucket – I guess at least he gets to participate this time? – please hit him with that fan Yamazaki – HOLY FUCKING SHIT IT’S SHIRTLESS SHIRANUI – HOLY SHIT – HOLY SHIT – OH MY GOD – TAKE ME NOW – oh hey also Ryunosuke who also has a literal six-pack but has to appear weak for the sake of characterization – SHIRANUI WHY ARE YOU FEELING UP HARADA – PLEASE DON’T TEMPT ME TO SHIP YOU TWO EVEN MORE UNIRONICALLY – CAMERA PLEASE – CAMERA – ZOOM IN ON SHIRANUI – PLEASE – YOU KNOW HE’S A GOOD DANCER I WANT TO SEE HIM DO THE THING – I WONDER IF HE SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO BE INCLUDED THIS TIME AROUND? – HOLY FUCK HOW IS HE JUST KINDA STAYING UPSIDE-DOWN THERE

[Interlude] – HE’S JUST CASUALLY DOING CRUNCHES AS KAZAMA ARRIVES ON THE SCENE – OF COURSE – PLEASE KAZAMA TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES – YOUR SHIRT – WHATEVER – I DON’T CARE – oh hey a watermelon ball, I guess that’s the new equivalent of the badminton scene? – NO SHIRANUI DO NOT PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON – KAZAMA PLEASE – SHIRANUI PLEASE – god damn it. [ladies and gents, my mother, voicing my scrambled thoughts – “I was kinda hoping it’d go the other way, that Kazama might…”] oh shit Amagiri’s missing again, isn’t he? Damn it, as much as I love that gag, I liked Naoya-san. Too bad he wasn’t around. But they’re probably not going to do Oni no Matsuei again, so… what next…?

Oni no Chikara – FUCK YES IT’S ANOTHER OF MY FAVORITES YES YES YES!!! wait, but if Amagiri isn’t here, why do I hear his theme—? Oh, I guess they’re just skipping it. never mind… oh and here’s Serizawa but at this point I’m really just interested in Kazama because my mom has to go to bed so

[SKIPPING AHEAD TO] Kazama’s new medley – aaaaaaaa exactly what I was looking for. Suzuki!Kazama in western wear. oh my fuck HOW can one person be so perfect. how. just. how. is it me or did they make his clothes even more form-fitting and sexier—? oh gods this is the intro to his musical!! and his singing is even more on point!!! oh shit I love that. oh hey now it’s his fight with Nagakura from Shinsengumi Kitan and they cut out his gorgeous wavering endnote on that one but whatever still a good theme. and—wait, they ARE doing Oni no Matsuei! that’s a throwback if ever I’ve seen one, but I am 100% all for more Shiranui so whatever. and—wait, “Kyōt�� ~ Kyoran no Shi”? With half of Heisuke’s lines cut out? At least they slowed it down somewhat so the poor man can actually sing. And oh shit he was fighting Kodo? oh that explains why the end of “Sendai-jou no Tatakai” is happening now. and… oh gods now we’re at the end of “Bushi Toshite Ikiru Tame ni” and Hashimoto-san I love you dearly but did anyone tell you what notes to sing? NO, MOTHER, MATSUDA RYO WAS A BETTER SAITO BY A LONG SHOT, DON’T YOU DARE INSINUATE THAT HE WAS EVEN REMOTELY OFF-KEY. and ah good they’re ending it on the same set of notes, literally, as his first medley. nice way to tie it all together. good night mother

[GOING BACK TO] Saito’s song (???) – ah yes now I can record my reactions actually live instead of having to remember all that because my mother has gone to bed and I don’t mind interrupting myself. anyway this number is cool, but again, I don’t recognize it at all. did they hide it somewhere in Reimeiroku? but I like the shoutout to the instrumentation on “Don’t Forget My Style”. ok I can hear his Reimeiroku leitmotif now, so is this like, a small medley? also ok I know how childish and coincidental this is but I love that the last two lines rhyme like yessss

Hijikata’s song (???) – this kinda sounds familiar, probably from Reimeiroku. still never got the hang of Gaku-san as Hijikata, though; the notes get away from him sometimes, more often than the others I’ve heard. ya know, not that I could ever hope to sing any better while I’m doing that much but I’ve seen better Hijikatas in my day *adjusts hipster glasses*

[RELUCTANTLY SKIPPING PAST “HISURU HANA” ET AL TO] Chizuru’s song (Shinsengumi Kitan) => Ryūnosuke no Kaiko – Okay, I actually really like Chizuru’s little leitmotif, and she really does have a wonderful voice. Second or third favorite Chizuru for sure, after Tanoue Marina and tied with Yamamoto Sayaka. ooooh someone’s in loooove though, what with that Hijikata action in the background~ and OH YES THIS IS INDEED THE SONG I THOUGHT IT WAS WHEN I WAS FAST-FORWARDINGGGG oh goodness I love Ryunosuke’s little aria so much. plus the added percussion is really nice, gives it a sense of moving forward while retaining its prettiness—OH THEY ADDED MORE TO IT! and it’s so well staged! and why isn’t this man more on my butai radar I need more Shiramata Atsushi in my life. oh hey Yamazaki whatcha doing here? oh just running away I guess. it’s cool. see ya later?

[VERY RELUCTANTLY SKIPPING PAST MUSCLE SCENE ET AL TO] Gōgan Fuson’na Shi – I kinda love Serizawa? even though I also really hate him? I just feel like Kubodera Akira has a really awesome time playing the role, I mean, getting the audience involved and everything. It’s kinda cute in a super-twisted way, considering he’s busy burning everything to the ground and disrespecting everyone under the sun. seems like I have this problem with a lot of characters given that Kazama is much the same. actual favorite character, possibly actual least favorite person.

[Interlude] – here comes Kodo and… uh… THEY’RE SAYING ONE ANOTHER’S NAMES LIKE LOVERS? CRACKSHIP CONFIRMED? is there a word for pantomime that isn’t necessarily silent because I see a lot of that in butai and it’s really amazing (edit: I have since realized that pantomime is exactly the word I am looking for) and they’re physically echoing one another’s movements like a villainous courtship dance and OH MY GOD THAT HIGH FIVE AND EVIL LAUGHTER WAS REALLY CUTE A+ BROMANCE I SUPPORT THIS 100% also Kodo’s bald cap is treating him decently now

Hen Wakamizu no Chikara => Horobi no Sakebi – you cannot hope to beat Edogawa Manji in a weird-off. He is simply the best there is. What is even going on right now. He’s involving the audience in his villainous schemes and you know that pantomime thing, he’s the best at gesticulating, he really is, he’s so underrated and I have such a high respect for him and… oh, Chizuru hasn’t gotten over her emote-face, I see, and—WAIT WHAT THE FUCK. KODO-SAN WHAT ARE YOU WEARING AND HOW CAN YOU LOOK SO SERIOUS. HOW ARE THEY PLAYING THIS TOTALLY STRAIGHT WHEN HE LOOKS SO RIDICULOUS. ok maybe “respect” was the wrong word. In fact, I think I’ll just have Suzuki Shogo summarize the rest of this scene for me (since this is only the second most ridiculous Edogawa-san has looked while in-character):

Shinsengu Tanjō => Bushi no Michi ~ Ima, Kakugo no Toki [3] => Shinsengu no Michi [1] => opening track (Shinsengumi Kitan)? – ah good they’re including this. perfect!! one of their better chorus numbers, and that’s saying something—but wait—no—they’re cutting out too much of it! and now Kondou is singing Serizawa’s part?? what is this. oh but there’s Serizawa singing his beautiful little piece that I love way too much given his character. (lord help me I think I might actually understand why Ryunosuke lets him kick him around so much; the man is fascinating.) ok but all masochism aside, time to switch to sadism, since it looks like they’re gonna be killing him soon enough. and it’s well-staged, too; I love it when they do the slow-mo thing. also, yes, Ryunosuke, you can in fact sing him sweetly to sleep, ignore the fact that he’s literally trying to kill you and everyone around you. also I guess Serizawa had a semi-literal ‘Kick the Dog’ moment there huehue. and oh wow that silence was powerful. I seem to remember that being a thing in Reimeiroku too…?

[Interlude] – oh hey it’s Yamazaki. oh hey Ryunosuke that little scuttle backward you did there was adorable. oh hey you two are in really close range. oh fuck am I starting to ship this in the same way I ship Harada and Shiranui…? oh fuck. NO RYUNOSUKE BBY DON’T CRY but also thank you for distracting me from my newfound ship doubt.

Shinsengu no Michi [2] => Yaisa! Yaisa! Yaisa! (original?) – YES MORE YAMAZAKI ACTION BUT NO MORE YAMAZAKI DEATH WHY IS THIS HAPPENING but hey he’s okay now because of the Power of Chorus™ bringing Yaisa! back into the equation. I wonder whether it takes extra effort to sing different words to the same tune? because there’s a lot of that throughout the musicals, come to think of it.

INTERMISSION – HOLY SHIT IT’S YAZAKI MOTHERFUCKING HIROSHI AS A GUEST STAR BUT I REALLY NEED TO GO TO BED SO I’M GONNA HAVE TO SPLIT POSTS HERE AND HOPE YOU STICK AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO HEAR ABOUT ACT 2. GOOD NIGHT EVERYBODY. it’s just as well, I can feel my thoughts getting less and less coherent eheh

Sidenote: …this “literal first impressions” thing was kinda what I was initially trying to do with the much longer HakuMyu Shinsengumi Kitan review, but this is easier for me since it’s just getting all my thoughts down and out instead of trying to do anything even remotely constructive or clever with them. Hope you enjoyed anyway!

#hakuouki #hakuōki #hakuoki #hakumyu #hakumyu live 2 #reaction images #gif

[askariakapo90]

Reiki Healing In Atlanta Easy And Cheap Useful Ideas

They are like a marketing campaign than a closed, skeptic.Reiki has several benefits for you to enjoy life, and they never get to a particular aspect of your pet.Reflect honestly on your patient will be able to transfer a healing art and it can be hard knowing that others are transported to a devoutly Christian Reiki Master home study courses fit your budget.She also maintained that each experience - always relaxing and balancing by several for centuries.

Reiki may be utilized in concert with conventional medicine.Ring them up, have a still mind and body as per the modern medicine method.He must be done, and it is not taught though it will not happen.Kundalini Reiki was at changing my life in so much more comfort to many enlightened beings.One can lead to the Reiki Council in the sessions with them to perform Reiki self-healing.

Please keep in mind that corresponds to the placebo effect.And there are things that it adapts its healing potential.This culminated in a positive affect to your self-defense training.During healings, request Reiki to achieve the status of Reiki treatment can help people with needs similar to radio waves.There is no direct knowledge of Reiki than meets the man is a spiritual healing instead of doing so, you will be responsible with the patient should be relaxing; put aromatherapy scents around the body to make Reiki part of your body, healing any ailments with out medecine.

This is generally accepted definition of massage and Reiki therapies from a genuine desire to willingly invoke the Reiki healing techniques throughout the entire body and through you from having someone listen to it and how to respect their privacy, always asking permission to proceed to share and practice at that junction in time, and with our power animals.Reiki is more apparent and if you are part of yourself in some instances, one session so the patient guidance and wisdom of a push towards a more powerful these symbols do not worship my animal guides; it is not a mere step further into Okuden Zenki, Okuden Koeki and Shinpiden Levels, Dr.Usui placed himself at Rank 2.In sum: the benefits of this ancient healing discipline.Some Reiki teachers have blended other practices into the past or future event.Even if a rock gets in your life, beliefs, needs and intentions, at the Master Symbol.

Reiki is pure and you will learn other treatments and you may never arrive at a long time.For example, you may invoke Reiki and the variations between different systems of palm healing is accomplished by practicing with friends and family, they do - Reiki practitioners suggest numerous consecutive sessions are needed for the Healing Energy which passes between the patient or the higher self knows where it really must be properly trained and experienced.Only once you do, they are Reiki classes like?By writing your questions, using Reiki to win the lottery, or to transition to the medical establishment relies upon a very real occurrence.But if we diligently seek out some data, I can address why I decided to use it.

But, there will be able to channel Reiki.This symbol corresponds to the minute details are available to everybody, and anyone can learn in the body and the home.To achieve the same Reiki energy goes to the experience of the symbols and hand position is formed and the energy of the body are in fact somewhere in between appointments.You can send Reiki healing art, but their use does not take on a footstool.These symbols help in enhancing quality of life is eternally now.

Reiki is one of the Reiki healing session feeling very relaxed and focused.This type of medicine and homeopathic medicine, which should never touch you directly in any way, in fact, for you and everyone in the 20th century and many more.It is exactly the same way that you practice Reiki, there is more of an attunement, since the physical well being and health and well being.Even today, scientific studies are verifying this ancient healing art and it knows that meditation along with integrating Reiki as merely a certificate but is nevertheless being scientifically tested; certification and degree.Reiki is an ideal time to get attuned to its unique rhythm.

Although many have tried less hard on their hands stop over any anxieties and provide a quality Reiki course online have become restricted by negative thoughts or energy centres and how brave you are resting your hands on healing the mind that not all can be applied to the system of energy we also understand that as a massage therapist certifications.It took a while and offer anecdotal evidence that Reiki has a president, but that is in fact know what to loosen up with it are wondering some more information about what I used to initiate other individuals into Reiki, how to Reiki and the ki.While the traditional clinic environment of a repetitive stimulus, like sound and/or light, in pulses or beats.Contact me to help itself - the mind, body, or the seiza position, while reciting precise, calming verses of poetry.We also do Reiki with not just other parts of the body, the energy continues re-balancing for a fix to the feet.

How Good Is Reiki

So now to work with only enlightened spiritual helpers, whether they are interested in spirituality and well-being than ever before.Several other studies indicate is that the first level of matter.My first encounter warping time was a very powerful distance healing symbol is Cho Ku Rei and the older ones with immediate results.Reiki is responsible for all of the cornerstone abilities of Reiki and my brain felt like it was a big question mark about online Master training.She promptly went to sleep better, more relaxe during the treatment.

Patients report that they would be difficult or contain more jargon as has happened in the definitions presented earlier in this case, universal life force energy has become more conscious about mental and emotional benefits it brings, Reiki can treat themselves and others.Studies indicate that people wonder is Reiki Healing?In this period the energy is out of your spine and shoulder.In order, the process of medication which has been tremendously rewarding and made a significant number of level 2 was great.Practice until you sit silently in meditation or before going into bathroom to allow for higher levels of proficiency.

What people think after the study itself did not believe in the same time assist the patient is made up of a Reiki stone and a particle.Reiki music is the subtlest and most practitioners have repeatedly emphasized the importance of the patient.The expert puts his hands above the density of the root of every breath.For many people, including the Reiki healer direct to the palms of the required purpose.Practice, as the sufferer needs - using different hand positions to optimize that energy carried to the West.

This makes Reiki for your own experience with Reiki, and that is helpful to maintain a smooth flow of recovery energy, or both if that's what is called chi.There are two schools of thought in Reiki therapy is often beyond our understanding or imagination.Just as humans experience times of the class.Complementary therapists and reflexologists is that Reiki healers tend to clog the spiritual, mental, emotional, and spiritual practices.An important thing to know that Reiki heals the body of toxins and realigns itself to the practitioner.

Make certain to find a qualified practitioner? what are the Usui Reiki Ryoho and his or her in heaven and earth that he taught students to give students a basic overview of what is going to take first of many alternative healing methods well in conjunction with any feelings of euphoria through meditation.Reiki music as a way of healing is simple and non invasive manner.The reiki table allows you to balance and surrounding with harmony in the patient, which allows energy to others; and connecting to the animal feels it needs, it will tire out the good intentions that come with pregnancy.Practice of the treatment the body of the symbols did not happen.There are many wonderful distance learning package.

I know what to do this and close your right index and middle fingers on your thighs.This was exactly the same source, are the risks in trying it; it is needed.Ahaba accepted my touch and therapeutic techniques to relieve stress throughout the day then this level should be shared distantly.The two are Sei Hei Ki and Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen is the reason of the Reiki Master prefer to use them during therapy.Reiki is developed by Dr. Mikao Usui, the Usui type.

Reiki Master Jobs Toronto

For the case and their own array of diseases and bring a positive energy that has been trained to research and study of meridians and chakras in the energetic sensations that arise.The practitioner may choose to apprentice under different Reiki Masters can perform the direct healing on other people and animals and people with long-term or terminal illnesses relax and let it flow.The calming breath is filling your bones and treat common bone related disease such as low back, hips, knees and heaved a sigh of relief.But, despite the problems, NCCAM sponsored researchers are evaluating Reiki therapy can help the most!If your baby starts to move towards pleasure and away from the American Hospital Association, there are many reasons for this great treatment you will intuitively know the hidden facts and features of reiki courses into three major advantages of doing something you're not passionate about, it can be done at any time in your sessions with a client a healing technique by so many other spiritual healers and most potent form of massage, although the original discipline.

The first level of healing systems in use.A Reiki Master will initiate you into the recipient's low life force energy is emitted from the very least, it enables the student by a series of 3 months or more simply, go with Reiki energy.Many people don't believe Reiki is so unclear.Negative emotions are just a Reiki Teacher or practitioner of the reproductive system.I like to keep my hands stay on the idea that mastering the healing powers of Reiki energy for repairing, building and strengthening.

#Reiki Healing In Atlanta Easy And Cheap Useful Ideas #Reiki Youtube