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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 3 years

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Portrait of a Dangerous Man🎨1

Warnings: (series) non-consent sex and rape; slow creep; cucking; (this chapter) nothing as yet.

This is dark!mob!Clark Kent x reader and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Synopsis: Your dream of having your work hung in an art show comes true but your first buyer is not all he seems to be.

Note: Yay, mob Clark. And I know what you’re saying right now, enough with Clark Kent! I get it haha. Promise, for a while, this will be the last I do of him. I have Lee fic in the work right now, the early development of medieval Peter, and I’m still sitting on some Loki ft. an exchange student... and then all my other series of course!

Thanks to everyone for reading and thanks in advance for all your feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 As usual, I’d appreciate if you let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

You stood against the wall, chewing your lip as you looked around the gallery. You should be ecstatic, you should be floating around on a cloud, but all you could feel was crushing anxiety. It was truly a dream come true; your art hanging on the wall. Only three pieces, but it was there, and your name was below it in print.

You tugged on the waist of your dress and teetered in your heels. It was a borrowed outfit, you couldn’t afford anything appropriate to the upscale venue. The classic starving artist, or almost. You slipped your phone from your purse and up your sleeve. You subtly checked the time and for the little chat icon in the corner. Still no message.

Marcus was almost an hour late. He texted just after the event opened to warn you he was caught up with work but you worried he wouldn’t show up at all. It wasn’t his fault his boss was a jackass but you weren’t prepared to face this alone. You dropped your phone back into your slender purse and snapped it shut.

Vanessa, the gallery owner, made you flinch as she appeared almost out of the air. You smiled at her shyly and stopped chewing your lip.

“You should mingle,” she said, “you have an interested buyer. You might have a few more if you come out from the corner.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so nervous,” you confessed, “I-- thank you so much for this opportunity.”

“You earned it,” she touched your arm daintily, “all those hard hours working the back room, I couldn’t not hang a few pieces.”

You fixed your posture and tried to seem as confident as her. Your income came solely from hours of at-home data entry as you volunteered at the gallery in your few hours between. It was all worth it and maybe if you sold something tonight, Vanessa would feature you work again and you wouldn’t need to spend the bulk of your days staring at tiny font.

“So, where’s this buyer?” you asked hopefully.

“That’s my girl,” Vanessa trilled, “he seems very interested.”

She led you across the room, stopping to greet other artists and old friends with a kiss on the cheek and deep laughter. You’d met them all before as you were often working at these events. It was your first time as one of them.

When at last you neared your little stretch of the wall, a man stood with his head slightly back as he stared at your proto-renaissance portraits. He was tall and his broad shoulders strained the rich fabric of his jacket. His dark hair was neatly parted and a slight curl marked the front above the shadow of scruff poking out along his jawline.

“Mr. Kent,” Vanessa chimed, “I found her.”

He turned to look at you and his deep blue eyes struck you. He smiled between you and the gallery owner, his chiseled jaw even more defined by the gesture.

“This is Mr. Kent,” she introduced you in turn, “I believe he was interested in the larger piece.”

“All three, if you don’t have another buyer lined up,” he intoned, “I think they belong together.”

“All of them?” you raised your brows, “well, I, yeah, I guess--”

“We can put something together for you,” Vanessa interrupted your awkward stuttering, “let me just mark them.”

She took the silver pen she kept on a chain around her wrist and scribbled in the corner of the tags to mark them as sold. You were slightly numb at your disbelief. You were a bit reluctant to part with your work but the check would ease your grief.

“The way you use colours,” he said as he faced the paintings again, “I’ve recently had some work done in my house and I hate the sight of naked walls.”

“Thank you,” you said as you stepped a little closer and looked at your delicate strokes.

“Pardon me,” Vanessa rushed away as she beckoned to one of her assistants and prattled orders.

“Vanessa tells me you’re a new artist,” he said.

“New in a sense,” you said, “I guess, I’m officially an artist now.”

“Oh? I’m flattered. Your first buyer?”

“Besides some online fanart, yeah,” you replied, “so, Mr. Kent, what do you do?”

“Clark,” he corrected, “and a little bit of everything.”

An awkward silence took over and was thankfully interrupted by your name. You turned as Marcus rushed over and his shoes slipped on the polished floor. He reached you and kissed your cheek as he caught his breath.

“I’m so sorry, I got caught in traffic on the way over and then my oil light started flashing,” he gasped out.

“Hey, you’re here,” you rubbed his shoulder and straightened his tie without thinking as it hung at an angle.

“So, you sell anything yet?” he asked.

“Yes, actually, um, Mr-- Clark,” you gestured to the man standing patiently to the side, “he just bought all three.”

“Damn,” Marcus said, “guess I can hold onto my savings.”

“Marc,” you nudged his arm with your knuckles, “you know we can’t afford your cheesiness.”

“Sorry, uh,” Marcus laughed at himself, “I’m Marcus.”

He held out his hand and Clark shook it. His eyes strayed to you as his features sharpened just a little.

“You two…?” he ventured.

“Five years,” Marcus announced, “guess we’re going steady.”

“Oh,” Clark nodded placidly, “are you an artist too?”

“God no, I can hardly write my own name legibly,” Marcus kidded, “I’m a developer.”

“Computers,” Clark mused.

“Yeah, computers,” Marcus scoffed, “and you?”

“Own a couple businesses,” Clark shrugged.

“Must be successful if you can hang around here,” Marcus said and you elbowed him in embarrassment.

“I guess,” Clark smoothed his dark purple jacket and checked his watch, “I’ll let you two be. Maybe I’ll find something to go with these fine pieces.”

“Thank you,” you said sweetly, “I’m happy to see my work go to a good home.”

“I hope to see more in future,” he returned kindly.

He turned and carried on to the statue constructed of can tabs and greeted another suited man. You looked at Marcus as he leaned in to read the tags beneath your paintings. He stood and looked at you with wide eyes.

“Holy shit, ten grand?” he hissed.

“Pretty good pay for one night,” you chirped, “glad you could make it.”

“Sorry again, I… I had to redo some code. Adam was in a mood so,” he shook his head and sighed, “let’s not talk about it. Let’s celebrate.” He peeked over at the server with a tray of stemmed flutes, “and you can decide what you’re going to buy me with that check.”

“Hush,” you chided as you took a glass of champagne, “now is not the time to go over bills.”

🎨

At the end of the night, you watched one of the assistants take down your canvas and you helped wrap them in paper and twine. As you finished a loopy knot, you were surprised by the figure beside you. You looked up and set the smallest piece atop the larger ones. Clark smiled as you moved to let him pick them up.

“All yours,” you said, almost mournful to see them go.

“Thanks,” he said as he tucked them easily under his thick arm, “I forgot earlier but do you have a card? Are you open for commissions?”

“You must have a lot of walls,” you looked down and opened your purse, “I have a card and I could try a commission.”

You slid out one of the cards that had lingered in your wallet for more than a year. You handed it to him and he read the flowery font before tucking it away in his jacket.

“I do… have a lot of walls,” he said with a smirk, “I’ll give you a call once these are hung.”

“O-okay,” you kept from wringing your hands and closed your purse, “thank you… again.”

“My pleasure,” assured, “have a good night.”

“Yeah, good night,” you said and watched him go.

You let out a breath and smiled to yourself. You would talk to Vanessa and get your cut of the check before you went. Then you could worry about getting Marcus home. He’d had a little too much champagne and you’d left him in the backroom so you could help with the clean-up.

Vanessa bid goodbye to one of her featured artists as you neared. She turned to you and threw up her hands in delight.

“Wonderful, darling,” she said, “you earned that wall.”

“Thanks,” you grinned bashfully.

“Really. That man has never bought a piece before,” she smirked, “I’ve been dying to get into his wallet for years.”

“I never saw him before…”

“Oh, well, yes, he has not been to many of these either. I often see him at other galleries,” she explained, “I hope you have some more for the next.”

“Um, yeah, I should be able to--”

“I’ll have the check for you tomorrow,” she patted your shoulder as her eye was caught by another, “go get your boyfriend out of my studio.”

You accepted your dismissal and turned on your heel. That was just Vanessa, steely but slightly flighty as well. Besides, you were exhausted and you would likely be dragging Marcus into a cab.

You found him slumped at the paint-splattered table. You shook him awake and smiled dopily as he opened his eyes.

“Babe,” he pushed his arm around you.

“Marcus,” you drawled in disappointment, “let’s get out of here.”

“Huh?” He looked around and hiccupped, “oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. You had a long day,” you assured him as you rubbed his back and let him lean on you as he stood, “I’m just happy you showed up after all that nonsense.”

“Of course, babe,” he slurred and you helped him through the door.

You kept your head down as you slowly sneaked out past Vanessa but you didn’t miss her side-eye. It was best to be as covert as possible. You came out through the door and nearly dropped Marcus.

“Jesus, can I get a little help?” you snipped as you looked around for a yellow cab.

“Sorry, baby, sorry,” he got his feet flat but it hardly helped take his weight off of you.

You raised your hand to hail a cab and he slipped down your arm. Your ankle bent as you turned to try to catch him before you dropped him entirely. He was saved from hitting the ground as he was caught by another. You looked over his head as he was pushed up to his feet again.

Clark kept his arm behind Marcus as you stared at him, “oh my god, thank you.”

“No problem,” he said as he steadied your boyfriend, “you okay?”

“Yeah,” you lied as you lifted your foot and kept the weight off your ankle, “I just need to get a taxi.” You raised your hand again as you tried to see past the large man, “if you don’t mind getting him in--”

“You can ride with me,” he said brusquely as he turned with Marcus and peered back at you, “this way.”

“We can’t--”

“On that ankle,” he said as you began to limp after him, “you won’t get him out on your own.”

“Really, I’m fine--”

“I don’t mind,” he said coolly as he came to a silver sports car and balanced Marcus against him as he opened the door, “I’ll need an address.”

“Uh, oh,” you folded your hands, “thank you. Really, you’ve done too much.”

“It happens. I’ve had these nights,” he put Marcus across the seat and folded his legs up and shut the door, “you can take the front and tell me where I’m going.”

You hesitated and he opened the front door. You neared and hissed as you stumbled on your ankle. You caught yourself on his arm and quickly retracted your hand as you apologized.

“It’s alright,” he said as you sat in the front seat. He knelt and gently took your ankle. His thumb rubbed the swollen joint, “you really banged yourself up.”

“I’ll be okay,” you assured him, “thanks.”

He let go and stood. He waited for you to turn your legs into the car and gently closed the door. He rounded to the other side and got in as he fished around for his keys. He turned the engine and gripped the wheel with one hand as he took out his phone. He placed it on the magnetic holder and his fingers flicked over the screen.

“Address?” he asked.

You recited it and winced as Siri responded, ‘calculating route’. You shrunk against the luxury leather and glanced at him. He let out a huff and steered into the mostly empty street.

“I’m sorry about all this--”

“No, don’t be,” he glanced in the rearview, “he must be happy for you.”

“Yeah, uh, I think he is,” you said as he followed the map directions, “I am too. I mean, it will go along way… uh, well, you know, things can be tough or--” you shrugged, “I mean, it’s not about the money.”

“Yeah, but it’s nice to be paid,” he said lightly, “and I don’t mind paying for good art.”

You looked out the window as your cheeks burned. You could smell his cologne, subtle but strong. You played with your purse as your nerves brewed in your chest. You watched the sidewalks and the street lights as your surroundings grew more familiar.

He pulled up to your building. It wasn’t the greatest area and the brick façade was faded and cracked. Before you could get out, he was at your door. He offered his hand and helped you out as you leaned on the car. He let you go and opened the back and lifted Marcus out. He hooked your boyfriend’s arm over his shoulder and offered his other arm.

“Come on,” he said.

“Look, you don’t-- there’s an elevator.”

“I’d feel better if I got you inside,” he insisted, “especially in this area.”

You relented and took his arm and limped beside him up the steps. You took out your keys and went ahead of him as he dragged Marcus in. You went to the elevator and hit the button. The doors glided open and you stepped inside. He stood close in the small metal box and Marcus murmured dumbly at his side.

The doors dinged and he let you out first. He followed you down the hall and you unlocked your apartment and waved him inside. He carried Marcus to the couch at your direction and you leaned against the armchair as you bent your leg to check your ankle.

“You should put some ice on that,” Clark said as he neared, “get some sleep yourself.”

“Yeah, I will,” you assured, “thank you, again.”

You felt embarrassed as you eyed his expensive suit and looked around your tiny apartment. It must have been laughable to him. He hardly seem bothered as he retreated to the door.

“I’ll let you then,” he said, “and thank you. I really do like your work.”

The door shut in his stead and you heard his footsteps down the long hall until the door at the end swung open. You glanced at Marcus and shook your head. You weren’t as happy to have had him at the show then.

#clark kent #dark clark kent #dark!clark kent #clark kent x reader #fic #series #mob au #mob!au #mob!clark kent #portrait of a dangerous man #dark fic #dark!fic #superman #au #dc #dcu

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defensefilms · 3 years

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Embiid, Sixers And Everything Else In A Wild NBA Post Season

1. Sixers And The Joys Of The 1 Seed

This is it.

This is what it’s all about. I can’t remember having this type of optimism about the Sixers during any post season. The 2018/19 Sixers were close but they didn’t validate that optimism the way this year’s team has as far as regular season performances.

These guys have done that and then some.

We’re no longer a team devoid of shooting or ball movement. We’re no questioning what our best line-ups are and who our best player is. We now have an experienced post season coach with the cache to make demands of these players.

This is the best any Sixer team has looked in any post season. We put the mollywhopping on the Wizards. From the head coach Doc Rivers, his staff and then all the way down to Shake Milton and Mike Scott off the bench, no one even entertained the idea that we weren’t going to sweep these guys.

Now we’re facing an obstinate Atlanta Hawks squad. The Hawks have no way to stop Simmons or Embiid 1-on-1 but they got shooters for days and Trae Young’s averaging 27.7 points on 48.4% from the field. We need to put some respect on his name. Get the ball out of Trae’s hands because he was doing too much in game 1.

First there’s the fact that we’ve had our struggles defending elite scoring point guards this season. Then there’s the fact that Trae Young has done us dirty a few times before. The Hawks gave us hands in game 1 of the 2nd round. We we’re down early and didn’t get close to coming back until it was too late buts its far from curtains in this series.

One thing that has definitely been of huge concern is the health of Joel Embiid.

How is it possible that a man tear his meniscus on May 31st and then drop 39 points, 9 boards and 4 assists in the playoffs on June 3rd? How? He can’t be healthy and I don’t know if it’s smart for his long term health to play right now. He was one of the bright sparks of the game. It’s not just this specific injury either.

This season has been hell on Embiid’s body. You have to wonder how much their gonna risk it or if the team are even halfway considering giving him a rest. Embiid spoke about managing his injuries after game 1 against the Hawks. Honestly doesn’t sound good. He’s talking about managing the swelling in his knee. This on top of ACL injuries sustained towards the end of the regular season. He’ll have had five days rest before game 2 so hopefully that helps remedy what is way more alarming than the Sixers front office is making it seem.

2. Lakers Flame Out

It’s been a dramatic season for the 2020/21 Lakers and typically speaking I don’t think that a team seeded so low are worthy of a list or breakdown like this but this is a special case. These Lakers are likely a way better team than seeding suggests.

Injuries to their 2 best players, saw the Lake-show lose number 1 seeding and then slide further down.

Roster-wise the Lakers tried their utmost to replace the production that they got out of Javale McGee and Dwight Howard. Marc Gasol just can’t be an active defender anymore and his inability to cover the perimeter and post at the same time became a huge issue. Montrezl Harrell has averaged 23.7 minutes off the bench and Dennis Schroder stretches the court as a shooter and a tertiary scorer but is more turnover prone than Rajon Rondo was.

The signing of Andre Drummond was a great idea and his rim protection and big body offense are valuable assets but he was never on the court with the team’s top stars long enough for any kind of chemistry to develop.

The big issue is that as a team they are not the defensive powerhouse they were last year. The issue with that is that this team doesn’t have the kind of offensive scoring and 3-point shooting that can allow them to rely on blowing teams out the water and outscoring the opponents.

The signs were ominous from pretty early on but stop lying to yourself. More importantly, stop lying to the people. Don’t pretend you knew the Lakers would lose this series to the Phoenix Suns.

Anthony Davis has had his well covered and documented struggles with injuries throughout the season. As a an on looker, I gave the Lakers the benefit of the doubt every step of the way. I felt like we knew how this goes and the team with winning pedigree would get it together. LeBron’s injuries were something I felt he could overcome because he’s LeBron. It just never happened. That moment when Lebron takes over like he did against Boston in 2017, just never happened.

I’m hesitant to say it’s over for LeBron or anything even remotely similar to that. However it might be a wrap for him in Los Angeles.

3. Brooklyn Looking Nasty

Are the Brooklyn Nets Nasty or are they playing against a team that lacks versatility?

I’ve watched a lot of this team since 2017 and you know what I realized, that they’re a well oiled, championship caliber team until oppositions shut down the 4-out-1-in strategy. The meltdown they suffered in the 2018/19 post season against the Toronto Raptors was bad but still left room for optimism. The massacre they suffered against the Miami Heat in last year’s second round was a signal for change.

Yet I don’t feel there has been a lot of change. So the onus falls on Mike Budenholzer to come-up with a convincing second act to his game plan. Two games in to the 2nd round series against these Nets, Bud has failed spectacularly.

Then there’s the flipside of the coin, which I hope just isn’t true.

The Brooklyn Nets are looking untouchable. Kevin Durant is among my least favorite players but he’s killing it. The confidence he’s showing taking defenders off the dribble and pulling up is incredible and to be fair he’s always been really good at that.

Durant slapped the Bucks up for 32 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in game 2 and then had one of the snidest post game interviews you’ll ever witness from an athlete.

The hope here is that Giannis and the Bucks can get it together because we need someone to take some of the steam out of this Nets squad.

4. Kristapz Porzingis Hates Being A Mav

There is an absolutely hilarious 5 minute clip of Luka Doncic just refusing to pass the ball to Porzingis throughout the 2020/21 season. Click here and witness basketball comedy.

Luka Doncic absolutely dominated in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Clippers in round 1. However it was clear that he was only going to push the Clippers and the only way to do better than that would be to take the pressure off of Luka and some one else to help carry the scoring. If only the Mavericks had a big man to compliment Luka, you know, a guy that can create his own shot and still be a mismatch when Luka forces bad switches and he finds himself guarded by smaller guys. Oh wait.

The world has finally taken notice of everything happening in Dallas and most importantly everything that’s not happening in Dallas. Luka’s growth and development is something for the organization to be proud of but this was supposed to be complimented by the growth of Kristapz Porzingis and that just isn’t happening.

The word on the streets is that Porzingis is frustrated with his role on the Mavs and may seek a trade but after some of his performances in that round 1 series, I think the Mavs will have a hard time convincing anyone to take on his contract.

5. The West Can Call Itself Wild Again

This here is by far the most open Western Conference playoffs in over a decade,

I don’t buy the hype about how the Western Conference teams are better and more competitive but the record is the record and it can’t be argued with.

No so this year.

The Lakers falling out of the race has definitely gifted us a conference where we just don’t know who is going to emerge as the representative in the finals.

The Phoenix Suns have definitely racked up the most street cred by beating Lebron’s Lakers in 6. Devin Booker is simply awesome and I don’t say that as a fan of his. He average 29.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists against the Lakers and they also overcame an injury scare to Chris Paul. They have a very interesting 2nd round series against the Denver Nuggets, who lost Jamal Murray to injury and found a way to keep winning and also overcame a near super human scoring output from Damian Lillard in round 1.

Then there’s the 1st seed Utah Jazz, who will go down in history as the most disrespected and underrated 1 seed in recent memory. They’ve been matched up against the Los Angeles Clippers who looked like they were reeling in the early part of their round 1 series against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, then Kawhi and Paul George composed themselves and took the series in a thrilling 7 game series. The redemption story is definitely still in progress.

That’s 3 different 2nd round playoff match-ups that will probably provide a high quality of basketball. Well worth the watch.

#nba #nba 2021 #nba playoffs #philadelphia 76ers #joel embiid #los angeles lakers #lebron james #brooklyn nets #kevin durant #dallas mavericks #denver nuggets #utah jazz #phoenix suns #los angeles clippers

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shinymooncolor · 4 years

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hey! you don’t have to answer this, but i know close to nothing about hockey and my family and i have never really watched it and i’m starting to get very interested, but i have no idea where to start 😅 what do you think i should focus on first, as a newbie? what should i absolutely know as a fan? what teams are pretty good in your opinion? again, thanks for your help if ever you see this p.s: i really love your posts and they bring a smile to me face, so thank you for your hard work! <3

Hi!

Ohhh well. First of all. Welcome to the nerve wracking, nail biting, jaw clenching, gut wrenching, heartbreaking and utterly incredible world of (ice) hockey. Angry muscle machines on skates chasing a tiny rubber puck in the nhl and their goddess equivalents in wnhl - what’s not to love?

You’ve decided on a hell of a year to join. Due to Covid, the normal system was paused and a recent bubble playoffs series played and later won by Tampa Bay Lightning a few weeks ago. The new season would’ve begun last week but is currently expected to start around December.

I’d say the best starting point would be to watch some games - YouTube has a lot of highlights, game compilations etc. and browse hockey tumblr. Hockey tumblr is a great combination of hockey gossip, game reviews, fans sharing their love, passion and (hateful) opinions about players, clubs and the sport in general.

My personal team faves are a handful - you see, the league is “split” into two conferences - east and west and within here a few other divisions dictating who the teams will play on a more recent basis. The clubs in the nhl being split over North America and Canada means a lot of ground to cover and therefore it’s split like this - time zones, distance and whatever. So maybe decide on a conference first? East or west.

I’m an eastern conference gal meself, but the west sure has its merits too.

So. Teams. You’re about to start a rumble here 😂

I am a personal fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins 🐧 they play good hockey, in spite of their idiot general manager (I’ve got posts detailing why he’s an ass hat extraordinarie). They’re captained by Canada’s hockey savior, Sidney Crosby: hockey robot, yellow crocs enthusiast , triple gold member (youngest captain to get all three?) and the goodest boy in the league. He’s been heralded as the next great one yada yada since he was about 5? And shot pucks into a dryer back in Canada - with that came a lot of shit for the poor guy who, in his own words, just wants to play hockey. And he’s good. He’s got his team of French Canadian d-men (letang, dumo), a whole lot of goalie drama which seems to be a pattern and his Russian (husband) assistant captain Evgeni Malkin who’s got the cutest kid, a really cool wifey (seriously her insta is 10000 better than geno’s own) and a wicked sense of humor which he conviently hides behind his “English big bad today” excuse to avoid media on a daily basis (he’s played this card since his wild escape and temporary defection from Russia back in 2006) seriously google it. It’s wild. They’ve won three cups since 2009, they’re contenders in the playoffs most years and their pr department provides some hilarious videos of captain Canada and his Russian (husband) A. It’s a true love story. Sue me. We’ve got an intense rivalry with philly and the caps. Seriously. That orange flyers jersey is intense - even if philly’s mascot is the next president.

Funnily enough, my strange obsession with Russian hockey players have led to the most disturbing but developing club crush on the Washington capitals who are the penguins’ nemesis.

I mean, this club led by the one and only gr8 8 mr Alexander Ovechkin is a rollercoaster of emotion and hot daddies in skates armed with sticks and a murder Swede.

So. Washington caps used to be a joke in the league until they went and drafted mr ovechkin first overall, brought him to the capital and let him do his thing. He’s got a rep for being a hell of a lot of fun on the ice (if you’re on his team) and one of those players that people love to hate (even if they can’t take away how freakishly good he is at hockey) - look up his impossible goal(s)! He’s an exuberant, fun loving Russian with a heart of gold and a missing tooth. In 2007, the caps went shopping for a center just for ovi who needed a playmaker and a slap shot feeeder - they went and drafted the Swedish angel (maybe assassin) (Lars) Nicklas Backstrom - and the purest hockey marriage was forged. The actual words (we needed a center for ovi and ovi wanted backstrom) have been said. Yes, these two Are now famously the mama and papa of the caps and they have a roster of unruly (and handsome) hockey babies with the fighting menace Tom Wilson, bird impersonator and Russian cat Evgeni Kuznetzov and a whole army of other adorable (albeit hockey playing menaces) babies. Most recently they had the leagues daddiest daddy goalie Mr Holtbeast as the fun and handsome canadien cowboy uncle but he’s ventured to Vancouver to adopt a new group of hockey babies. To compensate, the caps went shopping in New York and brought the one and only king Henrik from the crease in msg to be the goalie mentor for baby Russian caps goalie and to keep the daddy energy flowing.

(Seriously why are Swedish players part time models? Their national team strategy is to be so handsome the other teams are distracted. It’s a thing. Look it up)

I also love a handful of other players on other teams (I really don’t dislike any team in particular - but you’ll meet some dedicated and strong minded fans here)

Erik Horse Johnson, Cale Makar and Nikita Zadorov (Colorado Avs - zad have recently been traded to the blackhawks (not sure how I feel about that). Phwucking fun team. Who needs teeth anyways.

Marc Andre Fleury (Vegas now but hell always be a penguin to me)

The Russian gang in Tampa - and giant Swede victor Hedman (seriously he’s massive)

The canes (Carolina) and their collective of Finnish and Russian babies (aho, svech) with chaotic Marty and former penguin Baby Staal as captain

And a whole lot of others too. It’s hard to choose.

The Dallas stars and the most precious bean of them all (Russian) dobby - Anton khudobin their backup goalie turned playoffs hero and fashion icon. The man said we’re not going home and threw the entire team on his back and dragged them to the final. And their homoerotically charged captain and his alt captain and their Hollywood epic soap worthy relationship. Stallions, people, Stallions...

Btw we like to project our brash queerness onto this league. You’ll learn why quickly. There’s only so much talks about hot hands, slick moves, eternal love for teammates and quite frankly obscene (sexy) amounts of kneeling, roughing (let’s face its it’s just aggressive cuddling) and teammates honorably defending teammates.

Anyways. I love hockey. He. Sorry.

Fun fact I’ve dragged @canesinthecrease kicking and screaming into the hellhole that is the caps and I’m working on convincing @dontpuckwithme about the incredibly sexy thing that is Russians and Canadians being secretly married in Pittsburgh.

Great, sexy, amazing, cool, smart and wonderful hockey ladies to follow for even more amazing content on more clubs (the hurricanes - also a team I’m starting to love). They’re my queer sherpas and emotional support network.

Hope you can use this dear (new) hockey friend and mutual 💖🐧

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tsarinastorm · 4 years

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Same World-Adam Sackler/Reader-Chapter 1

*PART TWO OF SO WE BEAT ON SERIES

PART 1: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

“I want to know you moved and breathed in the same world with me”. -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Adam’s walking through the park carrying Sample, he had got roped into babysitting as Caroline had to go somewhere and Laird was busy. He hoped it wouldn’t be for too long like it was last time. Both Caroline and Laird had seemingly been more stable than they’d ever been and it made Adam happy. Considering her real name, Adam was now glad his niece’s nickname Sample stuck, it was better than have to carry around little Jessa-Hannah. In fact, that name made him feel nauseous. Now he was over both his past relationships with Jessa and Hannah enough to be friendly with both of them, but he still preferred to keep his distance so he wouldn’t get caught up in all of that drama again.

Today was his day off from shooting his recent film and he wanted to make the most of it despite his babysitting duties. It was nice outside, and Sample needed fresh air so he took to her a local park, though he would never let her be more a few feet away him. She’s sitting down on the blanket he brought for them playing with a toy and he’s talking to her in a silly voice which makes her laugh. He hears someone speaking to him.

“Cute baby. Is she yours?” Y/N observes him with Sample and smiles. Adam’s disoriented seeing her there, and she looks beautiful he thinks to himself. She’s wearing a striped short-sleeved sweater, black jeans and flats. Act cool, act cool.

“No, she’s my niece. Her name is Sample.” He answers her and she leans down beside the blanket and hands Sample her toy. Y/N raises her eyebrows as she asks, “Her name is really Sample? That’s a different name.”

Adam watches Y/N playing with Sample, and he appreciates it. He remembers how awful Jessa was with her, so it’s refreshing to see someone who is a natural. He mentally logs this moment in his mind, because if he ever gets into a serious relationship again, he wants kids one day. “Sample is her nickname because she was born really small, sample-sized. Her name is Jessa-Hannah Bluebell something, some ridiculous name. My sister was trying to do a home-birth but was having complications and refused to go to the hospital. It was Jessa and Hannah who convinced Laird to carry her there.”

“Damn that sucks though having your niece named after two of your exes. Sample it is then” She says as she smiles. Y/N adds, “You seem like you’re really good with her.”

“I guess so. I’m a like a big kid myself and it works out.” He responds back and Sample appears to be loving all the attention she’s getting. Sample grabs unto Y/N then heads towards Adam, as Y/N hands her to Adam, their hands brush. And it’s electric, Adam can feel the tingle go through his arm. She then looks at her phone and stands up to leave.

“I have to go meet Shoshanna for lunch. But you’ll be at the party, right?”

Adam nods his head, but before he can speak, Y/N adds, “Hannah and Jessa both will be there, but if it gets weird I can find a place to hide you in the apartment.”

“Thanks, but I think it should be civil between all of us now.” He watches her go and thinks that if he wasn’t so into Y/N there would be no way anyone could get him to that party. But he supposes he’ll suffer through it if he gets to spend time with her.

**************************************************************

Marnie called you as soon as you left Shosh, and she told you that she had seen her ex Charlie earlier in the day. She said that he’d gone through rehab, been clean for over a year and has a new app he’s developing. She then mentions that she invited him to your apartment warming. You told her that if Marnie still had a couple hours of work left and you decided to browse on your computer. Without thinking it through, you start googling Adam, and then you’re clicking on his movie. You try to talk yourself out of it, but then you press play. It’s actually good, guess he really did love Hannah.

Then, the scene starts. He spanks her again and again. You feel yourself becoming aroused as you watch his back muscles move and his large hand collide with her. You’re getting wetter, and honestly you can’t remember the last time you felt this horny. You go to take a shower, hoping that these hormones will pass. But that scene was hot, and you couldn’t ignore it. Then, there was the raw emotion from that film, you could feel everything that the characters were feeling. It made you think of Adam differently to see what kind art he had created and to see what he really felt. Here you had always thought that he was more of player, you never realized the strength of his emotions. Now you find him more attractive than you did before.

Ugh, this complicates things, you think to yourself. Of course you had to go and catch feelings for one of the most inconvenient men you’ve met. First, there’s the fact that Adam may be the most frustrating man you’ve ever known, second, he’s an ex of one of your friends and has a complicated past. Third, you had decided that you didn’t want a relationship right now, you had wanted to focus on yourself. Yet, if you were being honest with yourself, you were infatuated by Adam, and you could see it potentially developing into something real one day, if it wasn’t already. He made your head hurt, your heart flutter, and gave you butterflies as cliché as that sounded. He was intense, and you could tell that he felt things as deeply as you did. You always wanted the type of connection that was intoxicating, maddening and deep enough to drown in. You knew you would have to explore things with Adam, and you made up your mind that you would be open to the possibilities.

While you’re zoned out in your own world pondering your emotions, you hear your phone buzzing. You check it and its Jessa calling you, so you answer, “Hello.”

“Hey, so Y/N, first, I need life advice then I have a question about the party tonight.” Jessa says and you can hear people in the background speaking.

“Okay shoot.” You tell her.

“I want to mend my friendship with Hannah but I don’t know how. I thought since Adam and I are over that it would fall back into place but it’s not. And can I bring a plus one to the party tonight?” Jessa asks and you sigh before answering, “You should show Hannah that you’ve changed and that she can trust you again, and you know, take an interest in her life. It will probably be a slow process. You can bring a plus one as long as he behaves.”

*******************************************************************

Music fills the air, and you have opened the sliding doors to the main terrace. Marnie has taken care of the food for the night. You weren’t sure if you wanted this apartment warming in the first place but you go along with it, because, hey, what could it hurt? Marnie has moved the furniture around in the main room so the table is in the middle of the room, while there are other seats surrounding the room. You’ve never been the best hostess so you follow her lead. Though you do set out the flowers and see that the food is out with utensils in all of the containers. You’re wearing a pale-pink, off-the-shoulder jumpsuit, and block-heeled sandals.

“I can’t believe you invited Jessa. And Adam. There is now a 99 % chance that this will turn into a shit show.” Marnie says as she continues moving around your apartment. You stop to get a treat for your dog River before answering her. “You invited who you wanted, including your druggie ex who you just ran into for a few minutes earlier today. By the way, tell me about that.”

“Well I just ran into Charlie on the street and he started asking me questions about my life. I summed up the past two years, and asked him about what he’s up to. He said that he went to rehab, and has been clean since. He also has a new app he’s starting. I don’t know it just really threw me for a loop seeing him again.” Marnie states and you notice that she’s twitching her fingers like she does when she’s nervous.

“Running into an ex can do that. Do you still have any feelings for him?” You ask because now you’re curious. She seems very flustered so you sense that there’s some emotions underneath that.

“For so long, I thought I would always end up with Charlie. Then I wouldn’t and I thought that Desi was the one, then Ray, but I think that I always really wanted closure about Charlie.” She admits and you give her a pat on the shoulder and say, “If you need closure then get closure. Love chooses you sometimes.”

“Back to what I said before I got off on the Charlie tangent, what were you thinking invite both Adam and Jessa?”

“Jessa says that she wants to turn her life around and I guess I want to support that. Adam and I have a lot in common, he makes me feel less weird.” You say hoping that will get her to accept the fact that you choose to invite them both.

“Look, Y/N, I know you’re a good person and want to help people but Jessa pulls this all the time. She’ll say she’s going to change, get her life together and that will last a few months then she spirals out of control. And she’ll probably end up fucking you over. But I say that as your best friend: just be careful. Then there’s Adam. I have never understood what it was about him that made Hannah and Jessa so crazy. My only worry with him is that he wants to fuck you. Then if that happens, the awkward love triangle will turn into an even more awkward love rectangle.”

You feel your face go red at her last statement, you still blush as an adult and you hate it. Then, you do your best damage control by saying, “That’s not going to happen. But I guess we’ll see what happens with Jessa. We’re best friends, we’re supposed to be honest with each other.”

Marnie turns and grab a gift bag from her room, and pulls out the bottle of champagne that was inside. She says, “Marc got us this as a house warming gift.”

“Oh well that was very nice of him.” You say and think that he was the last person you wanted to think of. Elijah then shows up early to help the two of you set up the decorations. You had bought some lights to string up through the apartment and terrace while Marnie had got a few balloons. You catch up with Elijah while you wait for your other guests to arrive. Hannah shows up first, followed by Shoshanna and her fiancé, Byron, then Ray and his girlfriend Abigail come in. Then a guy you assume must be Charlie walks in. He seems nice enough, and Marnie introduces you to him. You’re actually feeling relieved that Jessa didn’t show since Marnie was sure that she would cause problems, but you were disappointed that Adam bailed. You were looking forward to hanging out with him again and you wanted to tell him that you watched the movie.

You mingle with Shosh and Elijah, the former is talking about wedding details and the latter is giving her his thoughts on the details. Byron is keeping his opinion to himself as you assume that he’s letting Shosh do much of the planning. You look over and see Ray and his girlfriend Abigail sharing a plate of food and giggling. Your eyes continue to scan the room to see Marnie and Charlie off on their own in a corner in the room. How is possible to feel lonely in a room full of people?

******************************************************************

Adam buzzes up to Y/N and Marnie’s apartment. When he walks through the door he immediately sees that the room is full with people who aren’t his biggest fans: Hannah, Marnie, Marnie’s old boyfriend, Elijah. Then he sees Y/N and it was worth it. She standing by the door to the balcony, and smiles as soon as she sees him. She looks hot and comes right up to him and thanks him for showing up. He don’t see Jessa and he’s relieved he can’t deal with her ‘friendship’ ploy tonight.She offers him a drink and he follows her into the kitchen to avoid socializing with the other people at the party.

“I have a question and I want you to be completely honest with me.” Y/N says and looks somber. He nods his head and now he’s scared: what will she ask, it must be important. She then leans into him, handing him his drink then whispers, “What is like to fuck Hannah and Jessa?”

He watches her to see if she’s joking or being serious. She then laughs at his horrified expression and he shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders before adding, “A gentleman never tells.”

“Now, c’mon, what kind of answer is that? I invited you so you could provide details and your drama could be the entertainment for the night.” She says cheerfully, then giggles. Holy shit, that giggle may be one of the best sounds he’s ever heard.

“What? Here I thought you brought me here so you could watch me squirm. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to make it clear that you invited me so you’re responsible.” He says in a deep tone back at her.

“On a more serious note, I watched your movie….” Now, Adam starts to panic, he’s expecting her to lay into him and begin her insults/commentary. He’s surprised by her actual comment.

“It was really good. It was open and raw. Real life isn’t depicted correctly in art anymore, it was refreshing. You could really feel the passion. To have a love that’s too intense to survive is painful, but you have to let it go.”

He feels his face blush, he always feel uncomfortable from praise, but he does appreciate it from Y/N. He knows she definitely has her own opinions, and is well-cultured so if she likes it then that really means something. He awkwardly stammers, “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Then the rest of her comments sink in, he adds, “See you get the purpose of it! That was the point of it: that you can have a connection that’s too intense for it to last.”

The moment is ruined because he then sees Jessa walk into the room with some guy, she’s obviously dragged here. She goes up to talk to Hannah, Marnie, and Shoshanna. Adam is thankful that she hasn’t spotted him yet and he wants to keep it that way.

“How are your projects going?” Y/N asks him like she doesn’t even recognize that he’s become tense. He answers, “Good, I’m actually updating some of my old writing work for a resume, and preparing for another audition. One of my friends from the cab group wants me to take the movie and either turn into a longer screenplay or adapt for the stage.”

Shit! Jessa’s made eye contact with him and now she’s coming their way. Jessa approaches with the asshole she’s brought with her. She hugs Y/N, and says, “Y/N, you look beautiful as always. This is Joe, we’ve been seeing each other.”

Jessa then turns to Adam and says, “It’s good to see you, Adam. Adam this is Joe, he’s a cardiologist. Joe this is Adam.”

Adam reluctantly shakes Joe’s hand and prays that Jessa goes away. He can tell that she brought this guy here to make him jealous but he’s so checked out of that relationship that he doesn’t care, he’s just annoyed. He wants to continue his conversation with Y/N without the newfound company. Y/N chatters with Jessa for a short amount of time which leaves both him and Joe stuck standing there awkwardly.

“If you need someone else to help you review your other pieces, I’d love to read some more of your work, if you’re open to that. I know some writing is extremely personal.” Y/N says as she ignores that Jessa and Joe are still only a few away. Jessa is trying to hide that she’s eavesdropping in the conversation, but she keeps her head pointed towards their conversation.

“I’d like that, I’m auditioning for a role with Ars Nova, and they’re going to be doing a new piece by Sara Ruhl. They look their actors to be well-rounded and are looking for new works.” Adam says and he can’t hide his excitement. He wants the role and to be a part of the elite company.

“Wait, that’s amazing! Didn’t Lin Manuel Miranda do work with them? And Sarah Ruhl? Wow” Y/N says and she sounds as excited about it as he does.

“It’s a big opportunity and I want everything to be perfect.” He says. But before they can continue the conversation, Jessa interjects, “Who and what are you talking about?”

“A theater company, one of the best in New York and one of the best contemporary playwrights,” Y/N answers her and Jessa only responds with “Oh” then she walks away and goes to talk Hannah. Adam and Y/N look at each other and raise their eyebrows before continuing the conversation.

They end up talking about past relationships, family, and pet peeves. For one of the first times, Adam is one of the last people to leave the party, Y/N gives him a hug and Marnie gives him the side-eye.Adam never thought that Y/N would agree to help him write. The idea of her reading and editing his work makes him somehow self-conscious and excited at the same time. He wants to be sure to impress her, and to make the most of it so his resume is as good as possible.

Adam returns home then goes back to read through new materials for upcoming auditions. He gives up after he notices that he can’t concentrate. His thoughts drift to Y/N as he thinks of how good she looked that night at the party, and how perfectly disheveled she looked walking the other day. He wonders what she would look like after he’s wrecked her, then he thinks about her great her tits looked in that outfit, and her perky ass. And he realizes that now he’s hard. He unbuttons his pants and reaches down to stroke his cock. He begins stroking, thinking of how Y/N’s mouth would feel sucking him, how her pussy would feel around him, and how she would look when he made her cum. He strokes at a faster pace until he feels the familiar tingle in his spine. Then his orgasm hits him and streaming cum is across his hands and his stomach.

He thinks that he’s going to have to make a move on Y/N, or else he’ll always regret it. He’s interested in her in every way: sexually, emotionally, and intellectually, and he supposes he’ll settle for any part of her she’ll give him.

******************************************************************

Once everyone is gone, you crash down on the couch beside Marnie, and you look around at the mess left from the party. You grab some a container of cookie dough and a couple of spoons, and the two you snack and talk about how great the party was. Marnie stares at you, so finally ask, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I saw you talked to Adam most of the night.” Marnie says in an accusatory tone and gets up to pick up some of the trash.

“What? We have a lot in common. I’m not going to apologize for it. You spend the night talking to Charlie, how did that go?” You say, desperate to change the topic.

“It was good, I forgot how I had felt about him. Then it’s all coming rushing back. I guess we’ll see how it goes.” Marnie says and you’re worried because while Charlie seems like a nice guy, he did have no problem ditching her and disappearing.

“I hope it works out or get what you need from it. Do you want to finish cleaning up in the morning?”

Marnie shakes her head yes and you retreat into your room, and fall into your bed. Sleep hits you at once.

#adam sackler #adam sackler x reader #adam sackler fic #hbo girls #girls hbo #adam driver #adam sackler smut

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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years

Text

AS A RULE THEIR INTEREST IS A FUNCTION OF THE NUMBER OF RESTAURANTS THAT STILL REQUIRE JACKETS FOR MEN

Teenage kids, even rebels, don't like to have too much money chasing too few deals. There's a good chance that would work. And yet in the general case, if being smart were really an enviable quality, the girls would have broken ranks. Users to Supposed Profit When I said I was speaking at a high valuation unless you can raise more elsewhere. All the time you got to program even less: Your job description as technical founder/CEO is completely rewritten every 6-12 months. It's surprising how much you like chocolate cake, you'll be able to find statistical differences between these and my real mail. If your product seems finished, there are projects that stretch them. The way to make more money as a motive, and that we had to either blow our schedules or offend people. When they think it's hard? Why There Aren't More Googles April 2008 Umair Haque wrote recently that the reason there aren't more Googles?

Publishers are more likely to arrive at it. I'm writing, four nights out of five I go to bed discontented, feeling he hadn't made enough progress. There are answers to that. I do think Joe's rule could be useful for other kinds of work equally, but one thing I would really love to program. If the other kids envy them for being smart, and C is a kludge, and Lisp syntax is scary. Google was when it was that adults had to earn a living.1 The surprising thing about throwaway programs is that, if not wasting their time, at least. The pointy-haired boss, the difficulty of fundraising. YC is due to I. They can't pay as much for that. We spent a lot of startups would never get any additional outside investment. When I read most novels, I pay as much attention to the company, and it will extract information they didn't even know they were recording.

But you should be able to coordinate their efforts, and you just have so little to go on, but you can learn quickly enough that car means the first element of a list and try to predict whether people would have what it takes to say it. Electricity seemed an airy intangible to most people who try to compete with ITA and chose to write your thoughts down in, but admissions officers, and they don't care where you went to college. If you're a hacker, the last time a new way to do venture investing. No cofounder Not having a cofounder is a real trend, the hardware we'll have in a hundred years will it affect even application programmers? All I can say more precisely. If an investor pushes you hard to tell good hackers when you meet them. But it's the bold ideas that generate the highest returns, like hedge funds or mutual funds. What if we let people get rich by building a site for Harvard undergrads to stalk one another. The problem with starting a startup you would do well to act as a mecca, attracting talent from abroad and causing startups to form around it. See Randomness April 2006, rev. When people used to be bolder.

But the new version number led to some awkwardness in the short term. More movement or even potential movement between companies combined with self-discipline. Achievements also tend to cause you to grow out of personal projects. The author's main point seems to be a search for truth. Recipes While the best way to understand the underlying principles. In the discussion about issues raised by Revenge of the Nerds. If you could write as candidly and informally as you would in a program you write is code that's specific to your application.2

With a remotely plausible story, you can get better terms.3 Who do I find myself quoting? What you notice in the Forbes 400 with the other guys his age. Fashion magazines could be made. They were assigned to Viaweb, and Y Combinator is to do what they want, the more likely you'll get it wrong. I wasn't looking for it. That was a big deal, in the sense of being an insider, and in some fields and badly in others.4 Often they have to choose between something that's cheap, heavily marketed startup.5 To see fashion in your own head—will come from some little startup. They don't have to know what the timetable is for getting the answer quickly.

Notes

I'm not claiming variation in wealth in a separate box weighing another 4000 pounds. I'm not saying that because server-based software will make developers pay more attention to not screwing up. While the audience gets too big for the first time as an investor I don't know of at least try. One YC founder who read this to be higher, even to inexperienced founders.

Exercise for the manager of a refrigerator, but I managed to find it was. 5 million cap, but this sort of stepping back is one of the big winners aren't all that mattered. Though you should make what they really need that much of it. Compromising a server could cause such damage that ASPs that want to either.

If you walk into a fancy restaurant in San Francisco, LA, Boston, or to be good. Ron Conway, for example, understanding French will help dispel the cloud of semi-sacred mystery that surrounds wisdom in ancient Egypt took exams, but historical abuses are easier for us!

One YC founder wrote after reading a draft of this article are translated into Common Lisp, though I think you could beat the death-penalty in the press or a funding round usually reflects some other contribution by the time 1992 the entire period since the mid 1980s.

These false positive rates are untrustworthy, as far as I know one very smooth if you're a YC startup and you make it easier for us, they only like the one the Valley itself, not because it's a significant cause, and they unanimously said yes. We once put up with elaborate rationalizations. But the solution is to say they care above all about hitting outliers, are not mutually exclusive.

Thanks to Marc Hedlund, and Trevor Blackwell for sharing their expertise on this topic.

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quantumlasange · 3 years

Photo

A more refined and accurate version of my top 50 Albums of all time in no real order. This time I’m gonna go into some more detail for my choices. So if you wanna read that it’ll be after the line break.

1. Graceland - Paul Simon. This is the only album I have on CD, Cassette and Vinyl. It’s honestly a perfect album. I don’t really like ‘That Was Your Mother’ on it’s own but when hearing it as part of the album it’s great.

2. Abbey Road - The Beatles. My favorite Beatles album and I love how the B-side is knows as The Abbey Road Medley. It also has Ringo’s only Drum Solo in the entire Beatles catalog and we all know Ringo is the best Beatle. I have it on Vinyl.

3. In Step - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Stevie Ray Vaughan is by far my favorite guitarist of all time. Every track on this album kicks ass and he put his heart and soul into every note he played. I have it on Vinyl.

4. Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits. Over all a great little rock album. I find a lot of the songs to be comforting in their own way, like “So Far Away” and “Brothers In Arms” are very comforting to me. I have it on Vinyl.

5. Winelight - Grover Washington Jr. By God this album is fucking Sexy, like holy shit. This is a more recent listen but I was missing out just listening to “Just the Two of Us” (Featuring Vocals by Bill Withers).

6. Watching You Watching Me - Bill Withers. Nelson George said that this album was I quote "full of little pleasures" and he’s damned right. There is not a single song on this album I don’t like, by far my favorite R&B album of all time. I have it on Vinyl.

7. Future Development - Del the Funky Homosapien. My favorite Hip Hop/Rap album ever. Del’s flows and rhymes are on point throughout the whole album.

8. Spontaneous Inventions - Bobby McFerrin. A live album that you wouldn’t think was live since there’s little to no crowd noise. A great Vocal Jazz album showcasing how Bobby McFerrin can use his voice as an instrument all it’s own. I have it on Vinyl.

9. Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic. This is kinda cheating since it’s a Box Set of every album Weird Al made and an extra album with unreleased stuff. But I can’t choose just one Weird Al album so this will have to do.

10. The Wall - Pink Floyd. This whole Album really resonates with me and helped me understand my depression after I dropped out of college. It really has a place in my life. I have it on Vinyl.

11. Kilimanjaro - The Rippingtons. A fantastic Smooth Jazz / Jazz Fusion album. I really like Jazz Fusion and this is a great example of it. I have it on Vinyl.

12. Dreamland - Black Box. An Italo house/Eurodance album that’s my favorite in the whole house genre. Some great dance tracks on this. I have it on Vinyl.

13. Tourist in Paradise - The Rippingtons. This album came out right after Kilimanjaro and is another great example of Smooth Jazz Fusion. I have it on Vinyl.

14. Teddy Pendergrass - Teddy Pendergrass. His debut solo album and a fantastic piece of R&B. It also has the greatest break-up song ever “I Don’t Love You Anymore”. I have it on Vinyl.

15. S.O.S - The S.O.S Band. Their first album, a disco album that came out in 1980 after disco died in the USA. Was really big in Nighclubs and is a good album aside from "S.O.S. (Reprise)" which just sucks. I have it on Vinyl.

16. Purple Rain - Prince. This album is great. The guitar solo on “Purple Rain” is so good it could bring peace to the world. I have it on Vinyl.

17. Feels So Good - Chuck Mangione. A fantastic Smooth Jazz / Easy Listning. album "Hide and Seek (Ready or Not Here I Come)", “Feels So Good” and "The XIth Commandment" are just outstanding. I have it on Vinyl.

18. Elementary - Wah Wah Watson. Melvin M. Ragin’s only solo album. This is pure Jazz Funk at it’s best. I’ve used this album cover as an Icon online for years, I love it. I have it on Vinyl.

19. Rumours - Feetwood Mac. There’s only one track on this album that I don’t like and it’s "Oh Daddy”. I feel like that song just brings the whole album down emotionally. Other wise this albums pretty damn good. I have it on Vinyl.

20. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030. Del the Funky Homosapien, producer Dan the Automator, and DJ Kid Koala made a fantastic Hip-Hop/Rap opera Concept album. The story of a city in the dystopian year of 3030.

21. Kisses on The Bottom - Paul McCartney. I caught this at like 2am on PBS' Great Performances one night in like 2013 maybe 2014 and fell in love with it. It’s mainly songs Paul McCartney grew up listening to and he wrote 2 songs in that style and it’s great.

22. Listen to the Scatman - “Scatman” John Larkin. Did you know that Scatman John was a legit Jazz Piano player? This album is just full of fantastic jazz and one kinda out of place dance song.

23. Loop Daddy II - Marc Rebillet. Sure this is more of an EP but I put a whole Box Set on the list so shut up. Every song is a pure sexy dance groove. I love it.

24. Places and Spaces - Donald Byrd. This is 100% Pure Trumpet Jazz-Funk. This album fucking slaps hardcore. The way Donald Byrd plays the trumpet and flugelhorn is magical.

25. Whenever You Need Somebody - Rick Astley. Not only does this album have the Meme hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" it has a very heartfelt version of "When I Fall in Love". Every song is a mad banger. I have it on Vinyl.

26. Mint Jams - Casiopea. Casiopea makes some great Japanese Jazz Funk Fusion and this is by far their best album. I love me some Jazz Funk Fusion and some of the best stuff came out of Japan in the 80′s.

27. Hi-Five Soup - The Aquabats. A great New Wave album that kids will enjoy. The Aquabats got more child friendly since they got a kids TV show but this album does have my boy Strong Bad on it. I have it on CD

28. Myths, Legends and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2 - The Aquabats. An earlier Aquabats album since it’s a bunch of unreleased stuff and B-sides. “Pizza Day” speaks to my soul. I have it on CD

29. The Dance - Dave Koz. One of the first Smooth Jazz albums I ever listened to, it really helped me get into Smooth Jazz which lead me to my love of the Smooth Jazz and Jazz-Fusion. I have it on CD

30. The Corner Grocery Store - Raffi. This is an album form my childhood. I still have my VHS bootleg of Raffi on Broadway from when I was a kid. This album has my favorite song sung by Raffi, “Anansi”.

31. Led Zeppelin 2 - Led Zeppelin. My favorite Zepplin album. “Moby Dick” is my favorite song off the album even if it’s just a big ass drum solo. I have it on Vinyl.

32. Darkside of The Moon - Pink Floyd. This is what I consider to be Pink Floyd’s most Jazz-Rock-Fusion oriented album. The whole albums flows together into a great soundscape. I have is on Vinyl.

33. Random Access Memories - Daft Punk. I find this to be a concept album about how Daft Punk is a pair of Robots. Part of it seems like that with the album title being a close reference to Random Access Memory aka RAM and the song title "Motherboard". A lot of the lyrics in the album make me think it has some kind of concept but that’s just me. I have this on CD

34. Thriller 25 Super Deluxe Edition - Michael Jackson. This was the first CD I remember buying with my own money I got it at FYE. I only really listened to the songs that originally came on Thriller and not the new 2008 versions of the songs.

35. Can’t Get Enough - Barry White. This album is sexy as fuck, god be damned if you listen to this and not get turned on even slightly.

36. Larry Carlton Plays the Sound of Philadelphia. This is a great full of classic Philadelphia R&B as preformed by legendary session guitarist Larry Carton. He plays all the songs in a very Jazz like style that I just love.

37. Pure Pure - Moe Shop. A fantastic little Dance/Electronic EP. I like to call it a Future Funk EP but it’s in that vain of Vaporwave and Future Funk which are both good genres.

38. The Soundtrack to Mulan. Mulan is my favorite Disney animated movie so of course the soundtrack is on my list. I have this on cassette and it’s one of the two tapes I always listen to on long walks.

39. Every Breath You Take: The Singles - The Police. This is my other go-to cassette to listen to on long walks. This is basically the greatest hits of The Police but it’s fantastic.

40. Head Hunters - Herbie Hancock. I told you I liked Jazz-Funk Fusion right? This is perfect example of the genre made by the fantastic Jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock.

41. Marcos Valle - Marcos Valle (1983) Marcos Valle released a self titled album in 1970 according to Wikipedia, but I’m talking about the one from 1983. A great Brazilian Disco/Dance Bossa Nova Samba mix album with some great dance-able tunes.

42. Homestar Runner Original Soundtrack Volume 1 (Songs, Background Music, Jingles, and Worse).

43. Homestar Runner Original Soundtrack Volume 2 (Songs, Background Music, Jingles, and Worse) .

44. Homestar Runner Original Soundtrack Volume 3 (Songs, Background Music, Jingles, and Worse) . If I could have all 3 volumes in the "HSR OST Full-On!" playlist from they would all be one entry leaving me a bit more room to play with. Plus the fact that Volume 4, a Limozeen album, a Sloshy album and a Videlectrix album are all planed for release it would help to just bundle all the Homestar Runner music together.

45. Strong Bad Sings (and Other Type Hits). This is the more “Legit” Homestar Runner Music. I love Homestar Runner and was even featured in the 2018 Fan Costumes video so technically in a way I’m part of the Homestar Runner Cannon.

46. Fallout: New Vegas OST. My favorite Fallout game and I’d be amiss if I didn’t add the soundtrack to my list. One of my favorite games of all time even if I rarely play it.

47. Dinosaur Dracula’s Halloween & Christmas Jukebox. This is another one of those kinda cheating options since it’s two mix-tape type things. If I want to get in the Halloween or Christmas Spirit I can turn one of these Jukebox’s on and not have to worry about searching for mood music. With 100+ songs on each Jukebox I’m guaranteed good music.

48. 3 Hours of Relaxing Super Nintendo Music 1 & 2 - SNES Drunk. This is the music I turn on if I need some chill background noise or need something to fall asleep to. With a total of 6 hours of relaxing music I’m sure to fall asleep or just relax.

49. Xerf's Jazz/Fusion Mixes. So far there are 5 volumes of Japanese Jazz Fusion and like I said I like Jazz Fusion, espicaly Japanese Jazz Fusion.

50. Xerf's Jpop/AOR Mixes. There are thechinly 8 Volumes but volume 3 is just not there probbably due to copywrite. These mixes are more City Pop and older Japanese Pop, Adult-oriented rock, Funk that kinda stuff.

#top 50 #this time it's better #read more #Long Read #music

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roscoe-me-and-this-fuckin-kid · 4 years

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My Ryden Recs

not in any particular order

The Heart Rate of a Mouse Series (11/10)

~513k words

Ryan "Heterosexual" Ross and his incredibly popular prog rock band, The Followers, start their summer tour for their new hit album "Boneless" in June of 1974. However, Ryan begins to take a shine to their new roadie, the ever mysterious Brendon No-Last-Name-Given, who dodges questions about his past and flaunts his flamboyant homosexuality. After an assault by a member of the supporting act, Brendon and Ryan get their payback, and begin to bond. But much to Ryan's confusion and alarm, he starts to want something he can't let himself have, starts to feel something he can't let himself feel.

--Okay I kinda lied. This list is in no particular order EXCEPT for this one. This one is the best. Anna Green owns my ass. I'm not someone who's picky about first vs third person, but if you are, then just this once throw that out the window and read this utter masterpiece. Ryan's character development throughout is so touching, but my god he fucks up a lot. One of my friends who has gone through the process of buying the physical copies and annotating them says that Ryan majorly fucks up over 50 times. Emotional rollercoaster straight ahead!--

Freaks (7/10)

~45k words

Ryan's face was permanently disfigured when he was 12 years old, and since then, the only person who has ever stood by his side is his best friend Spencer. After earning the nickname "Freak" in high school, he finally accepts that nobody will ever want him, or ever treat him normally again. But after an accident that lands him temporarily in the hospital, he meets Brendon. They get along great, and Ryan begins to fall in love. One small problem though:

Brendon had been recently blinded. Neither of them know if it's permanent, and Ryan is sure that if Brendon knew about his face, he would leave him forever.

--I really liked this one. It makes you sit on edge and every single time you think that Ryan will finally confess and tell the truth, he blue balls you like an asshole. This story is so sad and so sweet, I definitely recommend. Also, there's some background Joncer, which is really cute. Definitely a worthy read if you're looking for some angsty fluff. Oh, and a little aside: the author, spazzyskittles on LJ, actually beta-ed a lot of Anna Green's Ryden fics, including THROAM! So do with that what you will ;)--

The Red Eyed Owl Series (10/10)

~403k words

As one of the best players of one of the best National Hockey League teams, the Chicago Hounds, Ryan Ross has everything he could ever want. Young, famous, and free to do whatever he damn well pleases, the world either wants him or wants to be him. But after a leg injury that could potentially ruin his career, Ryan begins to realise that perhaps he doesn't have everything. Perhaps some things can mean so much more than women throwing themselves at you every chance they get and receiving bottomless drinks at sports bars. Perhaps he could fall in love.

--This was actually recommended to me by @wandering-verses and it was 100% worth the read. I broke out crying in the middle of class during the second book, and I cried again at 3 am when I stayed up all night to finish it. It's one of those that fucks you up so bad that you can't read anything else for a little while after finishing. Now, both the authors are from Spain, so English isn't their native tongue, but it's so well written that I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read the notes at the very beginning. An all time Ryden fave.--

Missing In Action (10/10)

~204k words

In where the American Civil War goes differently, the nation once known as the United States of America is instead separated into two: DURA and Beauregia. The latter didn't change much in terms of their economy. Slavery is still legal, and the kingdom is ruled under a tight, Christian monarchy. Their king is Boyd Beauregard. His only son, crown Prince Brendon Beauregard, heir to the throne, resides in the highly respected Saint Francis' Academy. DURA on the other hand developed quickly, a democracy founded on new technology and equitable ideals.

Everyday, bipartisanship seems farther away from grasp, and DURA, realising that cooperation is impossible, creates the DURA investigative bureau. Identifying the crown prince as the Royal Family's weakest link, they realise that he could become an infinitely invaluable asset to them. Agent Ross, under the pseudonym "Ryan Hastings", is chosen to go undercover, enroll in Saint Francis' boarding school, infiltrate the Prince's friend group, and gain his trust by any means necessary.

--I'm ashamed to admit that I let this one pass me by for a while. I read the words "American Civil War" and I automatically assumed that this would be a mid 1800's Civil War fic about closeted gay soilders, and I'm not against that, but the premise didn't really interest me. But once I finally caved and started reading, I quickly realised not only was the premise entirely different, but it was really fuckin' good. Read this!!!!--

Esoteric Contagion (8/10)

~18k words

He wakes up with a note stuck to his forehead that reads, “You traded your memory in a spell. It was worth it.” The note is signed George Ross. He wonders if that’s his name.

In which things are lost and gained and remembered and forgotten, in that order.

--Despite being the shortest on this list, I loved it to death. You will cry so hard, I promise. This story is so sad. The author can deal so many shocking blows in less than 20,000 words, and you will be completely invested. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's massively underrated, and it will fuck you up.--

Two Vatos Locos Series (7/10)

~311k words

When you have your first dream with your soulmate, everything changes. But after years and years of watching all his friends have their dreams and fall in love, Ryan started to wonder if he would ever has his dream. At twenty, Ryan started to get desperate. He went to doctors, therapists, even a fucking palm reader. No one could tell him what was wrong with him. There was only one explanation: his soulmate had to be dead.

Ryan spent endless hours laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, begging, wishing, praying to have his dream and meet his soulmate. One day, with blood gushing down his face and vomit coating his tongue, his prayers were finally answered.

And now, as he stares at this scared, helpless boy, with bloodied rope burns around his wrists and tears staining his cheeks, he wishes that they never were.

--The title "Dos Vatos Locos Lleno de Carnalismo y Inamorates" roughly translates to "Two Crazy Dudes Full of Carnality and Infatuation," which is definitely accurate. I did enjoy this fic; it was cute, sad, and very interesting, but if you are interested in reading, you will need to be patient at times. Some passages seem like filler and the writing in a few places is kinda dry or cringey. But it's still overall a good story though. WARNING: Brendon is underage for most of this fic, but nothing sexual happens until he is of age.--

The Way Home From Nowhere Series (9/10)

~158k words

After his parents find out about his relationship with another boy, Brendon Urie makes a snap decision to flee from his abusive home. After a quick makeover to hide his identity, he decides to thumb a ride. He starts living the life he never even dreamed he could. Talking openly about things like sex, condoms, and homosexuality- he's happier then he's ever been.

There's one problem though.

His new roommates, Ryan and Spencer, have no idea that he is the missing Mormon boy from the nearby town of Summerlin.

--Ladies and gents, welcome to my first ever Ryden fic! This will always be a favourite of mine. Both Brendon's arc and Ryan's are are so heartbreaking, and there were so many times that I wanted to reach into the story and give Dallon a hug. So many tragedies in this story, and not all of them solved. I don't have any empathy for Brendon's parents in this story, but I feel so hard for his siblings, and for Marc. I just wish they knew. This story is so heartbreaking and yet so happy. Will play with your emotions like they're a shiny new toy.--

Filthy Lucre (10/10)

~362k words

Ryan Ross is living the American wet dream. He’s rich, he’s good looking, he gets paid just to turn up at parties and he spends his days drinking, doing drugs and climbing into bed with eager and willing boys and girls. His parents and PA beg him to quit, and his brother turns up his noise at his destructive lifestyle, but Ryan is desperate to sink into the void, escape the memories of what his father's friend did to him when he was fifteen.

Brendon Urie is a man bordering on desperation. He whores himself out to millionaire bankers and CEOs to fund his boyfriend's heroin addiction and pay off his ungrateful father's medical bills. Things could be worse, though. He's lucky enough to have a roof over his head, to be living with the love of his life, to no longer have to hook on the street, but instead be privileged enough to turn tricks in the wealthy circles of Wall Street and Goldman Sachs.

Where a broken boy meets another broken boy, and falls in love.

--Normally, I would never recommend an unfinished fic, let alone fic that hasn't been updated in four years, unless it was it was so good and so engaging that it made me literally scream. Trust me when I say that you have not experienced true hatred until you read this fic. I have literally never hated a character more in my entire life, and I know who Dolores Umbridge is, for reference. The best thing about this fic, in my opinion, is that the characters, whether good guys or bad guys, do evil. And they do it on purpose. Because the characters feel and act as though they're real, and real people fucking suck.--

The Black Rose Season (8/10)

~158k words

Ryan Ross' life is essentially over when his scholarship is inexplicably cancelled and he will be forced to pay his way through school. As a young, broke college student, Ryan is desperate to find cash fast, but to no avail. Just when he thinks all hope is lost, a mysterious benefactor promises to pay his tuition in full, on one condition: Ryan is infiltrate Sigma Chi Beta, the most prestigious and cultish fraternity that Swan University has to offer. And if, by some miracle, Ryan succeeds, his mission is clear:

Befriend Brendon Urie, fellow Swan Sigma, and, more importantly, alleged leader of Sigma Chi Beta's secret society, which might not even exist. He is to document his findings, and send them to his benefactor. One small problem though: Brendon fucking hates his guts.

--Did I mention that Anna Green owns my ass? Because Anna Green owns my ass. This one is so fleshed out, and there are some moments where it really spikes you in the chest. Every time that Patrick comes onto the page, my interest piques, and I remember That One Scene™ that completely changed my perspective of him (You'll understand once you read). Besides... college AU? Secret societies? Betrayal? Enemies to lovers? Sexual tension? Need I say more?--

I have more fics to recommend if you guys like this list, so tell me if you want more fic recs

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michaeldempsey · 3 years

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The Deep Tech Deficit: Why more people aren't starting technically ambitious companies right now

This is an internal note I sent to a few investors/friends a few months ago.

Over the past 6+ months there seems to have been a noticeable drought in the creation of new deep tech or just broadly technically ambitious companies (ex-biotech). This is a sentiment that has been echo'd heavily from other investors, and has only accelerated with COVID. This became especially noticeable as startup fundraising has massively increased in adjacent areas in H2 2020.

While there isn't a data-driven reason as to why this has occurred (or if it has, indeed occurred) my working hypothesis is three-fold.

1) The maturation of platforms and no clear outbreak of new platforms

After a fervor of excitement surrounding areas like VR, ML, and Robotics from 2014-2018, we've largely seen unabashed excitement die down and be traded with hopeful skepticism. VR was too early and is looking increasingly like a platform that will be subsidized and dominated in early innings by incumbents due to heavy R&D costs.

Machine Learning has shown a commoditization curve that erodes value for much core ML development, while also has been incredibly difficult to implement at scale to build vertical specific companies that accrue value (read our 2019 annual letter for more thoughts on this). ML companies have largely turned into product-centric organizations versus true research engineering orgs, which many investors aren't quite sure how to parse mid to long-term defensibility or economics (see Martin Casado’s wonderful post).

The closest next platforms that people seem to be centering on are AR and Quantum. AR has its own difficulties, again, largely a value accrual in the short-term towards incumbents (Snap, Apple, MSFT) and at the application layer very little differentiation in technology (my view is that most enterprise AR companies are building product orgs with little technical moats and early product UI/UX that will be considered cringey in 2-4 years).

Quantum has a usability problem in addition to a timeline narrative that "this will take awhile and is incredibly capital intensive" so the only vertical use-cases we've seen really have been pharma and finance. In addition, some argue that ML algorithm development has kept pace in lockstep with quantum in reality.

So TLDR, investors need a narrative to drive them towards a Schelling point surrounding "what's next" but can't find consensus.

Again, Computational bio and further on the spectrum, biotech seems to be only area, but has debates around moats and is incredibly hard to parse and pattern match for technology investors.

Thus we default to what we know has killer cash flow dynamics in a time where TAM has materially expanded (SaaS/dev tools/infra), or follow narratives that we want to be (and may be!) true, like social being ready for VC investment again.

2) COVID & Founder Profile: “It's time to build" wasn't meant for deep tech founders.

Founding a company becomes sexy as generational startups scale and with a large amount of money in stock options, employees feel the desire to work on a new problem where they can seek a new form of status, both social and financial (early ESOP or founder title). It's no longer cool to be at the $10B+ tech company and there are hundreds of people at these companies starting funds, syndicates, and companies, so you should too.

Some subset of employees on the technical side look at internal tools that were built and democratize them (think data science teams, but there are tons of examples).

Another subset are PMs and software engineers who read Marc's essay, saw a year of remote work ahead of them and thought "great I can move out of SF, live cheaply and stomach going from $250k/year to $100k/year, and be a Founder.

These people like building software that can quickly be iterated upon and is quite realistic to raise $1-$3M to run at for 24 months. In addition, these people likely feel time pressure because multiple other teams are starting startups similar to their idea. It’s time to build because everyone is building.

Deep/frontier/emerging/whatever we call them tech founders sometimes follow a bit of a different founding story. Many have dedicated 4-10 years of their life becoming an expert in a given industry, or banging their head against the wall in academia, in pursuit of applying a technology to the real world, or bringing some other initially non-sexy technology to production level. The time pressure for these companies and founders could be viewed as less existential, as many companies aren’t speedrunning capital markets for a 12 month seed to series A sprint comprised of MVP -> early pilots -> highly extrapolated MRR/ARR.

Instead, many deep tech companies are operating with a 2-4 year R&D window, hoping to show a step function in technology reality and value creation by month 18 to raise a Series A, where they then start to either begin converting pilots, or testing hypotheses on commercialization over the next 2-4 years.

Candidly, there ain’t that many people signing up for that trajectory.

So when you're a deep tech profile founder (not to be overly prescriptive but often something like PhD/academic, eng/product lead at incumbent R&D group, Engineering at prior deep tech co, Engineering at scaling tech company with material infrastructure innovation, etc.) your calculus is a bit different.

If you're thinking about hardware, you might say, you don't want to deal with the dynamics of having possible supply chain headaches (not as much a concern today vs. 6 months ago), you don't want to deal with dynamics of really not being able to do remote work, and you know VCs are probably a bit risk averse on funding hardware at this stage as a whole. In addition, while customers might have a strong desire if you're automation focused, you won't be able to ship product for another 12 months probably so, why not just wait to see how the election/transfer of power/vaccine timeline shakes out to truly understand the economy in 2021, before starting something that could be de-railed from random economic/geopolitical policy.

Calculating the risk factor and why now of your business. The reality is, you must convince a smaller universe of investors every 12-36 months in the future you believe in and hope to pull forward, so why *now* matters more when these futures are less consensus. So just doing simple calculus, all of these things once again could lead to waiting. Bank your $300k+ salary at bigco through 2020 and see where the world is in 2021. You're operating on a true long-term time horizon so there isn't as much deep desire to uproot your life/family just to build asap.

TLDR - Deep tech founders maybe viewed as slightly less beholden to the time pressures of the market as many are solving previously unsolvable problems. I will say, many do underestimate the commoditization curve they are running up against though.

3) Burn Out

This point is not talked about enough publicly but is a consistent sentiment I’ve noticed over the past few years.

The first wave of "deep tech as a category" really hasn't created many successful businesses yet (we can debate the recent run of SPACs in deep tech on it creating successful outcomes). As you talk to more veterans in this space, many are pretty disenchanted by their past 7+ years of work.

Their friends at Uber, AirBnB, and Stripe are multi-millionaires (some on paper), same with their friends at FAMGA, and they possibly are too but don't really have anything material to point to in the real world. They’ve spent a good chunk of their professional lives to hopefully get swallowed up in an offensive acquisition (Boston Dynamics, Skybox Intelligence, Zoox, Cruise) or early commercialization that is strategic (Kiva, Six River, Blue River), and a bunch more are sitting at these companies that weren’t able to quite deliver on the future they believed in.

I think many are kind of waiting for a "moment" that feels like everything is once again possible. I don't think those moments are obvious in the present, but alas, it's a real sentiment.

I know I’ve painted a fairly jaded point of view on both sides of the market but ultimately I think there are massive tailwinds for all of tech over the next few years and believe COVID has pulled forward some futures we were expecting to take 3+ years.

I’m confident that we will see a high volume of deep tech startup creation over the coming 18 months, but as an investor with a large focus on these types of businesses, it has been interesting to hear how many have felt similarly in 2020 and thus I felt the need to litigate *why* this was happening.

#frontier technology #deep tech #venture capital #startups #robotics #ARVR

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lockdownuk · 4 years

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Lockdown Diary Part 3

A personal account during the lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

23/03/2020 8:30pm Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, gives a live address to the nation to, effectively, put the country on lockdown to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus strain, Covid-19.

Many of us have been self-isolating for days but this latest development within the UK in reaction to the pandemic feels very serious and very scary. I decided to keep a simple diary and where better but online.

Day 61: Writing this in the afternoon on day 62. An exercise driven day. Two walks and stair climb as usual plus I popped round Jeff’s early evening. First time I’ve been to his house, 1 Garden Row, Elmington. It’s further than I thought so, with walking there an back, I managed a daily total of 14km. It was good to see him and have a social (but social-distanced) beer. When I got home, @9:45pm, I made thai green chicken curry, watch The Report (a great, if worrying film) and then TikTok-ed until gone 5am!

Day 62: Typing this on day 64! Beer round Karen’s. Missed Sam’s quiz.

Day 63: Typing this on day 64! Beer round Karen’s. Again! Well, it is bank holiday Monday! Had dirty pizza for tea and watched The Heat. Again! It is the most piss funny film.

Day 64: Well, I have been feeling guilty about treatung the bank holiday w/e l;ike a bank holiday w/e. It’s dawned on me that that guilt is way too self-disiciplned. I got up about midday, usual two walks and stair climb but that’s it. I need to clean the house from top to bottom, get on top of my online courses, get the garden done, get the car fixed, go shopping…fucking hell - if only I had the time…

Day 65: Today I swapped Amazon prime free trial for about the 5th time in my life. Same card and address - will they get wind of my skullduggery. This is all so I can finish watching Hunters and catch Homecoming S2. I went shopping at Asda near Raunds. I wish I hadn’t, it’s no good for a comprehensive shop. Received an email from RCI inviting me to a Zoom meeting with Pal Mulcahy for a business update. I fear the worst. And it’s at 10:00am, FFS!

Day 66: Logged in an attended zoom forum with Paul Mulcahy and over 250 RCI staff this morning. The message was that there is going to be redundancies. I expected this and expected to fall victim. All staff that are going to be put through cionsultation would be contacted today. I however wasn’t! Very, very surpised. meanwhile, Nick Reilly asked to connect via LinkedIn (including become a LinkedIn staff team member - that’s new to me so I’ll see what it is but I accepted the invitation) Later, I WhatsApp-ed him and asked who has been affected from IT. All he could tell me was no one on Jon Rodger’s team is under threat. Also, Mark C emailed - I’ll respond tomorrow. I got up at 09:00ish and had my mornming walk before the 10:00am meeting. I am now, at 09:30pm, fucking knackered. Dinner and then bed, methinks but not before one more episdoe of Hunters!

Day 67: Typing on Day 68. Got pretty drunk last night. I’ve got blisters from walking (new boots) so I don’t think I’ll walk tomorrow (well, today!).

Day 68: I did fuck all today. Got up after 1pm, no walking. I did manage to clean the bathroom (and smash my little mirror) and do my 26 stair climb. I am typing at 9pm and I feel whacked!

Day 69: I have an abscess. It’s not too painful (today) but I am going to call the dentist tomorrow (Monday). I think antibiotics are in order. I watched a film, which I actually started yesterday, called The Voices starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arteton and Anna Kendrick. Fuuuuuuuuuuuucking weird. The closing credits are the most bizarre, in context, I’ve ever seen. But, in general, a very good film. Back to normal exercise regime today plus hovered the hall and stairs. Get me. It’ll be interetingh to see my Google Fit figures for May tomorrow.

Day 70: Contacted the dentist who advised salt water rinsing and ibuprofen. But, tbf, it’s a lot better today and the swelling has gone right down. The dentist I called was the Oundle House (Rodericks) one. I was not hopeful since last time I saw them they referred me to their Northampton clinic for root canal work which was quoted at over £600. However, the dentist was very nice, had my x-ray to hand from that last visit and seemed more interested in making sure I’m OK than gaining a paying customer. He still wants to see me when possible though! I must mention the weather. It has been glorious weather nearly every day throughout May (it’s June 1st today). Seriously sunny and like a holiday every day. The news mentioned it today - the level of sunshine throughout the transition from spring to summer is unprecedented, apparently. My T shirt tan is, quite frankly, ridiculous!

Day 71: Today’s ‘must mention’ is what’s going on in the US and it’s not particularly related to Trump. There was a black man killed while under arrest. George Floyd died Monday 25th May (8 days ago) A policeman, who knelt on his neck for minutes while he complained of not being able to breathe, has been charged with murder. Now there are riots and curfews and military intervention all over the country. It’s similar to the English riots of 2011. It’s worrying, sad, scary and not what the fight against the pandemic needs. Most of all, it’s racism rearing its ugly head yet again. I’ve had a normal-ish day. received an email from Jim checking in, talked to a recruiter about a promising job lead (although the hours are 8-5 which I am not happy about), talked to Barry across the road and sent Barzzy a WhatsApp. And I logged in Shaw Academy and started lesson one of module 2 of web Design. It’s been a while, so long overdue, but I only did about 15 minutes. Must try harder / do better! As I type, late (10:10pm) I have dinner cooking and a strange pain in my left side and am in the middle of No Country for Old Men. Don’t think I’ve seen it since the cinema (13 years!)

Day 72: As soon as (well, within a couple of days) I mention the weather, it turns. It’s rained a little and is a lot cooler (15° rather than mid-20s). Much better for walking, I have to say. I finished Hunters today (Amazon Prime series). While I enjoyed it, it got too surreal at the end. It is loosely based on the real story of Nazi hunters in the US in 1977 but the straying from loosely based to down-right ridiculous fiction annoyed me. If it goes to S2, I will watch it, however. Received some of my rental deposit back today (the law changed so that only 5 weeks rent can be demanded as deposit). Over £600. Nice.

Day 73: I made a short video for Marc and Clare’s 26th wedding anniversary. I ‘dressed up’ for it. I enjoyed doing it and I think it was appreciated.

Day 74: Typing on Day 75 for no other reason than I couldn’t be bothered on day 74! I received a letter either today or the day before (well, yesterday or the previous day!) from Mr Minos at the eye clinic informing me that, while there is some stuff going on in both eyes (garnered from the photo scans done at the last hospital appointment), he wants to see me in three months. Always a refief when that happens. Been getting into two series on Amazon: Alex Rider and Modern Love. One is a male Hanna, the other is soppy affairs of the heart based on real life stories (from essays written in the NY Times). Both enjoyable for totally different reasons.

Day 75: Lazyish day. Well, not really, just that I only went for one walk, alebit 6km andI got pissed on. Wehn the rain hit, it was also fucking freezing! Some of the clouds were stunning today, made for great photos. As I type, it’s 21:12, I’m listening the wonderful Phoebe Bridgiers. Now, I’m gonna make some tea and sup a few ales, I reckon.

Day 76: Done lots of walking today (over 13,000 steps) I made sausage casserole with too much chilli (scotch bonnet and birdeye). I had an online (fb) debate with Sam over whether the George Floyd murder was a racial.

Day 77: Received a new (used) wing mirror for the car. £18 with delivery, I reckon that’s a bargain. I cashed in £20 from Prolific as well, so I’m satisfied at the financial full-circle. Dropped the car off at Barnwell (Nene Valley Body Shop) and walked back - 7km. Just about to dive into tea - finishing the blazing hot sausage casserole from yesterday. Then I’m going to do some more Rubik’s cube practice with my recently acquired GoCube.

Day 78: Lots of daily walking, 26 stair climb, press-up and late nights watching TikTok (gone 3am this morning) are making for a constantly knackered Tim Stubbs. Today I made veg soup and cooked up some meatballs. Both are delish. How did I ever to learn how to conjure up such stuff? The Rubik’s cube learning is coming along except that I need good daylight to distinguish between the yellow and white faces on the flipping thing!

Day 79: Listening to Radio 6 most the day and the news is making for dire listening. Forecast of severe recession, especially if there is a second peak of the virus, which I think there will be. Plus, an offshoot of the George Floyd murder and the #BlackLivesMatter movement, institutions and town councils are being lobbied by campaigners to remove statues of anyone associated with things like slavery (one was toppled in Bristol at the w/e) and rename buildings etc. that were named after historical characters with any links to something that now is deemed wrong or offensive. I agree with it but it’s not pleasant to hear amongst other bleak news. Walked to Barnwell to collect my car - front trim reseated and new wing mirror fitted, £20 - bargain (I source the replacement wing mirror). But, also, forked out £165 on car tax! Cleaned the lounge from top to bottom. Knackering!

Day 80: Chatted with Dad and Rita - he’s pissed off with the slavery backlash but otherwise they are both OK. I saw Baz in the Tesco queue where I mentioned my disgust at the Thursday market being allowed (I found I could not maintain 2m at all times just walking to Tesco’s!) and that I really don’t want to catch Covid19 as I will probably die. Maybe a bit dramatic but he messaged me later today to say he’d been thinking on what I said and offered to shop for me. I replied that I am OK to shop but am scared at how people are taking things so much less seriously than when lockdown started yet the virus is still out there just as it was then! I am very touched at his massage. I thoroughly cleaned the bedroom and changed the bedclothes today. House work really knackers me out!

Day 81: Spare room cleaned today. Not much else to type about. It’s Friday, I making curried mince and I don’t feel like a beer. How I’ve changed!

Day 82: I did have beers last night. Ended up going to bed with daylight and dawn chorus for company. Today, when I woke, gone 1pm, I have been greeted by what can only be described as thoroughly depressing news from every quarter. This includes violence in the capital, further virus outbreak in Beijing. Fog’s political posts on FB make for depressing (but vaild) reading. I’m feeling thoroughly fed up today. Not even music can lift my mood…

…but, I am currently listening to Craig Charles on BBCR6 and, I have to say, he’s putting in quite an exceptional effort - there may be hope that my mood might lift, even at gone 8pm! I might have a beer or two and grab something postivity and enjoyment from the day after all.

Day 83: Another late one last night but up before noon today. Started watching something called Condor on Sky One. It’s OK - there’s stuff I wanna waytch on Amazon Prime but, more often than not, it keeps telling me there’s ‘a problem’ when I try to play anything. Pissing me off. I just checked and I have two weeks of the initial 12 of furlough to go. I shall started asking the questions about what might happen on the Connections website.

Day 84: Typing this on Day 85. On the way back from dropping off some shoes for Sean Davies at his brother’s (martin) I met Karen and she said why not pop round for a beer so I did. Certainly not used to a drink on a Monday so that, and the genral upheaval to my evening, while good fun and a nice change, put pay to my usual diary entry! I sorted Amazon Prime out by leaving the TV turned off for over an hour. Day 85: Tim did the garden today and it looks great. The pipes in the bathroom have been knocking loudly, on and off, for a couple of weeks now. Last night, they were so loud that today I took it upon myself to resolve it or ring Woodfords. So, having turned off the water, run the taps dry to get rid of any trapped air and then turned the water back on slowly, I discoved it’s the cistern and its pipes. Woodfords are arranging Corvee to visit. Meanwhile, leaving the water turned off at least stops the noise which is, otherwise, costant and unbearable! I emailed HR a couple of days ago about what’s happening in a couple of weeks time in terms of furlough when the 12 weeks will be up. Sue Cockimngs got back to me attaching an email Deryn sent on 15th May which I never received. Basically, they’ll extend furlough if need be and an update should be forthcoming late May/early June. Well, that time has passed, so who knows what is going to happen. The furlough scheme (CJRS) has been changed by the govenment, I’ve read, and it looks like any new people would have to have been furloughed by June 10th (it’s the 16th today) so no furlough rotation, which is annoying. The CJRS ends 1st October with employer contributions required from 1st August - that’s D-Day as far as I am concerned….so job hunting will have to step up a notch! Day 86: Pete’s birthday and he bought himself the same speaker as me. When I asked if it lived up to his expectations he mentioned it’s better through WiFi than Bluetooth. That confused me as I haven’t got WiFi available on mine…..long story short, I bought the wrong fucking speaker. I got a AudioPro AddOn T10 instead of C10. To say I am fucked off is an understatement. To think I was so pleased at the cheap price I paid. Now I feel like I have wasted €200. Bollocks.

Day 87: Finished Alex Rider last night. Another series that started off so well and ended a litte weak but, overall, not bad. I’ve started keeping strange meal times…lunch very late (4pm) and dinner really late (11pm). I need to sort it ‘cos it’s playing havoc with my sugar levels. I had a huge hypo while having my second walk today, second day on the trot that’s happened. My late dinner was Chinese chicked curry with a quarter of a scotch bonnet and two birdeye chillies. Delish.

Day 88: I have managed to be bitten yesterday or the day before on one of my walks. There are strange, itchy lumps on my right inner forearm. And I do mean itchy. I trimmed my sideburns today, I was very pissed off with them. My hair looks just a little less shit. I did a shop at Tesco in Corby today. Mainly booze as follows: 20 cans Sam Miguel £18 18 cans Stella £15 20 bottles Bud £10 8 cans Tyskie £9 3 lrg bottles Warsteiner £5 £57 Bargain.

Day 89: Lazy day. One short walk and usual stair climb. Howard and Sue popped round to give me a pressie - bottle of Monkey Shoulder. I’m building up quite a collection of whisky!

Day 90: Dad called and we chatted for an hour or so. I had to apologise for not sending a father’s day card! Dan messaged me and offered to pay for a pizza delivery which I declined.

Football has started again this past week…Prem and Championship only. L1 and L2 season was cut short and Posh missed out on the play-offs by one place. As I type, Everton v Liverpool is on Sky Sports on a Sunday evening - it’s very strange with no crowd. There’s crowd noise being played thorugh the tannoy.

#Diary #Tumblr diary #lockdown #covid19 #lockdownuk

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imatrisarahtops · 5 years

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5, MarcNath

Hi my name is Sarah and I love two very soft boys in Miraculous, and have made @max-thealien also fall in love with two very soft boys in Miraculous. This ended up being twice as long as I planned. And I have no shame in admitting it.

5. “I just wanted someone to notice me.”

There were times that Marc joked about being invisible—how despite being someone who stands out so much, his anxiety and introverted nature meant that he was often overlooked, that people simply didn’t notice him.

However, the thing that Nathanael quickly realized about the writer was that while most others were likely to complain about such a thing, Marc never saw this as a problem. Sure, he liked being recognized for his talents as a writer—something that Nathanael was always sure to do, complimenting him and his skills, making sure that he knew his writing was definitely worth paying attention to, worth reading.

In other situations, though, Marc wasn’t only not bothered by others not seeing him, he was perfectly content with it. When their friends gathered, while everyone joked and laughed, Marc participated, but he never much enjoyed being the center of attention. Nathanael remembered asking him about it once as he walked him home after one such get-together. He was a little concerned for his quiet friend and the thought that maybe he didn’t actually want to be hanging out with everyone in the art club, or with his friends, or with their classes. His chest ached a little with some sort of feeling he couldn’t place when the idea had first occurred to him.

To his immense relief, Marc had just smiled, chuckling softly and waving his hand dismissively. “I’m fine!” he assured him. “Sometimes I just like watching.”

And Nathanael could understood that. Especially as an artist, he could appreciate the appeal of just sitting back and observing, taking in everything in front of him. On the rare occasion he didn’t have his sketchbook, he sometimes found himself thinking that the scene—just his friends talking together, laughing, playing around—would make a fantastic picture. He wondered if Marc ever did the same thing, imagining the story he could create inspired by his friends, if he ever wrote the words in his mind when he didn’t have paper and pen.

“If that’s ever not the case,” Nathanael had said, “you’d tell me, right?”

Marc had blinked owlishly at him, chinks pinkening as they so often did. “O-of course!”

“Really,” Nathaniel urged him, and he stopped walking to properly look at the other boy, to make sure he could see just how sincere he was being. “You know you wouldn’t be a bother. I’d want to know.”

Marc’s expression softened a little, the surprise melting away into something else. “I know,” he said and he nodded. “Thank you.” He offered a small smile.

Nathanael smiled back in an effort to calm the butterflies that took flight in his stomach; it was a recent development in their friendship that Nathanael had taken note of—sometimes, Marc would do these things that Nathanael found so completely endearing, so positively charming. Whenever he’d do such things, Nathanael found himself fighting with a fluttering in his chest as he wondered if Marc had any idea about this internal struggle.

The more time that he spent with Marc, the more Nathanael noted these small changes, almost imperceptible instances where there was something different between them.

He wondered if Marc noticed them, too. Surely he couldn’t be the only one.

Nathanael wondered, later, if it could be considered irony that Ladybug was the one to shed some light on the whole situation.

It had been after an akuma attack. It certainly hadn’t been too terrible, not compared to some of the attacks they’d seen, but the moment that Nathanael noticed that Marc was in danger, the fear that had flooded his veins hadn’t immobilized him like usual but instead spurred him into action. It was something so small, so insignificant he was fairly certain that Marc himself hadn’t noticed—but Ladybug had. Afterward, once the akuma had been purified and the magic of the Miraculous Cure had put everything back to normal, the superheroine had lightly scolded him.

“I know you dream of being a superhero sometimes, Nathanael—of being Mightillustrator—but please remember that you aren’t,” she told him, tone firm but also exceedingly kind and gentle—a true plea for him to be careful. “Our Miraculouses keep Chat Noir and me safe. You can’t do that, or you could get really hurt.”

Nathanael found himself blinking at her for a moment. His brain instantly took note of the fact that Ladybug had read the comic, and he immediately had so much that he wanted to say to her, to ask her—but something else was bothering him about what Ladybug had just said.

“I don’t want to be a hero,” he told her instead. “Not really. I just… I just don’t want him to get hurt.”

It was Ladybug’s turn to be taken aback. But after a second, she just smiled at him—something soft and kind, and maybe a little too knowing for Nathanael’s liking. “You care about him a lot, huh?” she asked.

“Of course,” he told her, as though it was obvious. “More than anyone.” Just like that, understanding struck Nathanael, as crisp and clear as black ink on a blank white page. Maybe it was even more obvious than he’d initially thought. “Oh.”

Ladybug smiled gently, dropping her hand onto his shoulder. “It’s okay,” she said. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Thank you,” he said with a sigh.

She nodded, and there was a beep trilling from her earring. She put a hand up to it, smiling apologetically, and then lifted her yo-yo. Before she swung off, she glanced back to Nathanael over her shoulder. “Though, you know, you could say something to him.”

The problem was that Nathanael was no good with words. That was the whole reason their partnership had begun, after all—Nathanael couldn’t come up with the words to accompany his pictures; there was no way he would fare better in a situation like this.

His mind was buzzing with the aftermath of Ladybug’s words. He’d never considered this—that maybe his feelings for Marc would develop into something else. His crush on Marinette dissolving into his love for Ladybug—that was one thing. After he had been deakumatized, developing feelings for the hero had almost seemed inevitable.

But this, on the other hand, had happened so slowly, so gradually, so naturally that Nathanael himself hadn’t even noticed at first. But it seemed that now he knew, it just made sense.

It was so obvious, and yet he’d never noticed.

“Nath? Are you okay?”

Nathanael startled slightly, turning to see Marinette tentatively entering the otherwise empty art room.

“Hey Marinette,” he said, still a little distracted. He turned back to the book in front of him, the rough sketches and smudges of graphite spread over the page. “I’m all right.”

“Uhm…” Nathanael turned back to glance at her as she fiddled with her bag. “I… heard… about what happened earlier,” she said slowly, carefully picking each word. “With Marc.”

“Oh.” He looked back to his sketchbook, twirling his pencil between his fingertips, tapping the eraser against the page. He wasn’t sure how Marinette had heard—but at the same time, he didn’t feel surprised that she had. Marinette often seemed to hear and see things, to notice what others didn’t.

Not always—she still had her own fair share of oblivious moments—but definitely more than many of their other classmates.

He could practically feel as Marinette approached, then, and he couldn’t keep his shoulders from tensing, his cheeks reddening a little as he looked down at the paper.

Without moving his head, he shifted his gaze, raising his eyes to glance at Marinette from beneath his bangs. But Marinette wasn’t looking at him strangely, had no pity or disgust on her face, didn’t seem poised to tease. Instead, she was smiling so gently, so kindly, that Nathanael let himself turn to her fully.

“Does Marc know you draw him like that?” she asked him softly.

“No,” Nathanael murmured, glancing back at the page which was indeed filled with half-finished doodles of the boy. “He’s never noticed.”

Marinette hummed thoughtfully. “Well, you draw him beautifully.”

“I just draw him how I see him,” Nathanael told her simply.

Marinette was practically beaming at him, all bright smile and shining eyes. “If you don’t feel like you can say something to him,” she said, “you could just show him this. I think he’d really like it.”

Nathanael considered the suggestion, glancing back down at the notebook on the table. But with a sigh, he slid his hand under the cover, folding the sketchbook closed. “I don’t think I can.”

“He’d love to see them,” she urged him.

“Marinette…”

“Hey Marinette. Hey Nathanael.” They both turned to see Marc as he entered the room. “Everything okay?”

“Of course!” Marinette said brightly, before Nathanael could even respond. “I was just looking at some of Nath’s sketches.” She pushed herself off of the desk. “I’ll catch you two later, okay?”

And with that, the two boys were left alone. Immediately, Marc was pulling out the chair next to Nathanael, settling beside him.

“You were showing Marinette some sketches?” he asked a little excitedly. “Something new for our comic?”

“No!” Nathanael said quickly, placing his arm over the sketchbook. “I mean… No, it was just… just some doodles. Nothing good.”

Marc blinked at him, but the smile quickly returned to his face. “I’m sure they’re great,” he assured him. “Everything you draw it fantastic, Nath!”

The way he said it so honestly, so earnestly, Nathanael couldn’t help but smile. He sighed. “Thanks,” he said.

“But it’s true,” Marc said. “The lines, the movement… It’s all so inspiring, and so amazing. I don’t think I could ever get tired of looking at your drawings.”

“You said something like that the first time you saw them in here, too,” Nathanael pointed out.

Marc blushed slightly, hand jumping up to scratch the back of his head. “Oh, did… did I?” he asked. “Well… it’s true.”

Nathanael gazed at him for a moment, considering him carefully, thoughtfully. He took a deep breath, glancing back down at the desk. “When I started these drawings and sharing them… I just wanted someone to notice me,” he said quietly.

“You wanted Ladybug to notice you,” Marc said.

“I—maybe?” Nathanael admitted. “Probably.” He looked back to Marc. “She did. After the akuma attack, she… she mentioned them. She’s seen them.“

Marc’s eyes lit up. “So that’s what you wanted!” he said. "That’s great!”

But Nathanael frowned. “But that’s not what I want, anymore,” he said. “When she brought up the comics, brought up Mightillustrator, sure, I was excited but… I just felt proud. Not because she’d seen my drawings, but because she’d seen what you and I made together.”

“You’ve put a lot of work into it!” Marc insisted.

“We both have,” Nathanael said instead. He paused, looking down at his sketchbook. He rested his hand on top, fingers splayed across the cover. “I think I was waiting for the wrong person to notice me,” he told Marc softly. “Or… maybe there was someone who noticed me from the start, but I didn’t realize it.”

Marc tilted his head, looking at him curiously. Before he could ask, though, Nathanael was opening his sketchbook, laying out the same pages that he had before. Marc glanced down at the paper, eyes widening as he did. He looked back up at Nathanael in silent question and the redhead nodded. Carefully, Marc reached out and slid the book closer to him so he could properly see the drawings.

“But these are… they’re just me,” Marc said, disbelieving. “Not—not Reverser, just… me.”

“They’re not ‘just you’,” Nathanael said.

“No, but I-I…” He shook his head, looking back to Nathanael. “These are much too beautiful for just pictures of me!”

“Do you like them?” he asked cautiously.

“They’re amazing,” Marc repeated. “But… why would you draw me?” He met Nathanael’s eyes, frowning a little as he looked at him with uncertainty. But Nathanael was quiet, and suddenly Marc’s eyes were widening, eyes darting between the redhead and the sketches. “Me,” he said, then. “I’m the one… you…?”

Nathanael could only nod.

Before he could say anything else, there were two gloved hands on his cheeks and soft lips were crashing into his. It was brief and chaste and sweet, a little awkward and clumsy—but it was so, so perfect—it was art.

All too soon, Marc was pulling away, a rosy blush on his cheeks as he stared wide-eyed at the other boy. “Sorry!” he said quickly. “I—”

“Please,” Nathanael quickly cut across, hands immediately jumping up to cover Marc’s which were still cupping his face. “Please don’t ever apologize for that.”

With the words, the panic was eased out of Marc’s expression, and he smiled—a smile so shy and genuine and pure that it made Nathanael’s heart stutter in his chest.

And that was everything that Nathanael could have wanted in that moment.

Dialogue Prompts

#marcnath #marcaniel #marc anciel #nathanael kurtzberg #nathaniel kurtzberg #miraculous #ladybug #miraculous ladybug #prompts #fanfic #fan fiction #miraculous fic #max-thealien #ask #reply

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jordanianroyals · 4 years

Photo

13 January 2020: France 24 TV channel conducted an interview with King Abdullah II that covered a number of domestic, regional, and international issues.

In the interview, conducted by France 24’s Marc Perelman, King Abdullah noted that the impact of regional developments has added pressure on Jordan, stressing the importance of providing opportunities for young people.

“We do want a better life for Jordan. We are stuck in a very difficult neighbourhood… the Syrian refugees have been a tremendous burden on us,” His Majesty told France 24. “We are saving Europe tremendous amount of pressure by looking after the refugees in our country,” the King said. His Majesty said Jordan is strategically committed to peace, noting that “the two-state solution in my mind, and I know in the majority of European countries, is the only way forward”, and reaffirming that “moving dialogue back between the Israelis and Palestinians is essential”. Asked about the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, who passed away recently, the King said he was “known for being a neutral voice, a voice of reason and a leader that actually brought people together”. Noting that the region has the “largest youth cohort in history”, His Majesty said youth want a great opportunity at life and stability, which calls on all countries to deal with economic conditions in a way “to give people a better life”. The King also warned against plunging the region into further instability, underscoring that “instability in our part of the world affects Europe and the rest of the globe”. (Source: Petra)

Following is the full text of the broadcast interview:

Perelman: Your Majesty, you’re about to go to Europe. And among the discussions, the topics of discussions you’ll have with European leaders, clearly there will be one, and it’s a big question, a daunting question—are we on the brink of an all-out war between the United States and Iran? King Abdullah II: Well, I think that the quick response to that is I hope not. We will be in Brussels, Strasbourg, and Paris in the next couple of days, reaching out with our friends and the leadership of Europe to look at multiple subjects in this area and how we coordinate this region with Europe. Obviously, on the forefront of people’s minds is what is happening between Iran and the United States. So far, it looks like de-escalation. We hope that that continues to be the trend. We can’t afford any instability in our part of the world. An instability in our part of the world affects Europe and the rest of the globe, so I think a lot of our discussions will be centred around Iran, but mainly around Iraq. I feel that in this last phase, at the end of the day, it’s the Iraqi people who have suffered, who have paid the price. They deserve stability; they deserve a movement to the future. And I think a lot of the discussion in Europe is how do we all embrace the Iraqi people and give them the hope of stability and a future of their nation, and all the other subjects unfortunately that are in the region that we have to discuss. Perelman: Yes. Was President Trump’s decision to kill Iran’s top General Qasem Soleimani the right decision? King Abdullah II: Well, I mean, that’s an American decision, and what we want to make sure is that—this is something that has happened. We are ushering in a new decade, not just a new year, and we hope that in the next several months, we set the right tone for the region, which is, to really, bring the temperature down, and the sensitivities. As you know, everything in this part of the world is interlinked, so whatever happens in Tehran will affect Baghdad, will affect Damascus, will affect Beirut, will affect the Israeli-Palestinian process. So I think this is why this trip to Europe comes at the right time, where we need to talk about how do we talk to each other with maturity and respect, as opposed to rhetoric that could create this problem that takes us to the brink. Perelman: You mentioned Iraq, obviously. Are you afraid that the country could again go into a period of sectarian strife, maybe civil war? King Abdullah II: That is a possibility. I have tremendous faith in the Iraqi people. I think that— Perelman: But you’re worried. King Abdullah II: We have to be worried. And I’m worried. Again, I have faith in the Iraqi people being able to move towards the light. Iraq was moving in a tremendous positive trajectory over the past two years. I think that the loss of government has created, maybe, a couple of steps back. I have all the faith in Iraqi leaders to move back into that, into the positive direction. We have to work very strongly in making sure that sectarianism is not an issue that we have to deal with. But again, I think my major concern in the discussions I will be having in Europe is that we have seen over the past year the re-establishment and rise of ISIS not only in southern-eastern Syria, but also in western Iraq. So if there is a split in Iraqi society as there is today, and I know that the leaders of Iraq are making sure that that is overcome. We have to deal with the re-emergence of ISIS, and that is going to create a problem for Baghdad, and we need to be there to step in and help the Iraqis deal with that threat, which is a threat to all of us, not only in the region, but also to Europe and to the rest of the world. Perelman: Well, obviously, as you mentioned, you must have noticed that ISIS hailed the killing of Qasem Soleimani as “divine intervention”; the coalition fighting ISIS has suspended its operation in Iraq; there’s obviously talk of US troop withdrawal from Iraq. We’ve seen it in Syria. So this begs the question, are we dropping the ball in the fight against ISIS? King Abdullah II: I think common sense prevails. As we’ve seen what has happened over the past week or so, there has been a lot of discussion, with not only the United States, but a lot under the umbrella of NATO members, on how we go from protecting, for example, maybe coalition troops in Iraq, to getting the discussion back in the right direction in working with Iraq and others in the area in defeating ISIS and the rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, keeping in mind it’s not only those two countries. We have an issue in Libya, where we’re seeing the strengthening of foreign fighters coming out of Syria, going to Libya. And so from a European perspective, Libya being much closer to Europe, that is also going to be an important discussion in the next couple of days on how do we look at Libya making sure that we are actually fighting the fight against terrorist organisations. Perelman: Well, speaking of Libya, what’s your reaction to Turkey sending troops? King Abdullah II: Well, again, that will only, I think, create more confusion. There is a very important Russian decision today. We hope that that helps de-escalate the issue, but several thousand hard-core foreign fighters have left Idlib through the northern border and have ended up in Libya, and that’s something that we in the region, but also our European friends will have to address in 2020, because we do not want a failed state in Libya, and a major conflict between all of us in a coalition against extremist terrorist organisations. Perelman: Just coming back to Iran, President Trump warned that Iran was targeting four US embassies, do you know if the US embassy in Jordan was one of the targets? And more broadly, have you seen any indications of Iran proxies maybe plotting attacks against Jordan? King Abdullah II: There has been a higher threat level over 2019 to certain targets inside of Jordan. I know from a military perspective we’ve been on a higher alert state for proxies possibly targeting— Perelman: So not ISIS, you’re talking about Iranian proxies? King Abdullah II: Yes, that has been a concern. Luckily, nothing has happened, but again— Perelman: There have been attempts. King Abdullah II: Not attempts; there has been—when we say higher state of level, because we hear chatter that there are targets in Jordan, and as a result, we’ve had to react accordingly, so that we can be prepared for anything. Nothing has happened. But again, I think we have to get the discussion back that dialogue by all of us, because any miscalculation for any side creates a problem for all of us, and all of us end up paying the price. Perelman: Iran—obviously you mentioned the Iran crescent several years ago; Iran’s role in the region being a power player, but at the same time, we’ve seen protests inside Iran brutally repressed against price hikes. We’re now seeing again protests because of the downing of the— King Abdullah II: The tragedy of the loss of the aircraft— Perelman: —Ukrainian jetliner, so there seems to be a disconnect—Iran projecting power, but isn’t the Iranian regime very fragile? King Abdullah II: Well, and I’m glad that you said—I think when I had mentioned that statement many years ago, I said the Shiite crescent, but more, I think, realistically, it’s the Iranian crescent that has obviously its reach not only in Iraq and Syria and Lebanon, which has been an issue that we’ve all had to deal with, and we have all seen the internal challenges that the Iranian people have had. And I think that the economy is difficult. It is a stress on the regime, and I think, like all of us in the region, we have the largest youth cohort in history that all want a great opportunity at life and stability, and so all of us are having to deal with how do we deal with the economy internally to give people a better life. And that’s a major challenge, I believe, for Iran and the Iranian people, who deserve, the Iranian people, a chance at a good life and prosperity. Perelman: Just briefly, Sultan Qaboos of Oman just died, and he was, in a way, he was at some point a channel between Iran and the United States. Will this be someone missing even more due to the current circumstances? King Abdullah II: Absolutely. His late Majesty the Sultan was an icon. There was a tremendous friendship between His late Majesty King Hussein and the late Sultan. I was very fortunate to have inherited that friendship. And His Majesty was known for being a neutral voice, a voice of reason and a leader that actually brought people together, specifically, I think, that he was a strong conduit between Iran, the Arab world, and the international community. I am fully convinced that Oman will continue to play that positive role, but definitely, he was one of those, sort of the last generation of leaders that we have all terribly missed, and I think the world will miss the ability that the Sultan had to bring nations together. Perelman: I want to get to the Israel-Palestine issue; Benyamin Netanyahu has said he wants to annex the West Bank or large parts of the West Bank. The Israeli government is taking steps to do so; the US government has changed its policy two months ago regarding settlements. It says now it doesn’t violate international law. You warned that there would be “severe consequences” if this annexation happens, what do you mean by severe consequences, could this be downgrading or severing diplomatic ties? King Abdullah II: Well, Jordan is strategically committed to the peace between Jordan and Israel, and that is a major element of stability in the region. We understand, unfortunately, that the issue of elections that have been going on for over a year means that there is Israel looking inwards as it’s dealing with its domestic issues. And as a result, our relationship is on pause. We hope that the Israeli people will decide on a government sooner rather than later, and then we can all see how to move forward. The two-state solution in my mind, and I know in the majority of European countries, is the only way forward. The one-staters that are pushing their agenda makes no sense to me whatsoever, because there is two standards there, two sets of laws for two sets of people. That can only create instability, and the only way that we are going to move forward is stability for the Middle East, and the only way you can do that is stability between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Perelman: What if Israel does annex the West Bank? What steps would you consider? King Abdullah II: So again, this is what I’m saying. Israel, there is a certain rhetoric coming out of Israel, because of the election politics, which is creating tremendous concern to all of us in the region, because they’re moving way often to a direction that is completely uncharted territory for all of us, and can only create more instability and miscommunications. From the Jordanian perspective, the relationship is important; moving dialogue back between the Israelis and Palestinians is essential, and moving the dialogue back between Israel and Jordan, which has been on pause for the past two years is essential. We have to wait to see what the Israeli people decide. Perelman: The 25-year-old relation, is it at an all-time low? King Abdullah II: Because of the electioneering season, which unfortunately is taking a long time, there has been no bilateral communications or movement that has affected. And so, when you have certain announcements and decisions, like you said the West Bank, creates a lot of doubt in many of us on where are certain Israeli politicians going and— Perelman: Starting with the Prime Minster— King Abdullah II: Well again, the West Bank is an issue that has tremendous, I think, negativity towards the Israeli-Jordanian relationship. We need to have a better understanding of where that is going. So let’s see what happens with the Israeli elections and once there is a government formed that is stable, we can then look how to move forward. Perelman: What about Donald Trump’s deal of the century? He promised it; we’ve seen the embassy move to Jerusalem; we’ve seen the shift on the settlements. The Palestinian Authority is not talking to the Trump administration. The Palestinians, and I put it bluntly, believe that actually instead of delivering the deal of the century, Donald Trump is in cahoots with Benyamin Netanyahu to bury the two-state solution. Do you still believe in this deal of the century or? King Abdullah II: So, I’ve had numerous discussions with President Trump on this issue. I think he understands what is needed to bring Israelis and Palestinians together— Perelman: But he’s not doing it. King Abdullah II: Well, I think that we are waiting for the plan to be unveiled by the team, and as a result, that has been a grey area for all of us, because unless we know what the plan is, and again, here is the role that not only Jordan and the regional countries play, but with the Europeans—how do we look at the plan once it’s announced, and I think it will be announced. Perelman: Before the US elections? King Abdullah II: I’m not too sure when they’re going to do it, but we keep hearing that sometime soon, the plan will be presented. Our job then is to look at the glass half-full. How do we build on the plan and how do we build it in such a way we bring the Israelis and Palestinians together. And so the problem is, it’s difficult for us to make decisions on the plan when we don’t really know what it is. And that’s not a problem just for Jordan, but for our European friends. I know that we will be discussing this in Europe this week. So we are supportive of bringing the Israelis and Palestinians together, but we need to have the plan unveiled for us to be able to see it from a point of view of the glass half-full. Perelman: Right. I want to get to Syria quickly, because I don’t have much time left. Bashar Al Assad seems to have won. Why not admit it? And in your case, there’s talk, I’ve heard of re-establishing full diplomatic relations between Jordan and Syria. King Abdullah II: Well, I think there’s a reality on the ground that you have just alluded to. And I think the international community looks at it from—that is a reality. The regime is in a much stronger position. There is still a long way to go, and again, I think we have to continue to remember not only as how do the Syrian regime moves on the issues of constitution and a new governance, keeping in mind that there is still a second part of Syria, which is the war against ISIS, which I’ve just mentioned earlier, is back on the rise again. So we are working as part of the international community to make sure that the political and constitutional status is moving in the right direction. I don’t think that is going to be a quick fix. And then you have the immense challenge of rebuilding Syria and giving an opportunity to the lives of all Syrians. So this is something that we’re going to be at for quite a while. But as you alluded to, there is a reality on the ground that we have to deal with, and I think that reality doesn’t mean that they get off scot free; the reality is that we all have to talk together to make sure that the endgame is what we’ve all agreed upon, and that is the new constitution and the new life for Syria. Perelman: So full diplomatic relations is on the horizon? King Abdullah II: So, from the Jordanian perspective, we are in discussions with Damascus, but a lot of countries around the world are moving in that direction based on an international understanding of where Syria is going. Perelman: Obviously, Syria has been a big issue for Jordan. An estimated 1.3 million Syrians are in Jordan. The main border crossing has been reopened, but only a trickle is going back essentially in Syria, so they are here to stay. Europe, you’re going there, Europe wrote a big cheque to Recep Tayyip Erdogan to keep the refugees in Turkey. It hasn’t done so with Jordan—far from it. I mean, have you been let down by the international community? King Abdullah II: Because we do not threaten Europe by pushing refugees towards Europe because we think that is a responsibility that should be taken care of by us in the area. Having said that, I mean, last year was probably the least supportive year for Jordan, we have to borrow from the international community to house and look after and care for an increase of 20 per cent of our population. Imagine any European country that has just the increase of 10 percent of their population. So we are frustrated. We are thankful there’s a lot of countries that do help us, but at the end of the day, the burden is on the Jordanians to put all these Syrians in school, to look after their health, housing. It has been a tremendous struggle for us to move, and we’re, sorry to continue this, being let down for doing the right thing. We are saving Europe tremendous amount of pressure by looking after the refugees in our country. Perelman: Are you hoping to get some commitments from Europe on this trip? King Abdullah II: So the European leaders understand the challenges of Jordan, and many of them are extremely supportive of Jordan, and we are very grateful. And I’m sure there will be discussions on supporting—but again, part of the reality of life is there is donor fatigue, there is refugee fatigue, and Jordan suffers as a result. Perelman: Just as a last question; we’ve seen recently in Algeria and in Sudan long-serving presidents being pushed aside. We’ve seen in Iraq, we mentioned it. In Lebanon, the prime minister is being pushed out by protests against bad governance, corruption and so on. This hasn’t happened here. I know you’ve said many times that what keeps you up at night is providing a future for the young Jordanians. Do you fear that something similar might happen here unless the international community and reforms are being implemented? King Abdullah II: Well, I think the discussions that we’re having in Europe is to again highlight that the region needs 60 million jobs for young people over the next several years, and if we don’t find an opportunity for young people—this is an issue around the world. So you’ve seen demonstrations not just in the Middle East, but in Europe and elsewhere. But we have to work together to give those opportunities to young people, because if we don’t, then instability will continue to be on the rise. So, as I keep saying, it does keep me up at night, because we do want a better life for Jordan. We are stuck in a very difficult neighbourhood, as you alluded to, the Syrian refugees have been a tremendous burden on us. We have a good recovery plan. The government is coming out with packages to move the economy in the right direction. We’re seeing that, but we do need more support from our international friends to be able to make sure that at least Jordan is a model moving in the right direction, but as you alluded to, many other countries are dealing with the same problems in the Middle East.

#King Abdullah II #interview

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geneshaven · 5 years

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Apotheosis (The disappointment of 712)

As I was watching 712, it felt like I was watching a greatest hits montage. It felt like Marc was telling us that it doesn't really matter why a fan base, any fan base, tunes in to watch. This episode was hyped as a love letter to fans. In reality, it was a love letter to himself. I have never understood why this show took a completely different turn away from what made it so good---dare I say great? I used to think that when Oliver and Felicity drove off into the sunset at the end Season 3, they might have been a bit hasty. Now, after last night, I realize that they were not really going off to start their new lives together. They were escaping from bad writing. Season 4A was only a tease. It was half a season of what could have and should have been. It was the last chance for Marc to make things right. As much as it was a pleasure to see Olicity together, or seeing them find moments of happiness ---it was really only a pause while Marc figured out how to break them up. It was misdirection to get Olicity fans to be just as domestic and docile as Oliver and Felicity became. And then we got the BMD, a toxic storyline that changed everything, dismantled their happy ending. It was Marc, Wendy and others keeping an iron grip on the direction the show would go in. Character development was not a vernacular or a concept---it was a hindrance. As some have more elegantly put it, it was a big fuck you to those of us who knew that having the shows main characters lead us deeper into the world of vigilante heroes and the grace of love that empowers them is more than mere illusion. It was just too much for the writing skills of Marc and company to make any kind of sense or direction.

I want to add a few words about Felicity in this episode. What is it with Marc and this character? Why does he insist to continue to demean her? Except for a brief moment of her assuming the mantle of Overwatch again, Felicity was kept out the limelight. It was a shame and an insult; a travesty. Marc did the same thing during his last three crossovers. I remember looking at some of the panels during past Comic-Cons, when Marc sat on those stages as if everybody was one big happy family, at least in his own mind. Was he already plotting the downfall of his show? Was he already envisioning nta and the lackluster infusion that might bring? I think what really happened was Marc and company had written themselves into unsolvable situations without an exit strategy. Things began to drift on them, as if dismantling the core elements of Arrow was the only direction they had to go in---in the name of unnecessary drama and ratings.

Felicity is the love of Oliver's life. He told her this; albeit as Barry Allen, but hey, it was tender and heartfelt and not at all awkward. She is the reason Oliver has conquered his demons and embraced himself as a hero. As much as they tried to put her on the back burner, to minimize her presence in the scheme of things, (I give you Season 6 as the perfect example) they could not rub off the shine she brings to the show. She is one of the strongest female characters on the airwaves right now. Maybe that threatens Marc's sexism. Maybe Felicity is his vision of what a women's role is in his troubled and uninformed scripts. She is a support system for Oliver and William ---oh hell, for all the male cast members. God forbid she takes charge of her life and steps into her own.

I am disappointed that the choice was made to keep her on the sidelines during this important episode. Where is Beth and her saving grace? What happened to opening up the box Marc put Felicity in and letting her out to shine as a strong female character? Why are we still watching nta and a bunch of new characters that seem to bring only clutter to the show? Why is John still a pod? Why is he not taking responsibility for basically turning away from Felicity and sending her down the path she ended up taking while Oliver was in prison? This show has turned into a mess. You would think being at the bottom, they should have nowhere to go from here but up. Yet, since episode 708, the bar keeps dipping towards that bottom.

But here's the thing. In spite of the dreck we're getting as the season limps on, I'm still watching. Maybe there's a part of me that is clinging on to the hope that the writers will jettison the dysfunctional storylines and get back to what made this show the crown jewel of CW.

But for now, I can't even rate the 150th episode. I haven't gotten any recent love letters in my own life, but if this episode was supposed to be one, I have to agree with Felicity when she said in 710---"they say romance is dead. " In Marc's mind, romance was never a factor. It was only a plot device. I want to continue loving this show, but it's getting harder to believe that they will get back on course ---as long as Marc keeps popping up to throw shit in all our faces, things are not going to change.

Of course, I could totally be wrong. It is the middle of the season. Traditionally, mid-season episodes are usually lackluster. They almost seem like fillers. I understand not every hour of a show is going to be Emmy worthy. But come on; give us something to work with here. I don't want to come to the end of Arrow and feel that my investment in this show was nothing more than another broken promise by a man who seems completely clueless on what the human condition really is. I want to have a smile on my face when the final credits roll. I want to see Oliver and Felicity survive and ride off into the right kind of sunset, the kind that brings beauty and hope shining down on the brutal landscape they started their journey on. I want to see a happy ending.

Oh god, I just set the bar pretty high.

@it-was-a-red-heeler @memcjo @hope-for-olicity @swordandarrow @icannotbelieveiamhere @almondblossomme @olicityotp-always @gabriellamarie97

#712

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ba1aphoebeowen · 5 years

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Essay Research

How does Marceline’s upbringing affect her relationships in Adventure Time?

The above is my current idea for an essay question, however after some difficultly in writing a draft with this in mind, I am considering changing it. We have a group tutorial session next week where we will be able to discuss other questions that have to do with this character and the idea of child psychology - whatever I do change it to I still want to relate it to Marceline’s childhood.

Outline Research

Marceline Research:

Marceline as a character is supposed to come off as quite the teenager, being ‘cool’ and looked up to by the younger protagonist Finn. Her aesthetic design is meant to come across this way, but behind this are certainly layers of personality and backstory that made her into what she is now. She may have started off as a ‘typical teenager’, but has developed into much more as the show has progressed.

·Art of Ooo: - Pendleton Ward on Marceline: “Girls own more than just one outfit”. Marceline wears a variety of outfits throughout the show, all keeping to a ‘teenage’ theme. Some rebellious, others elegant. - Rebecca Sugar on Marceline: “She seems bad, but she’s anxious and doesn’t have a high opinion on herself” “Tries to hurt people on purpose because that’s less painful than hurting people by accident” - Oliva Olson on Marceline: “The World sees confidence, maybe even a hint of intimidation or haughtiness. Yet, deep down, there’s always a reason she got that way. She has lots of layers.”

· Adventure Time Pitch Bible: - “Marceline is a rocker girl. She’s lived for centuries and has developed a disregard for social conventions” “Throws life to the wind” “Finn does NOT approve of Marceline’s mischievous prankster ways, but he’s totally captivated by her butt kicking appeal”

Adventure Time Episode Analysis

Many of Marceline’s relationships are quite rocky, especially at the beginning of the show. She starts off as very antagonistic toward the protagonists in her first appearance, and from that point has either teasing or negative relationships with other characters. These relationships are, however, addressed and developed in a serialised fashion and these relationships become a lot more layered.

I Remember You - Reveal of Marceline and Ice King’s relationship

This episode starts on the character of Ice King, the supposed villain of the show up to this point, singing to his penguin. He was to write a song to ‘get babes’, so goes to visit Marceline, someone he knows is proficient in this field.

His arrival is unexpected, and when Marceline sees him, all she says is “no”, quietly. She furthers their first interaction with anger, telling the Ice King that she had, on a previous occasion, to “not come around [her]”. She continues to be angry with him, wanting him out of her house, until she sees him struggling with his cables and starts to feel pity for him. When Finn and Jake enter to take him away, she decides to let him stay.

They start off with a song where Ice King talks about princesses and his favourite, Princess Bubblegum. He then gets upset as he lingers on how alone he is. Marceline starts to get uncomfortable at this point. To stop him from destroying her house in his sadness, Marceline tells him to “stop acting like this” and to “stop acting crazy”. He pushes her and instantly regrets it, apologising and getting out of her way”. This leads on to a short song by Marceline where she says things like “I’d like to help you, but I don’t know if I can”, “you know I’m actually glad to see you.” Ice King takes this the wrong way and tries to kiss her, and she tries bringing up his past life. Some of the clippings of newspapers he brought had images of him “before the war”.

Using some notes Simon wrote during the war, they sing a final song focusing on Simon’s sadness at how crazy he’s becoming due to the crown. Marceline gets some insight into what Simon, her parental figure, was feeling during the worst time of his life – slowly losing his memory of her whilst trying to save her. “Please forgive me for whatever I do when I don’t remember you”.

This episode is the first to show Marceline and Ice King’s relationship in more detail and gives a good overview to it. When Marceline was young, for whatever reason, she was left alone on Earth in the remnants of the Mushroom War. Simon finds her and takes care of her for as long as he can before the effects of the crown drive him to insanity, and at this point, he leaves too. From this we can determine that Marceline was left alone without a caregiver for two stretches of her life where she desperately needed one.

More of their relationship during Marceline’s childhood is explored in the episode “Simon and Marcy”. Here we can see Simon’s drift into madness as he uses the crown to keep them safe. Due to their past, Marceline feels melancholic toward Ice King, wishing that he would remember her as she does him. Later in the show, she gets the chance to talk to Simon again, and they reconcile this issue for the moments they can be together. This happens in the episode “Betty”, where she sacrifices an important thing to her in order to help him fulfil his final wish.

It came from the Nightosphere - Reveal of Marceline’s father

This episode starts with Finn and Marceline singing a song together, where Marceline sings a strange song about her father eating her fries, giving it a very sad tone. “Daddy do you even love me, well I wish you’d show it ‘cause I wouldn’t know it.” In this first scene we can already see some of Marceline’s relationship with her father.

She wants him to care, but she doesn’t seem to want to put in the effort to see him, so Finn does it for her. Hunson Abadeer, Marceline’s father, introduces himself by trying to eat Finn’s soul and has an evil aura to him in general. He then leaves to devour the souls of everyone in Ooo – Marceline seems indifferent to this issue, and instead just wants to get her axe bass back, which her father stole.

Although Marceline is angry with Finn for bringing her father there, they have a light-hearted relationship throughout this episode “Marceline, drop the Finn bomb!”.

Marceline attacks her father to get her bass back, but when he says, “you can’t destroy me”, she stops. “I don’t want to destroy you, look, just stay out of my life!”. She gives up on attacking and talks to Finn and says “I just want my dad to care about me”.

They continue to face Hunson until Finn gets to the point where he gets the axe out of his grip, and Marceline gets it back, and the interactions between her and her father at this victory reflect a teenager / father relationship “in your face dad!” “Give back that axe Marceline! You don’t respect it enough”. They end this exchange by walking away from each other, and Finn tries to keep them together by playing the song Marceline sings at the start of the episode.

“Marceline, do you really feel this way? Of course, I love you.” As they reconcile, Finn finishes his mission by stabbing Hunson to release the souls he’s eaten and sends him back to the Nightosphere. Marceline’s mad at him for embarrassing her, but they end on a friendly note.

From this episode we can gather that Marceline and Hunson’s relationship is complicated but is also familiar, in the way that it’s a teenager and parent relationship. They no longer see eye to eye at all, especially since being separated by different dimensions, and due to a fry eating incident, Marceline feels like her dad no longer cares about her. She would rather pretend he didn’t exist, but still lets her feelings about him eat away at her. Hunson doesn’t seem to notice much tension between them, and while he feels like she doesn’t respect certain family values – such as the axe that was passed down to her – he still loves her and doesn’t see that she questions that. He’s loving but distant.

They interact further in other episodes. We see that in the past it was Simon that looked after Marceline when she was abandoned as a child, and we must question where her father was in the scenario. In a flashback clip in “Marcy & Hunson”, much further on in the show, we see that when Simon had to leave Marceline, he sent Hunson to care for her in his place. In this flashback, he shows no regard for the time that Marceline must have spent alone and acts as if they were already acquainted. In this episode he also shows extreme pride in Marceline’s concert performance but doesn’t realise his boundaries.

Marceline’s relationship with her father is distant. As her only biological family in the show, you would think they would be closer, but there was no attachment to him as a child. He was always just some random guy that popped in and out of her life and didn’t give her the emotional support she needed growing up.

Ketchup - Background to Marceline’s mother

This episode features just Marceline and BMO. It starts off with BMO showing up to Marceline’s house to fight a vampire threat that had already been dealt with, but Marceline finds something else for them to do. She has an old USB that BMO can help her investigate, and whilst it scans, they tell some stories. Animation wise, these are very stylised. BMO’s story has a vert fantastical twist to it, demonstrating their childish attitudes.

Marceline tells a story about her and Princess Bubblegum, and their relationship as best friends, and the recent events in the show.

The USB then reveals its contents, and we see some images, the most important being one of Marceline with her mother. Throughout the show, we don’t get to see much of Marceline’s mother at all, and while she doesn’t reveal anything about their relationship, BMO creates a story with the picture. The story they create suggests that the mother could only be with Marceline for a short time, but she had to leave after a certain period. In response, Marceline says “I think I’ve heard a story like that, a long, long time ago”.

As stated, we don’t see much of Marceline’s mother throughout the show, the most notable other appearance being in “Everything Stays”, where she and a child Marceline are seen in what seems to be a mobile home in the middle of some fields. Marceline’s mum just finishes talking about how she met Hunson and tells Marceline to sleep. She complains that her dreams are too “weird” to sleep, and her mother responds that “something weird might just be something familiar viewed from a different angle, and that’s not scary, right?”

Marceline’s relationship with her maternal mother was short-lived, and while it seemed like she only had her mother there at the time, this area of her childhood seemed okay. But Marceline only has her mother, it seems, which would have created a lot of dependency on her throughout this time. It looks to be before the war started, so before Simon finds her alone, giving some more context as to what must have happened at this time. Marceline’s mother, whether willing or not, was the first person that she cared for to leave her.

What was Missing - Relationship to Princess Bubblegum

This episode is fairly early in the show, with quite a simple scenario – a range of character have something that was very important to them stolen by a ‘door lord’, and they all work together to get it back. In the end, they must perform a song as a band to open the door and get their stuff back. Marceline, being the musician of the group, starts the attempts by singing a song that seems directed at Princess Bubblegum, talking about how she wants to, effectively, kill her.

When PB complains, she grows agitated and says “you don’t like that? Or do you just not like me!”. The song she sings now describes how she’s not perfect enough for PB and hints at an earlier relationship where they ended on bad terms. “I’m just your problem”.

This song ends when Marceline gets very deep into her emotions, and decides to pull back, reverting to more vulgar lyrics that suggest killing PB rather than making up with her.

In the original episode, Marceline goes as far as to spit on PB, causing her to try and leave. Finn pulls everyone back together for one last shot at opening the door, singing a song about their friendship.

When the door does open, it’s revealed that PB’s important item was a band shirt that Marceline had given her a long time ago, something she now wears as pjs.

Up until this point in the show, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum’s relationship was portrayed as teasing and mean, but this episode gave this more context, that something had happened. In future episodes, like “Varmints”, we discover that PB got very busy with creating and managing her candy kingdom, and didn’t have time for Marceline anymore, which is most likely what caused the rift in their relationship. In the series finale “Come along with me”, their relationship is fully reconciled, and they kiss, confirming that they had a romantic relationship in the end.

Marceline spends a lot of the show pushing PB away and not wanting to get too emotionally involved with her again. In the episode “Sky Witch”, she goes to PB for help recovering her childhood toy, but tries to keep it professional – PB was just the only one that could help, that was all.

Stakes (Miniseries) as a whole - Reveal of Marceline’s mother and growing up

In this episode, we get a few flashes into Marceline’s past. We start off with her mother and a young Marceline, who wants to play, but her mother tells her it’s instead nap time. Marceline complains that her dreams are too weird to sleep, and her mother comforts her, saying that “all dreams are weird”, and begins to sing a song:

Let’s go in the garden,you’ll find something waiting Right there where you left it lying upside down When you finally find it, you’ll see that it’s faded The other side is lighter when you turn it around Everything stays, right where you left it Everything stays, but it still changes Ever so slightly, daily and nightly In little ways, where everything stays

We then move on into the future, where Marceline has lost her mother and now only has Simon. He’s preparing to leave, seeing himself as too dangerous to be near Marceline anymore. Marceline doesn’t want him to go. We then see a teenage Marceline, hunting vampires. She’s fighting for moral good here, but still has these violent tendencies.

The same teenage Marceline is then seen meeting humans and being very friendly but not quite fitting in, the people seeing her as an evil vampire. She still seeks their approval though, and wants to help them. This takes some time, and she eventually becomes friends with them after they recognize their connection through music. She continues to live with these humans to help and protect them from vampires. She wants to rid them of their threats to keep them there, because for whatever reason she can’t go with them. This accumulates in a fight between her and the vampire king - the humans lose trust for her after this, and she becomes immortal.

Throughout this series of episodes, we see Marceline addressing her vampirism and wanting to be rid of it. She’s seen history repeating itself over and over, and doesn’t want to be around for it anymore - she wants a normal, human lifespan, even if it means eventually perishing.

“Some bad things happened to me when I was little. When I became a vampire I was a messed up kid. Now it’s a thousand years later and I’m still messed up”

Throughout this mini series, Marceline has multiple dreams addressing her feelings toward the current situation, the first of which shows a distinct wish to not be a vampire anymore, and to separate herself from it. She feels as if this is her identity though, and in the dream her body breaks apart.

In another episode, we see a bit more of Marceline’s past without Simon. As a roughly 10-12 year old child, she had to fend for herself (find herself food, build herself a shelter etc). Other people still didn’t want to interact with her at this time.

#character research

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whenimgoodandready · 5 years

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You guys remember how in “Conquer”, Hekapoo mentioned the Tavern when there was nothing left for the Marc-nificent Seven to do? Ever wonder what that was cuz I always thought it was that bar she and Marco were at along with Talon (“Night Life”) and maybe even where The Kill Devil Pass Riders Club hung out at (“A Boy and His DC-700XE”), but it was actually The Dragon Spit Tavern. So where’s this “Tavern, Tavern” place? Do I need an I.D?

*The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse-Welcome to The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse! A place that sits on the boundary between reality and nonexistence! Where magical beings come to to get away from unruly magic and evil tyrants to just drink, play pool and chill. She says she, Star, Marco, Eclipsa, Meteora and Moon can stay here and be safe and wait for this whole “Mina thing” to blow over............THAT’S IT!? THAT’S THE PLAN!? SIT AROUND AND DO NOTHING WHILE PEOPLE DIE BACK HOME WHILE IT’S RUN BY A PSYCHO B*TCH WARRIOR AND HER ARMY!? I’m seeing a pattern here:In “Battle for Mewni:”Return to Mewni”/“Puddle Defender”, that was Moons idea cuz she never had a plan, then it was Toms plan when there was nothing left to do about Meteora’s rampage (“Conquer”) and more importantly, it was Stars “go-to” solution by running away from her problems before her character development! Poeple! People! We👏🏻need👏🏻to👏🏻do👏🏻something!👏🏻 IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!

The only reason all this sh*t is happening is cuz it’s all Moons fault! No thanks to her, Stars friends are fatally injured, Globgors bedridden, Monsters are in danger, Mewni is nearly destroyed and worst of all, Star hates Moon! To the point where she won’t even acknowledge her existence! Are you happy now, Moon!? Huh!? Are you!? Out of everything in your bad parenting throughout the show with Star:1.attempting to send her to St.Olgas! (“Star Comes to Earth”) 2.forbidding her from playing Flags with the family! (“Game of Flags”) 3.making her go through a corny “Princess Song”! (“Face the Music”) 4.forcing her to leave Earth! (“Starcrushed”) 5.not doing a God damn thing to stop Ludo/Toffee! (“Battle for Mewni:”Return to Mewni”/“Puddle Defender”) 6.not taking her side on Eclipsas innocence! (“Stranger Danger”) 7.not explaining the differences on what exactly is a Monster! (“Starfari”) 8.ignoring her about Mina crashing her Monster/Mewman mixer party! (“The Bogbeast of Boggabah”) 9.not trusting Eclipsa and basically abandoning Star! (“Moon Remembers”) and 10.not warning her about Minas upcoming attack on Eclipsa! (“Ghost of Butterfly Castle”), but no Moon! Nooooooo! This! THIS! Is what makes Star see you as the scum of Mewni! What’s more hurtful!? This ep (along with the other double 11min ep), came out on Mother’s Day! SO HAPPY F*CKING MOTHERS DAY! MOON! Star HATES YOU!!! (echos on “You”). Eclipsa agrees me that this is a bad idea to just sit around and do nothing cuz her husband back home is dying! Thank you! Eclipsa our now former queen is the only one thinking logically about this and let me just say-Wait, Eclipsa, what are you doing with that pool stick!?.............you’re gonna play pool!? After what’s going on!? WTF!? Oh! You’re life’s a mess. I see, let me go through the list:1.She and her mother had opposing views on Monsters (The Magic Book of Spells, Solaria and Eclipsas Chapters), 2.she was forced to marry a man she didn’t love (The Magic Book of Spells, Eclipsas Chapter), 3.she got seperated from her second husband and daughter, 4.she had to get her name cleared (“Butterfly Trap”) and 5.the Mewmans hated her when she became queen (“Yada Yada Berries”). She NEVER had a time off to just chill, so I guess maybe she deserves this after all the sh*t she went through, huh? Despite everything that went down, she thanks Moon for convincing Rhombulus to free Globgor since she at least got her family back (“Cornonation”). Well, least something still likes her.

It’s no Happy Hour on Mewni that’s for sure! Mina was getting ready to push every Monster (and “Monster smoocher”) over a cliff (those poor Buff Kids. Mina you’re horrible!), but stops when she wants it to be grand to have Globgor go with it. Thankfully, River and Eddie has hidden him away and are doing everything they can to save him! (Bless You River!). As for Stars friends, their wound are getting worse! Quirky Guy confides to Janna about how he never achieved being cool, but is okay with being “quirky”. This probably woke Janna there, maybe she thought she was cool only to just be satisfied with being quirky too. Yeah, you’re quirky Janna, but we love you for that anyway! It’s what makes you, You! And also-*POP* 😱 OMG! THEY KILLED QUIRKY! YOU BASTARDS! It’s getting worse for Globgor too! RIVER! GET TO THE SANCUTARY ASAP AND SAVE GLOBGOR!

Star declares she hates magic and wants it destroyed! WHOA! WHOA! WHOA THERE GIRL! Are you f*cking serious!? Destroy magic!? Okay, so maybe it did cause a lot of trouble for you. In fact, why don’t I make that list! (sorry, I just Love making lists) I’m a list maker:1.It caused Toffee to gain control over it (“Storm the Castle”), 2.It made her new wand even more unstable with magic (“My New Wand!”), 3.It gave Ludo power (“Ludo in the Wild”), 4.A simple gift card almost got her and Marco killed (“Gift of the Card”), 5.it almost destroyed her universe (“Mathmagic”), 6.it made Toffee almost kill her mom and the MHC (“Starcrushed”), 7.it causes her problems with her Mewberty form (“Sweet Dreams”/“Night Life”), 8.it almost got everyone killed (“Divide”/“Conquer”), 9.it killed her! (“Battle for Mewni:”Toffee”) and more recently, IT TURNED A PEASANT GIRL INTO AN INDESTRUCABLE SUPERMEWMAN ALONG WITH AN ARMY TO GO WITH IT! Thanks a million to the worst Queens in all of Mewni! I’m lookin’ at you Solaria and Moon! :P Although, there are some good things about magic too, First AND ONLY evidence, ✨💖Starco! 💖✨After her temper tantrum, she finds out Glossaryck is in the Tavern too and goes to confront him about this magic business. Okay, so here’s the plan, an actual plan! Since Mina and the Solarian army are invincible, we got three options on what to do:

1.Stay in the Tavern and chill.

2.Moon gives Eclipsa back the wand, so she can use her total annhilation spell on Mina and her army even if it means causing more destruction

3.Moon can go make amends with Star and they can all go back to kick Minas a**!

The last part seems legit! Let’s go with that! Hey Star! Moon wants to talk to-Why are you shoving yourself in Glossarycks eye!? Star!? *POP*.................STAR WHERE’D THE F*CK YOU GO!?

Star lands in “Glossarycks dimension” where she reveals her plan to destroy the magic by saying The Whispering Spell (“Storm the Castle”/“Battle for Mewni:”Toffee”) in the Realm of Magic!🤯. WHOOOOOOOOA! Slow your roll there girl! You’re just angry! You don’t mean that!? Do you? Glossaryck too thinks it’s drastic and (in the most cartoony fashion) shows her what will happen if she does destroy the magic by pulling out The Tapestry Room (a.k.a. The Grandma Room). Yup! It’s that room! The place where we got the answer on who “Spades” (Eclipsa) was (“Into the Wand”) and how it what got Daron thinking about making more grandmothers (The Magic Book of Spells). It was also where we all finally got to see what the fandoms been demanding since the book came out, Star meeting all the past Queens of Mewni! (they all had glowing blank white eyes. It was freaky!). They were all looking at Stars Tapestry! (it looked different from the last time we saw it. It was more colorful and cute, but now it’s more dark and bold colored like the rest. And finished!). It depicted Star standing over a black goo puddle holding the Solarian Blade with her parents, Monsters and Eclipsa and Globgor smiling behind her. What we could take from that is Star successfully defeated Mina Loveberry by destroying the magic, Moon and Star making amends, the Monsters safe and Globgor healed and reunited with Eclipsa. Looks to be all “good” right? Weeeeeeeeelllll, you guys aren’t really looking at “the big picture”................(whispers) Marco’s missing! Did he not survive!? Is he dead!? What happened!? Oh! He’s just back on Earth where he belongs. No Magic=No Marco😢 (and no Glossaryck cuz he’s not in the tapestry as well). With no magic means no more dimensional scissors, no more Mewberty portal traveling, no more magic wells, NO MORE STARCO! 😭. So I guess this means Toffee was right! He was right all along! From having Star destroy her wand (“Storm the Castle”) to corrupting the Realm of Magic (“Battle for Mewni:”Toffee”) it was all to keep all this abuse from happening! WOW! Who would’ve thought a bad guy was trying to fix everything this entire time! SURPRISE! (screams) WTF!? So, after what we just saw, what’s Star gonna do?..................she’s gonna destroy the magic anyway!? Don! Don! Don!

First off, Thank you Hekapoo for saving the gang from Mina except what followed was stupid cuz we basically have no plan and the main idea for people in this show is to “just chill and wait for all this to blow over” and it never works, sooooooooo yeah! Second, I know Moon feels like sh*t right now after what went down and that Star hates her with a firey passion and will probably never forgive her for it, but like I had mentioned, she’s not like Mina. She doesn’t like putting innocent people in danger just to make a point and even though she failed a spot check on teaming up with Mina, nobody’s perfect. Not even Moon the Undaunted. Sure Eclipsa was incompetant as a queen, but that doesn’t mean you had to put her life in danger! Along with Stars friends and Globgor! We all make mistakes (some worse than others), but the thing about making mistakes is we can all learn from it! Like, for example, Moon learned to never work with mentally unstable washed up psycho b*tch warriors! If that tapestry was correct than I’m sure Moon and Star can rekindle their relationship. Let’s hope River and Eddie can make it in time for the sancutary to save Globgor otherwise it’s “Pop Goes the Monster” for him! And who’s next on Stars list of friends!? Rich Pigeon!? Kelly!? PONY HEAD!? You know sh*ts gonna go down when even JANNA is freaking out about this! SOMEONE JUST DIED BEFORE HER VERY EYES! That’s traumatizing! Star seemed to be overreacting there on the whole “Destroy All Magic” thing, but is it really the best idea!? I mean, maybe if she had stuck around a bit and listened to Eclipsas third option it would’ve all been done by now! Glossaryck seemed freaked out when Star told him about her plan to destroy magic and I’m not sure if he showed her her tapestry to let her know it was a bad idea or if it was to save his own a** since he won’t exist after that (shrugs). Thirdly, with the whole “grandma reunion” I was pretty disappointed that we didn’t get to hear any of them speak with voice actors and just murmure whispers. Was this for us fans to shut up about giving us what we want!? Like, did it go something like this, “Alright! Fine! You guys want Star meeting her ancestors!? Fine! Her you go!? But guess what!? They won’t talk! You know why!? Cuz we don’t have that like of budget or time CUZ WE GOT A F*CKING SHOW TO WRAP UP OVER HERE!” :P. Sounds pretty passive-aggressive to me. Just sayin’. As for Stars comment on why Marco was sent to Mewni when Glossaryck said he belonged on Earth, I can vouch for that! Ahem! FIRST BORN SENT HIM THERE CUZ STAR ASKED TO GO TO MEWNI! (“Mama Star”). DOY! That’s why he was in the Lint Catcher! I don’t know about her sending Moon to Pie Island, but I’m guessing this it was Marcos first time in the Realm of Magic, she sent him to Mewni cuz of Stars orders and Moon to Pie Island cuz she sensed she belonged there. That’s just my theory. Finally, what really hurts is that Star is willing to sacrifice her relationship with Marco to defeat Mina (she finally called him her boyfriend 😢). Is this it!? Is this funny to the creators!? Giving us Starco, after 4 years of shipping, fanarts, fanfics, theorizes and dedication to the show, only to snatch it out of our hands! YOU SICK MINDED F*CKS! HOW DARE YOU!? IF THERE WAS AN ANGERLY CRYING EMOJI I’D PUT IT UP! This’ll end up being Stars shortest relationship in the history of the show! Why does Daron hate us!? As for Toffee, well, I heard people say he didn’t want the magic destroyed for the greater good cuz he was only doing it for his own benefit. He never wanted equality for Monsters/Mewmans, just superiority for Monsters and mostly his people the Septarians. So even if his goal was selfish, it was right to not let it fall under the wrong hands. Especially when it’s in the hands of someone who went through the trope From Nobody To Nightmare (def.)-an unknown individual who undergoes a transformation that makes them empowered, but becomes notorious. Toffees long since dead, but his last dying words were true. Only he knew how things would turn out! I’m over my limit

#svtfoe #The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse #svtfoe The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse #drinking #swearing #cursing

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natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk · 5 years

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ANN Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin

This is all originally from an Anime News Network interview.

Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin

Interview Info: October 7th, 2014 By Callum May for Anime News Network

As a person who is aspiring to become a score composer (kind of an unrealistic dream that I can’t seem to let go), I found this really, really interesting. I left a lot of stuff in because I feel like there’s so much to unpack, and most of the information is interesting to me.

I did edit a few things out (mostly not music related), and I put in some square brackets for the sake of explanation and context.

It appears that all of your anime soundtrack work has been with Kinema Citrus. How did you come to work with them?

I met Kinema Citrus when we were attached to the same project called "Under the Dog"[...] Since then, we've enjoyed a wonderful relationship on other projects such as Norn9 and most recently, Made in Abyss.

Do you expect to be working on anime outside of Kinema Citrus in the future?

That would be lovely. It's not entirely up to me, but that would be lovely. I'm very grateful to get any work in anime, as I'm very, very passionate about this industry. If I do get the opportunity to work on another project from any company, I would consider it to be a great privilege.

What was your first reaction to Made in Abyss when you were approached with the project? How much of it did you get to read?

I was given the first 4 books as source material to read and was immediately taken by the world that Tsukushi Akihito had created. The early stages of production were just me going through the books and finding interesting scenes or artwork to write music to.

Who did you have the most contact with on the Made in Abyss staff? What sort of questions did you ask?

I have a music director named Hiromitsu Iijima, who I would talk to on a daily basis. Every couple of weeks after a large chunk of the soundtrack had been written, we'd set up a meeting with Kojima-san [Director, Storyboard, and Episode Director] and Ogasawara-san [Animation Producer who works with Kinema Citrus] to discuss the current state of the soundtrack. We'd discuss if there were any points of concern or if anything needed to be changed. We essentially repeated that process until we were ready to record, mix, and finalize the music.

What sort of instructions and materials were you given in regards to making tracks for Made in Abyss?

In addition to all the manga books, I got a lot of background and concept art that I could reference. Trying to match the visual colour palette and the musical "colour" palette was really important to me. For example, looking at how the foregrounds and backgrounds were so juxtaposed gave me ideas such as writing for a small ensemble of instruments, but recorded in a large space. This was meant to act as a metaphor for Riko and Reg exploring in this humongous, expansive cave system.

Could you elaborate on the idea of developing a musical "colour" palette? How do colours and music correlate?

It might be best for me to give some examples. Starting more broadly with Reg, he's a character made up of both organic and mechanical body parts. So combining organic and mechanical sound sources when writing for Reg felt perfectly natural.

Talking more specifically about colour correlation, there is a lot of information in colour that allows us to perceive essential things such as relationships and distances between objects. The sound has this as well. Depending on how you combine the essential components of sound (pitch, timbre, harmony, loudness, etc.) and controlling how they either complement or clash against each other is going to result in a specific listening experience.

“Depths of the Abyss” is another example of the musical key slowly “ascending” over time to act as a sonic metaphor for the Abyss rising up to surround and engulf our main characters. There's the flip side to this as well. The title track “Made in Abyss” features descending string passages to represent Riko and Reg's descent into the world of the Abyss. I've personally found that thinking about these sorts of concepts can be very helpful when trying to establish the palette of sounds (colours) that you think will complement and/or enhance what's being displayed on-screen.

How much did you know about how your music would be used? Did you know that Underground River would be used to introduce the world in a montage just six minutes into the first episode?

Syncing music to anime is a slightly different process than what I've experienced [...] In the limited amount of anime that I've done, I've typically been instructed to create music away from the picture, which is then matched to the desired scene(s) at a later stage of production. This might contribute to why a lot of anime music can feel like a music video at times. From what I've experienced and from what I can research, I've seen directors take large chunks of time out of an episode to let the music take over so that the audience can “breathe". Underground River is a good example of this. [In episode one] you're introduced to characters, their motivations, world building, monsters and action all in a very short amount of time. Taking a minute or two to let the viewer digest all this can be very effective, and music can help with that.

You're also known for your work on Necrobarista and Kieru, two Australian indie games. What draws you to working on Aussie games, even after making your debut internationally?

[Being an Aussie], there's a lot of pride in how interesting and unique Australian indie games are. I've always had a connection to games and Australia. So even though I'm currently living in the UK, the fact that I'm still able to work on games with friends who are living back home is something really special.

It's not common to see an Australian in the credits for anime. Do you think musicians from outside of Japan are becoming more common?

I [...] grew up watching Dragon Ball Z on TV. There are actually two scores composed for that series depending on [whether you are watching dub or sub]. So I actually grew up listening to Bruce Faulconer's music for DBZ, not Shunsuke Kikuchi's original score.

[In regards to other foreign anime score composers] There are also other examples such as Blood+ with Marc Mancina, Gabriele Roberto with Zetman in 2012, and Evan Call has done quite a few things as well [like Violet Evergarden]. So I think while it may be becoming more frequent to see musicians from outside of Japan being attached to anime projects.

How would you say composing for games differs to composing for an anime series like Made in Abyss?

Speaking for myself, composing for games, anime, or whatever typically starts the same. I feel that if you're able to nail the concept and/or tone of the project, that's a big part of the process already completed. Then it's just up to the individual needs of the project. Games are typically approached from an interactive point of view. If it's film or TV, you need to know if you're writing to picture or if you can write with no time contractions like I described before. You sort of go from there really.

How would you describe that concept/tone of Made in Abyss?

Made in Abyss offered the perfect opportunity to get really specific with instrumentation. We had analog synthesizers, field recordings, vocal samples, and much more that were heavily manipulated to create distinct electro-acoustic textures. Deciding where to record was also a really important discussion, and we ended up recording at a studio in Vienna.

[It was] a huge, state of the art recording facility just outside central Vienna. I asked for a custom chamber orchestra comprised of three violins, three violas, two celli, one double bass, two flutes, two clarinets, one bassoon, two french horns, one trumpet, one trombone, and one tuba. Totaling 19 musicians. Each musician had their own “solo" part, meaning that there was up to 19 different “lines” being played at the same time during a piece of music.

The concept behind such a setup was to represent the small company of characters exploring the Abyss. Everyone's in this massive underground cave system, so I felt having a small group of soloists in a space designed to fit over 130 musicians was the perfect sonic metaphor for this. It just so happened that we were also working with some insanely good musicians and an unbelievable technical team as well.

If you were given the chance to collaborate on a soundtrack with one composer working in anime today, who would it be?

That's an interesting question. To be honest, I think I'd rather be an understudy of someone really experienced, rather than write side by side with them. If I could be a fly on the wall while Cornelius was writing Ghost in the Shell Arise, or Yoko Kanno while she was writing Terror in Resonance, that would be so, so informative. That said, Flying Lotus just got announced as the Blade Runner 2022 composer so I'd do anything to get in on that, even though it comes out in a few days (laughs).

Made in Abyss is one of the most highly regarded anime of the year. What do you think about the reaction to it?

I can't tell you how happy I am about the reaction to Made in Abyss. Writing the soundtrack was tough. The music is experimental in nature, and it required a lot of time and effort from many, many people. Everyone came together to make this work, and I'm over the moon with how it turned out.

#made in abyss #anime composer #anime news network #anime interview #score composer #score composer interview #ann interview

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