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smokeybrandreviews · 5 months

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Bone of my Sword

Scott Pilgrim is a franchise I hold near and dear to my heart. I was already a fan of the comic when it dropped way back when as I WAS those kids. When the OG graphic novel first released, Scott Pilgrims’ Precious little life, I was that twenty year old, hipster douchebag, who knew everything but absolutely nothing. I, personally, didn’t struggle with relationships (fortunate to have met the great love of my life early on and never looked back), but I had friends who were desperately trying to maneuver that mire of self-discovery and intimacy. Scott Pilgrim is the distillation of the Millennial experience during out prime years (if you buy into that sort of thing), captured perfectly on the page by Bryan Lee O’Malley. That said, the film adaption? Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? That is a Millennial culture milestone. When that movie released back in the early Tens, it spoke to me, directly. It spoke to a lot of us. We were those wayward idiots, living in garages, spinning our wheels in terms of careers, just vibing away to dope music and life experiences. I remember being that young, discovering The Killers and Kid Cudi, moving out of state on a whim just chasing new stimuli. Seeing that film, was like watching a crib notes of my entire life experience to that point and it left a strong impression. If I wasn’t a fan before, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World definitely made me one. I showed that movie to anyone who would watch it, gushing about its overlooked genius, and lamenting how there wasn't an anime or something, which adapted the entirety of the comic. Fast forward thirteen years later and, as if the Netflix gods heard me pining all those years ago, they delivered unto us Scott Pilgrim Takes off. I have feelings.

Scott Pilgrim Takes off is a goddamn masterpiece! I absolutely adored this show. It's exactly not what you think and i thought making that choice, was a brilliant one. Don't get me wrong, i am a Scott Pilgrim purist but, if we're being honest, with two decades worth of perspective behind me, the OG Scott Pilgrim story is kind of bullsh*t. Scott is the worst and never really had to reconcile for that sh*ttiness. He dated Knives and never really caught any flack for it on his end. He mooched off Wallace until he started mooching off Ramona. Scott was a scumbag on par with e very other Evil Ex, with the exception of, maybe, Roxie. Removing him from the equation not only gave Scott the distance from his would-be actions to grow into a solid, redeemed character, but gave the rest of the cast that very same opportunity. It gave Ramona that opportunity, one she sorely needed. One that we, as fans, didn't even really KNOW she needed. Giving the big chair to Ramona allowed her to reconcile how terrible she was toward her Exes. It gave her so much more agency than just being "won" at the behest of the weirdly gross and aggressively abusive, Gideon Graves. Takes Off is as much Ramona's story as it is Scott's and that sh*t makes for the overall narrative, becoming something more. Adding Ramona's story to this tale, adds a layer of maturity, which makes sense considering it's been twenty years since Scott first punched Matthew Patel into pocket change. Altering the perspective from Scott to Ramona, taking the narrative from one of destruction to healing, absolutely MADE the entire franchise. Altering the perspective from Scott to Ramona, taking the narrative from one of destruction to healing, absolutely MADE the entire franchise.

This take on the story sees Scott actually "defeated" by Matty Pat and the ensuing mystery of his perceived "death" sends Ramona on a quest to find the truth. During this journey, SHE is forced to "fight" with her Exes, and by fight, i mean actually apologize to them for being a sh*tty person. Ramona finally stopped running after she met Scott and he basically murdered all of her evil exes. That made for, at the time, some cool imagery but it was, objectively, an absurd way to properly unpack your traumas. Especially the ones you create yourself. And let me tell you, that League of Evil Exes? Yeah, Ramona definitely created that sh*t. We get hints of each villain origin story in the film and graphic novels but Takes off is ABOUT those relationships and why they ended the way they did. It doesn't take long to understand that Ramona, too, is just as terrible as Scott, but in a different way. Seriously, Roxie's episode hammers that home with such intensity, you don't have a choice but to accept it as gospel. Every Evil Ex gets this treatment. Mostly. Once again the Katayanagi Twins get shafted but that's their thing and they kind of don't seem like assholes anyway. Not really in the previous takes on the story, either. Like, those relationships should have keyed us into just how f*cking destructive the trail to Ramona's flower truly was but we were kids back then, too, and that's the brilliance of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: We're not kids anymore and neither are these characters.

I'm thirty-nine years old. While i love Scott Pilgrim for what it was, as a dude two decades removed from that time in my life, i can honestly say i was a f*cktard. All twenty-somethings are. We haven't figured out life, at all, and some of us won't even as we approach our mid-Thirties. By the time you're my age, however, once should hope you have a handle on your sh*rt enough to recognize that, maybe, way back when, during your Twenty-something scumbag days, that you were a little bit of a scumbag. That's what Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is doing. That's what the story is about. It's catharsis and acceptance which comes with the benefit of time and space. Bryan Lee O'Malley published the first Scott Pilgrim story when he was about twenty-five. That means he wrote it at an even earlier age and it reads as such. That narrative reflects the emotional maturity of someone who had experienced a handful of years unto themselves, outside the protective bubble of their parents, give or take. Takes Off is written by a mid-Forties, adult man, who has had a life. O'Malley has been married, found success with his goofy little story about wayward love, walked the Hollywood red carpet, made a name for himself, and suffered the sting divorce. He's not punching his problems or running away from them anymore, he's confronting them head on and accepting that, a lot of the issues in his life, are because of his choices. As i approach the cusp of the big Four-Zero myself, i recognize that. I accept that. I've been doing that. To see it happening in one of the most culturally defining stories of my generation, is both comforting and surreal. Scott Pilgrim Takes off is a wonderful show. It's the most appropriate period on a sentence we Millennials started writing way back when we took our first steps into adulthood and i love it for that. That said, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is the best thing to ever come out of this franchise. Fight me about it.

#Scott Pilgrim #Scott Pilgrim vs. The World #Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

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sunburnacoustic · 10 months

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The Inner Symmetry

VISIONS Germany reviews Muse's set at Hurricane Festival in 2001 and interviews the band in issue No. 100, July 2001.

[Note: This article has been translated from German, and my German is nonexistent so I am no help here. Original article archived on archive.org]

Good Morning Beautiful

The summer of '99. A good year in every respect. Great records, great concerts, fine festivals. The Hurricane, for example, was one of those highlights that people talked about for a long time. Motorpsycho, dEUS, Chemical Brothers, Manson, Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters and dozens of other seal-of-approval gigs. That was nice.

Right in the middle: three young guys with playfulness, pressure and anger in their stomachs, and an album called "Showbiz". As well as half a dozen VISIONS editorial staff, who at eleven in the morning in a shockingly empty circus tent indulged in true emotional rapture. The reason: singer and guitarist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominique Howard celebrated live on German soil for the first time Songs like "Sunburn", "Muscle Museum" or "Uno" enthralled from the word go with brilliant guitar baths, magical presence and a punch that made the festival breakfast stick in your throat.

So there it was, the new Britrock sensation. Three pimply teenagers in shabby jeans and sneakers, who at first glance looked as if they had won the Sparkasse youth development prize. But they had prepared well, at home in tranquil Devon in rural nowhere in southern England. Had studied the records of Nirvana, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and the Smashing Pumpkins in the children's room, met several times a week in the rehearsal room for years and worked meticulously on the details until they were really good.

Then, in early '99, they had just that little bit of luck: John Leckie, the production ace for Britain's rockier moments, found them fragrant and took them to the pampas. More precisely: to Cornwall to Sawmill Studios, where, in the middle of the forest and far away from any civilisation, bands like Oasis, Supergrass and the Stone Roses had already put down great albums. And now it would come, the "Showbiz".

In the afternoon of that day on the Hurricane [festival], during an interview in their then-still clearly small camper, three super good-humoured rockers lolled about casually on their couch and gibbered over the small group of girls who openly offered themselves as accompaniment for the afternoon at the concert earlier searched. Man, that's pretty exciting, all of this. Matthew shakes his head: "It's so surreal. Up until a few months ago we were still practicing our fingers sore in the rehearsal room and playing in pubs to a few people who thought we were shit. And now we're rocking here in Germany at one of the biggest festivals and having a lot of fun. Great, and now I'm going to see Placebo."

The World Is Yours

It's cold, it's winter '99. Despite the technical problems and ten hours on a snow-covered autobahn, Muse really impressed the almost sold-out Cologne Prime Club. Later, Dominic, Matthew and I are sitting in my old Opel, freezing like slugs in the three-star freezer and listening to tapes for a VISIONS blind date. They seem pretty much destroyed - the fact that "Showbiz" was released worldwide, at the same time and with great fanfare now hits mercilessly. You want them, preferably anywhere and immediately. Five club concerts in Europe, then as support for the Foo Fighters and Porno For Pyros through the States, and in between to Southeast Asia, where they already fill the big halls.

That takes its toll. As a jittery, flu-stricken Matthew soberly states, "It's damn hard to maintain a consistently high level when you've got absolutely no downtime. Right now, all I could do was sleep all day." Moderately enthusiastic they fight their way through the 15 songs on my tape, only the new Therapy? can really blow his mind. "My goodness, let's get started," says Dominic happily. "And how well they play to the point. Oh man, we still have to practise a lot."

Pleasure And Pain

Earlier this year in London: visibly relaxed, contentedly grinning faces on the band and label people. The weather is beautiful, the hotel is large and expensive, the lounge is comfortable and the media entourage is international. A relaxed afternoon with fine finger food and a lot of questions. And new sneakers for Matthew. Unconventionally cut old school sneakers with fashionable puma fur applications in black and bordeaux. He got it from the Japanese delegation because they heard that he likes that sort of thing. That's right - Matthew is overjoyed: "An excellent gift. Because that's how it is with shoes for me: I always only have one pair. I wear it exclusively and for as long as possible. Until I get a new one that I like.

With all due respect, Mr. Bellamy, I blurted out unintentionally, it was about time. Because his previous favourite pair, parked right next to my armchair, a festival-proven biotope of days gone by with the pungent aroma of ammonia and acid, could have a negative effect on sex appeal. "Heehee, finally someone else tells him!" giggles Dominic, who is lounging next to Matthew on the sofa and gnawing the toppings of bite-sized slices of pizza in layers.

Matthew takes it easy, like so many things these days. But they also have every reason to smile: Yesterday, at the first small club gig after a five-month studio break, it literally broke out of them. Pressure and fun in a family package, a superbly balanced balance between brute force and pure beauty, and all with a tightness and precision that very few trios can achieve.

Also, and even more important: The second opus "Origin Of Symmetry" is as good as in the can, and, so they say, turned out really smart. More ideas, more courage, more variation, more studios and more real human bones - the latter used as idiosyncratic sounding percussion instruments. “Yeah, that's about it,” Matthew judges. “We just wanted to trust each other more. We know more, can do more, so we want more.”

According to Matthew, the most important development, which was also unmistakable last night, is the following: “We have found out what it really means to be a three-man band and how we can optimally use these advantages. We've listened to a lot of Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Nirvana, Primus and Police—the best trios in music history—and only focused on what makes them special: dynamics, interaction, precision, filling in empty spaces. I think we're getting that across quite well now.”

His trick: variation. In volume, mood, intensity and instrumentation. The latter especially, because Matthew has learned to play the piano. “I've been really into playing keyboards, Fender Rhodes and piano for a long time, and now I'm composing a lot with them too. I aspire to be at least as good at it as I am at the guitar. That's why we're going to integrate the keys into the concerts in the future. That gives some songs a completely different, completely new vibe.” Also: It also looks good. “I think it's cool: Sitting on the stage behind his piano, singing a ballad and having the blues. Almost a bit like Tom Waits.” A jealous crook,

“There are two sides to Muse – in the songwriting, on stage, in all of our music. They express the two opposite moods I can find myself in when making music. On the one hand you have the happy, light-hearted side that's just looking for a good melody and a well-rounded song. On the other hand, there is this thoughtful, serious, dark, often aggressive element that sometimes breaks out of me and creates wild, unbridled moments. That's what scares me sometimes on stage, because something almost always breaks. It's the borderline between pleasure and pain. You have to learn to deal with that.”

Truly, not an easy chunk. Especially when impressions like those of the past year rain down on you. Shrill situations and people, bad and good surprises, a life with left indicators and headlight flashers. Matthew says: “You're in the middle of Australia, the phone rings and they ask you if you can tour America with the Chili Peppers next week. And a week later you are suddenly in Japan and 20 girls are camping in front of your hotel room. And if you go out and talk to them, they make a big fuss and run away. At the bottom, you hop in the limo, drive to the venue, and then all hell breaks loose.”

That Rockstar Thing, Revisited

Easter in Düsseldorf, two months later. Almost everything is the same as it was a year ago when you were here for the first time: the same place (Philipshalle), the same occasion (Osterrocknacht). But: a different position. If you gave the afternoon heater back then, this year you are the secret main act for many. Also different from last time: the mood. Because it's bad. There are far too many interviews, viva is annoying and they don't feel like signing autographs. And then this ugly backstage room, of all things, the one next to the Stereophonics, who you always thought were stupid.

Especially since their singer Kelly Jones informed readers in detail in an NME interview about how independent and boring Muse were compared to them. And anyway: Matthew is a little snot with bad manners. As proof, a play follows in two acts. Part one consists of a very pissed off Mr. Bellamy, unannounced visits to the cloakroom neighbours, arguments, ugly scenes, and to top it all: red wine stains on your favourite sneakers. The end of the scene: even more bad mood. The evening seems to have passed.

But part two follows in no time, less than an hour later: Muse on stage. Professionals in a duel - with the weapons of the musician. Matthew is the grumpy, multi-talented frontman somewhere between languishing singer, maniacal guitarist and serene piano player. The new songs are stunners, today's drive is a very special one, and the Stereophonics playing after them look pretty lame and tired. Muse, the ‘young urban professionals’ of rock music, do what they do best: vomit out emotional apocalypses that have become songs, absorb anger and energy, surf on a sea of intensity, melody and groove.

They play skilfully on the keyboard of the rock 'n' roll premier league, and not only in musical terms, as the rest of the evening proves. We—that is, the industry-standard mix of media representatives accompanying the band—are sitting in the living room booth of their super-luxury bus on the way to the after-show party in a rented hotel suite. The band is upstairs in the living quarters of the rolling amusement hut; not alone, as giggling girls' voices tell us.

Later, in the suite, a motley crowd of roadies, journalists, musicians and label people demand music and alcohol. Matthew, Chris and Dominic are just taking a shower or something, the procurement of drinks is faltering, everyone is waiting, nobody knows why, for whom and in what condition.

But as soon as they are there, the fun trumpets with the aura of successful alternative careerists, things get turbulent. Beautiful girls give them beautiful eyes, complimenting pats on the back from every side, handshakes and a bit of casual socialising. Who would have thought: The insignia of being a star are now excellent for the three inconspicuous boys from the sheltered provincial idyll.

As it's almost getting light outside and my skull is getting darker and darker, I'm standing in front of a monstrous wide-screen TV with Dominic and an absinthe in my hand. My efforts to explain to him that the hotpacks from the Rockpalast broadcast that are just crossing the screen are called Clawfinger, were a very hot sweep in the early 90s and were allowed to replace the main act today, earns a weary shrug of the shoulders. "I've never heard that. Must have been before my time. I was just starting out on Nirvana and grunge at the time.” Young veggies, damn it.

Blood, Sweat & Abbey Road

Three weeks later we meet again, because in the meantime "Origin Of Symmetry" has hit the home CD player. It only needed a few runs to convey the certainty: This record also has it, something special, maybe even more than the debut "Showbiz", which in direct comparison seems downright tame.

The foundation: a handful of fantastic, aggressive rock tunes like "New Born", "Hyper Music" or the first single "Plug In Baby", with killer melodies and beats like slaps in the face. The walls: magical ballads like the suicidal blues "Feeling Good", the heart-rending "Screenager" or the sacred "Megalomania", which comes with church organs. The roof: confused glam rock with tasteful 80s keyboards ("Bliss"), a vocally losing-all-control of Matthew in the pathos anthem "Micro Cuts", or orchestral monumentals in the best prog rock tradition, as in "Space Dementia" or " Citizen Erased". A colossus of diversity, beauty and great songs.

The circumstances of this album production couldn't have been better either: They spent a few months in the four most expensive and best studios in England - including Peter Gabriel's 'Real World' mega complex, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour's studio houseboat and, of course, 'Abbey Road'. “Admittedly, we also had to take a deep breath at the end of the recording when we asked ourselves what the next record should actually be,” says Dominic. “But should we forego such opportunities because of that?”

During the recording sessions, they were again guided for long periods by the skilled production hands of John Leckie, but on four of the heavier songs they also put themselves in the care of another top-class sound carver: Tool producer Dave Bottrill. “I don't think anyone understands us like John, but it was a very important experience,” Matthew recalls. “Dave has a very different approach to a band and their music.” What's the biggest difference between them? “John Leckie is sound, arrangement and feeling. Dave, on the other hand, thrives more on the energy he thrashes into you while recording. It really helps you get the most out of yourself.”

With the finished high-quality recordings, Matthew says, they were drawn back “back home to our living room, now in terms of studio technology.” Namely to Cornwall to the 'Sawmill Studios', whose owners - and this is where we come full circle - meanwhile too is her manager, closest adviser and backup daddy. We are sitting in the bright sun on the terrace of a luxury hotel in Hamburg. As usual, Chris is the friendly, grinning, reserved observer. Dominic, the smug rascal with the dry jokes, asks me the name of the pretty promoter who is taking care of them today. And Matthew, the bright kid with a penchant for hyperactivity, meticulously paints every colour abrasion on his run-down Asian sneakers black again with an Edding.

Despite the stress of everyday touring, they make a vital, tidy impression today. The recipe is simple, explains Matthew. “First: eat better, take care of yourself a little. And secondly: going out a lot, having a few drinks with nice people who were at your concert. In short: lead a social life. If you just hang out at the hotel and lock yourself up, like we did on the last tour, then eventually all ties to normal life will be severed. You'll quickly become a bit ‘meschugge’ [mad?]. That's why we're going out a lot more among people this time. It helps you stay grounded. The only thing that is sometimes clearly neglected is sleep.”

Good keyword: Is there ever help? Surely you get offered at some after-show party, that junk. But no, no power to the drugs - at least the stupid ones. “Everything that is too speedy or too chemical drives me crazy, we don't really need that at all. The greatest feeling is something hallucinogenic, maybe a few mushrooms. But never on tour. At most at home, or rather in the studio if you got stuck musically and need a conceptual overview for a few hours.”

That's how they sit there: three smart young men in harmony with themselves, the world and the temptations lurking everywhere. Unaffected, reflected and extremely relaxed wolves of the music genius in the sheep's clothing of young normal people. “That's what life is all about,” says Dominic. “Being able to do exactly what you want to do most, in a relaxed, optimal environment.” “There are still phases where I catch myself thinking that all this is nothing more than is a great dream,” adds Matthew. “And then again there are moments when the full force of this crazy rock lifestyle hits my bones so much that I know: That must be reality.”

This is also reality, and current ones at that: Muse are the paragons of the new generation of boisterous rock emotionalists. The reactions to the album range from positive to overwhelming, the concerts are buzzing and everyone is happy. The fans, because they can indulge in pure Muse enjoyment. The label, because if everything goes well, you can soon earn a lot of money with it. And the band, because they can take all the freedom they want and still be loved fanatically and taken 100% seriously.

Matthew is a bit proud: “What I think is so great is that people really engage with us. Because that proves: We are not hype, everything is solidly developed success. When we try something new or overshoot the mark, nobody says: ‘Let them do it, they're crazy anyway.’ No, people try to understand why we do something. They take us seriously and deal with our ideas. It's a really great feeling to be liked for that, not because you had that one cool #1 hit with that catchy tune.”

Just An Ordinary Night

Their gig in the completely sold-out market hall on the same evening is rather meagre thanks to a terribly miserable sound, terrible scramble and the obvious listlessness of the actors. But today's after-show party in a hip cocktail bar on the Alster is quite solid. A constellation of journos, record bosses, musicians and happily grinning groupies, which is remarkably similar to the Düsseldorf drink, but today decidedly more top-class, basks in the wonderful feeling of being able to be there. And they do their job well, the three main actors. Are charming, funny, constantly surrounded and even concerned about the musical well-being of the guests - Dominic doesn't give up until he can soften the granite block programmed stoically to house by a DJ to let the complete new Weezer record run through.

"Is that a pattern every night when you're on tour?" my gin and tonic-soaked brain asks an equally heavily-counted Matthew as we wait for cabs at dawn. “Yeah, more or less. That's good: we have fun and gain experience. And then you can write songs about it again.” And hey presto, he's already sitting in the taxi with Dominic and a pretty companion. Hopefully he'll keep his shoes on later for the cozy part in the hotel. The one with the cougar pattern, the red wine stain, and the marker pen on the side.

#muse band #muse #matt bellamy #chris wolstenholme #dom howard #muse interviews #VISIONS Germany #VISIONS Magazine #2001 #Origin of Symmetry #Showbiz Muse #Muse band #translated interviews #(i.e. I'm sorry if things seem a bit off in the centre! I've tried reading and making sense of it all; few changes here and there #but if the word translations are wrong from the original German I can't help with that unfortunately)#man 90s and 00s journalists were packed off with a bottle of booze and a pad in hand and just told to have the maddest times eh #I suppose a true sacrifice to their art: they drove themselves a little insane to get to the heart of what a band was about— see their #ugliest faces and write about it #I kinda respect that; we don't have that anymore. No magazine has the budget for it and neither do rising indie/rock musicians #that's a whole way of life in music that's gone #music journalism #Muse Germany #long post

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swashbucklery · 1 year

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OK I’ve slept and had some coffee and now here you go internet my Sunday afternoon Critical Role feelings. Spoilers up to the end of ep 29 which is where I’m at today:

1) I want to start a Laudna Book Club where we just talk about Laudna for like. . .two hours a week. I’m fascinated by all of the choices but also by the character design and I just like. In some ways am excited to get to the Death Arc bc i think it confirms a lot of the thoughts I currently have but in other ways I wish it wasn’t happening because I really like just like. Turning characters over and over to see the different facets and theorizing on how they tick and I do think that a literal magical mystery tour of Laudna’s Trauma Stuff is going to suck some of the fun out of it BUT ALAS.

2) Also I have a lot of quiet Orym feelings I don’t know why he’s getting me so good but I love a good gay soldier with a dead gay husband in this universe apparently and this is doing it for me.

(Actually this is a lie I know exactly what it is because Gay Revenge Quest always hits me so much harder, like the concept that he’s just quietly oh yes I just wish to help the Ashari I’m just curious about the secrets of the moon who can say why with this quiet exterior? But then deep down he’s like fuckin. I’ll do a million pushups a day because all three feet of me is going to find the person who murdered my husband and BEAT THEM TO DEATH WITH MY SHREDDED ABS. Catnip. Delicious. Yes please. This does nothing for me when the wife is in the fridge but make it queer and I’m all over it.)

3) ALSO I keep thinking about Imogen and Laudna and what I really keep thinking about is Imogen and Laudna separately but also Dusk there and like. The layers of love but also the layers of selfishness and like. I don’t want to write a coffee shop AU I want to write fic about just how messy they both are I know the internet is frothing over this as a slowburn where they love each other but they’re dumb but I’d argue that like. It’s not about them realizing their love it’s about each of them needing to grow because they’re both, right now, too messy and too raw to really love each other in the way that either of them needs. And so they can love each other but they can’t be in love, you know, and it’s - that’s where the stories are and it’s DELICIOUS.

4) Look I know I haven’t finished watching the full Ruidus Lore Drop bc there’s more in ep30 but also like. This isn’t not Calamity 2, yes? Calamity 2? Yes?

(Like, my vision for Calamity 2 was somehow related to Betrayer Gods + Opal bc I am still pining for a batshit bonkers EXU/C3 crossover arc but WHATEVER MATTHEW)

Bc like. The characters don’t know this but we the viewers know that Calamity was basically: attempt to move the leylines to travel between planes + attempt to breach the barrier between Betrayers and Prime Material Plains + apogee solstice = Oops Gods Everywhere.

And IF there are secret gods on the moon and the moon is secret and the moon is maybe already traveling between planes and we know that the Feywild is full of pre-Calamity tech because they Fey went there to wait out the Calamity like. Who’s to say that the Unseelie aren’t building a version of an Astral Leywright and who’s to say that it won’t a) melt together the Feywild and Prime Material Plane and/or b) release the Secret Moon Gods.

(Who’s to say that the Secret Moon Gods haven’t already been released and are being worshipped in the Feywild bc we know that being believed in is what gives gods their power)

(I WANT TO SHAKE THIS UNTIL THE PUZZLE SOLUTION FALLS OUT UGH.)

#you know that thing where we watch a show and then talk about it?#let's do that internet!#laudna mcdeadgirl dungeons and dragons my other beloved #imogen campaign 3 anime x men horse girl #orym campaign 3 loves his dead gay husband #imodnacorp my beloved my nemesis #calamity 2: electric boogaloo #the matthew mercer dungeons and dragons twitch cinematic universe #campaign 3 spoilers

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smokeybrand · 5 months

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Bone of my Sword

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summarychannel · 7 months

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Officially | The British Foreign Minister escapes from Israel after being bombed by Hamas and Hezbollah rockets. The comprehensive attack begins

Updates on the Al-Aqsa Flood operation presented in this episode of Samri Channel. The beginning is with the international relief agency UNRWA, which said in a statement that about 250,000 Palestinians have been displaced inside Gaza, most of them in the agency’s schools. According to an UNRWA press release, at dawn on Wednesday, the displaced people are living in difficult living conditions, including water, medicine, food and medicine. Yesterday, the European Union's foreign policy coordinator, Josep Borrell, said that "the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza requires more assistance to the Palestinian people." He pointed out that the foreign ministers of the European Union countries "agreed on the necessity of Israel exercising its right to self-defense in accordance with international humanitarian law." He pointed out that the ministers agreed to condemn any attack targeting civilians, and stressed the need to release detainees and respect international humanitarian law. He explained that there should be no interruption of water, food, or electricity, calling for the opening of humanitarian corridors "so that people can escape the bombing towards Egypt."

On the other hand, the White House announced that US President Joe Biden made a new phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which he discussed continuing American support for Israel. The White House press office said on Tuesday, “President Biden and Vice President Harris concluded a phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, in which they discussed support for Israel.” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also said on Tuesday that Secretary Anthony Blinken will travel to Israel on Wednesday to meet with its senior leaders, on a solidarity visit following an unprecedented attack by the Hamas movement. “It will be a message of solidarity and support,” Miller said in a press conference, adding: “Of course he wants to hear from the leaders of Israel, hear directly from them about the situation they are facing, about what they need and how we can best support them.” Miller added that Blinken will arrive in Israel on Thursday, and will then go to Jordan to meet with senior officials there.

In southern Lebanon, on Wednesday, Lebanese Hezbollah published a video clip of an operation targeting Israeli soldiers in Al-Jardah Hill, opposite the Lebanese border town of Al-Dhahira. The video showed the party targeting members of the Israeli army on the hill with guided missiles. Al-Jardah Hill is a positioning point for Israeli army personnel and vehicles. On Wednesday morning, clashes took place between Hezbollah members and the Israeli army in the vicinity of the town of Al-Dahira, with Israeli military helicopters participating in the bombing. Alarm sirens sounded at the headquarters of the International Emergency Forces in the towns targeted by the Israeli bombing. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for targeting an Israeli site with guided missiles, saying that the attack came in response to Israeli attacks that killed 3 of its members on Monday.

Finally, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his surprise at sending American aircraft carriers to the Middle East, explaining that this exacerbates the already tense situation in the region. Putin pointed out: “I do not know why the United States of America decided to send an aircraft carrier to the Middle East, and then announced the sending of another carrier. Will they bomb Lebanon?” The Russian President continued: "Or did they just decide to scare someone? But there are people who are no longer afraid of anything. It is necessary not to solve the problem in this way, but rather to search for compromise solutions." He said: “Now we hear that Iran is accused of all sins, as usual, without evidence. There is no evidence.” Commenting on the developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Putin noted: “What is happening is terrible.” We must strive to minimize or reduce casualties among the civilian population to zero. "If men decide to fight among themselves, let them fight among themselves. Leave the women and children alone. This applies to both sides," Putin said at the international forum "Russian Energy Week."

#Palestine #Egypt #latest news

#youtube

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roberthunter62 · 2 years

Video

youtube

At Seventeen by Janis Ian.

In 1979, I was 17. I looked up a list of things that happened in 1979, and the most momentous event (not that it I noticed and probably it wasn’t generally considered as momentous as it later turned out to be) was that Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister in the UK. Margaret Thatcher, the milk snatcher, although I had already passed through infant and junior school drinking free milk every day, so I wasn’t so affected. A cartoon character so thoroughly despicable and easily hated - my Dad always just called her ‘that woman’ and probably still can bring himself to say her name. The miner’s strike was a memorable part of time at university, though I was never sufficiently politicised to really understand the issues, I wore the stickers and stood at the back of the meetings. For all your Merkels and Obamas and Trumps and even Putins, MT stands out as the political personality of my life and I never even noticed when she was elected. West Derbyshire always managed to return a Conservative MP who was never a national figure of any note, although Matthew Parris was the MP for a while before going all Michael Portillo on us.

The other thing that apparently happened in 1979 which rather passed me by was the release of The Life of Brian. I remember the controversy about it being heretical - was it maybe even banned in certain conservative towns of the UK? I just googled it and found out that it was actually X rated by the censor, so perhaps that was the reason that we didn’t go to see it. We didn’t go the cinema very often anyway, which I have pretty much continued to this day. The Monty Python canon has of course become almost as quotable as the bible and although when you dig out old clips on youtube, some of them are clearly just ‘work-in-progress’ Nevertheless, in general culture, Monty Python and Margaret Thatcher are elements which really define the cultural swamp in which I have lived. Life of Brian as a film is still glorious and hangs together properly despite being so episodic, I still pick out bits on youtube to watch again and again..

At Seventeen - did I actually own the single, I could have done. A lovely song for all of us adolescents awakening to the fact of our own mediocrity, Life eh? Here’s a metaphor: when you are born, apparently you have the capability to differentiate the myriad potential sounds of human languages, at 0 to 12 months you could learn any or all the 8,000 languages in the world and speak them to a native level. But within three years you lose that capability and only learn one or a very few languages. That lovely jelly in your head solidifies into a certain form and that’s what you’re stuck with for ever more. Certainly by the time you’ve reached the end of adolescence, you’re stuck with who you’re going to be for the rest of your life and spend your time trying to find a little corner to fit that awkward personality. And Janis Ian sings that beautifully, and this live version is even more heartfelt than the single.

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theshedding · 3 years

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Lil Nas X: Country Music, Christianity & Reclaiming HELL

I don’t typically bother myself to follow what Lil Nas X is doing from day to day, or even month to month but I do know that his “Old Town Road” hit became one of the biggest selling/streamed records in Country Music Business history (by a Black Country & Queer artist). “Black” is key because for 75+ years Country music has unsuspiciously evolved into a solidly White-identified genre (despite mixed and Indian & Black roots). Regrettably, Country music is also widely known for anti-black, misogynoir, reliably homophobic (Trans isn’t really a conversation yet), Christian and Hard Right sentiments on the political spectrum. Some other day I will venture into more; there is a whole analysis dying to be done on this exclusive practice in the music industry with its implications on ‘access’ to equity and opportunity for both Black/POC’s and Whites artists/songwriters alike. More commentary on this rigid homogeneous field is needed and how it prohibits certain talent(s) for the sake of perpetuating homogeneity (e.g. “social determinants” of diversity & viable artistic careers). I’ll refrain from discussing that fully here, though suffice it to say that for those reasons X’s “Old Town Road” was monumental and vindicating.

As for Lil Nas X, I’m not particularly a big fan of his music; but I see him, what he’s doing, his impact on music + culture and I celebrate him using these moments to affirm his Black, Queer self, and lifting up others. Believe it or not, even in the 2020′s, being “out” in the music business is still a costly choice. As an artist it remains much easier to just “play straight”. And despite appearances, the business (particularly Country) has been dragged kicking and screaming into developing, promoting and advancing openly-affirming LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 artists in the board room or on-stage. Though things are ‘better’ we have not yet arrived at a place of equity or opportunity for queer artists; for the road of music biz history is littered with stunted careers, bodies and limitations on artists who had no option but to follow conventional ways, fail or never be heard of in the first place. With few exceptions, record labels, radio and press/media have successfully used fear, intimidation, innuendo and coercion to dilute, downplay or erase any hint of queer identity from its performers. This was true even for obvious talents like Little Richard.

(Note: I’m particularly speaking of artists in this regard, not so much the hairstylists, make-up artists, PA’s, etc.)

_____

Which is why...in regard to Lil Nas X, whether you like, hate or love his music, the young brother is a trailblazer. His very existence protests (at least) decades of inequity, oppression and erasure. X aptly critiques a Neo-Christian Fascist Heteropatriarchy; not just in American society but throughout the Music Business and with Black people. That is no small deal. His unapologetic outness holds a mirror up to Christianity at-large, as an institution, theology and practice. The problem is they just don’t like what they see in that mirror.

In actuality, “Call Me By Your Name”, Lil Nas X’s new video, is a twist on classic mythology and religious memes that are less reprehensible or vulgar than the Biblical narratives most of us grew up on vís-a-vís indoctrinating smiles of Sunday school teachers and family prior to the “age of reason”. Think about the narratives blithely describing Satan’s friendly wager with God regarding Job (42:1-6); the horrific “prophecies” in St. John’s Book of Revelation (i.e. skies will rain fire, angels will spit swords, mankind will be forced to retreat into caves for shelter, and we will be harassed by at least three terrifying dragons and beasts. Angels will sound seven trumpets of warning, and later on, seven plagues will be dumped on the world), or Jesus’s own clarifying words of violent intent in Matthew (re: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” 10:34). Whether literal or metaphor, these age old stories pale in comparison to a three minute allegorical rap video. Conservatives: say what you will, I’m pretty confident X doesn’t take himself as seriously as “The true and living God” from the book of Job.

A little known fact as it is, people have debunked the story and evolution of Satan and already offered compelling research showing [he] is more of a literary device than an actual entity or “spirit” (Spoiler: In the Bible, Satan does not take shape as an actual “bad” person until the New Testament). In fact, modern Christianity’s impression of the “Devil” is shaped by conflating Hellenized mythology with a literary tradition rooted in Dante’s Inferno and accompanying spooks and superstitions going back thousands of years. Whether Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Scientologist, Atheist or Agnostic, we’ve spent a lifetime with these predominant icons and clichés. (Resource: Prof. Bart D. Erhman, “Heaven & Hell”).

So Here’s THE PROBLEM: The current level of fear and outrage is:

(1) Unjust, imposing and irrational.

(2) Disproportionate when taken into account a lifetime of harmful Christian propaganda, anti-gay preaching and political advocacy.

(3) Historically inaccurate concerning the existence of “Hell” and who should be scared of going there.

Think I’m overreacting?

Examples:

Institutionalized Homophobia (rhetoric + policy)

Anti-Gay Ministers In Life And Death: Bishop Eddie Long And Rev. Bernice King

Black, gay and Christian, Marylanders struggle with Conflicts

Harlem pastor: 'Obama has released the homo demons on the black man'

Joel Olsteen: Homosexuality is “Not God’s Best”

Bishop Brandon Porter: Gays “Perverted & Lost...The Church of God in Christ Convocation appears like a ‘coming out party’ for members of the gay community.”

Kim Burrell: “That perverted homosexual spirit is a spirit of delusion & confusion and has deceived many men & women, and it has caused a strain on the body of Christ”

Falwell Suggests Gays to Blame for 9-11 Attacks

Pope Francis Blames The Devil For Sexual Abuse By Catholic Church

Pope Francis: Gay People Not Welcome in Clergy

Pope Francis Blames The Devil For Sexual Abuse By Catholic Church

The Pope and Gay People: Nothing’s Changed

The Catholic church silently lobbied against a suicide prevention hotline in the US because it included LGBT resources

Mormon church prohibits Children of LGBT parents to be baptized

Catholic Charity Ends Adoptions Rather Than Place Kid With Same-Sex Couple

I Was a Religious Zealot That Hurt People-Coming Out as Gay: A Former Conversion Therapy Leader Is Apologizing to the LGBTQ Community

The above short list chronicles a consistent, literal, demonization of LGBTQ people, contempt for their gender presentation, objectification of their bodies/sexuality and a coordinated pollution of media and culture over the last 50+ years by clergy since integration and Civil Rights legislation. Basically terrorism. Popes, Bishops, Pastors, Evangelists, Politicians, Television hosts, US Presidents, Camp Leaders, Teachers, Singers & Entertainers, Coaches, Athletes and Christians of all types all around the world have confused and confounded these issues, suppressed dissent, and confidently lied about LGBT people-including fellow Queer Christians with impunity for generations (i.e. “thou shall not bear false witness against they neighbor” Ex. 23:1-3). Christian majority viewpoints about “laws” and “nature” have run the table in discussions about LGBTQ people in society-so much that we collectively must first consider their religious views in all discussions and the specter of Christian approval -at best or Christian condescension -at worst. That is Christian (and straight) privilege. People are tired of this undue deference to religious opinions.

That is what is so deliciously bothersome about Lil Nas X being loud, proud and “in your face” about his sexuality. If for just a moment, he not only disrupts the American hetero-patriarchy but specifically the Black hetero-patriarchy, the so-called “Black Church Industrial Complex”, Neo-Christian Fascism and a mostly uneducated (and/or miseducated) public concerning Ancient Near East and European history, superstitions-and (by extension) White Supremacy. To round up: people are losing their minds because the victim decided to speak out against his victimizer.

Additionally, on some level I believe people are mad at him being just twenty years old, out and FREE as a self-assured, affirming & affirmed QUEER Black male entertainer with money and fame in the PRIME of his life. We’ve never, or rarely, seen that before in a Black man in the music business and popular culture. But that’s just too bad for them. With my own eyes I’ve watched straight people, friends, Christians, enjoy their sexuality from their elementary youth to adolescence, up and through college and later marriages, often times independently of their spouses (repeatedly). Meanwhile Queer/Gay/SGL/LGBTQ people are expected to put their lives on hold while the ‘blessed’ straight people run around exploring premarital/post-marital/extra-marital sex, love and affection, unbound & un-convicted by their “sin” or God...only to proudly rebrand themselves later in life as a good, moral “wholesome Christian” via the ‘sacred’ institution of marriage with no questions asked.

Inequality defined.

For Lil Nas X, everything about the society we've created for him in the last 100+ years (re: links above) has explicitly been designed for his life not to be his own. According to these and other Christians (see above), his identity is essentially supposed to be an endless rat fuck of internal confusion, suicide-ideation, depression, long-suffering, faux masculinity, heterosexism, groveling towards heaven, respectability politics, failed prayer and supplication to a heteronormative earthly and celestial hierarchy unbothered in affording LGBT people like him a healthy, sane human development. It’s almost as if the Conservative establishment (Black included) needs Lil Nas X to be like others before him: “private”, mysteriously single, suicidal, suspiciously straight or worse, dead of HIV/AIDS ...anything but driving down the street enjoying his youth as a Black Queer artist and man. So they mad about that?

Well those days are over.

-Rogiérs is a writer, international recording artist, performer and indie label manager with 25+ years in the music industry. He also directs Black Nonbelievers of DC, a non-profit org affiliated with the AHA supporting Black skeptics, Atheists, Agnostics & Humanists. He holds a B.A. in Music Business & Mgmt and a M.A. in Global Entertainment & Music Business from Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia, Spain. www.FibbyMusic.net Twitter/IG: @Rogiers1

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concussed-to-pieces · 3 years

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The Mettle Of A Man; Part Fifteen

Fandom: Fallout (4)

Pairing: Eventual Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Enjoy!

Part One: ArcJet

Part Two: The Prydwen

Part Three: Orders

Part Four: Finding Brandis

Part Five: Weston Water And Oberland

Part Six: Meeting Preston And Matthew

Part Seven: Radstag And Radstorm

Part Eight: The Return To Sanctuary Hills

Part Nine: Domestic Ruminations

Part Ten: Institutionalized

Part Eleven: Two Weeks, Three Days

Part Twelve: Haylen’s Warning And The Glowing Sea

Part Thirteen: Under Fire

Part Fourteen: Dichotomy

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains allusions to torture and prolonged, vivid depictions of assault. Stay safe!]

"Call tags?" The scribe droned, not even looking up from the terminal.

Danse only hesitated for a second. "D, N, dash, four zero seven P."

The scribe punched in the letters and numbers, and Danse saw the young man visibly jerk in surprise. Rheumy brown eyes stared up at the towering suit of X-01 armor and the scribe's voice squeaked when he hissed, " Danse? "

The armored man nodded.

"Are you insane?! Danse--er, Paladin Danse, the elder has been on the warpath ever since you went...sir, he says you're a synth, a traitor to the Brotherhood. You're supposed to be dead! I knew there was something fishy about those reports!" The scribe whispered shakily. He looked incredibly nervous. "Most of us think he's off his rocker, but you try finding a soldier with the balls to tell him that point-blank!"

"It's comforting that you all have such faith in me." Danse said, meaning every word. "I'm afraid the announcement of my death was a bit...premature."

The scribe blinked. "Sir, after everything that...the amount of us that would stand by you through anything is the vast majority, I promise. Elder Maxson has locked up Paladin Brandis and-"

"Tell me he hasn't harmed Brandis." Danse cut him off, relieved when the scribe shook his head hastily.

"I think even the elder knows better than to assault one of the most beloved officers in our chapter." The scribe exhaled a long breath, then looked back up at Danse. "Sir, you should know that...well, it may be a bit disappointing to hear, but even if you are a synth, we're still with you, sir." The scribe gave him a salute.

Danse's eyes pricked with tears. He couldn't believe that he had the power to inspire such unwavering loyalty. "At ease, soldier. With any luck, this will be a diplomatic engagement. I'll take Knight Vega and be on my way."

"I...I am unsure if it will be so simple." The scribe admitted. "Ex-Knight Vega has also been confined to the brig since you went AWOL."

" Ex -knight?"

"Maxson stripped of her rank, sir. Accused her of conspiring against the Brotherhood. On her end, she maintains her innocence." The scribe shrugged. "I don't understand why he doesn't just exile her or have her stand trial, but he's been dragging his feet the whole-"

" Bait ." Danse realized. "He's been waiting for me to come back for her, of course . She's our only way into the Institute. Either that or he just wants the satisfaction of killing me himself." He moved past the checkpoint without another word, leaving the scribe to sputter. Danse hoped he wasn't being too self-absorbed when he surmised that the report of his 'death' was no doubt being utilized as a thumbscrew on Elizabeth. Maxson obviously needed a confession; hell, he might even suspect Vega of being the one that tipped Danse off in the first place.

No one paid him much mind as he strode across the compound. Though he did intercept a few curious glances, Danse chalked them up to the distinctive armor he was wearing instead of outright suspicion.

"Where is the elder?" He gruffed at a crowd of aspirants, counting on the staticky speakers of his helmet to disguise his voice. One of them grimaced.

"In a mood." She joked, the group of aspirants nodding and laughing amongst themselves. "But if you mean location, he's been hanging around the build site a lot. Watching the progress on Big Lib, you know."

Danse inclined his head and turned on his heel, making a beeline for the previously-mentioned location while he guiltily recalled the time that he had threatened Vega with an upbraiding for her own quips about Maxson. As he thundered back across the courtyard, he could hear the muttering start up. People were beginning to notice him. His window of opportunity was shrinking; he needed to find Maxson fast . Danse picked up his pace, half-jogging.

Catching sight of Maxson at the very top of Prime's gantry made Danse feel minute, an insignificant David at the feet of a giant. He swallowed hard, shaking off the unsettling sensation and cueing up his helmet's speakers.

At the whine of feedback, Ingram glanced up from her console beneath the shelter across the dusty tarmac. "Hey!" She said sharply. "Whoever you are, you don't have clearance to-"

" Elder Maxson! " Danse roared, ignoring the red-headed proctor in favor of tilting his whole body back to project his voice upwards. " You know why I'm here! "

" Abomination! " Maxson shouted, sounding almost gleeful . He bolted for the lift, as if he expected Danse to flee. The paladin stood his ground though, patiently waiting for the elder to arrive at the lower level.

"Danse? You…" Ingram trailed off, scrambling across the square. "Is it really you in there, Danse?"

"Yes, Proctor."

There was so much more he wanted to say, so much more to explain , but Maxson's arrival on the ground effectively cut off Danse's conversation. "I knew you would return, you traitor ." He asserted smugly as he marched over to Danse. "How kind of you to give me the privilege of ending you myself ."

Danse held up his hands peaceably. "I am unarmed, Maxson. I'm not here for a fight. I am simply here to request the amicable release of...of General Vega." He used the Minutemen title on a whim, watching Arthur's nostrils flare in irritation.

"Oh General Vega , is it? The Minutemen send a machine to do their dirty work? Or have you already infiltrated their ranks with more of your kind?" Maxson spat.

Danse shook his head. "This may come as a shock to you, Elder Maxson, but I had no idea I was a synth." He heard Ingram gasp behind him. Even Maxson looked momentarily startled at his admission and Danse seized the opening to reason, "through the entirety of my career I've done nothing to betray your trust, Arthur. And I never will. Please," Danse implored, "we need General Vega if we hope to eradicate the Institute."

"You expect me to believe that you wish to eradicate the Institute? You were born of it!" Arthur spat venomously. "You even standing here is an affront to nature, you scum . The Brotherhood does not negotiate with-"

"Elder Maxson, wait!" Ingram interrupted him sharply. "He's telling the truth. Vega is instrumental to gaining entry to the Institute. Our whole reason for being in the Commonwealth is to destroy the Institute. If we lose this chance-"

"I will not be spoken down to by my own troops, Proctor!" Maxson raged.

"Arthur, listen to me . You and Danse having a pissing match should be the least of our concerns." Ingram raised an eyebrow. "If he meant us harm, I feel like he would have come with a battalion or two. Danse might be a little dense , but he's never lacked battlefield intelligence."

"This thing isn't Danse, so stop referring to it as such!"

"Until proven otherwise, yes, he is . His DNA matched that Institute crap. It's him, Maxson. It's always been him. Sure, you might find it easier to think that the Institute grabbed the real Danse while he was out and about, but I don't think he would be reported as a missing asset if he was supposed to be here." Proctor Ingram theorized as she crossed her arms, her armor frame creaking.

"Just give me Elizabeth, Maxson." Danse pleaded. "This isn't a fight you want."

"Oh, on the contrary. This is the fight I want." Maxson seethed. "A chance to prove Brotherhood superiority once and for all! We will settle this as it is written in the Litany!"

"You sincerely wish to have a live-fire trial?" Danse asked incredulously, "a Litany trial, Arthur? As I recall, you stated before that you were above such practices."

"We live in unprecedented times, traitor." Maxson drew himself up to his full height. "My authority has been brought into question again and again. It seems only right that I battle my chief dissenter."

Danse was at a loss for words. Maxson's behavior was so irrational, he was almost tempted to consider whether the elder himself had been replaced by a synth. But no, voicing that fear would no doubt send Maxson into an even worse froth.

"When I defeat you, it will finally affirm the truth of the Brotherhood: that we were meant to stand tall atop the corpses of abominations, meant to triumph! " Maxson's eyes were wild as he turned to Ingram. "Proctor, you will bear witness to our Litany agreement. And now, abomination , issue your challenge." The elder demanded.

"Arthur-"

" Issue it or be slagged where you stand! " Maxson screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

Danse had never personally engaged in a Litany trial. His memory of the terminology was hazy at best, but he still made an attempt. "As a Brotherhood of Steel paladin," he began haltingly, saluting and then extending his hand to Maxson. "I am issuing a formal challenge against your authority as elder of this chapter. Through your actions and your deeds, you have proved yourself unfit to lead in my eyes. We will engage in combat under your terms, and should I emerge victorious, I ask that you relinquish General Vega to me."

"And when I emerge victorious, I will kill you." Maxson stated confidently.

"So be it." Danse knew he had very little agency in this matter. Maxson wanted to fight him, and Maxson always got his way. "Your terms, Elder?"

"No weapons or armor. We fight with nothing but the skills we possess. The first one pushed out of the circle loses." Maxson smirked. "You might be a synth, but a bullet in your head puts you down just as easily as any feral."

"You give me your word as Elder that you will turn Vega over to the custody of the Minutemen if I win?" Danse insisted, his heart slamming in his chest. Oh God, he would have to fight Maxson. Worse still, he would have to beat him. Arthur's prowess in combat was almost fabled , that story about the deathclaw part of this chapter's mythos.

"I will give you nothing, creature , and it will be far more than you deserve. But certainly, if you manage to beat me, I'll see to it that your co-conspirator is relinquished to your care." Maxson sneered. "Proctor, send out the announcement that we will have entertainment shortly."

"Sure thing, Elder." Ingram muttered, sidestepping away as Danse removed his helmet.

"I want everyone down here and watching, Ingram!" Arthur called as she departed. "Make sure that traitor Vega is escorted to the combat area." He then chuckled in a self-satisfied manner, no doubt taking note of Danse's stern expression. "Oh don't worry, synth . We showed your precious general all the courtesies that the Brotherhood has to offer while we interrogated her."

Danse knew that Arthur trying to rile him up was technically a good sign. It meant that the other man was attempting to disperse some of his own nerves. However, it was difficult for him to capitalize upon with the worry of Vega possibly being injured getting added onto the pile of Danse's concerns. The growl erupted from him unintentionally, burring in his chest like a hacksaw. "Maxson, if you-"

"Do not speak to me, freak ." Arthur hissed.

Danse stewed as a crowd began to form. At least now they would have an audience. Hundreds of eyes watching his every move, but also watching Maxson's. Danse hoped that the scribe at the gate hadn't just been spouting optimistic nonsense.

The paladin emerged from his armor, standing at attention beside the frame as a vertibird whirred by overhead, descending from the Prydwen. Upon their first sight of him, the troops began talking amongst themselves. Danse reasoned that it must be quite the shock for most of them, to see him alive and well.

Please be alright, Vega , the paladin begged mentally. Please , Elizabeth .

He heard her coming long before he saw her, watching the crowd part for a lone knight in power armor. "You're a fuckin' piezashet , y'know that? Just a fuckin' asshole! " Backhand roared, struggling and straining against the iron grip of the knight that was dragging her along. "Let me go , y' fuckin' cockass'n sunuva' fuck! "

Danse blinked, a bit impressed with the vitriol the general was spitting considering her appearance. She looked like a stretch of bad road, gaunt, both of her eyes ringed yellow-green from faded bruising and her glasses absent. The whole left side of her face bore the distinct grate marks of the Prydwen's catwalks, indicating that she had been slammed against the floor. Her Vault suit was in shambles, half-ribboned and hanging off of her shoulder at a rakish angle, and her hair was a tangled, greasy mess.

Danse catalogued it all and swiftly tucked it away for later. Compartmentalize . She's alive and ambulatory. Priority is Maxson , he instructed himself sternly. Focus . You can't afford to be distracted right now. You face the elder of the Brotherhood of Steel .

All of that flew out the window the moment he heard Elizabeth's voice crack. "D... Danse? " She asked tremulously, "Danse, you're alive? "

Danse nodded, not looking at her. "For better or for worse, I am."

"I…" Backhand paused. "What's going on, Danse? I-I thought that...I thought you were…"

Her obvious distress gave Danse an odd rush of guilty comfort. She would have missed him. Had she mourned him when she thought he was dead?

To hell with it .

Danse turned to Elizabeth, carefully tipped her chin up and pressed a corner of the bandanna around his neck to her lips. "For luck." He murmured with a thin smile, cupping the right side of her face so he didn't hurt her. She just stared up at him, those eyes bright with pent-up emotions. The knight securing her coughed awkwardly and Danse stepped back, feeling Vega's gaze on him even as he moved to face Maxson.

Ingram cleared her throat and announced above the rising hubbub, "this is a Litany trial! The conditions are no weapons or armor, strictly empty-handed combat. If Paladin Danse manages to remove our elder from the circle, the Brotherhood has agreed to release the former Knight Vega into Minutemen custody. If our elder removes the paladin from the circle, Paladin Danse has agreed to allow the elder to pass swift judgement upon him."

"Say it how he said it, Proctor!" Danse barked, his deep voice carrying well. "He plans to kill me if he wins, don't shy away from it!" He heard Vega swear before the crowd of knights, aspirants and squires around him voiced their mixture of dismay and apprehension. "Elder Maxson has deemed me a threat to the Brotherhood and has forced my hand. So now we engage in a combat trial as it is written in the Litany."

"Trying to turn my troops against me, abomination?" Maxson huffed as he discarded his heavy battle coat and began rolling up his sleeves. "I can't say I'm surprised, but I am disappointed. I had hoped you would meet your end with some shred of dignity."

Danse shrugged, Backhand's lucky bandanna brushing his chin when he raised his head. "You haven't won yet, Maxson." He reminded the younger man with a sad smile.

Arthur lunged at him suddenly, dust flying with the speed of his approach. Danse barely managed to sidestep, latching on to Arthur's wrist and shoulder. The paladin used the other man's momentum against him, redirecting him around his body and kicking his legs out from beneath him.

"Are we beginning now, Arthur?" He asked sharply, that tactical portion of his brain considering the merits of stomping down on Maxson's groin with all his might.

But no, no, he couldn't--Maxson was the elder -

Arthur flailed on the ground, his face red with fury as he clawed at Danse's hands on him. The paladin released him and stepped back, not overly eager to stay within striking distance of the formidable elder. Unfortunately, Maxson didn't leave him much of a choice in the matter. The younger man darted forward again, too low for Danse to redirect him. The paladin took the brunt of Arthur's shoulder to his midsection, gasping out a pained breath even as he tried to brace his footing.

Arthur's shoulder drove deeper into his stomach and the younger man grappled Danse's legs, heaving him backwards off the ground . Danse frantically grabbed at Maxson's back before the younger man pinned him bodily, the two of them hitting the gravel with a bone-jarring impact.

Danse still hadn't been able to catch his breath and he barely got his arms up in time as Arthur cocked back for his first punch.

Maxson tended to machine-gun when it came to his blows, pummeling his target to a pulp within the first flurry. Danse had watched him fight enough to know that this was possibly the worst position for him to be in. Here, Maxson could just rain attacks down onto him until his damn arms broke, beat him into submission without even having to get him outside the boundaries. "You will die. In the dirt . Like the dog you are!" Maxson screamed as he struck Danse.

He's the elder. He's the elder. But...

Danse gritted his teeth. No . If Maxson was doing to kill him, he was going to work for it. Danse wouldn't hand him his fragile existence on a silver platter. Not anymore. Never again . Every assault, every misguided order, every time his admiration or willingness to help had been taken advantage of…

Danse sucked in a breath and shoved Maxson in the chest with all his might, knocking the other man off of him. " Fuck you Arthur! " He spat, suddenly red-hot angry . He got to his feet and loomed over the elder of the Brotherhood, smoldering with rage.

Maxson seemed confused, like he couldn't believe Danse was actually fighting back . He scrambled back to an upright position, the two of them circling each other much more warily now.

"You should have just laid down and died like a good soldier!" Maxson taunted, feinting a few jabs on the left before he swung in from the right. His fist caught Danse in the jaw, snapping the older man's head to the side as he continued, "should have just let me break you, Danse!"

Danse, reeling from the hit, staggered back a step and dropped to one knee. No, get up . Don't let him do this to you . He forced himself back up, glancing the next punishing blow off his shoulder and then landing a check of his own that sent Maxson sprawling on his back.

"Get up, Arthur!" Danse shouted, his fists clenched. " Get the fuck up and fight me! "

So fast Danse almost missed it, Arthur whipped his combat knife out of his boot sheath and rushed him with it, holding the blade low in an effort to conceal the weapon.

The blade that killed the deathclaw .

The point barely grazed Danse's arm as he flinched back, razor-sharp steel easily parting the flannel and skin beneath it.

He was in trouble now. Maxson unarmed was bad enough, but Maxson using a weapon he was intimately familiar with absolutely spelled certain death for Danse. Never mind that they had agreed on no weapons. Danse doubted anyone was exactly refereeing a Litany trial. As long as they stayed within the circle, he was under the impression that he was on his own.

Arthur slashed wildly at him, no longer bothering for subtlety as he openly attacked Danse with the knife. Maxson had this hideous, leering smirk on his face the whole time; he was playing with his food.

Danse felt like an idiot for even thinking that he had a chance at winning when Maxson buried the blade in his shoulder.

But what else could he do? Die in the dirt , like Arthur had screamed at him?

" You're a cheating sunuvabitch, Arthur! " Vega's voice rang out loud and clear like the crack of a whip. Danse saw her out of the corner of his eye, the woman struggling vainly against the armored vambrace that encircled her waist. " Coward! " She yelled indignantly.

Danse smiled thinly through the pain, gripping Maxson's wrist on the knife with enough force to make Arthur grunt. His free hand clamped down on the crook of Maxson's elbow, keeping the younger man locked in that position. Maxson headbutted him to try and make some space and Danse slammed their heads together harder, baring his teeth and snarling in Arthur's face.

Between the two of them, Arthur would always be smarter and quicker than Danse.

But Danse was stronger . Danse thrived in the trenches and on the front lines. Maxson may have called him a dog as an insult, yet there was truth in his words. Danse was a bulldog , boots on the ground, chewing for the jugular until the day he died. This wasn't his first time fighting for his life against insurmountable odds and he was finally refusing to roll over for Arthur.

Something flashed in Maxson's eyes for a split-second and Danse latched onto it. "You're afraid of me, aren't you Maxson?" He panted, maintaining his death grip as Arthur began to struggle to free himself. "Of what I could do to your leadership, your elder status-"

" Shut the fuck up!" Maxson seethed, the palm of his free hand crashing into Danse's throat. The paladin stumbled back and dropped to the ground, his lungs screaming for air as the blade tore loose. Maxson, instead of just finishing him off, began to pontificate, watching Danse writhe and hack for air in the dirt. "You know Danse, I saw what you had with Cutler and I envied it. I searched for years , trying to find something like it. I failed, naturally. So the only solution was to get Cutler out of the picture. But you were stubborn . You longed for a dead man, entirely ignoring the needs of your leader!" Maxson hissed, grinding the heel of his boot against the wound on Danse's shoulder. "And if I couldn't have you wholly, I would break you."

Danse knew on a technical level that the wound should hurt. His face automatically winced. But all he could focus on was Arthur's words, his confession . The heel of the elder's boot, already sticky with blood, crushed down on the side of Danse's head next.

"Why so quiet now, Danse? Do I behave like a man who fears you, freak? " Maxson mocked him, delivering one last kick before backing away.

Danse laid there in the gravel, bruised, bleeding; dazed not just by pain but by the knowledge that Maxson had sent Cutler away on purpose. Maxson had sent Cutler to his death. Sent Brandis to his death. Sent Danse to his death.

" Well , synth? For being so confident, you are remarkably silent!" Arthur needled. "Where's all that righteous wrath you threatened me with? I wanted a fight! "

Danse noticed dimly that the crowd was entirely still around them. It was eerie, like everyone else had vanished and it was just he and Arthur.

Danse raised his left arm, the whole limb shaking violently, and he curled his fingers to flip Maxson off.

The crowd's judgemental silence dissolved into laughter and rowdy shouts, both for and against the paladin. He vaguely picked up Vega yelling, " Attaboy! "

Arthur sputtered with fury. He leaped at Danse, no doubt enraged enough to slit his throat. All Danse could think to do was hike his knees up, planting them firmly in Maxson's pelvis and then catapulting the smaller man up and over his body. Maxson landed several feet away on his back, giving a pained grunt as the wind was knocked out of him by the impact.

The knife clattered and skidded through the dirt and gravel, out of reach for the moment. Danse floundered to roll over, trying to keep the distance between himself and Arthur while the dust settled. When it did, though, he realized something.

Arthur's entire body was outside the circle.

Danse blinked, eyes wide as he realized that not only did that mean he had won, that meant Arthur had lost. In front of everyone .

" Freak! " Maxson shrieked, staggering back to his feet and pointing an accusatory finger at the wounded paladin. "At least Cutler had the good sense to get himself killed , unlike you and fucking Brandis! " The elder screamed, blood and saliva flying from his mouth. "You two are like goddamn radroaches! "

"Elder Maxson?" Rhys . He sounded so hesitant, so unlike himself. "Sir, did you...did you send our squad out here purposely? "

"It is not your place to question me, Knight! And don't act like Danse didn't tell you as much, I'm certain he wasted no time vilifying me upon your arrival to the Commonwealth!" Maxson spat ruthlessly. "Traitorous liar! "

"I'm afraid the paladin may have been too preoccupied with keeping his squadron alive to convey any personal irritation regarding you , sir." Haylen said dryly. "Perhaps you can fill us in on what we might have missed?"

Maxson, instead of answering, threw himself back at Danse.

…

Danse hit the ground with Maxson on top of him and Backhand screamed something abusive that was extremely unflattering to the elder's lineage.

Arthur grabbed Danse by the collar of his worn shirt and slammed the back of his head against the ground, the elder appearing to snap as he howled with rage and punched Danse again and again and again -

Vega's fists clenched in her binds and she struggled futilely against the knight holding her, willing Danse to fight back, to do something , don't die on me!

Suddenly a huge gauntlet was seizing Maxson by the seat of his pants, tossing the young man off to the side.

"That is enough ." Brandis, Brandis , how had he even gotten there?! Backhand had last seen him in the bowels of the Prydwen as she was being led out from the cell! The elderly paladin stood tall over the two bedraggled men in the dirt, cracking his knuckles in his gauntlets. "What is the meaning of this, Maxson?" He asked furiously, tone sharp through the speakers of his helmet. "You would disgrace trial by combat in such a manner? How dare you! You bring shame upon the Litany!"

"Stay out of my way, you meddling old fool!" Maxson ordered, getting shakily to his feet.

"Or what, you'll beat me to a pulp as well?" Brandis retorted. "You've turned against your troops, Arthur, the men and women you swore to lead with integrity. You've freely admitted to sending soldiers to their deaths because it suited you , not the needs of the Brotherhood. You've brought nothing but disgrace to our chapter, Arthur! Look around you! " Brandis exclaimed, gesturing at the crowd. "You're a tyrant , Maxson! Not one amongst the ranks would stand up to you, not one would shake you back to reality, and those that tried are now lying in the damn dirt ."

"Be quiet! "

"You cannot silence me, Maxson." The old paladin said calmly. "You've tried and failed before."

"What would you have me do, Brandis? He's a synth ."

"Perhaps." Brandis allowed. "But all I see is a man who obeyed your stipulations and threw you out of your circle, Maxson. According to our tenets and the Litany, his requests must be met. Release Vega to his custody."

Maxson snarled futilely. "You will regret crossing me, Brandis!" He warned. "Stand down now! "

"I have no squadron left for you to kill, Elder ." The older paladin scoffed a little. "What will you hold over my head? Retirement?" He tipped his helmet towards the knight who had Vega. "I said, release her ."

The knight who had been holding Backhand let her go with a mumbled apology, and without any hesitation she took off at a dead run for Danse. Her whole body ached from the heavy-handed treatment Maxson had inflicted on her, but in the light of getting Danse back it was an easy burden to bear.

She tumbled to her knees, her hands still bound in front of her as she called his name. He groaned in reply, grimacing when she touched his arm. "Danse, holy shit ." Backhand breathed.

The paladin exhaled a broken laugh, barely opening his eyes. "Did I win?" He asked blearily. "Everything is spinning."

Backhand couldn't help the sob that escaped her as Danse pawed blindly at her bound hands, the young woman opening her mouth to say something.

There was a commotion behind her, Brandis shouting " no Maxson! " and then a gunshot. Backhand froze as a plume of dirt kicked up bare inches from Danse's head, the paladin jerking away from the impact.

She pitched herself forward, bridging Danse's form with her own by propping her weight up on her elbows. "Don't move, Danse." She whispered, "I've got you, okay? If he wants to shoot you he's gonna' have to get through me ."

"Don't try to--Vega, I order you to get out of the way! How dare you defy me!" Maxson struggled against Brandis' attempts to take the service pistol from him, waving the gun wildly in the air. " Traitors! Let the synth meet its fate!"

"Vega, you need to... Elizabeth , he'll shoot you, please -" Danse begged, weakly shoving at her side. "The Brotherhood needs-"

" Fuck the Brotherhood, Danse!" Backhand yelled at him. "If this is how they treat you , someone who's spent his entire career fighting for their cause, then I don't want shit to do with them!"

The report of the service pistol cut through the air once more, and Backhand's body collapsed on top of Danse.

Part Sixteen

#spoilers #fallout 4 #fallout four #paladin danse #paladin danse x sole survivor #Eventual romance #canon-typical violence #paladin danse/sole survivor #paladin danse x f!sole #paladin danse imagine #fallout fandom #fallout fanfic #fo4 companions imagine #fo4 companions #fo4 paladin danse #elder maxson #brotherhood of steel

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theginger-patrick · 4 years

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ART 311 - May 11, 2020 The Heroes’ Journey

The Heroes’ Journey is an extremely prolific narrative structure that we see everywhere around is entertainment media. In one of my previous posts, I listed some of my favourite authors and their works which are particularly important to me because of their effective world-building and foreshadowing. Many of these authors’ bodies of work feature stories which are solidly set within the Heroes’ Journey structure, but there’s one story not listed there that I would like to focus on specifically. That would be Contact by Carl Sagan, my single favourite stand-alone novel. As it was first published in 1985 and a movie adaptation starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey being released in 1997, I shouldn’t have to worry about spoilers, but here’s a spoiler warning: SPOILERS BELOW!

The premise of Contact is relatively simple. It’s a story about an astrophysicist performing SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) research at an radio-telescope array who receives what turns out to be a message from extraterrestrials, first contact, and the resultant reactions . As soon as most people hear that premise, they’ll assume that it’s either an apocalyptic armageddon style story, a science fiction horror story, or some sort of Star Trek First Contact style story where the aliens come to Earth and peacefully usher humanity into a new era. This story is none of the above. Instead, it’s a breathtakingly beautiful, moving, and awe-inspiring narrative supported by hard science fiction. Hard science fiction is science fiction which is soundly routed in factual science and mathematics. Anyone who comes to know me knows that I am hardly a religious or spiritual person, in fact I’m an outright atheist, however, this novel expresses in better form than I ever could in words the sense of the numinous which I feel when I see images like that of the Eagle Nebula’s Pillars of Creation (taken by the Hubble Telescope and released to the public in 2015), when I read papers on the research done at the LHC (CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Europe), or when I read about advancements in technology and our understanding of the universe which can be used for the betterment of our species.

There are three acts to Contact much like any traditional Heroes’ Journey narrative: The Message, The Machine, and The Galaxy.

The Message:

Our protagonist, Eleanor “Ellie” Arroway, spends her early childhood being raised by supportive and loving parents, though her father Theodore “Ted” is the most influential on her life. He is her first mentor on her Heroes’ Journey, and helps to promote and develop her love of learning. From a young age Ellie is intensely inquisitive and devours new knowledge with a voracious appetite; she becomes particularly infatuated with the constant of π , known as “Pi”. This is of particular importance, so take note, and I would argue that this is Ellie’s call to adventure and is never refused or ignored. Unfortunately, while in sixth grade, her mentor and father Ted passes away to be replaced with her step-father John Staughton who is decidedly not supportive of Ellie’s non-feminine interests. Their acrimonious relationship is an important part to her characters development, though it was difficult for me to see it when I first read this novel as a teen.

The novel proceeds quickly through her middle and high school years, primarily using these years to highlight the sexism which was (and still is to a degree) wildly rampant in the STEM fields at the time. I viewed much of this to be further motivation for our hero to pursue her goals, though now with the added motivation of proving her step-father's opinion of her interests to be wrong. Her post-secondary education furthers her love and interest of science, gives her experiences in more social pursuits (*cough* sexual et cetera *cough*), and introduces her to ETI (just look at SETI and guess), and two mentors: two role models with one also being an antagonist of sorts. All of this concludes with her graduation and employment with SETI.

The first sign of extraterrestrial life is shown in the form Ellie discovering a repeating message of sequential prime numbers directed at Earth; this is not something that could randomly occur in nature. This is where the meat of the story begins; the crossing of the threshold. At first there’s skepticism among the scientific community, as there should be, but the message is received by unassociated and independent facilities. As the scientific community works through political channels to ensure redundant monitoring (this is set during the Cold War era) humanity is temporarily united in this realization that we’re not alone in the universe and a desire for further knowledge. This all culminates in the discovery of humanity’s first ever high-powered radio broadcast embedded in the message being returned to us, and industrial innovations and schematics needed to create a machine of unknown purpose embedded even deeper. Thus ends Act 1.

The Machine:

Tests, allies, and enemies are abundant in this part of the novel. Honestly, this is one of the most exciting parts of the entire story for me with all of the political machinations, discussions of about the new technology imparted to humanity by the extraterrestrials (nearly all of which are theoretically possible and grounded in real science), and discussions surrounding the philosophical implications and dilemmas of this new reality. I will glaze over most of it because otherwise this post would truly become a short novel in its own right.

The most important bits to take from this act (in my opinion) are the tests and enemies and approaching the inmost cave. The tests of Ellie’s dedication to following through with her life’s work in finding new funding and conquering adversity in the form of unnecessarily contrarian colleagues and critics, personal relationship, and physical and psychological recovery after a traumatic event. The enemies of this act are primarily the extremist religious and political groups which oppose the construction of The Machine and/or want to bring on the rapture, and . They ultimately destroy The Machine which is being built and funded by the government of the United States in a terrorist attack, and this appears to be the nail in the coffin of the project. The only way in which this is salvaged is through the efforts of an ally Ellie, who has a back-up machine in the works that was being used for “testing” components. The ordeal of this movie is undoubtedly the moment of activation of the machine, when the passengers and the world are witnessing the processes taking place from the opposing perspectives of the interior and exterior. The five passengers within the machine were confronting their fear of the absolute unknown considering this is a machine of foreign origin and technology never before used. Here ends Act 2.

(I am aware that this is Interstellar, not Contact. I just couldn’t find a GIF from Contact)

The Galaxy:

Approaching the inmost cave is what the story transitions into after The Machine activates as the passengers pass into the wormhole network which transports them to The Station. This would also likely cover the Reward (Seizing the Sword) phase. Throughout this sequence in the novel Ellie and the rest of the passengers are getting their first real reward to years of work and dedication with The Message and The Machine, but it’s obvious to the characters and audience that they’re currently in transit somewhere which has further implications on the story/mission. The trip to the station is an endless montage of breathtaking and mind-blowing scenes showing the depth and breadth of the capabilities of the extraterrestrials. Upon arrival, the passengers experience isolation and we later learn that the extraterrestrials were inspecting their memories. They used this data to put each passenger through a highly emotional and cathartic experience which was used to teach each passenger something about themselves of value. It is also when the most beautiful and numinous piece of information is given to Ellie when she asks the alien, who has appeared before her as her dead father Ted, how they experience when they create the numinous (she learned from the alien that the aliens are currently building a freaking galaxy, Cygnus A, using Sagittarius A which is the supermassive black hole in the center of our Galaxy, and is a massively powerful source of radio signals. Already a freaking numinous feat). It answers with Pi. Imagine how this would impact Ellie. Her "discovery” of Pi was one of the most formative experiences of Ellie’s early life. Specifically, the alien states that buried in Pi’s decimals is an encoded message. Imagine. Pi is a universal constant. It is something determined by physical and mathematical relations that just exist; you can’t “build” or “encode” Pi. The alien goes on to describe how they found this message in vague detail and directs Ellie on where to look.This entire combination of phases only concludes once the passengers have returned to Earth.

Their return could likely be classified as combination of the Roadblock phase. Upon their return to Earth, rather than Ellie and the other passengers having a triumphant and joyous return no time appears to have passed on Earth, despite them having spent hours if not days on The Station. They are questioned. There are Inquiries. Politicians and the public are furious that billions of dollars were “wasted” on something that apparently just spun up to a specific speed in place, then stopped. None of the instruments of human origin attached to The Machine recorded anything; there was no sense of movement, no great amount of time had passed just mere moments, no radiation, nothing. Eventually, all of the inquiries “determine” that it was all a big hoax perpetrated by some evil capitalist (the ally that Ellie secured funding and the backup machine from) in order to amass wealth and develop a monopoly on many of the associated technologies and emerging industries. The detection of The Message was all done via the coordination of desperate SETI scientists with this man and his satellites up in space to defraud the world. Fortunately none of the passengers are punished in any way, despite many of them having been scientists deeply involved with the discovery, decoding, and understand of The Message and the construction of The Machine.

The Return of the Elixir phase in this novel is both a phase to be celebrated and mourned. Ellie discovers that her father Ted wasn’t her biological father and that instead the man she thought was her step-father was her biological father. This is a loss of identity that she mourns deeply, but with the experience, perspective, and humility she has gained through this whole journey she is able to forgive her mother’s infidelity and come to terms with this bit of knowledge. She is also able to conduct research regarding Pi to help confirm her story regarding their journey in The Machine and discovers the message hidden in Pi’s decimals. A perfect circle. Ironic as hell and yet an absolutely beautiful impossibility thrown in by Carl Sagan that elicits a sense of the numinous in anyone I know who has read the novel. In closing, not only has Ellie’s Heroes’ Journey given her more wisdom and grace as a human, but also a powerful piece of knowledge that validates her entire experience and does the very thing scientists hunger for the most: she expanded humanity’s understand of the universe and of how much there is more to discover.

I know that that was one hell of a lot of word vomit on the blog, so if you read it all the way then thank you.

#Pi #Contact #Carl Sagan #Interstellar #science fiction #sci-fi #heroes' journey

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malkalaila · 4 years

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3 March 2020. Ireland Tour Day 1

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in the Republic of Ireland today to kick off a busy start to their 3 day tour of the country. When the tour was announced it was said,

“The Duke and Duchess will learn about local organisations working to support and empower young people and projects which provide opportunities to help them develop important life skills. Their Royal Highnesses will also hear more about Ireland’s conservation initiatives and efforts to protect its environment, with a particular focus on sustainable farming and marine conservation....

Throughout the visit, Their Royal Highness will meet a broad range of people, including the President, the Taoiseach and senior political leaders, children and young people, and those working in the creative arts, business and charity sectors.”

via the palace press release.

They met the President, Michael D. Higgins, and his wife Sabina Mary Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain, the official residence of the President of Ireland.

They sat for tea at Aras an Uachtarain.

They met the Taoiseach, the Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar and his partner Matthew Barrett.

They rang the bell of peace which was planted on the grounds of Aras an Uachtarain in 2008 to mark 10 years since the Belfast Agreement.

They laid a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance, dedicated as a memorial to all those who gave their lives for Irish freedom, and took a moment of silence.

They then attended an evening reception hosted by the UK ambassador at Guinness Storehouse’s Gravity Bar where William gave a speech.

Now, onto my favorite part, fashion! I’m going to drop these collages here that I posted earlier today for the sake of brevity and go straight into discussion.

Monochrome Kate strikes again! We saw every hue of green under the sun today it feels like. I’m usually wary of this kind of styling but Kate tends to pull it off with aplomb. I like the coat, not so much the dress. The combination of the print, the buttons, the pleats, the peplum, the mock neck, and the cuffed sleeves was too much. A simple round neck, nix the pleats, and switching to a solid color would have made a world of a difference. I added the picture above to compare the buttons on Kate’s dress (which match her coat) vs the one available from Alessandra Riche.

The earrings are new and eye wateringly pricey. Now, assuming Kate’s usual jewelry pieces are things she pics herself, this price tag is a little out of left field, making me think it’s either a birthday or Christmas gift. They’re still a very pretty and substantial stud earring and I’m here for it even if she bought them herself because she needs some diamonds of her own (and can you imagine her passing them on to Charlotte when she’s older???)

Quick note, the collage says earrings are unidentified but they have been now, they’re from H&M and are the same pairs worn to the Royal Foundation event last year with the red Preen dress.

For the evening event, Kate stuck to the color green (seriously, every shade of green under the sun today) and went sparkly with a dress by a new designer for her, The Vampire’s Wife. The dress is one that Princess Beatrice has worn in a different iteration but definitely the same material and color.

Kate’s shoes stumped me for the longest time. When I saw them, I instantly thought they were Manolo’s but for the life of me I’m pretty sure Kate has only ever wore one other pair of Manolo’s and these are velvet so I already love them even though I really really hate the way the heel looks on Manolo’s.

As far as evening looks go, this is pretty classic Kate--sparkly and demure. I would have liked a different color just with all the green earlier today. I’m hoping tomorrow we get more color, I think I’m officially done with green this tour.

#kate middleton #duchess of cambridge #prince william #duke of cambridge #fashion files #ireland tour 2020 #DoCengagement2020

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thefinishedarticle · 4 years

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Fool’s Gold

When the underacheivements of England’s ‘Golden Generation’ are brought up, the blame is usually laid at Fabio Capello’s door. In punditry, podcasts and column inches, too often the question is how he failed to win with that group of players, how awful his management was, and generally presenting him as the scapegoat for all of England’s woes.

But Fabio Capello didn’t manage England’s Golden Generation.

The names are easy to bring to mind. A defence of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Ledley King; legends from every top team of their time. A midfield of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Joe Cole. Up front, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.

But many of these players were gone before Capello arrived on the scene. He never fielded Beckham, Neville or Campbell. All three were 35 by the time of the 2010 World Cup, the first tournament under his stewardship. Most of the others were past their best, too. Lampard was 31, Gerrard was 30, and Owen had long ago faded into a bench-warmer at Old Trafford.

Capello never had the advantage of England’s strength in central defence. He selected Ferdinand (31) as his captain for the tournament, only to have him injured in the build up to the first game and ruled out for the tournament. He then started King (29) in the first game, only to see him promptly injured half-way through the match and ruled out for the tournament. He then brought in Carragher (32), who had retired from international football and been brought back into the squad as back-up. He lasted a game and a half before being suspended. He was replaced in the final two games by West Ham’s Matthew Upson.

John Terry played throughout the World Cup, but this was not Chelsea’s CAPTAIN, LEADER, LEGEND, but a Terry who went into the tournament in the immediate wake of the Wayne Bridge affair scandal, the captain’s armband freshly ripped from his arm, and who gave a media interview undermining the manager two games in. Capello’s appointment was initially praised, given his reputation as a disciplinarian and the impression that previous managers had been too lax with this group. But having stripped Terry of the captaincy, he struggled with the same ‘player power’ that saw many Chelsea managers lose their jobs. So central defence was hardly the strength we remember it as.

And where was the strength in depth in goal? The days of David Seaman were long gone, and Capello struggled to decide between Blackburn’s Paul Robinson (30), West Ham’s Rob Green (30), veteran David James (39) and Man City’s young Joe Hart (23). Green started the first game, but gifted the USA an equalising goal. If he hadn’t, England would have comfortably won the group (they were joint on points and goal difference as it was). That would have set them up a date with Ghana in the last 16, a much more comfortable proposition than Germany. After Green looked to have lost his confidence in training, Capello then switched to James, who did much better... despite having been released from Portsmouth as a free agent. But it can hardly be claimed that he had a golden crop to choose from.

Up front, Rooney has never been the asset for England managers that he should have been. On paper, he was coming in off the back of his most successful goalscoring season for Manchester United. But this is the player who lost the 2006 World Cup for England, having to be carried in the first few games due to injury before losing his cool and getting sent off against Portugal for stamping on an opponent. This is the same player who again got himself sent off in England’s final game before Euro 2012 and therefore missed more group games through suspension.

Capello can hardly be blamed for failing to get the most out of him, when no England manager has. He didn’t score in four games, and instead that hot head led to him starting a row with England’s own fans through the television cameras. In other tournaments, England have been led by a Lineker or Shearer or Kane, often taking home the Golden Boot as the country’s only chance at a trophy.. Capello didn’t have that. Instead, he had the privilege of starting Rooney with Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe or Peter Crouch. So that was hardly a Golden Generation squandered.

Sure, the midfield still boasted Lampard and Gerrard, together with James Milner and Gareth Barry in supporting roles. Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips played bit parts, despite having just finished their careers at the top level. The former was a free agent who would make an ill-fated move to Liverpool; the latter would hang around at Man City for a few more months before dropping down to QPR.

Yes, Capello’s decision to keep a rigid four-four-two, with Gerrard shunted to the wing, was frustrating. But Lampard and Gerrard had been around for a decade at this time, and Capello’s options were no better than those of most of his predecessors. In 2002, the multi-trophy winning United trio of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt starred, as did Owen Hargreaves and prime Joe Cole in 2006. They were gone by Capello’s time.

By all accounts, Capello was a dreadful England manager who became resented by his players, and I suppose that makes him an easy scapegoat when we search for someone to blame our national failures on. But he took over an England team who were already well into their decline. They might have peaked back during Euro 2004, when Rooney burst onto the scene to partner Owen in front of a team of James, Neville, Terry, Campbell, Cole, Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes. Or was that already a transition from World Cup 2002, when Seaman, Mills, Ferdinand, Campbell, Cole, Beckham, Hargreaves, Butt and Scholes sat behind Owen, Heskey, and Teddy Sheringham? Or 1998, when Shearer and McManaman still led the line in front of much the same team?

In 2006, that core of Neville, Terry, Ferdinand, Carragher, Cole, Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Carrick, Hargreaves, Cole, Rooney, Owen were all in the squad. But by the time that 2010 came around, Capello had lost Gary Neville for Glen Johnson, lost David Beckham for James Milner, lost Campbell and Ferdinand for an injured King, a retired Carragher, and finally for Upson. He had lost Owen, England’s leading striker for the last few tournaments. Heskey, like Joe Cole and so many of the others, had been finished at the highest level. At Euro 2008, the previous tournament, this squad failed to even qualify. These players were all well-past their best.

So it was Sven-Göran Eriksson who squandered the Golden Generation in 2002, 2004 and 2006, and Steve McLaren who threw away the last real chance for them to perform at their best in 2008. Capello just picked up the final pieces of what remained of a good team, and we blame him most because he came last, so it was under him that the last piece of hope was extinguished. There was no shame in going out in the knockout stages to Germany, possibly the second-best team in the tournament, having had an equalising goal disallowed. Under Roy Hodgson, Capello’s successor, they failed to clear their group in 2014, and went out at the same stage to Italy and Iceland in 2016. Without one Rob Green mistake, they might have beaten Ghana instead and gone further than any England side of the era. Capello can’t be blamed for that.

But it also goes beyond managers. The players have since spoken of their tribalism, putting club loyalties ahead of playing as a team, and it goes even further than that. As well as never performing at the level he did for United, Rooney’s repeated indiscipline cost England games and tournaments. Terry was never a role model either, stripped of the captaincy not only over the Wayne Bridge affair before 2010 but for racially abusing Rio Ferdinand’s brother Anton before 2012, which led to the break up of England’s best centre-back pairing. Ferdinand had responded by criticising Ashley Cole as ‘white on the inside’, and had himself missed Euro 2014 as part of his eight month ban from football for missing a drugs test.

Of course, luck also plays a part, and repeated injuries to key players before major tournaments (Neville, Beckham and Gerrard in 2002, Rooney in 2004, Rooney and Owen in 2006, and Ferdinand, King and Rooney in 2010, Lampard, Barry and Cahill in 2012), meant that the full roster of stars never really had the chance to shine together after all. But they were also never easy to manage, and really have themselves to blame for always being less than the sum of their parts.

#football #England #World Cup #Lampard #Gerrard

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haydee-gd · 4 years

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[120319 - The Business of Fashion] Moncler’s Genius Talent Pipeline: Who Should be Next?

The luxury outerwear brand’s innovative marketing model relies on a constant rotation of buzzy talent. BoF spotlights potential future candidates.

In 2018, luxury outerwear brand Moncler chose to abandon seasonal fashion collections with a marketing model built around a series of limited-edition designer capsules released via monthly drops.

The Genius project, spearheaded by Moncler President and Chief Executive Remo Ruffini, was designed to spark a buzz around the brand; a way to recruit new Moncler customers — particularly Gen-Z and Millennials who crave constant newness — while simultaneously strengthening ties with existing fans through a strong social media presence.

Moncler seeks out Genius collaborators with a strong creative identity that will translate well to Instagram, but who will also be adept at incorporating Moncler’s core DNA into their aesthetic. Each capsule is intended to appeal directly to specific customer segments, though Moncler won’t divulge how it defines them.

While the Genius collections aren’t just about driving revenues (the collections do generate sales, but make up a sliver of the brand’s €1.4 billion total for 2018), the strategy does appear to be working. According to Moncler, it's successfully boosted brand awareness and traffic both on- and offline, and has generated millions of euros in earned media value.

Moncler has enlisted a range of collaborators since the project launched, including Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, Simone Rocha, Craig Green, Noir’s Kei Ninomiya, Hiroshi Fujiwara and Palm Angels’ Francesco Ragazzi, 1017 ALYX 9SM’s Matthew Williams and British designer Richard Quinn.

But the Genius model is one that requires constant feeding. Its future success will, in part, depend on the brand’s ability to continue recruiting the right talent.

So who could be next? BoF explores a list of potential candidates to add to Moncler’s Genius roster.

Raf Simons Since Simons’ departure from Calvin Klein, the fashion world has been waiting to see if he would head to another high-profile fashion house. Instead, he doubled down on his namesake menswear line and collaborated with Danish fabriccompany Kvadrat. A Raf Simons x Moncler tie-up would no doubt benefit from his ability to adapt house codes into his vision of creativity, as seen during his tenure at Dior. Simons would surely get bonus points for enlisting his long-standing collaborator painter Sterling Ruby to work on the collaboration.

G-Dragon As leader of K-Pop boyband Big Bang, the superstar has enormous social media reach across Asia, a prime market for Moncler (the region accounts for almost half the company’s annual revenue). But slowing growth and the continued pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong means Moncler will have to work hard to continue to grow in the region. G-Dragon is well-known for his eclectic fashions, often mixing high-end labels like Dior and Chanel with streetwear-infused brands like Ambush. He also has design experience, launching his own label, PeaceMinusOne, with friend and stylist Gee Eun in 2016.

Molly Goddard It’s already proven that the London-based designer’s frothy tulle creations are an Instagram crowd-pleaser: when the designer dressed Jodie Comer in the hit TV show "Killing Eve" earlier this year, the social platform was a flurry of interest, raising the designer’s profile well beyond her usual following. Goddard’s signature aesthetic is visually striking, exactly what Moncler looks for in a Genius collaborator.

Y/ Project With Gen-Z and Millennials now comprising 40 percent of Moncler’s consumer base — and an even higher total among Genius customers — Y/Project’s conceptual, refined-street aesthetic would speak directly to a key demographic for Moncler. The French brand’s creative director Glenn Martens is part of Paris’ new guard of designers spearheading a streetwear revolution and has a dedicated following among streetwear-loving Millennials.

Sacai Comme des Garçon alumna Chitose Abe has prodigious skill and technical ability with fabrics. Her avant-garde creations are more wearable than that of her former mentor Rei Kawakubo, while still being rooted in strong silhouettes. Abe herself is often inspired by utility, performance and sportswear, she told BoF in 2015, which would likely translate well to a more technical take on a Moncler Genius collection, as it has with past collaborations with Nike and the North Face.

Donatella Versace Donatella Versace knows how to engineer a marketing moment, which, after all, is exactly what Moncler Genius is all about. From the blockbuster 20th anniversary tribute show honouring her brother Gianni, to Jennifer Lopez’s surprise runway appearance in September, Ms Versace has a knack for using nostalgia to drive social media attention. Plus, in light of Capri Holding’s big plans for the Italian brand, the more exposure the Versace brand can get, the better.

Kaws Brian Donnelly’s signature BFF character is globally recognisable thanks in part to past fashion collaborations with streetwear heavyweights A Bathing Ape and Supreme, fashion names like Marc Jacobs and Comme Des Garcon, and, most recently, Kim Jones for Dior Men. The New York-based pop artist, better known as Kaws, began as a street graffiti artist and over the years has revealed a canny ability to reimagine cultural icons that have a strong brand DNA, from Sesame Street stars to the Michelin Man. His work translates well to Instagram — note his 2.6 million followers.

Sarah Burton The British designer, who took over as creative director of Alexander McQueenwhen the house’s founder Lee McQueen died in 2010, has a knack for creating show-stopping yet intricate couture-like creations. While Burton made headlines across the world in 2011 for being the designer behind the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, she mostly keeps a low profile. But as Kering looks to grow McQueen, boosting Burton’s personal brand via a Moncler collaboration may also benefit McQueen in the era of the star designer.

Phoebe Philo While Philo’s aesthetic may not be typical Instagram content, what she lacks in flamboyance, she makes up for in clout. Best known for her 10-year tenure at Celine, Philo has a cult following of women aged 35 to 50, a demographic Moncler is still struggling to attract. If McQueen’s Burton could connect Moncler to wealthy, couture-loving clients, Philo would speak directly to the high-earning working woman. No doubt Philophiles still mourning the designer’s departure from the fashion calendar would have their credit cards at the ready.

#bigbang #gdragon #Kwon Jiyong #fashion #bof

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