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rwbyvein · 2 years

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Firen Lhain: Chapter 1212: You Can Dance If You Want To: Part III / III

Jaune ended up next to Earnest Chauvin by the punch as his wives danced it up on the dance floor. "Just so you know," Jaune said to him, "since you're a farmer, they're probably going to try and tap you to be the heir."

"After you abadoned your family." Earnest harshly said to him.

"What did you say?!" Jaune asked.

"You abandoned your family!" Earnest exclaimed.

"Leave." Jaune said with tranquil fury.

"What did you say?!" Earnest asked him.

"Leave!" Jaune replied.

"I'm a guest!" Earnest exclaimed.

"Not anymore." Jaune stated.

"I'm with my wife."

"She can leave, too." Jaune added, and his father turned towards him.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Djed asked.

"One - day!" Jaune exclaimed, "One - fucking - day, you can't be proud of me?!"

"You don't get to!.." he tried to say, when Yang stepped between them.

"Except, yeah, he can!" Yang said, her skin, eyes, and hair glowing. Jaune gently placed his hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezed it.

Weiss then stepped between the two. "This is OUR wedding, and you cannot be happy for us, then I must ask why you are here?"

"Does that include me?" Whitley called.

"Quiet, you." Weiss replied, and Ruby Petal Burst beside him.

"You don't really mean that, do you?" Ruby asked, and Whitley shyly looked down.

"But he does." Jaune said, looking his father in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Penthesilea said with tranquil fury, "But if you cannot be happy for us, you cannot be here."

"Am I just supposed to stand here and take this?" Djed asked.

"No." Blake stated, "You're supposed to leave."

Djed rushed towards Jaune, only for Jaune to easily toss him aside.

"I really don't know what he expected to get out of that." Yang stated.

Djed struggled to get to his feet, "I won't be talked to by my..." he said, only to have Winter knock him out from behind.

"I suppose you won't" Winter stated.

"Thank you, Sister." Weiss said to her.

"You deserve to be happy on your wedding day." Winter replied. "Though, I hope you will do me the same favour for mine."

"Pardon?" Weiss asked, as Selena walked up.

"Take your husband and go." Jaune forcefully said to her.

"You can't..." she tried to say.

"GO!" he bellowed at her. Earnest, Saphire, and Selena picked him up, and they hurried to leave. Jaune then turned to the rest of the family, "Anyone who agrees with him can go, too."

With this Stella went to her husband, and turned to leave, followed by Sylvia and her husband. Sapphron just looked Jaune tearfully in his eyes.

"You too, Saph?" Jaune asked. "Do you think I betrayed the family?" And she just started crying, being consolded by Terra. Jaune leaned forward, and sighed.

"Is he asking too much?" Sophia asked.

"Enough of the hating." Shantae stated. "This is big bro's wedding. We should be enjoying ourselves."

Jaune glared at Shantae and she nervously looked back at him. "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?"

"I..." she tried to say as Jaune's frown turned into a smile and he pulled her into a hug. He kissed her on the top of her head before letting her go.

Weiss then nervously looked at Whitley before quickly pulling him in for a hug, "Despite our frequent conflicts, and a few betrayals, I do not hate you."

"I don't hate you, either." Whitley replied.

"I did worry for your wellbeing, though barely could comprehend the needs of my own." Weiss stated.

"You were worried about me?" Whitley asked.

"It seems a certain someone was the centre of our conflict." Weiss stated, "I feared you falling into the predations of his vices."

Whitley stood there for a moment, "And whom else do you suggest I model my behaviour from?" he asked, "I find myself soon to be in charge of the entire Schnee Dust Corporation."

"The answer is obvious." Weiss stated, and the two strongly looked each other in the eyes.

"You have always admired him."

"With good cause." Weiss stated.

"Perhaps?" Whitley asked.

"If there is any hope for you, you will see the wisdom of his actions."

"And you think you've patterned your life after his?" Whitley asked, "The founder of the SDC abandoned his birthright?"

"He was the one that founded the SDC." Weiss stated, "At the very beginning, they had a single hole in the ground. He was able to get the capital to turn it into a business empire."

"You are creating an empire of your own." Whitley stated.

"I originally became a Huntress to turn my name into something positive."

"But?" Whitley asked.

"But, now that I have fled my guilded cage, I realize that my life is my own."

"Something I do not have the choice in." Whitley stated.

"Nah." Yang stated, "You might become the boss-man, but that doesn't mean you have to be your dad. I mean, seriously, my dad was the team coward."

"What?" Taiyang asked in the back ground.

"She means it in the loving way." Qrow stated.

"Your cowardous was what kept the rest of us alive." Raven added.

"But, I'm the fire cracker." Yang said, with an assertive nod. "But, we're both Huntresses. Huntsmen. Huntressessmen. Shit."

"Hm?" Whitley asked.

"It is just that our beau has forbidden that word." Weiss stated.

Whitley stared at her for a moment, "I am curious as to what the punishment is."

"You'll just have to worry about that on your own." Yang stated. "But, just remember, both me and my Dad are here to fight Grimm. Both of us helped to take out. You know? We both love Ruby and Uncle Qrow, even if we do this differently."

The words seemed to sink into Whitley's head, as it slowly nodded. "And how am I to pull this off, under Father's watchful eye?"

Ciel stepped up, "Salutations, Ciel Soleil." She held out her hand. Whitley reluctantly held his hand out and they shook.

"Whitley Schnee."

"Yes." Ciel stated, "Now, the most logical solution would be to play the obedient progeny until your chance to form your own path arrives."

Whitley thought this over. "And what should I do right now?"

"Do as your father would do." Ciel stated.

"Go home." Weiss stated, "Send the family lawyers to get Father out on bail."

"But, you hate Father?" Whitley asked.

"I still have hope for you." Weiss stated, "And even if you did not, it would be less than a day before someone else did. I have full confidence that Father's many sins will come to life. Simply do as Father would, and stay in the shadows for the trial. Do not obstruct the investigation."

"As if Father would leave such important matters alone?" Whitley asked.

"He would also never risk personal involvement." Weiss stated.

"All I will have to do is eagerly receive the vague reports on the investigation." Whitley simply stated. "To think I have learned so well to mimic Father's sociopathy."

"He was trying to raise you in his image." Weiss stated, "With myself and Sister..."

"You were openly defiant." Whitley stated, "While I played the good progeny, ever dutifully in my father's shadow."

Willow stepped up, obviously drunk, though holding herself up well, "I am so happy to see you two spending time with each other."

Whitley sneared and turned to walk away. He pulled out his scroll to call for his limosine.

"It is... good... to see you... mother..." Weiss said to her.

"You don't have to pretend." Willow stated, "I know I have failed..."

"Mother!" Weiss harshly admonished.

"You don't need to lie to me." she stated, "I honestly have not lived for most of your lives..." she sorrowfully added. "I don't now what I can do to make it up to you."

Weiss breathed in deeply. "I do not know, as well."

Ciel stood upright, "Perhaps I can make an observation?"

"Shoot." Yang stated.

Ciel quickly, mechanically turned towards her. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, wait, what?" Yang asked.

"That was your substition for another, more pejorative word." Weiss said to her.

"Oh, wait?" Yang asked, "No, I meant shoot, as in, keep talking."

Ciel turned towards Willow and Weiss, "You have sacrificed your time with your children for a self-agrandized lifestyle." Ciel stated, and both eagerly looked at her, hoping for her to continue.

"Go on." Yang stated.

"Oh?" Ciel stated, "Then perhaps reverse your previous decision? Our subterranian guest quarters have been completed. She could aid with the chores around the castle."

Willow looked excited for a moment before nervously looking down, "If she knew how." Yang stated.

Willow looked back up with a determined look, "I'm not too old to learn." she said, with as much firmness as her crapulence could muster. "What do you children drink?" she asked, and they simply looked at her blankly.

"We do not." Ciel simply stated.

"What?" a confused Willow uttered, "Well, I assume you would not be drinking the finest wine, but you still drink wine, don't you?"

"We do not." Ciel stated, and Willow went white with shock.

"How... how could?.." Willow asked.

"Well, for one mother, I saw you disappear into a bottle every day, and vowed to never follow you."

"And we got plenty of things to help us blow off steam." Yang said. "If you wanted, we could use a..."

She was silenced by Weiss slapping her butt.

"Pardon?" Willow asked.

"She was simply being uncouth." Weiss stated.

"You know you like it." Yang said. Weiss developed a mild blush along with a light blue flush.

"It really depends on the current circumstances..." Weiss nervously stated.

* * *

Jaune stepped onto the centre of the dance floor and strongly put his foot down, to balance himself for dancing, when the floor cracked below him. He immediately loosened himself up, wobbling around like a noodle. Penthesilea slid up to him and held his hand to steady him, giggling all the while. Blake did a backward cartwheel to land beside them, and looked over to Gog dancing with Saphron and Terra, along with Sarah Arns. Summer was playing with Adrian in the background.

"He doesn't seem to be having any problems?" Blake asked.

"Yeah?" Jaune asked, "But he's a giant. Wait, wouldn't that make it harder to dance? I mean, tall people already have trouble dancing."

"Penthesilea doesn't seem to be have any trouble?" Blake asked.

"Well, yeah, but she's... you know?" Jaune asked.

"You just need to learn to relax." Blake stated, as she moved it and grabbed his other hand. "Just relax. you don't have to dance, just flow with the music."

"If I make the ground break, I'm blaming you." Jaune grumbled, as she both loosened and balanced himself, flowing with the music.

"You can punish me later." Blake stated.

Sophia and Shantae moved out to dance beside them.

#rwby #firen lhain #faunus au #arc-en-ciel

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gone2soon · 2 years

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Andrea Feldman 1 April 1948 - 8 August 1972

Some would describe true star quality as when the audience can’t tell when you’re acting. That’s what Penny Arcade artist and friend said of Andrea Feldman, “A lot of people in the Warhol scene pretended to be crazy, but Andrea really was.”

She was a rich girl, with a long list of inpatient stays at state hospitals. After a nervous breakdown in the interim of the release of Andy Warhol produced Heat, the third film in the Paul Morrissey directed Trash trilogy, (where she had a co-starring role, as a psychotic, masochistic, lesbian) Penny remembers Andrea’s nervous breakdown, her physician adamantly telling her parents that, that all Andrea needed to stop the hysterics was a real job. To which Andrea told Penny, “What am I supposed to do? Be a waitress?!” She believed she was destined for stardom and after starring in Heat, not just any old star, but a Superstar. Andrea would commit suicide shortly before the film’s release.

Before Heat, Andrea had had a co-starring role in Trash. Where she plays an ex-debutante Rich Girl looking to score some acid from her heroin-addicted conquest Joe Dallesandro, “Is it acid? Is it acid?! Is it acid?!?!” she asks him while he shoots up, in a high-pitched affected upper east-side / British drawl. She rattles on about how she’s never done drugs, was a virgin before her marriage to her husband and has never seen anyone shoot up. She invites Joe to rape her, in a cuckolding of her husband, but he’s impotent. An immovable and disengaged force, an unapologetic junkie. A total counter to the Rich Girl’s fast-talking neuroticism. Feldman’s character is indicative of a housewife looking for some excitement. Asking if this is all there is, why can’t I have more?

Andy Warhol never attended the filming of Heat instead he kept in contact with the cast and crew via telephone. All the actors provided were members of Warhol’s Factory and the principal shooting took place in Los Angeles for two weeks in July 1971. This distance allowed Warhol to stir the pot. Bob Colacello, writer and editor of Interview magazine and Warhol’s right-hand man said: “...Andy barraged Sylvia [Mills], Andrea, and Pat [Ast] with late-night calls from New York, stirring things up long distance.” He made Sylvia jealous of Pat’s high fashion (she wore expensive muumuus designed by Halston), Pat jealous of Sylvia’s star-billing, “and... it didn’t take much to drive poor Andrea crazy.”

Andrea was a native New Yorker who attended Quintano’s a well-known, private performing arts high school in mid-town New York, that groomed its students for a career in the spotlight. Some well-known alumni included Mary Weiss from the heartbreak girl group the Shangri-Las and queen of the stage and screen Bernadette Peters. But the education provided there was subject to criticism, a letter from New York’s Division for School Regulation and Supervision observed pointedly, “there is no science laboratory, no library, and no gymnasium.”

From the mid-1960s onwards, Quintano’s was the school of choice for rich kids who had faced expulsion or flunked out of their previous schools for non-attendance or anti-social behaviour. One previous attendee described the mix of students as “...the students who were there because they had real careers and you had the fuck ups.” It seemed, especially during the drug-fuelled days of the 1960s, that as long as the incredibly expensive tuition fees were paid, drug use and dealing were ignored by the faculty.

Andrea pioneered a performance called “Showtime”, where she performed a striptease on a round table in the centre of Max’s Kansas City, and received her nickname “Whips”, after a dance she did with them for Warhol’s multimedia art event The Exploding Plastic Inevitable between 1966 and 1967. The event included music from The Velvet Underground & Nico who Warhol promoted as “The Pop Girl of ‘66″. Andrea craved Andy’s attention referring to herself as “Ms. Warhol”. Warhol was known for the flitting of his affections based on whose persona he found interesting at the time. Nico’s unaffected, stoic-german, coolness stood in stark contrast to Andrea who was known as “Crazy Andy” amongst her friends.

Leee Black Childers, photographer at the Factory and Andrea’s boyfriend before her untimely death remembers an incident in which after a short absence documenting Andy Warhol’s Pork at the Roundhouse in London. “...She stood up on a chair and held a picture of Marilyn Monroe over her head... After a long time of just standing there, she said, ‘Marilyn died; love me while you can!’” Her suicide note would read “I’m headed for the big time. I’m on my way up there with James Dean and Marilyn Monroe”. She jumped to her death from the fourteenth-floor window of her uncle’s apartment, a few days after the tenth anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death at the age of 24. Perhaps Andrea identified with Monroe as like her she would later allege mistreatment by directors, depression, and the inability to be taken seriously as an actress.

On the 8th of July 1972, Andrea made dates with all her ex-boyfriends so that they would be on the sidewalk below when she jumped. Geraldine Smith who had written Andrea’s Village Voice obituary sympathetically excluded this detail, and detailed how Andrea’s final message to her friends was one of love. According to Bob Colacello, and his connections at The Factory, Smith made no mention of the more scathing portions of Andrea’s suicide note, where she cursed Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey, claiming abuse. She had conducted an interview in July 1972 with George Ford for Interview magazine, which never made it to print. “They just throw you in front of a camera - they don’t care what you look like. They just use you, and abuse you, and step on you, and they don’t pay you anything... I’m a damn good actress and I’ve been brought down by Warhol and I’ve been mistreated by them.”

She died three weeks before the release of Heat, holding either “a rosary and a can of coke” or “a bible and a crucifix” on her descent. Judith Crist of the New Yorker described her performance in the film as “in large part non-performance, comes from the late Andrea Feldman, as the flat voiced, freaked-out daughter, a mass of psychotic confusion, infantile and heart-breaking.”

#andrea feldman #warhol #andy warhol #trash #celebrity culture #blog #1970s #1960s #gonetoosoon #andy warhol's superstars #nico #the velvet underground #tragedy

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theadventuresofpickleballjim · 1 year

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Pickleball Canada! Ontario Regionals OPEN Level. Sara Weiss/ Pat Tardif vs Jon Boi/ Sylvia

#pickleballvacations #pickleballcamps #pickleballtournaments

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salamander-joe-jones · 6 years

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Unpopular Opinion

I really actually like In Time (2011) with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.

Like, fuck yeah painfully on the nose late-stage capitalism allegory/sci-fi Bonnie and Clyde. And the fashion in it is actually gorgeous.

Like, even the action-heroine-in-high-heels and the kidnapping-romance parts don’t even bug me that much. Idk, maybe it’s because Sylvia was kidnapped from a party so she’s kinda stuck in the shoes she’s wearing and all her ‘fighting’ is basically standing still and shooting at people and that Sylvia is just so down to play Bonnie Parker that it kinda justifies the more problematic tropes. Like, getting kidnapped by a kind-hearted Robin Hood esque theif is a dream come true for this girl, lbr.

#in time #will salas #sylvia weiss

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nyssasorbit · 7 years

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.........................................I don’t know

#Sylvia Weiss #Chibi #Owari no Seraph #Owari no Seraph OC #I don't know #I really don't #I just kinda...did it #And here it is #Also #This is shaded because it's microscopic and I could do it without much strife #Also low-key have a headcanon she used to work under Lest Karr #And was sent to Japan #For...whatever reason #idk fun facts #I'm tired #shroom doodles

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garadinervi · 6 years

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Salome Ursula Weiss, Gertrud Saxer, Sylvia Studer, Barbara Keeris-Kappeler / Fachklasse für textile Berufe, Kleiderstoffe und Abendkleiderstoffe, Zürich, 1969 [Zürcher Hochschule der Künste / Archiv]

#design #design education #textile #geometry #school #salome ursula weiss #gertrud saxer #sylvia studer #barbara keeris kappeler #museum für gestaltung zürich #1960s

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terrovaniadorm · 2 years

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The Royal Sword Academy dorm of Finalium

A dorm founded upon the instinct of the survivors.. Current Dorm leader is Lee Shelley and vice dorm head is Edgar Harker, it's a dorm that prioritizes survival instincts and strategy. Most likely dorm to beat NRC in Magishift.

Edgar used to be former dorm leader, he excels in both magic and strategy, he stepped down from his position willingly since he saw a spark in Lee.

This dorm doesn't have a dorm uniform, since Edgar though they were unnecessary, however their dorm color is light blue.

Finalium is a dorm that's twisted from final girls and horror protagonists.

A lot of students here seem to be related to Terrovania students...

Dorm members

Lee Shelley (Laurie Strode from Halloween) - Dorm leader

Edgar Harker (Erin Harson from You're Next) - Vice Dorm Head

Alyssa Kent (Detective Allison Kerry from Saw)

Jolene Atwater (James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2)

Marcos (Maria from Silent Hill 2)

Alejandro Elizondo (Ángela Vidal from REC)

Emilio Savini (Tommy Jarvis from Friday the 13th)

Joyce Verdade, Loreline Divinier and Benedict Bonaventura (Janet, Lorraine and Ed Warren from Conjuring franchise) by @/just-an-otakus-blog

Memphis Stella (Juliet Starling from Lolipop Chainsaw) by @/just-an-otakus-blog

Brianna Fortens (Maddie Young from Hush) by @/just-an-otakus-blog

Angus Fortens (Paul Sheldon from Misery) by @/just-an-otakus-blog

Abelardo Phobia (Courage from Courage the cowardly dog) by @/just-an-otakus-blog

Alexandra Saadikha (Salim Othman from House of Ashes) by @/just-an-otakus-blog

Axelle Semperfi (Jason Kolchek from House of Ashes) by @/just-an-otakus-blog

Buu Ye-Jun (Yun Jin From DBD) by @/just-an-otakus-blog

Elliot Ripper (Ellen and Amanda Ripley from the Alien) by @/twsted-princess

Prometheus (Adam/Creature from Frankenstein) by @/twsted-princess

Janice Weiss (Janet Weiss from Rocky Horror Picture Show) by @/cutiecrpze

Noelle Madison (Rosemary Winters from Resident Evil village) by @/sakurablossoms10

Sylvia Garcia (Veronica Sawyer from Heathers) by @/leonasbitties

Lore characters

Terrovania dorm - Night Raven College Fandorm

Maureen Sauveterre (Maggie Burnham from Nightmare on Elm street) - Finalium Supervisor, school counselor, nurse

#YEAA BOIIII #I'LL WORK ON THEM THIS WEEK!#And take an exam hiatus for next two weeks #I have their bios ready so expect some new ocs soon 💕#[also working on another fandorm but shh that's a surprise]#Twisted wonderland #Twisted wonderland oc #Twst oc #My art #Finalium #Lee Shelley #Edgar Harker #Terrovania #Because they are related to Terrovania duh #Royal Sword Academy

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jasper-system · 3 years

Link

This is a link to a list of guides:

Biology & Ecology

The science in Jurassic Park by microbiologist Mike Hays

Wildlife biology in fiction with Texas biologist Rebecca Mowry

Writing outside the human box, with biology professor Brie Paddock

Zombie microbiology 101 with microbiologist Mike Hays

8 things authors should know about viruses, with HIV expert E.E. Giorgi

Plagues in science fiction and fantasy, with microbiologist Gabriel Vidrine

Insects in fiction: what bugs me, with entomologist Robinne Weiss

Writing wolves fairly & accurately, with environmentalist William Huggins

Gender determination in fantasy creatures, with entomologist Robinne Weiss

Rogue viruses in science fiction, with biomedical researcher Lee A. Everett

A primer on primates for SFF authors, with biomedical researcher Lee A. Everett

Space bugs: microbes in outer space, with microbiologist Mike Hays

The reality of bees, with science reporter and beekeeper Bianca Nogrady

The science of animal communication, with expert William Huggins

Debunking myths about hunting, with wildlife biologist Rebecca Mowry

Writing realistic spiders, with entomologist Robinne Weiss

Venomous creatures from insects to platypus, with Robinne Weiss

Entomology and ants in fantasy, with author Clark Carlton and entomologist Wyatt Parker

Spawning monsters with biology, by biologist Sarah J. Sover

Novel Coronavirus 2019 Roundtable with four expert scientists

Genetics, Archaeology, and Anthropology

Genetics myths in fiction writing by genetics researcher Dan Koboldt

Mutation myths in fiction by geneticist Dan Koboldt

Editing life in science fiction, with microbiologist Mike Hays.

Dispeling archaeology myths, with Graeme Talboys

A whirwind tour of the human genome, by genetics researcher Dan Koboldt

The linguistics in Arrival, by expert linguist Christina Dalcher

Realistic translation in fiction, with archaeologist Marie Brennan.

Neurology & Psychology

Getting mental illness right in fiction with psychiatric NP Kathleen S. Allen

Misconceptions about memory with neurologist Anne Lipton

Dementia myths in fiction, part 1 with neurologist Anne Lipton

Dementia myths in fiction, part 2 with neurologist Anne Lipton.

Writing children with BESD, with special ed teacher Rachel Heaps-Page.

Deep character development, with educational psychologist Maria Grace

It’s not brain surgery, it’s neuroscience, by neuroscientist Paul Regier

Bipolar disorder: What writers should know, with psychiatrist Jon Peeples.

Schizophrenia: What writers should know, with psychiatrist Jon Peeples.

Writing about schizophrenia treatment, by psychiatrist Jonathan Peeples

Writing distinct characters via psycological development, with educational psychiatrist Maria Grace

Autism misconceptions in fiction, with pediatrician Josh Michaels.

Writing characters with ADHD, with pediatrician Josh Michaels

Writer’s guide to tics and Tourette syndrome, with pediatrician Josh Michael

Chemistry and Radiation

Chemical fallacies in fiction with chemist Gwen C. Katz (and husband)

Explosions in science fiction, with chemist Gwen C. Katz (and husband)

Nuclear radiation for writers, with nuclear chemist Rebecca Enzor

The science of poisons, with toxicologist Megan Chaudhuri

Binary poisons in fiction, with emergency/toxicology doctor Jane Prosser.

Physics & Space Travel

9 misconceptions about space travel by aerospace engineer Jamie Krakover

Space flight in science fiction, with aviation expert Sylvia Spruck Wrigley.

The weapons of Star Wars, with astronomical engineer Judy L. Mohr

Fiction writing versus physical laws, with chemist Gwen C. Katz

Cryopreservation in science fiction, with researcher Terry Newman

Realistic astronomy in science fiction, with astronomer Tom Benedict

Faster-than-light travel in sci-fi, with physicist Jim Gotaas.

Imaging over long distances, with astronomical engineer Judy L. Mohr.

Relativity: Did Einstein kill steampunk? with physicist Dan Allen.

Practical spaceship design, by Boeing engineer Eric Primm.

Exoplanets and habitability, by physicist Jim Gotaas.

Radio waves for sci-fi authors, with atmospheric physicist Candida Spillard.

Distance and legal systems in sci-fi, with “space lawyer” J.R.H. Lawless.

Space law: lowering the cost of space travel, with “space lawyer” J.R.H. Lawless.

Space battles in sci-fi, with veteran U.S. Army officer Michael Mammay

Interstellar space law: who owns Oumuamua? with lawyer J.R.H. Lawless

Lunar travel to the moon and back, with astrophysicist Jim Gotaas

Earth Sciences

Near-future scenarios for us & our planet, with science reporter Bianca Nogrady

How the ocean will kill you, with marine biologist Danna Staaf.

Habitable atmospheres for authors, by atmospheric scientist Lynn Forest.

Gravity basics for SFF authors, by physicist Dan Allen.

The future of energy, by geophysicist Karen Lanning.

Earthquakes: Fact vs fiction, by civil engineer Amy Mills.

Climate change and cli-fi, by geophysicist Karen Lanning

Waste management in SF, with expert Gareth Jones.

Enclosed ecosystems and life support, with biomedical scientist Philip Kramer.

Computers & Technology

Ability and luck in writing with biostatistician Dustin Fife

Computer and internet myths, with computer scientist Matt Perkins.

Your sci-fi cell phone isn’t cool enough, with silicon valley consultant Effie Seiberg.

CGI is not made by computers, by 3D video game artist Abby Goldsmith.

Erroneous code in fiction, by programmer KJ Harrowick

7 things to know about cybernetics, with neuroscientist Benjamin Kinney.

Writing believable nanotechnology, with physicist Dan Allen.

Holograms in sci-fi, with Judy L. Mohr

State-of-the Art Microscopes with microscopist Terry Newman

A writer’s guide to cyborgs, by biomedical expert Brie Paddock

Analog versus digital imaging, by astronomical engineer Judy L. Mohr

Quantum computing & cryptography I by physicist Dan Allen

Quantum computing & cryptography II by physicist Dan Allen

The current state of artificial intelligence by industry expert Dan Rowinski

Common misconceptions about AI, an interview with expert Ben Taylor

Machine learning for writers, with software developer Ember Randall

The future of communications, with expert S.B. Divya

GPS systems: What authors should know, with engineer Judy L. Mohr

Big brother is watching: surveillance & privacy, by Google developer Ember Randall.

Research and Medicine

Medical misconceptions in fiction, with nurse Karyne Norton

Proper lab technique for SFF writers with nuclear chemist Rebecca Enzor.

Research in writing: How to ask an expert, with Boeing engineer Eric Primm

Researchers gone wild, with laboratory manager Gabriel Vidrine.

How to write convincing death scenes, with science reporter Bianca Nogrady.

More medical myths in fiction, with nurse Stephanie Sauvinet.

Organogenesis in 3D, with biomedical researcher Megan Chaudhuri.

Immortality in science fiction, with clinical researcher Edward Ashton

The near-future of medical technology, with physician assistant Rachel Berros

First aid and Field Dressings for Writers with medical expert Stacey Berg.

How to write about biomedical researchers, with genetics researcher Dan Koboldt

Nursing myths in fiction, with nurse Stephanie Sauvinet

Writing realistic research labs, with scientist Jenny Ballif

Research ethics in science fiction, with scientist Dan Koboldt

Drug development for writers, with research scientist Bradley Johnson.

Binary poisons in fiction, with toxicology expert Jane Prosser

The science of aging and its fictional cures with biomedical scientist Philip A. Kramer

Sights, sounds, and smells of the lab with scientist Rachel Brick

Emergency triage: bring out your dead, by ER physician assistant Rachel Berros

Futuristic first aid: wound care, by ER physician assistant Rachel Berros

Roundtable on the novel coronavirus, with a panel of four scientists.

COVID-19 and the American pandemic, by Dan Koboldt

Fact in Fantasy (#FactInFantasy)

Here are articles related to culture, animal husbandry, warfare, and other relevant topics for fantasy authors.

Fantasy Cultures

Developing realistic fantasy cultures with sociologist Hannah Emery

A quick and dirty guide to feudal nobility, with history buff Jerry Quinn

France as a fantasy culture, by itinerant francophone Dan Koboldt.

Female professions of medieval Europe, by Renaissance man Jerry Quinn.

Religious fundamentalism in fantasy, by Crusades hobbyist Spencer Ellsworth.

Historically accurate ways to die, by historian Wanda S. Henry

Women’s voices from Heian Japan, by David and Carol Harr

Prophets, preachers, and parasites in fantasy, with historian Jay S. Willis

World-building

10 things authors don’t know about the woods by bowhunter Dan Koboldt

Worldbuilding: basics of social stratification, with sociologist Hannah Emery

Languages in fiction, with linguistic expert Christina Dalcher.

Woodworking myths in fiction, by craftsman Dustin Fife.

Writing realistic forests, with surveyor Terence Newman

World building with the Spanish Inquisition with historian Jay S. Willis

5 Facts About the American Old West, with historian Hayley Stone.

Folklore systems in fantasy, with historian Colleen Halverson.

Money and economics for SF/F writers, with decision scientist Elise Bungo

Political philosophies for fictional worlds, with political scientist Kate Heartfield

World building with food and drink in fiction, with culinary expert Crystal King

Organic world-building through ecology with biologist Sarah J. Sover.

Spawning monsters with biology, with biologist Sarah J. Sover

Plants in World-building: Cacao Case Study with expert Amber Royer

How to name characters in fantasy, with naming consultant Hannah Emery

Magic

Designing realistic magic academies by sociologist Hannah Emery.

Witchcraft for Writers, with Renaissance historian E.B. Wheeler.

Superstition for Writers, with Renaissance historian E.B. Wheeler.

A brief history of real-world magic, with historian Jay S. Willis.

Horses, Travel, and Adventure

Horses in fantasy writing by rancher and horse trainer Karlie Hart

How to describe horses in fiction, with expert equestrian Amy McKenna

Horse terminology: gaits and anatomy, with expert equestrian Amy McKenna

Horse terminology: tack and riding, with expert equestrian Amy McKenna

3 ways to write a better hike, by outdoors editor Victoria Sandbrook Flynn

How to write rock climbing wrong, with longtime climber Michelle Hazen.

Matching horses to use, setting, and character, with expert Rachel A. Chaney.

How to injure horses realistically with expert Rachel A. Chaney

8 ways to write horses wrong with expert Rachel A Chaney

Wilderness, Weapons and Warfare

Wilderness survival tips, by Montana ranger Rebecca Mowry

Medieval versus modern archery by bowhunter Dan Koboldt

A short history of warfare in the western world, with historic actor Jerry Quinn

Weapons and tactics in fantasy warfare, with veteran/historian Michael Mammay.

Realistic fighting for SF/F authors, by martial artist Eric Primm.

Realistic knife fighting, with martial artist Eric Primm

Building a fantasy army: Leaders, by veteran officer Michael Mammay.

Building a fantasy army: Soldiers, by veteran officer Michael Mammay.

8 tips for writing realistic soldiers, by veteran officer Michael Mammay.

#guides for writers #myths in fantasy #military guide for fantasy writers #guides for fantasy writing #writing resources #worldbuilding

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rwbyvein · 2 years

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Firen Lhain: Chapter 1007: Chevalier/e: Part III / III

Hartman lay strapped to the bed, and looked at Salem hauntingly, dauntingly above her, as she pulled some kind of darkness from a pot. "What exactly is this going to do?" Hartman asked.

"I really don't know." Salem simply replied, and developed a psychotic glare.

"How can you say that with such a crazy glare?" Hartman asked.

"Oh?" Salem asked, "Tyrian lost his tail, and got a new one. Cinder lost her eye and arm and got new ones. They both got what they want. You might want to ask yourself what you want, because you just might get it. Now, enough prattle, my dear, let's get you infected." She moved the dark, writhing mass towards her.

* * *

Jaune walked back with the Cheval Knights, his comrades behind him. As he approached the castle he saw Neo holding the knife of her umbrella up to Shantae's neck from behind. "Oh, please." he dismissively said, and a surprised Neo let go of Shantae. "Shantae's not that good at acting." Jaune stated. Both Neo and Shantae huffed at him.

"Nothing wrong with wanting her big brother to come and save her." Weiss added, and Jaune's head uncertainly bobbed back and forth.

"I did put her in a castle surrounded by Huntsmen." he added.

"He has a point." Ruby added. "Why did you want to be kidnapped?"

"She probably just wants attention." Ilia stated, and Jaune sighed.

"Yeah..." he uttered.

"I don't know why?.." Shantae tried to say, and trailed off.

"There is nothing wrong with wanting attention from a sibling you care for." Weiss added. "I know I have oft felt forlorn for my own." She paused for a moment, "Though, this has recently been remedied."

Jaune wandered up and looked down at his sister. "Why don't we have a talk."

"About." Shantae asked.

"How you are doing." Jaune replied.

Ilia walked up to Neo. "Want to talk?" she asked, and Neo simply glared at her before subtly nodding.

* * *

Jaune and Shantae sat on the inner edge of the curtain wall, legs dangling down. "How have you been?" Jaune asked.

"That's what you have to ask?" Shantae replied.

"It's what I haven't asked." Jaune replied. "How's school?"

"It's school." Shantae replied.

"You know what I mean." Jaune replied.

"Yeah, yeah..." she voiced.

"You don't know what you want to do, do you?" he asked.

"There's just so much..." she tried to say.

"It doesn't matter." he replied.

"It doesn't what?" she asked, "But, you're a Huntsman! You're THE Huntsman! The saviour of Haven, you fought at Beacon, you..."

"I knew what I wanted to do." Jaune replied, "Did Stella know what she wanted to do?"

"She's mayor of Ansel!" Shantae replied.

"Because they needed her." he added. "She kept fixing problems until they just made her mayor. What about Selena?"

"She's KIND of mayor." Shantae added.

"Headman, and it's because they needed her." Jaune added.

"What about Sylvia?" Shantae asked, "She became a farmer."

"She married a farmer." Jaune replied. "Horace was more important to her than farming."

"You're just making this harder to figure out!" Shantae exclaimed, and he ruffled her hair, carefully avoiding her antlers.

"I'm saying it doesn't matter." Jaune said to her, "You're an Arc. You can do whatever you want to do."

"And if I don't want to do?" she asked.

"It doesn't really matter." he stated, "Whatever you do, you'll do well. Arcs never give up. Arcs never pull out."

"What if I wanted to move into Vale?"

"Then you'll probably end up on the council." Jaune replied.

"Atlas?" Shantae asked.

"CEO." Jaune replied.

Shantae then stood up and turned towards him, still shorter than his antlers. "What if I wanted to move to the shadier side of Vale?!"

"Sadly, we know people there." Jaune replied. He then stood up, slowly lumbered around, being careful to not accidentally harm his sister. "You'll be the best damn pimp in all of Vale."

Shantae than punched him and managed to hurt her hand. "Why would you bring up your Aura? Afraid your LITTLE sister is going to hurt you?"

"I didn't." Jaune replied.

"You're saying that's armour?" she asked.

"You purposefully missed my armour." Jaune replied.

"Then what was that?" Shantae asked, and Jaune sighed.

"I have been training for a couple of years." he stated.

"You got that much, in?.." she asked.

"It's more about confidence." Jaune replied, "I was raised a farm boy."

"What does that have to do with it?" Shantae asked.

"When you punched me, I didn't react because it hurt, but because I flinched."

Shantae once again punched him, and once again hurt her fist.

* * *

Neo sat on her bed, huddling her legs as Ilia sat against a wall. As she relaxed against it, her camouflage was triggered. She let out a great sigh of relief. Her eyes opened, "Sorry for camouflaging, but it's strangely freely." Neo looked like she wanted to say something to her but instead looked back down. "You don't have much in here for guests." Neo looked at her questioningly, "Maybe a chair?" Neo looked back down. "You feel at home, here, don't you?" she asked, and Neo slowly nodded. "You're afraid of letting anyone else in." Neo instantly looked up and looked deep into her eyes, trying to find out where she found this truth. "I was the same way. I didn't let anyone in. Not even Blake." Neo looked at her curiously, "I was afraid of what she would find. That I wasn't good enough for it." Ilia sighed, "The truth is, I wasn't..."

Neo held up a sign, 'But' The sign quickly changed, 'you can't'.

"I can..." Ilia sighed. "When it came to make a choice, Blake made the right one, I made the wrong one. Funny enough, neither of us really understood why we made our choices. I honestly thought that by killing enough people, the Faunus could be free." Neo eagerly made stabbing motions with her umbrella. Ilia just shook her head. "It turns out the Faunus aren't oppressed." Neo looked at her questioningly. "Faunus are hated - distrusted, but not oppressed. Legally, we in theory have rights. In Mistral, not the same as the upper classes, but most people don't have the same as the upper classes. In Vale we are equal. In Vacuo, having rights means the government leaves you alone. Atlas is the only place we are oppressed, and it turns out it's because they just like being exclusive bastards." Neo once again made stabbing motions. "We were shouting at them." Ilia stated, and Neo paused, looking confused. "We weren't doing anything to make them trust us. Worse, we were attacking them, giving them every right to defend themselves." She then looked at her hands, her arms returned to normal near the shoulder, though looking like blood at the tips. She then looked at Neo who could not hold her gaze.

"Alright?" Ilia asked, "What good could possibly be gained by destroying the Huntsman Academies? Even the ones from the more racist kingdoms have no problem letting in and qualifying Faunus. They were the very icons, BEACONS of what we wanted." Ilia's colouration returned to normal, and she breathed in deeply. "And we attacked them. Blake? She joined them. Here I am, somehow accepted." She wrapped her legs in her arms and pulled them close, "The only reason I'm a Huntress is you."

Neo looked at her for a moment before shrugging. She then gave her a look of trust.

"You trust me?" Ilia asked. and Neo looked shocked. "That honestly makes some crazy kind of sense." Neo looked at her curiously, "We're both from... questionable backgrounds..." she said, and paused, "And we're both only Huntsmen because they want us to be."

Neo sat up augustly, and pointed to herself.

"Nope." Ilia stated, "You got us the ID. They gave us the skills. A Huntress is more than just a picture on her scroll." Neo looked at her uncertainly. Ilia then held her heart, "A Huntress is in here," she said, and moved her hand to her head, "and here. I was arrogant enough to think I knew how to fight, but I knew nothing about being a Huntress. But you know what?" she asked, and Neo looked like she hung on every word, "I'm not the girl I used to be. I'm not the orphan, not the mindless assassin..."

Neo held up a sign, 'But'. She then changed her sign, 'You do.' She then changed it a third time, 'Dum-dum.'

"I do, do I?" Ilia asked, and Neo looked at her nervously, "Every - single - thing - I - do, I analyze. And you know what conclusion I've come to?" Neo looked at her eagerly, "They're right. Maybe not by themselves, but together, they are right." Neo looked at her questioningly, "If they are ever wrong, I will say something. But, making a moral choice seems easier for them. Quicker for them. By the time I've caught up, it's aleady happened." She leaned back and sighed as Neo looked distant. She breathed in deep before looking back at Neo, "You count on them too, don't you?"

Neo looked shocked, and tried not to answer but eventually had to nod.

* * *

Blake, Nora, Penthesilea, and Ciel walked down the streets of Atlas carrying shopping bags. Nora stopped instantly and spun around to look at the others. "You know what we need?"

"Wine?" Blake asked.

"Good answer, but no." Nora stated.

"I'm pretty sure Yang got Little Bit to buy some." Penthesilea stated.

"Okay, yeah, but not what I was talking about." Nora voiced and pointed at Ciel.

"Yes?" Ciel neutrally asked.

"We need to get you sun glasses?"

Ciel looked upwards, "Because of the sun?"

"Pfft." Nora replied.

"Pfft?" Ciel mimicked.

"To replace your watch."

Ciel looked at her watch, "And what is wrong with my watch. It works with exceptional precision." She then looked back to Nora.

"But you're always looking at it in combat." Nora continued.

"I was worried about that." Penthesilea added.

"To maximize the effect of my Semblance." Ciel stated. "If I miss a single second, I miss a tremendous advantage I have in combat."

"What if your glasses could do that for you?" Nora asked, and Ciel seemed distant for a moment.

"I had not considered this." Ciel neutrally stated, "I am intrigued."

"Pickup is tomorrow, anways." Blake added, "We still have lots of time."

"Then let us proceed with shopping." Ciel neutrally stated.

#rwby #firen lhain #faunus au #arc-en-ciel

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brokenbuttonsmusic · 3 years

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Eleni Mandell: L.A. Singer-Songwriter with Smoky Chrissie Hynde Vocals and a flair for Tom Waits’ Influenced Experimentation

This post is a near- transcript of the Broken Buttons: Buried Treasure Music podcast (episode 5, side A). Here you’ll find the narration from the segment featuring the L.A. singer-songwriter, Eleni Mandell, along with links, videos, photos and references for the episode.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple, Anchor or Mixcloud.

Have you ever bought the wrong record? Like, you intended to buy something that sounded like one thing and you accidentally grab something that sounds very different.

I don’t know if this happens anymore, but I believe it was quite common years ago. Imagine hearing an artist on the radio and being blown away. You go to the record store, find the plastic divider with the name of whom you’re looking for, but you can’t remember the name of the album, or even the song. Remember, you don’t have a tiny computer in your pocket. You’re too nervous to ask the store clerk for fear of looking stupid. So you roll the dice.

“I know it was someone called Neil Young, but there are a thousand Neil Young records here.”

“Hey, this pink one looks cool.”

That exact scenario didn’t happen to me, but that album, Neil Young’s Everybody’s Rockin’, happened to be the most played Neil Young album in my house growing up, so for years I thought Neil Young was a rockabilly revival act. In reality, that was one of several oddball records Young released during a tumultuous period with his record label to fulfill his contract demands. I still love that record.

Eleni Mandell did live out the scenario of buying the wrong record though. She shared the story during a segment of the show Bullseye with Jessie Thorn, where she describes seeing Tom Waits on MTV late at night—back when MTV still cared about music. It was either 120 minutes or IRS’ The Cutting Edge. This would have been around 1984 or 1985, so right around the time of Wait’s masterpiece Rain Dogs. When she went to the record store though, she picked up the 1976 Tom Waits’ Asylum release, Small Change instead. Now Small Change is still a great Tom Waits album, but it sounds nothing like the drastically reimagined sound and musical approach he had begun to employ starting with 1983’s Swordfishtrombones. Something Tom Waits called his “junkyard orchestral deviation.” The spare, off-kilter percussion. Moaning trombones and muted trumpets. Marimba. Plenty of marimba. Experimental instruments mixed in everywhere. Megaphones and CB radios. Trash can lids.

This is the sound Eleni was looking for.

Instead she got lush strings. Delicate piano. Cinematic swells and a melancholy wail.

She got this.

Still awesome, but not the same. She credits the experience with changing her life. She grew to love both sides of the Tom Waits coin. The jazzy piano man in the smoky, whiskey-drenched nightclub and the eclectic, experimental carnival barker that she had her first encounter with on late night MTV.

You can hear that deep appreciation and influence for the full Tom Waits spectrum injected and swirling through Eleni Mandell’s own spectacular catalog that spans more than 20 years now.

She’s got plenty of experimental Waits, especially in her early catalog.

And quite a bit of the jazzy nightclub vibe.

There’s also plenty of folk-y Eleni mixed in, and even some country.

You’ll notice that Eleni’s voice doesn’t sound like Tom Waits though. Did you notice that? It’s less of a deep, gravelly howl and more of rich Chrissie Hynde croon. Spin compared her to Chrissie Hynde and PJ Harvey. Rolling Stone compared her captivating melodies and witty lyricism to early Elvis Costello.

While she doesn’t have the Tom Waits’ wail, she does specialize in his particular brand of character song-study. Like this first song we’re going to hear. The first track off of Eleni Mandell’s second album Thrill. Released in the year 2000. This is Pauline.

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Pauline, from Eleni Mandell’s second record, Thrill. So how did this remarkably unique singer-songwriter get her start and pull together so many interesting influences to create the sound we just heard.

Eleni grew up in the Sherman Oaks region of the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. She started playing music when she was just 5, beginning with the violin and then piano. Eleni didn’t love playing either, but continued to take lessons until she was thirteen. She remembers wanting to learn to write songs early on, but didn’t have the first idea of how to approach it, especially on violin. She jumped from violin and piano to guitar as a teenager. Her parents exposed her to a variety of musical styles. Her mom would take her to musicals and her dad, a serious record collector, played her Hoagy Carmichael and plenty of jazz standards. She loved the Beatles and remembers Diana Ross making an early impression.

Another early life changing moment came when she discovered the Los Angeles punk band X.

X were huge in LA, and their first album (called Los Angeles) was the first record Eleni ever owned. Or maybe the first she asked to own. The first record she was ever given was Shaun Cassidy’s greatest hits for her 4th birthday. The first she ever purchased with her own money was X’s third release, Under the Big Black Sun. She tells a story of when she was out record shopping at a place called Aron’s Records, located on Melrose, and to her utter befuddlement came face to face with John Doe, lead singer of X. He was shopping for records too. She quickly snapped up a copy of the band’s third album and asked John to sign it. He did. She still has the signed album, which reads “Yours” complete with a big X “-John Doe.” That was the last autograph she ever asked for. It was not, however, the last time her path would cross with that of the band X.

When she was a little bit older, she met Chuck E. Weiss, songwriter, rock n’ roller, beat poet and peculiar Tom Waits associate. Also the subject of the song, Chuck E.’s in Love.

Yes, that Chuck E. Weiss. Waits was in a relationship with Rickie Lee Jones. Waits, Jones and Weiss all lived at the seedy Tropicana Motel in Los Angeles. One day Weiss up and left out of nowhere. Some time later Chuck E. called the apartment where Jones and Waits were living. He explained to Waits that he had moved to Denver because he had fallen in love with a cousin there. Waits hung up the phone and announced to Jones, “Check E.’s in love. Rickie Lee Jones liked that so much that she it turned it into the song we just heard.

Who is this episode about again? Oh, right. Eleni Mandell. Anyway, Eleni Mandell met THAT Chuck E. Weiss when she was not yet 21. Still, she had a friend who was able to get her into The Central, a Sunset Strip club that would later become The Viper Room. This would’ve been around 1990. Weiss was playing there every Monday.

Here’s how the write up on Eleni’s original website describes her first encounter with Weiss.

“The first time she ever saw Chuck E. Weiss perform, he walked right up to her and smiled like a cross between The Cheshire Cat and an escaped mental patient. She met him a month later at Musso and Frank’s.”

Eleni says she was at the famous Hollywood restaurant and recognized Weiss. She worked up the courage to approach him and told him how much she loved his show. He asked if she wanted to accompany him to meet up with a friend at Canter’s Deli. She agreed. When they settled into one of the landmark eaterys iconic red, vinyl booths in walked her hero. Tom Waits. What a night. Tom asked Chuck how he and Eleni had met.

“Hebrew school,” he declared.

Here’s a tune from Eleni’s debut album, Wishbone, released in 1999. This is Sylvia.

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From Eleni Mandell’s first album, Wishbone, that was Sylvia.

Under Chuck E. Weiss’ mentorship, produced by Jon Brion and self-financed by Mandell, Wishbone, as well as her next several records, received strong reviews and drew comparisons to Waits and PJ Harvey in style.

Before Weiss mentored Mandell, he hired her as a door person at his club. She said he would test her to see how tough a door person she was by trying to grab money out of her hand. Weiss would continue to mentor Eleni over the years and they’re still friends to this day.

For her fourth album, Mandell shook things up by diving into traditional country. A mix of covers and originals, 2003’s Country For True Lovers is an exciting update to her sound. And one of her life changing moments came full circle. Weiss introduced her to former X guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who produced the project. She also stacked the sessions with all star players, including Nels Cline from Wilco, and another X hero, drummer D.J. Bonebreak.

Eleni continued to mix and mesh genres on her next release, 2004’s Afternoon.

From the No Depression review of that album:

“Last years Country For True Lovers found Los Angeles chanteuse Eleni Mandell turning her sights on twang rather than her previous more PJ Harvey-oriented material, and she received plenty of critical acclaim in the process, sharing the LA Weekly 2003 songwriter of the year award with the late Elliot Smith.”

“On Afternoon, her fifth album, Mandell combines her love of various genres, including country, pop, jazz and rock, to stunning effect. Produced by Joshua Grange, who also lends his considerable talents on guitar, pedal steel, Hammond organ and piano, Afternoon mostly takes the slow and sexy approach. I’ve Been Fooled and Can’t You See Im Soulful give Mandell the chance to show off her breathy but passionate alto, which can devastate in a heartbeat.”

“Mandell does rock out from time to time, as on Easy On Your Way Out, which has a grungy Elvis Costello-gets-on-with-Liz Phair feel to it. I wanna be your afternoon/I want you coming back for more, Mandell sings on the sorta fun/sorta sad title song.”

She can also write catchy singles. Like this song from Afternoon, “Let’s Drive Away.”

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That was Let’s Drive Away from Eleni Mandell’s fifth album, Afternoon, released in 2004. That song was also featured on the TV show, Weeds.

And here comes the challenging part of covering an artist like Eleni Mandell, who’s put out consistently solid albums for over two decades. There’s not enough time to feature all the good stuff she’s produced, but trust me, over her eleven albums, she always delivers. From the diverse shifting sounds of Artificial Fire [play clip] to the smooth and breezy Dark Lights Up [play clip], Eleni whirls a magical combination of jazz, folk, pop, country and rock, with just enough experimental twists to keep everything fresh.

She’s also branched out from her solo artist gig to release two albums with her band The Grabs. The Grabs allows her to exercise more of her pop side and features Eleni on vocals, Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison, and Silversun Pickups’ drummer Elvira Gonzalez.

And, she’s also released records with the Andrews Sisters inspired supergroup, The Living Sisters, with Inara George, Alex Lilly and Becky Stark.

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I’d recommend checking out all of this.

So now that we’ve established that the Eleni Mandell road is paved with the goods, let’s skip ahead to focus on her most recent album: 2019’s Wake Up Again.

Here’s what Eleni and her website have to say about the latest release:

“For two years or thereabouts,” Mandell says, “I taught songwriting at two colleges and a women’s prison.”

The prison gig came about via Jail Guitar Doors, the organization founded by Wayne Kramer, guitarist of the vaunted Detroit band MC5, in partnership with English musician Billy Bragg. “I don’t know why exactly I was drawn to that work,” Mandell says. “But I had a family member who had been in prison in the 1940s. He wasn’t around when I was growing up, but that sort of fascinated me and I was always curious about what kind of person disappears and what kind of person commits crimes — what are they thinking?”

Working with the inmates also provided many epiphanies for her as a person, and proved fertile for her as an artist, as captured in the 11 songs on this album, her 11th studio release. In many ways it’s the culmination and fulfillment of all the strengths as a writer and performer going back to her start under the tutelage of Chuck E. Weiss, Tom Waits and other top chroniclers of people in the shadows.

“I really enjoyed it,” she says. “I was inspired by the stories, and surprised by the laughter I heard there. And I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was, by how many different kinds of people were there: teachers, lawyers, nurses, and also people who grew up in poverty.”

Here’s a song about one of the woman she met during those songwriting classes she taught. This is Evelyn.

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Evelyn from Eleni Mandell’s most recent album, Wake Up Again. Another great addition to her expansive, impressive catalog. The album is filled with rich character studies and deeply personal self-examinations.

Her early Tom Waits inspiration continues to ignite and propel her, even after 11 albums. Only now she can call Tom a longtime friend.

And she went from obsessive punk rock X fan to counting a member of X as a member of her own band. What a cool, thrilling ride she’s had so far. Eleni Mandell.

References and other stuff:

Eleni interview with Luxury Wagers

Eleni interview with Mr. Bonzai

Eleni interview with Tyler Pollard on Timeline

The bio from Eleni’s current website has a great write up on her most recent album and I quote from it in the episode.

No Depression review of Afternoon that I quote in the episode

Here is the original bio from Eleni’s old website that is now archived. I also quote from this

Eleni has been featured on NPR segments over the years. I did not use anything directly from these, but they are good and informative

Pop Matter review of Dark Lights Up

Good L.A. Times article about Eleni teaching songwriting to female inmates and her latest album

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dweemeister · 4 years

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Blue Hawaii (1961)

Elvis Presley’s ascent to stardom struck the United States (and the world) like a lightning bolt. Hounded from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry due to the country music establishment taking offense to his genre-blending musicianship, Elvis grew from being a regional phenomenon to a national sensation as he helped innovate rockabilly, a form of rock and roll. Movie producers, sensing an opportunity to cash in on Elvis’ skyrocketing popularity, gave Elvis star vehicles such as Love Me Tender (1956) and Jailhouse Rock (1957). Critics shrugged at these films – low-budget affairs where most of the budget went to Elvis’ salary – but his fans made them critic-proof, turning out in droves to scream and swoon at their slick-looking dreamboat. Grappling with television’s advent and the dissolution of the Old Hollywood Studio System, Hollywood’s major studios shifted their efforts towards more bombastic, showman-like films. Such was the situation in the early 1960s that longtime Warner Bros. producer Hal B. Wallis (1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1942’s Casablanca), now at Paramount, joked that, “a Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood.”

To the horror of Elvis’ fans and movie studio executives but to the delight of those fans’ parental figures and teachers, the U.S. Army drafted him in March 1958. Elvis served twenty-four months before his discharge with the rank of Sergeant. During his service, Elvis nevertheless had plenty of singles in the can, many ranking high on the charts while he was at basic training and later his posting in West Germany. Looking forward to restarting his musical and acting careers, Elvis soon returned to the recording studio and shot G. I. Blues (1960) – he had discussed the film with Wallis months prior to his discharge – in short order. For the eighth film of his career and his fourth after his discharge, Elvis starred in Blue Hawaii, directed by Norman Taurog (1938’s Boys Town, nine Elvis films) and produced by Wallis. The film stars Elvis as an Army veteran recently discharged from the service, returning to his home state. I wonder where did they get that idea from? It also marks the unlikely beginning of Elvis’ association with the Aloha State – which shed its territorial status in 1959 and was ready for a Hollywood treatment that had nothing to do with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Chadwick “Chad” Gates (Presley) returns home to Hawai’i from his military service, greeted by girlfriend Maile Duval (Joan Blackman: “MY-lee”) and a flower seller named Waihila (Hilo Hattie in a cameo). Instead of immediately seeing his parents – mother Sarah Lee (Angela Lansbury, only ten years Elvis’ senior) and father Fred (Roland Winters) – he escapes to a secluded oceanside shack with Maile and his Hawaiian surf buddies. Chad is the son of pineapple plantation owners, and Sarah Lee wants him to succeed Fred when the time comes. But Chad is not interested in those plans, electing instead to work as a tour guide for Mr. Chapman’s (Howard McNear) travel agency – among other things, Maile works at the agency. The first tour he gives serves schoolteacher Abigail Prentice (Nancy Walters) and her four teenage students, all girls. One of those girls, Ellie Corbett (Jenny Maxwell), appears standoffish at first but then begins to flirt shamelessly with Chad.

If by that point in Blue Hawaii you are still concentrating on the plot, just note that your approach to watching Elvis movies is not advisable. Watching Elvis movies for a sensible plot is to invite frustration; accept the narrative drivel and enjoy.

Shot mostly on location on the Hawaiian Islands of O’ahu and Kaua’i, Hawai’i offers splendid backdrops to even the most mundane scenes of this film. Charles Lang’s (1947’s The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, 1959’s Some Like It Hot) camera allows characters to be dwarfed by the green mountains in the distance, the crystal blue waters extending to the horizon, and palm tree fronds wafting amid a gentle breeze. Scenes of breathtaking natural beauty abound in Blue Hawaii. In conjunction with the production (Hal Pereira and Walter H. Tyler) and set design (Sam Comer and Frank R. McKelvy), Blue Hawaii becomes, by default, the most colorful Elvis movie to date. The film, by design, partly becomes a tourism advertisement for the new state. Its white characters and filmmakers exotify and romanticize Native Hawaiian culture to fit their own expectations and perspectives – these sorts of depictions have endured across the last century, figuring heavily in cinema (1935’s Honolulu: The Paradise of the Pacific as part of [James A.] Fitzpatrick’s Traveltalks for MGM) and tourism advertising. This is the first live-action feature film from a major Hollywood studio to make even a minimal attempt to depict native Hawaiian culture since Waikiki Wedding (1937), another Paramount film.

Here are some more connections between Waikiki Wedding and Blue Hawaii: both share one song (“Blue Hawaii”) in both their soundtracks and both films are musicals. The Hawaiian musical sound is just as integral to popular conceptions of Hawai’i, and it is used liberally here in orchestrations, if not melodic structure. Blue Hawaii’s soundtrack contains the greatest amount of songs (fourteen) for an Elvis film. For those who enjoy their breathless musicals with a song at every turn, Blue Hawaii does just that. The musical numbers arrive in the most innocuous situations – from forming a melody from a tune heard on the radio, an impromptu jam session with a guitar conveniently within arm’s length of Elvis, or starting from nothing. The worst of the soundtrack avoids many of the novelty songs that plague Elvis films, especially the later entries. Given how nonsensical the plots to Elvis movies are, the lower-tier songs in Blue Hawaii are preferable compared to more stilted acting and fraternizing shenanigans. Thus, the bar is raised, and the inclusion of two non-original songs – “Blue Hawaii” (music by Ralph Rainger, lyrics by Leo Robin) and “Aloha ‘Oe” (Queen Lili’uokalani) – are arranged in such a way that beautifully complements Elvis’ velvety singing voice. Among the original songs, “Moonlight Swim” (music by Ben Weisman, lyrics by Sylvia Dee) is a sensuous, laid back song that perfectly serves Chad’s characterization: an unabashed Casanova, effortless in romance, a hint of masculine arrogance.

The runaway hit of the Blue Hawaii soundtrack is among Elvis’ most popular songs. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” – music and lyrics by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss – appears approximately midway through the film as Chad says hello to Maile’s grandmother (Flora Kaai Hayes, a former Hawaiian Territorial Representative to the U.S. House of Representatives) for the first time since before his military service. It, like so many other musical entries in Blue Hawaii, arrives without much warning, backed by a constantly harmonizing music box and a steel guitar played in a Hawaiian style. One might take issue with the song’s use in context, but it is a crooners’ standard that has crossed linguistic barriers worldwide. Its simplicity is self-evident: a memorable melody, chorus, and a minor key bridge aching for resolution as it modulates to major key. Perhaps “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is not considered one of the greatest original songs in movie history because of the questionable quality of the film it appears in. More likely, Elvis’ gravitational pull as a crossover music and movie star writes its own legends that defy a critic’s or a historian’s corrections.

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Somehow, I have written all the above without remarking on the acting. Other than Elvis himself, everyone else is a passing interest at best. Joan Blackman’s chemistry with Elvis is apparent, but she does not distinguish herself from every other female lead in an Elvis movie. Angela Lansbury’s exaggerated Southern accent displays her considerable range, even if there are better examples in other films. As much as some may deride Elvis’ performances for being unchallenging, one could not imagine an Elvis movie without the star attraction. His persona is effervescent; his charisma incontestable. According to Weiss, Elvis’ comedic instincts manifested themselves in subtle ways. If Elvis requested a joke to be explained in discussions about the screenplay, it was his roundabout, maybe overly polite, way to warn Weiss, Taurog, and screenwriter Hal Kanter (1952’s Road to Bali, at least twenty-two Academy Award ceremonies) that the joke was not funny. During test screenings of Blue Hawaii, every joke kept in the film that Elvis questioned elicited nothing from the audience. On- and off-screen, an Elvis movie with Elvis removed would collapse from the void of hilarity and charm such an absence would create.

Blue Hawaii, like all other Elvis movies prior, succeeded at the box office in comparison to its budget. Adding to this bounty for Elvis, the film’s soundtrack album sold millions of copies, sitting atop of the Billboard charts for twenty weeks, and garnering a Grammy nomination. The soundtrack profits from Blue Hawaii and the preceding G.I. Blues led Presley’s obstinate manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to have his client concentrate on film soundtrack albums at the expense of non-soundtrack albums – setting the groundwork for the remainder of the 1960s (Elvis released 16 soundtrack albums versus six non-soundtrack albums during this decade), with diminishing returns. Parker reasoned to Elvis that his fans demanded to see him in these musical romantic comedies, rejecting any roles that did not fit this mold. Elvis, believing his manager, continued to make films until well past the point an Elvis Presley picture was a guaranteed hit in theaters.

In its visual splendor and Pacific appeal, Blue Hawaii sealed the fate of Elvis’ post-Army career. No other subsequent Elvis film would match the commercial heights of Blue Hawaii, although one could argue several of those movies surpass this one in terms of acting, aesthetics, and musical interest (like 1964’s Viva Las Vegas and two concert documentaries in 1970 and 1972). Elvis returned to Hawai’i several more times during his career for concerts and two films – Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) and Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966). As much as Elvis is associated with Tupelo, Mississippi (his birthplace) and Graceland in Memphis, there is also a special relationship between Elvis and Hawai’i. That relationship – one that touches Elvis’ personal life and the musical traditions of Native Hawaiians – begins with Blue Hawaii, an archetypal Elvis film and one of his best.

My rating: 6/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#Blue Hawaii #Norman Taurog #Elvis #Elvis Presley #Joan Blackman #Angela Lansbury #Nancy Walters #Roland Winters #John Archer #Howard McNear #Jenny Maxwell #Lani Kai #Hal Wallis #George David Weiss #Hugo Peretti #Luigi Creatore #TCM #My Movie Odyssey

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artinandwritin · 5 years

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Fairy Tail Next Generation (my personal view)

Yesterday, I talked about my view on the next generation of How To Train Your Dragon. Today, I do the same, but with Fairy Tail.

Some names for the kids, like Storm, Reiki, Sylvia and others are from tumblr-user kkumri, so the rights for their names go to them! Next to that, Nashi is already sorta canon, so I’m not gonna argue with that.

The Dragneel Family (Natsu and Lucy):

Nashi Luna Dragneel is their first born child and oldest daughter, born in the year X797. She uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, is a mage of Fairy Tail and a member of Team Nashi. She is is more mature than her siblings, but also quite violent and doesn’t think things through. Looking more like her father, people are almost forced to call her “the Second Salamander”.

Lucas Igneel Dragneel is their first son and second child, born in X799. Although he uses Celestial Spirit Magic, he also has his fair share of Heat Resistance. He is a mage of Fairy Tail and a member of Team Star-Struck. He is rambunctious and a joker, often getting attention for one or more of his actions. He shares a close bond with Charlotte Conbolt, trusting each other above anything else.

Layla Ashley Dragneel, their third child and second daughter, is born in X801 and uses Sound Magic and Thought Protection. She is, like her siblings, part of Fairy Tail, and she is a member of Team Sound. She once was close with her older brother and the daughter of Wendy and Romeo, but after an accident involving the two they grew apart. She is more like her mother, although she doesn’t forgive others as easily.

The twins, Spirit Aquarius Dragneel and Igneel Jude Dragneel are born in X816, a long time after Layla’s birth. They were unexpected, but loved by all. Spirit uses Moon Dragon Slayer Magic, while Igneel uses Sun Dragon Slayer Magic.

The Fullbuster Family (Gray and Juvia):

Storm Silver Fullbuster is born in X796, a year before Nashi. The two are close, but fight a lot. Storm uses Ice Devil Slayer Magic and Water Magic and is a member of Team Nashi. He is quite the depressed thinker, often staring into the void - and the void stares back. However, he isn’t as emo as he thinks.

Sylvia Ur Fullbuster and her twin brother, Rin Yuki Fullbuster, are born in X799, in the same year as Lucas. Sylvia uses Water Devil Slayer Magic, Rin Archive Magic and Memory Control. Both are part of Team Sound. Rin and Lucas are best friends since birth, often telling each other their secrets or having a “men’s night off” (all they do is watching sappy movies and eating ice-cream). As his best friend, Lucas is the only one who knows about Rin’s crush on Rosemary Fernandes. Sylvia, however, shares too much information. She has the habit of stripping others - mainly males - and loves to write down love stories.

The Fernandes Family (Erza and Jellal):

Reiki Simon Fernandes is born in X795 and is a former member of Crime Sorcieré, now in Fairy Tail’s Team Nashi. He uses Heaven God Slayer Magic and is, like his mother, an S-Class Mage. He is the most mature, but also the most shy member of the next generation. He is seen as one of the most powerful people in Fairy Tail, often going on dangerous missions and taking risks.

Rosemary Strawberry Fernandes is born in X800 and Sylvia’s best friend. She uses Heavenly Body Magic and is a member of Team Sound. She is a warrior by heart, but often blunt and careless about the feelings of others, what makes her seem arrogant. However, she wishes best for her friends and family.

The Redfox Family (Gajeel and Levy):

Emma Ellie Redfox is born in X794 and is a long-time S-Class mage. She uses Iron Dragon Slayer Magic and is a part of the S-Class team, Team Strike of Lightning. She is a playful, but mature person who tries to help others with all her might. She is extremely close to Nova Dreyar and her foster brother, Kurai, and has trusted them both with her crush on Reiki.

Shutora Gale Redfox and Yajeh Metalicana Redfox are born in X799 and form Team Iron Destiny. Shutora uses Solid Script Magic, while her brother uses Sandstorm Magic. Yajeh is the more calm one, while his sister is more of an emo person, often joking about dark stuff. Both were close to Sylvia, but once the girl started crushing on Yajeh, the three grew apart.

The Dreyar Family (Laxus and Mirajane):

Nova Jane Dreyar is born in X794 and is part of S-Class team, Team Iron Destiny. She uses Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic and is very close with Emma and Kurai. She is strict, sometimes scary, but as she’s often on dangerous missions with her friends, it’s not often seen as something bad. Nova has a major thing for Kurai, but is too afraid to express it.

Rai Makarov Dreyar, born in X798, is a member of Team White Destiny and the greatest confidor of Fay Strauss, his cousin. He uses Take-Over Magic and Memory Make Magic, making him one of the strongest of the next generation. However, he is clumsy, shy and a real sweetheart - causing Layla to fall for him.

The Conbolt Family (Romeo and Wendy):

Charlotte Grandeeney Conbolt is born in X801, uses Sky Dragon Slayer Magic and is a member of Team Star-Struck. She is very close with Lucas, them having been friends since her birth. Both of them share a lot with each other, trusting the other with their deepest secrets. Charlotte is one of the sarcastic members of the next generation, but also easily scared and with zero confidence. Lucas refers to her as “his girl” more than often.

Aeros Peter Conbolt is the twin brother of Grandeeney Juliet Conbolt, who died quickly after their birth in X807. Aeros is scarred by this, often hearing his sister’s voice when it’s quiet. He uses Dark Magic and is not yet in a Guild. He is a little bit dark at times, but otherwise a normal kid.

Rowan Sky Conbolt is born in X813 and is about to use Rainbow Fire Magic like his father. He is a cheerful child, in contrast to his older siblings. He absolutely adores Lucas, and wants to play with him as soon as he walks into the house when he hangs out with Charlotte. Lucas, in return, loves his girl’s baby brother and acts like a big child around him.

Kurai’s Situation (Mavis/Mio and Zeref/Arius):

Kurai Hikaru Dragneel is born in X794, to Mio and Arius, aka the reïncarnations of Mavis and Zeref. However, issues happened, and Kurai was left by the door of Fairy Tail, with the only not being: “Please take care of our little Kurai”. He was adopted by Gajeel and Levy, raised alongside Emma. He turned out to love science, having a lab of his own. He is pretty cheerful and very good at observing and taking situaties into his own hands.

Happy and Carla’s Family:

Cappy and Ami are their only children, born in X808. Cappy is best friends with Nashi and almost exactly like his father, while Ami is on Team Star-Struck with Lucas and Charlotte and is more mature.

I have other couples’ kids listed, but it would take a very long time to write down all of them. So, here’s the list of the children I skipped over:

Otoko Strauss (Elfman and Evergreen) Fay Strauss (Elfman and Evergreen) Weiss Eucliffe (Sting and Yukino) Tora Eucliffe (Sting and Yukino) Kage Skiadrum Cheney (Rogue and Minerva) Zeri Erza Cheney (Rogue and Minerva) Cornelia Yosuko Alberona (Cana and Bacchus) Hebi Kya Suru (Erik/Cobra and Kinana) Amaru Ren Suru (Erik/Cobra and Kinana) Moran Shi Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna, deceased) April Saisho Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna) David Banme Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna) Ebony San Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna) Ayame Yui Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna) Chirasu “Chira” Justine (Freed) Isaac Connell (Alzack and Bisca) Lyre Ultear Vastia (Lyon and Meredy) Kai Gray Vastia (Lyon and Meredy) Sora Tearm (Eve and Sherria) Akio Tearm (Eve and Sherria) Miyako Tearm (Eve and Sherria) Amy Akatsuki (Ren and Sherry) Kenji Akatsuki (Ren and Sherry) Hiroki Lates (Hibiki and Jenny) Kiyoko Lates (Hibiki and Jenny) Michi Lates (Hibiki and Jenny) Haru Lates (Hibiki and Jenny) Tsuki Mayonaka (Macbeth/Midnight and Sorano/Angel) Akeno Mayonaka (Macbeth/Midnight and Sorano/Angel) Catrin (Millianna and Shô) Felina (Millianna and Shô) Hayai (Jet, adopted) Atsui (Droy, adopted) Brannie Alors (Max) Koa Rocko (Laki and Warren) Nico Gryder (Mest and Katja) Lahar Gryder (Mest and Katja) Kioku Lore (Rufus) Safaia E. Fiore (Hisui and Arcadios) Delphinus (Aquarius and Scorpio) Carina (Aries and Leo/Loki) Lupus (Aries and Leo/Loki) Orion (Aries and Leo/Loki)

#fairy tail #nalu #gajevy #gale #rowen #romendy #natsuxlucy #jerza #fairy tail next generation #fairy tail next gen #ocs #characters #gruvia

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