#thinking about how it is the 20th anniversary of her self titled

[likes-words-and-shrimp]

Chapters: 7/7 Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Colette Brunel/Lloyd Irving Characters: Lloyd Irving, Colette Brunel, Genis Sage, Raine Sage, Zelos Wilder, Sheena Fujibayashi, Regal Bryant, Presea Combatir, Kratos Aurion, Yuan Ka-Fai, Dirk (Tales of Symphonia), Frank Brunel Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Wingfic, Eventual Romance, Mutual Pining, Self-Acceptance, Happy Ending, POV Multiple, Body Horror, Transformation Words: 36,180 Summary:

Lloyd had never been too fond of his wings. But they were still useful, and convenient when they needed to be. It only made sense to use what he had. Until his wings changed one night, and became permanent, with real feathers attached to bone. And they were heavy.

Looking back on 2023, I think one fic I'm really proud of writing is this one, a multichapter Symphonia fic I was able to complete, with a focus on Lloyd and his wings taking on a different transformation. It's seven chapters of Lloyd and Colette dealing with the painful and difficult changes, but also the rest of the party helping them on this new shift in their journey. If you decide to read it, I hope you enjoy!

Just have some more additional thoughts for this fic under the cut:

Since this year for Colloyd Week was going to be its 5th year running, and it was also Symphonia's 20th anniversary, me and @frayed-symphony wanted to do something a bit more special with the prompts this time. We decided to bring back some prompts from previous weeks while still using a new quote day and the usual free day. (Here's the prompt list with her art which everyone should see) With that in mind, I also wanted to do something a bit different for myself writing-wise, and tell a story over the course of each of the prompts!

The tidbit about mana wings eventually becoming more feathered versions is actually a bit of lore taken from the Kratos novel. Essentially, if an angel uses it for too long, the wings will become a permanent part of the body, the mana solidifying into feathers. That's why we see a lot of angels in Welgaia floating about with feathered wings, and explains why Kratos, Yuan and Mithos don't keep theirs out consistently. And the reason for the title, it's from the Lloyd's Thoughts on Angels skit because I thought it would be fun to make all those angelic issues relevant for this fic.

I really wanted to use this bit of canon lore for Lloyd, and whether it's an effect of his unique Exsphere, or anything else, his wings succumb to the same transformation. But, well, it's more than just the wings changing here.

I also wanted to play more with Lloyd's self-consciousness here and the guilt he probably still carries with him when he failed to notice Colette suffering in time. Lloyd is also the unifying force for the party where he helps inspire and lift them up from each member's own troubles, but I also wanted to see this reversed while Lloyd is going through his own baggage and past traumas. It was also more interesting to write about Lloyd going through physical changes the way Colette did in the game and have that comfort role-reversed.

A lot of this fic was a learning process! The wings in Symphonia are just a favorite aesthetic for me, and learning about how they can change was really intriguing, so much of this fic centered around the Wings prompt. I was also planning on having everyone play a part with the Soulmates prompt, which I felt was fitting for Symphonia's anniversary year. Much of the later half of the story came as it went, like with the focus on Dirk, and the very last chapter that's a few years in the future, where Lloyd has a better handle on who he is now.

Change itself is also something I just wanted to focus on overall; how we change as people, or how our loved ones change over time. And sometimes change is frightening, but it can also be exciting and learning to accept and welcome it can also feel rewarding in the end. I think I wanted to show that in this fic, though how well I succeeded kinda depends on the reading, and maybe I was heavy-handed with the wings metaphor haha.

But also, I just wanted to write a longer cute ship fic of my OTP. That's another reason. :D

Compared to most chaptered fics, this isn't very long, but I like that it's contained enough at just over 36k. I still have other Symphonia WIPs I want to finish, but I'm really proud of completing this one, and a big thank you to those who've read and commented on this fic! Symphonia has always been special to me and I'm glad I could celebrate both the game and my favorite ship this way.

Around the new year, I'll probably make a Symphonic fic recs list for stories I've read this year. If you read this far, hope you'll look forward to it!

#tales of symphonia #lloyd irving #colette brunel #colloyd #fanfiction #shrimpy rambles #this got a bit rambly but just wanted to finally jot some thoughts down #thank you again for people who were part of the week it def made my year

[serndest]

A Place of a Contemplating Robot

I went with something more low-key. Jenny deserves some quiet, calm time now and then.😊(Also, a little reference in the title, and not just to the og show😉)

Really wanted to get another loose illustration out in time for the 20th anniversary. Plus, I’ve been meaning to do a calm piece. Between Jenny’s world-saving duty, life drama, robot-related issues, & people’s pettiness (sometimes including her own😓), I thought that she could use time to herself. That 3rd reason kinda sounds like sending a kid off to timeout for misbehavior, but hey, there might be stress behind that pettiness.🤷‍♀️ She does have the weight of the world on her shoulders. That, or it might be timeout-like after all😆 where she gets alone time to directly face her mental problems, with no physical problems to distract her.🤔

Or more interesting: needing to handle her mental problem in order to handle her physical one.🤯

Some might think calmer moments are boring, but I consider it a welcomed, necessary breath of fresh air, especially as someone who had a loud, tense upbringing.

Mini Journal

Ended up needing to keep my iPad charging the whole time; larger resolution (11x14” @ 300dpi) *and* Fresco’s live watercolor brushes drained it more quickly (~20% in 20 minutes). Even then, still a lot of crashes once I finished the sidewalk and bench. Now, only rarely do at that resolution. Watercolor-styled pieces will likely be 9x12” @ 300dpi, max.

Far more painful painting process in a full space. In a way, more directly an urban-sketching styled piece because now, it’s in a physical place instead of a void w/ colors! Similar to before, I mitigated some of the difficulty by using an analogous color scheme. This time, I really struggled with working w/ whitespace, like in Teoh Yi Chie’s or Liz Steel’s urban sketching styles.

What helped may have been a style I saw in this colored pencil Liz Steel piece https://www.lizsteel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LizSteel-159-1104CafeFeohPacHwy.jpg , where sidewalk & road are white, & the only blocks of color are for cast shadows.

Self-Reference

I got into the pose myself, mainly to fix her bent leg & folded hands. In the end, moved the bend leg up, just showed her right hands’ fingers & her left hand’s index finger, & unbent her other leg. Tried to focus on the feeling & gesture of the pose, rather than follow the pose exactly to a T. Mlaatr is just about the perfect style for that, being a gestural cartoon.

Concurrent Illustrating & Post/Note-Taking

I illustrated & prepped my post at same time (...at least until I got to painting the sidewalk😥). In a way, it’s kinda good I didn’t do it this way before, since I didn't have set categories (like Behind-the scenes or Mini Journal) yet. Nonetheless, I still tried to be as organized as possible by having a preliminary & final version of the post on a Google Doc (especially since ELA has been my historical weak area😥).

Behind-the-Scenes: Story, Color Scheme, & Color Application Influences. 

Tone & situation/implied story: the 1998 Yokohama Shopping Log OVA, with a robot (in YSL's case, a more human-like android) just hanging out and living life. Maybe even resolving some past problems or relationships.

Color scheme & watercolor style:

grass: how he colored the tree leaves here, by letting the colors mix on the page instead of mixing them himself. https://twitter.com/ParkaBlogs/status/1682275817668362240?s=20 

sidewalk: after a lot of struggling, went with Liz Steel’s colored pencil technique: layering lots of colors, especially in shadow areas https://www.lizsteel.com/switching-to-coloured-pencils/ , along with, as noted w/ the first colored pencil sketch I listed, having the rest of the roads/sidewalks be white—controlling whitespace

Art Supplies

Hardware: iPad mini 5th gen & Apple pencil 1st gen

Software: Adobe Fresco

Brushes:

Lineart: Pencil [default Adobe Fresco brush]

Color:

Watercolor wash flat (grass, bench, bench shadow, sidewalk, Jenny clothes & hair)

Watercolor wash soft (sky)

Watercolor basic round (Jenny shadows)

Block stain (bench shadow 2nd pass)

#fanart #20yearsofmlaatr #mlaatr #jenny wakeman #jenny xj9 #alone time #alone with my thoughts #adobe fresco #digital watercolor #adobe fresco drawing #digital drawing #digital art #line and wash #ipad mini #ipad art #white space #robot girl #robots #robot art #scifi #cartoon #nickelodeon

[dropintomanga]

BLEACH Volume 1, 20 Years Later

“We fear that which we cannot see.” - Strawberry and the Soul Reapers

It’s somewhat hard to believe that a series that began in 2001 and ended in 2016 has a lot of relevancy in 2022. But I think Tite Kubo’s BLEACH still stands as a great introduction in telling a tale of modernity mixed with spiritual fantasy. Viz Media just released a 20th anniversary edition of Volume 1 - the start of Ichigo Kurosaki’s journey into the world of Soul Reapers. So I decided to do a re-read of Volume 1 and making comments about all the chapters in that book. 

Despite whatever criticisms manga fans have of how the manga turned out in the end, BLEACH is still an important title in shonen manga history and Kubo’s persistent usage of style for spiritual storytelling was something many fans (like myself) thought was very cool and refreshing at the start of the 21st century.

So here we go.

Chapter 1 - Honestly, I don’t think I cared much about Ichigo’s introduction at the start. My reaction was like “Oh cool, he can see spirits and such.” His family was funny though. But seeing Rukia Kuchiki for the 1st time was cool. At the time, I never saw a prominent female character in shonen manga. I didn’t follow Naruto or One Piece when I started following BLEACH. Rukia had a really cool look too. The set-up for Ichigo becoming a Soul Reaper was great. What hits the most was Ichigo saying that if his family, who were all attacked by the Hollow, was willing to protect him at costs, he had to do the same. I think this probably hit home for many Japanese readers because of the family dynamic discussed. We all want to protect our family members first and foremost. In some ways, I think the family dynamic was the biggest reason why Demon Slayer blew up in Japan.

Also, the lettering for the black boxes with white text (Ichigo & Rukia’s thoughts about ghosts and themselves) was good foreshadowing in highlighting what the series’ premise was going to be about. And there’s a nice tease of a certain hat-wearing inventor who specializes in spiritual-related happenings in the omake.

Chapter 2 - I fell in love with Rukia once she appeared in her schoolgirl outfit. I love the moment when she reveals herself in a fancy manner at Ichigo’s school and when she extends her left hand out to Ichigo, “Make a scene and you’re so dead.” was written on it. It’s funny as hell because I’m reading Chainsaw Man Part II and the new main character of that series, Asa Mitaka, is told by her host, the War Devil, the same thing.

Anyway, Rukia becomes a cool-ass mentor to Ichigo since all her powers have transferred to Ichigo. And she lays down the truth hard about what it means to be a Soul Reaper. Her exchange with Ichigo on self-sacrifice was pretty good since we’re all very bias when it comes to who do we help. We can’t help everyone, but we can’t just only help those closest to us. Ichigo does say something important here though - we shouldn’t treat self-sacrifice as some kind of duty. Sacrifice is beautiful when someone truly cares about the things/people they want to protect.

Side note - I love the red glove Rukia uses to drive the spirit form of Ichigo out.

Poor Orihime in the omake.

Chapter 3 - The proper introduction to the future wife of Ichigo, Orihime Inoue. Also, the leeks meme (well, in anime form) came from this chapter. I think when I first heard about Orihime, what was talked about the most was her breast size. It’s amazing how vicious the ship wars became with regards to Ichigo/Orihime/Rukia. I didn’t care about Orihime too much due to my Rukia love, but I wasn’t obsessed about whether Ichigo and Rukia should end up together. 

Rukia was cute when learning how to conduct herself in the real world. I laughed when Rukia decided to live in Ichigo’s closet for convenience’s sake. I also was somewhat not surprised that the newest Hollow to appear happened to be Orihime’s brother (who was revealed to dead 3 years prior to the start of BLEACH). It’s cool to see more Hollow lore explained. Being a Soul Reaper is a stressful job. Poor Strawberry.

Also, a big LOL on the omake about the comic Rukia was reading at the start of the chapter.

Chapter 4 - Tatsuki Arisawa, Orihime’s best gal pal, tries to give love advice to Orihime and makes a comment about her breasts. The dream sequence of Ichigo and Orihime was just so random and weird, but I suppose it showcases Orihime’s strangeness at times and/or her lack of romantic assertiveness. Bad stuff happens when Orihime’s brother, Sora Inoue, finally makes his move.

There’s a lot more Hollow lore explained. Hollows attack their families before going after random people. They’re technically lost souls who can never be saved. 

I don’t think there’s anything more to say about this since the meat comes in the next chapters.

Omake page at the end was a bit dull since it shows the residences of Orihime’s apartment building. But I realize that living by yourself without any family figures at 14-15 is rough.

Chapter 5 - We finally get a taste of a villain’s perspective. Ichigo gets his butt kicked by Sora due to his newfound knowledge of Hollows being former humans. Sora tells Orihime that he misses the days when she made prayers for him. He hates the fact that Tatsuki and Ichigo took Orihime’s attention. Orihime tries to tell Sora that he didn’t need to resort to violence, but Sora gets angry and tries to kill her. 

Ichigo saves the day and acts all cool saying that big brothers exist to look after their little siblings. I wonder if that line was said today, how many “Kyaaa! Onii-chan!” responses would come out of it? I think about my own relationship with my own little sister. I sometimes think I’m a failure as an upstanding older brother to look up to because my life hasn’t worked out as planned. She’s doing fine now and trying her best to support me, but I still question myself on how to best be there for her since I’m caught up in my own shit.

Also, poor Rukia in the omake. Ichigo doesn’t even open the front door for her to come in and help.

Chapter 6 - Well, at least, I wasn’t an overprotective older brother. Also, bad parenting seems to be a huge thing in anime and manga (I might explore this topic one day). In a bit of a shocker, Orihime allows Sora to attack her since she wasn’t sure how to handle her grief. She only told Sora about the happy side of things as she felt that talking about sad. Reading this back then, I didn’t think much of it.

But now, knowing what I know about grief and what things to share to people, I think it’s okay to share positive things when you can. Life is suppose to have good moments. However, sadness is a very universal thing. It’s okay to miss someone important to you even years later. Everyone’s lonely in their own way. Ichigo points this out to Sora regarding a hairpin that Orihime wears on her head as it was a present from Sora.

It’s okay to share the sad stuff too because loss generates the meaningful connection we sorely need to get by in life. Sadness is actually uplifting in its own way.

Rukia does explain that Hollows can be saved by the Soul Reapers and that they can truly move on. Thankfully, this happens to Sora. The ending was funny since Rukia wipes out Orihime and Tatsuki’s memories of the whole ordeal. I would love a yakuza gunman to come in and blast a hole in my wall.

Nice omake in the end with Orihime and Tatsuki visiting Sora’s grave.

Chapter 7 - Introducing Sado “Chad” Yasutora, another important character in BLEACH’s history, via a cursed parakeet he starts owning!

Like Chad, I like cute things like birds. Also, I’m like Mizuiro Kojima, one of Ichigo’s male classmates who gets introduced here alongside Keigo Asano (another of Ichigo’s friends), as I have a thing for older women. No wonder I like Rukia and there’s a joke about it too.

Huge foreshadowing with the parakeet as it seems to be inhabited by a spirit that’s probably targeted by a Hollow. Mostly due to Chad showing up at Ichigo’s dad’s clinic with a huge wound that reeks of Hollow and the parakeet, who gives Ichigo’s sister, Karin, bad vibes.

Good end to Volume 1, especially with the emphasis of Rukia’s statement on Chad’s wound and Chad disappearing with the parakeet.

Addendum - Character Theme Songs

Ichigo Kurosaki - Bad Religion - “News from the Front” 

People talk about Kubo’s poetry being good, but his choices for character theme songs are excellent. Ichigo’s song fits him perfectly.

Rukia Kuchiki - Ashley MacIsaac - “Wing-Stock”

This song really gives off an elegant yet strong-minded vibe that fits her character perfectly.

---------

Well, that’s about it. I hope you enjoy what I wrote. I usually don’t do written commentary notes like this, but BLEACH was a big part of my manga-reading life. I’ve written several posts about the series and its many characters back then. I do recommend reading BLEACH for a somewhat historical look into what internet anime/manga fandom was into at the time. Some of the stuff about family, sacrifice, commitment and grief still resonate today. I’m not sure about fully following the final arc in anime form when it comes, but I will be paying attention to the fan reaction/cosplay that will show up in full force.

I’ll admit that the spirits are always with me and I hope they’re the same for lovers of all things Soul Reaper/Espada/Sternritter.

#Bleach #Tite Kubo #anime #manga #mental health #20th anniversary #shonen manga #commentary

[selkiecoded]

thank you @eurydicees for tagging me (〃´▽` ) i love talking about myself. a list of my five favorite fics ive written (and thoughts!) oldest to newest

1. don't knock it till you've tried it

the magnus archives + 5.6k. this is, i wanna say, my most popular fic? and im glad for it! its one thing for your most popular content to be something you hate, but i think this still holds up really well. theres a lot i like about it, such as the pronoun/titles between povs, georgies whole pov, the ending line. high five past me. and OH MAN is it crazy that this has 700 kudos. its a very nice feeling to know that that many people liked something you wrote... even if what you wrote is about a guy murdering his past self haha.

2. i'm not wearing my usual lipstick, i thought maybe we would kiss tonight

ohshc + 16.4k. my ouran magnum opus! i still care so deeply for this hc, and i have gotten so many sweet comments on this, im very glad it resonated with a lot of people. 3k hits!!! i think thats really really good for an ouran fic posted in 2020. if i have time there are a few things id like to go back and change about this - unnecessary prose or some of the ending - but frankly, the emotional heart of this is something im very proud of. every person who reads this and either gets their gender reflected to them OR at least is indoctrinated into trans!tamaki is another point towards me making it to heaven. if i was going through this list by favorites, this definitely holds the number one spot.

3. blunt not the heart

the magnus archives + 11.3k. OH MY GOD. this is my UNDERRATED GEM. my white fucking whale. i am SO MAD that this has received DUST considering my another tma fic has 700~ kudos. SO MAD. i really really like melanie king as a character. outside of the feminism of it all, its really fucking hard to write an effective character study. getting into a characters head is difficult. you know what would make it easier? NOT WRITING IT IN SCRIPT FORMAT LOL. but heres the thing: i made it fucking work. the fact that tma is an audio drama/script format already definitely lends itself easier to translation, but it was an interesting exercise to try and get into melanies head while still maintaining the format. and tying it into macbeth? inspired choice, past me! while its not more popular unfortunately, im still insanely proud of it, and the attention it did get is personally satisfying. please read it!

4. Feel Your Way Home

artemis fowl + 12.6k. ah.. my artemis fowl magnum opus.. i still care for that silly little guy a whole lot, but at this point i will say that my artemis fowl obsession was bright, but fleeting. im really really glad i managed to write this before i fell out of it, and even more so I GOT IT PUBLISHED ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY!! thats something i am weirdly very proud of. i worked really hard on this for several long months, and i think it turned out very very well. this is one where i really dont care how much attention its gotten for not, as it was very much written for myself. and im pleased with it.

5. name your courage now

ace attorney + 11.8k. my newest one! probably still have a serious case of rose-tinted glasses on, but idc. i love maya and her relationships to her siblings a whole lot. i found her dialouge during her testimony just so insanely ripe for potential, i was shocked nobody else had ever seemed to talk about it. i have so many feelings about bridge to the turnabout! frankly, the entire time i knew what i wanted to do with this story, and i feel as if i pulled it off really effectivly. keeping it emotional while also utilizing aspects of mayas brash, funny voice for the narration was a challenge i enjoyed. that, and trying to use the canon dialouge for the most part, while also attempting to speed it up/make it sound less like it came out of a video game. again, im proud of it, and heres to hoping that it'll get more attention.

thats it! im not big on tagging ppl but if you wanna do this by all means, please tag me so i can read your stuff °˖✧◝(￣▽￣)◜✧˖°

#long post #sorry. headbonk emoticon for your troubles (￣▽￣)ゞ⌒☆ #i cant stop usingkaomojis i keep using them while texting even rl friends HELP #look at this one its so cute Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→ #selk.txt

[wrestlingisfake]

Slammiversary preview

Josh Alexander vs. Eric Young - Alexander is defending the Impact Wrestling men's world title. Young won a battle royale on May 11 to earn this match.

I haven't been keeping up on Impact lately, but from what I can tell the story isn't too deep here. Since returning to Impact in 2020, EY has assembled a faction of sociopaths in Violent By Design. So while Alexander has been slowly groomed to be coronated as the top babyface, Young has been otherwise occupied with big multi-man brawls. Eric will bring his brand of violence, in the form of thugs who don't give a damn, but Josh his own kind of violence, in the good ol'-fashioned leave-it-all-in-the-ring sense.

This is the 20th anniversary of Impact's first show in 2002, back when it was Total Nonstop Action. For most of those 20 years, Eric Young was a mainstay of the promotion, working his way up from a prelim guy in 2004 to a cult favorite comedy act to a deadly serious heel...then back to a comedy guy, and then suddenly as a headliner in 2014. Because of his obvious talent, EY was a textbook case of how TNA underutilized and mismanaged homegrown talent until it was almost too late. He left for WWE in 2016, when TNA was at it's lowest ebb, and returned after Impact rebuilt it self around guys like Alexander. So it's unavoidable that Young represents the company's long history, and Alexander represents the way forward into the future.

A title win for Young (this would be his third) might be a good way to start a fresh direction for VBD. But it'd be disastrous for Alexander, who already had his first big title win shut down by Moose and just got done avenging that loss a few months ago. The best thing for both guys would be if Eric loses clean and, despite being a depraved heel, is moved to show respect to the champion. Reckoning with that would give VBD something new to do--not to necessarily break them up or turn them face, but at least to give them something different to chew on.

Tasha Steelz vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mia Yim vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Chelsea Green - Steelz is putting her Impact women's world title on the line. Mickie James is being advertised as a special guest enforcer. This is billed as a "queen of the mountain" match, which is just the old "king of the mountain" rules but (for the first time) with women. The match format was introduced in TNA in 2004 and was a staple at Slammiversary in 2005-2009 and 2015.

It's basically a reverse ladder match: The only way to win is to take the title belt up a ladder and hang it above the ring. But, to make it more complicated, it doesn't count unless you become "eligible" by scoring a pinfall or submission on any other opponent. Participants who lose a fall are placed in a penalty box for several minutes; in theory the same person could get pinned over and over and spent much of the match stuck in the box.

I think Impact has done a dozen of these things, and either I've never watched any of them or I've totally forgotten about the ones I did see. The main attraction is the ladder spots, but you could get those in any conventional ladder match. So the only real novelty is doing highspots off the top of the penalty box, which isn't a lot. Really the most interesting thing about this match is that it's the first time women are doing it, and usually big firsts like this give the women extra motivation to deliver their best performance.

Lost in the shuffle here is Mia Yim, who returned to Impact last month after being released from WWE. I was surprised to see her end up here instead of AEW, but their loss is Impact's gain. Overall the field for this contest looks a lot stronger than the women's ultiamate X match back in January. Impact's women's division has been steadily improving for years, but it feels like they're reaching a new level now.

Anybody could win this thing, but history suggests that a title change is very likely. It'd be a big statement for Steelz to retain against four bigger names, and I'd like to see that. But I could realistically see any of these five carrying the world title through the end of the year.

Ace Austin vs. Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel vs. Jack Evans vs. Alex Zayne - Austin's X division title is at stake in an "ultimate X" match. This is another twist on the ladder match format that TNA developed in its early years. Essentially it's a ladder match without ladders. The belt will be hung from cables forming an "X" where they cross over the ring. The object is to be the first to retrieve the belt, which can only be obtained by climbing on the cables in a literal tightrope act.

In a lot of ways this is just another variation of putting a bunch of midcarders in a X division trainwreck that won't settle anything. The big difference, though, is that Austin befriended Zayne during the New Japan's Best of the Super Jr. tournament, only to turn on him and join Bullet Club. Zayne hasn't been an Impact guy, so it seemed like Austin wouldn't be dealing with that fallout in this promotion, until Zayne was added to this match. Uh-oh.

The other interesting wrinkle is Jack Evans, who finished up with AEW a few months ago. Evans seemed like a good get for AEW in 2019, but after WWE flooded the talent pool with free agents it was pretty clear that he couldn't hang on at that level. He can shine here, though, so I hope he does well, and lifts Impact up in the process.

Anybody could win this, but I'm picking Austin to retain. There's more money in settling his issues with Zayne in a one-on-one title match. (Now watch Impact set up Austin, Zayne, and Trey Miguel in another fucking three-way...)

Moose vs. Sami Callihan - Callihan is returning from an ankle injury, which I guess he's blaming on Moose in the storyline. This is billed as a "monster's ball match," another high-concept set of rules from TNA history.

In recent years, "monster's ball" just means it's just a no-rules street fight with assorted weapons provided around the ring. However, this time Impact has brought back the original wacky stipulation from 2004, so the participants are supposed spend 24 hours before the match in total isolation, without food or water! They even posted a clip of both guys freaking out! So you know they're gonna be extra weird and violent when they hit the ring. This should be stupid fun.

I think Callihan needs a win, but it feels like he's always coming up short in the clutch. Which doesn't bother me, since Moose is the one you ought to protect.

Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows - The Briscoes are defending the Impact men's tag team title, which they won in May. The Good Brothers beat them on April 2, so Mark and Jay are looking to avenge that loss. This is one of the bigger dream tag matches you can do in pro wrestling right now, so it's kind of wild that it's happening here.

I think the Briscoes need to retain, and go on a long run with the belts. It's pretty clear that AEW's TV partners don't want them around, which also makes a return to ROH rather iffy. So for better or worse Impact is their home, and Impact can't ask for a better top team. The Good Brothers have been fine in that role, but sooner or later they're going to be spending more time in New Japan, AEW, or wherever else they might go. It's time for a Briscoes dynasty.

Eddie Edwards & PCO & Matt Taven & Mike Bennett & Vincent Marseglia vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley & Frankie Kazarian & Nick Aldis & ? - Edwards's team represents Honor No More, Impact's faction of wrestlers who are mad that Ring of Honor collapsed in 2021, and want to take it out on Impact. Sabin and Shelley's team is billed as "Impact Originals." Sabin and Kazarian (on loan from AEW) started with TNA all the way back in 2003; Shelley showed up in 2004. Aldis (appearing courtesy of the NWA) debuted for TNA as Brutus Magnus back in 2009. The fifth member of the babyface team has not yet been revealed. James Storm would make the most sense, but if Aldis counts as "original" they could just as easily bring in Jaxson Ryker or something. I assume the Imapct team has to win this.

Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne vs. Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie - The Influence (Dashwood & Rayne) are defending the Impact women's tag team title. Rosemary had been teaming with Havok, but I'm not sure what happened to her. In any case, Rosemary used to be best buddies with Valkyrie before Taya's brief run in NXT, so now they've put the band back together. During their first run, I always got the impression Rosemary was planning to betray Taya and eat her brains. But I guess that could still happen someday! So there's that.

When Impact revived the women's tag title, I figured it was a direct result of the Taya/Rosemary team hitting it off, so I was surprised those two never actually won the belts. This seems like a good time to right that wrong.

Rich Swann vs. Brian Myers - This is scheduled for the pre-show. Swann won the Impact digital media title from Matt Cardona right before Cardona suffered a biceps tear, so Cardona's partner Myers is the one trying to win it back. It wasn't all that long ago that Swann was the world champion and headlining shows like this, so it's a shame seeing him this low on the card. I suppose he retains the title.

Reverse battle royale - Excuse me for just one second...

...all right, this is set for the pre-show, and it's another throwback to TNA's wacky specialty matches from the old days. In a normal battle royale the wrestlers start in the ring and try to throw everyone else out. In this match everyone starts outside the ring and the goal is to be one of the first to get in. This is dumb as fuck because the wrestlers have to pretend it's suddenly hard to just climb into the ring like they've done every week of their careers.

I think the current Impact creative team knows the reverse battle royale was always horseshit, and this is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. So expect a lot of goofy nonsense, and a field of wrestlers that shouldn't be taken too seriously. The outcome probably doesn't matter.

#impact wrestling #slammiversary #josh alexander #eric young #queen of the mountain #ultimate x #monster's ball #reverse battle royale #loltna

[paulodebargelove]

Mýa feat. Bounty Killer - Whine (Official Music Video)  Mýa Releases New Song ‘Whine’ Featuring Bounty KillerIt arrives with a video.Mýa is back. The Grammy-winning singer has teamed with dancehall reggae artists Bounty Killer for her new single “Whine.”The flirty, party-ready groove includes a writing credit from Theron Thomas (Ciara, Rihanna). “No one should stand in the way / We should get a little closer now / I’m drunk off your energy eh / Let’s keep it goin’ ’til mornin’ time,” Mýa sings. “Whine” arrives with a dance-heavy video directed by Josh Sikkema and Derek Brown. It was filmed in Kingston, Jamaica.“Love to #Jamaica & everyone who came out to create good vibes. Love & respect to dancehall legend @1unogeneral for blessing this record,” Mýa wrote in an Instagram post. “Whine” is Mýa’s first single release since 2021’s “Worth It.” The melodic-leaning track was an introduction to her alter-ego, Mýa Lan$ky. “‘Worth It’ has been in the archives for years. I think victory in my independent journey and a lot of people coming at me asking, ‘Why this, why that,’ and finally giving answers,” she told Rated R&B about the song’s inspiration. “How I define my success is ultimately peace of mind and the glow up, which also takes grind, gutter, fight, faith [and] prayer. So, it’s an inspirational record, but it’s still bossy and flossy, too.”In July, Mýa celebrated the 20th anniversary of her third album, Moodring, with a digital deluxe edition. The expanded set features nine additional tracks previously unavailable on streaming platforms. “As we mark the 20th anniversary of Moodring, I can’t help but look back with pride. This album was a turning point, marking my first venture as an executive producer and setting me on a path towards greater autonomy in my career,” said Mýa. “Moodring is more than just music; it’s a testament to my growth as an artist and holds a special place in my heart. With the release of this deluxe version, I’m thrilled to invite fans old and new to experience this cherished project. Here’s to two decades of Moodring and the enduring power of music that connects us all.”In April, she celebrated the 25th anniversary of her self-titled debut album with a deluxe edition featuring six bonus tracks.

#youtube

[haydenwilliamsillustrations]

#Aaliyah 20th Anniversary.

An illustrated retrospective of her most iconic looks and some of my personal faves. From her debut era, to some of her biggest achievements/red carpet looks, to her final self titled era, (my personal fave) 🖤

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Aaliyah (the highest most exalted one, the best) was taken from us on the 25th August 2001. I remember exactly where I was & how heartbroken I felt when I heard the news as a young kid, and that feeling still lingers to this day. I promised myself that day, that I would always honour her through my artwork and I’ve kept my promise. She’s inspired me in so many ways…through her music, her fashion, her poise, grace & maturity…her love and drive for her art! She was a true class act that will never be duplicated! I often think about how we were robbed of more iconic moments from her, in the music, film and fashion world, but what she left behind has truly stood the test of time. Not many 22 year olds could say they’ve created such classic works of art.

I truly hope that Aaliyah knows how much she is missed and loved by so many. I hope she can see how her fans have held her down all these years and helped keep her legacy alive through all the trials and tribulations. I send so much love to her Mother Diane, her brother Rashad & also the family and friends of those who lost their lives alongside Baby Girl. #Aaliyah20 #Aaliyah20Years #Aaliyah20thAnniversary #AgeAintNothingButANumber #OneInAMillion #RedAlbum #BabyGirl

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTAUCEEMjBs/

#hayden williams #aaliyah #Aaliyah 20 #Aaliyah 20th anniversary #fashion illustration #fashion #fashion sketch #baby girl #icon #legend #age ain’t nothing but a number #one in a million #red album #fashion art #art #pop culture #illustration #if your girl only knew #are you that somebody #we need a resolution #more than a woman #rock the boat #queen of the damned #tommy hilfiger #try again #VMAs 2000 #aaliyah dana haughton #illustrator

[sinceileftyoublog]

Hedvig Mollestad Interview: Move Inside the Weather

Photo by Francesco Saggio

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Tempest Revisited (Rune Grammofon), the upcoming album from Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad, is all about moments in time. For one, the music itself was composed as part of a commission to celebrate the 20th anniversary of cultural house Parken in 2018. (When Parken opened in 1998, legendary composer Arne Nordheim debuted The Tempest; Mollestad’s new album is a self-described “bookend” to The Tempest.) The album, one the other hand, was recorded in 2019, and in the recording process, Mollestad wished to revisit the past, namely the winter storms of Ålesund, where she was born (and home to Parken). Opener “Sun On A Dark Sky” opens with reeds, rumbling percussion, and distorted voices, the unease of an approaching storm that belies gently moody guitar and tenor sax. The threats of bad weather are mirrored by wavering vibraphone, bluesy guitar riffing, and speedy nordwave and drums. “Winds Approaching” sways like gusts, with a two-note mirrored saxophone and guitar riff, and ends with some serious shredding. The funky “Kittywakes In Gusts” recalls the way birds play in the wind. “418 (stairs in storms)”, named after the number of stairs you have to climb to get to a scenic overlook in Ålesund, like the first two tracks on the album, begins unassumingly, trickling guitars, warm reeds, and tapping drums, but builds up to prickly blues riffing. 

Over a Zoom conversation last month, Mollestad told me about the topography of Ålesund and how she attempted to have the instrumentation of the album correspond to different natural elements. She also talked about where Tempest Revisited fits within her discography and songwriting tendencies and playing the songs live. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: Did you go into Tempest Revisited intending for it to be a bookend to Arne Nordheim’s The Tempest?

Hedvig Mollestad: I don’t know if this is a regional thing, but in Norway, it’s very common for cultural houses, festivals, or big organizers to invite composers or musicians to do commissioned pieces of music for celebrations and anniversaries. This was one of those things. Where I grew up, there is a cultural house, Parken, and they were celebrating twenty years. Their manager contacted me and asked me if I wanted to do 1 of 4 commissions, one for each season: spring, summer, autumn, and winter storms. None of the other commissions came through, so I was the only one left. That was the winter storms idea. This manager, I went to school with him when I was a kid, so we know each other quite well and had a lot of conversations on how this should be. This culture house is not very commercial, but it’s very beautiful. It’s in this city center, close to a mountain. For him, he wanted to connect this commission to the culture house and winter storms and the city of Ålesund where I grew up.

When we started to converse more about it, I wanted to embrace my kind of weather and Ålesund and storm I lived through when I grew up there. I thought a lot about the philosophical aspect of it before making the music.

SILY: The songs on here sound like they have intentional moods and correspondence to natural elements. Can you talk more specifically about how you came up with those correspondences?

HM: This is not program music. You’re not supposed to hear whatever the title refers to. But as a composer, it’s a privilege to put a name for the piece. What I was thinking when I was making this whole piece was the view from where I grew up. I can see straight west, and to the left, it’s a big long mountain. When a storm is approaching, I can see it 20 minutes before it hits the place where I’m at. “Sun on a Dark Sky” is when the sun is still with me, but I can see what’s coming in the horizon. That was trying to embrace the light, the shadows, the contrast between the warmth of the sun and what I see from the west. I wanted to move inside the weather aspect of it.

"Winds Approaching” was more light and not so meditative. It was supposed to be “winds approaching, but nothing severe.” The birds are playing on the wing. I wanted it to be light and anticipating what was about to come. What is crucial to note here is it was written in 2018, more than one year before I wrote Ekhidna. It was earlier in my composing career. In this music, I can hear a lot of the ideas that come out later in a monstrous way. I can hear that I’m working on ideas on a more basic level. I’m going back to the root of working with the reeds and trying to make them sound good together and not going crazy loud rock guitar. I’m trying to pinpoint something else.

[With] “Kittywakes In Gusts”, I wanted to have this fun-to-play jazz/blues theme in the middle of the commissioned work, because I knew the players that were going to play. Just something more rock-ish and straight. It’s fun to watch the kittywakes play in the gusts. It’s kind of artistic.

We turn into the “418″, which in the middle of the city where the cultural house is, there’s a viewpoint all the tourists are brought to by bus. My grandparents used to live by this city mountain. It’s so great because you can walk there from the city centers, but then you have to do 418 stairs. When I was a kid, there was rough weather--nothing like the hurricanes in your country--but the power went, and the roofs were flying, the trees were breaking, and I was thinking when I wrote this, to humans, the weather is something that can kill you and devastate, but to this mountain that’s been there for however long, it’s just very, very quiet or subtle. I was trying to think of the storm from the mountain’s point of view.

SILY: It’s increasingly relevant these days with climate change, as weather related disasters affect more people, but from the standpoint of nature, it is what it is.

HM: There’s no value to it. It’s not good or evil; it’s just happening. Everything with life happens without a sense of meaning unless we humans put [meaning] in it.

SILY: Did you try for certain instruments to correspond to specific aspects of weather?

HM: The saxophones were kind of free, but I was very into the timpani together with the flute. That was the closest I could get to capturing the visceral darkness and the streams from the sun cutting through everything. That was the instrumentation idea and important for me to keep as an opening and a closing to the album. For the reeds, I just wanted them to be together like the birds that work together as they fly together.

There is a piece that didn’t make it to the record that was quite fun, in the middle of this, a solo part for Ivar [loe Bjørnstad], the drummer. It was called [in English] ”Ivar is tying up all the garden furniture”. He was getting on this big percussion kit. It was fun having him do that in the middle of this piece, but unfortunately, it didn’t make it in the record.

SILY: You mentioned wanting to stray from rock and roll guitar, but there are still some places on here where they show up, like on the end of “Sun on a Dark Sky” and “Winds Approaching”. “Kittywakes” and “High Hair” are these funky stomps. To what extent were you trying to make something raw and fun with those last two tracks?

HM: “Kittywakes” is a little rockish, but playing it was a big difference playing with the reeds as opposed to just the basic drum and bass. When you play it acoustically, whether live or in the studio, you have to relate to them. I couldn’t play as loud as I wanted because it would fuck up the dynamics of how you could listen on stage. I think it’s important within a band to relay to each other what you can do decibel-wise. You have to be polite. You have to level onto each other. They had to play stronger and more powerfully, and I had to ease a little up. So in my hearing, even though it’s full tilt, I think “High Hair” was the one song where I really thought I wanted to do the things I usually do that I love the most. It was that intention that everybody was going to let loose and finish this off in a manner that’s expected. That’s what I love to do at the end of a set. It was very natural to finish it off and get us as close as possible to this stormy climax.

SILY: How often do you visit where you grew up?

HM: I have two children now, so they’re very much the reasons I go back, so they can visit their grandparents. I’m there about 4 times a year with them. I regularly play there. I was probably there a couple months ago.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art for this record?

HM: The cover art on all Rune Grammofon records are made by one artist, Kim Hiorthøy. Since I’ve released records there, I’ve always felt the artwork is important. All the records I’ve been listening to since childhood and that I still love, the artwork is very important. I’ve always wanted him to do photos on my records, which is what he’s done, but this time, he wanted to put something on top of my face to do something other than what we had been doing. When we tried to do this session, I was lying on a bench, and he put very many things on top of me. Bananas, clay, so many different things just to see how it worked. He dropped these shiny pearls on me and moved them around a little bit. Two of them were on my eyes when he took the picture. He [had] the artistic freedom to take it. I didn’t see any of the other [photos]. I thought it was really mystic, cool, and freaky, because as I’m lying down, I think the expression in [my] face was weird. I think it’s pretty scary.

SILY: Have you played these tracks live before?

HM: We played [them] in 2018 when it was first finished for the actual anniversary of the cultural house. I also played a couple of these tracks with the [Hedvig Mollestad] Trio. We brought in saxophone players as part of the Trio show; we played “High Hare” and “Kittywakes” and had horn players for a big ending to a special show. As a big ensemble, it’s been hard to make a whole tour of it. Ekhidna is still touring. We’re doing one release show here in Oslo. It looks like there might be some touring next year.

SILY: What else are you working on and do you have coming up?

HM: Last year, I was writing a big commission work for 12 musicians, the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. I finished it last year. It’s called Maternity Beat, and we just finished recording it in the studios in Norway. We’re mixing it in a couple weeks and it will be released next autumn, because it takes so long for the vinyl to press these days. I’m really excited about it.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

HM: I’ve been reading two books that have made a big impression on me. They’re both Norwegian writers. Dag Hoel’s Fred er ei det beste, which is about the ammunition production in Norway. Norway produces a lot of war materials. It made such an impression on me, especially when I was about to record Maternity Beat. There’s another one called Liv by a professor named Dag O. Hessen. It’s about the meaning of life, but in a very entertaining way.

I just read George Orwell’s 1984 too, which I hadn’t read before. I knew what it was going to be about and what was going to happen, but I still felt nauseous at the end of it. It’s absolutely fascinating and very relevant, especially after I read the book on Norwegian ammunition about how we ignore things that matter because we just care about having the easiest way of living.

#hedvig mollestad #interviews #francesco saggio #parken #trondheim jazz orchestra #tempest revisited #rune grammofon #arne nordheim #the tempest #ekhidna #ivar loe Bjørnstad #kim hiorthøy #hedvig mollestad trio #maternity beat #dag hoel #Fred er ei det beste #liv #dag o. hessen #george orwell #1984

[amimons]

The Progression of Chloe’s Akumatizations

I gotta say I really appreciate the progression of Chloe’s Akumatizations. 

It makes so much sense now. What might’ve seen redundant at first actually was a representation of her character during those moments of times. A reflection of what her motives were during that season as well as what she continued to lack understandings in. 

They all centered around the same theme: being a ‘hero’

---

First Akumatization: Anti-bug (s1) 

As Ladybug’s number one fan it hurts her to have her hero blatantly shrug her off when she voiced her opinion. Especially when she ended up being right about where the akuma was on Vanisher. She has grown up with her voice and opinion well heard and known and to have someone she actually admires ignore her frustrated her. 

This makes her aggravated especially since she dresses up and role-plays as Ladybug. Hawkmoth targets and lets her be Ladybug because she looks up to her and wants to be like her. Heck, she thinks she could be the better hero...or at least she wants to think that. 

And with that, we get Anti-bug...a ‘hero’ like Ladybug in every way. From her similar costume design to the same powers and weapons but yet she can’t best Ladybug despite how similar they were designed to be. 

---

2nd Akumatization: Queen Wasp (s2)

Chloe’s mother is back in Paris however, it’s not the perfect reunion. Audrey Bourgeois is very critical of her daughter she has an expectation she wants her to live up to but Chloe isn’t. On top of that Audrey doesn’t explicitly state this expectation so Chloe is trying her hardest to reach that expectation without any idea of what exactly she is trying to reach. 

But then an opportunity has fallen upon her. A Miraculous. A chance to actually be a real hero. But notice she didn’t jump on that opportunity right away she kept it hidden and probably would’ve if it wasn’t for her Mother. Her own mother giving her self proclaim arch-nemesis an opportunity she always wanted...to go to New York with her mother. To make the wound even deeper Audrey tells her she is not exceptional. Another person that she is trying to impress tells her she is not worth much...well being a hero makes someone exceptional in her eyes. So she goes off to prove that. She can be exceptional because she is a hero. 

Except she wasn’t acting like a hero and Ladybug called her out on it. So Ladybug rightfully told her off because what she did was reckless and selfish. But what Chloe heard was another person validating her mother by saying she is not worth being something good and not just any person...the one she looks up to the most. 

Queen Wasp is a ‘hero’ of a person who is trying to prove she is capable of being exceptional. A person who is constantly trying to gain approval from her role models and is tired of trying to figure out how she can do that correctly so she takes the only other opportunity she can think of. 

---

3rd attempt Akumatization: Miraculer (s3)

Chloe is riding her high of being Queen Bee. A hero that once helped Ladybug with a dangerous Akuma, Malediktor and more importantly teamed up with her hero for the great battle of Hero’s day. She was finally a true hero so why isn’t Ladybug utilizing her more? This aggravates her but she is hopeful her chance is coming again soon. But she gets tired of waiting. Filling the void by playing Ladybug and Chat Noir with Sabrina again. 

She is constantly reaching out to Ladybug with her Queen Bee signal telling her she is ready to join the battle. She even got talked into doing a silly dance by Lila to summon Ladybug. But Ladybug just keeps picking other holders over her and again the feeling of being ignored for someone else resonates in her. 

So Hawkmoth is here to give her a chance to be any hero she wants. She will always be the perfect choice to fill in the role of the ‘hero’. No excuses for her not being the ‘correct choice’ or ‘unneeded’ for the akuma battle. She will be able to obtain any Miraculous abilities an ideal power for an ideal hero. 

But no. This isn’t what she is asking for and she is a hero she cannot accept an offer from Paris’ supervillain. She is Queen Bee and she has faith that when Ladybug needs her as Queen Bee she will be there. She doesn’t need to be a bunch of heroes she just wants to be one.

Miraculer is a ‘hero’ of it all. A failed attempt for Hawkmoth in understanding Chloe’s true motives. She is not someone seeking more power to be the best super-powered hero. All she wants is to be is an important hero and to have the chance to be Queen Bee again so she can help Ladybug. So Miraculer was passed off to Sabrina. 

3rd Akumatization: Miracle Queen (s3) 

After a season of constantly getting told during numerous occasions that it was not the right time for her to be Queen Bee to Ladybug eventually telling her, she cannot give her the Miraculous because Hawkmoth knows her identity. Chloe is at her wit's end. But she still is remaining hopeful throughout the season her time will come once again. She has her Queen Bee signal ready to go and eagerly awaits for the moment Ladybug will once again hand her bee miraculous. 

It's her parents 20th anniversary. An occasion that should be celebrated and it...there is a party and they have a special ceremony they are missing the most important part of the celebration. Love. And thus Heart Hunter was created. A combination of Chloe's parents out to devour love from others. 

Chloe is distressed. Her parents are once again akumatized and she is extremely worried. She wants to help save them as she has done in the past and tries her hardest to let Ladybug know. Her Queen Bee signal is not working but lucky for her she sees Ladybug and shouts to her to bring her miraculous. Ladybug continues off to her destination and when she returns she is back with a miraculous...but it isn’t for Chloe it’s for Ryuko. 

This hurts Chloe, deeply. Her parents are in danger and she wants to help save them. This doesn’t have to do with her just wanting to be Queen Bee again so she can brag and boast about it. She is scared for her parents and she feels she needs to protect them...she was a clear choice! Ladybug. made. a. mistake. 

So Chloe at her lowest point was approach by Hawkmoth in the flesh. And he tells her what she wants to hear this time. ‘It should’ve been her out there with Ladybug obviously Ladybug isn’t capable of distributing Miraculous and making heroes but I can make you someone who is’. 

Miracle Queen is not a copycat of Ladybug, she is not someone seeking out approval, she is not someone seeking more power. 

She is someone who was tired of being set aside by someone she felt was making the wrong choices. She is someone who is being a hero because it makes her feel important and a better person. She is a person who has not learned the true qualities of what makes someone good. 

Miracle Queen is a ‘hero’ of the miraculous box. Someone who wants to be the person who possesses the miraculous in order to distribute them off because she felt she would do it better. She wants to be the leader that everyone respects. She felt Ladybug failed in this role but really she was being selfish. And it is her selfishness that will continue to get in the way of her being a true hero. 

---

So where does this leave Chloe?

Chloe unraveled. She was on the path of redemption but her self-centeredness got in the way. She will continue to lack that understanding as to what makes a hero until she finally confronts her own destructive behavior full on. She may have taken a wrong step in her path but not every path is clear. This low point is the true start of her redemption. She cannot hide behind the false facade of her title as a hero no longer. 

Being Queen Bee only helped her continue her destructive behavior because she still felt she had no consequences for them. Her actions as Queen Bee made up for her actions as Chloe Bourgeois. But now she is officially stripped from the title and cut her ties with Ladybug. Actively helping Hawkmoth is going to throw her in an even more horrible light. She will suffer even more loss from this. And maybe because of this, she will finally do some soul searching and actively improve herself.  

Edit: I’ve made a post discussing Chloe’s true redemption arc > click here 

#there are no spoilers up til the keep reading part #miraculous ladybug #Chloe bourgeois #queen bee #mine #ml analysis

[ambrosiaicecreem]

93 Fun OC Asks Because Why Not ( Pt 1 / 2 )

and here we go again, but serafina style! courtesy of @natolesims! lets GOOO

BASICS:

1. What is their gender?

Cis Female

2. What is their sexuality?

Bisexual

3. What is the meaning behind their name? Do they have any nicknames?

Serafina means “fiery ones” and “snake” in Hebrew. Her go-to nickname is Sera, only by her husband, Vittorio. 

4. Do they have any siblings? How many? Are they older or younger? Which sibling are they the closest with?

Serafina actually has 6 sisters. The order goes: Alexandra, Calista, Ida, Olympia, Rhea, Serafina, and Theodora. She was the closest with her older sister Rhea and her younger sister Theodora. 

5. What’s their relationship with their parents like? What about other relatives?

Due to Amazon culture, Serafina does not know if she actually has a father. She was raised by her mother, Queen of the Amazons Xanthia and her mother’s mistress Zephyra. She considers all of the Amazons on the island to be like family, so she made a positive, close relationship with majority of them. 

6. What would they give their life for?

Family

7. Are they in a romantic relationship? With who? How did they meet?

Serafina is married to Vittorio Adamson, a doctor she met while she was doing abroad work in Jamaica. They met 10 years prior to the start of the story.

8. What do they believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

Serafina believes in the thought of a Afterlife. She takes comfort in it. 

9. What is their favorite color? Favorite animal?

Serafina’s favorite color is orange. Her favorite animal is the Andravida horse, a horse native to Greece. 

10. What are some of their talents/skills?

Serafina is incredibly athletic, due to her upbringing. She is the strongest member of the Montolvo family (with Marcus just trailing behind her). She’s an extremely talented doctor as well, having spent centuries studying various medical procedures from all over the world. 

11. If they could make a mark on history, what would they like it to be?

She’s already made plenty of history. That’s something that’ll be further talked about in her own character files, since she’s been active for nearly 3,000 years. 

12. How old are they? When is their birthday?

Serafina will never reveal her true age, but like I said above, she’s been around for at most 3,000 years. She celebrates her birthday on June 20th, the summer solstice. 

13. What do they do for fun?

She’s a shopaholic, for starters. She likes working out, spa care, swimming, archery, sparring, reading, and cooking.

14. What is their favorite food? How often do they get to eat it?

Serafina’s favorite food is Astakomakaronada, a Greek pasta with lobster meat and a tomato-based sauce. She saves it for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. 

15. What was something their parents taught them?

Serafina’s mother, Xanthia, taught her to never let anybody take advantage of her heart. To always be true to herself, even if everybody else tries to change her. Her step-mother figure, Zephyra, taught her to remember that her actions affect her legacy. Be mindful of how you’ll be remembered by the generations to come. 

16. Are they religious?

Serafina is probably the most religious of the Montolvo coven. 

17. Where were they born?

The Island of the Amazons

18. What languages can they speak? Where did they learn these languages?

English, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese are just ones to start. Honestly, she’s been around a LONG time. She’s had the time to learn everything. 

19. What is their occupation?

Doctor. Specifically, Emergency Medicine Specialist. 

20. Do they have any titles? How did they earn them?

Dr. Serafina Myrina & Princess of the Amazons are the two that she’s referred by the most. One was through getting her degree(s), the other was just through birth. 

PERSONALITY:

21 & 22. What is their favorite & least favorite thing about their personality?

Her confidence, and her impulsiveness. 

23. Do they get lonely easily?

Yes. She’s extremely clingy and affectionate when she’s with her husband.

24. Do you know their MBTI type?

ENTJ: The Commander. Bold, imaginative, and strong-willed.

25 & 26. What is their biggest flaw? Are they aware of their flaws?

Her impulsiveness. She thinks in the moment, not even considering the repercussions of her actions (as you can tell with the whole affair disaster). She’s totally aware of it, and she’s been spending the last few years trying to work on it.

27 & 28. What is their biggest strength? Are they aware of their strengths?

She’s a leader when tough times call for one. She’s the first to step up to the plate and lead others through things. 

29. How would they describe their own personality?

"Extremely blunt, confident, knows what she wants.. prone to make a lot of poor choices in the heat of the moment. A lot of them.”

30. When frightened, will they resort to “fight” or “flight”?

Fight

31. Does this character ever put somebody else’s needs before their own? Who do they do this for? How often do they do this?  

She does.. now. Ever since the affair and the true reason for the divorce was revealed, she’s putting her family before herself always to atone for all the pain she’s caused. 

32. What is their self esteem like?

You can’t tell her NOTHIN. EXTREMELY high. 

33. What is their biggest fear? How would they react to having to face it?

Her family just rejecting her. It’s happened already with the Montolvo’s and the Adamson’s at separate times, but if it happened all at once? She couldn’t live with it. 

34. How easily do they trust others with their secrets? With their lives?

She only trusts her husband and her sisters with her secrets. She’d trust her sisters, her parents, Vittorio, Marcus, and Silas with her life. 

35. What is the easiest way to annoy them?

Just by being super obnoxious

36. What is their sense of humor like? Give an example of a joke they would find humorous?

I literally can’t think of a specific joke, but she’s very petty. She laughs at jokes pertaining to people’s pettiness. 

37. How easy is it for them to say “I love you”? Do they say it without meaning it?

She has definitely said “I love you” without meaning it before. She isn’t proud of it. She only truly means it though when it comes to connecting with certain people, such as Vittorio or Silas. 

38. What do others admire most about their personality?

Her confidence 

39. What does their happily ever after look like?

Just living in peace and happiness with her two families accepting her 

40. Who do they trust most? Is that trust mutual?

Vittorio. Trust is mutual. 

PHYSICAL PROFILE:

41. What does their laugh sound like? Do they snort when they laugh? How often do they laugh?

Her laugh is slightly higher-pitched. Almost like a cackle. 

42 & 43. What is their favorite and least favorite thing about their physical appearance?

Her favorite thing is her muscles. She doesn’t have a least favorite thing lmao she’s physically perfect in her eyes

44. Do they have any scars? If so, what are the stories behind those scars?

She’s got plenty of faded scars over the years. They’re all from various battles throughout history. 

45. How would they describe their own appearance?

“Aphrodite’s number one, but there’s always a number two. That’d be me.”

46. How easily can they express emotions? How easily can they hide emotions?

She’s a pro at hiding her true intentions, but she’s very scared of opening up and being vulnerable. She only does it with those that she trusts. 

#sims 4 #ts4 #aic: the montolvos extras #serafina myrina #answered asks

[pixelgrotto]

The horrific Resident Evil playthrough, finale

Approximately one year ago I began the somewhat mad quest to shove as much Resident Evil into my brain as quickly as possible. I blazed through thirteen games, a handful of spin-offs, and as much supplementary material I could get my hands on. I chronicled my thoughts each step of the way via posts here, on Twitter and in a massive ResetERA thread where a lot of good people gave me advice on how to proceed with the series. Not all of the stuff I experienced was great (those Paul W.S. Anderson movies come to mind), and sometimes this massive undertaking felt like work, but now that I’ve come to the end, I can say that it was worth it, because it’s quite the feeling to bring yourself from having zero knowledge of something to morphing into a Wiki-reading fiend in just a year. At this time in 2018, I had only the barest notion of what this series was about and who characters like Jill Valentine or Leon Kennedy were. Now, I could probably write a pretty heated Twitter thread about how Jill needs to be brought back to the forefront of the series not just with a remake of Resident Evil 3, but with an entirely new game, because she’s been sidelined for years despite being the central figure in promotional material like the fancy artwork that I’ve posted above! Ahem. 

My initial desire to become more familiar with Resident Evil has been part of a larger push in recent years to consume more horror media, mostly because as I get older I find myself increasingly attracted to eerie stories that I was too much of a weenie to dive into when I was younger. Some of it probably has to do with the fact that as an adult I now find stuff like health concerns, existential dread and paying taxes to be more horrifying than things that go bump in the night, but part of it is also because that even as a scaredy cat kid, I was always kinda intrigued by macabre stuff like Resident Evil, even if I couldn’t bring myself to play through the games. 

Now that I’ve plowed through the franchise, I wish I could go back and whisper to my younger self that aside from the first game, RE7 and perhaps bits and pieces of both versions of RE2...Resident Evil isn’t all that frightening. The series does have its jump scares and gore, but it quickly crosses genres into the realm of action, and even in its more tense entries, Resident Evil stays dripping with a fine dollop of cheese, either through B-movie dialogue or moments when the main characters wink at the camera and suddenly take a zombie to suplex city. Action, comedy and horror are unusual but frequent bedfellows, I’ve learned, and with RE embodying all three of these genres, translating them to the realm of electronic entertainment via a format emphasizing survival, it’s only appropriate that this is the franchise that has come to serve as the face of spooky thrills in the video game world.

Resident Evil’s also in a very good place at this moment in time. RE2Make has gotten well-deserved praise from just about everyone who’s played it, and after a moment where it looked like Capcom was going to tilt the mattress and upset the delicately placed bedfellows - emphasizing action and over-the-top comedy more than horror - now it appears that the devs have gotten their heads straight and maintained the balance once more. There’s still room for improvement and careful experimentation though. As the series forges ahead into the 2020s, I hope that Capcom doesn’t get drunk off of RE2Make’s success, milking its formula to exhaustion. I want at least another mainline game to utilize the first-person perspective of Resident Evil 7, which worked better than I ever would’ve imagined, and I’d also like to see the Revelations sub-series, which was supposed to focus on stories that took place in between the main games, continue - in spirit if not in name. (A Revelations 3 or similar spin-off with fixed camera angles - perhaps in a mid-tier budget point ‘n click style a la Detention - would be something that I’d love, though Capcom probably will never go in that direction.) Finally, I’d like Resident Evil to remember that it had fabulous female representation in its earlier entries. The later titles have mostly had male protagonists front and center, which directly reinforces the trope that it’s okay for survival horror games to star the “must be protected” ladies, but anything action-orientated should star dudes so that male players can have their power fantasy trip. This can easily be fixed by doing what I said in the first paragraph - bring the queen Jill Valentine back. 

Finally, because these sorts of franchise reflections are never complete without a good ol’ fashioned list... Here’s how I’d rank the mainline games, complete with a snappy sentence or two for each.

Resident Evil REmake - Because if I had to recommend just ONE game for someone to get a decent idea of this series’ mechanics and themes, it would be this one.

Resident Evil 4 - It’s survival action instead of survival horror, but when the gameplay’s this good, can you really complain?

Resident Evil 2 - Over 20 years old and still a thrilling experience. The epitome of the fixed camera angle games.

Resident Evil 7 - I was afraid that the change to a first-person perspective would alienate me, but I beat this game in two days and couldn’t put it down.

Resident Evil RE2make - Almost as good as the original, and a great sign of the franchise’s future. 

Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Worth playing for the return of Barry Burton and the moving story alone, which is basically about fathers and daughters, loss and acceptance.

Resident Evil 1 - The OG that started it all. A little clunky to play in this day and age, but the magic’s still there. 

Resident Evil 6 - The equivalent of an overstuffed exploding cake, RE6 is excessive as hell and sometimes infuriating...but one thing you could never call it is boring.

Resident Evil 5 - A solid series entry about Chris Redfield punching boulders in Africa, this one’s excellent if you play it co-op. Solo, a little less excellent.

Resident Evil Zero - RE probably didn’t need this prequel showing what Rebecca Chambers was doing on the night before she got stuck in Spencer Mansion, but good chemistry between the main characters makes it worth experiencing.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - A lot of folks love this one, but IMO it feels less noteworthy than RE2 and RE1, probably because it was originally designed as a spin-off. I rank it low but am eager to see how a RE3make could boost it. 

Resident Evil Revelations - Jill Valentine’s in a wetsuit that clings to her booty this whole game and she hangs out with a partner who looks like Russell Crowe. Aside from that, Revelations is fine but kinda forgettable.

Resident Evil: Code Veronica - The only RE that truly annoyed me with backtracking and some cheap bosses, Code Veronica is technically still an okay game. But Steve Burnside is a garbage character. 

Thus, we bring the horrific, 2018-2019 Pixel Grotto Resident Evil playthrough to a gentle finish. *Cue relaxing save room theme here.* It’s been fun, ladies and gents. I need to rest up a bit and try some other games that aren’t survival horror for a while. But I like the idea of doing more series playthroughs in the future...

And I think Silent Hill might be a good choice for the next one. 

The header artwork is a textless version of the radical Biohazard 20th Anniversary poster that Capcom put out in 2016. 

#pixel grotto #now playing #video games #resident evil #biohazard

[kokiafans]

【KOKIA Interview】 I chose the songs like I was putting together a set-list, thinking it would be one concert about a period of 10 years

Via OKMusic, editorial department

Her first live best album ‘ALIVE -The live history-’ is released as a product that brings her 20th anniversary year of her debut to a finish.  From the sound sources of concerts she’s held from 2010 until 2018, 24 songs were carefully selected to the compilation. We talked to her about how she chose the songs to be compiled as well as her thoughts towards this album.

I thought 'that’s not easy to do' to myself as the central themes to my songs are unwavering

Following last year’s 4-disc all-time best of album ‘EVOLVE to LOVE -20 years Anniversary BEST-’ and your original album ‘Tokyo Mermaid’, you’re releasing your first live best album ‘ALIVE-The live history-’, but you have done many live performances in the long period from 2010 to 2018; surely it was tough to choose?

It was tough (laughs). It’s a common story for the creation of a product like this, but I had to listen to the sound sources of past concerts by myself. I watched concerts held at big concert venues to edit for a live video product before, but in a situation like this where you’re also listening to the sound sources from smaller venues again, it easily takes up a staggering amount of time. However, I was given this opportunity, so I made it a great one. There were already parts in the sound sources that I had forgotten about, making me go ‘did I do this live show?!’, so there were also many surprises and discoveries, and it was also a chance to look at myself again, taking the next steps forward to my 20th anniversary.

And so you came to a careful choice of the 24 songs you’ve selected, right.

Right. I’m the type to reliably decide on the concept depending on the live performance, so I also change the arrangements and so on depending on the venue, so the wonderful atmosphere was different for each live show. People who only saw the hall concerts might be surprised all over again going ‘that’s how it feels’ over the sound sources from the small-scale venues, or on the contrary, people who only saw me at venues like Billboard of Blue Note think ‘it’s completely different from the hall concerts’; everyone has each their own interest in a performance arranged to suit the scale, and it would make me happy if they’d consider trying to go to a different concert as well.

The first song on disc 2, ‘Make Sense’, is recorded at Daikan’s Haremame with a capacity of 100 people, while the second song ‘The rule of the universe’ is in the Tokyo International Forum with a capacity of 1,500 people; the scale of those venues is completely different indeed.

That’s right (laughs). It’s not just the scale of the venues, but for example the first song on disc 1, Arigatou...’(’Thank you...’) was at Tokyo Opera City in 2018, while the second song Saishuu jouei (’final screening’) was in 2010 at Tokyo Bunkamura Orchard Hall; it feels like the chronological order is also scattered. In that way, it’s not just the chronological order, but the seemingly random way I put them in is because I selected them with this thought that I’d like to assemble a set list which I felt was like ‘one concert from a period of 10 years’ for this live best album, using sound sources from a period of roughly almost 10 years from 2010 to 2018. When I first looked at the works I was choosing, surprisingly the sound sources I put in after 2018 are from 2010. But in that way, I could listen to it without a sense of discomfort even though I put sound sources with such a long period of time in between them right next to each other, so I was also surprised myself.

I don’t think it’s noticeable that the songs are not in any chronological order as long as you don’t look at the credits of each song.

That’s my own literary style... it is because the feelings that I put into my own songs and the themes I want to sing about at the center of them didn’t waver, even though the compositions and genres that show in my music are different. I wonder if perhaps, even if I’d putten in sound sources from before 2010, there wouldn’t have been such a dissonance either. It’s something that makes me proud if I do say so myself, and I thought ‘that isn’t easy to do’ (laughs). 

You chose the songs as if you were assembling a set list for a concert you say, but if you consider that, does that mean you had no choice but to put Arigatou... (’thank you...’) as the first song, making it the opening song?

That’s right. As this live CD itself also serves as a product to wrap up my 20th anniversary year, I wanted to start the live disc with the words from Arigatou..., also as a representation of myself. This version of Arigatou... which I sang at Tokyo Opera City in 2018 was slightly rearranged for the 20th anniversary concert, so I thought it was meaningful to put it on as a live version.

When I think of it, you sorted out the 24 songs on 2 discs skillfully.

Since there were many sound sources I wanted to use, I went ‘why not make it 3 discs?’ halfway through. That’s because before I started the song selection, there was this huge bulk of stage performances I wanted to give to the world; leaving out sound sources was inconceivable. That’s a funny story with the director who was in charge; I imagined that it’d be a group effort where we’d listen together to select the songs, but it felt like a solitary journey, and it was really lonely because it ended up being a work where I kept listening to the songs at home by myself (laughs). If you’re together with other people in front of you, I feel like you can hold conversations like ‘this would be nice’, but it was also a time where I wondered ‘is it alright if I make the decision all by myself?’. After, I was left with sound sources in various conditions, and unfortunately, there were also many that I couldn’t put in since there was too much noise in the air, even though they were really good takes. That’s why it might be a best of disc, but it’s not the best. To some extend at least. There were also songs with good conditions that were really great, but since I was going with the theme of ‘I’m putting this together like a set list for a concert’, there are also songs that I took out as the melody had suffered. If I had to say, then in my concerts there are many songs people deliberately ask for, but I thought about what I wanted to put on a live disc, and as a result the songs of choice have many songs chosen for their sense of tempo, which I thought was interesting. In listening to them as a live disc, I absolutely felt that as a listener, it’s nice to have more songs with a sense of tempo. So, I also newly discovered that I might try to put in more songs with a sense of tempo in the live performances I’ll give from now on.

I thought the title was nice as it includes the feeling that ‘Live is life’

Nevertheless, the way songs and sounds echo differs completely depending on the venue, right.

I recall the venues I’ve sung in so far with surprising clarity, but I remembered most clearly when listening to the sound sources. I also included the sound sources from the Shinagawa Church Gloria Chapel; I went to a mission-related school where there was worship every day from grade 1 through 6 in primary school, so it made me really happy whenever I got to sing in the Shinagawa Church. I felt the happiness of being able to sing in the middle of the church atmosphere that I had become familiar with.

You’ve compiled sound sources from concerts from 2010 and beyond, but is there a conscious difference with concerts and live performances from before that time? 

Starting in 2006, I’ve been giving live performances in Europe, but 2010 was the year I expanded with a European tour. Unfortunately, from that time onward my health declined a bit, and that delicate condition continued for 8 more years. Among the sound sources for this live best album are sources from when I performed exactly during that time, so perhaps it makes you go “but why would you make a live best album assembled from sound sources of concerts you did during that period?”. On the flip side however, surely there were other choices than the one I made, like considering resigning if poor physical health continues for such a long time and becomes normal; however, without choosing such an answer, I felt like I wanted to applaud myself for having put in the effort of delivering a full-blown stage performance even while in pain, no matter my physical condition. My condition was bad, but in good moments, I had many stage performances where I thought ‘you’re doing it, self!’ (laughs). Of course, I worried that singing in a bad physical condition was a discourtesy towards the audience, and there was a time I thought singing might become more difficult like this, but I continued singing while I believed in myself and believed in the audience. Of course, if you’re in good condition you can sing with ease, but because I sing with my heartfelt feelings to somehow make up for my bad condition with my emotions, deeply moving performances may have been born this way.

You are alright again now, right.

Yes. It’s also included in this album, but in November last year, I was back to perfect physical condition at the time of my live performance in Paris, France. At the time of my 20th anniversary year milestone, I can’t express it well, but I felt like God told me “give it your all from now on” and gave me a reward. Of course, since it’s my physical condition, it’s a scary place to not know what will happen next and when.

So it was worthwhile to continue singing while believing in yourself and in your fans.

I’m glad I continued.

Bearing that setting in mind, I felt that the album title ‘ALIVE-The live history-’ fits perfectly.

In the 20 years I’ve been singing, every time something like ‘of course KOKIA is the stage’ was said, and it was weird to say ‘that’s right’ myself, so I replied with ‘Is that so? Thank you very much’, but to myself, I distinctly replied with ‘That’s right. I’m the live performance’, so I felt that it was a good title as it includes the feeling ‘live is life’. With the nuances of ‘I’m living’ and ‘a place where you can be lively’ and ‘a place that shines’, I arrived on this title ‘ALIVE’.

After that, you were also devoted to the cover artwork, and it’s lovely.

Isn’t it amazing! When I gave interviews about my 20th anniversary, I had many various opportunities to look back; I talked about there being a place that was like my long continuous life as a singer being captured in a single picture, but this cover is a collage of pictures and lyrics from live shows, and through looking at the many pieces, you can see the person that is ‘KOKIA’. It’s become an artwork that pictures my own activities and walks, the ones you can also see through my activities as I surely said myself. Because the limited first edition is so big, I’d like to decorate my room with it. I’m not the type to decorate my room with my own CDs, but with this cover, I wished from the very start that we’d make something that I could decorate my own room with if we were to create the cover at LP size. I think the result is very cool, so I hung up the sample and immediately decorated my room with it (laughs).

Lastly, it’s your ‘20th anniversary’, but has it felt long?

If you say it’s been long because there’s been all kinds of things, I’d think it was long, but I don’t know anymore (laughs). At the time I gave an interview in Paris last year in autumn, I had performed in Paris for the first time in 8 years, but I didn’t feel like it had been that long. At that time, I answered that the difference between whether it felt like a long time ago or not wasn’t the flow or time or how big the number was, but if there was a sense of distance in having my feelings reach the people. This answer was very fitting, and I’m frantic for every day, but I gave it my all to bring out my thoughts, so it feels like the 20 years so far have gone by in the blink of an eye. I hardly doubt that the 20 years after this will also go by in a flash.

Article: Takanobu Tanaka

#KOKIA #translation #translation: interview #alive the live history

[theonyxpath]

Boo!

Matthew Dawkins here, to talk a little about Book of Oblivion for Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition! The writing of this book proceeds apace, as we endeavor to include new Arcanoi, provide fresh looks at antagonists, make environmental horror a real thing (especially in the Underworld), and give new coverage to heretofore only mentioned Necropoli and Kingdoms the world over.

It’s an exciting time to be on a Wraith book.

Honestly, one of the things I love about working on Wraith is the ability to provide deeper and darker coverage of material left fallow in its previous editions. Lacking a Revised edition, we have a lot of ground we can cover, and the Book of Oblivion seeks to address some gaps while adding brand new material most of you won’t expect.

Do you want an example? While the Guilds are still at the forefront of Hierarchy life in the Shadowlands, we wanted more organizations and clubs wraiths might belong to. Here’s Clayton Oliver’s Maelstrom Bureau and a piece on how Reapers target those struck down in natural (and sometimes unnatural) disasters:

  The Maelstrom Bureau

On the top floor of a Brutalist office block down the street from the Sea of Shadows, the one Hierarchy agency with an official disaster mission struggles to coordinate its far-flung network of observers and researchers. Founded as the Office of Maelstrom Preparedness in the 19th century’s twilight years, the Maelstrom Bureau has endured every bureaucratic indignity known to wraithkind over its decades of existence, including numerous changes of name and structure. Despite it all, it is one of the Underworld’s foremost clearinghouses of Maelstrom knowledge – when it can be convinced to share.

The Bureau’s self-assigned mission is the prediction, mitigation, and study of Maelstroms. Its Stygian headquarters staff numbers just over 100 wraiths, only half of whom come from its sponsoring body, the Iron Legion. The rest hail from other Legions, seconded through a complex arrangement of reimbursement agreements. Most headquarters wraiths are clerks and academics who spend their shifts poring over reports and research proposals. Far larger are the ranks of the Bureau’s field staff, who range from lone weather-obsessed volunteers to the pluviometrists and  anemologists who operate the field offices in the largest and most Maelstrom-prone Necropoli.

Each aspect of the Bureau’s mission falls to a different branch. Maelstrom prediction is the duty of the Forecasting Service, which monitors both Skinlands events and the Tempest’s protean weather for signs of impending Maelstrom. The Forecasting Service also makes extensive use of Argos, Fatalism, and other divinatory methods to separate “ordinary” Tempest patterns from those heralding a more destructive event. As with Skinlands meteorology, Underworld forecasting is neither exact nor consistently accurate, and wraiths remember the failures more than the successes.

The Fortification Center specializes in defensive architecture. This office turns its eye toward reinforcing structures – anything from the tiny storm shelters scattered along major Byways to the greatest Citadels – against Maelstrom effects. It also grudgingly handles the Bureau’s public education work, disseminating Maelstrom preparedness pamphlets to all Hierarchy citizens through its Citizen Outreach Office. Finally, its Storm Systems Laboratory is an engineering think-tank focused on personal protective equipment for Maelstroms. This latter group supplies the majority of the Bureau’s supplemental funding through the sale of its creations. Storm Systems chain-coats, fog masks, wind-staves, and storm gauges command a premium among wraiths who must brave the Underworld’s elements.

The Bureau’s research arm is the Beaufort-Granogrec Anemological Institute. Prone to academic infighting and knowledge hoarding, the Institute generates its greatest successes despite itself. At any given time, its library and laboratory staff may be perusing damage reports from a storm-struck Citadel, analyzing the composition of a plasmic eyeball hail sample, or statistically surveying a half-century of Forecasting Service predictions against seismic records from the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Of course, someone must gather these data, and the Institute’s more adventurous (or foolhardy) members lead field research missions across the Shadowlands and Tempest. The Institute has several research campuses in Maelstrom-prone areas; the most prominent are in London, San Francisco, and Istanbul. In cooperation with other Empires’ authorities, its No.3 Storm Penetration Squadron (“3SPS,” officially an Iron Legion military unit) flies and sails from Hong Kong to make observations from within Maelstroms throughout the Western Pacific Shadowlands and coterminous Tempest regions.

Only the largest Necropoli’s field offices host representatives from all three branches. Most commonly, a field office contains a single Bureau representative who struggles to discharge the full spectrum of her assignment. Such field reps recruit volunteers for daily weather observations, post-Maelstrom damage assessments, and scientific expeditions into the Tempest.

Even as the Bureau’s scientific and operational capabilities have waxed with the deaths and recruitments of experts in a wide range of disciplines, its leadership and ability to influence Stygian thinking have waned. Its founder and first superintendent, Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, was lost in 1969 when Hurricane Camille’s echo claimed the research ghost ship Muskeget. Co-founder and successor Jean Granogrec was an able meteorologist but a ham-fisted administrator, driving away many long-serving veterans. Granogrec’s mismanagement came to a head in 2010, when the agency (then titled the Maelstrom Prediction and Preparation Unit) failed to predict or prepare for the Haitian earthquake and subsequent Pan-Caribbean Maelstrom. In response, the Ashen Lady reassigned Granogrec and renamed the MPPU. The office of superintendent gave way to a committee of bureau chiefs drawn from the Iron Legion’s most influential Necropoli. Sadly, while some of these chiefs are able politicians, few are scientists or leaders, resulting in a vacuum of direction and coordination. Even the Journal of Applied Anemology, once a cutting-edge monthly publication laden with advice accessible to the average wraith on the street, has been reduced to an unreliable quarterly reprinting of monographs dredged from the archives. Increasingly, local field offices reach out to other sources of support in the absence of timely guidance from headquarters.

Reaping (After) the Whirlwind

The fear, grief, and other emotions stemming from disasters are concentrated and shared, so it’s no surprise that disaster deaths create a heightened number of wraiths when compared to the same number of similar individual deaths across the mortal population. This makes any disaster a fertile ground for Reapers. Reaping in a catastrophe’s aftermath (to say nothing of doing so amidst the storm) can be perilous, though. Competitors, Spectres, and the odd Plasmic or Ferryman all contest hunting privileges, and the freshest wraiths can erupt from their Cauls with surprising vigor, still fighting against whatever killed them. Casualties who tear their way out of their own Cauls are another sort of danger altogether, as they know exactly what’s happened to them and take a dim view of other ghosts profiting on their deaths. On top of all of it, the most fertile Skinlands disasters are the most likely to spawn Maelstroms.

Wraiths who specialize in picking swiftly through mass fatality incidents to harvest newly-made Restless are known as vultures in Stygian parlance. Like their namesakes, Circles thereof are called wakes. Any successful wake has a member who can predict a disaster before it occurs (usually by reading pre-Maelstrom portents, though some are adept at analyzing political, meteorological, or geographic indicators), allowing the group to stage itself nearby. This willingness to go where the bodies will fall requires wakes to be more mobile than typical Circles, so most have a member who can facilitate transportation, either personally or through connections. Of course, wakes must manage workplace hazards ranging from soulforged blades to supernatural weather; self-protection skills are a job requirement.

Less prestigious, though sharing many of the same traits, are tidings of magpies – Circles who salvage disaster-created relics rather than Enfants. Profitable magpies are well-attuned to current market forces and are adept at promoting their gleanings for auction or barter. Tidings tend to be busier than wakes and face slightly less peril in their trade, as many events of massive destruction (and thus large-scale relic creation) occur without significant casualties. Some Circles bridge both trades, but the different logistical needs and marketplaces lead most to focus on one or the other.

Some  vultures are more altruistic than others. The best style themselves as SAR teams, often adopting the Cormorant Order’s heraldic creature in place of their usual appellation. The worst are simply slavers with an unusually-strong work ethic and tolerance for (or addiction to) risk. Magpies, operating in a less morally-perilous marketplace, tend to be more businesslike – though it’s not unknown for predatory tidings (or ordinary bandits) to lurk outside disaster areas and rob fellow magpies at the end of a night’s labor.

#Onyx Path Publishing

[aion-rsa]

Pixar’s Soul: Who Are All of 22’s Mentors?

https://ift.tt/3h26Bq1

This article contains Soul spoilers. You can find our spoiler-free review here.

22, the incorrigible soul voiced by Tina Fey, has resided in the Great Before for a very, very long time. But just how long is that? Centuries? Millennia? By virtue of her name, a number designated to her soul upon arrival in the Great Before, it is hinted that she’s been watching our world with skepticism since the very beginning: a soul who’s had eons to say, “No, that living thing is not for me.”

In all that time, she’s also had countless mentors: Souls who completed a life on Earth and before going to the Great Beyond agreed to take some time off on the other side to offer 22 pointers on the finer things of life. Until she met a guy named Joe, it never ended well. That said it sets up one of the movie’s best running gags. Throughout Joe and 22’s experiences, the film frequently flashes back to random insert jokes about 22’s past, highly esteemed teachers.

It creates an opportunity for Pixar to dabble in the strangest bit of referential humor we may have ever seen in a kids’ movie. After all, how many young minds are familiar with the works of Carl Jung? It also  gives parents time for a couple of specific laughs, and maybe the chance to talk with their children afterward about just who those floating heads were. For that reason, we’ve compiled this handy list and brief guide to 22’s mentors.

Abraham Lincoln

One of the first dropped names from 22’s past mentors, and the one most often referenced in the film, is Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps this is because unlike George Orwell, most American school children under the age of 10 should be familiar with the 16th President of the United States.

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Elected in 1860 and reelected in 1864, Lincoln is cited by many to be the greatest president in American history due to his ability to lead the nation through its greatest existential crisis, the Civil War. During that cataclysmic moment, he preserved the Union and eventually ended slavery, first in rebelling states via the Emancipation Proclamation and then more completely with the 13th Amendment. He then became a martyr in the eyes of the generations to follow since shortly after his reelection and the end of the war, he was the first president to be assassinated.

Most kids should know that, and they definitely know he’s on the penny. Hence the terrific joke of 22 asking Lincoln, “Are you really okay with being on the penny?” He insists it’s a great honor. But when she twists the knife and says, “Even with Jackson on the 20 [dollar bill]?” he breaks in abject horror. Not Jackson!

Mahatma Gandhi

Another name dropped early—though I’m not sure we ever see him as an actual mentor—is Mahatma Gandhi, the nonviolent civil disobedience Indian leader who helped India achieve its independence from the British Empire.

Born in 1869 Gujarat, India, Gandhi had a profound effect on world history in the 20th century and beyond. After being educated in London and spending his early professional life in South Africa, where he raised a family, he returned to India and led anti-colonialist campaigns against the British government that occupied British India, as well as pushed for reforms that would create a religious plurality. He was briefly President of the Indian National Conference between 1924 and ’25, and eventually took to wearing his now famous loincloths and shawls as an act of solidarity with the working poor of his country. His image as the fasting leader of nonviolent resistance influenced civil rights leaders around the world.

In 1947, Britain resigned itself to granting India independence, but split the British Indian Empire into states, India and Pakistan, the latter becoming a country for India’s Muslim population. The resulting hostilities and tension eventually led to Gandhi being assassinated in 1948.

Mother Teresa

An honest to goodness saint, Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic leader who dedicated her life to wholeheartedly caring for “the poorest of the poor.” So when she tells 22, “I like everyone except you,” you know 22 just has the devil in her—if such a thing exists in a theoretical construct like the Great Before!

Born Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu in 1910, Teresa grew up in what is modern day North Macedonia, before she left home at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland. Soon moving to India, where she lived the rest of her life, Teresa took her solemn vows to become a nun in 1937 and in 1950 founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic congregation that’s seen its sisterhood of nuns grow by the thousands. Until Mother Teresa’s death in 1997, she helped oversee her missionary’s fourth vow, again to serve the poorest of the poor, by managing homes of people dying of leprosy, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, as well as managing soup kitchens, dispensaries, and orphanages.

Teresa was canonized as a saint in 2016, with Sept. 5, the anniversary of her death, now being a feast day in the Catholic religion.

Nicolaus Copernicus

One of the older mentors we meet in flashback, Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance Man who really took the concept of being a “renaissance man” to heart. Both a polyglot and polymath, the Prussian thinker was a mathematician, astronomer, physician, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat, economist, and a doctorate in canon law with the Church. He spoke either five or six languages, and most importantly, is considered one of the pioneers of the Scientific Revolution in the 16th century. Indeed, this early era of scientific progress is also called the Copernican Revolution.

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That is due to the fact Copernicus published his model of the universe shortly before his death in 1543. With his astronomical findings, he posited that the sun, as opposed to the Earth, is the actual center of the universe. This discovery—which really rediscovered a forgotten breakthrough from antiquity postulated by Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos in the second century B.C.E.—led to a better understanding of the universe, and eventually that the sun was merely the center of our solar system. Copernicus shattered the eco-centric view of the universe preached by the Church forever.

So when he tells 22 that she needs to stop thinking “you’re the center of the universe,” it’s pretty damn funny.

Muhammad Ali

The self-described Greatest to ever enter a boxing ring, Muhammad Ali remains arguably the most famous heavyweight champ in boxing history, as well as a significant figure in the anti-Vietnam War and counterculture movements of the 1960s. So when he calls 22 “the greatest… pain in my neck,” she better listen up!

Born Cassius Clay Jr. in 1942, the man who would become Ali first won the heavyweight belt after beating Sonny Liston by TKO in 1963. At age 22, Clay became the youngest fighter to ever take the heavyweight title from a reigning champ, a record he still holds to this day. Shortly after the victory, Clay joined the Nation of Islam and eventually changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

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Despite being the Greatest, Ali lost four years from his peak athletic career when he refused to be drafted into the U.S. military and serve in Vietnam on the grounds of being a conscientious objector. He was found guilty of draft evasion, stripped of his boxing titles, and denied the ability to professionally enter a ring until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1971. Older but arguably even bolder in rhetoric, Ali suffered some losses in his later career yet still reclaimed the heavyweight title when he knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round of the “Rumble in the Jungle.”

Marie Antoinette

The French Queen does not say anything particularly pun-y to 22, but her floating head is a great visual sight gag to anyone who knows how the French Revolution ended!

Marie Antoinette, a doomed and largely misrepresented monarch, was Queen of France from 1774 to 1792. Prior to that she was born an archduchess of Austria, one of the Emperor’s youngest children. She was married off to the French dauphin Louis in an arranged and loveless marriage at the age of 14 in 1770. Her standing in court improved after she began having children, however she became a popular figure of resentment in anti-monarchist pamphlets, which painted her as a promiscuous harlot whose children were illegitimate, and who conspired with her native Austria against France. It is from this caricature where the lie of Marie Antoinette saying, “Let them eat cake” was born.

Eventually she and King Louis XVI were arrested by leaders of the French Revolution, who eventually abolished the monarchy in 1792. Her husband was executed in front of the mob in January 1793; in October of the same year Marie Antoinette was tried by Revolutionary Tribunal for high treason. Two days later she likewise was executed by guillotine before the cheers of the mob.

Carl Jung

About as cerebral an easter egg as one might expect from a Disney movie, Carl Jung appears briefly in a montage to tell 22 to “stop talking, my unconscious mind hates you!” We’re sure any parents who ever took a Psychology 101 course smiled.

Considered one of the pioneers of modern psychology, Jung was the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Born in 1875, Jung saw the world change drastically during his lifetime and career from the 19th century until his death in 1961. This includes in the breakthroughs made by him and his onetime mentor, Sigmund Freud. Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, considered Jung his heir until their diverging visions for the future of a “talking cure” created a schism between the men.

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Jung’s analytical psychology was founded largely upon the idea of individuation, which related to the lifelong psychological process the mind is said to go through, separating an individual’s conscious and unconscious elements. This also led Jung to develop concepts like the collective unconscious and extraversion versus introversion. Whichever 22 is, she clearly doesn’t want Jung’s company!

George Orwell

One of the funniest, and honestly most subversive, easter eggs is only quickly alluded to when 22 (inside Joe’s body) drops some George Orwell truth bombs on an impressionable young girl, and Joe’s jazz student. “Like my mentor George Orwell used to say, ‘State sponsored education was like the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket,’” 22 announces. “‘The ruling class’ core curriculum stifles dissent.’”

While the real Orwell didn’t exactly say these words (at least as I can find), he was of course an extremely wary and sharp critic of both governmental and capitalist control. In another Orwell chestnut, he opined the future is “a boot stamping on a human face – forever.” Never the optimist, Orwell wrote perennial high school favorites Animal Farm—a parable about the corruption of the Soviet Union and Bolshevik Revolution with talking animals—and Nineteen Eighty-Four, the ultimate dystopian text about an authoritarian regime controlling every facet of citizens’ lives, with propaganda being administered by the “Ministry of Truth,” as but one example.

Orwell likely was skeptical of state education, and probably would have been even more so of the recent phenomenon of corporate sponsored education, since he wrote, “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” In this vein, he did refer to capitalism’s use as advertising as “the rattling of a stick inside a swill-bucket” that led to the “blind worship of the money-god.”

That this is quoted in a Disney movie intended to sell toys, theme park attractions, more “swill” to the masses is a little amusing… if disheartening that the quote was reappropriated to overlook the fully anti-capitalist thrust of Orwell’s sentiment.

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[markwatkinsconsumerguide]

Consumer Guide / No.103 /  Musician Nina Ricci with Mark Watkins. 

MW : How did you find home-schooling?

NR : I was home-schooled from 6th grade through 12th grade, and at first, I wasn’t really happy with the changeover from being in a school setting to being home-schooled full-time. Honestly, it was the best thing for me!

I was only required to do four hours of academics daily and if I finished by noon, I had the rest of the day for art and music. I had time to discover my own interests. I liked the curriculum that we used, and I was able to learn without outside distractions. I was able to spend quality time with my parents, especially my dad who was battling a terminal illness (he passed away in 2008).

I started out with video lessons that were sent to me on DVD. It was like I was watching a class in session, and once I learned how to learn on my own, I was able to school myself from my books by reading and completing the quizzes and tests.

For my grade point average and achievement, I was selected to give the Valedictorian speech to my graduating class. And yes, there were other graduates in my class, I just graduated with strangers, that’s all! 

I was also asked to sing at the graduation, and I performed my original song, ‘If They Only Knew Me’, which speaks to the hidden character and talents of those who are sometimes overlooked in the world.

I wouldn’t be who I am today if I had not been home-schooled.

MW : In what ways did studying at Berklee College Of Music help develop you as a musician?

NR : When I started classes there in the spring of 2011, I was virtually an untrained, raw talent. I had piano lessons for a few years that taught me some music theory, a few guitar lessons, and a measure of vocal training, but I had not been immersed in studying like I was when I got to Berklee.

Berklee impacted me in many ways, the most important fundamental skill set that college taught me was how to critique myself, to internalize what had been learned, and to self-hone my skills. I remember one teacher said, “we can’t ‘teach’ you anything, we can only put the information in front of you - for you to do with what you will.”

Fortunately, having been home-schooled, I was accustomed to studying independently. I had instruction from some teachers that took a special interest in me and who helped me to discover what my capabilities were and how I could increase my capacity .

Jeannie Gagné has a holistic approach to teaching voice. She helped me to bypass hurdles that I was facing as a vocalist. Jeannie really cared that I was able to succeed and achieve according to my expectations and aptitudes. She was a most helpful guide to me as I was learning to properly and healthfully sing.

Livingston Taylor helped me overcome stage fright! He teaches a class called Stage Performance Techniques. He did much to increase my awareness as a performer in regard to how a performer relates to an audience. His classes increased my confidence in my abilities as a performer.

Paul Rishell taught private lessons under the American Roots Music Program at Berklee, and he taught me to play country blues guitar. He set my picking style in order and gave me my first set of fingerpicks. It’s that kind of generosity and real care for students that makes a student go on to great things, and Paul’s teaching was invaluable to me.

MW : Why did you decide on making folk music a career? 

NR : Folk music appealed to me when I was a teenager. The aesthetic was an immediate draw. I had been mostly listening to rock music like The Beatles, Joan Jett, and Queen. My mom turned me onto Bruce Springsteen and I listened to my dad’s Springsteen cassettes. 

Listening on, I soon found ‘We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions’ and my interests took a turn. All of that big, blended Americana sound was captivating! My ears were tuned to that unvarnished sound and then I began listening to Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.

In the beginning when I was just experimenting, I thought I would be an electric lead guitarist like Brian May of Queen, now I had begun to play my dad’s Alvarez acoustic guitar and to write acoustic-based songs.  

MW : Why do you rate Joan Baez so highly?

NR :  It wasn’t a matter of “who is the best singer?”, but rather who took me away from the Nashville suburb I lived in into another world?

I was always an imaginative kid, and Joan’s voice transported me. Her way of singing and handling a song as if she was the character in it made me feel the depths of meaning the compositions contained. The ballads she sang, especially, early on in her career were gripping, and I had a lot of time on my hands to really listen and appreciate them. I was a bit like Jenny, from Forrest Gump, I wanted “to be a singer like Joan Baez.” 

Of course, we all have people we look up to, and as I was just learning, I was able to sharpen my ear through listening to Baez and then to set aside the mold to embrace my own music. 

MW : I believe you were born, raised and live in Nashville ; which country music acts & artists - past AND present - do you particularly enjoy, and why? 

NR : Thank you for asking this question! I was actually born in Atlanta, raised in Nashville. My parents moved us to Nashville when I was 18 months old. 

My dad wanted to pursue song writing in Nashville. He had talent for writing songs, but in order to provide for his family he opened a service business in the hospitality industry where he sent his employees to local venues, such as country clubs, the Nashville Symphony, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and many more. The business eventually claimed all of his time. Since my dad was from the North, and my Mom was from Atlanta, they weren’t really country music fans. 

My parents took me to see Bruce Springsteen and Tony Bennett when I was in the womb. My dad really loved the Beatles, so he was teaching me their names by the age of four. They did discover that Dwight Yoakam’s voice calmed me as a baby when I was crying.

I listened to mainstream country in the early 2000’s which was basically Sara Evans, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, and a few others. My only claim to country music is that some people think I sound a bit like Dolly Parton, and I occasionally play bluegrass.

I like Johnny Cash, of course, and I appreciate a well-written country song, but frankly, I’m not much for “the twang.” You might call my bluff when you hear my first album ‘Designs On Me’, though, because I do utilize that sound on a couple of songs, but it’s more of a stylistic choice than a genre for me. 

Folk musicians are some of the best writers. In fact, behind many country songs that are huge hits, there is a folky from beyond Nashville who wrote a song that was pitched for a country artist.  

MW : In order of merit, what are your Top 10 favourite albums of all-time? 

NR : I have recently come to this thought. Truthfully, I am more of a lover of songs than of albums. So, if I list an album, please know that I may have liked a majority of songs, but maybe not the entire album. 

10. Bruce Springsteen ~ ‘Nebraska’ (1982)

9. Bob Dylan ~ ‘Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II’ (1971)

8. Tom Waits ~ ‘The Heart Of Saturday Night’ (1974)

7. The Avett Brothers ~ ‘Emotionalism’ (2007)

6. Joan Baez ~ ‘The First Ten Years’ (1970)

5. Queen ~ ‘ Greatest Hits’ (1981)

4. The Beatles ~ ‘Abbey Road’ (1969)

3. Bob Dylan ~ ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ (1964) 

2. Bob Dylan - ‘Bob Dylan’ (1962)

1. Bruce Springsteen ~ ‘We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions’ (2006)

MW : Tell me about your new album... 

NR : This album was meant to be! ‘Fare Thee Well: A Joan Baez Tribute’ was officially released on July 20th, 2020. 

I recorded this album in light of the fact that in 2019 Joan went on her Fare Thee Well tour and celebrated 60 years in music! Since she was retiring, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank her for the music by recording a tribute album based off of her first national release, Joan Baez. 

This year is the 60th anniversary of this iconic album, which was released in October of 1960! 

My tribute contains my renditions of the 13 original cuts from Joan Baez in the original album order. I recorded the album in simple fashion, with just guitar and voice, similarly to the way Joan’s album was recorded. 

The impact Joan had on me as a musician still shows through in my performances, although I am a very different artist. While I did not try to imitate Joan with this album, I believe it conveys my appreciation for her as well. My renditions of her songs do not stray very far from the original arrangements. 

I also decided to write a tribute song to Joan, which I call ‘Club 47/Fare Thee Well, Joan’, which is a medley. I had the title, ‘Fare Thee Well, Joan’ in mind, and I meant to write a song surrounding the idea of wishing her “farewell,” thinking of her retirement. 

As Joan was on her last tour, I was going on my first tour! 

My mom, our tour dog, Riley and I toured for all of 2019, and every spare minute was reserved for rehearsing Joan’s songs, so I didn’t seriously begin writing ‘Fare Thee Well, Joan’ until I was sitting in a motel in Venice, Florida in the middle of winter. We had already begun production in Sarasota at a tiny studio called Jump Dog Audio Productions.

Mom and Riley went out for the day so that I could work on the song without interruption. When I began writing, a completely different song than I intended was emerging with my every stroke. I was working with a half-capo and that was altering the way I played, and the tones I was working with.

I had been reading Joan’s memoir, ‘And A Voice To Sing With’, and a book about the Boston/Cambridge folk scene, ‘Baby Let Me Follow You Down’, and all of these ideas and influences served to inspire me.

The first half of the medley, ‘Club 47’, remembers where Joan began her career singing in the Club Mt. Auburn 47 coffeehouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

There was a photo taken around 1959 of Joan at about 18 years old singing at the Club 47 by Stephen H. Fenerjian that inspired the imagery of the first half of the song, and that photograph is featured, with permission, on the cover of ‘Fare Thee Well: A Joan Baez Tribute’.  

Since I hadn’t intended to write this song, rather, to write ‘Fare Thee Well, Joan’, I set aside ‘Club 47’, thinking: “I like it a lot, but I don’t know what I’m going to do with it.” 

I started writing the other song which was a little more modern and not what I was expecting. I wrote in a straightforward way about how I came to know Joan’s music and how I found myself in college in Boston, treading in her footsteps in Harvard Square.

I wasn’t finished with the song, and time was passing quickly so we moved to a hotel closer to the studio so that the commute would be shorter. I took another day and finished out the song. 

I added the words : “years of concerts on the road, and leagues of fans adore you.” I wanted to fill the song with varying melodies, and this one just really touched me because I know how much her fans appreciate her. I rounded out the song with a message from me to Joan, which I hope she will hear soon. 

My whole intent with this album is to say: “thank you for the music.” 

MW : Away from making music, what are your other hobbies & interests? 

NR : Well, I once had many hobbies and crafts, but I hardly have time for anything but music these days! Music has truly become my way of life.

Poetry is my literary secret passion. I get to write things in poems that don’t have a place in my songs. Words are my interest; the interaction between syllables and evocative imagery, as well as the way lines can be set against each other in juxtaposition creating interesting bright spots really excite me. I do journal continually. I try to write the less memorable aspects of my life down, as well as the highlights and how they came about and interconnect. I endeavour to write down the details I may not remember in retrospect so that I can know what has shaped me into who I am becoming.

I sew sometimes. It’s not a passion, just something I dabble in and enjoy. During the recent quarantine, I made two 1960s-style shift dresses using a pattern and a sewing machine. 

I have the ability to draw, with an inherited gene from my dad. He had a better eye than I do, and he could draw from memory, as well as doing it on the fly. 

I like movies a lot. In the past few years, my mom and I have been watching noir films from the 40s and I am always up for a British period film like ‘Pride And Prejudice’, or an early American classic like ‘Sarah, Plain And Tall’. That’s me in a nutshell! 

MW : Where do you see yourself in five years time?

NR :  With the uncertainty of the world at this time, that is hard to say. I follow God and His plan for my life, so I am always living accordingly. I set short-range goals and sort of eat them up like Pac Man dots. I do expect to tour again, and I plan to do another album, along with various other musical pursuits. I plan to grow in my skills and to also broaden my career. I think in five years I may have a fairly good-sized fan base according to how well-received my next couple of albums are, and might be touring extensively, maybe even overseas. 

MW : Where can we find out more? 

NR :  I am a fairly accessible artist. I love to talk with my True Fans, as I call them. I have an active fan page on Facebook :-

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TrueFansofNinaRicci/

I am also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter :-

https://www.facebook.com/ninariccimusic/

https://www.instagram.com/ninariccimusic/

https://twitter.com/ninariccimusic

The best way to reach me is through the contact section on my website :-

https://www.ninariccimusic.com/  

I encourage interested persons to sign up for The Nina Ricci Music Newsletter via my website. 

My new album, ‘Fare Thee Well: A Joan Baez Tribute’, is available for purchase in my website shop, as well as my first release, ‘Designs On Me’, and some of my original singles. There is also an unofficially released collection of songs called ‘Anthologies Sung: Roots For The Record’.

(C) Mark Watkins / August 2020

[balarouge]

10 albums that defined Toronto music in the year 2000 - NOW Magazine

WAVELENGTH WINTER FESTIVAL featuring LAL, THE HIDDEN CAMERAS, LES MOUCHES, HAVIAH MIGHTY, YVES JARVIS, KAIA KATER and others at various venues, Thursday-Sunday (February 13-16). Free-$20, festival pass $50. wavelengthmusic.ca.

It’s impossible to overstate just how different Toronto’s musical landscape was two decades ago. It was a time when you rarely ventured west of Lee’s Palace to see a show, scenes were largely segregated along genre lines, and the closest thing the city had to an international top 40 rap hit was Barenaked Ladies’ One Week (Kardinal Offishall’s T-dot anthem Bakardi Slang wouldn’t drop until 2001, the same year Flow 93.5 debuted on local radio). But the most profound difference between then and now boils down to exposure and opportunities – or the lack thereof. 

Millennial Toronto was the undisputed epicentre of the Canadian music industry, but both its mainstream and underground ambassadors were largely disconnected from the international conversation. While well-funded CanCon staples like The Tea Party and I Mother Earth inevitably hit the glass ceiling separating them from U.S. success, independent local artists in the nascent internet era were trapped under a concrete floor.

If we can identify a turning point, the evening of February 13, 2000, is as good a marker as any. That was the night Wavelength’s weekly concert series debuted at the long-gone Ted’s Wrecking Yard on College, providing a clubhouse haven for the city’s myriad indie rock, electronic and experimental-jazz niches. Over the next few years, Wavelength’s welcoming, anything-goes atmosphere made it a key developmental stage for future city stars like Broken Social Scene and Owen Pallett en route to international record deals and critical acclaim. 

However, the well-established narrative of the city’s early-2000s indie renaissance tends to overshadow the less-celebrated artists, under-the-radar releases and microlabels that were keeping the proverbial lights on during the dark days. 

So as Wavelength celebrates its 20th anniversary this weekend – looking back with early 00s-era local faves like Pallett’s old band Les Mouches, LAL, the Hidden Cameras and Sandro Perri – let’s take our own look back at 10 key releases that defined the Y2K sound of the city. 

Mean Red Spiders: Starsandsons

This psych-rock quintet headlined the very first Wavelength, an indicator of their elevated status in the scene at the time. Their second album, Starsandsons, is a still-potent fusion of shoegaze fuzz and Krautrock thrust that immortalized the name of producer Dave Newfeld’s Cameron Street studio a good two years before his future clients, Broken Social Scene, turned it into a local landmark with their namesake clap-happy anthem, Stars And Sons, on their breakout album, You Forgot It In People. 

Peaches: self-titled EP

Long before she became a duet partner to both Yoko Ono and Christina Aguilera, former folk singer/school-teacher Merrill Nisker introduced her XXX-rated electro-rap alter-ego with this six-song tease released on defunct local indie label Teenage USA. The EP went out of print after she moved to Berlin in 2000 and signed on with Kitty-Yo and XL Records, but its tracks formed the core of her now-iconic full-length album, The Teaches Of Peaches.

LAL: Corners

On their debut album, the duo of vocalist Rosina Kazi and producer Nick Murray offered a preview of the genre-blurred, post-internet musical landscape we inhabit today, melding hip-hop, R&B, jazz, psychedelia and ambient electronica into an intoxicating future-soul fusion. Twenty years on, the couple's commitment to pushing boundaries hasn’t abated: while they’re scheduled to perform Corners in its entirety this Thursday at Sneaky Dee’s, they’re forgoing easy nostalgia for a fresh update of the record. 

The Russian Futurists: The Method Of Modern Love

When you hear Matt Hart yukking it up these days on the Indie88 morning show, it’s hard to believe The Russian Futurists founder was once Canada’s pre-eminent indie pop enigma. His debut album’s synthed-up Pet Sounds fantasias earned raves in the British press before he had even so much as played a local show. 

DJ Serious: Dim Sum

If Wavelength provided a space for Toronto’s avant-garde and indie communities to congregate, then DJ Serious’s debut album served the same function for the city’s underground hip-hop scene. His boom-bapped funk productions provided a springboard for then-rising MCs like the Brassmunk crew, Nish Rawks and D-Sisive (who – in a true Y2K time-capsule moment – laid into critics who dared compare him to Eminem). 

Do Make Say Think: Goodbye Enemy Airship The Landlord Is Dead

The Do Makes’ emotionally charged, jazz-blasted second album represented a quantum leap beyond the dubby space-rock of their 98 debut. Following the lead of their Constellation Records labelmates Godspeed You! Black Emperor, it made them the rare Toronto act to cultivate a loyal European following at the time.

Southpacific: Constance 

This dronegaze trio quietly landed in Toronto from Ottawa before the turn of the millennium, but they swiftly got a leg up on their local contemporaries by scoring a U.S. deal with New York-based Turnbuckle Records (home to underground icons like Oneida and Bailter Space). The oceanic squall of Constance helped make the decades-long wait for a new My Bloody Valentine album feel a little less long. 

Nick Holder: Underground Alternatives

House music may be synonymous with spiritual uplift, but on his fourth album, this Toronto club fixture infused his 4/4 thump with biting – and, sadly, still timely – commentary about the Black experience, delivered through Malcolm X samples and Rudy Giuliani disses (courtesy of spoken-word artist Jemeni).

Royal City: At Rush Hour The Cars

The early-2000s Toronto scene could’ve easily been nicknamed “Little Guelph,” thanks to Aaron Riches’s Royal City crew and his extended Three Gut Records family of fellow expats (like Constantines). Released around the same time a pre-fame Feist briefly joined the Royal City ranks, the creaky Will Oldham-esque serenades feel like a defiant attempt to combat big-city bustle with small-town serenity. 

The Exploders: What’s What and Who’s Who

These leather-vested freaks recorded their debut EP with Detroit’s Jim Diamond, who worked on the first two White Stripes albums. Alas, their robo-punk throttle was a touch too ahead of its time to catch the post-Stripes garage-rock wave, but guitarist “Classy” Craig Daniels is still kicking out the greasy jams with his current combo, Enchanters. 

This content was originally published here.