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paigelts05 · 1 year

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Execution of a plan [FNAF AU]

https://www.deviantart.com/paigelts05/art/Execution-of-a-plan-FNAF-AU-893023558

Published: Sep 26, 2021

Renegade File Server Location: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858029

Contains a plot that revolves around mind control and other scary things. After waiting for so long, Adelaide is finally able to execute her plan, taking over Steve's body and setting the stage for a process that some may call a ritual so that she may collect remnant in order to being herself back in someone else's body. I had so many ideas as to what I wanted the artwork for this story to be, but I decided to draw it from Mark Cho's perspective, as it required the least amount of background work because I am bad at thinking of backgrounds. I also got to do some funky stuff that made it look like the POV character could see veins in thier eyes: you know the trope and so do I, and I just think it's neat. =°•.🌹 Story 🌹.•°= °*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•🌹•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*° It almost felt like a dream for Steven Wilson; he was in his own body, but he couldn't control what was going on. Adelaide was using him as a temporary vessel and was passing for a normal - albeit tired - version of himself quite well, or at least well enough to make it to work without suspicion. Daniel Rocha felt nervous. He knew something wasn't right. Anna was not here, and Mark Cho looked like he was about to puke. It was only them in the break room, and none of thier colleagues were anywhere to be found. "I can't take it anymore. Where's Raha and Anna? They're usually here by now." Mark said, keeping his bucket that usually housed his mop in his lap just in case he did throw up. "Um..." Dan checked his phone. He had a text from Raha. "She had to take her mum's car to get MOT'd. She should be here soon." "And Anna?" Mark replied, still just as anxious as before. "I -" in this moment, Dan felt that he needed a bucket too, "I don't know. When I clocked in, I saw that she didn't clock out yesterday. We were all so tired I think I fell asleep well before she'd usually leave. I should have stayed awake to call her to make sure she was ok." Dan saw that Mark's skin somehow looked paler than his own, the tension of the situation made them both nauseousness, as Mark clutched his bucket, feeling more and more ill by the second, his nerves more than getting the better of him. Dan felt the same way, but he also felt that he would never be able to forgive himself if anything bad had happened after everyone left last night. They both knew something was wrong, but didn't know what to do about it. "And where's Steve? He's usually exactly on time, but he's running late. Is he sick? Dead?" Mark was getting more and more anxious, his head feeling more and more fuzzy the more he tried to figure out what was happening. "He clocked out last night, but he was the last to leave other than Anna. Do you think he actually left?" Dan felt like he had connected the dots a little too late. "Do you think..." Mark replied. His voice was shaky. He seemed like he was about to be sick. Before Dan could reply, someone else entered the break room. The best that Dan and Mark could do was act like nothing was wrong. "Hey Steve!" Dan said, his nerves clearly showing through, "When did you get here?" Steven Wilson didn't respond as he sat down next to Mark, effectively blocking him in. He simply dropped his duffel bag on the floor and pulled out a black and white rabbit mask: the same one that Mark found himself wearing way too often. Almost on instinct, Dan shot up and tried to pull Steve away as Mark screamed for help, but Steve didn't budge as he forced the mask onto Mark's face. Mark's screaming became muffled, but when Steve seemed happy with how the mask fit onto Marks face, the screaming stopped. Mark's body went limp in his seat. Steve tinkered with something on the side of the mask. Dan then begun to scream as he kept trying to drag Steven away from his friend, but all his efforts were for naught; Steve - more precisely the thing in control of Steve's body - wouldn't budge in response to Dan's attempts. Once Steve was done tinkering with the mask, he pushed Dan out the way with a crack, sending him flying and crashing to the ground. The force of the shove had not only winded him, but he felt like something had broken, and as he tried to clamber to his feet, Steve placed a foot on the back of his neck. "What did you do to him?" Dan shouted as he tried to free himself, only for Steve's foot to push him back to the ground. "The same as last time, and the time before," a voice that was definitely not Steve's but that of a woman came out of Steve's mouth, "And I'd recommend you stop struggling. Snapping your neck here and now isn't exactly part of my plan, but I'm no stranger to alterations." 'Same as last time?' Dan thought to himself, remembering exactly what happened last time. That must mean that ... The screaming, the pain. This has all happened to Mark before, and when he started moving again, he would be on that woman's side. He wanted to fight back, but he knew he was outnumbered and would be swiftly killed if he tried. "You... Monster." 'Steve's' face crept into a smirk, "I know," the woman's voice said, "But I'll be human again soon enough. Once I cause you enough pain, I should be able to use the remnant you produce to assume a human form. Now we just need to get you somewhere more soundproof and ensure that you won't escape." The weight on Dan's neck shifted as 'Steve' grabbed something out of the duffle bag before clamping something around his ankles so heavy and so cold that even though his jeans, he felt like he was going to freeze. "That should weigh you down and stop you from running away," the woman's voice came out of Steve's mouth once again, "And this-" Dan shrieked as 'Steve' grabbed his ponytail and pulled him up so that he was kneeling instead of being curled over in a heap. He tried to struggle to make 'Steve' let go, but the more Dan struggled, the more 'Steve' pulled, so Dan knew he had to give up. As he stopped struggling, the grip on his hair eased and he could look around the room, but he was only interested in knowing one thing. He could now see Mark: the mask was stuck to his face by seemingly nothing and he sat limp in his chair until he slowly got up, in a fashion similar to a puppet, and begun walking over to Dan. Mark picked up a section of the chain and shackles. He seemed to be untwisting them and laying them out to the sides so that 'Steve' could keep him restrained in the meantime. After the chains were laid out on the floor, he felt something click around his neck. It was heavy and cold, just like the shackles around his ankles. "Should hold it all together once we're done," the woman's voice continued, "and one final step." Mark grabbed one of his wrists and 'Steve' grabbed another. Moments later, cold and heavy shackles were locked around his wrists, and the chains were behind him. "There we go." 'Steve' finally let go of Dan's hair. Dan tried to get up, but the chains were too heavy. Having to curl back over so the shackle around his neck didn't suffocate him, he only realised this minute how much he was crying by the small pool of water on the floor. "Now, let's go somewhere safer for me," 'Steve' said, the woman's voice again spilling out instead of his. He and Mark grabbed Dan and pulled the terrified and restrained blond to his feet. Dan could bearly stand, let alone move, but that didn't matter to the creature that had taken control of Steve's body. She used Steve and Mark to drag Dan towards the basement door. Thier grip was too tight for Dan to struggle free, and even if he managed, he doubted he'd be able to get far. Once 'Steve' opened the basement door, Dan knew this was the point of no return. A wave of fear washed over him and he made one last ditch attempt to struggle free. But it was no use. 'Steve' didn't even seem to realise that Dan had attempted to struggle, but the grip around his arms tightened. Without a care for Dan's body, 'Steve' and the mind controled Mark dragged Dan down the basement stairs. Dan tried to make sure his feet were on the ground, but the two moved too fast, and his shackled ankles kept hitting the steps. Once at the bottom of the stairs, he saw that the basement had been heavily modified. It was no longer the animatronic storage room he knew. It had been transformed into something that resembled a church for a cult, with the room only dimly lit by candles, and an altar near the back. There was a woman behind the altar. Dan knew who this was. "Anna!" Dan yelled as he saw Anna Qwemto standing behind the make-shift altar. He hoped that she was ok. He hoped that she still had control over her body. She didn't respond. Dan then noticed the mask on her face and the dress she was wearing. A white bunny mask decorated with intricate gold patterns, and the dress reminded him of something, or more specifically someone. One of the women on the founders page of Fazbear Entertainment's website was wearing a similar dress. It was the ginger one, which must have been Adelaide. Adelaide had dressed Anna up as herself, but why? "You seem confused," the woman's voice came out of Steve's body again, "are you an idiot?" Dan didn't respond, but Adelaide didn't seem to be looking for an answer, as she continued talking far sooner than expected. "I have her under my control. Note the mask. Or did I somehow blind you back there." Adelaide continued to use Steve's body to speak, "I have calculated what would cause you the most distress so that I can extract the most remnant from you." Dan remembered something that Ness had warned them about regarding remnant: it was basically liquid ghost. Handling it was dangerous, and to produce it in vast quantities would require someone to die; the more painful and traumatic the better. Whilst remnant could be produced from a living host, the torment and trauma required was incredibly great to produce a worthwhile amount. Both options were bad for Dan. He begun to try and figure out what's going to happen to him, and now he knew he was crying. "Save your pain for when we kill you. You will die slowly at the hands of your friends, whose bodies are under my control, and I will turn the remnant you produce into blank remnant and use it to permanently inhabit Anna's body, and hopefully get rid of her too." Adelaide said again, now appearing above Steve like a puppeteer above a puppet. She seemed so confident in her plan, and the only reason she'd speak of it to her victim would be to instill more fear. And it was working. Dan was a shaking mess on the ground, trying to crawl away but ultimately being held in the basement by the heavy shackles. Adelaide could sense the distress of those she was controling as well - they were as much her victims and remnant sources as Dan was, but having that come as a surprise would be far more interesting to her. "I will finish the preparations," Adelaide gestured to the makeshift altar, "so untill that's ready, you will have to wait." Still shaking and sobbing, Dan couldn't react as Adelaide used Mark to drag him into a large crate. The lid had been re-attached to the crate by a hinge, and he could only watch as it was closed, and the click of what he presumed was some kind of lock sealed him in the dark. Minutes felt like hours, but the longer Dan waited, the more he realised there was one slim ray of hope: Raha had taken her mum's car to get MOT'd, so she hadn't been controlled or kidnaped. As of this morning, Raha was herself, and he hadn't seen her in the building yet, so she likely was either not here or on her way here. Raha was the only one left. He hoped that she'd get here soon. He hoped she would be able to put together the peices of this macarbe puzzle and figure out what's going on faster than he did. °*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•🌹•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°

#2021 #fnaf #fnaf au #fnaf fanart #FNAF Renegade AU #Renegade AU #fnaf ar #fnaf ar special delivery #fnaf steven #fnaf steven willson #fnaf steve #fnaf daniel #fnaf daniel rocha #art #artwork #fnaf ar emails #fnaf special delivery #artists on tumblr

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mazthemeh22 · 10 months

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Old Art Part 2 (May 2022-Dec 2022)

Here's all my old art, originally posted to Twitter, with their original descriptions! (Some pieces are grouped to save space. Newer posts are first to keep original order. Links to tags and ppl are removed. Find this post via the hashtag #MazOldArt)

12:26 PM · Dec 31, 2022 //Finished a commission for a friend-of-a-friend's birthday, featuring Scaramouche and their adorable dog. This was only a special one-off request, but in the future I hope to open comms to all! Happy Birthday!! 🐶🎂✨#digitalart #DigitalArtist #GenshinImpact//

3:14 AM · Dec 23, 2022 //Asked a friend what I should doodle, and they suggested an edgy-looking crow. Time: 1h 30 mins. #Bird #digitalart//

12:42 PM · Dec 21, 2022 //A little while ago I was asked to animate the cigar on the St Bernard emote I drew a few months back for a friends Twitch. I think it turned out pretty well considering i'm not used to animating! ^^ #animation #dog #animated / (Twitter butchered the quality but it looks way better on stream ^^)//

5:23 PM · Dec 20, 2022 //Sorry for being inactive for so long, no reason other than art block/lack of motivation. Not sure how much I plan to post going forward, so if I'm gone for a while again.. have a wonderful [insert time]! Thanks to yall who've stuck around! Have a doughnut!//

8:39 AM · Aug 27, 2022 //Also, I forgot to post the fox we did over the last few streams! I feel so much better about painting fur each time I draw a cute fuzzy being. Here's the cutie all done! 🦊🦊 #fox #digitalpainting #realism #fur #animalart #cute #DigitalArtist//

8:34 AM · Aug 27, 2022 //Finished some Emotes for Kush! Here's a couple of them: #twitch #streamer #emoteartist//

9:40 PM · Aug 17, 2022 //Here's the 'gator and (alligator-snapping) turtle I drew for /RAlgiera! Getting faster and painting things, even if I kept it a bit rough. They're friends. :3 #digitalart #alligator #turtle #krita//

12:21 PM · Aug 14, 2022 //Fanart for the fabulous iLLxbiLL on Twitch, after a massive W in Getting Over It. Don't ask what's in the bucket... #digitalart #fanart #funny #streamer #gaming #gameart//

6:32 AM · Aug 13, 2022 //Finally this lengthy practice is complete! For around 16 hours, over the course of 2 days, I practiced drawing and then painting these wild fluffy doggos on stream. I've never done this amount of continued study before.. doing p much one after the other was a feat but I managed. / I also feel a sense of triumph through seeing obvious improvement when looking at the drawings in the order I did them. However my favourites overall are 4 and 5 as they have the most clarity and accuracy, done when I had the most optimal energy and a lack of drawing fatigue. / #digitalart #wolf #wolves #realism #practice #sketching #painting #krita #art #study #artstudy//

10:43 PM · Aug 6, 2022 //Finished our beautiful happy little froggy and made an emote for Kush out of it too (oo pretty crystal-looking frog). Cheers for hoppin' in!//

5:56 AM · Aug 4, 2022 //On stream tonight I drew a friends cat named Kota, who has a funky pattern that was hard but fun to replicate. Enjoy this cutie and thanks to everyone who came to hear my voice for the first time along with the updated set up. :)//

8:23 PM · Aug 1, 2022 //Here's the Blastoise and some doodles from the stream!//

12:08 PM · Jul 29, 2022 //Wasn't sure what to draw for the stream but a friend suggested to paint a sunset so that's what I did. Not something i'm used to so required some experimenting but it went well! Also did another emote for Kush. ALSO we hit 25 followers! Thanks guys! <3//

2:57 PM · Jul 28, 2022 //Had a lovely stream where I painted a cute boopable danger noodle named Cheese. Thank for all who stopped by! #digitalart #pringles #snake #realism//

10:26 AM · Jul 27, 2022 //Thanks to everyone who came to stream today! It was a long one. XD I got a lot done. Hope to see y'all again next time! Here's what we did: / Emotes for KommissionerKush on Twitch, a random animeish girl posin', and a free doodle requested by Drachenmen.//

1:20 PM · Jul 25, 2022 //Here's my entry for the Hollow Soul DTIYS competition by GebsArt! #6ebsContest #dtiyschallenge / This was a tricky but fulfilling piece. I haven't done much digital painting before so i was learning as I went and all in all, i'm pretty proud of how it came out. I changed the original pose to showcase (ha, Sho-case) his shocking ability and make him look a little smug.//

1:47 AM · Jul 14, 2022 //Things can get very cursed when watching an /izadoodle_stream... meet King Borbius (King Borb for short,) a cross between the 2 best franchises of all time. Keep on Morbin', my minions. #Morbius #Minions//

1:13 AM · Jul 1, 2022 //A birthday gift for /itsvollx, Terra from Teen Titans! Hope you like it! #TeenTitans #Terra #Fanart//

10:54 AM · Jun 26, 2022 //Dustin Kalloy (OC) of Taluchia, a peppy young lad with a kind heart and desire to learn about the family he never knew. Now he has to face an unfortunate truth - things aren't quite as they seemed. I wrote a brief little blurb to go with this fella. Enjoy!//

2:41 AM · Jun 20, 2022 //Drawn for another viewer during /JubelNaomi's twitch stream. Thanks for the Blartspiration!//

5:04 PM · Jun 1, 2022 //Drew Saiki K (minus his accessories) to practice anime style. Tried out some cell shading and warmer colours. I like how the eyes came out. :)//

9:10 PM · May 31, 2022 //Started trying to practice painting metal. It's very hard but tried to have some fun with it, even if not perfect. The skin and lock were inspired by a random mimic painting - which then inspired the mimic. :)//

Thank you for trekking through this massive thread. Stay hydrated. :)

#MazOldArt #old art #art #artists on tumblr #illustration #cute #my art #small artist #art tag #character design #digital art #doodle #woo im done #animals #anime #genshin fanart #art practice

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oh-boy-me · 4 years

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Demon Outfits Discussed

The wait is over :) thank you for your patience and all the lovely comments on the casual discussion!!

I feel like it got longer this time, so I hope it’s all an enjoyable read! Also, I apologize for the ugly pictures--it was the easiest and fastest way to both have all the design in one image and also prevent it from stretching so far.

Like last time, please don’t take this too seriously; we love these boys and Justin doesn’t know them but has no grudges against them. We’re just harping on their fashion sense. Absolutely no hate is intended towards the boys or the design team!

Participants in the discussion were

Jo ( @jodaneko ), our art major with storyboarding/character design experience, who finds they have more in common with Satan each passing day.

Justin ( @justinlester0629 ), our fashion expert, who dressed up and filled a wine glass with water for the occasion.

Noodle (Me), our untrained eye who owns the Barbie as the Island Princess video game on three different platforms. It’s not even that good.

Featuring emergency guest star Megan ( @maggo77 ), my sister who is physically near me as we look at the backs of their designs for the first time.

Edit: Distracted by the pretty jacket, we made a mistake when putting in Levi’s silhouette rating. It’s the worst. 2/10, not 6.

Lucifer:

“Boy looks like he’s about to swing open the doors of an expensive mansion during a debutante party and give some SCATHING NEWS.” —Justin

“Short shoulder cape and a long split butt cape lol” —Jo

Jo has realized that based on both outfits, Lucifer doesn’t want people looking at his butt. Possible reasons are: he doesn’t have one, or Diavolo someone was getting distracted.

His shoes match his outfit. After last time that’s all I care about.

A triple popped color, and how many layers is the middle one? Is that a book? Dude has like 27 collars.

The forehead diamond is very important and it’s great that there are diamond buttons to match it. But uh. How about those red diamonds on his sleeves. They. They sure are there. (I actually like the red accents and that they match his gloves; I just can’t take the diamonds seriously.)

Lucifer 🤝 Some Horses Diamond on the Forehead

The peacock motif is HERE and we’re all living for it. HOWEVER, the feathers on the cape and coattails should have matched, OR there should have been more lime green because there’s so little of that color.

The pants have a pleat in the front, which Justin says means he responsibly irons his clothes, and Jo says only heightens the fact that under the capes this is a marching uniform.

Can he fly? Jo says these are baby wings that can’t support his weight, and his cape has a hole for the top pair but blocks the bottom pair? Can’t believe Lucifer handicapped himself for the sake of fashion.

The red makes it regal and the wide flowy design makes it imposing. Good job, Lucifer! I might actually be intimidated if I saw you.

Definitely the classiest outfit. You can tell they put care into it.

Mammon:

“BITCH MY BODY CANNOT TAKE THIS KIND OF SEXY, I THINK I AM OVERHEATING! NO MORE FURTHER COMMENTS, YOUR HONOR. HAUTE AND HOT.” —Justin

The whole thing does amazing with only three colors. We’ve noticed the trend of black and white + one color, but I mean hey. It’s working so far.

Damn those pants sit low. No wonder literally all of you wear belts.

The leather jacket? The studs and harness? Bless. Justin calls it “the perfect blend of stylish and ‘I’ll see you tonight *wink*’”.

Kind of don’t like how the belts connect to the pants, though. It looks better in the back.

“He found a really cool jacket, but it didn’t pair with anything so he just didn’t wear anything.” —Jo

Honestly though? We’ve all made fun of Mammon for having big hoe energy in his outfits, but like, he knew he had wings and planned his outfit to accommodate for that. He’s the only one who didn’t cut holes in his outfit. Maybe Mammon was the smallest hoe after all.

Also if there’s a motif it repeats elsewhere, like the studs and diamonds on his jacket and pants. Did he and Lucifer have a “tastefully putting diamonds on my outfit” battle? Because Mammon definitely won.

One of the charms broke off the belt loop and he never bothered to replace it, and honestly thank god there isn’t two of those anymore.

Torn between wishing the boots were tighter to match the rest of the outfit and saying “yoooo they’re open in the back!!!”

Ok so so far we’ve said generally only good things, but there is one major issue with the design: Its gravity. Everything points down, his tattoos, the diamonds, even his wings. The center of gravity in the image is his shoes. Bitch loved his shoes so much he made his whole outfit point to them.

Either way this was universally considered the best and I mourn Justin who doesn’t know how far Mammon’s standards are gonna fall from here.

Leviathan:

Diagonal zipper

“Levi what the fuck.” —Megan

He looks like an e-boy.

Honestly it looks like he borrowed something from Justin’s wardrobe for Pride but he didn’t know how to put it on.

APPARENTLY the biggest hoe. Abs that he shouldn’t have coming through a mesh t-shirt. I thought Mammon’s pants were low, but Levi’s whole-ass ass is out. Ok Levi, I see you.

The shirt pattern is good but he probably leaves it partially unzipped because it’d look really dumb fully closed.

Justin loves the funky pants pattern and Jo likes the pants but not with the outfit. It’s because the devs were too coward to give him a thick tail base so his pants had to fill that role by sharing the pattern.

The shoes are good, and not just because they incited Justin’s deep-set hatred for Christian Louboutin and his uncomfortable red-bottom shoes.

Justin is offended that he’s hiding his suspenders; either show them completely or not at all, no in between. Jo’s not fully convinced it isn’t just one suspender. What are his suspenders doing? What are they attached to? Are they holding anything up? Apparently not.

Jo pointed out that if you squint the belt on his waist looks like fangs and the orange dots on his sleeves looks like eyes so it’s like theres a snake head on his outfit. Cute!

The gloves are throwing us off though. Why is Levi of all other brothers need gloves? I bet he has sweaty hands.

Ok really, does his sweater unzip all the way into two pieces? Or does it hang by that tiny thread underneath the tail hole? There’s even a button, just in case.

Can’t believe this antler-sporting, suspender-wasting nerd went diagonal zipper on us because we beat him at a trivia game. Should have just zipped his hood.

Satan:

HONEY.

“I hate everything about this.” —Megan

First of all, he’s straight up wearing Lucifer’s casual shirt. Does it only button down the back? Can he take it off?

Then he spilled bleach on his pants. Like I get what they were going for but with the white on black that is literally just bleach stains.

Incredibly differing opinions on the belt. He got it in the cowboy department. Justin adores it. Jo despises it.

And are those… athletic slip ons?

And now the elephant in the room. The ribcage made of ribbons. The ribboncage. The idea is great! I love that they gave him a skeletal theme without throwing him into a Hot Topic.

But if you take the ribboncage and feather boa off he’s literally just wearing a dress shirt and some nice jeans. And that’s the problem with Satan’s demon form. Not that it looks goofy. It’s that they took risks but then hid all the risks behind business casual.

Also Megan said that the back of the ribbons look like a rock climbing harness. Someone (probably Justin) said the front reminds them of the underbelly of a green cockroach. Ew.

The feather boa would look better if it was over something you wouldn’t literally wear at the office. (And also didn’t look so much like worm on a string.)

“He is going to Dragcon 2020 and is definitely going to take a picture and ask to lip sync, but accidentally start beef with Acid Betty.” —Justin

On a good note, loving how the tail fades to highly radioactive green. Feels dangerous. Megan pointed out that it’s a pretty wimpy tail, though. Jo enjoys the self-conscious posture it expresses.

That’s basically the only good thing we have to say, though.

I just????

Merry Christmas.

Asmodeus:

The kanji on the picture is just saying that the coattail is the same on both sides.

Ok now with that out of the way, HONEY.

I’m sure he says that to others but I hope he says it to himself too when he looks in the mirror.

Starting with the good. The wings? Adorable. The heart-shaped hole to accommodate them? Adorable. One of the only good adjustments.

And I love that the tips of his horns look venomous, like a scorpion tail!

We love a good floral design and a good twin tailcoat.

But once again, the shirt just has too much going on. The flowers. The buttons. The brick-pattern stitching. The brooch. The long collar. The fact that if he closed the last button it’d end in a diamond covering his crotch. Sometimes less is more, Asmo.

That scorpion brooch is the best thing to ever grace my computer screen and it shouldn’t have to share the spotlight with the rest of his shirt. It should have wrapped around his arm and been paired with some more jewelry. Then he could have ditched those giant cuffs.

The bleeding heart tattoos are a really good idea! But they should have been angled better and not like someone else put them on at the roller rink. And maybe they shouldn’t have been outlined in pink. Those aren’t tattoos, those are gaping holes in his arm. Is he ok.

I’ve been avoiding the pants, but. The pants.

“Oh dear god. Oh no that’s… I thought you were a designer…” —Jo

One side is buckled the ENTIRE way down, and then the other side is COMPLETELY plain. It’s too extreme on both ends. It should have been only half a leg of buckles. Not whatever this is. I still don’t think he can bend that leg.

The shoes are ok but they COULD have been a stiletto so.

Jo is DONE with these demons’ inability to wear socks.

We expected better from you, Asmo. I hope you have to fasten all those buckles every morning as retribution.

Beelzebub:

He said “how many belts can I wear on one outfit.”

Justin said it’s like Barry B. Benson and Post Malone had a beautiful baby boy, and Obey Me! is cancelled for creating a sequence of events that could lead to me hearing that with my own two ears.

The jacket? Stunning. “It’s steampunk mixed with Jack Sparrow, mixed with Billie Joe Armstrong,” says Justin. It’s got puffy sleeves! And there’s objectively too much going on with the jacket, but since it’s a leather jacket I can forgive it. Justin and Jo can’t.

I’m not sure why they keep giving him weird jacket collars but I prefer belt number 9 to fur.

“Why is it bucked in the back? Couldn’t it have just been a jacket?” —Megan

Good that the black tank isn’t only black, but he has so little color on his outfit that it would have been nice for it and the matching pattern on his boots to have been a color besides gray.

I don’t mind the belts down the leg because they’re not too in your face. Jo wants the white belt to be thinner. Justin wants him to just pick one and go with it.

Poor Beel, he can’t do his lil thigh pat pose without his right hand being assaulted by studs and that bear trap-shaped buckle.

Justin feels like the cowboy boots are too wide up top and it’s probably because they’re FAKE cowboy boots. I don’t know why he didn’t just get cowboy boots instead of putting fake coverings over his dress shoes.

Can’t fault the twin belt, though. And the wing hole isn’t terrible.

Idk I guess. They knew what they wanted to do at least.

That seems to be the pattern with Beel: they know what they want to do, but something weird happens in the middle of it.

Belphegor:

“I don’t know which Teletubby let their son go through the it’s just a phase mom phase, but they should be ashamed.” —Justin

A toddler who just learned how to cut holes in paper got a hold of his hoodie.

Is it a hoodie? A jacket? A poncho? The cow print actually isn’t terrible. At least it had the decency to be unique in its spotting. And the actual presence of blue is very appreciated.

On the topic of colors, Jo is calling the devs out on their apparent fear of color. “Put the pink elsewhere, cowards,” they say.

We actually don’t hate the horseshoe, and using it for the belt buckles is actually really clever. Even if 75% of them are doing literally nothing. Feel like he didn’t need that many. Could do without the bottom one, maybe even bottom two.

There’s a teeeeny tiny cowbell on the back? Megan apparently finds that VERY important. Why do they go to such great lengths to remind us that Belphie’s a cow? Beel doesn’t rub his hands together 24/7. Mammon doesn’t even get bird wings.

Just like Satan spilled bleach, Belphie has tar pants.

It’s nice to see a change in pant style, but. Am I biased because I hate harem pants? Maybe. Are these harem pants too short on him? Yes. Maybe they were supposed to be parachute capris? But it just looks he outgrew them too fast and Lucifer won’t buy him new pants yet. At least they look comfy.

If he puts his keys in those pockets will his pants fall down? Probably. That’s a problem considering his are the only pants that look like they could hold any keys.

The shoes are fine. I can enjoy a high topped sneaker. …Is that a security tag? Did he steal his shoes. Belphie stole his shoes.

On the tiny tail hole, I appreciate that Belphie went for modesty. But I hope it’s impossible to wear these outfits outside of demon form because I don’t want him walking around with a tiny hole right above his ass.

Honestly he doesn’t even look like a demon? He just looks like… a cow.

There’s one more aspect of their demon forms that I didn’t feel comfortable forcing into a smaller space than it deserved: Silhouettes. Jo puts a lot of weight on silhouettes and their role in character design. Is it dynamic? Is it recognizable? Jo ranked them as such:

1. Lucifer: 9/10. Care and effort were put into this design and it shows. 2. Mammon: 7/10. Points deducted for most of it being form fitting but otherwise still manages to get a passing grade. 3 (tied). Beelzebub: 5/10. His wings have actual mass but his horns being mostly hidden by his head reduce his score. 3 (tied). Belphegor: 5/10. Evens out since his clothes aren’t as form fitting as the others but they also kind of turn him into a blob. 5. Asmodeus: 4/10, and only because he’s got multiple wings and that his tailcoat breaks up the bottom half. 6. Satan: 3/10, for the fact HIS BOA carries most of the work in altering his silhouette. 7. Leviathan: 2/10. The tail and horns prevent this from being a total flop.

Our (surprisingly unanimous!) ranking of their outfits (not counting Megan her opinions deviated) were:

Mammon

Lucifer

Leviathan

Belphegor

Beelzebub

Asmodeus

Satan

In conclusion, any M-rated fic that doesn’t have it take demon Satan 20 minutes to take off his shirt is too unrealistic.

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laszlowrobinson · 3 years

Photo

Your character’s closet. Give 15 pieces of clothing with a little description of the “history” of the apparel.

As a whole, I would describe Laszlo’s closet as inconsistent. It kind of looks like a weird hodge podge of whatever the frick he’s collected over the years. This includes his own clothes AND clothing he has kidnapped for his own from the varying family members of the Robinson household lmao. His clothing choices are half to his own taste and half because he wants to trigger Tallulah’s fight or flight when she looks at him.

1. Bow ties: If he’s going to wear neckties, it’ll most likely be in bow tie form unless told otherwise. The yellow one is his absolute favorite in part because his movie counterpart is wearing a yellow bow tie lol but also because I’m going to say Tallulah made it for him. :’)

2. Collar chain: these are the sort of accessories that Laszlo would wear, and this one in particular is his favorite because it’s got bees on it!! And he loves bees!!! It was given to him by a bee keeper back in the day when he was doing a commission for them.

3. Socks: these are his absolute favorite pieces of clothing. you will never find him without socks on, unless he’s asleep. He has no favorite pairs because at this point he just has a giant basket of socks that he picks a pair out from and carries on his way.

4. Striped shirt: I also hc that Tallulah made this one for him! as like one of her first projects for school or something. and he does a great deal to make sure he doesn’t ruin it with his mess. The fact that he’s managed to keep it clean and in one piece after all these years speaks to his dedication to it and Tallulah’s ability to make him something sturdy lmao.

5. Funky holo looking shirt: I’m going to say this shirt resembles that Ugly shirt in Drake and Josh that brought the wearer good luck!! Which is why it’s one of his favorites because not only does he actually love the pattern, but when he wears it he’s guaranteed a sprinkling of good things. Not anything BIG like he can dodge a bullet in it or whatever but just little nice things!! Like he doesn’t burn his tongue on his tea or a butterfly will bless him by landing on his shoulder.

6. Since Laszlo is a notorious clothing burgler, I would also imagine he just has a bunch of everyone’s merch. So for Franny he would have whatever touring merch she put out! Or with her duo group. If Cornelius has any like company shirts then Laszlo was in the warehouse mooching whatever he could from the boxes. If Gaston had any merch from a set or project he was on, he’ll have told him to get Laszlo something other wise he’ll steal Gaston’s. He probably also has a Pizza Planet shirt he took from Art!!

The Robinson’s: have clothing

Laszlo:

5. Black turtle neck: he’s a hoe for a good turtle neck, and the black one to him is like a best friend in the wardrobe! This one is a lighter material, it’s not a full on sweater, so he can pop it on under anything! A shirt, a blazer, another sweater! Plus it’s black, so there’s less of a chance of him getting a stain on it, which is important to someone like him. It is comfy and probably his most worn item ever. But he does have like a whole array of colours in the closet.

6. Cardigan: Laszlo is also a hoe for a good cardigan. this one gets the favorite items tier because it was probably a gift from one of the family members, is really comfy!!, and has POCKETS for him to carry things in.

7. Bomber: he loves himself a good bomber jacket. This one in particular I would say is his favorite because it looks GREAT, that gradient?? Nice!! It was also what he was wearing during a showing that went really well, so whenever he sees it he just remembers that pleasant feeling of the night.

8. The windbreaker: these are his favorite type of over wear because they’re the easiest to clean lmao. Since the material will like make liquids roll off, he’s more inclined to wear them. Plus they can be worn at any time of the year! And come in bright colours! This one is his favorite because he was wearing it when during his second year in uni when he was finishing up a project that he spent soooooo long on, and got a Great Grade in the end, so he considers it to be full of good vibes.

9. Peacoat: I think this one is his favorite of his vast collection of coats because it’s endured the most lol. Like it was his first sturdy coat he bought instead of just wearing countless layers to stay warm, and it’s been with him for a long time. Old reliable. And it has INSIDE pockets, which he always finds some marker or pen inside when he pulls it out every year.

10. Jean jacket: just a nice jean jacket that can go with so much of his nonsense.

11.&12. Glasses/the Sunglasses collection: So his movie counterpart is always wearing goggles that look like they got lodged into his skull, so I was like, how can I incorporate that...He Has Astigmatism. So while most of the time he is just wearing contacts, when his eyes reject them he wears glasses! Lucky for me Samuel Barnett wears glasses so like, it all worked out. And he ALSO has too many pairs of sunglasses that he wears lmfao. Sometimes they’re to block out the sun but also sometimes they’re there to make him look bitchy.

13. Lime trousers: Laszlo loves a good pair of statement trousers! The problem with him is that he will also wear a busy top to go with them lmao. So he just looks loud everywhere. This pair was tailored for him and fit really well and make it so no car could ever hit him with how bright they are.

14. Pony trousers: I mean, they have little horsies on them. What a delight to be able to wear them.

15. Smock: His bestest friend in his whole closet that protects the majority of his clothing from his messy self when he’s doing Art. He’s had it for YEARS and should probably get a new one, but refuses because he likes this one since I am going to say that his parents gave it to him when he went off to art school. They’ve been together through thick and thin, he will wear it until it’s in tatters.

and no we’re not going to talk about his array of ugly ass shoes.

#bdrpwrimo #bdrpwrimosid

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whereconfusionisarhyme · 4 years

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First Reactions To Logan’s Playlist

K first song let’s do this

White and Nerdy-Weird Al Yankovic

Wtf this song was definitely Joan’s idea I mean who else would think of ‘White and Nerdy’ for Logan

Is this like canon he listens to this stuff or like songs about him???

Not Perfect-Tim Minchin

TIM MINCHIN

Bo Burnham better be on Logan's playlist

#deep

Is this about the mindpalace/inside of Thomas’ head??? Cause like???? Ouch???? I think????

Lol nvm it’s not sad lmao

I take back my take back it is sad

So this could be literally “in his mind” or it could be figurative and it’s really messing with my funky flow

Streaks-ANIMA!

Cool instrumental

Love the voice sounds a little like MARINA and Regina Spektor

Oh no I’m two lines in and I can tell it’s gonna be sad

OH NO CONFORMITY RELATED ANGST AHHHHH

Wow Logan is just out here being relatable isn’t he smh 😔👊

"Cause you're a smart kid, but you're still a kid" LOGAN REALLY BE OUT HERE BEING RELATABLE ON MAIN

The Elements-Tom Lehrer

Sounds like what piano class would sound like if I took piano class

Something you would listen to in science class

Bop

Medicine-STRFCKR

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out vibes

Lmao nvm

Gonna go look up the lyrics rn brb

A sad bop

Philosophy cool

Human-Tank And The Bangas

Logan playing this to comfort himself because this singer is the only person who has ever told him this

WHO HURT LOGAN WITH THEIR WORDS

LOGAN THE HEART SKIPPING COMMENT ARE YOU OKAY IM GIVING YOU A HUG

GUYS LOGAN IS TRYING TO CONVINCE HIMSELF THAT HE MATTERS IM NOT OKAY

Last???? Relationship???

Okay I'm not a shipper BUT my theorist analysis obsessed brain is just SCREAMING about Roman and Patton

Observation: Logan is probably atheistic and this song covers God a lot. I don't have a conclusion or anything just pointing that out

This woman do be calming tho like yes I'm beautiful yes I'm special thank you

Okay so I already knew Logan wasn't okay but he 100% isn't okay

Fittet Happier-Radiohead

K two words in and I can tell this is gonna be sad here we go

Employees? Or maybe…other sides?

Minor key ok

SELF HARM ISNT OKAY

"WILL NOT CRY IN PUBLIC" NONONONO

So I heard of a good therapist just downtown-

The Watchtower-The Dø

I paused it cause I need a second after the last one

Guys as someone who dissosiates a lot I think Logan might be dissosiating

Dissosiating to protect himself from his emotions

Y'all just trust me in this one

Coming for the TØP brand I see

K ready to start again here we go

Fire beat I'm vibing with it

Is he trying to distance himself from his emotions to try and perform his tasks better like watching from a Watchtower???

This is the first character I've seen that might dissosiate which only means one thing

I'm gonna be projecting an unholy amount in my fanfiction

"No one in particular" hon who hurt you

City Lights=Emotions (which he considers distractions)??? Maybe??

I'm a William Finn fan come on this isn't my first rodeo

Art Is Dead-Bo Burnham

BO BURNHAM I WAS RIGHT

We all love some good Imposter Syndrome (tm)! :D

This gives Learning New Things About Ourselves' a whole new meaning

Ngl this is the first time I heard the degrading of the piano at the end and I'm here for it

In My Mind-Amanda Palmer

Oop we LOVE setting up impossible expectations for yourself to the point you have a cripplingly horrid self esteem! :D

Logan I've done this before and trust me it isn't worth it the mental breakdowns are too taxing

I'll do it when I'm older=I'm never gonna get around to it

I don't wanna be the person I wanna be either

Why do I perfectly understand every lyric am I ok

Live!!! While you!!!! Can!!!!

At least there's a happy ending

Okay so I've decided that once I'm done I'm gonna make a list of songs I think would fit in the playlist

Algorythym-Childish Gambino

K its spelled incorrectly get ready for some metaphors my dudes

Intro is cool definitely very very Logan WOAH OKAY CHAIN SMOKER

Gonna go look up lyrics I don't understand shit

The chorus sounds like Thanksgiving at my Aunt's house where like 100+ African American relatives blast house music and dance until their feet falls off

Nvm no it doesn't

GO OFF

ELPHABA BETTER WATCH OUT CHILDISH GAMBINO IS COMING FOR YOUR BELT

Adlibs are everything

Letter C-Zach Sherwin

This gives off the same vibes as that one pickle video by Charlie Puth

Roman vs Logan rap battle but it's this

I don't really see why this is related but sure

Time Adventure-The Marcus Hedgehog

Nostalgiaaaaaa

Okay Logan has too many songs talking about one (1) person who is it

I have a gut feeling that it's about Thomas and how Logan used to be enough "back then" but now he thinks he's not cause like let's be honest when was the last time someone gave Logan a strong sincere thank you for all that he does????Excluding DWIT (which doesn't really count in my opinion cause they said he was cool, not like an integral and arguably the most important and powerful side) nobody really appreciates Logan???? Hugs???

Anyway plz ignore this is just how my brain works

K next song

The Breach-clipping.

OKAY SLOW DOWN IM GONNA LOOK UP LYRICS

Is this Daveed Diggs???? I haven't listened to Hamilton in like forever is this Daveed Diggs???

LITERALLY PERFECY PARRALLEL TO LOGAN AND THE SIDES

Sound effects

Really just gonna fry my eardrums like that huh

What I Do For U-Ra Ra Riot

Okay scrap anything and everything I said about it being the sides Logan is 100% talking about Character!Thomas

Erase Me-Ben Folds Five

Ooh this intro reminds me of this one particular musical songs but I don't remember which one

Wait have I listened to this before????

I've listened to this before!

Okay I need to stop being distracted

NOOOOOO don't Erase Yourself!!!!

Logan really just do be having no Self Esteem don't he

Okay so theory: Logan didn't pop up in person in the last video because his eyes were too red from crying

I have 0 evidence so it's not a very good theory but…

Just throwing it out there

One More Time with Feeling-Regina Spektor

Oh no it's Regina Spektor

Oh no I'm gonna cry

Okay so Logan doesnt wanna block of all emotion, only permit some to show???? But most of the time block everything????

Did I get that???

Nobody!!!! Thanks!!!! Logan!!!!

Awww he just wants love and recognition

Tbh this sounds a lot like Roman they have so much in common despite their constant arguing

Galaxy Song-Monty Python

Ooh Monty Python

I haven't listened to Monty Python so I sadly don't know the context

Really just dissing all of the other sides aren't we

Can't really blame him tho

Very scientific

"Yeau~"

Sweet with dark undertones. Love it.

Equation-Hans Zimmer

Later I'm gonna check the equations if they're correct XD

Sunrise-In The Heights

!!!!!!

WHO???!!!!!

K to this is one of my favorite love songs ever it's just so sweet and as someone who's bilingual the concept is just amazingly wonderful so yeah I may be freaking out

Also because WHO??!!

Okay I said I wasn't a shipper but let's be honest this is probably about Roman not romantically but like

OR MAYBE JANUS???

IM SO CONFUSED

But Logan is definitely Nina in this situation it just fits so well with her character for the same reasons I really wanna play her (but never will cause I'm exactly 0% Latin American smh) yeah the pressures to be the smartest and then it backfiring horribly and oh God what if Inùtil is also in the playlist ahhhh

Okay moving on

Lifeboat-Heathers

WHAT

CONFORMITY RELATED ANGST LOGAN STOP BEING RELATABLE AHHHH

IS THIS CAPTAIN THOMAS??? THE OTHER SIDES AS A WHOLE??? AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT???

IM NOT OKAY

Bohemian Groove-Will Connolly

Okay I'm still not recovered from the last song but I need to continue or else I'm never gonna finish this playlist

Eeecccchhhhhoooo

Your friends haven't surpassed you Logan you belong with them okay????

Emptiness despite success??? Millennial who???

Vibing with it but also are you okay

Nvm I know the answer already

Hug All Ur Friends-Cavetown

Okay so Logan is a Cavetown gay noted

Self validation??? Who's she???

Lies. You care so much about what other people *sides* think about you

Maybe Logan listens to this song to remind himself to not care too much

But it doesn't work and it's getting to him more and more

That took a turn

Breathin'-Thomas Sanders

Good move

Don't really have much to say on this

The Bidding

Spoopy

Alchoholic!Logan

New idea for us fan writers

The pronunciation of beurgoise

Okay I'm like pretty certain at this point that all of the songs that mention a someone else is about Character!Thomas

A Better Version

OHMYGOD I LOVE THIS MUSICAL ITS SO UNDERRATED I HAVE LISTENED TO THE SOUNDTRACK AND UNGODLY AMOUNT OF TIMES YESSSSS

But also since I know the song in terrified cause the feels are gonna come in I just know it

Wait so is Jayce supposed to be Thomas???

I am suddenly feeling much more uncertain about my certainty

Okay let me unpause and just listen to it (even though I already know all of the lyrics)

Okay so I'm a dumbass and apparently this song isn't even part of the playlist

Okay so I'm an idiot and the last few songs have all been "related to playlist" and not in the actual playlist I'm big dumb.

Anyway here's my list of songs I think would fit. (BTW, I only went off of lyrics for these ones. I realize that there’s a general sound and vibe for the playlist, but I decided not to follow it.)

Oh No! ~ MARINA

Hug All Ur Friends ~ Cavetown

Bohemian Groove ~ Will Connolly

Guiltless ~ Dodie Clark

Lifeboat ~ Laurens O’Keefe

The Bidding ~ *idk who*

I Am Not A Robot ~ MARINA

Inútil - Lin Manuel Miranda

Through The Eyes Of A Child ~ AURORA

Community Gardens ~ The Scary Jokes

Let me know if I should do this with the other playlists as well! :)

#sander sides #ts sanders sides #sanders sides #thomas sanders #tss #logan sander angst #logan sanders #ts logan #logan’s playlist #first reaction #self harm mention #tw self harm

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dustedmagazine · 4 years

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Listed: Horse Lords

Baltimore-based Horse Lords have been forging their own take on experimental rock music since 2012. The quartet, Andrew Bernstein (saxophone/percussion), Max Eilbacher (bass/electronics), Owen Gardner (guitar) and Sam Haberman (drums) weave together pieces drawing on divergent sources that include everything from 20th and 21st century classical music to just intonation tuning to African and Appalachian musical traditions to intricate polyrhythms and studio experiments. In a recent interview, Gardner talked about their approach to putting pieces together. “We generally write right up to the edge of our abilities. And sometimes slightly beyond. We’d had to scrap quite a few songs because they proved to be basically impossible to play... It keeps it interesting.” Ian Forsythe covered their newest release, The Common Task, noting that “Their nearly ten-year core pivots rhythmic and tonal ideas athletically, and their ability to pull elements from anywhere and everywhere is seemingly more fluid with each record.”

For this Listed, the four members runs down a list of live shows, recordings, blogs, movies, and books that have been on their minds.

Gleb Kanasevich plays Horațiu Rădulescu’s “Inner Time II for seven clarinets (Op.42b),” Baltimore. 2018 (Owen Gardner)

youtube

A near-hourlong ear workout, combining impressive sonic and structural brutality. The interaction of what these close dissonances do inside your ears with what the clarinets do in space (Gleb played live with 6 recordings of himself, meticulously arranged around the audience) is a haunting experience, celestial but with no concession to human music.

Maryanne Amacher — Perceptual Geographies, Philadelphia 2019 (Owen Gardner)

https://issuu.com/bowerbirdphilly/docs/amacherprogramonline

So much revelatory material has come out of the Maryanne Amacher archive so far, and particularly these loving reconstructions of her instrumental music. A lot more attention seems to have been given to “Petra,” which is certainly gorgeous and shows fascinating symmetries with the spatial/timbral concerns of her electronic music, but “Adjacencies” struck me as the Major Work of 20th Century Music. She wrote the damn thing in 1965 and it sounds fresh half a century later, which we can say of no previous piece of percussion music and not much written subsequently. I am slowly losing my mind waiting for Amy Cimini’s book on Amacher to come out, craving a deeper dive into her theory and methods.

Sarah Hennies, Bonnie Jones, Lê Quan Ninh, and Biliana Voutchkova at the High Zerofestival, Baltimore 2019 (Owen Gardner)

youtube

One of at least three great things Sarah Hennies did last year (Reservoir 1 on Black Truffle and the 90 minute cello/percussion duo “The Reinvention of Romance” being the others) was to take part in Baltimore’s High Zero festival, four mind-frying days devoted to free improvisation. This set was one of the highlights of 2019’s festival; each of the four performers having at least one foot in composed music (Ninh is a long-time Cage interpreter and Biliana has collaborated with Peter Ablinger) seemed to lend it a certain sureness and serenity, but ultimately their combined strength as improvisors (fastidiously captured by High Zero’s crack recording team) is what makes it such an engaging listen.

El Chombo — Cuentos de la Cripta (Owen Gardner)

youtube

A relentless tetralogy that nicely balances the rawness of ‘90s proto-reggaetón productions (the first volume self-identifies as “Spanish Reggae”) and the slicker, synth-oriented sound and settled genre conventions we’ve come to enjoy (or not) in the 21st century. This was helpful when working on “People’s Park,” not least for its insistent connection to Jamaican music. I can understand very little Spanish but I'm guessing the lyrics are not unproblematic; signifying language always disappoints.

Wallahi Le Zein! (Owen Gardner)

http://thewealthofthewise.blogspot.com/

An invaluable resource for anyone interested in African music, much more consistent and informative than the often yucky reissue market, which seems to prioritize awkward (and marginal) attempts at Western musical fads—as if what was available was not an impossibly rich and heterogeneous network of self-sufficient musical cultures but merely a broken mirror facing America. The archive of Mauritanian music alone makes this the most worthwhile stop on the information superhighway. There’s plenty of goofy drum programming and appalling sound quality if that’s your bag, but the rich variety of traditional musics is what keeps me coming back.

Miles Davis — On the Corner (Max Eilbacher)

youtube

Some might say Stockhausen serves imperialism but he did his little part to help cook up some of the most twisted American Jazz/funk jams ever. Davis only kept one cassette in his convertible sports car during the On the Corner sessions, a tape of “Hymnen.” He would take each member of the band on highspeed joy rides with the car’s stereo system on full blast. That same energy was channeled in the arrangement and editing. The convergence of a lot of different elements keeps this record on my top 10 list ‘til the end of time. The little detail of Americans taking concepts from European Neu Musik and making something incredibly funky and pleasurable is the cherry on top.

Olivia Block & Marcus Schmickler at Diffusion Festival, Baltimore 2018 (Andrew Bernstein)

This was an amazing pairing, with both artists playing in 8-channel “surround sound.” Marcus’ set was incredibly intense. Pure synthesis with a lot of psychoacoustic inner ear tones and unending overlapping melodies. It felt like the sonic equivalent of watching a strobe light at close distance. Olivia’s set was a slow creep, laying samples to create lush textures that were truly immersive. This was the kind of concert that reminds you of the awesome power of music.

Blacks’ Myths at the Red Room, Baltimore 2019 (Andrew Bernstein)

Blacks' Myths II by Blacks' Myths

I’m there for anything bassist Luke Stewart touches (see Irreversible Entanglements, his solo upright + feedback work, frequent collaborations with too many people to name). Blacks' Myths, his bass and drumset duo with Warren Crudup, is loud, noisy, and intense, and this set at the Red Room last year was particularly transcendent.

“Blue” Gene Tyranny — Out of the Blue (Andrew Bernstein)

Out of the Blue by "Blue" Gene Tyranny

I have probably listened to this record more than any other the last few years. Perfectly crafted pop songs segue into proggy funk jams and then into stream of consciousness drone pieces based around the doppler effect. I’ll put it on over and over again, an experience with an album I haven’t really had since I was in high school.

Bill Orcutt — An Account of the Crimes of Peter Thiel and His Subsequent Arrest, Trial, and Execution 2017 (Max Eilbacher)

AN ACCOUNT OF THE CRIMES OF PETER THIEL AND HIS SUBSEQUENT ARREST, TRIAL AND EXECUTION. by BILL ORCUTT

Legendary underground American guitarists from the most important American rock band also makes top notch conceptual digital audio art. Years ago I thought computer music lacked a certain sub cultural attitude. While this was/is not true, this 2017 release feels like it exists in its own world. High and low brow are in perfect harmony for this patterned enjoyable hellride of a listen. What if Hanne Darboven had to make art while working a full time job and dealing with mild substance abuse?

Lina Wertmüller — Seven Beauties 1975 (Max Eilbacher)

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42000553

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Beauties

During this pandemic I have been talking film shop over emails nonstop. I went through a big Wertmüller phase in 2018-2019 and as people are trading recommendations I usually try to recommend something by her. This film is the one that I keep reaching for. The email recommending this film usually starts as a draft with “this is really intense” and then I try to hearken back to my film school days and write about the male gaze, patriarchy, communism or something of that nature. I end up writing a bit, feeling like it’s way over the top for a casual email and then I end up deleting everything except “this is a really intense and beautiful film.”

Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’Neill (Sam Haberman)

https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/tom-oneill/chaos/9780316477574/

The last book I managed to check out of the library before it closed. Though it in some ways resembles works of conspiracy theory, Tom O’Neill is always straightforward in telling the reader that, though the official story of the Manson case is almost certainly not true, the actual details don’t cohere into any kind of Meaning. Every new discovery is its own digression that points to a new unknowable truth or unverifiable claim. This really inverts the normal thrill of conspiracy theory, which invites you to either buy into the story being presented or reject it all together, either path offering its own sort of comfort. Chaos offers no such comfort.

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hollipolliyozza · 4 years

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Honestly, i look at this drawing and just think, its not wild enough. But it is a new concept i am working on for the Holiztridodi story. Coronavirus is the inspiration behind this. An idea I had from being inspired by this pandemic is a virus that represents self doubt and mental illness.My character Vengoria is always being negative about herself and when she does this it brings everyone else down with her, causing radiation of sadness and self doubt. With her and everyone feeling down the world begins to rot. To help everyone else around her she must work with her art to fight against this elemental disease of mutated anxiety. The world seems awful to her through her eyes so she finds a way to escape to her own dimension and is happier there. But things turn for the worse when her mental illness from her home dimension curls back to her, caused by the evil tiger viper whose mission is to bring everyone around her down. Now that Vengoria is fighting with this virus that she caused, she faces another problem: a made up enemy who brings her an art block so that Vengoria’s creativity will perish. This virus that represents anxiety that I made up is called Venllendriaix, and it is spread to others if one puts themselves down, at first Vengoria thinks she can get away from it by fading away to another dimension, the fruity one she made up in her head. To fight this virus and save her worlds Vengoria herself needs to face her insecurities and not bring herself down and to listen to what her favorite teacher says: “Don’t worry about the little things. Everything is going to be just beachy.” Mental illness and negativity is like a virus, when it spreads, it makes everyone not feel like themselves. Concept art by HOLLIPOLLIYOZZA. #art #drawnbyme #originalart #originalstory #sad #colorful #abstractart #drawing #drawingart #digitalpainting #digitaldrawing #ibspaint #curly #holiztridodi

This I saw in a dream, all I remember was me at my school and the ground looked funky and weird so I kept my dog near me. When we went back to our house there was these silver things falling from the sky and a giant orange x in the clouds.

All art I post on my portfolio is from my PicsArt account @hollipolliyozza

#hollipolliyozza #artists on tumblr #digital art #digital illustration #artwork #art #chernobyl #apex legends #randomhashtags #my art #original story #original art #mental health #holiztridodi #hollipolliyozzaholiztridodi

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guylty · 5 years

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Have you got your tickets for UV locked down? Maybe you are like me – tickets bought but not all other details finalised. Priorities, right? The most important consideration is to make sure we get to see RA on stage. Flight? Accommodation? Can be dealt with later. On the latter, I’ve had a few questions bts about hotel recommendations. Now, I do not want to presume better local knowledge than all the English/British fans. However, as a frequent visitor, and particular while I was still working for my London client, I was put up in hotel accommodation on many occasions. In that sense, I may have seen more London hotels than our actual London-based fan sisters *waves at Hariclea and tinyclanger and anyone else whom I am shamefully overlooking here* and can possibly make some recommendations.

A quick note on location and transport

My collection of Oyster Cards. Yes, I’ve had to buy several because I stupidly left mine at home… They give you a little wallet for safe-keeping when you buy yours.

All hotels are fairly centrally located – if you are a walker and do not mind 45 minutes walking, they would even be in walking distance of the city centre of London. Transport, on the whole, is not a problem in London. The tube is never far away. I recommend you buy a so-called Oyster Card upon arrival in London. This is a commuter card that you load credit onto. You can buy it at any (larger) tube station (ticket counter). You can get the £10 deposit back when you return the card before you leave London. You charge your card via the ticket machines located in every tube station. Paying for the tube is via flashing the card at the gates for entry and exit. A display at the gates will always tell you how much money you have left on your card. An Oyster card is a must, even if you only stay for three days. The difference in price between buying single tickets and using your automatic card credit, is significant: A single journey will set you back £4.90 whereas the Oyster card is £2.40!!! Also, the Oyster card has an automatic cap. That means you will pay a maximum of £8.20 (zones 1-3) versus single journeys or a daily travel card at £13.10 (zones 1-4)!!!

However, the best tip when it comes to London public transport, I received from local Hariclea: Bus fares are much cheaper than the tube. A single journey will set you back only £1.50. The daily cap for Oyster Card here is £4.50. So if you can, take the bus. Or walk, that is *my* personal tip. For a long time on my travels to London, I did everything by tube, thinking that London was a huge city and everything was very far apart. It took me 3 years to realise that Piccadilly Circus was only 250 meters away from Leicester Square! Doh. So make use of Google Maps and walk. You will be rewarded with a fantastic view of the city, too, because London treats you to a journey through all architectural ages in almost every street.

Fleet Street. From Tudor half-timbers to 1920s in 500 meters

Guylty’s Hotel Insights

I’ll give you a little review of all the hotels I have stayed at in the last four years. A caveat at the beginning. At least half of them were paid for by my client – and they didn’t skimp. I would not have paid £350 for a hotel room myself. My budget – even while still employed by them – would usually not stretch to that. However, I am including it here, too. Who knows, maybe you have a significant birthday/anniversary, or you want to treat yourself to an extraordinary London experience. Or maybe you just appreciate a lovely boutique hotel, just like I do. Where possible, I will add my own pictures – and occasionally even videos – for a little more insight into the hotel. Links to the hotel website under the name. In no particular order…

Pop!Thoza sneaks up on breakfast

The Rookery – my absolute favourite, but the above mentioned luxury option. Located in Farringdon, opposite Smithfield Market – a boutique hotel completely furnished with antiques and with every room looking different. Close to two tube stations, near the Barbican centre, too. It really looks like the photos on the website – or in my videos. Yep, I have three of them, just because the hotel was so beautiful, I had to document it every time. But I’ll only bore you with one of them. (If you want to you can see the other two if you click on my name on the video below!) This hotel has beautiful common rooms but no breakfast room. So if you want dinner, you need to eat elsewhere. Breakfast is available – but only served in your room. However, it was not any more expensive than in other hotels, and at the same time so good that I always set the alarm for two hours early so I could have long, leisurely breakfast in my fluffy bed before I went to work.

https://vimeo.com/133549399

Purple light show. Not sure what mood *that* is…

Citizen M in Southwark (Bankside) is completely at the opposite end of the style spectrum. Ultramodern hotel. Every room has a kingsize bed (no single rooms available) and lots of tech gimmicks. Has a fantastic entertainment offer with wide screen TVs in every room. You can operate different lighting scenarios with an iPad in the room, and the blinds are automatically adjusted depending on whether you have set the room settings on “romantic” or “business” 🤣. Located behind the Tate Modern, but still very central. I loved this place and stayed there a couple of times privately, too – my son called it the “cyber hotel” and specifically asked me to book us in there when I gave him a trip to London as a gift. He (age 18 then) even shared the kingsize bed with me – that was the price for being in the cyber hotel… Buffet style breakfast is available in the hotels bar area. I loved the cool style and design of this hotel.

The Park Plaza County Hall is also situate d on the Southern bank of the Thames. I was upgraded to a suite there – with a separate sitting room and a small kitchenette. Comfortable, modern, light-filled rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows. The kitchenette would be really useful if staying for a few days and trying to budget a little bit because eating out in London is expensive. It doesn’t mean you have to cook – but just having a fridge for a pint of milk for your cornflakes in the morning, would already save you a good bit of money. I did like this one very much and remember making a little video – can’t find it anymore, unfortunately. It is part of the Radisson chain, so good quality.

I slept on top bed – wanted the “young” feel

Z Hotel City Another very modern hotel, centrally located in Fleet Street. The rooms are very modern, but also fairly small. I had a room that was billed as a “family” room with two double beds. But even though the room was tiny, they solved the problem really well: One double bed was like an enclosed alcove (fitted with a big TV) while the second double was built on top of the alcove and you accessed it via small steps. The second double also had a TV screen. The drawback was that the hotel did not offer breakfast, and even though it operated a café next door, it did not provide a discount to residents. However, as you can see from the photo, this kind of room would really lend itself to sharing if you are coming with a friend. Share the costs – still get privacy. And style, too.

No real vines, that’s the graffiti on the wall!!

The Malmaison on Charterhouse Square. Another boutique hotel in Farringdon (like the Rookery above) (near Barbican), located on beautiful Charterhouse Square where you get London at its historic best: There is the eponymous Charterhouse from the 14th century, then there is Georgian architecture, the Victorian hotel building, and an Art Deco block of flats (which was used as location for Hercule Poirot’s flat in the Poirot TV series with David Suchet). Every room differently decorated – modern eclectic. The rooms were small but beautiful and all decorated differently. The first time I stayed there, I had an “inside” room with a kind of blind window into a lightwell. The room had really funky decoration with a graffiti-sprayed wall. Breakfast was not included but available in the basement restaurant – really nice, though.

Glimpse of room on the right. Bathroom had massive dimensions. Wheelchair compatible

The Premier Inn County Hall is probably on the affordable end of the scale. Centrally located, directly behind the London Eye and more or less directly on the banks of the Thames. The rooms were not particularly cosy or original, but clean, light and big. Probably more on the practical side. Prices are pretty good for London – and for the location. Breakfast available in the hotel – nothing special, but good price.

You can see what I had for breakfast

The Marlin Aparthotel was an affordable option when I took my mum to London last year. This hotel is fairly well connected, just behind Waterloo Station. In walking distance of the Old Vic Theatre and Westminster on the other side of the Thames. The rooms were bright and modern – and they came with a kitchenette. We ate breakfast in our own room every day and saved on another tenner for meals that way. This hotel is easily accessible by bus – which will also get transport costs down…

Lastly, The Grange Strathmore Hotel is the last hotel I stayed in when in London in April this year. The building is the former residence of the Earl of Strathmore (the Queen Mother’s father), and as such an imposing Victorian residence in a very pretty part of London. The room was small and looked out onto the mews at the back. Kensington is a very nice area for walking and looking at the grand white townhouses, but it’s not as central as the other hotels listed above. Also, I didn’t find the transport options quite as close as the other hotels.

So, here is an overview of the hotels and their relative location. It’s an interactive map – you can click on the markers and see which hotel it is.

That’s it for my own experience with hotels in central London. As I said – not necessarily the cheapest *thanks to my former employers*. I am sure there are other, if not better options available. If anyone has some recommendations, please add them in the comments! And for further questions – I’m delighted if I can answer, although I am sure that the resident Londoners are probably better equipped than I am.

Leaving you with a little London Lucas for good measure.

Notes on Staying in London Have you got your tickets for UV locked down? Maybe you are like me - tickets bought but not all other details finalised.

#fandom love

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fume-knight-of-shovelry · 5 years

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Gency Week 2018, Day 3: Mistletoe

With art to come from the talented @northwindart!

Overwatch, as an organization, did not exactly hold a unified "winter holiday festival”. Not only was the organization made up of a diverse group of people from a wide variety of regions and religions, some of whom did not celebrate December holidays (or, in the case of the residents of the Southern Hemisphere, didn’t even have winter in December), but the widespread structure didn’t make a single gala or party feasible. Add in the around-the-clock nature of most of the organization’s work, and all the ingredients were in place for a half-assed “holiday celebration” where a variety of icons, from Christmas trees to menorahs to Kwanzaa Kinaras and Shinto Kadomatsu decorated the hallways, front doors, walls, floors and ceilings in Overwatch bases around the world.

Genji Shimada, in particular, did not care for these added distractions. He still practiced the Shinto New Year traditions, but as an acting member of Blackwatch he didn’t have the time or reputation to spend on elaborate celebrations. His black-and-red circuitry and exposed chest gave off an aura of brutality that he was happy to exploit to be left alone in his search for solitude and places to focus his rage and frustration. By fermenting these powerful, violent impulses inside himself, he was able to intensify his energy whenever he was next needed in combat. It didn’t make him the best person to be around, but he didn’t care.

Only a few people had been able to get him to relax a bit around them. His fellow Blackwatch agents, for one, especially McCree. Tracer, on occasion, especially when they were finished sparring. He respected Captain Ana Amari, thanks to her maternal concern for her subordinates matching the severity she drilled them with. Winston, thanks to his to-the-point speaking pattern that minimized wasted time. And the medic, Angela Ziegler, also known as “Mercy”. She had been instrumental in saving his life, but that was long ago and no longer informed any part of their dynamic. Outside of that she had treated Genji with patience, respect, and empathy. He did not open up fully to any of them, but he was definitely able to loosen up around some of his fellows.

Which is why he was caught so off-guard when he stumbled into Angela standing stock-still in a doorway in the organization’s Swiss headquarters. Genji was leaving the training ground after slicing up a training dummy on McCree and Ana’s recommendation, and had been looking absentmindedly at the walls when he’d walked into the combat medic. Frowning, he looked up at her, opening his mouth to ask her what was wrong, when he followed her gaze upwards.

Ah. That explained it. Some prankster had set up mistletoe above the doorway leading from the training room: a childish custom whereby any two people who stood underneath it had to kiss. And seeing as he had been the only person in the room for the last hour and that this hallway led nowhere else, and it hadn’t been there when he’d entered...someone was trying to prank him. And Angela as well.

Well, he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Genji would have shoved his way past the person blocking the doorway if it hadn’t been Angela. He was wrathful and capable of great violence, but he wasn’t going to take that out on her. “Ziegler. I understand that this is awkward, but perhaps we can just ignore this and move on with our lives? I’m willing to pretend that this did not happen if you are.”

Angela was horrified. The last thing she remembered was Lena asking her to meet her in the training room to “take a look at a funky lil’ thing the accel’rator does when I use it a buncha times”. She should have been suspicious that Lena was asking for her help rather than Winston’s, but when she went to Winston, he’d given her the a-OK to talk to Lena. When she’d found the mistletoe, she’d planned on turning around and walking away, but then she’d heard someone approaching and waited to see who it was. The fact that Genji was the one who had rounded the corner froze her feet to the ground, but she didn’t know why. She could only stare up at the offending plant in shock until Genji spoke to her.

The medic averted her eyes. What could be the harm? It was a little bit of fun, after all, to play along with the holiday customs.

“...Ziegler? Are you well?”

Without thinking, she grabbed Genji by the shoulders and mashed her face into his faceplate. Her lips met the cold metal covering his face, but she swore she could hear his lips pressing against the metal separating them. Genji’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t push her away, even as his breathing got heavier beneath his mask and he found himself returning her kiss as best he could against the barrier between them. Mercy’s eyes closed as she deepened the pseudo-kiss, her fingers running over his biceps, on his pectorals, along the back of his neck as he found himself holding her by the small of her back. What was going on?

A hissing sound interrupted them and he realized, with some embarrassment, that he was venting heat, his body reaching a critical temperature as his face grew hot: pore-like openings in his right shoulder unlocked and let loose a blast of cool steam. The sound was enough to break them out of the reverie, and they both pulled away from each other simultaneously. Mercy’s face was beet-red and she was breathing heavily, and he knew he was in the same situation.

Mercy’s head felt hot and she was slightly dizzy with the surge of emotion that had gone over her. “I...am not sure where that came from.”

“Nor do I.” Angela decided not to point out that Genji now had a bright red lipstick mark where his mouth was beneath his faceplate. “That was…”

“Sorry, Genji, I…” He raised a hand.

“That was nice, Ziegler. I…” Genji trailed off, and the two of them stood in an awkward silence, faces hot, cheeks red, chests heaving as they regained their senses. Genji tried not to notice how Angela’s rising and falling chest made her breasts sway slightly, cooped up as they were beneath her tight combat suit.

“...”

“...I’ll see you around, Genji?”

“...Yes.” Genji replied, still dumbfounded, as Angela paused for a moment before turning around and walking away. He waited until she’d turned the corner before he started after her. Why did he only now just notice how widely her hips swayed when she walked, how much her pants hugged her thighs, how tightly the back of her suit clung to the outline of her rear?

He needed a break. And a shower. And perhaps some time alone with the memories of what he’d just seen and experienced, and then another shower after that.

Angela, meanwhile, was trying hard not to hop-skip like a schoolgirl down the hallways of her employer’s organization. She had to be professional. But that had been some of the most fun she’d had in a long time. She needed a bath. And a bit of time to think about how Genji’s muscles felt underneath her fingers. And then another bath.

-------------------------------

As the video feed showed Genji and Angela taking different exits from the hallway leading from the training room, chuckles rang out from the observers.

“Well, I’ll be. That went better than expected. And I know what that awkward lil’ gait means for Genji: last time I saw ‘im move like that, he’d been reminiscing ‘bout the time he got the Prime Minister of Japan’s daughter in bed with him…’longside Miss Korea an’ the heiress to some South African renewable energy megacorp.” McCree nodded sagely, as if this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. “Tracer, I believe ye owe me. Pay up.”

Tracer pouted, but forked over a stack of bills to the American gunslinger. “S’not fair, y’know. I said they’d snog, for sure, just not that they’d get handsy. No gropin’, even!” The winnowy, flighty operative crossed her arms and frowned.

“Ahaha! S’yer loss, Tracer. My boy’s got it. Speakin’ o which...hold up.” McCree flipped through the paper, then glared at Tracer. “This’s worthless British pounds! What’re ye doin’, givin’ me currency that’s not worth th’ paper it’s printed on?” Tracer stuck her tongue out at McCree, then laughed again.

“Sorry, McCree! S’not my fault we’re in Switzerland. Next time yer in the UK, I’m sure you’ll have a doozy of a time…’less you wanna exchange it for francs here for seventy percent of the value, of course!”

“Cut the chatter, you two.” Captain Amari spoke sharply, wagging a finger at McCree and Tracer, but couldn’t disguise the glee in her voice or the twitch of her tattooed eye that gave away her mirth. “We all did great. Winston, good job on the camera placement. Tracer, well done setting up the mistletoe. McCree, fine work convincing him to work out. I think we’ve given the lovebirds plenty to think about. Maybe keep the cameras off them next time they’re alone together, hm?”

“Actually, captain, I’m fairly certain that it’ll be quite a bit longer before…” Winston cut himself off when Ana glared at him, nervously drumming his toes on the floor of his Swiss laboratory. “Uh, nevermind. I’m glad that this turned out well, and my camera caught it all. Should we delete the footage?”

Ana tapped her chin, then shook her head. “No, keep it. Not for nefarious purposes, mind you. But it’ll be fun one day, I’m sure. I can imagine Genji and Angela as an adorable and very saucy couple. Those two need to unwind with each other.”

McCree’s eyes danced between Winston and Tracer, and he mouthed the words Grandma really wants grandkids, huh? Tracer guffawed, then covered her mouth, while Winston just looked confused.

“Nothing so crass, Jesse.” He gulped and scooted away from Captain Amari, who winked in his direction.

“Well, if’n that’s all, I’ll be headin’ to the mess. I’m thinkin’ Genji will want some time alone.”

“Not without me, cowboy! Race ya to dinner!”

Tracer gave McCree a whole minute’s head start before leaving herself, but Ana and Winston knew it wouldn’t matter. She’d be there in a few seconds.

“So...matchmaking success?” Winston eyed the camera feed, considering when he next might be able to discreetly remove the bug he’d planted in the hallway.

Ana patted Winston on the shoulder and nodded, replaying in her head the passionate kiss that Genji and Angela had shared. “Matchmaking success.”

#overwatch #gencyweek #gency week #gency week 2018 #gency

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deantvlove2018 · 5 years

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DEAN TV LOVE III: EPISODE 3⃣9⃣: DEAN SOLO

Hi everyone, its Dean Tv love 3. Its back, back again. Episode thirty nine on Friday twenty fifth of October, I was going to write this episode last week but I was tired. Because of traveling from Plymouth after doing my solo performance. And speaking of my solo performance I did it again yesterday on Thursday. Performing Dean Tv love part one for the first time with a backing track at the rap night. Also performing with K dog for the first time too. Great evening with people breakdancing, one guy did that. And a person made a logo of Dean Tv love on my T shirt for customisation. Cool evening that was. Now time for this episode as it takes place in a different universe of Dean Tv. The alternative universe of Dean Tv, planet earth in that universe is the same but it is very different however, even London. Kinda futuristic and bit gritty, our hero Dean lives in that alternative. BUT he’s name isn’t Dean Rodney Jr he is Dean solo. Riding in his turbo car to his favourite club bar with his friend who is a llama, listening to some funky disco. Llama likes it by the way. As the two arrive to the bar. They come out of the car. The llama stood outside cos he cannot come inside. No animals allowed in the club bar. Which says on the sign outside the place. But one of the club owner kept him company. Giving him some food and drink. “Maybe some ice cream?” asked the llama. Yeah sure why not. Dean entered the club to have something to eat, the people know him. People who work in the bar know him. Dean has been going to that bar club since he was twenty. Before he met the llama. “Solo met me back in twenty fourteen” said the llama. He’s right you know, he’s the llama. “Yes am the llama” said llama. Solo is eating pizza and drinking soda, then 3 people entered the bar. 3 women, 2 bringing a lady into the building. The lady spotted solo. “I wanted to sit with him” she said. “Who?” asked one of her friend. “Solo” said the lady. “Okay lets go and join him” said one of the friends. So they did. “Hi” said the lady. “Hello” said Solo. The lady’s name is Brooke. Her name means small stream. Her friends are Paige and Bree. Paige means page to a lord, Bree means strength or exalted one. “Nice shoes” said Brooke. “Thank you Brooke” said Solo. Brooke smiled, solo looks at her dress which is purple. As the hours go by, solo spends some time with Brooke. The two danced to the music what the DJ is playing, the llama watch solo while eating an ice cream with a slurp slurp slurp. “Whoa who is that?” asked the llama. “Thats Brooke” said the owner. “Whoa thats a boing” said the llama. “Pardon?” asked the owner. “Nothing” said the llama. Solo and Brooke had food and drink. Bree and Paige were surprised about Brooke. Dancing with solo. The llama got excited, keeps saying boing whenever he gets excited. “You like that?” asked the owner. “Yes I do” said llama. The solo spend some time till the club bar closes. Brooke, Paige and Bree left the club, so did solo with the llama. Until Brooke wanted to stay with solo. Solo agrees. Paige and Bree joined her in the turbo car as solo drives the car. Driving to his apartment. They left the car and entered into the house. Brooke looked at everything what solo, including laser zappers etc. Solo plays music on his record player. “Wow nice records” said Brooke. “Dean’s favourite tunes” said llama. “Its your favourite too” said solo. Paige and Bree sees some of the picture of Solo on his adventures. Saving the world and helping people, also starring in some movies. “I wish that I would star in a movie with him” said Brooke. “Really?” asked llama. “Yes” said Brooke. “Well I must say, there will be some boing” said the llama. Paige and Bree laughed. “Boing indeed” said solo. Then solo started to play his favourite track, entertaining Brooke. Then the next day solo, brooke, Paige, Bree and the llama went out to Brooke’s house. To see her family. They were pleased to see solo too, saying that he is a hero. The hero of the alternate universe of Dean Tv. He went inside, then suddenly villains came to invade the street. The bandits. “Oh no its the bandits” said the llama. Solo draws out his zapper, Paige and Bree did the same too. Firing their lasers at the bad guy. Brooke ran with the llama but they are cornered by the bandits, llama kick one of the bandits away. Solo fights the bandits. The parents were hiding from the bandits so they won’t get them. All the bandits were gone but four of remain. They got Brooke and teleported away with her. “Oh no they got Brooke” said the llama. “What!?” said Solo. The parents were shocked that Brooke taken. So solo went on a mission to save. So he went on adventure to find, the bandits send him a note. “If you want to save your friend, you have to go through us”. He entered the tower, with five floors. Fighting against the bad guys. Including a boss on each floor, like a video game. Cleared the first level, made it to the second level. Fighting the bandits, then boss. Level 3, level 4 and 5. Seeing Brooke in a cage. “Brooke” said Solo. The bad guys blocked solo from Brooke. Solo fights them and fire’s his ammo from his zappers. All the bandits fall down to the ground at the same time. Then the final boss entered the room. Dean fires his zapper but nothing happened. The final boss fights solo with his powers, solo tries to evade the enemy’s attack. It failed, solo is on the ground. Brooke is worried about solo. “Get up get up” said Brooke. Solo hears Brooke’s voice. Solo’s eyes open, his eyes turned red. In combat mode. He fights the final boss. The final boss power did not faze solo. The final boss used his powers, powerless. As solo uses his fighting technique Hakkyoku-ken. Chinese martial art fighting style. The final boss is defenceless just as solo attacks him. Uses his elbow. Making the boss flying across the room. Towards the wall. Having stars spinning. Solo frees Brooke from the cage and ran out of the tower as quickly as they can. Cos the final boss set a bomb in the tower. The went into the turbo car, solo drives away. The tower exploded. “My hero” said Brooke. “Yes and those bandits are gone” said solo. They arrived at Brooke’s house. The parents, Paige and Bree were happy to see her again. Solo recovered himself after that battle against the final boss. Brooke starts to spend some time with him. “Thank you saving me” said Brooke. “Your welcome” said solo. The llama watch them. “Boing!” went the llama. “Hey llama keep the boing down” said solo. The llama is eating popcorn watching solo and Brooke having some fun. With lots of boing action. So thats what is going on in the alternate universe of Dean Tv. Meanwhile in the real Dean Tv universe Dean and Louise watching a movie, a movie that came out two years ago. The same movie titled Dean Tv twenty eighteen. Watching the ending part when Louise was singing in the church, while Maria is playing the organ. “Beautiful” said the puppy. “The first time I saw this, I felt relieved” said Louise. “You did?” asked Dean. “Yes” said Louise. The two left the living room and went to sleep in their bedrooms. The two are getting so excited about the party in the other universe. Because it is super’s twenty sixth birthday. On Saturday the twenty sixth of October.

END OF EPISODE 3⃣9⃣

3⃣:4⃣9⃣:5⃣0⃣:2⃣3⃣

#Deantvlove3

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mysticsparklewings · 5 years

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Dancing Beads

I'll be honest with you guys, I've had a rough past couple of days. Heavy anxiety hanging over me like a thick fog, making it difficult to think straight, let alone work. That's why I submitted a WIP shot of this drawing earlier in the week. It was technically finished, but I just didn't have the stamina and focus to get it ready to post on Wednesday, and I pretty much knew that I wouldn't have it in me to make something else new to go up today. That said, I am feeling a little bit better and I hope that means I'm coming around the bend and will be truly back and ready to rock in another day or so. In the meantime, let's talk about the artwork, shall we? This is sort of an extended OOTD (Outfit Of The Day) drawing in a similar vein as this first OOTD drawing I ever did, OOTD: Witch Socks. I say extended and cut "OOTD" out of the title this time because of A. This drawing was done over 2-3 days and B. I obviously was no longer wearing the outfit by the time the drawing was finished. And also, secret reason C. I didn't actually wear this outfit out of the house; I just liked the way the colors worked together and thought it would make for a cute drawing. And honestly, even for someone like me who enjoys dressing eccentrically, I think this would've been a little too far over the edge to wear out and about anyway. (I promise it looks a lot more socially acceptable in the drawing than it did in person) It's funny though, my last OOTD drawing was heavily inspired by the socks I was wearing that day, which looked like witch boots (hence the title it had), and this time my funky socks are once again a key point, but this piece got named after the pose and a different accessory. ...And I just noticed that this OOTD also has a pose where my head is in-profile facing the left...huh... Anyway; the key player here is the little plastic shiny red bead necklaces. They aren't much here in the drawing, but they're what set this whole thing in motion. My mom was cleaning out her purse and found them, remembering that she'd meant to give them to me when she initially brought them home from something they did at work, and since I was right there I just slid them on until I could put them away properly. (I have something of a small collection of bead necklaces like this for reasons unbeknownst even to me.) And at some point I was just feeling really good and kind of cute/kooky that day, and that's more or less where the idea to draw my outfit was born. From there, I'm not really sure where the pose came from other than the very loose/swinging nature of the necklaces and I wanted something fun and dynamic. And I swear I've tried to draw or seen this pose somewhere before, but if I did it must've been something I never posted because I sure can't find it in my gallery. (Although it was at this point that I pretty much knew what the title for this was going to be ) And to be fair, I'm not sure the proportions/anatomy came out exactly right. At first, I thought the legs (or at least the calves) were too short, but then I re-evaluated and decided the arms were too long, so I shortened them and I feel like for the most part that fixed/evened things out. I just really didn't want to have to re-draw the feet because I felt like they (especially the one on the left) came out really good the first time. Weirdly enough, the hands didn't give me a ton of trouble the second time around, as I worried they might. And I also didn't have that much of a struggle getting the profile of the face right, which is unusual because of all the ways to draw a face, that's usually the one I have the most trouble with. Then again, I guess I shouldn't be that surprised since a while ago when I was last drawing people more consistently I did do more profile faces and hands than usual, but I don't know. It's just kinda weird to not have that much trouble with them when in the past they've been main problem areas for me, at least during the sketching phase. Either way, as far as the actual drawing part goes, I think the most difficult thing this time was the bodice area because I wanted to get the proportions pleasing to the eye, but the tank top to still have reasonable folds, and the overall flow to work with the rest of the piece. But even that still wasn't too bad. The beads also took a while, since I was indeed fully committed to drawing every individual bead, but that really wasn't difficult, it just required patience. Little did I know, the difficulties would come in transferring the sketch to where I wanted it. I think I've gotten my fill of alcohol markers, given three of my most recent drawings were little kitties done almost exclusively in those, and so that combined with just not having done much with colored pencils in general lately (other than as smaller detail things or using water-soluble ones more like paint than pencils), I decided to do a bit of a return-to-form and make use of an extra piece of toned gray paper I've had waiting around to be used since like March, and do some good ol' colored pencil work. The joke was on me because I was very quickly reminded why I haven't used the gray paper a ton, especially compared to the toned tan paper I have; for reasons I can't figure out, it's incredibly hard to see through the paper to transfer lines, even with my lightbox on the brightest setting! So after several minutes of disappointed pondering, I dug out a charcoal stick I've had sitting in a "junk" art supply box (of which I have two; they're just boxes where the random stuff I don't really use or reach for very often that I don't have a good way to organize ends up) for the last half of forever and scribbled on the back of where I'd already transferred the lines once onto a regular piece of white paper (having hoped the black ink lines would be easier to see through the gray paper, which they were, but it still wasn't enough) and then used a mechanical pencil with the point shoved in to transfer the lines onto the gray paper. It's a very round-about way to do it, but it worked. And I went with the charcoal this time instead of trying the gelato trick that I learned with my Fly By the Moon piece because I thought the gelatos might not work all that great with the colored pencils, and I also thought they might make more of a mess trying to transfer onto regular paper instead of onto canvas. This ended up being a good choice also because the charcoal I was able to mostly erase/lift after I touched up the transfer in a few places and then I went back in with proper ink lines to make sure I wouldn't lose them once I started coloring. The lines finally taken care of, I could finally get to the fun part: coloring. And after some behind-the-scenes swatching experiences made them seem better than I had previously remembered, I decided to use my Schpirerr Farben colored pencils. Though I did make the mistake of using my white Prismacolor as a base for the skin. Not that it was a mistake because a white base wasn't needed (it was, and for everything else I used the white from the Schpirerr Farben set as a base), but because the Prismacolor pencil being wax-based, where the Schpirerr Farbens are oil-based, there was a conflict of texture in the layering. Kind of luckily though, I went too dark with the shading on the skin originally and had to work in more layers to fix that, and in that process, I think I managed to get the texture thing mostly under control. I did purposely use that in the hair though, since hair normally has...well, you know, noticeable texture. Otherwise, coloring was a pretty basic colored pencil experience (for me, anyway). I'd put down a base, then the base color, then work on the shading, and as I did certain parts I'd go back and adjust others based on what felt right. I have to say, I think the main drawback to the Schpirerr Farben pencils is really that they only come in 72 colors. I was able to do some mixing and shading and things to get the colors to where I needed them to be (the purple-y blue and red-orange colors on the socks, in particular, I had to mix to get), but I was really missing the wider selection I get from Prismacolor (150) or the Faber Castell Polychromos (120). Which isn't a huge deal, but it is a point for having multiple sets of pencils (or if you're the brand and not the consumer, making larger sets/adding new colors), even if you're loyal to a particular set/brand. Especially if the pencils play well together; the more you have, the wider color range you have to pick from. Other than that, I can confirm they do still layer and blend really nicely without much fuss (as had been my impressions back when I first talked about them). They're just soft enough that it always surprises me when I go to add a layer and the color goes on better than I thought it would because I figured I'd reached my limit on layers already. Considering they've recently branched out and made a watercolor set recently, I'm not sure as to how much stock I should put in Schpirerr Farben possibly returning to their pencils and making more colors...Does the watercolor thing mean they've closed the book on the pencils and want to focus on other supplies now, or does that mean there's hope that they'll continue to innovate on their products, including potential upgrades to the pencils? I'm not sure. Either way, once I finished coloring the figure in, I went back over the ink lines where I'd gotten colored pencil over them and they'd faded/washed out as a result, and then did the white outline with my white gel pen. Then I left the drawing alone overnight because it was missing something, but I wasn't sure what and I couldn't think of anything that night. When I came back to it the next day, I ended up deciding on something slightly complicated; A soft purple PanPastel background with one triangle shape masked/blocked out, and one triangle done in washi tape. This would end up evolving from the second triangle just being bigger to it being a slightly different kind of triangle and going in the opposite direction. And also I changed my mind on which washi tape to use about three different times, finally settling on this metallic-printed on for a little more intrigue when you see the piece IRL. (Even though here on the scan it just looks dark and borderline out of place ) Then to "blend" the metallic into the drawing as a whole better, I added the little dots in the background around the head with a gold shadow gelly roll, since in-person the color looks really close to the metallic print on the tape and the dots kind of tie in the "beads" theme a little better. (Again, this doesn't translate as well into the scan, but I kinda knew that was a risk with both things when I put them down.) And I did go over a few of the beads on the necklaces with the same pen to tie everything all together. Then I signed it with my white gel pen, and I felt much better about calling it finished. And you know, it has its flaws and all, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out anyway. It's a little more simple and there's not a ton of deep meaning or impactful influence behind it or anything, it's not terribly experimental, but it's still a fleshed out, polished drawing. And I really enjoy that, as it gave me more room to just kind of hone in on and practice skills I'm already fairly comfortable with, and sometimes that's just what you need in art, you know? I'm not sure what I'll end up making to post next--I've got some ideas, of course, (never a shortage of those around here ) but I've been a little too muddled to settle on anything just yet, so we'll just have to wait and see. For now, I'm trying to focus more on being gentle with myself until I seem to be back up to snuff to really buckle down on stuff. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

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some-thoughts-and-crosses · 7 years

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Visitations!

It is October in Rome…and a lovely month it is. Technically Autumn, it’s only now getting slightly chilly in the mornings. It also marks almost 3 months since I arrived, and what a 3 months it’s been. I’ve settled into a groove, and am enjoying my work. A few trips are on the horizon and a few have just been, which helps stave off the persistent homesickness. Also helping greatly in this regard are visits from my people!

Faeeza and Pria came to Rome! They arrived on Saturday 30th September, bringing their lovely selves, along with home treats, much chat, and the priceless comfort of dear friends. The first thing I did after their somewhat gruelling journey was make them climb to the top of Gianicolo! It did provide beautiful views though – my justification.

The first of several selfies, taken with enthusiasm if not skill!

In the afternoon we traipsed through Rome a bit, visiting Fontana di Trevi (of course), the Spanish Steps, and the Keats and Byron museum.

Sunday took us to Naples! A lovely train ride of a little more than an hour and the friendliest tourist office staff led us to our first destination…Basilica Santa Maria della Sanità in Piazza Sanità. We came for the catacombs! Our first…and probably not the last. Was a really interesting insight into savvy priests and gullible (but rich!) nobles of the time, that saw them pay vast sums to be ��purified’ and entombed after they died. The price they paid for this saw the church built in just 10 years – unheard of in the 17th century! This is a fresco of a couple that reputedly died on their wedding day. The women is depicted in what we were told is typical, no-nonsense Neapolitan stance – hand on hips! Even then...

After all this excitement we needed sustenance. Perhaps you’ve heard that the best pizza in Italy can be found in Naples…we did! And to be frank, this was the aspect that pretty much decided Naples as our day-trip destination of choice. It turned out to be the perfect choice. We all 3 loved it! There’s a mad energy there, a realness, and so much to see at every corner that is either beautiful, stimulating, or both. Graffiti is wall art. Crazy locals stare from their windows. Seafood is sold on every street corner, and the traffic follows its own, decidedly Neapolitan rhythm. No one wears helmets on the many scooters. We passed scooters with kids standing on the seat as an adult rode, and pizza delivery guys holding the pizzas in one hand and steering with the other. Speaking of pizza…

I really love this pic of the 3 of us, eating our pizza on the pavement and watching the world go by!

The texture of the dough is different in Naples, being more pliable and thicker than in Rome. And while our pies were tasty, I have to say, I will take Roman pizza any day. The below sample is from La Bocaccia in Rome, a spot Pri and Faeez found for me, a dangerous 10 minute walk from my apartment. I would highly recommend it…so good!

After some pastries (for which Naples is also famous), we ventured forth to see the status of the Veiled Christ. It is hauntingly beautiful. We weren’t allowed to take pics of our own, but Wikipedia obliges us. The artist ‘was charged with producing "a marble statue sculpted with the greatest realism, representing Our Lord Jesus Christ in death, covered by a transparent shroud carved from the same block of stone as the statue.":

We headed back to Rome, with Naples leaving its mark. It was a somewhat busy work period for me so I was back to work next day, which left Faeez and Pri to their own sweet wills. Here you see them posing romantically in what is, I believe, the English graveyard Keats is buried in.

On Monday evening we reconvened, and went to the Forum for a night-time audio-visual tour focusing on Caesar. The play of light and sound was incredible – it recreated the Forum and let us see what it would have been like when built. Completely (and expensively) funded by Caesar, he saw it as a way to show-case his glory. As such he refused to have any artists sign their work, lest it detract from him. Kind of a dirt-bag move Caesar…but then again, he did get quite the comeuppance. (This is the first time I’ve used ‘comeuppance’…it won’t be the last).

Too soon, Pri left us lamenting. This gave Faeez a couple days to explore Rome on her own, and on Friday we met again at the airport for the final leg of our adventure…Milan!

Faeez’s fashion credentials necessitated the trip, and almost immediately, the change in dress was visible. The Milanese are a funky bunch. Saturday morning started with coffee and cornettoes in Caffe Armani…

We spent the morning on a fashion tour, with our guide giving us a fashion history lesson and taking us through some of the designer stores, conveniently located around 4 core, inter-leading streets. This part of Milan is really quite small and contained, and the chaos during Fashion week – with celebs in tinted luxury cars on the little, gridlocked streets – can only be imagined. The tour was fascinating…who knew Armani started out his empire by providing clothing for the first wave of professional, working women at the time! The window displays are curated with much care, and are frequently spectacular. We learnt that Valentino has a trademark colour – Valentino Red!

We also realised just how big the fur trade still is…with fur trimming in high demand on everything from accessories to floor-length coats. Interestingly, I just read that Gucci is committing to going fur-free in 2018. This is extremely promising, since it seems Gucci is at the top of its game right now, and was by far the busiest of the designer shops we visited.

Our tour came to an end and Faeez and I went in search of sustenance. We had tea at a venerable old lady of a tea room – 200 years old! Pasticceria Cova…you were a lovely glimpse into what 1800s café society was all about.

The last and most magnificent stop of the day was the Milan Cathedral. Faeez spotted it first as we exited the underground (who knew it would be right there?!) – and it pretty much took our breath away. We lit candles inside and spent a few moments enjoying the loveliness.

Sunday was also a tour day, the primary reason behind it being to secure a viewing of The Last Supper. If you’re going to Milan and want to see it, make sure you book your tickets early. Once they sell out, as they did, you can only hope to access it via a tour. In an attempt to maintain the humidity levels of the room in which it is painted (an old priestly cafeteria!), we passed through 2 sets of doors that seal behind us, and have 15 minute slots for viewings. Pictures are allowed, flash is not. When I was a kid in high school art class, I never imagined that one day I would actually get to see the things I was learning about. It was just so beyond my frame of reference. Each time I do, I am quite overcome. The Last Supper was no exception.

Overall, Milan was lovely. The people were gracious and friendly, and everything seemed to work smoothly. Giulia reckons it’s because the Milanese aren’t frustrated like Romans!

If I had to place Italian cities along a scale of ordered to crazy, I’d place Naples on one end and Milan at the other – with Rome somewhere in the middle. What really made these trips special though, was getting to enjoy it with F & P

Disclaimer: “The information posted on this blog reflects my personal views and opinions and does not necessarily represent those of my employer.”

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6-weeks-in-nicaragua · 5 years

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11 Febrero

It’s been a minute–a lot has happened since las iglesias! I’m alive and well. Knock on wood but so far no explosive diarrhea, no homesickness, no lost passport, no funky encounters... todo bien!

A quick update and then I’m going to just throw a bunch of random experiences, thoughts, and pictures I’ve accumulated over the past 4 or so days cause I have no way of keeping track of it all–so many things happen every day...

UPDATE: Estoy solo en Nicaragua y estoy manejando.

Both Noel and Lorena have gone stateside temporarily. Everybody is okay - no se preocupen. This leaves me alone, but not entirely. A friend of Lorena’s, Noelia, is going to help take care of Toto and may, in fact, even stay in the house part-time or full-time. So we’re all good! Noel left a few days ago and I took Lorena to the airport today. If I remember, I’ll tell you about my first driving adventure later! Anyhow, things were a bit crazy as these plans were all being made–hence the lack of posting. So here we go...

LAS HORMIGAS

These ants live at the Choco Museum and I like them. What I don’t like are the zancudos (mosquitos). They seem to be getting worse with the drier/hotter weather. I’m not sure why but they’re lovin’ my ankles and shoulders.

IT’S THE 1ST OF THE MONTH

On the first Monday of the month, there was an incredible line outside of the bank–the longest line I’ve seen in Nicaragua by far. It turns out that it’s all the retired people collecting their pension.

EL PEREZOSO TUVO EXITO

En fin, yo aprendí que significa la phrase–Tener exito–to succeed. That’s my ‘word’ of the week along with Perezoso–both the adjective lazy and the word for a sloth.

I stumbled upon this beautiful block. On the left is La Fortaleza, an old fort that may have future plans but, for the time being, is closed to the public although apparently some private/government soirees are thrown there too. I was mostly, however, drawn to those 4 casitas. Que linda, verdad?!

MASA

I had my first Nacatamal of the trip. This is a Nicaraguan tamale, but truly a league beyond a tamale. They’re typically made and consumed on weekends only. There’s a panadería nearby called Doña Haydee (?), y hace nacatamals de pollo y de cerdo. They are only available Fri-Sun until they run out.

Arleen told me that they use fake masa here in Granada for their tortillas. No usan maza reál en Granada. Solo puede comprar en Masaya. En general, por allá la gente son más trabajadores, más creativo, y más educado. I think somebody might have a grudge against Granada folks... But I have now heard from multiple people that Masaya is indeed a culinary mecca for Nicaragua. We’d gone once but only to see the market, which is well known for its plethora of quality goods. Pues, vamos a comer en Masaya!

LA EDUCACION

Arleen and I continue to discuss various issues. As we sat in the Cathedral and interpreted the new paintings on the ceiling (Noah’s Ark, Abraham and Isaac(?), Exodus, etc.), we shifted back to education. As she was talking about public and private schools, it sounded like she was arguing that there was little to no value in public school education–textbooks that are 20+ years old, lack of textbooks and other materials, etc. So I asked her if she’d rather not send her boy to school than to a public school. She laughed but agreed that for her, it was no choice. She and her husband (an engineer) do, and would, sacrifice what they would need to, in order to send him through private school. And even a private school is limited. She described the amount of work that parents (moms) have to do to supplement the school education. Ultimately, we agreed that she had a nearly full-time job of being a teacher to her son. She studies with him, draws up her own exercises for him and even her own exams.

4:30pm is a really cool time to be out and about. All of the students are getting out of school and, with their uniforms, seemingly take over the streets. I wish I had a picture to share.

WILLIAM WALKER

We also talked about William Walker. This is the umpteenth time I’ve heard William Walker but was never quite sure why. His name came up one night the guys were arguing about the political crisis. Now I have a vague understanding of why. Essentially, with his own army he marched down Central America, pillaging, pirating, and claiming ownership over land. He would take natural resources (e.g. stones, minerals) and sell them in Europe. This was in or around the 1850′s. And thus began the American involvement in Nicaragua.

XALTEVA

The name of one of the local tribes was Xalteva. As we watched a couple groups of musicians and dancers performing traditional songs and dances (who are contracted by the Tourism office to perform when buses of tourists are scheduled to arrive via Costa Rica or Panama for the day), I asked if this was rooted in Xalteva culture. No. She said the folkart comes from colonial times and is a result of the mix of Inios, Españoles, y Afro-Carribeans. I am excited to read El Gueguense because I think I’ll have a better understanding of all this after. But in a nut shell, much of the traditional arts are rooted in the dissent of Colonialism–’secret’ songs and dances of empowerment that snuck through the eyes and ears of the Spanish imperialists. I think that’s incredible!

COST COMPARISON

As I prepare to be alone, I stopped by the Maxx Pali (a grocery outlet, more or less) and picked up some bare essentials. The Protex is a bar of oatmeal soap. The cereal was the healthiest I could find. And the silver plastic bag is known as chile. It’s spicy pickled chopped onions - by far the best condiment in the world! $15 total. Somehow they only charged me 1 córdoba (1/32.6 of a dollar) for the floss, I’m guessing that means it’s not a very popular product...

DRIVING IN MANAGUA

That was the name of the first book I read about Nicaragua ahead of my first trip in 2015. It’s amazing and I highly recommend it, although the caveat is that it’s about a white guy living/traveling in Nicaragua written by the white guy himself. But his observations are quite acute and I easily relate to some of them.

So my sense of direction proved helpful. I was able to navigate around town, to Managua, to the airport, back to Tia Karla’s house, back to Granada. BUT I NEARLY GOT CRUSHED BY A BUS! So Nicaragua prefers roundabouts to traffic signals. I have no problem with that. But there aren’t really any lanes so it’s a bit of a free-for-all. And it’s legal for one on the inside line to leave the roundabout, thus cutting off anyone on the outside. I was nervous about these and during our drive to Managua today, asked Lorena a million hypothetical questions. We went through a few to practice, and all was good. But I still imaged these hypothetical situations and didn’t understand how to avoid them.

So after giving myself a pat on the back for navigating from the airport, to Karla’s, and back to Calleterra Masaya (the hwy) - I was going through the roundabout to enter the highway. I was in the circle, thus establishing the right of way from cars not yet in the circle. I passed the first turn. I passed the second turn. And as I was nearing the third, a bus was approaching the circle at a high speed. Now, so far, I’ve learned to the key to a safe ride is to drive defensively in an aggressive manner. So I dared not stop in the middle of the circle. I held my breath and continued past the 3rd street as the bus entered the circle. It was now my turn to bear right out of the circle and I needed to cut off the bus (but it’s not cutting off, I have the right of way). So I kept on holding my breath and zoomed by with the bus zooming lord knows many millimeters behind me. Had he hit me, I think he would have pushed me into the guardrail and I probably would have gone over the guardrail and down a couple stories onto the highway below...

Driving feels like a video game. A lot of veering one way and the next. Dodging people, bicycles, motorcycles, horses, buses, taxis, etc. It’s like Frogger but reversed. There are a million frogs crossing and you’re the car trying to make it from pt. a to pt. b without hitting or getting hit by one. It’s fun and exhilarating but it’s also real life.

END ON A GOOD NOTE

This is part of Noelia’s patio. I absolutely love it! Nadessa arrives tomorrow for a week so I gotta get some rest.

Estoy apreciado de tú y tú y todos. Buenas Noches!

#nicaragua #granada #roundabout #hormigas #perezoso #nacatamal #xalteva #williamwalker

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verbballetstaipei-blog · 7 years

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Day 10-our first day in the theater!!

*note* sorry this didn't post sooner! Wifi gets spotty here sometimes. Day 11 coming soon! Hiya! I'm currently writing while backstage at the National Theatre of Taiwan....ahhhh! So so cool! All dancers grow up with a profound respect for theaters and this is the biggest theatre I've performed in. We are dancing on what's called the experimental stage. The National Theatre houses several stages so multiple productions can happen simultaneously. I could hardly believe it when they gave me my backstage pass at the stage door today--I'm going to be performing professionally in Taiwan in just 2 short days! I spent the morning before the theatre bopping around Taipei. After my full night of sleep I was in a great mood so I was more chatty than normal (sorry Kelly, Christina, and Michael) and despite my hyperactive tendencies they let me come along with them on their outing to the dance store. The ladies found cute leos and Michael got a pair of rockin sweatpants. Yay Taiwanese dance clothes!💃🏽 Still filled with lots of energy, I split off from the group to do a couple of Taipei things that I wanted to squeeze in before being in the theatre for the rest of the trip. First, I took the MRT to city hall and tried lots of yummy samples in the schmancy underground food court. One bakery had this wine quinoa walnut bread that was ahhhhmazing (it also had squid ink bread which I didn't try due to my vegetarianness but it certainly piqued my interest!). Next I went to the Discover Taipei exhibit on the 3rd and 4th floors of city hall to learn a bit more about the region's history. This island has been through so much! The Sino-Japanese war of 1894, declaring itself the Republic of Formosa, Japanese colonization, and many years of complicated relationships with China. Since it was just around the corner, I walked to the famous Taipei 101 building and checked that off the must-do tourist list. I didn't want to pay to go the top of the 8th tallest building in the world (I already got a pretty killer view of Taipei from elephant mountain) but I did want to learn more about it! It is shaped like a tower with 8 sections, and every section is supposed to look like a traditional Chinese money box to bring prosperity to the city. The money boxes are stacked up to look like a bamboo shoot, which represents growth and learning. How cool to make a skyscraper that's so meaningful! I walked around the Taipei 101 mall for a bit (more samples yusss) then I walked over to Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall. On my way, I passed a block filled with small stores and food trucks. One store was entirely dedicated to toilet paper that smelled of different flavors--they kept giving me samples even as I was trying to walk away! I love the idea, but unfortunately I'm not at financial level where I'm able to budget for nice smelling toilet paper. Haha maybe one day! Sun Yat-Sen memorial hall had a surprising amount to do! I was expecting a nice walk around a park, but in addition to pleasant greenery I experienced multiple art galleries, a musical performance, a mini museum, a calligraphy lesson, and a cow themed cafe. What's not to love?! My favorite art gallery was made by adults who had had disabilities from birth or had developed them later in life. The docents spoke to me about the program, which in works to make beauty from potentially ugly situations. How smart! Ugh I love it!The pieces were incredible and the artists' quotes were inspiring. We can all work to make the best situation with the hand we're dealt! I MRTed back to the hotel to meet up with the company and we all walked to the National Theater. After getting our swanky backstage passes (still can believe it😸) we set up in our dressing rooms and took company class onstage. We didn't have barres so we had to use chairs that were a little too short...time to get on your leg! Getting on your leg is what dancers refer to when talking about finding your center of balance. Richard, our rehearsal director, gave a tough but good class. I love that we get to continue working on technique even as professionals. Then it was time for a long night of rehearsal. The experimental theatre has some of the most technologically advanced production capabilities I've ever seen (or danced in). It's equipped with every type of lighting you can imagine. Strokes of light shoot through the air, waves of color glimmer across the stage with a 3D quality, fog bends light in all directions...the possibilities are limitless. These production qualities make for a very ambient stage but also for some disoriented dancers on tech night...oof again. My stamina felt better today but there were several occasions where I had no idea which way the front was (the audience, the back wall, and all 4 corners of the stage all appear to be pitch black from an on-stage perspective) so I was frequently turned around and consequently not on my leg😑 The main purpose of a tech rehearsal is for the light and sound people to coordinate with dancer cues, but it is also a chance for us dancers to learn where to anticipate particularly disorienting parts so we can find a visual anchor for the next run (i.e. a piece of glow type or light fixture). I have some serious anchoring to do! I am writing this while watching rehearsal for the last piece, "Arrival from Departure" which Ming (BodyEDT's director) set on Verb last season. It's 9:30pm so almost time to head home for the night and get some rest for another theatre day tomorrow! Update: I wrote my last post from the theatre, but I had one more adventure on my way home. As Michael and I were passing the main entranceway to the theatre (imagine a grand stairwell and vast roof over a terrace), I heard some funky music playing from above. The stairs are so high that we couldn't see what was happening from below, so we ran up to check it out. OhMyGosh!! Jackpot! We found a street dance crew practicing their moves in three rings--one circle for practicing flying, one for popping, and one for breaking. When you're a dancer, it's practically irresistible to withhold from dancing when there's a sick beat and bunches of other people dancing around you, so I went over to the popping group and introduced myself. They were super excited to have michael and I join! They explained that they were experimenting with slow movement accented with popping on counts 1 and 5, so we played along and improved with them. I love how dance can build relationships among people of all backgrounds and languages, ultimately people want to move together! One woman named Cynthia was especially good at English. She offered to introduce us to the dance captain so he could teach us some of his moves. Before we knew it, Michael and I were on the stone ground learning how to swing our legs around our body for a breakdance move. I was terrible, but it was super fun to learn! Their dance captain was a great teacher and very accommodating to our balletness. He kept reminding us not to point our feet...Haha. Street dancing with the "90s breakers" was definitely one of my favorite moments from this trip! Now bedtime time for meeee! 😴Kate☺️

#verbballetstaipei

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zenbabytravel · 5 years

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Our friends and followers on social media and blog know by now our passion for sushi and London hoods where we hang out most. We also had few questions on on which Japanese restaurant in South Kensington: fresh sashimi, innovative cuisines, bottomless brunches, low seating or cool social scene, kids in tow or grown ups only – so here are our picks for various occasions.

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So thrilled to have @japanhouseldn in the hood! Mesmerized by lunch, shop, elevator and toilets 🙈❤️ ******************************************* #japanhouseldn #kensingtonlunches #foodinspiration #sushiwithkids #foodiesofinstagram #sushiwithlove #kensingtonmums #londonfoodies @londonfoodbabes @london.foodguide @top_london_restaurants #citytripping #culturedkids #londoneats #akira

A post shared by Zenbabytravel (@zenbabytravel) on Sep 8, 2018 at 7:07am PDT

Tested with kids in tow:

Kiru London

1. Kiru – elegant but cosy, we went for an early name day celebration-dinner with our toddler. In Japanese Haiku poetry, kiru is a cutting word that delivers a deeper meaning through division and juxtaposition, greater than the sum of its parts. Meaning as beautiful as the dishes and service. The location is as good as it gets – Elystan Street by Sloane Avenue (my former hood). We read as well glorious reviews of Kiru’s bottomless brunches – for the exquisite dishes reasonably priced at £50pp for three courses plus bottomless drinks and £20pp for those aged 12-years and under plus soft drinks.

2. Maze Grill Park Walk – Gordon Ramsay needs little introduction. Maze Grill Park Walk also needs liitle introduction with our Chelsea friends – rare breed steaks and impeccable sushi in a casual chic setting with exposed bricks and filled with contemporary cool art.

Maze Grill Park Walk

3. Yashin Ocean House. The sibling of Yashin without Soy sauce from Argyll street, a cute sushi bar with outstanding Japanese dishes that we fell in love with years ago.

Yashin Ocean Sushi

4. Dozo, Brompton road. Low seating (zashiki style) and casual, great food. Gets very crowded at the weekend, so not a good place if you have 2 young kids in tow but totally feasible with just 1 civilised child (at least in our case). Dozo bills itself as a ‘Japanese fine dining restaurant’, though our lunches included strictly bento boxes and sushi sets, so we need to get back for dinner.

5. Sticks and sushi, Kings Road. The newly opened Sticks & sushi branch is spacey and cool, serving all the usual exquisite sushi plates with the Scandi twist.

Sticks & sushi

6. Kulu kulu – no frills Japanese conveyor belt cafe just by South Ken station. It’s cosy and small but perfect for a quick lunch and sushi cravings after South Ken iconic museums.

Sakurado – Japanese restaurant South Kensington

7. Sakurado – Cafe and sweet shop rather than Japanese restaurant in South Kensington. The flowers and entrance are quite instagramable, the food on the average side. We popped in on a Saturday, despite an okish menu there was no sashimi or any kind of fresh fish to be had. We contented ourselves with cucumber rolls and average prawn tempura. Prosecco and champagne proved a tricky choice, they had to open a couple of bottles to get it right ( or to be more precise I had to help them open a couple of bottles). They may be the new kids on the block on Gloucester road, so let us know if you tested them and had a better outcome.

Grown ups mainly – which Japanese restaurant South Kensington?

1. Dinings SW3. The second Dinings in London, this is a quaint authentic Japanese, which goes well beyond the traditional sushi. We sat at the sushi counter with our friends and watched in awe the chefs labout of love translated into exquisite and mouthwatering little dishes. I loved the double baked aubergine, the tuna brushed vigorously with soya sauce, the black cod, the tacos with salmon and funky twists, the shrimp tempura. The menu is vast and amazing, from sea bass with fresh truffle to smoked eel with yuzu zest – inspiration straight from the traditional fare served in izakayas (informal Japanese pubs).

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2. E&O Kings Road : an establishment by now with its buzzing bar and fabulous pan-Asian menu, along with its sibling E&O Noting Hill. At World’s End end of Chelsea, Eight over Eight design is super-slick, black and white, and with an abundance of oriental lampshades. The wines are superb and reasonably priced – this is the place we keep on going back with various friends, it’s always a great night out and yum dinner.

Blakes below Kensington

3. Blakes below Kensington. A Kensington gem, in love with the bar and restaurant of this newly renovated Anoushka Kempel. Whilst this is not a Japanese restaurant South Kensington per se, one has few fresh Japanese options including sashimi platters, black cod, edamame, grilled avocado, yellow tail or tuna tartare and so much more !

Sushi & Robata by Genji Kensington

Are you happy to go slightly further than South Ken for some outstanding sushi? Kensington street has some fine choices, glam and casual perfectly appropriate for dining with kids: Akira @ Japan House or Sushi & Robata by Genji?

Zuma

Or should one find himself in Knightsbridge: Zuma needs no introduction – an institution with outstanding food as well as glam and fun social scene. I am still to take the young ones in here, I’ve been rather selfish and kept it to myself and friends!

Which Japanese restaurant in South Kensington ? Our friends and followers on social media and blog know by now our passion for sushi… 874 more words

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