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spartanguard · 1 year

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sons of love and death, 1/13 {CSSNS 23}

Summary: After the Final Battle, Killian Jones had finally settled into his happily ever after with his wife and family. Until a new foe arrived in Storybrooke: the infamous Dorian Gray, who looks rather familiar—one might say identical—to the pirate, and he's on a mission: to claim the powers of the Dark One for himself. There's only one problem: the Dark One no longer exists. What follows is a journey of vengeance, revelations, magic, and finally facing down the darkness within himself that Killian thought he'd finally put to rest. [roughly canon divergent from 5B, though set post-canon]

A/N: It's time for @cssns 2023! Although this story has been in the works for a VERY long time—since fall of 2015, in fact, when a casual manip of some set photos featuring a mirror image of Killian was floating around tumblr and I was suddenly overcome with the desire to see two Killians. (Note that this was WELL before we actually had two Killians in canon!) A not-so-anonymous prompt (from one @kat2609 ) requested I follow that idea, and I started to—but then canon happened and meant the canon-divergent idea I'd been playing with no long worked. And so it sat for quite a while, until I sat down last year to finally hash it out. And here we are! Hope you enjoy this adventure—which is also complete! Eternal thanks to @optomisticgirl for her excellent beta skills on the whole thing! Quick note: the text in italics (or not in italics, during flashbacks) are quotes taken from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (considering I also borrowed the main character, in what I hope is an OUAT-esque take on that tale).

rated M | 1.9k words [prologue] | AO3

The man approached the barrier. An untrained eye might only see the neon line on the pavement, but he could tell that wasn't all—he could feel it. The hum of magic dinned quietly in his ears and made his skin prick ever so slightly, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. He held his hand up to the invisible wall and closed his eyes, concentrating on some unknown. A cigarette burned at his lips and a bit of ash fell on his leather motorcycle jacket, yet it rolled off the material like water.

In a few moments, his hand began to glow a fiery orange, matching the ember at the end of his roll; slowly, he passed the limb through the barrier, feeling a tingle as he did so. A wicked grin covered his face as he opened his eyes and continued to walk over the town line. He tossed the butt of the cigarette off the edge of the road, not caring if fire caught—things tended to go up in flames wherever he went, anyway.

Centuries of chasing down the Dark One were about to pay off. He'd finally take what was rightfully his—what Rumpelstiltskin had stolen—and finally claim the darkest magic known to man for himself.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Signs pointed the way into town. Despite being in a land without magic, this little village was brimming with it. He almost felt as if he was drowning in light magic, even though the town was created by the Dark Curse. As he walked past the cemetery, he picked up a whiff of something different; curiosity piqued, he followed the pull to a mausoleum. Getting in was easy, and he had to admit, that was quite a collection of hearts. But it didn't belong to the Dark One; this must be that of the Evil Queen who dragged everyone here in the first place.

In his time spent with Zoso, he’d grown accustomed to the feel of the Dark One's magic, and the few times he'd been near closing in on Rumpelstiltskin, he easily recognized it. But here—he wasn’t sure. There was something in the air, but he couldn’t put a finger on it; it was just outside the cusp of his awareness. But magic worked differently here, so he kept searching.

Another cigarette fell to ash as he trekked out of the graveyard. He tossed the remains on a random grave (Neal something, whoever the poor sap was), and promptly lit another one. Tobacco was just one of his many vices; women, booze, and gambling rounded out the list of usuals, but magic was by far his biggest, and while he had plenty of his own, he craved more—of a specific variety. After all, the only way to get rid of a temptation was to yield to it. Resist, and the soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful.

It was a short walk to the main drag of the town. A seedy bar, ridiculously named The Rabbit Hole, was definitely calling to his baser instincts. The diner across the street was still open, and a few town residents were making their way home in the twilight. He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up to hide his face, letting the embers from the cigarette illuminate his jagged scar, strong nose, and blue eyes in a threatening manner.

To his surprise, though, the few people he passed on his journey to nowhere-yet actually acknowledged his presence, and even seemed to give him a nod or a smile—he certainly wasn’t the neighborly type, so why these dimwitted townsfolk saw fit to welcome him was baffling.

By the time he reached the street corner, it was forgotten, as something far more interesting had captured his interest: Dark One...residue, he supposed. There was no sign of the actual sorcerer, but he’d definitely been nearby, and left a trace. The trail seemed to lead him to one Mr. Gold’s Pawnshop. It was faint, but there was definitely something sinister about the little storefront—so many of the seemingly random objects displayed in the window had any number of macabre uses. Definitely his kind of place.

He tried to turn the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge. So he waited a moment. Again, his palm glowed orange, and a hissing sound filled the air as he melted his way in. With the knob and deadbolt reduced to molten metal, pushing the door open was nothing, and he proceeded to investigate the shop.

The more he looked around, the more he knew that he’d found the man he was looking for. Who else would have a pair of creepy marionettes on full display? Or a seemingly innocuous collection of cursed animal horns? A hand preserved in a glass jar caught his attention; he had to admire someone who kept such trophies around.

But he was here to find the dagger. He couldn’t rely on his extra senses to find it in a shop full of magical objects, so he’d just have to dig on his own. He began searching through cabinets and drawers, overturning stacks of paper and storming through boxes. It was actually an impressive mess he made. There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realize his conception of the beautiful. But nothing.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, but knew that he wouldn't get anywhere else until the next day.

The night was still young, though, so he made the quick trip back to The Rabbit Hole. The dingy bar was just what he needed to blow off steam: low lights, loud music, and ample ladies. A pretty brunette on the dance floor caught his eye, and the bartender took his order: the finest whiskey, on the rocks, keep 'em coming. He could afford a night of fun before he finally—finally—took what was his.

He didn't notice the sideways glances that followed him as he began to grind with the girl, hips moving in time with the music and each other. He was used to them.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

The next morning's sun was too bright and the air too crisp for his hungover self to appreciate; if he had any say, it would be cloudy and murky, just like his mind. The girl he went home with last night—Tisbe or something equally ridiculous—kicked him out early, leaving him on the streets of this absurd town with a raging headache and an empty stomach.

He threw open the door to the diner and slouched onto a stool at the counter, unaware of the dying buzz of the patrons as he did so. The elderly proprietress of the establishment asked him a question, but he was still too unfocused to properly hear it or respond and so grunted an assent; hopefully, she was asking if he wanted coffee. He'd really take anything right now.

The woman paused after his half-assed response, then walked away. As he studied the dated pattern of the counter, he heard a scoff from the seat next to him. "What's your deal, man?"

Blearily, he looked up; a short, stocky man with a thick beard was glaring at him. "What's it to you?" he slurred.

"I saw you at the Rabbit Hole last night and now you're being a dick to Granny?"

"And now I get to be a dick to you: fuck off, dwarf." He was in no mood for a lecture. He knew what kind of person he was.

"I told you I was gonna keep my eye on you. Guess you haven't changed."

Enough. He grabbed the dwarf's collar and stared him down. "You don't know me, pal. And if you think you do, you're sorely mistaken."

"Hey man, back off." The dwarf pushed back and he tumbled from his stool.

"Oh, you'll regret that," he said as he slowly stood. When he turned back to face the dwarf, a fireball was at the ready; he relished the way his foe's eyes widened.

He pulled back, ready to send the flame flying, but before he could, he saw a fist and then nothing.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

If he thought his hangover was bad, whatever this was was worse. His body was a solid bruise; he was sure of it. He remembered being punched but he must have fallen, too, and the scene from the diner slowly came back to him. His stomach grumbled in protest of still not having any food, and the echoing groan from his lips told the story for the rest of his body.

Sunlight streamed in through a window and had just reached an angle to hit him directly in the eyes, which made him realize he was lying down on something hard. Before the light had blinded him, he made out the too-familiar sight of bars and figured he was in this town's version of prison. He rolled over in an attempt to escape the sun, prompting a chuckle from somewhere nearby.

"Haven't you inbreds heard of blinds?" he barked, his voice hoarse.

"I'm surprised you even know what those are." It was a man's voice and he sounded annoyed.

"You clearly don't." He slowly opened his eyes so he could adjust to the room's brightness. The cool gray cinderblock was a good start.

"I'm disappointed in you." The man almost sounded sad.

"As I told the asshole in the diner, you don't know me." He groggily sat up to stare the man down; a sheriff's badge gleamed from where it was hooked to his jeans, below crossed arms and a stern glare.

"I know you plenty well, pirate." He'd been called many things, but that was a new one. "How could you do this to Emma?"

Who? "Who the fuck is Emma?" Something weird was going on, but his brain hurt too much to process it.

"I the fuck am Emma," came a feminine voice from the hallway, followed by the clack of boot heels as she approached. The sheriff ran in her direction, stopping her before she came into view.

"Emma, hold on; I have to tell you something."

"Dad, what's going on?" His vision was blearier than he thought if he hadn't noticed that the man was old enough to have an adult daughter.

The rest of their conversation was too quiet for him to hear, so he slumped back against the concrete wall and glanced around the station. He still cursed their lack of window hangings.

The sheriff came back, followed by his daughter. Ooh, now there was a sight. A gorgeous blonde came into view, a vision in a red leather jacket. Now why wasn't she at the bar last night? A much better bedfellow she would have made.

Until he saw that she, too, wore a badge. Law enforcement was an immediate turnoff.

She wore a concerned look on her face as she slowly approached his holding cell. It seemed as if she was studying his face, searching for something. But she must have come up empty, as relief flooded her features, followed quickly by confusion.

"That's not Killian."

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thanks for reading! (longer chapters to come!) tagging some peeps (let me know if you do/don’t want a tag!) @kat2609 @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @shireness-says @ohmightydevviepuu @wistfulcynic @pirateherokillian @colinoeyebrows @wingedlioness @word-bug @thisonesatellite @wellhellotragic @welllpthisishappening @let-it-raines @killianmesmalls @thejollyroger-writer @ineffablecolors @ive-always-been-a-pirate @nfbagelperson @stubblesandwich @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet @kmomof4 @ilovemesomekillianjones @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @idristardis @scientificapricot @searchingwardrobes @donteattheappleshook @jrob64 @the-darkdragonfly @stahlop @klynn-stormz @resident-of-storybrooke

#cs ff #killian jones ff #cssns 2023 #captain swan supernatural summer #sons of love and death #my ff

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fredseibertdotcom · 3 months

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Behold, the king of online cartoons

Ex-Hanna-Barbera whiz Fred Seibert blazing a trail with YouTube network

A couple of times over the years, then-USA Today’s entertainment and tech reporter (and photographer) Jefferson Graham was nice enough to feature me in an article about the cartoons I was producing. First time was in the late 90s with “Oh Yeah! Cartoons,” but in 2015, with streaming video finally reaching the mainstream press (Channel Frederator actually started in 2005) and Graham’s animator son joining our network, he revisited.

Thanks to animator Michael Hilliger, who sent over his copy of the article in 2024.

By Jefferson Graham USA Today July 17, 2015

LOS ANGELES — Fred Seibert wants you to have his card.

And his phone number. He even won't mind if we print his [email protected] e-mail address right here in USA TODAY.

Seibert, 63 is the online toon king, with 400 million views monthly to his Channel Frederator network on YouTube, but he's never sure where his next hit will come from.

So he's always out there looking, at schools, industry gatherings, book signings. You name it.

Next weekend, he'll be at the Vidcon convention near Los Angeles, a gathering of folks who make their living off YouTube, which is where most folks see his online `toons.

"I have no ideas," he says. "But I recognize talent."

That's for sure. Seibert, then president of Hanna-Barbera's cartoon studios in the 1990s, is credited with discovering Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the Family Guy, fresh from college, when he hired him to work on Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

For Seibert's "What a Cartoon!" series for the Cartoon Network, Seibert hit ratings gold, signing up the creators who churned out hits like "The Powerpuff Girls," "Dexter's Laboratory" and "Johnny Bravo." Their series debuted as shorts for first for Seibert's series.

He still serves as executive producer of "The Fairly OddParents," a TV series he began producing in 1998 when it debuted on his "Oh Yeah, Cartoons," series. It's been running ever since on Nickelodeon.

Seibert's biggest audiences, however, have come from online, to the tune of some 1.9 billion views for 'toons like the Bee and PuppyCat and Bravest Warriors.

We had Seibert as a guest on our #TalkingTech podcast in June. At the time, he was averaging 300 million monthly viewers to the Channel Frederator network. Now he's already up to 400 million monthly viewers, and predicts he'll top 700 million by year's end, and 1 billion by 2016.

The reason for the massive growth is that unlike before, when animation was targeted just to young kids, either for Saturday morning TV, and kid-based cartoon TV channels, anyone of all ages can view `toons online.

Seibert's Cartoon Hangover, a Frederator section where he shows the best of his `toons, bills itself as the channel for "cartoons that are too weird, wild, and crazy for television."

“Bee and PuppyCat,” about a young woman with a hybrid dog-cat, is written by Natasha Allegri, a woman in her 20s, about a character in her 20s, and thus, obviously not targeted to the traditional animation crowd.

"No matter what your interest online — whether it be anime, or science fiction or comedy cartoons, there is a place for you," Seibert says. "TV has a tough time supporting the sub-genres. Online is all about sub-genre."

Channel Frederator is what's known as a multi-channel network. Cartoons run on YouTube, but his network promotes them, sells ads and distributes the proceeds to some 2,000 of his video makers.

Through Frederator, the channel makers learn about which color to make their thumbnails to find larger YouTube audiences (he recommends yellow) and which keywords to use in the descriptions ("funny" always works, he says.)

"We give them the tools to grow their performance," he says.

Dominic Panganiban, a 24-year-old animator from Toronto, joined the Frederator network in November, and has seen his subscriber base grow ten times since.

He had been working with Full Screen, another multi-channel network that works with YouTube creators to help them monetize their videos and attract larger audiences.

"Frederator was a better fit, because they cater more towards animation channels," Panganiban says. Because Frederator attracts folks who enjoy cartoons, "I have more potential here."

By being part of the Frederator network, Australian animator Sam Green says he's learned about how to better promote his cartoons, and gotten access to a database of free music and sound effects to use in his cartoons.

He too has seen a spike in traffic.

Being with Seibert "helped me move from my mother's garage to affording my own apartment in the big city," he says.

How did the traffic for both creators go up so dramatically?

Seibert promoted the cartoons to his audience. With 2,000 cartoon makers, that's a lot to choose from. He says he'll plug as many of them as "show an interest" to growing their audience. He looks for people who post new work regularly, stay in touch, and ask "what we can do to help them more."

And despite the massive online audience, Seibert isn't making money yet, and doesn't think he will for another three years.

"Our cartoons are 3-4 minutes long, and the average American watches 6 hours of TV a day," he says. "We have a long way to go to even that out."

Photography by Jefferson Graham, July 2015

#USA Today #Fred Seibert #press #PR #Channel Frederator #Channel Frederator Network #2015

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xalygatorx · 6 months

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Worthy (2015) | Chapter 30, "Death & Her Suitor"

Disappearing sporadically in public spaces quickly becomes Cora Dempsey's least concerning problem when suddenly she captures the attention of the forming Avengers Initiative, the World Security Council, and Asgard's fallen prince all in one week. And the universe is only just getting started with her.

Worthy is a slow-burn SFW Marvelverse (films) romance between Loki and a female OC. For additional details on what canon is used, see the Prologue post.

Summary: Cora risks her life to get the Soul Stone away from Thanos. Loki uses his illusions to buy Cora some time. Cora’s ancestors come through on their promise of a weapon. There is an outcome to Thanos's attempt at apocalypse.

Pairing: Loki x Fem!OC

Warnings: Superhero movie levels of action

Word Count: 2.7k

"CORA, NO!"

The slim young woman glanced over at the last moment, dodging the angry Aether beams just in time before they smashed into the floor where she'd been positioned but an instant before. In her attempt to get away, she overshot the split remnants of Mjolnir, but she whirled just before Thanos reached them, extending her right hand in a final, desperate attempt to salvage an advantage.

Despite the pull of its brothers from the Infinity Gauntlet, the Soul Gem and both halves of the mighty storm-calling hammer shuddered and gave a sudden heave through the air toward Cora, slamming against her arms, which reflexively wound around the metal pieces. She grappled with them a moment as she continued to run, a cry escaping her as she heard the floor explode from a blast of power just behind her, the heat of the attack flashing at her heels as she sprinted toward an open ventilation duct near the gaping hole in the far wall.

She dodged one more attack before tightening her hold on the hammer pieces and letting her legs give out from under her, her momentum skidding her forward as she slid into the vent, hearing Thanos's roar of frustration echo through the metal tube with her as she began a wild ride away from the labs.

Thanos growled and leaned away from the tube, the bejeweled Gauntlet beginning to blaze with his anger as the Tesseract's blue glow began to radiate and the air around Thanos began to warp. When the metal duct began to cave in on itself, the first to react immediately was Loki. And violently. With a feral growl, he seized one of Volstagg's blades from the scabbard on his back and hurled it at the monstrous being in the metal chair. The blade sunk into Thanos's arm, but it measured the same as a needle in his thick, power-engorged appendage. He turned blazing eyes upon the Jotun prince, who glared defiantly back, the others finally rising to the occasion where they could.

"How dare you, the rejected spawn of a fallen Frost Giant king, seek to challenge my might… Beneath even my thumb, you proved a failure. You are even lower now," Thanos said darkly, eyes narrowing as the Gauntlet began to recharge with energy. "I will end you all!"

"All, are you?" Loki growled, clenching his jaw as his form shifted into multiples, spiraling around Thanos as he began a dance of deceit with room only for him to succeed. At the very least, he could give Cora time. Thanos grinned jeeringly as he looked over the illusions, easily seeing through Loki's illusions with the aid of the Tesseract's hold on reality.

"You seek to confuse me, weakling… You play a child's game," he said carelessly as he let a blast of blue dispel Loki's illusions, leaving only him behind. Loki grimaced, but noticed that Thanos's gaze kept darting toward the open vent, where Cora had disappeared just a moment before. He was distracted, but powerful… The God of Mischief could work with that.

With a jerk of his head, he motioned for Jane to move her makeshift bombs forward, watching as Steve moved to help her. In the meantime, Sif was regaining consciousness and Tony had finally regained his composure, though he'd seemed to be in the midst of some kind of anxiety attack, alternating between breathing heavily to the point of coughing and forcing himself to focus.

Loki created his illusions again, but forced them to move at top speed, swerving this way and that. By the time Thanos gathered the power to dispel them again, Loki had lunged, sending his dagger hurtling at Thanos's face, where it sunk into and cracked one of his cheekbones. Thanos bristled with the sound of an angry snake, but it wasn't over. Jane had managed to sneak nearer and with Steve close behind, they hurled the barrel at Thanos's back, where it broke and exploded over his shoulder blades and spine, the toxic chemical mixture seeping into his skin and burning down to the bone.

With a yell that became a screech, Thanos recoiled, twitching with agony as he summoned the power of the Tesseract one more time and sent blue energy streaming from the Gauntlet. Though Loki tensed to dodge and looked to make sure Steve and Jane had time to do the same, he was surprised to note that the power missed the pair by at least six feet. He recalled the location of the vent just as the energy shot into the metal, beginning to warp the tunnel within seconds of impact. No!

Cora clung to the fragments in her arms as she slid down the ventilation shaft, having to lie down to not hit her head. Her eyes narrowed when she heard the sound of bending, groaning metal behind her and when she tilted her head back to look, she saw the vent caving in, section by section. I need to get out of here, she thought desperately, hurriedly scanning the vent for a grate. When she saw one, she hurled the empty half of Mjolnir at the opening, smashing it and falling through just as the power warping the vent caught up. It continued along as she hit the floor of a lab smaller than the others, darkened until she triggered the automatic lights.

She scrambled to her feet and scooped up the hammer pieces, her thoughts racing as she ran from the lab. I have to get out of the building. There's too much that can warp and fall on me in here and I seriously doubt there's any way that Thanos doesn't know where I am… If he can't sense me, he can sense the Gem. Cora looked down at the Soul Gem, which was brightening and dimming like a pulse inside the metal head.

She hurried through the halls, wincing as booming crashes came from behind her in the labs she'd left behind. I'm so sorry, guys. But I have to prioritize… If I'd stayed there with the stone and played "keep away," I'd either be dead by now or struggling to hold onto this thing.

Cora scanned the directory signs as she ran, looking for the exit beacons until they slowly began to appear above door frames heading toward the west end. Thinking better of getting into an elevator, she sprinted up two stairwells, her pace increasing as she felt the floor begin to vibrate under her feet. Before she could process the strange groaning sound coming from the lower levels of the building, the thick steel floors and walls began ripping like tissue paper all around her, sparks flying when pieces clashed at every angle.

Reflexively ducking, Cora hurried down the last hall, dodging through the obstacle course of mutating wayward steel sheets, finally half-diving through the exit into the stormy world beyond. She was nearly knocked off her feet by the wind as it whipped past and then stilled suddenly, the movements in the atmosphere unnatural and alarming. "Dammit, go back together," she murmured as she pressed the two halves against one another to no avail. The Soul Gem just continued to beat like a living heart.

New York City was absolutely still apart from the moments in which the wind blew, sometimes catching trash and the bins that housed it, while other times it kicked up so violently in just the perfect spot against the bumpers of the stalemated traffic, cars were made airborne and hurled through the street into buildings and others of their kind. Cora skidded as she tried to brace herself against the wind, whirling just as the building behind her contorted and began to peel apart.

"God, this is like a terrible dream…," she murmured softly, wincing as Bruce burst from the roof in full Hulk-form, one arm occupied by their allies and the other with the barrels Jane and Dr. Selvig had been working on before Thanos had arrived in the labs. Before she had time to watch and make sure everyone else made it out okay, the side of the building nearest her exploded outward in a blast of white light, the sheen of Thanos's mechanical chair following through the debris. She ducked against the power of the blast, but it threw her back as all hell broke loose around her, even her form wavering in the midst of the chaos.

What was left of the cratered, cracked concrete rocked when the Hulk leapt down to the ground nearby and Cora heard only another hard thud before two enormous green fists pounded down on the ground on either side of her head, making her reflexively cringe until she realized another wave of the Gauntlet's energy had been heading her way. Bruce's roar of pain hit her heart and her eardrums with extreme force and she hurriedly scurried out from under him once the coast was clear, only to be attacked again from the front. Or so she thought at first.

Cora screamed when a large pillar of light ignited before her, a metallic clang meeting her ears before the light disappeared once more. When she turned to see what had become of the light that had looked suspiciously like energy from the BiFrost, she found a huge, steel-grey sword in her midst, looking to be the same material as Mjolnir, but worked into a polished, smooth blade.

"A claymore?" she murmured, her brows creasing slightly at the center before she lifted her gaze to the sky. Glancing back toward the blade, she found the surface littered with runes. "Whosoever wields this blade, should she be… This is the same as…," Cora read, glancing at the broken hammer in realization. The creed was longer this time, however, and the branding mark of her grandfather's work blazed beneath the hilt.

Cora looked to an oval-shaped indent at the base of the blade before understanding dawned and she glanced toward Bruce, who had remained nearby for her protection, she assumed. She swallowed hard as he nodded toward the hammer pieces in her hands and she murmured a soft "thank you" to Brokkr and Sindri for fashioning the weapon and sending it her way. It was just in time.

"Might not be enough to stop this, but we're going to try," she muttered as she reached for the Soul Gem, prying it from Mjolnir. She heard a grunt of agreement from Bruce before the Gem was plucked out of the metal. She pursed her lips and pressed the green stone to the indent on the sword; it bonded immediately with the new weapon, the pulsating green veins of power slithering down through the silver body of the blade. She pulled the sword from the pavement and looked down at the broken hammer in her arms, lying the halves against each other on the ground before aiming the sword at them, the blade glowing as it charged with energy. "Um… Heal it?"

Power seeped from the sword and ignited the fissure in the hammer, little fibers of light dancing between the halves until there was no space left to work within, just a scar on the surface. Once the halves were once again whole, the weapon quaked and soared from the concrete, hopefully seeking its true master somewhere nearby. Cora could only hope he was strong enough to wield it.

Lifting the sword and letting it settle into her hands the way she'd been taught back in Asgard, Cora stood beside Bruce, facing down against Thanos as he slowly advanced. "Pitiful Midgardian scum… Fall before me and surrender the Soul Gem."

"Fuck you, buddy, go back to space!" Cora snapped, finally burnt out on fear and running on the fuel of pure frustration. Bruce snorted beside her and she noticed the burns and welts littering his back from the Aether's blasts for the first time. They looked horrible and if they were able to do that much damage to Bruce's Hulk form, they more than likely were.

Thanos snarled as he came speeding forward. Bruce grimaced and crushed a vial he had in his hand, the fluid leaking from the glass into the barrel he'd dropped nearby when he had landed. The barrel began to shake and he hurled it at Thanos, who attempted to dodge. However, the barrel caught the underside of his chair and exploded upon collision with the main turbine, sending him flying with a pillar of smoke in pursuit.

Cora and Bruce hit the ground to dodge the wayward machine and though Thanos attempted to level the controls, the chair was spitting smoke, preparing to burn out at any moment. Just before the chair lost complete elevation, he released his grip on it, landing in the street as the chair careened into a taxi, nearly splitting it down the middle. The moment Thanos hit his own two massive feet, Bruce was running at him with a mighty roar, catching his Gauntlet-adorned hand before it could be raised.

"Cora!"

Cora turned at the sound of her name and it took her a moment before she moved her eyes up to a nearby rooftop, seeing Thor at its edge with Mjolnir aimed toward her. "What are you doing?"

"Raise your blade!" he shouted and when she did so, he released a bolt of lightning from the hammer. When it connected with the sword, it took everything in Cora not to flinch, but she soon realized that the hum she felt from the metal was Mjolnir charging her sword with energy. He was enabling the steel to utilize the same power as his ancient weapon. When he finally broke the connection, the blade was whirring with energy and Cora whirled, finding herself nearly face-to-face with Thanos, Bruce only just holding him off.

The wind whipping around them came to a startling standstill as Cora raised her weapon and cut the air, thunder cracking from the swing as lightning surged forward and plunged through Thanos just after Bruce thrust him forward with his last rush of strength. Thanos screeched with rage from the attack, attempting to walk against the blast, but going to his knees instead, despite his power-engorged form. When he raised the Gauntlet and attempted to call the power of the five gems within, the Soul Gem in Cora's claymore activated and began flooding the blade with a radiant green glow. To her shock, the other gems responded to its signal and deactivated before detaching completely from his hand, leaving Thanos stunned as well and, as a result, enraged.

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over Thanos's head, seeing Tony and Thor both land nearby, her eyes catching on where Clint took aim on a nearby rooftop, Natasha flanking him with a rocket launcher while Steve and Loki slowly emerged from their surroundings, beneath an illusion Loki had no doubt conjured. Cora's eyes fell to Thanos again, weakened even more so with the Gauntlet now disabled. "Surrender."

Thanos's lip curled with hatred as his eyes scanned her and then moved over the Avengers gathered nearby, his hands clenched into fists as he glanced around like a highly intelligent, trapped and severely wounded animal. "Vermin… You will rue this day…"

With that, he slipped a device into the palm of his remaining hand and pressed a button. Cora barely had time to get a glance at the gadget before a white, luminous blast erupted from the mechanism, throwing her back along with the others. She screamed, but it fell silent amidst the boom of noise, and she hit the ground hard, rolling once before she was able to stab her sword into the pavement to avoid blindly tumbling into one of the deep trenches in the street.

Cora grimaced as she tried to open her eyes, though they were still dazed from the light, her ears ringing with white noise as, disoriented and pained, she picked herself slowly off the ground. Pulling the claymore from the tight fissure she'd made in the concrete, she squinted against the slow-fading whiteness, only able to wonder as her senses reset if it was over.

Next chapter: Chapter 31, "What Remains"

#loki laufeyson #loki x fem!oc #loki x oc #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki fluff #thor odinson #thor movies #thor the dark world #avengers #marvel cinematic universe #angst with a happy ending #slow burn

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droughtofapathy · 7 months

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The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Caroline "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (Donna Murphy)

A queen among her people, Mrs. Astor rules over New York high society, and spends the show being challenged by New Money Bertha Russell at every turn.

Two-time Tony winner Donna Murphy is one of Broadway's greatest Divas. Though most recognize her as the voice of Disney's Mother Gothel in Rapunzel, her voice is better known to me personally as one of my earliest gay awakenings for her audiobook performance of Ruby Holler, but that's a separate story. One of Sondheim's most beloved interpreters, Donna has such an expansive repertoire that limiting myself proved damn near impossible. Her Tonys for Best Actress in a Musical were in 1994 (Passion) and 1996 (The King and I) and I will forgive her for the later despite my documented hatred of that musical.

Other sumptuous performances include: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Ensemble, later Drood), Wonderful Town (Ruth), Hello Dolly! (Bette Midler's Tuesday night alternative and superior performer in every way), and Encores! Dear World (my #1 theatre experience of 2023). With the later two, Donna is well on her way to achieving the Jerry Herman trifecta. Someone mount a production of Mame starring Donna Murphy as Mame.

#1: "Could I Leave You?" Follies - The Stephen Sondheim 80th Birthday Concert (2010)

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Many a Diva has taken on this song, but no one can come close to the rapturous performance Donna Murphy gives during the iconic Ladies in Red segment of the Sondheim 80th birthday concert. This video right here is the reason I am the Sondheim woman that I am. There have been many women who have played Phyllis over the years, and I've fallen a little in love with all of them (Jan Maxwell, my beloved), but Donna is everything.

Surrounded by five other iconic Divas dressed in red, Donna shows that her acting choices whilst singing remain unmatched. The controlled start, the rapid devolution, the rage in that final word. And the strands of hair that will not stay out of her face. I am obsessed. The reactions of the other women (note Patti LuPone's glee and Marin Mazzie, dear friend and Passion co-star's bursting pride) say it all. The entire concert is one marvel after another. Do yourself a favor and watch it.

I consider this song one of Sondheim's greatest works (Send in the Clowns, eat your heart out...but also...Donna did that at the 90th birthday concert, so there's that too).

#2: "Hit Me With a Hot Note," a benefit for Fran Liebergall (2015) and What About Joan (2001)

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I couldn't decide which version to post, so you get both. Congratulations. This song showcases Mrs. Astor's wild side as Donna delves into growls, shimmies, shakes, and belts. "Hit Me with a Hot Note" is a Duke Ellington song that appeared on Broadway in Jelly's Last Jam (which will receive an Encores! production this spring). I never thought a white woman could scat, but I'm not mad about it.

The first video is a concert benefit for Fran Liebergall in 2015. The second is from a short-lived tv series in the early 2000s where Donna plays Ruby Stern, a smart and staid doctor who has a dream of appearing on Broadway. Apparently, the producers of the show were totally unaware that two-time Tony winner for Leading Actress in a Musical Donna Murphy could sing. I'm just as shocked by that as you are.

#3: "Surabaya Johnny," LoveMusik (2007)

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Mrs. Astor is one of many real-life historical figures on Donna Murphy's acting resume. Another real-life figure is that of Lotte Lenya, an Austrian-American actress and singer best known for her work/marriage with Kurt Weill. LoveMusik explores that relationship. Lotte Lenya had a distinctive voice, and here Donna transforms her own signature voice to match Lenya's.

LoveMusik received mixed reviews, but garnered four Tony nominations for Best Musical, and Best Leading Actors for Donna and for leading man Michael Cerveris, The Gilded Age's Mr. Watson.

Donna has truly perfected the way to break down during a song.

#4: "The Story of Lucy and Jessie," Follies (2007)

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Prior to the Sondheim 80th, Donna played Phyllis Rogers Stone in the 2007 Encores! production of Follies (alongside Christine Baranski). This was considered her triumphant return to the New York stage following an unsteady attendance record in the early 2000s owing to a long battle with vocal hemorrhaging (running concurrently with multiple miscarriages). Her turn as the jaded former Follies girl was nothing short of sublime. In those days, Encores! concerts weren't remotely the fully choreographed shows they are now. Donna, who describes herself as a "singer who moves well," proves that in spades.

To my everlasting devastation, this clip omits the opening verse, but I think her legs more than make up for it. The little glove removal moment is a nod to an alternate number that has been used in place of this one depending on the production. For singers who are not as dance-capable, "Ah, But Underneath" offers up a sensational strip tease, and I, for one, would have liked to see that too, even if Lucy and Jessie is a better number.

#5: "Loving You," Passion (1994)

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Though her riveting portrayal of a chronical ill woman who seduces a soldier in mid-19th century Italy earned Donna her first Tony, it was not a well-received show. Audiences disgusted by the obsessive and unattractive Fosca would cheer when she collapsed onstage every night. They couldn't fathom how Giorgio (Jere Shea) would leave his affair with the beautiful Clara (Marin Mazzie, who appears totally nude for the opening number) for a sicky woman like Fosca. Since then, like most Sondheim shows, we have come to appreciate the brilliance of the story, the score, and the actors with time.

Donna's immersion into this role is the stuff of Broadway legend. This song in particular, though simple in melody and lyrics, carries such deep emotion, and the way she sings as if every note pains her just ruins me. Her dramatic range cannot be praised enough. The entire proshot can be found HERE, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Story time: a few years ago I bid on the original lobby board that hung inside the theater, and I am now a proud owner of a piece of history. It stands in my living room and is nearly as tall as I am. It is my most treasured possession.

Bonus: For a more comprehensive of all things Donna Murphy, please enjoy this playlist curated by @princesspufferr. And if anyone wants a bootleg of Dear World, I've got you covered.

LINK TO MASTERPOST

#the gilded age #donna murphy #lina astor #sondheim #follies #lovemusik #passion #broadway #musical theatre

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tmabutlesbian · 2 years

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oliver study time? oliver study time. lets get to know ollie boy!!

i had tons of fun with mike crew so i'll be doing this to oliver banks now since i always get confused with his personality n also death so.

avatar of the end, duh. he sees tendrils tied to ppl who are abt to die. so like only ppl who r close to dying have those tendrils then? i'm assuming so.

originally he dreamed of ppl's deaths 10 days before their death. around 2014, maybe 2013, he started seeing the tendrils awake as well.

he has 3 aliases: antonio blake, the coroner (cool ass title), and Dr. Thomas Pritchard (random ass name but we move on)

he died by satellite impact but came back ofc, at a research vessel near Point Nemo

descriptions: tall, dark n handsome. lmao, he's tall, he's black, he's careworn???? don't know what that means. n also has worry lines on his face. boy is anxious. oh careworn means "tired and unhappy because of prolonged worry". boy is depressed and anxious, mood.

2000-2006: boyfriend Graham!! in 2000-2001. dated 6 years, lived together, broke up before 2007. Ollie moved to london around 2005 "to do his undergraduate degree at the London School of Economics and started working at Barclays directly after graduating" boy went to school! undergraduate means this is his first degree btw! also wtf is barclays? oh i googled it its a back. heh oliver banks. works in a bank. hehe. oh shit, boy got too stressed, had a breakdown after barely a year n had a dramatic exit from his job around 2007. his dreams started soon after.

ok i just saw graham's page. he died in 2006. no wonder they broke up, oliver probably realized smth was wrong or the notthem ruined their relationship. poor boy :( but also i cant remember if graham broke up with ollie before or after his death. hmm. they might have broken up since graham was obsessed with that table n eating notebooks n shit.

around 2013: 2015, oliver was working on a magick shop. king. they sold crystals n tarot cards. jane prentiss mentioned him looking at her with deep sadness n even fear. this is where jane worked not oliver

oliver worked on a shop that in soho that had a sign saying "Crystals. Books. Tarot" pretty straight to the point. he asked jennifer what she was listening to even tho she had no headphones on n when altered to this he just walked away muttering a warning abt protecting her ears. so. he's awkward as well. how cute

march 2015: he gives a statement, under antonio blake, abt gertrude's death. so gertrude died around this time then.

mid 2015-2018: "Oliver assumed the identity of a chemist and boarded an unnamed research vessel in the hopes of getting some restful sleep" boy what. how do you go from A to B here. i'll read the statement in a bit to get more context but this sounds WILD w/o context. n then when he notices theyre all abt to die cuz of the vines he. kills the captain? n leads everyone to a location that gets hit by a satellite killing them instantly.

2018: oliver gives the statement to coma jon, saying the web sent him, which is interesting how the web has so much power but its all so behind the scenes. when georgie encounters him he uses his alias antonio blake again, but she knows shes an avatar of the end right away n that he reminds her of someone evil which. yikes!

post-change: he has his own domain, corpse roots, n gives jon another statement, also theorizes abt the ruined world. he's a nerd <3

still unsure of his age but! if he started his undergratuate in his 20's in 2005, then by 2016, the start of the podcast, he's around his 30's, probs 31.

let's get into the statements

mag 11: Dreamer: ok so his work stress also had a hand on the breakup actually, n he left their home to stay with some friends. he slept on his friend's Anahita's sofa, n thats when he started having the dreams.

the dreams were irregular throughout the years, so at least it wasnt everyday. he read tons of books abt esoteric dreaming but found nothing of value.

he also saw his father's death, n couldnt stop it. even after his death, he saw his father in his dreams for a month and a half

he lied to get into the institute to give his statement to gertrude, knowing she would die soon. poor boy just wanted to help somebody, even if he couldnt help his father :(

mag 42: Grifter's Bone: interesting that jennifer did not die but oliver still warned to protect her ears. she didnt even suffer damage since she took precautions. how did he know? did he see a ton other ppl with tendrils in their ears? did he actually change the trajectory of her death by being a puzzling man warning her to protect her ears?

she did kill herself by hitting her head with a hammer. does this mean that, even tho she didnt die by the grifter's bone, she still did die? like oliver sees when ppl r going to die n the only thing he can maybe change is the way that it happens? thats fucked up

mag 121: Far Away: he can feel the tendrils when they appear irl! he feels a chill when he touches or brushes against one. he isolates himself since he doesnt want to see ppl's deaths, but he cant escape that entirely. probs saw neighbors n shit, or when he went grocery shopping. or just looked out the window, oof

point nemo is a point in the ocean that is the furthest place away from any civilization. the lonely must like him a little as well, damn. he cant dream abt the place since the vines dont let him. he finds out theres a scientific voyage going to point nemo, he replaces one of the members who is fated to die n takes his identity, deposing of the corpse. him n martin are so alike sometimes how fun. no wonder martin felt threatened lmao.

he has dreamless sleep for a while, keeping to himself. finally got the context lmao. but the vines return when they get to the destination, n he understands their fate n his purpose (as an avatar of the end? as a bringer of death? damn). he makes it so they reach the place where the vines originate from n they all die. this time, he's the one to cause the deaths, not just be a bystander. i bet he also wanted to die a little bit, loosing hope of having a normal life and just wanting it to stop :((

oliver embraces death, becoming an avatar. he also states he's going along with what "she" wants, which could be annabelle cane or just the mother from the web.

mag 168: Roots: (iconic "martin, are you jealous?" episode, just fyi) his alias here is The Coroner, which is rad as shit. he sees the veins of the end, n he has no power to stop the fate of death, but even if he could he wouldnt. "for to rob a soul of death is as torturous as its inevitable coming" grim poet over here lmao

interesting that he measures how close somebody is to death by "stretches" which are "waves" of terror or whatever. some ocean terms here, probs since oliver died in the middle of the ocean, so nice lil detail.

he likes to watch ppl be afraid of their inevitable deaths, even the inevitable deaths of others. we love a lil evil in out handsome men ofc.

he also has his concerns. the ppl will die, but without ppl to die there's no End. he may need other victims from other domains, but that will result in conflict. theres probs not new humans being created, so the humans will eventually run out if the apocalypse keeps going. and when that happens, all the fears will end and this reality will be rid of them. even then, there's no action to be taken to prevent this. the other fears will feed into The End, n he will see this happen, n while this might have terrified him before, he's too much of an avatar to be what he was before, he's more of the end than oliver banks now.

so! oliver is a handsome, tall, black man. he is anxious n also very sad, and awkward. a pretty chill guy regardless. he cares abt ppl, even those he doesnt know. he slowly comes to terms with death tho, n he just starts to like. not care less but just understand that it doesnt matter if they will all die n shit. he will also lie to get his way, n he has mostly good intentions, he's just desensitized to death now. also he might be into magick's. n he used to be a banker but that didnt go well. n also he's gay. king <3<3<3

#tma #the magnus archives #oliver banks #tma oliver banks #tmalesbeen talks #this was fun #hes just a lil guy!!! literally!!!

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tvrningout · 7 months

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🔑🦄❤️🏆

my experience in the rpc | @vonerde was curious!

🔑 my favorite type of threads

gimme the drama rn <3 i love whenever i get to write big moments between characters, the turning points in relationships or their personal stories. whether the thread is fluffy, angsty, hurt/comfort, action, etc., it makes me so hyped to think about what's running through their heads, how they'll react in the moment, how they might push away or lean on the other muse. i live off of tension and inner/outer turmoil and the arduous process of cracking someone's shell <3

🦄 the best thing that's happened to me in roleplay this year

honestly, it's finally feeling truly comfortable in my space. ofc i've had my ups and downs and will continue to have them -- that's just life! but interacting doesn't feel like a struggle. i don't feel the need to downplay my characters' strengths or " nerf " them to make them acceptable to a fandom. i don't feel like my characters aren't good enough. i don't feel bad about admitting i love to ship. i feel like the people around me find my characters and lore interesting, i feel like they value me as a writing partner, and that's such a freeing?? soothing?? wonderful thing to have. and i've gotten to this point bc of people like you, vee <3 i'm happy where i am bc y'all have been patient with me, given me kind words and advice, and taken the time to yell and cry over silly lil characters with me. some of you have even enabled me when creating certain characters and lore :' )) and i'm extremely grateful for all of it. i feel like i can never express it enough, but the connections i've made here are near and dear to me, and you guys are the reason i keep coming back to write here. thank you for making this place somewhere i feel safe and appreciated <3

❤️ my first roleplay memory

answered here!

🏆 how long i've been roleplaying for

on tumblr ( which is the one and only place i've rped aside from what i used to write with my friend ), i've been rping for a whopping 10 years!!! holy cow!!! i hadn't realized it had already been that long until you sent this in! it doesn't feel that long, yet the first time i rped seems so far away now :' ) it's wild to think i'm still writing my silly oc's, especially chiyo -- i've been writing her since 2015, so she's been through it all with me. i remember once saying that she's an oc who i will always come back to, and i was absolutely right :' )

#vonerde #thank you for sending these in vee!!#and just!! thanks for being here and for being you <3 you're a big part of why i'm able to have so much fun here again <3 #get ready to ramble | ooc

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cyarskj1899 · 2 years

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The 50 best songs of 2022

NME5th December 2022

“Bloody hell, it’s nearly Christmas? Well that year just flew by didn’t it?” Hell no. We’d usually be aghast at the fleeting nature at the passage of time at this point in the calendar – especially in the past few quiet years – but 2022 was anything but short. Even festival season already feels like an age ago; but hey, at least we had one. RIP to the COVID buzzkill years, may we never see their like again.

You were out there in the fields with your arms around your mates, in the venues with the pints flying through the air, and in the clubs with your feet suspiciously stuck to the floor. Sure there’s a lot of ongoing shithousery afoot, but when you look back to 2022 you’ll remember getting back to doing what you love and the tunes that helped you do it. Just like you, so many songs were larger than life and raring to get out and be heard. Here’s a definitive list of the 50 best songs that truly made our year. Enjoy….

Andrew Trendell, News Editor

Words by: Alex Flood, Ali Shutler, Andy Brown, Andrew Trendell, Ben Jolley, Derrick Tan, El Hunt, Ella Kemp, Erica Campbell, Gemma Samways, Hannah Mylrea, Hollie Geraghty, Jake Tucker, Jenessa Williams, Karen Gwee, Kyann-Sian Williams, Max Pilley, Nick Levine, Rhian Daly, Sam Moore, Sophie Williams, Thomas Smith and Will Richards

50. Jamie xx – ‘Let’s Do It Again’

Marking his first new solo release in two years, Jamie xx’sApril return coincided with the very start of the first proper post-lockdown summer. Recalling the transcendent highs of his 2015 album ‘In Colour’ and built around an uplifting vocal sample from Bobby Barnes’ soul belter ‘Super High On Your Love’, the dopamine-filled ‘Let’s Do It Again’ became an ecstatic singalong 2022 festival anthem. Welcome back to partying. BJ

Best bit: The clever way that Jamie winds the track back down to a near-silence four-and-half-minutes in, only for each sonic element to be layered up again: building up the claps, drums, twinkling keys and soaring synths before one final euphoric release. You love to see it.

49. Tomorrow X Together – ‘Thursday’s Child Has Far To Go’

This bright, bouncy bop – performed by Tomorrow X Together’s synth-pop unit Soobin, Beomgyu and Taehyun – uplifted spirits with its straightforward, feel-good melodies. The trio exuded positivity and optimism for the future following an emotional break-up, with Beomgyu’s “today’s hashtag: ‘Break up’ / Then paste ‘glow up’ next to it” line proving a stroke of genius. DT

Best bit: Soobin’s breathy post-chorus mantra “I won’t cry again” feels like a reassuring invisible hug.

48. The Killers – ‘Boy’

Brandon Flowers told NME in the summer that this gem provided “the impetus” for The Killers’ 2021 folky triumph‘Pressure Machine’, but was left off the album due to its new wave shimmer. For a leftover, it bangs: ‘Boy’ is The Killers at their sweet, synthy and streetwise best, strutting from the gutter to the dancefloor. AT

Best bit: That little nod to Erasure’s ‘A Little Respect’. Cheeky cheeky!

47. Angel Olsen – ‘All The Good Times’

Olsen’s sixth album ‘Big Time’was written amid a turbulent, tragic time: during its production, the US musician came out to and then lost both her parents in quick succession. Laced with grief and hope for new love, the record’s opening track was as epic and emotional as they come. TS

Best bit: The song’s finale, where Olsen’s gentle strum is joined by a swelling horn section that ratchets up the emotion.

46. TSHA – ‘Giving Up’

A highlight of the Ninja Tune-signee’s debut album ‘Capricorn Sun’, ‘Giving Up’ was TSHA at her very peak. A fizzing drum’n’bass beat paved the way for Mafro’s warped vocal line to run wild and free. A song equally suitable for the club, home listening and summer BBQs, it proved TSHA’s ability as a producer with wide-ranging appeal. WR

Best bit: When that delightful, joyous synth line comes in at the one-minute mark.

45. Foals – ‘2am’

‘Back to basics’ songs can often be seen as a negative regression for artists, but on ‘2am’ and their seventh album ‘Life Is Yours’,Foals simply returned to what they do best. Written in the depths of a lockdown winter, this ecstatic indie hit pined for human connection and getting sloshed with friends again. This summer, its wish came beautifully true. WR

Best bit: Frontman Yannis Philippakis’ vocals belting out as his most enthused in years.

44. LE SSERAFIM – ‘Impurities’

LE SSERAFIM got their band name from an anagram of the phrase “I’m fearless” – so it’s not surprising that they understand that confidence can be drawn from all manner of places. On this cool, ethereal electro R&B song, co-written by member Huh Yunjin, they calmly declared that one’s flaws are actually glorious testaments to life. You’ll be similarly convinced by the track’s sassy hook: “Impurities, show you my impurities.” DT

Best bit: The hypnotic falsetto harmonies – one from Chaewon and Kazuha, another from Yunjin and Sakura – in the pre-chorus.

43. Sunmi – Heart Burn’

Sunmi’s best songs are undeniably the co-productions she’s made with frequent collaborator FRANTS (‘Narcissism’, ‘Tail’). But the ex-Wonder Girl’s dreamy ‘Heart Burn’ – reminiscent of ’70s Fleetwood Mac – ventured out of that comfort zone to rank among her best releases yet. Its flirty lyrics (“I am getting hot, oh, my!”), delivered in her raspy vocal style, matched the growing blaze of a midsummer romance. DT

Best bit: Those heavy-handed guitar strums after the bridge that lead us to the track’s fiery climax.

42. Liam Gallagher – ‘Everything’s Electric’

“Underneath the red sun, everything’s electric,” Liam Gallagher sings on the bold centrepiece of his excellent third solo album, ‘C’mon You Know’. The track certainly lived up to that big declaration, sizzling with classic arms-aloft anthemics and a chorus that was simultaneously simple and life-affirmingly massive. If there were any lingering doubts left about LG’s solo prowess, this song blasted them all away once and for all. RD

Best bit: The helicopter-whirring opening riff that signals that the king of British rock’n’roll is back – and he means serious business.

41. Beabadoobee – ‘The Perfect Pair’

So much of Beabadoobee’scareer has been built on the idea of ripping up the pop rulebook and simply doing what the hell she wants – sugar-sweet vocals would sit alongside screeching guitars to speak to a younger generation that feels stifled. But ‘The Perfect Pair’ changed everything again: a holiday-inflected croon and sighing strings made the backbone of one of Bea’s most restrained tracks yet; a break-up song that accepted defeat and just swayed in abandon. Beautiful. EK

Best bit: The cinematic outro where strings take over and Bea just lets the melody do its thing.

40. Yungblud – ‘The Funeral’

Donny punk tearaway Yungbludstruggled with the worldwide attention that followed his second album ‘Weird!’. But rather than bow to other people’s expectations, he fought back with his defiant self-titled follow-up; its swaggering emo opener ‘The Funeral’ his confident mission statement. Flickering between self-hatred and self-love, this flamboyant rager twisted uncertainty into a jubilant celebration, backed by the sort of guitars that would make The Smiths’ Johnny Marrjealous. AS

Best bit: The Gen-Z motivational speech: “But do you hate yourself? Well, that’s alright. Do you love yourself? Well, that’s alright.”

39. Fontaines D.C. – ‘I Love You’

In a twist no-one saw coming, the most exhilarating love song of 2022 was inspired by a country rather than a person. Billed as Fontaines D.C.’s “first overtly political song”, this swirling post-punk epic saw frontman Grian Chatten interrogate his status as an Irishman based in England, laying bare a perpetual tug-of-war between guilt and pride. Impassioned and deeply affecting, Chatten’s performance here grew steadily in intensity throughout. GS

Best bit: The knockout-punch of the final chorus, which climaxes with Chatten howling: “I had to be the fucking man.”

38. GloRilla and Cardi B – ‘Tomorrow 2’

GloRilla’s immense talent was clear to see on her July single ‘Tomorrow’ – so much so that the Memphis artist quickly earned a fan in rap superstar Cardi B, who hopped on the September remix ‘Tomorrow 2’. The latter was a belter: the duo demonstrated their respective lyrical prowess over sparse, piano-led accompaniment. Best of all, it provided an early glimpse at rap’s next massive star more than keeping up with one of the reigning champs. HM

Best bit: GloRilla’s stellar put-down: “Can’t say your name up in my songs, might not fuck with you tomorrow.” Can’t say she didn’t warn you!

37. Måneskin – ‘The Loneliest’

After winning Eurovision 2021 with the hammering ‘Zitti e Buoni’, the new saviours of rock’n’roll kept the party going with such stadium-sized anthems as ‘Mammamia’ and ‘Supermodel’. Then came ‘The Loneliest’, a brooding ballad that saw the Italian four-piece trade fiery excess for heartbreaking emotion. Despite the restraint that was plastered across Måneskin’s first English language slow jam, ‘The Loneliest’ still bristled with excitement as the rockstars let another side of them shine. AS

Best bit: That guitar solo: let them Italians wail.

36. Gorillaz – ‘New Gold’

In the midst of this year’s scorcher of a summer, Gorillazappeared like a mirage to deliver another legendary collaboration. ‘New Gold’ served up a deliciously psychedelic hook from Tame Impala, while The Pharcyde’s Bootie Brown – who Gorillaz fans recognised from his explosive verse on ‘Dirty Harry’ – spun a bouncy tale of a vain society in freefall. 2022’s best weather may be long behind us, but ‘New Gold’ was a warm ray of sunshine to remember it by.AB

Best bit: Bootie Brown’s second verse, which is packed with throwbacks to ‘Demon Days’.

35. Fred again.. – ‘Danielle (smile on my face)’

Built around a sample of 070 Shake’s 2019 single ‘Nice To Have’ – a tune that Fred Gibson said he “literally listened to every day last year… everywhere, all the time” – ‘Danielle (smile on my face)’ is a classic Fred again.. creation. Emotive lyrics (“Fuck what they say, I’m safe in your arms / And if I die in your arms, there’ll be a smile on my face”), wobbly, bass-driven synths and bombastic beats united as one to form one of 2022’s most tear-jerking bangers. SM

Best bit: When the synths and beats crackle back into life, sparking one last rave in the track’s ecstatic final minute.

34. Wunderhorse – ‘Leader of The Pack’

2022’s best rock song? Wunderhorse, AKA Cornwall-based Pistol actor Jacob Slater, put up a very good fight with the brooding, snarling ‘Leader Of The Pack’. Chugging guitars, crashing drums and gang chorus vocals turned every listen into a rock’n’roll hoedown, with Slater having written the song “as a means of getting even”. Mission accomplished, surely. SM

Best bit: That crunching opening riff: beat that, 2023.

33. Tove Lo – ‘No One Dies From Love’

Tove Lo’s fifth album ‘Dirt Femme’ was packed full of effervescent earworms, but none more so than its jubilant opener ‘No One Dies From Love’. Written when she “was having the fear of ‘What if this love that I have ends?’”, the Swede spun that relatable vulnerability over squelchy synths, driving beats and ‘80s drums. The result? Very real emotions coupled with a sugar-rush instrumental. HM

Best bit: The euphoric, layered vocals that open the first chorus, where Tove belts out: “No one dies from love / Guess I’ll be the first.”

32. FLO – ‘Cardboard Box’

If there was ever any doubt about the current state of UK R&B, then the country’s next best girl band quickly put those suspicions to bed in 2022 with their glistening debut single. A flawlessly synchronised and perfectly-poised track about cutting off a toxic relationship, the London trio’s harmonies and satin-smooth melodies served as a glossy throwback to the golden age of early-00s female empowerment (see: Destiny’s Child and Sugababes). A flow like this is no fluke. HG

Best bit: The sassy bridge that makes you want to waggle a finger and pack up your own cardboard box: “I’ma put your jeans next to the dreams that you sold me.”

31. Piri and Tommy – ‘On & On’

The drum’n’bass-loving Manchester duo are now making scene-leading pop-meets-dance music to soundtrack the kind of wild nights out they used to enjoy as clubbers. “Big night, lost my weed but the beat goes on,” Piri serenely sang while impressively keeping pace with the unrelenting Tommy-produced drums that helped ‘On & On’ truly zip along. SM

Best bit: Piri’s “on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on” will be stuck in your head forever. Sorry!

30. IVE – ‘Love Dive’

Looking back on K-pop in 2022, it’s been the year of rookie girl groups punching far above their weight. Case in point: IVE and their sophisticated seduction anthem ‘Love Dive’. This slice of alluring electro-pop reels you back in again and again, whether it’s to savour the confident, flirtatious lyrics and gorgeous backing melodies, or to pick up on all the sonic flourishes studding the production like diamonds in the rough. KG

Best bit: Wonyoung’s line “Narcissistic, my god, I love it” – knowingly cheeky and delicious every time.

29. The 1975 – ‘Part Of The Band’

Distortion, ambient noise, stream of conscious neurosis, and Matty Healy spilling out the melodic interrogations, “Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke? Or am I just some post-coke, average, skinny bloke?” this track had it all. ‘Part Of The Band’’sstrong suit was that it’s quieter and more subtle than many of their tracks, but it’s still quintessentially The 1975. With dry, wry millennial humour and apt observations standing, the result will always reward a careful listener. EC

Best bit: The cheeky line, “I like my men like I like my coffee / Full of soy milk and so sweet, it won’t offend anybody“. Same.

28. Bring Me The Horizon – ‘Strangers’

From the moment Bring Medropped ‘Strangers’ during a DJ set at their curated Malta Weekender festival, it became a modern day emo anthem. From the melodramatic opening lines (“Maybe I’ll just be fucked up forever”) through to the snarling angst and a gooey spirit of community that rages throughout. Get together, get low and feel the high. AS

Best bit: That ‘90s nostalgia dragged into 2022

27. Oliver Sim – ‘Hideous’

“I’m ugly…” sang Oliver Sim on the opening moments of ‘Hideous’, his immediately recognisable deep vocal finding a new home outside of The xxfor the first time. An intensely beautiful song that tears the sting out of shame, its subject matter is deeply personal, and rooted in the singer’s HIV-positive status. Here, Sim found freedom in “radical honesty” and power in baring every part of himself – even the aspects that he said feel hideous and hidden. EH

Best bit: The transcendent moment that Jimmy Somerville of Bronski Beats bursts as an ethereal guardian angel.

26. New Jeans – ‘Hype Boy’

In a time where lots of pop groups feel like they’re chasing the same sounds, styles and attitudes, K-pop rookies NewJeans’ debut provided a refreshing change of pace. ‘Hype Boy’, their second release, was the jewel in their crown – its flashes of ‘90s R&B melded with modern pop production an immediately addictive combination, and a chorus so cool and catchy you had no choice but to join the rising four-piece in longing for their “hype boy”. RD

Best bit: Any time the girls sing “take him to the sky-y-y-y-y-y”, an instant skyrocketing high.

25. Omar Apollo – ‘Evergreen’

In October, pop music’s best-kept secret finally broke into the mainstream: Omar Apolloscored his first-ever chart hit with ‘Evergreen’, a ballad of crisp, measured guitar and purposefully subtle drum patterns. This quietly scathing breakup tune built up to a lover walking away and refusing to allow their turned back to become the relationship’s final scene – a change in perspective that became its own kind of revelation. SW

Best bit: Clearly, Apollo wanted an ex to feel the sheer magnitude of his pain. “You didn’t deserve me at all”, he belts out on the bridge, his delivery reaching a near-scream. You tell ‘em, king!

24. Arctic Monkeys – ‘Body Paint’

Let’s be honest, every song onArctic Monkeys’ triumphant seventh record ‘The Car’ might have made this list – but that wouldn’t be fair, would it? We’ll take Alex Turner’s velvet-smooth croon and the accompanying killer chorus on this track anyday. “My teeth are beating and my knees are weak,” he sings in falsetto as ‘Body Paint’ builds to its utterly euphoric ELO-esque orchestral pop breakdown. Same, Alex. Same. AF

Best bit: The anthemic outro, featuring squealing guitars and the repeated refrain: “There’s still a trace of body paint / On your legs and on your arms and on your face.”

23. My Chemical Romance – ‘The Foundations of Decay’

With ‘The Foundations of Decay’, My Chemical Romance’sfiery comeback exceeded every current or ageing emo kid’s wildest dreams. The six-minute triumph starts off as a simmering ballad to atrophy, with a subdued Gerard Waysinging a of a man “tired with age” and ravaged by time – yet when the track finally explodes in rousing choruses, thundering guitar riffs and a gut-punch breakdown, it proves the legendary band was anything but. AB

Best bit: The first explosive chorus – a shot of pure catharsis for fans who waited nine years for that moment.

22. Florence and The Machine – ‘King’

There’s power in how Florence Welch stood tall and fearless in the face of the patriarchy on ‘King’. She has always strung lyrics together like armour, but this remarkable track felt designed to protect herself from the expectation that she should compromise her career in order to raise children. She narrated her experience, and reclaimed it – a revolt against the very idea of doing what you’re told. SW

Best bit: When Welch breaks into an almighty roar; you can picture her throwing out her arms and letting her hair flutter out in the wind alongside a phenomenal, gale-force vocal.

21. WILLOW – ‘Hover Like A Goddess’

Fresh from helping kickstart a pop-punk revival with 2021’s ‘lately i feel EVERYTHING’, the lead single to follow-up record ‘COPINGMECHANISM’ saw Willow trading angst for romance. Driven by an excitable energy, this urgent garage-punk banger celebrated the fact that “every woman deserves to be worshipped”. ‘Hover Like A Goddess’ may channel Bloc Party and The Strokes, but it saw Willow cut party-starting rock’n’roll with her own unique vision. AS

Best bit: Willow embracing the art of a good “oh-ohhh, oh-ohhh”.

20. Beyoncé – ‘Break My Soul’

The first glimpse we got of Beyoncé’s seventh album ‘Renaissance’, ‘Break My Soul’ was a tantalising taster of slick production, massive hooks and beats made straight for the dancefloor. With dual samples of Big Freedia’s ‘Explode’ and Robin S.‘s ’90s classic ‘Show Me Love’, and packed with lyrics that preach self-confidence and joy, ‘Break My Soul’ landed as a modern house classic. HM

Best bit: The sample of Big Freedia’s ‘Explode’, that instructs you to “release ya job… release the stress“. Who are we to disagree?

19. Rosalía – ‘Chicken Teriyaki’

The purity, simplicity, silliness and badassery of this cut from the stellar ‘Motomami’ is a testament to Rosalia’s knack for a hook and a good time. We don’t know what the Spanish pop sensation is singing about and frankly, it doesn’t matter. Throw your phrase book away and let this chugging beast of Latin spirit and reggaeton rhythms consume you. AT

Best bit: Telling your friends that you’re now fluent in Spanish and fiesta

18. Griff & Sigrid – ‘Head On Fire’

Teased via a series of cryptic videos posted on social media, this chart-ready team-up between two of music’s most exciting young talents was as rock-solid as their friendship. When they performed the tune at the BandLab NME Awards 2022 in March, it made for a standout moment – and a triumphant victory lap round one of the country’s greatest gig venues. More, please! AF

Best bit: A short pause for breath before launching into that joyful chorus. Set your watch for a good time.

17. Taylor Swift – ‘Anti-Hero’

The lead single from Swift’s 10th album ‘Midnights’, ‘Anti-Hero’ proved a self-deprecating anthem. Delivering tongue-in-cheek lines over Jack Antonoff’s production (the chorus opener “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me” has spawned scores of memes), the songwriter extraordinaire has done what she does best: turn painfully relatable experiences into a stone-cold banger. HM

Best bit: Love it or hate it, it’s got to be the line that got everyone talking: “Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby/And I’m a monster on the hill“…same?

16. Phoenix – ‘Tonight’

As much as the band’s seventh album ‘Alpha Zulu’ pushed the indie-pop masters’ sound forward, its standout moment happened to be a dabble in nostalgia. The deliciously catchy bassline and chorus would have nestled in nicely on their 2009 breakthrough album ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’, as frontman Thomas Mars and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig wistfully duet. TS

Best bit: The band told NMEthey’ve always felt a synchronicity with Vampire Weekend, and consider them transatlantic cousins. The song’s middle-eight, where Koenig and Mars trade lines, finds the pair in perfect harmony.

15. Doechii – ‘Persuasive’

The latest signing to the star-making Top Dawg Entertainment, Doechii has opted for a meticulous, patient roll-out where so many other artists rush to ride their early momentum. She already feels like a fully-formed artist bursting with complex visual ideas and diverse musical directions. To be fair, every track feels standout – but the house-tinged ‘Persuasive’ just about nabs the top spot. No wonderSZA jumped aboard for the equally addictive remix. EH

Best bit: When soulful brass gradually creeps into the ether two-thirds of the way through, steadily building up the biggest drop. That, and the abundant air-horns.

14. Kendrick Lamar – ‘N95’

A highlight of ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’, here’s Kendrick Lamar delivering an anti-pop gem with a message to “take off” the fakery and stop looking for external validation. In a lesson to other rappers, Lamar spits for morals rather than boasting over distorted, growling 808s and trap synths. With a dextrous flow and words you can’t ignore, this is why Kendrick is king. KSW

Best bit: In the refrain, the explosive “Bitch…” before the whining response “…you’re outta pocket” makes for a perfect wake-up call.

13. Wet Leg – ‘Angelica’

Indie’s silliest and most fun new gang took us into the highs and lows, dangers and consequences of getting pickled at a house party in one of the standout tracks of their phenomenal debut album. With spiralling riffs, ray-gun sound effects, and a multi-layered central mantra of “good times all the time”, ‘Angelica’ cemented Wet Leg’s place as our new favourite relatable party pals. RD

Best bit: The delectably eye-rolled lines “I don’t wanna follow you on the ‘gram / I don’t wanna listen to your band.”

12. Maggie Rogers – ‘That’s Where I Am’

Coloured with optimism, this track was fuelled by the sense of autonomy that defined Maggie Rogers’ comeback this year. With new production credits and a Harvard Divinity School degree to her name, Rogers created a wild symphony of rebirth on ‘That’s Where I Am’, as she sang of a blossoming love atop ripples of distortion and gleaming keys. It was the sound of Rogers feeling something shift inside of her, and wondering where this new, beautiful thing even came from. SW

Best bit: The giddy relish of the way Rogers delivers the bridge – “You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted / All I ever really wanted was you” – channelling a feeling far beyond her own understanding.

11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Wolf’

“Hunger, connection, and wildness” were the words YYY’sKaren O used to describe ‘Wolf’ – a climbing, synth-laden track that keeps its lyrics sparse, embodying the primal nature of not only punk but the track itself. “I’m lost and I’m lonely / I hunger for you only / Don’t leave me now, don’t break the spell,” warned O in a sinister tone, right before the instrumental drop and powerful chorus. It’s a bold glance at the primitive side of human nature from a band able to hold the weight of a song this big. EC

Best bit: O gently singing, “In heaven lost my taste for hello / taste for hell”, before a full orchestra kicks in with urgent strings. Powerful stuff.

10. Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Plan B’

While serving ‘90s New York style hip-hop raunchiness, Megreminded the world of her immaculate lyricism with this declaration of self-love. Teaching women to “love yourself ‘cause this shit can get ugly / That’s why it’s ‘Fuck n****s, get money,’” this is confidence manifest. Just like Lil Kim and Foxy Brown, she stepped into her sex appeal without relying on it to prove naysayers wrong. One-dimensional? Get a grip. This is everything. ‘Plan B’ is Megan Thee Stallion delivering a layered and positive lesson for life. KSW

Best bit: All the candid, empowering quips in a masterclass from Meg.

9. Charli XCX – ‘Beg For You’

A collab between two of the UK pop’s finest, ‘Beg For You’ was always going to be something special. However, chuck in a killer sample – lifted from September’s 2005 hit ‘Cry For You’ – and you’ve got magic on your hands. Rina’s vocals and harmonies feel so essential, you pine for more of her on Charli’sfifth album ‘Crash’, but that’s what you get from top maestros on top of their game. ‘Beg For You’ may have dropped in January, but it was a clear and bold proclamation from Charli and Rina that 2022 would be their year. JT

Best bit: The September sample truly makes the song, but everything comes together for the first chorus.

8. Jockstrap – ‘Concrete Over Water’

‘Concrete Over Water’ presented the Jockstrap musical blueprint in miniature: the poise of Georgia Ellery’s pristine, ravishing vocals, torn asunder by the anarchic hand of producer Taylor Skye. The song sings of the impossible beauty of a bridge-top romantic rendezvous, but Skye scorches the scene with a mutant synth army of math-rock screeches and warped atmospherics. Were Ellery and Skye competing for supremacy? Nah, in this fight we all win. MP

Best bit: Ellery sings “I wanna be there” before the elegiac beauty of the opening caves to hyper-processed mania

7. Steve Lacy – ‘Bad Habit’

Steve Lacy’s first US Number One single felt long overdue. ‘Bad Habit’, taken from the 24-year-old LA artist’s second solo album ‘Gemini Rights’, was the song that propelled the Internet and Kendrick Lamar collaborator to the big time; no doubt aided on its journey to the very top by its massive popularity on TikTok. Showcasing Lacy’s impressive vocal range, his nifty way around a guitar and his tattoo-worthy lyrics (“You can��t surprise a Gemini”), the single has unsurprisingly become Lacy’s biggest hit to date. After all, some bad habits are just too good to kick. SM

Best bit: “It’s biscuits, it’s gravy, babe” – the most delicious lyric of the year?

6. Rina Sawayama – ‘This Hell’

Sawayama is one of the smartest pop stars we have, and ‘This Hell’ is her wittiest and most undeniable tune yet. Who else would think to eviscerate the anti-queer rhetoric spouted by extreme religious groups with a spangly country banger inspired by Shania Twain? Rina, that’s who! And with a belter that’s tongue-in-cheek and subversive, but also outrageously good fun. NL

Best bit: “Get in line, pass the wine, bitch / We’re going straight to hell!”

5. Arctic Monkeys – ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’

After the space-age dabblings on 2018’s ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino’, Arctic Monkeys returned to Earth on the heavenly and lush launch single from seventh album ‘The Car’. Known for being cheeky in his early work to escapist in his latter days, Alex Turner came across as truly earnest, open, romantic and human for the first time on this slow-dance waltzing beauty. “Don’t get emotional, that ain’t like you,” croons the frontman, inviting us in. It’s the Monkeys, Jim, but not as you know them. AT

Best bit: “So do you wanna walk me to the caaaa-aaaar?” You drive on ahead, Alex – we’ll float there.

4. Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal – ‘B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)’

The summer’s ultimate rave anthem. First released in early June with modest ambitions, it soon became a hit as welcome blaring out of stadium PAs and spicing up ITV2 montages as it did in the festival fields and clubs. By early September, the ‘90s-indebted hit had climbed to Number One in the UK Singles Charts, capping off a spectacular rise. TS

Best bit: The opening melody, a delightfully simple and catchy hook that floats all the way to the song’s conclusion.

3. Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’

It’s hard not to tumble into the vast emotional depths of ‘As It Was’ and look beyond everything else that made this song such a triumph. Change is a constant beneath the track’s heart-raising BPM and twinkling melodies: here, Harry Styles’empathetic songwriting saw him fight for stability amid breakups and personal upheavals, finding strength in a renewed relationship with himself. It’s a quietly beautiful thing, then, that it became his biggest hit to date, proving that opening yourself up to the world doesn’t always have to be a risk. SW

Best bit: So much of the feeling is in the instrumental: some peppy guitar lines, and the crescendo of tubular bells, less of a breakdown than the sound of a heart skipping a beat.

2. Paramore – ‘This Is Why’

After five years, Paramore slid back in with a groove so heavy, swaggering and sleazy, any talk of hiatus was immediately forgotten (not that they’d care, as Hayley Williams croons sweetly at the start, “if you have an opinion / maybe you should shove it”). Her voice is equally exhausted and exhilarated, leaning into its full power as guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro somehow manage to play tight and loose simultaneously. With its slow crawling synth and cymbals eventually erupting into a full funk fest, ‘This Is Why’ gave us just what we wanted: an innovative pop-punk moment from a band already responsible for so many. EC

Best bit: Williams repeating “One step beyond your door / Might as well have been a free fall” meditatively before crashing back in with an echoing “And I’m floating like a cannonball”. Chills.

1. Beyoncé – ‘Cuff It’

Beyoncé is of course no stranger to creating enduring anthems. From ‘90s R&B belters with Destiny’s Child (‘Independent Woman’, ‘Say My Name’ to ‘00s earworms (‘Crazy In Love’, ‘Irreplaceable’), powerhouse ballads (‘Halo’), to the poignant and political (‘Formation’), the superstar is responsible for smashes eternally etched into the public pshyche than most artists could even dare to dream of. And in 2022, ‘Cuff It’ joined these ranks.

Taken from Beyoncé’s brilliant seventh album ‘Renaissance’, this funk-laden earworm is a triumph. With a Grammy nomination (for Best R&B Song) and a viral TikTok dance, it should be a government mandated requirement for this celebration of letting loose, falling in love and “gettin’ fucked up” to be played at least once on all future nights out. Keir Starmer, shove this in your manifesto.

With a bridge bigger than the Golden Gate, slinky strings, NSFW saucy lyrics, and the disco flare that a Nile Rodgersassist always brings, ‘Cuff It’ is total ecstasy and an unexpected gift to the pop canon of all time, let alone 2022. HM

Best bit: The first time we get that joyous post-chorus and Beyoncé sings: “Bet you you’ll see far / Bet you you’ll see stars.” Floor-filling euphoria.

Sent from my iPhone

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rachaelrice · 2 years

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Just finished the Sinéad O’Connor doc and am feeling so fully now what a touchstone she was for me beginning in 8th grade when I sang her song Black Boys On Mopeds from the first album I bought on cassette as my first public solo performance for my NJ middle school audience, when everyone else was into cock rock and hair bands. Ffw a couple years & I’m being called Sinead every day by a bunch of ignorant assholes at my rural VT high school after shaving my head. It’s wild how transgressive that was, and watching her doc, it’s like no one could ask her any other question. Ffw a few decades & it’s 2015; I’m at the Dolly Hoot: the annual Dolly Parton tribute night fundraiser for Siren Nation, a local org that supports women in the arts, where I’ve played a number of times. At the finale number a bunch of friends from @dontshootpdx stage a demo in the middle of our song & we raise banners for Black Lives Matter while the song stops, a young black dancer drops to the ground, & everyone on stage chants, I CAN'T BREATHE. The audience is a combination of stricken & inspired, but mostly offended, as was the coordinator, who cut all ties. I was never asked back to that show or any other similar show. Between that stunt & the co-occurring shunning among some well-heeled intuitive painter boss bitches I’d been associating with who peddle products with words like brave and revolution, I’ve felt the sting of having a career effectively throttled by the kind of shit Sinéad was booed off the stage for. But the look in her eye is all I need. I’m nowhere near her level, but I’m here for the ones who forgo fame, book deals, summit lineups, speaking tours & workshops where no one has to wear a mask – the ones who refuse to reenact empire & call it being successful. Everyone can see what's going on They laugh 'cause they know they're untouchable Not because what I said was wrong Whatever it may bring I will live by my own policies I will sleep with a clear conscience I will sleep in peace Maybe it sounds mean But I really don't think so You asked for the truth and I told you Through their own words They will be exposed They've got a severe case of The emperor's new clothes https://www.instagram.com/p/CkHbn4wPUJR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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antique-symbolism · 2 years

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Nano Asks: 2, 13, 18, 19

Thank you for this blessed distraction from the sensory hell of leftover makeup on my face.

NaNo Asks! And my project summary for context.

2. How did you get into NaNoWriMo?

Some of my friends were talking about it on Facebook way back in 2009. I chose to participate on November 1st itself and got a couple people in our high school writing club to join in.

This was long before I knew there were localized communities for it, but greeting my friends in the hallway by way of shouting word counts and a wealth of time talking on the forums had me immediately hooked on the social aspect, and I loved getting to create every day with the wild abandon of somebody with nothing to lose on a brand new spur-of-the-moment project. I never missed a year after, though 2015 and 2017 were real dud years because of Life Stuff.

13. Who’s your least favorite character so far?

I haven't developed the characters enough to have a least favourite, really! However I know near zero information about Mags' dead girlfriend which is frustrating, since that grief is going to be a big part of the story and her ghost is also going to be a side character.

18. Which of your characters is the smoothest?

Genevieve has a certain laidback charisma that really takes Mags by surprise upon their initial meeting. She expects the con artists she investigates to be smooth - but in a showy, Extra way. Genevieve is the complete opposite of the same trait - very sincere with no need to posture her confidence because it's genuine through and through.

19. Which of your characters swears the most?

Interesting question to tackle, because when I wrote Miniature Roses I specifically decided not to write any swears into the story and I kind of got used to doing that!

For MR I plan to keep that because it just doesn't seem in Ruzena or Minnie's nature to curse much, however Mags from MST does seem the type to swear. So I think how much of that I write in will probably depend on the social conventions around swearing in the time period, which I have not yet looked into.

#nanowrimo 2022 #nano asks

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xtruss · 2 months

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Great Egret In the Desert, 2012 This close up, photographed at J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in Florida, is juxtaposed against the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley.

The Art of Birds, Revealed Through an Altered Reality

— By Becky Harlan • Published: June 30, 2015 | Saturday April 27, 2024 | All Images Created By Cheryl Medow

At first glance, these birds wowed me. A few seconds later I started to wonder, Are they real?

Well … Yes. And No.

Grey Crowned Cranes Each crowned crane was photographed on an acacia tree near Richards Camp in Masai Mara, Kenya. Mount Kenya was photographed from a Cessna.

Before attempting to explain what’s going on in these images, the artist, Cheryl Medow, might appreciate you taking a similar approach to experiencing her photography as she does to making it. “I don’t think my pictures through,” she says, “I feel them.”

She described this incident to me: Visitors at one of her gallery shows were asking questions about how she creates her work, and she was answering. But then a guest approached her and said, “No, no, no, don’t say a thing. I just want to enjoy these pictures.” It was then that she realized that she was looking for an emotional reaction, for people to enjoy looking at the work without having all the answers.

So please: Look. Enjoy. Feel.

Roseate Spoonbills Each bird was photographed at St. Augustine’s Farm in Florida. This is where they nest in the spring. The waves were shot in Hanalei Bay, Kauai.

Cattle Egret Portrait ”During mating season the cattle egret colors are like a rainbow,” says Medow. This portrait was photographed in Florida, with the pattern of sand dunes from Death Valley in the background.

White Ibis With Fish This white ibis with his seaweed and fish catch were photographed at J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. The background clouds and surf were shot in Hanalei Bay, Kauai.

But if you’re like me, you still want to know the story behind these images. So here goes.

These are real birds, photographed in the wild. They are also pictured in real landscapes. And both parts of the images are photographed by Medow. But they weren’t captured at the same time and often not in the same place.

Why does she go to the trouble of capturing these stunning birds in the wild and then transposing them somewhere else?

Great Blue Heron With Chicks Balancing on a branch, the great blue heron was photographed at the Venice Rookery in Venice, Florida, along with the chicks in a nest. The background was photographed in Bigfork, Montana.

Greater Flamingo I This flamingo was photographed on Isabela Island in the Galápagos in a brackish saltwater lagoon. The clouds were also photographed in the Galápagos on a different day.

It all started because she was photographing birds with a 600mm lens. And when you shoot birds with a lens that long, the rest of the background becomes blurry—the birds wind up being the only thing in the frame that’s in focus. All context is lost. She wanted to put the birds back into an environment, so she began creating composite images.

At first she was just placing the birds into photos of the landscapes where she’d originally shot them. But then she realized she could take it to another level—she could put the birds anywhere and at any scale.

Saddle-Billed Storks This mother and baby were photographed in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The landscape was shot by plane in the same area, traveling from Sirikoi Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Laikipia to Richards Camp in Masai Mara.

“I’m an artist first, and photography is a tool that I use to be creative,” she says. “When I picked up the camera and the computer it opened up new possibilities for me. I can make the birds much larger than life. It draws attention to these guys that if you just saw them in the wild with the naked eye you wouldn’t see.”

She draws inspiration from the Hudson River School painters. “They took their sketchpads and went out, as I take my camera and go out, and they got sketches of all these different things. And when they went back to their studios and made their paintings, they combined the different elements that they had seen out in the field. So when the normal person went to the Hudson River and looked for the pictures they couldn’t find some of them. And that’s because they weren’t out there in the real world. Even the painters had manipulated what they had seen and brought it together and combined different elements to make their paintings,” she says. “They’re redoing nature in their mind’s eye, and I guess I’m doing that too.”

Reddish Egret This bird was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon, Fort Myers Beach, Florida. The landscape was also shot in Fort Myers at a different time.

Her subjects come from all over the world. Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Los Angeles, New Mexico, the Galápagos, Costa Rica, and Brazil are some of the places she’s traveled to photograph birds. She’ll often photograph at a certain place during a certain season to see, for instance, an egret in its mating plumage. “I’ll pick April and May to go to Florida because that’s when they’re in their mating colors,” she says.

Great Egrets, A Starry Night The egrets were photographed in St. Augustine, Florida, and Devereux Lagoon and Slough, Santa Barbara, California. The night sky was photographed in Hanalei Bay, Kauai.

Some might think that because these images involve Photoshop in their final state that the painstaking work of photographing a bird in the wild is somehow less work. But Medow assures me that capturing these creatures in the wild isn’t for the hurried. “When I go out and shoot birds there’s a real Zen, a meditative state. Patience is something that I think is a wonderful asset to have, and I don’t usually use it in my normal life, so when I go out in the field I can almost zone out. I could sit there for hours waiting for birds to come and go,” she says. “They’re wild. They’re really wild. They can fly away. There’s something about that that’s just intriguing to me.”

#Birds 🐦 🦢 🦅#Arts #Photography #Proof #Miscellaneous Birds 🦢 🦅 🦜 🦆#Flamingo 🦩#Roseate Spoonbills | White Ibis #Great Blue Heron #Saddle-Billed Storks | Reddish Egret #Grey Crowned Crane #Great Egret

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inroohchannelfornewsmalta · 8 months

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‘Exposed and wanted’: Controversial Canadian-Indian businessman Sri Ram Tumuluri

DUBAI: Controversial Canadian-Indian businessman Sri Ram Tumuluri was recently arrested by the Dubai police – as part of a financial corruption investigation – over several bounced cheques. He remains on bail and under investigation in the Middle Eastern state.

The Government have said that the investigation is ongoing, and that Tumuluri will be banned from the country if he doesn’t settle his debts.

Following his arrest, this report takes a deeper look into the murky world of Ram Tumuluri’s business dealings across the world. Indian and American media have this week written in detail about a trial of deception and lies which traces its roots to Canada and India.

The journalist’s killing: The report mentions how Celebrated Malta journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in October 2017 in a car bomb near her home within weeks after announcing that she would be exposing several financial scandals of controversial Canadian-Indian businessman Sri Ram Tumuluri, spent several years investigating Ram Tumuluri till her tragic murder.

Although Maltese national brothers George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred have confessed to the killing but close associates of Daphne Caruana Galizia have said the Malta authorities have not investigated the murder properly and several questions remain unanswered.

The murdered journalist had written in detail about the financial crimes of Sri Ram Tumuluri. The journalist, who had also worked on Panama Papers scandal, had written dozens of articles on Sri Rama Tumuluri and was set to release a big story when she was killed. Her assassination rocked Malta.

Through her “Running Commentary” blog, Daphne Caruana Galizia dedicated a considerable amount of time and resource to exposing Ram Tumuluri. Before her untimely death, in various articles on her popular site, she described Ram Tumuluri as:

Ram Tumuluri “a fraudster with a shedload of unpaid debts in Canada” https://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2017/05/memory-box-muscat-sacked-godfrey-farrugia-made-konrad-mizzi-health-minister-instead/ and Ram Tumuluri “ultra-shady Ram Tumuluri” https://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2017/05/heres-picture-head-civil-service-celebrating-labour-hq-2013/ and Ram Tumuluri “corrupt incompetent” Ram Tumuluri https://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2016/11/told-moment-ever-one-ill-gracious/ and Ram Tumuluri “the man of questionable repute” who corrupted nurses https://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2017/01/ram-tumuluri-gives-doctors-nursing-staff-zara-vouchers-free-drinks-buy-support/ and Ram Tumuluri “the fraudster and cheat from India by way of British Columbia” and Ram Tumuluri “the shyster from British Columbia” who had “stolen $400,000 from hotel bank accounts” in British Columbia and “destroyed the accounting books and left”

Mark Pawley is known for running Oxley Capital out of Singapore and doing shady deals. Recently, Ram Tumuluri has claimed that he had to flee Malta because a senior politician threatened him with a similar fate as the assassinated journalist.

However, the office of the politician has said that Ram Tumuluri’s claims are ludicrously wild and plainly false and he is lying in order to save his skin by throwing others under the bus. While working in Malta, the local media reported that Ram Tumuluri had an affair with Deborah Chappell, Maltese lawyer and former director of Technoline. Local intelligence has said that Daphne Caruana-Galizia was also in the process of writing on this matter and the involvement of another politician in it but she was killed.

Corrupt payments to Govt official: Ram Tumuluri was recently thrust again into limelight after evidence emerged that his UK-based Causis Group made several undeclared and corrupt payments in 2015 to Carmen Ciantar, the chief political advisor of Malta’s health minister Chris Fearne.

She resigned from her role after evidence was released that Carmen Ciantar received a total of €443,500 Euros from Gozo International Medicare Ltd – part of the VGH group. The money came from the firm’s account at the Dubai-headquartered Emirates NBD Bank.

Within a few months of the transfers, according to local daily the Times of Malta, she had gone to work as the head of Fearne’s election campaign – during which time he also appointed her CEO of FMS.

It’s understood that Malta authorities are seeking to speak to Ram Tumuluri but he has refused to go to the country to cooperate with the inquiry. He has said through his lawyers he has done nothing wrong by making these payments which were, according to his words, for a business deal.

Permanent deceptive pattern: In all his operations, Ram Tumuluri has a consistent pattern: he presents investors with deals he does not himself have the funds to invest in; portrays them as easy money opportunities; sets up an opaque offshore corporate structure; pulls in his associates and past business connections; obtains partial funding for the project; walks away from the project with any funds invested, having purposefully failed to file accounts; and moves on to an alternative project.

By maintaining a low level of tangible assets (i.e. renting rather than owning property), even in litigious situations, the plaintiffs are unable to make claims against any significant resources owned in Tumuluri’s name. An analysis of public records shows Tumuluri has consistently failed to file annual returns in companies he incorporated in India, the US, Canada and Singapore thereby not accounting for where the funds have gone. https://www.apnnews.com/unmasking-the-enigmatic-ram-tumuluri-a-saga-of-deception-and-failed-ventures/

Early career: Ram Tumuluri was born in the Indian city of Hyderabad to Satynarayana Tumuluri and Bharti Tumuluri, a Brahmin middle class family with no business history. Ram Tumuluri has claimed he received an undergraduate degree from Osmania University in Culinary Arts. Osmania University said it does not offer culinary courses. The controversial businessman has claimed that he went to the London School of Economics (LSE) but the LSE administration has said it has no record of Ram Tumuluri ever enrolling in any discipline or ever graduating from the prestigious institution. The LSE says it has sent a letter to Ram Tumuluri to stop making false representations.

After filing for bankruptcy in Canada in 2014, Ram Tumuluri was in such dire situation that he joined the “stay with a stranger for free network” in Singapore, without having to pay hotel bills or rent. Couchsurfing is an internet-based network by means of which members look for somewhere to stay for free, a complete stranger’s home, when travelling or moving to a new place. So in 2014 Tumuluri was looking to sleep on strangers’ sofas when he left Canada (and his financial troubles there) for Singapore but in January 2015 he was cutting big deals, gaining funds and later running them in the pit.

Indian failures: In India, Ram Tumuluri established the Ayucare brand under his company Holistic Healthcare. The businessman has fostered the impression that his company had taken the country by a storm; in reality one of the main spas was a bungalow in a residential area and the business folded after a few years after making huge losses. In 2008 his vehicle Tumuluri Hospitality Inc invested INR10m (equivalent to US$230k) in the company.

At the time this was a significant investment considering only a few years before, Ram Tumuluri had left Marriott Hotels in Alberta, Canada to work as senior manager of the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, Canada. The investment ended in a failure and today there is no signage for Ayucare or Holistic Health and a banner advertising the leasing of the property hangs outside. Tumuluri and his wife Sonya, the only two registered officials for the company, never fulfilled any of the mandatory filing requirements of the Canadian companies registry after registering the company. The Canadian authorities then dissolved the company for non-compliance.

United States of America: In the United States, Ram Tumuluri married Phrasavath Douangmala and they divorced in April 2003. His history in the US spans from approximately 1998 until 2004. He resided in Chicago, Illinois. In the divorce records, Tumuluri’s date of birth in the Milwaukee County divorce court documents is recorded as September rather than May 1975. It is unclear whether this was a deliberate attempt to avoid leaving a trail.

Corporate registries in the US have Tumuluri as director of a real estate development company struck off in 2014 for not filing annual returns. Tumuluri is identified in US records with social security number 340 ***1 issued in Illinois in 1998. Phrasavath Douangmala runs an assisted living facility named Douangmala Phrasavath Adult Family Home for individuals with disabilities, which appears to be located at her residence.

Corporate directorship checks record Tumuluri as previously the president and director of Venturex Hawaii Investment Corporation, incorporated in Hawaii in May 2003 and dissolved in December 2014 for not filing an annual report. The other individual listed, Mamoru Hamanishi, traces back to British Columbia and is linked to Tumuluri there.

Canada bankruptcies and failures: Tumuluri subsequently moved to Canada, where his business practices set the hallmark for a pattern of behaviour repeated throughout his career to date. All his firms were dissolved due to non-filing of company accounts. Litigation records spell out the details of claims such as misuse of company funds and failure to provide accounting information to business partners. His projects all failed and left behind a string of claims by creditors ranging from mortgage providers to smaller unpaid suppliers. Notably, throughout his period in Canada, Tumuluri owned a property on only one occasion.

Federal and state documents in Canada record Tumuluri having incorporated seven companies since 2006. Only one remains active; the remaining six were dissolved for failure to file company records. Between 2005 and 2010 he became involved in the purchase and management of two hotel projects in British Columbia; one at Nita Lake Lodge (NLL Holdings) where he teamed with Praveen Varshney, a venture fraught with allegations of financial mismanagement and misuse of company funds, and the other at Cable Cove Inn & Spa which led to legal proceedings due to defaulted mortgage payments. Both became embroiled in litigation proceedings.

In registering the seven Canadian companies Tumuluri utilised several physical and postal box addresses. They were all temporary as none were found to be owned by him, his wife or their associated businesses. Ram Tumuluri took over the Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada in March 2010, and in December of the following year he had declared bankruptcy.

The Russia connection: Investigation in an American publication has revealed that Sri Ram Tumuluri’s partner in the Indian Rs2,800-crore electric buses deal, Thomas-Christan Seitz is known for close ties with the Kremlin and has worked for the interests of Russia’s feared spy agency KGB – now called the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

Two years ago, Ram Tumuluri’s England & Wales registered Causis Group Ltd won a tender for supplying The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) with 1,400 electric vehicles. Causis, registered in the UK but without any operations, is wholly owned by Tumuluri. Its operating entity is India-registered Causis E-Mobility Pvt Ltd. The Russian connection of Ram Tumuluri was covered very widely.

The Causis scandal: According to a forensic study by the publication, Causis acquired a 100% stake of German-registered Eurabus GmbH in September 2021. Eurabus was founded and formerly owned by Thomas-Christan Seitz. Eurabus has previously claimed to be in the process of opening EV factories in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and possibly Tanzania.

Causis Group Ltd was incorporated in England and Wales on 11 June 2021 under company number 13452464 and the company is 100% owned by Jersey-incorporated New Horizons Investments Limited, which in turn is 100% owned by Tumuluri, papers show. Causis Group’s statutory Directors are Tumuluri, Peter Knez, Charles Paul Rowan, Thomas-Christian Seitz and Gary Anthony Dugan.

Examination of original German corporate filings reveals that Eurabus GmbH was registered on 02 July 2015 under company number HRB 168446B. Eurabus GmbH’s initial share capital was €25,000 and was 100% owned by Euracom Group GmbH, a company managed and controlled by Seitz. On 31 October 2019, Eurabus GmbH increased its share capital to €1.105 million. On 30 September 2021 Causis Group Ltd acquired 100% stake in Eurabus GmbH from Euracom Group GmbH.

Seitz grew up in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) and attended the infamous Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), where 50% of the graduates are alleged to have gone into the Soviet diplomatic service and 50% into the KGB, said the publication.

A journalist who knew of Seitz and wrote a story about him and his activities in 2008 noted that Seitz graduated from the MGIMO in 1992. The journalist’s article, entitled “The Russians are Coming” in the daily newspaper Die Welt, described Seitz as associated with two Russian “security foundations” closely linked with Vladimir Putin.

In the article, Seitz is described as “Vice President” of the “Security Academy Waldmünchen” in Bavaria that was a branch of the “Academy for Legal Order, Security, and Defense Matters” in Moscow. The Academy was founded by Vladimir Putin himself. Putin is described as “Member No. 1”.

The article also states that Seitz and the academy were closely connected to an organisation called the “International Counterterrorism Association,” also in Moscow. That organisation in Germany, the article notes, can be connected to Karlshorst, Berlin where the KGB had its headquarters.

Expose in Indian media: Ram Tumuluri’s latest The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) project is a big scandal. He signed with the Indian govt in October 2021. The project was set to start within two months but to date there is no sign of the project making any headway and Indian authorities have briefed media that Ram Tumuluri has failed to raise funds of around $8 billion to implement the Rs2,800-crore electric buses deal with the Mumbai authorities.

Indian govt sources said: “Causis is using the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Maharashtra Government as a security but banks are demanding sovereign guarantee from the state government, which has not been approved by the government. Causis is struggling to arrange debt and their efforts are ongoing but it is evident Causis has so far failed to find any credible lenders. On paper, there are lots of promises but there is zero delivery so far.”

The Mumbai authority fears that Ram Tumuluri may defraud his investors and business partners as Causis does not have manufacturing or technical capabilities.

According to an article by Indian news outlet The Indian Express, Causis won a tender for supplying The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) with 1,400 electric buses. In October 2021, the Maharashtra state government, in the presence of environment minister Aaditya Thackeray and industry minister Subhash Desai, signed the contract for Rs 2,800 crore ($370,000).

Maltese news outlet The Shift News reported Tumuluri’s Electrical Vehicles venture in an article titled “Ram Tumuluri suspected of replicating ‘fraudulent’ Malta VGH model in Mumbai” – a reference to a big health scare scandal in Malta.

Dubai investigation: Tumuluri claims to have two UAE entities, Mount Everest Global Trading and VGH Dubai. Records show he did attempt to raise funding in the UAE for the Malta PPP project but this was not successful. He was facilitated in this through the office and contacts of Mohammed Hanif Shaikh, Chairman of Emirates Holding Group. Both companies have shut their operations after failures. Intelligence reports say Ram Tumuluri has recently been questioned by the Dubai authorities for using the country as a pad to do corrupt deals. The intelligence source said that the Dubai govt acted over intelligence reports from its western counterparts.

Montenegro dealings: Tumuluri secured a Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract in Montenegro, allegedly as a result of corruption coming from the inner circles of the Presidency, according to media reports in the country. The deal was cancelled when it transpired that he had paid bribes to local politicians. Investigation shows that several business associates of Ram Tumuluri have been accused of questionable business dealings or been linked to fraud, misappropriation or stock exchange manipulation. None of them have a proven track record of significant commercial success, despite their claims to the contrary.

The modus operandi of Mark Pawley and others matches that of Tumuluri: they all promise their investors lucrative investment opportunities which after the first round of investments is then declared as unsuccessful. The investors are left bearing the loss. Tumuluri et al move on to set up new projects.

#MaltaNews

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