#But just a legendary trio controlled by three different people. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

xiaojianggshi · 1 year ago

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Thank you so much for the reading. It was very interesting. I think I have some traits of an ISTJ. Although, most of my MBTI results so far have been either INFJ or INFP. I resonate with those as well. Also, may I ask if you can do Enhypen as Sanrio characters or Pokémon?

hiiI!! yeah infp and istj actually have the same functions but stacked differently!! i recommend the truity test for mbti stuff but its preeeetty long.

i'll make another post for sanrio characters later! i love the enhypen x pokemon collab, don't get me wrong.... its just the line up when you imagine it as a team is so weird LOL why is there both charmander and charizard...........

i'm gonna narrow it down to legendary pokemon (sub-legendary/legendary/mythical). for the connections from personality traits to pokemon types, i referenced this post!!

enhypen as legendary pokemon

7 august, 2023

heeseung is very creative, he knows how to make a situation turn around and knows how to pull out something completely unexpected. that is definitely a trait for a poison type pokemon. he also seems to be very hard headed, he is confident but sometimes it is too much, so he may be a poison-dragon type!

by process of elimination, heeseung is totally eternatus! not to mention, his moves would definitely be very unpredictable and dangerous. since eternatus is an alien that can make holes in spacetime, this is pretty fitting!

ace of swords, the hermit, nine of wands rx., the hanged man

jay is a very intelligent and secure person, he is extremely mature and seems to balance his head and his heart well. jay is also in tune with the world around him and seems to be able to connect with people very easily. which i think it very fitting for a psychic pokemon! it also seems that jay as a pokemon is extremely protective.

deoxys is a great fit given these conditions. deoxys is incredibly smart, being able to change form depending on what it needs. a lot of jay's moves could be something underneath the surface, which fits deoxys' telepathy shown in the anime!

queen of swords, ten of cups, knight of pentacles rx., the high priestess

jake is someone who cannot be held down, he is independent and jumps towards change and his own rules. suffice to say, he may be a little, if not a lot, mischevious. since i also got the emperor he is most likely only darkness, there is no need for him to have another type if he is already strong with one.

the only legendary pokemon that is strictly dark is darkrai! as i mentioned before, there really is no need for darkrai, or jake in this scenario, to have a dual type if he is already strong with one. darkrai is frequently described as the strongest dark type pokemon.

the wheel of fortune, the fool, the emperor

sunghoon is very stubborn about tradition, most of his decisions are based on his past and romanticizing the past. from this i believe that sunghoon would most likely be a dragon type. he would most likely be a dual type dragon-steel, as he can be resilient to what does not align with his beliefs, it can seem lik denial.

the only dragon-steel legendary is dialga, a member of the creation trio. dialga is very strong, being able to control time which fits nicely if sunghoon is heavily influenced by time related themes such as the past, present, and future.

six of cups rx., three of swords

sunoo is very hasty, it feel impatient but he seems to think or at least have a good idea about what is happening. sunoo also seems to be someone who moves very fast, but still, it seems to work out for him in the end. this best suits a water type pokemon. as for dual types, he most likely does not have one.

unlike the other members, there are a few pokemon that meet these conditions. to narrow it down, the background behind sunoo as a pokemon has something to do with fresh beginnings after a painful end. based on this suicune is the best option, since it is said to purify water!

page of wands rx., eight of pentacles rx., six of wands, nine of wands rx.

jungwon seems to be someone who is very determined to work and fight towards what he thinks is right, he works for his own morals. he is also very aggressive when he does want something. his main type would probably be fighting. he can also seem to be a little stagnant and not want to change or back down, so his other type could be steel.

although zamazenta also meets these conditions, cobalion is described to radiate the airs of a leader and it is also categorized as an iron will pokemon. therefore, jungwon is most similar to cobalion.

judgement, eight of cups, death rx.

the way niki speaks may be a little dark, in a playful way. not to mean he is automatically a dark type, but it can be very sarcastic. he is a very intense and smart person, he follow his own ideas even if it can seem off-putting to some people. overall, he is independent without any shame. without a doubt niki is a ghost type, he can also be a dragon type since he trusts himself very well.

this automatically narrows niki down as giratina. similar to dialga, giratina is also another member of the creation trio. giratina lives in distortion world, somewhere that is foreign and warps everything we may commonly know. giratina also can control antimatter.

page of swords rx., eight of swords rx., queen of swords

#kpop tarot #enhypen tarot

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randomvarious · 2 years ago

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Today’s compilation:

Never-Before-Released Masters From Motown's Biggest Stars: The 1960's 1986 R&B / Soul / Girl Groups

Here's a neat compilation from the mid-80s that saw Motown reaching deep back into their very own vaults to give some of their unreleased recordings the light of day. On this album you'll find a real who's who of Motown superstardom, from Diana Ross & The Supremes, to The Temptations, to Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, to Stevie Wonder, to The Four Tops. Clearly, the list of acts on this release was its main selling point.

But for the most part, the reasons as to why these songs went unreleased becomes pretty apparent once you hear them. None of these are straight-up bad—was Motown even capable of making a plainly bad song in the 60s?—but the bulk of these lack the punch that so many Motown singles were known for packing back then. Stuff feels either incomplete, too crowded, clunky, or clashy, or the recording quality just isn't very good.

But there's still a trio of songs on this album that are pretty fantastic, and with regard to two of them, the reason why they never went anywhere is most likely because their recording predates the act’s own success. "The Tears" is a raw 1961 soul ballad that, on this album, is credited to Diana Ross & The Supremes, but, in actuality, is led by a different Supreme in Mary Wilson. So, you don't get any of that spry, youthful charm on this one that Diana Ross became known for supplying throughout the mid-to-late 60s. Instead, "The Tears" has a much more mature and soulful vibe to it. And it was made before the group started working with the legendary songwriting and production trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland too, who'd shape and develop the group's sound throughout the decade, leading them to becoming an R&B and pop institution. It's actually Smokey Robinson who takes up production duties on this one, and he helps to cast The Supremes in a bit of a different light than the one that we'd grow to become accustomed to.

The other song on this album that was recorded before the act went on to become a household name is "Mind Over Matter," by The Temptations. This one appears to have actually been officially released in 1962, but not by The Temptations, because, for some reason, for this lone single, they went by The Pirates instead, and recorded this song for Motown sublabel Mel-o-dy. Somewhat perplexing, considering the fact that these same exact guys had already formed The Temptations in 1960 and had released three singles under that name, one of which had managed to reach the top-25 on Billboard's R&B chart. Like, I get the clever ruse of donning a different moniker so you can go record on another label; that was something plenty of musicians did in order to try to not void the terms of their exclusive and overbearing contracts. But Mel-o-dy was a Motown entity, so it's not like The Temptations were secretly recording as some other group here; they weren't trying to get out from under Berry Gordy's control or anything like that. So why they released this song as The Pirates is a bit of a head-scratcher to me.

Anyway, "Mind Over Matter" predates the release of The Temptations' 1964 debut album, and it features some great lead falsetto from the one and only Eddie Kendricks on it too. I'm not saying that it would've necessarily charted had they released it as The Temptations, but if they had been more known by the time they'd released it, I think it definitely had the potential to become their biggest hit to date back then.

And lastly, most people are probably familiar with The Marvelettes because of their #1 1961 debut single, "Please Mr. Postman," which is correctly hailed as an all-time 60s girl group jam. But nearly every other single among the slew that that group put out throughout the 60s managed to chart on Billboard's Hot 100 too, just not nearly as high. And I feel like their 1963 recording of "Knock On My Door" would've definitely made it on there too, had it ever been released in the first place; maybe not top-40, but this is a pretty catchy and infectious, uptempo and dancy R&B song. Why Motown ended up shelving this one is a mystery to me. I mean, I certainly dig it a whole lot.

So, this Motown comp that's packed with a bunch of tunes that the label ultimately decided to never officially release isn’t too great of a listen overall, but it still definitely has a few sweet gems on it.

Highlights:

Diana Ross & The Supremes - "The Tears" The Temptations - "Mind Over Matter" The Marvelettes - "Knock On My Door"

#r&b #r & b #rhythm and blues #rhythm & blues #soul #soul music #girl groups #music #60s #60s music #60's #60's music

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octoxen · 2 years ago

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LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO 99 FOLLOWERS BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY

GHTRYEUSTAJAYJAHWJW THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^

as for that-

•°=

Im making a lil book manga project with @octomelodytunes and @not-baconn 's OCs!

(eh the progress of the chapters will be slow because i. am the expert at procastinating and school is burning me down)

I've planned this with Mel many months ago on wattpad and i should do the manga but i figured out that i should go practice drawing some more and build my own manga artstyle before finally making the chapters and everything.

Mel's OC:

Aiko/Mel Soyatama (The pink dressed girl with choker)

Bacon:

The Main Character, the one in the middle, Tsuki

•

So like just a little description about the story if some of you are curious what its about-

•

Triluna:

When a Shooting star-looking space Capsule from the Moon/Space falls into the world with a huge Shockwave, Two siblings, Aiko and Rin Soyatama who lost their parents from the impact meet a young man named Tsuki who was inside of the Capsule, then knowing that the three of them had Three Legendary Wolf Beast Spirits inside their bodies granting them the ability to use different Elemental abilities, and to protect themselves from getting the beasts extracted by an Evil Organization, who hunts powerful Spirit Animal beasts for their evil schemes, the trio protects themselves with also the help of an Organization called "SPIRIT", who consists of having Different Elemental users with Spirit Animal Beasts too.

•

SPIRIT ANIMAL BEASTS:

these are Guardians who ascended and took form of Animals, they possess or choose a mortal who they relate to or find worthy to use their own elements for good.

•

The 7 Legendary beast spirits and their holders:

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1st: Tentai Ryujin/Celestial Dragon, a Dragon who controls every element, and the one who has absorbed the celestial principles, making it a Godlike Spirit Beast. (which it already is since its believed to have created the World)

•

Holder: Antagonist

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Zetsubou Ōkami (Core Vanquisher, Corrupted Wolf) [The one who ravaged the village where Tsuki and his father lived, Forcing Kazuki (Tsuki's father) to transfer Mekakushi onto his son and got him to leave the Moon for safety.]

Holder: Antagonist

•

Mekakushi Tsuki Ōkami (Blinding Moon, Blood Moon wolf) [The guardian who protected the moon village, currently protecting Tsuki, his former holder's son.]

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Holder: Protagonist

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Bara Amaterasu (Protector of Nature, maintain love on people who have relationships.)

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Holder: Deuteragonist [Aiko]

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Mō Fubuki Ōkami (The Wolfbeast who controls blizzards, snowstorms or cold temperatures, it has a conjoined Twin [on the tail] who is called "Nariko Ōkami" and it is the one who controls lightning and raging seas.)

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Holder: Tritagonist [Rin/Xin]

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6: Tsuru (A white Crane who controls the flow of life, gravity and is connected to the Spirit realm.)

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Holder: Side Character [Hanako Kagura, President of SPIRIT organization]

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7: Kitsune Shi (A black and white Fox who guides the lost spirits of deceased people to the Spirit Realm, Can control the athmosphere and also works with Tsuru.)

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Holder: Side Character, mostly only seen on the background [Hisako Kagura, Hanako's sister and the Undercover assasin of SPIRIT Organization.]

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basically- thats all-

Ill maybe upload the Chapter 1 panels over here once i finish making them.

•

-Xen out! have a great dayyyy

#Announcement

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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 3 years ago

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Cristina Scabbia x Diablo: Inside metal and gaming’s most devilish crossover yet

Outstanding hack-and-slash remaster Diablo II: Resurrected isn’t just about polishing up the beloved original’s relentless fire and brimstone. In a striking collaboration with Lacuna Coil songstress Cristina Scabbia and bizarro YouTube star Mark The Hammer, it’s inspired the latest crossover between video games and heavy music, too…

When Cristina Scabbia first picked up the joypad, she had no idea she was steering herself onto a path that would still be throwing up juicy side-missions three decades down the line. A young teenager in northern Italy during the mid-’80s first generation video game boom, the future Lacuna Coil frontwoman didn’t have the spare cash for the cutting-edge equipment of the time, whose 128-colour palettes and blocky two-dimensional sprites felt utterly futuristic. When a local friend powered up David Crane’s 1982 masterpiece Pitfall! on their Atari 2600, however, it opened the doors to another world.

“I’ve been a gamer for quite a while,” her eyes light up at the memory. “I love video games. I love what you can learn from them. I love the stories they tell…”

Few games are as darkly compelling as Blizzard Entertainment’s legendary Diablo series. Bringing to life the dark fantasy realm of Sanctuary – a midpoint between the High Heavens and Burning Hells – its trio of classic titles chronicle the eternal conflict between mankind and the demonic legions led by Diablo, fearsome Destroyer Of Souls. When David Brevik’s original landed in 1996, it was a literal game-changer for the industry, raising the bar in terms of depth and detail, storytelling and character-building. 2000’s Diablo II raised it again, still revered by hardcore gamers as the greatest action-RPG of all, while 2012’s Diablo III brought the franchise into the modern era.

Fittingly, it’s against that shadowy backdrop that Cristina joins us today, to discuss Start Again, her musical collaboration with the minds behind thrilling 3D, HD remaster Diablo II: Resurrected.

Speaking from her high-backed gaming chair in front of an impressive PC set-up this morning, she looks ready for battle. A laid-back, dressed-down counterpart to her imposing onstage alter-ego, she is surrounded by stacks of proudly-displayed paraphernalia, from a plushie of Gremlins’ Gizmo and photos of her band, to figurines of her favourite virtual characters, spare controllers, and the ubiquitous energy drink refrigerator.

Anyone familiar with Cristina’s Twitch streams wondering if this might be a carefully-arranged studio space should think again. “It’s actually part of my living room,” she laughs. “There’s this big table that was supposed to be for dinners with friends, but as we would go out to eat instead, I decided to use it for something that I like, and filled it with computers, monitors and consoles.

“It’s where I play. It’s where I stream from. It’s the safe space.”

Diablo’s heroes work best when joining forces, and 30 minutes further north, in the town of Saronno, we meet Marco Arata – AKA YouTube sensation Mark The Hammer – Cristina’s collaborator on Start Again, and a playful like mind. “I was three years old when I first played on a Game Boy,” he smiles into the light of a bank of monitors, “and I never stopped.”

For readers not in the know, Mark is the uber-talented multi-instrumentalist who’s gained a reputation for uploading incisive, tongue-in-cheek videos to YouTube like Irritating Guitar Lessons and How To Create A Black Metal Song… Without Any Talent. Learning piano aged eight, he quickly graduated to electric guitar, bass and drums. He’s since been picked up as the live guitarist/keyboardist for Italian pop-hip-hop icon J‑Ax. The main Mark The Hammer YouTube channel has more than half a million subscribers, while its English-language alternative boasts close to 100,000.

Both accomplished, analytical, artistic minds, it feels key to Start Again’s success that the duo see gaming as a chance to switch off – less interested in graphics and game engines than narrative drive and world-building.

“Whenever you listen to a song as a musician, you have your brain working, thinking about what exactly is going on,” explains Mark. “I’m a big fan of acting and drama, too, and the same thing applies when you watch a movie. But when you pick up that game pad, you’re able to relax and [switch that part of your brain off]. It’s the only thing in my life that I can really say is completely relaxing.”

“I know that some people prefer creating groups or being part of a competition,” agrees Cristina, noting that Diablo, in particular, fits her play style “but I’m more of a selfish, solitary player. I don’t want to feel that competition while I play. I want to be able to relax and do things at my own pace, to have my own rhythm. I don’t necessarily think of games as an escape. For me, it’s a different world that I want to be part of, [parallel to] the real world. It’s not that I want to [run away and] live in the video game world. But when I’m playing, I want to stay there, I want to focus on what’s happening – I want to absorb all the vibes. It’s not just something that you’re watching: you’re part of it. You can choose your character. You can increase your power. You can pick your path and select your sides.

“There are things about this world that non-gamers could never really understand…”

Like all the best quests, it began with a message from out of the blue. Mark recalls the sense of absurdity, watching an email drop into his inbox that he couldn’t quite believe was real. “I remember opening the message and seeing that it was an opportunity to write [a song inspired by Diablo II] for the release of Diablo II: Resurrected. Oh, yeah, and you’ll have Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil doing vocals. I was just like ‘What?!’”

Having dropped video game soundtrack cover albums Hammer Games Vols 1 and 0 in 2015 and 2016 respectively, Mark had pedigree in the field, but he struggled to comprehend the opportunity for such a high-profile collaboration.

“This is the game that I bought as a 14-year-old when it first came out back in the year 2000,” he fishes out his original CD-ROM jewel case for an unsubtle flex, “and you’re asking me to write an official song to go with it? That in itself is mind-blowing. But to be able to do that with the greatest singer in Italian metal?! I thought it was some sort of strange spam at first. When I realised that it wasn’t, it became amazing on so many levels.”

Not a huge fan of YouTube (nor, presumably, of the hack-and-slash sub-genre), Cristina’s manager didn’t quite know what to make of the invitation. Fortunately, having followed one of Lacuna Coil’s old guitarists through a laptop screen and into Sanctuary all those years ago, and already a fan of Mark’s videos, she didn’t take much convincing.

“I was just like, ‘Mark The Hammer? I follow him!’” she grins. “Then, when they told me the project was to write a song for Diablo II: Resurrected, I immediately said yes. If you look back at interviews that I did years ago, whenever they asked me what dream I had or what is missing from my body of work, I’ve always said that I’d like to write something for a video game. When this came along, it was like, ‘Hello…’”

Cristina admits that she struggled with writer’s block over lockdown. Having watched her native Italy become one of the first countries crippled by the spread of COVID-19, she was unwilling to create music with the power to transport her back to those most troubled of times. Compared to the glacial pace of the music industry over the last 18 months, however, dropping in at crunch time in a massive game’s release schedule came as an invigorating change of pace. The first message exchanged between Cristina and Mark was on August 23, with the song due online to coincide with Diablo II: Resurrected’s launch exactly a month later.

“When you have a deadline, it can either throw you down or really speed everything up and add an excitement,” Cristina muses. “For us, it was definitely the latter. We were perhaps a little bit tense about not knowing each other. Any time you’re working with someone new, you ask yourself these questions: ‘Is he going to be nice? Is he going to be an asshole? Is he going to have the same ideas that I have? The same creativity? The same speed?’

“As soon as we started to text, though, I realised that Mark was really relaxed, really funny. He’s like me. We would send and receive messages in the middle of the night, and get immediate replies. It was like we’d opened the floodgates on an ocean of ideas.”

A high level of fandom was pivotal. Diablo’s angels and monsters – Greater and Lesser Evils – seem like characters lifted from metal album covers to begin with, and the chaotic action that spills from the streets of Tristram and the slopes of Mount Arreat that go down into the depths of Hell could hardly be better suited to metalheads who’re never happier than when throwing down in the pit. Cristina and Mark’s preferred player classes – Sorceress and Barbarian, respectively – even mirror their onstage personas. To simply phone in the sort of crowd-pleasing banger either of these musicians could write in their sleep would be to do the project a deep disservice.

Cristina reckons that if Diablo were a band, it would be either Judas Priest – all OTT outfits, pointy edges and demonic imagery – or Rammstein, spewing sheer pyrotechnic bombast. Mark contends that the larger-than-life, battle-obsessed aesthetic of Iron Maiden might be a better match, pointing out that many of the most monstrous iterations of Ed The Head wouldn’t look out of place in its deepest dungeons. We’d argue that the ominous, folky atmospherics of peak Opeth even more closely evoke the playing experience, echoing Matt Uleman’s iconic original score.

In the same way that Diablo II: Resurrected marks an upgrade for players in 2021 while maintaining the original’s dark heart – dynamic lighting, three-dimensional rendering and high-definition presentation bringing the action sharply up to date – this song needed to pay respect while still packing enough heft to make an impact on metal fans in 2021.

“Diablo is such an iconic game,” nods Mark. “I knew the original score. I knew the original atmosphere. I knew where it had to go, more or less. But it was a challenge to make something new while paying respect to the original. There were parts where I wasn’t sure where I was going, but as soon as Cristina got really into the project and added her vocals, it felt like everything [clicked].”

“Mark’s involvement was crucial,” Cristina presses. “Looking at that original soundtrack, I was thinking, ‘This is such a classic – it’s so iconic – but it’s not singable.’ It felt like putting a voice over the top would ruin it. But as soon as I heard the music that Mark had written, it changed everything. He made it singable. He created so many different parts, that offered so many different scenes, so many different moods. There are atmospheric parts, but there are also heavier parts. It’s like a journey, from beginning to end…”

Part sweeping re-score, part fan’s perspective love letter, part limb-swinging metal banger, the finished track feels like a striking bridge between worlds. Is the aim for fans who’ve yet to discover the pleasures of metal or gaming to be able to walk across it?

“The worlds of metal and gaming have always been strongly connected,” reckons Cristina, highlighting the fact that they’re both tightly-knit outsider communities fascinated by the dark and fantastical, which can appear intimidating to outsiders looking in. Although she and Mark will happily welcome new fans, the main priority was to write a great song, hopefully tightening the bond between communities that already exists. “It’s a lifestyle,” she gestures. “If you see a metalhead, there’s a strong chance you’ll be able to talk about games – or vice-versa.”

Indeed, the lines have increasingly blurred over the last couple of decades. Countless rockers found their way into the world via the legendary Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtracks. The Guitar Hero franchise brought songs as unusual DragonForce’s Through The Fire And The Flames, Lamb Of God’s Laid To Rest and Slayer’s Raining Blood – not to forget Lacuna Coil’s Closer – into the non-metalhead sphere. Celebrities as high profile as Tenacious D’s Jack Black have spearheaded their own digital-metal crossovers, while Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows cropped up as a playable character in Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4. Gamers have even increasingly taken to wearing branded T‑shirts a la those of their favourite bands, enabling them to recognise each other on the street.

On the other side of the coin, bleeding-edge artists like The Armed, Refused and Run The Jewels have recently been inspired to write specifically for games. Svalbard’s Serena Cherry just started a one-woman black metal side-project called Noctule, dedicated to her favourite epic RPG. Hell, Cristina even tells us that pounding compositions by djent-influenced video game soundtrack maestro Mick Gordon are amongst the most listened on her personal playlist.

It’s down to a change in perspective, Cristina reckons, where intelligent eye for detail is now considered every bit as cool as a debauched hell-raiser attitude. Games’ intricate storytelling and epic design are recognised as on par with the finest parts of cinema, and e‑sports competitions regularly boast larger prize pots than those of their athletic counterparts.

“I was always part of the nerd world,” she says, with more than a hint of vindication. “A few years ago, it felt like it was almost something to be ashamed of to admit that you’re a nerd, as if you had this weird, ridiculous aura. But now, everybody – all these people who were never interested – seem to want to be involved in this world. I [sometimes think], ‘Nah, you need to prove you’re really into it…’”

She’s not kidding. As if that massive cache of gaming equipment – from the original PlayStation to countless Game Boys and computer components – wasn’t proof enough, Cristina has even appeared as playable character The Shadow Sorceress in Iron Maiden’s ever-evolving Legacy Of The Beast mobile game. “It was such an honour, such a pleasure to create my own character and give all the directions for the outfit, which was basically the outfit I was wearing on the last Lacuna Coil tour before lockdown,” she grins.

Going even geekier, Lacuna Coil also just launched their own Horns Up tabletop card game, where players must fight their way to the front of the stage. “It’s something we’re all really interested in, but particularly our bassist Maki [Coti Zelati],” Cristina continues. “Every card is related to metal clichés. We even gave our fans the opportunity to see themselves on one of the cards…”

Although Lacuna Coil maintained their high-drama presence with September 2020’s Black Anima: Live From The Apocalypse stream and June 2021’s live album of the same name, Cristina was keen to use the time off to introduce fans to her character away from the band, emboldened to set up her own channel on Twitch.

“I just wanted to learn new things which could enrich my baggage of knowledge,” she enthuses. “I’m already singing, already writing, but I don’t want to fixate on those. Life is made up of so many different things that can enrich my music and my creativity. I was already a Twitch user, watching other people play games, but I didn’t know what my purpose was. I almost felt scared at first. I am a singer. I am somehow an entertainer. I like to talk, which is clear. But it’s different when you’re talking to a lot of people for a couple of hours – or more!

“Eventually, I decided to keep it as informal as I could so that people could see how Cristina is at home. Cristina isn’t just the singer of Lacuna Coil: I have a house, I have a life, I have passions, I have my own personality. I just wanted people to discover that. Luckily they also like this quirky side of me, which feels like the opposite that dark goth lady that so many people know. As much as I didn’t have purpose in the beginning, there’s now such a strong community every time I go online – such a clean place to exchange good vibes!”

Even the persistent undertones of sexism and misogyny that have plagued gaming, she pushes, are a speed bump to be put in the rearview, comparable to what she experienced when first making her name in heavy music.

“In metal, I encountered the same problem,” she explains, bluntly. “[Women becoming a major presence in the community] was something new, and when something is new, people have suspicions and doubts. They don’t know how to deal with it. But there are a lot of female gamers now, and a lot of females in metal. It’s been normalised, which it should be, because games and metal are for everyone.”

As the world comes back up to speed, hectic schedules mean that attention is turning away from screens, and back towards studio and stage. Mark is churning out more and more top-class YouTube content. Cristina has a packed diary, with a tribute concert for late collaborator Franco Battiato at the spectacular Arena di Verona this week, and another secretive collaboration in the works, not to mention writing for Lacuna Coil’s 10th LP, which has just begun – her creative fires reignited by bringing Start Again to life.

Having dipped toes in the video game world, though, they’re both keen to return.

“I really hope we do,” Cristina says. “As a fan of video games, it’s such a great chance to bring together these different passions in your life. There are so many different things I’d like to do, and places I’d like to explore in this world, but time is limited!”

“I loved the challenge here, and the process of collaboration,” nods Mark. “If we could work together again when it comes time to make Diablo IV, that would be amazing. I’d love the opportunity to have my own playable character in an Iron Maiden video game, too, but I’m not sure that’s achievable!”

“I thought the same thing,” grins Cristina, ever adventurous, as we wave farewell. “Never say never!”

Diablo II: Resurrected is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S and PC.

#Cristina Scabbia #DoD collaborations #2021 interviews #diablo ii resurrected

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enterprisetrampstamp · 4 years ago

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General #1 Medbay Trio (platonic)

"I love you."

"Tell me that when you're sober," Christine said, laughing, and Geoff threw his hands out to his sides indignantly.

"I've had half a beer!" He protested, slouched comfortably back in his chair. "Unlike some people--"

"Bite me," Len said, not looking up from the comm that he had-- habitually, anxiously-- flipped open to check for incoming messages. Christine surreptitiously dropped a quarter into the ever-growing pile next to the massive, fruity cocktail she was drinking. (It looked orange but tasted pink. She wasn't much of one for the color, not like Nyota was, but it had its place, and its place was getting her riotously drunk on shore leave.)

Geoff laid a hand over his heart, his tone magnanimous and arrogant all at once. "I know how to express my emotions openly--"

"You know what?" Len pointed his beer bottle at Geoff, raising his eyebrows. "Bite yourself."

"--honestly--"

"Oh, this is all from the heart, M'Benga, don't you worry your pretty little head about that."

"--and without embarrassment." Geoff laid his hand on Len's shoulder, his dark eyes wide and sincere. His grin, on the other hand, was shit-eating. "You know, we're here for you."

"You know, I'm your boss," Len muttered. He turned his chin away from the table, long fingers drumming as he glanced towards the door.

(Not waiting for anyone-- just wanting to leave. Usually you couldn't pay him to stay shipside on shore leave, but tonight was special. Just look: all three of the Enterprise's senior medical staff were off duty.)

(All at once.)

(Christine didn't take it personally; she knew Leonard McCoy considered her and Geoff his best friends-- after his two particularly notable best-er friends-- despite all of his grumbling. She just also knew that trusting the kids to man the Medbay without them, even when the ship was practically empty with 90% of its crew on leave, was taking its toll on his nerves.)

She rested her chin on her palm, her lipsticked lips tipped into a mocking smile. "Aw," she said, engaging in that time honored distraction technique of annoying the hell out of him as she stirred her bendy straw through her drink. "It's cute how he tries to hide behind protocol when we're making fun of him."

Geoff cupped a hand around his ear, leaning teasingly towards her. "What's this 'we' you speak of, Nurse? The only dulcet tones I hear dragging his ass are mine and mine alone."

Len checked his comm again.

Christine dropped another quarter on the pile.

With a sudden wide eyed look of comprehension, Geoff burst out laughing, slapping his hand over his mouth. Len looked up, suspicious, and clipped his comm back to his belt. "What?" he demanded, his eyes flicking between Geoff and Christine as he tried to figure out what joke he'd missed-- clearly, rightfully suspicious that he was the butt of it.

"Nothing," Geoff wheezed.

"Don't worry about it," Christine told him, sipping at her drink as her eyes sparkled, and Len narrowed his eyes and leaned forward to rest his forearms on the edge of the table as he folded his fingers together.

"You sayin' that is what worries me more than anything." He prodded a finger at her from avross the table. "You sayin' that's gonna keep me up at night--"

"Better find some hobbies then." Christine smiled at him, sweetly. "Find a good way to use the extra time."

Len-- finger still hovering in the air between them-- glared at her for a long, long moment. "You," he said, "are distracting me."

Christine pointed her own finger at the stack of coins. "Evidently, not very well," she said, dryly.

"You--"

"I love you, too," Geoff told him, slinging an arm around his shoulders and-- gently-- settling him back into his chair before he could lean over and strangle Christine. "Man, do you trust me?"

Len, sniffing, slouched moodily into his chair and didn't look at either of them as he muttered, "You know I do."

"And you trust Chris," Geoff said, leadingly.

"And I trust my head nurse," Len agreed, rolling his eyes. "We'd all be dead from butting heads by now if I didn't."

"Yeah, well, me and Chris, and you, who you trust more than anyone because you're an egotistical jackass just like every other surgeon in this galaxy--"

"Including you--"

"--We trained those kids, Len." Geoff squeezed his shoulder. "You, me, and Chris. We're the ones who trained them. If you can't trust them, trust the three of us."

Len pursed his lips. "It ain't that easy," he said. "You know that."

"Are you kidding?" Christine laughed. "Of course we do! Why do you think my drink is this big, McCoy? I've got to give myself an undeniable reason within the next ten minutes-- like being too drunk to pass muster-- that I can't race back to the transporters and finish this shift myself!"

"Control freak," Geoff told her, fondly.

"Can it, M'Benga; that jittery knee of yours if shaking the whole damn table."

Looking between them, Len's lips twitched into a grin. "We're a mess," he observed, tipping his beer towards Geoff like the words were a toast.

Geoff clinked his own bottle against it, grinning, and squeezed Len's shoulder again. Beneath the table, both of their stupidly long legs poked across onto Christine's side, their knees and ankles bumping beneath the battered wood of the rinky dink table of the ugly, messy bar.

"Pool?" she suggested, turning and draping her arm across the back of her chair as she heard the unmistakeable groan of someone who had just lost, terribly, and may or may not have the money to pay up.

"We'll have to win the table to get hold of it," Len pointed out, "and that tall guy's a menace. He's run off like three different people just since we sat down with our first round of drinks."

"Aw," Geoff said. He pinched Len's cheek. "It's cute how you think that worries me. I used to play pool with Vulcans; just imagine what that's like, will you?"

Len clearly already was. "Oh, god," he said, sounding disgusted and impressed all at once.

"Have you ever had a seven foot tall stranger lecture you on how to calculate the appropriate factor by which to multiply a given billiard ball's momentum in order to determine its speed and distance of rebound for a given angle of deflection? I have." Geoff clapped Len on the shoulder, draining the last of his beer, and rose to his feet. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Buy me something pretty with your winnings?" Christine asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Don't encourage him," Len protested. "Don't-- he's as bad as Jim--"

Christine burst out laughing. "Lenny, honey, no one is as bad as Captain Kirk. And I know you know that, or else you wouldn't have made the righteous and practicable decision to come out with us tonight instead of him."

"Maybe I just like you better," Len retorted, eyebrows rising as he stood and drained the last of his own beer. "You ever think of that, huh, wiseass?"

"Aw, Geoff!" Christine spun around in her seat, rising up to one knee and cupping her hand around her mouth as she called, "Len just said he loves us!"

"I did not--"

"I'm so proud of you." Geoff drew a heart in the air with both of his index fingers and blew Len a kiss.

"I'm going to fire you both and ship you off to Siberia to freeze your asses off and die of hypothermia."

Christine-- massive drink in one hand and quarters returned to her pocket-- stood on her tiptoes to hook her chin over his shoulder and wrap an arm around his waist. She sipped from her bendy straw, and then she offered it to Len. "No, you won't."

She felt him heave a sigh more than heard it, over the general din of shitty music and worse conversation that permeated the bar. "No, I won't," he agreed.

He accepted the sip of Christine's drink, and they watched the tall guy's face drop open with shock as Geoff calmly, calculatingly ran the table.

"You're both too good to me," he told her. "Keepin' me distracted when you're just as nervous."

Christine shrugged, settling down off of her tiptoes and letting him tuck her into his side, under his arm. "Distracting ourselves, too," she pointed out. "Besides, you spend most of your time playing emotional outlet for Kirk and Spock, and every other person who's ever come to you with something on their minds; only fair someone does it for you in return."

He snorted. "Don't let Spock hear you say that, or you really might end up in Siberia."

"He wouldn't dare," Christine retorted primly. "I have immunity. I'm Nyota's favorite, relevant for obvious reasons--"

"Nyota is Spock's favorite," Len agreed.

"--And I'm Janice's, too. Kirk would gave to sign off, but she'd never file the paperwork."

Geoff whistled, drawing their attention as he stuffed a wad of bills in his back pocket and then tossed a pool cue in their direction. "Who's getting their ass beat first?"

"Len!" Christine shoved him forward. "Show us what those legendary hands of yours can do, Sawbones."

Len groaned. "Never gonna live that down, am I?" and in return they chorused, "Never!'

"Has anyone called Carol lately?" Geoff asked, leaning on his pool cue and oh-so-graciously letting Len break. "I miss her. Only person better than Len or the Captain at getting a rise out of Spock."

"She's off in deep space working on some crazy secret research project or other," Len told him, frowning at the table as he studied the pattern that had unfolded in front of him. "I'm solids, by the way."

Geoff hummed. "Fancy."

"Good for her," Christine said.

They continued to wait for Len to take his next shot. Geoff shifted from foot to foot, and then asked, "Anyone want me to recite that lecture on elastomeric collisions from memory, or--?"

"No!"

(I'm currently taking prompts!)

#a tramp stamp original #leonard mccoy #christine chapel #geoffrey m'benga #med squad #fic tag #thank you for indulging me watson ❤️

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iruludavare · 4 years ago

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{Headcanon: Floaroma Town- Beliefs + Religion

This post is okay to reblog. For use, please give credit

Please note that this is not meant to represent Sinnoh as a whole, just Floaroma Town

Worlds

There are three worlds that exist—the upper, middle and lower world.

Upper world: Inaccessible by ordinary living beings, and is located at the sunrise. This is the world where other legendary pokemon—such as Arceus, which is acknowledged as a creator god by nothing else, Dialga and Palkia are thought to reside. Pokemon that can see into the future (such as the Delphox, Xatu, Gothitelle, Gardevoir and Absol evolutionary lines), are thought to be able to temporarily cross the barrier between the middle and the upper world to gain insight into all events of every timeline. Ghost-type pokemon capable of using Phantom Force are also thought to be able to cross the barrier between worlds, as they are technically spirits with a physical body.

Middle world: The world where people and pokemon live. In this belief, pokemon related to life—Shaymin and Xerneas—are thought to periodically descend from the upper world to the middle to monitor all of the middle world’s inhabitants. This is why, to the people of Floaroma Town, a creature like Shaymin is so revered—it is, quite literally, considered on-par with other legendary pokemon in regards to importance. Humans that are capable of crossing into the upper or lower world are regarded as being higher beings than ordinary ones, and in older times formed small groups to act as a guiding hand for everyone else.

Lower world: Inaccessible by ordinary living beings, and is located at sunset. This is known in more Arceus-centric religions to be the Distortion World—where Giratina was banished to for its violence. It, in this set of beliefs, is thought to be ruled over by Giratina as well, albeit to watch over malevolent spirits and control their visits to the middle world. Ghost-type pokemon that are capable of using Phantom Force, but specifically Dusknoir and Drifblim in this case, readily can cross between the lower and upper world to guide lost spirits to the one they belong in. This is why such a heavy emphasis is placed on the Drifblim line floating away at sunset, as this is when they can return to the lower world the easiest.

The three worlds are each guarded by either Mesprit, Uxie or Azelf, who work to keep all three in balance and prevent the collapse of one by the events in another. They are omnipresent, seeing everything that takes place in the world that they have been tasked to guard.

They are also responsible for giving everything in the middle world emotions, knowledge and willpower—collectively known as a spirit.

Spirit

As such, it is believed that everything in the world has a spirit, and is alive, although beings that can move were also given what is referred to as “motive energy”. Unnecessary death—be it taking another human or pokemon life, or cutting down flora—is forbidden, and any of the former requires some sort of cleansing to take place afterwards.

Due to their strong beliefs in everything having a spirit, and their close connection with nature, being able to understand pokemon—to varying degrees—is a common occurrence for those in Floaroma Town. It is a skill that requires a lot of honing, however.

While spirit exists in everything in the middle world, natural phenomena—such as lightning, rain, thunder, and so on— are also are also animated, given names and deeper meanings for their occurrence. In some cases, they are also tied back to the legendary pokemon responsible for such things, however this is a more modern belief, coming about after an attempt to merge older beliefs with the Arceus-centric religion that is commonly worshipped in Sinnoh.

In addition to living beings, the middle world is also visited by spirits that occupy the upper and lower world. They can be good, neutral or malicious in nature, and are responsible for certain events occurring. Their crossing over is monitored by the being in charge of the world they hail from, but also the lake trio in case if the former were ever to become corrupt.

Continuing on from this, there is also another sub-division of spirits that are thought to exist solely to help people. Over the course of someone’s life—be it a person, pokemon or something else--, they will gather these kinds of spirits, who will accompany them until the day they die.

Communication with said spirits, however, is almost impossible for those outside the town’s bloodlines (unless they are, for example, aura users). For those that are from there, it requires very specific and intensive training.

Pokemon-specific

The Honchkrow evolutionary line are not thought of being pokemon, but instead as the souls of humans in disguise due to being able to mimic human speech. The same belief also applies to other pokemon with the same ability, such as Chatot and Jynx.

Likewise, due to their appearance, Usaring are also considered to be very close relatives to humankind. As such, bringing harm to them is strictly prohibited.

In general ghost-type pokemon are not made out to be creatures that should be feared, or are inherently evil. Rather, they are welcomed and encouraged to do whatever it is they need to in an area. They have been, to them, sent there for a purpose.

Other

Prayers to Shaymin are done weekly—at the start of the week, Prayers to the lake trio are done at the end of the week. However, in both instances, it is never about personal wishes or anything that would be deemed ‘selfish’. Instead, they are always about the pokemon in surrounding places, the land they are on itself, or for humankind as a whole.

Arceus is acknowledged only as a creator spirit—they are never given form, or mentioned much aside from being the one in control of the upper world and mainly being concerned with what goes on with its inhabitants there.

The year starts in spring—towards the end of the year, in October, when the land Floaroma Town is on was revived. That said, the common new year celebrated in Sinnoh is something that is still acknowledged.

The first day of the new year is marked with a festival, celebrating the renewal of life. Bouquets of gracidea flowers are often left outside as an offering to Shaymin, as a way of expressing gratitude for all that they have done for them.

The hierarchy of worship differs between families, as they choose one specific creature to act as a ‘protector’ of sorts for their family. Although, this practice has become less commonplace, as now it is the oldest member of the town that decides in which order Shaymin and the lake trio should be placed in regards to importance.

#❀⊱⦃ ⏤ {headcanon.} ⦄⊰❀#❀⊱⦃ ⏤ {Okay to reblog!} ⦄⊰❀#{will reblog later}#{ghdfjk hopefully this makes sense...}#{i know while a lot of these probably won't come up in threads they still all apply to serena-- they're all things she 100% believes in}

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doomonfilm · 4 years ago

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Ranking : Martin Scorsese (1942-present)

Of all the places in the world that seem to be hubs for creative energy, New York stands high on my personal list of favorites, and when it comes to iconic New York filmmakers, there aren’t many that can hold a candle to the prolific career of Martin Scorsese. His appreciation for films, art and music blasts off the screen with the same energy as his kinetic cinematography and vibrant editing. Once he established himself as a mainstay in the industry, his list of collaborators evolved into a who’s who of acting legends, both old and new. His career spans just over 50 years, and even his latest film (his 25th in his catalog) went head to head with other contenders for the top awards of the year.

To put it bluntly, there is Martin Scorsese, and then there is a long list of imitators and those influenced by his genius. To rank his films is a true test of logic, patience and decision making, but after a few weeks of catching the 7 or so films I had yet to see, I think I can stand behind this list as my definitive ranking (from least to most favorite) of a director I hold in the highest regard.

25. Gangs of New York (2002) An honest attempt at an epic flick, but at the heart of the matter, I simply don’t care about either side in the battle Scorsese presents us. Set in New York City in the mid 19th Century during the Civil War, we are thrown into a generational battle where the two key figures have different goals... Bill the Butcher stands as antagonist in his fight to maintain power and control, while Amsterdam is our protagonist charged with a mission of revenge. In the end, neither side ends up mattering, very much like my personal experience with this all flourish, no foundation exercise in style.

24. Bringing Out the Dead (1999) Nicolas Cage was gearing up for the run that most people know him for now during the release of Bringing Out the Dead : he was coming off of Golden Globe and Academy Award wins for Leaving Las Vegas, but was quickly leaning towards films of a more exploitation-based style. This film marked a refinement of his wild-man persona, while simultaneously being one of the last high-level actor/director combinations he would be involved in before his mad dash to accept every film and avoid bankruptcy. New York is captured in a mid-transition point between the darkness of the 1970s and 1980s versus the Disney aesthetic of the new millennium, and while heavy on the entertainment factor (as well as visually striking), there is ultimately not enough on this plate to push it higher up the list.

23. The Color of Money (1986) If you had to do a quick gander at the Scorsese list and pick the film that, on paper, screams Hollywood, it’d be hard to argue against The Color of Money taking that top spot. A soft sequel to The Hustler, Scorsese picks up the Fast Eddie story in the 1980s (an era that oozes out of each and every frame of this film), and yet, despite this legendary move, the film is ultimately the Tom Cruise show. Scorsese’s trademark dollying and trucking camera shots work beautifully in the context of this film, but in a story that shines bright, the star of Cruise ultimately outshines all that remains.

22. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) After a few exploitation-based projects, it seemed that Martin Scorsese wanted to provide a slightly different change in perspective, albeit one that still dwells in the darker corners of life. Rather than deal with the streets of New York or crime, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is a study on broken homes, single parenthood and domestic violence that oscillates between the view of the titular Alice and her young son. Harvey Keitel gives another strong performance as a Scorsese regular, while Ellen Burstyn shines in a transitional role towards more mature performances. Seeing Scorsese camera movements coopted into a more down to Earth story was refreshing.

21. The Departed (2006) Many people would have assumed that The Departed would be higher on a list of Scorsese films based solely on the cast... pairing Leonardo DiCaprio opposite Matt Damon in a tension-filled triangle with Jack Nicholson is a bold combination in its own right, but surrounding this nucleus with Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Corrigan, Anthony Anderson and supporting actors of that ilk creates a rich showcase of talent. Stylistically, everything you need is there too, as Scorsese proved time and again that films of this nature were his wheelhouse. That being said, the story itself, an adaptation of the 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, takes a few liberties in its adaptation that ultimately are to the detriment of the narrative. Kudos to Scorsese for putting this one together, and too bad for him that the choices of William Monahan knocked what could have been a mega-classic way down the list.

20. New York, New York (1977) New York, New York is one of the most unique offerings from the Scorsese canon for a number of reasons. Of all his films, this one is probably the one that can be considered a “style exercise” more than the rest, as it oscillates between obvious sets and real locations before blurring the lines between the two. Long gaps of time are given to fully executed musical numbers (a must when a talent like Liza Minnelli is involved), and traditional methods of songwriting and performance are given their due respect. The exercise portion, however, comes in the newer acting styles that are infused into the old school structure... improvisation and aggressive physicality are used to put a deeper, disturbing red tint on an era often presented through a rose-colored lens. While interesting at times, the nearly three hour run time of the film begins to wear on the limits of the style, which ultimate leaves the film feeling more like a personal indulgence than a statement on changing times. For the iconic title track alone (and the buildup to its release), this film is worth seeing, but in terms of its placement in the realm of other Scorsese films, it may have to grow on me a while to find a higher placement on the list.

19. Boxcar Bertha (1972) Originally, this film was much lower on the list, largely due to its chronological placement between Who’s That Knocking at My Door and Mean Streets seeming odd to me. Upon revisitation, however, it stands clear and present that this film served as an exercise in the process of directing and organizing a shoot. With its period-specific placement, ensemble cast and action sequences, it was bound to be compared to (and ultimately overshadowed by) the formidable Bonnie and Clyde, but Boxcar Bertha has a few key moments in it (including a stellar final action sequence) that places it near the middle of the Scorsese canon, even with it being his second film.

18. Who's That Knocking at My Door? (1967) For all of the refinement that Scorsese found in his second film, his debut film, the stunning Who’s That Knocking at My Door?, stands as testament to the fact that Scorsese brought his many gifts to the table from day one. What started as a student graduate film grew into a speculative project, only to find 25th hour funding that allowed it a festival run and a proper release. The film took many years to complete and release, to the point that keen viewers will notice Harvey Keitel’s boyish, soft good looks morph into the sharper, edgier intense profile we came to recognize in Mean Streets and the films that followed. The energetic cinematography, respect of film as a medium, stellar music choices, defiance of youth, toxic masculinity and realistic look at relationships are all here, making this debut a hidden gem in the Scorsese canon.

17. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Seeing Scorsese retread old stylistic ground (as opposed to infusing his style into newer projects) is an interesting take, and for what my opinion is worth, The Wolf of Wall Street feels like Goodfellas for white collar criminals. In theory (and, in some aspects of the film, in reality), the experiment does work, but ultimately, this film finds its placement in the middle realms simply because we are given infinite sizzle off of what amounts to a very thin steak. Goodfellas works because it is carried by the weight of omerta, but The Wolf of Wall Street focuses on a culture where status comes from self-appointed importance, which ultimately makes for an attempted redemption story for despicable people.

16. The Irishman (2019) Seeing actors the stature of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino combine forces for a film is always a major event, but until 2019, those combinations have been limited to duos. When Netflix announced its intention to release The Irishman in 2019, people were not only intrigued on Scorsese’s take on the Jimmy Hoffa story, but seeing De Niro, Pesci and Pacino in the same film for the first time. For what it was worth, the trio lived up to all expectations, with the only bittersweet criticism being wishes that the three could have found a way to work together prior to the twilight of their careers. The historical drama is high quality, with Hoffa’s larger than life persona captured perfectly by Pacino, and bolstered by the dramatic chops brought to the table by De Niro and Pesci. The film is a tad on the long side, and the de-aging process tips into the realm of the uncanny valley due to the older actors’ physicality, but for a 25th film 52 years into an illustrious career, The Irishman must be recognized for the triumph that it is.

15. The Aviator (2004) Much like The Wolf of Wall Street, I avoided The Aviator for years simply because I have no interest or fascination with Howard Hughes. I was very much aware of his financial stature, his innovations as an aviator, his rocky love life and his personal demons that plagued him, but for my money’s worth, I was fine without seeing it presented on the big screen. In an effort to cover all the bases for a director I hold in high esteem, however, I made the decision to finally check out The Aviator, and for every element of the film I previously had no interest in, an element was presented that won me over. Cate Blanchett and Adam Dunn put on two of the strongest performances in the entire realm of Scorsese films, and the XF-11 crash sequence is possibly one of the grandest and well executed in any Scorsese film. Leave it to Martin Scorsese to make a powerful film about an individual I care nothing about and nearly crack the top ten with that effort.

14. Hugo (2011) Up to the point of watching Hugo, I knew nothing about it. About halfway through Hugo, I had to stop and look up how the film was received, as it was simply stunning, and sure enough, it was a monster in terms of award nominations and wins. I never would have pegged Scorsese as the type to direct a kid’s film, but in all honesty, that ‘kid’s film’ title is used as a façade for a love letter to film in general, and the groundbreaking work of Georges Méliès specifically. The look of the film is otherworldly, the energy is light, kinetic and infectious, and even a mostly slapstick performance by Sacha Baron Cohen yields surprising emotional depth when given the opportunity to do so. While just missing the top ten, Hugo easily stands as the number one surprise on this list in terms of pre-viewing expectations (of which there where none) versus post-viewing thoughts (of which there are many). Knowing that Hugo exists lets me know that one day, if I have children, and they want to know why I love film so much, I will have a film on the level of Cinema Paradiso to share with them and (hopefully) help foster a love of film they can call their own.

13. Casino (1995) For a time, this film stood as the last work containing the vibrant combination of Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, a trio of high energy creatives known for putting their all into their projects. Casino felt like a spiritual successor to Goodfellas, focusing on a lavish but secretive lifestyle with high stakes and even higher consequences. An instantly iconic movie, Casino felt like the end of an era in regards to gangster fare for Scorsese, opting instead for more challenging projects, adaptations of other books and films, or personal passion projects. It would be nearly 25 years later before Scorsese would touch similar subject matter or work with these actors again, but had Casino been the last of Scorsese’s so-called “gangster” films, I believe the world would have been happy with that.

12. Kundun (1997) To make one religious-based film in a career is a bold move to some, but I am hard-pressed to think of any director that made films on two different religions who didn’t explicitly make religious films. With that in mind, it is incredibly impressive that Martin Scorsese was able to make a film as moving and objective as Kundun after making such a bold take on religion as The Last Temptation of Christ. The film centers around the discovery, growth and eventual escape to India in light of growing aggression from China. In all honesty, I had my doubts as to whether or not the Scorsese style would work for this story, especially in light of the lack of cooperation from Tibet and China, but somehow, Scorsese’s amazing signature camerawork captures the unique spirit and essence surrounding the Dalai Lama. I’d heard of this film for years, but never got around to it until it was time to make this list, but I will almost certainly try to find a copy to own in the near future.

11. The King of Comedy (1982) What an odd left turn in regards of career trajectory for both Scorsese and De Niro. With three collaborations already under their belt (not to mention The Godfather II already being a well-established classic), it would have been easy to imagine the duo putting another notch on the gangster film genre belt. What we are given, however, is the yang to the yin of Taxi Driver : our protagonist is a statement on personal conviction and the trappings of instant stardom, our antagonist is a statement on star fascination and the high costs of celebrity, and our satellite characters directly reflect the toxicity certain fandoms can be capable of. Scorsese sets aside his normal flourish and camera moves for a mixing of film and video mediums, as well as a completely new sense of freedom in regards to the highly improvised nature of the film. Its influence on recent successful films like Joker is undeniable, but I’d argue that Joker lacks the heart, sincerity and realistic bite present in The King of Comedy.

10. After Hours (1985) Of all the “new to me” Scorsese flicks I finally viewed while preparing this list, After Hours stands as my favorite discovery of the bunch. I was marginally familiar with the film, both from my younger days in video stores and from friend recommendations, but for some reason, when Scorsese time arrived, After Hours seemed to never be on the docket. That oversight, however, will now be a thing of the past. This film feels like a personal challenge to Woody Allen in regards to how one should make a New York-based romantic comedy, and I’d be hard pressed to share any shortcomings or failures present in this comedic masterpiece. One of the few films that can be both a product of its era and a timeless classic, and one that should be much more recognized in the Scorsese canon.

9. Shutter Island (2010) Me hesitating or not getting around to Scorsese films seems to be a bit of a common theme here, but there was literally no excuse for me to take this long to get around to Shutter Island. Despite knowing the premise of the story (and even having the ending somewhat spoiled for me), I still found the impact of the final moments just as powerful as I imagine I would have going into this film blind. Some people will likely argue this statement, but in my opinion, this was the best Leonardo DiCaprio performance captured by Martin Scorsese. The asylum setting is wonderfully bleak, and the psychological horrors it infers create a vibrant playground for some of the most stunning visual symbolism that Scorsese has ever committed to film. Don’t be like me if you’ve not gotten around to Shutter Island yet, because it’s a thrill ride more than worth the price of admission, and a rewarding repeat viewer.

8. Mean Streets (1973) Mean Streets may have been Martin Scorsese’s third film, but for many fans, it was the first true indicator of the brilliance that was to come. A true New York film through and through, it not only presented fans with a stronger Harvey Keitel performance than Who’s That Knocking at My Door?, but it introduced the world to the palatable tandem of Scorsese and De Niro that would go on to lead to years and years of iconic performances. The use of altering aspect ratios is something that I wish Scorsese would have continued to use more often, but in all honesty, Mean Streets has style to spare. This the film that I love to recommend when people start ranting and raving about Goodfellas, and more often than not, it impresses those unfamiliar with it just as much.

7. The Age of Innocence (1993) Martin Scorsese’s love of film is widely known and well documented, but The Age of Innocence goes an additional step further by displaying Scorsese’s love of art. The film also is one of the most touching displays of unrequited love that Scorsese has committed to film, a slight alteration from his normal infusion of love stories trying to sustain in the surrounding chaos of gangs, crime, religion and so on. Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder all give standout performances in this masterfully directed film. If Gangs of New York was meant to be the definitive old school New York film in the Scorsese canon, then The Age of Innocence is the unintended definitive New York film from Scorsese, with some European touches thrown in for good measure.

6. Cape Fear (1991) Of the many, many iconic performances that Robert De Niro has given Martin Scorsese, I’d be hard pressed not to put his characterization of Max Cady at the top by a clear margin. Cape Fear was already a classic film adaptation of The Executioners when it was first released in 1957, but De Niro pulled two fast ones with his update : in terms of casting, especially with the aforementioned De Niro, Scorsese brought the harrowing story into a much darker, recent world, therefore increasing the tension by upping the ante for violent retribution, while at the same time, paying direct homage to the original by having Elmer Bernstein adapt the original Bernard Herrmann score. Juliette Lewis also provided a breakout performance in this modern day classic, and possibly the film that provided the most tense debate in terms of placement, as we will get into with the next film.

5. Silence (2016) Despite being one of the most recent Martin Scorsese films, this one’s limited release meant that I missed it during its initial run, and the lack of streaming service placement essentially erased it from my memory. I was certainly intrigued about watching it for this list, and it ended up being the last film viewed. Going into it, it felt like a sort of religious take on Saving Private Ryan, but it didn’t take long for the film to start dealing out much heavier cards in terms of faith, belief systems and cross-cultural contamination. The Last Temptation of Christ showed that Scorsese could find nuance and secular drama from a holy tale, and Kundun showed that he could make a religious icon a relatable human figure struggling to grasp his divine appointment. Silence is the work of a wise, steady hand, however, like some sort of cinematic parable or testament to faith in the face of crippling doubt and danger. Scorsese is certainly still moved by the idea of faith, and he uses Andrew Garfield to display this in some of the most powerful moments that he has ever created or captured for his films. For those who have not seem the film, this placement may feel a bit high, but I would not be surprised if, given time and proper amounts of reflection, it makes its way higher.

4. Raging Bull (1980) The placement of Raging Bull and Cape Fear was the biggest hurdle I was forced to overcome in the creation of this list. Robert De Niro is powerfully captivating in both films, though I would personally give his performance as Max Cady the nod over his embodiment of Jake LaMotta, but when it comes down to the brass tacks of it all, Raging Bull is ultimately the better of the two films. The raw, black and white look of LaMotta’s life already provides a gritty, unflattering portrait of a savage and uncouth man looking for beauty in the world, but that beauty he searches for appears in the boxing sequences with no apologies. The airy look, mainly caught by dynamic slow motion photography, works in tandem with the abrasive first-person views of the combatants, not to mention the direct nature of the combat itself as the viewer is often placed directly in the line of fire. The involvement of the real LaMotta within the film provides a nice button to the superb acting put on display by De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty and the numerous actors used to portray the opponents of LaMotta.

3. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) Call it a trope if you like, but it feels like every great (or aspiring) director has a film in them that is driven by religion in some capacity. The Last Temptation of Christ is unique in this sense because it takes the story of the accusations, betrayal, trial and eventual crucifixion of Jesus and turns it into a deeply faith-based suspense thriller. Many of the familiar beats we know from the Bible are re-contextualized as visions, mystic tests of faith, carnal desires driven by lust, and nihilistic views infringing upon deep indoctrination. Willem Dafoe plays a Jesus that is bitter in his acceptance of his fate, Harvey Keitel plays a wonderfully opportunistic Judas, and Barbara Hershey plays a very modernized version of a woman forced to use her body for survival that is suddenly trapped between necessity and passion. The film hinges on the verge of becoming a soap opera without falling into the trappings that come with such high drama, and the walkup to the film’s amazing final sequence puts you in the emotional passenger's seat while Jesus takes the wheel and steers directly into his fate. A dramatically powerful yet brutally sincere take on an iconic, revered and sensitive subject matter.

2. Goodfellas (1990) Is there any original praise left to bestow upon this movie? To focus on the imperfections of this film is an act of futility, as they are mostly non-existent. Some of Martin Scorsese’s best examples of his iconic camera movement, editing techniques, still frames, writing gleaned from personal experience, soundtrack use, loose historical connections and dark humor are found within the confines of Goodfellas. If you’ve seen in actor in any television show or film that had any connection to the mob prior to Goodfellas or since, it is more than likely that that actor was in Goodfellas, even if only briefly. Using Henry Hill as both an outsider and insider perspective is a brilliant narrative stroke, as he can get close to the top, but can never have it all, making him essentially a fly on the wall bursting with charisma and personality. They highs are as epic as the lows are tragic, and for most people, it is the first film that comes to mind when the name Martin Scorsese is mentioned. This could have very easily been the number one film on my list, but anyone who has been visiting this blog with a keen eye for detail probably figured out my favorite Scorsese film the first time they visited the DOOMonFILM blog.

1. Taxi Driver (1976) Since the day that I started this film blog, there has been one image at the top of the page : Travis Bickle in the porn theater (with his face replaced by my logo) from the iconic Taxi Driver. There’s not a single element that I can put my finger on for this film, but there are certainly a number of elements that do speak to me : the isolation that Travis faces, the journal-like narration that drives the story forward, the hypnotic nature of both Bernard Herrmann score and the repetitive taxi cab shots and the vivid camera movements are all burnt firmly into my brain. Everyone that makes up the main cast for this film kills in their performance, and the ending of the film is not only a brutal one, but an ironic one in regards to where Travis lands in the eyes of those who make up the world of the film. Martin Scorsese has made more amazing films than some directors have made, period (amazing or otherwise), but for my money’s worth, none of them are as powerful or well put together as Taxi Driver.

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polyolefinprince · 4 years ago

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What would you do for the next Pokémon region? What theme would the pseudo legendaries and legendaries be?

In terms of the actual region, I prefer fantasy lands to actual places (I'd rather explore Hyrule than NYC, you feel?) which also permits more diversity in location so there can be stuff like a desert area and a snowy area without it feeling forced. I'd also want caves to come back a bit. Places like the Ice Path in Johto allowed so much more exploration than locations like the Galar Mine which is just one path with an optional offshoot.

Honestly, I want a Breath of the Wild type of game where there is a lot more exploration and letting us approach the story how we want. Gyms would be hard to force in a more open-world game but in the past two generations they've been changing how gyms work so I think it's totally feasible to still incorporate that with badges acting as milestones to unlock stronger pokemon and areas. I still think having the region somewhat split up is a good idea, so maybe having different areas going further into the region, with three gyms per area, and you just have to beat one of them to go on but you're encouraged to beat all three so you're pokemon will on-par with the levels of the next region. This allows for a chance of a gym for each type which would give us 6 different levels of area, similar to Alola's four islands (I don't think I would want them to be islands though because the story requires more forest area than oceans). I think this works well because the first could be a classic Grass/Fire/Water trio, then maybe Electric/Ground/Flying as classic types to teach resistances, then Bug/Ghost/Poison to have a generally spooky vibe, then kick off the second half with the classic Fighting/Psychic/Dark trio, then Ice/Ground/Normal (partially because it's what is left and partially because by now you have typing figured out so a strong normal gym is a challenge) and the final one could be the stronger types with Dragon/Fairy/Steel.

In terms of the storyline, I love what Hoenn did with having two teams with contrasting views and depending on the game you chose you got to see different points of view. I want to try that again but have more nuanced arguments rather than Team Aqua and Magma's opinion on the size of the ocean. I think I'd want my two teams to be focused on Nature vs Society, where one team wants to exhaust the natural world's resources for industry and science while the other wants to push civilization back to make room for the return of forests and wild pokemon. This has definitely been done before so it isn't a new concept, but I think that it's something where arguing for the extremes can lead to disastrous consequences in either side. I'm talking Community Center vs Joja Mart but like to the max.

Playing off of that, Princess Mononoke is one of my two favorite movies and while I would love the forest spirit there to be the Nature legendary, I don't want it to be too similar to Xerneas. Instead, I think looking at the boar gods there is a good choice as they can show the wild strength of nature that I want. So the Nature legendary would be a Grass/Ground giant boar. Let's call it Boarture, even though that's not at all what it's name would be because that sounds too much like torture and I specifically want to stay away from making either of them evil, just dangerous. Still, Boarture works for now.

The Society legendary is harder. I don't want to minimize society to industry because that's harder to justify against nature. I still want industry to play a part, as well as scientific advancement but also history and art as important cultural cornerstones. There are a couple different type combos I like for this one, but my favorite is Fire/Steel, which isn't a type combo we've seen before and also pairs up human civilization really well with the myth of the first fire and cooking and shelter and stories which are all decidedly human traits and the steel incorporating technology and science. I think it would take on a more humanoid appearance while still being wisp-y, a body composed purely of a white fire fueled by ambition and hands of liquid steel that it shapes at will to demonstrate its creativity, while still being dangerous to embrace in entirety. Lets call it Muse.

It might be a lot, but I think I also want a separate legendary trio to accompany them both. With Boarture I think you should have to make a case to three disciples before you get to confront Boarture itself. Each of them composes an aspect of the natural world. I like the idea of them being bugs because there aren't enough strong bug types. One of them is Flying/Bug and it helps herald in storms, another is Rock/Bug and it presides over the desert, and the third is Water/Bug and it protects the rivers and streams throughout the region. For Muse's, I like the idea of them all being Fairies because fairy tales are a human creation, and each of them having to do with humanity and society. One would be Ghost/Fairy and presides ovrr stories and history, another would be Electric/Fairy and would be immersed in technology (like a non-tricky Rotom), and the third would be Psychic/Fairy and would deal with identity and the concept of the Self. I don't like the idea of Pokemon being version exclusive, as somebody who didn't have friends to play with growing up, so I think 3 would be plot relevant, but after the game is complete you can potentially go through a second quest to fight the second box legendary and with it in the party you could find the other 3.

Idk what I would do for pseudo legendaries tbh. I've always wanted a Fire/Grass forest fire pokemon so that would be there. I also want a Poison/Steel radioactive pokemon that would fit well with the industrial aspect of the games. I love the idea of a Water/Dark kraken-style pokemon but I don't know if it would fit in well with my idea of the region. A Grass/Fighting moose pokemon covered in bark? A Poison/Fairy witch pokemon with a special move where it throws a potion with different effects based on the type of Pokemon it throws it at? An Ouroboros pokemon that starts as just a snake trying to bite its tail but turning into a fearsome dragon?

Overall, I think it's ambitious. Making it so that the story is different depending on the version while still following the core story isn't too hard, they've done it before. On top of that, making it so you can fight between 6-18 gyms and not necessarily in order will allow incredible individuality to the games, making it feel like everybody can play their own game with a different story than their friend. It would also allow great replayability as people fight different gyms or challenges like a Nuzlocke but you can only fight one gym per area. Or fighting one gym per area and then going back with a fresh team to fight the next 6 and then a third team to be the final 6.

And then having a nature-team is a great segue into another Pokemon Rangers game which they could have done so well on the switch, with moving the controllers in a circle to catch pokemon.

The problem though is that the Pokemon Company is currently emphasizing quantity over quality. I legit don't know if we'll ever see another epic main pokemon game because they are so focused on getting smaller games that they know we'll buy just because it has pokemon in it. They are prioritizing profits over telling a good story with a good game right now, which is disappointing, but I think it's possible we are in the stage where pokemon as we knew it would have died off by now and the only reason it's still going is because there is still money to be made. This is unfortunate, but I understand that we can't have the pokemon we grew up with our whole lives.

#asks #anon #sorry that this is so much to read #if i wasnt the one typing it i probably wouldn't look at all of this #but i love storytelling and worldbuilding and pokemon so this was a good ask

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dippedanddripped · 4 years ago

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One cannot look back on 2001 R&B/hip-hop without paying homage to the fits, the fits, the fits! Designer monogrammed wigs, bedazzled denim from head to toe, the occasional inexplicable trend (Nelly, looking at you), and, of course, Destiny's Child never leaving the house without three glamorous variations of the same fabric.

"[Hip-hop fashion] was creative and custom," says Derek Lee, former stylist to R&B icon, Aaliyah. "It wasn't driven totally by designers, you could still show up with some street stuff and it'd be acceptable." Lee, who styled the beloved singer from 1996 to 2001, pioneered the "sensual tomboy" aesthetic, central to today's fashion landscape, and evident in the wardrobes of R&B stars like Ciara, Teyana Taylor and Rihanna.

Lee recalled his own customizing experiences, adding glitz to streetwear pieces for the late singer. "We were flying to Paris and I'd be bedazzling Enyce sweatsuits for Aaliyah," he explains. Lee paid homage to fellow stylist June Ambrose for her work with Missy Elliott in further establishing the craze surrounding bedazzled pieces.

Ambrose, who styled over 200 music videos, was Missy's right-hand woman, costume designing for every major Missy Elliott production including "Get Ur Freak On," "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," "One Minute Man," and "Lose Control." She was a go-to designer for R&B/hip-hop heavyweights including Diddy, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey, and currently works as a creative director for Puma.

"We didn't have a point of reference that came before us," explains Ambrose. "We took the risk for the future." The "Rain" designer discussed the role of late '90s to early '00s designers as trailblazers, bursting through barriers between high-end labels and R&B/hip-hop culture. "I bridged high fashion with urban music," says Ambrose, "What felt so rebellious was taking a high fashion piece, and still keeping the same demeanor and swag that you wore in your neighborhood."

Dionne Alexander, the hairstylist behind Lil Kim's monogrammed wigs and Mary J. Blige's '90s updo's, agrees. "Look how free we are here," Alexander says. "It was very exciting, we were able to be extremely creative and we had to pull it from within. We didn't have Instagram, we had to go out and get magazines.

Tre Major, hairstylist to legendary celebrities including Aaliyah, Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle and Naomi Campbell, says the early '00s was "the best" era for fashion and hip-hop. "I was like an architect on the outside," Major explained. "Building the visuals, landscaping and making it gorgeous." Major was responsible for ushering in the lace-front wig into the world of R&B/hip-hop. "[The other stylists] were just geek because they never seen anything like it," says Major. "Now you can find a lace front wig on every corner, every boutique, every website."

On the 20th anniversary of this iconic, enduring year in fashion, Billboard caught up with the architects of the era, June Ambrose, Derek Lee, Tre Major and Dionne Alexander, to discuss some of the most memorable looks in '01 R&B/hip-hop and how these moments shaped the culture for decades to come.

Missy Elliott's Rhinestones, "Get Ur Freak On" Courtesy Photo Missy Elliott "Get Ur Freak On"

Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On" bedazzled denim

In '01, rhinestones were all the craze, and we have June Ambrose to thank. "It was all about making Missy a rock star," says Ambrose. "I got her hooked on rhinestones -- and once that happened, forget about it." The 200-time music video stylist says the glittering look from Missy's Dave Meyers directed video was meant to create a dichotomy between Elvis-like glamour and sportswear. "The jean jacket silhouette was very comfortable and relatable to her, but taking a Bootsy Collins over the top approach is what made it really tangible and special."

Aaliyah's Catsuit, "More Than A Woman" Courtesy Photo Aaliyah "More Than A Woman"

Aaliyah's "More Than A Woman" Chanel catsuit

Aaliyah's Dapper Dan-designed faux Chanel catsuit from the "More Than a Woman" video is one of the late singer's most iconic moments. "I knew that it was going to be a feature, that it would be striking, if it was different from anything she has done before," says Lee. The decision to choose Chanel was a step away from edgier brands like Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli, which the sweet singer was typically dressed in. But why not have Chanel design the piece themselves? "[The major brands] didn't want to be associated with rap music and this street culture," explains Lee, "That's why we had to create our own stuff or have it knocked off by [Dapper] Dan." When Aaliyah saw the design, Lee says she was feeling it. "I had decided to move Aaliyah into almost a cartoon character," he tells Billboard. "I was going down to Little Tokyo and getting all these anime books and had this entire idea."

Lil Kim Steve Wood/Shutterstock Lil Kim photographed at the Versace Haute couture show, Spring /Summer 2001 in Paris, France.

Lil Kim's monogrammed wigs

Monogrammed tresses have popped up on the heads of the rap's most iconic first ladies, including Nicki Minaj and Cardi B -- but similar to countless other signature hip-hop trends, it started with Lil Kim as the blueprint, and hairstylist Dionne Alexander the architect. "The inspiration totally comes from [Lil Kim] and who she is," says Alexander, the mastermind behind Lil Kim's Versace wig and equally iconic blue Chanel wig. "It was such a flow of creative energy, like a power that was coming through."

Alexander recalls coloring the Chanel wig Lil Kim wore for Manhattan File Magazine late into the night, until 5:00 in the morning. "I went to the art store and got trace paper and created the logo, then I cut it out." And her secret? Black magic marker. "With the Versace wig," Alexander says, "She called me and left this message on my machine that I literally kept for years. She went nuts, and it was the same with the Chanel."

Alexander says the present-day response to both wigs is surprising. "It's more of a buzz now than it was then. I'm so shocked at how many people call me about it now."

Outkast "So Fresh, So Clean" Courtesy Photo Outkast "So Fresh, So Clean"

Outkast's 'So Fresh' and 'So Clean' looks

The evolution of men's fashion in hip-hop is inextricably linked to the genius duo best known as Outkast. The pair defied longstanding tropes of how rappers were expected to present themselves and sent the media into frequent frenzies, with their delightfully shocking red carpet looks. In the "So Fresh, So Clean" music video, the eccentric Georgian duo rock a myriad of hairstyles, from a sleek, flipped perm, to a combed out, asymmetrical afro.

"That's some Southernplayalistic s--t right there," says Lee, in reference to the pair's '01 look. Alexander says Andre 3000 and Big Boi "revolutionized male confidence" through their unapologetic expression of creativity. Of Andre 3000, Major says, "He took a real gamble and went for it, just being his true artistic self and everyone loved it."

Macy Gray Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect Macy Gray arriving at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York City on Sept. 6, 2001.

Macy Gray's Vocal Dress at the MTV Video Music Awards

It was the dress seen (and read) around the world. Macy Gray, a performer known for her unconventional style and music, decided to transform her award show dress into a walking billboard. "That was totally Macy's idea, I just had to execute it," says Ambrose, the designer of Macy's immortal dress. "Working with Macy Gray was so much fun because she was an anomaly," Ambrose remembers. "In that moment, it was important that she sold albums, and she had she wanted to capitalize on the moment. It's like, where's the return on the investment? I'm getting hair and makeup and spending money on wardrobe. Is it gonna help me sell records? We wanted to just make sure that it did."

Destiny's Child "Survivor" Courtesy Photo Destiny's Child "Survivor"

Destiny's Child's coordinated camo

There are few things more memorable about the late '90s and early '00s than DC3's coordinated looks. Whether it was award shows, music videos or MTV appearances, you caught the trio out and about without perfect coordination. "Tina Knowles strikes again," says Ambrose, of Beyonce's mother and the group's resident designer. "Utilitarian was such a celebration of being tough and dominant," Ambrose explained. "It showed females in military can be sexy, that it's not just a man's game." Major drew comparisons to another always coordinated, ever-influential girl group. "Every time I looked at them, I saw the modern day Supremes," he said. "Everyone wanted to follow the camouflage trend."

Nelly Charles Sykes/Shutterstock Nelly photographed on Sept. 7, 2001.

Nelly's inexplicable face band-aid and double headbands

There are countless rumors circulating the World Wide Web about the explanation behind Nelly's little white Band-Aid and criss-crossed headbands. But regardless of the backstory, Nelly's creative face accessory was all people could talk about. "He created his own thing, like a left-eye kind of moment," says Major, who remembered considering rocking a Band-Aid himself. Ambrose says the bandage symbolized a "thug badge of honor," as iconic to Nelly as eye black is to football players.

Alicia Keys Anthony Barboza/Getty Images Alicia Keys photographed in New York in 2001.

Alicia Keys' beads and cornrows

Before Alicia Keys arrived on the scene, cornrows and beads were seldom seen in mainstream music. Ambrose, who styled Alicia in the early years of her career says the pianist extraordinaire's team always kept her identity in mind. "We wanted to always keep a sense of that New York girl and celebrate all the things that that spoke to her Blackness," says Ambrose. Not only was Alicia's hair aesthetically striking, it also played a roll in representation of Black women's natural tresses. "Universally, it told other young Black girls and it's okay to wear your braids and your beads," explained Ambrose. "That this isn't a Bo Derek moment, this is an African moment."

Mary J. Blige "Family Affair" Courtesy Photo Mary J. Blige "Family Affair"

Mary J. Blige's avant-garde "Family Affair" wigs

It's hard to say what part of the "Family Affair" experience was most unforgettable. Was it the futuristic outfits? Iconic choreographed moves? The fact that Mary basically invented three new words? In the world of fashion, it was most definitely the wigs. Tre Major, Mary's long-time hairstylist, says the chart-topping singer was ever-evolving, setting trend after trend along the way.

"I gave her edge and femininity," says Major. "I named that wig the Marvin Martian," Major says of Mary's salt and pepper avant-garde wig, a nod to the Looney Tunes character. Major says he custom made the wig on the R&B diva, since her head was "so small" compared to the mannequins. "She was the best muse because she was so daring," he explains. "She trusted me."

#missy elliott #june ambrose #derek lee #nelly #hiphop fashion #tre major #streetwear blog #fashion blog

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recentanimenews · 4 years ago

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OPINION: WandaVision, SSSS.Gridman, and the Beautiful Prison of Nostalgia

Just to warn folks: this article contains spoilers for WandaVision and SSSS.Gridman.

In 2021, in the middle of a pandemic and floundering movie theaters, the most discussed show of the year so far is Marvel's WandaVision. Fans and culture writers have been busy diving deep into what the show is about. Is WandaVision a successful portrait of the process of grief? Does it successfully humanize Wanda, a character who’s so far evaded the spotlight given to characters like Iron Man or Captain America? Is “what is grief but love persevering” a good or a bad line? Where was Mephisto in all this? Most difficult of all: in allowing Wanda some relief and kind words after she brainwashes an entire town into doing exactly what she says, does the show let her off the hook?

Listening to my friends and coworkers argue over this show over the past few weeks reminded me of one of my favorite anime of the past few years — a series that tackled themes of grief, nostalgia, and whether a monster can be redeemed. A series that predates WandaVision by three years and has a sequel coming out next month. That’s right, I’m talking about SSSS.Gridman!

Like WandaVision, SSSS.Gridman is a show about a girl (Akane) who escapes to a bubble world when life becomes too much for her to bear. She uses special technology to manipulate people’s awareness, and through the power of a mysterious entity known as Alexis Kerib, summons giant monsters (kaiju) to murder those she doesn’t like. Our heroes, a trio of her classmates who join forces with the space cop Gridman to defeat the kaiju endangering their friends, eventually turn their attention to saving Akane, the “god” of their world, from herself. They do this over the course of 12 episodes and many exciting, well-choreographed battles.

While Yuta (Gridman’s friend and partner) is technically the protagonist, Akane quickly steals the show as the most developed and layered character in the series. She’s capable of astonishing violence in the pursuit of her own happiness, but just as easily bruised when her plans fail and her creations turn against her. We see the moments when she regrets her actions, but also the moments where she makes terrible decisions despite knowing their costs. Just like Takeshi, the villain of SSSS.Gridman’s live-action predecessor, Akane is defined by weakness as much as strength. Even when her actions put other people at risk, they are driven as much by anxiety and fear as they are by hate.

Just like with WandaVision, there was plenty of discussion as Gridman aired about whether or not Akane could be redeemed. Like Wanda, Akane has hurt and even killed many people. At times she even attempts to manipulate them. Yet at the end of the series, when she “opens the door” to Yuta and her friends and escapes Alexis Kerib’s influence, I was overjoyed. How could this be?

Here’s my guess. Like WandaVision, Gridman isn’t just a show that attempts to humanize a villain. It is a show about nostalgia. As each episode of WandaVision is an obsessively detailed homage to American sitcoms, Gridman is a 12-episode love letter to live-action dramas and giant robot shows. Obscure alternate universe Transformers tie-ins, past episodes of Ultraman, Gridman scripts and guidebooks that were never produced — it’s all there, packed in not just by the dedicated staff but presumably through scriptwriter Keichi Hasegawa, himself a legendary Ultraman writer.

Unlike Takeshi, Akane is a cool, stylish teenage girl. But deep down, she’s as much a geek as Takashi was, fiendishly dedicated to kaiju and robot shows. The kaiju she creates aren’t just a means by which she exerts control over the world, but an expression of her love. When Gridman destroys these kaiju to protect Yuta’s friends, Akane can’t help but take those losses personally. It’s not just the desecration of her favorite hobby. The failure of her creations is a consequence of her own lack of imagination. She can’t imagine any other way to manage her problems than to create a bubble world where everyone loves her.

The trick of SSSS.Gridman is that while Yuta and his friends are the heroes, Akane is the true audience surrogate. How many of us also feel as though we are ostracized nerds with low self-esteem? How many use our favorite shows or games as an escape? In WandaVision, we see how Wanda watches sitcoms as a child as a way to cope with daily uncertainty. There’s nothing wrong with sitcoms; the creators of WandaVision clearly love them, having built such an elaborate homage to them. But if you spend the time watching sitcoms that you could be using to sleep or to eat (or, say, turning a town of people into a sitcom to avoid dealing with the death of your lover) then something will inevitably give.

In Episode 9 of Gridman, Akane traps Yuta and his friends within their dreams in a last-ditch effort to turn them to her side. Each rejects her, choosing their responsibility to their friends rather than their god. At the end of the episode, we see that Akane, herself, is trapped in a dream. Despite holding unlimited power, all she can do is retreat further and further into a shell that she has built out of her own self-loathing. It is a shell that not even a superhero like Gridman can break. In the end, at the very last moment and with the help of her friends, Akane breaks it on her own.

You could point at other similarities between WandaVision and what SSSS.Gridman did back in 2018, if you really wanted to. For instance, the way that both series (through Vision and Anti) approach the question of personhood and what it means to be a “monster” or a “robot.” You could parallel the efforts of Yuta, Rikka, and their friends to pull Akane out of her hole with the way Monica Rambeau becomes an empowered hero surrogate in WandaVision. If I would point at one way in which Gridman differs from WandaVision, it is how Gridman’s embrace of live-action superhero shows and giant robots better lends itself to a finale where human evil is punched into submission. By comparison, by the time Wanda starts throwing energy balls around in WandaVision, it jars with the sitcom homage and character study of earlier episodes.

All things said, at the end of the day I prefer Ultraman and giant robots punching each other to Cheers and Marvel films. That’s not to say the latter is worse; it’s more a matter of personal taste. Either way, I’m glad that art continues to be made that grapples with the messy contradictions of human behavior. Though I’ll suggest: if you’re looking for genuinely challenging, ahead-of-its-time source material for a Marvel adaptation, X-Statix is right there!

Did you watch WandaVision as it aired? Are you looking forward to SSSS DYNAZENON? Will we ever see an animated adaptation of Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye? Let us know in the comments!

Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. When he is not loudly shouting the praises of John Allison and Max Sarin's Giant Days, he sporadically contributes with a loose coalition of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? You can find him on Twitter at: @wendeego

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a feature, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Adam Wescott

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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gardenofgods-a · 4 years ago

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It was a beautiful summer day today, and Celebi intended on capitalizing on that by paying a visit to his friends in Ecruteak. He bounced along the path to the small town, flowers and grasses sprouting up from the soil with every step. The sunshine felt good on his skin, and the sky was such a deep blue he felt as if he could fall up into it.

Celebi saw the tops of Bell and Brass Tower looming over the horizon as he continued down the dirt path. It took him another few minutes before he reached the town, waving to the people who were out and about on such a nice day.

As he neared the towers, however, his head began to pound, and he felt himself being pulled. It’d been a bit since he last had a vision, and the fact this one came on so suddenly surprised him. He sat down on the ground and held his head in his hands, eyes beginning to glow as the scene before him shifted and changed wildly.

The once blue skies were heavily clouded over, full of the darkest clouds he’d ever seen in his life. A bolt of lightning cut through the heavens and down to the ground below, narrowly missing Bell Tower. The strike that came after the first, however, hit the top of Brass Tower. The old wood instantly went up in flames, and he could hear screaming and shouting from the people in town.

Black smoke billowed out from the top, and those inside Brass Tower were rushing out, some coughing and wheezing as they did so. The fire was spreading fast. The upper half was already consumed in flames, and a crowd had gathered a distance away. People were murmuring to each other, some were even in tears.

The noise of shouting filled his ears as he saw someone getting pulled out by several men, burns and soot covering their figure. It took him a moment, before terror gripped him. That was Lugia. The crowd around them grew uneasy as he shouted about how there were still children inside, begging and pleading. There was nothing that could be done, however. The fire was too intense for anyone else to even get close. A loud creak and a groan filled the town as wooden support beams came crashing down, followed by the mighty walls of Brass Tower. It was falling apart.

Celebi gripped the sides of his head tight and shut his eyes, tears spilling down his face. He didn’t want to see anymore. He didn’t want to be here anymore, but he couldn’t pull himself out of his vision. He never could.

The sky above them opened up as rain began to come down relentlessly, the fire licking up the sides of the tower hissing as it was snuffed out by the sheets of rain. Maybe there was a chance Lugia’s kids survived. Maybe none of the falling debris hit them. Maybe, just maybe, the rain fell in time and they were spared. Please, please god let them be spared.

A shrill cry filled the air as Ho-Oh descended through the clouds, his radiance enough to make the stormy day seem like a sunny one. Celebi looked at the other legendary, and he saw nothing but anguish in his iridescent eyes.

In a single moment, it felt as if he’d had the wind knocked out of him and a bucket of ice water poured over him at the same time. No, Lugia’s kids weren’t inside the tower. His children weren’t the ones he was shouting about, begging someone to save.

It was Ho-Oh’s.

“Stop! STOP!” He’d shout, hitting his temples. No one could hear him but himself. “Oh god, oh god, please-” The mighty fire-type perched on the wreckage of the tower, shimmering and glowing unlike Celebi had ever seen. The rain came to a slow halt and sunbeams pierced through the clouds, one of which landed on the smoldering foundation of Brass Tower.

Three charred bodies were lifted from the rubble, glowing with the same intensity as Ho-Oh. Celebi almost missed what happened entirely, but in an instant, the three were brought back from death, as if they’d never been touched by the fire at all. To anyone else, it may have seemed as if Ho-Oh rewound time itself, bringing his children to the state they were in before the fire. That wasn’t it. He took them back from death itself, reviving them and bringing them back to life.

Ho-Oh soon slumped slightly, on the brink of unconsciousness after using so much power. Celebi could hardly believe what he just saw, and it seems the townspeople were just as shocked. There was nothing but silence in the area for a moment, until an angry shout shook Celebi from his stupor. Someone had thrown a rock up towards the newly revived trio, followed by another person doing the same thing. Why? Why were they doing that? Celebi found himself moving towards the crowd, standing in front of them.

“What are you-” He’d stop as a rock passed through him. Right, he was in his vision. There was nothing he could do. The trio didn’t take kindly to the abuse, and the three of them leapt off of the tower and scattered in different directions.

Bright sunlight filtered back into his vision, and warmth settled onto his skin again. Celebi crawled over to some bushes and threw up the moment he got control over himself, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

He hated this power of his. It burdened him with knowledge of the future, and he knew he wasn’t allowed to speak of it to anyone but his father. He couldn’t warn Ho-Oh or his kids about what was to come, and he couldn’t warn Lugia either.

Hands balled into fists as he pressed them into his eyes, letting out a shuddering breath. Celebi couldn’t even face them knowing what he knew now. They were doomed. All of them were.

#🌱 headcanon ➤ celebi.#✨ drabble.#long post #death tw #i rly did like the generations ep w the burned tower when all the ppl were like OH MY GOD!!! -throws rocks-#like. bro why r u doin that. u SAW ho oh revive them. why throw rocks at the kids n not him. it's HIS power #suicune getting hit w a rock: ok. i just lost all the respect i had for you people. good luck drinking dirty water! bye!!#that's another reason y she didnt visit ecruteak for like 100 years. bc ppl were shitty for no reason to her n her brothers #emetophobia tw

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drinkingdeadpeopletea · 5 years ago

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Btw if you're in the mood to share more of your thoughts about this wonderful wizard it would be awesome. In ep51, among many great things Alanis said and done there was something along the lines of "I've met a bunch of gods, but don't make them rule your life. Know your own truth". This brings up the question: in your opinion which gods in naddpod pantheon could Alanis have met in the different phases of her long journey? And with which deity would she vibe the most or even feel impressed by?

I FORGOT ABOUT THAT LINE OOOOOOOOOOOH

okay okay okay so we know for sure that they all met the Watchman, so there’s one. and also, Asmodeus was a god, so there’s two that we know for sure. killing him counts as “meeting” him, right?

i also definitely think Thiala has met Pelor face-to-face. I didn’t imagine that the others were with her when this happened, but they could have been. I don’t think Alanis would vibe with Pelor, but I bet she had respect for him based on the things she saw Thiala do with his power. but I also bet she was a little suspicious--like, Alanis was always nudging Thiala to rely on herself instead of Pelor, “it’s not just because of Pelor that you can do all these amazing things, it’s you, too!” and oooooh boy did Thiala take the wrong lesson from that.

now a god that i totally think all three of the Legendary Heroes could have met together would be Moradin. in every dnd campaign you get to the part where you have to confront everybody’s backstory and from what we know about Ulfgar i would FULLY believe that his personal quest involved climbing that mountain up near the Gash and speaking to Moradin there. and honestly we don’t know much about Moradin but from what we know of the bahumia dwarves, I bet he rules. I bet Alanis would like him.

I think it’s possible too that Alanis encountered Erathis at some point, who is a deity we haven’t heard much about beyond Tonathan’s brief mentionings but honestly I don’t think Alanis (at least not my rebel/scoundrel Alanis) would like them very much.

I think Alanis would love Melora, but I tragically can’t think of what occasion they would have had to meet. (unless, omg....all those timelines where alanis spent big chunks of time in the feywild.........Much To Think About.) Melora’s line in the latest episode that’s like “you mistake me not taking your side for indifference” is VERY Alanis, and I think they share the same philosophy about not meddling with peoples’ free will as much as they can. If we’re drawing trio parallels, Alanis is the Melora of her trio.

I also would be fascinated to see Alanis interact with Telaine, because on the one hand they have a lot in common: friends with dragons, being isolated on separate planes, dope aesthetic, lesbian, etc. That said, Alanis has never been power-hungry, like, at all. Even her making the wish stones and literally taking control of the timeline itself, it was never meant to be a power grab, it was always just “how can i fix this.” So Alanis would either sympathize with her or really dislike her and I can’t quite decide which.

and again i can’t think when they would have met but Alanis would love the Duskmother because, come on, who wouldn’t love the Duskmother? thank you for coming to my TED talk.

#naddpod #naddpod spoilers #Anonymous

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grimelords · 5 years ago

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I’ve finished my September playlist, only almost a month later. It’s got everything, The Weeknd, desert psychedelica from Niger, and Australian yodelling from 1941. What more could you want!

listen here

and if you’re interested, sign up for my tinyletter to get these playlists delivered to your inbox here

XO / The Host / Initiation - The Weeknd: First of all Trilogy is a masterpiece. The Weeknd is a legend forever for this alone. Back when he was an anonymous character and before he tried to pivot to being a proper pop star and started beliving his own bullshit. This trio of songs for me is one of the highlights of the whole thing because this is where things really take a turn and it serves as a nice flipside to earlier songs like Glass Table Girls (even quoting some of the lyrics from it in a very cool reprise). Where most of the songs from House Of Balloons are about his own descent into this hedonistic life, by the time you get to Echoes Of Silence he lives there comfortably, and he's turned from cool, dark and tormented to coldly evil and calculating. He's the master of the dark palace and he's drawing this woman in. The chorus of XO is straight up cult language 'all we ever do is love, open up your mind you can find the love'. She's broke and addicted trying to escape her life and he offers her this community. Which is where Initation comes in and things get really dark. This song feels like the real truth of those stories you hear of Drake flying instagram models around and it's a masterpiece of the dark underside of the drugs money and models bragging you're used to.

Sociopath (feat. Kash Doll) - Pusha T: Get a load of this new Pusha song where he's got Rodney Dangerfield ghostwriting for him. I got a bitch that'll master your card.. my wife ova hea!! Also the funny gritted teeth way he says it cracks me up. He also says boop bop be boop bop. There's so many good moments in this very silly song from a man that is normally terrifyingly serious.

Ice Cream - Muscles: I suddenly remembered this song the other day and I'm so glad I did. A good example of how you can get so much feeling out of music that has no relation at all to the lyrics. In the right mood this song makes me so emotional and I can't even pin down why. The way he sings 'ice cream is going to save the day' somehow just makes the urban alienation of the verse even more pointed. It's such a silly little dance song and that's what's so strong about it. It's dancing at night and unsuccessfully trying to forget what happened today.

Running - Gil Scott Heron & Jamie xx: It’s extremely strange that this remix album ever happened, thinking back on it. Stranger still that a Gil Scott Heron song got remixed by Jamie xx and then remixed again by 40 and turned into a Drake song in I’ll Take Care Of U and all three versions rock. Anyway, this song and this whole album remain fantastic - it still sounds futuristic in a way where nobody else really followed Jamie’s sound, everything else went a different direction so this an In Colour feel more and more unique to me as time goes on.

Boyfriend (Repeat) - Confidence Man: I’m in love with this album. It’s the closest I’ve found so far to the level of absolute fun in dance music since Duck Sauce’s album. I love the the attitude of her lyrics, which carries through the whole album. I love when her Australian accent peeks out for a second on a few words. I love his rebuttals that almost but not quite put it over the edge into a comedy song. I love the big fading out leadup to the drop near the end where a huge throat singing drone just swallows the whole song for a second.

Ever Again (Soulwax Remix) - Robyn: Extremely hot remix alert!! Thankyou to Zan Rowe's Monthly Mixtape playlist for putting my onto this.Sometimes all you need is one ferociously hot bassline to make a life complete.

$50 Million - !!!: !!!’s new album has one of the best covers I’ve seen recently, I advise you to check it out. It’s interesting to be so far into your career (this is their 8th album since 2001) and still be writing songs about selling out, a concept which has largely disappeared from music discourse since musicians started making no money post napster. I vaguely remember the turning point being when Kimya Dawson, after blowing up via the Juno soundtrack, turned down a coke ad for a ludicrous amount and the blogosphere at the time turned on her and said she should have taken the money because she was living in a van at the time. Nobody gives a fuck about selling out anymore because bands make more from tshirts than streams so you’ve got to act like a brand just to make a living. Anyway I’ve gotten off track. This song rocks, especially for the breakdown near the end.

Tipped Hat - The Paper Scissors: A song I haven’t heard in over ten years that suddenly popped into my head the other day. I love the way this guy’s voice sounds, just completely committing to sounding like a hand puppet. I’ve been playing bass a lot more recently and so have developed the worst man habit of becoming more sensitive to and pointing out extremely hot basslines to people, so I’d be derelict in my duty to not share this one.

Heimsdalgate Like A Promethian Curse - of Montreal: I love this song about literally pleading with your brain to come good. Here’s a good quote about this album “I went through this chemical depression, and that's when I was writing a lot of the songs for Hissing Fauna. They're all songs about that experience. And I was experiencing it in the moment that I was writing the songs, and sort of asking myself: What the hell is going on? Why are you all of a sudden totally paranoid and plagued by these anxieties? And why is everything so distorted and confusing and fucked up? My lifestyle hadn't changed that much. And then I realized, well, there's something going on inside of me that I don't have control over, and then you realize how vulnerable you are to these things, these elements that you can't understand, or unless you go on medication and get it under control. It's like you're being betrayed by your body.” Something I really admire about this album is that the lyrics reflect black metal levels of mental anguish, he was absolutely going through it the worst anyone can go through it “I'd gotten to that point where nothing was working. I was borderline suicidal, and my relationship with my girlfriend had totally eroded and she'd gone back to Norway with our daughter and everything was totally fucked, and I was just like, What can I do? "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal" is about that.” But the music is one hundred percent committedly twee and I really admire the effect that that split mood gives. “The lyrics tell the story of what was really going on and the music sort of represents this other emotion that I wish existed. The music was really happy because I wanted to make something that would lift my spirits.”

Jesus Rabbit - Guerilla Toss: I love the wobbly weird bass sound in this weirdo UFO cult song. I love the bleepy bloop melody that runs through it and I love how fundamentally unstable the whole song sounds, like it’s made out of paperclips and foil and papier mache.

Suburbia - Press Club: I can’t believe I didn’t know about Press Club for so long. I only found out about them this performance https://youtu.be/bCmtc-T5Unk which I’m shocked to learn has less than 5k views considering it’s one of the very best TV performances I’ve ever seen.

Come For Me - Sunflower Bean: I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about this song before and I’m probably going to say the exact same thing but who cares! This song fuckin rocks. I love how assured it is, like “if you’re gonna fuck me then stop fucking around and fuck me already.” It also feels so musically similar to I Can Hardly Make You Mine by Cults to me, which is a great excuse for me to listen to that song every single time I listen to this song.

Thousands - Club Night: This Club Night album is really really good. It's like a really nice middleground between midwest emo and Cymbals Eat Guitars. The way this song blows up halfway through with 'what if we want it!!' is so good. This whole band feels like they're from 2009 but in a good way, the tail end of indie and twee with these prog or postrock structures where the songs just go and go, and you can just get completely lost in it.

Cemetary - Brutus: The first thing you've got to know about Brutus is the drummer is also the singer. Normally who plays what is not really important but in this case I think it's very important because it makes the drums a lead instrument more than they normally would be. When she's not singing my focus is still on the drums because they're linked and I absolutely love it. This song is great and every song I've heard of theirs is just as good, I love Brutus and they're one of the best new bands I've found recently. Someone in the youtube comments said 'there's something really special about hearing a song for the first time and just knowing you're going to listen to it hundreds of times in your life.'

Enter By The Narrow Gates / Spirit Narrative - Circle Takes The Square: I think that I think of Circle Takes The Square as a household name just because they have such an outsized importance in my own life when they're definitely not at all. They're legendary for making The screamo (good kind) album in As The Roots Undo and then taking 8 years to make a followup, which is this album Decompositions, but I don't really know if they're well known outside of like, people who have opinions about what were the hottest music blogspots in 2010. I chose both of these because you can't really have one without the other, the whole album basically runs as one long piece of music and so this just kind of jarringly ends at the end of Spirit Narrative, sorry about that please listen to the entire album. Because of the status As The Roots Undo enjoys I feel like this album was kind of ignored, or overshadowed by the reputation it was trying to live up to, almost exactly like The Avalanches with Since I Left You and Wildflower, when just like Wildflower it's a more expansive, developed take on the original sound that trades some of the rawness for a more polished and considered approach and comes out arguably better than the orginal. I feel like I have so much to say about this album but I don't really know where to begin, just listen to it.

Vitrification Of Blood (Pt. 1) - Blood Incantation: I am by no means a metal scholar, but I know that when the word 'blood' is in both the song title AND the band name that means it's good metal. I love this song, and this whole album is great. It's very 'classic' death metal but there's touches (beyond the extreme length) of psychedelica as well that puts it on another level you can just get lost in. The way the guitar goes to space at 3:40, and again properly into orbit at 6:50 is just magical. The more I listen to this band the more I understand those guys who only listen to metal, there's a whole ecosystem in here and it's really got everything you need.

Out Of Line - Gesaffelstein: This whole song is basically intended as an intro for Pursuit on the album but it’s so powerful just on its own. I love imbuing weirdo lyrics like ‘a bitter sunken love in a bleach blonde submarine’ with such ominous power through the commanding delivery. I love the way the big grunting vocals on the offbeat build to sound like a summoning ritual. I love making a big processed bell the centrepiece of your extremely evil sounding song. It’s sort of a shame that Gessaffelstein has never really gone back to the vision of his first album and has spent his time since diluting it down for guest production on Weeknd songs and the like because it feels like there’s still so much more to get out of this sound. That he hasn’t gone back and dug deeper makes Aleph stand out more and more as a singular masterpiece as time goes on.

Kamane Tarhanin - Mdou Moctar: Turning to Mdou Moctar after the new Tinariwen album kind of disappointed me, with all it’s big name guests nothing really hit me. I love this song though and I think a big part of it is the sort of loping, 6/4 rhythm that combined with the drone gives it this feeling of endlessly tumbling over itself in place, especially as the guitar heats up.

Achabiba - Fatou Seidi Ghali: I know very little about Fatou Seidi Ghali except that I saw she was supporting Sarah Louise at a show. From some googling it turns out that she’s the leader of a Nigerois band called Les Filles de Illeghadad who you can probably look forward to seeing on next month’s playlist. I also learned that the demonym for someone from Niger is Nigerien or to minimise confusion with Nigeria, Nigerois (said in a french way). They play a sort of desert psych in the realm of Mdou Mocter or Tinariwen, but this song (also the only solo song she has on spotify) shows her acoustic side. I love the swirling melody over the drone as the hand percussion keeps it in place and I love the very delicate vocals, but a probably unintentional thing I love a lot about this recording is the unmistakable iphone locking sound near the very start that instantly removes so much of the mystic exoticism that these sorts of artists are often written about with and places it firmly in the same sprawling modern world we all live in.

Floating Rhododendron - Sarah Louise: I love Sarah Louise. She’s a phenomenal guitarist and has such a big love for traditional folk music with her side project House And Land, but unlike everyone else in the genre is also very interested in pushing guitar forward to new and strange places. Her latest album was super experimental layered electric guitars and voice that still managed to maintain the deep connection to nature that runs through all her work. I would also highly recommend following her on instagram because her passion runs over. She’s regularly just out in the woods somewhere explaining how wonderful a particular mushroom is. This song one of the first ones I ever heard from her, and it’s back when she was just doing very beautiful 12 string acoustic work, but she recently added it to spotify and it’s a very nice reminder of where she came from and how far she’s gone in such a short time.

Lark - Angel Olsen: The new Angel Olsen is absolutely great. I love how much she is just completely going for it on this album, absolutely unleashing. Taken against earlier songs of hers I’ve loved like White Fire, where the majesty was in her quiet power and the ability to absolutely command silence with a whisper quiet song, this song feels like the direct inverse, an about-turn into all the gigantic majesty of swirling strings and top of your lungs vocals - going all out and leaving nothing on the table. The way this song blows up about three different times until by the end you’re caught in this gigantic swirling maelstrom of screaming sound is just out of this world.

Door - Caroline Polachek: Caroline Polachek’s brain is huge. When I first heard the chorus of this song I couldn't believe it. Are you allowed to have a chant that runs in a spiral like this be the chorus of your pop song? Is that allowed?

North, South, East And West - The Church: The Church feel like they don't get enough respect. They don't seem to be in the same league as Cold Chisel and The Angels and all the other dad rock Australian bands from that era for some reason. They're very good though and I've been really getting into this whole album and this song specifically lately. Maybe what's working against them is just how much his voice sounds like Bono's in this song but surely that was a boon at the time!

Western Questions - Timber Timbre: This has become one of my new favourite songs to sing. The way the words fit together is my favourite kind of poetics where they just sound incredible, phonetically, and can mean anything you like for large chunks. Like “the gelatinous walls of the seeds that seldom remain / while the bulls are browsing needles through computer casinos / honour the name”. Especially “bulls are browsing needles through computer casinos” is just extremely nice to say. I love the character of this song and am yet to completely understand what it’s saying other than personifying some worldwide blackpilled spirit of nihilist evil. What I love is the experience of all encompassing evil in this song, like a worldwide conspiracy connecting everything together that makes it all make sense. It doesn’t make you happier but it makes it make sense. I also love the finality of the big fill near the end that ushers in the outro riff that ties everything up.

Cold Cold World - Blaze Foley: I got heavily into a country music thing this month and spent a bit of time trying to find ‘real’ country, which of course turns out not to exist at all. The entirety of country music is built on a false nostalgia for an imagined time long past when things were real, some unspecified time in the collective consciousness between cowboy times and coal mine times. I don’t say this to say ‘country music is a fraud’ but that it’s built on a foundation of myth and that’s what’s so good about it. It’s constantly reframing the past as it relates to the present and is energised by the friction between them. Blaze Foley is a good example of this in the modern era because he seems to exist more as a myth than a man. He had three studio albums, the master tapes of which all disappeared through various means (lost, stolen, seized by the DEA) and so the majority of his surviving material is live recordings or long-lost studio recordings that resurfaced decades after his death when his fame and mythology already preceded him. He also thankfully lives up to the myth, he was truly a great artist and it’s a shame more of him hasn’t survived.

Where The Golden Wattle Blooms / Why Did The Blue Skies Turn Grey - Shirley Thoms: Further to what I was saying about country music before, Australian country is a whole other thing. Transferring the myth and the mythmaking to a new location adds another layer of abstraction. Shirley Thoms was the first female solo act to record country music in Australia in 1941 and was most notable for her yodelling of which she is damn fine. This is a great song and a good a starting point as any in trying to trace the origin of country music in Australia. That it's so english in its identity, so evidently imitating an american style (which is in turn imitating a german yodel) is just more good evidence that nothing is 'real' and traditions of the past and future are malleable at all times.

Talkin’ Karate Blues - Townes Van Zandt: Townes Van Zandt is widely regarded as a songwriter’s songwriter and one of the best country songwriters to ever live, but like a lot of great country songwriters also has one or two songs like this - strange comedy songs about learning karate and getting your arm ripped off.

Strange Tourist - Gareth Liddiard: This album is a masterpiece on the level of Ys and it feels criminally underlistened in my opinion. Luckily in the last week or so some renegade has done up the wiki article on it to a couple of thousand words so that's a start. Because this is a song I've listened to one million times and love a lot, it's hard for me to write about it in a general way so instead I'm going to talk about something very specific and new that I've only begun to appreciate recently. The way he uses the vowels of the japanese words to create these assonant runs in lines like "Koda Kumi sang a coda pink as sarin gas / I took a trip to Nagasaki in a rented Mitsubishi / Then went camping in the Jukai under Mount Fuji" and "They found him frozen in a hollow in Aokigahara forest where them harakiri weirdos go" is really something, and a nice illustration of the two sides of Liddiard's songwriting: densely technical poetics in a song about living with a housemate who was a real freak.

I Dream A Highway - GIllian Welch: I’m not even going to go into the lyrics of this because it’s such an out of this world perfect song but I’m going to say this: it’s really something that this song goes for nearly 15 minutes, sits on the same three chords the whole time and never ever feels long. This song is longer than Emily by Joanna Newsom but doesn’t feel like an epic of the same scale at all. It’s just a mournful slow ode to change and decay that goes on forever and could keeping going on for twice as long if it wanted to.

Deep Water - The Middle East: The way the vocals in the verses are delivered, trailing off and mumbling bits and pieces is somehow magical, like it’s more interested in communicating the gist and the feeling than the actual words. You can just pick whatever part of it you like. Petrol stations and a copper mine, the kind of place I think I could die. This song also has two minutes of silence at the end for album reasons so enjoy that.

listen here

#playlists

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divine-damsel-of-devastation · 6 years ago

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Hey guys, so I wanted to develop more on one of my FE Heroes, Baldr, so I decided to write a lil thing about her. That being said it also includes @avistella’s OC, Alice, so... yea! It’s nothing big just a little character writing to help me to get to know my OC better. Also, I’d like to apologize if I got Alice’s personality wrong, and how it’s super long! I just got carried away!

Waving the smoke, or was it dust, out of her field of view, Baldr was finally able to see clearly. She immediately noticed the figures of three people standing in front of her. The girl who maintained a solemn expression on her face spoke first.

“This is Baldr, first advisor to the king of Askr and creator of Breidablik... And former tactician for my mother’s army.”

Baldr coughed a bit before standing up. Smiling, she offered her hand to the girl. “I am at your service, my lady.”

The redheaded woman spoke next. “Thank you, Eir. Hello, Baldr. My name is Anna, and I’m the commander of the Order of Heroes. What do you last remember?”

Baldr hummed. To be honest, everything seemed like a blur. For the longest time, all she knew was complete darkness yet colors beyond her imagination. The was coldness so bitter it struck to the bone yet warmth so strong it was as if she was bathing in the sun. She was empty but filled. But she felt lonely. There was always something that wasn’t here. Then there was a moment where it was as if she had no control over her body. Then she was here. She thought back as far as she could before giving her answer to the commander.

“The last thing I remember was advising King Lif on the progress of the farmers.” Baldr looked between Eir, Anna, and the other figure cloaked in white and gold she hadn’t met yet.

Anna turned to the group and began to speak. Something about lost memory or what not. Baldr didn’t care enough to listen. Truthfully, she was curious about where she was. It looked like the Askran castle, yet different. Aged, maybe. Smoothing her white dress out, which now had noticeable tears and rips on the edges, she started to walk around, picking things up and poking them.

“Excuse me, Lady Baldr?” She turned her blue eyes to look at the girl who spoke to her first.

“I am no lady, but continue.”

“But... According to my research... weren’t you actually Lif’s betrothed?”

“Have you perhaps considered your research may be false? While I appreciate the thought of a title, I have none. I am but an advisor and nothing more. And King Lif and I had nothing but a purely professional relationship. I’m quite offended that you thought me to be involved with my lord. May I ask about what reports are you reading that say that my king and I were romantically involved? I wish to speak to them about the slander they insist on spreading of the king.” Baldr raised her chin slightly, giving her the appearance of looking down. Years of dealing with pesky nobility trying to worm their way into King Lif’s heart trained her on how to act.

Eir stared at the older woman before turning to the cloaked figure and the redhead. They spoke some more before Anna turned back to look at Baldr. “This might come as a shock to you, but you’re in the future. You were a soldier of Hel’s army. You were dead, but Hel brought you back to life. Eir managed to break the curse that made you serve Hel.”

Baldr’s eyes flicked between the two, before narrowing slightly. “Do you take me as a fool?”

“No, it’s true. And it because of Alice and Breidablik! Alice, show her.” Anna motioned to the hooded figure.

Baldr couldn’t see her face, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that this girl had the artfully and carefully crafted legendary weapon in her hands. Baldr reached out and gently took it from the girl. The weapon was warm and emanated a light golden glow from being reunited with its original creator. Baldr turned it over in her hands. She brought it up so it lay flat at eye level. She then handed it back over to Alice.

“And you’re the one who wields her, yes?” Baldr’s eyes stared intently at Alice.

Uncomfortable under the strong gaze of the advisor, Alice shifted nervously. “Yes...”

“You’re doing a wonderful job. She’s in impeccable condition.” Baldr smiled a bright yet kind smile. “Although, there was a small dent on the tip. It’s nothing that would be caused by you, however. You look much too weak to cause the dent and scuffs around it. Unless you perhaps... threw it on the ground?”

Alice once more became nervous. She didn’t want Baldr to think that she was throwing the legendary weapon she created like a sack. Baldr wouldn’t let her use Breidablik again. Before she could seriously work herself up, Baldr, almost sensing Alice’s discomfort spoke once more. “It’s no trouble, however. I can definitely fix her for you. In fact, I’m very interested in you! Breidablik never appeared to resonate well with someone other than myself.”

Baldr took a small step towards Alice and held out her hand. “I am at your service, Alice!”

After the three women had spoken a bit, they lead Baldr to the main throne room. Alfonse and Sharena were in there, but Henriette was not. Upon hearing the doors open, the siblings turned around to look at the incoming group. Alfonse smiled upon seeing Alice, while Sharena waved before her attention was pulled to the blonde woman behind the trio. Alice and Alfonse broke off from the group to talk quietly while Sharena stayed with them.

“Hey, guys! Who’s that? Another hero?” Sharena asked.

Baldr turned to look at the princess. “I am Baldr. Advisor to his majesty, King Lif, and creator of Breidablik. It’s a pleasure to meet you...”

“Oh, I’m Sharena! It’s nice to meet you too!” Sharena grabbed Baldr’s hand, excitedly. “And this is -”

“King Lif!” Baldr exclaimed.

“I’m sorry... Did you call me Lif?” Alfonse turned to the woman who went over to hug him. Confused, he pushed her off of him. “Who are you?”

Baldr looked worried as she placed her hands on his cheeks before feeling his forehead. “Do you not feel well? It’s me! Baldr! Your advisor?”

There was a moment of silence before Baldr spoke again. “Ah, forgive me. You shared a resemblance to my king. I deeply apologize for making you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay... I’m Alfonse, prince of Askr.” He offered his hand as a symbol of peace.

“I’m Baldr, advisor to King Lif. I’m apparently just learning that I’ve been ... dead for hundreds of years. It’s... new, but not entirely unwelcome! After all, I’ve always wondered what the kingdom would become after we’ve left.”

The advisor curtsied before heading off with Sharena and Anna, who offered to give her a tour of the new castle. Alfonse turned to Alice to continue their conversation, who quickly looked away from him. Sensing something was up, he began to speak.

“Hey... what’s wrong?” His tone was soft, but not condescending.

‘It’s... nothing. Don’t worry about it.” She answered.

He frowned. “It’s not nothing. I care about how you feel. What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I have some things to do... I’ll see you around.” Alice turned around and walked away so he couldn’t see her jealous tears. It was trivial to get jealous over a mistake, but she couldn’t help it.

It had been a couple of weeks since Baldr had joined the Order. She had proven herself useful by fixing broken or damaged weapons and imbuing some with magic making them perform better. She had also lent a hand in the advising department. Baldr had even made a new friend in Sharena and had learned the story of Alice being summoned and a majority of what the current warring climate was like. In turn, Alice had learned all about Baldr; her relation to Lif which she denies, her affinity to crafting, and her solid tactics. She was grateful for Baldr being able to repair and advise, but Alice was not sure about Baldr’s relationship to Lif. After all, Baldr always denies it happened, yet found among the pages of Lif’s journal, there are mentions of Baldr being his betrothed. All in all, Baldr was quite happy being in this future time. It was one of her off days. She sighed as she sat under a tall tree. Even though she liked Alfonse, Sharena, Alice, and all of the other heroes part of the Order, she still felt as if a part of her was missing. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, she turned to look at the summoner.

“Oh... sorry... I’ll just go...” Alice apologized.

Baldr sat up and scooted over, patting the ground next to her. “No, no. Please, don’t mind me.”

“No, it’s fine. I can go somewhere else.”

“Alice. You can sit next to me. You’re not bothering me.”

Silently Alice sat next to Baldr. The women were silent for a bit before Baldr spoke.

“Do you ever... miss where you came from?”

A little taken back by Baldr’s straight forward answer, she hesitantly answered. “Sometimes, but not often.”

Baldr made a small sound of understanding. “This Order goes through so many weapons. And that one hero. Oh, I forget his name. He is a wonderful unit, but he is so careless. I swear, I had to fix that weapon of his thrice in one day. And you better believe when he came in the fourth time! Oh, you would’ve thought I was the one who snapped his weapon in half! But I certainly gave him a piece of my mind.”

Baldr let out a breath. “Ah, I apologize for that outburst. I feel so frustrated when things aren’t taken seriously. See, I had the same problem when Lif first became king. Ha! That boy thought it to be just a game! He didn’t understand that you can’t just... go and be reckless! And I don’t see why I shouldn’t speak my mind! I don’t care that you don’t want to hear what I have to say! You need to hear it! This is the fate of a kingdom we’re talking about! Not some game you played as children. There are real consequences and you’re treating it like some... some... game! I just... It frustrates me...”

“I’m sorry... I wasn’t talking about you... It’s some of these units of yours. Terribly behaved. But, you probably didn’t come here to listen to me rant did you?” Baldr let out a soft laugh and stood up. “I’ll leave you alone now. After all, I would often come out here for some peace and quiet. Although... I feel like I would always meet someone out here. You know, back in my day, there was an old wives tale that if you met someone under this tree, your love will transcend time. I always thought it was fake, though. There’s no way nothing can go beyond time itself. Anyway, I’ll see you around, Alice. Take care now.”

Baldr nodded at Alice before walking away. She wasn’t sure how long she sat under that tree, but when she stood up something carved into the tree caught her eye. Alice walked over to look at it. Etched into the tree were the names Lif and Baldr.

#fe oc #feh oc #robin writes #avistella #OC Baldr #Avi's Alice

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