#I just found out about this RADIO magazine and let me tell you the illustrations in it from the 50s and 60s slap

[missionspecialist]

Illustration from РАДИО (Radio) magazine, 1962 issue no 8. The text says something like “space repeaters,” I think in relation to radio relays. The orbiting object resembles Sputnik-3, launched in 1958. The specific radio tower by Moscow on the map is the Shukhov tower.

[holycow99]

石田お寿司 12/9/21 stream translation Part 1

This is not the full translation of the stream. I only translated the parts I could understand & interpret or parts I found interesting/important. I’m still a beginner in Japanese, so the translations may not be accurate. If you want to repost, please repost at your own risk.

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I: Hello. Can you hear me? Good night. (t/n: He’s replying to a comment.) You can hear me? Hello. Welcome.

I: My tone sounds great today, ***-kun? (t/n: OP commented that his tone sounds great.) Of course I’ll be excited in the beginning of the stream. But only in the beginning.

C: Your voice somehow sounds young.

I: It’s because I just slept.

*Typing on twitter

I: I finally did it. This is a simultaneous worldwide stream. Do you understand it? Ah, I’m so tired. I’m tired of sleeping.

I: I’ll be drinking my coffee. Itadakimasu.

I: It was a long vacation, wasn’t it? When was the last time you guys heard from me? On September…Well, it doesn’t matter.

I: I don’t have anything particular to do for this stream. I just felt like it.

C: I’ve been listening to your streams repeatedly during holiday.

I: Thank you.

C: We last heard from you at the end of August.

I: I see. Thanks.

C: Thank you for your hard work on the manuscript!

I: I did the rough sketches first. I was brainstorming.

*Someone commented on Animal Rap.

I: Animal rap? I actually wanna try this. Actually, I’ve done recording for one video, but won’t it be scary if suddenly in the middle of the stream, animal rap video is uploaded. Without saying anything, suddenly there’s a new animal rap video being uploaded. Won’t it be scary stream?

(t/n: I’m not sure if the translations for this part is correct. He said something more but I haven’t reached this level of Japanese understanding skill. Forgive me.)

C: Animal rap itself is scary, so it’s okay.

I: What a hilarious thing to say. Are you actually afraid of animal then?

C: Have you got vaccinated?

I: Nope, since I’ve been locked up in my house. I want to though. I want to get injected a lot. Around 10 times.

C: Sensei, did you read Berserk chapter 364?

I: Is it the final chapter?

Y****: Let’s inject the head.

I: Nice one, Y****. Well, since Y**** is an introvert at school, he must be a non-popular kid. Because he doesn’t have any friends, he can’t wait to meet me. Is it like that? Hahahaha.

I: I’m not even aware of the things happening around me. I don’t even know when the exhibition in Osaka will open. I want you guys to tell me about me.

C: I’m aiming to be a mangaka, but having someone that can be a mentor for me to learn from is better, as expected?

I: I don’t think so. It depends. In some degree, it’s better to do it by yourself. If you really wanna write a manga and you wanna create an environment that allows you to do so, if there’s a chance to be an assistant, I think it’s better for you to grab it. Because you’re still not familiar with how these things work. I think it’s better to be an assistant first. You don’t have to be one for a long time though.

C: I want to diet. Where should I start?

I: Record your weight. Measure your weight and record it in calendar. Doing that makes you feel conscious about your weight. You’ll probably can lose weight that way.

C: Are you still eating oatmeal?

I: I’ve been eating Onigiri only. 

C: I wanna change job, but I’m anxious to because of the economic situation. Please encourage me!

I: It’s better for you to change job, since you said you wanted to. I think everyone is anxious. There’s no one who isn’t.

C: I’m happy that the JJ illustration that you posted on twitter will be made into goods!

I: Yeah, without my permission. Hahaha. When the illustration was made into goods without my permission, I was like “Eh? This is…”. I’ll stop talking about this. Hahaha. I won’t talk about this.

*Someone commented about Kingdom exhibition.

I: I wanna go to the Kingdom exhibition.

I: What I said just now (about JJ illustration) was a lie. Please forget about it. Are there companies like that? Of course not. I was just joking. If that’s the case, then anybody can freely turn my illustrations into goods. Though there’s a person who sent me the PugMax t-shirt.

C: I wanted to be a mangaka when I was small. As I got older, I only immersed myself in the real world. I’ll be a civil servant starting from next year. I don’t have the courage to challenge myself, so I want to give my unconditional support to those who are.

I: I don’t know how old you are, but you can still draw even if you become a civil servant. Just draw one if you really want to.

C: You have to collect royalty.

I: I do get royalty. I get 5 yen in total.

C: How old will you be this year?

I: 250,000 years old.

C: How are you?

I: Like usual. But I made progress on the manuscript, so I’m relieved. I kinda forgot how to draw it.

C: I thought you were in your 30s.

I: Nope, I’m far older.

C: You haven’t started game streaming?

I: I’m haven’t decided yet for today.

*People were discussing about his age.

I: Doesn’t matter how old I am.

C: Do you prefer women with long hair or short hair?

I: Short hair.

*People commented about Heavy Rain.

I: Oh, you want to see me playing Heavy Rain? I’m okay with that. I’m okay with playing games or anything. I’ll be a yes-man for today. Everyone’s yes-man & toy, Ishida Osushi.

*Someone commented about Animal Rap again.

I: I wanted to say something about this. I’ve done the animal rap video. I only upload videos I’ve received from the animal themselves, not me. But I was afraid to upload it, so I refrained from doing so. I wanna try uploading the video while streaming. That’s what I wanted to say. Well, it doesn’t really matter. I just upload it after I finish streaming. I don’t understand the need to upload the video and streaming at the same time.

(t/n: He said something more, but again, info on Animal rap is hard for me to decipher. I’m really sorry.)

C: What did you watch recently?

I: Movies.

C: There were people who got scared by the fact that Ishida Sui raps.

I: No, you’re wrong. Ishida Sui doesn’t rap. Ishida Sui doesn’t do streaming as well.

C: Do mangakas have the chance to meet women?

I: It depends on the person. The ones who’re locked up in the house won’t. But…That’s right. You might if the workplace has mixed genders. You also have the chance to meet people during party or some sort. I’ll always be at the corner every time I go to parties. It’d be nice if the party was fun and the staffs could enjoy themselves. I also said that I went to parties to take a break, but I hated it.

C: You’re not going to parties?

I: Nope, I won’t. The company doesn’t hold them as well because of the current situation.  Even if I did, I wouldn’t know what to do. I don’t really eat the food, and introducing myself to people is tiresome.

I: S****** is here.

S******: Ishida Osushi can become a pro mangaka.

I: I’m aiming for it.

C: Fukuoka suits you, sensei.

I: Somehow, I feel grateful. It’s like you’re telling me that it’s okay for me to live in Kyushu.

(t/n: Kyushu is an island where Fukuoka is located.)

C: Sir Osushi, what do you think of Sir Sui?

I: I have a murderous intent towards him.

C: Does the thumbnail hold any meaning?

I: It does. Look forward to it.

C: Being a streamer suits you (Osushi) better than being a mangaka.

I: Hahaha.

C: The drawings of Neji (JJ character) by Ms. Towada were wonderful!

I: That’s right. Neji drawn by Ms. Towada. I want you guys to tell me something like this. I want you guys to tell me about my current situation. Things like, “would you retweet this?”, “This is JJ’s…”, “The CD’s also…”. Let me change my twitter account. First is Ms. Towada, right? Let’s retweet Ms. Towada’s tweets. I thought of drawing something like this. She drew quite a lot. She drew him more than me. I feel bad having her to draw it. I feel grateful rather than feeling bad. She drew a lot of them. Yonaga’s illustration looks nice. I see… There’s like an incomplete rough drawing. I thought of copying and drawing that illustration. I’ll just retweet this. Tell me what should I retweet next.

C: Is Ms.Towada doing well as well?

I: I talked to her a few days ago.

I: Do read Fool Night.

C: Do you like Aespa? (t/n: Aespa is a kpop girl group. Ishida had drawn one of the members.)

I: The girl caught my attention. I thought she was beautiful.

*Someone commented about his illustration of Ano-chan. (t/n: Ano-chan is a Japanese singer. Ishida had come to her radio programme once, and he did the album cover for her latest album.)

I: Ano-chan! What happened to that? Have you seen the album cover? It’s already out?

*Someone commented about Fool Night.

I: The world in Fool Night is super amazing. It was quite a while ago, the person in charge of the Superior magazine watched one of my streams and asked me if I could write some comments. I was like “Don’t tell me that!” (referring to watching his stream). I hate being seen. But then, I was like “whatever.” I usually turned it down, but I just wrote for this one.

*Someone commented about Wooma (t/n: an illustrator.)

I: Who’s Wooma? Let me check it.

C: Sensei, I’m a good child. So, is it okay for me to sleep?

I: Yes, of course.

C: Sensei, do you smoke?

I: No.

I: Ah, Wooma is the illustrator for the song ‘Usseewa’. Sorry for the lack of knowledge.

C: Do you watch Christopher Nolan’s works?

I: I’m not that familiar with movies, but I may or may not watch it. I’ve been getting into movies lately. I searched for the movies Takahashi Kunimitsu told me about. You tend to watch anything when you’re obsessed with movies, right? I was also obsessed with history for a while after I learned how fun it was from Takahashi Kunimitsu. I’ve been reading 2-3 books on history a day lately.

C: Until what time are you gonna stream?

I: Today is infinite as well. We have another 12 minutes left. Haha. I’ll keep on streaming today. I won’t end the stream today. It may end tomorrow. (t/n: He definitely kept his words.)

C: Sensei, do you like itzy? (t/n: Itzy is another kpop girl group, and Ishida had also drawn one of the members.)

I: Yes.

I: Tomorrow is a holiday? There are people who are not working tomorrow.

C: What are you drinking?

I: Coffee.

C: You only need another 800 people to reach 30,000 subscribers.

I: Yeah. It’s gonna reach 30,000. I have to make an appreciation stream or video for 30,000 subscribers. A lot of youtubers are doing this, so I have to do it too. I wanna do it. Feels like a youtuber. Isn’t it fun? I wonder what should I do for it? What would be fun? Let’s go with this concern first. I get lost if I don’t go one-by-one. It’s one of my bad habits.

*They’re planning on what Ishida should do when he reaches 30,000 subscribers.

C: Show your nails.

I: I don’t do manicure.

C: Heavy Rain.

I: Wanna play Heavy Rain as well.

C: Please let us hear your sneeze.

I: There is such person sometimes. Creepy.

C: Why don’t you play Ghosts n Goblins for now?

I: After the stream, I felt like playing the game. They had something like magical clock, though I forgot the name. The one that double the speed of the game. I really wanted to play that, honestly. Though, it wasn’t suitable for streaming. I thought of playing it in my own time. I really like that kind of games.

C: Will you sing when you reach 30,000?

I: During the previous silent stream, Queen Bee’s song was playing. Those who watched may know. I thought of appearing for a moment and sing and then end the stream. I wouldn’t do it, but I just thought about it. At that time, I wanted to try having just an illustration stream.

C: I’m waiting for an autograph session after the Corona ends.

I: The pandemic probably won’t end for at least 2-3 years.

*Someone wanted him to sing Gaston’s song.

I: Gaston. Singing, huh? Hahaha, why am I having second thoughts? I thought I’m okay with anything.

C: how about a karaoke battle?

I: Karaoke battle, huh?

C: Do you have any piercings?

I: I’m not wearing one right now, but I do have it. (t/n: I didn’t expect him to have a piercing. He’s really different than what I imagined a mangaka to be. XD)

C: I’m hoping for JJ’s song covers!

I: JJ? JJ’s songs are difficult. It was super hard during the time I did the covers. Seriously, when I heard it back…The cover for the opening theme was scary. I thought my singing ability had increased since I recorded this one the last. A few months ago, I listened to it after a long time, it was…what should I call it? A sutra, no, a curse. Me and JJ’s opening theme. I forgot the title of the song. Jack and something. There were parts in the songs where the female and male characters had to harmonise. To convey that part, I had to cover the song multiple times. I multiplied into 7 people, since I had to record as Kisa as well. When I was recording Kisa’s part, the other version of me at the back, probably Kai, was harmonising with me. I was told to deepen my voice by Mr.Kasama. So embarrassing. The voice was really low. I was drawn by Mr. Kasama’s voice. His voice was really good when he said ‘Broccoli’ for the cm.

*Ishida imitating Mr. Kasama.

I: It’s cooler than this.

*Imitating him once again.

I: I was like “So cool!”

C: Invite the animals that appeared in Animal rap as guests.

I: That’s a good idea. But what would the guests be doing? It’s absolutely hard to do that. It’s hard to invite the animals because of corona.

C: The title is “Jack & Jeanne of Quartz”.

I: Right. Thank you.

C: Won’t you invite Hanae?

I: I won’t. That’s impossible. (t/n: I want to see him playing horror games with Hanae Natsuki.)

Part 2

[artdjgblog]

Innerview: ​Sonya Baughman​ / Review Magazine​

July 2008

Image: DJG's "Live & Let Die" Record by Paul McCartney & Wings

Note: Interview for a magazine feature.​

01) Where did you grow up and where do you live now? My young cloth diapers treaded a lot of dirt, dead animal and doggy acres in the North Central stick regions of Missouri, Mid-West, USA. Currently, adult plastic diapers drag and sag me in mid-town Kansas City, MO. The first six years had me bucking bales, falling off hay wagons, piercing my cheek on a hay bale stinger, assisting with the old cow stuck in the mud, designing elaborate tunnels and forts from tomato cages, watching “The Muppets” and “Star Wars” a lot, hearing scary stories of Leopard Man, posing for many pictures with dead and live animals, rocking out in cowboy boots to “Live & Let Die” on my Papa Smurf guitar, and crying at night to my raccoon wallpaper…among many other early formative brain tattoos. Act Two had many dry summers and the bank repossessing the farm and moving us to the home and acres where my Dad grew up. The new place had a blacktop in front of it and a gravel lane with a bridge/creek. The blacktop was a reservoir for leaving behind summertime shoe and bike impressions and for popping tar bubbles in the blistering heat. I also was of age to really explore and build many forts and treehouses in the ditches, barns and woods. Also, I started to go hunting and spend time in the fields with my Dad. We never had a shortage of animals and pets too. A lot of spare time was also spent in the sandbox or in the bedroom designing and building things based on what I saw and experienced. There was also a massive in-take of drawing and pop-culture from comics, books, music, television and movies. There wasn’t much of a cap on what my siblings and I could devour. Oh, and loads of sugary sweets and cereals. Go thr​ough the yearly motions and I end up at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. There I got some very formal education and incredible interaction with students and design professors from the great making thing ways of Eastern Europe and Russia. I pretty much maxed out my art and design class card and was even making a ton of design work on the side for musicians. I then received a higher calling to drop out of school and make my guts out in Kansas City, MO which is where I’ve flopped around now for the past seven years. 02) Talk a little about your artistic background. Are you self-taught, did you go to college for art (if so, where)? My background is painted with loads of pop-culture from the 1980s and ’90s mixed in with the soil of farm life. I also designed and built many elaborate tree houses and forts up until the age of eighteen and spent most any spare minute in the sandbox or locked in my room drawing, reading, studying, video game playing, movie watching and just playing in general. I’ve never understood people’s ability to get bored or to not use the creation within them to ooze life out. I’ve enjoyed drawing comics, sports mascots and WWII battle scenes with my Dad at a young age that involved aircraft carriers, tanks and flags of those involved in conflict. My older brother would also draw a lot with me. He was better though. My younger sister and brother were pretty solid too. We have no idea where our creativity came from other than a great uncle, maybe? Also in my youth I would make giant collages out of magazine clippings and lots of mix tapes of Dr. Demento’s bizarre radio program and recorded and memorized many a variety of cartoon episodes and cool shows like Pee​-w​ee’s Playhouse. I’ve also been a constant collector all my life. Back in the day I was all about the whole spectrum of toys, comics, ball cards, cereal boxes and loads of other junk…even kept dead animal parts under my bed. In the fifth grade I won a county wide logo contest for a skating and bowling fun center and it was the first time I realized disappointment with design as my logo was butchered by those higher-up. In middle-school up until my junior year of high school I studied more comics, logos, sports architecture and wanted desperately to design new-vintage baseball stadiums until the realization of my poor math skills hit like a ton of collapsed buildings. I even won a Kansas City Royals baseball essay contest. Getting made fun of daily in high school stunk, but it really fueled my work ethic, dreams and caused me to lock up in my bedroom at night. Though, I still wish I would have worked harder in my youth. I still really enjoy working hard and being alone to this day. In the summer of 1996 I was selected to attend the first ever Missouri Fine Arts Academy and learned that I had more to offer with my insides and got a chance to interact with more likeminded minds. I came back to my senior year of high school with notebooks of typographic graffiti designs and a whole new language of what I thought was the art world. There was also a new art teacher at my school and he was serious and seriously cool and recognized that I had something to offer. I also came back to my senior year with more confidence in expressing myself and decided to dive into the world of graphic design for my post-high school studies. I had no idea what I was going to really do with it, but I knew I just wanted to use my gift of making stuff for the rest of my life. And graphic design somehow promised a bit more security in money than going the fine art route. Though, I’ve now managed to merge the two and to still not make any money. My high school scores had me at number 12 out of 24 in my class and I scraped the bottom of the test barrels to get me into college. Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, MO said I could come and so I did. They were the only institution I applied for and I had liked it from my three week stay at Fine Arts Academy the previous year. College was great, but I could tell quickly that I wasn’t a top art pup like I was in my small school way back down the line. I was with the bigger dogs now. I struggled with drawing classes because I realized that I wasn’t as good as I had been told I was for the previous eighteen years. That was a set-back and I still wish to this day I would have worked harder at drawing. But, mostly I have trouble drawing in a cramped room with a ton of people breathing down my neck and at certain times of the day. The introduction and foundation art classes were more my calling and I could take the stuff home and work alone and all night. Most of my friends complained because they couldn’t wait until sophomore year when we would be on the computer for design. I didn’t really understand what I was getting into with graphic design. In fact, one day I exclaimed to my friends that I was taking the graphic design route that didn’t use computers and was entirely hands-on. They thought I was pretty insane for saying that and pretty much called me a fool. It’s kind of funny now though. I was so naïve at 18 and 19 to what the formal graphic design world was and I think I still am ten years later. Back when I was more bushy-tailed, I just wanted to make things and cut stuff out and not chain up to a computer…and I guess I’m still bushy-tailed, though I have a computer and use it mostly as a tool. When I finally did get placed in front of a computer, it was a struggle and I just couldn’t get into it and past the screen barrier. It almost stopped me from majoring in graphic design. But, we weren’t on the computer all the time as we were taught to conceptualize and to think and to be hands-on too. But, we needed to know the computer too. I just couldn’t get along with the computer for the longest time. Of course, the computer whiz kids just couldn’t wait for the next semester that involved a wordy world called typography. Which, naively enough I thought was about the art of map making. I liked maps, so I was excited too. But, I soon found out it was a whole new world that would poison the ABCs in me forever…good and bad. At least in type class we were still taught to think and do things by hand before messing with computer fonts. That first year or two of official design school was just terrible for me as I felt I wasn’t really “getting” it and didn’t think I would be happy as a graphic designer. I was just fulfilling project requirements and with zero heart or much care. It wasn’t until I haphazardly signed up to duel major in illustration that things started to make music inside of me. I began to really pour myself out and realize that I could approach things in a similar light as to when I was a child and be happy. Illustration saved me and I found my voice with it and my classmates and instructors started noticing. The energy there was great and everybody fed off of each other and helped each other see in new light(s). I also began to understand the valuable importance of the experience of my schooling as the instructors not only had a unique style of teaching, but they also had interesting backgrounds and culture from Eastern Europe and Russia. I could mildly relate to them as I was a transplant from the foreign farm world of North Missouri. After many design trips to studios I began to feel a very empty feeling with the profession I had chosen to represent my working life. It was not what I wanted to do with a “career”, or my time. I didn’t wish to work in a factory of fried monitor goo-lash. I wanted to just make stuff and at my own pace and pleasure. I was also very protective of my work and wanted parental rights and not for it to belong to another man’s name or dream. My love for music started to fuse with design and I began to start making many things on the side for musicians, which spread to other types of word-of-mouth work for me. An eye-popping lecture by modern rock poster designer Art Chantry sealed my personal deal for wanting to do my own thing. Shortly after that I decided I needed to change many gears in my life and secretly drop out of school following my final design class in the fall of 2001 and live with a band (and some) in a big old dilapidated orange house behind the original Lamar’s Donuts in Kansas City, MO. While some senior students had trouble looking for one real world client to work with for their final projects, I had close to 10 off the top of my head and whole bunch of future blank pages to fill. 03) During the time you have been making art have you always been drawn to this type of graphic expression? Did you “find” a style or did a style find you? I’d say a bit of both. I’ve never really gone for a set “style”. I’m sure that I’ve got one that has become recognizable to my thumb prints. Honestly, I never really think too hard about what I’m making or the why or how of the making until I have to answer questions like this. Then I start to over-think things. Also, whenever I’m told that I’m a good collagist or good at hand type or so-and-so rendering, then that is the only time I really make an effort to switch gears. I have boiled the majority of my output to be relational to the immediacy of my moods, thoughts, tickles, inclination and whatevers. Though, sometimes life can get in the way and I’ll have to slide down a small sliver of time and energy depletion, like I am with trying to get this writing out on time! But, I’m a big fan of cranking stuff out no matter what. Life is pretty darn short to sit on my hands. It seems that style can be a bit of a drag for some people and/or a hole. I’ve always been more in-tune to the folks who just follow what their gut, heart, hands and eyes speak instead of creating a set template. Some people never stray too far from that and only a few can truly get away with it. Edward Gorey is perhaps one of the few who could really make it work for me. I would certainly love to draw and think as well as he did, but I might be quite miserable doing the same thing over and over even if I was able to do it for a living. I think that a lot of people get confused and think they need to have a style and either invent one or pick other people’s noses instead of sniffing what they’ve been wearing all their life. Style to me is a lot like decorating or something. Though, at the same time that decoration might marriage perfectly to what somebody thinks they need. I don’t know though. Sometimes I think it’s funny when we as people think we need something to look or feel a certain way that’s already been communicated or visualized. I think that sometimes we are too caught up in what’s done before instead of thinking for ourselves. I’m guilty too. What’s really confusing to me, on a personal level, is when I get a request like, “We like all your work so make whatever you want!” and then the client ends up being really disappointed because it wasn’t in their “style” and then it’s awkward. Style is just an odd thing to me. But, most things are. I try to just trust my gutty heart and just make. 04) Do you see your work as communicating your identity or as helping to communicate the identity and message of others? … or both? I see it as me communicating what I’ve gathered from being on the Earth for 29 ½ years and spreading that manure the best I can. It’s a heaping helping to tell the story of others by telling my story. Most of my work fits into fine art and design, at least I’m always told that. I’m not really sure. Of late I’ve been pushing into more of the fine art bin. But, I’m not a big fan of labeling things and I would like to do many things with this thing I do. With design, one does have a role to play with helping somebody else tell their story, and at times, sell their story. There is also a responsibility to the venue the product is in or where it will eventually end up, whether a fine package on a shelf or a poster in the gutter. I feel it can be easy for a designer to lose perspective of the role playing. With leaving behind an identity…well, I like the idea of a paper trail, time-line and bruising thumb prints on this life. However, I don’t necessarily have the intent to say “Hey, look at me.” I am just another human, and one who happens to make things. If the work speaks or inspires (probably frightens and confuses on occasion), then that means a lot to me, especially in these fast-paced and flashy “everyone’s a designer-decorator” times with millions of images and advertisements everywhere. I think it’s great to recognize and at times celebrate gifts and achievement. But, I feel there needs to be a healthy balance. It can be a dangerous thing to play with at times. Some artists I feel become the work of art themselves and end up playing God with the gift and this saddens me as it usually ruins them in the long run. 05) Is there anything about your geographic location that has given you a unique perspective on design and the art you create? Certainly, growing up country might have my visions at a stranger advantage, and a howling merge to that with the city life now. You might see a lot of wonderfully strange things on the streets of the city due to the amount of activity by varieties of people and culture. But, only in small town Missouri do the deer pile up outside the meat locker and blood runs next door to the Baptist church as the high school band splash-marches through it. Growing up it was easy to take my lifestyle for granted. I enjoyed it immensely, but when I was 15 to 18 I wanted to get out a bit more. I was hungry to explore, and not just the many acres we lived on. I wanted the rest of the world. I became a little disgruntled with growing up country and I think that there is a certain stereotype placed upon people anywhere they are, but country folk get it pretty bad. I definitely ate from both sides of the fence, but also didn’t want to be hung up in it for a living. As I grow older I appreciate my roots a lot more and celebrate them and am very thankful. I enjoy going back home. And some day I’d like to move outside of the city to a small plot of land with a making things shack out back. But, my family home isn’t too far down the road for a getaway weekend visit to sit with the stars, coyote yips and fish. 06) What do you consider influences on your art? (this can be other artists, music, philosophy, nature – anything. this question is not just limited to “I’m a big fan of Banksy”) First thing, I believe in the compiling of all days in life to influence an artist’s output (horse apples or clean streets). Our walks tell a lot about who we are in the present prints. I feel that one would be lying to me if what they created was not in their full vision. But, I too think that we all wear and share influences as witnesses to what we’ve seen and where we’ve been. We all help shape each other. I’ve rattled off my early influences of popular culture. I think I’m more in-tune with my child’s self now than I was then as I sit alone and make things and pull from all my days. It’s also easy to feel that I was really moving and discovering more back then with naïve, childlike faith that I’m trying to get back now. I have some good days though and mostly when I’m not thinking too much. I’m still a fan of absorbing lots of things and from many angles. Of course I have my artistic influences. One of my big influences as a child was my Grandma Gibson. She is from the old school of the country and a very hands-on person with making many things like clothing, dead animal backpacks, blankets, pillows, fridge magnets and game board pieces. I still have a lot of the things from those years. I think a lot of my approach to making things came from her. My “professional” art world as a kid had an outside knowledge from trips to museums and PBS specials, though I felt a little detached from that world and still kind of do. My heroes were at the movies because they were more immediate to me, guys like Jim Henson, Stan Winston, Dr. Indiana Jones, Rambo and Han Solo. But, it was Henson’s world that opened me up to the first idea of an artist’s legacy, vision and spirit and glimpse of another world. Something big-time ached in my decade old gut the day I found out he passed away. Musically speaking I was very much a child of my Mom’s Beatles records, “oldies” music and a ton of television theme songs, novelty sing-alongs and old church songs. I still put a lot through my ears now and my biggest influences in music in my older years are Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith and Bob Dylan. Also, I am still a big fan of tons of picture books and just anything really. I just know that I’ve never had bare space on the walls and shelves of my home and head. Oh, and wherever I am I’m usually distracted by the stuff on the ground. I’m a big collector of found notes, writings, scribbles, addresses, children’s drawings and good-bad-silly-stupid-smart designs. I like to collect ‘em all. I’ve also collected stamps since I was 10. I’m a big nerd. Here’s a listing of some names in the art and design canon who have made things that either attracted, influenced or moved me in some ways (in no particular order): Saul Steinberg, Seymour Chwast and Push Pin, Lester Beall, Edward Gorey, Ray Johnson, Art Chantry, Henryk Tomaszewski, Vaughn Olver and V23, Raymond Pettibon, Paul Klee, Stanley Donwood, Stefan Sagmeister, Cy Twombly, Saul Bass, Ivan Chermayeff, Ralph Steadman, Robert Rauschenberg, Jean Michel-Basquiat…most anybody who has something to say and develops a bad back carving out their paper trail. Movies are also a giant influence on my work and I study them almost daily. Some of the filmmakers who capture a certain craft of unique spirit that I enjoy include P.T. Anderson, Wes Anderson, Michel Gondry and the Coen Brothers. Folk Art is another big mind-blow and one of my favorite areas to study and get ticked by the of-the-moment heart, purity and passion. I love the idea of somebody just up and making something for the heck of it and not for art’s or ego’s sake. That’s the childlike thing I miss the most. The makers and shakers that move me the most from the folk art movement are Henry Darger, Bill Traylor and Robert E. Smith. And sometimes I get more out of the work on display in county and state fairs by everyday arts and crafters than so-called “professional” art and design work. 07) What is your perspective on the place of poster art here in the Midwest (or KC specifically) as it interacts with the rest of the art community and how the poster art coming out of this community may be perceived on a more national level? I’m curious about this because of the recognition Kansas City artists in general have been receiving lately on a national and international scale and how the art world tends to waffle between interest and disinterest in artists in this region. The music scene here is very interesting to me and a lot of times I think that it is just like 20 people all making it happen. Though, there is a lot of talent, diversity and genre-bending for a small town like this. There are a lot of groups making a mark here and down the highways, same with the people making stuff for them. Though, I get a little strange sometimes because I sometimes feel that the small scene mixed with the internet’s social networks and fewer record stores (oh, and most of my posters take up a whole bulletin board!) makes the poster almost secondary information and so-so decoration. In the same thought though, most of the stuff I see on the internet passes by me in a two-second window like that of highway advertising. Though, some do stick out to me because I’m always on the look to get tickled. And I don’t feel the art of the printed piece will die any time soon. Anyway, the scene just works here in Kansas City somehow and everybody takes care of and appreciates each other’s roles and contributions. I’ve had some great response to what I’m slapping up, but at the same time I think that a lot of people don’t get it. What’s not to get, it’s not too special? But, that’s fine with me. I’m not sure where I am in the scene. Maybe more-so in the “seen” department with my meager budgeted work hanging above a stool in the blurry-eyed late hours. I still think that toilets are one the best places for information gathering. Poster art in general in the last ten years alone has received a great breath of fresh air. Many of the makers are respected within a small collective, and have also been breaking through to represent on a national level of design aesthetic, as well as a well-rounded view of the printed timeline to life and culture. It’s also something that anybody can do and a lot of bands still just make their own stuff, which I’m cool and whatever with it. Everybody has their own style, agenda and empty pockets. But, the personal computer has saturated the landscape with a lot of “samey”. Then again, if it works, it works. In the end if it gets people interested and enthused, then what is there for a bum like me to complain about? And sometimes I really get a kick out of unskilled design stuff(s). I try to stay out of design politics for the most part. There is more to life than design dogma. Though, there is design all around us as we interact with it in every way from the tip-top of a tree to a paper scrap for this article. I enjoy the simple act of creation and inspiration that comes from something that seems like nothing, yet has always been a “something” growing and building and will continue to grow if the viewer lets it do so. You just have to add the proper mix of ingredients, I guess. And I guess my brain isn’t one to formerly function on the full realization to what it’s thinking. So, I’m babbling right now. I do know that something I’ve always enjoyed about the concert poster is the relatively short life span it has and how that can be used to the advantage. I just want to encourage people out there, designers/artists, non designers/artists or even church secretaries, to really push things and work harder. I don’t really care if everyone isn’t versed in design and art. In general I just encourage more to experiment with poster art, find your voice(s) and find new ways to spread the good word. Even if it’s not for a concert or an event, just make something and get it out there. Throw your junk off the overpasses if need be. 08) How has your work been received within the arts community here (and also in other geographic regions if you have been branching out)? For seven years now I’ve somehow managed to remain fairly anonymous and at the same time have sparkled a bit of attention…maybe just a glittering. Life and day job dwindle my hours to where it’s hard to even pay attention on my own stuff sometimes, so I don’t get out much here in the city. Though, I guess it is easier to keep up with things on the internet, papers and here-say. I think Kansas City is making her own dent right now with a wide variety of things going on in the arts landscape. The town is kind of booming and bustling right now. Being that we’re a small town, it’s easy for a small fish to get more wet feet. Though, I’ve never put my whole foot into anything. I just do my thing. Some days I’m not really sure what that thing is, but I do it despite my muck. When I first started on my design quest, like when anyone tackles something head-on, I was head-over-heels and not sleeping much. I was also living with bands and interacting more and actually going to shows several times a week. I don’t know how I did it without exhausting my ticker, but for some reason it all worked. I started to garner a little bit of buzz here that seemed to spread quick outside the state and international borders. Many people contact me from all over and slap my stuff alongside some of my design favorites in magazines and books. It’s a hoot. People are always interested in my story and creations. It’s all still really odd and blushing to me in some light that the little things I make are reaching a selective audience on a much grander scale. Anyway, I’ve certainly learned now that sleep is important and that it’s better for me to work smarter, not harder. Though, that’s not entirely the truth as I still work pretty darn hard and I believe in it greatly. Still, I’ve struggled with my own brand of discontent since I fell from a slide and blacked-out at the age of five. It’s something that I’m working and wrangling with. But, with any kind of actual work you’ve studied, worked hard with and duct taped up the switch with 24-7, you learn to just not think and rather DO and the moves become mechanical. I just have to put to use different types of oil to keep from rusting. It all becomes a fluid thing, or something constantly coming down on me in the grocery aisle, tree leave holes and side walk crack scribbles. It can be challenging when life stuff gets in the way, but I shouldn’t see it as getting in the way. I easily get confused, but then I realize that the things I experience and see and do (good-bad) all go into my design pot mixed with my past and then I just have to do the upchucking as I move forward and I tend to feel better. Recently I’ve definitely stepped back on my massive production of concert posters and I’m sure that many people reading this will think, “Geesh, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen this idiot’s work?” Not only has my life changed in some ways, but I also had to give myself permission to take a time out and to learn to say no to some things. A break was needed before burnout and bitter rotted my worms in the apple, among other things. I had a year of little activity and practiced sitting on my nest. I still made a bunch of stuff, but a lot just for me. I’ve also been involved in various group art shows around the country, design books and special art projects with friends spread about. Another thing I did, and still do, is just to see what other avenues I’d like to take my one man show. I’m learning to use the internet for the medium that it is too. Anyway, I’ve always got some stew samples back burning, but my biggest competition is myself…on top of time, energy and money. Mostly myself, as I’ve always been extremely hard on myself. Though, I’ve been told I make it look easy. I’ve never been good at math, so you go figure. I get exhausted from trying to figure this out. 09) Is artwork your main profession and, if not, are you intending to make it so? It’s really flattering and kind of sad when every spring I get more and more inquiries from freshly plucked and talented college students about a possible internship or job with DJG Design. In general, due to what most think to be a large and varied output of work, people who don’t know what I’m about think that there is a D, a J and a G making things. It always excites me to be contacted by enthused students and other design people (any walks of life, really) who saw something or connected to my work and got a spark. It makes me rosey, but it also keeps me a little down as I don’t make enough money to do this full-time. But, it all keeps me at my little basement bay working on my bad back and poor eye sight, keeps me (under)grounded in some ways. I’ve always worked full-time jobs and have been married now for three years. So, certain responsibilities come with walking hand-in-hand with another. For now I just spin the day job blues and try to stay content and disciplined, burning the fuel before and after work. But, age is setting in a bit and I’m getting antsy. I also grow tired easier. Good things do come out of day jobs, good design work does too. For the first four or five years I was a janitor and groundskeeper. So, loads of perks came from great finds, discards, dumpster dives and lots of free food and more time to read and study and draw. Heck, I even designed a few posters between clock punches. Currently my position has me staring at a computer doing data entry. The health care, artificial air and hours are great and I can walk out my back door and be there in seven minutes. But, it can be difficult to know that I’m sitting and squandering something back home. I do take it with me everywhere upstairs, and I do a bit of networking during the day time, but there is still that itch to make things full-time and not have a full plate of non-stop. It’s all hard to balance. But, making things is the only thing that I’m told that I’m somewhat good at. Well, other than eating junk food, watching movies, being confused and petting my four kitty cats. I am fast approaching thirty and the visual of time stacking is more evident than ever. Each space between second hand clicks is another scratch of tiny pine box to me. I am slowly checking off my list of “Before 30 Goals”, but I’m usually several cars back and sometimes it’s a pileup. Life takes a different course too. But, I have caught back a hold of a torch of some sort. I am constantly tacking up side boards to the wagon. After eight years of looking at Gigposters.com, I finally have ALL of my poster work up on there. It’s a great way to generate exposure and get my work out some more. I also have my new website up and an extensive volume of imagery on my Flickr.com account. It can be a bit odd to put one’s self out there in such a reservoir fashion, but I do like the idea of the timeline and personal file cabinet. And if my house burns down, it’s all digitized and makes it easier on my friends when they have to move me. So, day jobs…they are both blah and bling in my mind. My sling shots just point back at me on certain days. Sometimes they change direction with every sentence. At least I’m now under a thousand dollars on my student loans. I don’t make a thousand dollars in most years on design. 10) Tell me a story – have you had any strange poster requests? A project where you just about lost it? A poster that succeeded beyond expectations or failed in a way that took you totally by surprise? A project-situation-chaos that always sticks out when I’m asked a question like this happened to me back in June of 2002. It’s not a poster, but it’s pretty whacky and ended up being one of the best things that I think I’ll ever make. It was a special run of 250 homemade CD packages for the band Elevator Division. I’ve had many projects that demand more production time than my little brain imagines, but this one was the worst. Actually, the finished piece is a lot tamer than my initial idea. Though, the final image’s concept married to what the band was communicating on the disc inside is way better. The following true story I’ve released for a previous interview, I just tweaked a few glitches… The idea came at the night I started printing. Well, actually it was spray paint. I had an image made for a month or more and then changed it at the last stroke of inspiration. It married the themes for the album “Whatever Makes You Happy” perfectly. With reflections of war and relationships in the songs, I made an image of a hand shooting off its index finger like a missile. It was the idea of shooting off one’s options and making decisions. It was aggressive, inviting, serious and humorous all in one. It was not only fitting for the band/music but also to the national/world agenda and climate. I went to war that night with many cans of spray paint and the idiot mind to do two-hundred and fifty all in one massive sweep, and in my basement, which is something I will never do again because I could have died. I will probably also never be involved with another package like this again (take that back, I have been). Anyway, each one was hand-cut from cardboard and handmade stencil sprayed and rubber stamped. Inserts were cut, folded and glued. At the last mist of red spray a crack of thunder shook the massive turn-of-the-century home and I bolted from the basement and out the front door to a down poor fit for Noah himself. I was like a much less cool version of Dr. Frankenstein though. I leapt off the front porch and slid head first down the embankment and into the street turned river current. But, like a taxidermy nightmare, I was born again. The drug dealing squatters across the street were on their front step perch per usual summer evening, looking at the fire in my eyes and the red paint streaming from ears, nose and mouth. It was a high much higher than that of chemical substance. Well, maybe a three pack of design, life and paint fumes. 11) What is it about the poster as an art form that you feel is unique among other art forms? What purpose does it serve in your mind that can’t be served by another type of visual art? I’ve hinted at this in a previous question. I like the idea of the poster’s life-span being short, relative to the date and time…event, whatever. But, if it connects in the right way, and it can be different for everyone as art-design-whatever, is all relative to the viewer, I think that even a concert poster’s impact can last a long time. Since my first year in Kansas City I’ve had people find me out and say that they had a bedroom wall filled up ​with​ my work. It really moved me that something so simple (and sometimes stupid) that I squeezed out caused somebody else to be moved enough to hang it above their dreams at night. It means a lot to me when others get something out of something I’ve made. I know from child to adult, I myself have gotten something out of the stuff I’ve collected and tacked to my walls. It’s odd, yet a really nice feeling to know I’m somehow contributing to a landscape in some way. Making things is an act that I’ve always needed to do and has helped me get the best out of many days. I’ve always had difficulty with contributing in many forms of communication and on some days it’s terribl​y​ hard even just to be out and about. Making things has served as my calling with communication. It’s nice to know it can help others too in whatever way. -djg

[missstormcaller]

BLEACH JET Artbook Talk Vol 3 Translation (Q43-49)

ABOUT TITE KUBO HIMSELF

This section delves deeper into Kubo sensei's hobbies and tastes which harbour a diverse background ranging from the likes of music, architecture and product design, as well as addressing his personal mode of thought.

Q.43: Please tell us about your favourite architects and building structures. If you also have favourite cars, do let us know.

Kubo: I like Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava. Although there are various individuals I admire from among the likes of furniture designers and architects, the ones I like in particular also include Tom Dixon, Jaime Hayon and Marcel Wanders. I even took the liberty to borrow the name "Ulquiorra" from Patricia Urquiola whom I admired since the early days of the series. They're completely unrelated to my artistic style and such however. —— J: When did you start acquiring knowledge of things like architecture and music? Kubo: I've always liked doing so as a hobby, consequently I used to look at architecture magazines as a change of pace between drawing manga. —— J: I wonder what your favourite building structure within "BLEACH" could be? Kubo: Within the work, what I tried to draw more to appeal to my taste, is mostly the structures found in the Hueco Mundo area. I liked that I was able to produce an intimidating feel through their expansive, simple forms. But when it came to expressing their size, I found it rather difficult, many times I would draw buildings I wanted to scale up, it would work just fine if I could draw smaller structures in its vicinity, however, given that I ended up making Hueco Mundo a world filled with desert, nothing would exist in the surroundings to establish that size comparison (laughs). It was a struggle to express their size through the characteristic pure white walls alone. —— J: Do you have a favourite car? Kubo: I don't hold a license but if I earned one, what I think I would start wanting to purchase, is a car called the TVR Tuscan. However when I looked at reviews, I found that apparently it was difficult to handle, seems like a car that has a lot of quirks. Even if I had bought it, I would would be thinking "I guess this is impossible to drive huh." —— J: Is there a certain colour you would prefer? Kubo: I haven't made up my mind on a colour at all.

Q.44: Please teach us your method for improving concentration.

Kubo: I… don't have any powers of concentration. For 15 years I kept wondering how I could manage to concentrate, but I couldn't find a method (laughs). Therefore, I think people who lack concentration should try to work in a short span of time!

Q.45: Does the music that you listen to change depending on the mood or situation?

Kubo: I put pleasant sounding music on when I draw and it changes depending on the scene I'm depicting, therefore it's unrelated to things like my mood or situation. When I'm in good form, I choose music that makes me go something like "I'm really going to be in my element whilst listening to this!" but when I'm in a hurry or in poor form, I forget to put the music on and commence drawing instead, it remains like that all day long as I work in silence…. Even at such a juncture, music would be playing in my head more often than not, however, sometimes it unexpectedly shifts to a song that has no relationship at all with the scene I'm drawing, and then I lose momentum in the drawing process. Nevertheless, when it comes to results, there is no variation in my final piece. And that's regardless of whether or not I'm feeling good. By the time I've finished drawing, I'm not left with fatigue granted there's music. —— J: So when you're drawing a pensive scene for instance, you'd set the mood by playing a song with a pensive air about it…. Kubo: That would be the case only when I have breathing room, and only when I'm in good form. Basically, it would be depressing if I listened to gloomy songs on rainy days, so I don't (laughs). —— J: Do you not listen to music through the radio and such? Kubo: I guess I don't really listen to the radio. For a long time, I couldn't figure out how one would go about listening to a radio (laughs). —— J: You really aren't good with devices huh (laughs). Kubo: For a time, when I was still at my parents' home I would listen to music through the stereo, but due to the fact that the stereo I had purchased after moving out was foreign manufactured, I was unsure about how to receive radio signals. Therefore, I practically never listened to the radio since moving houses. —— J: Basically you put like a CD on for music then? Kubo: Things like CDs and MTV. Eventually I listened to iTunes internet radio among other things when it came to the later stages of the series. Since it was divided into genres, I was able to play things like metal or EDM. —— J: Are there any moments where you think "it seems I'm listening to these songs on repeat." Kubo: When I'm hooked on a song, I often listen to nothing but the same musician. I'd say something like "I'm only going to be listening to Avicii for this phase."

Q.46: If Kubo sensei had not made a debut as a manga artist, what profession does sensei think he would have been employed in (or would like to be employed in) instead?

Kubo: I think I would be dying by the roadside (laughs). —— J: Did you debut as a manga artist during your days as a student? Kubo: I was a student when I was connected to an editor, but I made my debut the year I graduated high school. From there I drew around 3 one-shots…. However I only got a serialisation approximately 3 years after that, so in that interval I was without any occupation, I remained at my parents’ house jobless (laughs). —— J: Were you planning to become a manga artist ever since you were a child? Kubo: It was my intention to become a manga artist from around the time I was an elementary school student, but I actually moved into action when I was in my 3rd year of high school. Although I wanted to become a manga artist beforehand, it seemed somewhat difficult, I was wondering whether it would be better to become an illustrator or something which appeared to be less demanding. Though in reality, being an illustrator would also be terribly difficult. However at the time of my career counselling in the 3rd year of high school, I thought "manga artist it is!" and after talking with my tutors, I began drawing manga.

Q.47: Has sensei ever thought "the talent of this person is amazing" with regard to a mangaka who is or was serialised in Jump?

Kubo: Since the series concluded, I've been reading Jump through a reader's frame of mind, so I think everyone is awesome (laughs). When it comes to that area I get the same sort of impression as an average reader's.

Q.48: What is the most important thing for a manga artist to consider?

Kubo: To enjoy the process of composing your manga!

Q.49: Is there a person you would love to have a conversation with?

Kubo: Well, there's no one in particular. I have never been one to talk much, and I don't know what I should talk about even when meeting someone who creates something I like. Even if I had met my favourite musician, I'd be unable to say anything but "I'm a huge fan!" —— J: So then, is there somebody you'd like to tell "I'm a huge fan" to? Kubo: Greg Graffin, the leader of the band known as "Bad Religion", would be that person, I admire him a great deal. It's down to the influence of this band that I even like poetry. My impression is that I grew to like poetry because I liked Bad Religion's song lyrics. —— J: That reminds me, Ichigo's theme song is "News From The Front" by Bad Religion isn't it? Kubo: That's right. It's not that Ichigo himself likes Bad Religion when it comes to his character configuration, but in the movie adaptation there was a Bad Religion poster stuck on the walls of his room (laughs).

[paradisobound]

I Want It, I Got It: Chapter 5

Summary: Phil Lester was a worker for the BBC in London. Working in the advertising department, he was content being alongside his friend and fellow coworker PJ during every shift. However, the BBC is temporarily being used as a film set for a new movie staring Hollywood ‘It’ star, Daniel Howell. Being stuck as an extra on the set, Phil finds it’s hard to ignore the famous star. And maybe, just maybe, Dan finds it hard to ignore Phil as well.

Word Count:  2k (this chapter)

Warnings: Occasional swearing

Rating: Mature (for right now)

Updates will be every Wednesday and every Sunday

**MASTERLIST | READ ON AO3**

“Aren’t you the least bit nervous?” PJ commented the next day as they walked with Spike in the local park near Phil’s flat.

Dinner the night before had mostly consisted of both Sophie and PJ telling Phil about where he should take Dan around London and so he came up with a comprehensive list saved on his phone. But he still had many worries fueling his brain.

Like what if this was all a mistake? Daniel was a famous celebrities and surely he really didn’t want some pleb like Phil taking him around London. But on top of that, won’t people see them? Won’t this cause some big news scene?

He didn’t really want to do that.

There was a lot of weight on this line and he had to admit that it made him slightly nervous.

“No,” Phil answers eventually, “I am. I’m incredibly nervous.”

“Have you two messaged since last night?”

Phil shook his head. He hadn’t even replied to Daniel last night after he had messaged him last night. He probably should have. He internally winced. Did he already fuck this all up because he didn’t reply to him? He hoped not.

“You’re over thinking already.” PJ commented just as Spike tugged at his leash and Phil looked to see what the pup was doing. He just saw a squirrel and was hoping to chase it but he held the little guy back.

“Well, I didn’t reply back to him. Do you think I could have messed his up already?”

Pj stopped on the path and turned to him, hands in his coat pocket. “You’re really asking me this, Phil? Less than a week ago, you were telling Gemma off about fantasizing about the hunky lad and now look at you. You’re head over heels for the bloke.”

“I’m not head over heels for him.”

Pj cocked his eyebrow. “Really? You’re really saying that right now?”

Phil blushed and continued moving in the direction Spike was pulling him. “Well, he’s seems not to be a bad guy.”

“So you take back what you said before about him being pretentious and rude?”

Phil scoffed. “Well no. I don’t even know him yet.”

“But you know he’s not, though? Or else he wouldn’t have already slid into your dm’s.”

“He didn’t slide into my dm’s.” Phil laughed. “He just messaged me asking for a favor.”

“Oh, and I’m sure that’s what Nick Jonas did with Priyanka Chopra as well.”

“Shut up.” Phil laughed, hitting PJ gently on the side. “This is all a bit ridiculous, isn’t it? Like this feels like we’ve entered an alternate timeline―a whole new dimension.”

“Maybe we did.” PJ commented with a shrug. “But Spike over there is doing his business and I’m sure that we can’t launch that into another dimension.”

Phil rolled his eyes and walked over to Spike, pulling the bags out of his pocket.

Maybe they did fall into a wormhole and enter a new timeline. It sure did feel like it.

He, PJ, and Spike all left the park a short time later. PJ said he was heading back to his flat for the afternoon to work on a BBC assignment he was behind on and Phil figured he might as well get a jumpstart on his next one as well. The BBC had made it clear in yet another email this morning that Phil was not off the hook despite having to reappear to the building.

When he got back to his flat, he let Spike off from his leash and allowed for him to run off to his bed to sleep. He then set down with his laptop on his couch and opened up Illustrator to begin his next assignment. He was to create a new promo poster for the BBC radio one show and since he particularly liked that show, he really wanted to put time into it.

He slowly began to piece together shapes and colors when his phone vibrated against his side and he picked it up out of instinct. On his screen, he had a new Instagram message again. Without even unlocking his phone, he knew already they were from Daniel.

danielhowell: hello its me again! My manager gave me the go ahead to go out in London next Tuesday so are you free then? My bodyguard Joshua will be with us but i promise he’s a soft teddy bear.

danielhowell: I know i said this already but i do appreciate it! I like being able to go out and do normal things but its hard, ya know?

amazingphil: It’s no problem! I don’t mind showing you around London. There is a lot we can do.

danielhowell: I hear! I hope you don’t mind that we’re probs going to be bombarded by people all day. I feel like I should apologize for that in advance...but it kind of comes with the package―me.

danielhowell; that last part wasn’t as funny as i was expecting it to be. I’m sorry lol

Phil had to admit that he snickered. But he still was in complete disbelief that he was messaging back and forth with Daniel Howell.

amazingphil: I kind of figured. I saw some of the speculation on Twitter already.

danielhowell: Ugh I’m sorry. My fans are always speculating about me. It sucks but there is not much i can really do. I’m glad for them and i appreciate them because i wouldn’t be here without them but they can be a pain.

danielhowell: that being said i can tell them to leave you be? I mean, they probably wont listen but it is worth a little bit of a shot?

Phil bit his lip. He couldn’t ask that of Daniel already when there is nothing between them. They’re just talking about London and about Phil showing him around London. That’s all.

amazingphil: I couldn’t ask that of you. They’re not bothering me directly.

danielhowell: well if they ever do, please let me know!

danielhowell: I really mean it. They can be...a lot.

amazingphil: I’m sure i can handle them if need be.

danielhowell: okay mate but don’t say i didn’t warn you

danielhowell: oh, by the way, can we meet somewhere discreet? I want to keep my day as low key as possible and i don’t want fans to follow me to meet you. Do you have any suggestions?

Here was the thing. Phil didn’t know of many locations where any meeting or any sort was going to be discreet. Everything was pretty much out in the open around London unless you were in one of the back alleys where you could be shanked.

amazingphil: sorry, not really. We could meet at the BBC early on? I have a pass to get in so we can meet in there first?

danielhowell: okay. Fingers crossed I don’t get plowed over by fans before then.

amazingphil: #prayfordaniel

#prayfordaniel?? Phil inwardly groaned and covered his face in shame. That was the dumbest thing he could have sent someone like Daniel and now he’d sent it and Dan’s already read it.

He covers his eyes when his phone vibrates again for another message.

danielhowell: not sure that’ll work but it might worry the shit out of my fans lol

Phil found himself smiling really wide. This was nice. In a way, it almost felt like he might have a budding friendship with Daniel. Of course that was probably super silly but there was some place deep inside of himself that gave him hope.

Dan’s next message widened that place.

danielhowell: can i just say another thank you for treating me like a human? I’ve tried talking to other people before and they all freak out or begin to obsessively fangirl and ngl, it gets tiring. really tiring. So i really appreciate this, Phil. it means a lot.

amazingphil: of course, Dan. Why would i treat you any differently?

danielhowell: :)

They stopped messaging not long after which made Phil feel a tad bit sad but he had a feeling this wasn’t going to be the last time he and Dan talk before Tuesday.

He worked on a big portion of the BBC radio one advertisement and then he put his laptop on the charger to take Spike out for the bathroom and then order dinner from the local Domino’s.

By that evening, Phil had settled into bed in a peaceful food coma and was scrolling through his social media feeds again. Dan had posted some tweets in replies to some fans and he wasn’t trending anymore despite trending the entire week for filming and being on set.

But as he went through all of Dan’s tweets, he realized that he actually didn’t know hardly anything about Dan and he should probably look up some information before he meets him and makes a complete fool of himself.

He googles Dan’s name and unsurprisingly, his name comes up automatically with a ton of tabloid reports.

Daniel Howell’s new beau??

Daniel Howell on set in London! Catch the behind the scenes.

Is Daniel Howell filming in London? We have the inside scoop.

Phil found them all laughable and all totally exactly what tabloid magazines do.

He clicked on Dan’s Wikipedia page and decided to skim through it.

“Daniel James Howell, formally known as just Daniel “Dan” Howell, is a Hollywood actor, two time Oscar winner, and four time Emmy Award winner. Howell is best known for his portrayal as Romeo in the 2014 remake of the classic Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet alongside Jennifer Douglas which earned him his two Emmy’s. His career took off after his role was heavily accepted by critics across all boards, some even naming him the newest A-List star in Hollwood. Since 2014, Howell has worked starred in many new movies such as “One for the Road”, a coming of age story about a group of teenagers in America which earned his first Oscar, and “The Year of Us”, the star studded adaptation of the widely acclaimed novel by Stephanie Barry, which earned him his second Oscar.”

Phil finished that section and sat back. Wow. So Dan has been a popular celebrity for a while. He knew that. He remember how everyone hyped his role for Romeo and Juliet, calling him the next best Romeo after Leo DiCaprio.

But he honestly never paid any other attention to who Dan was or how he gained his stardom so fast.

“Personal Life: Daniel Howell was born on June 11th, 1991 in the small town of Wokingham in the United Kingdom to parents Karen and Joseph Howell. He has a younger brother named Adrian who is a popular YouTuber influencer. Howell began his acting career at just the age of five when he was casted in a production of Les Miserables in his community. After his success in acting, over the course of his youth, his family moved to Los Angeles, California, in hopes of him to gain stardom. Howell starred in his first Hollywood film at the age of 16 but would not become known for his roles until the age of 23.”

Phil thought back to what he was doing at twenty three. Definitely not gaining any stardom, that’s for sure. He was just sitting in Manchester, trying to make ends meet with a crappy job at Starbucks.

“In June of 2014, one year after gaining his fame, Howell announced his battles with anxiety and depression in hopes to become an ambassador for his younger fans. He is an advocate for mental health and the ability for everyone out there to have access to a health care system that will help anyone who is struggling like he was.

In September of 2017, Howell announced that he was bisexual and dating fellow costar Kellen Queen. After less than a year of dating, Howell and Queen announced on social media that they were no longer together. Howell has not been reported to have dated since but Queen is now dating his fellow “Timeless” co-star Helen O’Reilly.”

Phil sat back and processed the information. If he thought back to it, he could vaguely recall the entire break up happening. He remembers the tabloids and the social media frenzy but he never kept up with celebrity news enough to really know what was going on.

But to see where Daniel had come out as bisexual was a lot. Mostly because Phil himself was gay. He tended to keep his romantic life quiet but for some reason, he kind of hoped that Dan would ask him about his sexual orientation so they can have something to talk about.

There was one thing Phil didn’t mind and that was openly talking about his attraction to other men.

He closed out of Wikipedia, deciding he had read enough, and shut off his light. Spike has crawled in beside him sometime while he was reading on wikipedia and now he was curled in his side.

He fell asleep relatively fast, dreaming about Tuesday with Daniel.

[sladvlactia]

The Division 2 and Dissonance

No one with a platform seems to be talking about the Division 2, other than a few more liberal or collegiate papers. And what can be said of it that wasn’t already said about the first Division? A fetishistic gun-porn cover based shooter. One that asks you to uphold all that ‘Makes America Great” but not in so many words. A strong game so far as mechanics goes, that has forced me to exist in a state of cognitive dissonance as I enjoy my way through multiple hours of the kind of violence so expertly mocked and denigrated by Spec Ops: The Line.  It has the potential of being a masterful story, if they only knew what it was they wanted to say.

But let’s start with the strengths the game has, which to be fair, are many. A tight cover based shooter that incentivizes creative tactics and strategies, a well-balanced progression system for your gear that makes you care more about what you use on a more complex level than whatever has the highest numbers. Excellent level design with environmental puzzles and storytelling that require you to look beyond your next place of cover and allows for a more expansive story as well as smaller, side-stories you can ferret out if your curious and determined enough. In fact, these side stories are generally more well thought out and nuanced than the main storyline is.

               With cover based shooters, there’s always the danger of having the game devolve into a stagnant hide and seek punctuated by grenade explosions. The mix of enemy types, various elevations of cover, and the myriad of different skills makes each battle feel unique, even if you are replaying a mission, you’ll need to adapt to the different enemies or the different paths they may take to flank you or catch you out in the open. The result is a fast paced challenge that requires you to constantly adapt to your surroundings. You have to keep an eye out for anyone with specific gear, do they have a grenade bag? Wait for them to be near someone else and shoot the bag, taking out them and those around them. Are they near a breaker box? Shoot the box and shock them, buying you time to line up a headshot, or to reposition if you’re being flanked.

That attention to detail, and the effort made obvious by the positioning of each element in the game world, leads to the first issue for the Division 2. Of the four different factions, each has specific strategies they use to combat you. Military tactics from the remnants of a battalion with the True-Son’s. Fast and Furious kamikaze and fire with the Outcasts, or the chaotic and “street-tough” style of the Hyena’s. To explore what I’m getting at, let’s start with the Hyena’s; a faction made up of either black people or, “inbred” white people. The “animals” of the Division world, specifically likened to “Black-Bloc” in the in-game descriptions. Whereas the other factions will rely on the cover given, or use their various tools to flush you out of cover, the Hyena’s will rush you, They’re designed to be chaotic, to be an embodiment of anarchy. A miss-step at best when they’re all brown or poor people in the game world, but outright racism/classism is more likely. The Outcasts are villains because of what they did in response to being rounded up and put into a concentration camp, because they want revenge and took it too far.  Is another uncomfortable portrayal; as a friend put it, “I can identify the most, with the outcasts…” They’ve become terrorists to be sure, but when the alternative is to trust in the same government agencies that left you to die in the first place, it’s hard to judge. Especially when the faction that is more or less responsible for their suffering, is the military remnant known as the True-Sons. A fascist proxy force clearly meant to be the more jingoist aspect of America, and those that just “Follow-Orders” a step in the right direction for acknowledging the dangers of power and following orders, one that seems to be mysteriously missing from the Division agents themselves. Perhaps portraying a faction of almost religious fanatics known for nursing a grudge from being forced into concentration camps by fascists wasn’t the best idea.

The gear itself is balanced and nuanced enough to allow for customizing your play style, and giving you the option of spending hours going through your stash of goods, trying to get the right amount of attack, vs, skill, vs, Defense boosts to make use of your various talents or skill modifications. Something that is enjoyable to a great number of people who appreciate such fine-tuning. (myself included) As I go through each armor piece, I find myself attempting to match my branding, as each brand has specific perks unlocked by stacking pieces together, modifying my weapons with various scopes, or larger magazines. It’s well designed, and each piece carries a benefit and a detriment to the stats of the gun. It’s easier for me to ignore that narrative behind it, the oh so blunt tagline in the beginning cinematic “Did you have a gun?...Did your neighbor?” A Jingoist, refrain that all but screams that all that keeps us from turning on each other is the threat of punishment. Of violence, Of Death and the end of a highly customized and lovingly crafted weapon. But it’s always there, in the back of your mind that everything in this world is solved by shooting it, even locked doors, in most instances. In fact, the only real interaction the player has comes via bullets. A sacrifice for streamlining the work put into gameplay, models and animation of course, but maybe I just want experience this world without destroying it.

Which leads into the beautiful level design, and the amazing work and the evident love that went into making DC.  During missions, you can generally tell where it is you need to go through clever use of extension cords, or discarded shell casings, or even blood smears. Letting you know that THIS door, of the many available, is the one you want to open to proceed.  Every alleyway, abandoned parking garage, or small nook in the sewers has sleeping bags or tents, discarded food wrappers or even torn pages from a notebook, telling someone to be strong, that the writer has gone to look for food. Taken together, the level designers have obviously put in a staggering amount of effort and thought into their work. You can find small treasures, hidden easter-eggs or simply little oasis of peace or an excuse to put something silly in. Searching the sewers, I found a small room full of plush animals, in front was a turtle with a miniature Hard Hat on it. Looking around you can see several plushy snakes wrapped around the pipes. There’s nothing else that’s important in this room, no reason to go through the effort of resizing a hard hat to fit on a plush turtle, just the knowledge that some players will find this room, feel a small bit of levity, and be encouraged to stop and explore before moving on. At one point, I came across an area enclosed in wood, a place that you cannot access as a player. And I hear a blues harmonica playing from somewhere inside. Again, no real reason that I’ve found, just something nice to put into the world, something to break up the unceasing “gritty-ness”. Which is, perhaps, the most damning bit of cognitive dissonance in the Division 2. Each faction has found footage style “intel” little cinematic clips that illustrate just how capitol “E” Evil they are. It quickly becomes absurd; the Hyena’s leave a child alive after murdering the adults because they think it would be “funnier to watch him starve”. The outcasts ritualistically murder the builder of their camp, by literally beating him to death with a hammer. The leader of the true sons, true to his 80’s villain trope, kills a doctor in cold blood when she dares tell him that they cannot just abandon the victims of the plague. Each video, or audio clip is entirely serious, each faction is irremediably evil. Only the heroes, the good guys are allowed to be morally grey.

Which, all told, is I think the largest issue I have with the Division 2, the narrative.  Helpign defend America, to rebuild it, restore what it once was. The settlements you are tasked with helping in the game are closed off areas within the city. Large walls, armed guards and patrolling squads of armed militia keep the area more or less “safe”.  Loudspeakers tell anyone nearby that they cannot simply take in more people, than only the worthy are allowed inside. ‘If you stay here, you have to pull your weight” is a literal quote from one settlement. As you help to strengthen each, more American Flags, and colors of red, white, and blue crop up. The sun shines brighter, the guns get bigger. The people inside are kept inside, safe with work rotas, physical training time, clear rules and regulations. A prison to be blunt, one that only allows in those they deem “desirables”.  You find recordings and messages from the leaders or residents of the settlements, hear the radio broadcasts from those inside. They struggle with the knowledge that they cannot allow everyone in, that they live the life of prisoners or impose that life on others. Each recording found reinforces that it is “necessary”, that they are simply doing what must be done for now for a brighter future. Commendable, but worryingly fascist in its execution. Especially when the difference between the good guys and bad guys, functionally, is non-existent. The Hyena’s control the drugs, The True-sons have the most guns and the best gear, the outcasts are weaponizing their own infection, ingeniously turning their outcast status into a weapon itself. Each group is attempting to restore control, or some semblance of a reason to continue to live, through demolishing the past, through exacting revenge, through imposing order, or by preserving what’s left of a lost empire. It’s difficult to feel any different from any other faction, when all you do, all you are capable of doing, is killing and destroying. Even the end game enemies, Black Tusk; a clear nod towards Blackwater, are ambiguously evil. The only thing you know about them is that they oppose you. Finding more of the hidden story pieces, through abandoned cell-phones, laptops, and found footage begins to show a clear breakdown of government. The almost saccharine portrayal of congress “putting aside their differences” to help the sick and wounded is shown in counterpoint to how they fled as soon as things got bad. The current president may or may not have seized control after the assassination of the previous administration.  

In all, maybe my issue with this game is that it gives me no choice but to accept that America is corrupt, broken, and racist. That we as a society are one bad day away from warring factions. That the “best” of us, people sworn to defend us and rebuild us, or little more than glorified trained killers. Who scavenge colorful sunglasses to snap selfies in front of their slaughter. Maybe that’s the whole point of the Division, America is great for a small group of people, who are only kept safe by murdering anyone and everyone who doesn’t fit. “Good-Job!” You’ll be told. “By recruiting this camps only doctor, you now have a barber!” Good thing you can look good while fighting people who revel in killing those weaker. To bring it full circle, your mission here was to re-activate your magic SHD network, one you managed to complete relatively early on, why are you here now? A question asked hauntingly in Spec-Ops. Not addressed or entertained in The Division.

[haulix]

Overcoming mental blocks in art and business

Anyone trying to make a living with their creativity, from music to marketing, will tell you there are few times in life more frustrating than those moments when you feel as if your inspiration has run dry. You know the feeling. It’s usually something that hits you settle into work on your passion project at night, or perhaps just after you have arrived at the office, and try as you might to get something meaningful accomplished you pretty much just spin your wheels until you feel comfortable excusing yourself in order to spend the rest of the day in a ball of self-loathing introversion on your living room floor, praying to any deity willing to listen that you have enough episode of The West Wing left to avoid you work for one more day. We’ve all been there, or at least those of us who have been working long enough to burn through the first 50 or 100 ideas that we had, and if you feel you’ve yet to reach that point then trust me - It’s on the horizon.

We don’t bring up those uncomfortable times in order to scare. Sd face the same thing on a fairly regular basis, and we like to refer to it as what author Steven Pressfield calls “Resistance.” That is, a universal force that works against human creativity on a daily basis. We all face it in our own ways, much like we all fight our own battles most the world never knows of. There are a million anecdotes and essays on overcoming Resistance, and we’ve offered several here on this blog. Whether or not it works for you can only be learned through application. Yes, good old fashioned trial and error.

The next time you’re confronted with a creative roadblock in your professional life, take time away from your forced search for inspiration and try losing yourself in an alternate path. Develop an alternative path for yourself, your music, your agency, your label, or that secret side business you always hope to one day attempt. These adventures can sometimes be the source of new real life paths, such is the case with many so-called ‘side projects’ in music. Artists from various genres take a break from their day-to-day career to pursue other creative avenues just like anyone else, and sometimes their efforts lead to new financial avenues that certainly don’t hurt their bottom line.

Developing alternative paths to success for yourself can allow your mind to relax and consider options you might not have been able to adequately access when attempting to force creativity. Let’s explore a few examples to better illustrate this point:

Musicians -

Let’s say you’re the lead guitarist and songwriter for an aspiring rock band. Your first demo went over well with local audiences, and the second was good enough to help you secure a few opening slots on national tours when they roll through your region’s bigger venues. You may have even been able to tour, albeit without the benefits of a bus or guaranteed sell out crowds. Still, you’re making progress and you can feel your dreams of stardom starting to come together.

As you find yourself beginning to thinking about your third release, which would probably be your first full length, you discover you have hit a creative wall. Writing riffs and lyrics was never something you found all the difficult before, but for whatever reason everything you’re coming up with at this current point in time is clearly not good enough to help you get you ahead.

To clear your head and relax your thoughts it might be wise to consider an alternative career in, say, top 40 radio pop. Ask yourself, “What would it take to make it in pop music today?” Think about the songs and artists topping the charts, the themes found in their music, and what it is about tracks like Bieber’s “What Do You Mean” or The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face” that keeps people reaching for the repeat button again and again. Some answers will come fast, but others will take time. Think about what these artists do that you do not and ask yourself whether or not their approach to marketing or songwriting could aide your personal efforts. Heck, you may even try penning a song or two. Why not? Trial and error is part of any healthy exploration.

By the time you realize how lost in your pretend career you’ve become enough time should have passed for you to return to your real work with clear eyes and an open mind. Remember the things you learned about yourself and your peers during your brainstorming session and use it to influence your future work.

Industry professionals (label owners, site editors, publicists) -

Maybe you’re a label owner, struggling to keep your costs low while hustling around the clock to not only bring attention to the talent on your roster, but also to sell records. The grind required to keep a small business afloat, let alone build a new music empire, can be devastating on the mind of a creative person. One the one hand, your spirit and soul desire constant exercise and exploration. On the other hand, you need to find what works for your business and stick with it.

On those days when you cannot seem to focus on emails, accounting, marketing, or anything in between, it might be best to allow yourself to unwind with by exploring an alternate professional path. Just like the example for musicians above, you should stay within the realm of what you do (aka - running/building a business), but what it is your fake company does is entirely up to you.

For the sake of simplicity, let’s say your secret wish is to start a subscription box company that offers consumers the chance to receive 1 new album in the mail each month, along with an explanation for the record’s selection. The first thing you need for this business is a name. You decide ‘New Music Monthly’ is a good name and from there set to outlining what would be needed in order to get your business off the ground. You need a web host, a logo, and a cost estimate sheet. You know boxes can be bought in bulk, but you will have to contact the labels/artists you wish to work with in order to know if they would be willing to offer you a discount in order for buying X amount of records. You also need startup cash, which can be earned through launching pre-orders for your first box.

After the basic business details are ironed out, you should then turn your focus to understanding the type of customer who would want this product. Assume that your first few music shipments will be products from your own label, then outline what kind of music fan would be interested in whatever release you might choose. Be specific. Narrow down your fans to a specific age group (teens, young adults, adults 25-35, 35+, senior citizens, etc). Do (or did) these people go to secondary school? Do they attend a lot of concerts?

Once you figure this out you can begin to brainstorming how to accomplish the difficult task of targeting these consumers. Do they frequent Facebook? Twitter? Would placement in a magazine be a wise choice? Depending on which method of outreach you choose, how much will it cost? Can you advertise this way regularly, or do you only have the budget for a single campaign? Again, be specific.

Once you iron out your faux business plan you will not only have a potential new path to financial success, but you will have inadvertently developed marketing tools that could also be used for the real problems facing your actual business. The target market for your faux company will likely be the same, or close to the same, as your actual business. The plans you made to reach those made up customers can be applied in one way or another to the customers you are hoping to reach in with your label. You will have more or less done the work you needed to do in a way that tricked your mind into doing work it might not have wanted to do otherwise.

—

There are a million potential paths through life available to all of us, but far too few ever make much, if any, effort to explore their options. We would never advise you to abandon your dream(s), but we do believe that exploring alternative career paths can lead to success in your current field. What matters most is that you keep an open mind and try as much as you are able without jeopardizing your current professional/financial situation. You can use the examples laid out in the post to get you started, but don’t hesitate to make up your own adventure whenever time allows.

[rycien]

‘Marik Gra w Aversion’ Translation

lordtheevil presents

Marik Plays Aversion

Ah, yes. Another beautiful- AH!

Where am I? This isn’t my room. It’s supposed to be sand coloured, not a metal grille wallpaper.

Is this a tanning bed? If so, then where’s the ultraviolet lightbulb?

Okay, found it. Well, the friggin’ switch doesn’t work. Something tells me that this isn’t an ultraviolet lightbulb.

This is supposed to open these doors1. Why don’t these doors want to open?!

What is this? Ah ha, a fan. Now you are my faithful servant, and I shall give you the name Steve the Fan2.

And now, Mr. Steve the Fan3, your first task shall be to air out the tanning bed!

You’re doing well. You’re spinning slowly, but in the right direction.

What, you’ve never seen a tanning bed that folds at the press of a button?

Of course I keep a flashlight and a magazine4 under my bed, what else could I do in a hole like this?

Oh, of course I keep a key in a safe, who doesn’t do that?

What’s this, a book in the garbage? [As if reading the title] ‘The Best Collection of Harley Quinn’, [hurriedly putting it down] I didn’t leave anything strange behind.

I’ll use my reliable door opening skills. Open doors at my command! Well, lovely. It just led me to another door.

Ha ha, my skills! Oh, even better, it led me to a hallway with whole bunch of doors.

Well, good. Where am I now?

Ha ha, my skills! Ha ha, my unfailing skills!

A book! ‘Antigone’. Bleh! [Throws book away] No one’s interested in a story about women digging graves.

Wow! What a great … ‘KEY’. ‘KEY’, ‘key’, ‘key’ or ‘kij’5? A great ‘key’, ‘ke-ey’, ‘kij-key’.

Is this a locker room for the Jagiellonian University students? Because this is exactly what I imagined it would look like. Oh, Red Bull. [Takes can]

‘KE-E-EY’. [Mimicking machine noises] Bow. Bow, bow, bow, bow. [‘Beep’ noise heard from machine] Is that you, R2D2?

What is this supposed to be, a friggin’ cabinet opening simulator? The worst part is there’s nothing even in them, only school textbooks. Let’s see, first grade, second grade, third.

Oh, a radio! Finally, something different. Radio Z, only the greatest hits.

[Singing] ♫Party at Steve’s. Party at Steve’s. Party at Steve’s. Party, party ‘til the morning.6 ♫

Aaaahh! Book, what have you done?!

This has got to be one of Bakura’s missing books: ‘How to kill people on tanning beds’. You’re going to go to a corner and think about what you’ve done7.

Of course, you’ve hidden the body. But it’s nothing, my great mind is telling me that I’ll find the body here, because this is really the only place that I can look around here anyway.

Oh, of course not, it’s only the diet of every student: Red Bull, a magazine, and a glowing ‘KE-EE-EY’.

Something tells me that this was the book of the month.

Open Sesame! Ha ha, the great Marik hacks into the account! Well, good. Now where’s the exit?

Crystallography, Geology, The Basics of Paleontology for First Class, twenty-fourth volume, the twenty-third was more interesting.

Aw, I thought there would be fish in here, but they’re just imported goods.

The only things I’m collecting are the missing pages to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, the illustrated edition. My task is to find the entire collection.

Fascinating. [Sing-song voice] Loading.

[Singing] ♫Mr. Steve, your name is called out. Melt down the drain8♫ – because there’s nothing like a fierce party in wet T-shirts in a dark library. The only thing that’s missing is some annoying guy who’s going to ask me if I scanned my card, or ask if I read the book.

[Ominous sounds] Meh? What’s happening? How wa- Waaahhhh! Mr. Librarian wants to punish me for my third grade homework assignment! Quickly Mr. Steve the Fan, protect me from him, Fan Power Activation!

Oh, oh it worked. Whee!

It’s a good thing at least that he didn’t ask if I returned the book. Heh, fool. I’m not paying the fine.

Ha, ha! Excellent! ‘Greatness’ is my second name. My first is Marik. No, seriously, on my birth certificate its written ‘Marik the Great9 Sebastian Ishtar III’.

Okay, why is someone putting these ‘keys’10 in the garbage? But what I really wanted to say was ‘KE-EE-EY’.

Oh, oh, AH! These barrels are made of balloons!

This game deserves an award. Beating up balloons in the shape of barrels: 10/10.

Okay, I know what this game is reminding me of- AHHHH! Again! O-oh no! The barrels are taking revenge on me and blocking me in!

What am I doing? What do I do? Ah, it’s you again!

All right, Mr. Steve the Fan, do your thing. Mr. Steve the Fan, we must be very quiet.

Good, the librarian walked through the wall. Everything’s going according to plan.

Get out of here you useless barrels! We could have joined forces and conquered the world but NO, we’re barrels.

Oh, look. I have the exact same oven at home.

Whee! Ah ha, books! AH HA, my ticket out of here! And besides that, this carpet is friggin’ sucks. I don’t like it and that’s my argument.

[Heavy sarcasm] If it wasn’t for this game I never would have figured out how to open cupboards. Practice makes perfect. Just a bit longer and I’ll be able to open real cupboards.

Oh, Mr. Librarian is in the area. Hey, it’s a good thing I have Mr. Steve the Fan, he’ll chase him off.

WRAAHHH! Mr. Steve the Fan, use your power!

Mr. Steve the Fan, you’ve let me down for the last time.

Marik plays Aversion

Made by Marik the Great Sebastian Ishtar III

Clips from the game “Aversion”

Available from the page: http://aversion-game.co.uk/download/

Special thanks to: angellychan, Little Kuriboh, Kondzik

[read books!]

  1 ‘Doors’ is only has a plural form in Polish, and since I can’t exactly tell if there is only one door or a double door, I went with the plural form.

2 The term used is ‘Fan Stephan’, which is a rhyme that does not carry through to English. ‘Stephan’ would also be the closest Polish equivalent to Steve.

3 The term used is ‘Panie Fanie Stephanie’, which is a longer, different rhyme from the one previously used for the fan. The ‘-ie’ prefixes make it something like a cute nickname.

4 Marik specifically uses the word ‘Świerszczyka’, referring to the illustrated Polish magazine for children ‘Świerszczyk’. Since what Marik seems to be going for is a reference to a children’s book to offset the creepy atmosphere of the location he is in, I just replaced it with ‘magazine’.

5 Marik is relating how the English word ‘key’ sounds identical to the Polish pronunciation of ‘kij’, meaning stick or staff.

6 Marik seems to be parodying the song ‘Bania u Cygana’, by using the name Steve instead of Cygana.

7 The phrase used was ‘pójdziesz w odstawkę’ which is a figure of speech meaning to be dismissed or removed from a situation. Since being sent to a corner is a disciplinary action used to reprimand children who misbehave into reflecting on their actions, I used this instead.

8 I do not recognize the song being referred to. While Marik is indeed rhyming, it does not carry over to English.

9 If you were to translate ‘Genialność’ directly, it would be Greatness. In the context of placing it in his name, however, I changed it to ‘the Great’, as that has better structure for his name in English and sounds more boastful.

10 The term used was ‘kije’, which is the plural form of the word ‘kij’, meaning stick or staff. As previously mentioned, Marik relates how similar this sounds to the actual key he has.

This video is from the YouTube channel  GryKarcianeDlaDzieci, which takes the abridged series and translates it to Polish. The voices and translations are pretty exact, which I think they did an amazing job on. I am a big fan of Marik’s Let’s Plays, so finding a new one was super exiting! It really surprised me how in character this is to the abridged series, this being an original script of theirs. I’m pretty sure there are other fans out there who don’t understand Polish, so I listened through and translated it to English. I myself am not affiliated with the channel.

[decoding1432]

“It’s patriarchy”

I’ll be making lots of comparisons throughout the post in order to illustrate better my point. Lauren said it: “It’s rampant sexism”. On the media, on the GP’s perception, on the production process, on the industry in general.

Let’s start with some basics....

BB released an article back in early 2015 where it was described Why Can't Modern Girl Groups Land a Radio Hit? These modern GG more like 5H & LM. In this written piece there are several statements that undoubtedly caught my attention. Starting with the last paragraph:

When I asked Biddle why he thinks One Direction enjoy more stateside success than girl groups, he echoed Wiegenstein's sentiment. "I don't know 100 percent. I guess it's because those boys are 'cute'? It could be as simple as that."

How sad it is that we exist in the midst of 21st century & still there are people that prefer “pretty faces & looks” over talent– btw this comment is not triggered to 1D in the slightest, I have nothing but respect for them– I just mean this in a very generalised form.

It’s not secret that a girlband has to work 10x harder to get a quarter of the recognition a boyband gets.

Similarly, a girl group isn't as easy to promote as a boy band. "In terms of teen magazines, the idea of marketing different members of boy bands is easier," says Anna Louise Wiegenstein, a former pop culture instructor (and Little Mix fan), who's giving a talk on One Direction fan culture at the National Pop Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference in April. "There's the 'funny one,' the 'mysterious one' -- it's easy to make quizzes and profile pieces around them."

When marketing a girl group to teenage girls, Wiegenstein continues, it's harder to tap into those teenage hormones. "When you're talking about a group of girls, they target the brands around personalities," she says. "It's more like, 'Which one would be your friend?' And there's less of a fantasy aspect to that."

Leaving aside the marketing strategy (which is true, bc how many times we have seen someone in the fandom say “I’m more like Lauren” or “Dinah & I would get along” etc.), I want to focus in the use of “teenage hormones”. Hormonal is always associated to the female self. Which leads me to jump into the media field:

Here a contrast on how media reported 5H x Camila vs. 1D x Zayn

Informing about the “We don’t talk to our ex-bandmates anymore” moment.

In contrast to Camila’s report, Zayn’s one has got this “scattering element”, if I can call it like that. The “chunky girls” & “Gigi Hadid” features helped to divert the viewer’s attention from the main point. Just look at the comments section from the two videos & the difference is pretty self explanatory….

Sadly the more problematic the situation evolves around the girls, the better. For boys, the situation is showcased in a much lighter form even if the conflict is tighter over there.

We know that in both cases narratives are recycled. However on this side the girls haven’t threw shade thus far, unfortunately media portraits the whole in an almost unforgivable way. For the record there was not really much to report. It’s only about the time Lauren posted the “fake that confidence bih” tweet, only to later explain it was to herself.  Still that was not going to stop them from pulling a video to attract a handful of viewers. The segment starts by quoting the title, which by the way ensures grabbing the spectator’s attention: “Did Lauren Jauregui diss Camila Cabello AGAIN After Grammy After-Party?”

*in my most sarcastic tone* You guys, apparently L shaded C more than once & we didn’t know… I grew three grey hairs with that headline itself.  Right after including Lauren’s tweet to the assumed shade, the only thing they added on the coverage script was a simple “preach girl” 😒😒

Whereas in the 1D side Zayn did throw shade (several times), a public fight on Twitter unleashed & the reporter’s remarks sound nothing like in the 5H coverage. The feud is a lot less magnified. “Ugh! Put the weapons down boys!”. Hell, Clever made sure to shut down the rumours that Zayn had unfollowed the entire band. Note how they even show what happen to be “receipts” while the host says “I’ve put some of my best creeping skills to the test & found out he has not yet unfollowed them so there’s that bit of kinda sorta good news for you & in hope that this won’t ruin their friendship for good.” We can also add how in a poor attempt of diminishing the climax they brought the dolls into the scene. Seriously, I’d love to see them doing something like this when addressing the girls’ drama *sighs* only in my wildest dreams.

Why does media scandalises more the girlgroup’s party than the boyband’s one?

I’ve said this before, but I don’t mind repeating it. Hollywood has used the stigma that “women can’t get along while working” for so long. Plus the infamous stereotypes of our incredible rational society that a girl is constantly hormonal, temperamental & always has to be involved in any sort of catfight with someone from the same gender. There has to be a “bitch” in the story without exception. Inside the entertainment industry, they love taking advantage of this cliché. Not said by me, but coming directly from a very renowned actress…

Jessica Chastain talks sexism in the industry

If the video loads for you, I highly recommend that you watch it. It’s such a short article, nevertheless I’ll be attaching some extracts below:

There was a great myth that I grew up with that women don’t work well together,” Jessica Chastain tells Vanity Fair.

Back when she was promoting The Help in 2011, Chastain explains, “so many of the questions I was getting from the press was about fighting on set—’Was it tough to be on set with all those girls?’ I wasn’t getting those questions with any of the other movies that I’d been involved with.” 

Out of joke, I lost count of all the times I’ve heard this same question with 5H.

Fun fact that I found randomly: Reminder that only 3% of the decision-making in media is made by women. Which means that 97% of how women are portrayed is decided by men.

Always pitting women against each other is what our generation does best nowadays. Clearly mgmt & the label have used this with the fandom. The creation of “-izers” are a great example of this. As well this standard is ultimately what impulses the narrative on a daily basis. Stans went from loving & defending the group with their lives, to only caring about their faves. I know some fans still keep up with each girl & love them all. I have faith in those stans. If you’re one of them, don’t fall for that mischievous game, thank you.

DON’T BE NAIVE, KIDS.

P.S. I leave you the link to others sexist scenarios in the industry. Worth checking each out.

This Is The Kind Of Bullsh*t You Face As A Woman In The Music Industry

99% of women working in the film and TV industries have experienced sexism

I’ve heard, for example, that if a male director is being picky, people say he has a strong vision. With a woman, people will say she is being difficult. It’s also common to assume that kindness is a sign of weakness.

7 Anecdotes From Female Artists Show How Deep Sexism Runs in the Music Industry

"Women in the industry are judged more," Nicki Minaj told Time back in February. "If you speak up for yourself, you're a bitch. If you party too much, you're a whore. Men don't get called these things."

Grimes Says Male Producers Threatened to Not Finish Her Songs if She Didn't Have Sex

Grimes is no stranger to being open about the misogyny and sexism she and other females face in the industry.

Grimes fielded one fan's question, who asked why the topic seems like such a "regular thing" for her to tweet and speak about if she finds it so annoying. Grimes explained it only seems that because of the way the press fixates on it.

[hustlebonezzzz]

Short Story: Integument

“Is it safe to be getting your face that close?” I said with hesitance. 

Locke was down on all fours, marveling at a large Eastern brown snake sunbathing in the center of the almost desolate road. 

“Don’t worry, mate,” Locke said in his thick Australian accent, looking calm and confident while his eyes and the snake’s were locked onto one another. “Out where they belong, snakes are gentle as can be.” 

I squatted down and snapped a photo of the surreal Kodak moment unfolding before my eyes.

 “Everyone gets the wrong idea about snakes,” said Locke. “Most run into snakes when they’re scared and cranky, but that’s not the true nature of a snake,” His charismatic words paired the Australian accent somehow lessened the tense mood of the situation.

In all my experience as a wildlife photographer, Locke had been the most hands on I’d seen. Although his face couldn’t have been more than three feet from the snake, I trusted his judgement. I had never seen anything like this. I put my focus back into shooting the scene instead of worrying about Locke getting bit by our first accidental run-in with a snake. Looking through the viewfinder of the camera and zooming in, I couldn’t help but admire the look of the brown, wet looking scales that laid atop its thick, muscular body. This snake blended in perfectly with the dusty brown landscape that surrounded. From behind the safety of my zoom lense, I focused on the snakes small head, finger half pressed on the shutter, waiting for the right moment to snap a photo. Snakes have a way of constantly looking pissed off even if they’re not. The brow of this one was permanently furrowed. The snake flicked its tongue and without a hesitation, I fully pressed the shutter. *Click*

“Got it,” I said to myself. A small moment, a fraction of a second, captured forever. 

 “Jude, are you ready to bag ‘em up?” Locke said, still refusing to avert his gaze from the deadly reptile. 

“Ready when you are,” Jude said assuringly. Locke slowly backed away and stood up. Getting three feet away from the face of a deadly snake seemed like a showboating move on the surface, but I could tell that Locke was genuinely marveling at the creature like it had been his first time ever seeing one.

Jude handed him the three foot long metal snake hook, and they both assumed their positions on each side of the snake. Jude manned the cloth snake bag, which was clipped to a metal hoop to prop it open. He held on to the end of the metal arm that extended from the hoop like a cane. Then, with impressive ease, Locke used the snake hook to guide the Eastern brown into the cloth bag. To my surprise, the snake seemed at will to Locke and slithered into the bag without putting up a fight. Locke seemed to be the natural snake charmer. Jude began to twirl the metal arm to twist the bag shut.

“Nice work, boys,” said Locke. “Now let’s get this girl off the road and on her way”

Back in the jeep, I could still feel the effects of the adrenaline from our encounter with our first snake of the journey, the most poisonous in Australia as Locke would later point out. I sat in the back, laying my head back against the leather headrest, watching the the scenery of the Australian bush pass by as I reflected on how I got to this exciting point in my career. This was my second time being hired by NatGeo as a freelancer to shoot photos to go along with a magazine article. This article was a feature on the top ten deadliest snakes in Australia. My very first assignment had been to take photos of snails, a low-stakes assignment compared to now. I remember my early days of photographing weddings and taking senior portraits to barely scrape by. My young ego had a hold on me then, and nothing was more agonizing to me then than shooting senior portraits. My family had sorely questioned my choice of pursuing a career in photography, and the debt I had after pursuing a degree in photography made me question how worthwhile it was. But I can say that I ruthlessly hung in there no matter what, hammering my way through my twenties to build my nature and wildlife portfolio in hopes of getting some sort of recognition. I’m so glad I stuck to my guns, and I’d be lying if i said I wasn’t at least a little bit proud of myself. My parents are just happy that I didn’t get a degree to photograph families at Sears. 

“Most people ‘round here run over the poor things if they ever see ‘em laying in the road like that,”  said Locke, bringing my attention back from my daydream. “She’s lucky that we ran into her today!”

“That she is, that she is,” said Jude. “You still make me nervous every time you get yourself that close to a snake.”

“Hahaha, if I’ve learned anything, snakes are the least of my worries, it’s other people that pose the real threats in life. Snakes are easy, their intentions are laid out for all to see. People are harder, they pretend to be your friend first before they strike.”

“Sounds like you’ve been burned in the past, eh?” Jude said with a chuckle. 

“Well, haven’t we all?”

Jude began twisting the volume dial on the radio, a news broadcast now filled the jeep. 

“It’s been approximately 72 hours since 42 year-old Zara Rumburg of Darwin went missing. There are no possible suspects and there is no current evidence of a struggle in the home of Rumburg, where she was last known to be. Her car was parked in her driveway at the time of her disappearance. We cannot conclude that this is a kidnapping, but we encourage all Darwin residences to take precaution and report any information that could lead to the recovery of Zara Rumburg.”

Jude clapped both of his hands together. “Nice to know that there’s a looney roaming the streets of my hometown.”

“It’s probably someone she knows, that’s usually how it goes, right.” I said. 

“See what did I tell ya, they get close to you and then they strike. Our next stop is actually just right outside of Darwin,” said Locke.  

“A man named Tom called about a possible desert death adder” said Jude. “Highly venomous, Chris, so keep your wits about you or you’ll be good as dead.” he said half jokingly.

“Oh don’t scare ‘em like that Jude, we have nothing to worry about as long as we’re precautious.” said Locke.

“You guys are the ones with the dangerous part of the job,” I said with a laugh. “I get the easiest part of it all.” I grabbed my large DSLR camera and checked the battery life and made sure the settings were correct for the third time to make sure to prevent any possible camera mishaps. This assignment, if shot well, could do a lot for me as far as building a reputation. 

I was the only one in the trio that didn’t have an extensive background with reptiles. When I first received the offer to shoot this assignment, I thought they might have us traveling deep into the bush, but I soon found out that most of these snakes can be found in many Australian suburbs, where city meets country. In a way, our mission was to kill two birds in one stone. Locke and Jude would perform their service and remove snakes that had found their way too close to people and release them back into the wild, and I would photograph it all. My part of the job was straight forward. The magazine wanted photos that illustrated how many of Australia’s most dangerous snakes can wind up close to humans, and that’s exactly what they were going to get. 

Locke, or Dr. Locke Beckett for formality's sake, was a zookeeper at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, specializing in reptiles. Dr. Jude Cornell also shared a love for snakes, and was known in Australia for his toxicology research with snake venom. He served as Locke’s right-hand man for this trip, and had anti- venom at the ready. 

After continuing to drive for about a half an hour, Locke turned the jeep onto a gravel driveway and pulled up to a trailer sized house resting on stilts, three feet above the ground. A small plastic playground set up for toddlers stood in the grassy front yard. 

“I reckon the snake is cooling off under one of those tarps under the house.” said Jude. “Perfect place for it on a day like this.” Today had been especially sweltering, and we had all sweat through our shirts from our first encounter with the Eastern brown. Regardless, we were all anxious and eagerly hopped out of the Jeep to hopefully encounter the death adder.

“Crazy to think that there are children playing alongside deadly snakes.” I said as we approached the small porch attached to the house.

 “Snakes are just a part of everyday life here in Australia. They’ve been wandering around here a lot longer than we have.” Locke said with enthusiasm. 

Before we could reach the porch, a stocky, older man walked out onto the small porch. He reminded me of Santa with his trim snow white hair and beard, along with his firm-looking pot belly that was accentuated by his neatly tucked in t-shirt.

“G’day gentlemen! I bet you’re here about my snake problem.” said the man.

“In fact we are!” replied Locke. “I’m Locke, this is my partner Jude, and here we have our photographer, Chris.”

“Nice to meet you all, I’m Tom. I appreciate you comin’ out to help me get rid of the feller. Scared the hell out of me when I saw it a couple days ago”

“Absolutely, of course! So now the question is, where can we find it.”

“Down in the cellar in the backyard over here.” Tom motioned with his hand for us to follow him.

 “I wonder how it found its way down into the cellar.” Jude wondered aloud.

I had seen cellars attached to houses before, but a cellar with doors parallel to the ground in the center of a backyard was new to me. The doors had rust around the handles and hinges, with dark green paint blistering off from being directly in the sun day after day. The more I thought about it, there was no evidence of any space large enough for a snake to find its way in, and looking at the contemplative expression on Jude’s face, I could tell he was thinking the same thing. But my knowledge of snakes was limited to say the least. I’m sure there are more ways than one for a snake to find its way into a cool, underground cellar. 

The doors creaked as Tom pulled them both open, revealing a set of concrete steps leading down into the cellar. This thing was more like a bunker than anything. The cool air of the cellar hit like a wave, and offered a moments relief from the sun’s rays.

“Looks like a bit of a tight fit down there.” said Locke. “I think it might be best if I go down and have a look first and locate the snake.” 

Jude and I both agreed, and remained at the opening of the cellar. It was hard to view what was going on from our angle. The bunker-like room extended to left at the base of the stairs. The cellar didn’t have superb lighting from what little I could see, and Locke used his pocket flashlight to get a better look. The one thing I did notice was that Tom seemed to become increasingly uncomfortable as time went on. His eyes kept darting back and forth between the house and the cellar. As strange as it seemed at first, I could understand why one might become uncomfortable. It wouldn’t be a great day for Tom if someone was bit by a venomous snake on his property. Jude seemed to quickly take notice to Tom’s behavior as well, and promptly began the small talk.

“I’m actually from Darwin, born and raised. We actually heard something about a missing woman from here earlier on the radio.”

“Oh yes, indeed. You know, it’s funny that you mention that.” Tom turned and motioned to the only other house about a mile down the desolate gravel road. “The missing woman actually lived just down the road there. Crazy. Sweet woman, she was. Recently widowed actually. She’s got a sad story to tell. But that’s for another time.” Tom said with a coldness. 

“Oh jeez, that is crazy. I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable staying here by myself after that” I said. Tom remained silent, and I wondered if I had said the wrong thing.

Luckily, Locke returned to the surface a moment later.

“I couldn’t find anything down there. He must have found a way out. My bet is it’s under your shady house. I saw a rodent scurrying around when we were walking up earlier.” said Locke. “Shade and food on a day like this is exactly what a snake needs. If you don’t mind, I’d be more than happy to take a look.”

Tom paused for a moment, glancing back again at the house.

“Sure, sure! That’d be great. But first, why don’t we go inside for a moment and have a drink to cool off. You all look like you need it. I made my special fresh lemonade this mornin” said Tom.

None of us could argue with that logic, and we all proceeded to walk into his home. As we followed Tom into the house, my eyes were met with the head of a dingo, a dead one, hanging directly ahead of the front door. 

“That’s sure a statement piece you’ve got here.” I said with a smile. 

“Like it eh? Did it myself.” Tom said as he walked into the kitchen. 

I soon noticed that the dingo wasn’t the only taxidermied animal in the room. The living area was chock full of different furried animals. A wombat, a fox, and to my surprise, a koala. There were several other small to medium sized mammals erected around the room. The koala was somehow perched onto a thick, long stick, standing upright out of a large terra cotta pot, making the taxidermied koala that much more uncomfortable to look at. 

“Wow, you’re pretty good, they look so real.... I’ve heard taxidermy isn’t the easiest thing to do.”

“It’s a passed down art form.” said Tom. “My father taught me everything I know.” he said with pride in his voice. 

I saw Jude quickly shake his head in disapproval at the sight of the koala.

“Have you ever heard of the Koala Protection Act, Tom?” Locke fired quickly at Tom, with an air of seriousness replacing his upbeat demeanor. 

Tom began to chuckle, a small grin escaping his lips.  “Calm down, Locke. My father passed that one down to me, and his father passed it down to him. Got the papers to prove it if you’d like to see”

A wave silence fell over the group for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only about three seconds. 

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Locke solemnly replied. 

Tom’s half smile still remained. “Well anywho, let me get that lemonade. This way into the kitchen, gentlemen.” 

We followed Tom through the small door frame. Although small, it was clean and quaint, a nice contrast to the living room full of dead animals. Photos of a young boy and girl were hanging on the fridge, along with silly crayon scribble drawings. Must be his grandkids. The kitchen opened up to a small nook, with a table and two chairs placed along the window. Locke and I took a seat at the table while Jude leaned up against the counter. Looking out onto the plastic playset outside, I thought back to the idea of children playing so close to something that could kill them with one bite. Their small bodies wouldn’t stand a chance. An adult has at least a little bit of time before the ill effects of the venom fully set in. 

The clanking of glass cups roused me from my thought, and Tom began pouring lemonade from a glass pitcher. 

“You know, taxidermy isn’t as easy as one might think.” Tom said, looking in my direction.

Oh god. I thought we were leaving this topic behind. 

“Yeah? Why do you say that?” I immediately regretted my choice of words. Asking him to tell me more probably wasn’t the wisest choice. 

“Well,” Tom said as he loaded the the tall, sweating glasses of lemonade onto a dainty metal tray. He began to walk towards the table. “There are many elements that go into successfully preserving an animal's body, Chris.” His eyes flicked up to meet mine. The quick and unexpected eye contact was enough to send goosebumps up my arms. 

“Really now?” I responded, pathetically trying to terminate a conversation that I wasn’t sure how to shut down. 

Tom exhaled sharply, and I could tell my attempt to end the conversation was not about to work. He set the metal tray onto the table. Upon receiving my glass, I couldn’t drink it fast enough, and I was the first to finish. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until my lips hit the sweet liquid. Delicious. Locke and Jude downed their beverages just as quick, and its smooth, sweet tartness seemed to be enough to lighten up the mood for a moment or two.

“Taxidermy only preserves the skin, you see.” The mood quickly reverted to awkward and tense. “ You don’t have the organs, fat, muscle, and cartilage that help form the true structure and shape of the animal. The skin is removed and then mounted on a mannequin in the shape that resembles the animal. That’s the hard part of it all. It’s not the stripping of skin from an animal, it’s creating that perfectly shaped mannequin for the skin and fur to lay atop. It’s a meticulous process if I do say so.”

 The small grin on Tom’s face still remained. It was really starting to piss me off, that smugness of it all. It made his taxidermy talk seem out of spite towards Locke and Jude, as if he was trying to push their buttons, and it seemed to be working. Locke and Jude looked annoyed, but I didn’t take them as the type who easily lost their cool. He was probably just some crazy old kook after all.

“I never knew that about taxidermy.” I said.

I turned my back to the window to face Jude and Tom. The heat must have taken its hold on me, because nauseousness began to wave over. Downing a highly sugared drink probably didn’t help. 

“Hey Tom, I’m sorry, but would you mind if I had a glass of water?” I said.

“Not a problem. You look faint, mate. Here, hand me your glass.” said Tom, eyes looking upon me with uncomfortable intent. That smug smile still remained. 

I reached to grab my glass, but knocked it onto the linoleum floor with the backside of my knuckles. I watched the glass crash to the ground- I was more out of it than I thought.

Tom casually walked over to the corner of the kitchen and grabbed a broom and dust pan. He began to calmly sweep up the glass. I guess I wouldn’t be getting any water from him today.

“You know gentleman, I have a taxidermy bucket list.”

A wave of confusion and fear rolled over me. What the hell was he talking about? 

I watched as Locke began to lean up against the wall, as a faintness grew upon him as well. Suddenly, Jude crashed to the ground, his head narrowly missing the corner of the small table. 

“What the fuck is going on?!” Locke yelled with his last bit of energy. 

I was passing out, we were all passing out, and before I had the chance to tumble out of my chair, I crossed my arms on top of the table and rested my head atop. My limbs felt so heavy to lift. I could hear glass crunching.  I lifted my head to look forward at Locke, only to see that he was fully slumped against the wall with eyes shut. 

“I only.. one species... left to attempt on my… list… the most difficult...”

The words began to sound more and more warped, like an adult speaking in one of those Peanuts episodes. I kept fading out further and further, and there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t stand, speak, or understand what was going on around me. All I could do was give in to the overwhelming drowsiness. 

[thisdaynews]

When the FBI Thought a High Priest of Satan Was Trying to Kill Ted Kennedy

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/when-the-fbi-thought-a-high-priest-of-satan-was-trying-to-kill-ted-kennedy/

When the FBI Thought a High Priest of Satan Was Trying to Kill Ted Kennedy

POLITICO illustration with photos from Deanne Fitzmaurice/Polaris and AP

David Gambacorta is a writer-at-large at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He has also written for Esquire, Longreads, The Ringer, The Baffler and The Marshall Project.

The FBI and Secret Service agents made their way through the streets of San Francisco’s foggy Richmond District neighborhood, about two miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, toward a narrow Victorian house that looked like it had tumbled out of the shadows of Alfred Hitchcock’s imagination. The building rose two floors to a sharply pitched roof; nearly every inch of the exterior had been painted the color of midnight.

The agencies had spent the better part of two weeks in October 1980 pursuing a case that had all the ingredients of a potential media firestorm, one that could stir up the country’s most traumatic political memories. Now—on Halloween—their digging had led investigators here, to 6114 California Street.

It was called the Black House, and stories about what went on behind its walls had been the subject of curiosity and speculation for more than a decade. The agents climbed a brick staircase, and knocked on the jet-black front door.

They were soon met by a bald, middle-aged man with a goatee: Anton Szandor LaVey. No introductions were necessary. LaVey, the high priest of the Church of Satan, was once rumored to have played a mystical role in the death of a former Hollywood star. He’d been expecting these agents to pay him a visit.

A day earlier, Senator Ted Kennedy had left San Francisco after campaigning for President Jimmy Carter, whose general election showdown with Ronald Reagan was inching closer. It had been a long, tumultuous year for Kennedy, who was then in his late 40s. He’d tried to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination from Carter; when that bid failed, Kennedy resorted to playing the role of a good party soldier, summoning the remnants of his family’s old Camelot magic as he crisscrossed the country to win over voters for Carter.

Running for president had also awakened a fear that Kennedy had tried to hide even from his closest confidants: that he would be assassinated, just like his brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Anonymous tormentors had been sending Ted Kennedy handwritten threats since the late 1960s. “Teddy has to die,” promised a note that was once mailed to his father. The death threats only multiplied when Kennedy was on the campaign trail in 1980. “He had to be conscious of it. There was always a danger,” Bob Shrum, Kennedy’s former press secretary and speechwriter, remembers. “There were always nuts out there, and that’s just the way it was.”

What Kennedy, Shrum and a handful of other staffers didn’t know was that one morning that October, teletype machines had clattered to life in FBI field offices across the country with a fresh transmission, seven pages’ worth of new intelligence information. The bottom of the first page contained a stark message: “SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY — VICTIM, CONGRESSIONAL ASSASSINATION STATUTE.”

An informant had contacted the FBI office in downtown Chicago and explained that a plot to murder Kennedy was being set in motion. It’s a story that has never been told until now, a bizarre piece of history that became public only when I discovered records of the investigation that the FBI quietly released in June in The Vault, the bureau’s online FOIA library. The files outlined a scheme that supposedly involved money, drugs and the mob. And according to the informant, the ringleader—the man who allegedly wanted Ted Kennedy dead—was none other than Anton LaVey.

Fourteen years earlier,in the spring of 1966, the country was marked by unrest and experimentation. War was raging in Vietnam, flower power was blossoming at home, the Mamas and the Papas’ Southern California groove was all over the radio. It was an ideal environment for provocateurs, a fact that was not lost on LaVey, then a 36-year-old showman who claimed he’d worked in the past as an occult investigator and a performer in a traveling circus.

That April, he invented a new role for himself, shaving his head and forming the Church of Satan. LaVey organized his church around a philosophy of self-indulgence and excess—aptly mirroring the times—but still played around with devil worship motifs, vamping in a cape, and wearing a bulbous ring that he claimed could grant little children their wishes. His Jaguar even had a personalized license plate: SATAN9. “People like to have a hell of a time, don’t they?” LaVey asked during an interview around that time with Joe Pyne, a syndicated talk show host.

P.T. Barnum had a circus tent, and LaVey had the Black House, where he kept a pet lion and performed rituals. He would sometimes don a hood with two horns and surround himself with nude women in front of a fireplace that he’d converted into an altar. LaVey’s theatricality attracted the attention of some Hollywood players, like Sammy Davis Jr. and the actress Jayne Mansfield, who was rumored to have had an affair with LaVey. Black-and-white photos from that era show the two posing together campily. In one, Mansfield playfully clutches a skull while LaVey fans his cape out beside her, and in another, she prepares to drink from a chalice that he cradles in his hand.

The decade that followed proved to be a period of transition— for both LaVey and Kennedy. LaVey cut back on his public performances, and began writing books that cashed in on the pop culture fascination with films likeRosemary’s BabyandThe Exorcist. “He had ended what he called the ‘stuffed rat and tombstone’ news coverage which had primarily been published in men’s magazines,” explains Magus Peter Gilmore, the Church of Satan’s current high priest, in an email. “He was now granting his time to more serious discussions of his philosophy, beyond the flamboyant and spooky trappings which initially brought him attention.”

Across the country, meanwhile, Kennedy was wrestling behind the scenes with questions about his political fate. Supporters had once expected him to pick up his slain brothers’ mantle and make a bid for the White House, yet the 1972 and 1976 presidential races found Kennedy on the sidelines, immobilized by the specter of his 1969 car crash in Chappaquiddick that resulted in the death of a passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, and led to him pleading guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.

But Kennedy’s hesitancy faded by the end of the decade, and he was heartened by early polls that showed Democratic voters would favor him over Carter in a presidential primary battle. “He was running for president because he really believed President Carter was not addressing issues that were important,” says Stuart Shapiro, a former Kennedy senior staffer. “That’s why, after much soul-searching, he decided to take on a sitting president.”

Running for the country’s highest office, though, increased the odds that Kennedy could become a target for some deranged would-be assassin who might lurk, anonymous and undetected, at a busy rally. It was no idle threat. In March 1980, a tipster in Charlotte, North Carolina, contacted the police after overhearing a group of men in a movie theater bragging that they planned to assassinate Kennedy in Pittsburgh, with some stolen M-16 rifles. A campaign volunteer in Trenton, New Jersey, received a phone call from a man who vowed to gun down the senator when he visited the city in May.

Aside from blurting, “They’re going to shoot my ass off the way they shot Bobby,” while on a congressional flight back from Alaska, Kennedy shied away from sharing his assassination fears with aides or family members. Instead, he tried to project an air of invincibility, or at least indifference. “I remember being in Iowa, and when we’d first go out there, the Secret Service would create this huge space between him and the crowd,” Shrum tells me. “And he hated it. So he started working the rope line again.”

Privately, Kennedy sought out his physician and political adviser, Larry Horowitz, and handed him something important. “It was a letter my father had written to me at the start of his presidential campaign, in case he was assassinated,” Patrick Kennedy, his youngest son, recalled in his 2015 book,A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction. “In it, he talked about how much he loved me, and how I had given him so much love. He said he would never forget the times we went fishing and sailing.” Kennedy took to calling Patrick from the road every night—his way of letting his adolescent son know nothing bad had happened.

The informant who contacted the FBI in 1980 said he’d received a phone call, too, on October 20. The caller had identified himself as LaVey, the informant claimed, and disclosed that he wanted the man’s help with a plan to murder Ted Kennedy.

The FBI and the Secret Serviceknew two things for certain: LaVey still lived in San Francisco, and they needed to get a handle on the case—and quick.

Investigators didn’t have to contend with Twitter or Facebook, digital echo chambers that decades later would make political discourse more toxic and create ideal delivery systems for trolls to share threats. But they also had fewer tools at their disposal. “We didn’t have all of the modern vehicles of communication or detection that you have today,” says William H. Webster, who was the director of the FBI from 1978 to 1987. “Investigations involved a lot of interviews and personal contacts.”

The FBI’s San Francisco office pulled records it had on LaVey dating back to the mid-’70s, when a tipster told the bureau that LaVey had purchased handguns, a shotgun and a rifle. Other files showed that LaVey had once supposedly been “interested” in joining the National Socialist White People’s Party, which had been known, in an earlier incarnation, as the American Nazi Party.

LaVey had no arrest history, but he’d been linked to a tragedy once before. His relationship with Mansfield had reportedly ended with LaVey’s putting a curse on Sam Brody, the actress’ attorney and boyfriend, promising that he’d die in a car crash. In 1967, not long after the hex was supposedly cast, Brody and Mansfield were killed in a wreck on a highway near New Orleans. The improbable implication—that LaVey inadvertently caused Mansfield’s death—persisted long enough to fuel a 2017 documentary,Mansfield 66/67. (In truth, LaVey did not have magical powers.)

The Chicago informant—whose identity is still being kept secret by the FBI—told agents that he’d had dinner once before with LaVey, who explained to him the Church of Satan’s beliefs. When they supposedly reconnected by phone in 1980, LaVey told the man that he owed the high priest a favor. His alleged instructions were simple: In a week or so, the informant would receive a package, and he must ferry it to a mob boss on the South Side of Chicago; the mob would, in turn, take out Kennedy. After the phone call, the informant was visited by a member of the Church of Satan, whose purpose “was specifically to discuss the satanic cult and the plot against Senator Kennedy,” according to FBI records.

There was more. The informant told the FBI that LaVey was going to fly to Chicago on October 27, carrying with him eight kilograms of hashish and an unknown amount of cash. Was this another piece of the puzzle to the assassination plot? Taking no chances, the FBI, Secret Service and DEA sent agents to O’Hare International Airport to intercept flights from San Francisco and apprehend LaVey, like something out of Steven Spielberg’sCatch Me If You Can. But there was no sign of him at the airport. An attempt at monitoring a phone call to LaVey also failed.

The Secret Service had polygraphed the informant prior to the fruitless airport search. “Results were inconclusive,” investigators noted, “due to use of cocaine.” They pressed on. They had to find LaVey. “I was a young agent when President Kennedy was killed, and [investigated] some leads on the case,” says Francis Mullen, who had risen to executive assistant director of the FBI by 1980. “When Bobby was assassinated, I was in Los Angeles, coordinating some of the leads on that case. If a threat had come in on the third brother, we’d have to take it seriously.”

Two days after the search at O’Hare came up empty, agents flew to San Francisco, and made their way to the Black House. A woman who answered LaVey’s door told them that he was traveling, and wouldn’t be back for several days. Another whiff. The investigators warned her they had information that suggested “an attempt may be made on LaVey’s life,” according to the records. They encouraged the woman to get a hold of LaVey and urge him to make himself available for an interview.

Kennedy’s Secret Service detail was kept in the loop about the potential threat, but it’s unclear whether the senator was aware of the investigation. “I spent a lot of time with him privately, and I don’t ever recall hearing about that one,” Shapiro says. “But I can tell you there were times when the Secret Service wanted him to wear a bulletproof vest.” The informant, meanwhile, had been polygraphed again, and was facing increased scrutiny. The FBI began to notice inconsistencies in his account. Were the agencies being played?

Investigators returned to the Black House a second time, on Halloween. And this time, when the door opened, they came face-to-face with LaVey. For years, he had enjoyed toying with people’s imaginations, blurring the lines between performance and something darker. But now he was faced with no-nonsense federal agents, and they weren’t in the mood to play around.

For a man who referred to himself as the “Black Pope,” the notoriety of being linked to an FBI investigation might have been a welcome development when he was first seeking attention for his church. This older version of LaVey, though, decided to come right out with it: He had nothing to do with any assassination plot.

“LaVey advised that of any political official, he has the highest regard for Senator Kennedy and his family,” according to the FBI records. And LaVey could sympathize with the threats that Kennedy often received; he told the agents that he had been the victim of physical and verbal attacks because of his position in the Church of Satan.

LaVey checked his recent phone messages, and noticed that he’d received calls from the Chicago area on October 23 and October 27. But he told the agents that he didn’t know the identity of the caller and hadn’t tried dialing the number that had been left for him.

And then LaVey shared some surprising news with the agents: His role as the head of the church was all a charade. Most of the church’s followers, he said, were “fanatics, cultists, and weirdos,” the records show. “[H]is interest in the Church of Satan is strictly from a monetary point of view,” the agents noted, “and spends most of his time furnishing interviews, writing material, and lately has become interested in photography.”

Satisfied that Kennedy’s life wasn’t in danger, the FBI and Secret Service returned their attention to their informant. Though he was “sternly admonished” for misleading federal authorities, he was not charged with a crime. But he didn’t get off entirely. The Secret Service told the man his activities would be monitored on a quarterly basis and whenever an official who was being protected by the agency had to visit Chicago. If he had an explanation for why he bothered to send the agencies on a while goose chase in the first place, no agent bothered jotting it down.

This wasn’t the last time that LaVey popped up on the FBI’s radar, though. In the late 1980s, the bureau would investigate a spate of allegations about child sex abuse that was supposedly linked to satantic churches, including LaVey’s, fueling a so-called “Satanic Panic.” The allegations were never substantiated. “Our organization has always been above-ground about its law-abiding beliefs and practices, so wild stories are generally seen to be precisely that—not having any basis in reality,” Gilmore, the current high priest, tells me.

LaVey died in 1997, and the Black House was later torn down, replaced by a fairly generic-looking condominium.

For Kennedy, the LaVey case—such as it was—was just another bizarre subplot in a life full of them, the cost of being a Kennedyand leading a public life. No threat ever proved worrisome enough to persuade him to give up his Senate seat, which he held until his death from glioblastoma in 2009. “You either live your life or you don’t,” Shrum says. “And he decided to live his life.”

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[ciathyzareposts]

Missed Classic 69: Borrowed Time (1985) – Introduction

Written by Joe Pranevich

If you are like me, sometimes research takes you places that you don’t expect. When I started into Batman Returns, I expected to find that it was a half-assed game produced by a no-name little software outlet who won the minimum bid to make the ninth licensed game based on the 1992 movie. And, it might still be that. I haven’t even looked at the game yet as I wait for a copy of the manual to arrive by mail. (I’ll be donating it to the Internet Archive once I wrap up my review.) Instead, I discovered the story of Subway Software and one of it founders, Bill Kunkel.

Rather than jump straight into Batman, I’d like to tell Mr. Kunkel’s story through a different game: an illustrated text adventure called Borrowed Time, Subway Software’s first release. As so many of these games were, it was a multi-party affair: developed by Interplay using their adventure game engine, based on a story and design by Kunkel’s company, and published by Activision. This was still around four months before Activision bought Infocom so it is not quite a cousin to the games that we have looked at in the Zork marathon, but it is a sign that they were interested in the interactive fiction genre. Borrowed Time has kidnapping, murder, and at least one HIPAA violation. It was also pretty fun to play to whet my appetite for Batman. Let’s get to it.

Bill Kunkel, enjoying a pizza in 2005.

Prior to doing my usual pre-game research, I had never heard of Bill Kunkel. That’s not unusual; while we have a few designers that we’ve come know very well, the majority of the staff in any given game is anonymous. I claim no special talent or access to sources, but a combination of Google and digging through old magazines and interviews usually gives us a picture. For some of these games, I enjoy the research even more than the playthrough! As I dug into Kunkel’s history, the information just kept coming: his writing projects, his impact on the history of video games, and even his battles with drug addiction. As a game journalist, he wrote hundreds of articles over four decades, not to mention fanzines on several topics, plus edited multiple magazines. He was an expert witness on several of the legal battles that shaped our industry. There’s no way for me to read and absorb all that in a couple of weeks, but he comes off to me as a fan’s fan. He loved conventions and fanzines, comic books and professional wrestling, and the gaming journalism that he would become famous for. Along the way, almost by accident, he ended up writing games. It’s a fun story– no doubt exaggerated by his own talent for self-promotion– but one that I am happy to share.

Bill’s writing career began in fandom, producing an independent science-fiction fan magazine called Genook when he was just seventeen years old. Genook was followed by Rats!, another fan magazine, but by this point he was establishing himself as a member of the New York fan community. It was through these fan-connections that he was introduced to Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley, a husband and wife pair who would become his long-time friends and collaborators. They are themselves worthy of a series of posts, a constant presence in almost every one of Kunkel’s projects. One of their first collaborations would be another fan magazine, Four-Star Extra, where the four of them would each write an article every month on a chosen topic. They introduced Kunkel to the DC writer and editor Denny O’Neil at one of their weekly fandom parties; it was through that connection that Bill sold his first comic book script, eventually to be published in the anthology comic House of Mystery. (Kunkel’s memoirs state that he sold this story in 1971, but the earliest I found it was in House of Mystery #252 in 1977. I am uncertain whether this story was shelved for many years, published without a by-line, or if the online comic book databases are incomplete for this period.) Based on this connection, Kunkel became a freelance “fill-in” author for DC comics, writing stories that would be held back and used if the regular stories of the issue were delayed. While they were sold, it is unclear how many (if any) were used by DC. It was not glamorous, but he was working in comics!

Several of Kunkel’s later games seem inspired by these early interests. 

Without making it as more than a fill-in writer in comics, Kunkel embarked on a project in a different segment of fandom: professional wrestling. He and his near-permanent partners, Katz and Worley, wrote and distributed a magazine called Main Event featuring photography and articles about WWWF stars and matches. The WWWF was the precursor of the WWF and later the WWE. Kunkel both wrote and photographed for the magazine which was sold at WWWF events, with the support and permission of Vince McMahon, Sr. The magazine led Kunkel and Kats doing radio, a 1AM Main Event wrestling talk show on New York’s WHBI. Although Kunkel folded the magazine after a short time, he continued to love and write about wrestling for the remainder of his career.

By 1976, Kunkel was back writing comics. The second time was a charm and DC gave him higher profile work including a shot at reviving a 1940s character, “The Vigilante”, in World’s Finest. Looking back on his time at DC, Kunkel remarked that he worked on “Lois Lane, The Private Life of Clark Kent, Vigilante, romance stories, horror stories and Jor-El only knows what all else”. But Kunkel did not enjoy the corporate environs of DC and switched teams to work in the “bullpen” at Marvel. Once there, he worked on “Spiderman, Captain America, The Falcon, Wonder Man, Dr. Strange, and some fill-in stories that may still be sitting in the office files”. Even that work didn’t last long and he was shortly doing uncredited and low-paying work writing Richie Rich for Harvey Comics. He ricocheted around the industry, doing stints or freelance work for everyone that would pay him. By 1978 however, Kunkel’s life was falling apart. He was unable to make a living and considered himself a “parasite” on his wife and his marriage. By his own admission, he was already battling drug addiction. He needed a big break.

The very first “Electronic Games” in 1981. Can Asteroids conquer Space Invaders? We still want to know.

Kunkel’s “big idea” came in 1979 when he started writing “Arcade Alley”, a regular column in Video magazine. It is dramatically oversimplifying the story to say that he was onto something, that very few others were covering the nascent home video game industry. By 1981, this idea took form as Kunkel was able to convince Reese Publishing to back his new project, Electronic Games, with him as a writer and editor. The first issue soared off the shelves and the magazine quickly became a monthly, documenting and promoting the first era of home video games. Perhaps ironically, the magazine landed just as his marriage was ending. Kunkel was a leading voice in game journalism throughout the first age of video games, but the crash in 1983 that led to so many unsold E.T. cartridges also led to a decline in fortunes at Electronic Games. By 1985, he and his partners were out and the magazine’s first life was over. For Kunkel, Katz, and Worley, it was time to embark on the next phases of their careers. Enter: Subway Software.

Operating on their own once again, the trio formed two companies: one to further their journalistic pursuits and a second to design games. They had reviewed and discussed software for so many years– plus made many industry connections– weren’t they uniquely qualified to write games themselves? Nevermind that none of the three of them were programmers in a field where programmer-designers were still the dominant paradigm. From that idea, “Subway Software” was formed. The name was selected for the rather mundane reason that none of them (at the time) could drive. Instead, they traveled (and no doubt planned games) on the subway between their various homes around the city. They landed their first deal with Interplay and the rest, as they say, is history.

I have had some difficulty tracking down a complete list of games that Subway Software worked on, but between Wikipedia and MobyGames I have located seventeen games. Neither site appears to have a complete list and there may be inaccuracies. For our purposes, only four of them are adventure games and those credits appear to be correct: Borrowed Time (1985), Star Trek: First Contact (1988), Omnicrom Conspiracy (1990), and Batman Returns (1992). We’ll be looking at the first and last of those on this blog, plus the Star Trek game has been on my “want to play” list for some time. Subway Software appears to have closed its doors in 1992, just in time for Kunkel to start the “new” run of Electronic Games. We’ll look at that leap more closely and finish off his story when we get to Batman Returns.

My first time using an amiga emulator. I can’t seem to fix the aspect ratio.

Having come this far, there is not that much to say about Borrowed Time itself. As Kunkel and his friends were only providing the script and the design, the heaviest lifting was done by Interplay. Their game engine, already used for Mindshadow and The Tracer Sanction (both 1984), was done and supported a few different platforms. We’ve already looked at one game based on a later version of the same engine, Mike Berlyn’s Tass Times in Tonetown. Unlike Infocom who chose the least common denominator, Interplay believed in taking advantage of each platform capabilities. To that end, the graphics in each of the several ports are quite different. I’ll be playing the Amiga version as that appears to be the most mature of the several iterations.

Although I’ve focused on Kunkel, other credits on the game are no less important. We could have waxed equally about Brian Fargo, the plotter of the game, who founded Interplay Entertainment, worked on seminal games likes the Bard’s Tale series, and so many other things. He cut his teeth on The Demon’s Forge (1981), another early graphical text adventure we should look at eventually. He was joined in that role by Michael Cranford, another Interplay developer who was most famous for his work on Bard’s Tale.

The manual is about as boring as it is physically possible for a manual to be.

The manual itself isn’t very good, but it summarizes the plot well enough: “As private eye Sam Harlow, you must discover who is trying to murder you, collect the appropriate evidence and bring it to the police, while avoiding constant attempts on your life.” There is also a “Living Tutorial” at the start which provides a nice overview of the text adventure genre and how to play a game like this. I do not know why it is a “living” tutorial and they do not let you practice any gameplay; my impression is that they may have wanted to make it into a minigame but ran out of time or motivation. Even without being alive, it’s not a bad introduction to newcomers to the genre.

I am uncertain how much success this game garnered in its release, except to say that it must have been both successful enough for a re-release and not successful enough that no one thought name recognition would be valuable. It hit the bargain bins in 1989 as Time to Die. I have played through a bit of that version and, other than the logo, I did not immediately see any differences. With that, there is nothing to do but play the game!

Being a detective is so relaxing.

The Chase

The game opens in my detective’s office where I am sticking my feet up on a surprisingly bright day for a noir detective story. The phone rings and the voice on the other end warns me that someone wants me dead… A shadow darkens the window, but fortunately it’s just the window washer. Whew! Although not captured by my simple screenshots, the scenes are lightly animated. In this first scene, my feet is tapping a bit. In the next scene, the water cooler bubbles. In neither case is the animation more than a handful of frames, but it is a lovely touch.

I take stock: I’m carrying a wallet with my ID and a gun permit, plus a loaded handgun with six bullets. Is that a homage to hard-boiled detectives needing guns? Or a clue that I’ll have to be selective in how many people I shoot along the way? Searching the desk, I find an overdue alimony check made out to my ex-wife, Rita Sweeny. Could she be behind this? As I explore, I get the feeling that I am being watched. The writing is terse but tense. Just to the east, my secretary has her own desk notepad. She’s off at a dentist’s appointment, but she left me a note that “Mavis” called and wants me to get back to her. I try to call “Mavis” on my phone, but all I get is a busy signal.

  Bang. I’m dead. 

I hear a gun cocking somewhere and I head out of my office… and right into an ambush. A pair of thugs are approaching me in the alleyway. If I backtrack into my office, they catch up and kill me quickly. I try to replay the start of the game faster, but that seems to have no bearing on when they arrive. I try to shoot them, but the game criticises me for resorting to that kind of violence… right before telling me that I’m dead. I even try calling the police, but they have a busy signal as well. What kind of police force has a busy signal? I search for other ways out of my office. The window-washer’s platform comes to mind, but I can’t open or break the windows to get out. What am I missing?

After my tenth restore or so, I discover that while I cannot run back into my office, I can run into the hotel across the street. That takes me into a lobby with a single chair and a door to the north. I duck behind the chair and the thugs shoot at me unsuccessfully, From there, I can crawl to the doorway and emerge on a landing at the bottom of a stairwell. If I even stop to look at anything, the thugs catch up and kill me. If I go up the stairs, they catch up and kill me. It’s a very tense situation. It takes a few deaths (and a close look at the screen) to realize that there is a lock on the door. If I lock it first, the thugs take longer to bash their way through. That gives me time to race up the stairs into an empty attic, a dead end except for a locked window. Unlike at my office, I can break this window revealing a shard of glass and a way out. I pocket the glass just in time because the thugs are running up the stairs.

If I were in the circus, I’d be going on top of the wire.

Outside the window is a ledge, but there is a cable covered with laundry leading to the other side of an alley. I can cross it hand-over-hand to get to the window of the bar across the street. The thugs stop firing but now they follow my lead to cross the cable. This window is locked and apparently unbreakable so they have a couple of turns to catch up and throw me to my death. On my next attempt, I use my shard of glass to cut the cable and send them to the street below. With the thugs defeated, I am now allowed to enter the bar and descend to street level.

Inside the establishment, the barmaid tells me that she had seen the thugs outside and tried to warn me– she is the person from Irene’s message. She tells me that she saw Farnham’s man, Charlie Lebock, tell my wife and Fred Mongo that I would never finish my investigation. Before she can continue, she is spooked by the sight of someone in one of the booths and runs out into the street. There is a lot to unpack here. She specifically said “my wife” which might be Rita, or maybe I got married again? I’m not sure. You’d think I’d know that sort of thing. Does that mean that Rita is working with Fred? Does Fred work for Farnham? There are too many names and I can’t stitch it all together into a plot yet.

Relaxing at the bar.

Pausing for Breath

That was exciting! Since my character has a chance to pause for a breather, I will as well. The interface is interesting, but not quite as functional as it appears. It consists of four key areas: an animated image, a list of nouns, a list of verbs, and a graphical depiction of our inventory. The noun list looks like it’s supposed to be updating for where you are, but it doesn’t; it’s still “correct” for my office and not much else. The list of verbs is also incomplete and does not cover many of the actions that I just needed to take, including “hide” and “break”. (Not to mention the lack of connecting words!) I’m not sure how sophisticated the parser is, but it seems fairly good for its era with full-sentence recognition. Maybe not as mature as Infocom, but a far cry from the two-word era of the early 1980s.

I’m going to leave us here for now, just as the game is about to begin. This is an introductory post so please feel free to leave your guesses for the rating below. We’ll be posting the final part in two days so don’t wait! As far as score advice goes, the only related game we have played so far is Tass Times, which scored 47. It was also played 170 games ago (one of the first for the blog!) so our standards may have wandered a bit since then. And yes, it really has been 170 games. Doesn’t time just fly by?

Before we go, I’d like to introduce you to a new YouTube channel that I like already, Critical Kate and her Patreon. After I had drafted this post, I was doing some final spot-checks when I happened to notice that she had just written a detailed analysis of the works of Bill Kunkel. It’s a nice case of parallel evolution that we were both researching the same guy at the same time and came up with a similar set of concerns with the material, although her detailed look at the publishing history of Video magazine and his comics puts mine to shame. I used her research to make some final adjustments on this post. I hope you will check her out. See you soon!

Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: There’s a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no CAPs will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of me requiring one. As this is an introduction post, it’s an opportunity for readers to bet 10 CAPs (only if they already have them) that I won’t be able to solve a puzzle without putting in an official Request for Assistance: remember to use ROT13 for betting. If you get it right, you will be rewarded with 50 CAPs in return. It’s also your chance to predict what the final rating will be for the game. Voters can predict whatever score they want, regardless of whether someone else has already chosen it.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/missed-classic-69-borrowed-time-1985-introduction/

[thedivinefish]

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Get all 3 now for just $136

FREE Weekly LIVE Healings and Messages

THIS FRIDAY!! - PSYCHIC SOCIAL in SARASOTA I'll be appearing at a special event called Creme de la Creme from 3-9pm THIS FRIDAY May 3rd at the Sarasota Event Center. Come to the event and meet the best professional practitioners of Sarasota. Make a reservation for the psychic reader of your choice or all of them!  Have a cocktail while you wait at Heroes' Bar ! $10 mini-readings/10 mins.  Shop our vendors!   Socialize at the Psychic Soiree!  Berets welcome!  Hosted by Carolan Carey - Get all the details at this link. Every Tuesday at 9pm EST - JIMMY MACK HEALING SHOW  Join me and my guests weekly on Tuesdays at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT Call in LIVE (713)-955-0594 It's your chance to get FREE intuitive messages on my weekly radio show. My guests are some of the best psychic readers & intuitive healers on the planet!  Tune in every Tuesday night LIVE or just catch the replay & YOU will receive changes & healings just by listening!  Check out TheJimmyMackHealingShow.com  for a full listing & all replays! 

  To listen online, click the date links below. Yesterday's replay with Rev. Debbie Dienstbier  UPCOMING GUEST FOR MAY: May 7 - Listen here Joanne Psychic Leo Numerology, astrology, angel cards and soul readings from the heart https://psychicjoanneleo.com   May 14 - Listen here Greg Joseph Intuitive and Spirit filled healings http://www.gregjoseph.com/ May 21 - Listen here Gosia Lorenz Living your best life now, infinite possibilities and awareness changes https://gosialorenz.com/   May 28 - Listen here Rev Debbie Dienstbier Trans medium, communication and messages with your loved ones in spirit https://www.facebook.com/Wings-of-Grace-Spiritual-Center-875388225837766/  

Check out TheJimmyMackHealingShow.com  for a full listing & all replays!   

May 9th - QUANTUM CONVERSATIONS with Lauren Galey  You’re invited to join me in a Quantum Conversation to discuss how you can Stand in your Mastery and Find your Power through living in the Heart with Divine Love, Activating Christ Consciousness and raising the vibration of the planet. This series of Quantum Conversations is designed to EMPOWER & ENLIGHTEN you in your remembrance of your true mastery and your Divine Purpose for being here on this planet.  Tune in on May 9th at 6pm ET/3pm PT Register here for this Free Series

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime!  

"I have found this to be a great modality.  I have for the first time got my husband and kids fishing daily.  I've learned Emotion Code, Body Code, dowsing, 3 levels of Yuen and some other bits and bobs I've played with.  I like how easy this is to take on the road.  I really appreciate your time and brilliance. Thank you." - D.T. / Kansas

The Certificate of Mastery Program includes 2 best-selling ebooks and 2 clearing audios plus written & video instructions, AND one-on-one time with Jimmy ALL for about the cost of a single 1-hr session! This online course is for anyone who is familiar with OR new to "fishing" and is ready to dive into the deep end & get results that are beyond the ordinary! It includes "The Tackle Box" & "Spiritual Healing Techniques" ebooks PLUS 2 MP3s "Clearing Dark Energies" & "Increasing Your Intuition" to help clear, strengthen and prepare your energy field for optimal “fishing” results. This is a work-at-your-own-pace curriculum that will TEACH & CLEAR you at the same time! In under 2wks you will be finished with the program and ready to fish on your own with greater results! Level II offers Practitioner Certification for those who qualify.

LEARN MORE HERE

Receive 24/7 Daily Prayers From Jimmy

I will dial into you daily in the wee hours and make certain that you are a CLEAR YES, UNCLEAR to NO and RUNNING FORWARD before you start your day. You will send me a list of the members of your immediate household, and yes even pets, and I will add them to my daily prayers. I will arise daily before you are even awake to start my prayers and also run my intelligent computer software 24/7 deleting the negative and increasing the strength of the positive creating a higher probability of outcomes for you and the family.  Each comes with a one-time email analysis print out via the intelligent healing software that I use on your behalf.  Most clients have had amazing results and outcomes and I get emails of thanks each and every week!

                     Choose 7 days @$33              Choose 14 days @$66           Choose 30 days @$99

Live In-Person Appearances

LIVE AT KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS TAMPA

We've made some changes to the Kodawari schedule and I am now there in person EVERY FRIDAY scheduling 15 and 30 minute appointments. Call Kodawari's front desk directly to schedule (813) 773-4017 and pay at the concierge desk... 15 minutes 33$ or 30 minutes 65$. UPCOMING SCHEDULE 10-2pm: Friday:  May 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st  

3965 Henderson Blvd Suite C Tampa (813) 773-4017 http://www.kodawariyoga.com/

  From the Fish Box

"Hi Jimmy, On April 16th I called in to your weekly radio show. The guest speaker that night said for me to look on a shelf and I will find a gift to get rid of.  Well lo and behold the next day I was organizing and "spring cleaning" and I found a mint condition first edition Sports Illustrated. I immediately got goose bumps when I found it, just knowing this is what I was meant to find.  My dad was in advertising at Time Life and sold advertising for this very magazine. I was so touched it brought happy tears to my eyes.  More proof that miracles happen every day! Thanks for all you do!" ~ S.T. / Florida

Fish Food 

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

MAY 1st -  "Today I will realize that not everything is as it seems and not everything that shimmers is made of gold. Everyone has secrets, everyone has baggage and everyone has a past. It is what we do with today that will define the outcome of our tomorrow."

TGIWednesday Download

~ INCREASING MONEY FLOWS~ I believe, think, know and feel that money flows in, around and through me here and now. I am ready, willing and able to allow more abundance to flow to me now. I know, when, where, how and why to let spirit show me the simple way to become more abundant. I am asking in all languages and throughout all time lines and so it is.   

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

For those who aren't familiar, here's the list of ALL clearing MP3s available. Find a topic that addresses your issue(s) & click on the link to read more. We had a lot of help downloading and channeling these over the years & they keep getting better.

Abundance Abuse Addiction Body Scan: Head to Toe Daily GPS Reset Dark Energies/Fears Decision Making Diet & Exercise Education & Learning Family & Relatives The Gold Coin Healing Physical Body Healing Mental Stress Holiday Stress

Increasing Intuition IRS & Tax Time Love & Romance Money Mindset Moving Forward Pain Relief Pet Healing Sales & Success Sex Sleep Traveling w/Ease Work & Career Weight Loss

TGIFunny

Share

Tweet

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Pinterest

Jimmy Mack 727.678.0557​ EST | Appointments Skype: Jimmy.Mack55 Clearwater Florida USA Book a 15 minute session Book a 30 minute session Book a 60 minute session ​ ​​Transformational Healing of Body, Mind​ & Spirit, People, Places, Pets & Situations!​ ​ Download the My Liquid Fish® Starter Kit Audio MP3 Downloads​ and books​ to improve your life! Get Certified in ​My Liquid Fish® Change Made Simple® Watch Free Videos on YouTube Weekly Radio Show Archives Shop for ​Supplements ​ http://www.jimmymackhealingshop.com www.jimmymackhealing.com Copyright ©1998-2019 All Rights Reserved  

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger | Digital Marketing Specialist | SMBeConnected Solutions Digital Marketing Solutions & Support for Conscious Entrepreneurs www.smbeconnected.com  

Stay connected!

  Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

[divinefishingtips]

TGIWednesday... magic in your money flows happens here!

New Audio Release Today!

Ok, it’s finally here………..the Universal Abundance Audio MP3 has been in the works for a year now.  It's good stuff, profound, mystical and magical. Spirit told me that there are 6 specific clearings that appear to border on magic and are making all the difference.... see if you can figure out which six they are!! I'm really humbled by what's been created here. The testimonials and success stories keep coming in and the abundance is spreading! This is THE longest, most in-depth download I've ever been given by spirit. After recording it, on my way home, clients were calling, emailing and texting me to get my next available appointment!  Sandy my Chief of Awesomeness, continues to win with lottery tickets on each and every ticket!  Who does that?  I love it.  I can’t wait to hear about your experience with this next level magic.  Who knows... by this time tomorrow you may be writing to me like these folks: "Hi Jimmy, I just purchased the new Abundance audio and listened to it immediately. Wow, lots of energy moving! Just now I looked at my email and a message just came in from another organization and the subject line is: "Infinite Abundance" LOL !!! I'm really looking forward to this!! Many many thanks for all the goodness you bring to us!!" ~ J.H.  "Thank you so much for this amazing audio, it covers all of my fears of abundance.  It was really worth waiting for.  It really made my heart sing to listen to it.  I feel so much lighter after just one session.  Heartfelt gratitude to you and your family." ~ M.P.  "Got to love it, got your email this morning on abundance and read your tell the fish this morning all leading up to (wait for it)---I was one of five winners at the reverse raffle to the tune of $2000! Abundance lives!!!" ~ A.B. In Chinese Astrology this is the year of the pig and it’s all about money and taking your practice, your work, your life to the next level financially.  So let’s do this!  

MyBeliefWorks™ for Being in Divine Flow with Universal Abundance Living Life Abundantly and Co-creating with Universal Support You'll get over 200 clearings in 40 minutes! **IMPT. NOTE** When you get access to your download, it will come to you in PDF format ONLY (you aren't missing a file) The AUDIO MP3 link will be clickable from the top of page 1 of the PDF! This should ease the access for both desktop & mobile users but sorry iPhone/iPad users unless you use a laptop you'll need to email us for links.

Get it now for just $44!

You know by now, when this sale is over it will never be priced this low again. 

If you want to take your abundance & prosperity to the next level...Then check out our Specially Priced 3 - mp3/pdf set which includes: The Gold Coin, Positive Money Mindset and Universal Abundance.  A one hour session with me is $155, and here you can get over 400 prosperity clearings in 90 minutes from ALL depths & angles for just $136.  Plus keep them forever and share with your immediate friends and family! 

Get all 3 now for just $136

FREE Weekly LIVE Healings and Messages

THIS FRIDAY!! - PSYCHIC SOCIAL in SARASOTA I'll be appearing at a special event called Creme de la Creme from 3-9pm THIS FRIDAY May 3rd at the Sarasota Event Center. Come to the event and meet the best professional practitioners of Sarasota. Make a reservation for the psychic reader of your choice or all of them!  Have a cocktail while you wait at Heroes' Bar ! $10 mini-readings/10 mins.  Shop our vendors!   Socialize at the Psychic Soiree!  Berets welcome!  Hosted by Carolan Carey - Get all the details at this link. Every Tuesday at 9pm EST - JIMMY MACK HEALING SHOW  Join me and my guests weekly on Tuesdays at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT Call in LIVE (713)-955-0594 It's your chance to get FREE intuitive messages on my weekly radio show. My guests are some of the best psychic readers & intuitive healers on the planet!  Tune in every Tuesday night LIVE or just catch the replay & YOU will receive changes & healings just by listening!  Check out TheJimmyMackHealingShow.com  for a full listing & all replays! 

  To listen online, click the date links below. Yesterday's replay with Rev. Debbie Dienstbier  UPCOMING GUEST FOR MAY: May 7 - Listen here Joanne Psychic Leo Numerology, astrology, angel cards and soul readings from the heart https://psychicjoanneleo.com   May 14 - Listen here Greg Joseph Intuitive and Spirit filled healings http://www.gregjoseph.com/ May 21 - Listen here Gosia Lorenz Living your best life now, infinite possibilities and awareness changes https://gosialorenz.com/   May 28 - Listen here Rev Debbie Dienstbier Trans medium, communication and messages with your loved ones in spirit https://www.facebook.com/Wings-of-Grace-Spiritual-Center-875388225837766/  

Check out TheJimmyMackHealingShow.com  for a full listing & all replays!   

May 9th - QUANTUM CONVERSATIONS with Lauren Galey  You’re invited to join me in a Quantum Conversation to discuss how you can Stand in your Mastery and Find your Power through living in the Heart with Divine Love, Activating Christ Consciousness and raising the vibration of the planet. This series of Quantum Conversations is designed to EMPOWER & ENLIGHTEN you in your remembrance of your true mastery and your Divine Purpose for being here on this planet.  Tune in on May 9th at 6pm ET/3pm PT Register here for this Free Series

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime!  

"I have found this to be a great modality.  I have for the first time got my husband and kids fishing daily.  I've learned Emotion Code, Body Code, dowsing, 3 levels of Yuen and some other bits and bobs I've played with.  I like how easy this is to take on the road.  I really appreciate your time and brilliance. Thank you." - D.T. / Kansas

The Certificate of Mastery Program includes 2 best-selling ebooks and 2 clearing audios plus written & video instructions, AND one-on-one time with Jimmy ALL for about the cost of a single 1-hr session! This online course is for anyone who is familiar with OR new to "fishing" and is ready to dive into the deep end & get results that are beyond the ordinary! It includes "The Tackle Box" & "Spiritual Healing Techniques" ebooks PLUS 2 MP3s "Clearing Dark Energies" & "Increasing Your Intuition" to help clear, strengthen and prepare your energy field for optimal “fishing” results. This is a work-at-your-own-pace curriculum that will TEACH & CLEAR you at the same time! In under 2wks you will be finished with the program and ready to fish on your own with greater results! Level II offers Practitioner Certification for those who qualify.

LEARN MORE HERE

Receive 24/7 Daily Prayers From Jimmy

I will dial into you daily in the wee hours and make certain that you are a CLEAR YES, UNCLEAR to NO and RUNNING FORWARD before you start your day. You will send me a list of the members of your immediate household, and yes even pets, and I will add them to my daily prayers. I will arise daily before you are even awake to start my prayers and also run my intelligent computer software 24/7 deleting the negative and increasing the strength of the positive creating a higher probability of outcomes for you and the family.  Each comes with a one-time email analysis print out via the intelligent healing software that I use on your behalf.  Most clients have had amazing results and outcomes and I get emails of thanks each and every week!

                     Choose 7 days @$33              Choose 14 days @$66           Choose 30 days @$99

Live In-Person Appearances

LIVE AT KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS TAMPA

We've made some changes to the Kodawari schedule and I am now there in person EVERY FRIDAY scheduling 15 and 30 minute appointments. Call Kodawari's front desk directly to schedule (813) 773-4017 and pay at the concierge desk... 15 minutes 33$ or 30 minutes 65$. UPCOMING SCHEDULE 10-2pm: Friday:  May 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st  

3965 Henderson Blvd Suite C Tampa (813) 773-4017 http://www.kodawariyoga.com/

  From the Fish Box

"Hi Jimmy, On April 16th I called in to your weekly radio show. The guest speaker that night said for me to look on a shelf and I will find a gift to get rid of.  Well lo and behold the next day I was organizing and "spring cleaning" and I found a mint condition first edition Sports Illustrated. I immediately got goose bumps when I found it, just knowing this is what I was meant to find.  My dad was in advertising at Time Life and sold advertising for this very magazine. I was so touched it brought happy tears to my eyes.  More proof that miracles happen every day! Thanks for all you do!" ~ S.T. / Florida

Fish Food 

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

MAY 1st -  "Today I will realize that not everything is as it seems and not everything that shimmers is made of gold. Everyone has secrets, everyone has baggage and everyone has a past. It is what we do with today that will define the outcome of our tomorrow."

TGIWednesday Download

~ INCREASING MONEY FLOWS~ I believe, think, know and feel that money flows in, around and through me here and now. I am ready, willing and able to allow more abundance to flow to me now. I know, when, where, how and why to let spirit show me the simple way to become more abundant. I am asking in all languages and throughout all time lines and so it is.   

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

For those who aren't familiar, here's the list of ALL clearing MP3s available. Find a topic that addresses your issue(s) & click on the link to read more. We had a lot of help downloading and channeling these over the years & they keep getting better.

Abundance Abuse Addiction Body Scan: Head to Toe Daily GPS Reset Dark Energies/Fears Decision Making Diet & Exercise Education & Learning Family & Relatives The Gold Coin Healing Physical Body Healing Mental Stress Holiday Stress

Increasing Intuition IRS & Tax Time Love & Romance Money Mindset Moving Forward Pain Relief Pet Healing Sales & Success Sex Sleep Traveling w/Ease Work & Career Weight Loss

TGIFunny

Share

Tweet

Forward

Pinterest

Jimmy Mack 727.678.0557​ EST | Appointments Skype: Jimmy.Mack55 Clearwater Florida USA Book a 15 minute session Book a 30 minute session Book a 60 minute session ​ ​​Transformational Healing of Body, Mind​ & Spirit, People, Places, Pets & Situations!​ ​ Download the My Liquid Fish® Starter Kit Audio MP3 Downloads​ and books​ to improve your life! Get Certified in ​My Liquid Fish® Change Made Simple® Watch Free Videos on YouTube Weekly Radio Show Archives Shop for ​Supplements ​ http://www.jimmymackhealingshop.com www.jimmymackhealing.com Copyright ©1998-2019 All Rights Reserved  

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger | Digital Marketing Specialist | SMBeConnected Solutions Digital Marketing Solutions & Support for Conscious Entrepreneurs www.smbeconnected.com  

Stay connected!

  Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

[365dailyaffirmations]

TGIWednesday... magic in your money flows happens here!

New Audio Release Today!

Ok, it’s finally here………..the Universal Abundance Audio MP3 has been in the works for a year now.  It's good stuff, profound, mystical and magical. Spirit told me that there are 6 specific clearings that appear to border on magic and are making all the difference.... see if you can figure out which six they are!! I'm really humbled by what's been created here. The testimonials and success stories keep coming in and the abundance is spreading! This is THE longest, most in-depth download I've ever been given by spirit. After recording it, on my way home, clients were calling, emailing and texting me to get my next available appointment!  Sandy my Chief of Awesomeness, continues to win with lottery tickets on each and every ticket!  Who does that?  I love it.  I can’t wait to hear about your experience with this next level magic.  Who knows... by this time tomorrow you may be writing to me like these folks: "Hi Jimmy, I just purchased the new Abundance audio and listened to it immediately. Wow, lots of energy moving! Just now I looked at my email and a message just came in from another organization and the subject line is: "Infinite Abundance" LOL !!! I'm really looking forward to this!! Many many thanks for all the goodness you bring to us!!" ~ J.H.  "Thank you so much for this amazing audio, it covers all of my fears of abundance.  It was really worth waiting for.  It really made my heart sing to listen to it.  I feel so much lighter after just one session.  Heartfelt gratitude to you and your family." ~ M.P.  "Got to love it, got your email this morning on abundance and read your tell the fish this morning all leading up to (wait for it)---I was one of five winners at the reverse raffle to the tune of $2000! Abundance lives!!!" ~ A.B. In Chinese Astrology this is the year of the pig and it’s all about money and taking your practice, your work, your life to the next level financially.  So let’s do this!  

MyBeliefWorks™ for Being in Divine Flow with Universal Abundance Living Life Abundantly and Co-creating with Universal Support You'll get over 200 clearings in 40 minutes! **IMPT. NOTE** When you get access to your download, it will come to you in PDF format ONLY (you aren't missing a file) The AUDIO MP3 link will be clickable from the top of page 1 of the PDF! This should ease the access for both desktop & mobile users but sorry iPhone/iPad users unless you use a laptop you'll need to email us for links.

Get it now for just $44!

You know by now, when this sale is over it will never be priced this low again. 

If you want to take your abundance & prosperity to the next level...Then check out our Specially Priced 3 - mp3/pdf set which includes: The Gold Coin, Positive Money Mindset and Universal Abundance.  A one hour session with me is $155, and here you can get over 400 prosperity clearings in 90 minutes from ALL depths & angles for just $136.  Plus keep them forever and share with your immediate friends and family! 

Get all 3 now for just $136

FREE Weekly LIVE Healings and Messages

THIS FRIDAY!! - PSYCHIC SOCIAL in SARASOTA I'll be appearing at a special event called Creme de la Creme from 3-9pm THIS FRIDAY May 3rd at the Sarasota Event Center. Come to the event and meet the best professional practitioners of Sarasota. Make a reservation for the psychic reader of your choice or all of them!  Have a cocktail while you wait at Heroes' Bar ! $10 mini-readings/10 mins.  Shop our vendors!   Socialize at the Psychic Soiree!  Berets welcome!  Hosted by Carolan Carey - Get all the details at this link. Every Tuesday at 9pm EST - JIMMY MACK HEALING SHOW  Join me and my guests weekly on Tuesdays at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT Call in LIVE (713)-955-0594 It's your chance to get FREE intuitive messages on my weekly radio show. My guests are some of the best psychic readers & intuitive healers on the planet!  Tune in every Tuesday night LIVE or just catch the replay & YOU will receive changes & healings just by listening!  Check out TheJimmyMackHealingShow.com  for a full listing & all replays! 

  To listen online, click the date links below. Yesterday's replay with Rev. Debbie Dienstbier  UPCOMING GUEST FOR MAY: May 7 - Listen here Joanne Psychic Leo Numerology, astrology, angel cards and soul readings from the heart https://psychicjoanneleo.com   May 14 - Listen here Greg Joseph Intuitive and Spirit filled healings http://www.gregjoseph.com/ May 21 - Listen here Gosia Lorenz Living your best life now, infinite possibilities and awareness changes https://gosialorenz.com/   May 28 - Listen here Rev Debbie Dienstbier Trans medium, communication and messages with your loved ones in spirit https://www.facebook.com/Wings-of-Grace-Spiritual-Center-875388225837766/  

Check out TheJimmyMackHealingShow.com  for a full listing & all replays!   

May 9th - QUANTUM CONVERSATIONS with Lauren Galey  You’re invited to join me in a Quantum Conversation to discuss how you can Stand in your Mastery and Find your Power through living in the Heart with Divine Love, Activating Christ Consciousness and raising the vibration of the planet. This series of Quantum Conversations is designed to EMPOWER & ENLIGHTEN you in your remembrance of your true mastery and your Divine Purpose for being here on this planet.  Tune in on May 9th at 6pm ET/3pm PT Register here for this Free Series

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime!  

"I have found this to be a great modality.  I have for the first time got my husband and kids fishing daily.  I've learned Emotion Code, Body Code, dowsing, 3 levels of Yuen and some other bits and bobs I've played with.  I like how easy this is to take on the road.  I really appreciate your time and brilliance. Thank you." - D.T. / Kansas

The Certificate of Mastery Program includes 2 best-selling ebooks and 2 clearing audios plus written & video instructions, AND one-on-one time with Jimmy ALL for about the cost of a single 1-hr session! This online course is for anyone who is familiar with OR new to "fishing" and is ready to dive into the deep end & get results that are beyond the ordinary! It includes "The Tackle Box" & "Spiritual Healing Techniques" ebooks PLUS 2 MP3s "Clearing Dark Energies" & "Increasing Your Intuition" to help clear, strengthen and prepare your energy field for optimal “fishing” results. This is a work-at-your-own-pace curriculum that will TEACH & CLEAR you at the same time! In under 2wks you will be finished with the program and ready to fish on your own with greater results! Level II offers Practitioner Certification for those who qualify.

LEARN MORE HERE

Receive 24/7 Daily Prayers From Jimmy

I will dial into you daily in the wee hours and make certain that you are a CLEAR YES, UNCLEAR to NO and RUNNING FORWARD before you start your day. You will send me a list of the members of your immediate household, and yes even pets, and I will add them to my daily prayers. I will arise daily before you are even awake to start my prayers and also run my intelligent computer software 24/7 deleting the negative and increasing the strength of the positive creating a higher probability of outcomes for you and the family.  Each comes with a one-time email analysis print out via the intelligent healing software that I use on your behalf.  Most clients have had amazing results and outcomes and I get emails of thanks each and every week!

                     Choose 7 days @$33              Choose 14 days @$66           Choose 30 days @$99

Live In-Person Appearances

LIVE AT KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS TAMPA

We've made some changes to the Kodawari schedule and I am now there in person EVERY FRIDAY scheduling 15 and 30 minute appointments. Call Kodawari's front desk directly to schedule (813) 773-4017 and pay at the concierge desk... 15 minutes 33$ or 30 minutes 65$. UPCOMING SCHEDULE 10-2pm: Friday:  May 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st  

3965 Henderson Blvd Suite C Tampa (813) 773-4017 http://www.kodawariyoga.com/

  From the Fish Box

"Hi Jimmy, On April 16th I called in to your weekly radio show. The guest speaker that night said for me to look on a shelf and I will find a gift to get rid of.  Well lo and behold the next day I was organizing and "spring cleaning" and I found a mint condition first edition Sports Illustrated. I immediately got goose bumps when I found it, just knowing this is what I was meant to find.  My dad was in advertising at Time Life and sold advertising for this very magazine. I was so touched it brought happy tears to my eyes.  More proof that miracles happen every day! Thanks for all you do!" ~ S.T. / Florida

Fish Food 

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

MAY 1st -  "Today I will realize that not everything is as it seems and not everything that shimmers is made of gold. Everyone has secrets, everyone has baggage and everyone has a past. It is what we do with today that will define the outcome of our tomorrow."

TGIWednesday Download

~ INCREASING MONEY FLOWS~ I believe, think, know and feel that money flows in, around and through me here and now. I am ready, willing and able to allow more abundance to flow to me now. I know, when, where, how and why to let spirit show me the simple way to become more abundant. I am asking in all languages and throughout all time lines and so it is.   

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

For those who aren't familiar, here's the list of ALL clearing MP3s available. Find a topic that addresses your issue(s) & click on the link to read more. We had a lot of help downloading and channeling these over the years & they keep getting better.

Abundance Abuse Addiction Body Scan: Head to Toe Daily GPS Reset Dark Energies/Fears Decision Making Diet & Exercise Education & Learning Family & Relatives The Gold Coin Healing Physical Body Healing Mental Stress Holiday Stress

Increasing Intuition IRS & Tax Time Love & Romance Money Mindset Moving Forward Pain Relief Pet Healing Sales & Success Sex Sleep Traveling w/Ease Work & Career Weight Loss

TGIFunny

Share

Tweet

Forward

Pinterest

Jimmy Mack 727.678.0557​ EST | Appointments Skype: Jimmy.Mack55 Clearwater Florida USA Book a 15 minute session Book a 30 minute session Book a 60 minute session ​ ​​Transformational Healing of Body, Mind​ & Spirit, People, Places, Pets & Situations!​ ​ Download the My Liquid Fish® Starter Kit Audio MP3 Downloads​ and books​ to improve your life! Get Certified in ​My Liquid Fish® Change Made Simple® Watch Free Videos on YouTube Weekly Radio Show Archives Shop for ​Supplements ​ http://www.jimmymackhealingshop.com www.jimmymackhealing.com Copyright ©1998-2019 All Rights Reserved  

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger | Digital Marketing Specialist | SMBeConnected Solutions Digital Marketing Solutions & Support for Conscious Entrepreneurs www.smbeconnected.com  

Stay connected!

  Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

[advancedthetapractitioner]

TGIWednesday... magic in your money flows happens here!

New Audio Release Today!

Ok, it’s finally here………..the Universal Abundance Audio MP3 has been in the works for a year now.  It's good stuff, profound, mystical and magical. Spirit told me that there are 6 specific clearings that appear to border on magic and are making all the difference.... see if you can figure out which six they are!! I'm really humbled by what's been created here. The testimonials and success stories keep coming in and the abundance is spreading! This is THE longest, most in-depth download I've ever been given by spirit. After recording it, on my way home, clients were calling, emailing and texting me to get my next available appointment!  Sandy my Chief of Awesomeness, continues to win with lottery tickets on each and every ticket!  Who does that?  I love it.  I can’t wait to hear about your experience with this next level magic.  Who knows... by this time tomorrow you may be writing to me like these folks: "Hi Jimmy, I just purchased the new Abundance audio and listened to it immediately. Wow, lots of energy moving! Just now I looked at my email and a message just came in from another organization and the subject line is: "Infinite Abundance" LOL !!! I'm really looking forward to this!! Many many thanks for all the goodness you bring to us!!" ~ J.H.  "Thank you so much for this amazing audio, it covers all of my fears of abundance.  It was really worth waiting for.  It really made my heart sing to listen to it.  I feel so much lighter after just one session.  Heartfelt gratitude to you and your family." ~ M.P.  "Got to love it, got your email this morning on abundance and read your tell the fish this morning all leading up to (wait for it)---I was one of five winners at the reverse raffle to the tune of $2000! Abundance lives!!!" ~ A.B. In Chinese Astrology this is the year of the pig and it’s all about money and taking your practice, your work, your life to the next level financially.  So let’s do this!  

MyBeliefWorks™ for Being in Divine Flow with Universal Abundance Living Life Abundantly and Co-creating with Universal Support You'll get over 200 clearings in 40 minutes! **IMPT. NOTE** When you get access to your download, it will come to you in PDF format ONLY (you aren't missing a file) The AUDIO MP3 link will be clickable from the top of page 1 of the PDF! This should ease the access for both desktop & mobile users but sorry iPhone/iPad users unless you use a laptop you'll need to email us for links.

Get it now for just $44!

You know by now, when this sale is over it will never be priced this low again. 

If you want to take your abundance & prosperity to the next level...Then check out our Specially Priced 3 - mp3/pdf set which includes: The Gold Coin, Positive Money Mindset and Universal Abundance.  A one hour session with me is $155, and here you can get over 400 prosperity clearings in 90 minutes from ALL depths & angles for just $136.  Plus keep them forever and share with your immediate friends and family! 

Get all 3 now for just $136

FREE Weekly LIVE Healings and Messages

THIS FRIDAY!! - PSYCHIC SOCIAL in SARASOTA I'll be appearing at a special event called Creme de la Creme from 3-9pm THIS FRIDAY May 3rd at the Sarasota Event Center. Come to the event and meet the best professional practitioners of Sarasota. Make a reservation for the psychic reader of your choice or all of them!  Have a cocktail while you wait at Heroes' Bar ! $10 mini-readings/10 mins.  Shop our vendors!   Socialize at the Psychic Soiree!  Berets welcome!  Hosted by Carolan Carey - Get all the details at this link. Every Tuesday at 9pm EST - JIMMY MACK HEALING SHOW  Join me and my guests weekly on Tuesdays at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT Call in LIVE (713)-955-0594 It's your chance to get FREE intuitive messages on my weekly radio show. My guests are some of the best psychic readers & intuitive healers on the planet!  Tune in every Tuesday night LIVE or just catch the replay & YOU will receive changes & healings just by listening!  Check out TheJimmyMackHealingShow.com  for a full listing & all replays! 

  To listen online, click the date links below. Yesterday's replay with Rev. Debbie Dienstbier  UPCOMING GUEST FOR MAY: May 7 - Listen here Joanne Psychic Leo Numerology, astrology, angel cards and soul readings from the heart https://psychicjoanneleo.com   May 14 - Listen here Greg Joseph Intuitive and Spirit filled healings http://www.gregjoseph.com/ May 21 - Listen here Gosia Lorenz Living your best life now, infinite possibilities and awareness changes https://gosialorenz.com/   May 28 - Listen here Rev Debbie Dienstbier Trans medium, communication and messages with your loved ones in spirit https://www.facebook.com/Wings-of-Grace-Spiritual-Center-875388225837766/  

Check out TheJimmyMackHealingShow.com  for a full listing & all replays!   

May 9th - QUANTUM CONVERSATIONS with Lauren Galey  You’re invited to join me in a Quantum Conversation to discuss how you can Stand in your Mastery and Find your Power through living in the Heart with Divine Love, Activating Christ Consciousness and raising the vibration of the planet. This series of Quantum Conversations is designed to EMPOWER & ENLIGHTEN you in your remembrance of your true mastery and your Divine Purpose for being here on this planet.  Tune in on May 9th at 6pm ET/3pm PT Register here for this Free Series

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime!  

"I have found this to be a great modality.  I have for the first time got my husband and kids fishing daily.  I've learned Emotion Code, Body Code, dowsing, 3 levels of Yuen and some other bits and bobs I've played with.  I like how easy this is to take on the road.  I really appreciate your time and brilliance. Thank you." - D.T. / Kansas

The Certificate of Mastery Program includes 2 best-selling ebooks and 2 clearing audios plus written & video instructions, AND one-on-one time with Jimmy ALL for about the cost of a single 1-hr session! This online course is for anyone who is familiar with OR new to "fishing" and is ready to dive into the deep end & get results that are beyond the ordinary! It includes "The Tackle Box" & "Spiritual Healing Techniques" ebooks PLUS 2 MP3s "Clearing Dark Energies" & "Increasing Your Intuition" to help clear, strengthen and prepare your energy field for optimal “fishing” results. This is a work-at-your-own-pace curriculum that will TEACH & CLEAR you at the same time! In under 2wks you will be finished with the program and ready to fish on your own with greater results! Level II offers Practitioner Certification for those who qualify.

LEARN MORE HERE

Receive 24/7 Daily Prayers From Jimmy

I will dial into you daily in the wee hours and make certain that you are a CLEAR YES, UNCLEAR to NO and RUNNING FORWARD before you start your day. You will send me a list of the members of your immediate household, and yes even pets, and I will add them to my daily prayers. I will arise daily before you are even awake to start my prayers and also run my intelligent computer software 24/7 deleting the negative and increasing the strength of the positive creating a higher probability of outcomes for you and the family.  Each comes with a one-time email analysis print out via the intelligent healing software that I use on your behalf.  Most clients have had amazing results and outcomes and I get emails of thanks each and every week!

                     Choose 7 days @$33              Choose 14 days @$66           Choose 30 days @$99

Live In-Person Appearances

LIVE AT KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS TAMPA

We've made some changes to the Kodawari schedule and I am now there in person EVERY FRIDAY scheduling 15 and 30 minute appointments. Call Kodawari's front desk directly to schedule (813) 773-4017 and pay at the concierge desk... 15 minutes 33$ or 30 minutes 65$. UPCOMING SCHEDULE 10-2pm: Friday:  May 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st  

3965 Henderson Blvd Suite C Tampa (813) 773-4017 http://www.kodawariyoga.com/

  From the Fish Box

"Hi Jimmy, On April 16th I called in to your weekly radio show. The guest speaker that night said for me to look on a shelf and I will find a gift to get rid of.  Well lo and behold the next day I was organizing and "spring cleaning" and I found a mint condition first edition Sports Illustrated. I immediately got goose bumps when I found it, just knowing this is what I was meant to find.  My dad was in advertising at Time Life and sold advertising for this very magazine. I was so touched it brought happy tears to my eyes.  More proof that miracles happen every day! Thanks for all you do!" ~ S.T. / Florida

Fish Food 

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell The Fish: 365 Daily Inspirations & Affirmations

MAY 1st -  "Today I will realize that not everything is as it seems and not everything that shimmers is made of gold. Everyone has secrets, everyone has baggage and everyone has a past. It is what we do with today that will define the outcome of our tomorrow."

TGIWednesday Download

~ INCREASING MONEY FLOWS~ I believe, think, know and feel that money flows in, around and through me here and now. I am ready, willing and able to allow more abundance to flow to me now. I know, when, where, how and why to let spirit show me the simple way to become more abundant. I am asking in all languages and throughout all time lines and so it is.   

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

For those who aren't familiar, here's the list of ALL clearing MP3s available. Find a topic that addresses your issue(s) & click on the link to read more. We had a lot of help downloading and channeling these over the years & they keep getting better.

Abundance Abuse Addiction Body Scan: Head to Toe Daily GPS Reset Dark Energies/Fears Decision Making Diet & Exercise Education & Learning Family & Relatives The Gold Coin Healing Physical Body Healing Mental Stress Holiday Stress

Increasing Intuition IRS & Tax Time Love & Romance Money Mindset Moving Forward Pain Relief Pet Healing Sales & Success Sex Sleep Traveling w/Ease Work & Career Weight Loss

TGIFunny

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Jimmy Mack 727.678.0557​ EST | Appointments Skype: Jimmy.Mack55 Clearwater Florida USA Book a 15 minute session Book a 30 minute session Book a 60 minute session ​ ​​Transformational Healing of Body, Mind​ & Spirit, People, Places, Pets & Situations!​ ​ Download the My Liquid Fish® Starter Kit Audio MP3 Downloads​ and books​ to improve your life! Get Certified in ​My Liquid Fish® Change Made Simple® Watch Free Videos on YouTube Weekly Radio Show Archives Shop for ​Supplements ​ http://www.jimmymackhealingshop.com www.jimmymackhealing.com Copyright ©1998-2019 All Rights Reserved  

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