#I like G-Witch too for the record

[harrowbarkdogagesimus]

It's kind of hard not to be?

Dean and Cas will always be remembered as a joke. They will always be remembered as the most annoying kind of queerbait that ended with an absolutely embarrassing scene that you can hardly even call a confession scene. The only reason why most people know anything about Cas and Dean is the fact that they are a fucking joke.

Tumblr Top Ships Bracket - FINALS

This poll is a celebration of fandom and fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with many of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement, and refrain from harassment.

[kumkaniudaku]

Welp since we saw what it looks like when Patrice feels like snatching his soul, what does it look like when Terry returns the favor? 👀

Patrice was going to have thank Imani for the sheets recommendation.

Not because they were moisture wicking like she promised, which came in handy for a woman experiencing hot flashes in the dead of Summer. The color, a gorgeous red clay color that pulled together the room’s design, was pretty, too, but that wasn’t the reason. It didn’t even matter much that they perfectly fit the upgraded bed size needed for a man tired of contorting himself to fit onto a Queen mattress though that sweetened the deal.

Patrice needed to thank Imani for the sheets because they provided the perfect, silky smooth texture to juxtapose being stretched beyond belief in the middle of the night.

When she backed into Terry to stir up some mischief, she didn’t expect…all this. The gruff voice in her ear gave ample warning to stop pushing her luck. At 3 am, he’d had more than enough sleep to power through a quick task. Fatherhood had helped him survive off less. But Patrice persisted. For the plot, of course.

She pushed back further, warming her old friend between ample ass cheeks that soon felt the rough press of strong thumbs against barely covered flesh.

He dropped a kiss on her collar bone before speaking. “You sure? This your last time to back out.”

Another kiss, this one led by a tongue licking up her neck and stopping just under her ear, made Patrice shudder out an, “Mhmm,” in a witching hour haze. She didn’t know what exactly she was agreeing to until it happened.

And now, with one arm pinned behind her back and the other fisting soft, expensive, red clay linen sheets recommended by her sister-cousin all the way out in some flat overlooking London, Patrice understood the warning.

Slow strokes pulled Terry halfway out and pushed him all the way back in until his pelvis was flush against Patrice’s behind. He kept his hold on her wrist firm but light and his other hand tethered to her waist to control every bit of her pleasure.

Terry smiled when she opened her mouth to groan out some sound between a loving moan and a whimper, her face screwed in ecstasy.

“You gon’ wake the baby, Treecey,” he crooned, lips curled up and teeth showing in an impish grin. “You told me you would be a good girl. What happened?”

Patrice’s grip tightened around him and the sheets. “I’m sorry. I’m still a g-ooooh fuuuuck….I’m still your good girl.”

“Yeah?” Terry waited for his own moan to pass before continuing. Determination spurred him forward, quickening his pace gradually to fill the room with erotic sounds worthy of the recording running from his phone on the nightstand. He drug his fingertips from Patrice’s hips, took a pitstop to smack her ass a few times without pausing his stroke, then moved his thumb to caress the eye winking back at him from behind.

Patrice’s muscles relaxed into a putty like state from the sensation, turning sultry sounds into silent cries for help that she didn’t want to come.

Her lover watched her sigh and keen beneath drooping lids as pulled his thumb away to gather lubrication from their exploits below before bringing it back to fulfill its purpose.

Slowly, he pressed it against the cute button of a hole and watched it disappear to the knuckle.

Already impossibly wet, they both moaned when Patrice’s body reacted with more slick arousal to make the in and out feel like Heaven on Earth.

“I’m your good girl,” Patrice moaned out as a tear slid from the outer corner of her eye and a mosaic of color danced behind lids clamped tight. “I promise, baby. I’m your good girl.”

Terry braced himself on the flat foot providing him driving power. “I know.” If he was sure of anything, it was that Patrice was more than a good girl. “But good girls get punished, too.”

Patrice felt the involuntary contraction of inner muscles and resigned herself to watching Sunday service via YouTube. That’d give her more than enough time to send a digital thank you card and gift to Imani for the sheets keeping her from completely losing all sense of time and space while she enjoyed the consequences of her actions.

[madamspellmans-met-tet]

… on Lilia Calderu and Stevie Nicks

I think they go way back. Lilia had heard Stevie Nicks in LA even before her time with Fleetwood Mac, playing with Lindsey Buckingham.

She approached them after a gig (because Lilia was a bit sweet on Stevie). They had a few drinks together, Stevie taught her to play the tambourin, but when Fleetwood Mac blew up the way they did, Stevie stopped playing at the local revenues and since they hadn’t exchanged any means of contact, too caught up in conversation and laughter, they lost each other.

She loved the music from the first moment and throughout the years, went to as many concerts as she could afford, hoping that Stevie would be looking for her in the crowd, bought all the records, and even sang the songs herself when she’d have a job as a bar singer, if only to feel that connection again.

What so draws her to the music is that she feels understood. She’s been a covenless witch for centuries and had few friends for she feared to foresee their demise. She recognised Stevie as a sister in the craft and she made her feel like part of a coven again, like she wasn’t all alone in the world.

Specifically towards “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You” she felt as if it were made for her—until she found out it wasn’t. But in her heart, it was her song, written by a sister to comfort her. In her fantasies, Stevie had written all those songs—Rhiannon, Crystal, Gold Dust Woman, G*psy (that one she wished she’d rewrite in a more sensitive way)—for her.

A nd it meant that someone had seen her. Someone had loved her.

[hadaldemon]

omg moonlight cookie is my spirit animal, so me, fr fr

AAAAAAAAHHHH BURNT CHEESE COOKIEEEEEEEE LEMME ADOPT PLSSSSSSSSSS AAAAAFSAFASFADSFASB SO TINYYY

dark choco, my dear sweet boy, what happened to you???!!!

am i the only one who thinks that they missed an opportunity to make cream unicorn cookie into a My Little Pony character?

THEY COOKED MY DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!!

look at her, shipping black forest and a witch so hard, so true bestie, same same

idk why but i expected something else for shadow milk but yeah guess being a one-man-build-a-bear-factory is gonna be exhausting

new crk merchandise just dropped? hello?? imagine they make him into a heating pad! burning spice cookie helping ya with those darn period cramps!

yeah royal margarine!!! support your queen!!!! (i snorted when i saw him in here lmao)

holy hell! hollyberry when sober!!!!

my god lad, you look hot as hell but lemme tell ya that you will age like fine wine too

DANG IT LEMME ADOPT HIM TOO PLSSSSSSS LEMME BE HIS CREAM FERRET COOKIE!!!!

how many churros can I buy with this?

KIIITTTTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYUUUUUUHHHHH!!!! KITTY!!

g-gingerbrave??? gingerbrave is that you?

man, i love when they fill games with memes and weird stuff- what do you mean "the stories won't be recorded in The tower of records"? this is so freaking funny, whyy??

[shin-meddlesome-hero]

Gundam Journey Recap 2024

Last year’s recap: Here

Another year of Gundam Brainrot. This time I watched more stuff because I wasn’t watching Zeta for 8+ months like last year. Here’s a very summarized opinion on everything I watched. Once again, take my ratings with a grain of salt.

Zeta Gundam: It took me an eternity to watch and I still want to write some essays about it. I get the feeling that I need to rewatch it in order to completely understand it. I’ll be honest, it was a pain to watch but it’s the UC Gundam series I’m still thinking about long after I finished it. I love Kamille, and Char/Quattro elicits in me the same reaction that many of you guys have towards Reigen Arataka. You’re gonna hate me, but that ending was amazing, one of the greatest payoffs I’ve ever seen. On the other hand, it was an absolute mess with women (a very interesting mess but sometimes it got annoying).

Enough amount of Char. 4/5

Gundam ZZ: I get why some people don’t like it, still it was a very fun ride. Unlike Zeta, I was able to watch this in a month and a half (look, I’m very slow at watching series, so this is a record time for me). It was like an 80’s Saturday morning cartoon so it gave me a lot of nostalgia. The first part was weak, but once they get to Earth and the opening song changes from “Anime Ja Nai “ to “Silent Voice”, it gets really good. I also enjoyed most of the characters.

Char only appears on the opening. 3/5

Char’s Counterattack: Guys, this movie was so hyped for me that once I finally, finally, FINALLY got to watch it I… didn’t felt much. I mean, it’s ok, I guess, and Char and Amuro are very Divorced. I don’t know, I expected a bigger catharsis, or to finally understand Char or get obsessed with him and Amuro and it just didn’t happen for me. It’s good, but I didn’t feel the same things I felt with G-Witch or with the Zeta finale.

Too much Char. By the end of the film I wished that he was punched more. 3.5/5

Hathaway’s Flash: Somehow I enjoyed it more than CCA, and it really got me interested in Tomino’s writing. Visually, it's good, and the “char clone” from the movie is fascinating. I’m not telling you more, only that this is the aftermath of Char and Amuro’s actions in CCA. Also the animation and character design is top notch. Hope that we get a second movie soon.

Excellent Char successor. 3.5/5

Gundam F91: It’s a total disaster but it’s very entertaining to watch. The first half of the movie was really good, but then everything happens so much, we have a character change sides and die in less than 10 minutes, and there’s a lot of details that aren’t explained. The protagonist is bland and no one gets too much character development. It’s kind of my guilty pleasure, because it’s obvious that they tried to cram a whole series in a 2 hour movie and they failed, but the try was worth it. Makes me wonder what It’ll be like if the story had reached its full potential. The character and mechanical design, along with the music and animation is pretty good. I would recommend it only for that.

There’s a bad Darth Vader knockoff and the actual Char clone looks like a pirate. 3/5

Gundam G no Reconguista Movies: I watched these when I got sick during summer vacation. They’re a wild ride, just like F91, everything is happening so much all the time and there’s barely an explanation. It’s a very curious experience because Tomino has A Vision he has to convey and he doesn’t mind if the plot and characters are sacrificed to achieve it. The characters had a cute design but there was not much to them, it was cartoony like ZZ, but somehow ZZ had more character depth, so it’s not exactly what I was expecting, but it was fun.

Hated the Char clone, however. 3/5

(At this point I became more obsessed with Tomino than with Gundam, I didn’t really trust that anyone else could write a good UC Gundam story besides him -I’m conflicted about The Origin-.)

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance: Looked like a stereotypical American military story at first, but I liked where the plot went. I still think it’s funny that the protagonist is your typical soldier who lost their spouse, but this time it’s a woman. Who’s also a mom!!! (Yes, this is a very important plot point. Unrelated but it left me once again daydreaming about a story where Elnora was a Gundam protagonist). The ending fails if you’ve watched ZZ. It’s not bad, but you can skip this one.

No Char :( 3/5

Encounters in Space: One night I wanted to treat myself, and went straight to the 3rd Gundam compilation movie. This is my favorite arc from 0079 and the adaptation didn’t disappoint. Completely recommend it.

Right amount of Char. 5/5

Gundam ALC Encounter: An animation short that was projected on the walls of a shopping mall near the Nu Gundam statue in Fukuoka. Basically Lala Suneh reincarnates and becomes a lesbian tiktoker while Amuro and Char punch each other.

I didn’t like Char’s hair here but Lala has a girlfriend. 10/5

Gundam 0080/War in the Pocket: Started like your typical late 80’s kiddie adventure movie (it even sounds like one), ended like a Shakespearean tragedy. I really liked that the conflict wasn’t that big. It’s a more intimate kind of story, and the anti war message is effective. On the other hand, it’s hard for me to believe that the Side authorities just left a Zaku lying there for days, but whatever. Best Christmas special.

No Char but we don’t need him. 4/5

Incomplete series:

Gundam Build Fighters season 1: (first 10 episodes) Looks like a very fun shonen that reminds me heavily of Angelic Layer. However it sucks when it comes to female characters which is unforgivable for me considering that so far Gundam is one of the few shonen/seinen franchises that’s actually pretty decent about women (yeah, even Zeta). I’ll watch the rest once I’m able to turn my brain off for a few hours.

SD Gundam shorts: Some of them are pretty funny but they also suck when it comes to the female characters. I liked the shorts where the mobile suits are in the sengoku era.

Turn A Gundam: (25 episodes so far) Gave it another try after watching the first UC Gundam series and I absolutely love it. The series is super chill, it’s kind of my confort show right now. I really like Loran. So far it looks like it’ll be a 5/5.

Gunplas built this year:

G-Witch Kits: Full Mechanics Aerial, SDEX Aerial, SDW Heroes Aerial Onmitsu (I like Aerial), Suletta Mercury, Gundam Calibarn.

UC Kits: SDEX Nu Gundam (currently painting it), Gundam MK II, Semi-transparent HaroPla.

It’s still a pretty fun hobby. I found out that the SD kits are perfect to begin practicing painting and customization, so I’ll be trying that out. I also want to try out some RG and MG kits if I’m able to buy them.

TBR List:

So I haven’t read much of the Gundam manga and novels yet. But there’s stuff I really want to read:

*Beltorchika’s Children *The Hathaway Novels *Crossbone Gundam *Vanadis Heart *That one G-Witch spin-off *Char’s Daily Life (I would like to read the whole thing this time).

If you have more recs let me know. :)

[ariainstars]

Thoughts on the “Wicked” movie (2024)

Film version of the famous musical by Stephen Schwartz, Wicked tells the story of the Wizard of Oz from the point of view of the Witch of the West, named in honor of the author L. Frank Baum = Elphaba.

Not a perfect film but I found it to be a pleasant film version of a musical that I love very much (I even traveled to London years ago to see it.) The music is engaging, the lyrics are often very wise, and since stories that actually focus on friendships between women are rare, this one is very touching.

Not so good

On the negative side, I found the colors too violent (probably a tribute to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, which was in technicolor when most films were still in black and white) and the many details overloaded, right down to the costumes and hairstyles. All those details, including e.g. the trays the Shiz students eat from: it’s just too much. Thank goodness the story is so intense that all of the surroundings are not enough to distract the viewer. The character of G(a)linda who always wears pink seems to be modeled on Barbie. (For the record: on stage, she didn't just wear pink but also other colours.) When the story finally turns dramatic it is a relief for eyes and mind.

Another flaw is the length: the film lasts two and a half hours and it is only the first act, for the second we will have to wait until next year.

Plot holes

Why did everyone fall asleep when Elphaba made the pollen come from the poppies, except for herself and Fiyero?

Where did he bring the lion „to safety“, did he just leave it alone in the woods?

Why is Madame Morrible in the same scheme as the wizard, wanting a common enemy for the people in Oz?

Highlights

Having seen the musical I remembered that Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero were three friends; but maybe I’m wrong. In any case, I like that this is not your typical trauma bonding, because Elphaba and Glinda grow close before the drama at the Emerald City takes place, they do not overcome their hostility due to a trial they have to undergo together.

A great scene is when we see Elphaba learning how to fly; in the musical this is very sudden and unexplained.

Cynthia Erivo, who gives the character of Elphaba a previously unknown note of vulnerability, is excellent in the role; Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero convinces with his portrayal of a man who has more intelligence and sensitivity than he shows.

Particularities

There are clearly allusions or inspirations from other stories, for example Elphaba can levitate objects (does she have the Force? 😊), and Shiz’s university is reminiscent of Hogswarth, there is also the special train which travels to Emerald City.

During the Emerald City sequence there is a cameo by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the artists who first gave life to the two protagonists on Broadway. If you like musicals, run and buy tickets: fans are storming cinemas and social media with Elphaba’s battle cry: “Everyone deserves the chance to fly!”

[pencil-peach]

G Witch Onscreen Text: Episode 1

This is the second part of a project where I try my best to document and discuss all of the (relatively important) text that appears on monitors and screens in G Witch. Cause I can.

<< Click here to see the one I did on the Prologue

ooOOooohhh beneath the cut lie the HORRORS....

Just to give you an idea of how needlessly hard they went on the monitor text, when Suletta is rescuing Miorine, she mentions that she's almost out of oxygen, and then, when she brings her into Aerial's cockpit, on her helmet, you can faintly see text displaying the amount of oxygen.

And THEN, when she starts talking to Miorine, the text on her helmet changes AGAIN to display that the comm link has been established

WHY DID THEY DO THAT????

Well clearly they did it cause they knew my stupid ass would eventually document it. Anyway, let us begin.

TEXT: I am a HARO. You can ask me anything! (The only text on the icons I can make out are MAP and SCHOOL, unfortunately.)

This is the HARO navigation bot Suletta meets when first coming to Asticassia, and we know that it's Haro Navigation System Ver. 3.0! If that's something that interests you....

TEXT: MOBILE CRAFT FUTURE TECHNOLOGY SIZE 6.6m 18.8t

Not much of note, it's just a hologram of a mobile craft. Exciting if you like mobile crafts. (I like mobile crafts)

When the Docks containing the Demi Trainers are locked, the display says LOCKED. When they're in use, the display says IN OPERATION.

TEXT: (Left) PILOTING DEPARTMENT KP001 GUEL JETURK MO-0032G GUEL'S DILANZA 26 WINS 0 LOSS 0 TIE

(Right) PILOTING DEPARTMENT KP029 PARKER EASTCOTT TKG-328 KAPELL-KUU 2 WINS 1 LOSS 1 TIE

The Battle Display for the first duel we see in the show, and from this we can see that Guel currently stands undefeated with 26 wins! Double digits! No wonder he's the ace pilot at Asticassia...too bad he's a dick.

This is the graph that's shown during the Benerit Group board meeting, detailing the earnings of the groups members for the current period.

Interestingly, the 3 highest earners are: Peil Technologies - 8000 Grassley Defense Systems - 8100 Jeturk Heavy Machinery - 8300

So, funnily enough, at the beginning of the story, Jeturk Heavy Machinery is actually the most successful company within the group. It explains why Vim Jeturk felt so comfortable in his plot to assassinate Delling, and goes to show how quickly he fell from the top position after Guel lost to Suletta all those times.

Fun Fact by the way, Prospera's first appearance in the show proper is during this meeting.

She seems kind of annoyed about something.

TEXT: DUEL COMMENCING FIRST TO BREAK MS BLADE ANTENNA IS THE WINNER

We don't see it very often, but during a duel, a display stating the win condition of the duel is broadcast for the benefit of the spectators.

When Miorine boards Aerial for the duel, we get a look at its system control menu.

Top to bottom, left to right, the options are: COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER IDENTIFICATION FRIEND FLIGHT DATA RECORDER NAVIGATION DISPLAY WEAPON SELECTION CONDITION MONITOR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM GROUND POWER UNIT INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULE SIMULATOR INSTRUMENT APPROACH CHART INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEM APPROACH POINT RAM AIR TURBINE

We also get a brief look at the Weapon Selection Sub-Menu

TEXT: SELECT YOUR WEAPON BEAM SABER BEAM RIFLE BEAM VULCAN

I think a lot of the main settings are interesting (what the hell is "Identification Friend?") but what's really interesting to me is that Aerial's Gundbits don't seem to be selectable via the Weapon Menu.

We also get a brief glimpse at the Red Dilanza's control menu.

No idea what I'm looking at, to be totally honest, but yknow. It's nice!

TEXT: EMERGENCY BUTTON

When Suletta intrudes into the duel and gets back in Aerial, we see that it has an emergency button (seemingly somewhere on its foot) that opens the cockpit.

TEXT: COMMUNICATION MODE -OUTERCOM-

When Suletta headbutts Miorine and they start arguing about Aerial, Aerial's comms system gets set to OUTERCOM mode, which explains why everyone outside of Aerial can hear the argument.

This could have been done by accident when Suletta headbutted Miorine, but I like to believe that Eri herself did this on purpose.

Just so it isn't left unsaid, Aerial's Permet ID is XVX-016, and when a combatant in a duel is the Holder, the Holder Symbol is displayed on their Duel Card.

When Suletta is telling Miorine about her mother's motto, the GUND-Bits appear on the monitor and come online as Aerial 'speaks.' This, combined with the fact that the GUND-Bits aren't accessible via the Weapon Select menu, implied all the way back in episode one that it's Eri who controls them. Although interestingly, it seems that, internally, the GUND-Bits are referred to as GUNBITS.

I obviously won't transcribe the two pages of this book, but the book El4n is reading here is actually The World as Will and Representation by German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. We actually see its title in a later episode, and the main ideas present in this work are extremely important when it comes to understanding El4n's character. But that's a story for another post.

TEXT:

YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE DUEL.

thanks!

TEXT: HOLDER REGISTRATION [SETTINGS]

I always thought it was a little funny how the transferring of the holder title was just like, an option on their phones and not an automatic process.

ADDENDUM:

Thank you to @the-eeveekins for pointing out that Aerial is currently running SYS Ver E.S (Ericht Samaya) as opposed to 2.0 in the Lfrith!

I didn't even notice!! That's crazy!!! Thank you so much!

Also I realize I should probably point out that we see that Nika's ID is LM236 in this photo. She never duels so there's never a moment where she says it out loud.

And that's all for episode 1! Not too much super interesting, but there's still a lot to see and think about if you're paying attention! (Like, why does Aerial have a Cockpit Voice Recorder at all, actually? We know that Suletta often talks with Aerial in the cockpit about personal stuff so...you don't think that....Prospera....?)

Click here to go to Episode 2! >>

Click here to go to the Masterpost!

[grnlght]

🗣 did i send this in yet? anyway! all dynamics :)

Send 🗣 to hear what my muse thinks of yours

riley & susan

riley attempts to bite back a smirk. "off the record? you aren't going to use anything i say in those lusting rain self-insert stories, are you?" he doesn't care either way. if what he says about his girlfriend'll inspire a brand new story susan'll eagerly show him and ask for a personal demonstration, then so be it. "susan is one in a million." his smile stretches across his lips — a smile that can only be coaxed out of him by susan herself or the thought of her. "i've written countless songs to say how i feel about her, but to say it bluntly? i love her. she's the best thing to ever happen to me, and i'll be damned if anyone tries to take her from me. i spent a lot of years fucking around and wasting time with witches and muggles i could give two shits about. so when susan came back into my life? yeah, it was a scary feeling. she's like a breath of fresh air after i spent years enduring the stale dead air of whatever life i had before susan. she's kind and fierce and hilarious and hot and adorable — i care about her more than i've cared about anybody before. and she's mine."

riley & carter

"if he wasn't so goddamn obsessed with sleeping with my girlfriend, i might have something nice to say. fuck him, and fuck that dumb ass song too."

esme & susan

"susan and i clicked immediately." esme says, nodding as she recalls the first time in a while esme showed up to a lusting rain gig. she wasn't planning to, but she hadn't seen hudson, riley, and seb ( and she supposes, carter ) in months. "i was so surprised when i found out this sweet angel was dating the devil's second-in-command, but she really is heaven sent! riley's a whole new person now that he's dating susan and... i don't know. truthfully, i'm a bit jealous of her sometimes. not that i think carter's a catch or anything, but it would have been nice if i had the same effect susan does on riley when i was dating carter." esme shrugs, shaking her head. it doesn't matter anymore. "susan's amazing. riley doesn't deserve her and i'll remind him every day."

esme & connor

a knowing smile appears on her lips at the thought of her boyfriend — a title she'd been hesitant to use since her last unfortunate experience. but connor? he was... he was surprising. her heart couldn't help but let him in even as much as she tried to resist. "he's an idiot. my idiot, but an idiot." esme's eyes glance to the wand holster on the inquirer, and she deems it safe to add, "did you know he pretended to be my cat for months?" she laughs, the memory now drawing fond emotions rather than the anger she'd felt when she first found out. "connor's sweet. i love messing with him — he gets flustered so easily. and you know that saying about chivalry being dead? it doesn't apply to connor. he's a gentleman and..." she smiles softly, her cheeks flushing. "i feel safe with him. my heart feels safe with him."

esme & carter

esme's mood shifts immediately. her expression tightens and the light in her eyes vanishes. "we used to be really close. i considered him one of my best friends, honestly. and then... i don't know what happened. we started dating and it was like whatever filter i was seeing him in vanished. he's a dick. an inconsiderate dick who doesn't realize what he did to me."

seb & susan

"susan's awesome! she's really nice and i love hanging out with her." sebastian says easily. "we got closer when riley was being riley. a blessing in disguise because now my skin's never been better — susan gets the good facemasks."

alex & evangeline

"evie's unlike anyone i've met before. she takes what she wants because she knows she deserves it and she doesn't care what anyone thinks. i love that about her." not many women crashed weddings with the intent to break up the couple she's never met before. "she's gorgeous too. i don't think my camera's loved anyone more than evangeline. i swear she looks good even when i don't tell her i'm taking a photo." he's even got one of the pictures he'd taken of her up on his fridge.

astrid & tracey

astrid smiles at the thought of tracey. "i like her a lot, obviously. i wouldn't be spending the little spare time i have between my jobs if i didn't absolutely adore her. i think... she's been through some heartache that she just can't quite get over." her brows furrow, remembering the hesitation tracey had when astrid reached for her hand the first time. "but i get it, you know? it takes time and i'm okay with waiting until she's ready to open up again."

[gatormeister]

Gundam Reconguista in G

I liked it, but please, please slow down from time to time. The whole third movie was rushing like it was trying to tun a marathon in record time, I could barely keep track of what was going on in that movie. Thankfully movies four and five were much much better paced.

The mobile suits were an absolute treat all throughout, it's such a shame the rest of the high grade line doesn't get reprinted outside of the G-Self right now. There's so many I'd love to build. The environmental design in G-Reco is also just absolutely fantastic, alongside the character designs. The ost was average for most of it, but I really enjoyed some of the tracks in the last two movies.

We have the Megafauna, Capital Guard, Capital Army, Ameria, Towasanga, and the Venus Globe as the main factions in this series. The capital guard is split up between the Megafauna and Capital Army relatively quickly. The Capital Army and Amerian Army go to war over photon batteries. The Megafauna is unofficially aligned with the Amerian Army, but has the ability to act semi-independently as "space pirates." Towasanga... I'm not sure what Towasanga is anymore. I thought they were the ones producing the photon batteries at first, but then the Venus Globe ended up being that, and now Towasanga is just sort of... a random space colony that survived the Universal Century I guess? And as mentioned the Venus Globe makes and ships the Photon Batteries that everyone relies on, but at the cost of its residents (At least the ones that are long lived I think?) deteriorating as a result of loving in space.

That's a lot of factions, and I don't think a single one of them actually gets fleshed out enough to leave a massive impact save for the Megafauna. The Capital Army and Amerian forces come close, but that's only really because we have characters like Klim Nick and Luin to sometimes follow around. Towasanga felt completely wasted since you barely get to see any of it or its inner workings. The Capital Guard splits between the Capital Army and Megafauna. And the Venus Globe actually does get some exploration, but it's really only to show the characters why life in space really isn't the shining future they think it is.

As for characters, they're good, but there's just way too many for them all to be properly developed by the end. Bellri and Aida are mostly fine, Luin is okay it starts out looking like he's gonna be fighting for the Kuntala cause at first, but then he's kind of just a generic villain with an evil laugh and everything for most of it up until he decides Bellri's a future dictator waiting to happen at the very end, Manny is actually pretty good even if her arc revolves around becoming a better pilot and stronger person for Luin, Raraiya was horribly underutilized and minimized in importance after she gets her memories back, and the rest of the secondary cast does their jobs well enough.

Overall though the pacing really did kill a lot of the fun. The first movie felt like it was a little weirdly quick, but was fine. The second movie definitely started to feel it picking up from like a fast walk to a jog. And then movie three was like a full on sprint. Movies four and five felt a lot better, but by then the damage was already done. If G-Witch needed just maybe two to three more episodes to better explore a small handful of things, G-Reco needed at least a couple more movies worth of runtime to explore everything it wanted to show.

That said, it was still a fun enough ride, and the next time I jump into a Gundam series it will be with After War Gundam X.

[the-haunted-office]

I can't decide which horror book to read next. Please help me decide! Book summaries under the cut.

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

Since the 1970s, FantasticLand has been the theme park where “Fun is Guaranteed!” But when a hurricane ravages the Florida coast and isolates the park, the employees find it anything but fun. Five weeks later, the authorities who rescue the survivors encounter a scene of horror. Photos soon emerge online of heads on spikes outside of rides and viscera and human bones littering the gift shops, breaking records for hits, views, likes, clicks, and shares. How could a group of survivors, mostly teenagers, commit such terrible acts?

Presented as a fact-finding investigation and a series of first-person interviews, FantasticLand pieces together the grisly series of events. Park policy was that the mostly college-aged employees surrender their electronic devices to preserve the authenticity of the FantasticLand experience. Cut off from the world and left on their own, the teenagers soon form rival tribes who viciously compete for food, medicine, social dominance, and even human flesh. This new social network divides the ravaged dreamland into territories ruled by the Pirates, the ShopGirls, the Freaks, and the Mole People. If meticulously curated online personas can replace private identities, what takes over when those constructs are lost?

Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman

Sabrina Haskins and her family have just moved into their dream home, a gorgeous Craftsman in the rapidly-growing Southwestern city of Jackson Hill. Sabrina’s a bored and disillusioned homemaker, Hal a reverse mortgage salesman with a penchant for ill-timed sports analogies. Their two children, Damien and Michaela, are bright and precocious. At first glance, the house is perfect. But things aren’t what they seem. Sabrina’s hearing odd noises, seeing strange visions. Their neighbors are odd or absent. And Sabrina’s already-fraught relationship with her son is about to be tested in a way no parent could ever imagine. Because while the Haskins family might be the newest owners of 4596 James Circle, they’re far from its only residents…

A Lonely Broadcast by Kel Byron

If you find yourself driving down a winding mountain road near an endless stretch of pines, try tuning in to 104.6 FM: the radio station that shouldn't exist.

The village of Pinehaven has a secret of monstrous proportions. Evelyn McKinnon, a radio host falling on hard times, finds herself utterly unprepared when she learns that the radio station isn't just for entertainment. It's a watchtower.

She's stalked by a bird with human eyes. Her new co-host won't stop singing show tunes. And when the fog rolls in, the beasts of Pinehaven Forest begin their brutal hunt. Evelyn and her friends are suddenly face-to-face with something much scarier than ravenous flesh-giants and vengeful spirits: responsibility.

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian

Sadie Grace is wanted for witchcraft, dead (or alive). And every hired gun in Kansas is out to collect the bounty on her head, including bona fide witch hunter Old Tom and his mysterious, mute ward, Rabbit. On the road to Burden County, they’re joined by two vagabond cowboys with a strong sense of adventure – but no sense of purpose – and a recently widowed schoolteacher with nothing left to lose. As their posse grows, so too does the danger. Racing along the drought-stricken plains in a stolen red stagecoach, they encounter monsters more wicked than witches lurking along the dusty trail. But the crew is determined to get that bounty, or die trying.

All the Fiends of Hell by Adam L. G. Nevill

Seeing the morning is no blessing. The handful of scattered survivors are confronted by blood-red skies and an infestation of predatory horrors that never originated on earth. An occupying force intent on erasing the remnants of animal life from the planet. Across the deserted landscapes of England, bereft of infrastructure and society, the overlooked can either hide or try to outrun the infernal hunting terrors. Until a rumour emerges claiming that the sea may offer an escape. Ordinary, unexceptional, directionless Karl, is one of the few who made it through the first night. In the company of two orphans, he flees south. But only into horrifying revelations and greater peril, where a transformed world and expanding race of ravening creatures await. Driven to the end of the country and himself, he must overcome alien and human malevolence and act in ways that were unthinkable mere days before.

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @dyrewrites, this is a new one for me!

ROY G. BIV Color Tag

(Excerpts taken from Mortal God)

I'll tag @somethingclevermahogony @kosmic-kore @melodicwriter and @amandacanwrite!

.

"Can--- Can--- Can you fix--- fix my eyes yet?"

Astra frowned sympathetically at the robot's plea, but shook her head no. It took her a second to remember that, oh right, it couldn't see.

"I gotta get your heart pump all fixed up first," she explained, gesticulating wildly with the red-hot tip of her rune-carved wand. "The line to your eyes ain't in runnin' order, so the runes up there can't be activated, as I figure the presence of your hydraulic fluid doubles as an activation condition for all your bodily runes. Pretty standard trick. Keeps 'em from constantly drawin' on the Veil, which'd be about as much good as a person with all they're muscles constantly contracted. Ya catch all that?"

The robot was silent for a while, leaving only the faint sound of whirring gears and Astra's summoned jazz suite to fill the wagon.

Then, it coughed out, "C-can't say--- say I did."

.

An explosion of incendiary orange burst from the woman’s midsection as Ivander wasted no time in taking advantage of his now-open target. Astra palmed another black ribbon. Those shadows probably had a few seconds at most. She had to be prepared once they started to fade.

Screaming like a princess in a bad stage play, Vermir looked up towards Astra with a trembling lower lip. She seemed about to burst into tears before her scream faded and a low giggle burbled up to take its place.

.

The conner shook his head distastefully, then gestured to a fatigued figure that could've only been an intern to run and grab the records, which she did as a sukly pace. Soon, Ivander was brought back into an enclosed room, decorated with the promised table and chairs, though much to his disappointment, they were the hard wooden kind. Muttonchops went around the room and lit several gas lamps, which cast the sterile space in a steady yellow glow.

"How quaint," Ivander murmured. He hadn't seen a gas lamp in years.

.

But Mashal was right, she did feel beat to shit. And no one had ever bought her flowers before. The witch deemed it a suitable replacement.

"Astra," Mashal called nervously, "what's your favorite color?"

"You ain't gonna like it if I say green, are ya?"

"Try again."

"Purple then."

.

"And how can you tell what I'm thinking?" Ivander challenged dubiously.

"Your face goes all blue. It's easy to tell when a pale bastard like you blushes." Ceyrel tapped the side of her crimson-skinned cheek. "Especially when you have literal blue blood."

.

Ivander looked up at him with those too-blue eyes and the man was surprised to see tears glimmering at the edges. Where before his skin had been pale, his face was now flushed a dark indigo where it wasn't covered by streaks of teal foam. The detective was ashamed, Mashal realized. Ashamed that he couldn't let go, ashamed of what would happen if he did.

.

Mashal looked and could see that the runes on the floor were alight with writhing energy, painting the warehouse in a baleful violet. Like fire, he thought. It was as if the place were burning with purple fire.

[void-botanist]

What kinda technology do people use to listen to music in the locality space setting? Is it the same as irl or is there cool sci-fi technology for it, or both? Is it different for pajiir and delphonus?

This is such a good question, Kendrick, and it helped me iron out some worldbuilding thoughts about warps. I'm guessing this came from my ask answer about Pat's old stuff, which got me kind of stuck to start - the reason he has old music stuff is because in Old Canon he was the music guy, king of the radio. The canon was weird back then, with Spinder's whole family being faeries living on Earth. I believe canonically Spinder was born in 1958, so radio and record players were a big part of his childhood. But factoring in all of the locality space worldbuilding, and keeping my timeline straight, I think it's a little more complicated.

The space era that they live in, with relatively easy access to space and permawarps, came to be about 90-100 years ago, which means that's about when there started to be a major shift in music delivery, because you could then receive music via warp from just about anywhere. I think there was already essentially a galaxy-sized Napster network, because warp witches and also starships existed before the launch era, but in terms of radio/streaming formats that's when things really took off. The only problem was you needed a warp receiver, and at first the only stable mechanical warps were those generated by enchanted machine song, which meant that all of your music was delivered with extra noise, something like how CRT TVs make high-pitched whining noises. Not ideal, but extremely popular. Then someone figured out how to besmallen the technology used for warp gates, and true hi-fi warp radio was born. Which is a long-winded way of saying by the time Pat was born 40 years ago this was a solved problem. The thing is, I always imagined him having vintage stuff because it's stuff from when he grew up, not because he's a collector (though he could be that too). So what makes his music paraphernalia outdated?

Partly it's that it still relies on midsize receivers, which are still small enough to fit in a stereo, but fill a very different niche than the much smaller receivers that became available when he was a teenager and that he probably still owns instances of. I also think he's kind of a nerd about music stuff and was into amateur radio, warp and otherwise, for a while, so he has that stuff too. Also, despite the fact that magic allows most ship environments to be fairly planet-like, oh boy is it easy to market a music storage format to planetsiders based on the fact that it could work in zero g. Don't ask me how it works in zero g, but it does, somehow. Maybe not even well, because that's not the point - 99% of buyers are going to be using it in an environment with gravity. But in general formats did get hardier. I think it would be extremely funny if current music storage formats are just like. cuboids. and you put them in the player slot and its suspension-laser-refraction array can read a shit ton of data out of it, sort of like encoding things in diamonds. I'm not totally sure about that one but making the jump from "space CD" to "music cube" or something similar would make a lot of stuff outdated. So I guess to answer your second question it's kind of the same, especially for planetsiders (radio waves never became obsolete &c.) but there's some weird scifi stuff in there somewhere beyond warp receivers, which are pretty everyday.

Now for Pajiir and Delphonus I do actually have a more solid answer, which is: it's mostly the same as real life, with some 1920s-30s flavoring, though a lot of technology is circuit mycelium on the inside, and the internet has been around a whole lot longer so the concept of streaming/digital files/internet radio is even more established. That said, there is one fictional format that actually is integral to the whole plot of Icepith: the twist. (I swear I had a cooler name for it but this works.) The basic concept is that pieces of music tracks are recorded on metal wires and twisted together as essentially an industrial cable segment. A player can play them all in tandem, but importantly, you can untwist the twist and replace parts of it, which makes remixing easy and has led to a huge remixing culture among imbrath (the underground bat people, like Rolf), and by extension nswl. This is the basis of Snap and Rolf's doomed music career, and of Oruga's pirating. Rolf's friends/lovers who supply Oruga are wire producers.

[wordsandrobots]

OK, I have two overall things to say about Gundam SEED: Destiny (I’ve been sick, binging this nominally staved off extreme boredom; spoilers to follow).

Number 1: Arthur Trine is doing his best, damnit, and I hope he got a cup of tea and a sit down once everything was over.

Number 2: what an incredibly frustrating show.

In many ways it is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, freed from literally repeating the same set-pieces of the original Gundam to tell a story that, honestly, has something approaching a meaningful point. Chairman Durandal is a compelling antagonist and the way he and Teen!Le Cookset gradually break the series’ pseudo-protagonist to their perspective is narratively interesting. The underlying message in what he does -- about how those in power pick out enemies that will best serve their ends and present themselves as the reasonable ones -- is definitely worth exploring. And the show even manages to address the Gundam-overload issues from SEED, by more clearly delineating the point of each machine and staggering them a bit more competently.

However. It inherits the problem of its length exceeding its content, leading to more stock-footage abuse and, far less forgivably, *three* clips shows, only one of which (the last, focused on Meer) has any actual merit. It also continues SEED’s determination to screw over every single female character who isn’t Lacus. For the record, I *like* Lacus: she’s a nice execution of someone having a ‘typical’ presentation wrapped around a core of stainless steel conviction, which is something I always enjoy in fiction. However, Cagalli in particular is an utter waste of potential, not being allowed to mature, gain focus, or make a single bloody decision without Kira or Athrun’s input, to the point where it’s actively aggravating to watch.

This is where we hit the limits of the genre and demographic, of course, and once again makes me appreciate literally every female character in IBO because Gundam generally is so very *not good* at this. (Obviously G-Witch is ahead again on the score, thankfully, but IBO is probably the best-case scenario within the ‘fiction aimed at boys’ problems that plague its predecessors.)

Shinn is similarly annoying. It’s not a bad thing he’s abrasive and the endpoint was always going to be him winding up a broken, weeping wreck because he’s too stupid to recognise anything beyond his own feelings. But his trauma flashbacks hit parodic very early and he’s far too irritating to be worth sitting through his screen-time. Like Kira, only the problem is the presence of personality rather than its total fucking absence.

My biggest complaint, however, is reserved for the variety of ways SEED:Destiny buggers up its good ideas. I’d have liked it a lot more if ‘Logos’ hadn’t actually been a thing. ‘Shadowy conspiracy doing [bad thing] from the shadows in the name of profit’ is the kind of message that gets slung around a lot in real life with no justification whatsoever and it really doesn’t help counter the people who do that if you hinge your plot on ‘no the Illuminati actually do have a giant laser on the moon.’ The cleverer and more cutting twist would have been to reveal there was no actual group called Logos and while the people Durandal named might have had interests in common, he was really just lumping them together for his own convenience.

You know. As scapegoats. Like the way this goes in reality, with the matters that this show is sticking its oar in and trying to Say Something about.

But no, because once more, this is a story interested in emotional reactions and personal epiphanies over any sort of systemic question because, well . . . that’s typical, isn’t it? Frustrating but not unexpected. Eureka Seven does nearly everything SEED/SEED:Destiny attempts better and that is hardly the first case of that happening with a Gundam show. Possibly this is just galling me more than usual because there are so many [swerves around the obvious pun] traces of a more interesting story here.

Oh well. Mu steadily getting his memories back was fun and I shall be taking the final epilogue to mean he, Murrue and Andrew settled down to a life of coffee-fueled polyamory. Yzak yeeting himself on to the right side of the final battle through sheer indignation was actually kind of funny. And I will give it credit, this did feel like one of the more meaningful ‘final battles to destroy a giant super-weapon’ out of the many, many times Gundam has done that (including in SEED, for gods’ sake). If nothing else, I appreciate the chutzpah of having Durandal rock up in an off-brand Death Star, right down to a recoloured Emperor’s chair.

Whatdyouknow. I actually did have something to say about this one. I think that just leaves Victory for main series I haven’t watched (I finished G Fighter; it was joyfully ridiculous). That probably won’t be changing any time soon. Ranking wise . . . SEED:Destiny probably sits around equal with 00 for me.

[mythicalmagical-monkeyman]

the group chat continuesssss, also we get to introduce oc :3 @fruity-legos & @murkystarlight

under the cut as per usual.

Summary: Beau gets added back on along with Volks (oc)

Additional Tag: Friendly bullying

Shadow Hunter has left “Dummies in Villainy”. 

Tech Queen: HAAA  

The Insomniac: … did he just leave? 

Tech Queen: yep. 

Tech Queen: lol, what a loser 

The Insomniac: I didn’t even use that many sparkle emojis :( 

Never Witch: you can leave 

Tech Queen: … i mean 

Tech Queen: yes technically 

The Insomniac: not that I will let you

The Insomniac: I need to keep track of my allies and enemies especially when I’m faced with those… aggravating Brooklyn kids 

Never Witch: Well I can agree with that 

The Insomniac: Anyway, Nova dear can you add Hunter back on, and Volks while you're at it? I noticed he was missing  

Tech Queen: yeah i can added them 

Tech Queen: but rip off sparky, really? 

The Insomniac: yes

Tech Queen has added Beau_ and VOLKS to “Dummies in Villainy”. 

Tech Queen has made Beau_ admin. 

Tech Queen has changed username of Beau_ to “Shadow Hunter” and username of The Insomniac to “Owl Boss”. 

Shadow Hunter: fuck 

Shadow Hunter: why am I back 

VOLKS: YOOOOO WHAT UP PARTY PEOPLE

Owl Boss: hello Volks, glad you could join us 

Shadow Hunter: and Volks is here too

Shadow Hunter: g r e a t 

Shadow Hunter: someone shoot me 

Owl Boss: it’s like he’s allergic to fun  

Tech Queen: no no no it’s the genetics. 

Owl Boss: ahh 

VOLKS: HEYO WHO’S THE WITCH LADY IN CHAT???

Owl Boss: oh yes. Volks this is the Never Witch, lady of memories. Never Witch this is Volks, he’s one of the new additions to my team

VOLKS: yep that’s me, number one racer in all of the dream world definitely not that RED POSER and the GIRL WITH THAT DAMN BUNNY, no matter what the records say 

VOLKS: i’m better and FASTER 

VOLKS: THAN BOTH OF THEM

Never Witch: he is very loud 

Tech Queen: and egotistical *cough* 

VOLKS: HEY- 

VOLKS: am not 

Shadow Hunter: he’s also named after a car 

Tech Queen: that too 

VOLKS: I AM NOT 

VOLKS: ITS NAMED AFTER ME

Tech Queen: … so like I was saying, smth smth ego 

Shadow Hunter: I hate that I laughed at that 

VOLKS: You’re both being VERY RUDE- 

Shadow Hunter has changed username of VOLKS to “Mouth Thunder”. 

Tech Queen: oh my goddd 

Tech Queen: LMAO 

Mouth Thunder: WHAT

Mouth Thunder: CHANGE MY NAME BACK 

Shadow Hunter: n o. 

Mouth Thunder: CHANGE IT- 

Shadow Hunter: to quote my daughter and her friend group 

Shadow Hunter: let me say this in a language you can understand, it’s called Spanish and the answer is “no” 

Mouth Thunder: AWAEDFYHJIDQRIQEFVKP

Owl Boss: well good to see everyone is having fun and getting along 

Never Witch: what in the world was that letter jumble 

Tech Queen: girl I need to give you a crash course on technology because holyyy  

Owl Boss: That might be beneficial, yes. 

Owl Boss: I will add it to the “to do” list 

[sarah-j-herbison]

Spirit Board

The police found her car parked on the side of I 70, abandoned. She was dead, most people missing past 48 hours don’t make it. 

“We found her this morning in a wooded area, the dental records were a match.”

“Yeah, it’s her, how did -”

“The autopsy hasn’t been preformed yet, but they’re assuming it was blunt force trauma. There’s an open investigation on details I can discuss.”

The phone went silent and I nodded, in a daze. Feeling sick to my stomach, I and told the officer I had to leave, hanging up the phone. Walking  into my living room I grabbed a pillow, crying until my throat hurt and my eyes swollen. 

Come on, you have to pull yourself together. I blew my nose and hiccupped. The silence was peirced by a phone call. 

“This is Detective Thompson. I know this is a difficult time for you, but can you come into the station for questioning?”

“S..sure.” All the tears had left my voice, at this point everything was cold and numb, like wading through static. 

“Will three-thirty work for you?”

No time was good for me, but what choice did I have? If I refused it would seem suspicious. “Yea, I’ll come down.”

“I’m so sorry this happened, Ms. Kelly, but the more information we have the sooner we can solve this.”

Or the sooner you can lazily pin this on someone and close the case. “I understand, you have my full cooperation. I want this solved too.”

“Alright, we’ll see you then.”

The phone went silent. 

She had died horribly, and I was going to find out who did this and make them suffer. Suffer worse than she had. Outside of my house was a pile of firewood. I searched it until I found a plank of oak. I would make a spirit board, but not the cheap Ouija that Parker Brothers shilled out to curious teenagers.

I carefully burned the words into the wooden panel. The smell of scorched cedar stung my lungs and my eyes were sore from crying , it didn’t matter. I found a pattern of the sun and moon and followed each detail until both images were pristine.  I struck my index finger with a sewing needle and the thirsty wood absorb my blood. Choosing a smaller block of wood, I carved a planchette, it was nothing more than a simple pointer but it would work. Finally, I placed a photo of Lily at the top. By the time my work was completed my hands were sore and the sun was breaking out over the sky. 

Concentrating I asked what the board wanted. I was so exhausted the planchette floated to the letters with no fanfare.

G O T O SLEEP.

“Lily, is that you?”

YES.

“How can I help?”

D R E A M

 The air suddenly grew cold and I wrapped a blanket around me. I wanted to sink into the couch, into the floor and into the cold damp earth, never to wake again.

I woke to the weight of cold chains around my ankles,  pleading with the man to let me go. The smell of exhaust at the engine started and the searing pain at my body dragged against the road. 

I woke to my heart pounding and my couch drenched in sweat. It was dark out, the clock silently ticking. My phone read that it was close to three am, the witching hour. There were five missed calls from the local police department. 

I made some coffee and drank it black, enjoying it’s warmth and bitterness. My phone vibrated against me and answered. The tired officer on the other line, I told him that I passed out and I was sorry and agreed to meet him in the afternoon for questioning. 

I reviewed my handiwork from the night before. A plain cedar board with ornate wooden letters carved into it. The sun and moon looked ornate, the yes and no were slightly off center but that didn’t matter. I took some silver and gold paint and filled in the sun and moon before slapping a clear code of lacquer over the board. Parker Brother’s eat your heart out.

I got into my small silver car and left toward the police station. Entering the office to a tired looking officer with thinning hair. 

“Candace Williams, I’m here to discuss the Lily Henderson case.”

The officer’s eyes dropped. “Ma’am, I’m sorry for your loss. I’m detective Thompson. please come on back to the office.”

The office was surprisingly cozy. A simple desk with a computer sat next to a few office chairs. I took a seat in one as the Detective sat across from me.

“Ms. Williams, can I get you anything, a coffee or donut perhaps?” He smiled warmly.

“Coffee, if that’s ok.”

“Sure thing.” He left the room and came back with a small paper cup. “It ain’t Starbucks but it’ll get the job done. I am so sorry for your loss. Any information that you have about Lilly that will help us solve this case is would be greatly appreciated.”

“Do you know what happened to her?” A tear fell from my eye.

“It’s still under investigation. We're working to resolve this for you and her family.” He lowered his head. “Do you remember the last time you saw her?”

I racked my brain trying to remember when I last saw her. “It was three weeks ago. We were going to meet up and she never showed. I called her phone she never answered, I thought she was busy.  I should have checked in on her and have been a better friend.” My chest tightened as tears clouded over my eyes.

“Candace, none of this is your fault.” His tone calmed my frazzled nerves. “I have a daughter and I’m terrified of what could happen to her. Ma’am I’m going to do everything I can to get this monster off the street, but you’ve got to help me. Do she mention anyone following her? Any stalkers, or any jealous ex boyfriends?”

“Lily did mention her ex, his name was James Martin, I think. They had a major falling out and she stayed at my house for a few weeks, he had been harassing her online but I never thought it would come to this.”

“Do you know his address? What kind of vehicle he drove? Anything you can remember.”

“A Toyota Tacoma, black. I don’t remember a plate number…” A flashback of the vision interuppted my thoughts, the black truck, the chains, the screaming. “663YET, I think, I’m not a hundered percent sure on it.” 

“It’s ok, anything you can remember, you’re a great help. Do you want some water? You look a little bit peeked.”

“I’ll take some more coffee if you have it.”

“You’re going to be up all night.”

His warm nature made me smile in spite of myself as he refilled my cup of coffee and handed me a glazed donut, my stomach growled as I realized I forgot to eat since afternoon yesterday.

“Thank you, and it’s ok, I work night shift.”

“Understood. do you remember anything else about James?”

“He’s a big guy, reddish brown hair. He had a beard the last time I saw him. Lily would stay at my place to avoid him. He used to work at Wells Fargo with us, before they had layoffs.”

“Was he ever threatening towards you?”

“Not to my face, he didn’t like her hanging out with me. That's really all I have right now”

“Ok. Are you ok to drive home?” His eyes had a fatherly concern.

“I’ll be ok, if it makes you feel better I can text you when I get home.”

“I’d hate to impose-”

“It’s no problem.” Nodding,  I gathered my purse and left the station. I went home scrolled on my phone to James's socials. They were full of the same misogynistic speeches, hunting pictures and the confederate flag. But the photo of his truck and plate were in plain view.

At sunset I placed the spirit board on the middle of my alter and lit a black and red candle. Holding the planchette in my hands, I called Lily's name. It trembled as hit floated to Hello.

“Lily, is this you?” I asked, my heart beating rapidly.

YES.

“Was James the one that killed you?”

YES.

My rage surged. “We got him. I gave the police his plate number, he’s going to go away for a long time.”

 N O T G O O D E N O U G H.

“Not enough? I’m doing all that I can, what more do you want?”

D E A T H P A I N H E L L.

“I hope he gets the death penalty. He needs to suffer.”

The planchette jumped in my hands once again.

Y O U C U R S E H I M

I was a practicing Witch, but I didn’t curse people, then again, I didn’t need to curse anyone up until now. The murder of my best friend seemed a justified reason enough to.

My kitchen started to shake and cabinet drawers opened and slammed shut. the air grew so cold I could see my breath in front of me. And at my feet there was my phone and a mason jar. Shaking I picked them both up. I wasn’t practiced in curses, but this was a place to start. 

Lighting some black candles and dragons blood incense,  my bedroom was filled with a soft glow and the scent of resin, wax and roses. I wrote the name James Martin Will Suffer on a sticky note, then I crossed out the vowels and repeating letters. Taking the remaining letters I  rearranged them into a cryptic glyf. Folding up the sigil, spat on it in the Mason jar and covered it with dirt before sealing the lid.

I drove to a near by river. In the past I had volunteered and cleaned litter from its shores, I collected rocks from her banks.

“River spirit, I need your help. Take this jar and run it’s namesake to the bottom. May your water fill his breath and may my sister have her vengeance, by the name of Hecate and Morrigan”   The river carried it before bashing it into a boulder, breaking the jar into sharp shards before whisking it downstream. I prayed that the bastard would meet his end.

 Lily would pound on my walls every night and move my furniture. I went back to the spirit board asking if there was anything she wanted but it was the same message every time.

The grief and lack of sleep were affecting my job, my boss told me to take some leave and provided me the number to a grief counselor. When I was younger I used to bury myself in work to avoid pain, but now it only left me exhausted. I felt brittle as though my whole world was breaking around me. 

I would give my testimony and along with the evidence, James would be sentenced to death. My job was done, the curse was only an accelerant for the inevitable. Except the trial would never come. I went back to the police office and asked for Officer Thompson.

“Ms. Williams?” said the detective. “Are you all right, you seem tired.”

“I am, have you heard anything from James Martin?”

Thompson looked back and fourth. “I think you should come into my office, I’ll get you some coffee.”

“Thank you,” I said, as he lead me back to a small stuffy room shaded by blinds.

“I’m technically not supposed to discuss this with civilians, but I know you were her friend. James volunteered his vehicle, the tire tracks don’t match and he has a fairly solid alibi. He was helping some family move some equipment.”

“With his truck.”

“Yes, his truck was out, that’s why we don’t have a lead. Did Lilly have anyone else? Like any one that was giving her the creeps, maybe on social media?”

“No. Her and James were constantly fighting, she never told me about anyone else. I’m sorry. “

“Ma’am, I promise you we’ll do everything we can. We’re talking to her family, we’ll let you know if anything changes if you do the same.”

I felt completely numb as I got into my car, as though I were on another plane of existence, slowly fading away. Rage welled up inside me. But not at the kindly old officer, he was just doing the best he could. James planned this out, and dragged an innocent woman to death where no one could hear her scream. I needed to find proof.

My phone vibrated with a text from an unregistered number.  

:I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.  THEY WON'T FIND YOUR BODY:

My heart froze in my chest as I looked for the number, but the message had disappeared.  Fear burned into rage, the bastard wouldn't get away with this.

I visited James's once for a New Years Eve party, before he forbade Lily from talking to me. He lived on a farm with his parents but in a separate house.  I parked my car in a field at the far end of his property and passed through a wooded area with a sharp ravine. Clambering down the steep path I crossed a wooden bridge over the river, the babble of the water over the stones calmed my jumpy nerves. Climbing up the steep slope I followed the path out of the woods. The estate loomed in the distance. 

Rather than taking the dirt road I walked through the pasture. A few sleepy cows walked passed me, unbothered by my presents. Reaching the estate, I  made my way to the enormous garage. The door was locked tight. 

The wind blew heavily against the garage, so heavy I had to brace myself. I ducked behind the structure as James walked out the door. Cursing under his breath he opened the door to the garage. In the corner loomed a stack of tires lying next to a chain. The image of Lily being dragged down the dirt road flashed through my mind and her screams made my flesh break out in a cold sweat.  A ringing cell phone broke the silence.

“Hello?” said James over the phone.

James's face fell, his skin paled as he ran back into the house. I took out my phone and snapped a photo of the evidence just as James  screamed as I took off running as fast as my legs would carry me. My lungs burned from the cold air as he was gained on me. My legs buckled under me as I made my way through the woods towards the ravine, the river churning beneath me. Turning around to face him, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Why are you trespassing on my property, Candy?”

The words caught in my throat, I was too scared to say anything as he inched towards me.

“Now, you’re going to be a good girl and give me you’re phone.”

“Or what? Why do you want my phone. If you have an alibi you have nothing to worry about.”

His eyes went blank. “What I did to Lily will be nothing compared to what I’ll do to you.”

Death, pain, hell. The words flashed through my mind. I listened to the river beneath me. James lunged towards me but I caught him off balance. He fell sharply down the ravine, landing on a large rock in the river. His bones poking through his shattered leg as he screamed in pain.

“Help!” 

Smiling,  I looked into his pleading eyes before pushing him into the current, not enough to sweep him away but enough to drag the broken limb. His screams were exquisite as buzzards began to circle overhead.

The drive home was peaceful, and I felt heavy and drowsy.  For the last time I rested my hands on the planchette as it drifted towards goodbye. 

[lofidiyrecordingstudio]

We kick off this series of posts with a fun little song from my 2019 album, DIY.

Mr. Sun opens the album with some bright and shiny positivity. It’s upbeat, with some elements that suggest the familiar curves and features of late 60s, early 70s British pop. That was the intention from the start.

Songwriting Process:

In the winter of 2019, my vegetables were outside in the cold, hard soil, being ignored by me because it was a particularly cold winter. Where I live is subtropical, so the summers are wet and green, with a rainy season and a typhoon season appearing almost like clockwork. However, the winters are very cold, not cold enough for snow to fall like the blankets and flurries of our Osaka life some years back, but still cold enough to freeze the outside water pipes, and indeed, the rich dark soil that crunches underfoot.

It was on one of these cold mornings that I was practicing a lovely song called Himawari no Yakusoku「ひまわりの約束」by Hata Motohiro 秦 基博 (a proud Maton Guitars artist!). The capo was on the 3rd fret, a situation I quite like, because it makes my CJ-818 (Country Jumbo acoustic guitar) sound amazing. This guitar is notorious for having a very large bottom end sound, and playing a big E chord used to make my synaesthesia go nuts! So, with the capo on 3rd fret, the bass presence is still felt, and the top strings jangle and dance beautifully in the upper registers.

My fingers were starting to tire of the demands placed on them by this wonderful song, so I grabbed the pick and just started ‘chugging’ on a G-chord shape (with the capo on 3rd fret, this becomes a Bb chord for those following at home).

Immediately, a melody and line popped into my head, suggested by my looking out the window at the greyness being split open by the mid-morning sun appearing over the bamboo forest on the south side of our house.

“Good morning Mr. Sun.”

That was enough to abandon any more Himawari no Yakusoku practice, in favour of teasing out some more sunny vibes from this tiny seed.

The ‘chugging’ feel, at this stage still on ‘G’ (Bb remember?) made me think of The Move’s Goodbye Blackberry Way, but faster.

The melody for the first line intentionally ascended, reflecting the morning motion of the sun itself, but the last note (on “sun”) wasn’t sitting well on the ‘G’ chord, so I moved to a ‘C’ chord (for those of you still following, that’s an Eb), and it really began to take on a shape. Now, the simple act of going from ‘G’ to ‘C’ - up a 4th - opened up a lot of possibilities in terms of musical motifs, so along that path I happily went. 

Still looking out the window at the miserable bamboo forest and frozen vegetable patch, my fingers, still wanting to send chords climbing up, fumbled around an ‘Am’ and ‘D’. This sounded too conventional, and the ‘Am’ soon became an ‘A7’, creating a four-chord major ascending pattern. 

Now, here was an opportunity to apply a cute musical motif called antecedent and consequent.

Basically, antecedent and consequent consists of 2 melodic phrases that compliment each other. Think Black Sabbath’s War Pigs - “Generals gathered in their masses, just like witches at black masses”. The first melodic phrase (antecedent) is ascending, forming an unresolved emotional response, and the second phrase (consequent) is descending, creating an emotional ‘closure’ or resolution.

I already had the first phrase, ascending like the morning sun, so I worked on some ideas for the second line to descend and complete the motivic idea. Lyrically, “Good morning Mr. Sun, the day has just begun,” blew the wind up my skirt, and within an hour of workshopping ideas, recording them onto the iPhone’s voice memo app (really useful!!), and scrawling a rough chord chart on the back of last month’s calendar page (this is a thing in Japan - at the end of each month, rip off the finished month, fold it in half and use it as notepaper), I had the basic shape of the verses. 

I don’t have a great deal of spare time generally, but during the long midwinter months it’s either too cold to spend much time in the veggie patch or there’s not much to be done there, so two weeks I had completed most of the arrangement for Mr. Sun, including all of the lyrics.

Bath-time in Japan is an important part of life, and I can see why. Up to my neck in warm, cozy water, I could focus on writing the lyrics in my head, or at least a jumble of ideas that rhymed, and were rhythmically appropriate.