#They should also be included in the beauty thing right? But it���d be inconsistent world building for She’s concept maybe?

[queerdraws]

Cleaning Out the Rooms - a Harry Du Bois playlist Alcoholism, getting better?, memory loss, being a superstar, The Final Dream, forming political opinions, bad breakups, past transgressions, being a strange and inconsistent being, and persisting despite it all 26 songs (r-slur warning for Turnin’ on the Screw - QotSA)

including: David Bazan, They Might be Giants, The Mountain Goats, British Sea Power (of course), Queens of the Stone Age, and more.  Full track listing and lyric excerpts under the cut

---- Turnin' on the Screw - Queens of the Stone Age (This is the opening track on Era Vulgaris, seemed like an appropriate opening song / introduction to Harry's general essence) ----

... They say those who can't just instruct others And act like victims or jilted lovers You can't lose it if you never had it Disappear, man, do some magic

Want a reason? How's about because You ain't a has been if you never was

I sound like this

Scared to say what is your passion So slag it all, bitter's in fashion Fear of failure's all you've started The jury is in, verdict: r******d

I'm so tired, and I'm wired too I'm a mess; I guess I'm turning on the screw

---- Bless this Mess - David Bazan (Harry being a drunk and a general mess, things going in cycles) ----

God bless the man who stumbles God bless the man who falls God bless the man who yields to temptation God bless the woman who suffers God bless the woman who weeps God bless the children trying her patience Trouble getting over it Is what you're in for So pour yourself another 'Cause it'll take a steady pair of hands Holy or unholy ghost Well now I can't tell, but either way you cut it You should get some distance if you plan to take a stand God bless the house divided God bless the weeds in the wheat God bless the lamp hid under a bushel I discovered hell to be the poison in the well So I tried to warn the others of the curse But then my body turned on me I dreamt that for eternity My family would burn Then I awoke with a wicked thirst

---- Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair - Arctic Monkeys (general Harry vibe.  off-kilter) ----

Break a mirror, roll the dice

...

Find a well-known hard man and start a fight Wear your shell suit on bonfire night Fill in a circular hole with a peg that's square

But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair

...

Bite the lightning and tell me how it tastes Kung fu fighting on your roller skates Do the Macarena in the devil's lair

But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair

---- I've Been Seeing Things - They Might be Giants (feels very Harry's detecting style, surreal happenstance) ----

I've been seeing things I've been seeing things Don't have answers but I've got lots of questions

Carpool's up, someone gets out Hand someone else a violin case I'm trying not to let them see me looking at them But I'm pretty sure there was a dollar sign

Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see stuff Which at first seems like unimportant irrelevant things

Can't just ask some perfect stranger "What are you hiding in your violin case?" Shadow them at a distance instead Try to get inside their head

Where'd they go now (Where'd they go now) I got distracted (I got distracted) Begging me to stay (Begging me to stay) Wearing a disguise (Wearing a disguise) That lady (That lady) Must have ditched the kid (Must have ditched the kid) Hidge the down (Hidge the down) [???] What's she up to now? (What's she up to now?) Trembling cold by the airport road Watching them stack containers in rows Seagulls, helicopter, windblown trash Something doesn't add up

I've been seeing things I've been seeing things No one asks but I'm packing all kinds of attention

Later I'm watching a news report Camera pans across a crime scene Unremarked upon detail Empty violin case Okay maybe not the same case Different material, different color Still you have to wonder Am I the only one who knows

I've been seeing things

---- Music is the Victim - Scissor Sisters (breakup Harry.  drug-addled disco Harry) ----

I left my heart in San Fransisco It's at some motherfucking disco The people there where dancin' on it And that's including Ms. Matronic

Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then so am I

Of your bad fun Money's all gone but you need some Lover's on the phone but they got none Daddy ain't home from the dog run And you're riding through the city with a shotgun

I left my bag in Pasadena Where all them girls was doin' Tina Them bitches sure were crunked up on it I said I'd rather smoke some chronic

Hell if music is the victim then so am I Of lovin' and a cheatin' the snake gon' bite I beg and I scream and I cuss and I cry If music is the victim then so am I

---- Down to Your Soul - Right Away, Great Captain! (about the Final Dream and pre-game Harry) ----

And I see things I actually don't see. I knew it wasn't actually you a few feet from my reach. I looked into your eyes and I began to lose my teeth, And I felt you were dreaming the same thing.

And I know you don't know what I'm capable of But if you give me just one more minute I'm sure That you would be shaking right down to your soul And I'd hope that the fear of the lord brings me home. I'm a man in a body of water so tall Could swallow you whole and forget where he's going But I carved a map in the back of my arm Don't worry I'm coming home I said don't worry cause I'm coming home

---- No Surprises - Radiohead (suicidal harry, pre-game.  Maybe immediately before the game.  A little Big Communism Builder) ----

A heart that's full up like a landfill A job that slowly kills you Bruises that won't heal You look so tired, unhappy Bring down the government They don't, they don't speak for us I'll take a quiet life A handshake of carbon monoxide

And no alarms and no surprises

…

This is my final fit My final bellyache

…

No alarms and no surprises, please (get me out of here)

---- Cleaning Out the Rooms - British Sea Power (The instrumental part seems to have been used / referenced for a background music track.  And also the name of that one thought project. as expected, it fits beautifully.  Wake up in a new life, down by the seaside.  Cleaning out the rooms.  She’ll be coming soon.) ----

Where life is good in a way Swept away upon our hearts, in cold coal ceremonial On a rainy day, hang it up Get the vacuum and suck it in Cleaning out the rooms, I'll clean it up Dark cloud, drifting out of view I'll never know, she'll be coming soon, that is all I'll wake up in a new life, ship shape and shoe shine Cleaning out the rooms, I'll clean it up She'll be coming soon Drifting into view, way in the west, white cloud If everybody knew, I never knew, she'll be coming soon I'll wake up in a new life, down by the seaside In a new life, down by the seaside Cleaning out the room, I'll clean it up Dark clouds, she'll be coming soon Down the chimney, out the window, that is all

---- In the Morning of the Magicians - The Flaming Lips (waking up with no memory, but bad vibes) ----

In the morning I awake

And I couldn't remember What is love and what is hate

The calculations error

Oh, what is love and what is hate? And why does it matter? Is to love just a waste? And how can it matter?

Oh...

As the dawn began to break I had to surrender The universe will have its way Too powerful to master

---- Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads (Huh??  What's happening??  same as it ever was, same as it ever was) ----

And you may ask yourself, "How do I work this?" And you may ask yourself, "Where is that large automobile?" And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful house" And you may tell yourself, "This is not my beautiful wife"

...

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was Same as it ever was, same as it ever was

...

And you may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful house?" And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" And you may ask yourself, "Am I right? Am I wrong?" And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?"

---- Don't Change - David Bazan (alcoholism, cycles of wanting to get better, depression, slipping in to old coping mechanisms, plus a little bit in here about dreams.  This is a song for if Harry continues partying after the memory wipe, I suppose) ----

He seems nice You met him once or twice But you wonder what he's like When he's sober

Then again You hear he has no friends Just people that he spins To do him favors

When he wakes up in the morning he tells himself Today I'll make a change But falling into his bed at night he thinks Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same

I'm so deep That only in my sleep Do the secrets that I keep Float to the surface

So I hold them down Till they don't make a sound Like they accidentally drowned Except on purpose

And when I wake up in the morning I tell myself Today I'll make a change But falling into my bed at night I think Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same

---- Airbag - Radiohead (born again, back to save the universe) ----

In the next world war In a jackknifed juggernaut I am born again In the neon sign scrolling up and down I am born again

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe

In a deep, deep sleep of the innocent I am born again In a fast German car I'm amazed that I survived An airbag saved my life

In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe

---- A Comet Appears - The Shins (puppeting a man-body around pretending to be a living thing. drinking, depression) ----

One hand on this wily comet Take a drink just to give me some weight Some uber-man I'd make I'm barely a vapor

They shone a chlorine light on A host of individual sins Let's carve my aging face off Fetch us a knife Start with my eyes Down so the lines Form a grimacing smile

Close your eyes to corral a virtue Is this fooling anyone else? Never worked so long and hard To cement a failure

---- The Communists Have the Music - They Might be Giants (Big Communism Builder, but especially Harry's shallow understanding of Communism.  Party-boy communist) ----

I got handed an Ayn Rand sandwich Straight from the can, it tasted so bland I asked a lass to pass me a glass Of Engels' Conditions of the Working Class

Right away they dragged me to the committee To explain my un-American activity They're gonna see they made a mistake If they'd only let me play my mixtape

I'm not partial to the martial Or the plutocrats, in their beaver hats And the fascists have the outfits But I don't care for the outfits What I care about is music And the communists have the music

---- Harlem Roulette - The Mountain Goats (Harry thinking about Guillame le Million?  Generally: that vibe of secret, maybe supranatural machinations happening just outside your field of view.  A kinda lonely, pensive vibe, sprinkled with past drug use, driving...memory) ----

Unknown engines underneath the city Steam pushing up in billows through the grates Frankie Lymon's tracking "Seabreeze" in a studio in Harlem Its 1968. Just a pair of tunes to hammer out. Everybody's off the clock by 10:00. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again. Feels so free when I hit the avenue. Nothing like a New York summer night. Every dream's a good dream, Even awful dreams are good dreams, If you're doing it right. Remember soaring higher than a cloud. Get pretty sentimental now and then. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again. And four hours north of Portland, a radio flips on. And some no one from the future remembers that you're gone. Armies massing in the dusky distance. Ghosted in the ribbon microphone. Leave a little mark on something, maybe, Take the secret circuit home. Nothing in the shadows but the shadow hands. Reaching out to sad, young, frightened men. The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you're never going to see again.

---- Suture up Your Future - Queens of the Stone Age (Harry's gonna fix his mess) ----

I'm gon' suture up my future I ain't jaded, I just hate it See, I been down too long It's kinda hard to explain Burned and buried, all I carried

...

Tried explaining unexplained Got caught in the plan All this talking at once I've been giving my love away To the things that tear it apart I'm gonna suture up my future

---- Lampshades on Fire - Modest Mouse (Harry trashing his body / having already trashed his body, just kinda a Harry-vibe song) ----

...

Well, the lampshade's on fire when the lights go out This is what I really call a party now Well, fear makes us really, really run around A-this one's done so where to now? Our eyes light up, we have no shame at all Well, you all know what I'm talking about The room lights up, but we're still dancing around We're having fun, having some fun now

Pack up again, head to the next place Where we'll make the same mistakes Open one up and let it fall to the ground Pile out the door when it all runs out

...

As our feelings are getting hurt Oh, we want you to do the work Our ass looks great inside these jeans Well, we want just our water clean

Well, this is how it's always been And this is how it's going to be So you just move on

---- Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (Harry "can-opener" du Bois.  Talking to the skills, solving things, detecting, generally being a terrifying force of nature / the pale) ----

I'm gonna fight 'em all A seven nation army couldn't hold me back They're gonna rip it off Taking their time right behind my back

And I'm talking to myself at night Because I can't forget Back and forth through my mind Behind a cigarette

And the message coming from my eyes Says, "Leave it alone"

Don't wanna hear about it Every single one's got a story to tell Everyone knows about it From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell

And if I catch it coming back my way I'm gonna serve it to you And that ain't what you want to hear But that's what I'll do

And the feeling coming from my bones Says, "Find a home"

---- Body of Years - Mother Mother (Harry's past that follows him, Harry's half-decomposed body that marks the years of abuse it's been through) ----

All the remains of a cadaver of days I keep hidden away, keep them there just in case I wanna visit that place Blow the dust from the bones Off a body of years that I leave all alone Just a body of years

See the skin disappears And the blood turns to stone In a body of years now a pile of bones Like a sheet of veneer Each a piece of my soul It's a body of years that I leave all alone

It's Just a body of years, now a pile of bones You know Old soul who falls down Can't stop trippin' on these Old roads I go down Get back up and get my foot in the door And my face on the page Make my mark in the world With a bat and a blade It's a body of work that you can't ever change Like a body of years that you take to your grave It's just a body of years that I leave all alone It's just a body of years, now a pile of bones Like a sheet of veneer Each a piece of my soul

---- The Cap-m - They Might be Giants (just a Harry vibe song) ----

When I talk you keep looking away from me 'Cause you probably think that I'm high on pot But I'm not, I'm not

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You say it's such a joke But I don't see you laughing

People seem to think you can't be called the Cap'm Unless you drive a boat Well, I don't I don't

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm Go ahead and mess with me You'll find out what will happ'm

...

Did you say what I think you just said My hat looks good on me? I agree, I agree

Look me over, I'm the Cap'm You act like it's a joke But I don't see you laughing

---- Broke - Modest Mouse (oops!  all mistakes.  Broke it all.  Want to forget it but can't) ----

Broke account, so I broke a sweat I've bought some things that I sort of regret about now Broke my pace and ran out of time Sometimes I'm so full of shit that it should be a crime

Broke a promise 'cause my car broke down Such a classic excuse it should be bronze by now Broke your glasses, but it broke the ice You said that I was an asshole and I paid the price

Broken hearts want broken necks I've done some things that I'd love to forget, but I can't

Broke up, and I'm relieved somehow It's the end of the discussions that just go 'round and 'round And 'round, and 'round, and 'round ... It was like everything was evidence of broken time

You're living on fancy wine You'll drink that turpentine You're starting conversations You don't even know the topic

---- Spent Gladiator 2 - The Mountain Goats (Defiantly alive) ----

Like a spent gladiator, Crawling in the coliseum dust. Who can count on his remaining limbs, All the people he can trust. Like the one who stands behind him, Cheering him on. Ecstatic when he stands defiant, Wild with abandon when he's gone. Just stay alive. Keep your eyes on the pay line. Like a village on the step, About to get collectivized. When the men emerge with rifles from the haystack, Everybody looks surprised. Like the mice in the forgotten grain, Way up on the top shelf. Like someone who's found a small town to escape to, Keeps one eye on his abandoned, former self. Stay in the game. Just try to play through the pain. Like a fighter who's been told its finally time for him to quit. Show up in shining colors, And then stand there and get hit. Like the clock that ticks in Dresden, When the whole town's been destroyed. Like the nagging flash of insight, You're always desperate to avoid. Like the bloody-knuckled gunman, Still stationed at the breach. Like that board game with the sliders, And the children on the beach. Stay alive. Maybe spit some blood at the camera. Just stay alive. Stay forever alive.

---- You Only Live Once - The Strokes (just general Harry, talking about the skills, choices you can make, what kind of cop you can be) ----

Twenty-nine different attributes Only seven that you like, oh-oh Twenty ways to see the world, oh And twenty ways to start a fight, oh

...

And countless odd religions too It doesn't matter which you choose, oh, no One stubborn way to turn your back, oh This I've tried and now refuse, oh

Oh don't, don't, don't get up I can't see the sunshine Oh, I'll be waiting for you, baby 'Cause I'm through Sit me down Shut me up I'll calm down And I'll get along with you

---- Pork and Beans - Weezer (Superstar Cop) ----

They say I need some rogaine to put in my hair Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear Oakley makes the shades to transform a tool You'd hate for the kids to think that you've lost your cool

I'ma do the things that I wanna do I ain't got a thing to prove to you I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans Excuse my manners if I make a scene I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like I'm fine and dandy with the me inside One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink I don't give a hoot about what you think

Everyone likes to dance to a happy song With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art

I'ma do the things that I wanna do I ain't got a thing to prove to you I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans Excuse my manners if I make a scene I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like I'm fine and dandy with the me inside One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink I don't give a hoot about what you think

No, I don't care I don't care

---- Freaks - Surf Curse (head filled with skills, The Final Dream) ----

Don't kill me just help me run away From everyone I need a place to stay Where I can cover up my face Don't cry, I am just a freak

I am just a freak(x3)

My head is filled with parasites Black holes cover up my eyes I dream of you almost every night Hopefully I won't wake up this time

I won't wake up this time(x3)

---- The Smallest Church in Sussex - British Sea Power (oh yeah this is mandatory) ----

[sheikah]

Have you seen Rise of Skywalker yet? Im looking forward to your opinions!

I did! Thanks for your interest haha. I just wanna quickly preface this by saying that I know that SW is very polarizing and that the fandom can be very toxic, people are passionate about their opinions, etc. I don’t want to step on any toes with my opinions. I don’t often post in depth or candidly about SW because I have friends from all parts of the fandom and I’d hate to hurt someone’s feelings. But these are my opinions! (Under a cut :D)

I loved the movie. At first I wasn’t sure, but I saw it a second time with a friend and I loved it. Does it have plot holes, inconsistencies, and issues? Absolutely. It does. It’s far from perfect and I absolutely understand why so many people have such intensely negative reactions to it. 

But if I’m being 100% honest I just wasn’t one of those people. Yes, it was rushed. But that made it interesting from start to finish. I almost always step out to use the restroom during a movie in theaters. I think it’s a mental thing–I’m constantly thinking of how I DON’T want to step out to pee, so I always have to haha. But I didn’t even think about it once during this movie! I just had that much fun watching it. 

I can acknowledge that it had a lot of weaknesses, though, and I’ll talk about that first. I think most of the issues were a result of the film being the end of a trilogy that was helmed by two different people. It felt confused to me at points because I could see where JJ was trying to stick to what he clearly wanted to explore post-TFA while also trying to pick up where Rian Johnson left off post-TLJ. It’s like they had different visions and JJ was trying to include aspects of both in TROS. In a lot of ways, that didn’t work. I don’t want to go into too many nitpicky details but I can sum up my one big gripe by saying I think Finn was done wrong. 

I think this movie had a lot of big character moments for Rey, Ben, and Poe, but I don’t feel like Finn got his due. I also think that from a shipping standpoint he was treated really unfairly. I genuinely felt while watching TFA that JJ was trying to lay the groundwork for canon Finnrey. In TLJ, Johnson went in a different direction with Finnrose and Reylo. So the problem, to me, is that in TROS JJ tried to follow up with Johnson’s Reylo groundwork while still including nuggets of Finnrey. Watching the film, it seems abundantly clear to me that Finn was harboring feelings for Rey that were unrequited. His devotion to her felt one-sided and the almost-love-confession in the sinking sand seemed to confirm that for me. I realize at some fan panel JJ apparently said that what Finn was really going to confess was that he was Force-sensitive, not that he loved Rey. But any viewer watching the movie without that knowledge would not get that from it imo, so the average viewer is left thinking the writing left Finn in unrequited love with Rey. And the writing completely brushed the Finnrose relationship to the side. I’m a Finnrey shipper so I didn’t really love Finnrose to begin with. But since Johnson started it, I honestly don’t know why JJ didn’t just continue it if he was going to continue Reylo. It seems better than spending time establishing Finn’s continued feelings for Rey only to leave him alone, especially since TLJ ended with Finnrose: it should have been easy enough to pick up their relationship and carry it forward. I know unrequited love exists, and exploring it in fiction can be poignant. But in this case it just didn’t track to me, and felt like a slap in the face to Finn’s character and anyone who was shipping Finnrey, Finnrose, or even Finnpoe. There seemed to be no reason to write Finn’s actions toward Rey the way they did if they weren’t going to put them together. Finn wasn’t together with anyone in the end. And in the same vein, shoehorning in a past romance for Poe with Keri Russell’s character just felt like a cheap way to make sure Finnpoe wasn’t going to happen. Idk. But these were the only aspects I really didn’t like. 

I loved the many displays of Rey’s incredible power. I loved seeing Rey use the Force to heal, just like we saw Baby Yoda do in that week’s episode of The Mandalorian. I thought the scene where she accidentally used Force lightning was chilling and interesting foreshadowing for Rey Palpatine, even though I don’t really love that she’s a Palpatine. That being said, as a scorned Dany fan, I really enjoyed the message that who you are by blood should not define you. GoT ultimately ended with the message that your family and your family’s legacy are inescapable, grim realities. TROS had a much more hopeful message. This is also an important message to me personally because I have a lot of baggage with my father and his side of the family. It’s something I’ve struggled with. I never want to be like him. That aspect of Rey’s inner conflict was really beautiful to me and I think Daisy portrayed her struggle with darkness very well. I also thought her vision of dark!Rey was terrifying and really well done. The scene of her looking in the mirror at herself under Ahch-To in TLJ was probably my favorite scene of that movie so I liked seeing JJ utilize similar imagery there.

I loved seeing the trio together on a mission. The chemistry between Daisy, John, and Oscar is excellent and the comedy and wholesomeness between them is what made the movie so fun and memorable imo. I would have been happy with an OT3 for their characters, but c’est la vie haha.I loved the fan service. What can I say? I’m a fan: I like to be serviced lol. I know it was cheesy to some people, but Force Ghost!Luke lifting his X-Wing out of the water for Rey made me tear up. It was a nice callback to the moment with Luke and Yoda on Dagobah. Speaking of callbacks, I also loved the final shot with the binary sunset on Tatooine. I’ll admit I don’t really get why Rey has BB-8, or why she’s alone, or why she would choose to live in a place that even Luke wanted desperately to leave… but the visual and musical parallel to ANH got me right in the feels in the best way.

I loved seeing Ian McDiarmid return as Palpatine, who was as delightfully evil as ever. I don’t really understand how or why Palpatine had to come back, and I am not satisfied with the explanation for Snoke. But the Emperor is a classic and an iconic character I love. Having him as the ultimate baddy was satisfying in its own way. I also thought everything abot Exegol and the Sith fortress was terrifying and visually stunning. Even the sound effects of the lightning, and the way that blended with ominous music, was really interesting to me. I loved almost every sequence that took place on Exegol.

Lastly, (and this is the part I have been nervous to post about haha) I liked Ben Solo. I am not a Reylo shipper. That’s not something I talk about really because I have a ton of Reylo friends and I really treasure those people. The last thing I want to do is hurt their feelings or make them feel unwelcome on my blog. But In TFA and TLJ I didn’t really see that many redeeming qualities in Kylo Ren, and I certainly don’t ship him with Rey. I liked the character as a villain from the first moment I heard Adam Driver’s epic voice and saw Kylo Ren freeze Poe’s blaster bolt in stasis using the Force. I thought he was cool and I loved the crazy sound effects and unstable appearance of his unique lightsaber. But I just didn’t really romanticize him at all. I also thought TLJ ended on a pretty definitively negative note for the character. He told his men in no uncertain terms to blow the Falcon out of the sky with Rey in it. And I didn’t think killing Han and trying to kill Luke was something he was going to come back from. I didn’t really want “Bendemption.” 

I say all this because I think this is one of the reasons why TROS impressed me so much. When it actually happened, I was happy that Kylo was redeemed as Ben. The scene with Han reminded me that above all, this is Han and Leia’s son. No matter how much of a villain I thought Kylo Ren was, I didn’t want Han and Leia both to die and for their son to die in disgrace without ever having made amends for the things he’d done. I couldn’t love Han and Leia the way I do without hoping for some semblance of peace for their family. And when he took off the Kylo Ren getup and dressed more like a regular guy, when he adopted some of Han’s personality, when he stormed into Palpatine’s lair on Exegol blaster blazing, and most of all when he wielded a Jedi’s lightsaber alongside Rey, I loved it. I really, truly loved it. And for someone who went into the movie theater expecting to hate that aspect of the story, I think that speaks volumes. They won me over. They made me like Ben Solo. I don’t really think it’s a great social message for the real world in 2019 to forgive him despite all he’s done. But if I divorce it from real-world implications and just treat it like Star Wars, I’m actually glad it happened the way it did. Leia deserved to have her death mean something. She gave the last of her strength to reach out to her son. Not to Kylo Ren, but to Ben Solo. She and the audience both deserved to see Ben Solo before the end. And for him to make the ultimate sacrifice for Rey was, to me, the best possible way he could go out. I found it to be a very compelling end. His death made me surprisingly sad, but it was a noble death.

Anyway, like I said above, I know the movie has a lot of issues. I haven’t even addressed a fraction of the things I could say about this movie–both good and bad. But ultimately I boil it down to how a movie makes me feel. This one left a strong emotional impact on me and I was happy to watch it a second time. I laughed, I cried, I reflected on why I’ve loved Star Wars for my entire life. So I have to say I liked it. Sorry for the giant answer haha :P

[lycorogue]

New Story: Love Taps

I did it! I was stumped for a little bit there as I focused on my Meet My OCs series and my blog post (which I still haven’t written for this week), but I managed to write up my monthly completed piece of fiction! Whoot!

I jumped fandoms a touch here, but you have to follow inspiration, right?

So, I’d like to present to you my first Fruits Basket fanfic.

You can also read Love Taps at any of these three sites: on AO3, on FFN, or on DA

This story is dedicated to @chibisunnie for inspiring the plot bunny in the first place. It’s always gold when we get to chat! :D 

**Disclaimer: I haven't had the chance to start up Fruits Basket Another or the Three Musketeers Arc, so I'm sorry if I have some inconsistencies. I tried my best via the wiki pages...  ***UPDATE: I have now read FBA and there ARE inconsistencies, mostly with Hajime and Sawa’s personalities, and I don’t really ship them now that I’ve read the story buuuuut I’m leaving this unedited. Oh well.... 

Also, this story is about Adult Tohru, so there will be spoilers if you don’t know who Hajime is.

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

Love Taps

Kyo's little head bonks carry more meaning and more love than anyone could ever truly know. Anyone besides maybe Tohru, who reflects on an entire lifetime of receiving the loving raps on the noggin.

One-shot

Word Count: 2952 Rating: General Audiences

**Warning: Contains lots of fluff, you might want your dentist on stand-by

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I think I've always known, at some level, that his little bonks on my head were a sign of his affection. It's very fitting for him; to show love with his fists, but in a gentle manner. Those head bonks have always been so dear to me, because they proved that he saw my faults, but wanted a connection to me anyway.

"Kyo? Kyo! I- I think my water just broke! Oh no! What do I do? I know we studied this, but it's really happening!" I paced in a tight little circle, liquid dripping down my leg. "Should I clean this up so it won't stain? Should I go change? I probably need to soak my clothes so they won't stain. Do I have time to do so? Do we have the overnight bag packed? Is my mother's picture in the bag?" I held my pregnant belly as I leaked further onto the floor, unsure which direction to go. That's when I got that delicate bonk on the crown of my head. It startled me still, made me blink a few times as I re-focused, and arched my head back.

"You need to just focus on you and the kid. I've got everything else, you hear me? You always find a way to worry about the wrong things." Kyo already had our overnight bag slung over his shoulder, and was moving to grab my mother's picture to place inside the bag. "Now, if you feel gross, go wash off your legs, otherwise, we should get going."

"Um, I- I don't want to get the seats messy."

"I already have towels so you won't, but we do have a minute for you to wash if you stop dawdling."

I shook my head. "No. I'll be fine. We should get going."

He then smiled at me. "You're going to do amazing." He walked over, wrapped his free arm around my waist, and rested his forehead on mine. "Remember how insanely strong you are the whole time, okay?"

As I nodded, he ushered me out the door so we could meet our son.

That was the beauty of those head bumps. He wanted me to focus. He wanted to help reset me as my world was spinning around me; when I wasn't focusing on the right things, or when I wasn't focusing at all. They were never rough, and they weren't judgmental. Instead, they were always filled with love. In fact, I think I blushed the first time he bonked the side of my head because I knew the love he shared with that action. Part of me must have known that those bonks carried words Kyo couldn't quite say.

Words like 'you worry too much' or 'you need to focus so you'll be safe' or 'I like having you around' or 'please, don't leave me' or even 'you know I love you, right?' Sometimes, they carried the question that weighed the most on Kyo's mind: 'How could you possibly love someone so much?'

"Tohru, we have to go." Kyo sighed as he leaned against the classroom door. He gave an apologetic shrug and head shake towards the teacher.

"It's my baby's first day!" I squeezed our son close to me, and his little arms wrapped around me just as tight. "It's going to be a full day without seeing his adorable face, or hearing his sweet voice, or running around the yard with him."

"I want you to stay, Mama!" Hajime nuzzled his head into my shoulder. "Can't you go to school with me?"

"Okay, enough of this." Kyo softly grumbled. He then took strong and pointed steps towards us before – bonk, bonk – both Hajime and I got little knuckle raps on the sides of our head.

We both blinked, and pulled away from each other as we tried to register what just happened. We turned to Kyo, who blew out a calming breath before resting his hands on our son's shoulders, centering him to face his father.

"You know how a lot of people come to visit us, just to hang out? Just because they miss us?"

Hajime nodded as he wiped a couple of tears away.

"Those are all of your mother's friends-"

"Kyo-" They weren't just my friends. They were his as well, and more importantly, they were his family; I was just the one lucky enough to join that loving clan.

Kyo held up his hand to still my protest. "Those are your mother's friends, and she helped them become mine as well. Do you want lots and lots of friends like her?"

Hajime nodded vigorously, borderline comically.

"Well, then you need to be kind like she is. And you need to be welcoming. Most importantly, you need to talk to them, and show them your big heart. It may not work at first. You may be teased, but you'll then find others just as kind as you, and they'll be your friends for life. Then you won't need anyone else. You got that?"

"Uh-huh."

"It won't work if you are only with your mother, though. Now, turn around." Kyo physically pivoted Hajime so they were both looking into the classroom, Kyo kneeling behind our son and whispering into his ear. "Look at how many friends could be waiting for you in this room. Don't you want to meet them?"

"I do!" Hajime bounced on his toes, a grin stretching almost impossibly far across his face.

"Then go meet them, and we'll see you once school is done. Okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." Hajime squeezed both of us tight before turning and sprinting off to meet his classmates.

"As for you." Kyo stood, and held out his hands to lift me to my feet as well. "He'll be fine, and you need to trust that he'll be fine." He discretely tapped my chest just above my heart. "Just as your mother is always with you, know that you're always with him; watching over him, even when you can't physically be there. Besides, he's in good hands, isn't he?" He addressed the teacher, who looked slightly less exasperated now that my overly-affectionate display had ended. The teacher nodded and gave us a small smile.

"Okay, we can go." I hugged Kyo's forearm to prevent me from shooting forward and scooping up our beautiful child again. Resting his head on the top of mine, Kyo escorted me out of the classroom.

That was probably the greatest thing about those head bonks. They were an anchor. They helped ground me, and even Hajime on occasion. When I was being tossed about in a sea of emotions, Kyo's raps on the side of my head kept me from floating off. Kept me from floating away from reason; floating away from public decency; floating away from alertness; floating away from reality, even.

As I grew older and more mature, the less I needed that anchor; Kyo simply existing in my life was enough. He taught me how to be more alert; how to stay more focused on what truly was important. Having Hajime also helped greatly with that. Soon, Kyo only bonked me on the head once a month. Once a season. Eventually, I realized he had only rapped me on the head once that whole year. Part of me wondered if I should purposely start to let myself drift again; daydream again. Something to call out for Kyo to tap the side of my head. Because I missed it.

I think he missed that connection as well. We hugged. We kissed. We held hands. We snuggled next to each other. None of it was quite the same though, as much as I loved all of it. I think he felt the same way, because the meaning of the tap changed. It now became more of a way to silently tell me 'I know' or 'I feel the same way' or 'it hurts me too, but we'll manage.'

"Uh, I guess he forgot about me?" Sawa-chan shook her head and hid an exasperated chuckle behind her bridal bouquet. Kyo stood beside her, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I can't believe how grown up you are!" I nuzzled Hajime's cheek with my own and held him close. My make-up was probably ruined from sobbing all day, but I didn't care. "You found yourself a wonderful girl, and I'm so proud of you!"

"Tohru," Kyo growled. "Must you?"

"But he's married now! Our baby's all grown up, and I couldn't be prouder of him. And look at how handsome he is! He reminds me of you when we got married."

"Do you really think so, Mom?" Hajime's voice squeaked and he pulled me in closer. "I'm only this amazing, and know how to include such fantastic people in my life, because of you and Dad. You truly are the best, Mom. I couldn't do any of this without you."

We started crying into each other's arms, and I only just barely heard Sawa-chan squeaking an "um" before I felt that head bonk. I pulled away from my son, and saw his blank expression as he also tried to comprehend what just happened.

"You two are pathetic, you know that, right?" Kyo shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "It's not like we're never seeing him again, and it's not like we don't have other kids for you to dote on. Let the boy grow up, will ya?" He then grabbed Hajime's left bicep, and yanked him from my arms. In a swift motion he shoved our son on the back; just enough to push him into his wife. "That's the woman you should be smothering with hugs!"

"No, I get it," Sawa-chan joked, "I'll always be second-fiddle to Haa-chan's mother."

"Pfft, don't call me by that nickname." Hajime scoffed, but there was the same twinkle in his eye Kyo used to have whenever he tried to pretend he didn't appreciate my affection.

Sawa-chan didn't seem deterred, and she pulled him into a chaste kiss to lure him into a hug and quick dance.

"And as for you," Kyo came back over and placed his hand on the top of my head, palming it like a basketball. "Let the kids have their day, will ya? Come on, let's enjoy the party." He then started walking away, pulling me along by the head. It kept me a couple of hops to catch my balance, and after a few paces he shifted his hand from my scalp to my back. He gently directed me to a corner, where he kissed me, whispered to me how much the day reminded him of our wedding, and we danced to the slow song playing.

He had felt the same pain I did. That same longing for our little boy again. He couldn't handle Hajime being old enough to marry either. Yet he was strong, and he helped me stay strong that day as well. He let me know with that head tap that it wasn't the time to be sad. It was the time to look ahead at the wonderful life our son was about to start. A wonderful life that somehow lead to me getting frequent head bonks again.

"We're not going to have this battle every time, are we?" Sawa-chan arched her eyebrows as she looked over at Hajime.

"Sorry, dear, but I don't think it can really be helped. I mean, look at her?" Hajime gestured towards me cradling my granddaughter, my eyes overflowing with tears. "Would you want to give her up?"

"Kyo!" I whined, "Don't make me give her back! She's just too precious. Aren't you just in love? How could you not see her every day?"

"Tohru-san," Sawa-chan again reached for her daughter. "We really must be getting home to put her to bed. We'll visit more often, I promise."

I pulled her closer to me and smelled her hair. "I just need a few more minutes. Or you three could spend the night. We can make space for them, can't we, Kyo?" As I looked up at him I saw a small sneer as he swung to bonk me on the top of the head. It was the first one that hurt in decades.

"Don't be an idiot. She's their child and they can take her whenever they want. And our son is grown now, with his own house and own family. They don't need to stick around here if they prefer to be in their own beds tonight."

I sniffled and slowly gave my granddaughter back to Sawa-chan, who was cautiously watching Kyo. Hajime rested a hand on his wife's shoulder to re-focus her, and she accepted her baby girl. Then the kids gave me kind smiles, which helped ease the mild throbbing of where Kyo had hit me.

"Sorry. Kyo's right. I shouldn't have imposed on you."

"No problem, Mom. We appreciate that you love her so much." Hajime scooped his wife and daughter into his arms, and my heart swelled.

Kyo mimicked our son, pulling me into an embrace as he kissed where he hit my head. "It's alright to be selfish sometimes, but you can't be selfish about spending time with people, especially if it means kidnapping our grandkid."

In truth, I nearly 'kidnapped' – as Kyo put it – our granddaughter loads of times. It was just so hard to let her go. She was such a sweet dear. All of our grandchildren were, and I was getting quite a lumpy head from the amount of times Kyo had to knock me to remind me to give them back to their parents. I didn't mind it, though. I truly did miss that special connection that only came from Kyo's playful bops on the head. It wasn't terribly too long before our youngest grandchild was in junior high, and 'kidnappings' weren't as much of an issue. They were all old enough to leave of their own accord.

Still, Kyo discovered plenty of emotional moments to reprimand me: When our children each graduated from high school, and then college; when they each got married, and when they each had their first child; for every additional child they had; nearly every visit with our grandchildren; and the realizations of how old each grandchild was getting. One of the last, however, was when we had to move.

I sat out on our front porch, overlooking the hilltop scenery we've enjoyed for about fifty-years. It reminded me so much of Shigure-san's home, and all the happy memories I had there. Now, in this home Kyo and I had shared for our entire marriage, there were almost too many happy memories to recall them all. I let my mind wander as I watched the sunset, knowing I didn't have many more to enjoy from this vantage.

BONK!

Although the tap on my head didn't hurt, I still rubbed the spot with both hands. I looked over my shoulder and saw Kyo lowering himself to the porch, these days he took much greater care whenever he had to shift from standing to sitting and back again. A little grunt escaped his throat.

"You were daydreaming."

"S-sorry." I continued to rub where he tapped me.

"Daydreaming's fine, but you looked sad while doing so." He dusted his hands off on his pants, then rubbed his left knee.

"I'm sorry we have to move because of me." I straightened the blanket on my lap and watched as Kyo moved to massage his left ankle.

"Tohru, we're old, it happens. I'd much rather we move in with one of the kids instead of you straining to get up that hill every day. It doesn't matter to me that we're moving, as long as you're comfortable and we're together."

"You don't seem to have much difficulty with the hill."

"I also work out far more routinely and with more intensity than you. It kept my muscles strong. You're seventy-three; it's not a shame that you can't climb up a hundred steps each day."

"I just hate the idea of leaving our memories behind; abandoning our castle like this."

I heard another grunt as Kyo shifted so he was kneeling beside me instead of sitting. With a swift swing and a pull-back last second, he once more rapped my head gently with the back of his hand. He then pulled my head to his shoulder so he could run his fingers through my hair.

"My sweet idiot. You think we can't pack up the memories with us? Did you forget your mom once you had to leave your apartment? Did you forget your months living out of a tent? Are you having difficulties recalling life with your grandfather, or any of the time you spent getting to know me and the other Zodiacs?"

"N-no."

"The memories don't live here." He gestured to the house behind us. "Memories live here-" He rested his index finger on my chest, right where my heart would sit. "-and here." He again tapped on my head. "And don't think for an instant that I'll allow you to forget."

I rested my head on his shoulder and re-focused on the sunset. "Thank you, Kyo. Hey, Kyo?"

"Hmm?"

"You think it's alright if I daydream some more? It's such a lovely evening for it."

"Yeah, you idiot. You can zone out all you want. I'm here." He pulled me in for a kiss on my temple, and he grunted once more as he settled back into a lounge beside me. As we snuggled and enjoyed the orange glow of the sunset, my mind wandered to pleasant thoughts. Such as needing Kyo to bonk me on the head.

[tlbodine]

Every Single Last Thought I Have About Game of Thrones

My rambling obsession with Game of Thrones has cost me at least a dozen followers so far, and I promise it’s nearing an end now that the show is finished and the fervor is dying down. But I do have some Final Thoughts(tm), and I thought I would assemble them all here as best I can. In the interests of saving you all from a million future Game of Thrones posts, I will endeavor to put Every Single Thought I Have into one monstrously long GoT masterpost. You’re welcome, I guess? 

Rambles under a spoiler tag, as much for actual spoilers as for, uh, rambling. Buckle in. This post is a monster. 

In a contentiously-named Vice article called “Game of Thrones Was Doomed From the Start,” Peter Slattery makes a point that maybe we all needed to hear: Whatever our problems with the Game of Thrones TV show, they’re not wholly endemic to the show itself. The article is worth a read, but the tl;dr is this: GRRM created an astonishingly complex world with his book series, and the story has spun out to ever greater complexity as it approaches its supposed end. 

Anyone looking for a way to wrap it all up is going to have a tough time. Just ask GRRM himself, whose inability to finish the series in a timely fashion has basically become a meme at this point. 

Now, of course, D&D did not need to try to end the story in 6 episodes. They could easily have kept the series going on forever and HBO would have allowed it, because GoT is pretty much single-handedly keeping the network’s lights on at this point. Why the showrunners chose to turn down that opportunity is a matter of speculation. 

What I will say is this: There had always been an expectation that the show would be seven seasons. The internet has a short memory about these things, but back when this all started, the intent was clear enough: There would be 7 books in the series, and 7 episodes in the show, one for each book. At the time, four of GRRM’s books were out, with the fifth being released during this time period, and there had been an expectation (even then, a bit over-optimistic) that the books would finish before their respective seasons, or maybe just trail it by a year or so. 

The anticipation, in other words, was that A Song of Ice and Fire would roughly follow the trajectory of the Harry Potter films in their relationship with the books. 

That’s not what happened, obviously. 

But I do remember there being some grumblings of unease when we audience-folk started to realize the show might not wrap up tidily in those 7 planned seasons. And I definitely remember some grumbling about how Season 8 would take more than a year to come out (surely you all remember that impatience!) 

And facing that -- a restless audience, source material that stayed stubbornly unwritten, the increasingly complex logistics of an enormous cast including young actors who were picking up other roles -- I can understand the impulse to speed it along. If your options in finishing a story are to rush it a bit to force the plot points out, or else risk being caught plodding forward indefinitely...I can see the appeal of rushing. I won’t say it was the right creative choice, but it’s one I can understand and one I don’t think is indefensible. I’m not in love with what happened, but I can think of far worse ways for the show to have gone. 

Here’s more analysis on that which you may find interesting: https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/21/18633029/game-of-thrones-got-ending-season-8-george-rr-martin-apology

Scope Creep & Themes that Get Away From You 

So why is the ASOIAF universe so gosh-darn complex, and why are these books so hard to finish, and why is the show’s ending so hard to stick? 

It’s not just because GRRM is pantsing his way through the story (excuse me, tending his garden) but because ASOIAF is not actually a story so much as it’s a history. Part of what makes this world so compelling is that it is indeed its own world. And not just in the Tolkien sense of multiple cultures and complex histories and languages fleshing out the world. What’s made GRRM’s work the most interesting and compelling from the beginning is that it promises even more than that: Here is a richly textured world of geopolitical intrigue, populated by real people; each and every character has their own fears and hopes and aspirations and petty squabbles. 

ASOIAF tells a story about normal people and the way they get caught in the machinations of war, and it doesn’t take any shortcuts. And I think we need to take a moment here to appreciate how unique that actually is as a concept. 

In Lord of the Rings, we receive a richly detailed world with its own history and culture and grand war, but the war is also limited by the parameters of the story: It can all be ended if Frodo destroys the ring. 

GRRM did not give himself such a straightforward McGuffin for ending his story. 

And that, indeed, is part of the appeal of the ASOIAF series. A big part of what makes it all so compelling is that it’s a deconstruction of the fantasy genre and, really, a deconstruction of epics in general. 

Game of Thrones, the first book in the series, dares to ask: What happens when being the good guy is what gets you killed? 

Maybe GoT has been part of our cultural fabric for so long that this doesn’t seem all that shocking, but let’s just take a moment to appreciate here how utterly wild it is that this story begins by spending hundreds of pages (or many hours of film) with a protagonist, only to lop his head off -- and that, really, the rest of the series isn’t even about avenging that death. Oh, sure, vengeance for Ned Stark colors the motivation of some characters, especially in the beginning...but the story soon spirals way beyond that, because the Starks are just one piece in the epic machines of war. 

So by its very nature, ASOIAF is not just complex in terms of its sheer scope and number of characters and storylines, but also in terms of its themes. It’s a story that raises a number of difficult questions about the nature of good and evil, of the influence of power, the personal vs the political, and so forth. 

These are difficult questions, the type of questions at the very core of the human experience, questions that we’ve been grappling with for thousands of years, and GoT’s deconstructive nature means that it can’t take shortcuts to answering them. The answers simply cannot be as satisfying as “good triumphs over evil” or “evil wins” because the very nature of ASOIAF is complexity and the rejection of such simple platitudes. 

From that angle, I think the show did a brilliant job of wrapping things up. The plot had its share of inconsistencies (although not as many as people argue, more on that in a minute) but I think it stayed true to the spirit of what Game of Thrones had always been about. Season 8 raised some really important questions and touched on some extremely interesting themes, and I personally found it both thought-provoking and powerful. 

But, well, I will confess that my aesthetics have always leaned more toward intricacy, and that I do not have what many would call “good taste” about a great many things. I always prefer for things to be interesting rather than beautiful, and from my perspective, the home stretch of Game of Thrones was exceedingly interesting. 

How Did You Honestly Expect It Was Going To End? 

For all of the belly-aching on social media about the ending of Game of Thrones, I have both a rebuttal and a genuine question: What did you think was going to happen? 

A lot of people seemed to think that something like this would happen: 

(art by https://www.instagram.com/raymondwaskita/?hl=en and no, this isn’t saying the artist believes or endorses any of this, just saying I saw this image on Facebook accompanied by a lot of wistful sighing) 

I saw so many people who were all so very angry that Daenerys doesn’t walk away the winner of everything, that Cersei doesn’t get a more satisfying death, that Jon didn’t get to be the true king, that Jaime and Brienne don’t get a happily-ever-after, etc. etc. etc. And to all of those people I have just one question to ask you: What the fuck show have you been watching? 

Daenerys deserved better? 

Tell that to Ned Stark. Tell that to Robb and Catelyn and Shireen and Margaery and all the rest of the Tyrells. Just for starters. We could do this all day. 

Just because we had a few bad guys get some deliciously just endings does not mean that the Game of Thrones universe is fair or that anyone gets what they deserve. That’s just silly. 

But okay, fine then: Was it fucked up to tell a story where the breaker of chains and inspirational strong woman becomes the villain? 

I mean, sure, maybe. But doing so allowed us to ask some other really interesting questions (and, as previously noted, I always prefer when things are interesting). 

Is excessive force justified when it’s against evil men? Who gets to decide who is good and who is evil? How many losses are acceptable? Can you fight monsters without becoming a monster yourself? Should you be uncomfortable with how happy you are when “others” are slaughtered? Are you a little bit culpable too? 

Was Dany’s heel-face turn perfectly executed? No. But it was believable, and it was powerful, and I think the questions it asks are good questions that deserve to be talked about. 

Game of Thrones is all about subverting tropes, and Daenerys is the obvious Chosen One. She’s the one with the fantastic birth and the underdog story and the magical powers. She and Jon Snow are both the characters that every story tells us will be the heroes. So of course they don’t get what they “deserve.” 

If the first episode of Game of Thrones asks, “What happens if being good doesn’t save the hero?” then the last episode asks, “What happens if being the hero doesn’t make you good?” 

And that, to me, is interesting enough that it more than makes up for shortcomings in the road we traveled to get there. 

A lot of the criticism of the show -- take, for just one of many examples, this: https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a27527950/game-of-thrones-finale-character-endings/ -- seems to fundamentally misunderstand what the show actually is or what it was attempting. 

And like...I can understand being disappointed, but...like the scorpion & the frog...you knew what this show was when you picked it up. 

Here’s a Twitter thread I really liked about this point: https://twitter.com/leighalexander/status/1130750999684161537

So Am I Just Some D&D Apologist Who Loves Everything About This Show? 

I’m so glad you asked, hypothetical reader! 

No. No, I am not in love with every creative decision made by the GoT showrunners. There are plenty of things I disliked about the show and its creative choices. 

Re-framing Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s sex as rape, and then making the same mistake later when Jaime and Cersei have sex after Joffrey’s death. 

Giving Sansa to Ramsay Bolton. Not only do we get more unnecessary rape plots (and, honestly, wasn’t there enough rape in the source material?) but it just is so much less interesting than what was happening with Book!Sansa, who is my favorite character (and was my favorite long before it became cool to love Sansa). 

The entire three-eyed raven arc and “hold the door.” I mean, it was cool and tense, but I never got a really good idea of wtf the three-eyed raven’s powers actually do and what Bran inherited, and I kind of got the feeling that the showrunners didn’t understand it either and thus skirted around it. (Overall the show seemed uncomfortable with its more fantastic elements and knowing what to do with them). 

I thought Rickon was a wasted opportunity of a character. I wanted to see him do something cool. I admit that this is based entirely on my pet theory that the direwolves represent the souls of the Stark children, and I hoped Shaggydog’s vicious nature meant that Rickon was going to become a badass somehow. Alas. (I am also deeply sad that Arya and Nymeria don’t reunite to go fuck some shit up together)

Euron Greyjoy was a disaster. He is so much more interesting in the books, and so much weirder, and he’s just so pointless and annoying in the show by comparison. 

I didn’t like the “let’s go beyond the wall and oops there went my dragon” storyline very much, and honestly at no point did I ever really believe Jon and Dany’s relationship because it was rushed and the actors have zero chemistry. 

So no, I don’t think the showrunners made a perfect TV show. But I do think it’s deeply unfair to say that they are incompetent writers or that they can’t work without the original source material. 

My Criticism of the Criticisms 

The internet is full of idiotic opinions, and I could be here all day if I addressed all of them (I’ve already been working on this for two hours) but I will address a few of the complaints I’ve seen that have most rankled me. 

“Daenerys goes crazy because a boy rejected her” 

I think calling Daenerys the “mad queen” and writing off Targaryen madness as A Real Thing That Definitely Exists And Is Not At All A Metaphor For Power And Entitlement is silly and reductivist. Yes, generations of inbreeding have probably unsettled the Targaryens a bit. But Dany didn’t just go crazy. As I’ve said before: She was already prepared to sacrifice the lives of the commoners on King’s Landing. She knew that Cersei would use them as a human shield and Dany wasn’t going to let that stop her. She had endured so much on her journey to get to this point, and nothing was going to stand between her and the Iron Throne. I talk about this in great length in another post so I won’t get into it here, but just...don’t be stupid. 

“Cersei’s ending was stupid and pointless”

I’ve spent so much time dissecting Daenerys that I haven’t had a chance to talk about Cersei, which is a shame because I love her character a lot. I really loved her ending. All this time, the only thing she wanted was the security that power would bring her. Watching the look on her face when she realizes that Daenerys is going to destroy everything and that no political maneuvering can save her -- it was really powerful acting, and a major moment of change for her character. That she dies in Jaime’s arms, admitting at last that she is frightened, that she doesn’t want to die, that she doesn’t want her baby to die -- not only is it heartbreaking, but it’s honest. That is Cersei laid bare. She is who she has always been. That encapsulates her arc in a way that no other death really could have, and I personally found it a lot more satisfying than if Arya or whomever had just stabbed her in the back. 

“All of Jaime’s character development just went out the window”

I’ll give you some of this. I don’t know that the show has ever fully understood Jaime. Just as Cersei is so much more sympathetic in the show, Jaime is much more sympathetic in the books. But I don’t think that all his character development is for nothing. I think we still have his journey, no matter what. And in the end, I can understand why he chose to leave Brienne. He didn’t think he deserved that happiness, for one; Brienne was too good for him, not just as a person but as a knight, and he knew that. And what was his long-term plan, anyway? Daenerys certainly wasn’t overly fond of him. There’s a non-zero chance she might have executed him for killing her father once he’s outlived his usefulness. Cersei and his unborn child were in the path of danger. He had a chance to maybe go rescue them and save the family, somehow, as he’d so horribly failed to save any of his other children. It was a stupid choice, but Jaime is the dumbest Lannister, and his self-loathing go deep. Did we think that Brienne’s redemptive vagina was going to save him from himself? Come on. 

As for his last moments with Cersei...well. He was already mortally wounded by Euron. And I loved that the fight was so inglorious, so raw and dirty and stupid. They wrestle in the mud and it was perfect, as far as I’m concerned. So Jaime knows he won’t get out of this alive, and here’s Cersei, frightened and vulnerable. What else CAN he do but try to comfort them both? I thought it was a beautiful end for both of them and just because Jaime’s story ended up being tragic doesn’t invalidate his redemption arc. (I mean, for fuck sake, how many people go through rehab just to die of an overdose when they backslide?) 

“The scorpions are deadly weapons except then they’re useless”

Okay like. This is annoying to me. By the time we see Rhaegal, he has suffered a lot of damage courtesy of the white walkers. His wing has a big freaking hole in it. He’s not 100%, and he’s not being ridden by anyone, and the attack comes as an ambush. Drogon evades being shot down because he’s being steered by a rider and he’s not injured and exhausted. 

“D&D are incompetent writers who have no idea what they’re doing”

This one just makes me mad, and not just because of the fandom entitlement that I hate so much. (in this house, we stan for creators). Look. If they’re so incompetent, how did they manage to make a show that y’all loved for seven seasons previous to this? Also, like it or not, they know exactly what they’re doing. Like, they had such a clear idea of what they were doing that they managed to foresee the exact counter-arguments that fans would have and directly address them in the show. 

Like. Hot damn. I will admit: I was very nervous about this season in the first few episodes. Dany was making me uneasy. She was acting selfish and entitled, and her attitude toward the war was making me uncomfortable -- because she was still in the role of hero, and I wasn’t sure if we-the-audience were meant to just swallow this as being OK. And then Varys and Tyrion have a conversation about exactly that, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Because that made it clear that the show knew what it was doing. 

And then later? Jon and Tyrion have a so-accurate-its-painful discussion about Dany’s heel-face turn and her potential motives, and it so perfectly mirrored the discussions on Twitter the week prior that I almost wondered if they’d snuck off to film it last minute. 

The point is: Like it or not, D&D knew exactly what they were doing. And, remember, GRRM gave them an outline, and while we don’t know for sure what’s their invention and what’s his, I think we can safely say that the broad strokes of the ending were GRRM’s invention, not theirs.   https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-showrunners-know-how-687589

So love it or hate it, the ending of GoT cannot be blamed on incompetence. 

Okay Fine But the Pacing Was Still Really Bad 

Yep. I’ll grant you that. 

The ending blazes through plot points at breakneck speed. A lot of really important character development is left to performances; we’re forced to infer, as the audience, what a character is thinking or feeling at any given time. A lot of really important plot information is delivered by way of single dialogue lines. There’s a lot of “if you blink you’ll miss it” storytelling. 

It’s not ideal by any means. 

But it’s still pretty fucking good. The performances are good enough that, to me anyway, it’s pretty easy to intuit what’s going on internally. And the show still gave me things to think about, and made me feel things, and the impact may actually have been stronger by virtue of leaving so much to the imagination. By leaving a lot of questions unanswered, the show invites conversation and thought and speculation, and I think that’s valuable.

Would I Have Done It Differently? 

Here’s a fun relic from history -- check out GRRM’s original story pitch, back when he thought this would be a trilogy: https://www.insider.com/game-of-thrones-original-story-2017-8

Talk about scope creep. 

It’s fascinating, though. I know myself all too well that the book I set out to write and the book I end up with are never the same. There are some really interesting ideas in here, but I think the story we ended up with is a lot better. 

But as for the ending of the Game of Thrones. Was it perfect? Would I have handled it differently? 

Thematically, I think the resolution is mostly fine. Putting Bran on the throne is...well, it’s a choice. I have a little bit of a hard time with it just because it’s not really clear what Bran is, exactly. What are the scope of his powers? Is it a bit of a cop-out to put a supernatural king on the throne? 

But what I do like about it is the idea that it doesn’t actually really matter who we put on the throne. The story makes a difference -- we need something that makes for a good song, because maybe at the end of the day one of the messages is that we need to believe in all these tropes we’ve deconstructed because reality is hard, it’s painful and boring and often nonsensical, and maybe we need stories in order to survive. 

But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who we put in charge, because the people who are actually in charge are the council, and they will deal with everything the way they always had. After years of bloody rebellion, maybe the best thing really is the status quo. Maybe the solution to the game of thrones is to just stop fucking playing it. Put somebody on the damn throne and get back to running the country. I like that a lot. 

I also like the idea that change is important, and it’s possible, but it’s slow. That strikes a good balance of realism and optimism. No, we’re not bringing democracy to Westeros, but we’re establishing the roots of a Republic. No, a queen doesn’t sit the Iron Throne, but a queen does get to rule in the north, and the north gets its sovereignty. No, Jon Snow doesn’t get to be the hero, but he does get to go beyond the wall with the Freefolk, which honestly will probably make him happier than anything else (and while he doesn’t get to claim his birthright, he does know now why Ned did what he did, and gets some closure on the daddy issues front). 

All in all, it’s good. It’s not a happy ending, but we were never going to get a happy ending. And it’s not a particularly dramatic ending, because we weren’t going to get one of those either. 

THAT SAID. I will say there are a few things that really bothered me about the way the finale plays out. 

Drogon spontaneously melting down the throne for....some reason? Uh? I mean thematically it’s great but like....why though? 

It would have made more sense if the dragon roasted Jon, except Jon doesn’t burn because fire can’t burn a dragon, but the throne behind Jon melts down. It also would have made sense of Jon hopped on the dragon and melted down the throne himself, and maybe went and either killed Dany’s force or made them surrender/yield to him. 

I also have a hard time believing that the Unsullied who were just executing Lannisters would have locked Jon up instead of executing him immediately for treason. 

And wtf have they all been doing after Dany died? OK, fine, maybe the Unsullied don’t have any ambitions of their own, but you’re telling me the Dothraki were like “oh, ok, queen’s dead, guess we’ll just hang out and not do anything then?” 

None of that made any sense to me. 

Also wtf how are there still so many Dothraki and Unsullied left? Didn’t, like, a whole lot of them die fighting zombies? 

Ugh. 

Anyway. 

Perfect? No. Thought-provoking? Absolutely. Thematically on-point? Yeah, I’d say so. One of the best shows on television, still? Definitely. Are there valid criticisms? Yes. Are most of the criticisms valid? Not by a long shot. 

One final thought: 

We never do learn why the Night King doesn’t burn. Our pet theory in the house (courtesy of my husband) is that he is of Targaryen descent. He can ride the dragon, after all. What if that’s not just because he resurrects it with his powers, but because he is himself a dragon-rider? 

So with that as a possibility...Well. I’m just saying. 

We don’t know where Drogon took Daenerys after she dies. But wouldn’t it be interesting if she is somehow resurrected, and somehow gets to spend the next few centuries amassing an army of the undead to come back and take what’s rightfully hers, effectively re-starting the cycle and bringing winter back once again? 

(this is what happens when you give a fantasy series to a horror writer) 

[overwatch-imagines-hub]

May I have headcannons of an Overwatch karaoke party where everyone sings but then gender-neutral reader begins to sing and it turns that they've the singing voice of a god?

It took me a long while to decide how I wanted to do this request and who I wanted to put into it, which I apologize greatly for. (And also thanks for waiting patiently because I’m an inconsistent ass.

I hope you like them!

~~~

McCree

If he’s doing karaoke, he’s probably drunk

This man has three levels of drunk; he’s on his second level

The somber, needy but also hella lovey crybaby level of drunk

This also means he’s at this phase of drunk when you sing

So he cries

Crying by the time you’re finished and bawling by the time you’ve made your way back over

“O-oh my Goooodd” *hic* “Y-you… You s-sounded so a-amazing..!” *hic* “S-so prettyyy..”

You sit on the bar stool next to him and he just kinda fawns all over you

Clings to you and nuzzles your shoulder and just keeps mumbling about how proud of you he is and how he wants voice lessons from someday

“M-maybe when… Maybe when I-I’m not s-so drunk. I-it’s hard to sing–” *hic* “–like th-this.”

He was a man-puppy before but he’s even more of one now

If he doesn’t eventually doze off at the bar, you have to physically haul him back to his room

He tries as he can to help you help him though

If you ask him the morning, he won’t remember anything

If he does, it’s super spacey and he thought it was just a dream until you mentioned it

Probably asks for you to sing for him again to confirm that you are just as amazing as he “imagined”

You are

Genji

Didn’t sing, not drunk (Can’t get drunk when you’re mostly robotic anyway)

He’s shy when it comes to his musical talents

An impressed boi though

And, of course, you’re as close to him as Zenyatta is, so you’ve been gifted with hearing him sing every once in a while

When you get to the table he’s occupying, he asks where you learned to sing that way

You sounded godly and he tells you just that

His compliments are so genuine and sweet and a bit over the top that it makes you blush

You try to convince him to sing with you once but he refuses

He’s just gonna “leave it to the angels,” as he says

You ask if a drunk McCree singing I’m Too Sexy in an angel

All he says is “I meant exactly what I said” and laughs

He’s a precious boy, really

Hanzo

There’s two ways it could go with him, and it depends on if he’s having a sober night or a drinking night

If he’s sober, he’ll marvel a bit

Doesn’t sing himself

Applauds when you’re done

Might even stand while doing so

When you come back over from singing, he gives you a couple calm, sweet compliments about how amazing your voice is

Then he’ll offer you a drink for doing so well and possibly encourage you to sing again if you’re thinking about it

However, if he’s drunk

He’s basically another McCree

Except, where McCree eventually stops crying and dozes off, Hanzo has constant tears streaming down his face and just keeps chattering away

Like he just can’t handle how amazing you sounded

A blubbering mess

(He himself has two levels of drunk; this is his second)

He also probably sang a duet with McCree (both crying or trying to strip all the while, depending on what type of song they chose to do) at one point or another ealier that night

And you’ve inspired him to sing another, which he tries to do with Genji but ends up doing with Lucio instead

You and Genji watch this in horror and also while dying of laughter

Then he’ll come back over while screaming about another round of sake for everybody

Even if he’s the only one drinking sake

Everyone gets sake

He also thinks he lost a finger at one point

You have to trick him into going back to his room by bribing him with a canteen of sake

You have to stay there with him until he either sobers up or literally passes out

Otherwise he will somehow find a way back to the bar

You come back the next morning with painkillers and water/an anti-hangover concoction created by D.Va

He’s just in the bathroom dying

You end up holding his hair back

When he finally stops spilling his guts and gets cleaned up the best he can, he’ll remember to compliment you on how wonderfully you sang that night

Unlike McCree, he still actually remembers all the events

Quite embarrassed by the fact he did multiple duets while wasted that night

Soldier 76

He’ll sing if convinced hard enough, which he usually is

Mainly by D.Va

He’s not drunk (maybe a little tipsy though because like hell he’ll go up there without a few drinks in him), luckily, and he sings quite well

He’s not ashamed to cheer during your singing like everybody else does when they hear how wonderfully you sing

Not ashamed to stand and applaud when you’re done

Will even walk over to you to help you down from the stage and shower you in compliments

You give him compliments as well

He’ll even offer to buy a drink for you

He won’t suggest a duet himself but, if you do, he’d be up for doing it

You probably get wasted while he keeps a more or less level head

He has to keep everyone else in line after all

Reinhardt

Whether he’s drunk or not, no one knows

Literally acts the same either way

Of course, he sings though

How could he not?

I expect nothing less of ten tunes coming from this gentle giant

He’s so enthusiastic about everyone who performs

Standing, cheering, clapping for everyone

Yes, even Hanzo and McCree’s duet of I’ll Make a Man Out of You

When he hears you sing, he’s in awe

Quiet through the performance, whistling and clapping when you’re finished

He walks right up to you afterwards and showers you with compliments

Possibly even picks you up and spins you around

Will definitely ask you to sing a duet (or three) with him before the night is over

When things begin to wind down, he’ll ask you for singing tips and offer tips of his own

Will he remember anything in the morning? Was he even drinking at all that night? The world will never know

Mercy

Let’s face it, if she’s off duty and there’s alcohol nearby, she’s drinking

The lady works hours on end for weeks, let her chill out and let loose at some point, thanks

She’s more of a dancing drunk than a singing drunk

Still sings though

Something chill like True Colors and she does it pretty well, aside from the occasional slur and hiccup

Her voice is near godly as well, actually

She doesn’t think so, though, and shoos away your compliments

However, when she hears you sing

She’s up by the edge of the platform you’re singing on, dancing and cheering away

Probably accompanied by D.Va

When you’re finished, she stumbles right over to you and starts hanging off you

“Wh-hy would y-you say I-I’m amazing??? Y-you’re amazing..!!”

She tries to encourage you to sing again

Even offers to sing with you

Please take this woman home and get her a water bottle and some painkillers before she starts headbanging to Hey There Delilah

Ana

She thinks it’s cute more than anything

Look you go, all up there strutting your stuff and singing like your life depends on it

Truly a cutie pie

She makes few flowers out of napkins to give to you when you come back

She tosses them at you and pretends to fawn all over you

Clings to you

Sighing and whimpering

“Omg, can I get your autograph? Who are you, the next Lucio??”

All the while while a teasing grin on her face like the charming asshole she always is

You guys joke around this way a bit longer before she finally collapses in laughter

After she calms down she offers you the drink she got for you while you were on your way over

“Seriously though, you sounded awesome. Nice job.”

You each end up with a napkin flower behind one of your ears and possibly a couple weaved into your hair

Symmetra

She’s absolutely mesmerized

She’s just mesmerized by beautiful skill and talent in general, and boy do you have both

Her fawning over you is genuine

She’s so cute about it too

Like a shy teenage fangirl

She asks if you’ll sing something for her when it’s just the two of you sometime

She has a song picked out for you and everything

She offers to get you flowers or show you some of her dance skills, or even sing with/for you herself in return

Not that she has to do anything in turn

You wouldn’t mind seeing her dance or hearing her sing at some point if she’s comfortable enough with doing so though

A musical hangout session has been planned at some point

D.Va

She’s all over the place during the entire party

Dancing with people, doing shots with other people, doing her own fair share of karaoke

She’s buzzing around faster that Tracer can at this point like wtf Hana

She probably watches you sing from where she’s laying across the bar or from the ceiling somehow

Aggressive headbanging no matter how chill the song is

When you’re done she stumbles over to you

Doesn’t realize that she’s literally screaming

“You sounded bomb up there, y’know that?? We should sing covers sometime together!! Cuz.. Cuz I have a channel for that type of thing, y’know??”

Then she just kind of passes out

Not because she’s drunk but because she overexerted herself

You’ll have to chat with her again after her fifteen hours

Pharah

She wasn’t at the party

Not officially anyway; she showed up to take her a little more than tipsy mother home

She got there as you were singing though, then decided to stay to listen

Needless to say, she was very impressed

If she didn’t have to keep her mother from flirting with everything that moves, including the lamp that just happened to fall over, she would have stayed to chat with and compliment you

Unfortunately, there goes Ana, trying to buy an overly drunk McCree a drink (which he’s just drunk enough to be okay with)

Pharah will have to set up a hangout session with you tomorrow

Off to drag dear mother away

Ana, no

[internetbeasts]

Interior Designer vs Contractor - How are they different?

Home renovation is never an easy decision to make and the sensible thing to do would be to engage the services of an interior designer or a contractor. But how are they different? Though they seem to provide similar services at a glance, interior designers and contractors differ in striking ways, and which service provider that’s the best hire depends on the nature of the work you need done and your expectations.

Contemporary bedroom, design and image courtesy of Trinity Design Studio. 

Interior Designer

If both form and functionality are key to your renovation needs, the interior designer is the professional you want. Whether it’s a beautiful and functional kitchen design or a kid-friendly bedroom, they take charge of every aspect of the job from planning, supervision of work to finalizing the décor.

Listens to what clients want

Interior designers start by discussing their client’s needs to establish a better understanding of what the client wants, and the heavy construction work only begins once a general agreement has been reached. An open channel of communication is then maintained between both parties throughout the duration of the project, keeping the client informed on its progress and giving him or her the option to intervene at any time.

Unlike contractors, interior designers are more than willing to entertain client’s requests to create themed renovation work, whatever they may be (examples may include a Disney themed bedroom for their daughter, a minimalist look for the living room or a H.R. Giger inspired bathroom for Alien fans).

To ensure that a client’s needs are understood, interior designers then proceed to produce a detailed 3-D drawing of the project plans which is presented to the client for inspection, which can then be used both ways to communicate changes and suggestions from both parties to ensure that the client’s needs are met as best possible.

Example of a 3-D plan used by interior designers to facilitate communication of ideas and changes to clients. Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Highly autonomous

And once that’s done, interior designers also oversee the entirety of the process themselves, coordinating and supervising the work while keeping their clients updated of the progress throughout the entire process.

Also, because of the higher level of autonomy assigned to interior designers, clients are freed of a significant amount of commitment that would otherwise be needed in overseeing the progress made by contractors.

____________________________________

Find a reliable and recommended interior designer in Johor Bahru!

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Contractor

Straightforward professionals

Contractors are all about functionality and are largely unconcerned with the final product's aesthetic qualities. They carry out the jobs they take based strictly on a specific process – which usually leaves clients with little choice for personalization other than, say, the type and design of tile to be used or the placing of electrical outlets.

Their mode of operation does mean that contractors are able to charge less - and a good contractor will still do a good job. This is perfect for clients who aren't too particular.

Nor do they provide advice and design ideas voluntarily and only step in to provide advice when their clients make requests that would be architecturally unsound or simply beyond what they are willing to do.

A closer look at the kitchen, design and image courtesy of Trinity Design Studio.

Often employ Sub-contractors

Often, contractors will almost always need to hire sub-contractors to perform tasks that they won’t or cannot perform, an additional cost that will be transferred to the client. Sub-contractors complement the contractor and performs jobs main contractors won’t or can’t do, such as electrical wiring and carpentry. Sub-contractors are highly specialized, and typically only follow through with instructions provided to them by clients or the contractor.

And because contractors perform a task with little to no regard for input from clients, the cost of making fine adjustments post-renovation might end up costing the client a lot more than expected.

Are held less accountable for errors

However, if a problem does occur (e.g. bad wiring layout, inappropriate use of materials, safety issues) contractors are likely to transfer all liability to their clients, claiming that they are just following instructions. If things go south, be prepared to accept the fact that contractors are most likely going to stand by themselves and their sub-contractors.

Summary of the differences between Interior Designers and Contractors:

Interior Designer

- Comprehensive services for higher price

- Handles full design concept, with full consideration given to client’s needs and aesthetic preferences

- Provides additional services and/or advice post-renovation.

- Optimal for large scale renovations.

- Prepares 3D plans for inspection.

- High autonomy frees clients of commitment.

- Takes in client input regarding aesthetic preferences and customization.

Contractor

- Basic services at base cost price

- Rigid, follows instructions only. Are less accountable for error and inconsistencies.

- Only performs work as agreed in contract.

- Optimal for small scale renovations.

- No prepared plans.

- Requires greater client involvement.

- Provides only marginal customization options.

Beautiful dining and kitchen, design and image courtesy of Trinity Design Studio.

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Need your renovation done right? Find a renovation contractor in Johor Bahru to do it for you!

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Considerations for hiring

1. Budget

Ultimately, it's the budget that dictates the hire. Interior designers cost more as they provide a higher level of service, while contractors generally cost less but take minimal input from clients on how the job gets done.

It is possible to control for costs to get the best of both worlds and that’s by hiring the services of an interior designer to oversee only a partial part of the renovation while relegating the bulk of it to contractors to complete.

Keep in mind that cutting corners and hiring the cheapest service at the onset isn’t prudent, and could possibly cost more in the long-term as additional charges are incurred to rectify problems arising from poor workmanship and oversights.

2. Scale of renovation required or expected

The decision to hire an interior designer or contractor should also depend on the scale of work and attention to detail required. Contractors are best suited for smaller jobs where the outcome of the job would likely have no significant impact on the overall design of the house (or isn’t important to the client).

But as the scale of the renovation increases so do the potential for error and inconsistencies - and greater consideration should be given to hiring an interior designer instead.

This surrendering of a high degree of autonomy does mean that clients become very dependent on the skill and professionalism of the interior designer and (at the very least) could result in a waste of time and money should their services prove unsatisfactory. It is therefore a very, very good idea that the client perform a thorough check of their potential hire to ensure that their skills and vision are up to expectations.

3. Level of commitment

The amount of time that clients are willing or able to dedicate is another important consideration. Interior designers take on the time-consuming process of both planning and coordination of the renovation work, thus freeing up clients of responsibility – and also giving clients a degree of peace of mind knowing that their project is in good hands.

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Have a renovation project in mind? Find a reliable contractor in Johor Bahru.

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Related articles:

Interior designer vs Contractor - How are They Different?

Why Hire a Renovation Contractor over an Interior Designer.

[sherristockman]

Harvard Says This Is the Ultimate Meal Plan Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola It stands to reason that if different foods offer unique nutrients to heal your body and maintain (or regain) health, it might be a good idea to change up your meals to include as many beneficial vitamins and minerals as possible if you're not doing so already. Including as many types of nutrients in your overall daily meal plan has a fringe benefit: A little variety in your life really does spice it up, especially in the area of your food choices. Determining which foods provide the most important nutrients is a good strategy to optimize your health. The reality, however, is that many people eat the same meals over and over, day after day, usually because they feel they don't have time to research which foods they should eat and often end up eating snacks by default instead of real food. It's always easiest to choose what you already know works for you. If sticking to a set of go-to meals you enjoy eating and take the shortest time to prepare are your main considerations, you may be missing out on delicious options and super easy meal plans that will provide the nutrients you need without a lot of fuss. A One-Day Meal Plan for Optimal Nutrition? Many people wonder if it's possible to get all the nutrients they need from food alone, and the answer is generally yes, provided you focus on high-quality foods (vitamin D, which your body produces from sun exposure, would be one exception). According to Harvard Women's Health Watch: "Experts agree that the best way to get the nutrients we need is through food. A balanced diet … offers a mix of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients (some yet to be identified) that collectively meet the body's needs." It's not a new concept. Harvard Health explored the premise in 2009 when they reported on a study involving nearly 162,000 postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), with an emphasis on how people could get the vitamins and minerals needed through their diet.1 The study revealed that women who took multivitamins had similar rates of heart disease and certain cancers, as well as longevity, as those who did not, which suggests focusing on dietary interventions may be key.2 When it comes to optimal nutrition, eating foods that will fuel your body and help prevent disease is important, but you need to know what to gravitate toward and what to stay away from. As a reminder, whatever you eat, when it comes to meat and dairy, pastured is best, and for other foods, organic is often crucial to avoid ingesting genetically engineered or chemically treated fare. Harvard expert Dr. Helen Delichatsios, nutrition educator at Harvard Medical School, suggested a variety of foods to include in a one-day meal plan that would, all totaled, provide the general nutritional requirements for a 51- to 70-year-old woman, which I've adjusted slightly:3 Breakfast might consist of 8 ounces of raw grass fed yogurt with a handful of walnuts (14 halves) and a cup of papaya and kiwi, along with 4 ounces of raw grass fed milk Lunch could be a colorful garden salad containing 1 cup of dark green lettuce, one red pepper, 1 cup of grape tomatoes and sunflower seeds, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar as your dressing and fresh-ground black pepper on top Dinner could be 4 ounces of wild-caught Alaskan salmon, topped with a raw grass fed yogurt, lemon and garlic sauce, and a cup of steamed baby Bok choy While this might not be enough food for some people, the quantities would vary depending on your size, age and health status. Further, it would be wise to include a wider variety of healthy foods in your diet than is listed above. With that in mind, what would you need to eat to get the right amount of vitamins, minerals and other more obscure compounds to feel and function your best every single day, and even improve your mitochondrial function in the process? 'Fat for Fuel' Ketogenic Cookbook: A Superior Option for Your Daily Meals More than half of all Americans struggle with chronic illness, and 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. is obesity-related. This is a direct result of eating far too much sugar and grains, too much protein and far too little healthy fat. To reduce your risk of chronic disease, maintain a healthy weight and improve your mitochondrial function (a key to long-term weight management and good health) through diet, the key is to eat in such a way that your body is able to burn fat as its primary fuel rather than sugars. Ketogenic diets are very effective for this, which is the focus of my latest book, "Fat for Fuel." A companion tool to "Fat for Fuel" is my "Fat for Fuel Ketogenic Cookbook: Recipes and Ketogenic Keys to Health from a World-Class Doctor and an Internationally Renowned Chef," with celebrity chef Pete Evans. It provides you with the delicious, kitchen-tested recipes you can use in your daily life to make the shift to fat-burning. While the Harvard daily meal plan was an improvement over the typical American diet, it misses some key points, like incorporating healthy fats. Examples of the easy-to-prepare, go-to meals you'll find in my "Fat for Fuel" cookbook are below. Use these recipes to help ensure you're getting the nutrition you need, without all the fuss: Green Eggs and Ham (for Breakfast) (Serves 2) Ingredients 4 eggs Melted coconut, for brushing 4 tablespoons finely chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, basil, mint and/or chervil) 4 to 6 slices of ham, to serve Raw veggies (lettuce, carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes) to serve Procedure Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmering, add eggs and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, peel the eggs under cold running water Brush the peeled eggs with coconut oil, then roll them in herbs, gently pressing the herbs with your hands until evenly coated. Serve the eggs with the ham and raw vegetables. Fennel, Watercress and Herb Salad with Shallot Dressing (for Lunch) (serves 4) Ingredients 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and shaved, fronds reserved 1 large handful watercress 1 handful mint leaves 1 handful dill fronds, shaved Lemon wedges, to serve Shallot Dressing 1 French shallot, finely diced 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Procedure Using a mandolin or sharp knife, thinly shave the fennel. Place all the herbs in a large bowl and set aside. To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. Pour dressing over the salad just to coat and gently toss to combine, season if needed. Arrange on a platter to serve, drizzling more dressing on if desired. (Leftover dressing can be stored in a sealed jar and refrigerated up to two weeks. Crackling Chicken (for Dinner) (serves 4) Ingredients 8 chicken thighs, skin intact 1 tablespoon sea salt 2 teaspoon coconut oil or good-quality fat 2 teaspoons spice mix (like Cajun or Moroccan) Lemon wedges, to serve Procedure Flatten the chicken thighs with a mallet so they'll cook evenly. Season with salt. Melt the oil in a large, heavy pan over high heat; place the chicken, skin side down in the pan and season with the spice mix. Fry undisturbed for 6 to 8 minutes or until brown and crispy. Flip and fry 3 more minutes until cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Serve with lemon wedges and vegetables or salad. Nutrient-Dense Foods to Include in Your Ultimate Meal Plan Some of the most nutrient-dense foods to include in your diet, in no particular order, include: Mushrooms Sardines and anchovies Crucifers, i.e., cauliflower and Brussels sprouts Bone broth Pastured beef Pastured organic eggs, milk and butter Berries, i.e., raspberries, blueberries and strawberries Nuts, i.e., pecans and macadamias Seeds, i.e., sesame and sunflower Olive and coconut oils Wild-caught Alaskan salmon Avocados Turmeric Red onions and garlic Sprouts, i.e., broccoli and sunflower Fresh herbs i.e., oregano, rosemary and basil Fermented vegetables Chili peppers Crimini mushrooms Dark leafy greens Some people have decided that, due to time constraints or other inconveniences, taking some kind of one-a-day multivitamin to make up for any glaring inconsistencies in the way of nutrition will do the job. However, Harvard Medical School experts digress. Dr. Clifford Lo, an associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, says this approach isn't as simple or as foolproof as it may seem, and for a couple of reasons.4 Taking dietary supplements to "fill in the gaps" nutritionally may end up providing more of certain vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients than is good for you. Too much vitamin A, for example, can overload your system and actually become toxic.5 While in some cases a high-quality daily multivitamin can be beneficial, it's important to know what your body needs and what you're not getting through food before including dietary supplements in your routine. For nutrients that can only come through ingestion, getting them from food as opposed to through supplements is always best. However, if it's a nutrient you can't get through food, it's an essential nutrient. Unfortunately, nutritional deficiencies are becoming more common, and only being informed can help you move toward optimal health. Eating Well Is Wise, but Other Elements Are Also Important for Health Eating well isn't the only thing to pay attention to as you make progress in taking control of your health; other aspects of your life are just as important, especially as there are so many unhealthy aspects that make illness and disease more prevalent, such as free radicals caused by exposure to air pollution and chemicals in household cleaners, lawn fertilizers, pet products and beauty products. Protecting your ability to get eight hours of sleep every night is one consideration toward reaching optimal health, as is avoiding setting your cellphone by your bedside or carrying it near your body, exposing yourself to harmful electromagnetic fields (EMFs). As for putting together a nutritionally based meal plan, getting an array of different nutrients is one of the most important strategies for fighting disease. Coming up with what to eat for your daily meals is half the battle to eating right, which is why relying on a cookbook like "Fat for Fuel" makes getting healthy so much easier. Make it your go-to source for meal planning and soon you'll have confidence that in at least one area of your life, you actually are taking control of your health.

[lunethl]

The Basics: Writing (fan)fiction step-by-step

You want to write a (fan)fiction. Maybe you had a great idea, maybe you are still hoping to get one. Either way, you still have to write it... Don’t be afraid! In this post you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to write a story. 

That said, step-by-step guides are a pain to write when there is no set order to things and there may be significant differences between genres and story lengths. My personal method of story creation tends to contain a lot of loops, with the occasional zig-zag or spiral. Most step-by-step guides don’t work for me, and it may be the same for you. So don’t worry if things work out the first few times, or if you can’t think of something immediately. There’s also no need to stick tightly to the order of the steps or answer them in amazing detail. When in doubt, start writing and see where it goes. Just be prepared to throw out a lot of what you’ve written and make sure that you can answer all the questions in the guide at a level you consider decent by the time you’re ready to write the final version of your story. Now let’s begin! After these three notes that is: 

-This is a step-by-step guide. Going into detail would make this guide way too long. I will probably write articles with more details for each step (or part of step) in the future. -If you’re planning to write anything without a plot, skip step 3 and most of step 4. -This is a work in progress, because writing this guide is hard. All steps are there, but I might alter them later.

Step 1: The Idea

Question: What am I going to write?

To write any story, you need an idea. What the idea is doesn’t matter too much. It might be a nice character, a general plotline, a scene, a crazy item or monster you want someone to interact with, a single sentence, or anything else really. All that matters is that you’ve got a place to start. 

You might already have an idea in mind right now.  If you don’t have one yet, there are generally two good places to get one: your own imagination and the outside world. Many writers keep a small notebook at hand in case they see, hear, or think of something they could use in a story. If you can’t think of anything, you can always look for writing prompts online.

Step 2: Setting up the story

Questions: How long will my story be? What is the tone of the story? Who will be my main character(s)? What will the story be about?

Once you have your idea, you will need to expand on it. To start writing, you will need to know if you wish to write a short or long story, and you will need a genre and a who and what. Sometimes, the prompt will include all of the above. If not, this is the moment to fill in the blanks. There’s no set order to this and you’ll often find that you adjust one thing when thinking up another. Similarly, you will often have to return to this step if you find out that your idea doesn’t work for whatever reason.

Length: You might not know how long you want your story to be in words, but you probably have already some idea of what you wish to include. If not: it will probably have an effect on the way you write, so make sure you have some idea at least! In general, short stories will take place in one moment. One night together, a cute moment or a death scene are all examples of this. It may include a short epilogue, or it could be a flashback where the ‘now’ is included. The most important thing is that one thing happens and there is likely to be only one mood as well. If you’ve never written before, it might be good to start with a short story, as it is more straightforward than a long story and usually pretty short. In long stories, more than one thing happens. Though the plot may be ‘girl courts boy’, in long story she will do this in multiple steps. The story will usually last multiple in-universe days (or weeks, months, years). These stories will often have both happy and sad moments. Take note that a long story may in fact be only a few pages long if you use little detail.

Tone: The tone of the story can generally be happy, sad or neutral. If you’re lucky, your prompt will already contain an obvious tone. Often though, it can go either way. For example, X hates Y, but Y loves X can be a sweet romance or a terrible tragedy. It all depends on what happens and how you write it down. In the plot of long stories there will usually be ups and downs, but before you start writing you will want to know whether you want more hurt or more comfort.

What: The most common type of prompt tells you what happens: character A goes to place X and meets character B there, or maybe character C has to stop the world from ending or D ends up in a video game. If you don’t have a what yet though, you will need to decide what is appropriate if you consider what you do have. If your idea is a character, it has to be something that character would do, or a situation your character might end up in. If you have a setting, the what has to match it. Generally though, you will already have a what from your original prompt.

Who: In fanfiction, you are working with a limited set of characters. If you want a use a specific one or a specific few, make sure the tone and the what match the character(s). A terribly sad story about a happy-go-lucky main character that commits suicide will not work unless the character is out of character. Sometimes this is fine, but you need to make sure that it is at least somewhat logical for him to do what the plot dictates (more information on this in step 3).

In fiction, the character is all up to you. Rule number 1: No Mary Sues or Gary Stus. A character that is perfect in every way will annoy the hell out of the readers in no time. Just make sure that there’s no character is smart AND  athletic AND beautiful AND has a perfect personality. Each somewhat important character should have a few faults (no, a sob-story past is not a fault) that matter. A big enough fault in the character’s personality will usually successfully deter Mary Sue. After escaping that hell, you can look at what kind of main character your story needs. You might have a clear idea, but if you don’t you can try putting him or her in different situations that may or may not be included in the plot and think of how you want him to react. Still no idea? Just wing it and check what works and what doesn’t when writing.

Step 3: Setting up the plot

Questions: What is the theme of the story? What is the setting of the story? What is the personality of the main character (or main characters)? What is the plot of the story and does it work?

Congratulations! Now you can start with the story. In how much detail you should answer the questions above is highly dependent on what you prefer. Try different things to see what works for you (Creative Writing exercise might help you with this). I personally tend to prioritize the setting and the personality of the main character. Then I’ll get a start, an ending and maybe checkpoints ready and finally I let the characters do whatever is logical for them while keeping these checkpoints in mind. You may prefer to create a full plot outline and fit the personalities and setting to it or maybe take a middle road.

Theme: The theme is what the story is About (capital A), as my Creative Writing teacher always said. If a story is about a girl courting a boy, it may be About true love, growing up or even friendship. The theme is the one thing in this list I’d advise you to think of before you start on your final version. If you don’t know, just start writing and try to find what works that way. Though you have a decent chance you will need to start over completely after you find the theme, you are assured that the story will go somewhere. Too often have I written stories without thinking of a theme. Most of these ended up in my garbage bin. If you insist that your story doesn’t have a theme, check your story again. You may find one, or you may need to alter it or even throw it out altogether.

Setting: Unless you’re writing sci-fi or fantasy, the ‘where’ and ‘when’ of the story is usually not as important for the basic plotline as the who and what. It is however very important for making a story logical and making decisions on details. Will you use the original setting, alter it slightly or create a new one? If you make a new one, it’s up to you how detailed you make it. Make sure you have an idea of the country (and/or planet), the time period and area (rural/city). You can raise the story another level by studying the setting in great detail or creating your own. What are the laws and customs of the time and place? How does the educational system work? How tall are people? Such details can inspire you and give you a better idea of what can, will and can’t happen. Both allow you to write more details into your story.

Personality of the main character: You already know who, but how will he or she act? In fanfiction, this will usually not take too long, as the given character has only one or a couple of ways he or she can act without being out of character. Note: act. If you’re not using a main character of the original work, chances are that it’s not all that clear what goes on inside your character’s head. Which means you can decide! Just make sure that there is always a reason why he or she acts the way he or she does, given the personality of the character.

And finally, the plot!: Now you have all ingrediënts, all that’s left is to combine them. As I noted before, how detailed you write your plot is up to you, you can even not write one at all if that works for you. If you do though, it might allow you to catch on to any inconsistencies early, which means it’s less likely you have to rewrite the entire thing. No guarantees though, especially when you’re writing a long story. Unless you basically write the whole story, you will find something in the story that does not fit.

Step 4: Writing your story

Questions: Is this still working? Am I sure people’s eyes won’t bleed when they’re reading my story?

You know everything you need to know, so you can finally start writing! Or maybe you’re still figuring everything out and you hope all your questions will be answered while writing. Don’t worry if the latter is the case: I myself usually can’t answer all the questions when I start writing. Just be ready to let go of anything that doesn’t work, be it a plotpoint, a character trait or a scene. Also, be aware that at the end of the line, you may find that there are just too many problems with the plot and the story cannot be salvaged. Just make sure you write in a way that allows you to find the big problems sooner rather than later.

It’s always a great idea to reread what you have written, no matter what the circumstances. Something may sound great when you think it up, but suck when you read it back later. There are many ways of writing and rereading, so here are some examples of what you can do:

Improve the writing: If you know your plot will work or you’re writing a short story, read back some chapters or the part you had written the time before. This will both help you get back into the story as well as improve upon it. You’re more likely to catch mistakes and weird sentences when you read back some time after writing it: if you do it just after you finished writing, your mind may just gloss over all mistakes, as you know what should be there. After you’ve reread a chapter a few times, it’ll probably be decent, it might even be great! It all depends on your experience.

Improve the plot: If there’s a high chance of failure (less answers on the questions above tends to mean a higher chance of failure) and you don’t want to use the story to practice your writing, it might be best to not pay attention to the details. It doesn’t matter if a chapter is a mess or very well-written. If you cannot make the story work, it’ll end up in the garbage can (or be kept as inspiration for future stories!). Every once in a while, skim over all your chapters and see if there’s no huge gaps in the plot and if the story itself is to your liking. This will take less time when writing and it won’t hurt as much if it turns out you need to rewrite parts.

Pay special attention to something big: If you aren’t sure about something or if know you suck at one thing, pay special attention to it! If the thing omnipresent (plot, main characters), keep track of what happens (in your head or on paper). If you didn’t write out the plot beforehand, it may be a good idea to write it down as you write. If you’re not sure about the main character’s personality, write down why he or she does one thing, and not another. As a rule, even if it’s unexpected, it has to be believable in hindsight. Unless there’s a huge (and believable) change in personality, a character shouldn’t be hot-headed in one chapter and calm when taunted in the next, even if you’re tempted to do this for plot-related reasons. Even though writing everything down is a lot of work, it will allow you to work out how you want things to be pretty quickly and to find any weak point and plot holes. Both will save you a lot of rewriting at later stages.

Pay attention to something small: Many things don’t matter plot-wise, but details can liven up your story and make both writing it and reading it more interesting. There are many ways to go about this. One easy way is to replace some general words with more specific words or word groups (Adam’s car or Adam’s shiny red car). Just make sure it fits (Adam is rich) and you’re consequent (Adam drives the same car the next day). A more creative option is to add quirks to locations and characters. For example, the lampshade in the dining room is crooked, the third step of the stair creaks and George hates strawberries. You can also take it a step further and write down a detailed description of every major character and location before you start writing your final version. By doing this, you can play with these details during the story or even make them plot-relevant. Be creative!

Step 5: Finishing up

Question: Am I ever done? (No, not really)

The story is written, you’ve reread each part at least twice and then once more when you finished. What now? Well, it’s a good idea to let someone read your story. Even if (due to content), you can only let your parents read fragments, they might still notice you made a certain mistake. You can check yourself if you made that mistake more often.

You may want to find a beta reader, especially if you’re not confident in your English or have little experience in writing. They will point out things to you that you would never even have noticed! Next time, you can pay attention to these things yourself, and the beta reader can point out smaller and smaller problems, until you and your beta are just discussing details. That’s by far the fastest way to become a better writer.

And you will become a better writer, as long as you’re critical of your writing and allow other to be critical of it too. In a few years, you will read back your old stories and think ‘oh god, this sucks’. Good for you! That means you’ve improved.

[amaradjohnson]

Buyer’s Guide: Best Cello Brand Review in 2017

The time has come. After a long struggle pitting your talents and experience on the cello against that beat up renter, you have come out on top. You've had good times together, but both of you knew that if you worked hard, one day the both of you would need to part ways. You have finally reached a point where you need a new cello, your own cello, a cello that won't hold you back with a warped neck and sub-par sound. Read on, and we will review the best cello brands available today to help you make your decision.

Things To Consider

Value Section

Before we get to the cello brands, we're going to talk a little bit about what to look for in a cello, how it should play and sound, and some common things to avoid.

Wood

A cello's wood is perhaps the most important aspect of the instrument. Enter any music store, and you'll be able to pick out the better from the worse cellos instinctually. The best cellos have a beautiful, natural grain. The worst, however, will have been coated in a lacquer to hide the pattern of the plywood used below.

Without the right wood, it simply won't produce a high quality sound. Cello makers usually conclude that the best combination in a cello is a spruce top, maple sides and back, and an ebony neck. Some, however offer other combinations, most commonly poplar and beech sides and backing. The bridge and tailpiece should also be high quality wood.

Laminate cellos simply do not sound anywhere near as good as spruce and maple models. You can tell if your cello is made of plywood by looking through the sound holes on either side of the bridge. If you see layers instead of an unbroken piece of wood, you better believe it's made of a laminate.

When it comes to the grain, looks are not deceiving. One of the best indicators of the quality of wood is the feature in the grain known as the 'flame' patterns. These are the bars of light and dark wood visible under the varnish that change color as you turn the instrument in the light. The more dense the flame on the sides and back of the cello, the higher the quality.

The best sounding cellos in the world are between 100 and 200 years old (or even older). As wood ages, it acquires a better tone. Because this article discusses cello brands, we're talking new cellos. Not all new cellos, however, are made of new wood. The best manufacturers will use aged or even recycled maple and spruce for their bodies. Others luthiers will treat their wood with a combination of pressure, steaming, chemical exposure, and whatever else the instrument maker has up his sleeve to make the wood replicate an aged version of itself.

Construction

The best cellos are handmade. If any cello brand offers machine manufactured instruments, understand that these instruments will not perform to anywhere near the same standards as a hand crafted instrument.

You may be thinking that this quality leads to inconsistencies amongst cellos. You are partially correct. But this is what makes a good cello. Any experienced luthier will be able to reproduce almost exactly the same cello over and over again, but between every instrument, there will be a slight variation, a little peculiarity that makes a cello stand out and sound better because of it.

One thing to look for in the construction of any cello is the purfling. This is the carved pattern along the edge of the body, and it resembles a routed table or other kind of edge-decorated furniture. This feature is very important, it will protect the cello from cracking and help it withstand any trauma it sustains. Cheaper models will merely paint a line here to mimic what better models do with a hammer and chisel.

Now you're aware of some basic points regarding your next cello. If you have any more specific questions, make sure to ask a professional. Now, let's get to the best cello brands.

Five Best Cello Brands

Eastman Strings

While most string companies will have a few different models available, Eastman Strings has dozens. Whether you are a beginner looking to rent, or an accomplished cellist after your own instrument, Eastman's huge variety should sate whatever appetite you bring to cello playing. All of their products are 100% handmade the old fashioned way, with chisels, knives, and scrapers.

Qian Ni, a flutist from Beijing, started the company in 1992. While the cello was not his first instrument, he was committed to creating instruments in the same manner of the master European luthiers. The two instrument crafters he brought to his Beijing workshop over thirty years ago still manage the shop today.

Eastman stringed instruments are crafted with excellent wood. The most basic student model, the Samuel Eastman VC80, has a spruce top with maple sides and back, and ebony fittings. Note that the beginner models do not come with an ebony fingerboard.

Each cello is named after the respective luthier who lent his style to the instrument in the first place. Each model will be a little different, and it will come with different woods. Upper scale models offer different types of wood, such as poplar instead of maple for the sides and backing.

Pros

Wide selection of instruments for all levels of play

Selection of different wood at upper models

Continuity of design

Cons

Slightly more expensive

Product ships from China

Low resale vale

D Z Strad

D Z Strad is an American strings company based out of White Plains, NY. All their products are made in the U.S. and ship internationally. In terms of cellos, they have a good range of 13 different models from student to expert.

Their student model comes in ¼-4/4 sizes making it great for young people of any stature. One red flag, however, is that they do not mention what wood they use for the body of this cello in their product description. The fingerboard is ebony, but if they body is made out of a laminate, that high quality fingerboard won't save the sound.

On the other hand, the online image appears to show spruce grain on top and maple flaming on the back. This effect can be recreated, and the jury is still out.

The beginner model goes for between $900-$1200, but upper models then move from $2,150 all the way to $15,000. We believe that these cellos are all high quality products and great to play.

It appears that D Z Strad has simply dropped the ball when it comes to providing information for their cellos online. Upscale models do not even have as much information as the beginner cellos. Unless D Z Strad is scamming cello players worldwide—which we highly doubt—they offer a great line of instruments.

Their brazil wood bows are also very reasonable. Some companies will charge hundreds of dollars for a quality bow, but with a D Z Strad, it comes included with the price of the cello.

Many cellists remain loyal to this company, which should be a testament to their quality. People have reported no trouble shipping them across country. If you're looking for a great U.S.-made cello, these guys are definitely a good choice.

Pros

Handmade, well crafted cellos

cellos available levels

Cellos come with very high quality brazil wood bows

Cons

We're not sure about the wood quality of some, although we suspect it's just fine

Not the biggest selection

Their website is very lacking. We believe if you have a good product, you should reflect that when selling it.

Cecilio

Named after St. Cecelia, the patron saint of musicians, Cecilio tends towards the beginner side of the spectrum regarding cellos, but they offer a few great intermediate products as well.

The CCO-600, their top level brand, has a spruce top with—you guessed it—maple sides and back. Everything is hand carved, the purfling is hand chiseled, and the oil finish they've chosen has a bright, antique look to it. For the fingerboard and fittings, they have, course, chosen ebony. There is not much to complain about with this cello, and it compares quite competitively against other instruments of its caliber.

When you get down to their student models, they still use spruce and maple for the top and back/sides of the body respectively. Considering the price, this is simply remarkable. Student models come in a variety of different colors.

They differ in the fingerboard and fittings, which they construct out of rosewood. Because ebony has been chosen so often for all kinds of ornamental pieces, furniture, and instruments, the wood has grown scarce. Rosewood is a good alternative: it's grain is not quite as thick and hard as ebony, but it comes very close, and it also grows more plentifully.

The tailpiece of the lower student models is made out of a metal alloy. If you are just beginning on the cello, that's just fine, but once you begin to hone your sound, it will certainly hold you back. Just a step up from the beginner models, the CCO-300 solves this with a rosewood tailpiece to match its fingerboard and fittings.

If you are looking for an incredible, high end cello, you should not choose Cecilio. If, however, you are playing more casually, or even studying in university and beginning to perform, you should be able to find the right fit with this company. They're not the best cello company, but they're certainly not the worst.

Pros

Great models for beginners and intermediates

Cost-efficient

Inclusion of rosewood fingerboards keeps cost down

Cons

No good models on the upper end of cellos

Average quality of construction

Most cellos are coated in lacquer, not varnish, which hurts the sound quality

Merano

Compared to Cecilio, Merano strings are even more on the beginner side of the spectrum. Their cellos come in sizes ¼-4/4, and every model they offer is under $500. In their names, they distinguish between handcrafted and machine made cellos.

Their basic cello appears to be machine made, but it's also quite cheap, and it still uses spruce and maple for the body. Flaming is not apparent on the back, however, and we have to question its quality. You are definitely getting what you pay for. The tailpiece is a metal alloy, and the fingerboard is 'ebonized,' i.e. not ebony.

Their handcrafted models come in a wide variety of colors and feature better constructions and materials used. Their top model has a hand carved spruce top, flamed maple sides and back, and ebony fingerboard, tailpiece, and fittings. For under $500, that's pretty great, and you should get a decent sound out of it. Merano, however, markets its products primarily to beginners. You won't be able to get the same quality as with other brands mentioned.

Pros

Wide variety of beginner models

Very cheap

These beginner instruments have a high resale value

Cons

Cheap

Some machine-made models

Many cellos are coated in lacquer, which hurts the sound quality

Ammoon

The Ammoon student cello offers an interesting take on the instrument. In terms of their choice of wood, this instrument is quite unconventional: the body, sides, and back are made of basswood, while the neck, fingerboard, and fittings are maple.

It doesn't say what the tailpiece is made of and it's hard to tell if it's the same stained maple as the fingerboard or some kind of metal alloy. It does, however, come with a maple bow strung with natural horse hair, which is a huge plus.

This cello is specifically for advancing students, but with a pretty competitive cost, it's definitely worth a try. Your sound will certainly be more unique than other traditional cellos, and it might just suit your taste. We recommend this cello for players looking for a unique sound, perhaps to accompany a performing band in more contemporary music genres. In a symphony or orchestra setting, you might be out of place with this Ammoon model.

Pros

Solid, intermediate cello

Alternative choice in wood

Good, hand crafted quality cello

Cons

Very limited selection of instruments

Basswood is not for everyone

Poor resale value

Conclusion

Now that we have reviewed five cello brands, it is time to pick our winner. Based on their high standards of quality, huge range of products, and commitment to continuity, we have to choose Eastman Strings as the best cello brand. With Eastman, you'll be able to find any shape, style, or quality of newly made cellos available. They are simply the best.

Do not let the fact that they are made in China fool you; these products are hand crafted and some of the finest cellos on the market today.

The post Buyer’s Guide: Best Cello Brand Review in 2017 appeared first on Music Advisor.

source https://musicadvisor.com/2017/03/05/best-cello-brands/ from Music Advisor http://musicadvisorcom.blogspot.com/2017/03/buyers-guide-best-cello-brand-review-in.html

[robertbjonesus80]

Buyer’s Guide: Best Cello Brand Review in 2017

The time has come. After a long struggle pitting your talents and experience on the cello against that beat up renter, you have come out on top. You’ve had good times together, but both of you knew that if you worked hard, one day the both of you would need to part ways. You have finally reached a point where you need a new cello, your own cello, a cello that won’t hold you back with a warped neck and sub-par sound. Read on, and we will review the best cello brands available today to help you make your decision.

Things To Consider

Value Section

Before we get to the cello brands, we’re going to talk a little bit about what to look for in a cello, how it should play and sound, and some common things to avoid.

Wood

A cello’s wood is perhaps the most important aspect of the instrument. Enter any music store, and you’ll be able to pick out the better from the worse cellos instinctually. The best cellos have a beautiful, natural grain. The worst, however, will have been coated in a lacquer to hide the pattern of the plywood used below.

Without the right wood, it simply won’t produce a high quality sound. Cello makers usually conclude that the best combination in a cello is a spruce top, maple sides and back, and an ebony neck. Some, however offer other combinations, most commonly poplar and beech sides and backing. The bridge and tailpiece should also be high quality wood.

Laminate cellos simply do not sound anywhere near as good as spruce and maple models. You can tell if your cello is made of plywood by looking through the sound holes on either side of the bridge. If you see layers instead of an unbroken piece of wood, you better believe it’s made of a laminate.

When it comes to the grain, looks are not deceiving. One of the best indicators of the quality of wood is the feature in the grain known as the ‘flame’ patterns. These are the bars of light and dark wood visible under the varnish that change color as you turn the instrument in the light. The more dense the flame on the sides and back of the cello, the higher the quality.

The best sounding cellos in the world are between 100 and 200 years old (or even older). As wood ages, it acquires a better tone. Because this article discusses cello brands, we’re talking new cellos. Not all new cellos, however, are made of new wood. The best manufacturers will use aged or even recycled maple and spruce for their bodies. Others luthiers will treat their wood with a combination of pressure, steaming, chemical exposure, and whatever else the instrument maker has up his sleeve to make the wood replicate an aged version of itself.

Construction

The best cellos are handmade. If any cello brand offers machine manufactured instruments, understand that these instruments will not perform to anywhere near the same standards as a hand crafted instrument.

You may be thinking that this quality leads to inconsistencies amongst cellos. You are partially correct. But this is what makes a good cello. Any experienced luthier will be able to reproduce almost exactly the same cello over and over again, but between every instrument, there will be a slight variation, a little peculiarity that makes a cello stand out and sound better because of it.

One thing to look for in the construction of any cello is the purfling. This is the carved pattern along the edge of the body, and it resembles a routed table or other kind of edge-decorated furniture. This feature is very important, it will protect the cello from cracking and help it withstand any trauma it sustains. Cheaper models will merely paint a line here to mimic what better models do with a hammer and chisel.

Now you’re aware of some basic points regarding your next cello. If you have any more specific questions, make sure to ask a professional. Now, let’s get to the best cello brands.

Five Best Cello Brands

Eastman Strings

While most string companies will have a few different models available, Eastman Strings has dozens. Whether you are a beginner looking to rent, or an accomplished cellist after your own instrument, Eastman’s huge variety should sate whatever appetite you bring to cello playing. All of their products are 100% handmade the old fashioned way, with chisels, knives, and scrapers.

Qian Ni, a flutist from Beijing, started the company in 1992. While the cello was not his first instrument, he was committed to creating instruments in the same manner of the master European luthiers. The two instrument crafters he brought to his Beijing workshop over thirty years ago still manage the shop today.

Eastman stringed instruments are crafted with excellent wood. The most basic student model, the Samuel Eastman VC80, has a spruce top with maple sides and back, and ebony fittings. Note that the beginner models do not come with an ebony fingerboard.

Each cello is named after the respective luthier who lent his style to the instrument in the first place. Each model will be a little different, and it will come with different woods. Upper scale models offer different types of wood, such as poplar instead of maple for the sides and backing.

Pros

Wide selection of instruments for all levels of play

Selection of different wood at upper models

Continuity of design

Cons

Slightly more expensive

Product ships from China

Low resale vale

D Z Strad

D Z Strad is an American strings company based out of White Plains, NY. All their products are made in the U.S. and ship internationally. In terms of cellos, they have a good range of 13 different models from student to expert.

Their student model comes in ¼-4/4 sizes making it great for young people of any stature. One red flag, however, is that they do not mention what wood they use for the body of this cello in their product description. The fingerboard is ebony, but if they body is made out of a laminate, that high quality fingerboard won’t save the sound.

On the other hand, the online image appears to show spruce grain on top and maple flaming on the back. This effect can be recreated, and the jury is still out.

The beginner model goes for between $900-$1200, but upper models then move from $2,150 all the way to $15,000. We believe that these cellos are all high quality products and great to play.

It appears that D Z Strad has simply dropped the ball when it comes to providing information for their cellos online. Upscale models do not even have as much information as the beginner cellos. Unless D Z Strad is scamming cello players worldwide—which we highly doubt—they offer a great line of instruments.

Their brazil wood bows are also very reasonable. Some companies will charge hundreds of dollars for a quality bow, but with a D Z Strad, it comes included with the price of the cello.

Many cellists remain loyal to this company, which should be a testament to their quality. People have reported no trouble shipping them across country. If you’re looking for a great U.S.-made cello, these guys are definitely a good choice.

Pros

Handmade, well crafted cellos

cellos available levels

Cellos come with very high quality brazil wood bows

Cons

We’re not sure about the wood quality of some, although we suspect it’s just fine

Not the biggest selection

Their website is very lacking. We believe if you have a good product, you should reflect that when selling it.

Cecilio

Named after St. Cecelia, the patron saint of musicians, Cecilio tends towards the beginner side of the spectrum regarding cellos, but they offer a few great intermediate products as well.

The CCO-600, their top level brand, has a spruce top with—you guessed it—maple sides and back. Everything is hand carved, the purfling is hand chiseled, and the oil finish they’ve chosen has a bright, antique look to it. For the fingerboard and fittings, they have, course, chosen ebony. There is not much to complain about with this cello, and it compares quite competitively against other instruments of its caliber.

When you get down to their student models, they still use spruce and maple for the top and back/sides of the body respectively. Considering the price, this is simply remarkable. Student models come in a variety of different colors.

They differ in the fingerboard and fittings, which they construct out of rosewood. Because ebony has been chosen so often for all kinds of ornamental pieces, furniture, and instruments, the wood has grown scarce. Rosewood is a good alternative: it’s grain is not quite as thick and hard as ebony, but it comes very close, and it also grows more plentifully.

The tailpiece of the lower student models is made out of a metal alloy. If you are just beginning on the cello, that’s just fine, but once you begin to hone your sound, it will certainly hold you back. Just a step up from the beginner models, the CCO-300 solves this with a rosewood tailpiece to match its fingerboard and fittings.

If you are looking for an incredible, high end cello, you should not choose Cecilio. If, however, you are playing more casually, or even studying in university and beginning to perform, you should be able to find the right fit with this company. They’re not the best cello company, but they’re certainly not the worst.

Pros

Great models for beginners and intermediates

Cost-efficient

Inclusion of rosewood fingerboards keeps cost down

Cons

No good models on the upper end of cellos

Average quality of construction

Most cellos are coated in lacquer, not varnish, which hurts the sound quality

Merano

Compared to Cecilio, Merano strings are even more on the beginner side of the spectrum. Their cellos come in sizes ¼-4/4, and every model they offer is under $500. In their names, they distinguish between handcrafted and machine made cellos.

Their basic cello appears to be machine made, but it’s also quite cheap, and it still uses spruce and maple for the body. Flaming is not apparent on the back, however, and we have to question its quality. You are definitely getting what you pay for. The tailpiece is a metal alloy, and the fingerboard is 'ebonized,’ i.e. not ebony.

Their handcrafted models come in a wide variety of colors and feature better constructions and materials used. Their top model has a hand carved spruce top, flamed maple sides and back, and ebony fingerboard, tailpiece, and fittings. For under $500, that’s pretty great, and you should get a decent sound out of it. Merano, however, markets its products primarily to beginners. You won’t be able to get the same quality as with other brands mentioned.

Pros

Wide variety of beginner models

Very cheap

These beginner instruments have a high resale value

Cons

Cheap

Some machine-made models

Many cellos are coated in lacquer, which hurts the sound quality

Ammoon

The Ammoon student cello offers an interesting take on the instrument. In terms of their choice of wood, this instrument is quite unconventional: the body, sides, and back are made of basswood, while the neck, fingerboard, and fittings are maple.

It doesn’t say what the tailpiece is made of and it’s hard to tell if it’s the same stained maple as the fingerboard or some kind of metal alloy. It does, however, come with a maple bow strung with natural horse hair, which is a huge plus.

This cello is specifically for advancing students, but with a pretty competitive cost, it’s definitely worth a try. Your sound will certainly be more unique than other traditional cellos, and it might just suit your taste. We recommend this cello for players looking for a unique sound, perhaps to accompany a performing band in more contemporary music genres. In a symphony or orchestra setting, you might be out of place with this Ammoon model.

Pros

Solid, intermediate cello

Alternative choice in wood

Good, hand crafted quality cello

Cons

Very limited selection of instruments

Basswood is not for everyone

Poor resale value

Conclusion

Now that we have reviewed five cello brands, it is time to pick our winner. Based on their high standards of quality, huge range of products, and commitment to continuity, we have to choose Eastman Strings as the best cello brand. With Eastman, you’ll be able to find any shape, style, or quality of newly made cellos available. They are simply the best.

Do not let the fact that they are made in China fool you; these products are hand crafted and some of the finest cellos on the market today.

The post Buyer’s Guide: Best Cello Brand Review in 2017 appeared first on Music Advisor.

from Music Advisor https://musicadvisor.com/2017/03/05/best-cello-brands/ from Music Advisor https://musicadvisor.tumblr.com/post/158015558502

[musicadvisor]

Buyer’s Guide: Best Cello Brand Review in 2017

The time has come. After a long struggle pitting your talents and experience on the cello against that beat up renter, you have come out on top. You've had good times together, but both of you knew that if you worked hard, one day the both of you would need to part ways. You have finally reached a point where you need a new cello, your own cello, a cello that won't hold you back with a warped neck and sub-par sound. Read on, and we will review the best cello brands available today to help you make your decision.

Things To Consider

Value Section

Before we get to the cello brands, we're going to talk a little bit about what to look for in a cello, how it should play and sound, and some common things to avoid.

Wood

A cello's wood is perhaps the most important aspect of the instrument. Enter any music store, and you'll be able to pick out the better from the worse cellos instinctually. The best cellos have a beautiful, natural grain. The worst, however, will have been coated in a lacquer to hide the pattern of the plywood used below.

Without the right wood, it simply won't produce a high quality sound. Cello makers usually conclude that the best combination in a cello is a spruce top, maple sides and back, and an ebony neck. Some, however offer other combinations, most commonly poplar and beech sides and backing. The bridge and tailpiece should also be high quality wood.

Laminate cellos simply do not sound anywhere near as good as spruce and maple models. You can tell if your cello is made of plywood by looking through the sound holes on either side of the bridge. If you see layers instead of an unbroken piece of wood, you better believe it's made of a laminate.

When it comes to the grain, looks are not deceiving. One of the best indicators of the quality of wood is the feature in the grain known as the 'flame' patterns. These are the bars of light and dark wood visible under the varnish that change color as you turn the instrument in the light. The more dense the flame on the sides and back of the cello, the higher the quality.

The best sounding cellos in the world are between 100 and 200 years old (or even older). As wood ages, it acquires a better tone. Because this article discusses cello brands, we're talking new cellos. Not all new cellos, however, are made of new wood. The best manufacturers will use aged or even recycled maple and spruce for their bodies. Others luthiers will treat their wood with a combination of pressure, steaming, chemical exposure, and whatever else the instrument maker has up his sleeve to make the wood replicate an aged version of itself.

Construction

The best cellos are handmade. If any cello brand offers machine manufactured instruments, understand that these instruments will not perform to anywhere near the same standards as a hand crafted instrument.

You may be thinking that this quality leads to inconsistencies amongst cellos. You are partially correct. But this is what makes a good cello. Any experienced luthier will be able to reproduce almost exactly the same cello over and over again, but between every instrument, there will be a slight variation, a little peculiarity that makes a cello stand out and sound better because of it.

One thing to look for in the construction of any cello is the purfling. This is the carved pattern along the edge of the body, and it resembles a routed table or other kind of edge-decorated furniture. This feature is very important, it will protect the cello from cracking and help it withstand any trauma it sustains. Cheaper models will merely paint a line here to mimic what better models do with a hammer and chisel.

Now you're aware of some basic points regarding your next cello. If you have any more specific questions, make sure to ask a professional. Now, let's get to the best cello brands.

Five Best Cello Brands

Eastman Strings

While most string companies will have a few different models available, Eastman Strings has dozens. Whether you are a beginner looking to rent, or an accomplished cellist after your own instrument, Eastman's huge variety should sate whatever appetite you bring to cello playing. All of their products are 100% handmade the old fashioned way, with chisels, knives, and scrapers.

Qian Ni, a flutist from Beijing, started the company in 1992. While the cello was not his first instrument, he was committed to creating instruments in the same manner of the master European luthiers. The two instrument crafters he brought to his Beijing workshop over thirty years ago still manage the shop today.

Eastman stringed instruments are crafted with excellent wood. The most basic student model, the Samuel Eastman VC80, has a spruce top with maple sides and back, and ebony fittings. Note that the beginner models do not come with an ebony fingerboard.

Each cello is named after the respective luthier who lent his style to the instrument in the first place. Each model will be a little different, and it will come with different woods. Upper scale models offer different types of wood, such as poplar instead of maple for the sides and backing.

Pros

Wide selection of instruments for all levels of play

Selection of different wood at upper models

Continuity of design

Cons

Slightly more expensive

Product ships from China

Low resale vale

D Z Strad

D Z Strad is an American strings company based out of White Plains, NY. All their products are made in the U.S. and ship internationally. In terms of cellos, they have a good range of 13 different models from student to expert.

Their student model comes in ¼-4/4 sizes making it great for young people of any stature. One red flag, however, is that they do not mention what wood they use for the body of this cello in their product description. The fingerboard is ebony, but if they body is made out of a laminate, that high quality fingerboard won't save the sound.

On the other hand, the online image appears to show spruce grain on top and maple flaming on the back. This effect can be recreated, and the jury is still out.

The beginner model goes for between $900-$1200, but upper models then move from $2,150 all the way to $15,000. We believe that these cellos are all high quality products and great to play.

It appears that D Z Strad has simply dropped the ball when it comes to providing information for their cellos online. Upscale models do not even have as much information as the beginner cellos. Unless D Z Strad is scamming cello players worldwide—which we highly doubt—they offer a great line of instruments.

Their brazil wood bows are also very reasonable. Some companies will charge hundreds of dollars for a quality bow, but with a D Z Strad, it comes included with the price of the cello.

Many cellists remain loyal to this company, which should be a testament to their quality. People have reported no trouble shipping them across country. If you're looking for a great U.S.-made cello, these guys are definitely a good choice.

Pros

Handmade, well crafted cellos

cellos available levels

Cellos come with very high quality brazil wood bows

Cons

We're not sure about the wood quality of some, although we suspect it's just fine

Not the biggest selection

Their website is very lacking. We believe if you have a good product, you should reflect that when selling it.

Cecilio

Named after St. Cecelia, the patron saint of musicians, Cecilio tends towards the beginner side of the spectrum regarding cellos, but they offer a few great intermediate products as well.

The CCO-600, their top level brand, has a spruce top with—you guessed it—maple sides and back. Everything is hand carved, the purfling is hand chiseled, and the oil finish they've chosen has a bright, antique look to it. For the fingerboard and fittings, they have, course, chosen ebony. There is not much to complain about with this cello, and it compares quite competitively against other instruments of its caliber.

When you get down to their student models, they still use spruce and maple for the top and back/sides of the body respectively. Considering the price, this is simply remarkable. Student models come in a variety of different colors.

They differ in the fingerboard and fittings, which they construct out of rosewood. Because ebony has been chosen so often for all kinds of ornamental pieces, furniture, and instruments, the wood has grown scarce. Rosewood is a good alternative: it's grain is not quite as thick and hard as ebony, but it comes very close, and it also grows more plentifully.

The tailpiece of the lower student models is made out of a metal alloy. If you are just beginning on the cello, that's just fine, but once you begin to hone your sound, it will certainly hold you back. Just a step up from the beginner models, the CCO-300 solves this with a rosewood tailpiece to match its fingerboard and fittings.

If you are looking for an incredible, high end cello, you should not choose Cecilio. If, however, you are playing more casually, or even studying in university and beginning to perform, you should be able to find the right fit with this company. They're not the best cello company, but they're certainly not the worst.

Pros

Great models for beginners and intermediates

Cost-efficient

Inclusion of rosewood fingerboards keeps cost down

Cons

No good models on the upper end of cellos

Average quality of construction

Most cellos are coated in lacquer, not varnish, which hurts the sound quality

Merano

Compared to Cecilio, Merano strings are even more on the beginner side of the spectrum. Their cellos come in sizes ¼-4/4, and every model they offer is under $500. In their names, they distinguish between handcrafted and machine made cellos.

Their basic cello appears to be machine made, but it's also quite cheap, and it still uses spruce and maple for the body. Flaming is not apparent on the back, however, and we have to question its quality. You are definitely getting what you pay for. The tailpiece is a metal alloy, and the fingerboard is 'ebonized,' i.e. not ebony.

Their handcrafted models come in a wide variety of colors and feature better constructions and materials used. Their top model has a hand carved spruce top, flamed maple sides and back, and ebony fingerboard, tailpiece, and fittings. For under $500, that's pretty great, and you should get a decent sound out of it. Merano, however, markets its products primarily to beginners. You won't be able to get the same quality as with other brands mentioned.

Pros

Wide variety of beginner models

Very cheap

These beginner instruments have a high resale value

Cons

Cheap

Some machine-made models

Many cellos are coated in lacquer, which hurts the sound quality

Ammoon

The Ammoon student cello offers an interesting take on the instrument. In terms of their choice of wood, this instrument is quite unconventional: the body, sides, and back are made of basswood, while the neck, fingerboard, and fittings are maple.

It doesn't say what the tailpiece is made of and it's hard to tell if it's the same stained maple as the fingerboard or some kind of metal alloy. It does, however, come with a maple bow strung with natural horse hair, which is a huge plus.

This cello is specifically for advancing students, but with a pretty competitive cost, it's definitely worth a try. Your sound will certainly be more unique than other traditional cellos, and it might just suit your taste. We recommend this cello for players looking for a unique sound, perhaps to accompany a performing band in more contemporary music genres. In a symphony or orchestra setting, you might be out of place with this Ammoon model.

Pros

Solid, intermediate cello

Alternative choice in wood

Good, hand crafted quality cello

Cons

Very limited selection of instruments

Basswood is not for everyone

Poor resale value

Conclusion

Now that we have reviewed five cello brands, it is time to pick our winner. Based on their high standards of quality, huge range of products, and commitment to continuity, we have to choose Eastman Strings as the best cello brand. With Eastman, you'll be able to find any shape, style, or quality of newly made cellos available. They are simply the best.

Do not let the fact that they are made in China fool you; these products are hand crafted and some of the finest cellos on the market today.

The post Buyer’s Guide: Best Cello Brand Review in 2017 appeared first on Music Advisor.

from Music Advisor https://musicadvisor.com/2017/03/05/best-cello-brands/

[internetbeasts]

Interior Designer vs Contractor - How are they different?

Home renovation is never an easy decision to make and the sensible thing to do would be to engage the services of an interior designer or a contractor. But how are they different? Though they seem to provide similar services at a glance, interior designers and contractors differ in striking ways, and which service provider that’s the best hire depends on the nature of the work you need done and your expectations.

Contemporary bedroom, design and image courtesy of Trinity Design Studio. 

Interior Designer

If both form and functionality are key to your renovation needs, the interior designer is the professional you want. Whether it’s a beautiful and functional kitchen design or a kid-friendly bedroom, they take charge of every aspect of the job from planning, supervision of work to finalizing the décor.

Listens to what clients want

Interior designers start by discussing their client’s needs to establish a better understanding of what the client wants, and the heavy construction work only begins once a general agreement has been reached. An open channel of communication is then maintained between both parties throughout the duration of the project, keeping the client informed on its progress and giving him or her the option to intervene at any time.

Unlike contractors, interior designers are more than willing to entertain client’s requests to create themed renovation work, whatever they may be (examples may include a Disney themed bedroom for their daughter, a minimalist look for the living room or a H.R. Giger inspired bathroom for Alien fans).

To ensure that a client’s needs are understood, interior designers then proceed to produce a detailed 3-D drawing of the project plans which is presented to the client for inspection, which can then be used both ways to communicate changes and suggestions from both parties to ensure that the client’s needs are met as best possible.

Example of a 3-D plan used by interior designers to facilitate communication of ideas and changes to clients. Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Highly autonomous

And once that’s done, interior designers also oversee the entirety of the process themselves, coordinating and supervising the work while keeping their clients updated of the progress throughout the entire process.

Also, because of the higher level of autonomy assigned to interior designers, clients are freed of a significant amount of commitment that would otherwise be needed in overseeing the progress made by contractors.

____________________________________

Find a reliable and recommended interior designer in Johor Bahru!

____________________________________

Contractor

Straightforward professionals

Contractors are all about functionality and are largely unconcerned with the final product's aesthetic qualities. They carry out the jobs they take based strictly on a specific process – which usually leaves clients with little choice for personalization other than, say, the type and design of tile to be used or the placing of electrical outlets.

Their mode of operation does mean that contractors are able to charge less - and a good contractor will still do a good job. This is perfect for clients who aren't too particular.

Nor do they provide advice and design ideas voluntarily and only step in to provide advice when their clients make requests that would be architecturally unsound or simply beyond what they are willing to do.

A closer look at the kitchen, design and image courtesy of Trinity Design Studio.

Often employ Sub-contractors

Often, contractors will almost always need to hire sub-contractors to perform tasks that they won’t or cannot perform, an additional cost that will be transferred to the client. Sub-contractors complement the contractor and performs jobs main contractors won’t or can’t do, such as electrical wiring and carpentry. Sub-contractors are highly specialized, and typically only follow through with instructions provided to them by clients or the contractor.

And because contractors perform a task with little to no regard for input from clients, the cost of making fine adjustments post-renovation might end up costing the client a lot more than expected.

Are held less accountable for errors

However, if a problem does occur (e.g. bad wiring layout, inappropriate use of materials, safety issues) contractors are likely to transfer all liability to their clients, claiming that they are just following instructions. If things go south, be prepared to accept the fact that contractors are most likely going to stand by themselves and their sub-contractors.

Summary of the differences between Interior Designers and Contractors:

Interior Designer

- Comprehensive services for higher price

- Handles full design concept, with full consideration given to client’s needs and aesthetic preferences

- Provides additional services and/or advice post-renovation.

- Optimal for large scale renovations.

- Prepares 3D plans for inspection.

- High autonomy frees clients of commitment.

- Takes in client input regarding aesthetic preferences and customization.

Contractor

- Basic services at base cost price

- Rigid, follows instructions only. Are less accountable for error and inconsistencies.

- Only performs work as agreed in contract.

- Optimal for small scale renovations.

- No prepared plans.

- Requires greater client involvement.

- Provides only marginal customization options.

Beautiful dining and kitchen, design and image courtesy of Trinity Design Studio.

____________________________________

Need your renovation done right? Find a renovation contractor in Johor Bahru to do it for you!

____________________________________

Considerations for hiring

1. Budget

Ultimately, it's the budget that dictates the hire. Interior designers cost more as they provide a higher level of service, while contractors generally cost less but take minimal input from clients on how the job gets done.

It is possible to control for costs to get the best of both worlds and that’s by hiring the services of an interior designer to oversee only a partial part of the renovation while relegating the bulk of it to contractors to complete.

Keep in mind that cutting corners and hiring the cheapest service at the onset isn’t prudent, and could possibly cost more in the long-term as additional charges are incurred to rectify problems arising from poor workmanship and oversights.

2. Scale of renovation required or expected

The decision to hire an interior designer or contractor should also depend on the scale of work and attention to detail required. Contractors are best suited for smaller jobs where the outcome of the job would likely have no significant impact on the overall design of the house (or isn’t important to the client).

But as the scale of the renovation increases so do the potential for error and inconsistencies - and greater consideration should be given to hiring an interior designer instead.

This surrendering of a high degree of autonomy does mean that clients become very dependent on the skill and professionalism of the interior designer and (at the very least) could result in a waste of time and money should their services prove unsatisfactory. It is therefore a very, very good idea that the client perform a thorough check of their potential hire to ensure that their skills and vision are up to expectations.

3. Level of commitment

The amount of time that clients are willing or able to dedicate is another important consideration. Interior designers take on the time-consuming process of both planning and coordination of the renovation work, thus freeing up clients of responsibility – and also giving clients a degree of peace of mind knowing that their project is in good hands.

____________________________________

Have a renovation project in mind? Find a reliable contractor in Johor Bahru.

____________________________________

Related articles:

Interior designer vs Contractor - How are They Different?

Why Hire a Renovation Contractor over an Interior Designer.