#according to mr yoko

[flowerofantiquity]

I still want to finish cosplay from it, and I hope it can still be under the Drakenier umbrella at cons 🥺

But it will definitely be more dead than it was

Deader than dead

But still!

[everlastingdream]

When Xavier got her a phone, Wednesday was adamant about never using the thing. But Enid did make her to concede to some extent by constantly looking as abandoned puppy through the whole summer. Which she spent in Addams manor because according to Morticia: "It seems that our family is more equipped to help you ease into your transformations, darling". Mrs Addams said it looking directly at seething Esther Sinclair, laying a comforting but firm hand at Enid's shoulder.

So yes, by the end of the summer Wednesday was accustomed to her phone and had several apps and contacts, which she tried to resist at first, but then agreed to. She gave the whole lecture that perhaps it was benefishial to have the means to reach everyone, but Pugsley pulled out the real whip to crack right in the middle of her speech. Enid blushed and didn't say a thing when equally flustered Wednesday (read: with just a bit flushed tips of ears) pulled him into torture room.

Well, yeah... Enid chose not to think about too hard. And every not easily defined moment they shared this summer...

So! When they started their second year Enid started a group chat, added Wednesday and instantly needed to teach her roommate how to mute it.

Wednesday muted everything she deemed unimportant which was everything and everyone. And it did sting just a bit, but Enid still considered Wednesday having everyone's numbers as her personal victory.

"Wens, I'll just grab second serving real quick. Try not to disappear like last time, okay?" It was a sore spot for Enid. After everything last year, she still started panic if Wednesday was gone without a word.

"I promised, I won't", even if her voice was annoyed, but Enid still noticed how guilt filled dark eyes.

"I believe you", Enid smiled softly, squeezing her shoulder to skip to the line. But she focused her hearing on the table she left behind.

"So when will you buy a ring, Addams? I need to empty a spot in my busy schedule to help if I want you picking something decent for my bestie", Yoko started as soon as she seemed to think that Enid was out of earshot. She was at it the moment Enid told her that Addams family was taking her for the summer.

"Never", Wednesday stated, not looking from her book. "Addams' gift a bracelet or a pendant. Rings can be in the way".

Yoko choked on her blood bag, and Enid felt a bit like doing the same.

"Nice one, Addams. Almost as nice as my meme you ignored yesterday", Bianka grimaced when Yoko's coughing almost covered her in blood droplets.

"I told you I muted all of you. I will check it at weekend when it won't interfere with my work".

"You are so- Oh my God, Yoko, you don't even need to breath, could you please stop getting blood everywhere?!" Wednesday nodded, even if she wasn't against blood, but coughing was starting to get on her nerves.

"It's not like wheeze It's not like I can just leave blood in my lungs. It would rot!" Yoko managed, looking ruefully at her almost empty blood bag. "For someone so principled you take it with you everyday. Text Enid to pick up me another bag".

Wednesday pulled her phone from thin air, earning rolled eyes from around the table. Enid felt a surge of pride. At the same time last year Wednesday would've refused, said that she was not Yoko's servant and in worse scenario take out a knife. But now she just casually texted Enid, leaving her phone on the table as she waited for confirmation. Her case was adorned with small sticker of scorpion Enid gifted her.

Enid checked the message to reply, sending a single smiling emoticon. Wednesday probably won't even look at it.

And then there was a clear minimalistic rington from across a cafeteria.

When Wednesday lifted the phone to read the message with small smile, Enid's heart skipped the beat.

"Damn, Addams, it's almost a love confession".

When Wednesday lifted her head from screen to meet Enid's eyes with almost soft look, Enid suddenly thought:

Perhaps it is

[got-ticket-to-ride]

After a palpable silence, Paul said, "Well, that's an interesting one" also known as "slowly dying inside"

According to an article by the Daily Mail, this picture was taken by a fan on May 28, 1968. John Lennon coolly stares into the camera. Alongside him, George Harrison has in his shirt pocket a resignation letter from Paul McCartney – apparently written a full two years before he would eventually quit. Mr Herring says he took these intimate pictures of the Beatles after turning up uninvited on John’s doorstep, later sharing a car ride with him to George Harrison’s house to see the Beatles recording – and witnessing the opening of a letter said to announce McCartney’s resignation.

Could this have been Paul Mccartney's kneejerk reaction to having to listen to Two Virgins?

In his 1980 David Sheff interview John said: "After Yoko and I met, I didn’t realise I was in love with her. I was still thinking it was an artistic collaboration, as it were – producer and artist, right? We’d known each other for a couple of years." (also known as forcing myself to love someone to mend my broken heart because someone betrayed me)

As far timeline goes, John left India April 12, 1968. John then went to find his next best thing to "get back" at something someone did in India. In May 2, 1968 he made the "Two Virgins" tape with Yoko and presented it to his bandmates.

After a palpable silence, Paul said, “Well, that’s an interesting one.” ALSO NOW KNOWN AS "wait till I send you my resignation letter on May 28, 1968"

John then says: “You need to understand that this is where she and I are now. I don’t want to hold your hand anymore.” (this was directed to The Beatles - but we all know who it was for)

Ringo and George are just silent throughout the whole thing, because mother and father are fighting. And mother's heart is breaking.

So in conclusion, I want to hold your hand was their love song, huh.

[gay-dorito-dust]

could you do a fiction where at the start Enid thought wednesday x fem yn were rly cute and affectionate but she's getting sick if this weelijg and them being all over each other every class lunch and after skwl

Enid adored you and Wednesday, very much. So when you admitted to her that you were finally dating; the werewolf almost brought all of Ophelia Hall down with just her screams alone because of how ecstatic she was that you finally gotten together after some not so subtle pining from either side. She had to fight back her squeals of adoration whenever she caught you hugging Wednesday from behind as she worked on her novel or when Wednesday would link pinkies with you whilst walking you back to your dorm just before curfew.

It was too sweet for Enid, she swore that the next time she visited a dentist -on behest of her own accord- they would have to construct her an entirely new set of teeth from how corrosively sweet your relationship was. However every person with a sweet tooth has a limitation on how much they can intake before growing sickly. For Enid, this came when you and Wednesday became overly affectionate no matter where you went.

When it began getting colder you and Wednesday decided to go to Weathervane for coffee but Enid also had the bright idea of going there also. So when she stepped into the only coffee shop in Jericho, she found the pair of you tucked away in a booth nearest to the window but far enough from prying eyes; Your head was resting on Wednesday’s shoulder and she had rested hers atop of yours as you people watch together. The affection you displayed was more of the subtle kind rather then the ‘in your face’ kind -which Enid appreciated greatly- but it was still affection being displayed.

The next time this happened was in botany class with Mrs ThornHill. Enid was sat with the likes of Yoko and Divina when she caught sight of Wednesday practically leaning over your shoulder as you copied down her notes, pointing out how you could word your sentences differently so that you wouldn’t get called in for detention. Again it wasn’t so blatant that everyone would catch onto but still! Wednesday never let her copy out of her notebook like ever so in Enid’s case, this was one of Wednesday’s ways of showing that she cared for you.

She couldn’t seem to bring herself to tear her eyes away as you gingerly pressed a quick kiss to the girls cheek in gratitude as you turned away to reconstruct your notes, not noticing the small smile that blossomed on Wednesday’s face before it returned to it’s neutrality. Enid almost had gotten in trouble that day had not it been for Yoko nudging her in the side once she took noticed that Mrs Thronhill was about to look in her friend’s direction. “What’s bugging you so much Enid?” The vampire asked once class was out. Enid sighed, flashing her friend a false smile, not wanting to drag her into her feelings of pettiness towards her friends happiness. “Nothing.”

Her breaking point was when she walked in on you and Wednesday cuddled up tightly on her bed, reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein together in tandem. Wednesday was pressed up against the headboard whilst you were propped up against her chest, burying yourself into one of Wednesday’s sweaters that you’ve stolen ‘borrowed’. “This is my favourite part of the story. When Victor Frankenstein’s monster throws that little girl in the pond.” Wednesday told you as though you were watching the movie adaptation instead of reading it’s literary counterpart.

“It’s my favourite part too.” You whispered back, pressing a kiss to one of Wednesday’s hands that was hold the book in front of you both. That’s when Enid exploded. “Okay! We get it your both happy! Can you guys like not be all cutesy within my peripheral vision for FIVE SECONDS? I still have your coffee date engraved into my retinas!” You and Wednesday looked at the blonde before looking at each other to then looking back at Enid. “Why were you watching us in the first place?” Wednesday asked with hostility. “Do you lack common decorum now also?”

You calmed your girlfriend down by rubbing the skin of her arms with your hands as you addressed Enid. “All couples show affection for one another Enid, I’m sorry you feel that way but me and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that me and Wednesday would start displaying care for one another. It kinda comes with being in a relationship.” You shrugged before your gasped, causing Wednesday to drop the book and place her hands on your shoulders, worried. “Don’t you have that thing with Ajax right now?” You asked the werewolf who had completely forgotten all about her date with the Gorgon as her eyes widened in realisation.

“Oh crap baskets!” She cried as she rushed around the dorm but before she left she pointed at the pair of you with a pout. “This conversation isn’t over.”

[whileiamdying]

Yoko Ono and the Dakota

Word that the pop culture icon has left the fabled Upper West Side apartment building that she defined for a generation has sparked reflection on her impact as a resident there for 50 years.

Derek Hudson/Getty Images

By Anna Kodé Published July 21, 2023 Updated July 24, 2023

Much is transient about New York City real estate. Buildings are demolished, cafes turn into Duane Reades and rents go up. But for the last 50 years, there was a constant — Yoko Ono lived in the Dakota. She stayed even after that tragic December day in 1980 when John Lennon was fatally shot right outside the building.

For years, tourists and New Yorkers alike trekked uptown, hoping to catch a glimpse or have the chance to meet the artist, singer and New York icon. Ms. Ono’s presence sustained the mystique of the Dakota — already well known as a coveted quarters for celebrities and artists when she and Mr. Lennon moved into the Upper West Side apartment complex in 1973.

To the distaste of some other residents, the couple at one point owned five units at the Dakota, which — in addition to being their primary residence — they used as a guest home, a storage space and a studio for Ms. Ono. The living space and studio alone had a combined square-footage of nearly 6,000 square feet, New York magazine reported in 1996.

Stories of the couple’s rumored lavish expenditures spread in tabloids and magazines, such as one 1979 report that Ms. Ono and Mr. Lennon imported a Japanese teahouse for their first-floor apartment, which they promptly returned upon realizing it was too large for the space. More mundane activities made the news too, including the couple contributing sushi to a building potluck.

Yoko Ono and John Lennon moved into the Dakota in 1973. Credit… Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images

After a half century of eccentricity, opulence and tragedy, Ms. Ono has moved out of New York City to the sprawling Catskills farm she bought with Mr. Lennon in 1978, according to reports earlier this year. For many, it signals that yet another link to old New York — the one filled with grit and glamour, run by artists and musicians — is missing. City residents and artists feel a sense of loss knowing that the odds of a momentary sighting or fleeting run-in with Ms. Ono are now even lower, and some have started writing tributes to her time in New York in blogs and small outlets.

The thought of New York without Ms. Ono is a New York with a little less magic.

After hearing the reports, author Lorraine Duffy Merkl wrote in the local news site The West Side Spirit, “I’m still in the ‘New York or Nowhere’ zone, but I have to confess, this native, Bronx girl was beginning to fade.”

“I think Yoko lent such a great romance to the Dakota,” said Julie Lucas, a trustee of the Emmy Awards.

In the early 2000s, Ms. Lucas briefly met Ms. Ono in the elevator of the Dakota. The interaction was fleeting, but impactful for Ms. Lucas, who remembers it sharply to this day.

“That was the one person, as we came into the Dakota, I had always hoped to see — not even talk to, but just see,” said Ms. Lucas, 71, who was there for a cocktail party hosted by television personality Maury Povich. “She had this wonderful calmness and sense of welcoming about her.” For the next 45 seconds or so, until the elevator opened its doors and the two went their separate ways, they spoke about a recent art exhibition of Ms. Ono’s.

“That building represents so much of the hopes of the ’70s and ’80s,” Ms. Lucas said. “And then when John Lennon was killed, she soldiered through all of that grief and stayed on in that building.”

Ms. Ono, who turned 90 earlier this year, no longer participates in interviews, Elliot Mintz, a representative for her, said in an email. Mr. Mintz said she “continues to own her apartment at the Dakota” and added that information on her whereabouts is kept private for security reasons.

‘The Capital of the Capital’

“I think Yoko lent such a great romance to the Dakota,” said Julie Lucas, a trustee of the Emmy Awards. Credit... Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images

The mid-rise, gothic style building sits at 1 West 72nd Street, overlooking Central Park, and was built by developer Edward Clark, who died before its completion in 1884. All 65 units in the complex were rented out before its doors even opened. As the popular tale goes, the Upper West Side was largely unclaimed at the time, so the building’s name came from the notion that it was so far away from developed downtown Manhattan that it might as well have been in Dakota, so say many guidebooks and New Yorkers. But in 1993, The Times reported that Mr. Clark wanted to name his projects after the new states and territories which were named in “excellent taste” (he also suggested Montana Place for Eighth Avenue and Idaho Place for 11th Avenue, but those didn’t stick).

Though it was sumptuous from the start, it wasn’t always the most expensive — there was a period of time where it was rent-controlled, drawing in creative types. Yet its design lends itself to a private way of life that celebrities would naturally seek out; the building encircles its courtyard, so it isn’t visible from the street. The ornate exterior and strict security make it obvious that it isn’t a place anyone can just stroll into.

As the setting for the 1968 classic horror film, “Rosemary’s Baby,” the building’s lore grew. If “New York were considered to be the capital of American art, culture and fashion, the Dakota seemed to be the Capital of the capital,” wrote Stephen Birmingham in his 1979 book, “Life at the Dakota.”

John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived together on the seventh floor of the Dakota. Credit... Scott Cardinal

Roberta Flack, Graydon Carter, Rosemary Clooney, Leonard Bernstein and Judy Garland have been on its long list of notable residents. It takes more than fame and wealth to get in — the co-op’s notoriously stringent board has rejected Billy Joel, Madonna and Cher.

The building’s board once stopped the documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, who was also a collaborator of Ms. Ono’s, from selling his unit to actress Melanie Griffith. “More and more, they’re moving away from creative people and going toward people who just have the money,” Mr. Maysles had told The Times in 2005.

Today, there is one unit listed for sale in the building: a 6,000 square-foot, five bedroom, nine bathroom apartment on the eighth floor. It has its own separate studio unit, and the listing price is $20 million.

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday

Those who haven’t been inside the Dakota have been able to vicariously experience it through the stories and photos. One homey image, taken by rock ’n’ roll photographer Bob Gruen in 1975, shows Ms. Ono and Mr. Lennon sitting comfortably in bed with magazines splayed. In it, Mr. Lennon, who is wearing a robe, holds their newborn son, Sean. In 1980, Annie Leibovitz photographed Mr. Lennon nude and curled up, with his arms wrapped around Ms. Ono’s head while kissing her cheek. It would later run on the cover of Rolling Stone, but just hours after it was taken, Mr. Lennon was killed.

The Imagine mosaic is part of Strawberry Fields, a memorial for John Lennon in Central Park. Credit... Justin Lane/EPA, via Shutterstock

A crowd gathers in front of the Dakota a day after John Lennon was murdered. Credit... Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

Another from Mr. Gruen, taken in 1981, shows Ms. Ono at work, photographing Mr. Lennon’s bloodstained glasses from that day for the album cover for “Season of Glass.”

Ms. Ono’s life in the Dakota was spent in the company of friends and collaborators.

Before Ms. Ono had moved there, in 1966, Mr. Maysles, the documentarian who also lived in the building, and his brother had filmed Ms. Ono’s performance work “Cut Piece.” The performance, which eventually became an influential work of Fluxus art, involved Ms. Ono inviting audience members to come up to her and cut off a piece of her clothing.

Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer of “Killing Me Softly,” had lived next door to Ms. Ono. In “Roberta,” a documentary about Ms. Flack, Sean Lennon said, “At first, you know, I didn’t even think of Roberta as this incredible artist and musician, she was just this really cool neighbor. We used to call her Aunt Roberta.”

“We’re very close to each other and our kitchen is connected,” Ms. Ono said in the documentary.

Erika Belle had heard the stories. So when Keith Haring, a friend of Ms. Belle’s, invited her to dinner at Ms. Ono’s apartment on a rainy Tuesday night in the 1980s, she let out a squeal. “I’d been obsessed with that building, like many lifelong New Yorkers, for years,” Ms. Belle, who is in her 60s, said in an interview. “It had so much old, ’50s Hollywood glamour.”

“To arrive at that building and to know that I was meeting Yoko, was like ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy birthday’ all rolled into one,” said Ms. Belle who co-owned the nightclub Lucky Strike and is a model. Ms. Belle was also a backup dancer for Madonna, who she said came to the Dakota with her that evening.

After taking off her shoes to enter, the first thing Ms. Belle noticed about Ms. Ono’s apartment was “how high the ceilings and how wide the hallways were. You could drive a car through those hallways.”

The dinner menu was simply takeout from a Chinese restaurant, but the highlight of the night was getting an apartment tour from Ms. Ono. “She held my hand — even saying it now, I get goose bumps — and asked, ‘Do you want to see the apartment?’”

It was an obvious yes from Ms. Belle. What she remembers most from that intimate walk-through wasn’t a work of art or an expensive piece of furniture, but a bathroom. “Yoko took me to see this bathroom, and she said she left it the same as the day John was murdered,” Ms. Belle said. “She’s like, ‘I haven’t touched this bathroom.’ And that was very touching and moving.”

‘New York Is Like an Old Friend’

Before Ms. Ono was associated with the glamour of the Dakota, she lived downtown, where she became a pioneer of conceptual art.

After moving from Japan in the early 1950s, Ms. Ono attended Sarah Lawrence College in a suburb north of New York. She dropped out in 1956, and then moved to the city. Many of the places she lived and spent time in became meeting places for artists and are now unofficial landmarks of the downtown art scene. In the early 1960s, her Chambers Street loft was where she organized performance events with composer La Monte Young. This became the Chambers Street Loft Series, which was attended by John Cage, Peggy Guggenheim and Marcel Duchamp.

For her 2015 MoMA show, Ms. Ono reflected on that time in her life. “By then, I knew a few people. And I realized that all these people usually create music in New York City,” she said. “But there’s no place for them to present their work. And I said, you know, I think it’s a great idea if we created a place where all of us can present our music.”

The Chambers Street loft was a far stretch — in city blocks and in essence — from the Dakota. “It’s a cold water flat, and it was in the winter. It was so cold, you know? We didn’t even have electricity,” Ms. Ono said.

Ms. Ono and Mr. Lennon first met at an exhibition of her work in London in 1966. Credit… Getty

In 1965, Ms. Ono performed “Morning Piece” at 87 Christopher Street, where she briefly lived and worked as a superintendent. She and Mr. Lennon met in 1966, at an exhibition of her work in London — she had a work titled “Apple,” which featured a real apple on display, and Mr. Lennon went up and bit into it.

The couple soon moved to 105 Bank Street, which is now memorialized as “John Lennon’s First New York Home” on Google Maps. They lived there from 1971 to 1973, when they, as the Plastic Ono Band, released the album “Some Time in New York City.”

In more recent times, Ms. Ono has expressed her evolving relationship with New York through posts on Twitter. “John once said that he fell in love with New York on a street corner,” she said in January of this year.

After half a century of Ms. Ono living at the Dakota, and even longer in New York altogether, New Yorkers are filled with nostalgia, melancholy and gratitude for the various ways she has shaped the city and their life in it.

To many people, Ms. Ono will forever be a part of New York. The writer and curator Phillip Ward — who organized a public 90th birthday celebration for Ms. Ono earlier this year — thinks of the artist every time he passes by the Dakota. “I always look up and just smile and say, ‘Thank you,’” he said.

Ms. Ono, too, has felt reflective about her time in New York.

“New York is like an old friend. It has its moods,” Ms. Ono wrote in 2017. “But I know them all.”

“John once said that he fell in love with New York on a street corner,” Ms. Ono said in January of this year. Credit… Derek Hudson/Getty Images

Susan C. Beachy and Kirsten Noyes contributed research.

Audio produced by Parin Behrooz.

Anna Kodé is a reporter for the Real Estate section of The Times. She writes about design trends, housing issues and the relationship between identity and home. More about Anna Kodé

[ciaossu-imagines]

Could we have a song exchange ?! One that I really really love right now is " ís " by Yoko Kanno x POP ETC

It's from an anime called Zankyou no Terror and it's such a nice and sad story with a really lovely soundtrack.

Would love to know what songs you like at the moment !

We definitely can, and I'm not just saying that because I love the song you recommended! You had me at Yoko Kanno because god, do I love that woman, and have been such a huge fan of her since Cowboy Bebop. I think I've heard of Zankyou no Terror, but mostly because, if I remember correctly, it had a bit of drama with it being banned in China. I haven't watched it but vaguely remember that happening!

I listen to a lot of music, but according to Amazon Music, I've listened to Mr. Pinstripe Suit by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Raised Right Men by Tom Waits the most over the past month, mostly because I do tend to have them as part of my getting ready mix in the mornings because they're fun to dance around to!

[uneasylisteningradio]

International Women's Day March 9, 2024

Image: Seeing Red Women's Workshop

listen to the show

The Sirens - Saturday Night Poison Girls - Statement

DJ speaks over Holly Golightly - Bandstand

Melanie - Peace Will Come (According to Plan) Mother's Ruin - Laugh and Shout

DJ speaks over Jaimie Branch - Baba Louie

Soft Covers - The Ballad of Ricki Tarr Frau Siebenrock Combo - Die Stolzen Frauenherzen Screaming Sneakers - Grin and Bear Playthings - Monastic Girlschool - Demolition Boys Water Machine - Blisters

DJ speaks over Pinch Points - Young

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Sand The Slits - Fm (rough mix) Life In a Blender - Fountains of Bellagio Yoko Ono - Kite Song

DJ speaks over Nina Simone - Blues on Purpose

Essential Logic - Albert Oum Kalthoum - Tab En-Nasim Al Alil Child's Pose - Lil' Snitch The Lo Yo Yo - Cache-Cache Burning Kitchen - Fucked Up

DJ speaks over The Velvet Underground - Guess I'm Falling in Love (instrumental)

Leslie Winer - 5 Mr Sterile Assembly - Axe & The Olive Tree The Klezmorim - Mayn Rue Plats

DJ speaks over Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - Ballad of the Spirits

Joan Armatrading - Woncha Come On Home The Flatmates - So in Love With You The Pixies Three - Cold, Cold Winter Blessure - Ils Sont Partout Crass - Darling Terry - Excuses Unit 4 - Growing Up

DJ speaks over The Surfrajettes - Couch Surfing

Chumbawamba - Chartist Anthem Kitchen and the Plastic Spoons - Ice Cream To God Vera Hall - Another Man Done Gone Taxi Girls - Hands Off The Roches - I Fell In Love Kas Product - NEVER COME BACK

DJ speaks over Billie and De De and Their Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Just a Little While to Stay Here

Jimetta Rose & Voices of Creation - Ain't Life Grand Prospexx - Dead Soldier Rata Negra - Ella Está En Fiestas Consensus Madness - Let's Go To War Wanda Jackson - Tongue Tied

DJ speaks over Fastbacks - Brd "COATED"

Au Pairs - Unfinished Business Romance - Romance Non Band - Dance Song

DJ speaks over Kali Z Fasteau - Grand Kanun

Shadia Mansour - El Kofeyye Arabeyye (feat. M-1 of Dead Prez)

[maguro13-2]

Demons Unleashed ~ Origins of the Ink Dmeon Gaiden Finale (1/10) ~

[Dream Gate - Nights' World]

[When the Night Falls - Tomoko Sasaki]

Maka Albarn : Huh? Where are we?

Inky Jr : Looks like we stumbled upon another access to the Dream World. I don't think this isn't your average dream.

Maka Albarn : Why should I? After all I mean it's just another world or perhaps that went another Sega Universe, Sega this, Sega that. What's the worst that could happen from Yuji Naka's ideals? It's not like that the man who made the blue bur isn't going to--*THWACK!*

Inky Jr : Is there problem, Albarn? Did something fell on your head.

Maka Albarn : Yep. I felt that too. *DBZ SFX : Collapse*

Inky Jr : ...? *THWACK!* ...Ouch! *DBZ SFX : Collapse*

Maka Albarn : Owie zowie...Oh my head hurts. I can't even hear a single thing about one thing's sure.

Will : [To Helen] Uhh, are you sure this is a good idea?

Helen : [To Will] I don't know, this could not be an idea. If it's the same girl that the previous visitors know about that, Sega's gonna fire us if we ever see a girl and a demon appearing like this. We don't blow our cover.

Will : [To Helen] Come on, it's just a one look. What else, I'm not willing to take full responsibility after that, no one besides that even the dark times flows by.

Helen : [To Will] Just to assure you, I don't like surprises. So help me, if I don't see you at the end of my violin performance by the end of week, you're gonna be toast for sure.

Will : [To Helen] Don't be an idiot.

Nights : [To Helen & Will] Oh stop it, you two. Let's just wake these two up, just to make sure I won't tell Sonic about this. Mr. Ohshima would find out that we have a Square Enix representative that acclaims to be one of theirs.

Will & Helen : We get it, Nights! We know she's from Square Enix!

Nights : Promise me that you'll earn your allowence by the end of the week. Hey, can you hear me? Wake up, you two! This is no time no for napping in the dream world!

Maka Albarn : [wakes up] Huh? What's going on? Who's voice is this?

Nights : Up here.

Maka Albarn : ...Huh? (looks up to see Nights in a new uniform)

Nights : Looks like you're up, I saw you coming by to the dream gate. Long time no see, Meister.

Maka Albarn : ...!? (gets up) It's you! You again! Nights the Nightmaren.

Nights : I heard that your world called Soul Eater was nothing more than a fantasy in your head. I had to pull you out of there, where everyone and your friends can meet up at the gate.

Maka Albarn : Yeah, that was the last time that I pulled myself back into Dreamland, but why do I gotta be the victim to those heartless that were in my head or in my dreams?! But rest to assure, that they will never do it and definitely not today! So how did the heartless manage to see me in my memories or in my dreams?

Nights : Well, according to my daily basis. (blows a smoking pipe that blows bubbles instead) I discovered that those group of Soul World that you were living in your head, are the prototypes of Dream Eaters that this Master Xehanort fella was working on. You have a Dream Drop Distance, do ya?

Maka Albarn : A what distance?

[Dearly Beloved (DDD ver.) - Yoko Shimomura]

Maka Albarn : That fountain...it's filled with a rainbow?

Nights : Sure thing! I manage to help the players to give them a test on collecting the Dream Drops, you know those water drop collectables that were scattered around each of their dreams and I helped the programmers to find each and every single one of them, which took them hours to get a 100% completion award. Yeah, I kinda felt that way.

Maka Albarn : Actually it took these kids hours to find those Dream Drops, house of searching every single one of them! How many Dream Drops does it take to collect them?

Nights : According to my caculations, it appears that he number of Dream Drops that are within a distance that are located everywhere is about 60 total of them. You need 60 Dream Drops to make this fountain complete.

Maka Albarn : That makes sense. If I put my hand into this fountain, I wonder what's it like to be in the special occasion that I have this feeling that a Dream Drop Distance would eventually be a foreshadow for Sora's next game by the year 2012, Dream Eaters are not destined to meet within in the world of Kingdom Hearts.

Claris Sinclair (?) : Is there something the matter with the fountain?

Maka Albarn : [spooked] Aaah! *SPLASH!*

*Bubbling*

Nights : Claris? When did you get here?

*SPLASH*

Maka Albarn (as Claris Sinclair) : Sorry about that? I got a little nervous when I was about put my hand into the fountain to figure it out what that stuff is? If putting all 60 dream drops into the fountain to turn the water into a rainbow liquid, it becomes nothing clearer than I imagined. You're surely mistaken about that, Dream Jester.

Nights : Uhh, Mrs Albarn. I think you had a change of clothes or I can see one of my previous visitors that I've seen before.

Maka Albarn (as Claris Sinclair) : Huh? (looks down on herself, realizes that she changed her appearance as Clair Sinclair] Oh no! W...What the-!?

*SFX : Hero/Dark Mission Failed*

Maka Albarn (as Claris Sinclair) : AAh! Wha-!? Wha-!? Hey, what gives!? The fountain! Oh no it must've changed appearance of the previous visitors, It feels like we have the body to change one's appearance from the past. I'm Claris, You're another Clairs, and, uhh...

Elliot (?) : And I'm Elliot Edwards.

Clairs Sinclair (?) : We're just here for a special reason to drop by and I say that you have a dream drop experience, So what's this being a Dream Drop Distance. Is it some kind of logic system or is it to turn this fountain into a pool of rainbow liquid, there's no way that there could be a dream drop distance from between the two of you, Kirby's a god slaughter and you two are a joke god slayers, the only one's are who are gods are just muscles and magic. There's one reason that Kirby has killed many gods before you and you are a joke to it.

Maka Albarn : Haha, very funny guys. I know it's you. You're those kids from the Saturn Era and I would highly respect that you would...(Elliot and Claris points their keyblades at her)

[Bad News - Naofumi Hataya]

Claris Sinclair (?) : I said, Kirby is a God Slayer and he has killed many gods before you and Nights are a joke to it!

Elliot Edwards : We wouldn't mind recommend Sega dweebs like to tell you that Kirby made God slayers is what valor's all about. So about being a hero filled with courage is nothing more than a useless gift.

Maka Albarn : What's going on?

Nights : Claris, Elliot : What's going on? Don't you remember the jester who fought alongside you in 96?

Helen : Uhh, Nights? There's one teensy-weensy problem for that matter.

Maka : Like what?

Will : Earth to Meister, we got something for your thinking caps to turn on. I would highly recommend you one thing on those wielding weapons at us.

Nights : You're not Claris or Elliot, who are you guys?

Claris Sinclair (?) : Just friends of Sora, that's all. Now then how about we give you demonstration to our teamwork!

Elliot Edwards (?) : With that heart of yours to change from all of that courage, I'll give you all the valors we wanted.

Maka Albarn : No way! I'm doing a thing and that is what I really am? Cause I'll make you go out of the park and then see what happens.

Elliot Edwards (?) : Prepare yourself! It'll be a showdown to get the grips off. I won't back down from a challenge to you.

~ Stage 30 : Courageous Reunion ~

[nakamuso]

The answer lies in girls' manga: Heroines who stick out from their "character" - Peach Girl is the answer.

I found an interesting book.

The book is titled "Joshi manga ni ara answer aru 'rashisa' wo hiroin tachi (Heroines who stick out their 'character')".

It is a book written by Yukiko Tomiyama, a writer and manga researcher. The first edition was published in May of this year.

As the title suggests, the book picks up manga heroines targeting women and introduces them in categories such as "interesting women," "tough women," and "poor women.

The works that appear range from the 1970s to the most recent. The content covers a wide range.

The point is that it is "women's manga," not "girls' manga.

According to the book, the creator of the concept of "women's manga" was Makoto Oda, a member of the Shojo Manga Research Department,

She called them "girls" who once despaired of love and sex, and named the manga "girls' manga," which are read by "girls who have known despair in order to reaffirm their reality.

I heard that she named it "girls' manga". Wow!　That's interesting.

Some time ago, when I was writing a manga review for work, I wondered what the gender-based terminology for shoujo manga and shonen manga was.　I came to the conclusion that there is no problem if the distinction is made as a category.

Incidentally, Mr. Yoko Ototake also wrote about the same theme in his notebook.

Is "shoujo manga" a discriminatory expression?

I have not read it yet, but it is an interesting topic and I hope to read it soon.

Now, in "Shoujo manga ni answereru shoujo manga", even my favorite "Peach Girl" is mentioned by name. Of course, she is the representative of the "nasty girl".

As for the character of Sae in the early part of the story, it is no exaggeration to say that she is the most disgusting woman in the history of girls' manga. I still think so.

I haven't read the whole book yet, but I think I would like to read it carefully before going to bed, because it looks like it would be a good learning experience from the table of contents.

[foxingpeculiar]

I’m a little in my cups and wound up on a YouTube video about how the Record of Lodoss War OVA is the ultimate fantasy anime. And I’m a dabbler in anime at best, but I have a fun memory about this one, so here we go.

Because I own a copy of it, in a 6-VHS box set that I bought sometime around the year 2000. I can date this specifically because it was the year I took a first-year Japanese language course in high school. This was a suburban high school in Virginia, it was an experiment, and rather than having an in-class instructor, it was taught to several schools at once via closed-circuit TV.

Which was a bad idea. Just pedagogically, because language classes NEED live interaction, but also because it meant the class had a second teacher—someone from the languages department at the school whose job was basically to be a babysitter while we watched the teacher on TV.

Ours was a Spanish teacher, Mr. W_____, who was beloved, because he obviously cared, but was also kind of intense. The rumor was that he once threw a chair at a kid who was goofing off in his class. This was high school, so I take that with a grain of salt, but it gives you a sense of the vibe he had.

So what ended up happening, every 5th period that year, was one of three things.

Sometimes he’d come in and be like “Okay guys, we need to pay attention to Yoko today. You guys are slacking off and we gotta stay on the ball.” So we’d watch the lecture and do the activity sheets and things would go according to plan.

Sometimes he’d come in in kind of a state and be like “look guys, are you okay? Do you have a sense of what’s going on? Cos holy shit, my Spanish students are stupid and I need to rant about that for a minute. Can this be a cool space for that?” And then that’s what would happen. One actual quote I remember from one of these rants was in re: a kid who was challenged by an assignment and so just didn’t do it: “Just come to me! I don’t care what you need! You can smoke a fucking joint by the window if it helps you learn Spanish!”

The third thing started similar to the second: “Okay, how are we feeling? Do we know what’s going on? Yeah? Good. Anybody got any of that there ‘Japanese anime?’ We can call it a cultural study.”

We watched at least a season of Gundam Wing. I don’t remember exactly what else. But it was high school and I wanted to be a part of things, so one evening I was at the mall (Spencer’s, maybe? My memory is fuzzy) and saw the box set of Record of Lodoss War and was like “this looks cool,” so I spent what money I had on it. And we actually did watch it in class and had a lot of fun with it.

American public education is wild. But also here I am, 23-24 years later, laughing about it and finding connection.

[brn1029]

On this date in music history. Nunna that Megan Thee Stallion crap….

September 19th

2020 - Lee Kerslake

Ozzy Osbourne’s former drummer, Lee Kerslake, died aged 73 from prostate cancer. He is best known for his performances on the Black Sabbath frontman’s critically-acclaimed debut album, Blizzard of Ozz, and was also the drummer in Uriah Heep appearing on their 1972 album Demons and Wizards and nine studio records, as well as a live album, with the band before departing in 1978.

2014 - Cher

A dance choreographer sued Cher for racial discrimination claiming the singer stopped him hiring any more black dancers. Kevin Wilson alleged Cher told him the tour had "too much colour" already. Mr Wilson and two other dancers had also alleged they were fired for reporting a sexual assault on a female fan by another dancer. Cher's long-running North American D2K (Dressed to Kill) was ranked one of the top 10-grossing tours of 2014 by Pollstar.

2010 - Julian Lennon

John Lennon's son Julian told the press that he had ended his long-running feud with his half-brother Sean and his step-mother Yoko Ono, which started after the former Beatle was murdered in December, 1980. The trio battled in court for a share of the singer's estate, but Julian now said "Things are good between us. Whenever I'm in New York, we all get together."

2008 - Earl Palmer

American drummer Earl Palmer died. Worked with The Beach Boys , Little Richard (‘Tutti Frutti’), Frank Sinatra, Ike And Tina Turner (‘River Deep, Mountain High’), The Monkees, Fats Domino (‘I'm Walkin’), Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, The Righteous Brothers (‘You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin’), and Randy Newman, Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Tim Buckley, Little Feat and Elvis Costello.

1981 - Simon and Garfunkel

Simon And Garfunkel reunited for a concert in New York's Central Park. Some claim more than 400,000 fans attended the show. Other estimates had it at 48,000. Either way, it was one of the largest live shows of all-time to that point. The performance was recorded for a record and video release.

1981 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones album 'Tattoo You' started a nine-week run at No.1 on the US chart, the band's ninth US No.1.

1973 - Gram Parsons

Country rock singer, songwriter 26-year-old Gram Parsons formerly of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, died under mysterious conditions in Joshua Tree, California. His death was attributed to heart failure but later was officially announced as a drug overdose. His coffin was stolen by two of his associates, manager Phil Kaufman and Michael Martin, a former roadie for The Byrds, and was taken to Cap Rock in the California desert, where it was set alight, in accordance to Parson's wishes. The two were later arrested by police.

1969 - Creedance Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their only UK No.1 single with 'Bad Moon Rising' a US No.2 hit. Also on this day the group started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Green River.'

1964 - John Lennon

Oxfam printed half a million Christmas cards in the UK of a drawing by John Lennon called the Fat Budgie, which was taken from his book A Spaniard in the Works. All profits from the cards went to help raise money for charity. Oxfam re-printed the cards in 2007 as a limited edition card which again sold thousands.

[loganslowdown4]

Another breakdown??

YES OF COURSE!!!

Gotta figure these dark sides out!

Here my breakdown of what JANUS had to say…

(And trying to reverse every lie wasn’t easy, because some of it was the COMPLETE TRUTH…) 👀

So Janus thinks that every meeting they have makes everyone more and more miserable lol, the petty sarcasm is TOO GOOD

I mean, in a sense, he’s not wrong. The last couple episodes have ended on more sour notes than sweet. Or bittersweet. But he does have a tendency to drum up more bad than good, as per where the story is headed.

He thinks that Patton doesns’t make good decisions and that Logan makes too many mistakes. Oh all criticisms and no solutions, are you? Mr Snakeman? This guy…

Janus considers himself Voltaire to Roman’s Rousseau. Voltaire and Rousseau were French philosophers who hated each other and their opposing ideals. Voltaire believed that through education and reason, people could separate themselves from ‘the beasts’ and be individuals, free thinkers and live above others as higher beings, that we earned that right. Where Rousseau loved mankind and thought Voltaire’s particular ideals are what made people corrupted, that we as individuals should see ourselves as equals to each other.

Yeah, that’s pretty much Janus and Roman right there 😁

He pokes fun at Virgil’s makeup, Virgil proceeds to lose his mind pfftttt

Actually, its telling that Janus doesn’t have much to say about Virgil because ANY AND ALL THOUGHTS on him would be a huge frickin’ spoiler for the finale. So he pokes fun at something arbitrary and we’re just supposed to let it slip by?? No nonono, I still need answers!

I mean, he says he mistook Patton for a garbage can but you could argue that was a lie. In fact, I did argue that point here.

Jan and Ree hanging out in their downtime? This is probably the best well-known, well-speculated theories confirmed! I mean we’ve all guessed that they hang out together but it hasn’t been confirmed until now. And sneaking into Patton’s room to play DDR?? I may have screamed 😂

He hates it that he still hasn’t had a song! Haha! And apart from Roman, he’s the biggest theatre nerd in the mind palace so this is a friggin’ TRAVESTY. Guess who’ll probably get a song in the season finale? 👀

Janus is normally very composed, but when he’s pissed off? Oof, his smooth composure and classiness go flying out the window. So you KNOW when he’s mad he’s telling the truth 😏😂 Good to know at least someone (Vee) can get under his skin lol

He implies Sacajawea is under his hat, then denies it, then breaks the 4th wall again? I’m starting to think that Janus is actually a softy underneath all that double speak and layers of concealment, like he really does have the hamster under his hat because he loves her and won’t let anyone else have her 😄

Side note (hah): I just realized this is the most, I think, Janus has ever revealed about himself personally in any canon episode yet 👀

Janus disguises himself as Patton and says he regrets his attention to detail in the past. And I’ve said this before, but the next time Jan decides to impersonate one of them, we won’t be able to tell. At all. He will listen in and add his two cents and influence conversations all while being undetected. It’s what Roman told him he had to do when he impersonated Logan the first time. When he impersonated Logan the second time, he wasn’t detected at all until he revealed himself. So yeah, snake boi is getting better. And that’s more than a little scary…

So what’s next according to Jan? He says heartbreak, betrayal and not being bored. And the interesting thing here? He’s not lying, you can tell by the straightforward way he says everything.

Heartbreak? I think this is referring to Patton and Roman having some issues with Nico. It’s also possible that Janus is going to be the catalyst for the group causing heartbreak for each other. Actually, funny this makes me think of Yoko Ono. Everyone blamed her for breaking up the Beatles, but the truth is she was just there. They broke themselves up with their long time disagreements and squabbling, and their egos just got too big for it to be about the music anymore. No one could agree on anything. All it takes is a few words to plant a seed of doubt and they would do the rest themselves. 👀👀

Betrayal? You know what I said about they still haven’t dealt with how Virgil was a former dark side? You might want to check out what I said about Virgil yesterday… 👀 Could be insightful.

Not being bored? Jan and Remus are at your service to keep things fun. And oh the fun they will have! 😏

So that’s the long and short of it-

BY THE WAY, is it me, or was Janus’ light bulb dimmer and more yellow than everyone else’s?? That was really weird lol

Anyway! That’s all I have for Janus! There was way too much in this video, I am having SO MUCH FUN

Last but not least, trash boi tomorrow!

Check out my previous analyses on Logan Patton Roman Virgil Remus

Tagged: @lordiedams

[phoneybeatlemania]

“There came a moment of disillusionment with Janov. According to John, one day Janov appeared at a therapy session with two 16mm cameras. John wouldn’t even consider having his session recorded. “I’m not going to be filmed,” John said, “especially not rolling around on the floor screaming.”

According to John, Janov started to berate them. “Some people are so big they won’t be filmed,” Janov said. Janov said that it was coincidental that he was filming the session, and it had nothing to do with John and Yoko’s fame. “Who are you kidding, Mr Janov?” John said. “[You] just happen to be filming the session with John and Yoko in it.””

- The Love You Make: An Insiders Story Of The Beatles by Peter Brown and Steve Gaines (x)

ok im like: who tf do i trust?? peter brown or arthur-fucking-janov??? truly between the devil and the deep blue sea here - although, overall i think this story is entirely plausible; like there are even videos of PST sessions being filmed. Though to give Janov the benefit of the doubt, I don’t know if he commissioned these videos himself (but it does seem likely, ive gotta say).

[cognitivereporting]

Blog 5

Chapnick’s chapter 12 discusses various photojournalists throughout the decades. He mentions that on a yearly basis he would regularly see approximately five hundred portfolios and even though not all of them are well known, he discusses how we can all learn from their failures and successes. 

The photographer I chose to research more about is 

Annie Leibovitz. 

Annie Leibovitz was born on October 2nd, 1949. She is currently 72 years old. She was born in Waterbury Connecticut. She is an American portrait photographer who is also best known for her engaging and dramatic portraits, specifically with celebrities.

Leibovitz portraits are important because she was not afraid to go out of her comfort zone. 

Some of her most noted works : 

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, The Dakota, New York, December 8, 1980

According to artsy.net  On December 8, 1980, Leibovitz  took the most iconic photograph in rock ’n’ roll history. This photo was shot for Rolling Stone, the picture features artist Yoko Ono lying supine on a cream carpet, wearing blue jeans and a black, long-sleeved shirt. The former, late Beatles singer is nude, curled in a fetal position around his wife. A couple hours after Leibovitz took her polaroid, a former security guard named Mark David Chapman fatally shot Lennon outside his building, the Dakota, on New York’s Upper West Side. When Rolling Stone published Leibovitz’s photograph on January 22, 1981. The picture basically documented the celebrity couple’s last hours together. It still stands as one of history’s greatest images of both love and loss. 

Mick Jagger, Buffalo, New York, 1975. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

The Rolling Stones

Leibovitz photographed The Rolling Stones in San Francisco in 1971 and 1972, and served as the concert-tour photographer for Rolling Stones Tour of the Americas ’75. Her favorite photo from the tour was a photo of Mick Jagger in an elevator.

This photograph of Mick Jagger in an elevator so this hasn’t been taken in a studio, however she still uses the lighting in the elevator to compliment Mick Jagger. The lighting is described as “horror lighting” because of how his eyes are starting to become a shadow, and also below his chin. The lighting that has been used is the lighting in the elevator above his head, I think the lighting used is harsh, hard lighting  but it brings out the features on his face. 

source: https://laurentylerblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/inspirationannie-leibovitz-mick-jagger/

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Malibu, California, 1988. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

The portraits of Arnold Schwarzenegger by Annie Leibowitz represent a long collaboration. The two first worked together in 1975, when Arnold was competing in the Mr. Olympia body-bulding contest in South Africa. Arnold was 28 then and had already won the contest five times. It was this Mr. Olympia competition that formed the basis for the film “Pumping Iron” that introduced Arnold to the world.

Source: https://lisawallerrogers.com/tag/schwarzenegger-photo-by-annie-leibovitz/ 

Elizabeth II, Buckingham Palace, London, March 28, 2007. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz.

In 2007, Annie Leibovitz was invited to photograph the Queen. It was a momentous engagement, as Leibovitz explains in her book Annie Leibovitz at Work. “I was the first American to be asked by the Palace to make an official portrait of the Queen, which was very flattering,” she writes. “I felt honored.”

Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/10/annie_excerpt200810 

https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/articles/2021/april/12/the-royal-family-marks-prince-philip-s-passing-with-an-annie-leibovitz-portrait/

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Crane Team: The Self-Condemning Heart

On the hilltop outside Osaka that was accessible by a single country road, the scars of a massive fire were still observable thanks to the black marks on trees. As you climbed the hill, some of the trees were completely burnt, their charred trunks marring surrounding picturesque greenery. But as the caravan of black cars rolled up and crested the ridge, those black burnt trees gave way to an arbor of beautiful wisteria vines. They were not in bloom and the plants were still young, but in about 10 years, the entry would be a snowy curtain of white blossoms. Such was the goal of the Bliss Hall Memorial Garden. It was the former site of the Devil Clan headquarters and also the site of their most crushing defeat. It was the place where the Devil Clan figurehead Kogure “Ryoma” Sakurai had died. It was now a place of cherry, apple and plum trees, hills of begonia and sculpted arborvitae. The ugliness of the past would be completely outshined by the beauty of the present, while paying homage to it. After all, white was the color of mourning.

The caravan came to a stop at the grand torii gate and a group of men and women in black suits and sunglasses stepped out and stood in a single file line, backs straight, hands behind their backs. Each one was outfitted with a pistol, those authorized to be security personal always carried them, a baton and a dagger. They were all senior well trained members of teh Executive board of Hydra. A young Hydra department woman in a straight black skirt and black heels stood before them and looked down at her clipboard. “All the names I read, please step forward.”

One by one, the names were read and the security personnel stepped forward. Once she’d reached about half the group. She said, “Follow me to your security assignments. The rest of you please stand by.” 

She walked away leaving the rest of the group in slight confusion. But they stood and waited obediently. Once the first group was out of sight, Crow stepped forward from where he had been waiting behind his red vintage car. “Unfortunately you won’t be working this event.” Crow broke the news bluntly, staring them all in the face. “I don’t have to explain why. I’m sure you know the answer to that.”

No one moved or spoke. Crow puffed on a cigarette and then tossed it on the ground, stomping it with his alligator leather shoe. He stared at it for a moment. “I’m sure this is going to upset some of you. But direct your complaints to the High Matriarch if you dare.” He said slowly.

The High Matriarch Nanami Sakurai was a patient woman but she was also one who brooked no arguments once decisions were made on staffing. When a Hydra contractor decided not to do any work in Devil Clan territories, he found himself hung over a pier by his feet. By the time he was rescued, his business was bankrupted, bought out, and sold and the man was convicted of extortion once his under the table dealings were discreetly delivered to the police. Crow waited to see if anyone was foolish enough to break the silence. All the people standing before him were those he’d investigated himself. They all put up a front of agreeing with reunification, asking to be put on security detail for the event. But an investigation by Kaguya found that they were all members of the Sons of Amaterasu. No one spoke up in their own defense, something Crow found surprising and a little frightening.

They would probably try again.They didn’t care if he knew who they were.

“Since there are no objections, then there’s a van here to take you to Osaka City. Enjoy your time there. From here to the city is about an hour. The roads are surveilled. By the time you get back here, everyone will know that you tried to get back. And you will be subjected to severe consequences. This is your only warning.” It was part of the plan to make sure the inauguration of the Bliss Hall Memorial garden took place without violence or retribution. It was an important step in the reunification of the two clans torn apart by war. It was bold and reckless given the fact that so many of the remnants of the Devil Clan were present here. It made it a valuable target. 

Crow watched the rejected Hydra cadres climb into the van without fuss and continued to watch as the van drove away. He half expected it to explode into flames and the sons of Amaterasu to come out, guns blazing. He only breathed a sigh of relief after the van was out of sight. But then he picked up his cell phone and made a call. “They’re on the move.”

“Thank you. I’m monitoring the van.” Said a cold female voice before the line cut.

Crow looked at his phone, impressed. The Hydra detail they’d hired was redundant. The real security lay behind the scenes, hidden and faceless. Crow was only allowed a brief peek at the proceedings. Mrs. Yoko had her own outside team assisting her. Working between Devil Clan and Hydra and Cassell was quite a feat given the conflicts between all three organizations and yet she managed to work with all of them. That female voice could be with any one of them.

He walked through under the Torii gate and into the garden proper. All around, people were dressed in fine Kimonos and carrying umbrellas over their heads as they strolled along the banks of the restored creek. The building was not salvageable but the reclaimed materials served as pavers. The bridge spanned over the creek and led to the central memorial on the original foundation. There, groups of people gathered around a very large central statue.

 They were all Hybrids. Some from all the different clans. However, if you didn’t know someone personally, you had no idea which gang they were from. This choice was intentional. The Kimonos were the required dress, meant to show that there was no line drawn between the two Yakuza organizations any longer. It was only the Japan Branch. They all laid down bouquets of flowers and bowed deeply and solemnly.

The central statue was composed of about a dozen people releasing paper lanterns. Even though certain features of their faces were altered to protect identity, he could recognize them. There was Chance, sitting on the podium, one foot dangling, one foot resting, eyes turned upward in a hopeful, wistful expression. There was Kogure Sakurai who stretched her hands up towards a flying lantern and next to her was Sakura Yabuki, helping her keep her balance with a hand behind her back.

How she’d managed to capture Sakura’s likeness so well was amazing given they’d only met briefly. Crow felt a lump growing in his throat and he lowered his eyes. She’d died defending the young chief the way she’d always defended him. According to Nanami, she’d smiled as she left the world. He would always regret not being there, not being able to do anything. The faces of Devil Clan members he’d made suffer under order flashed before his eyes and he felt a fire burn against his heart.

“Hey.” A soft recognizable voice came from beside him.

“You didn’t tell me she was gonna be on the statue.” Crow grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sakura?” Yoko Uesugi was the one who had stood beside him and she took a deep breath and sighed. “We weren’t together in our fight, but we made an impact on one another. We had one good heart to heart, and that was enough to come to an understanding of where we stood on things. I think if we had gotten the chance, we would have been good friends.” 

Yoko held up a small bouquet. “Want to go together?”

Crow lifted his gaze to the statue. He was sorry. For what he’d done under Tachibana, for not being there for the young Chief, Yasha and Sakura. But there was no point in getting worked up about it. There was nothing anyone could do but move on. The sunlight danced in his eyes as they started to swim and he looked away. “I have no right to.” 

He turned on his heel and walked quickly back the way he came.

[thecoleopterawithana]

“The Beatles weren’t a group much given to squabbling, says Mark Lewisohn, who probably knows more about them than they knew about themselves. But then he plays me the tape of a meeting held 50 years ago this month – on 8 September 1969 – containing a disagreement that sheds new light on their breakup.

They’ve wrapped up the recording of Abbey Road, which would turn out to be their last studio album, and are awaiting its release in two weeks’ time. Ringo Starr is in hospital, undergoing tests for an intestinal complaint. In his absence, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison convene at Apple’s HQ in Savile Row. John has brought a portable tape recorder. He puts it on the table, switches it on and says: “Ringo – you can’t be here, but this is so you can hear what we’re discussing.”

What they talk about is the plan to make another album – and perhaps a single for release in time for Christmas, a commercial strategy going back to the earliest days of Beatlemania. “It’s a revelation,” Lewisohn says. “The books have always told us that they knew Abbey Road was their last album and they wanted to go out on an artistic high. But no – they’re discussing the next album. And you think that John is the one who wanted to break them up but, when you hear this, he isn’t. Doesn’t that rewrite pretty much everything we thought we knew?”

Lewisohn turns the tape back on, and we hear John suggesting that each of them should bring in songs as candidates for the single. He also proposes a new formula for assembling their next album: four songs apiece from Paul, George and himself, and two from Ringo – “If he wants them.” John refers to “the Lennon-and-McCartney myth”, clearly indicating that the authorship of their songs, hitherto presented to the public as a sacrosanct partnership, should at last be individually credited.”

So, on 8 September 1969, they’re discussing a new album, and on 20 September 1969, John asks Paul for a divorce. 

What happened in that interval?

According to the Beatles Bible:

10: Self-Portrait and Mr & Mrs Lennon’s Honeymoon by John Lennon and Yoko Ono are premièred in London 11: Mixing: What’s The New Mary Jane 12: John Lennon and Yoko Ono are interviewed for various publications 12: John Lennon decides to leave The Beatles 13: Plastic Ono Band live at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival 14: The Plastic Ono Band relax in Toronto 15: John Lennon and Yoko Ono are interviewed by ITV News 16: Maclen (Music) Limited begins legal proceedings against Northern Songs 18: Paul McCartney performs on Badfinger’s Rock Of All Ages 19: The Beatles lose control of Northern Songs 19: Paul McCartney is interviewed for the BBC’s Scene And Heard 20: John Lennon reveals he is leaving The Beatles

I’ll be going through every interview given during this period, but I’d never noticed before that they had lost Northern Songs – John and Paul’s children – just the day before!

And even if John was trying to call Paul’s attention to the fact that their partnership – their “marriage” – was now a “myth”, I think it was more an attempt to say: we have to reconnect, rather than giving up on it. Because the actual request for a divorce came only 12 days later, after they’d lost custody of their “progeny”.

This development, indeed, reinforces the idea that John didn’t want to end the Beatles, and that a lot of it was a complicated Mind Game to try and mend his partnership with Paul.

–

[Also, may I add that the Beatles story is the gift that keeps on giving and, 50 years later, is more alive than ever!]