#actually doubly so with the church fans

[turtleduckmocha]

i don't hate bl.ions fans but it's not my fault they consistently have the worst fucking takes in the world

[teaveetamer]

Basically, the problem with Edelgard, as well as her fans like Raxistaicho, is that they don't believe "people who disagree with us are wrong".

They instead believe "everyone Secretly Already Agrees with Us, but some psychological dysfunction is preventing them from seeing things properly."

So, Edelgard believes that "everyone Secretly Knows my way of running Fodlan is better, but they're just too brainwashed by the Church to see things properly."

And her fans, like Raxis, believe that "everyone Secretly Knows that Edelgard is really a good person, they're just too misogynistic and/or brainwashed by patriarchy to see things properly. Nobody could ever really criticize a woman's behavior, or side with a man like Dimitri instead, without being a secret misogynist (and therefore psychologically defective, so we don't have to actually engage with their arguments)."

So, the reason Edelgard appeals to so many people is that both she and her fans have no "theory of mind", no capacity to "imagine thought processes, emotional states, life experiences, or even entire moral value systems that are Significantly Different From Themselves."

You know I don’t think that’s completely inaccurate, anon, considering they’re 100% convinced that Nilsh is some kind of evil cult leader who brainwashed me and others here into hating Edelgard. Even though. You know. Most of our blogs existed first and Nilsh was just repeating a lot of things we’d been saying for months beforehand.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say they have no concept that we have our own thoughts and feelings. I think they know and it’s a combination of upset (“but I’m right!!! How can they not see how right I am!!!”) and cognitive dissonance (“But wait if a queer woman doesn’t like Edelgard then was I wrong??? No, certainly she must be lying or brainwashed or confused!”)

And like. When you’ve made your entire fandom presence about being this socially-conscious person who calls out the bigotry in people hating your fave and sticking it to the haterz, then you have a lot of investment in proving that you’ve been justified in your past harassment. Cuz if you harassed people for being bigots and you were wrong about them being bigots, well, now you just look like a jackass. Doubly so if they’re actually part of the group you claimed they were being bigoted against in the first place.

[wander-yet-wonder]

Hi there! Happy to use my degree in medieval art with a specialisation in early Christianity to give you the most heartwarming answer possible:

He never needed to miss her because she was with him.

You ever heard it said of singers "yeah my mother was my first fan, driving me to band practice in her minivan because she knew I had something special going on."

That. But with holiness. Mary was Christ's first believer and closest follower. She's at the wedding of Cana (John 2.1-11). And during Christ's miracles (Mark 3.1-35), right as he's doing miracles and appointing his appostles he goes home for dinner and even gathers his family around him and proclaims that all who follow him will also be part of his family. (Jesus really said found family is also family).

In art history, which is my lense rather than text she also has a special role among the following of Christ. I'll give some examples from the Rabbula gospels, a very old Syrian illuminated manuscript. Made 586 CE, and trust me that's early and these images aren't just single occurrences, they're part of a tradition!!!

First let's look at the Pentecost Folio 14v:

During the Pentecost (after the death of Jesus) the holy spirit is poured out over all appostles and they become illuminated' and they can speak all languages. As symbolises by the flames above their heads. This enables them to teach the word and spread it. (When a fire starts to burn, it also starts to spread). And would you look who is front and center, with the biggest flame, burning the brightest. And this is doubly significant! Because religious and philosophical teaching was something reserved for men! She's a woman and she is teaching. And she's doing so better than her male peers.

The second is this image of Christ's ascension to heaven

Folia 13v:

So! First of this image includes one dope ass chariot angel covered in eyes and wheels and flames. But it actually combines a biblical event (Christ ascending, everyone is pointing and looking shocked, there's a clear narrative within the image. With an allegorical type of image of the 'parousia' or second coming! (Art historical foreshadowing!)

Here's a visually very similar image from the wooden doors of the Santa Sabina in Rome. These are from 423, so over a century earlier and a whole ocean away, so you can clearly see how far spread this type of image is:

Sorry for butt ass quality. But here we see mary again in the centre, flanked, like in the upper image by Peter and Paul. The two founding figures of the church. In this configuration Mary becomes a symbol for the church, that is to say the Christian community, in it's essence. She is us. She is the first believer, the first human to love this man.

Christ is a confusing and complicated amalgamation of humanity and divinity (we had to have a whole bunch of councils about that puzzle and we're none the wiser). But Mary was just a girl, just a woman, just like us, fully human. But she knew like no other how to talk to Jesus, how to listen to him, how to understand him. Because that's her son, that's her little boy.

(sorry for info dump!!! Your recent art has been making me feel things and it inspires me to write!)

Do you think Jesus ever felt homesick. Do you think he missed his mom

[chimerabal]

Enter Player 5

Got a new character during the second half of the campaign today *confetti*, and hoo man what a Wild Fucking Ride. Wow.

Last session we defeated the Big Bad demon leader of the cult we were investigating, and got sent back to Thraben for two weeks of downtime between missions. The party is staying in a church compound, the characters all have these apartment rooms they’re chillin’ in, and were given an initial week of time to do whatever. 

Sibyl spent the better part of her time decoding The Book she carries; a bible loaded with coded scribbles added in by a party unknown to me. She made some good progress, which the content of is also.... unknown to me. Proud of her though! She also built a flying contraption that makes both Uriel and myself turn green with envy- quit being cool. Mikela took time to write to her family and had a heart to heart with a priest over her moral dilemmas. She also took the time to visit our werewolf Katya, played by the dm, and her younger sister to escort them on the town for a relaxing pub visit (as the church keeps them locked away unless escorted- being werewolves and all). Fun bonding happened over Mikela’s unwillingness to drink, and Katya’s jovial insistence on having a beer. 

The merriment was cut short very abruptly when Katya recognized a group of rangers in the crowd from her Past- and they recognized her. They got in her face about being a werewolf bold enough to come into the city- Mikela got into the ranger’s faces about being pricks- a ranger got into the younger sister’s face wiTH A KNIFE. Things escalated very- Very quickly. Mikela and the younger sister were brought out of the pub, leaving Katya wildly outnumbered in the pub. Mikela was able to overtake the one dude outside. Inside, Katya transformed FULL WOLF (just out of view, awww) and started kicking serious ass. Some thugs left the pub to attack the sister; Mikela decided that Katya had it handled and they fled. While fleeing they ran into a high ranking church knight and a crew of guards, who recognized Mikela’s regalia and they helped end the conflict (barely, Wolf!Katya had it handled and all they really did was get her to a hospital post fight). The knight turned out to be canon character Thalia, the Guardian of Thraben. Mikela and Thalia had a good heart to heart, knight to knight, chat- however the whole ordeal still left Mikela exhausted (probably doubly so with how many ‘I told you so’s were thrown her way over taking the werewolf for a walk :T overall NPCs were understanding tho).

((Per the norm, if Uriel wasn’t involved I was probably zoning in and out, there may be missed events, lmao, I try.))

Uriel started their week by trying to get as many resources from the armory as possible, and making a guard Actually Ill by describing scaberen stuff. Very successful. Couldn’t secure a room with a bathtub though. The better part of their time was building scaabs, and the better part of my time trying to describe them, haha;;; They packaged up a shiny new set of leatherworking tools for the old man she robbed in the cult-ridden town, added a small note, and got dressed in their best clothes as part of a convoluted plan to get Mikela to like them. They explained that they wanted to send a shiny new set of tools (omitting that they STOLE the old dudes regular set) to the man who so kindly housed us during our mission as both a thank you for his kindness, and an apology for our bad behavior (and the unmentioned guilt of ruining the dudes lively hood and sanity)- but they don’t know where the courier is or accurately remember the old man’s address :/ Another huge honkin’ success, the hidden truth stayed hidden and Mikela now thinks Uriel is a far better person than they actually are, PLUS Uriel’s nagging guilt of possibly really ruining this dude is lifted. Uriel was also able to gain access to a private bath through Mikela *confetti emoji* which... although not essential to the plot... is a creature comfort that makes it Way less likely that my character will try and escape for home.

Mikela used her and Uriel’s time together to try and figure out something about what the Lunarch had told the group out of her earshot last session. Uriel wasn’t able to lie as efficiently as normal after all the kindness Mikela had shown, and when caught lying Mikela offered even MORE kindness that... honestly caused a short circuit in my character’s self preservation and deceitfulness centers ((or in dice terms, I rolled a nat 1 on deception)). Uriel said that, although Mikela is the person she would want to tell the most, that they’re not in a safe enough place to talk about it. I’m pretty sure this set off every red flag and alarm in Mikela’s head- oops- but the characters are now closer for it :’) The awkwardness and seriousness of the situation entirely left Uriel’s mind the moment she saw how Nice the rooms for the traveling diplomats and higher ups were, and although Mikela still had concerns the two parted because personal hygiene and space are top priority for my dumb child.

At the end of week one, the Grand Lunarch Mikeaus called the “Investigative Squad” (as we seem to have started calling ourselves) to a meeting over the werewolf fiasco, and to introduce a new member to the group. The new member wasn’t the Lunarch’s idea, but the idea of many other Very Concerned church figures who just aren’t totally sure about all this- having someone Mikeaus didn’t pick himself added some security? We didn’t get much time to ask because the new member back flipped (literally) into the room, followed by magical glitter and fireworks. She tried, awkwardly, to get some laughs or applause from our Totally Stunned party, but eventually resigned to just introducing herself. Aurelia, former humble street performer, claims to have joined the church to “better the world” and sees the Investigative Squad as the perfect opportunity... you know... to better things. The scientists were amused, but Mikela was... not. At all. She took it as a personal slight and got Sassy. Introductions went... strangely. Uriel did a damn good job at creeping Aurelia the hell out, especially so when the word ‘scaberen’ was used (it was dodged many times prior to Mikeaus getting sick of us chatting). Aurelia also got anxious learning that Sibyl works in nerco-alchemy. I’d say every other sentence from this girl caused an insight check to happen, but we didn’t get much out of it immediately. Everyone except Aurelia was dismissed, Mikeaus had one final thing to share with her in private.

All together, Mikela began filling in Aurelia on the previous victories of the squad- less out of kindness and more as like,,, a petty accomplishment thing xD Aurelia took interest in the slain demons and Uriel eagerly offered to show off the work she did with the parts. Uriel had a full... maybe ten max minutes... of glory in which she thought the Whole Party was interested in seeing the upgrades she did to Ugly, and the new sculptures she was able to put together, before shit started hitting the fan. Aurelia managed to slip past both Uriel and Ugly and into Uriel’s totally trashed room to steal some unguarded demon parts. While Uriel struggled to get Aurelia back Out Of Their Space, the door fell off the hinges (thanks Ugly) and EVERYONE entered their disdainfully messy apartment. :( Sibyl and Mikela did some checks on Ugly to determine if the parts were safe. They aren’t. :(. One of the checks involved a spell that was able to detect demonic energies and Mikela detected the stolen part. 

Its... hard to describe how many /just barely successful/ deception checks Aurelia had made up to this point and HOW on edge everyone else was... but it was intense- and right here is where it started really going wrong really fast. Mikela grabs Aurelia’s bag and demands to know what the hell is going on, why there’s demonic energy in her bag, and what shes ACTUALLY here for. Aurelia tries a few more lies that fail horribly. “Demon parts that’s SILLY why would anyone want THAT” was said to the faces of both a scaberen and a necro-alchemist. She slips that shes from Nephalia as well and Uriel recognizes her. They call her out as a parts dealer they bought angel blood from once, which sets Mikela OFF. Aurelia tries to flee and combat starts. Shes slippery enough to avoid getting caught by Uriel’s whip AND grabbed by Ugly, but with great effort Mikela is able to grapple her- in the process knocking a ton of highly volatile scaberen chemicals onto the ground and lighting the damn apartment on fire. Sibyl uses her attack to try and put out the flames, fails. Aurelia casts a spell that frees her from Mikela’s grapple, and the shockwave from which blows out the fire. She makes a run for it and leaps out the window. Uriel lays on the ground and checks out from this chase b/c ughhhhhfuck this I almost lost all my work and supplies I’m out.

Sibyl peruses with a flight spell, and Mikela grabs the attention of some church guards from the window to join in the chase. Aurelia casts hideous laughter on Sibyl, who falls out of the sky onto Aurelia, leaving them both prone with a chance for the guards to catch up- they don’t though. Sibyl casts charm person on Aurelia, which keeps her from attacking, but not from escaping as she casts an illusion and vanishes (?). Mikela leaves Aurelia’s stuff with Uriel in the room and rushes to the combat. 

The session ended and the DM advised on thinking up a background character just in case the party manages to catch Aurelia and kill her- or if Aureila escapes for good. I hope neither of those is the case because holy Crap that was a hilarious session. I gotta do some doodles from it because- just- MAN.

[fellbranded-blog]

slides in with robhen

Send in two (or more) names and I’ll fill all this out about the ship!

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! ( I MEAN……………. ) | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs ( Honestly I think Henry cursed beat Chrom out of the ‘favourite Robin ship’ position, bECAUSE… )

How long will they last? - Henry’s insanely loyal and Robin takes his commitments seriously. They’re gonna last a long, long time.

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Hmmm. I feel like this one was a semi-slow burn? It took Robin some time to warm up to Henry and his antics (doubly so in the bad future), but once he saw Henry’s sweeter side he fell fast and hard.

How was their first kiss? - Robin was nervous. Very very nervous. But it was very sweet and gentle

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Y’know, I think this was actually Henry! I feel like he’s the more spontaneous and assertive of the two– And there’d be this sense of accomplishment in sweeping the man who’s supposed to always be two steps ahead off his feet? Also his proposals are always super cute and surprisingly romantic and ugh I love him.

Who is the best man/men? - Chrooooooooooom. It’s always Chroooooooom.

Who are the bridesmaid(s) & other groomsmen? - Miriel, Frederick maaaaaaaaybe????, Ricken & Tharja, definitely… 

Who did the most planning? - Robin. He was very thorough in looking up Plegian ceremonies that weren’t overly Grimleal– Especially if one of the Exalted line was to be participating in the wedding party. I mean… They’re both Plegian. Robin might not remember his homeland, but he doesn’t want to ignore his heritage. It was a tough battle, but he just barely squeaked by– And devoted 110% of his energy to getting everything right. In the bad future this was mercifully easier as Robin at least had his memories to work with. If Naeva’s in the picture, he goes to her for help and is considerably less stressed out.

Who stressed the most? - Robin, without a doubt. Poor Henry had to deal with a lot of lowkey panicking and give out reassurance that he’s not messing up royally.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big. ( Again, the wartime ceremony was very private and closed to only the Shepherds’ inner circle. The bigger ceremony was still rather intimate given the lack of people, but Robin wanted to make the effort. )

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - It’s not like they’re in contact with them anyways, but if they were… Henry’s parents. Oh so much.

Sex:

Who is on top? - Usually, Henry. Robin’s more submissive, so he tends to go along with what his beloved wants.

Who is the one to instigate things? - 

How healthy is their sex life? - It varies– Usually Henry, though.Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now ( I don’t see them as a super sex inclined couple tbh? Like, once in a while, sure… Maybe the occasional spontaneous thing in the spur of the moment but. Y’know. Just. Not high on their to-do list. … I’m not sorry for that pun. )

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? -

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? -

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it. ( Henry’s yet another person Robin really doesn’t like being rough with– And honestly despite his morbid tendencies and penchant for bloodshed I don’t… See Henry being into anything too rough either? Of course as far as Robin is concerned whatever Henry wants, Henry gets, soooo. )

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory. ( However, Robin’s very cuddly. )

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - At least three! Corbett and the Morgan twins– Maybe a few of the other army of fankids we came up with. ( Friendly reminder that Vlad’s Henry is trans, therefore… )

How many children will they adopt? - Maybe one or two, should they ever decide to. Though I feel like most adoptions come in the form of Henry bringing stray animals home and Robin not having the heart to say no. 

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Probably Henry, if only because between wartimes Robin actually takes up a job in the village they move to as a carpenter! Robin helps as much as he can, though.

Who is the stricter parent? - Hmmmm. Neither are particularly strict, which makes it a blessing that Corbett is super well behaved– That said, Robin’s probably the one who has an easier time putting his foot down if he needs to.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - …Robin, probably.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Henry, I think!

Who is the more loved parent? - Unfortunately as far as the kids from the future are concerned, this is skewed pretty heavily in Robin’s favour. Corbett bears a grudge against Henry, and the twins remember Robin better. The current timeline’s kids see it more evenly once they’re born!

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Henry. And he has a tendency to get lowkey threatening with teachers his kids tend to have issues with– Robin lowkey tries to start going himself after a while.

Who cried the most at graduation? - Robin, definitely Robin.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - I think this one would be Henry.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Hmmmmm… Robin, I think?

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - I don’t see either of them as overly fussy, but if I had to pick it’d be Henry!

Who does the grocery shopping? - Robin. I feel like Henry would get a little distracted in market places…

How often do they bake desserts? - Stares at Robin’s sweet tooth…………..

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? -

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Henry’s more spontaneous, so I do feel like he’d make an effort to surprise and spoil Robin on their anniversaries!

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Probably Robin.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - …Robin. Robin, please. (Henry’s not much better. He laughs about the entire ordeal as he helps clean it up– Probably crows about how great the flames were.)

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Both, but somehow Robin keeps finding weird magical artifacts Henry uses in his magic in the most unlikely places…

Who is really against chores? - Neither? They’re both good with housework!

Who cleans up after the pets? - Robin tries to maintain that Henry has to clean up after his horde of strays, but usually caves and it becomes a family effort.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - …I feel like this one’s Henry, but it could potentially go either way.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - In the bad future, this was definitely Robin-.He wasn’t a huge huge fan of company, in the event that someone would catch a glimpse of the fell brand– And that’s exactly what ended up happening.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Henry! I imagine he was pretty pleased by it.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - I think this would be Robin. Magic school probably was really strict with its washing times, and it miiiight have had an effect on Henry. 

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - I feel like Henry would gravitate to doing it more, but they’d try to share!

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - OH MAN DECORATING IS ALWAYS A BLAST WHEN IT COMES TO THESE TWO. THEY HAVE THE B E S T DECORATIONS.

What are their goals for the relationship? - Honestly? Be happy. Love each other. Be each other’s strength and support. Grow old together.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Henry, especially if he was busy with his research and magic.

Who plays the most pranks? - Henry, again! I feel like they’d be surprisingly lighthearted for someone like him.

[noiseartists]

Deconstructed Company: Shoegaze without those pesky drums

Deconstructed is Victoria Isabel Jones’s musical project. It is presented as “Shoegaze but without any of those pesky drums”. And indeed her music is the bare bones of the genre, stripping the band down to a voice and a guitar in a pure lo-fi approach.

Her work to date is:

Slip, EP, September 2017

Year of the girl, EP, March 2017

Now I see the sun, EP, November 2016

Disquietude, EP, June 2016

Sensitivity is fun, EP, November 2015

Under concrete, mini album, September 2015

Victoria was very kind in collaborating with us in the following interview. Discover or revisit her work and learn more on this superb artist.

What is your music about?

Angst. Just constant, unbridled teenage angst. I started this project when I was 14, so I guess that made it kind of inevitable. I was also a huge fan of Death Cab For Cutie at that point in my life, which I think made it doubly inevitable. Like, my greatest aspriation in life at that point was to be Ben Gibbard with boobs. It's not a time I look back on very fondly.

As I've gotten older, I haven't really gotten any less angsty, but I like to think I've gotten better about putting it in a way that isn't so... direct. I think that's what attracted me to shoegaze - vaguely sad lyrics are the norm, and that's the kind of stuff I end up writing most of the time. I try to convey certain emotions through the overall atmosphere of the song than I do through the writing itself.

Tell us about the artists you have worked with.

I'm in a band right now with my boyfriend Austin - it's this kind of lo-fi indie rock thing called The Speciesists. Somebody on the Internet once said that Pavement would've toured with us had we been around in the 90s, which was pretty great. I also used to be in this other band, Such Great Fireflies, with a few of my other friends. We never released anything and broke up after a couple of months, but the drama that went on during its short existence made for some great songwriting material afterwards.

Other bands

I don't listen to a lot of current music, but when I do, it's usually Sexy Merlin. My friend David also has a project called Innuendos that I'd definitely recommend to anyone who's a fan of more recent emo music - the self-titled EP he released for it earlier this year is actually really good.

What are your goals as an artist artistically/commerically?

Ultimately, my only goal artistically is to make something that sounds original. It doesn't have to be particularly innovative or groundbreaking, but I want it to sound like myself.

Commercially... I go back and forth on this a lot. If I had the opportunity to make this or any of my other musical endeavors into a career, I'd definitely consider taking it, but as of right now it's yet to present itself. For now, I just try to focus on recording and releasing new music, and hopefully the rest will come later.

Who would you want as a dream producer, and why?

I'm a big fan of the way Swervedriver's Mezcal Head sounds, so I guess Alan Moulder? I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to producers, honestly. The thought of handing over the reins to someone else like that terrifies me.

What are you trying to avoid as a band?

Being overly derivative, for starters. A lot of contemporary indie rock is incredibly derivative and I'd like to stay away from that. And, you know, I'd like to refrain from getting involved in politics unless it's something I really care about, like the legality of snake handling or Oprah 2020. Important stuff.

Explain your songwriting process.

There's not much of one. Most of the songs I write start out as simple rhythm guitar parts that I'll build on a little bit, and then add lead guitar and vocals to as I see fit. It's very rare for me to spend more than a couple of hours recording and writing a song.

In 2017 there is no new or old music to a 17 year old with internet access. Discuss.

There are usually pretty big differences between music being released now and music that was released ten, twenty, thirty years ago, and I don't think accessibility changes that. Old music is still old, and new music is still terrible.

Why do you make the music you make?

A lot of it comes down to ability; I'm not a very technical guitarist and I barely know how to play any other instruments, so it limits what I can do. Of course, I do like what I've made using what limited skills and equipment I have, but if I were a better musician I'd probably be doing something else, like pioneering the bluegrass/trap crossover of my dreams.

Describe your palette of sound.

Lots of distortion. I like using drop tunings a lot - there's this one I use that was inspired by Hum that's basically open G, but I only use it for playing power chords. Delay and reverb are both fun to play around with, especially for lead guitar parts. I also like using vocal harmonies to help fill things out. I like to pretend that that's something I picked up from listening to Lush and Slowdive, but in reality I learned how to harmonize from singing in different church choirs back during my freshman year. Altos are basically useless for anything but harmonizing.

You describe your music as "shoegaze without those pesky drums", why no drums?

Initially it was because I didn't know anyone that played them and I couldn't keep time well enough to play with a drum machine. Now, it's a stylistic choice, and also because I can't keep time well enough to play with a drum machine. There's so many nugaze bands out there these days that the only way I can distinguish myself is to not have a rhythm section. Hopefully, it's a distinction that works.

Which of your albums are you the most proud of? Why?

The only one I can go back and listen to all the way through without cringing is Year of the Girl. It's the most cohesive EP I've ever released, and it was named after an obscure Swervedriver B-side - both good things in my eyes. In general it was really heavily influenced by Swervedriver, though I don't know if that influence translated to the music at all. It also features bangers like "Everything You Do", which was directed at some guy I "dated" on the Internet for less than 48 hours who was really obsessed with his ex-girlfriend at the time, and "Amicalola", which is about a state park.

I also have a big soft spot for Disquietudes, even though there's a lot I'd like to go back and change about it. It was my first actual stab at making shoegaze, and it turned out surprisingly well for a first attempt. Still really wish I'd left those horrible synths off of the last track, but oh well.

Find Desconstructed Company here:

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[blueseakelp]

a few things:

-for phone history on an iphone, text or email yourself links to websites that aren’t approved but that you use often. it will open up the safari redirect thing, but won’t actually take you to safari. (doesn’t leave history!!) then, the texts and emails can be quickly deleted if needbe.

-buy things whenever you can. if you’re at school and have extra change, buy prepackaged items from the cafeteria. if there’s a store close enough from your school or home to walk to, try to take detour there (slightly increasing time it takes you to get home each day before you go can help throw off suspicion) and buy bandaids, toilet paper, toothbrush/toothpaste, etc.

-i know people have already said this but CAPITALIZE ON WHEN YOUR PARENTS LEAVE THE HOUSE. this is always the best time to get food, take a shower, go outside, throw things out, etc.

-throw things out right before the trash is collected or in your neighbor’s trash cans if possible.

-when opening a creaky door, often times yanking it open will be quieter than easing it open. also, if your handle makes a lot of noise, after you turn it to open it, press on the small inside metal part that latches it and then release your handle. make sure you let go of the small part slowly. (also you can do this in reverse when you’re closing the door)

-liquid makes the least sound as it travels along the side of something towards a drain. especially when pouring something, do it as low as possible (and for example, in a sink, pour it along the sides do it can drain down quietly without making a splat sound. you can always wipe it dry with whatever’s available later.)

-old/outgrown clothes work as rags, bandages, blankets, etc. and aren’t super suspicious if they’re found shoved in the back of a closet or clothes drawer.

-chopsticks are usually the best utensils to hide in a pencil bag because at first glance they look like pencils, and they’re also very versatile

-if allowed, having something that makes a lot of noise in your room is amazing. (old space heater, fan, noise machine?)

-try to take food when you have a lot of time on your hands, and rearrange everything to look like there’s more

-keep lots of bags and hide things in the most obscure pockets. (doubly helps if your bags are full of safe stuff that doesn’t seem suspicious, like old school papers or church hymns)

-especially for younger kids without cellular data! keep a list of commonly used passwords for household things like wifi somewhere safe if you know them, find patterns for when/if they change (and listen extra carefully for when your parents’ friends and family come over, they’ll often say it out loud multiple times)

-walk down the stairs abnormally during the day, so it’s harder to identify your steps at night.

-getting a drink of water from the kitchen sink is a good surveillance trip if your parents don’t question that, also it’s noisy and you can look around a lot

-collect plastic water bottles anytime someone offers it to you, napkins too

-if you’re in school and still do birthday gifts with your friends, asking for things like food, phone charger, gift cards, headphones, metal water bottle, flashlight, etc. won’t really make them question anything but will give you a mostly safe place to receive those items without needing to go somewhere and buy them. reciving them at school also gives you the time to arrange them in your backpack to keep them hidden!

-movies downstairs are a good time to use amenities upstairs, doubly so if your parents keep the sound up loud.

-walk with your legs and arms apart so your clothing doesn’t rustle as much, and please don’t wear loose denim to sneak

-(for afab) wear bulky hoodies or sweaters over tight/high waisted leggings. instant front pocket that usually won’t be thought of.

-sometimes old first aid supplies will be saved even after new ones have been bought. if there’s copies of something, it’s nearly out, and/or it’s been shoved into a drawer or cupboard of lots things that aren’t used, it’s probably safe to take. dont immediately be fettered by an expiration date. look it up to see if it’s still usable, since some medicines/ointments are alright to use after expiration.

-again, gift cards are really good to secretly save up and buy things with! get yourself a gift card stash, hide them in a bible, use them whenever you can!

most importantly, stay safe everybody! i know my house definitely isn’t as bad as some of yours, but no matter how good or bad any of you have it, remember that it’s not your fault! these are hard times, and someday you won’t have to go through this anymore. you are so amazing and lovely, and better days will come! <33

hey so protip if you have abusive parents and need to get around the house as quietly as possible, stay close to furniture and other heavy stuff because the floor is settled there and it’s less likely to creak

[oosteven-universe]

The Last Siege #1

The Last Siege #1 Image Comics 2018 Written by Landry Q. Walker Illustrated by Justin Greenwood Coloured by Eric Jones Lettered by Patrick Brosseau     After years of war, the lords of the West have fallen to a cruel king—a warlord from across the sea. Now the king has sent his most brutal knights to claim the remaining free provinces. These territories fall quickly—most agreeing to terms of peace rather than risk further war, as they have been left defenceless and weak after years of strife. Only one house remains—a small castle on the distant coast, whose ruler fell during the final battle.     Well we all know that I am fan of these books that are unique in the aspect that they combine what’s already been and create something new. Kings, castles and knights oh my it is the stuff where legends were made and we still dream of fighting dragons alongside wizards and those of the table round. So add into that a Spaghetti Western sensibility with a Game of Thrones harshness and suddenly it’s a brand new world. This is the kind of storytelling where Landry’s imagination and creativity as a storyteller is just as important and amazing as his ability to put the words to paper.     Landry is an excellent storyteller, see Danger Club for a prime example, and it’s always fun to see what he has in store. The way this book is structured is amazingly well done and from the silent opening with the feel of doom and gloom to the last page that has an almost righteous air to it this is the kind of book that will stay with you, leave you pondering and definitely desiring more. It has this element of mystery to it as well that I find unexpected and full of that certain something which it doesn’t really need but then adds something immeasurable.     I adore the fact that these two men, advisors to the now deceased Lord Aedon, talk of Lady Cathryn as if she were nothing more than a bargaining chip. The Bishop is a pig of a man and he’s one to really dislike as I see no redeeming qualities to him. He’s a bureaucrat and one from the Church therefore doubly despicable still with Chancery Bryce to see reason and logic and actually about the Lady and this town well there’s hope. The characterisation here is impeccable and it’s not hard to see who’s who and where they fit in and even the young Lady Cathryn we learn about through others and she’s going to be one to watch.     Justin’s work is another great thing to me, I’ve seen him on some great books from Stringers, Stumptown and even Ghost Town and to see him bring this unique style to these pages is utterly sensational. There are a number of pages where his work is what stands out and along with Eric really do more to tell and advance the story than you could imagine. The utilisation of the page layouts and how that continues the movement of the angles and perspective we see in the panels shows such a spectacular eye for storytelling. The outdoor scenes have less backgrounds being utilised and when we do see them they are splendid and make things seem much larger than they are. I love the way the varying weights of the linework are manipulated to show the attention detail or of the rain and how it all comes together. ​     This has all the intrigue that we saw in the Tudors as well as in Game of Thrones so the violence and politics go hand in hand and it’s so well weaved it’s almost mesmerising. You’ll definitely get swept up in how this is being told from the words to the visuals this will be your new guilty pleasure!