#and put all that energy into being an urban explorer or going into the woods alone like a maniac dkljsfghsdf

[caointeag]

lyarra 🤝 bran going places they shouldn't go, climbing things they shouldn't climb, and letting their curiosity get the better of them.

[architectnews]

Ten ways in which architecture is addressing climate change

To honour Earth Day, we've rounded up 10 ways architects are reshaping the built environment to benefit both people and the planet.

Architecture has a large environmental impact, with the built environment accounting for 40 per cent of the UK's carbon emissions in 2019, according to the UK Green Building Council.

With a 2018 United Nations report warning that humanity now has less than 10 years to slow down global warming, the architecture industry is one of many to have been forced to reassess the ways in which it works.

From reducing waste and maximising urban greenery to collaboration and lobbying for change, solutions to reduce pressure on the planet are now taking centre stage.

Read on for 10 ways in which architects can contribute to a healthier planet:

Building with timber

Wood has been used to build structures throughout history. However, there has been a recent resurgence in its popularity as a construction material, due to its sustainability credentials and improvements in engineered timbers such as cross-laminated timber (CLT).

One of the biggest benefits of building with timber is that it can sequester large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and store it within a building for as long as it stands. This can help achieve carbon-negative buildings by offsetting the carbon emissions generated through construction and operation.

It is for this reason that 3XN will use wood as the primary material in its extension for Hotel GSH in Bornholm (above) while Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios will use CLT for an office in London.

Going carbon-neutral

Making buildings carbon-neutral or, better still, carbon-negative architecture is a key concern for many architects today.

The terminology around this push is confusing but, generally speaking, a net carbon-neutral building is one that does not contribute any CO2 to the atmosphere over its lifetime, taking into account its construction, the materials used to build it plus the resources required to run it and decommission it.

A carbon-negative building is one that removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits over its lifetime, including the operational carbon generated by the heat and power the building consumes as well as the embodied carbon released by the extraction, manufacture and transportation of construction materials.

Confusingly, the term "carbon positive" is also used to describe the same thing as "carbon negative".

Examples of carbon-neutral architecture include Mikhail Riches' housing project in York that will utilise air-source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce emissions when complete.

Carbon negative buildings include Snøhetta's Powerhouse Telemark office (above), which will generate enough surplus energy during its operation to more than compensate for both the operational and embedded carbon emitted over its lifetime.

Rewilding

Rewilding has seen a surge of interest recently as people realise that natural ecosystems are disappearing, taking with them the biodiversity that supports life on earth.

Rewilding is an approach to restoring ecosystems that let nature get on with the work itself with minimum human interference.

For architects, this offers the opportunity to take biodiversity into account both when landscaping their projects and when choosing materials, to ensure their extraction and manufacture do not lead to the depletion of natural resources.

Projects that support rewilding include architect Carl Turner's DUT18 creative retreat in the Cotswolds region of England, which will sit in a partially rewilded landscape.

Writing for Dezeen last year, architect Christina Monteiro called for a strategy to rewild cities both to increase biodiversity and to improve the health and wellbeing of citizens.

Meeting Passivhaus standards

Since its origin in the 1990s, the Passivhaus energy performance standard has become one of the best-known ways to create sustainable architecture.

Awarded by the non-profit organisation the Passivhaus Trust, the standard encourages buildings that have high levels of insulation and airtightness so that they require minimal artificial heating and cooling.

Mikhail Riches and Cathy Hawley won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2019 with its high-density Goldsmith Street social housing scheme (above) after designing it to meet Passivhaus standards. The win was celebrated widely, with London studio Architype stating the win "puts Passivhaus in the spotlight – exactly where it needs to stay".

Speaking to Dezeen, Sophie Cole of Mikhail Riches said that Passivhaus design can also provide "a great basis for [zero-carbon architecture] because Passivhaus already really reduces that energy requirement".

Reversible design

Reversible architecture ensures entire buildings can be deconstructed at the end of their life and their components reused meaning no components go to waste.

Adam Strudwick of Perkins and Will described this to Dezeen as making "every building as a kind of DIY store for the next project".

Recent examples include Triodos Bank by RAU Architects and Ex Interiors (above), a "large scale, 100 per cent wooden, remountable office building" and a pavilion built by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA made from reusable construction materials.

BakerBrown Studio recently turned heads with its proposal to build a reusable pavilion for the Glyndebourne opera house using timber, mycelium and discarded champagne corks and seafood shells, all of which are reusable, recyclable or biodegradable.

Creating reversible architecture aligns with the aims of a circular economy – a closed-loop system where all materials are reused to eliminate any waste. Creating buildings that can be dissembled means that their components can be reused on other projects.

Encore Heureux, a studio that built a pavilion from reclaimed doors, said the idea is that "one person's waste becomes another's resources".

Non-extractive architecture

Non-extractive architecture is a term coined by Italian research studio Space Caviar to express the idea that buildings should not exploit the planet or people.

"Non-extractive architecture questions the assumption that building must inevitably cause some kind of irreversible damage or depletion somewhere – preferably somewhere else – and the best we can do as architects is limit the damage done," explained Space Caviar co-founder Joseph Grima in an interview with Dezeen.

The idea is expanded upon in a manifesto written by Space Caviar that calls on architects to design buildings that do not deplete the earth's natural resources.

An exhibition alongside the manifesto is currently being held at cultural foundation V–A–C in Venice and Grima is joining Dezeen later today to further expand on the ideals of non-extractive architecture.

Biomimicry

Another way in which architecture could help combat climate change is by making use of biomimicry, an approach that emulates natural systems such as coral reefs (above).

This can lead to extremely efficient structures that minimise the use of materials as well as potentially replicating beneficial processes such as the way plants use photosynthesis to turn atmospheric carbon into cellulose and other compounds.

According to architect Michael Pawlyn, entire cities could help stop climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere by mimicking the process of bio-mineralisation, by which lifeforms such as micro-organisms in the sea turn carbon into limestone and other carbon-rich minerals.

"We need to find ways of using materials that take carbon out of the atmosphere," he told Dezeen. "Can we learn from biology to design a built environment that has a net positive impact?"

Restorative architecture

Restorative architecture, also known as regenerative architecture, refers to structures that have a positive impact on the environment.

Biomimetic architect Pawyln cites this as a key way that architects can help tackle the multiple environmental challenges of today, believing that architecture that "just mitigates negatives" is not going far enough.

His studio, Exploration Architecture, has demonstrated these ideals through The Sahara Forest Project in Qatar (above) – a seawater-cooled greenhouse that replicates a Namibian fog-basking beetle's physiology to harvest fresh water in the desert. Any excess water it makes is used to revegetate the surrounding landscape.

Retrofitting

Retrofitting, or upgrading, is typically carried out to improve the energy efficiency and thermal performance of a building, reducing its dependence on heating and cooling, or to update a structure that may otherwise be torn down.

By prioritising the improvement of existing building stock over demolition, architects can keep materials – and the embodied carbon they contain – in use for longer, delaying the additional emissions produced by demolition.

Last month French architects Lacaton & Vassal, who are key exponents of retrofitting, won this year's Pritzker Prize for Architecture for their "commitment to a restorative architecture".

Other exponents include Sarah Wigglesworth, who proved the value of retrofit in the recent overhaul of her straw bale house in London (above), which has resulted in a 62 per cent reduction of its annual carbon dioxide emissions.

Elsewhere, architect Piers Taylor retrofitted his own off-grid home by upgrading all of its external fabric to meet Passivhaus standards in response to improvements in technology.

Establishing climate action groups

Architects are also addressing the impact of the built environment on the planet through grassroots initiatives such as climate action groups, in which they can raise awareness and share knowledge about climate change.

At the forefront of the industry is Architects Declare, which a group of Stirling Prize-winning architecture firms launched to call on all UK architects to adopt a "shift in behaviour". It has a growing network of signatories across the world that collaborate through virtual events.

Another example is the UK-based group Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), which is lobbying for more demanding legislation in the UK.

It recently launched a campaign demanding embodied carbon regulation and founded a student-focused arm that is helping combat climate negligent teaching in architecture schools.

The post Ten ways in which architecture is addressing climate change appeared first on Dezeen.

[theparanormalperiodical]

The 13 Scariest Paranormal Investigation TV Show Episodes You Need To Watch - And The Links To Watch Them For Free!

As a paranormal blogger, I’m used to fangirling with other occult-obsessives about anything that’s spooky. 

It could be a scary movie. It could be a ghost they’ve seen first hand. It could even be an urban legend that frightened them to their very core! Either way, they always have a turning point in their life that pushed them towards the paranormal. 

My epiphany was different.

Sure, I’ve always had this constant connection with otherworldly spirits - but it was developed by one thing: paranormal documentary TV shows.

Most Haunted, Ghost Adventures, Celebrity Ghost Stories…

Each and every one made me want to be there with them!

I wanted to wander ‘round castles for a living. I wanted to read ghost stories everyday and explore the history behind them. I wanted to connect the dots and explore a new, hidden world.

It’s for that reason that I’ve decided to share my love for these shows with you, dear reader.

I’ve brought together the best episodes from Most Haunted, Ghost Adventures, Paranormal Lockdown, Celebrity Ghost Stories, Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Witness, explained the ghost stories that are the centre of the episodes, and have even provided links (and the terrifying timestamps) to the episodes. 

All you’ve got to do is press play!

Oh, and leave a comment on which one traumatised you the most…

Now, let’s get spooky.

#1 - The Dorothy Puente Murder House - Ghost Adventures (S12, E3)

Ghosts give me the heebeejeebies. Demons make me want to hide under my quilt and cry to a Sigrid song. But it’s stories of entrapment that really fuck me up. 

This is one of those stories.

Dorothy Puente was a landlady who ran a boarding house in California for elderly and mentally disabled residents. Don’t be fooled by her charitable exterior, though - what was happening inside the boarding house was a very different story. 

Puente was a serial killer who committed 9 murders - a number which is still disputed to this day - throughout the 1980s, and then cashed their social security checks. 

Whilst there are a number of details to this case, I thought I’d leave that to be discovered during the episode. 

Nevertheless, I thought I’d wet your appetite with some seriously traumatising tales:

In 1985, she hired someone to do wood panelling in her apartment. Not only did she give him an old pickup truck that I assume contained traces of evidence of her crimes, she asked him to build a 6-by-3-by-2 foot box. In non-maths terms, that’s the dimensions of a coffin. 

Claiming it was full of books and other small items for disposal, she journeyed with him to a local dump to dispose of these, uh, books, and stopped him before they reached the local area to dump the waste.

She directed him to instead drop it into a river cause that’s not suspicious at all.

But suspicions were roused when she began repeatedly hiring a local homeless man to do certain tasks like digging the basement and removing soil from it, or putting concrete in the garage. It was when he disappeared that the pieces began to connect together. 

Given the dark details behind the case, when Zak Bagans and his squad rocked up, they were on the receiving end some of the most striking paranormal activity they had ever witnessed:

Featuring EVPs crammed full of aggressive growls and demands for them to “Get out!”, or Ovilus Voices spewing words eerily similar to the murders and how the bodies were disposed of, this investigation stays true to what happened there.

But outside of the equipment used, the physical effects on the investigators was incredible!

One medium felt a choking sensation believed to channel the feelings of victims being force fed sleeping pills and then left to die in the Death Room. And the other? She drew a picture uncomfortably similar to a spirit seen by a tenant of the house - the spirit of Dorothy Puente. 

The other physical contact experienced includes pain felt in Zak’s lower back, as well as Zak entering this trance like state from which he fell off the bed!  

Here’s the episode:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x55gpad 

Want to seem some spooks, like, right now? 

09.10 - an EVP with Peggy, the resident who sees Puente’s spirit frequently.

13.10 - a medium begins to sense spirits and experiences some shocking effects.

17.30 - a medium produces pictures of the spirit she senses.

25.20 - EVPs in the backyard - where the bodies were buried - answer some of the questions that still go unanswered. 

30.20 - Zak Bagans begins to exhibit extremely peculiar behaviour.

#2 - Idaho State Tuberculosis Hospital - Ghost Adventures (S18, E10)

Whispers, children and angry old men.

No, it’s not the title of Fall Out Boy’s latest album - it’s just a few of the current inhabitants of The Gooding Inn.

Once a TB hospital that was shut down in 1976, this building has witnessed its patients literally choke and drown in their own blood as their lungs fill up. 

But what’s seriously scary about this episode is the effects on the most recent residents of the inn:

Not only was the housekeeper clearly upset about her encounter with an angry male ghost, she clearly feels the negative energy such spirits embody.

But it's when the current resident is interviewed that the reality of this location is realised. Two of her children had died whilst living in the former hospital, forging a strange link that is explored in the episode.

Yet before I spoil the whole show, here’s a taste of what’s to come:

A playful child spirit and a woman with a child make their own appearances, as well as the strange tale - and even stranger spirit - of Anton Beaver.

Ready to watch?

Here’s the episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdCxNtshvhg

Looking for a quick fear fix?

These are the timestamps of note:

05.25 - Zak Bagans starts the show with the housekeeper’s own tale of the hauntings she’s witnessed.

10.00 - One woman recounts the potential impact of the hauntings on her family.

12.15 - a paranormal investigator brings his own footage and experience of activity in a passage from which gurneys and wheelchairs would bring in the patients

16.00 - Zak Bagans researches those who died there - and creates a sudden shockwave of paranormal activity across the building.

21.50 - a weird non-human noise is heard when a dark shadow appears.

32.00 - pranks set by a spirit of a former child patient begin to haunt the team.

#3 - 30 East Drive - Most Haunted (S18, E1 Halloween Special)

Take a look around my blog - no, seriously, look at what I write about: old manors, haunted abbeys, demonic forests… They all seem to stand out. And I think that’s what makes this tale - and this episode - quite so scary.

Welcome to 30 East Drive, a council house nestled in Yorkshire, England.

It started in 1966. The Prichtard family had just moved into a new home when they started to notice rather peculiar occurrences:

A fine layer of dust fell on everything in the house, puddles would appear from nowhere, even if one was cleaned up, the tea dispenser would go off randomly, and items would levitate!

Given the evident paranormal resident, clergymen were called to exorcise the house. 

They were not successful. Holy water would leak out of the walls, ghostly hands would appear and ‘conduct’ the hymns being said to remove him, faces were slapped and people were pushed. Despite the rather playful poltergeist at first, this spirit slowly became more aggressive:

The daughter, Diane, began to find scrapes and bruises appear on her body, and was even dragged up the stairs by her hair! It was eventually deduced that this could be the spirit of a Monk whose body was discarded down the well that the house now sits on. Why was he thrown down a well?

Because he - or perhaps his twin brother - raped and murdered a young girl.

And as he is often seen wearing black robes, the house was given labelled the Black Monk House. Fancy a watch? You’ll be spoiled for choice then - Paranormal Lockdown also had a stay in the house.

Here’s the Most Haunted Episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO3EeYBGNuo

“But, spookyllama, where are the timestamps?”

I couldn’t find any timestamps of note because the activity in this episode is constant!

Within the first 1 and a half minutes, a marble is thrown, echoing one of the most common hauntings in this house. Knives were also found sticking out of sofas, as was a crucifix jumping off the bed. 

#4 - The Wentworth Woodhouse - Most Haunted (S17, E6)

Our next episode also features a ghostly monk, but this time we see activity beyond marbles being chucked at cameramen. Indeed, this episode is just as iconic as the former - this is due to the controversy surrounding the evidence captured in this video.

One of the most famous hauntings of the Wentworth Woodhouse is the first earl of the house walking down the main stairs of the house. Only he’s headless. And they claimed to capture this footage:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/most-haunted-team-finally-catch-12417869

This footage only taps into one component of the paranormal activity seen in this house, however.

This house has seen centuries worth of aristocratic family feuds, deaths and drama which still roam its halls. Whether its footsteps, ghostly laughter or opera singing, it seems all past residents never actually left. 

Yet aside from the earl taking a nightly stroll, the scariest spirit has to be a ghost that stands still during his hauntings, leading many people to think he’s a statue. 

Specifically, the most haunted locations - aside from the library - are the George VI quarters. With shadows tracing the walls and dark figures standing in the doorways, the Most Haunted team were certainly not alone.

You can see the episode here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdTnJC4cO54

Want a speedy scare?

28.00 - a door rattles and sounds as if its being opened, only its not - it’s locked and there’s no handle.

30.00 - The team hears a whistle, so they whistle back. What happens next is mind-blowing…

50.00 - The crew hears a couple of footsteps follow them around a part of the house.

#5 - The Washoe Club - Ghost Adventures (S16, E7)

The Ghost Adventures team might have investigated this wild-west location 3 times, but it gets no less spooky as time goes on. The oldest saloon there, The Millionaires’ Club, is the centre of the activity as a former exclusive saloon for rich businessmen.

Upon Zak Bagans and his team’s final return, they are reduced to tears by the activity witnessed.

This activity includes the spirit of a prostitute who committed suicide in room 77, a full-bodied apparition in the ballroom, a brick thrown in the basement and a women, Lena, haunting the staircase.

The episodes in particular have also captured EVPs saying their names: “Zak, look out”, and "Nick, Zak, coming..., they're scaring me".

Ready for a trip to the Wild West?

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqhyh6

#6 - Hinsdale House - Paranormal Lockdown (S1, E5)

If you thought these buildings were scary, wait ‘til you hear about the Hinsdale House. Question is, what separates it from the other contenders? 

This is a demonic haunting.

Considered this generation’s Amityville, the whole property exhibits signs of activity an exorcism couldn't rid it of: mysterious phone calls, chanting from nearby woods, animal hybrids and full bodied apparitions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this house.

Lucky for us, the Paranormal Lockdown team spent 72 hours here, investigating the hauntings both during the day and night.

Within the first 7 minutes of filming, an abundance of flies fills the house, not unlike horror films that trace the stories behind houses just like this. The following emotional impact on Nick further forges a link to the supernatural. 

Featuring choking, consistent EVP’s saying Nick’s name and even Lorraine Warren on the blower telling them to get out of the house, negative energy is an understatement for this house.

You can watch it here:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6tujvf

Head to 25.00 if you want to see their investigation of the forest - including the Gregorian chanting that is claimed to still echo on this former Native American burial ground.

28.00 - when Katrina asks spirits to go to Nick and show their presence when he’s in a different room, the spirits follow orders.

Unfortunately, the spooks don’t end when the credits roll:

Nick claims spirits from this house followed him home and told him to go to a little house tucked away in England.

And that house was 30 East Drive.

#7 - 30 East Drive - Paranormal Lockdown (S2, Halloween Special)

So, we know Most Haunted’s verdict of the Black Monk House - what about Nick and Katrina’s?

Having spent 100 hours there - one of the longest amounts of time they’ve been in lockdown for - they witness apparitions, marbles flying across the house, a scar appears on Katrina’s stomach, and even a murder attempt by the spirit.

That’s right - a Grandfather clock is pushed over, nearly killing Nick! 

You can watch that happen here:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6azzx0

#8 - The St. Augustine Lighthouse - Ghost Adventures (S2, E19)

Haunted locations aren’t just famed for paranormal fanatics like me rocking up.

It’s the history which matters. 

And this haunted lighthouse is celebrated for its history with its own museum denoting the things it was witnessed as a part of America’s Oldest Port. And with multiple people living and dying on the property, the subsequent variety of activity is what sets this lighthouse apart from, well, non-haunted lighthouses!

But it's that history repeating itself that makes this one of the scariest episodes included on this list: a woman in white roams both the nearby forest and the top levels of the lighthouse, a man walking in uniform wanders round the basement, and spirits make use of the famous staircase that fills this building.

Have I piqued your interest? You can satisfy your supernatural needs here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHsNtvT8uHU

Check out the walk through of the lighthouse and description of the main activity at 05.30.

19.45 - you can hear the chattering of multiple spirits on the staircase - and you might even see someone - or something - walking down it, too.

24.00 - this is the most incredible evidence they’ve ever captured - trust me.

#9 - The Stanley Hotel - Ghost Hunters (S2, E22)

Famous for inspiring the Stephen King classic, The Shining, this hotel is infamous for its real life haunted history. First opened in 1909, the 420 rooms - including an underground cave system - hold many ghosts who still make regular appearances.

Room 217 for example, once belonged to a housekeeper. Often visitors to this room notice their luggage is unpacked, items moving, or the lights flickering. Oh, and she’s not a fan of couples sleeping together in the same room, either!

After that, why not visit the Concert Hall? Haunted by a spirit who was once believed to be an usher, you may hear a voice telling you to leave, a nudge, or even see flashes of light of his torch.

You might even hear the giggle of a child echoing down from the attic, a former nursery.

Question is, why is it quite so haunted? There’s 2 claims behind this: the crystals in the cave system below the hotel channel the energy, and the staircase is a vortex for ghosts, allowing them to come and go as they please.

Ready to see what happened?

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ekji3

#10 - The Rain Man - Paranormal Witness (S1, E6)

Ghosts and spirits, demons and death; all the episodes mentioned in this post stick to relatively confined notions of the spiritualistic and pagan religions. However, this episode takes us further than I ever expected.

Paranormal Witness is a show - a bit like Celebrity Ghost Stories - where paranormal stories get retold and acted out.

And this episode follows a young man, Don, who becomes possessed by his abusive grandfather. Having displayed the typical signs of possession, he then began to have strange encounters with water. 

Water began to seep from the walls, and then from the ceiling. But this wasn’t water - when someone touched it, it felt sticky.

It was only when Don was stuck in a trance, that water began to go upwards, towards the ceiling, and pots and pan began to rattle.

When religious rituals were used to cleanse Don, the water was directed towards the bible and person performing the cleansing.

This was only the start of Don’s new powers. And they were to intensify during his final stint in prison.

Hungry for more? Check out the full episode here:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hvjvg

#11 - The Haunted Highway - Paranormal Witness (S1, E2)

Like I said: Paranormal Witness doesn’t stick to the typical hauntings we see. And this episode involves a UFO.

This story - without spoiling the episode - revolves around a mother and son who go missing in the desert. With a relative’s strange dreams pointing her to where they might be and a medical mystery twisting the tale, all that is left is one question:

What really happened in the desert?

You can watch this episode on Amazon for £1.89.

#12 - Celebrity Ghost Stories (S1, E9)

This episode featuring Morgan Fairchild, Lili Taylor, John Salley and Vincent Curatol is considered one of the scariest episodes of this popular episodes from which paranormal experience are acted out.

Here’s the synopsis to tickle your tastebuds of terror:

“A young Morgan Fairchild is abused by a spirit when she moves into her new husband's family home; an unidentifiable stranger comes to John Salley's aid during a nightclub shooting; Lili Taylor hears unexplained noises when she goes on retreat.”

You can watch this episode on Amazon for £1.89.

#13 - Pendle Hill - Most Haunted (S6, Halloween Special)

Pendle Hill might feature as a hiking opportunity in the Pennines, but it actually has a history - and a haunting - to boot. 

Back in the early 17th century, a family of peasants were believed to possess a variety of paranormal powers. And the effigies they made of human hair and teeth didn’t make them appear any less suspicious, either!

The Pendle Witches, as they were known, were arrested, tried and then hung on Pendle Hill.

The witches never left the hill, however. 

Not only did the neighbours of the Pendle Witches experience and die from mysterious illnesses, to this day supernatural activity has stuck close to this location.

Teeth have dropped onto tables during seances, and unnaturally frequent rainfall on the hill is a common occurrence. 

So, what did the Most Haunted team see when they visited the site?

Acorah was apparently possessed by a witch, and a table and a glass smashed during the seance. Oh, and the whole cast and crew felt as if they were being strangled at certain points during filming.

Were they experiencing the final moments of the Pendle Witches as they were executed for their crimes?

You can check that episode out here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu7yRqoLxLc

Or, you can have a speedy spook, instead!

30.00 - the equipment batteries drain, a classic indicator of paranormal presences.

32.00 - Acorah begins his readings of the area, and clearly becomes quite emotional and intense when describing the spirits he sees and hears.

45.00 - Acorah exhibits strange behaviour, and is on the receiving end of harmful spirits.

59.40 - Acorah sees a spirit - or perhaps an otherworldly being.

01.48.00 - the team perform the seance.

Now it’s time to hear what you think.

Which episode are you watching tonight?

And did I miss any seriously-spooktastic episodes out?

[cxhnow]

R&B duo (and real-life sisters) Chloe and Halle Bailey have unparalleled talent and an unbreakable bond. With a “sexy, darker” new sound and exciting solo projects on the way, the multihyphenates are all grown up and ready for their second act — both together and on their own. "You. Look. Stunning!" Halle Bailey watches as her older sister Chloe poses in a faux-leather Nanushka trench coat against a vibrant background of red and pink, Kelis's album Tasty blaring through the studio. Halle's eyes dart between the shots popping up on the monitor and the real-life vision that is 21-year-old Chloe, who smirks at her sister's instructions to "slay" and "work" as they echo in the cavernous studio. Chloe returns the favor when it's 19-year-old Halle's moment in front of the lens; being photographed separately is a rare occurrence for the pair. Chloe cheers Halle on as the latter poses in a houndstooth Area dress, nipped at the waist with a patent leather belt, and matching knee-high boots: "That's gorgeous! You're beautiful." When Chloe and Halle arrive at Milk Studios in Hollywood for our cover shoot on Oct. 29, the energy is celebratory; they are fresh from the set of the Freeform series Grown-ish. Chloe and Halle graduated from recurring roles on the Black-ish spinoff to series regulars for season two, playing college students and track star twins Jazz and Sky Forster. They — along with cast members Yara Shahidi, Trevor Jackson, Francia Raisa, and Luka Sabbat — just wrapped filming on the third season, which premieres Jan. 16. The next installment of the show promises an unplanned pregnancy, an acting debut from Kylie Jenner's former BFF Jordyn Woods, and a much-appreciated homage to Beyoncé's 2018 Homecoming performance. It's also a busy time for Chloe x Halle's music: in 2019 they dropped two singles, "Who Knew" and "Thinkin Bout Me," and are putting the finishing touches on their highly anticipated second studio album, Ungodly Hour, which drops this year. They are buzzing while talking about their new, more mature sound. "It's more grown; it's sexy, it's darker," Halle tells me. She and her sister showed up in laid-back looks before undergoing superhero-style transformations in a curtained-off section of the studio, where they snacked on chips and guacamole and drank green juice while trying on dozens of potential designer outfits. They are sweet and petite, and during a break from the photo shoot, they sit side by side on a velvet ottoman across from me. Both are wearing curve-hugging dresses by Dion Lee and have traded their matching Alevì Milano heels for slippers and slides. Chloe and Halle are defining themselves individually even more than before, and their style is part of that. Throughout the day, Halle will rock playfully sexy ensembles (my personal favorite is a Carrie Bradshaw-esque Maison Margiela button-down shirt cinched with a Zana Bayne belt). Chloe's outfits are equally grown-up and sexy, but with an edgy sophistication — she will channel Olivia Pope, smizing in a camel-colored Fendi trench coat and graphic Sophia Webster heels. Their looks will always complement each other but still reflect the woman wearing them. Their eyes are wide, their mocha skin glistening, braids cascading down their backs. The mood feels highly melanated and highly favored. Chloe and Halle's connection goes beyond the typical sibling bond — they are collaborators, costars, and best friends. It's what makes the stakes of this next stage of their career, as they explore a more adult sound and divergent career opportunities of their own, so high. To see them posing together is like watching a delicately choreographed dance. It's as if they each instinctively know which way the other is about to lean her arm or turn her head and will shift congruously. Between shots, Chloe and Halle smooth each other's braids, bump shoulders to the bass of "Milkshake," or talk in hushed tones. Chloe is the textbook older sister and ultimate hype girl ("The angel that's always in my ear," Halle tells me). "We'll always squeeze each other's hands or look in each other's eyes and crack a joke," Chloe says, admitting that they both sometimes feel anxious while posing on the red carpet or for photo shoots like this one. I recognize their subtle movements, exchanged glances, and seemingly secret language; it reminds me of the way that my sister and I — and sisters everywhere, really — exist in our own universe. Chloe and Halle spent their childhood in Atlanta before moving to LA, where they reside today with their parents Courtney and Doug and their 14-year-old brother, Branson ("We're the Three Musketeers," Chloe says). In 2011, they launched their YouTube channel with an impressive cover of Beyoncé's "Best Thing I Never Had." Wearing matching red tank tops and bouncy braided bobs, they showed off melodies reminiscent of vocalists well beyond their years (Chloe was 13, Halle just 11). They would go on to cover hits from John Legend, Alicia Keys, Lorde, and Rihanna. In 2015, their rendition of Beyoncé's "Pretty Hurts" got the attention of Bey herself, and she signed the duo to her Parkwood Entertainment management company. And, as they tell me, being the protégés of a megastar like Beyoncé is a masterclass in ambition. "She's a boss and she takes care of her own," Chloe says. "She's independent and knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to articulate that." They employ their mentor's take-charge attitude by trusting their instincts when making tough career choices. "That's what we truly admire about Beyoncé . . . she's allowed us to grow in our own right, and as much as she is vocal, she lets us fly on our own." Up until now, Chloe x Halle's sound has been bright, ethereal R&B soul; they released their debut EP Sugar Symphony in 2016, followed by a critically praised mixtape, The Two of Us. Their 2018 album The Kids Are Alright — with jazz-inflected trap-pop songs like "Happy Without Me," "Everywhere," and the Grown-ish theme song "Grown" — showcased their angelic harmonies, earning them Grammy nominations for best new artist and best urban contemporary album. They solidified their place in history with a chill-inducing performance of "America the Beautiful" at the 2019 Super Bowl. But with age comes experience and, yes, growth. The new Chloe x Halle era will reflect their sisterhood and the kind of women they aspire to be: powerful, strong, and effortlessly sexy. "We're not little kids anymore," Chloe tells me. Their sound has evolved from light and airy soul-pop into "edgier, grittier" R&B, like something you'd want to hear during an episode of Euphoria. They teased new music during an "electric, intense, and fun" performance at The Forum in LA late last year. "We played two new songs; 'Do It' — that's one of our favorites — and 'Rest of Your Life,'" Halle tells me during a phone conversation after the shoot. She describes both tracks as being high energy with party vibes. While Ungodly Hour will be a clear departure, the sisters seem to be more musically aligned than ever. Chloe and Halle say there's no formula to their music-making process. "We feel like that takes away any creativity," Chloe explains. They went delightfully old school for brainstorming sessions, filling two or three poster boards with magazine cutouts representing what the new project should feel like. Before creating music, they keep things breezy by having "tea time and girl chat" and narrowing down the themes they want to write about. "I'll make a beat and Halle will hear some really sick melodies and go on the mic and record them," Chloe says. "I'll lay some melodies down and splice [them] together, and then we do lyrics, but we never force it." Halle nods. "It's much like throwing paint on a wall and seeing what happens, and that's the beauty of it." When I ask how they landed on the album title Ungodly Hour, Halle tells me that it came from a single studio session with English electro artists Disclosure. "They are two brothers, and they're literally like mirrors of us," Halle says of duo Howard and Guy Lawrence, who they worked with on the up-tempo title track. "[Ungodly hour] was a phrase for that riff. We kind of spoke it into existence, you could say," Chloe continues. She reveals that one of their early mood boards included the phrase "The Trouble With Angels" (possibly a nod to the 1966 religious comedy starring Hayley Mills?), and notes how exciting it's been to tie those themes together. I spent hours holed up in my childhood bedroom plastering editorial images on any available surface, so it's nice to hear that some methods will never go out of style. But let's not get it twisted: Chloe and Halle aren't two girls making cute collages — they're artists with a precise vision and the talent to execute it. Their technique is free-flowing, but there's a keen attention to detail that influences those working with them. Singer-songwriter Victoria Monét, who helped pen chart-toppers for Fifth Harmony and Ariana Grande, collaborated with Chloe and Halle on Ungodly Hour. She confirmed my theory that they are Black girl magic personified. "I really admire their spirit," Monét said over email. "They feel amazing to be around, and their voices represent that." "They're so hands-on with everything, from melodies to lyrics and production," Nija Charles said over email. The 22-year-old songwriting phenom produced hits for Cardi B and Summer Walker and worked on the sisters' sensual kiss-off "Forgive Me." "Watching them work always makes me go back home and want to perfect my craft." Hands-on is certainly one way to describe the sisters, who play a role in writing, arranging, producing, and playing instruments on nearly all of their own music. What does it mean to two young, gifted, and Black businesswomen to have so much creative control of their work? "Since we were young, our parents instilled in us the power to do things on our own, and not rely on people if [we're] just as capable," Halle says. This encouragement is what motivated them to learn instruments and produce their own music as preteens. Although extraordinary on their own, Chloe and Halle are quick to praise those who have inspired them along the way. I can tell they harbor a deep sense of sisterhood within their own circle, a tight-knit group of family and close friends with the occasional superstar thrown in. It's galvanizing for them to see other young stars doing equally amazing things. "I stan over Zendaya. I love her, and Normani," Chloe says, beaming. "There are so many amazing women right now, and I'm just happy to be a part of this generation with them." Halle agrees, shouting out Grown-ish castmates Yara Shahidi, Francia Raisa, and Emily Arlook as women who uplift them when they're low. The feeling is mutual for 19-year-old Shahidi, who told me being part of Chloe and Halle's atmosphere is "truly a gift." "We share successes, challenges, frustrations, everything!" Shahidi said in an email. "I define sisterhood as an eternal bond with your best friend," Halle tells me. "I'm so fortunate that I get to do this with my sister every day." She looks up to Chloe more than anyone else; after all, as an older sibling, there's a responsibility (and sometimes pressure) to protect, guide, and set a good example. But Chloe is just as heart-eyed about Halle and lights up when talking about her. "Forget all the business stuff and the music and acting; this is my best friend," she says. "Whenever we're apart for 15 minutes, we're like, 'I miss you!' We're texting each other, FaceTiming. I love this one." I make a mental note to respond to unread texts from my sister. "You'll need each other one day" is something I heard a lot growing up, especially when being reprimanded for terrorizing my younger sister. And it occurs to me that Halle and Chloe might need each other even more this year. In 2020, they are each embarking on big solo projects: Chloe in the supernatural thriller The Georgetown Project, her first major movie role as an adult, and Halle as Ariel in the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. For Chloe, a self-professed scaredy cat, working on the "sophisticated horror film" with the likes of Russell Crowe, Ryan Simpkins, Samantha Mathis, and David Hyde Pierce has been a real game changer. "When I got the script, I fell in love with it. I was like, 'I have to do this,'" Chloe tells me. The movie follows a troubled actor (Crowe) who unravels while filming a thriller, and Chloe plays an actress cast alongside him in the project. She learned a lot about herself during the production process, but more importantly, she conquered her fear of scary movies. "I know how it works behind the scenes, so now when a scary movie trailer comes on, I don't close my eyes." When the topic turns to The Little Mermaid, Halle's enthusiasm is palpable. "It's so overwhelming, and beautiful, and breathtaking. I'm like, 'Wow, am I really doing this?'" she tells me. When I ask what she hopes to bring to such an iconic character, Halle takes a beat. "Freshness," she says. "Just being authentically me. It's amazing that the directors have been so forward in asking me to show my true self . . . that's been a really fun growing experience." Halle also tells me that she's most looking forward to the music ("Of course!"), and reveals that the movie will feature classics like "Part of Your World" and new songs written by composer Alan Menken, who scored the 1989 animated film. "I've been a fan of The Little Mermaid since I was 5, so those new songs are very exciting to me, as well as the old," Halle says. "That's probably like, ding, ding, ding! My number one." Halle's history-making casting news was announced in July 2019 and marked a major win for diversified representation, but drew criticism from those who don't think a Black woman should play a fictional sea creature. The defense came swiftly: Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall and Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel, showed support, as did Beyhive members worldwide. After spending a day in her presence, I can corroborate that Halle — with her doe eyes, dulcet-tone voice, and winsome charm — was born to play the role. I ask how she approaches the downsides that can come with celebrity. "It's beautiful that people are tuning in to our lives and that they love what we're doing, and I just think of them as friends," she says, unfazed. Chloe's older-sister senses are tingling. She sits up a little straighter. "You know when certain apps crash?" I do; a Twitter blackout is secretly one of my favorite things. "Who are you without these things, without your followers? You realize that you can't rely on outside validation for who you are as a human being. If I think I'm amazing, then I'm amazing." The sisters have flourished in the industry as Chloe x Halle the duo, two halves of a preternaturally talented whole. They appear at events together, maintain joint social media accounts, and don’t have separate Wikipedia pages (though that’s certainly going to change). They’re a dream team, navigating fame by leaning on each other. Working separately allows them to stretch as individuals, but as their careers evolve, it’s inevitable that their relationship will, too. Chloe seems genuinely joyful watching Halle grow into her own. “I see it happening right before my eyes and it makes me really happy,” she says. But those feelings of pride haven't come without a bit of loneliness, too — especially as Chloe films her first solo project. "In the beginning I was really, really sad," she tells me. There have been plenty of tears and, according to Chloe, plenty of text messages, too. "[Halle] texts all the time; daytime, all the time," Chloe laughs. "To have someone who's always in your corner encouraging you, and making you feel better when you're down . . . it's just such a good feeling. I'm just happy to have her as my partner in crime in life." Naturally, it’s also been “a little scary” for Halle, who admits that she’s been clinging to her sister over the years. Just as Chloe is the consummate firstborn, Halle fits snugly into her role as little sis, always looking to her “safety blanket.” She tells me that visiting Chloe on the set of The Georgetown Project gave her a new perspective. "I was just so proud of her, because you always want to see your beautiful sister succeed," Halle says. "We always do those monumental things together, so when I was able to be on the outside and look in, it was really cool." Ultimately Halle realized that — like gluing magazine cutouts to poster boards — some things don’t have to change: “Regardless of if I'm branching out, she's always going to be there. That bond and our sisterhood will never go away.” Though some things may be mapped out — production schedules, release dates, fishtail fittings — so much more lies ahead for Chloe and Halle. I ask where they see each other in five years. Halle springs up; she sees Chloe with every award in the book. “She’s going to flourish. What do you call it? EGOTs?” Chloe’s five-year vision includes even more plastered photos, but this time they’re of Halle, and they’re on giant billboards across the world. “I’ll be hearing her voice [singing] while walking down the street like, ‘Who is that? Oh yeah, that's my sister. I know her. You don't,’” she says. The three of us laugh, but their predictions aren’t out of the realm of possibility. Their Grown-ish costars agree: actor Trevor Jackson tells me he hopes to see them collecting armfuls of trophies and “truly dominating the world.” Shahidi insists Chloe and Halle’s hard work knows no bounds and remembers them simultaneously filming season one of Grown-ish and mixing their debut album, The Kids Are Alright. “The sky is not even the limit,” she cosigned. Chloe and Halle have more to shoot before the sun sets in smoky LA. It's been a long day, but their energy is still straight-up sparkly. We wrap up our conversation, exchanging thank yous before they disappear to the wardrobe area. They'll model more effortlessly sexy pieces from Nina Ricci and Fendi, cheerleading each other during lighting changes and eye shadow touch-ups, before the day gives way to night. As the sky changes, so does the vibe. Chloe is jetting off to North Carolina to film tomorrow morning without her sister, and they seem to be soaking up this moment in time. Things are coming to a close both on set and in their lives, chapters ending and new ones beginning. But no matter what comes next — together or separately, making music or making moves — Chloe and Halle will keep throwing paint at the wall and seeing what beautiful things come out of it. There's no magic formula. It's just what we sisters do. ★

More Photos

[kittykatkalmer]

Sense of Place

 Researchers , for example, found that nature videos played in prisons reduce violence in prisoners drastically, suggesting the relaxing effects of nature are reflected in the screens. When civilization evolves and wild areas are harder open, we are searching for such natural alternatives.The same town or district is viewed in various forms by many citizens. While someone can understand the ecological and social dimensions of an region, someone may experience environmental and racial injustice. The meaning of the place usually explains our connection to places, which manifest themselves in various aspects of human life: thoughts, biographies, creativity, stories and encounters (Basso, 1996). The concept of position – how we interpret a spot – includes spot association and place meaning in environmental psychologie (Kudryavtsev, Stedman and Krasny, 2012). The importance of a position represents the ties between individuals and places and the meaning of a position represents conceptual meaning that people assign. In ecological, physical, fiscal, political, esthetic, historical or other aspects, people can assign different significance to the same location. A perception of location emerges from the way people view, perceive and communicate with their surroundings (Russ et al., 2015). In towns, the sense of the place echoes cultural , environmental, historical, political and economic intersections; global mobility, immigration and fluctuation of natural and constructed boundaries affect them. 

A sense of place would be incomplete in the urban context without a critical view of cities as locations socially built that are heritage and created by those who live there. Growing students' understanding of their location is an essential factor that affects their sense of position. Technology allows us to feel happy by activating our own unconscious "biophilia," a metaphor describing mankind's inborn and primordial attachment to the climate. However, the degree with which artificial representation may carry about the calming, restorative and artistic effects of a stroll in the true woods is minimal. To our physical and psychological well-being, nature is important. Interacting with nature allows one not to lord over each other, to exist in harmony with the other: you don't regulate birds who fly overhead or lift their moon, or a bear who goes where it wants to.

A sense of place is when you feel a desire to join a place or a town you know. When you first visit a place, there is a sense of anxiety and excitement where you first explore your environment. When you have the pleasure of the place and a positive emotion, you will visit again or come back. This feeling that the place returns regularly and has this strong bond with the place makes 'room' a 'location' of significance and attachment.This feeling that the place returns regularly and has this strong bond with the place makes 'room' a 'location' of significance and attachment. For a sense of place for me, I would enjoy something that puts my mind at ease, for example a beach. Being at the beach, you are soaking up sun and glowing, with that you are also concentrating on easing your mind, you really concentrate on self-care. Self-care is essential to lead a balanced, pleasant and pleasant life. You will build positive energy, which surrounds you and fills you, when you practice those simple ways to relax your mind. Another thing, the beach can feel as a natural detox for me. I feel as if when I am at the beach my body is releasing all of the bad energy. It is also great to relax for a few hours without a computer, telephone and tablet. Some of my most creative moments came when I'm uninterrupted and left alone. I can concentrate completely at the moment without worrying that my escape will pull me out of a ding, blip or ring. Don't go and purchase safe cases, save your money. There is something to say about keeping it all behind and really being there, including the people in your environment! I notice people bringing out some civility on the beach. You can quickly get wrapped up with the usual everyday routine. Link relatives. Friends are playing. Friends play. Lovers tell. Lovers tell. There is another community this day — one consisting of people all out for a nice time.

Lastly In the video ‘Would your kids respond the same was as these kids?’ the video shows how the next generation is unconnected to nature and our surroundings. For our psychological and physical well-being, nature is necessary. Interacting with nature allows one to work alongside each other, not to lord over each other. Natural exposure has demonstrated that depression is minimized and attention spans are improved. Both senses are triggered while a child is out of control. He's immersed rather than focusing narrowly on something like a computer screen in something bigger than himself. He sees, he listens, he brushes, he also delights. A child's brain is able to regenerate outside of nature, so he will do better the next time he has to focus and be aware of it, maybe in school.

References

Basso, K.H. (1996). Wisdom sits in places: Notes on a Western Apache landscape. In Feld, S. and Basso, K.H. (Eds.), Senses of place (pp. 53-90). Santa Fe, New Mexico: School of American Research Press.

Kudryavtsev, A., Krasny, M.E. and Stedman, R.C. (2012). The impact of environmental education on sense of place among urban youth. Ecosphere, 3(4), 29.

Matei, A. (2017, August 9). Technology is changing our relationship with nature as we know it. Retrieved from https://qz.com/1048433/technology-is-changing-our-relationship-with-nature-as-we-know-it/

Russ, A., Peters, S.J., Krasny, M.E. and Stedman, R.C. (2015). Development of ecological place meaning in New York City. Journal of environmental education, 46(2), 73-93.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XDVDyDJ3s0&t=14s

[theoscout]

So, here’s my take on BATIM, just because I thought it would be fun to share. 

Before I begin, I would like to let everyone know that this isn’t exactly what you’d expect from other AUs. The only chapter which is over 90% canon to this AU is the first one, after Henry’s fall it starts to go off in completely different directions. I could go on and on about what it’s really about, but this post is probably going to be long as it is. 

To put it simply, this is not exactly my Alternate BATIM. It’s a re imagining of almost the entire game. Keep in mind that just in case you find this confusing, I based a bit of the backstory off actual paranormal investigations that have taken place, especially Buzzfeed Unsolved. 

With that being said, have a good read! 

Henry and Joey are cousins, but because of the artists on tumblr doing their own interpretations I don't want to get mixed up so they have the middle names Dashiell and Cirrus. Because the cousins have been living in the same town since they were young, they are so close it's like they're brothers. Dash was a bit shyer than his younger cousin Cirrus, because his parents were a bit abusive and his father pressured him to behave in all kinds of things a 'man' might behave. Dash is actually gender fluid, but doesn't learn that until he's an adult.

To be able to get away from the adults, the kids would often run out into the woods outside of town to play. They learned that Cirrus had psychic abilities. Cirrus liked to play tricks. He could move things with his eyes if he watched them really closely, and in some cases he said that he could hear ghosts talking to him. The boys weren't afraid of whatever was out lurking though, they liked to go far away so that they could do what they liked.

One day, they came across an ancient house in the woods that had seemingly been abandoned for centuries. They, along with other children, had seen the house from a distance before, but this was their first time being so close. Cirrus, who was not afraid, said that he was going to go inside and see whatever was in there. The rest of the kids went back and told their parents about the house, and the adults warned them that many years ago it was rumoured that a witch had lived in that house. In the medieval times, it was rumored that she used her powers to curse people and was capable of bringing scarecrows and statues to life, and that she would order them to attack people if she didn't like them. Because it was the medieval era, people were very afraid of witches and supposedly ended up killing her. The adults warned that the house was supposed to have been cursed so that no one dared to disturb it.

 Cirrus, who was about 12 at the time and very interested in the supernatural, said that he was going to explore the house at night and see if he could talk to the witch who used to live there. It took weeks of convincing before Dash agrees to accompany him.

They managed to go through the entire house and much to Cirrus's disappointment, they didn't find any ghosts. Much of the furniture had been destroyed by vandals, and some unknown people had graffitied over the walls. However, they did find one thing that would change their lives forever. Although they certainly didn't know it at the time.

There was an ancient book hidden under some loose floorboards, it was one of the ones you see in museums, the cousins knew it was old because the cover was made of leather, the pages made of cloth and it was all handwritten. It appeared to be a spellbook of some sort, with all kinds of runes and diagrams.

Dashiell was reluctant to take the book, but Cirrus reassured him that if the ghost of the witch was nearby, she would have warned him not to in some way. Cirrus said that he felt an urge to study it, so without wanting to stay in the house any longer, they ran back home.

The pages were mostly about alchemy, and how to make homunculuses, something that the boys did not understand. They left it under Cirrus's bed and forgot about it later on.

Years later, as the boys had grown into young men by now, they were looking for employment. Dash moved out of his parent's house to escape their pessimism when he was 16, vowing to never return. Cirrus, on the other hand, was looking for a way to tell stories more than to make money. Of course, they had to find a way to earn a living. Ever since Dash was young, he had a love for drawing. It was only because of his parents that stopped him from truly following the art career, but now that he was on his own he felt free to do what he wanted.

Seeing as back then cartoons were becoming really popular, the cousins decided to work together and form an animation company on their own. Cirrus decided that they could make it supernatural based, seeing as very few cartoons in the beginning had touched on that genre and he had ideas and thought it was full of potential. With these themes in mind, they decided to come up with the character of Bendy. Bendy wasn't originally meant to be a devil, Cirrus didn't know what a spirit looked like because he had never seen one appear to him, so he just went with whatever looked good on the screen. Bendy's lack of a neck was supposed to indicate he wasn't an ordinary animal. Eventually people started calling him a 'little devil' and the company they had begun decided to run along with it.

There are several cartoons which are non canon to this Alternate Universe interpretation, such as Snowy Sillies and Haunted Hijinks. Reason: Cirrus didn't want to have to leave the endings like that, with Boris getting the food all the time. I imagine that the episodes were most likely like Courage the cowardly dog than like the other 1930s cartoons, with lots of style switching, horror, life messages and philosophy hiding behind the childish content.

Dashiell was happy about his choices in life, but as the business began to grow and thrive he was aware of the fact that Cirrus didn't need him as much as he once did. Cirrus appeared to be thriving in the attention that the studio was getting, and that was perfectly fine with him.

The truth was, Dash was getting a little tired out by drawing cartoons all the time, frame by frame. He felt that even though he was talented, there were already more animators who had been hired who could draw even faster than he could. Dash preferred to create large and detailed pieces of artwork, but this was the animation industry he was working in, and his eye for detail wasn't as important. Cirrus somehow managed to sense that his friend was getting tired, but Dash was a little too withdrawn to speak about it in the beginning. Then one day, there was an employment opportunity in the newspaper from overseas. Whatever it was, it caught Dash's interest. His self-esteem had grown a little since his childhood, and he asked Cirrus if it was ok if he travelled there for a bit to see if the job suited him.

Cirrus didn't seem to mind, and even encouraged him to do what he wanted. Secretly, he didn't want his cousin to leave him but didn't say anything because he didn't think it was that big of a matter. Besides, it was only for a couple of years, and they would write to each other during that time.

Cirrus had actually been interested in the supernatural for some time. His abilities weren't a secret to his staff, sometimes at parties he would perform simple things like moving things with his mind and reading people's thoughts. The majority of his staff thought he was a talented magician, but Cirrus never fully understood his power himself. He wanted to prove to the world that magic was real after having the ability all his life, but he wasn't powerful enough to do anything other than tricks.

One holiday, before Dash left the country, he had gone to his childhood home to relieve some memories when he discovered the ancient book that he and his cousin had found in the house in the woods all those years back. Curious, he went back and flipped though the pages. In the past, his vocabulary and ability to read difficult writing was a fair bit mediocre than his knowledge now, but he began to read the old book with new eyes.

It was a book on magic, just like he had known before. But more specifically, it was a medieval alchemist's guide on how to use special energies and auras in the world to do things such as changing one material to another, and in some cases even create life. Cirrus was amazed at how detailed the drawings were and how deep they went. If it was a prank left there by some teenagers who were a little too attached to urban legends, it certainly didn't look like it. He tried a couple of simple tests, over the course of a few weeks he discovered much to his amazement that his psychic skills were increasing. They had gone down a little since he was a child, but now they had suddenly jumped foreword to the point where it was a little less like a party trick and more like he would be able to use them in his job to help him to some degree.

Cirrus felt a certain attachment to his cartoons, and occasionally applied the knowledge he had learned from the book to the episodes. He told no one of his plans though, he wanted it to be a happy surprise.

Eventually, the passage of time wore down on a bit on his anticipation, and he quietly asked Dashiell one day what he would think of using magic to bring some of their characters to life, although he acted casual about it as if it were a rhetorical question.

Dash reacted with concern. He said that even though he loved the characters, they were shown doing some rather dangerous things during the cartoons and may cause some trouble when outside. Besides, it wasn't a good idea to meddle with unknown forces, especially without a guide.

Cirrus still wanted to perform the spells, but he decided to keep them small under Dash's advice.

Cirrus noticed that his psychic powers, which had been declining since his childhood, had begun to grow stronger. He used time away from Dashiell to gradually make his experiments bigger as he became more accustomed to using magic. However, everything was done in complete secrecy, Cirrus would never want anyone to get hurt if they ever tried it out for themselves, he was an extremely soft hearted man who would not forgive himself for it.

The magic did not appear quickly, but very slowly. One day, Cirrus felt like he had come to a roadblock in his work. The most wanted pages of his book was the part on how to contact ghosts. He hadn't had too much of a problem when he was young, but now he wanted to do more, and the lack of knowledge was stopping him. Much to his frustration, there were several pages that appeared to have been defaced or torn out of this section.

It was around this time that Britain, where Dashiell had gone for his job, went to war in the 1940s. The war had gone out for a couple of years, in previous letters Dashiell had expressed his desire to return home before it became too dangerous for work, but all the ships and planes home had been used.

Dashiell wrote in his final few letters that he had been drafted into the ranks by the government and that refusing to fight would be illegal. He had been given the role of a medic though, he wasn't fit enough to be given a rank but the government was becoming desperate as time went on.

Cirrus was in great distress and overcome with concern about Dash's situation, especially as time went on, as the country was more focused on fighting Nazis than on carrying letters. He would rush to the letterbox as often as he could, eagerly checking to see if it was from Dash only to sink back into a state of constant paranoia and anxiety if it wasn’t. He had nightmares about his best friend being injured on the job, and was so distraught about the situation that it began to impact how well he could run the company.

It was during this time that his attempts to communicate with spirits were increased. He had read from what little remained of the torn out section that if ever a magician summoned a spirit, they could achieve great things if they worked together. However, as the rest of the pages were missing, he was unable to do anything and seemingly came to an immovable roadblock in his discovery trip.

Then, there was a strange creature who began to visit him in his dreams.

The creature spoke to him and claimed to be a guide who could make up for the knowledge lost from the book. The Guide told him that it would be his friend and ally through times like this. It started by teaching him about levels of energy, types of energy, what kind of psychic powers there were and how to develop them. In exchange, Cirrus agreed to strengthen the Guide's power by drawing all kinds of symbols on bits of paper and hiding them in unusual places and allowing his Guide to possess him whenever it wished.

Gradually, the Guide started making some unusual requests. The Guide requested he do things such as take things from his employee's desks and destroy them to strengthen its power. Cirrus was reluctant to do this, but then the Guide began to ask him to do things that gradually increased in cruelty, such as killing animals and self-harming for rituals.

Despite how he had not learned everything, Cirrus informed his so called 'Guide' that he no longer wished to have anything to do with it and attempted to break contact.

This was when things took a turn for the deadly.

The Guide refused to leave, for a while it was quiet but with time Cirrus realized that... he was wrong. The Guide had not left at all, if anything it was growing stronger and its grip on his life growing stronger.

Now before we go on, there is something about demons that you might be interested in knowing. Demons are incorporeal creatures from another dimension similar to ghosts, that are drawn to negative feelings such as fear, anger, sadness and anxiety. The average ghost hunter and mediums are trained not to go out looking for ghosts to talk to when they're having negative feelings, or risk the possibility of attracting a demon. In fact, most Ouija boards have warnings on the back about not using the board when the user is unhappy, else they summon bad spirits into their home. As the spirits are relatively unaffected by physical objects, it can be extremely difficult to get rid of one once it has established itself somewhere.

Cirrus, while wanting to do good things with his powers, was suffering from depression from a result of his failing company and anxiety for his beloved cousin. More than that, the entire town he lived in was caught in a state of constant panic as the effects of war were setting in.

So it was with this disastrously bad timing and lack of knowledge that Cirrus unintentionally summoned a very powerful demon into the studio. The effects of this mistake were becoming clearer with time.

Cirrus talked to people about conversations that he had never had in the first place, they accused him of things he could not remember doing. Sometimes he would wake up in the basement of the studio with his hands soaking in blood with no memory of how he got there, mysterious scars appeared in his skin and pentagrams appeared on the walls of the studio in full view of his uneased workers, and would not come off no matter how hard they were scrubbed.

Cirrus thought in his failing moments that it couldn't get any worse. But then- a day came when the names of the dead were being called, and much to his horror his beloved cousin was on the list. His worst fears were confirmed. Dashiell was dead- or so he thought. Although he never spoke about his grief and tried to cover it up whenever possible to his employees, it became quite apparent as the number of unanswered letters in his letterbox slowly piled in number. The Guide drew off Cirrus's despair and grief to make itself even more powerful, draining the young man of energy and making the possessions even more powerful.

Cirrus was aware of The Guide's lust for blood, and attempted to stall the need for a living sacrifice through a mountain of object sacrifices. The ink machine, originally part of his plan to bring cartoons into the real world, became a massive part of the Guide’s increasing demands.

Similar to how Sarah Winchester had been forced by vengeful spirits to construct the famous Winchester Mystery House, earlier on The Guide had instructed him on how to build the machine. It was originally planned as nothing more than something similar to a 3D printer, except for bringing life to his creations without any kind of sacrifice to be made. Later on as the machine expanded, the Guide's requests became more aggressive and began to drain the studio of income. The pipes expanded into the walls and had such a high maintenance that at times the workers were more focused on making sure the pipes didn't break than on finishing the animations. By now, Cirrus's company was almost bankrupt. Most of his employees, being unnerved by the paranormal activity that frequently occurred and realising that their financial positions had become unstable, left the company to find better jobs. Cirrus did not try to stop anyone from leaving, he understood perfectly why and did not want to be selfish. Besides, staying was becoming very dangerous to those who were involved. Turns out that The Guide was not the only demon to have settled in the studio. The Guide seemingly had been attracting more of the spirits, although lesser, were latching into the studio and refusing to leave. Cirrus was aware that some of them were attacking his employees, and searched frantically for a way to get rid of them and his Guide.

Time went on and he became more desperate. By now there were very few letters he had been receiving, eventually he did not check the letterbox at all.

Then in a moment of clarity, he remembered years and years ago how some spirits and demons had weaknesses to fire, which was why candles which were set in circles could be used to trap some demons as they were summoned, to prevent them from lashing out and harming the summoner. Realizing that he could possibly use this to expel the demons from the studio, he quickly decided to discourage the spirits from settling by making sure all the hallways were well lit with lanterns. Mostly oil lamps, especially the areas where the ink machine was present. He had learned partially that the Guide’s intent was most likely to use the machine to give itself and whatever other spirits it had brought with it more power, and fully prepared himself to stall that for as long as possible.

He locked himself in a room with bricks and cement, pouring oil in places to fuel whatever fire was needed. Halfway through, the demon realized he was trying to rid of it and attacked him. The original exorcism only needed a couple of candles, but due to the Guide’s strength Cirrus set fire to the room and was left with burns to his arms and legs.

The following morning he woke up in hospital after one of the workers had smelled smoke coming from under the door and pulled him out of the blaze while he was unconscious. Cirrus had attempted to wear protective clothing during the exorcism, but during that time the Guide tore off bits of it which was how he got burned. Cirrus had to wear bandages and lived in constant pain after the incident, but in a way he was satisfied with the result. He knew that the Guide no longer had any kind of control him, especially when he went to clean some up some of the demon circles around the studio and they didn’t come back.

With that being done with, he should have been able to focus on getting his business back. Turning off the ink machine and going back to what he could do was his first decision, if only he could do that.

He didn’t learn this until later- turns out that the Guide had never left. If anything, the paranormal activity had only gotten much worse. The Guide wasn’t in control of him, but it was in control of the studio now. What’s worse: the spirits that had slowly gathered in the area weren’t keen on leaving either. It was then he realized what the ink machine was really for. 

Cirrus remembered how the Guide had originally instructed him to build the machine if he wanted to make his cartoon characters a reality, as the magical ink would provide a physical body for any cartoons he wanted to bring to life. The demons and the Guide must have been trying to use it as a way to bring themselves into the human world. They wouldn’t leave now, he couldn’t do anything about it.

What was worse, people had begun to see… things running around the studio. Creatures that were not human or animal, dashing between rooms and melting into the walls. Cirrus had been able to see demons and spirits for years before now and had always known they were there, but now that even his employees had gone to talk to him about it- it had begun to seriously concern him. The fact that they were now capable of moving freely in the real world using physical forms was an area of great concern for him, and he did not know what would happen should they extend their territory beyond the studio.

That night, he had a terrible nightmare. The demon that tricked him into releasing it into the studio and puppeteered his body into killing people and animals came and spoke to him. It taunted him by threatening to hunt down all of his family and his remaining friends, killing everyone he held close. It mocked him for how naïve and gullible he had been, berating him for being so fixated on his dreams that he had failed to make the studio safe and ultimately failed everyone else in the process. His perspective then switched to Dashiell’s hospital ship and it’s fiery demise.

Upon the dawn of the next morning, Cirrus struggled back to the studio, emotionally tattered through the years of abuse the ‘Guide’ had forced him through and so overcome with guilt at his own actions he was surprised he still had the will to live.

By then, there were only a few people who wanted to work in the studio. Cirrus explained that he would be shutting it down for everyone’s safety, then split whatever savings remained between them and began to clean the place out.

Resolving to rid the world of all the demons that had taken residence in the studio, he lit some lanterns at various points in the studio’s basement. Then reaching the top floor where the ink machine was located, he proceeded to force all the ink in the pipes into the bottom to the studio until they burst and flooded the area like a lagoon.

Ink is highly flammable, and so within a few minutes the entire area the basement was an inferno and the floors were beginning to collapse one by one. Cirrus ran for the exit as fast as he could, intending to leave that part of his life behind forever if he had the chance. But the demons, enraged at what he had done to their residence, materialized and attacked him in droves.

Realising that he had far underestimated the power of the demons that had settled in the studio, he abandoned his exorcism and fled for his life. His burn wounds and their rage meant he only made it about halfway to the exit before collapsing from his injuries.

The building wasn’t that big, but it was made primarily of wood and other flammable materials. Cirrus had not been outside for so long that most of the neighbors believed that he had already moved out of the country. Somehow, the last few workers who had left before the place went up in flames leaked to the local council that- as farfetched as it may seem- the fire had been intentional but it’s aftermath most likely wasn’t.

To discourage people from visiting the remains of the studio, they told the public that the blaze had been started by an electrical failure and that they should steer clear of the building to avoid injury through it’s unstable foundation. One mystery remained, however, was the way how even as the walls crumbled and the roof caved in, the surrounding buildings were not so much as singed. Even more mysterious was how even though it was thought that Cirrus had never left the building, they never found a trace of where he had gone. It was as if he had vanished from existence.

Maybe this would remain a mystery for many years to come.

Meanwhile in London, Dash sits at a desk making plans to move back to America as soon as the war was over. The Allies talked a lot about how they were going to win, and from the amount of POW victims the hospitals had been receiving instead of soldiers who had been wounded in fights, he trusted they knew what they were talking about. There was one thing that bothered him though. He has written to his cousin multiple times about the mistake the officials had made about the ship he was on, asking him if they sent him a second letter correcting themselves.

The truth was… Dash was never hurt in the bombs that destroyed the place he worked. In fact, he had never been on the doomed ship the begin with. His allergies, which had been with him since his early childhood, were ironically the thing that saved his life in the end. The night before, he suffered a particularly bad bought and was excused from work. Survivors of the sunken ship were counted as they were picked up by rescuer boats, so when Dash wasn’t counted no one remembered right away that he hadn’t been on the ship in the first place. Despite the fact that almost everyone survived, the people were so busy recovering that word spread slowly and no one had the time to inform the officials that he was most definitely not dead.

He explains this in his letters to Cirrus, but is increasingly worried about the fact that his cousin has not been replying. Dash wondered if the planes used to deliver the letters had been used up in the war effort, although it was nearing the end of the war so when he checked with the post office, they informed him that the letters all sent out perfectly.

As time passed and his letterbox remained void of reply, he becomes increasingly desperate to check on the welfare of his cousin. Believing that Cirrus must have been ill, he rushed home the first chance he gets without stopping to update himself on the situation back home.

So when the studio appears mysteriously intact and undamaged by the fire, Dashiell is not suspicious at all and instead pushes on in as fast as he can.

 Then everything goes awry.

 So, that’s a rough plan of my AU. Chapter 5 has confirmed beyond a doubt that this AU is absolutely *not* what happened, in fact, this has changed so much that it doesn’t seem that related to BATIM. But that doesn’t matter to me. This is still somewhat in development and I’ve already fucked up the storyline (lol?) so if anyone wants their OC to be in it or something I can find a way to write them in! OH and Cirrus isn’t dead. He’s still here, but he’s not exactly the man we read about earlier. Wonder what happened to him…?

[novaghosthunts-exploration]

 whatever would be considered ”too scary to handle” for someone else, whether that is being in the pitch-black dark, summoning an evil spirit like (bloody Mary) in the mirror, or talking to the dead people through a vintage, badly curved ouija board, I am the first to explore it.

 I was lucky to stumble across a Japanese poem called “Tomino’s Hell” released in 1919 and recorded in the poetry collection Sakin. Rumor has it that if you read the poem out loud, you will either die or your soul will suffer eternally in hell. If you are wondering who was behind the creation of such a dark, witty, and eerie urban legend, his name was Saijō Yaso.

If you are not familiar, Saijō was a known Japanese poet who worked on children’s nursery rhymes and popular song lyrics. I wanted to do further research on the artist himself, but there was not much about him in English. The way I feel about the ”death rumors” regarding the poem is that I am a bit superstitious about it, but, in some way, but I beg to differ.  if you think positively, your energy will attract good things to you, and if you think negatively then…you get my drift. But regardless of what I believe, I initiated a further review to see what was the mystery behind the meaning of the story.

take a look if you dare! But remember, don’t read it out loud!

Tomino’s Hell

The elder sister vomits blood, younger sister’s breathing fire. While sweet little Tomino just spits up the jewels. All alone does Tomino go falling into that hell, a hell of utter darkness, without even flowers. Is Tomino’s big sister the one who whips him? The purpose of the scourging hangs dark in his mind. Lashing and thrashing him, ah! But never quite shattering. One sure path to Avici, the eternal hell. Into that blackest of hells guide him now, I pray to the golden sheep, to the nightingale. How much did he put in that leather pouch to prepare for his trek to the eternal hell? Spring is coming to the valley, to the wood, to the spiraling chasms of the blackest hell. The nightingale in her cage, the sheep aboard the wagon, and tears well up in the eyes of sweet little Tomino. Sing, o nightingale, in the vast, misty forest he screams he only misses his little sister. His wailing desperation echoes throughout hell—a fox peony opens its golden petals. Down past the seven mountains and seven rivers of hell the solitary journey of sweet little Tomino. If in this hell they are found, may they then come to me, please, those sharp spikes of punishment from Needle Mountain. Not just on some empty whim is flesh pierced with blood-red pins: they serve as hellish signposts for sweet little Tomino.

[deepintoforestwego]

Pros and cons of two hearts and other peculiarities: A personal account

For @slavicafire, a urban fantasy story based on lore of  strzyga. Sorry it took so long and is so short. Hope you (and others) like it.

1# early childhood

Your father was a folklorist. Your mother was witch.

What that meant was, that when you were born, with two sets of teeth (one, to be fair, smaller then other) and monitor picking up two heartbeats, they almost immediately knew what was up.

Which also meant your mother got in trouble for casting several rather harsh illusion and memory altering spells. Which are complicated and iffy on their own, and much less when witch in question is only half conscious and just went through labor. Your grandparents are still giving her earful about that.

Point is, anyway, that sometimes children like you were abandoned. it is rarer in  this new, smarter, thankfully less superstitious age (though some, as always, would argue it is worse), but in centuries before such children, or those suspected for no good, true reason, were abandoned in woods, or at best, chased away after certain age when community couldn’t stand them.

Your parents, however, were reasonable, caring and good people who wouldn’t allow such tiny thing to get in way of loving and appreciating their daughter(s). They didn’t call attention to your strange behaviors, or try to forget them-loving whole of you.

Even if it made feeding time very awkward.

2# Being wonder child

Most kids like you do not actually display any abilities before certain age, or in case of accident, which of course requires you to lose one half of your being. Thankfully, you didn’t have to go through that traumatic experience, as well as devastating mental consequences it contained when one half of your mind/life/best friend forever is lost.

However, training and keeping those powers secret, when you live in a village (which, whether because such is nature of small communities, or because your people are like that, means deaf grandma of your mom’s hated neighbor knows what you ate for breakfast) was rather hard and embarrassing.

But you learn on mistakes. And at least your dad’s best friend’s annoying cousin never comes over again. It was worth lecture and denied chocolate.

3# Smelling blood

A fantastic nose capable of smelling, discerning and categorizing blood. Useful for detecting sickness, knowing which blood group you need when making transfusion (other nurses turn blind eye to that) and discerning whether meal is fresh.

It is also not good pick-up line, small talk and way to greet grandma.

4# Shapeshifting

Do you know what wonder it is, to have your whole body just-change and become something else? For mass to shrink and cells to rearrange, in direct defiance to laws of nature, for you to become animal but still think like human, to rise and soar through air, wind and moonlight caressing your feathers.

Plus owl are amazing. Even if it hurts at first to transform in one.

5# Detecting life

This is how a strzyga hunts:her soul senses and feels life around her sensing it’s different shades and forms. Life of doe and rose tastes very differently for example.

And even dead carry feelings of it, shadows and memories. To taste death is to taste cold ash upon tongue, and murky, freezing river traveling through your bowels, a sound of laments echoing through your head.

But it can be so damaging, so painful, to sense it all. You need to learn to numb it, make it weaker, ignore it, even as you earn to taste it all. Some strzygas, old and powerful enough, can even feel microbes, which is why they generally go mad.

6# Two minds

Having another person up there with you is an amazing, wonderful feeling.You are never alone, and it feels like having best friend who always understands, a sister you never truly had. Plus, it is extremely helpful when you are at university and swamped with work.

Downsides:appearing to forget some appointment because your other half didn’t remember to tell you what they promised, conflicting crushes, fashion tastes (gothic for human, pastel and cute for demon) and some contrasting lifestyle choices ( we do not talk about week your human half decided to go vegan).

Anyway, you invest in lot of stick-it notes.

7# Trance

That is how you decided to call feeling your other side feels enters when it isn’t in control. A half dream, blind and deaf, yet getting emotions and hearing thoughts of dominant half, and whispering advices like some crazy, unstoppable conscience that also happen to have no idea what it is doing.

8# Meeting your girlfriend

You are floored and confused and completely non responsive (general state of strzyga, who, as strzygons are rather rare, are in your experience mostly feeling preference for other woman).

she is beautiful, but that hits you last, and her AB positive blood group comes close to it. What hits you first is sense of her life, of power within her. Energy within her swirls and twists, coils like a snake around you, with force of tempest about to unleash it’s fury, like thousand spring flowers waiting to bloom.

‘‘Are you okay?’‘ She asks, and syringe meant to take her blood for her blood test misses and hits you in forearm.

9# First date

It is an awkward, busy mess both of times. Two souls inside of you both scream and panic, while she seems so relaxed and confident (you will learn, later, that you two together were both more collected then she was). Fact that she is witch and actually remembers each of your names, favorite foods and music tastes just adds to it.

You make awkward joke she rolls over on floor, makes waiter blush and old people look funny at you thrice, break two dishes and spill wine twice. In your defense she overshares five times,and once accidentally makes lightbulb break.

You find common taste in tv shows, get in discussion which animals best (hedgehog, toad for two of you, snake for her) and dance on cobblestones in rain.

10# Family dinner

Your parents already accepted you. It is however quite wonder when you are invited for Easter to spend time with hers.

Anxiety fills you up, when you see her hundred and counting rich cousins, meet her awesome mothers, both accomplished sorceresses ( genetic scientist and mechanic also), her spinster singer and model aunt (who has no makeup, yet looks exactly as she does on photos, too many illusions and glamour magics) and actually get involved in fight about her fourth aunt not coming over despite not knowing how it happened.

There is same power in them all, but different from hers, a great weight of life and energy that struggles as if their bodies are to small for it, tasting of hundred different species, hundred different demons, their energies sluggish and thick and bitter and hurting you from intensity, even as she squeezes your arm and asks if you need to go outside.

Her smirk when you insult her loud, angry uncle by showing him both of your teeth sets is worth it all though.

11# Lifetime

‘‘Are you sure it will work?’‘ You ask, for now there are both of you, brought by her magic, her will, awake at same time.

‘‘Of course my dears. One of you is already undead, it will be no trouble to make others so.’‘ She says with quick kiss, magic sparkling like electrical charge at lips.

‘‘But how will it work is completely other question.’‘ Voice calls out from behind, dark and low, and you almost jump, because for first time in your life you feel nothing at all.

You turn, and from shadows steps a woman, tiny and upper end of middle ages, dressed in modest , elegant skirt and button up shirt, eyes obscured by netlike veil hanging off small cute hat covering her bun.

You close your eyes, breathe deep and sharp, and take step back. This woman is blind spot in your otherworldly vision, a presence you cannot find and identify, world silent and empty around her, as if she was never alive at all.

‘‘Auntie, please don’t lecture me.’‘ Your love groans, and you wonder if she knows how her aunt ( madwoman witch monster demon dirty blood teen pregnancy bastard stain upon family unfortunate choice widow foreigner not ours criminal you remember, remember what they told about her) does that, how can she wrap herself behind so much magic you cannot even feel she exists and not choke on it, and wonder if your love will learn that someday too.

‘‘I will if I have reason to. Binding human to demon side is easy. Making yourself live on after what you were afforded isn’t. It requires blood.’‘ She says, and in step crosses over, like winter wind.Your love looks down on her.

‘‘I know. I know the price, and for her- for our sake, I will pay it.’‘ Her power blazes, a bonfire and storm and earthquake, and you delight in it, in her strength and magic and stubborness.

‘‘Of course you will. It is love, after all.’‘  Her aunt moves lace covered hand and puts on her cheek.

‘‘When you do ritual-be sure that sacrifice is somebody deserving. The Cold Lady’s ire will be earned either way, but by this it will be appeased for some time, instead of invoking Her wrath. Be smart.’‘ She says, and in tradition of all aunts across Balkan, shoves money in your love’s palm, and spends next fifteen minutes arguing whether it is appropriate gift (your love snatches it away finally, acceptable loss).

‘‘As for you... Love her well, and that will be good enough. Otherwise...’‘ And before disappearing in shadows she smiles, and you are sure her teeth are sharp and white, kind that can feast upon bones.

‘‘And that trouble is gone too...Now let us get on track, shall we?’‘ She asks, before you start playing with her hair.

12# Lifegoals

So, what should strzyga, her artificial vampire sister/other half and their quasi-immortal witch girlfriend do with rest of their long lives.

Well, love, explore, do whatever they want, and curse those that get in way of it, of course.

[back-and-totheleft]

"Vietnam as it really was"

Oliver Stone sprang up in bed and found fear staining his sheets. A dream had startled him awake. He was 16 years out of Viet Nam, but in the dream, "they had shipped me back. Somehow they found me at the age of 38 and sent me back. I woke up in a sweat, in total terror." That was two years ago. Now Stone, who earned a Bronze Star and a MASH unit's worth of physical and emotional wounds in the jungles of Viet Nam, has transformed his war experience -- the bad dream he lived through for 15 months in 1967-68 -- into a film called Platoon. With craft, crackle, a little bombast and plenty of residual rage, he has created a time-capsule movie that explodes like a frag bomb in the consciousness of America, showing how it was back then, over there.

Begin with a birth: a baby-faced soldier, Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), is delivered from the womb of a transport plane into the harsh light of Viet Nam. He will find death soon enough: four patrols in the film, four wrenching revelations. On Chris' first night patrol he watches, paralyzed with fear, as the enemy approaches and another new boy dies. On a second patrol the platoon enters a village that might be My Lai; anger goads Chris to spit bullets at the feet of a petrified Vietnamese, and before the day is over the group's leader, Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), has seen to the slaughtering of villagers before the entire place is torched. During a third battle, Barnes tracks down a woods-wise sergeant, Elias (Willem Dafoe), who had interrupted Barnes' massacre, shoots him and leaves him for dead. On the final patrol Chris flips into heroism or psychosis, wipes out a nest of North Vietnamese and confronts the demon he has almost become. End with a murder -- the last of too bloody many.

Welcome to the old nightmare -- the one neither Stone nor the 2.7 million American soldiers who went to Viet Nam can shake. Welcome back to the war that, just 20 years ago, turned America schizophrenic. Suddenly we were a nation split between left and right, black and white, hip and square, mothers and fathers, parents and children. For a nation whose war history had read like a John Wayne war movie -- where good guys finish first by being tough and playing fair -- the polarization was soul-souring. Americans were fighting themselves, and both sides lost.

Platoon pushes the metaphor further, thousands of miles away from the "world," into the combat zones of Nam. Platoon says that American soldiers -- the young men we sent there to do our righteous dirty work -- turned their frustrations toward fratricide. In Viet Nam, Stone suggests, G.I.s re-created the world back home, with its antagonisms of race, region and class. Finding no clear and honorable path to victory in the booby-trapped underbrush, some grunts focused their gunsights on their comrades. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese army (NVA) were shadowy figures in this family tragedy; stage center, it was sibling riflery. Stone's achievement is to pound and hack this theme into a ripping yarn about a good man, an evil man and an Everyman -- a young, romanticized Oliver Stone -- suspended between them with his life and ideals in the balance. In vivid imagery and incendiary action, Stone's film asks of our soldiers, "Am I my brother's killer?" The answer is an anguished yes.

And a resounding "you bet" to the question, Can a ferocious movie about an unpopular war, filmed on the cheap with no stars and turned down by every major studio, find success, controversy and the promise of an Oscar statuette at the end of the tunnel? In its early limited opening, Platoon is already a prestige hit, and the film shows signs of becoming a blockbuster as it opens across the country over the next three weeks. It has captivated intellectuals, movie buffs and urban grunts -- astonishing, across-the-board appeal for a hellacious sermon. It has ignited a fire storm of debate, from political swamis and Viet vets, on its merits as art and history. It is the fountainhead for a freshet of Viet Nam exploration: We Can Keep You Forever, a BBC documentary about the mystery surrounding MIAs, will be aired Wednesday in 21 U.S. cities, and this spring will see two new movies set in Viet Nam, The Hanoi Hilton and Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. In a movie season of Trekkies, Dundees and dentist-devouring houseplants, Oliver Stone has proved that a film can still roil the blood of the American body politic. Platoon the picture is now Platoon the phenomenon.

It is a picture first and foremost, a series of pictures that lodge in the mind with other indelible images of war. The prop wash from a landing helicopter blows the tarpaulins off three bodies, their shrouds torn off, their makeshift graves defiled. In the village, after the slaughter, the soldiers carry Vietnamese children on their shoulders -- G.I. Joes, big brothers to the kids whose village they have just destroyed -- and the soldier who bashed a man's head takes a tourist snapshot of the holocaust. More than any other film, Platoon gives the sense -- all five senses -- of fighting in Viet Nam. You can wilt from the claustrophobic heat of this Rousseauvian jungle; feel the sting of the leeches as they snack on Chris' flesh; hear all at once the chorus of insects, an enemy's approaching footsteps on the green carpet and Chris' heartbeat on night patrol. The film does not glamourize or trivialize death with grotesque special effects. But it jolts the viewer alive to the sensuousness of danger, fear and war lust. All senses must be alert when your life is at stake, and Oliver Stone is an artist-showman who can make movies seem a matter of life and death.

Until Dec. 19, though, when Platoon opened, Hollywood had thought the picture a matter of indifference. It had taken Stone ten hungry years to get the project going. "For two years in the late '70s," says Producer Martin Bregman, "I banged on every door in California to get it done, but at that time Viet Nam was still a no-no." Tom Berenger, the film's showcase psychopath, imagines that "it must have made Stone feel like an old man, carrying the project around for so long. He said it broke his heart." Then something interesting happened: people went for Platoon. Most critics were impressed, many were impassioned, and even those who trashed the picture helped make it the season's top conversation piece. Soon long lines were forming outside the movie's Times Square flagship -- at lunchtime, on weekdays, in the hawk bite of a January wind -- and after midnight in early- to-bed Hollywood. In 74 theaters on the Jan. 9-11 weekend, Platoon averaged more than $22,000, the highest per-screen take of any new film.

In the industry, Stone's old colleagues and fellow directors have laid on their benedictions. Woody Allen calls it a "fine movie, an excellent movie." Says Steven Spielberg: "It is more than a movie; it's like being in Viet Nam. Platoon makes you feel you've been there and never want to go back." James Woods, who starred in Stone's previous film, Salvador, calls him an "artist whose vision transcends politics. Everyone from the ex-hippie to the ex-grunt can be moved by Platoon. And his passion isn't bogus -- he doesn't play Imagine at the end of the film to break people's hearts." Brian De Palma, who filmed Scarface from a Stone script, sees him achieving a volcanic maturity in Platoon: "He has now channeled his feeling and energy into a cohesive dramatic work. He's an auteur making a movie about what he experienced and understands. Seeing Platoon get through the system makes the soul feel good."

With its critical, popular and insider acclaim swelling, Platoon began to shoulder its way toward the front rank of Oscar favorites. By now it would have to be counted as the front runner, and Hollywood is furrowing its back with self-congratulatory pats for making this big bold message movie. To Stone, Hollywood's claim of paternity for Platoon must seem a rich joke. He and Hollywood both know that Platoon -- like The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, The Boys in Company C, The Killing Fields and nearly all the serious movies about the war in Southeast Asia -- secured its major financing from foreign producers. "It was a picture we wanted to support," says John Daly, chairman of Britain's Hemdale Pictures, which also produced Salvador. "We respect Oliver's passions. Besides, he spent only $6 million on Platoon" -- about half the budget of a typical Hollywood film.

The typical film, though, does not provoke a political free-for-all. Many conservatives have taken up arms against Platoon. In the far-right Washington Times' Insight magazine, John Podhoretz castigates it as "one of the most repellent movies ever made in this country." The film, he says, "blackens the name and belittles the sacrifice of every man and woman who served the United States in the Viet Nam War (including Stone)." Politicians are eager to return the salvos. Former Senator Gary Hart, aware of the electorate's fondness for presidential candidates with movie credentials, campaigns for the film by urging that "every teenager in America should see Platoon."

Now ask a man who's been there: David Halberstam, who covered the war for the New York Times and, in The Best and the Brightest, documented two Administrations' slides into the Big Muddy. "Platoon is the first real Viet Nam film," Halberstam proclaims, "and one of the great war movies of all time. The other Hollywood Viet Nam films have been a rape of history. But Platoon is historically and politically accurate. It understands something that the architects of the war never did: how the foliage, the thickness of the jungle, negated U.S. technological superiority. You can see how the forest sucks in American soldiers; they just disappear. I think the film will become an American classic. Thirty years from now, people will think of the Viet Nam War as Platoon."

Neither Sly Stallone nor Oliver Stone can put the whole picture of Viet Nam on a movie screen. There were 2.7 million stories in the naked jungle. Each veteran has his own view of the war, and each will have his own vision of Platoon. More than a few are disturbed by its presentation of a military unit at war with itself. Says Bob Duncan, 39, who served in the 1st Infantry at the same time Stone was in the 25th: "He managed to take every cliche -- the 'baby killer' and 'dope addict' -- that we've lived with for the past 20 years and stick them in the movie about Viet Nam." Says another veteran, Nick Nickelson, 43: "I hope this doesn't bring back those old depictions. God help us, I don't want to go back into a closet again."

Other vets deny the prevalence of dope smoking and the depiction of military officers as either psychos or cowards. But John Wheeler, 42, a veteran who is president of the Center for the Study of the Viet Nam Generation in Washington and chairman of the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial Fund, argues that "there were drug cultures; there were green lieutenants. Stone wanted to clean out the festering part of the wound. The next Viet Nam movie may be the one that tells the whole truth: that we were the best-equipped, best-trained army ever fielded, but against a dedicated foe in an impossible terrain. It was a state-of-the-art war on both sides. But Platoon is a new statement about Viet Nam veterans. Before, we were either objects of pity or objects that had to be defused to keep us at a distance. Platoon makes us real. The Viet Nam Memorial was one gate our country had to pass through; Platoon is another. It is part of the healing process. It speaks to our generation. Those guys are us."

Listen to these guys, and you may suspect that Platoon is not so much a movie as a Rorschach blot. But that is part of the caginess of Stone's approach. The French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once wrote that when a good film is also a popular film, it is because of a misunderstanding. Platoon could very well be misunderstood into superhit status. The army of Rambomaniacs will love the picture because it delivers more bang for the buck; all those yellow folks blow up real good. Aging lefties can see the film as a demonstration of war's inhuman futility. Graybeards on the right may call it a tribute to our fighting men, in whatever foreign adventure. The intelligentsia can credit Platoon with expressing, in bold cinematic strokes, Stone's grand themes of comradeship and betrayal. And the average youthful moviegoer -- too young to remember Viet Nam even as the living-room war -- may discover where Dad went in the 1960s and why he came home changed or came home in a body bag.

"In any other war, they would have made movies about us too. Dateline: Hell!, Dispatch from Dong Ha, maybe even A Scrambler to the Front . . . But Viet Nam is awkward, everybody knows how awkward, and if people don't even want to hear about it, you know they're not going to pay money to sit there in the dark and have it brought up." So wrote Michael Herr in Dispatches, published in 1977, a year before the first spate of Viet Nam dramas. (The mid-'60s had offered a couple of World War II wheezes disguised as topical films: A Yank in Viet-Nam, so poorly received that it changed its name to Year of the Tiger, and John Wayne's hilariously wrongheaded The Green Berets, with its famous climax of the sun setting in the east.) 1978 brought three pictures -- Coming Home, The Boys in Company C and The Deer Hunter -- that touched on Viet Nam, and the following year Francis Coppola released Apocalypse Now.

Trouble was, most of these films were not about Viet Nam. Coming Home was a disabled-vet love story -- The Best Years of Our Lives with Jon Voight in the Harold Russell role. The Deer Hunter was . . . well, what was it? An incoherent parable about male bonding through Russian roulette. Bats and beautiful, it stood like Ishmael on the prow of its pretensions and declared, "Call me masterpiece." Apocalypse Now was fine as long as it accompanied its doomed, questing hero (played by Martin Sheen, Charlie's father) upstream on the River Styx; then it fogged off into fantasyland with Marlon Buddha. Only Company C, a standard-issue war film about recruits betrayed by their incompetent officers, spent much time in a Nam combat zone. But it really resided, with The Green Berets, in the twilight zone of World War II gestures and bromides.

Hollywood (and not just Hollywood) refused to see that Viet Nam was different. All the old givens -- beau geste, military master plans, unswerving belief in the officer class -- were fatally irrelevant to a guerrilla war. Forget the World War II narrative line of tanks and tactics, which moved with the ponderous sweep of a Golden Age Hollywood plot. Viet Nam, set in jungles without beginning or end, was a flash of episodic, aleatory explosions; it was modernism brought to war. And a new kind of war demanded a new look at the war-movie genre. Platoon fills the bill. It is a huge black slab of remembrance, chiseled in sorrow and anger -- the first Viet Nam Memorial movie.

Though Platoon is a breakthrough, it is not a breakaway. The film is traditional enough to connect with a mass audience. In its story line it holds echoes of Attack!, Robert Aldrich's 1956 psychodrama, in which a World War II infantry company is torn by a mortal struggle between two officers -- one messianic, the other deranged -- while a young man's loyalty hangs in the balance. Platoon's narration, in the form of Chris' letters to his grandmother, is often as stilted and redundant as silent-movie title cards. When a naive new boy shows Chris a photo of his sweetheart, you just know that, in the best '40s-movie fashion, the guy's a goner.

There are darker currents, too, of a passive racism. The black soldiers are occasionally patronized and sentimentalized; they stand to the side while the white soldiers grab all the big emotions. And the Vietnamese are either pathetic victims or the invisible, inhuman enemy. In the scheme of Platoon (and not just Platoon) they do not matter. The nearly 1 million Vietnamese casualties are deemed trivial compared with America's loss of innocence, of allies, of geopolitical face. And the tragedy of Viet Nam is seen as this: not that they died, but that we debased ourselves by killing them.

Of course, Platoon need not be every possible Viet Nam film to be the best one so far. It is enough that Stone has devised a drama of palpable realism that is also a metaphor for the uncivil war that raged in the U.S. and can flare up anytime in any family. Indeed, at the film's molten core is the tug of wills between two strong men, outsize figures of shameless strutting charisma, for parentage of their platoon and for their new recruit, Chris. Barnes, the staff sergeant, could be Chris' legal father; Elias, the romantic renegade, could be a spiritual father, even after his death. They are like Claudius and the Ghost wrestling for Hamlet's allegiance.

Both men are legendary soldiers who have survived long years in Viet Nam -- Elias by a kind of supernal sylvan grace, Barnes by simply refusing to die. Elias is Jesus crossed with Jim Morrison. He will literally take a load off Chris' shoulders, or share a fraternal toke with Chris through the barrel of a rifle, or moon over the night stars, or smile ingenuously at his killer. He is hard to know and harder to destroy, a creature of Stone's wild literary sentiment. Barnes, who says of some fresh corpses, "Tag 'em and bag 'em," has no sentiment at all. When he pulls a steaming metal shard out of a wounded G.I.'s side, it seems as much to display his expertise as to relieve the man's pain. He will do anything to achieve his objective: lead a suicide mission or send his rival on one; murder a village woman in cold blood or taunt his men toward murdering him. Chris, who feels an irresistible kinship to both men, says they were "fighting for possession of my soul." The film's most controversial question is, Who won?

At this point, readers who have not seen Platoon are excused for the next two paragraphs. The others, the grizzled vets, can ponder Chris' motives and actions at the film's climax. He believes (and we know) that Barnes has killed Elias in the jungle. He has already considered taking murderous revenge and been told, "The only thing that can kill Barnes is Barnes." On his last patrol, Chris' suicidal resolve turns him into a mean, obscene fighting machine -- a rifle with a body attached, as reckless as Barnes, as resourceful as Elias -- and he leaves half a dozen NVA in his wake. Now Barnes finds Chris and is ready to kill him when a blast knocks them unconscious. Later Chris revives and finds the injured Barnes ordering him to get a medic. The young man lifts his weapon and, when Barnes says, "Do it," does the bastard in.

In the movie theaters, this illegal shooting usually gets a big hand. Righteous vengeance. Good guy kills bad guy. It is the kind of movie catharsis that may make Platoon a megahit. But can Chris or the audience take moral satisfaction in this deed? Which "father" has he followed? Has Chris become like Elias, back from the grave to avenge his own murder? "You have to fight evil if you are going to be a good man," Stone says. "That's why Chris killed Barnes. Because Barnes deserved killing." Or has he emulated his enemy? Has he become Barnes in order to kill him? Stone has another answer: "I also wanted to show that Chris came out of the war stained and soiled -- all of us, every vet. I want vets to face up to it and be proud they came back. So what if there was some bad in us? That's the price you pay. Chris pays a big price. He becomes a murderer." A good man, and a murderer? It is a tribute to Platoon's cunning that it can sell this dilemma both ways, and a mark of Stone's complexity that he can argue either side and believe both.

The dichotomy was bred in him. Stone was born in 1946, the only child of a Jewish stockbroker and the French Catholic girl he met just after V-E day while serving as a colonel on Eisenhower's staff. Lou Stone wrote a monthly newsletter about economics and politics; his son describes the style as "right-wing Walter Lippmann, a view of the world every month. My father believed that life was hard. The important thing was to make a living." Jacqueline Stone was just the opposite: inexhaustibly sociable, the original bete de fete. "My mother loved movies," Stone says, "and every Monday I'd play hooky, and we'd go see two or three movies. From the start, I had the contradiction in me: my mother's outgoing, optimistic, French side and the dark, pessimistic, Jewish side of my father."

The Stones lived in Manhattan town houses and Stamford, Conn., homes; Oliver went to Manhattan's tony Trinity School and the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa.; he summered with his maternal grandparents and spoke French before he learned English. (From Viet Nam, Oliver would write his grandmother versions of the letters that Chris reads in Platoon.) At five he composed skits for a marionette show, casting his French cousins in the parts. At seven he wrote stories. To earn a quarter for a Classic comic book, he would write a theme each week for his father. And at nine he started work on a book, 900 pages about his family and his life.

Oliver stopped writing the book when he was twelve; the family stopped when Oliver was 16. "The news of their divorce came as a total shock," Stone recalls. "The Hill School headmaster was the one who told me. And when they were divorced, my father gave me the facts of life. He told me that he was heavily in debt. He said, 'I'll give you a college education, and then you're on your own. There's literally no money.' "

Lou Stone never recovered financially. "And yet," his son says, "I think his reversal helped push me to leave my privileged childhood behind. I finished Hill and spent a year at Yale, but I saw myself as a product -- an East Coast socioeconomic product -- and I wanted to break out of the mold. Then I read Lord Jim. Conrad's world was exotic and lush; it exercised a tremendous allure for me." It also propelled Oliver into a teaching job at a Chinese Catholic school in a Saigon suburb. It was 1965, the year a half million Yank soldiers landed in Viet Nam, and Stone was 18 years old. "I woke up in Asia," he says, "and it became an orphan home for me. It was everything I thought it would be: the heat, the green seas, the bloodred sunsets. In Saigon, the G.I.s from the 1st Infantry Division were just arriving. There were guys walking around with pistols, no curfews, shoot-outs in the streets. The place was like Dodge City."

Itinerary for a young wanderluster: on a merchant marine ship from Saigon to Oregon; in Guadalajara, Mexico, writing 400 pages of a novel; back to Yale, then dropping out a second and last time to concentrate on his writing. The book was now 1,400 pages. "It started out as a boy's suicide note -- not that I was going to commit suicide, but I was very depressed. It was Jack London- type experiences in a Joycean style. Totally insane, with great passages of lyricism here and there. I thought it was the best thing since Rimbaud. And when Simon & Schuster rejected it, I gave up. I threw half the manuscript in the East River and said, 'My father is right. I'm a bum.' I felt the solution was total anonymity. I had to atone. So I joined the Army. They'd cut my hair, and I'd be a number. To me the American involvement was correct. My dad was a cold warrior, and I was a cold-war baby. I knew that Viet Nam was going to be the war of my generation, and I didn't want to miss it. I must say, my timing was impeccable." If the young man had failed as Rimbaud, he might make it as Rambo.

Nope. "My first day in Viet Nam," Stone says, "I realized, like Chris in Platoon, that I'd made a terrible mistake. It was on-the-job training: Here's your machete, kid; you cut point. You learn if you can, and if not you're dead. Nobody was motivated, except to get out. Survival was the key. It wasn't very romantic." Each of the three combat units he served in was divided into antagonistic groups, as in the film: "On one side were the lifers, the juicers ((heavy drinkers)) and the moron white element. Guys like Sergeant Barnes -- and there really was a sergeant as scarred and obsessed as Barnes -- were in this group. On the other side was a progressive, hippie, dope- smoking group: some blacks, some urban whites, Indians, random characters from odd places. Guys like Elias -- and there really was an Elias, handsome, electric, the Cary Grant of the trenches. They were out to survive this bummer with some integrity and a sense of humor. I fell in with the progressives -- a Yale boy who heard soul music and smoked dope for the first time in his life."

Most of Platoon's starkest events come from Stone's backpack of Viet Nam memories. "I saw the enemy for the first time on my first night ambush," he recalls, "and I froze completely. Thank God the guy in the next position saw them and opened up. The ensuing fire fight was very messy. I was wounded in the back of the neck -- an inch to the right and I'd have been dead -- and the guy next to me had his arm blown off." He emptied his rifle clip at a man's feet, as Charlie does in the movie. "He wouldn't stop smiling," says Stone, "and I just got pissed off and lost it. But I did save a girl who was being raped by two of the guys; I think they would've killed her. I went over and broke it up. Another kid -- he's like Bunny ((Kevin Dillon)) in the movie -- clubbed this old lady to death and then kind of boasted about it. We killed a lot of innocents."

The battle at the end of the film was based on a New Year's Day skirmish less than a mile from the Cambodian border. "They hit us with about 5,000 troops that night. They laid bombs right on top of us; we dropped bombs right on them. It's possible that our high command was using us as bait to draw the Viet Cong out so we could inflict heavy casualties. We lost about 25 dead and 175 wounded; we killed about 500 of them. Their bodies were scraped up by bulldozers, just like in the movie. For that battle our platoon was on the inner perimeter, but two weeks later we went back into the same area and got hit by an ambush, like the one that gets Elias. We took about 30 casualties, and I don't think we got one of them."

For all the horrors of his season in hell, Stone admits he got what he went for, as a budding artist ravenous for material in the raw: "I saw combat at the ground level. I saw people die. I killed. I almost was killed. Almost immediately I realized that combat is totally random. It has nothing to do with heroism. Cowardice and heroism are the same emotion -- fear -- expressed differently. And life is a matter of luck. Two soldiers are standing two feet apart. One gets killed, the other lives. I was never a religious person -- I was raised Protestant, the great compromise -- but I became religious in Viet Nam. Possibly I was saved for a reason. To do some work. Write about it. Make a movie about it."

It would take Stone almost a decade, until 1976, before he could write the script of Platoon, and another decade to put it on the screen. But first he had to take his high, wired act on the road. The same month he arrived back from Viet Nam, he was busted for carrying an ounce of marijuana across the Mexico-U.S. border, and called his father, saying, "The good news is that I'm out of Viet Nam. The bad news is that I'm in a California jail, facing five to 20." Stone says his father helped get the charges dropped. "That was my homecoming," he says. "I got a true picture of the States. I hated America. I would have joined the Black Panthers if they'd asked me. I was a radical, ready to kill." Back home his mother noticed the change: "As a little boy he was impeccable. He had his valet; his closet was immaculate. But when he returned he was a mess, always leaving things on the floor. He was a different boy."

And now an unsolicited testimonial: "I know it sounds corny, but I was saved by film school." He enrolled at New York University on the G.I. Bill. "To be able to study movies in college, it was any movie buff's dream. It was cool too, like studying to be an astronaut. Martin Scorsese was my first teacher. He was like a mad scientist, with hair down to here. He was someone on an equal wave of nuttiness. And he helped channel the rage in me." Stone made a short film for Scorsese's class called Last Year in Viet Nam, about a vet wandering the New York streets; in another, Michael and Marie, Oliver's father played the victim. "Oliver was alienated, sarcastic and brooding," says his film-school friend Stanley Weiser, who is collaborating with Stone on a script about Wall Street crime. "A real macho man who carried the torture of Viet Nam with him but never talked about it."

In 1971 Stone graduated and married a Lebanese woman working at the Moroccan delegation to the United Nations; they divorced five years later. He wrote eleven scripts in his spare time, directed a low-budget Canadian thriller called Seizure, and in 1975 got an agent through the graces of Screenwriter Robert Bolt. A year later, as the tall ships clogged New York harbor, Stone sat down and wrote Platoon. "Essentially what I wanted to say was, Remember. Just remember what that war was. Remember what war is. This is it. I wanted to make a document of this forgotten pocket of time. I felt Viet Nam was omitted from history books. Like a battle I fought in during the war: a lot of people got hurt that day, and it wasn't even listed as a battle by the Army, as if they didn't want to admit the casualties we suffered. The script I wrote is pretty much the one I shot ten years later. But no studio wanted to make it; it was too 'depressing' and 'grim.' So I buried it again, figuring that the truth of that war would never come out because America was blind, a trasher of history."

A wild man who becomes a witness: that was Oliver Stone reborn. As he scythed his way through the Hollywood jungle, Stone earned the rep of a specialist with a social agenda. Four of the scripts that bear his name -- Midnight Express, Scarface, Year of the Dragon and 8 Million Ways to Die -- cataloged the seductive evils of the drug trade. Stone's third feature as writer-director (after Seizure and, in 1981, The Hand) laced his usual hip rants on pharmacology with a smart, anguished newsphoto montage of one more Third World nation torn by civil war and shadowed by the looming hulk of American weaponry. This was the gallivanting political melodrama Salvador. Stone dedicated the film to his recently deceased father. "I remember one conversation we had right before he died. He said, 'You'll do all right. There'll always be a demand for great stories and great storytellers.' So finally he forgave me for going into the film business."

In Salvador, Stone was learning to wind the cinematic mechanism until it coiled with productive tension, both on the screen and on the set. "Working with Stone was like being caught in a Cuisinart with a madman," James Woods opines. "And he felt the same about me. It was two Tasmanian devils wrestling under a blanket. But he's a sharp director. He starts with a great idea, delegates authority well, scraps like a street fighter, then takes the best of what comes out of the fracas." Says Dale Dye, the Marine captain who hazed Platoon's actors to firm them up for filming: "Oliver thrives on chaos, throwing together a crew of such diverse backgrounds and ideologies that there's constant friction. It's the kind of energy he thrives on." Platoon's star, Charlie Sheen, 21, found the director "brutally honest. Which is why we clicked. After a scene he'd say, 'You sucked' or 'You nailed it.' That's just my style."

Right now Stone is Hollywood's hot new guy. He is even entertaining the improbable idea of a Platoon TV series. But don't expect Stone to direct Indiana Jones III. Says Stanley Weiser: "Oliver's been around the block ten times and won't be seduced by money. He's not an easy lay." Stone and his second wife, Elizabeth, 37, look the family-album picture of swank domesticity in their Santa Monica home. They swore off drugs a few years ago, and now seem addicted only to each other and their little son Sean. "Success and Sean have made Oliver much mellower," Elizabeth notes. "But he's still a compulsive worker. Always reading or writing, he simply loves ideas. He's filled with them, and he's thrilled with them."

One suspects that the old troublemaker will find new trouble spots in the political landscape; the soapbox spieler will continue his spellbinding harangues. His mind and moral sense are too restless to relax in the glow of celebrity and the promise of statuettes. But for the moment, Oliver Stone has found for himself the one plot twist he would never have put in Platoon: a happy ending to his Viet Nam nightmare.

-Richard Corliss, Time magazine cover story, Jan 26 1987 [x]

[aaronmaurer]

Movies I Liked in 2020

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

Discussing film in 2020 is almost nonsensical. Theatres were shut down in most places for most of the year, shuffling release schedules and availability of titles in various markets, further fracturing an already-fragmented landscape. I personally love the movie-going experience – the darkened atmosphere, the massive screen, the ability to escape the outside world for a couple hours in the company of a room of strangers. Man, do I miss all of that. Yet I am exceedingly grateful to the creators and media conglomerates that decided to release some of their projects to streaming services and “virtual cinemas” during this unprecedented year. (Despite Wonder Woman 1984’s flaws, wow, was it nice to have a new action blockbuster to watch over the holidays.)

I toyed with breaking out stage/theatre projects separately, but at the end of the day, had those played on the big screen they would have still been considered, so I decided to keep everything together. This year more than ever I make no claims to comprehensiveness, and it seems even more futile than usual to rank these films, so here are 15 of my favorite films of 2020 listed in alphabetical order. How I wish I could have experienced these all on the big screen.

American Utopia (available on HBO)

Spike Lee’s film of the Broadway engagement of David Byrne’s American Utopia is right up there with Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense, the gold standard of concert films (and I’m not even much of a Talking Heads/Byrne fan!). The brilliance of this tour-turned-Broadway show is the elimination of any stationary equipment – Byrne and his band, utilizing mobile instruments, perform choreographed movement to the songs (a mix of Byrne solo material and Talking Heads classics) on an otherwise bare stage. The arrangements of the songs themselves are warm and life-affirming, something we all needed more of in 2020.

An American Pickle (available on HBOMax)

This quirky comedy from writer Simon Rich stars Seth Rogan in dual roles as an immigrant in the early 1900s transplanted to modern day New York and his last remaining descendant. I wasn’t expecting much from the premise but found it to be a surprisingly resonant story about family and legacy with salient observations about modern conveniences and appreciating small pleasures. Rogan himself is really great in this, creating two very distinct and believable characters that in an alternate reality might be up for awards consideration.

Black Is King (available on Disney+)

Beyonce’s latest visual album has its origins in her Lion King role, but the material transcends that misbegotten remake (despite the occasional out-of-place audio clips sprinkled throughout). The visuals here are stunning, from the costumes and makeup to the set design and choreography, all in celebration of Black excellence and beauty.

Emma. (available on HBO, VOD and Blu-ray)

One of the last films I saw in theatres this spring was the latest treatment of Jane Austen’s Emma from director Autumn de Wilde. Similar to Little Women last year, I had no prior experience with the source material, never having read the novel or seen any prior adaptations (outside of Clueless, if you count that), but I found it absolutely delightful. The cast is terrific, including Anya Taylor-Joy in a role completely different than her other big turn this year in The Queen’s Gambit, and the production design & direction are impeccably sumptuous, creating the type of escapism that came to mean all-the-more as the year wore on.

First Cow (available on Showtime, VOD and Blu-ray)

Kelly Reichardt’s latest film is a moving meditation on unexpected friendship, ideas of masculinity and economic inequality set against the backdrop of 1800s Oregon Country. Poetic but not ponderous, First Cow is one of the most humane and empathetic portraits of man and nature I experienced in 2020.

Hamilton (available on Disney+)

Already a big of Lin Manual-Miranda’s race-bent musical about founding father Alexander Hamilton, I was still awed by this document of the original Broadway production. Director Tommy Kail adeptly films his own stage direction while capturing intimate moments through closeups and vantages that are unavailable to the live audience. And while I personally may have preferred Lin to sing more than sob through some of his Act II songs, the whole cast is phenomenal, especially Leslie Odom Jr, Renée Elise Goldsberry and MVP Daveed Diggs whose energy and charisma are palpable in his dual role as Lafayette/Jefferson.

Just Mercy (available on HBO, VOD and Blu-ray)

Although technically a 2019 film, Just Mercy didn’t receive wide release until 2020 so I’m including it here. The adaptation of lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s memoir about his fight for death row inmates is a powerful story of the ongoing fight for justice and rarely falls into “based on a true story”/biopic clichés. Michael Jordan brings dignity and righteousness to the role of Stephenson and Jamie Foxx is excellent as the wrongfully incarcerated Walter McMillian.

Kajillionaire (available on VOD)

The story of an insular family of grifters, Kajillionaire explores what it’s like to exist in a bubble and reconcile that with a growing understanding of the wider world. Evan Rachel Wood engenders immense empathy with her portrayal of the family’s daughter who has been raised without any real physical affection or affirmation and Gina Rodriguez exudes light and charisma as a woman who comes into their orbit and changes everything.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (available on Netflix)

Adapted from August Wilson’s play of the same name, this film contains a powerhouse performance from Viola Davis as the titular blues singer but belongs to the magnetic Chadwick Boseman in his final role. As Levee, a brash young songwriter and musician, Boseman fully realizes a portrait of a talented and demeaned Black man in America, trapped by circumstance and his own feelings of helplessness. It’s beautiful and gut-wrenching to behold, and makes his passing all the more tragic as we can only imagine the great performances that we’ll never get to see.

Mank (available on Netflix)

Mank, a biopic about Golden Age Hollywood screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, may be director David Fincher’s most conventional film yet, however that takes nothing away from the charm of its engaging storytelling and performances. As “Mank” works – or rather drunkenly procrastinates – on the screenplay for Citizen Kane, we get flashbacks of his relationships with William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies, which will provide the basis for his script’s thinly veiled characters.

Small Axe (available on Amazon Prime)

A series of five separate films from director Steve McQueen, the Small Axe series is linked by its exploration of the West Indian community in London. Exploring topics including the justice system, educational disparity and the unifying & life-affirming power of music, these films are each powerful and moving on their own but add up to a rich and beautiful tapestry of the complexities of immigrant life.

Soul (available on Disney+)

Soul is in many ways a spiritual successor (pun intended) to Inside Out, my all-time favorite Pixar film, envisioning life after death (or is that life before life?) as a strange and delightfully stylized realm where new souls prepare to be born. The audience surrogate to this world is a frustrated jazz musician who finds himself incapacitated the day of his big break. The stunningly rendered film is another example of the studio – and co-director Pete Docter – at its heart-rending best with lovely observations about passion, mentorship and being present to life’s small pleasures.

The Vast of Night (available on Amazon Prime)

An indie sci-fi flick set in 1950s New Mexico from first-time director Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night pays homage to the likes of The Twilight Zone better than the current reboot of that show does. This surprisingly compelling movie creates a tangible sense of time and place and utilizes innovative shots and blocking to deliver something unique and artful, while still delivering on its genre promises.

What the Constitution Means to Me (available on Amazon Prime)

The final live communal event I attended before everything locked down last spring was the touring production of this Heidi Schreck play, and boy, was it a moving way to say a temporary goodbye to live theatre (even if I didn’t quite know it at the time). Later in the year, Amazon gifted us with a record of Schreck’s Broadway run, which loses nothing of its impact or immediacy. Using her personal history of debate contests at American Legion Halls as an entry point, Schreck explores how the Constitution has been used (and not used) to impact the rights of women (and other marginalized groups) throughout America’s history. Brilliant, heart-breaking and inspiring art.

Wolfwalkers (available on AppleTV+)

The latest wonder from director Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea) completes his trilogy of films inspired by Irish mythology. The topics this time are the Wolfwalkers, an Irish variation of the Werewolf legend, and the clash of urbanization with the natural world. Vividly rendered in gorgeous traditional animation, this is one of the most visually splendid things I saw all year.

Bonus! Honorable Mentions:

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Netflix)

Feels Good Man (VOD)

Palm Springs (hulu)

Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime)

Tenet (VOD, Blu-ray)

[architectnews]

Ten ways in which architecture is addressing climate change

To honour Earth Day, we've rounded up 10 ways architects are reshaping the built environment to benefit both people and the planet.

Architecture has a large environmental impact, with the built environment accounting for 40 per cent of the UK's carbon emissions in 2019, according to the UK Green Building Council.

With a 2018 United Nations report warning that humanity now has less than 10 years to slow down global warming, the architecture industry is one of many to have been forced to reassess the ways in which it works.

From reducing waste and maximising urban greenery to collaboration and lobbying for change, solutions to reduce pressure on the planet are now taking centre stage.

Read on for 10 ways in which architects can contribute to a healthier planet:

Building with timber

Wood has been used to build structures throughout history. However, there has been a recent resurgence in its popularity as a construction material, due to its sustainability credentials and improvements in engineered timbers such as cross-laminated timber (CLT).

One of the biggest benefits of building with timber is that it can sequester large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and store it within a building for as long as it stands. This can help achieve carbon-negative buildings by offsetting the carbon emissions generated through construction and operation.

It is for this reason that 3XN will use wood as the primary material in its extension for Hotel GSH in Bornholm (above) while Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios will use CLT for an office in London.

Going carbon-neutral

Making buildings carbon-neutral or, better still, carbon-negative architecture is a key concern for many architects today.

The terminology around this push is confusing but, generally speaking, a net carbon-neutral building is one that does not contribute any CO2 to the atmosphere over its lifetime, taking into account its construction, the materials used to build it plus the resources required to run it and decommission it.

A carbon-negative building is one that removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits over its lifetime, including the operational carbon generated by the heat and power the building consumes as well as the embodied carbon released by the extraction, manufacture and transportation of construction materials.

Confusingly, the term "carbon positive" is also used to describe the same thing as "carbon negative".

Examples of carbon-neutral architecture include Mikhail Riches' housing project in York that will utilise air-source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce emissions when complete.

Carbon negative buildings include Snøhetta's Powerhouse Telemark office (above), which will generate enough surplus energy during its operation to more than compensate for both the operational and embedded carbon emitted over its lifetime.

Rewilding

Rewilding has seen a surge of interest recently as people realise that natural ecosystems are disappearing, taking with them the biodiversity that supports life on earth.

Rewilding is an approach to restoring ecosystems that let nature get on with the work itself with minimum human interference.

For architects, this offers the opportunity to take biodiversity into account both when landscaping their projects and when choosing materials, to ensure their extraction and manufacture do not lead to the depletion of natural resources.

Projects that support rewilding include architect Carl Turner's DUT18 creative retreat in the Cotswolds region of England, which will sit in a partially rewilded landscape.

Writing for Dezeen last year, architect Christina Monteiro called for a strategy to rewild cities both to increase biodiversity and to improve the health and wellbeing of citizens.

Meeting Passivhaus standards

Since its origin in the 1990s, the Passivhaus energy performance standard has become one of the best-known ways to create sustainable architecture.

Awarded by the non-profit organisation the Passivhaus Trust, the standard encourages buildings that have high levels of insulation and airtightness so that they require minimal artificial heating and cooling.

Mikhail Riches and Cathy Hawley won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2019 with its high-density Goldsmith Street social housing scheme (above) after designing it to meet Passivhaus standards. The win was celebrated widely, with London studio Architype stating the win "puts Passivhaus in the spotlight – exactly where it needs to stay".

Speaking to Dezeen, Sophie Cole of Mikhail Riches said that Passivhaus design can also provide "a great basis for [zero-carbon architecture] because Passivhaus already really reduces that energy requirement".

Reversible design

Reversible architecture ensures entire buildings can be deconstructed at the end of their life and their components reused meaning no components go to waste.

Adam Strudwick of Perkins and Will described this to Dezeen as making "every building as a kind of DIY store for the next project".

Recent examples include Triodos Bank by RAU Architects and Ex Interiors (above), a "large scale, 100 per cent wooden, remountable office building" and a pavilion built by Overtreders W and Bureau SLA made from reusable construction materials.

BakerBrown Studio recently turned heads with its proposal to build a reusable pavilion for the Glyndebourne opera house using timber, mycelium and discarded champagne corks and seafood shells, all of which are reusable, recyclable or biodegradable.

Creating reversible architecture aligns with the aims of a circular economy – a closed-loop system where all materials are reused to eliminate any waste. Creating buildings that can be dissembled means that their components can be reused on other projects.

Encore Heureux, a studio that built a pavilion from reclaimed doors, said the idea is that "one person's waste becomes another's resources".

Non-extractive architecture

Non-extractive architecture is a term coined by Italian research studio Space Caviar to express the idea that buildings should not exploit the planet or people.

"Non-extractive architecture questions the assumption that building must inevitably cause some kind of irreversible damage or depletion somewhere – preferably somewhere else – and the best we can do as architects is limit the damage done," explained Space Caviar co-founder Joseph Grima in an interview with Dezeen.

The idea is expanded upon in a manifesto written by Space Caviar that calls on architects to design buildings that do not deplete the earth's natural resources.

An exhibition alongside the manifesto is currently being held at cultural foundation V–A–C in Venice and Grima is joining Dezeen later today to further expand on the ideals of non-extractive architecture.

Biomimicry

Another way in which architecture could help combat climate change is by making use of biomimicry, an approach that emulates natural systems such as coral reefs (above).

This can lead to extremely efficient structures that minimise the use of materials as well as potentially replicating beneficial processes such as the way plants use photosynthesis to turn atmospheric carbon into cellulose and other compounds.

According to architect Michael Pawlyn, entire cities could help stop climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere by mimicking the process of bio-mineralisation, by which lifeforms such as micro-organisms in the sea turn carbon into limestone and other carbon-rich minerals.

"We need to find ways of using materials that take carbon out of the atmosphere," he told Dezeen. "Can we learn from biology to design a built environment that has a net positive impact?"

Restorative architecture

Restorative architecture, also known as regenerative architecture, refers to structures that have a positive impact on the environment.

Biomimetic architect Pawyln cites this as a key way that architects can help tackle the multiple environmental challenges of today, believing that architecture that "just mitigates negatives" is not going far enough.

His studio, Exploration Architecture, has demonstrated these ideals through The Sahara Forest Project in Qatar (above) – a seawater-cooled greenhouse that replicates a Namibian fog-basking beetle's physiology to harvest fresh water in the desert. Any excess water it makes is used to revegetate the surrounding landscape.

Retrofitting

Retrofitting, or upgrading, is typically carried out to improve the energy efficiency and thermal performance of a building, reducing its dependence on heating and cooling, or to update a structure that may otherwise be torn down.

By prioritising the improvement of existing building stock over demolition, architects can keep materials – and the embodied carbon they contain – in use for longer, delaying the additional emissions produced by demolition.

Last month French architects Lacaton & Vassal, who are key exponents of retrofitting, won this year's Pritzker Prize for Architecture for their "commitment to a restorative architecture".

Other exponents include Sarah Wigglesworth, who proved the value of retrofit in the recent overhaul of her straw bale house in London (above), which has resulted in a 62 per cent reduction of its annual carbon dioxide emissions.

Elsewhere, architect Piers Taylor retrofitted his own off-grid home by upgrading all of its external fabric to meet Passivhaus standards in response to improvements in technology.

Establishing climate action groups

Architects are also addressing the impact of the built environment on the planet through grassroots initiatives such as climate action groups, in which they can raise awareness and share knowledge about climate change.

At the forefront of the industry is Architects Declare, which a group of Stirling Prize-winning architecture firms launched to call on all UK architects to adopt a "shift in behaviour". It has a growing network of signatories across the world that collaborate through virtual events.

Another example is the UK-based group Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN), which is lobbying for more demanding legislation in the UK.

It recently launched a campaign demanding embodied carbon regulation and founded a student-focused arm that is helping combat climate negligent teaching in architecture schools.

The post Ten ways in which architecture is addressing climate change appeared first on Dezeen.

[theparanormalperiodical]

The Real Story Behind The Slender Man: EVERYTHING You Need To Know

It started in May 2014.

Three teenage girls were enjoying a Wisconsin summer evening when they decided to go for a walk in their local forest.

Only two of them would return.

The third would be stabbed 19 times by her friends.

She survived, pulling herself out of the forest and to safety. Her classmates were promptly arrested, and confessed their crime, later going on to plead insanity.

Yet despite the shocking nature of this crime, a stabbing doesn’t necessarily make worldwide news. But it wasn’t the circumstance of the attack that hit the headlines. It was the motive.

They claimed they did it to appease the Slender Man.

And they were not the only ones that committed such a crime in his name.

To a majority of the population, these claims can be written off as the ‘insanity’ stamped on the official court documents. But the thing is, these atrocities aren’t the only times Slender Man has been sighted outside of his pixelated world.

In fact, Slender Man made his name many years before we began our search for the 8 pages.  

Does he really only exist within the World Wide Web?

What Is The Slender Man?

Our story starts 5 years before Wisconsin hit the headlines.

In 2009, comedy website Something Awful launched a paranormal images competition. Users of the website were to mock up supernatural-inspired or horror-themed pictures, and leave them to be judged by the internet.

Eric Knudsen’s entry forged together the mystery of an urban legend and the dark reality of pedophilia.

Knudsen used pictures of children playing in playgrounds, or hanging out in friendship groups, or any other innocent gathering of youngsters, and photo-shopped a figure among them. This figure was an 8 foot tall, thin man, with a faceless, pale profile draped in a formal suit.

Emerging from his back was a set of dark, twisting tentacles.

He called him the Slender Man.

It was only when 4chan users picked up on these pictures that his urban legend infamy was set in stone.

Both the forum site and Creepypasta.com moulded his backstory, infusing the simple tales of kidnapped children with the concept of proxies - that is, children which were used to do his bidding. And it’s this premise that would alter the landscape of teenage crime - and suicides - in America.

From here the urban legend extended its tentacles, haunting the darker corners of the internet. But it was his debut in video games that drew him out into the mainstream.

In 2012, the first video game first entered our downloads folder.

The free game followed a simple principle: you wander through dark woods in the dead of the night armed with a torch and surrounded by pixelation only an early Buffy demon could muster up, and you look for 8 ‘pages’.

These pages are poorly pencilled drawings that have been left by children taken by the Slender Man - but the terror only starts here. Throughout your search you are followed by the entity titling the game.

Slender Man: The Arrival hit the shelves only two years later and followed the same concept as the original. But this time we are joined by some sense of a plot, and a few other characters, too.

Nevertheless, the undying premise remains: he follows kids, and then he takes ‘em for himself.

Why?

This remains unknown.

But it’s this premise which fuelled the urban legend haunting the teenagers, fitting the real life cases that have scarred America.

This was confirmed in his film debut in 2018: Slender Man preyed upon the wave of crime inspired by the creepy pasta, merging the reality of the recent stabbings with the video games that put him on the map.

But this premise has scored a stab wound on our society before, fitting historic folklore far too accurately.

Crime In The Name Of The Slender Man

Wisconsin was not the only American state to witness a shocking crime inspired by this indie horror icon. In fact, a variety of other attacks pinned on the Slender Man followed a similar pattern:

One 14 year old burnt their house down, a tragedy linked to their history of reading creepypastas exploring the legend, whilst another young teen stabbed her own mother in order to please the Slender Man.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Alongside the spike in violent crime was a sharp rise in teenage suicides at the Pine Ridge Native American Reservation.

The suicide rate among the Native American population in America is already far more prevalent than any other ethnic group, but the sudden spike of 9 suicides of those aged between 12 to 24 sparked concern. And when the motives were drawn back to the Slender Man, these concerns only grew further.

The authorities even made mention to this urban legend in their official investigation, determining that the Slender Man was considered by the teenagers in the community to be a suicide spirit, a dark entity within Native American folklore. But to them, the Slender Man went by a slightly different name.

They called him the Tall Man spirit.

“He’s appearing to these kids and telling them to kill themselves.” - a local minister who supported youths in the community

Suicide spirits follow a similar line of thought to Catholic views of demons or evil spirits: they are negative spirits that feed off our energy. This entity in particular, however, spends its free time targeting and possessing individuals that are undergoing a spiritual crisis.

Alcoholics, addicts, the depressed - they are all worthy contenders for being the personal buffets of suicide spirits.

With a cluster of Facebook videos alluding to local folklore combined with viscous cyber-bullying encouraging the victims take their own lives, the notion of the Tall Man gathered strength, tying together the folklore of the suicide spirit and the urban legend of the Slender Man.

But this wasn’t the only time the Tall Man has been sighted in Native American communities.

In 1890, the Wounded Knee Massacre occurred.

20,000 Latoka Native Americans were left for dead by US troops. To this day it is considered one of the most atrocious acts committed against the Native American population.

And it was here that the Big Man was first seen.

Many claimed an entity taking the form of a tall man sporting a top hat would wander the reservation after the massacre, and made the younger generation take their own lives.

Whilst negative spirits donning the top hat are common outside of Native American folklore, the similarities between the Big Man and the Tall Man create an uncomfortable link between the tragedies scarring the past and present Native American population.

But this community’s folklore isn’t the only place the Slender Man has been referenced outside of the video game.

Nearly every other culture has their very own Tall Man.

Could the Slender Man have existed before the original video game even entered beta testing?

The Slender Man In Historic Folklore

When I began researching the entity’s existence - aside from being overwhelmed by the array of tragic stories - I encountered many dead ends.

One of these dead ends sticks out.

Out of all of the rumours circulating following the Wisconsin stabbings was that Slender Man originated from Romanian folklore, and was based on some similar entity possibly bearing his size, demeanour, and pastime of abducting and/or traumatising children.

This was proven to be untrue.

But upon realising the Slender Man didn’t first make his name in Romania, I discovered he had made his name in a lot of other countries.

Like a lot.

Like way too many.

From motive to dress sense, the Slender Man’s first sighting starts a couple millennia before his internet debut.

Fear Dubh from Irish folklore is the most popular contender for being the OG Slender Man, his name literally translating to ‘Black Man’. It is claimed that this entity would scare children snooping round the woods, and his title confirms his attire matches his more modern formal suit.

Germany’s Eriking too bears a resemblance to the Slender Man’s irish counterpart - with a focus on both his height and dark clothing, this internet icon might have travelled further than we think. This mythical beast prides himself on dwelling in the woods and kidnapping children, confirming he has potential for the official historic Slender Man.

However: the plot thickens when we consider another German entity known only as the Tall Man.

With the same name as the Native American suicide spirit, and the guiding principle of kidnapping kids who wander the woods, the potential for an international entity once again emerges from the darkness.

Historic legends from the American South also contain a similarity that should have you sleeping with the light on: a treelike man who kidnaps children was often spotted throughout history.

Regardless, it’s easy to decode these vague mythical creatures as warnings to their children of the dangers of wandering near uncharted territory alone and at night.

But it’s the details of the Slender Man that click together when we trace the folklore back to the oldest recorded sighting of the urban legend.

And this takes us to 9000 BC.

Both Eypgtian hieroglyphics and Aztec paintings often portray the same distinct tall, thin, menacing figure, but it’s Brazilian cave paintings that house the oldest attributes.

In these paintings you can clearly see a tall man lead a child by the hand, his unnaturally large limbs dominating the scene.

Yet aside from the Slender Man’s basic features - that of his height and incessant stalking of children - his facelessness (#new-word) is a feature we have yet to discuss. Fortunately, many cultures have already discussed it. And the greatest conversation takes place in Japan.

Japanese faceless ghosts have haunted the small island for centuries. The Noppera-bo prides itself on frightening humans, often taking the face of someone the victim knows before their features dissipate into nothingness.

All you can see is a blank, smooth, flat layer of skin, a sight only witnessed when the Slender Man finally catches up with you in his video game debut.

Whether you believe in the Slender Man or not, there is no doubt that the concept harnessed by Eric Knudsen did not begin in 2009.

We might not know when the Slender Man began hunting children, and we might not know why he does, but there is one thing for certain:

He has not finished just yet.

If you liked this post, chances are you’ll like my other posts, too! You will have to come out from beyond your quilt, though.

Make sure you hit follow if you want to see more stuff like this - and, you know, less traumatising posts about the paranormal every week.

Don’t forget to join my ghost hunt, too, where I post a new real ghost story everyday!

[uwucontextualstudiesblog]

BUG HOTEL- UPCYCLING AND ENVIRONMENT

POLLINATORS

In addition, I decided to make something out of old scaffolding. My mum had them in the garden as a shelving unit with ornaments and spare plant pots in. Although not wasted, I felt it could be better utilized to employ the positive encouragement of up-cycling.

 After careful consideration it was decided to revamp them into a multi-leveled bug hut. Painting them in wood paint to liven them up and also make them attractive to insects who are attracted to bright colours. The paint is also non-toxic so won’t harm them. 

Once the paint has dried, the construction followed by  filling each section with different natural materials. Such as: twigs, pinecones moss and bark. The remainder were filled with old spare bricks, canes and plant pots.

Providing shelter and safety to a variety of inhabitants and encourage a thriving habitat. 

The RSPB website advocates the use of the following items :]

dead wood and loose bark for creepy crawlies like beetles, centipedes, spiders and woodlice

holes and small tubes (not plastic) for solitary bees made out of bamboo, reeds and drilled logs

larger holes with stones and tiles, which provide the cool, damp conditions frogs and toads like – if you put it in the centre you’ll give them a frost-free place to spend the winter (they’ll help eat slugs)

dry leaves, sticks or straw for ladybirds (they eat aphids) and other beetles and bugs

corrugated cardboard for lacewings (their larvae eat aphids, too)

dry leaves which mimic a natural forest floor

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/give-nature-a-home-in-your-garden/garden-activities/build-a-bug-hotel/

Finally, adding a roof to allow them to stay dry. This bug hotel was one of the first creations in the garden. Over the last few weeks I have observed more wildlife in the garden. Particularly in the sections with canes, which have housed loads of solitary bees who have began to build nests. In the pinecone area with tiles loads of spiders and centipedes are present. 

This creation is mutually beneficial it gives the children a learning opportunity to explore wildlife closely and safely also gives a haven to the wildlife which may otherwise have no habitat to thrive. During the rainy periods it has given shelter to the bees that have housed  in the tubes. 

The above elements create an emphasis on the creative freedom that up-cycling allows you. Which could potentially inspire you to put your own creative personality in perhaps your own garden; adding a splash of color to the landscape. 

Both the tyre planters and the bug hotel are built for the purpose of encouraging wildlife, insects and ultimately pollinators. The emphasis on the importance of pollinators is crucial for our survival. 

EVIDENCE - RHS BOOK poliantors quotes. 

The importance of conserving these environments is previlant now more than ever and is reciprocally favorable to everyone. Supporting the philosophy further regarding participation and community and expanding further into our environment. Putting emphasis on protection and maintenance of habitats which are becoming endangered and are also vital for our own survival.

Encouraging children to create their own ‘minibeast hotels’ also adds an additional element of pride. Allowing them to visually seeing the fruits of their labour. 

BEES BUTTERFLIES MOTHS AND POLLINATORS. 

And solitary bees are also …

BUG HOTEL/ BEES AND POLINATORS 

my bug hut 

194

“insect pollinators including bees and moths are in decline but you can help them by creating an attractive habitat for them”

“We rely on pollinators for the majority of our food crops, yet pollinating insect pollinators are in trouble. You can help to boost their falling numbers by making your garden a little patch of pollinator paradise that meets their needs. Attract pollinators with pollen-baring, nectar rich flowers that bloom with different times of year, and night scened plants and larval food plants for buttlerfly and moth caterpillars and provide plenty of places for pollinators to shelter”. 

“ Studies show that pollinators are disappearing fast, with up to 50% of all bee species threatened in some European countries due to loss of habitat, changing climate, spread of pests, disease and pesticides being contributing factors”. 

3 species of bumble bee are now extinct in the UK. 

In the Uk alone, more than half the butterfly and moth species have declines over the past 50 years. 

Moths ( elephant hawk) like red companion and they are important pollinators. 

195

Plants like strawberry and beans need pollinating.

Crutiial role for pollinators honey bee pollinates 70% of around 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world. 

Field beans and clover which feed live stock for meat and milk. 

If pollinators disappeared, so would many of the plants that rely on them exclusively for pollination 

Urban gardens in Europe and North America can support higher density of bumble bees and solitary bees than farm land, 

You can help pollinators by using plants to attract these important insects to your garden 

Most pollinators are bees, flies, wasps , beetles and butterflies and moths.

They pollinate the edibles in our gardens 

196

how to help pollinators

an ohs study of insects visiting garden plants in the UK found that the best way to grow a mixtuer of native, northern and southern hemisphere plants. 

go for variety - pollinators are attracted to different shapes of flowers, so it makes sense to choose a range of sizes and shapes. Scientists are still researching why certain plants are more attractive to insects. 

Hoverflies prefer flat ion flowers e.g angelica

Plants with tubular flowers, such as foxgloves are more likely to be visited by insects with a long proboscis eg. butterflies, moths and some bumble bees. 

Vegetable gardens attract pollinators with the flowers of borage, chives mint, rosemary and sage.

Place in the sun-

pollinators, especially butterflies prefer flowers in sunny spots. This is partly because sunshine can affect nectar production and also perhaps because insects don’t need to expend as much in warm energy conditions. 

Try to provide nectar all year round. 

February to October when pollinators are more active. 

THEY ADVISE Multi story bug hotel. For insects made using natural materials will provide shelter for all types of mini beasts.

197- pollinators  and other invertebrates can overwinter in. Solitary bees like to nest in hollow plant stems or bamboo canes. 1.5-2 cm in diameter and 10-20cm long. 

avoid pesticides. 

invisible colors - it pays to include a range of hues in your garden beaucse of certain colurs, while pleasing to us, are less appealing to some pollinators. 

Studies have found that red for instance, is generally less attractive to insects. 

Bees- and insects with good vision - see better in the value spectrum and beyond into the UV range. 

Many flowers have UV markings on them , which are invisible to humans  but appear differently to insects. 

Scientists think these markings act like landing strips, guiding pollinators to nectar and pollen. 

!98 Wild flower meadow

Meadows full of different kinds of flowers and grasses are home to, and feeding grounds for many kinds of insects. These insects, in turn, provide food for birds and small mammals. 

They have disappeared from the country side. 

You can help revive these habitats by planting a mini meadow in your own green space.

[skistarmovies]

The Eighty Six (Stept Productions 2012)

SkiStar Movies Rating: 4.2/5 Stars

Clayton Vila, Sean Jordan, Shea Flynn, Cam Riley, Parker White, Tom Warnick, Charlie Owens, Stu Havlerson, Cam Boll, Noah Albaladejo, Mark Hoyt, Maks Gorham, Matt Walker, James Woods, Dash Kamp, Joe Mango, Justin Norman, John Rodosky, Tim Buol, Jake Szarzec, Phil Casabon, Alexi Godbout, Justin Dorey, Henrik Harlaut, AJ Kemppainen, Chaz Gouldemond, Nick Miles

 Directed by Nick Martini and Cam Riley

 Now, this is a movie.

 Weight, last year’s offering from Stept Productions was an intricately edited urban skiing affair where it was clear that a lot of time and thought had been put into the end result.  The Stept crew were honing their editing and directorial chops as well as their skiing and it made the movie a hard-core, thrilling spectacle.  The Eighty Six amplifies this even further and what they’ve ended up with comes closer to a work with a singular, identifiable vibe, rather than a collection of sequences edited to the beat in rock video fashion that is common in the ski movie genre. The Eighty Six presents the Stept skiers as a cohesive group of athletes who single-mindedly explore every possible urban setting for skiing.  They don’t come across as macho hot-doggers or energy-drink sucking dudes who are about one-upping the competition.   This sense of intense dedication to finding the right setting, to getting by security and to stomping the trick make the Stept Crew seem like Shaolin monks: their discipline and their skills are undeniable.

 As a film, apart from the skiing, The Eighty Six has some sweet tricks starting with a long, single shot in the opening that would make Martin Scorsese proud.  It starts at street level, proceeds up a ladder and then works it’s way around the top of a three-story building before Cam Riley makes the jump off.   It conveys in spades Stept’s guerilla film-making style and pays homage to every great heist film that opens with a job being pulled off in improbable circumstances (think of everything from the Pink Panther to The Dark Knight).  It’s an appropriate start for a movie called The Eighty Six where the target, the aim, is to get the shot, whether it be in a waterslide park, on campus, or just generally on private property before they get turfed by the cops, both real and rental varieties.  The other film element worth pointing out is the editing.  Last year’s movie showed a lot of ingenuity in the way the shots were presented in the final product.  This year’s offering is another step up with the editing here being on par with the best of serial televisions current shows where editing is used as a vital tool to convey a sense of pending drama (and this includes Breaking Bad).   As with Weight, the shots here glide, skip and twist around matching the style of the skiers and it’s interesting to watch their editing style develop.  When any member of the Stept editing crew, Nick Martini, Cam Riley, William Desena and Clayton Vila, decides they want to go to work in Hollywood film or extended serial dramatic television, they’re going to have a career.

 Further helping to create this timeless, filmic feel, is a well-curated soundtrack.  When backed with wonky left-field tracks with zero bombast like Mojo Filter’s “Red Right Hand” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Cartoons and Cereal” these ski sequences avoid the realm of the garden variety rock video.  The sense of understatement found in recordings like these tends to enhance the viewing of the skier’s performance.  Or maybe I’m just bored of the soundtracks blasting with big rock guitars while the skier blasts off a kicker.  Either way, what Stept has done here (and I said it before with Weight) is create something that is going to endure multiple viewings without losing its luster.

 And don’t let the focus on the film aspects take away from the achievements in the skiing here.  All skiers in The Eighty Six are on an upward swing with their skills – they keep getting better and better.  Shea Flynn, for one, punches hard.  He’s skiing with even more finesse and style than his terrific opening sequence in 2011’s Weight.  His precision in his spins and jibs is something most of us are going to have to accept as being unattainable.  With his Taliban beard and his ski assault skills, he’s the new look in urban terrorism.  Charlie Owens matches the terrorist vibe with his IRA-style balaclava and his bone-breaking tricks actually end him up with some broken bones but that doesn’t cut his segment too short as he rips rail after rail.  Clayton Vila’s creative combos have you shaking your head in astonishment.  And, it’s almost to be expected, Cam Riley’s opening sequence is replete with long rails and treacherous drops.  It’s the type of thing you play your non-skiing friends when you want to scare the crap out of them. 

 With The Eighty Six, Stept Productions are now certainly among the best of the ski movie production companies.  But it’s not that they are going to supplant Level 1 or any of the other production companies that focus on urban skiing.  What they bring to the table is another vision of what ski movies can be and this allows them to stand on their own, shoulder to shoulder, with the other film crews that devote their time to this work.  And, frankly, who can argue against having more distinct visions in this genre? By Mark “The Attorney General” Quail

Watch the Trailer for The Eighty Six

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Epw88bEx4

[thegreenwolf]

Hi, folks! Sorry for the radio silence; my head hasn’t been in pagan space much lately so I’ve been dealing with a bit of writer’s block in that direction. I’m starting to come out of it a bit, though, and I have a few ideas, this being the first one.

Most essential reading lists for pagans tend to be pagan-specific books, or books that deal with related topics like the history of pre-Christian religions or herbalism. My list is perhaps a little more removed from blatant paganism than that, and might be better termed “Lupa’s Essential Books For Nature-Based Pagans”. Moreover, it’s a list that will likely change over time. But they’re texts I think all pagans would benefit from reading for one reason or another.

The Nature Principle by Richard Louv

Many people, not just pagans, are attracted to nature. But why? In his follow-up to his award-winning Last Child in the Woods, Louv looks at not only why nature is good for us, but concrete ways in which we can reconnect with the natural world, even in urban areas, as a way to combat nature-deficit disorder. (See also Florence Williams' The Nature Fix as a more up-to-date collection of nature-is-good-for-us research for laypeople.)

A Beginner's Guide to the Scientific Method by Stephen S. Carey

Paganism often flirts heavily with pseudoscience, sometimes to dangerous degrees. Everyone should have a solid understanding of the scientific method, to include how a good experiment is put together (as well as how not to conduct research), and how to avoid pitfalls like confirmation bias. Not only will this help you to cut through some of the crap that gets presented as fact within paganism, but it will help you have a more critical eye toward sensational news headlines claiming new cures for cancer or demonizing vaccinations. If you can pick apart a study based on things like sample size and the validity of the results, you're already way ahead of most of the population.

The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins

Okay, put the fact that it's Dawkins aside; this is one of those texts where he's focusing on communicating science instead of tearing religion apart, and he's frankly at his best here. Now, evolution is up there with gravity and a round earth as far as things we know to be true, and hopefully you already have a basic understanding of how it works: It is not survival of the fittest so much as survival of those who fit into the ecosystem most effectively. What this book does is cleverly place us, Homo sapiens, in the context of the grand dance of evolution by tracing on possible path we may have taken all the way back to the last universal ancestor that all living beings on the planet share. Along the way we get to see the origins of everything from our big brains to our opposable thumbs and upright bipedal walking, showing us that we are not the most amazing and superior being that the gods ever created, but rather one among many incredible and diverse life forms that evolution has produced through natural selection and mutation. It is, in fact, the ultimate journey on this planet.

Also, the Walking With Dinosaurs/Beasts/Monsters/Cavemen BBC documentaries are fun, if a bit flawed and dated, ways to look at how evolution has shaped animals over millions of years.

Roadside Geology series by various authors

If you're in the United States, there's a Roadside Geology book for your state! You may not think much about the ground beneath your feet other than as a nice, solid base, but the various stones and formations, as well as hydrological phenomena like rivers and lakes, are all crucial to the sort of life that can thrive in a given place. The Roadside Geology books are a fun way to go look at your local geology in person and learn a little about the land you live on. You can then follow up by picking up some more in-depth reading material for the geology of your area.

Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan

We often assume that plants are relatively sedentary beings with few motivations. Yet they are vibrant and active parts of their ecosystems in ways even we animals can't touch. This book looks at the world of plants through the relationships four of them have with humans, how we have changed them--and how they have changed us. I also strongly recommend following this up with two documentaries: How to Grow a Planet by Iain Stewart (which also happens to be on Netflix as of this writing) and David Attenborough's The Private Life of Plants (which is also in book form.)

Trees, Truffles and Beasts: How Forests Function by Chris Maser, Andrew Claridge and James Trappe

In paganism we tend to look at animals, plants and other beings individually, as stand-alone guides---yet if we want inspiration for just how interconnected we are, there's no better model than an ecosystem. This book explores how just a few of the animal, plant and fungus inhabitants of forests are inextricably bound together. Extrapolate that out to the entire ecosystem, and you begin to see how deeply entwined all beings are in a very real, even visceral sense. If you've only been working with animal or plant spirits, this book may just inspire you to reach out further.

The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy Stewart

Again in paganism people tend to be fairly short-sighted when it comes to animals. We often look at the most impressive mammals and birds, and then only at the most surface qualities, gleaning what we can for ourselves and our spiritual needs. In order to step out of this self-centered approach to nature spirituality, we need to really appreciate beings for themselves in all their complexity, and what better starting point than the amazing and completely indispensable earthworm? This is a really fun read, but you'll learn a lot along the way, too--and maybe start treating the soil in your yard a little better, too!

There are lots of other books that explore individual species in depth, like Bernd Heinrich's The Mind of the Raven and Of Wolves and Men by Barry Holstun Lopez, but I really recommend you start with the often-overlooked earthworms before moving on to stereotypically charismatic critters like ravens and wolves.

Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to the Work That Reconnects by Joanna Macy and Molly Brown Young

One of the disadvantages of pagans reading only books by pagans about paganism is that we miss out on other awesome and relevant works by people who aren't expressly pagan. Joanna Macy is one of those authors that more pagans really need to know about, especially those who construct group rituals. This is an entire book full of rites for reconnecting to nature and to each other, as well as grieving for global losses and fostering gratitude and hope for a better future. If that doesn't sound like something more pagans could get behind, I don't know what does. Just because it doesn't mention any deities doesn't mean that it's useless.

Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World by Bill Plotkin

This is another one of those "pagan but not" books. I've explored this book in more detail in the past, but my opinion still stands: it is a much better alternative to Maiden, Mother, Crone and Youth, Warrior, Sage. It's based in a developmental approach to ecopsychology (or an ecopsychological approach to developmental psychology?) Growth is not based on your physical age or whether you're capable of popping out babies; rather, Plotkin's eight-stage Wheel looks at your journey as a person and your continuing relationship with your community and ecosystem to determine where you are developmentally. You can even be in more than one stage at once! It's a much more well-rounded way to apply a label to yourself, if you must, and I recommend it for anyone who is sick of the gender-limiting stereotypes of MMC/YWS.

(Honorable mention to Lasara Firefox's Jailbreaking the Goddess as another alternative to MMC for women.)

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming by Paul Hawken

If you love nature and honor it and you really want to do something to make up for the damage we've done to the planet, there's nothing much more effective than working to reverse climate change. I mean, really, it's a much better offering to nature spirits than pouting food and drink on the ground, or sending a vague ball of energy to wrap around the planet to do....what? What's even more noteworthy about this book is that it's an excellent antidote to the hopelessness and fear that a lot of people feel about climate change. In it you're going to read about people who are already boots on the ground making a difference, to include in the very industries that are causing the most problems. And it ranks the top 100 causes of climate change (you can see this on their website, too.) Pick one of these causes to start working on, with whatever time and other resources you reasonably have available, and not only are you giving something back to nature, but you're also counteracting the paralysis that pessimism breeds.

So there you have it: my current essential reading list for pagans. Sorry I'm not handing you yet another rehash of the Wiccan Sabbats or a bunch of spells. Over the past few years my paganism has become much more firmly rooted in the physical, and my reading list reflects that. After all, what good is a nature-based path if you don't know diddly about nature itself?

[noise-eternal]

Khadavra - Interview

Hey Khadavra! Can you introduce yourselves for us?

Hello! We are Alex, Seb, Jón, Nils & Ole - Khadavra. A band started by Alex in Arvika, Värmland in the spring of 2012. Started as a doom metal band, but after regrouping in september we changed our path and started treading in the footsteps of Tool. Trying to make emotional, cinematic and complex music that could invoke the presence of the profound.

This were times when I, Alex, was very naive, pretentious and looked for meaning in my own way. Now, seven years, a move to Gothenburg and two albums later it's easier to just call us a progressive rock band with a shoegaze attitude and a post-rock state of mind.

How does it feel to have your new album out, are you pleased with the process and where did you record it?

Great. Incredibly relieving! Now all that music and emotional bagage has manifested in something that no longer burdens us. It is now free and not something that is kept alive by our imagination, it lives it's own little life, fed by the collective imagination.

As with our first album, Hypnagogia was conceived and recorded in Khadavergrottan, our rehearsal studio in Gothenburg (as all recordings with Alex and Seb's other projects: Enstam, Dimma GBG and She Sees). This is where all the drums were recorded in may 2017. Additionally all bass and almost all guitars and vocals were done there as well. Keyboards was recorded in Nils home studio.

We are very happy with the result! But the process.... well, let's not go there...recording on your own, without much production knowledge or experience and with no real budget, well there's a lot of backsides. But the tedious and frustrating process was worth it.

Who writes the lyrics and/or music in Khadavra?

Well, the creation of the music is a pure collaborative process. Usually Seb or Jón has ideas for riffs or melodies that make up the foundation for the songs, but those original ideas go through a long process of jamming that lets us all be an essential part of the shaping of the idea, and the creation of the rest of the song.

When it comes to lyrics it's same but different. The lyrics to Lucid Parasitosis I on our previous album was written by Jón, Down the Rabbithole was written by Alex and Seb, Nils and Jón collected the words to Tryptophan. We don't really have rules for this, It's all very intuitive.

Your first album were to me, frankly, a bit too sterile sounding for my liking. Do you agree or was this perhaps just a mistake with the production?

Wow. We find that really odd, and have a hard time agreeing with that statement actually. A big part of our first album was recorded live (bass and drums were recorded together on most of the tracks), with only like 6 shitty microphones in our rehearsal space, by Alex. Den första vilan, Den sista vilan, Lucid Parasitosis II, I sol itu and Födelsen was done with guitar, bass and drums recorded simultaneously in a few takes with keyboards done after.

We recorded it during 2 weeks, as we lived 4 people in Alex tiny cottage. We told Tobias Carlsson to do as little as possible to the songs in his mixing production, and he did it in only a couple of weeks. With that said, and having the sound of it in mind we don't really find that album sterile at all... if anything, Hypnagogia is the sterile sounding of the two. But as this statement of defense is made, we respect your opinion. And to answer the last part of your question: No real mistakes were made in the production of our first album. Some of the performances on the recordings could have been better... but it was a conscious decision to make everything as pure as possible at the time.

To me you sound like some sort of dreamy progressive rock, have you also taken any cues from bands from the swedish genre “progg”? Like Nationalteatern, Hoola Bandoola Band etc? Because I can somewhat sense that as well.

Well... even though we absolutely have listened to a lot of the good ol' "Progg" we wouldn't say that we have been taking cues or inspiration in a conscious or direct way. At least not in a melodically technical way. I think we've taken more of the attitude and the perception of music as a weapon that is found in the swedish "progg" scene in the early to mid 70's.

We take a lot more of direct creative inspiration and cues from other bands active in Sweden in the same time period as: Bo Hansson, Träd, Gräs och Stenar, Älgarnas Trädgård, Baby Grandmothers, Pärson Sound, Fläsket Brinner and Samla Mammas Manna.

If we’re talking inspiration/influences we have to mention: Tool, Anekdoten, Dungen, Slowdive, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and of course BLACK SABBATH!!!

You originally are from Arvika, Värmland. How has this affected the band? Are there any bands to talk of in Arvika?

Well, firstly: Värmland has really beautiful, wild and authentic landscapes of deep, narrow and dark woods. I cherish the fact that me (Alex) and my brother (Seb) always had the opportunity to explore and play in the woods as kids. When we make music together, most of the times it moves to some kind of spiritual forest-rock, I like to imagine that it has to do with our environment while growing up. I also think that the monotonous vibe integrated in Arvika's social nature had a big effect on us. Having the same friends from kindergarten until graduation, walking the same streets, meeting all the same people who only talk about past activities, always repeating routines - you grow up being bored. At least for me this was frustrating and made us seek some kind of outlet, something that could set some of those suppressed feelings in motions and to find our identity.

So the music, in a sense, came out of neccessity. That we wanted to do experimental and somewhat edgy music was because of the state of Arvika's music scene at the time. Nothing stimulating in it, at all. When you don't have anything inspirational around you to tap in to, you have to make it yourself - that was pretty much my take on that situation and period in my life.

The sound of the first album (written while still living in Arvika) is representative of my and Seb's experience of living there. Frustrated, angry and a bit lost in the newly found adulthood. There's a lot of factors that effect the way we make music and our sound.

Bands in Arvika? Well... Nephila is pretty cool. Feels like they have kept something we stirred up alive after we left. One of Sweden's best bands, Vulkan are almost from Arvika... they are always worth talking about.

I always like this one even though it’s a boring question one might argue, which (up to) three records have each of you had a hard on for lately?

Alex: Russian Circles - Memorial, Sonic Youth - The Eternal, Nirvana - In Utero

Seb: Catherine wheel - chrome, My Bloody Valentine - Isn't anything, Aphex twin - I care because you do

Jon: Black Sabbath - Technical ecstasy, Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmores Rainbow, Captain Beefheart - Safe as milk

Ole: Porcupine Tree - In Absentia, Björk - Utopia, John Frusciante - The Empyrian

Nils: Toby Driver - They are the Shield, All Traps on Earth - A Drop of Light, Steve Reich - Pulse/Quartet

Can you explain some of the albums’ themes and/or messages? If there are any.

Ok. Hypnagogia is the state between awake and dreaming. Sometimes, before falling into deep sleep you can enter this state of pure hallucination, reminicient of the kind you can experience on hallucinogenic drugs but different. In a segment of a lecture called "Dreaming Awake at the End of Times" Terence McKenna argues that we, as we are now in our time of civilization, are neither awake or asleep (like conspirationists saying that we are asleep and must wake up to see and acknowledge the truth), we are in an universal hypnagogic state. Hallucinating together.

I don't really remember the rest of the lecture, and what the real point is... but this is in a way a backdrop to the theme of the album. You need to sleep to wake up, and if we're not really sleeping or being awake... an interesting idea to linger on, but without much sense or hope of resolution. The album explores different sensations that are in one sense completely natural but at the same time it has a somewhat supernatural vibe to it. Maybe these sensations are a product of what could be deemed hypnagogia, not completely real or unreal, but a personal experience nevertheless.

But mostly the themes is a projection stemming in our personal experiences, individual and collective evolution and growth as human beings in this new urban environment in Gothenburg. If our first album was based on our perception about life in a town like Arvika, then this one is based on life in Gothenburg.

We wouldn't say the album holds any conceived and coherent messages though...

What’s up for Khadavra in the future. How come the long wait between the albums?

Just gonna take it as it comes for a while... we got some cool shows closing in, maybe got some more coming this fall. We have been given the chance of playing with musical heroes Gösta Berlings Saga in august and Vulkan in october. It's going to be amazing!

We've also completed the writing of two new songs! Both are featured on our setlist for the summer and we're planning on recording them both and releasing them separately, when the time comes...

At this moment we're not that keen on the idea of any new full length album though. Well, maybe if it comes naturally, but for now we got more of an urge to relearn and renew older songs and perfect our new ones for the shows ahead, because playing live is actually our main outlet and something we finally can put more energy and focus into.

Oh yeah! We got a new member, Ole, by the way. A lot of our time will be spent getting him in our unit and let him shine brightly in our sonic landscape. He provides vocals and a lot of guitar to our upcoming shows!