#and you really cannot compare artists in different genres with different goals

[jlf23tumble]

jen, can i have some advice? how dont i get to involve with fandom till it gets too toxic? tbh i dont care anymore about stunts or hearing about it but something that really worries me is Louis having success. Like i worry about his sales and eventhough its not about #1's and beating records Im afraid that as a solo artist he wont get to do great things, he deserves all the succes in the world and seeing him not get the recognizition that the other boys get makes me upset, Especially when (1/2)

you compare it with Harry's number and how incredibly wide there gap in sales are. And I saw how vile people were to Liam and how they cheered eachother on when they did (twits were getting a ton of traction cause they managed to make it to my nonfandom twitter trending page) with ton of rts and likes so Im afraid that if he doesnt get that success he wont get to do stuff like tour more or do more albums...i just dont think its fair what he's been handed when i think that he deserves more (2/2)

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

Hello! I actually have some amazing advice for you:

Time to clean your dash and replace the hand-wringing wankfest with blogs that are genuinely supportive of Louis’s career (I have recs if you need some, any blog that’s complaining or despairing on Louis’s behalf right now...idk what you need, man, the good stuff is happening??).

Ditto twitter...there are a lot harries trolls who crow triumphantly when they perceive anyone in One Direction “failing” because they need that validation on some level, but the sooner they overcome the boyband fan stigma, the better for everyone (twitter is garbage, but you can follow people who celebrate Louis, you can follow fans of the rest of them who aren’t dicks, I never pay attention to what’s “trending” on twitter because it’s targeted at you and your self-selected interests, not the world, believe me, the world isn’t that tuned into who said what about Liam).

Don’t compare Louis to anyone else, especially anyone in One Direction, he doesn’t deserve it, and it’s not fair to him, them, OR you. All five of them are in different stages of their careers, all five have different goals, problems, setbacks, audiences, teams, demographics. Yes, HS2 is making great numbers, actually a lot more than HS1...so zooming out, what do you think will happen with LT2? (I don’t remember HS1 being no. 1 in so many countries in its first 24 hours, but even if I’m wrong, Louis’s success in one fucking DAY has been incredible).

You don’t get paid to worry about charts and numbers, and it doesn’t sound like it’s a hobby you enjoy for fun, so why are you torturing yourself over it? Why does it even matter, you can prove ANYTHING with charts and stats, and Louis himself has said he’s not focusing on that, so why should anyone else?? Especially people not paid to care on that level!

I’m going to remind everyone AGAIN that Louis has dealt with not one but two unspeakable family tragedies, both of which set back his career and his life. Nobody seemingly likes to acknowledge it, but the fact that he’s out there and WINNING is major, and he’s had a big delay vs. everyone else, but that’s okay??? Like, Louis in 2020 is where Harry and Niall were in 2017, and I don’t know how to tell you how time works, but you gotta keep that in perspective and maybe have some empathy.

I feel like there’s a chunk of this fandom that lives in some bizarro world where up is down and green is blue because there’s no way Louis Tomlinson is not going to get the chance to do more albums and tours, he’s not a struggling indie artist, he’s an incredibly successful musician and songwriter (both in a band and on his own) who has made millions of dollars for himself and billions of dollars for record companies. He’s a known commodity, he has a loyal fanbase, he’s hit no. 1 all over the place, this is actually a slam dunk? I mean, what the actual fuck, in what world is any of that a negative??? Hello??

Again, this feels like it comes back to comparing Harry and Louis, and making it seem like Harry is untouchably successful while Louis weeps in his threadbare sweaterpaws because he only sold 10 million copies instead of 11 million, and that’s simply not the case. If you want to avoid toxic, terrible feelings, 2020 is your year, bb, if you’re seeing this kind of neg talk, unfollow, step away. Louis *does* deserve the world, he also deserves fans who can see and appreciate what he’s overcome and who are ready to support him as he starts his solo career, which starts now, not in 2017. Well, actually, it started yesterday, but the point is, he hasn’t “lost,” so it’s time to drop that kind of thinking. I’m literally so happy that none of the five members of One Direction are carbon copies of the rest of them, but I guess that’s an unpopular onion, lmao

[hiriajuu-suffering]

Anime Hot Take: Goblin Slayer is more offensive than Redo of Healer

I totally understand why the anime community is collectively freaking about Redo of Healer not getting cancelled by normies like Shield Hero, Ishuzoku Reviewers, and Uzaki-chan. A lot of anime content creators are saying because anime [social] cancellation is based on clout chasing and it’s because Redo of Healer is a bad anime, and I disagree completely because Uzaki-chan is also a bad anime. As excessively raunchy Redo of Healer is, its offensiveness has more narrative backing than Goblin Slayer does for its world-building.

Elephant in the room: depictions of rape are poor artistic choices when the physical act is shown instead of heavily implied for the narrative. Both Goblin Slayer and Redo of Healer depict rape onscreen to get more attention for being edgy and raunchy, needlessly. People finding Shield Hero more offensive for involving a false rape allegation are missing the forest for the trees and there is no rape in Ishuzoku Reviewers. Goblin Slayer uses its rape scenes to objectify people we’re supposed to see from the perspective of, very clearly. Meaning, Goblin Slayer is asking for a self-objectification in order for you to be invested in the main casts’ goals. The effect of this is Goblin Slayer is really only showing these gratuitous rape scene(s) for shock value. Goblin Slayer is a Fantasy, not specifically an Isekai Revenge Fantasy like Redo of Healer is. Redo of Healer uses its rape scenes to subjectify people we’re supposed to see from the perspective of, making it fundamentally different and more aligned with Game of Thrones depictions of rape than Redo of Healer. In episode 1 of Redo of Healer, the main character is subjectified, not objectified. In episode 1 of Goblin Slayer, the rape scene objectifies the woman. The only other conclusion hyperfeminism could have to this incongruity is media that portrays sexual violence is more acceptable when male sexual violence is on the forefront, which is fucked. In episode 2 of Redo of Healer, the first antagonist is a female and the rape scene itself is sick and cruel, but not gratuitous in the way Goblin Slayer handles its rape scenes. Again, the character is subjectified and not objectified, which makes a lot of difference if media makes the morally abhorrent but logical choice to depict rape for views because it works. Redo of Healer already starts on better footing than Goblin Slayer because a central theme in Goblin Slayer is the objectification of life and experience while Redo of Healer works in that same theme with the subjectification of people’s lives and experiences.

Redo of Healer is ultimately a power fantasy like most other Isekai are, Goblin Slayer is intended to make you feel powerless. There is some subtlety in the way the author puts forward the narrative of “power makes people bad” in Redo of Healer, while the narrative choices in Goblin Slayer directly portray the message of “no matter how much power you have, you cannot affect the world”. Both are a criticism of power fantasy, but Redo of Healer is actually within its genre doing so, not looking from the outside-in and acting above the genre itself when it has taken over the anime industry. The plot structure in Goblin Slayer reads as if it’s better than the Isekai trend, making itself pretentious and thereby worse than the trend because it’s just mocking something popular because it’s popular. Redo of Healer actually looks into why this popularity exists and if it’s legitimately warranted or just feeding the vanity of its readers. In the first two episodes, the narrative has all this suffering going on written in a way so the reader actively disconnects from the normally self-insert protagonist in an Isekai. Goblin Slayer literally does the opposite with Priestess. The self-insert scenes in Redo of Healer are actually the opposite because they structure themselves in that way but do the opposite, you don’t want to be in any of those situations. When you weigh moral wrongs and aren’t afraid of playing the oppression Olympics for the sake of philosophical conjecture, Keyaru is enacting retribution in a manner reciprocally efficient or less compared to what he endured. You can see that via his intended final act of retribution of Flare being to make her his consensual sex object rather than everyone’s nonconsensual sex object as he originally was. The finger-breaking was his exchange for the deception, involuntary servitude, and general lack of empathy; regrettably, the sexual assault with bodily harmful object was for the forced drug addiction via symbolism analysis. He ends up healing all this anyway and not being overwhelmed by it, meaning everything he did was a small fraction of what had been done to him. It’s still revenge, but it’s nothing nearly as crazy as what was done to him and actually didn’t drag out as much as people say compared to goblin rape scenes in Goblin Slayer (some of them which didn’t need to exist narratively and were only there because author is insulting your intelligence, assuming you forgot it’s a thing because it assumes you’re an Isekai reader). Fair warning about Blade and Bullet though is they represent very real tropes on the social spectrum, Blade representing hyperfeminist ideologies to the point of outright misandry and Bullet representing men who degrade themselves just for being men, so a lot more people will have something to be butthurt about when that narrative realization comes to pass. Part of the way Redo of Healer compartmentalizes its characters into said tropes speaks to a larger picture of what the show intends to do, criticize the Isekai genre and its tropes instead of just mocking them like Goblin Slayer does.

The narrative structure of Redo of Healer reads like a hate letter to Isekai power fantasy writing, the narrative structure of Goblin Slayer reads like a roast to Isekai power fantasy writing. Hate letters are generally more honest and genuine than roasts, which sacrifice truth for the sake of being comedic. Goblin Slayer itself wasn’t even that funny though, it had moments but its humor was so self-contained, it only existed if you already were self-involved enough in the tropes, in which you were the one being roasted. Effectively, Goblin Slayer seeks to roast you with no audience, making the roast itself kind of pointless and belittling. Redo of Healer though criticizes Isekai writing on two fronts: the morality of the world (which Shield Hero already did pretty masterfully) and the reasonable scope of a self-insert protagonist. Living in a morally dark Isekai world that’s full of hell and suffering is something Rising of the Shield Hero did so well, it would be difficult to see it done better, but Redo of Healer follows the exact narrative thread Shield Hero does only in a far more sinister way. The difference is Redo of Healer takes the grinding element from Cautious Hero and totally removes the opportunity for it to be had and the end result is said self-insert Isekai protagonist being abused in the party instead of valued, it actually makes sense on a power scaling level if you place it in a world where the characterization of all humanity is made out to be shitty from the start (slave trading demi-humans, raping other people for mana, rulers with no actual empathy or morality, etc.). Redo of Healer’s setting emulates humanity from Chapter Black in Yu Yu Hakusho. In simpler terms, if any of these dudes popularizing Isekai self-inserts into Keyaru, they’re not overpowered for no reason like in other Isekais, they’re overpowered because they were already humbled to the extent where nothing could ever feel like redemption. Most of these people self-inserting probably aren’t as great as they think they are, but especially on the moral scale. Keyaru represents a broken version of that self-insert: a human that is fallible, can feel real negative emotions and act abhorrently on them, and isn’t overly resilient for plot convenience’s sake. Keyaru’s immensely busted skill comes at a heavy toll, meaning it was balanced but he broke it (like Maple did in Bofuri) because he was driven to madness. If you break the “overpowered for no reason” trope in both harem and Isekai, you ARE a criticism of both. Are there good anime that use this trope well? Slime is an example. But Kadokawa specifically has been tending to favor titles that are criticisms of Isekai rather than straight-up Isekais themselves, making this something they were willing to push to the forefront even though it borrows a little too much from hentai plots. If anything, Redo of Healer shows how frustrated the industry, from writer to publisher, has been with the Japanese otaku community when poorly written, power fantasy, self-insert shows like Sword Art Online become the face of otaku culture and starts a predatory profit-seeking trend of everything has to be Isekai for it to make money. Redo of Healer reaches for a larger criticism of why anime storytelling has gotten less substantive in the past decade and plunges its hands into the depths of the filth and degeneracy that’s being promoted. It’s a meta-criticism to make what you’re putting out there so horrific it becomes nearly impossible to connect with.

Do I like Redo of Healer? No, absolutely not. Do I think it sends a loud and clear message to viewers who know how to analyze a piece of fiction with good depth and nuance? Yes. Goblin Slayer does not do that, Goblin Slayer itself is just an amusement park ride you’re supposed to enjoy, but they jolt you with shock value to get you invested, making its plot threads and themes gimmicky at best. Redo of Healer actually does what Goblin Slayer was going for in shock value and makes you so numb to it you actually realize how devolved Isekai storytelling is, adding its attention grabbing mechanism as short hentai clips like Ishuzoku Reviewers did. As for why Shield Hero was mentioned so much, it’s because the characterization of Blade specifically goes after those who were trying to get Shield Hero cancelled for its narrative thread. Blade is the worst representation of that, worship and veneration of femininity in a patriarchal context which ultimately results in the worship of power and existing power structures which promote said power to the point where queerness (in love of femininity) somehow excuses deplorability since postmodern queerness never actively promotes masculinity as something that can function as socially just. Flare, Blade, and Bullet all show more toxic masculinity individually in the first 3 chapters/episodes than Keyaru, and that was a deliberate writing choice. The reason why Redo of Healer isn’t actively being socially cancelled is because its biggest statement is “people are shit” and that’s an okay statement for normies.

Normies are coming after Nagatoro because it normalizes and almost makes light of real bullying. I think us weeaboos need to understand that bullying is a higher impact problem than rape being depicted in media if we’re fighting on the hill of “violent video games don’t encourage violence”. I find Nagatoro more difficult to understand the narrative intent of than Redo of Healer, the fact the weeaboo community is disconnected from that means we’re only looking at things on the surface level and are too within ourselves to know what real world problems actually have ripple effects on human behavior. The reason why we accept Nagatoro is because we know the two main characters eventually become involved and Hachioji could handle it to the point he consented to it. In pretty much all scenarios you have a mean girl bullying someone, regardless of gender, that’s not what happens: the person is left scarred, changed, and with significant platonic trust issues into adulthood. Rape is an issue that’s handled with so little care because of patriarchy and power struggles, people are generally far more numb to it than seeing actual mental and verbal abuse just being glossed over because “he’s a guy, he’s less of one if he can’t handle it”. Anime generally is going the way of Scum’s Wish where there’s more morally abhorrent characterizations of humanity than morally neutral ones, and all of these anime that stir controversy is a reflection of said fact. Having said that, Redo of Healer is willing to go way farther down into the abyss instead of just looking at it from the edge of the hole like Goblin Slayer does, then seeing scenes for shock value when you use telescope to look. For the reason Goblin Slayer thinks it’s above an Isekai while commodifying abhorrence to draw attention, I actually find Redo of Healer to be less offensive.

[musedrevolution]

Why do we teach music history?

I’ll be honest for a moment here: I have not enjoyed music history in college. The class has always felt unnecessary: memorize this information, spit it back out. Learn these names, these pieces, and these dates. I can’t imagine needing it. But music history the subject has always fascinated me. When I took piano lessons in high school, my teacher would always instruct me to research the composer a little whenever I got a piece by someone I hadn’t played before. I not only did this research, but did it enthusiastically. I was excited to share what I found about Haydn or Tchaikovsky. 

One could argue that it was simply the way I was being taught that could change my opinion on similar material so drastically. I don’t disagree with that assertion. My previous music history education was a conversation that I got to contribute to. I got to feel like an expert sometimes because I came in with information that my teacher didn’t necessarily have. She didn’t give it to me, I found it on my own, while everything I’ve learned in college music history has come straight from the textbook or the lecture. But I would also like to argue that I was learning the material for a completely different reason when I loved it in high school piano. 

Here, I am ignoring the fact that my piano lessons were not graded and did not contribute to my GPA. I know that part of the reason I learn music history now is because I would like a good grade in my class, but that motivation is not what I am discussing here. I am focusing now on the purpose provided by the scenario. Why was the music history being taught? 

I would assert that my college music history classes are being taught in a bubble. I am learning music history because I have been told that it is “important,” although I have seen little justification for this in the rest of my studies. As a student whose primary focus is wind ensemble music, I rarely play pieces by the composers we study in-depth. When I eventually direct a band myself, this trend is likely to continue. Mozart simply didn’t write for wind ensemble, as the wind ensemble did not yet exist. My theory classes covered the music of the baroque and classical eras well before we discussed them in music history, meaning that I was once again unable to apply the things I had learned in the history class. 

This bubble is further created by one of my music history professors outright forbidding our class from connecting what we were learning in class to the music we were familiar with. The class covered music from ancient times until the year 1750. We were explicitly forbidden from mentioning anything that occurred after 1750 in our work. I did a presentation on renaissance instruments at one point, and was not allowed to mention the trombone when discussing the sackbut, nor the oboe while discussing the crumhorn. 

Without the ability to compare the past to the present, the class felt absolutely useless. Why do I need to care about the sackbut in the first place if it is not to understand the origin of the trombone? Why should I care about baroque opera that I can’t understand if I can’t connect it to the modern musical theater that I have so much affection for? 

My answer to these questions became “because I want an A in the class.” As a teacher, I hope that my students never have to answer the question “why do I need to know this” with “because I want a good grade.” That answer leads to a lack of motivation and, worse, a lack of understanding. When students don’t see purpose in learning the material, they aim to memorize rather than really engage with the content. They prepare for an assessment rather than attempting to really internalize the concepts. As an educator, that is heartbreaking. 

Yet that has been the case with my music history education much of the time. When I have asked the question “why are we learning about X,” I am often met with the argument that “X was a genius” or “X is a brilliant piece of music.” I have never found that to be a satisfactory answer. There are lots of things that are brilliant that I have no interest in studying in-depth because I know I will not use the information: papers on particle physics, for example. I’m glad someone did it, but I feel no compulsion to engage with it just because it is a work of genius. I also think that “genius” and “brilliant” are very subjective terms, and are often misused in the world of music, but that’s beside the point. 

Returning to my love of the music history I learned in piano back in high school, I never had to ask why I was learning it: I applied it immediately. I learned about the Russian revolution when playing Russian music, and put the anger and fear that so many people experienced into my interpretation of the piece. Even five years later I remember playing a Kabalevsky’s Sonatina in a minor and learning about the small act of rebellion he committed against the communist party he was employed by when he included two measures with emphasized syncopation. Syncopation was considered a “western” concept rather than a “Russian” one, and therefore could not be used in Russian music. I still know this because I got to apply that knowledge to my performance. Even if my parents didn’t know why those two measures were important, they could tell they were important because I brought them out of the texture a little. 

That application made the material mean something. Kabalevsky was more than a name and set of random facts. He was a rebel. He was fighting against oppressors. He was cool to a sixteen year old me. I have never experienced that thought in my music history classes. 

So the question becomes this: how do we get the goal of academic music history classes to be application? 

As a future high school band director, the solution is simpler than it is for my collegiate music history professors. I will have the opportunity to do something very similar to what my piano teachers did, and teach music history alongside the pieces we are performing: if we are performing “The Washington Post” march by Sousa, we will discuss march form and history, along with why John Phillip Sousa was a big deal and how the march got its name. Where was it performed for the first time? Students will connect to this information because they will be able to use to inform a stellar performance. 

This is quite impossible in a college music history class. At my university, there are members of no less than ten different ensembles enrolled in my music history class, including students specializing in wind ensemble, choir, orchestra, and jazz. It would be impossible to cover every composer we’re playing pieces by, and no composer would be directly relevant to everyone in the room. So this solution that is simple in a band room becomes impossible. 

I would suggest changing the goal of music history from knowing about certain composers and pieces to learning a skill set that is applicable to any composer and any piece. This skill set would include an advanced musical vocabulary. We would still need to learn about genres, forms, textures, and instrumentation. We would have a basic timeline of the evolution of these concepts so we can understand approximately where a piece fits in. We would learn about the useful generalizations that can be made using the idea of musical eras. This necessary skill set would also include research skills: how do you learn about music once you’re out of this classroom?

Now with the idea of a skill based curriculum comes the question: what about all of the “brilliant” composers that we focus so extensively on in our current model? Well, firstly it is important to remember that some of them fit into an understanding of the musical ideas I’ve already discussed. You cannot talk about the evolution of the symphony without talking about Beethoven. You cannot discuss the development of opera without discussing Mozart and Wagner. But these discussions can be had based on what they did rather than simply their excellence. Students can learn for themselves why these figures were important. These so-called geniuses can also offer great practice for the application of research skills that are so essential to music history scholarship. Rather than simply reading about these people in a textbook, why not read primary sources focused on their work? Why not expect students to find pieces that demonstrate general characteristics common to a composer’s style? Not only will students learn more about whatever great master is being studied, but they will be able to apply that information beyond that individual. 

This approach would have multiple advantages. Firstly, if we’re studying the people in music history for reasons other than “they’re important” it is far easier to diversify the curriculum. Music history is very straight, very white, and very male. When pieces and composers are being used as part of a broader curriculum rather than the sole focus, lesser known artists and works can be incorporated. A lesser known classical sonata can be substituted for one by Mozart. A wind ensemble symphony can serve as an example of the genre’s modern incarnation just as easily as an orchestral one. This allows all students, even those for whom orchestra or choir is not their primary focus, even those who are not white men, to see themselves in the class, and to connect to that. 

Secondly, and I cannot stress this enough, students can apply this curriculum when they are not discussing Mozart or Beethoven. As a band director, it is unlikely that I program much Mozart. But I will certainly use my understanding of how to discuss music history when I program a symphony for band, or discuss the latin origins of a piece like Kevin Day’s “Havana.” (If you don’t know Kevin Day, you will one day. He writes great wind ensemble music and is going to be HUGE). My students will need background on these pieces just as much as they would if they were playing baroque music. I wish I was being prepared as if that were the case. 

Instead, I am learning names and dates. I am learning piece titles and the fact that they are “brilliant.” If I am to apply this information outside of my music history classes, I have to figure out how to do that myself. I can do that, but I hope that the music history community aims to make their class more worthwhile to the students. Students don’t dislike music history because they are lazy or stupid. They dislike it because they don’t know what it’s for. I think it’s high time we change that. 

[blazehedgehog]

What’s wrong with different games in the same genre playing differently? You dont have a run button or the ability to jump on enemy’s heads in castlevania, and you can’t duck in megaman (usually). Metal Gear Solid didnt play like a shooter for a long time, and not every jrpg needs to be turn based or even have a menu. Sonic unleashed doesn’t play like sonic adventure, or any game, so why should srb2? Doesn’t that reduce the benefits from experimentation in game design that got us SotN?

I’ve always bristled at the idea that Castlevania and Mega Man are the same genre, because that usually means the blanket term of simply referring to them as “action games” when, like, 75% of the games on the market today contain “action.”

(Then there are the psychopaths who put Mega Man in the genre of “platformer,” and that’s when blood starts coming out of my eyes)

But I digress.

The thing that you’re forgetting in all of this is the drum I’ve been beating this entire time, and that’s the idea of STANDARDS. You’ve heard the term where something “raises the bar,” right? Innovation is not celebrating somebody throwing darts randomly at a bullseye and clapping even when they don’t hit the target.

Everything has to have a logic behind it, and either that logic is good, or it’s bad. And sometimes the logic is so good that it takes the current standard and elevates it to the next level, usually by improving on a core fundamental of the game design so much that all games to follow in its wake adopt the changes as part of the expected set of features that game has.

So you have Castlevania and Mega Man, as you say, right? They’re both “action games” but in the most granular terms possible, they are almost their own genres. Castlevania is a hyper-difficult gothic horror melee attack game, and Mega Man is a futuristic cartoon shooter with permanent upgrades.

As such, neither really has a baring on the other. What Castlevania does largely does not effect Mega Man, because Mega Man is not a hyper-difficult gothic horror melee attack game, and vice-versa, Castlevania is not a futuristic cartoon shooter with permanent upgrades. Both games have different vibes, both games have different goals, both games have different structures. They aren’t the same thing and therefore do not influence each other.

They are their own standards, essentially. So you have Mega Man 2, and some people say that’s the best Mega Man, so it’s the standard that all other Mega Man games are judged against. There is a wider action game standard, too, but it’s broader and more complex to define, so it’s easier to focus on something as simple as games in the “futuristic cartoon shooter with permanent upgrades“ sub-sub genre.

The thing to keep in mind about Sonic Robo-Blast 2, is that:

It’s a fangame that’s part of a long-established franchise where the core genre is sort of a platformer/racing game hybrid.

SRB2 has been in development for over twenty years, and if you’ve been following it for the project’s entire lifespan (as I have) you’ve seen exactly what it’s going for (which is to say: it’s the sequel to Sonic Robo-Blast 1, a pure platformer)

We also know what features were available in prior versions of the game (proper analog controls that did not require mouse aiming, and even a homing attack like the Sonic Adventure games had).

These three things influence how we judge the logic behind what version 2.2 has done. We can also use this information to compare it directly to games that are its peers – namely, other cartoony 3D platformers, and other Sonic games.

SRB2 version 2.2 implements its mouse-aim-focused controls because it is built on top of the Doom Engine, particularly the Doom Legacy fork. SRB2 has long fought to build a proper 3D platformer out of the Doom Engine. Every major version of the game moves it closer to this goal, with a third person camera, layered vertically-oriented level design, and moving platforms.

But for more than half of its development, a very popular feature for SRB2 has been its “Match” (Deathmatch) mode, which throws all the platformer stuff out the window and brings SRB2 back to the its roots in the Doom engine, with “guns” (weaponized rings) that can be shot at opponents in tight, looping arenas.

And because it’s basically Doom, it helps to play it like a shooter: WASD for strafing, mouse for aiming. The most hardcore SRB2 players even play in first-person, just like Doom. For them, it’s almost not even a Sonic game anymore, it’s just Doom with different weapons and more colorful maps. This, even though deathmatch didn’t get added until three years after SRB2 entered development.

As the game wore on, the old developers slowly left to go live normal lives and new developers were brought in to fill the gaps, some (or even most) of which were the types to play lots and lots of SRB2 deathmatch. They played so much deathmatch that they decided that playing SRB2 like a standard platformer was worse than playing SRB2 like it was a shooter, so they opted to make SRB2 play more like Doom, because that’s what they like.

Except it doesn’t need to. SRB2 is still structured and designed like a platformer. Nothing in the single player campaign explicitly requires you to circle strafe, even though the tutorial makes you practice doing so. The game’s own design is fighting itself, and the people who just want “Doom with different weapons and colorful maps” are winning. It’s making for a worse product to the people who have never touched SRB2′s deathmatch, or plan to touch deathmatch.

It’s their game. They can do whatever they want with it. They can take what SRB2 was and change that, if it strikes their fancy. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it, and it doesn’t mean I’ve given up the right to complain about it. I cared enough about SRB2 that pieces of my artistic DNA are still in that game to this very day. I’m allowed to have an opinion on it.

And that opinion is: it doesn’t want to play like a 3D platformer anymore. It ignores 20 years of analog control standardization and tells you to play a platformer like a third person shooter. It offers a kludgy justification for it by breaking established rules of how 3D platformers work – rules that, might I add, were not broken by previous versions of SRB2.

When Mario does a long jump in Super Mario 64, he jumps in the direction that he’s facing. When Banjo and Kazooie do a Beak Barge, they shoot forward in the direction they’re facing. When Jak & Daxter do an uppercut, they do it in the direction they’re facing. When Spyro does a headbutt, he does it in the direction he’s facing. When Sonic spindashes in Sonic Adventure, he shoots off in the direction he’s facing. When Sonic boosts in Sonic Generations, he boosts in the direction he’s facing. Nobody EVER shoots off EXCLUSIVELY IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CAMERA unless they are holding and shooting a gun, like Ratchet in Ratchet & Clank. But even then, the moment you stop aiming? All of Ratchet’s moves go in the same direction that he’s facing.

I really cannot make this any clearer than that.

[radical-rad1986]

ESS sign-ups

Mmm... maybe sideblogs don’t show up in tag searches?? Because my key chain post does?

So the Escaflowne Secret Santa (ESS) is a gift exchange that’s going into its fifth year. If you love Escaflowne you should join! We love new blood people. Please follow the @esca-ss​ blog for information and updates!

Thanks @drkstars-art for reminding me! Omg it is almost the end of October isn’t it? :/

Yes I’mma still use this sideblog for sign-ups bc it functions. Sign-ups end 11/16, partners will go out 11/20. Please post gifts by 1/11/2020. (Cannot type ‘2019′ for that ha.)

Sign-up form is here, send your info to icm.9302014 [@] gmail.com to sign up. FAQ is here, if you can’t find the answer holla at me.

Remember that I ignore time zones; if your time zone is right then you’re good!!

Anyone who loves Esca and wants to participate is welcome!!! Reblog and tag!!

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If the blog doesn’t work, here’s the FAQ/Information and the Sign-up form:

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Don’t see your question here? Just contact Rad via any method (email: icm.9302014 [@] gmail.com). [Heeeey, that’s a different email…. Yeah I don’t mind that the internet can see it. Responses will come from my primary email.]

What is the ESS?

The Escaflowne Secret Santa (ESS for short) is a fan-created holiday gift exchange to promote friendship between those who enjoy Escaflowne and to create new works for the fandom.

Who runs the ESS?

radicalrad-1986, call her Rad, hosts the ESS exchange. So far we’ve got four! wonderful years under the belt!

Do you need help organizing/running the ESS or working the Tumblr site?

At this time, no. If help is needed there’s already a list going. If there arises a situation in the future where Rad needs help she’ll ask. Thank you!

Who can join/participate?

Anyone and everyone who loves Escaflowne! You don’t need to be a part of the location we hang at or our little usual group on Tumblr. If you love Esca then come have fun, meet new people, make stuff for the fandom! It does not matter how old you are* or how old a fan you are; come join! (* = Please be 18+/local age of consent to participate in the NSFW exchange.)

How does this work?

1) Sign up by filling out this form and emailing it to icm.9302014 [@] gmail.com.

2) Receive your recipient’s name. 3) Create! (Keep it a secret!) 4) Check in at the requested times. 5) Post! 6) Have fun!! – Each year there will be someone helping Rad give out a set of names - including hers! Please check in with Rad, not the secondary person. Generic questions about the ESS should be directed at Rad. If you receive Rad’s name and have a question about her gift please contact the secondary person OR if you directly ask Rad be sure you’re anonymous.

When are the sign-up dates / posting dates?

These dates will change as the years go by so they’re not set in stone. If Rad is on top of things (haha) sign-ups will begin early October and posting week is mid/late December or early January. For the posting week you have the entire week, you’re not late if you post on Wednesday or Saturday instead of Sunday! :)

What can I do as a gift for my recipient? What quality does it have to be? How much time should I spend on it?

Whatever you want! If you’re a writer, write! If you’re an artist, draw! If you like making animated images, animate away! Music videos, fan soundtracks, manips, whatever your talent is. Please make something for your recipient to enjoy; if they don’t like Dornkirk don’t draw or write something elaborate based on him. Quality and time spent are hard to quantify. No one expects you to spend years on it or break yourself over it. “Please spend more than five minutes and don’t gift a rush job,” goes without saying. Surely no one will give a rushed gift but so it’s been said. Don’t compare yourself to another gifter and feel bad; know that your gift will be loved by the recipient and the fandom for the care and time you put into it.

Can I gift something NSFW or state that I’m fine with receiving it?

Yes! There is a secondary swap for those who are alright with NSFW. If you’re not into NSFW no worries! Must I gift something NSFW if I’m in that group? No; if your inspiration does not lead down that road that’s alright. It’s a way for people who are comfortable in the area to give/receive NSFW while those who are uncomfortable don’t have to worry.

Can I do BOTH swaps if there are two swaps?

Sure! The point is to have fun, so why not double it?

How/where should I post my gift?

Wherever you want; Rad is primarily linking to things on AO3 due to Tumblr’s 12/2018 stupidity.

– NSFW entries that are SFW: Please comment in the post that they are SFW as Rad will tag them that way for the filtering/block systems.

– NSFW entries that are NSFW MUST be under a cut!

– Tagging: Please @-tag this blog, esca-ss. In the tags section please tag it “ESS(space)[year]”. For example, “ESS 2017.” For the NSFW please tag it “NSFW(space)ESS(space)[year]”. Example, “NSFW ESS 2017”. Rad uses the Tumblr Search function to make sure she doesn’t miss postings. If this blog, esca-ss, doesn’t reglog your post within 48 hours please contact either this blog or RadicalRad1986 and nudge me.

Where do I sign up?? How much information should I provide? May I ask for an extra personalized gift?

Please email your form toicm.9302014 [@] gmail.com.

You can provide as much information as you want! Don’t write a book but don’t submit a single sentence either. :) — An ‘extra personalized gift’ means you’d like something based on fic you’ve written or art you’ve drawn or if you really like someone’s headcanon and you want your gift based on that. A generic request is alright but not specific (example of specific: fic A, chapter 2, lines 12-54). You must also include at least three generic likes as well. [If its longfic you can point to a chapter or two because yeah we may not have time to read 500,000 words.] Etc; it is not limited to fic, art, or headcanon. —— Example: “So I’d really like art based on this fic (URL link) that I/someone else wrote.” Or “I’d love to see a story based on this art (URL link) that I/someone else drew.” Or “Xyz posted this headcanon and I’d love to see this explored.“ As well as “I enjoy the VH dynamic, Folken intrigues me, and what the heck was Dryden doing for his five years abroad I mean how did he build his merchant empire-ish thing?” — URLs MUST be included, not just links. Links disappear as things are copied/pasted.

Can/should I message my recipient before the posting date? Can I post a teaser of some sort?

If you want, certainly! Remember though, it’s a secret! Don’t let your recipient know who you are or exactly what you’re making! If you’re having fun that’s the goal! (Example: Message your recipient as anonymous or Submit/send Rad or the ESS a teaser and she’ll post it, that way the original creator is temporarily disconnected from the teaser.)

What if I can’t post my gift on time or I have to duck out due to real life?

This is alright and totally understandable. There is a week’s time in which you can post your gift so don’t feel rushed. No one will look down on you because life happened. You have to take care of yourself first. Being a little late is obviously undesirable but understandable. If you’re going to be late or sadly must duck out please let Rad know asap. There are back-up gifters in place for this reason.

Deadlines and time zones

I try very hard to ignore timezone s. I live in Michigan, USA, so when I say a date/deadline I’m referring to my time zone of Eastern Standard. However, I try to allow twenty-four hours to go by before no longer accepting sign-ups or calling deadlines. If it’s the stated date in your timezone, you’re on time. :)

You sure link to your personal blog a lot… Just sayin’.

While I have notifications turned on for the ESS blog, Tumblr conspires against me and I don’t get the notifications. Notifications usually DO work for my personal blog. Therefore you’re more likely to get a faster response if you contact my personal blog. (Blame Tumblr.)

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The form must be emailed to icm.9302014 [@] gmail.com. This form is to indicate what you want to receive as a gift; NOT what you don’t want to gift to someone else.

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1) Screenname: 2) Places on the internet with URLs**: 3) Likes: – Esca universe: – Genre/topics/etc: 4) Dislikes: – Esca universe: – Genre/topics/etc: 5) SFW, NSFW, or both? 6) Does #3 and/or #4 change in SFW vs NSFW exchange? Is something alright with you in one exchange but not alright with you in the other? 7) If needed, are you available as a back-up gifter?

**: Please copy/paste or type out the URL on the form. For example: (radicalrad-1986.tumblr.com). When Rad receives sign-ups and their information she copies and pastes them into a Word/GDrive document. Text links usually don’t/sometimes carry over and thus your locations are lost! (This is an example of a text link.)

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EXAMPLE:

1) Screenname: Rad (variations apply) 2) Places on the internet with URLs: http://www.radical-rad1986.tumblr.com https://archiveofourown.org/users/rad http://www.deviantart.com/rad1986 http://www.deviantart.com/rad-destiny-arcs http://www.fanfiction.net/~rad

3) Likes: – Esca universe: If you know me at all you know that the Series is my only focus and Eries and the Astons and Dryden are my peeps. I’d LOVE to see more Marlene/Mahad! Love the girls x their men too. ^.^ I do love the Movie and if you want to do my gift in another universe, any universe, that’s totally fine. The usual/standard is also enjoyed but it’s nice to have a larger variety. I’d love to see more of minor characters or pairings. I can be tempted with rairpares if they’re not terribly OOC. :D I would super enjoy fanart of anything I’ve written too, iffn you feel like it. Fanart of anything I’ve written would be wonderful! (My Aston girls fic is in the reworks but the gist is the same.) – Genre/topic/etc: I don’t follow really in-depth things well (like murder/mystery or politics) but pretty much anything. While clearly there won’t be any long-haul in a Christmas gift I am all for the in-depth, long journey instead of the immediate dessert. 4) Dislikes: – Esca universe: Not a fan of Dornkirk. That’s pretty much it! – Genre/topics/etc: Whump, infidelity, gore/extreme violence, unnecessary/extreme ragging on a character/topic. 5) SFW, NSFW, or both? SFW 6) Does #4 and/or #5 change in SFW vs NSFW exchange? Is something alright with you in one exchange but not alright with you in the other? I’m not a fan of Dornkirk but in a NSFW gift his thought process could be explored and while I dislike detailed violence, test subjects could be shown with minor details. 7) If needed, are you available as a back-up gifter? Yup!

[parniarazi]

what the universe has taught me about living my best life

I haven’t written on this blog in months, as I’ve been caught up with school, work, and travels. I have been meditating and writing in my journal instead though, a habit I’m proud of and definitely want to continue. I also want to share some things here, especially as I’ll have a bit more free time to write and channel my creativity throughout the summer. I can honestly say, the past year has been the happiest and most amazing year of my life. I turned 20 last October, fearful but excited to end my teen years and embrace adulthood. Moving out of my small hometown, expanding way past my comfort zone, traveling, and falling in love have all changed my life for the better. There’s some points in particular I wanted to draw on, about ways I have cultivated more love and mindfulness everyday, and in return significantly improved the quality of my life. I apologize in advance if some of this is cheesy, just hear it out and give it a chance though! 

☽ Appreciate each phase and live in the moment. If there is one thing the moon has taught me, it’s that things change everyday, the phases will continue and she will go through her cycles. She has taught me to be present, rooted in the moment, in where I am and who I am right now. I’ve always been a dreamer, always thinking about what’s next, where I’d rather be, who I’d rather be. I remember in high school, I was honestly pretty miserable most of the time because all I thought about was being somewhere and someone else. In reality though, when I look back on my life in high school, it was actually really great. I have many good memories and stories, I just didn’t appreciate it enough at the time. Instead, I wallowed in my own misery for literally no reason. Each phase will end, whether you want it to or not. Soon, I’ll be done with college and enter a new phase in my life, and I’m glad I’ve grown up to be more appreciative, more present, and more in love with myself and my life now. Appreciate and be present in whatever phase you’re in now, because it will be gone and different tomorrow. 

☽ Play. Growing up doesn’t mean losing that childhood innocence, your sense of adventure, or your playfulness. If anything, you’ll need your child-like energy more and more the older you get. For a while, I took adulthood way too seriously. I have the blessing of working with kids, and they remind me everyday to laugh and not take things too seriously. Many of my friends, as well as myself, have experienced crippling anxiety throughout our teenage years, because life is fucking hard and scary. Sometimes you need to walk barefoot in the grass, roll down a hill, blow bubbles, watch cartoons, eat candy, and imagine you’re a mermaid. Getting into the rave scene and culture are one of the main things that have also reminded me of this. It’s amazing to see all kinds of people, grown ups from the real world, gather wearing shiny, silly clothes, and glitter to dance and vibe together. We need things like this to remind us life doesn’t have to be so serious all the time, and to allow us to judge less and love more. Remembering this and embracing that innocent, playful energy will unlock so much creativity, compassion, and imagination you have within you. 

☽ Life is full of paradoxes. My favorite one is that life is short, but it’s also so long. You’re here now, and you don’t know if you will be tomorrow, so live a life you’re proud of and leave a mark on the world and the people around you. Be exactly who you want to be remembered as. At the same time, it’s important to remember that there is no rush. You have your whole life ahead of you. You will get to places better than what you even imagined. Take it slow. There’s this cultural attitude of needing to finish school and get a job as soon as possible to be happy and successful. As real as this is, it’s also bullshit because there’s so much more to us than that. Why rush into getting a 9-5 job when you’ll have until you retire to work and make money? You’re told to get AP credits, take more classes, and you’re praised if you graduate early. But for what? Take a gap year if you need it, take less classes if you’re overwhelmed. Take your time because there’s no reason to chase material things and undermine the quality of your learning and the quality of your life. I’ll probably be 25-30 before I finish my degrees, but it’s okay because there are endless opportunities for learning, making money, and growing in a real and authentic way until then. 

☽ Move your body everyday. Something as simple as going on a walk in the morning or doing 20 mins of yoga can improve your life and make you feel better. From insomnia, to depression and anxiety, to physical pain/chronic illness, I’ve seen movement and exercise change lives for the better. We all know exercise releases endorphins, which can boost your mood, help reduce physical pain, even boost your memory and focus. Our culture is obsessed with aesthetics, and working out can suck if you don’t feel great about your body. It’s easy to compare yourself to insta fitness models or experienced yogis, but everything is a process, you have to start somewhere and you have to start with a goal of just feeling healthier and happier. For the longest time I just did ab workouts and squats because I wanted a certain body, but I realized eating food I liked, and doing a simple and easy yoga routine some days felt better than forcing myself to workout and eat healthy. Throw away the scale, don’t count calories or protein, don’t look for physical changes. Move your body in a way that feels good, eat whatever you’re craving, take care of yourself from a place of love and authenticity, and you’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel on a regular basis. Plus, the gains and strength will come along, too. I’m still working on this as well, but swimming, doing yoga, and going to the gym have helped me feel stronger, sleep better, and have less back pain from my scoliosis.

☽ Go outside. You came from the earth, and to the earth you will return. Feel the sun on your skin, the cool water on your feet, the rocks and sand through your fingers. Connecting with nature, not only by physically being outside more, but also eating more naturally, has beautiful effects that are hard to even describe. The earth has everything we could need as humans, she gives abundantly and has the power to heal us. As humans, we need to spend time with nature, the man-made society and structures we live within can sustain us, but we will never be able to connect, be as conscious, or be whole without returning to our roots. I like to have plants, sage, palo santo, and crystals in my room so I can have more connectivity to earth even when I’m indoors. The relaxing, euphoric effects from spending time outside and in nature cannot be felt or imitated with anything else. It is so grounding and uplifting at the same time, and connecting to the earth is definitely on of the main things that has improved my life. Also travel. See as much of the earth as possible. It will teach you things that nothing else can. 

☽ Meditate. Write. Listen to music. Read books. Expand yourself through multiple avenues by trying new things. I never thought I’d be into crystals or meditating or any of this spiritual shit, but instead of judging myself or others, I just decided to give it a few tries. Meditating is amazing because in a world where our brains and eyes are constantly being given information, fed images, and told what to think, it can be so hard to even hear your own thoughts and feelings over all the noise. We also live in a ‘productivity’ culture, so taking a few minutes out of your day to simply sit with yourself and breathe can be so necessary and useful. Meditating reduces my anxiety, makes me a better person to be around, and helps me deal with situations and make decisions from a place of clarity. It also helps me feel closer to myself, so I trust myself and my decisions more and overthink less. Journaling and writing has the same affect. I like to make gratitude lists in my journal, and manifest goals by writing them out after I meditate. This can seem really out there, but meditating and journaling can make some serious shit happen in your life. You’ll be amazed at the calm it brings you and when things you manifest become reality...whoa. Music and reading are also extremely elevating. I could write a whole other post on those two things alone and the incredible benefits they’ve brought into my life. Listen to an artist or genre different from what you usually listen to. Read a book you normally wouldn’t, just for fun. It’s incredible how much these simple acts of stepping outside your norms will allow you to expand and grow.

☽ Cannabis and psychedelics. If you’ve read this far, that’s amazing and why I’ve saved this fun point for last! I started smoking weed in high school, like many people, and I fell in love right away because I felt how it helped me relax, reduce anxiety, and sleep better. But it wasn’t until the past several months that I really began embracing cannabis as my medicine. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve had chronic back pain and anxiety, and nothing has helped me more than cannabis. It has also helped me gain weight (I was underweight for many years), so I am much healthier and happier now. Weed makes me a better person to be around and it has improved the quality of my life so much. Thankfully, it is becoming more and more acceptable in our country/culture, I even had the exciting experience of buying from a dispensary recently. It really bothers me when people think of weed as a ‘dangerous drug,’ because it is the most amazing, healing plant medicine. I’ve also had a few acid trips and tried Molly in the past year, and psychedelics did and still do intimidate me, but they are so powerful. Tripping isn’t going to make you ‘find yourself,’ but it can be a really useful tool in your journey for expanding your consciousness, your creativity, and allowing you to feel more love and openness. Cannabis and psychedelics help me shed my outer layer, one of anxiety, judgement, shyness, and normativities. Instead, allowing my mind to elevate and be open to love, new perspectives, and a deeper connection to the world around me. I truly believe if used properly, these things can have immense benefits and improve lives. 

I’m no expert in wellness or healing, I just wanted to throw out some mindsets and activities in particular that have helped improve my life immensely. I’m on my journey, just like everyone else, learning and growing everyday. I am so grateful for the woman I am blossoming into, and I never even imagined being able to feel as much love and joy as I do. I hope you were able to take something away from these points, and if anyone would like more specific suggestions, from books to yoga to music, please let me know! 

[ghostflowerthings]

Art and Engineering:

An Interview with Isaiah

For those who don’t know him, Isaiah is passionate about music, while also majoring in Chemical Engineering. He manages to balance his passion for engineering with the enjoyment of creating music. His best known work is Sonic Highway. I got a chance to interview him and learned more about his music and inspirations. 

How did you get into music?

“I learned how to play piano when I was 6 years old, and continued to learn different instruments throughout childhood/high school, including violin, saxophone, French horn, and marching percussion. When I was a senior in high school, I took AP music theory, which really got me interested in music composition and why music sounds the way it does. I pursued these interests further in college by completing a music minor.”

How do you balance between music and engineering?

“If anything I try to listen to all kinds of music in my free time and I try to expose myself to new artists that I find online. The classes for the music minor were also an outlet for me to think critically about composition, especially the online digital audio course I took last Spring. “

Do you wish you could spend more time on your music?

“Yeah, I do wish i could spend more time on it. I would be probably be working on personal compositions in my free time if I wasn’t working so hard on all the engineering classes. “

Would you rather be able to pursue a career in music, if there were no drawbacks?

“Honestly, I would still pursue a career in engineering. For me personally, I think music has always been a hobby and an escape for me. Making music my career might take away the “escape” it provides for me. Also, I think working in engineering gives more to society and solves more problems compared to just working as a performer or a composer. I am more motivated to pursue a career in engineering.”

Even if you don’t want to have a career in it, do you still wish you had more time to devote to music?

“In the future, I would like to spend more time on music when I have free time. I always find that I have like really quick musical motifs or ideas that I play over and over in my head, and I never get the chance to record them or produce them. “

More about your music, how would you describe the music you create. What genre would you say it is? Does your music have any motifs?

“ I would say I like to create stuff that’s super atmospheric and harmonically interesting. In that video, I tried to use a lot of seventh chords, which give it a slightly jazzy feel. In terms of rhythmic motifs, I like to use syncopated rhythms that give the piece forward momentum and energy. In terms of mixing and audio effects, reverb is probably the most useful effect that I used a lot. It makes everything sound more echoey, which helps to make the music atmospheric.”

I could totally see that in Sonic Highway. What inspired the music in that video?

“ Originally, the goal was to find some kind of video footage that I could score with music and also provide all the sound effects for it since it was for a class project. I found a bunch of clips of cars driving and went with the idea of trying to recreate the feeling of driving really fast down a highway. Like a Storm by KNOWER acted as the musical inspiration in terms of orchestration and arranging the music.”

Is this your favorite piece that you’ve made?

“Yes, it’s the most original thing I’ve ever produced.”

Can you describe your music process to me?

“I would say the first thing is to develop an emotional map for the song. I figure out what the song should sound like and what the highs and lows are going to be in terms of dynamics and compartmentalizing the song into parts if necessary. Because I listen to a lot of music, there is probably some artist I would draw inspiration from and use that as the basis for a melody of some kind. From there I just keep adding stuff until everything is the best I think it can be.”

What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?

“Quite a lot of music. Honestly, the only genre I don’t really listen to that much is country music (and there are still some exceptions there). I’ve learned to get some kind of enjoyment out of all kinds of music just by being open to learning more about different genres.”

Do any musicians inspire you?

“There are quite a few musicians that inspire me. Since I grew up playing classical music, I have a soft spot for a lot of classical composers like Chopin, Debussy, and Ravel, to name a few. There are also a lot of great jazz musicians like John Coltrane and Duke Ellington that inspire me to really think deeply about music theory and chords. And in terms of like current musicians, I would say Jacob Collier is super inspiring, since he’s like only slightly older than me and he composes music that I find to be really amazing. Seriously check him out because he’s going to be the future of jazz/modern music.”

I will. Is there any advice you’d give to your younger self?

“I would tell my younger self to practice more. I never practiced my instruments enough when I was younger.”

One more question. What’s your favorite instrument and why?

“Piano, because it’s capable of playing chords that other instruments cannot play. Also, its what I started on way back when I was younger.”

[jonathandavidlange]

Comic Theory Pt. 2

Just Because We Can Doesn't Mean We Should.

Three Panel Technique

On my third book, GRAVES, I employed a technique of almost always using three panels for each page. After my second book, I wanted a format that would bring to the comic medium a space that the characters could inhabit, along with an emotional continuity that comics rarely possess. After doing some experiments, I landed on a three-panel technique. While writing the rough draft and storyboards for GRAVES, I happened to read Osamu Tezuka's Lost World and The Mysterious Underground Men. Both books were written in the late 40s and utilized a three-panel technique on each page. This gave me the confidence to make all of GRAVES a three-panelled comic, and I had such a good experience making the comic that I've continued to utilize these techniques for the stories I have written since.

In working with the three-panel system, I have wondered if I am truly utilizing the comic medium to its fullest capability. My goal is to stabilize the perspective and approach to comic storytelling so that techniques used in film can be utilized in the comic medium. Frank Miller said that he went into comics to make them more cinematic, and that he stays in the industry to make them less so. With the production of his Sin City as a film, it is clear that any comic style can be translated to cinematic language, making Miller's statement a moot point.

So why use the three-panel method utilizing fewer comic techniques (less panels, less word balloons, less sound effects, duller colors, etc...) to make the comic language more like film? Because I believe the mediums are very related and share a lot of the same principles. They share visual narrative principles and techniques like being a visual medium, the use of cuts or edits (shown by panels and page turns in comics), and the use of texture and tertiary story devices (such as sound effects, set design, and sound design).

Emotional Integrity

Film consistently achieves a level of depth and drama that is very rare in comics. Every year there are multiple films that move me deeply and push the medium forward in daring and personal ways. In an average year there is rarely even one comic that moves me as much as five movies that have come out that year. From self-produced to indie to Marvel and DC--every year I am hard-pressed to find a comic that resonates with me to the same extent as current films. (Some examples of what came out the year I wrote this, 2016: Captain Fantastic, Moonlight, Manchester By The Sea, Neon Demon, Nocturnal Animals, and Arrival to name just a few.)

Imagine a year in comics where there were several comics that achieved a level of specific and personal emotion like the film Moonlight, written and directed by Barry Jenkins. In this film we follow one man, Chiron, who is played by three different actors. We see him grow up and encounter all of the complexities of living in Miami. We also see him struggle with his mother as a drug addict and try to navigate life with his father figure who is a gentle and loving drug dealer. What could easily become a niche art-house film is instead universal because of its approach to heartache, identity, and family. It is constructed in the most professional and wonderful way. Everything converges to make one fantastic story that washes over you, and I would dare anyone to not be shaken emotionally by it.

Some examples of earnest, raw, and nuanced intelligent emotion in comics includes contemporary comic artists Aidan Koch and Austin English as they achieve an abstract, emotionally-rich level of storytelling. In the graphic novel by Sam Alden It Never Happened again: Two Stories (2014), it is raw and powerful, yet refined and subtle. The emotional intensity and keen observation of human interaction and existence is profound and completely on par with the most understated and nuanced of films and novels. There are indie masters like Terry Moore and Alan Moore who consistently have vivid characters and build rich worlds. Masters of the past like Osamu Tezuka and Harvey Pekar continually tapped into genuine human emotion and shared insight into the human condition. Recent superhero stories by Geoff Johns, Justice League (2012), and Scott Snyder, Batman (2012), often capture the fun and energy one had when reading superhero stories as a child. They both add layers of humanity to superhero stories that are often stock and cold when written by others.

People may argue that graphic novels, specifically biographical stories, do achieve the same level of emotion that a work like Moonlight achieves. I cannot deny subjective emotion that wells up in a reader. But I can argue technique and structure. Using the example of body-horror stories, stories that focus on the fragility and decay of the human body, the structure and depth of character in a graphic novel like Charles Burns’ Black Hole (2005) cannot compare to a film like Andrej Zulawski's Possession (1981).

Before I jump in, it needs to be said that people may also argue that even comparing stories within the same sub-genre is like comparing apples to oranges. But I disagree. I believe Dracula (1931) can be compared to The Shining (1980). Two films within the horror genre (not of the same sub-genre), but with very disparate stories. Even still, the central focus of blood, family, and control of one's mind could easily spark thoughts of comparison and contrast.

Black Hole's structure jumps around, and we never focus on one specific personal conflict or really get to know even one character very thoroughly. We get more of a wide vantage point in the story. Everything is skin deep. Whereas Zulawski's Possession structure focuses on a family and places them in a familiar and terrifying backdrop: West Germany with the wall as a large and looming presence, almost a character in and of itself. Possession gets under your skin, you become part of it's mania. Black Hole appears to be more interested in a scattershot of characters and experiences. Burns’ story takes the analogy that body-horror innately brings with it and uses it to focus on a coming-of-age story in high school. This is an obvious metaphor that does not have much depth to mine. The depth of one character’s disease is never felt because it is never directly penetrated to the “basement floor” of a character, and, because of this, I found Burns’ story forgettable. Zulawski’s Possession, on the other hand, starts in the middle of a story we know nothing about. Everyone is acting strange and the locations they inhabit are equally bizarre as well as bare. As we get into the film, the reason for the strangeness becomes deeper and deeper, more personal, and alienating. By the end of the film, our head is spinning with what is real and what is fake: both in what we are seeing, but also in a relational context. The film is about alienation of the self, of the other--family, friends, and everyone else, of a career, and of the state. It is an incredibly complicated, nuanced, and personal film. It’s effect stays with you and every time you revisit another layer is revealed.

Structure

The reason that I use a three-panel, per page technique is because I feel one of the primary things missing from comics is a structure in which to set the narrative so other aspects of storytelling can shine and provide layers to the plot and characters within. An example of some very rare techniques to find in a comic that are commonly utilized in film are consistent frame composition, understandable perspective of a location as well as knowing where a character is within it, a steady and consistent flow from panel-to-panel--that does not exclusively utilize close-ups with bare backgrounds--like smooth and seamless editing does in a great film.

Something nearly all comics have in them consistently is a plethora of random panels. Randomly placed, randomly sized, and often framed very close or showing little detail beyond the character at the focal point. Comics can be hard to read for the uninitiated and feel like the story is being told in a randomly presented and ordered way. From superhero to indie, this is just how comics are made. Good questions to ask a writer or artist of a comic (or to think about while reading any comic) is why is that panel placed right there? Why is it that size? Why is it that shape? Why is it focusing on that character or action and nothing else? What else is happening in the environment around the character I am looking at, and why can’t I see it? Search Youtube for a video essay on any famous director, and you will find a plethora of video essays describing why Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, John Carpenter, or Chantal Akerman--to name a very few--shot and edited the way they did. I dare anyone to find a video essay on the structure of a very famous book like Alan Moore's From Hell (1999). (As of the writing of this I found several surface level reviews of From Hell, but not a substantial essay. For comparison there are at least five essay/theory videos on the first page of Youtube for John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982).)

Why is a plethora of seemingly random sized panels a poor layout strategy for a comic? It’s not. There are a multitude of comics that use this format to an amazing affect. But unless you are Osamu Tezuka, Dave Sim, Gabrielle Bell, Terry Moore, or Dash Shaw, odds are your comic will be cluttered, confusing, bloated, and underutilized.

Comics Vs. Novel Vs. Film

When read, a comic book is spread out over two full pages at once. This lets the reader subconsciously see both of the pages at once and in part. The reader can see what is coming, but having not yet read the two pages, there is no context for the information they have. This is an enormous advantage over film. Cinema is ruled by time and must share its information clearly, consistently, and adequately. If the information in the film is not delivered in this fashion, the story will come across too fast, too slow, too jumbled, or too confusing. A film tries its hardest to keep you under its spell, and when a component is off, at any time, you will be thrust out of the film.

Prose is hindered because it lives inside the reader’s head, and it’s easy for an author to digress down countless rabbit holes often muddying up a plot with too many details and too much information. A film is hindered because it has such a brief time to tell it’s story it must often rush through the details, leaving out many sequences from which the novel was derived. Comics have the opportunity to use techniques from both mediums, and use them better. The comic book can utilize the freedom and tools found in both novels and film. It can use prose to describe just as easily as it can use an image to tell the same story. It can use whatever it needs to to make the story clearer, more emotionally resonant, and intellectually stimulating.

A novel works very hard at communicating what an image can say instantly. A novel is not bound by time or physical space to work within, like a film. And unlike a comic it can and must describe, in subjective prosaic detail, what the author sees and intends for the reader to see. A novel is a unique and subjective experience because the format and structure of a novel can be radically different from author to author. A film has a given structure at which every filmmaker must work under. A novel has proven writing strategies and guidelines, but given that, Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) is a radically different experience compared to reading C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia (1950). Watching Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is narratively very different than but structurally very similar to Pete Docter’s Monsters, Inc (2001). The difference between authors can be like the difference between a grand feature film William Wyler’s Ben Hur (1959) and a home-made five-minute-long Youtube video. Sure, they are both made by using a video camera, but beside that they couldn’t be more different.

Time

More than film, comics share a close relationship with television. Shows are often released a week at a time using individual episodes to sculpt the narrative arc of a season to tell one long story. This is very similar to what comics do, but instead they come out monthly, with less time to tell their story, as the average comic is roughly thirty pages--the average drama TV show is 45-60 minutes. In this way it could be said filmed narrative is more efficient than comics. But if you read a story by a master comic maker like Osamu Tezuka, every panel will give you so much uncluttered information, that the story doesn’t feel rushed or incomplete.

Another advantage the average TV drama has over monthly comics is that they are made and released in seasons. They are given a break to re-adjust, get some distance from, and fine-tune the following continuation of the narrative. Comics are typically unending monthly narratives. They are often made as quickly as possible, with little time to flesh out and iron out narrative and artistic wrinkles. If comics were released as seasons, with a proper amount of time to give space and breathe to the creative process, the average quality and it’s given control of a book would increase. Imagine a show like Breaking Bad (2008) never having any break between seasons. The writers, directors, and actors would become so exhausted and burned out. It would be easy to assume they would start viewing the process of the making of the show as a hill to climb and complete, instead of a journey to explore and spend time with. Comics rarely have this luxury.

No Right Way

Obviously, there are no “right” ways to make a comic, just like there is no “right” way to make a film, TV show, or write a novel. But over the decades of each of these mediums’, their evolution has increased and allowed for radically diverse approaches of creation. Comparing the short films of the Brothers Quay to a director like Stanley Kubrick is amazing in the radical spread of approach, sensibility, and sheer variety of perspective. Comparing a superhero story from the 30s to that of one of present day, or even comparing a contemporary superhero comic to the average contemporary indie comic, one will not find much difference in narrative content, structure, or approach to art.

I believe the three-panel technique is a way to address this common lack of growth in emotional richness and depth as well as structural complexity and integrity. By unifying the approach to panels, by focusing on perspective, and by providing a space for unique and specific location design the average comic reader will not be concerned with trying to keep up with a comic and what is going on in it. The reader will instead be enveloped by the story and art and get lost just like one does with a good novel or good filmed piece of art.

Final Thought

A final note on a unique aspect of comics is its two-fold use of image as a lexicon and comics as writing. Every day we see so many images and signs that we don’t even notice the majority of them any more. All it takes is the octagonal shape and red color, and we know we are to stop our car. All we need is a triangle on a remote, and we know that means “play,” just as a square means “stop.” We see stripes and patches of color, and we know it’s a country’s flag. These make up a lexicon of images that mean and communicate concrete thoughts and ideas--as in reading the combined image of letters spelling out “S-T-O-P” in sequence, we know exactly what to do.

In much the same way, comics are a powerful medium that often utilizes narrative and visual information, and all within a glance. See a costumed character flying with a fist outstretched, and we know this is a hero. If we see a figure with their head tilted down, eyes looking straight ahead while smiling, we know this is the villain. Film cannibalizes itself, referencing shots from films of the past, providing more layers and context to both shots. Film can’t take something like a simple shape, like a character’s body, or color in a rapid glance and tie it to a narrative that has complexity and purpose in the same way that a comic can. Film will always be locked into figures, stances, photographic composition, mise en scene, and editorial motion. Comics can and do deal with a wealth of symbols and images that are varied and unlimited. These symbols and images can be used in a narrative with an added layer of depth because of the use of image as lexicon.

When writing, like when playing an instrument, inspiration can strike, causing a speed and emotion to be felt, portrayed, and converted into art. Jack Kerouac’s prose, Thelonious Monk’s arpeggios, Allen Ginsberg’s poems, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings--comics can achieve this level of spontaneity and locked-in emotion. Treating comics less like a piece of marble or a wooden chair and more like the sketch of a landscape or the initial draft of a song would be a healthy step in the right direction.

Comics can achieve something as close to the heart, as common, and as intimate as writing. Utilizing a lexicon of images to provide narrative information and context, comics can be written--not just drawn. The images themselves can be the words, and they can be written passionately, powerfully, and personally. They can be grand and heroic. They can be small and proletariat. They can be short, simple, and minimal. They can be complex, difficult, and long. Comics are amazing because they define what they are. They are cinematic. They are literate. They are visual. They are narrative. They are art. They are ours.

[webbygraphic001]

Why AI & Automation Are Actually Friends to Design

Artificial intelligence. Just hearing the phrase has been a trigger for many in the technology world since that creepy Haley Joel Osment film circa 2001. But more recently, artificial intelligence and machine learning strike fear into the hearts of skilled workers for an entirely different reason: job security, or lack thereof.

Smart-home devices, streaming services, self-checkouts, even Google searches are ways that artificial intelligence has seeped into everyday life, exemplifying the abilities of computers and machines to master both simple and complex tasks. In some instances, these technological advancements make our lives easier, but for some people, their proliferation has meant job loss and skill replacement. There’s no wonder that when artificial intelligence starts being mentioned along with web design and site creation, the spidey senses of designers all over the world start tingling.

designers think outside the box, something that AI just can’t do

But let’s get real about what AI and automation really mean for designers for a second. Talented designers with busy schedules should view these advancements as virtual assistants. For some small businesses on a limited budget, the websites that artificial intelligence can pump out might be fine…for a while. However, as businesses grow, change, require updating and customization to adapt to their customer base, the expertise of creative and talented designers will always be needed. Even the best AI that we see today is limited by evaluating, replicating, and revising what already exists. It may be able to mix 1,000 different color schemes into 10 million potential combinations, but great designers think outside the box, something that AI just can’t do.

In fact, rather than being scared of automation, designers ought to embrace automation and artificial intelligence as a way to unleash their creative thinking. Delegate repetitive, straightforward tasks to the right software, and suddenly you have time to bring your best ideas to the table and push the boundaries of your own innovation. 

Where AI has Failed in Design

The ultimate goal of artificial intelligence and automation in design work is a grand vision that has yet to be realised.

Consider the case of The Grid, which began as a crowdfunding campaign in 2014. The “revolutionary” product posed itself as an artificial intelligence solution for building thoughtfully, yet automatically, designed websites in five minutes. Research “Reviews of the Grid” in any search engine and you’ll be met with scathing criticism with only some small praise sprinkled in. Most of the initial users cite underwhelming results, the feeling of being duped by the Grid’s marketing tactics, nonsensical placement of text, and ultimately, the Grid being a complete waste of money for the resulting product. Even at the low cost of $100, compared to hiring a talented designer, most users felt their investment was wasted.

For the AI capabilities that exist now, most small business owners, or those looking to put together a simple website, are better off using drag and drop site builders (Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, etc) that have been around for ages. Even so, there are plenty of businesses still willing to hire designers to take this simple task off their plate due to a lack of technical expertise or lack of time. And let’s be honest, are there even enough talented (keyword here!) designers out there to keep up with the millions of websites created every year, without each one working themselves to death? 

Where Automation Shines for Designers

Fortunately for good designers, it appears for now that the days of artificial intelligence completely taking over their jobs is a fantasy. However, what AI and automation do offer designers is a solid starting point for success, eliminating much of the lower-level grunt work that most designers would rather skip anyway.

Even well-received AI website builders like Firedrop still require a basic eye for design and specialised knowledge to produce truly unique, high-converting, and user-friendly websites. Tools and practices that designers should adopt are the artificial intelligence and automation resources that will help them do their jobs better, faster, and leave them with more time to focus on project elements that AI cannot accomplish on its own.

Bridging the Gap Between Designers and Developers

Well-established brands are likely to already have design systems in place that guide the creation of new elements across their digital profiles whether on social media, various mobile apps, or different sections of a website. But even in large corporations — excepting those who have perfected the process — there’s often a breakdown between a designer’s vision and resulting product from the developers. It stems from the basic difference in how they each approach their work and the limitations of the systems they use.

While component libraries — or even full design systems for that matter — won’t reconcile every question, they provide both developers and designers a source of truth to work from that both parties can understand. Design collaboration tools like Invision and Visme, specifically, keep designers and developers on the same page with automated version saving and code-friendly workflows.  

Understanding the Consumer

I don’t suggest using artificial intelligence to produce content for your site

Digging into and understanding the behaviours and habits of site users is a relatively new component of site design, but offers invaluable insights. Tools like HotJar, Mouseflow, or Smartlook make it simple to see holes or leaks in your conversion funnels, detect which page elements users are interacting with, and which they’re not interested in to refine the look and feel of a page for maximum conversions. Even though these tools provide the data, it still takes a keen eye and understanding of design to implement the right changes to improve site performance.

Site content is another way that artificial intelligence has the potential to improve our understanding of customer behaviour and improve site performance for individual users. I don’t suggest using artificial intelligence to produce content for your site, no matter how much the results have improved. However, static landing pages or a single set of further reading recommendations are unlikely to appeal to the majority of site visitors. Artificial intelligence tools like CliClap and Personyze instantly collect and analyse consumer data to provide dynamic, personalised experiences that drive more leads and encourage conversions. Creative designers will also learn from this data to improve customer experience with other pages or elements throughout the site.

Removing Distracting, Time-Sucking Administrative Tasks

Because “artificial intelligence” has become a term with such negative connotations, we often overlook the simple way that AI actually makes our work lives better and easier. Machine learning in email filtering is a great example of this. Consider a simple interface like a Gmail inbox. We have the option to mark certain senders as spam or as important, and our inbox learns that type of communication is and isn’t useful to the user. Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, and more all take cues from the user behaviour of liking a certain song, artists, or genre of music to build customised playlists. There are a myriad of ways that artificial intelligence and its branches of disciplines merge with our everyday lives. 

Some of the most useful automations for business, and especially for designers, are related to the administrative tasks that frequently take time away or distract from more pressing projects. A perfect example of automation that can relieve stress and cut down on mindless work is an email autoresponder. I’ve always found that having time blocked off in my calendar to tackle complex or important projects helps me to focus on the task at hand and be more efficient. In order to more effectively block out my time, closing my email and setting an autoresponder to reply to all incoming emails serves two purposes: 

Lets those trying to get in touch with me know that I only check my email at certain times of the day and that my response may not be immediate — tempering their expectations of when they might hear from me.

Relieves my personal stress of being tethered to my inbox, splitting my focus, and also saves the time of having to initially respond to each email individually. 

This is just one simple way to use automation in your email, although there are many others to explore.

While Zapier isn’t the only workflow automation service on the market, it’s probably the most well known. Workflow automation reduces time spent on mind-numbing, repetitive tasks and helps designers connect apps that might not natively work together. Do you keep a task list in Todoist? Set up a Zap, then create a task in Todoist anytime someone mentions you on Asana or assigns you a task in Trello.

This is especially helpful for freelance designers who work with multiple clients across various project management platforms. The potential for automation to relieve unnecessary mental overhead for designers is nearly limitless.

Don’t be Afraid of AI, Embrace It

The bottom line of this brief overview of artificial intelligence and automation in design is that this emerging technology isn’t something designers should be scared of. In fact, it’s something to welcome with open arms because ultimately it can make our jobs, and our lives, better. Leave the monotonous tasks of collecting and analysing huge amounts of data or administrative minutiae to the machines; they can handle it.

Save the interesting, creative, abstract work for the talented designers who can turn AI recommendations into unique and intuitive digital experiences. Making the relationship between artificial intelligence and design symbiotic will yield the best results for every entity involved: the business, the AI, and yes, even the designer.

  Featured image via Unsplash.

Source from Webdesigner Depot https://ift.tt/33fQUXJ from Blogger https://ift.tt/3cL7x0G

[wment-groups]

B1A4 Interview Translation The Star Jan/Feb 2017 Issue

Full translation credit to DEULLERR. Original Translation here.

JINYOUNG

Q: It's been a while since you guys released an album. Please simply introduce to us B1A4's 3rd full length album [Good Timing].

A: It is filled with 13 songs all self written and composed. It is an album that gives you a different feel of B1A4 from what we have been doing up to now.

Q: The album this time round is as expected in charged by Jinyoung. What is the point you emphasis about when you write songs?

A: If we were to really choose, because I have been writing songs since debut, as time passes, the genre of music or thoughts that comes up changes naturally and dissolve into the music.

Q: Is there a song that you feel the most attached to for this album?

A: There's this song called "Together". We actually recorded the song with 50 fans whom we selected. It is a song that is meaningful each other.

Q: I can't leave out drama "Love in the Moonlight". It was a production that solidify your position as an actor.

A: At first I was worried and felt burdened. But thanks to the help of the director and scriptwriter, I was able to finish this off well and I feel happy about it. Through this production, I did a lot of monitoring and there are a lot of parts where I can do better and I intend to fix them.

Q: When is a good timing for Jinyoung?

A: I think its "always". Rather than pointing out when is a good timing, I think rather take the time I made a good timing. Even though it might be a little hard to do it, but if gain strength and do it, just by practicing it, wouldn't you be able to create your own good timing?

Q: If there is a chance in the future, what would you like to act as?

A: I want to do romantic comedy. Since I have always been playing one side love, this time round, I want to play a fulfilled love line. And also I want to act in a war movie. It will be a very difficult movie to do. (laughs)

Q: From writing music, singing, and even acting, you are really a multi-talented idol. Are there any more areas which you wish to try out in the future?

A: I generally like challenges. So even if I were to fail, I will still want to try it out for experience. I want to try things like MC, Radio DJ. Even if I can't do it well, at least I tried and have no regrets after.

Q: Is there anything that you hope from the members as a leader?

A: Honestly, because the members are doing very well on their own part, there is nothing much I need to do. So the only thing I want to wish for is to not get sick, stay healthy always and promote together for a long long time.

Q: Please tell us your goals that you wish to fulfil in 2017.

A: Exercise more to make my body more muscular. Also, I want to have a lot of concert and chance to be close to the fans. I hope that you will always support and look forward to us.

SANDEUL

Q: You have been busy promoting your album. How do you feel promoting with your members after a long while?

A: Now that I have promoted alone, I want to hurry promote with the members. As expectedly, promoting with the members makes me full of life.

Q: Since you were promoting, take care of your throat seems to be more important than any other things. Are there any secret tips to taking care of your throat?

A: Eat well sleep well. That is why when we promote, I will gain weight slightly.

Q: You surprised everyone with your outstanding vocals on MBC King of Masked singer and Duet Song Festival. As such you probably have a lot of thoughts as a vocalist, what is your dream image as a singer in the future?

A: Work even harder so that my song will be a song that the whole country will know how to sing.

Q: Please tell us the 3 songs that you would recommend us the most in your current playlist.

A: Usher - No limit, Sam Smith - Lay me down, The weekend - I feel it coming.

Q: If Sandeul was to choose a good timing in life?

A: When I first got casted (by the company) and made a decision to come up to Seoul. I have never imagined myself to become like this. I just thought to come up and gain experience.

Q: Gyeongsang-do guys are very manly. But you showed a lot of aegyo while doing "Kyu Byu Chu" on broadcast. Are you like this in real life?

A: My family has a lot of aegyo in general so I think I got influenced. (laughs)

Q: Sandeul had activities from musical to solo album. You are the busiest compared to the rest of B1A4. What did 2016 mean to you?

A: For me, 2016 is a year I returned back to the heart I had in the beginning. A year of taking one step at a time calmly and filling up the lack in my life.

Q: Please tell us your goals that you wish to fulfil in 2017.

A: I wish for this year to be very busy and crazy as well. Because only when we are busy, then we will have more time to see banas. I also want to do a lot of performances. I also want to be able to come back and promote with a new B1A4 album soon.

CNU

Q: Congratulations on getting 1st place! Did you expected it?

A: Never. But we know that the fans are looking forward very much to this album and I thought will we have good results by working hard.

Q: In the album this time round, Shinwoo's song "Nightmare" gives a different feeling from the songs B1A4 has. Where did you get your inspiration from?

A: I got the inspiration from the movie, Pay back, which Mel Gipson acted in. The main character is betrayed by the lover, I thought about how would the main character feel and wrote the song. That's why I deliberately wrote the track with a reggae feel and direct lyrics. I want to continue writing this kind of challenging songs.

Q: I looked at the members and you guys all joke around a lot. If you were to rank them in sequence?

A: Jinyoung CNU Sandeul Baro Gongchan!

Q: Before we knew it, you are an idol in his 6th year. Compared to debut days, is there anything different and anything that stayed the same about the members?

A: The members definitely all became more matured. On the other hand, the close friendship that B1A4 have did not change.

Q: On on of the radio recently, you said you are a realistic person. Why did you think of yourself that way?

A: I am the kind who thinks that if I cannot be objective, then I will regress. In order to be strict with myself, I work my best to because a realistic person. However, when I think about the things that I want to go, the goals that I want to fulfil, I think I am a idealistic person. I think that it is better to dream big.

Q: Please tell us your goals that you wish to fulfil in 2017.

A: In 2017, I want to bring better music and meet fans with a more matured image. I want to also do a lot of promotions that can show the colours that only B1A4 has.

BARO

Q: The title for this album is Good timing. What is Baro's Good timing?

A: I think it is now. As we prepare for the album this time round, there were a lot of changes within us, and since we came back after 1 year and 3 months, there was a greater anticipation and I think that it is a good timing.

Q: Together with Jinyoung and Shinwoo, you participated a lot in the writing the songs for this album. Is there any episode that is memorable while writing songs together?

A: When we were writing our title song "A lie", the lyrics didn't came out as well and I was unhappy about it. In the meanwhile, I went to the toilet and tried writing the lyrics, and they came out all at once. It was very interesting and my mood got better. (laughs)

Q: The song that you like the most in this album?

A: Title song "A lie" and "Drunk on you". The story and music arrangement is good so I listen to them often.

Q: When I look at Baro's own clothes' fashion, I find that you have a lot of (fashion) sense. Is there an area that you will pay attention to when wearing clothes normally?

A: I usually just wear whatever that comes to my mind but if that doesn't happen, I will look at the artist that I like and get some hints from there. The most important thing would be colour matching and a sense of wearing something ordinary and not make it look ordinary.

Q: When it comes to Baro, I got reminded of the solid thighs that you have shown on variety shows. Are you still exercising?

A: I don't usually do lower body exercises. I want to lose some thigh muscles but it doesn't seems to be losing. (laughs)

Q: Up till now, your acting skills has been acknowledged through dramas. You said you wanted to act as a villain, what is the reason and from the dramas and movies you have watched, who is the more charming villain you have seen?

A: I like Hwang Jeong Min and Lee Byeong Heon acting the best. I find the recently movies Asura - City of Madness and Inside Men the most interesting. I want to act as a villain in a noir movie.

Q: Please tell us your goals that you wish to fulfil in 2017.  

A: Be it in the area of music or fashion, I want them to be more acknowledged by the public. I will work harder to show a better image.

GONGCHAN

Q: Is there any interesting episode that happened while promoting together with the members recently?

A: Recently all the members came to my house to play. It has been a while since we gathered like this but it was not awkward at all and it felt natural like how when we were still staying in the dormitory. It was happy and lively. The part that we did our own things the moment we entered the house, feels like nothing has changed.

Q: As the youngest in the team, what does the existence of the older brothers mean to you? On the other hand, what kind of younger brother do you want to be?

A: They are like oxygen. I definitely need them to survive. They always become my strength no matter where I go and they are people whom I always think about. I cannot do without them. I want to be like a charger to the older brothers. When they feel faint or are going through a difficult time, I want to become their energy and reenergize them. The older brothers are always making me laugh and giving me happiness, the team's atmosphere is always up! (laughs)

Q: If you were to choose a good timing in your life?

A: To debut with B1A4. I am really happy to meet fans like Banas. They are my greatest strength and they are the greatest driving force that makes me move. No, to me they are more than that. (laughs)

Q: You are B1A4's representative ulzzang. Do you exercise separately?

A: Now we are promoting so there isn't time. But when we are preparing to comeback, I exercise with my personal trainer.

Q: You seems to communicate directly with fans on SNS like Twitter, Instagram etc. You also use the fanarts that the fans drew. Do you find it fun to communicate with them?

A: I communicate with fans whenever I miss them. Since I can't see their faces, I go onto SNS to talk and play with them. It is really fun to talk to them and I gain strength from it.

Q: I heard that you had a lot of popularity when you were a student. Do you have any memorable episodes?

A: Actually that is a groundless fact. I was really quiet and my friends and I are students that likes games. (laughs) It feels like as if we go to work at the PC room everyday.

Q: Please tell us your goals that you wish to fulfil in 2017.  

A: I hope that the things that I do will go well. Don;t get injured and always staying healthy. Steadily work hard in preparing so that I can show fans and the public a more charming image.

[gbhbl]

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are very pleased to bring you an interview with the mysterious melodic, orchestral, blackened death metal band, Monumentum Damnati. Their debut album, In the Tomb of a Forgotten King is out on March 30th 2020.

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1. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. How is everything in the Monumentum Damnati camp right now?

Abhoth: Thank you as well! Strange but as a matter of fact the debut album hasn’t been officially released and yet we are already actively creating the next one. We have been waiting for so long and don’t want to miss a single day. Also we’re working on the several videos during the process.

2. Can you give us a little bit of background into the creation of Monumentum Damnati?

Abhoth: The backstory of the project is much longer than its official existence. The appearance of MD was hindered by other projects, psychological issues, and generally different vigorous activity. But despite all of this the band finally took shape now. Great luck or a sign of fate but I managed to find the right people where I did not expect at all.

Thanatos: Yeah it all started not so long ago actually. That’s a quite strange story, you know. It started from the moment when I met Abhoth in a psychiatric hospital, I will drop the details of what we did there and how we ended up in such place. The thing is we quickly found common ground. Turned out that we have a lot in common, views on life and art but especially music. We both had some unused material from our other projects that lay deep down in the depth of consciousness. The idea to create some dark art together suddenly spark in the air and as a result we transmitting those amorph thoughts and demo tapes to a very definite form.

3. Monumentum Damnati is quite a mysterious band. What made you want to hide your identities?

Abhoth: Hidden faces and personalities behind the masks with blurred borders are primarily a symbol of the fact that music has no gender, country, skin color, or time. Actually to any artist would be useful sometimes to be by the other side of regular dogmas and borders. Passion for thematic literature / films / books also contributed to this choice.

Thanatos: First of all music is most important, who we are and how we look shouldn’t be relevant. On top of that, personally I don’t really like the excessive attention to me.

4. Do you think it works to focus listeners on the music rather then who is in the band? Or is there not the possibility of those hidden identities becoming a distraction?

Abhoth: In many ways this may look like a detachment from the public but the message is actually opposite. People who understand our art is the part of us and we are part of them. Long self-isolation didn’t pass without a trace, let’s say so. This is our specific way to make interaction with the public as honest and comfortable as possible for the both sides.

Thanatos: It is important to understand that this is not just a stage masquerade to stand out from the other bands. The message a lot deeper.

5. The masks are very detailed and very horrific looking. Does horror in general play a bit part in the makeup of Monumentum Damnati?

Abhoth: Horror is an inalienable part of our lives. It seems that I peered too long into the abyss and the abyss looked back at me. The horrors that served as the basis for some of the compositions in the past now seem distant. But so far it can haunt nightmares. And you can never get rid of it you can only accept it and put it on paper / canvas or a music sheet. But if we talk about the atmosphere of horror on the first album… it is still not so noticeable when compared with the material that we are preparing for the next release. The real evil is coming.

Thanatos: It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of horror – as a genre of horror tales, and the horrible terrific things that occur in our lives. The first one is simply taken from the category of the entertainment industry but the second one is a brutal terrifying reality which is much worse and horrifying. Each person in his life sooner or later faces a series of terrible events and lives with his inner demons, trying to fight them. I stopped fighting mine I accept them and even draw an inspiration from it. Nightmares often haunt me as well. A couple of times I’ve experienced sleep paralysis, saw some things, sometimes it was even difficult to determine whether you are sleeping or this is really happening now. In general it is certainly difficult to ignore and of course such things are reflected in the creation of art.

6. Although quite a modern band, the music for the new album has been taking shape for longer, right? Can you tell us a bit about this journey and was In the Tomb of a Forgotten King always the goal?

Abhoth: If look back to the past the concept of the album should have been completely different. Over time the views on some things and musical addictions have changed. Some songs had to be returned to the drawer of the table while a number of new songs appeared. Including the title track of the album. This also predetermined the concept of a future release and the other visual parts. Do you know the feeling when you are sleeping and even in spite of intense fear you cannot force yourself to wake up? A terrible nightmare vision is not only a curse but also a gift. Nothing is real like a dream, and nothing is ghostly like reality. The composition “In The Tomb Of A Forgotten King” was created after one of these nightmares. Fearing to forget the bewitching melody and plot of the dream I rushed to record a demo and soon became literally dumbfounded by the feeling “here it is, yes, that’s what I wanted to say.”

Thanatos: There are many ideas, we still have a lot of tricks in our sleeves. In the debut album we didn’t show even a half of it. This is not the end of the tunnel there is still a lot to go.

7. In the Tomb of a Forgotten King, your new album is out soon. Are you satisfied with what you accomplished here?

Abhoth: This album is in many ways too personal and it’s hard to say for sure whether it was possible to realize all the ideas till the end. If so, then probably the band’s activity would have ended. But we are definitely pleased that this buried in a tomb forgotten king will not be forgotten. I am immensely grateful that Thanatos and colleagues finally managed to awaken me from the deep catatonia. They helped to throw secret creativity into the world. There are still many compositions left that are waiting in the wings, new ones are being written. But we must come to terms with the fact that because of our perfectionism it is difficult to be 100% satisfied with any result. But the main goal was achieved – to give life to our inner demons and to throw out 9 different faces of the wounded soul.

Thanatos: It depends on how you look at it. Unhealthy perfectionism always prevents you from objectively evaluating your work. Every time I want to change something or even redo it from the beginning. It is so rare when you manage to make everything exactly as you thought in your head. And it seems to me that with this album we more or less succeeded with that.

8. Is there a story within the music? A narrative being told?

Abhoth: Yes there is a story behind each song and it’s dual. These are stories inside the stories, parallel overlapping stories, where it is impossible to say for sure what interpretation a particular listener will find for himself. The meaning is veiled by metaphors and parallel plots. The dual nature of things has haunted me since birth. This is very well demonstrated in the song “My Bloody JJ”.Please, don’t get me wrong I’m not like an evil clown which running after people with an ax at the ready. The mysterious character JJ is taken from the book by Australian writer Will Elliott “The Pilo Family Circus”. Who interested – surely welcome to google it or even better rather buy a book and you will understand everything.

Thanatos: I think it will be wrong trying to explain what’s what. After all this is the beauty of art that each individual will be able to interpret the meaning in his own way. It is not so important what kind of message the author put in if the listener has any associations which are based on his personal experience. Therefore it’s good when there is a place for interpretation. It is important to not to deprive listeners of this right.

9. It is an incredible piece of work. A gothic, orchestral doom epic that crosses over many a genre. Did you find yourself tweaking and tweaking until you got exactly what you wanted?

Abhoth: Thanks! In terms of songwriting each track was born in different conditions and sometimes incomprehensible even to my sophisticated mind. Something literally appears right away in a couple of hours and some tracks were redone and shelved for the several months, delivered and shelved again. During the hospitalizations for obvious reasons it was impossible to write down alive the motives appeared in my mind. I had to find for the alternatives. An interesting experience. Regarding the style it was already noted that we did not have a binding to the specific genre. What came from the heart became part of the compositions.

In terms of the final sound design… In many ways we have been looking for the right sound engineer for a long time. Despite the large list of colleagues we wanted a new sound different from the previous ones. And one day I found an interesting Greek project Ocean Of Grief and contacted Koliopanos Filippos with the offer to cooperation. It was a great solution because we got a wonderful experience of cooperation. He not only took mixed ingredients between himself but also added his spices for the finished dish.

Thanatos: The goal was to create something that would be at least a little unique. These days it is super difficult to stand out, all the cool reefs have already been played the most genres are in stagnation. We don’t limit ourselves in any ways musically, we listen to all the music and trying to take the best from each genre and competently compose it. Pure metal genres are too conservative and limited to certain frames. We are highly against it. In the future we will have even more unexpected experiments, however the dark mix will remain.

10. Was there every a point who thought this project just wasn’t going to work? Or where you determined to get it done?

Abhoth: In fact it depends on how you relate to the result and how to vary it for yourself. From the beginning we didn’t set the goal of achieving sky-high results, big fees, or signing up for a major label, smashing large venues etc… The main goal was to create a project for the soul where the music would be in the first place (well, and the related: art, video, lyrics) Not as a PR tool but as a creative product.

Thanatos: Not really. We are all quite experienced musicians so no one panicked, everything goes on as usual. The ideas for the debut album were hatched for a very long time. However, it was surprisingly easy to find compromises and to sort things out.

11. Is this a one off? Or are you going to see how In the Tomb of a Forgotten King is received before you make a decision?

Abhoth: In our debut single (and video) “Infernal Sun” a person who has believed in the inviolability of his religion all his life begins to doubt whether everything is true, what he believed so far? He is tormented by the visions of the inevitable end, he constantly wonders if a higher power can give him what he firmly believed. Will the sun still shine after his death? He is horrified to realize that he cannot control the course of things and he isn’t in a position to look into tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come.

Thanatos: It’s difficult to look far into the future especially when there is no confidence in the future. Definitely we’ll work further and don’t plan to stop there. We still have a lot of unrealized ideas and opportunities, our path is just beginning.

12. What about bringing Monumentum Damnati to a live stage? Certainly not the easiest thing to do, I’m sure.

Abhoth: We have a concert activity in the plans of course. And this really is not the easiest task for sure. Each of the participants played a lot of performances with other projects and with confidence they can notice that for active concert activity a lot of resources are needed. At this stage, concert activity would be a good pastime for us. But I don’t want to disappear for the months on tours. It’s better seldom but to the point.

Thanatos: Concerts certainly will be it’s just a matter of time but unfortunately we can’t promise anything concrete for now. We are preparing something interesting something big, more than a usual concert, a kind of gloomy performance. Anyway we are always open to interesting opportunities.

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Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Band Interview: Monumentum Damnati Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are very pleased to bring you an interview with the mysterious melodic, orchestral, blackened death metal band, Monumentum Damnati.

[travelxbritt-blog]

7 WAYS THE BELLEVILLE THREE CHANGED THE MUSIC SCENE FOR E-V-E-R

THE MUSIC SCENE FOR E-V-E-R

Have you ever heard of Detroit ? The motor city? You’ve probably heard about the city’s tough economic circumstances with the American automobile industry. Now have you heard of The Belleville three? Regardless of the fact that Detroit has so much complicated history, it is a very special and noble place in the music world.

3 men from Detroit by the names of Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May form the Belleville three. Not only was it groundbreaking what the Belleville three did and continues to do, it was also monumental in the music scene.

From the mid to late 80’s, Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins, and Derrick May changed the game of techno music forever. From the US to European dance floors, the Belleville three opened doors for the next generations to come in the music world. They put techno on the map, giving it a voice, and a very important introduction to the world.

So where does the name Belleville three even come from? All three of them grew up and went to highschool together in Belleville, Michigan. That name to identify them has stuck around to this day.

THE BIRTHPLACE OF TECHNO

Being that i’ve personally gone to Detroit twice, I’m a bit familiar with the birthplace and history of techno. However, there is always room to learn. Prior to going to La Riviera in Madrid last Friday to see them perform, I watched this documentary named “Hi Tech Soul.” Instantly I thought I have to put this on people’s radar as this is a great documentary to really learn how all of this magic started. You can even tell it’s such a raw documentary from 2006 by the quality. It’s main thing is about the message, not the imagery. I love and always appreciate rawness and authenticity!

Undoubtedly, there are infinite reasons we can say these 3 legends changed the music scene forever, but here are 7 things we absolutely have to shine light and give them huge credit to.

1. CREATING A NAME AND IDENTIFYING THE GENRE

Juan Atkins gave the name of the music genre Techno. Why this is SUCH a key factor is because before he named it techno, nobody was identifying this music as “techno.” Techno music goes way back but it’s musical identity started with Mr. Atkins. Originally Juan wanted to name his first compilation of their early music “the house sound of detroit.” Yet the first track Juan submitted within his music network was named “Techno Music.” After getting feedback from Virgin UK hearing the compilation, they changed the compilation’s name to “Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit.” Europe took a major role in this album’s success as the track “Big Fun” by Inner City (Kevin Saunderson and Shanna Jackson) went number one in the UK.

The Belleville three states to have inspirations from Kraftwerk, Soul Sonic force, and Giorgio Moroder to name a few. Though techno is still an incredibly young music genre, we can thank The Belleville three and everyone who came after for giving this music genre SO much light and giving it the exposure it needed from the mid to late 80’s. Furthermore, they gave it a name and a genre to become something unique.

BIG FUN youtube link -  https://youtu.be/Gr-zG-IXDyo

2. THE BELLEVILLE THREE MADE A NEGATIVE SITUATION INTO A POSITIVE ONE -

Detroit has been a tough and unstable city since back in the day. Though Detroit still struggles today, the Belleville three was able to make music and bring positive attention to Detroit. This is remarkable because who in the 80’s would really think to create something so unique during such a complicated economic crisis? Those old abandoned warehouses came to use when they were looking for venues. It brings so much history into the picture when your throwing parties at an old, abandoned, factory. It combines techno, a brand new sound, with the raw industrial history of Detroit and America.

The complications of this era really shines light on how creative and innovative The Belleville three and other Detroit artists were at the time. They came together and created something sustainable for themselves. Instead of just hoping Detroit’s abandoned buildings would occupy, they formed musical experiences and parties in these abandoned warehouses for people to come together to bond over this music.

If you ever get to visit Detroit, you will definitely experience this grungy, rawness, that there is to the city. When I went for Movement all the venues for the fiestas almost look haunted. It looks so old and historical, like the venue itself has so much to say. Throw some good music in there and it’s one hell of an experience back in time. When my friends and I went to check out Moody Man, it was almost in a secret place. It was in the basement warehouse of a jazz club and a restaurant. Something you would never guess nor combine if you were to look at the place. If you really pay attention, Detroit overall is a very unique and quirky city that looks like it’s almost completely abandoned outside of the city center.

3. THERE WAS A GOAL TO MAKE TECHNO MAINSTREAM

This was not only for economic or personal reasons. The Belleville three mixed and experimented with multiple different types of sounds and mixed it into a unique one to put it on the map. This wasn’t for them to only gain an income, this was because they really genuinely wanted the music to get exposed. It was their goal for people to experience new music. They wanted people to listen and for it to become something else other than underground and grungy. Derrick specifically really wanted it to be extremely accessible to his audience.

The Belleville three has done a great job at bringing techno music into society. The music is taking itself to its next level with the second wave of Detroit and all the artists that came after and are still up and coming. Being so passionate and supportive to each other about growing is inevitably a contributor to their success. This was a big moment for the Techno movement as they were able to strategize and network with the right people eventually.

Neil Rushton reached out to Derrick May and it was all uphill from there. Once Derrick met Neil Rushton (former British dj and reporter), a lot of doors opened for the Belleville Three and their social circle. They were individual but worked as a team so all of them privileged from meeting Neil. Once they started working with him he created a business direction. It also led to major gateway for their music to get exposed in a brand new scene, Europe. It was a home run for everyone considering, The Belleville Three had top talent and knew of other artists that were just starting out, and Neil knew where to take the music.

TAKING MUSIC AROUND THE GLOBE

They were able to take music across the world. Things blew up and blossomed quickly. One thing that is SO interesting that the documentary “Hi Tech Soul” talks about is that the music scene is so big and different in Europe compared to the US. Taking things to Europe is what actually caused a lot of success for their music. The Belleville three and other djs are considered celebrities in Europe where in the US it is possible not everyone would even recognize them. In the US, techno is so off the grid and underground that you merely cannot compare it to the music scene in Europe.

Why is techno so big in Europe and not as much in the US? I’m not sure, in my opinion I contribute this to culture just because Europe’s dance scene has been so big and established for years. Anyways, combining British and American forces, Neil and the Belleville three were able to take music across the world and make techno more mainstream.

4. BROUGHT NEW LIFE TO THE CITY

With the efforts of many people such as George Baker, Alton Miller, Frank moore, and the Belleville three DJing, they were able to create a musical experience as a party they named “The Music Institute.” They sold memberships to a lot of teenagers and other young people, and would rent out abandoned warehouses in the innercity of Detroit for these parties from 12am -6am. They contribute “The Music Institute” to bringing techno to the next level. They were extremely innovative musically, they were techno innovators.

The music was new to everyone. At a time where most clubs in Detroit were playing punk, top 40, or alternative, it rocked the nightlife seen. People loved it and it was a major success. This was home to one of the only places at the time that you could hear that kind of music, techno. It became such a success that people talked about it like wildfire even with limited promotion. Yep, that means nobody was putting money behind promoting and marketing, yet this movement was so strong that it attracted the right people and created a powerful experience for so many.  Derrick May has actually mentioned that there has never been a place he has performed like the Music Institute. This was a very simple venue that actually didn’t even sell liquor nor allowed smoking to keep police at bay. Meaning, it was always about the music.

IT WAS PURELY ABOUT THE MUSIC

These weren’t raves with fur and glow sticks with attendees who had no idea what music was playing. It was a very simple dark venue with good music and a strobe light. Simple, yet effective. There were hardcore fans. Once this ended, it was really depressing for some. People like Richie Hawtin used to go to the Music Institute. This place is super historical and monumental. I mean just think of these musicians and djs who came up listening to this music.

Where would they have gone if things like the music institute didn’t even exist back then? One other thing I find so interesting is that Richie Hawtin states in “Hi Tech Soul” that the Music Institute reminded him of Berlin and the dark European dance floors. I can definitely see the comparison as both Berlin and Detroit are super grungy cities with such a tough historical background. If you want to learn even more about the music institute, you can go here.

5. SUPPORTED EACH OTHER AND BROUGHT NEW LIFE TO THE NEXT GENERATION

Stacy pullen, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig. These people are actually each others competitors but its remarkable how they talk about the team work and the efforts to help each other in this documentary. Can you imagine what would’ve happened if anyone got greedy with success? A clear reminder how powerful things can become if we support one another.

Imagine if Juan Atkins tried doing all of this alone? That would’ve been tough! Juan Gave Derrick May the confidence to make music, he was like a mentor for everyone. Juan also got into the music scene as early as his Highschool years. His dad’s background also came from music as he was a concert promoter. He took music courses at Belleville highschool and eventually met Rick Davis at Washtenaw Community College where they created the music group Cybertron.

Some other big support systems were “ The Electrifying Mojo” who was a mysterious DJ and radio personality who wasn’t traditional. He would play all the hottest tracks on the radio. Including the Belleville Three’s and other talented artists. If it was hot it was on his station, if it was not, he wasn’t playing it, no matter the $. Which again goes back to the fact that this movement was solely for people to find out about good music. Mojo is another important aspect to this Detroit movement as he was able to really show people a lot of up and coming artist’s music.

He went against modern society and played something different even though he was targeting African Americans. He wanted people to listen to something new. Some people even contribute Mojo to a lot of how Jeff mills (used to be known as) the wizard was discovered, Mills used to play as a guest on WJLB radio.

6. KEVIN BEING MORE EXPERIMENTAL AND EXPLORING WITHIN CERTAIN GENRES HELPED HIM REACH MORE COMMERCIAL SUCCESS

All 3 of them are very successful yet Kevin definitely differentiates himself because he has the most commercial success out of them. The documentary credits it to him being experimental and that incorporating a lot of unique sounds helped him attract a much larger crowd. Derrick and Kevin got into music together. Funny story they actually had a fight before they even became the best of friends. Word on the street in the film is that Kevin knocked Derrick out. (How ironic right? Too funny!).

So what made Kevin so different? You can say the house music, the more dance music vibes, the vocals, and overall just being more experimental. It also seems like he had a bigger vision for commercial success and for a different sound. All members of The Belleville Three had a role. Kevin as the elevator, his job was to make sure everyone’s music in his circle got to the masses in other words.

With a lot of eyes on Kevin, this task was simple for him. He sold a whopping 6 million records of Inner City. In the film he states some of his influences were dance, disco, and music having a consistent pulse. His group, Inner city is also coming up with a lot of new fun things being that his son is now involved in and they are making more music. If you are interested in checking out their website, click here.  Just a heads up, there’s music automatically coming from the website so don’t get startled if you hear tunes randomly coming from your computer.

7. ALL MEMBERS OF THE BELLEVILLE THREE HAD THEIR OWN SEPARATE ROLES IN THE MUSIC’S SUCCESS.

They call Juan the originator, Kevin the elevator, and Derrick the innovator. So who was responsible for what? Juan who’s the originator – changed lives. He put all of the complicated ideas together and kept everyone on track. Him making music influenced Stacy pullen and so many others to make music. It is like a revolving circle of how all of these amazing musicians inspire one another. Juan also was the first one who wanted to really put techno music on a level for people to know what it was, somewhere it existed.

Derrick who was the innovator, knew Juan since 9th grade. They were both into the music and would have late night dance a thons. (How freaking cute!) Derrick was also the member who brought the artistic aspect to it. He wanted to make it commercial and went about that in unconventional ways with his attitude and persona which really worked.

The film also talks about Eddie Fowlkes having a big part of Techno but he for some reason seems to always get miscredited. Not sure, seems like that is up for debate for the crew’s personal reasons.

Kevin – the elevator. His role was to make sure the music got in front of people. As someone who had a bit more commercial success, he was on the radar and was able to connect these musicians to where they needed to go.

SECOND WAVE OF ARTISTS

As the first wave of Detroit Techno grew, I have to talk a little about the second wave of Detroit artists. To name a few these are Carl Craig, Jeff Mills, Underground Resistance, Richie Hawtin, Stacy Pullen, Mad Mike Banks.

There are an infinite number of artists in the second wave, i’d be here all day to write them all. Anyways, my point in naming some of these artists is that the second wave was also very important as they started to break techno up into sub genres. These artists experimented and made their own sound. Jeff mills for example, woke people up to a harder scene. Actually in the film he mentions that when he finished “Your time is up” with Mike Banks under underground resistance he went back home and his mom said it was good but it needed more bass. That’s just charming. Way to go mom! Mom’s always right. Anyways, he went back and remixed it and made a killer track!

THE TIME IS UP youtube link -  https://youtu.be/L-W6HfKZCRU

It’s remarkable to see and learn more about such talented individuals that had one goal in mind, bring people together over music and to make and expose new music. At the end of the day, It’s incredibly powerful how music connects us all. #fortheloveofmusic.

Here’s the link for Hi Tech Soul! https://youtu.be/1E7ROANO630

See you on the dance floor - XO,

Britt 

[riannagraphics]

RPG Maker and Pixel Games

After learning about 8-bit video games and learning how to create simple pixel graphics, I wanted to explore the genre of RPG Maker Games. These are games created using programs RPG Maker, first created by the Japanese company ASCII. Most versions of the program use a tile set based map editor, a scripting language for scripting events, and a battle editor. With newer versions creators are able to use their own tile sets and characters. RPG maker has been used to create games both free and paid for, and is also used by students learning mathematics and programming. 

Why does this interest me?

RPG Maker games interest me for many reasons, the first being how accessible they are. As I previously mentioned, many of the games created are published online for free. This along with them usually being small files makes it easy for anyone to play them without needing lots of money and equipment. I first started playing these games because I couldn’t afford a powerful computer or a new console, and got hours of enjoyment and inspiration from them. Compared to a lot of games, RPG maker games are very minimalist and the focus isn’t as much on the graphics as it is the story. Some of the most famous of these games are horror, and rely on building tension and using mystery to create fear instead of just using jumpscares and grotesque imagery. 

YUME NIKKI

Yume Nikki is arguable one of the most famous RPG Maker games and has inspired a collection of spin offs, as well as a re-imagined version in 3D that was released earlier this year. Released on June 26 2004, it revolves around the dreams of a hikkomori (a Japanese term for a reclusive young person) named Madotsuki. The objective of the game is to collect items called ‘effects’ which change the way Madotsuki looks or moves, and sometimes gives her access to new areas. The game uses a lot of surrealist horror imagery, and lacks a clear storyline which allows players to interpret it in their own way. Many theories have been created by players, creating a sense of community over the unanswered questions players are left with. Yume Nikki is probably only enjoyed by a certain audience. Lacking a story and set goal makes it confusing at first, and the large repetitive areas are easy to get lost in. These are elements I could use in my own creations, but would probably make what I create liked by less people. This makes me ask myself, is it better to appeal briefly to a greater audience, or on a deeper level to fewer people?

Themes of Yume Nikki:

Isolation - Madotsuki is obviously a very lonely person. While she is awake she is not able to leave her room. Being able to explore worlds while she is asleep may imply a desire to explore the outside world but being too scared to do so. Most NPCs ignore Madotsuki, except for the hostile ones. This implies a feeling of being ignored by the people in her life, and the only interactions she has with real people being negative. There are other characters in the game that also seem isolated. 

There is a blonde girl named Poniko who lives alone in a place called ‘The Pink Sea’. Poniko doesn’t interact with Madotsuki and has an uncaring look on her face which fans have speculated means Poniko is an unrequited love of Madotsuki. Living alone in a land by herself implies that, like Madotsuki, she is isolated from the rest of the world.

Poniko also has a 1 in 64 chance of turning into Uboa, a shadow-like creature whose face resembles a Noh mask, a mask used in Japanese theatre. If inteartced with, the Uboa transports Madotsuki to an inescapable world, where the only way to leave is to wake up. People think Uboa may be Poniko’s true form (as he replaces her in her room), or could be an annoyed version of her. Uboa was also most likely the inspiration for the character Gaster in the game Undertale. He also looks similar to the character No-Face from the movie Spirited Away. 

Anxiety - In the worlds Madotsuki visits you can often see eyes following her around. There are also places with hands that seem to be reaching out to touch Madotsuki, which could imply that Madotsuki doesn’t like being touched. 

Body Imagery - As well as hands and eyes there is a lot of other body imagery. A character called KyuuKyuu-kun (seen above) is considered phallic by many fans, and is reached by going through the ‘Zippertile’ in the Number World. This has been interpreted as a symbol for rape. Disturbing imagery like this appears often through the game, and this scene in particular is incredibly unsettling. There are also multiple characters in the game with the condition strabismus, a condition where both eyes cannot focus on something at the same time, leading people to believe Madotsuki might have this condition while she is awake.

Japanese Folklore - Creatures and characters from Japanese mythology also play a part in Madotuski’s dreams. This could imply that she is interested in Japanese mythology, but it could also just be because she is Japanese and grew up hearing about these creatures. 

Yuki-onna is an npc found in the Snow World. She is based after the Yuki-onna spirit, a spirit who often associated with snow and winter. In the game she gives Madotsuki the Yuki-onna effect. 

Nopperabou Ghost is an npc found in The Sewers. He gives Madotsuki the Nopperabou effect. In Japanese mythology, The Noppera-bō is a faceless ghost or creature. They are typically harmless, and usually just frighten humans. 

8-Bit Renditions of the Yume Nikki Effects by The-Fry-Bat on deviantArt

IB

Ib was released Febuary 27 2012, and is about a young girl called Ib who visits an art museum with her parents and is transported into the creepy world of the paintings. While trapped in the painted world she meets a man named Garry who becomes a guardian like figure to her, and a mischievous girl called Mary. The game has gained a cult following and is often compared to other games in this genre, such as Yume Nikki and The Witch’s House. It is also one of the games that made the genre of RPG Maker games popular. Compared to Yume Nikki I defiantly prefer Yume Nikki’s artstyle, which features a larger variation in colour and style, as well as creepier imagery. 

The game also has multiple endings that depend on the choices made throughout the game. Overall there are four endings. The game focuses on puzzles and exploration instead of battles, making it easier to play and more accessible. 

Imagery and objects:

Roses - The roses symbolise the lives of Ib, Garry, and Mary. Their roses are red, blue, and yellow (in that order), and when the characters are injured their roses lose their petals.

Vases - Vases are used to restore the roses to their full health. Most of the vases disappear once you use them. 

Dolls - The dolls are usually seen when the player has control of Garry, who is scared of them. They can sometimes be enemies, but are sometimes just obstacles blocking the way to certain places. 

Headless statues and mannequin heads - These begin as art pieces in the museum, and throughout the game become enemies that can chase and hurt the characters. 

THE WITCH’S HOUSE

The Witch’s House was released on October 3 2012. It’s about a girl named Viola who wakes up in a forest with no way to escape. Her only option is to go inside a forest located in the middle of the forest. She is locked inside the house and, accompanied by a talking black cat, Viola must find a way to survive and escape. The game uses 16-bit graphics, and mainly focuses on puzzles, exploration, and jumpscares. This game is a personal favourite of mine as I really enjoyed the story, characters, and (true) ending. The true ending has a twist that changes the whole story, which is something I like about a lot of different games. There’s also a lot of different, sometimes very unexpected deaths, adding a fear of exploring and interacting with objects because anything in this house can kill you.

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MAD FATHER

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Sources:

http://yumenikki.wikia.com/wiki/Theories

http://ibgame.wikia.com/wiki/Ib_Wiki

http://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/tips-and-tricks/rpg-maker-horror-games/

http://emertainmentmonthly.com/index.php/look-artists-mind-rpgmaker-horror-games-ib/

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-surprising-explosion-of-rpg-maker-on-steam/

[learnsongwriting]

New Post has been published on https://learnhowtowritesongs.com/how-to-use-someones-musical-style-without-losing-your-own/

How To Use Someone's Musical Style Without Losing Your Own

Learning how to use someone’s musical style without losing your own is quite tricky. There are various things that you have to consider, especially the technicalities of the thing that you are about to do.

Even if you are a seasoned composer already, you cannot still guarantee that you won’t experience these musical “lagging.” In fact, it is an inevitable predicament that you will tend to copy the music of other people. And the biggest deal about it is that you can be unconsciously doing such. Of course, it is a bad thing. Why? Well, because it is the epitome of plagiarism.

So if this is the case, are there any plausible options where you can somehow imitate the musical style of other musicians without stepping into a legal landmine? Yes, there are. Just take the time to read this article so that you will be guided. Don’t worry. These pieces of advice that I will give you are just basics and doesn’t require too much stressing on your part.

Pay Attention To The Roots

If you have heard a song that really tingles your ears and mind, you probably want to replicate it on your own. Of course, attempting such will make you susceptible for copying the entire song without really noticing it. The best thing you can do here is to look for the artist of the song and listen to his/ her other works.

Once you can do this, you will be able to analyze the kind of concept that the musician applies to his/ her pieces. Of course, you could also look for related artists that share the same style as the one that you are listening, too. Try to dig deeper until you can find the original style that inspired these people. Start from there. Trust me. You can make your own music through this, even without having to worry about being similar to other music creators.

Spotify, Bandcamp, and Youtube are among the most useful platforms for this matter. They have a lot of recommendations for artists and music that falls under the same genre. You can even make a comprehensive playlist to make sure that you won’t get out of track.

It Is Always About Analysis

Making music is not just about feeling. Most of the time, it requires extreme analysis. If you encounter a piece that you want to replicate, you better focus your senses on it. Try to dissect the music, regardless of how simple or complex it is. Assess the placement of chords, rhythms, and any elements that were used in the song. You should also understand how its chord progression was modified. Also take note of the melody, too.

It is quite essential that you know the instruments that are involved in that piece as well. Specifically, you must determine if the composer used “doubled instruments” for certain sections. For instance, I have a tendency to combine piano and bass guitar most of the time. You can safely assume that this is my trademark as a musician. You can try to replicate it or modify it slightly so that it can be used for your song.

I completely understand that a lot of you don’t really like doing this. In fact, I am also aware that I suffer from such kind of inconsistencies. After all, it is quite bothersome to be “analytical” when it comes to music. However, we have to understand that this is a form of practice that we have to do. In the long run, it will improve our versatility and musical affinity.

Always Set Your Standards

Don’t be easily taken away just because you have heard a song that rendered your ears with excitement. After all, music is not all fun and games. In a particular music that you have taken an interest upon, it is not really necessary that you like all about it. As a matter fact, there is a good tendency that there are only a few parts in the song that you want to take in.

I am not saying that songs, in general, are inconsistent and flawed. However, you should always consider the fact that you are your own. It should be a given already that you have your respective tastes and preferences. It is not a bad thing. In fact, such nuance makes you unique as a musician. You have to use it to your advantage.

Once you can get the right elements, you can already arrange them in already so that they can make sense. Start making the chords, rhythm, and melody of the music that you want to create. Doing this at first might be difficult. But if you can already get the hang of it, such phase should be doable enough.

Never Stress Yourself

This is the last advice that I can give to you. As a musician, it is pretty understandable that you have certain goals you want to reach. It is natural if you have been driven by the need to match or surpass the quality of this particular artist or song. There is nothing wrong with it. After all, the will to refine our skills is essential for our progress.

However, this should not distract or agitate you. The more you want to chase another person, the more you are inclined to copy his/ her skills or works. Being inspired is quite different from being overdriven. Do not eat more than what you can chew. Just stay on your pace and always be true to your goals. With this, you can create your own music that would not be “comparable” with other people’s pieces.

Conclusion

From the start, learning how to use the musical style of other people is not an easy task. It will require serious focus and determination to extract the right elements so that you can pour it into your song. Plagiarizing and copying are both serious blunders, after all. An artist like you will have to do these practices that I have mentioned so that you can always be on the safe side.

Did you like this article? If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask me. I will be waiting!

I’m Monica Harrison, and I am self-confessed guitar geek. I created Guitar Trance is to share this knowledge with any interested fellows. I hope that our enthusiasm will get syncopated along the way!

[air0nprohaska-blog]

Software Developer to Rapper to Children’s Book Author

Software Developer to Rapper to Children’s Book Author

A Quick Guide to Aaron Prohaska

 Where did I start?

 Life is a crazy path that can take you down many roads if you allow it. Today I turn 39 and when I look back I would have never expected most of the events of my life.

 In high school, I was so nerdy and shy. By the end of my senior year I had only been on one date and never been kissed. I figured I would become The 40-Year-Old Virgin (thought that movie hadn’t even been thought of). The only thing I got right was that I would go into the computer trade.

 The Software Developer

 I became a software developer and worked for all kinds of industries: defense contractors, local government, insurance, printing, and a couple huge financial organizations. Even the most interesting of these, a satellite communication project, left me feeling like I’m just a cog in a wheel with little impact on the direction of the applications I create. More importantly, I had no control as to the type of impact I had on the world. I had to build what I was told to build.

 Somewhere along the way I grew an appreciation for ghetto rap music. Though I didn’t fit the typical target demographic, I would sing along with my 12-inch sub woofers pounding away in my car. I liked the music because of a few reasons, the beats were strong, the vocal gymnastics were impressive, and it told a story about a side of life that I never experienced… a side of life that I didn’t know existed.

I have described my life as “Leave it to Beaver” on many occasions but even The Beav had challenges though his life would be considered easy by ghetto standards. Still, I wanted to take the genre of rap and apply it to my life. I had a plan, a two-album story with album one describing the challenges of my life with a follow up album to share my ideas on how to correct them. That is where I always felt rap fell apart. They did a great job of describing the issues but never shared a solution, at least not in the mainstream music on the radio. Middle Class Monotony was born.

 The Rapper

 I had a simple definition of success. Most importantly, I wanted my music to be available to the public from mainstream online music stores. Beyond that, all I wanted was to be interviewed.

 It took from 2006 to 2010 to make Middle Class Monotony.  Between 3 moves, 2 kids, and learning every inch of music production from scratch, it was a long and trying project. In the end, I was proud of what I created. The project concluded with 14 tracks, professional looking CD case, available on iTunes and Amazon, and 2 web sites. I had achieved the critical marker for success. It was time to sell the album. Though the marketing strategy didn’t work, it was at least an interesting story.

 I had 1000 CDs printed. I would take 50 CDs at a time into stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target. I carried them in a reusable grocery bag. You may be wondering what the heck I was thinking, sneaking CDs into a store. I would put them in laptop bags, storage containers, and suitcases. Any place that a person would end up at home with a copy of the CD. I would move popular artists’ music CDs off main displays and put Middle Class Monotony in their place. I would even put them in the bread slots of toasters on display. Any place that would result in someone having the CD or creating a laughable scenario was fair game.

I never thought giving away CDs was the receipt of success but I thought creating a buzz was. I hoped that the stores would start finding the CDs and comparing how many they found between locations. I was hoping the story of finding the CDs would spread and news outlets would want to interview me, thus completing my second goal. Unfortunately, I didn’t think my actions through. I didn’t see the possible negative outcomes. I got a call from Walmart stating that a child found the CD and their parents were upset because the CD had a parental advisory sticker on it. I cannot confirm that the story was true but it was not my intention to upset people. Having said that, even bad publicity is still publicity. I embraced the mistake and created a “public service announcement” of sorts. I blasted all the local news outlets apologizing on behalf of Double A Records (my record label) to any families affected by the negligence of the record label. Channel 6 left me a message wanting to talk … I had my interview, I just had to make contact. The story goes south from there. We played phone tag and I never got that interview. I was so close.

I know the album wasn’t the best musical compilation. I never expected it to win awards and be embraced by the masses but I had hoped some people walking in shoes like mine would appreciate it. I don’t know if it is more important to sound good than be deep or if it is just impossible to create a viral movement; either way I didn’t have the following to warrant creating a second album. You never know, maybe I’ll come back to it.

 The Writer

 After Middle Class Monotony, I wasn’t sure how I wanted to share my inner thoughts in a marketable way. I still felt I had ideas to share. My first writing experience, from start to finish, was a screenplay called Seeking Singularity and entered it into the Academy Nicholl Fellowship contest. The contest didn’t produce much feedback and I didn’t have anyone in my life that could really help with producing a movie.

 For many years my kids would ask me to tell stories while I was chauffeuring them from place to place. Their favorite stories were about our dog, Bosley. Well, the stories were about Bosley’s alter ego, Mountain-Time Country Dog. After some time, we even came up with a theme song. The family found a routine where the kids would request a new story then I would say, “no, no, I’m out of stories”. After a few minutes pause I would break out the theme song, “Mountain-Time, Little Mountain-Time, Mountain-Time Country Dog… In this adventure Mountain-Time…” and they would cheer and hoot and holler.

 One day the kids asked me to write the stories down. What a great idea, so simple. Leading to this moment where I get to announce the first book in The Adventures of Mountain-Time Country Dog series, Mountain-Time Learns to Surf.

 Where I had concern with my music, that it wasn’t good enough and that it was amateur, I don’t feel that way with this book. There was plenty to learn for sure. I had never illustrated before and I wanted to use my logical developer mind to create illustrations quickly. I researched different styles and landed on a combination of Elephant and Piggie, by Mo Willems, and South Park, by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. I would keep the backgrounds to a minimum with just a couple of characters in each frame. The main characters would be built modular so that I can move pieces around to and put them in different positions quickly and easily. Because of this technique I could finish the first draft of the book within a couple months, which included learning the software I developed the book in. I’m excited to see the production time of the next book.

 How do I know it’s a good book? How can I be objective with my own work? It’s tough, that is for sure so I had to hit the streets. I would take my Surface Book with me and when there were people sitting around with kids, not doing much, I would ask them to preview it. I even asked adults without kids to tell me what they think. The book targets 2nd and 3rd graders but I have found that kids as young as 4 enjoy looking at the pictures, pointing out different things they see. Older kids, my daughters age (11), find it deep enough to talk about the situations and still laugh at the silly images. Even the adults would laugh out-loud at times because I have thought of some oddball scenario. They usually follow up with, “how do you think of this stuff?”

 There is a message in the book but as most children’s content goes, the parents and guardians should put context around it. There are not 3 easy steps to every solution for every situation, though that is all we have time to put into our stories of this age group. I have placed a section of author’s notes at the end of the book that are meant to strike up conversation. This means the book is meant to be read adult and child together.

Mountain-Time Country Dog exists outside of time. He can be anywhere and everywhere he is needed. The stories will have extremely silly situations but with a little context and a little discussion, they will dive into deep concepts… as deep as you want to dive anyway.  

 The Marketing Firm

 My current role is that of the marketing firm. It isn’t my favorite role. I must be confident all the time. I must be available whenever someone is willing to talk. I get to be creative but in a way that can easily lead to a slimy feeling, like I’m trying to trick you into reading the book. I don’t want to do that.

 There is a joke about a husband and wife where the husband leaves the hand towel on the counter and the wife wants it hung up. She finally gets fed up and comments. The husband says, “if you want the towel hung up just tell me to hang it up.” The wife replies, “I don’t want to force you to hang it up, I want you to want to hang it up.” I feel the same applies here, I want you to want to read the book.

 The Human

 So, I’m going to be honest and tell you everything. The good and the bad. I’ll share my ups and downs. I will tell you who I am as an adult, as a husband, as a father, as a man, and any other aspect living inside this brain of mine. I’m not going to be perfect but I’ll be real and I will share every bit of knowledge I have. I’m not in competition with other children’s books, I’m part of a community of writers. I look forward to promoting their books and their stories. Strength is displayed when we all work together and success is achieved when we all succeed.

 As I achieve my goals with this book and can dedicate more of my time and money to it, you’ll see many more forums for which we can share our knowledge with each other. We will be an interactive society helping each other grow. So, check out Mountain-Time Learns to Surf and tell me what you like, what you don’t like. Let’s open a dialog. Go on Spotify or Soundcloud and check out Middle Class Monotony for free. You’ll see where I came from, though some of my mindset has changed since then. I’m not scared for you to see who I really am. I refuse to be the typical face of a product where I hide my faults to gain your trust.

 Come along and lets go on this journey together.

[tis-me-riri]

All of em sweetheart :)

1. What are your hobbies?

Gaming, reading, writing sometimes. Basketball.

2. If you could have dinner with any 3 living or dead people, who would they be and why?

Living: my friend megan. cuz we talks about everything and anything and thats fun. Can’t think of anyone else tbh Dead: probably my grandfather. I dont have a third sorry.

3. What makes you laugh?

Honestly I laugh all the time. everything makes me laugh. its my way of trying to cope with my crippling anxiety most of the time.

4. What was the last good thing that happened to you?

My friend at work gave me a banana at lunch :)

5. What is your biggest goal?

Success.

6. What do you think is the meaning of life?

I think everyones life has the meaning they choose to give it. Or, that should be the case. But hah. My life personally is meaningless atm.

7. Do you believe in an afterlife?

to some extent I suppose.

8. Do you have any pet peeves?

yes. being ignored. loud chewing and slurping. grinding teeth.

9. What do you like to do on the weekends?

Like nothing. or hang with megan. or game.

10. What was your favorite TV show growing up?

I watched everything. I had a huge tv boxset collection that grew and grew. cannot select a favorite haha

11. What is your favorite TV show now?

there are too many shows to determine this. sorry.

12. What are your favorite movies?

Harry Potter movies, Marvel and Dc movies, thriller/ horror

13. Tell me one surprising fact about you.

I have feelings. I know maybe not what you are expecting, but hey, people seem to have trouble grasping that fact. soooo this is my response.

14. What do you look for in a significant other?

kindness, honesty, sense of humour/sarcasm is really attractive. But also being able to have mature conversation. being able to talk about anything. 

15. What were you like as a child?

As a child i was treated like shit but didnt care and i was always a happy person. playful and outgoing. Now I cannot say the same. I cannot socialize. almost at all.

16. What are some things on your bucket list?

travel. meet some people. buy a house.

17. Who has had the biggest influence on your life?

friends and family. all in different ways and everyone both positively and negatively

18. Do you have any pets or have you ever owned any?

Currently 2 cats. Ive owned many cats, a few dogs, some birds, etc.

19. Talk about a challenge you had recently and how you overcame it or how you plan to.

my recent challenges are still on going and im not sure im ready to talk about it just yet.

20. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what song would you choose and why?

I REFUSE TO CHOOSE JUST ONE

21. Talk about a favorite childhood memory.

being happy.

22. What is your favorite commercial?

hate them all.

23. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be and why?

people suprise you. be careful.

24. If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one thing, what would it be?

a friend.

25. Who is your celebrity crush?

this changes alot and i currently have not paid enough attention to have one

26. Who is your favorite musical artist?

here are a few: evanescence,halestorm, the civil wars, in this moment, five finger death punch, motionless in white

27. What is your favorite music genre?

Rock/metal/alternative styles. I listen to alot of music though.

28. What is your favorite color?

BLUE

29. What would you do if you won a million dollars?

share and save :)

30. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Mind reader hands down.

31. What is your dream vacation?

travel the entire world!

32. What actor or actress would star as you in a movie about your life?

ask me later.

33. Where did you grow up?

Ontario canada

34. If you could trade lives with anyone else for one day, who would you trade with?

it would be cool to be anyone else for a day. just to see what its like. truly understand a person. etc.

35. What is your favorite book?

HP books

36. Who is your favorite author?

No favorite.

37. Who do you look up to?

my mom in some ways

38. What is your favorite food ever?

chicken wings

39. Are you a picky eater?

NOT AT ALL

40. Drunken story time! Go!

at a bar I def danced the pole, but other then that nothing too fun yet

41. What beverage do you consume most often?

coffee and water

42. What is the first thing you wash in the shower?

I tend to wash my arms, neck and chest first

43. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

no.

44. How are you feeling right now?

really upset. really bad about myself. hah.

45. Do you plan out your outfits?

oh god no.

46. What is the closest red item to you?

liqor bottle label

47. Talk about the last dream you remember having.

I was fighting off some creep. My friend was standing in the background laughing. wouldn't help me.

48. Do you love yourself?

im trying too

49. When was the last time you cried and why?

I literally kinda just did, but it was really held back.

50. Have you ever met a celebrity?

yep. slash. at an amusement park where he was doing a concert.

51. Have you ever been to a concert?

several now.

52. What are you listening to right now?

eternally yours by motionless in white

53. Have you ever flown in an airplane?

many times.

54. What is the craziest thing you've ever done?

im boring. so nothing crazy.

55. Are your parents or guardians strict?

the opposite of.

56. Did you have a good childhood?

not the best. not the worst.

57. Have you ever been in love?

yes. a few times. 

58. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?

I like to mix it up.

59. Did the one person who hurt you most in your life ever apologize?

If they ever come back ill let you know.

60. What are some of your turn-ons?

i dont have any sexual turn ons. but omg smiles make me melt.

61. What are some of your turn-offs?

ASSHOLES. and not the good kind.

62. Would you go skydiving?

sure would.

63. What are you thinking about right now?

what song to put on

64. Do you ever rent movies?

nope

65. Do you ever illegally download entertainment such as music, movies, etc.?

I use spotify so nope not anymore.

66. What is your zodiac sign?

virgo

67. Do you believe in karma or predestiny?

kinda

68. Is there anything you want to say to anyone right now?

oh fuck ya. lots of things to a few people. probably wont though.

69. Would you rather live a shorter life but be wealthy or live a longer life and struggle financially?

wherever im happier.

70. What is your stance on abortion?

i have a neutral opinion. personally if someone is not prepared to care for and raise a child, or isnt able to provide for them in every way neccessary i see no shame.

71. Do you believe in ghosts?

yeah

72. Who do you admire and why?

little bits of all the people i love.

73. What was your worst experience while under the influence of drugs or alcohol?

urmmm nearly walking off a two story landing.

74. Have you ever had a near-death experience?

car accident

75. What do you daydream about?

being cared for. 

76. Where do you want to live after retirement?

somewhere warm

77. What would you change your first name to?

I wouldnt

78. If you believe in a God or Higher Power, what one question would you want to ask Him or Her?

I dont.

79. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic?

i can be both

80. Are you more introverted or extroverted?

INTROVERTED

81. What is your dream profession?

Film Director

82. What do you worry about most?

how people i care about think about me. LOL i know its bad but, its the truth. I’m always afraid theyll realize im not enough for them.

83. When was the last time you tried something new and what was it?

new work shoes. 2 days ago. they are great.

84. Who do you compare yourself to?

i know im unique.

85. What excites you about life?

feelings. but also scares me the most too

86. What five words would you use to describe your personality?

sarcastic, shy, talkative, quiet, kind

87. What is one life lesson you learned the hard way?

people suck

88. What belief do you have that many people disagree with?

oh god. plenty and im not gunna start with it

89. If not now, then when?

tomorrow?

90. Is it possible to lie without saying a word?

yep sometimes not saying something can be a lie.

91. What activities make you lose track of time?

gaming, and other fun things

92. If you had to teach an academic subject, what subject would you want to teach?

english

93. What is your biggest regret?

that i failed

94. What will matter most to you when you're 80 years old?

people

95. Are you a messy person or a clean person?

i toss between the two

96. Are you a perfectionist?

nah

97. How tall are you?

5 ft 11 in

98. What is your guilty pleasure?

foooooood

99. Do you prefer sweet or salty?

i like both

100. What is your favorite social media website?

THIS ONE