#billy and spooky comparisons

[cavinginhisfvce]

spooky from on my block got the treatment i wish billy did. at least for the bulk of season 4 before it all fell to shit.

spooky had the chance to get out of the life he led, to leave the santos.

he got to settle down and start a family despite him being a "bad guy", he genuinely did whatever he could to protect his little brother even if that meant being the one to hurt césar. because he would rather his brother be safe.

spooky started out as a character who could've easily been hated by the fandom, and he wasn't because even through his bad actions, almost everything he did was his own way of protecting his baby brother.

billy and him are more similar than i would've ever thought initially.

i can go on a full tangent and if anyone watched omb, i will absolutely go in depth about all their similarities and even the ones between max and césar.

but like at the core, they're big brothers who've been tasked with essentially raising their younger siblings. they're meant to find the tools to take care of césar and max when nobody ever showed them the ropes or supplied them with the bare minimum. they were literally making it up as they went along.

not to mention, the narrative killed both billy and spooky

can i just add that the friend group in omb literally hated spooky bc he was in a gang and was mean, but by s2 he had turned a new leaf and tried to help ruby after he was shot?? like legit new leaf. by s4, ruby was calling oscar (spooky) and spooky was calling him "mano" (short for hermano, which translates to brother)

like if they were all able to get over their shit, the party could've done the same. but the duffer brothers are absolute shit who dropped the ball in toooooo many fucking ways.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Is chaos magic like. “Raw” or “undomesticated”magic (if that makes sense)? More wild/untamed compared to what Dr strange/etc does? I’m legitimately unsure if that’s something that’s canon (or at least suggested) or some kind of headcanon that snuck up on me. Also: are there any other casters who prominently use chaos magic? does Natalya?

No, that is not a description that has ever been clearly or consistently applied to chaos magic in the Marvel universe. This notion of low magic vs. high magic-- or "wild" and "undomesticated," as you put it, vs. elevated or sophisticated-- is not uncommon in fantasy, and sometimes, in real-life occult traditions. I find that it often carries racist connotations, and given how often Wanda is the only woman of color in a room of magic characters, I'd prefer to avoid playing into that concept here. Wanda's mastery of witchcraft, and specifically, chaos magic, has, at times, been described as amateur or undirected, but that's literally because she lacked experience. She' was on a learning curve from the 70s to the late-90s. She's long-since graduated from that stage.

I've written about the varying depictions of chaos magic and its properties before. [x] [x] In contemporary comics, we understand chaos to be a primordial, naturally occurring, universal force and a foundational element of seemingly all magic. Typically, it appears to be volatile and difficult to control. In older comics, it was associated solely with Chthon and the Darkhold, and was primarily characterized as dark, spooky, and kind of underworldy-- literally "chthonic". In the 80s and 90s, as Wanda learns more about her powers, she comes to understand that chaos magic, besides twisting probabilities, can transcend many boundaries that other forms of magic cannot.

Most recently, I think a distinction is beginning to form between Chthon as a god of chaos, and the magics he wrought, and chaos as a primordial force or magical element. Although Wanda recieved her powers from Chthon, and as a result, has always been vulnerable to him, it is probably most accurate to say that they both have the same elemental affinity. She's tapped into the same force that he embodies.

In comparison to Doctor Strange, it's not a question of refinement, just a difference of origin. The sorceries Stephen practices are largely derived from the teachings of the Vishanti, specifically Agamotto, the son of the Elder Goddess Oshtur. There's a whole saga and mythology there, just as there's a whole saga and mythology of how the Darkhold was written. Broadly speaking, most of the mythical or cosmological concepts in the concepts are not competing in a hierarchy, they're just operating in different lanes, and I think that's important to remember.

Billy's powers are also defined as chaos magic, and he inherited them directly from Wanda.Besides him, though, there aren't any characters who have a natural affinity for chaos magic in the same way that Wanda does. She received that power as a result of Chthon's interference, so it wasn't a part of her magical lineage. Natalya was a witch, and by all accounts a formidable one, but chaos magic was not one of her abilities. If you're questioning why or how Billy inherited that power, unfortunately, there are no clear answers. We do know that Chthon specially altered Wanda's "mutation" to act as a conduit for chaos magic, so it's likely that Billy inherited this trait and gained access to chaos magic without Chthon's direct interference.

So, who else can use it? As Chthon's daughter, Victoria Montessi has a natural affinity for his power. She's sensitive to the Darkhold's magic and is one of the few people who can handle it without being corrupted, but the text never explicitly describes her as a chaos magic wielder. In Mighty Avengers (2007), Chthon was able to possess Pietro in the same way he previously possessed Wanda, implying that Pietro has a similar affinity, although this has never been explored further.

The text has never been entirely clear as to whether or not the spells and such written in the Darkhold are technically chaos magic in the same way as Chthon or Wanda's personal powers. But the Darkhold has been trafficked all over the world and given rise to several cults. Notable sorcerers throughout history, such as Morgan Le Fay, have used it, and many monster and demons have been born from it, or from Chthon himself. Modred the Mystic is a longtime devotee of Chthon and once transformed himself into a living Darkhold, of sorts.

In the Contest of Chaos event, Agatha stole Chthon's heart and was using it to craft a new version of the Darkhold. She also demonstrated to ability to channel, direct, and harvest Earth's naturally occurring chaos magic. So while she doesn't have an innate affinity for this power, the way Wanda does, with skill, cunning, and the right materials, she was able to wield it. In the end, she succeeded in creating a new Darkhold, but it took on a life of its own in the form of an adolescent boy. The child-- who, frustratingly, is still unnamed-- has cast several spells that were presumably written in one or both versions of the book. Is that "chaos magic"? It might not be the same as what Wanda does, but I have to imagine that it counts.

[givehimthemedicine]

can I talk about the 001 tattoo?

so we can agree the 001 is darker, thicker, and WAY bigger on Vecna, right? also it's got a vein running prominently right under it, which doesn't seem to match the anatomy of his wrist in the broom closet tat reveal. (idk if that's an original vein or some kind of vine nonsense tbf)

"oh that shot is dark and spooky and cluttered, maybe they just exaggerated it so you can see it" maybe but.. they can do literally anything with cg - zoom into his skin cells or whatever they gotta do to make sure we see that tattoo without having to make it cartoonishly large.

can I also talk about how Nancy sees the tattooing scene twice, and the tattoos look different?

I know em and/or james (sorry much like henward I forget which of you has said what lmao) have discussed the differences in lighting, etc. in the tattoo scenes and the fact that one is unfinished and so might be 000 instead of 001, but I wanted to touch on the Nancy aspect of it too.

just for clarity, the tattoo scenes go like this:

in 4x7 - "when Papa realized he could not control me, he tried to recreate me" we, and Nancy, see the boy getting tattooed 00(unfinished). this is the last time we see Nancy in 4x7.

4x8 picks up with Nancy watching the tattooing, Brenner wiping off a finished 001, and then turning to her with creepy eyes. she tries to run, pries some boards off the doorway, and arrives back in the tattoo scene again.

so although it's broken across two different episodes, this is all one continuous vision for Nancy (one thing split in two - isn't that fitting for a secret Henward reveal)

it's super weird that after Nancy runs from the tattoo scene, Vecna tells her "Now you've seen where I've been; I would like very much to show you where I am going" and then... sends her back into the tattoo scene?

why say that and then immediately show her more redundant "where he's been"? why not just have her bust through that doorway straight into the apocalypse vision, like Victor in wartime France?

"it's like El arriving in the Rainbow Room over and over" yes. it is! but that was El getting clockwork orange'd with HNL footage and her brain struggling to reject it. whereas this is Vecna. and Vecna, as far as we saw, doesn't usually force his victims into loops like that, right?

Max, Chrissy, Fred ran inside their visions. unsuccessfully, yes, but when they ran, they actually travelled. like, when Max ran in the graveyard, she didn't keep arriving at Billy's grave over and over. Chrissy didn't keep finding her mom in every room. so it's curious to me that the only loops are Nancy and El, both in the lab (or I should say, "in the lab" given that neither of them are actually in the lab). so Vecna deviated from his usual method because he reallllly wanted Nancy to see that tattoo some more.. it's just odd to me, IF those tattooings are truly supposed to be the same event.

why else are WE the audience shown this scene multiple times than because they need to have shown us two events, but made sure we conflated them as one? to assume that that was the same boy getting the same tattoo?

anyway, the actual tattoo:

the 00 in 4x7 seems a lot lighter in comparison to the very dark 001 we see being finished up in 4x8.

people with tattoos: do they start it light and then go over it darker? is that a thing? is the 4x7 a realistic depiction of the 4x8 tattoo in progress? because if not I have more thoughts.

btw if I wanted to get real crazy, I would point out that El's tattoo also seems to vary slightly - it seemed bigger when she was little (maybe that part makes sense. how do tattoos behave on growing children?) but also it keeps sneaking closer to her wrist. look how in s1 it's four tattoo-lengths from the crease of her wrist, and by s4 it's more like two. (does anyone know when MBB got that for real?)

anyway I'll leave you with the thought of: remember those two extremely similar and redundant El-dragged-off-to-solitary scenes they showed us in s1?

[forfoxessake]

JUNE (2023) - movies

Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022)   Directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre

Emma Corrin -  Jack O’Connell

 It's been a while since I read this and I get the impression that they made some different choices in regard to a few characters (the nanny/maid) that I didn't dislike. It's not a groundbreaking film, it feels more romantic than the book sets out to be but overall they do a good job. Emma Corrin's is so thin that it honestly bothered me a little.

Ammonite (2020)   Directed by Francis Lee

Kate Winslet -  Saoirse Ronan

There have been better lesbian films in recent years, and this is so small and quiet that it pales in comparison. But something, in the end, made it stand out. There's a scene where we are led to believe they will get a happy ending when suddenly the mood shifts and we see Kate Winslet's character for who she is, Mary is not only misunderstood because she is gay in a time where women had no autonomy, she is a person who has never felt seen - by the society and by the people who she loves. And that's a painful note to end at.

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)  Directed by Martin McDonagh

Colin Farrell -  Brendan Gleeson -  Brendan Gleeson -  Kerry Condon

I was asking myself why was everyone so obsessed with this movie about two old dudes, a donkey, and a tiny island. It did not prepare me for how WILD this is.

Willow (1988)  Directed by Ron Howard

Warwick Davis -  Val Kilmer

I named my first dog when I was 4 after this movie - It was actually Billy Willow after much insistence from my mother. But 30 years later I barely remember what this was about and I thought it was time to revisit this after the release of the follow-up series. It's better than I expected but still very much a movie from its time. The old woman fighting hardcore scene is still very unique and a badass thing to have in a fantasy film.

Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (2020)  Directed by Madeleine Parry

Hannah is genuinely funny but never more so when she is going on about art grievances. Best use of a college art degree ever.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)  Directed by Halina Reijn

Amandla Stenberg - Lee Pace -  Maria Bakalova -  Rachel Sennott -  Pete Davidson

The sort of movie we all need sometimes, dumb teenagers being extra dumb together alone on a spooky evening. Extra points for a super cool ending.

Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)  Directed by Cooper Raiff

  Cooper Raiff - Dakota Johnson -  Leslie Mann

A cute quiet movie, exactly that moment in time when you feel like you don't know where you are or where you are going, and want to find the answers to life in someone else, but that is not the way to fix anything, and this movie does a great service is showing us that we are just afraid.

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)  Directed by Alek Keshishian

 Being open about your fears and health issues, be they mental or physical, it's in my opinion, the bravest thing a famous person can do.

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)  Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

I never really got the overall fascination with studio ghibli until I saw this. Kiki's is the perfect movie, it makes you feel warm inside and look at yourself and your adventures in a whole new way. I get it now.

Shotgun Wedding (2022) -  Directed by Jason Moore

Jennifer Lopez -  Josh Duhamel -  Jennifer Coolidge -  Lenny Kravitz

Sometimes all you need is a silly action-packed fun movie where nothing makes sense but you love every minute of it anyway.

[thesirenisles]

The sordid tales of the dark zodiac.

What is the Dark Zodiac?

The Dark Zodiac is an eldritch take on the western zodiac with dark archetypes of each sign, which are shown in "Thirteen Ghosts" (2003).

In the film, a twisted millionaire has found and trapped 12 Earth-bound spirits (ghosts stuck on Earth) in a lavish mansion basement. An unsuspecting family inherits and moves into the mansion, thinking they have struck gold. But, the ultimate goal is to acquire God-level power.

Each spirit captured by the millionaire has their own creepy backstory to match the archetype. In this post, we will explore those spooky stories & learn some shadow traits! ���� TW: Death, Self-Harm, SA⚠️

Let the spooky stories begin...

aries

“The First Born Son”

Life was all about gunpowder clouds and sunlit horse rides for young Billy Michaels. The shadow traits of Aries are depicted in a literal child for the “child” of the zodiac. Billy was a very proud Texan, enamored with the bullet-riddled tales of Cowboys and Indigenous peoples. He would play pretend all day long with his toy gun, truly believing he was a real cowboy with a real gun. An only child, his family allowed the delusion. One day, Billy was challenged by a neighborhood boy to an Old Western style duel. Unbeknownst to Billy, the boy had recently discovered a real bow-and-arrow in his father’s closet and perhaps saw a rival in Billy’s cowboy persona. In a bid of childish innocence, Billy steps up to shoot.

Tragically, Billy was shot in the head. The boy was sent to juvenile detention center. This archetype can be compared to the sacrifice or loss of the first born son in scriptural texts or Icarus who flew to close to the sun. We can see the comparison to shadow Aries traits of being a daredevil, bully, reckless, and one-track minded. Youthful arrogance and immaturity. Probably the least frightening of the ghosts, but pretty sad ):

taurus

“The Torso”

The shadow traits of Taurus are cleverly depicted in the form of an actual torso. This particular torso belonged to a New Orleans man named Jimmy "The Gambler" Gambino. A money man through and through, he was about his bucks. With a keen business mind, he opened his own booking operation, which flourished amid the abundance of the Roaring Twenties. Unfortunately, Jimmy was also a compulsive gambler, addicted to the thrill of fast money.

These traits highlight the shadow aspects of Taurus, such as greed, laziness, materialism, and a reactionary nature—much like a bull seeing red. One day, scheming mobster Larry "Finger" Vatelo approached Jimmy with a hefty bet on a boxing match, having heard of his reputation. Greedily, Jimmy accepted the bet, but his fighter lost, and he found himself unable to pay up, as expected. It had all been a setup, just like a bull charging in anger. Vatelo had his men take care of Jimmy, chopping him up and disposing of him in the ocean. This serves as a cautionary tale about the cost of succumbing to carnal desires.

gemini

"The Bound Woman"

The shadow traits of Gemini show up in a popular teen with the gift of gab. Susan LeGrow was the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest family in town, a cheerleader, and the most popular girl in her school—an '80s It-Girl. Having met little adversity in life, she garnered tons of friends and admirers, earning a reputation as a "heartbreaker." It seemed almost destined for her to pair up with the captain of the football team, Chet Walters, during her senior year. However, Susan's yearning for attention prevailed, and Chet was not her "one and only."

This portrayal obviously pulls from the shadow traits of Gemini being deceptive, a trickster, opportunistic, and an eternal adolescent, etc. Tragically, Chet would discover Susan with another guy on their prom night. In a fit of rage, he bludgeoned the young man, bound Susan's hands, and strangled her with his prom tie… breaking her neck. Chet would bury Susan underneath the 50-yard line on the high school's football field. A cautionary tale of entertaining just one too many guests...

cancer

"The Withered Lover"

Cancer is depicted as maternal spirit, of course. Jean Kriticos is a wife and mother of a family that does not fully appreciate her until she’s gone. Her husband is overworked and her children are disconnected. But, she is the glue. On a fateful December night, a log rolls out of the fireplace and starts a blaze that claims her life. Her husband saves the children, assuming his wife made it outside. Her archetype embodies maternal energy, sensitivity, and protectiveness. Jean is probably the least malicious spirit, with her death being an actual accident.

She also guides her family to safety throughout the film, protecting them while they are stuck in the "home," similar to how the moon guides one through a dark night. However, the shadow side of Cancer here is the smothering mother and the invisible man. She spoiled those she loved, gave all of herself, and was unappreciated until she was gone. The weight of her loss can be felt in the script, as the protagonist must almost instantly hire a live-in nanny. Upon her loss, the family is broken in a way that can only inspire transformation. Perhaps her love was hindering this.

leo

"The Torn Prince"

We have probably all seen the tragic fall of a "Golden Boy." The shadow side of the prideful Leo is depicted in a harrowing tale of arrogance and pride set in the '50s—James Dean vibes all the way. Royce Clayton was an exceptional high school baseball player, gifted in every way. He was born into a well-off family and had a prized hot rod that only added to his social status: the big fish in a small town. His baseball skills attracted college offers from all over the country, guaranteeing him a ticket out of his humble hometown. He felt like a god amongst men and could taste the glory. Unfortunately, his gifts also fueled his unchecked and developing narcissistic complex. This plays into the shadow traits of arrogance, pride, and megalomania.

An envious and shady greaser named Johnny challenged Royce to a race, baiting him through Royce's obvious inflated pride. Royce knew he would win, but he did not know that Johnny had cut his brake line. Upon a sharp turn, Royce's car went airborne off a cliff, flipping three times before bursting into flames. His face is torn (part of his pride), and he can also be seen with his favorite baseball bat in the film. The prince who never was.

virgo

"The Angry Princess"

The shadow traits of Virgo are depicted in a sordid tale of perfectionism and sorrow. Dana Newman was a stunning beauty, even considered one of the most gorgeous women in the world—a model in the business capital of the world. She was surrounded by fast living and even faster trends. Tragically, she lost sight of her own beauty. A slew of abusive partners fueled her secret addiction to "finding" her flaws. I think of Eve, the maiden who was content before the serpent insinuated that she was missing something. Dana sought the friendship of a plastic surgeon, undergoing several facial and body operations to "fix" her perceived flaws.

She even went as far as working for the surgeon as a form of payment for her unnecessary operations, trying to obtain perfection. On one tragic night, Dana flew into an anxious frenzy and attempted to perform an operation on herself. This left her blinded in one eye and permanently disfigured, which was unbearable for poor Dana. Her self-loathing consumed her and she sliced her entire body wildly with a blade while in the bathtub. These shadow traits clearly reflect the Virgo qualities of perfectionism, martyrdom, hyper-fixation, and an insecurity that stems from the mind (Mercury) but does not actually exist.

libra

"The Pilgrimess"

I cannot help but think of the Ancient Egyptian goddess Ma'at (of Libra) when analyzing the story of "The Pilgrimess." Not to mention, Libra is a cardinal sign and the exalted placement of Saturn (Osiris). This archetype is incredibly threatening to a patriarchal society. Enter Isabella Smith, a woman just arriving in New England in 1686. The locals did not welcome her and did not take kindly to her presence. After the livestock of the colony falls ill, they use this as an ignorant excuse to accuse Isabella of witchcraft. The preacher also fell ill while she tried to plead her case. This makes the townspeople form an anrgy mob. She flees into a barn for safety, but they set it aflame.

Unbelievably, she emerges unscathed, and they are convinced she's a witch. Isabella is imprisoned in the stocks, stoned, and left to die of starvation. It is not confirmed whether she was a witch, but my analysis of the story would say yes. This underhanded power move of vengeance, fearlessness in coming to a new land as a single woman, and surprising knowledge of magic screams shadow Libra. Libra placements are also often victims of the negative side of pretty privilege, with rumors spreading like wildfire concerning their romantic nature.

scorpio

"The Great Child"

Scorpio and Sagittarius are depicted as a duo: child and mother. The raw energies of these archetypes are embodied here. The Great Child is Harold Shelburne. A product of sexual assault, he is born to a little person within a traveling carnival. There, he does not receive the proper social conditioning of a developing child. He never learned how to take care of himself properly, still wearing diapers into his young adulthood. This creates an unnatural attachment to his mother. Harold also does not develop a proper understanding of consequences, making him a very spoiled and clingy soul (think: Dandy from AHS: Freakshow, isolated and clinically insane, meets Twisty the Clown).

One fateful day, some of the carnival workers cruelly kidnap his mother. Harold panics, searching for her until he finds her lifeless body—having accidentally suffocated in the bag they held her in. He goes into an unbridled rage, slaughtering the workers and others who laughed at him in the past. As a final note, he places the bodies on display for paying customers, prompting his seizure and execution. Harold embodies the Scorpio shadow traits of emotional immaturity, complacent stagnation (fixed sign energy), possessiveness (of his mother), and primal rage (Mars). One must know when to separate from emotional connections when they are hindering the soul's expansion.

sagittarius

"The Dire Mother"

Harold's mother, Margaret, is chosen to depict the shadow side of Sagittarius. Margaret was a little person who worked as a sideshow attraction for the carnival. She was sexually assaulted by the carnival's Tall Man and left to raise her child, Harold. She is a very active mother, but almost too active. She coddles her son, spoiling him in every way, while also neglecting to teach him to be independent.

I think of the Jupiterian energy of abundance, hyper-optimism, idealization, and overbearingness. It would appear she did not have a clear grip on reality. I also see a shadow trait of control. I think of Zeus, king of his pantheon. What kingdom would you have without subjects? She hindered his growth, intentionally or subconsciously… We may never know. But, she also chose a life on the road instead of settling down to build stability. A cost of seizing the day and living in the moment.

capricorn

"The Hammer"

Hands down, the most visually frightening spirit (in my opinion) is that of "The Hammer." It is also the saddest story (also, in my opinion), which isn't surprising, given that this is the shadow of Saturn-ruled Capricorn. George Markley is a melanated man living in the racist South of 1887's United States. (Slavery was out in 1865 on paper.) Already, the limitations of race and systemic delays give off Saturn vibes.

George is an exceptional blacksmith, making an honest living while supporting his wife and children. George's success angered the bigots in the town. A white man named Nathan accused George of theft, threatened him, and demanded that he leave town. George fought the accusations, maintaining his innocence. In return, Nathan gathered a gang of imbeciles, ambushed George's home, and hanged George's wife and children. GASP. This is an accurate reflection of the disgusting underbelly of American history & culture that prevails quietly today—horrifying and repulsive.

George flips out, hunts them down, and murders them with a sledgehammer. Equalizer style. In a haunting turn, the townspeople formed a mob, seized George, and brought him to his store. Tied to a tree, they pounded railroad spikes into his body with the sledgehammer, sliced off his hand, and replaced it with the literal hammer (thus the name). This dark archetype plays into the darkness of an underworld god like Osiris while also hinting at the "power-tripping" tendencies of Capricorn that led him to his demise.

aquarius

"The Jackal"

As an Aquarius, this one is just like… WTF lol. Enter Ryan Kuhn, born to a single mother and sex worker in 1887. No known father, no stability, and surrounded with sketchy characters. Exposure to this lifestyle definitely had an effect on Ryan's ability to fit into society later in life. He grew to be a TOTAL psychopath, attacking, sexually assaulting, and murdering unsuspecting women on the streets of London. Most often, he targeted sex workers like his mother figure. Jack the Ripper vibes. Ryan's animalistic nature scared him the most, and he committed himself to an institution for help.

Unfortunately, mental institutions often fall short of actually helping the human condition. What he needed was love, but he got machine. I think of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". Isolation, heavy medications, and "cutting-edge" treatments only made things worse. Within the cruelty of the asylum, he lost every ounce of humanity and morphed into a literal monster. He soon became a high-risk inmate after attacking a nurse. He was placed in an ever-tightening straitjacket that contorted his limbs, and as punishment for biting, he was forced to wear a dehumanizing head cage.

In the end, the asylum caught fire, and Ryan was believed to have burned within it, forgotten in the bowels of the mental healthcare system. This is definitely a part of the Aquarian shadow: rebellion, extremes, and rejection of popular culture or society at large because one sees its faults. At what point does the rejection of humanity lead to its complete diminishment? Beware of cynicism. The god complex evident here teeters on the serial killer spectrum, whether you see it or not...

pisces

"The Juggernaut"

Speaking of serial killers… I save the most dangerous for last! The combination of the isolating primordial waters of Neptune and the ever-expanding nature of Jupiter clash to create a very dark archetype: The Lost One. The Addict. THE JUGGERNAUT. Dun Dun Dunnnnn! Abandoned by his mother and raised as a single child by his father, Horace "The Breaker" Mahoney never had much in his early years. He was teased for his abnormal facial features and lanky limbs, spending most of his time alone. His father gave him a job in his junkyard, chopping and crushing old cars, and that was all he knew. When his father passed, Horace was left with no one and went criminally insane. Standing 7 feet tall, Horace felt like an alien on Earth; he felt like he did not belong. Anger and rejection consumed him.

Horace fell into the habit of killing unsuspecting hitchhikers and stragglers. He would lure them in under the guise of a ride or kind gesture. (Like a piscean siren’s lure) He'd take them to his junkyard, tear them apart with his bare hands (like the car crusher), and feed the parts to his dogs. This method earned him the name "The Breaker" among law enforcement. His killing spree continued until he picked up an undercover police officer.

SWAT ambushed Horace's junkyard and he was able to kill three officers before five finally gunned him down. He is probably the most violent and vengeful spirit. The shadow traits of Pisces are evident in his addictions, delusions stemming from extended isolation, and feelings of helplessness or disconnection from humanity entirely.

Thank you for reading.

👻 I hope everyone is enjoying spooky szn & that you guys enjoyed. One of my favorite campy horror films. Halloween is also my favorite time of year. 👻 The thirteenth ghost is a surprise. You must watch to find out.

🎃 Happy Astrotober!🎃

@thesirenisles | masterlist

Glitter dividers by @violetbudd and @444vampireluvv

© 2024 The Siren Isles All Rights Reserved.

[elkdiaries]

some thoughts about max and her potential possession, parallels, as well as vecna-related subjects in the upcoming season of stranger things.

this is going to be a long essay, but i hope you’ll give it a read anyhow.

i’m going to jump right in and begin by showing you all the s4 max and s2 will parallels, because there are far too many here to just mean nothing. if my theories are correct, this might just mean that max is possessed this season or at least suffers the most from things which are linked to the upside down.

firstly, we have a scene in which each person encounters something upside-down related in a hall at school (apologies for the shitty quality lol).

then there’s a scene in which they are both either possessed or at least are being affected by the upside down in an outdoor setting. both people look as though they have lost communication with the real world, and their companions are near them in fear and without a clue of what to do next.

and then there are scenes of them actually in the upside down— or so they think. in both scenes they are running and/or hiding from upside down monsters (there are some things i have circled which i will get back to in a little bit).

these comparisons are no mistake. in s4 max is connected to the upside down via billy, mainly because vecna, who now has been shown to think logically and strategically like a human, probably became aware that max was a very impactful person in billy’s life. he can use billy as a sort of bait to lure max into falling for his traps. after billy passes, perhaps max begins to “see” him and just passes it off as guilt-prompted hallucinations. i’m not sure if you all remember but hopper did say in s1 that after sarah died, he “saw” her too. so, max will probably accept her unfortunate situation as if it were just a regular side effect of grief, without a clue that the billy she is seeing is not only real but the mastermind behind the upside down.

max is also a person who is close to el, and as can be inferred from s3, vecna’s plan is to kill el and then take over the world. so it would make sense for him to want to flay max, just in order to get to el.

also, all this talk of vecna has gotten me thinking about how will always referred to the shadow monster he was hearing and feeling using “he” or “him”, compared to his friends that hadn’t encountered the monsters who called the monsters “it” or “the thing”. it makes me wonder— did will always know that vecna existed, even saw him in previous seasons? was the shadow monster just vecna all along? the pair do show some resemblance in structure, both having a spider-y collection of vines all around and propping them up as well as a spooky, overbearing demeanor. 

speaking of vines, i think i’ve figured out a key point in vecna’s conversion of people into upside down creatures. the answer has been in our face since the beginning of time— the way people are turned into monsters (at least mentally) is because of the upside down’s vines.

in s1, when joyce and hopper found will he was wrapped up against a wall with vines surrounding him, with one inside his mouth. the vines were consuming him entirely, and trying to kill him off as soon as possible. in s2, when hopper traveled underground to take a closer look at the new upside down things, he got trapped because the vines were wrapping him up and pushing him into the ground. again in s2, will was possessed when vine-like shadows entered him, similar to the vines from s1. 

in s3 when billy died, it was at the hands of a multitude of the mind flayer’s weird claws. they weren’t exactly vines, but acted like them in a sense that they finished him off by entering him, just like the vines from s1 and 2. once more in s3, to possess humans the mind flayer would inject some weird mind flayer stuff into the person with its vine-like claws. again, not exactly vines, but they acted ones from s1 that was attempting to kill will.

after the killing process, which the vines take care of, the person may decay in some way— but that doesn’t make their body useless to vecna. he can then use them as objects to possess, like a puppeteer. we can see in the trailer that even vecna himself is controlled or regenerated in some way by these vines.

he is connected to them. not permanently, per se, but maybe these vines are a way of providing him with the energy and thoughts of the people he’s possessed. this could be a physical representation of the hive mind that’s been a known part of the upside down for years now. the demogorgons may be the minions, but vecna is the brain— and this is how he communicates with his people.

i’m going to get back to discussing max and her possession before this essay comes to a close. 

when will was taken to the upside down he was present mentally and a physical representation of him resided there as well, however his body was still in the normal realm. bad things could be happening to him whilst in the upside down (possession and more), but there was still a part of him in the human world.

perhaps this new red upside down place is the place people go to in cases of possession now. whenever max is suddenly brought to the upside down just as will was, she now comes to in this red area that contains vecna, and by the looks of it, also holds the upside down version of the creel house. maybe when she’s floating in the trailer she is having one of those episodes and sees these new upside down things before she snaps out of it.

because there is a possibility of her seeing the creel house during one of these episodes whilst in the upside down, she could be able to tell her friends where it is, similar to how will could track people and monsters using the vines in s2. she could tell them that there is a new “source”, a new place that they need to look at asap, and so they go there to hopefully put an end to whatever bad things are going on.

lastly, there are people or some beings in that ball of light. my guess is they are people who are also currently flayed or were previously flayed and died that way (billy), and the floating being is vecna, waiting to permanently flay her too.

those are all my ideas on this topic! sorry if these have already been mentioned, i’m a bit late to the party. i’ll be making more of these essays as i rewatch the trailer a million times, so if anyone wants to send asks based on the new content or stranger things 4 in general, by all means go ahead. 

[thelovers-thedreamers-and-me]

Billi jean, thriller, karma chameleon?

billie jean: what do you notice more in a song - the drums or bassline?

i mean, depends on the song, but since i've sorta been attempting to learn the bass in fits and starts, i've put more work into noticing basslines

thriller: favourite film genre and why?

horror. i like to be spooked, if it's not successfully spooky it's often a lot of fun, and i have good memories of watching horror movies with both my mom and one of my best friends, so i get warm fuzzy feelings about that. also sometimes there are puppets with slime on them so that's cool.

karma chameleon: what do you like most about your appearance?

oh DUDE. real talk? i'm hot now. like, i'm strong and that's fun, i've been told my hair is great, i've always liked my eyes, my dorky little stache gets me a surprising amount of comparisons to male celebrities from people who are trying to be nice, my legs are FUCKING phenomenal, i have awesome tattoos- like, i can go on, but i'm kinda at the point now where i'm having a harder time thinking of things i don't like than things i do, and that's boss

[moonlitwings1]

How do you guys feel about Billy’s more prominent but still subtle moustache in S3?

This is S1 For comparison. It’s still there, but it’s not THERE, ya know? Ghost of a moustache. Spooky. 

[mittensmorgul]

Hi, I was rewatching the spooky Bobby and Rufus episode from season 11, and I remember at the time people were convinced that this was the first appearance of The Empty, because at the time it had only been mentioned by Billie as a threat to Sam. I was wondering if that’s still the case, if that soul eaters Nest was in the empty? Because it would sort of make sense?

Hi there! and yeah, they did show us the Soul Eater’s nest during the season the concept of the Empty was first really introduced (in 11.02, by Billie threatening Sam with that fate, written by Andrew Dabb). At the time, we had no idea what the Empty would be like, and assumed it was exactly as Billie described it-- as complete annihilation.

I... personally didn’t think of the Soul Eater’s nest as a small version of the Empty, but perhaps a parallel or metaphorical comparison, at best. I was personally still convinced that the Empty would actually be more like what Amara described happened to the souls she “consumed” that would become “boundless within her” in a state of bliss. Combined with Billie’s threat to Sam that she would scatter his molecules so that he could never be brought back.

I was hoping for a version of the Empty that would be the “nothingness” version of Chuck’s heaven and hell-- basically the afterlife corresponding to the universal force of darkness the way Chuck’s creation corresponds to the universal force of light. I was hoping it would be a state of dissolution, rather than a place where consciousness could exist.

I think the closest a Soul Eater’s nest came to being what I had thought of as The Empty at that time was what happened to the souls trapped there when the Soul Eater had finished consuming them. Yes, its nest existed “outside of space and time,” and I do associate those characteristics with the Empty. But at the time the episode aired, before we understood the reality of the Empty, I thought of the Soul Eater Nest as more... “the Empty’s waiting room” than “the Empty itself.” If that makes sense?

Granted, when they finally did choose to show us the Empty on screen in s13, it ended up being quite different than we were expecting, and I have since wondered if they didn’t afterthought the original concept of the Empty into something more on par with the Soul Eater’s nest when they needed to stage scenes there. I mean, like I’ve argued over how Heaven has been presented in canon being the result of “they need to film in three dimensional space and therefore had to use visual shorthand to cover the described reality of Heaven, which is why we ended up with sterile white hallways instead of a maze of Dean’s perception of “open roads” for the Axis Mundi, and why all the “Surly Bobbies” appeared in that white hallway rather than how the Axis Mundi may have appeared to each of them that may have been entirely perceptually different.” They needed to film ~something~ that may have been implied to be... non-Euclidean space... but had to settle on thematic visual shorthand due to the limits of the human condition... if that makes sense >.>

So, yeah, I think if anything, the Empty fell into that category, and even the eventual presentation of it ended up quite different to the Soul Eater nest, which was also outside of time and space, but also necessarily tethered to a fixed location on Earth (the house where it collected its victims).

Lol, I love thinking about this sort of stuff :’D

[aion-rsa]

WandaVision: The Sitcom Influences of Episode 7

https://ift.tt/3ucStBb

This article contains spoilers for WandaVision episode 7.

From its very first trailer, WandaVision made it abundantly clear that it would be paying homage to some classic sitcoms throughout TV history. But for some reason, it was hard to imagine just how far into TV history the show would actually make it. 

WandaVision’s seventh episode, “Breaking the Fourth Wall” borrows its format from some very recent classics like The Office and Modern Family. Wanda, Vision, Agnes, and even Darcy take their turns in front of the camera to offer up their thoughts on their zany day-to-day lives. It may be strange to think of something as recent as The Office as a classic. Based on the streaming numbers for popular mockumentary sitcoms, however, it’s clear they have already reached classic status.

Here is how WandaVision episode 7 shouts out shows like The Office, Modern Family, and more.

The Office

The Office is likely what comes to most people’s minds when imagining a mockumentary-style sitcom. Ricky Gervais’s original British version of the show premiered in 2001 on BBC Two. It was styled as a documentary, with a film crew visiting the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company to capture a slice of life look at office culture in the U.K. Naturally Gervais’s attention-starved boss character David Brent saw the whole thing as his big break. Like any good corporate enterprise, The Office outsourced its concept to countless other countries across the world. The American version starring Steve Carell premiered in 2005 and is today one of the most popular and successful sitcoms of all time. 

Read more

TV

The Office is Great But Maybe Try Something Else for a Bit

By Nick Harley

TV

The Office’s First Two Seasons Will Stream For Free On Peacock

By Alec Bojalad

It was always going to be a tall order for WandaVision to do an Office-influenced episode merely because WandaVision rarely heads into the office. Vision’s office has experienced roughly five minutes of screentime throughout the show’s run thus far as the domestic settings of Westview take precedence. That doesn’t mean that the show was going to ignore The Office altogether though. The opening credits of “Breaking the Fourth Wall” are extremely reminiscent of the American version of The Office’s…right down to the little piano and synth number.

Rather than images of Scranton, Pennsylvania, these credits cycle through some suburban New Jersey iconography. You can check out the Office credits below for comparison’s sake.

Modern Family

The lion’s share of “Breaking the Fourth Wall’s” format owes itself to Modern Family. This mockumentary series premiered on ABC in 2009 and wrapped up just last year, wracking up many Emmy wins during its run. While the mockumentary format was nothing new by the time Modern Family premiered, it still definitely put it to good use, allowing its characters to candidly discuss their family situations into a camera. 

Clad in a robe and nursing a wicked magic hangover, Wanda seems like a regular Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen). Only instead of fussing over two daughters and one son, Wanda has to deal with Tommy and Billy’s gaming issues…oh and the seeming collapse of her reality. 

Another area in which this episode resembles Modern Family is in a brief use of flashback. While it’s certainly not unheard of in other mockumentaries, Modern Family in particular likes to use cutaway jokes amid its filmed interviews. We can see this when Wanda references the events of the previous night and the camera then cuts away to SWORD agents being swallowed up by the hexagonal barrier. A case of the Mondays indeed.

The Munsters

Though WandaVision and its sitcom homages are both now well into the 2010s, this episode fittingly breaks the fourth wall a bit and jumps back to TV’s past once again for the reveal that Agnes is really Agatha Harkness.

Since Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) is a super spooky witch, WandaVision makes the delightful and creative decision to give her a campy theme song. As the camera pans back to reveal that Agatha has been behind all the events in Westview, the following lyrics from Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are sung:

“Who’s been messing up everything? It’s been Agatha all along! Who’s been pulling every evil string? It’s been Agatha all along! She’s insidious. So perfidious. That you never even noticed and the pity is, the pity is.  It’s too late to fix anything. Now that everything has gone wrong.  Thanks to Agatha. Naughty Agatha. It’s been Agatha all along!”

Look: absolutely every Marvel villain could benefit from getting their own twangy, “Monster Mash” theme song. Thankfully, WandaVision is actually in a position to pull one off for its newly-revealed big bad Agatha. And that’s because TV history is littered with similar novelty songs. 

The Addam’s Family theme song (duh-duh-duh-duh *snap* *snap*) is certainly the most iconic. But don’t sleep on The Munsters theme either. And as you can tell from the clip below, this is the one that most closely resembles Agatha’s new ditty.

At this point, WandaVision is just churning out candidates for song of the summer.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The post WandaVision: The Sitcom Influences of Episode 7 appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3duIO3a

[sagehaleyofficial]

HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (9.25-10.1.19):

NEW MUSIC:

·         Pale Waves debuted a brand new pop-punk song titled “Tomorrow” at a gig in Glasgow last Monday. The band was also recently unveiled as the opening support for Halsey on her upcoming tour.

·         State Champs released a new cover of Matchbox Twenty’s song, “Real World,” for the upcoming compilation album, Songs That Saved My Life Vol. 2. Hopeless Records and Sub City’s compilation benefits mental health and suicide prevention organizations.

·         Pierce the Veil frontman Vic Fuentes announced that the band’s next album is “getting closer and closer” to completion. He recently took to Instagram to give fans an update about his life, as well as other band-related news.

·         The Almost dropped their first new music since 2013, a song titled “Chokehold,” as well as unveiled plans for an upcoming full-length album and tour. The band, spearheaded by Underoath drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie, have recently signed to Fearless Records.

·         Creeper teased their fans with cryptic, paranormal videos and tweets on their social media pages. Last November, they appeared to announce their breakup onstage in London, and recently played an intimate gig under the name “Fugitives of Heaven” in the same city.

·         Waterparks dropped an emotional new track titled “High Definition,” as well as a music video, from their upcoming third studio album, Fandom. Lead singer Awsten Knight tweeted that the song is “probably [his] favorite thing [he’s] written.”

·         Issues dropped a video for their new song, “Flexin,” that shows that features a star from RuPaul’s Drag Race. The video stars Farrah Moan, also known as former MySpace scene kid, Cameron Ugh.

·         Bayside dropped the newest single, “Bury Me,” off their upcoming studio album, Interrobang. The band is also getting fans hyped by giving fans the chance to open for them with a “battle of the bands” contest.

·         Dance Gavin Dance released an instrumental version of their 2011 album, Downtown Battle Mountain II. The newly released instrumental album comes after the release last month of the instrumental version of the band’s fourth album, Acceptance Speech.

·         Disney’s Frozen 2 has unveiled the official soundtrack featuring covers of “Into the Unknown” by Panic! at the Disco, “Lost in the Woods” by Weezer and more. Country singer Kacey Musgraves has also signed on to put her own spin onto a track from the film.

·         Go Radio announced their return six years after their final show. The band released a statement on Instagram, as well as a short video, that detailed their plans to make new music.

·         Green Day will be unveiling a new song during a video montage that will air ahead of a National Hockey League game. The new song is called “Fire, Ready, Aim” and comes from the band’s upcoming album Father of All… out on February 7, 2020.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

·         All Time Low unveiled eight show dates in Los Angeles, Chicago and Sayreville, New Jersey, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of their studio album, Nothing Personal. Selling out almost immediately, they also announced they’d be re-recording the album and dropping a documentary on its making.

·         Slam Dunk unveiled its first wave of acts for its 2020 festival. The stacked lineup includes Don Broco, Mayday Parade, State Champs, Four Year Strong, the Wonder Years, Motion City Soundtrack, Knuckle Puck, Bayside, Issues, Hands Like Houses, Ice Nine Kills and many more.

·         Fans of Twenty One Pilots accused fellow music duo the Chainsmokers of copying the stage setup for The Bandito Tour after seeing the latter’s show. Both bands are currently on massive world tours with the former starting their tour last October.

·         Waterparks have unveiled a series of acoustic shows that will take place at various music stores in the U.S. The band will be performing and signing their upcoming record Fandom at the five exclusive shows.

·         Solo artist and former Panic! At The Disco guitarist Ryan Ross covered one of his former band’s songs at a show on Monday. Ross performed “Northern Downpour” at a gig in Arizona that he performed with the Dead End Kids Club, alongside Z Berg of the Young Veins.

OTHER NEWS:

·         Starbucks recently announced the addition of a Jack Skellington-inspired Frappuccino to its secret menu. The drink consists of a pumpkin spice Frappuccino with a shot of chai syrup, and was created by fans of the Nightmare Before Christmas.

·         Avril Lavigne responded in an interview with Billboard to comparisons that fellow pop singer Billie Eilish has been receiving to her music. She talked about how she feels she is similar to Eilish because they are both “individuals.”

·         Panic! at the Disco unveiled they’re getting their own music pack in popular virtual reality rhythm game, Beat Saber. The pack will be dropping next week, with both the band and the game tweeting the news.

·         AMC Theatres debuted a brand new ICEE drink inspired by the upcoming Addams Family animated film. The movie releases on October 11th and the drink, called a Spooky Clack Cherry ICEE, and is black in color.

·         The Umbrella Academy, popular comic series turned Netflix show originally created by My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, announced its first spinoff. The 32-page comic book will be called Hazel and Cha Cha Save Christmas: Tales from the Umbrella Academy.

·         Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz was announced as a producer and music supervisor for a forthcoming Snapchat original short-form series dealing with mental health. Wentz will serve as both producer and musical supervisor for the series, bringing original music to the show.

·         Founding Set It Off guitarist, Dan Clermont, announced his exit from the band after a five-month hiatus following allegations against an “unnamed member of the band.” Clermont also took to Twitter to comment on his departure.

·         Concord Records has acquired the legendary Victory Records in an estimated multi-million-dollar deal. The iconic punk and emo label has been a mainstay in the scene for breaking major artists such as Taking Back Sunday, A Day to Remember and more.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

[itsclydebitches]

Lovely Good Omens fandom! Many of you have asked for/mentioned having a text version of the Yelp reviews, which if I were a better person I would have remembered to include in the first place. Better late than never? So here’s a version below and I also threw this up on AO3 so there are options. For the record, I’m not at all trained in transcribing visual media, so if anyone wants to add to/edit/do whatever to this post, especially to make it more accessible, you have carte blanche to do so 👍

Also I typed this up in a hurry so, as always, apologies for any typos. 

Tagging: @lethargicdolphin, @marithlizard, @pearwaldorf

A.Z. Fell and Co. Antiquarian and Unusual Books 

Recommended Reviews 

Lindsay F. 

London, United Kingdom 

71 friends

3000 reviews

9874 photos

So I slipped into this place because I spotted my ex across the street and would have rather chugged a cocktail of bleach, lighter fluid, and a condensed solution of all my middle school years then talk to that asshole. Owner was on me the second I walked through the door and I thought he was gonna be one of those ‘Either buy something or get out’ types. Nah. I spilled the story, said I really wasn’t looking to purchase anything, and he LIT UP like nobody’s business. He gave me tea and promised I’d never run into my ex again. Which is a super sketchy promise on its own and also should have been hilarious coming from a guy a century behind in style.

...Kinda believed him though. 

Marina G. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

33 reviews

48 photos

Pretty sure this guy wants a library, not a bookshop. I mean, he’s nice and all when you first come in, but trying to actually buy a book? Good fucking luck. He’s too busy to see you right now (for the record he’s super bad at pretending to be busy). Or claims that this book has already been put on reserve (then why wasn’t it in the reserve pile...?). Or the price suddenly jumped an obscene amount. Or he just straight up hems and haws until you get fed up and leave. I watched him pull a novel straight out of a woman’s hands once when she claimed that price was no object and she wouldn’t be leaving the store until she’d purchased it. You’d think she was trying to kidnap one of the guy’s kids!

So yeah. Feel like popping in to browse, maybe take pictures for your research, all while making quiet conversation with someone who quite frankly knows his stuff? This is the place for you. Want to actually buy something? Go elsewhere. Pretty sure Fell doesn’t even own a cash register. At least I’ve never seen one. 

He wants a library and I’d honestly tell him as much if he didn’t scare me just a little bit...

Aaron S. 

New York, NY

68 friends

212 reviews 

337 photos

I stayed here for three days once. Found a bathroom off the romance section and a chair hidden away in the back. Way comfier than my mattress at home. Mostly played iPhone games and kept real quiet at night. Experiment ended when I popped out for breakfast and didn’t make it back before a random 10:00am closing. Don’t think the owner ever realized what was up. 

Hana S. 

London, United Kingdom 

112 friends

115 reviews

208 photos

I really love this place. I’ve been coming here since I moved to London, about twelve years ago, and it’s one of the most soothing bookstores I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Yeah, you hear talk of weird things going on at Fell’s, but really? We could all do with a bit more quirky in our lives. And Fell provides that in spades: Annual plants that never seem to wither, let alone die. The smell of incense mixing with cocoa. Strange books tucked horizontally into the shelves, feeling like they have a touch of magic to them. Nonsensical conversations taking place in dark corners (I’m talking candid chats about the apocalypse and whether angels could actually bless all the rains down in Africa. I swear Fell and his boyfriend are the religion Mythbusters or something.) I’m going to sound like a total nerd here for a moment, but it feels like some sort of liminal space. You know when you were a kid and you were just desperate to receive your Hogwarts letter? Or find your own wardrobe to Narnia? That’s what walking into Fell’s feels like. Like you’ve finally found that portal and can stay as long as you like, provided you don’t try to take anything back with you into the ‘real’ world. Hell, maybe that’s why he won’t let anyone buy his books. 

Robert T. 

Union City, CA

4 friends

26 reviews

3 photos

There’s a snake?? In this shop?? A reALLY MASSIVE SNAKE????? What are y’all doing talkin’ about your meet cutes and shit someone call pest control!

Malini D. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

48 reviews

99 photos

I’m not gonna pretend I have anything to say about whether this is a good bookstore or not, but if you ever want knitting help you should definitely stop by. Mr. Fell knows an absurd amount about crafts for a guy who looks like my grandpa and he’s now replaced Youtube as my go-to for alleviating “Omg please fix this how the hell did I manage to reverse the pattern??” panic. For the record, I didn’t just wander up to a random bookseller one day and demand that he help me salvage the ruins of my first sweater. I’d taken a seat inside to wait out a storm, had my messy sleeve stuffed into my purse, and he’d offered the help. Bit of a bastard about things like gauge and color--not everyone wants to wear tartan, dude--but you get used to that. He means well. Said I should come back to show him the finished piece, which I did. Things just kind of spiraled from there. He’s an absolute treasure trove of knowledge once you get him talking and a muffin to boot. If he were twenty years younger and in any way straight I would have asked him out in a heartbeat. As it is I’m considering setting him up with Grandpa. 

Tiffany L. 

London, United Kingdom 

132 friends

312 reviews

34 photos

I’m not really a book person myself but I followed my wife in with our seventh-month old and was kinda embarrassed when he started making a fuss. Normally I’m full Badass Mom mode while in public--I’ve got a kid to feed, change, sooth, and you all can damn well deal with it--but this place was so quiet Liam seemed extra loud in comparison. I was about to take him back out when a man appeared out of nowhere. The owner I guess, based on how some of these other reviews describe him. Older gentleman with clothes out of some period piece. Anyway, he scoops Liam into his arms like he was born for it and started bouncing. Our fussy, temperamental, drama queen Liam settled in an instant and my wife got to browse to her heart’s content. I don’t know how he did it, but that man is an absolute angel. Full stars for that moment alone. 

Gillian L. 

The Hague, The Netherlands

283 friends

256 reviews

60 photos

Anyone know if the old Bentley parked out front is for sale? 

Update: It’s really, really, really not 

Billy H. 

Austen, TX

40 friends

2073 reviews

774 photos

QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS SO MANY QUEER BOOKS!!!

Gabriela G. 

London, United Kingdom

3 friends

22 reviews

1 photos

Run by this delightfully frumpy guy who sometimes hands out biscuits from a sewing tin like my gran used to. He asked me if I was looking for anything in particular and I told him my name was Jared, I was 19, but sadly I’d never learned how to read. I have NEVER seen a man more confused in my life. 10/10 would meme him again. 

Colie A.

Enola, PA

201 friends

2778 reviews

10382 photos

I’m setting the record straight here since there are a bunch of reviews claiming it’s just London folklore: there is a snake at A.Z. Fell’s. Must be an exotic pet he usually keeps upstairs because I’ve only ever seen it twice. Is it big? Yes. Scary? Fuck yes, but I’ve never seen it do anything more than give a warning hiss at this drunk who wandered in and started yelling. (Are snakes good guard dogs? This one is.) The other time he was just chilling on top of one of the shelves. Snoozing, I guess. I asked Mr. Fell if I could pet him and he said maybe after he woke up, but then I had to get to class and all. 

Afraid of snakes? Steer clear. Otherwise I’d really recommend popping in and seeing if he’s around. Idk, maybe I’m just a snake fan but he looks super sweet and chill. Life is short. Boop the snake snoot. 

Jeremy W. 

London, United Kingdom 

86 friends

409 reviews

12 photos

I live down the street from A.Z. Fell’s and let me tell you, this place is spooky as fuck. All sorts of weird lights and noises coming from it. At all times of the day and night too. Either this bowtie wearing bookworm has one crazy sex life or the place is haunted. Jury’s out on which. 

Heather Ki. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

3852 reviews

1 photos

This shop smells. Not that old book smell either, oh no, but like something is molding. I took my little Johnny in here to try and get him interested in something other than those damned video games and I walk into what smells like a whole cloud of toxic mold! My boy has a weak constitution as it is and if he comes down with anything I will be pressing charges, you mark my words. 

Jo. W. 

London, United Kingdom 

32 friends

410 reviews

61 photos

Hey, does anyone want to talk about the fact that this place burned down last month? As in, completely up in flames, I saw it happen, nothing but a smoking husk afterwards? Does no one else remember this??

Tiggi N. 

London, United Kingdom 

32 friends

33 reviews

24 photos

Has anyone read this guy’s opening hours? I included a photo above: “I open the shop on most days about 9:30AM perhaps 10:AM. While occasionally I have opened the shop as early as 8, I have been known not to open until 1.” Absolutely insane. This guy’s a madman and I love him. If anyone actually manages to get into this place please let me know because I need to shake Fell’s hand. 

Mackenzie J. 

City Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom 

807 friends

2592 reviews

13218 photos

I told my girlfriend this shop’s got a snake named Anthony and she didn’t believe me. Going back for proof next week. 

Update: got the snake selfie!!!!!!!!

Penny O. 

Chicago, IL

87 friends

557 reviews

16 photos

Caught the owner snogging some hot twink behind the cookbooks. Well done, my dude. 

[newmusicmonthly]

2019

Hello,

Missed me?

No longer a monthly mailer – just another end of year round up.

On reflection, perhaps I’ve played it a bit safe this year, but I didn’t feel there was as much great music out there as in previous years.

Yes, I too use Google, so I have listened to all the end of year Best Of lists online, and so those artists not included just didn’t resonate with me this year.

I maintain ‘bad guy’ off Billie Eilish’s record sounds like a Super Mario bonus level (probably in a spooky dungeon)… which I suppose isn’t a bad thing. And I love Lana, but I just didn’t think the latest record was all that. And the same was true of Angel Olsen, Nick Cave, Kanye, Hot Chip… but don’t get me started on Bon Iver: avant-garde “Kum ba yah” at best (sorry Rob).

But then that’s part of the joy of music, variety and differing opinions… so please share yours! What have I overlooked? What should be revisited? Where in the depths of streaming services is that killer track from 2019?

For now, here is my list of songs, somewhat crowbarred into the monthly format (as mentioned, this email was once called New Music Monthly Mailer with five tracks a month, and surely we need some level of constancy and accountability this year).

Enjoy, or not – but please do share your own choice picks.

Merry Christmas.

R x  

NEW MUSIC 2019

JANUARY

Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen Just go and watch her performance from Glastonbury: https://youtu.be/BM6jn891seU Seriously, from 2:45, just fucking brilliant.

J.S. Ondara - Saying Goodbye Lovely acoustic number and a great voice that evokes Tracy Chapman. 

Basekou Kouyate, Ngoni ba - Kanto kelena (feat. Habib Koite) Malian ngoni master returns to acoustic roots.

Delicate Steve - Selfie of a Man Synthy silly catchy instrumental pop-rock.

Steve Gunn - Vagabond Guitar troubadour telling stories of solitude with unostentatious guitar tones.

FEBRUARY

Mara Balls - Ikävä ikävää Driving Finnish Doom-lite.

Julie Jacklin - Body A narrative masterclass, sombre and brooding, but also simmering and pulsating.

Strand of Oaks - Weird Ways Big widescreen rock, which builds into a gorgeous swirl of sound, with Timothy on fine yet reflective form, backed by the band of My Morning Jacket.

Crows - Hang Me High Long awaited debut from Idles approved band, loud fuzz Mary Chain / Dom Keller vibes.

Kel Assouf - Fransa Desert blues, with all the best Tuareg styling, but added beefy production.

MARCH

Nick Waterhouse - Man Leaves Town Mr Waterhouse and band well in the pocket.

Dave - Streatham Heavy beats and piano lines soundtrack story of growing up in SW16. 

Karen O, Danger Mouse - Turn The Light Danger Mouse brings the gentle disco grooves underneath Karen’s swooning vocals.

Small Feet - The Lake Down tempo reverb and echoes float throughout this woozy directionless jam. 

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Tombes Oubliées BJM do what BJM do best... in French. 

APRIL

The Comet Is Coming - Summon The Fire How can you not move to this?!

W.H. Lung - Empty Room Great new band (c.f. mailer 2017!), and as I already included ‘Inspiration!’ this is my second favourite cut from a top album.

Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation - Feel The Sun Another great artist (championed back in 2016 I think you’ll find), spectral psych grooves.

Weyes Blood - Mirror Forever Great opening line, there’s a coldness but also strangely comforting.

Foxygen - News Now a lot people had fallen off the Foxygen wagon recently, including me, but this is catchy melody filled vibes, with a completely unexpected stonking T-Rex style groove that kicks in around the 3:30 minute mark

MAY

Lizzo – Juice Speaking of good vibes… I mean, again, just go watch the Glastonbury set: https://youtu.be/R9CTs1NsZRI.

Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE Production values: A*, chances of not leaving… C-

The 100 Knights Orchestra - Soul Fugue Celebrating Daptone Records 100th RPM single, this special features every horn player the label has ever worked with, and it is glorious.

Death and Vanilla - A Flaw In The Iris Devendra Banhart vibes to begin, fazing in Mazzy Star style reverb and guitars.

Desert Sands - Are You There The best psychedelic space rock released… ever! 

JUNE

Rose City Band - Fog of Love Warm tones and laid back ambles, which has producer Ripley Johnson’s stamp all over it.

Madonnatron - Goodnight Little Empire Disco ditty extraordinaire.

The Black Keys - Lo/Hi Have you heard of ZZ Top? You have?

The Amazons - Doubt It Future rock heroes get dark.

Fat White Family, Parrot and Cocker Too - Feet - Parrot and Cocker Too Remix Gone for the remix version of this great track: what isn’t improved by added shakers and throbbing techno?

JULY

Michael Kiwanuka, Tom Misch - Money (with Tom Misch) The first of two Kiwanuka tracks in this list, but this was a standalone single, and has all the bubbly bass groove it was impossible not to include.

Drake, Rick Ross - Money In The Grave (Drake ft. Rock Ross) Speaking of money… bounce!

DOPE LEMON - Salt & Pepper Weird keys give way to J.J. Cale style guitar noodles, whilst Angus heaps on the druggy references adding to the meandering stoned atmosphere.

The Quiet Temple, Moon Duo - The Last Opium Den On Earth (Moon Duo Remix) Speaking of druggy… 12 minutes of acid psych jazz in the last opium den on earth.

Nev Cottee - Hello Stranger Cinematic and pastoral, but also searing

AUGUST

Palace - Running Wild Top class indie pop nugget with great simple guitar solo to end.

Kandodo 3 - Everything Green's Gone This definitely isn’t for everyone: think Nine Inch Nails soundtracks at their most impenetrable, if you can make it two thirds of the way through this 13 minute wig out, there are some great slide guitars.

Clairo – Bags Breakout bedroom pop with one of the hookiest melodies all year.

Mini Mansions - Works Every Time Behind the beat smooth grooves.

Death Hawks - Whisper Squelchy over produced 80s style pop bananas,

SEPTEMBER

Native Harrow - Can't Go On Like This Inevitable Laurel Canyon / Joni Mitchell comparisons on this retro analogue sound ballad.

Ty Segall - The Arms Ty does a rare acoustic number, and even throws in a rather tasteful mandolin line.

Pixx - Funsize Synth bleeps and beats disguise a Radiohead-esque creeping guitar line.

Sleater-Kinney - The Future Is Here Love the motorik dirge vibes here, underpin lovely vocal lines and melodies which remind us: the future is here, and we can’t go back.

Marika Hackman - i'm not where you are Great pop hooks and guitar lines.

OCTOBER

Dylan LeBlanc - Renegade I’m a big fan of LeBlanc and his retro stylings, and this track is super lilting 80s driving rock.

TOOL - Pneuma I struggled to get TOOL for a while, but this record and this track in particular is fucking phenomenal.

Lightning Dust - Devoted To Amber Webber and Joshua Wells’ solo project (previously of Black Mountain), conjure spectral dreamscapes.

Sturgill Simpson - Remember To Breathe Sturgill goes electronic rawk – and Tomoyasu Hotei wants his production back.

Michael Kiwanuka - Hero Here he is again, with the standout track from a truly brilliant album.

NOVEMBER

Kelsey Waldon - White Noise, White Lines Kentucky country groove rock.

WIVES - Waving Past Nirvana Churning fuzz rock underpins laconic loose vocals, cool.

Pumarosa - I See You Tense synth verses give way to soaring superb choruses.

Jaako Eine Kalevi - Dissolution Finnish synth pop architect doing a very good Matthew Dear impersonation. 

Warmduscher - Midnight Dipper “The offspring of a match made in hell between Fat White Family and Paranoid London” – full-on sleazy glam.

DECEMBER

Pond - Don't Look at the Sun (Or You'll Go Blind) – Live My favourite track the band perform live, now finally available on streaming.

Staff Benda Bilili - Jamais de la vie The famous Congolese street band return with tight uplifting grooves.

Khruangbin, Leon Bridges - Texas Sun Sit back, open a cold one, and enjoy (when summer comes back around).

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - Catfish Blues Mississippi delta blues from the 72 year old Holmes, produced by Dan Auerbach.

Mikal Cronin - Show Me Long-time Ty Segall collaborator serves up some Tom Petty-esque soft rock.

[doomedandstoned]

SuuM Returns With An Epic Doom Masterpiece

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Review by Billy Goate

The other night, I woke from a nightmare and ended up listening to the first album by Italian doomers SUUM. 'Buried Into The Grave' (2018) came out during a crowded time for new releases, many of which were from established bands. It was not a good year for such a newcomer to get noticed, yet thankfully plenty of my fellow critics did and the band ended up signing with Seeing Red Records for a second helping. One thing that struck me was just how much the Roman heavies sounded like they were singing in a massive tube of skull-filled catacombs underneath the city. The effect laying in the dark at 2 am was quite spooky and conjured more familiar Western images of ghouls in fog-clad graveyards.

As promising as that first effort was, SuuM's second album is stronger yet still. Perhaps they've become more comfortable in their own skin, Mark Wolf (vox), Painkiller (guitar), Joe Grave (bass), and Fed Kemper (drums) having had time to gel as a team. There may have been some line-up changes since the first album and following the second, but I'm unclear as to how the band has settled now (at least for their live performances). What I can say is that everyone sounds in top form on 'Cryptomass' (2020), absolutely in tune with the medium (whereas on the first album, it felt a bit more hit and miss for me).

I read some criticism on another well-known metal blog about Mark Wolf's vocals, but I love them. They're not over the top, like so many operatic epic doom singers tend to be. Perhaps you might be better off comparing them with Mikko Kääriäinen of Cardinals Folly or Dmitry Tkachuk of Weird Tales in their '80s Gothic sensibility than to Johan Längquist of Candlemass and Scott Reagers of Saint Vitus, though admittedly there are moments that rise to the height of the latter. Hell, even fellow Italian Paul Chain is worthy of comparison to Mark Wolf, though Mark seems to have a bit more of that animal ́ 'oomph" than Paul.

Compositionally, the first three songs of Crytomass really flowed together for me and it created a most dark, potent atmosphere. Perhaps it was the fade out in "Creatures of the Vault" that broke the spell for me. In my mind, SuuM could have kept going and made one long, grand ritual, but then I'm sure that might have led to listening fatigue for some. Every album needs a sense of pacing and the somber, downcast haze of "Funeral Circle" gives it to us. I'm usually not a fan of guitar solos in epic doom, but the oh so plaintive expression in Painkiller's lead at the five minute mark really got to me. Genuinely sad and genuine is not something that is achieved often enough in heavy music.

Today, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a first listen to the album Crytomass in its entirety, releasing February 14th via Seeing Red Records on digital and compact disc formats (pre-order here). There's plenty more to be discovered on this nine-track wonder (don't miss "The Failure of Creation," my personal favorite), so get ready and...

...give ear.

Cryptomass by SUUM

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[newandbrave]

Billie Eilish – Bellyache

The last five to ten years has seen a massive rise in a number of young American artists making their mark on television and then transitioning into music after. Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande are just a few names that come to mind when I think about these types of musicians who had the spotlight on their careers from a young age. However, one up and coming artist who has managed to stay out of the eye of the media and develop herself as an amazing musician is Billie Eilish. At just 15 years of age Eilish has already released multiple singles and is forging herself a reputation for being a unique artist and a highly talented musician who is going to continue to develop and could one day be very famous female artist with a big following.

Eilish is a 15-year-old Californian singer, actor and dancer. Eilish grew up in Los Angeles to a family of actors and musicians, and like her brother and fellow musician Finneas O’Connell she was home schooled. At eight years old she joined the Los Angeles Children’s Choir where she would develop her soulful vocals. Her first releases of music was when she was barely a teenager. These were her first two singles, Six Feet Under and Fingers Crossed. Following their release Eilish got her big break with the single Ocean Eyes which was produced and co-written with her brother. It would acquire fourteen million streams online as well as a number of remixes. Some of the well noted remixes included those by Astronomyy Blackbear and Goldhouse. Since then she has also received attention from various websites such as Stereogum and Purple Sneakers. She has also recorded a cover of Frank Ocean’s song Thinkin Bout You in 2015. At the moment she is focussing the production of her music, writing songs and enjoying her time as a teenager, but she has recently released her latest single Bellyache, and a music video for it may not be too far away.

The music Eilish releases can best be described as a cross between an earthy sounding style of folk and electro-pop, giving it a very experimental indie feel. She is also developing her own image as a young musician. One of her other big interests is fashion and she has said that she enjoys wearing clothing that is unique and different from what is on trend. In terms of comparisons to other artists she has a very similar voice and low key indie sound like fellow American songstress Lana Del Rey and New Zealand’s Lorde. As inspiration for lyrics Eilish has also said she likes to imagine herself as different characters in almost impossible situations. Belly Ache is a primary example of this. Her older brother is currently a member of the indie-rock band The Slightlys. One thing that needs to be remembered is her age, at only fifteen she has an idea of who she wants to be as not just a musician but as an artist as well.

Bellyache is her first release of 2017 and it contains a smooth folk sound which displays Eilish’s amazing vocals as well as some bass driven electro-pop to offer a contrast in the song.  This is also used to create a feeling of tension and panic which can be heard in Eilish’s voice. Her voice is the focal point in the song, but it is great how the folk rhythm and electronic sound work around it perfectly. The folk sound doesn’t overpower her voice at all but it still compliments it in a very nice way, and when the electro-pop kicks in it a pleasant surprise as well as a welcome change of pace. Eilish has said that Bellyache is about guilt and that feeling you get when you have done something bad but you just don’t seem to care. In this song she takes on the perspective role of a psychopath. Some inspiration for this song also came from horror films which she is a big fan of. The song reflects Eilish’s creativity and it is based around the insane things that we all do for love. Her use of imagery and description is something really special in this song. This is probably best shown in her lyrics ‘They’ll be here pretty soon, lookin’ through my room, for the money, I’m bitin’ my nails, I’m too young to go to jail, it’s kind of funny’. The best word to describe the song would be dark. What Billie has been able to do is create a spooky horror film like story which is supported by an eerie guitar sound which builds up to a manic burst of electro-pop. She really has set the mood brilliantly and it is something that she deserves a lot of praise for.

Bellyache is one of those songs that really needs a listen simply because of the amount of outstanding creative concepts that are hidden within it. From the creative and well thought out story that the lyrics tell, to the contrast between the folk guitar and electronic snippets, this song really shows Eilish’s musical creativity at its finest. Eilish has put a lot of thought in to this song, and what she has produced is a song which could fit in to any sort of horror film or thriller.

At the moment Billie Eilish could probably be best described as one of the front runners in the next generation of up and coming musicians. Music and performance seems to run in her family and she really has been blessed with incredible talent. In the coming years you can probably expect to see a lot more of her, and her growth as a musical artist is definitely something to keep an eye on. We could very well be looking at the future of female indie artists in Billie Eilish.

Influences: Horror films

Why we love it: Fresh sound, incredible contrast, fascinating lyrics

Facebook • Twitter • BUY IT

By Kieren

[vasilinaorlova]

hologram and flamingo, superimposed / anatomy of hysterics

uncanny valley. spooky. translucent you are a bunch of hypocrites. you would swear you love me but still won’t buy my book. I am not drinking that coffee with you, nor do I eat that cheesecake I promised you to share with you one day. what?! I cannot possibly humanly supposedly theoretically hypothetically reasonably wait this long. “vinyl” is veritably the strangest word in the whole English language. the more you look at it the stranger it is. I know you cannot marry me for a variety of overwhelmingly silly reasons, but buy my book. It’s almost the same, only twice better. In fact it brings all the privileges of the named arrangement but none of its horrific downsides. I was about to throw a tantrum,                       conduct a scene,                                    an instance of hysterics,                                  a scandal, but– thank you who bought or plans to buy my book; when you have just published something, there is always this great anxiety. *wipes out traces of cheesecake from her cheeks with a tablecloth’s ridge*

I will drink coffee with you and I will eat that cheesecake *another one* that I promised I’ll eat with you one day. sigh. Billy Collins, I hear–and he’s one of the most successful poets at least among those who look like something recognizable as poets, for there are perhaps more successful ones, but their identity as poets is under a sort of question, a pending identity, as it were–Billy Collins sells some 18.000 copies of his poetry books a year, and earns $44.000 a year of royalties–which are ridiculously low numbers for one of the most famous poets alive of the huge English-speaking world. just how much more he’d earn if he wrote prose. or how even more he’d earn if he wrote self-help books. in some sense it is a privilege to be a poet in the Western society, to afford to be a poet. either you have nothing and you can therefore afford to be a poet, or you have to have a lot–a (preferably tenured) position in a good university by the very least, connections, time to and understanding how to submit endlessly carousels of your poems to journals (might be a full-time job in its own right), a lit agent at least, a publisher, etc., etc., etc. poetry is a completely thankless trade, a vain business                           (yet in another sense the most rewarding too).

hologram and flamingo, superimposed

(I am looking for a title for my streams.) hologram and flamingo: invariance theorem (another variant)

my writing career started in another language, another time, and in another country. there I was lucky to be absorbed momentarily, as soon as I gave the first glimpse of myself, into existing writing community. to be sure, an impoverished community it was, a community which had next to no power, no assets, not much of a political voice or any other kind of significance beyond its own imaginings, but a community consisting of viciously ambitious writers who are professionals of the Russian letters for what it is worth.

this community is relatively small in comparison to English-speaking writing communities, but it is also dense and centered around several dying literary journals. I publish my work in these journals and used to have books coming out regularly from publishing houses which predate on these journals as well.

the journals are treasures of writings that are barely read; their authors suffer constantly and viscerally from being un-demanded by the society. plainly put, there are no adequate infrastructures in existence, for the un-reader of said journals also exists, but laments the absence of good literature.

this un-reader dismisses the journals without reading them, because journals are the remnants of the previous epoch, surviving well into the new times in forms that seems to be outdated. (the irony of it, however, that they are just fine–in the Western world such professional journals look exactly the same). it is quite a world. pretty much everything I have ever written in Russian is published, except for diaries and things like that–something that I write for my own endless references.

I moved to the English-speaking world in 2010, and struggled with the language for quite a while (I continue struggling with it, every day is another challenge). here my successes are quite modest, at least they are not in any way in comparison with what I had in Russia.

now is a luminous, liminal moment: I have everything in endless drafts. tons of work. I like this work sincerely. my best pages are written in English, no doubt. however, there is a lot of difficulties with getting it out there. everything requires another round of revision. additionally, the services of a professional editor are extremely expensive, and I have to consult a highly skilled native speaker professional for any of my writings I attempt to advance. I asked friends to help me several times, but they cannot possibly run such a charity, and I am not entirely comfortable asking them all the time. …yes. this is about it. everything that appears in this book (Holy Robots) at some point was given away “for free,” as you put it, that is to say, was posted. I have no secret storages of writings that somehow exceed in mastery or ferocity what you see every day. however, the preparation of the book does involve selection, revisions, polishing, and, most importantly, building of sequences of poems, which is a crucial part. I try to compose my books so that each division in them has its own logic, and together they form a complex but permeable system. I believe the book should have a breathing; for the poetry book it is extremely important to think about the rhythm, architectonics, and harmony of the whole corpus of texts. I don’t know in what degree I succeeded with my task but I tried. a text into which it is easy to slip my old-time dream is fulfilled. when I was asking myself many times a day if I ever master the English language, the image of a remote room, the inhabitant of which would one day perhaps listen to my words in silence, was something that kept me going. don’t forget to write me an explicit report. Holy Robots consist(s) of eight divisions: “Holy Robots,” “Necromancer,” “Emperor,” “Missionary,” “Poems in a Male Voice,” “Alchemist,” “Paper Flowers,” and “Mirrors." Six poems out of the “Poems in a Male Voice”  series were out in Figroot Press web literary journal December 2016. This is approximately one fifth part of all the Poems in a Male Voice. I am happy with this book but I am also tired of it. It took me a long time to put it together because I kept adding poems to two sections, “Poems in a Male Voice” and “Alchemist.” By the end of it I was thoroughly exasperated. I hope I will never write another Alchemist poem or Poem in a Male Voice. I am so done with both, I cannot even tell you. The tomb of the unknown writer Is a faceless obelisk                     {obscene]                     {obsidian] Amidst a deserted landscape, Surviving by pure chance, Rising alone, Throwing a straight shadow Like a sundial For no one to measure time; No flowers, And a path                   [petulant} Overtaken by virulent verdure. Infinite Jest traveled with me to Russia–Moscow and then Siberia–in 2013. It was the only book in English I took to that travel of mine. I rather liked and disliked the book. It is a writing as much fascinating as it is disappointing. Ulysses is another matter; one cannot really dislike it–it is already pretty much a monument covered with beautiful stains of respectable moss. (Who knew it’ll happen so soon.) German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk’s masterpiece is a trilogy consisting of “Bubbles. Spheres Volume I: Microspherology,” “Globes. Spheres Volume II: Macrospherology,” and finally “Foams. Spheres Volume III: Plural Spherology.” Sounds like a life pleasantly spent. “…what Clément describes as a punitive adoration of female singers: "They suffer, they cry, they die.”“ –Alex Ross (”In Extremis,” The New Yorker, Jan.9, 2017) very true in regard to writing as well (Ross is talking about music) the female writer is constantly on the edge. inasmuch as the female writer is her character, she suffers terrible blows from life, even if as a person she’s perfectly fine. she follows through the enfilade unfolding: from one excruciating story into another. it’s a never-ending cascade of stairways, an endless kaleidoscope. the key is to sustain this spectacular falling for years without (or preferably with) the harm to the mental health. everything should fall apart to blow the reader away. if you don’t have tragedies in your life, forge them. exaggerate what little you have. keep them fascinated with the tragic sublime. be a figure of constant emaciation. a silhouette of the unbearable. sustain endless hysterics of writing. be a cascading cry, a carousel of terrible losses. "wake up from a nightmare into another nightmare.” feed vultures of déjà vu. pick worst lovers. pick lovers who would prostitute you on the agora. age tragically in one night. age irreversibly. choose strong betrayers. arrange a failure out of the most enduring friendships possible–a female friendship. bury relatives. divorce husbands. have a drug-addict child. nothing is too gross. don’t forget to die from your own hand.