#but the layers to that dynamic from both sides are insane and so compelling and fascinating

[shisogelee]

not to be a hater but certain medias should simply never be found by the actor x reader crowd and saltburn is a perfect example

because with that array of fascinating characters and insane displays of queer psychosexual depravity? imagine being like yeah actually the most interesting part is the math nerd with 5 minutes of screentime

[lukesaprince]

Honestly i could write a lot more but it would probably become unbearable haha

“Then I want to strip you naked and watch you bounce on my cock. Forwards… backwards.” (I fucking love it when you use italics)

You nodded eagerly, loving the sound of all of it. “Uhuh. All of it…” you inhaled a sharp breath, loving the feeling of his hands moving to knead at your inner thighs, “There is one thing though. Something I want.”(inlove when they tell each other the things they want before doing it)

Then he did something unexpected. With a shit-eating grin on his face he pulled up the chair he kicked away earlier and sat on it, shuffling close to the table like he was getting ready to eat a three-course meal. You were going to make fun of him for it, but you didn’t really get a chance when he slung your legs over his shoulder and nuzzled his nose right into the crotch of your underwear. (Speechless.id love to see more banter between them)

“Hey. Look at me.” He nudged, not happy with your lack of response.(okay daddy! Although maybe they dobt have a dom sub daddy dynamic maybe once she lets it slip and they play it out for once to experiment and jtd be hot as an experiment cuz shes calling smn younger than her daddy yk?)-(obviosly im not trying to tell you how to write your story clearly i love it just the way you’re writing it its just that im getting carried away haha its too good so im sorry for that!)

“Y/n, I’d worship you and this pretty pussy”-(oh yeah.i like the concept of respecting and worshipping going on in this story.it is what is drawing me to the story most.)

“Oh, you’re such a good little slut letting me spank you like this. Right over your little clit too, hm? Who knew such a pretty girl would like such dirty things.”(sorry he has the best of the best dirty talk game)

This chemistry with you… it was otherworldly. Supernatural almost. A compelling pull like his cells were trying to fuse with yours. (Insane writing babe you’re on a roll)

Harry didn’t quite realise when you said you liked dirty talk that you liked it both ways, but he rather enjoyed the filth spilling from your mouth. He found it cute that you could barely string words together when he was pleasuring you, but like this? It was the biggest fucking turn-on.(two sided dirty talk is thee best)

Sorry some of the details in the smut i just want to point that had me fainting but its going to get too awkward for me and you that way honestly ik you will think im exaggerating but this is some of the best smut (top 3 id say )ive ever read in both the fanfic and romance book world and trust me ive read a lot of that.

“Say it, baby. Tell me how I’m doing, hm?”(oh the guts on this man to be this hot)

You were slightly shaky in his arms, sensitive as he placed you gently on the floor in front of his bed. He broke the kiss to look at you for a moment, panting heavily while brushing his nose against yours. There was something about the look in his eyes that had you crumbling inside. They were soft and almost loving; so full of yearning and desire that you were almost scared to look back. It was overwhelming.(this bit made me cry. We all deserve dirty gentle loving looks and want and longing and romance and sex)

Honestly i could comment on every single sentence of this piece of smut cuz it has so many layers to it but ill spare you haha

“You’re a vision.”

“So are you.” (We all deserve love and romance that loves us back as much if not more)

Because it wasn’t just the pleasure. It was the chemistry. The eye contact. The fact you two had a laugh about him thrusting against your ass cheek instead of inside of you because his table couldn’t handle the pressure. The way you could have that laugh just minutes ago and be back to this. The firey eye contact and his trembling thighs underneath your palms. (Cant tell you how much i love imperfect sex.and even more to read about it)

Coming down was all open-mouthed kisses and laboured breaths and this distinct feeling that everything had changed. You two could never go back to casual and you most certainly couldn't look at yourself or your husband the same way ever again.(just wow writing.just wow.)

Honestly you not olny outdid yourself but you outdid alot of writing standards with this.like wow.stunning piece.The type of shit id read and swoon over if it was a romance book and harry wasnt even a character in it.

And you wrote such an endearing romance.the respect,the love already blooming,so gentle,so considerate,so much passion.we all deserve it.thank you for this piece.this masterpiece.truly.thank you.

(Pls excuse all my mistakes I was rushing to get my thoughts out as soon as I read a paragraph )

1. I LOVE ITALICS!!! IM AN ITALICS LOVER ILL ALWAYS USE THEM!! I feel like it conveys tone so much better and you can read each paragraph better knowing what's been emphasised.

2. I'll def include some more banter between them because I love them and the way they interact so much!!!

3. (okay daddy! Although maybe they dobt have a dom sub daddy dynamic maybe once she lets it slip and they play it out for once to experiment and jtd be hot as an experiment cuz shes calling smn younger than her daddy yk?) REAL!! He definitely takes a natural dominant position in the dynamic because it's what they both like! I'm sure a daddy kink will come up at some point you know I'm a sucker for it and he for sure will give her a little bit of teasing because he's younger. Like just imagine the dirty talk 🤭

4. you're so right about everyone deserving soft loving looks during sex because I think it's so important! imperfect sex is fun to write too because it does happen and more often than not something will happen. Sex isn't choreographed so I'm so happy you liked those bits of the smut! (and the dirty talk hehe it's my fav to write)

[this is some of the best smut (top 3 id say )ive ever read in both the fanfic and romance book world and trust me ive read a lot of that.

Honestly you not olny outdid yourself but you outdid alot of writing standards with this.like wow.stunning piece.

And you wrote such an endearing romance.the respect,the love already blooming,so gentle,so considerate,so much passion.we all deserve it.] - these comments honestly have me screaming like genuinely thank you so much idk what else to say 😭 I have so much self-doubt when writing it's crazy so hearing such nice compliments and such extensive feedback means the world I'm so appreciative 🙏

thank you so much for reading my work and writing this and I you enjoy what I post next 😭 ❤️

[hirokiyuu]

I BEAT NEOTWEWY “after four days?” yeah im insane thanks

anyways thoughts under the cut! MASSIVE spoilers incoming

i was not super into rindo/shoka for like 99% of the game until “we can finally be friends” like wow. going from enemies > online friends where only one of them realizes who u are > reluctant (?) teammates and like just....... the layers of shit in their rship ended up selling me in the end. they had cute moemnts b4 that but this was the first time i went “oh theyve got a Dynamic” instead of “wow! cute heterosexuals i guess!”

side note i really did not expect her to be swallow bc i was CONVINCED it was rhyme but also it does make a lot of sense in retrospect LMFAO ill reread to see stuff after this

i do hae to say i really like her being his first Decision in game that was v good. they did have vibes!

lmfao tho the noise i made when josh put her back in the rg. You Little Bastard Man You Are Always Like This.

i was v happy to see him was really not feeling his exp for why he did nothing beforehand. theorizing it was bc he couldnt make a move while kubo was there (angel) but we’ll see what the secret reports say

older nekus design, no joke, made me teary-eyed hte first time i saw it

side note did his voice always sound like that. he reminded me of squall leonheart kingdomhearts2 specifically adn it was V jarring bc that wasnt at all how i rmbr’d him sounding

oh i DID tear up when he told shiki “i see you” like wow. perfect encapsulation of their entire rship right there. he DOES see her hes ALWAYS seen her. i dont romo it but the two of them have SUCH a dynamic its soooooooo good

nagi best girl. i have her whole speech to fret about humanity screencapped on my switch and i reread it this morning and it made me like, tear up genuinely both times. shes SO good i LOVE her

i cant decide if i ship her and minami (bc its funny) or if i read her as aro. tbh i think what it is is i read her as aro except in situations where minami/nagi is funny. thats it thats my whole thought process

I LOV FRET A LOT ACTUALLY i actually found myself compelled by his rship w/kanon tho god. fridging women. please i

kanon in general was really good tho. wife wife wife wife w

fret/kanon is like........... there are vibes. its good. i like when ppl are inspired by each other to be better its GOOD.......

i liked rindo a lot im not sure if itwas intentional that he had a mask when his whole thing is (thinks a lot of v rude things but never says them aloud or makes decisions) but its good

the implication that rindo and fret were friends partially bc rindo kept everyone at arms length and fret didnt want a single deep rship after what happened is like. peak. i genuinely and deeply love that its so good its GOOD DYNAMIC

i’m kind of disappointed by the lack of content tho ngl. like i beat the game blind and i’m already at 57% completion when i think even on og twewy games where ive worked really hard ive only been like.... 30-40% max? 

plus the lack of tin pin/reaper creeper/reaper review kinda stuff is like. ok we have dives and reminding but idk? AM I INSANE i feel like og twewy had more content.

whatever im still gonna 100% it LOL 

overall basically what i’m saying is i enjoyed it! but it definitely felt like a Sequel lol. not a bad thing necessarily but felt a little bit like they were banking on ppl being Invested In TWEWY to care if that makes sense. which, again, not to say i didnt enjoy it but

[irondevilpunisher]

My Jessica Jones S1&S2 Review

*Some Spoilers*

Well here it is, the post you might’ve been waiting for. Sorry it took so long to do this as I had so many other priorities in my life that needed my attention. But I’m here now and I’m ready to discuss my personal thoughts and opinions on Jessica Jones. To start off I wanna say honestly that I had originally no intention to watch this show. Its not that I thought it would be bad but that it didn’t really appeal to me. I have to like the idea and the characters to get behind something. However when the Defenders dropped in August of last year I had to admit my curiosity on the Jessica Jones peeked a little. I could tell there was a whole lot more to the character than hard-drinking and a give em’ hell attitude. Plus being a huge fan of the Daredevil Netflix show I felt I had to check it out.

For the most part my assumptions proved to be correct. I dove right into Jessica Jones’s freshman series right after finishing The Punisher and surprisingly quite enjoyed it. Now let me say first so there’s no mistaking my differentiated feelings on the two separate seasons how f**king brilliant Krysten Ritter is in this role. She brings such a delightful spunk, relatable complexity and strength yet vulnerability to the character that is so rarely seen these days. Jones is more than just another super-being, actually that was probably what made the show so unique. And she kicks a lot of ass. Opposite to what was done on Daredevil, the writers actually treated Jessica’s abilities secondary to her as a person while remaining more focused on her position as this edgy, tough-as-nails private eye. Off topic I’m a sucker for a good old fashioned detective story; Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Bogart in Casablanca. Can’t go wrong there.

So the basic premise of Jessica Jones is the story of a 30-something woman running from a dark past; living in New York as a self-employed sleuth. By she day nurses her demons with alcohol [which this show doesn’t glorify unlike Defenders] and random companionship, by night Jessica boldly prowls the city streets searching for the latest cheating husband or wife. Her closest friends/allies are her adopted sister Trish Walker, Geri Hogarth [the female lawyer seen in Daredevil and Iron First who currently works with Foggy Nelson], Luke Cage [a man also with abilities who works at a bar and is a Defender] and Malcolm Ducasse [a former addict/neighbor who lives her in building]. But I have to say though my favorite relationship of all those would have to be Jessica and her trusty camera. Anyway what starts as a typical day at the office for Miss Jones in the first episode quickly shifts into a relentless nightmare involving a specific demon she just can’t seem to escape.  

Going back to Jones’s character what I love most about her is she’s not one-note; there are dimensions and layers to her personality and background. Jessica is so much more than just her jaded quirks, attractive looks and impeccable super strength; she’s got a softer side if you can believe it. She can be feisty and sh*t-talking one minute then kind, funny and compassionate the next. There are moments where she thinks of others before herself; case in point sticking up for Ruben [one of her abused neighbors], saving a little girl from a coming car while dressed as a sandwich [one of my favorite Jessica moments] and helping Malcolm detox from his drug habit. Her supposed care-less attitude ironically is her way of caring in a different way. I adore her saucy sarcastic sense of humor which would easily come across as just plain bitchy or cold if it not for how Krysten delivers it onscreen. Its not mean but not entirely nice either yet is actually part of what makes her so endearing. I won’t go into full detail of her development but lets just say that cliffhanger in S1 really left you wanting more of this character. 

The supporting characters are fine and do well to compliment the hero however I wouldn’t say they’re as compelling to the ones on Daredevil, Iron Fist or Punisher. I did like Trish, she has a nice dynamic with Jessica and the writers do give their relationship an even focus in both seasons of the show. Malcolm is also great when he’s helping Jones in the office during season 1. And some of the other S1 building tenants are humorous and quirky. I did like Geri’s character in Daredevil, Defenders and Iron Fist; was stunned when I found out she was a main player in JJ and couldn’t wait to see what they do with her because Carrie-Anne Moss is so excellent. But when it came to actually seeing her story I found myself disappointed. I just couldn’t connect with her. Idk I guess I found found Hogarth even colder and unlikable on Jessica Jones compared to when I saw her assorted appearances on the other MCU shows. I know they tried to do a darker in-depth storyline with her in S2 but it just wasn’t executed proficiently. If there had been a proper build up towards it in S1 I might’ve gotten behind what the writers were doing but that’s just one of many mistakes in S2. 

Unpopular opinion: I wasn’t the biggest fan of Luke Cage in this series. I just didn’t find him that appealing as a character or cared about his relationship with Jessica. He fairs much better on his solo series and in Defenders. But I didn’t feel the chemistry between him and Jones nor did I care about their comic canon status. In fact I found their scenes dragging and boring. While Jessica clearly had an unhealthy thing going on with Kilgrave its no more toxic than what she has with Cage. Its completely based on sex for the sole fact that the two characters have psychological issues and both have supernatural abilities. There is also deception between them. Not to mention the fact that these two are connected by a certain tragedy which is a whole other reason why they would never work or function properly as a couple. Jones and Cage are far better off remaining friends/allies in my opinion. 

Moving on..

The major highlight of this series would have to be the show’s unstoppable villain and personally my favorite character in the series Kilgrave aka The Purple Man; magnificently hemmed by the ever so charismatic, acting powerhouse Doctor Who’s David Tennant. I never imagined another MCU Netflix villain coming close to what Wilson Fisk did on Daredevil but that’s exactly what Kilgrave manages to do so effortlessly on Jessica Jones. Tennant doesn’t play this character just strictly as a typical ‘bad guy’ or homicidal mind-controlling fiend; he has motivations, complexities and layers that mirror Ritter’s conflicted protagonist. As the episodes go on you actually start to feel for Kilgrave’s injustices and understand his extreme methods even when harming the innocent. His scenes with Jones are some of the most superb acting I’ve seen from both David and Krysten. They have exceptional chemistry together and play off one another so seamlessly. Their back and forth cat and mouse themed dynamic is actually the most entertaining part of this show. Seriously I could gush on for days about why I love Kilgrave.

Tennant commands the screen so powerfully; he’s just a total scene stealer as this character that in a way overshadows most of the supporting cast. He’s that larger than life. I gravitated to him so easily. What he does with Kilgrave is nothing short of fantastic to say the least. He could be scary, funny, classy, charming, emotional and deep without it ever muddling the character which is not an easy feat. I mean there’s just so much ground to cover with Kilgrave, endless story potential. While watching S1 I couldn’t wait for the writers to dabble further into his twisted childhood/dark past and tortured psyche. I mean if you get past the whole killing and rape aspect of him, Kilgrave isn’t all that horrible of a person. And while his infatuation with Jessica maybe borderline obsessive and abusive, he really does love her and demonstrates it. Sick as that sounds this guy just wants to be loved. He would go to ends of the earth for Jones it’s almost tragically poetic. Not more so than what the writers decide to actually do with him in the S1 finale unfortunately. But I won’t spoil that.

My second favorite character and probably the most underrated on Jessica Jones would have to be the young police sergeant Will Simpson aka future Nuke. Not many people remember or probably care too much about him since his appearance into the show doesn’t happen until 1x04. And if you don’t pay enough attention to this character he could become forgettable. But its not the fault of the actor per-say but rather the writing as well as the directing. Wil Traval is insanely adorable and a hot as hell blond babe but don’t let that distract from the fact that he’s got some major acting chops under his belt. And luckily for Traval I did notice his character right away. When Simpson enters the scene its not exactly puppies and kittens; he’s a ruthless Kilgrave drone sent to assassinate Trish which is fortunately prevented by Jessica. And after he’s freed from Kilgrave’s mind-control he reluctantly joins forces with Jones to take him down indefinitely. Thing I love most about Simpson is his integrity in the beginning; he tries to do the right thing and be a good person even if it means crossing the line to achieve that goal. 

He doesn’t always make the smartest or safest decisions but he does his best. Simpson has mystery, another quality I highly praise in a character. I spent most of my time wondering about the guy and wanting more of his background; especially when it was revealed he had ties to IGH. Simpson is so unpredictable with his shift in moods it was hard to read him but that’s what made him interesting. Another thing I love most about Simpson is his complicated alliance with Jessica Jones. For me its the second most entertaining part about watching the series. Ritter and Traval have sensational onscreen chemistry together its ridiculous how underused it is. I know most people probably preferred his relationship with Trish as well as probably shipped Jessica/Luke at this time but for me I just didn’t see enough story built there to care about either of those couples. I get weak in the knees when it comes to hilarious witty banter which Simpson and Jessica have in spades. Through IGH they had a connection with one another. There were times watching the episodes where I felt the writers were building a specific story between Jones and Simpson; whether it was a potential romance or future hero/nemesis arc I couldn’t wait to find out. Too bad that potential gets flushed down the toilet in S2.

Before I get into what I hated about season 2 because I did [all of it]; I need to address the show’s most intriguing elements of season 1. I loved its stylish Noir atmosphere; even the opening theme song is terrific [have it on my Spoitfy list]. The costumes, the settings and locations. From the lighting to the way the show is shot is so creative. Even the entire score is amazing. The pacing is nice. The action and special effects are pretty decent. I get the sense that I’m watching a cross between a Murder She Wrote and Sherlock Holmes hybrid. It just has this seductive pull of mystery and excitement. This show is not like Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage or Punisher but it does feel very much in the same universe. As I said the superhero aspect of it is more or less a secondary plot point but its refreshing and different. Not to say Jessica Jones doesn’t have its flaws as a series it does. I really wish some of the relationships had more time to blossom in S1 as well as S2. There was so much opportunity for the JJ writers to explore certain characters during its sophomore year unfortunately that wasn’t to be the case. Which brings me to the dud that is Jessica Jones season 2.

I won’t go into a whole thorough rant about what was awful about the second helping of Jones’s adventures but let me just say what they did in S1 they completely obliterated and ignored in S2 [including the characters]. I’m not kidding and I won’t lie about it either. I couldn’t wait to watch S2 because I thought S1 was just so fantastic. I wanted to see more of Jessica’s backstory, IGH, Will Simpson’s character growth and early stages of his Nuke persona, if Kilgrave was really coming back, Trish’s possible Hellcat transformation. I was excited for all this and more. But that’s not what happened. Apart from each of the characters being horribly butchered by the writers, especially Jessica Jones herself, the writing was crap; the Noir feel is just gone, its full of stupid PSA plots and the pacing is just a dragging snooze fest. And those sad super-running special effects would make the Flash sob waterfalls. Did they get rid of all the talent behind season 1 like what is going on? I could hardly keep my eyes open for some of the things that were happening. Actually what did happen because nothing made sense or I just didn’t care enough to make sense of it.

The impression I got from the JJ writers was like “to hell with it we’re doing whatever we want.” Everything about S2 was abysmal and disappointing. Zero structure and cohesiveness in storytelling. I can’t recall a single moment I enjoyed most about this season [maybe Kilgrave’s minor cameo].Trish became so unlikable to the point where I was nearly pulling my hair out and wanted her written off. Seriously I couldn’t stand her and I still don’t know how I feel about her after that finale. She wasn’t my favorite person to begin with but S2 solidified my distaste for her. Jessica my sweet Jessica where did you go because I didn’t see you any where in this season at all. The only thing I saw was your evil clone running around. Seriously though the development they did for Jones was just plain bad. Her character flip-flops more more times than the actual footwear my brain is still in knots. Too many lines were crossed with her she’s giving the Punisher a run for his money and not in a good way. I just don’t see any redemption for Jessica after this...none whatsoever. Its disheartening to say this because these writers took what I loved about Jones in the first year and threw it in a blender. 

The new characters were boring and uninteresting; ugh I’d rather watch paint drying than another scene between Jessica and that random dude the writers threw at her as a love interest. The main villain was just atrocious, predicable and made no freaking sense. WTF did they do to Malcolm?? And don’t even get me started on what was done to Simpson. I’ve been angry about it for weeks and honestly after watching S2 the wounds have not healed. Still not over it. Maybe they’ll surprise me with Simpson but I don’t have hope for that. I’m still shaking with anger as I write this thinking how much potential he had on this series and it was for nothing. Like most shows these days another character is thrown into the scrap heap before their time. What was the point of him being introduced if they weren’t going to dabble further into his Nuke comic history? I just refuse to stop b**ching about it because its so infuriating.    

Overall the Jessica Jones series for me is only partially solid. Is it my favorite MCU Netflix original series? Not by a long shot but I do think it’ll have a loyal following. I loved the first season it was edgy and smart but I hated the second season. I don’t know if season 3 will be any better after that waste of 13 hours I’ll never get back but who knows. There wasn’t much of a cliffhanger in S2 for me to even care about the next installment. Sounds harsh I know because I do love Krysten Ritter in this role. I think she carries herself masterfully. I just don’t feel S2 did her or her character any justice; if anything it hurt the future of Jessica Jones as a series for me. But that’s just my opinion.

Anyway don’t take my word for it watch the show and make your own conclusions. This has been my quick review of Jessica Jones ;)

[wmua-amherst]

Happy New Year! Here are some of WMUA staff's favorite albums from 2019:

PR Director - Ariya Sonethavy

House of Sugar by (Sandy) Alex G and Anak Ko by Jay Som -- I think I overplayed these records in the second half of the year. House of Sugar is magnificent every time and I absolutely love how different each song is, though listening to it in order always feels like something new. The way he produces and manipulates instruments/vox is insane. Anak Ko is my go-to comfort record for the last few months and I've become very attached to it. I love the layers Melina Duterte produces with tracks that are sunny and warm but also moody. I'm also obsessed with the fact that both Alex G and Melina Duterte write and produce all their own tracks -- their songs fill me with big ultralight beams!

General Manager - Toby Cashook

When I first listened to Digital Shades Volume II, it's as if I had finished a surreal sci-fi Dungeons and Dragons adventure narrated by Panos Cosmatos. Having only known M83 as their electric-pop, “Midnight City”selves, this was a total vibe check. Anthony Gonzalez, the lead on this project, reminisced that this was an album that, for him, brought back a feeling of childlike adventure. Inspired by early-age videogames and similar source material, DSVII echoes those mediums that are so endearing and so close to our hearts. For me it was 'Oh Yes You're There, Everyday' and 'Feelings' that reminded me of that naive experience when exploring classic RPG and fantasy games like Bethesda's Skyrim or Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time open worlds for the first time. In a way, my naive sense of childlike wonder was restored. It was like old friends reuniting after seeing hadn't seen each other in quite some time. Similar in nature to Ben Prunty's Curious Merchandise, each song plays like a series of short stories, each describing a unique setting or situation that plays itself out in a satisfying way. 

DSVII leaves you wanting more. Within the chaos of our society, DSVII is a nostalgic album. It's a call to remember the simplicity in our lives that we once let go. It can be tiresome to imagine those moments, and yet listening to DSVII feels as though they've always been by your side. It's a throwback for sure, and I'm sure all of us could use that reminder. 

Programmer - Taylor Cassidy

I think my staff pick for 2019 is Better Oblivion Community Center by.... Better Oblivion Community Center, better known as Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. This release is from the earlier part of 2019, but it's one of the few albums of this year where I dove in and listened to more than just one or two tracks, and I enjoyed it all. Oberst's emo vocals and punk sensibilities complement Bridgers' songwriting and deeper voice, and they just really come together perfectly in this bizarre concept album about joining a cult. It's folk rock for people who had an emo phase and hate the word "folk" - a label which I guess suits me. Many of the songs are catchy despite being weird, creepy, or depressing and songs like "Dylan Thomas" have a really anthemic, singable feel. It was a release I was really anticipating and wasn't disappointed when I added it to my library.

Finance Director - John Matraia

Bandana by Freddie Gibbs & Madlib is the rap album of the year. Five years removed from their last collaborative album Piñata, it seemed improbable that the duo could top the 2014 classic. And while it’s hard to pick one over the other, it’s clear that both of these guys only get better with time. And more dynamic, too. Just look at "Palmolive” (with an incredible guest verse from Pusha T) or the heartfelt "Practice." On every track here, Freddie and Madlib are fighting to outdo each other, and the greatness that both artists strive for puts this tape over the top. Sure, maybe on a song like “Crime Pays”, Madlib’s mesmerizing instrumental just edges out Freddie’s greatness, and maybe Freddie steals the show on “Education.” But it’s tracks like “Fake Names” and “Cataracts” where both connect at the top of their game and prove that they’re the best in their respective lanes. Freddie claimed that this album was his “baby”, and this sentiment bleeds through on the uplifting intro track “Freestyle Sh*t”, where he reflects on everything he’s been through to reach this point. What follows this are thirteen tracks that serve as a victory lap for both artists, with Freddie making a case for the best rapper alive, and Madlib proving why he’s the best producer of all time. 

Communications Music Director - Alex MacLean

It’s so hard to pick just one record from this year, the amount of plainly great music that has come out this year is absurd. However, I’d like to make the case for one people might not have heard much about. Foam by Diviño Niño is a wiggly, catchy, summery bit of psychedelic pop, with lyrics in English and Spanish that are equally evocative and lovelorn in both languages. The Chicago-via-Colombia band runs through a wide array of sounds and styles with ease. It’s easy to put on and let it breeze tunefully by, but if you pay closer attention, the record’s clever songwriting and wonderfully quirky and detailed instrumentation begin to take hold on you, worming their way into your head. The beachy title track grooves with funky guitars and auxiliary percussion like Speaking in Tongues-era Talking Heads, and second track “Quiero”’s half-time chorus stops the song’s midtempo momentum in its tracks to let singer Camilo Medina make important declaration: “I don’t ever wanna change your mind / I wanna be with you the way that you are.” Elsewhere, “Maria” is an all-Spanish language breakup song about having your heart ripped from your chest and spit out by a girl named Maria (figuratively, of course), after which the singer decides to drink a lot and smoke 7 joints: “Chaqueta de liquor / Siete porros y un adios.” It’s an example of evocative lyricism that cuts to the emotional core despite its economy. There are lots more I enjoyed this year, but Foam is an underappreciated record that stuck with me.

Archival Music Director - Jamie Daitch

For me, 2019 has been the year of embracing country music, and no album pulled me closer in than the self-titled debut of the Highwomen, a supergroup composed of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. This is the best sort of collaboration,where every artist is giving their absolute best to the project to make an incredibly compelling whole. This album captures a large swath of feminine life experience, with sharp, detailed, emotionally complex writing that will give you new little details every listen. And you'll want to listen over and over again, with melodies that are just so catchy and song structures that hook you along for every ride. I can't think of an album I listened to more this year. If the closest you've come to country as of late is Kacey Musgraves's "Golden Hour" and Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," then this is an album to try. The Highwomen demonstrates the unique strengths of country music better than anything else this year. Check it out!

Check our WMUA’s CURATED playlist for best picks of 2019: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3SgHBwTf6Tq1Ts5eMzwBzL?si=Q_9wsLgqRTKvRRdz3LnixA

[behindwaterfallsart]

How I Made It : Alfador, Janus, and Schala Shadow Box

If you’re plugged into the retro gaming world, you know that Chrono Trigger is not just a fantastic video game, but a work of art. Some of my favorite components of this game, and RPGs, in general, is the masterfully crafted story and character development. This scene is a great example of character development and it compelled me to make a shadow box piece to honor it! Here’s how I made it.

The Scene

In this part of the story, we find ourselves in a land called “The Kingdom of Zeal” several millennia in the past. As we explore and talk to people, we discover that this kingdom plays a huge part of how the plot unfolds. The leaders of this Kingdom have vast magic knowledge and power. You learn that Schala, daughter of Queen Zeal (ruler of the Kingdom of Zeal) is beckoned to do her mother’s evil bidding and must leave her brother Janus behind in their palace home.

Schala has always been Janus’ protector, so the idea of her leaving did not sit well with Janus. In her final act as his guardian, she gives her brother a magic amulet that will protect him from harm.

My vision

I loved this scene so much that I wanted to recreate it in a shadow box! Here’s how I started.

Materials and Workflow

I decided to use Perler Beads to recreate this scene. I went with Perler because they are vibrant and provide a large spectrum of color options. I also knew that layering would be much easier with Perler beads than with glass tiles. 

Tip: I typically go to https://www.spriters-resource.com/ to find the sprite/pixel guides I need.

Visual Pixel Grid Technique

I bring the image into Photoshop, zoom in very close which forces the pixel grid to come into view. Once the pixel grid is activated, I take a screenshot. 

The reason I do this? When I’m creating the design, I want to be able to clearly see each pixel. This is especially important when crafting larger, 16-bit designs. This technique is definitely a time-saver if you’re looking to have your sprite on a grid!

“Implicit” and “Completion” techniques

One thing I appreciated about the art in this scene was how the artists used “completion” and “implicit” principles to get around the limitations of the medium. 

It would have a been a challenge to realistically depict a 16-bit character handing another character an amulet! Regarding scale, the only option would have been to make it a few pixels wide and tall! Which of course would be too small and would not communicate the importance of the item in this scene.

The way they got around this was to create a visual “shimmer” as a way to implicitly represent the amulet. Brilliant!

Creating a “layered” effect 

I knew from the start that I wanted the “shimmer” element to be layered in a way that it felt “above” the surrounding elements. In my view, the amulet was the focal point of this particular moment and scene. I wanted the “shimmer” from the amulet to have some visual weight, so I created it separately.

To create the depth I was envisioning, I had to create a base that elevated the sparkle element above the surrounding shapes.

Layout Considerations

My vision of this scene included Alfador (Janus’ cat, an important character to add since he was always by Janus’ side), Schala, and the "shimmer” representing the amulet. Once I made all the pieces, I knew I would have to experiment with the layout.

Whitespace: should there be a wide gutter around the shapes to let the design breathe?

To Include Alfador, or not: Alfador sitting in the same position as in the original scene made the layout feel a bit too crowded and unbalanced.

In this design, I liked how the “shimmer” touched both Janus and Schala, unifying them as one art element. This reinforced their close, loving dynamic depicted in the story.

The composition didn’t feel right without Alfador, so I knew that I had to find a way to include him. Aside from being insanely cute, Alfador is always by Janus’ side as his loyal companion. To address the aforementioned balance issue, I decided to move him closer to Janus, as well as layered above.

Measuring

The next step was to measure the gutters evenly and mark them with painter’s tape. I use painter’s tape because it is easy to remove and is the least destructive to surfaces.

Compromise

You may notice that Alfador is overlapping the gutter marks. The reason for this was that I didn’t want to cover too much of Janus just for the sake of keeping all the elements within the gutter lines. Thankfully, the visual weight is not impacted negatively with Alfador being offset. I experimented with his positioning and ended up with this compromise.

Mounting With Velcro

I try to avoid using glue as much as possible. With glass, it is required to ensure the design stays attached. In the case of using Perler, I was able to use custom cut strips of heavy duty Velcro. I use Velcro to mount because it is low profile, easy to customize (cut into shapes), and requires the least amount of clean up.

With Alfador, I was able to stack a couple of strips of Velcro to achieve the depth I was envisioning!

Clean Up

Once the shapes are mounted, I needed to clean up the dust and various particles on the mounting surface and the shadow box. I used regular masking tape to clean the shadow box mounting surface. Masking tape seems to be the best balance between being sticky enough to pull up visual particles, while not damaging the surface.

To clean the shadow box, I used standard glass cleaner with a soft cloth to avoid scratching the glass and the shadow box frame.

Thank you

Thank you for reading about how I made this piece! A lot goes into producing this type of shadow box art with depth and layers. I had so much fun figuring out how to pull off my vision! This was my first experiment with layering Perler beads. I have no doubt that there are many ways to achieve layering and depth effect! I’d love to hear about your stories and techniques with this beautiful art form. Make sure to check us out on the socials! And if you’re in the market for a retro gaming art goodie, make sure to visit our Etsy shop!

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Finished Product

[theseventhhex]

Lowly Interview

Lowly

Photo by Anna Jarmolowicz

Lowly describe their music as, “noise-pop, and everything in between.” In this case, ‘noise’ refers to the textures and treatments that the quintet mould from synths, laptop and guitar, which give Lowly’s spacious songs unpredictable, shape-shifting qualities, iced by Nanna Schannong and Soffie Viemose’s radiant voices – all brilliantly layered by the band and co-producer Anders Boll, Efterklang’s long-trusted engineer/sound man. The band’s debut release, ‘Heba’, showcases a thrilling blend of lingering vocals with compelling textures and pop-inspired melodies… We talk to Lowly about the band’s dynamic, political subjects and touring downtime…

TSH: How would you assess and sum up the band dynamic when the band is fleshing out new music?

Lowly: Good question. It’s always different and depends on who has written the demo. Sometimes it goes really well and we’re all excited for the track and where it’s going. Sometimes one of us gets annoyed or impatient about the process. Steffens approach usually is when in doubt, play it out. Nanna is usually very concentrated and humble about what she does, so she goes into her own space to understand where a song is going. Then after some silence some kind of insane wall of noise comes out from her guitar and she is with us again. Thomas has a bit of the same flow as Steffen, and plays around a lot with melodic patterns and tries to avoid the generics. Soffie is often on the floor writing lyrics or sampling something that doesn’t sound like an instrument. Sometimes also standing on her hands or in a weird yoga pose, depending on how focused she is. Finally, Kasper is the melody and chord challenger: he always tries to take the melody into new areas. He is also practicing qigong so he always drinks hot water and is very Zen.

TSH: How pleasing is it to have a trust expressed musically from the inception of demos, which often results in fully-formed songs?

Lowly: It is very pleasing. And it is the reason we have been able to stay together. It’s an important fact that we respect each other’s way of writing very much and can let go of our egos when we go to present a demo. We’ve seen what happens when a song can become better from letting it loose.

TSH: What can you tell us about thinking of your music and lyrics as more like a painting…

Lowly: Well, maybe because a canvas doesn’t have a flip side; everything is there at the same time. You don’t need to leaf through hundreds of pages to understand what feeling we’re communicating, but you’ll need to look really deep into the layers of the painting to appreciate all the details in there. And Lowly’s music and lyrics are not a storytelling kind, it’s more a pouring of emotions and sounds onto a sometimes really big canvas.

TSH: Speaking of lyrics, what leads you to commonly starting with abstract themes?

Lowly: I guess letting go of your ego also sometimes has to happen when you have more songwriters and also two lead singers. That subjective heartache can become a little weird when there’s another person singing it or at least it becomes something else. So the abstract is maybe our common ground in a way. But we do have both very subjective and abstract lyrics - the subjective ones might be coded in an abstract way though.

TSH: Are there particular topics and features that you find very challenging with songwriting?

Lowly: Yes, political subjects are hard. They need to somehow be converted into humanistic matters to not sound sought. And when you really love someone and it’s a good crush, then that’s impossible to write about. There has to be some kind of unresolved unhappiness.

TSH: Was ‘Still Life’ identified early on as the album opener?

Lowly: No, but the intro to the song is so epic, that it had to be the opener for the album.

TSH: What sort of motivations do you draw on to pen a track like ‘Prepare the Lake?

Lowly: We wanted to make something that was moving: both in the sense that the track is very much about motions but also moving in the sense that it has an impact on the listener.

TSH: Furthermore, from a compositional sense, how did you approach the track ‘Word’ from the outset?

Lowly: From the beginning, this track was more clean and less dynamic, but it still had something that was insisting on itself. We had only one verse for quite a while and wrote the second one in the studio on the day of recording it.

TSH: What’s pleased you most about your way of working for the record ‘Heba’?

Lowly: The fact that it was made so efficiently and quick. We recorded the entire album in 15 days. That way of working really brings energy to the process because that meant that instead of moving back and forth between different ideas; we almost always stuck with the first one. The album very much represents exactly where we were as a band at a certain period of time and it also now functions as sort of a time pocket you can dive into.

TSH: How liberating was your performance at Roskilde?

Lowly: That was a big thing for us. It’s an honour to get to play there.

TSH: You’ve also toured the UK extensively; talk us through some of your highlights…

Lowly: To come to London and people singing along to our songs was great. We always like to visit Brighton because Bella Union is there.

TSH: Did you venture onto Brighton’s naturist beach?

Lowly: Alas no.

TSH: What sort of 20th century poetry in particular are you influenced by?

Lowly: Gertrude Stein, T.S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath, Etheridge Knight, Esra Pound, Tove Ditlevsen, Emily Dickinson, Bukowski, Inger Christensen.

TSH: What resonates with you most about the movie ‘Inside Out’?

Lowly: We saw it in the tour van together and at one point in the movie, we looked at each other and all had tears in our eyes. We just sat there crying discretely to ourselves. It was a bonding experience.

TSH: How is downtime spent when you guys are on tour?

Lowly: Watching Skam, doing yoga, qigong, running, eating falafels, going sightseeing, chilling in the hotel rooms, staring at Instagram and taking posey selfies, staring at walls… and also talking to each other!

TSH: What brings about a jovial and blissful feel to your everyday life?

Lowly: Corgis!

TSH: Finally, what opportunities do you relish as a band as you look ahead?

Lowly: We are relishing that people think our music is worth listening to. That is invaluable.

Lowly - “Deer Eyes”

HEBA