#cindy is a white tiger

[wyrmwright]

do you see the vision

[musicforants]

Happy Christmas Eve! Here’s my favorite albums & songs in 2024, which was, for my money, one of the best years for music in recent memory. Click the links to listen to my full Best Songs playlist (100 tracks) via Spotify or Apple Music. Enjoy!

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2024

Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

Charli XCX - BRAT

MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

Cindy Lee - Kingdom Come

Father John Misty - Mahashmashana

Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

Friko - Where we've been, Where we go from here

Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer

Wild Pink - Dulling the Horns

The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World ----

Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk

Los Campesinos! - All Hell

Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future

Being Dead - EELS

Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive

Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor

Fontaines D.C. - Romance

St. Vincent - All Born Screaming

Porter Robinson - SMILE! :D

Erika de Casier - Still ---

Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven

Jamie xx - In Waves

Tyler, the Creator - CHROMAKOPIA

Good Looks - Lived Here For a While

Jack White - No Name

MGMT - Loss Of Life

Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well

The Smile - Wall of Eyes

Hovvdy - s/t

Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes

FAVORITE SONGS OF 2024

MJ Lenderman - She's Leaving You

Vampire Weekend - Mary Boone

Charli xcx - 360

Waxahatchee - Right Back to It

Cindy Lee - Kingdom Come

Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!

Adrianne Lenker - Sadness As a Gift

Magdalena Bay - Death & Romance

Friko - Where We've Been

The Cure - Alone ---

Father John Misty - Mahashmashana

Cassandra Jenkins - Omakase

Good Looks - If It's Gone

Hurray for the Riff Raff - Alibi

Being Dead - Blanket of my Bone

Nilüfer Yanya - Like I Say (I runaway)

St. Vincent - Big Time Nothing

Erika de Casier - Lucky

Los Campesinos! – Feast of Tongues

The Smile – Bending Hectic ---

Youth Lagoon - Lucy Takes a Picture

Wild Pink - Sprinter Brain

Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Fontaines D.C. - Favourite

Kendrick Lamar - reincarnated

Mannequin Pussy - Loud Bark

FKA twigs - Eusexua

Porter Robinson - Russian Roulette

Nourished by Time - Hell of a Ride

Clairo - Sexy to Someone ---

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Yeah x10

Zach Bryan - Pink Skies

Beyoncé - Ya Ya

Geordie Greep - Holy, Holy

Jamie xx - Baddy On the Floor

Laura Marling - Patterns

Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso (Working Later Remix)

Jack White- That's How I'm Feeling

Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well

Nick León & Erika de Casier - Bikini ---

Michael Kiwanuka - Floating Parade

JADE - Angel of my Dreams

Merce Lemon - Will You Do Me a Kindness

Jessica Pratt - Life Is

Tyler, The Creator - Take Your Mask Off

Beth Gibbons - Floating on a Moment

Grandaddy - Cabin in my Mind

Mk.gee - Alesis

Future Islands - King of Sweden

Bon Iver - S P E Y S I D E

Link to full 100 track playlist on Spotify / Apple Music ---

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

--- APPLE MUSIC PLAYLIST

[kiawren]

So glad I can have my flying type team OK Decidueye isn't a flying type but also I like bird pkmn that aren't just flying types

I might put Emolga and talonflame there once I get them too

Useless info about their names no one has to read cuz i don't wanna sleep yet

My Decidueye in Sun was named Basil so I named this one another herb/spice

My previous toucannons were named Genesis and Rhiannon (after the Fleetwood mac song) ultimately toucannon is a pokemon I'll always keep with me it's shitty competitively 😭 but at least it's always on my playthrough so Vermilion cuz it could symbolise life & eternity in Taoism

The Hawlucha was traded from an npc... I want to change its name but you can't do that.... Otherwise I'd name it Kalausi ok I've been trying to name some pkmn after the names of stars, this one would be the Dholuo (a Kenyan language) name for the constellation Vela meaning a strong column of wind which kinds fits Hawlucha. Vela is also part of the 'Star' mansion that lines in Vermilion bird (Chinese way of seeing stars, by organising them in mansions under the four mythical symbols)

So FYI the Twenty eight chinese mansions are separated under four symbols, the Azure dragon (East), vermilion bird (South), white tiger (West) and black tortoise (North). Under those, the mansions symbolise a bunch of things and then you look into their asterisms and they symbolise EVEN MORE THINGS it's so easy to go down a rabbit hole on these star things, I'm not even an astronomy person I just really like mythical attachments to natural things

Sheratan is the Arabic traditional name for Beta Arietis, meaning 'the two signs' (which I think fits Noivern's big ears) Beta Arietis is also the star system the chinese assigned the 'Bond' mansion, it lies in White Tiger

Rasalhague is the brightest star in Ophiuchus. Opiuchus means 'serpent bearer' and Rasalhague is 'head of the serpent charmer'. Opiuchus lies in both Azure dragon and Black tortoise in the chinese mansions, including the 'Room' and 'Tail' mansions of the Azure dragon. (Opiuchus is the 'celestial river' in the 'Tail'.) All this fits Gyarados well I think!!

I've been naming my Miniors after names of people in the Treasure album by Cocteau twins, so I've had Lorelei, Beatrix, Pandora, Cindy and there's more names in the album but I went with Dakota from the Stereophonics song

Murkrow was on my team for a while and I named it Minkar, which is the Arabic name meaning 'beak of the crow' for Epsilon Corvi, a star in the constellation Corvus. Corvus is under the 'Chariot' mansion lying in Vermilion bird in the chinese mansions also.

I did want to give cultural names of stars to nearly all the pkmn I'd use on my team but it took to find some that matched well and I sometimes just wanted to get on with the game so I named something off the top of my head instead of delving into Wikipedia lol,, the Sheratan and Rasalhague names make me so happy though, they sound so majestic and special to the pokemon heheh

[kick-a-long]

My friend puts together end of the year album rankings. I asked him if I could share it here and it’s pretty awesome. Check it out.

Best Albums of 2024

1. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks (A beach house up in Buffalo and a houseboat docked at the himbodome)

2. Rosali - Bite Down (Rosali and Jim Schroeder’s guitar explosions)

3. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood (my spine’s a rotting 2x4)

4. Advance Base - Horrible Occurences (intruders and ghosts)

5. The Decemberists - As it Ever Was, So it Will Be Again (wait for the reapers to mow)

6. Geordie Greep - The New Sound (jazz rock for creeps)

7. Mount Eerie - Night Palace (winter on a vacation island)

8. Cindy Lee - Jubilee (geocities Twin Peaks)

9. Chelsea Wolf - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (goth metal trio hop)

10. Foxing - Foxing (Carson MTV, Bizkit NYE, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK)

11. Merce Lemon - Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild (seeds between all my teeth)

12. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch (a decaying lost record)

13. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us (I Scream Piano)

14. Jack White - No Name (like a White Stripes)

15. The Smile - Wall of Eyes (like a Radiohead)

16. Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere (Prog metal for waking)

17. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future (sadness as a gift)

18. This is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star (all fucked up)

19. Fontaines D.C - Romance (an inhaler for a panic attack)

20. The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All I Know (1 in 1000 beach boys imitations sound this good)

21. Glass Beach - Plastic Death (the soundtrack to Metropolis)

22. Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown (Portis-folk)

23. Los Campesinos! - All Hell (a psychic wound)

24. Katy Kirby - Blue Raspberry (cancer has entered the chat)

25. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World (a fragile thing)

26. Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven (loud bark, soft bite)

27. Hurray for the Riff Raft - The Past is Still Alive (two weeks just to catch the Buffalo)

28. Friko - Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here (Bright Eyes-core)

29. Being Dead - EELS (Godzilla Rises)

30. Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk (chill wave pop)

31. Father John Misty - Mahashmashana (an accidental dose with a drop of Imagine Dragons)

32. Arab Strap - I’m totally fine with it don’t give a fuck anymore (bliss?)

33. Cloud Nothings - Final Summer (reliable post-hardcore)

34. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer (Sophisti-Kate Bush)

35. Tyler, the Creator - Chromakopia (intruder noid)

36. Tucker Zimmerman - Dance of Love (the idiot’s maze)

37. Christopher Owens - I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair (welcome back Chrissybaby)

38. Ben Seratan - Allora (screaming guitars)

39. Fred Thomas - Window in the Rhythm (a guitar left in the rain)

40. Jake Xerxes Fussell - When I’m Called (don’t place your affections on a green growing tree)

41. The Smile - Cutouts (like a Radiohead)

42. Young Jesus - The Fool (shit, I feel like a million bucks. I think I’ll take the bus down to New Orleans. Yeah I think I’ll buy some drugs)

43. Storefront Church - Ink & Oil (Scott Walker-core)

44. Parannoul - Sky Hundred (Korean shoegaze)

45. MGMT - Loss of Life (a bubblegum dog)

46. SUMAC - The Healer (Sludge Metal for sleep)

47. Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves (spinning these morning)

48. Haley Heyndrrickx - Seed of a Seed (a garden)

49. Sour Windows - Revival of a Friend (Midwest emo)

50. Dummy - Free Energy (Baggy Madchester)

[swvlswvl]

My Favorite Albums of 2024

Previously: 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

It's been another amazing year for new music! I've written about several of these artists at Rolling Stone, including profiles of This Is Lorelei, Allegra Krieger, Thus Love, and Lip Critic, and reviews of the Common/Pete Rock and Sophie albums. (As always, you can find all my recent stories at my RS author page.) Without further ado, here are my 40 favorite albums released in 2024!

Charli XCX, Brat (Atlantic)

This Is Lorelei, Box for Buddy, Box for Star (Double Double Whammy)

Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood (Anti-)

Fontaines D.C., Romance (XL)

Allegra Krieger, Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine (Double Double Whammy)

Kim Gordon, The Collective (Matador)

Kendrick Lamar, GNX (pgLang/Interscope)

MJ Lenderman, Manning Fireworks (Anti-)

Common and Pete Rock, The Auditorium, Vol. 1 (Loma Vista)

Thus Love, All Pleasure (Captured Tracks)

Cindy Lee, Diamond Jubilee (Realistik Studios)

The Smile, Wall of Eyes/Cutouts (XL)

Soccer Mommy, Evergreen (Loma Vista)

Lip Critic, Hex Dealer (Partisan)

Mannequin Pussy, I Got Heaven (Epitaph)

Anycia, Princess Pop That (UnitedMasters)

Young Miko, att. (Capitol)

Hello Mary, Emita Ox (Frenchkiss)

Doechii, Alligator Bites Don’t Heal (TDE/Capitol)

Mdou Moctar, Funeral for Justice (Matador)

Future and Metro Boomin, We Still Don't Trust You (Epic/Republic)

Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (Republic)

Cavalier, Different Type Time (Backwoodz Studioz)

Hinds, Viva Hinds (Lucky Number)

Rauw Alejandro, Cosa Nuestra (Sony Latin)

Johnny Irion, Sleeping Soldiers of Love (Blackwing)

GIFT, Illuminator (Captured Tracks)

Been Stellar, Scream from New York, NY (Dirty Hit)

Sleater-Kinney, Little Rope (Loma Vista)

Ekko Astral, Pink Balloons (Topshelf)

Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter (Parkwood/Columbia)

Jack White, No Name (Third Man)

Bnny, One Million Love Songs (Fire Talk)

Sinkane, We Belong (City Slang)

Sabrina Carpenter, Short 'n Sweet (Island)

Sophie, Sophie (Transgressive)

Brutus VIII, Pure Gluttony (Ramp Local)

Schoolboy Q, Blue Lips (TDE/Interscope)

May Rio, Elegant Ensemble (DPI)

Sinaka, Kema (La única compañía)

[heavenlyhoundoom]

Knd x AWISC au part 5(warning: Transphobia).

(While Monty, Carter, and Linda have different classes than Benedict, the one time the four are together in school(besides lunch) is drama club. It's one of the few clubs that both predators and prey animals can attend alongside Music club, Art club, Book club, and Best friends international.)

Mr.Eucalus (Koala): Gather around, Students.

(The students gathered around, ready for the day's agenda.)

Mr.Eucalus: We have four new members. Say hello to Cindy Viper(Viper, obviously), Zack Thorax(dragonfly), Sadie Scarlet(Parrot), and Timothy Woodchuck(groundhog).

(The four introduce themselves to the club members.)

MS.Barkson(Borzoi): This year's upcoming play will be the reenactment of the final days of the Pred-Prey war, the first war where women fought alongside men.

MS.Barkson: Now before we do anything else, what role do each of the new members want.

Timothy: Actors team, all eyes must be on me!

Cindy: I'd like to be on Actors team too, I always loved playing pretend.

Sadie: I want to be a part of the sound team, please.

Zack: And I would like to join the props, sets, and scenery part of the Stage team.

MS.Barkson: Alright, then the first day's agenda will be introducing the new members to each of the respective crew they joined.

(Sadie was introduced to Bob(lynx), Logan(tortise), and Ella(rabbit), Zack was introduced to Carter, Tyson (golden eagle), and Winifred(spider), Cindy was introduced to the actresses, Autumn(red panda), Zoe(cheetah), Stacy(swan), Muriel(black bear), Ramona(hornet), and Linda, and Timothy was introduced to the actors, Monty, Aaron(komodo dragon), Greg(chicken), William(white tiger), Henry (Skunk), and Benedict.)

Timothy: Mr.Eucalus, there isn't an equal amount of boys and girls.

Benedict:(agitated) What are you insinuating?

Mr.Eucalus: Now, Benedi-

Timothy: I'm saying that there's clearly a boy amongst the real actresses. (Points to Linda.)

Linda: How could you!?

(Linda starts to cry in Benedict's arms after hearing Timothy's transphobic comment.)

Benedict: You know, you got a lot of nerve to say something like that!

Timothy: Why can't you handle the truth?

Benedict: It is not the truth and you know it!

MS.Barkson: Alright, break it up, you two.

Mr.Eucalus: Timothy, you need to at least pretend to be tolerant of everyone if you want to stay in the club.

Timothy: Don't have to, my dad's rich and can bride the school to keep me in drama club.

(Timothy shows everyone a thick wad of cash, showing that they couldn't do shit, annoying everyone.)

Benedict in thought: (And I thought I hated Kenneth the most, at least he isn't aware that he's being an asshole. I hope he gets devoured after pissing off the wrong predator!)

The end of part 5

(If you support Timothy, then unfollow me, because I hate transphobes and queerphobes in general.)

[styleofdiamandis]

        LOVE + FEAR TOUR: NADYA DZYAK & OTHER

We have finally arrived at the third and final chapter of our “Love + Fear” world tour fashion breakdown! After we looked at the designs of Maggie Barry and Olima, it’s time to tackle down all the looks created by the other designers who were involved in this epic tour.

This week I'm introducing you to Ukrainian emerging fashion designer Nadya Dzyak whose designs were adored by Marina and stylist Mercedes Natalia for her tour.

First up, we got the Spring/Summer 2019 long ruffled nude tulle dress with matching round belt ($822.00).

M also wears the Versace’s heart-shaped Love gold ring with Medusa icon and meander pattern...

...and her beloved Nike Huarache sneakers in full white!

Nadya Dzyak’s Resort 2020 lookbook showed the designer experimenting with unusual color combinations and new shapes. Here, our girl wore the nude tulle mini dress with multicolored dots, ruffles and silk trim.

Her jewelry here included a pair of Alison Lou’s green neon Jelly hoops from her iconic “Loucite” collection...

…and a vintage Chanel gold sunburst logo chain necklace.

Next, Marina looked dazzling on stage in another Nadya Dzyak Resort 2020 confection: a blue dotted tulle tiered mini dress with silk trim. Check out that circular pleat at the front!

This look was crowned with a pair of ZARA gold hammered earrings with three flat faux pearls...

...plus her Hermina Athens Amalthea gold-plated sterling silver statement necklace.

At her Dublin date, the Greek-Welsh singer chose this crimson red tulle mini dress with dots, matching belt and silk trim from Nadya Dzyak’s Fall/Winter 2019 collection.

Manchester-based label The Dolls House was founded in 2012 by Rebecca Henry. Marina debuted the sparkly Cindy silver sequin dress which features a square neck and ruched sash detail. HOT!

A pair of Steve Madden’s Carissa metallic silver sneakers with silver-tone rhinestones all over perfectly tied the look together.

We’re almost at the end! Marina wore two colorful looks from the Resort 2020 collection of Maisie Wilen, the young emerging designer who was discovered by Kanye West back in 2019! 

First up is this orange & blue psychedelic abstract print long-sleeve mini bodycon dress with asymmetrical hem.

The other look is the Body Shop psychedelic printed green & blue long-sleeve top and matching leggings.

All of her jewelry is Sylvia Toledano. She wore the Petite Candy hoops in gold brass with turquoise, turquoise verte, cornaline, yellow onyx, amethyst, died ruby and moonstone…

…the Fall/Winter 2019 Lee long necklace with multicolored stones which she wrapped twice around her neck…

…and the Byzantine cuff with green turquoise, dried ruby, turquoise, amethyst, cornaline, green onyx, tiger eye, yellow onyx, black onyx and calcedoine.

[aldousjoyce]

top twenty albums twenty twenty five

twenty

mustafa ‘dunya’

nineteen

bill ryder-jones ‘iechyd da’

eighteen

bleachers ‘bleachers’

seventeen

zach bryan ‘the great american bar scene’

sixteen

vampire weekend ‘only god was above us’

fifteen

the lemon twigs ‘a dream is all we know’

fourteen

vince staples ‘dark times’

thirteen

laura marling ‘patterns in repeat’

twelve

father john misty ‘mahashmashana’

eleven

mount eerie ‘night palace’

ten

jack white ‘no name’

nine

KA ‘the thief next to jesus’

eight

MJ lenderman ‘manning fireworks’

seven

MK.gee ‘two star and the dream police’

six

cindy lee ‘diamond jubilee’

five

waxahatchee ‘tigers blood’

four

kendrick lamar ‘GNX’

three

godspeed you! black emperor ‘NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28 , 340 DEAD’

two

adrianne lenker ‘bright future’

one

christopher owens ‘i wanna run barefoot through your hair’

[shculley]

Top Albums of 2024

100. Helado Negro - Phasor

99. Geordie Greep - The New Sound

98. Horse Jumper of Love - Disaster Trick

97. MGMT - Loss of Life

96. Ekko Astral - Pink Balloons

95. Iron & Wine - Light Verse

94. Phosphorescent - Revelator

93. Kelly Lee Owens - Dreamstate

92. Porridge Radio - Clouds In the Sky They Will Always Be There For Me

91. Christopher Owens - I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair

90. Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat

89. Cloud Nothings - Final Summer

88. Wild Pink - Dulling the Horns

87. Fred Thomas - Window in the Rhythm

86. The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again

85. Lightning Bug - No Paradise

84. Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves

83. Friko - Where we've been, Where we go from here

82. Shannon & The Clams - The Moon Is In the Wrong Place

81. Metz - Up on Gravity Hill

80. Chanel Beads - Your Day Will Come

79. Ty Segall - Three Bells

78. Bright Eyes - Five Dice, All Threes

77. of Montreal - Lady on the Cusp

76. glass beach - Plastic Death

75. This Is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star

74. Omni - Souvenir

73. Babehoven - Water's Here in You

72. Dehd - Poetry

71. 2nd Grade - Scheduled Explosions

70. Jon Hopkins - RITUAL

69. Rosali - Bite Down

68. Ducks Ltd - Harm's Way

67. Nap Eyes - The Neon Gate

66. Oso Oso - Life Till Bones

65. Duster - In Dreams

64. Nilufer Yanya - My Method Actor

63. The Chisel - What a Fucking Nightmare

62. Molchat Doma - Belaya Polosa

61. Clinic Stars - Only Hinting

60. Chain Cult - Harm Reduction

59. Hovvdy - Hovvdy

58. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

57. Drug Church - Prude

56. Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk

55. Joe Goddard - Harmonics

54. Font - Strange Burden

53. Floating Points - Cascade

52. Waxahatchee - Tiger's Blood

51. SPRINTS - Letter to Self

50. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead

49. Mount Eerie - Night Palace

48. Future Islands - People Who Aren't There Anymore

47. Chubby and the Gang - And Then There Was...

46. DIIV - Frog In Boiling Water

45. Split System - Vol . 2 LP

44. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flight b741

43. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer

42. The Smile - Wall of Eyes

41. Camera Obscura - Look to the East, Look to the West

40. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future

39. Foxing - Foxing

38. Corridor - Mimi

37. Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive

36. The Bug Club - On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System

35. Still House Plants - If I Don't Make It, I Love U

34. Peel Dream Magazine - Rose Main Reading Room

33. Meatbodies - Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom

32. IDLES - Tangk

31. TR/ST - Performance

30. The Voidz - Like All Before You

29. Advance Base - Horrible Occurences

28. Jack White - No Name

27. Wishy - Triple Seven

26. Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven

25. High Vis - Guided Tour

24. The Smile - Cutouts

23. Thee Oh Sees - Sorcs 80

22. SLIFT - Ilion

21. Cold Cave - Passion Depression

20. Crack Cloud - Red Mile

19. Father John Misty - Mahashmashana

18. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God

17. Midwife - No Depression In Heaven

16. Cold Gawd - I'll Drown On This Earth

15. Adult Jazz - So Sorry So Slow

14. Jamie xx - ln Waves

13. Four Tet - Three

12. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

11. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch

10. Fontaines D.C. - Romance

9. Caribou - Honey

8. Mount Kimbie - The Sunset Violent

7. Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me on Your Mind / See You Free

6. English Teacher - This Could Be Texas

5. The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick - The Iliad and the Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick

4. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

3. Blue Bendy - So Medieval

2. Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream Police

1. Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee

[leresq]

More characters I would like to see in Beyond the Spiderverse, left to right top to bottom: Silk (Cindy Moon), Anti-Venom (Flash Thompson), Madame Web (the cool version not sony's bullshit), White Tiger (Ava Ayala)

I am going to need Tony Revolori to play Anti-Venom as he played Flash Thompson (or his equivalent) in the MCU

If they are not in Beyond the Spider Verse I riot

[doughmansland70]

From Juxtapoz Magazine:

"111 Minna Gallery is excited to invite you to their latest art exhibition curated by legendary owner and founder of Seventh Son Tattoo founder, Luke Stewart.  Seventh Son Tattoo is hosting Year of the Tiger, a collective exhibit featuring tiger-themed artwork by prominent artists both locally and internationally opening at 111 Minna on the final day of the year of the tiger—January 21st 2023. The opening reception is 7pm-midnight on Saturday, January 21, 2023. 

2022 was the year of the water tiger under the Chinese zodiac, an auspicious year that comes only every 60 years. The tiger image has long been a popular and iconic symbol in tattoo culture. Its meanings can vary greatly depending on the origin; it is often a symbol of strength, courage, and fearlessness, and when depicted alongside a dragon, the tiger embodies earth while the dragon symbolizes heaven —representing the binary of yin and yang, respectively. In Japanese lore, the white tiger specifically is a sacred animal known as Byakko, one of 4 beasts worshipped as divine guardians. Full of a rich history of mythology, lore and deeply rooted symbolism, the tiger has thus been a popular motif in flash designs for decades, and has become somewhat of a mascot for tattoo culture. ‘Year of the Tiger’ is a collection of the featured artists’ ideas and expressions of the ubiquitous tiger. By centering all of the works on such a familiar image, the artists have the opportunity to give it new life; whether it is translating it into tattoo designs, or creative interpretations of the tiger that are uniquely born from the imagination of each individual. This is the 3rd art exhibit curated by Seventh Son centered around an animal of the zodiac; coming off the coattails of the collective challenges of the last few years, from the pandemic to the divisive political climate both at home and abroad, we hope this show will bring members of the community together for a fun night of nothing…but…tigers! 

Featuring art by: Luke Stewart (Seventh Son Tattoo owner - show curator), Stace Forand, Henry Lewis, Zac Scheinbaum, Victor J Webster, Victor Reyes, Cindy Maxwell, Acetates, Mike Roper, Jason Kundell, Kim Stace Thomas, George Campise, Matt Leibo, Christina Ramos, Andre Malcolm, Trevor McStay, Orly Locquiao, Jared Smith, Miss Juliet, Lango Olivera, Shun Nakatsuru, Max May, Paul Dobleman, Yutaro Sakai, Jordan Cole Wright, Joey Armstrong, Grime, Jeff Croci, Scott Sylvia and Amanda Lynn. "

[myfairynuffstuff]

Cindy Wright (b.1972) - Tiger and Squirrel. 2017. Oil on linen.

[sockzcomixx]

Just opened an "Archive of our Own" account and my short story is also on there as well!

[renaroo]

My New Avengers!

Captain America Sam Wilson | Spectrum Monica Rambeau | White Tiger Angela Del Toro | Lady Sif | Luke Cage | Silk Cindy Moon | Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff | Hawkeye Clint Barton | Wolverine Laura Kinney

[dyns33]

The Devil’s Lawyer - Bonus Part 9

Matt Murderdock x Nice Lawyer Reader : Otomo-san POV edition ! (Bonus part 8 here)

When Otomo first met his future Master, Matthew Murdock, Western Sun of the Hand, he knew he would be trouble.

Normally, the Hand's weapons weren't so unstable. He knew something about it, he had been made by the Hand too.

Without needing to speak, he knew Master Murdock's past by heart. He had experienced the same thing. The scars on his body were familiar.

Master Murdock was, however, stronger than him. More nimble. More gifted. His senses helped him a lot, he was exceptional.

That probably explained why the Hand had wanted him, and why they accepted that he wasn't perfectly disciplined, that he sometimes acted without asking permission, even going against orders.

As long as the result was decent, the method didn't matter.

Otomo still had trouble trusting Master Murdock. He felt that something was going to go wrong, sooner or later.

When he met Elektra, he wondered why he hadn't had this woman as a leader. She was much colder and more serious than her brother.

More cruel too. More dangerous.

After only an hour in her company, Otomo finally decided that Master Murdock wasn't so bad.

           "You didn't appreciate my sister, Otomo." he sneered when she was gone.

           "I don't have to appreciate or dislike her."

           "She has that effect on everyone. She loves that. It's a little game between us. Who will scare the most people. Should I be upset that she's won with you ? Should I be harder ?"

           "As you please, Master Murdock."

           "Ah, you're not funny."

Master Murdock didn't try to scare him more, yet Otomo was terrified as soon as he made new decisions that looked more and more like acts of treason. He brought some of them back to the Hand.

He hid the others.

Because Otomo didn't hate Master Murdock.

He couldn't explain why. Maybe because they had been through the same thing, and he was jealous of his freedom. Of the small glimmer of humanity he still possessed, beneath his fury and his cruelty.

He was in awe of Matt's ability to look "normal."

Of course, really normal people felt that there was something off, but for someone like him, it was pretty impressive. Even more than his abilities.

He easily seduced Fisk, Cindy Moon, the cops of the city, the lawyers, the judges, everyone.

The rare exceptions, like Foggy Nelson, were afraid of him. They feared him.

It was good.

He was a little worried, however, when he began to read the weariness on his Master's face. Boredom. A bit of sadness too, as he strangely touched his blade.

Then Lady Y/N arrived.

Otomo did not immediately consider her a Lady, convinced that she was only a new toy for Master Murdock. He loved to play, like a child, or a tiger with its prey.

           "Hello Otomo-san," Y/N said politely, with a slight forced smile, every time she saw him, even if he didn't answer her.

Before he knew that Master Murdock wasn't just teasing her, Otomo was puzzled by this behaviour.

Obviously Lady Y/N was smart enough to know he was dangerous.

She also felt that Master Murdock was dangerous.

The fear was there, reasonable, understandable, but it didn't seem to dominate her, she was not shaking before them, not running away, not stopping to fight.

As an agent of the Hand, he found this awkward.

Deep down, he found it fascinating.

Especially when Master Murdock and Lady Y/N were together.

Two complementary opposites. Yin and Yang. White and Black. Good and bad. Chaos and Justice. Death and Hope.

           "You know what you should do." he dared to say one day, when Master Murdock returned from a mission, hurt, humiliated, but asking above all else to know if Lady Y/N was all right.

           "Answer the question."

           "She's fine. She's home."

           "Give me a phone, I have to call her."

           "You never call her. Only text."

           "Fine. I'll talk to her tomorrow. She shouldn't be on this case."

           "You know what you should do." repeated Otomo, seeing that his Master wasn't listening, only thinking of saving the woman he loved, and that he would have to kill if she continued to meddle in the Hand's business.

Because it was obvious that Master Murdock loved Lady Y/N.

This was evident from the moment he stayed on the roof of her building, instead of going to threaten her. Then each time he was near her, smiling differently, leaning towards her to smell her scent and listen to her heart.

Even though he claimed he wanted his men to watch her only to make sure she wasn't doing anything stupid, Otomo knew he wanted to make sure she was protected.

He made the mistake of wanting to check all this by himself, by going to see her.

           "Otomo-san." she kept calling him, even though she knew he was coming to test her, even though she knew he wouldn't say anything, that he was rude, that he didn't deserve her calling him "san".

He distanced himself, and not just because Master Murdock ordered him to, promising to kill him slowly if he disobeyed.

If Otomo liked Matthew Murdock, he had a soft spot for Lady Y/N, and that scared him.

Oh, that wasn't love. Or sexual attraction. He wasn't sure what it was and that was mostly what was scaring him, even more than his Master, than his sister, or all of the leaders of the Hand put together.

He had to force himself not to smile when she was speaking to him. To stand in a corner of the room, without moving. Not to talk too much when she asked him questions, to not reveal too much by mistake.

           "Darling, I believe Otomo admires you." Master Murdock sneered wickedly one day as they walked out of court, where he had yet to win a case against Lady Y/N, who didn't seem at all upset by that.

           "I'm honoured. I admire him too."

           "Darling..."

           "What ? He puts up with you day and night ! I know how it is. Yet he never gets angry. You are truly admirable, Otomo-san. I hope you don't have other Masters like him to manage at the same time, it would be exhausting."

           "We're going back home." Master Murdock growled as he grabbed her arm, which made her laugh.

She took the time to say goodbye to him, as always.

It wasn't that Master Murdock was wrong. There was certainly a form of admiration for Lady Y/N, who managed to stay so calm and happy when she was in the clutches of a terrifying creature, while knowing it.

It was even more admirable to see how she had managed to tame this creature.

A real problem too, which Otomo didn't report to the Hand leaders. And not just because Master Murdock had forbidden it.

He knew what they would do to Lady Y/N if they knew everything. They accepted this situation only because it was Matthew, and they thought his 'wife' could be useful.

When Master Murdock asked him to choose between helping him or dying, he didn't hesitate for a second. Not because he didn't want to die. And not really because he thought Master Murdock would be a good leader of the Hand. He wasn't sure of that at all.

           "You caused a lot of trouble." he sighed after a long fight, while his Master was sleeping and Lady Y/N had offered him tea.

           "I know, Otomo-san. Sorry. Thanks for looking after him so well."

           "It's my mission."

           "You could have got rid of him a long time ago, if you wanted to. That's nice. You're nice. I'm really grateful to you, Otomo-san."

He was terribly embarrassed when she bowed to him. He didn't deserve her bowing to him.

But not being able to stop her from doing what she wanted, Otomo panicked and left by the window, hearing her soft laughter when she looked up and saw that he was gone.

Afterwards, things were calmer. Of course, his work was not finished. He remained the first blade of the Hand, serving the Kingpin, controlling the city, the country, the world.

His mission was to obey. To protect. To ensure his Master's supremacy, by finding magical artefacts, eliminating enemies, and ensuring his safety.

And since Master Murdock didn't need protection, he watched Lady Y/N. From afar.

He could see them together, he could see that they were happy, but also how Master Murdock just couldn't seem "normal" with her, acting like a fool most of the time, not knowing what to do with his feelings.

Even though he had never been in love, Otomo-san knew.

           "Marriage ? Why are you talking to me about marriage ?!"

Master Murdock was annoyed, reminding him of the time the Hand had sent him lots of gifts to congratulate him on his choice of mate.

           "That would be a good thing, to prevent someone from using her against you."

           "You mean it would just show everyone that I care about her ! Might as well put a cross on her back, telling everyone to shoot ! You want her dead ?!"

           "No. But dangerous people probably already know. It won't change anything. On the contrary, it will show that you will fight for her. And she won't be able to testify against you in court. It will be practical."

           "... You know I know when you're lying."

           "I don't want her to die, Master."

           "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about your reasons for talking to me about marriage. Oh Otomo ! You're a secret romantic !" Master Murdock sneered, slapping his chest.

He didn't answer. It wouldn't have helped.

During the ceremony, he stayed away. Otomo would have preferred to settle on a roof, but Lady Y/N had insisted for him to be present.

In her beautiful dress, flashing a beaming smile, she approached him as he was about to leave, grabbing his arm as if they were friends.

           "Thank you for coming, Otomo-san."

           "Master Murdock ordered it."

           "Sure." she said, still smiling. "Thanks for being here. Thanks for giving him that stupid idea. Do you want a tissue ?"

           "A tissue ?"

           "You're crying."

           "I must be allergic to something. Excuse me Lady Y/N, I have to go."

           "Of course. Bye Otomo-san ! Matt, don't get mad. Yes I touched his arm, and I talked to him, leave him alone."

           "Hmm." snarled Master Murdock as he led his wife into the middle of the ballroom to dance with her.

Yes, Matthew Murdock had been a problem. Y/N had been the solution. And if all wasn't perfect, Otomo-san would watch it all as stoically as possible, ready to step in to avert any disaster.

[bookclub4m]

Episode 131 - Cyberpunk

This episode we’re talking about Cyberpunk fiction! We discuss the aesthetics of neon and grime, cultural fears and xenophobia, techno-pessimism, survival and revolution, noir fiction, and more! Plus: When cybernetic implants meet body horror!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott

Dreamships by Melissa Scott

Cyber World: Tales of Humanity's Tomorrow edited by Jason Heller & Joshua Viola

SP4RX by Wren McDonald

Imago by Tristan Alice Nieto

Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction and Fantasy from Transgender Writers edited by Cat Fitzpatrick

Pay-what-you-can version of the ebook

Samurai 8: La légende de Hachimaru, Tome 1 by Masashi Kishimoto and Akira Okubo

Other Media We Mentioned

Max Headroom (Wikipedia)

Judge Dredd (Wikipedia)

2001: A Space Odyssey (film) (Wikipedia)

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson

Blade Runner (Wikipedia)

The Matrix (Wikipedia)

Existenz (Wikipedia) 

Hackers (film) (Wikipedia)

The Terminator (Wikipedia)

Akira (1988 film) (Wikipedia)

Ghost in the Shell (1995 film) (Wikipedia)

The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow by Cory Doctorow

Feed by MT Anderson

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Serial Experiments Lain (Wikipedia)

Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson

Shadowrun (Wikipedia)

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Episode 082b - Bonus *Punk Fiction Spreadsheet Discussion

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

Black Mirror (Wikipedia)

Autonomous by Annalee Newitz 

The Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken 

The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi

Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree Jr.

Links, Articles, and Things

20 Minutes into the Future (TV Tropes)

Tech noir (Wikipedia)

The Future Is Noir (TV Tropes)

Japan Takes Over the World (TV Tropes)

Lost Decades (Japan) (Wikipedia)

Orientalism, 'Cyberpunk 2077,' and Yellow Peril in Science Fiction

Fear of a Yellow Planet: Why We Need to Actually Understand Cyberpunk

33 Best Cyberpunk Books of All-Time (2021)

Cyberpunk derivatives (Wikipedia)

Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics (Wikipedia)

"A Better World is Possible" - Cyberpunk 2077 (Waypoint Radio: Episode 365)

LexisNexis (Wikipedia)

Anna’s tweet about messaging Matthew

Leet (Wikipedia)

Manic Pixie Dream Girl (Wikipedia)

Cybernetics Eat Your Soul (TV Tropes)

Ecofiction (Wikipedia)

17 Cyberpunk books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Rise of the Red Hand by Olivia Chadha

Runtime by S.B. Divya

The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

The Tiger Flu by Larissa Lai

Warcross by Marie Lu

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Neon Empire by Drew Minh

Nexus by Ramez Naam

Red Spider White Web by Misha Nogha

Infomocracy by Malka Older

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo

Want by Cindy Pon

Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow

Rosewater by Tad Thompson

Robocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

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Join us again on Tuesday, August 18th we’ll be talking about media we’ve recently enjoyed not related to the podcast!

Then on Tuesday, September 7th we’ll be talking about the format of Flash Fiction.