#fugitive stories song cycle

[jetsteelyourheart]

Just wanna share one of my favorite Gavin Creel songs from Fugitive Songs

[acotars]

books read in 2024

⋆ ⭒˚.⋆ january ⋆.˚⭒ ⋆

one dark window (the shepherd king #1) by rachel gillig

the murder on the links (hercule poirot #2) by agatha christie

pageboy by elliot page

house of sky and breath (crescent city #2) by sarah j. maas

rogue protocol (the murderbot diaries #3) by martha wells

cult classic by sloane crosley

malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid

the beauty of your face by sahar mustafah

exit strategy (the murderbot diaries #4) by martha wells

animal farm by george orwell

everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily austin

carrie soto is back by taylor jenkins reid

a court this cruel & lovely (kingdom of lies #1) by stacia stark

the rules do not apply by ariel levy

poirot investigates (hercule poirot #3) by agatha christie

yellowface by rebecca f kuang

every heart a doorway (wayward children #1) by seanan mcguire

house of flame and shadow (crescent city #3) by sarah j. maas

read: 18

* · ✦ · * february * · ✦ · *

beautyland by marie-helene bertino

bride by ali hazelwood

network effect (the murderbot diaries #5) by martha wells

fugitive telemetry (the murderbot diaries #6) by martha wells

faebound (faebound #1) by saara el-arifi

the raven boys (the raven cycle #1) by maggie stiefvater **

read: 6

.✦.· *. march .*· .✦.

interesting facts about space by emily austin

penance by eliza clark

the book that no one wanted to read by richard ayoade

pride and prejudice by jane austen

unlikeable female characters: the women pop culture wants you to hate by anna bogutskaya

the shame by makenna goodman

greta & valdin by rebecca k. reilly

read: 7

✷ · ✶ · ✧ april ✧ · ✶ · ✷

this spells love by kate robb

out on a limb by hannah bonam-young

gwen & art are not in love by lex croucher

a lady's guide to scandal by sophie irwin

the friendship study by ruby barrett

the boyfriend candidate by ashley winstead

the pumpkin spice cafe by laurie gilmore

business or pleasure by rachel lynn solomon

how to end a love story by yulin kuang

this could be us (skyland #2) by kennedy ryan

the honeymoon crashers (the unhoneymooners #1.5) by christina lauren

we could have been friends, my father and i by raja shehadeh

how to stop time by matt haig

how to fake it in hollywood by ava wilder

with love from cold world by alicia thompson

funny story by emily henry

love radio by ebony ladelle

old flames and new fortunes by sarah hogle

just for the summer by abby jimenez

don't want you like a best friend by emma r. alban

love interest by clare gilmore

the exception to the rule (the improbable meet-cute #1) by christina lauren

worst wingman ever (the improbable meet-cute #2) by abby jimenez

with any luck (the improbable meet-cute #5) by ashley poston

last call at the local by sara grunder ruiz

happily never after by lynn painter

the ex talk by rachel lynn solomon

i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston

the love wager by lynn painter

morning glory milking farm by c.m. nacosta

will they or won't they by ava wilder

read: 31

.　° * ☆ may ☆ * °　.

when the sky fell on splendor by emily henry

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong

blizzard by marie vingtras

bright young women by jessica knoll

the age of magical overthinking: notes on modern irrationality by amanda montell

the flatshare by beth o'leary **

read: 6

⋆ ˚.⋆ june ⋆.˚ ⋆

not in love by ali hazelwood

the way of kings (the stormlight archive #1) by brandon sanderson

words of radiance (the stormlight archive #2) by brandon sanderson

read: 3

. · ☆ . july . ☆ · .

edgedancer (the stormlight archive #2.5) by brandon sanderson

blue iris: poems and essays by mary oliver

woman, eating by claire kohda

oathbringer (the stormlight archive #3) by brandon sanderson

a novel love story by ashley poston

chlorine by jade song

how to read now by elain castillo

please stop trying to leave me by alana saab

beautifully broken life by catherine cowles

the god of the woods by liz moore

edgedancer (the stormlight archive #3.5) by brandon sanderson

the dead and the dark by courtney gould

a most agreeable murder by julia seales

the murder of roger ackroyd (hercule poirot #4) by agatha christie

read: 14

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁august ݁. ⊹ ₊ ݁.

the bluest eye by toni morrison

more, please: on food, fat, bingeing, longing, and the lust for "enough" by emma specter

the ministry of time by kaliane bradley

system collapse (the murderbot diaries #7) by martha wells

emily wilde's encycolpedia of fairies (emily wilde #1) by heather fawcett

emily wilde's map of the other lands (emily wilde #2) by heather fawcett

catalina by karla cornejo villavicencio

roadside picnic by arkady strugatsky and boris strugatsky

read: 8

reading goal: 93/100

add me on goodreads !

[galadrieljones]

Some Biblical Symbolism in TWD 10c (Team Delusional)

Okay so I am VERY behind on the times, due to a ton of family engagements lately; however, now I’m trying to catch up and in doing so, I’m just going to make posts looking at all my recent, random notes from 10c and beyond.

This post starts by looking at the symbolism in the Bible verse that’s referenced in 10.19 “One More.”  This one verse in particular lead me down a lot of other Biblical rabbit holes, and I’ll try to talk about how they pertain to existing Team Delusional arguments, plus some other stuff!!

David and King Saul

The Bible verse I took down in my notes for the episode is 1 Samuel 16, specifically 16:21. This chapter is about God sending Samuel to anoint a new King of Israel after Saul basically pisses him off. Samuel chooses David, a young shepherd and son of Jesse, who is also a wonderful musician. He plays the lyre.

I remember reading about David when I was looking into Daryl/Biblical imagery. Initially I took Daryl’s fight w Beta in season 10 up in that tower to be a David vs. Goliath fight, but after reading more deeply into it, I scrapped the comparison. I read more into David and was actually more taken with him as relatable to Beth. More on that and how this impacts TD in a minute.

In 1 Samuel, King Saul of the Israelites is being tormented by demons (sent by god ofc) and sends his servant to bring him a musician to soothe his brain. The servant suggests David who comes to play the lyre for him and befriends his son. Anyway, consumed with fear that David is going to oust him, Saul tries to kill David, so David goes on the run, as a fugitive, basically until Saul and his son are killed, and then David returns and takes his place as King of the Israelites.

Anytime Gabriel is in the scene, there’s Biblical shit. So I was on top of "One More.” I didn’t really know what to make of the story with Saul and David and why it’s featured in this episode, so I talked to my husband who doesn’t watch the show (which is good because he’s coming at my questions unbiased) but he knows the Old Testament super well. I asked him whether Saul was supposed to be a “villain,” or merely a tortured king. My husband said Saul is not a villain, but a king who is meant to symbolize the unique plight of kings and leaders often characterized as the Sword of Damocles, ie: the sword always hanging over their head, and how the constant threat of death and/or usurpation can push them to great fear, madness, paranoia, and hasty decisions.

As the de facto leader of Alexandria, Gabriel is now in the same exact unique bind for which he sold out Rick to Deanna in season 5. He is potentially becoming a Saul figure, with the pressures of leadership causing him to turn away from his faith. This is a MAJOR shift in character dynamics for the show, as well as a big reference to Season 5 (an important season for TD, obviously). Season 5 Rick is also a very good Saul, as we see him falling to madness, hubris, and fear, and on the clear path to losing his people and his throne. I think we’re witnessing Gabriel now in a similar scenario in which his actions have finally begun to bear the weight of his responsibilities as a leader. He kills Mays because Mays is a killer and unhinged. It’s why Rick wants to and eventually does kill Pete in season 5. Gabriel killing Mays startles Aaron, and it isn’t pretty, but to him, it’s the right thing to do, even as it belies his cloth and belies his faith to do so. 

With his eyes, one light/one dark, as well as his priesthood, Gabriel is a perfect canvas for this sort of Saul struggle, especially now, as Michonne is gone, and Siddiq is dead, and he is not only the leader of Alexandria but now a father to a child, and this only further complicates his motivations. I also think this whole thing, ie: Gabriel as Saul might be another purposeful recycling of seasons 5, which 10c has been doing a lot. As has already been pointed out by @twdmusicboxmystery​, “One More” also rehashes a lot of themes and scenarios from “Still.” The entirety of 10c is consumed with cycles.

Saul and David through the Team Delusional Lens

ON THAT NOTE: Beth is an interesting David figure, since David’s main role before he becomes king is as a musician. You probably remember mention of David in the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah,” which references both David’s music as well as his later affair with Bathsheba. David’s music soothes the king, and we could say the same thing about Beth in seasons 3 and 4. Further, Dawn in season 5 is another Saul figure who has lost control of her kingdom due to weakness, fear, and selfishness. Beth, like David, is taken into her service (where she DOES sing, and where she calmly professes, “I still sing”), befriends another of Dawn’s young orderlies (such as David befriending Saul’s son), and then when she becomes a threat, Dawn *attempts* to kill her. Ofc in the Bible David just goes on the lam until Saul is killed by the Philistines, and then David becomes king of the Israelites. In TWD, Beth “dies.”

So by this allusion, if applied in template fashion, after Dawn (Saul) is killed, Beth (David) would return to Grady and become its new leader, something I think TD has discussed before.

Other Biblical Allusions and Curiosities:

Jesse and Samuel: Characters from 5b-6a. Samuel of the Bible is a child prophet, and Samuel of TWD is a “sensitive” child who, in the opening of 6.8, is surrounded by a lot of prophetic imagery, including a drawing of a blond person tied to a tree while surrounded by walkers, a toy firetruck, as well as the ants, breaching the window and swarming a cookie, which predicts or mirrors the walkers breaching the wall. This scene is full of TD imagery, which I’m sure other theorists have already rehashed, ie: the tree trunk, the number 8, even a cyclops (one-eyed) action figure on the dresser. Jesse is Samuel’s mother in 5b, and until I read more into Samuel, I didn’t realize that Jesse was a Bible character as well, and that he was David’s father, while Samuel is the prophet who anoints David as king. These are mostly minor characters, but as is a lot of stuff in season 5, they pack a lot of symbolic punch.This is also just me pointing to the fact that TWD has used more direct symbolism involving Samuel and David before, as well as indirect symbolism, and just general allusion. Samuel is also connected to key imagery that appears again and again.

^ (This is not the first blond we’ve seen tied to a tree in TWD.)

Gabriel the Archangel: Gabriel the archangel is a very interesting character in the Bible, as he is seen as not only a fierce defender of the Israelites, but per Christian tradition, he is also the angel who visits the Virgin Mary and foretells the birth of Jesus Christ. I know that TD has discussed Father Gabriel as a Beth “proxy” or as symbolically juxtaposed with Beth, often referencing him as a Sirius symbol, post-partial-blindness, echoing the one-eyed dog from “Still.” The Biblical imagery is consistent with this argument, especially when combined with argument that Beth is a Christ figure to be resurrected, ie: Gabriel is here to “herald” Beth’s return. Ofc, this could be applied to Rick as a Christ figure as well (who sacrifices himself to save his people); however, we know that Rick is not dead, which is inconsistent with the crucifixion, ie: Jesus literally “died” (or was perceived to have died) and came back to life. Further, in Christian tradition as well as in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Gabriel is credited as the angel blowing the trumpet that signals the return of Christ to the living (Gabriel’s horn). What I’m saying is, Gabriel is a herald. He heralds both the birth of and the return of Christ to the land of the living. It again does not feel like coincidence that Gabriel is introduced during season 4, at the very beginning of Beth’s arc.

Dark vs. Light: Does anyone else find it extremely fishy that Gabriel, Beth, and Daryl are all shown with prominent costume/features that juxtapose dark/light? What I mean is: Gabriel’s eyes, Daryl’s ankle coverings, and Beth’s shoelaces at Grady--all feature one dark, one light. Tbh I am not sure how this is even a Biblical thing (other than the overt good vs. evil connotations), but it just strikes me as further credence for how these characters must be connected. Gabriel as a reference to the one-eyed dog is more evidence tying them all together, further, the light/left dark/right arrangement is the same on Beth and Gabriel, whereas it is reversed on Daryl. I have always found the choice for Beth’s shoelaces to be strange, obviously correlated to Daryl’s ankle coverings, but I’m not sure why. I do know that this kind of visual imagery is not happening by mistake, though I don’t have a good hypothesis for what this means beyond the connection itself. Or, not yet at least. Give me time lol.

Anyway, I think this is all I have for now! If anyone has any thoughts or additions, please let me know. ^_^

[reallysaltyobject]

Timeless children thoughts

Ok, so I’ve spent about all day trying to form my thoughts on the changes that last nights episode had and now i’m going to try and write them down just to process and, like, see other people’s thoughts (???)

First of all, I love Doctor who. I hate feeling like this. This conflicted feeling. I love Jodie as the Doctor, she is probably my 2nd all time favourite Doctor (David T, Jodie, Tom, in case you were wondering). This season has had some, in my opinion, great episodes. I loved Fugitive of the Judoon, the Tesla episode (featuring my SJA fave Rani), the Mary Shelly episode. Guess what? i EVEN LIKED SOME OF ORPHAN 55 (it fell apart in the end, but Ed Hime can write some great lines (that spam line and the sequence with Ryan getting rid of the virus are personal faves), also that episode was co-written by Chibnall, and the episode seemed to be going in one direction but it felt like there was changes from a certain show runner). Anyway, I have been watching Doctor who since I was 4, I’ve been watching consistently since Ecclestone, through the good and the bad, never missing an episode. And until the finale of season 12, I have never felt so... sad. Not even angry, just sad and let down. I hate this sensation. I need to vent

So, now that the disclaimer is out that I do like Doctor who, even up till now, let’s get into my current trauma 

WARNING THIS IS NOT A SHINING REVIEW OF THE LATEST EPISODE. IT IS JUST MY PROCESSING OF WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW UNSURE I FEEL ABOUT ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR THE SHOW

1

2

3

OK, the Doctor is not a TIME LORD. what? ...What?!...WOT!!? Time Lords and Gallifreyans are mutated from her DNA!? 

Right let’s back up a but and start from the beginning of my puzzled thoughts. Why did we need last weeks episode? I mean seriously, It was about an hour of going ‘you’re going to learn something, we known something you don’t’ and then it leads to that. I’m just very confused. Also more side characters which I do not remember the names of by the end of the episode, and thus them dying does not affect me in any way. Was it ever explained why the head Cyber man was ‘torturing’ the other Cybermen? I honestly cannot think of why that was there (maybe to make them 100% robotic with no organic material cause of the particle (WHICH I WILL GET TO!) but idk not very clear).

Also the whole Irish flashback thing? I get that was supposed to be a filter but going back and watching the episode when we saw it in episode 9 the doctor was ALSO SEEING IT?! There was no mention of it at all during the episode but she mentions it in the episode ten. What?! (Let’s not mention the odd editing choice at the end of nine where the Master’s entrance is funny and wild and then it’s like dramatic, threatening music? WTF. I’m guessing some lines of dialogue were cut but still it would have been better to end on his first entrance)

Chibnall’s first new and interesting villain is just gone. A Cyberman that still has its human emotion, erhm, would that not make a compelling villain that we could see at least another story out of? No? we just going to shrink this guy in the space of ten minutes? Cool. Cool, cool, cool

Also the death particle? WTF. That was 110% convenient plot device which I can forgive (a little lazy but so not worth getting worked up over), but it somehow went from being able to wipe out organic life from the ‘entire universe’ to just ‘a planet’. What. I’m serious what was the process here? Was it like not done cooking? 10 more minutes left in the Cyberman before it was done? I mean, it can’t be because it shrunk, cause, well, it’s A PARTICLE. It’s can’t get any smaller than that. Oh, are we just going with that? Lazy. Never-mind, much more to cover. 

So this was Chib’s let’s make Morbius canon time? You know the thing that was created cause they didn’t know how long the show would last, and was pretty much swept under the rug cause it was a weird idea? Right, ok , sure. 

I mean I was actually interested in the Doctor having a cycle of regenerations that she didn’t know about. A cycle. Not seemingly endless lives. Cause that would keep with the canon established, you known, with the whole 11th Doctor getting gifted an entire new cycle which we are two bodies into already on the whole Tenzelore death bed thing. It would explain Ruth!Doctor (not her TARDIS being a police box but I’m sure give any Doctor who fan 20 minutes and a box of crayons and they could come up for a better explanation than what was shown last night). 

But let’s get into the worst effect of last night’s show. There are no more stakes. The Doctor can regenerate whenever, not matter how many times, and there are no consequences. Sure, you want the show to live on but as an excellent TV show put it recently: it is death that makes life worth living (seriously go watch The Good Place)

The canon of the show is that Time Lords get the regeneration from looking into the time vortex, hence River getting these powers (being conceived on the TARDIS). Normal Gallifreyans do not have this, they have to earn it through the Academy. This episode said it was genetics (SEE midichlorians and star wars). W H A T. 

ALSO DOES THIS MEAN THE DOCTOR AND RIVER SONG ARE LIKE RELATED. i mean if regeneration has come from the Doctor and she can regenerate, is it incest? 

The Master did not make any sense in this episode - and for a character who is meant to be psychotic it must be pretty bad for him to seem off. So, the Master is mad cause he is made partly from the Doctor? I mean i know that you don’t go to the Master for coherent plans but still, I don’t really get it. He also spent the entire episode being exposition and that was just, a waste. That is one of my biggest gripes about that era. You hire these great actors and you don’t give them anything to work with. I mean you can see them shine when you do but, you don’t. why? 

Also why is the Master acting like he has no compassion? Gomez!master literally betrayed herself after spending like an entire serious feeling guilt with the 12th Doctor. So, how can he say he has no compassion? I mean, if you weren’t a lazy writer, you could write some material about how they feel abandoned by the Doctor when he left her to die on the Cybership and went mad by the time they made it to Gallifrey. Or even that idea they were in an alternative universe and so this Master had not had the development that the Capaldi era worked on, which would explain why there was another Doctor (Ruth) (I know that gets a bit muddled up with Jack being in episode 5 but you could probably think of something, i’m still reeling from the finale to form a plan right now). No, we’re just not doing that. 

This endless lives also cheapens the Doctor’s sacrifice before. I mean a lot Matt Smith’s time as the Doctor was spent with this. River giving up her remaining regenerations because of his unwillingness to leave his friends. The Doctor spending all of his last regeneration watching over this town in season 7. Was this just nothing? Is the Doctor just going to sacrifice themselves for everything now?

Also, the idea that the doctor is the Other is so much better! That would be cool, it would give her a past that she does not know of (check one), but it wouldn’t have the potential of ruining the stakes and mystery of the doctor (check two), AND it would make the doctor something above what TL are, make her demi-god, which could make the Master made, in a more logical way, (check three). 

right to finish this, I have to say i’m worried. The moves that are being made feel like they are cancelling moves. Like we’re going on another long hiatus. That there is going to be a reboot. It also is giving the BBC potential to make spinoffs of the previous Doctors to likes of Netflix and Amazon, which scares me for the safety of the show. With the ratings going down, and a majority of the fanbase being against the developments in the lore, the sustainability of the show is looking risky. This is an option that i do not want to happen. Unfortunately I think the only option would be to replace Chibs. He is writing the show in a way that is continuing from when he grew up (hence the Morbius thing, and the Master acting in this way) and not from how the show has PROGRESSED since then.

I’m still going to watch the show but I fear that more and more will turn it off. The whole point that they pushed in this era of the show was that new people can watch it, there is no need to have all this previous knowledge yet the only times there has been interesting episodes has been to call backs (Jack, Cybermen, Daleks). This change to something so instrumental to the plot is driving old fans away and confusing the new ones. What you need is someone who is above the show-runners keeping the canon and coherency of the lore, as it know most show-runners change the premise when they start (see Gallifrey gone, alive, gone again)

leave the canon. Look forwards. This Doctor is about being hopeful, they should be looking forward. 

I want this show to be good. I want this show to live forever, because it can. Because it should. 

[dabblinginmarvel]

Jailbreak

Plot: You and Loki have been together for years. Despite the things he has done, you have stuck with him. This time, it was his turn to stick with you. You were imprisoned in Asgard for a crime you didn’t commit after he “dies” and Loki ends up storming the place to release you.

Blog Tag: suggested by @pixierox101, thanks so much!

A/N: I need some hardcore, badass, gentle Loki in my life. Asgardian lady!reader, as suggested.

Warnings: Reader has been tortured for information, a fighting scene with guards as you are escaping

Word Count Total: 1681

Long Imagine #14

Title: Jailbreak

Loki had been absent for a long time. To many people, he had died a hero, saving Thor and Jane. To you, he had always been a hero. That much he knew.

What he did not know was that after many lunar cycles if you would have moved on without him.

“All I am saying, Loki, is that Y/N is not one to give up on your trickery,” Thor stated as the two walked down the rainbow bridge into Asgard. It was difficult to tell what time of day it was from Heimdall’s end of the bridge (which had been fixed many cycles ago), but Loki knew you would be up anyway. The two of you shared many character traits, mischievous, rebellion, questioning of Asgardian expectations, that he knew you would not be sleeping. It came from knowing each other for years.

But Loki sensed something was wrong, as well. He could not pinpoint the source of the discomfort, but he knew it was from you.

“How would you know what Y/N is capable of? You and I have been away for quite a while, albeit I longer.”

Thor sighed. “She is your mate, is she not?”

Loki pondered the statement. “I have not yet asked her to make it official.”

“Then do so. If I must hear one more time about her ferocity on the battlefield despite having seen it myself, I am going to put you in isolation.” He whacked his brother’s arm and Loki scowled.

“It is not my fault that she affects me in this way. I must say, turning the tables, that you speak of Miss Jane as much, if not more.”

That quieted Thor.

Upon reaching your building, Thor fell behind.

Loki quietly made his way up to your quarters, but was surprised to find the door chained. He knocked

There was no answer.

“Y/N, are you in there?”

“There is no Y/N here,” a deep voice came from behind the door.

“Would you know where she moved to?” he asked, attempting to keep the exasperation out of his tone.

“Last I heard, she was imprisoned for treason.”

The words struck him in the gut. “Treason? Y/N would never do that.”

The man explained the explosions around the capitol, your connection, then said, “That is all I know. Now, excuse me.”

Loki mumbled a thank you to the closed door and left.

Thor was waiting for him when he exited.

“How did it go?”

“It did not happen. She was not home.”

“Would you like to wait for her to return?”

“She will not be returning. She has been imprisoned. I am heading to the prison and getting the information from her myself.”

“I shall accompany you.”

“I am capable to do this myself.” Loki began to walk off.

“Not when you are planning a prison break.”

Loki stopped and sighed, knowing Thor could see right through him. “Fine. But you are following my lead.”

The sun began to set as they made their way to the prison. Gold reflected off the buildings and hit the pavement stones, the men walking behind it to avoid being spotted. An element of surprise would go a long way to release you.

They snuck into the building and made their way through the shadows, Loki leading. The hallways were pristine and… empty. That seemed suspicious. Loki casted his magic to hide them again as an extra precautionary.

Together, they checked cell after cell, only halfway through the prison when Loki saw you. Thor backed off to give the two of you some privacy and act as a guard.

Loki approached your cell slowly. It had been a long time since he had seen you. Almost a full Earthen year. You had lost a lot of your spirit since then. Your eyes sunken in, your hair growing unevenly, your frame thinner. He wasn’t sure if it was the prison’s fault or his for your appearance, but he suspected both played a role.

“Y/N,” he said gently.

You looked up at the clear crystal wall and your eyes widened.

“You are not real.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You are not. You died, and they have been using your image to get me to talk about something I do not know.” You turned away from the image of your beloved and walked the short distance to the other side. When you sat down on the floor, Loki’s heart flipped uncomfortably.

“I am certain they do not know things about me that I have not revealed to anyone else.”

“They have reached into my mind and pulled things out. They laid them out on a table and read it all. Nothing is secret and nothing is sacred anymore. I have nothing. There is nothing left for me.”

“Y/N -”

“Please, do not show me these images anymore. There is nothing left to learn from me.”

Loki took a deep breath and dug through his memories of you, trying to remember something about you that you did not know that he knew. Suddenly, it came to him. You frequented Midgard  to learn about the culture. You also sung while you bathed, and they tended to be Midgard songs.

So, he sang. It was strange for him to do, but he knew it was the only way that he could convince you.

When he had finished, you grinned. “It is you. I thought you to be sleeping when I was singing those songs.”

“Ah, but you thought wrong. They helped me to fall asleep. It was something I never told you.”

“I am pleased you did not,” you said as he opened your cell. You stepped forward and hugged him tightly. “I swear to the heavens, if you leave me again like that, I shall find you and dispatch you myself.”

He let go of you and took you by the hand. “As much of an honor as it would be to be dispatched by you, I do not plan to leave you again. I left you once and you are imprisoned. I have only been away for a few short months.”

You chuckled, hurrying alongside him. “Are you trying to imagine what I would get myself into without you for longer than that?”

“I am trying not to.” There was a tone in his voice that made your heart break a little.

You stopped him and pressed a quick kiss on his lips, your hand bringing his face to yours. “Then do not.”

He grabbed your hand and pulled you along again, this time with a small smile.

They didn’t get far when they saw Thor fighting. Loki jumped in front of you and pulled out two small knives. “Let me do this.”

You shrugged, in no state to fight unless it was necessary.

Loki twirled his knives and dove in to fight a way out. You took a defensive stance and made yourself aware of everything around you to avoid a surprise. Even if they were hidden under an illusion, you could find them. It had been a benefit of training with Loki.

You were not entirely helpless, however, as you still knocked out a guard or two before Loki returned. He pulled you by the hand again and hurried you out. He wasn’t going to be without you again. Not when you were finally back together. You three ran to safety and kept running as the alarms blared throughout the darkened streets. There were torches out to light the walkways and by that light, you three raced through the night. Thor had to stop and pick you up because you were not physically stable to perform such extensive activities.

With you on Thor’s back, Thor could still deflect anything that tried to stop your party, including shots. Mjolnir could take hits and show no injury or mercy.

The rainbow road came up and their feet hit hard as they ran.

“Are they still following us?” asked Thor. Both you and Loki looked over your shoulders and confirmed for Thor the assailants were still in pursuit.

Upon arrival to Heindall’s domain, a portal was already open.

“I shall keep an eye on you in the event of an emergency.”

“Thank you, Heimdall.”

Loki was glad for Heimdall’s Sight at that moment. It helped him See that you were innocent and that was all Loki needed to get you to safety, even if that meant heading to Midgard.

Thor set you down and Loki jumped first, then you. Heimdall stopped Thor before he jumped.

“This turns you into a fugitive.”

“We shall prove her innocence and clear our names of any wrongdoing,” Thor promised. Heimdall nodded and Thor jumped.

Loki landed first, followed by you, whom he caught, followed by Thor, who landed in a superhero stance.

“Where in Midgard are we?”

You did not stop to question whether he meant that as a swear or not. “Did he send us to Miss Jane, Thor?”

“It would appear we are in New Mexico.”

“All Midgardian deserts look the same to me,” Loki sighed.

“Loki, get her to safety and I shall attempt to contact Jane.” Without further ado, he spun Mjolnir and lifted off to find a trace of Jane Foster.

Loki went in search of shelter, but aside from the small town that he may or may not have nearly destroyed last time he visited this ‘New Mexico,’ he found nothing in the way of proper shelter. It did not matter much, as Thor returned soon with news and offered to transport you all there. Loki groaned at the thought of flying like that, but before he could protest, you agreed, so off you went.

When you arrived at Jane’s door, she was waiting.

Jane took in your appearance, the tired look, the dirty leather, and offered you a shower and a fresh set of clothes, which you agreed to. As soon as you were in another room, Thor and Loki explained the story.

“We have a lot of ground to cover,” stated Jane, absorbing the information.

“Can you do it?” asked Loki.

“Of course I can. Let’s get to work.”

 - - -

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[philaprint]

What Is the Proper Space for Hope? A Young Black Queer Millennial's Reflection on Obama

By Vernon Jordan, III

I met one of the loves of my life the night Barack Hussein Obama was re-elected into the seat of the President -  the highest office in these United States. That night, in November of 2012, a Black man won against white moderates, conservatives, and anyone claiming they were most qualified for the job. Parading with his family, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, Malia Ann, and Natasha “Sasha”, who had already stolen our hearts during the 2008 campaign and Presidential election, President Obama was a force of joy for many African Americans, non-American Black people residing here in the states, Black people with homes abroad, in the wider Diaspora, and the continent of Africa itself. I was fresh out of high school, a first-semester freshman at Muhlenberg College and President Obama was thus the first President I had ever voted for; did I even have a choice in the matter?

I felt instant pride whenever I thought of him. You could say I even campaigned: I bought stickers and pins marked Forward, hung the “we’ve got his back” poster on my side of the dorm room, always wore my “44TH / OBAMA” shirt to the gym to spite my white classmates, and when it came time to vote, finally, I adorned that oval “I VOTED” sticker on my motherfucking face. Naturally, I argued with racist Facebook comment after Facebook comment, too -- all in the name of President Obama. I stayed up long enough into the morning to witness both final speeches by Obama and Romney and was doing so while on the phone with one of my best friends, a Black woman who then was studying at Clark Atlanta University. When I got back to my room, all was quiet. My roommate, a polite enough Italian kind of white boy and Romney voter, was asleep. A “Romney/Ryan” poster guarding his bedpost, an old historic patriotic “don’t tread on me” snake poster hanging right next to him.The morning after, he said to me, “Congrats, man.” I said, with assurance and calm, “Thank you.”  We had vowed not to talk about politics in our room, so that brief exchange was the most we talked on the matter. It was all so swift - Obama won, so I won. With a fire so many people expected to die out and be beaten, Obama’s victory in the 2012 re-election felt like an act of revenge. Now, my classmates who had so fervently been possessed by their arguments against welfare and affirmative action policies, for instance, would have to face that the leader of this country was a Black somebody. They might see “thugs” in Obama, me in Obama, and thus a “thug” in me; but they would see I’d won, and dared to be great.

Many of my associations with Obama can be said to be positive, but this positivity, this greatness, was not one that lasted long, however - and maybe I am lucky my bubble burst so early. That next semester I would take a course called Black Political Thought. I remember reading a speech given by Obama, then reading a counter piece by Dr. Cornel West (among other class readings about Liberalism, Black Nationalism, Black Conservatism, Pan-Africanism, and so on and so on) and realizing that maybe Obama could not be the answer to Martin’s dream, that Martin certainly did not “walk so Obama could fly”. Obama too deeply believed in America's capacity for rightness, righteousness, and the American Dream. I learned Obama followed a strictly Liberal course of action - the belief in individual freedoms, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness via the United States -  always with a side of hope, or change. During Obama’s initial campaign, Will.i.am and a number of celebrities and artists came together to record the song “Yes We Can”, which was another famous rhetorical slogan coined by President Obama. I was a Freshman in high school when President Obama first took office, and learned this song in the school’s choir, singing it joyously whenever I could and reveling in the sound of “Si se puede” rolling from my lips. So, I didn't know it then, but I was quite prepared to understand Liberalism and American Democracy, as I was born into it - and how many times before Obama had I sang it? Read it? Hero-ed and romanticized it? I was bluntly met with the facts that in the name of a Liberal Democracy we would drop bombs on poorer, Browner, and less Western nations; and even less prepared to see Obama as not merely a puppet, but Commander-in-Chief of this violent vessel called the United States.

Part of this role-playing President involves massive crowd control over the civilian population, an always ready indoctrination on the ideals of Liberalism -- especially in face of violence and dissent. For me, the rupture of this contradiction occurred after the death of young Trayvon Martin: for this happened under the Obama administration with little done to protect and honor and defend the life of Trayvon, who this week would be 22 years old; the ruptures of this contradiction occurred when I realized countless bombs were being dropped on Palestine, with financial assistance from the U.S. and the Obama administration; and the happy lie of Democracy cracked. It’s one thing to learn about Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs, the strategies of COINTELPRO which ripped radical activists and groups from our communities, for instance, and learn dissent for your country; it's a peculiar place to be as a young Black American and not see the conditions for your people on the ground change when the leader of the free world looks like he could maybe be your uncle; and it’s another thing to begin to completely disagree with Liberal Democracy as it’s been enacted altogether -- it sobers you. I remember wanting to vomit when I heard Christopher Dorner would be chased by drones on U.S. soil because that didn’t sound like Freedom to me. I recalled a passage from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, where civilians are awakened by the State and compelled to watch the manhunt of the book burner, Montag, as it’s cycled live into the news:

"Police Alert. Wanted: Fugitive in city. Has committed murder and crimes against the State. Name: Guy Montag. Occupation: Fireman. Last seen . . ." He ran steadily for six blocks, in the alley, and then the alley opened out on to a wide empty thoroughfare ten lanes wide. It seemed like a boatless river frozen there in the raw light of the high white arc-lamps; you could drown trying to cross it, he felt; it was too wide, it was too open. It was a vast stage without scenery, inviting him to run across, easily seen in the blazing illumination, easily caught, easily shot down. The Seashell hummed in his ear. "... watch for a man running ... watch for the running man . . . watch for a man alone, on foot . . . watch..."

Like the civilians in the book, in this case, all I could do was watch CNN for updates, watch Hope lean into Terror. President Barack Obama gracefully walked into a seat that inherits and propagates terrorism in the name of the country and State. He is a fine, swaggered out suit - in the tradition of American presidential suits - become war general.

Were we silly to think Obama would be a beacon and example of liberation against global white supremacy and anti-blackness? No. But we were certainly fooled. We were distracted -- great imagery can do that -- and it's no surprise that in a campaign so formidably led by college youth, grassroots organizing on the part of, it seemed, the whole country, we might feel a kind of euphoric haze not common here: for a moment we could feel together, feel a touch of another person, and feel recognized in the presence of Barack Obama. Obama slick and likable as he is, rolling Al Green and the ever-scary national anthem off one tongue, smiling so gently, laughing -- and making us laugh! Obama, slick and likable, perfect in his denouncing of absent Black fathers, drugs displayed on corners, (not to mention the least dangerous shit ever, sagging pants) without an analysis of how the united states have contributed to these phenomena.

He is the perfect ingredient for White supremacy: son to an educated Kenyan and continental African man & an American white woman. His story is a massive, international epic, where the son who belongs nowhere becomes King of the Democratic land to overlook all lands. His narrative is a full circle project, in a strange way; the perfect person to run the American machine is a dude come from a formerly colonized African country - the dark continent meets the brightest. I think about this often. I think about what America might look like when it is ready for a descendant of enslaved African Americans to take the role President - if it will be, ever.

There is no utopia to be found being Black here in the United States - not in total, anyway - but I would be a liar if I said pictures and small moments from the eight years of President Barack, First Lady Michelle (everyone's favourite Obama) and famed children Sasha and Malia Obama, the First Black First Family of the United States, did not provide momentary joys, pride, relief, and pleasure. I want to thank Barack Obama for that. I want to thank President Obama for teaching me, quite plainly, never to trust politicians; but to trust my 22 year old self, my Black and queer communities, and the strategies of Ella Baker, Bayard Rustin, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Assata Shakur, and so many more who came into the world before me.

I am trying to find now the proper space for hope in my life - too much makes any person blind, and Andre 3000 said, “lean a little bit closer see / roses really smell like “boo boo oo”. I am trying to face forward, but not without complete regard for the past and its echoes, its livelihood, in the present. I am reckoning with the bodies broken and lost - memories equally contorted. I am looking a dangerous, frightening, and fucked up world in the eye, whenever I walk the streets of this country, whenever I dream of leaving this country for another. This is called being a young Black Millennial after and in the age of Obama.

https://www.philadelphiaprintworks.com/blogs/news/what-is-the-proper-space-for-hope-a-young-black-queer-millennials-reflection-on-obama

[riffsstrides]

Thomas Strønen

Time is a Blind Guide

ECM, 2015

Thomas Strønen: drums, percussion; Kit Downes: piano; Håkon Aase: violin; Lucy Railton: cello; Ole Morten Vågan: double bass; Sic Øyunn Kjenstad: percussion (1, 7, 9, 10); Steinar Mossige: percussion (1, 2, 7, 9, 10).

Over the past couple of decades, Thomas Strønen has become, perhaps, best-known for his unfettered improvisational forays in electro-centric contexts: sometimes freewheeling and frenetic, as in Humcrush, the drummer/percussionist/electronics wizard's hardcore duo with his similarly inclined Norwegian partner, keyboardist Ståle Storløkken (and occasional guest, singer Sidsel Endresen); other times more spaciously ambient in the atmospheric Anglo/Norwegian collaboration,

Food—initially a quartet that has, since releasing Last Supper (Rune Grammofon, 2005), whittled down to a core duo with British saxophonist Iain Ballamy, along with various invited guests including trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer and guitarists Christian Fennesz, Eivind Aarset and Prakash Sontakke, on ECM releases including 2010's Quiet Inlet, 2013's Mercurial Balm and 2015's This Is Not A Miracle.

But those fortunate enough to have been in Oslo on March 20, 2013, had the chance to witness a very different Thomas Strønen: a composer of music that may have incorporated no shortage of improvisation, but was also some of his most structured work in some time and some of his most lyrical music ever. It was on that date, at the Norwegian capital's Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria club, that Time is a Blind Guide had its first live presentation : a song cycle written for Connexions, the series curated by British journalist/radio presenter Fiona Talkington with a core premise of bringing together musicians from Norway and Britain. Previous Connexions shows included Jaga Jazzist's exceptional collaboration with Britten Sinfonia at Oslo's larger Rockefeller venue, as Ultima Festival's closing concert in September, 2012.

But whereas Jaga Jazzist's collaboration was largely about rearranging existing music for an even larger instrumental context than its usual eight-or-nine-piece group, Time Is A Blind Guide represented a brand new set of music, written by Strønen specifically for this brand new constellation of musicians. An octet featuring two rising British stars in pianist Kit Downes and cellist Lucy Railton, it was also founded on the contributions of, including Strønen, five Norwegians, including three percussionists and one of the group's most important anchors and melodic foils, double bassist Ole Morten Vågan. One of the hardest working bassists in Norway— seemingly everywhere at almost every festival attended between 2008 and 2015—Vågan has been, amongst many, many projects, a member of Motif, The Deciders and, alongside Strønen, a member of Swedish pianist Maria Kannegaard's trio, while the more internationally known violinist, Hardanger fiddler and viola d'amore players,Nils Okland, brought his unique ability to meld antiquity with modernity. At the time, Strønen described the project as "probably a dream come true...but a dream I didn't know I had."

The group has changed slightly for this overdue release of Time Is a Blind Guide, with the three percussionists trimmed back to two because, as Strønen recently explained, "I felt that two percussionists left a little more space, which I felt the music needed. Often, when we play live now, we play with only one." Additionally, some of the original compositions were trimmed—or eliminated entirely—and more new music has been written; in fact, since the 2013 performance, Strønen has written so much new material that he could have easily released a double-disc set; but as has always been clear to anyone with the pleasure of speaking with him, Strønen is an intensely thoughtful artist more concerned with a finished set of music that tells a clear story than simply shoe-horning as much music as possible onto a release.

And so, while the original performance of Time Is A Blind Guide ran, with the inclusion of spoken introductions, considerably longer than the 60 minutes of music that was ultimately broadcast by NRK (Norway's public radio and TV network), the album release has been pared back further still, to a 53-minute suite that feels like there's not a single superfluous note. As outstanding as the live performance was, on record Time Is A Blind Guide demonstrates the benefit that time, distance and consideration can provide when coming to record music as a permanent document.

One noticeable change to the lineup, beyond trimming the percussion section, is the replacement of Nils Okland with violinist Håkon Aase, described by Strønen as "a young, extremely promising musician who plays (and reads) very well, and who I wanted to give this chance when Nils decided to leave the band and put more energy into his own group." The blending of Aase with Railton is positively empathic, with each player demonstrating an ability to shine individually; both, in particular, demonstrate remarkable skill with a bow, sometimes playing so lightly as to feel like a whisper.

Strønen recently described the project as being "important for me to make a strong form as well as putting in surprises. By listening from the beginning, I think the first four tracks all come as surprises compared to what you might expect." Certainly, the opening "The Stone Carriers" possesses more than its share of the unexpected: an atmospheric pedal- tone introduction, with bowed cello, pizzicato bass and delicately articulated violin, all bolstered by percussive color, lead to the suite's first major melodic statement. A six-note ascending phrase—driven by Strønen's light brush work, Vågan's muscular anchor and Downes' fourths-driven voicings—creates the context for a lengthy melodic passage played by Aase, Railton and Downes, leading into a lengthy piano solo that clarifies, in just a few short minutes, how he has evolved into one of the most important young British pianists of his generation. Downes builds his solo with motivic care and harmonic sophistication, bolstered by Strønen's increasingly powerful stick work, leading to the first of Time Is A Blind Guide's numerous climactic peaks.

Downes' clear allegiance to the jazz tradition, combined with Strønen's desire to demonstrate his own predilection for music that, if not swinging in a conventional sense, absolute swings in a more visceral and openly defined one, blend with the unshakable Vågan—who, perhaps more than any other Norwegian double bassist, possesses the muscular potency and rhythmic drive of Charles Mingus —to createa core trio that brings an unrelenting sound of surprise to Time Is A Blind Guide...even to those fans who've followed Strønen's career closely over the past two decades.

A brief percussion feature, "Tide," leads into "Everything Disappears," the first of two variations. "Everything Disappears I" is a piano/drums duo that will sound more familiar to Strønen fans, despite it being in a more acoustic context than much of his work has been in recent years. His ability to create fluttering flurries of percussion seems informed, perhaps, by the work of British drummer Tony Oxley, but Strønen's approach has ultimately evolved into something more personal...more dynamic, He moves around his kit with an effortless combination of hands, alongside small and conventional sticks to create a textural expanse ranging from deeply resonant bass drum shots to delicate cymbal strokes, as a spare form gradually unfolds in Downes' playing. The two players function as a single voice that's all the more remarkable considering how relatively rarely they've played together since Time Is A Blind Guide's premier.

After two appealing but slightly more avant pieces, "I Don't Wait For Anyone" is an epically constructed piece that manages to compress a great deal into its six-and-a-half-minute duration. Opening with a series of fifths-driven bass lines, it's a perfect confluence where a melody, tripled by violin, cello and piano, creates a sense of time where there often is none, before the piece finally blossoms into a more decidedly tempo-driven section with the kind of lyrical appeal possessed by some of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays' best collaborations...but never with this kind of open-ended freedom somehow blended into its formal arrangement. Its simple, singable and utterly memorable theme returns after Downes takes another set-defining solo; taken as a single composition, it's clear evidence of Strønen's ability to blend complex ideas brimming with detail and seemingly simpler, more accessible concepts.

What's perhaps most appealing about Time Is A Blind Guide—its title taken from the first sentence of Canadian author Anne Michaels' book, Fugitive Pieces (McClelland & Stewart, 1996)—is the broad terrain it traverses. Beyond percussive sections that bring together a variety of cultural touchstones, the music also covers a surprising amount of territory. Beyond being the closest thing to a "real" jazz album (whatever that is) that Strønen has made, there are unmistakable hints of Norwegian traditionalism blended with Oriental folklore ("Lost Souls"), as well as allusions of music even more timeless. The closing "Simples," with its open time, haunting strings, blend of melodic and atonal pianism and Strønen's piercing bells, makes for music that is somehow of its time yet, at the same time, completely and utterly timeless.

Sonically, the album is exceptional, with the 24-bit/96Khz high resolution version even more impressive—and revealing—than the CD release. The mix contains, alongside the music, its own surprises and its own story...one well worth telling. According to Strønen: "The recording was done in the beginning of June [2015] and mixed just a week later, due for release in mid-September. I took the finished mix on holiday at the end of July and listened repeatedly, while reading Soul Mining, by [producer] Daniel Lanois. The biography tells his story, as well as his recording techniques and how he has worked with various artists. He has remarkable focus and has put so much energy into following his ideals in order to serve the music properly.

"Maybe no masterpiece as a book, but it pushed me to dig deeper and to not be relaxed about the small issues I had with the mix," Strønen continues. "Slowly, I realized that I wasn't 100% confident with the final mix and I had ideas how to make it better. I spoke to Sun Chung from ECM—who was the recording's producer and who also mixed it with me—and he agreed: almost is never good enough. I spoke to [label head/producer] Manfred [Eicher] and he gave me the green light to make a new mix on my own, together with [engineer] Jan Erik Kongshaug, at Rainbow studios [in Oslo].

"Only ten hours after I got back home from my holiday, I was back in studio. The most crucial change we made was altering the overall stereo panning to the drummer's perspective, so hi-hat in the left ear, ride in the right. Of the 4,000 records Jan Erik has mixed, this was the first time he ever did this. After going through all the recorded material over again, I ended up satisfied...and very much relieved. This was in the beginning of August. When the group landed in Tokyo to play its first release concert in mid-September, the CDs were waiting for us at the venue."

It's always dangerous to talk about any album as representative of "The ECM Sound," given how, so often, any attempts to quantify just what that means are quickly laid to waste by examples drawn from the label's 47-year discography. Still, there is something perhaps indefinable about Time Is A Blind Guide that makes it an album whose home simply had to be with ECM Records. Strønen's story about remixing the album may be one of the best reasons why: few labels, with such a tight production deadline, would allow for a last-minute complete remix because "almost is never good enough."

The end result of a remarkable commission first realized in 2013; a recording where Strønen's consideration about how to best articulate exactly what the music meant; and the refusal to accept anything less than precisely what the percussionist felt was needed to ensure it was best represented, including a rare mixing approach that renders a distinctive suite of music all the more so: all of these factors combine with a septet of exceptional musicians to bring Time Is A Blind Guide to life with so many surprises that it continues to yield new revelations, even after more than a dozen spins.

Time Is A Blind Guide is, quite simply, a stunning record that stands out in Strønen's already impressive discography as one of his most expansive, cinematic and flat-out lyrical albums to date. An album so compelling that it truly deserves the term masterpiece, in a time when the word "classic" is bantered about far too often, it also creates hope that there will be more Time Is A Blind Guide compositions to come from Strønen's pen...and from this nimble group, clearly responsive and connected to his music at the deepest, mitochondrial level.

JOHN KELMAN in All About Jazz

[graffiti-vibe-blog]

TICKETS TO RIDE AND ROCK: HRH ROAD TRIP 2018 ANNOUNCES ITS FINAL LINE-UP!

Time to slip on the leathers, denim and shades, pack the beach gear, then rev the engine and feel the hi-octane power of rock and metal.

The ninth cycle of HRH Road Trip is revved up and ready to go, hitting the shining white island of Ibiza between 9th-16th May, 2018.

For the past 8 years, the Road Trip concept has evolved and taken shape, taking heed of the HRH Loyal and The Dark Circle.

For 2018, we've returned to Ibiza for MORE Rock, MORE Roll, MORE shenanigans and frolics. Not to mention super-loud live music, from the awesome talent chosen by the HRH community, along with unplugged sessions, sunset sessions, rock boat trips, ride outs, and after last year’s hilarious pool party, expect  several curve balls as we’re about to rise another gear.

As for the bands… Let’s start at the Finnish: Headliners Turisas take their name from an ancient Finnish god of war, and have been described as “Finland’s finest metal export”. They’ll be bringing their rousing battle metal to the Road Trip.

Melodic rockers Eclipse hail from Sweden. “When I go and see a band,” said their vocalist Erik Martensson,  I just want to hear songs that make me wanna put my fist in the air and scream along, and I want everyone around me to do the same.” That’s gonna happen at the 2018 HRH Road Trip.

Graham Bonnet Band will be performing hits from Alcatrazz, MSG, and Rainbow, plus a rare unplugged set. Graham needs no introduction: a legendary English rock singer and songwriter, who’s been part of many iconic hard rock and heavy metal outfits, including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, and Alcatrazz, as well as having a solo career.

Meanwhile, lead singer and guitarist of Backyard Babies Nicke Borge Unplugged offers a chance to hear this talented artist perform an acoustic set.

Other great bands in the line-up include: Evil Masquerade, Evil Scarecrow, Sister, Massive Wagons, Pontus Snibbs’ Wreck of Blues, Attica Rage, Tequila Mockingbyrd, Void, JOANOvARC, Wildside Riot, Empyre, Those Damn Crows, Witch Tripper, Anonymous, The Royal Blasphemy, Valous, Fugitive, and The Rising Souls.

Tickets are selling faster than a turbocharged superbike, so book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Check out hrhroadtrip.com or telephone Bex on 0207 193 9564.

News story provided by Central Press PR

[markwatkinsconsumerguide]

Consumer Guide / No.40 /   Maggie K de Monde (Swans Way & Scarlet Fantastic) with Mark Watkins.

MW: Maggie, you wrote your first song - “Gloriana” - aged 14. Can you recall the first two lines? What's the story behind it?

MKDM : Mark, the first two lines were : “ Mrs Moffat’s done a bunk, the barbs she ate made her a punk. She flies higher, cooler higher, in her automatic Hotpoint spin drier.”

“Gloriana” is an imaginary state of grace/imaginary place where everything is calm and full of love, and there is no suffering, and everything and everyone is in perfect harmony. A Utopian fantasy. I think I was very influenced by the TV show Rock Follies at the time!

MW: How did Swans Way, then Scarlet Fantastic, come about?

MKDM: I met Rick P Jones at Kent uni where I was studying French and Drama. Rick was a guitarist. We formed our first band Playthings, and then we met Robert Shaw and decided to do something completely different - which to us, meant ditching our original instruments and starting afresh on something new. Hence me playing the drums!! We read a lot, and watched a lot of old '50s movies, and listened to many soundtracks (French and Italian). We were looking for some different influences. Marcel Proust wrote a novel, “Swann’s Way”. I think we may have chosen our name as a nod to this, although we spelt our name differently, as we didn’t want people to think that we were all about the book.

After the release of a critically acclaimed album, The Fugitive Kind, Rick and I became restless, and decided we wanted to take a different musical direction. We weren’t inspired by Swans Way any more. We bought our own studio gear and Rick learned to programme drum machines and synths etc and we came up with a glam/pop/electro/ kind of sound which seemed quite unique to us at the time. We were into larger than life imagery and big slogans: - “Energy Breeds Energy” , “Deconstruct the bad vibes” and many more. I think we felt we were on a bit of a mission, we were very much into the idea of spreading peace and love! We used to describe our sound and imagery as a mix of the REAL the SURREAL and the FANTASTIC. We needed a name that encompassed all this so we chose Scarlet Fantastic! Rick used to make a joke and say it was the colour of my lipstick!

MW: How did Swans Way and Scarlet Fantastic compare and contrast?

MKDM: I think there were similarities in the sense that we were out on our own, doing our own thing, writing songs from the heart, but sound wise there were definite differences as Swans Way had a very organic sound and Scarlet Fantastic was more electro. Lyrics were a very important part of both projects.

MW: Tell me about Duran Duran...

MKDM: Rick and I were in our first band Playthings before Swans Way. Duran Duran used to say that we were the other best band in Birmingham apart from themselves. Birmingham back in the '80s was a very close knit scene, everyone knew everyone. We toured with Duran Duran as they had their first hit “Planet Earth”. I was with Simon sound checking for a gig at Aston Uni when they received the news that “Planet Earth” had charted. Simon was a big, friendly, bouncy ex-drama student, always the flirt too!! Jon Taylor was the one who was always perceived as the cool one (I guess he was initially a little shy). My mum had a cup of tea with him once and said: “what a lovely boy he is!” . Nick Rhodes was the one who people would sometimes say had a tendency to be somewhat of a poseur, but I think he was genuinely into quite diverse and left field art projects etc. Andy Taylor the guitarist was the most down to earth, a salt of the earth Northern lad and Roger Taylor the drummer just always looked incredibly cool!!

MW: …careless memories of BBC Radio 1?

MKDM: I used to love doing Radio one sessions, going to the big studios in Maida Vale and then getting all excited when the sessions would air. Swans Way played live several times on Radio One sessions but I can’t remember whose show we were on. Janice Long was a great supporter of ours along with her producer Mike Hawkes.

MW: ...TV appearances?

MKDM: I think Top Of The Pops and The Tube were always my faves. Both shows were iconic for their time. I miss them both, and sadly there seems nothing like them today. The Tube made several really interesting films of Swans Way and Scarlet Fantastic ; it’s so great that those time were captured on celluloid and can now be see on YouTube all these years on!

MW: Maggie, tell me about your new album Reverie...

MKDM : Well Mark, I called my new album Reverie as I felt the word describes the sound. Reverie is released on Dirtbag Baby Records and it’s distributed by Right Track through Universal. It’s a gentle, dreamy alt-folk album. A journalist recently described it as ethereal folk. It’s a very song based album. I wanted the emphasis to be on my voice and my words. I had an idea for the overall sound and it was a joy to work with my husband and musical partner on it, Mark Leif Kahal, he produced it and played most of the instruments on it too. We really went for clarity and an uncluttered sound. The songs were very much influenced by dreams and nature. There are many similar themes to the original Scarlet Fantastic from 30 years ago but the sound on this new album is very different. It’s more in keeping with my previous album Union which was by Maggie and Martin, a collaboration I did with Marc Almond’s keyboard player.

MW: OK, let’s talk books...

MKDM: The most recent book I read was written by my friend Clayton Littlewood, “Dirty White Boy”. It’s about a shop he had on Old Compton St., and the daily goings on with all the Soho locals. It’s hysterical. It’s a real fun read and it’s in a diary form as Clayton started off by blogging but ended up turning it into a novel. I love his observations of people and places, he’s so insightful and so funny!

My next read will be a re-read, “Tender is the night”, by Scott Fitzgerald. It’s been on my mind often lately and definitely needs a revisit. I love the time it’s set in and I’ve been enjoying a lot of artists from this period recently too. I have also just bought “Testimony” by Robbie Robertson; I can’t wait to to get tucked into this! I’m a huge fan of his and the whole period with all his contemporaries, some legends. It’s meant to be a brilliant book.

MW: Which newspapers can’t you live without?

MKDM: I read The Guardian and The London Evening Standard. Simon Jenkins is one of my favourite journalists. On world news, I’m a big Christiane Amanpour fan.

MW: What are the best and worst aspects of social media?

MKDM: The best aspects are being able to spread the news about my work and to connect and reconnect with people/old friends/new friends/like minded people etc. I enjoy learning about new projects and hearing reactions to world situations etc. I feel the whole “community” aspect of it can be a positive thing. The worst aspects are the cruelty and bullying that can occur, especially amongst teens. I think people can also waste way too much time on social media and forget about/neglect real life. I do know that it does help socially isolated people and lonely people which is a very positive thing.

MW: List your Top 10 favourite EIGHTIES albums...

MKDM:

1 Joshua Tree - U2 (1987) 2 This is The Sea - Waterboys (1985) 3 Faith - George Michael (1987) 4 Kick - INXS (1987) 5 Purple Rain - Prince (1984) 6 Let’s Dance - Bowie (1983) 7 Sign o’ the Times - Prince (1987) 8 The Lion and the Cobra - Sinead O'Connor (1987) 9 Fisherman's Blues - The Waterboys (1988) 10 Hounds of Love - Kate Bush (1985)

Each album I’ve listed here reminds me of a very specific time in my life and a very specific feeling evoked when listening to the music. My life’s journey has been accompanied by some very poignant soundtracks. I spent a very special time in South Africa with my father before relocating to Dublin which was full of magic. Throughout my African experience then onto my Dublin experience, before, during and after, The Joshua Tree held a very special kind of magic for me as did the top 5 albums I’ve listed, all of them in fact! Very hard trying to pick the favourite. All sensational and played an important part in my life, helped me through a few things and celebrated with me too!

MW: Which BOWIE song is your favourite? How did you feel on hearing the sad news of his death?

MKDM: Mark - I was devastated when I heard of his death. It’s so difficult trying to pick one favourite song, I have many but one which never fails to move me is “Wild is the Wind”.

MW: You live in Eastbourne. What do you enjoy doing along the South Coast?

MKDM: I love the nature here. I walk and cycle often and spend a lot of time by the sea. I’m enjoying painting again. We have a fantastic modern art museum here, affiliated with the Tate, so I’m often there. We have some great record shops and cafes and some amazing restaurants too (I’m a real foodie!!). I often hop over to St. Leonards, Hastings or Brighton. London isn’t far either. I travel a lot around the South East as there is always a lots going on. Music, art shows etc. I have my own studio so I record a lot of stuff here too.

MW: … plans for 2017?

MKDM: I have a song “Heartbreak House” on Hifi Sean’s album Hifi Sean Ft. The video for the song will be released shortly. I filmed it in St Leonards, it’s turned out to be a rather neo-Gothic affair! Sean is ex-Soup Dragons, his album is doing very well, his track with Crystal Waters has just gone into the Top 40. There are some interesting artists on the album, Yoko Ono, Fred B52’s, David Mc Almont and many many more. As well as being a part of that I’m writing new material and I’m also painting a series of still lifes in oils. You can keep up with me on my Facebook musician pages, Maggie K de Monde, Scarlet Fantastic and Swans Way. There is also a website www.scarlet-fantastic.co.uk

© Mark Watkins / February 2017

[amsulibrary]

2016′s Top Ten at AMSU

Here at AMSU Library, we’re reflecting back on 2016, and taking a look at the books that were checked out the most by our students. If you missed out on reading any of these in the past year, stop by the library to see if they’re available, or download the eBook to your phone or tablet using the free “Destiny Discover” app.

#10 Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

We're all gonna die down here. . . .   Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.   In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse . . .                 . . . until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.   Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.   They’re being hunted.                 Trapped underground with someone—or something—out to get them, Casey can’t help but listen to her friend’s terrified refrain: “We’re all gonna die down here. . . .” in this bone-chilling sophmore novel by the acclaimed author of The Merciless.

#9 Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

In her extraordinary bestseller, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses readers in the intricacies of the ghetto, revealing the true sagas lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug dealers, and street-corner society. Focusing on two romances - Jessica's dizzying infatuation with a hugely successful young heroin dealer, Boy George, and Coco's first love with Jessica's little brother, Cesar - Random Family is the story of young people trying to outrun their destinies. Jessica and Boy George ride the wild adventure between riches and ruin, while Coco and Cesar stick closer to the street, all four caught in a precarious dance between survival and death. Friends get murdered; the DEA and FBI investigate Boy George; Cesar becomes a fugitive; Jessica and Coco endure homelessness, betrayal, the heartbreaking separation of prison, and, throughout it all, the insidious damage of poverty. Charting the tumultuous cycle of the generations - as girls become mothers, boys become criminals, and hope struggles against deprivation - LeBlanc slips behind the cold statistics and sensationalism and comes back with a riveting, haunting, and true story.

#8 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs. A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

 #7 Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks

A teen plunges into a downward spiral of addiction in this classic cautionary tale.  January 24th After you've had it, there isn't even life without drugs.... It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home and loving family to the mean streets of an unforgiving city. It was a journey that would rob her of her innocence, her youth -- and ultimately her life.  Read her diary. Enter her world. You will never forget her. For thirty-five years, the acclaimed, bestselling first-person account of a teenage girl's harrowing decent into the nightmarish world of drugs has left an indelible mark on generations of teen readers. As powerful -- and as timely -- today as ever, Go Ask Alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction.

#6 #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso

At seventeen, Sophia Amoruso decided to forgo continuing education to pursue a life of hitchhiking, dumpster diving, and petty thievery. Now, at twenty-nine, she is the Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Nasty Gal, a $100+ million e-tailer that draws A-list publicity and rabid fans for its leading-edge fashion and provocative online persona. Her story is extraordinary—and only part of the appeal of #GIRLBOSS. This aspirational book doesn’t patronize young women the way many business experts do. Amoruso shows readers how to channel their passion and hard work, while keeping their insecurities from getting in the way. She offers straight talk about making your voice heard and doing meaningful work. She’s proof that you can be a huge success without giving up your spirit of adventure or distinctive style. As she writes, "I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember: Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t let The Man get to you. OK? Cool. Then let’s do this.”

#5 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: A Novel by Jesse Andrews

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel. Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives. And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

#4 Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Two misfits. One extraordinary love. Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor. Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park. Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

#3 A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

A Doll's House (1879), is a masterpiece of theatrical craft which, for the first time portrayed the tragic hypocrisy of Victorian middle class marriage on stage. The play ushered in a new social era and "exploded like a bomb into contemporary life".  

#2 Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

#1 The 5th Wave by Richard Yancey

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

All plot summaries taken from www.goodreads.com