#have this new version for Marls

[ginger-grimm]

I'm tired of always sitting back and letting people walk all over us. I get it, you want to be bigger than them. But it doesn't always work. Especially not this time. It's about time we fight back.

inspo/playlist

TAGLIST: @waterloou @eddysocs ​ @ocs-supporting-ocs @foxesandmagic @veetlegeuse @decennia @hiddenqveendom @arrthurpendragon @luucypevensie @kentaroranda @noratilney @wordspin-shares @oneirataxia-girl @endless-oc-creations @lucys-chen @andromedalestrange @far-shores @daughter-of-melpomene @bibaybe

[idkjustlemmedrownlikerab]

Evermore (Marauder's Version)

@marsmarauders and I welcome you back to our Taylor Swift x Marauders series. We got carried away again but what's new about that huh? Anyways here you have every single song from Evermore related to the Marauders characters :D (I totally didn't forget about this series at all due to midterms, what r y'all talking about? Nope not me)

willow

"Wait for the signal and I'll meet you after dark, Show me the places where the others gave you scars"

Both of us wholeheartedly agree that this is for sure a wolfstar song. This particular lyric could go either way with scars Sirius has from his mother or the scars Remus has because of Greyback and his furry little problem and "Head on the pillow, I could feel you sneaking in, as if you were a mythical thing" bcoz obviously they shared a dorm for 7 yrs and mythical thing aka a werewolf!

champagne problems

"How evergreen, our group of friends, Don't think we'll say that word again"

WOLFSTAR. I feel like this isn't even an argument every single person in the fandom who listens to Taylor can agree on this, this song screams wolfstar from Sirius' pov. "She would've made such a lovely bride, what a shame she's fucked in the head," being said about Sirius ofc

And Tonks being the new real thing who will patch up the tapestry that Sirius shred

gold rush

"I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush, I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch"

Now this is about unrequited love and I was certain from the beginning is about jegulus specifically from Regulus' pov talking about James pining after Lily for years when he was right there

'tis the damn season

"We could call it even, You could call me babe for the weekend, 'Tis the damn season,"

Seeing as the song talks about a fleeting relationship we couldn't help but think of this as Remus and Grant

tolerate it

"While you were out building other worlds, where was I? Where's that man who'd throw blankets over my barbed wire?"

BLACK BROTHERS. Like no discussion required at all this song screams Black Brothers from Regulus' pov like try and tell me that isn't Regulus talking about Sirius building a separate life for himself with the Gryffindors leaving Reg behind when he always used to be his protector, and now he's all alone. "I made you my temple, my mural, my sky, Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life" this is soo Regulus Black coded

no body, no crime

"I think he did it but I just can't prove it, No, no body, no crime, But I ain't letting up until the day I die"

Upon a lot of discussion and deliberation we have come to the conclusion that this song is Regulus Black about Peter coz he saw him at a meeting and knows he's the spy but by this time his relationship with his brother is basically non existent and he knows Sirius won't believe him so he needs proof

But at the ending the pov changes to Peter, convincing everyone that Sirius was the spy and the murderer

happiness

"Haunted by the look in my eyes, that would've loved you for a lifetime, Leave it all behind and there is happiness"

Now this song we think could go two ways either with jegulus or with nobleflower coz the lyrics "I hope she'll be a beautiful fool, Who takes my spot next to you" and the whole song overall has this tone of the singer wanting their ex lover to lead a happy life without them while also having a very spiteful undertone due to not being a part of it and that screams Black family to us

dorothea

"Hey Dorothea, Do you ever stop and think about me? When we were younger, down in the park honey, making a lark of the misery

Now we have two interpretations for this Marls was thinking more of Remus and Mary from Remus' pov since they are the only two members left of their friend group and Mary was the one who fled, I on the other hand could also see another version which could be Snape talking about Lily, "You got shiny friends since you left town, A tiny screen's the only place I see you now"

coney island

"I'm on a bench in Coney Island, Wondering, where did my baby go?"

For this song while Marls wasn't that sure but I could see Nobelflower all over since the song talks about this badly ended relationship bcoz one of them (Narcissa) had started distancing themselves and acting strange, so the other (Alice) starts questioning their own existence and wondering if they are all alone now that their partner no longer feels known. This being coz Cissa is bound to her house and her duties, one of them being getting married to a pure blood and Alice starts to resent her for it even tho she knows she doesn't have much of a choice

ivy

"My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand, Taking mine, but it's been promised to another"

Now ignoring the affair since we don't think any of them would do that, if we just look at the dying relationship and the beginning of a new one aspect of the song I can definitely see the end of bartylus and then Barty falling in love with Evan and thankfully Marls agrees with me on this

cowboy like me

"And the skeletons in both our closets, Plotted hard to fuck this up"

Both of us agree that is song is rosekiller all the way through bcoz it talks about two con artists who thought they never needed love but then they fall for each other?? Tell me that isn't sooo rosekiller coded

long story short

"And I fell from the pedestal, Right down the rabbit hole, Long story short, it was a bad time"

This is very obviously about Lily falling in love with James after Severus to the both of us, about how in hindsight that friendship wasn't really what she thought it was and now she is genuinely happy and it's all about James now

Tho Marls also suggested it about James and Lily getting together after he broke up with Regulus as well and while I do like it, I personally refuse to associate "Long story short, it was the wrong guy" with jegulus coz that just makes me sad :(

marjorie

"Should've kept every grocery store receipt, 'Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me"

This track again is Black Brothers coded but this time from Sirius' pov missing his brother after his death and regretting not mending their relationship bcoz there was still a part of him which hated his little brother for not running away with him

"What died didn't stay dead, You're alive, you're alive in my head"

closure

"It's been a long time, And seeing the shape of your name, Still spells out pain"

Evans sister. Yep that's it, it's Lily singing to Petunia about their broken relationship

evermore

"I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone, Trying to find the one where I went wrong"

In the words of our lovely Marls herself "REGULUS RIGHT BEFORE HE DIES LIKE RIGHT AS HE'S GOING DOWN TO THE CAVE, I TAKE NO CRITICISM"

And no criticism she had to take bcoz those were exactly my thoughts no discussion needed at all

right where you left me

"Help, I'm still at the restaurant, still sitting in a corner I haunt"

Now Marls sees this as Remus post war bcoz everyone other than him died (or fled in Mary's case) and left him alone and he couldn't move on from the fact for the longest time

And while I do love this interpretation I can also see jegulus after the break up from Regulus' pov, seeing James falling in love with Lily again and having a family "I'm sure that you got a wife out there, Kids and Christmas, but I'm unaware" "If our love died young, I can't bear witness" while he's still stuck there reminiscing their time together bcoz that's genuinely the happiest he's ever been

it's time to go

"Sometimes, givin' up is the strong thing, Sometimes, to run is the brave thing, Sometimes, walkin' out is the one thing"

Sirius Black. That's it. We hear no criticism at all, try and fight us about it and we will strangle you in ur sleep :D I'm not kidding we hope yk that for ur own safety

AND THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY!! Thank you for sticking with us even tho I was very late for this post, the next post probably won't take this long coz Marls is the one who's gonna post that, not me, but I hope u liked our opinions and if not, we'd love to hear urs

Make sure to come back to see Folklore, coming soon! (To a theater near you)

[batbitestoys]

New models in tonight's drop? And lots of them? Don't mind if I do 😋

First up, we've got Rend! Rend comes as an insertable and a mini stroker

Next up, Marl! Marl is an instertable and has a packer version

3rd we have Killick, the remastered version of Kyberwyrm!

And then last, but certainly not least, we have full size versions of all our newest squishies! Taiyaki, Lil Shrimpy, American Toad, and Rain Frog

Check out our model page to view each one, and all of these debut tonight 6/21 at 8pm eastern time! 💕

[musicforants]

Autumn has certainly been leisurely in its arrival this year, at least in my central TX backdrop, but this week brought some slightly cooler temperatures and it’s starting to feel like like Fall is finally here. As usual, to go along with the colorful foliage, warm fashions and seasonal beverages, I have a new Autumn mixtape to help evoke the wistful, carefree feelings of the season. Click here to listen to this mix in its entirety via Spotify or Apple Music. Enjoy!

Faye Webster - Thinking About You

Dipsea Flower - Burnouts

MJ Lenderman - You Don't Know the Shape I'm In

Clairo - Nomad

Mitch Rowland - Here Comes The Comeback

Haley Heynderickx - Foxglove

Gigi Perez - Sailor Song

Waxahatchee - Lone Star Lake

Babehoven - Birdseye

Hurray for the Riff Raff - Alibi

Cassandra Jenkins - Devotion

Wild Pink - Disintegrate

Florist - This Was a Gift

Caoilfhionn Rose - Fall Into Place

Bon Iver - THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS

Medium Build & Julien Baker - Yoke

hemlock - Hyde Park

Zach Bryan - This World's A Giant

Adrianne Lenker - Sadness as a Gift

Slowdive - kisses (sky ii)

Beetlebug - equinox

Runner - Untitled October Song

Jensen McRae - Massachusetts

Laura Marling - Caroline

Kacey Musgraves - Too Good to be True

Hovvdy - Jean (Julie's Version)

Caroline Says - Palm Reader

James Vincent McMorrow - Meet me in the garden (alt. version)

Katie Gavin - As Good As It Gets (ft. Mitski)

Granddaddy - Cabin in My Mind

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:

APPLE MUSIC PLAYLIST:

[c-40]

A-T-4 046 Why'd you have to make a record about me, the R.O.X.A.N.N.E?

The Roxanne Wars began with a record called Roxanne Roxanne by UTFO

UTFO's Kangol Kid and Doctor Ice had been a breakdance duo who eventually became back-up dancers for Whodini. They formed UTFO with Educated Rapper and Mixmaster Ice and signed to Select Records as the labels first rap act. Select wasn't specifically a rap label but it would go on to release a number of notable hip hop/rap hits. For UTFO's second single they were paired up with Full Force. According to wikipedia "Full Force brought in New York's sound and sampling wizard, Gary Pozner [who recorded a few records for Select in the mid-1980s], to help create the sounds and the beats. This was one of the first instances of the new sampling machine, the E-mu Emulator, used on a commercially released record." One of the beats Roxanne Roxanne uses is Billy Squire's Big Beat which by 1984 was already a hip hop staple

Roxanne Roxanne was a big hit for UTFO and Select Records, then...

Legend has it Lolita Shanté Gooden is on her way to the laundrette in Queenbridge when Marley Marl calls her from his apartment window and asked her to drop what she's doing and rap over a beat he was currently scratching over. Marl worked at the factory that made Sergio Valente jeans and promised to get her a pair if she did this rap for him. Lolita Gooden was 13 at the time but already known as a local battle rapper. Battle rappers would rap against an opponent on the street and Gooden despite her young age was considered one of the best (there's an example below). When she got to Marley Marl's apartment she heard the beat he was playing was the instrumental version of UTFO's Roxanne Roxanne, as it was a hit and Gooden was familiar with the record. She records a freestyle in one take over the instrumental track putting herself in Roxanne role (and giving herself her stage name). With that done Lolita Gooden carries on with her laundry

It's often repeated Marley Marl was unknown at the time but he'd already been associated with a handful of records by artists like CD III, Glen Adams, Captain Rock/Aleem, and his own discovery Dimples D. He was also deejay for Mr. Magic on New York's first all rap radio show WBLS's Rap Attack. It was on Rap Attack that he played his recording of Lolita Gooden's freestyle over UTFO's Roxanne Roxanne instrumental now called Roxanne's Revenge by Roxanne Shanté

It was an instant success and got an unprecedented amount of requests from callers into the show, I think on that first show it was played a lot more than once. Roxanne's Revenge was put out on 12" by Pop Art, I think the version (known as the Street Version) released was recorded off the radio - who knows what the story is there!

Roxanne Shanté - Roxanne's Revenge

UTFO had had their egos kicked in by a 14-year-old girl. Roxanne Roxanne had been there first hit, they'd been riding high and now a 14-year-old girl was stealing their thunder by selling more records then them with their own tune. Shanté and Marley Marl really rubbed it in their faces. Select Records sued over the use of the instrumental and Roxanne's Revenge had to be re-recorded to a new backing track, they could still use the same beat patterns because they'd been sampled in the first place and the legal system didn't have a great deal to say about using recordings by other artists and sampling yet

Roxanne Shanté - Roxanne's Revenge re-record

Roxanne's Revenge is what we call an answer record, there had been plenty answer records before but they don't usually go on and on back and forth, in this case they did. UTFO decided to reply with their own Roxanne (Elease Jack) who they called the REAL Roxanne (Elease Jack was the first Real Roxanne and recorded only one record). If Roxanne was going to exist, be more than the two dimensional Roxanne of the original record, UTFO/Full Force were going to control her. It's a weird record written and produced by Full Force over the original Roxanne Roxanne instrumental, they diss themselves for money because the 14-year-old Roxanne Shanté was selling more records than them

Roxanne (with UTFO) - The Real Roxanne

Another feature of Roxanne's Revenge is Marley Marl's scratching so Full Force get Howie Tee in to make a scratch version Roxanne's Back Side (cute name huh!). Hitman Howie Tee would give Select a few hits like Just Buggin' by Whistle and Bang Zoom (Baby Let's Go-Go) by The Real Roxanne (performed by the second Real Roxanne, Adelaida Martinez)

Roxanne's Back Side it's actually really good

In 1985 Roxanne Shanté and Marley Marl release two more answer records aimed at UTFO, first Queen Of Rox (Shante' Rox On) which tells the story of how Roxanne's Revenge was made then, more importantly, Bite This

This was the beginning of the first rap BEEF

Here's an example of Shanté in a battle (albeit a formalised version infant of an audience), it's for the MC World Supremacy Belt at the New Music Seminar 1985 against 23-year-old Busy Bee (Shanté is 15). Shanté looses because of Kurtis Blow, she says it's the first time she cried in public. She later confronted Kurtis Blow over why he marked her down and he replied it was because she was a girl

“‘At that time, rappers had just started getting major deals, they had just started getting accepted into mainstream,’” she remembers him telling her. “‘For the sake of hip-hop, there was no way that a 15-year old girl could be the best. There was just no way that we could do that, Shante.’”

“And so that was that,” she said. “A lot of times, they don’t want the best to be a woman.” - vice

[hawon-ee]

絵本『おばけのマールとすてきなことば』に登場するアイヌ語｜Ainu words in the Picture Book 'Marl and the Ghost and Some Beautiful Words'

国立アイヌ民族博物館　第６回テーマ展示「ミナ ミナ　おばけのマールとすてきなことば」展｜2024年3月16日（土）から2024年5月12日（日）まで・国立アイヌ民族博物館 ２階 特別展示室

To note: This sheet of paper seems to be guided towards the foreign tourists, as the chart's translations goes in this order: (After Ainu) English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese.

For the Ainu language, it is categorised as アイヌイタㇰ (Ainu language). The categorisation of each language is done in their own respective language.

I will be only translating to the languages that I know. Unfortunately this means I will not archive the Simplified Chinese translations here. I apologise (I don't know how to write them).

For my own convenience, I will change the order of translation to: Japanese, English, Korean.

Lastly, I will also flip the order of which alphabet of the Ainu language writing system appears, with the Roman letters coming first. This is just because I wrote it down in these letters first, and has no other meaning behind the switch-up. Both are presented in the chart.

apkas ・ アㇷ゚カㇱ・歩く・to walk・걷다

mik mik ・ ミㇰ ミㇰ・ワンワン・woof woof・멍멍

irankarapte ・ イランカラㇷ゚テ・こんにちは・hello (greetings)・안녕하세요

rekte ・ レㇰテ・〜を鳴らす（ムックリなど）・to play (a mukkuri, etc.)・~을 울리다, 소리를 내다 (묵쿠리 등)

poronno ・ ポロンノ・たくさん・many・많이

ku=ewen na ・ クウェン ナ・ごめんなさい・I'm sorry・미안해요

mina ・ ミナ・わらう・to laugh, to smile・웃다

ku=iperusuy ・ クイペルスイ・おなかがすいた・I'm hungry・배고프다

issorore ・ イッソロレ・こんにちは・hello (greetings)・안녕하세요

ikatay ・ イカタイ・こんにちは・hello (greetings)・안녕하세요

inankarapte ・ イナンカラㇷ゚テ・こんにちは・hello (greetings)・안녕하세요

isiorore ・イシオロレ・こんにちは・hello (greetings)・안녕하세요

irankarahte ・ イランカラㇷ゚テ・こんにちは・hello (greetings)・안녕하세요

keraan ・ ケラアン・おいしい・tasty・맛있다

horippa ・ ホリッパ・踊る、踊り・to dance, a dance・춤추다, 춤

rimse ・リㇺセ・踊る、踊り・to dance, a dance・춤추다, 춤

upopo ・ ウポポ・座り歌、歌う、踊る、踊り・a seated song, to sing, to dance, a dance・앉아서 부르는 노래, 노래 하다, 춤추다, 춤

pirka ・ ピㇼカ・よい・to be good, beautiful・훌륭하다, 아름답다

iyayraykere ・ イヤイライケレ・ありがとう・thank you・고마워요

opke ・ オㇷ゚ケ・おならをする・to break wind, fart・방귀를 뀌다

aynu ・アイヌ・人間・human・인간

kotan ・ コタン・むら・village・마을

nupuri ・ ヌプリ・やま・mountain・산

poro ・ ポロ・大きい・big・크다

pet ・ ペッ・かわ・river・강

upas ・ ウパㇱ・ゆき・snow・눈

amam ・アマㇺ・こくもつ・grain・곡물

This was from a sheet of paper given by the Upopoy Museum when visiting in 2024 from march to may for their special event. Every once in a while, they have a specific new theme for their ever-changing spare exhibition room.

If you want the book for Marl the Ghost, it should be available on Amazon as a pdf or as a physical copy. There is a Japanese version and an English version.

Thank you for your attention.

[neon-dynasty]

The End

We've made it! This card represents one of the main endings of Chrono Trigger. The party celebrates at the last night of the Millennial Fair and says their goodbyes.

Since this is the main ending, you'll need to have explored all the time periods and have all the characters (if you don't recruit Magus, we can't be friends). If you cast this and don't have the required lands and party, that's ok. Try again when you regroup and figure it out. I even managed to get the boss mechanic on here! I really like this design, especially considering it's one I made recently, to fill out the story.

We've also got a gorgeous piece from Shiroya depicting the iconic moment when Crono and Marle fly away with balloons. I've always preferred the other version of the ending, but this one makes for a much nicer piece of artwork.

So we've come to the end, but one of the most mind-blowing things about Chrono Trigger was the New Game + feature, so we're not quite done yet.

[rabbitechoes]

very abridged version of this final Singles & Songs post of the month because i was without power for a week due to the horrible storm that came through the southeast!! still, these are the songs i rlly wanted to talk about :3 click here for "last week's" post!!

also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

"Funny Man" - Chat Pile

◇ released: Sept. 24, 2024 ◇ featured on Cool World (not yet released) ◇ genres: noise rock, sludge metal

This album is gonna be so fucking awesome. All of these singles leading up to Cool World have been some of my favorite Chat Pile songs to date and "Funny Man" is no different. Everything sounds so nasty and dirty. It captures this super American feeling so well - not in a patriotic way, but the bleak infrastructure of a lot of southern states in particular. Roads and roads and roads littered with a dozen chain restaurants and gas stations within arms-length of each other. That's what Chat Pile's music makes me feel, but uhhhh in a good way.

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"Child of Mine" - Laura Marling

◇ released: Sept. 24, 2024 ◇ featured on Patterns in Repeat (not yet released) ◇ genres: chamber folk, singer-songwriter

This new single from Laura Marling is the opening track to her upcoming album Patterns in Repeat. Like all of the singles thus far, this is gorgeous. Marling sings songs dedicated to her daughter as well as for herself. She chronicles this new phase of her life so beautifully in these songs and "Child of Mine" is another great example of that. Just pretty folk music that feels like a warm blanket wrapped around you. I can't wait for this record.

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"Alone" - The Cure

🥇 BEST SONG OF THE MONTH

◇ released: Sept. 26, 2024 ◇ featured on Songs of a Lost World (not yet released) ◇ genres: gothic rock, dream pop, ethereal wave

So, I felt pretty skeptical about The Cure’s long-awaited Songs of a Lost World album. The gothic rock icons last few records have been subpar to say the least, some of the lowest points of their discography, so I wondered if perhaps Robert Smith and crew lost the sauce. Then I heard “Alone,” what is perhaps the band’s best song in over 30 years. It harkens back to their old hallmarks, but not in a cheap way. It doesn’t feel like a retreading of those ideas, it feels like a revitalization. The looming synths, the punchy percussion, Smith's voice is as gripping as ever ... it's all here. All the pieces that make an amazing Cure song, "Alone" has them and it's wonderful. There’s just something magical about this sprawling, cold, and dreamy lead single. The Cure is back and they're good, no, GREAT again. One of my favorite bands of all time is BACK.

I'm just enamored with this song. It also kept me company during the multi-day power outage that followed Hurricane Helene, so that gives it the edge for being my song of the month - although Mount Eerie and FKA twigs were VERY close behind with "I Walk" and "Eusexua" respectively. All of my doubts have washed away, I am convinced this will be a late-career highlight for the band. Firmly one of my most anticipated records of the year.

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"Before Machinery" - This Is the Glasshouse

◇ released: Sept. 29, 2024 ◇ featured on 867 (not yet released) ◇ genres: post-rock, noise rock, post-hardcore

I've been greatly anticipating this new single from This Is the Glasshouse. All of the teasers leading up to it made it sound like something totally different from their last record, As Small As Ants. That record was already a great showcase of their knack for interesting instrumentation, as was their covers EP from last month, but "Before Machinery" is something different entirely. It's weird and noisy, sprawling in even the most subtle ways. They take their sound in an entirely new direction and it just works. The songwriting has improved as has their musicianship. I'm really loving this, I can't wait to hear how much wilder 867 can get. Please don't let this slip under your radar!

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[dreamy-baku]

Squares Research: Unused Data

With the help of @puyo-puyo-for-real-justice, I’ve gotten some unused dialogue and concept art for Squares. So now it’s time for the research post about all of it, I’ll start with the concept art.

Concept Art

So, Squares has 2 files of concept art on Puyo Nexus, that I’ll assume is all the concept art he and Marle both have.

His first Concept Art and second one look pretty similar. It seems originally that he was to have long hair by default and it not change. And then the second one has him with shorter hair. (It seems propeller hair was always part of his design here)

His third concept art here, seems to have the concept that his hair would grow longer and the cowlick change shape when he activates his powers. Bearing high resemblance to his “Cosmic Rectangle” spell art.

But, he seems to have even older concept art with Marle.

This is likely much older judging my how different his design is here. In this art, he has long hair, no cowlick, some fluffy tuft of furr(?) around his head, floating cubes around him, and his clothes are vastly different. Although heeled shoes seem to still have been part of his design all the way back here.

And it seems like judging by the other art in this image for this design of Squares, his powers apparently hurt him? Due to his face here he looks pained, which technically was kept in the final version of him. (He gains agonizing pain due to going to explode)

Dialogue

Next, we have the unused dialogue to discuss. Which is honestly super interesting, because it gives a whole new perspective of Marle & Squares character, it’s a shame they weren’t kept in the final game.

Tee

You can open up to us. Everyone here is willing to listen. You don't have to carry this burden alone.

Squares

confusion You all stand in the face of destruction. Yet… You're not afraid. You're not angry. I don't understand… Why…?

Marle

Listen, Squares. They're not afraid because that's just who they are. Please… Let's stop this.

Squares

…Never.

Marle

frustration intensifies You're so obtuse, Squares!

Squares

What?

Marle

I said you're obtuse! Stubborn! Hard-headed! Inflexible!

Ringo

Hey, Marle…?

Tee

She finally lost it…

Marle

Everyone here is trying their hardest for YOU! So why do you have to act like this!? I admit, it was my fault all of this started in the first place. But you're taking it WAY too far! And besides, I know what you're up to. You never planned to actually harm anyone here. You were never serious about any of this! Tch… You know what must be done. But you refuse to accept it! And for that… I have to teach you a lesson!

With these bits of unused dialogue, we have a whole new perspective of the story. Here, unlike in the final game, Marle admits to being in the fault, and states that Squares hadn’t truly intended on doing anything he had claimed he would.

But, now, it’s time for a more in-depth analysis of this conversation, and Squares characterization!

For starters, this unused bit of dialogue actually makes Squares seem much younger than what he seems, seeing as he wondered how the heroes weren’t scared, and how his plan wasn’t true. He basically, according to this, lied to the heroes about erasing them. Most likely because he wanted them to listen to him, and, to fix the worlds how they where,

But, unlike in the final game, Marle admits that it was her fault. Meaning despite what he had done, the reason was because Marle didn’t teach him enough, she didn’t let him learn. She could have stopped it by telling him more about her obsession with the Puyo and Tetris worlds after their merge.

But, how do these unused dialogue lines compare and contrast with the final story? Well, I think they are all still true. There are multiple signs in the game that Squares likely didn’t actually plan to hurt them, read here for my explanation. And, it’s still Marle’s fault in the finished game, she just never admits that it is.

But, Tee in the unused dialogue mentions that Squares is burdened with something, likely his feelings and duty. Would that mean that Squares has issues that needs sorted out? Like, why would he just keep how he feels bottled up, sure he was saying he was gonna erase them, but why keep his burdens hidden? Maybe he didn’t or doesn’t want to trouble them - especially Marle?

I find the unused dialogue very interesting, especially how we see Marle take responsibility for what happened. I think in the final game she just let’s people assume it was Squares fault, but in the unused dialogue - she takes responsibility, she created Squares so he is her responsibility to care for. I wish these where kept in, they completely could’ve changed how Marle & Squares are. Especially since they say that Squares basically was just bluffing, cause he wasn’t gonna do anything to them.

But, these basically confirm my theory that Squares was innocent with the events as they aren’t exactly his fault, and that he didn’t intend to hurt anyone. So, I’m happy about that.

Hmm… how would have Puyo Puyo Tetris 2’s ending have gone if the heroes didn’t rescue Squares from his powers making him explode? What if there was a bad ending where the heroes fail and they and Marle watch helplessly as Squares explodes? How would Marle react? How would the music sound? Would have Squares cried right before his demise? So many questions, so little answers…

[stagefoureddiediaz]

What do you think it might mean to have Eddie wearing Buck's blue henley (or a copy of it at least) from 2x01 in the upcoming episode?

Hey Nonnie

I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about seeing Eddie in that blue Henley!! For starters it is definitely the same blue Henley Buck wears in 2x01! Eddie just doesn't wear blue all that often (18 times out of 140+ non uniform costumes!) so the fact that we have him wearing blue and not only blue but a blue Henley we've seen before on Buck is an interesting choice and hints at a couple of things. We of course need to remember we have no idea which scene/scenes this Henley is appearing in and who those scenes will be with and that may have an impact on why this particular Henley was chosen.

Firstly we have the scene we saw Buck wearing this blue Henley - in season 2 - he gets home to find Maddie in his shower having mistaken her for Abby, we have Buck cooking for Maddie and having a conversation about lying low/ hiding out before Buck shows her a picture of Abby.

The most interesting and probably important part of the conversation is the 'Eat, Pray, Love'  section. The idea that Abby is out exploring the world, but actually exploring herself and getting in touch with herself on a sexual level. Its especially interesting when we think about Buck comparing himself to Ana in season 5 because; Abby had a serious relationship which didn't end on her terms, she then dated Buck (having been pushed into it by Carla) to get herself back out there before leaving to escape and find herself. its implied that Abby slept around a bit before meeting Sam and finding her happily ever after with him.

Its interesting how that concept kind of ties in pretty well with Eddie's own dating trajectory - his relationship with Shannon didn't end on his terms, he dates Ana to get himself back out there (having been pushed into it by Bobby) and now we've got him going on a few dates as he figures himself and what he wants out, before in theory finding his version of Sam (cough Buck cough) and getting his own happily ever after.

Eddie dating around and actually discovering himself in a romantic and possibly sexual sense - something we've been give enough clues in canon to know hasn't really happened before now. Whatever his dating life is going to look like in the next couple of episodes (cough Marisol cough) its going to be about him exploring rather than settling down in a serious relationship - the settling down comes after the exploring in the same way it did for Abby.

The other side of the coin is the Eddie wearing blue. Like I said, its not a colour we see him in often, In fact we only see him wearing blue (other than his uniform obviously) a few ties - I'm including denim shirts in this 

2x04 - dark denim shirt -Eddie is with Abeula in hospital - Carla comes in with Chris 2x07 - Navy blue suit - touring Durrand School - light blue denim shirt - Shannon comes round to discuss Christophers new school 2x10 - light blue marl tee - Eddie and Shannon have sex and Chris comes home 3x03 - light blue denim shirt - Eddie drops Chris back off at Bucks post tsunami 'Theres no one I trust more with my son than you' scene 3x04 - (more teal than blue but I'm including it) Chris wakes from a nightmare 3x09 - navy blue tee - Therapy with Frank - post fight club 3x12 - dark blue waffle sweater -Eddie gets called to Christophers school - meets Ana 3x18 - light blue button up shirt - Mays graduation party 4x08 - mid blue denim shirt - Eddie introduces Ana to Chris as his girlfriend 4x14 - navy blue tee - Hospital - the Will scene 5x10 - navy blue shirt with dot pattern - Chris wakes from a nightmare 5x14 - light blue/lavender long sleeve tee - dream sequence in kitchen with Chris 5x17 - white henley with a blue shirt over the top - Christophers bedroom - conversation with Buck and then in Texas seeing family 5x18 - navy blue shirt with dot pattern, blue blazer -HenRen vow renewal 6x08 - dark blue distressed tee - Eddie helping Chris get ready for his school dance 6x09 - dark blue shirt - Eddie asleep on his couch 6x13 - Blue check suit for the Poker game

The thing I hope you're picking up from these occurrences is how much they are tied to family. every single one of the scenes when Eddie is wearing blue represents a key moment in Eddie and Christophers family life and how it is developing. Central to it all is Chris as all of the scenes are connected to him in some way even when he isn't present (perhaps especially when he is not present) even the scene in Franks office in season 3 is about Eddie not wanting Chris to end up like him, while the shirt and blazer worn to HenRens vow renewal is very much focused on strong family dynamics - especially his dynamic with Chris as we see in the flash forward/back scene.

However, in season 6 we have started to see the blue break away from being quite so tied to Chris and family dynamics and be a bit more focused on Eddie from 6x09 - its interesting that we see this split happen when Bobbys voiceover is talking about the Santa Anas coming to an end and the city resting before the cycle starts again. Eddies arc in that episode is about Eddie 'separating' himself from Chris - becoming more than just a father (and firefighter) and because the editing ties that scene to Buck and the blue check suit worn to the poker date connecting so heavily to Buck seeing where this next blue shirt is worn is going to be interesting.

Its because of this use of blue on Eddie that I'm inclined to think that the reuse of this Henley is more to do with it being blue and therefore about some key moment in the Diaz family dynamic/ the Buck and Eddie dynamic than it being connected to potential eat pray love experiences, although its entirely possible that both concepts are valid and correct in this case as we do have Eddie wearing Blue in connection with Ana (and with Shannon although she was less of an eat pray love thing!).

Until we know more about which episode its is definitely for and who else is in the scene its impossible for me to parse out meaning as I haven't seen the script and so much of what I glean from the costumes the wardrobe team put the cast in is derived from the text - which is the same way the Costume designer would make the decisions they have about the costumes we see on screen. Without that text for context, I really am only guessing as to the meaning of a costume and I'll always lean more into colour theory than I would anything else which is why if pressed I'm more inclined to think that they are reusing the Henley for the simple reason that its a Henley in blue. Eddie wears a lot of Henley's - its a key part of his wardrobe - and if they needed a blue one, why spend more money when you already have one in stock (I would have different feelings if it was Buck rewearing it rather than Eddie being seen in it for the first time, then it would definitely be about connecting the scenes) especially when Buck doesn't wear Henleys any more, so I am more inclined to lean towards it being worn in a key moment for the Diaz family/ Eddie and Buck's dynamic in some way over the eat pray love connection because of the Eddie in blue of it all.

Sorry I can't really give you a more focused answer than that, I just really have so little context to go on because even the bts gives us no vague context to work with!!!

[dirigibleplumbing]

on repeat

I was tagged by @starvels to do this On Repeat Spotify meme. thank you!

Rules: shuffle your “on repeat” playlist from spotify/the music service of your choice and post the first 10 tracks.

Laura Marling, Antony Green, Martin Slattery “Red Right Hand” - if I could pick one of my favorite Nick Cave songs for this group of people to cover, this wouldn’t be in my top 10. it would be in my top 20, though. (#1 would be “Mercy Seat” -- look for Cave’s acoustic version from “B-Sides and Rarities”.)

Moon Hooch, Tonio Sagan "Rise" - I’m not in any way qualified to do so, but if for some reason I was asked to pitch a song to be on the next Spider-Verse soundtrack, this would be my pick

Paul Cauthen "Slow Down" - this guy always puts me in the mood to write Dean Winchester (see also: "Everbody Walkin' This Land")

Moon Hooch “God’s Cone” - saxophones with inverted traffic cones over them to alter the sound. the band calls this type of jazz “cave music” and you’re meant to dance to it.

John Francis Flynn "Tralee Gaol" - a hoppin’ tin whistle folk tune. I started listening to it around the same time I first heard Dave Van Ronk’s “Luang Prabang,” and cool fact, you can pretty much sing the latter to “Tralee Gaol”

Odetta "Long Ago, Far Away" - a great Passover song. (uh, other than the Jesus parts, I guess? lol)

Hedy West "The Unquiet Grave" - between my partner and myself, we know a lot of artists who record trad songs. but Hedy West was a new one for us. (she herself is not new - our favorite album of her’s is from 1965.)

S.G. Goodman "Lungs" - what can I say, I’ve been doing a lot of work on my spn fic (see also: “The Way I Talk” is a Dean Winchester song, fight me)

Dave Van Ronk "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down" - hmm. I don’t know that this would be my top pick for a version of this song, though there aren’t recordings that do the song as well as I think it could be. this also wouldn’t be my top pick to introduce someone to Dave Van Ronk. you could still do a lot worse for either, though, so give it a listen

Shirley Collins, Davy Graham "Hares on the Mountain" - I must admit, Shirley Collins is not usually my favorite. I love her arrangements but the execution can be same-y. this is a delightful song, though, especially if you’re into ships where no one is sure if they want more to fuck or murder each other. it’s full of innuendo, and the vocal style lends itself to the tone. If the young men could sing like blackbirds and thrushes / How many young girls would go beating the bushes?

oh gosh, I’ve been tagging a lot of people lately and I have no idea who has and hasn’t done this one. um @coffeecupandcorgi @fanfictiongreenirises @arukou-arukou @sineala @kiyaar @oluka @ghosthan and anyone else who wants to do it!

[idkjustlemmedrownlikerab]

Midnights (Marauder's Version)

Welcome back to the new series by @marsmarauders and I. Obviously we got carried away again but here you have every single song from Midnights related to the Marauders characters :D

So we present to you... Midnights (Marauder's Version)

Lavender Haze

“The 1950s shit they want from me, I just wanna stay in that Lavender haze"

Like this song is very obviously Jily falling hopelessly in love with each other I don’t think it needs to be further elaborated

Maroon

“When the silence came, we were shaking, blind and hazy, How the hell did we lose sight of us again?"

Wolfstar, but specifically like… November 1981. The vinyl reference, "the lips I used to call home," "laughing with my feet in your lap," and "the rust that grew between telephones" signifying how they weren’t communicating well and hiding things from each other "I see you everyday now" cause Remus sees the sky and what just so happens to be in the sky? Stars. Sirius also sees the sky from his prison cell and what does he see? Oh that’s right the moon!

Anti-Hero

“When my depression works the graveyard shift, All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room”

We had two theories for this one first being Regulus bcoz of the self deprecating vibe and “I'll stare directly at the sun (James) but never in the mirror”

But we could also see it as Mary post-war? It's hard to describe why, but everyone sees her as the Anti-Hero cause she saved herself even tho she had full right to do that

Snow on the Beach

For this one I was utterly confused and absolutely useless and Marls came up with this interpretation herself

"Can this be a real thing? Can it? Are we falling like snow at the beach?"

This song is Sirius's perspective specifically during the wolfstar forgiveness phase after the prank. "You wanting me tonight feels impossible".

You're On Your Own, Kid

"You're on your own, kid, You always have been"

Both of us agree that this song screams all the Black children because none of them chose this town (family) and dreamt of getting out, I mean the whole song recounts a young person who longs for love but eventually understands that they are on their own and always have been afterall whatever you do you can never escape the black family curse can you?

Midnight Rain

“He was sunshine, I was midnight rain”

I mean do I even need to say anything? Its jegulus bcoz they r the literal definition of opposites attract even tho they loved each other they were born on two different sides of a war which inevitably became the reason of their end.

Question…?

"Can I ask you a question? Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room"

Dorlene. That’s it, like we have no explanation, just vibes.

Vigilante Shit

"I don't start it but I can tell you how it ends, Don't get sad, get even"

Both of us agree it could be both Regulus or Dorcas because canonically Regulus knew about the horcruxes, and died while deceiving the dark lord and on the way to kill him (also bonus bcoz the final blow which made him take this decision was bcoz Voldemort exploited Kreature so Reg decided to get even) Dorcas on the other hand canonically had to be killed by Voldemort himself because she was posing as too big a threat to his empire

Bejeweled

"Baby love, I think I've been a little too kind, Didn't notice you walking all over my peace of mind"

Lily about Severus and how even tho she  mourns and misses her friendship with him, it will never be worth more than her self respect and how she won’t let him walk all over her, a diamond’s gotta shine afterall ;)

Labyrinth

"Uh oh, I'm falling in love, Oh no, I'm falling in love again, Oh, I'm falling in love"

To me this song is sooo obviously jegulus coz of the chorus alone, its James realizing that he’s falling in love again, this time with Regulus after pining after Lily for years. Just how when he thought he was “unlovable” and it was all doomed this sickly, victorian looking, snarky slytherin boy swoops in and steals his heart right out of his chest

Marls has her own hc for Emmary tho where basically Mary was in love with Lily but it was unrequited and then she had a situationship with Emmaline but ended up catching feelings which is so perfect for this song

Karma

"And I keep my side of the street clean, You wouldn't know what I mean"

Again I had no opinion on this song coz it felt like too happy and too upbeat a song for any of these miserable sods (I still love them ) but Marls swooped in with a brilliant interpretation which was that its from Dorcas’ pov to the slytherin trio basically throwing shade at them for choosing to stay and join the death eaters instead of leaving and fighting for the “right” side like her

Sweet Nothing

"They said the end is comin', everyone's up to somethin' I find myself runnin' home to your sweet nothings"

Now for this song we had differing views with me being a jegulus girlie while Marls being a jily girlie (we still love both the ships tho, we just have a preference)

To me the song is jegulus coz I see it as them expecting the inevitable end of their relationship and doom due to the impending war and their family’s differing views and them just trying to tune everything out to spend their limited time together and in love.

On the other hand Marls interpreted is as to when the Potters were in hiding with only each other and Harry for company. How they could see that the war was on full ride and they were at the centre of it while still trying to create some sweet and happy memories with their son

Mastermind

"I laid the groundwork, and then, Just like clockwork, The dominos cascaded in a line, What if I told you I'm a mastermind?"

(Try and tell me the whole bridge doesn’t scream Regulus Arcturus Black.) To me the song is about Regulus because the man literally was a mastermind, while being a death eater he planned to betray Voldemort by destroying a horcrux and he was actually successful in retrieving it tho maybe I’m a little biased due to his characterization in the fic only the brave (Marls also thinks the song could be about James bcoz of the bridge "To make them love me and make it seem effortless")

The Great War       

"I vowed I would always be yours, 'Cause we survived the Great War"

Marls didn’t really have an opinion on this one but for me it was very clearly wolfstar. First reason obviously being the fact that they are pretty much the only couple who actually survived the war (the first one that is, we all remember how the second one went). "Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed" being how they both thought the other was the spy and the prank

Bigger Than The Whole Sky

"Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness, 'Cause it's all over now, all out to sea"

Now this could go two ways one being the black brothers,

"Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, You were bigger than the whole sky"

Basically how Sirius feels when Regulus gets the dark mark. Because his brother is too far gone

Bonus since Regulus dies literally all out at sea

The other being marylily bcoz of

"What could've been, would've been, What should've been you"

"And I've got a lot to pine about, I've got a lot to live without"

Obviously from Mary’s pov since Lily is dead

Paris

Now Marls had no idea about and I suggested rosekiller just coz of vibes and coz

"I wanna brainwash you, Into loving me forever"

This seems like something Barty would definitely say

High Infidelity

"You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love, The slowest way is never loving them enough"

To me this song is bartylus coded (don’t worry they then get together with Evan and James and have a happy relationship) especially coz of this one specific rosekiller microfic I’d seen if I find it I’ll reblog it with this post

Glitch

"In search of glorious happenings of happenstance on someone else's playground, But it's been two thousand one hundred and 90 days of our love blackout"

We agreed this song gives off wolfstar vibes tho we are open to suggestions

Also 2190 days is six years which is around the same amount of time wolfstar dated if we hc that they got together around their 5th year :D

Would've, Could've, Should've

"If clarity's in death, then why won't this die?, Years of tearing down our banners, you and I, Living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts, Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first"

Now this track could be taken in many contexts I like the interpretation of it being from the Black children’s perspective to their parents

And another one being from Remus to Greyback

"And if I was a child, did it matter, If you got to wash your hands?"

Marls also suggested it being from Narcissa’s pov to Lucius or Bellatrix, regretting not going with Andromeda which also fits wonderfully

(Since it in itself is talking about the person suffering due to a relationship when they were young and it even now haunts them I feel like this song could be interpreted many many ways bcoz all of the marauders era characters dealt with a lot of trauma at a young age)

Well obviously since most of them didn’t even reach their twenties

Dear Reader

"Dear Reader, if it feels like a trap, You're already in one"

 Peter Pettigrew. Need I see anything more?

Hits Different

"In the good in the world, you once believed in me, And I felt you and I held you for a while"

Lily without Snape in her life especially when she starts falling for James

You're Losing Me

"How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?, I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick, My face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick"

For this one there wasn’t even a discussion needed it is wolfstar during the first war and we won’t hear otherwise. How even tho Sirius and Remus loved each other, the pressure of the war itself was too much on them especially coz they were so young and also coz of how Peter was manipulating them against the other ("Was it because I'm a werewolf?" "Was it because I'm a Black?" I’m sorry). They could see their relationship was straining, they kept waiting for the other to take a risk, a step to fix it and how even through their suspicions, they loved each other regardless

AAAAND THAT'S A WRAP!! THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!

Make sure to come back to see Evermore, coming soon! (To a theater near you.)

[airadam]

Episode 173 : ...after all this rain.

"...kick rocks or kick rhymes..."

- Jean Grae

The seasons are most definitely changing on this side, and the heavens have been pretty open the last couple of weeks while I've been putting the show together. Unfortunately during that time, we lost a couple of respected DJs and producers, DJ Mark the 45 King and Groove Damoast, both of whom are included in this month's mix. May they rest well.  The selections for this month span a time period of almost fifty years, from a 1975 funk classic to a brand new release from one of Manchester's finest, making stops in the 80s and the independent Hip-Hop wax era of the 90s - something for all the heads!

Don't forget - you can always get an up-to-date list of my next few upcoming streams and gigs @ events.airadam.com!

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Mastodon (because Twitter is basically on fire) : https://mastodon.me.uk/@airadam

Playlist/Notes

DJ Muggs, Roc Marciano, Meyhem Lauren, and Rome Streetz : 67 Keys

Two MCs I've seen live recently with another (Rome Streetz) I would have seen if it wasn't for work's on-call schedule, talking pure drug business over some thriller film-type production courtesy of DJ Muggs, who has constructed an amazing second act post the Cypress Hill classics that everyone knows him for. Everyone gets busy on the mic on this new single, with Meyhem killing that last verse.

David Cutter Music : Upstart

UK beat action here with this London beatmaker cooking up a quintessential boom-bap type of beat with a little of that DJ Premier flavour and heaviness - I might need to blend this with some M.O.P! Get this on the recently-released "Follow Dreams" LP.

MF DOOM : Lickupon

I went back to the "Viktor Vaughn Vaudeville Villain" LP after being gifted an amazing alternate cover for display recently, and this was a standout on my first listen in a while. The producers (Heat Sensor) work the same sample as Biggie's "Warning" but with all sorts of other stuff going on, and DOOM just goes nuts from beginning to end. Bars upon bars with no hook, purely the sounds of someone who loved to flip words every which way.

Doo Wop ft. Raekwon : Castle To Castle

You've got to be brave to hop on a track with the crime-rhyming slang master Raekwon if MCing isn't your full-time gig, but Doo Wop (one of Biggie's favourite DJs) gives a good account of himself here as well as holding down the production! A classic jazz sample is the basis for this track from "The State vs Doo Wop" which is also available on a 12" if you need the clean version and instrumental.

Little Brother ft. Rhymefest and Supastition : Do It To Death

A personal headphone favourite I could have sworn I'd already played on the podcast, but which somehow missed the selection for the last fourteen-plus years! All four MCs kill it, but my favourite is absolutely Phonte on the opening verse, with his "American Pie" reference never failing to make me smile! Focus... is on production and those drums are absolutely smacking here, making this track a highlight of "...And Justus For All".

Marley Marl : Hip-Hop History #4

Short and sweet, with a chunky and bouncing beat from the godfather of sampling as we know it today, and no rhymes - just a few words about his own history in Hip-Hop. Find this one on the 2000 "Hip Hop Dictionary" release, which I thought might be a big hard to find but is actually available digitally.

Kev Brown & Dre King : Black Champions

Tough, tough instrumental that I've had on repeat this month, taken from the seven-track "King Kev" project from these two musical masters. Dre King is, amongst other things, a sample pack producer who provides top-shelf instrumental pieces for producers to sample, and his work is used to great effect once Kev Brown gets it into his MPC. No hi-hits on this, just the kick and snare smashing through the whole beat, giving you little spaces where just the bass and keys play before the drums kick you in the head again!

Pharoahe Monch ft. Jean Grae and Royce Da 5' 9" : Assassins

An appropriately named track from the "W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)" album, with all three MCs fitting perfectly into the roles of Hip-Hop assassins (check the full version to get the intro), since none of them have ever encountered a beat they couldn't kill. M-Phazes is on the beat, and it's appropriately loud and dramatic - not something that blends into a mix naturally, because so many things don't sound quite like this.

[DJ Premier] Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher : Headlines (Instrumental)

I was surprised to find I hadn't played the vocal version of this Griselda track before, but DJ Premier's instrumental provides a nice bridge here between a track with no outro and one with too little drum intro - coming in hard with the aggressive stabs before transitioning into string-led production.

Redman : Bricks Standup

A short freestyle-ish expedition from Redman's "Ill At Will Mixtape Vol.1", which sees one of the all-time greats killing it over the instrumental for Jay-Z's "What More Can I Say?". That instrumental was produced by Brooklyn duo The Buchanans, who somehow cooked this up as one of their first creations and got it placed on "The Black Album" - talk about coming in hot!

Peanut Butter Wolf ft. Rasco and DJ Q-Bert : Run The Line

Taking it back to some late 90s underground Hip-Hop that brings back memories of the tail end of my time at university in Manchester, and especially the time when turntablism was starting to break out of the preserve of only the absolutely most in-the-know to the wider Hip-Hop world and beyond. Q-Bert obliterates it on the scratch as he does literally every single time, with all kinds of flaring action that might as well have come from outer space to many of us! Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf is on production of course on this track from his debut solo LP release "My Vinyl Weighs A Ton", and the all-California lineup is completed by Rasco on the mic. Cleveland-born, but as one of the Cali Agents...he counts.

Tyler Daley : These Cards

One half of Children of Zeus and a certified triple threat, Tyler shows off his singing, rhyming (in case you forgot), and production skills on this bumping new single. And he's 100% correct...he's done alright, to say the least.

The 45 King : Meganizm

While The 45 King is best known for his 80s productions, he was also the producer of tracks like Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life" and "Stan" for Eminem as well as a number of far more underground collections of beats, like 2006's "Grooves For A Quiet Storm" from which this track is drawn. A chilled head-nodder with a straightforward and clean drum track on top of some summery keys and bass, this fits just as well at a BBQ as on a mixtape!

SoulChef, Steph Pockets, and DJ Groove Damoast : When It Comes To This

RIP Groove Damoast, who passed away this month. I didn't know the full extent  of his work, only knowing his name as a DJ on Twitch, but he was a well-regarded DJ and producer out of Philadelphia who is deeply missed by many. Having heard this 2021 single on one of the many tribute shows, I decided I wanted to share it here. New Zealand's SoulChef is on production, Groove Damoast is the man on the turntables cutting it up with precision, and his Philadelphia compatriot Steph Pockets controls the mic from start to end. Quality Hip-Hop.

Dynamic Syncopation ft. Mass Influence : 2 Tha Left

Early 2000s pick here that I encountered on the Ninja Tune "Xen Cuts" compilation, but was also on the 2002 "In The Red" LP by the combo of producers Loop Professor and Jonny Cuba. As much as this breezy, acoustic guitar-laced track could have been a great instrumental, they stepped it up by drafting in Mass Influence, an underground crew of MCs out of Atlanta who sound very different to what would come to most people's mind when they think of Atlanta Hip-Hop! Apparently some people know this from an advert for Adult Swim segment of Cartoon Network, so it's interesting to know that stuff like Ninja Tune had that kind of reach within the generation who are not making the decisions :) 

Fred & The New JB's : (It's Not The Express) It's the J.B.'s Monaurail, Pt. 1

(Not my apostrophe placement, by the way!) I had a bit of a play with the cue points feature on Serato to extend this live-drummed intro a little bit, just because those hi-hats are so fire. A classic funk workout from Fred Wesley and the rest of James Brown's famous band of that era (from the "James Brown's Funky People" LP), and one that has been sampled on at least three tracks I can think of - I don't know if the sample was cleared on my favourite usage, so I won't mention it here even though you might have heard me play it in the past...

EPMD : Let The Funk Flow

I'll be real - this is far from my favourite of the tracks on EPMD's classic debut "Strictly Business", but I couldn't pass up the chance to blend into it off the back of the original sample! Listening to the cuts on this makes me smile, performed by the group's original DJ K La Boss (who is still working today under the name Dj4our5ive) in his early years.

[Rashad Smith and Sean "Puffy" Combs] The Notorious B.I.G. : One More Chance (Hip-Hop Instrumental)

In a then-contemporary example of the new school calling back to their Hip-Hop inspirations, Rashad Smith and Puffy essentially lifted the monster Marley Marl beat for Craig G's "Droppin' Science (Remix)" for this drastic remix of a track that was already a remix...ok, stay with me on this. The original "One More Chance" was on "Ready To Die" and was pretty raw on the X-rated rhymes, and was then essentially re-recorded with Faith Evans on the hook with a bit of a bow tie on the production, sampling DeBarge's "Stay With Me" for radio appeal. However, the winner for many of us was taking the lyrics from this version and putting them alongside the undeniable break that Marley used seven years before!

Latee : This Cut's Got Flavor

Closing with a DJ Mark the 45 King production, a real classic for heads of a certain age that you don't hear often enough nowadays! This 1987 single has an absolutely monster drum track highlighted by those heavy kicks, and the slowed-down guitar riff is a perfect era-appropriate backing. Latee only had a few releases under his own banner, along with a decent number of guest appearances, but these to me will always be the rhymes that come to mind whenever this Flavor Unit MC is mentioned. This track just makes me want to put on a Dapper Dan suit and drive an AMG Benz somewhere. To my desk job, I suppose 😁

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[project-aphelion]

07.23.2023

I feel like every excerpt I share from Rian’s chapters are like, dark and gruelling, so here’s a bit from his flashback instead.

Onto Chapter 4! Total word count of this new version is ~11k.

An exciting thing about this new version of the story is that we’ll get to see more of Marl, Rian’s bodyguard! He’s still a minor character by all means, but an important one, so him having almost nothing to do in the original version made little sense. I love having all this room to explore more stuff.

[c-40]

A-T-4 147 Cut Ups & Megamixes

No posts for a while because I've not been well (plus I fell down a rabbit hole writing a long read, hopefully that'll be done by the end of the year!)

1984 was a great year for Cut Ups and Megamixes building on the work of pioneer DJs like Shep Pettibone and his radio show on Kiss FM, Chuck Chillout and Red Alert also on Kiss, the Latin Rascals on WKTU, Marley Marl on WBLS's Mr Magic's Rap Attack. Outside New York carving their own path Hot Mix 5 and Steve "Silk" Hurley are killing it on Chicago radio station WBMX. In Florida the crew Jam Pony Express have begun playing live shows

In the UK Sanny-X is DMC's megamixer and Street Sounds Electro series are being mixed by Herbie Laidley, better known as Mastermind Herbie, the man behind The Rapologists

This is post Double Dee & Steinski, Malcom McLaren And The World’s Famous Supreme Team, Art Of Noise, and Herbie Hancock's Rockit. You can clearly hear their influence in the cut ups and mega mixes from this year

Getting mixed is Hip Hop, Electro, Synth Pop, Disco, and Italo

(Orig.) Big Apple Production Vol.II - Genius At Work like many of these bootleg megamixes the people involved stay in the shadows. This one is of course the work of the Latin Rascals doing what they did on their radio show

DJ Chuck Chillout - Hip Hop On Wax Vol. I for Vincent Davis's Vintertainment. Chuck Chillout was in The B Boys who had released the cut up track Cuttin Herbie (literally cutting up Rockit) the year before. They also released two other classics in 1983 imo Rock The House and Two, Three, Break. Chillout would return to Two, Three, Break under the name DJ Born Supreme Allah in 1985 with the more explicit cut up Two, Three, Break (Part II - The Sequel)

DJ Red Alert - Hip Hop On Wax Vol. II Red Alert goes berserk on the follow-up to Chuck Chillout's effort - he even cuts in what sounds like The B Boys. Sorry this is the best Youtube clip I can find. Red Alert is a DJ for the disgraced hip hop architect Afrika Bambaataa's Universal Zulu Nation and in 1983 he joined Kiss FM's Master Mix Party, which was originally Shep Pettibone's spot on Kiss. Tony Humphries was the first to take the ropes from the increasingly busy Pettibone and in 1983 Red Alert would alternate with Humphries

D.ST - Megamix II: Why Is It Fresh? The Grand Mixer who provided the scratching on Herbie Hancock's Rockit. I thought I knew what Megamix II was a sequel of but now I'm not so sure. Anyway D.ST brings together his hits along with half a dozen other Celluloid tracks

Z Rock Records - Scratch Party #2 first of three mixes coming from the West Coast. Z Rock Records released three Scratch Party megamixes in 1984. Who knows who put these together

Ian Darby - Break City 7" edit bonkers record by Bobby Orlando who had been trying his hand at hip hop/electro/Art Of Noise style production. There's a longer 12" version but the 7" is tidier. Not really cut up, certainly not a megamix, but I felt it sat alright on this list because of it's nutball samples

Scratchmatic - Sound Of The Street by DJ Antron who Discogs tells me won the first DJ Battle held in Los Angeles at the famous Radiotron event. It shows a preference for the techno style

New York Scratch Masters - Scratchmasters Jam #1 the Italo the mix begins with is more like what Hot Mix 5 were doing in Chicago but not as good. Jam #1 would be followed by three more in 1984 and the final Jam #5 in 85. Jam # 4 (The Rap) is pretty great

Mix-Trix #3 The Break Mixer the first Mix-Trix 12" was released in 1983 with another three coming in 1984. Apart from it coming out of LA I have no info on these

Marley Marl on Mr Magic's Rap Attack in 1984

[histoireettralala]

Extending royal authority

As Henry I sought to extend his authority over the relatively welldefined territories of England and Normandy, King Louis VI of France (1108–1137) and his son Louis VII (1137–1180) sought to improve their position relative to that of their great vassals, including Henry himself. At the beginning of his reign, as noted above, Louis VI directly controlled only a small fraction of the territory he theoretically ruled as king —the ‘royal domain’— and that area itself could be profoundly unstable. Local nobles engaged in private warfare and created a general atmosphere of fear. The contemporary writer Guibert of Nogent (c. 1060–c. 1125), wrote that a castellan named Thomas of Marle, ‘a robber of paupers and pilgrims to Jerusalem’, resisted royal authority, sought to consolidate his power, and committed countless crimes (related in stomach-churning detail) against the defenseless. It has been calculated that, in his time as a warrior, first as a prince and then as a king, Louis VI responded to some 27 documented cases of local violence or oppression. The biographer Suger insists that Louis VI could repay violence for violence. When he attacked a disruptive vassal named Ebles of Roucy, ‘the plunderers were themselves plundered and the torturers were tortured with the same or even more pain than they had used to torture others.’ Louis VI’s primary task, then, was to bring peace to the royal domain while simultaneously keeping an eye on his most dangerous vassals. Before his reign was half over, he had largely succeeded in bringing peace to the area around Paris.

He had several assets to help him consolidate his gains. First, the French crown had been safely in the hands of his Capetian dynasty since the tenth century. Most Capetians had the good fortune of long reigns, so succession disputes were rare, and at any rate Louis VI had been designated king in his father’s lifetime (possibly to guard against a rival reviving the memory of Frankish elective kingship). In addition, despite periods of relative weakness, and some rather disreputable and much-censured sexual misbehavior by his father Philip I, Louis VI’s forebears had managed to create an air of sacrality about them; they had relatively few major disputes with the Church. Because authority in France was so fragmented, the French kings had never attained the level of control over bishops that the English and German kings had, and therefore lay investiture was a less pressing issue. Louis VI tended to negotiate with the Church regarding episcopal appointments rather than to make bold claims of theocratic kingship in order to get their way. Although France had its own version of the Investiture Controversy under Philip I, by Louis VI’s reign it had been essentially resolved, and he enjoyed mostly amicable relations with the papacy. The French kings demonstrated the sacred character of their kingship frequently and ostentatiously. The great royal abbey of St Denis, just outside Paris and rebuilt in the middle of the twelfth century, testified to royal holiness through its new Gothic elements. As early as the reign of Robert II ‘the Pious’ (996–1031), the Capetians had been thought to have the power to cure skin diseases —either scrofula or leprosy, depending on the source— as a reverberation of the healing powers of Christ. This power was also imputed to English kings, but they were apparently less successful at it.

The French kings also had more concrete, and more easily documented, means of securing their domain. Philip II had established small administrative units called Prévôtés, to allow for more orderly and manageable organization at the local level. These units were administered by royal agents, prévôts, who collected revenue, looked to royal interests, and tried to ensure some modest consistency in the meting out of justice. During the reigns of Louis VI and his son Louis VII (1137–1180), the prévôts would prove an effective means of extending royal power. But nothing was quite so effective at representing royal authority than the presence of the king himself, and French royal court was constantly traveling. Louis VI benefitted from a small core of trusted advisors, literate men with connections who helped regularize the business of government. Under mostly competent leadership, the production of written charters increased during the century: whereas an average of 5.7 royal charters per year survive from Philip I’s reign, the figure increases to 14.0 for Louis VI, and 28.1 under Philip II ‘Augustus’ (1180–1223).

Despite early difficulties with local uprisings in the royal domain, the Capetians always had their eye on the rest of France, and they intervened when they could, generally with a view to checking the power of the great princes, especially the dukes of Normandy, as Louis VI did repeatedly in the 1110s. Louis also intervened in a succession dispute in Flanders in 1126. In 1137, just before his death, he married the soon-to-be Louis VII to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, which loosely joined the royal domain to much of the territory of southern France (though Eleanor’s lands were not formally integrated into those of Louis). Louis brought Eleanor with him on the Second Crusade, where she was rumored to have had dalliances with at least one other man. Partly for this reason, but also because she did not produce an heir, Louis had the marriage annulled in 1152, leading to one of the more significant instances of dynastic politics impinging on the conjoined history of France and England.

John Cotts - Europe's Long Twelth Century- Order, Anxiety and Adaptation, 1095-1229