#his old design profile is still up there for archive purposes

[robo-milky]

Extras:

Dominant Hand: Left

Favourite Food: Chicken Heart Skewers

Least Favourite Food: Anything pickled

Talent: Acting Lying

(Old art before his revamp)

Trivia:

- Named after the birthmark on left hand

- Completely colourblind/Monochromacy (Why Floyd still calls him Shrimpy- While the mantis shrimp does have more colour receptors than humans, their ability to tell colours and shades apart is lacking)

- Doesn’t have a magical pen/stone, so he wears a flower to fill in the blank space. He changes it each day- (Fuschia, flower he’s currently wearing, is his default if not inline with the main story.)

- Arrived at NRC with his mask, he still keeps it on out of habit and personal choice

- Prefers auditory mediums than anything visual (music, podcasts, speeches, audiobooks, etc)

- The original shape of his groovy candy is unknown

Bio:

A social boy with an extremely open mind, willing to try anything and everything if given a reason to. His academics may be average but his people skills are nothing to scoff at. A people pleaser who wants to build security for himself.

Yuuharu is good at reading people and fulfilling their unconscious desires. If someone dominants the conversation, he’ll listen; if someone is meeker, he’ll speak. His intuition also helps him build different personas to accommodate different people. Upon first meeting, Yuuharu would mirror the other individual subconsciously. Yuuharu doesn’t like to be direct about his wants, he either plays mind games and leads the conversation to where he wants or he hints at it. In group settings, Yuuharu is lost and blends into the background so he isn’t noticeably inconsistent. He fits in with many different groups yet he’s not close enough to truly join them. Yuuharu shines the best when he’s in a one-on-one, that way, he’s able to mirror the other person yet add his own spin on things. Yuuharu is self aware of his emotions, actions, and the impacts of them at all times, which makes him wishy-washy and vague when making decisions. He is generally very lax and is able to see things from all perspectives, making sense of everything in a rationalized manner. Because Yuuharu is so dependent on the thoughts of others, he questions if his opinions and interests are truly his.

Grew up in an average income family. His family was one that prioritized his well-being over academics and contemplated immigrating somewhere else for a better opportunity. Yuuharu is extremely grateful they were patient to work with his inability to see colour and worked out a system where they labelled everything with special stickers. His parents wish that he can be his own person someday.

Current Situation:

- Accepts all of Crowley’s requests and responsibilities with no complaints.

- On decent to good terms with everyone, though Leona, Azul, Tweels, Jamil, Cater, Trey, Rook and Idia are wary of him.

Noticeable Relationship(s):

- Grim and other Yuu’s/Ramshackle residents are the only ones Yuuharu doesn’t bother with mirroring

- Cater and Yuuharu have a very fickle yet mutual understanding relationship that goes like “If you don’t call me out, I won’t call you out”.

- For every time Idia calls Yuuharu a “normie”, Yuuharu goes into a deep Internet rabbit hole to research what exactly Idia is talking about in order to converse with him. (The same goes for everyone else-)

[splattales]

Splatoon 2 Muse Pages

Because I’m updating the blog for Splatoon 3, these old profiles are going to be replaced. I didn’t want to just ERASE them though, so I’ve pasted them below for archiving purposes. 

Main Muses:

Age / Species / Natural Ink-Tentacle Colour / Reference

(I’d appreciate if you read a character’s profile before interacting with them! They’re open to alterations depending on the au.)

Finn

19 / Inkling / Milky-Turquoise / Half Ref. / Full Ref.

An Inkblot Art Academy student that is also involved with OctoValley and OctoCanyon matters.

He’s the Agent 4 of this universe, and has been best friends with Agent 3 (Molly) since childhood. Together they took down DJ Octavio’s original plot to steal the Great Zapfish, but two years later, they had a falling-out, and Finn began working alone.

After he defeated Octavio a second time, the two made up, reuniting to support one another. While the agents had to separate again during Molly’s trials in Deepsea, the two finally have time to hang out again … and have a new friend!

Finn is a cautious type, but has recently become a little more confident in himself and his abilities. Despite his agent work, he’s extremely accepting of Octarians living peacefully above the surface. He tries his best to help Molly and Marina get along.

He has a huge, unreciprocated crush on Agent 2; Marie.

Molly

19 / Inkling / Pink / Half Ref. / Full Ref.

Molly is Agent 3, but also ‘Co-Captain of the Salmon Squad’.

Due to the pressures of life, she previously defected from the New Squidbeak Splatoon, joining a girl-group of Grizzco ruffians.

After a long, complicated process of sorting out her thoughts, she realised that her new friends treated her poorly. Instead, she wanted to continue her old agent work alongside her best bud, Agent 4 (Finn), even if he DID make friends with her old rival, Marina.

Despite re-joining the Splatoon, she hasn’t quit the Grizzco team yet, as she’s recovering from her episode in the Deepsea Metro.

Molly’s parents died when she was very little, and Finn was the friend that stuck with her before she returned to her cheerful self again, alongside joining Cuttlefish’s ranks.

During her time with the Salmon Squad, her attitude relapsed somewhat and she became cold and snarky, but she’s attempting to remedy this now she understands she was hanging with the wrong crowd. She’s still a little gloomy, but has realised this doesn’t have to manifest into anger.

Marina*

20 / Octarian / Purple ink (Red Tenta.) / Ref.

An Octoling, and Molly’s former rival. She is human-obsessed, and as such studies archaeology at Inkopolis University.

Marina once worked for Octavio, in a kind of Young Military group designed to protect (and steal) Zapfish to keep Underground Zones up-and-running. Her heart was never fully in the work, but she hated Inklings at the time, something she is somewhat embarrassed about in modern day.

Her (admittedly large) family still lives in the Underground, but they want to be there- her mother works as a member of Octavio’s High Council, after all! Marina, however, has decided that pursuing her dreams is better than playing hot-potato with Zapfish. She’s hoping to someday benefit the underground with her studies, but she’s just not sure how yet.

Adapting to life outside OctoValley is complicated, especially since she’s used to acting cruel and shallow, but life’s a little easier now that Octarians are better received. She’s trying her best to ‘be herself’, but may still come off as a little bit… …loud.

*No! She isn’t the DJ from Off the Hook! But she certainly admires her!

—

Slushie

16 / Octarian / Red, Blue ink (Blue/Red or Red/Blue Gradient Tenta.) / Ref.

As this universe’s Agent 8, he still has an issue with amnesia. He’s collected every memcake, but is reluctant to use them after remembering he joined the Kamabo test facility to forget in the first place.

It’s important to note that this Octoling doesn’t talk much, because he’s a selective mute. He still enjoys partaking in outdoor activities, physical contact, and spending time with friends, but only finds himself capable of talking to people he feels comfortable around. This naturally causes problems for his social life, because it’s hard to befriend people when you can’t speak to them.

He knows sign language, which can sometimes help, but not always, and especially not with strangers. In a cruel twist of irony, languages are his best subject, and he’s polylingual.

Having forgotten his original title and history, Slushie named himself. It’s clear he was once involved with the Underground’s Young Military program, but this isn’t unusual for octos his age, and therefore isn’t much of a clue. His current full name is ‘Slushie Sue-Shi Phyll’, the second surname being adopted from Pansy, his foster-mother. Slushie has several friends already, including Agents 3 and 4, though Molly is understandably his favourite.

He doesn’t like blenders.

—

Brine

23 / Inkling / Orange, Light Green / Ref.

A recent law graduate. He used to work as a barista and now he works as … a coffee carrier for barristers. Swings and roundabouts.

Brine is a very happy-go-lucky, genuine and cheerful sort of guy, going out of his way to make sure other people are comfortable. Somewhat downplayed, he has sharp eyes and sharper wits, so it’s easy for him to notice when something is awry.

Perhaps due to his studies, however, he’s pretty straight-laced, and gets a little frustrated with anyone who bends the rules. He doesn’t even illegally download music.

He still occasionally visits his old employer, Mr. Manta, who he sees as a mentor.

Pansy babysat Brine once or twice, and frequented the coffee shop he used to work at, so they’re familiar friends. She’s been helping him find information on Grizzco, but the Deepsea Metro is their current priority, as several disappearances have taken place there.

When he was a teenager, his father died of heart failure after being ill for a very long time. His mother (who is also a famous prosecutor) has since remarried.

Pansy

38 / Inkling / Yellow, Rarely Pink / Half Ref. / Full Ref.

A firefly squid that takes shifts at Kelp Dome and babysits to keep herself financially stable. She is currently in a romantic relationship with Groa-Toa, and recently adopted Slushie as her foster-child.

Over the years she��s babysitted Molly, Finn, Brine, Finn’s brother, Ribbon, and plenty of others, but hasn’t done extra work like this since she took on the responsibility of caring for Slushie.

Ten years ago, Pansy was fired from working as a detective for Inkopolis Police. Despite six years of commendable effort, her career ended after ‘taking one particular case too far’ (punching her boss in the nose after he used an Octarian slur).

Being forced to drop that case along with her dream job left her bitter and despondent, but she did her best to tie loose ends before moving on. She’s not strictly qualified anymore, but she’s been helping Brine investigate Grizzco and the Deepsea Metro–the latter resulting in her kidnapping. Despite Molly and Brine coming to her rescue, it isn’t an experience she’ll forget in a hurry.

Pansy isn’t as energetic as she once was and isn’t particularly trusting of potential suspects, but friendly conversation reveals she’s still a big softie that enjoys joviality and banter.

Ribbon

9 / ‘Squeel’ / Blue / Half Ref. / Full Ref.

Ribbon is the daughter of Pansy’s cousin, but this doesn’t stop her from calling Pansy her ‘Aunt’.

She’s a squid-eel hybrid; Inkling on her Father’s side, Eel on her Mother’s. This doesn’t seem to bother her in the slightest, and she’s well-loved by her peers, likely due to her excitable and lighthearted personality.

Ribbon is really into secret-agent-hero-spies, princess dinosaurs, and everything in the outside world. As such, she often gets into trouble for ‘wandering off’, and doesn’t seem to understand the danger she could get herself into.

She does, however, affirm that she is capable of looking after herself, and is surprisingly good at remembering directions … but because she’s seven years old, most adults have their doubts. It’s never stopped her from slipping away when she wants to, though.

—

Misc.:

Custard

22 / Octarian / Yellow (Gold-Beige) / Ref.

That’s me. I’m the moderator/mun!

I usually choose to represent myself as an Octoling, but I won’t be involved in any plots.

…unless it’s really, really non-serious.

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2020 Day 20: Mutual Pining

An Old Feeling | @deservetobesaved

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1741 Main Tags/Warnings: post season 12, jealous!dean, love confession Summary: Castiel thinks Dean will never love him back so he decides to try and move on. Cue jealous!Dean and confessions galore.

To Catch a Spark | zaphodsgirl (AO3)

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2364 Main Tags/Warnings: Misunderstandings, Fluff Summary: Cas has been acting pretty clumsy lately and Dean is a little worried.

Falling Awake | @specsofwings

Rating: General Word Count: 2530 Main Tags/Warnings: Love confessions, Cas and Dean being idiots, The Cosmic Entity Summary: After Michael is killed by Team Free Will 2.0, Dean ends up in the Empty, Michael's grace pulling a sliver of his consciousness there. The Cosmic Entity calls him out on not realising Castiel is in love with him. Dean needs to decide what to do with that information as he wakes up home.

Personal Space | @notfunnydean

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 2859 Main Tags/Warnings: NSFW, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot. Masturbation, Masturbation Interruptus, Voyeur Castiel Summary: It’s been four weeks since the last time Dean actually had time for himself and he just wants to crawl into his bed and finally jack off. Sadly he says a certain name and Castiel shows up and not to interrupt.

That Game We Played | @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 3139 Main Tags/Warnings: Valentine's Day, Castiel/Dean Winchester in the Men of Letters Bunker, Broken Thermostat, Castiel is Not Oblivious, Naked Cuddling Summary: “You know what?” Dean mutters, mostly to himself. He really is trying to be less of a jerk - but he can’t seem to help it. It’s Valentine’s day, and it’s hot. So he decides to stop talking, and takes off his jacket, a deep blue leather utility, and shucks it away on a counter. Cas seems to find this interesting, his eyes following Dean around the room; so then Dean does the first thing that comes to mind. He walks over to Cas, and holds his hand out. Cas stares at it, like he’s trying to figure out the purpose of its existence. Dean helps him, because he’s awesome like that. “Your coat.” Because why the fuck not?

Get out of my head | @notfunnydean

Rating: General Word Count: 3216 Main Tags/Warnings: Cursed, Mind Reading, dean and cas get cursed, mind reading Summary: When a witch puts some sort of spell on Dean and Castiel, they start to hear each other’s thoughts. Dean tries very hard to keep a secret, but Castiel has to insist.

May I ask for this dance | @notfunnydean

Rating: General Word Count: 3225 Main Tags/Warnings: Dean needs Cas' help on a case, Masquerade Ball, dancing on his feet Summary: When Dean asks Castiel to accompany him at an undercover investigation at a masquerade ball, to find the witch who killed a lot of people, Castiel wants it to be a date. Only problem, he can’t dance, so he asks Sam for help.

You aren't a monster | @notfunnydean

Rating: General Word Count: 3782 Main Tags/Warnings: misunderstandings Summary: When Bobby and Sam start to believe Castiel is actually on the bad side, Dean tries to defend his angel. He wouldn’t let them kill his best friend but unfortunately Castiel hears the wrong snippet of the conversation and ends up hurting Dean badly.

And I swear | @notfunnydean

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 4413 Main Tags/Warnings: two idiots in love, Jealous!Cas, Arthur is not in the fic but mentioned a lot, Abusive Relationships, hurt!Dean, Break Up Summary: Dean knows that Arthur is treating him badly, but he had worse in his life and besides, it’s not like the person he really loves wants him back.

your eyes will lead me straight back home | @elizaeverafter

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 4602 Main Tags/Warnings: no archive warnings apply, fake/pretend relationship, mutual pining, fluff, light angst, romantic comedy, friends to lovers, au modern setting, jealousy, castiel POV Summary: When Dean hatches a plan to go to Charlie's wedding with Castiel to avoid being bothered about remaining single, Castiel knows this isn't going to go well. But he hasn't been able to refuse Dean so far, so why would this act of being in a relationship be any different? And if Castiel feels like exploding and blurting out his feelings the whole time, well, that's his problem.

The War Within You | @verobatto-angelxhunter

Rating: Mature Word Count: 9770 Main Tags/Warnings: Destiel, season 6 canon divergent, first kiss, mutual pining, slow burn, love confession, eventual Human!Cas, angst with a happy ending. Summary: Sam Is back from the cage but something is wrong with him, and Dean knows it. He must call Castiel for help... But not just for that... There's something forbidden burning inside him that makes his mind go crazy. He needs to be near the angel.

The Meaning of Everything | @verobatto-angelxhunter

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 17000 Main Tags/Warnings: Destiel, canonverse, post s14 canon divergent, mutual pining, first kiss, love confession, explicit sexual content, canon typical violence, angst with a happy ending, vessel sharing, winged Cas Summary: Chuck is the bad guy, and he broke with his snap Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. The chaos is all over the Earth. But Billie has a plan, they need to work together to raise Jack as the New God. Dean and Cas will try to solve their issues, but something unexpected will happen that will separate them again.

The Alpha Next Door (WIP) | @Destielshipper4Cas

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 16767 Main Tags/Warnings: Strangers to Lovers, First Time, Omega Castiel, Alpha Dean, Past Abuse Summary: When Cas is placed in WitSec, he gets a fake secondary gender designation to go along with his new name, ‘Jimmy.’ All he has to do until the boss of the omega trafficking ring he escaped is behind bars is keep a low profile, always apply his alpha scent, and not fall in love with an alpha. Well—two out of three ain’t too bad… Dean has never had a crush on an alpha before. Along comes his new neighbor, Jimmy, an alpha who is alphasexual. There’s just something about him, and to his utter confusion, he finds himself falling for an alpha for the first time in his life.

Guardian Angel | @notfunnydean

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 19486 Main Tags/Warnings: Homeless Dean Winchester, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Virgin!Dean, Abusive John Winchester, Canon-Typical Violence Summary: Everybody in the world has his own guardian angel, to keep them safe and protect them. Only "bad people" are without a guardian angel. Maybe that's why Dean is alone.

Little Blue Dragon | @saltnhalo

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 23820 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Magic, Blacksmith Dean Winchester, Mage Sam Winchester, Creature Castiel, Dragon Castiel, Pining, Soulmates, Minor Violence, Frottage Summary: Dean Winchester may have a reputation for being a skilled craftsman and blacksmith, but his life is just like anyone else’s. He’s over-worked and under-slept, and it’s all because of the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that tells him he’s… forgetting something. Still, he can’t let his weird dreams or errant thoughts get in the way of his work and his love for his craft. The strange feeling goes ignored. That is, until he meets a man with jewel-blue eyes and an aura of intrigue. Castiel slots into his life in a way that Dean had never thought possible, and Dean grows accustomed to the mysterious man’s visits and brilliant smiles and tales of far-away places. He’d never known he was missing a piece of himself until he met Castiel, and he thinks that Cas might feel the same way. Until Castiel disappears from Dean’s life completely.

Dislocation | @pray4jensen

Rating: Mature Word Count: 24514 Main Tags/Warnings: Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: After the sun is restored and the Woman of Letters banishes Castiel, he falls and becomes human, lost and alone in a place far from home. Four hundred and fifty-one days later, Sam finds him. He tells Castiel that Dean is alive. So they go. They go and they arrive at the bunker and Sam’s acting strange and there’s something that he’s not telling Castiel, something about Dean. And then Castiel finally reunites with Dean. And there is something about Dean. Something about Dean that has Dean pulling Castiel into tight embraces, something about Dean that has Dean running his thumb across Castiel’s cheek with a tender look in his eyes, and something about Dean that has Dean shaking when Castiel says certain things to him, things that are normal, things that should not affect him this way. There is something about Dean that no one is telling him.

Sending A Raven | @saltnhalo

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 38677 Main Tags/Warnings: Vikings, Magic, Temporary Character Death, Established Relationship, Leader Dean Winchester, Explicit Sexual Content, Violence, Dean/Cas Pinefest 2019, Viking Dean Winchester, Viking Castiel, BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), BAMF Dean Winchester, Mutual Pining, Angst Summary: When Dean, the Viking jarl of Týrvik, leaves on a raid to combat the enemy warriors attacking their ships, his husband Castiel is left to protect and lead the village. The ships return barely a week later, with damaged timbers and a devastated, leader-less crew, and suddenly Castiel finds himself not only in a position of leadership for which he is ill-equipped, but terrified for the safety of his captured husband. With the possibility of a spy somewhere in the village’s midst, Castiel leaves his people under Sam’s care and departs on the journey north to where they think Dean is being held, in a desperate attempt to rescue him before it’s too late.

Twenty Years | @ioasccel

Rating: Mature Word Count: 39501 Main Tags/Warnings: Angst, pining, religious themes, Summary: A profound bond between a Priest and the one he loves the most that spans decades. Father Novak’s love of God is tested by one Dean Winchester. A story of a priest driven by love and tortured by desire. All about forbidden love, heart break, and an eventually a happily ever after.

It's A Long Life to Always Be Longing | @pomegranatedaffodil

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 40685 Main Tags/Warnings: Canon Divergence, Spells and Enchantments, Road Trips, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: Dean’s life has always been dictated by duty rather than by need. So when Amara offers to give him the thing he needs most, he doesn’t know what to expect, but it certainly isn’t this: a chance to rest, some time away from his life and his burdens. Now he’s trapped in an enchanted sleep, unable to bring himself back to the waking world. It’s up to Sam and Castiel to gather the components of a spell that will bring Dean back to them. Through road trips, honest conversations, and a lot of patience, they’ll make sure Dean comes home. And when he does, maybe he and Castiel will finally have a chance to act on long-buried feelings brought to the surface by their enforced separation. Canon-divergent from the end of 11.23.

The Handyman's Special | @carrieosity

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 51456 Main Tags/Warnings: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mutual Pining, Humor and Fluff, Human AU, Low-angst, Top!Castiel/Bottom!Dean Summary: Dr. Dean Winchester, professor of Mechanical Engineering, was full of confidence in his own abilities when he decided to purchase a fixer-upper house to rehab and remodel on his own. Now, standing in the middle of his new house and praying the floors won’t cave in, he’s realizing that determination and academic brilliance might only take him so far this time. The bigger problem: his overconfidence in the face of other people’s doubts (ahem, Sam) means that asking for help now will mean swallowing a whole lot of pride…and he’d rather not. Hiring a secret contractor to do the work without telling anyone seems like the perfect solution. Accidentally hiring an amazingly hot secret contractor wasn’t part of the plan. And when Sam overhears a conversation and starts connecting dots, a snap decision and another lie on top the first leads to a ridiculous balancing act of fake stories, pretend relationships, and one hell of a renovation tale.

Escaping Neverland | @emblue-sparks

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 84004 Main Tags/Warnings: Major Warning: Underage(only first 30k, no underage sex), Mental health issues, Identity issues, failed family placements, Mention of past traumas Tags: Adventure Romance AU with canon elements Storybook I-1995 Storybook II- 2015 Heavily inspired by Peter Pan,Completely Destiel despite first pairing, read to learn how, NO MCD(Sam Dean Cas)Canon character deaths, TAGS FOR 1995: Practices & rituals of Sumerian/Greek/Judeo Christian faiths, Dean/Jimmy slow burn, heart failure, kidney/pancreatic failure, dialysis, Found Family, John's the dad his kids deserve, LGBTQ positive parents, First kiss disaster, First DateHoliday, our island/our rules, sad boys, memorial rituals, Heart Transplant, Mourning Rituals TAGS FOR 2015: Everyone supports therapy, Incorrect demon summoning, Latin, Scottish Gaelic, Enochian, Professor/Rookie Hunter!Sam, Nurse!Dean, Orchard Owner/Beekeeper!Cas,Tattooed Dean, burger date, Frottage, Shower Deansturbation,Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Cum kink, Biting kink, Switch boys, Heavy surgical scarring, Dean knows ASL, Strange Dreams, Collective nightmares, Canon adjacent realms: Hoya Baciu Forest Romania, Caria Turkey, Chaos, Mythical Greek creatures, Temporarily fanged Benny, Some villainous ferrymen, Some badass ferrymen, Overly confident dick in a boat, Destiel Ever After, Happy Ending GUARANTEED, Dean/Cas Big Bang Challenge 2019 Summary: Lawrence 1995- Sixteen year old Dean Winchester finds himself in St. Luke's Children's Hospital after an electrocution severely damages his heart. On unit Neverland he meets Jimmy, a smartass with multiple organ failure and an expiration date. They discover an immediate spark which becomes an enduring flame. But Dean struggles accepting Jimmy's fate as well as his own, if a heart cannot be found in time. As his efforts to evade the ultimate marauder are weakening, he begins drawing strength from the misfit teens of Neverland East, learning the power of found family. Lebanon 2015- Dean finally joins Sam, Jo, and Charlie in the bunker. But unexpectedly meeting Castiel, who shares an unsettling likeness to Jimmy and an equally traumatic childhood, threatens to destroy two decades of hard work moving beyond the devastating events which occurred at St. Luke's. They'd be perfect for each other, if both weren’t so damn broken. As their involvement deepens, rookie hunter Sam works a case of rising juvenile deaths, revealing a shocking connection to the surviving Neverlanders. One that's been calling them all along to perilous adventure.

After All These Years | @peanutbutterjelly-pie

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 99909 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe, Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Single Parent Dean, Reunion, Slow Burn Summary: In which Dean finds himself at a wedding as Jo's fake boyfriend against his will, groaning and complaining the whole time, but still trying to appear all handsome and perfect and utterly in love since he's an awesome friend like that (and since Jo would make his life a living hell otherwise). And just when he begins to think that it won't be so bad to eat tons of free food and let his daughter Emma enjoy the festivity his gaze suddenly meets the two bluest eyes in existence and the world stops to move for a moment. Because of course the groom's brother turns out to be his old high school crush Castiel – the only person Dean was never able to forget – and things start to become really complicated all of a sudden.

[paramounticebound]

Plots please!

⤏ send me “plots please” … || @therapardalis​ || accepting, but slow af.

Pros: This is a lot more than three.

Cons: Basically none of these are fleshed out ideas.

Star Trek au: So because I still have this stored away in my drafts (I’m so sorry I take ages to do anything), I was thinking that since Thera had the misfortune of being assigned to Khan—let’s face it, likely as a glorified babysitter—and as John Harrison he’s designing the Vengeance, what if he discovers her proficiency for weapons design and requests her assistance with the project? This can be because he has some nefarious purpose (someone else to manipulate? Maybe gain her sympathy for his situation?) or because…. Well, anything. Maybe she’s the only person he can tolerate and he’s tired of lackeys that don’t know what they’re doing but Admiral Marcus won’t let him work unsupervised.

Star Trek au 2: Alternatively, Thera in her post-academy career is still a glorified babysitter, but this time it’s part of some type of reform program. I.e. Into Darkness went with a little less violence/destruction and instead of being put back into cryo, Khan has to prove himself as a… less psychotic person. Or maybe he’s still awaiting trial and is in a bit of a “you’re still a criminal but here’s some freedom, you just have to be supervised” sort of thing.

Star Wars au: Just a basic idea. During Thera’s career as a smuggler, perhaps she gets a high-profile job transporting some frozen soldiers? Or, well, just the one, but he’s the worst one. Then something happens, because it always does—an attack? An infiltration? The cryo-tube just decided to malfunction (it is pretty old)—and now she has to deal with an angry, disgruntled ex-soldier. This would be the very beginning of my general Star Wars verse for Khan, so he doesn’t have an over-arching plan yet. Like I said, a basic idea, aahhhh. 

Star Wars au 2: I have two brain cells and they both say Clone Wars era Thera and Khan doing Clone Wars era stuff. (I have a CW-specific verse, wherein Khan is an ARC-Trooper). Fighting together? Yes. Suffering together? Double yes.

Mad Max au: Khan knows about the Teg-Hold, mostly from rumours, but hadn’t sought it out until now. His compound is running into trouble and he is running out of resources. He’s unwilling to cow down to Immortan Joe, Aunty Entity, and the like due to pride and the desire to keep his “family” safe without relying too much on outside help. So maybe he seeks out the Teg-Woman and the Hold for technology he can either trade for or replicate back home.

Prohibition au: All I can think about is occasional club singer Thera popping up enough around piano-playing Khan that they become friendly. I don’t want to presume anything about your muse, but I’m guessing she wouldn’t be about to turn him in for bootlegging. I don’t think a literal immortal guardian would have much fear about becoming involved with him somehow (in any way, as an acquaintance, friend, etc).

Final Fantasy VII au: listen I don’t know, I’m so bad at plotting but my eyes went as wide as saucers when I saw you had a verse for this. I do too and I’ve never used it but maybe one day poor Thera is dragged out of the archives and has to deal with going on a mission with G-type soldier Khan.

Witcher au: There are sooo many memes I’ve sent you in this verse that I have in my drafts fskljfsd so here’s a basic idea (the plot meme said it could be basic okay): Witcher!Khan meets her because he needs to get somewhere, so employs her for her sailing skills. Regarding Elf!Khan, if Thera grew up near Brokilon Forest, maybe she met him there? Possibly in childhood? 

[eryiss]

Chapter Five -  The Cut

Summary: Freed and Laxus live incredibly different lives. Freed is a corporate lawyer in the capital city, and Laxus works as a handyman in a countryside hotel. Despite their differences, their lives collide when Freed inherits a house in Laxus’ village, and hires him to make the derelict building liveable. But the closer they get, the more they seem to offer each other. [Fraxus Multi-Chapter]

This was written as my admission for Fraxus Day 2020, hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus​. Hope you enjoy it. Also, this chapter has mentions of bullying and descriptions of blood,

You can read this under the cut, on Fanfiction, or on Archive of Our Own. You can find the chapter masterpost here.

Chapter Five – The Cut

Melancholy wasn't the word. It wasn't.

Freed wasn't the type of person to get melancholy, he had never been governed by his emotions at all. He didn't look back on things fondly, nor did he feel a sense of sadness when parts of his life were over. Yes, of course things did make him emotional, but he was by no means the type of person to feel sad because something was over. Life moved on quickly, and so must he. It was the rational way to live his life.

It was a mantra he found himself repeating over and over again, as he walked through the house.

The nearly finished house.

The place was by no means a model home, but it worked as it needed to. Windows had been fixed, plumbing and electricals repaired, and structure reinforced. Walls were still stripped with remnants of old-fashioned wallpaper sticking to it, and the floorboards were bare, but it was a house again. It needed love, attention, and upgrading for anyone to actually want it. But it was liveable. Exactly what Freed had wanted. So, following the logic he lived his life by, he should want to sell the place instantly and get back to Era and work on his next case. It was the next logical step, and exactly what he should be doing.

Of course, he wasn't. Because despite it being in contrast with how he'd always lived, Freed felt an odd sense of reluctance to leave. He found himself more than once hovering over the call button on Gildarts' phone number, only to return his phone to his pocket with a muttered complaint of annoyance at himself.

It was pathetic really.

He tried to rationalise it, give his feeling a pragmatic explanation. He said it was because the house was an achievement for him. Something he had done with his hands. A practical achievement that stood out to him because most of his notable work was with the mind. And why would he want to leave something like that? It was a monument to what he could do when he put his mind to it, and he was proud.

But that was a lie, he knew that. The real reason he didn't want to sell the house was because it was the only thing tying him to Magnolia. And he wasn't ready to leave it yet.

Yes, of course he didn't need to own a house to visit the town. He had gained a solid friendship with Laxus, and had gained acquaintances with Laxus' own friends, and so he could justify visiting them from time to time. But the issue lay in that he didn't really want to come back from time to time. He'd gotten used to visiting for the weekends, and he didn't want to stop.

And he couldn't do that now. Not without everyone in the gossiping village knowing why he returned. Because they would, they'd see through it like glass, and Freed wasn't able to deal with that.

He wasn't good at being embarrassed. Never had been.

There were few situations in his life where he had actually been embarrassed, something that happened by design. There had been a few unfortunate instances in his teenage years that find themselves replaying in his head on random nights. So he had made a conscious effort to avoid any situation where embarrassment might occur. It was working well, all in all, and yet this village had this effect on him that made him question the choices that had kept him sane so far.

Freed shook his head. He wasn't getting melancholy, and he certainly wasn't getting self-reflective.

It did nobody any good.

He took a small sponge and slowly wiped down the table in Albion House's kitchen. It had been there when Freed had inherited it, and after Laxus had sanded it down and polished it, it was as workable as the rest of the house. Tonight was the first time the table was going to be used for its actual purpose. He and Laxus were going to have a meal together.

That didn't help the situation.

Because, clearly there was something more. Magnolia was a nice town, and the people in it were good to Freed, but nobody got that sentimental over a collection of buildings. People did, unfortunately, get sentimental about other people.

And annoyingly, Laxus was a good person. He was snarky, and had a bite to him, and he could challenge Freed without blinking. But he was also kind, and helpful, and when he was teaching Freed how to wire a socket or plumb in a toilet, he was patient and made sure to keep the mood light; particularly when Freed was on the edge of smashing the porcelain bastard with the wrench. He was a good man, and seemed to know how to handle Freed in whatever situation he was in.

Also, he was beautiful. Freed had withheld that admission for a while, but since they would likely part ways soon he wanted to be honest. Broad shoulders, a thin waist, striking blonde hair and bright eyes. Evergreen had been right; he was an Adonis.

It didn't help he had a rustic charm that attracted Freed more than it should.

Perhaps it was for the best that they wouldn't see much of each other. Freed wasn't the romantic type, he had more important things to do. And his attraction was born out of proximity. Laxus was an attractive man, but he was just a man. In one years' time, Freed would have forgotten about him, and his life would be normal again.

And hopefully those occasional dreams would pass too. Be them the disgustingly sweet, or the more… intense ones.

"Hey," A voice snapped Freed out of his thoughts. "I think it's clean."

Freed frowned, then looked down to the table he was cleaning. One particular part of the table in particular was shining more than others. Freed's hackles rose slightly at the teasing tone in Laxus' words, but he scolded himself in his head. Laxus hadn't known what he was thinking about, all he'd seen was Freed washing a table for far too long.

"Out of interest," Freed said, cautiously. "How long have you been here?"

"Fifteen minutes," Laxus grinned, raising the two pots of Chinese food. "Food might be cold."

"Fifteen minutes!" Freed exclaimed, almost horrified.

"It was like half a minute, moron," Laxus smirked, walking to the table, and placing their take-out on the table. "What were you thinkin' about that hard?"

"A case," Freed lied. He didn't have an active case at the moment, but he was probably going to be helping with one soon. When he went back to the city. Permanently. "It's nothing too troubling, really. It's actually quite an easy case really, but our client is high profile, and they might use our services again should they need it. So we need to be litigious and cordial."

"Can't imagine you enjoy being cordial," Laxus smirked. "Probably out of practice."

"And for that, I don't think I'll pay for my half of this," Freed said, reaching over and taking the pot of food from Laxus' hand.

"Kinda proving my point there, ain't ya?"

Freed smiled a little as he brought the chopsticks to his lips. They were having a meal together as a sort of goodbye evening – not helping with Freed's refusal to be melancholy about the situation. Because not only did it force him to confront the fact he's leaving, he has to do so with the man who's making it a lot harder to do so. Worse still, Laxus had looked so damn charming with a tediously honest smile when he'd suggested they eat together. It had sent a little jolt through Freed.

Bastard. Maybe he was doing it on purpose.

"I saw Cana while I was waiting for the food," Laxus spoke again, garnering Freed's attention again. "She mentioned that her dad's looking forward to seeing what we've done with the place, apparently he's been excited about it."

"Is he interested in buying it?" Freed asked, frowning.

"He's your estate agent, Freed," Laxus said in a deadpan voice, though he was clearly fighting a smile. "You should know that. It worries me that you don't know that."

"Gildarts is Cana's father?" Freed frowned further. "They have different surnames?"

"Fuck, sometimes I forget you ain't from here," Laxus laughed loudly, leaning back in his chair and grinning. "There's a hell of a lot you don't know, isn't there? Well, guess the best place to start is with Gildarts, ain't it. Or I guess a more accurate name is Gildarts, Man-Whore Extraordinaire."

And thus, Laxus began to tell the rumours and stories about what Gildarts was like when he was younger – he really did seem to earn the title Laxus had given him – before trailing off to the other stories about Magnolia. He spoke about his hometown with a level of enthusiasm that Freed enjoyed watching, and found himself getting enveloped in the worlds that Laxus was describing. Though he might not be quite as eloquent as Freed was, he certainly made up for it with boisterous laughter and an odd amount of glee at exposing his friends embarrassing stories.

It was almost enough to distract Freed from what Laxus had said. 'I forget you ain't from here.' It was a little sentence, probably a throwaway thought to Laxus, but it made Freed feel oddly comforted. As if he had been accepted into this little community.

A ridiculous idea, really.

He blinked to stop that train of thought, and focused on the story about Elfman. Apparently he had been dragged into some comic book convention by his sisters and had been forced to dress as a monster from a book series. He apparently hated every moment of it, and Laxus had spent the years following showing the pictures of him in the costume at every opportunity he could. To prove his point, Laxus had pulled out his phone and showed Freed.

It was a better costume that Freed expected. But it revealed far too much for the shy, younger version of Elfman that Laxus had described.

Freed did find himself distracted by Laxus, thankfully. But it wasn't quite enough, because as he listened, he absently lowered his left hand under the table and started to swirl his finger against the palm of his hand. Perhaps he wouldn't have noticed the return of his nervous tick, had it not been for the raised scar that he grazed lightly.

It was new, and when he touched it and thought back to its origin, any lie about not being melancholic was shattered.

~~~

"Shit. Fuck. Fuck."

Freed hissed, pain splitting from his left hand up into his arm. He stepped back slightly, eyes flickering to the large gash that he'd just given himself, along with the thick blood that was fighting to get from it. It was a nasty looking cut, and Freed found himself unable to look away from it.

Laxus, who had been crouching down and pushing new floorboards into place, glanced towards Freed with a slight grin. The expression fell when he saw blood drip onto the floor, and he stood up quickly and walked to Freed's side. He took Freed's injured hand in his own, and let out a small hiss of sympathy as he saw the cut. Ridiculously, Freed couldn't help but note that Laxus was holding his hand for the first time.

"That's pretty nasty," Laxus commented.

"Is it," Freed muttered. "I thought it was a papercut."

"Good, if you can be a dick then it ain't that bad," Laxus smiled. "Come on, we need to wash it."

Not removing his hand from Freed's wrist, he dragged the lawyer from the cottage's sitting room and into the kitchen. Freed didn't fight it, instead focusing on catching the droplets of blood rather than letting them land on the carpet and stain it. It was a good enough distraction from both the stinging pain that was running through him, and the presence of Laxus being so close.

It wasn't a distraction from the embarrassment of the situation. Because after being successful at almost every task Laxus had given him, he cut himself sawing off the edge of a floorboard. Out of all the tools he's used, he was bested by a sawblade.

"This ain't gonna hurt a bit," Laxus promised as he opened the faucet and dragged Freed's hand under the stream of water.

Laxus Dreyar was a lying bag of shit.

"Mother fucking crap-whore!" Freed practically yelled. There was a moment of silence, Freed almost panting with pain, and Laxus biting his lip. A second later, a loud, unabashed, raucous laughter filled the room. Laxus actually doubled over he was laughing so much, resting his hands on his thighs while Freed glared at him from the sink. "I'm glad you're enjoying this so much."

"I'm sorry," Laxus grinned, something almost akin to a giggle slipping out. "I really am."

"No you're not."

"I'm not," Laxus agreed. "It was fucking funny, man. I ain't ever seen ya acting like that. Just caught me off guard," He glanced up, met Freed's glare, and burst into laughter again. "I'll get a bandage. I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Freed muttered. "And try not to fall, impale yourself on a spike and die. That would be awful."

"Don't worry. Only an idiot could get hurt in this place," Laxus laughed again, and if Freed had something in reach, he would have thrown it at the bastard's head.

When Laxus returned to the kitchen, he was holding the first aid kit that he had insisted they keep in the house; no doubt when the humour of Freed's injury and subsequent cussing died down, Laxus would gloat about how right he was with demanding the first aid kit. He carefully guided Freed's hand out from under the stream of water, and patted it dry softly with a towel. Freed winced a little at the pressure on his cut, but didn't say anything.

Slowly, with careful and practiced movements, Laxus wrapped the bandage around his hand. He managed to avoid trapping any of his fingers. Though the white fabric did get stained slightly, it seemed to trap the blood from pouring out too badly. The pain was subsiding slightly now, too.

It allowed him to appreciate how gentle Laxus was being. He wasn't used to thinking of Laxus being gentle.

"How do you know how to do this?" Freed asked, sitting at the kitchen table.

"I used to have to do it all the time," Laxus sighed a little as he spoke, removing his hands from the bandage and inspecting his handywork. He looked up to Freed, who was frowning at him slightly. "I had a lot going on when I was a teenager, got into a lot of fights. Well, that's how I saw it. Turns out I was kind of a bully."

Freed frowned deeper. "You were?"

"Yeah. Didn't think I was, at the time, but I went to therapy for a while and she called me out on it," Laxus shrugged. "But yeah, a couple times a month I'd fight some kid. Had a superiority complex or some shit, wanted everyone to worship me and do what I want. Cringey teenager shit and a lot of aggression, bad mix. Eventually, when the guys started to fight back, I needed to learn some basic first aid."

When Laxus looked up, Freed had an expression of curiosity on his face. It clearly wasn't what Laxus had expected.

"Was it the therapy that made you stop, then?" Freed asked, and Laxus seemed blind sighted for a moment.

"Er, no. Not exactly," Laxus shook his head. "There were two kids that pissed me off more than most, don't know why. So when things were getting bad, I kinda… targeted them more than anyone else. Natsu and Gajeel, you might have met them at some point. Fireman and mechanic. But they got pissed at me for taking things too far, jumped me, beat the shit out of me, then went to the principal and told him all the shit I've done. Got suspended, thought about myself, and started meetin' with Porlyusica; she's my therapist. She basically listed all the shit I've done and made me be better."

Freed took a moment to think through what he'd just heard. It was the best thing to do, he'd found out. Sometimes people let out their biggest, darkest secrets to him – the curse of being a lawyer – and your first thoughts on the matter were often unhelpful. So he took some time, and eventually asked the question that seemed most prudent.

"Your principal suspended you without evidence?" Freed asked.

"Oh he had plenty of evidence," Laxus laughed. "Hard to get shit past the guy when he's your grandfather."

"Makarov?" Freed frowned.

"Yeah, used to be in charge of the school. Only retired because the school board forced him to," Laxus grinned. "He started working at the hotel because he found retirement boring," Laxus smiled for a moment at the memory of his grandfather's sudden proclamation he was buying the hotel, before looking back to Freed, smile drooping slightly. "I just admitted to beating up kids and being a bully, why doesn't that bother you?"

"Some of my clients intentionally lower their workers' wages to increase their own paycheque, and then laugh about it," Freed shrugged. But Laxus nudged him, sensing there was more. "Nobody was there best in high school, I certainly wasn't."

"You were a bully too huh?" Laxus laughed, joking.

"Well, not exactly, but I wasn't the most kind," Freed leant back in his chair. "I was the smartest person there and wanted people to know it. I would start discussions on test results just so I could make sure everyone knew I'd gotten one hundred percent. And there was one boy, he wasn't the smartest, who sat beside me in most classes. Alphabetised seating plans and all. I could be rather… patronising to him. I think I had a crush on him, in retrospect. It was probably a twisted way of trying to deal with it."

"You don't seem like that now," Laxus commented. "Other than when you're joking, but I know that ain't serious. What changed?"

"Evergreen and Bickslow essentially told me that if I didn't get over myself, they'd stop being my friends," Freed smiled. "Other than them, I only had my parents. I couldn't lose them."

They sat in silence, Freed thinking back to the person he was in high school, Laxus perhaps doing the same thing. It was an odd feeling, sitting with someone who somewhat understood what it was like being ashamed of the person you used to be, but knowing you've grown past them. Most people, if they did feel like that, didn't talk about it. It was nice to know that, in Laxus, he had someone he could relate to.

It was also nice to know that he had just come out to Laxus and the blonde hadn't so much as blinked.

"I would have kicked your ass if we went to school together," Laxus declared, smirking.

"You would have tried," Freed corrected, allowing the mood to be lifted. "But, as a child I was also an award-winning fencer. I would have stabbed you before you could hurt me."

"Hard to stab someone when you've been knocked out," Laxus grinned cockily, making a fist. This had the unfortunate side effect of making his bicep flex, and therefore Freed had to avert his gaze.

They chuckled together, enjoying their joke that wasn't particularly funny. It was relaxing to be around with Laxus, and Freed felt as though he could be honest with him in a way that he couldn't be with others. Perhaps that was because he was the first person Freed had gotten to know deeply since his time in school. But that didn't matter, really. Because the important thing was that he enjoyed Laxus.

"Come on," Laxus spoke again. "I don't trust my bandage work. Let's go to the doctors, make sure you ain't gonna get infected or some shit."

And stupidly, Freed's heart fluttered at that.

~~~

"You really are distracted, ain't ya?"

Freed looked up from his hand, which he had placed on the table and was fiddling with, and towards Laxus. The blonde had an expression unknown to Freed, something between being amused and contemplative. Freed frowned.

"I suppose I am," Freed agreed. "I'm sorry. You wanted to do this and I'm being terrible company. What were you saying?"

"It ain't important," Laxus gave a half shrug. "You wanna tell me what's bothering you?"

"As I said, I've got an upcoming case that could be very good for my company," Freed quickly lied, because the truth was now completely untellable. "It's getting to me a little, but it's not as bad as you might think. I just need to rationalise everything."

"Right. So when I texted Evergreen a second ago and she said you don't have anything planned at work, she was lying?" Laxus crossed his arms, and Freed's eyes narrowed.

"You and Evergreen talk?"

"You can bullshit me all you want, but I'm gonna be able to see through it," Laxus said, ignoring Freed's question. "And you don't have to tell me what's actually bothering you, because if it ain't my business then it ain't my business."

Freed wanted to snipe at him. Ask him why, if he believed his words, was he still talking?

"I'm just gonna say this," Laxus continued. "Nothing has to be done if you don't want it to be."

And, in a way, there was the reality that Freed had been hiding from. Because, as much as he didn't want to leave Magnolia behind, he also didn't want to let himself think he could stay. The hard line he had always drawn with the house was that, once it was functional and sellable, he would sell it and get back to his normal life. Not only was it a goal for him to achieve, but it had also turned into a rule he had to follow.

Because his fondness for both the town and Laxus had been gradual, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by Freed. He told himself he had to leave the place behind at some point, and doing that once the house was sold was a way of holding himself accountable. Once the building work had been completed, there was nothing else for him to do in Magnolia.

But that was a lie.

And the only person keeping him true to the rule was himself.

"I always said that I would sell it once everything was fixed," Freed stated, voice flickering into the lawyer tone he denied having.

"Then say something else," Laxus retorted, as if Freed could do that. "Look, I don't know what your life is like when you're in the city. But I know you seem to like being here. So why don't you just keep coming?"

"I-" Freed paused. He needed to think. "My real life is in the city. I can't-"

"Who says that your real life is just in the city? You've been coming here every weekend for months now, it's as much a part of your life as anything," Laxus stated, and his smile made Freed's resolve crumble slightly.

"I told myself that once the house-"

"This isn't about the house" Laxus insisted. "This is about you, fucking idiot. I think being here makes you happy. And if something makes you happy, why stop because of some bullshit rule you set yourself? That ain't smart."

Freed thought, for a moment.

It was almost nauseating to hear Laxus speaking like this, and Freed couldn't explain why. Well, perhaps he could, but the explanation wasn't something he was willing to entertain. Because the only real reason Laxus would be so insistent on Freed returning to Magnolia as he had been doing was because he wanted to keep seeing Freed. He wanted Freed to stop coming as much as Freed wanted to.

But Freed couldn't allow himself to accept that. Because if he did, he'd start wondering why. And then maybe he'd trick himself into thinking that his silly crush was reciprocated. He couldn't.

"There is… more work I could do," Freed spoke without thinking.

"I guess there is," Laxus nodded. "So you're sticking around? For the house"

"For the house."

It wasn't for the house. They both knew it.

[ericlwoods]

Not sure how to start this write up. There is some hesitancy on my part, but not for the usual reasons.

Not for fear of Leica adherent backlash. I am a casual member of the same. Very much enjoyed a brief Leica film dalliance I fully understand the Leica allure.

https://flic.kr/p/26omc7J

And I loved what the Leica M3 (KEH Blog Post here) could do.

https://flic.kr/p/YPNiHi

What happened? As much as I loved the M3 functionally it was a dead end fiscally.

Body: I would rather in body metering. But that means a film M6 (M5 also technically) which currently goes for more than a few brand new full-frame digital cameras.

Lens: Had and loved the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5. But why not a proper Leica? They are quite expensive, especially when you go wider than f/2. Multiples of the cost of the M3 body alone used in fact.

Media: An M mount digital Leica was beyond my reach. The cost of moving to a digital M mount was a hard proposition for me personally.

Sidebar: Not saying digital M mounts are not worth the price. They are. Simply a matter of them costing more than I am willing or able to spend.

What did I do next? I already enjoyed Voigtlander lenses so I went for a less expensive Voigtlander Bessa R2 that has in body metering.

https://flic.kr/p/261676d

Perfect for my purposes for much less spend. So it looks like I dodged the Leica bullet. What happened? Put simply the Q happened.

As soon as it was released back in 2015 I knew the Q would haunt me. Some scoffed at such an expensive all in one camera. Not me. Without knowing anything more the mere fact that this was a camera with:

An AF Summilux lens included where a manual focus M version would cost more alone.

No rangefinder, but zoom and peeking aids like those I grew to appreciate on other mirrorless cameras.

Full frame. As much as I appreciate the Leica name I would not purchase a less than full frame lens Leica product.

I stopped reading further. Knew I was in trouble. A close encounter with a Q in the wild proved problematic as well. On a local photo walk accomplished photographer Edde Burgess took what is still to this day my favorite portrait of me.

Edde took this with his Leica Q that I tried not to look directly at during the walk for too long. In short, I had a medium format film camera in hand and a bag full of digital gear, while Edde was rolling with one self-contained wonder. Still, I resisted.

Then after some years went by…

A Q showed up at my local camera shop recently.

Dang it.

Took it in hand and told myself not to look at the price on the bottom. I looked. Was initially stunned by, but not really surprised by, the price. Holding its value better than I had hoped.

Went home and looked at the prices of examples online and realized the Q really holds its value. This local example was very much priced to move. If I ever was going to get one this would likely have to be it. Dang it.

Went on to finally read and watch the reviews and deep dive into the specs I had all avoided all of these years. Hope was that these would back me down. Snap me out of it. Sheesh. A rare consensus. Praise after praise. And the specs listed features I did not expect of any all in one camera, especially a Leica.

OIS

Found this particularly surprising. My one real bogey, the RX1, does not have this feature. Digital stabilization does not count. Having long become spoiled with OIS it is now a must-have feature.

Macro

So avoided early reviews and specs that I had no idea that it had a macro function. The party piece is the shifting distance markings. Amazing bit of engineering and design that actually works.

Leaf shutter.

Silent shooting with physical shutter up to 1/2000s and flash sync up to 1/500s. Will not ever likely use flash, but the silent shooting is a definite plus.

E-shutter.

Up to 1/16,000s shutter. What? This means completely silent stills in daylight with the aperture wide open without an ND filter any time I want.

WiFi/NFC.

Well implemented remote control and file transfers by all accounts. I see you Leica.

10fps… 10fps!

3 years old and bests the rightly highly regarded newbie 8 fps A7iii (No ding intended. Love that camera. Just facts.).

AF.

Fast and accurate AF on a full frame Leica. That is a ‘take my money’ sentence.

Direct manual focus.

With assists. WIth hard stops. Focus tab with an ingenious AF/MF switch built in.

Not drive by wire. With zoom and peeking. No. it is not a proper rangefinder, but it more than makes up for it with it’s well thought out and elegant implementation.

Face detect AF.

Another ‘take my money’ feature.

Touch screen with touch focus.

Greatly helps to mitigate the omission of a tilt screen for me.

AF Tracking.

Actually works.

Favorites menu.

Most recent firmware I installed added a favorites menu where you can choose what comes up first. Found the menus already to be intuitive and quick to navigate, but this is even better.

User profiles.

Quickly switch between my favorite self defined configurations (B&W/High Speed/Street/Normal) just like I have set on all of my other cameras.

Video.

Not pro grade. No mic jack. Not 4K. But AF tracking is good and more than serviceable for the few occasions I would want to capture video.

Decided a test drive was in order. Does it add up? Have been disappointed in the past when real life experience does not match the hype and/or spec sheet. Not the case here.

Lower price non Leica comparisons.

Having owned and tried many digital cameras (Sony RX1 line, Fuji X100 line, Ricoh GR line and the like) I can honestly say that this camera is greater than the sum of its parts. It is not about capability since any number of cameras can produce excellent images. But even if you took the word Summilux out of the equation this camera matched or bested every camera listed above ergonomically in my book. I spent near no time staring at the camera wondering how to change setting X or Y. Switch to MF? Move the focus wheel on the lens away from AF. Change the aperture manually? Move the dial on the lens off of A. Change the shutter speed manually? Move top plate mounted shutter dial off of A. Change the ISO? Press button on the back marked ISO and turn the wheel. Hey, what is this unmarked dial on the top do? What do you know it adjusts the exposure compensation. All this in the first few moments after having picked up the camera without ever picking up a manual or visiting Youtube. Your mileage may vary, but add the Summilux name back in on top of that (and my notes below) and it is a no brainer for me.

Higher price Leica comparisons.

Leica M acolytes look away until the next paragraph. Nothing to see here… Seems absurd to say, but at the Qs price point there is value to be had here. To achieve the equivalent Leica M specs of this lens and body combination one would need to spend many thousands more for a digital 24MP M 240 body (new or used) or Summilux lens (any focal length used or 28mm new). And I did say ‘or’ not ‘and’. Combine the two and you easily surpass what I paid for my dadmobile daily driver on up into five digits. Some would say that an M advantage is that you can change the lens. Moot point for me. Truth is that if I ever did buy a comparable M lens and body there would be no budget left ever for another lens. And no AF at that price. Tell me of a less expensive AF true Summilux full frame experience anywhere and I am all ears. Not arguing worth. Stating what I am personally willing to pay.

But both comparisons ultimately miss the point. To say the most cliched of cliched things you have to use it and evaluate the results for it to make sense. Hard to relay in words, but since we are here let me try. Imagine if you combine:

Summilux.

I.E. outstanding sharpness wide open, class leading sharpness stopped down a little, great focus fall off, great contrast, creamy bokeh, and wonderful colors. Best lens I own hands down is permafused to this camera.

Near DSLR speed swift and accurate AF acquisition.

Even in low light. How they did this with contrast detect AF only I have no idea. Some Panasonic partner magic perhaps?

10fps.

With useable AF-C tracking in a pinch. That bests all of my other quite capable interchangeable lens cameras.

Best of the best mirrorless manual focus implementation.

Utterly silent shooting.

Best of any digital I own 1/16,000s shutter speed available.

Not to be used for panning/fast moving objects or it will distort, but fantastic in relatively static brightly lit conditions. 1/2000s leaf shutter available if need be for motion.

24.2MP.

This the goldilocks MP count for me. Any less is not enough of a post crop detail safety net for my liking. Any more eats into archive RAW archival storage space quickly and noticeably impacts the speed of my post processing workflow.

Full frame.

Some of my favorite work ever was done in MFT. APS-C is just fine for most all purposes. But if available I prefer full frame.

OIS.

Mentioned above, but deserves mentioning again.

Time lapse, panorama and other scene modes.

Have not gotten around to using any of this yet. But glad it has them.

Macro.

Mentioning again, because this is not just macro writ large on a non macro lens, but actual fast AF wonderfully implemented real deal macro capabilities.

EVF.

Best EVF I have ever used. And I have used a lot of EVFs.

In body 35mm and 50mm field of view crop.

May seem silly since you can crop after the fact. Made more useful since the images are so sharp that cropping still leaves plenty of detail.

Great for sharing real time with the Leica app. Crop while you shoot instead of after the fact.

 If you shoot RAW and JPEG like I do it is the best of both worlds since RAW files are not cropped.

Monochrome JPEGs.

 There are other JPEG settings, but this is the only one that matters to me.

 Small.

No, not as small as the also full frame RX1 line, but tried it and that camera is too small for my beef mitts. Bought and sold two RX100 cameras for the same reason. For me there is such a thing as too small. A nice size with half case and hood, but remove both and I am able to get this camera into a jacket pocket. Plus more compact than a similar M set up. And far more compact than a similarly spec’d A7III and lens. I believe this may be the most compact brighter than f/2 full frame digital camera and body combination on the market currently.

Summilux, summilux, and in conclusion summilux.

But not so fast. There have to be minuses, right?

Focal length.

This was one potential demerit that concerned me. As I have pointed out ad nauseam my usual go-to prime focal length is 50mm or thereabouts. But in use, the 28mm focal length has not proved to be an issue at all. It has forced me to move in to get the shot sometimes, but this is where the small, silent, and quick nature of this camera pays dividends. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed taking shots while in the fray rather than having to back up and away. Has proven handy with environmental candid shots also. And if I do need to step back the bright aperture, ample MPs, accurate focus, and very sharp lens means that cropping is no issue. I should not have been surprised since two of my favorite all in one film cameras are 28mm.

Lack of weatherproofing.

Would have been nice. But not really an issue for me. Some of my cameras are weatherproofed technically and they all get put away at the first sign of rain regardless.

Saved the most biased, eye roll/cringe inducing, subjective assessment for last.

Fun.

Fun to use. Fun to review the results. A highly technical and very capable contraption that is simple to use for any situation that does not require a superwide or telephoto lens. I have cameras that have high keeper rates. The Q is the rare camera that has a high “wow factor” rate. And the only one I own film or digital with that “wow factor’ that does not have some usability compromise involved.

So much so that I have gone from carrying a gear bag everywhere to just carrying this camera. In fact I have already traded quite a bit of the gear the Q displaces without hesitation to partially fund this acquisition.

But lastly it has been out so long you might mention. True. But I know of no camera released since that tops this camera. Some mentioned a Leica Q 2 one day, but why? In my humble opinion there is little that would improve this camera.

So in case you were still wondering I like it. A lot.

Here are some sample shots below and here is a link to an ongoing gallery.

Happy shooting.

-ELW

The Leica Q 4 years on: An amazing camera still. @leica_camera #leicaq #leica #leicaqtype116 Not sure how to start this write up. There is some hesitancy on my part, but not for the usual reasons.

[mic-and-cheese]

Kannon Profile

One sentence description: Former government spy who found happiness in villainy

Full Name: Kasey Bel Nickname: Kannon Reason for Nickname: Kannon is a code name to protect Kasey's identity while time traveling Supervillain Name: Villusionary Age: 21 years (in 1964) Sex: unknown Gender: nonbinary (specifically, ambonec) Place of Birth: unknown Birthday: June 23rd Currently living in: unknown island in the Pacific Species/Race: Human [super] Ethnicity: African American Occupation: government spy or supervillain, depending on point in time Sexual Orientation: greyromantic asexual Social Status: Middle class, upper class as a supervillain Relationship Status: In a relationship/married depending point in time Status: Deceased

Appearance

Body Build: Short and thin, nearly underweight Height: 4’10” Weight: 98 lbs Skin colour: Dark Hair style: Short, slicked back, and a bit choppily cut Hair colour: black and dyed white Eye colour: Dark brown Distinguishing Features: two-toned hair, often scowling but can occasionally be caught making strange expressions for seemingly no reason Preferred Clothing: business casual; likes most things comfortable and modest Accessories: time travel gauntlets

Supersuit: a suit made as a collaboration between Kannon and Syndrome. The suit is made with technology from the 2080's that Kannon had archived before going back in time. It contains a vast number of functions, including the ability to scale walls and ceilings, disguise itself as another person and even replicate their voice, or not be sensed at all, break objects using the breaking frequency of the object itself, fly with the use of rocket boots, is bulletproof, and make basic predictions of an enemy's motion to aid in combat.

Likes/Dislikes

Likes: history and the future, high tech (especially planes), the 1960's, bossa nova music, warm, tropical places, quiet places without a lot of people, small spaces, nature (especially jungles and beaches), contemporary design, documentaries, learning new things Dislikes: loud places, lots of people, the cold, snow, spiders, mornings

Hobbies: reading, watching old movies and documentaries, listening to music, going on long walks, studying aerospace engineering

Habits

Kannon is oddly stiff when they move

They're prone to running their hand through their hair, putting their hand on their chin, not making eye contact and constantly looking around

Kannon is also fidgety with their hands and has picked up some of Syndrome's habits as well

Strengths/Weaknesses

Strengths: intelligent, quick thinker, quick runner

Weakness: emotionally distant, has a hard time understanding and recognizing other people, feels like they don't have a purpose without other people, physically weak, doesn't like to acknowledge their own faults

Skills/Abilities

Though Kannon doesn't know it, they are technically a super. They have the ability to go almost completely unnoticed by others. The power is always in affect, unless Kannon really wants to be noticed, and it doesn't effect people Kannon knows well. Kannon is about as qualified as an astronaut and has a number of skills acquired from their training, such as the ability to fly a plane, do surveillance work, repair a vast assortment of machinery, and administer first aid. Kannon is also skilled at disguising themselves.

Fears

Getting lost, not having a purpose, being trapped, open spaces, plane crashes, fire, losing Syndrome, being the center of attention

Personality

Is a very quiet and secretive person, though very observant. They prefer to spend their time on the sidelines, watching others. In fact, you'll hardly notice they're even there. Despite this, it's not difficult to persuade Kannon into action with the right motivation. Although Kannon enjoys studying small details and can make great connection between them, they tend to be oblivious to them if they aren't pointed out. Because of this, Kannon seems to be a bit spacey

Quiet, and secretive, yet observant. They prefer to spend their time on the sidelines watching others. Kannon hates being part of the action.

Loves studying small details, and can make amazing mental connections between them, but can be oblivious to larger details

Oblivious and emotionally distant in general. Has a hard time expressing genuine emotion and reading others. Their understanding of the emotions of others is more logical than empathetic, and Kannon does not feel sympathy

Kannon feels lost and without a purpose without someone telling them what to do or what goal to work for

Relationships

Family: Biological family unknown, later has two children, twins Hal and Maisy Love interest: Buddy "Syndrome" Pine (Boyfriend/husband depending on point in time) Friends/Allies: Mirage (used to be friends before Mirage stopped working for Syndrome) The Underminer, Baron Von Ruthless, Bomb Voyage, and many other villains (temporary allies) Enemies: Mirage, The Underminer, Baron Von Ruthless, Bomb Voyage, many other villians, all supers, especially the Incredibles, and the NSA

History

Most of Kannon's history prior to time traveling is unknown, especially because one of the unforeseen side effects of time traveling is slowly forgetting events before the travel. Kannon was trained as a government spy somewhat early in their life, though their exact age when they started training is unknown, however, Kannon's vast level of qualifications within their lifetime suggest that they may have begun training as a child, or that most of their knowledge was artificially learned, though they don't remember it.

Kannon time traveled back to the year 1964 in order to document missing information about Syndrome's rise to power that didn't add up. Their mission required them to observe Syndrome's corporation from afar. Because the mission required that Kannon do as little as possible to prevent disturbing the timeline, they often hid in plain sight disguised as an inconspicuous person. In 1964, Kannon used their knowledge and resources to find Mirage in order to get closer to Syndrome's corporation in an inconspicuous manner. Mirage at the time was also a government spy sent to research mysterious activity surrounding Syndrome. Kannon and Mirage quickly became close friends, and the two were hired by Syndrome in 1965. During Kannon's observation, they witnessed the deaths of many supers and Mirage defect to Syndrome's side, as well as the creation of technological advances that were unheard of for their time. While in Kannon's native timeline, they had a great respect and admiration for Syndrome as a superhero and inventor praised by the public, Kannon discovered that Operation Kronos was nothing but a plan to kill off supers while Syndrome created the facade of being a hero. Kannon was revolted at this revelation, but still continued to monitor the corporation's actions until 1970. In 1970, Operation Kronos had nearly come to completion as Mr. Incredible was finally located and brought to Nomanisan Island, yet in Kannon's native timeline, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl had been retired since 1955, yet there they were. Not soon after, Mirage came to Kannon, asking them to abandon Syndrome's mission with her for endangering her life, but Kannon refused for the sake of their mission. By this point, Kannon had realized they were no longer able to travel back to their time due to a timeline inconsistency, unaware that the reason for the inconsistency was because their actions had inadvertently prevented Syndrome's guards from killing the Incredibles family. The realization that they could not return home threw Kannon into a highly unstable crisis that prompted them to ask any other known tech genius they could find to remake the time travel device as soon as they got off Nomanisan, completely overlooking the fact that they could very well jeopardize the future further by interacting so heavily with anyone from this timeline. Only the next day, and Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, two kids presumed to be their children, and Frozone defeated the robot that famously attacked Metroville and in their native timeline was defeated by Syndrome, (the Omnidroid 10, Kannon as discovered). Kannon had been near the scene of the attack, accompanying Syndrome as both back up and as means to escape from Nomanisan when they got an alert that something had gone wrong; Syndrome later devised a plan to ambush the Parr household, but decided instead to kidnap their youngest and previously unknown child to raise as a sidekick. When the Parr's returned home, Syndrome attempted to make his escape with the child, but was foiled as Mr. Incredible threw his car at the Mantajet, throwing Syndrome into the jet's engine, and injuring Kannon to the point that they feared death if they did not quickly remake the time travel device, they'd surely die, if not of their injuries alone, then of an infection or outdated medical practices. They made the decision to save Syndrome, who was at the brink of death, in the hope that Syndrome could somehow recreate their time travel device to send them back to their time, now that Operation Kronos had failed, abruptly ending Kannon's mission and forfeiting any loyalty they once had to the government in favor of simply living. Kannon was able to stay hidden with Syndrome until their small recovery force had arrived, the force composed of some of the few still loyal to Syndrome after Nomanisan had been discovered by the authorities and Syndrome's assets frozen. They then went into hiding on another, smaller island Syndrome had previously prepared in case Nomanisan was compromised and Kannon began to spend their time looking after Syndrome, nursing him back to health. As they continued to interact more and more, they made a deal with one another. Syndrome would recreate Kannon's time travel device in exchange for assistance on his next plan, Operation Zeus once he had recovered enough. After their agreement put them on positive terms with one another and the lonliness of the island forced them to seek out each other for any sort of socialization outside of the few guards, they slowly developed a friendship. A few months later and Syndrome and Kannon's friendship would slip into a relationship. By May of 1970, Operation Zeus was ready to begin. Kannon began to contact other supervillains to work for them, promising high tech weapons and money in the future in exchange for creating incidents of terror and robbing banks to supply funding for later phases, and by 1971, using some of the funding provided by the villains they hired, Syndrome and Kannon were able to create a new, state of the art supersuit that allowed Kannon to artificially use a wide variety of superpowers, and expand their island operations. The competion of this suit marked the beginning of Operation Zeus' phase 2; Villusionary became Kannon's supervillian identity, hacking into systems, stealing blueprints, technology, and secret documents from heroes and villains alike, including many of the very villains they had hired. Having acquired these new plans, various technologies, and weapons, Syndrome began to improve upon both his and Kannon's supersuits, as well as using the information they gained to discover the weaknesses of those they stole from. Though whispers of the thief had begun to spread in both superhero and villain circles, the cloaking abilities of both Kannon's suit and their natural abilities prevented them from being spotted. In 1972, Syndrome was finally able to recreate a compatible time travel device by using parts from Kannon's device and purposefully hacking into them to prevent them from shutting off after detecting a timeline inconsistency, and having recovered enough to continue Operation Zeus on his own, began to prepare for Kannon to return to their own time. However, by this point, Kannon had become accustomed to the 1970's, and loved Syndrome too much to simply leave, all the while their memories of the 2090's were beginning to fade, so Kannon decided to stay. By 1974, Syndrome and Kannon got married and had two children, twins Hal and Maisy and decide to put Operation Zeus on a semi-hiatus to raise them. Though Kannon no longer used the Villusionary persona, Syndrome continued to make modifications upon the previously stolen tech, including one particular invention, the hypnotism technology created by Evelyn Deavor. Meanwhile, Hal and Maisy were brought up taught to believe that their parents were superheroes in the sheltered environment of the island. In 1984, they resumed Operation Zeus and begin phase 3, using the modified hypnotism technology, no longer in the form of googles, but instead as a chip small enough to be injected into the eyes. Once again under the guise of Villusionary, Kannon began tracking down supers and inserting the chips as they slept, each chip programmed to hypnotize the supers into a frenzied, destructive state. Now with supers going rogue and the villains they previously hired ordered to go on massive rampages worldwide, the public has no choice but to rely on Syndrome as their hero, spreading the false narrative of a former villain who found the good in his heart to become a hero and save the people from a spreading epidemic of violence, while Villusionary masqueraded as the sole mastermind behind the crime spree to throw the public off Syndrome's trail while also giving him a nemesis to "defeat." Under their theatrical reign, they killed several of the villains they had hired, and jailed dozens of supers, only for them to "break out" in order continue the charade. However, with the sudden reemergence of Syndrome, Mirage was quickly on his and Kannon's trail; though she had previously believed that Kannon and Syndrome had both been killed in the plane crash. Mirage eventually tracked down Syndrome and Kannon to their home, and though she did not find Syndrome, she found Villusionary, who profusely denied being Kannon and telling her that Syndrome was dead. Mirage knew this was all a lie and got into a fight with Villusionary, and severely damaged the suit's mask, forcing Villusionary to reveal themselves as Kannon. After their discovery, Kannon was able to make their escape after Mirage's failed attempt to capture them, but not before Mirage caught a short glimpse of Hal and Maisy fleeing with Kannon, the kids' similarities to their father further proving that Syndrome had been alive far longer than Mirage had originally thought. The family's discovery by Mirage forced them to relocate and prematurely put Operation Zeus into full swing, planning to stage a massacre of the NSA to prevent any information of their discovery from becoming public knowledge. Though the massacre was a success, what Kannon and Syndrome hadn't anticipated was that the villians they hadn't killed were hungry for revenge after word of their betrayal spread, forcing them to relocate again, and calling off Operation Zeus until further notice. Finally, in May of 1992, Kannon and Syndrome were cornered and killed by the villains they had betrayed that had once again tracked them down. Hal and Maisy were able to get away and in 1993 used the repaired time travel devices to go to the year 2094 to escape the wrath of heroes and villains alike who wanted them dead purely for the actions of their parents. Hal and Maisy would go on to become superheroes and open a supervillain reform center.

Trivia

Despite Kannon's love of technology, they have a rather difficult time using it. Though this is only because they're not used to technology from the 60's and 70's. They're much more proficient in Syndrome's tech and tech from their own time, though they got used to it eventually

Kannon pretends they don't care much for music, but in reality loves a wide variety of genres and will often hum or dance to it when they're alone

Kannon mostly calls Syndrome Buddy, but will often switch names, usually taking minute cues from their own or Syndrome's mood. Their use of the names is a very personal aid to their communication, with each name having different connotations

Because Kannon is a historian, they like to document events and daily things that seem mundane to most people

Favourites

Food: pretty much anything with shrimp Colour: black Animal: tasmanian devil Number: 5 Holiday: New Years Season: Summer Time of day: Night Genre of music: Bossa Nova Genre of literature: Non-fiction Genre of shows: Documentary Genre of movies: Action, old horror movies

Health

General health: Excellent, doesn't get sick easily Any physical illnesses?: No Any mental illnesses?: developed PTSD after the plane crash Take drugs?: No Smoke?: No

Mental/Emotional State

Archetype(s): Career Criminal, Champion, Seeker, Turncoat Act before thinking/Think before acting?: Think before acting Emotion-wise, generally: distant, numb, perceives their own and others emotions with logic rather than feeling

Conversation

Way of speaking: very slight southern accent, speaks in a very academic manner Common conversation starter: "Tell me about it." Swears?: Like a fucking sailor. Usually only swears for sarcasm or if surprised, rarely swears when angry

Education/Intelligence

Education: Unknown, but presumably highly educated in multiple fields like psychology, history, anthropology, sociology, mathematics, computer science and engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering IQ: 145 EQ: 60

Secrets

They are fascinated by death, destruction, and suffering. They don't like those things per say, but they find them interesting

Kannon didn’t believe they could fall in love before meeting Syndrome

Kannon wishes they were more musically inclined, but hasn't done much to pursue it

Kannon hides most small details from people, even if they aren't things that need to be hidden

They are somewhat of a pathological liar, though their lies are mostly white lies. These lies rarely get discovered because they're usually not things people look into, and Kannon remembers them well. Many of their lies they make up on the spot for no reason and haven't even realized that they were lying until they've already spoken

Kannon is scared of cats and horses

[newyorktheater]

  Hamilton Off-Broadway in February, 2015 with original cast memberstop left to right: Phillipa Too as Eliza Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr,Bottom left to right: Okieriete Onaodowan , Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Anthony Ramos. See July 3

Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry. See July 2

Amadeus, see July 16

We Are Freestyle Love Supreme, see July 17

Carousel. See July 10

Heroes of the Fourth Turning . See July 18

Below is the day-by-day calendar of “theater openings”* in July, 2020. The big news is the release of “Hamilton” online at Disney Plus — and (less hyped) the “Freestyle Love Supreme” documentary on Hulu — but in truth Lin-Manuel Miranda’s shows are not all that’s exciting this month in the world of online theater — a world in which “online” and “theater” have been synonymous since physical theaters were shut down in March (though there are small signs this may be changing; see July 13). And most of the other shows don’t require subscriptions.

Among the scheduled delights are acclaimed plays by Pulitzer finalist Will Arbery (July 18) and MacArthur “genius” grant winner Samuel D. Hunter (July 11), as well as a new Richard Nelson Apple Family play (July 1) and a new documentary play about frontline medical workers by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, creators of The Exonerated and Coal Country (July 8.) There a couple of inventive substitutions for the usual summer theater festivals.

Since so many shows are being put together at the last minute — sometimes not announced until the very day of their launch .. and there also have been fairly frequent last-minute postponements/cancellations/replacements — I will be updating/filling in this preview guide every day, and highlighting the offerings each new day with the link up top. This calendar as of this moment offers a glimpse of what’s in store. Come back day by day for a better look.

Here are some ongoing series that have proven to be reliable sources of art and entertainment.

Four offer live performances (often called readings) of original plays: The Homebound Project Livelabs: One Acts from MCC Play-PerView Viral Monologues from 24 Hour Plays

Play-PerView makes an exception this month to its original plays with what counts as a coup — the live reading of the Pulitzer finalist play “Heroes of the Fourth Turning” (which was supposed to debut last month but was postponed, as were a good number of productions due to the Black Lives Matter protests.)

A fifth offers live readings of classics and recent favorites: Plays in the House, Stars in the House’s twice weekly matinees  and now Plays in the House Teen Edition.

Three offer recordings of previous (glorious) stage productions.

Metropolitan Opera National Theatre at Home The Shows Must Go On from Andrew Lloyd Webber

For details about these and other ongoing series, check out my post Where To Get Your Theater Fix Online  (which lists, for example, the many long-running online sites such as BroadwayHD and Marquee TV that offer video-capture recordings of shows that were on stage)

All performances are free unless otherwise noted, although almost all hope for a donation (either to themselves or to a designated charity.)

*My definition of theater for the purposes of this calendar generally does not extend to variety shows, cast reunions, galas, panel discussions, documentaries, classes, interviews — all of which are in abundance this month, many worth checking out. My focus here is on creative storytelling in performance. (I make an occasional exception for a high-profile Netathon,involving many theater artists.)

A reminder that this calendar lists when the shows “open.” Some are live and available only for that one performance. Others are available for a week or weeks afterward or longer.

July 1

Die Mommie Die Plays in the House Launches at 2 p.m. Available for four days. In this latest of Stars in the House’s Wednesday matinees, Charles Busch is joined by BD Wong, Willie Garson, Brandon Contreras, Jennifer Cody and Ruth Williamson in this reading of his campy 1999 melodrama Die, Mommie, Die!, a mix of Aeschylus and Bette Davis.Directed and narrated by Carl Andress.

The Book of Job Project Theater of War Launches at 4 p.m. live only The latest from Bryan Doerries terrific community-oriented theater using classic texts (best-known for Antigone in Ferguson), is a dramatic reading of The Book of Job as a catalyst for discussion about injustice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring performances by Jeffrey Wright, Frankie Faison, Kimberly Hebert, David Strathairn, David Zayas, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

And So We Come Forth Apple Family Productions Launches at 7:30 pm. Available for 8 weeks The Apple Family, a dramatic series of plays which first appeared 10 years ago, returned last April with the premiere of a play written especially for Zoom, What Do We Need to Talk About? Now this second Zoom play, And So We Come Forth is set in early July 2020, amidst massive protests against injustice and racism in our country, as well as the anxious easing of a worldwide lockdown.

Richard II, part 1 Shakespeare@ Home

Shostakovich’s The Nose Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m., available for 23 hours It all begins with an absurd scenario: A hapless Russian bureaucrat wakes up one morning to discover that his nose has gone missing. He eventually locates his fugitive facial feature, which has been masquerading as a human being, but has no luck reattaching it. Based on a satirical short story by Nikolai Gogol

Mary’s Mixology The Tank Launches at 8 p.m. Kev Berry’s monologue about his first year on the wagon. “What does it mean for a gay man to give up liquid courage?”

Borders Queerly Festival Launches at 8:30 p.m. live Boaz and George meet on Grindr. They are attracted to one another instantly and want to meet in person, but something prevents them from doing so. One lives in Israel, the other- in Lebanon. Also Friday at 3 p.m. The festival also offers three short plays tonight starting at 7 p.m.: Before We Can Make a Final Decision, Backup Plan, and an excerpt from “I Tried” by Veronica Garza, “my one woman show that I’ve been working on about the men I slept with in my struggles to be straight”

  July 2

Les Blancs National Theater Launches 2 p.m. Available until July 9 In this final play by Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun), in a production directed by Yael Farber in 2016, a society prepares to drive out its colonial present and claim an independent future. Tshembe, returned home from England for his father’s funeral, finds himself in the eye of the storm.

Hypochondriac! Theater in Quarantine Launches at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The first installment of a new adaptation of Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid by David McGee and Joshua William Gelb.Featuring Gelb, Jessie Shelton, and Alex Hawthorne

Bizet’s Carmen Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m., available for 23 hours The tale of the irresistible and free-spirited Gypsy, whose fatal attraction with the jealous soldier Don José burns too hot for them to control.

July 3

Hamilton Disney Plus Available from this date on. A live-capture of the stage production with the original Broadway cast, which was shot over three days in June 2016. A Disney Plus subscription is required. One way to look at this is that it costs $6.99 to see “Hamilton” and you get a month to watch everything else on the service (which includes titles familiar to theatergoers though not the same versions — Frozen, The Lion King, Aladdin.) Here is my video review of “Hamilton” in 2015:

Here is my review of Hamilton on Broadway in 2019

  Mozart’s Don Giovanni Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m., available for 23 hours Mozart’s 1747 melodic version of the Don Juan myth, with two baritones starring alongside one another as the title Lothario and his faithful yet conflicted servant, Leporello, as well as three memorable female roles—multifaceted women who both suffer the Don’s abuses and plot their revenge.

July 4

Donizetti’s Don Pasquale Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m., available for 23 hours Beverly Sills stars in her final performance as a clever young widow, who goes up against a crusty old bachelor, no match for her wiles.

A Capitol Fourth PBS 8 – 9:30 p.m. The annual July 4 celebration will feature new performances from locations across the country, as well as highlights from the concert’s 40-year history. Among the performers are theater artists Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, Mandy Gonzalez and Renée Fleming

July 5

Rossini’s La Donna del Lago Metropolitan Opera Launches at 7:30 p.m. available for 23 hours The retelling of Sir Walter Scott’s shadowy epic of clan warfare in 16th-century Scotland, which is at heart a classic love triangle.

July 6

Summer Stock Streaming Festival Mint Theater Available through July 19 Archival recordings of three old and forgotten plays that the Mint resurrected (which is what they do; I saw two of these on stage and found them fascinating.) “The Fatal Weakness” written in 1946 by George Kelly: Society woman Ollie Espenshade, after 28 years of marriage is still an incurable romantic (her fatal weakness). Perhaps discovering that her husband is a lying cheat will cure her?

“The New Morality” written in 1911 by Harold Chapin who died at age 29 in World War I: A comedy set aboard a houseboat on a fashionable reach of the Thames in 1911, in which brazen Betty Jones restores dignity to her household and harmony to her marriage.

“Women Without Men,” written in 1938 by Hazel Ellis: An all-female cast tells this humor-laced tale set in the teacher’s lounge of a private girls boarding school in Ireland in the 1930’s, where young new teacher Jean Wade, popular with her students but at odds with her quarrelsome colleagues, is accused of sabotaging her main antagonist.

July 8

Unveiled Premiere Stages at Keane Separate live showings at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets $10 Rohina Malik plays five Muslim women navigating complex social issues in a post 9/11 world. Following the screening, Ms. Malik will host a live Q & A with all ticket holders.

The Line Public Theater Launches at 7:30 p.m. Available until August 4. This new documentary play by Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen (The Exonerated, Coal Country) presents the experiences of frontline medical workers in New York and their battle to save lives in a system built to serve the bottom line. The cast includes Santino Fontana, Arjun Gupta, John Ortiz, Alison Pill ,Nicholas Pinnock , Jamey Sheridan and Lorraine Toussaint

July 9

The Deep Blue Sea National Theatre Launches at 2 p.m. available until July 16 In this play by Terence Rattigan, Hester Collyer (Helen McCrory) is found by her neighbours in the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt, which leads to the story of her tempestuous affair with a former RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge.

July 10

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel Lincoln Center Launches at 8 p.m. The latest of Lincoln Center’s Broadway Fridays (rescheduled from June 5) features a free digital stream of its concert production of this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical featuring the New York Philharmonic and starring Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe, Shuler Hensley, Jason Danieley,Jessie Mueller, Kate Burton, Tony winner John Cullum, and New York City Ballet dancers Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck.

Freedom Riders An online reading of Richard Allen and Taran Gray’s award-winning Freedom Riders: The Civil Rights Musical

July 11

The Few Play-PerView Written and directed by Samuel D. Hunter, featuring Gideon Glick: Four years ago, Bryan abandoned his labor of love: a newspaper for truckers. Now he’s returned—with no word of where he’s been—and things have changed. His former lover is filled with rage, his new coworker is filled with incessant adoration, and his paper is filled with personal ads.

July 12

Hershey Felder: Beethoven Based on Memories of Beethoven: Out of the House of Black-Robed Spaniards, a first-hand account by Dr. Gerhard von Breuning.

July 13

Plays about memory loss Food for Thought Productions 1:30 p.m. — 3:30 Louise Lasser and Bob Dishey star in this in-person event of three short plays (Arthur Miller’s “I Can’t Remember Anything,” Robert Anderson’s “I’m Herbert” and Daniel Rose’s “Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem”) held at The Coffee House Club, 22 West 44th Street, available first come, first served by calling 646-366-9340 or emailing info@foodforthoughtproductions. However, “if you’d rather watch from home, you can request the Zoom link.” staged reading of short plays about memory loss starring Tony nominee Bob Dishy and Louise Lasse

Richard II, part 1 Public Theater/WNYC 8 p.m. Saheem Ali directs this radio adaptation of Richard II, the Bard’s take on how the title monarch lost his crown. André Holland (Moonlight) stars, and the supporting cast includes Oscar winner Estelle Parsons, Tony winner Phylicia Rashad and Tony nominee John Douglas Thompson. The production will be broadcast in four installments from Monday, July 13 through Thursday, July 16 at 8 p.m. ET nightly on WNYC. Listeners in the New York tri-state area can tune in at 93.9 FM or AM 820. It will also stream nationwide at WNYC.org.

July 14

Richard II, part 2 Public Theater/WNYC 8 p.m. Saheem Ali directs this radio adaptation of Richard II, the Bard’s take on how the title monarch lost his crown

July 15

The Homebound Project Available through July 19 The fourth edition

The Droll Bard of the Gate Launches at 7 p.m Meg Miroshnik’s play is the second offering in Paula Vogel’s play series,

Richard II, part 3 Public Theater/WNYC 8 p.m. Saheem Ali directs this radio adaptation of Richard II, the Bard’s take on how the title monarch lost his crown. licia Rashad as the Duchess of Gloucester.

July 16

Amadeus National Theatre Launches 2 p.m. Available until July 23 Lucian Msamati portrays the envious court composer Antonio Salieri who is envious of the obnoxious genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart In this popular play by Peter Shaffer that was turned into an Oscar-winning film.

Richard II, part 4 Public Theater/WNYC 8 p.m. Saheem Ali directs this radio adaptation of Richard II, the Bard’s take on how the title monarch lost his crown.

July 17

“We Are Freestyle Love Supreme” Hulu A documentary about the improv theater company co-founded by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Virtual Fire Island Dance Festival he first-ever stream in the event’s 26-year history will feature world premieres of three new pieces and three beloved festival favorites.

July 18

Heroes of the Fourth Turning Play PerView Will Arbery’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist will now take place July 18 at 8 PM ET on Play-PerView after postponing the June 13 reading in solidarity with Black Lives Matter

July 20

Project Sing Out! Playbill Launches at 7 p.m. A one-night-only livestreamed event featuring musical performances, spoken word and special appearances from a variety of Broadway and TV’s biggest names, including Audra McDonald, Chirta Rivera, Don Cheadle, Vanessa Willams.

July 21

Coriolanus Bedlam

July 25

Knife to the Heart Play-PerView In this play by Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin, ulie Ann and Marshall are expecting their first baby—with Marshall’s mother Rhonda hovering over them and Julie Ann’s fellow teacher Deacon providing moral support. Everything’s going smoothly until Julie Ann accidentally learns just what exactly the bris Rhonda’s planning involves, and all good will and politeness dissolve.

July 2020 Online Theater Openings: Hamilton, PLUS. What’s streaming day by day Below is the day-by-day calendar of “theater openings”* in July, 2020. The big news is the release of "Hamilton" online at Disney Plus -- and (less hyped) the "Freestyle Love Supreme" documentary on Hulu -- but in truth Lin-Manuel Miranda's shows are not all that's exciting this month in the world of online theater -- a world in which "online" and "theater" have been synonymous since physical theaters were shut down in March (though there are small signs this may be changing; see July 13).

[biofunmy]

Where Libraries are the Tourist Attractions

About a decade ago libraries across the world faced a dilemma. Their vital functions — to supply books and access to information for the public — were being replaced by Amazon, e-books and public Wi-Fi.

To fight for their survival, said Loida Garcia-Febo, president of the American Library Association, libraries tried to determine what other role they could play. “They invented these amazing new initiatives that are finally launching now,” she said. It took them this long to raise money and build them.

Libraries are certainly having a moment. In the past few years dozens of new high-profile libraries have opened close to home and across the world. And they certainly don’t resemble the book-depot vision of libraries from the past.

To attract visitors from home and abroad, many libraries have advanced, even quirky amenities. They have rooftop gardens, public parks, verandas, play spaces, teen centers, movie theaters, gaming rooms, art galleries, restaurants and more. The new library in Aarhus, Denmark, has a massive gong that rings whenever a mother in a nearby hospital gives birth.

Ms. Garcia-Febo knows of multiple libraries offering free work space for growing numbers of entrepreneurs. These aren’t just alternatives to coffee shops, spaces for people to pull out their laptops and work. The libraries have fancy meeting rooms for them to meet with potential clients, business librarians who can help them solve their financial challenges, and classes to teach them vital skills. At no cost, it’s a much cheaper option than spending hundreds of dollars for a desk at WeWork.

Libraries are supplying the public with other features they may not have at home. Twenty years ago that was books. Now it’s expensive new technology like 3D printers, laser cutters and broadcasting studios for podcasts and movies. Visitors are going to libraries to try before they buy. Other people just want to play with something that may not ever be able to afford.

Meeting diverse needs requires a sophisticated building, and many libraries are employing the world’s best architects to create showstopping designs. The new buildings are transforming skylines, going viral on social media and attracting tourists from all over the world. For many of these libraries the books are overshadowed by other amenities.

Here’s a look at some of the world’s newest and most creative libraries.

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki Central Library Oodi

On Dec. 6, 2018, Finland celebrated its 101st anniversary of independence from Russia. One day before, the Finns received an anniversary present: a new central library named Oodi.

The library’s facade is made almost entirely of spruce, sourced from Finland. It has steel and glass structures mixed in, creating a soft, inviting look. The Helsinki government allocated 68 million euros to the project as well as a prime spot opposite the Finnish Parliament (the federal government provided 30 million more). A local firm, ALA Architects, won the commission over 543 other competitors.

Only one third of the 185,000-square-foot space is allocated to books (transported by specially designed robots); the rest is community space designed for meeting and doing.

At the “book heaven” on the top floor, visitors sprawl out among potted trees and on specially commissioned wool carpets. An urban workshop on the second floor has sewing machines, scanners and printers as well as laser cutters and soldering stations, with spaces allocated to sewing, making badges, and even playing the drums. There is room for pop-up markets and entrepreneurs can rent out work stations to meet with colleagues or clients. There are pop-up information desks where organizations can inform visitors about their work.

In March, Oodi welcomed its one millionth visitor. “We have tourists from all over the world visiting, but mainly from Europe mostly, China, Japan and America,” said Anna-Maria Soininvaara, the library’s director. “Usually they want to experience the Maker Space and ask where all the books are because the shelves are always half empty because they’re all on loan.”

Dublin, Ireland

Museum of Literature

On St. Stephen’s Green, the Central Park of Dublin, there are three grand Georgian buildings, one of which was built by the architect Richard Cassels (also known as Richard Castle) in the 1700s. Behind them are lush Victorian gardens that open up to more secret oases. One has a 200-year-old strawberry tree.

These structures were previously the original home of the University College Dublin, where many of Ireland’s most famous writers studied. On September 20, they will be open to the public for the first time, as home to the Museum of Literature Ireland, or MoLI.

Visitors will be able to see the old physics theater where James Joyce set a chapter of his “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” and the original print of “Ulysses,” famously called copy number 1. The bedroom of poet Gerard Manley Hopkins is still intact and will be available for viewing. Private letters from Joyce have been pulled out of storage for display.

The museum will also have a Joyce Research library and a reading room. There will be seats for working in the garden. “We are re-landscaping what we think is the only publicly accessible historic house garden in Dublin,” said Simon O’Connor, the museum’s director. “We take that responsibility seriously.”

He’s also excited about the museum’s radio station that will broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Academics, musicians, and writers passing through the cities can stop in,” he said. “This is a living, breathing thing.”

Calgary’s New Central Library has a train running through it, as the site was designed to accommodate an active Light Rail Transit Line that already existed. The lobby is an arched bridge that lets locomotives go under it, and in “living rooms” patrons can sit on swirly chairs and watch them zoom by all day.

The library, which opened last November, was built to replace the existing downtown branch. “The old central library location was almost too small from the moment it opened,” said Kate Thompson, the vice president of development who led the project. “Calgary’s population has doubled since that time.” The new building offers 60 percent more space.

The library goes from “fun” to “serious” as visitors ascend the spiral staircase. On lower floors there are two cafes, a teen center, a children’s space and a 320-seat theater. The highest floor is the Great Reading Room, a more traditional library space surrounded by wooden planks. “There are no signs on the walls to ask for silence,” said Ms. Thompson. “But the room is always in a state of hushed silence as people study and read within the wooden oasis.”

Calgary is one of many Canadian cities getting a new super-library, as the locals call them. Ottawa is spending $192.9 million on a library scheduled to open in 2024 that will highlight views of the scenic Ottawa River and an exhibit space for the national archives of Canada. And in February 2020, Edmonton, Alberta, plans to debut its new Milner Library. Among its amenities will be a 65-inch multi-touch table in the lobby for visitors to play games, participate in surveys and make digital art.

Doha, Qatar

Qatar National Library

Designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, the Qatar National Library, which opened in April 2018, is all about symbolism, a physical representation of the country’s reverence for learning.

The entry way is full of stacks housing almost one million books, including 137,000 for children and 35,000 for teens. “The way they are built on an incline, it looks like they are coming out of the floor,” said Dr. Sohair Wastawy, the library’s executive director. “It elevates the books and the knowledge people are looking for.”

The 72-foot-tall ceiling is made entirely of glass, drilling home the message that light is essential to learning. The Heritage Library, composed of 11 rooms full of objects significant to Qatar and the region, is sunk 20 feet into the ground; it looks like an excavation site. “The symbolism is that heritage is the root of the nation, the root of the land,” Dr. Wastawy said.

What the library has in looks it also has in programming. Every month the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra performs for the public for free. This is only one of the 80 to 90 free events the library holds monthly. One of the most popular activities is a knitting group. Women come every Thursday and stay for four hours. There are labs for writing music, broadcast rooms with green screens, and play spaces for children of all ages.

“The public didn’t have that kind of community space, only cafes and shops to meet,” said Ms. Wastaway. “Now the library is the place the entire family can come for the entire day without getting bored.”

Tianjin, China

Tianjin Binhai Library

The Tianjin Binhai Library was built for practical purposes, to serve the Binhai New Area, which was formed in 2009 by the merger of three districts of Tianjin, a port city in northeastern China. It opened in October 2017 and has everything you would expect from a library: reading rooms, learning spaces, book storage and a large archive. But the majority of guests don’t go there to utilize the services. They visit from all over the world to see the fantastical architecture created by the Dutch firm MVRDV and local architects from the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute.

“I think for the first week the library had around 10,000 visitors per day,” said Winy Maas, a founding partner with MVRDV and the architect responsible for the library. “People were lining up in the street to enter!”

The 363,000-square-foot space is painted floor to ceiling in pure white. In the middle of the space is a spherical auditorium nicknamed “the eye.” Around it are undulating floor-to-ceiling shelves that form waves. On the lower levels there are shelves with real books. On the upper levels the shelves contain aluminum plates with paintings of books on them, due in part to fire regulations.) Staircases are incorporated into the bookshelves: It’s a popular place for selfies and Instagram posts.

The space also has two rooftop decks offering views of the surrounding area. More traditional parts of the library are found to the side and below the attention-grabbing lobby.

The Central Library in Austin opened its doors on October 2017 with the Texas belief that bigger is always better. With six floors and 200,000-square-feet of space, it is twice the size of the former Old Faulk Central Library and located less than half a mile away.

The library sits next to Shoal Creek and Lady Bird Lake, areas of natural beauty. Many amenities take advantage of the location by focusing on the outdoors. Wrap-around-porches serve as reading rooms. The children’s room has a reading porch adjacent to it and a giant chess set just outside.

“The design gives you a sense of peace,” said Ms. Garcia-Febo, the library association president who recently visited the space. “It is very helpful for communities to have these spaces where they can feel peace.”

There is a seed library where users can check out seeds and plant them at home. The library even makes its own solar energy (30 percent of the building’s energy is generated this way) and collects rainwater in a 373,000 gallon cistern. It is used in the restrooms and for landscape irrigation.

One of the even quirkier features of the new library is a “technology petting zoo” on the fifth floor where visitors can play with new gadgets they don’t yet (or might not ever) own. They can draw on tablets, test out Philips Hue smart Wifi-lights, create their own model on a 3D printer, or record a song on a Spire Studio.

Oslo, Norway

Deichman Bjørvika

Construction of a new main branch of Deichman, Oslo’s public library, is currently underway in the newly established neighborhood of Bjørvika. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2020, it will serve as a public landmark, time capsule and entertainment hub.

This library is designed to see and be seen. The top of the building cantilevers, seen from downtown Oslo and the train station. Large, open entrances will be placed on the east, west, and south sides to welcome visitors from many directions. At night the library will change colors to reflect the events taking place that evening. Viewing areas inside the library will offer spectacular views of Oslo, the fjord, and the city’s green, rolling hills.

Inside the library, a room storing secret manuscripts won’t be opened until 2114, part of The Future Library Project conceived by the artist Katie Paterson. Every year from 2014 to 2114 a popular writer is creating a unique manuscript written on local paper (a forest of 1,000 trees was planted for the project.) After the 100 year period they can finally be read publicly.

More visitors will use the library’s entertainment facilities, including a large movie theater and a gaming zone that allows patrons to battle one another in public. (It’s one way to get teens in the door.)

Sahred From Source link Travel

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[ciathyzareposts]

Missed Classic 69: Borrowed Time (1985) – Introduction

Written by Joe Pranevich

If you are like me, sometimes research takes you places that you don’t expect. When I started into Batman Returns, I expected to find that it was a half-assed game produced by a no-name little software outlet who won the minimum bid to make the ninth licensed game based on the 1992 movie. And, it might still be that. I haven’t even looked at the game yet as I wait for a copy of the manual to arrive by mail. (I’ll be donating it to the Internet Archive once I wrap up my review.) Instead, I discovered the story of Subway Software and one of it founders, Bill Kunkel.

Rather than jump straight into Batman, I’d like to tell Mr. Kunkel’s story through a different game: an illustrated text adventure called Borrowed Time, Subway Software’s first release. As so many of these games were, it was a multi-party affair: developed by Interplay using their adventure game engine, based on a story and design by Kunkel’s company, and published by Activision. This was still around four months before Activision bought Infocom so it is not quite a cousin to the games that we have looked at in the Zork marathon, but it is a sign that they were interested in the interactive fiction genre. Borrowed Time has kidnapping, murder, and at least one HIPAA violation. It was also pretty fun to play to whet my appetite for Batman. Let’s get to it.

Bill Kunkel, enjoying a pizza in 2005.

Prior to doing my usual pre-game research, I had never heard of Bill Kunkel. That’s not unusual; while we have a few designers that we’ve come know very well, the majority of the staff in any given game is anonymous. I claim no special talent or access to sources, but a combination of Google and digging through old magazines and interviews usually gives us a picture. For some of these games, I enjoy the research even more than the playthrough! As I dug into Kunkel’s history, the information just kept coming: his writing projects, his impact on the history of video games, and even his battles with drug addiction. As a game journalist, he wrote hundreds of articles over four decades, not to mention fanzines on several topics, plus edited multiple magazines. He was an expert witness on several of the legal battles that shaped our industry. There’s no way for me to read and absorb all that in a couple of weeks, but he comes off to me as a fan’s fan. He loved conventions and fanzines, comic books and professional wrestling, and the gaming journalism that he would become famous for. Along the way, almost by accident, he ended up writing games. It’s a fun story– no doubt exaggerated by his own talent for self-promotion– but one that I am happy to share.

Bill’s writing career began in fandom, producing an independent science-fiction fan magazine called Genook when he was just seventeen years old. Genook was followed by Rats!, another fan magazine, but by this point he was establishing himself as a member of the New York fan community. It was through these fan-connections that he was introduced to Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley, a husband and wife pair who would become his long-time friends and collaborators. They are themselves worthy of a series of posts, a constant presence in almost every one of Kunkel’s projects. One of their first collaborations would be another fan magazine, Four-Star Extra, where the four of them would each write an article every month on a chosen topic. They introduced Kunkel to the DC writer and editor Denny O’Neil at one of their weekly fandom parties; it was through that connection that Bill sold his first comic book script, eventually to be published in the anthology comic House of Mystery. (Kunkel’s memoirs state that he sold this story in 1971, but the earliest I found it was in House of Mystery #252 in 1977. I am uncertain whether this story was shelved for many years, published without a by-line, or if the online comic book databases are incomplete for this period.) Based on this connection, Kunkel became a freelance “fill-in” author for DC comics, writing stories that would be held back and used if the regular stories of the issue were delayed. While they were sold, it is unclear how many (if any) were used by DC. It was not glamorous, but he was working in comics!

Several of Kunkel’s later games seem inspired by these early interests. 

Without making it as more than a fill-in writer in comics, Kunkel embarked on a project in a different segment of fandom: professional wrestling. He and his near-permanent partners, Katz and Worley, wrote and distributed a magazine called Main Event featuring photography and articles about WWWF stars and matches. The WWWF was the precursor of the WWF and later the WWE. Kunkel both wrote and photographed for the magazine which was sold at WWWF events, with the support and permission of Vince McMahon, Sr. The magazine led Kunkel and Kats doing radio, a 1AM Main Event wrestling talk show on New York’s WHBI. Although Kunkel folded the magazine after a short time, he continued to love and write about wrestling for the remainder of his career.

By 1976, Kunkel was back writing comics. The second time was a charm and DC gave him higher profile work including a shot at reviving a 1940s character, “The Vigilante”, in World’s Finest. Looking back on his time at DC, Kunkel remarked that he worked on “Lois Lane, The Private Life of Clark Kent, Vigilante, romance stories, horror stories and Jor-El only knows what all else”. But Kunkel did not enjoy the corporate environs of DC and switched teams to work in the “bullpen” at Marvel. Once there, he worked on “Spiderman, Captain America, The Falcon, Wonder Man, Dr. Strange, and some fill-in stories that may still be sitting in the office files”. Even that work didn’t last long and he was shortly doing uncredited and low-paying work writing Richie Rich for Harvey Comics. He ricocheted around the industry, doing stints or freelance work for everyone that would pay him. By 1978 however, Kunkel’s life was falling apart. He was unable to make a living and considered himself a “parasite” on his wife and his marriage. By his own admission, he was already battling drug addiction. He needed a big break.

The very first “Electronic Games” in 1981. Can Asteroids conquer Space Invaders? We still want to know.

Kunkel’s “big idea” came in 1979 when he started writing “Arcade Alley”, a regular column in Video magazine. It is dramatically oversimplifying the story to say that he was onto something, that very few others were covering the nascent home video game industry. By 1981, this idea took form as Kunkel was able to convince Reese Publishing to back his new project, Electronic Games, with him as a writer and editor. The first issue soared off the shelves and the magazine quickly became a monthly, documenting and promoting the first era of home video games. Perhaps ironically, the magazine landed just as his marriage was ending. Kunkel was a leading voice in game journalism throughout the first age of video games, but the crash in 1983 that led to so many unsold E.T. cartridges also led to a decline in fortunes at Electronic Games. By 1985, he and his partners were out and the magazine’s first life was over. For Kunkel, Katz, and Worley, it was time to embark on the next phases of their careers. Enter: Subway Software.

Operating on their own once again, the trio formed two companies: one to further their journalistic pursuits and a second to design games. They had reviewed and discussed software for so many years– plus made many industry connections– weren’t they uniquely qualified to write games themselves? Nevermind that none of the three of them were programmers in a field where programmer-designers were still the dominant paradigm. From that idea, “Subway Software” was formed. The name was selected for the rather mundane reason that none of them (at the time) could drive. Instead, they traveled (and no doubt planned games) on the subway between their various homes around the city. They landed their first deal with Interplay and the rest, as they say, is history.

I have had some difficulty tracking down a complete list of games that Subway Software worked on, but between Wikipedia and MobyGames I have located seventeen games. Neither site appears to have a complete list and there may be inaccuracies. For our purposes, only four of them are adventure games and those credits appear to be correct: Borrowed Time (1985), Star Trek: First Contact (1988), Omnicrom Conspiracy (1990), and Batman Returns (1992). We’ll be looking at the first and last of those on this blog, plus the Star Trek game has been on my “want to play” list for some time. Subway Software appears to have closed its doors in 1992, just in time for Kunkel to start the “new” run of Electronic Games. We’ll look at that leap more closely and finish off his story when we get to Batman Returns.

My first time using an amiga emulator. I can’t seem to fix the aspect ratio.

Having come this far, there is not that much to say about Borrowed Time itself. As Kunkel and his friends were only providing the script and the design, the heaviest lifting was done by Interplay. Their game engine, already used for Mindshadow and The Tracer Sanction (both 1984), was done and supported a few different platforms. We’ve already looked at one game based on a later version of the same engine, Mike Berlyn’s Tass Times in Tonetown. Unlike Infocom who chose the least common denominator, Interplay believed in taking advantage of each platform capabilities. To that end, the graphics in each of the several ports are quite different. I’ll be playing the Amiga version as that appears to be the most mature of the several iterations.

Although I’ve focused on Kunkel, other credits on the game are no less important. We could have waxed equally about Brian Fargo, the plotter of the game, who founded Interplay Entertainment, worked on seminal games likes the Bard’s Tale series, and so many other things. He cut his teeth on The Demon’s Forge (1981), another early graphical text adventure we should look at eventually. He was joined in that role by Michael Cranford, another Interplay developer who was most famous for his work on Bard’s Tale.

The manual is about as boring as it is physically possible for a manual to be.

The manual itself isn’t very good, but it summarizes the plot well enough: “As private eye Sam Harlow, you must discover who is trying to murder you, collect the appropriate evidence and bring it to the police, while avoiding constant attempts on your life.” There is also a “Living Tutorial” at the start which provides a nice overview of the text adventure genre and how to play a game like this. I do not know why it is a “living” tutorial and they do not let you practice any gameplay; my impression is that they may have wanted to make it into a minigame but ran out of time or motivation. Even without being alive, it’s not a bad introduction to newcomers to the genre.

I am uncertain how much success this game garnered in its release, except to say that it must have been both successful enough for a re-release and not successful enough that no one thought name recognition would be valuable. It hit the bargain bins in 1989 as Time to Die. I have played through a bit of that version and, other than the logo, I did not immediately see any differences. With that, there is nothing to do but play the game!

Being a detective is so relaxing.

The Chase

The game opens in my detective’s office where I am sticking my feet up on a surprisingly bright day for a noir detective story. The phone rings and the voice on the other end warns me that someone wants me dead… A shadow darkens the window, but fortunately it’s just the window washer. Whew! Although not captured by my simple screenshots, the scenes are lightly animated. In this first scene, my feet is tapping a bit. In the next scene, the water cooler bubbles. In neither case is the animation more than a handful of frames, but it is a lovely touch.

I take stock: I’m carrying a wallet with my ID and a gun permit, plus a loaded handgun with six bullets. Is that a homage to hard-boiled detectives needing guns? Or a clue that I’ll have to be selective in how many people I shoot along the way? Searching the desk, I find an overdue alimony check made out to my ex-wife, Rita Sweeny. Could she be behind this? As I explore, I get the feeling that I am being watched. The writing is terse but tense. Just to the east, my secretary has her own desk notepad. She’s off at a dentist’s appointment, but she left me a note that “Mavis” called and wants me to get back to her. I try to call “Mavis” on my phone, but all I get is a busy signal.

  Bang. I’m dead. 

I hear a gun cocking somewhere and I head out of my office… and right into an ambush. A pair of thugs are approaching me in the alleyway. If I backtrack into my office, they catch up and kill me quickly. I try to replay the start of the game faster, but that seems to have no bearing on when they arrive. I try to shoot them, but the game criticises me for resorting to that kind of violence… right before telling me that I’m dead. I even try calling the police, but they have a busy signal as well. What kind of police force has a busy signal? I search for other ways out of my office. The window-washer’s platform comes to mind, but I can’t open or break the windows to get out. What am I missing?

After my tenth restore or so, I discover that while I cannot run back into my office, I can run into the hotel across the street. That takes me into a lobby with a single chair and a door to the north. I duck behind the chair and the thugs shoot at me unsuccessfully, From there, I can crawl to the doorway and emerge on a landing at the bottom of a stairwell. If I even stop to look at anything, the thugs catch up and kill me. If I go up the stairs, they catch up and kill me. It’s a very tense situation. It takes a few deaths (and a close look at the screen) to realize that there is a lock on the door. If I lock it first, the thugs take longer to bash their way through. That gives me time to race up the stairs into an empty attic, a dead end except for a locked window. Unlike at my office, I can break this window revealing a shard of glass and a way out. I pocket the glass just in time because the thugs are running up the stairs.

If I were in the circus, I’d be going on top of the wire.

Outside the window is a ledge, but there is a cable covered with laundry leading to the other side of an alley. I can cross it hand-over-hand to get to the window of the bar across the street. The thugs stop firing but now they follow my lead to cross the cable. This window is locked and apparently unbreakable so they have a couple of turns to catch up and throw me to my death. On my next attempt, I use my shard of glass to cut the cable and send them to the street below. With the thugs defeated, I am now allowed to enter the bar and descend to street level.

Inside the establishment, the barmaid tells me that she had seen the thugs outside and tried to warn me– she is the person from Irene’s message. She tells me that she saw Farnham’s man, Charlie Lebock, tell my wife and Fred Mongo that I would never finish my investigation. Before she can continue, she is spooked by the sight of someone in one of the booths and runs out into the street. There is a lot to unpack here. She specifically said “my wife” which might be Rita, or maybe I got married again? I’m not sure. You’d think I’d know that sort of thing. Does that mean that Rita is working with Fred? Does Fred work for Farnham? There are too many names and I can’t stitch it all together into a plot yet.

Relaxing at the bar.

Pausing for Breath

That was exciting! Since my character has a chance to pause for a breather, I will as well. The interface is interesting, but not quite as functional as it appears. It consists of four key areas: an animated image, a list of nouns, a list of verbs, and a graphical depiction of our inventory. The noun list looks like it’s supposed to be updating for where you are, but it doesn’t; it’s still “correct” for my office and not much else. The list of verbs is also incomplete and does not cover many of the actions that I just needed to take, including “hide” and “break”. (Not to mention the lack of connecting words!) I’m not sure how sophisticated the parser is, but it seems fairly good for its era with full-sentence recognition. Maybe not as mature as Infocom, but a far cry from the two-word era of the early 1980s.

I’m going to leave us here for now, just as the game is about to begin. This is an introductory post so please feel free to leave your guesses for the rating below. We’ll be posting the final part in two days so don’t wait! As far as score advice goes, the only related game we have played so far is Tass Times, which scored 47. It was also played 170 games ago (one of the first for the blog!) so our standards may have wandered a bit since then. And yes, it really has been 170 games. Doesn’t time just fly by?

Before we go, I’d like to introduce you to a new YouTube channel that I like already, Critical Kate and her Patreon. After I had drafted this post, I was doing some final spot-checks when I happened to notice that she had just written a detailed analysis of the works of Bill Kunkel. It’s a nice case of parallel evolution that we were both researching the same guy at the same time and came up with a similar set of concerns with the material, although her detailed look at the publishing history of Video magazine and his comics puts mine to shame. I used her research to make some final adjustments on this post. I hope you will check her out. See you soon!

Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: There’s a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no CAPs will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of me requiring one. As this is an introduction post, it’s an opportunity for readers to bet 10 CAPs (only if they already have them) that I won’t be able to solve a puzzle without putting in an official Request for Assistance: remember to use ROT13 for betting. If you get it right, you will be rewarded with 50 CAPs in return. It’s also your chance to predict what the final rating will be for the game. Voters can predict whatever score they want, regardless of whether someone else has already chosen it.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/missed-classic-69-borrowed-time-1985-introduction/

[itsworn]

Strange Tale: The Rear-Engined Hemi Chevelle Funny Car Resurfaces!

Visionary in design, Maynard Rupp’s 1966 Hemi-powered Chevelle Funny Car was recently reborn.

The 1960s were turbulent times in America. It was a decade fraught with war, civil unrest, and a cultural upheaval. It was also a decade that saw an explosion in technology in the racing world, and Car Craft was right there with its finger on the pulse of it all. From cover to cover, every issue was hands-on, hard-core tech and racing at all levels. Rail dragsters were all the rage, and the evolution of the Funny Car concept was in its nascent stages. When we cracked open the June 1966 issue of Car Craft, we were treated to in-depth stories on a twin-engine Olds Toronado, a fiberglass-bodied Mercury Cyclone, and an altered-wheelbase Barracuda, along with a number of drag-racing–related stories. The reason we went looking at that particular issue in the first place was to view that month’s centerfold car: Maynard Rupp’s “Chevoom,” a blown Chrysler-powered Chevelle. That’s right, that’s not a typo. Not only was it a Chevy with a Hemi, it was also rear-engined. We recently stumbled on this car fully restored at the US30 Indoor Dragfest show, and when we saw “Car Craft Project Car” painted on the trunk, we had to go digging in the archives.

Based on a two-door coupe, “Chevoom” rides on a custom tube frame that pushes the wheels out an additional 14 inches. At first glance, it’s difficult to figure out that the engine is in the back of the car. When it was constructed, the rear window and side windows were omitted to allow the engine to breathe.

What we found in that issue backs up the assertion that the Funny Car ranks were in a period of change, with a number of different directions taking place. Some of the efforts of the day had factory backing in terms of financial and technical support. There were also efforts like the one that Rupp had organized that had high-profile sponsors who were involved in all aspects of its creation. Rupp was no stranger to winning at the top level of the sport with an NHRA World Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965 behind the wheel of his Prussian AA/FD rail dragster. To the surprise of many, he made the switch to the Funny Car ranks in 1966 and, when asked, was quoted as saying, “Chevy has a lot of fans that go to the ’strip, and we want to give them something to cheer for.” That year, flip-top Funny Cars started to emerge, with many at that point in their evolution already front-engined, tube-framed, and fiberglass-bodied to cut down on weight. Rupp’s vision was to build a rear-engined car with a full tube frame and a fixed fiberglass body. Partnered in that effort was Gratiot Auto Supply in Detroit. Dubbed as the world’s largest hot rod shop, it was a heavy hitter from the 1950s to the 1970s in everything from drag racing to Indy Cars.

The meticulous attention to detail on the exterior of Chevoom is evident in the fitment of all the stock trim. Every piece found on a production Chevelle was added to the car, including window moldings where no windows were installed.

Most of the guys building the one-piece, flip-top cars were on a quest for weight reduction. Chevoom defied that logic. Rupp was adamant that the Chevy needed to look as much like a street car as possible, to the point that it had to have opening doors, a removable hood, trunk, and fenders; along with all the exterior trim installed in its factory locations, it also went as far as having working headlights, turn signals, carpet, and even a dome light. While a large part of the fabrication and assembly on Chevoom took place at Chetah Engineering, a subsidiary of Gratiot Auto, some of the key components were sourced to other businesses. B&N Automotive in Dayton, Ohio, crafted the body, which was based on a 1966 Chevelle. That was accomplished with the aid of Shalla Chevrolet in Detroit, which was able to get a pre-production body-in-white from the factory for that purpose.

Once the molds were created and the body and panels duplicated, everything was shipped to The Carriage Shop in Detroit. Shop owner Bob Marianich was hired to do some of the metal fabrication and all the finish work on the fiberglass shell and panels. Because of its multi-piece construction, Marianich had to fit and finish all the panels onto the body like their production steel counterparts. He also created the instrument panel, engine cover, wheeltubs, and the aluminum bulkhead. The last step at the Carriage Shop was to lay down the Moon Eyes Yellow paint before it was sent to Detroit pinstriper Paul Hatton.

The foundation for Chevoom was its tube-frame chassis with the engine cradled in a detachable rear-mounted subframe. Built by Rupp at Gratiot, this design was a departure from the direction everyone else was taking the Funny Car concept. Rupp was a visionary with this mid-engine layout, especially in the area of driver safety. That concern was evident with the addition of a full rollcage installed by Kay Industries in Detroit. The engine choice originally planned for the Chevelle was a 396 Chevy big-block. Because construction of the car started very late in the year, and in order to have it ready for the 1966 season, Rupp scrapped the idea of a Chevy mill and switched to a familiar friend from his rail days: a 1956 Chrysler 354 Hemi punched out to 402 ci wearing a GMC 671 blower mated to a Weiand manifold. Backing the Hemi was an Art Carr modified Torqueflite that was linked to a 3.90-geared 8-3/4 Chrysler posi rear with a pair of Chrysler marine U-joints.

Chevy big-block. Easy access was the idea. With the switch to the Mopar mill, that easy access was lost. The wider dimensions of the 354 didn’t allow the subframe to easily drop out of the body. Another aspect of this installation resides in the use of the Chrysler 8-3/4 rear. The pumpkin is offset to the right, and with no driveshaft, the Hemi and Torqueflite sit slightly sideways in the subframe.

Before Chevoom ever made a pass down the ’strip, it racked up some serious silverware. It was entered at the 1966 Autorama, where it won the prestigious Ridler Award and also a trophy for Best Engineered Car in Show. When it finally hit the track, Rupp and his Chevelle were well-received, especially from the Chevy faithful, who didn’t seem to be too upset that it was sporting a Hemi. Throughout the 1966 season, he spent much of it match-racing and earned quite a large pile of cash, but the car was sold at the end of the year. Well before that took place, he was already building the STP-sponsored Cougar Country flip-top Funny Car that he would go on to campaign in 1967. It was pretty clear that the future of the Funny Car formula was set in stone with a tube-frame, front-engine, flip-top layout as the way forward. In the Jan. 1967 issue of Car Craft, Chevoom was listed as one of the “10 Best Rods of 1966.” After it was sold, it did some passes down the ’strip with the second owner for a very brief period of time until the Hemi called it quits. There was apparently no effort made to repair or replace the engine, so the car was parked and it quickly faded into obscurity. There isn’t much known about it until it was acquired by Ken Bigham in 1985.

The interior of the Chevelle does not reflect the direction that Funny Cars were going in 1966. The seat sits forward as a result of the massive engine cover. Also unlike other Funny Cars, this one was fully carpeted. The chute-release ring is attached to the steering-column support; the fuel shut-off pull rod sits on top of the engine cover.

When the Torqueflite was installed, the idea of using a pushbutton shifter didn’t sit well with Maynard Rupp, so Hurst created a one-off Yo-Yo shifter. When Ken Bigham acquired the car, it was no longer there. During the restoration, a Hurst shifter was modified to recreate the original and a cable from a 1965 Dodge van used.

His acquisition of the Chevelle took place as a result of pure coincidence. At the time, he was trying to flip a race-prepped 1937 Ford Coupe at the Fall Carlisle event. Hanging on the car was a sign stating, “Wanted: AFX or early Funny Car.” His goal was to find a 1963 Z11 Impala, but that was proving elusive because money was tight and prices were on the rise, so he was willing to entertain other options. While he was sitting there, a guy approached him, looked at the sign, and said, “I know where there is a car you’d be interested in.” He claimed it was an old rear-engined Chevelle Funny Car sitting under a carport that he drove by every day, and he would get the owner’s contact info. Bigham gave the guy a business card, and when he went home, he dug out his old issues of Car Craft and found Chevoom. He recalls, “When I saw it, I thought, Oh, man, that is just killer, but I wasn’t smart enough to get the guy’s name and address.”

A few months passed and he finally received a letter with the owner’s contact info and location. After a few phone calls, it became clear that the guy was willing to sell the car. He had moved and no longer had indoor space or money to restore the car. On that news, Bigham hitched the trailer and headed to Ohio. What he found was the chassis and bare body sitting there separated under the carport, while the rest of the panels were tucked away inside. The chassis was still complete and showed no signs of damage, but it was rusty and missing the drivetrain. Long gone were the Hemi, Torqueflite, headers, pumpkin, seat, and steering wheel. The body was still in one piece, but the years it sat outside, which he estimates to be only about two, had taken their toll. Much of the paint on the side that was exposed to the elements had faded away. The rest of the body panels were in excellent condition due to their sheltered storage.

“I questioned what I was getting myself into. This car was in pieces,” Bigham says. “When I pulled into my driveway, my wife was convinced I had lost my mind.” All the parts were unloaded into his barn, where they would sit for a few years because he wasn’t able to devote any time to the car.

The front compartment on Chevoom is empty, with only the suspension and Moon gas tank visible. The foot box with the steering box centrally placed was added to the firewall because of the forward seating position as a result of the engine cover.

It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that Bigham managed to start turning some wrenches on Chevoom. A friend had suggested that he button it all back up and get it out to some shows because there were plenty of photos of it floating around and someone could try and recreate it and pass it off as the real deal. That was sage advice that got the ball rolling, so he set out to reinstall all the body panels and put a drivetrain back in the car. Over the years, he had gathered a few parts, but key items like an engine and transmission were needed.

Since it was Hemi-powered, a 392 in place of the original 354 would do just fine. One was purchased, along with a shortened Art Carr Torqueflite and period-correct blower, which were all assembled and dropped into the subframe. None of it actually worked, but at least the car was displayable, even if everything looked tired. Essentially a roller at this point, it made it to a number of shows over the years. About a year prior to the 50th anniversary of the Ridler Award, Rupp called him and asked if he could bring the car back to Autorama, as they were trying to get as many former Ridler Award winners together as possible. The catch was that they wanted the car restored. His reply was, “Maynard, I am just not financially in a position where I can afford to do it right now.” That outing never materialized, but in late-2016, the scenario repeated itself again with another phone call with a similar request. This time it was from the organizers of the Concours d’Elegance of America in Plymouth, Michigan, asking if the car would be available for its display of non–flip-top Funny Cars in July 2017. That request gained some traction with Bigham, and he went all in on the restoration.

illustrated on items like the fiberglass hood. The underside bracing, which was formed in fiberglass, was made to look exactly like what you would find on a factory steel hood.

At the beginning of 2017, he took Chevoom to Greg Cook at Cooks Restorations in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for what would end up being a very tight restoration. The window of time was only six months from start to finish, and everything needed to be done on the car. For Cook, this restoration was not only a job to be done but also a visit with his past. In the mid-1960s, as a teen, the centerfold from the June 1966 issue of Car Craft with Chevoom was hung in his room. That car was just the coolest thing he had ever seen, and to be bringing it back to life was something special.

Going in, the upside was that the frame was undamaged and all of the original hardware was still in place. Cook handled all the mechanical aspects of the job, while his employee, Bob Foote, tackled the bodywork, paint, and graphics. Mechanically, the car was incomplete and locating the missing pieces fell on Bigham’s shoulders. The biggest issue he was facing was the 392 Hemi that was installed. He was content to go with that combination until he brought it to a machine shop, where they told him it was junk and he’d be better off finding something not as worn out.

With only a limited amount of time to locate the missing pieces, he purchased a 354 Hemi locally that was in excellent condition. The machine work on the new mill was performed by Morris Automotive Machine in Manchester, Maryland, while his friend, Larry “Bunk” Miller, did all the assembly. As that was unfolding, Foote was dealing with the rejuvenation of the fiberglass body. Overall, it was still in decent condition; having sat outside, however, some signs of delamination were present on the roof, and there was a hole on the C-pillar from some kind of mechanical failure, perhaps from when the original Hemi let go. He spent many hours restoring the body until it was again ready for a fresh coat of Moon Eyes Yellow.

While that was moving along, Bigham was still on a search for missing parts. Especially difficult to find were items like the Chrysler marine U-joints and the door panels. When it came time to do the lettering on the car, Foote’s task in being accurate was facilitated as a result of some foresight on Bigham’s part. Early on, tracings of all the artwork on the car were done by his son, Andy, and would prove to be a huge help in its completion. The car was wrapped up just in time for the show, where Rupp was reunited with it after 51 years apart. In 2018, Chevoom returned to the Detroit Autorama and Bigham was awarded the Preservation Award.

When Bob Marianich received all the raw panels, one of his many tasks was to make them all work. The hinging mechanism on this door was created at his shop, and the door functions in the same way as one found on a production Chevelle.

Greg Cook suggested that one panel should be left unmolested, with the trunklid being the obvious choice. Because it still had all of the painted text, it would help to further validate the car and also show the condition before it was restored.

If you’re wondering about the writing on the trunk, which initially sparked our interest, the answer is that Chevoom was never a Car Craft project car. Advertising and promotion was a completely different beast back in the 1960s, and magazines were the primary outlets for information. In exchange for the centerfold in the June 1966 issue of Car Craft, Rupp agreed to have the lettering placed on the trunklid. This arrangement carried over into 1967 on the side of the Cougar Funny Car and that made it onto the cover of the Aug. 1967 issue of Car Craft.

This is the centerfold from the June 1966 issue of Car Craft. In return for this photo, the addition of “Car Craft Project Car” was added on the trunklid. This was a deal cut between Rupp and the folks at Petersen Publishing Company.

TECH NOTES Who: Ken Bigham What: 1966 Chevrolet “Chevoom” Funny Car Where: Gettysburg, PA

Engine/Induction/Transmission Chevoom was originally powered by a 1956-vintage 354 Hemi stroked to 402 ci. When Bigham found the car, it was gone. As the restoration gained momentum, he ended up buying a used 354 Hemi to replace the tired 392 Hemi that he was using to display the car. Unlike the stroked original, he opted to keep it at 354 ci. It was treated to a full rebuild, which included the installation of Ross 9.5:1 racing pistons and Molnar Technologies billet connecting rods mounted on a stock forged crank. The heads are also stock, but received a full rebuild and are capped off with a set of Moon valve covers. Induction is handled via a Weiand manifold crowned by a Hampton blower and Hilborn Shotgun Injection. Shifting the gears is carried out by an Art Carr 727 Torqueflite. It is shortened and mates directly to the rear via a set of Chrysler Marine U-joints. The headers were custom-made from stainless tubing and are faithful reproductions of the original set.

Electronics: The 354 Hemi wears a vintage Mallory Super Mag Magneto 310 LA and a Mallory Super Mag transformer. It is pure old-school dragster hardware.

Rearend: The rear installed in Chevoom is a standard 1965 Chrysler 8-3/4 housing. It has a set of 3.90:1 gears and heavy-duty rear axles.

Chassis/Suspension: On a 1966 Chevelle, the stock wheelbase measures 115 inches. On Chevoom, that was stretched to 129 inches, with 12 inches added to the rear and 2 inches at the front. To achieve that custom wheelbase, Chevoom’s chassis was constructed from two widely spaced double rails that form a truss-like frame over the rear axle. They taper at the front, ending in a dual crossmember. At the rear, the subframe that holds the drivetrain in place was constructed out 2×4 square tubing and holds the engine, transmission, and rear axle together as one removable unit. It also holds the coilover shocks in place with cups welded at both ends. The entire unit is held in place by pins and can be quickly removed by disconnecting the rear shocks and brake lines. Bolts that can be moved to three different positions for wedging the suspension retain the top spring supports. Up front a straight tubular axle with wishbones on both sides, along with a transverse leaf spring and tubular shocks make up the front suspension. A Studebaker Ross steering box positioned on its side allows the pitman arm to work directly on a long drag link. Heim joints are used at all suspension and steering pivot points.

Brakes: Chevoom only carries drum brakes at the rear. They are vintage 1965 Chrysler units measuring 9×2.5 inches.

Wheels/Tires: Cragar S/S wheels are used at all four corners. The front set measure 15X7 and wear Goodyear Blue Streak 7.10X15 tires, while the rears are 15X10.5 wrapped in M&H Racemaster 11.50X15 slicks.

Paint/Body: The body is a one-piece fiberglass unit with separate fenders, doors, trunklid, and hood also molded in fiberglass. The only actual Chevelle body parts used consists of the cowl, windshield A-pillar posts, radiator support, hood inserts, and taillight housings. The front and rear bumpers are fiberglass pieces, while all the chrome trim is OE stock. The paint on the car has a Moon Eyes Yellow basecoat with graphics applied and then sealed with a clearcoat.

Interior: The interior on Chevoom is spartan, but it’s nothing like a traditional Funny Car. It has a full rollcage that Rupp had installed as a safety measure. The aluminum panels that cover the front of the engine are original and were crafted at The Carriage Shop. They are secured by Dzus fasteners for easy access to the Hemi. The seat and steering wheel were missing when Bigham found the car, so for the seat, a fiberglass replacement was added and secured to a chrome-moly frame that anchors directly to the framerails, while the steering wheel was picked up at a swap meet. The instrument panel is also original and was fashioned from sheet aluminum. It houses oil and water temperature gauges and an oil pressure gauge. These were still in place when he purchased the car but were in poor condition, so they were replaced during the restoration. The tach was also missing and replaced as well. As part of the restoration, Bigham had his high school buddy, “Shorty” Forsythe, stitch up the missing interior pieces, which included the carpet, rollbar padding, and the padded roof section.

Read More!

We’ve got details on Chevoom’s recent restoration, including a giant in-progress photo gallery here.

The post Strange Tale: The Rear-Engined Hemi Chevelle Funny Car Resurfaces! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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Why jewellery will always be in vogue

When I left Vogue after twenty five years as Editor-in-Chief, I was allowed to choose a print from the incredible archives. Since the magazine was founded in 1916, there was over a hundred years of beautiful era-defining photographs and illustrations of the fashions and styles of the day to pick from. Unimaginably elegant women in taffeta and duchesse silk ballgowns, Swinging Sixties black and white shots of Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton in mini dresses, the mannered poses of aristocratic looking models in Dior’s New Age silhouette, were all among the options. How was one to choose?

After many hours of searching I decided on an illustration published in the 1943 Christmas edition by Carl Erickson, one of the famous Vogue illustrators. In pastels and ink it portrays a woman, from the side, her hair swept up to better show off the large double strand of pearls around her neck fastened by a clasp. We can’t see her face but her nails are carmine tipped and she is obviously clipping an earring onto her ear. An enormous cabochon cut diamond is on her wedding finger. The caption read “Give her pearls….not just an anonymous little strand that she might fasten on automatically…..but great big ones like these”. Indeed. The pearls, the diamonds, the suggestion of an earring, together with the delicate and sensuous lines of the image encapsulated so much of not only the subject matter that I worked with at Vogue, but also of something both luxurious and intangible. Certainly this beautiful woman (I assume her beauty even though I can’t see the features of her face) leads a glamorous existence that is demonstrated, along with her sleek up-do and the fashionable neckline of her deep purple dress, by her collection of classic aspirational jewellery. And that might be enough. But as I look at the pearls, the lines of the diamond ring, and imagine the invisible earrings as glittering diamond studs, I am seeing something else. I see privilege, good taste, position in society. She adorns herself in preparation for the evening ahead, the jewellery a statement of who she wants us to think she is. And that’s the thing. Nothing has quite the sweep of purpose as jewellery.

It’s one of the great multi-taskers – a trophy, a token of love, an indicator of status. It adorns and decorates us and has done since the earliest human times. And it is of both great emotional and financial worth. Jewellery is a currency valued by all. What defines something as precious? Why do we all, across so many cultures, centuries and civilisations share this understanding of the worth of jewellery? What gives it such value? Generally societies value most, that which is hard to achieve. Things that are accessible to all are likely to be valued less. Gemstones, gold and silver have to be discovered, extracted, polished, cut and alchemised before they can be turned into jewellery. It’s difficult, labour-intensive and time consuming and demands substantial resources and huge commitment. Because of this fine jewellery has an in-built rarity value. But we also regard it as precious not purely expensive and this is because of the unique combination of attributes – monetary worth, emotional resonance and of course visual appeal. Not only does our jewellery mean something to us but it also means something to those that view us. Jewellery is a sure-fire way to tell those around us, something about ourselves. And this has been the case since the earliest days. Primitive man used a kind of jewellery – ornamentation – to enhance sexual attraction as well as believing that it could be used as protection against all manner of disasters from snakes to evil spirits.

“Jewellery is a sure-fire way to tell those around us something about ourselves”

Cleopatra employed jewels to demonstrate her wealth and position, creating a tremendous glamour that seduced those who met her and also enhanced her power. She raided every gem mine in Egypt with a special fondness for emeralds, and not only did she cover her body in jewellery but she used precious metals and stones to decorate her home. Centuries later Napoleon too was a fan of emeralds bestowing them on his favourites who would display them as signs of his pleasure. Caesar ruled that only aristocrats could wear pearls thereby anointing them a visible class status that set the wearers apart. Association with jewellery though has not always had a happy ending. Ill-fated Marie Antoinette was said to have further hastened her journey to the guillotine by her suspected involvement in the famous affair of the diamond necklace, a necklace of unimaginable ostentation. In her case even though she never owned the necklace in question, said to cost over £12 million today, her perceived connection to it was enough to exacerbate her reputation of moral corruption and extravagance.

When we examine contemporary associations with jewellery, there are, incredible as it may be, many of the same notions in play. Despite the massive changes that have taken place on this planet over the last few millennia, jewellery is still used for pretty well the same purposes as it always has been. The inventions fire and the wheel were of practical use, clothing has both practical and moral purpose and food is essential to our survival, but jewellery which has never had anything like as vital a role has been valued in our societies around the globe for as long as any of these. We all have collections, big or small, of personal jewellery and for most of us this includes pieces that are very much more than adornment. They are tangible markers of an important occasion or they carry a sentimental legacy. Often the items we most mind losing or being stolen are the jewellery and watches that we may have inherited – our mother’s ring, the cufflinks our father wore for best, our grandmother’s brooch.

My own collection of jewellery, while not enormous nor particularly valuable is filled with pieces that are a part of my personal history. There is the square gold ring with a tiny diamond that my godmother gave me. She was married to a South African diamond tycoon and long after their divorce she split up a necklace that he had given her into individual diamonds, one of which she had made into identical rings to give to each of her god-daughters. I wear it every day and have done for over forty years. There is the gold and topaz necklace that my father gave my mother on the occasion of my birth – I was the first born of three and I don’t believe a similar gift followed after the other two popped out! A delicate filigree web holds the dozen, faintly rosetinted topaz in a necklace that falls just inside the collarbone. Topaz is my birthstone and eventually my mother passed on the necklace, in its original satin cushioned, black leather case, to me. Strangely it is only now, that I have begun to wear it and each time I do I picture my late father and hear his much missed voice whilst loving the thought of its genesis. There was the beautiful silver and aquamarine antique ring I treated myself to after a particularly successful Vogue event I hosted where we managed to corral a high-profile mix of Prince Charles, Kylie Minogue, Giorgio Armani and Lord Rothschild but like too many pieces of my jewellery, it was lost. I feared thrown by myself in the rubbish bin clearing up a dinner party. And for my last milestone birthday my sister gave me a gorgeous old diamond belle époque necklace created by a jeweller at the Russian court.

Our jewellery tells us the stories of our life, so no wonder we treasure it so. And not only does it carry with it our experiences and memories, our family, our lovers and often our successes but it has forever been treasured for its portability. The stories are legion of how jewellery has been invaluable in times of crisis: The aptly named baguette cut diamonds literally exchanged for baguettes in French Revolutionary times, the White Russians fleeing with their heirlooms sewn into their hems. When bank accounts can be frozen, property seized and art bulky to hide away, jewellery is the safest asset of them all. Currently jewellery is riding a new wave in terms of fashion credibility. Since the Sixties fine jewellery has had a hard time positioning itself as part of the contemporary fashion scene. There was no lack of appeal in the glamour stakes but fashion, with its inbuilt need for change has been a harder nut to crack. There was something about rejection of values considered as old fashioned during that period which robbed fine jewellery of its fashion status. Youthquake earrings were pop art Perspex discs rather than chandelier diamonds, bracelets were likely to be hippie silks rather than gold cuffs. Expensive jewellery was regarded as something that belonged to the old folk, mouldering in their stately homes or Riviera villas. Fine jewellery had lost its cool. Of course, due to the lasting values of jewellery it has continued to be big business but, in the main has operated outside fashion. Instead the famous fine jewellers loan jewels for high profile events like the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival for positioning rather than relying on fashion magazine covers. But things are changing…

“Currently jewellery is riding a new wave in terms of fashion credibility”

The growing rejection of fast fashion, the interest in sustainability, the trend towards owning less but better – all lead in the direction of the desirability of precious jewellery. During the Haute Couture weeks in Paris, luxury jewellery houses have started putting on their own events attended not only by clients but now by the fashion press. We are reconsidering our possessions and examining our shopping habits in every area. We want to treasure what we own, rather than enjoying it for a short time and then consigning it to the dustheap. As a result in recent years there has been an explosion of new jewellery brands and designers as we move away from the mentality of a new It-bag every season towards investing in a permanent collection of jewellery. An increasing appreciation of the craft and individuality of the object has also contributed to the fashionability of jewellery. Even the trend for multiple piercings which has now gone mainstream has seen a growth in highly valuable adornments of this kind. For the first time in decades real jewellery is beginning to be seen again as a key part of the fashion scene and this has resulted in the expansion of the demi-fine jewellery category, positioned between fine and costume. This has also played into the fact that the new big sector in the jewellery market is women buying for themselves. No longer do we feel there is something a little tragic about buying our own jewellery, as if the piece is somehow of greater worth if it has been gifted. Instead fine jewellery is becoming one of the most popular ways women reward themselves for a moment of career success, or celebrate a personal event. Gone are the sentiments so brilliantly stated in Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend – “Men grow cold as girls grow old/ we all lose our charms in the end/ but square cut or pear shape/ those rocks don’t lose their shape”.

In our fast moving, social media driven, politically motivated world jewellery, as it has always been, is a reliable and cherished treasure. No wonder its future remains sparkling.

Alexandra Shulman will be joining us at ‘An Evening with Alexandra Shulman and Dinny Hall’ at Liberty London. This event is now sold out but to be kept up to date and be first in line for tickets to all future IJL events please register your interest at www.internationaljewellerylondon.com/ijlevents

from Trending Jewellery https://blog.jewellerylondon.com/why-jewellery-will-always-be-in-vogue/

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The Making of the First US ICO Fraud Case In common law systems, it is precedent that informs judicial approaches to new and previously unaddressed matters. The precedent that will likely shape the body of U.S. case law on fraudulent initial coin offerings (ICOs) is currently being forged...

http://markethive.tv/blog/archives/494

The Making of the First US ICO Fraud Case

The Making of the First US ICO Fraud Case

In common law systems, it is precedent that informs judicial approaches

to new and previously unaddressed matters. The precedent that will likely shape the body of U.S. case law on fraudulent initial coin offerings (ICOs) is currently being forged in a federal court in the New York borough of Brooklyn, where a 39-year old entrepreneur, Maksim Zaslavskiy, has pleaded guilty to committing securities fraud. The development that will most likely result in a landmark decision – the jury will gather in April 2019 to decide on a sentence – is yet another twist of a now 14 month-long effort, involving both the U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Previously, the process has already yielded a fateful ruling by a federal judge who in September established that securities law is applicable to ICO-related cases.

The case that is poised to become so consequential for the whole ICO space deals with two ventures that neither issued a token nor developed any blockchain-powered infrastructure: REcoin and Diamond Reserve Coin both only existed on paper. Yet it also makes perfect sense that the authorities first went after the most brazen instances of ICO fraud, the ones that hurt rookie retail investors the worst and inflicted the most reputational damage on the industry.

When the SEC first filed a complaint against Zaslavskiy in a federal court in September 2017, it was estimated that REcoin and Diamond Reserve Coin ICOs resulted in around 1,000 investors losing some $300,000. Having fallen for Zaslavskiy’s aggressive marketing campaign, these people were led to believe that they either invested in a digital asset that was backed by real estate located in developed countries (REcoin), or purchased a tokenized membership in an elite club for wealthy business people, with physical diamonds in the company’s custody underlying the value of tokens.

In fact, though, they were buying “worthless certificates,” as U.S. district attorney, Richard Donague, put it, on Nov. 15, 2018, Zaslavskiy admitted in his guilty plea: “We had not yet purchased any real estate.” He now faces up to 5 years in prison, pending the decision of a jury panel. The regulator is also filing a civil lawsuit against Zaslavskiy.

The making of a fraudster

The Ukrainian city of Odessa, overlooking a scenic coastline of the Black Sea, is known for its vibrant spirit and unique culture. Throughout both the Imperial and Soviet periods of its history, the city has been home to a large Jewish community. As the final years of the USSR saw the liberalization of immigration policies, many Odessan Jews chose to leave for either Israel or the West. Born in Odessa, Maksim Zaslavskiy was 12 when his family relocated to the U.S. While Maksim was destined to make ICO history, his brother, Dmitry, chose a banking career and later became an executive director for Morgan Stanley. Zaslavskiy’s social media pages, as well as websites of many organizations he ran at various points of time, were either deleted or became unavailable in the wake of the high-profile investigation into his activities. The main source of information about his pre-trial life is now the four-hour interview to the SEC representative that he gave in September 2017, of which the Fast Company magazine managed to obtain a transcript.

In 2003, Zaslavskiy received his degree in finance from Baruch College, followed by a LLM from Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law three years later. He worked as an IT consultant for several banks before starting his own international business, whose nature is difficult to infer from the interview. Zaslavskiy also claimed to have been involved in real estate business since the age of 18, yet Fast Company’s investigation failed to verify his employment with the firms he claimed to have worked for. According to the interview, the 2008 crisis became a major blow for Zaslavskiy’s business, further entrenching him in his resentment of the U.S. financial system. He turned to charity work, founding a philanthropic organization called Live Love Laugh. However, it is impossible to say whether the ambitious statements on its website (which is now down) were ever backed by any real actions, since the entity appears to never have been properly registered.

Zaslavskiy has also written at least three books (under the name Avi Meir Zaslavsky) that can be still found on Amazon. These are how-to guidebooks on the ins and outs of real estate business. Another one, which appeared around the time his two ICOs were in full swing in August 2017, sets out to explain the reader that “what you perceive and use as money is designed in such a way that the wealth created by the economy truly benefits only large banks and multinational corporations.” Apparently, the book was meant to lend credibility to Zaslavskiy’s claim for intellectual leadership in the crypto space, as its press release presents him as “one of the world’s leading currency decentralization proponents.” The publicity campaign around the book provides a glimpse into Zaslavskiy’s approach to marketing himself and his ventures: bold, extravagant, overblown. Unsurprisingly, this style carried over to the way his two ICOs were presented to potential investors.

Real estate tokens and Initial Membership Offerings

For someone disenchanted with both the traditional financial system and traditional means of making money, the ICO rush of 2017 presented innumerable opportunities. The beauty of the ICO model was that it opened up the world of venture capital, previously reserved exclusively for professional investors, to anyone with a few spare dollars and some interest in the uncharted space of blockchain applications. The flipside of it is that some of the newcomers were unable to tell legitimate projects from outright scams replete with red flags.

Megalomaniac language and exaggerated promises are usually telltale signs of something not being right with the venture that’s taking off. Zaslavskiy’s projects had both. REcoin, announced in June 2017, presented its founder as a “Real Estate guru” and proclaimed that the 101REcoin Trust held properties “in developed and stable economies like the USA, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, and Switzerland” without providing any evidence in support. Also, an “international team of attorneys and programmers” was allegedly there to “work tirelessly” on increasing token holders’ fortunes. As the court proceedings later revealed, no such team ever existed.

In August, after facing the first signs of SEC interest to REcoin, the “Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Author Max Zaslavsky” began his marketing campaign for an allegedly diamond-backed digital asset, the Diamond Reserve Club token. The release (beginning with “If the Holy Scriptures have taught us anything at all…”) touted a brand new Initial Membership Offering model, which was supposed to tokenize investors’ participation in a large ecosystem of interconnected businesses. It also suggested that the tokens could be inherited by the investors’ grandchildren. One would think that the theatrical language and gargantuan assurances of the two ICOs’ public-facing documents would only make any reasonable person scoff. Yet from July through September Zaslavskiy and his accomplices managed to amass around $300,000 before the SEC took the matter to court.

The fallout

On Sep. 29, 2017, the SEC brought a civil complaint to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against Zaslavskiy and his two companies for violating U.S. securities laws. Recoin and DRC responded on their websites with a joint statement that argued that it was due to “lack of legal clarity as to when an ICO or a digital asset is a security,” suggesting that their operations were not within the SEC’s purview.

However, the Feds seemed to disagree. On Nov. 1, Zaslavskiy was apprehended by FBI agents and criminally charged with a conspiracy to commit securities fraud. In early December, he pleaded not guilty and secured a $250,000 bail backed by his family’s Brooklyn house. In February, Zaslavskiy’s defense filed a motion to dismiss the indictment on the grounds of inappropriate application of securities law to cryptocurrencies. Yet both the DoJ and SEC insisted that REcoin and DRC tokens passed the Howey test – a legal standard that determines whether a contract is a security.

In September, U.S. district judge Raymond Dearie concluded that for the purposes of the case, the tokens could, indeed, be treated as securities, potentially setting a precedent that could shape the future of ICO regulation. The judge was also unequivocal in characterizing the nature of

Zaslavskiy’s enterprises:

“Stripped of the 21st century jargon, including the Defendant’s own characterization of the offered investment opportunities, the challenged indictment charges a straightforward scam, replete with the common characteristics of many financial frauds.”

Article Produced By Kirill Bryanov

Kirill Bryanov is a PhD researcher at Lousiana State University. His scholarly interests center on political and societal implications of communication technology, with a focus on blockchain-powered decentalized architectures.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/the-making-of-the-first-us-ico-fraud-case

Susan Bennett

[sherristockman]

Eliminate Google From Your Life Dr. Mercola 30 Tips in 30 Days Designed to Help You Take Control of Your Health This article is part of the 30 Day Resolution Guide series. Each day a new tip will be added designed to help you take control of your health. For a complete list of the tips click HERE By Dr. Mercola Google, by far one of the greatest monopolies that ever existed, poses a unique threat to anyone concerned about health, supplements, food and your ability to obtain truthful information about these and other issues. And, while not the sole threat to privacy, Google is definitely one of the greatest. Over time, Google has positioned itself in such a way that it’s become deeply embedded and involved in your day-to-day life. It’s important to realize that Google catches every single thing you do online if you’re using a Google-based feature, and that the data is being used to build powerful personality profiles. As previously reported by Gawker:1 “Every word of every email sent through Gmail and every click made on a Chrome browser is watched by the company. ‘We don’t need you to type at all,’ [Google co-founder Eric] Schmidt once said. ‘We know where you are. We know where you’ve been. We can more or less know what you’re thinking about.’” How these profiles — with capabilities akin to mindreading — are ultimately put to use is anyone’s guess. The main purpose of this data collection is said to be for marketing purposes, allowing companies to target users with a known interest in certain activities or products. This is bad enough, but the profiles could just as easily be used for more nefarious and liberty-infringing purposes, and we’re already seeing some evidence that this is taking place. Please also understand that they are the world’s greatest artificial intelligence (AI) company, having purchased Deep Mind for $400 billion several years ago. Deep Mind now employs over 700 AI researchers, the largest collection anywhere in the world. They are responsible for defeating the human Go champion last year, which far exceeds the complexity of defeating a human chess champion. With this level of AI, it is not hard for them to sort through all your data with their deep learning algorithms and find patterns they can exploit. The 2013 article, “What Surveillance Valley Knows About You,”2 is an eye-opening read that may be well worth your time, describing just how grossly invasive this data collection and distribution is, and how dangerous it can be if you end up on certain lists. Google’s data harvesting is particularly concerning in light of its military connections,3 and the fact the company has repeatedly been caught infringing on privacy rights and misrepresenting the type and amount of data it collects and shares on its users. Make no mistake about it: Capturing user data is Google’s primary business.4 The fact that it provides practical services while doing so only serves as a convenient distraction from the fact that privacy violations are taking place. Google Dominates in More Ways Than One Google’s internet monopoly, which centers around personal information tracking and sharing, is just the beginning. The technology giant is also involved in: • Childhood education, shrewdly developing brand loyalty and a future customer base among children through product placements in schools.5 Many schools no longer use books of any kind. All classwork is done on tablets or computers equipped with Google-based software such as Google Classroom, Google Docs and Gmail. As noted in a recent New York Times article:6 “In the space of just five years, Google has helped upend the sales methods companies use to place their products in classrooms. It has enlisted teachers and administrators to promote Google’s products … It has directly reached out to educators to test its products — effectively bypassing senior district officials. And it has outmaneuvered Apple and Microsoft with a powerful combination of low-cost laptops, called Chromebooks, and free classroom apps … Today, more than half the nation’s primary- and secondary-school students — more than 30 million children — use Google education apps like Gmail and Docs … And Chromebooks, Google-powered laptops … are now a powerhouse in America’s schools. Today they account for more than half the mobile devices shipped to schools.” Once the children are out of school, they’re encouraged to convert their school accounts to personal accounts — a move that allows Google to build incredibly powerful personality and marketing profiles of each individual from a very early age. • Social engineering. Google is actively controlling the public narrative — also known as social engineering — by quietly censoring certain types of information. As just one example, Activist Post recently revealed how YouTube has been censoring Ron Paul, former congressman and 2011 Republican GOP presidential candidate, for promoting peace.7 As noted in the article, “[W]hat we are witnessing on YouTube and Facebook right now is a move to silence the peaceful opposition … [T]his crackdown is also coinciding with a massive push by the mainstream media to stoke divide among the people … to create an atmosphere so divided that people never look up at who’s controlling them.” Google has also taken it upon itself to be an arbiter of “fake news,” censoring information according to its own criteria of what is true or false. Needless to say, this also makes it really easy for Google to censor information that isn’t in its own best interest.8 • Health care, with a focus on drug promotion. For example, Google recently partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and has launched a depression self-assessment quiz — a test that, not surprisingly, funnels querents toward a drug solution.9,10 • The food industry, leading the way toward the normalization of meat substitutes.11,12 • AI. Ultimately, the goal is to create self-learning AIs capable of imitating human thought processes. As noted on Google’s dedicated AI site,13 “Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful … solving problems for our users, our customers and the world … AI … [is] providing us with new ways of looking at old problems and helping transform how we work and live, and we think the biggest impact will come when everyone can access it.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk is raising a “billion-dollar crusade” to prevent the AI apocalypse, calling for regulations on the technology “before it’s too late.” According to Musk, AIs are improving at a far greater pace than most people realize, and there’s really no telling what they might ultimately be used for.14 In the following video, Demis Hassabis, founder of Deep Mind, discusses some of the projects this now Google-owned AI corporation is involved in. ‘Don’t Be Evil’ In an ironic twist, Google has become the exact opposite of its initial catchphrase, “Don’t be evil.” When Google became Alphabet, it adopted a more comprehensive motto, which begins with doing “the right thing — follow the law, act honorably and treat each other with respect.”15 Yet, the company struggles mightily to live up to this new motto as well. Rarely does it seem to be able to distinguish right from wrong — at least as far as its users are concerned — and the company has repeatedly acted as if it’s above any law of the land. Last year, Google was found guilty of violating European Union (EU) antitrust rules when it gave preference to its own shopping subsidiaries over competitors in its search results, and was fined $2.7 billion. When the Open Markets team at New America — a think tank that has received more than $21 million from Google over the years — praised the EU’s decision and called on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice (DOJ) and state attorneys general to apply American monopoly law to Google’s business in the U.S., New America kicked the entire Open Markets team off the think tank.16 Zephyr Teachout, associate professor of law at Fordham University, writes in her Washington Post article, “Google Is Coming After Critics in Academia and Journalism. It’s Time to Stop Them:”’17 “The imperial overreach of Google in trying to shut down a group of five researchers proves the point that the initial release from Open Markets was trying to make: When companies get too much power, they become a threat to democratic free speech and to the liberty of citizens at large … Google is forming into a government of itself, and it seems incapable of even seeing its own overreach.” Google is running such a clear monopoly, the fact that the U.S. has not nailed it on antitrust charges similar to those raised in the EU is a giant red flag that something’s just not right. As noted by Music Technology Policy18 last year, it appears Google has managed to circumvent U.S. law by installing one of its lawyers in the DOJ antitrust division. This is a classic example of why the revolving doors between government and industry cannot be taken lightly. Why You Should Care About Monopolies Like Google Unfortunately, many still fail to see the problem Google presents. Its services are useful and practical, making life easier in many ways, and more fun in others. That’s the bait, and many have swallowed it hook, line and sinker, not giving any thought to the ultimate price paid for such conveniences, or simply underestimating the threat that all of this personal data collection poses. If you fall into this category, I ask you to give this issue some serious thought, because monopolies threaten our very way of life, and in more ways than one. As explained by business journalist and former director of Open Markets, Barry Lynn:19 “[M]onopolies are a threat to our democracy and to our basic liberties and to our communities. Monopolization, this concentration of wealth and power, is a threat to everything that is America … America today has a monopoly problem. We’re seeing basically a second wave of consolidation and monopolization because of the digital revolution … The first issue is consumer protection and potential consumer harm. We created antitrust laws originally to protect our liberties, often as producers of stuff … My liberty to bring my wheat, my ideas, the product of my labor to market. That’s liberty. The second purpose was to protect our democracy against huge concentrations of wealth and power. To protect our democratic institutions. And the third purpose [was] to protect your community. If I’m living out in Peoria, do I want the city of Peoria to be run by a couple corporations based on Wall Street, or do I want it to be run by the citizens of Peoria?” How to Oust Google From Your Life Alphabet, the rebranded parent company that houses Google and its various divisions, has turned into an octopus-like super entity with tentacles reaching into government, food production, health care, education, military applications and the creation of AIs that may run more or less independently. A key component of many of these enterprises is data — your personal usage data; the tracking of every webpage you’ve ever visited and every single thought you’ve ever written on a Google-enabled device, along with geo tracking tracing your every move. Ultimately, what can be done with that kind of information, besides personalized advertising? How might it be used in combination with military AI-equipped robots? How might it be used to influence your health care decisions? How might it be used to influence your lifestyle decisions? How might (or is) it used to shape politics and society at large? Today, being a conscious consumer includes making wise, informed decisions about technology. Anyone who has spent even a small amount of time pondering the ramifications of Google’s ever-growing monopoly over our day-to-day lives is likely to shudder at the possibilities and agree that we cannot allow this to continue. This year, vow to clamp down one of the greatest personal data leaks in your life by boycotting all things Google. Here’s a summary of action steps you can take right now, starting today. For more information, see Goopocalypse.com’s boycott Google page. 1. Sign the “Don’t be evil” petition created by Citizens Against Monopoly 2. Avoid any and all Google products: a. Stop using Google search engines. So far, one of the best alternatives I’ve found is DuckDuckGo20 b. Uninstall Google Chrome and use the Opera browser instead, available for all computers and mobile devices.21 From a security perspective, Opera is far superior to Chrome and offers a free VPN service (virtual private network) to further preserve your privacy c. If you have a Gmail account, close it and open an account with a non-Google affiliated email service such as ProtonMail,22 and encrypted email service based in Switzerland d. Stop using Google docs. Digital Trends has published an article suggesting a number of alternatives23 e. If you’re a high school student, do not convert the Google accounts you created as a student into personal accounts Tip #23Use a Mercury-Free Dentist

[blogmemessedup]

RYDER RIPPS

Internet Archaeology seeks to explore, recover, archive and showcase the graphic artifacts found within earlier Internet Culture. Established in 2009, the chief purpose of Internet Archaeology is to preserve these artifacts and acknowledge their importance in understanding the beginnings and birth of an Internet Culture. We focus on graphic artifacts only, with the belief that images are most culturally revealing and immediate. Most of the files in our archive are in either JPG or GIF format and are categorized by either still or moving image, they are then arranged in various thematic subcategories. Currently, a major focus of Internet Archaeology is on the archiving and indexing of images found on Geocities websites, as their existence has been terminated by parent company Yahoo; who discontinued GeoCities operation on October 26, 2009. Internet Archaeology is an ongoing effort which puts preservation paramount. Unlike traditional archaeology, where physical artifacts are unearthed; Internet Archaeology's artifacts are digital, thus more temporal and transient. Yet we believe that these artifacts are no less important than say the cave paintings of Lascaux. They reveal the origins of a now ubiquitous Internet Culture; showing where we have been and how far we have come.

Ok focus

Computer skills do not usually correlate with a strong fashion sense. So when Nicola Formichetti, Lady Gaga’s former stylist and the current artistic director for Diesel, met a whiz kid named Ryder Ripps four years ago, he expected a geek.

Instead, “he turned up wearing like, almost hot pants — a crazy outfit with a mohawk,” Mr. Formichetti said. “And he looked so cool. I was like, ‘You’re Ryder?’ ”

Yet when Mr. Ripps sat down at a computer and began coding, there was no mistaking his true identity. “It really looked like Picasso painting, or like Beethoven playing his piano,” Mr. Formichetti said. “He looked like this mad scientist writing all these codes on the computer and just creating all these visuals that were really twisted.”

Mr. Ripps, the 27-year-old artist, programmer and creative director, is the consummate Internet cool kid, as fluent in HTML and JavaScript as in the language of conceptual art. Unlike most techies who hail from computer or business backgrounds, Mr. Ripps arose from the fashion and art worlds.

He was a founder of the influential online art community Dump.fm, and has made a name for himself with imaginative cyberpranks, including a 2012 website, WhoDat.biz, that pretended to be associated with Kanye West.

As the creative director of the digital agency OKFocus, Mr. Ripps and his place at the increasingly chic nexus of art and technology have attracted clients like Nike and Red Bull. His programming know-how and hyperactive digital-native sensibility have made him a sought-out adviser to creative professionals like Mr. Formichetti, with whom he is working on a “digital experience” for Diesel.

Mr. Ripps has also designed websites for the musician M.I.A. and the hip-hop producer Mike Will Made It, and collaborated with the video artist Ryan Trecartin. “He is definitely somebody who I feel like I find myself consulting when I want to talk out an idea that he particularly has the knowledge space for,” said Mr. Trecartin, who met Mr. Ripps in 2010.

At the time, Mr. Trecartin was struggling to find high-resolution images of corporate logos for a project for W magazine. A mutual friend introduced him to Mr. Ripps, who quickly tracked down the images. “He had all these different tools he’d developed where he can mine different Asian websites,” Mr. Trecartin said. The collaboration went beyond simply tech support. “He’s very generous with his ideas,” Mr. Trecartin said. “It was like collaborating with any artist. He just happened to be a programmer.”

Mr. Ripps’s ability to straddle disparate worlds springs from years of trolling the forgotten corners of the web. “The Internet is just a ton of different people,” he said. “So, being good at knowing how to equally access these people to speak to them is being good at the Internet.”

Born in New York City to the designer Helene Verin and the painter Rodney Ripps, Mr. Ripps was exposed to old-school creativity at an early age. But it was the freewheeling Internet of the mid-’90s that captured his imagination. He hung out with hackers in AOL chat rooms and lurked on video-game message boards. He learned HTML at a computer camp and used his skills to project a confidence online that he didn’t have in the real world.

“In real life I was a really shy 10-year-old kid with arty parents,” he said. “Online I was someone who was powerful, who could create things that people saw immediately.”

In 2011, three years after graduating from the New School with a degree in media studies, Mr. Ripps founded OKFocus with the artist and programmer Jonathan Vingiano to subsidize his less-than-lucrative art career. OKFocus’s work is infused with both Mr. Ripps’s sincere belief in the liberating potential of the Internet and the mischievousness of early AOL hackerscc. Its websites are loud, playful and often disorienting.

A good website, Mr. Ripps said, “is one that understands that users are sitting there, possibly in their underwear, in a dark cave, feeling alone together. One that can connect with people on that level. It’s like with music, like when you listen to a song and you cry because it understands you.”

This approach has attracted hip brands that see their websites as a storefront window onto youth culture. “Nowadays, web know-how isn’t enough,” said Virgil Abloh, the creative director for Mr. West and a founder of the streetwear brand Been Trill, whose website OKFocus designed. “How web design can resonate with culture is what Ryder and OKFocus excel at.”

Mr. Ripps’s skill at manipulating culture in the digital age is perhaps best exemplified by his various online stunts.

In 2012, OKFocus developed a multiplayer game in which users compete to find a single pixel, and in late 2013, it garnered attention with Drake Shake, an app that pastes a random image of the rapper Drake on any photo when users shake their iPhones. The app went viral; at one point, Drake himself posted an Instagram photo using the app, perhaps unaware that Mr. Ripps had forged a note to Apple granting himself permission to use Drake’s trademark.

He signed the forged letter “Ralph Romeo.” “Which is a fake name I use sometime because it’s very illustrious and romantic,” he said.

The Internet has let Mr. Ripps assume many creative roles, not all of them rooted in real life.

For years, creative agencies shaped the look and feel of commerce from entirely behind the scenes, like ad Wizards of Oz. But as marketing has moved from print and television to the internet, many of these companies have moved into the public eye, no longer simply peddling others’ products but also their own distinct identities. Here, in that spirit, we’ve asked three smart groups who are making boundary-pushing work at the intersections of art and commerce to make an ad for themselves. These three aren’t all creative agencies per se—OKFocus is, while The Jogging is more like an artist-run gallery and to.be is a tool for creative expression—but their output shares a critical approach to the digital medium in which they’re all working, and a careful understanding of how art gets disseminated on the internet. And so, even at the margins of the marketplace, their experiments might soon have a big impact.

duncan cooper

fader

OKFocus

Founders: Ryder Ripps, Jules Laplace, Jonathan Vingiano

Years in business: Three

Employees: Three, plus a network of freelancers

Elevator pitch: “Internet Legends/Tyrants of Conceptual and Technological Alacrity” okfocus

Ryder Ripps started OKFocus to make money. As an artist, he got early attention for projects like Internet Archeology, a website dedicated to curating the art history of the internet, but Ripps says he “didn’t want to pursue an art career full time.” Instead, he took his interests in programming and branding and built an entirely different type of creative practice: a full service digital agency. Along with a couple of like-minded programmers, Ripps created OKFocus to apply his conceptual ideas about business to real world companies. “I really enjoy the idea of understanding corporate America from the inside,” he says. Unlike other artists, who flirt with the mechanics or symbols of the corporate world, OKFocus is not simply playing at advertising. They are in business. Part of their strategy has been starting attention-grabbing, single-serve sites like newmoticons.com, a random emoticon generator, but the big bucks are in projects for corporate clients like Nike, including a recently designed app that uses a smartphone’s accelerometer to give a 360-degree augmented reality view of Nike’s London store/exhibition space, 1948. OKFocus’ most telling alliance has been with #BeenTrill, the brand from Virgil Abloh and the Kanye West camp for whom they’ve been doing digital creative direction. As their art for the previous page suggests, OKFocus has a strong affinity for the trappings of hip-hop, which is fitting: the rap game seems to not have a problem blurring the distinctions between art and hyperactive commerce, allowing for the co-existence of these two opposing forces. Given Ripps’ left-field pedigree, OKFocus could’ve just been making projects for internet art fans, but maybe the drive to ball out in the straight world is more interesting—and even, perhaps, more honest. hg

How does the internet make you feel?

One body of his work adds to the Internet’s perpetual swarm, the other freezes time to reflect on the deluge of images and information we consume. Artist, designer, philosopher and prankster, Ryder Ripps makes work both for and about our digital lives. His site design for M.I.A. and work with Ryan Trecartin for W are high profile, but collaborating with strangers and passersby online is what Ripps finds most rewarding. Dump.fm, his aesthetically influential brainchild, is a real-time site where people communicate with images, riffing with each other using pictures, conversing with visual content. He is currently developing Solid State Tomb, tombstones embedded with solid state drives holding the collected ephemera and memories of a life. These are then meant to be accessed and shared with future generations of family, also acting as a historical document for the greater culture. Upcoming collaborations include an Internet project with people too famous to name and an installation with Mark Essen and Thunderhorse Video at Eyebeam gallery.

[caveartfair]

Why This 30-Year-Old Keith Haring Mural Was Never Meant to Last

Polaroid and mural by Keith Haring, WetheYouth, Philadelphia Mural, 1987. Courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation Archives.

Polaroid and mural by Keith Haring, WetheYouth, Philadelphia Mural, 1987. Courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation Archives.

Chalk was the medium that made pop artist Keith Haring famous. The short-lived drawings he sketched on blank posters throughout the New York City subway had surprisingly long-term effects on his career, boosting widespread recognition of his tessellating figures that appealed to art connoisseurs and children alike.

And so, it follows that he was no stranger to temporary art. Haring knew that even his murals—close to 50 in total, scattered across the globe from Tokyo to Minneapolis—were subject to the same sort of impermanence.

“I realized, of course, that when you put something in public that it is in a certain way a gift,”  Haring said in an interview about his Houston Street mural in New York. “It’s vulnerable to whatever is going to happen to it from the outside world.”

That vulnerability was the intention for We the Youth, a collaborative mural the American artist created in Philadelphia in September of 1987. The work, which marks its 30th anniversary on Sunday, was always meant to be temporary.

It was also Plan B. Plan A was for Haring to paint a mural on a trash truck that would drive around Philadelphia, bringing art—and sanitation services—around town. The Philadelphia Sanitation Department refused to lend a truck for that purpose, however, so the project organizers came up with another idea.

Haring was instead invited to Philadelphia by representatives of two multicultural art nonprofits that work with urban youth: Allan Edmunds, founder and director of Philadelphia-based Brandywine Workshop, and Laurie Meadoff, founder and director of the New York-based CityKids Foundation. Meadoff had collaborated with Haring the previous year on CityKids Speak on Liberty (1986), a 90-by-30-foot banner that the artist volunteered to paint with approximately 1,000 children in celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s centennial.

We the Youth was another pro bono collaboration between Haring and urban kids, in a project that commemorated a different American milestone. Timed to coincide with the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17th, Haring created the mural with a group of high school students (six from New York, eight from Philadelphia) and assistance from three local artists (Clarence Wood, Gilberto Wilson, and Jose Seabourne). The artwork would not enjoy the premier placement of the official festivities planned for Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, but its unceremonious location was intentional.

“Keith Haring didn’t want to put this mural in a part of Philly that everyone saw all the time, one of the trendier, more commercial parts,” recalls Rita Martello, a Seattle-based web designer who was among the mural’s student collaborators in 1987. “He wanted to put it in an actual urban neighborhood.”

The neighborhood selected was South Philadelphia’s Point Breeze, where We the Youth hoped to shine the spotlight of Haring’s commercial success on the urban blight of a low-income area. Painted on the side wall of a rowhouse at 2147 Ellsworth Street, the mural faced a vacant lot—one of hundreds that dotted the neighborhood at the time. (In a letter to Haring that year, Edmunds of Brandywine Workshop counted 900.)

The project organizers expected the mural to be a placeholder until redevelopment actualized the area’s potential—not for it to be around for decades. “We didn’t paint that with the idea that it was going to be there 30 years,” says Edmunds. “This is the whole point: It wasn’t about putting murals all over the city, and monuments to the artists. It was about sparking community, economic, and social development. So progress is when a building gets built on that lot”—progress that would, inevitably, turn Haring’s mural into a shared wall between two rowhomes.

Despite the absence of new construction and repopulation of the dilapidated district in the years preceding We the Youth, there were nevertheless several active community organizations and residents trying to improve the area. Point Breeze neighborhood associations and area businesses cooperated on the mural by providing supplies and other support.

“There was curiosity and excitement about the project,” says Judy Kim, a Philadelphia-based designer, who filled in one of Haring’s outlined figures as a 16-year-old high school art student. “Children would ride by on their bikes circling the mural, smiling, laughing, and pointing at the details. Some of the neighbors would come out to take a look and seemed undecided about the mural and how the artwork fit in the neighborhood. This was when the mural was new, but I’m sure things have changed since then.”

Polaroid and mural by Keith Haring, WetheYouth, Philadelphia Mural, 1987. Courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation Archives.

Polaroid and mural by Keith Haring, WetheYouth, Philadelphia Mural, 1987. Courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation Archives.

Point Breeze has indeed changed over the past 30 years, and a gentrification process has begun filling many empty properties over the past decade—although a 2009 city report still notes the presence of 1,991 vacant lots in the area. Newer residents in particular have a heightened awareness of the significance (and monetary value) of Haring’s work, so the corner lot at 22nd and Ellsworth Streets won’t likely be one of them.

“People just didn’t realize the value of it,” says Eric Okdeh, a muralist who has painted over 80 projects in Philadelphia and who restored We the Youth twice, in 2000 and 2004. “I wouldn’t say that across the board, but I do remember that feeling where some people didn’t realize that he was an artist of international renown and that this piece existed in the neighborhood.”

And to those outside the neighborhood, the address of Philadelphia’s Haring mural certainly remains a mystery. It is a hidden gem, an under-publicized anomaly in a city whose Mural Arts Program boasts the nation’s largest public art collection. Its location is partially to blame—most of the city’s high-profile murals adorn the walls of Philadelphia’s heavily-trafficked Center City. It was also a small project within the context of Haring’s oeuvre. Just the year before, he famously painted a 300-meter-long section of the Berlin Wall (a project that, like We the Youth, was intended to be impermanent).

Like that portion of the Wall, many of his murals have been destroyed, painted over, or relocated in the years since his untimely death due to AIDS-related complications. Only a handful of outdoor Haring murals still exist in their original locations, mainly in prominent locations: the exterior wall of an Italian church, a Parisian children’s hospital, and on a handball court wall visible from Manhattan’s Harlem River Drive. Eleven Haring murals remain in the United States, but Philadelphia’s mural wasn’t supposed to be one of them.

The survival of We the Youth is bittersweet. It has become a museum-level fixture in a neighborhood that is accustomed to boarded-up rowhouses and lots overgrown with weeds. The mural is now a permanent placeholder for a house that will, apparently, never be built, and its original message of community improvement has been lost over the years.

Created to enjoy a short life, We the Youth has survived in spite of itself.

—Karen Chernick

from Artsy News