#i need to do a variety of posts i wanna explore backgrounds

[bibliosims]

michaela addison

[thedevotionaltour]

i havent even read enough gl to justify the feelings and emotions i have about kyle i just have the lovers heart and also something wrong with me. and my projection. in my mind he's just like me. and he would have loved college vending machine frozen cheeseburger and heating it up in the microwave at 1 in the morning because he was bored and didn't want to work on a drawing assignment on 20" x 30" paper that was due tomorrow in his freshman year. he would have loved going to the club to push off finals work that's creating the worst stress known to man in his brain. and he would love to annoy the fuck out of his roommate when high and avoiding homework on a saturday.

[mcnuggyy]

✨ Rainbow Factory TTRPG! ✨

HIII!!!! As promised here is my silly little reskin of KOB (kids on bikes/brooms)!!! :o] <3

EDIT: This post got a bit long eek!! sorry!! if you just wanna see the silly stuff I did then just check out the links! You can ignore all the other text on this post jajaja!

Mini Rule Book  ( for GMs & Players!)

PDF Version!  

Here is the document I gave all my players beforehand! This is a simplification of all the KOB rules, character creation process, and the worldbuilding for Unicopia! Please feel free to use as much or as little of it as you like for your game! It goes step by step through the character creation process and has a wide variety of examples and references. I try to be as thorough as possible but ofc I may have missed something! Please feel free to make up what i miss or shoot me a message if you're really curious jaja!

Here is a jpg of the Player Character Sheet of needed! :o]

RFTTRPG: NPC Stats & BG Characters! (For GMs!)

This is what I used while GMing! Feel free to use these as you like! I tried to keep it simple and loose for the big characters like Hev and Trixie! And even simpler for the background characters. I didn't give the BG chars any stats as I knew I wouldn't need them for the one-shot I was running but please feel free to make your own BG chars, and stats, and all of that good stuff!

I also have a rough RF building chart for exploration! Our campaign was set inside the Rainbow Factory so it felt like a good idea to make this for my players! However please feel free to set your one-shot anywhere else in Unicopia! I hope to make a map of  the districts one day to add to the mini rule book later on! :o] You can also set it at another Happiness Factory such as the Tear Factory or Heart Factory! You could even have your unicorns visit Earth! The world is your oysta! ♡ 

Overall I tried to keep everything super simple and clear for both myself and my friends! I imagine other Factories in smaller districts would be much smaller than this but this is a rough idea of what I think most of them would sort of be like!

RFFTTRPG: One-shot Ideas & More! (For GM's)

I love love loved using the KOB system and reskinning it for my silly little world! and I love when a TTRPG gives you nice sort of rules to follow while still being super free and open in other aspects! It made it  easy for me to just come up with a simple problem/plot for my players! However I know coming up with something from scratch is also super intimidating and overwhelming! So here is the idea I did, along with some others I've thought of for fun! (and might even do in future games jejeje)

Kid on the Run!  This is super Monsters Inc inspired. Have the party over at a Factory for any reason you choose. I chose a tour/ted talk hosted by the lovely Trixie! It can also be a company party, or breaking and entering, or they already work there, etc.! Have one of the portals go haywire allowing a child to enter Unicopia! It's now up to the party to not only capture the child but return them back home safe and sound to the human world! All while keeping the child secret from the rest of unicornkind! RF: Happiness Special Forces The Counsel has decided to create a special task team in charge of going down to earth! Go undercover and stop those who cause great risk to Unicornkind! This could be stopping a huge evil corporation that is creating an excess amount of unhappiness, reducing the magic of Unicopia. Or having to go in and save multiple children in danger such as a field trip gone wrong! Or making an adult human who remembered their childhood unicorn forget about them again before things get dicey! Your players will have to keep their existence as unicorns a secret, all while saving their world, and exploring Earth as characters who may be unfamiliar with humans and their ways! Unicorn Hunters & the End of Unicopia What if unicorns biggest threat finally found out where they had been hiding all this time? and not just knew but had access to a portal? It's up to the players to stop them at all costs and save their world.  A high stakes adventure full of lore, magic, and potential unexpected allies!  The Daily Life of a Field Op/Happy Tech This is more of a slice of life concept! This would work well for smaller parties of 1-4 Players! Have your Players form teams and deal with the daily troubles a helping a kid/teen/pre-teen  as a Field op or Happy Tech! (You could even have one of your Players play one of the kids themselves!) While still balancing their social lives, self needs, etc.! A look inside what it's like for Unicopias most essential workers, their interpersonal dramas, relationships, etc. Great for those who love character centric collaboritive storytelling!

ANYWAYS!!! Sorry for the ridiculously long post </3 I just wanted to cover all my bases in case someone decides they wanna play this reskin!! If you do end up playing pleaseee let me know eeek!! very very exciting!!! <3 regardless i hope you have fun looking at all this silly stuff I did to make my friends smile and laugh :o]

You can check out our one-shot over on my Patreon yahoo!

[woolying]

!!! 2024 art summaries yayy !!!

is my handwriting legible ??? it doesnt matter this is moreso just for me lol

also i really struggled finding things to put on the timeline bc the beginning of the year i was sooo Artblocked i didnt draw at all and the end of the year all i have are wips and sketches... the struggler

regardless this was a good art year for me i think!!! lots of highlights yay see yall next year <333

(past art summaries and more yapping below if u care...)

reminiscing and revisiting:

2023

i miss u kirizono........lowk i peaked here

goal: better composition -> tbh no i havent done anything too compositionally difficult... character(s) on colored background galore

goal: let ocs be seen -> i posted One(1) Once...barely... but im working on them more than i was before so i need them to be more fleshed out before i let people see them. But i am so obsessed with them now so i think its a win regardless

goal: do more studies, stop struggling!! -> i havent done many more studies but i havent been struggling that much?? do i have a better understanding of things or have i not left my comfort zone... actually that will be another goal

2022

the last time a variety of colors were seen in my art 😔💔 may they rest in peace

"lineless/rendering! ended up being not for me lol" -> i love rendering now never give up !!

goal: artstyle consistency -> not rlly lol but its fine im exploring <3

goal: better landscapes/backgrounds -> this is once again the goal for next year we'll get it this time for sure 🙏

goal: be cringe publicly! have fun! -> i am having sooo much fun but im not cringe i am so based actually... also the move from twt to here has done wonders for me. I used to be so scared and miserable all of the time about art but its chill here

reflecting:

lowkey i feel like i regressed this year in terms of skill which is kinda sad,,,, i havent drawn a background in ages, my anatomy is still kinda bad and inconsistent, idk how clothing works, etc what ever

but maybe im just being critical bc of the skill/knowledge curve thing!! at least thats what im telling myself <3

however also im trying new things that are like not related just to just illustrations (which i used to be the only thing i drew ever). like im getting back into designing ocs and coming up with aus/stories (ive always been such a bad uncreative writer its not even funny but im trying anyway!!) and im using my sketchbook again and ive tried animation ?!? which i used to say i would never do bc it seemed so hard (it still is) so maybe im just like expanding outward instead of deeper idk if thats a good thing or not ...master of none maybe

but tbh its all good honestly im just yapping bc i really am just enjoying art!! i love drawing and i love sharing my art and i love drawing other peoples ideas and !!!! yippppeeee

soon i hope i get more confident and share more of my own ideas, i feel like the art i draw is ??? not that deep or exciting just characters Who Are There or just like mildly pretty. I wanna be able to tell stories and show emotions and such in my art ykno?? but thats so hard

i wanna share ideas more but i feel like i cant unless i have art attached to it?? (part of why i wanna practice comics, bc some of them are easier to share that way) and also im just scared i guess lol. But maybe i just need to get over myself and just do it!!!!

Any Way, i love being a drawer next year we will Grow🌱🌱🆙

[bnhafantasybigbang]

Wolf’s Fantasy Notes: Punk Fantasy

Hello all! I am back again with Punk fantasy. This one has a decent wealth of subcultures. So I decided to focus on some of the more popular ones that I know of! If anyone knows of others, please let us know in the comments!

Punk Fantasy

This is another fascinating category! Part of what makes it interesting is the same thing that makes it interesting is the same thing that makes it hard to define. Punk is usually created through what if scenarios that focus on a point in history, the present, or even the future that later lead to alternate universes shaped by the changes. In general terms, Punk often refers to the myriad of subculture genres that pop up in literature. This covers all forms of literature from action to romance to horror, even!

So some of the Punk types I wanna talk about today are: Steam, Cyber, and Diesel!

So first up on my list of potential fic fodder: Steampunk

Steampunk is probably one of of the punk genres that most people are familiar with. Usually carrying either a Victorian or Wild West flair there are airships running on steam instead of planes alongside cog and steam cyborgs/robots. Metallic prosthetic limbs made of gears! Top hats and feathers and brooches made of clock parts! Also, don’t leave your aviator googles at home! 

In simple terms, Steampunk is basically a what if scenario that joins the bridge between fantasy and sci fi (I will do a post on sci fi-fantasy as well). What if steam powered technology had flourished rather than being outrun by coal and electricity? What would the world look like and how would it run?

There are several examples of this, some blatant and some not so blatant.

Anime: Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle

While both definitely incorporate heaps of magic and mystery, the background tells a bit of a different story.

In Spirited Away, the bath house Chihiro becomes trapped in relies on magic as well as the water and steam that Kamaji provides. Pulley systems and the moving parts of the building rely on it the most.

In Howl’s Moving Castle, again the background has airships and some robotics, but it is far more subtle.

Television: Firefly

This short lived but well loved show featured a crew on an airship and is flagship when discussing steampunk.

Western Animation: Hullabaloo

Is an upcoming animated series about the daughter of an inventor that is set in a steampunk universe! Their website has more info.

Literature:

Works by Gail Carriger

For adults there is her Soulless series about a female assassin traversing a Victorian steampunk landscape that is not only inhabited by humans but vampires, werewolves, and other paranormal creatures.

For the younger crowd, there is her Finishing School series set in the same universe as Soulless. It focuses on a flagship school that trains female assassins like the main character in Soulless!

The Vampire Empire series by Clay and Susan Griffith

A princess has to team up with a vampire to save her people from their mortal enemies the vampires. It is based in a steampunk environment.

Next on the list: Cyberpunk

Cyberpunk can be thought of as the opposite of Steampunk. Where the inspiration for steam is taken from the past, cyberpunk heralds from the future. Steampunk is usually full of exploration and adventure, and a dash of hope for the future. Cyberpunk is usually bleak, bad end future dystopias. Steampunk usually encompasses vast worlds that are remakes of our own. Cyber usually takes place in the future with virtual reality being the setting rather than the real world. Although there are several that do take place beyond it.

Some popular examples are The Matrix series, The Fifth Element, Looper, and Blade Runner for movies. Ender’s Game, Time Cop, and Ready Player One for literature, although all three have film versions.

A recent serial example, would be Altered Carbon. It was a novel that was recently developed as a series for Netflix! It is wonderful series that explores what happens to humanity when they become practically immortal by being recorded onto discs that can be changed from one body to another. It is made for a mature audience, so viewer discretion is advisable.

Lastly: Dieselpunk

Dieselpunk can be thought of as the offspring of steam and cyberpunk if it had fuel running in its veins. This aesthetic is grungy and brutal like cyberpunk usually existing during a dystopic time period as well. However, it focuses on the real world and the environment created by it. Technology itself maybe dying out or still in its infancy during these stories. So, virtual reality and space settings are usually not present. Dieselpunk is also very present as in tied to the present time. They usually take place in dire circumstances like a war.

A couple of examples would be Mad Maxx and Death Race in terms of movies. Snowpiercer would be another.   

Again, please let us know of any other good examples to include in these categories if you know of any!

Functioning as an aesthetic and/or a genre

Another interesting thing about most punk cultures is that they are often considered sub-genres. This often means they can function as an aesthetic rather than a stand alone universe or story type like we typically think of with genres. They often serve to spice up a narrative rather than support it. But they can be used to support one, too.

What do I mean?

Let’s take Spirited Away as an example of punk as an aesthetic.

In Spirited Away, the story is about Chihiro having to save her parents after they stumble into the spirit realm and get turned into pigs. It is a standard hero’s journey story set in a fantasy world with its own ecosystems, politics, etc, etc.  If we want to classify it, we would call it a pseudo-iseikai of the high fantasy variety. See my post on high fantasy for more info.

Steam comes into play only when the story reaches the bathhouse. It is necessary there as a distinguishing element. It is meant to show how human’s modern industrialization is vastly different from the nature harmonious steam and simple physics driven bath house that the spirits have.

Outside of that, steampunk is not important… that idea is no longer important.

How can this be applied to your story?

-Distinguishing cultures or kingdoms

Perhaps give your dragon kingdom a diesel/iron punk feel while your fairy kingdom is more steampunkish in line with their connection to nature

-Use them as a basis for creating other kinds of power sources or culture

-Use them as obstacles to your character’s goals

They find an abandoned ship but it runs on a special fuel that only the dieselpunk dragon race you made can make

Now for a punk genre example.

In Altered Carbon, mentioned in my blurb about cyberpunk, the main character is a newly “spun up” prisoner (they took his chip and put it in a new body after he was “detained” for 200 years in chip form). He was released to investigate a murder. While he does so, we are given glimpses into his original life. Now this story is clearly a sci-fi murder mystery with a hint of romance and other messy human pathos. But it can easily be called a cyberpunk murder mystery, too!

Now what makes this different than Spirited Away? The cyberpunk elements are tightly woven into not only the setting but the culture and the people… and that makes all the difference.

They have their own terminology that is clearly linked to the cyberpunk nature of the story. Spun up is one such term. Another is sleeves. Sleeves, like sleeves on clothing? What makes this so special? In this universe human bodies are referred to as sleeves! This is because when a body dies the “human consciousness” is not lost it is literally backed up on a chip. This chip is located between two vertebrae in the neck and can be reinserted into another sleeve (body)! There is a whole industry built on creating all kinds of sleeves!

In other words, it shapes the very fabric of your story as a whole.

Let’s take the dragon example from before. Instead of your characters just needing the fuel to power a wrecked ship… the ship is theirs and they are actually water transport personnel that move water across a barren wasteland that has been stripped of all its natural resources. There are few places that have electricity or clean water. Your MC has to get this water to their hometown, a shanty village that is in dire straits, their final stop after a few months of running routes. The Dragon kingdom is one of the few kingdoms that can provide fuel and other necessities in this area. Dragons and humans don’t get along. But it is a confrontation that has to be had.

In this scenario, the crumbling society and scarceness that comes with dieselpunk is woven into your character’s and universe’s story. The Dragons have the upper hand because they have what other characters don’t but need. You can play with terminology and how things are made. Perhaps the fuel is made from their blood and scales diluted in some simple oil that the few tree species in the area give off in huge amounts. The ships are cobbled together shells running on simple combustion engines that work with that special fuel.   

Long story short, if you want to use the different punk genres as aesthetics sprinkle it in every now and again. But if you want this to be the backbone of your story… your story’s genre then make sure you treat it like a character. Or at least make it intrinsic to the story you are telling.

Have any questions about making use of punk genres or something you would like me to answer about fantasy in general? Hit me up in my ask box here!

See you soon and sorry for being late (again)! Next time we start talking about some of the more broad yet niche sections of fantasy starting with Dark Fantasy!

~Admin Wolf

[eggoreviews]

Top 10 PS4 Exclusives

Sony’s PlayStation 4 has been a consistently impressive console since it broke into the market in 2013 and has been producing hit after hit ever since. Though arguably the best of this powerful and versatile console has been the exclusives Sony themselves have developed, so today’s post will be counting down the top ten exclusives to make their way onto the PS4. If you’re more of a Nintendo person, be sure to check out my top 10 Switch exclusives for a look at the best Ninty console since the 64.

Note: This list includes ports and remasters because some of them definitely need a mention here

10. Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Easily the best game in Sony’s VR library, Astro Bot is a wonderfully creative platformer with a variety of unique gadgets, bosses and locations to play through. Astro Bot breaks the boundaries found in most VR games, which often suffer from being disappointingly short or graphically eye-hurty in VR, and creates a genuinely enjoyable experience built upon the cute little robots that apparently live in your controller. More of this pls.

9. Detroit: Become Human

Very probably the edgiest game you’ll ever play, this in no way means that Detroit doesn’t deserve your attention. Detroit is a decision-based game set from the perspectives of three androids from entirely different backgrounds. As is customary in these kinds of games, your decisions affect the fates of the characters and the resolution of the story as a whole and you’ll find yourself completely taken with the perils of the characters you play as and the Blade Runner-esque world they inhabit. One to pick up if you like feeling things.

8. Shadow of the Colossus

A remaster of a legendary PS2 game, Colossus is a game everyone needs to play at least once. This game breaks most of the traditions in modern RPGs, with no cities, dungeons, characters or even enemies other than the 16 gigantic ‘colossi’ you must defeat. Colossus holds up today as a very emotional and almost haunting game that requires you to think outside of the usual realms of hacking things to pieces, instead encouraging logic to discover each monster’s weak points. This worthy remaster is an experience you won’t soon forget.

7. Until Dawn

While some may question Until Dawn’s place on this list, I genuinely believe this game is an essential for all PS4 owners. Taking control of eight teenagers ripped straight out of a horror movie dripping with tropes, you must survive a night of horror as the group navigates a deadly mountain that for some reason they decided to go back to after their friends died there. Rest assured, there are plenty of scares to be had and plenty of stupid decisions to make that you will definitely regret. If this is a game you know nothing about, I challenge you to get them all out alive. Because you probably won’t.

6. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Uncharted 4 marks the final chapter of the ever brilliant Nathan Drake, and this time, he’s dragging you along on the best adventure he’s ever had. After reuniting with his long lost brother, they go on a hunt for a pirate’s lost treasure. And every moment is filled with stunning visuals, slick gameplay and a group of heartfelt characters that I defy you not to get attached to. If none of that draws you in, then surely the Crash Bandicoot section at the start will justify this game’s place on the list.

5. The Last of Us: Remastered

Despite only releasing in 2013, The Last of Us seems to have already ascended to cult status and is yet another game everybody needs to play through once. The game is stunning to look at, terrifying to play and satisfying in every way, not to mention the polished crafting system that will make you do a little fist pump when you find a crowbar on the floor or some tape. But of course, the highlights of The Last of Us are the characters at its core, the growing father-daughter relationship between Joel and Ellie taking centre stage. This is a game packed full of emotion and terror in equal measure and should be on every PS4 owner’s trophy list.

4. Persona 5

This one will very likely be ported over to the Switch at some point soon, so I’m putting this one in the list while I can. If you’ve never played a Persona game, that doesn’t matter. My advice to you on this one is just dive in and embrace how weird this 100 hour-ish wonderful RPG is. You play as a typical anime protagonist who is transferred out to another school and forms a group of thieves who steal people’s desires. Sounds edgy, right? But honestly, it’s amazing and there’s nothing else I can tell you without giving stuff away so go play (I’m literally only up to the end of the 1st palace and I love it)

3. Marvel’s Spider-Man

Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man released only a few months ago, but it’s already being hailed as one of the best superhero games of all time. The studio behind Ratchet and Clank basically nailed everything about this game; the swinging mechanics, the combat, the character designs, plot and dialogue is all intrinsically Spider-Man. This is well-deserved to be placed among the best games of last year and very much worth your time if you’re a Marvel fan (especially with the tons of Marvel references and easter eggs) or to be honest, even if you’re not, it’s fun. Like really fun.

2. Horizon Zero Dawn

To put it simply, Horizon Zero Dawn was Sony’s answer to Breath of the Wild. While the two follow completely different paths as RPGs, the concept of exploring a dizzyingly massive world is the same. The difference here is you’ve got cool robots to fight! Seriously though, Horizon is one of the best open world experiences you can get your hands on today. This game takes the usual archetype of post-apocalyptic games being grey and colourless in their landscapes and turns that around completely, providing players with a rich, bright and colourful world filled with creatures and weird plants and did I mention the cool robots? To summarise this, following Aloy on her quest to discover her roots is one you won’t soon forget.

Here’s some also pretty good games that didn’t quite make the list:

Bloodborne

Kingdom Hearts HD Remixes

Little Big Planet 3

InFAMOUS: Second Son

Driveclub

1. God of War

Here it is, the game that took an already hugely successful franchise and booted it straight up into the atmosphere. Grabbing game of the year 2018 over heavy hitters like Red Dead 2 and Spider-Man, the God of War reboot was a game that captured the hearts of people everywhere, whether fans of the series or otherwise. In this entry, we see Kratos in an entirely different light as you take on the monstrous titans the series is famed for. This time, the game’s central focus is the relationship between Kratos and his son Atreus and how they grow and develop throughout their journey to scatter Atreus’ mother’s ashes. This entry took everything people loved about the GoW series and redid it all from the ground up, providing fans with an unforgettable masterpiece.

What’s your favourite exclusive? What upcoming game are you most hyped about? Do you like Kratos’ beard? Let me know down below if u wanna. Thanks for reading!

[sinceileftyoublog]

Aaron Frazer Interview: Dimensional Soul

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The members of Durand Jones & The Indications seem to be expanding their horizons. Last month, we featured an album produced by the band’s guitarist Blake Rhein, and today, it’s multi-instrumentalist and co-lead singer Aaron Frazer, whose solo debut Introducing... was released last Friday on Dead Oceans and Easy Eye Sound. The latter label’s founder, none other than The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, produced Frazer’s solo debut and flexed his clout to bring in legendary session musicians, wanting to work with Frazer immediately after hearing him sing. But as much as Frazer talks about Auerbach’s influence and skill, as he did during our phone interview from his Brooklyn home last month, listening to Introducing... is a clear distillation of Frazer as an artist, almost entirely. Though he and Auerbach co-wrote almost every song, and many further with other songwriters with impressive resumes like L. Russell Brown, Frazer doubles down on the genre hopping and progressive soul that Durand Jones & The Indications explore. Sure, there are moments of sweet old school soul, like opener “You Don’t Wanna Be My Baby” and doo wop slow jam “Have Mercy”. Yet, the album’s as much influenced by hip hop, from the Biz Markie strut of “If I Got It (Your Love Brought It)” to the Dilla swing tempo changes of “Girl on the Phone”. And thematically, for every blue-eyed love song, there’s a song like “Done Lyin’”, a lurking track about his friends’ experiences with addiciton, or “Bad News”, a funky burner of environmental existentialism. Wholly varied and confident, Introducing...is a remarkable debut.

Read my interview with Frazer below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: What does your debut allow you to do differently than Durand Jones & The Indications or any other projects you’re involved in?

Aaron Frazer: I guess the biggest thing is it gave me the opportunity to work with Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys. He’s a musician who I’m a big fan of. A large part of me learning how to sing initially was when I got my driver’s license, and I was in the car by myself, and I would be singing to The Black Keys’ Brothers and some of the early stuff like Thickfreakness and the Chulahoma EP. So that was a big difference, getting to work with a musician that I love. But also a place I felt like I could stretch out a little more in terms of defying genre classifications, a little bit. Obviously, there’s a lot of soul influence and R&B type stuff, but there are other ingredients in the mix.

SILY: Was there anything specific you were trying to communicate with your debut?

AF: Mostly just that I’m a person with a lot of different dimensions--not just as a music listener, but on a personal level. I wanted to show people sides of myself that they hadn’t seen yet. I hope that people can kind of hear this music and find it in themselves to explore these other dimensions and not feel the pressure to be one kind of music listener or one kind of anything in their life. To enjoy pushing the boundaries.

SILY: You and Dan co-wrote almost every song, but what was it like working and writing with such a wide variety of people?

AF: It was really cool and intense. I was leaving my co-writing comfort zone. Writing with Blake and Durand, I’ve known those dudes for 10 years. But writing with Dan, we have so much shared musical love--really specific records. This one gospel record, the first time we met, he put it on, and I was like, “Are you kidding me?!? I’ve never heard anyone else put this on.” This song called “Let Jesus Work It Out” by this Ohio gospel band called The Daytonians. That level of specificity made me feel more comfortable writing with Dan. For most of the sessions, he brought in some of the older writers who had been around for decades longer than the experience of both of us put together. It was really cool to hear their perspective. L. Russell Brown wrote with Frankie Valli. It was really cool to see the way their approach was different than mine, and it was cool and affirming to see the ways I was like, “Oh yeah! That’s how I do it also.”

SILY: Once you established that rapport with Dan, did you trust him to bring in the right person even if you didn’t know them personally or never worked with them?

AF: [laughs] That’s kind of his process. There was a lot of faith I had to put in him. He likes you to keep being surprised, and he tailors the songwriters and the session players to the artist he’s working with. This particular configuration of session players had never appeared before on a record. So it does require a lot of faith in a producer I’ve never worked with before--I had never worked with any producer before other than co-producing with Blake. But a key part of our conversation was sending songs back and forth. If you’re building a house together, you gotta make sure you’re imagining the same type of house before you lay down the foundations.

SILY: Some of Dan’s production work over the past decade has been late career albums from artists like Dr. John and John Anderson. You’re established, but you still have a long road ahead of you. Did you get a sense as to whether his approach was different working with a younger artist?

AF: I think it definitely was. He’s such an eclectic listener and can be really elastic in moving from genre to genre. It’s also partially what I brought to the table in the collaboration--bringing hip hop records. Even though we’re making a soul, rock, and gospel record, here’s the lens I want to filter through. It was an interesting challenge. These session players are all so virtuosic. If you listen more than you talk, you’ll hear them talk about working with Frank Sinatra. You’re like, “What the fuck?” A song like “Can’t Leave It Alone”, it’s all about single note stabs. Someone like Freddie King used to put all his weight behind one piercing electric guitar note. But working with session musicians, we stripped it back. Thankfully, everybody was able to adjust to playing this post-hip-hop style.

SILY: I do love the piano plinks of “Can’t Leave It Alone” in between the blares of guitars and horns.

AF: It’s funny you point that out. That’s Bobby Wood. He’s part of The Memphis Boys. He played on Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man”, Aretha Franklin records. He’s been around for so long. For “Can’t Leave It Alone”, those piano plinks, I was explaining J Dilla swing. Bobby Wood’s been around forever, and I’m trying to explain, “It’s not off beat, but not quite on beat. It’s kind of rickety!” He was able to wrap his head around that and adjust. He was kind of blown away. Anybody, regardless of their profession, when they get older, their brain starts to be like, “I know what I know.” For someone to be so fluid in their playing [was amazing.]

SILY: Was there a consistent approach to the arrangements and instrumentation among all the songs?

AF: I think the consistency was that every song required something a little different. Taking it song to song, if you listen, the song will tell you what it needs. I know it sounds New Age and bullshit or whatever, but there’s not a formula. At least with the music I make, it feels like a continuum of learning lessons and applying them, and eventually, you start to develop experience that can turn into a little jungle wisdom. Like, “You know what, it doesn’t need the horns or a solo there.” Even if you have the means, talent, or virtuosity to do it, just trying to do what the song needs.

SILY: You’ve talked about how “Bad News” is more political than the other songs, mentioning Gil Scott-Heron and Curtis Mayfield as influences. There’s also a long history of soul songs about the environment specifically. Did you think of this song within that realm?

AF: I think any time I’m writing music that’s making a comment on politics and the country, I think about it in the context of the history of soul writers and singers and particularly the artists you mentioned. In terms of soul songs about the environment, I wasn’t like, “I’m gonna sit down and join a long list of soul songs about the environment.” It’s just an issue that’s on my mind a lot. It’s always looming in the background. Sometimes, when we get into the weeds of the factionalism of American politics--not even left vs. right, more left vs. further left vs. even further left--it’s like, “Everybody, this shit is happening. The clock is really ticking.” It’s hard not to sound like an alarmist. It’s hard for me and truly anybody to wrap their heads around a mass existential threat like that. It’s so big you want to look away from it.

SILY: I noticed “Gil Scott” was credited with the flute on that song. Is that a sample?

AF: That’s actually Leon Michels from the El Michels Affair. He’s the co owner of Big Crown Records. He cheekily listed himself like that in the end credits.

SILY: “Done Lyin’”, on the flip side, is about addiction and some of your friends’ experiences with it. How did you approach the instrumentation on a song like that about something more solemn, as opposed to so many of the other upbeat tracks on here?

AF: Part of the reason why Curtis and Gil Scott-Heron loom so largely in my creative life is because they found room within themselves and on their records to express the full dimension of themselves, the fullness of their identities. Not just the political fury, but moments of tenderness and happiness and grieving and anger and confusion. They’re all there on the record and all there in all of us. I wanted to make sure I’m giving room to myself to feel and process all the things. Especially something like addiction to opiates. A lot of people in this country are suffering from that epidemic.

SILY: I’d like to ask you about the instrumentation and arrangements of a few specific songs in a row on the record. First, tell me about the tempo change in “Girl on the Phone”.

AF: That’s something I feel hip-hop gave me. You listen to J Dilla, for example, it’ll start with the original sample and then all of a sudden will jolt forward into this new thing, slow down, and pick up again. It’s fun to do that at the source material level, rather than somebody going back and flipping the sample.

SILY: You’ve mentioned J Dilla twice now. Do you have a favorite track by him?

AF: [laughs] That’s a good question. “Don’t Cry” on Donuts. That’s a perfect example of the sort of tempo changes that feel really natural.

SILY: On the track after “Girl on the Phone”, “Love Is”, the Juno synth really stood out to me on a record that’s really retro sounding.

AF: That’s a really fun one for me. That’s a good moment of pushing the genre. Making it a little harder when you just listen for five seconds and think, “This is just old school soul.” I’m not gonna kid myself. A bunch of people will hear the record and think that, and I get it, but it’s nice to have those moments of breaking the mold. I have an acoustic rendition of “Love Is” I’m really excited to show people, which is how we originally wrote it, on acoustic guitar. It’s much folkier. You have this kind of cosmic country thing, this big open psychedelic private press folk vibe, and then you mix it with the Wu-Tang [ad libs a beat] 36 Chambers thing.

SILY: Lastly, “Over You” almost has a punk vibe to it.

AF: That’s definitely the fastest song I’ve ever written. People know me for only slow jams, which I love and will write many more of over the course of my life, but it’s fun to challenge myself there as a songwriter. It helps me free myself up creatively. “This is the tempo, but I want to write it this way.” Putting yourself in that paradigm can help you reach different musical conclusions if you [instead] were to just sit down and open up a Google Doc with your guitar and think, “Okay, I could write anything in the world with any chord, what will it be?” 

SILY: Tell me about the videos you’ve released so far.

AF: Music videos are interesting. I’m enjoying the challenging process of finding my creative voice with videos, trying to sharpen my vision the same way I can hear the record I want to make. Music videos are a little trickier, but I love the ones we’ve dropped so far. I had the idea for the “Bad News” video because it’s really just exactly what the song conjured up in my head. Cold sidewalks, the grey sidewalks of New York. It feels like the sound of the city to me. Somebody being by themselves in a city that feels so indifferent. I called my friend who directed the video, Julia Barrett-Mitchell, and told her about the idea. She had an exact person in mind, her friend Nicole Javanna Johnson who danced in the video. That whole video was pre-shot. There was no crew other than the director of the video, me, and the dancer. I’m behind the camera with my hand on Nicole’s back. She’s tightrope walking on the curb, and then I run ahead of her from the left side of the screen. It was fun to keep things a little gritty and guerilla that way.

“If I Got It (Your Love Brought It)”, that song I was in the DMV in Sacramento with my lady in the commercial vehicles office. Behind the desk they have a bunch of toy trucks, and at the top, there was a sign from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the 50′s, Jimmy Hoffa era, that said, “If you got it, a truck brought it.” I was like, “It’s snappy, that’s a hot line.” I sat with it for a second and personalized it, and the song fell into place really quickly. When a central concept is very strong like that, it’s very clear. You’ll find that in a lot of country songs. The verses fit in. It’s like structuring an essay. The verses support the main pieces of the song. That being a union slogan, I had a vision of a union banner with that slogan on it. I wanted to take it up and down the west coast and get a shit ton of people in front of it, but the director, El Oms (Omar Juarez), who is a celebrated artist within the Chicano community on the West Coast, he did a great job rounding up a lot of people from within the community in L.A. and a few in San Diego, and shot people with things that bring them joy and love. That’s the entire spirit of the song.

“Over You” was the first video of the three I shot. I wanted dancing. I wanted at least one person in the video who could do a soul dance. It’s a pretty specific style of dancing that you’ll see mostly in the UK. I wanted to celebrate the northern soul community in that song. The song has a cinematic quality to it, so we wanted to do quick cuts, giving it that kind of campy, scrolling background in the back of a car that’s stationary, where you can see it’s shot in a studio. Not to take ourselves super seriously, to show the drama.

SILY: Did you watch The Irishman?

AF: I did, but after “If I Got It” was written. But I believe the phrase makes an appearance in the background of the film. I love gangster films. Maybe I’ll catch some heat for this, but my favorite is The Departed. I don’t love The Godfather. I respect it because you gotta respect the mold.

SILY: Do you have a hard time thinking of music in general cinematically, or is that just with your own music?

AF: I definitely think of music cinematically. At the end of the day, my low-key dream job is being a music supervisor and curating soundtracks for film and television. Growing up, my brother and I used to play a game when driving where we’d put on a song and would describe what would be going on in the scene in a fictional movie. Make up what’s happening. So I definitely think of things cinematically but in the course of smaller moments. “This is the song that would fit perfectly in this particular moment of a journey.” But you have to tell the full story.

SILY: What’s the story behind the album art?

AF: I wanted it to give a nod to the classic rockabilly stars and private press compilations, where it’s a cutout of a photo on a solid background. You’ll see that a lot in rockabilly compilations from France. I wanted to put it in a place where if you saw it, you weren’t sure what era it was from. I love playing and luxuriating in that. Is it old? Is it new? Who is singing? What does this person look like? Is it a woman singing? I get that all the time: “I thought you were a girl!” I love that.

SILY: What else is next for you?

AF: The album was recorded a year ago, but there’s just so much [to do]. You really become aware of that when you’re a solo artist. There’s really no sharing the load with your bandmates. All the packaging decisions, making sure the details are right, like, “I wanted the front part of the jacket coated, and the back part uncoated.” Merch design, posters, music videos, all that stuff. That’s definitely kept me busy in the interim. I’ve also been working on the Durand Jones & The Indications record we’ll be recording this winter. It’s fun to bring some of the lessons I’ve learned from the solo record back to the band but keep the spirit of evolution and pushing. I think people will be able to hear so much of what they know and love from Durand Jones & The Indications but also feel us growing as songwriters.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, reading, or watching lately that’s notable?

AF: I just finished watching The Queen’s Gambit. In truth, I don’t think it’s super good, just really expensive. But it looks great! I’ve been also watching Lovecraft Country. I also started watching The Last Dance. That documentary is cool. They really have amazing access to somebody who is so good at what they do and so competitive and driven. It’s fun to see somebody so competitive in a different line of work.

Introducing... by Aaron Frazer

[theboykingofhell]

(acting anon from earlier!!) i read ur whole thing and its FILLED with rly good info ty!! im british and im looking to start getting into acting but i always shyed away from it in schools etc cause there's always be a dance side to it and :/ no ty id rather eat nails than dance ever. but im rly interested in the acting techniques n stuff u mentioned and id defo read as many posts abt it as u wanted to write :0 ty for your time!!<3

OK YEAH now that i actually have time and by that i mean i have no time there’s like three things i’m supposed to be doing rn but i want to stall starting them lmfao I’MMA TALK MORE ABOUT THIS RN

imma be real i cant remember all the things i mentioned in that post i wrote and i cant be bothered to go back and look so IF YOU EVER HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION LITERALLY ASK ME ANY TIME

oooooooooooh... yeah.. love... babe.... go to acting schools lol it’s not even JUST the fact that they literally teach you how to act but. you. need to network. god. especially since you ARE british, acting schools are very important because a lot of companies will pretty much hire you based on what school you went to. just the short amount of time i was there made this VERY obvious that it is VERY hard to get picked up by a company if you haven’t gone to school, and getting picked up by a company is how you get consistent theater work for YEEEEEEARS...!!! also, usually a school will give you a rly good chance to network by having some sort of showcase at the end where you can get in contact with a bunch of agents and the more famous the school, the more agents see your work and try and help you out!!!!

and, like... the whole dance bit is just a hurdle you’re gonna have to jump. it’s def rly important to just partipate in the classes, you don’t have to be GOOD but it gives you just that little bit of awareness over your body and your movement that you might not have had before and that’s rly important, especially on the stage!! i felt the same way about singing but, man, the more you work at it, the more mangeable it gets. and you don’t want to have this grudge on you forever because it’ll really limit your work :/

but i mean man you don’t actually have to, there’s no set way to become an actor! if you find work, you have that work, it doesn’t matter how you get there t b h. i just think it helps and the more skills you acquire, the better of a chance you have to get that work...

(i RLY suggest lamda, it’s a hard school get into but it’s one of the best if not the best and also the education is beautiful and ALSO lamda-trained actors get the most consistent work because the uk just nuts all over itself about lamda-trained actors)

BUT YEAH. ACTING TECHNIQUES. GONNA FINALLY ADD A CUT LOL

i’m only gonna talk about these vaguely cuz tbh i’m not as ~studied~ as i should be because i’ve been far too lazy until now to actually sit down and read acting textbooks but HERE’S THE GIST....

stanislavsky is like... pretty much the most well-known most taught acting technique. so many of the other techniques you learn BUILDS on his work. there’s a huge range of shit that he’s got to offer because his and later similar teachings are SO focused on realism (which tbh is a very new thing in acting), but some of the most important is stuff like emotional recall and objective work aaaaand character building by using yourSELF and projecting it onto the character. it’s a very psychological form of acting and it’s... MY BASIS but not actually my fave!

now, a lot of parts of it is very useful. emotional recall, for one, is SUPER nice. it’s a very good way to build that vulnerability up, tear down a lot of walls and explore how to summon emotions up....

my first exercise with stanislavsky, i remember them making us lie down and pretty much meditate, and then you listened as the teacher described a bunch of things: your favorite beach as a child and what it felt like, all these sensory memories about the smells and tastes and sights of the beach. and then it moved on to the night of your first kiss, your first love, and then your first loss. a nice basic range of basic emotions, and then you build on that.

stanislavsky (and stuff like uta hagan who wrote a RLY great book that i havent finished reading yet but it’s a GREAT way to rly build on the technique) rly encourages taking yourself and putting it into the character. SO!!!! if your character is going through their first break-up, summon the feelings and memories of your first break-up and push that into your lines, so on and so forth.

the big criticism with stanislavsky and all the techniques like them is that it COULD be very unhealthy for you... considering it’s all about reliving and reliving old memories. and i agree, i mean, one of my favorite plays and one of my monologues of choice for auditions is from a play where the main character is kidnapped and raped, and i’ve been kidnapped and raped before so i am CONSTANTLY and purposely triggering myself just to perform that monologue well. THAT AIN’T RIGHT! helps tho! 

(stuff like method acting falls under stanislavsky and his successors strasberg and stella adler, so....! you can see why not everyone fucks with it)

MY criticism about stanislavsky, which is why it doesn’t work as much for me, is that it’s very VERY heavily text-based. uhhh THIS IS LONG ALREADY SO SOMEONE SEND AN ASK ABOUT OBJECTIVES AND I’LL EXPLAIN but they want you to do a lot in the moment that makes it very distracting if you don’t have this process pinned down and that’s AGGRAVATING FOR ME ANYWAY

chekov is another technique that’s interesting, again not a fave but VERY helpful. this one builds character more from the outside in, it’s all about like... a lot of very subtle details that you can add to the background to add color to your performances. a lot of it is about atmospheres, attitudes, body language, and how that affects your character and how your character is thinking through the scene. it’s VERY reactionary and very fun because you don’t have to think NEARLY as much. 

pretty much you form... gestures, or moods for your characters, and instead of perfoming an ‘action’ (stanislavsky thingy, i’ll explain that in another post i guess), you’re using this ‘gesture’ to explain yourself. it is far FAR more abstract than stanislavsky, which is a lot more technique and exact, and it’s very vague, which does make it very hard for people. it also doesn’t stress realism like stanislavsky and company does, so it’s not as popular at the moment!

 meisner technique is my second favorite technique and kind of hard to explain because i haven’t rly gotten a comprehensive course in it yet besides a few workshops and activities, but it’s a technique that stresses STRESSES ‘listening’. that’s something you hear a lot as an actor, it’s one of the hardest things to really get but it’s also, truly, the essence of good acting. you can’t be a good actor if you don’t listen, because if you don’t listen, you’re not in the moment, and if you’re not IN the moment, you’re just... reciting lines!!!

it’s so hard to explain so i’mma link a cute video i just found because it shows a lot of variety and also shows the actors messing up a lot and it’s cute omfg

it focuses a lot of repetition (either of the same one line for each person or they’re both doing the same line back and forth) which forces the actor to not think about what’s being said but how it’s being said. you’re stuck in the moment because you KNOW what you’re gonna say, you don’t have to worry about saying anything else, all you gotta worry about is what the other person does and how you’re gonna react to it. if they suddenly start screaming in your face UHH YOU’RE GONNA SCREAM BACK HOW DARE YOU? and it’s automatic and SO natural and that’s why i love it, because you don’t have to THINK through it. you don’t rly think through your life like they make you do in other techniques, so i adore the ability to not have to do that on stage.

however i’ve never gotten far enough in the technique to find out how to apply it to a set script but it might just be about building that openness to just... DO and BE and let whatever happens happens, which is NICE

LAST THING THAT I’LL TALK ABOUT IS FUCKING GROTOWSKI YE  S. ok so a lot of techniques overlap, so by this i’m also talking about lecoq and peter brook’s acting techniques. it’s all physical theatre which is all about the GROTEQUE and like UGH there’s so many fascinating things honestly just google ‘theatre of cruelty’ because it’s FASCINATING

the emphasis is... not rly on realism altho the acting i’ve seen come out of it is the most realistic i’ve seen? it’s rly gritty and about accessing the most... EXTREME of emotions, it’s about rly grasping human nature and twisting it and bringing it on stage. peter brook especially (who has a book called the empty stage or something like that that i got to read) stresses that... theatre shouldn’t be about costumes and sets and whatever, it should be just about the actor, and that you can do a PERFECTLY GOOD show with a completely empty stage, with just the actor in the center.

it also has an emphasis on YANKING the audience into the show and being very interactive and like... nothing’s held back, it should be hard to watch, THEATRE SHOULD BE CATHARTIC AND FUCKED UP AND YES.

so physical theatre involves pulling emotions from the body through your movement. life isn’t just about the mind, after all, your body holds emotions through it, there’s chemicals and hormones and what your body does on its own and against other bodies and just. again, hard to explain so HERE’S SOME COOL VIDS THAT SHOWS DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES AND COMPARES THEM ALL

i lied there’s one more technique i wanna mention: it’s called alba emoting! it, again, builds on the idea that trying to access emotions through the brain is UNHEALTHY AND DANGEROUS and that you can, instead, try and access it through the body! how???? cuz emotions are PHYSICAL. you feel sadness and anger and love and whatnot in your gut and chest and through your head and all through every nerve in your body, right????? so why not try and mimic that for the stage???

it’s SUPER COOL because! what you do with alba emoting is: affix yourself a certain way. it involves certain body postures or positions, certain expressions sometimes... EVERY time it depends upon a different breathing pattern... and all you gotta do is do it. and your body doesn’t know better, it gets tricked into it...!

so, if i were to alba emote fear... it’s hard to describe through text rather than do it but this one might be the clearest one... part of the positioning is to have your hands up in front of you, as if you’re trying to ward someone off or shield yourself. you have your mouth open, you have your eyes stuck to the floor in a submissive sort of way, (there’s more that i cant describe but then) you start to make yourself hyperventilate by taking short, quick breaths through your mouth. after a few seconds of this, your body just starts SHOOTING adrenaline through you because it starts thinking WHOA SOMETHING BAD’S HAPPENING I’M AFRAID?FUCKFUCKFUCK

and that continues until you stop! you can stop at any time and then just go. you get left with a ‘residue’ (which is very chekov in nature in that it ‘colors’ your performance) where you can just act and do the lines and do your actions (stanislavsky) without worrying about needing to push any fear into yourself because it’s THERE, it’s PRESENT and whatever happens in the scene will either alliviate it or make it worse!!!

it’s a BEAUTIFUL way to prepare for a scene right before you go on stage too omg. last semester we were doing julius ceasar, and there was a scene where i had to play a servant who just witnessed a murder and just. go in and beg for my life and the life of my master. so i did the fear emote, and then my friend (playing my master at the moment) decided to talk to me in character and give me the order to throw myself in front of the murderers and LMFAO by the time i ran on there i was like fucking in tears i was so terrified HA

THERE ARE SO MANY MORE TOO IT’S SO FUN YOU JUST GOTTA GO AND SEE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU WHOO!!!!!! HOPE THIS WAS FUN AND HELPFUL YES

[mylenejgarcia]

UAE-Based Investors Reveal Outlook for Bitcoin Markets Gulf News has published an interview it conducted with a number of UAE-based bitcoin investors. The interview reveals insight into the diverse avenues through which the investors entered the bitcoin markets, discusses what risks are perceived to be associated with bitcoin and cryptocurrency investments, and explores the expectations of investors for what bitcoin’s future may hold. Also Read: Chinese Exchanges Seek Second Chance in Japan and Other More Crypto-Friendly Countries The Featured Investors Predominantly Come From a Background in Finance The investors became involved with bitcoin through a variety of avenues, and include both veterans and new entrants into the cryptocurrency markets. Dubai-based finance professional, Rohan Advani, states that he was first inspired to enter the bitcoin markets by his “son-in-law [who] was trading in bitcoins in Australia” earlier this year. Mr. Advani states that he first “purchased bitcoins in June, and [is] now sitting on decent money.” Mankesh Walia, a motivational speaker based in Sharjah, recounts having been “guided” by “somebody” in his decision to invest in bitcoin during its infancy. Mr. Walia states that he “invested in Bitcoin and… came out in profit of 90 per cent in 2011”, adding that “people who bought Bitcoins earlier are minting money.” Differing Expectations for Bitcoin’s Future Henry Carvalho, a finance executive based in Abu Dhabi, states that he “followed bitcoin for few years before deciding that [bitcoin] is the future.” Mr. Advani predicts “a good future in it at least in the short-term” for bitcoin, adding, however, that “we may see a correction in the next 15 days or so. If liquidity permit[s] I will invest more.” Mr. Carvalho now believes that bitcoin offers the “best [return on investment] for retirement,” and expects that “more and more countries which will accept it even though there is resistance for now.” Mr. Carvalho predicts that ”within 15 years the price will hit more than $500,000 per Bitcoin,” adding “based on the demand and supply it can break that barrier too.” Many of the Earlier Market Participants Hold a More Cautious Outlook for Bitcoin Hitesh Khatwani, an Abu Dhabi-based banker, states that he “expects[s] a correction and a consolidation in 6-7 months,” adding that he doubts bitcoin will “see much higher levels from this point.” Mr. Khatwani states that he entered the markets “when bitcoin was at $700… sold out everything at $5,800 levels,” and now “plan[s] to re-invest that money in Indian stocks later.” Khawar Mahmood, a partner of Dubai International Real estate, describes the market as being “very risky now,” stating his expectation that “there might be a crash anytime.” Despite having profited in 2015 with bitcoin, Mr. Mahmood holds a cautious outlook for bitcoin’s price, stating that he “learnt [his] lessons” from getting “burnt” after “invest[ing] Dh2.5 million [approximately $400,000 USD] in 2010 in pounds, Canadian dollar and crude oil. Mr. Mahmood predicts that “prices will fall to $3,000.” Mr. Walia offers a more ominous prediction for bitcoin, stating “there is something called Newton’s Law, so if it has gone up, it will come down.” Price Volatility Is Cited by Most Featured Investors as the Primary Risk Posed to Bitcoin Investors Nivita Pande, a banker based in Abu Dhabi who has invested in ethereum at approximately $40 USD, has “seen immense fluctuations. If I get good profit I’ll leave,” adding “I’m not very confident on the compliance of cryptocurrencies. I had a negative opinion about it, but I told myself let me just try.” For Mr. Walia, the risk of heavy price fluctuations is an inevitable consequence of the potential gains also offered by the bitcoin markets. Mr. Walia states that “this bubble is not bursting, and everyone is piling in money into it,” however, adds that “there [is] heavy profit, it means it will have heavy risk.” Mr. Khatwani, states that “the huge fluctuation in prices is the biggest risk. I think when the general public gets into a stock or any other asset class, it is the time to sell. The retail investors generally are the last one to enter.” Bitcoin’s Legal Ambiguity in the UAE In recent days, the governor of the UAE central bank, Mubarak Rashed Al Mansouri, described bitcoin trading as a “tolerated practice” in the UAE. Gulf News describes such as comprising an activity “that is legally prohibited according to the UAE Central Bank’s regulations, but one where regulators take no measures against those who practice it (i.e. those who buy or sell bitcoin and other virtual currencies).” Bitcoin prevails in the UAE as a “tolerated practice” despite being formally prohibited. Sally Sfeirer-Tait, a partner at international law firm, Clyde & Co, told Gulf News that the UAE “Central Bank issued in January 2017 Stored Value Regulations, which contained a blanket prohibition of virtual currencies and transacting in virtual currencies.” Do you think that bitcoin trading will continue to occur in the UAE despite it being formally prohibited? Share your thoughts in the comments section below! Images courtesy of Shutterstock We got it all at Bitcoin.com. Do you want to top up on some bitcoins? Do it here. Need to speak your mind? Get involved in our forum. Wanna gamble? We gotcha. The post UAE-Based Investors Reveal Outlook for Bitcoin Markets appeared first on Bitcoin News. https://news.bitcoin.com/uae-based-investors-reveal-outlook-bitcoin-markets/ To get started: http://bit.ly/unlibitcoin To double its value: http://bit.ly/btc-gold

from Earn Bitcoin Philippines http://www.facebook.com/pages/p/134403977174420 via Rodrigo M. Palacio Tumblr

[evilradmedieval]

Gucci Mane - “Mr. Davis” Review

It’s been a hot minute since one of these things, but I figured it would be good to make a comeback with a slur of reviews for the plethora of music releases that came out this week. With that being said, let’s get into the trap godfather himself, Gucci Mane. Since his first post-jail project Everybody Looking, he definitely was in the middle of the spotlight with some well-produced banger of albums with more focused lyricism and delivery that some could say have exceeded his efforts back in the early 2000s. He’s made strives to work with major artists such as Drake, Rae Sremmurd and the Migos, coming through with hit after hit. “Black Beatles” and “Both” are just quick examples of this. He also recently linked up with none other than Metro Boomin himself to come out with one of his most polished and banging EP I’ve heard Gucci every drop with Drop Top Wop. He’s been on such a hot streak, there’s no way you can deny the consistency he’s had with his projects critically and commercially. With this new album Mr. Davis, however, he attempts to completely go over the top with major collaborations with Migos, A$AP Rocky, The Weeknd, Chris Brown and Big Sean to say the very gist of it. Does he capitalize on having such a big feature list?

The opening track comes off surprisingly as one of the more personal cuts off the album. “Work In Progress” is a track that goes really in depth about all of the struggles and doubts that Gucci Mane had to overcome in order to get top where he’s at in the music industry. He touches on topics regarding the death of his distant father, the faith his fans have in him, and his time going to jail. The beat is lowkey and trap-flavored, but isn’t necessarily a banger because this is supposed to be a canvas for him to really let out everything that’s on his mind. Definitely one of my favorites.

Longtime collaborator Zaytoven jumps on the keys for this vintage Gucci Mane piano-interpolating trap banger called “Back On”. Here, he comes off with a lot of energy and gives his trademark slurred delivery with loads of personality and humor. His flow doesn’t really change up much during the duration of the song, and the instrumental sounds pretty run of the mill for Zaytoven, but the track is definitely one that can be seen played in the background of a raging party.

The Migos completely take over with the lead single “I Get the Bag”, a track that sounds like a B-Side to Culture. Takeoff, Quavo and Offset all make appearances, giving pretty high-energy performances atop an airy- atmospheric trap banger of an instrumental. Gucci Mane then comes into the track matching the same type of energy and delivery as his collaborators, making for a perfect club banger. It’s not amazing, but their collaborations usually work out well. Gucci Mane just sounded like a feature on his own track.

The influence of those high-bass heavy trap bangers from South Florida Soundcloud rappers comes through with full force on “Stuntin’ Ain’t Nuthin’”. The track features “Black Beatles” collaborator Slim Jxmmi from Rae Sremmurd, as well as Tennessee rapper Young Dolph. Both artists contribute some good variety sonically on the track, and the beat does a fantastic job in really making everyone’s performances really pop. Slim Jxmmi really surprised me on this one with one of his most exuberant performances I’ve heard to date.

The next track “Curve” features this poppy trap flavor, especially with an Abel verse. The track is commonplace for a Weeknd track, being very mysterious, trap-flavored and moody. He comes through with this sung-rapped verse, which sounds very similar to what he did on “Reminder”. Both of them pretty much cover what you’d expect, which is basically curving girls and being OP. The track isn’t amazing, and I wouldn’t think they’d really capitalize on each others’ performances as they don’t really match on a track together.

Gucci Mane continues with this R&B-tinged aesthetic by enlisting Ty$ on the subsequent track “Enormous”. The track sounds more woodwind-flavored, however still features that trap-flavored airiness that’s felt on a majority of the tracks on this album. Ty$ gives an average performance at best, with some of his verses with some cringe-worthy bars and a delivery that mimics the Migos in a way, especially with those corny ad-libs. This is a direction that really doesn’t pay off dividends in the long run for Gucci, as it’s obvious he’s trying to appeal more to a wider audience with this sound. His verse didn’t really do it for me on this one either to save it.

It’s around the middle section of the album in which the album really loses momentum with some half-baked tracks that either don��t go as hard as I’d like, feature some boring production or just more recycled song ideas. “Members Only” is subject to one of the most boring production on this track. The beat has very little variation and Gucci’s delivery is so snoozy it almost puts me to sleep. He raps in a way where the hook blends into his verses, which isn’t a good thing.

Gucci Mane then thinks he has the capacity to really start crooning on “Money Make Ya Handsome”, in the same vein as Drake on a couple of his songs. The track would probably be one of his worst songs on the album, where he comes through with also one of the cringiest bars about girls killing themselves to have sex with him. It makes no sense, and even the mixing on his vocals during the hook sounds like he’s literally drowning.

Big Sean makes one of the most wasted vocal features on this album. Sean appears on the track “Changed”, with his half-baked vocal delivery on the hook that really is an ear sore. The instrumental sample is also poorly implemented, with some wailing vocals embedded throughout. Gucci Mane’s performance is okay, but it doesn’t really save the track from what it could have been, especially since Big Sean has been on a quality music streak since I Decided.

This R&B-tinged flavor continues with “We Ride”, in which Monica decides to crawl up from the cave she’s been hiding in and contribute an overblown vocal feature on the hook. Again, this comes to show that Gucci Mane breaking into this path of poppy trap songs doesn’t really work out well in his favor. His own performance is decent, but comes through with a lot of “come-up” rap cliches that makes this song a dud.

The album finally bounces back into the right direction with a surprise guest appearance with ScHoolboy Q on the banger collaboration “Lil Story”. The instrumental is a banging trap explosion, with loads of energy and personality. Both artists really compliment each other well, with some clever bars thrown around like hot potatoes. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album, and wish he opted for a sound more like this on Mr. Davis.

“Tone It Down” is one of those R&B trap bangers, however has an aesthetic all on its own that makes it one of the more compelling singles from the album. Chris Brown actually makes for an excellent feature on the hook, and Gucci Mane comes through with his most urgent-sounding performance on the entire album. His flow is unmatched, and what really puts the song over the top is the woodwind sample that we’ve been seeing on recent trap bangers like Drake’s “Portland” and Future’s “Mask Off”. It’s bound to be a radio smash hit, I’m calling it.

This streak of quality songs continues, with the sassy collaboration with Nicki herself on “Make Love”. There’s this xylophone-sample trap banger of an instrumental that really give what Gucci and Nicki need to make their vocals really pop. Gucci Mane comes through with a hilarious performance, especially on the hook. Nicki on the other hand pretty much attempts to take over the entire track and come through with some pretty OP bars. Gucci’s performance is essentially sheer simplicity and humor at his finest.

“Money Piling” is one of the few solo tracks in which Gucci excels with the exception of the intro track. He comes through with some pretty cheeky bars and provides yet again a pretty chuckle-worthy performance on the hook. There’s nothing else much to say, but again just a run of the mill yet quality Gucci Mane song that holds over well.

A$AP Rocky and Gucci Mane might as well make a fucking collaboration album because their first link-up on “Jumped Out the Whip” is nothing but straight fire. Gucci Mane does his thing with a pretty over-the-top verse, but A$AP’s delivery completely takes the song to another level. The track is a moody, atmospheric trap banger that sounds like it came off of At.Long.Last.A$AP, however never would I have thought the two would collaborate and truly feed off each other’s energy so well.

Although I’m not a fan of Rico Love’s appearance on this track “Miss My Woe”, I understand what Gucci Mane was trying to do with this track in trying to reference all his dead homies and those that are in jail. This is essentially Gucci on his Bone Thugs tip with his existential crisis as an outro. This is one of the few moments, including the opener, in which he comes off as more human and flawed as opposed to an invincible trap king. Some of the bars he throws around are pretty heady and heartfelt, which isn’t something that he does often. The violence in the ATL, his jail sentence and the loss of his loved ones are a couple things he touches on. Definitely an interesting side of Gucci Mane I wouldn’t mind him exploring in the future.

It all comes full circle on “Made It”, which takes all the hardship and negativity from the opener and flips it into a Zaytoven-produced trap celebration. The track is melodic and cartoony, but does what it needs to do to make Gucci sound like the most confident rapper on the planet. This was definitely the way we’d wanna see the ending of a Gucci album, out with a bang. He also does a touching tribute to his past loved ones at the end before dropping his trademark “WOP!!!” adlib.

This Gucci Mane album isn’t perfect, but when was the last time you really came across an album that was fully realized and fleshed out with nothing but trap bangers and minimal cringy bars? Either way, Gucci Mane does make a couple major missteps with some corny, R&B-tinged pop trap bangers. He also enlists a great deal of artists, in which some contribute half-baked performances or really don’t fit within the narrative of the album. However, when collaborations do fit, man do they really set the track on fire. The album has a great number of cuts as well, which makes for a bigger margin of error. Due to that, I couldn’t say this was an amazing album, but was a decent Gucci Mane album that’s bound to entertain. No one else truly does it like him, and again he is the one who calls all these other rappers “his children.”

RATING: 6/10

[howellrichard]

My top 10 wellness tips for a vibrant 2017!

Hiya Gorgeous,

Getting started can be the most difficult part of change. So today, I’m going to help you take that step.

Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?: I’ll start juicing next week. This weekend is a better time to take a walk (not now). I should put off visiting the doctor until after the holidays. I’m sure this ache/pain/lump is normal—I’ll just wait and see if it goes away. So-and-so needs me (again)—I’ll get to my stuff later…

Don’t wait on your well-being. Check out these top 10 #wellness tips for a #healthy, #happy life!: http://bit.ly/2j0ir9R @Kris_Carr

I created this list of tried-and-true blogs and resources in an effort to help you nip these inner excuses in the bud. Education, encouragement and a pinch of confidence are all you need to take a step toward positive change today. So, whatever your motivation may be, you’ve already made progress by showing up here and reading this blog. That’s all you need to do for now. Then, take another step tomorrow—and another and another. You’ll get there. Just don’t abandon yourself. And if you’re ever thinking about checking out with your goal, check in with me—I’m here to cheer you on.

Ready? Read (or skim) through the list below. Follow your gut. Identify the bits that resonate most. Then, dive in. OK, let’s find some buried treasure together…

Kris Carr’s Top Ten Wellness Tips

1. Eat more plants (and drink more greens!). You may be having an I-knew-she-was-going-to-say-that moment, but the garden (well, Whole Foods) is where my wellness journey began. This simple advice has been a turning point for hundreds of thousands of Crazy Sexy health seekers just like you. For starters, plants are loaded with nutrients and buckets of disease-fighting (and preventing) goodies. And, juicing takes that plant power and shoots it straight into your cells via liquid sunshine. If you want to find out how easy it is to get started, watch this video for a peek at what I eat on a regular day or check out my juicing and blending demos. And if you’re ready to go even further, pick up a copy of my cookbook Crazy Sexy Kitchen or my ultimate green drink recipe and guidebook Crazy Sexy Juice (now in paperback!).

Speaking of green drinks, in an effort to get you super pumped about juicing and blending in the new year, I’ve put together a Crazy Sexy Healthy Habit Challenge for January—woo-hoo! Wanna drink a #greendrinkaday with me? Grab some free recipes, planner, tips and more here…

Join my January #greendrinkaday challenge + get your FREE planner, calendar, recipes tips + more here:

2. Reduce chronic inflammation. This internal hot mess can wreak havoc on your precious systems. You see, your body gets confused when it’s overloaded by a barrage of environmental, physical and mental invaders, like poor diet, toxic chemicals and stress. And when that happens, your bod turns on itself—not knowing the difference between invaders and healthy cells and tissues. Luckily, you have a lot of control over this piping hot pickle (think cancer, chronic health issues, arthritis, skin trouble and the list goes on). There are a number of ways to reduce chronic inflammation, ranging from the kind of moisturizer you put on your face to the kinds of foods on your plate.

3. Improve your gut health. Did you know that your gut really does have “feelings”? There are nearly as many neurons in your intestines as there are in your noggin! Your incredible digestive tract is one of the body’s most important systems and the bacterias living in this delicate world need to be in balance to maintain tip-top overall health. Eating whole plant-based foods, keeping stress in check and adding some probiotics into your regimen are a few simple ways to support your glorious gut. Find out other ways you can get your gut in shape and how a healthy digestive system can revitalize your entire well-being here.

4. Pay more attention to your sh*t. When your bathroom visits are less than inspiring, it can indicate that your tooter isn’t working at its best (and that it’s time to talk about it!). Maybe you’re not getting enough fiber or water or exercise. Or perhaps, you need to investigate deeper. Whatever the cause, these scoop on your poop and low-down on constipation blogs will help you get to the bottom (hehe) of the situation.

5. Start here if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Many of you found me through your journey (or a loved one’s) with cancer. Maybe you were just diagnosed and feeling lost or overwhelmed. Or perhaps, you’ve been on this path a while and you want to prioritize prevention and well-being. Regardless, I’m so happy you’re here and I’m confident these two blogs are really going to help you. First up, my ultimate tips for cancer patients. This is what I want every cancer patient to know (in a nutshell), so please read it! And secondly, I hope that you’ll watch my interview with Dr. Kelly Turner. Her extensive research into cancer remission is simply amazing and reinforces what’s really worked for me and countless others. Although please remember, I’m not in remission. I’m living a healthy life with cancer. Oh, and one last thing. I wrote a couple books on the subject too, so if that’s up your alley, check out Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips and Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor while you’re at it.

6. Get organized so you can get (and stay) healthy. If you haven’t taken my Crazy Sexy Meal Plan for a spin, um, what are ya waiting for? It’ll save you a lot of empty-fridge frustration, whittle down your grocery bill and help you eat better. Even beyond those big-time benefits, there’s the priceless practice of planning and prepping. When you attack any project, whether it’s your weekly meal plan, a house renovation or your next book, sitting down to figure out exactly what you’ll need sets you up for success. That’s why I also created this handy self-care planner. Sure, sometimes life throws in a wrench or two, but that’s OK. You’ll adjust, keep jammin’ and plan again for the next meal. And for those of you who want to experience a total transformation in the meal planning, plant-based eating and self-care arena, get on the Crazy Sexy You 21-day Total Wellness Program waiting list. You’ll be the first to know when I’m launching it again!

7. Choose less toxic products. I talk about this important to-do in my 11 Tips for Cancer Patients blog, but it bears repeating here. Did you know that the average person uses 9 personal care products per day containing about 126 chemical ingredients? That’s a whole lot. And unfortunately, the FDA doesn’t have your back on this one—most products are not reviewed or approved by them. But wait, there’s more. Companies aren’t required to test their products and are allowed to leave hazardous chemicals off their labels. Bottom line: many of the chemicals found in personal care products have been linked to increased risks of cancer, infertility, birth defects, hormonal issues (ahem, endocrine disruptors), etc. The same holds true for household cleaning products. Please don’t panic. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your non-toxic makeup bag and abode. Get an intro to this topic by watching my interview with former Executive Director of the Environmental Working Group. Then, get the scoop on how to make your home a healthier, non-toxic place (checklist included!) to enjoy your life.

8. Realize how awesome you are. Realizing how awesome you already are creates more peace and joy in your heart. That negative self-talk will fade into the background and you’ll be better able to make decisions with ease. Knowing how awesome you are isn’t arrogant, it’s generous. Because when you love yourself more, you love others more, too. I’m never going to stop telling you that you’re awesome, but if you need more self-love nudges, head over to this blog or listen to this free Pep Talk meditation.

9. Connect with your true purpose. Ok, I’ll be honest, this is one of my all-time favorite posts. It’s so easy for us to judge ourselves. If we don’t have the “right” career or the “right” education or body or whatever the heck else, we often slip into a thick haze of unworthiness. I thought I had a pretty good thing going with the work I do and the sense of purpose it gives me, and then, blammo, life took me for a loop. After some soul searching, I learned to focus on letting go of my attachments to outside markers of achievement. Valuing ourselves from the inside out can drastically change our level of happiness. Try it!

10. Work on managing stress. Stress is one of the biggest health epidemics today. All that stinkin’ thinkin’, worry, fear and anger contribute to chronic disease, not to mention how much they chip away at your happiness each day. Check in with yourself. Do you feel like the world is weighing on your shoulders? Are you heavy with dread? Future-tripping disastrous events? One of my greatest missions is to help people feel less stress and more joy. I’ve got a few places you can start, but you’ll notice as you explore my blogs and books, that stress is covered again and again. There are a variety of ways to begin. You could try meditating with me or one of the countless amazing meditation teachers out there (it only takes 10 minutes a day to feel the benefits!). Start prioritizing sleep more so that you can handle life’s challenges with a clearer and healthier mind. Learn more about how natural approaches, like essential oils and adaptogens (herbs), can help lessen stress levels. And, one more tip: If you’ve been stressed out for a while and are feeling chronically tired, talk to your doctor about adrenal fatigue. It could be part of your personal health puzzle (was for me!).

I know there’s a lot here to take in, but remember that this blog isn’t going anywhere! Bookmark this page, email yourself a link, write down the title—whatever you need to do to save this spot! And don’t forget, you only need to take one step at a time, dear friend. My extensive blog library, Crazy Sexy books, programs, free goodies and more are waiting if you need some extra support! Can’t wait to here how your path unfolds.

Your turn: What’s one wellness habit or practice you intend to focus on in 2017? Put it out there so we can support you! Plus, we’re all looking for ways to make 2017 a healthy, happy year.

Peace & first steps,

The post My top 10 wellness tips for a vibrant 2017! appeared first on KrisCarr.com.