#indigo jones

[tinkywinkyschauffeur2]

cardinal’s first christmas in 25 years. Keith bought Cardinal a pikachu themed case for his switch (as advised by Nez). Indigo came up from London to see him and is staying in a hotel just because it gives her slightly more control over her environment than staying with another person in their house. Folded towels and paper-wrapped soap and all that. Cardinal has seen her a few times since he came back. She brings her own coffee sachets. He makes a hot chocolate for himself with nesquik. finally he explains at length where he went and what he did. Indigo doesn’t know how she feels. They go up to Blackpool to see Summer and her kids for Boxing Day. On the car ride they don’t talk much. Indigo is still making up her mind.

[pixelnrd]

Taking their grandmother to visit her childhood home was one of the most memorable experiences of Mac's young life. They felt such a deep connection to their grandmother and their own origin; seeing where their grandmother had grown up had just excited them further to know more about where they had come from.

Back at the retirement home, Heather showed Mac some more of her preserved family photos. She pulled out a very old photo full of people Mac didn't recognised.

'This was my father,' explained Heather. 'And this is him with his siblings and parents. I never met my grandparents on my paternal side... they died before I was born, but I know their names were Eleanor and Gary. And that was aunt Clover - she was very impressive. Uncle Indigo, he passed away young too, it was terribly sad for my Dad. And Aunt Summer, her kids were my cousins and so much fun.'

'Where did they grow up, San Sequoia?,' asked Mac.

'Oh no... see, my Dad grew up in a hippy commune in Sulani, would you believe it. I think that's why he was always such a straight guy - like he was trying to pretend that wasn't his life. There aren't many photos from his childhood, but the ones I do have speak for themselves.'

Mac was fascinated by this bizarre hippy family that they had supposedly descended from. With their grandmothers photos in hand, they decided to take a trip down to Sulani, to retrace their hippy roots.

But when they arrived in Sulani, it was no longer a hippy commune. The township was filled with modern beachfront condos, a haven for retirees and the successful. When Mac showed up at the place their grandmother had told them about, there was no longer a bungalow but a great big glass house. It was like all history had been demolished and replaced.

Mac was disappointed, but they weren't deterred. Visiting the Sulani cultural centre, they hoped to find some kind of history on the origins of the Sulani community. And they weren't disappointed - there was a whole section dedicate to the origins of Sulani in the 1960s and 1970s, and the activism of its community during a time of political conflict and rebellion.

And there on the wall, was a picture of the house that Mac had seen in their grandmothers photo. It was a blue beach shack, and the plaque underneath read:

Original Sulani beach bungalow, built by Gary Lenowski c. 1970

Mac was chuffed to see that the Lenowski branch was being kept alive in history here in Sulani. Even though they could never know, they liked to think that their great-great-grandparents were cultural revolutionaries.

Mac sat on the beach and reminisced on what they had found. River, Clover, Indigo and Summer, the children of hippy revolutionaries. Gary Lenowski, who had built their home. And Eleanor... what was her maiden name? Where had she come from.

Mac pulled out their phone and googled the names of their great-great grandparents, and found themselves reading about The Dreyfus Family band...

[sillygoblinantics]

Are you proud of that joke?

How immature does one lowlife have to be to make a joke like this the same day a beloved man both to the people from his life and the people who grew up with his work dies?

How do you go on with claiming to be of indigenous decent when you show no respect or value to the land, people and spirits?

You are disgusting thinking that this is a “dark humor” joke at the expense of another life. Granted you’ve already “joked” about death before, you claim the US jokes about shootings and we don’t, no one does.

What person aside from a sociopath laughs at the pain and suffering of others and things. Show some basic fucking dignity, respect and selflessness for crying out loud.

You can’t backtrack from this, deleting it only paints you worse… and we’ve already seen it.

You are in your 30s and galavanting about like a 13 year old boy.

You are a grown woman, so start acting like one

My condolences and prayers go out to the friends and family of Mr jones.

I hope you’re proud of yourself Lilian Orchard

[acidheaddd]

More character portraits!! It's too hot to actually play the game right now, so this is all I've been doing. 😂

[cryptidvoidwritings]

These promo shots tho

(I miss this little production T^T)

[dance-in-the-morning-glow]

As someone who is very much into (indie and niche) fragrance and Pirates of the Caribbean, here are my scent picks for some characters absolutely nobody asked for:

Elizabeth Swann: Juliette Has A Gun - Vanilla Vibes (Sea salt, natural vanilla absolute, orchid absolute, absolute brown musk, bezoin absolute, sandalwood, tonka bean)

This is basically just a salty vanilla perfume and I’m all here for it; it’s beachy, light and totally pre-Pirate King Elizabeth.

For more of an indie choice, I’d pick Death & Floral’s “I could never stay long enough on the shore” (sand, salty air, smoke, cold coastline). It’s been a while since I’ve smelled this one but it feels fitting. But tbh, any white floral scent would also fit CotBP Elizabeth - so maybe something like Cloon Keen’s Lá Bealtaine.

Pirate King Elizabeth would absolutely rock something challenging like Beaufort’s Terror & Magnificence (birch tar, black pepper, saffron, incense, tobacco, papyrus, haitian vetiver, myrrh, labdanum, benzoin and pebbles).

Will Turner: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Asleep in the Deep (black plum, sea salt, opium tar accord, labdanum, and indigo benzoin)

Basically the dark and heavy counterpart to Elizabeth’s Vanilla Vibes, truly smells like you’re on the Dutchman in between realms.

Jack Sparrow: For Jack, I feel like anything remotely boozy with rum notes works, but if I had to name one scent, I’d pick Stranger Perfumery’s Cigar Rum (raisin, dried fruits (prune and cherry), rum absolute, mandarin, amber, tobacco, oakwood, vetiver, resins, labdanum absolute, seaweed absolute). Maybe layer that with a dirt single note or Fantôme - Bune (damp subterranean air, nagarmotha, smooth cave walls, davana, a cold marble altar, & glittering green dragon scales) for authenticity lol.

Hector Barbossa: Solstice Scents - Headmaster (Apple, bourbon, oak, cedar, pipe tobacco, applewood, amber, spices)

I just felt like I needed to pick a spicy, woody scent with apple notes in it. But any dark aquatic works too.

James Norrington: I associate James with any light aquatic or clean scents (at least when he’s not in his Scruffington Era), so I’d choose something like Solstice Scent’s Gulf Breeze (Saltwater, sand, seashells, sea oats, rain, ambergris (vegan accord).

Cutler Beckett: Histoires de Parfums - 1740 (bergamot, mugwort, patchouli, coriander, cardamom, cedar, birch, labdanum, leather, vanilla, elemi, helichrysum)

Idk, this is just giving off Cutler Beckett energy. It’s boozy, it’s rich, it’s dramatic.

And somehow The House on Widow’s Hill (brandy, old oak paneling, dusty thick carpets, a thread of incense & a roaring fire in the hearth) by Pulp Fragrance also fits. That one’s basically brandy, smoke and dusty carpets in a bottle. On second thought, that might also work for Papa Swann.

I also feel like a tea scent would suit Beckett, but only if it’s a bit heavier, so maybe something like Gris Charnel by bdk (fig, black tea, cardamom essence, iris absolute, bourbon vetiver, indian sandalwood, tonka bean absolute). …But I haven’t smelled that one in a while too.

Davy Jones: Zoologist - Squid (Pink Pepper, Solar Salicylate, Incense, Black Ink Accord, Salty Accord, Opoponax, Ambergris, Benzoin, Musk)

Pretty self-explanatory. On my skin, it’s very musk-forward though.

Ian Mercer: Beaufort - Tonnerre (smoke, gunpowder, blood, brandy, sea spray and citrus)

…Yeah, I guess that one’s also pretty self-explanatory.

Yup, that’s it. Make of that what you will.

[justforbooks]

The Best Album Cover Shoots – in pictures

From the Beatles crossing a zebra to a naked Prince, via Grace Jones attempting the anatomically impossible and Led Zeppelin’s New York tenements, these cover designs became as famous as the music they enclosed 🎶🎵👏

Grace Jones – Nightclubbing, Island Records, 1981, by Jean-Paul Goude

Nightclubbing's iconic artwork is a 1981 painted photograph titled Blue-Black in Black on Brown, created in New York by Goude. This was the singular image that accompanied the original LP, as it "was concealed in a plain, black inner sleeve, no lyrics and with no photo on the back cover." Composed by right angles, the photograph shows Jones cut to waist, bare chested, and dressed in an Armani man's wide shouldered suit, with an unlit cigarette aiming downward from her lip. She is shot with her signature flat top haircut and her chest bones showing; her dark skin confers upon the image a violet, blue-black colour. The image is noted for its androgyny, with Jones not only "[unpicking] some of the boundaries of unconventionality, but [choosing] to confuse such boundaries." Rick Poynor writes: "Goude admired Jones for her mixture of beauty and threat, and the Nightclubbing portrait expresses this duality with absolute composure and no false histrionics." Piers Martin of Uncut felt the cover was "arresting", and wrote: "the indigo mood, cool gaze and cigarette suggested Marlene Dietrich, the gender-bending a touch of Bowie."

Prince – Lovesexy, Paisley Park, 1988, by Jean-Baptiste Mondino (design by Laura LiPuma)

The artwork of Lovesexy sparked as much interest as did the music. Mimicking The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, the cover shows Prince reclined naked with a lily stamen suggestively positioned above his groin. It is an image that captures the LP’s essence of spirituality perfectly. Prince had even denied Warner’s management sight of the cover prior to the album’s retail release. The image was deemed far too risqué for 1988 and prompted many retailers to conceal the artwork under black plastic wrapping (Wal-Mart refusing to stock it at all) or keeping it behind the counter, deeming it too provocative to display in store. It is likely this hindered sales of the album in the more conservative leaning US. The shot is the work of fashion photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Prince’s first choice to direct Under The Cherry Moon but was unavailable. Mondino would instead direct the video Mia Bocca for Jill Jones which led to doing likewise with I Wish U Heaven for Prince. He would also shoot promos for Neneh Cherry (Manchild) and Madonna’s Justify My Love. During a breakfast in LA, Prince asked Mondino if he would shoot the album’s cover. The image was captured in LA, with the lilies and stamen added at Mondino’s studio back in Paris using Paint Box software, a forerunner to Photoshop.

Mondino’s cover is the sole promotional image shot for the album – its back cover and inner sleeves feature the tracklisting and lyrics hand drawn by Margo Chase. With no alternative shots available and keeping with the theme of nakedness, the singles Alphabet St. and Glam Slam were issued without artwork, their transparent sleeves labelled with a sticker. In April 2022 Lovesexy was exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery in London staged in celebration of the art of iconic album designs.

Boz Scaggs – Middle Man, Columbia, 1980, by Guy Bourdin

Middle Man is the ninth studio album by Boz Scaggs, released by Columbia Records in 1980. Scaggs hired members of the band Toto as session musicians (as he did for Down Two Then Left and Silk Degrees) and shared songwriting credits with them, returning to the commercial, soul-influenced rock of the latter. It would take him eight years to release his following album Other Roads, again retaining the personnel of the three preceding it.

Tirez Tirez – Etudes, Aura, 1980, by Brian Griffin (design by Bill Smith)

Brian Griffin: ‘This photograph was taken in my studio/bedroom at Elsynge Road in Wandsworth [south London] using my bed. The model is Martin Cropper, who I used in my work at the time. It was originally taken for my book Brian Griffin Copyright 1978 and later purchased for the cover by Aaron Sixx of Aura records for Tirez Tirez’.

Tom Waits – Rain Dogs, Island Records, 1985, by Anders Petersen

Rain Dogs is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tom Waits, released in September 1985 on Island Records. A loose concept album about "the urban dispossessed" of New York City, Rain Dogs is generally considered the middle album of a trilogy that includes Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years.

The album, which features guitarists Keith Richards and Marc Ribot, is noted for its broad spectrum of musical styles and genres, described by Arion Berger as merging "outsider influences – socialist decadence by way of Kurt Weill, pre-rock integrity from old dirty blues, the elegiac melancholy of New Orleans funeral brass – into a singularly idiosyncratic American style."

The album peaked at number 29 on the UK charts and number 188 on the US Billboard Top 200. Rod Stewart had success with his cover of "Downtown Train", later included on some editions of his 1991 album Vagabond Heart. In 1989, it was ranked number 21 on the Rolling Stone list of the "100 greatest albums of the 1980s." In 2012, the album was ranked number 399 on the magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and at number 357 in 2020.

Though it has been remarked that the man on the cover bears a striking resemblance to Waits, the photograph is actually one of a series taken by the Swedish photographer Anders Petersen at Café Lehmitz (a café near the Hamburg red-light boulevard Reeperbahn) in the late 1960s. The man and woman depicted on the cover are called Rose and Lilly.

Thelonious Monk – Monk, Columbia, 1964, by W Eugene Smith

Monk. (1964) is the fourth studio album Thelonious Monk released on Columbia Records, and his seventh album overall for that label. It features two original compositions and several jazz standards.

The track "Pannonica" is a tribute to the jazz patron Pannonica de Koenigswarter. The track "Teo" is a tribute to the album's producer Teo Macero.

The album cover is a photo of Monk taken by W. Eugene Smith in 1959. Between 1957 and 1965, Monk and other prominent New York jazz musicians rehearsed at the photographer's home, nicknamed 'The Jazz Loft'.

Photographer and photojournalist W Eugene Smith demanded such perfection of his images that he destroyed most of his early work. He had a vast career and helped define photojournalism through his work at Life magazine, before joining Magnum Photos in 1955. He is remembered as a master both technically and in the darkroom. This photograph is titled Thelonious Monk Rehearsing in the Loft, 1959.

Madonna – True Blue, Sire/Warner, 1986, by Herb Ritts

The album cover was shot by photographer Herb Ritts. It shows Madonna in profile, with her head thrown back and eyes closed against a sky-blue background; her skin is bleached-out, and her hair platinum blonde. Jeri Heiden, who was working at the Warner Bros. art department, was given the task of editing the photos to adapt them into record covers. The final photo was selected by Madonna, Heiden and Jeff Ayeroff, creative director of Warner Bros. at that time. After the image was chosen, Heiden experimented with a variety of treatments of the original, which was shot in black and white, to go along with the album's title, and finally arrived at the final, blue toned, hand tinted version. The album's inner sleeve did not feature any photographs, and instead was dedicated to album credits and song lyrics, since Madonna wanted to be represented by her work rather than her image.

Lucy O'Brien described the cover as a "moment of Warholian pop art. A mixture of innocence [and] idealism […] Our first glimpse of Madonna as a classic icon". For J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of Madonna: An Intimate Biography, the artwork indicated how "[True Blue] was a vehicle of growth for [Madonna]"; the "washed out color photograph" cover was "understated", especially when compared to the "sexier poses" she had been associated with in the past. For Joe Lynch from Billboard, it is one of the greatest album covers of all time.

True Blue was released on June 30, 1986. In the United States and Canada, the cover did not include the singer's name. Heiden explained in an interview with Aperture magazine that the record company thought it would be "cool" to use a shrink wrap on American releases, so that when the public took it off, they'd be left with the photograph of Madonna. In Europe, Warner felt that the name was needed, as they did not want to risk messing with Madonna's popularity. The back sleeve and booklet feature the song titles in Heiden's own handwriting. About cropping the image for the cassette and vinyl releases, Heiden said: "I think the image became more interesting cropped into a square—and at that time we always started with the album cover configuration. It was like she was floating—her clothing was not visible. She took on the appearance of a marble statue—Goddess like. In the vertical cropping you see her leather jacket and the wall, and it becomes more typical, editorial, earthly". On May 22, 2001, Warner Bros. released a remastered edition of the album with two additional remixes of "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita". Twenty years later, a 35th anniversary edition was released; it includes additional remixes, dub and instrumental versions. It was reissued on crystal clear vinyl on November 8, 2019.

The Rolling Stones – Goats Heads Soup, The Rolling Stones Records, 1973, by David Bailey (design by Ray Lawrence)

Goats Head Soup is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 31 August 1973 by Rolling Stones Records. Like its predecessor Exile on Main St., the band composed and recorded much of it outside of the United Kingdom due to their status as tax exiles. Goats Head Soup was recorded in Jamaica, the United States and the United Kingdom. The album contains 10 tracks, including the lead single "Angie" which went to number one as a single in the US and the top five in the UK.

The album cover was designed by Ray Lawrence and photographed by David Bailey, a friend of Jagger's who had worked with the Rolling Stones since 1964. The portrait of Jagger on the front cover was approximately life size in the original 12-inch LP format. Jagger was reluctant to be shot enveloped by a pink chiffon veil, which Bailey said was meant to look like "Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen". The album's gatefold has Taylor, Wyman and Watts wrapped in a similar fabric, and Richards on the back. The album's original rejected cover art featured the entire band as centaurs and an image of goat's head soup, a Jamaican dish made from a goat's body parts, such as the head, feet and testicles.

Serge Gainsbourg – Love on the Beat, Philips, 1984, by William Klein

Love on the Beat is the fifteenth studio album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. On this album, Gainsbourg used American musicians to achieve a funk-heavy rock sound. The album was controversial due to its very sexual lyrical content, with homosexuality and prostitution as the subject matters on many of the tracks. Perhaps the most controversial was "Lemon Incest", which was set to Frédéric Chopin's Étude No. 3 and sung as a duet with his then-13-year-old daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg.

French singer Serge Gainsbourg dressed in drag for the cover of Love on the Beat. Gainsbourg gave up alcohol for 12 days ahead of the shoot with legendary photographer William Klein to make himself beautiful.

Grace Jones – Island Life, Island Records, 1985, by Jean-Paul Goude (design by Greg Porto)

Island Life is the first greatest hits album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released in December 1985, summing up the first nine years of her musical career. The album sits among Jones' best-selling works.

The cover picture is one of the most famous images of Grace Jones and was created by her then-partner Jean-Paul Goude. The impossibly graceful arabesque is actually a montage of separate images, following Goude's ideas on creating credible illusions with his cut-and-paint technique. The body position is "anatomically unlikely".

Jones assigned her then partner, Jean-Paul Goude, to create this cover image for Island Life. In what has become an iconic portrait, Goude compiled several separate snaps of Jones and constructed this lissom and elegant, if anatomically dubious, pose, all before Photoshop existed. ‘Unless you are extraordinarily supple, you cannot do this arabesque,’ Goude has said. ‘The main point is that Grace couldn’t do it, and that’s the basis of my entire work: creating a credible illusion’.

The picture was originally published in New York magazine in 1978 and subsequently used in the music video for Jones' hit single "La Vie en rose". It has been since described as "one of pop culture's most famous photographs". Also included in the album sleeve are other iconic images of Jones, among them the "twins" photograph, Grace Jones in a cage and wearing a "maternity" dress.

The cover picture was featured in Michael Ochs' 1996 book 1000 Record Covers and has been often imitated in works by other artists. The image was also referenced in Nicki Minaj's 2011 music video for "Stupid Hoe", with Minaj mimicking the pose.

Joe Jackson – Look Sharp!, A&M, 1979, by Brian Griffin (design by Michael Ross)

Look Sharp! is the debut album by Joe Jackson, released in January 1979. The album features one of Jackson's most well-known songs, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", as well as the title track "Look Sharp", "Sunday Papers", "One More Time" and "Fools in Love".

The cover, featuring a pair of white shoes, ranked number 22 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers of all time.

In 2000, it was voted number 865 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.

The photo used on the album's cover was shot by Brian Griffin on London's South Bank, near London Waterloo station. Upon arriving at the South Bank, Griffin noticed a shaft of light landing on the ground and asked Jackson to stand there: the whole process took no more than five minutes. According to Griffin, Jackson hated the record sleeve as it did not include his face, and vowed never to work with Griffin again. Nonetheless, the album artwork became one of the nominees for the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.

Some observers didn't understand the tongue-in-cheek nature of Jackson's choice of title and cover art—an early reviewer in New Musical Express said they "suggest an obsession with style" and sniffed that Jackson sported "a pair of white side-lace Denson winklepickers that are, unfortunately, not nearly as cool as he evidently thinks they are". As time went on, journalists became more familiar with his youthful lack of interest in fashion, and The Face noted how most agreed with the general summation of him as a "sartorial disaster area".

Brian Griffin: ‘This was shot on London’s South Bank, which you could say was my open-air studio, as I did not have a studio then. I fell in love with the quality of light that pervaded there. It was the fastest album cover shoot that I ever did, maybe it took four minutes. I saw this patch of light making a pattern on the paving and said to Joe: “Stand there!”’

Diana Ross – Silk Electric, RCA, 1982, by Andy Warhol (photograph and design)

Silk Electric is the thirteenth studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on September 10, 1982, by RCA Records. It was Ross' second of six albums released by the label during the decade. It reached No. 27 on the US Billboard 200 (No. 5 R&B), No. 33 in the UK Albums Chart and the Top 20 in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. The album cover was designed by Andy Warhol.

The album contains Ross' US Top 10, Grammy-nominated single, "Muscles", which was written and produced by Michael Jackson. All other tracks were produced by Ross, including the US Top 40 follow-up single "So Close" featuring prominent background vocal arrangements by Luther Vandross.

The song "In Your Arms", written by Linda Creed and Michael Masser, was covered by Teddy Pendergrass and Whitney Houston as "Hold Me" the following year. The song "I Am Me" was co-written by Ross (and incorrectly listed as co-written by Cindy Birdsong instead of Janie Bradford on the Greatest Hits: The RCA Years compilation album). The album was certified Gold in the US and Silver in the UK.

The album was remastered and re-released on September 2, 2014 by Funky Town Grooves as an "Expanded Edition", with bonus material.

Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine, Epic, 1992, by Malcolm Browne

Rage Against the Machine is the debut studio album by American rock band Rage Against the Machine. It was released on November 6, 1992, by Epic Records, four days after the release of the album's first single, "Killing in the Name". The album was based largely on the band's first commercial demo tape of the same name, completed 11 months prior to the album's release. The tape contained earlier recordings of seven of the ten songs.

The cover features a crop of Malcolm Browne's famous photograph of the self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, in Saigon in 1963. The monk was protesting against President Ngô Đình Diệm’s administration for oppressing the Buddhist religion. In 1963, Browne’s photography and coverage of the event earned him the World Press Photo of the Year award.

The songs on Rage Against the Machine all feature political messages. Activists such as Provisional IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton are listed in the "Thanks For Inspiration" section. Also thanked were Ian and Alec MacKaye.

The lyrics for each song were printed in the album booklet with the exception of those for "Killing in the Name", which were omitted; the booklet reads "2. KILLING IN THE NAME", skips the lyrics and continues with the next song.

The statement "no samples, keyboards or synthesizers used in the making of this record" can be found at the end of the sleeve notes. Similar statements were made in the band's subsequent albums. The band also refer to themselves as "Guilty Parties" for each album.

The album was a critical success upon release, with several critics noting the album's politically motivated agenda and praising frontman Zack de la Rocha's strong vocal delivery. Ranked number 24 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time", the album peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart and number 45 on the US Billboard 200 and has gone on to achieve a triple platinum sales certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the US. Multiple publications have ranked it as one of the best albums of the 1990s. In 2020, it was ranked 221 in Rolling Stone's updated list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

The Beatles – Abbey Road, Apple, 1969, by Iain Macmillan (design by John Kosh)

Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although Let It Be (1970) was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly recorded in April, July, and August 1969, and topped the record charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom. A double A-side single from the album, "Something" / "Come Together", was released in October, which also topped the charts in the US.

Apple Records creative director Kosh designed the album cover. It is the only original UK Beatles album sleeve to show neither the artist name nor the album title on its front cover, which was Kosh's idea, despite EMI saying the record would not sell without this information. He later explained that "we didn't need to write the band's name on the cover […] They were the most famous band in the world". The front cover was a photograph of the group walking on a zebra crossing, based on ideas that McCartney sketched, and taken on 8 August 1969 outside EMI Studios on Abbey Road. At 11:35 that morning, photographer Iain Macmillan was given only ten minutes to take the photo while he stood on a step-ladder and a policeman held up traffic behind the camera. Macmillan took six photographs, which McCartney examined with a magnifying glass before deciding which would be used on the album sleeve.

In the image selected by McCartney, the group walk across the street in single file from left to right, with Lennon leading, followed by Starr, McCartney and Harrison. McCartney is barefoot and out of step with the others. Except for Harrison, the group are wearing suits designed by Tommy Nutter. A white Volkswagen Beetle is to the left of the picture, parked next to the zebra crossing, which belonged to one of the people living in the block of flats across from the recording studio. After the album was released, the number plate (LMW 281F) was repeatedly stolen from the car. In 2004, news sources published a claim made by retired American salesman Paul Cole that he was the man standing on the pavement to the right of the picture.

Although Abbey Road was an instant commercial success, it received mixed reviews upon release. Some critics found its music inauthentic and criticised the production's artificial effects. By contrast, critics today view the album as one of the Beatles' best and one of the greatest albums of all time. George Harrison's two songs on the album, "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun", are considered among the best he wrote for the group. The album's cover, featuring the Beatles walking across the zebra crossing outside of Abbey Road Studios (then officially named EMI Studios), is one of the most famous and imitated of all time.

Graham Parker and the Rumour – The Parkerilla, Mercury, 1978, by Brian Griffin (design by Barney Bubbles)

The Parkerilla is a 1978 live double album by Graham Parker and The Rumour. It was recorded at Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, Manchester Opera House, Apollo Theatre, Oxford and The Palladium, New York City; and mixed at Rockfield Studios, Wales.

The album was recorded as a contractual obligation album as Parker had already signed with Arista and was preparing "Squeezing Out Sparks" for that label. The album was longer than a traditional record and Mercury elected to release it as a double album. The single "Hey Lord Don't Ask Me Questions" was a re-recording of a song from the first album (and slightly retitled) with the song occupying the fourth side.

The album met with a mixed reception from critics who were waiting for new material from Parker.

In 1991, Rolling Stone ranked The Parkerilla number 64 on its list of 100 greatest album covers. The cover photography was by Brian Griffin, with the artwork completed by Barney Bubbles.

Brian Griffin: ‘Dave Robinson of Stiff Records commissioned me for this. It was my first album cover and was shot on the South Bank in London next to the Hayward Gallery. The idea to make Graham Parker look like a gorilla was Dave’s, using prosthetics. This album was also my introduction to Barney Bubbles, who designed the cover’.

Led Zeppelin – Physical Grafitti, Swan Song, 1975, by Elliott Erwitt (design by AGI/Mike Doud/Peter Corriston)

Physical Graffiti is the sixth album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Released as a double album on 24 February 1975 in the United States and on 28 February 1975 in the United Kingdom, it was the group's first album to be released under their new label, Swan Song Records. The band wrote and recorded eight new songs for the album in early 1974 at Headley Grange, a country house in Hampshire, which gave them ample time to improvise arrangements and experiment with recording. The total playing time covered just under three sides of an LP, so they decided to expand it into a double album by including previously unreleased tracks from the sessions for the band's earlier albums Led Zeppelin III (1970), Led Zeppelin IV (1971) and Houses of the Holy (1973). The album covered a range of styles including hard rock, progressive rock, rock 'n' roll and folk. The album was then mixed over summer 1974 and planned for an end-of-year release; however, its release was delayed because the Peter Corriston-designed die-cut album cover proved difficult to manufacture.

The album was originally released with a die-cut sleeve design depicting a New York City tenement block, through whose windows various cultural icons could be interchangeably viewed. The album designer, Peter Corriston, was looking for a building that was symmetrical with interesting details, that was not obstructed by other objects and would fit the square album cover. He subsequently came up with the rest of the cover based on the idea of people moving in and out of the tenement, with various sleeves that could be placed under the main cover and filling the windows with various pieces of information.

The two five-storey buildings photographed for the album cover are located at 96 and 98 St. Mark's Place in New York City. The original photograph underwent a number of tweaks to arrive at the final image. The fourth floor of the building had to be cropped out to fit the square album cover format. (The front doorway and stoop at 96 St. Mark's Place is also the location used by the Rolling Stones for the music video promoting their single "Waiting on a Friend", from their 1981 album Tattoo You).

Eschewing the usual gatefold design in favour of a special die-cut cover, the original album jacket included four covers made up of two inners (for each disc), a middle insert cover and an outer cover. The middle insert cover is white and details all the album track listings and recording information. The outer cover has die-cut windows on the building, so when the middle cover is wrapped around the inner covers and slid into the outer cover, the title of the album is shown on the front cover, spelling out the name "Physical Graffiti". Images in the windows touched upon a set of American icons and a range of Hollywood ephemera. Pictures of W. C. Fields and Buzz Aldrin alternated with the snapshots of Led Zeppelin. Photographs of Lee Harvey Oswald, Marcel Duchamp and Pope Leo XIII are also featured. Per the liner notes, package concept and design was by AGI/Mike Doud (London) and Peter Corriston (New York). Photography was by Elliott Erwitt, B. P. Fallon, and Roy Harper. "Tinting Extraordinaire": Maurice Tate, and window illustration by Dave Heffernan. In 1976, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of best album package.

Physical Graffiti was commercially and critically successful upon its release and debuted at number one on album charts in the UK and number three in the United States. It was promoted by a successful U.S. tour and a five-night residency at Earl's Court, London. The album has been reissued on CD several times, including an expansive 40th anniversary edition in 2015. Physical Graffiti was later certified 16× platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2006, signifying shipments of over eight million copies in the US.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[blairdiggory]

Ok so Davy Jones's power cuts things in two, and Davy Jones split the Great Sphinx, which is a wight with white spectral energy, into several different colored sphinxes, but there are at least 4 sphinxes, so like. How did that work. Did he just keep cutting it up. Since the Great Sphinx had white spectral energy, are we missing 3 other sphinxes with orange, green, and indigo spectral energy because it got cut into a rainbow of sphinxes?

Also:

The person recounting the story of Davy Jones is Angel Guerra, who currently has Polaris captive. If Polaris' ability is to change things to the opposite, could it put the broken sphinx pieces back together? Is Angel Guerra holding onto Polaris to make sure this doesn't happen?

Is this anything.

[dalekofchaos]

Green Lantern Corps fancast

My Green Lantern Corps fancast

Notice. Because of the 30 picture limit, will not be able to do them all, but will at the very least try to include most of the Green Lanterns and the main villains

My other DC fancasts

DCEU recast

Batman 66

Burtonverse Recast

Nolanverse

1940′s Batman

90′s Justice League

2000′s/2010′s Justice League

Reevesverse Batman

Gunnverse Batman

Superman

Wonder Woman

The Flash

Aquaman

Justice League

Green Arrow

Teen Titans

Suicide Squad

Justice League Dark

Batman Beyond

The Dark Knight Returns

Telltale’s Batman

Injustice

Legion Of Doom

Birds Of Prey

Green Lantern Corps

Cary Elwes as Green Lantern/Alan Scott

Kyle Chandler as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan

Aaron Pierre as Green Lantern/John Stewart

Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern/Guy Gardner

Michael Cimino as Kyle Rayner

Haaz Sleiman as Simon Baz

Melissa Barrera as Jessica Cruz

Auliʻi Cravalho as Jade/Jennifer-Lynn Hayden

Michael Rooker as Kilowog

Ayo Edebiri as Green Lantern/Sojourner Mullein

Kyliegh Curran as Teen Lantern/Keli Quintela

Josh Gad as G'nort

Zoe Saldana as Green Lantern/Laira Omoto

Danny DeVito as Galius Zed

Claudia Doumit as Boodikka

Nathalie Emmanuel as Katma Tui

Doug Jones as Salakk

Vin Diesel as Mogo

Riz Ahmed as Tomar-Re

Ken Watanabe as Abin Sur

Lulu Wilson as Arisia Rrab

Ian McShane as Appa Ali Apsa

Judi Dench as Sayd

Peter Dinklage as Ganthet

Yellow Lantern Corps

Ulrich Thomsen as Thaal Sinestro

Dee Bradley Baker as Bedovian

Frank Welker as Ranx, the Sentient City

Jeffrey Combs as Despotellis

Dominic Purcell as Arkillo

Jessica Henwick as Soranik Natu

Brian Steele as Devildog

Zach Woods as Romat-Ru

Mark Strong as Amon Sur

Kelly Hu as Karu-Sil

Reed Diamond as Enkafos

John DiMaggio as Slushh

Eva Green as Lyssa Drak

Jennifer Tilly as Kryb

Robert Englund as Parallax

Red Lantern Corps

Rory McCann as Atrocitus

Vladimir Mashkov as Vladimir Sokov

Esme Creed-Miles as Ruby Sokov

Jack Gleeson as John “Jack” Moore (Rankorr)

Sharlto Copley as Vice

Michelle Rodriguez as Bleez

Nolan North as Veon

Mark Pellegrino as Skallox

Lin Shaye as Judge Sheko

Emilymonster (James Gunn's Cat) as Dex-Starr

Star Sapphire Corps

Parker Posey as Star Sapphire/Carol Ferris

Keke Palmer as Fatality/Yrra Cynril

Tilda Swinton as Queen Aga'po

Betty Gilpin as Jillian Pearlman

Kristen Wiig as Dela Pharon

Laverne Cox as Miss Bloss

Naomi Scott as Miri Riam

Kari Wahlgren as Predator

Blue Lantern Corps

Matt Smith as Saint Walker

Naveen Andrews as Brother Warth

Ke Huy Quan as Brother Hynn

Tia Carrere as Sister Sercy

Will Yun Lee as Adara

Indigo Tribe

Mandip Gill as Iroque

LaMonica Garrett as Munk

Tony Cox as Natromo

Djimon Hounsou as Kreaven

Ed Harris as Slog The Slayer

Orange Lantern Corps

Dan Stevens as Larfleeze

Black Lantern Corps

James McAvoy as Black Hand

Bill Nighy as Nekron

Helena Bonham Carter as Scar

[tllgrrl]

Happy Birthday, Old Man by @tllgrrl aka Nefertiri Jones

Summary: Bucky celebrates his 100 and somethingth (“Who’s countin’?”) birthday with his family, and an old friend makes an appearance.

* * * * * * * * * *

For @buckybarnesevents Bucky’s Birthday Bash: Bake A Cake Edition

Base - #6 Post-Endgame /Post-TFATWS

Filling - Trope/Quotes: #1 There was only one bed. (Kinda…)

Frosting - Characters: #11 Sarah Wilson (and Cass, AJ, and Alpine)

Toppings: Colours: Blue (mentioned)

* * * * * * * * * *

He slowly opened his eyes and Sarah’s shoulder was the first thing he saw.

Smooth. Dark. Highlighted by pale blue moonlight through the skylight.

He didn’t want to move, but he carefully extracted himself from the bed, grabbed his robe from the chair, made his way out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him, and headed down the stairs.

He drank a glass of water, then stepped out onto the deck that overlooked the lake.

It was chilly enough to where he wrapped Sarah’s shawl she’d left outside around himself before stretching out on one of the deck chairs, and leaning back to look up into the starry night sky.

The light fragrance of her—and his—favourite body lotion enveloped him.

So many stars. Different constellations are visible in Upstate New York than in Southern Louisiana…than in Wakanda…than in…than…in…

“So…seems like you got some of that Life that Tony was talkin’ about, too, huh? I’m really happy for you, Buck.”

“Mmmm. Wha—?” Bucky opened his eyes, looked over to his left, and there was an elderly man—tall, with white hair—standing at the railing, looking out over the still waters.

It looks like, but it can’t possibly be…

“Steve…?“

“Happy Birthday, Old Man.”

“Thanks, pal. What—?”

Just as the man turns to face him—

Sarah shifts a little.

“You okay, Old Man?” She reaches back and gently rakes her fingers through his hair.

Bucky opens his eyes. He’s in bed. Sarah’s shoulder is the first thing he sees.

Smooth. Dark. Highlighted by pale blue moonlight through the skylight.

“Nothin’.” He kisses that shoulder, gently rubs his cheek on her. “Just a dream, nandi.”

“A good dream?” She whispers, but he can hear the smile in her voice.

He closes his eyes and buries his face in her hair, inhaling her and pulling her closer, wrapping his arm around her.

“Yeah. Not as good as this, though.”

Behind him is Cass. Cass’s heels are at his back and his head is pointed toward the foot of the bed.

AJ is curled up at Sarah’s feet.

The plan was to take the boys to their room and tuck them in after Storytime, but everyone had all fallen asleep in the King-sized bed because it was cold outside, and the vacation cabin had a fireplace in the master bedroom, so they were all cozy.

A purr is coming from somewhere above his and Sarah’s heads, and Alpine’s paws find his head and begin gently kneading his scalp.

“Hey, up there,” he whispers, “settle down, you.”

Outside, it’s wee hours dark, but the moon is almost full. Along with the soft glow of the nightlight by the door, Bucky can make out the details in the room, and of the blanket covering them.

It’s different shades of blue, woven from fibers dyed with indigo.

Woven into the blanket there are symbols, words, prayers that offer blessings and protection.

There is a similar spread on Sarah’s bed back home in Delacroix. The boys have their special Border Tribe blankets as well. This particular super-sized blanket travels with the family when they go on vacations and road trips.

It is soft, yet substantial thanks to the Vibranium that’s woven into the cloth, making it practically impervious to a whole list of threats.

And most importantly, it keeps his family comfortable and warm.

Before he goes back to sleep, Bucky looks over to the nightstand and sees the framed photograph they’d given to him earlier.

A photo of Sarah, Cass, AJ, and him.

It had been beautiful at the dock on that special day. They were all smiles, dressed to the nines, and Sarah was holding a little bouquet of flowers.

The card next to the photo was handmade by the two boys and read:

Happy Birthday, Dad!! We Love You!!

Happy Birthday, mthandi! Sarah wrote under the boys’ names, and had drawn a heart.

“Happy Birthday, Old Man,” he heard the familiar voice as it faded away.

Yeah, Bucky thought as he drifted back to sleep, smiling.

Happy.

* * * * * * * * * *

Also posted HERE on AO3 (members only) .

For @buckybarnesevents Bucky Barnes Birthday events.

Thanks for reading!

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: August Wrap-Up.

Hey, would you look at that, it's suddenly September! Rude and uncalled for. This month, I did a lot of knitting (two sets of gloves and two hats! gearing up for holiday season), and a LOT of writing (finished the first 16k draft of a scene, who???), and read uh. Some. I didn't finish a ton of books, but I did make it through what felt like a ton of pages.

Two-thirds of this month's reading were post-apocalyptic-community-oriented, on purpose, to feed into my current writing project, and that worked really well--either I'm very good at choosing books that match the vibe I need, or my ADHD brain is good at making connections, OR a little bit of column A, a little bit of column B. Photos and/or reviews linked below:

GHOST STATION (pages-out stand-in book pictured above, because I checked it out from the library after canceling my paperback pre-order, which was a good call) - ★★ This was very bad. Bad science, stupid incompetent characters, JUST enough neat worldbuilding to make it FRUSTRATING that this missed so hard. I'm bummed because I wanted to read DEAD SILENCE by this author, too, but I don't trust her now :(

ALWAYS COMING HOME - ★★★★½ Loved this!! Dense and chewy, and it required a lot of patience, but it was very rewarding and I'm really glad I read it. My absolute favorite passage was about scrub oaks, but I posted a few other highlights and tagged them as "le guin posting," if you're interested! If you like Le Guin and/or utopias and better futures and/or huge books that push what it means to Be A Novel, check this out for sure.

ARCHANGELS OF FUNK - ★★★½ So. I didn't realize that this was attached to a few other novels she's already written. And I read it cold (oops). Goodreads informed me that it was Book #2 of Cinnamon Jones, and review-diving indicated that REDWOOD AND WILDFIRE is also implicated in its worldbuilding, but that didn't stop me because I can't read. I would like to revisit this one after I've read those other two, I think, but!: The community and vibes and Making Art At The End Of The World were all immaculate, and the character names made me feel vindicated in some of my own naming conventions (seriously: there's an Indigo in this, and a Game-Boy, and Hawk, I can't make this shit up).

Under the Cut: A Note About ~*★Stars★*~

Historically, I have been Very Bad™ about assigning things Star Ratings, because it's so Vibes Heavy for me and therefore Contingent Upon my Whims. I am refining this as I figure out my wrap up posts (epiphany of this month: I don't like that stars are Odd, because that makes three the midpoint and things are rarely so truly mid for me)(I have hacked my way around this with a ½). Here is, generally, how I conceptualize stars:

★ - This was Bad. I would actively recommend that you do NOT read this one, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not worth the slog. Save Yourself, It's Too Late For Me. Book goes in the garbage (donate bin).

★★ - This was Not Good. I would not recommend it, but it wasn't a total waste or wash--something in here held my interest/kept my attention/sparked some joy. I will not be rereading this ever. Save Yourself (Or Join Me In Suffering, That Seems Like A Cool Bonding Activity).

★★★ - This was Good/Fine/Okay/Meh. I don't care about this enough to recommend it one way or another. Perfectly serviceable book, held my interest, I probably enjoyed myself (or at least didn't actively loathe the reading). I don't have especially strong feelings. You probably don't need to save yourself from this one--if it sounds like your jam, give it a shot! Just didn't resonate with me particularly powerfully. I probably won't reread this unless I'm after something in particular.

★★★½ - I liked this! I'll probably recommend it if I know it matches someone's vibes or specific requests, but I didn't commit to a star rating on Goodreads. More likely to reread, but not guaranteed.

★★★★ - I really enjoyed this!! I would recommend it (sometimes with caveats about content warnings or such--I tend to like weird fucked up funny shit, and I don't have many hard readerly NO's). Not a perfect book for me by any means, but Very Good. This is something I would reread! Join me!!

★★★★★ - I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THIS, IT REWIRED MY BRAIN, WILL RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION (content warning caveats still apply--see 4-star disclaimer). Excellent book, I'll reread it regularly, I'll buy copies for all my friends, I'll try to convince all of Booklr to read it, PLEASE join me!!

[permanentreverie]

books read in 2024

1 - ruthless vows (rebecca ross): jan 2 - 5

2 - atonement (ian mcewan): jan 1 - 7

3 - the stolen heir (holly black): jan 9 - 11

4 - clockwork angel (cassandra clare): jan 12 - 15

5 - archer’s voice (mia sheridan): jan 15 - 23

6 - the flatshare (beth o’leary): jan 28 - 30 / (reread)

7 - check, please! book 1: #hockey (ngozi ukazu): jan 31

8 - check, please! book 2: sticks and scones (ngozi ukazu): feb 1 - 2

9 - indigo eyes (maeve hazel): feb 1 - 6

10 - book lovers (emily henry): feb 7 - 11 / (reread)

11 - a cuban girl’s guide to tea and tomorrow (laura taylor namey): feb 12 - 15

12 - the wake-up call (beth o’leary): feb 12 - 17

13 - eleanor oliphant is completely fine (gail honeyman): feb 19 - 28

14 - the seven year slip (ashley poston): feb 28 - mar 3

15 - the road trip (beth o’leary): mar 3 - 6

16 - the youthful you who was so beautiful (jiu yue xi): mar 6 - 11 / (reread)

17 - i hope this doesn’t find you (ann liang): mar 14 - 16

18 - the great divorce (c.s. lewis): mar 29 - 31

19 - the foxhole court (nora sakavic): apr 3 - 5 / (reread)

20 - the raven king (nora sakavic): apr 5 - 7 / (reread)

21 - the king’s men (nora sakavic): apr 7 - 11 / (reread)

22 - tweet cute (emma lord): mar 22 - apr 12

23 - society of the snow: the definitive account of the world’s greatest survival story (pablo vierci): apr 12 - 13

24 - the switch (beth o’leary): apr 16 - 18

25 - pride and prejudice (jane austen): apr 11 - 23 / (reread) (audiobook)

26 - the sunshine court (nora sakavic): apr 18 - 26

27 - longbourn (jo baker): apr 23 - 27

28 - society of the snow: the definitive account of the world’s greatest survival story (pablo vierci): apr 21 - 28 / (reread)

29 - the bodyguard (katherine center): apr 29

30 - bones and all (camille deangelis): apr 30 - may 5

31 - miracle in the andes (nando parrado): may 5 - 7

32 - lapvona (ottessa moshfegh): may 7 - 10

33 - do i know you? (emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka): may 17 - 18

34 - moon of the crusted snow (waubgeshig rice): may 18 - 19

35 - next to you (hannah bonam-young): may 21 - 24

36 - beasts of a little land (juhea kim): may 30 - jun 2

37 - moon of the turning leaves (waubgeshig rice): may 20 - jun 3 / (audiobook)

38 - the girls i’ve been (tess sharpe): may 27 - jun 5

39 - americanah (chimimanda ngozi adichie): may 20 - jun 18

40 - emily wilde’s encyclopedia of fairies (heather fawcett): jun 19 - 22

41 - emily wilde’s map of the otherlands (heather fawcett): jun 22 - jul 1

42 - a good girls’s guide to murder (holly jackson): jun 21 - jul 1 / (reread) (audiobook)

43 - seven days in june (tia williams): jul 1 - 3

44 - the night tiger (yangsze choo): jul 4 - 7

45 - part of your world (abby jimenez): jul 9 - 11

46 - good girl, bad blood (holly jackson): jul 4 - 11 / (reread) (audiobook)

47 - your blood, my bones (kelly andrew): jul 13 - 17

48 - the summer of broken rules (k. l. walther): jul 13 - 21 / (audiobook)

49 - as good as dead (holly jackson): jul 25 - aug 9 / (reread) (audiobook)

50 - house of leaves (mark z. danielewski): aug 2 - 13

51 - the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse (charlie mackesy): aug 14

52 - daisy jones & the six (taylor jenkins reid): aug 13 - 23 / (reread) (audiobook)

53 - a crane among wolves (june hur): aug 14 - 23

54 - howl’s moving castle (dianna wynne jones): aug 25 - 27 / (reread) (audiobook)

55 - the reappearance of rachel price (holly jackson): aug 24 - 28

56 - five survive (holly jackson): sep 2 - 3

57 - the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society (mary ann shaffer & annie barrows): sep 2 - 4 / (reread) (audiobook)

58 - a business proposal, vol. 1 (haehwa): sep 4

59 - a business proposal, vol. 2 (haehwa): sep 6

60 - a business proposal, vol. 3 (haehwa): sep 7

61 - something more (jackie khalilieh): sep 9 - 10

62 - a novel love story (ashley poston): sep 14 - 15

63 - a business proposal, vol. 4 (haehwa): sep 16 - 17

64 - station eleven (emily st. john mandel): sep 17 - 20

65 - a business proposal, vol. 5 (haehwa): sep 22 - 24

66 - gideon the ninth (tamsyn muir): sep 29 - oct 5

67 - graveyard shift (m. l. rio): oct 23

68 - what lies between us (john marrs): oct 23 - 24

69 - house of hollow (krystal sutherland): oct 30 - nov 1

70 - the very secret society of irregular witches (sangu mandanna): nov 2

[pixelnrd]

After the wedding, an enormous reception followed with food, dancing, drinking and fun.

The Lenowski siblings were in top form, and Gary made a heartfelt speech wishing his son all the same love and success in his marriage that he and Eleanor had.

(This is an homage to The Wedding Singer 🪩🕺)

[saltyninetails]

These are all of my main Rottmnt oc’s (Key word, “Main” I have more) I will make proper references for them eventually but Rn I’m working on Inktober for my class and other projects. In the meantime, short bios of them:

Artemisia: Artemisia, (or Arti) is the youngest ninja turtle and the smallest. She’s a striped mud turtle. Arti is a compassionate, cheerful, and rebellious girl with an active spirit. Arti loves her friends and family more than anything and would let the world burn for them. Arti is a medic and is very intelligent. However, Arti’s stubborn, impatient, impulsive, and quick to rage. Arti has insecurities about her size and worries it’ll affect her as a Kunoichi. Despite that, she is strong and capable of taking care of herself. Arti has an indigo mask  and Kama’s as weapons. Her Mystic power is water and Ice manipulation. 

Tsuki: Tsuki is an anthropomorphic rabbit from another dimension. She was taken from her home when she was young and ever since then was trained to be an assassin. She eventually met the turtles and allied herself with them. Tsuki is headstrong and sort of a stoic. She’s short tempered and a violent fighter. Despite this, Tsuki is polite to her friends and allies. She’s loyal and confident in her abilities. Tsuki doesn’t completely understand emotions and how to communicate but she gets better with time. Tsuki uses multiple weapons but her go to is a tanto blade. Tsuki doesn’t understand romantic gestures. She is dating Donatello Hamato.  She has a brother named Usagi Yuichi

Bijou; Bijou is a Kitsune Yokai and the princess of Yokai. She’s a calm and friendly individual who loves animals and cares deeply for her people. However, she knows when to be stern and does use her position to her advantage when she needs to. She’s a strong and capable Kunoichi but only fights when she has to. Bijou has the power to create and control flames, and uses them to defend herself and her friends. Bijou usually uses a Kusari Gama as a weapon. She’s dating Michelangelo Hamato

Erin O Neil: Erin is the older sister of April. Unlike her rebellious tomboy sister, Erin is a straight A goody two shoes who is always expected to be perfect. Erin is lady like and intelligent, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like to fight. Erin actually has a lot more of an active spirit than she leads on. Erin is constantly pressured to be perfect and is afraid to be her true self. Erin secretly likes rock music. Erin is a social butterfly but has a temper due to bottling up her feelings for so long. Her weapons are Tonfa. Her love interest is Cassandra Jones. 

Ren: Ren is Cassandra Jones’s Cousin and a well known hacker and internet legend. She’s cheery and optimistic but also a badass who isn’t afraid to kick butt. She’s both thebrains and the brawn and she’s not afraid of voicing it. She’s patient for the most part until her friends are in danger. Ren loves memes and provides them for the turtles and the kinship. She’s dating Raphael Hamato. 

Sumire: Sumire used to be a foot ninja but left after years of mistreatment. She’s shy and meek, often having trouble spitting out words. Despite this, she’s a strong Kunoichi who graduated at 14. However, she’s afraid of almost everything and is often seen hiding behind Tsuki. Sumire loves gardening and animals and is a vegetarian. Sumire is the most compassionate out of the Kinship often even feeling bad for opponents. However, this makes her very naive and easy to manipulate. Sumire’s weapon is twin Tessen. She has a HUGE crush on Leonardo Hamato however, he doesn’t like her back. 

[pearly--rose]

Sharing the companion playlist to Triple Dog Dare now that the fic is complete! Some songs were picked for vibes, some were for specific lyrics...I realize I'm probably the only person who cares about this, but I could honestly talk at length about these song choices to feel free to drop into my ask box and AMA lol

[Spotify link] YouTube links:

1. Conversation Piece - Julien Baker | 2. Triple Dog Dare - Lucy Dacus | 3. Sleeping With The Lights On - Searows | 4. Mental Math - Julien Baker | 5. Anti-Curse - boygenius | 6. Fallingforyou - The 1975 | 7. what a shame - Lizzy McAlpine | 8. Oh No - Softee | 9. Friday I'm In Love - Phoebe Bridgers | 10. 24 Hours - Sky Ferreira | 11. First Time - Lucy Dacus | 12. No Big Deal (I Love You) - dodie | 13. Seventeen - Sharon Van Etten feat. Norah Jones | 14. Hot & Heavy - Lucy Dacus | 15. Want Me - Baby Queen | 16. Stay Down - boygenius | 17. Vertigo - Khalid | 18. Come On Mess Me Up - Cub Sport | 19. Now & Then - Sjowgren | 20. Hold You - Searows | 21. You Held It All - The Staves | 22. Ivy - Indigo De Souza* | 23. All Dressed In White - Benjamin Francis Leftwich | 24. So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings - Squirrel Flower | 25. Harvest Moon - Lord Huron | 26. Reminded - Sun June | 27. Short and Sweet - Brittany Howard | 28. Be By Your Side - Pillow Queens | 29. Never Let You Down - Geographer | 30. LOVE (triple j Like A Version) - CHVRCHES

*This cover isn't on Spotify so that playlist has the original Frank Ocean version (which is of course fantastic), but there's just something about Indigo's version that sets the mood for the story better

[xplainthexmen]

Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men, Episode 444 - Damnit, Magnus

In which it’s difficult to flee with soup; Miles may or may not be haunting the X-Men; Colossus collaborates involuntarily; Marrow is full of surprises; Magneto is a dick; Jay continues to carry a torch for Secret Wars: Siege; and you should totally come to our birthday party.

X-PLAINED:

Several rather pointed allusions

X-Force #86

Uncanny X-Men #365

X-Men #85

Almost Reno, NM

Where mutants come from

The Aguilar Institute (more) (again)

Abandoned towns

Mary the telepathic moppet (more) (again)

Odysseus Indigo

The Damocles Foundation

Sibling names

The Fundamental Attribution Error

A haunting

Christmas beer

Christmas ghost exquisite corpse

Bill Jones

A rescue mission

Essential stories of the ‘90s

Our weird favorites

Siege

Our upcoming 10th birthday party (more) (again)

NEXT EPISODE: Magneto War begins!

Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog!

RSVP to our birthday shenanigans!

Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here!

Buy rad swag at our TeePublic shop!