#m: madeline leonard

[paintedmegoldenx]

closed for @darkwants

madeline thought her heart might beat out of her chest as she pulled into their driveway, parking her car behind ezra's. tonight was the night. she'd had her gynecologist appointment at the start of the week, and, after a few sore days, she was back to normal following the removal of her iud. she'd been planning to surprise ezra with the news after a nice evening in. she'd picked up his favorite dinner and asked him if he could close the shop a bit early so they could have a date night. his car was confirmation that he made that work for her and this was happening. she couldn't wait to tell him.

she walked into the house with the full bag of dinner and a bouquet she'd made at work in the other. "i'm home," she said warmly, seeing the top of ezra's head in an armchair in the living room. she dropped her things on the dining room table, taking off her jean jacket and kicking off her chucks before padding across the wooden floors back to him.

"hi baby," she sat across his lap and pressed her lips to his neck in a soft kiss. "how was your day?"

[figureskatingcostumes]

Madeline Schizas skating to West Side Story for her free program at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo.

(Sources: 1 and 2)

[camprell-art]

Vinicio is terrible at sleeping

also I only know how to measure with meters, sorry asjhdg

[rbolick]

Books On Books Collection - Rebecca Bingham

Books On Books Collection – Rebecca Bingham

Defining the Rainbow (2018) Defining the Rainbow (2018)Rebecca BinghamMatchbox-style box containing a miniature open spine book with paper over board covers. Box: H57 x W82 x D35 mm. Book: H51 x W73 mm. 46 pages. Edition of 81 (50 regular and 26 deluxe), of which this is #34. Acquired from Rebecca Press, 23 November 2022.Photos: Books On Books Collection. Displayed with the artist’s…

[aquariumpacific]

This week on Aquarium of the Podcific, we are joined by Environmental Services Supervisor Keisha Leonard.

Keisha has been a part of our Aquarium for almost 20 years and shares how she and her team keep the Aquarium squeaky clean, and how she accidentally named a fish "Michael"! Listen now everywhere you listen to podcasts.

[irisbleufic]

I found a playlist on Spotify called "Caldera (Devil's Minion)" and I'm assuming that's yours but wanted to make sure- it's great!

Yep! That's mine. It's what I've been listening to while I work on the stories in my series and a work in progress, although I haven't removed anything from it. I might as well post the link to the playlist and the track listings for those that don't have Spotify.

Daniel - Bat for Lashes

Vesuvius - Sufjan Stevens

I Forget Where We Were - Ben Howard

Make You Better - The Decemberists

Hal - Yasmine Hamdan

St. Jude - Florence + The Machine

I Got You Babe - Sonny & Cher

Strange Kind of Love - Peter Murphy

Video Cor Meum - Patrick Cassidy, Hannibal OST

Funnel of Love - SQÜRL & Madeline Follin

Happens to the Heart - Leonard Cohen

Song to the Siren - This Mortal Coil ft. Elizabeth Fraser

Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush

Pompeii MMXXIII - Bastille & Hans Zimmer

[asoftepiloguemylove]

Hey! I was wondering if you could do a web weave for absolutely despising your sibling too? My brother is a monster and the world will be a better place once he's dead. Thank you!

and what can i tell you my brother, my killer?

Madeline Miller The Song of Achilles / Caleb Carr / Clive Barker The Hellhound Heart / Marco & Sebastiano Ricci Cain smiting Abel with God's Expulsion of Cain from the Garden of Eden / Orazio Riminaldi Cain and Abel / unknown / Natalie Diaz A Brother Named Gethsemane; When My Brother Was an Aztec / Leonard Cohen Famous Blue Raincoat

[comfort-clubhouse]

Comfort Characters (Waves 10-11)

Pocoyo

Timmy (Timmy Time)

Mittens (Timmy Time)

Otus (Timmy Time)

King (Owl House)

NormalCD

Yellow Hemka (Hanazuki)

Pink Hemka (Hanazuki)

Chowder (Chowder Series)

Mung Daal (Chowder Series)

Garfield

Captain N The Game Master

Simon Belmont (Captain N The Game Master)

Pocoyo

Mickey Mouse

Minnie Mouse

Jafar (Aladdin)

Hades (Hercules)

Sulley (Monsters Inc)

Bob Velseb (Spooky Month)

Yoshi (Mario DIC Cartoons)

Mario (Mario DIC Cartoons)

Luigi (Mario DIC Cartoons)

Emily Elephant (Peppa Pig)

Zuzu & Zaza (Peppa Pig)

Lammy (Happy Tree Friends)

Toga Himiko (MHA)

Mirio Togata (MHA)

Asriel (Undertale)

Sam & Max (Sam & Max: Freelance Police Series)

Iago (Aladdin)

Jack O Lantern (Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy)

Jessicake (Shopkins)

Milk Bud (Shopkins)

Jack Sparrow (Pirates Of The Caribbean)

Hector Barbossa (Pirates Of The Caribbean)

Fleagle (Banana Splits)

Drooper (Banana Splits)

Heisenberg (Resident Evil Village)

Jeff The Killer (Creepypasta)

Laughing Jack (Creepypasta)

Donatina (Shopkins)

Enid Sinclair (Wednesday)

Apple Blossom (Shopkins)

Solazar (FNF)

Nezuko (Demon Slayer)

Mike (Monsters Inc)

Moony (ENA)

Tails (Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog)

Starfire (Teen Titans)

Red Hood (Injustice 2)

Davy Jones (Pirates Of The Caribbean)

Freddy Krueger (Nightmare On Elm Street)

Bubbles (Powerpuff Girls)

Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony)

Fluttershy (My Little Pony)

Granny Smith (My Little Pony)

Discord (My Little Pony)

Princess Celestia (My Little Pony)

Pixie (Pixie & Brutus)

Nerris (Camp Camp)

Nikki (Camp Camp)

Marvin The Martian (Looney Tunes)

Kedamono (Popee The Perfomer)

Frankie Stein (Monster High)

Abbey Bominable (Monster High)

Dracalaura (Monster High)

Catty Noir (Monster High)

Madeline Hatter (Ever After High)

Kitty Cheshire (Ever After High)

Tricky (Madness Combat)

Hank J Wimbleton (Madness Combat)

Sanford (Madness Combat)

Deimos (Madness Combat)

Tessa (Skylanders)

Dr Krankcase (Skylanders)

Mags (Skylanders)

Mao Mao (Mao Mao: Heroes Of Pure Heart)

Adorabat (Mao Mao: Heroes Of Pure Heart)

Onion Cookie (Cookie Run: Kingdom)

Frost Queen Cookie (Cookie Run: Kingdom)

Clover Cookie (Cookie Run: Kingdom)

Screech (Doors)

Seek (Doors)

Agatha (Dark Deception)

Mr Stitchy (Piggy)

Orange (Rainbow Friends)

Fizzarolli (Helluva Boss)

Leonard Mudbeard (Angry Birds)

Courtney (Angry Birds)

Gary (Angry Birds)

Tankman (Tankmen Series)

Zoey (Total Drama)

Mike (Total Drama)

Penny (TAWOG)

Chuck (Angry Birds)

David Jones (Criminal Case)

Charles Dupont (Criminal Case)

Melody (Little Mermaid)

Bart Simpson (Simpsons)

Maggie Simpson (Simpsons)

June Bellamy (Simpsons)

Krusty The Clown (Simpsons)

Victor Creel (Stranger Things)

[daisyishedwig]

So my plan was originally to do these recaps every month, but that didn't happen. So instead, here's a reading recap for the first 6 months of 2024 in which I read 99 books, a concept that is still insane to me considering my goal for the year was 50. Pictured are my highlights, the god-tier books that left me screaming or the ones that I left feeling like a new person.

And here is the full list of everything I've read so far this year. (Bolded are the books pictured and italicised are books reread)

January My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron 4/5 The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 5/5 Padawan by Kiersten White 5/5 Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat 5/5 You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron 3/5 The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones 5/5 Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig 5/5 The Star Host Trilogy by F.T. Lukens 5/5 Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa 4/5 Harley Quinn: Die Laughing by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner 3/5 Coffee Boy by Austin Chant 5/5 Star Wars: Vader: Dark Visions by Dennis Hopeless 3/5 Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant 5/5 Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan 2/5

February Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore 5/5 Pretty Boy by Jett Masterson 1/5 The Prince’s Dearest Guards by Beau Van Dalen 3/5 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab 5/5 A House Unsettled by Trynne Delaney 3/5 Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu 5/5 The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan 4/5

March  By Any Other Name by Erin Cotter 5/5 From Here to Eternity: Travelling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty 4/5 Family Business by Jonathan Sims 5/5 Hook's Tale: Being the Account of an Unjustly Villainized Pirate Written by Himself by John Leonard Pielmeier 4/5 Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones 4/5 Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori 5/5 Peter Darling by Austin Chant 5/5 Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones 3/5 Darling by K. Ancrum 5/5

April The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull 2/5 A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert 5/5 Circe by Madeline Miller 4/5 The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe 4/5 Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra 5/5 Hide: The Graphic Novel by Kiersten White 3/5 The Darcy Myth: Jane Austen, Literary Heartthrobs, and the Monsters They Taught Us to Love by Rachel Feder 4/5 The Dark One by Nikki St. Crowe 4/5 Their Vicious Darling by Nikki St. Crowe 4/5 Ledfeather by Stephen Graham Jones 5/5 The Fae Princes by Nikki St. Crowe 4/5

May  Black Butler by Yana Toboso 4/5 The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture by Grace Perry 4/5 Pan by Christopher Ruz 3/5 Devourer of Men by Nikki St. Crowe 3/5 The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu 4/5 A Sea of Unfortunate Sould by Jay R. Wolf 3/5 Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell 4/5

June The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 5/5 Red Rising by Pierce Brown 4/5 Neon Gods by Katee Robert 5/5 The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco 5/5 The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan 4/5 What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher 4/5 The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan 5/5 Hooked by Emily Mcintire 4/5 Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro 5/5 A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow 5/5 A Thief in the Night by KJ Charles 5/5 How To Bite Your Neighbor and Win A Wager by D.N. Bryn 5/5 His First Bite by D.N. Bryn 5/5 The Lost Boy by Joshua Grant 3/5 Tink and Wendy by Kelly Ann Jacobson 3/5 The Wicker King by K. Ancrum 5/5 Epically Earnest by Molly Horan 4/5 Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens 5/5 White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson 5/5 Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat 5/5 A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow 5/5 Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean 5/5 Night of the Living Queers: A Queer Horror Anthology 4/5

[laytonnpcbracket]

Welcome to the Layton NPC Showdown!

This is a bracket to determine which of the many memorable NPCs from across the Professor Layton games are the greatest.

GAMES INCLUDED: Every game except LBMR. Eternal Diva characters are also not included here.

WHAT COUNTS AS AN NPC?: Anyone who doesn't have a puzzle animation. Characters excluded are Layton, Luke, Flora, Clive, Emmy, Randall, Aurora, Des, Espella, Phoenix, Maya, Katrielle, Ernest, Sherl, Hastings, and Emiliana.

WILL THERE BE NOMINATIONS?: Nope! Every NPC will be included.

WHAT ABOUT THE LAYTONMOBILE/MOLENTARY EXPRESS?: No vehicles. Not characters.

WHAT ABOUT THE PUZZLE LADS/LASSES?: I only plan on including characters that we can speak to in-game, so no Puzzle Lads or Lasses. Sorry to the people who like them 😔

WHICH CHARACTERS ARE INCLUDED, THEN?: Anyone who isn't an exception listed above that is in the profiles of the game! A full list is enclosed below.

WHEN WILL THE TOURNAMENT START?: More information forthcoming on that! I have to seed the bracket first :)

WHY IS NAIYA YOUR ICON?: In my opinion, she's one of the more underrated NPCs of the series. I'll probably cycle through some of the ones I have available to me right now.

WHAT CRITERIA SHOULD I VOTE ON?: Whatever makes you happy :)

ARE ALTER EGOS SEPERATE CHARACTERS?: No. For instance, Ratman is not included because his secret identity is in the tournament.

US OR UK NAMES?: I will try to make available as many names for the NPCs as possible! Which includes their Japanese names and as many names in the localizations as I am able to obtain from the wiki and my own sources. I'll probably reliably have the English (both versions where applicable), Japanese, and French names for every character when I do the bracket rounds. The list below however is entirely in English.

And now for a list of the entries! I didn't check all of these for inconsistencies, but I attempted to ascertain that I used the US versions. Some of them might be UK versions though because that's the version of the game I have (specifically Diabolical Box NPCs and Last Specter NPCs -- I know some of their US names but not all).

Franco

Stachenscarfen

Ingrid

Percy

Marco

Ramon

Matthew

Lady Dahlia Reinhold

Gordon Reinhold

Simon Reinhold

Claudia

Beatrice

Deke

Agnes

Pauly

Crouton

Flick

Rodney

Chelmey

Lucy

Zappone

Gerard

Jarvis

Adrea

Pavel

Crumm

Prosciutto

Archibald

Sylvain

Martha

Giuseppe

Augustus Reinhold

Granny Riddleton

Don Paolo

Bruno

Andrew Schrader

Anton Herzen

Katia Anderson

Sophia

Mr. Anderson

Beluga

Sammy Thunder

Macaroon

Chester

Babette

Tom

Ilyana

Geoff

Garland

Nigel

Jacques

Barton

Grousley

Steve

Capone

Mitzi

Lili

Sally

Marjorie

Conrad

Karla

Romie

Dorothea

Clabber

Oscar

Nick

Gabe

Balsa

Wurtzer

Lopez

Laurel

Parcelle

Lulu

Albert

Madeline

Remy

Angus

Kostya

Dylan

Joseph

Rory

Lila

Damon

Felix

Niles

Duke

Hopper

Olson

Derby

Dawson

Joanie

Krantz

Grinko

Marina

Opal

Ray

Gregorio

Narice

Gertie

Hamster

Precious

Winston

Claire

Dimitri Allen

Bill Hawks

Spring

Cogg

Dean Delmona

Shipley

Puzzlette

Beasley

Parrot

Subject 3

Bostro

Family Goon

Lockjaw

Splinters

Marzano

Layman

Fisheye

Silky

Shmelmey

Shmarton

Ward

Smith

Florence

Vito

Art

Niklaus

Anita

Alfie

Hazel (UF)

Adeline

Max

Becky

Margaret

Pallard

Dupree

Natalia

Harold

Horace

Hardy

Cuthbert

Segal

Catanova

Rosetta

Colby

Rudolph

Misha

Dylan

Viv

Pepper

Checker

Avogadro

Maya (UF)

Myrtle

Belle

Graham

Slate

Ernest (UF)

Berta

Minnie

Paige

Raleigh

Beacon

Mark

Rosa

Grosky

Keats

Clark Triton

Brenda Triton

Arianna Barde

Tony Barde

Doland Noble

Levin Jakes

Loosha

Toppy

Crow

Marilyn

Roddy

Scraps

Tweeds

Wren

Socket

Louis

Badger

Aldus

Charlie

Jasmine

Bucky

Fische

Beth

Mido

Clarence

Joe

Molly

Marion

Browne

Hugo

Dominica

Paddy

Brock

Aunt Taffy

Shackwell

Greppe

Goosey

Mimi

Hans Jakes

Maggie

Yamada

Sean

Olga

Finch

Sebastian

Cornelius

Chappy

Hannah

Mick

Colby

Monica

Thomas

Nate

Ewan

Chief Engineer

Naiya

Chippe

Bram

Ghent

Nordic

Gilbert

Roland Layton

Lucille Layton

Henry Ledore

Angela Ledore

Alphonse Dalston

Leonard Bloom

Sheffield

Billson

Mrs Ascot

Pascal

Guy

Lapushka

Gustav

Gonzales

Drake

Tyrone

Sterling

Mordy

Collette

Maurice

Juggles

Puck

Yukkles

Murphy

Cookie

Tanya

Firth

Madelaine

Stumble

Artie

Michelle

Nils

Frankie

Conner

Humbert

Policeman (MM)

Yuming

Esther

Lionel

Doug

Mr. Collins

Leon Bronev

Raymond

Prima

Harald

Donna

Mascha

Georg

Mackintosh

Solveig

Erik

Hazel (AL)

Igor

Sonya

Moos

Larisa

Karpin

Boris

Dariya

Pavlova

Carmichael

Amelie Chelmey

Policeman (AL)

Tommy

Morel

Chestnut

Amanita

Blewitt

Chanterelle

Button

Lepidella

Bud

Javier

Benny

Miranda

Martine

Barbara

Ruby

Scarlett

Flint

Old Red

Jesse

Derringer

Julien

Romilda

Sheppard

Piet

Felicia

Rik

Beatrix

Umid

Banu

Dana

Temir

Mehri

Nassir

Adler

Robin

Macaw

Plover

Grouse

Gannet

Swift

Carmine Accidenti

Olivia Aldente

Allan

Bardly

Zacharias Barnham

Newton Belduke

Birdly

Boistrum

Cecil

Cinderellia

Constantine

Cracker

Cutter

Darklaw

Dewey

Dzibilchaltunchunchucmil

Patty Eclaire

Eve (cat)

Flynch

Foxy

Jean Greyerl

Hoot

Judge

Kira

Knight Captain

Knightle

Lottalance

Lyewood

Lettie Mailer

Balmung

Mary

Muffet

Muggs

Ridelle Mystere

Nozey

Petal

Petter

Ms Primstone

Emeer Punchenbaug

Robbs

Old Rootie

Rouge

Servius

Shakey

Johnny Smiles

Snowy

Storyteller

Tuggit

Price

Wordsmith

Pipper Lowonida

Phineas Barnone

Madame Doublée

Liza Wight

Grant Sloans

Cesar Chance

Mustafa Fulhold

Hans Lipski

Aleks Lipski

Maverick D. Rector

Seymore Fraymes

The Major

Eddie Torre

Hayes

Maid

Wooooster

Bianca Teller

Security Guard

Shadee

Taboras Lloyd

Douglas Dert

Ratboy

Mo Heecan

Mrs Slow the Tailor

Midas Pullman

Declan Swabber

Abel Seamon

Felicity Hastings

Gene Ohm

Billy Kidd

Royall Britannias

Clover Pryce

PC Beate

DC Booker

Waiter

Séan Butchin

Bo Bells

Hessie Tate

Benjy

Bess

Keane Fisher

Bob Bracket

Stripey

Patch

Cat

Yapper

Gudrun Weldon

[pluralswagbracket]

The Upper Bracket has been determined!

Click for quality, man we have a lot of blorbos! I just noticed this bracket ccut off a lot of people’s names. Man. I did not use a traditional seeding method, because we all know Moon Knight would just slaughter half the bracket in one go. In general, I seeded the top bracket’s big vote-drawers against each other, and started seeding everyone else based on media type and fandom size, in the hopes of giving some more obscure guys a chance.

Round one uppers are as follows:

Moon Knight (Marvel) vs Michelangelo (RotTMNT)

The Hulk/Bruce Banner (Marvel) vs Leonard Church (Red vs Blue)

Alluka and Nanika (Hunter x Hunter) vs Greed and Ling (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Shallan Davar (Stormlight Archive) vs Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb)

Camilla and Palamdes (The Locked Tomb) vs Jekyll and Hyde (like six different adaptations that got submitted)

Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100) vs Doppio and Diavolo (JJBA)

Hajime Hinata and Izuru Kamekura (Danganrompa) vs the Four Swords Links (The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords)

Touko Fukawa and Genocider Sho (Danganrompa) vs Sora, Roxas, Xion, Ventus and Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)

Hal 9000 and David Bowman (2001: A Space Odyssey series) vs Tyler Durden and the Narrator (Fight Club)

Doc and O’Malley (Red vs Blue) vs Oscar Pine and Ozpin (RWBY)

Eddie Brock and the Symbiote (Marvel) vs Crazy Jane and the Underground (DC)

Darcy and the Core (Amphibia) vs Raphael (RotTMNT)

Dr Alto Clef (SCP Foundation) vs Red and Twitch Chat (Twitch Plays Pokemon)

Vash the Stampede and Eriks (Trigun) vs Yugi Mutou and Atem (Yu-Gi-Oh)

Uendo Toneido (Ace Attorney) vs Maxim Kischine (Castlevania)

Madeline and Mirrorline (Celeste) vs Frisk, Chara and the Player (Undertale)

Votable polls will go up once I have the spoons to get images together!

[paintedmegoldenx]

closed for @darkwants

madeline stirred from her sleep, leaning away from the comfort of her boyfriend's shoulder as she began to wake up. one of her hands had been laced with his, the other resting comfortably on the small bump of her stomach. as she came to, she saw the sun was getting low in the sky, and she had been asleep most of their drive for their weekend getaway. she'd insisted she wanted to drive the second half of the leg (it was about four hours in total), but seeing the signage for where they were, they were probably about 45 minutes away from their final destination.

"aw man," she whispered under her breath, sitting up fully to rub her eyes with her knuckles. "i'm sorry i passed out like that, baby." she looked over and smiled at the features of her favorite person: his dark hair with salt and pepper strands, the scruff on his jaw, his perfect pink lips she loved so much. "give me a second to wake up and i can take over."

[mongoose-bite]

Reading list 2023

Crossposted from pillowfort.

Happy New Year! I read fewer books than usual this year, and didn't enjoy a lot of them. Hopefully next year brings happier reading. The books I liked the best were Dead Souls by Nicolai Gogol, which was a fascinating satire and Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, which was just so much fun from start to finish.

At the other end of the scale The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy was probably the most disappointing, given how well it started and how much I had been looking forward to reading it. It's a bit sad his final works are so dull and unfocused. I still intend to read more of his earlier works sometime. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver actually made me kind of angry on Dickens's behalf. Whatever you think of the man, he prioritised his readers' enjoyment, and that's how he reached people and managed to effect real social change. Demon Copperhead was a grim slog.

Full list behind cut.

Orientalism – Edward Said

The Dark is Rising – Susan Cooper

Shirley – Charlotte Bronte

Robertson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe

Sons and Lovers – D H Lawrence

Spring Snow – Yukio Mishima

Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver

Silverview – John le Carre

The Passenger – Cormac McCarthy

The Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury

The Bounty Hunters – Elmore Leonard

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - Shehan Karunatilaka

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed - Mariana Enríquez

Whale – Cheon Myeong-kwan

Dead Souls – Nikolai Gogol

The Fifth Season – N. K. Jemisin

This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Southern Seas – Manuel Vaquez Montalban

Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

The Man Who Spoke Snakish – Andrus Kivirahk

Lovecraft Country – Matt Ruff

Foe – J M Coetzee

All That I Am – Anna Funder

Women in Love – D H Lawrence

Piercing – Ryu Murakami

[camprell-art]

Redrew some old Ocs!

They're from a story that I started to write when I was 14. :)

(Which is actually 2 stories that I made into only one, the first being "Edgar Mouret (2014-15)" the life of a 27 year old schizophrenic gravedigger and "Flowers of a Blood Garden (2016-17)", a story told by a serial killer who thinks that he should kill everyone he loves).

It got a lot of changes as the years passed, creating "The Gentleman of the East End", which kept the whole serial killer thing, but instead of his loved ones now he kills prostitutes to write their stories as crime novels + Edgar's story that would show the sadness of living with a mental illness so painful as schizophrenia in a time that didn't have all the advancements needed to fully treat it.

And as I never really did a lot with it I was thinking about changing the plot again.

Now it's technically a Victorian Era sitcom (and I won't actually make it accurate, me and my sister were joking about Violetta liking Britney Spears skjadh)

Here's a brief summary of the "start" of the story:

"Vinicio and Violetta are twins and they're from a wealthy family, the Bianchi, their father has a textile factory and wants Vinicio to be the heir to it, but wanting to become a writer he decides to run away and start living in a very poor part of London, where no one would find him.

One day he meets Emily and Oliver, who are orphans, the two found his house when running through the alleys near the docks, and after thinking it was abandoned, they decided to try and make that their new home. Vinicio finds them in the piano room, the children were already terrified by the thought of him kicking them out, but to their surprise, he just stares and declares that there's nothing there for them to steal, Oliver not wanting to be associated to a burglar is infuriated, but Emily, noticing that Vinicio means no harm, tries to explain why they entered his house uninvited.

After hearing their story and noticing how fragile they seemed, he leads the children to the kitchen, where he prepares a simple soup for them. Emily and Oliver do notice that his plates and silverware are really pretty and expensive looking, and both of them start speculating that he's a rich man in disguise, keeping this thought to themselves they just ask for his name.

"Leonard", he says, and nothing more. The girl could tell he was a very cold man, but more than anything, a little shy.

After finishing their lunch, they're ready to leave the house, Emily's last wish, however, is to hear the man playing the piano, Vinicio asks her what song she wanted to hear, she is reminded of when her mother used to sing for them to sleep, not knowing the name of the song, she decides to sing for the man.

As she sings the first notes, his eyes close, and sooner than expected he calls the children to the room they once were. Vinicio sits on the stool and prepares himself, playing Chopin's Nocturne opus 9, number 2. He plays with emotion, which makes the children wonder what was in his mind, this is intensified by his silence when finishing the song.

Emily thanks him, saying that if their mother was there she would have loved listening to it, and then the children decide to leave. Vinicio stops them, telling the name of the song, so that they can ask for it when they return. Both of them are surprised by what they hear, asking happily "We can return"?!, to which Vinicio confirms that yes, they can return to his house, but they need to knock before entering and don't abuse of his hospitality, he would feed them and let them sleep there, but mostly important, he would try to find a family for them, as children should not live by themselves in the streets like stray dogs. He also gives them some money, so they can go out and buy some fruits and maybe candy. They give him a big hug for his generosity, Vinicio doesn't really know how to react to this, receiving their affection with a somewhat tense body, but gives them a pat to the head, after that Emily and Oliver leave his house.

Now alone with his thoughts, the man sits in an armchair and a tad nervous, thinks about his decision, now he had some serious responsibilities, despite that, it was the right thing to do, after all, that's what Violetta would do if she was in his place".

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Immaterial Possession

Photo by Jessica Gratigny

Immaterial Possession puts the viscerality of bass-driven rock, the hypnotic drone of East European folk and the dippy energy of art punk into a blender lets it whirr.  The Athens, Georgia band—comprised of Cooper Holmes, Madeline Polites, John Spiegel and Elephant 6 scion Kiran Fernandes—met at an arts commune.  Their self-titled debut came out in 2020, and the follow-up, Mercy of the Crane Folk, this year. Reviewing it, Jennifer Kelly noted that, “If you’ve ever wondered what the B-52s might sound like on a serious Incredible String Band bender, well, possibly a lot like Mercy of the Crane Folk.”

Selda “Gitme”

Selda is the queen, a 1970s Turkish songwriter, political activist and cultural icon. This song has such great energy. You immediately blast off on the Turkish spaceship to the cosmic love song.. the desperation in Selda's powerful voice steers you.  (Madeline)

The Stranglers, “Hanging Around”

Love this track and whole record Rattus Norvegicus for its up-front, guttural driving bass lines and menacing vocals. The keyboard runs ascending into the air counter the low earthiness. The record cover is also a perfect fit for the music, classy yet dingy, calm but aggressive, mysterious but mundane. (Cooper)

Isaan style street music from Bangkok 

Isaan music from Northeastern Thailand is some of the coolest music ever.. it's got the perfect blend of psychedelia, folk, improvisation, and party rhythm. And it's for all occasions. (Madeline)

The players are effortlessly cool too. Almost anything we find in this genre gets us going. (Cooper)

Bizunesh Bekele, “Debdabe Lakibign”

This video is one of my favorite tracks lately. I love the shuffle beat with the overdriven krar, a six-stringed harp, and the sweet synth licks mixed with the vocal. (Kiran Fernandes)

Hany Mehannah, “Shahr Al Assal”

Super groovy 1970s Egyptian music, scored for film. This is one of my faves from Hany Mehanna, a wonderful composer and keyboardist. His flourishing expressiveness of the Farfisa organ is a great influence on my organ playing in Immaterial. (Kiran)

The B52s, “Give Me Back My Man”

A big favorite from the B-52s catalogue. Cindy Wilson's vocals are so raw and glorious.. her swing from chill to scream is a cathartic explosion. And the beat and bass line is everlasting in electric spirit.  I listen to this one when I need a jump. It’s also a favorite karaoke number. (Madeline)

Buffy Sainte-Marie, “God Is Alive Magick Is Afoot”

A friend shared this with us after one of our shows. Buffy Sainte-Marie is a radical badass woman. It's “experimental” (as implied by a traditional pop sense) in the way that you are partaking in her hypnotic spell work. Just found out Leonard Cohen wrote the lyrics. That explains my gravitation to this one; Cohen is a favorite lyricist. (Madeline)

Barış Manço, “Dere Boyu Kavaklar”

Another groovy 1970s Turkish funk master. That mustache is its own instrument. I sit patiently, although in starving anticipation, for that delicious lead riff.. for that, we'll go to wherever he's luring us..(Madeline)

Aphrodites Child, “End of the World”

A 1968 Grecian epic banger. Appropriately, in the Greek mythological tradition, it's both deeply romantic and ominous in nature. Very incredible, shapeshifting vocals. Sometimes the visions of the werewolf come into my head with this one. Other times, it just feels like an apocalyptic fury of love. You could probably use this song as an easy Rorschach-ian test to see what's going on in your brain today. (Madeline)

The Bats, “Smoking Her Wings”

A friend put this on a mix tape. I love this sweet song! A driving tune with a perfectly soft and floating nostalgic melody. When I listen, I feel like I am falling in love in the summer of 1987 and want to cry over something yet I know not exactly what. (Madeline)

Velly Joonas, “Stopp, Seisku Aeg!”

A 1970s Estonian songwriter and artist. This funkadelic, melancholic, song has got a viola(?) line that cuts through like you're swimming up to the shimmering surface of the Baltic sea to take a breath. I love the rhythm in the vocal lines. I've listened to this song on repeat many times. Thank you Velly! (Madeline)

[ultimate-plural-tournament]

Part 1 of the bracket for The Ultimate Plural Tournament!

[Plain text: Part 1 of the bracket for The Ultimate Plural Tournament! /End pt]

[Id: A tournament bracket showing 16 names. On the left side from top to bottom it says: Vyncent Sol, Spiritomb, Red, Shigeo Kageyama, Madeline, Sonic, Sunny/Omori, Frisk/Chara. On the right, from top to bottom, the names are: Toko Fukawa/Syo, Uendo Toneido, Leonard Church, Joker, Good Cop Bad Cop, Shilo Wallace, Link Smith, and Benny Tenson/Ghostfreak. /End id]

The Polls for round 1 of the first bracket will go up on Monday March 13! [Pt: Monday March 13!/End Pt]