#noemi does stuff

[biancadoes1]

Sorry if this has been asked already but does anyone know the deal with beautifulstranger996 on TT and what’s going on over there where she could be in legal trouble because of fake accusations against a few creators.

- https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMhGhp2K6/

I’m not 100% sure but this beautifulstranger996 might be the one who tried to doxx Caroline too. Before she went private I had seen some of the stuff she posted and it was pretty defamatory.

I've seen that page on TT and she's deranged af. She stays on private until she posts a video (usually after something Lukola related happens) lighting up a few well known fandom TikTokers (except for a select few 👀) to troll.

Tagging Nicola and Luke's sister in the majority of them? JVN once too. But most recently Charmaine. Noemi, Antonia's friend, and that India chick have been mentioned as well. Noemi even bookmarked one of the videos. It also seems, like within the past few hours, that Charmaine and Noemi have been tagged in the comments of a good number of videos.

It's odd though. They never tag Antonia and it's weird because this is the TT account that started the bullshit married in Cyprus rumors around the time Luke posted his BRB IG story. She deleted these stories but luckily I've obtained screenshots. Let's air her out shall we?

Troll behavior. Plain and simple. But she deleted these for one reason or another. Perhaps when she found out she looked like a fucking dumb ass? Possibly. Here's more screenshots from deleted posts.

She turned her attention to Sharon on TT. Sharon is well known for her analysis. Some people think she's reaching with her videos and some don't. Regardless, the fact that this BS bitch comes so hard for her and certain creators is weird.

In conclusion, THIS BITCH IS CRAY.

The fact that this person either can't spell at all, doesn't speak English fluently or is purposefully mixing up the spelling on these posts adds to the psychotic ass nature of these TikToks.

Come for shippers all you want. I know some people think my page is full of crazies...but this shit? This is someone obsessed with Nicola attempting to throw stones at her, Luke, and the fandom in general. The question I want to know is this.

Who are you, Beautiful Stranger? You definitely love Antonia, that much is clear with you tagging her friends constantly. Did you get all excited?? I bet it was the highlight of your life.

How about you stop hiding behind a private profile and start saying shit with your entire chest? Tagging people who don't need to be tagged in your illegible fucking video descriptions?

You want to fight with someone from the fandom?

Bitch I'm right here, ready and willing.

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (1/7/2025) Episode: All Natural

Noemi and Skye headed straight from the clinic to the market, where a bunch of old friends were waiting for them.

Elyse had quickly agreed to join the group, and when her mom had begged off Noemi invited Amaya so she too would have a friend (her husband clearly didn’t count). “Its so good to see you again!” Skye gushed when xe saw Elyse, earning xemselves a laugh from xir crush.

 “We hung out yesterday silly,” she replied “but its nice to see you too! Now come on!” she rushed on ahead, leaving Skye to follow slowly after.

With the teens off doing their own thing the adults took a look at what was available for sale. As they tested out the comfiness of some couches Luigi chatted with Peppino about his newest location. “So, branching out into Selvadorada, huh?” he asked, “How many clinics does that make now?”

“This will be my 5th” the ancient researcher of science and magic replied with a proud smile. “I never thought my odd little pregnancy breakthrough would end up in such high demand. Now that they have the option, I’m amazed at how many men come to me to get pregnant. Lots of male couples like your dads, of course, but many come on their own, or like your friend Beau have decided to carry their child instead of their female partner.”

“This trip to the market actually grew out of a recommendation from one of my clients – well actually two, which is a funny story…” he continued “If we see them, I’ll introduce you. For now, though, what do you think about this green one? I think it could be perfect for the waiting area.”

“Skye! What’s wrong?” Elyse asked when she realized her friend was lagging behind, a morose expression on xir face.

“Nothing, I’m fine.” Skye replied, forcing a smile, but she didn’t believe that for a second. “No, you’re not. Now tell me what’s up.”

Skye sighed “I got my cast replaced before we came here; the old one was too tight. Now my arm is sore. I’ve got some pain pills in my inventory.”

“You don’t need pills!” Elyse interrupted, “There’s so many natural remedies out there that are SO much better, and better for you, than whatever they put in those drugs. Come on, I’ll show you!” Skye wasn’t convinced, but xe let her lead xem towards the bubble machine setup a few feet away.

“I think I’m going to be sick!” Skye said, nausea from the strange golden liquid only adding to xir discomfort. “I don’t think this was a good idea.”

“I don’t know what happened” Elyse stared down at the nozzle in her hand with a puzzled expression. “According to the “bubbles for a better you” website this formulation is supposed to be great for relaxation and pain relief. Maybe this batch is just expired?”

“I see you found the bubble machine!” Amaya chuckled as she and Noemi came over to join them “These things can be a crazy good time, but you gotta be careful; the wrong ones can really mess you up!”

“Are you OK honey?” Noemi asked, noting her child’s distress “I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be mixing this stuff with your meds.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Skye hasn’t taken any meds.” Elyse replied cheerfully “I’ve been reading up on the healing properties of bubbles. Once we find the right formulation xe won’t need any pills. Right Skye?”

Before xe could respond Noemi snapped “There’s a time and place for natural remedies, but BUBBLES are NOT medication! They certainly are not a substitute for ANYTHING Skye’s doctor has prescribed or recommended! I hope I don’t need to remind YOU that xe is dealing with a broken bone!”

“I… I’m sorry” Elyse whispered “I was only trying to help. Skye, I think I better go. I’ll text you later. It was nice seeing you Ms. Arroyo, Aunt Noemi.” With that she stood abruptly and started walking back towards the teleporter.

“You had NO right to do that!” Skye cried, extremely hurt by Noemi’s words on Elyse’s behalf “how could you!? Elyse… wait!” Xe jumped up, walking as fast as xe could the direction she had fled.

“Please, don’t go!” Skye tried again, finally catching her attention as xe got closer to the embarrassed girl.

Elyse stopped and waited for xem to catch up, frowning as xe doubled over, still clearly in pain. “Skye, just take your meds, OK? I’ll wait.” Once xe had swallowed a couple pills she continued “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel worse, I really thought the bubbles would help.”

“I know” xe replied “I’m sorry mom snapped at you like that, she was totally out of line. Don’t leave, we can get some food and listen to the musicians.”

Elyse shook her head “No, I think its better if I get out of here, give her time to calm down… why don’t you come over when you get back and we’ll watch a show?” “I’ll come with you now.” xe insisted, but she shook her head again “I just want to be alone for awhile, but later, OK?”

“Can I see you out at least?” xe asked reluctantly. She nodded, smiling as she took her teddy bear’s hand. “Sure, it’ll be a lovely walk to the teleporter.”

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[changingplumbob]

📩 Simblr question of the day: Who's your biggest inspiration/s on Simblr? Mention them! Tell us why you like them!

Okay this may take a while so I'll stick it under a cut! I would just like to say, in no particular order! If there's any order it's purely by the order people show up in my following list.

I have many inspirations, everyone is so talented and unique! I will try group them somewhat or it would just be a massive list, here goes!

Long Form Stories

@eljeebee writes great stories across Sims 4 and Sims 3. If you want sims rich with lore check out Lana!

@bakersimmer Mari's Martin's Escape story has me hooked. Fleshed out characters dealing with real emotions, it's great!

@stargazer-sims speaking of lore Sapphire has tons! The way she manages to jump around in time also amazes me

@satureja13 writes amazing stuff. I can't see it anymore but you should definitely check them out

Shorter Stories

@matchalovertrait her Alegria Legacy is wholesome and beautiful, we are team Noemi here!

@slightly-ludic if you haven't met Jade's Ben Ben you are missing out. She does lovely snapshots of the globetrotter challenge, Ben is living his best life!

@marcishaun you need to read what she's constructing with "The Beauty and Her Beast" if you like Forgotten Hollow lore, it's great!

@aliengirl can I have a passport to her save because it looks beautiful and I want to meet the infant aliens!

Writing a Post at a Time

@simmerbeans beautiful sims, beautiful pictures, and a legacy challenge she made herself!

@sharona-sims the romance she has written for Lily is taking it's time which I find super sweet

@deardiaryts4 what can I say? Her sims look amazing and you should really read the new story she's doing because who doesn't like a good mystery

OhMyGosh it's so pretty

@swallowprettybird Oksana does wonderful things with colours and light

@torissims all she posts looks so comfy

@youredreamingofroo they do amazing renders!

I couldn't fit everyone, I had to make myself stick to four in each category 😭 I know I've forgotten some people by accident and all I can say is my IBS is winning today please forgive me

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Happy STS! How do your OCs decorate for holidays?

Hello! Sorry for just now getting to this!

I feel like TSP and SOTL will be too hard to explain for this, and honestly I feel like taking the easy way out and doing IWAJAD characters since I need to develop them anyway, and there's only four of them! This will be easy.

I'm also gonna assume "the holidays" is referring to December time stuff. Also for simplicity.

Kyla - Her family celebrates Christmas in the Buddhist way, and they'll do so through decorating a tree with lights and some Buddhist ornaments. Usually Bodhi Day celebrations will bleed into Christmas time, as they already have a tree decorated with candles.

Noemi - Her family is very Catholic, so they lean very hard into the religious side of Christmas. Advent, Christmas Eve church service, nativity scenes, etc. Their decorations around the house show little of Santa and a lot of Jesus.

Ty - Also comes from a Christian family, but they allow Santa to be shown around the house. They have a little nativity scene, they decorate their tree full of ornaments that Ty made as a kid, plenty of pictures of the family, or Hallmark ornaments. There's Christmas stuff in every room, including towels in the bathroom and a Santa soap bottle.

Phinessa - Her family doesn't celebrate any December holidays other than New Year's Eve, so there won't really be any decorations. However, Phinessa does love some winter themed decor, so they may put some things out.

This was fun. Thanks for the ask!

IWAJAD intro

IWAJAD tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @mrbexwrites @drchenquill

[soupedepates]

"How is it going at home?"

"Bodya is getting quite rowdy. Dad doesn't know what to do. As for mum she tries to hide it but she isn't doing well. And Zofia just moved with her so yeah, that's a problem."

"What does Zofia do at mum's?"

"Well, she isn't at mum's mum's. She is at baba's. Because Zofia doesn't like mum's girlfriend."

"She doesn't even know Idalia."

"I know right? But even if Zofia is our best cousin, she's still our uncle's daughter. Her coming out doesn't change years of bad education. But I've heard she's getting better."

"And what do mum and dad want to do about me?"

"They're talking about a clinic. It's far away, but it's good. Like when you went in rehab, but better. Mum's a bit reticent, but she's just worried. Dad is really, really tired. He only sleeps at night because I make him."

"Family's exploding for the second time, heh. This time it's my fault."

"It isn't exploding, Czci. Jacenty and Adelajda aren't even close to realise divorce is a possibility. But yeah. Things aren't great. But not your fault; the shitstorm was coming anyways."

"You sure?"

"Heh. I'm listening at doors and reading texts and email for months now. Perhaps two years now. Since mum and dad have rekindled a friendship, in fact, for Jacenty and grandma started to get really annoying."

"Oh, the 'you don't discover you're a lesbian at almost fifty'?"

"And grandma becoming so Catholic even auntie grew wary. I didn't like how they were trying to influence dad and Bodya at the time so I had to take counter measures."

"You sound like mum when talking like that."

"I thought I was more doing the serial killer voice."

"Well, the accent does it."

"...Right."

"How's high school?"

"Boring. Like. Really boring. I'm spending the days reading and doing witchcraft at my desk, and because the teachers just love me and you're at the hospital I can do whatever I want without facing consequences. I read tarot to our philosophy teacher, lately."

"And Marek?"

"He will propose soon. I'm sure of it."

"And... Noemi? She hasn't come yet..."

"Don't you know?"

"What should I know?"

"Oh you don't know."

"Agatka, if something happened to my girlfriend, please..."

"I'm not sure of anything. Ok? I just happen to know from baba that Noemi called her for medical advice. And I hope you didn't do anything wrong for as you're back on your two feet baba's coming for you."

"Oh man, I'm screwed."

"And you laugh at this terrible menace!"

"Baba won't do anything, she loves me! I'm the favourite!"

"That's mean for your poor twin sister... I shall retire and cry now. Bye."

"Nooo, Agatushka, I love you too.........."

"But yeah. Stuff happened and Noemi isn't coming to school lately. That's. Worrying. She doesn't sound ill nor distraught on the phone, well she does be distraught because of you but that's besides the point, so I really don't know what's up with her."

"Can you investigate for me?"

"Promise. Can you do me a favour in return?"

"Sure."

"When they'll send you to the clinic... Come back sober. And stay sober. I will kill my weed to make sure of it."

"Oh no you won't."

"Oh yes I will. You better stay alive you little shit. Outliving you if you die at 17 isn't glorious, you see?"

"Hey! Hey... Agatka, don't cry, okay? I promise I'll be better."

[lxvelylullabies]

yippe another mf sun haven oc ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

this one is a nice good self insert - type girlie since we simply must cope with life somehow!

so yeah here’s some stuff about my sh oc, NOEMIE 🥀🕯️🦇

🥀noemie’s nicknames : mimi , emmie

🥀noemie’s love interest : n/a , tbd, possibly darius but it’s unrequited!

🥀noemie’s friends : noemie can seem a bit off putting and intimidating at first, but she’s actually quite a sweetheart when you get to know her. friends w more folks in Withergate.

🥀noemie is a vampire - with nice sharp fangs and zero tolerance for the sun!

🥀if i had to describe Noemie in four words, they would be : teasing , curious , passionate , ——-

🥀noemie is currently a withergate resident - never bothering to leave said place since she’s so incredibly sensitive and HATEFUL towards the sun. A place with no sun? oh, sign her up!

🥀if she is for SOME REASON out in the sun, you’ll find her with some dark shades on, and a black lace parasol. while she can’t DIE from the sun- it’s beyond unpleasant for her- and can harm her physically.

🥀noemie does not drink bl00d. she technically COULD, if she wanted to, but she complains that she doesn’t like the ‘bitter taste’ and doesn’t like ‘being so close to someone’ to get some from them. instead, she just eats sweets- a LOT of sweets. but being the being she is- it doesn’t affect her in any way- she doesn’t need to even eat in the first place, so it doesn’t matter what she eats!

🥀absolutely despises the sun. HATES it. LOATHES. CANNOT STAND! she wishes it away everyday and cannot understand how ANYONE enjoys such miserable sunlight!

🥀naturally, she was extremely grateful that a place like withergate exists. she doesn’t have to worry about the sun bothering her anytime!

🥀noemie has lived in wg ever since withergate became a thing. before withergate tho- she would constantly hide away from the sun- only being awake and being active at night. she stays very clear of any place that HAS sun; which is about everywhere ! but if she has everything she needs in one place, why go anywhere?

🥀noemie doesn’t care to get her hands dirty, and always figured that she could make herself a living WITHOUT working or getting her hands dirty. So! her current occupation is posting on WitherTube - posting mostly skincare / beauty and other related content. this has gained her some popularity among withergate- but nothing crazy.

🥀noemie is rumored to have a thing for mister prince darius- but she obviously denies these rumors. she knows he probably wouldn’t care much for her anyway- so she decides to mostly admire him from afar.

🥀always complaining about xyla fr ;; always complaining about how xyla and darius should just marry already! losers! always teasing each other smh…

🥀i don’t have a full backstory for her yet rip </3

🥀kinda like to flirt and is surprisingly kinda good at it. she also has quite the pair of fangs!!!

i feel like i’m missing a lot but oh well! hope y’all like her ♡ :› i’ll figure out her looks eventually too xd

[storiesbyjes2g]

Helloooooo! Give your OC a minor annoying habit (maybe they always leave lights on or they never put dishes in the dishwasher...) Can be general, or home- or work-related, etc… as long as it annoys their fellow sims but just a bit ;))

Ooooh! Let's go!!

Melany is a perfectionist, so I imagine she would straighten/rearrange things on people's desks at work lol.

Nick... always has something in his throat and clears it 2947492 times a day. 😅

Anissa... She just talks too much, in general. She probably talks out loud when she's doing stuff, and people think she's talking to them. When they say, "Huh?" She looks at them crazy and says, "I wasn't talking to you!!"

Noemi probably leaves stuff open like the fridge, cabinets, drawers...drives the family nuts!

Nate... I could imagine him having some dumb phrase he says all the time because as charming as he is, he's quite corny lol.

Kameron... I can't imagine anyone (but Nadia lol) thinking he's annoying, but everyone is annoying sometimes lol. Let's see...he's paranoid and has a military background...he probably ALWAYS has to sit facing the door when out.

Jorden... He probably has an annoying little jig he does when playing cards and he's about to slap down his winning hand lol.

Nadia... I probably shouldn't put her business out there like this. She's already mad about her wedding hair looking a bit gray. 😂 She hates dishes laying around the house, and it's annoying to everyone because they'll have a drink, go to the bathroom or something, and the glass will be gone whether they were done or not lol.

Thanks for this ask, Elsa! It was fun!

[id-element0]

My legacy house keeps crashing so I switch to Misti's house for the evening after excluding the legacy household from SP stories so they wouldn't do stupid stuff.

I find Noemi still trying to cheer her mother up, while Vickie contemplates some other stuff. She's married to Gucci's son Homer but they live under different roofs. She invites him over to discuss the matter and manages to convince him to move in. Although Homer wants to move to his own place, there isn't any vacant house in the town so he has no choice.

Yet the first thing he does after moving in is to complain about the dirty dishes. In his defense, this is the dirtiest house in the whole town. I'd know since Fendi does house visits to everyone.

prev | main | next

[indefinitelyjaded]

[Insert Clever Title Here] (Super Sim Update)

Three of four grandchildren down, one to go to finish Stella's Big Happy Family aspiration. (Grandchild #4 is in the works but hasn't been born yet!)

Meet:

Sawyer Townsend, daughter of Cade and Luna (already aged up to a toddler, because her sibling is on the way);

Preston Bailey-Moon, son of Kinsley and Orange; and

Nathalie Townsend, daughter of Tate and Noemi (god the lighting in the Caliente house sucks, but I'm loving the game's dedication to female N names in their family).

As for the Successful Lineage aspiration, the only thing left is for a child or grandchild to reach the top of their career -- I had Kinsley join the Barista career, because I knew she'd join at the top level (3) just because of her skills; however, the part-time careers apparently don't count. Booooo! So now I guess I'm going to have to play Cade through a career. I did have him join the Law career, like his dad... maybe I can move him home for a bit? I have to give it some thought.

I did manage to get Stella to complete the Scientist career by having breakthroughs at home and going to work alone, so I didn't have to deal with the unresponsiveness glitches. EA released a hotfix patch before I played, so I didn't need to use Turbodriver's fix after all. I still have some unresponsiveness issues occasionally, but it's not nearly as bad as when Stella was at work, so I think the Scientist career is just broken (again/still).

I had her purchase a Retail lot in Newcrest, too, which I've named Waters-Townsend Galleries. The idea was to sell paintings (and other random shit from her inventory) for now, and whatever other stuff comes along with the other careers/skills/aspirations... but Retail lots really, really suck, so I don't know how much effort I'm going to put into that.

And that wraps up Get to Work! So now, it's on to Spa Day. I'm hopping between all of the aspirations - nearly done with Inner Peace, but it's slow going trying to do the 40 freaking instances of peaceful surroundings.

Since Stella's currently technically unemployed, I had her and Dexter take a little daytrip to Tartosa, since I just (finally) picked up the Wedding Stories pack (i.e., it finally went on enough of a sale).

I just love these two. I'm going to be so sad when Dexter dies... might have to bring him back and turn him into an immortal vampire or spellcaster or something, just so they can be together forever!

I mean:

Stella gets this notification all the time about Dexter, but this was the first time I saw him get it about her. To be fair, I haven't really played him much, mostly just focused on Stella and Cade, when he was in the house. Dexter just kind of does his own thing. However, since I was sending Stella to work alone to avoid the Scientist career bugs, I had more time to actually play with Dexter... and then he got this pop-up, and I swooned.

If it ain't like Stella and Dexter, I don't want it!

[yanderefarm]

How does Noemie lure people to the slaughter house does he do it sexually or just like “I heard of this slaughter house they say there’s a killer hiding there”

🐀

a mix of both!!

so the first time you meet him it's because he convinced a group of college students interested in paranormal stuff to go check out this urban legend as an excuse and an offering to you

a lot of the time he actually finds people on tinder or grindr and he arranges hook ups with them at the slaughter house!! most people who end up going think its like some kinky goth thing and they're into that. he'll show you whoever he wants to meet up to get your opinion and approval.

whenever the whole hook up scenario is getting too dangerous he'll get into paranormal/cryptid forums and arrange meetings at the slaughter house saying he's heard its home to a half man half pig creature but he's too scared to check it out for himself.

sometimes you guys also take custom orders about specifically who to target and when that happens he's in full bait mode. he'll go as far as he has to, to get the target back to the house.

he hates having to flirt with other people so much he'll cling to you and apologize while kissing you and telling you that you're the only one who matters.

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (10/23/2024) Episode: Take A Breath

When they arrived at the medical clinic Luigi and his family were whisked quickly to the private room they’d requested.

“Thanks so much for protecting our privacy” Luigi told the medical assistant when she arrived to begin the exam.

“Not a problem Mr. Lawbourne” she replied, “We’re always happy to help.” She pulled up Skye’s chart on the computer before turning to her patient “I see you’ve been having some trouble breathing lately. Can you tell me a little bit more about how that feels when you notice it?”

“Every time I teleport my chest feels funny, and I start coughing a lot.” Skye frowned “It happened one time when I was playing tag with my friends at school too, but I don’t like to do that anymore.” Noemi and Luigi exchanged a glance then but didn’t comment.

“I’m sorry to hear that” the assistant smiled kindly. “Thank you for the fantastic explanation! Today we’ll run some tests, I promise they won’t hurt, and hopefully help you feel better. Does that sound good?” Skye didn’t look up but nodded slightly and let her get started.

At the end of his examination Skye was diagnosed with Asthma.

The doctor did his best to explain the disease in a way the young sim could understand: “With asthma, teleporting or exercising can cause your lungs to start making thick sticky stuff called mucus” he said. “That’s why you start having trouble breathing. The good news is we have medicine to help you feel better fast when it happens.”

“Mom, Dad” he went on “I’m going to give you some resources to review so you can learn how to help Skye manage his new diagnoses.” “I know a bit about it” Luigi told him “my great great grandpa Don has dealt with it for centuries.”

"It isn’t uncommon for asthma to run in families actually” their provided smiled “though in your case it seems like it skipped a few generations!”

Luigi and Noemi talked with Dr Anderson for awhile, learning more about next steps for follow-up and things they could do, such as creating an Asthma Action Plan, to help others know how to help their boy in case of an attack. Afterward he asked: “Now Skye, do you have any questions before I go?”

Skye hadn’t really understood everything they’d been discussing, but he did have one important thing to ask “You said the medicine will make me feel better. Does that mean after I take it, I won’t have asthma anymore?”

The adults in the room frowned. Luigi reached out to place a comforting hand on his son's shoulder as the doctor answered, “Unfortunately there is no cure for asthma, so you’ll always have it, but as long as you keep your inhaler in your inventory it should make you feel better quickly next time you have trouble breathing.” Skye’s face crumpled at his answer. He buried his head in his dad’s chest; big fat tears falling freely at the news.

The doctor left then to see his next patient, telling them as he went “take all the time you need before you go; we have plenty of other exam rooms.”

Skye calmed down slowly as Noemi moved to sit across from him “I know you’re worried, but we’ll do everything we can to help you adjust.”

“Now that we know what’s wrong” Luigi continued “we’ll be able to help. When I was your age, I learned I had Eczema. Once we understood what was causing my issue, my dads got me that special lotion you see me use and it made a big difference, just like your new inhaler will do for you.”

“We love you so much, and we promise you won’t have to go through this alone.” Noemi finished, finally earning a smile from her glum little boy.

“Well, that was awful” Luigi lamented as he and Noemi waited for Skye to come out of the restroom “I know what he’s going through, and it sucks.”

Noemi nodded “I was really hoping it was just some short-term infection but given his symptoms I’m not really surprised.”

The pair fell silent when Skye rounded the corner. As they left the medical clinic, heading towards the vision center a short walk away, Luigi took Noemi’s hand in his. Squeezing it tight he silently hoped against hope that Skye wouldn’t get anymore bad news at his next appointment.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[ace-trainer-risu]

oh here! i’ll come ask you for book recs lol. do you have any spooky and/or autumn-y book recs? or just your fave books :)

First of all, I'm sorry this took me SO long to answer. I want to say I've been busy but it's just been general [waves hand vaguely] life.

ANYWAY thank you for asking! I actually don't read scary stuff a lot b/c I'm a wimp, but I have a few spooky/autumnal books up my sleeves! Let's see what we've got!!

1) The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Let me just start by saying that Sarah Waters is one of my absolute favorite authors ever! All her novels are suspenseful, twisty historical novels with great female and queer characters. Although, fair warning, actually The Little Stranger is like her one novel that isn't queer, but it is VERY good. If you read The Little Stranger and like it, please read Fingersmith and/or The Paying Guests.

The Little Stranger is set in the countryside of post-WWII England and follows a mild-mannered doctor as he becomes increasingly involved in the lives of the family living in the local, increasingly decrepit, possibly haunted mansion. Think Downton Abbey but creepy. Strange things keep happening inside the house, from dog bites to mysterious sounds to creepy black spots. Literally just typing that gave me goosebumps. It seems like someone may be out to get the family, but who...or what? Is it simply the ghosts of their own painful memories, or is something more? Sarah Waters is excellent at lush, intricate historical detail, and she leans into that here to create an atmosphere of slowly building dread and horror and mystery.

That being said, as a person who isn't normally a fan of horror, I don't think this book is too scary. It's more of an atmospheric, psychological horror than a jump-scare, bloody horror. It's not a book that will give you nightmares (probably), but you might lie awake thinking about it.

Also. Pro-tip. As a haunted(?) house story, the house is obviously fairly central to the story. Dear fellow Americans, keep in mind that the British refer to the floors of a building differently than us. For Americans, the ground-level floor is called the first floor, the floor above that the second floor, etc. For the British, the ground-level floor is the ground floor, and the floor above that is the first floor, etc. There's all sorts of creepy references to characters hearing noises above them on the first floor, but I was just like, Why are they always in the basement?

2) Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

This and the above are two very different books, and yet they are both set in the mid-1900s and both are about weird, creepy, maybe-haunted houses. What can I say, I like gothic fiction.

After our heroine, Noemi, receives a bizarre, borderline incoherent letter from her beloved cousin, she sets out to visit her in the literally decaying mansion she resides in with her husband and his new family deep in the countryside of Mexico. All Noemi wants to do is persuade her cousin to come back home with her, but her cousin's new in-laws are very determined not to let that happen...or to let Noemi leave either. Secrets abound in the bizarre house and even creepier nearby cemetery, and soon Noemi finds that she too is suffering from bizarre dreams and visions...although, are they just dreams?

This book is so weird, but in such a good way? I read it for a book club and every week we had increasingly bizarre theories about what was going on, we were googling alchemy and fungi and St George, and some of our theories were even right. Although definitely not all. Another very twisty one that keeps you guessing.

In terms of scariness, interestingly I think there's more overtly creepy and horrifying moments in this novel than The Little Stranger, but I found TLS more overall scary? But that may be because I read it quickly, which I think is the ideal setting for suspenseful stuff, and I read Mexican Gothic over a longer amount of time since it was for a book club. This one does have some more typical horror elements to it, but I don't think it's more creepy than terrifying.

3) The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

I listened to this one as an audiobook and the audiobook is excellent so would recommend that, but have no doubt it would also be great to physically read.

Oh my god this book...it's more thriller than horror, but I think it fits the brief. There were multiple moments listening to this book that I literally gasped or said "OH MY GOD!" out loud, and there are moments which are very creepy and horrifying. There's a particular scene in the backyard... Again, incredibly suspenseful and twisty. And the character development and character psychology is just! really really good! There's also really interesting and knotty feminist stuff which is a lot more complicated and nasty than some of the "girlboss" stuff which is popular right now.

Super minimal summary: All you really need to know is that it is a sci fi novel about a scientific researcher trying to pick up her life after her marriage has imploded, only for everything to go BATSHIT WRONG. Trust me, that's all you need to know, it's better to go into this not knowing what's going to happen or what to expect. I had no clue what this novel was about when I started it, and holy shit. Very good book, absolutely recommend this if you want some super suspenseful, creepy sci fi that will make you say "oh my GOD" repeatedly.

Okay, shifting gears a little now b/c autumn isn't just spooky, it's also cozy and restful and daydreamy!

4) The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

This isn't maybe a cozy book per se, but it's a great book to cuddle down with on a dreary day and lose yourself in. If you've ever asked yourself, "What would it be like if you crossed Pride and Prejudice with Howl's Moving Castle except the wizard was way worse but somehow still sexy" - then you should read this book! I actually came across this book b/c I was like, I wanna read a book that's a portal fantasy but for adults, and this book was like OH here's everything you wanted.

It's about a grad student, Nora, who has totally stalled out on her dissertation and is at a shitty wedding when she accidentally wanders through a portal into a beautiful, fantastical fairy world. At first, everything is amazing and literally perfect...but surprise surprise, not all as is it seems, and soon everything goes to, how should I put it, shit. Nora escapes, but rather than returning home, she finds herself trapped in a far more dreary realm. But not one without it's own charms and it's own magic, and Nora finds herself the student-slash-sorta-captive of the crochety, sexy, maybe-killed-his-wife magician Aruendiel* and she begins to learn magic herself.

Unlike the above books, this is not a fast-paced, twisty book, and I think if you go into this expecting high fantasy along the lines of Game of Thrones, you may be disappointed. It's not really a typical high-fantasy novel, it's more of a cross of an 18th/19th century realist novel, a fairy tale, and a fantasy novel. But if you want that, then it's REALLY good! I loved this book! And the magic in it is so cool, something about the way its described feels so visceral and real and like you could really do it if you just tried hard enough. There is a romance and it's totally, intentionally hashtag problematic, but it's very laid back, very slow burn, so I think even if you aren't a person who digs romance you can still enjoy this. If you're looking for a feminist-leaning fantasy novel that you can just sink into and lose yourself in, this is the perfect book. You will long to magically fix broken plates.

5) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Honestly I can't even justify why I think this one is an autumn book. It simply is. It's autumn colored in my head. It is the coziest book I have ever read about necromancy and crime. Also I just want to recommend it. This is another one that I listened to as an audiobook and it's also a good audiobook, for those who are interested. But it also means I will not be able to spell absolutely any of the character's names.

This novel follows Delly, an enterprising young scoundrel of a fire witch with a teeny tiny gin habit as she attempts to support herself and her hot-mess of a mom in the roughest neighborhoods of Fantasy-City-That-I-Can't-Remember-The-Name-Of. Lice...gate? When Delly comes across an advertisement for a bodyguarding job for young women for a hefty fee, it seems like the answer to definitely not all but at least some of her problems. She accepts, along with an interesting assortment of other sorcerous young ladies, including a wonderfully bitchy Absentia (my love), a young woman who can turn into a boar, boar girl's necromancer mother, and the very sexy part-troll Winn, who in my imagination looks like Gwendoline Christie and talks like Miranda Hart. Which. Perfect woman. Winn being a fine, wealthy young lady, Delly can't help but think to herself that it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Winn happened to fall in love with her and carried her off to be rich and spoiled the rest of her life.

Of course, things quickly don't go to plan, and soon Delly and her companions find herself caught up in wicked schemes of murder, drugs, and an undead mouse named Buttons who says BONG. I love Buttons SO MUCH.

This book is just a silly romp of a novel which worms into your heart and your brain. It's fun and cute and gay, and also it made me cry. I haven't stopped thinking, "Not quite regulation hammerball" since I listened to it like half a year ago.

Also, while I'm here, this novel is set in the same world as and features a few of the same characters as Unnatural Magic. Which is also a hell of a book. Literally the best bisexual relationship I have ever fuckin read. It's a winter book tho, so I simply can't go into it here.

Aaaaand...that it's! Happy autumnal reading :)

[castelleve]

▌ 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 : Henri-Zahira Priyat Castelleve (they/them, he/him)

▌𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍 : Verse dependant

▌𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 : Hypnagogia, heat manipulation, light manipulation, necromancy

▌𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑 : Pale blue

▌𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑 :  Black

▌𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 : Pavati (mother, deceased), Edward (biological father, deceased), Ishaan (steopfather #1, deceased), Bhediya (stepfather #2, deceased), RIshi (half brother, deceased), Riaan (half brother, deceased), Harimi (half sister, deceased), Krisha (daughter), Noemie (daughter, deceased), Beauregard (son), Damian (son, technically deceased), Sylvester (son), Amir (son, deceased), Ayush (cousin, deceased), Irina (wife, deceased), and more!

▌𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐒 : verse dependant

▌𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 : They don’t like their wrists or throat being grabbed. They don’t like being sexualized. They don’t like the color orange! Bees (they’re allergic). Poor hygeine. Germs (particularly diseases).

▌𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒 / 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 : Reading nonfiction books (mostly history, with a focus on war, politics and economics), puzzles (rubiks cube is a fave), magic studies, fencing, playing the cello, 

▌𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 : Abso-fucking-lutely

▌𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 : three people, directly (pre death)

▌ 𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 : Deer

▌𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒 : Staying awake for days, manipulation, callous lack of empathy, self imposed isolation, too prideful for their own good

▌𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐒 : they’re a mama’s pet :3c but while they idolized Pavati, they pick up quite a few unhealthy life lessons from their abuser, Kiara. 

▌𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 : Exclusively attracted to women, sex repulsed but still feels sexual attraction (just makes them feel like shit).

▌𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐆𝐄 / 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 : Verse dependant. For the most part, has a pretty positive view on marriage! They just saw their children as tools, though. 

▌𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 : they rock the victorian aesthetic ngl 

▌𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 : The only two people they will claim to love is Pavati and irina. They will not speak about Kiara, but she’s in there, too. 

▌𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒 : They don’t really seek friendship, just people to exploit. This does not mean friendship is impossible, though. 

▌𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊 : Tea! In modern times, bubble tea in specific. 

▌𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐓 : The library 

▌𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐌 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐍 : Ocean

▌𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄 : Their wife :3c

▌𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐒 : Neither, picnic. They’re a bougie bitch but they like going outside so long as they don’t need to actually DO stuff. Their bones are fragile man. 

[visionmarred-archive]

1, 20, 33, 36 + nalpure/noemi

thank you, Dani! 🖤

1. How do they fall asleep? Wake up? Any daily rituals?

Nalpure is def more of a nocturnal lady, and I imagine Noemi to be as well? she goes to bed pretty late and either wakes up in time for work or, if it's a day off, can sleep in till like, noon. if Noemi isn't there then Nalpure will probably tinker with tech or read a book until she's tired enough to pass out, but if Noemi's there then she'll read to her sometimes until they're both asleep. :') her morning routine typically consists of taking a shower and making coffee, and I could imagine them making sure they have at least one meal together if they can being a thing?

20. What does their home look like? Their room?

Nalpure, on her own, doesn't really decorate a whole lot and would have all the basic utilities, but that's it. kind of gloomy to look at. feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but Noemi gives me the impression that she would rather not live like that, and she brings in a lot more light, decor, and color to their home if/when they move in together. plenty of plants for Noemi, some pretty decorations, some cushions. I've been trying to decorate Vaiken to match this headcanon, actually. lol.

in-game, the plan for their bedroom itself is for it to be that room on Vaiken with a view of the fleet because how big the other room is keeps throwing me off. one-way glass only, of course, nobody can look in and they can pull down curtains when they want to block the view. I feel like they'd both enjoy a canopy bed? overall just something cozy and nicely decorated that they can both relax in.

33. What kind of presents do they get each other? Do they only do it on special occasions?

I can't speak for Noemi, but Nalpure very much enjoys getting presents for Noemi when she finds something she thinks she would like (once she got past the initial "what if she hates it and also me and I screw this up" anxiety). definitely not just a special occasions thing, it mostly depends on when she finds something nice and thinks "oh, my girlfriend would love that." lots of pretty stuff, some plants for Noemi to kill, shoes, etc. she loves spoiling her.

36. What’s their greatest strength as a couple? Their weakness?

obviously a YMMV, but I could see just how much they understand and relate to each other being both their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. they've both done awful things they feel guilty over, and they both just get it in a way that very few others in their lives could, and the fact that they can forgive the other and love her for it? *chef's kiss*

but on the other hand, that same understanding might lead to this thing where they're both placing themselves in poor long-term situations because of their mutual guilt? the fact that they both stay in the Empire because of their desire to make amends, even though it would be better for them both to leave, but since they both understand that guilt, I feel like they wouldn't be inclined to try and convince the other to give up.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

#8yrsago David Byrne's How Music Works

Former Talking Heads frontman and all-round happy mutant David Byrne has written several good books, but his latest, How Music Works, is unquestionably the best of the very good bunch, possibly the book he was born to write. I could made good case for calling this How Art Works or even How Everything Works.

Though there is plenty of autobiographical material How Music Works that will delight avid fans (like me) -- inside dope on the creative, commercial and personal pressures that led to each of Byrne's projects -- this isn't merely the story of how Byrne made it, or what he does to turn out such great and varied art. Rather, this is an insightful, thorough, and convincing account of the way that creativity, culture, biology and economics interact to prefigure, constrain and uplift art. It's a compelling story about the way that art comes out of technology, and as such, it's widely applicable beyond music.

Byrne lived through an important transition in the music industry: having gotten his start in the analog recording world, he skilfully managed a transition to an artist in the digital era (though not always a digital artist). As such, he has real gut-feel for the things that technology gives to artists and the things that technology takes away. He's like the kids who got their Apple ][+s in 1979, and keenly remember the time before computers were available to kids at all, the time when they were the exclusive domain of obsessive geeks, and the point at which they became widely exciting, and finally, ubiquitous -- a breadth of experience that offers visceral perspective.

There were so many times in this book when I felt like Byrne's observations extended beyond music and dance and into other forms of digital creativity. For example, when Byrne recounted his first experiments with cellular automata exercise for dance choreography, from his collaboration with Noemie Lafrance:

1. Improvise moving to the music and come up with an eight-count phrase (in dance, a phrase is a short series of moves that can be repeated).

2. When you find a phrase you like, loop (repeat) it.

3. When you see someone else with a stronger phrase, copy it.

4. When everyone is doing the same phrase, the exercise is over.

It was like watching evolution on fast-forward, or an emergent lifeform coming into being. At first the room was chaos, writhing bodies everywhere. At first the room was chaos, writhing bodies everywhere. Then one could see that folks had chosen their phrases, and almost immediately one could see a pocket of dancers who had all adopted the same phrase. The copying had already begun, albeit in just one area. This pocket of copying began to expand, to go viral, while yet another one now emerged on the other side of the room. One clump grew faster than the other, and within four minutes the whole room was filled with dancers moving in perfect unison. Unbelievable! It only took four minutes for this evolutionary process to kick in, and for the "strongest" (unfortunate word, maybe) to dominate.

I remembered the first time I programmed an evolutionary algorithm and watched its complexity emerging from simple rules, and the catch in my throat as I realized that I was watching something like life being built up from simple, inert rules.

The book is shot through with historical examples and arguments about the nature of music, from Plato up to contemporary neuroscience, and here, too, many of the discussions are microcosms for contemporary technical/philosophical debates. There's a passage about how music is felt and experienced that contains the phrase, "music isn't merely absorbed above the neck," which is spookily similar to the debates about replicating human consciousness in computers, and the idea that our identity doesn't reside exclusively above the brainstem.

The same is true of Byrne's account of how music has not "progressed" from a "primitive" state -- rather, it adapted itself to different technological realities. Big cathedrals demand music that accommodates a lot of reverb; village campfire music has completely different needs. Reading this, I was excited by the parallels to discussions of whether we live in an era of technological "progress" or merely technological "change" -- is there a pinnacle we're climbing, or simply a bunch of stuff followed by a bunch of other stuff? Our overwhelming narrative of progress feels like hubris to me, at least a lot of the time. Some things are "better" (more energy efficient, more space-efficient, faster, more effective), but there are plenty of things that are held up as "better" that, to me, are simply different. Often very good, but in no way a higher rung on some notional ladder toward perfection.

When Byrne's history comes to the rise of popular recorded music, he describes a familiar dilemma: recording artists were asked to produce music that could work when performed live and when listened to in the listener's private playback environment -- not so different from the problems faced by games developers today who struggle to make games that will work on a wide variety of screens. In a later section, he describes the solution that was arrived at in the 1970s, a solution that reminds me a lot of the current world of content management systems like WordPress and Blogger, which attempt to separate "meaning" from "form" for text, storing them separately and combining them with little code-libraries called "decorators":

[Deconstruct and isolate] sums up the philosophy of a lot of music recording back in the late seventies. The goal was to get as pristine a sound as possible... Studios were often padded with sound-absorbent materials so that there was almost no reverberation. The sonic character of the space was sucked out, because it wasn't considered to be part of the music. Without this ambiance, it was explained, the sound would be more malleable after the recording had been made. Dead, characterless sound was held up as the ideal, and often still is. In this philosophy, the naturally occurring echo and reverb that normally added a little warmth to performances would be removed and then added back in when the recording was being mixed...

Recording a performance with a band and singer all playing together at the same time in the same room was by this time becoming a rarity. An incredible array of options opened up as a result, but some organic interplay between the musicians disappeared, and the sound of music changed. Some musicians who played well in live situations couldn't adapt to the fashion for each player to be isolated. They couldn't hear their bandmates and, as a result, often didn't play very well.

Changing the technology used in art changes the art, for good and ill. Blog-writing has a lot going for it -- spontaneity, velocity, vernacular informality, but often lacks the reflective distance that longer-form works bring. Byrne has similar observations about music and software:

What you hear [in contemporary music] is the shift in music structure that computer-aided composition has encouraged. Though software is promoted as being an unbiased toold that helps us do anything we want, all software has inherent biases that make working one way easier than another. With the Microsoft presentation software PowerPoint, for example, you have to simplify your presentations so much that the subtle nuances in the subject being discussed often get edited out. These nuances are not forbidden, they're not blocked, but including them tends to make for a less successful presentation. Likewise, that which is easy to bullet-point and simply visualize works better. That doesn't mean it actually is better; it means working is certain ways is simply easier than working in others...

An obvious example is quantizing. Since the mid-nineties, most popular music recorded on computers has had tempos and rhythms that have been quantized. That means that the tempo never varies, not even a little bit, the the rhythmic parts tend toward metronomic perfection. In the past, the tempo of recordings would always vary slightly, imperceptibly speeding up or maybe slowing down a little, or a drum fill might hesitate in order to signal the beginning of a new section. You'd feel a slight push and pull, a tug and then a release, as ensembles of whatever type responded to one another and lurched, ever so slightly, ahead of and behind an imaginary metronomic beat. No more. Now almost all pop recordings are played to a strict tempo, which makes these compositions fit more easily into the confines of editing and recording software. An eight-bar section recorded on a "grid" of this type is exactly twice as long as a four-bar section, and every eight-bar section is always exactly the same length. This makes for a nice visual array on the computer screen, and facilitates easy editing, arranging, and repairing as well. Music has come to accommodate software, and I have to admit a lot has been gained as a result.

Byrne is well aware of the parallels between music technology and other kinds of technology. No history of the recording business would be complete without a note about the format wars fought between Edison and his competitors like RCA, who made incompatible, anti-competitive playback formats. Byrne explicitly links this to modern format-wars, citing MS Office, Kindles, iPads and Pro Tools. (His final word on the format wars rings true for other media as well: "Throughout the history of recorded music, we have tended to value convenience over quality every time. Edison cylinders didn't really sound as good as live performers, but you could carry them around and play them whenever you wanted.")

Likewise, debates over technological change (pooh-poohing the "triviality" of social media or the ephemeral character of blogs) are played out in Byrne's history of music panics, which start in ancient Greece, and play out in situations like the disco wars, which prefigured the modern fight over sampling:

The most threatening thing to rockers in the era of disco was that the music was gay, black and "manufactured" on machines, made out of bits of other peoples' recordings.

Like mixtapes. I'd argue that other than race and sex, [the fact that disco was "manufactured" on machines, made out of bits of other peoples' recordings] was the most threatening aspect. To rock purists, this new music messed with the idea of authorship. If music was now accepted as a kind of property, then this hodgepodge version that disregarded ownership and seemed to belong to and originate with so many people (and machines) called into question a whole social and economic framework.

But as Byrne reminds us, new technology can liberate new art forms. Digital formats and distribution have given us music that is only a few bars long, and compositions that are intended to play for 1,000 years. The MP3 shows us that 3.5 minutes isn't an "ideal" length for a song (merely the ideal length for a song that's meant to be sold on a 45RPM single), just as YouTube showed us that there are plenty of video stories that want to be two minutes long, rather than shoehorned into 22 minute sitcoms, 48 minute dramas, or 90 minute feature films.

And Byrne's own journey has led him to be skeptical of the all-rights-reserved model, from rules over photography and video in his shows:

The thing we were supposed to be fighting against was actually something we should be encouraging. They were getting the word out, and it wasn't costing me anything. I began to announce at the beginning of the shows that photography was welcome, but I suggested to please only post shots and videos where we look good.

To a very good account of the power relationships reflected in ascribing authorship (and ownership, and copyright) to melody, but not to rhythms and grooves and textures, though these are just as important to the music's aesthetic effect.

Byrne doesn't focus exclusively on recording, distribution and playback technology. He is also a keen theorist of the musical implications of architecture, and presents a case-study of the legendary CBGB's and its layout, showing how these led to its center in the 1970s New York music scene that gave us the Ramones, Talking Heads, Television, and many other varied acts. Here, Byrne channels Jane Jacobs in a section that is nothing short of brilliant in its analysis of how small changes (sometimes on the scale of inches) make all the difference to the kind of art that takes place in a building.

There's a long section on the mechanics of the recording business as it stands today, with some speculation about where its headed, and included in this is a fabulous and weird section on some of Byrne's own creative process. Here he describes how he collaborated with Brian Eno on Everything That Happens Will Happen Today:

The unwritten rule in remote collaborations is, for me, "Leave the other person's stuff alone as much as you possibly can." You work with what you're given, and don't try to imagine it as something other than what it is. Accepting that half the creative decision-making has already been done has the effect of bypassing a lot of endless branching -- not to mention waffling and worrying.

And here's a mind-bending look into his lyrics-writing method:

...I begin by improvising a melody over the music. I do this by singing nonsense syllables, but with weirdly inappropriate passion, given that I'm not saying anything. Once I have a wordless melody and a vocal arrangement my my collaborators (if there are any) and I like, I'll begin to transcribe that gibberish as if it were real words.

I'll listen carefully to the meaningless vowels and consonants on the recording, and I'll try to understand what that guy (me), emoting so forcefully by inscrutably, is actually saying. It's like a forensic exercise. I'll follow the sound of the nonsense syllables as closely as possible. If a melodic phrase of gibberish ends on a high ooh sound, then I'll transcribe that, and in selecting the actual words, I'll try to try to choose one that ends in that syllable, or as close to it as I can get. So the transcription process often ends up with a page of real words, still fairly random, that sounds just like the gibberish.

I do that because the difference between an ooh and an aah, and a "b" and a "th" sound is, I assume, integral to the emotion that the story wants to express. I want to stay true to that unconscious, inarticulate intention. Admittedly, that content has no narrative, or might make no literal sense yet, but it's in there -- I can hear it. I can feel it. My job at this stage is to find words that acknowledge and adhere to the sonic and emotional qualities rather than to ignore and possibly destroy them.

Part of what makes words work in a song is how they sound to the ear and feel on the tongue. If they feel right physiologically, if the tongue of the singer and the mirror neurons of the listener resonate with the delicious appropriateness of the words coming out, then that will inevitably trump literal sense, although literal sense doesn't hurt.

Naturally, this leads into a great discussion of the neuroscience of music itself -- why our brains like certain sounds and rhythms.

How Music Works gave me insight into parts of my life as diverse as my email style to how I write fiction to how I parent my daughter (it was a relief to read Byrne's discussion of how parenting changed him as an artist). I've been a David Byrne fan since I was 13 and I got a copy of Stop Making Sense. He's never disappointed me, but with How Music Works, Byrne has blown through my expectations, producing a book that I'll be thinking of and referring to for years to come.

Byrne's touring the book now, and as his tour intersects with my own book tours, I'll be interviewing him live on stage in Toronto on September 19th, at the Harbourfront International Festival of Authors.

How Music Works

https://boingboing.net/2012/09/12/david-byrnes-how-music-w.html

[thisguyatthemovies]

A masterpiece?

Title: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

Release date: In theaters (wide U.S. release) Feb 14, 2020

Starring: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel, Luana Bajrami, Valeria Golino

Directed by: Celine Sciamma

Run time: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Rated: R

What it’s about: In late 18th century France, a female artist is sent to the island home of a wealthy young woman to paint her wedding portrait, and the two embark on a forbidden romantic relationship.

How I saw it: The word “masterpiece” is applied to a lot of movies these days, which means one of two things:

·        We are living in the definitive golden age of filmmaking

·        Social media has made us prone to hyperbole because using exaggerated terms is the easiest way to get noticed online.

Plenty of critics and moviegoers have labeled Celine Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” a masterpiece, and it isn’t difficult to understand why. The French film (with English subtitles in the U.S.) about a forbidden lesbian love affair in the late 18th century is exemplary art. The cinematography (by Claire Mathon) is sublime, the performances (especially by leads Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel) are stunning, the script (by Sciamma) is smart, precise, powerful storytelling.

But what if all the ingredients of a great film are there but the sum is less than the total of the parts? And what if the film seems like it should be the stuff of masterpieces but fails to be emotionally engaging? Realizing that I’m in the minority here, that’s how I felt after watching “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” I was unable to make an emotional connection to an otherwise beautiful piece of art. I liked what I saw; I just wasn’t moved by it the way myriad critics and moviegoers apparently were. I cry during many a movie, but I was nowhere near tears with this movie, not even during the final scene, which is supposed to be one of the most devastatingly sad moments in movie history.

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is the story of Marianne (Merlant), an artist who is commissioned to do a wedding portrait of a wealthy young woman, Heloise (Haenel), who is about to be given away to an Italian man in an arranged marriage. Heloise does not want her image painted because she does not want to be married. Heloise’s mother (Valeria Golino) instructs Marianne to work secretly and to pretend she is at the family’s island home to accompany Heloise on walks along the beach.

The film is at its best at this point, as tension builds not only as Marianne tries to paint the portrait by memory but as she and Heloise fall for each other. Heloise eventually figures out what is going on and agrees to pose for her portrait, and she is observing the artist as much as the artist is observing her. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” has some real moments of magic here, particularly from Merlant, who we often observe close-up as she is studying Heloise and coming to grips with how she feels. She frequently must catch her breath after being moved by Heloise’s beauty.

The buildup is better than the inevitable romantic awakening and what follows. Sciamma gives her couple some beautiful moments, and the film never veers into soft porn territory (though it does include some nudity). The tension is mostly gone after the two women become lovers. And we know what the outcome is going to be. This is the late 18th century, and we know two female lovers aren’t going to sail off into the sunset and live happily ever after. This is, after all, forbidden love.

Men, not surprisingly, are scarce in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” Men in a rowboat take Marianne to her destination, and we briefly see Heloise’s unkempt (no Prince Charming here) fiancé when he picks up his portrait of his bride-to-be (a custom at the time). But their restrictive patriarchy is apparent throughout. Both Marianne and Heloise are rebelling against the male-imposed standards of the time. That’s what makes their affair so intoxicating, so intriguing. They also form a sisterhood with a young maid, Sophie (Luana Bajrami), who they help get an abortion (they even recreate a moment in the procedure so Marianne can make a painting of it). And they attend an all-female bonfire gathering that includes a haunting a cappella song that makes it seem like a gathering of witches.

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is as beautiful as you would hope a movie about art would be. The color isn’t explosive or oversaturated but is rich, with lighting and shadows used to bring the color out the way they would be in a painting. Mathon has said that Sciamma choreographed even the long shots in the film down to the finest detail, making sure Marianne and Heloise were in just the right position in relation to each other. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” isn’t just about how love inspires art, but how art inspires love.

Sciamma’s film is deliberate. Her script is economical; each word seems to have weight. But the dialogue is so sluggish (and slowly and softly spoken) and sparse, and so much time is allowed between thoughts, that maintaining interest will be challenging for some viewers. And perhaps that is where it lost me emotionally. I love a good, slow, quiet movie. But I need to be engaged with what is happening, and with “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” I was not emotionally involved for much of its nearly two-hour running time. I understand what Sciamma was going for, a study of the female gaze, with words not always necessary. But that wasn’t enough to pull me in; I felt like I was watching people watch people. Judging by the praise being heaped upon this film, that could just be me. Your results may vary. You might just think it’s a masterpiece.

My score: 80 of 100

Should you see it? Yes, but only if you think you can appreciate foreign-language, period-piece, slow, artsy films. Steer clear if you require any actual action in your movies.