#pollution orchestra

[pollutionorchestera]

i wrote another essay, its kinda a guide on how to get into foraging, but I'm very sick so I am sure its a little insane, you can read it for free on my substack here.

[alibasnur]

Luminary (Amit Thakkar x F!Reader)

PAIRING: Amit Thakkar x F!Reader

WARNING: Confession, first kiss, mutual pining, Second Person POV

WORD COUNT: 1.8K

AUTHOR’S NOTE: After procrastinating for almost a month I’m like you know what? I’m posting this. It’s a Yule Ball themed fanfiction that I wrote because I’m inspired by this post. But since I’m worried that I might end up making my friend’s character too OOC, I made this into a x reader fanfiction instead 😄

The Yule Ball would’ve been easier had you gone to have fun alone. But when you are in love, things get complicated. Suddenly, someone else mattered to you. No matter how lovely that person was, you could adorn yourself for hours, and still wonder if it was enough.

Your eyes focused on scanning through the Entrance Hall for a sign of your partner in the crowd of students. And found him you did, patterns were woven on his outer coat, a long, silver-embroidered shawl over his shoulder with the other end hung on his arm, that was the way Amit stood out. 

The princely quality of the arrangement made you flutter. You hid behind the stone wall, telling your poor heart to calm down. 

Amit was two flights of stairs away, repeating his steps and muttering to himself, a contrast to the charming attire he put together that would otherwise make him look pleasantly intimidating. Your chest did something funny and it couldn’t be helped. He was just so endearing. 

You jumped a little when he spotted you. As you walked out of your hiding spot, he put a hand on his chest, as if he had been disarmed without a spell, stunned and speechless, and now you were even. His hand was offered, convincing you to not shy away.

Waltz filled the air and couples danced to it. Each pair looked different from the direction of the chandeliers. The hem of your attire gave the impression of a comet trail, hands and arms attached to your dance partner in his midnight sky blue coat. 

He kissed the back of your hand at the end of the first Waltz. He could be so coy as to avoid looking at you in the eye, but you noticed the red tint growing on his cheeks. 

The merry died down as midnight approached. The clock showed half past eleven in the evening and the orchestra had been playing a softer-sounding arrangement. 

By the end of the 7th year, many of your friends were either courting or engaged. By the looks of it, only true couples stayed for the slow dance, which wasn’t the case for both of you. But to be there with Amit didn’t feel out of place. You felt like an actual couple, in some way. 

He hadn’t said anything about it, neither had you. But you could’ve sworn that at some moments, you almost got to that point. He would raise your hope and say ‘I want to speak to you about something’ and after a moment of pause, he would say something entirely different.

Sometimes, you had a dreadful reminder that someday, he would remember you only briefly, like a passing eclipse, or a red dye on a maiden’s hand washed off too early, not enough to leave a stain.

At some point, both of you agreed to retreat yourselves, shifting from the ballroom full of light from the crystal chandelier to a dimmer part of the castle that was the Central Hall. 

It seemed that they cast a charm on the bridge, the falling snow melted and dripped down the lake as soon as they hit the ground.

Amit, like the admirer that he was, stared at the vast open sky as you both walked through the bridge near the Viaduct Courtyard.

“I love how clear it is here.” His eyes twinkled at them before they stared back at you. “My family lives in a big city, sometimes it’s too clouded with pollution to see anything.” 

“Luckily you spend most of your years here. You better enjoy them while you can.”

“And I’m grateful for it.” He sighed. “Oh, I will miss this so much.”

“You’re really going to travel, aren’t you? I mean, after graduation, of course.”

“I am, and I’m already thinking of my first destination.” He perked. 

“And you’re going to write a book too.” You chuckled. “That’s wonderful.”

The hold of your hand around his arm released. You walked ahead, much to his confusion. Arms crossed with your back facing against him, leaving him a few steps away. 

You could see the sighing of your deep breath in the cold air, and so he noticed. You heard a flap of a fabric, the shawl he wrapped around your shoulders.

“Thank you.” You mumbled.

“Don’t worry.” He smiled. “Can I write about you in the details of our adventure in the fifth year?” 

The gloom on your face turned into a grin now.

“No, please, not about me.” Your head shook. “Imagine if Professor Weasley drag me back just to give me detention if she found out!” You uttered in a loud whisper.

“Or, she would be proud of you! Maybe she would say ‘This one was my student once!’ who knows?” He shrugged.

“Amit!” You urged.

“Alright! I’m just joking.” His hands raised in surrender. “I won’t mention your name, I'll guarantee that.”

“Okay, that will do just fine.” You sighed in relief. “Although I’m sad that I won’t meet my friends as much. You won’t forget about me, won’t you?”

“What? That’s ridiculous, I won’t!”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

“Then, promise me that you’ll write to me.” 

You extended your little finger, which he took without a doubt.

“I promise.” 

A silly idea came out of nowhere, you curled your finger on his palm, he laughed from the ticklishness on his skin, breaking the rest of the melancholy that remained in the air.

“Hey! What was that for?”

You had no replies, only a mischievous smile that invited him. 

Amit crouched from the playful attack that you brought to his hips, while you wrapped his shawl around your head, hiding your bare neck away from what he sent back.

Laughter echoed around the thick stone walls, and the paintings fussed. The two of you ran through Sir Nicholas’ see-through form, only stopping for a while to apologize before going back to your childish game of chase. 

You didn’t remember when was the last time you sported around this way. You tackled him, and he tackled you.

But the laughing fit gradually subsided and both of you fell on the marble floor. He lied down to catch his breath, while you sat beside him and stared, as the moonlight from outside the window shone his face in the most flattering way. 

There was a certain solemnity in the air that none of you wanted to move away, although you were both too close to be appropriate. Thankfully, the Gargoyles’ eyes didn’t reach this place enough to make their teasing remarks, nor Peeves. 

His stare shifted from the ceiling, and fell on the silver embedded silk that curtained your face.

“Well, look at you!” He breathed out, shaking his head in astonishment. “This suits you so well! You look—” 

He slightly tucked away the silk, revealing your skin and the growing flush that appeared rose-stained at his affectionate gaze. He quietly wished that he could just kiss it, suffocating to simply think of.

“—Like a bride.” 

The words spilled out like a wish, more silent and stifled.

A bride— something unspoken started to surface, and at this point, it became inevitable.

Amit had his potion ingredients mixed up the other day, for the first time in years, he received a scolding from Professor Sharp. 

His poorly drawn star chart sent quite a shock to Professor Shah. She wrote to his family, saying that their son has been distracted. 

But nothing fruitful will ever come out of him, no matter how much they ask. Their beloved son has learned to keep his secret in all his letters. 

And he knew perfectly why. Why he had been losing his sleep and his appetite, and why he messed up his sentences in your presence every once in a while, when you gave him a compliment or when you stood so close that he could feel your breath tickling his neck.

It all came to this moment when his turmoil was at peak. He needed to break out, to give himself some closure, and, to give you something you had been waiting for, although he hadn't known about it, not yet.

“I must say something.” 

His voice broke out in an unusually daring way.

“What is it?” 

“But—” He made a pause, and you noticed the hesitation from him as he furrowed his eyebrows. “If you don’t like what I’m about to say.. would you still be my friend?” 

“Of course I will, you silly.” You let out a chuckle. “Well, say it, Amit.”

“Oh, Gods.. Alright.” He took a sharp breath. “I know that we will part ways soon.. but, when I think of the possibility that we will grow apart, or that you may end up with someone else— I don’t think I will be able to take it.”

“You don’t want me ending up with someone else?”  Your eyes softened, turning just as warm as the rest of your face. “Then, who would you rather I end up with?” Your words were like a taunt.

“I’d rather—” And then he finally said it. “I would rather you end up with me.”

His sight avoided you, and the moment of silence that swole up washed him with regret. It became unbearable to be at the mercy of your towering gaze, no matter how tender it seemed.

“I won’t pressure you to return the sentiment.”

His voice shook, trying to tone down his sincere wish to not chase you away. 

His lips trembled as he tried to find an explanation for himself. Sometimes, you would find yourself staring at them, and wondering.

“You know, I just want to...”

His next words drifted away as your thumbs reached for his chin. 

“..If that’s how you feel about me—” 

You didn’t know what had got into you. As puzzled as he was, he couldn’t help but to look at you as he felt your fingertip on his lips.

“—Then, I hope you wouldn’t mind..”

The floral scent of your perfume started to cloud his judgment, and his lips parted for you to take.

The sheer blue silk on your head fell on him as well, acting like a partition between both of you and whoever might walk in. And if they do, they’d be welcomed by a pair of silhouettes, lips pressed together underneath the embroidered silk, although full of silver thread, but sheer enough to be exposed. 

As you breathed for air, his head raised slightly, unwilling to be parted from the kiss that ceased his doubts. You didn’t know his lips would be so soft as they moved to feel more of you, so delicate.

As you rested your head on his chest, the thumping of his heart could be heard alarmingly fast.

Amit looked at the stars just outside the window. Everything he loved always seemed unreachable. But now they were all in his arms.

[itsnotamatterofif]

Cast Recording thoughts that no one asked for!

It’s getting a solid 7/10 for me, and I don’t think it’s any of the actor’s faults. There’s just some strange editing choices that make absolutely no sense to me (freight into act 2 hydrogen with no coda being one of them), and the whole thing just sounds very… earnest? They sure are hitting every note perfectly, there’s just no riffs unless you’re greaseball or Momma, and I am thinking that it’s either a directing choice or just a general lack of confidence from brand new debuting cast. I wasn’t sure at first if this is just due to the improving quality of audio recording since 2009, but like, all the T’s are accentuated and half of the riffs sound like they were pre-agreed, there’s no room for the actors to show off if that makes sense.

There were a few songs that I didn’t like, (I’ll be honest Freight pales in comparison to previous freights, which is sad as a Hydra stan - he doesn’t even get his introduction!!!!) and there were some that smashed it out of the park, and I genuinely think all of the problems are just very strange creative decisions by a team who wanted to make something ‘new’ and ‘modern’ without quite understanding what that is outside of ditching a traditional pit orchestra. I’m a bit sad they don’t have any incidentals, but also that’s rare to find in cast recordings these days.

Outside of that, however, I think the actual singing is great and the cast do their damned best. I’ve never actually heard Jeevan as Rusty (I saw Scott when I saw it) so it was really nice to hear - he has such a good voice. Tom Pigram also comes across better on the recording - some of the megamixes have been DODGY on those top notes, but the recording was super good and I like the editing in AC/DC. The ethereal twink vibes are unreal, they’re giving those rich dudes on instagram who always brag about having £40 cups of tea or whatever.

I’m gonna do an under the cut with a thought on every song (I need to give the music student in me something to do every now and then)

Okay track list run down!

Overture/entry of trains: nothingburger song but otherwise a nice into, could have done with a bit of a break between the mum telling control off and then going into the song but whatever. Slightly strange no trains have nationalities but Greaseball is still the Union Pacific, however big up They/Them Orange Flash.

Rolling Stock: classic, love it, 10/10. We already knew this was a banger.

Crazy: we already knew this was a banger too. Jeevan’s Rusty is so sweet and determined. I don’t know if I prefer it over the doo-wap version from 2009 but it’s still good.

I Am Me: I still don’t actually know whether I like this song, but I also didn’t know whether I liked it in Bochum. It’s a bit generic and it think it’s a bit weird that they’re all like ‘yeah those engines can’t push us around!’ before being pushed around by the engines. I think I just miss A Whole Lotta Locomotion but I can understand why they cut it.

Whistle At Me: this is so sweet but so weird. Why is Rusty not allowed to whistle? Is it because of noise pollution laws? Cat calling allegory? Are steamers second class citizens and have to keep all proof they’re a steamer quiet? What’s the deal here. They’ll remove incidental speech that is essential to the story but keep in Pearl friendzoning him.

Freight is Great: UGH. Tassita is the highlight here honestly. It’s just so EMPTY, I guess that’s a constraint of just how few cast members can be on that stage without there being a health and safety shut down. I hate the chop into Hydrogen, it’s so horrible and janky and that’s not even where Hydrogen is in the show.

Hydrogen: breaks my heart to say it, but I never really liked Hydrogen. I don’t like environmentalist activism in shows since it’s never the audience who needs to hear it, and I find it funny that ALW wants to preach this now when he’s more than happy to take a private jet to a country he doesn’t live in to support a political party who doesn’t really care (ALW is Tory scum for those not in the UK). Jayden Vijn is a powerhouse both vocally and on stage though, and there’s more character in this song than there is in half the first act sooooo

AC/DC: actually a banger? I like the different approach to Electra, and I think the editing covers up for the fact that Pigram isn’t a belter. They did forget to introduce a component though which is just a hilarious oversight.

Pumping Iron: IMPECCABLE 10/10. No notes. Al Knott is amazing.

Make up My Heart: very sweet, very earnest. Montecillo’s Pearl seems to be very innocent, which is different. Can’t really go wrong with this one.

Momma’s Blues: mmmm Jade Marvin has such a nice voice, it takes her a line or two to get into it but once she’s into it it’s very nice and smooth. Classic song, really like it, Lumber’s interrupts however make absolutely no sense without the visuals.

Starlight Express: it’s the song!! Why did they change the melody oh my GOD- Jeevan sings it so nicely but I would give my right arm to hear him sing the traditional one.

UNCOUPLED: Eve Humphries is so so so good. The loss of the accent is worth mourning, but I’d rather she did it like this than put on a shit southern accent for the bit.

Wide Smile: not even gonna lie this is a JAM. Emily Martinez is such an underdog and she fucking went for it. Ending is a bit weird but I guess we can’t have everything.

The Races: I’m gonna include them as one since they’re functionally identical. It’s nice to have them in, I wish we could have had all four since I think the first one is actually race 1, 2, and 3 jammed together. I REALLY LIKE the chorus in the final race singing to get Rusty over the finish line, that’s such a sweet touch.

I am the Starlight: impeccable. This is one of those songs you have to get right and I think they both aced it. I think there’s room for both of them to be a bit more vocally adventurous, but it’s a solid performance, and it’s fantastic live which adds to my theory that they were all being held back by vocal direction.

One Rock N Roll Too Many: amazing, funny as fuck. Greasy’s and Electra’s ‘NO’ is amazing. 10/10.

I do: I feel a bit bad saying this is a bit generic, it’s a fantastic vocal performance, I just think next time you fall in love is much more theatrically interesting and gives some character depth. Pearl spends most of the musical not really giving a shit about Rusty so it’s suddenly a bit weird that she’s absolutely head over heads for him, and at least in Next Time she admits she liked him all along and just didn’t know it.

Light at the end of the Tunnel: classic and good, and I actually like the environmental changes here. Marvin shows again how strong of a singer she is and a good time is had all round.

Megamix: ELECTRA HIT THE NOTES YES LAD GET ON!!!!!! I have been listening to this on repeat for months on YouTube so it’s nice to have an official recording finally. Just an absolute tune.

Yeah anyway rant over feel free to disagree with me on most of this

[zagreuses-toast]

My Vetinari Playlist. Some songs are very specific others are entirely vibes based, also a lot of girlboss songs because those fit his approach to being a Tyrant the best somehow. Like Vimes he would vehemently hate some of these songs, I have added them nonetheless. Reasoning/guide to the songs under the cut.

Politics and The City, always the City. I think a lot about Vimes' internal monologue from Night Watch about the city's supply chain and Vetinari being the only ruler of the city to really worry about it's function :

Hymn to the Breaking Strain by Secular Solstice (because the Leslie fish version isn't available on Spotify. Vetinari isn't an engineer but he appreciates their value and danger)

All Along The Watchtower by Bear Mcreary (Vimes gets the Jimi Hendrix, Vetinari gets the version from BSG, which is ominous and was used to unveil a conspiracy)

& by Tally Hall

How Now Dark Cloud by TMBG

I Am Alone by TMBG

Darling The Dose by TMBG

His Kiss The Riot from Hades Town (I also imagine if Vetinari sang his voice would be a baritone of this caliber)

The Body Is A Blade by Japanese Breakfast

Stone Cold Coup D'etat

Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles

Ballad of a Politician by Regina Spektor

Everybody Wants to Rule The World by Tears for Fears (cover by NSP)

She's Always A Woman by Billy Joel

The Circle by Secular Solstice (this is actually a carrot song, but there's a reason Carrot and Vetinari get along)

Gun Song from Assassins (I am always thinking about men at arms and the Gonne)

This is where I would normally put the characters love interest songs but Vetinari's one true love is The Bit:

Hate the Villanelle by TMBG

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park & Pollution by Tom Lerher

Rest Employed by The Stupendium

I Palindrome I by TMBG

Party Dog by Tom Cardy (dog things AND city-state politics)

The World's Address by TMBG

Havelock "do I need a button that says Tyrant" Vetinari and his commitment to the Villain bit:

Villain by Stella Jang

Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Oh No! By MARINA

Villain by K/DA

Feeling Good by Nina Simone cover by Micheal Bublé (Bond villain sounding song but the lyrics are just enjoying normal nice stuff, exactly Vetinari's thing)

Enemy by Imagine Dragons

Bitch Better Have My Money by Rihanna (soundtrack to drumknott getting out the Tax Ledger)

I'm Alive from Next To Normal

No one Knows My Plan by TMBG

Be Prepared from The Lion King (did you think I wouldn't include a real Disney villain song, besides it's JEREMY IRONS aka Vetinari from the Color of Magic tv series)

Vetinari's nihilism and humanism, the roiling sea of evil and the moral imperative to be better than the gods:

Things Are Not What They Appear by The Gothic Archies

Last Wave by TMBG

This Too Shall Pass by Danny Schmidt

They're Only Human from the Death Note musical (hear me out, it's a conversation between Vetinari and Margolotta, you decide who's who)

Let's Get This Over With by TMBG

Cruel to be Cruel by Jessica Law

Living Thing by Electric Light Orchestra (Vetinari and his difficulty getting rid of one of a kind things, I think about leonard of quirm a lot)

Mad World by Gary Jules and Micheal Andrews

Misc:

I Like Fun by TMBG (entirely for the "my excellence at parkour may be unexpected at the age of 58" also the clock thing)

A Good Song Never Dies by Saint Motel (local patrician haunted by a little goblin girl's music forever)

Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons (Vetinari and Vimes song, ruining his life/the watch, being part of fixing it, constantly pushing him, occasionally pushing too hard)

[chronotopes]

tagged by @eiqhties in a Song Meme Which Is About Songs :) thank you!

“Name 4 songs that you consider YOURS. Songs that no one else understands like you. Songs that they can try to pry from your cold dead hands.”

i don't like making prescriptive statements like that but here are four songs that i heard and went AUGHHHH and then never stopped going aughhhhh. oversharing to follow under the cut.

"city of gold," orville peck. on the list of Songs I Can Only Listen To Sometimes. in the summer of 2022 i would just drive around my hometown and listen to this one repeatedly hoping that it would cast a spell that only worked for a very little while. lol. that entire album came out as i was graduating college and had a lot of Things I Needed on it – this one is tied with "curse of the blackened eye" in some ways but this one is ultimately the heavier hitter.

"give it time," sierra ferrell. you know how sometimes you have to see a song live for it to hit properly? this is one example. outside, a hot day in early summer. sierra ferrell was like, "you think that you still need me? give it time," and i was like oooohhhhhhh. you give it time. (easy thing to say for someone who has given it time.) Seeing Sierra Ferrell Live is a very important accidental tradition for me and jenny, my second concert ever (as ever, not counting symphony orchestras and 2016s Accidental Julien Baker Live Performance), and also notably the thing i did on the one year anniversary of my friends death which felt like an important symbolic act for me.

"against pollution," the mountain goats. the previous two tie into very specific losses for me but this one is just the ultimate Feeling Things song for me. i played it for jenny for the first time on a night when we were driving around the rural areas surrounding our college town and feeling #unwell for interpersonal reasons but that song transcends every personal crisis and is about... i don't know, it's about a lot of things. it's about how when the last days come we shall see visions more vivid than sunsets brighter than stars we will recognize each other and see ourselves for the first time the way we really are. it's a threat and a promise. it's the best song in the whole world maybe.

last night, the lostines. "You are made of earth and wood / I love you all night if I could / When I lay down to fall asleep / I hope to see you in my dreams." Ending this list on a positive and also on a group i think everyone who likes dreamy folk music even some of the time should listen to (debut album out friday after next!!!) the lostines have several songs that are So About Me And Jenny It's Kind Of Crazy To Me but this song in particular was the first out of that series. every time i listen to it i still think about the same night of my life and (not to be a romantic on tumblr.com at age 24) i really think i will forever. i saw this song live and drunkcried about it. perfect song.

as before, tagging any mutuals who feel that this one calls to them

[backyardentomologist]

Was examining the underside of rocks behind my house (I was looking for centipedes) and found this guy! He’s a firefly larva, though I am unsure of what species—my best guess would be a Pyralis firefly, as it seems to resemble the adult form.

This little guy must’ve been stretching his legs and getting ready for summer. Firefly larvae survive the winter by hibernating in the dirt or under rotting wood/heavy stones. With the worst of the cold (hopefully!) behind us, it makes sense that he’d want to get a jump start. Come summer, he’ll pupate and emerge as a full-fledged adult.

Fireflies are some of my most favorite insects. I have warm memories of tearing around in my backyard, searching for the little green and yellow flickers. Unfortunately, fireflies aren’t quite as common as they used to be—with light pollution and decreasing habitat space, it’s become more difficult for larvae to reach adulthood. That’s why I always refuse to cut my backyard grass during the summer: it gives them a place to hide.

Last summer I was doing volunteer work up at a farm in rural Wisconsin. One night, I decided to take a walk around the perimeter of the farm, armed with nothing but a flashlight and a butterfly net. At some point, for no particular reason, I turned off my light. If each firefly resembled a star in the night sky, I was greeted by a veritable galaxy of little green and yellow lights. An innumerable number of fireflies danced and twirled to an orchestra of crickets. Here, there were no porch lights, or pesticides, or manicured lawns. There was only the night, and a symphony of summer love.

(Male fireflies light up to attract mates. I probably should have mentioned that.)

[female-malice]

i want to live in an urban nature utopia of women and denim and weed and festivals and street fairs and swap meets and libraries and computer labs and flee markets and harm reduction and art shows and e-bikes and public transit and graffiti and block parties and dive bars and pubs and bakeries and cafeterias and local bands and creative studios and friendly neighbors and dense housing and thriving schools and clinics and gyms and youth sports and folk music and chamber orchestras and theaters and museums and parks and basketball courts and picnic tables and wildlife corridors and collective quiet hours and reduced light pollution and food gardens and co-ops and precision fermentation and rooftop solar and safe streets and youth hostels and community centers

and severe consequences for males who commit violence against women, children, or animals within city limits

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2023-05-15

First week of work in Prague. I think I have an apartment lined up. Starting to get more normal.

Listening: Lyrical music keeps me more aware at work, so Tom Lehrer. Horrible air pollution at ground level near major streets makes me think of "Pollution". I appreciate that in not a single song where he does an accent does Lehrer try and do a good accent.

Reading: Getting back into Children of Time. Still pretty busy in the evenings so, you know. Not too much progress.

Watching: attended one of the numerous touristy live classical concerts in one of the numerous touristy churches in Prague. In this case a small orchestra really playing the hits in St. Salvator. You know they're pandering when they only do Spring and Summer from Vivaldi. Really excited that I got to hear Toccata and Fugue on an actual church organ, love those things.

Playing: Haha no. I'm currently on my light laptop so when I do eventually get back to games it's going to be some visual novel stuff.

Making: Also nothing, all my tools are still stowed.

Tools and Equipment: Pitch for pyshark, an extremely simple library wrapped around tshark that makes it very easy to pull pcaps into python for analysis. Dumb as rocks but you get full bpf and wireshark filters, because it is just tshark with smart XML parsing. I've been doing some packet timing stuff at work and it's nicer than working with the built in statistics tools in wireshark.

[yamitheyin]

i went to a "party" today and because a group of us were just waiting for the rest of them to finish the partying i put on Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. unfortunately, we didn't find where the remote was so we could turn up the volume, so most of the movie was in silence except for the part that played 'Song of the Sun' and 'Eternal Diva', in which i just played the ost from my phone.

things that happened during the viewing session:

child who was there decided professor layton always knew the answer to everything from the intro and was deus ex machina

same child calling janice during the play "queen elizabeth"

same child started calling the game for eternal life squid game

me: "why do they say 'puzzle 001' as if the puzzles in this movie ever go above the single digits?" (yes, in game it like that. but also the english dub is like "puzzle zero zero one" instead of just puzzle one)

one person looked at the situation with whistler saying "i named my newly adopted child after the one that just died" and just went 🤨

people just being in pure shock as grosky survived sharks and surviving the boat exploding

also they were also calling grosky a gigachad

"man, these kids should be having trauma from seeing the boat explode. they didn't see the submarines, they probably think people died."

(i didn't want to say they've been through worse)

"btw, luke can speak to animals. this literally only comes up here when he tries to speak to the wolves and the wolves don't listen to him" "i'm fucking sorry, he can speak to animals???"

i went "watch this shit" as layton preceded to build the flying machine, because wtf layton

"wow his hat is glued on"

i didn't really give much context to descole, and we couldn't hear his voice, so nobody really says much about him for the rest of the movie and i didn't want to reveal any other prequel trilogy spoilers :(

when grosky was found, him being called a gigachad intensified

and then laughter as grosky lost his underwear

no one guessed what was going on with nina when layton confronted her about being melina

one person said emmy reminded him of that one guy from curious george??? anyways, the child called her the hulk after seeing her destroy several of descole's henchmen

"oh no! luke has the memory machine on him! wait huh?"

me going "here it comes, here it comes-" as layton prepared to the point

"oh, this guy has kidnapped several young girls to do this!?"

"why did no one stop descole!??"

"man, these wolves are so thin, they could snap them in half"

"gundam!?" at the giant robot

i meant to talk about it during the watch session and forgot, but the fact that descole is controlling the robot using the detragon??? my man built a organ that sounds like an orchestra, can store memories of a person, and controls a full on mecha???

i showed one person this one layton poll and he guessed "he has several kids"

i told him which one was true and he was like "oh i kinda expected that one to be true considering the others", afksjd;clksmklc

i also asked which one is most surprising to him as being true afterwards, and he said "layton didnt actually give a shit about puzzles until he saw his friend die", which is fair

"man, janice has crazy grip strength"

"descole pulled that sword out of his pants... wait-"

me: "Sword fight time, lets go!!!"

two people said the sword fight between layton and descole was extremely well animated (true)

"why is layton playing the songs??? isn't that accomplishing descole's goal??? and why isn't descole stabbing him???"

*descole yeets a sword at him* "oh, now descole tries to continue the fight"

"c'mon, layton grab the sword!" *doesn't grab the sword in time*

not a single person says anything about descole falling off and him being not apprehended or found after the fact :'(

*detragigant falling into the sea* "pollution!"

"janice is gonna wake up and be so confused" "she was communicating with melina, they literally just showed that-"

one person ended up saying to the kid, who was saying a lot of random stuff during the movie, "shut up, i am actually invested", which lks;vmknzopdinpa??? i just gave extremely generalized descriptions of layton, luke, janice, and emmy, so the movie did the rest

i specifically made sure to make them watch the credits to show grosky finding his underwear in the credit stills, which was so worth it for their reaction

they did also say that all the other people in the prison would be terrified of having whistler in the same cell as them

anyways, i recommend watching this movie with sound on, but also two people actively were watching the movie despite knowing only the basic information i gave to them on the characters and nothing on the video game series despite that. so yeah, movie good.

[theimpossiblescheme]

(I don’t have a title for this little piece, but I did realize that I don’t write Tugger very much, so I wanted to have a go--hope everyone enjoys!)

“No guarantee it’s as good as Dad would make it,” Tugger acknowledged, handing the cup and saucer up and over the old stove and suddenly feeling very aware of how breakable porcelain was.  “But I hope it’s drinkable, anyway.”

“I’m sure it will be.”  The fluffy golden queen in the equally fluffy dress coat–Berenice–accepted the tea with a polite smile and a nod, and Tugger definitely didn’t wait on tenterhooks for her reaction, the hell are you talking about?  He simply fluffed his mane and waited as she hummed in appreciation and took another sip.  Granted, after a day like hers, he imagined he’d be glad to drink out of the nearest puddle.  Turned out, not every cat in the area had gotten the memo about the old Egyptian Theatre being condemned, and the lady and her little ones had passed a pretty dismal night amidst all the dust and half-finished construction before making it here..  Tugger’s own memories of the place were starting to be consumed with yellow caution tape and boarded up windows and headless statues perched mindlessly by the doors, and the fact that that was all it would ever be to some folks… well, it was a damn shame.

“You know, I actually grew up there back in the day,” he said, ascending the bedstead and perching on a rung just above her, back legs swinging freely.  “Me and my brothers.  It was a pretty gorgeous place then, especially with the stage all lit up and the chandelier over it.  And after the skylight caved in, you could see the stars.”  Thinking about it now, he almost regretted not being quite brave enough to climb that high, but still…  “There was a much better view, too–you didn’t have all the streetlamps drowning them out.  Dad used to point out all the constellations and tell us little stories about ‘em, and if we didn’t like what the humans came up with we’d make up our own.”  He’d actually recently overheard Jemima telling her friends about Felis Major and Minor, the eyes of the Everlasting Cat (because obviously humans were too busy making up bogus stories about “man’s best friend” to recognize what was right in front of them), and it didn’t come as any surprise that Straps had apparently remembered them down to the last detail.  Maybe Tugger could tell her about their lion cousins next time…

Berenice’s head tipped up and her eyes narrowed, as if she were trying to see past all the London light pollution.  “It’s hard to imagine.  The place is so desolate and run-down now.”

“Oh, man, it was really something.  And you had that huge ballroom space for the Jellicle Ball every year, the big murals on the walls, more backstage than you ever knew what to do with…”  Tugger smiled to himself, lost in another memory.  “We used to sneak around in the light booths, see how far we could get across the old catwalk.  ‘Course, first and only time Dad caught us was after Straps fell off and gave the whole game away.”  He chuckled, remembering Straps landing with a very undignified plop into a bowl of punch left on the bar and Mac–his other brother laughing his head off at Tugger’s side.  “Oh, he was pi–mad at me, rather, for a whole week after that… then we found the tunnel under the orchestra pit together, and he forgot all about it.”

Berenice’s smile this time was a little bemused.  “It does sound rather dangerous for a kitten.”

“Nah, that was just us going off looking for trouble.  It was a lot safer back then, especially with Dad and everybody looking after us.  Much less chance of… well, of anything happening.”  He almost said of having your head taken off, but apparently that was a very real danger now, especially with little kittens getting lost in all the ladders and loose boards.  And give him some credit, he wasn’t that tactless.  “But that’s eventually why we came here.  Junkyard’s a lot smaller, more places to hide, less chance of humans stumbling in and disturbing anybody… you’ve got nothing to worry about here.  You or the kits.”

“And nobody here… minds, do they?” Berenice asked haltingly, as if she had to force the words out of her mouth little by little.  “I mean, I would–I would hate for us to intrude–after all, this is your home–”

“It’s home for any cat who wants it.  Trust me on that.”  Tugger grinned down at her.  “We take in strays all the time–half of us here just wandered in off the streets one day and never looked back.  And a good chunk of us have humans we go off with in the evenings, but the gates are always open when we come back.  Nobody’s gonna make a fuss over you being here, don’t you worry.”

“Even if we aren’t… Jellicle cats?”

“Who says you’re not?  Somebody tell you that?”

“Well, I only assumed… I keep hearing the word around, and I thought that–”

“Honey, all cats are Jellicle cats,” he said with a bit of gentle stress.  “Exact words might change, but the basic idea’s the same, and anybody who says different doesn’t have a clue what they’re talking about.  Things are tough enough out there–we gotta stick together somehow, wherever we are.  You could’ve swam here all the way from the North Pole, and we still would’ve offered you a den and some underbrewed tea,” he added, a touch of self-deprecation in his grin now.

Berenice shook her head and took another slow sip of her tea.  “You’re sure the kittens will–?”

“Your kits’ll be fine.  My mate’s already got ‘em occupied right now.”  His tail flicked towards the car boot, where Misto was conjuring a hail of colored sparks for the delight of three rapt kittens.  With a wave of one paw, some of the sparks coalesced to form a mouse made entirely of light and stardust, and one of the kittens was gearing up to chase it, tail waggling from side to side.  Misto flicked a claw, the star mouse went scuttling up one of the pipes, and suddenly all three little ones were scrambling to catch it.  Berenice chuckled beneath him, almost in spite of herself, and Tugger felt a rush of affection welling up in his chest–Sparkles was outdoing himself tonight.  Hopefully he still had some of that magic left for later…

“Do you have any kittens of your own?” Berenice asked, snapping him out of his reverie.

“Hm?  Oh, no–no, I’m usually too busy trying to fend them off,” Tugger replied with a smirk, leaning back against the pipes with his forelegs looped around to keep him from falling.  “Couldn’t ask for a better fan club, though.  And they’re all great kits.  Not supposed to play favorites, but you know… I’ve got a couple of nieces I spoil rotten.”

“I would love to meet them.”  This time, Berenice’s smile seemed to come much easier.  “And you have all been very kind.  I really can’t thank you enough.”

Tugger waved away the thanks.  “Don’t sweat it.  Least we could do, really.”

No sooner had those words left his mouth than there came a muffled thump against the bed of rags above them, and a blue-furred head stuck itself down through the top of the pipes.  Berenice squeaked a bit in surprise and nearly dropped her teacup, but Murad merely gave her a nod and jaunty little salute.  “Evening, madam.”  Then he turned to Tugger.  “Evening patrol’s just come back–your brother thought you might want to join the discussion.”

“Damn right I would.”  As Murad disappeared topside again, Tugger hoisted himself to his feet on the pipes, luxuriating in a long back stretch before extending a paw down to Berenice.  “Feel like tagging along?  We can show you just how we do things around the Junkyard.”

“Oh?”  She laid aside her cup and cautiously took his paw.  “Are you one of the Protectors here?”

“In all but name, really.”  He squeezed her paw and gave her a wink as she finally rose to meet him.  “But don’t tell Straps I said that.”

[pollutionorchestera]

finally stopped being super lazy and wrote another essay, so if you want to read my ramblings about the changes to leftist politics after the pandemic and leftists who haven't been radicalized into a particular leftist ideology then you can read it for free over on my substack here.

[whileiamdying]

Grace Jones’ 20 greatest songs – ranked!

With the 40th anniversary of Jones’s masterful fifth album Nightclubbing approaching, we rank her best work

by Alexis Petridis Thu 29 Apr 2021 11.00 EDT

20. I Need a Man (1975)

Jones’s debut single was joyous, cantering mid-70s Eurodisco, its lyrics clearly written with one eye on the dancecfloors of gay clubs. It was rerecorded for Jones’s 1977 debut album, Portfolio, with an arrangement by the Salsoul Orchestra’s Vince Montana and a stronger vocal, but the original drips with slightly shonky period charm.

19. The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game (1980)

Warm Leatherette, released in 1980, relocated Jones to Nassau’s Compass Point studios, introduced reggae rhythm section Sly and Robbie and saw her covering Roxy Music and post-punk. Jones’s take on the old Marvelettes hit is closer to her old self, but it’s fantastic: gently reggae-influenced, post-disco dance music.

18. Victim (1995)

During the period between Jones’s 1989 flop Bulletproof Heart and 2008 comeback Hurricane, she briefly reunited with producer Tom Moulton. The solitary track they completed (but never officially released), a cover of a 1978 Candi Staton single, is a disco-house delight that Moulton claimed was the best thing they ever did together.

17. Am I Ever Gonna Fall in Love in New York City? (1978)

As a man who started out making mixtapes for the Sandpiper, a cornerstone of the gay party scene on Fire Island, Moulton knew the audience Jones was initially targeted at. He insisted she record showtunes, while the original material they made together had a hint of Broadway, as evidenced by this glorious slice of lovelorn high camp.

16. She’s Lost Control (1980)

Jones appears to turn Joy Division’s classic on its head: she recites the words in a blank sprechgesang at odds with Ian Curtis’ mournful delivery and changes the lyrics so the song’s narrator is its subject rather an observer. But its conclusion, where her voice becomes a terrified scream, is every bit as harrowing and bleak as the original.

15. The Apple Stretching (1982)

For all Jones’s fierce image – and the verses in this Melvin Van Peebles-written song about hookers, gun-toting cops and air that smells of “bagels and pollution” – there’s a real softness and warmth about her delivery of the chorus; the New Yorker’s love-hate relationship with the city encapsulated in a song.

14. Warm Leatherette (1980)

Jones’s cover of this JG Ballard-influenced, Throbbing Gristle-esque 1978 single by Daniel Miller’s project the Normal was an inspired move, killing off her disco diva image at a stroke in favour of something darker and harder. Is there a more Grace Jones 2.0 lyric than “quick, let’s make love before we die”?

13. Atlantic City Gambler (1979)

Muse, Jones’s third and final album with Moulton, was a commercial failure, but deserves reappraisal. Side one’s suite of songs offers a tougher and starker take on disco than its predecessors, while on the super-cool, reggae-influenced Atlantic City Gambler, the opening song of side two, you can distinctly hear the roots of what was to follow.

12. Victor Should Have Been a Jazz Musician (1987)

The making of 1987’s Inside Story was fraught – Jones and co-producer Nile Rodgers didn’t get on – and its sound veered close to straightforward mainstream pop, but it had its moments. The understated, small-hours romance of this ballad is just beautiful.

11. My Jamaican Guy (1982)

A patois-thick depiction of Jones’s love for Bob Marley’s keyboard player Tyrone Downie that doesn’t preclude mocking him as a hopeless stoner – “stretching out ’pon the floor, that way ’im don’t fall over” – the sweaty relentlessness of My Jamaican Guy’s bass-heavy backing seems to mirror the unrequited nature of her obsession.

10. Demolition Man (1981)

The first single from Jones’s masterpiece Nightclubbing was written by Sting – she’d requested a song from him, so he sent a demo for this, which the Police hadn’t got around to recording. It vanished without a trace, but its quality – boastful lyrics set to relentless Suicide-esque synths and guitar noise – is there for all to hear.

9. Nightclubbing (1981)

Iggy Pop and David Bowie’s paean to seedy Berlin nightlife might have been written for Jones, a nightclub fixture throughout the late 70s and 80s. She squeezes every drop of decadence out of the lyrics, shifting the song’s rhythm from diseased glam stomp to eerie dub.

8. Nipple to the Bottle (1982)

“I won’t give in and I won’t feel guilty – you rant and rave to manipulate me” – today, Nipple to the Bottle’s topic would be called misogynistic gaslighting. Its depiction of a love affair gone sour is set to hard, spare funk; Jones, meanwhile, is in commanding, enough-of-your-bullshit form.

7. Do or Die (1978)

The work of the songwriters behind Tina Charles’s chart-topping I Love to Love – and Gloria Gaynor’s fantastic (If You Want It) Do It Yourself – Do or Die was the apotheosis of disco-era Jones. It’s lengthy and lavishly orchestrated, with the singer playing up to her tough image: “I’ve been called an operator, I can sell an Eskimo snow.”

6. Williams’ Blood (2008)

After 19 years of stalled projects (a shelved album, Black Marilyn; a collaboration with Tricky), Hurricane was Jones’s triumphant return, a sharp retooling of the Compass Point sound that stirred industrial music into the mix. The autobiographical Williams’ Blood was its highlight: an epic remix by Aeroplane was the late 00s nu-disco movement at its height.

5. I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango) (1981)

Used to striking effect in the 1988 movie Frantic, I’ve Seen That Face Before is a stunning reggae remake of an Argentinian tango classic, topped with Jones’s own dark lyrics about sleazy Parisian nightlife. The video, meanwhile, featured a flat-topped, suit-sporting, accordion-playing Jones dwarfed by her own shadow: among the most iconic images of her career.

4. La Vie en Rose (1977)

Reinterpreting Edith Piaf’s signature song as bossa nova – complete with a musical nod to Jimmy Webb’s MacArthur Park – was inspired; emotive, but breezy at the same time. It launched Jones as a European star and became a staple of “sleaze” sets – which dropped the tempo as the night wore on – in US gay clubs.

3. Private Life (1980)

The Pretenders’ original is trash-talking, reggae-influenced new wave, a perfect fit for the icy persona Jones had already begun projecting on 1979’s Muse. Sly and Robbie turn the music into reggae proper, Jones oozes contemptuous, bored hauteur – “I’m very superficial” – with incredible results: a star was (re)born.

2. Pull Up to the Bumper (1981)

The pinnacle of Jones’s Compass Point years, Pull Up to the Bumper exists in its own fabulous, humid musical space, its mid-tempo groove equidistant from funk and reggae. The lyrics are preposterous cars/sex double-entendre filth, lent an appealing edginess by Jones’s stentorian vocal. Forty years on, it hasn’t dated.

1. Slave to the Rhythm (Blooded) (1985)

Only ZTT – the label behind Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s umpteen 12in remixes – would have considered rebooting Jones’s career with an album consisting entirely of versions of one song. Researchers for an unreleased box set discovered that star producer Trevor Horn had recorded more than 70 versions of Slave to the Rhythm. Releasing them all would have been a ridiculous exercise had the track itself not been the best thing either Jones or Horn ever made. A supremely sophisticated sample-heavy concoction, the song glides elegantly over a rhythm rooted in go-go – the funk sub-genre that counted as the hippest dance music of the mid-80s – while her vocal is by turns tender and imperious. The original 12in mix is the keeper.

[eitmonline]

EITM Playlist 6/14/23

Foo Fighters - But Here We Are | 6:08

Aretha Franklin - Think | 6:23

Portugal. The Man ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Zoe Manville - Noise Pollution | 6:28

Joan Jett And The Blackhearts - If You’re Blue | 7:03

Hiss Golden Messenger - Nu-Grape | 7:30

Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer | 7:45

Manchester Orchestra - Table For Glasses | 7:50

BlocParty, KennyHoopla - Keep It Rolling | 8:29

King Falcon - Ready Set Go | 8:47

YUNGLBLUD - Lowlife | 9:17

Aretha Franklin - See Saw | 9:28

Jimmy Eat World - Telepath | 9:33

Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Like A Grudge | 10:09

Aretha Franklin - You Send Me | 10:32

Portugal. The Man - AKA M80 The Wolf | 10:53

[blixzero]

Daily Poetry Day 17: The Forest's Orchestra

As brittle air stings my nostrils,

with the sun rising in the morning,

I only hear vehicles whir violently.

Surrounded by concrete and plaster,

I am unable to hear the songbirds sing.

A once peaceful forest, polluted by us.

I yearn to hear the forest's orchestra

undisturbed by human destruction.

What have we done?

•Blix

[owlcassettes]

As The Moon Turns The Sea, Poem

As the Moon Turns the Sea

From my novel of the same name

Copyright 2020, Owl Willows

As our moon turns the clear water

rippling pale light

waves turn in and out

and my mind drifts away

I think about what will happen

after we finally get to where we

long to be

after we grow old and die

Where shall our afterworld be?

Will we exist peacefully in a world

of stone building ruins

surrounded by  the ocean

as the moon turns the sea--

empty, except for you and me?

We could create unbelievably

beautiful murals on all the walls

based upon stories and songs

that we lived and created

There would never come

an end--

nary stopping of heart

to our infinite, dreamlike

existence in the grey-purple

clouds beyond our old home

For because we are children

of The Universe we too

can create anything we wish

As the moon turns the sea

you and I shall be together

In a place which sets our spirits free

Sadness is  nonexistent and as we

flow through our endless days

we nurture not only each other

but the souls of every animal

and tree

The sun does not shine, for all

we need is the light of the moon

and the company of stars

We know not where the ancient temples

and castles came from

but we tend to them

for they too live, they too exist

with us, and around us

We colour the stone buildings

with our stories of Wysteria

of Edgar, of Aleka

of the ancient wizard who understands all

and we master the art

of never being afraid

for there is no hell, nor misery

or discontent

As the moon sits in her sky,

We ask her to tea

And so she smiles, her only wish to

turn the waves

We continue to create with our

celestial bodies~souls~hearts~

what we couldn't quite convery

through human imagination and hands--

murals of art larger than life itself

murals of heart as large

as the space we knew now

Of animals, the night sea

 and also the trees

the breeze that lifted off

the ocean filled us of mystery,

excitement, of wonder and love

Endless peace and quiet wrapped

itself round the darkness of the ever-night

and the murals of the ashen buildings

As the moon turns the sea

we are swept up in the world

of romanticism, mystery, art, and beauty

We dreamt of the night sky, as the moon

dreamt of us--separating us from  all of Earth’s

disappointments

our wishes dreamed still--and we breathed life

into them

No longer were castles hidden away  only in

the mists of Wales, nor used as hotels

no longer was anything our hearts dreamt

out of reach

The stone city was ours--

it was large, it was small

within a courtyard

all of us, everything loved

by the moon which turns the sea

surrounding our world

One of the courtyards we turned

into a outdoor theater for Shakesperean plays

put on by us and sometimes cats too

together we recited our favourite poetry

Sometimes it is so quiet here that

Our own footsteps are deafening

and where thunder storms its way

through the sky, an orchestra for us two

The rain overfills the fountains

and there is no one around. No fighting,

no misery, nor encroachment of thyself to

befit an ill tempered society

even when we were alive, we loved all

souls

Yet we were suffocated by how many there were,

the Earth’s  pollution and deterioration of culture

Slowly, all who loved us disappeared into

death until we did too, though

they know where to find us

The same North wind that rustles

the trees and brought us here

to our unique home would show them

the way

But we are fine here--two together--alone

still we have the cats, the trees, wind, and seas

Owls come to us

from the world of the sun,

to ours of forever night, to perch upon

our shoulders

and turn their heads round to say

“Whoo.”

On the wing of flight came the peacocks,

rooks, and ravens, all who spoke to us

As we lay in the colosseum of our

castle surrounded by the churning waves

the whales sang to us

haunting lullabies

and hand in hand, as drifted into

the water as the moon turned the sea

[bamboomusiclist]

10/29 おはようございます。Mel Torme / That's All cs9118等更新しました。

Mel Torme / That's All cs9118 Bobbi Rogers / Tommy Wolf Can Really Hang You up the Most Fs337 Miles Davis / Miles Smiles cl2601 Tom Prin Trio / Don't Wait 'Till Tomorrow s80-829-3749s Stan Getz / Live at Montmartre scs1073/74 Oscar Peterson / Plays The Richard Rodgers Songbook MGVS-62057 Kenny Dorham / 1959 Prt7754 Miles Davis / Early Miles PRLP7168 Roy Ayers / I'm The One C40423 Pollution / Pollution sd6051 Nico Gomez And His Orchestra / Aquarela - Baila Chibiquiban 2C006-93433 Inner Circle / Rock the Boat trls93 Bob Marley And The Wailers / Could You Be Loved 12wip6610 Sebadoh / 4 Song CD RUG17T Moody Blues / the Magnificent Moodies lk4711

~bamboo music~

info@bamboo-music.net  

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