#story: the birth of musica

[osiiiris]

Secondo Emeritus - Naples

Primo | Secondo | Terzo

Naples. My beautiful Naples. My beloved, adored Naples. It is the city where I studied and grew up in and it is also literally filled with mysteries and legends. I thought Naples would have been the perfect formation place for a young Secondo Emeritus. Let’s see what may have influenced and inspired him in his religious journey.

1 - The musical church. 

Ghost’s music has always been heavily loaded with the Devil’s Tritone: also called Diabulus in Musica or Devil’s Interval, it is an unsettling dissonance produced by an unusual arrangement of notes that gives that spooky, devilish tone to music. In Infestissumam, it was featured on 9 out of 10 songs. The use of the Tritone was banned in Medieval times (In Ghost, its use dramatically dropped with Prequelle, with only 2 out of 10 songs featuring it). So what if I tell you that, in contrast, in Naples there is a church that functions as a musical score, whose music protects it from evil?

Basically, there is a church in Piazza del Gesù that has a particular pointy ashlar on the external facade. Under the side (the one facing the ground, so if you look up from the street you can see them) of each of these little pyramids are carved symbols, which turned out to be Aramaic letters that were later translated into musical notes. So, it turned out that the whole church is a big score, and it’s playable. The whole melody, called Enigma, was played for the first time inside the church to celebrate the discovery. You can hear the music here (sound quality is not the best).

Will it protect the church from Ghost’s music?

2 - The skull cult.

Naples has very intricate underground galleries, almost all visitable. One of these is Cimitero delle Fontanelle, a famous catacomb where the remains of about 40.000 people who died from plagues are stored. It is said the “anime pezzentelle” cult was born here: it is a particular relationship each Neapolitan establishes with a chosen skull. You literally adopt an abandoned skull, which according to our tradition is the seat of the soul, and your duty is to care for it, protect it and also create a special niche for it. In exchange, the soul of that skull will protect you.

A nice place for a Bone Daddy.

3 - Pretty and Evil like Mergellina’s devil.

Knowing the passion our Secondo has for women, here is a story about a very devilish one.

In Santa Maria del Prato church, in the Mergellina area, there is the only representation of the devil as a woman in a painting.

The legend has it that said woman was the beautiful Vittoria D’Avalos, who seduced the Bishop Diomede Carafa, who commissioned the painting in 1542 to represent his victory against the woman’s lust (we're all believing him, right? 🙄).

Now that story has a way of saying that refers to femmes fatales as “Pretty and Evil like Mergellina’s devil”.

I’d say she may be considered among the first-ever Sisters of Sin. 

4 - Who gives life can also take it.

Infestissumam is filled with references to birth and Jesus, turning it into the birth of the antichrist and creating a narrative that is completely opposite to the birth of the Son of Man. Now, in Naples, there is a statue that embodies both concepts.

Back to Piazza del Gesù: On a very high pedestal in the center of the square stands a statue of the Virgin Mary, the Mother. That's all... until you position yourself at a specific point in the square and look up to see the statue transformed into the Reaper. His face is hidden by the cowl, staring straight at you, with a sickle at its feet and a snake crawling on it.

Depending on your point of view, the giver of life becomes the taker of it.

5 - Body and Blood… but especially blood.

What never stops to fascinate me about the relationship of Neapolitans with religion is the very thin line between devotion and pure blasphemy. It is the case of the “miracle” of San Gennaro’s blood. It happens twice a year and it consists in bringing the Saint’s blood in a liquid state again (after centuries it is obviously solidified). The particular thing is that during this ritual, the worshippers (and the priests too) literally insult the saint to convince him to make the miracle happen, because if it doesn’t work, it means that something terrible is about to happen.

(Last time it didn’t work was right before the Covid pandemic 🙂)

I’d say this could have been a great inspiration for Body and Blood and Idolatrine.

Honorable mention to the fact that I have lived 32 years now on this Earth and I never attended this event even though I would like to.

Bonus: Now, I said that Dante would come back in the chapters, and he is. In fact, not only Virgilio died in Naples (and he is the protector of the city) but, apparently, the gates of Hell Dante mentioned in his comedy were located on the Averno lake, near Pozzuoli, not far from Naples.

[kattartsblog]

It's time for... Headcanons for Makina! (without spoiling the plans I have for her story):

Her headcanon singing voice would be Ado. (Ussewa, Odo, Crime and Punishment, Tot Musica, Brain Revolution Girl, and Bocca della Verita for song refs.)

Another Headcanon singing voice would be Jun Togawa. (Punk Mushi no Onna, Osozaki Girl, Radar Man, Boshi Jusei, It hurts to say goodbye, and Konchungun for song refs.)

She got into Dethklok in her teens. Makina was in a music shop with one of her classmates and heard a song called "Graves through the Bloody Brimstone" and was hooked ever since.

Makina's fave songs off each Dethalbum; "Hatredcoptor" (1), "the Gears" (2), "The galaxy" (3), and "Bloodbath" (4).

Her birth year would be 1985 (if the timeline was static and is in line with the 2006-2013 time periods). Her full birthday is October 31st, 1985. [I headcanon that she's a year older than Toki]

Her father had an underground band in the 70s, but he had to quit after her birth. Makina inherented his black studded belt and wears it to honor him.

Her first metal album she ever received was a "Best of Snakes and Barrels" CD when she was 5. She doesn't know that Pickles was a part of Snakes and Barrels.

Makina has an embarrassingly large framed Dethklok poster. But since she's been living with them and doesn’t wanna look like a weirdo fan of theirs, she hid it in her wardrobe along with other Dethklok merchandise she owns.

She has a MAJOR crush on Skwisgaar and has been hiding it like crazy, occasionally slipping up. (Makina: "Your hair looks really pretty today." Skwisgaar: "What ams you says?" Makina: "I said you kinda look shitty, idiot! ò////ó")

As told in the Prolouge, before Makina became Nathan's protégé, she used to be the lead singer of a band called "Lycan RIOT." She formed the band in high school, and their first gig was a local county fair.

Other than singing, Makina's instrument of choice is the piano. She's dreamed of owning a black Hammond Organ.

[marudeinusa]

I collected a list of my stories whose chapters have titles for fun and because I am extremely autistic about lists and such. Includes notes on literary references!

BEFORE SHE CALLS THEM TO DINNER (i) may all my attempts be fruitful and tender (ii) singing - la la - they go (iii) the missing rib (iv) lamento (v) stay a while, thou art so - (vi) un, deux (vii) it was almost morning when Filip arrived at the terminal

notes: (i) refers to a mother's wish to have children and the poignant dissonance between this and the way early childbirth influenced Laura (ii) is a quote from Chuuya Nakahara (iii) refers to the biblical story of Adam and Eve (iv) refers to the Nitro Chiral VN (v) a quote from Goethe's Faust (vi) just "one, two" in French, but it is taken from World's End Dancehall (vii) a quote from The Return of Filip Latinovicz

THESE BODIES MADE OF GRAVE DIRT I temptation II consummation

notes: pretty standard meanings. the story is about sex.

CURTAIN CALL 1. Prometheus Bound x Silk Rope, not Nylon x London Bridge is Falling Down 2. Oedipus the King x Plague upon Troy x With More Heart, Dear Customer 3. Iphigenia in Tauris x Sado-Maso Waltz x Eighth House Stellium

notes: Each chapter contains the title of a tragedy from one of the three Greek masters, some sort of an omen of misfortune and an allusion to sex. (1) Prometheus Bound is a tragedy from Aeschylus, silk rope refers to bondage and London Bridge is Falling Down is... from Black Butler to be honest (2) Oedipus the King is a tragedy from Sophocles, plague upon Troy refers to an event from the Iliad and the third part paraphrases a verse from Anna no Musica (3) Iphigenia in Tauris is a tragedy from Eurpides, the second part is self explanatory and the eighth house stellium was once mentioned to me to be the worst possible thing thing on a birth chart

TO ESTABLISH TIES I...Youth and Death II...Dither III...After Dark

notes: (I) Youth and Death is a play by Ryuunosuke Akutagawa (II) This is just a fitting word that I like (III) After Dark is a book by Haruki Murakami

AND EVERY DAY IS SUNDAY I...Thus far obtained II...The little lower road III...The gaps of sunlight IV...Trees, play your part discreetly V...These my frail bones VI...Voyage sans retour VII...Well then, goodbye, he said VIII...I forgot about everything then and gently contemplated time

notes: (I) just a phrase (II) allusion to the Palace Perspective essays (III) Mitski verse (IV, ,V, VII, VIII) Nakahara quotes (VI) Malice Mizer album

WRITING THAT'S TOO GOOD FOR ITS OWN GOOD I ... linger II ... the ends III ... Fritzspiel IV ... en garde

notes: (I) just a word (II) an allusion to "these violent delights have violent ends" (III) A play by Boris Senker (IV) alludes to Toreador from Carmen

[marrcelos]

lorenzo  zurzolo.  he/him.  cis male.    ›  spotted  at  the  met  steps,  marcelo  ‘mars’  valmount, most  likely  listening  to  hell  is  where  i  dreamt  of  u  and  woke  up  alone  by  blackbear  with  their  airpods  pro.  the  twenty  three  year  old  gained  quite  a  reputation,  known  to  be  - materialistic  yet  + determined  to  anyone  who  knows  them.  you’ll  easily  spot  them  when  you  hear  about   arguing  in  italian  over  the  phone  with  his  mother, nearly  shivering  in  disgust  at  the  sight  of  chipped  nail  polish, snorting  lines  of  coke  off  his  phone  as  his  agent  urgently  calls  him, designer  high  end  items  tossed  carelessly  as  if  they  have  no  value, claiming  it’s  'my  way  or  the  highway’ ,  followed  by  toy  boy  by  moschino.  latest  nepoupdates  article  talks  about  him  'allegedly’  hooking  up  with  a  married  teacher  at  university,  but  i  guess  any  reputation  is  good  reputation.  

basic stats ;

⟶ full name: marcelo leonardo valmount ⟶ nicknames: goes by mars, doesn’t mind being called marcelo either ⟶ three things he likes: getting high, discovering new vegan recipes, black nail polish ⟶ three things he dislikes: chipped nail polish, people who instigate, scary movies ⟶ gender: cis male ⟶ height: 5 ‘ 8 ⟶ age: twenty three ⟶ birthday: december 8, 1999 ⟶ zodiac: sagittarius sun, sagittarius moon, scorpio ascendant ⟶ right handed or left handed: right handed ⟶ eye color: baby blue ⟶ hair color: dark brown ⟶ piercings and tattoos: a cartilage piercing on his right ear, a small hoop piercing on his left earlobe, no tattoos ⟶ languages spoken: italian, spanish, and english ⟶ sexuality / romantic orientation: homosexual / homoromantic ⟶ place of birth: upper east side, new york ⟶ last five songs listened to: testa tra le nuvole pt. 2 by alfa, maradona y pelé by thegiornalisti, judas by lady gaga, la musica non c’è by coez, hell is where i dreamt of u and woke up alone by blackbear ⟶ five aesthetics: black nail polish, snorting coke off your phone as your mom calls you, golden eyeliner, baby blue eyes gazing into the sunset, impulsively shopping when you’re stressed ⟶ character inspo: eric effiong from sex education, maxxie oliver from skins u.k, patrick blanco from elite

background story ;

marcelo was born to an italian mother named martina incanti and an american father named richard valmount, the result of a high school love. his mother came from really old money, her parents owning hotel resorts called incanti inn ( literally equivalent to hilton hotels ) all around the world, while his father came from old money too, his parents owning a chain of water supplies ( similar to voss or smartwater ). regardless of how young his parents were, marcelo was practically born with a golden spoon in his mouth, spoiled to the bone and adored by his entire family

still, in every good story, there’s always a catch. before his mother came along, his father had impregnated another woman, meaning marcelo had an older half brother on his father’s side. when he was younger, he remembers his mother doing everything in her power to try and hide ace from him, but as time went on, she couldn’t stop the inevitable  –  marcelo eventually knew all about ace, even going as far as snooping around to figure out more things about his half brother

however, the curiosity to know one of his siblings went away as he realized what a problem ace and his mother were for his own mother and father, always being the number one cause of every fight they ever had. odds are that if marcelo’s parents were fighting, it had to do with ace, and he honestly grew sick of it 

was it really his fault that his father had chosen him and his mother instead and vice versa? admittedly, marcelo felt somewhat guilty about this as a kid, but the older he grew, the more okay with it he became. he figured that if his father had chosen them, it meant that he was obviously better than ace

this, and his entire upbringing, caused marcelo to grow a narcissistic complex. he began modeling at the tender age of six, for brands like gap, the children’s place, carter’s, you name it, and he’s probably modeled for it before. marcelo quickly became enamored with his looks, fully believing that first impressions and the way you looked to the world, was everything

he was also very academically intelligent, gifted in math and called the ‘human calculator’ by his teachers, as he could easily solve division, multiplication, addition and subtraction problems in his head without paper, in seconds. he went to a private, all boys school on the upper east side, singe handedly one of the best in the country

despite being book smart however, his real interest was in modeling and making a name for himself. in his early teen years, he booked a few commercials, and had a break through at fourteen when modeling for the popular luxury brand, gucci. when he was fifteen, he was officially signed to an agency, and from there on out, things grew more ‘intense’ for him, you could say

marcelo quickly realized just how big the competition was out there. for the first time, his last name didn’t mean anything to anyone, it was either bite or get bitten, and as much as he tried not to, he crumbled under pressure

! tws for eating disorders, fainting, hospitals and body dysphoria for the next four bullets, read with caution or skip over this if you’re triggered ! his habits start off so small at first, that he genuinely doesn’t see it as a problem. over exercising is only the beginning, but soon enough, he starts cautiously watching, and counting, the calories of the stuff he eats. when this isn’t proven to be enough, he switches to a vegan diet, and it just escalates from that point on

to be honest, he was never overweight. in fact, doctors would tell him he had to gain some weight in the past, but despite this, he didn’t feel good enough. more so, he felt like he could be better. he became obsessed with any little flaw he would pick out of himself and would work endlessly to fix it, or make it less noticeable. one of his more genuine friends in the modeling industry flat out told him he had a problem, but marcelo brushed it aside and kept ‘working’ on himself. by working on himself, i mean practically torturing himself with unhealthy diets and extreme exercise routines

the worst part is that he really didn’t think he had a problem. he struggled with an eating disorder and body dysphoria for six years, until one day, six months after his twenty first birthday, he ends up passing out during a photo shoot. waking up in the hospital, he’s told he has pretty bad malnutrition linked to an eating disorder and is recommended to seek help. at this point, he weighed ninety five pounds

it’s at this moment that he realizes that he’s not okay. this is a really rough time in his life, because not only do his parents find out about all his antics, but he feels ( somewhat forced ) to get better by not just them, but his friends and his fanbase. it’s also embarrassing for him, as this incident became publics news, so despite not being quite ready to get the help he needs, he ends up checking himself into an inpatient clinic in brooklyn that specializes in eating disorders and mental health. he’s there for three months and it’s basically hell for him, the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, but… he does get better. by a lot. ends up gaining the weight he needs and see’s a nutritionist to work out a ( healthy ) vegan diet for him

after this rather dark time in his life, he decides to go to college to study psychology and minor in nutrition and dietetics. here is where you could say that he ‘finds himself’, as people do the craziest things in their college years. first off, he develops a nasty coke habit, as lots of people in the industry do. he likes the way coke takes away your hunger, and he enjoys the way it makes him feel on top of the world and focused. second of all, he realizes he’s pretty damn gay

to be fair, he’s always had an idea that he wasn’t straight, but he assumed ( wrongly ) that he was bisexual for the longest time. it isn’t until college that he realizes he isn’t really romantically interested in females, hooking up with ( a lot ) of guys

! tw for student/teacher relationship, general inappropriate relationships, read with caution of skip over this if you’re triggered ! to make his life even harder, marcelo begins secretly hooking up with a history professor, who is really only thirty two, but he’s married, and supposedly ‘straight’ to everyone. this relationship is inappropriate and truth be told, marcelo isn’t even sure why he does it to begin with. because he likes attention? because he’s a gay whore? the validation he gives him? point is that this goes on for a couple of months, until, if you guessed it, they get caught. thankfully, this is managed to be kept under wraps and the professor he had been hooking up with transfers to another college, unfortunately? it gets to the ears of his parents, and he’s forced to come out to them a month before his twenty third birthday

honestly, marcelo thought his mother would take it the wrong way. she’s italian, she’s religious, and old school, but surprisingly? she’s the most supportive of him, gives him a hug and tells him she’s going to love him no matter what. his father though? there’s a reaction he wasn’t expecting at all

‘why would you do this to me?’ ‘why are you choosing this lifestyle? have you not embarrassed us enough with this?’ ‘why are you like this marcelo?’ ‘it’s like i don’t even know you anymore’ ‘if i would’ve known my son would turn out to be a fucking queer, i would’ve chosen my other family’ are just some of the many hurtful things he’s told that very night. he never thought his father would be so against him being gay, and it actually really hurts his feelings more than he let on because growing up, he had a very good relationship with his father. he taught him how to play piano, he spoiled him to no end, he was always really supportive of his choices, but this? this was something richard was simply not living down

things become so awkward with his father, he uses the money he makes modeling and through sponsorships and social media to buy a luxury penthouse near his college, wanting to be far away from him. at this moment, he can’t help but wonder  –  is this how ace has felt his whole life? 

headcanons ;

despite being fully recovered from his eating disorder, there are days where marcelo feels ready to give up. he wouldn’t go back to hurting himself the way he used to, but it’s still something he struggles with. he is really, really iffy about what he eats

ironically enough, he’s all about preaching about healthy living and eating right, then proceeds to take four lines of coke without even taking a break... hypocrite, much?

marcelo has thirty seven million followers on instagram and counting, and an equal amount on other social media platforms. he’s a model, an influencer, heir and a college student

he loves painting his nails. his favorite color to paint them is black, but he enjoys dark blue as well. he hates chipped nail polish, will literally run to get his nails re done the second he see’s a chip, usually does black gel or black powder dip

despite acting like he’s too good for everyone, marcelo secretly craves validation. whether it be with his friends or flings he’s had, he just wants to feel like he’s good enough for someone, because truthfully, despite having anything materialistic he could ever want, he doesn’t feel like he’s worthy of love, or deserving of it, but he craves it

he’s a huge vegan, has been a vegan for over a year now and will probably never go back. watch him look at you funny if he catches you eating a burger or something

marcelo loves animals, but is more of a cat person. he has a ragdoll cat he named draco meowfoy while drunk and would basically die for him

he’s been playing piano since he has five, but considers this to just be a fun hobby. he was taught by his father, and his top two favorite pieces to play are i love you by riopy and nuvole bianche by ludovico einaudi

he’s fluent in english, italian and spanish, and will strictly only speak in italian with his mother. despite not being born in italy, marcelo considers himself more italian than american

he loves music in italian too, especially italian love songs or italian edm songs. some of his favorite italian artists are shade, alfa and even thegiornalisti

he impulsively shops when he’s stressed, doesn’t even bother looking at the price tag anymore, just gets what he wants whenever he wants. he’s materialistic, and loves looking good

marcelo is the perfect definition of ‘money doesn’t buy happiness’ because he has everything anyone could ever want, but truthfully? he’s not happy. he feels alone, and no amount of shopping, drug usage, or partying, is going to fix that

i’m going to end this here because this is getting long, but below are some wanted connections and his birthchart!

wanted connections ;

get in loser, we’re going shopping: shopping buddies, could be any gender, but they just go out and spend a fuck ton of money on stuff they don’t even need, probably a superficial relationship

who are you again?: hear me out, someone he gave head to at a party but genuinely doesn’t remember it, but your muse does. like ‘wait isn’t that the guy who sucked my dick?’ and marcelo is just like ‘ha ha.... do i know you?’ literally this level of black out drunk

not sure how we’re friends... i mean, look at your shoes: a pair of very, very unlikely friends. they’re not even sure how they became friends, but it’s surprisingly a genuine friendship, could be very wholesome

i know what you did in college: someone who knew he was hooking up with a professor from college. could go to the same college or could have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. how this muse replies is entirely up to you, could think marcelo is a legend, or could seriously judge him, i’m open for whatever

it’s meant to be. look, we’re both eating vegan eggplant parmesan!: literally became friends because they’re both vegans. text each other about new vegan recipes or new vegan spots they find around town, share the same love of not eating, consuming or messing with any animal products at all, they said animals are friends, not food!

i hate your stinking guts: someone who doesn’t like him. he’s very easy to hate. very entitled and acts like he’s better than everyone. your muse could hate him, or he could hate your muse

what? you can hate people and still think they’re hot: a classic hate ship, open to males/nb. they claim to really not like each other, yet always end up in each others beds, whether they’re drunk or sober, whatever the case might be

you’ve seen me naked before: people ( guys ) he’s hooked up with. he’s a whore so this is open to multiple guys. whether they still hook up or not can be plotted

i tried to warn you from the start: someone in the industry like him, who saw him getting bad and tried to help him, but marcelo wouldn’t listen to them. could be any gender, but this muse genuinely tried to help him at his lowest and he would just shake them off with an ‘i’m fine’. marcelo reached out to this muse when he got out of the hospital to thank them for trying to make him see he had a problem

from afar, i guess: maybe someone who has a crush on him, but he has no idea? could be interesting to play out

need a girls night? get in here, bitch: female friends! give me females he’s very good friends with, a gay bff if you must, and they just gossip, talk shit, watch romcoms and get into all types of shenanigans together!

you were the first guy in my life: first guy he’s ever hooked up with, helped him realize he’s gay. they could be on bad terms, on good terms, friends, still hooking up, i’m open to any ideas!

or, we could brainstorm!

birthchart ;

[takaraphoenix]

OK OK OK So I really really fell in love with your Helios x Apollo story and I've been toying with asking you about writing a small thing about Helios' reaction to Zeus banishing Apollo? And what he does about it. Or just his reaction to Zeus /trying/ to banish Apollo. A sort of fix-it-so-it-never-happens type thing. Totes get you're bogged down with stuff so if you don't have time that's totally okay. If you do decide to do it, could I get it by January 4th?

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || (You are here)|| The whole thing on AO3

Helios was exhausted.

His duties were straining in on themselves, but in the past years in particular. After all, his lover was very busy with Olympian duties - mainly so related to his prophetic gifts. So Helios, being the good, caring boyfriend he was, of course took over some of his lover’s duties. Mainly the sun-related ones.

Only that his duties had been very straining and distracting lately. Especially the closer the Giant War drew. Helios hated that. He wished to stand by his lover’s side, have Apollo’s back.

Apollo had smiled sweetly at him, those mismatched eyes sparkling brightly as he had leaned up on his tip-toes to kiss Helios’ cheek and then shove him hard.

His little sunshine was a fighter, not just a lover. Helios knew that. Of course did he know that. The only one matching him with a bow and arrow was his twin-sister Artemis. Apollo could hold himself in a fight if he had to.

That didn’t mean Helios wanted him in the middle of a fight though. A war no less.

Yet this one… was different.

Gods loved using demigods as pawns. But this war required the gods to also fight themselves. To slay the Giants at the demigods’ side.

Helios trusted his sunshine. He knew Apollo would be fine during the war. And now that the war was over, Helios was looking forward to embracing his lover again, just grab Apollo, take him home and live in peace for a century or two.

Maybe take some time off to spend in Alfheim? They did have this cozy little vacation home there… It would be nice. And Apollo surely would be happy to spend more time with his best friend Frey. That might sway Apollo.

And to be honest, that idea wasn’t so spontaneous. Helios had spent the past few weeks preparing said vacation home, making it as homey as possible for his love. Apollo deserved the rest.

“Helios, my dear, old friend.”

Helios paused. He didn’t turn around. That sweet voice, like poisoned honey. A scowl etched its way onto his face as he took a deep breath to turn around and give Loki Laufeyson a piece of his mind. Said piece of mind was stuck in his throat when he noticed that Loki wasn’t alone.

“Hel Lokisdatter. A rare pleasure, milady”, stated Helios, voice very soft as he bowed.

He knew to respect a king or queen when he met them, regardless what pantheon they were from. Hel offered him the smallest smile in return, a shy one. Her long hair fell into her face, covering the rotting half and only revealing the beautiful one. Her dress, long sleeves on one side, a glove that reached all the way up to her shoulder in addition to it. She half hid behind her father and Loki, as always, stood in a protective stance in front of his only daughter.

The trickster had a pleased half-smirk on his face as he regarded Helios curiously, fingers playing with his well-groomed goaty as he tilted his head. It were his eyes that had always unsettled Helios, if he was being honest. Green as poison, shimmering silver with lies and danger.

Helios stood straight, looking at the two Norse gods curiously. What were they doing in Alfheim? Loki preferred… Well, none really, he was always everywhere - wherever he could cause most mischief. But Hel? The queen of Helheim? Why would the Ice Queen seek the realm of the sun god? Helios could see how clearly uncomfortable the goddess was, looking a bit red-cheeked there.

“Listen, this isn’t a favor for you, Titan”, stated Loki, voice unusually serious.

“A favor?”, echoed Helios surprised. “What do you want, lie smith?”

Helios was startled as Loki threw a golden apple at him. Helios blinked slowly, eyes wide as he stared at the holy fruit. The immortality granting fruit, guarded by the Goddess Iduna for all the gods and pantheons (though she had gardeners assisting her from all the pantheons too. The Hesperides from the Graeco-Romans, for example). Not many knew that ambrosia, the food of the gods that granted them immortality, was actually made, among other ingredients, of the golden apples.

“Father speaks the truth”, pieped Hel up, looking displeased. “That’s why I’m here. I know how unreasonably unrealistic that statement is.”

“Hey. A bit more respect for your old man”, grunted Loki with a glare.

Hel gave him a deadpan look before returning her attention to Helios once more. “Your Olympians have decided to strip one of your own off his immortality. Your king couldn’t make that decision without Hades knowing. After all, a god now runs the danger of being killed and dying. And, well, when I was in the park with my puppy Garm last week, we walked with Hades and Zerberus for a while and he mentioned it. And when I heard who…”

Helios didn’t like where this was going. He gripped the apple tighter. Loki’s smirk grew more knowing and wicked. Helios had the urge to throw the apple into his pretty face.

“My dear daughter told me and I could not let it stand like that”, drawled Loki. “I mean, he is my best friend’s favorite brother. Hermes would be quite unbearable if something happened to precious Apollo.”

“Then why not go to Hermes?”, asked Helios, still suspicious.

“Ah”, grunted Loki with a careless shrug. “Daddy issues. You know the guy can’t go up agains Zeus. You? A Titan? This could be… entertaining.”

Helios gritted his teeth and averted his eyes to stare at the floor. Loki and Hel remained for a long stretch of silence. He really didn’t like Loki - mainly because Loki and Apollo had kind of a fling prior to Helios and Apollo getting together. Helios wasn’t a fan of how much Loki enjoyed reminding him of this.

“Thank you, Loki. You… have my grattitude”, grunted Helios out unwillingly. “You too, Queen Hel.”

The self-satisfied smile on Loki’s face made Helios really want to throw the apple. “My, it would be a shame if something so pretty would be wasted. Just… take care of this, Titan.”

“I will, Eldojotun”, replied Helios sharply, watching with satisfaction how Loki flinched.

The Aes did not like being reminded that his status as a god was an earned one and that, foremost, he was still a born Fire Giant. Loki sneered at him briefly before returning to his charming smile.

“Very well then. Come along, sweetie. Grandma invited us for tea and cake”, declared Loki, waving a dismissive hand in Helios’ general direction.

“Oh! Grandma Laufey makes the best cakes. Bye, Helios”, chimed Hel, seemingly far more motivated by that prospect.

With that, the two Norse gods disappeared. Leaving Helios with his apple.

“W–Who in the world…?”, grunted a startled teenager.

The boy, with messy black hair, stared up at Helios with surprised, sea-green eyes. Helios only spared the human one glance before turning to the one in the boy’s company. A scowl found its way onto Helios’ face as he threw the golden apple at his boyfriend. Apollo smiled brighter than the sun as he caught it.

“Oh! Wonderful. Early rescue. Just started wondering where our new little dynamic duo was going to head next to solve this little… problem of mine”, chimed Apollo happily, rubbing the apple against his robes. “Huh. Those things are not handed out easily. Iduna is possessive of them. How did you…?”

“A thief dropped it off”, growled Helios and grabbed Apollo by the arm. “Come.”

“…I don’t like it when you’re angry”, noted Apollo dubiously. “Are you… angry with me?”

“No”, replied Helios, the growl growing darker as the sky above them clouded over. “Someone else. I’m glad you’re fine, my love.” His voice grew gentler at that as he cupped Apollo’s cheek and checked him for injuries before turning toward the human. “Thank you, for protecting my sunshine. I am indebted to you. If any god gives you a hard time again, call for Helios and I will stand by your side.”

“A free favor from a god. That’s a new one. Cool.”

Apollo wrapped one arm aroung Helios’ neck, the other hand still holding the apple as he brought it up to his rosy lips and took a large bite from it. To grand immortality, one needed a whole apple. The tiny bit that was mushed into the ambrosia was enough to keep the immortality going for the gods, but it would never be enough to restore Apollo’s godhood. Apollo yelped as Helios teleported them away.

The sky around Olympus darkened as though night had come early. Zeus frowned confused. He knew Helios was taking care of the sun - it was the main reason why he had even gotten his punishment for Apollo through.

“How dare you”, roared an angry, dark voice.

Zeus sat up straighter on his throne as the Sun Titan materialized in front of him, looking like a vicious, avenging angel. There were still many Titans around and the general rule of thumb was to perhaps not anger them. They were ancient and also powerful in most cases. Zeus blinked as he spotted his son behind Helios. The son Zeus had only just banished from Olympus.

“Apollo”, growled Zeus in warning.

“No”, hollered Helios.

“You broke an Oath of Styx twice, siring two demigods.

You interfered and turned one of them into a tree to cheat Death himself.

You are the king and were responsible to keep things such as Tartarus secure yet you allowed for your Father to reform and nearly overthrow you.

You let a teenage boy steal your symbol of power.

You let your son Ares allign himself with Kronos during the Titan War without repercussions.

You let your wife make a fool out of you by playing with the memories of the heroes and having Romans and Greeks mingle, single-handedly throwing all of Olympus into an identity crisis that very well nearly cost you all your lives and this war.

And yet here you are, acting like you are the one, true king who does no wrong. Punishing Apollo for… What exactly did he do wrong? He has helped your little pawns during both wars. He has done his best to restore the Oracle after it had been lost because you had to anger Lord Hades.”

Helios had stalked up to Zeus and by now was lifting the young god up by his throat, a nasty expression on Helios’ face as he squeezed. No amount of thundering and sparks was going to get Zeus out of the supernova-hot burning fury of a Sun Titan.

“You will never lay a hand on Apollo again or you will find yourself right down there alongside your father”, growled Helios in warning. “Believe me, no one is pleased with you and Hera anymore. The past handful of years alone have proven what incapable rulers you have become. You allowed not one, not two, but four major wars to happen right under your nose within the last century alone. And so far, the only thing keeping from a revolution is that everyone is still licking their wounds. But so help me Chaos herself, if you ever lay hand on Apollo again, I will personally throw the first speer.”

Zeus looked positively mortified as Helios just dropped him. Still glowering, Helios went to his lover and picked Apollo up bridal-style before teleporting them to Alfheim. Apollo blinked dazed up at him as he slowly oriented himself.

“That was… really fucking hot”, grunted Apollo stunned. “My knight in golden-shining armor.”

Grinning and batting his eyelashes playfully, Apollo pulled Helios down into a kiss. “We’re taking a vacation. Right now.”

“No arguments from me, babe”, hummed Apollo pleased.

THE END

So you caught me on the right foot there. Because I just got back from seeing Thor: Ragnarok and I needed some comfort. Fics are comfort. And I found a nice way of including Hel and Loki in this too. Pleased by that. I hope this was the kind of comfort you were looking for too there? ;)

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #150 - Miles Davis, Sketches Of Spain, 1960

Lo ammetto, la scelta di oggi è dettata anche da una forma di refenzialità: perchè da quando ho iniziato a numerare le Storie Di Musica lui era già al #1, al #50 e al #100. Ecco perchè oggi si parla di Miles Davis. E anche nel disco di oggi, come nei precedenti, il grande musicista mette sul disco tutta la sua immensa immaginazione, tutta la sua creatività e soprattutto la sua voglia di fare qualcosa di nuovo, istanza che lo accompagnerà per tutta la sua vita musicale. Il disco di oggi, leggenda vuole, nacque da una serata dove la prima moglie di Miles, Frances Taylor, lo portò ad un balletto di Flamenco a New York. A Davis piacque moltissimo, e iniziò a parlarne con il suo amico, e fenomenale arrangiatore e musicista, Gil Evans. La collaborazione tra i due aveva già prodotto cose fantasmagoriche (tra le altre, The Birth Of The Cool, Miles Ahead, la collaborazione per quel capolavoro insuperabile che fu Kind Of Blue). Davis e Evans erano soliti ascoltare i dischi in una stanza apposita della casa di Evans, e da lì iniziare a pensare ai progetti futuri. Sketches Of Spain fu registrato tra la fine del 1959 (una sessione ad Ottobre) e gli inizi del 1960 (a Marzo), appena pochi mesi dopo Kind Of Blue, ed è il disco nato dalle quelle riflessioni, quei sogni, sulla musica di origine spagnola. Miles stavolta abbandona il magico sestetto per una formazione diversa, allargata ad una orchestra di fiati e con i fidati, e geniali, Jimmy Cobb alla batteria, Paul Chambers al contrabbasso e Elvis Jones alle percussioni. Davis stavolta prende dalla musica colta: il disco si apre con lo straordinario Adagio del Concierto de Aranjuez di Joaquín Rodrigo: ispirato al musicista spagnolo da una camminata nei fastosi giardini del Palazzo de Aranjuez, spettacolare dimora reale costruita dai Reali Spagnoli a Aranjuez, una cittadina a 50 km da Madrid. Davis e Evans mantengono quasi inalterata la partitura, solo che l’Adagio, divenuto celeberrimo perchè pezzo composto per chitarra e orchestra, qui viene suonato come pezzo per tromba e flicorno, di Davis, con un’orchestra di fiati. Il risultato è di una dolcezza e di magnificenza irreali, ma a Rodrigo non piacque tanto, e lo disse pubblicamente: in seguito Davis nella sua autobiografia sostenne, non senza una certa dose di sarcasmo, che Rodrigo non disdegnò mai la montagna di royalties che gli furono corrisposte dal successo della sua cover. Altro brano epico e di derivazione colta è Will o’ The Wisp, nome stranissimo affibbiato ad una rivisitazione di un balletto, El Amor Brujo, scritto dal musicista Manuel de Falla: breve e intenso, ha un che di magico e di misterioso. Evans poi scrive tre brani autografi: The Pan Piper, ispirato all’atmosfera generale del disco, e poi due piccoli gioielli: Saeta prende spunto da un brano raccolto nell’antologia musicale  dall’etnomusicologo Alan Lomax, e si ispira ai canti della processione del Venerdì santo di Siviglia: durante la processione dell’Addolorata che parte dalla Chiesa della Macarena, la processione si svolge nel più assoluto silenzio, fin quando, arrivato ad un dato punto, da balcone un uomo, un Seguiriya o martinete nello stile del cante jondo  del flamenco, inizia a cantare a cappella una canzone dolorosa e di rispetto per il lutto della Madonna. Solea invece è un brano di origini peruviane. Dalle registrazioni non fu in un primo momento aggiunto Song Of Our Country, sempre a firma di Evans, che compare nella prima versione CD del disco, insieme a versioni differenti del Concierto di Aranjuez. Prodotto da Teo Macero, il geniale e fidatissimo produttore di Davis, il disco ebbe anche dei momenti difficili durante le registrazioni: molti musicisti, soprattutto i trombettisti, si lamentarono per la difficoltà delle partiture da eseguire, e chiesero a Evans di semplificarle, in questo senso con l’appoggio di Macero che stava con i sessionisti. Davis non volle intervenire, e anzi secondo la leggenda in quei giorni di registrazioni era davvero spaesato, forse per problemi privati. Il disco, come tutti i capolavori di Miles Davis, divise la critica: per alcuni, non era nemmeno jazz, ma “musica leggera d’alto bordo”, per altri fu invece il tentativo, l’ennesimo riuscito, di ampliare gli orizzonti del jazz. A distanza di 60 anni si può tranquillamente dire che ha prevalso la seconda, e Sketches Of Spain, oltre che essere un grande successo commerciale, è uno dei dischi più apprezzati di un genio assoluto, che alle critiche secondo il suo biografo rispose:” è musica e a me piace”. 

[reddeaddamnation]

Masterlist or the new Bible of the Holy trinity Desmond, Clay and Daniel

Because the old one got messed up after I changed my URL

Dirty A-Z headcanons

Alexios

Altair ibn-La’Ahad

Yusuf Tazim

Desmond Miles

Crawford Starrick

Charles Vane

Haytham Kenway

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Elise de la Serre

Edward Kenway

Arno Dorian

Evie Frye

Connor Kenway

Jacob Frye

Shay Cormac

Shaun Hastings

Henry Green

Daniel Cross

Clay Kaczmarek

Preferences

How they would propose to you

Spending Halloween with them

Them surprising you with dinner

When they find out your daughter has a boyfriend pt.1

When they find out your daughter has a boyfriend pt.2

Them finding your sex toys

How the assassins are when they catch a cold

When your child says they want a sibling

Messing up with them and asking for forgiveness

Training with them

When they make you cry

When they are jealous

When you say you want to go shopping

Being in a relationship with them

How they would react to your teasing [Jacob and Arno]

When you call them daddy for the first time

Playfully stealing something of their’s

Them going to the dentist

Being their ex and meeting them for the first time after your breakup

How the assassins are in bed vs. how they are outside it

Spending new year with them

When they come home drunk

When your child does something they shouldn’t have

When they find out your ex is beating you

Teasing them during a dinner with friends and leaving them hanging:

When you give him a boner while sitting on his lap

Trying on lingerie and them walking in on you

When they tease you so much you lose your mood

What color lingerie he would like you wearing for his birthday

Giving them a massage

What they would do to make things right after messing up with you

Waking up beside them 

How the assassins are when they sleep

The assassins taking you camping

When you interview them for a job

How training with them is like

How they react when you tell them you don’t want children

How they would react to finding out you aren’t the gender they thought you were

Being a rebel and the assassins falling in love with you

How they celebrate your birthday

Being in a relationship with the assassins

Being Romani and meeting them 

Being Slavic and meeting them

Being Finnish and dating them

Imagine being an Egyptian and dating the assassins

Having a pet cat that doesn’t like your assassin boyfriend/girlfriend

Having a big guard dog that doesn’t like your assassin boyfriend

How they would react to you being arachnophobic

How they would react to you getting a kiss from someone else

How they would treat you if you were anorexic

How the assassins are during an argument

When they ask you about your scars:

Giving them a handjob at the cinema

Them losing you while you’re giving birth to your child

Them singing you a song

When they’re possessive of you

How the assassins would react to you bringing home a stray animal

How they would react to you stealing a kill from them

How they would deal with you after you drank too much

When you and your ex have to go on a mission without them

How they would react when you tell them you’re pregnant

Playing horror games with them

How the assassins are when they are jealous:

Trying to get your phone back but accidentally grabbing their crotch (HT)

Imagine being gone for a long time and catching them jack off when you return home (HT)

Imagine riding them on the Animus (HT)

Imagine them having the bleeding effect but you staying anyway (HT)

HT imagine: Family dinner

Imagine: Clay, Daniel and Desmond interviewing you for a job

Stories

Being leader of a rivaling organization and trying to bring down both assassins and templars

If “Happy ever after did exist” Chapter 1 - Desmond Miles

Scenarios/Headcanons

How they would react to each other’s music taste

Being their twin sister: Ezio, Arno and Desmond

Imagine going with them to the zoo

Being married to Jacob

Imagine a highschool where:

Imagine the assassins going on a trip together

The assassins living together

The assassins living together pt.2

Assassins as dogs

The assassins as students

A very Creed-y Christmas

Dating Arno Dorian

Imagine the assassins going together on a trip to the mountains

Imagine the assassins together at the beach

The assassins as cats

Living with them

Imagine them having a water balloon fight

“I could get it, just don’t ask how”

Imagine: Clay, Desmond and Daniel as little animals and you adopting them

Playing Seven minutes in Heaven with them

Altair and Malik fighting over you

What nickname would be their favorite to call you

Haytham as a doctor

Imagine sharing a tight space with Haytham

One shots

Imagine an Assassin’s creed game set in Bulgaria

Jacob Frye

Imagine being Starrick’s daughter and dating Jacob

Having an argument with Jacob

Imagine Jacob pulling up a tent in front of your house

Being a gang leader and catching Jacob’s attention

Getting married to Jacob

Imagine being forcefully married to Starrick and having an affair with Jacob

Being forcefully married to Starrick and secretly helping Jacob bring him down

Jacob being under house arrest

Being Jacob’s lover and Jack the ripper abducting you

Being Jacob’s lover and Jack the ripper abducting you part 2

Haytham Kenway

Request

Stealing Haytham’s amulet

Haytham being your sugar daddy pt.1

Haytham being your sugar daddy pt.2

“Perfect” 

Arno Dorian

Arno saving you from the guillotine

Being Bellec’s daughter and meeting Arno

Being a Templar and being in love with Arno

Arno catching your daughter doing his mission instead of being in school

Being engaged to Bellec but having an affair with Arno

Elise dying during childbirth and you helping Arno with parenthood

“Never enough”

Being agoraphobic and Arno comforting you

Arno Dorian having a crush on you

“Turning page”

Being Arno’s lover

Ezio Auditore

Ezio Talking dirty to you in Italian

Ezio getting jealous that you talk to Salai

“The girl from the neighborhood“

Che vuola questa musica? // Who wants this music tonight?

“Perfect”

Being a Borgia and dating Ezio:

Being Leonardo da Vinci’s student and meeting Ezio

“Rebirthing”

Bayek of Siwa

Modern day job AU

Being a Roman aristocrat and Bayek saving you from getting assassinated

Car sex with him

Watching him fight in the arena

Alexios

Request

Being a falconer and meeting him

Falling in love with Deimos Alexios

Deimos Alexios watching you fight

Deimos Alexios being obsessed with you

Missing Alexios and Barnabas telling you stories about him

Being a Persian and Alexios finding you stranded on the beach

Deimos Alexios finding out you work with Kassandra

Joining his crew

Alexios doing silly things to get your attention

Otso Berg

Request

Shay Cormac

Request

Being a Portuguese Templar and Shay falling in love with you

Lydia Frye

Being a Templar and Lydia’s lover

Crawford Starrick

Crawford Starrick being your sugar daddy

Being a rebel and Starrick falling for you

Desmond Miles

Forgetting Desmond’s birthday and making up for it

“Closer”

Being Desmond’s sister

Hope Jensen

Being Shay’s younger sister and Hope being in love with you

Shaun Hastings

Throwing a surprise party for Shaun’s birthday

Being an assassin and Shaun falling for you

Clay Kaczmarek

Getting back at Clay for tricking you with his dirty talking

Clay talking dirty to you in Polish

“Whispers in the dark”

Pierre Bellec

Convincing Pierre to adopt little Arno after his father’s death

Altair ibn-La’Ahad

“I’ll be there”

“Dooset daram” / “I love you”

“Brother”

Edward Kenway

Being born on a ship and afraid of land

“Havana”

Edward Kenway being impressed with your pirating skills

Edward saving you from getting killed (sequel to the above)

Malik al’Sayf

Being there for Malik when he loses his arm

Connor Kenway

Being a Templar and running away with Connor after he saves you from getting killed part 3

Being a Templar and Connor saving you from getting killed part 2

Being a Templar and Connor falling in love with you  part 1

Being a captive of the English and Connor freeing you

Evie Frye

Meeting Evie for the first time and falling in love with her 

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/01/01/ethio-jazz-is-a-product-of-migration-and-heroic-ingenuity/

Ethio-jazz is a product of migration and heroic ingenuity

Jan 2nd 2021

TO WESTERN EARS, the music seems both foreign and familiar. Its mood stretches from sultry and haunting to upbeat and vibrant. Soulful Western undertones are audible, yet the overall impression is distinctly and inimitably Ethiopian. Now a rich musical export, the evolution of “Ethio-jazz”, as this hybrid genre is known, and its growing global renown are a tale of back-and-forth migration and the alchemical fusion of ideas. The dramatic saga involves political upheaval, accidental epiphanies, a series of dogged and inspired individuals—and Hollywood.

Today, says Samuel Yirga, a pianist and composer, Ethio-jazz is a calling and way of life for many Ethiopian musicians. In 2020 there were new releases from stars of the genre including Mulatu Astatke (pictured), a visionary percussionist and keyboardist, and Hailu Mergia, an accordionist and band leader. “Sons of Ethiopia”, a cult classic of 1984 by the band Admas that mixes pop, funk and jazz, has just been re-released. Yet the story of the mesmeric sound began almost a century ago, in Jerusalem.

Visiting that city in 1924, the leader who would later become Emperor Haile Selassie was greeted by a brass band, which was made up of orphaned survivors of the Armenian genocide. He was impressed, and promptly invited the musicians to live in Ethiopia, along with their band leader, Kevork Nalbandian. There the group was known as “Arba Lijoch”, Amharic for “The Forty Children”.

The arrival of Arba Lijoch in Addis Ababa was a revolutionary moment in the country’s cultural history. An indigenous musical tradition based on stringed instruments began to morph into one revolving around large brass bands. Nalbandian went on to compose the Ethiopian national anthem and to teach musicians from around the country. Later his nephew, Nerses Nalbandian, took on his mission, training performers including future giants of modern Ethiopian music such as Alemayehu Eshete and Tilahun Gessesse, both renowned singers. In Addis Ababa, says Aramazt Kalayjian, a film-maker, the younger Nalbandian is known as “the godfather” of modern Ethiopian music.

World music

This formative period was the overture to the pivotal career of Mulatu, the next key figure in the story. Unusually for the era, in the late 1950s Mulatu was educated not in Africa but in Wales, afterwards studying music in London and Boston. But it was in the mid-1960s in New York, where he encountered John Coltrane and other musicians, that he honed a new sound that he called Ethio-jazz—a marriage between the distinct pentatonic scales that define most traditional Ethiopian music and the kind that are the basis of most Western music. The result, as summarised by Ermanno Becchis, a producer, “is sinuously scientific, but truly magical”.

Mulatu returned home to Ethiopia—and in the late 1960s and 1970s its capital earned the nickname “Swinging Addis”. Nightlife flourished in a musical golden age, as did pioneering record labels such as Amha Records. “People were having the time of their lives,” Amha Eshete, the label’s founder, recalls in a documentary about the period. Then, in 1974, Ethiopia’s monarchy was overthrown by a Marxist junta known as the Derg, which imposed new rules and curfews.

“The Derg’s policies shut down most musical performances in Ethiopia between 1974 and 1991 and cut off contact with European and American popular-musical styles,” explains Kay Kaufman Shelemay of Harvard University. Many artists went into exile; the emerging scene was quashed. Or so it seemed.

Like its birth, the revival of Ethio-jazz came about through travel and serendipity. At a party in Poitiers in the mid-1980s Francis Falceto, a French producer and musicologist, happened to hear the recorded voice of Mahmoud Ahmed, an Ethiopian singer. The Derg regime was “a musical nightmare”, laments Mr Falceto, the tale’s next hero. But in 1991 the junta was overthrown—and Mr Falceto could embark on his self-appointed mission to share modern Ethiopian music with the world. In 1997 he released the first volume of an anthology called “Éthiopiques”.

Thirty more volumes have followed; the next, number 32, will be called “Nalbandian the Ethiopian” and commemorate Nerses Nalbandian, Mr Falceto says. Although, by his own account, he is “getting old and a bit tired”, he hopes to put out four or five more volumes. But his series has already transformed the fortunes of Ethiopian artists. The fourth volume, featuring Mulatu, definitively put Ethio-jazz on the world map. After its release, Jim Jarmusch, a film director, used Mulatu’s music on the soundtrack for “Broken Flowers”, an award-winning film of 2005. The movie, says Ms Kaufman Shelemay of Harvard, brought Ethio-jazz to the ears of an even wider international audience.

For some outsiders, Ethiopia is predominantly associated with political strife—such as the bloody military action recently launched by the government in the Tigray region—and humanitarian crises. But another version of the country still thrums from the bars of Addis Ababa to the stages of Glastonbury. Hip-hop artists such as Kanye West have sampled Ethio-jazz on their tracks; the country’s music schools continue to produce innovative performers. And a new generation of expatriate musicians has helped popularise a genre rooted in Africa but nurtured around the world. “For people newly coming to it,” says Berhana, a singer based in America, “I love that it serves as an introduction to a music and culture that runs so deep.” ■

This article appeared in the Books & arts section of the print edition under the headline “The beat goes on”

Reuse this contentThe Trust Project

Source

[polarishq]

Meet RHIANNON BYRD. They are NINETY-FOUR years old and hail from SAVANNAH, GEORGIA. Rhiannon embodies the constellation, MUSICA, and the moon, KERBEROS. They use she/her pronouns. Their faceclaim is ABIGAIL COWEN.

Musica reminds me of the rumbling of applause, peaches and cream, cork heels, cat eye sunglasses, how long does it take to bury a grudge?, red carpet jitters, a work in progress, wide eyed and bushy tailed, behind closed doors, top billing, and finally coming up for air after what feels like centuries underwater,

BIOGRAPHY

Two time Oscar winner, Tony Nominee, and America’s Sweetheart throughout the sixties and early seventies — Rhiannon Byrd once had quite a home beneath the spotlight. It’s a classic story: young rural girl plucked up by a scouting agent, who saw potential in her soft beauty and seemingly natural ability to enthrall a crowd. Even before that though, Rhiannon had a penchant for inspiring others within in her community. Back then, she was known as Ruth Buckley, an unextraordinary name for a rather extraordinary girl. There were traces of magic on her mother’s side of the family, which made it a toss-up as to whether or not Rhiannon and her brother would possess any abilities. At the very least, they had a slower-than-normal aging process, making Rhiannon look barely twenty despite being almost forty. So when a Hollywood agent decided she had potential as an up-and-comer, who was she to decline?

What followed was a whirlwind of a career that put her right in the spotlight. Rhiannon possessed a (seemingly) natural charm to her, taking the girl-next-door archetype and turning it on its head. After only a few years in the acting world, casting directors were offering big bucks to get her on their movies, writers were creating stories specifically meant for her, and Rhiannon was the very definition of success. Fame and accolades and a big house and her name in lights were all well and good, but they didn’t much compare to the thought of having someone to share it all with. In the 1960s though, it wasn’t an option to come out, much less when you’re one of the most sought-after names of the 20th century. She eventually found a way to balance it — daylight hours spent with someone who existed solely for publicity, and nights spent tucked behind closed doors, desperately wishing she didn’t have to hide.

Being a witch is all well and good, but being a witch after making a name for yourself in the human world is a sticky situation. Her birth year on all her career-based records was fabricated, but eventually it reached a point where not even the best plastic surgery in the world could explain how young she looked. Retiring was her only option. The fame really was difficult to part with, so she instead crafted a story about becoming a recluse who would still freely talk to the press via phone and letter. In actuality, Rhiannon had heard word of a school in Vermont that would train her in an entirely different craft. She’d already lived a fabulous life as a human. Maybe it was time to give her other side a chance to soar.

After enough time had passed, Rhiannon finally began opening up to the outside world again, this time with a different story. Rhiannon Byrd? Oh yes, she was my grandmother. The genetics are strong, I know. Sadly, she passed away back in 2000. Emphysema, how awful. And it worked. The country mourned the loss of their former sweetheart, with Rhiannon sneaking in the occasional story to keep the press enthralled with tales of her own life post-retirement. She had effectively killed herself off and moved forward. Money wasn’t an issue, and being able to see the (still in-progress) advancement of America regarding LGBTQ+ rights in the 21st century was beyond her wildest dreams. And Rhiannon has had some pretty spectacular dreams.

After completing her course of study at Polaris, Rhiannon could have gone back to her old life. With her magic-induced charms and the believe she was the descendant of an already famous name, it would have been easy. But Rhiannon found that she rather enjoyed living in the magic world. It was one of wonder and excellence that she’d never fully appreciated before. Plus, while her films were still known within the magical world, she was known as Musica before anything else here. It’s as close to obscure as she’ll probably be able to get. Her PA application was accepted just at the start of this past semester, and while its an odd feeling to once again be starting a new chapter, Rhiannon doesn’t doubt she can handle it.

INCLINATION

Musica is a vain star, and the entire galaxy knows it. Therefore, Musica chooses only those who are awe-inspring and beautiful, providing muse and inspiration to others. Musica is extremely well-equipped with charms and glamor spells, and they’ve been known to create a few love potions in their day. With Musica comes the gift for inspiration magic. Musica is a friend you want to have around, not only because of their positive energy, but because of the way ideas pour out of them.

CONNECTIONS

Filling the role of Adeline Arthur’s Scorned Lover. 

Filling the role of Ellis Davis’ Trusted Companion.

Brother: One day I’ll stop requesting sibling connections but today is not that day. Rhiannon’s brother (older or younger) who also happened to be granted magic, and who is one of the few people well aware of what she got into behind closed doors during the height of her fame. The two of them have a close relationship even though he dedicated himself to the magic world while she was making her own.

Penned by Jeanne ★

[couldnt-think-of-a-better-name]

Mujika is demon!Jesus & other possible Bible references in TPN

It’s time people to get ready to have your minds blown again, my newest crazy theory post is here!

Disclaimer: This post contains manga spoilers up to and including chapter 127. Also, I don’t mean to offend anyone’s religion, I’m just making comparisons out of interest, and I am getting most of my info from wikipedia. Chapter 127 full fan translation dropped, and not just for me, but for others as well it has instantly stuck out like a sore thumb how much Mujika’s story parallelled Jesus from the New Testament

The facts: 1) Musica’s very existence is an unexplained miracle, as she is able to do things no other demons can (keep her form without eating humans), and none knows where she came from (she is most likely of common birth).

2) She can and have been performing straight up miracles of “curing” demons of their hunger, and saving them from devolving into unintelligence.

3) What’s more, she has been passing her power to her followers and supporters, who can spread her “cure”, and teachings of the need to not eat humans in order to save even more demons from starvation and devolving.

4) Her blood taking away the demons’ hunger is basically a literal take on these Bible verses with illustration added as well:

5) She was persecuted and ordered to be killed by the rulers out of no fault of her own.

6) If you are still not convinced, she was LITERALLY called the demon MESSIAH by Norman, and I honestly don’t know if I could make it clearer...

It may seem a bit random at first, but I have already mentioned Bible references in TPN in my Mujika is Medusa theory post, so this isn’t really out of the blue. As a bit of a reminder, or if you haven’t seen that post here are the possible references:

1) Minerva’s mythology book has a snake and apple just like the story in Genesis.

2) Mujika herself is later associated with an apple on a cover.

3) The Promised Neverland may be a reference to the Promised Land from Exodus, as well as to Neverland from Peter Pan. This isn’t just a similarity in name, since their demon god is responsible for the PROMISE that we know ensures the NEVERLAND where no human child gets to grow up (since they get eaten). Right, that’s it, TPN is a mashup of Peter Pan and the Bible.

There we go, I have made my crazy and outlandish claim just like before, but can I give any even remotely believeable evidence for it?

Well, for the Peter Pan part, I have already made a huge post on the list of possible references, so please head to my Theory Directory where you can find a link. If that doesn’t work for you, I will also reblog this post with a link.

As for the Bible part, well, is there any evidence beyond Mujika? Ok, how about we play a small game. Try pronouncing Son-ju and then St. John. Hear any similarity? Am I messing with you? Well, yes and no. How about you take a look at the wiki info on St John, Jesus’ apostole (not to be confused with John the baptist).

Sooo, wasn’t Son-ju the only follower of Mujika left alive? What a strange coincidence... Then didn’t Son-ju also wear a fish shaped cloak pin? I thought it signified that they were underwater, but St. John was a fisherman... 

Oh yeah, and isn’t it funny how we have James, Peter and Andrew all feature in St. John’s description? Weren’t there some characters in TPN also called these names...?

What’s even more interesting is John and James having been brothers, but John surviving James for a long time. I find that interesting because I recently discussed a theory by @fyria-hans  that Sonju may have been the one wearing the Minerva cape and sending that morse coded message to the kids to stay put where they were.

Since it was morse code, they didn’t hear a voice, and in those panels the wide shouldered frame and those shoes really looked like Sonju’s. We know he had justification for wanting the cattle children to survive “in the wild”, and he also most likely had the skill to create fake tracks to throw off Andrew. So it is a possibility that he had been James’ supporter... The other interesting fact was that both St. James and James Ratri died first out of the cast. Btw, fun fact about St. Peter: he holds the keys to heaven. Isn’t that a bit like how Peter Ratri has control over the access to the human world, which would be pretty much heaven to the cattlechildren?

Oh btw, did you know that there were two apostoles called James? So the other one was known as the Lesser James? Hm, isn’t Norman kind of a smaller, younger version of James Ratri right now? Oh yeah, and did you know that St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter? And he is also a patron of fishermen, farmers, miners and butchers?

Hmmm, sooo we he a small number of coincidences, surely there won’t be more! Right...? RIGHT?!

Well, you might know that St. Matthew is associated with an angel

Hmm, but where did we see angels in TPN?

Ah riiight, in Minerva’s famous mythology book! And isn’t it funny how there is a CUP next to that angel... Didn’t we just have MUJIKA associated with a CUP (of blood she offered) this chapter?!

Hmm, and wasn’t there a character who had a strange connection to Mujika we didn’t understand? That she showed up in his “DYING” MEMORIES? Here is another fun fact.

LEUVIS?! But didn’t I say in my Peter Pan theory that Leuvis was associated with the Lost Boy Curly? Am I contradicting myself? Well, lucky for me, we also have this:

So the authors have confirmed that their characters can hold multiple references, and my guess is that I may have just managed to find 2 out of 3 for Leuvis ;D (It’s funny how Shirai-san wanted to be so secretive about the references, right?) Similarly, I don’t think there is any problem going through the other characters and finding references to them. So let’s dive in further!

So there is another Apostole who is called JUDE (Thaddeus). That name bears perhaps a passing resemblance to LUCE, or not? How about the things associated with this apostole?

Wasn’t Luce a bit of a LOST CAUSE? And didn’t his servants weild CLUBS? Also, what about the time Emma threw an AXE at him? Hah, these coincidences sure are getting trippy, right?

While we are on the topic of Luce, I would like to point out that before he died he made this little comment:

Huuh, so his dad is some important mofo? But we sure haven’t seen or heard anything of him ever since... right? Well, how about you compare these panels for me?

This dude who murdered Mujika’s followers suuuure bears a passing resemblance to Luce, except he looks much more buff and badass... and older...

But lets not get sidetracked! We were looking at apostles, so how about I bring up the wiki info on another one?

Funny, didn’t I associate NOUMA (isn’t that slightly close to THOMA?) and NOUS with the Twins in my Peter Pan analysis? Btw, do you know that St. Thomas died by the spear, so he is associated with it? I Thought Nouma and Nous had spears... But there is a Thoma among the kids as well! Huh, but isn’t he always with Lani? Acting as if they were something like twins... huh... Weird, but let’s look at another apostole!

So Bartholomew doesn’t sound much like Bayon, except they both start with “Ba”, but did you know that St. Bartholomew, among other things is a patron of butchers and TRAPPERS. Huh, didn’t Bayon kinda enable the trapping and hunting of cattlechildren like wild animals at Goldy Pond...?

Also, yeah, we have a Nat among the kids again, and we also have a Phil... Did you know that we have a Mark as well? While Mark wasn’t an apostole, he has some written passages in the Bible...

But lets not get hung up on a couple of names that are similar sounding! Although I can’t help but wonder what could be the name of the demon king who ordered the death of Mujika... and if it sounds anything like PONTIUS PILATE who ordered the death of Jesus? It’s a shame we don’t have his name :(

But do you know a funny fact about Pilate? He was a ROMAN prefect. Huh, didn’t we have a handful of roman references in TPN? Like mirrored LATIN, or MINERVA, a ROMAN GODDESS?!

Hmm, you know what is a funny thought though? If Mujika is demon!Jesus, and we know that we have a demon!God (the one with the demon gylph written name, called just HIM in the anime), then I wonder if the analogy extends further. You know, God has sent Jesus to the human world to be the saviour of humankind, but then the humans in charge chose to persecute and kill him... although Jesus didn’t die permanently. So I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t demon!God who sent Mujika as demon!Jesus to be the saviour of demonkind, only to find that the demons in charge had the bright idea of persecuting and trying to kill her... but luckily she isn’t dead even though everyone thought she died! Well, if that’s the case, I bet demon!God is facepalming right now. And if that analogy holds, it may also stand that the demons are an analogy for the jews (who had their PROMISED LAND from God, while demons have their PROMISED NEVERLAND from demon!God (which also fits with my idea that demon!God used their powers to literally create the demon world below the deep sea... you can read more on this in another post of mine)) whereas the cattlechildren are an analogy for the gentiles (non-jew). If you think I’m done and ready to finish this post on that crazy thought, then you are WRONG. Some of you may have read my post on my thoughts that Mujika may be a Medusa reference. If you haven’t, just look it up either in my Theory Directory, or in the links I will put in a reblog to this post. I was anxiously awaiting this chapters to see if it would disprove that theory or confirm it. And I will be honest, I was at first disappointed with this chapter, ‘cause like a damned fool, I was expecting to see snakes, or something about petrifying gaze, BUT then I looked further into the Medusa lore, and felt like an idiot and slapping myself. Why?

Medusa had 2 sisters in the myths, together they were known as the Gorgon sisters. But Medusa was different to the other two, and her name meant ruler/queen. Hmmm, doesn’t this panel look kiiinda like 3 sisters?

Also, just in case you missed it, I have circled a jar there that looks eerily similar to the golden water jar that the kids have. Tsk, all these coincidences that I keep spotting!

So the other thing about Medusa is that in all of the myths the goddess MINERVA wants to kill her out of no fault of Medusa. Didn’t we kinda have someone in TPN right now with a MINERVA alias say something similar?

Oh hello there Norman. Funny that you would say that... In the myth Minerva doesn’t kill Medusa herself, but aids the hero Perseus who cuts off Medusa’s head, which ends up on Minerva’s famous shield the Aegis. In many sources it is said that the shield is used to petrify Minerva’s enemies. But Medusa had one more funny quality about her that had the interest of Minerva in the mythology:

“ The character of Medusa can also be seen to come along with some qualities that emerge after her tale of origin. For example, one half of Medusa’s BLOOD is HEALING – and so, along with her petrifying ability, she could also heal. Blood taken from the veins on her LEFT was POISONOUS, while blood taken from her RIGHT could RESTORE THE DEAD TO LIFE.”

Huh, didn’t we just learn that Mujika’s blood is SPECIAL? That it can “CURE” the demons from their hunger of humans, but it is also DANGEROUS for  the demons in charge and for the humans in case the “cured” demons decided to still eat humans? Btw, isn’t it funny how Mujika draws blood from her right in this panel when healing those villagers?

Maybe I didn’t need to be so worried about my Mujika Medusa theory after all...

[traveldiarytz]

Fatuma binti Baraka (c.1910s – 17 April 2013), Also known as Bi Kidude, was a Zanzibari-born Tanzanian Taarab singer. She has been called the "queen of Taarab and Unyago music" and was inspired by Siti binti Saad. Born in the village of Mfagimaringo, Bi Kidude was the daughter of a coconut seller in colonial Zanzibar. Bi Kidude's exact date of birth is unknown and much of her life story is uncorroborated. In 2005, Bi Kidude received the WOMEX award for her contribution to music and culture in Zanzibar. #musically #musicvideo #taarabu #taarabt #taarab #bikidudewanguu #bikidude #musician #musica #tanzanianweddings #tanzanian #visittanzania #tanzania🇹🇿 #prilaga #taarabacha #tanzania #music #bikidudebintbaraka😂😂😂 #zanzibarisland #zanzibar #taarabikini #zanzibarbeach #bikidudebintbaraka #traveldiarytz #dcmazanzibar #zanzibar2018 #zanzibarlife (at Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA)) https://www.instagram.com/p/Br6wQGxnXtW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=obhkuvs0w974

[lamilanomagazine]

Iseo Jazz: l’omaggio della Monday Orchestra e di Fabio Morgera a Miles Davis venerdì 8 luglio a Iseo (Bs)

ISEO (BS) - Il bellissimo Lido di Sassabanek è il luogo dove Iseo Jazz è nato e in cui ritorna tutti gli anni. In questo spazio veramente magico, in riva al lago, sul prato solarium del centro balneare si sono svolti, nei tre decenni di vita del festival, concerti memorabili con artisti di livello mondiale, anche non italiani, ma ospitati in formazioni guidate da nostri musicisti. Quest’anno la musica guarderà alla storia, ma con attori moderni e con un organico che riprende quello con cui Miles Davis incise il celeberrimo album “Birth of The Cool”. Protagonista della serata di venerdì 8 luglio, a Iseo, sarà la Monday Orchestra, una delle nuove, importanti realtà del jazz italiano (inizio live ore 21, ingresso libero; in caso di pioggia il concerto si terrà al castello Oldofredi), guidata dal suo direttore e leader Luca Missiti. Arrangiatore, direttore d’orchestra, docente ai Civici Corsi di Jazz di Milano, di cui è da poco uno dei responsabili, Missiti ha bruciato le tappe e ha fondato giovanissimo, nel 2006, questa eccellente big band che riunisce giovani talenti e nomi di rilievo del nostro jazz e che ha all’attivo diversi dischi, realizzati con ospiti del calibro dei trombettista Randy Brecker e del sassofonista Bob Mintzer. Tra le sue collaborazioni spiccano anche quelle con Tullio De Piscopo, Emanuele Cisi, Fabrizio Bosso, Gianluigi Trovesi, Pietro Tonolo, Maurizio Giammarco e molti altri esponenti di primo piano della nostra scena jazzistica. La Monday Orchestra si muove nel solco di quella grande tradizione orchestrale che ha, forse, in Thad Jones il suo principale punto di riferimento, ma riunisce in un linguaggio originale anche altre importanti lezioni stilistiche, compresa quella dei maestri dell’era dello Swing. Per il concerto iseano la band è stata adattata a nonetto, più un solista ospite, per ricalcare le gesta della famosa Tuba Band per cui Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan e John Lewis scrissero, per un organico originale per l’epoca, arrangiamenti e brani entrati nella storia. Tra il 1948 e il 1950 vennero infatti realizzate pagine che nel 1957 troveranno posto in un unico album, per l’appunto “Birth of The Cool”, disco tra i più citati nelle storie jazzistiche, dalle sonorità morbide e vaporose, dalla scrittura elegante e spesso contrappuntistica, con solisti importanti e un primattore assoluto: Miles Davis. Per questa occasione speciale del trentennale di Iseo jazz, la parte solistica sarà affidata a un ospite importante: il trombettista Fabio Morgera. Nato nel 1963 a Napoli, Morgera ha passato gran parte della sua vita a New York, dove è molto stimato, seguendo la linea musicale dei grandi trombettisti afroamericani degli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta e trovando una voce personale e un linguaggio in cui l’elemento melodico è sempre presente, ma che al tempo stesso si sposa a colori blues e a una complessa concezione poliritmica. Il suo modo di improvvisare su pagine classiche del jazz come “Jeru”, “Boplicity”, “Godchild” e sulle altre che compongono l’opera (che qui viene presentata integralmente) è perfettamente consapevole dell’estetica che le ha prodotte. Ai dodici pezzi del disco si aggiungeranno altre composizioni legate al rapporto tra Davis e Gil Evans, uno dei più fecondi sodalizi dell’intera storia del jazz. ISEO JAZZ - XXX edizione, da venerdì 1 a sabato 9 luglio 2022 Il programma Venerdì 1 luglio Palazzolo sull’Oglio, Accademia Vavassori, via Kennedy Gemellaggio tra l’Accademia Vavassori e Iseo Jazz in occasione dei rispettivi trentennali. Joyce Yuille quartet - American Songbook Today Joyce Yuille (voce), Stefano Calzolari (pianoforte), Marc Abrams (contrabbasso), Marco Frattini (batteria). Enrico Intra piano solo - La via italiana al jazz Enrico Intra (pianoforte). Sabato 2 luglio Palazzolo sull’Oglio, Casa della musica, piazzale Dante Alighieri 2 Milano C-Jazz Band diretta da Enrico Intra Solisti: Emilio Soana, Marco Mariani (trombe), Humberto Amesquita (trombone), Giulio Visibelli, Marco Visconti Prasca (sassofoni), Mario Rusca (pianoforte), Marco Mistrangelo (contrabbasso), Tony Arco (batteria) e gli studenti dei Civici Corsi di jazz di Milano. Luca Missiti direttore aggiunto. Premio Giachero. Progetto speciale del festival in collaborazione con MIDJ, SIENA JAZZ e MUSICA OGGI. Fabrizio Bai trio - Per Alessandro Giachero Fabrizio Bai (chitarra 7 corde), Andrea Libero Cito (violino), Giacomo Rossi (contrabbasso). Progetto speciale del festival. Domenica 3 luglio Sale Marasino, Ex Chiesa dei Disciplini, via Provinciale Carlo Morena piano solo - Looking Back, Looking Ahead Carlo Morena (pianoforte). Giovedì 7 luglio Iseo, sagrato della Pieve di Sant’Andrea, piazza del Sagrato 7 Enrico Pieranunzi piano solo - Unlimited Enrico Pieranunzi (pianoforte). Venerdì 8 luglio Iseo, Lido di Sassabanek, via Colombera 2 Monday Orchestra feat. Fabio Morgera Omaggio a Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool e altri classici. Fabio Morgera (tromba solista), Emilio Soana (tromba), Giancarlo Mariani (flicorno), Andrea Andreoli (trombone), Alberto Introini (tuba), Andrea Ciceri (sax contralto), Gilberto Tarocco (sax baritono), Antonio Vivenzio (pianoforte), Marco Mistrangelo (contrabbasso), Francesco Meles (batteria). Luca Missiti: direzione. Sabato 9 luglio Iseo, porto industriale Lydian Sound Orchestra Charles Mingus cent’anni dopo Progetto speciale del festival Robert Bonisolo (sax tenore e soprano), Mauro Negri (sax contralto e clarinetto), Rossano Emili (sax baritono e clarinetto basso), Gianluca Carollo (tromba e flicorno), Federico Pierantoni (trombone), Glauco Benedetti (bassotuba), Marcello Abate (chitarra), Marc Abrams (contrabbasso), Mauro Beggio (batteria). Riccardo Brazzale (direzione, arrangiamenti e pianoforte). Consegna del premio Iseo Jazz alla carriera a Riccardo Brazzale e Corrado Beldì. Tutti i concerti inizieranno alle ore 21 e saranno a ingresso libero. In caso di pioggia, i concerti di Iseo si terranno al Castello Oldofredi. Direzione artistica: Maurizio Franco. Organizzazione: Musica Oggi e Sviluppo Turistico lago d’Iseo. Amplificazione e luci: CDpM Sound Service. On line: www.iseojazz.it Iseo Jazz utilizza pianoforti San Michele e batterie Le Soprano. Iseo Jazz ha il patrocinio di MIDJ, Musicisti italiani di jazz. Media Partner: Rai Radio 3.... Read the full article

[doomedandstoned]

HELA Plot a Course for Vengeance in ‘Death May Die’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

I've long been an advocate of HELA, going back to the days of their hard-charging first record, 'Broken Cross' (2013). The Spanish band has always had a way of striking the perfect mood, one of deep anguish set against a backdrop of turbulence. After their harrowing debut, Hela went quiet for a while -- aside from their contribution of the lone Pentagram cover, "Sign Of The Wolf" in 2014 -- and I would check in with them periodically to see if they had any new mischief-making up their sleeves for us. Two years ago, the quartet from Elche spoke again: two new songs split with the band Lodo. Rumors were that changes were taking place behind the scenes, but it was all a mystery. Finally, after much harranging on my part, the band got back in touch with word of a fiendish new full-length. There was a new singer at the helm, too.

Well, color me curious. I had so many questions! What had the band been brewing all these years? And who was the mysterious mistress dark? Graciously, Hela agreed to an interview and even gave Doomed & Stoned first dibs on streaming their new LP, 'Death May Die' (2017). What follows is my exchange with drummer Miguel Fernández. He is joined by Julián Velasco on guitar, Tano Giménez on bass, and Mireia Porto on vocals and rhythm guitar.

Their story -- and the story of Death May Die -- is well worth reading and I recommend that you stream this album whilst doing so. Fair warning, though: Death May Die will haunt you for days with its strange melodies, it's disonnant, crashing chords, and Mireia's enchanted singing. Hela has pulled out all the stops for this record, summoning a wealth of creative devices, dabbling in progressive metal stylings and textures of blackened doom. All of it serves an end, which is to relay a story of triumph of the human spirit over men with ill-intensions. You'll encounter strokes of brilliance, from the otherworldly vocal harmonies in "Mother of Monsters" to the violence that rages throughout the stormy middle section, winding up in the sudden, but fitting, conclusion that marks "Bodies in Hell."

Death May Die releases October 21st on multiple formats via Lay Bare Recordings, Discos Macarras, Cosmic Tentacles, and Musica Hibrida.

Death May Die by Hela

Tell us about your history as a band -- how you came together and began making music?

Hela was born from death, just like that. So the name is really accurate. The band that Julián, Tano and I were sharing died as bands do. However, we decided to continue playing together, but with a new name and a new style -- something darker, heavier, doom. Vocalist Isabel Sierras joined the band shortly thereafter. We were not looking to be trendy by with a female-fronted doom band. Quite simply, Isa was the best choice at that time. She left after our first two recordings (the Broken Cross LP and split with Lodo), so once again, we were dead. Or nearly dead. None of us wanted to say goodbye, so we asked Mireia to join, and she did. Again we experienced a resurrection and this time stronger, with a better line-up. We started in 2012, we re-started in 2015, and now here we are in 2017, with our new album Death May Die, our first LP with the new line up (second full-length in our history). Really happy, because the process was long and painful, sometimes, but we're really proud of the result. We all share common influences, but everyone has their own unique sources of inspiration, as well, and the result is very eclectic. So the future is now brighter than a couple of years ago, and with more and interesting music to write in the days ahead!

How does your new record compare with the material you've recorded previously -- do you sense an evolution in your sound in any way?

I guess there is a big evolution. We have a new member in the band, not new for us, we've been working for almost three years now together, but it is the first time people will hear her voice and manner of writing music in the band. It´s a different voice and she has different influences, so obviously there is an evolution. At the same time, with the new line-up we could explore new sounds, reaching extremes -- both soft and aggressive. We tried to leave back the stoner sound we have in Broken Cross, although there are a few riffs reminiscent of the stoner sound, we wanted to go more metal this time, and Mireia brought some alternative rock from the '90s to the table, especially in her vocals, so the mix is quite interesting and shows a clear evolution, I suppose. The same is true with the production. Death May Die sounds more polished, a little bit clearer than the previous works that had a dirtier, lower sound. We looked for a better mix and I think this album sounds better and opens a new way to follow when we come into the studio again.

What was recording this album like? Did you have an easy go of it or were there challenges along the way?

There were challenges from the very beginning! We booked a studio, or at least we tried, but one week before the recording session we had to look for another one, because the guy we talked with couldn´t record us due to logistical problems. That destabilized us for a little bit, as it was hard to find a solution having only one week to work with in the middle on the summer. Luckily, we talked with a studio in Barcelona to record drums (Siete Barbas Estudio) and then we returned to Alicante to record the rest of the band. Studio problems resolved, we tried to do our best in every recording session. Even when we were sometimes tired or stressed, the results were good. For the final mix, we went to Roberto Ropero´s studio. He did almost all of it single-handedly, with the help of our input, and the results were beyond amazing! We are really happy with the final sound.

Awesome! Well, how about walking us through the tracks on this new record. What can we anticipate from Death May Die and what should we be listening for?

The album consists of a deep and dark trip through the entire life of a cursed girl since the moment of her birth until the end of the world. Each song represents a vital phase for the girl, following her efforts to get revenge against death.

Death May Die by Hela

“The Gateway” is an introduction -- our gateway into Hell. We wanted something dark and dirty to start the album. The lyrics were inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and we mixed a lot of vocals from Mireia and Miguel. Like a kind of chant, black mass, or witchery.

Death May Die by Hela

“Mother of Monsters” is the birth of the main character of the story. Initially we wanted to talk about abortion, but the lyrics were to another story about demonical mythology. As the story goes, the newborn was saved by a demon, because her mother wanted to kill her. The song has a powerful beginning and a progressive structure with different dynamics between riffs and rhythms.

Death May Die by Hela

“Touched by Evil” is a very graphic description of the pederast practices in the Catholic Church, even if we do use metaphors. The girl in our story suffers it, but has her revenge. We were inspired by Nordic death-doom metal bands to write some riffs and arrangements, but there are also influences of some '90s metal bands. The vocals in the middle of the song have blues and soul influences and we really love them.

Death May Die by Hela

“Dark Passenger” talks about being raped. We get some ideas from movies like Rosemary´s Baby. In this song, the girl becomes an adult and discovers within herself an uncontrolled killer with desires coming from the "dark passenger" -- that is, the dark side of humankind. It's the longest song of the album. The initial riff was a little bit dissonant, but fits perfectly with the next one, which is very heavy. Maybe the only stoner riff, executed again with a grand, progressive structure.

Death May Die by Hela

“Repulsion” is about the consequences of the suffering of being raped and abused. Our main character suffers mental issues owing to the consequences of what was described in the previous songs. The lyrics were totally inspired by the movie Repulsion, another film by Roman Polanski. It's the doomiest song of the album, divided into three parts musically. It is here where our girl (now a woman) rebels against the world and begins to take revenge, becoming indestructible.

Death May Die by Hela

“Bodies in Hell” is the last and shortest song. Very metal, as well. We were looking for something aggressive, double bass and Celtic Frost/Triptykon-influenced, and that´s the result. Finally, our woman has her revenge on the world. Influenced also by a movie, The VVitch. She wins, because even death may die.

That's an incredible overview of the record. I imagine this would be very powerful performed live. Does Hela have plans to tour in support of 'Death May Die'? Where would you most like to play?

Yes, we are looking for shows, here in Spain and also Europe, in general. We booked a festival for next year right now and we are working to book more shows. We like to play venues with good sound, that´s the most important thing to us. Usually we play small clubs, obviously, because we like to feel the reaction of the people around us. We are anxious to play the new album live!

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[sisifocayendo]

Don't Bryson Tyler

En cuento a libros tengo pendientes o por leer que me acuerde ahora:

-La montaña magica(Thomas Mann)

-Ulises( James Joyce)

-Werther y Fausto( Goethe)

-Dialectica de la ilustración (Adorno y Horkheimer)

-El guardián en el centeno( Salinger)

-Otelo y Hamlet (Estoy con este ahora)(Shakespeare)

-451 Fahrenheit (Ray Bradbury)

-Cronicas marcianas (Ray Bradbury)

-El mito de Sisifo ( Albert Camus)

-Las aventuras de Huckelberry Finn(Mark Twain)

-Las uvas de la ira

-Native Son

-Neuromante

-Como matar a un ruiseñor( Muy buen libro tanto por como está escrito como por su historia)

-Etica a Nicomaco

-Miedo a la libertad( Hoy lo he empezado y está bien) Erich Fromm

-Los condenados de la tierra( Fanon)

-Mauss(Voy a empezarlo ahora en la biblioteca en valenciano)

-La sociedad del espectáculo ( Guy Debord, bàsica para entender el funcionamiento de nuestro mundo hoy en dia, junto al resto de la escuela de Frankfurt)

-Las Almas del pueblo negro. (D.U. Bouis acabarlo)

Más todo lo que se me ponga entre manos o me de el golpe de leer iré actualizando.

Relecturas

-1984

-Watchmen(Muy recomendado para el tema de los superhéroes etc)

-Un mundo feliz

-Watchmen(Ozymandias)

-Desobediencia civil Thoreau

-Iluminaciones de Walter Benjamin

-¿Sueñan los androides con ovejas eléctricas?(Blade Runner)

-Kierkegaard en general desde La enfermedad mortal hasta el concepto de angustia.

-Persepolis

-DMZ

-La metamorfosis

-El contrato Social( Rousseau)

-Contra la postmodernidad( Ernesto Castro)

Pequeño inciso recomiendo sobre todo el cyberpunk no solo por sus temáticas sobre el humanismo de las máquinas y sobre su posible alma etc para eso recomiendo Ghost in the Shell, tanto el manga como el anime pero para nada la película de Hollywood, no la veáis por favor, hay mucho material mejor.

A lo que iba, lo recomiendo por la estética de este tipo de películas me refiero a por ejemplo en casi cada novela que empiezo o cada cosa que escribo vienen de allí mis influencias en cuanto a ambientes, su lluvia con un cielo azul oscuro casi gris mientras llueve fuerte y los carteles de neón sueltan pequeñas chispas, toda una ciudad llena de estos carteles, un futuro nada agradable parecido a las distopía que me gustan, para consumir este tipo de cultura recomiendo mucha paciencia y estómago por qué sino es así se va a quedar uno con muy mal cuerpo.

Poemas recomendados y autores.

-Poetas rojos/Generación del 27(Miguel Hernández sobre todo junto a Lorca)

-Clasicos Églogas Epístola 17

-Generacion Beat Howl 11:19

-Scorza

-Fernando Pessoa

-Ruben Darío (A Roosevelt)

Peliculas

-The Equalizer

-La Cura del Bienestar

-Spiderman todas sobre todo la 2

-Vengadores Endgame, es una buena película algo más que entretenida pero alerta spoiler el final es lo mejor que he visto en muchos años, no lo digo por lo nuestro ni nada aunque lo pensarás cuando la veas pero verles a los 2 juntos con jazz de fondo bailando suave, eso es pura felicidad y el resto banalidades, muy recomendable solo por ver a Capi junto a su mujer juntos.

-Metropolis es en blanco y negro además de alemana durante el periodo de entreguerras

-Siete Samurias aunque sea algo larga

-Black mirror aunque sea una serie, 15 millones de creditos si se analiza dice mucho de nuestra cultura

-La momia todas

-Her

-Ciudadano Kane

-Blade Runner 2049, este jueves la hacen en la casa del alumno.

-Agua para elefantes

-Mudbound, muy buena película tanto para retratar el ambiente bélico como con la narrativa de los EeUU después de la 2WW

-El pianista, demasiado buena para ser real.

-Ladrones de esperanza

-Mayo de 1940, sin mostrar un solo combate ni ser bélica la mejor película sobre la segunda guerra mundial que podrás ver, sabrás a lo que me refiero, muy muy recomendable.

-Nosotros(US) muy recomendable aunque sea de un poco de miedo, la trama me parece majestuosa y su simbología sublime

-Coco y el gigante de hierro, la segunda me parece incluso mejor.

-Lengua de mariposa, la guerra no es sólo eso sino todo lo que rompe a personas que se aprecian, está sobre la guerra civil española es dura pero real de cómo ocurrieron las cosas.

-Batman el caballero oscuro

-Selma junto a The Birth of a Nation pero la nuevo no la propaganda del KKK que fue la primera

-Blakkklansman y Moonlight está última sobre todo me parece muy buena pelicula

-Malditos Bastardos junto a Django( Viva Tarantino)

-Si tienes el valor suficiente aunque te va a destrozar verla Salo o los 120 días de Sodoma

-La fábrica de nada(La tengo por ver)

-Intocable(Omar sy es muy buen actor, de los pocos que recuerdo)

-Chocolat( Bastante buena incluso diría mejor que intocable)

-Padre por Sorpresa ( Conocerás al protagonista y quizá la película también)

-Mr.Robot aunque sea una serie.

-This is America, otra serie de humor malo para denostar la polarización de EEUU con Trump y los "SJW"

-Ethel y Ernest( Dale una oportunidad es preciosa)

Y ya me parecen muchas aunque iré poniendo y descubriendo más.

Música

-The Story of O.J. Jay-Z

-Kendrick Lamar Todo Damn. junto a Good kidd m.a.a.d. c.i.t.y.

-Self care Mac Miller

-Derin Falana 905 me encantó siempre lo escucho y tengo demasiado cariño con este chico

-La del titulo

-Summertime/Wise One/ Bebop/Time after Time/ Moanin'/I fall in love too easily Jazz en general y estas canciones en particular

-J.Cole Photograph/KOD/She knows/Wet Dreamz/Brackets.

-Tupac Todo sobre todo All eyez on me

-Joyner Lucas I love/Lucky You

Rels B Euromillón/Made in Taiwan.

-Algo más de bailable recomiendo un vídeo largo con varias canciones de salsa que se llaman Café Cubano tiene buenas canciones.

-R&B desde Miguel con Skywalker hasta Tory Lanez con B.B.W.W x fake show. También 6lack con East Atlanta love letter la canción del mismo nombre está muy bien.

-De música clásica me gusta para Elisa por su historia sobretodo.

-Algo más cercano desde 4 verites de Take a mic o puissance aunque sea afrotrap

-Musica española como ideología de Nacho Vegas, los chicos del maíz, C.Tangaba aunque cremaba más cuando era mola

Iré actualizando todo sobretodo este verano, si por industria cultural será en mi caso.

[insolitus-academy]

♚ //  Face Claim of your choice

Full name Face Claim: Harry Styles

Group/ullzang/occupation: One Direction/Solo

Nationality: British

Faceclaim age: 20 years

♚ // Character ; The basics 

Full name: Harry Miraear Althirn Styles

Nickname: Styles

Nationality/realm of birth: Realm of light 

Age: 234 years

Gender: Male, but who really cares anyway.

Species: Wood elf/Cyborg

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

♚ // Character ; The quick facts

Quote: “At night, when the sky is full of stars and the sea is still you get the wonderful sensation that you are floating in space.” 

― Natalie Wood

Likes: Any large waters, gemstones, the silence of the stars, the sound of leaves being played with by the wind, the smell of autumn, a weak spring sun shining on your skin and the burn of alcohol in your throat.

Dislikes: Death as an occurrence as well as a creature, the very idea of being without water or trees nearby, souls that believe that there is right and wrong and nothing in between, locks that cannot be picked and pockets that cannot be rolled, small spaces and being locked in.

powers / specialty: 

Excellent spacepirate; If you ask Styles himself he is the absolute best pirate around, but we won’t say that is true. Born and raised from tree right into the pirate life the elf knows everything about ships, looting, pick pocketing, lock picking and, of course, drinking. 

Cybernetic implants ; Styles has implants that allow him to be more agile, strengthening the abilities he already had. He also has a sensor in his neck that has an unknown (to him) function.

Chatting with critters; It comes natural to the wood elves, talking to the animals around them. Styles is no exception, he is most fluent with birds and sea creatures, which should not be a surprise since he has been mostly on ships and living in trees. 

Charming & a skilled liar; He has lied to more than he has been honest in his life. With twinkling eyes that seem to change from emerald to sapphire and right back again and a smile that kills he gets away with a lot. 

Weapons; He is pretty damn good with his scimitar and cutlass. Yet even better with the bow and arrow, Not too big on guns and cannons however. 

weaknesses:

Terrified of small spaces ; Once Styles was locked in a metal box and dropped to the bottom of a lake. He doesn’t really talk about it these days but if you have to believe the rumors he had been found in the room of an, engaged, daughter of a count. Long story short, he hates small spaces. More specifically, being locked in such a space. After his time in in outer space he hates being locked up even more.

Dead people make him shiver ; The elf is not fond of anything walking and dead. He won’t run away screaming but he will also try to avoid touching them. Lifeless bodies also scare him if he didn’t kill them himself, vampires and everyone else hobbling around after death make Styles a very unhappy elf. The reason for this is something he keeps silent about. 

Electric charges ; Styles’ cybernetic implants are not a big fan of high voltage electric charges and can overload when he comes in contact with them. 

Not that strong; Styles is perfectly able to fight, with a bow and arrow or with his scimitar and cutlass. He jumps from tree branch to tree branch to escape but if he is forced to actual hand-to-hand combat he will lose most likely (and try to bribe you to let him live). 

♚ // Character ; The Villager

Job/Occupation: Bartender at “The drunken musica”. 

Lives in: Vighulir 

Lives in: Sunna apartment 1a

♚ // Character ; The Personality

Six personality traits:

Charming

Dishonest

Outspoken

Romantic

Persuasive 

Kind

Personality description:

Styles always smiling, whenever he is angry, sad or actually happy. It is his way of facing the world, behind a cover of smiles and laughs and smirks and simpers. He lies, cheats and deceives. Nothing personal really, it is just the way he is raised, got by in life. The elf believes not in silly things like everlasting love if it is not as true as how his mom and dad are. And even that he doesn’t look for, he is still young and aren’t immortals forever young? He isn’t in a hurry for anything, as long as he keeps entertained he will generally be happy.

The elf might be dishonest but he isn’t mean, he can steal your wallet and still try to cheer you up when your girlfriend broke up with you. He will give his opinion but try to soften it if he thinks you are unable to handle the truth. Above all he tries to be kind to one another, if you are kind to him he will generally return the favor (unless you are dead, then he will have to try a little harder). 

♚ // Character ; The Past

Has your character attended Insolitus Academy in the past?

Yes

Background: 

It is a sunny afternoon somewhere in the summer months, a child is born with large eyes that shimmer both azure as cerulean. With pointy ears and already smiling, the simper would remain on those lips for the next 237 years to come. With some exceptions of course.

Harry Miraear Althirn Styles had been born in a family of elves that either became pirates or stayed at home taking care of newborns and trading with other families. he went with his mother on travels that included stealing gold from other pirates and terrorizing human villages for food and gemstones. The young elf decided that he’d rather be a pirate than stay at home and become a trader. So at the age of 53 he went out on a ship, without his mom or dad but with an uncle, to get trained as a pirate. His years as a young pirate went by fast, the elf had almost no idea he was already nearing the big one-zero-zero. That called for a change of pace. Styles left the ship belonging to his uncle and joined another crew, while his uncle only went as far as the oceans of his own realm, this ship sailed across all the realms. Demon, human and everything in between. Now this was a new life, one where he got to visit many cities, meet many wonderful people, escape many less wonderful people and every now and then he would return home to see his family and bring them back some precious, precious, gemstones (sapphires are his favorites by the way). 

The story goes, when you ask Styles, is that he got kicked off the ship because he insulted a demon lord. Half of this is true; in fact he did insulted a demon lord but instead of being kicked off the crew was loyal to the young pirate and they fled together. However never underestimate a demon; for they are cruel and mighty. The demon and his minions came after the crew, slaying most of them before Styles fled; leaving the ship as the wood was soaked with blood and his heart filled with guilt. 

Fast forward: Styles went to Vighulir, denying that the whole ordeal with the demons ever happened and lived happily for a while. Drinking, flirtin’ and fucking his way around. Not thinking anything could happen to him he even flirted with a high-ranking Ixtab officer that got a little too interested in his immortality. The elf did not see any harm in following the pretty girl up into space, not knowing he would be stuck there for over a year. Styles did not mind the experiments much but the fact that he had to give up fresh air for so long bothered him a lot. In the end the Ixtab went back to Insolitus and Styles, determined to find out what happened to his crew and if any of them are still alive, wanted to follow. 

He is now back on Earth, still pretty much the same but with some new powers and a tiny sensor in his neck that emits light. He has no idea what it does but if his new (alien) Captain wants him to wear it, he will. What could possibly go wrong?