#that’s why i’m starting a new lp and it’s just me editing it

[florwal]

do you have a date for portsim 1.2? also love love love your work

thank u! to be real with u idk 😩 i’m trying to set everything up to get a new lp going on my channel rn so i’ve been taking a save file break

this is literally SO dramatic don’t get me wrong i love building and working on my save files and i’m the one choosing to do it but ever since i started sharing my sims things publicly i never let myself chill and just… play the game cuz i always feel like i have to constantly create things for OTHER people to enjoy then i end up stressing myself out when i feel like i’m not doing it fast enough so i’m trying to stop myself from being like that cuz it hurts my brain and it’s not that serious cuz nobody is putting pressure on me and y’all are all super cool and sweet

[dreamy625]

So I'm going to do Comfortember 2023. In the hopes that it might batter down the writers block one sentence at a time! As you know, I'm usually a reeeeeally slooooow writer, so it probably won't be everyday, just teeny snippets when the prompts appeal, and not so carefully (obsessively, endlessly) edited, so apologies in advance for any typos and generally crappy writing!

I don't have much time during the week, so this is the first four prompts, and they're all for Steve (Clark) and Alice (OC) of This rockstar life:

1. Safe

“I can’t explain it, it just feels so… safe when he holds me. I mean, I know it shouldn’t, he’s the most unstable person I know! But I feel... understood. And protected; those scrawny arms wrap round me and it’s like the rest of the world can’t get me, you know? I’ve never had that before. Not ever, not even as a kid. I hope I can be that for him too, he really is the most precious thing to me.”

2. Sweater weather

As Alice descends the stairs in search of coffee, she notices the temperature dropping precipitously as she reaches the ground floor. It’s always warmer in her study up on the second floor than it is downstairs, unless they’ve got the fire lit, but it is particularly chilly today. Poking her head around the livingroom door, she spots her boyfriend kneeling by the back wall with a paintbrush in his hand. One of the many projects Steve had started since his ‘retirement’, redecorating the front room had actually stuck. To everyone’s surprise as he had previously shown little interest in home decor, he had decided to do most of the work himself and had discovered that he found sanding and painting soothing. With the repetitive actions calming his restless mind, he occasionally caught himself spontaneously humming new melodies that he then had to stop and scrawl down on the margins of the newspaper sheets that covered the wooden floor.

“Why is it so cold in here?”

“Mmm?” He looks up and smiles at the interruption, “Oh, I had to open the windows because of the paint fumes. Skirting boards, so that’s gloss, which stinks.”

He stands up, wiping at a splotch of white on his thumb with a rag, as Alice makes her way across the room, dodging the paint cans and discarded rollers, to inspect this latest stage of the process. This wall is painted rusty red - chosen to look good with the classic gold-toned flamed maple Les Pauls he’s going to hang on it - and he’s neatly taped the edges with masking tape before starting on the woodwork (amazing what you can learn from a visit to the DIY section of the library). 

“Ooh very professional.” She looks around the rest of the room, “It’s looking good. You must be nearly done?”

“Two more walls of this, then I’ve got to do the windows, which’ll be fiddly. But yeah, that’s the last bits. Oh, and whatever we want to do with the floor I suppose.”

She turns back to face him and her appraising eyes light on the oversized ratty-looking sweater he’s wearing, “Where did you get that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before?”

He looks down, “Err, dunno, I just found it behind the sofa in my studio. Maybe someone left it here? Oh well, it’s mine now.”

“It’s huge, you could fit both of us in there!”

To demonstrate her point, she lifts the hem and wriggles up inside; there’s plenty of room in the body, but the neck is too tightly knit for her to get her head through. 

“Help, I’m stuck!” she giggles as Steve wraps his arms around her.

“I feel like a kangaroo!” he laughs, squeezing tight.

3. Leaves Changing

Steve arrives in the café where Alice has been waiting for him (her tolerance for grotty basement record shops running out way before his) in a flurry, the door slamming shut behind him. He makes his way over to her corner table, shaking himself like a dog.

“Wow, it is wild out there! Real flying farmhouse weather!”

The wind has whipped his hair into a crazy bird’s nest and, as he sits down and starts to check that the rain hasn’t got to his precious LPs, Alice reaches over and picks a bright orange beech leaf out of the tangle of blond.

4. Warmth

Alice squeaked as the hand on her waist slipped under her jacket, “Why are your hands always so cold?”

“Cold hands, warm heart, my Grum always used to say.”

“Cold hands, should wear his damn gloves, my gran would say!”

[chorusfm]

The Disappearing Act – “Gun Barrel City” (Video Premiere)

Today is a great day to get re-acquainted with The Disappearing Act, who are releasing their first taste of new music in nearly nine years with “Gun Barrel City.” The band is John Dufilho, Salim Nourallah, and Bob Blumenfeld, and on this great-sounding single they quickly show why they were meant to play music together. The new single comes from The Disappearing Act’s new LP, Illusion, that will be released everywhere music is sold on September 27th. Nourallah shared about the new track, “‘Gun Barrel City’ is actually a real place in Texas. Unlike two other songs I have with Texas towns in the titles, ‘Terlingua’ and ‘See You in Marfa,’ I’ve never been to Gun Barrel City. I don’t even have any idea where in Texas it’s located. One morning, I asked a friend how he was doing, and he proclaimed he was, ‘Fed up and moving to Gun Barrel City!’ It struck me as being pretty hilarious, because I imagined Gun Barrel City being the opposite of a city. Later, I incorporated it into this song about leaving behind an unsatisfying life.” If you’re enjoying the latest single, please consider supporting this artist here. I was also able to catch up with Salim Nourallah for a brief interview below. What does this song mean to you? What do you hope that it means to those who listen to it?  I think there is a vague theme of restlessness at the center of the upcoming Disappearing Act full-length record. “Gun Barrel City” perfectly exemplifies that feeling, with the protagonist being disillusioned with his current life and plotting his escape. I often feel restless; I think there is something inherently in the soul of most musicians – a need to keep moving, to keep pushing, a need to travel. Maybe this song will somehow speak to a similar feeling that a listener might have? The lyrics are about a person who wants a change, of pace, of scenery and surroundings. Do you have a favorite lyric line or two from the song?  The lyrics are fairly simple compared to many of my other songs. It’s one of the qualities I like about it. It gets to the point with no excess verbiage. I do like the bit about “leaving at first light.” \Why do they resonate for you?  There’s something slightly cinematic to me about the image of driving away from a place as the sun is just beginning to creep up over the horizon. There’s a symbolism in it.  Do you find songwriting to be helpful in sorting things out in your mind, or in dealing with emotions and thoughts?  It’s always been extremely helpful. When I first started writing songs, back when I was in my early teens, it was all about trying to express emotions and thoughts I was having difficulty processing. I knew already that I wanted no part in the conventional world. I felt strongly that pursuing a life as a business man, for example, was absolutely of no interest to me. Songwriting not only became a form of self-therapy but also my ticket “out” of having a more conventional life. How did this song come about, in a songwriting sense? What was your process?  Well, the idea came from something a friend said. But the music came about before that. The other two members of The Disappearing Act – John Dufilho and Bob Blumenfeld – had been composing instrumental tracks that they’d bounce off of me to see if I heard a vocal melody. In this particular instance, I’d been thinking about Gun Barrel City, and when I tried singing it over their backing track, I felt like it worked nicely. I constructed the rest of the lyrics and vocal melody from there. The video is really cool! Whose idea was the video treatment and who worked on the video with you?  I’m glad you enjoyed the video. It was an idea I took to John Dufilho who shot and edited it. What is your favorite aspect of the video? The image of a static man not actually moving or going anywhere struck me as being a humorous juxtaposition to what the song was actually saying. What is next for The Disappearing Act? We are anticipating the��� https://chorus.fm/features/the-disappearing-act-gun-barrel-city-video-premiere/

[thelovelybitten]

Abt to rant… prepare thyself for a STORY (pls read it it’s a goodie !!) (cw: shipping, comics) (tw: depression, anxiety, hard childhood topics)

my parents got divorced when I was about 5 years old. Not only that but i got taken from my mother due to her schizophrenia when I was 10, as she was unfit to take care of me. The only thing I remembered in my time living with her was being gifted for my 8th birthday a rose gold nintendo ds and Sonic Rush. I played the HELL out of that game. Tbh I still do HAHA. Little me needed that little escape when my mother wasn’t around due to her many sexual suitors that frequented the apartment.

I begged my mom to buy me the comics every time we were at Safeway. This was around the time the first edition of Sonic Universe came out, and I was hooked ever since. Especially with Blaze. My MF daughter. Didn’t help that when I first played through Sonic Rush, I kept asking myself: why did Sonic and Blaze not end up together? WHAT WAS THE LITTLE “this is something from me” and her little “…”???? I was so annoyed. My little sister was 6, and we would surf the internet for reasons why and we found ourselves on a Sonamy forum of some sort. She was avid they were soulmates, so we played the earlier games anytime we were at the hospital and tried to get a new console (but to no avail.)

Fast forward to foster homes: I used sonic as a coping mechanism to get away from my Foster parents. They treated my sister like a golden child since she grew out of it while I was always ridiculed. Picked on for being the oldest but still acting a child. I was sick of taking care of my sister and wanted to be more than just a caregiver. I wanted to like my own things. 11 year old me still bought the comics with change I’d find around the house, and I’d purposely wake up at the ass crack of dawn to watch Sonic X on 4kids TV. (Usually at 5:30-6:00 AM LMAO) I didn’t care they were reruns. I just grew more attached to Sonic along with the rest of the characters I met throughout the series.

I vividly remember crying in the one episode where Sonic & Chris first meet (I think?) I remember a pool. No reason. Just because I had never made a friend ever and I just wanted to be free like Sonic was. I was too busy taking care of my sister to even get social interaction. That was, until I started junior high/middle school and made a friend who liked Sonic too. He’d proof read my fanfictions, see my edits, but also educate me on the games during History/Social Studies block. it was great. But we got bullied for liking them by the school population, especially me, who was a girl and would never understand video games. I even got ridiculed for SLAYING in the Smash Bros Tournaments and Mario Kart Tourneys. For that, I shut everyone out because of it. AINT no one taking Sonic away from me.

I’m 24 now. And I could give less of a damn of being made fun of. I will ride and die on this hill. I love him and the franchise as a whole. I still edit. I still ship Sonaze and will until my last breath. I still read the comics. I play the games. Get into ship discussions. Get into lore discussions. Watch LP’s.

Sonic has been the only consistent thing in my life. I’m so glad I never gave him up.

literally insane how this franchise went from being the butt of every joke on the internet to where we are now. like if you were online in the latter half of the 2010’s, i know you know what i’m talking about— you could just say “sonic the hedgehog” and that’s it, that was the punchline. it was like the lowest common denominator of internet humor but it was everywhere. the prevailing stance was that these games were bad, and if you like them, you should feel bad. and to be fair, those games were, sometimes, very bad, and with each new installment it looked less and less likely that they were ever gonna be good again. and now we have two critically-acclaimed feature films with a third on the way, a netflix original series and the latest game installment is predicted to be the highest-grossing in franchise history. there’s something kind of meta about sonic— the guy, not the brand— being all about never giving up and not caring what people think, because i really feel like the reason we’ve gotten this far is because the people who love these games never stopped loving them, even when people decided it was cheugy or cringe or whatever. man

[1d-discourseoftheday]

💙 Tues 5 Jan ‘21 💚

Is today's biggest story really a pair of socks I mean WHY NOT am I right, that may as well happen! With impeccable timing, as the fandom and the world went bananas about Ho-livia WildStyle (a drag queen name for the ages right there), the first of the limited edition TPWK socks that people ordered basically on blind faith (you fully couldn't tell what they were going to look like at all on the website, and now we know why lmao) have arrived with a bang: they seemed to come with either blue or pink hearts, but in fact it turns out you get one of two color combos, either pink and white or, uh: BLUE AND GREEN HEARTS. I'm not one to carry on about like jeans and a green shirt or what have you but this is a CHOICE, and if the antis don't have performative burnings of their evil larrie merch honestly WHAT is the POINT; the resale market of the limited edition socks is already booming though so there's always that option, if either side can bear to conduct business across the divide. My question is, did they really time it to play out this precisely on purpose? Unlikely tbh, but if that's a thing they're capable of I have some THOUGHTS about the way other Harry merch takes like 4 months to arrive...

Larrie socks aside however, the real discourse continues to be about you-know-what, with the players out there fanning the flames wildly. There's too much nonsense to bother with it all (the quoted sources in the articles directly contradicting each other's stories also makes it difficult) so let's just... *spins wheel*....okay I landed on 'tabloids say Harry's wedding speech talked about his girlfriend Olivia' here goes. Sjksdfjks WHY would you be talking about your girlfriend of three weeks in a speech for your close friends' wedding, OMG, how uncomfortable and inappropriate is that?? Imagine if any of this were real, that Harry ('I'd take my time and make sure a thing was serious before telling people about it', end quote, I mean that's ALSO a stunt quote (oh the layers) but just pointing out that it's contradictory) starts dating his co-worker who just got out of a huge relationship and is also a famous person with presumably an interest in privacy, and immediately the two of you get to work setting up a big reveal to happen right away (even in a weird fantasy world where any of this is real the possibility that JEFF AZOFF'S WEDDING had the paps present for any other reason than to do EXACTLY what they were told is flat impossible- what pap or celeb outlet can afford to be on Jeff's bad list?!) and then he casually writes her into his speech (a guy who's so anxious and shy about public speaking and what to say that he begs people to write speeches for him and practices endlessly) uh huh, sure Jan. There are so many things about this that are ludicrous, but more to the point, none of the things they're saying hold up to scrutiny any better than this. There just isn't any point in taking them that seriously though; Harry is a closeted artist and, just like the many queer artists that came before him who he repeatedly reminds us are his icons, he both lets us know all day every day in a million ways that he's queer, and also plays the industry game and winkingly gives the press their Straight Guy Harry fodder. You don't have to like it, or indeed anything at all in this world, but people do need to accept that whether they like it or not is neither the point nor anyone (including Harry)'s responsibility to respond to or do anything about.

Like I said I can't cover every detail but! I always have a little space for the absurd: today, our best entrant is the possibility that the whole wedding we saw was a sham– fans ask, was this public spectacle Jeff and Glenne's actual wedding? Listen if anyone would be up for it it would be this crew, and if they did stage it I'm sure they had a good laugh! Suspicion has been cast on Glenne's dress (allegedly an untailored 2018 off the rack number), the small guest list (wouldn't they just wait and have a huge event?), and the fact that they invited paps there at all. It would make the no explanation robe pics EVEN FUNNIER though if you imagine that was for our benefit but left totally unadressed (undressed). ANYWAY Don't Worry Darling filming is back in business and Harry was papped some more today, out for a casual not at all pap walk hike with a work associate and multiple items of his own merch (including an unreleased hoodie design.) On the topic of DWD, sometimes a different perspective can be interesting-- for example considering whether Harry is the point of all this at all? Or is he but a bit player in the real DWD publicity drama, an elaborate and very public dramatic reconciliation between Olivia and her ex husband? Either way, he's neither a clueless dupe, a helpless pawn, or anyone's 'boy toy', so please: can we rein in the hand wringing and pointless Olivia bashing a bit?

Let's talk about something else shall we? For example! Liam's setlist, just released for the upcoming LP Show Act 4. Look at that song selection! Fireproof! Strong!! Through The Dark!! More exciting 1D faves! Plus Slow and Home With You off his EP, NICE, singles and more, it looks awesome. The Hugo Man fragrance relaunch is less exciting, featuring the dopiest possible articles full of chat about his skin care routine (oh shucks I'm just  manly man, I don't have one at all... *names two products and refers to 'multiple moisturizers'*), trademark accidental candor (“I’m quite tired!”), and of course trying to describe a fragrance, always an entertaining gymnastics (“every time I spray it, it kind of takes me back to being on that rooftop in Berlin”), but also there are manly new pics of Lia.

A new song Niall co-wrote is coming out! The JC Stewart song, Break My Heart, will be out this Fri! Charlie Lightening posted pics from a year ago on the Walls music video set, featuring an intent Louis in the sun (and fashion voter underrated excellent Looks), and Louis commented on Dave Allen's post (“top man!”)-- the famous boxer is offering to help friends through lockdown by facetiming 3or 4 people a day for home workouts, damn, and also aww. That shitty Doncaster secondary school turned out some really sweet dudes, against all odds tbh. With Los Angeles experiencing some of the worst COVID surges we've seen since the beginning of the pandemic, Grammys organizers have elected to postpone the (already limited) ceremony. Originally scheduled for Jan 31 it is now TBA, tentatively for March. Harry's stalker, who menaced him in and near his London home in 2019, is being charged with violating his restraining order by attempting to contact Harry via social media, Global Fund for Women thanked Harry for donating, and HLDaily and other accounts were suspended for posting pap pics, always a risk, but one trick potato Jeff is on the job; HSD is back up and running, cause they can't have a proper stunt season without their most faithful mouthpieces. Niall continues to vote for himself on twitter threads about what to listen to in the New Year.

[lovejustforaday]

Sonic Youth Albums Ranked (Part 3)

6. Sister (1987)

Main Genres: Noise Rock, Alternative Rock, Post-Punk

A decent sampling of: Experimental Rock

This is the first LP in the Sonic Youth discography accessible enough to be labelled a true ‘Alternative Rock’ record. It’s still rough around the edges, but Sister is full of catchy hooks and thrilling guitar sounds. I feel like this record and Daydream Nation probably went on to spawn at least 200 new alternative rock bands by the time the 90s came around (not that I was there to see it or anything, just speculation).

Sister deserves a lot of credit for solidifying on tracks like “Catholic Block” and “Stereo Sanctity” what would become the dominant formula for the band’s sound throughout most of the rest of their discography. I think that's part of the reason why this is Sonic Youth’s second most acclaimed and beloved record. Perhaps some fans would even be downright offended that I only put this at #6 on the list, but trust me when I say that this is only because the band has made so many fantastic records. In fact, for most bands, this would easily be their greatest record.

I can still remember the first time I heard the opening to “Schizophrenia”, I had never heard anything quite like it. The guitars sound upbeat yet worn out and dejected, making me feel isolated and almost spiritually weak when I listen to this track, yet somehow also comforted. The song is partially inspired by Kim’s older brother who has schizophrenia, though the roles are reversed in this song with a brother whose sister is schizophrenic. It’s a deeply fascinating and memorable piece, and I can see why many fans consider this to be a top five Sonic Youth track.

Most of the rest of Sister is very scratchy and punkish with some very tight guitar work, like “Catholic Block” which boasts one of my favourite melodic riffs in the Sonic Youth canon. There’s also “Hot Wire My Heart”, another major highlight and a cover of the obscure British punk band Crime, where Sonic Youth takes their song and upgrades the guitars and drums while also adding a bold wall of feedback at the end.

Then there’s “Pacific Coast Highway”, a completely sickening song and one of Kim’s very finest moments as a lyricist and vocalist. This haunting noise rock jumble tells the story of either a unhinged stranger, or perhaps a resentful ex-lover, who is obsessively catcalling the listener from their car, with the not-so-subtle implication that you’re all by yourself somewhere and that this person intends to harm you. I have no idea if this was written about a personal experience, but I do know from listening to their voices that this is something many women have either gone through or live in perpetual fear of. Seriously fucked up stuff, but also one of Sonic Youth’s very best tracks.

"Cotton Crown” is an odd one out in the Sonic Youth discography; an uncharacteristically sincere but still off-kilter love song that Kim and Thurston sing as a duet. Their voices are a bit out of tune with each other, but i think that honestly fits the Sonic Youth aesthetic and it’s sweet in its own quirky way, although very bittersweet decades later with hindsight about the fate of their relationship. Sort of a noise rock lullaby almost, maybe even with hints of early shoegaze.

Sister does a really good job of taking the seemingly juxtaposing ideas of the ‘fun’ and the ‘grotesque’ and fuses them together. This album is both largely exciting and still somehow alienating and depressive. It’s textbook Sonic Youth, really. I will say that the best tracks are clustered together with a noticeably weaker middle portion, but really this is still a consistently great record throughout. Altogether, Sister is one of the many entries in the band’s discography from 1986 through 1990 where Sonic Youth could basically do no wrong. A classic record.

9/10

highlights: “Pacific Coast Highway”, “Schizophrenia”, ‘Catholic Block”, “Cotton Crown”, “Hot Wire My Heart”, “Beauty Lies in the Eye”

5. A Thousand Leaves (1998)

Main Genres: Noise Rock, Experimental Rock

A decent sampling of: Alternative Rock, Post-Rock, Neo-Psychedelia

I’m just gonna say this now: A Thousand Leaves is by far Sonic Youth’s most underrated record. It’s also the last truly amazing record that the band ever put out. Maybe it’s just the bizarre choice of an album cover that turns people off of this LP. Really, what the hell were they going for here with the minimalist hamster vibes? The beautiful title really suggests something a lot more visually stunning.

In all seriousness though, I feel like nobody talks about this one because it’s overshadowed by its predecessor Washing Machine, but if there’s one area that this record exceeds above all other Sonic Youth LPs, it’s that it perfectly captures that mellow feeling that the later Sonic Youth albums were inclined towards. Not a lot of Sonic Youth records put me at ease like this one does.

Likewise, this is maybe the most ‘feel-good’ record in their discography along with Murray Street. But where Muray Street is something you could put on in the background and enjoy pretty modestly, A Thousand Leaves is a largely experimental, out-of-body experience that pulls you into its surreal, flowery, evergreen world.

“Contre Le Sexism” is a perfect opener for this kind of record; this quiet daze of a waking dream is both dainty and delirious, alluding to Alice in Wonderland with Kim’s vocals never before sounding so gentle and bright. I swear I start to hear a door creak at the end. Maybe that’s the sound of stepping out into the rest of A Thousand Leaves.

What follows immediately after is “Sunday” which is actually one of the band’s poppiest moments, making it somewhat of an outlier on this highly avant-garde and immersive record. But the warm spring vibes of the melody fits right in. The wall of sound introduced during the bridge is a soft mesmerizing bliss more akin to a band like My Bloody Valentine, if not for the tiny distant screeches of atonality whirling around here and there. As a big fan of both bands, I’m all for this kind of sound.

“Wildflower Soul” is easily one of the best things Sonic Youth has ever written. Endless amounts of creativity are poured into this nine minute noise rock acrobatics performance along with a lyrical ode to love, nature, and childhood. The vibes of this one are really quite jaw-dropping given the fact that these are the same guys who wrote “Schizophrenia” and “Death Valley ‘69″. There’s such unison and harmony in the band’s performance here as they switch between different bpm and even time signatures, and the usage of the heavy phaser effect towards the end sounds nothing short of godlike. "Wildflower Soul” almost feels like an entire album experience in one song, and I’m beyond impressed every time I listen to it.

This makes for a hard act to follow, but A Thousand Leaves still has plenty of other highlights. “French Tickler” is a strange and satisfying track that switches back and forth between a playful melody and churning, stretchy distortion. “Karen Koltrane” is a murky but textured portrait of Lee Renaldo’s ex-girlfriend, who got addicted to hallucinogens and became heavily withdrawn from the rest of the world. “Snare, Girl” is a soothing spell where Thurston sounds like he’s trying to coax the listener into a never-ending slumber.

My only real complaint here is “Hits of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg)”, a lackadaisical jam session that sounds cool enough, but really overstays its welcome given the lack of development it achieves over its eleven minute run time. It’s a nice piece to vibe to, but it very noticeably disrupts the album’s flow. Take this one track away entirely, or even just edit it down severely, and this would probably be a 10/10 record for me.

Still, wow what a cool album. A Thousand Leaves is a great example of why I respect this band so much. Even this late into their career, Sonic Youth were willing to try so many new bizarre things while also building judiciously upon the foundations of their past work with great attention to detail. I wouldn’t recommend most people start with this one, it’s definitely a bit more challenging especially if you haven’t listened to some other really weird experimental rock records. But once you’re in the right headspace for it, it’s easy to get almost completely lost in A Thousand Leaves.

9/10

highlights: “Wildflower Soul”, “Sunday”, “French Tickler”, “Karen Koltrane”, “Snare, Girl”, “Contre Le Sexism”, “Heather Angel”

4. Goo (1990)

Main Genres: Noise Rock, Alternative Rock

A decent sampling of: Experimental Rock, Post-Punk

Goo was my very first Sonic Youth album, and I can definitely still feel some of the old teenage angst that I had at the time whenever I listen to this one. What probably adds to that feeling is the fact that this along with Daydream Nation is one of the two albums in the band’s discography that I’d say possesses a great deal of immediacy. Albums like Sister and A Thousand Leaves are a bit more subtle and they take a while to be fully digested. But this one, this one hit me like a brick wall.

Between “Tunic (Song For Karen)”, “Kool Thing”, and “Cinderella’s Big Score”, Goo is above all others the Sonic Youth record where Kim Gordon is really the star of the band, featuring not one but three of her most captivating songs. Likewise, I would also say that this is Sonic Youth’s most overtly feminist and socially conscious record.

I don’t know if anybody else feels this way, but to me the opener “Dirty Boots” really does sound like “Teen Age Riot” part 2. That’s not a bad thing of course, Sonic Youth making more songs like “Teen Age Riot” could never be a bad thing, and “Dirty Boots” is definitely one of the highlights of Goo with its massive build up of kinetic energy. That being said, I do have to say that I don’t think any song could do this particular kind of album opener better than “Teen Age Riot” already does it, but I still really do enjoy “Dirty Boots”.

“Tunic (Song For Karen)” is one of Sonic Youth’s most poetic and poignant songs. Kim’s sing-talking voice is even more solemn than usual as she takes on a surreal retelling of the final days of drummer/pop star pioneer Karen Carpenter from her perspective, highlighting the severity of her loneliness and the criminal negligence of many of the people around her who let her succumb to her eating disorder. Set to a backdrop of stark and droning alternative rock, I would say that this is possibly the band’s most depressing moment and certainly one of the biggest statements that they ever made.

A lot of the rest of Goo is actually pretty fun though. “Kool Thing” features Chuck D on guest vocals, and its a funny sarcastic take down of the subjugation of women’s voices in supposedly liberated spaces like the world of rock and hip hop, inspired by the time Kim interviewed L.L. Cool J and attempted to have a political conversation. The song mocks L.L.’s attitude towards women while also poking fun at Kim’s own self-perceived elitism. There’s also “Mote”, a sensational head rush that dissolves into noise rock weird-isms, sorta recreating the feeling of going from buzzed to totally black out.

“Mildred Pierce” is almost a practical joke but I kind of love the hell out of it anyway. A short track with lyrics consisting only of the song’s title, it starts with the band getting into a nice little riff before (without warning) bursting into a hardcore punk cacophony as Thurston screams the name over and over into the listener’s ears. Made me jump the first time I heard it.

And then there’s “Cinderella’s Big Score”. If “Schizophrenia” vaguely hinted at Kim’s estranged relationship with her older brother, then “Cinderella’s Big Score” confronts it dead on. Featuring some of the band’s most totally insane and disfigured guitar work ever, this song sounds harsh and militant, like the dawn of a nuclear cataclysm. It’s very hard to believe that Kim is 37 years old here; she reverts to sounding exactly like a hurt teenage little sister, rebelling against her childhood trauma and lashing out at her brother’s past bullying and now his cold indifference towards her.

The song grapples with some very painful emotions, but the experience is raw and cathartic. “Cinderella’s Big Score” is definitely somewhere in Sonic Youth’s top 10 tracks for me; it just doesn’t get any realer than this. Honestly, the record could’ve ended here. I like “Titanium Expose” enough as a closer, but this would’ve made a really powerful and lasting impression to end the album.

Despite that, Goo is an excellent Sonic Youth record that demonstrates just how much the band had mastered their craft after a decade of making all sorts of noises. Obviously I’m biased since it was my own first Sonic Youth record, but I really do feel like this is the very best place to start with the band. Goo is one of their more melodic and accessible offerings, but it’s also one of their most provocative records and it really captures the essence of Sonic Youth’s identity.

9/10

highlights: “Cinderella’s Big Score”, “Tunic (Song For Karen)”, “Mote”, “Kool Thing”, “Dirty Boots”, ‘Mildred Pierce”

3. EVOL (1986)

Main Genres: Noise Rock, Experimental Rock, Post-Punk

A decent sampling of: No Wave, Alternative Rock

If Bad Moon Rising was bleak and desolate, than EVOL is disturbed, uncanny, and deeply paranoid. Sonic Youth’s third record evokes the feeling of being all alone at midnight on a sketchy highway, complete with mental images of flickering street lights and looming shadowy figures. I mentioned earlier that I have to be in the right mood to enjoy Bad Moon Rising, but this record puts me in the right mood almost instantly whenever I put it on.

EVOL isn’t exactly a no wave album like their first two records. The highly experimental influence is still there, but the arrangements are starting to sound fuller and more intentional.

You could say that this LP marks somewhat of a transitional phase between Sonic Youth the no wave band and Sonic Youth the alternative rock band, and in many respects it has the best of both worlds. There’s a few catchy darker alternative rock songs here and there, sandwiched between tracks that could best be described as ‘mad scientist’ music, which altogether creates a varied and unique album experience.

“Tom Violence“ immediately establishes the tone of EVOL with crooked, scraping flashes of post-punk guitars. This track reminds me of heads hung low, bodies slouched uncomfortably, and the feeling of being completely wide awake at 2:00 am. There’s something very unfriendly that lurks beneath the dissonance of these sounds.

If “Tom Violence” is uneasy, then “Shadow of A Doubt” is an auditory nightmare, managing to capture something akin to the fear of being watched by an unknown stranger hiding in the shadows. Notes are gently plucked like icy cold fingers slowly crawling up the listener’s back while Kim whispers about murder plots and oneirophrenia. The “just a dream” lyrical motif is first uttered reassuringly, but eventually turns into a desperate plea as Kim begins to shout frantically and the music intensifies.

The album dials down the spook factor a few notches with “Starpower” and “In The Kingdom #19″. The former is an early example of Sonic Youth’s ability to combine melodic hooks with meandering chaos that would become refined on the next few LPs, while the latter features Lee’s first solo vocals (and one of his best performances) reciting a lucid, jet black vision of a car accident. Thurston threw firecrackers into the recording studio when they did Lee’s vocals on this track and you can hear it in the recording, and just like “Mildred Pierce” it really caught me off guard the first time I heard it.

“Secret Girl” is the scariest fucking thing in the whole Sonic Youth discography, and also just one of the scariest songs I’ve ever heard. It starts with a deep shuddering thud that sounds like it’s getting closer and closer. Then out of nowhere, a cassette-recording of an old detuned piano starts to play a simple, unnerving refrain while Kim offers a cryptic and uncomfortably suggestive spoken word piece. It feels like a scene that might play out in a horror film, where a television screen comes on by itself and the person on the screen begins to talk directly to the viewer.

Finally, there’s “Expressway To Yr Skull” (alternatively titled “Madonna, Sean, and Me”), which would be my #1 Sonic Youth album closer if not for the #1 album on this list. That being said, this song is still one of the biggest highlights of the band’s career. "Expressway To Yr Skull” starts off restless and spectacular, leading up to an utterly earth-shaking climax, and then it’s as if the song promptly dies, only to become a lingering undead entity that pulls you down with it. I still can’t get over how the ending really manages to sound like it’s dragging you down further and further into its barren depths.

To add to that, there’s actually a locked groove on the original vinyl release of this LP that plays the last little bit of “Expressway To Yr Skull”, meaning that if you let the needle sit there, it will forever loop that last little bit of droning at the end of the track. I really appreciate this little detail; it’s as if the pervasive darkness of EVOL is so encompassing that it could turn into a deep midnight that never ends.

EVOL is honestly so close to being a 10 for me, but just like Sister I find that it is decently weaker towards the middle. Still, I’m absolutely enamored with the atmosphere on this album. No gothic rock record has ever managed to sound so deeply unsettling to my ears like this little experimental record does. You really just have to experience this one for yourself. Honestly, don’t be surprised if in a year or two I’ve changed my mind and bumped this one to a 10.

9/10

highlights: “Expressway To Yr Skull”, “Shadow Of A Doubt”, “Tom Violence”, “Secret Girl”, “In The Kingdom #19″, “Starpower”

[something-very-special]

Impressions

I know I’m way behind on progression through Replicant (insofar as anybody can be ‘way behind’ in the sense of playing a video game for personal entertainment), buuuut I figured I’d share a few thoughts.

Presently I’m doing sidequest mop-up post-Barren Temple, for reference:

So just to get this overall out of the way, I am legitimately fascinated by the differences between NIER and Replicant. This is something I picked up on when I played RepliCant to grab footage for my LP, but given my extremely limited understanding of Japanese all I could get was the tone between characters and to my unpracticed ear they sounded pretty different. I always assumed that Weiss was somehow even more condescending to Brother and hah hah, wow. Even kind of expecting the dialogue and delivery differences I was not prepared for some of the dialogue and delivery differences. Weiss just straight-up insulting BroNier on the regular, not even doing sarcastic eye-rolls like he does with Papa. I don’t remember the exact line that set me off but somewhere in the Barren Temple I was just laughing my ass off at how much of a dick Weiss is.

Thought the ‘miracles’ conversation in the Junk Heap was interesting, too. I remember Papa Nier telling Weiss to stuff it because ‘those kids need a miracle’ and Weiss kind of backs down-- obviously doesn’t believe it, but he knows better than to push. And Brother tries but Weiss is just not having this optimism bullshit. Little things, but the tenor of the relationship is definitely different.

One of the more interesting aspects early on is the way the Lunar Tear is treated. Obviously I don’t know if this was part of the original game or a script adjustment, but Brother talking about the Tear as a source of money as opposed to Father saying it can grant wishes was interesting. Maybe it was to justify that Kaine just has a whole necklace of the damn things and therefore it’s rare but not literally magic, but it always sounded like it was just meant to be taken as a myth to me anyway. Then again, it’s established in the Grimoire that Brother has a fixation specifically on making money so he can support himself and Yonah (versus Papa Nier, who has obviously already established himself as an adult rather than a kid still figuring things out and hoping that enough money will solve all their problems).

Where the dialogue doesn’t diverge is interesting, too. Mostly I’m talking about the scene after defeating Hook. I always found Papa Nier exclaiming “You’re going to live, Kaine!” and “Yes, we’re friends now!” to be obvious holdovers from a younger protagonist just goddamn hilarious when Papa Nier is saying them. They’re still really funny with Brother Nier but just remembering Papa Nier doing the exact same delivery in his deep, manly voice just re-elevated the whole scene into comedy gold.

All of that is really why I was interested in getting the game so already my money is well spent. But there’s some other stuff:

They butchered the OST! ...or so people keep telling me on Youtube. I admit I do think the re-orchestrations is largely inferior to the original (although there are some that are at least as good in a different way, and whatever they did to The Lost Forest -- which was one of my least favorite tracks in the original -- I really enjoy) but I wouldn’t call it a butchering and I highly suspect that if I didn’t have the eleven years of the original OST and its association within the game itself I wouldn’t bat an eye, it still all sounds great.

Also, a weird observation, but I found that the soundtrack sounds much better coming out of the TV speakers than through headphones. I’m not sure if somehow it was optimized for play through external speakers, or maybe just not hearing the added orchestration right up against my eardrums, but when I went to the Lost Shrine with headphones on I was admittedly disappointed, but going to it again and listening through the TV it worked significantly better.

(I’m not sure if this is necessarily a factor, but the booklet in the White Snow edition mentions that the new soundtrack was all studio mixed rather than having the individual tracks layered. While I don’t think that would have an impact on music quality it almost definitely makes a difference in the way it’s produced.)

I miss chest-thrusting to double jump Movement overall feels much more refined and polished. It’s not as slick as Automata, but it definitely feels like a natural evolution of the original game, and as an apologist for NIER’s combat I can appreciate that. A little more responsive, I appreciate being able to move while casting magic, and it still has a bit of a crunch behind weapon impact (although I wish it felt a bit heavier).

But goodness I miss the stupid animation for double-jumping. I mean sure, an aerial somersault is a classic indication of a double jump, but I just loved that Nier would chest-thrust so hard he would break the laws of physics and ascend higher.

It also feels a bit like the aerial dodge was nerfed for movement purposes? I really don’t feel as much horizontal thrust to get a running start after diving off the Library balcony.

Fully voiced? Fully voiced?! I knew this was happening but I totally forgot until the NPC villagers started talking to me! Some of the incidental deliveries are a bit awkward, but as somebody whose glasses prescription is a decade out of date I appreciate this immensely.

The item guy in Seafront just being from the goddamn Bronx is a thing of beauty.

BroNier does fit into the Village better. One of the little details I love in the game is that each bit of civilization has its own style. The maps aren’t large enough to really convey how long travel takes, but the different styles between the Village and Seafront just kind of helped to ‘place’ the characters in a really neat, subtle way (Emil’s sash identifies him as ‘belonging to’ Seafront, which is actually pertinent when you get that sidequest where you find the letter from his science-mom in town! I assume she always wore a kicky sash when she went to work in the underground child torture bunker.)

Facade obviously also has their own style, but it’s... hard not to appreciate.

Papa Nier’s dress doesn’t really ‘place’ him anywhere, which doesn’t feel weird for the main character, and I feel like it’s implied that he isn’t really from the Village in a meaningful way anyway and kind of drifted in at some point after Yonah had been born. But younger Brother Nier is actually wearing the local fashion and it’s a neat little detail that I didn’t appreciate back when I played PS3 RepliCant. (Probably because I didn’t bother talking to any NPCs what with not being able to read the dialogue, so I never really had him standing next to anybody for long enough to process.) Older Brother Nier takes on a very different outfit that winds up displacing him from the rest of the Village (and any other towns), which is a pretty nice visual metaphor, too.

I have a confession to make. I still enjoy fishing in this game.

Yeah I said it. I’ll say it again too-- I like the fishing minigame. I happily blitzed through the Fisherman’s available Gambits, and then just caught five sharks while I was hanging out, and then also caught the sandfish ahead of time, and also wound up with a half-ton giant catfish (??!?) trying to remember where the black bass are located.

Cart me away.

Related but I laughed far too hard when the fisherman says “the WESTERN beach”. I wonder why they changed that line. I just can’t imagine.

And those seals. Always a delight to go to early Seafront and just plant yourself between a couple of seals. Watch the ocean. Listen to the music and the waves. Watch the seals lazily roll around and make cute seal barks.

The most depressing thing about the timeskip is losing those seals.

My garden--! The gardening timeskip exploit was fixed due to a difference in PS4 architecture. :/ I know there’s still an exploit involving time zones but I didn’t go in knowing that and I was horrified when I adjusted the system clock only to find my crops weren’t growing. Is Legendary Gardener still a trophy? Fffffuuuuu

My BARREN TEMPLE. The Barren Temple is, to me, a legitimately funny dungeon, between Sechs getting himself abducted, Kaine getting herself abducted and Nier and Weiss just sighing in resignation, and the whole concept of the rules-based challenges. And the adjustment they made to the Prince’s dialogue before you meet him is so good-- the original felt a little disjointed and felt like it ended with the Prince being confused. It was still funny, but here Weiss just gives zero fucks about insulting the Prince (and presumably knows that’s exactly who he’s talking to) and it’s just great.

And I say all of that because I just died laughing when I got to the infamous Racing Wolf room and saw they outlawed evasion.

Evasion works differently in this game anyway so you wouldn’t have really been able to do the same trick before (dodge roll; in the original release you would dodge roll forward by tapping the button, but a default evasion has you backstep. Of course you could arrange BroNier to face away from the trap and then evade, but it would be significantly dicier, and I feel like the pattern on the shots was awkward enough that you wouldn’t have an opening in the second row (and probably would’ve have dodged your ass right into the bullets anyway). But just that they acknowledged the trick and then flipped you off with it was amazing. Aggravating? My amusement far outweighed my frustration since the Defend trick was still solid.

It also felt like more rooms outlawed jumping? That I can’t corroborate (I was really focusing on whether they did something to Racing Wolf, which is of course the most traumatic of the rooms) but I feel like it wasn’t as easy to cheese some of those rooms as it had been previously.

Dark Blast is amazing. Cheesed the shit out of the actual ‘Evasive Mouse’ room, though. I remember having some difficulties when the miniboss shows up since you can’t dodge out of the way of his lava pillar attack, but I just circle-strafed with Dark Blast and he died comically quickly.

This is actually more relevant to the magic as a whole, but in the time since I first played NIER (so... probably the time I fifth played NIER) I learned more about the little intracacies of the magic system. Like, really little intricacies, like how you can use magic with just a button tap and it actually has different effects... like Dark Blast dealing significantly more damage. It’s not as easy as just holding down the button and getting the multi-shot off the charge, but for a single enemy like that just rapid-fire tapping the button chews through the lifebar.

This tap strategy is really appreciated for Dark Hand (forward thrust punch) and Dark Lance (which is even better thanks to the game’s lock-assist-- a much appreciated quality-of-life adjustment), and I look forward to getting Dark Execution because of its fast activation feature (spreading the lances in a forward cone in front of you, extremely useful for crowd control when you can’t afford to wait for Execution to charge up).

Fragile Delivery still sucks. I don’t know why I had such a terrible time with the first Fragile Delivery but I broke that... Ming vase or whatever you’re delivering half a dozen times. Send that guy a steel rug instead, Guard #3, he is not worth whatever piece of art you had me destroy six times.

And the game still holds up. This is probably a ‘needless to say’ thing but yeah, this is still a great game. I always have a little bit of apprehension going back to something I loved just in case there’s a rose-colored effect going on. Not that I really expected that to happen with this game (I’ve played NIER recently enough that I didn’t think nostalgia would blind me) but, you know, always a possibility.

(That and that the remaster would be... perhaps of dubious quality. It happens.)

Nope! Still engaging. Still charming. I’m always impressed to go back to this game with all the knowledge of its inevitable misery and remember that it’s also just plain funny. NIER is one of those games that’s just like I remember it but better every time I go back to it.

I’m so glad that Automata did well enough to spur greater interest in this game. It really didn’t get the chance it deserved back in 2010 and now it’s topping some of the sales charts. That’s fantastic.

Just... fantastic.

[askroahmmythril]

Of Challenge Runs and Stress Levels

So it has come to my attention that, over on TV Tropes, I was removed from the “Gaming Pantheon.”  I.... really don’t care.  I never asked to be there, I’m not one to label myself a god of ANYTHING.  Truthfully, I always felt kind of awkward about that being there at all.  I’m just some guy what plays games on the internet to entertain people and have a good time doing so.  And that is a key thing, HAVING A GOOD TIME DOING SO.  My mission statement for this channel has always been that I’d keep at it as long as I was having fun with it.

Now the reason I bring up the whole pantheon thing is the reasoning of what my title was, and why specifically someone said I should be removed (and subsequently was).  My title had been “God of Self Imposed Challenges.”  Of course, this stemmed from something that has been both a blessing and a curse for my channel, the Mega Man Perfect Runs.  A blessing because yes, I had fun doing them at the time, and of course they helped in growing my audience early on.  A curse because I constantly get pressured on “when are you going to do more?”

Don’t get me wrong, I understand liking a particular facet of someone’s content or what have you and wanting more of it.  It does however get a little depressing and draining when I start up a new project, and instantly get asked when more Mega Man will be happening.  It’s... a weird sort of dichotomy, hard to describe really, just kind of an “it is what it is.”  I started my channel with one thing, so of course people want more of that.

Now as for the reason of removal, the main person that seemed to be pushing for it did so because I’ve been doing more casual LPs for the time being, rather than anything and everything I put on the channel HAVING to be a challenge run of some sort or another.  As they worded it, they wanted to assign me the trope of “We Have Become Complacent.”  The wording of this... there’s just such a negative connotation to it, and a failing to understand my reasons for not always wanting to do challenge runs.

Remember what I said up there about doing this as long as I was having fun with it?  The simple fact is challenge runs are stressful.  Heck, I’m already a bit of a perfectionist as it is with my speech patterns, I can sometimes ditch footage and redo it not because of how the run was going, but because I tripped over my own words early in the take.  Adding the level of the gameplay having to be perfect in one way or another just adds onto that stress.  Sometimes, I’m just really not in the mood to put that on myself.  The end result can be beating your head against this obstacle for weeks on end with nothing to show for it.

Basically, your own levels of stress and your own mental health need to come first, and that’s what I’ve been trying to deal with over the years.  The more stressful things have gotten in my real life, between losing half my immediate family to disease over the course of the last ten years, financial hardships, natural disasters, and online drama, as well as just the current world situation in general, the more I’ve wanted to use my videos as a way to relax because frankly, I need that.

Does this mean I won’t ever do more challenge run type stuff?  Not at all.  It just means I’m going at my own pace, and that’s what everyone has to do, find what works for them and when.  And hey, if taking care of yourself means you can’t be a god?  So be it.  I never asked for the job in the first place.

EDIT : Just to clear this up, it turns out the ACTUAL reason for removal was apparently more just that they were doing cleanup on the Pantheon, removing entries that were deemed too small, or hadn’t been updated in too long.  Honestly, I’m okay with that, like I said, I always kind of felt weird being listed there anyway. 

The “Grown Complacent” thing was apparently a private message from someone to the person in charge, who that person then also made a video discussing them suggesting that, so... kind of defeated the purpose of keeping it private.  This person’s been trying to keep a one-sided grudge with me alive for almost a year now, so... it honestly is not surprising to me.

The venting here, it still needed to be said, but I bear no ill will toward the majority of tropers themselves or such.

[fyexo]

200915 Lay Zhang Is Aiming To Bring Chinese Music To The World

It’s been a few years now since Lay Zhang (also known as Zhang Yixing) released his debut EP Lose Control in 2016. Already a prominent star throughout Asia after debuting as part of K-pop boy band EXO back in 2012 and becoming a prominent television personality in China, Zhang – who is usually known mononymously as Lay – started down a path that year that would turn him into one of the biggest musical players in Asia less than half a decade later: in 2018, he broke onto the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart with his album Namanana, and this year he ranked No. 5 on Forbes China’s Celebrity 100 ranking.

This year, Lay dropped the duality of his Lit LP, split between two parts that arrived in June and July. A multifaceted release that spends its length blending modern musical styles with traditionally Chinese performance elements, Lay’s latest puts the emphasis on his roots. It extensively draws from classical styles and storytelling influences as he attempts to bring China to the world, as he says in the single “Lit” and relays through that song’s highly cinematic music video that sees Lay as a warrior facing down enemies amid a grandiose historic setting, inspired by the legendary general Xiang Yu.

The title track, and the album as a whole, is Lay’s attempt at expressing what he calls “M-pop,” or mixed Mandarin pop music, a genre he’s spearheading with the aim of bringing Chinese culture to global – primarily western – music listeners. Coming at a time when the world is more divided than ever, and China and the U.S.’s trade war continues, it may seem like a lofty aim. But Lay, although he shies away from discussing political ramifications on culture during a conversation with Forbes, has hope that bringing multi-cultural influences together will create greater understandings between one another and different cultures, as long as we take the time to listen to one another. Or, in his case, M-pop.

Tamar Herman: You released the long version of Lit in July, and saw much love for its blending of traditionally Chinese and modern musical elements. What was the inspiration overall for this album?

Lay: I just want to share Chinese culture, so I’m trying my best. Because I’m Chinese and I learn a lot from China, I think our country has a lot of good culture and good traditional instruments that maybe people don’t know. I want to promote that part, and let people know the very dope Chinese culture.

The sound of [the word] “lit” is very close to the Chinese word for “lotus.” I want people to know they can become what they want to be, no matter where they started, like a lotus flower that begins in the root and become beautiful flowers. I was also inspired by the cycle of life and wanted to have a Chinese perspective on it, so the first part of the album is more about the past and [tells] Chinese stories, using more traditional instruments. The second part, about the present and the things we deal with now, has more modern sounds and I worked with great producers like Scott [Storch] and Murda Beatz. Learning [and working with them] so I can mix different cultures on one track, for me it’s amazing work.  

Herman: You released an epic music video for “Lit” as the album’s first lead track, and you’re back again on Sept. 14 with a remix of “Boom” by Dutch-Moroccan DJ R3hab, which you previously released as a single. What about these two songs make them your perfect pairing for listeners to get drawn into your Lit album?

Lay: For “Boom,” I want everyone just to jump and forget. This year is really terrible, right? I want people to forget the bad things and ignore the bad things. Just make happy vibes themselves.

For the second half of the album, my original intention was to have “Changsha” to be the single. However, during the course of the release cycle, “Boom” was selected instead because it really represented a little more what’s relevant to this current climate that covid has brought to the world. I wanted to focus more on that.  I want everyone just to jump and forget. Putting aside the negativity of this year and focusing on positivity.

Herman: How did your creative process differ between Lit and prior releases?

Lay: If I play a video game, my level just goes up and up, right? So I want every year to go to the next level, ever year get better.

Herman: What type of video game character would you like to be?

I’m a warrior. If I can have the opportunity to go to another country, I’ll join the battle with [krumping originator] Tight Eyez (Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis).

Herman: Speaking of... I asked fans if they had any questions on Twitter. And while there were many great suggestions, I was surprised by how many wanted to know about your love of krumping. What about this form of dance is appealing to you and made you want to highlight it through “Lit”?

Lay: “Lit” has a very slow tempo. I just found jazz, hip-hop, etc. choreo didn’t match this song. Krump matched this song, so I tried to learn the [style]. In the beginning, it was very hard to do. I couldn’t copy the teacher, the motion, the action. I wanted to know why. The teacher was like, “You have to spend time in this kind of dance, then you can change.” I tried very hard to practice the feeling and vibe. I took maybe three months, and I’m just the beginning of krumping like a teenager. Level three in a game, maybe.

Herman: In “Lit” you say you are taking China to the world, and you’ve been talking a lot recently about how you’d like to spearhead M-Pop’s growth internationally. What do you hope to achieve?

Lay: I think Mandarin can mix with other countries’ languages to become one song, so that everyone can feel a Chinese vibe whether it’s English, French, Korean. It does not matter, I just want to mix a lot of languages, to create one track or music. If people can guess what English [songs] are talking about, they can guess what Chinese [songs] are talking about. It’s very easy to understand songs. The influence that I want to have isn’t about ranks or charts, but spreading Chinese culture to the world.

Herman: Typically, Chinese popular music is known in English as “C-pop,” with variant categories like Cantopop and Mandopop. Why do you feel it’s time to reframe the conversation as “M-pop”?

Lay: Because I think we need to mix something. It’s a global world. Also, I want music arrangements to have Chinese traditional instruments and other countries’ [instruments] put together. Traditional Chinese instruments, it’s better to use one style of instrument itself not with others. It’s a very unique sound, but you can [blend it with others] to make a new vibe.

Herman: You’ve been a top star in both the K-pop and Chinese music industries. K-pop’s having a moment in the west right now, how do you feel about M-pop’s potential?

Lay: Everybody, even me with “Namanana,” we just mix the languages, English with Chinese. But it’s basic, right? I think now M-pop has to change rules. From Lit, I saw the potential that we can reframe M-pop to another level. Let people know that it’s not just language mixing but culture mixing, instrument mixing, genre mixing. Letting people know that we have distinct instruments and unique sounds in China. I think there’s a potential to take M-pop to another level. I want to tell people, “This is Chinese music.”

Herman: You’ve been performing for many years now. How do you feel your approach to your artistry and performances have changed overtime? What have you realized is important to your craft?

Lay: For me, first of all, I think it’s all about music. If I can’t find the right music, I can’t make the performances very dope. Secondly, I think practice is very important. Practice is important if you want to make an amazing, perfect stage. So you have to spend the time practicing dancing and singing. Thirdly, I really respect my staff. Because we have these guys, they can make the stages, lights, speakers, and things for performers. Also, fans. Fans are very important. Without these four things I can do nothing.

Herman: This year’s hard on a lot of people. What makes you happy or hopeful in rough times? Any advice for people?

Lay: 2020 was terrible. But we have to trust tomorrow will be good. We have a very good tomorrow, a good future. So don’t lose confidence, don’t lose happiness. Don’t forget your dreams. Chase your dreams and be happy. And spend time with your family. If you want, you can get anything.

This interview was conducted in English and Mandarin, and edited for clarity.

source: Tamar Herman @ Forbes

[sinceileftyoublog]

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio Interview: Fo Sho

Photo by Francis A Willey

BY JORDAN MAINZER

No album from 2021 so far has me anticipating the return of live music more than Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio’s (DLO3, for the insiders) I Told You So (Colemine Records). The band’s second full-length expands upon their first LP Close But No Cigar in all the best ways: propulsive grooves, soulful moods, and an active imagination. Opener “Hole In One” introduces all the elements--funky, prickly guitar lines, confident drumming, and soulful organ--before first single and second track “Call Your Mom” and third track “Girly Face” reveal a gentler kind of sway without losing any of the sharpness. After “From The Streets” slows things down even more with a lurching rhythm and trailing reverb, the album turns it up a notch again with “Fo Sho” and “Aces”, upbeat struts with guitar and drum solos. In between that and the Stax-inspired closer “I Don’t Know” are perhaps the album’s two best tracks: a remarkably faithful, emotive cover of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” and “Right Place, Right Time”, a solo-laden jam that begins with spontaneous studio chatter embracing the chaos of live recording. Moreover, the album contains all the elements of and is almost structured like a terrific live set, with ample virtuosic dynamism and ideal pacing.

The band on I Told You So is founding members Lamarr, on organ, and Jimmy James, on guitar, with drummer Grant Schroff (The Polyrhythmics) filling in for what was at the time a permanent drummer to be named later. (Schroff went on a European tour with DLO3 right before the recording of this album, so they decided to go with him.) Since then, drummer Dan Weiss has entered the fold; he joined as a permanent drummer last year and even toured a little bit in Canada and Montana before COVID-19 abruptly ended the tour. But while the drummers have rotated, it’s James’ guitar and especially Lamarr’s organ that have remained the foundation of DLO3, one that gives me confidence they could switch drummers every time and still one-up themselves.

I spoke with Lamarr earlier this year from his home in Spokane, WA about the various releases under the DLO3 belt (two albums and singles/live releases) as well as working virtually with a new drummer, Colemine Records, and Chick Corea (who passed away right before our conversation). Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: What about I Told You So is unique as compared to anything else you’ve ever released under this trio?

Delvon Lamarr: We have more musical influences in I Told You So. The reason why Close But No Cigar felt kind of reserved--we weren’t getting too deep into it--was because it was unplanned. We didn’t even have music to record at the time. But this one features more diverse musical influences of ours. “From The Streets” has that hip hop, Ohio Players feel. “Careless Whisper”--you never hear an an organ trio play that. It digs deeper into our musical knowledge.

SILY: What was the process for composing and arranging these tracks? How much improvisation was there?

DL: It’s like 90% improvisational. Pre-pandemic, we toured a lot, so we hardly ever had a chance to get in a room and write music. Plus, we all live pretty far away from each other. We basically write music during soundchecks, and when we’re on the road, we come up with these ideas and put them together. Usually, we write these melodies, and things like that, but outside of the melody, the solo areas are pretty much gloves off. Whatever happens happens. One of the things we’re known for is intertwining music with other music, different genres of music within the one song. It keeps the music fresh and keeps people engaged. It’s a free for all for most of it. [laughs]

SILY: There’s a good balance on here of songs where everyone has equal weight versus songs really led by one person or instrument. Was it important for you to achieve that balance across the whole album, or did it just end up naturally like that?

DL: It’s just how it ended up. When we write music, we pretty much write grooves. Take “Call Your Mom”: That whole song was built around Jimmy’s guitar riff, so that is the melody. When we wrote that, we actually wrote it on the road during soundcheck. I think it just naturally happens. Whatever instrument we think sounds good, we’ll play that melody.

SILY: Has Dan been learning the tracks?

DL: Oh yeah. We’ve been writing music together. Right now, we multi-track our ideas or sing it into a phone and try to build it that way. A lot of these new tunes we haven’t actually played, because we can’t get in the same room, so we just go for it, man.

SILY: What about “Call Your Mom” and “Careless Whisper” made you want to release them as singles?

DL: That was a decision between my wife [and manager Amy Novo] and Colemine Records. I probably would’ve chosen “Call Your Mom”, too. It has a certain feel and groove to it, man. [laughs] “Careless Whisper” is funny, too, because I wasn’t even gonna record that tune. My wife really likes when we play it--she requests it at the end of shows. She convinced us to record that. I was like, “Nobody wants to hear ‘Careless Whisper’ by an organ trio.” She said, “Dude, just do it, it’s gonna be really good.” We did it, and I was wrong. The reception from that tune has been pretty amazing, actually. I thank her. She’s the reason we recorded it.

SILY: You play a lot of covers live--on the KEXP release, you did “Move On Up”, and last year, you released a cover of “Inner City Blues”. What’s your general approach to covers: Be faithful, or put your own spin on it?

DL: The spin of playing a cover tune just happens naturally. Take “Careless Whisper”: We try to play it like the recording, like the original. I work on phrasing the melodies like George Michael sings it. The way we end up doing that automatically puts a certain feel to it that naturally happens. I feel that way about all of them, even when we do “Move On Up”. I play the melody like Curtis Mayfield sang it. I try to get all of his nuances.

SILY: “Fo Sho” was released on the same single as “Inner City Blues”. Why didn’t you include “Inner City Blues” on the record? Is two covers too many?

DL: Not at all. Close But No Cigar had 4 covers on it.

SILY: That’s true.

DL: We just had a lot of original music we wanted to get out. I Told You So is part of a session that had 27-28 songs recorded. We have another album or two, or an album and a couple 45s worth of music just in that recording alone. We’ve done more recording since then, so we have more music in the can right now. We just wanted to get original tunes out. We did record some more covers that will be out later on, either as 45s or something else.

SILY: The record’s really crisp, but on “From The Streets”, the trailing reverb of the guitar is a hazy contrast to the rest of the album. Can you talk about that track?

DL: The history of that track--basically, I grew up in the streets. I was a rough child. [laughs] I had that music in my head that reminded me of my childhood of running the streets. When we recorded that, you never really hear an organist in an organ trio play a bass line. I don’t play chords in that tune at all. A lot of that magic is Jimmy James. He doesn’t use guitar effects. I actually recently got him to use a wah in a show, and it took him five years to do that. He’s straight guitar and amp. He’s always been that guitar player. That tone, that sound, that reverb is just him and his amp.

SILY: Was that actual studio chatter at the beginning of “Right Place Right Time”?

DL: [laughs] I was wondering when somebody was gonna ask me about that. The song we recorded before, we played the whole thing start to finish, absolutely perfect, without a single flaw. Grant, maybe the last four or five seconds, completely bites it. We were playing, and he forgot to do a break right at the end and kept playing, so it was an unusable take, so he screamed, “Fuuuuuuuuck! Fuuuuuuck!” That’s what we were referencing at the front of it. Jimmy James was like, “Remember that time you were like, ‘Fuuuuuuuuck,’ and then I started copying Jimmy.” It was pretty funny. We listened back to it, and my wife was like, “We gotta leave that in there.”

SILY: Is there an extra guitar on that track?

DL: There is. The guitar player from the Polyrhythmics, Ben Bloom. It’s funny how that worked, because he came to see Jason [Gray], our studio engineer, and I asked him whether he had his guitar with him, and he did, so I said, “Grab it, let’s record something!” He said, “I got about 20 minutes, I gotta be somewhere.” I just started messing around with this bass line, and everything started falling into place. We did two takes of that song. Over about 15 minutes, we wrote that entire song and recorded it. At first, it was just one quick bass line, like a short bass line that I had the idea for, and we started building on it. Ben came in, put his magic on it, and it was a wrap, man. I love that solo, too. It’s dope.

SILY: What’s the story behind the record title?

DL: When our original drummer left the band, people were worried about the sound of Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, because he had such a distinct style of playing. People assumed we’d sound different. I kept telling people, “As long as the music is good, people are gonna like it. It might feel different, but it’s gonna feel good and sound good.” That’s why I called the album I Told You So. Because it sounds good!

SILY: What about the album art?

DL: People are always wondering what I’m doing on the front of that album. I was shadowboxing--I used to be a boxer in my youth. We were taking photos in Cincinnati, and it was one of the photos everybody liked.

SILY: What does it mean to you to be on a label like Colemine Records, diverse in terms of genres but a wholly old school vibe.

DL: Our relationship is really good. They’re cool cats, man. It’s truly an honor to be a part of what they do. Since we’ve been with that label, I’ve met a lot of the artists on that label. It’s a gift to be a part of what they do. One of the big reasons I really like them is that it’s managed by two brothers that run it who are just normal dudes. They ain’t corporate. I talk to them like we talk to each other. It’s like family. I really respect these guys and what they do. It’s amazing being a part of what they do.

SILY: For sure.

DL: That’s “Fo Sho”. Just kidding.

SILY: Are you planning on doing any live streams or socially distant shows down the line, or are you waiting for things to calm down more?

DL: We’ve done a few live streams so far. We have more coming up. We’re working on some stuff. A lot of the tours we had scheduled last year got rescheduled to this year, so we’re seeing what happens, but right now, we’re still trying to book shows and see if it can be done safely. If it ain’t gonna be safe, we’re not gonna do it. We’re just hanging in there still, trying to keep things on the books. 

SILY: What else is next for the Trio?

DL: We’re working on a new project that we’re gonna call DLO3 and Friends. Basically, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio is gonna be the basis for the band but we’re gonna incorporate musicians we’ve met on the road all over the world that we’ve liked and start collaborating with people. We just went in the studio a couple weeks ago and laid the foundation. It’s comin!

SILY: Anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

DL: I’ve been back in my old school traditional swinging jazz, Kenny Dorham, Johnny Griffin, Coltrane, Miles, all those guys. I was originally a straight up swinging bebop player and haven’t been able to do that in a while.

SILY: Speaking of Miles, did you hear that Chick Corea passed away?

DL: I did. That was a pretty sad moment. We have the same booking agent. I never got to meet him. I was hoping to. 

SILY: Do you have a favorite piece or recording of his?

DL: Yes. The Blue Mitchell album The Thing To Do. I remember listening to it; Chick was burning on it. One of the other things I realized on that album was how high pitched Al Foster’s toms are. But yeah: huge loss for the scene.

SILY: Anything else I didn’t ask about you want to say?

DL: Support your local record stores. There may or may not still be our limited pink vinyl at your local store, since those were only sold at record stores. Support your local record stores and local music.

I Told You So by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

[shanethvarosa]

Music Review: 2020

My blog has been a lot of things over the years, but it did originate as something I used to publicly review music; especially in the Visual Kei scene. Since I began the blog so many years ago, I had actually been hired to review Visual Kei and J-Rock music for an actual website: VKH-Press.com, work I am very, very proud of to this day. However, with not much news to comment on or work to critique, I haven’t been as active. Plus, personal issues always seem to stand in my way. However, I always take the time to discuss my passions at the end of the year. There were so many incredible releases, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and so I wanted to take the time time to discuss my favorite releases and, maybe, the not-so-favorites as well. Quick shout out to Bastille’s Goosebumps EP and Megan Thee Stallion’s Good News LP as I did not get to listen to them before I wrote up my lists, but were still excellent releases. See my thoughts below! 

Overall, there were about 75 albums or groupings of albums I listened to this year and split them between various tiers. Starting with the bad tier, there were actually only ten albums listed here and mostly just because they were seemingly unnecessary collection albums. For example, another Satsuki collection? Rides in ReVellion releasing two greatest hits LPs after only five years of work? Beyonce releasing The Lion King: The Gift again? None of those felt like necessary releases. There weren’t many albums that really screamed bad to me this year, but I really could not stand Vanessa Carlton’s “Love is an Art” or Justin Bieber’s “Changes.” The only other albums on this tier were just underwhelming compared to what I know the artist is capable of, but the “best bad tier album,” in my view, was The 1975′s “Notes on a Conditional Form.” 

The mid-tier albums had all sorts of reasons for being only mid-tier. They weren’t quite bad or outright unnecessary, but are mostly by artists who put out work that was nowhere near the caliber of their usual work or were re-releases or other collection albums. For example, Tove Lo’s “Sunshine Kitty: Pawprint Edition” or Man With A Mission’s remixes/b-sides/covers albums. Nice to have with good quality music, but I wish we’d just have had brand new EPs or LPs. 

The good-tier albums were all really excellent releases, but didn’t hit home the way anything on the “God-Tier” list did. Here, I’d like to share a quick top ten: 

10. Taeyeon’s “Purpose: Repackage” & Japanese EP, “#GirlsSpkOut” 9. Charli XCX’s “How I’m Feeling Now” 8. Miyavi’s “Holy Nights” & “Holy Nights: 2020 Lockdown” 7. TK’s “Sainou” 6. PVRIS’s “Use Me” 5. Buck-Tick’s “Abracadabra” 4. Katy Perry’s “Smile” 3. Alicia Keys’ “Alicia” 2. Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” & “Club Future Nostalgia” 1. Ava Max’s “Heaven & Hell

Without furhter ado, though, the God Tier Top 25: 

25. Acme’s We Are Visual Kei: Essentially a collection album of several songs that were b-sides that never made a full-blown album. This LP was loaded with some of Acme’s best work and shows that they are going to be here for a long time, despite Div not quite working out. Recommended tracks: Mononoke Requiem, Gekiyama Celluloid, Houkago no Shiiku 

24. Alanis Morisette’s Such Pretty Forks in the Road: Admittedly, a huge fan in the 90′s and loved her cover of Seal’s Crazy. However, before this album I didn’t really listen to much of her body of work and I can see why today’s youth might not listen to this album. It is very “adult” insofar as it deals with her struggles in marriage, parenting, religion, etc. Her vocal performance is exceptional and her song writing remains some of the best in the business. Recommended tracks: Smiling, Nemesis, Reasons I Drink. 

23. Niall Horan’s Heartbreak Weather: Not my usual cup of tea, but for some reason Niall’s music makes me feel softer than normal. He’s very cute and charming and his words are always so romantic. It feels more genuine than the music made by other members of One Direction and kind-of reminds me of earlier Taylor Swift writing, but from a male perspective. Recommended Tracks: Put A Little Love On Me, Arms of a Stranger, Still. 

22. K/DA’s All Out: I don’t even really understand what this is, but I love it. There’s something to do with League of Legends? Cartoons? International pop stars? Whatever it is, I’m totally obsessed. These songs just completely slap. Recommended Tracks: The Baddest, More, Drum Go Dum. 

21. Darrell’s Brilliant Death: This might even “officially” be a single, but there’s enough content to market it as an album. Darrell is a band formed from the ashes of Deathgaze and Ai’s solo project. Who knows why Ai didn’t just continue after his solo album, Confusion, but he decided to go back to the band-format with confusingly-named Darrell. This album is then, incidentally, mostly Deathgaze covers. It brings the production into the new era and gives you a lot of nostalgic love for old hits. Recommended Tracks: Brilliant Death, Evoke the World, Abyss. 

20. Alice Nine’s Fuyajou Eden & Kuro to Wonderland: Neither album was particularly long, in fact these were glorified EPs that could’ve been merged to one two-sided LP, but in either case... Both albums had something really special to offer and felt like a true comeback after years of name changes and finally going back to their original, kanji-styled name. Recommended Tracks: Kakumei Kaika -Revolutionary Blooming-, Testament, Replica, Glow. 

19. Mucc’s Aku: This album felt very long in the making after a series of weird singles that didn’t feel like they were going anywhere. Ultimately, a lot of those singles did not make the album including my favorite one: Taboo. The resulting album, though, did feel very cohesive and thematic and even featured one of this year’s heavy hitters: Hazuki. Recommended Tracks: Aku -Justice-, Memai, Ameria. 

18. Miley Cyrus’s Plastic Hearts: This person is absolutely one of my favorite people in music. I’m pretty sure they have comeout as genderfluid/non-binary, so I want to stick with safe pronouns, just in case. However, they’ve always been a favorite and as they’ve come out as such a champion for the LGBT, I love them even more. The album though gave me a lot of hype for something very 80′s rock, but didn’t quite give me what I expected. All in all, the music was fantastic, just a little off-beat from expectations. Recommended Tracks: Gimme What I Want, Angels Like You, WTF Do I Know. 

17. Rina Sawayama’s Sawayama: I didn’t expect to fall in love with this girl the way I did. My boyfriend recommended “STFU” to me as kind of a joke because the song discusses a lot of Asian racism that I’m always criticizing people in my life for falling into, but then the song was so bad ass I checked out the album. There were so many different types of music on it and she really did a good job with all of them. Then, with the deluxe edition coming out and the hardcore club banger “Lucid” being involved... Just really brought it all home. Recommended Tracks: Tokyo Love Hotel, Lucid, Fuck This World. 

16. Amber Liu’s X: This was just an EP, but every song on it was great. Amber Liu was from f(x), a K-Pop Icon Group, but she always seemed like the odd one out. She was such a tomboy, so silly and funny all the time, and didn’t really behave like other Korean idols. I mean, really, she isn’t actually even Korean. I believe she’s Chinese American. In either case, the EP really noted some of her own personal strugles in the business and also remaining pretty fun at parts too. I saw her live in Philly before COVID-19 and she was truly excellent. Recommended Tracks: Numb, Stay Calm, Other People. 

15. Blackpink’s The Album: Not much of an album at only 8 tracks, but that’s K-Pop for you. I bet next year I’ll be putting “Blackpink’s The Album: Repackage” on my top 25 list. The quality of the music was pretty dope though, all things considered. It was a very solid debut effort with all of their previous songs being somewhere in the same lane as this one. I still kind of believe they are a reminder of what 2NE1 could have been, but they’re doing well enough on their own. Recommended Tracks: Ice Cream, Lovesick Girls, Pretty Savage. 

14. Hazuki’s Year Over All: Kind of a weird way to word it, but Hazuki basically released two albums this year in different formats. His work with his band, Lynch., was pretty magnificent. I’m not one to usually dwell on a Lynch. album. Their singles or featured tracks are what I usually get into, but the actual album (Ultima) really did a good job of showing how versatile Hazuki can be. His solo album, Souen -Funeral-, was an entirely stripped down, gothic orchestral album of Lynch. covers and other J-Hard Rock artists. Hearing it done like this was almost transcendental. Recommended Tracks: Xero, Idol, Ray, D.A.R.K. 

13. Sam Smith’s Love Goes: They had me scared that their album wasn’t coming this year once they pushed it back, back in May. Then again, at the time, an album called “To Die For” was probably super tone deaf. In any case, literally every single released for this album had me in love. So, when they all got included in the final version, I was thrilled. Sam gave us a bonus song after the album as well, but I can see why that one didn’t get on. In any case, this is a huge step up from “The Thrill of it All,” which I didn’t really care for. Recommended Tracks: Another One, Dance (’Til You Love Someone Else), Forgive Myself. 

12. Troye Sivan’s In A Dream: I love this kid. He’s so gay and so not shy about it and it really makes me smile. The EP comes after his last LP, Bloom, where the title track basically talks about bottoming for the first time and this new EP deals with a few other queer issues over weirdly produced beats that just... make sense. Recommended tracks: Stud, In A Dream, Easy. 

11. Matenrou Opera’s Chronos: Unfortunately, this band just lost their guitarist again. Their original, Anzi, was basically the most consummate guitarist in the visual kei scene that wasn’t Hizaki and he left them. Their sound wasn’t quite right since and they seemed to just get it back with Chronos when Jay left them. I guess we’ll see what they do next, but I think Chronos could be their last great release. Recommended Tracks: Chronos, Silence, Reminiscence. 

10. BoA’s Better: A very recent release that hasn’t had much time for me to digest. This is strange for me to put it so high on my list for that reason, but BoA is one of my all time favorites. She never disappoints me. This album was no different. It wasn’t exactly up to par with “Woman” or “Watashi Kono Mama de Ii no Kana,” but it definitely gave us some new and very iconic Queen BoA bangers. Recommended Tracks: Cut Me Off, Start Over, Temptations. 

9. Kesha’s High Road: A semi-step down from Rainbow, only because a lot of the same melodic elements and, sometimes, even beats were used on this album too. However, her vocal performance was outstanding and she even gave us a new dirty-pop song with some interesting indie-pop tracks to go with it. Plus, who doesn’t love a Big Freedia feature? Recommended Tracks: Resentment, Raising Hell, Tonight. 

8. Lady Gaga’s Chromatica: Anyone who knows me knows I don’t really love Gaga anymore. After all the drama with Madonna and her experimentation with “Joanne” I didn’t think I’d ever like her music again. However, she definitely won back big points for me on Chromatica. It was finally fun, weird, dancey, and then simultaneously emotional and I was really able to get back into it. She’s always had the voice, but on this one it also showed us that she still has what made us love her. Recommended Tracks: Rain On Me, Plastic Doll, Enigma. 

7. Koda Kumi’s My Name Is... Angel + Monster: She is, very likely, my Japanese Pop Queen. She always makes these absolutely outlandish bangers of dance tracks that have such a great attitude and beat and when she released re(CORD)... last year? 2018? Who can remember... I thought she could never outdo herself. Then she released “Lucky Star” and I was floored. I was a bit disappointed when they were only to promote a “My Name Is...” collection album, but then, to my surprise, a full set of new tracks came out just after that just blew me entirely away. Guess the last 6 albums must be pretty great, huh? Recommended tracks: Killer Monster, Work It!, Alarm. 

6. Grimes’ Miss Anthropocene: I’ve never been a big fan of Grimes, but when Violence came out I was really looking forward to whatever album this was going to end up promoting. The song is actual fire, but then the LP ended up being some kind of experimental Gothic Pop with Asian Pop influences I never expected. I doubt I’ll ever find something she does this good ever again, but it was really a musical light in the darkness of this year. Recommended tracks: Darkseid, Delete Forever, Violence. 

5. Kylie Minogue’s Disco: Admittedly, my draw to Kylie has always been that she is like some kind of Australian Madonna. Madonna being one of my all time favorite artists... In fact, number 2 for all women I listen to, Kylie has some big shoes to fill with her sometimes generic pop that she puts out. However, I haven’t really truly loved a Kylie song since “Get Outta My Way” and then this album comes out filled with tracks to love for the rest of time. Recommended Tracks: Miss A Thing, Till You Love Somebody, Magic. 

4. Chanmina’s Notebook/Angel: I don’t have really any way of knowing how popular Chanmina is in Japan or if she is as popular in the Japanese Queer Scene as she should be, but god damn does she know what she’s doing. Her music is raunchy, bitchy, and condescending at it’s highest and deeply personal at it’s most mellow. There is no “lowest.” “Notebook” was a two-sided album and “Angel” a strong follow up EP, but all the recommended tracks are from “Notebook.” If you have not listened to “Picky”.... go do it now, I’ll wait. Recommended tracks: Picky, Baby, Lucy. 

3. The Weeknd’s After Hours: Incidentally, I got into The Weeknd after someone said something shitty about him here on Tumblr! I took their likely-valid criticism and went to check him out for myself and I gotta say, I love his work. The beats are literally always on point and his voice is like silk. This album provided more than a few iconic songs and I always can’t wait to see what he does next. Recommended Tracks: Alone Again, Heartless, Blinding Lights. 

2. Halsey’s Manic: The singles and features she did between Hopeless Fountain Kingdom and Manic gave me such insanely high hopes and I was not disappointed. HFK was a strong album of course, but this was near perfection for me. I think the production of this alt-pop album was the star of the show because it wasn’t all one way, there were heavy-bass songs, interesting piano riffs, striaght up punk rock, all of it. She really made an album quite like it’s namesake. Recommended Tracks: Ashley, Killing Boys, Still Learning. 

1. Dexcore’s Metempsychosis: A newcomer to the visual kei and death metal scene, they’ve been putting out single after single for years in preparation for their extemeley long and multidaceted debut album. With a total of about 33 songs, the entire second disc was rerecorded singles from their early days and some even got new lyrical treatment. The main series of songs were, of course, also totally flooring and all of the recommended tracks are the new ones. If you haven’t checked them out by now, you have to! Recommended tracks: Cibus, Scribble, Period.

[planningforburial]

An essay or some thoughts on the art of Leaving September 2020.



I want to say some things about the artwork for Leaving, this is mostly because I am on this kick to make sure my thoughts on many subject involving Planning For Burial are archived somewhere, anyways I didn’t really mention the art much in the little booklet that came with the anniversary box set much at all besides saying there wasn’t a whole lot of art/photos too choose from for it.


So let me start by saying I’m so extremely happy with how the box set turned out, I was very worried while doing it because of what I had mentioned above and because the main reason, which is that I have never been 100% happy with any of the artwork for any of the physical editions of Leaving. This boxset I had my hands on the entire thing, I’m not slamming anyone for the work they did either, it’s just I wasn’t happy with aspects of the other editions.

For example, the original CD version for a few reasons, I wanted it in a size envelope closer to what the (continued) CD had come in, the bigger envelope just didn’t fit well anywhere with any of my media besides my 7”s, and it seemed the contents are always fumbling around in there. Second I didn’t realize until I had seen the final product in my hands that Dan had cropped much of the “background” of the front image to give it a black border. Now this also could’ve  been fixed with better communication on both sides, but when it came down to it I was inexperienced with anyone else putting my music out and I was frankly just happy that someone cared enough to put their time, money and their own reputation on the line for it. 


The cassette edition I did on Music Ruins Lives that came in the box with a spray painted black square was fine, it helped tie it to the minimalism of the original CD envelope. I also used some art work from the inserts of the CD. As time goes on I realized I could’ve done some sort of sticker to make it appear like the current LP box set, hindsight is 20/20 I guess. Looking back on it too I think my design eye wasn’t meeting with my technical know how at the time either.


And last the first LP edition that The Flenser put out in 2015, I actually love Niels artwork for it, the only problem is that it wasn’t the original. I had thought the original image in the most high resolution version has been lost thanks to a stolen laptop, the only copy I had for it just wasn’t going to work being blown up to fit the LP.

Fast forward to 2018, I had another hard drive die on me, so I started digging out other external drives and my very first laptop to back all of them up in multiple places, and there it was still in the photos of my old laptop the original high resolution image along with other variations of the photo, you may ask why I didn’t check that to begin with back in 2014/2015 when we were setting up the first edition of the LP, and the answer is I thought I had pretty much scrubbed the whole computer clean so I could just barely keep my recording set up working, but there it was still intact.

Now as for the artwork itself. It has no meaning, but I just immediately felt it was right for the photo of the album when I had accidentally made it, because that’s the thing I base a lot of what I do off of a feeling I may have and for whatever reason it just fit the vibe. An LP mailer from my basement floor that I had written the track listing of the album at whatever time on it just to get an idea for sequencing, because I often like to write things out. Later on I must’ve used that mailer to protect my back deck as I spray painted a fuzz pedal I had been working on, white and red, I had left the mailer outside to dry and while that happened a lite rain came through and mixed some of the white paint together with falling petals from cherry blossom tree in my backyard. Upon seeing it I began spraying both paints at the same time in order to get the right texture of pink, I then stood on a chair and used a cheap Cannon point and shoot to take the pictures and eventually picked the one that is on the cover. This was sometime in May 2008.

With some of the other art mainly being the organ with the portrait/painting of the boy resting on it.  The organ is the one I own, I had bought it for $25 at a yard sale down the road from my 2nd home in New Jersey the one where I recorded “Wearing Sadness and Regret Upon Our Faces” and “Verse/Chorus/Verse”, I used it a lot on recordings around this time, and I had always kept that photo above the organ in the area I recorded. The photo of the boy a large digital print I believe, I had won it at an raffle for one of my ex-girlfriends friend who had recently gone into remission from cancer, the artist who did it was on of their friends. I got it sometime in 2006 or 2007 and sadly I don’t know who the artist is but it has always been part of PFB since that time, it currently hangs in the kitchen of my home.

Anyways, this was a long ramble, I’m not sure it means anything, and I’m not sure if I got an idea across. I just wanted to say some things about the art I guess/ 


Written sometime in late August/early September 2020. 


[dailytomlinson]

At the stroke of midnight on January 31st, 2020, the music industry was single-handedly saved by just a young lad from Doncaster. We can all agree, in confidence, that the majority of artists won’t top the charts with their first LP, especially with little to no promo. “Walls” however, debuted at #1 on the worldwide iTunes charts, a feat not many will come by. Judging by its success, we can rightfully assume this album could be rather magical. Just over a month into the decade, I can happily testify that this may be one of the greatest pieces of work we’ll see over the span of the next 10 years. The only record I may allow to top it, will be Tomlinson’s sophomore album, which is fair to speculate will have a little less fan service and show a little more of the grunge britpop rockstar that Louis is dying to showcase.

Oh, this guy’s from One Direction, too. It’s a fact that doesn’t need to be honed in on, but in case you aren’t familiar with his older work, the UK-based band is where he found his origin story. Though hopefully after giving these tracks a listen, we’ll all be able to start celebrating him as the solo artist he was destined to become.

Kill My Mind

You hate me and I want more.

Perhaps I wasn’t alive during majority of the Britpop Movement of the 90s, but I can wholeheartedly say that if you played this opening track for anyone familiar with the genre, they would tell you it would feel right at home as a feature on one of Oasis’ final LPs or as a single brought to us by Blur. However, that is not to say it lacks originality. In fact, far from it. His thick Yorkshire accent demands your attention right off the bat. This song is confident, it’s loud, it’s sexy, it’s everything his loyal fanbase has been patiently waiting to see arise from the musician. It’s a different Tomlinson than the general public may be accustomed to, but it’s a perfect example of an artist finding their authentic self. The electric opener, Kill My Mind gives us a little tease as to what’s to come.

Don’t Let It Break Your Heart

What hurts you is gonna pass and you’ll have learned from it when it comes back.

After careful consideration, this may be the album’s weakest link. It draws on a bit of the pop-influence his previous audiences may be more familiar with. Previously, Louis released a single-edit and a piano version. The one featured on the album, is by far the most well mixed. It’s filled with beautiful harmonies and the layered vocals have a lot of potential. The message of this song is uplifting, about overcoming hardships with grace and allowing yourself to grow from them — A theme not uncommon in Louis’ writing or general life philosophy. Always the lyricist, coming from him, this message works and it works beautifully into the melodies of the song. My main issue comes down to production. The background vocals are choppy and make the general feeling of the song a little cheesy. Ultimately, it all just sounds forced. I can say however, experiencing this song live is a different story. Some songs are meant to be played live, and this just happens to be one of them.

Two of Us

We’ll end just like we started, just you and me, and no one else.

The lead single was one Louis himself proclaimed needed to be written, or else his other art would suffer from being insincere. “I just feel like musically, I almost needed to get this song off my chest,” He recently told Rolling Stone, “People say writing is a part of therapy and in a way, I feel like I’d been avoiding writing this song because I knew I only had one chance to get it right.” For those who may be unaware, at the start of his solo career, Louis tragically lost his mother, the person he was closest with, to leukemia. Out of respect to him, I won’t dwell on this, and it does feel fairly inconsiderate to put the piece under review, per say. I will, however, assert that it is a stunningly orchestrated song. You can feel the authenticity and honesty radiate from the words he’s singing, especially in the big build up of the chorus in comparison to the heart wrenching and softly sung outro. It’s rare we find artists who are proud to wear their hearts on their sleeves and speak with true openness. Each song is an example of this, but Two of Us broadcasts this vulnerability loudly, as he gives us an anthem of accepting that you’re grieving and reminding listeners to always hold onto hope.

We Made It

Nothing in the world that I would change it for, singing something pop-y on the same four chords.

Yes, she’s corny, yes her lyrics might not be up to standard with the rest of his work, and yes, she is my favorite song on the album. We Made It, is filled to the rim with nostalgia and embracing that although the tunnel was dark, there was in the end, a light. For anyone who has grown up with Louis and supported him through all the twists and turns of his decade long career, this song could be a celebration of us and our relationship with our favorite musician. There were always struggles along the way, but we, as fans, never turned our back on him. We were there for him when he needed us to lean on. The sentiment remains when reversed. Ultimately, whatever we needed, he was able to provide. It’s easy to see how much of a team Louis and his followers are, and this song is honoring that. If you’re less familiar with the singer himself, then this track is just a fun little guitar-driven song that reminisces those nights of getting smashed and blazed out of your mind with your young love, and what’s wrong with that?

Too Young

Face to face at the kitchen table, this is everything I’ve waited for.

Every album needs a song to cry to, and for Walls, this is the one. There aren’t too many complexities here, as Louis has said he generally likes to stray away from metaphors when he can. The calm strumming of the acoustic guitar, lends itself beautifully to the track, and never overpowers Louis’ voice. Vocally, this a huge example of a myriad of Louis’ strengths. It contrasts some of the heavily belted pieces we hear later on in the album, and focuses on the softness he’s able to convey in his killer range of a chest voice. His raspy tone demonstrates a certain intimacy. When the song is listened to through headphones with your eyes closed, it almost feels as if Louis is right there on your bedside, gently playing a personal piece he had just written and trusts you enough to perform it for you first. There’s a certain amount of emotional intelligence demonstrated in this song, as he never pulls the victim card, but instead takes the mature approach of admitting to where he’s gone wrong. This notion is used a lot in his writing, and is a sure telling of his character. This catchy little ballad wouldn’t feel out of place on albums of most genres, musically lacking some originality, which is made up for with the candor and polish in his vocals.

Walls

Why is it that “thank-you” is so often bittersweet?

Objectively speaking, this is the most well crafted track on the album. Perhaps even more Oasis-y than some Oasis hits, it even earned itself a writing credit from Noel Gallagher himself. By now, we are more than well accustomed to embracing Louis’ themes of overcoming barriers (or walls). It’s something he writes about often, and why shouldn’t he? He knows what it’s like to stand above what’s been dragging you down more than anyone. The most titular lyric opens and closes the tune, proclaiming, “Nothing wakes you up, like waking up alone.” As soon as you’re hit with this, you know you’re listening to a song which dares the audience to take the musician earnestly. Louis has always been the funny one who has chosen to never take himself too seriously in life. With his music, he had a hard time at the start, choosing to put out records which defined Top 40, but never himself. Walls forces us to accept the artist he’s become. It proves to every listener, that Louis Tomlinson is a musician, a lyricist, a vocalist; a true craftsman. He is a serious artist and this salient track forces us, for once, to accept him as one.

Habit

Took some time cause I ran out of energy, of playing someone I’ve heard I’m supposed to be.

Back in February of 2018, Louis teased this lyric on his twitter, sending fans into a frenzy of when and where this sentiment might come into play. In September of last year, he finally played it for us live. This live version of the song was a complete bore. Again, Louis’ biggest asset in his music may come from his lyrics. He wrote more songs for One Direction than any of the other boys, often partnering with Liam Payne who would work on the melodies, while Louis focused on cutting deep with his words. This is more than evident here, meaning any initial fondness of this song was independently due to the verses he was singing. When the album finally hit stands and we were able to hear the studio version, I have to say, my opinion on this absolute banger changed drastically. It may be a little controversial to say, but this song might have some “Yeehaw” vibes. If you played someone the opening, before his vocals take the forefront, it would’ve been fair to assume it was a Maren Morris hit. Country/Britpop/Indie isn’t exactly something I would ever even consider diving into, but let me tell you, this certified bop has been on repeat. Here’s to hoping him and his band can put together a new live arrangement before the world tour kicks off in March.

Always You

Waiting to wrap your legs around me, and I know you hate to smoke without me.

To be blunt, this song was a fan service. If it wasn’t for Louis’ persistent stans, this track may have been ditched months ago. However, when he gave us a glimpse of the songs upbeat opening lyric three years ago, we latched onto it. For years we bombarded Louis, telling him this song needed to stay on the record, and thank God he listened. He did realize partway through the writing process that this isn’t the sort of music he would like to put out anymore, so it may not resonate with someone looking for the more grungy side of the artist. Always You is almost pure bubblegum and it sounds like it should be radiating loudly off festival speakers. The tune will be a crowd-pleaser, and will surely bring the most hype for live audiences. It’s the sort of song you want to scream out while drunk on a rooftop in the summer atop the ocean in New York City, which is exactly what myself and approximately 6800 more fans will be doing this June.

Fearless

Cash in your weekend treasures, for a suit and tie, a second wife.

God damn is Fearless sexy. The slow and pulsing beat of this song, with the organic guitar, subtle production, and his sultry voice are a recipe for a great and sensual tune. The song was written with the inspiration of feeling youthful, and teaches what to center your sense of self-worth around. There’s a certain level of maturity that comes with a song of these intentions, and in that, Louis is able to showcase his ever growing wisdom. “What I wanted to try and capture with the song is the idea of feeling youthful and how important that is,” He recently said in an interview with Apple Music, “I’m at this age where I’m on the cusp — I’m definitely not a teenager, I’m not a young lad anymore, nor am I old, but I sit in this space where I’m aware of my age now. I hear it as a playground or going back to real youth.”

Perfect Now

Don’t you wanna dance? Just a little dance?

On release day, Louis did a signing, where he bravely asked a few fans what their least favorite track on the album was. Everyone said Perfect Now, earning them a high five from the man himself as well as his genuine agreement. While many look at it as a cheesy romantic love song, masquerading as a rejected early One Direction track, mirroring Little Things or What Makes You Beautiful, I wholeheartedly disagree. It’s easy to chalk it down to being “cheesy” when you approach it as being romantic, but if you look at it as, simply, a love song, that changes the perspective. Louis sings over an appealing and charming little guitar melody, and you can almost hear his smile. It’s easy to picture him singing this to his younger sisters as a piece of brotherly encouragement, or to a good friend who needs cheering up after a hard day. This darling melody invites you to dance around your bedroom feeling loved. Perfect Now proves that not everything has to be deep and serious; allow yourself to be open to simply feeling happy over the little things like a lyric that makes you smile. When in the chorus he prompts, “Keep your head up, love,” listeners can’t help but feel a sense of personal support from the artist, which is exactly what makes this song so special.

Defenseless

We’re sleeping on our problems like we’ll solve them in our dreams.

It’s understandable why Louis likes to stray from metaphors in his writing, because generally speaking, they simply aren’t good. This is proven with lyrics such as, “I’m running to you like a moth into a flame”. As well as this, the rhyming of “defenseless” with “fences” and then “defenseless” again, doesn’t exactly sit well. The song does grow to be much better than anticipated after the first verse. The pre-chorus has a strong beat, which you’ll find yourself accidentally clapping along to in public. The bridge allows Louis to explore his falsetto, which is something we’ve never heard from him before. It’s strong and poignant, and it’s a real shame that his old band never gave him the opportunity to use his voice in all its capabilities. The control Louis has over his vocals throughout this song is astonishing, and almost unheard of in most modern music outside of musical theatre. This track alone, proves that he is one of the most vocally gifted artists not only to come out of One Direction, but to come out of the last decade at all.

Only the Brave

It’s a church of burnt romances and I’m too far gone to pray.

The lyrics to this song are borderline poetry. Each and every word draws you in and leaves you speechless. It’s a short song, ending at one minute and forty-four seconds, and that works well. It leaves us wanting more, even when we’ve reached the very end of the whole experience. The tune feels like a mantra; something to sing to yourself as you prepare for something you’re nervous about or to congratulate yourself on completing a task you never thought you could accomplish. There’s no proper structure and his voice has a retro filter over top, giving the whole thing a bit of a wartime vibe. The most powerful moment is undoubtedly when he sings, “It’s a solo song, and it’s only for the brave,” as a way of patting himself on the back for where he is now in life and in his career. It’s the perfect way to bring home the album. After 12 tracks demonstrating it, it is proven to us that he doesn’t need his ex-bandmates, he doesn’t need a big production, he doesn’t need Simon Cowell, he doesn’t need other songwriters dictating what direction to go, because he is Louis Tomlinson and he is brave.

[unscharf-an-den-raendern]

Rating my new LPs - Part 2

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

This shows me why I started collecting records. If I listened to this on shuffle, I’d probably skip most of the songs but when listening to it as a whole it’s great. There are some albums that sound better when you listen to them as a whole and this is one of them.

Speaking of skipping: Even though side B of my copy has at least three scratches, it only skips once or twice.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond is just *chef’s kiss*

People on Reddit are telling me it's a wonder I found this cause Pink Floyd records are very hard to find in record stores. They also had Dark Side of the Moon for 20€ but I didn't want to make my grandpa pay that much. 20€ is pretty much my limit for used records, except for a few I really want and which you can't get any cheaper.

Queen - Greatest Hits

First song is Bohemian Rhapsody a.k.a the song everybody likes.

I’ve got the European re-issue which means Under Pressure is on it. Queen and David Bowie in one song. That bass line. All of it is just perfection.

Freddie and David must be having a great time in the afterlife now 😭

ABBA - Voulez-Vous

My goal is to own all ABBA studio albums. I still need five but they’re all cheap and very common.

What can I say? ABBA fucking slaps. There is no bad ABBA song.

Also this one’s got I Have A Dream on it and that song always takes me right back to my childhood.

And Does Your Mother Know? That one’s on  Greatest Hits Pt. 2 too but I love it. It’s impossible not to dance to it.

ABBA - Super Trouper

Unfortunately there’s something stuck in the first few grooves on my copy, so the first song on both sides skips pretty often. Which sucks a little since the first song on side A is Super Trouper and that’s one of my favourite ABBA songs. Maybe I can fix it with the vinyl cleaning fluid I ordered.

And the previous owner also did something you should never do to a record: They. touched. the. fucking. grooves. And now it’s got finger prints on it. Remember kids: Only hold your record on the label or on the sides, never on the grooves.

I’ve got the French pressing instead of the German one. There’s no difference except for the label. I just think it’s cool to have a pressing from another country since most records I own are German pressings.

Nena - ? (Fragezeichen)

Not as good as their debut album (which is one of my fav albums) but still nice to listen to

One song is just them singing "Der Bus ist schon weg" (we missed the bus) very fast for 16 seconds.

This one still got the original price tag on it. 17.90 DM. I got it for 2€. Neue Deutsche Welle records are really cheap and I love it.

My copy is the club edition. It's the exact same album as the regular version except that it wasn't sold in stores, only to members of the Bertelsmann vinyl club. Makes it a bit rarer than the regular version but since NDW records are so cheap it doesn't make it more valuable.

Nena - Feuer und Flamme

This one use to belong to a girl called Sandra Müller. I love used records with things written on them.

Unfortunately Sandra didn't care for this record properly. It's got a lot of crackling. It skips. But I guess that's fixable by cleaning it, it seems to be caused by dust not scratches.

I only bought this for Irgendwie Irgendwo Irgendwann. It also got Haus der drei Sonnen but I like the duet version with Peter Heppner more.

Ein Brief is a beautiful song.

ABBA - Arrival

I've got the Italian pressing and now I know the Italian word for "side". It's "lato".

And it's in excellent conditon. It looks and sounds like it was played only a few times if at all. Maybe the previous owner wasn't into ABBA. Good for me.

Dancing Queen is a great song but the problem with it is that it starts to get annoying if you listen to it too much. Fun Fact: Dancing Queen can be used as a song to do CPR to.

The Beatles - 1962-1966

I’ve got both best of albums now. All The Beatles bops and they’re a lot cheaper than the original albums.

The album is the German pressing but the cover is from the UK pressing. Buying used records is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you're gonna get.

But wait there’s more. This one’s not only got the usual two records in it, it’s got an additional third one - another German pressing of the first record. Which unfortunately has a scratch but hey, I can choose between two German pressings when I listen to this. And I only payed 9€ for this!

And there’s even more. One of these pressings was never sold on Discogs. Only 4 people have it in their collection and 14 are looking for it. WTF What the hell did I stumble upon? Like I said, this was 9€.

A Hard Day’s Night a.k.a. the song that’s partially responsible Kraftwerk even exists because Karl listened to it and decided he wanted to become a professional musician.

Listening to this and 1967-1970 back to back is great to hear how The Beatles developed. First they were all like “Hi, we’re nice guys from Liverpool singing about love” and then they were like “I’m gonna sing a poetic text about the universe now”.

I was thinking “hey, the sides seem to be unusually short”. They are, they’re just 14/15/17 minutes long.

[1d-discourseoftheday]

Sat 9 Jan ‘21

LP Show Act 4, the Final show was today! Liam told us over and over it was gonna be a long event today but honestly it flew by? It was so good! The show opened right into an absolutely blistering 1D set and just kept going strong from there. The little commentary he had in the first part was to say again that he has a different understanding of the 1D songs then he did when younger and about how when he's doing those songs he gets flashbacks of being onstage with the band and where he'd be and stuff. Only You & I gets a different treatment, with a cute title card intro about the hard year, thanking us for providing a livlihood for his team by supporting the shows through the past year and saying “we can do this together... You & I”, plus it has footage of fans lip syncing along spliced in during the chorus. The highlight there though is when Liam hit that high note, and thanks to his recent comments I think we all know he was thinking about Zayn when he did; way TMI but that's Liam for ya! ANYWAY there's an intermission and then the hits just keep on coming, including Nina Nesbitt coming out to do Rita Ora's part in For You, plus an interlude where they chat and play some of her tiktok content (but with a lot of bleeping-- it WAS a family show!)

I have been a big fan of his chaotic format in the previous streams, with all the interaction and mixing it up with different parts- I feel like it both played to his strengths and was perfect for 2020 and I wouldn't have traded it- but this was very cool for the big last show and it felt like... more serious? It was straightfowardly just Liam and the music and the songs- TBH it felt very influenced by Louis' stream, with the format and also the lighting and set design. The sets were prerecorded, but aren't really edited; he's playing the songs live and back to back, just not TODAY. Plus with the prerecorded version we got Liam joining in with us (and his sisters) to also post about how great the songs were as they aired and interact with fans a bunch, so that was lovely. Anyway it's awesome to get these versions of Liam's songs (I would say the best ever version of some of his solo stuff honestly), especially as it seems like this will be the last time we hear some of them as he moves on to new things- as he says at the end of the stream, “I'm gonna take a little bit of time out right now but next time you see me I'll be singing some brand new music.” Fans hoping for new music TODAY were disappointed but he's gotta go write the songs first! Something to look forward to! He finishes it all on one last high note: “Thank you. Here's to the future.”

But that's not quite all the Liam! Before the big event, he did a live from home, with Maya and Winston the puppy present. He upset some by saying that Zayn wasn't in the 1D chat “because he isn't in 1D”, I mean...yes? He quit? It is what it is guys. Well, I'll also upset others by saying that Maya was very funny! I agree with Liam that her answer to his question- what kind of trend he should start about fans saying looks like Jesus- being “LPhasRisen” is, in fact, hilarious, and I also agree with Liam about Zayn's videos-- “he goes to town on the videos doesn't he?” (and that Vibez is lovely.)

Zayn meanwhile is doing Vibez promo and it continues to be a TREAT. Today we got late night instagram “answering” questions over a backdrop of Homer Simpson decked out in Nobody Is Listening gear, GOOD TIMES. Do you ride a horse often, “eh what?!” do you celebrate, “in general? or for specific reasons?” fave song “the next single” tell us more about it? “yeah it's me ft me” but does he really love yoga or was that just snark? The world may never know.

Also online, Louis! He tweeted during Liam's show “Hope everyone's doing alright! Stay safe”- but was he watching the stream? “Of course!!”

And the JHOlivia love triangle tabloid soap opera continues-- if they're trying to get people talking about Jason Sudeikis it's working (I had to bite the bullet and look up how to spell his name! It's that bad!); unfortunately for him despite the tabloid reports everywhere you look that suggest that he was the victim of H and O 'becoming close' before he and Olivia's breakup (which is weird given that until like yesterday we'd been told for months that O and J broke up at the beginning of 2020 and he never saw fit to correct that), what rumors are saying is that in fact he really did cheat (as opposed to her pretend thing). So why would Olivia sign on to this charade to make him look good at her expense? Who knows man but if the players' priority is publicity there's no denying that's working.

Anyway Niall posted from his bike ride, and Trump's deletion meant everyone went up a notch in the twitter “most followed” rankings, with Niall having most out of our five and the only account coming between Harry and Louis being Real Madrid (football club) which is all right I guess, I feel like they're probably good with that.

[lasttimeonthenegaverse]

The Life and Times of the Negaverse Chapter 3

                                         Dinners and Demands

She let her feet guide her and...she stopped right before the kitchen. Dinner. That meant eating, that meant sitting down and having time to process what she was feeling. She gulped. It had seemed so simple, then again, her fits of emotion were always simple in the short term. And then it was a barrage of apologies for what she’d done in her fury, or devastation. Like leaving Da...She shook her head. No, no thinking of that. She was just…..march ahead. Gosalyn had been placed at one end of the table, LaunchPad close to her. Negaduck sat on the other side of him so she was to sit next to her new….. charge. Ah there was the instant regret. What had she been thinking accepting even partial responsibility for a child? She wasn’t allowed to watch the other Gosalyn without supervision from the girl’s overprotective father. It was genuinely...        “She always overthink this much?” LaunchPad’s voice startled her from her own thoughts and looked up to see that...all of them were staring at her.        “It’s okay. She doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to. She’s probably just thinking about her life and all the things she’d be giving up.” Gosalyn’s voice was a small whine that tugged at her heart strings. “It’s alright Miss -Not this- Morgana. We’ll be fine on our own. You can go back home. Your Gosalyn needs you!” LaunchPad said nothing, but he bit his beak. NegaDuck turned to glare at the girl and the fury in his gaze gave her the strength she needed. She had to be here to protect that girl. After all, NegaDuck had come to ask for help. How much worse than him were the creatures that always took her!         “Well she may but...you need me more” Morgana smiled and tried to move…..and noticed that from her knees down was encased in a thick and solid block of ice. “Sorry about the cold feet. I’ll handle that in a moment” Well that was embarrassing. She gave a huff. Once upon a time her powers were nearly immeasurable and every spell found it’s target. Now she froze up like a child put on the spot at a family dinner. Morgana looked down, focusing fire downward, but paying attention to the math even as she let her elemental magic flare. The only thing more embarrassing than cold feet would be giving herself a nasty case of scorch. NegaDuck would think she was useless and her magic was too dangerous, much like…        “I thought you said she came willingly?” LaunchPad murmured to his husband. Negaduck shrugged.

       “She did. And not even on false pretences.” A raised brow from the Pelican. “Promise . I mighta just brought uncomfortable truths to light….slid a few…. ideas in.” LaunchPad sighed. There was no trying to fix whatever terrible plan had been set in motion. Best to let it run it’s awful course and figure out how to slot the pieces later. Granted...last time he did that they ended up with a kid...ah well. What could really happen this time?        “Okay. Then” Morgana sat down, the bottom of her dress still a bit damp. “What’s for dinner?” She asked gently...also because….what was she looking at? She tilted her head as she looked at it. It looked like her slime cream pies, but the wrong color. Plus, Dark never even tried her food let alone have LaunchPad make the recipe. And why would they be having dessert for their main course?

       “Leftover Casserole” LaunchPad scoffed. “And I’m a better cook then Negs so enjoy.” NegaDuck looked offended at the accusation….and didn’t refute it so…. Morgana nodded and took her fork to the dish…..then couldn’t pull it back out. Gosalyn seemed to have the same problem, she wasn’t actually eating the dinner, her fork was stuck and she was nibbling at some chips. That wasn’t good.        “You know” And he glared at her as NegaDuck snickered. “When the texture is this sticky, forks have more spaces to hold onto.” She wiggled her fingers and turned it into a serrated spoon. “This is usually best when the food is still moving, but this is even tougher than Tar Rice. Good on you. Mine falls apart.” She looked back down and sharply twisted her serrated edge into the sludge, effectively severing it. With a wave of her hand the other three forks were similarly transfigured. “I was only asked to help with watching and raising. Watch is easy, I’ll ward her room tonight. But raise, well, I defer to the parents. That being said...I don’t really think chips are a good idea for dinner.”        “You haven’t tasted the food” NegaDuck smirked. Gosalyn giggled while LaunchPad glared at his husband. Unperturbed, the duck hopped up to fill with water three glasses and…..and a sparkly pink cup. She didn’t tend to drink tap but still...at seeing what was obviously Gosalyn’s cup Morgana felt the smile pulling at her beak. It was clear that this child was surrounded by love and so far better than Dark had thought…..then she had a bite of food. Oh…. oh ….oh no. A hand flew to her beak and it didn’t matter that LaunchPad looked deeply offended or that NegaDuck and Gosolyn were both holding back their laughter. Oh NO . How was this child alive? In fact, how were any of them alive. Oh JEEZ it was like it was expanding in her mouth and getting stuck in her throat. Coating everything and filling her mouth with the revolting taste of decay. She needed….. Morgana didn’t really register the glass of water in her hand. Not until she was taking great greedy gulps of the water. She only stops drinking when she’s choking, a lack of air from drinking too much too fast. Even then the taste still clings in her mouth. Negaduck is trying and failing to pretend that he’s not moments away from bursting into hysterical laughter and little Gosalyn takes a bite of a chip that somehow seems….. smug.

       “What” Morgana manages “Is in this?”        “It’s not that bad” LaunchPad scoffs, managing to wrangle a bite of his own. The second it passes through his beak he winces. “Okay….maybe this batch is pretty bad.” He hums and has to Morgana’s growing horror another bite. “Okay, you maybe weren't exaggerating too badly. The spoon is full again and her hand finally flares out, magic wrapping around his wrist.        “Why?” Her voice is soft in terror, even as he tries to fight the spell, to shove more of... that into his mouth. Oh sweet merciful magic no wonder the child was eating chips. LaunchPad frowned and shrugged slightly.        “It’s what’s for dinner. We gotta eat something . No cook got kidnapped.” Her look of purest horror was met with a shrug. “It’s not the worst thing we’ve eaten. The Hotdogs mighta gone bad...or the custard was scorched.” She had to take a deep breath. ‘Leftover casserole’ was what he’d called it. So….what that probably meant was that all of the leftovers went into a pot….and….

       “When can I go back to my Saint Canard?” She asked suddenly. A snort of laughter came from somewhere but she couldn’t identify where. It wasn’t NegaDuck. His face was twisted somewhere between disbelief and rage.

       “Seriously? Giving up after a lil food?” He snarled. “You wanna go running right back in the arms of your loving precious little can’t even trust you Darkwing. Do you even know how hard it was to make myself ask for your help-”

       “With protecting that child?” Morgana asked, stone faced. Had NegaDuck’s words hurt? Obviously. But he was Negaduck it was in his nature to be needlessly cruel and it was in the nature of all parents to lash out when they were worried about their children. The rationale didn’t stop everyone’s feathers from standing on end due to the influx of electricity in the room.  “I plan to. The first thing is to make sure she has nutritional food. I happen to be a cook. Though…” And there was a stray flame that sprung up on the table. She used her hand to stamp it out, but everyone was looking at the very literal heat from her tone. “Some people, whom will remain unnamed, do not even TRY my cooking, there are LOADS of others that like it and at the very least it’s editable.” LaunchPad growled and magic or no she had the common decency to smile at him “You said this batch was particularly bad. I’m sure it’s fine most of the time. I just” He calmed slightly, but still looked a bit livid. “cooking on rotations? Please?” The word seemed to throw him for a loop before he snorted, a crooked grin slicing across his beak. His grin causes her to calm down just slightly.        “Lemmie get ya summore water” LaunchPad’s smile never faltered. “Fer de rest of your food. Can’t go back on an empty stomach.” There’s something mildly feral in that grin. Apparently he took the slight to his cooking to heart. NegaDuck glares at him slightly, but he seems oddly chipper as he goes to grab water.        “Really I just need the vibrational frequency of this plane of existence and I can whip up a spell to slide between them as easily as walking to the store.” She tried to rationalize. NegaDuck snarled. She could go between!? Well that was an unfortunate development. What the fuck kind of havock could she reak on his kid leaving her alone whenever it struck her fancy. LaunchPad seemed to have the same idea. No faith, none whatsoever. He could solve this! He was Negaduck        “We don’t know that information so Negs’d have to take you. He’ll do it in the morning.” LP was grinning as he placed the glass of water in front of her. NegaDuck’s eye twitched. He was NOT going to spend all night arguing and STILL end up with an ‘I told you so’ nope, nuh uh, NEVER

       “Why exactly .” He started as Morgana took a reluctant bite of food and shot back the whole glass of water to wash out the taste. “Do you need to go back?” He was forcing his voice to stay even, but her hand had gone up to her head. She didn’t seem to notice that Launch looked pleased. NegaDuck sighed. His Husband was so unbelievably petty. But hey, he loved the man for a reason.        “Food of course. And A few spell ingredients to better ward Gosalyn.” She was frowning and checked the glass she’d been given. “That was tap water wasn’t it?” She groaned slightly. “The pipes in every St. Canard are bad.” She lamented. That caused frowns around the table.

       “You’ve tasted water like that afore?” LP asked, concern sneaking into his tone. He was fine with randomly poisoning people, but by trying to abandon his daughter she was now his enemy and he didn’t like the idea that someone might finish killing her first. She nodded, before NegaDuck spoke again.        “Why don’t I just take a duffel bag and clean out your house?” He didn’t want to Haul around duffels of useless shit. It was better than the alternative of her going home and meeting up with Dipshit Duck and letting him sweet talk her into forgiving him and leaving this Gos in the dust.        “Almost all of the Tap water in Saint Canard. The water at the tower of course but sometimes even the water in my house.” She shrugged to LaunchPad before snickering at NegaDuck. “My house can’t be cleaned out. There are multiple rooms and multiple pocket dimensions in each room. Not to mention protective spells to keep others away” Nega had to bite back a scoff at that. After all, her protective wards hadn’t been able to do shit to keep him from breaking and entering multiple times. But….he hadn’t grabbed at anything. “Tap water gives me headaches…..though…. bag ….You may be able to steal one item. My universal satchel. It connects directly to my home. If I had that then I could get what I need without leaving.”        “Yeah, great. Tell me what the purse looks like and I’ll pick it up tomorrow” Gosalyn’s face fell into a pout that was the likely precursor to a screaming sension. “It’ll take me what, an hour, three at most. I’ll leave first thing in the morning and be back by lunch. Right there, right back.” LauchPad was ignoring his poor Husband trying to appease their daughter and focused more on the fact that the woman in front of him had apparently been actively drinking water spiked with trace amounts of bleach. Who was trying to….well, bleach in trace amounts would only suffice in giving her massive headaches, palpitations after a while but who did she piss off that much? That wasn’t outright kill, that was ‘get revenge’ like how he was getting revenge on her for trying to leave his kid. If she had enemies like that on the other side maybe she was good for Gos.        “It’s a small round red bag. Blood red not Crimson. It has pentagrams in shimmering black. Glittering Black and it’s the bag of souls. Exactly one cobweb or you’re picking up multiverse bags and those are nothing but trouble.” NegaDuck listened carefully, though he seemed more annoyed than anything. It was just the way his face fell. Bloodred bag, shimmering black pentagram, single cobweb.        “Yeah, yeah, yeah- bright red glitter black lotta cobwebs I got it.” It was hilarious the instant offence that spread across her face, as well as how she half rose to curse him out but ended up stuttering and half swallowing her words trying to keep Gosalyn of people from hearing them. It was fucking glorious the indignant blush that painted her face. He let the smirk he’d been holding back slice across his beak. “Morgs. Blood Red, one cobweb, fuckin relax.” She wasn’t relaxed. Her knuckles were taunt she was clenching her fists so hard. Delightful . He chuckled at her and smirked at his daughter. “Alright Buttercup, time for sleep. You feel like kickin and screamin or are you gonna do your sweet act to trick me into not leaving?” She pouted at him again and glanced over at Morgana. Ah, she was going to be a monster . He huffed but went to pick up the overdressed nine year old. It was made extra difficult by the 20 pounds of lace and tulle that she was draped in. Still, he could still pick her up and so he did “Puttin the bitch ta bed” He called down. He didn’t need to turn to see that Morgana had locked up at what he’d called his kid. She’d learn.        “Probably best not to go up there for a bit” LaunchPad smirked. “Guns have a tendency to pop out during bedtime.” Morgana frowned and looked upstairs. What were the chances that This LaunchPad was joking? Hers was a joker at times. “Do you get your own water?” And her attention was dragged back to what had to be the strangest question she’d ever been asked. The other duck was leaning forward, mirth dancing in startlingly blue eyes. Morgana’s hands clenched again as she looked at this man. This was and wasn’t LaunchPad all in the same vein. It was disconcerting the clash in her mind between ‘This is LaunchPad and you’re safe’ versus ‘This is NegaDuck’s husband and so extremely dangerous.’ In the end her mind couldn’t stay actively worried when it was LaunchPad so she tested the waters to see how dissimilar they were.        “I never would have guessed NegaDuck was married” She said instead. The only answer LaunchPad gave was a raise of a brow. There was a sort of stand off for a moment before he relented, relaxing his shoulders in a way that made it seem….not like he wouldn’t but less like he was going to launch across the table to snap her neck with the flex of an oversized arm.        “Isn’t Darkwing married?” He asked, genuinely curious. He knew the answer by how her face went red and her back straightened. “Ah…..is he dating” Her face was bewildered, but quickly shifting to mildly offended pride. Dating her... “ Ah Okay. Just figured out something’s all.” His smile was amused now and that foreboding feeling caused the feathers on the back of her neck to perk up.        “What” She asked carefully. “Did you figure out?” The dangerous man gave her a once over before thinking and letting out a dark chuckle.

         “Maybe not figured it all the way out…..i think someone was trying to kill you”        “WHAT”

       “Or” He continued as if she hadn’t just screamed. “To get you out of the way.” He shrugged. He kinda wanted a camera for the look on her face. He’d look at it later when she wasn’t actively panicking. About half of his instinctive hatred to her was the fact that it was MORGANA. She came by once a month to try and steal his husband while threatening both himself and his daughter. The only reasons she wasn’t dead were A-he couldn’t figure out how to kill magic and B- an old associate was oddly Enchanted by her and wanted to date her if ever she stopped her obsessive campaign on a married man. He didn’t know much about this Morgana and while it didn’t take a lot to make him want to torture someone, it took something...something worse than her not wanting to eat admittedly horrible food. The look on her face was….shit. He didn’t like having a heart. And the lady was endearing herself simply by coming to help out with Gos….and he’d already tried to kill her over a misunderstanding. “What are you talking about!?” She demanded. And there were sparks again, the house lighting up and dying down in flashes as she affected the wiring.  “Why would anyone be trying to kill me!?”

       “You’re a powerful sorceress?” He ventured. That wasn’t the reason she was being targeted if his hunch was right. But it was a pretty good reason nonetheless of why someone would want her gone. Her face fell and the electricity faded from the air as she realized that he was right.

       “Oh…..but who would be close enough to me to kill me? And how would they go about murdering…..well, me.” And that sounded like the Morgana he knew and hated. “I’m more than a bit durable.” That sounded less like the Morgana he knew and hated. Enough less to prompt an answer.

       “Tap Water.” Her face morphed into one of confusion.  “Metallic taste plus headache means your glass was spiked with trace amounts of bleach…..the glass I just handed you was spiked …..and you said ” He shrugged. “Did anyone in your dimension hand you tap water consistently? Call it bad pipes?” She stopped to think. The only person that got her something to drink….and she only took it because he was so nice….. “your LaunchPad get you tap water from bad pipes?” And by that face it hadn’t occurred to her. As confusion came onto her features he cut off the question. “That’s what I would do if you were dating Negs and we weren't married. Or I’m wrong...I’m just speaking from my own experience. Other me might not do the same.”  But by the look on her face…..        “I…..he was my friend ” Fuck. Yup.

       “He probably wasn’t trying to kill you.” The other Duck admitted. “In trace amounts bleach just gives ya headaches.” He said it like it made things better. There was a rumbling sound and it was his only real warning before the raincloud started. Surprisingly, it didn’t turn the room into a monsoon. A small localized hailstorm over her head. Her fists were still clenched tightly and she was taking deep breaths.        “You’re lying” She said coldly. It didn’t take a genius to realize that she was more upset with herself than him. “That’s impossible. LaunchPad is my…..” The storm got worse, now focused entirely on her side of the room. He idly debated internally on how much larger the storm could get before she started to damage the internal structure to the house. If it got too much bigger he’d throw a frying pan at her. She was way too far in her head to stop it and it would just knock her out, she seemed to be dealing with some shit. He sighed.        “Look” And she was still hearing because she looked up at the word. But she was half frozen and he wasn’t good at comforting people. A LOT better than his husband but that wasn’t saying much. A slug could comfort people better that Negsy. “Ya still plannin on helpin with Gos?” The wind raged and an unused bulb popped, glass shattering on her side of the kitchen. To her credit, as destroyed as she looked, there wasn’t a second of hesitation.

       “Well Obviously! She needed help NegaDuck said. I’m not leaving a child out in the cold. Nor am I subjecting her to being fed poison.” Her voice was haughty and proud and she was downright offended at the suggestion of leaving. Well damn. Definitely not this Morg        “Then does it really matter right now?” She blinked at him. “Call this a….a well needed break . You’ve been on edge all night and while you’re probably different from this Morgana, you’ve gotta be more put together if Negs thought you could help Gossy. It’s not the issue right now. It’ll work itself out or it won’t. So calm down before ya break the house.” It probably only worked because she was distraught. Her fists clenched even more tightly before releasing.        “A moment.” She looked around to what her natural power had done just lashing out as it was. Though she had magic, Math was used to guarantee specific outcomes. Otherwise you ended up with….She sighed and ran a few quick actual calculations, condensing the storm to her hand where she squashed it. “Sorry. Today has been….not very good. Counting the two rescheduled dates and the secret identity I seem to be the only one unknowing of…..this month hasn’t been very good.” She was trembling with the effort of keeping her magic contained. LaunchPad got up and turned to a cabinet, rifling around before.  

       “Here” And a tumbler of whisky was put in front of her. “Not poisoned this time.” She was looking at it distrustfully which…..was fair . He poured himself a glass as well. “Look your magic goes crazy when you’re upset so maybe talk about it before ya get stressed by the kid. And since I’m the only one here, unfortunately….”

                                   ND~DD~ND~DD~ND~DD~ND

Gosalyn was quickly changed into her preferred nightgown. Pink and with a skirt made of ruffles. She went from daytime dress up doll to night time Barbie and it was a truly sickening sight. But she had a habit of trying to make him gag when she was pissed off at him. She crawled into bed and pulled white lacy sheets up to her shoulders, turning from him in pure rage. That earned an eyebrow raise and a cruel chuckle as he grabbed his secret weapon.        “As angry as ya wanna be. I got somthin ya need.” She lifted her little head and glared back at him...he waved the hairbrush at her mockingly. “Lil hint. When ya bluff, make sure your bases are covered.”        “I can get Papa to do my hair.” She sniped. He nodded, she could…..        “That means giving up a Daddy Daughter tradition since yer hair got washed that first time….You really wanna break tradition?” She didn’t like deviating from her patterns. It was a weird thing that he’d noticed about his kid and used to his advantage. Like the fact that she couldn’t sleep in an empty house and her obsession with ‘pretty’ that bled into the poor innocent room. As he suspected, she sat all the way up and turned away, arms crossed as she pouted. He took the permission for what it was and ambled over to the queen bed, climbing unto it behind the little princess of chaos. Deft fingers wiggled off the rubber band keeping her ringlets in place before he started to brush her hair out, far more gently than one may have thought him capable of. “Tomorrow you be nice to miss Morg kay. Maybe keep a babysitter for longer than an hour. Might be fun.” Gos, in true Gos fashion let out a sound halfway between an enraged shriek and a pitiful whine.

         “She’s a selfish lying bitch.” Gos pouted. “She doesn’t even want to be here and she’s going to skip away the moment she’s not needed.” Negaduck snorted at that, making sure to twist his wrist with the grain of the hair so that any tangles wouldn’t cause the kid pain. “Why’d you even go get her? You missed out on Tank’s research.”        “Fuck, ‘sonly been a day the lil Tesla’s got research already? I thought he’d just take in intake...vitals and shit.” She giggled brightly and while he didn’t mind the sound he wished she wouldn’t do it while he was brushing her hair. She would put spikes under his side of the bed if he miscounted and brushed less than 100 times.        “He’s really happy with the specimen. Enough water caused full reconstitution and whatever keeps him alive is not the same thing keeping him stable. Tankie started working on looking at DNA to try and do a normal intake but nothing about him is normal. It’s no wonder you have such a hard time capturing him. Not only does every water drop have his DNA in it, but water that’s introduced to him shares it as well. Electroshock causes the new water to lose the connection until reintroduced but only causes a weakening in the bonds keeping his form stable.” Negaduck rolled his eyes, but considered the hair adequately brushed and so started to pull it into a tight braid.        “Only you would pick a Poindexter as a bodyguard” He remarked as he started on the next pigtail.

       “Minion Daddy. I need some brain to balance out my brute of a bodyguard.” He bit his beak from reminding his daughter that they were both bodyguards since she hadn’t officially notified Tank of his change in status, even though he’d had the promotion for almost six months now. She didn’t like change.

       “Speakin ‘a bodyguards.” She froze. Oh boy, this would have to be handled with all the fineness of disarming a bomb. Something he wasn’t too used to doing since it was more fun to pull all the wires and send it off to doom some chumps at random.

       “Honky-Tonks and Tankie do a great job on their own.” She spat out, bitter. “I wouldn’t of even got taken if it wasn’t for Dorkwing Dipstick. That fucker was the problem but he allowed my plan to be set in motion.” Fuck the bomb, this was a nuclear warhead and it was leaking radiation. Still… “I don’t need another bodyguard. I’ve got my two, Papa, and if you stayed around-”        “If I stayed around you’d have a bigger target on your back and you know it.” There was a crash from downstairs, but he’d worry about it only if he heard a gun go off. “You know those idiot heros are tryin ta kill me. What better way then if they figure out I actually got a soft spot fer my kid? They’d catch you, drag me outta hidin, then put an end ta my villianny once and fer all. I know you’d avenge me but...I’m selfish. When my lil monster turns St. Canard to rubble I wanna be flippin the switch fer her and revelin in her twisted laugh.” She turned then, hugging him tightly. He returned it and motioned for her to get back into position so that he could start her second braid. “Miss Morg’s gonna look out fer ya when Papa and I can’t be around. If ya play yer cards right, she might even teach ya some spells.”        “Miss Morgana hates me. She hates all normals. She certainly wouldn’t just ladida tell them the secrets of her ‘I have magic so I’m better than you’ power.”        “Ah-Ha! You’re right. But that’s this Morgana. She’s a fuckin bitch. ‘Swhy I stole another Morgana. She’s the opposite of this one. Doesn’t hold her magic as close. If anyone can swindle some arcane secrets it’s you.” She pouted, but nodded.

       “Lady’s a bitch and a liar. She said she wouldn’t let you leave and she sent you away in the next breath.” NegaDuck thought on that for a moment, whether it was best to correct her or not. But she wouldn’t want to hear that her new guard had other commitments that might succeed in getting her back. That would either make her try to kill the woman before she got attached or try to kill said commitments. While it would be funny to watch her try to kill DarkWing, it was ultimately far too dangerous for her to attempt to take on that LaunchPad.        “Three hours.” He settled on, wrapping the braids together with a ribbon. He grabbed his blaster. “You wanna hear how I almost killed Dipshit Last…” Oh right, time had gotten messed up. “Time?” He asked. Gos yawned and snuggled up to him. “Aww, tired? I’ll go” He wiggled out from under her and tucked her in before turning to leave. Before he was even halfway to the door he heard the safety click off on the blaster he’d just produced. His shark teeth were on full display as he turned with a grin, both arms raised to the girl aiming at him. “Did I happen ta ferget somin?” He asked. The barrel glowed as she started to compress the trigger. His grin got wider as he waltzed back over. “Aight Alright. Gimmie that, you suck with the recoil.” And he plucked the gun from her and settled her back in to get retucked. It was with a few deep breaths to clear out his craggley voice. He could carry a tune, but his voice itself wasn’t much to write home. Still...he cozied up behind her and started to sing.

                                           Rest your eyes, little girl pink

                                 You live with Murdering Monsters it’s true

                              And tough we may maim, terrorize and destroy

                            This one spot is kept safe and pretty for you.

She’s tired, and sleeping by the time he finishes the short version of the lullaby. He reaches over and grabs a porcelain doll from the wall, one with a yellow dress falling like shooting stars and black hair in an elaborate bun. He maneuvers himself out of her grip and  replaces the spot with the doll. She cuddles it and the thorns around his heart clench a bit more tightly at seeing the sight. He scoffs and leaves the room before he can get sappy. After all, he’d only be gone three hours tops.

                                 DD~ND~DD~ND~DD~ND~DD

Three days. Her house wasn’t that….well, it was that large and difficult to get lost in but it tended to pop out guests wherever their intention was. And she’d told him exactly where to go. Had he managed to get lost trying to find her secrets? Did he get trapped in the soul bag? He’d been joking about which bag to pick, but what if he honestly forgot which one it was. It shouldn’t have taken this much time. And she was doing what little she could with fake ingredients. She’d warded the house itself from anyone that had ill intent. Well, any normal. It wouldn’t stop the superheroes it was...flimsy at best. She’d seen the girl eyeing her ring and gave it to her with the claim that it matched her dress. The fact that it did was a happy coincidence. And she was watching to make sure Gosalyn was still wearing it.

That being said….since LaunchPad was out more often than not, she had a pretty good hint of just who was trying to kill her this time. At first they could be written off as cute little pranks. The first night NegaDuck didn’t come back, there were spikes in the bed that had been assigned. It was only after waking up with a pleasant realignment in her spine that she realized that for most people, that was probably uncomfortable. She’d accepted a cup of coffee from the sweet girl only for LaunchPad to snatch it away and toss it into a potted plant…..the plant withered and died. Then there was corrosive acid in the shampoo and luckily she dropped the bottle. The problem with any of these attempts was that….she was made of magic. Even if she was burned she’d have been fine in an hour. Even Bleach water. It affected her...she just healed a bit faster. Hmmm, maybe none of them realized that. That being said, it was amazing how creative little kids could get. Belladonna Berry cookies last night.          “Miss Morgana” She resisted the urge to hex the adorable little monster. Gosalyn was holding up a glass of yellow liquid….. steaming yellow liquid. “Mrs. MuddleFoot made Lemonade. Do you want some? It’s oh so yummy!” Morgana took a deep breath. Why yes nursemaid, let her be Juliet, she’d happily down the poison. The thought caused a smile to pull at her lips. Any foolhardy Romeo for this child would be dead long before the impromptu wedding, she’d lure him to a trap for the fun of it.        “That’s alright.” She smiled brightly at the girl. She wasn’t going to walk into that trap. And Gos pouted. Morgana very carefully ruffled her ringlets in a way that wouldn’t actually harm them. She’d have to dodge a subtle death threat then. LaunchPad had spent almost an hour curling it this morning. “How about a walk to the bakery. You said that’s where his old portal was.” That and she had a sneaking suspicion that the child had a fondness for the cookies there. Gosayln was still pouting. “If I let you poison me with….” Morgana looked skeptically at the ‘lemonade’ “Whatever Tank cooked up, then will you stop sulking and not try to kill me at dinner? Besides, your Papa’s cooking is going to try that anyway.” The little girls’ shoulders sagged, but she must have been really hopeful about this batch because she smiled and held it up. “Cheers.” The sorceress said with a mild wince. To Tank’s credit it did taste like Lemonade. Had it not been smoking or offered by a child that wanted her dead she may have actually brought it. Speaking of Tank, the scientist was peering out of his garage, the full chemistry set still running as his face fell. He snapped in disappointment and grabbed a notebook to recalculate some numbers.        “Alright, lets go for a walk and get you some air.” Morgana ordered lightly. “I’ll get you extra cookies for the attempt.” She’d stopped taking being targeted personally when LaunchPad coughed up some spikes and half threated to make Gosalyn actually eat his cooking.

                                   ND~DD~ND~DD~ND~DD~ND

Her head was pounding. Morgana felt something like static on the back of her throat. She rose slowly, willing the world to stop spinning. It wasn’t quite working. Someone shoved a glass of water into her hand. She identified it was water by the fact that it was wet and tasted like nothing and wasn’t making her dizzy like a drink would.

       “According ta Tank, your powers should start coming back by now.” She chanced a look up to see LaunchPad...he looked terrible. He had a black eye and a busted beak and was leaning heavily on one side. “Hey do me next wouldya?” He gestured at her body and she looked down. Her dress was ripped and filthy and her body was covered in quickly healing bruises. LauchPad must have seen the confusion on her face. “It was an ambush. The Tired Three attacked, demanding to know where Drippy was. Bush Breath used a tree to make off with Gos and when I brought you back here Tank told me what his formula did.”

       “It’s like the fuckers have a TRACE to know when to fuck shit up.” Morgana blinked. She was in the living room, draped over the couch. NegaDuck was also in the room, but angrily pacing in front of the T.V. cursing up a storm. Trace….OH! Right.        “Don’t worry I’m wat….WHERE WERE YOU!!!” Her pain is momentarily forgotten as she establishes that this man was missing which was what caused Gosalyn to try and kill her in the first place. He at least had the decency to look ashamed for a moment.        “Score I couldn’t pass up.” He indicated the bags of loot on the ground. She glared at him and through the corner of her eye was pleased to note that LauchPad had a similar expression. “I GOT THE BAG!” And he had the audacity to toss it at her. But a cursory glance confirmed that yes, this was the right bag. She placed it on her lap and felt for her magic. Whatever Tank had done, he’d muted it somehow. A regular enchantress would need another hour or two before they were up to speed…..luckily, she was a ‘McCawber’ She pulled herself to a sitting position and focused herself inward. A click here, a spring there….and she gave a great breath as the power flowed through her once more. It had been about five minutes of meditation. Five minutes were...a lot her apparently. The two men had already complied a list of where the girl may be and were working on ambush options.        “I’m watching her.” Morgana said, raising herself from the couch and doing her mental math. “Shussh. I need to just pop over and grab her so my math has to be perfect.” As she said even that, her eyes turned white. LaunchPad and Negaduck glanced at each other, but both kept their beaks shut as a soft fog filled the room...on their side.

       “I don’t know where he might be Mr Quacks and Jacks. I’m so so so sorry.” Gosalyn gave a teary eyed sniff. “If I did. I tell you!” QuakerJack looked for a moment into soft innocent green eyes, blown wide from the terror of her ordeal with Negaduck. No one knew who it was that the tyrant had gotten to travel with her this time, but the woman had at least gone down fairly easily. He sighed, knowing that they weren't going to get any information from NegaDuck’s captive.

        “Okay sweetie. Can you at least tell me who pulled you from the lab angel?” Her eyes were teary. Uh oh. How many assets did her tormentor have? LaunchPad and the MuddleFoots were all accounted for. Before she could answer, her ring started glowing. She jumped away from the smoke so the three took the hint to try and get away as well, but it quickly filled the room, a massive stormcloud with a figure shrouded in the mists.

                                               SHE IS MINE

As the words echoed and billowed they were accentuated with thunder and lightning.

The figure was as big or bigger than the mists, only seen in sections, an ice cold hand just  barely grazing past, a blood red eye blinking from behind.

                          YOU PEONS ARE NOT TO TOUCH MINE

The lightning seemed to know not to get close to the only one that could use it. Instead, MegaVolt shivered beneath the gale force winds hurtling around icy rain.

            OR I WILL COME AGAIN AND LEAVE NAUGHT BUT DEATH

The minor fog cleared in the room as Morgana’s eyes stopped glowing. But as the fog cleared it left something that hadn’t been there before….rather, some one.        “How” LaunchPad started, seeing his daughter, unharmed but a little shaken “did you manage to”        “I said not to worry. I’m watching her.” Morgana smirked. Then she sighed. Poisoned twice, lost her powers, charge kidnaped, nearly actually killed. “Though I think that’s enough excitement for today.” She shook her head. “I’m going upstairs to take a nice hot shower with non corrosive acid thank you very much.” There was some law of her life. There had to be. She barely even turned when she felt the minor ward snap like a too tight piana wire, an instant before the roof second floor was gone. What in the name of Magic

       “OH Nega Darling! Your Better half has come to free you from the insignificant insects you call a spouse and daughter!!!!!!” Rather than surprise, the room was a chorus of groans.

       “I could set my watch to this nut.” LauchPad murmured a split second before he was encased in a shimmering pink bubble, which shot into the sky. Gosalyn was given the same treatment. The woman that had called out floated over, dress whipping around her, all calm pastels-sky blue and soft gold. Her long white hair floated in a cloud around her, the color marred only by two black stripes. But her face was indistinguishably…..

       “You have got to be kidding me” Morgana muttered, looking up at…. herself apparently.