#the raver stories project

[unholycateyes]

happy 32 followers!!!

i just wanna say thank you all i did cat eyes as just a funny lil thing to gain some experience making comics for future projects so iwont stop cat eyes till i either get board demotivated or till its finished lolz!

i've been in the fandom for years but this is my first real project so im happy you all seem to like it!!! i have big big plans!!!

and because you all seem to love cat eyes i made a new au called

ROCKEFELL

Their are mostly designs i hope they will all be seeable lol

this is what i've been working on! RockeFell! see im a boig fan of nightcore and underfell designs i'm also a huge nerd for old forgotten aus so what if a bunch of old aus were pulled in to one singularity point and combined the result is rockefell

now while alot of them are just designs i do have a story in mind! (feel free to draw them tho!!!))

but ill save that for later cuz i cant forget the guest section of the drawing!

i wanna thank @mioplaces and @grumpyghostdoodles for letting me draw their lovely characters (i also wanna say for comic papyrus i took big inspiration off a drawing i saw on google so credit to that artist for their killer design!!) i like to think cat and comic papyrus are reoccurring characters in rockefell

more info on specific characters

here we have chara age 13 the future of skating chara records and uploads skate videos to the undernet chara has an obsession with curvature seeing the curves in time, light and space

they also have a theme i made just a lil demo tho!

next we have asriel "the fry" dreemurr asriel is 11 and loves to skate asriel also has a hidden innate ability within him other monsters do not posses nor boss monsters and if you cant tell he loves dragon ball!

next we have frisk and flowey!!! frisk is a bit of a mean "girl" not taking shit from no one! frisk is still kind and caring but likes to mess with people a delinquent with a heart of gold!l frisk and flowey are best pals as well also frisk has a knife called the devils blade

i did more than just characters tho i did backgrounds!!

the ruins! a vast city filled with monsters but monsters need a fast way to get around too so i present the ruins railways!! and hidden within the ruins long forgotten is the secret garden! golly i wonder what thats a reference too lol

next we have snowedin aka snowedin hills!

next we have underfall city

i have some music for this!!

its just a like down town kinda area filled with sea monsters under a big dome

then i did judgment hall for funs lol

i hope you all liked this i put like so much work in to it haha!

[soonielo]

I was commissioned some time ago by a author to draw their character Raveres in a tarot card inspired image. She be regal and powerful but have the smugest face imaginable. She was to be styled after the emperess card with " I X " and "Emperess" marks and I was given refs regarding the pose. Except for those hardlines I was given a lot of freedome.

In the beginning I gravited towards to the idea of hee sitting on her throne and her true natuer of brutality literally radiating from behind her. As time went on I put more emphasis on the slayed kraken instead. Its an important event in story that Raveres takes pride in. I loved the imagery of it hanging limp above her as a thropey in her throne room.

Altered her pose and face through out the whole thing and got feedback from the author. The trick was to show her power but not make her too serious. Her leaning on her roman-eusq divine gave her such an carefree psychopath vibe. I took the liberty to make the fabric flow around her to give her that sense of queenlyness.

Before the final render I sent three versions for the author to decide on. We both favoured the ones with the burning background. It gave the vibe of Raveres holding back a storm of violence.

A big part of the process was throwing ideas back and forth with the author about what would fit Raveres. It lacks some of the details and technics of my newer stuff but I'm always gonna like this one.

Thanks for reading!

[hellhammersbignaturals]

judging you based on your favorite sewerslvt album

(ok I realized this isn't that judgy)

Don't be afraid of dying

you're either really edgy and could go on for hours about how introshit is actually super meaningful and deep, or it helps you sleep/study

Interdimensional **** films (im sorry I just feel really weird typing it out)

you have immaculate taste, Im obsessed with the opening track rn. Sewer//slvt was probably your favorite album at one point but then you heard this and went "I can have that song???? with Death Grips vocals????"

starving slvts always get their fix

if this is your favorite sewerslvt album, or if you just like it at all, hell even if you just like ONE of the songs on it i'm on my knees rn begging you to marry me. please, we can play starving slvt overture as I (or you if thats what you want) walk down the isle and we can have a special dance of just the two of us to pandora's box. we can play a game where the wedding guests have to guess what the lyrics to cold steel are.

it just gets worse

I never really gave this one a good listen but the songs on it kind of reminded me of don't be afraid of dying so I'll assume it helps you sleep/study

sewer//slvt

you probably discovered her music from tiktok back in 2020/21 and have a cutecore account. I was going to say something about the people that re-upload this album/songs from this album to spotify but I'm supposed to be working on my anger issues 😁 (youtube archives are fine though I love you guys <3)

drowning in the sewer

you definitely go to raves or at least want to. people who like atmospheric music in generally are chill I don't have anything bad to say.

draining love story

I feel like this is most peoples favorite album from her so sorry but im gonna say its kind of basic. You probably wish you had the vinyl and I do too lmao. if you actually have it though I'm so jealous of you.

sewer idol project

I don't have much to say, its a compilation album. You probably listen to it while imagining dancing in the rain.

The world is fvcked

i imagine that you've put this album on shuffle to fall asleep because most of it is calming but then you were woken up by psychosis blasting in your ears at 3am and took 30 minutes to calm down

schizophrenia simulation

you're definitely a raver/want to go to raves. I imagine you've also done some not-so-legal substances and listen to it when you're high

we had good times together, don't forget that

you've DEFINITELY cried to at least one of the songs on this album and no one blames you, anyone who doesn't feel at least a bit sad when hearing die alone/her/goodbye is just weird. you probably did some hard contemplating about life while listening to it too

[ilykirara]

Hiii! Thank you for responding to my last question. This ask isn't exactly about your story, but...why do you hc Raiden to be vietnamese?

Sorry, I was kind of stalking your posts😥🙇🙇🙇🙏🙏🙏

Hello again!!! Sorry for the late response — I was abroad for a long time visiting family and I just finished my exam week today :D

First of all, I absolutely appreciate the comments and the support!!! It's nice to know that people enjoy my posts (and makes me feel like I'm not posting for nothing :P). I love answering questions no matter the context so keep them coming if you have any more!!!!!! I'm free for a while now so expect fast-ish responses (^∇^d)!!

Okay, so about your question: I personally like to think Raiden is Vietnamese but technically if I really had to headcanon, I'd headcanon him as Thai because his face model Krit McClean is Thai (love his work!!!)

It was sort of a slow progression. Before I say anything, I would like to clarify that I am Vietnamese so I base it all on my experience and therefore I am 101% bias :D

So, I kinda decided that he was Vietnamese when I was listening to Wren Evans (I absolutely love his album LOI CHOI) and i needed a playlist cover on Spotify because i made my own playlist with all the songs from LOI CHOI and some other vietnamese songs. But, before that, I based it on his rice hat because Vietnam is known for their rice hats (and many other things of course). Then, because I equally love MK11 Raiden, when I saw MK11 Raiden's friendship, I was like hey Vietnamese people really love their EDM/raves so like... it would be really funny if Raiden listens to EDM on a regular basis and considering he can do his own laser shows well he HAS to be a raver to some degree (I wouldn't put this in the story; maybe I'll add in how he listens to EDM like it's nothing for humour but this concept is just a fun thing for me). When I say Vietnamese people love EDM, they fucking love it.

A little more about me... I'm a raver (my main genres are Happy Hardcore and Euphoric Hardstyle) and I have a Japanese first name despite being Vietnamese. Most of my reasons comes from projections HAHAHA

There was this other Vietnamese song that I thought Raiden would listen to/relate to (I was going to say this in my new chap but I'll do it here as well :)): https://open.spotify.com/track/2nR51wakN5K3AJENqGaNg9?si=3aSO_umVTKuvPmje_8nMsg

Those are pretty much my main reasons. I probably won't specify his ethnicity in the story but for me personally, I find it humourous to imagine Raiden as some hardcore raver eating banh cuon under a massive ceiling fan. I don't think Raiden would be interested in the coffee culture that Vietnam has to offer, but he wouldn't mind frequently going out at night when it's cooler to some coffee place to eat che/sago and hang out with good friends

[nstbtmelb]

Title: Pumping For Love
 Artist: Corbis R.
 Label: "No sleep till bedtime..."⁣⁣⁣⁣⠀ 
Format: Digital
 Release: September 14th 2023

Track list:
01] Pumping For Love

Link: https://nosleeptillbedtime.bandcamp.com/track/pumping-for-love

[nstbt_031] is an absolute banger from Melbourne hard techno producer Corbis R.

Corbis R. is a new name for a familiar face. Formerly a part of the hardstyle DJ/production duo KLK & Ben-e Boy aka K&B, he has been whipping Melbourne's dance floors into a frenzy over the last 14 years.

Now setting his sights on new horizons, and with a string of solid releases already under his belt for Spacecake recordings. You can expect the same high energy, and detailed production quality applied to a new format.

Whilst this may be Corbis R's first solo release for us, this is not his first appearance on our label. Submitting an absolute stormer for the SIUL - The Panic Room [Remixes] compilation last year: https://nosleeptillbedtime.bandcamp.com/track/the-panic-room-corbis-richardson-remix

The thing I love most about this release is how "Melbourne" it sounds.

There is an element there that is unique to this city that we call home. A cocktail of all of the years soaking up the nights filled with ravers and shufflers, rocking out to hard trance, hardstyle and hard dance tunes. A sound that can be felt by those who have lived it.  

I know we say this all the time, but we are grateful to be able to work with so many talented artists, and to be able to share their music and stories with you all.

We wish Kale all the best with his new project, and I'm sure there will be much more to hear from him in the coming months ahead

Thank you Kale! 🙏🏻😁

You can learn more and show him some support by following his pages listed below 👇🏻

[corbis_r_pages] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kale.corbis/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/corbis_r

Mastering by: Corbis R.

#hardtechno #schranz #techno #melbourne #industrialhardcore #industrialtechno #producer #undergroundtechno #technoculture #ilovetechno #technodj #technorave #hardstyle #darktechno #rave #hardcore #technomusic #underground #djlife #electronicmusic #hardtechnoparty #acidtechno #podcast #club #hardtechnomusic #raver #dj ⁣

(6head_slug)

[toomuchopulence]

IF LOOKS COULD KILL - DESTROY LONELY

DISK ONE SIDE ONE

1. HOW U FEEL 10/10

2. RAVER 9/10

3. IFLCK 8/10

4. FLY SHIT 7.5/10

5. WHICH ONE 6.8/10

NOTES: THIS PORTION OF THE ALBUM IS ALL GUITARS AND DEEP BUT IT DOES GET REPETITIVE ESPECIALLY SINCE THE INTROS FOR FLY SHIT AND WHICH ONE SOUND ALIKE AND ARE ALSO VERY LONG EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE 2 DIFFERENT SONGS SOUND WISE BUT THIS DISK HAS A HANDFUL OF MEANINGFUL LYRICS THAT TOUCH THE SOULD AND THE HIGHLIGHTS BALANCE OUT THE NEGATIVES AND ALSO THROUGHOUT THE DAY FLY SHIT REALLY GREE ON ME A-LOT

REPLAY VALUE: 8

LYRICS/MEANINGFULNESS: 8

VIBES: CALM 7.5

INSTRUMENTAL: 9

FLOWING: 7 (flows so well that it became repetitive especially since the first few seconds of each song sound the same)

DISK: 8.0

DISK ONE SIDE B

1. CAME IN WIT 9/10

2. BIGGEST PROBLEM 9/10

3. ALL THE TIME 8.5/10

4. BY THE POUND 8/10

5. CHRIS PAUL 8/10

NOTES: THIS PART OF THE ALBUM IS PROBABLY THE MOST ENERGETIC, LONE REALLY DID WELL ON THIS PART ONE OF MY FAV LINES WERE “NIGGAS KEEP TALKIN SHI I KNOW THEY TEETH DIRTY” ON CHRIS PAUL THE ENERGY ADDS DIRECTORY AND DIVERSITY TO THE PROJECT

REPLAY VALUE: 10/10

LYRICS/MEANING: 6/10

VIBES: TURNT 8/10

INSTRUMENTALS: 7/10 easy cook ups but high In dopamine so I love it

FLOWING: 9/10 all of the songs fit each other

DISK: 8.0

DISK OVERALL 8.5/10

DISK TWO SIDE A

1. SUPERSTAR 10/10

2. NEW NEW 9/10

3. RIGHT NOW 8.5/10

4. WHICH WAY 8.3/10

5. WAGWAN 7.5/10

NOTES: THIS PORTION IS LIKE BOTH SIDE A AND B OF DISK ONE IN ONE SIDE. THIS WHOLE PORTION IS LIKE A MOVIE SOUNDTRACK THIS WHOLE SECTION TALKS ABOUT HIM EVOLVING FROM HIS PAST AND HE MAKES IT CLEAR WITH THIS NEW SOUND. I CANT WAIT FOR HIM TO PERFORM THIS. HE REALLY BROUGHT OUT HIS UNIQUENESS ANS NEW SOUND TO FULL DISPLAY IN THIS SECTION THIS PART MIGHT ACTUALLY REAL DEAL BE MY FAVORITE.

REPLAY VALUE: 9.5/10 (10/10 if wagwan wasn’t on it)

LYRICS/MEANING: 10/10

VIBES: MIXED 10/10

INSTRUMENTALS: 10/10 easy cook ups but high In dopamine so I love it

FLOWING: 10/10 all of the songs fit each other yet so diverse

DISK: 9.3/10

DISK TWO SIDE B

1. MOMENT OF SILENCE 9.5/10

2. PASSENGER 8.5/10

3. BRAZY GIRL 8.3/10

4. GOIN UP 8.2/10

NOTES: THIS PART OF THE ALBUM IS THE CLOSEST THING WE’RE GOING TO EVER GET THAT SOUNDS LIKE OLD LONE. I LOVE THIS SECTION AS WELL AND THE TRANSITION BETWEEN PASSENGER AND GOIN UP WAS SO SEEM-LESS YOU WOULD THINK THEY’RE THE SAME SONG AND THATS NOT A BAD THING AS WELL

REPLAY VALUE: 9

LYRICS/MEANINGFULNESS: 7.5 (MOMENT OF SILENCE DEF IS 10/10 Though)

VIBES: MIXED BETWEEN CALM AND TURNT 7.5

INSTRUMENTAL: 10

FLOWING: 9.5

DISK: 8.8

DISK OVER ALL 9/10

DISK THREE SIDE A

1. MAKE SOME WORK 10/10

2. REDLIGHT 8.8/10

3. PROMO 6.8/10

4. WORTH IT 5/10

NOTES: PROBABLY THE MOST RANDOM PART OF THE ALBUM BECAUSE YOU HAVE 2 SONGS THAT ARE STUNNING AND THEN YOU HAVE 2 FILLERS BUT IT IS NEARING THE END OF THE TAPE AND MOST OF THE TIME FILLER HELPS BUILD AN ALBUM STORY. THIS ALBUM IS STILL AMAZING WHEN IT COMES TO THE CLOSING ITS JUST THE 2 TRACKS

REPLAY VALUE: 5.5

LYRICS/MEANINGFULNESS: 7

VIBES: MAINLY CALM BUT TURNT 7.5

INSTRUMENTAL: 8

FLOWING: 5

DISK: 6.5

DISK THREE SIDE B

1. SAFETY 10/10

2. MONEY & SEX 10/10

3. YOUR EYES 10/10

NOTES: ONE OF THE BEST CLOSINGS OF AN ALBUM EVER THAT SHORT FILM COULD’VE BEEN WAY LONGER WITH THIS ALBUMS TRACK LIST. THIS ALBUM IS A PERFECT SOUND TRACK FOR A MOVIE THIS IS AN AMAZING PROJECT

REPLAY VALUE: 8.5 (SAFETY IS A STORY AND LONG)

LYRICS/MEANINGFULNESS: 8.5 ($X is more of a fun track and not a meaningful song)

VIBES: CLOSING/ END OF A MOVIE 10/10

INSTRUMENTAL: 10/10

FLOWING: 9/10 (Since $X is a Bonus track)

DISK: 10

DISK OVERALL: 8.3

ALBUM OVERALL: 9/10

After listening to this album nine times today, I decided to review it and dissect the contents. Initially, my experience with the album was not ideal because I listened to it out of order. I started with "Snitch," then moved to "How You Feel," skipped "IFLCK," and listened to "Fye Shi." The movie associated with the album was released at 11 PM, and I watched it immediately. Although I enjoyed the movie, I didn't have a fresh mindset for the album.

I began with track four and, influenced by my friends' mixed reactions, I initially thought the entire album sounded the same due to Lone's voice. As I continued to listen throughout the day, I realized I had approached the album incorrectly. I listened to it during a test at school, during a school event (although I could barely hear it), and even dissected the album into multiple playlists based on sound.

I made another attempt to create a playlist of only good songs and which songs had different vibes , but that didn't work either. Finally, I listened to the album while riding my electric scooter and found myself vibing to nearly every song. However, I couldn't remember the song names once my ride was over. I decided to listen to the album again at night, as if it had just been released, and took notes to help me identify each song And listened to it like 6 EPS with the help of the discs track-list . That's when it clicked - this album is perfect. I should have approached it this way from the start. If an album doesn't sound good to you, it's probably not the album itself, but the way you listen to it. The album in question is "If Looks Could Kill" by Destroy Lonely.

In summary, my various listening experiences shaped my understanding and appreciation of the album. My initial impression, based on starting with track four, was part of my first listening experience. The key takeaway is to approach an album with a fresh and open mind, and to give it a proper listen before forming an opinion.

[whatsonmedia]

Thursday Thrill: UK's Hottest Halloween Events Await!

Hauntingly Hot Events: UK's Most Spooktacular Halloween Experiences Await! Get ready to paint the town eerie with thrilling dance floors, spine-tingling spookfests, and family-friendly fiestas. Join the fun at these hair-raising events across the UK! Cream Halloween Special 28 Oct The spirit of Cream returns to Liverpool for a Halloween like no other.  This time hosting this ghoulish celebration at a brand-new event in the city’s Grand Central Hall, with one dam fine massive dance music which is sure to entice a crowd to show out for their best dance off. Tonight is going to be a very special night right in the heart of this iconic city which Cream calls it home. Featuring a wealth of DJs bringing their A-Game sets Sam Divine, Low Steppa, GW Harrison, Amelia Preston, and Lucia Cors. Having recently gone through a multi-million-pound refurbishment The Grand Central venue is a big impressive venue theatre-type vibe setting making it one of the hottest clubbing spaces in Liverpool to host Creams Halloween Special Let’s not forget the impressive sound and lighting set up. Tonight, dance music lovers of the Cream brand no there in for the best night out, expect a packed-out dance floor with beating heart of clubbers from all over the UK. Tickets and more info www.cream.co.uk/halloween A Weird & Wonderful Halloween 2023 28 Oct Birmingham is gonna get its best scarecrow on this weekend hosting at one of Midlands newest and biggest venues that the city has to offer.  XOYO is bringing in the begun promoters, Weird Science, Hospitality & Jungle Cakes for a guaranteed sell-out up for it crowd.�� Fancy dress is optional but be prepared to get hot and sweaty on a packed-out dancefloor across 3 rooms.  This is where your Halloween weekend begins with a fierce DJ Royalty line-up that’s off the dance floor stratosphere which includes P Money, Ed Solo, Roni Size, Metrik, Benny Page, Dj Marky, Whiney, Dynamite Mc, Navigator, Mampi Swift, David Boomah, Mc Busta, Frenetic, Lfm, P Money & Whiney Tickets and more info www.xoyobirmingham.co.uk Halloween WHP 28 Oct A disused railway depot abandoned since 1960, is being transformed into a one-of-a-kind multi-facetted venue, marking a huge milestone for the city’s culture scene and simultaneously creating a cavernous new setting for The Warehouse Project to call home located directly facing Picadilly Train Station.  Since its inception the WHP has been hosting some of the UKs biggest sell out party featuring line-ups of globetrotting DJs that are the who’s who from the dance music industry.  This weekend is going to be another sell out event as the UK celebrates one of its spookest weekends of the year.  Getting dressed up in the best halloween attire for one hella of a spooktacular nine-hour danceathon which features dance music royalty. Annie Mac, Denis Sulta, Skream, Hannah Laing, Sarah Story, CC: DISCO!, Junior Simba, Meg Ward, Jordan Villa, Chaos In The CBD, Dan Shake, Dusky, Mark Blair Effy, Storm Mollison, Joe Motion, Jimmy Turnbull Tickets and more info www.thewarehouseproject.com WestFest Halloween Home of Rave 28 Oct One of the biggest Halloween indoor raves is taking place at The Bath and West Showground this weekend. West Fest is all about its 5000 ravers making sure this event fills all the expectations. Now the event is starting in the day making this a marathon dance music party to be at for the ravers who love an all dayer-nighter. Ravers’ festival seasons isn’t over yet!   With 5 massive arenas including the legendary Main Arena, One Nation Drum & Bass, Hardcore Heaven with the best in Hardcore & Hardstyle, Rumble in the Jungle and Funkagenda hosting the VIP. For those that like to level it up VIP's are getting treated to exclusive access to the Main Arena balcony and all the usual thrills priority entry and the usual VIP area with toilets and of course, the fire pit.   WestFest is one of the biggest northern raves taking place over the Halloween weekend bringing one of the biggest line-up of DJs incluidng Skepsis, Hedex, Bou, Eksman, Flava D, TURNO, SASASAS, Inja, Pola & Bryson, Kings of the Rollers, Gardna, TNA, DREPS, MHITR, Blive24, Logan D, Sub Zero, Majistrate, Nicky Blackmarket, DJ Hazard, Original Sin, Harry Shotta, BassLayerz, Andy Whitby, Kutski, Hixxy, Joey Riot, MC Whizzkid plus many more Tickets and more info www.westfest.co.uk     Alton Towers Scarefest 27 - 31 Oct If you’re up for something different this Halloween weekend, Alton Towers in Staffordshire hosts its annual Scarefest. It’s something for all the family.  Go for one day or book into the resort for a weekend away. It’s a full-on Halloween experience which is not to be missed for lovers of this spooky time of year. As the nights get longer, Scarefest beckons. On October’s spookiest dates, tiptoe into Alton Towers Resort for all sorts of creepy scares and shocks as its award-winning Scarefest returns for 2023 with live entertainment for all ages and our award-winning spooktacular scare experiences for the bravest of souls.  Open until 9pm each day daring guests can face our head-spinning, hair-raising rides and attractions in darkness including Wicker Man and The Smiler! Dare you take on our world-class thrill rides in the dark? Will you hurtle towards a six-stored high Wicker Man effigy as it spectacularly bursts into flames? Maybe fly through the night sky on Galactica; or dive into Oblivion in the pitch black! Master the theme park at night, on over 40 rides and attractions this Scarefest season! Tickets and more info www.altontowers.com Read the full article

[jiessicas]

07.08.23 a pre/daydreaming day

how to say imminence / how to say transcendence / how to say hegemony

feeling like i am looking for new ways to be brave

sat at a cafe to zone out into space and then sat at the park to zone out into space more -- hadn't given myself that much empty space before, but so so nice for percolating some latent dreams

the light & coffee & wellbutrin all hit before i ate and the light through a japanese maple tree in my neighborhood seemed so bright!

after convos with coach & advisor, feeling jazzed to do / also feel like there's more space than ever to do a lil more meta planning -- to do all the concretizing that i'm craving after so much time gathering

i am so untethered at the moment ~ i can do more material sorting/cleaning, i can write/return to an aggressive apply to stuff cycle

me every day: I Will Write A Todo List That Is So All Encompassing... It Will Be The Mother Of All Lists.... Lists Are The Site Of Desiderata (Desires & Needs, Often Both)

i think what follows this is a desire to recommit to what would otherwise be passing daydreams that i circle back to but don't give myself the time to remain with; committing to realizing my sense of possibility, imagination

a dream for this summer: openhearted curiosity in the fullness of time // making way for experiencing the fullness of time (aka how do i gracefully work through anxiety so that i can remain present whenever possible? :'') tbd)

a lot of miscellaneous lists here, in the rest of the cut:

looking for earplugs at cvs, they were mostly out: someone who worked there said they're likely bought out by swimmers, musicians, ravers, which i thought was funny (also, frequent fliers/people traveling into high elevation)

running into neighborhood regulars over the weekend is nice; it's nice to know the circles we run in overlap in different ways; walked m's dog for a brief moment and thought about how i've heard my parents liken raising a puppy to raising a daughter

a loose gathering of pre-daydreams that i wrote out

a workspace that i can sprawl out and work in, which follows figuring out how to file papers so they remain accessible while taking up less space

a regular skincare routine (lol)

a cozy place to sprawl in my room

an easy way to collect, survey, plan/schedule events (lol calendars!! always on the brain)

i feel like i'm often fantasizing about having a Perfect Week, which mostly means a week where i feel 1) joyfully present *and* 2) for the joyful present to be meaningfully connected to a sustainable future

a weekly ritual around reflecting/assessing/adjusting at the end of the week [in retrospect these bullet points feel like anxiety mitigation]

i wanna meet more QTBIPOC collectives / wanna spend more time in the east bay

when someone's like, if you had no barriers or enough money to do what you want? i feel dizzy ~~~ it feels like asking, how do i move without gravity? without the constraints of the systems i'm moving within?

i think what follows this is a desire to recommit to what would otherwise be passing daydreams that i circle back to but don't give myself the time to remain with; committing to realizing my sense of possibility, imagination

openhearted curiosity in the fullness of time // making way for experiencing the fullness of time (aka how do i mitigate an undercurrent of anxiety so that i can remain present whenever possible? :'') tbd)

some vibes/incomplete notes

food, electronics, code projects, hosting events

drafting/working on stories/essays, untangling what has began growing

to be a dilettante; farming, textiles/weaving, dance, volunteering/organizing (curious about work in wealth distribution, radical science), dance x music, improv dance classes

figuring out a social media *practice* that i put attention without compulsion into, and ask others of their attention without compulsion in turn

tools to gesture at/with/alongside, to hold others; long distance incubator

practices/misc projects

time devices

fucked up foods w friends

chairs of sf

house.... waking(warming)

tracking what i read (books, other media)

submitting/editing stories

kernel magazine

? subtle asian dating ?

building up a music library, mixing live with/for others

submission calls that maybe can be timelines to work around

hanging out at maker spaces (thank you thank you j, z)

live work space set up

playground tarot

pokemon go filter

lil zines

soft smart home

student driver

etc etc

food processes (boiling, pickling, frying, microwaving) at units of time to build rituals around

3d modeling, watch, time interfaces

far out dreams that may or may not come to be

a [redacted] collection

reviewing new books by people i admire

what makes me a lil anxious? - in writing these out, some of these are specific examples of a more abstract/base worry

fair warning the list in a bit crazymaking to read, feel free to skip over this; i wanted to name these to better notice when i feel them and to pause without getting paralyzed---

running out of time, space; generally not having enough, feeling trapped / scarcity mindset of my own making

regretting not doing something (long term fomo); feeling like i've failed to plan for the future by feeling caught off guard by it, or unable to respond to it

having multiple projects i care about, worrying about falling through on doing them well (performance x social anxiety...!) not doing something well enough / not knowing enough

missing out / squandering / wasting

lacking self awareness, inadvertently causing hurt/harm to someone without realizing it

feeling trapped, useless, futile, not getting something hoped for/expected; not being able to understand something

being disorganized, feeling inundated

forgetting things that are important

starting my day @ home, not feeling able to think sometimes

maybe? being disliked? unsure

feeling like i should be somewhere but feeling resistance to that obligation (not wanting to leave somewhere / not wanting to go somewhere)

wanting, not wanting; knowing what i want; not knowing what i want

[michaeltullberg]

My interview with Neon Owl about “The Raver Stories Project”. A good car listen, to be sure.

[curious-minx]

Notable 2020 Video Game Soundtracks That Can Be Enjoyed As Standalone Experiences

Video Game Music is gaining recognition, with many soundtracks receiving vinyl pressings, orchestral concert reviews, and an increasing presence on music streaming platforms such as bandcamp and Spotify. We’re also witnessing the uprise of indie video game development teams where games are being made by the sort of passionate type of game designer that takes soundtracks seriously.  Soundtracks by small teams of developers such as Celeste, Undertale, Disco Elysium, Hollow Knight, RuneScape, and Lisa: The Joyful are titles with soundtracks that easily stand up against the likes of bigger budget productions made by reliable sources of video game music like Square-Enix and Nintendo.

2020 is no exception in terms of having one of the biggest budget soundtracks around with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which builds upon a legacy of industry-standard-creating soundtrack work. Taken as a whole, Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s soundtrack is clocking in at over 8 and half hours of music. The soundtrack has three composers with the Beethoven of video game music, Nobuo Uematsu, most notably coming out of retirement to get the job done.  Here are some other amazing 2020 video game soundtracks more conducive for standalone background listening:

TETRIS EFFECT by HYDELIC 

Genres: EDM, Ambient Pop and straight up Ambient 

Describing this album makes me feel like I’m some sort of burnt out fanciful raver, head permanently lodged in the clouds. The level of giddy technicolor enthusiasm rivals that of Icelandic Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi, but if he wanted to keep his post-rock firmly planted in the outdoor music festival on Mars territory. Despite the album’s notable two hours runtime, each and every song feels like its own uniquely crafted composition, no repetitive motifs or nostalgia-baiting.

There is unfortunately still a Tetris movie in some sort of shaggy state of development in Hollywood right now. The movie is being billed as a dull biopic about the creator of the Tetris game. Whereas listening to Tetris Effect you imagine a Tetris movie directed by someone more fitting like the Wakowskis. Tetris Effect’s opening song “Connected (Yours Forever)” is a bonafide vocal pop song, like a more sugary CVRCHES-style cooing of the lyrics:

“I’m Yours Forever

There is No End in Sights For Us,

Nothing Can Measure the Kind of Strength Inside Our Hearts,

It’s all connected we’re all together in this life, don’t you forget it

We’re all connected in this”

Try your best not to imagine a cast of Hollywood’s most beautiful plucky orphan mutant misfit youths using the power of Tetris to heal a broken and dying planet!

Notable Track: Next Chapter

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HADES by DARREN KORB

Genres: Progressive Metal, Folktronica, Folk Metal, Dimotika, Greek Folk Music

Darren Korb has become one of the most notable video game composers of the past decade. Korb, an integral member of the Supergiant family, continues to outdo himself with each and every soundtrack. Bastion and Transistor originally found Korb creating a niche for himself with downtempo folk-infused electronic soundscapes and even some vocal pop with collaborator Ashley Barrett. Hades is an altogether different beast for Korb, who much like the developers of Hades, have found themselves at the height of their powers.

Korb also contributes vocals on this album, and I can say without hesitation that these are some of the nicest vocals I’ve ever heard from a video game music designer, because video game musicians are bonafide musicians.The album clocks in at two and half hours and separate from its game is still an absolute thrill ride.

Notable Track: In The Blood

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DEFECTIVE HOLIDAY by MECHATOK

 Genres: Ambient Trance, Balearic Beat, Progressive Electronic, Nature Recordings, Spoken Word, New Age

One glance at the album artwork is all it took for me to know that I must listen to this album. Defective Holiday is an indie walking simulator that is explicit about its intentions: a lightly interactive one hour experience. This soundtrack clocks in at only 31 minutes and it is purely the most conventional album in terms of length.

Last week in late November, Mechatok announced a collaboration with one of the leading zoomer Swedish cloud rap mavericks Bladee, the cofounder of the Drain Gang. Last month gives a pretty clear picture of what kind of circles Mechatok is floating in on. Highly online gonzo vaporwave maestro James Ferraro is another apparent influence on this soundtrack, especially regarding the way the sinister mundane dialogue is woven into the soundscape. There’s one particular track on the Defective Holiday OST, “Rescue Shot Buibo”, that is adorned with standard trap-style drum fills that give the album a shot of energy before wandering back off into the haze. This soundtrack and video game is all about the pure vibe and aesthetic nature that are currently trending in these extremely stressful times.  In a time where all of our holidays were defective from the very start, I think the casual walking simulator will remain a genre high in demand. I have a feeling we’re going to hear a lot more from this empathetic young German.

Notable Track: Valley

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Last of Us II by Gustavo Santaolalla, Mac Quayle (and Ashley Johnson)

Genres: Ambient, Cinematic Classical, Dark Ambient, Spanish Folk Music 

L

The Last Of Us is a horror game where the music itself is arguably playing a critical character role, which can only be expected billing two titans of audio visual soundtracks. Of course Academy Award winner Santaolalla knows his way around a soundtrack. Wielding a resume of astonishing versatility in various TV and film projects, he might have found his higher calling in not only video games but in the horror music canon. Last of Us is an extremely emotional series, and with the wrong soundtrack, the experience could become insufferably bleak. The occasional  splashes of color and light are what make this soundtrack so unsettling and eerie. Not since Silent Hill 2’s Akira Yamaoka has there been such an effective standalone horror video game soundtrack experience. No wonder Gustavo Santaolalla is one of the only video game composers integral enough to the game to warrant a cameo banjo-playing character model based off of him.

As if having one major composer from prestigious TV and movies wasn’t enough, Mac Quayle, composer of the whole Mr. Robot series, contrasts against Santaolalla’s acoustic contributions. The soundtrack itself is sequenced in a way that switches between the two composers. “The Cycle of Violence” composed by Quayle, a track that more than lives up to its name, is immediately followed by Santaolalla’s somber “Reclaimed Memories.” This dance between violence and heart is what the Last of Us excels at as a franchise, and that is why this soundtrack is an effective stand-alone experience.

The only disappointing part of the soundtrack is that Ashley Johnson, voice actor of Ellie’ three songs, is not included in the game’s official tracklist. Ellie’s “Take On Me” a-ha and “Future Days” Pearl Jam covers have made a little history by being the most powerful songs sung by a video game character. When Ellie sings and plays on her guitar they aren’t some little Easter egg idling moments to provide levity for this heavy revenge horror story. These songs are used to make some of the strongest character development choices made by a video game character seen in recent years. Ellie is joining a small club of singing video game characters alongside Parapa the Rapper and  maybe the cast of obscure Atlus title Rhapsody: Musical Adventure.

Notable Track: Unbroken

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Persona 5 Royal Straight Flush Edition by Shoji Meguro 

Genre: Acid Jazz, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal, Lounge, Jazz-Funk 

This is one of those soundtracks that, much like Nobuo Uematsu’s work in Final Fantasy, is really the heart and soul of the entire Persona franchise (and his work in the adjacent Shin Megami Tensei universe is equally as noteworthy). Persona 5 Royal finds Meguro making his most complete, funky, and otherworldly opus that sounds like no one else in the biz.

You will find many people online scouring message boards, subreddits, bandcamp features, and Yahoo Answers looking for more music like Persona 5. Outside of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, how many other games are packed to the brim with truly foxy songs!? Persona 5 could not predict how badly the title “Throw Away Your Mask” would age, despite the game being more than ahead of its time with the majority of NPCs wearing PPE. Be a good Joker, put on your mask and keep chasing Meguro’s acid jazz-infused dragon through many more semesters to come.

Notable Track: I Imagine

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Streets of Rage 4 by Olivier Deriviere & Various

Genres: Electro House, Nu Jazz, Synth Funk, Acid House 

Composer Olivier Deriviere is a living definition of a video game soundtrack journeyman. He has a career stretching back to the early 2000s working on notable big budget titles like the divisive 2008 Atari fifth Alone in the Dark installment and Remember Me, an unsung buried gem from the PS3/360 era Capcom title. Remember Me is where Deriviere’s electronic leanings started becoming especially prominent in his sound. On the Streets of Rage 4 soundtrack Deriviere has completely come into his own element, developing a whole new sense of campy playfulness.

Electronic French House music can be a divisive genre. For every Daft Punk commercial success there is a band that ruffles feathers like Justice. I sense a strong presence of late departed French House titan Philippe Zdar of Cassius as well. If you’d played this soundtrack for me out of context, I would have guessed an obscure voguing tape from the 80s or a really talented mysterious DJ set. Instead, this is a sequel to a classic beat em up franchise that left a portion of players disappointed by the game’s four hour playtime. The soundtrack is over an hour and fifty minutes long of high octane House music bliss. Much like the Tetris Effect soundtrack, it is truly impressive how much depth these tracks have when they could have easily been nostalgic recycled beats. Sometimes a game’s soundtrack can offer more post game enjoyment than an actual game.

Notable Track: Chill Or Don’t

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Hylics 2 by Chuck Salamone & Mason Lindroth 

Genres: Experimental Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Hypagogic Pop, Stoner Rock, Jazz-Rock

A soundtrack that comes closest to capturing the experience of hearing the Earthbound or Katamari Damacy soundtracks for the first time. The Hylic indie RPG series is a wonderful and strange beast that is ready to frolic and show its playful side. Hylics is a part of a recent uprising of indie games being developed on the RPG Maker software. 2020 year has left us all with variations of the same stressed out adjectives: Weird. Messed Up. Surreal.

Why not listen to an album from a game that is the perfect embodiment of that surreal mantra? Step away from your computer, draw a bath, and put this album on. Thank me later!

Notable  track: Xeno Arcadia

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Ultrakill: Infinite Hyperdeath (Act I Soundtrack) by Heaven Pierce Her aka game developer Arsi “Hakita” Patala 

Genres: Drum and Bass, Industrial Metal, Ambient, Progressive Metal, Acidcore 

Nothing says “modern indie game development” more than a game built completely from the ground up by one person. Ultrakill’s developer “Hakita” is one of those kindly folkloric DIY figures that make video games such an extensive art form. The game is a painstaking gloriously bloody ode to Dooms of yesteryear but with plenty of its own fine tuned style. The perfect soundtrack for when you’re painting your personal Hell a darker shade of gore, but also would really like to kick your ass into shape if you need an adrenaline boost to your Quarantine blues.

Notable Track: Panic Betrayer 

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Risk of Rain 2 by Chris Christodoulou

Genres: Progressive Rock, Space Rock, Space Ambient,  Post-Rock

Something about the country of Greece brings the best kind of futurism out of the country’s composers. Christodoulou’s Risk of Rain 2 soundtrack is no Bladerunner knock off. This soundtrack for the colorful sci-fi indie rougelike is punchier and less nocturnal than your typical synth-heavy sci-fi soundtrack. Risk of Rain is one of the more successful Kickstarter series around and has the best quality an indie game can have: it feels like a labor of love on all fronts. There’s no reason a rougelike like Rain of Ruin or Hades needs a soundtrack this good, but Christodoulou casts a spell with his electronic-driven prog rock that makes you want to keep respawning. A huge missed opportunity if Christodoulou does not get to soundtrack an earnest sci-fi action-adventure for even big screens. Oh! This soundtrack also features some spoken word segments from Werner Herzog; what more do you need to know?

Notable Track: The Rain Formerly Known As Purple

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Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus by Guillaume David

A big debut project from an up-and-coming composer Guillaume David. Prior to the making of this soundtrack, David was a video game voice actor who worked on a Resident Evil Devil May Cry crossover voicing the character of “Hunk.” Warhammer 40K might become a franchise that more people will care about solely based on the quality of this installment’s soundtrack. When you see the title Warhammer 40,000, what sort of sounds come to mind? If you guessed “Neo gothic cyber Gregorian chants that seamlessly melds the ancient and futuristic”, you would be correct. A turn-based action game could possibly fall into dull territory, but with a visual identity as strong as Warhammer 40K  melded with a suitable musical atmosphere, the action and world becomes irresistible. This soundtrack is a brisk 56 minutes and the other soundtrack on this list with a more conventional runtime. Not a second is wasted on this dynamic and fantastical soundtrack. Prior to hearing this soundtrack I had no intention of ever looking into playing a game based off of something as convoluted as Warhammer 40K, but now I very much want to know what these robot priests are about. That’s the magic of a quality soundtrack.

Notable track: Millenial Rage

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Honorable Mentions:

Happy Listening! 

[chaospanics]

⇢ JUNE PLAYLIST ⇠

this is soooo late and sooooooooo incomplete lol 🙈 i just had that kind of month where i only wanted to listen to familiar things and couldn’t muster the energy to actively hear new things... but there were a few!

Amusement Parks On Fire - An Archaea

Ten Years after the highly acclaimed super album “Road Eyes” the British (Nottingham) art-rock troupers Amusement Parks On Fire are back with their glorious new full-length An Archaea...They are expanding the limits of our beloved UK alternative rock, only that while having studied the past decades’ victories won by Albion’s older and successful artists, APOF now won’t hesitate to present how to blend it all with the new core matter of shoegaze, noise rock, dream rock of course, and with open disposal for experimentation they offer an album of 10 new songs, literally 10 superb new adventures. (White Light // White Heat)

The City Gates - Age Of Resilience

Montreal post-punk/shoegaze outfit The City Gates returns with a long-awaited forthcoming LP, entitled Age of Resilience. Drawing influences from 80’s and 90’s alternative, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Chameleons, The Sisters of Mercy, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Love and Rockets, Killing Joke, T21, Asylum Party, and Bauhaus, the band has gained acclaim for their vibrant live performances and searing guitar. Age of Resilience offers an opus of eleven charismatic tracks of richly emotional melancholic soundscape, heaping on reverb, fuzz, and delay... Age of Resilience references the lyrics of the band’s own single Cape of Good Hope, as well as historian Eric Hobsbawm’s trilogy The Age of Revolution (1962), The Age of Empire (1987), and The Age of Extremes (1994). (Post-Punk)

Pan Daijing - Jade

Jade comes from a vulnerable place, tender as in an undressed wound caught in the midst of healing over. Vocals, mostly Daijing’s own, arrive as wordless sequences of notes soaring alongside a drone, or plain laughter, or in a few places spoken word. What is said or sung provides fragments of experience and reflection. In the process of piecing together these fragments, the listener is confronted with the tender parts of her own. “Solitude is like an immense lake you’re swimming through,” says Daijing of these songs. “Sometimes you dip your head in and sometimes you lift it above. On album centerpiece “Let,” she speaks to us over the sound of rippling water, returning between anxious scenes to a refrain: “I take my bath in the ocean.” We are not just consuming Daijing’s story; we are being invited to join her in the water.

Rostam - Changephobia

Changephobia is the second full-length solo record from Grammy Award- winning songwriter, producer, and composer Rostam Batmanglij. An adventurous new direction for Rostam, the songs collected on Changephobia are deeply personal, yet universal for anyone who has ever experienced doubt.

Pre-June releases:

Jane Inc. - Number One

Who is Jane Inc? She is CEO and pencil pusher; she is a blank, unknowable Jane Doe, and she is the singular solo project of Carlyn Bezic. Also known as one half of weird pop duo Ice Cream, one fifth of rock and roll fever dream Darlene Shrugg, and touring member of US Girls band, Bezic has been building a body of work on merging a pop sensibility with off kilter influences. Jane Inc's debut album, Number One... is an exciting progression of that body of work: a meditation on the self that marries pop songwriting with swirling sonic experiments.

Lost Girls - Menneskekollektivet

Lost Girls leave both form and content, music and words, suspended in a piece in the puzzle of human performance. A human performance that resembles a rave party, but after the party’s over and the music has been switched off. What is left is a collective inner monologue: The ravers have forgotten that the night can end, and as the sun rises, they slowly turn to stone, or melt down to water, or they are in the middle of some other metamorphosis that is more than just coming down.

Asian Glow - Cull Ficle

Asian Glow is an anonymous emo/noise-pop bedroom project from Seoul... Cull Ficle is a bittersweet electric mopey bolt of joy, packed with jagged waves of fuzz, coursing melodies that bleed into one another like half-regretted daydreamed days on an old calendar, and an attitude to both rhythm and dynamics that is just as likely to rush the album three paces forward as it is to plonk its feet up at any given moment. By the sum of its parts and the thrusting pathos of its tone, it’s an emo record through and through, but there’s so much fission behind its hotblooded shifts of intensity that it bypasses the ennui and overbearing earnestness commonly associated with its Midwestern US correlates. Many an emo record has been built around inviting its audience to share the weight of its baggage; Asian Glow spare us the bother, throwing theirs skyward with a delicious abandon. (Sputnik Music)

Stomp Talk Modstone - Linger In Someone's Memory With A Lurid Glow

Stomp Talk Modstone debuts on Gezellig Records' roster with a powerful, two-part album. Twenty tracks capture the band's own evolution into the shoegaze sound, evoking the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Medicine, and Slowdive. Throughout the last year, Stomp Talk Modstone found themselves on a variety of DKFM’s playlists. White Light // White Heat calls the band’s music “dreamlike, reflective yet energetic lit by bright shimmering guitar melodies, bleeding into deep throbbing bassline pulse.” Cloudberry Records Blog agreed, saying that Stomp Talk Modstone makes “beautiful pop music with swirling guitars and dreamy and moody melodies.”

[jam-is-my-food]

writing asks. all of them. ( for 50 uhh just write a paragraph about how hot emmy raver-lampman is in a suit please and thank you </3 )

fUCK YOU NESSIE

THAT’S IT IM DOING IT JUST TO SPITE YOU

this is gonna be long asf click keep reading at risk of death or boredom

1.     Do you listen to music when you write?

not usually, it's distracting

 2.     Are you a pantser or plotter?

naturally pantser but if i wanna actually finish smth i gotta plot it hh

 3.     Computer or pen and paper?

computer i'm not a boOmer /j i so am

 4.     Have you ever been published, or do you want to be published?

bitch i wiSh

actually technically i was published in this anthology thing once? and i think i have a piece in a magazine somewhere on the internet i forget those are cool

but yeah bye getting a novel published is my d r e a m (gotta write a novel first tho lawl)

 5.     How much writing do you get done on an average day?

n o t  m u c h

unless i get one of my bUrsts aka finishing a 2.3K almoons chapter before 8am the other week after procrastinating it for like two months 

but yeah jdsghliuedskj it um depends often none

 6.     Single or multiple POV?

i answered that for kiri so i'll just copy paste it over loll

mmm it depends. usually i do single? but i do do multiple occasionally. i almost never do alternating chapters, though, it’s usually more like part one is narrated by person a, part two person b etc.

 7.     Standalone or series?

baha like i could ever write a series (please, please be jinxing yourself rn refster) aside from that one trilogy when i was 7 but uh yeah atm just standalones but a series would be so cool in future 

 8.     Oldest WIP

the aforementioned trilogy. chronicles of clara. it is incREDIBLE. 10/10. so good. so, so good.

 9.     Current WIP

i haven't actually mentioned it on tumblr yet but hehehe it's called the wordweaver's apprentice it's fantasy and i'm v excited about it :DD that was ooc but :DD

 10.  Do you set yourself deadlines?

(also answered for kiri, copy-pasting over)

hahahahhahahuhdkjashdglauhsdaugediuskjlkehdsgihkdskhgdkjx

i? try?

it does not go well?

but then i never finish my projects?

send help pls im dying

11.  Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

lmao the list is too long

 12.  Describe your perfect writing space

somewhere w/o distractions

 13.  Describe your writing process from idea to polished

hm. idea. that's cool. that's cool. write it down. hype myself up. forget about it within a week.

el em mayo

but like

f r LMAO

okay but fr fr idk i don't usually finish stuff but it'd be idea, brainstorm, plot (sort of), write, agonize, write, finish, throw in the other direction and never touch again bc revision whos she

 14.  How do you deal with self-doubts?

cry and spam my friends

 15.  How do you deal with writer’s block?

i don’t - mm. i don’t tend to get writer’s block? or like - idk what to classify as writer’s block? bc sometimes i get blocked for a certain story, but then i get really into like poetry or sum for a week so it’s fine idk

 16.  How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied with a project?

o n e as i said i don't - revision is a no

 17.  What writing habits or rituals do you have?

uHhHhhhhh idk???

 18.  If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about?

*laughs in gfc*

 19.  How do you keep yourself motivated?

i don't. if you have any ideas please hmu i need it.

 20.  How many WIPs and story ideas do you have?

m a n y.

21.  Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write?

mmmmmmmmm i love cass i haven't written her in too long but i think she's probably my most well-done character to date and i'm so proud of her badkghewiludkjs

 22.  Who is/are your favourite pairing(s) to write?

c y i l l

though possible imeini (ship name needs revision) in future we shall see (from twa) (the aforementioned newish wip)

 23.  Favourite author

there are Many

 24.  Favourite genre to write and read

fantasy maybe? ooh dystopia is fun

 25.  Favourite part of writing

everything about it when i'm motivated hh, my problem is getting more motivation

 26.  Favourite writing program

oh idk huh?

27.  Favourite line/scene

idk?

 28.  Favourite side character

j o o s t

 29.  Favourite villain

i def have one but i forget

 30.  Favourite idea you haven’t started on yet

too many

31.  Least favourite part of writing

motivating myself :/

 32.  Most difficult character to write

mmmm i'm not really in the throes of a wip atm so idk

 33.  Have you ever killed a main character?

yessir

 34.  What was the hardest scene you ever had to write?

drunk will was surprisingly difficult in a fun way. def not the hardest but yeah

 35.  What scene/story are you least looking forward to writing?

god idk

36.  Last sentence you wrote

And then Mei was gone, and in the space that she'd filled, Imani whispered, "I wish I was like you."

 37.  First sentence or your current WIP

It is said that when we came to this stretch of Tatys land, it was empty.

38.  Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had

mm there was one about anthropomorphic chickens battling sentient fruits, the fruits in question also being six-year olds

 39.  Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had

s e e  a b o v e

 40.  Share some backstory for one of your characters

cass's mom used to have a drug problem & she would leave her alone for long stretches of time, she went to rehab and is now sober but it's where cass gets her abandonment issues from

41.  Any advice for new/beginning/young writers?

just write! no one taught me how to do anything, and there's no rules per se, aside from basic grammatical stuff. do what you wanna do, don't worry about others' reactions. this is cliche asf but true.

 42.  How do you feel about love triangles?

mostly gross, but they can be good.

 43.  What do you do if/when characters don’t follow the outline?

adapt. i  g o  w i t h  t h e  f l o w.

 44.  How much research do you do?

not much usually, depends on the genre of story. i do as much as i feel i need to. and ofc i have the random writer search history.

 45.  How much world building do you do?

in the past, not much. twa (once again my new wip) is fantasy, though, so i' m attempting to remedy that.

 46.  Do you reread your own stories?

i do! it's fun to look back at them after a few years and see how much i've improved.

 47.  Best way to procrastinate

random character headcanons/doodle writey spurt thingies

 48.  What’s the most self-insert character/scene you’ve ever written?

bAHA this one scene in the cHrOniCLeS of cLaRa book two when this girl lisa who was 100% self-insert got annoyed at her little sister daisy (sister-insert) for chewing too loudly and then proceeded to use her wAtEr pOwErs to like flood the house. that part was less self-insert.

 49.  Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real?

bye that's so hard. c a d m u s & l a u r e n t tho cinnamon rolls are liFE.

 50.  Write a paragraph about how hot emmy raver-lampman is in a suit please and thank you

i don't gotta write my own bitch i have everything i need to plagiarize from right here

"Raver-Lampman’s enthusiasm is contagious. So is her laugh. It comes from deep inside, just like her voice, and it rings out — ricocheting off furniture and walls. Her head is shaved, all except for a distinctive swath of tight curls on the top and left side of her head. She has the tiniest septum ring in her nose, and a tattoo of what looks like a musical note behind her right ear."

- the clearly gay jessica belt

thank you for the ASKS darLING and thank you if you read this idk why or whether you're okay but yup

[jazy3]

Grey’s Anatomy Season 17 Predictions - Part 1

This past week we got some exciting Grey’s Anatomy news! On August 26th a fan tweeted to Ellen Pompeo about how much she needed Grey’s back in her life and Ellen replied that they are almost readying to start shooting again so it looks like the show will be back in production very soon. In honour of that I thought I’d share some of my predictions for the upcoming season with all of you lovely people! 

So we know that based on the recent casting and contract announcements that Meredith, Jo, Maggie, Teddy, Owen, Hayes, and Winston will be back for Season 17 as main characters and will be with us for the foreseeable future. There’s been no news yet as to the fate of the other main characters which means it’s time to get into the predictions! 

It was revealed in April that the original Season 16 finale was supposed to feature an explosion that would have likely claimed the life of a major character. Killing or writing off a character, especially in the season finale, is a decision that takes time and planning which is why such decisions are typically made long in advance. In the cast of Grey’s decisions around writing off a character are usually made at the beginning of the season or at the mid-season point. 

This means that if this information is true the showrunners will have already discussed the write off with the actor or actors in question and that the decision has already been made. While the showrunners have said publicly that the explosion storyline has been scrapped as the element of surprise has been lost it stands to reason that the planned departure of a main cast member will likely go ahead as they will have already had the conversation with the actor and the main cast just increased by two. 

Which means it’s more than likely the case that they will choose to write some characters off in order to make room for the new ones as they’ve done in the past. The announcements about Richard Flood and Anthony Hill being promoted to main cast members and Kevin McKidd, Kim Raver, and Camilla Luddington all signing new multi-year contracts narrows down the list for who they could possibly write off this season. My money is that it’s going to be DeLuca, Jackson, or possibly Tom and here’s why. 

Meredith is the star of the show so we know she’s not going anywhere. It’s been announced that the actors playing Jo, Teddy, Owen, Hayes, and Winston have all signed new contracts so we know it’s not any of them. Winston has very clearly been set up as Maggie’s new love interest and that story can’t take place without her so we know it's not her. 

I don't think it's Richard because if they wanted to write him off they could have had him succumb to his illness last season or left him without a diagnosis. Instead, at last we saw him he had received a diagnosis, had surgery, and was on the mend. To kill him off now would be very anti-climactic and pointless not to mention the fact that he’s a beloved original character whose been on the show since Season 1.

I don’t think it’s Bailey either because she and Ben just adopted Joey and it would be odd for them to do a storyline like that just to kill her off shortly thereafter. Doing so would also make Ben a single parent and remove his main point of connection to Grey’s. On top of that Bailey, like Richard, is a beloved main character whose also been with us since Season 1. 

I don't think it’s Amelia because she and Link just had a baby and there’s a lot of story to tell there. Amelia has tons of material as a sane, stable new mom and it wouldn’t make sense for them to do all of that set up just to kill her off so soon afterwards. Also, she’s Derek sister and through that relationship she and Meredith provide a direct line to a deeply missed original character which has given rise to a lot of storylines since his death. 

On August 7th information was released that Caterina Scorsone, the actress who plays Amelia, would be taking part in an online DC FanDome event talking about the new Batman movie and other DC Comics projects. As there has been no official announcement about her contract renewal this has led some fans to speculate that she might be leaving Grey’s. 

I think it would be a shame to see Amelia go as I’ve really come to like her as a character from Season 14 onwards, but the fact that she might be taking on another project doesn’t necessarily mean she’s leaving. Jesse Williams, who plays Jackson, was in multiple other projects and was supposed to be on Broadway in seasons 15 and 16 and they worked around that.

She might just pop in and out for a while as she’s filming other stuff. Also, if this is for a DC film I highly doubt they’re going to start filming right away as most films have been put on hold for the time being due to COVID. So, at best she might be gone for a few episodes or pop in and out and at worst it might affect her availability in the second half of the season and they’ll have to work around it or write her off at a later point.

I also think it’s worth noting that while there hasn’t been any news about Caterina extending her contract, we also haven’t seen any news about the actors who play Link, Bailey, Richard, Jackson, or Tom renewing their contracts either. So just because there hasn’t been an official announcement that doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s leaving. 

On that note, I don’t think they are going to write off Link either as he and Amelia just had a baby and he is a relatively new character who was upgraded to a main cast member at the start of season 16. It wouldn't make sense for the show to spend all that money and time just to kill him off so soon afterwards. He also heads up a very prominent department which means if they killed him off they’d have to find a replacement pretty quickly which just doesn't make financial sense.  

I don’t think it’s Levi because he was also upgraded to a main cast member at the start of Season 16 and he hasn’t been on the show that long which means his death wouldn’t be very impactful or serve any real purpose. He’s also roommates with Jo and the writers are clearly having fun exploring that as there’s a lot of great humour in their banter and it provides an avenue for Jo to talk about her feelings and have storylines of her own now that Alex is gone and Link is co-parenting with Amelia. 

Now it’s possible, but unlikely that it could be Tom who gets written off based on how they choose to go with the Teddy - Owen - Tom love triangle. On the one hand having Teddy make a decision to choose one man or the other and then having Tom die unexpectedly would make for an interesting storyline and would certainly complicate matters depending on who Teddy picked prior to his untimely death. 

On the other hand, Tom is a relatively new character who was upgraded to a main cast member at the start of Season 16. Hiring the actor on and investing a bunch of money and time into the character only to kill him off a short time later doesn’t really make any financial sense and would be an incredible waste of an investment. Especially when he’s super interesting to watch and has been a hit with fans who both love and hate him so I kind of doubt it. 

It’s more plausible that they will choose to kill off a character, or characters as the case may be, who have been on the show for more than a few seasons and whose arcs have simply run their course and whose death could be made out to be impactful or shocking in some way. This leaves us with two possibilities: DeLuca and Jackson. 

Part 2: https://bit.ly/3lwOpYp

[whatsonmedia]

Thursday Thrill: UK's Hottest Halloween Events Await!

Hauntingly Hot Events: UK's Most Spooktacular Halloween Experiences Await! Get ready to paint the town eerie with thrilling dance floors, spine-tingling spookfests, and family-friendly fiestas. Join the fun at these hair-raising events across the UK! Cream Halloween Special 28 Oct The spirit of Cream returns to Liverpool for a Halloween like no other.  This time hosting this ghoulish celebration at a brand-new event in the city’s Grand Central Hall, with one dam fine massive dance music which is sure to entice a crowd to show out for their best dance off. Tonight is going to be a very special night right in the heart of this iconic city which Cream calls it home. Featuring a wealth of DJs bringing their A-Game sets Sam Divine, Low Steppa, GW Harrison, Amelia Preston, and Lucia Cors. Having recently gone through a multi-million-pound refurbishment The Grand Central venue is a big impressive venue theatre-type vibe setting making it one of the hottest clubbing spaces in Liverpool to host Creams Halloween Special Let’s not forget the impressive sound and lighting set up. Tonight, dance music lovers of the Cream brand no there in for the best night out, expect a packed-out dance floor with beating heart of clubbers from all over the UK. Tickets and more info www.cream.co.uk/halloween A Weird & Wonderful Halloween 2023 28 Oct Birmingham is gonna get its best scarecrow on this weekend hosting at one of Midlands newest and biggest venues that the city has to offer.  XOYO is bringing in the begun promoters, Weird Science, Hospitality & Jungle Cakes for a guaranteed sell-out up for it crowd.  Fancy dress is optional but be prepared to get hot and sweaty on a packed-out dancefloor across 3 rooms.  This is where your Halloween weekend begins with a fierce DJ Royalty line-up that’s off the dance floor stratosphere which includes P Money, Ed Solo, Roni Size, Metrik, Benny Page, Dj Marky, Whiney, Dynamite Mc, Navigator, Mampi Swift, David Boomah, Mc Busta, Frenetic, Lfm, P Money & Whiney Tickets and more info www.xoyobirmingham.co.uk Halloween WHP 28 Oct A disused railway depot abandoned since 1960, is being transformed into a one-of-a-kind multi-facetted venue, marking a huge milestone for the city’s culture scene and simultaneously creating a cavernous new setting for The Warehouse Project to call home located directly facing Picadilly Train Station.  Since its inception the WHP has been hosting some of the UKs biggest sell out party featuring line-ups of globetrotting DJs that are the who’s who from the dance music industry.  This weekend is going to be another sell out event as the UK celebrates one of its spookest weekends of the year.  Getting dressed up in the best halloween attire for one hella of a spooktacular nine-hour danceathon which features dance music royalty. Annie Mac, Denis Sulta, Skream, Hannah Laing, Sarah Story, CC: DISCO!, Junior Simba, Meg Ward, Jordan Villa, Chaos In The CBD, Dan Shake, Dusky, Mark Blair Effy, Storm Mollison, Joe Motion, Jimmy Turnbull Tickets and more info www.thewarehouseproject.com WestFest Halloween Home of Rave 28 Oct One of the biggest Halloween indoor raves is taking place at The Bath and West Showground this weekend. West Fest is all about its 5000 ravers making sure this event fills all the expectations. Now the event is starting in the day making this a marathon dance music party to be at for the ravers who love an all dayer-nighter. Ravers’ festival seasons isn’t over yet!   With 5 massive arenas including the legendary Main Arena, One Nation Drum & Bass, Hardcore Heaven with the best in Hardcore & Hardstyle, Rumble in the Jungle and Funkagenda hosting the VIP. For those that like to level it up VIP's are getting treated to exclusive access to the Main Arena balcony and all the usual thrills priority entry and the usual VIP area with toilets and of course, the fire pit.   WestFest is one of the biggest northern raves taking place over the Halloween weekend bringing one of the biggest line-up of DJs incluidng Skepsis, Hedex, Bou, Eksman, Flava D, TURNO, SASASAS, Inja, Pola & Bryson, Kings of the Rollers, Gardna, TNA, DREPS, MHITR, Blive24, Logan D, Sub Zero, Majistrate, Nicky Blackmarket, DJ Hazard, Original Sin, Harry Shotta, BassLayerz, Andy Whitby, Kutski, Hixxy, Joey Riot, MC Whizzkid plus many more Tickets and more info www.westfest.co.uk     Alton Towers Scarefest 27 - 31 Oct If you’re up for something different this Halloween weekend, Alton Towers in Staffordshire hosts its annual Scarefest. It’s something for all the family.  Go for one day or book into the resort for a weekend away. It’s a full-on Halloween experience which is not to be missed for lovers of this spooky time of year. As the nights get longer, Scarefest beckons. On October’s spookiest dates, tiptoe into Alton Towers Resort for all sorts of creepy scares and shocks as its award-winning Scarefest returns for 2023 with live entertainment for all ages and our award-winning spooktacular scare experiences for the bravest of souls.  Open until 9pm each day daring guests can face our head-spinning, hair-raising rides and attractions in darkness including Wicker Man and The Smiler! Dare you take on our world-class thrill rides in the dark? Will you hurtle towards a six-stored high Wicker Man effigy as it spectacularly bursts into flames? Maybe fly through the night sky on Galactica; or dive into Oblivion in the pitch black! Master the theme park at night, on over 40 rides and attractions this Scarefest season! Tickets and more info www.altontowers.com Read the full article

[joemuggs]

Pirate Material: Still Original

Saw some discussion of The Streets’s early work, and went to see if this article was still online - it’s not because the Vice brand partnership vertical (I’m sorry) that it was originally written for is gone. So here you go again!

I don't hold with the insidious theory that making brilliant art is a young man's game – or, in the words of Sickboy in Trainspotting, that “you have it, then you lose it”. It's a trope that's been with us since the beginning of rock'n'roll, dammit since the romantic poets, that idea that inspiration is intrinsically tied up with the energy of youth, that great works come like a bolt from the blue and artists are best off dying young1 rather than chasing round in ever-decreasing circles trying to relight your creative fire the rest of your sorry life. But it's clearly rubbish, a denial of craft and labour, put about by fantasists and advertisers and used as justification by those with a vested interest in keeping us emotionally immature and by the worst kind of poseurs for their ghastly Peter Pan antics.

Every so often, though, something I see or hear will make me think again – will make me have a flickering moment of belief in the essential white light of youthful creativity. And 'Original Pirate Material' is one of those things. I mean, have you heard it recently? Really heard it? Played it loud from the beginning, given it your full attention, let that utterly insane opening salvo of 'Turn the Page', 'Has it Come to This' and 'Let's Push Things Forward' work their magic on you? It's arm-hair raising stuff, it really is. The false hierarchies and dreary consensus of best-ever lists is another of those things I don't hold with, but yeah this really, really deserved to be on all those best-of-the-2000s lists, and I will gladly fight its corner against the Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee, Radiohead, Outkast, whatever you care to bring in fact.

Like almost all the best music, I didn't really get it at first. It was tinny-sounding and clattery, where I was used to dance music's oomph; I couldn't work out what Skinner's roaming accent was getting at as he slipped and slid across the rhythms, in and out of ordinary conversational cadence, lurching from sublime to ridiculous within single phrases. It was intriguing right enough, but it was impossible to shake the idea that it was all a bit contrived, an indie-weakened version of soundsystem/MC culture, or even more naggingly the idea that it was a wind-up, that this music was taking the piss out of all of us. Lines nicked from 'Gladiator' and talk about his Reeboks? Be serious. And then I had the epiphany.

The scene couldn't have been set better, really. I was out in Amsterdam for eight days on my first ever magazine feature assignment – to cover a conference on Amazon shamanic practice AND a High Times convention. I'd been hanging out with psychonauts, ravers, witch doctors2 and Dutch farmers, and experienced the best that ancient cultures and modern science had to offer; I was in a terrific mood as I was finally doing the job I'd always wanted to, and had been able to utter the immortal phrase “can I claim my ritual on expenses3, please?” on the phone to the Face magazine office. So when someone mentioned “that new band The Streets are playing the Melkweg” I was pretty much up for it.

The DJ beforehand, a Dutchman called Big Head, was playing what was generally known as “breakstep”, a kind of funky uncle to dubstep, and I liked it so much I bought his mix CD4. The Streets were very late coming on, but the crowd were raving and so was I, so who cared? When they did crash onto the stage, though, Skinner immediately and repeatedly asking the crowd if anyone had any cocaine, it was a glorious disruption of the groove, their sound spiky and awkward, and from the beginning I loved it. I don't remember a lot about the band except there was an ex-member of the Senseless Things5 on bass, and that Skinner and his co-vocalist spent a lot of the set pushing, shoving and trying to trip one another up.

And that's when it clicked into place: yes, this was a piss-take, but it was a deadly serious piss-take. This child-like 24-year-old was not just meandering between voices, themes and levels of seriousness, he was embodying every single one of them. He was a shaman too6. What was chaos and what was control became impossible to discern7. The only time I could remember seeing elemental clowning like this before on a stage was the Happy Mondays back in 1990, but I also recognised the spirit of so many loony rave urchins I'd been bamboozled and bantered at and had lighters stolen by over the years8, the never-ending babble of these Shakespearean monkeys, possessed by the endless power of the English language to spin out shaggy dog stories, to make jokes of the most serious matters and suddenly turn jokes deathly serious. The films that were projected as back stories to each of the tracks matched the quotidian urban subject matter of those songs – but they, like the lyrics and the music, revealed something so much more primal beneath. And still you could dance, laugh, drink and carouse to it.

Which is why, when I listen to 'Original Pirate Material' now, I don't hear “bloke poetry” or grittiness or mundanity or social realism any of those other things that are inevitably reeled out. I hear constant windows in to the most profound and abstracted of human instincts and experiences: vertigo, jealousy, transition, glory, loss, innocence and so much more. Just listen to the sudden swerves from domestic detail to dizzying generality in 'It's Too Late' or the affirmation and melancholy in 'Weak Become Heroes': these are about so, so much more than losing a girl or doing a pill9. They're about being human. Only years later did I start realising that Skinner was writing in a great English language tradition going a millennium back to Beowulf and taking in Sterne, Carroll, Lear, Pound, Spike Milligan, Ivor Cutler, Mark E Smith and Roots Manuva10, gibbering gobshites and bullshit artists, holy fools who could skip wildly into parts of our psyches where angels fear to tread.

He could never top this, could he? None of this is to dismiss Skinner's later work – he has on occasion made some glorious music and told some great tales since, and especially on 'Computers and Blues' when he turned full circle back to some of his early themes and freeform lyricism he showed he was tapped into the same wellspring – but 'Original Pirate Material' had it all. Everything afterwards, whether it's his narratives of modern life and celebrity, or his more philosophical turns, couldn't help but be self-conscious, trying to impose more structure onto what he had already expressed so perfectly in its rants, sketches, jokes and asides. This isn't about drugs, it's not about  “authenticity”11, and it's not really about youth as such – others have tapped into this very British, very mongrel method of accessing the ways of the human mind from very different places and perspectives – but for Skinner it was all tied into a particular openness to everything that comes with being a hungry young man with his eyes (very) wide open.

--

1 See the infamous “27 Club”, much discussed when Amy Winehouse carked it, and so called because it's the number of times anyone who takes it seriously deserves to have their face walloped with a cricket bat.

2 To be precise, a shaman from the Shuar tribe of Ecuador who played the Jew's harp.

3 Yes, bloggers, these were the days when journalists got paid expenses. They were decadent times, the early 00s.

4 In fact it is sitting on my desk right now, and it still sounds good.

5 You think nonsense genre names like “Post Dubstep” or indeed “Breakstep” are silly? Back in the 90s, The Senseless things were lumped, along with Mega City 4 and Silverfish into a genre called Fraggle Rock. Seriously.

6 No Jew's harp though, just a microphone.

7 You want to know how giddy with the brilliance of it all I was feeling at that moment? My brain flashed up the image of Stockard Channing going “chaos... control... chaos... control... you like?” to Will Smith as Donald Sutherland spun a double-sided Kandinsky in 'Six Degress of Separation'. And what? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjwiachXkjc

8 One routine about fake vs real Nike caps that managed to weave in and out of between-song patter for almost the entire set was such archetypal rave bollocks that you'd swear you'd heard it before from someone who was about to do you out of a tenner at some party on a hillside.

9 They're about those things too, though.

10 Peter Ackroyd's 'Albion: the Origins of the English Imagination' is the book you need on this topic, although admittedly he doesn't get right the way through to Roots Manuva.

11 There's no such thing.

[michaeltullberg]

*W*O*W*!! WOW! It's the awesome Hollywood talk show hostess Carrie Keagan supporting THE RAVER STORIES PROJECT!! Man, it’s great when celebrities like your work! Get your copy on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2fMwtvf  😍