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landlordrecords · 25 days ago

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FILMS/TV/PLAYS, April 2025 onwards...

I usually wait til I've watched another 100, but I reached a break in proceedings...

1) Merry Wives of Windsor (Unengaged-with Shakespeare Odyssey launches properly, with some amateur version on YouTube...The comedies are kinda tedious, with the endless disguise plots, although this one has Falstaff in it, who I can now finally talk about knowledgeably!)

2) Measure For Measure (more amateur hour...OK?!)...break for...

3) Diary of A Country Priest (actually ordered this for a few quid, which is unheard-of in recent times. Dead good)

4) Comedy of Errors (Trevor Nunn virtually pantomime version)

5) Love's Labour Lost (70s BBC version... alright)

6) Merchant of Venice (Al Pacino version...I actually turned this off towards the end when it got REALLY anti-Semitic...apart from that, obvs the best production thus far in this sweep)

7) As You Like It (Olivier version...quite appreciated the precise diction by this point)

8) Taming of the Shrew (Pickford version...Bit mauled I think for collapsing the plot & lots of mugging, but enjoyable for that!)

9) All's Well That Ends Well (ploddy amateur version)

10) Twelfth Night (Erm...Tommy Steele version!)

11) The Winter's Tale (RSC version - this was kinda OK, although as noted elsewhere, it pivots somewhat abruptly between dark & light)

12) King John (amateur, not bad)

13) Richard II (David Tennant version - by far the best by this point)

14) Henry IV Pt I (1990 version - there's several from that series in that year, & they're quite well done)

15) Henry IV Pt II (as above)

16) Henry V (Branagh version, easily trumps the Tennant one & hence easily the best thus far. Genuinely well worth a watch)

17) Hubert Robert: A Fortunate Life (quite good, evocative short about an old painter, which I watched on the Russian Ark DVD I borrowed off someone...didn't watch the latter in the end, but this was good)

18) Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers (another I ordered, by the Adrift In Tokyo guy - this one is more determinedly silly, & I liked it very much, great colour scheme as well)

19) The Philadelphia Story (wasn't OVER- struck on this, but the young girl in it [who sadly died youngish] is a real firecracker, would love to see more of hers)

20) The Search For Weng Weng (doc on the diminutive Filipino action star)

21) Christine (Alan Clarke half hour thing I had been wanting to see for ages. Didn't love it as much as Elephant, or some of the longer ones from around the same time, but bloody good nevertheless)

22) Polyester (very good)

23) 4 Days In July commentary (cos that's the only version I could find, & I'm not desperate to see it without the commentary - good stuff)

24) Robinson In Ruins (finally completed the literary shamble)

25) Hard Truths (very good new Mike Leigh)

26) Desperate Living (proper good early John Waters)

27) Mondo Trasho (suffered through the bird scene to be able to say that John Waters is the FOURTH director I've completed on)

28) Various Svankmajer shorts

29) Hard Labour (pretty good early Mike Leigh TV play, once it gets going)

30) Kiss of Death (more early TV Leigh, & later the commentary)

31) Five Minutes Films (wish they had followed through on doing more of these nice little Mike Leigh things)

32) A Sense of History (quite different Mike Leigh thing, cos he didn't write it. Pretty funny)

33) Permissive Society (more early Leigh...as the comedian said, I don't think it exists - and I know, cos I've looked)

34) A Mug's Game? (Very early Leigh bit, notable for suggesting to children that you break your gambling habit by...making homebrew)

35) A Running Jump (more recent Leigh bit)

36) I, Daniel Blake (particularly notable for, as noted elsewhere, the very moving food bank scene)

37) A documentary on Hasil Adkins

38) An American In Paris (from a musicals box set from a book swap...OK)

39) Inside Deep Throat (doc I had had kicking around for years about the porno... pretty interesting)

40) Who's Who (Shelled out for the Mike Leigh Beeb box set, featuring a bunch of those I had just watched from above, plus pretty much the last Leighs I hadn't yet seen. This one ain't my fave, but...I've seen it now)

41) Home Sweet Home (The Mike Leigh for you if you always wanted to see Bob Cryer from The Bill getting jiggy)

42) Nuts In May commentary

43) Grown Ups commentary (one of my faves)

44) Starship Troopers (finally had enough recommendations to persevere with it...good for what it is)

45) Oldboy (OG - had stalled on this while I ummed and ahhed about Sympathy For Mr Vengeance, but I just skipped that in the end. Dead good)

46) Harvey (I was labouring under a big misapprehension about this, which I won't go into but which I felt I was led into by the advertising materials. Pretty darn good in the end)

47) Mad Max 2 &

48) Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (both of these to reach Fury Road, which I then decided I wasn't going to watch after about 2 minutes of a cut a second. Both perfectly enjoyable, but the original will remain by far my favourite)

49) A Scorsese doc about Powell & Pressburger

50) The Champion (decent shortish Chaplin)

51) The Kid (well-known heart strings- tugging full-length Chaplin. Still not sure I can be bothered with some of the other, much vaunted, ones, but this is well worth a watch)

52) Buster Keaton doc

53) Hitchcock (Alfred thingum...got a bit mauled, but I thought it did the job)

54) Safe (not perhaps something I would be drawn to subject-wise, but the director/star/advertising imagery drew me in. I believe this was beloved in the States at the time. I had never heard of it but thought it was excellent, including the acting, cinematography, music, sound design, etc. Highly recommended)

55) Some documentary stuff on the London Underground, from a box set of my Dad's

56) Paradise (TV series, with the missus - sci fi, but not ray guns. Pretty decent)

57) Murder Among the Mormons (rewatch, cos I was reading about Mormonism & had forgotten much of this, for which my jaw dropped the first time. Still a great watch)

58) Keep Sweet (continuing the niche religion theme)

59) Henry VI Pt I (another of the 1990 series. Delayed a long time cos of the dreadful sound on the YouTube copy, which has pretty much paused the Shakespeare Odyssey)

60) This Filthy World (I probably prefer John Waters just talking rather than trying, but still great fun)

61) Susana (rare trip to Fopp to gather up a coupla mid-price goodies - absolutely loved this Bunuel tale of a gleefully immoral strumpet)

62) Love On the Spectrum (new series - sorry, not sorry)

63) You Can't Ask That (Australian series, one of those things where minority groups answer dumb questions about their conditions/preferences/experiences etc)

64) Fred West & Robert Napper dox (I don't think I usually mention this sort of seediness...or maybe I haven't watched many for a while...The West Netflix one had some footage of him being taken back to the burial sites which I think has only now been released, & Napper there probably isn't enough on considering how immensely disturbed he clearly was/is)

65) The Real Animal Farm (I remember reading a great piece in Headpress decades ago about how everyone in the 80s/90s [including me] had heard of, & some people had had the misfortune to see, a beastiality porno called Animal Farm, & what was the story behind it, & why couldn't it be identified [spoiler alert: because it was cut together from various shorts]. I didn't know there was a UK TV doc episode about it though! Pretty interesting if depressing watch)

66) Long Bright River (latest series I've not quite finished with the missus...not bad)

67) Performance (more cheap Fopp booty...Had seen SOME of this before.. Pretty good start. As someone else (Ebert?) said, slows a bit afterwards, but very creative stuff)

68) Titicut Follies (I don't want to take away from the well-known fact that this depicts some pretty horrific conditions, but I feel that practically everything I read about it afterwards skipped straight past the sign that said it was a facility for the CRIMINALLY insane, not just your gran who has gone a bit doolally. Because of the way he films stuff, you have to build in the narrative surrounding it. So, for instance, in the much-noted sequence where an old, naked, vulnerable- looking ex-teacher is being goaded by a guard about keeping his cell clean, I would read that as frustration that the guy probably keeps doing dirty protests...after being locked away for fiddling with children. Happy to amend that if wrong, but you get my point. Glad things have improved since then, but dudes, one guy is interviewed and openly says he interfered with one of his children, these blokes are in there cos they are dangerous, I don't think it is SO surprising there were elements of crowd control going on. Great doc, either way)

69) Juvenile Court (same dude, early 70s, southern states. Not quite sure why the other ones aren't as well known, probably just cos they're not so starkly shocking. Still very very good though)

70) Exterminating Angel (more Bunuel, jolly good)

71) The Men Who Tread On the Tiger's Tail (BFI binge... shortish Kurosawa, non- essential bit, but well worth a watch)

72) Equinox Flower

73) Late Autumn (couple more quality Ozu ones, the latter more obviously comic)

74) Dinner For One (non-BFI, not notable except for the fact that it appears to be beloved in Europe...which is why I was there. Decent though)

75) Press Your Luck Scandal doc (not sure why it is called a scandal, he won fair & square, but very amusing gameshow history which I was previously unaware of)

76) Saute Ma Ville (back to the BFI...good early Ackerman short, to put me in the mood for...)

77) Hotel Monterey (hour long silent Ackerman tour of drab NY hotel, with noted optical illusions, good for dozing off to. To put me in the mood for...)

78) Jeanne Dielman... (quite obviously not the best film of all time, which claim drew me to it & made me stop after 20 mins the first time, but most certainly not crap either, which brought me back...Far from the enriching endurance test many have suggested - in fact, very watchable. Again, one I have to disagree with many comments on...I don't think she is imprisoned by drudgery or whatever - she says clearly she wanted a place of her own & a child, & while she is turning tricks, she appears to be her own boss, on pretty much her own terms, with regulars who are unlikely to put her in any danger. I suspect most of the viewers are the sort of people who hate & avoid housework & hence see it as drudgery. I may count myself as one of those, but I look after my parents out of choice & it needs doing & is satisfying once it is done...Which seems to be her take as well, leading to a fairly hypnotic experience, far more engaging than a lot of art house twaddle)

79) Video essay about Ackerman

80) Powell archive films doc

81) We the Ragamuffin (great fun half-hour Brit ragga musical from the early 90s)

82) Violent Cop (pretty boss early Takeshi)...end of BFI stint...

83) Eric Satie doc (early 90s Beeb thing...feel like I had seen chunks of this before, but v good anyway)

84) Phoenix Nights (maybe slightly marred by time, but good to see it all at last, great line-up of actors)

85) Rockets Redglare! (FINALLY bagged via a Bluesky correspondent. Fairly low production standards, but he is a great subject and interviewee, and was doomed from the offset)

86) Public Housing (yet more from the Titicut Follies dude...this one is an epic, set in mid-90s Chicago, with ghetto house strains occasionally breaking through)

87) Whores' Glory (great doc on prostitution, filmed in Thailand, Bangladesh & Mexico. Most people seem to find the Mexican post-apocalyptic landscape most depressing, but the squalid Bangladeshi complex with hundreds of prostitutes mauling clients mauling them, many of them clearly underage, was like a vision of Hell)

#film tv plays

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singeratlarge · 11 months ago

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Richard Attenborough, Ingrid Bergman, my cousin-in-law Janice Brenneman, Kyle Cook (Matchbox 20), Chris Copping (Procol Harum), Reuben Councill, Charles Finney, Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), Diamanda Galás, Elliott Gould, Carla Gugino, Dick Halligan, Fred Holland, Michael Jackson, Nathan Ernie Lashlee, David Lim, John Locke, Tony MacAlpine, Bennie Maupin, John McCain, Sterling Morrison, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, Oasis 1994 DEFINITELY MAYBE album, Mao Oz, Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel, Charlie Parker, Liam Payne (One Direction), Pebbles, Iggy Pop’s 1977 LUST FOR LIFE album, Cliff Richard’s 1958 “Move It!” single, Vivien Thomas, Consuelo Velázquez, Vishal, Dinah Washington, and my friend and early career mentor, composer-keyboardist-trombonist-vocalist Bob Hogins. He made his mark in the 1970s San Francisco music scene, most visibly with Harvey Mandel, Buddy Miles, and Santana. I met Bob after he’d turned his life over to God and devoted himself to classical and contemporary Christian music projects. He compelled me to up my game in musical discipline and expand myself as a bassist and singer.

From 1981-87 I played with Bob almost weekly in an eclectic church worship group. We fanned out into recording, pop-rock musicals, and playing in gospel vocal groups that shared bills with Zoe, a Grateful Dead spin-off w/Donna Godchaux and David MacKay (Ark, Michael Nesmith). As I worked with Bob in various projects, he introduced me to Buddy Miles, Pat Craig (Tazmanian Devils), Frank Souza, Marcus Uzilevsky, and other talents who’d affect my career in varying degrees. I feel indebted to Bob as a talented, warm-hearted musician, and great teacher.

Regrettably I do not have at hand any recordings of work Bob and I did, but here’s one of my favorite tracks that Bob played some sizzling organ on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_tgfWBHdig ...Meanwhile, HB BH and thank you for your amazing contributions to all of us.

#bobhogins #roberthogins #trombone #keyboard #gospel #Christian #SanFrancisco #johnnyjblair #birthday #carlossantana #buddymiles

#johnny j blair #singer songwriter #music #pop rock #san francisco #Bob Hogins #Robert Hogins #trombone #keyboard #gospel #Christian #Carlos Santana #Zoe #Buddy Miles

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tomthomasblog · 8 months ago

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Standing Alone in Faith: A Journey Through the Lives of Biblical Figures

Throughout history, many individuals have faced trials that tested their beliefs and character. Five remarkable figures from the Bible—Noah, Abram, David, Daniel, and Peter—exemplify the power of standing firm in faith. Their journeys illustrate how believing strongly in one’s values can lead to personal growth and significant change, not only for themselves but for those around them. As we examine their lives, we discover inspiration that encourages us to embrace our faith, even when standing alone.

Noah’s story begins with a time when the world was filled with wickedness. God chose Noah to build an enormous ark, warning him about a coming flood. Can you imagine being the only person in the world to believe in something so far-fetched? Everyone mocked Noah for his faith and the massive boat he was constructing. However, Noah persisted, trusting God's promise. When the flood caused devastation, Noah’s unwavering dedication was his salvation. This story teaches us that faith can sometimes feel lonely, but standing firm can lead to extraordinary outcomes.

Next, we look at Abram, who later became Abraham. God called him to leave his home country and travel to a destination he had never been. Abram displayed immense faith by leaving everything familiar behind, not knowing what awaited him. He trusted God’s promise that he would become the father of a great nation. Abram's willingness to step out of his comfort zone illustrates how faith can spark change in one’s life. His story encourages us to embrace uncertainty and trust in a higher purpose.

David, known for defeating Goliath, faced many challenges on his path to becoming king. Despite his great accomplishments, he endured betrayal, fear, and isolation. He often found himself seeking God’s guidance while in hiding. David’s intimate relationship with God, shown through his psalms, reveals how personal faith sustains us in our darkest moments. His life reminds us that even in loneliness, we can turn to our faith for comfort and strength.

Daniel’s journey took him to Babylon, where he was taken captive. Faced with pressure to abandon his beliefs and conform to the culture around him, Daniel chose to remain faithful to God. His resolve led him to incredible experiences, including surviving a den of lions and receiving visions from God. Daniel teaches us that standing up for our beliefs, even in a hostile environment, can lead to divine protection and blessings.

Lastly, Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, had his struggles. After denying Jesus three times, he faced great shame. Yet, after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter was forgiven and went on to lead the early church with unwavering faith. His journey reveals that we can overcome our mistakes and shortcomings; through faith, we grow and transform into stronger individuals.

In conclusion, the journeys of Noah, Abram, David, Daniel, and Peter remind us of the profound impact that standing alone in faith can have on our lives. Their stories reveal that while faith can be a lonely path at times, it often leads to remarkable growth, change, and blessings. As we reflect on their journeys, I challenge you to consider your own faith. Are you willing to stand firm in your beliefs, even when it feels difficult or lonely? Take a step today to deepen your faith and trust in the journey that lies ahead.

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The Scripture Collection Playlist A compilation of 20 uplifting music videos inspired by a different Bible scripture. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoBTz-QtgDhox4diwLqHBjD4W-CtzM-8v

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Website: https://bwpub.net/

I wrote the song "The Path We Take" based on "Embracing the Journey: Lessons from Biblical Figures"

bubblegum dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw8Gl-c8-Ow garage tango https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt8p7iL_lIc russian glitch hop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlnNvQudLrA

#faith #personal growth #biblical stories #inspiration #resilience #spirituality #Noah #Abram #David #Daniel #Peter

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omousvarii · 8 years ago

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------- @saviorbuilt

“ hey! ” the short, freckled boy exclaimed as he sat down beside the girl, her head down as she scribbled recklessly on the paper, crayons looking almost too large in her little hands. “ -----what are you drawing? ”

#saviorbuilt #v. early life on the ark

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roleplay-abiogenesis2 · 2 years ago

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[Verses List] Cyno

CANON VERSES

Desert Dweller (Birth to Pre-Teen): this verse will be used to explore any events taking place during Cyno's childhood in Sumeru, prior to his boarding at the Akademiya.

Akademiya Days (Pre-teen to Late Teen): this verse will encompass Cyno's life as an Akademiya scholar, the Pact with Hermanubis events, joining the matra as well the onset of Cyno's career as the General Mahamatra and meeting Tighnari at the Akademiya.

General Mahamatra (Late Teen): this verse begins from the events of the manga up to the beginning of the game.

What came before (Before Sumeru Archon Quests): this verse includes anything occurring between the in-game prologue and chapter III.

Chapter III (20yo): this verse covers any missing moments taking place during Chapter III of Genshin Impact.

Post Sumeru Archon Quests (21yo+): this verse is for all events taking place from Chapter IV and onwards.

CANON DIVERGENT VERSES

Thicker than Blood: In this divergence, Cyno and Tighnari became friends sooner at the Akademiya. Verse exclusive to @starscrxssed (Tighnari) and @mmriesoftvat (Collei)

From the Start (18-20): In this divergence, Cyno is involved with the in-game events as early as the Prologue, accompanying the Traveler on their journey.

Mahamatra No More (21+): As the Akademiya shifts for greater changes, the matra's department was disbanded. Stripped of his title, Cyno suddenly finds himself having to reinvent himself. How will he adjust to being a part of this society he's always kept at arms' length before?

Never a Matra (age can vary): In this divergence, the circumstances that lead Cyno to become a matra never happened. What kind of man would he have been then?

OTHER FANDOM VERSES

Final Fantasy VII (2000yo): Refer to headcanons page.

Ark Survival Evolved (20+): Stranded on The Island with no recollection of how he got there, Cyno is stripped of his powers and must rely on his sole instincts to survive the threats of creatures and environment alike. Are you friend or foe?

Mystic Messenger (20+): Do you remember every member of RFA? V, Jumin Han, 707, ZEN, Jaehee Kang, Yoosung Kim, and Cyno... wait, Cyno? Jump on this new unexpected route.

Modern Days (20+): Having just moved into the city, former foster child Cyno is jumbling with trying to find a suitable place to call home, employment, and the semblance of a social life. While masking his problems behind dubious dry humor online, in real life his struggles with adapting to big change are causing him to self-isolate and delve into dangerous business. He drowns his problems by diving head-in into hobbies and making friends online... but is that really all he needs to be happy?

#v18 || genshin impact #au02 || crossover #gi01h || cyno [headcanons]

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adhdo5 · 4 years ago

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Attempt to explain what is going on in Evillious (bear in mind I have never touched a light novel and this is all from songs, hearsay, and several crazed nights of wiki rabbitholing):

Humans get real good at technology. They get so good they make a Sims game that’s functionally a parallel universe. Their Sims get real good at technology too, and they’re doing pretty good. So good, in fact, that humans from the og world decide that they’re too OP pls nerf, and proceed to create the Sims Evil trait, HER. HER stands for Hereditary Evil Raiser and the term is used to refer both to the condition itself and to people with it (someone can develop HER (it is usually genetic but despite the name can be developed later in life) and then they will be a HER); HER essentially introduces a drive in someone to Kill Everyone Else From The Second Period, And Create More HERs (again, this is something that can be done)

The nerf works very well. It becomes a significant social problem that people are working on, including child prodigy Levia Barisol, who is like deep in her postgrad work in her teens/early 20s studying the soul of man:tm:, specifically Malice (another name for HER). She discovers that Malice/HER originates from a parallel universe; the existence of parallel universes was proven by her colleague, a physicist named Seth Twiright (that is not misspelled, it is most commonly transliterated specifically with an r; yes Japanese r and l gets transliterated usually interchangeably but I’ve literally never seen it written as anything other than Twiright), who discovered them through studying spirit data (which is the soul). As Levia studies this further she also begins developing symptoms of HER/Malice and is like. Huh this probably isn’t good, and talks to Seth about it. Seth advises her to kill her doppelganger in the parallel world, claiming that this will definitely cure her mhm yep. Levia, like most gifted kids, isn’t very smart, so she believes him and goes to murder her parallel self

Her parallel self is Behemo Barisol, the heir to the Barisol name in the human world. They’re either gnc or transfem and either way it’s handled Very Poorly; either way they are also not a dumbass and are into anatomy or stuff or maybe they’re just a transhumanist either way they “know the body of man” (as opposed to Levia who knows the soul) and like that might be read as sexual but it’s just. Not at least it’s not that played up they literally just genetically engineer the physical component of humans v1.3 but that’s later

They have just broken up w/ their girlfriend/maid at the time and mightttt have been about to get Gotten by their social conformist family iirc when Levia manages to project herself:tm: into the og human world and is about to stab them when she realizes wait. Shit. I’m an idiot. If I murder this guy that will be playing into my developing evil murderer disease. And when I’m compromised Seth is going to take my place on the ark spaceship we’re doing an exodus with. So she reconsiders and does not stab Behemo and instead rescues them and is like hey come do science with me and they do

Sure enough they work in the lab of this guy named Held and become two of the researchers on the 72-scientist ark ship the Climb One, which is meant to basically be one of several ships that fucks off into space to try to restart humanity because HER is fucking over humanity as it is. Eventually Climb One loses contact with the other ones; Behemo and Levia use Behemo’s from-the-material-worldness and Levia’s parallel worlds study to bring the Climb One into the material world. Humans have, at this point, long since gone extinct, and earth is a wasteland. This is okay. The scientists aboard the Climb One just go okay guys time to terraform earth! And they do they make forests and stuff and Levia and Behemo are in charge of engineering, as aforementioned, humanity v 1.3

PLOT TWIST, HOWEVER. Remember Seth Twiright? Because, as you can probably guess from the fact that he suggested murder as a solution to murder, he is a HER with no interest in mitigating this (HER is treatable and mitigateable; not all HERs are antagonistic and though most of them did do at least some war crimes that’s true of most of the characters in the series tbh), and he’s snuck onto the ship. Among Us. As earth is abt to be repopulated, Seth kills 62 of the researchers onboard; Levia preserves their spirit data and reincarnates them as forest spirits. The surviving researchers, ready for the launch of humanity v 1.3 which is getting kind of fucked up by all this dying, go “hey we should have some of us incarnate as gods in this new world to watch over humanity v 1.3!” and then spend forever arguing about who’s going to get to do that until the Climb One fucking crashes and they all die. Two (2) people manage to reincarnate as gods: Held, who incarnates as the Millennium Tree at the center of the forest, and TALOS, the onboard AI, who incarnates as the sun god and creates an afterlife (the Heavenly and Hellish Yards) to manage spirit data. Levia and Behemo attempt to incarnate as a two-headed dragon but they do not make it in time and eat shit as they are reduced to spirit data with the rest of the crew. Seth Twiright escapes and incarnates as a human to continue causing problems on purpose. Levia and Behemo really want to incarnate in the new world to also cause problems on purpose because they’re mad at Held and because Levia is a HER who is succumbing to her Cause Problems On Purpose disease. Thanks to Seth HER will exist among the humans of the current world and is now redefined (bc of its targeting toward everyone in the digital world, who now live on as gods) as the destruction of everything the gods are and stand for

And that’s when the prologue to the actual plot of the series starts

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corkcitylibraries · 4 years ago

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What is Solastalgia?

by Tina Pisco

“I understood at a very early age that in Nature, I felt everything that I should feel in a church but never did. Walking in the woods I felt in touch with the Universe and with the spirit of the Universe.” Alice Walker

Do you sometimes feel a sense of unease, of displacement, of homesickness though you are still at home? Well, there’s word for that: Solastalgia.

It was coined by philosophy professor Greg Albrecht of the University of Newcastle in Australia to describe when “your endemic sense of place is being violated.” Solastalgia is formed by combining solacium, or solace, with nostos, which means to return home, and algos, or pain. You can feel it both locally, for example when you go somewhere that you walked as a child and remember the trees and fields that have been replaced by housing estates, or globally when watching images of polar bears stranded on tiny ice floes or of forests burning in California.

I first came across the word as I started out my residency with Cork City Libraries. The focus of my work as Writer-in-Residence is to engage with the issues of climate change and sustainability through creative writing. I think that solastalgia was something that I’d often felt but couldn’t really put my finger on. I feel it when swimming in the strangely crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean, not a fish or bit of seaweed in sight. As a child I had snorkeled for hours seeking out blowfish, octopus, sea cucumbers, star fish and sea horses. Now it feels like the water has been bleached, killing off all life. Or when I visited Geneva, where I had lived as a small child, and saw for the first time the bare peak of Mont Blanc, which as its name implies, was always covered in snow. It felt shameful. As if I had walked in on my grandmother and caught her naked. It is also the unease of gazing across the valley at night and seeing lights where I had for years relished the darkness.

It feels good to have a word to describe it. Once you can name something, you have power over it. You own it, especially if you are a writer.

Perhaps this feeling of solastalgia, which can creep up so slowly that you’d hardly notice, is one of the reasons that people seem so complacent about climate change. Perhaps it isn’t complacency. Perhaps we are in mourning for what we’ve lost and what we may yet lose.

Do you remember driving around the countryside and having the car’s windshield smeared with dead insects by the time you got home? That wasn’t so long ago. My own children (the eldest of whom is 40 years old) had a book called The Squashed Bug Book which helped us identify those squished corpses. Today, our windshields are pristine. No squashed bugs. We once had a hive of bees decide to call our chimney home. Now we get excited if we see a bee in the garden (we still have loads of bumblebees, but very few bees). The lack of insects has become our new normal - and that’s also part of the problem. You get used to what has changed and forget the way things were.

Another term that I have come across in the research I’ve done for my residency is Normalcy Bias. Normalcy bias is a coping mechanism that occurs when we attempt to register and sort out stressful events or impending disasters. We have a tendency to resist disastrous events and, in turn, our brains try to simulate a normal environment. We accept, or even deny the changes that are all around us because they trigger fears for the future. Especially when we feel helpless to do anything about it.

Solastalgia and normalcy bias can make us feel like we have no agency, even as we dutifully recycle our trash and buy toothbrushes and keep cups made of bamboo. We go through the motions, but don’t really feel the benefit. Thankfully there is something we can do that has a tangible effect on our immediate environment: We can create an Ark.

We are the Ark is a worldwide movement created by Mary Reynolds who used to be a landscape gardener and who now advocates for each of us to “rewild” a whatever bit of land we have (you can watch a clip of Mary on the Tommy Tiernan Show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo7mZ_vRc3A ).

An Ark is defined as: a restored, native ecosystem, a local, medium or large scale rewilding project. It’s a thriving patch of native plants and creatures that have been allowed and supported to re-establish in earth’s intelligent, successional process of natural restoration. Over time this becomes a pantry and a habitat for our pollinators and wild creatures who are in desperate need of our support.

I’m not telling you to rotovate your entire lawn - just bits of it. Check out the website (www.wearetheark.org ). There are lots of great ideas to introduce a bit of wildness into your garden - no matter how small. A window box of wildflowers, leaving the dandelions and daisies grow, or letting a corner grow wild and messy are all ways of starting an Ark.

What I can tell you is that you will feel the solastalgia lifting as insects and birds come back into your life, as your new normal becomes filled with flowers and birdsong.

Learn more about Tina and her work with Cork City Libraries as our first Writer-in-Residence.

#corkcitylibraries #tinapisco #writerinresidence

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patolozka · 6 years ago

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On Crowley and Mary Magdalene META

So I was thinking about the whole ‘Crowley could be Mary Magdalene’ concept and I decided to put a few things together. I don’t want to persuade anyone of anything I was just thinking.

This META was written for @a-zira-fell and @azirafuck because they were feeding me with this stuff the last week.

So here is it:

1. Before the GO show aired in May we knew that Crowley wore female clothes at Golgotha from the stills that were shown to us in April. (It was THIS meta by @intersexaziraphale that I read about it). But after the show I think we promptly forget everything about it because there were so many things to think about.

https://intersexaziraphale.tumblr.com/post/184424971273/so-i-realized-that-not-everyone-knows-what-i-do

2. In the show in the crucifixion scene there is this exchange between our duo:

C: Come to smirk at the poor bugger, have you?

A: Smirk? Me?

C: Well, your lot put him on there.

A: I'm not consulted on policy decisions, Crawley.

C: Oh, I've changed it.

A: Changed what?

C: My name. "Crawl-y" just wasn't really doing it for me. It's a bit too... squirming-at-your-feet-ish.

A: Well, you were a snake. So, what is it now? Mephistopheles? Asmodeus?

C: Crowley.

A: Hmm.

A: Did you, uh... ever meet him?

C: Yes. Seemed a very bright young man. I showed him all the kingdoms of the world.

A: Why?

C: He's a carpenter from Galilee. His travel opportunities are limited.

C: That has got to hurt. What was it he said that got everyone so upset?

A: "Be kind to each other."

C: Oh, yeah. That'll do it.

In the script there is no bigger change in the exchange and about Crowley there is not much more than that he is wearing black. But we saw how he looked like in the show.

3. Then there is this Neil Gaiman’s tweet

Source: https://vintagefloof.tumblr.com/post/186199778332/confirmation-from-mr-gaiman-on-twitter-today-that

4. And also this meta by @olliaaron about Crowley’s and Aziraphale’s clothing during crucifixion:

https://olliaaron.tumblr.com/post/186239033859/so-i-read-something-about-this-and-heres-an

5. What do we know about Mary Magdalene

· She may have been Jesus’s wife, but we don’t know for sure. {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· She is for the first time noticed as one of the women who “ministered to Christ of their substance.” (Luke 8:3) {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· She travelled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. (According to the four canonical gospels) {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· Mary as one of the women who travelled with Jesus and helped support his ministry "out of their resources", indicating that she was probably relatively wealthy. (Luke 8:2–3) {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· There is a statement seven demons had been driven out of her (Luke 8:2–3) and that prompted her to became Jesus‘ follower. {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· She was one of women who found the sepulchre of Jesus empty (with Salome and Mary the mother of James) and saw the “vision of angels”. (Matthew 28:5). {Eastons Bible Dictionary} The angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Then the risen Jesus himself appeared to the women as they were leaving the tomb and told them to tell the other disciples that he would meet them in Galilee. (Matthew 28:1–10){ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· She hastens to tell Peter and John (John 20:1, 2), and again immediately returns to the sepulchre. There she lingers thoughtfully, weeping at the door of the tomb. {Eastons Bible Dictionary}

· The risen Jesus appears to her but she at first mistook him for the gardener. After she heard him say her name, she recognized him and cried out "Rabbouni!" (which is Aramaic for "teacher"). She tried to touch him, but he told her, "Don't touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my father”. The Gospel of John therefore portrays Mary Magdalene as the first apostle, the apostle sent to the apostles. (John 20:1–10) {CZ Wiki}

· According to Luke 24:1–12 a group of unnamed women went to the tomb and found the stone already rolled away, as in Mark. They went inside and saw two young men dressed in white who told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Then they went and told the eleven remaining apostles, who dismissed their story as nonsense. {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· After the resurrection she returned to Jerusalem. {Eastons Bible Dictionary}

· In apocryphal texts, Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement whom Jesus loved more than he loved the other disciples. {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· The earliest dialogue between Jesus and Mary Magdalene is probably the Dialogue of the Savior, a badly damaged Gnostic text discovered in the Nag Hammadi library in 1945. In saying 53, the Dialogue even attributes to Mary three aphorisms that are attributed to Jesus in the New Testament: "The wickedness of each day [is sufficient]. Workers deserve their food. Disciples resemble their teachers." The narrator commends Mary stating "she spoke this utterance as a woman who understood everything." {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· In Gospel of Thomas in saying 114: Simon Peter said to them: “Let Mary go forth from among us, for women are not worthy of the life”. Jesus said: “Behold, I shall lead her, that I may make her male, in order that she also may become a living spirit like you males. For every woman who makes herself male shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.“ {ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· In Gospel of Philip: And the companion of the saviour [was] Mary Magdalene. [Christ] loved Mary more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on the mouth. The rest of the disciples [were offended by it and expressed disapproval]. They said to him, "Why do you love her more than all of us?" The Saviour answered and said to them, "Why do I not love you like her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness."{ENG Wiki Mary Magdalene}

· The Gospel of Mary: The Gospel of Mary was probably written over a century after the historical Mary Magdalene's death. The gospel does not claim to have been written by her and its author is, in fact, anonymous. Unlike in the Gospel of Thomas, where women can only be saved by becoming men, in the Gospel of Mary, they can be saved just as they are.

Then there is this:

Source: https://azirafuck.tumblr.com/post/186236114966/so-i-was-already-on-board-with-the-whole-crowley

6. How we can see Mary Magdalene in art

As you can see, majority of the paintings pictures Mary Magdalene with red hair and more so some of them even in dark colours.

Source of the pic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene

7. Dan Brown

I’m a big fan of Dan Brown and of course I know his ‘Da Vinci Code’ is only a fiction but still…

According to Dan Brown, there was a woman in Jesus‘ life. According to him, Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. And according to his book Leonardo da Vinci painted Mary Magdalene on ‘The Last Supper’, not John. And you know what hair colour does she have there? Red.

Source: https://cdn.getyourguide.com/img/tour_img-312981-148.jpg

Some pieces from book Da Vinci Code about Mary Magdalene

"The marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is part of the historical record... Moreover, Jesus as a married man makes infinitely more sense than our standard biblical view of Jesus as a bachelor... If Jesus were not married, at least one of the Bible’s gospels would have mentioned it and offered some explanation for His unnatural state of bachelorhood." (The Da Vinci Code, 245; cf. 244)

“Behold the greatest cover-up in human history... Not only was Jesus Christ married, but He was a father. My dear, Mary Magdalene was the Holy Vessel. She was the chalice that bore the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ” (Code, 249)

“Jesus was the original feminist. He intended for the future of His Church to be in the hands of Mary Magdalene.” (Code, 248)

“The Church, in order to defend itself against the Magdalene’s power, perpetuated her image as a whore and buried evidence of Christ’s marriage to her, thereby defusing any potential claims that Christ had a surviving bloodline and was a mortal prophet.” (Code, 254)

Source: https://www.westmont.edu/~fisk/articles/bruce_fisk_on_the_da_vinci_code.html (it’s a big article about why it all can’t be true, but it has its moments)

And I add one of my favorites:

"Who is she?" Sophie asked.

"That, my dear," Teabing replied, "is Mary Magdalene."

Sophie turned. "The prostitute?"

Teabing drew a short breath, as if the word had injured him personally. "Magdalene was no such thing. That unfortunate misconception is the legacy of a smear campaign launched by the early Church. The Church needed to defame Mary Magdalene in order to cover up her dangerous secret—her role as the Holy Grail." (Da Vinci Code, 205)

8. Gender in Good Omens

We know that angels don’t bother themselves with gender. But to me it looks quite like Crowley was manifesting himself the first four thousands more as a female than as a male.

In the garden of Eden, he is a demon, of course, but still you can see a slit in his clothes. I don’t think Aziraphale has some too. It could be only that his clothes are ragged but still…

In the Noah’s ark he looks more woman then man on the second glance. His long hair, his dress with belt…

At Golgotha it’s most prominent. There you can see he presents himself as a woman.

And after that, only 8 years later, the big change. The short hair, the glasses, all male.

And only other occasion in which we can see Crowley as a female is with Warlock as his nanny. But that is a different story.

9. So let me summarize it.

v Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ follower and travelled with him.

v Crowley knew Jesus, he showed him the world.

v Mary Magdalene was a witness to Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

v Crowley manifested himself as a woman during Jesus’ life and he was a witness to Jesus’ crucifixion.

v Mary Magdalene was probably wealthy.

v Crowley has no problem with money.

v Mary Magdalene is often pictured as a woman with long, curly, red hair.

v Crowley had for the first four thousand years long, curly, red hair.

v After the crucifixion Mary Magdalene left and went to Jerusalem.

v After the crucifixion Crowley left Palestine and went to Rome.

v Out of Mary Magdalene had been driven seven demons.

v Crowley is a demon.

v Mary Magdalene saw an angel (or two angels) that told her Jesus had risen from the dead.

v Crowley has no problem with seeing angels.

v Jesus said to Mary Magdalene after resurrection: "Don't touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my father”.

v Crowley is demon, that could do it. ¨

v In apocryphal texts, Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement.

v Crowley invented many things and was a leader of a sort on Earth.

v Three Jesus’ aphorisms are attributed Mary Magdalene: "The wickedness of each day [is sufficient]. Workers deserve their food. Disciples resemble their teachers." She is also described as: "she spoke this utterance as a woman who understood everything."

v Well, I don’t think like you but I think it’s a pretty good description of Crowley if you ask his co-workers.

v Jesus said he may make Mary Magdalene male to become equal men.

v Crowley changed after his death to male and also changed his name.

v The Gospel of Mary was probably written over a century after the historical Mary Magdalene's death. The gospel does not claim to have been written by her and its author is anonymous.

v Mary Magdalene’s gospel was found in Egypt covered in feathers.

10. So I think Crowley could be Mary Magdalene. Crowley and Jesus could be together. Crowley could be the one painted all the time on all the Mary Magdalene’s pictures.

The idea about Crowley being Mary Magdalene is not mine. It’s all tumblr.

#Good Omens meta #my first meta #Crowley as Mary Magdalene #some thoughts #my meta

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annisir-kaugan · 5 years ago

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Report: Origins and Operation of Triglavian Society Annisir Kaugan - Third Eye Analytics.

The first interesting thing about the Triglavians is their language. It is not an exact language, meaning many of the terms they use have no one definition. They use cultural idioms in a contextual way, phrases can have different, but related, meanings depending on the context of the sentence. The 'Flow of Vyraj', which is used a lot, refers to the passage of time, but this can be in terms of a project plan, the course of events or even, as fate wills it. 'Poshlost' generally means bad or unsavoury and its opposite, 'Sobernost' means good, or good for the majority. Understanding this is key to understanding the Triglavians and people seem to miss this because its not a normal usage of language. It is worth spending time with their language, either the data streams, or other example that are scattered around, simply to gain an appreciation of their culture.

The other area that people get confused with is the organisation of Triglavian society, when in reality, although complex in some ways it is actually very simple. There are three main Clades, Perun, Veles and Svarog, each has a number of sub-clades and so far only a few of these are known. For the most part these are made up of Narodnya and all the pilots of vessels encountered are Narodnya. Again its a general term, they call capsuleers 'Augmented Foreign Narodnya' and Sansha 'Hivelinked Foreign Narodnya' for example. Each Clade appears to have a number of Koschoi and Navka associated with them, from various models there is a simple reason for this and it will become clear.

The term 'Struggle' is used a lot, while there have been various theories it is actually, again, very simple. Triglavian society is an extreme meritocracy, rank within society is entirely based on 'Proving', whether in technical arguments or combat they always compete and trial everything. An individual Narodnya begins life with a base level of rank in society, throughout their life every qualification, contest, successful project or failure adjusts this ranking. The Triglavians speak of 'Glorification' and 'Mortification', which were confusing at first. 'Extirpation' refers to destruction or death. 'Glorification' simply means an upward adjustment in ranking, and 'Mortification' a downward one. This is the 'Struggle' of which they speak. In one case an entire sub-clade was given Mortification because their ship design did not come up to specification and fell short in proving.

It suggests there are upper and lower limits to rankings too. The point is that those reaching the ultimate rank become Koschoi, and those dying in the attempt or reaching the lowest rank become Navka. Which is why the Koschoi and Navka make up the Convocation of Triglav Outside the Struggle; they are not in it, they have either won or lost. Explaining the Koschoi and Navka is complicated to say the least and will be followed up later. Every clade and sub-clade have their own, because they belonged to them before becoming as they are, but the Koschoi and Navka can also act independently of the clades; both have been shown to be operating as 'Detached' from time to time. This too has implications that will be revealed in due course.

In order to explain this it is necessary to go right back to the very beginning of New Eden, to the first settlers in the cluster. At first is appears not much is known about these times, but a lot can be inferred. Analysis of human DNA has shown that all the inhabitants of New Eden belonged to the same species which originated on a single planet some two hundred thousand years ago. Many of the animals and plants we see are not native to New Eden, but were imported around the same time as human settlement took place. Countless archaeological studies have found no trace of any predecessors which would show that they evolved on planets in the cluster. Astronomers have been studying space around New Eden for centuries, in particular the Eve Gate, Which was a natural wormhole that formed fifteen thousand years ago and was open for around 75 years before collapsing into a singularity. This data complies with the findings of archaeologists on all the settled worlds.

There were three main clusters of activity; the Amarrian and Minmatar home systems and the system shared by the Caldari and Gallente. Outside of these there were a handful of smaller colonies and these groups were almost pilot studies. Pioneers to test the soil, lay down the infrastructure for terraforming and habitation as well as surveying the planet. They were not really prepared to operate without support, unlike the Jove, who fared much better after the gate's collapse. The two groups that really stand out are the Talocan and the Yan Jung, for different reasons.

"The Yan Jung nation immigrated into our world through the EVE Gate aeons ago. From where, we do not know, though the fragments of texts we've managed to translate talk about a mysterious middle kingdom. They settled here in Deltole, though we suspect they also colonized other systems, even in far off places. But what we've uncovered so far is here in the Deltole system, especially on Deltole V and VI, which seem to have been much more inhabitable back then."

– Sebast Mathon, Professor of Archaeology, University of Caille

The Yan Jung are an oddity. The majority of the early settlers were unprepared, they were not, they left few traces but the Hidden Path site in Deltole is odd. An Ancient Gargoyle Statue guards the site, although defunct now and a beacon lights up the system. Their artefacts are found throughout space, notably, from a Triglavian point of view, texts on Semiotic Theory, Singularities and Trigonometric Laws. Although they apparently were only around for a millennia or so they seem to have been masters of ancient technologies that New Eden science still cannot match. Rather than being simple settlers they could have been fugitives escaping to the newly discovered space, but there is another option.

The second oddball group are the Talocan. Unusually they did not settle anywhere, but rather roamed as nomads or lived in space, another connection to the Triglavian way of life perhaps. They seem to have left only one site in New Eden, the Devils Dig in Otitoh, now heavily over run with Rogue Drones to the extent all archaeological research has had to stop. This may be deliberate. One interesting feature of the site is the Sun Reader, a black monolith, similar to others found elsewhere in New Eden, which may also be Talocan artefacts. These seem to contain solar data, of some form, which points to them being some kind of observational device. Its is possible they formed some kind of distributed network in the manner used by astronomers today, several devices creating a much larger device when working in unison. Even more intriguing is the possibility that the network is still operable and the Triglavians accessed it to determine which systems to target.

There are numerous ancient relics scattered throughout the cluster, black monoliths, ancient stargates and even odd rift like features. The Amarrians expanded into space by reverse engineering an old stargate, and the technological principles are still not fully understood. In the same way the original Minmatar expansion was via an ancient acceleration gate. If the black monoliths are Talocan in origin, then did they also build the other structures in space?

The Jove were better prepared, setting in the Utopia system in the Heaven constellation. Since the Jove moved out there have been numerous archaeological surveys of the area. Ice core and soil samples show that they spent a long time adjusting the climate and seeding the ground before establishing colonies. It seems likely that they used automated systems and kept the vast majority of their personnel in cryostasis until the planetary installations had sufficient resources. This may have been as long as a millennia in some cases. Further studies have shown that the first Jovian expansion did not really develop until the third millennium, which has implications to be discussed further on.

Nothing is known of what lies beyond the Eve Gate, although it is certain that New Eden was colonised by the inhabitants of that space. Exhaustive DNA studies have shown that everyone in the cluster originally came from a single species originating on the same planet. Minor mutations concomitant with space travel and living in space show they had been in space for some millennia prior to the Eve Gate. We can infer a lot from the behaviour of groups within New Eden, everyone is essentially running on the same underlying code. It would have been a place of Empires, Corporations and factions in a similar form to those established in New Eden. It seems to be a natural development in human society. Colonising a new space is a difficult task, but with great possibilities; the first steps have been taken already in the Anoikis systems and they are relatively easy to access. New Eden was virgin territory. The original crews had to scout and survey and be followed by teams to build the star gates. That meant mining and refining resources, and all done in space, massive industrial ships must have been used, on a scale we only really see with the World Arks, Anchorages, and perhaps the rumoured City ship being built by Thukker.

They would have needed the technology to move across vast distances without cynos, some advanced form of jump drive or wormhole generating system maybe. Sansha, Drifters, Triglavians, the Jove themselves and maybe even Rogue Drones now, have shown something like the abilities required. Whether they developed it themselves, or found the necessary information in some ancient cache is not known. While the Empires of New Eden build star gates and know how to set them up it is still a massively complicated process, the original Amarrian gate required sending ships out using cryosleep chambers. The incoming crews from beyond the gate managed to push lines of stargates deep into the cluster in just a few decades. This raises some interesting questions and possibilities.

The other side of the gate could have been contested, but there are actually quite a mix of different groups in the original settlers, so that may well not be the case. The engineering group should therefore be a representative mix as well, from those factions with an interest. They are not another race, or nation, but almost certainly something like a corporation or other entity, composed of members of the existing nations. It is not known how the gate failed, certainly echoes of the collapse are still heading out into space but it does not seem normal. The gate appeared to be a wormhole of huge size, which is interesting. Gates are formed by the conjunction of points of gravitational resonance, in simple terms. New Eden has a propensity for forming wormholes now but did not at one time. When two systems get close enough on the right path, that can trigger the formation of a hole. For something this size it would mean another cluster or a galaxy moving into the right position relative to New Eden for it to form. Normally that kind of movement is slow, in terms of galactic time, which means the lifespan of the hole can be very long. The mass limit too, given its size but there is a possible way around it. Mass Entanglers are used to increase the mass of a ship for the purpose of rolling holes, better than the old Higgs device. An array of Entanglers, much as we see with the Triglavian Solar Harvester could be used to pull the hole apart, compensating for mass entering it. There might need to be an array on both sides, but there is no way of knowing, this kind of engineering is beyond the capacities of most groups in New Eden.

The question is did one of the groups in the original settlement phase sabotage the gate? Preventing a massive influx of settlers coming to plunder the resources, and maybe giving their allies a better chance of success? It is a distinct possibility, some of the ancient stargates are badly damaged, but others are not, they have been deactivated and rendered useless, which implies deliberate sabotage. If somebody rigged the mass entanglers to reverse polarity then that could collapse the hole, but the array on the other side would work against it, resulting in the singularity that exists now. The same for the stargates, it is as though a deliberate attempt was made to stop the early colonies being able to support each other or receive any assistance. That is curious in itself, as is the behaviour of the Talocan and Yan Jung. Perhaps they decided humanity needed a second chance, to work out a better way to live rather than simply plundering the resources of this new space.

Archaeologists often use the term cultures and it frequently gets misinterpreted by people from outside the profession. All the inhabitants of New Eden belong to the same culture, there are racial differences but in fundamental terms everyone speaks the same language and follows the same basic ways of doing things. Prior to meeting the Amarrians and Udorians were distinct cultures, but they lost their individuality not long after. In a similar way the Talocan, Yan Jung and even the Jovian, from Sleeper artefacts, are obviously from the same basic culture. The labels given them come from the Jove, but they may not be entirely accurate or show the true picture. Given the hypothetical existence of an engineering team that facilitated the early migrations it makes good sense that the Talocan and Yan Jung were a part of this. The Talocan appears to be based in space, the engineers, scouts and surveyors, while the Yan Jung fit into the role of scientists and theoreticians. The planetary settlements of the Yan Jung being research bases, and perhaps food producing areas or for the production of other planetary materials. They both disappeared from New Eden, possibly around the same time, maybe fourteen thousand years ago. The Talocan reappear, in Anoikis, occasional wrecked ships and quarantine zones around ruined Talocan structures, something certainly went on and to discover what requires a reworking of the established position. It is impossible to say if Yan Jung went with them, or were somehow taken over or absorbed. This appears to coincide with the Jove becoming more active which indicates the Talocan group wanting to avoid them in order to let the new colonies flourish uncontaminated

Anoikis is a cluster of systems, possibly located in a region of dark matter or energy, or a region of intensely folded space, it has some extremely unusual characteristics. Assuming that the Talocan used the network of black monoliths as a wide area observatory, then this should have piqued their interest. How they travelled there is unknown, but they must have, and spent some considerable time there preparing their plans. Presumably using the same kind of technology that was used to set up the original gate network but it may have taken longer due to distances involved. They seem to have had a much more intimate understanding of the way space operates than anyone in New Eden possesses today. The New Eden cluster consists of 5431 systems, 230 of which are in Jovian space and inaccessible and there are 2603 known systems in the Anoikis cluster; the true extent of Abyssal space is unknown at present.

Many people see the system of wormhole connections between New Eden and Anoikis as randomly occurring, this is simply untrue. Anoikis has a definite structure and while the formation of connections may seem random it does, in fact, operate according to a comprehensive set of rules. There are 30 Regions and 310 Constellations, these directly affect the class of system and also the connections that will open up between them, and also New Eden. This might be due to the way the data is represented, rather than an actual physical map, no such map exists so it is a convenient way of looking at things. All of the Region 30 systems are class 6, for example and that pattern follows for all the other regions. This suggests that there is something highly unusual about both the underlying structure of space and the matter-energy balance of the cluster. Most unusual indeed.

The Talocan must have spent some considerable time there. Exploring and mapping the area offered challenges not found in New Eden and chances are that meant modifying their technology. From events in New Eden much later on it is suspected that some of the precursor technology was based on Isogen-5, an allotropic form of Isogen, connected in some way to the formation of blue stars. It is highly volatile, as evidenced by these later events, Isogen-10, used by the Triglavians is a much more stable form. It does not, as far as anyone knows, appear in Anoikis, meaning that the Talocan may well have had to find alternative materials. ~

Oddly the materials and blueprints for making tech III ships all come from Anoikis , so are a sign of Talocan adapting to the new environment. Which means that the Talocan wrecked ships spotted in Anoikis and New Eden are more than likely not their original ship forms, but developed later on. This is an interesting pointer. For one thing it does point to an extended time in the Anoikis cluster. They also must have taken the construction and mining vessels. There are a large number of ruined Talocan sites around, some of which are co-sited with Sleeper sites, probably the origin of the Jovian-Triglavian satellite polity mentioned in one of the data streams.

The Talocan built a complex network of structures known as Epicenters, which are vitally important. Each contains Talocan static gates and violent wormholes, impassable by any means available. There are similar wormholes in the Drifter systems, but more on those later. Thera formed the heart of this network, and still functions in that respect, although possibly in a different way. It is a unique system and may have been artificially engineered, in itself a prodigious feat of stellar engineering and beyond the capabilities of anyone today. There are twenty-five small ship systems, known as Class 13, these only form small connections that will only pass frigates, or some specially engineered ships. In addition a further seventy-five systems also contain Epicenters.

The operation of this network is unknown, although there are a number of possibilities. This gave the Talocan one hundred and one systems to explore and operate in. It could have been fixed, Thera acting as a hub and the Epicentre static gates and what are now violent wormholes connecting to other systems in the net. The Drifter systems also contain strange wormholes that do not seem navigable but may once have connected. Alternatively it may have been programmable, the Epicentres acting as controls for the system, rather like a modern mass transportation system. In either case they had access to systems within the network but presumably also those outside it. Overall a fixed system makes most sense in light of later events.

This must have taken a considerable amount of time, which presupposes that the Talocan used some form of Kitezh class ship, as discussed by the Triglavians and also the Jove appear to have some knowledge of them as well. It is unknown as to how many of them there were, or what the ratio of male and female was. Likewise did they use sexual reproduction or some system to generate viable embryos as the Jove did? It is a task of mammoth proportions, feeding so many without access to planetary resources, not to mention completely adapting to a whole new technology. They did it, while dating technologies for planetary archaeological sites are commonplace and a number of methodologies may be employed, those for spatial artefacts are much more complex and prone to error. Especially in the complex topology of Anoikis space. The only realistic figures quoted suggest some of the installations may be as old as twelve thousand years. This seems reasonable; the first Jovian expansion began around this time and the Talocan should have completed most of the work by then.

It is now a piece of history, but the Seyllin event was linked to Isogen-5 caches and caused the first wormholes to begin appearing in New Eden as well as shattering a number of planets. The later Caroline’s Star event, since found to be W477-P, revealed the presence of Thera and the shattered systems. Again, this points to the Talocan network and the main Anoikis cluster being two distinct entities. The Talocan must therefore have returned to New Eden prior to the Jovian expansion to complete their work unnoticed. It is also worth bearing in mind that a society can change beyond belief in three thousand years and that this happened twelve thousand years ago.

Somehow the Talocan used a device, or array of devices at W477-P in order to create some form of sub-spatial affinity between New Eden and Anoikis. How this was done is hard to even imagine as it necessitates altering the topology of space in both clusters. Interestingly this manipulation may have had other side effects as well, the abundance of deadspace zones, and even the Dead Storms of Detorid, which may point to the Abyss and even the Abyss itself may have been formed by this work. The Seyllin event probably opened up the existing weaknesses permitting the formation of wormholes and made this easier to achieve naturally. The event at W477-P travelled through the Epicenter network rendering the wormholes and static gates dysfunctional and unlocking the now shattered systems.

This made the formation of wormholes a lot easier and allowed the explorers much more access to Anoikis. Thera can support a dozen or more connections and maybe as many as twenty-five, this is a lot higher than most systems where the upper limit may be five or six. Most systems have one or two static connections, these can despawn and respawn very quickly so appear to be always present. There are any number of wandering connections as well, but all connections follow the underlying rules. Systems in the New Eden cluster itself do not have static connections, their limit seems to be around the usual five to six, Systems in Jovian space do not connect to normal Anoikis systems, although there may be others that are still hidden. The J005299 system is occupied by Sansha’s Nation and is unique in this respect, although it really suggests Sansha have other hidden systems in which they stage their fleets. The Jovians used a time-based system to name the Anoikis systems, the majority of the systems, excluding the unique, the shattered systems and four others, fall into the format of J-hours, minutes and seconds, two digits for each. The list is possibly not complete.

Connections form according to the systems, their statics and then any available wandering connections, These may follow some kind of hidden paths within the structure of space, it is impossible to say at present. Connections generally disappear within twenty-four hours, although the new Pochven holes have a shorter lifespan. Different connections have different mass limits, affecting the size and number of ships that can pass through without triggering a collapse. The inhabitants of Anoikis systems use this to their advantage, triggering an early collapse, or leaving the hole at a critical point thus trapping intruders. These cycles create endless patterns in the map of Anoikis, Class 4 systems can form long chains leading across the Anoikis cluster and Class 2 systems can form smaller ones or bridges between Anoikis and New Eden. The map is therefore a complex map of both scientific phenomena and human activity, the mathematics of which is extremely complicated.

It is not possible to predict where a given system will connect to, the type maybe but not an exact location. Organisations like Signal Cartel rely on huge numbers of scouts and specialised mapping tools to create a window into the map. In that respect it corresponds with the mathematics governing the formation of freckles on skin or the pattern on a variegated leaf, the patterns are unpredictable but expected.

The so-called Drifter systems are also unique. They contain a number of ancient structures, black monoliths and violent wormholes. The Caged Wormhole in particular is interesting in that it seems to link to Thera. Another site is a wrecked Sleeper Enclave, and there are ship graveyards containing unknown vessels. These appear to be experimental areas, strange rifts and mysterious probes, the black monoliths are also in evidence. The Sisters of Eve have been researching these systems for years, although have yet to report on them, standing flotillas of vessels stand guard in each system. A focal point for the system is the Hive, a complex of acceleration gates guarding entry to the Nexus. This is staggering, a massive double rift with a broken structure at the centre. Originally the structure resembled a sea urchin but quickly fell apart and is now an S-shaped disarray of huge beams, lightning sparks through the components on an intermittent basis. Nearby is an alignment device, but frequent attempts have failed to move the beams in any way. It is as though it was once trapped or sabotaged to make operation of the Nexus impossible. Drifters guard the way and have a Hive structure on site, hence the name, but the systems themselves are obviously the work of Talocan, or their descendants.

Anoikis is a grey area, it hides its secrets well and in many ways offers more questions than answers. The Talocan were active there from maybe twelve thousand years ago, the first Jovian expansion lasted for nine thousand years before collapsing in what appears to be civil war. From the archaeological record it is possible to see that they leapt ahead, making great strides in science and technology, their installations were re-engineered at a furious pace. It seems likely that some Jovian group made contact with the Talocan during this period, laying the foundations for the Sleepers. Analysis of at least one Drifter corpse was completed by a team consisting of Dr. Mizhir Starsurge, Dr. Anslo Tetua, Kybernetes Moros and Kalo Askold. The corpse had been much modified, beyond the original Jovian improvements, the Jovian corpses are similar and formed the basis of Warclone technology. Capsuleer infomorphic technology relies on a destructive brain scan at the point of death, the information is transmitted as a burst and used to reconstruct the brain state in a new clone, thus preserving memories and experiences. The Jovians, and now, Warclones, use an incremental system, much more sophisticated but requiring much higher bandwidth. The intricacy of some of the implants is such that the technology is unfathomable, but it probably has applications in interfacing with a virtual reality system.

Virtual Reality Environments (VRE) have been a desirable theoretical possibility since the use of computing technology really got going. There have been a large number of thought experiments, a lot of research, and they have formed the basis for numerous stories and a number of popular holoreels. The principles are well known and a lot of research has gone into virtual reality and its many applications in science, industry and entertainment. While great strides have been made the ultimate goal of a fully immersive world has never actually been realised and remains tantalisingly out of reach. The difficulty lies in the interface to the human brain, due to its complexity, and the Jovian implants appear to do just that.

The brain contains around 86 billion neurons, with interconnected synapses numbering maybe 60 trillion or more. The numbers are that large and frightening. A neuron is relatively simple to simulate, it's a switch, although there are countless different types and it has weighting with experience. The firing of a neuron triggers hundreds, even thousands, of synapses and these react in different ways because of the nature of the triggers released. Synapses also react to the firing of other synapses in their local area, which makes the processes much more complicated to simulate. Even the most highly sophisticated technology available in New Eden would require an installation the size of a large city and would not operate at anything like the speed of a human brain.

The Sleeper installations in Anoikis are densely packed with processing units and use advanced materials and methodologies not really understood by New Eden science. Even they do not appear to simulate the brain, but there is a way round it.

Old time philosophers talked of mind, body and spirit, to a great extent this is true. The brain is split into two sections, often referred to as the bicameral mind, on side being the emotional centre, the other dealing with logic and problem solving, but both interconnected and also interdependent with the body as well. It processes around 3 terabytes of information a day, a lot from the environment but a significant amount is derived from within the body as well; even the kidneys have nerves. The chemical balances of the body can affect the brain and vice versa. It seems as though the Jovian design uses the mind as a processor in conjunction with the high bandwidth infomorphic interface. This group mind acts as a kind of computational cloud which interacts with the processing structures to produce a kind of consensual reality, filling in the blanks as necessary.

The body is largely switched off, or the external stimuli are ignored and replaced by those of the VRE. This has to happen, without the bodily awareness in the circuit it can destabilise the mind. At its height there were countless installations throughout Anoikis, linked through the Talocan Epicenter network. Presumably the Jovians had been working towards this for thousands of years, and who is to say the Talocan were not doing as well. The supposed disappearance of the Yan Jung could be due to them taking their research into a VRE as well. It was a substantial computational structure. There must have been external operators and many working within it on various research projects. The early efforts of the Jovians would go a long way towards explaining the exponential gains in sophistication made during the first Jovian expansion. It is not known when the Jovians encountered the Talocan, perhaps only a few did, and maybe during the course of the first expansion, or shortly after it’s collapse.

Then things might have taken a different course, likely in light of subsequent events. In order to construct an ideal society, or at least experiment to find a better way, which appears to be a constant motivation for the Talocan at least, they would have to go a different route. The Jove created embryos, from bloodline genomes, rather than sexual reproduction. If they connected an infant to the VRE, and raised it inside it, using external operators, or even some form of artificial intelligence actors then the possibilities are extra-ordinary. They could link the infant’s mind to adaptive neuromorphic arrays, which would then grow as the child did, This then gives a reproducible processing array capable of hosting a human mind or forming the basis of an artificial sapience.

Artificial intelligence is used in many applications, and is frequently misunderstood. Any program that makes a seemingly intelligent decision is deemed AI. Although the leap to something which is artificially sentient is a big step. The Rogue Drones are for the most part simple intelligences performing according to a sophisticated script of some form. Very few are actually sentient, and even those may be part of a much larger single mind. The Triglavians use the term ‘distributed artificial entities’ in speaking about them and are very cautious.

It does make sense that the Jovians used some form of AI actor within their VRE, to guide events perhaps and steer things in the right direction. From analysis of what appears to have happened, this was their downfall. If they used an array capable of sentience for their actors, then it is possible that one or more actually achieved it, and in realising their nature, also perceived the nature of the VRE. The purity of the society within the VRE relies on the inhabitants being unaware that it is a construction. Something went badly wrong. The Talocan were forced to rescue infomorphs from the VRE, there are numerous quarantine stations around Anoikis to confirm this. Quarantine because they had to make sure that the rescued infomorphs were human and not some artificial infomorph. Very much letting the genie out of the bottle.

This took place not long before the total collapse of the second Jovian expansion and the Talocan of this time might well have been calling themselves Triglavians, or were heading that way. The Jovian Sleeper installations were equipped with guardians, the Patrollers and other ships still seen today, the actors from the VRE would have had little trouble taking these over and using them against the Talocan and surviving Jovians. It would seem that they fought a defensive battle heading for the Drifter systems, then using the giant rifts to take their Kitezh, presumably into the Abyss. This was not a controlled migration, it was a rushed evacuation, who knows what they left behind, or how many were lost.

The sentients from the VRE, and the other AI were able to take over the corpses of the Jovians, it is unlikely than any actually survived, although the question still exists; did the AI achieve sentience by accident, or did someone deliberately engineer it? As with the initial settlements, they were left alone to develop naturally, to give humanity a second chance. Were there agents among the Talocan that still wanted that to happen? Whichever the case it would seem that the sentients used the knowledge within the VRE, possibly to create the feared Drifter vessels, or perhaps simply using the guardian vessels left behind, to attack the rest of the second Jovian expansion colonies in New Eden. Revenge on, maybe as they saw it, their jailers. Certainly the second Jove Empire sites were attacked from outside their sector, fighting inward to the centre. It is possible they also infiltrated the genome databases and left behind a gift, the Jovian disease, a fatal flaw in their physiology. It may never be known, the evidence points to all the Jove being dead, only leaving their remnants behind.

These then are the Sleepers, a group of autonomous defensive systems and possibly some actual artificial sentients, maybe even one or more rogue agents among them. They seem to have built more structures, looking for a way to follow their jailers, or discover their technologies. Seemingly they did in the end, the scraps of trinary data recovered from damage fleets of Drifters in New Eden revealed the first glimpses of the Abyss. It is known they were fighting in areas of the Abyss capsuleers were not able to access and the Sansha had managed to invade their as well. The Triglavians referred to them as the Ancient Enemy, but not quite as they had known them. They also linked them to the second Jove Empire quite clearly, but these were Drifters, not the Sleeper vessels they had fought originally.

The Sleepers and Drifters are therefore two facets of the same group, some of the Sleeper installations being built after the surviving Talocan and Sleeper infomorphs escaped. The Talocan installations were left in ruins, the result of the Drifters' frustration at the escape. Sites like the Mirror may be Sleeper attempts to decode the Talocan technology in order to follow them, the actual truth may never be known.

The story from that point has been well recorded elsewhere. The Talocan prospered in the Abyss, modifying their technology, and adapting, as they had done previously. Its unknown how their society evolved, although these were the descendants of people who had gone through doubtless many changes in the last fifteen thousand years. For now their invasion seems to be at an end; they are consolidating Pochven and creating Bujan, or moving Bujan to Pochven, This is indeed perhaps one of their enduring mysteries, but given their history, simple to decode.

The Narodnya live lives of Struggle, seeking to improve themselves or die trying, their pilots fight ferociously without mercy for the most part. Each success improves their ranking, as seen in the Abyssal Proving Ground contests. Presumably failures send them down the ranks and Glorification can therefore be seen as a promotion, Mortification as a demotion. For the ultimate survivors the reward appears to be the rank of Koschoi, these live in the Domain of Bujan. It is obviously a VRE of some form, a fabled pleasure garden, similar to those depicted in ancient religious texts. There they reap the rewards they have earned, outside the struggle at last. The Navka receive somewhat different treatment. Their infomorph is edited, the emotional facet of their personality removed, and what is left is hosted on some kind of processing array. They act as librarians, guarding the memories of the Triglavians, and with the addition of a personality and a script, as actors to serve the Koschoi. Both may leave the Domain of Bujan from time to time as requested, but under the names Detached and Unshackled, to undertake missions of import.

The Domain itself is probably based on the Anchorages, linked together through their conduit network. Koschoi and Navka are both able to interface with individual Narodnya it would seem, acting as information stores and advisors. Indeed the Koschoi and Navka, being beyond the Struggle are those that form the Convocation of Triglav Outside the Struggle. From the Triglavians themselves it is known that those left behind in the Abyss are the Poshlost, the unworthy, maybe they can in time redeem themselves, but for now the bulk of the Triglav care nothing for them. It is telling that now the Sansha, Angel Cartel and even DED operatives are fighting over what remains in the Abyss. There will be more developments to come.

The Triglavians have wrought great changes to the fundamental nature of space, on a scale not seen since the establishment of the affinity between New Eden and Anoikis. This in itself was almost certainly responsible for the phenomena known as the Dead Storms of Detorid, elusive, but appearing when the alignments of Anoikis connections are in a certain conjunction. It could also have been responsible for the formation of the Abyss, lost systems trapped between the folds of space. Since the Triglavians moved the Anchorages into New Eden it has become even more unstable, Metaliminal storms sweeping the fringes of the New Eden cluster, and strange clouds moving through the Abyss. So far Anoikis has been unaffected, but for how long?

One of the communications from the Triglavians showed Sansha fleets fighting in what appears to be an unknown part of the Abyss. Certainly a part nobody has been able to access, but it might be possible given the Triglavian migration. The ship building facilities were only found in the deepest pockets, and no sign of the anchorages ever found. There could be tracts of systems never seen by capsuleers, the remnants of Triglavian civilisation, archaeological sites giving clues to their origin, as well as any facilities they may have left behind. Triglavians still live in the Abyss, Poshlost, but with the capacity to achieve some form of redemption and, although Narodnya, they remain connected to the Koschoi and Navka. These must live somewhere, even have Kitezh to use as a base and some means of harvesting food and other supplies. Maybe one day these wonders will be accessible, a new frontier of exploration.

There are fifty Abyssal pockets, linked by the conduit network, that is still Triglavian controlled, possibly a number of Proving Grounds as well. The Talocan directly controlled 101 systems out of the 2499 known Anoikis systems and Pochven is comprised of only 27 New Eden systems so far. When these are consolidated the Triglavians might desire to expand. They are building up, repurposing existing stations, constructing military installations and there may well be covert research facilities being constructed. The limitations of the conduit network restrict both capsuleers and those Narodnya who are still to prove themselves, not forgetting that even now the clades still prove against each other, it the way of the Triglav. New wormholes appear in systems, mostly local to Pochven, but other areas as well and in Anoikis, and the Triglavians still come out to prove themselves against the forces of New Eden.

A further complication could be Edencom; Provost Marshal Kasiha Valkanir has amassed a great deal of power and there are rumours of political turmoil between Edencom and the Empires. They have established 53 Fortress systems, between Edencom and the Triglavians there are a further 112 systems that have been ravaged by combat. Those systems obviously still hold some interest for the Triglavians and Edencom are not likely to let them go, nor do they seem content to let the Triglavians hold Pochven. While the systems are sealed off for now there are ongoing planetary resistance operations underway from all appearances. From the history of New Eden it would not be the first time a military command has gone rogue. This conflict has already seen a number of mercenary groups emerge, even Sansha have had some kind of schism and there are questions about the Upwell Consortium outstanding.

Both Edencom and Upwell have been found to have covert research facilities out in the fringes of the cluster, how many of these remain is unknown, but the two organisations seem to be linked in some unknown way. What further developments will take place is hard to imagine but there are undercurrents even now. It is a possibility that the Empires will write off their losses and seek peace with the Triglavians which could lead to them opening the border systems of Pochven, only time will tell.

#Eve Online Tweetfleet CCP Games

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callummcgee001 · 5 years ago

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Song review of ‘Look through my eyes’ Phil Collins.

This song has always been one of my top 5 favourites for magical soundtracks. This song is an early 2000’s Disney movie: Brother bear. This engaging story shows the stubborn views of a young Inuit native named Kenai, who kills a mother bear in grief; and is transformed into a bear by the spirit of his deceased brother. I’ve linked the song below, check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfkYYa_keM

This song is an upbeat pop genre that wants to emphasise messages of life in Phil’s collins voice. The song lyrics relate to Kenai’s character ark of believing all bears are killers, and he must learn from the eyes of a bear why it’s not all black and white. This song always speaks to me due to talking about an issue of mankind that I am very passionate about, treating all life besides ourselves equally, and not to look for the things that make us different, but things we all have in common.

The pop music/rock creates a catchy beat that is meant to give hope and happiness, rather than other songs that talk about delicate topics, which usually are blues music. Phil Collins voice has a captivating ring to it, a loud soothing voice that gives life to the lyrics he’s telling us.

The lyrics ‘There’s a better place

Somewhere out there

Just take a look through my eyes

Everything changes

You’ll be amazed by what you find’

-means we should see things through the animal’s point of view; instead of dismissing those different from you and me as mindless killers, maybe we should look at ourselves, and see how our actions affect others on Earth.

Some lyrics such as:

‘There are things in life you learn,

And oh in time you’ll see

It’s out there somewhere,

It’s all waiting

If you keep believing

So don’t run

Don’t hide

It will be alright

You’ll see

Trust me

I’ll be there watching over you, Just take a look through my eyes’

These lyrics talk about how everyone should let go of their fears holding them back and go out and find the best parts of life with an open heart and mindset. It could mean go through life with a positive outlook by not letting shackles of hate and bitterness hold you down.

You can tell by listening to Phil’s bellowing vocals the song was influenced by pop and rock music to create a catchy beat alongside his tuned voice. His voice goes from encouraging and loud to a lower calmness; as if he’s talking to the listeners directly in between as the background rock pauses, this casual singing is his way of conveying to us clearly what he’s saying in the lyrics has a more significant meaning.

The message of life overall is the theme of the song:

Other lyrics from the song below:

‘There will be times on this journey,

All you’ll see is darkness,

But out there somewhere

Daylight finds you

If you keep believing

So don’t run

Don’t hide

It will be alright

You’ll see’

These lyrics quote the inevitable hardships life has install for all of us, but Phil Collins points out that no matter how bad we feel in parts of life, it won’t last forever- like a great sea, there are ups and downs its how you bounce back is what really counts.

I believe the theme of this song is Humans won’t progress until they jump down from their high horses and look at every living creature, and race around them as equals whom are worthy of love and respect.

The cultural aspect of this song is about the Inuit people who lived in Alaska, Greenland and Canada, and centres around their cultural beliefs and relationship with nature and the spirits.

#new writers society #writing #writinglove #writingcommunity #aspiring writer #newwriterblog #newwriterscommunity #Fictionlover #bookclub #bookstagram #song review

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sunnetrolls · 5 years ago

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Q to Z for Ark!!!!

Q) Did they do something extremely dangerous at some point in their life?

“I was actively stationed on another planet for ten sweeps. Times five, since I got stationed multiple times. I’d call that pretty dangerous.”

R) Is there something they wish they could do/achieve but can’t?

“Live my own fucking life. Not work fourteen hours a night. Lots of things.”

S) Is there something in their life they regret?

“Joining! The! Fucking! Military! How many times are y’all gonna make me say it, we all know by now.”

T) Do they have any siblings? Family? Loved ones?

“Siblings, no. Family, yes- my lusus. Both of my ancestors are dead. Loved ones, plenty, there’s both my mates and all my kids, adopted and biological.”

U) Are they a morning or night person?

“Both. At some point you wake up early for work enough times that you can’t stop waking up early on your days off too.”

V) Do they have a pet? What kind? If not, what kind of pet would they want?

“Does that freaky fuckin’ bird in the back tunnels count? I wouldn’t call it my pet, or really even a pet at all, since it can talk and is probably smarter than me, or mine either- it’s more Coco’s. It likes her.”

W) How would they describe themselves in 5 or less words?

“Uhh.... Fuck, hmm. Mean, tired, overworked, regretful, but also fatherly. I do my best for them.”

X) Do they have a goal in life? What is it?

“Nothing I can say out loud. You never know who might be listening in.”

Y) Is there anything in their life that’s stopping them from succeeding?

“The government.”

Z) Do they have an item that means a lot to them?

“Yeah. Quite a few. My spatha, some of my more priceless weapons and books, plus a few things I’m too shy or whatever to name.”

#arkkryen things #jesus christ grem that was a lot #the-lime-gang

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adz · 6 years ago

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hi here is my albums of the year list for 2019. i will also put it below under the break. happy nu year friends

ALBUMS I LOVED

Big Thief - U.F.O.F. & Two Hands This band has something so special. It's almost as enjoyable to hear Lenker, the primary songwriter, talk about her philosophy and her connection to her bandmates as it is to listen to their consistently wonderful and gently boundary-pushing music. I've combined these two albums into one list item because they're flip sides of the same coin: spirit and earth, ethereal and corporeal, unknown and known. If you've heard their earlier two albums, you might be put off a little: there aren't any smash hits like Masterpiece on here, nor any doomed ballads like Shark Smile. These albums are a little blurrier, shadows and gleaming bits of light floating past. At times the songs sound less like early Big Thief than they do Adrianne's solo releases: lyric focused, strange sprawling structures, a bit rougher around the edges. At these records' cores, though, the soul is the same true soul. On U.F.O.F., there are sadness-tinged love songs like Orange and an ode to a dead relationship or dead loved one, Terminal Paradise, recut from Adrienne's solo discography. On Two Hands, rollicking rockers like Forgotten Eyes and the titular track nestle up against the tender and painful Wolf and a live staple for the band, Not, a song that builds momentum and tumbles towards its conclusion like a meteor. Whether you're a devoted fan (and I don't know anyone who listens to Big Thief but doesn't consider themselves one) or a newcomer, it's worthwhile to spend some time close to these records. Let them, and they'll grow on you.

Kim Petras - TURN OFF THE LIGHT Easily the best collection of club pop songs this year began as a Halloween-themed mixtape, which I think gives it a willingness to experiment that I sometimes miss in Petras's more standard stuff. The hooks on tracks like There Will Be Blood, Close Your Eyes, and Tell Me It's a Nightmare are as good as anything in her discography, and the most adventurous moments, like the interlude o m e n and the German verse in In the Next Life, not only pay off but fuck harder than basically anything I've ever heard. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Dr. Luke was one of this record's producers. The fact that he gets a cut of every stream and sale is a terrible blemish on what would otherwise be a huge favorite of mine.

Sufjan Stevens & Timo Andres - The Decalogue A forceful, sometimes opaque album. Delicate and opinionated piano music for ballet. One moment of particular transcendent beauty: the track V.

Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising A 10/10, perfect, totally wonderful album. A ton of variety and not a single bad song. By turns upbeat, dreamy, contemplative, creepy, explosive. One of the most beautiful and evocative album covers of the year to boot.

Andrew Bird - My Finest Work Yet I appreciate Andrew Bird's esoteric trips and darkly introspective weirdness, so it surprised me how much I enjoyed this: a bouncy, ascerbic, and delightful return to form packed with ironic turns of phrase and endlessly engrossing little musical details. Bloodless is a legit political statement, a State of the Union address that is somehow equal parts ominous and encouraging. Sisyphus is freewheeling and also political, a common thread here. My favorite is Manifest, a disco-inflected ode to fossil fuels. You could blast it and joyfully sing along without ever realizing how apocalyptic it is.

Nivhek - After its own death / Walking in a spiral towards the house Moody, spacious, and minimalist. Lovely and meditative.

M83 - DSVII A world all of its own. Cinematic, strange, and cheesy. I really appreciate M83's willingness to do absolutely whatever they want when they could easily have made a career pandering to fans of Midnight City and selling songs to car companies. DSVII is spacious and upbeat, steeped in the memory of 70s space western epics. Flutes, pianos, and shimmering picked guitars float over crashing post-rock drums and synths ranging from contemplative sweeps (Mirage) and buzzing pads (Colonies) to swelling vox (Taifun Glory) and precise, retro little bleeps (Oh Yes You're There, Everyday). It's wonderful background music, and the choice tracks (Temple of Sorrow, Mirage, Hell Riders) are great fun and even occasionally thrilling. This album is easy to love.

Thom Yorke - Anima Detuned synths lying motionless in a cold desert fading in and out of life

Foxes in Fiction - Trillium Killer A swirling dream-pop masterpiece. I had the privilege of seeing Warren perform some of these songs earlier this year, and I felt totally transported, like I was physically present in the green holographic world of his back-stage projections. These songs are complex and really special, crafted with care and an ear highly attuned to odd harmonies and little additive details. I love the way stories and thoughts weave together across the album. The catchy, gently swelling music is a brilliant compliment for the lyrics, which are often dark and intense, blurring the political and personal on songs like Say Yes to Violence and Antibody. Aesthetically, this album is a delight, but there's so much depth beneath its glimmering surface. What a wonderful addition to Foxes in Fiction's powerful and lovely discography.

Xiu Xiu - Girl with Basket of Fruit Xiu Xiu always makes me smile. This album is dense and abrasive and very lyrics-forward. Jamie Stewart sounds fucking pissed and I love it. The beats are quick and unrelenting: samples of Haitian drummers led by musician Daniel Brevil. I also can't get over the fact that Angela Seo published her favorite and least favorite lyrics from each song. Jamie wrote this about the record's title, which references Caravaggio's painting Boy with a Basket of Fruit: "When this title is a boy it is fey and lovely. When it is a girl is worrisome and rife with danger. Male martyrs are almost always surrounded by nurses, their mothers, adoring angels and other loving disciples wrapping their crushed and holy bodies in strips of herb soaked cloth and weeping rapturously. Female martyrs are almost always depicted having their skin flayed, breasts branded or ripped off with tongs or being stabbed and they are always, always alone save for her murderers. There is never anyone by their sides celebrating their spiritual life, only fiendishly reveling in their torture of her. It is perilous to be a 'girl.'"

Bats - Alter Nature I was shocked to find out these guys have been around for 10 years. This sounds like an album by a young band, which I mean as a compliment: it's energetic and rough and a little uneven in parts in ways that I enjoy. The sound is either especially intense but poppy post-punk or kind of gentle hardcore. I think there's a lot of crossover potential between those two fan bases here. Their attitude is what I love more than anything else. I don't know how to describe it exactly. It feels like the band are willing to go to weird, sarcastic places and then quickly snap back to sincerity and brutality, often multiple times in one song. I'm not much of a hardcore fan, but I almost wish they'd spent a little more time with that sound: my favorite parts on this record are the heavier bits like the end of Current Affairs.

Olivia Neutron-John - Olivia Neutron-John This album sounds like if you trapped a musique concrete artist in a timeless hell with a couple drum machines and synths for a millenium and then poked a hole in the wall and recorded what came out. Really fun and uncomfortable. I do still think the best format to experience ONJ is in her like 20-minute rambling dance tracks, like 2017's Injury Train.

Liturgy - H.A.Q.Q. A lot of people really despise Liturgy, and if that's the case for you, this album probably won't change your mind, but for what it's worth, it's a little more accessible than their synth-horn-heavy black metal midi extravaganza of a previous album The Ark Work. H.A.Q.Q. does contain weird, tonally distinct interludes (the EXACO trio of tracks) between its transcendental metal pillars, but they're the rare interludes that go beyond merely cleansing the palette and setting the mood for whatever follows. EXACT III especially is a bright and emotionally complete unit. What we're really here for is the metal, though, and this album delivers like nothing Liturgy has released before. Composer/singer/guitarist Hendrix's melodies are unique and beautiful, the riffs and blastbeats are tight, and the stuttering glitches that break up dense passages are welcome even when they're really surprising. HAJJ, PASAQALIA, GOD OF LOVE, and HAQQ are all monster tracks, but the whole album is well worth your time. The lead single, GOD OF LOVE, is a great place to start. This is definitely, easily my favorite black metal album of all time, and probably my favorite metal album full stop.

Blood Orange - Angel's Pulse Dev Hynes' mixtape is by turns propulsive and relaxing, softspoken and hardheaded. It's brilliant and beautiful and although it's not too long, each song is given ample room to breathe. I wish other artists were as effective at utilizing guest artists (some tracks here have three guests, and Hynes is able to manage their time well enough that there's no feeling of bloatedness or a lack of cohesion). I love this album. It might be my favorite thing Hynes has ever done. Listen to: Take It Back, Berlin, Dark & Handsome

Toro y Moi - Outer Peace Chaz's album Boo Boo was one of my favorite albums of 2017, but because it wasn't chillwave enough or whatever, people didn't seem to give it a fair shake. That seems to be the case with Outer Peace, too: it's less of a single unit than Boo Boo and contains more danceable content, but it's a little too moody and eccentric to win over fans of Anything In Return, Chaz's basically perfect 2013 opus. (As a side note, his mixtape Soul Trash, which also came out this year, is good fun too.) Anyway, Outer Peace feels kind of like a more accessible extension of Boo Boo. Parts of it still feel like a deranged early-morning exercise program on college radio, which I like. Try some of the lighter stuff first: Fading, Ordinary Pleasure, and Freelance.

Opium Lord - Vore No genre has better subgenre descriptors than metal. This is a black sludge album, and that's pretty much all you need to know.

Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling Okay so this album technically came out in 2018, but it had a wide release this year on Topshelf Records with like four different wax colors, and also I only found out about it early this year, and I need to spread the word about one of the most delightful, fun, and beautiful albums I've ever heard. On Crumbling, organic strums and synthetic trills form a deeply engaging tapestry. I love every second of it. Combining sounds in this way totally qualifies as left-field experimental shit just because It Seems Like Nobody Else Is Doing It For Some Reason (except I guess Floating Points, see SOTY), but the music itself is actually really accessible. This is what pop music should sound like! We have the technology!! Please listen to this album. Dirt and Gameun Deut are my favorites at the moment, but you honestly can't go wrong.

Angel Olsen - All Mirrors Olsen's gotten grander. Her ballads are longer and involve strings and synthesizers and beat machines. The soul feels the same to me, though. Songs like the title track are powerful and emotive and showcase not just her vocal range but a new range of sonic experimentation that I think complements her songwriting really well. For those who aren't on board with the 7-minute ballads, there are also more lighthearted tracks like Too Easy and Spring. I knew that Chance reminded me of a specific song, but I couldn’t think of the name until I read something by a person named Grimelords about how it’s like her version of Sinatra's My Way. That’s exactly what it’s like.

Girl Band - The Talkies Shoulderblades is an ugly, mammoth, multi-part story. Brilliant genreless repetition like in album opener Prolix and at the end of Couch Combover. Amygdela sounds like if early Preoccupations was fronted by someone undergoing torture whilst also muttering at their withdrawal hallucinations. The vibe here is complex. It's a very consistent album, but the collection of sounds and attitudes is really unusual. Caveat is a great example: a simple beat and twitching synth line turns into a lumbering mess of distortion-and back again, whenever it decides to-at will.

0 Stars - Blowing on a Marshmallow in Perpetuity Timid singing, odd titles, and every-instrument-in-the-room textures on this album belie depth and a very warm heart. "even though my dog barked at a baby, i won't tell her 'no' cause that's just the way she deals with being scared and sometimes i get scared too, and it's bad enough without the shame when i mess things up and you don't come over, i go to the kitchen and eat leftovers just because i'm sad doesn't mean it is fair to depend on you when you're sad too"

(Sandy) Alex G - House of Sugar With Gretel—the best song of the year—as its lead single, House of Sugar set an impossibly high expectation. Although Gretel is certainly a high point on the album, there are many more: Hope is inconspicuous but beautiful, honest, and cathartic, SugarHouse is a devastating jam, and Southern Sky whirls comfortingly from a rose-tinted verse into a chorus supposedly inspired by a dream and tinged with sadness. All but one of these songs are under 4 minutes long, but they're packed with conflict between abstract and concrete lyrics, beauty and strangeness. It's Alex G, so don't be surprised by the unexpected and often outright weird electronic flourishes and transitions throughout the record, but if you can handle its irregularities, this is easily one of the most fresh-sounding and enjoyable albums of the year.

Emily Reo - Only You Can See It A bright, fun, and beautiful album full of bouyant vocals and strange twists and turns. Although I deeply love the poppy stuff here (like the anthemic single Strawberry), my faves are the slower, darker, vaguely occultish songs: Ghosting, Counterspell (a shimmering sequel to 2016's Spell, one of the best songs of the year), and In Theaters, which is one of those songs that builds and builds and then has the most satisfying payoff. It might be my favorite ending of any album this year. I hope you check this one out. Emily is the coolest and this album rocks.

Chromatics - Closer To Grey Of course this came out in October. Chromatics is the only band that is allowed to use canned vinyl hiss. The first song on this record is a Sound of Silence cover and it is amazing.

Mizmor - Cairn I try to approach new music without giving too much thought to the circumstances of its creation, but something about the idea of a mythical lone individual painstakingly crafting beautiful layered music appeals to me, whether it's Phil Elverum of Mt. Eerie, Sufjan Stevens, or this: Mizmor, some dude from Portland, OR making sick, dense black metal. Cairn is a slow, doomy, cinematic album, and maybe these qualities make it easier to notice the incredible attention to detail on individual riffs or little instrumental passages. My favorites were Cairn to God and The Narrowing Way

Laura Agnusdei - Laurisilva Lounge music from hell. Twin Peaks-y saxophone glides over squishy synthetic beats. Lungs Dance sounds like a block of jello having a nightmare. In all seriousness, this is an ingenious and very unique album and I enjoy it a lot. A lot of music I listened to this year attempted to merge organic and synthetic sound in a way that emphasises their similarities. Here, synthetic sounds and recognizable voices/samples/sax & flute riffs are juxtaposed, and the rift is never bridged. And it's weirdly comfortable. This is the most acidic of acid jazz. And honestly, I just really like how wet the synths sound.

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SONGS I LOVED (singles for albums that i think outshone the album OR songs that were released not as part of an album OR just songs i heard and enjoyed. this will hopefully prevent me from including an album i don't actually love just because i really dug one song on it)

Arthur Russell - You Did It Yourself Iowa Dream is a great collection of Russell's more accessible unreleased work. You Did It Yourself in particular is such a perfectly weird, groovy almost-pop song, a reminder that Russell was as talented a writer of hooks as he was a mastermind of electroacoustic experimentation. To explore his other side, check out another of his posthumous releases from this year, Not Checking Up.

MGMT - In The Afternoon A gothic post-punk masterpiece that sort of follows from their excellent 2018 album Little Dark Age. This is MGMT's best era ever. My most-anticipated-2020 list is basically MGMT and Owen Pallett's Island. And probably one or two more Big Thief records.

Floating Points - Falaise Floating Points' 2019 album Crush consists mostly of Aphex-Twin-y glitch-beat tracks that occasionally push towards something really interesting and unique. It's a great album, but the organic instruments on opener Falaise set you up brilliantly for an organosynthetic payoff that never arrives.

Honey by Drugdealer/Weyes Blood okay, Lonely on the same album is fun, if a little silly. Lost In My Dream is also totally decent, and Fools is kind of a bop... actually, this whole album, while not totally my cup of tea, is great. If you like 70's-disco-inflected (like, Bee Gees) retro rock, sweet vocal harmonies and guitar licks, and a few indulgences (like saxophone), you'll totally dig this record. I'm gonna spend some more time with it. Honey fucks especially though imo

Everything All at Once - G Jones Something about this song just scratches an itch in my brain. The rest of this album is basically dubstep, and it all sandwiches this one beautiful little song. Better not to question life's gifts.

Perfume Genius - Eye in the Wall Sandunes & Landslands - Eleven Eleven James Blake - Barefoot In The Dark new grimes unfortunately Deafheaven - Black Brick

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Honorable Mentions/stuff i like but other people would probably love

Kim Gordon - No Home Record An experimental (but comfortably modern) record by the 66-yr-old Gordon, best known as a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist in Sonic Youth, a band I occasionally appreciate but can't say I love. Parts of No Home Record are noise rock-y, like Murdered Out, and others totally defy comprehension: Paprika Pony seems to have the most buzz surrounding it, which makes sense since it features both a kalimba and a trap beat. Really not a resting-on-laurels type of album. I wish more iconic older musicians made shit like this.

Pharmakon - Devour The rare album that makes me forget about my tinnitus. A dense cloud of distortion and sharply biting microscopic needle creatures that settle around your shoulders and block out all light. Fucking awesome. Listen if you enjoy oppressive painfully pulsing sound textures of industrial noise blanketing completely incoherent screaming.

clipping. - There Existed an Addiction to Blood This is a tough one for me because there are things about this album I can't stand, but many more things I absolutely love. The inventiveness of the production on Run for Your Life, Daveed's absurdly skilled delivery on Blood of the Fang, the harsh noise and musique concrete combining delightfully with rap on songs like La Mala Ordina; all of this is extremely exciting. I really love the last track Piano Burning, an 18-minute recording of, yes, a piano burning. The thing is, clipping.'s lyrical content is more or less the same here as on 2013's Midcity mixtape. It's ultra-violent, filled with graphic descriptions of gang violence and torture, which is fine, but just not something I'm that interested in listening to more than once or twice. They've branched out elsewhere (on their previous album, Splendor & Misery, and on the recent EP The Deep), but to me, it's unfortunate that this super cool and thoughtful album is lyrically (at least, on the surface) just a collection of descriptions of people being murdered. I don't really have any interest in reading more into it than that, because I regret pretty much every time I try to pay close attention, either because it's gross and boring or because it's embarrassing (The Show, for example). I want to emphasize that as horrorcore goes, the writing here is mostly very good. The rhyme patterns like at the beginning of Story 7 are genius. It's just not for me, I guess. I'm gonna keep listening to a few songs, though: Nothing is Safe, La Mala Ordina, Run for Your Life, and Blood of the Fang are excellent.

Field Whispers - Fire-Toolz The Warm-Body is a great song. Hyphen- (and parenthesis-) heavy vapor/pc music/new age/ambient jazzy synth stuff. really nice.

Caroline Polachek - Pang every r/indieheads dude: i like slide guitar now probably the best vocal performance of any album I heard this year, Polachek is just ludicrously good. listen to Insomnia

Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿ When most artists release an album of outsized acclaim, you can with some certainty expect them to mimic its acclaimed qualities later on in an attempt to reach the same level of success. Danny Brown is not most artists, though, and no one who knows him would count on a retreading of the ground covered in Atrocity Exhibition, Danny's nearly perfect 2016 album. uknowhatimsayin¿ is more lighthearted and, I think, a little less ambitious (it's 13 minutes shorter, with more consistent track lengths; there's no "Really Doe"), but not to its detriment. The features are less head-turning than AE (up-and-comers JPEGMAFIA and Obongjayer, the understated genius Blood Orange, and Run the Jewels, the most overrated act in hip hop), but they all fit in neatly. Tracks like Belly of The Beast and Negro Spiritual prove Danny could still rap over a washing machine or musique concrete or fucking whatever. The lyrics are less dense, the beats less experimental and strange, but the lighter energy is kind of nice. Atrocity Exhibition could've lost three or four tracks, but this album feels juuuust right.

HTRK - Over the Rainbow Soft, ambient, moody. Reminds me of William Basinski's Watermusic II, but this album is less repetitive and a little less weird. It's background music for people who hate background music. It's delightful and ignorable. Very nice.

Blarf - Cease & Desist Shockingly decent plunderphonics/noise album from Eric Andre, who it must be pointed out attended one of the most prestigious music colleges in the world.

Ryan Lott - Pentaptych Beautiful, prickly modernist string compositions.

Cereal Killer - The Beginning & End of Cereal Killer Empath - Active Listening: Night on Earth Ithaca - The Language of Injury Mannequin Pussy - Patience Swan's Chamber - Swan's Chamber Avey Tare - Cows on Hourglass Pond Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz Charli XCX - Charli Black Midi - Schlagenheim Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka Methyl Ethyl - Triage Bill Callahan - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center Twin Peaks - Lookout Low Holly Herndon - Proto Laurel Halo - DJ-Kicks Earl Sweatshirt - Feet of Clay Nihiloxica - Biiri Wet Fruit - Wet Fruit

Best mix: Night Bus 4: Memory of Night Bus by CFCF When Hyperballad hits, you will understand. http://www.gorillavsbear.net/cfcf-drops-night-bus-4-memory-of-night-bus

Best album name:

Gross Net - Gross Net Means Gross Net.

Answers my foremost question immediately.~~~~~

A halfhearted AOTD list, in order this time

1-The Age of Adz

2-Heartland

3-Entrañas

4-The Money Store

5-Channel Orange

6-Planetarium

7-Ontario Gothic

8-Konoyo+Anoyo (this is cheating but whatever)

9-Carrie & Lowell + Greatest Gift (also cheating idc)

10-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

thanks for reading. the world is abundant.

#music

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