#when did it become this Big Important Serious Artist event. Because when I first heard about it it was like.

[anothermonikan]

I coulda sworn artfight got into some trouble last year but the only thing I can find is like. a forum post that seems to be a buncha personal discord drama which doesn't seem that important but. whatever. maybe I can just dislike a thing without moral cause but I just coulda sworn something happened.

[yv-sketches]

I've the how to your dragon series and the wizards of once books. Any recommendations for books to read that are similar?

Thank you so much for this question!! 😊

I’ll do my best to answer, however, English is not my native language, so I am not super familiar with the Great Middle Grade series that undoubtably exist. I also read too many non fiction books when I was younger

Here are a few books/book series I found enjoyable in a similar way. (The list is not super long and none of them feature dragons, sorry.)

Most of these are more like twoo, because they’re really good but can’t touch Cressida’s masterpiece. I cannot think of ANY book series that can compare to httyd’s philosophical three way war and grand finale.

(Click read more for a list of half baked book recommendations by me XD)

1 ~ The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole - Michelle Cuevas

This is a stand alone that could easily be “How to take care for a pet black hole” written by Hiccup. It’s a short book, but it has the exact same dry and clever humour and becomes truly meaningful further into the story. The ending is bittersweet too.

This is probably the book I think has the most similar atmosphere to httyd. If you could collapse the emotions from httyd into 200 pages, this would be the closest matching result.

2 ~ Percy Jackson - Or literally anything by Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan is iconic and the only one who could win a ‘chapter title battle’ from Cressida. Examples: “My sword has a better social life than I do” or “A God buys us cheeseburgers” I am very ashamed to admit I have only read the first Percy Jackson book (I really should read the rest, you may sue me for not reading this iconic series) but I really liked it and from what I heard about the rest of the series it only gets better.

At least one crazy adventure each book, plenty of swordfights and a snappy protagonist to comment on everything. I’m not sure how to describe it accurately, but these books are written with the same hilarious tone as Cressida’s. You can read them out loud and they’d be funny I guess?

Also: Main characters with ADHD and dyslexia (looking at you Wish and Xar), characters from different countries, cultures and LGBT characters who have storylines outside of that characteristic. If you liked vikings, Magnus Chase is his triology about demigod children of Norse gods (though long series probably won’t bother you as httyd book fan).

3 ~ Cogheart - Peter Bunzl

These books are fun steampunk adventures. The setting is vaguely historical, but with victorians instead of vikings, pesky adults who don’t listen to children very well and an unusual pet companion. There’s also a secondary storyline about how beings with human intelligence are treated as lesser, and it’s treated important enough without overshadowing the main plot.

I’ve read the first two and so far it’s a series where you can read each book separate (though the first few httyd books could also be read as separates). There are two more and perhaps the secondary citizen issue will end up being the overarching plot?

4 ~ How to Become King - Jan Terlouw

The clue is in the title. The main character wants to become king, but has to complete 7 impossible tasks first. It does not get more straightforward than that.

The book does not have Cressida’s ridiculous humour, but the main character is Pure Good like Hiccup and each impossible quest actually has a lot of depth to it. A big part of the story emphasizes how humility and kindness are the things that make a good king. It’s a pretty old book and probably the most unknown one on this list.

5 ~ The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars - Jaclyn Moriarty

(I own a signed copy of this and the author was so nice) It is the second book set in this world, but with new characters. She said it can be read on its own, but perhaps it could be a bit confusing if you haven’t read the first. I hadn’t read the first and I was confused.

The absolute highlight of this book was the narration. There are two narrators who take turn narrating, and while doing so they comment on each other. They argue with each other and quip about how they do a better job narrating. It makes you feel like you’re part of the story too, similarly how Hiccup addresses the reader and comments on his younger self.

6 ~ Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer

Did anybody say fiendishly clever plan? When it comes to cheating death and trickery, Artemis Fowl is Hiccup and Xar’s long lost sibling. Except.... he is not as nice. To quote Camicazi: “You see, [I] have no morals at all. It's very useful...”

Where Hiccup was a Pure Cinnamon Roll and Xar an emotional hotheaded disaster, Artemis is a straight up bastard who cares for only four (4) people in total.

It’s very reminiscent of the earlier httyd books. Silly schemes, potty humour and characters that walk a fine line between likeable and annoying. I have not read the entire series yet, but the characters slowly mature with each book.

7 ~ Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

This is more of a twisted fairytale like twoo and not a fantasy epic like httyd. It’s the story of a girl on an impossible quest in a fantasy world. There are a lot of fairytale tropes, but I really liked how the extremely complex kingdom fit into one book.

It’s the only book on this list where different languages are a major plot point, and there is an inequality problem with some creatures, similar to the wild dragons in httyd. The ending can’t compare to the satisfying yet bittersweet solution of book 12. It’s a fairytale happily ever after and certainly easier on the heart than httyd.

? ~ Anything by Roald Dahl

Everyone knows Roald Dahl, which is why this is probably an useless recommendation. His books are funny, crazy and sometimes a bit grim, but always great. What else can I say?

? ~ The gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue - Mackenzi Lee

Ok, this one is by no means a middle grade book. More like 15+. (There is violence and romance is a major plotline. Both the violence and romance are 15+, and while I did not find it too bad, it might not be for everyone)

However, it has almost all of the ingredients of a Cressida book. I really felt like I should include it because it belongs somewhere high on this list! On the surface it’s a whacky adventure with a sassy protagonist in a somewhat historical fantasy setting. Below that surface, it deals with major issues in an absolutely beautiful way.

The quotes are artistic, and this is the ONLY ya book I’ve ever read with messages that hit as hard and are written as subtly as the ones in the httyd books. (I have read books more beautiful, and books with greater messages than this one, but the serious parts were woven into the story in such a refined way.... I’ve only read that in Cressida’s books.)

Mind you, the protagonist is more of a Disaster Boy ™ than Xar and I wanted to slap him sometimes. Like Xar, he learns and gets better.

~

A few other books I should mention

Coraline by Neil Gaiman. The story is not similar to httyd and twoo at. all. which is why it’s not on the list. However, this is the ultimate book about not-so-great parents. Hiccup and the entire twoo gang can relate. Just a heads up: this is a somewhat scary story. Cressida doesn’t shy away from suspense and terrifying details, but in Coraline, the suspense is one of the main aspects.

A series of unfortunate events from Lemony Snicket. I haven’t read this, but I still want to. From what I’ve heard it’s a sarcastic adventure series that’s a lot more serious than it looks.

I have never read this series either, I do not even know what it’s about, but I’ve heard people from the httyd books fandom talk about it: Keeper of the lost cities by Shannon Messenger.

~

I hope this list was the kind of answer you were hoping for!

If you are looking for better recommendations, there are a lot of httyd book fans who can give you some, like @books-are-like-dragons @thefellowshipofthedragonmark @httydbooks-doodler .

[peppersjam]

My Top 10 Albums of 2019

2019 presented me with a handful of incredible events and memories (I turned 30, I got married, etc.), while also serving me a big challenge (my partner is temporarily living on the other side of the country). In a poetic world, these things would have a significant impact on the music that I listened to and loved, but no, not really. This year is pretty on the nose for me, music-wise. Oh, except that I got really into Taylor Swift in the second half of the year.

Before we hop into boring Steve's boring top 10 list, let's revisit the 2018 list. The only album on the list that I barely listened to in 2019 was Cardi's Invasion of Privacy. Everything else gets at least semi-regular spins, although I'd elevate Historian, boygenius, and Big Red Machine above these others.

My biggest disappointment this year was Charli XCX's CHARLI, which is a solid album, but it didn't grab me nearly as much as Pop 2 did a couple years ago. It hasn't stuck in my rotation.

Runners up:

Bon Iver - "i,i" (I love it when I listen to it, but for some reason I'm not often compelled to listen to it)

Ariana Grande - "thank u, next" (Staple of early 2019, but fell off)

Carly Rae Jepsen - "Dedicated" (Great, but I'd rather listen to E•MO•TION)

Taylor Swift - "Lover" (Some true standout tracks, like Lover and Paper Rings, but too many cloyboys and CRJ rip-offs)

Weyes Blood - "Titanic Rising" (I could see this growing on me over the years, like a Radiohead record)

And the pre-2019 albums that should've made my respective yearly lists:

Beyoncé - "4" (2011)

Beyoncé - "BEYONCE" (2013)

Big Thief - "Capacity" (2017)

Big Thief - "Masterpiece" (2016)

Perfume Genius - "No Shape" (2017)

Snail Mail - "Lush" (2018)

Taylor Swift - "Red" (2012)

10. Big Thief – U.F.O.F

Early in the year, I "discovered" Big Thief. I don't know how I missed them before. Specifically, the song "Masterpiece" got right up in my brain and has been hanging out there since. Then Big Thief gave us U.F.O.F. which was yet another great Big Thief album. See #3 below.

9. Andrew Bird – My Finest Work Yet

Look, I'll stop putting Andrew Bird records on my end-of-year lists when he stops making them.

Andrew Bird turned a corner with the release of Are You Serious where he basically acknowledged that he was now going to work with other people and write scrutable songs. It was a good album, but My Finest Work Yet refines this Andrew Bird 2.0 and delivers some of his... finest work yet ("Sisyphus," "Manifest," "Olympians"). While I still prefer earlier Andrew Bird (A Nervous Tic Motion into Fake Palindromes into Measuring Cups... my gosh, that's 10 incredible minutes of music), I understand why he's moved on to something else.

8. JPEGMAFIA – All My Heroes Are Cornballs

I've been in a rap rut. Kanye is putting out self-indulgent gospel albums. Chance and Drake are boring now. JAY Z is working with the NFL.

But the rut is mostly a lack of imagination on my part. There's a lot of rap out there that hasn't made it through my naive filter, and I want to seek more of it out in 2020. Case in point: JPEGMAFIA. He's weird, political, funny... all the things that the aforementioned rappers aren't (or at least, aren't anymore). All My Heroes Are Cornballs is the most hypnotic rap album I've listened to in years. The glitchy beats and effortless flow makes it impossible to turn off mid-album.

7. BROCKHAMPTON – Ginger

GINGER is a proper follow-up to the SATURATION trilogy. While Iridescence had some good tracks on it, the overall experience was jarring (not without reason, given what the group was going through with Ameer). GINGER reads (ok, plays) like an album in a way that the Saturations never did. While it may be spiritually linked to the Satursation, it's a complete departure sonically. Even though it's more constrained and less bombastic than their hits from that era, it feels much bigger and, ahem, More Important. That might not be to the taste of some of their fans, but I'm happy to have both versions of BROCKHAMPTON in my music library.

6. Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!

Music publications couldn't get over the fact that on NFR!, Lana, yes LANA DEL REY, was wordsmithing at a high level. Is it that hard to believe that someone would become a better poet as they gained more life experiences, inching closer to the mystical 10,000 hours? Some of the praise may have gone a little overboard (and, frankly, seems rooted in a narrow, misogynistic view of Who Can Do Music Good™️™️™️), but I agree with the underlying principle of the praise: that this is a collection of well written and well performed songs. It has my favorite album closer of the year, "Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have - but I Have It." I get chills just thinking about it.

5. Clairo – Immunity

I enjoyed my first listen.

On my second listen, I wondered if it was maybe too simple. I didn't listen again for several months.

But then, when I was working from Pittsburgh the week before Christmas, I listened again. And I couldn't stop listening. It's simpler music than many of the albums on this list, but it appeals to me for the same reason I had a fixation with Snail Mail's Lush this year: it's incredible that songs that sound so "simple" (and I truly do not mean simple in an insulting way) can still be different than anything we've heard before, and can still transfix us in new ways. Behold ye, the power of combinatorics!

4. Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride

Channel Orange to Blonde was 4 years. There's nothing you can do to get your favorite artists to make music faster. There's some beauty in that... that if an artist is financially successful enough, they don't need to rush.

Modern Vampires of the City to Father of the Bride was 6 years (i.e., 20% of my lifetime). But at least there are no duds here, and "Harmony Hall" might sneak into my hypothetical favorite-songs-of-all-time pantheon.

3. Big Thief – Two Hands

Oh, but then a few months later, Big Thief gave us another album. They started working on it right after they finished U.F.O.F, which tracks based on every interview I've read with Adrianne Lenker. She talked about the insane touring and album release schedule they've been on in the past four years, but her point wasn't "I'm getting tired," but rather "let's see if I can do this forever." I saw them play at The Fillmore after they released Two Hands and I got the sense that Adrianne has to make and perform music. She was uncomfortable engaging in the standard nearly-identical pleasantries that artists share with the audience. She was shy. She was surprised to find that we were hanging on her every word and chord. It was relatable. She's the closest to a genius I've seen in an indie rock band in the last several years, although I'm sure she'd hate anyone calling her that.

That genius produced Two Hands, an affecting indie rock record that practically demands that you close your eyes because you need to experience it and only it.

2. Tyler, the Creator – IGOR

This year, I listened to IGOR over and over again. The hooks, verses, beats, and vibe are all infectious. Boring Steve says "hey, look, it's just a great album." I don't have a deeper thought about it. I eagerly await Tyler's next project.

1. Nilüfer Yanya – Miss Universe

This year, like 2009 a decade ago, was an exciting year to be an indie rock fan. Vampire Weekend and Bon Iver cemented their elder ("elder") statesperson statuses, Big Thief came into their own as a true force of nature, and acts like Clairo and Nilüfer made me extremely jazzed about the Ghost of Indie Future.

Nilüfer has a unique and delightful voice that punches through some really fun songwriting and arrangements. Like, what a dumb, awesome lyric:

Although I cannot tell if I'm paranoid

Or it's all in my head, it's all in my head

Miss Universe is her debut full-length album, and it's a lovable and off-kilter thesis statement for what I assume will be a lovable and off-kilter music career. I can better explain why some of the other albums on this list are great, but suffice it to say, the system rewards unique performances.

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 127: Are You My Dad?

“This might be serious.”

Those of y’all that check out my episode rankings at the end of every post know that my favorite “normal” episode of Steven Universe (so not Steven and the Stevens or Hit the Diamond, which are in their own category of perfect character studies) isn’t Lion 3 or Alone Together or Jailbreak or The Answer or Mr. Greg or Mindful Education. And, spoiler alert, it won’t be Jungle Moon or A Single Pale Rose or Reunited or Change Your Mind. It’s Mirror Gem. 

So it’s not a shocker that I’m drawn to another episode that’s the beginning of a two-parter closing out the first half of a fifty-odd episode chunk, which starts out goofy but grows increasingly ominous and ends in a confrontation with a new blue Gem. In terms of tone, Are You My Dad? is an incredible exercise in tension, albeit one that benefits from two prior episodes’ cliffhangers in a way Mirror Gem manages without (but to be fair, Mirror Gem arrives when we still don’t know there are other Gems, which gives its mystery a major advantage).

The silly beginning here is strengthened by the return of all three original Crystal Gems, who haven’t been in a room together since Rocknaldo. They’re increasingly out of focus as we get into more Steven-centric storytelling, and I’ve heard this lobbed as a criticism of latter-day Steven Universe; while I agree that these characters are terrific and am always down to see more of them, I can appreciate that their big moment is Act II (Seasons 2/3), and Steven’s is Act III (Seasons 4/5). If Act I is about creating Steven’s universe, and Act II is about developing Steven’s family, it’s because Act III, which the other two have been building towards this whole time, is about Steven.

Episodes like Storm in the Room and Lion 4 fundamentally don’t work with the Crystal Gems around, and our last two episodes place Steven among Beach City citizens to prime us for a finale about Beach City paying for Steven’s past. So I get why we haven’t seen the trio as a whole for a while. But I sure am glad to see them again.

Amethyst’s offer of beans and suggestion to barter them for donuts is great, but come on, nothing beats Garnet and Pearl’s sand castle. I love glimpses into the Crystal Gems’ leisure time independent of Steven (he’s around, but clearly wasn’t involved with the construction): because the Gems are so often characterized in relation to Steven and/or in big personal ways, it’s a pleasant change of pace to just see them reading the paper in Watermelon Steven or assembling furniture in Shirt Club. Doug Out and The Good Lars are celebrations of the mundane tainted by the supernatural in their last moments, so it’s perfect to ease us into this new story with more slice-of-life lazing.

Still, this beach day is a backdrop for Steven wondering where his mail is (in the first of many callbacks, we get his Mr. Postman song from all the way back in Cheeseburger Backpack). On its own this might not be a big deal, but we know that Onion and Sadie were being stalked by new Gems and that Lars didn’t show up at the potluck (which, for now, we can lump in with other disappearances), so even though Steven doesn’t know anything sinister is afoot, Jamie’s absence sets off warning bells for us. 

The scenes that follow build dread with masterful efficiency. First we get an uncharacteristically worried Sour Cream, which stands out even more than normal because we just saw him behaving as usual in The Good Lars. His concern is tempered by fun visuals: our MISSING poster is a repurposed WANTED poster, and we get a neat flashback aesthetic as Onion’s haunts are seen as if through an old-school View-Master (calling back to Onion Gang, Arcade Mania, and Onion Friend). While the audience knows new Gems are to blame, Steven is able to write this off as another weird Onion thing, and is more disappointed than concerned when he hears the Big Donut is closed.

Even now, Steven thinks things are probably fine, assuming Lars and Sadie are blowing off work to watch scary movies (calling back to Horror Club and The New Lars). It’s here where we’re introduced to the most clever element of this first act: Barb Miller. She’s connected to Sadie, so she can reveal that her daughter never came home after the potluck, but is also connected to Jamie, who she sent out that morning with Steven’s package. And she’s overprotective enough that she doesn’t make rationalizations like Sour Cream and Steven did for Onion (although she does reference Island Adventure, finally acknowledging how weird it is that three kids went missing for days and nobody seemed to care). In one fell stroke, Steven realizes that this is an alarming pattern, and starts looking for answers at last.

But he still hasn’t caught up to us. Sure, he knows his friends are missing, but he hasn’t seen the looming shadows from the end of Doug Out and The Good Lars, so when he comes across Aquamarine he has no reason to suspect her of kidnapping. A lesser show might build suspense making its characters too thick to put obvious hints together, but Steven Universe makes it clear that none of these threads are obvious to Steven. A more cynical version of the character might deduce earlier that this new Gem is bad news, but despite everything he’s been through in Season 4 he’s still empathetic to his core. After all, the pivotal event of this season was his own dad’s disappearance, so he’s primed to help a kid in a similar situation.

But finally, after knowing more than Steven from the beginning of the episode, Aquamarine asks the titular question and brings us back into the unknown with him. “Are you my dad?” is a brilliantly weird question: of course it’s odd for anyone to ask this of Steven when the answer is so self-evident, but it’s even odder for a Gem to do so. As Steven later tells Connie when she suggests the stranger might be a hybrid, this is a full Gem, and Gems don’t have dads.

Steven’s council of Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Connie shows that his instinct isn’t to go it alone, lending weight to his solo sacrifice at the end of this two-parter. But for now, it offers a moment of respite by reveling in the artistic differences of these characters; on the one hand, it makes little sense for Steven to not just draw Aquamarine himself, considering he’s the one who saw her and we know he likes drawing from Shirt Club and Open Book and Barn Mates, but on the other hand, this scene is a delight. Connie draws a manga-influenced figure using an amateur ball and plane method, Amethyst goes abstract, Pearl undersells her dramatic flourish, and Garnet just draws herself; I actually think Pearl’s is closest, but we go with Connie’s and set off.

This is the second time since Lion 4 where we’ve explored the potential for other half-humans like Steven, and in my first viewing of Are You My Dad I saw it as foreshadowing for fellow hybrid. The trend never really continued, and while it seems like a red herring in retrospect, the close proximity of two stories about Steven maybe not being alone shows just how alone he really is. There’s nobody else like Steven, and while this makes him special, it adds to his burden as a bridge between worlds, a burden that’s partially thrust upon him and partially created by his own sense of outsized responsibility. 

Connie lightens the mood as they search by inventing exciting new scenarios to explain this new Gem, contrasting her further with Pearl. Connie’s art is cutesy while Pearl’s is dramatic, and where Connie sees hope for a new friend, Pearl is the only member of the team who advocates preparing for a fight. We don’t go very far down the “optimism is wrong and cynicism is right” road, because that isn’t at all what this show is about, but I love that youthful innocence from both Steven and Connie isn’t championed as an absolute positive in this story.

The light mood of two friends hoping for the best leads to Steven making a game of looking through Onion’s woods, and his facetious search of an empty log ends up getting him trapped. Again, this show isn’t here to build suspense by dumbing down the characters: Steven needs to be out of commission for Connie’s kidnapping to work the way it does, but getting stuck comes from realistic playing around rather than stupidity or ineptitude. And it continues the thread of others getting punished for Steven’s perceived mistakes, which of course adds to his guilt complex (and is furthered by Connie getting kidnapped because Steven shouted her name). These are small moments of getting us from Point A to Point B, but it’s so important that this crew pays attention to such details for the story and themes to flow smoothly.

Aquamarine’s questioning becomes even more confusing when she corrects Connie, saying she’s not looking for “your dad” but “my dad.” Connie’s condescending Tarzan speak is a bit out of character, but it at least makes sense that she wants to simplify her language for someone who doesn’t seem to understand the meanings of words. Aquamarine’s hidden nastiness emerges, with a wicked snicker at Connie’s “Me Connie” routine before she calls for Topaz.

While I prefer Mirror Gem to Are You My Dad? in most regards, the reveal of Topaz takes the cake in the horror department. She’s announced by thundering footsteps that clear birds from the surrounding trees, and emerges first as a shadow before we see our missing friends trapped inside her body. None of the captives’ mouths are free except Onion’s, and he's nonverbal, so their struggles are joined by muffled and incoherent screams while their captor lurks in silence. The soundtrack lurches into unnerving strings as Connie panics at the sight, substitutes more typical digital music as a moment as Topaz splits up, and returns to even tenser strings as Connie is viscerally absorbed into the giant Gem. As with the Ruby Squad’s giant fusion, it’s a brutally practical application of something the Crystal Gems have made beautiful, and Steven is as helpless as Connie to stop it.

A key element of Steven’s martyr complex is that his sense of ownership over everything bad that happens around him is unwarranted, and this sequence is a perfect example. Yes, he’s stuck in a log when Connie is taken, allowing him to blame himself for the kidnapping, but once he’s free he doesn’t stand a chance against Aquamarine’s magic wand. In the best-case scenario, where he and Connie manage to fuse and fight off Topaz, Stevonnie would still lose: as we see in I Am My Mom, even four Crystal Gems working together are beaten with ease by the wand’s ridiculous power. If anything, getting stuck in a log was the only reason Steven was able to regroup and fight back later in the first place. But in the moment, it seems like he made an avoidable mistake that cost Connie her freedom, which is certainly on his mind when he makes his sacrifice.

Aquamarine follows the Holly Blue Agate mold of brief but memorable villains, and while both are petty monsters, Holly Blue Agate’s Professor Umbridge has nothing on Aquamarine’s Eric Cartman. It’s one thing to let middle management power go to your head, but Aquamarine is cruel for the simple joy of being cruel, an attitude captured magnificently by Della Saba’s refined British accent. She taunts Topaz as readily as her enemies, and unlike the fiercely loyal Homeworld villains we’ve seen before, she sees her duty as a waste of time that she begrudgingly fulfills because she’s the best. Like Kevin, this is a troll who’s just mean to her core, but she unfortunately has a lot more power than your everyday toxic douche. 

As is standard for two-parters by now, we end with a cliffhanger, this time evoking Steven’s Dream (another first-parter that ends with a new blue Gem). A loved one has been taken, Steven blames himself because he put this person in harm’s way and couldn’t stop it, so now it’s time for a rescue mission. An unprecedented streak of consecutive serialized episodes already began with Doug Out, but now we get a proper two-parter, then a four-parter, then a six-parter, then another two-parter all in a row. It’s a special time in the series, highlighted by Earth plots and Homeworld plots colliding in ways that backdrop Steven’s role as a child of two worlds, and Are You My Dad excellently escalates the plot.

In closing, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is the final episode from the amazing Raven Molisee. Other veterans like Joe Johnston and Kat Morris ended their roles as lead-credit writer/storyboarders to fulfill other roles for the show, but this is it for Molisee’s tenure as an active member of the Crewniverse. Her work speaks for itself: she helped introduce Lapis in Mirror Gem, Peridot in Warp Tour, Jasper in The Return, Yellow Diamond in Message Received, and now Aquamarine and Topaz in Are You My Dad?. She helped bring to life the comedy of Kindergarten Kid and The New Crystal Gems, the tragedy of Rose’s Scabbard and Monster Reunion, the horror of Frybo and Keeping It Together, the wonder of An Indirect Kiss, the catharsis of Earthlings, and so much more. We were lucky to have her, and I really hope she didn’t leave because she was abducted by aliens.

Future Vision!

Steven is down to watch a movie about an orphaned Gem whose parent figure left for Beach City and never came home. So were the fans, apparently.

If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have inconsistencies…

The ages of Lars and Sadie were nebulous at first, but it’s more or less been established that they’re teens of sorts by now, which makes Barb’s declaration that Sadie’s an adult confusing in a way that I find surprisingly annoying. It’s really not a big deal, but it bothers me way more than your average nitpick.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

It’s not unheard of for first-parters to make my greatest hits list: Mirror Gem is certainly one of them, and we’ve also got The Return and Steven’s Dream. But it’s hard to put an episode without a proper ending up with the best, and despite its wonderful tone, meeting Aquamarine lacks the conclusive impact of meeting Lapis, we don’t get a huge moment of Steven summoning his shield and protecting his team, and Aquamarine isn’t a Big Deal like Blue Diamond. I still love Are You My Dad a lot, but this is a hard list to crack and it does feel like half an episode when viewed alone.

Top Twenty-Five

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Steven’s Dream

When It Rains

The Good Lars

Catch and Release

Chille Tid

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Doug Out

Are You My Dad?

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

     6. Horror Club      5. Fusion Cuisine      4. House Guest      3. Onion Gang      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

(It took some serious sleuthing, because the amazing Are You My Mother parody image is unsourced on Google Images and comes from a TeeSpring shirt that is no longer available, but I tracked down the artist as Zaccrim.)

[aspiestvmusings]

TMS S3: GROUP A

THE MASKED SINGER SEASON 3  GROUP A/ GROUP 1: (contestants 1 - 6)

EP 3x01: CLUES & MORE: RECAP for remaining 5: 

SPOILERS BELOW!!!

KANGAROO

CLUES: 

Location: Outdoors: “Australia” 

Location: Next to a /in a yard of a “peach coloured” building with arch/vault-style architecture 

VISUAL CLUES:

Sign: OUTBACK (with the U being in the shape of horseshoe)

Sign: Yellow “road sign” with an arrow pointing down (”spiraling down”) 

MIB as papparazzi/press following her - taking pics, media attention (for “the wrong reasons”) 

Gramophone on a tree branch 

Boxing bag -  the kangaroo boxing/hitting the boxing bag 

Jump rope - the kangaroo jumping over a jump rope (made of a vine...held by MIB)

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

”Like most of you watching, I’m a survivor.” 

“I recently lost a person, who held my familys heart together. Then, by my own admission, I found myself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.” 

“But I’m here to do what kangaroos do best - bounce back.”

“I have to fight for my family. And show them that bullies never win.”

“I am beyond terrified - I’ve never done anything like this before. But I’m not about to lose the chance to realize the dream I’ve always had.” 

“To all the survivors out there -- This one’s for you.” 

 ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn 

Look/Costume: The kangaroo has a pouch (indicates female), but also has a red/silver boxing outfit & gloves (indicates male). Outfit colours: red & silver. Important: there is a crown on the back of her robe. 

Stage: hexagon-shaped mirrors (5 of  them) surrounding her/behind her [if my other guess is correct, then that stage design is a “clue”] 

Height: Tall-ish...almost the same height as host Nick. A bit shorter, around 175cm, probably.

Mic hand: Right 

Talking:  “One of my greatest fears is being vulnerable. And this year I’ve had no other option than to be vulnerable. But...with this kangaroo costume I feel like I can get my superpowers back.” +  [breathes in/sighs heavily before the song starts]

GUESSES: 

I HAVE NO NAMES OF MY OWN. -- I thought she was this certain female artist, because the voice kinda seemed familair (sounded like hers to me), but none of the clues and other things seemed to fit. And after checking the clues it seems to confirm it cannot be her, cause nothing matches. Also... to me she doesn’t sound like any of the singers I thoughts she could be based on the clues, so... I havent actually figured her out...

I think people online are correct, and it’s a certain “reality star” (gramophone = reference to her dad being a sound engineer on a well-known past TV show) Though I am considering a few more options - mostly other reality stars/youtubers/family members of celebs... particularily one name. If my guess here is correct, then just like Llama, she would have a connection to a previous TMS contestant...but since I am not that familiar with her singing voice, I cannot be sure. But she has lost family members in the past few years, she has been in a media scandal, and you can even explain the australia thing kinda... so...until I hear more of her, I’ve got one name mainly in mind. But I wont name it until I’ve heard her sing at least once more.

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES.

Survivor = the title of a “Destiny’s Child” hit song

Lost a family member recently = either her family member (parent, grandparent?) died or they parted ways (were cut ouf of each others lives)

Gramophone = possibly a reference to a Grammy nomination/win. Or just music/sound/audio

Outback = possible connection to Australia

“spiraling down” road sign + papparazzi following her = she’s been in a media scandal “recently”

Crown = King/Queen 

LLAMA

CLUES: 

Location: Radio station/Mixing studio - mixing console (close up) 

Location: Pottery making “class” 

VISUAL CLUES:

Mixing console - close up of a studio/radio station mixing console 

23.3 The Wool (name of the radio station/show) 

Red lightbulb in the studio 

Photo of a bull (the animal)

Playing cards: Ace of Spaces & Jack of Spades). Two black suit cards showing (Jack Black)

Sounds of Seattle - title of a vinyl album 

Romancing a llama: pottery 

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

"Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi-Mix it up!”

“Good morning, Nerd herd! You’re listening to The Wool. Where we’re all cool. No Bull.” 

“I’m here for one reason only - to have a laugh. And what’s funnier than a Llama? (laughs at his own joke)”

“You may call me a joker. But I’d like to get serious for a minute. The song I’m singing tonight is my favourite track for celebrating love with that... special someone. There’s nothing like being swept up by it’s deep, profound lyrics. It’s a tune that really gets me in the mood for romance. I can’t wait to sing it for you tonight.”

“Llama out!” 

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin 

Look/Costume: Dressed as a tourist - “hawaiian” style shirt,, photo camera around his neck. Llamas tongue out of his mounth, on the side. 

Height: he is around 180cm - about the same height as host Nick (their shoulders are on about the same height)

Mic hand: Left 

Talking: “umm.. This whole costume just spoke to me... My vibe... I wear digs like this in real life.” (answering the question about his costume & it’s looks) 

GUESSES:

Drew Carey (TV host/comedian/actor...)

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES.

23.3 Wool = His show (The Drew Carey Show) had, during it’s 9-season long run, a total of 233 episodes. 

Photo canera prop = His hobby is photography. Actually, it’s more than just a hobby - he has been accredited press photographer during many (sports) events.  

Radio = He was a radio operator during the time he served in the Marine Corps. Also..he’s hosted a radio show (radio DJ) during his later career 

Red light in the room = photography reference. In the DarkRoom red light is used when developing photo film/photographs.

Buddha figurine (Dalai Lama/Llama joke) = He is a buddhist. 

Joker = he is a joker aka comedian 

Seattle = He is the co-owner of a Seattle Football Club. 

Playing cards = He took part in the celebrity poker game in 2003, where he did better than Jack Black did (played against Jack Black)

Nerd herd = He did take part in Zack levis (Chuck) “Nerd herd” lightsaber race one time at a Comic-Con convention. 

Nerd herd = his show (DCS) & character were/was about nerds/was a nerd

Llama’s side tongue = early in his stand-up comedy days he had a joke with a side-tie (it looked visually very similar to what the llama’s tongue looks like - he just added some wires & tape to do “the trick” of swinging the tie to the side)

BONUS: He knows last years winner, “The Fox Mask” - they did “Whose Line is it Anyway” together, so... connection... 

SPOILER ALERT: Llama is the mask who will be voted off next - in ep 2 (on Wed, Feb 5th). But while his voice might not be as trained as some other contestants, I loved his stage energy, and the comedy/fun he brought! One more song coming from him! And no, I am not sharing some secret info - they “accidentally” revealed the first two contestants, who get unmasked, so it’s been revealed by the network...for those, who notice small details...

MISS MONSTER 

CLUES:

Location: Lady’s restroom/bathroom. The moster getting ready (coming hair, applying hairspray...) 

Location: school hallway - lockers 

VISUAL CLUES:

Sign:  (image) ladies restroom 

Itmes on the counter in bathroom/dressing room: Furspray (hairsray) can,  pink bottle of some beauty product, three crystals (stones), a piece of sequin fabric 

Key/Keychain: a single (old style) key with a keychain that says “FUN” #FUN #KEY = FUNKY = “QUEEN OF FUNK” 

Purple furry diary/good luck charm/cosmetics bag/pencil box (with a face + kitty ears & unicorn horn) + a glittery pen 

Lockers: Lockers numbered 10 (the ones she opens) & 11 (the one next to it)...with no other lockers having numbers on them 

Miss Monster Locker: filled with images of S1 Monster, scrapbook flowers..etc...

Piece of paper on the locker door: Monster Hits.

Photograph of a cityscape (skyline with many skyscrapers) on the locker door [if I could only see the image better to know which city it is on it, that’d be one more clue]

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

“When you become famous, people  want you to look or act in a certain way. They forget that you started off as just a shy little monster.” 

“It didn’t take long for me to be misunderstood. So I’m here to set the record straight. Just like my favourite creature in Season 1 did. The Monster. He made me feel. He re-wrote his story. It was fire!" 

“And now this performer in pink wants to follow in his furry footsteps, But darlings... I’m nervous. Will you still love me without knowing my name?”

ON STAGE CLUES: 

Song choice: “Something to Talk about” by Bonnie Raitt

Look/Costume: pink & purple/violet furry costume with a bowtie

Height: she is short-ish (shorter than host Nick). She looks very short (barely 5 feet - more Dolly P. height 152cm than Chaka K height 162cm)

Mic hand: Right 

Talking: NO ON-STAGE TALKING!

GUESSES: 

Chaka Khan 

Dolly Parton (since the total number of Grammy noms that the 18 contestants have in combined in 69 & Robot as the first revealed one has had 24-25 of them, that leaves only 44-45 for everyone else, that rules out this person, because she alone has had 46 nominations...compared to C. Khan’s 22 noms)

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES. 

Number 10 = She has 10 Grammy Awards/wins. (interestinly: both D. Parton & C. Khan have 10 Grammy wins!)

Monster Hits = she has had (many) hit songs during her career 

He made me feel = She has a song by the title “I Feel You” (1984 hit)  

It was fire = She has a song by the title “Through the Fire” (1985)

Will you love me - that is (word for word) the title of of her her hit songs, “Will You Love Me?” (2007)

It was fire = She wrote the hit song “Fule to the Flame” (1967 hit) for Skeeter Davis. 

Will you still love me? = She has/wrote a song titled “I will always love you” 

Furspray/Hairsray = he was/is known for her big hair/haircut (managing that probably takes lots of hairspray)

FUN = FUN(K) #FUN KEY [FUN:KI] - she’s kinda the “queen of funk” (one of her albums is titled “FUNk This” (btw: Pun intended by her!) 

TURTLE 

CLUES

Location: school’s track & field event (Balzano Track Field) - contestants getting ready to run. The slow turtle surrounded by fast bunnies, all preparing for the event. [Slow & steady (turtle) wins the race]

Location: Schools track & field event - BANG! The race begings. The three other contestants (MIB as bunnies - wearing pink bunny ears - starting the race with a head start, all jumping on their blue bouncy balls)

VISUAL CLUES:

Turtle vs bunnies 

BANG! in comic style - to mark the start of the race 

The others (three bunnies) bouncing on blue balls whe n the race begins 

Surf board - the turtle poliching/cleaning his poink & blue surf board 

Pins on the track...popping the blue jumpy balls 

Grilling burgers on an (outside) grill...on the track field. 

Turtle crossing the finish line first (bunnies just going in circles, being stopped by pins on the way, or other reasons), as he has time to do other things & take it slowly, and then still get there first...with a burger in hand & winning the golden medal.

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

"At the starting-line of my career I was surrounded by other hungry new-comers. It felt like everyone around me was fighting tooth-and-nail for the dream. And I watched as many of those stars burned too brightly, too quickly, and then fizzled down”

“I’m a turtle, because I’m always taking it step-by-step.”

“Slow and steady wins the race. But now I feel like I’m ready to break out of my shell. After years of preparation I would love to make a big splash. So I don’t want anyone to cross that finish line before me.” 

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal 

Look/Costume: Punk/Rock-style, dressed in leather (pants, jacket), has a spike (hair)

Height: Short-ish (shorter than host Nick) - seems around 175cm. Small in size.

Mic hand: Right 

Talking: “It’s hot. It’s really hot. And it’s heavy!” (when answering how doesn it feel to be in that costume and perform in it)

GUESSES

Jesse McCartney 

Joey McIntyre  PS. I tried connecting the voice to any boy-bands (of 1990s & 2000s), but I coukdnt. Even after some “research” - listening to each possible candidate...and IMO it’s none of them. The voices dont match, the heights doesn’t match---But it did sound like someone, who for me was a one-hit-wonder. Yeah, I only know that one song (and one more) from him... but voice seemed familiar.

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES: 

Surf board = that he is a surfer;  that he is from Cali/Australia/somewhere which is known as being popular among surfers; that he has won Teen Choice Award(s) (this award in in the shape of a surfboard)

being surrounded by other new-comers at the start of his career = either he got his start through a (singing) competition and was one of many contestants fighting for the win AND/OR he got his start in a “boy-band” and was one of the youngsters looking for fame...

Surf board = Teen Choice Awards - winning several TCAs for his first/biggest hit song/album in 2005, and more. And he’s played a surfer character on a TV show

BSB references/connection  - he was the opening act in 2005 for BSB during the European part of the tour. 

Dream = he started in a boy-band with the name “Dream Street”

on stage presence/body language (movements) = very similar to J.M. 

WHITE TIGER 

CLUES: 

Location: Football field. Tiger striking a power/winners pose. 

Location: School hallway, lockers. Tiger walking in, shoving everyone out of his way. 

Locatrion: School library (sitting behind a table, with his legs on the table) 

Location: School hallway, lockers. MIB trying to get him to audition for TMS. MIB (fans) taking selfies with him. 

VISUAL CLUES: 

Golden plate/sign with text: Ultimate champion for clam shucking: 51 clams” (next to a golden clam shell) 

Sign/ad on the wall: “Masked Singer tryouts 5/3.” + images of three past masks included: Eagle, Lion & Raven. Plus the text: “Hurry. Not for long" also written on it. 

Sign on the all with images of past US presidents, including Abe Lincolns & the text/quote “Four Score and Seven Years Ago...” 

The TMS golden mask throphee shown next to the lockers (as Tiger says “let’s party!”)

AUDIO CLUES/VOICEOVER: 

“Ready to meet your next champion? My entire life I’ve sought out perfection, so choosing a mask with unlimited power like the White Tiger was a no-brainer.”

“I’ve had a giant career full of accomplishments. But when I imagine being on stage (and) singing, I’m a big old scared cat.*

“It’s been a while since I did something that scared me, so I’m here to concour yet anither challenge.”  

“What’s my motivation? My fans! I don’t wanna let them down." 

“So now I’m ready to get in that ring and smash the competition.” 

“Let’s party!” 

ON STAGE CLUES: 

Song choice “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice 

Look/Costume: Dressed in “Egyptian style"

Height: very tall & big (much taller than host Nick) - over 190cm, looks about 2m tall

Mic hand: R & L (alternates)

Talking: “It’s the most powerful I’ve ever felt. Like I can concour anything. I never wanna take it off” (when answering what did it feel like when he first put on the costume/mask)

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES: 

He played during the 51st  (51 clams) & 53rd  (5/3) Super Bowl games. 

The three past TMS masks shown are all animals that are parts of  names of existing football teams: Ravens, Eagles, Lions. Meaning he is an athlete & specifically plays american football (NFL) 

The Lincoln quote translates to “87 years ago...”, so number 87 is the clue here. This could be a reference to player No. 87. 

He has had a very succesful career in his own field (sports). Singing is not his main job.

IF the voice-overs were done later, not during initial filming, then it’s possible that “smash” relates to the person smashing a lego-statue of a TV host during 2019/2020 New Years. Which in itself was supposed to be about his famous “Gronk Spike” during football games. 

A tiger (albeit “regular”, not white) was one of the characters & costumes + name of the sports team in the Katy Perry video “Swish Swich”, where this athlete also appeared. 

The Golden (Golden Mask) trophe - most likely a reference to his many wins (the trophees he/his team has won)

GUESSES: 

Rob Gronkowski (Gronk, athlete, 198cm) = 99% certain it’s him 

Because of the height alone (seems to be around/almost 2m = 6 feet 5) there are not that many possibilities at all. Even if we don’t listen to that voice or consider the clues. Based on height alone it can basiclaly be only one of these names: Dave Bautista (198cm); The Rock (196cm); Hulk Hogan (201cm); Tyler Perry (196cm); Brad Garrett (204cm); Joe Manganiello (196cm); Jeff Goldblum (194cm); Jason Mamoa (193cm); Tom Brady (193cm)..or the likes...

Even other possible names, like the ones listed by the panel, are not valid guesses, because of their height: John Cena for example is actually only 185cm tall. Also... several of these tall men are bigger/more muscular, so that makes it even easier to determine the name based on only the physical appeance...without even listening to the clues. 

ROBOT 

First mask to be voted out in ep 1

Havent listed his clues, cause there’s no use for them anymore, as he was voted off. 

With his 86 tattoos he makes up for about half of all the 160 tattoos the 18 contestants have combined. With his 24-25 Grammy nominations he makes up about 1/3 of all the 69 noms the 18 contestants have combined. And quite many of the 88 gold records the 18 contestants have combined,  belong to him (I don’t know the exact number, but most/all of his 10+ albums have gone gold, I think) - exact number depends on how they count it for this list.

<<<<< THIS IS WHAT GOES ON IN MY HEAD AFTER EVERY TMS SHOW/EPISODE. THIS IS HOW I CATEGORIZE THE INFO I HAVE INTO FOLDERS IN MY MIND. THIS IS HOW SPECIFIC I AM, AND HOW INTO DETAILS I GO. THIS IS HOW MUCH I PAY ATTENTION (while, most likely, missing a ton of more hints that I’ll only notice during re-watch) I JUST DECIDED TO WRITE IT DOWN...FOR ONCE. 

BUT... unless I decide to cut some sleep time to do this again, I am probabky not gonna do this after every episode. Possibly for the first episode of every Group (so beside ep 1, also ep 4 & ep 7)

[comicsbeat]

  Why can’t the world just be ruled by cabals of mighty librarian queens? Organizing to create policies, looking out for the marginalized, fighting censorship, advocating for the education and literacy of all – we’d be led into a golden age of knowledge and peace.

Or at least that’s the fantasy I conjured after attending my very first American Library Association annual conference this past weekend in New Orleans.

Okay, maybe it’s just the exceptional people who I hung out with – the librarians driving the growing acceptance of graphic novel collections around the world. Whip smart and passionate about their advocacy, I soon came to realize the thing that was most powerful about this group: not only do they love reading, they love it when YOU read, too, and they do everything they can to help more people enjoy reading.

https://twitter.com/librarylandia/status/1011285466560237568

This was undoubtedly a banner year for the graphic novel pavilion at ALA. Perhaps it was the lure of the exotic New Orleans setting – supposedly attendance geos up whenever the ALAAC is held in the Crescent City. But maybe it was destiny. Not only was it my own first ALA (something that shocked everyone I told) but the number of publishers attending for the first time or returning after a long absence was much remarked upon. Titan, Rebellion, Humanoids, the French Comics Association, Europe Comics, Zenescope and several other were set up for the first time. Fantagraphics and Boom were returning after long absences. And even DC, long represented by distributor Random House, had finally returned with a booth promoting their Ink, Zoom and Black Label lines.

The only publisher missing in action? Marvel Comics, a fact often noted that drew some tough talk from librarians. But that will be returned to.

It wasn’t just publishers – the people who were attending for the first time, besides me, Berger Books; Karen Berger, Black Crown’s Shelly Bond, Lion Forge’s Carol Burrell, Aftershocks Steve Rotterdam, Dynamite’s Alan Payne and many, many others were experiencing the library market first hand for the first time, joining such veterans as our own Torsten Adair, and Random House Graphics’ Gina Gagliano.

They all came together in NoLA’s voodoo tinged fever swamp perhaps to present an alternative to the twitter culture wars and comics shop vs Wal-Mart narrative that was keeping everyone else busy. And it was also the cusp of a milestone obscure outside the library world but momentous inside it; the establishment of a Graphic Novel Round Table. In the hierarchy of the ALA this classification allows for membership dues, budgets and greater resources for organizing projects. The drive was spearheaded by Tina Coleman, who’s  been organizing the graphic novel pavilion and the artist alley at ALA for several years, with a bold squadron of graphic novel library knights behind her as shown in this photo.

The effects of this new roundtable may not be seen directly outside the library world, but we’ll feel its influence in future endeavors. It also marks a momentous trek from the base camp that began back in 2002, when comics first invaded the ALA with a presentation by Neil Gaiman, Colleen Doran, Art Spiegelman and Jeff Smith, four swashbuckling creators whose talents and charisma could not help but win over the library world.

Anyhoo, I know I’m waxing rhapsodical over a conference. Maybe it’s just the effects of dehydration and overheating as I wandered the 97-degree swamp of Chartres St – maybe it’s destiny.

So let’s go back! I arrived in New Orleans back on Thursday. Looking around the gate at Newark airport, most of my fellow passengers were women reading books. It was a very ALA bound crowd.

The event kicked off with a reception for the French Comics Association at the French Consulate in New Orleans. That was as swell as you might imagine, a huge, gracious mansion opened for the evening to the library cabal plus a few publishers and the French comics contingent of  Barroux (Alpha), Cati Baur (Four Sisters), Aurélie Neyret (Cici’s Journal), Benjamin Reiss (Super Tokyoland), Julie Rocheleau (About Betty’s Boob), Eve Tharlet (The Wild Cat: Mr. Badger & Mrs. Fox) as well as French BD industry folks.

Flore Piacentino of the French Publishers Association gave a little talk and mentioned the influence of manga, bande desinee and “comics” coming together. I’ve often heard the three great branches of world graphic literature around the world categorized like this, and maybe it’s time for us in the US to accept the “comics” name with pride for our bombastic yet fantastic strain of storytelling. Standing in the hot backyard of the manse, with its mix of Haunted Mansion moldings and mid-century furniture, it was fun to hear of the panels and meetings to come.

  After the reception, I grabbed some dinner with Karen Berger, Eva Volin and Robyn Brenner, Berger Books and the library world exchanging information over some super tasty shrimp and grits. Not only was this to be a weekend of smart talk, but a food marathon of surviving crusty bread, butter drenched fish and the occasional vegetable.

The next morning the conference kicked off. Here it must be mentioned that a teeny little con war broke out, GraphiCon vs Library Con. The first is a forum organized by the ALA GN interest group – and this year focused on adult graphic novel collection, a frontier topic where best practices are still being developed. Library Con was held across the hall and in somewhat the same time period and is organized by Random House.  There was some grumbling about the timing, although both programs were arranged to fill up the time before Michele Obama’s keynote and the exhibit hall opening at 5:30. There were some great panels on both programs, and certainly a lot to do. Random House did stack the deck a bit by offering a free boxed lunch. I decided to eat half of an egg salad sandwich from Starbucks instead. This delicacy is no longer available in NYC – probably because it’s too fattening for diet conscious New Yorkers – but one half made a great breakfast and the second half made a good lunch!

Graphic Con kicked off with a panel on “Building and Justifying Adult Graphic Novel Collections in Public and Academic Libraries” with Andrew Woodrow Butcher, Amanda Melilli (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) Marcela Peres (Lewiston Public Library, ME), and creators Ezra Claytan Daniels and Eric Shanower.

The main point of all the programming is that just as kids and YA collections – now well established at most libraries – started out slow, adult collections need to build on the success of those other age groups. Shelving remains a problem though. A recurring villain was “741.5” the Dewey Decimal category where graphic novels are shoved into one big blob. How to organize within this number – by author or series or age rating – is an ongoing issue.

Also what to collect is hard to pin down since there are more lists and awards for juvenile categories. (The Beat was mentioned several times as a resource for more information on graphic novels, giving me a serious case of “must do more!”) Adult collections are still built on a case by case basis. “Going online to find titles is not the best approach. One size doesn’t fit all since libraries don’t all have the same users and needs,” said UNLV’s Mellili. “You want it to be a reflection of the rest of your collection.”

Peres had a few success stories. She said the adult collection at her library has grown from 300 check outs a year to 1300 over the last five years. She’s also used innovative marketing approaches, such as a GN reading group held at a local brewery.

Shanower noted that his Age of Bronze was still finding an audience in libraries. “I don’t think there’s resistance like there might have been in 20th century, but there is still education that needs to be made.” Asked about whether his book has ever been challenged he joked “I wish it would be!”

Subsequent panels delved more into the topic from the publisher and creator sides. Image has a robust library program, led by Chloe Ramos Peterson, a former librarian herself, and the importance of catalogs, lists, newsletter and other resources for librarians was repeatedly mentioned. For creators, sometimes it does become a content issue – one scene may push a title from a comfy home in the YA section to an uncertain future in the adult collection, and it’s a decision creators have to weigh.

Reader resistance was also mentioned a few times. “Some adults are just embarrassed to be seen checking out comics,” said one librarian (sorry my notes don’t say who.) Overcoming this resistance with events and education is a slow but necessary step.

After the library conferences wrapped up everyone but me went off to see Michelle Obama speak. People had been lined up since 9 am – a different kind of Hall H indeed – and I didn’t want to get caught in a long line.

The exhibit hall for ALA has a kind of mini preview night – very mini as it’s only 90 minutes long – and after the keynote, everyone filed in. A big topic when I was around – maybe because I kept bringing it up – was the announcement of DC’s Wal-Mart exclusive. I had a lively discussion of the topic over dinner with retailer Brian Hibbs who, like myself, had been brought to the show by Lion Forge to liaise with the library world.  (Brian promises he’ll have one of his epic columns about the experience next week.)

As lot of our discussion can be seen in the piece that I wrote the next morning. Brian feels strongly that exclusives that the DM can’t get are the wrong way to build a bigger audience for comics, but that’s his story to tell and I’ll leave him to state his own case.

  Saturday, for me, was more of the same, wandering the vast hall to find the comics folks, and chatting them up. The Ernest Morial Convention Center – a place I haven’t been since before Katrina – is very very long and narrow and the show floor had the GN stage and pavilion at one end, with long stretches of library tech in between, studded with pockets of publishers.

Despite all the excitement over books, many exhibits at ALA are given over to actual library tech. I don’t really know what all those scanners and conveyor belt sorters did, so I will leave librarians to explain what they were looking for. Fantagraphics had set up with Norton, D&Q with McMillan, Uncivilized and Iron Circus in Consortium, Dark Horse and DC set up side by side in the Random House aisle. Some publishers made the decision to be in the distro area, but many other stuck it out in the GN pavilion, notably IDW/Top Shelf, Boom and all of the manga publishers on hand, Viz, TokyoPop, Yen Press and Udon. While it was all the way at the end of the hall, the Graphic Novel Stage served as a focal point.

There were many creators on hand, including a host of the DC Zoom and DC Ink writers, and of course the whole artist alley, which was small but significant. Due to the size of the hall, crowds would tend to come in waves. Much like BEA there were often long lines for signings, and librarians love free stuff just like everyone else.

  I did attend the presentation DC Zoom and DC Ink lines led by VP Michele Wells and featuring writers  Mariko Tamaki, Danielle Paige, Shea Fontana, Ridley Pearson, Kami Garcia, Meg Cabot, and Lauren Myracle. Unlike the long ago Minx (which this is often compared to) these lines feature veteran YA and kids authors who bring their own followings to an initiative aimed firmly at bookstores. It’s funny how retailers aren’t worried about THESE comics, isn’t it?

The mood was very different from the usual superhero hype panel, which usually consists of something like the following. “Remember issue #327 of Amygdala Man, where he finds a pair of underpants on the beach? Well in issue #600 we’re going to find out who they belong to and how it fits in with what Sprawlmeister has been up to.”

Instead the plans all spoke to the aspirational and emotional state of the young superheroes, with their motivations and family issues being covered to show how they overcame – or didn’t – problems to be heroes. Basic stuff really. The giveaway booklets for both lines featured sizable previews of most titles, and the art is sharp on these! As mentioned on twitter, DC Superhero Girls is the real disruption in the superhero biz, with thousands and thousands of copies sold and a whole generation of girls coming to love these characters.

Saturday night saw a sort of comics social event of the ALA, the Will Eisner Library Grant Reception, led by Carl and Anne Gropper and John Shableski. Grants were presented to two libraries for their projects, and a few speeches were made. Jason Latour (above) delivered a key note, noting how styrange it was “for a kid who spent a lot of time in detention to be talking to a room full of librarians.” Olivier Jalabert of Glenát also delivered some very funny remarks.

The event was another one where the spirit of Will Eisner was conjured. In a display of unique clairvoyance, he foresaw the rise of the graphic novel. Perhaps New Orleans was the place for his ghost to appear and see that his works were good.

  Sunday was pretty much just more of all of this. I did the “Underrated and Overrated graphic Novels” panel, a terrifying chance to go on the record with some disses, but I won’t reveal what was said. My fellow panelist Gene Ha did repeatedly ding Chris Hart, whose “anatomy books” for artists are cheesy and full of mistakes, so I’ll go along with that: Christopher Hart isnogood!

  I also popped into a panel featuring Mark Siegel in a panel discussion with First Second star authors Vera Brosgol and Ngozi Ukazu. At one point in the free-flowing conversation, Vera and Ngozi were asked why their artwork connects with readers both inside and outside the comics ‘geekdom’. Vera answered with a tip for young artists: “make the eyes bigger.” And the conversation went on into why humans are hardwired to love baby features, and sometimes cartooning might just tap into that – the appeal of “neoteny” in current comics styles hasn’t been much explored, so here’s your cue!

Also the great Raina, so often mentioned, was in attendance, although just to hang out, and led to this epic photo.

https://twitter.com/goraina/status/1010976229065940992

Sunday afternoon was also the big day for the presentation to the ALA governing board about the Graphic Novel Round Table. The librarians presenting the proposal had been nervous about it all weekend. Honestly no one thought it wouldn’t be picked up. When a call for interested parties went out they hoped for 200 responses but got 1000.

And that’s really the bottom line about the ALA. Librarians love comics not because it’s a secret hobby they try to fob off on other people – graphic novels are highly circulated books in libraries. There is an avid readership and a growing need for more information about all of it. I think a lot of first time ALA attendees thought that their job would be trying to persuade librarians to give comics a try, but the reality is that curators are way ahead of that – they’re always looking for MORE information about the publishers and authors their patrons are interested in, and more information to justify their purchasing budgets. They are hungry for more books that people can read and enjoy.

Far from the roil of the DM, graphic novels were clearly on the upswing “Graphic novels are big and they’re just going to get bigger,” someone at the Disney booth, of all places, told me.

Creator Frank Cammuso had an even more blunt assessment. “I think libraries saved comics,” he told me. Looking back at how comics emerged from the wreck of the post speculation market into the manga-fueled era of bookstore comics, and the recovery following Borders going under, library sales have risen steadily, an invisible but integral part of the business for publishers smart enough to get in on it. The numbers don’t lie: There are an estimated 119,487 libraries in the US, including 16,000 public libraries and nearly 100,000 school libraries. A hit in this market dwarfs the direct sales market, and doesn’t even show up on Bookscan.

So yeah, it was a good time. Despite all the shit going on in the outside world, I couldn’t help but feel optimistic as I made one last stroll through the feels-like-105-degree sauna of New Orleans. Perhaps I was just infected with a swamp dream, maybe it was just the low-stress experience of spending a whole weekend surrounded by smart, literate people. Maybe I was just bathed in the smiles and fellowship of people talking about the thing they love. For me, the ALA in New Orleans was the time and place to be feel good about what we’ve accomplished and look forward to doing even more.

  https://twitter.com/marcelaphane/status/1011631881396391936

  ALA 2018: Graphic novels shine in a very different Hall H Why can’t the world just be ruled by cabals of mighty librarian queens? Organizing to create policies, …

[maybeyoumissthisf-kingpost]

Biggest world events in 2020

So 2020 is about to end with a lot of remarkable events, but I'm not sure if it's optimistic or not, let alone pessimistic. When I was a child, I often heard my grandparents tell me about the difficulties in the past, how they lived hard in the past so that today we can have enough food and warm clothes. Heartbroken. I admire the old people so much. However, suddenly looking back at what happened in the past year 2020, I tapped my forehead and thought… and then unconsciously patted my thigh with pleasure because finally, I also had something to later "converse" with my children and grandchildren that I had How can we survive this year of calamity?

World events in 2020 to tell later on

The year 2020 has passed, gently leaving the Wuhan flu epidemic to continue raging with the strong rise of the global "cholera" pandemic. The public went crazy watching the politicians "go to solve" the crazy political affairs. People praising the smell, people pouting and criticizing. Meanwhile, the media invited the Weasel Foxes to play the game of hiding cats 💩 to hide their "hunter" nature. Faced with that gray prospect, suffering humanity raised its face to the sky and asked God, what could be more tragic? At the end of the year, God looked down and said, "Biden!" then banged on the table and cursed at the father who crossed his face.

Sorry for the rambling, but I like to sarcastic before I get to the post. Because rarely have the opportunity to experience with readers on the last day of the year. Here are some notable events in 2020 of the world that I would like to share again.

1. Wildfires in Australia and California (USA)

2020 witnessed two intense wildfires in Australia and California (USA). In Australia alone, it can be said that this is the most fierce wildfire disaster in the country's history, when forest fires continuously lasted from December 2019 to 2020 and destroyed nearly 20 million hectares of forest. , displaced thousands of people and killed at least 34 people.

Taking this opportunity, "radical" suffragettes immediately sounded the alarm about climate change, that global warming is the cause of forest fires, despite the fact that the number of fires Forest occurrence is much less this year than the average in previous years, according to the European Union's (EU) Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS). I think climate change also knows how to "distinct regions" because it only chooses forests in capitalist countries to burn, not other countries.

2. The US killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani

On January 3, 2020, amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, the United States carried out a drone strike on a convoy near Baghdad International Airport that was carrying some The passengers included Quds Force commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi People's Mobilization Forces (PMF/PMU) commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and soldiers. senior officials of the two sides.

From the scene images, Soleimani's body was identified by the ring he wore on his finger and the sausage bar (100% meat) that fell off but was still intact. At the same time, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also confirmed the death of General Soleimani.

3. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle abandon the British Royal Family

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan shocked the Queen in particular, and the world in general, when they announced they were relinquishing their status as senior members of the British Royal Family on January 8. Royal officials fear this will seriously damage the monarchy's future. It is interesting that while the world views this as an important political event, only Vietnamese people approach it as a showbitch comedy.

4. Wuhan flu (aka COVID-19)

On January 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced about a deadly virus that appeared in Wuhan, China. In just a few months, the virus has spread rapidly globally to more than 20 million people and caused at least 750,000 deaths. However, thanks to the relentless efforts of WHO Director-General Tedros and the effective support of the media, the Wuhan flu (Wuhan Virus) finally succeeded in… in turn changing the name Wuhan flu. into Coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2. Currently, this Wuhan Virus has many new strains, it is expected that the new name may be COVID-19 Pro or COVID-19 Pro Max.

5. Impeaching President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump faced an impeachment trial in January initiated by Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, with the aim of removing his presidency in January 2020. Democrats have repeatedly accused Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani of abusing their power to press the Ukrainian government to investigate the corruption scandal of Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden. According to the indictment, Mr. Trump (probably) committed bribery by asking for political favors in exchange for official action.

Finally, President Donald Trump was acquitted on February 5 due to the lack of evidence of impeachment.

6. Stock market wobbles in 2020

The Wuhan pandemic not only caused heavy loss of life, but also greatly affected the world economy. Many countries were forced to close down (lockdown), causing a serious decline in consumption. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 2997 points as investors panicked about the impact of the continued spread of the coronavirus, a record since 1987.

7. Oil prices went negative for the first time in history

Also because of the Wuhan flu, the US WTI oil price for the first time in history fell to a negative level on April 20, with a selling price of -37.63 USD/barrel. That is, the seller must pay the buyer. Fortunately, that ridiculous thing did not happen in Vietnam, people at that time only had to fill up with gasoline at a "stable" price of about 16,000 VND per liter.

8. Black Lives Matter protest for George Floyd

In fact, Black Lives Matter protests are still as common as usual in the US, but the case of the black brother George Floyd died after being pinned down by the police, along with the viral saying "I can't breathe" (I can't breathe). breathe) has sparked a wave of powerful protests and riots across the United States to demand an end to police brutality and anti-racism. That movement was enthusiastically supported by the left everywhere, with Biden's knees on all fronts in memory of this "national hero".

However, the death of George Floyd was later revealed that he did not die of asphyxiation, and also that "no life-threatening injuries were identified at the autopsy of George Floyd". In addition, the cadaver nasal swab was tested and determined that George Floyd was positive for the Wuhan virus (which often makes it difficult for the victim to breathe). At the same time, the black man was also found to be positive for many other banned substances and drugs.

The video of the police arresting George Floyd was also posted and showed that this young man was accused of using fake bills, being drunk, showing signs of being high and opposing the police many times when he was arrested.

9. Joe Biden Becomes Democratic Presidential Candidate

Joe Biden officially defeated more than 20 other Democratic candidates (including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren) to become the 2020 presidential candidate.

10. Twitter hacked by a 17-year-old

A young weitei-age in Florida, named Graham Clark, has successfully hacked the Twitter accounts of famous political figures, artists and businessmen - including Joe Biden, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Kanye West - to commit bitcoin fraud.

11. Explosions in Lebanon in 2020

A massive explosion at the port city of Beirut occurred on August 4 due to the accidental detonation of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate, equivalent to 1200 tons of TNT, which was confiscated by the state from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus and stored at port for six years without any precautions. The explosion killed 190 people and injured thousands more.

12. Kamala Harris Selected as Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate

On August 11, Biden announced he had selected California Senator Kamala Harris as a co-conspirator in the office of president. Thereby Harris became the first black and Asian woman to serve as Vice President. Many predicted that Ms. Harris could become the legitimate president of the United States when Biden once said he would cede his presidency in case his health was not guaranteed. That belief was further strengthened when two days ago, on December 29, Biden continued to "confoundly" call Harris the President-elect of the United States.

13. Ruth Bader Ginsburg passes away

United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on September 18 at the age of 87. Amy Coney Barrett was later appointed to take the place of former Judge Ginsburg. Mrs. Barrett was an outstanding jurist, a pious person and known as a woman of traditional values. Barrett's appointment strengthens the Supreme Court's constitutional majority (6-3). Currently, the new Supreme Court Justice is only 49 years old (born in 1972), so she is facing the opportunity to influence US law for decades to come. It can be said that this is such a big political shift that it may have a deeper impact than the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential election.

14. President Donald Trump infected with Wuhan virus

President Trump announced on October 2 that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the Wuhan virus. He was hospitalized for three days at Walter Reed National Army Medical Center before being discharged to continue his recovery at the White House.

15. Joe Biden becomes US president on suspicion of election fraud

Joe Biden can be said to have almost become the 46th President of the United States with a questionable victory in Pennsylvania, among many other battleground states. Thereby ending one of the most controversial elections in American history.

16. Successful trial of Wuhan flu vaccine

The first Americans were vaccinated against the Wuhan virus on December 14 after the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) approved the emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 shot on December 14. The second US vaccine, developed by Moderna, was approved by the FDA a week later on December 18. The emergence of two vaccines, developed in less than 12 months. one year, which is considered one of the greatest scientific achievements in human history, proving the leading role of the United States on the world map of science and technology.

17. President Donald Trump becomes the most respected person in America

According to a new survey published on December 29 by Gallup (a consulting and data company, specializing in global surveys), US President Donald Trump for the first time surpassed former President Barack Obama to become the first US President to become the US President. The most respected man for the American people. Notably, up to 60% of people were satisfied with the way Mr. Trump handled the epidemic. This position was previously held by Obama continuously for 12 years.

Meanwhile, President-elect with the highest popular vote Joe Biden received only 6% of the support (one-third of Trump), reflecting the opposite of the current election results. Looking at it, if one had any conscience left, they would definitely question the last election.

All credit goes to trantuansang.com.

[retsuyachan]

Bibiri exerpt by EXILE HIRO

Before reading this, I advise readers to watch Kinsuma SP from this video onwards (in 10 parts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw2Elj-TYOo&t=92s, because I feel that what I’ve transcribed may not fully capture the road leading up to the decision to hold the first VBA. There were a lot more difficulties than what was written in Bibiri, so I hope the videos will present this visually. 

Cheers.

Commencing the audtion

 I think the reason why I was told EXILE would end was because we were top ranking artists, and I agreed with that reasoning. Our team was well loved by almost a million fans, so if someone from the all-important vocalists’ section left, we would never be able to regain that former glory. In the history of the music industry, this was a common fact.

When I was in this dilemma, I would always go back to where we started.Back to why I did this in the first place. What did I do this for? How much faith did I have to go back to basics?

What was the motto of EXILE?

These were some of the things that came to our minds when the staff were brainstorming about the audition.

[The importance of holding on to your dreams]

From the moment we formed EXILE, we held on to this motto and went on with our activities.So what would happen when we have an open recruitment for a vocalist in this top-ranked group? We would be choosing a new vocalist for EXILE from a pool of people who can take up the challenge regardless of skill. The person chosen would become a member of this top-ranked group overnight. He would be able to stand alongside Atsushi, singing in front of thousands of other spectators.This sort of dream must sound like an impossible feat.

“How would you be able to use this audition to pick out a new member?”

This was a serious question I posed to the gathered members. At first, I thought the members would not be in great favor of this idea. While there was no opposition, I felt that the idea didn’t stick clearly into their minds.

In spite of that, I had absolute faith that I would be able to stir something up among the members.

At any rate, this was a modern day Cinderella Story. The story of a normal guy who was suddenly chosen one day to stand in front of millions of people in a dome arena. If we manage to open this up to the public, the fans would willingly open their ears to this audition. In addition, the winner of this audition would probably receive a lot of support. I felt that it was a very EXILE-like method to promote the idea of the importance of holding on to your dreams.The reason why losing a member of our team hit us so hard was because of the love our fans had for us. That was even if we did get an amazing new member. Or rather, the more amazing the member was, the harder the backlash might be. For those who put EXILE close to their hearts, they can be uncomfortable with a new member. EXILE feels much like a family, so if one of the family is replaced by someone else, people would never say things like “Yay! We’ve got a new member in the family!” Once there is a hole left behind, no one else can fill it up again, even if that person was Michael Jackson. I feel that the fans will never be able to come to terms with it.

I understand that very well myself. Even if there was a way to heal this sense of loss, I would feel the same way as the fans do.

In other words, when it comes down to it, everyone would the same feeling of loss while trying to search for the new member….If we continued to think like this, EXILE would no longer exist. That’s why, we couldn’t just stop there. Similar to how Shun chose his own path in life, we also have to move forward with our own.

That’s why, we needed to find that new member.

In order to convey our intent to our fans, we had to think of a way to make the audition easy to understand. Based on our situation at the time, we thought it would be safe to choose the new member within our own confines without telling the rest of the fans, and then choose a day to make the official announcement. I felt that if we do that, the new member would be beaten with a lot of criticism and end up becoming powerless.

….well, with this in mind, I took every opportunity to talk to the members.

While I did say that, it’s not like it was very hard to talk to them. Our conversations went something like: “Won’t it be nuts if a normal kid suddenly became a top selling artiste?” and “If we open the audition to the public, won’t everyone would come and support it?” We were in the process of trying to get the members to get a spark going in this idea.

Although we weren’t sure if this was going to work, by the end of it the members and the staff were all enamored by the idea of choosing a new member.

I’m not entirely sure what happened, but it might be because at this point, everyone felt like they wanted to ride on the idea. I felt that way as well, so we had no other choice but to go for it. Since everything has gone well up to this point, we could feign composure a little. However, we had no idea if we would be able to go through with the audition well or even be able to find a suitable talent for this role. If we weren’t able to find a good vocalist, it would mean there would be a high chance that EXILE would end its run.

As I said the first time, I was really scared to death.

Others have told me that my ideas are too daring or naïve or absolutely off the hook, but that is completely beside the point. To put it crudely, because I was wet behind the ears, or rather, ignorant about the ways of the world, I couldn’t go about this too confidently. I was nervous to the core. I didn’t have complete confidence that this audition would be successful, so I really had no room for error. I didn’t want to fail, so I did all the necessary arrangements that I could and took all measures.

Feeling that this period was unstable, Akira joined us formally as a member, and with that, that was the current state of things within EXILE. I was always wondering when Akira would join EXILE.

While it was great we were open with the fans about beginning the audition and the process of choosing the new member, more importantly, we needed to become an impressive, captivating form of entertainment at the same time. We were first and foremost, entertainers. No matter what we did, we must hold true to that role. Also, if we had a new member that was chosen after a lackluster show, the fans won’t be inclined to support them.

We decided to hold the final audition battle for the new member at the Budoukan, the place where special memories were made.

We needed to hold the final live as a raw sort of entertainment that would make the crowd overflow with emotion, or else we would not achieve real success. To establish this kind of entertainment, we had to take extreme care with our plans.

My biggest worry was, even after gathering the fans together at the final audition and giving an emotional performance, whether or not the winning candidate would stay. We could say big things about appealing to the public to scout for a new vocalist, but from the beginning, we didn’t even have the slightest idea how many applications there would be. If you ask me, I didn’t believe we would be able to find a candidate who would be blessed with the kind of talent Atsushi’s partner had. Or rather, would it even be simple to find such a person? I was rather uneasy. Even if there was a candidate with that kind of potential, we wouldn’t know if such a person would be able to make it past the preliminaries. And even if he did make it past the prelims, we wouldn’t know whether the candidate would be able to stand on the actual Budoukan stage and perform up to expectations. If this candidate was bad, then that would be because we were reckless about the whole audition.

Similar to that of a sports competition, we had seeded candidates like Nesmith and TAKA (from DEEP) who were experienced artistes, so it wouldn’t be strange if they became part of EXILE, but the reason why we had people with such abilities in the midst of this audition was because it was necessary for the Budoukan’s final audition become the best and most exciting form of entertainment.

I had the mindset that we would be able to hold the final battle at the Budoukan as a form of entertainment, no matter how many were left behind, because we wanted to recognize their talents and support their goals.

However, though we worked hard to prepare the perfect event, the moment the floodgates were opened, the audition was successful beyond anyone’s imagination.

The number of applicants for the audition amounted up to almost ten thousand people.

There were applicants lining up all the way up to the edge of town.

And among those applicants was Tasaki-kun (TAKAHIRO).

In all my years, because I’ve come across many walks of life, I had built up data and my baseless confidence. So when I saw Tasaki-kun, I thought he was the one.He was just some ordinary guy, but at the moment when I first heard his voice during the first round of audition, I thought it couldn’t be anyone but this guy. He had the atmosphere that I had always dreamed of.

When I asked around, he coincidentally turned out to be a friend of a friend, meaning that he got here via connections, but that didn’t mean I could go and give him special treatment. I remember that throughout the 2nd and 3rd judging round, whenever Tasaki-kun started singing I was praying hard that he wouldn’t lose.

No matter how good one is, there was still a chance they won’t make it. I felt that this guy would definitely do well if he became part of EXILE, but there was no telling if the other members would feel the same way as I did. But then, I’m just a paranoid kind of person, and at the end of it he hung on and did his best to become a member of EXILE.

That person was Tasaki Takahiro, or whom we know as TAKAHIRO.

I said stuff like “Won’t it be nuts if a normal kid suddenly became a top selling artiste?”, but as I watched over TAKAHIRO’s growth I once again started getting concerned whether he would be able to stand on the stage at the dome, in front of a few million people, with that huge amount of pressure.

TAKAHIRO managed to put all of that out of the way excellently, and he became the new wave of change in EXILE. From the time of the audition to the present, his growth was surprising to even himself, and his addition to the team brought about a huge evolution in EXILE. Following his entry into EXILE, making up 7 of us, another reaction started to take place, like the metamorphosis of a pupa into a butterfly, and something else new was born.

You could say that our lives have been changed through the audition.

The audition allowed us to have a chance to get close to our fans and our contribution to society. The members of EXILE had decided to hold a face-to-face audition, regardless of the number of applicants. So when the nationwide-held first judging came around we met all 10 thousand of the applicants. The same was also applied to the second and third round of judging. We believed that we couldn’t just choose one person out of the thousands of applicants to be EXILE’s vocalists. We just had to meet every single one of these applicants.

It took a really long time, but that was an amazing experience.

There were many sorts of people who applied for the audition. Naturally, there were also some who applied as a joke, but there was a greater meaning to that once we met up with these people.

The rumors of the audition had created such a huge impact. The news and mass media might have picked up on the audition, but it was surprising how this news was spread word-from-mouth, independent of the mass media. Thinking about it now, this was to be expected.

“I wanted to sing in front of EXILE”

Said one applicant, but I wonder how many friends he shared this with. It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that these friends have shared this to other friends too.

“My friend is also attending this audition”.

That friend might have told their friends, and that set of friends might have told other friends, and so on.

“My friend’s boyfriend is going for the audition too.”

If you consider this chain of friends, a single applicant could share this to about a 100 other people.

That means if you have ten thousand applicants, they can spread the news to almost a million people solely through word-of-mouth.

Also, this wasn’t like any ordinary news. This meant those standing at the audition venue and the raw emotions of those singing their hearts out in front of us will be broadcasted to a million people.

If the criteria for entry was something simple like “Males 18 years old and up”, there’ll definitely be all shapes and sizes of people coming to audition. There would even be a considerable number of people coming in wheelchairs.

Many people came, holding on to their various dreams, to let us hear their voices.

I was truly happy about this. At the same time, we were really encouraged by their dreams and passions. This also made us discover our roots and our substance once again.

In the end, deep within ourselves, we all held on to the importance of having a dream in mind. It’s not that we weren’t encouraged by the initial success, but by being able to work together with so many people, this went on to become a more regular and larger event.

In 2010, we held an audition to search for the vocalists for Sandaime J Soul brothers, and in 2011 we held auditions for female vocalists and dancers. We collected nearly 30 thousand applicants. Through this, the vocals for Sandaime J Soul brothers, and many other female vocalists and performers for the current E-girls were born.

Then in 2013, we launched an audition to scout for artistes who could do activities around the world. The applicants who made it would have the privilege to spend 3 years in New York to learn about the music industry. It was very exciting to have a not-so-distant future on our minds, and to produce artistes who can contribute to the world around them.

[altrecordreviews]

“In retrospect, I should have had the absinthe…” Eleanor Goodman Talks The Reality of Metal Journalism

Photo via Twitter

Print journalism isn’t what it was - just take one look at NME. However, there are still plenty of music journalists who still strongly believe in the power of print, and no one knows this quite like Metal Hammer’s deputy editor Eleanor Goodman. Here’s what she has to say on how to deal with the ins and outs of journalism and why lawyers are always good to have around just in case you need to write about bestiality.

How did you get into music journalism?

I was studying for a degree in English Literature at Sheffield University when I won a Metal Hammer music journalism competition for my live review of a masked Australian grindcore band called The Berserker. As a nu metal fan, I wasn’t familiar with them, but I was desperate to write for the magazine! The gig certainly opened my eyes to metal’s depths. At a careers event soon after, I met Lianne Steinberg, who was an editor at The Manchester Evening News’ entertainment magazine, City Life. She was encouraging and gave me paid work writing music previews and reviews. I also wrote for local Sheffield magazine Sandman, BBC South Yorkshire online, the university newspaper and a bunch of music webzines. After my degree, I moved to London for a postgrad diploma in magazine journalism at City University. I got a permanent job working on business magazines while freelancing for Rock Sound, and then worked full-time for Bizarre, Kerrang! and Metal Hammer, where I’m currently deputy editor. I commission the features section and curate the monthly covermount CD.

When you first started, how did you avoid getting star-struck when interviewing your favourite bands?

Rather than being star-struck, I struggled with insecurity at first, as I felt much younger than the people I was interviewing, not to mention the other PRs and music industry folk, who seemed like an impenetrable clique. But I found people were generally friendly and happy to chat about themselves. I was nervous the first time I interviewed Marilyn Manson, because I’d always liked his music and heard he could be difficult. I turned down his offer of absinthe in case I got drunk and messed up the interview, but he turned out to be on form and quick-witted. In retrospect, I should have had the absinthe.

Did you receive much guidance when you first started writing for bigger publications? Do you think it would have been beneficial in retrospect?

I got guidance on my writing during my postgraduate course, which was beneficial – I can still hear my tutors’ voices in my head to this day – though I only really learned through practice. At Bizarre magazine I started as Chief Sub Editor, and had a great editor called David McComb, who taught me a lot about magazine craft. Alongside managing the workflow of the magazine, I ended up editing the features, books and music sections. By working in teams and across different brands, I learned a lot about tone and audience, which had a positive impact on my writing.

What’s the most frustrating part of your job?

Working within constraints. There are always constraints such as getting access to bands, working within budgets and completing pieces to deadlines. Nothing’s ever certain in magazines, either – you could plan a perfect feature, but it could fall apart due to any of the above, or unforeseen circumstances, so you have to be able to change and adapt plans during the course of each issue. Having said that, constraints can force you to innovate and to really narrow down your focus, so they’re not always bad.

What’s the most rewarding?

Seeing an idea come together. Reading a great interview, accompanied by brilliant photos, and looking at how they work together on the design of the pages. It’s always a team effort that involves multiple people behind the scenes as well as in front. It’s also awesome when readers message or comment positively about our content. We’ve had good feedback on our features tackling serious issues such as depression in the music industry, as well as a lot of excitement and insane memes off the back of our recent Ghost cover shoot, which featured the singer of the Swedish band holding the severed head of the ‘old’ one. They have a dedicated fanbase, so it means a lot that we’ve struck a chord. The Metal Hammer Golden Gods is always a great night, too - we honour the biggest names in our world, and it’s surreal to see everyone chatting backstage.

What has been the main problem you’ve come across working for a print magazine?

The decline of print media and the rise of celebrity online. When I started working in print magazines in the early 2000s, the decline in readership had already begun, but mainstream outlets weren’t taking online journalism seriously enough. That lack of early investment has made it more difficult for big brands to catch up, and everyone is still figuring out how to make money online. People have become accustomed to getting content for free, and the sheer number of outlets means there’s a lot of ‘noise’ around artists – especially tours and releases – even if there’s not necessarily a substantial amount of content. Some artists also promote themselves on social media. This means there’s a danger readers will tire of hearing about certain artists before they’ve picked up the magazine. Part of the solution comes back to innovation – what can we do that competitors can’t? And curation – how can we sift through the noise and bring the best in metal to our readers? Our recent covers are good examples of this. Ahead of Judas Priest releasing Firepower, we brought singer Rob Halford together with Tony Iommi for an exclusive photoshoot and chat. Before the Metal Hammer-sponsored Trivium tour in April, we ran a cover featuring them and tour mates Code Orange, Power Trip and Venom Prison – all newer bands we’re keen to give a platform to.

Are journalism ethics and law just as important in music journalism as they are within “regular” journalism?

Absolutely. Music journalism is regular journalism. You’re often talking to people about their personal lives and influences, and sometimes covering wide-ranging social, cultural and political issues, so you have an ethical responsibility to be honest, fair and accurate. The same goes for law – and on a purely commercial level, getting sued can be disastrous for a publication.

Have you/a publication you’ve written for ever encountered any of these issues first hand?

The weirdest scenario was when I was Production Editor at Bizarre magazine, and we ran a feature about a woman in Portugal who had sex with dogs for adult films. Bestiality is illegal in the UK, so I worked with a lawyer to make sure the copy was ‘safe’ and didn’t include any instructions about how to do it, or any names of the people we talked to, so readers theoretically couldn’t track down the material. When the issue came out, the makers of the movies threatened us because we didn’t include their names; they were angry they hadn’t got as much publicity as they’d hoped. We didn’t see that coming! Most magazines I’ve worked for have had access to a lawyer, which means I’ve been able to run any difficult queries or quotes by them. Music-wise, Kerrang! had an incident in 2007, before I joined, where they had to pay £40,000 libel damages over a claim a tour manager pleasured himself in a dressing room. He argued that it lowered his reputation and harmed his chances of getting work.

As a deputy editor, do you have any specific rules or requirements that you ask of your writers?

We’re looking for experience, enthusiasm, creativity, an understanding of metal and Metal Hammer’s audience, and an ability to work to a brief and hit deadlines. Obviously, music is a sociable industry with a lot of late nights, but we also expect people to be professional when representing the brand.

What advice would you give to aspiring music journalists and editors?

Get as much experience as possible, always say yes to opportunities, and ask lots of questions. The more you read, write and edit, the better you’ll become. And don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and cover new and unfamiliar things – you never know where it might lead you.

Follow Eleanor on Twitter @eleanorgoodman  

[ladystylestores]

Graphic novel on the Tiananmen Massacre shows medium’s power to capture history

As a young man in Beijing in the 1980s, Lun Zhang felt like he was taking part in a new Chinese enlightenment.

The country was undergoing paramount leader Deng Xiaoping’s “Reform and Opening Up,” and previously sealed-off areas of knowledge, arts, and culture were becoming newly available.

People who had only years before been living in the stifling, hyper-Maoist orthodoxy of the Cultural Revolution, in which anything foreign or historical was deemed counter-revolutionary, could now listen to Wham!, hold intellectual salons in which people read Jean-Paul Sartre or Sigmund Freud, or even publish their own works, taking aim at previously sacred political targets.

“In those days, our thirst to read, learn and explore the outside world was insatiable,” Zhang writes in his new graphic novel, “Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes.”

But with this intellectual awakening came a growing frustration with the pace of reform in China, particularly how economic liberalization was taking precedence over any suggestion that the Communist Party give up its tight control on the country’s politics.

An apocryphal quote attributed to Deng captured the mood at this time, that “to get rich is glorious,” but for many people, it was increasingly apparent that only a handful were becoming wealthy, while others were suffering due to growing corruption and the destruction of the social safety net.

Small demonstrations against graft and for greater political reform ballooned into what would become the 1989 Tiananmen movement, in which hundreds of thousands of people protested across the country, with the largest demonstration in Beijing led by workers and student groups.

The pro-democracy protesters occupied Tiananmen Square for months, even holding meetings with top officials. At the time, many felt hopeful that these actions would bring about wider societal change in the one-party state.

Crackdown

Zhang was on the square that spring, when the protesters put forward seven demands, including for democratic elections and an end to state censorship. He was there as the crowds paid tribute to the late reformist leader Hu Yaobang, and he was there as the occupiers sang and danced on what had become the people’s square.

He was not there when soldiers opened fire on protesters and fought with them in the streets of the Chinese capital. He was not there when the tanks rolled in. Zhang was in the suburbs of the city with another activist, recuperating in preparation for what some thought would be a last push before the government gave into the protesters’ demands.

“When we heard the army had entered Beijing, we tried to reach the square, but our efforts were in vain,” Zhang writes of when they learned of the bloodshed.

Far from reaching the center of the city, Zhang’s attention turned to escape: the authorities were rounding up prominent protesters and leaders, and he was worried about arrest. He fled first to rural China, eventually becoming one of dozens of Tiananmen protesters smuggled into Hong Kong by activists in the then British colony.

An excerpt from “Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes.” Zhang (pictured wearing a sash on the bottom left) was a young sociology teacher in the late 1980s. During protests, he was in charge of management and safety. Credit: IDW Publishing

Graphic novel

Zhang eventually moved to France, where he has lived ever since, and is teaching at the Cergy-Pontoise University near Paris. While he writes about the Chinese economy and geopolitics, he has largely left out his own personal history prior to this month’s publication of his graphic novel.

“I worked with (French journalist) Adrien Gombeaud, who wrote the script for the format,” Zhang told CNN. “We read some graphic novels about historical events, and together came up with the plan, for example, to imagine a theater scene to link all the parts of the story.”

While the Tiananmen Square Massacre has been widely covered in the media and in documentaries, with many focusing on the iconic image of the Tank Man or utilizing archive footage from the square itself, much of the events leading up to the infamous night have been lost to history, available only through witnesses’ accounts. Zhang said that the comics format provided a key means of capturing the emotion of the demonstrations, in a way that does not necessarily come across in text.

“It is difficult to find a satisfactory way in which this kind of big event is reported, in my opinion,” he said. “In some reporting on Tiananmen, the authors didn’t reflect enough on the will of students to cooperate with the authorities in peacefully reforming China.

“When you take into account the emotion involved, we can understand why the peaceful way of demonstration was chosen, why there was the huge hunger strike.”

After the initial script was written, the authors worked with French artist Ameziane to develop the comic’s visuals, by sourcing images of the various characters, and referencing archival photos of era-appropriate objects, such as clothes, cars and teacups from 1980s China. “We spent a lot of time in discussions on how to arrange the scenes, how to convey the essential message, what limits we might have on a given page. It played to the style and skill of our painter,” Zhang said.

The shift in artistic style is most notable in the scenes depicting the massacre itself. Prior pages feature white backgrounds and muted colors, but as the crackdown begins, the pages turn to black, with a heavy use of oranges and reds. Ameziane’s illustrations become looser and full of movement, emphasizing the chaos and panic experienced by the characters.

The book is structured in several acts, with Zhang as its narrator. He said the play format was an obvious storytelling device, given “the protest movement itself felt like a drama, with its different phases akin to great acts.”

Comics journalism

Zhang, Gombeaud and Ameziane’s book joins what has quietly become a major strand of modern comics: graphic journalism or historical comics dealing with topics that were once considered out of the art form’s remit.

American cartoonist Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning account of his parents’ experiences as Holocaust survivors — with the Jews depicted as mice and the Nazis as cats — has long been considered a masterwork in the graphic novel genre.

While adult themes and history were features in comics long before “Maus” debuted in 1980, including in Spiegelman’s own work, its use of accessible, black and white art combined with a sweeping historical narrative broke into the mainstream, and set a new standard for “grown up” comics with political subject matter and potentially upsetting content.

Works like Maltese-American Joe Sacco’s ground-breaking comics journalism in “Palestine” or “Safe Area Gorazde,” and French-Iranian Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis” have further driven this trend, with the latter turned into an Oscar-nominated movie in 2007.

The popularity of comics and graphic novels has only grown in recent years — with the help of blockbuster film adaptations. This has happened in conjunction with the rise of comics journalism, in everything from newspapers to dedicated publications such as The Nib, which has long recognized the medium’s ability to tackle serious issues, interweaving reporting with satirical cartoons.

Sacco has talked about how the use of comics, the presentation of the artist and writer as a figure in the story, helps remove “the illusion that a journalist is a fly on the wall, all seeing and all knowing.”

“To me, drawing myself signals to the reader that I’m a filter between the information, the people and them. They know that I’m a presence, and that they’re seeing things through my eyes,” he said in a recent interview.

This is very much apparent in Zhang’s book, as he uses his role as narrator to critique both the protest movement and himself.

“Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes” cover. Credit: IDW Publishing

Asked once about whether drawing helped him deal with being the child of Holocaust survivors, Spiegelman answered: “I’ve had therapy, and I’ve made comics. The comics are cheaper.”

Part of “Maus” deals with Spiegelman’s guilt over his difficult relationship with his father and in comparing his problems with depression and work to the experiences of his parents. Zhang too writes in “Tiananmen” of his own survivor’s guilt and of questioning his decisions made as a younger man in the midst of history.

In an interview, Zhang said he did not write about Tiananmen for so long, because his role, his involvement, seemed inconsequential compared to what some went through.

“The way I saw it, there were many people dead or wounded in the aftermath, and many people lost their jobs; their families were never the same after,” he said. “The real heroes were the ordinary students and people in (Beijing) and other cities. By comparison, what I did personally didn’t seem worth telling. The most important thing I could do was live my life in a way that wouldn’t dishonor the dead.”

He was eventually convinced by an editor to write the book last year, around the 30th anniversary of the massacre. “She convinced me that I had a duty to the memory of that time,” Zhang said. “I accepted it. ‘No justice, no peace,’ but I think also, ‘No memory, no justice.'”

“Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes,” published by IDW Publishing, is out now.

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[jshi610]

Reading response week 2

1. 9.5 Theses on Art and Class

In my opinion, I think good art work could never get away from politics. It’s not something that everyone can get away as a human; and it’s not something that avoiding it will make it easier to look.

When there are movements in the streets, for example the situation in Hong Kong right now, related art works are more sensitive to timeliness and accuracy. Specific events happened in the street can be quickly transferred to related art works and put on social media as an effective propaganda. In this case, I think the ‘quality’ of the art work might not be so important; because art works against time. Seldom is a quick art work a good art work; but in some situations, especially when it is related to news and politics, quickness is a very important feature.

This second line that I would like to mention is also crucial. Artists have a characteristic of Narcissism; as a matter of fact it’s nothing bad at all, because making art works and putting one’s own thoughts in front of the world requires Narcissism to some extend. However, when related to ‘big things’ such as politics, some of them might go too far.

This made me think of another example. Not long ago, Kyoto Animation, a beloved Japanese animation studio went through a tragic arson attack. Many stuff members were killed, and many animation art works were destroyed in fire. Shortly after that, on Chinese social media, someone drew a short manga depicting the victims ‘lost their lives because they were trying to save the art works’. This manga got widely spread in no times, followed by huge controversies- because it was not true, as Kyoto Animation clarified at that time. Many people accused the artist of trying to gain attention for herself over other’s tragedy, and the final result was that the artist deleted that post.

There were something typical in this thing. First of all, from aesthetic angle, the manga was badly made. The proportion of human bodies were badly drawn; the lines were awkward; and the artist put too much deliberate make-you-cry features in it. It almost will make people laugh, if not cry in awkward.

However, this manga did got widely spread and made more people know about this tragedy- people outside the Japanese animation lovers. Even the controversial and debate part is, potentially, made people pay more attention to the studio itself and donated more money because they were ‘disgusted by the artist’s selfish to try to get more followers from this tragedy’. 

The ending is also not a good thing in my opinion. Yes, it was a bad art work; but people shouldn’t have the right to call the artist murder and anti-human, and used this to make her deleted that post. It’s just not right. Art should have no boundaries; but still, when involved with politics situations, people are naturally more strict about it, because behind the black and white manga figures, there were once lived humans.

That’s also one point. Due to the barrier of time, space, language and ideology, human just can’t connect with each other in merely words. However, art work is different. They are lines, shapes and colors. You don’t need a MFA to read the pictures; and you don’t need to understand Cantonese to see that one young protester girl lost one of her eyes by the violent police. Suddenly the barrier disappears. However, then the art works served as a mean to the end, not as a finally product. It’s more like people searched the background story after they saw the art works; and they need the background story to complete the art work. Art work once again become a by-product, just as they did in Medieval times to religion. Is that what we want then?

What it means to be a ‘political artist’? Is it just like a title of ‘oil painter’ or ‘digital painter’? Should it be like that? What’s people’s opinion about ‘political artist’ versus ‘quiet countryside landscape artist’? Should there even be a title called ‘political artist’?

When I was little my family already told me to stay away from politics. After that certain year in Chinese history, who were university students at that time became parents, and they certainly didn’t want they children died like once their classmates. My family told me to do technical or scientific jobs as they stayed as far as from politics. Instead I choose art; but still, there are so many times that I’m not sure if it is safe to bring one political issue up on the desk. That is, including call myself ‘want to become a political artist’.

It is one thing to stand on the shore and watch people sinking in the river, and it is another thing to be the people sinking in the river.  The thing is, I don’t think there are such things as ‘few political movements in evidence’.  Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it not exist. In those so-called third world countries everyday political movements are everywhere. They might not adapted in a familiar form to first world countries’ residences, and they might even have the chance to get known to the world before they’ve already been put out by the authorities. So this is an aspect I would like to point out.

And that is just painfully true. There are some fundamentally contrast part between art and politics; they need each other but also try to kill each other in the same way. 

I like the word ‘political aesthetic’ because it made itself sound like a real issue. No, there’s no such thing; everything artist do, think and make is political; we might just not realized that how a small changes in politics may have lethal affects to art world. We are living in a too comfortable situation that make us forget what once it was like. See German in WWII, see Soviet Union and see China now; again, just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it not exist. We are all on the thin ice now and always, like it or not.

2. Comment section of CNN's Photo section

I must admit that, as a Chinese student, I’m not unfamiliar with the feelings and expressions used in those negative comments. Just changing a few words and those comments might even have a nationalism(or in this case should I say regionalism) feeling hidden behind.

The reason why her work upsets them is simply: those people were assuming themselves on a higher or advantage ground than ‘everyday Appalachians’. Two comments actually mentioned that:’...what's SO horrible about all of these people that you're ashamed to be associated with them...' and ‘Not all of us are backwards hicks.’. For example, when talking about the bad influences(they won't bring jobs to this region) of businesses and industries when they saw 'crap like this', Mindy Miller had already firmly believed that all those people in the photos shouldn’t have the right to have a job. This is elitism; by separating themselves from the ‘general public’, they find themselves worthy and above the average. I don’t blame them for that. This is like a human instinct; when visiting the museum, there are ‘serious art lovers’ and ‘visitors’; when eating in a restaurant, there are 'Gourmet' and 'hungry beast'; human need to divide themselves into groups and start the conflict, otherwise they will have to face the fact that all of us are tiny, worthless and boring creatures compared to the universe.

The second sentence I found myself familiar is ‘Where are they? I haven't seen them.’. No matter whether you see them or not, those people will be there. Living in modern days people always assume they will see enough to conclude that they’ve seen the world- but no. I’ve lived in NY for 5 years now but I only visited Flushing twice; even in my hometown there are so many countryside areas that belongs to my city Nanjing, but I, as born and raised in Nanjing, never heard their names. Back to the CNN photos, it’s only 359 comments; and how many people are there in Appalachia? When facing controversial topics posting on the Internet, sometimes people forget that of all those people involved directly to the problem, only a few ‘top’(both in educational and economical) of them have the condition to type on the Internet. Thinking of the hobos’ issue- how many hobos will be able to check a phone or laptop 24/7 and see what people’s about? Having not seen them can’t serve as a strong argument without further information- if Mindy Miller is an expert Appalachia researcher who traveled through all the parts and met everyone in there- which is hardly possible even if he or she really is an Appalachia expert- then this ‘haven’t seen them’ might be a sufficient argument.

The next line will be '...there are backwards people living in these hills, but there are also extremely intelligent people, ..., who live here.'. It’s funny how Mindy Miller’s comment really is a good represent for those upsetting people, since I didn't find any other one more suitable for picked up and shown as an example. Backwards people can also be musicians, artists and civil right leaders. Asians and blacks(seriously, ‘blacks’?That’s word he or she is using to praise them? I’m glad Asians aren’t ‘yellows’) can, or just say were thought as backwards people during periods American history. I do understand what this line is about, but that was a terrible way of expressing it. In this case, Mindy Miller shared the same aspect he or she hated with Stacy Kranitz- no matter what they were trying to say, they made their ‘audience’ misunderstood terribly. 

Finally, my personal thoughts over those photos is they are technically and aesthetically nicely finished. However I still understand those upset comments and I think Stacy Kranitz indeed had something to do with them- her title, her ways of describing it, and the platform she chose to display it. If that was intentional, and she was prepared and accepted the consequences, them they are successful samples of art.  I think art doesn't and don't have any restrictions, but the maker has to bear the responsibility and risk of her own work.

[punchlinesf]

Catching Up with Dan Cummins

Dan Cummins has a one hour Comedy Central special along with many other television appearances such as Conan, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Last Comic Standing and more. Those are hefty credits that yield some serious street cred. Credits that the majority of working stand up comics will never see in their lifetime. However, in the grand scheme of things, how much do these ultimately matter in the pursuit of your dreams? I got to chat with the hilarious and hardworking Dan Cummins about his lengthy career in comedy and his upcoming shows at Punch Line San Francisco. Ronn Vigh: We initially met in 2003 when we both competed in the San Francisco International Comedy Competition. That competition is considered a big milestone for up and coming comics. Do you remember anything significant about that week or period of time in your career? Dan Cummins: I remember the first night that the competition was in San Francisco pretty well. I’d never been in SF before but I knew about its comedic history. I felt so out of place and that I had so much to prove. I didn’t want to be seen as some hacky tavern comic from Spokane, Washington. I remember coming into the competition with a HUGE chip on my shoulder. RV: Wow. Well, I was a really green comic myself at the time but for what it’s worth, I remember you being really nice to me. So, how has your point of view or style of comedy evolved since then? DC: Life has changed so much for me since then. I was still a long ways from making a living as a comic back then. It was all still just a big, beautiful, chaotic experiment. Such a big gamble. Every show felt so important. Like my (hopefully future) career depended on it. Now, after having literally thousands of shows under my belt and after making a living in comedy for over 15 years, I’m a lot more at peace with it. I feel like I have less to prove and I think I’m funnier on stage because of that. Back then, I was a joke guy because I was too afraid to commit to a longer form story. I was too worried about bombing. Now, if I feel like it’s entertaining, I’ll tell a ten minute story. I also feel like I have a lot more to say now. I’ve lived a lot more life. I feel more confident in my opinions and perspective than I did in 2003 and confidence in what you’re saying is so important to good storytelling. I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since then and hopefully, I’ve also retained a decent amount of the childlike wonder for the world I had back when I was 26 years old.   RV: I've known many comics who set a list of goals to accomplish by a certain time in their careers. Were you one of those guys? DC: I did make a lot of specific goals. Most of them early on. “Get on this late show, get this type of comedy special, sell this kind of [TV] show!” I’ve been lucky -- I’ve hit most of them (never could sell a show though). The last five to ten years my goals have gotten more artistic. I just want to get more skilled at doing whatever you would call my style of comedy, and reach more and more people who enjoy it, and have those people come out to shows so I can keep doing what I’ve devoted my life too. That’s really my only stand-up goal at this point. RV: I was a flight attendant and in that field they always say being a flight attendant is a lifestyle, not a career. I feel even more that way about stand up, especially for those who do the road so often like yourself. Did you ever have a "Why am I doing this? I should just quit now” moment? DC: I totally get that. Yes -- this life is a long ways from your average nine-to-five job. You’re living in hotels and working clubs and bars all over the world. I’ve thought about quitting many times. I thought about quitting after tough road gigs early on where I had driven eight plus hours to perform for less than 20 people who all seemed to hate me, and I didn’t make enough money to even pay for the gas it took to the make it to the gig. I thought about quitting when my Comedy Central hour special came out in 2010 and no one in America seemed to give a fuck about it enough to buy tickets. I was performing in Grand Rapids, Michigan a week after it aired in front of 30 people who’d never heard of me. I thought about quitting back in 2016 when my album was number one on the iTunes Comedy chart for several weeks in a row, I’d just killed it on The Tonight Show, and I was performing, again, in front of 30 or so people who had never heard of me (this time in Kansas City). I thought, “This is the BEST I can do and it still doesn’t matter!” I’d put out five albums of my best stuff at that point and it just didn’t seem to be getting me anywhere.  

RV: The last time I saw you was a few years ago and you were thrilled about returning with your family to your home state of Idaho. Has this helped, hindered, or presented any unexpected challenges for you as a working comic? DC: Idaho has been really good to me. It’s a little harder to get places because of where I’m living but I’ no longer distracted by all the entertainment possibilities of Los Angeles. I’ve gone back to focusing more on stand-up than I was for a while. Also, a lot of exposure has come via Pandora and my podcast Timesuck. I’m actually selling the most tickets to shows of my career by far. I’m working the best clubs in the country and many of the shows are sold out. I never thought that would happen after moving back to Idaho. It’s been incredible! RV: Tell me more about your podcast. DC: Timesuck has been a wild ride! It’s a deep dive on one subject a week and episodes come out Monday at Noon, PST. Episodes can be about anything interesting: criminals, historical figures, cults, current events, social issues, conspiracies, cryptozoology, the paranormal, etc. You learn a lot about one subject a week (me and the team I now have research the hell out of this stuff) and you get to laugh while you learn. I work hard to add a lot of humor to the narratives. We also have an online community that has become pretty interesting as well. It’s grown out of people who are intensely curious about he world around them and willing to question their beliefs wanting to meet other people who feel the same way. Our private Facebook group has close to 10,000 members and many have become friends with one another. Romantic relationships have formed out of the group. There have been some engagements! RV: In early 2017, you were nice enough to give me a guest spot on your show in Arizona. In the green room you spoke passionately about Timesuck as it just started a few months prior. In what ways has the podcast evolved and exceeded your expectations? DC: The podcast has exceeded my expectations in every way. It has evolved into this interesting humanitarian group. Listeners send care packages to and raise money for other listeners in need. They send in emails saying listening to the show has strengthened relationships with their spouses, siblings, parents and more -- giving them inside jokes to share and subjects to talk about. This past week we had an email from someone who found the courage to leave an actual cult they’d been in for years after listening to various episodes about cults I’ve done (Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, Scientology, Order of the Solar Temple, The Branch Davidians, etc) We’ve had listeners write and say that Timesuck literally saved their life -- that they were suicidal but then became hopeful towards humanity again listening to the podcast. I never expected any of that. Not in a million years. I’m so excited to see where it goes from here! And you can always have a guest spot. You’re a funny guy! RV: Thanks. That’s all I needed to hear. Interview is over. So, does anything you uncover in the podcast wind up working it's way into your stand up?

DC: That’s just started to happen! I told a random story about having a sexual experience with a banana in high school. Yup, a banana. Fans went nuts laughing about it and teasing me. So I decided to tell the whole story on stage (after fans brought bananas to some shows and people started showing up wearing banana shirts) and now it’s one of my favorite new standup pieces. It is RIDICULOUS! RV: Can you give us a sneak peek of what topic you will be covering when you do the podcast live from the Punch Line? DC: Yes! I’ll be telling the tale of the Ant Hill Kids. A French Canadian cult mainly based in Quebec between 1977 and 1989, led by a psychopath named Roch Theriault. He was BRUTAL. It’s amazing what cult members endured at his hands and still chose to follow him. It’s a fascinating study in manipulation and I tell some of the darkest jokes I’ve ever written during this tale. It’s not for the squeamish! RV: What is your most favorite and least favorite thing about San Francisco? DC: My favorite thing about San Francisco is how smart the crowds are. They want good, intelligent comedy. They don’t need to be spoon fed. My least favorite is that San Francisco crowds can be REALLY sensitive. Too sensitive. They can take the social justice warrior ethos -- which is great -- and become a little too serious for their own good. It’s a comedy show, not a protest. Lighten the fuck up and laugh. Life’s too short to be pissed all the time...and this is coming from a pretty angry comic! RV: Well said! It’s always great to see you back at the Punch Line!

DC: I’m looking forward to some Punch Line shows! I truly do love coming to San Francisco. I have so many great memories of shows there over the years. It’s a home away from home and I look forward to it every year. Dan Cummins: The Happy Murder Tour at Punch Line San Francisco, May 1 - 4. Prices and show times vary. TimeSuck Live Podcast w/ Dan Cummins, May 4, 4PM. Tickets are $20 in advance. Tickets can be purchased at punchlinecomedyclub.com

[heravenueexpert-blog]

The Legend of Star Butterfly

"Why did Star Butterfly put in the song about losing Glossaryck and the Book of Spells? Why? Why? She was so against confessing to her parents a few episodes ago!”  So yeah, I’ve finally watched the rest of Season 2 of SVTFOE, and I dare say that this is among the common reaction in the “Face the Music” episode. Some people think it’s pretty stupid (if not really bad) move on Star’s part because she just threw her parents under the bus and now the citizens of Mewni are angry at the Royal Family. Others look on the bright side because it’s due to that song that Moon got back-up when she raid the temple. Otherwise, she would have gone there alone (thinking that only Ludo and the other half of the wand is the only threat) and be totally screwed over.

However, Star’s “Princess Song” may actually have another significance more than revealing the whole “Ludo stole the Book of Spell and Glossaryck” secret, and that significance is connected to the title. But before that, let’s ask this question: What is the difference between confessing to her parents and putting her biggest fail into a song for the whole kingdom to hear, that made Star Butterfly much more willing to do the latter?

The answer to that question is another question.

“What does Ruberiot signify?”

Ruberiot is a songstrel. And in the Kingdom of Mewni, whose setting is on Medieval times, there are no TV and such to spread news for the whole kingdom. There may be newspaper, but we saw the state of Mewni with lots of poor people (how many are educated enough to read and be interested in Newspapers or historical books?). In this kind of setting, normal citizens can get news and stories about the achievements and events through story telling . . . and songs.

In other words, Ruberiot signifies the Media.

You can see that with how songstrel influences the citizens of Mewni. 

They can “report” goodly about a person to the point it’s just an empty and fake flattery (aka outright bull***t).

Like the traditional songs of Princesses before and Star’s intro song

. . . Or tell the accidents, facts and truth to the world  

Like the middle part of Star’s song where Ruberiot makes example of positive (Star’s awesomeness) and negative (Royal Family lying/omitting facts from the citizens) reporting.

. . . And it can even go so far as complete unwanted scandals

^Ruberiot being a complete paparazzi to Star Butterfly’s affairs.

Ruberiot, and all the other songstrel, is Mewni’s form of Media.

But here’s the thing, he’s not a simple reporter, he is also a historian.

He is not only responsible to relays news of the princess to the citizens, he is also responsible to writing history through songs. That is how important a “Princess Song” is. It’s a page in history (and something Star totally wants to skip over) to introduce Star Butterfly for the next generations of princesses and people of Mewni. 

That is why the words “real” song for a “real” princess is quite emphasized. They want to relay a proper news that tells “facts” instead of buttering up lies about a person to the point it’s not proper news anymore. The Royal family has complete control and authority over the media and what the citizens knows. And of course, there is no normal Queen/King that would want to have bad stuff written about them. This is why all princess songs up until now had been called “hacks”.  

But Star Butterfly is not your “normal” princess. She’s a “rebel” princess.

Which is why, when she heard she will have her “princess” song, her answer is a big fat NO.

Some of you may feel like Star’s Princess Song should have ended at it’s first half and not continued with the latter half which made a lot of us cringed because we knew the problems it will cause. After all, she already had the typical boring hack songs to change. It talks about  her “real” self like shown in the lines of “weaving magic like a born spell caster, and wreaking havoc like a natural disaster”. It’s not that bad, right? In fact, it’s a hit. Everybody loved it. So why must she add the “secret” about Ludo stealing the book and kidnapping Glossaryck?

It’s because not putting it will destroy the whole purpose of what she wanted to achieve by changing it. She wants to ruin the image of “Ideal”. She wants to show that princesses are not “perfect”. She wants to show what a “real” princess is like. She can only do this by revealing her big royal screw up (simple ones like her rebellious acts ain’t gonna cut it because everybody knows/expects that rebellious side of her’s). Why must she do this? To remove the pressure of needing to be “perfect" from “future” generations of princesses. And what surprised me is that not only does Star want to destroy the “perfect” image (that’s typical of Star), she was actually worrying about the future of the next generation of princesses. But this part just shows how much serious Star is from the thing she hated the most: Compromising one’s individuality.

On the other hand, we have “Ruberiot, the totally tortured artist”. Knowing what sonstrels represent in their country, we can see that what he wanted is a truer form of Media. Not complete hacks that was just there to suck up to the Royal family. 

I actually really appreciate the fact that he just really wanted to do his job properly because he wanted to be better and has no ulterior motive such as ruining the Royal family image etc. (because certain media can be pretty bias and can resort to making bashing click baits to get more views). Although he played a big part in causing a riot among the citizens (I guess he’s named Ruberiot for something), he didn’t really mean it. Still though, I think he has a little bit of favorable bias towards Star Butterfly. Not because of the obvious reason of her fully helping him out to doing what he wanted with his song, but because of how he wrote the song. All the words used upon Star are favorable (if not downright good), even when he told her biggest fail, it’s not in a way of shaming her in any way. The way he narrated her is really just a cool and adventurous rebel princess full of spirit and fun. If anything, the only one he “put down” is her parents for keeping secrets and that resulted in everyone getting angry at Queen Moon. Of course, it may be just the impression Star left on him in his song and saying “bias” is just exaggeration on my part. Moving on.

Star Butterfly must have thought that the citizens would only criticize her because she’s the one at fault. She never cared about other’s “perspective” of her or “keeping an image”. This is why she was labeled as “rebel princess” in the first place. The only reason why she is scared of admitting her royal screw up is because she’s afraid of her parent’s anger. But as seen on “Crystal Clear”, she is fine telling this secret to others (though she did say to keep it a secret to the other High Commission members).

Star’s impression of princess’ songs is that they are stupid puff pieces of fake descriptions about the future queens to make them look “perfect” to everyone. Ruberiot hates the old princess’ songs because they are complete hacks and really uncreative. Put these two together and we get something interesting.

Citizens rioting against the Royal Family?

Pfft, no. It’s. . .

Changing the media into a freer and truer form. To put it simply, this simple wanting of the “real” thing to be recorded in songs/history of Star Butterfly, the Underestimated, future queen of Mewni had unconsciously become about . . .

Revolutionizing the Media.

Which pretty much fits her overall agenda because Star Butterfly is about achieving freedom. I find this interesting because we are getting a “hint” on what kind of queen Star is going to be like.

Star Butterfly is already a “rebel” princess, and what’s the next step of “rebellion”? It’s “revolution”. The adventures of Star Butterfly looks like just the story of Star’s growth but subtly, she gets involve with big entities and causes changes (subtle as they may be). I think this little adventures of her will lead to become a Legend once she became Queen, and one hell of a Queen she will be. And so I hereby add a title to Star, the Underestimated, and future Queen of Mewni. . . 

Star, The Queen of Revolution.

She encourages freedom of speech for the citizens and the future generations. The changes she will make is something that can benefit the citizens (in the sense that they will have more freedom) and different departments like songstrels (as her regimen won’t hinder progress by bounding them on “tradition). However, this is not all sunshine and daisies because all actions has their own consequences. This step she done may benefit the media, the historians (ya know scholars always search for truth) and the future generations of princesses but it costs the Royal family greatly. We cannot deny that this disaster of a song causes trouble. Not only because it causes citizens to hate them, but if other songstrels take after Ruberiot (which is highly likely), then the Royal family will lose control of their Media and create a new entity that affects the government of Mewni and it’s citizens. As Queen Moon said, citizens just want to believe their princess/future queen as “perfect”. However, will it be really alright to let the citizens continue with ignorant bliss and has no clue on what their leaders are like? As Ruberiot said, doesn’t the citizens deserve to know their “real” future queen? There is no real “correct” answer on what Star should have done in this situation because both sides has their own consequences. If Star Butterfly manage to handle the case successfully, she may well become one of the legendary queens for creating a milestone in Mewni’s history (and she will be considering her power and potential).

Just thinking of the things she has done and going to do and her potential, I am very excited to see what is going to be her legend in the History of Mewni. No doubt it is going to be a big one, but how big will it be?

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Edit: For further discussion and elaboration, click this link: (x)

[sweetlittlelie48]

[Translation] 100% SKE48 vol.1 Obata Yuna x Goto Rara

HNY 2017!!

As promised, all translated interviews from BUBKA deluxe [100%SKE48] vol.1 will be here. I will translate them one by one. Some may be separated in 2 parts because of its length.  Let’s start a new year with SKE’s hope and future, YuRara!!

*please note the interview was around March 2016*

7th gen and draft 2nd gen of SKE48 a.k.a  7D2 have got high expectation to carry on SKE48’s future.

Among them, members at the front are Obata Yuna and Goto Rara.

What kind of future reflecting in their eyes? We’ll see.

 If we walk with smile on our faces, we will surely get there.

The future is in our hands.

 Relationship of YuRara

 - Today is Apr.1, yesterday was Miyazawa-san’s graduation concert. So, today is the new beginning of SKE48. Having interview with both of you, I hope that we will be acquainted and have some work together from now on.

Rara: Thank you!

YNN: I am glad.

-  Cherry blossom is blooming as well.

Rara: It’s so beautiful, right?

YNN: Um! *smile*

- You look close to each other *smile* How is it, actually?

Rara: Yesterday, I went to Yunana’s house and had some hamburgers with her family. And we also enjoyed Hanami (flower viewing) together  

YNN: We are always together.

Rara: Though the things we like are totally different but I feel the time flies fast when we talk. Our personalities are also opposite; dressing style, preferences are all different. Yunana mostly dress in pink.

- That’s matched with her image. *laugh*

YNN: fufu *giggle*

Rara: Her makeup bag is also pink, very cute. But mine is like…(take out her bag to show) this!

- All black!!

Rara: My stuffs are mostly black. There’s no way I would wear pink dress. Not suit me.

YNN: It would suit you, of course.

Rara: You don’t think like that, for sure!

- Please don’t opt out your potential

YNN: it suits you like in “Wimbledon” (wimbledon e tsureteitte)

- Must be the one at concert in Yokohama few days ago, right?

Rara: That was embarrassing. But it was a unique chance, so overcoming embarrassment is…also important.

YNN: I still wanna see you perform “Heart Gata Virus”, what do you think?

- I think that would be good *laugh*

Rara: …just let me perform something like “ESCAPE”, I really am not the cute type.

- Apparently, two of you have different style but you can get along well. Today, you represent 7th gen to be here. However, I think there are parts that you still don’t know of each other. So, let’s take turn to introduce the other one; start with first impression, how was it?

Rara: Ummm, I thought “this girl’s face is so small” and “She’s thin”

YNN: fufu I thought she is a serious person.

Rara: That’s right. Everyone said that. Maybe, it’s because I am serious by nature but I am also playful sometimes. But Yunana, she is what she seems to be.

YNN: really?

Rara: She’s quiet, doesn’t express her opinion bluntly. But whenever she stands on stage, she is full of liveliness. I think she really loves dancing and singing.

YNN: Um! I love it.

- Obata-san’s response is so simple *laugh*

YNN: *smile* though it’s not like I hate conversation but once I start talking, everyone around becomes quiet.

Rara: that can’t be helped

- Yeah, that can’t be helped *laugh*

Rara: When Yunana tries to say something, everyone would be like “Hm?”  *laugh*

YNN: It’s not like that. It’s because…it’s difficult! Having someone understand me is too difficult!

Rara: Yunana’s catchphrase is “Banana janai yo, Yunana dayo” right? when Yunana became quiet, everyone would just pretend to fall (slipping banana peels) * laugh*

- Though you say “Banana janai yo” but you don’t like banana *laugh*

YNN: fufufu but Rara, as I mentioned before, I think she’s so serious that I don’t know whether we can get along. It feels like she’s always an Ojou-sama (young lady)

Rara: It’s not like that!

- Feels like she would say “Good day” (gokigenyou)

YNN: fufufu That’s it. She has that kind of aura. At first, I thought it would be hard to get close to her. But then, when we practiced together, everyone line up in 2 rows, I was in second row and Rara was always in front of me. That time, I think “She’s good at dancing. She will be better and better” and then, after practicing together many times, we get close unconsciously.

Rara: Yeah! unconsciously.

- The distance between you two has been decreased, does this involve your position?

Rara: I don’t know…I wasn’t the center at first, not even at the front row. But Yunana got to the front row in an instant. I think she is amazing. The first time we arrange the position was when we perform “Pareo wa emerald” on stage.

- That was in handshake event on Mar.31 last year, right?

Rara: Yes. That time, the atmosphere was not good.

YNN: Umm…

Rara: There were members who were not satisfied with their position; there were members who were really happy. At that moment, everyone realized that this is competition. This is the rule of this world.

- For a 14-year-old girl, it’s a horrible truth… Obata-san is also in the same world, do you have intention to strive for better?

YNN: …Yes, I have! Why not! *smile*

 So happy with SKE48

 - From what we talked just now, we learned about your character. You both entered SKE48 for a year now. For SKE48 or both of you, there must be something changed.  

Rara: I changed a lot *laugh* also a lot of difficulties…when we were practicing for the first show, Sensei called the ones who dance well to dance in front of everyone. I didn’t get called, it was so frustrated. At general election, we had to remember lots of songs as well. It’s really tough.

YNN: Um, me too…it’s so tough.

- It was very tough at that time, I can feel it *smile*

Rara: But for me, the toughest was “Mae no meri”

- That was a big leap. Rena-san was the center, two wings were Jurina and Rara. Did you worry how your friends in the same gen would think?

Rara: Yeah…until now, I wanna know how Yunana thinks.

YNN: Heh? I think you are great. We’ve been close already at that time and seeing my friend from the same gen enters Senbatsu made me happy.  

- So to speak, it’s a new path for you.

YNN: Yeah, but you always put an awkward face. *smile*

Rara: …well, it was really awkward *laugh* I also heard something that I shouldn’t hear but Ota Ayaka was always beside me. So, I think it can’t be helped.

- It will continue being like this; some are picked, some are not. This year, you two already learned about this, I would like to ask if there’s any kind of turning point for you.

Rara: It would be the time of “Love Crescendo”

YNN: Yes! That’s it.

- The unit that you two are in, released a single in Nov. last year, right?

Rara: Yes. In “Mae no Meri”, I just did what I was told but in “Love Crescendo”, I can express myself quite spontaneously. I was quite confident.

YNN: For me, it was also “Love Crescendo”. That was the first time I participate MV shooting. When they shoot each member separately, I didn’t know what to do. The dance lesson before that was also tough…but when I saw the result, I felt the world is bright. My face was still a bit too cold, not good enough. So when I saw Rara’s and other Senpai’s scenes, I think they are great. If I have a chance to be in shooting again, I will improve what I lacked. I will try my best.

- Few years later when “Love Crescendo” comes back, we would realize more of its importance. Since it was the first single after Rena-san’s graduation, after summer last year, we were looking forward to something new from SKE48. This unit includes many next gen members. Did you two also feel like that?  

YNN: …Um! fufufu

Rara: Yep! There are fans came to say “Do your best”

YNN: Me, too.

Rara: some fired up fans said “You are the future of SKE48”

YNN: Ah! That’s right. There was someone said that.

- Really got fired up *laugh*

Rara: “Don’t give up, try your best” something like that

YNN: A fan who went to stage or concert and came to handshake event for the first time said “I will secretly support you, do your best” I don’t know why it has to be secret *laugh*

- You two must have the thing that made fans got fired up though this is just in my opinion. Let’s talk about SKE48, what part of SKE48 that you like?

Rara: I like SKE48 that performs on stage! especially when we hold a concert.

YNN: Um!

Rara: It’s enjoyable time. I dance and I feel fun. When I look around unintentionally and meet with people’s eyes, we share happiness. When it’s like that the happiness doubles up.

YNN: Yeah! It’s really fun!

Rara: I like singing and dancing on stage. In dance lesson, if there’s something I can’t do, I would feel dejected but when I stand on stage, it’s like turning on a switch.

YNN: Remembering new songs is difficult but when we can remember it and perform in theater or concert, it makes people happy. I am really happy, fans watching new songs are also happy. Though it’s difficult but it’s fun.

- For current SKE48, being optimistic like this is very important. In Miyazawa-san’s graduation concert, Jurina-san said “SKE48 is in a pinch now” I would like to hear your opinion on this.

Rara: I think that’s what Jurina-san has in her mind now. Even though Jurina-san always say “Being like this, SKE48 might come to the end” but I think she’s been feeling the pinch all along. However, the SKE48 I know is the group that is ready to go through anything together, try our best together. Now, the fun has just begun.

YNN: Um! So, even the hardest part, we will go through it cheerfully.

- It’s good that you enjoy it. If members are happy, then fans are happy. If we can pass this happiness forward, we will surely get back to this point. That’s why we took you here. (They took YuRara to interview at Nagoya Dome)

Rara: Come to see it like this, I want to set it as a goal!

YNN: Um!

 Let’s look at the future

 - In summer 2013, there was announcement that SKE48 would hold a concert at Nagoya Dome in February 2014. At the time of announcement, the feeling was so overwhelming.

YNN: Wow…

Rara: In the past, I came to see other artist’s concert here. It’s really huge.

- Talking about huge venue, there was also concert at Toyota stadium. How was it?

Rara: It was awesome. We still can see audiences from afar but the venue was so huge…how should I put it…I want them to see us perform clearly.

YNN: To let the people at the farthest see the performance, we spare no effort. Though it’s not our showtime, we still dance at the back with smile.

- In graduation concert (Sae’s) also, I can see both of you even from far away.

Rara: Eh? Really? I am happy.

YNN: Fufu

- How should I say…I can feel that your identities are distinctive. I think even though you two have many points in contrast but because of that, you understand each other well and really care for the other, right?

Rara: care…I care for her *smile* obviously! I care for her as always, right?

YNN: *smile broadly* Um!

Rara: We are not rivals that compete with each other but we are kind of growing together *laugh* So, when I see Yunana being cheerful, I am happy. However, I also have some discontentment.

YNN: *smile broadly* Um. Um.

- You two are close.

Rara: this girl (Yunana), she doesn’t care for me the most. It’s Nojima Kano *laugh* These two give out the same aura, the cute type.

YNN: …really?

- I feel that Obata-san has given out that aura all along, so people can’t see right through you *laugh* you may have something in your mind.

Rara: Right! Maybe she thinks “Does Rara think she looks good?”

YNN: It’s not like that *smile*

Rara: Or you are getting close to me for benefit!

YNN: It’s not like that *smile*

Rara: Say some other things!

- From now on, I wish you will continue being close to each other like this. And I hope that both of you will take your friends back to Nagoya Dome. Let’s head to the future!

Rara: OK, I will try my best!

YNN: Fufufu Yes!

[infolibrary]

20 Simple Ways to Make Anyone Believe You’re Pretty Darn Confident

New Post has been published on http://www.infolibrary.net/20-simple-ways-to-make-anyone-believe-youre-pretty-darn-confident/

20 Simple Ways to Make Anyone Believe You’re Pretty Darn Confident

At times we all tend to be too critical of ourselves. All beautiful women can find something that they don’t like about their appearance and some scientists think that they themselves are never smart enough. And this is just more proof that, in fact, appearance and intelligence have nothing to do with being insecure.

The Bright Side team feels very confident about the psychological techniques we’ve collected in this article and we hope they’ll make you a more self-assured person.

1. Start to look confident.

Hunching over is the first sign of insecurity, so straighten up ASAP. And make sure that you are both standing and sitting up straight. Once you fix your body’s posture, pay attention to your speech. Stop mumbling. Speak in a calm, deep voice that will make both you and the person you are talking to believe that you are confident. And don’t forget that confident people never walk with their toes facing in. The brain reacts to your facial expressions and body language and will gradually default to this new position. With these changes, you will believe that you are confident soon enough.

2. Get rid of the insecurity markers from your speech.

“Can I…,” “it seems,” “probably,” “most likely,” “if you don’t mind,” and “could you?” — these words are not just filler words. They are also the markers of insecurity. Forget them altogether and stop using them. When you feel like you want to use an “insecure” word, just pause. Pauses and anxiety are considered to be signs of sincerity.

3. Return to your childhood.

The more you try to get rid of your insecurities, the harder it gets, according to psychologists. The best course of action is to try to figure out what the root of the problem is. Maybe someone told you that you had small eyes or big ears when you were a child. Do you realize how ridiculous it is to still believe that now?

4. Find your strengths.

Okay, so maybe you don’t have beautiful teeth. But what do you like about yourself? In order to build your self-esteem from scratch again, find your smile, your attractive eyes, and your beautiful skin in the mirror. And you will see that your face looks good in general and big ears alone don’t matter all that much.

5. Say goodbye to people who belittle your confidence.

Did your friend mention that you have fat legs? This is a serious reason to reconsider your friendship and your self-esteem. Psychological studies show that people’s low self-esteem could be the reason that other people treat them bad.

Reconsider your relationship with people. If those around you say mean things about you just to make themselves feel good, you should get rid of these people from your life immediately.

6. Talk about your strengths.

Try to recall the most important moments of your life and your own achievements and acknowledge them, even if they are small. Put together a diary where you can record these events.

We have a tendency to be modest, so we don’t often share our achievements with others. We are scared that they might think we are just showing off. But when you tell everyone what you have achieved, part of you is convincing yourself that you are important and valuable.

7. Don’t try to appear better than you are.

When we go on a first date or try to impress a potential employer, we typically want to present ourselves in the best light possible and not tell them anything about our flaws. But this is a no-win situation because even if you are chosen and hired, you can’t hide for long and they will see your flaws sooner or later. And also, some people may even be turned off by the fact that you’re trying to look better than you actually are.

8. Stick to your opinion.

Do you have a firm position on a certain issue? If you don’t, you need to develop one. This does not mean you should be stubborn and refuse to listen to other people. But, you still should value your own opinion. A strong position and point of view that doesn’t change every day makes you a stronger person. This strategy can help you to overcome doubts and to not be manipulated by other people.

9. Remember all your hard feelings.

We’re told to try to let go of all of our hard feelings as soon as possible. However, when we push these negative emotions deep down inside, we don’t get rid of them. Over time, this burden only becomes heavier, making our lives that much more difficult. Just sit down and concentrate. Write down all your resentments. After you’ve done this, let them go one by one. This way, you will gradually learn to work with your negative emotions and overcome them easily.

10. Admit your mistakes.

The same principle works here: by ignoring your own mistakes and shortcomings, you deny the experience that your life is giving you. All you have to do is put all these situations, your decisions, and their results on paper. Draw your own conclusions about every single case. How does every single situation that you call a mistake help you? What lesson does it teach you?

11. Get rid of gender stereotypes.

How many times have you heard that girls should be modest and in good shape? So often that you actually believe it? This is how a bright person becomes dull in an attempt to fit into silly gender stereotypes. And how many men suffer because they can’t show their tenderness and weaknesses? “Men don’t cry” is a thing of the past and it should disappear once and for all. This way, people will feel more free to be themselves.

12. Describe the roles you play.

We all wear masks. This is normal. But sometimes, people forget who they really are. And every time they do this, they lose a part of themselves in order to fit into someone else’s standards and their self-esteem suffers. Try to remember all your roles: when, where, who you’re with, and in what situation do you act differently? Why do you do that? How does this behavior help you? How can you not lose yourself and still maintain a good and healthy relationship with others?

13. Take care of your health.

If you don’t know how to love yourself, taking care of your health is a good place to start. Visit a doctor, and buy a gym membership. As you change your lifestyle, your appearance will change too. And this is the first basic thing you need to do to have a healthy self-esteem.

14. Become the center of attention.

Insecure people are scared of drawing attention to themselves. But the only way to deal with your fears is to face them. If you feel weak in the knees when you think about giving a public speech, you should find a way to become a public speaker.

If your job doesn’t let you take part in conferences or at least, some kind of meetings, try yourself as a model. Pose for artists or participate in a photo shoot. By attracting other people’s attention, you will get used to taking their opinions less seriously.

15. Wear a “bracelet of happiness.”

Try to memorize the moments when you were doing well and everything worked out for you. When something good happens, for example, like when you achieve something, put on a piece of jewelry that will be associated with this success. Now, every time you feel insecure about something, just look at your “bracelet of happiness,” and all your doubts will disappear.

16. Do not change your opinion.

The “I have nothing to wear” — issue is a problem that millions of women have to deal with every morning. Psychologists recommend choosing the very first idea that pops into your mind. And even if you realize that your blue dress doesn’t look good on you, put it on anyway.

Teach yourself to respect your choice even when it comes to small things. Don’t ask waiters for a recommendation when you are at a restaurant. In the morning, choose your own path to work and do not change it. Train yourself to listen to your inner voice and you will soon notice that it has become much easier for you to make decisions.

17. Get rid of shame and guilt.

Guilt is a powerful tool of manipulation. It’s a tool that people use to control you and it starts in childhood. Sometimes, parents who worry about their children too much make them feel guilty for even the smallest things they did wrong. Many people become accustomed to this feeling in childhood and later, when they are adults, they can’t deal with guilt and are easily manipulated.

When you let go of all of your grudges against others, don’t forget to forgive yourself. Remember that holding a grudge is always a choice, even if you don’t realize it. Feeling guilty or blaming someone else are examples of destructive behavior. Don’t let anyone make you feel this away.

18. Figure out what’s getting in the way of you reaching your goal.

Take a piece of paper and write down your goal. And then, write down the reasons why you can’t achieve it at the moment. After that, write a phrase that is the opposite of one of the reasons, for example, “I’m strong,” “I’m attractive,” “I’m rich,” “I’m successful,” and so on. After that, ask a close friend or loved one to whisper this phrase to you and touch your shoulder.

You can also say this phrase to yourself when walking. This way, you can train your body to memorize a positive way of thinking.

19. Find your flaw on a celebrity.

Do you have crooked teeth or short legs? Look closely at an actor or an actress who has the same thing. For example, in one of their interviews, Gerard Butler talks about his ears that stick out that makeup artists sometimes have to tape to his head. Mila Kunis has different-colored eyes and her husband Ashton Kutcher has webbed toes. Despite the almost unlimited possibilities to get plastic surgery and use cosmetics, not all celebrities are interested in fixing their problems. They consider them the features of their look, so why don’t you follow their example?

20. Find the insecurity in your body.

Try to describe your feelings of insecurity in as much detail as possible and then find it in your body. Close your eyes and concentrate. What does this feeling remind you of? What does it look like? What part of your body is it in? When answering these questions make an association. Many people associate the insecurity with a black hole or a swamp, but your association should be unique.

After that, try to make this feeling even stronger and visualize it growing to its maximum point. Keep going until the insecurity just explodes like a soap bubble and sets you free.

Even though this is very trivial, a very important piece of advice is to stop caring about what other people think. Forget about the stereotypes imposed by the media and the movie industry. And every time you feel the urge to change something about yourself, try to understand where it is coming from. If the insecurity is coming from these stereotypes, just ignore it. It is much more important to be in harmony with yourself, don’t you agree? Share your opinions!

Illustrated by Natalia Tylosova for BrightSide.me

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[blackdogpanopticon]

Music = Life

So when I began to think about what I would like my first post (other than my introduction) to be about, I think the topic quite quickly jumped out at me. Or to use a related term, its caught me like an ear worm. Music for me has always dominated my life, in the best possible way. I personally can't live without it. To get the cliche out of the way, because it needs to be said; music is life. Its in everything we do. Its in the beat of your feet as you walk down the street. Its in the voices of young children who are learning how to form their first words. Its the very context in which my life is set i suppose; or at least a large part of the context.

It goes right back to the parents doesn't it. My dad was and always will be massively into music. And he really knows his stuff in my opinion. From the Ramones to Sandy Denny, Bob Dylan to Nirvana, Led Zep to Bright Eyes (one of the few acts we have seen together, amazing gig, don't get me started! Ha!). Even my mother who has never been massively into music has her favourite artists and things, Adam and the Ants, Van Morrison etc. So that's where it starts doesn't it, they set and create your first influences by showing you their interests and in this way you develop your own. You draw from your friends, acquaintances and enemies alike.

When I was younger my first big musical taste/love/subculture of my own was emo, punk rock, mosh and hardcore. I was an emo kid I will proudly say. I don't care what you think of that, but you should know it about me. And so it went that from a young age I learnt to play drums and always played in bands. I never did any serious gigs, a few here and there. All my bands always fell out even before it got to that point! Ha. But I was a competent drummer and I used to love playing, practising and jamming. I spent a lot of time on it and it was a big part of my childhood. But we shall come back to this topic in a future article I am certain.

For now I want to try to talk about the influence of music on issues of mental health and vice versa. As you know, music and mental health have a massive interlink, an intersection, an intrinsic bond. I will always remember my dad showing me Nirvana (my little bro got them before I did to give him credit actually, props). And then he told me about Kurt (RIP). And I think from that point onward I think I always realised that music was more than just a something, its a higher power essentially I think.

And it got me thinking about the tunes from my past that instantly make me think about the bond between music and mental health. The first one that jumped right out at me was “Med’s by Placebo”. Now if you know this song the chorus is very blatant almost blunt and its clear to me its probably about schizophrenia, psychosis or bipolar etc. But in it are some beautiful poises, for instance:  “I was confused by the powers that be, forgetting names and faces, passers by were looking at me, as if they could erase it”. Now I didn’t realise, but our Brian Moloko has suffered from depression himself, and he does work to try and help break the stigma around the issue. I mean the song itself does that, but he also does other stuff http://www.nme.com/news/music/placebos-brian-molko-need-break-stigma-around-discussing-mental-health-2146515.

“Numb” by Linkin Park is another one. I obviously never realised when I was a child because I never really used to think about anything because i used to be daft! But its so blatantly obviously an ode to himself about the person depression has forced him to become, Chester Bennington (RIP) that is. An it goes; “I've become so numb, I can't feel you there, become so tired, so much more aware by becoming this all I want to do, is be more like me and be less like you”.  Deep. And when I was listening to this the other day I almost shed a tear, I felt a build up of emotion inside me. Which is a complete double edge sword. On the one hand it was nice, in fact it was more than nice, to be able to feel the emotion. The emotion that someone who helped shaped me in my younger days felt so numb he had to leave this world. But the fact that Chester is gone, is tragic beyond words. Seriously one of the nicest and most amazing singers ever. Mad love.

Now that I am a bit more grown up and urban (lol!) in my musical taste, I love it when I hear songs that are about mental health issues specifically or loosely. For instance “Lovesick by Mura Masa featuring ASAP Rocky” goes:  “Cause I'm sipping Pro, yeah, that meth is pro, Promethazine, yeah, a stepping stone. Oh, they acting up? Get your weapon drawn. They only killing time, another second gone. I heard your man ain't home, now you melatone. But you acting young and you hella grown”. And whilst this song is clearly about his love life (it was originally about his [ASAP Rocky’s] sex life according to Mura Masa https://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/09/30/asap-rocky-mura-masa-lovesick/), it is also clearly about the impact that his love life (or its demise) had on his ability to sleep and therefore his mental well being. The lyrics are actually very clever and subtle to be fair; they say that a love life is clearly something to be desired (i mean who doesn’t want to share their life with some one else?) but that it can also have negative ramifications.  

Stepping towards current (ish! gimme a chance I am currently in the process of updating my music library after my latest wrestle with the black dog!) and more direct songs about mental health we have “Voices by Disclosure featuring Sasha Keable”. I can’t seem to find any information on this one but even if you haven’t heard it (I think you would have been living under a rock or something) its very clear what it is about. I like this one though because it actually names and shames some of the issues that you might experience when you are suffering, for instance: “You bring out the darkest side of me, chased up from a place that I can't reach, I would love to practice what I preach, you bring out the good girl side of me”. Its that whole thing of wanting to be able to do something or change something but you can’t because you are ill.

And I think for me that’s the crux of this article. When you are ill, your life is taken away from you, you loose control of it and you can’t do anything or engage with anything. For me, when I am ill, I stop wanting to listen to music. And that is tragic in my opinion. Because, as I say, music is life. So its indicative and highly illustrative of the main problem that depression causes. Man, I listen to the radio, such as BBC Radio 4 (because I am super middle class ja) instead but I think that is mainly to block out the silence and try block my negative thoughts. I’ve never really questioned why I don’t want to listen to music when I am unwell but now that I have thought about it, I think on a subconscious (controversial word!) level its to do with the fact that music reminds me of when my life was going well. Music is the sound track to every good moment I have had in my life, its the events around which the seminal moments of my life has revolved around (gigs, festivals etc) and it makes you happier when you are happy. But for me, it doesn’t make me better when I am unwell, it just makes me more numb. Which as I say, is tragic and forces me to push it away.

So, on a final note, now that my life is back to where I want it to be, now that I actually have control, I have been rinsing the tunes so to speak. My Spotify Prime (if you don’t have it are you actually a person? lol I joke) library has grown exponentially in the last few months from a piddly few artists to a vast and diverse plethora of current music which I can use to frame and shape the coming moments in my life. I love being into music, they say that the people that show you new music in your life are the important ones. And its so true. That’s why I am a total music fiend and I love being up to date with whats going on the world of music. From Rudimental to Kendrizzy Lemar, from DJ Seinfeld to Four Tet, from Grimes to Aluna George. The more you educate yourself the happier you can make yourself and the people around you! You can meet some amazing people through music as well (idea for an article maybe?! ha lol), it brings people together man. Which is why I have got so many gigs lined up in the coming months. Now when I see a gig I am interested in I try and buy the tickets straight away so I don’t miss out. I get bad FOMO! Coming up gigs wise I have got Knower, Charlie Parr, Lets Eat Grandma and Mansion of Snakes. I am excited about all of these gigs. I am excited to create new moments in my life, I am excited to experience new things, but above all; I am excited to be in control of my life and the things that are entering my ear drums! =)

And its great to be able to say that.