#lightning in a bottle 2018

[d-criss-news]

“Following Your Heart Is a Zero-Loss Game”: Darren Criss Is Forging His Own Legacy

Darren Criss is no stranger to the spotlight. But, does his latest role in Broadway’s Maybe Happy Ending solidify his place within the ranks of Filipino theater legends? 

Oliver, the main character in the Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending, would be confused by the actor who plays him. See, Oliver is a robot dubbed “helper bot” with a classic Type A personality: rigid in his ways and painfully calculated. He exists in Seoul in the distant future, where these bots are essentially humanoid versions of our current cell phones. Oliver has only one mission in life, which is to reunite with his human who left him in an apartment complex where other thrown-out bots reside. (Think of how your old blackberries are stashed away in some random cabinet drawer.) His only friend is a plant named HwaBoon who, audiences come to learn, is the most important character in the show. The actor who brings this robot to life is Darren Criss who is anything but one-track-minded. The Filipino-American’s personal curiosity and dynamic career tell this best. Was it Glee where you first got to know his dark locks and melodic voice? Or, did you first see him hit the stage on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Trying (2012)? Perhaps it was his role in Ryan Murphy’s Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018). His portrayal as Andrew Cunanan, the killer of the late fashion designer, earned him an Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG award and placed him as one the few actors to earn the trifecta. Unlike Criss, Oliver has only had one job during his entire battery life. 

Yet, Criss breathes life into his mechanical character on stage as if he knows what it’s like to operate like a robot. But, perhaps he does. Perhaps, we, including those who have continuously waved a finger to AI and ChatGPT; all do.  “Think of Aesop fables or Greek Mythology,” he tells Vogue. “These tales all displaced the human experience by using non-human things. We learn lessons about our own behaviors through animals, spirits, gods, or other totems because it doesn’t feel patronizing if we use human characters. I think using robots was an excellent metaphor for human life itself and the way we perceive the world; operating systems, battery life, logical programming versus illogical emotional responses. A lot of these human things lend themselves really well to computers and robots.”  The last time Criss performed at the Belasco Theater where Maybe Happy Ending is showing until January 2026 was 10 years ago. At the time, he starred as Hedwig in John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and The Angry Inch. “I love the poetry of my return to the Belasco theater a decade later,” he says. The aforementioned show is considered a classic in modern musical theater. It first debuted Off-Broadway in 1998, and later revived in 2014 starring Neil Patrick Harris. Then, he was continuing a legacy, but with Maybe Happy Ending, an original production directed by Tony Award Winner Michael Arden, written by Will Aronson and Hue Park, and produced by Jeffrey Richards, he’s forging his own.  “As a creative person, you dream to be a part of something original and singular to itself. You can’t put lightning in the bottle, but you work hard until one day the serendipities fall into your lap. That’s what happened here; a new dream was achieved.” 

There’s also another difference in his return to this theater. Unlike his previous solo-performance, he gets to share the stage in Maybe Happy Ending with his 24-year-old co-star Helen J. Shen graduated from the University of Michigan; the same school Criss graduated from in 2009. “I’m literally the upperclassman on stage,” Darren jokes. Shen plays a fellow thrown-out helper bot named Claire, who ends up bringing the spontaneity out of Oliver.  But, with newness comes risk. Those in the artistic universe know that participating in original productions bears a certain weight on one’s shoulders; tenfold when you’re riding high from a previously successful project. Will it be successful? Will it resonate with the audience? How will it affect one’s reputation?  Maybe Happy Ending may be a completely new production on Broadway, but it ultimately asks an age-old question: Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? “There are prerequisites to every good story,” Criss says. “Themes of love, loss, life. Think of any Shakespearean play you’ve seen. These are universal macro-themes that are packed very neatly and effectively in the show.”  Speaking of universal themes, Oliver’s plant HwaBoon is perhaps the true star of the show. In fact, the last moments of the play zero-in on the plant before the curtains fall. “He’s a glorious symbol of love that can outlive time itself,” Criss says. When asked if he has a real-life HwaBoon of his own, he directs his answer to music. “As a musician, I have instruments whose sentimental value completely eclipses their actual effectiveness. My guitars, for example, have been there for many beautiful moments in my life.” For Criss, success as an artist isn’t measured by how many tickets sell. “Following your heart is a zero-loss game. I had a strong feeling about the piece even before we opened the show. Whether or not people actually caught on was up in the air, but I would’ve still been very happy either way. On an artistic level, I was so moved that even if it didn’t reach the height that it is at now, I would’ve talked about it very proudly 20 or even 30 years down the line.”  The show has been running since November 2024 with ticket sales currently grossing $20,889,683. But, the Tony nominations speak for themselves. A day after Criss offered this humble note of measuring success to Vogue, news broke that Maybe Happy Ending was nominated for 10 awards for the 78th annual Tonys. The categories include: Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Scenic Design. Darren Criss is nominated for Best Actor.  When Filipinos think of stars on Broadway who share their ethnic backgrounds, Lea Salonga quickly comes to mind. She is, after all, the first Asian woman to win a Tony award. There’s also Eva Noblezada who held roles in Miss Saigon and Hadestown; and Rachel Ann Go who had roles in Les Miserables and Hamilton. Darren Criss, whose mother hails from Cebu and has an affinity for Palawan, puts in a case for his right to join their ranks as legendary performers.  “I certainly don’t think of myself in that way,” he tells Vogue. “But, I think it’s my responsibility to rise to that occasion if that’s what people see me as. I especially look up to Lea Salonga in a revered way. I look at her as a beacon, but I wonder if she even sees herself in that way. See, it’s this sort of call to duty. Beacons give cause to our belief, and they make us feel like it’s worthwhile to believe in something. I am honored and privileged to be given that role if it’s given to me.”  

[tapwater118]

tpot 17 spoilers here's what i thought of it lalalala

overall very good episode!! not the *best* ever episode but not every episode can be. it was very silly and fun and also what the fuck is happening

this eliminations played out how i most expected it to, i like pillow and yellow face is alright i guess but it was definitely their times to go. love how pencil freaked out for a hot second over having the most votes (again) i knew they would do that they are so evil for it. I LOVED BOTTLE'S LITTLE DOODLES of course she draws 2018 cute boots and mouth good for her

speaking of bottle was such a fun host! the "everything she does takes literal days" thing was a bit overused but i'm glad they stopped doing that once the challenge started. nice little subtle bit of character-building for four given how he was seemingly happy with bottle taking over. bro cares more about cooking than hosting now i can respect the growth and progression

the challenge itself was a very neat idea, splitting up the teams like this is a very good way to get new groups of characters to interact who wouldn't have otherwise. i thought for a second when bottle shuffled everyone around that we were getting ANOTHER team swap and nearly screamed lmao. but yeah super funny how the eating contest objects where all chill with each other (for the most part) but everyone else was at each other's throats the whole time lmao

pencil. oughhhhh pencil. i am ill. i dont really think pen was the best choice to talk to her at the end but to be fair the options were pretty limited given that everyone else was either MIA or book. the bookcil scene was awesome yes girlie get ANGRY unleash your RAGE. i think it would have been a bit more impactful if they didn't have fanny going basically "erm, awkward!" right in the middle of it but yeah good food i am fed

oh my god what has happened to one's room. has gaty torn through there like a feral animal or something or was this all the product of one's own frustration. given how she fucking mutilates donut i wouldn't discount the latter possibility. also six is plot relevant what, and purple face is gonna lead them to the EXIT and then (theory time) one's gonna use that group to get three out of the fourtress for. something. idk yet but things are happening

individual challenges lightning round go! circus circumstances is amazing i love slasher tacks, love evil tv arc they should have him Kill more. ferris wheel was kinda whatever but i love how they're bringing back snowball's old relationships with certain characters, particularly gb and pen. THE FOURSE IS BACK I LOVE YOU FOURSE not much else to say i didn't already cover in the previous section. eating contest was fun they leaked price tag's search history (and loser got cancelled lmao). winner felt appreciated i need to kiss them what who said that

wow i had a lot to say about this one huh, forty minute episodes will do that to ya. elimination predictions: grassy is almost certainly out, the team 2 votes (aside from icy's) were really close last time so it really depends on where the icy voters' votes will go now, and just by fandom reaction i can tell you it will not be grassy. for 🎼 i'm less sure but i can certainly say bottle and pen are safe, they were all over this episode they got so much to do. i think it might be liy or tb as much as i hate to say it, they kinda got sidelined in their challenges

ok uhh tpot 18 or 19 will probably be a meetup episode so i'll be able to see it before the rest of you HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Old QL Game

Rules: Think about the oldest BLs you've ever watched. They have to have been released prior to 2020. Now name 5 - 10 iconic scenes that you cannot forget.

Tagged by @italianpersonwithashippersheart and @thisonelikesaliens Thanks so much!

This was hard to narrow down to just a few, so I tried to show a varied sample, so to speak. Feels appropriate to start at the very beginning with my first bl.

Seven Days: Monday - Thursday (2015)

I love all of it. It's hard to pick a moment. But this whole scene was a lot. The tension, the disappointment when they talk about the phone numbers, on both sides, then Yuzuru's anger out of the blue, well not really but also yes, and then Seiryo's 'breaking up' with Shino on the phone because he found someone he cares more about. So many emotions.

Love Sick (2014)

"It barely takes any time to fall in love, so why does it hurt so much to say goodbye?" That's it.

Long Time No See (2017)

The confrontation. This was rough. And the look on Chi Soo walking away broke my heart.

Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey 2 (2017)

I love Rome's confidence.

The Novelist (2018)

Just him, in this moment. I went on a journey with Kijima. So many feelings for him, but this is where I felt like I really saw him for the first time.

Love by Chance (2018)

Baby Perth. I could've picked a bunch of different ones for them but today it was this one. Tomorrow probably the football field. Or the tote bag attack. Really, could've been so many.

No Touching At All (2014)

The first time I watched this was for my OJBL project and this scene has never again left my brain. I've seen this film like 3 times but maybe it's time for another.

HIStory2: Right or Wrong (2018)

She told all her friends and teachers!!! 😢😢😢

Ok. That's enough for now. My brain is gone. I've been tagging a lot of people in these games so I know y'all must be sick of me but I gotta do it again, if for no other reason than to share my picks. Also I don't know who's done this so, if you have, tag me in yours so I can see. Anyway you can ignore this if you don't feel like playing. No pressure as usual. @dramalove247 @nabi-unveiled @ginnymoonbeam @abstractelysium @yannig @callipigio @respectthepetty @purlpeiris @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle and of course if you see this and wanna play consider yourself tagged by me and tag me in your post so I can see. 💜💜💜

[sunderedstar]

What are your favorite arcs of SSSS? It remains one of my favorite webcomics (ignoring the second half of Part 2 of course :’))

the entire first adventure is a masterpiece. at least one showstopper panel of unparalleled art per chapter on average, if not more. I need to reread all the way through because it's been too long, but the train arc, everything involving Onni and Lalli, but particularly the dream sea sequences...idk. there was just something special about the first adventure, like lightning in a bottle, and I'll never regret owning those beautiful hardcover book editions. the Hotakainens were clearly where Minna cared the most, and it shows, and I love them for it.

no one could do it like 2014-2018 Minna could do it.

[april-is]

April 8, 2024: As If to Demonstrate an Eclipse, Billy Collins

As If to Demonstrate an Eclipse Billy Collins

I pick an orange from a wicker basket and place it on the table to represent the sun. Then down at the other end a blue and white marble becomes the earth and nearby I lay the little moon of an aspirin.

I get a glass from a cabinet, open a bottle of wine, then I sit in a ladder-back chair, a benevolent god presiding over a miniature creation myth,

and I begin to sing a homemade canticle of thanks for this perfect little arrangement, for not making the earth too hot or cold not making it spin too fast or slow

so that the grove of orange trees and the owl become possible, not to mention the rolling wave, the play of clouds, geese in flight, and the Z of lightning on a dark lake.

Then I fill my glass again and give thanks for the trout, the oak, and the yellow feather,

singing the room full of shadows, as sun and earth and moon circle one another in their impeccable orbits and I get more and more cockeyed with gratitude.

--

Also: Seeing the Eclipse in Maine, Robert Bly

Enjoy today's eclipse, North America!

More space-related poems.

Today in:

2023: Neither Time Nor Grief is a Flat Circle, Christina Olson 2022: Pippi Longstocking, Sandra Simonds 2021: Waking After the Surgery, Leila Chatti 2020: Gutbucket, Kevin Young 2019: Insomnia, Linda Pastan 2018: How Many Nights, Galway Kinnell 2017: The Little Book of Hand Shadows, Deborah Digges 2016: Now I Pray, Kathy Engel 2015: Why I’m Here, Jacqueline Berger 2014: Snow, Aldo, Kate DiCamillo 2013: from The Escape, Philip Levine 2012: Thirst, Mary Oliver 2011: Getting Away with It, Jack Gilbert 2010: *turning, Annie Guthrie 2009: I Don’t Fear Death, Sandra Beasley 2008: The Dover Bitch, Anthony Hecht 2007: Death Comes To Me Again, A Girl, Dorianne Laux 2006: Up Jumped Spring, Al Young 2005: Old Women in Eliot Poems, David Wright

[astralscrivener]

✨ fic directory ✨

i’ve created a post to keep all of my fics in one place. all fics can be found on ao3. (last updated may 4th, 2024)

major ongoing works

STEALING OUR OWN PLACE IN THE SUN

- voltron: legendary defender: a rewrite of vld seasons 4-8. - team focus, broganes, klance, adashi, romellura - rated M, graphic depictions of violence + other warnings in author notes - 22/45 chapters, 251k words (december 25th, 2022) - last posted: chapter 22: season 7, episode 3: elliptical orbit

AT SKYFALL

- voltron: legendary defender: canon-divergent au in which keith and shiro are captured by the galra at a coalition gala. things become more complicated when the team’s search for shiro turns up someone else: adam, shiro’s fiancé.  - broganes, klance, adashi - rated M, graphic depictions of violence + other warnings in author notes - 8/? chapters, 25k words (september 2nd, 2023) - last posted: chapter 8: division and discord

ABCS OF KLANCE

- voltron: legendary defender: oneshots, one prompt for each letter of the alphabet, focused on keith and lance’s relationship - variety of aus, some overlap with squad up (2017-19 modern au), mostly established relationship klance - 18 works, 87k words (may 4th, 2024) - a: artistry • b: brutality • c: comfort • d: defeat • e: elegance • f: faithfulness • g: grief • h: homelessness • i: information • j: jealousy • k: knell • l: loyalty • m: mercy • n: need • o: opportunity • p: pain • q: quest • r: rumor • s: sleep • t: trust • u: uncertainty • v: victory • w: worry • x: xenon • y: yearning • z: zero - last posted: lightning in a bottle (y: yearning)

other ongoing works

THESE 20S ARE RAWRING AND THESE DUNGEONS ARE DRAGONING

- voltron: legendary defender: modern au + d&d series started in 2020 as a stress response to quarantine - team focus, klance, adashi, romellua, hunay

• main work: the rawring 20s XD - chatfic that only updates if i think it will be funny - rated M, no archive warnings apply + other warnings in author notes - 5/5 chapters, 17k words - last posted: chapter 5: there is no easter bunny, there is no tooth fairy, (september 8th, 2022)

- other works include klance-centric oneshots + snippets of the group’s ongoing d&d campaign - 5 works, 37k words - last posted: midnight into morning coffee (february 7th, 2024)

VLD FIC REQUESTS

- voltron: legendary defender: oneshots across a variety of aus written in response to prompts from friends and followers - variety of ships, but mainly klance and adashi - some overlap with squad up  - 15 works, 92k words (july 8th, 2023) - last posted: distraction

major completed works

DECEIT SO NATURAL

- voltron: legendary defender: canon-divergent trilogy in which lance and keith fool their way behind enemy lines and onto lotor’s ship to steal vital information on the galra empire—only for lotor to become far more dangerous than anyone anticipated. - mainly klance, extremely one-sided lancelot - written before gay shiro reveal + age discourse, contains side shallura - 3 works, 315k words - completed june 15th, 2018

• WHERE PEOPLE GO TO DIE - lotor mistakenly believes that lance is a galra soldier spying on the paladins, and invites him to return home. keith follows him undercover as a prisoner, and quickly draws lotor’s ire as things spiral rapidly out of control. - rated M, graphic depictions of violence - 14/14 chapters, 49k words - completed july 9th, 2017

• DYNASTY DECAPITATED - lotor becomes vindictive after having been played for a fool by team voltron, and the team struggles to hold the voltron alliance together while fending off his rapid advances. meanwhile, keith and lance explore a new stage of their relationship and learn exactly what the other means to them. - rated M, graphic depictions of violence - 18/18 chapters, 67k words - completed august 7th, 2017

• STARS GO DOWN - lotor has captured lance and sentenced keith to death halfway across the universe. lance struggles to hold onto himself as he plays the role of an amnesiac, while keith attempts to fight his way back to the team, alone. meanwhile, the team, down two lions and two paladins, scrambles to bring keith and lance home amidst betrayals and tumult in the voltron alliance. - rated M, graphic depictions of violence, temporary major character death + other warnings in author notes - 37/37 chapters, 198k words - completed june 15th, 2018

SQUAD UP

- voltron: legendary defender: modern au written from 2017-19 to cope with the horrors of being in high school and the transition into college - written before gay shiro reveal + age discourse, contains side shallura and shiro/allura/matt - 25 works, 561k words - completed may 10th, 2019

• main work: squad up - chatfic chronicling the gang’s last year of high school - rated M, no archive warnings apply + other warnings in author note - 140/140 chapters, 327k words - completed june 15th, 2018

• main work: a midsummer night’s meme - chatfic chronicling the gang’s last summer before college - rated M, no archive warnings apply + other warnings in author note - 27/27 chapters, 79k words - completed august 31st, 2018

• main work: because guys like us are cool in college - series of oneshots/snippets following keith and lance’s freshman year of college - rated M, no archive warnings apply + other warnings in author note - 84/84 chapters, 83k words - completed may 10th, 2019

LIGHT UP THE PATH (THROUGH A SKY FULL OF STARS)

- voltron: legendary defender: 28 oneshots completed for klance au month february 2019. - klance - variety of aus, including but not limited to modern au, canon-divergent/other paladinsverse, fantasy au, and more - rated M, creator chose not to use archive warnings + other warnings in author note - 28/28 chapters, 49k words - completed february 28th, 2019

additional oneshots not mentioned here can be found on archive of our own ✨ other writing (including drabbles, snippets, and prompts from tumblr ask games) can be found in my writing tag ✨

happy reading!

[obeetlebeetle]

tagged by @sophelstien, thank you!💜💜💜

the NO-SKIP albums: a tag game 🎶

rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums. 🔎 bonus & optional (but imo, v fun) rules:1) add a track rec for us to listen to! AND2) share ur favorite line(s) from that track! 👀

tagging @waitingforgalois, @avantguardisme, @frogndtoad, @oranges-and-pears, @phosphorusandpetra, @cardwrecks, @swordatsunset, @gideonthefirst, @owldude, and YOU

🎧 album info/track recs/my favorite lines under the cut!! ↓↓↓

🌊 hideaway / the weepies (2008)

track rec: little bird ↳brush your gray wings in my head / say what you said / say it again / they tell me I'm crazy / but you told me / I'm golden

📼 in rainbows / radiohead (2007)

track rec: weird fishes/arpeggi ↳I'd be crazy not to follow / follow where you lead / your eyes / they turn me / turn me into phantoms / I follow to the edge / of the earth / and fall off / yeah, everybody leaves / if they get the chance / and this is my chance

🌉 narrow stairs / death cab for cutie (2008)

track rec: bixby canyon bridge ↳and then it started getting dark / I trudged back to where the car was parked / no closer to any kind of truth / as I must assume was the case for you

🚗 sam's town / the killers (2006)

track rec: bones ↳we took a backroad in my car / down to the ocean / it's only water and sand / and in the ocean we'll hold hands / but I don't really like you / apologetically dressed in the best / put on a heartbeat glide / without an answer / the thunder speaks for the sky

🕕 I forget where we were / ben howard (2014)

track rec: conrad ↳oh, I loved you with the good and the careless in me / but it all goes back

🔥 heretic pride / tmg (2008)

track rec: autoclave ↳when I try to open up to you, I get completely lost / houses swallowed by the earth, windows thick with frost / and I reach deep down within, but the pathways twist and turn / and there's no light anywhere, and nothing left to burn / and I am this great, unstable mass of blood and foam / and no emotion that's worth having could call my heart its home

🌹 violet street / local natives (2019)

track rec: when am I gonna lose you? ↳I remember you closing the shutters / and laying down by my side / and the light that was still slipping through / it was painting your body in stripes

🚪 retired from sad, new career in business / mitski (2013)

track rec: goodbye, my danish sweetheart ↳there's some kind of burning inside me / it's kept me from falling apart / and I'm sure that you've seen what it's done to my heart / but it's kept me from falling apart / now here I lay as I wonder about you / would you just tell me what I'm meant to do? / 'cause I've waited and watered my heart 'til it grew / you can see how it's blossomed for you

🚀 how to: friend, love, freefall / rks (2018)

track rec: mission to mars ↳we changed the format completely, cut the filler for meat / it's just blood on your TV making killings for free / the ticket lines are past the sign down at the end of the street / meet and greet, VIPs go a million a piece / we delayed the show for entry and so expired on the lease / now we're gonna re-release it, t.b.d / change the title to: fuck you / it's what you want it to be / when you know it only pay to make nice / pack your shit and standby, please / your friends are trying to leave and get high

[mysticsparklewings]

Karla Choupette, but make her Winx!

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It’s been so long since I posted art, I kinda forgot how to caption it 😅

So I’ll stick with facts: Exactly 1 year ago today, I brought home my very first Rainbow High doll, Karla Choupette. Shortly after, I wanted to draw her, and since I was on a roll with Winx-Club-Style art at the time, this is the result! 🤍

⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

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This won't be much of surprise to Sparklers that read my most recent Museletter, but to those that didn't: Hi! Longtime no art; How've you been? 👋 😅 If you're curious about how & where I've been, I'm going to direct you to that Museletter for the full details.

Also as you'll see in the Museletter, I had actually started on and mostly finished this piece right before my accidental half-year hiatus actually began (in December). There are many reasons (discussed at length in the Museletter) as to why I've held onto this piece for so long, but chief among them are 1. A lack of motivation to type this description and 2. Even months later, I was still not 100% sure about the background I originally picked out.

We'll talk more about the background in a bit. Firstly, especially for those that didn't read the Museletter, I should probably tell you who/what exactly this is and why you're staring at it. 😆

This lady, dear Sparklers, is one Karla Choupette of Shadow High, which is a...sub-line? I guess is the best way to put it? of the Rainbow High doll line. Except, per my usual art shenanigans, she's been drawn in the Winx Club art style. 😅

Karla is also known as: The Doll that Broke My (also unintentional) 5-6 year Doll Buying Hiatus. And in fact, that was the final key to me dusting off my typing fingers to finally bring this art to you Sparklers today.

I'll try and keep this story brief, but...Well, loyal Sparklers know how me and "brief" usually go, so I'll just apologize in advance for how very not-brief this actually will be...

In a way, this story starts in 2016 with the second generation of Monster High.

The first generation of Monster High was, pretty indisputably, my "true doll love" even though until it's beginning in 2010 I'd been raised on mostly Barbie and some Bratz. But the second generation was almost completely canned by the fan base, including me.

By 2018, most Monster High merchandise had disappeared from stores entirely. It all happened so fast for a franchise that had been such a lightning-in-a-bottle success before; It was depressing. (It's still depressing, to be completely honest, even with G3 now alive and well.)

And after that, for years the was really nothing for me in the doll space. With Monster High and Ever After High gone, Barbie's quality having taken a nosedive, Bratz's presence be wildly inconsistent...Whatever options were left either didn't appeal to me personally or didn't stick around long enough for that to matter.

So for the next few years, my attention in the toy aisle was pretty squarely on Shopkins, Num Noms, and the occassional other surprise toys that tempted me enough to try at least once. 🤷‍♀️

In 2020 (so I've been told by the internet—I couldn't have remembered the date if my life depended on it because that's how little attention I was paying to them at the time), Rainbow High dolls started appearing in store. And I do believe I remember seeing them in-store, possibly even an enclosed display. And I remember really not liking them at the time!

And I didn't like what I saw of Rainbow High for a considerably amount of time after that. But somehow, someway, I did very slowly start to come around to them. I think the biggest factor was when I started to understand that despite what sounded like a cutesy name to me, Rainbow High was not effectively a line of CareBears dressed as teenage girls.

Though, at this stage, when I say "come around to," I really mean I stopped viewing the line with active disdain. It would take a while longer of random images popping up on my Instagram and Pinterest feeds (mostly Instagram) before I started to think, "Oh well maybe I'd buy one if xyz..."

But I don't think it was too much longer after the "if xyz" phase that I was browsing around on Pinterest

And there, that was the moment—*Gasp*, Who is she? She looks like Ivy if Ivy were pink! She's so pretty!!

Karla Choupette had appeared.

And for the record, yes—I did and still do think Karla looks a lot like what I envision for my Winx OC Ivy aside from the pink coloring. So if in the future you see me draw Ivy and her outfit looks suspiciously familiar, now you'll know why!

But, to be fair, that's not the only thing about Karla's design that appeals to me. The stark contrast of colors is one for sure, as well as the slight contrast of the punk-ish boots with the more formal/business-like dress/top situation. And after I did (spoiler alert) bring Karla home, I realized she bears some resemblance to one of my favorite Monster High dolls of all-time, Zomby Gaga, so there was almost definitely some subconscious influence coming from that.

Anyway. It was a little bit of a slow burn, but eventually the desire to actually get a Karla doll was rattling around in my head so loudly it was was very nearly literally keeping me up at night.

I completely lucked out in the timeline that Karla had already been out for a while at that point and last year's Amazon Prime Day wasn't too far around the corner. Sure, I could have just bought her at any time, but considering I'd been out of the doll-buying game a while and my "first doll back" was going to be one completely unlike the rest of my collection [..and I use that term kind of loosely here], so I didn't want to put too much money on the line when it was fully possible I'd get her home and unboxed and decide I didn't actually like her all that much.

The funny thing is, the story could've even there. Or at least taken a significant detour. Because, sure enough, Amazon did mark Karla down for Prime Day at the time, but before I could go through with the purchase, she sold out. 🙃

On a whim though, I decided to check Walmart a little later in the day, and lo and behold—Apparently they really wanted to compete with Amazon for sales that week, so they'd dropped their price on Karla to match and actually still had her in stock!

I ordered her for local pickup to avoiding paying for shipping, and the next day—Exactly one year ago today!—Karla came home with me. [And you can see a picture of my exact Karla in that Museletter I mentioned before, for those curious!]

It would be another couple of days before I actually opened her; Both in the store when we picked her up and while I was opening her, I was honestly a little scared that physically being able to hold her would somehow break whatever magic hold this doll had had over me up until either point.

But as you can probably guess by the way I'm telling this story and the fact that this art exists—Nope! And even a year and 20 (...soon to be 21...) more Rainbow/Shadow High dolls later, Karla is still my favorite. She is, in fact, the only one I currently have 2 of, as I found an incomplete-but-in-great-shape Karla for cheap on eBay about a month later.

To be fair, I should back up a bit and clarify: If you're familiar with the doll space, you may be wondering why/how Karla was the buying-hiatus-breaker for me even though Monster High G3 started releasing new dolls in 2022.

Technically I suppose she wasn't because I did get some of the MH G3 dolls and Howliday Draculaura for Christmas 2022, but for space/storage related reasons, it would be much longer before I actually opened any of my new MH dolls, and there were various aspects that made G3 still feel kind of rocky and uncertain at the time.

Karla was the one that really sparked my excitement for dolls in general again, though the excitement manifested as a rolling snowball instead of a roaring fire—I started out, as many doll fans across all brands have, insisting Karla would be the "only" Rainbow High doll I wanted/needed.

And if you'll remember I quoted a collection of 20 Rainbow High dolls a few paragraphs ago, then you'll already know exactly how that well-intended insistence turned out. 😆 [And this isn't even touching on the fact that, as also mentioned in the Museletter, that Karla and the Rainbow High girls also ignited a "make things for the dolls from scratch" spark in me that I have felt in...Mm, probably not since the earliest days of Monster High, sometime before 2013.]

Some of you are also now probably doing the math on how we arrived at the concept for this artwork—This is very much not the first (or even second or third) time that I've used the Winx Club art style as a vessel to express my love for some other thing.

It's been a while since the idea began by now, but I remember I had inklings of wanting to draw Karla for a while—I think in particular I wanted to play with Karla's white eyelashes in illustrated form since it's both something I've never seen on a doll before and also white eyelashes in general are just a unique and interesting concept to me—And since I was sorta on a roll with the Winx Club stuff/style, it wasn't too long or too far of a leap in logic to decide this is the way it would be done.

Likewise, if you've seen any of my most-recent Winx art, you'll already be fairly familiar with my process for how the art comes together in the most literal senses. So because of that and because it has been long enough that I don't remember finer details like areas that were particularly tricky so well, I'm going to skip over a lot of that here.

However, I do remember and can tell you a few things that make Karla here a little different from some of those other attempts of mine, so I will now start rambling about that in whatever order things come to mind.

Firstly and possibly the most obvious, Karla you could say Karla's wasn't "Winx-fied" as intensely as Helena or The Nanny, which was a very purposeful choice. I love Karla's original design so much that I really didn't want to touch it too much, and so while a fairy form like those other two artworks can often be more fun, I opted to keep Karla "casual."

To that end, I followed what patterns and "rules" I've observed for the Winx's Season 2-3 "casual outfits" as best I could without making any serious alterations. [The linked screenshot isn't the best example of said patterns/rules—You kinda have to take in multiple screenshots to get the best feel for that—but it's a decent enough point of reference for which outfits I'm talking about.]

So the main thing you'll notice are the things I took away or simplified because I think thy pushed Winx Club's style "limits" a bit too far—Karla has her fan but it's missing the word "Shadow" across the front, the zippers on her shoes aren't well-defined, the charm/pin from her tie is missing, you can't see the pinstripes on her dress (though if this were meant to be the Seasons 2-3 promo art style and not true-to-show style, I would've left those in)...things like that.

I did make small exceptions for things I felt would take away too much if I left them out like the details on her belt, the buckles on her boots, giving her eyeshadow, etc. But I tried to balance it all out. The belt is probably still pushing it, but I genuinely wasn't sure how else to handle it and I think everything else worked out well enough.

Now, I did make the decision to approach the line work more so how Season 4 would do it—There are more colored lines here than is really typical for Season 3, especially when you count Karla's hair. This was mostly done to try and preserve some of Karla's own "feel" when you look at her, but also a little for contrast of the different elements/textures at play. [For example, I thought lining her hair in black would look too harsh.]

...I should also probably mention that while I still stand by Karla looking a lot like what I want for Ivy, I really was focused on trying to capture Karla as herself here—I can't say Ivy never entered my mind during the drawing process because that's kind of impossible given that she lives and dies entirely in my imagination, but I did not consciously at any point use Ivy as reason or justification for any changes made to Karla's design.

Oh, and if this pose feels a little familiar, much like with Fran, I opted to re-use a pose I'd already been working with around the time I started this project. It's hard to tell from my sketches in the linked image, but in this case I did decide to re-draw the arms to nearly the opposite position because it made figuring out what to do with her fan so much easier.

Ironically, this pose is not at all the best way to get a good look at her white eyelashes, but I worked with what I had to make something nice without it taking 2-3 (or more) times as long, so I'm not actually too upset about that.

You could say that's sorta what happened with the background—I can't say this is my most favorite background I've ever put together, but I really did not have any better ideas, so...🤷‍♀️

Maybe it's obvious, maybe it's not, but I decided to try combining a design formula that's been used in a lot of the Rainbow High boxes as a background (and sometimes in other promotional material) with some general ideas from promotional images/profiles you may have seen of the Winx before.

So if you thought you were seeing Alfea castle edited into a rainbow gradient back there, you would be absolutely right. 😉

This is also why Karla's name is just kinda randomly hanging out over there on a "true to show style"—It's a little more consistent with the Winx profiles/images and added a little extra something I felt was missing from the full package.

And while not my primary motivation, I did kind of like the idea that with a background situation like this, if I decide I ever want to draw more Winxify-ed Rainbow High girls, I can re-use it and have them all a little more visually united as a series.

I have no current plans to do that, but I like being able to leave the door open for it, y'know?

...I think those are all the main things I wanted to mention. This is the real trouble with not writing these descriptions as soon as I'm able—I forget too much! But there's not much to be done about it now, so oh well I guess.

In such case, the important thing really is that I'm still happy with how the art turned out. Or at least Karla and some of the other details. Even at this very moment I still have my quibbles and doubts with the image of Alfea hanging out back there, but at this point I really don't want to put off uploading this any longer solely because of that, of all things.

Since I did find it in me to scramble what was left of this description together though, coupled with things I mentioned in that last Museletter, I really hope this means I've finally turned some kind of internal corner and and that it won't be another block of months before you Sparklers see more art from me.

At the very least, I can now say I've tried this new submission portal from dA and...It's not my beloved Sta.sh, but...eh, it's okay I guess. I still miss my editing/formatting tools being more available like in a proper text editor, but in some ways I do think I like this better than the previous submission portal, if I'm going to be forced to type out my descriptions in here from now on.

I think at least knowing that—that I'm marginally more familiar with this new portal now—will be a step in the right direction.

One last thing before I leave you Sparklers for today—I plan to give this description a once-over before I submit, but I've written most of it late at night after a busy shopping day and may or may not have caught myself almost dozing off a couple of times, so on top of my faulty memory, if you notice any exceptionally weird mistakes, that's probably where those came from and I missed them on my second read-through. 😅

In any case, Sparklers, I thank you for still being here and being patient with me—Like I said before, I sincerely hope this is just the beginning of me finally being "back," at least for a while, but ultimately only time will tell if it is or not.

But if it is, then I expect to see you all again much sooner rather than later...😉

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Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings

Karla Choupette/Rainbow High © MgA Entertainment

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⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

[a-nameless-writer]

it's now time for...

music recs from beyond the grave!

a series in which i yap about my latest discoveries

Lunatic Soul

Solo studio music project of Mariusz Duda, lead singer of the Polish progressive rock band Riverside, Lunatic Soul's dark musical atmosphere evokes this intense feeling one can experience at twilight. There's something quite mystical about it, as if the winds and the mountains were whispering in your ear.

From the album Walking on a Flashlight Beam (2014):

Eastern High

This Swedish metal band's progressive approach can sometimes be reminiscent of Aether Realm's sound, although I feel it has a more mystique spirit — if that's even possible. Let's just say, as a Ghost fan: there's something in Swedish music that makes it impossible for them to make anything but bangers (I don't think this can be proven wrong).

Today's recs are from their first album, Garden of Heathens (2017). The first one, Afterglow, is the last song in the album (yeah, I like doing things the wrong way round). It is quite atmospheric, with almost ethereal vocals and clear acoustic guitar sounds.

The next one, Bottled Insanity (the first in the album, ha!), goes harder: with heavy guitar riffs and deep growls in the middle, it is quite reminiscent of melodic death metal. There is a notable contrast between soft and heavy passages, which I appreciate a lot. I find that the guitar solo is bleeding through very nicely. Side note: the chorus feels very solemn — which is a plus in my book, considering the vibe of this song.

Cellar Darling

A Swiss heavy progressive folk rock band! This trio was previously part of Swiss folk metal band Eluveite, and decided to embark on a different path — one free of any creative limits.

In their first studio album This Is the Sound (2017), vocalist Anna Murphy's powerful voice, combined with the rich sound of her hurdy-gurdy and heavy riffs, manages to throw you into a mystical experience. You'd almost expect Morgan le Fay to come out of the nearest bush, belting this song.

They also covered Queen's The Prophet Song (in 2018). Here, again, Anna Murphy's vocals are pure delight to the ears.

Zaho de Sagazan

This French singer-songwriter made a splash by covering Bowie's Modern Love for the opening of the Cannes Film Festival 2024, as a nod to Greta Gerwig's nomination as the jury's president. During this performance, she threw herself into the music — as she always does on stage — and invited us all into her world of electronic music.

She declared falling in love with the German language later, although she did study it in high school. From this, she decided to cover the famous song 99 Luftballons, by West German band Nena.

Zaho de Sagazan is hypersensitive, something that brought her a lot of trouble as a kid. But, “One day [she] discovered music, and [she] realized that by crying over [her] piano did [her] a lot of good, it didn't hurt anyone and above all it gave pretty songs. [She] realized that what [she] thought was [her] greatest flaw in life was ultimately [her] greatest quality”. From this discovery, the song La symphonie des éclairs (literally “The symphony of lightning”) was born.

Aaaand I've hit the hellsite's limit for Spotify integrations... Which means, without any surprise, that I'll continue these recommendations in another post (depending on this one's reception). I hope you enjoyed listening to all of these, as much as I've enjoyed writing about them!

Have a nice day, and don't forget to feel the music!

[yeahiwasintheshit]

since i watched luca guadagnino's suspiria (2018) a couple weeks ago, and loved it, i found out that dario argento actually created a trilogy after the success of the first suspiria in 1977, and named it the three mothers trilogy. the three mothers were 3 witches, and each mother/witch had their own movie. it was actually kind of an intriguing idea, so i rewatched the first 'suspiria' again, then his 2nd movie 'inferno' and i just finished the trilogy tonight with 'mother of tears'. bottom line is this trilogy is pretty terrible lol... story-wise at least. lol

like i really liked agento's suspiria, cause it was a sort of a technicolor nightmare. argento plays with lighting and color in an interesting way that pulls you thru a story - a story that is pretty light, and plot points that do not make alot of sense, but it doesnt really feel that important cause of the sort of dreaminess of the movie. it just all kinda works together. if without the lighting and color and score, suspiria would just not work... at all i think.

the problem i think with making a trilogy out of a movie where its style over plot, is you have to quickly make a coherent movie afterwards, and 'inferno' is as coherent as 'suspiria' is. which is not much at all lol its kinda obvious plotting is not really argento's strong suite lol but i have to say that visually 'inferno' is just about as visually beautiful as 'suspiria'. it uses color and lighting as effectively. but 'inferno' does not have the score from the band goblin, like suspiria does, and that seriously is to its detriment. it really shows what a good score can do for a movie.

so eventho inferno wasnt as good as the 1st one, it wasnt awful. now 'mother of tears' is awful. completely head scratching nonsensical weirdness. and not really in a good way. there were some interesting parts, but it was not shot with the visual flair for color and lighting as the first 2, or a score that stood out to me like the goblin score, so you kinda have the worst of it all. lol boring sort of normal lighting, and an illogical story, where youre like 'what?' & a kinda forgettable score. for most of the movie the characters motivations feel so scripted, like the only reason this is happening is cause it needs to happen for the next thing in the script to happen. it just kinda feels like a bunch of scenes tied together, trying to get to the end. and the end movie and end to this trilogy was also very dumb and anti-climactic.

also and this is just something i found hilarious, is that the 3 witches in the movies are supposed to be ancient beings, who come back to wreck havoc, and the witch in 'mother of tears' has such fake silicon-y boobs. like even I could tell. lol it was just a little distracting lol

so overall, suspiria 1977 was kind of lightning in a bottle where all the pieces work together - very well. color, lighting, score really elevated a fairly weak script. tbh, i really think the score is what really takes it to another place. cause inferno is pretty close to suspiria in color and lighting and story, but without that goblin score it just falls flat.

i dont know if i recommend the three mothers trilogy, but you should def see both suspiria movies, the 1977 & 2018 "remake".

[deancaspinefest]

It seems a lot of the fic that you're reblogging has been deleted from Ao3 :( It always guts me when that happens but it's been surprisingly more common in SPN that in any of my previous fandoms. anyway, it would be nice to not reblog the ones with deleted fics, i feel, if that's okay with you?

Hi anon,

Thanks for your message :)

It's definitely a shame when people decide to delete their fic or art, particularly when their work is connected to that of another fan artist or author. For that reason, we encourage any author or artist who has decided that they no longer wish to participate in fandom to make use of the "orphan work" function on Ao3 so that others can continue to enjoy their work after they've gone.

Right now, we've been made aware of five Pinefest fics which have been deleted. Those fics are Wayward Pines and Buttercream Dahlias (2017) and The Rigged Mandela Effect (2018) by microespressos, Ships in the Night (2018) by thetwistedwillow, and Genie in a Bottle (2018) and Where the Lightning Splits the Sea (2019) by thepopeisdope. All five masterposts have been updated to mention that the fics appear to have been taken down.

That said, art for the first four fics is still available to view via the links on the masterposts, and some art also appears as part of the masterpost of the fifth fic. As a fic and art challenge, we see value in sharing those masterposts regardless of fic availability.

If you're wondering why we didn't re-check every single link before queuing the reblogs -- it's purely because there are at least four links in each of the 253 masterposts. This would have meant opening over a thousand links, most of which don't actually require attention, during an already time-consuming process.

If you have encountered any other masterposts that link to works that have since been deleted, feel free to let us know via ask and we'll make sure to update the relevant masterpost :)

[dustedmagazine]

Music is an Essential Verb: Derek Taylor 2023

Music remains, along with family, friends, and a select few venial vices, my primary daily defense against the mental erosions of spiritual malaise and existential dread. Being a humanist also means being a realist, and little looks to be different on that score in the year ahead as we continue to careen toward a bleak and self-defeating dénouement. The veil of uncertainty around what ultimately feels like inevitability redoubles the need to remain thankful for and supportive of those who devote themselves to art. Summary capsules below describe some of the sounds that kept me going in 2023.

Peter Brötzmann, Wayne Shorter, Kidd Jordan, & Charles Gayle

“The trauma of my generation was what our fathers had done to the rest of the world, and so we said, ‘never again,’ and that was the whole impetus through all my life, and it still is.” ~ Brötzmann (2018)

Musician attrition and demise are dispiriting aspects of every annum, but the departure of four disparate octogenarian reedists exacted an especially steep emotional and cultural toll this year. Shorter and Jordan passed away in March, each of them leaving a rich legacy as indefatigable improviser and altruistic educator that continue influence and inspire. Brötzmann exited in June after the return of a protracted respiratory illness. Few if any can match the magnitude of his mileage and six-decade itinerary as an irrepressible, obstinately adventurous world traveler. Gayle ascended in September, an ardent, uncompromising eremite to the end. All four men left behind discographies and concert/interview footage that will leave the faithful and curious listening and marveling in perpetuity, but their collective absence still aches.

Kirk Knuffke & Joe McPhee Quartet + 1 – Keep the Dream Up (Fundacja Sluchaj)

One of the manifold joys of following the output of Kirk Knuffke is anticipating who he’ll collaborate with next. The cornetist’s ears and imagination are as huge as his heart, a trait he has in common with the equally equanimous Joe McPhee. They’ve known each other for years but Keep the Dream Up is their first released collaboration and it’s an affirming alloy of their complementary creative temperaments. Longtime McPhee comrades Michael Bisio and Jay Rosen complete the quartet with bass clarinetist Christof Knoche comprising the additive on a Brooklyn studio session that captures collective creative lightning in a digital bottle. My album of the year for these reasons and more, although hopefully Joe will bring his brass to a follow-up conclave soon.

Don Byas – Classic Sessions 1944-1946 (Mosaic)

Saxophonist Don Byas recorded prolifically during the 1940s. His porous sound and popular style bridged the schools of swing and bop through prowess and panache aligned with the most esteemed of post-WII tone scientists. That sustained industriousness hasn’t reflected in reliable access to his works, primarily because they’re spread across a plethora of independent labels and competing copyrights. Leave it to Mosaic Records to rectify the longstanding reissue lacuna. This long gestating collection corrals and sequences the bulk of them across ten discs, scrubbing their sound, and adding an expansive cache of rarified verité concert recordings made in a Swedish jazz fan’s residence. Indulging in one’s Byas bias has never been easier or as edifying.

Fred Anderson – The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 2 (Corbett vs Dempsey)

Patience and long-game aptitude are among music producer/archivist/advocate John Corbett’s virtues. This unexpected, but abundantly welcome sequel to an archival Anderson collection on Corbett’s long defunct Unheard Music Series took 23 years to secure commercial circulation and offers an additional hour-plus from the same gig in improved sound. Fellow AACMers Billy Brimfield and Hamid (nee Hank) Drake join bassist Larry Hayrod in bringing vibrant, detailed life to the Lone Prophet of the Prairie’s (as Anderson was affectionately known) serpentine, cerulean melodies. Corbett’s current label released a plenitude of music in 2023 (see also below) but the uncommon opportunity to hear more Anderson of any vintage makes this release worthy of independent mention.

Jason Adasiewicz

Corbett vs. Dempsey also had a welcome role in Jason Adasiewicz’s return to record with two different projects. On vinyl, Roy’s World documents a 2017 Chicago studio session by the vibraphonist’s quintet originally intended as the soundtrack to a film based on neo-noir novelist Barry Gifford’s short stories. Chicago stalwarts Josh Berman, Joshua Abrams, Hamid Drake, join saxophonist Jonathan Doyle in the ensemble for a program that sounds at once fresh and nostalgic while always vital. On CD, Roscoe’s Village dispenses with band for a solo selective foray through the songbook of Roscoe Mitchell including evocative renderings of “Congliptious” and “A Jackson in Your House” that retain the composer’s essence while striking out in bold new directions.

Natural Information Society

Grounded as it is in core voices of guembri, frame drum and harmonium, codification of Josh Abrams’ NIS as a jazz ensemble immediately feels reductively incomplete. All participating instruments can be active architects in the undulating, melody-laced drones that frequently form the basis of the band’s gradual, granulated improvisations. Performances are more akin to collective expeditions where a galvanizing gestalt effect is afoot; one where earned communal peaks preserve the individual power and agency of the interlocking parts. Since Time is Gravity augments this already catalytic template by incorporating a larger contingent of Chicago colleagues including tenorist Ari Brown to the equation.

Abdul Wadud

A jazz-based improviser on the cello who didn’t double on other stringed instruments, Wadud was also a consummate collaborator and sideman. Magnanimity in lending his substantial talents to the projects of others resulted in a paucity of albums under his own name. By Myself from 1977 on the Bisharra label is a revelatory anomaly on that self-effacing resume. Wadud approaches the instrument as a multifaceted sound factory, plucking, strumming, and bowing, often simultaneously, to create solo tone poems steeped in personal poignancy. Gotta Groove’s vinyl reissue is a beautiful facsimile of the original album object in faithfully reconstructed fidelity.

Marion Brown

Georgia-born altoist Marion Brown had a lengthy, storied career but the body of recorded work that he left behind can present difficulties in terms of ingress to its totality. Scattered across labels, years, and circumstances, much of it is either out of print or commercially unreleased. That collective relative obscurity makes a trio of releases, two on the German Moosicus label, and a third Record Store Day viny reissue of Brown’s 1970 studio duets with Wadada Leo Smith under the shared sobriquet Creative Improvisation Ensemble even more valuable. Of the former two, Mary Ann presents concert material by Brown’s quartet from a 1969 Bremen club gig in soundboard fidelity. Gesprächsfetzen & In Sommerhausen combines two more German concert snapshots, quintet, and sextet, from 1968 & 1969 with Gunter Hampel originally released on the Calig imprint. Steve McCall is a boon on drums in all three contexts.

Art Pepper – Complete Maiden Voyage Recordings (Omnivore)

Art Pepper was an inveterate rake for most of his life, magnifying destructive interpersonal tendencies with drugs and frustratingly frequent acts of self-sabotage. That star-crossed propensity makes the fact that he left so much magnificent music even more miraculous. This lavish box is a fascinating compendium of the constantly competing artistic contradictions at his center, collecting a quartet gig across three nights and seven club sets in Pepper’s native Los Angeles, ten months prior to his premature passing at 56. Over half of the music is previously unreleased and the rhythm section, led by the impeccable and implacable pianistics of George Cables, gives Pepper a cumulative confidence boost that keeps him on the rails. None of it has ever sounded better.

Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra

Los Angeles of the late-1970s was an unforgiving environment for the economic necessities of orchestral jazz. The Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra, under the nominal leadership of pianist/composer/community organizer Horace Tapscott, was a tenaciously subversive force in the face of that ruinous rule. Adopting the Immanuel United Church of Christ as an informal base of operations, the large ensemble resourcefully engaged in an ambitious series of concerts in 1979. The Nimbus label, long a Tapscott exponent and repository, released the first three entries this year in an archival subscription series collecting the voluminous results. Titles are also available individually and present the pivotal band at a performative peak with star soloists Sabir Mateen, Billy Harris, Jesse Sharps, and Robert Miranda shining just as bright as their fearless foreman.

Alan Skidmore – A Supreme Love

Unexpectedly issued on Mark Wastell’s Confront label, an imprint better known for its fealty to free improvisation, this six-disc archival tribute to Alan Skidmore’s 70+ year career in music launches with the saxophonist’s 1961 radio debut and lands some seven-hours later with his intimate 2019 rendering of John Coltrane’s “Psalm.” The aural expanse between is brimming with bright moments and luminary collaborators the likes of which include Tony Oxley, Kenny Wheeler, Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Mike Osborne, Elvin Jones, and another dozen name drops from the top tier of improvised music. It’s a wild, illuminating ride and a sterling example of a musical memorial done right.

The Jazz Doctors – Intensive Care/Prescriptions Filled: The Billy Bang Quartet Sessions 1983/1984 (Cadillac)

Billy Bang and Frank Lowe shared a bottomless fraternal bond forged through parallel traumas internalized in Vietnam and expressed by the subsequent embrace of the restorative power of improvised music. The pair of sessions (one reissued, one archival) collected on this disc epitomize their deep attachment arguably as well as any of their other numerous collaborations. Outside the cardinal duo, the Jazz Doctors never really had a stable lineup, but the quartets here embody two of their best. Both programs are loosely adherent to freebop conventions with violin and tenor saxophone combining over contrabass and drums for a potent front line. Bang and Lowe are long gone now, their shared absence making the availability of this music even more precious.

Attila Zoller & Jimmy Raney

Hungarian guitarist Attila Zoller had selective affinity for other artists on the instrument, so much so that his mid-career period is seeded by fateful encounters with plectrist peers. Most prolific among these partnerships was his prudent pairing with Jimmy Raney. A popular proponent of bop-based jazz, Raney was in a similar exploratory headspace when the two joined forces on a trio of recordings for the German L + R label over a seven-year span. Concert dates from Frankfurt (’80) and Berlin (’86) find the duo spooling out lengthy dialogues that dabble in free improvisation while keeping codified melodies within reach. An earlier New York encounter (’79) explores their rapport in a studio. All three reissues on the Japanese Ultra-Vybe imprint are aces.

Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music

Simultaneously emblematic of NYC free jazz in the early aughts and fiercely dedicated to resisting pitfalls of provincialism by touring generously and rigorously, trombonist Steve Swell’s Fire into Music was one of the finest quartets of its kind. Posthumously dedicated to the late altoist Moondoc, this three CD set collects a trio of small venue concerts by the band from gigs in Texas and Ontario. As with the horns, William Parker and Hamid Drake are ideally suited to the extended, expository freebop safaris that formed the ensemble’s flexible repertoire. Swell’s the leader on paper but sagely embraces musical communalism without fail.

Intakt

Running a physical media imprint in the 21st century is an inherently parlous enterprise, but this steadfast Swiss label continues to evidence how it’s done. This year’s standout catalog entries include Andrew Cyrille’s Music Delivery/Percussion, the octogenarian drummer’s third solo album and first in 45-years; bassist Jöelle Leandré’s solo Zurich Concert; pianist Aruán Ortiz’s Serranías Sketchbook for Piano Trio; Beyond Dragons by the trio of saxophonist Angelika Niescier, cellist Tomeka Reid, and drummer Savannah Harris, and Ohad Talmor’s Back to the Land, a quartet-plus-guests survey that takes its compositional focus an archival workshop date by Ornette Coleman and Lee Konitz.

Ezz-thetics

The appearance of the Swiss Ezz-thetics imprint four years ago raised both eyebrows and ire. Lacking access to master tapes, veteran free jazz and new music producer Werner Uehlinger sourced commercially released editions instead, employing ace audio engineer Peter Pfister succeeded by Michael Brandli to rejuvenate and refurbish the recordings, stateside copyright considerations be damned. Reaction was expeditious and polemical, but proof is in the hearing as most of the label’s dozens of releases sound better than their original incarnations. Catalog highlights this year include another round of Albert Ayler airshots including his pivotal meeting with the Cecil Tayor Trio in 1962 on More Lost Performances, Charles Mingus’ At Antibes 1960, and Ornette Coleman’s At the Golden Circle.

Fresh Sound

Jordi Pujol is akin to Uehlinger in that he refuses to let his vision and ambitions as a producer be abbreviated by external opinion. In Pujol’s case it’s yielded a bountiful inventory of antiquarian titles that rights holders have shown little to zero interest in restoring to begin with. Cases in point for this year include a definitive collection of obscurando saxophonist Boots Mussulli’s works; concert and studio collections by the Count Basie alumni tandem of Al Grey and Billy Mitchell; hens’ teeth rare leader sessions by Arthur Lyman vibraphonist Julius Wechter; and a two-fer of Julliard-trained Ellingtonian Cass Harrison piano trio albums. Exciting guilty pleasures all around.

Playing for the Man at the Door

As complex as he was controversial, Robert “Mack” McCormick deserves consideration in the esteemed company of other maverick cultural archivists like Alan Lomax, George Mitchell, and Harry Smith. With a preservationist purview mostly comprising Texas and bordering states, McCormick spent much of his adult life obsessively documenting and disentangling the cultural capital of the region through recordings, photography, interviews, essays, and research. Smithsonian Folkways became repository for the massive reservoir after his passing and this box is the first in what will hopefully be multiple dispatches from the same. Unreleased field recordings of Mance Lipscomb and Lightnin’ Hopkins represent the big names, but works by the likes of Hop Wilson, Cedell Davis, Robert Shaw, and a handful of others are just as persuasive. Bongo Joe Coleman’s impassioned presidential pitch closing the set will have listeners pining for a time when third party Executive Branch candidacy didn’t seem so fraught.

Joni Mitchell Archives - Vol. 3, The Asylum Years 1972 to 1975

Mitchell’s continuing project corollary to her old friend Neil Young’s analogously exhaustive retrospective enterprise, this third entry in the series finds her 30-something-self further broadening the lens of her art beyond the solo concert music that dominated the first two boxes. There are stirring solitary shows here, too, but it’s the band offerings that prove most revealing, particularly in the company of reedist Tom Scott’s fusion group L.A. Express. James Taylor, Graham Nash, and David Crosby lend contributory hands, and there’s a brief but intriguing collaboration with Young alongside a trove of demos and workshop versions of songs from her first three albums for Asylum.

Martin Davidson

In closing, another memorial. Martin Davidson wasn’t a musician, but European free improvisation as an art and archive would be a fraction of what it is without his copious and enduring work. As steadfast proprietor of the Emanem label he put his resources into musicians whose efforts frequently fell outside the probability of consistent commercial remuneration. Under his aegis, influential improvisers like Steve Lacy, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, and Paul Rutherford gained robust catalogs alongside other aspiring artists who never garnered even niche cachet. Davidson was a curmudgeon and an anachronism, trusting his ears implicitly, suffering the indignities of inquiries from strangers seeking audience with the hip hop icon who shared the phonetics of his imprint’s name, and advancing the pleasures of physical media well past their purported expiration date. He was also a talented writer, adding invaluable context to his releases through first-person testimony and critique. Martin will be missed.

And as is tradition in this 20th iteration of this year-end exercise, 25 more titles in stochastic order. Thanks to all for reading, and gratitude to Jennifer Kelly for providing the forum and formatting.

Rodrigo Amado’s The Bridge – Beyond the Margins (Trost)

James Brandon Lewis – For Mahalia with Love (Tao Forms)

Henry Threadgill – The Other One (Pi)

Guillermo Gregorio – Two Trios (ESP)

Rob Brown – Oceanic (RogueArt)

Rich Halley Quintet – Fire Within (Pine Eagle)

Milford Graves w/ Arthur Doyle & Hugh Glover – Children of the Forest (Black Editions)

Mike Osborne – Starting Fires: Live at the 100 Club 1970 (British Progressive Jazz)

Jim Hall – Uniquities Vol 1 + 2 (ArtistShare)

Madhuvanti Pal – The Holy Mother (Sublime Frequencies)

V/A – On the Honky Tonk Highway with Augie Meyers & the Texas Re-Cord Company (Bear Family)

Mal Waldron & Terumasa Hino – Reminiscent Suite (Victor/BBE)

Oum Kalsoum – L’Astre D’Orient 1926-1937 (Fremeaux & Associates)

Sonny Rollins w/ the Heikki Sarmanto Trio – Live at Finlandia Hall Helsinki 1972 (Svart)

V/A – Equatoriana: El Universo Paralelo de Polibio Mayorga (Analog Africa)

Evan Parker – NYC 1978 (Relative Pitch)

V/A – If There’s a Hell Below (Numero Group)

John Coltrane – Evenings at the Village Gate (Impulse)

Derek Bailey & Paul Motian – Duo in Concert (Frozen Reeds)

Peter Brötzmann/Fred Van Hove/Han Bennink/Albert Mangelsdorff – Outspan 1 & 2 (FMP/Cien Fuegos)

Hasaan Ibn Ali – Reaching for the Stars: Trios/Duos/Solos (Omnivore)

Mark Dresser – Tines of Change (Pyroclastic)

Steve Millhouse – The Unwinding (Steeplechase)

Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet – Hear the Light Singing (RogueArt)

V/A – Destination Desert: 33 Oriental Rock & Roll Treasures (Bear Family)

[ayara-resara]

what are ur favorite and least favorite kgpr songs?

What an opportunity to update my old ranking, something I didn't have motivation to do until recently.

It is precisely a song ranking: neither MV nor plot relevance were taken into account, only what I personally like to listen to. Template

I spent a lot of time on #8-18, but deciding who's favourite was so easy. After all days ended up being my #1. I think it's the only song I never skip; it's enjoyable from the first second to the last, and there's nothing that needs to be added. days has everything I could ever ask from ED anisong. A lightning in a bottle that will probably never be replicated since some of its creators are no longer alive.

Rest in peace, Kamachi Ai

The old list from 2018 if you want to compare.

It's kinda funny I liked SW so much right after its release but over the years it turned out to be the one MekaRelo track I skip the most.

And it really took me almost a decade to realize TA&GR&SB are better than I thought at first.

[derekscorner]

Ghost of Ramblings: Dad of Boi

Started a New game plus Recently

I have been playing God of War from Ascension in chronological order over the past few months and I've finally made my way back to GoW 2018 and it's new game plus.

It's been a hot minute since I played the NG+ and it took even more minutes to adjust to it's combat after playing Classic GoW for so long. I got hooked on Ghost of Sparda and GoW3 for quite a while.

The whole while I was just taking in how beautiful the whole game is. Remembering the story beats or how this one game got me into the whole series. My god slayer journey began here with Dad of Boi.

I was reminded of how good its story truly is. How tightly written and delivered it's dialogue is. The nuances of Kratos hit harder too since I have played classic GoW this time unlike my first time playing Dad of Boi.

Back then all I had was curious youtube and wiki searches to get a grasp of Kratos' world. It's hard to explain but it truly does feel different if you play GoW 2018 after playing, at minimum, GoW 1, 2 and 3.

Hell, I'd even argue that GoW 2018 will hit different after plaything through it's own sequel Ragnarok. I know Ragnarok has some harsh critics, I'm not one of them, but it is hard to deny that it's predecessor is just written better.

Every little story in the boat, every little dialogue when exploring, the whole adventure is a bonding and learning moment for Atreus and Kratos. Every scene with Odin's kin, the parallel to Freya and Baldur in particular, shows what Kratos is trying to avoid.

A pacing and blend so well done that I'd call it a lightning in the bottle moment.

I love this scene ^^^^

Nothing in this world is perfect mind you but it's hard to talk about GoW 2018 and not praise its story.

Of course, Ragnarok is still an improvement in gameplay overall. I had grown too addicted to the customization options for appearance. The very fact that I can unlock and play young Kratos in Ragnarok is amazing to me.

It does make me wonder what went wrong in the story department of Ragnarok though. As I said, I'm no harsh critic of Ragnarok but I can't deny it has pacing issues.

Thankfully they added scene skip so even the Atreus segments can be skimmed on repeat playthroughs. They didn't bother me on the first run but I can only handle so many two hour stretches of Atreus wandering Ironwood.

I've always heard rumors that it's because they chose to make the Norse story a duology which I could believe. Ragnarok feels like it needed to be the third game not the second one.

The whole personality shift of Freya truly does feel rushed. As beautiful as that scene is when she lets go it needed more time to be truly believable.

I also think it would've made her conflicted feelings more conceivable if she had witnessed Kratos' memories in some magical mumbo jumbo way. It's hard to imagine he's talk so freely about his family yet I also think it's crucial for Freya to shift the focus of her rage after hearing about Calliope.

Kratos did do her wrong while trying to do something right but I think that would only get through to Freya if she saw that moment. Kratos was by no means a good person but his love for his family was real and it drove him to a madness that ended a pantheon.

Kratos is easily the only man there that understands her feelings.

I glitched the blades in these scenes somehow

But even this is a minor complaint. I do not consider the narrative of Ragnarok worth some harshness I see it get. It's badly paced to be sure but it's not offensive.

If anything, I hope they learn from it for their new projects. I have next to no interest in Atreus since he genuinely is annoying in Ragnarok but I wouldn't mind giving him a shot in a spin off if they learn from it.

Or, ya know, send him to Greece. I do not care how annoying the boy of war is. I would pay them money to see him walk through Greece and see the monster that his father was.

I'd even give them my respect if Atreus realized just how hard Kratos worked to channel his bottomless rage into a weapon to use. I know many fans hate how weak Kratos seems to be now and I personally find the "holding back" excuse weak on the devs part.

So I relate a bit. I do not fully agree since I began the series with 2018 so my opinion is forever biased on such topics.

I have no real point to make with this post by the way. I am just gushing about a game I like and rambling about the contrast it has to it's own sequel or predecessors.

The whole of my praise is also limited to GoW 2018's narrative. In terms of world building or story consistency I could rip the God of War series apart.

The classic games weren't exactly consistent with some things like the potential paradox of using Fates threads, Kratos losing that time travel power in 3 despite using it moments prior in 2's ending, or the whole ambiguity of his godhood. (I wont even get into the last minute hope thing in 3)

It's not a mess like I'd rant about with Kingdom Hearts or Bleach. Sure, there are some details in a novelization or two, a comic story here or there, but it's nothing you need to know.

Kratos even references a novel detail in Ragnarok. When asked why he doesn't just throw his blades away Kratos will retort with an annoyed statement that he "tried".

Step into the light Boy

That doesn't confirm a novel as 100% valid but it does show subtly that the blades follow him against his will.

My own personal take on Kratos' continued godhood is also a curse. He's got to live as what he despises most until something powerful enough finally kills him in a way where he won't burst out of Hel's gates.

That's a tangent all its own I think. I just felt like rambling a bit, there's even a lot I left out. Like the pure pointlessness of a lock-on in either game due to how often the enemies dart around and break the targeting.

I wonder what many of you think about 2018 now that Valhalla has come and gone. Ragnarok may have been hit or miss for many but Valhalla is nearly as good as 2018 I feel.

Though, not having young Kratos speak with his original voice actor in that one scene felt like a missed opportunity imo.

Oh well, I'm done now. Bye~

[spicyvampire]

People I Wanna Know Better Tag Meme

Thanks @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle for the tag

Last song?

The Nights by Huckleberryfinn, first time I heard it was on The Devil Judge (2021) and it has been on my playlist since

Favorite color?

Purple, any shades of it

Currently watching?

Shows : The Librarians (2014 - 2018), Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023-)

BL : The Sign (2023 - 2024), Playboyy (2023 - 2024), Pit Babe (2023 - 2024), Love for Love's Sake (2024)

GL : Chaser Game W (2024)

For more here's the link to my show library and archive, I keep it updated usually

Last movie?

Just started this actually

Sweet/Spicy/Savory?

Spicy always

Relationship status?

Single

Current Obsessions

The Sign (2023 - 2024) has bewitched me body and soul

For more incoherence here are some links to my tags for the show : gifs tag, edits tag, liveblogging and show related original post tag

Last Thing You Googled

Selfie or another pic you took?

Everytime I watch that scene I take a 500 screenshots of Wansarut for some reasons, it's as If didn't already have 3 thousand screenshots and gifs of Wansarut... You could say I'm obsessed

[instruth]

HARNESSING THE WIND

It took me a long time to realize that FEAR has such paralyzing effects. It prevents me from doing or saying what is right and proper. Fear has absolutely no value at all except, perhaps, the instinctual fear of danger.

Therefore, I must get rid of fear, I must overcome it, as soon as it surfaces. Why? It is because fear is like a bottle cap. It must be removed so I can taste the goodness and sweetness inside me - my own self-worth, drowned constantly and easily because I had been afraid.

I shall tell you my true story.

This happened many years ago. I was searching, not searching to find, just searching and .... waiting.

To make a long story short .... I eventually ended up at the Niagara Falls. I just stood there all by myself at a strategic spot.

At the opportune time, when I felt I was ready to take the plunge, I took a deep breath and looked up to the sky. Then, on breathing out, I let out a deafening scream, looking down to the rolling thunderous rapids. Strangely, this had the phenomenal effect of throwing out the potent cocktail of emotions all bottled up inside me, to be carried away by the raging monstrous water below. It was an internal cleansing, much like getting rid of the waste and rubbish, accumulated and piling up, in my study.

I felt so relieved I just cried, allowing the hoarded tears to burst the dam within me. I felt the tears come, flowing freely down my cheeks - hot tears, like dripping wax.

Oddly but pleasantly - with sprays from the waterfall on my face, my entire body and drenching my clothes - I felt I had just been sanitized from impurities that had contaminated me from within. With cleansing came clarity. And I could see clearly. For the first time in my life, I understood what it meant to be truly free and to be totally unafraid of the tormenting forces that used to affect and control my life.

With understanding, came a mental shift of a 180-degree turn to face and to embrace the hidden part of me - a part I had never knew existed. As I took in my next conscious breath, everything around and within me changed. It seemed that the external rapids was entering me, flowing like a gushing stream, cutting through walls of stones and rocks inside me - the noise too transforming into silent whispers, to let the peaceful river flow.

It was a feeling of being conquered, captured to serve my new king, abandoning the old. I felt certain a revolution was taking place in my inner self. A new government was taking over my misguided territory, to implement the laws of nature, replacing the laws of men.

Suddenly, images appeared on the screen of my mind. I saw them clearly - images of windmills and waterfalls, spinning turbines, water pumps, solar energy reflector plates, movers, generators, hydroelectric stations and irrigation canals.

Inside me, there were vibrations and turbulence, earthquakes and stormy seas, strong winds, flashes of lightning and sound of thunder, revealing to me there was a much bigger storm inside me that could be similarly harnessed to be of true service for many good and functional purposes and for the benefit of others. Thus, I termed this transformation, Harnessing The Wind.

It was a transformation that gave me my first glimpse of the spiritual realm, implanted in my soul as an assurance of lasting hope: a hope to persevere with courage and confidence should I ever again encounter the storm of adversity, suffer the devastating effects of temptations, or face the dark clouds of despair, misery, boredom and fear.

I searched,

And I was found.

Copyright Reserved J. P. Lee.

Reference: God In The Mist 3 (Harnessing The Wind), by J. P. Lee

Edited today, 26 June 2024

(First posted on 18 February 2018)