#also folks who have been keeping up with my complete insanity lately might recognize the shape

[spearxwind]

OH RIGHT!! I drew a cover image for my challenger deep playlist!! :]

The monster is Talas, of course, but I wanted to go the extra mile and draw him misinterpreted, like old depictions of ocean animals (based on descriptions of eyewitness accounts). So this drawing of him would be based on very brief glimpses of him

[welcometophu]

Into the Split: Evolution 2

Twinned Book 3: Into the Split

Evolution 2

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When the doorbell rings during dinner, Nikolai is out of his seat before Pawel can say anything. “I’ve got it,” he calls out. And maybe he should just let Pawel get it; it’s his house, after all. But sitting through meals with Pawel is a little like watching a child fidget, and Nikolai just wants to move. He’s not sure why Pawel is going through the motions of formal meals with Nikolai and Seth when it’s obvious he has other things on his mind.

Nikolai pulls open the door, and Nikita shoves a pile of… bags?… at him. He isn’t quite sure what he’s holding, although he sees hangers poking out of one end.

He steps back to let Nikita, Heather, Mac, and a girl Nikolai doesn’t recognize into the house. Mac’s carrying a large stack of bags herself, and Nikita runs back to the bright orange truck to grab one last stack before hip-checking the door closed.

“Mac,” Pawel says.

“Pawel,” Mac replies. “I warned you.”

“See, there’s a thing,” Nikita says in a rush. She lays the bags on the couch, then grabs Nikolai and Seth by the wrists, pulling them close to her. “We’re in a sorority. Or well. They’re in a sorority, along with Carolyn, and a whole bunch of other people. So I’m dating a girl in a sorority.”

Nikolai follows that so far. Mostly. “You belong to an organization of women in school. Okay. So?”

“Heather does,” Nikita corrects him. “I’m her date. Which is actually a sort of important distinction here because that’s why we cannot possibly be your dates.”

Nikolai looks at Seth; Seth blinks back at him.

“I don’t get it,” Seth says.

“The SigPsiE formal is tomorrow night and it’s a huge thing, and I know it isn’t anything world-healing or earth shattering, but it’s still really cool, and I’m going and it’s not like you’ve got anything else to do, so Heather and I found you dates,” Nikita blurts out.

Nikolai’s still not sure he gets it.

“What?” Seth says.

“Mac and Trish are going to be your dates in name only so you can go enjoy the dance.” Nikita claps her hands, gestures at the bags that Nikolai still carries. “We brought suits and dresses so we can figure out what you’re all wearing and make sure you match!”

Nikolai is pretty sure he should have a response to this other than the complete blankness inside his head.

Pawel presses his fingertips to the bridge of his nose. “Mac. I told you this would be a—”

“It’s like prom for college,” Seth says slowly.

“Yes!” Nikita points both fingers at him. “If you remember what prom was like, it’s exactly like that except for college people in a sorority and there may be more or less drinking depending on what you remember about proms and there are no promposals involved. Inviting a date is pretty low-key. If you’re going out with someone, everyone just assumes you’re going to formal with them. It’s a thing.”

“We’re going,” Seth decides, tone firm enough that Nikolai isn’t going to argue with him. “As long as it’s okay if we dance with each other.” He points between himself and Nikolai.

“You’re trying to turn something awkward into something weirdly romantic, aren’t you,” Nikolai says. It’s not a question, and he’s not surprised when Seth answers it with a kiss instead of words. He feels a little like Nikita’s rolling right over him with this, but Seth’s involvement is kind of cute. He hopes this’ll be good.

“See, I told you they’d do it!” Nikita says cheerfully. “Now we just need to get everyone outfitted. We borrowed clothes from a lot of different people so we can find the best fit, and I’m hoping Nikolai isn’t too skinny for everything we got that’s tall. Nikolai, your date is going to be Trish.” She indicates the girl he doesn’t know, who wiggles her fingers in a small wave at him.

“Hey,” Trish says in a soft drawl. “I’ve been friends with Heather and Mac here since our freshman year when we all pledged together. I promise I don’t bite unless someone asks me to.”

“Don’t scare the boys.” Mac elbows her. “Trish is outgoing but harmless. She’s also a little out of the loop about all the insanity that’s been going on around her, and she claims she’s just happy to do something that lets her see we’re still alive.”

“You say that like I wasn’t worried about you,” Trish counters. When she turns, Nikolai catches a hint of ink on the back of her neck before her hair falls into place over it. “All y’all were just gone.”

Mac sets a hand on her shoulder. “It wasn’t intentional, and if we could’ve warned you, we would’ve. Believe me, gallivanting off to another world wasn’t part of our project plan, either. It’s not like we tried to keep you in the dark.”

“They’ve all got something about saving the world, and me, I just want to make music and fix engines,” Trish says. She pushes her hair back from her face, and it falls in long waves. Her soft drawl sounds low and easy, but Seth tenses. Nikolai guesses from his body language that Trish is hiding a lot of tension of her own. “The formal’s just about having a party, and once we’re there, you can dance with anyone you want. I’m figuring that I’m your date because you’re the tall one, and Mac would need some high heels to be in pictures with you.”

“I’m really glad you switched that to a comment about Mac’s height, not mine,” Seth mutters dryly. “Just because you’re taller than me—”

“And it’s not an actual date, so it doesn’t matter,” Heather says easily. “Come on. We’ve got suits to try on you, and once we’ve got you settled, we’ll figure out the dresses for Mac and Trish.” She glances over her shoulder. “Are you wearing a dress, Trish?”

Trish lifts one shoulder. “I was figuring on it. Usually do, for things like this. I did learn how to be a belle before I learned how to ride a motorcycle.” She flashes a quick grin before that. “Had my arms up to the elbows in truck engines long before either of those things, though.”

“You seem like the folks back home would like you,” Nikolai comments, because he can imagine she’d get along great with Mikhail. Especially if she could help keep the Jeep running. “Everyone does something in Havenhill. We kind of felt a little useless since we never really got the chance to learn skills like fixing engines.”

“It’s never too late to learn.”

Nikolai doesn’t get the chance to respond to Trish as Nikita wraps an arm around his and nudges him toward the stairs. “Heather’s bringing the suits. Come on, let’s get you changed.”

Heather spreads clothes across the bed in Nikolai and Seth’s room. All of it reminds Nikolai of a time when his father sometimes would dress in a suit for work, and when Seth holds a suit up in front of himself, Nikolai sees Seth’s father as well.

Seth turns to look at himself in the mirror. His head tilts, and his brow furrows as he slowly lowers the suit, his fingers crumpling the fabric. “Do you have one that’s lighter?”

“Fabric or color?” Nikita asks. She rifles through the piles and comes up with a suit in soft dove grey out of the ones on Seth’s side of the bed. “Try this one on. It’ll go with just about any dark and bold shirt, too, which gives us loads of options for matching you to Mac.”

“What if I want to match Nikolai?” Seth asks.

Because that was what proms did. Nikolai remembers the movies, with their images of teenagers dancing together in a sea of fanciful gowns and rented tuxedos.

“Then it’s more of a challenge,” Trish says. She leans in the doorway, motions with a hand. “Don’t mind me. I’m here for the suits, not to ogle the boys.”

Nikolai looks to Nikita for help as he points at the door. “Out,” he says. “We aren’t dolls. You don’t need to physically dress us. I’m pretty sure we can figure out how suits work.”

They manage to get the girls out of the room and the door closed, leaving a rumble of voices muffled by the walls between them. Nikolai sifts through the various garment bags and piles of clothing, coming up with a pair of dark grey slacks that seem long enough and while they hang a little loose on his narrow hips, they at least don’t show his ankles and should stay up with a belt. Finding a jacket proves far more difficult; all the ones with arms long enough are also too wide for his shoulders. He finally finds a lightweight jacket that fits through his shoulders even though the sleeves are short; he figures he could roll up the sleeves. Someone might say he’s not dressed right, but at least it’s better than looking like he’s dressing up in a kid’s jacket.

Seth, on the other hand, fits perfectly in the light grey suit. He’s wearing it with just a t-shirt, but even that looks amazing on him. Seth smoothes it down, glancing over at Nikolai worriedly. “I look ridiculous.”

“You look a little like your father,” Nikolai responds. There’s a flash of pain in Seth’s expression, his mouth pressed close and lines tight around his eyes. Nikolai has to step over the few pairs of slacks that have slid off the bed and onto the floor in order to get around to where Seth stands. Nikolai checks the collar, then pulls Seth in for a warm hug, trying to hold him against the painful memories. “And you look great,” he murmurs.

Seth goes lax slowly, releasing tight muscles by inches. When he pulls back, he shifts his grip so that they are standing as if they could be dancing. Seth’s arms are over Nikolai’s shoulders, and Nikolai holds his hands loosely at the small of Seth’s back. Seth hums under his breath and Nikolai starts to sway with him in his arms.

It’s nice.

Voices rise in the hall, and a sharp rap on the door interrupts the moment. “Are you decent?” Nikita calls out.

“It’s safe,” Seth calls back, not bothering to stop swaying to the music in their minds. He touches Nikolai’s cheek and Nikolai bends down so they can stand there, forehead to forehead, almost in their own world.

“Awwww,” Nikita says, and there’s a click in the background. “You guys are so cute. We’re going to have to print out a bunch of pictures for you to take back with you. You should have these memories when you go home.”

It’s the first time she’s referenced them leaving without Nikolai prompting her, and it makes his heart light to hear the words.

“We’ll make a scrapbook, assuming we have enough notice and time,” Heather says. She moves into the room and starts efficiently picking up scattered clothes, folding things neatly and replacing them on hangars. “On the other hand, it’s not like we’ve had a lot of notice before crossing between worlds before, so we’ll have to do our best.”

“Send them to me, and I’ll make sure they get printed,” Trish says. “Sera can send them off to the printer, or I’ll have Soledad take them. Be prepared, right? Just in case y’all get whisked away again.” She steps up close to Nikolai and Seth, and even in her sneakers she’s a bit taller than Seth. She tilts her head at them. “I’d say you both clean up pretty good. I’m guessing no one’s going to let me get away with wearing my favorite orange dress this time, huh?”

“We want to coordinate,” Mac says. “Nikita set the rules. Although I look damned good in yellow, so it’s not entirely out as an option.”

Pawel clears a space on the bed and sits down, distracted by the phone in his hand. He waves at the door. “Mac, Trish, go use my room to get changed and pick out your dresses and find shirts for Nikolai and Seth. I want to talk to Nikolai and Nikita about the Dreamweaver network.”

Heather helps Trish and Mac carry another stack of bags and clothes down the hall to Pawel’s room, closing the door with a click behind them. Pawel’s shoulders drop at the sound, and he gestures at the bed. “Make a space. Sit down and get comfortable.”

“Don’t wrinkle the suits,” Nikita says.

Seth rolls his eyes and neatly piles up the clothes scattered around the room so that he and Nikolai can find a spot to sit on the bed. They lean back against the wall, shoulder to shoulder. Nikita crosses her arms and stays standing by the window.

“Don’t,” Pawel murmurs idly.

“I’m not. I just don’t feel like sitting down, and maybe I’m keeping an eye on the clouds,” Nikita responds. She lifts the curtain, then lets it fall. “I’m under control. Not freaking out at all.”

“Good.” Pawel lowers the phone, pulls his feet up so he can sit cross-legged. “The good news is, I’ve made several contacts around the world who are Dreamwalkers. I’ve been talking to them about what we learned in Nikolai’s world, as well as our theories about creating a network in the Dreamscape between as many Dreamwalkers as we can find.”

“And they all think you’re nuts,” Nikita says, her voice falling soft at the end.

“At first, yes.” Pawel swipes at something on the phone. “The gut instinct reaction was no, which isn’t at all surprising considering the way that Dreamwalkers have interacted in the past in our world. The number of them who have been institutionalized, or who have caused major incidents, is far higher than any other Talent. But as I explained how your Talents have come under control, and how Nikolai’s world handles the Emergence of any Dreamwalker, they began to listen. One noted that she finds that she is less likely to Dream when she is visiting her brother, who married an Empath. Another remembered dating an Empath when he was first learning to deal with his Talent in high school, but they lost track of each other. In fact, every Dreamwalker I have spoken with could recount at least one incident in their life where they were somehow drawn to an Empath, and found that calming.”

“So it isn’t just our world,” Seth says. “This is a truism about our Talents in general.” His fingers link with Nikolai’s, his thumb stroking idly along the side of Nikolai’s hand.

“Exactly. Which means that gathering Dreamwalkers also means gathering Empaths.” Pawel jabs at his phone, then points at Nikolai and Seth, and from Nikita to the door. “And not necessarily any Empaths, but possibly the right Empath. The eleven people to whom I have spoken are all continuing to create the network. Each one is trying to find their Empath—that first instinctive link that they forged—in order to bring them into the conversation. They are also reaching out to the Dreamwalkers they are aware of, which isn’t all that difficult thanks to the meticulous generational records kept by Lineage Dreamwalkers.”

“Just that thought, of Dreamwalkers having a Lineage,” Nikolai muses. He wonders if his life would have been different if he grew up in a family of Dreamers rather than Weather Witches. He can’t imagine life having been any other way, and he wouldn’t trade his brothers for the world.

Pawel goes quiet.

“What?” Nikita asks.

“Did we discuss this before?” Pawel says slowly.

“My parents were Weather Witches,” Nikolai responds just as slowly, not sure where Pawel is going with this line of thought. “You knew that. You’ve met my brothers.”

“And Nikita is from a family of Weather Witches as well,” Pawel points out. “You are mirror images. I thought that was why—”

“No,” Seth says curtly, cutting Pawel off. “You said that here there are Lineage families of Dreamwalkers, but another one is rarely born into the family while one is already there, so it skips a generation or more, right? So that’s how your world adapted to the need to find that anchor. For us, it’s Emergent, but everyone knows about it. Which might be easier, because we have really strong, established networks to help each Dreamwalker find an Empath who will work with them as soon as one is needed. My family moved to help bring me closer to Nikolai after we met and they knew we’d work well together. But we don’t have families of Dreamwalkers, latent or otherwise. They just happen.”

It doesn’t sound all that different to Nikolai, and he suspects that it could just be different ways of looking at the same thing. Either way… “I don’t think it matters how we manifest our Talents,” he says. “What matters is getting everyone stable enough that we don’t have the kinds of problems that your Dreamwalkers are prone to.”

“No surprise ice storms or absorbing the east coast into the Dreamscape,” Nikita says.

Pawel laughs dryly. “Essentially, yes. I’m sending an invitation to all of you to join a chat that I’ve set up for everyone as our network grows. I’d like you to begin to get to know each other, and Nikolai, as you and Del seem to have more experience within the Dreamscape itself, I’d like it if you could start discussing theory with everyone. In the end, we will need to have our network manifest within the Dreamscape, and make a connection to the Dreamwalkers of your world.”

“Who are hopefully creating a network in our absence.” Nikolai can’t be sure that anything’s happening there, not after how Alia felt about the way they had endangered Havenhill. “We have no way of getting through to them right now.”

“Not easily, no,” Pawel admits. “We may need to find a way to make regular forays into the Dreamscape in order to search for them, and hope that they reach out in a similar manner. Much like the Technopaths seeking each other across the networks.”

“More Dreaming,” Nikolai says softly, and Seth squeezes his hand. Nikolai holds on tightly, because he’s going to need his anchor if that’s what’s expected of him.

The door down the hall slams open, footsteps and chatter approaching quickly. Nikita claps her hands as Trish appears in the doorway. Her dress is off one shoulder, the fabric seeming to cross her chest like a bathing suit top first, then another strip that goes over the shoulder. The skirt falls away below, clinging until her hips where it flares out slightly. And it is, indeed, orange, a blend of that and black in an almost tie-dye pattern that shimmers as she moves.

Mac squeezes into the room past Trish, her own dress closer to yellow than orange, but still similar in color to Trish. It’s a less striking dress, just a simple cut with a skirt that swirls around mid-calf when she walks, but it looks good with her build. Mac holds out two ties that are close enough that they match the two dresses. “White shirts,” she says. “Ties will match, and let’s get some pictures now so that our sisters can approve.”

“Your friends have to approve?”

“Not approve. It’s just.” Heather spreads her hands. “Formal tends to be a collective thing. It’s very social.”

Nikolai takes the tie from Trish and stares at it uncertainly. He has never worn one, and barely remembers his father wearing one, and the thought of it sounds uncomfortable.

“Come here.” Pawel gestures, and Nikolai hands him the tie. Pawel frowns, gesturing at the t-shirt, but Nikolai doesn’t have anything else. In the end, Pawel simply puts the tie around his own neck, ties it with quick efficiency, then loosens it in order to hand it to Nikolai. He does the same for Seth.

Nikolai feels a little silly standing there in a t-shirt, suit, and tie, but Seth looks almost the same so it isn’t all bad. Nikita places them in front of the window together, and Mac stands on Seth’s other side, and Trish presses close to Nikolai. As Nikita takes pictures, Trish and Mac get progressively sillier, until Nikolai can’t help but laugh as well.

The last picture has Trish pretending to push him into Seth’s arms, while Mac does the same with Seth, and Nikolai doesn’t want to resist so he gathers Seth close and kisses him again.

“I think we’re all set for formal.” Heather tucks her phone back into her pocket.

“Nikita, catch Heather up on what we discussed,” Pawel says, and just like that, the atmosphere is charged and serious. “Please spend some time looking through the chat and getting to know the people I’ve managed to pull together so far. This is going to require a group effort.”

A faint hint of concern in the air, masked as soon as Seth sidles close again.

“That’s a problem for later,” Mac says, pushing between them. “Heather, Nik, get all this stuff back out to the truck. Seth and Nikolai, you can hold on to your suits, and I’ll make sure someone brings over shirts for you before the formal tomorrow. Trish, let’s get changed and get out of here. Pawel deserves a little peace and quiet.” She gives him a stern look. “He needs a chance to relax since he’s obviously been working hard on world-saving problems all day.”

“I’m not—” Pawel cuts off, his hands in the air. “Fine. We’ll relax.”

“Do I need to come back inside and make you watch movies after you call your son?” Mac asks.

Pawel wavers.

“He’s going to disappear into his room and keep researching,” Seth points out. “We’re interested in the movies, if the offer is open.”

“We’ll all watch movies. Just let us get this out of here first, then you guys can get changed.” Mac shoves a pile of clothes into Nikita’s arms. “That includes you, Pawel. Go downstairs and call Conor, then order some Thai. I’m in the mood for noodles.”

Nikolai’s phone pings, and he glances at the screen reminding him that he has an email from Pawel with a link to go look at. He leaves it lying on the stand, ignoring it.

Most of the time everyone looks to Pawel as a leader, but right now, he likes that Mac is taking charge. The network might mean getting home, or it might mean making everything worse. Maybe one night off will help make it easier when he dives into that chat and starts meeting Dreamwalkers from around the world. Later. That is definitely something for later tonight.

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[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Romania to Eurovision with an edgy plea for a return of special someone

To be honest, I wasn’t that on board with Selecția Națională 2019, like, at all. I get that scandals happened and three songs withdrew from the comp. at various stages due to various reasons, but Romania is just Romania to me somehow. Well there were a few overall gems (some of them out of the finals too), but I just couldn’t be bothered to waste my Sunday evenings on a single broadcast of it. Plus, I was never that swayed by the two big fanwanks from here anyway, so I’m glad they flopped lol.

But maaaan did I have a bone to pick with the people reacting to it. Especially towards the Wiwi jurors. Look, there’s such a thing called as “song growing on you” and “performance elevating the song”, as well as the one that goes “getting over it”. Surely these aren’t make belief concepts of life, hmm? I’m not one of those people who prefer a song more or less thanks to its performance, but there are some good ones that occasionally change my opinion on a song, especially a ‘boring’ one! And thanks to those terrible people, some of Wiwibloggs videos were unfairly attacked with dislikes, and mind you, not only on the Romanian NF interviews that don’t have the current Romanian subject of choice, no - both first-reaction-after-qualifying-to-A-Dal-2019-final interviews (that were of these two) too. And it’s not even the first time a televote winner doesn’t win the NF so you should have SHUT. THE FUCK. UP. (- Penn Jilette) Clear? (:

(lol this is all directed to the people from like three months ago, obviously now that the writeup is late the drama has cooled down A LOT, especially in the light of Ukraine’s events and the actual dust of this Euroseason where everyone made amends with everything, but I can’t help but keep what I thought of this initially because I just wanted to write something for Romania as I didn’t have anything else to say until I remembered the drama so)

So here’s that one controversial subject that unexpectedly slayed the poor man’s “Fuego” and that one homophobic teen by hitting it hard by an extremely unbalanced jury vote (and 24 points to it coming from that core Wiwibloggs duo, no less) and her on-stage couch possessing - the half-local half-Canadian little to no known artiste, Ester Peony, who conquered all in her homeland “On a Sunday”, as her songtitle says (haha bad puns whoop.) Is it any more mesmerizing over the two fanwank fanflops, or is it, just like Wiwi said at first, ‘boring’? Hmm...

It starts of bluesy, with the Western-movie-sounding-pop guitar twangs accompanying the sound, and Ester begins reminiscing her love that left her on a Sunday of September, later followed by snap percussion. And deep inside she wants that person to come back “to [her], to [her], to [he-eeee-eeee-er], eh, eh, eh, eh”. She begs and pleads for the return for her loved one, as I believe the absence deeply upsets her (smoke from the ashtray, everything’s so cold an gray, loving is a hard price to pay) and eats her up from the inside to a degree. I never had someone to leave me like that on a whatever the day was, but I feel for Ester’s song’s protagoniste.

Here are some interesting things I find in this song: its progressive intensity; the decision of putting a 3rd verse up in the place of the bridge; right after some additional “eh eh eh eh” after the chorus (bridges are usually of completely different vocal line ways); cool voice of the singer’s; the strings; the beat... and the fact that it’s described as “electro-pop”. Pop I might get, in fact it sometimes reminds me of those older Billboard chart topper songs from mid-00s por so, or that it could have been one of those kind of songs. You needed just to give it to a popstar relevant of the time and voilà - a hit! Electro... not quite sure on this one. Maybe the bass that occurs in the 2nd and 3rd verses indicates something on it but that’s all.

And man do I hate to say this but the song's attitude is something that makes me wanna scream sometimes. It occasionally happens when I stop feeling so happy clappy for a song a few listens later because I just don't feel like caring about it anymore and that it starts making me feel some sort of a soulache because I trusted it in the first place. Kinda like "Funny Girl", Latvia 2018: I actually didn't mind it at first but its desperation got on my nerves a whole lot that I got completely irritated. "On a Sunday" has enough elements that I like to keep the irritation feeling at bay, but I doubt that even they will not make me want to smash a chair everytime I hear that chorus again... you think you can suppress your smugness overtime, song? Think again about it later

Oh and there's a supposed revamp, I doubt I would be able to feel any better about that song that way, as long as my mind just automatically recognizes Ester's singing as "whining" for some reason. It probably will make me feel less worse if I see a stage show similar to the absurd mess one from the NF where shit happens and Ester's just chilling on a chair. Game of Loans? Student loans? It was random but I definitely appreciated the scarlet madness all surrounding it. I hope to maybe see something similar in Tel Aviv - edgy imagery, why not. Bring on the candles and the ravens.

To summarize, I don’t think it’s a bad song at all. It’s daring, it’s badass, it's kickass, it comes right at you, grabs you in and you adapt to it however you can be able to. However...

Approval factor: I still have mixed feelings about passing it off as something approvable, but objectively I would like to do so. Good for you to try something different, Romania.

Follow-up factor: Anything at least half-decent is a fine follow-up after The Humans’s mediocrisms (I’m helping the dictionary to have more words, one construction at a time!). I liked the Humans more though and Ester... sort of? But in general context, Ester’s a fantastic successor.

Qualification factor: Somehow this did not sound like a definite Eurovision qualifier to me, so at one point I thought it would be just missing out... but it’s a complete effing borderline of a song. At one point it sounds good enough for a filler qualifier, at another it’s just not qualifying somehow. We’ll see how she rehearses it up in two days, though.

NATIONAL FINAL BONUS

I think there’s nothing more I can say about Selecția Națională (refered to as SN from this point onwards) than I already said in the intro, so let’s get to the moments, shall we? ;)

• So what else do I have to say about the fanwank-esses that hasn’t been said? Well, on one hand you have an Amazon-jungle-tribal version of “Fuego”, “Army of Love”, performed by Bella Santiago (who had one of my favourite SN entries last year lmao), who went all out with body paint and wild choreo and a rap bridge in Tagalog (one of Bella’s native languages) to make it all sound slightly different than “Fuego”, but still, that pre-chorus just feels like a pitched-down “Fuego” from a B minor to a G flat minor, with the same acoustics and the beat, and the drop is some limp-ass Amazon flutery magic. On the other hand you have a 16 year old Laura Bretan with an poperatic ode to her “Dear Father” which was praised for her insanely good vocal skills (I forgot what’s that called... an alto? soprano? mezzo-soprano? sorry I know a lot about music but not a lot about those ranges) more than the song itself... there’s a big problem about Laura though as people found out that she does not believe and/or condone a marriage between same-sex people. For Eurofans that’s a major red flag as as of lately Eurovision is very LGBTQ+ friendly and having had Laura next to people like Bilal or Mahmood would have probably been concerning if she knew of them having had boyfriends... Like I said, neither of those are special. Imo people loved Bella’s song because of the “Fuego” vibe and people loved Laura’s song because of her voice combined with her age. I said what I said. (Oh and there was a missed opportunity for Il Volo and Laura to reunite this year in Eurovision had they only been chosen in their NFs.)

• Screw these gals, now here come on the real faves of mine - another rock band, obviously, and that’s Trooper. No but for real, could at least ANY country have sent a rock song this year? It could have even been San Marino for all I cared but this year is so MoR without a rock entry... Trooper’s “Destin” sounds like something coming out from an epic fable about legendary heroes fighting for their glory of the nation by slaying goblins with wearing medieval costumes (with a sleeveless top and metal armor for the chest), bearing their long hair and looking strong and hunky. Lai-lai-la-la-la-lai!

• Now what were the other competing entries I liked? There were quite a few like the folk bop titled “D A I N A” and sung by Letiția Moisescu and Sensibil Balkan, then Teodora Dinu’s captivating pop tune “Skyscraper” and a really catchy non-qualifier entry by a band Steam, named “The Way It Goes”... no really Romania, why’d you let that flop... and why did you also let 2 Gents flop... and moreso importantly WHY DID YOU LET THE FOUR FLOP??? That’s like the best football-anthem-esque song I’ve heard in a while... such a shame it didn’t appear on the national selection’s final. Oh well. Poor those 4 young souls.

• Now what were those 3 (actually 4) withdrawals? First one was concerning the first ever Romanian representative Dan Bittman and his own problems so he couldn’t return to a NF and be one of the potential returning artists to Eurovision. Then there was this Australian-Romanian chick named Xonia who withdrew for seemingly no reason, all last minute. There was one more withdrawal from a semi-regular SN participant Xandra too, as well citing unknown reasons. And then there’s Mihai (or as he likes calling himself nowadays, M I H A I) who once again wanted to return to Eurovision (no wonder his Eurovision 2006 song was called “Tornero” lol) with an entry, and this one is called “Baya”. And then he went on an epic quest of flopping - firstly by withdrawing his song last minute from SN claiming that it’s corrupted, then considering to return as a wildcard, then thinking on to latching on to Eurofest in Belarus, but gotten sick last minute and therefore perma-cancelled his NFs journey this year entirely by not appearing on the Eurofest auditions. <3 Not to mention he’s a bit of a creep by subjecting people to his nude pictures with just him in his underwear. dude you’re almost 40, stop doing that to the kids. you’re not even a “daddy”. just look how alien you look on your song’s thumbnail:

• Netta continues her guest appearances on various NFs, such as in UK and in Spain (in spirit, as it was just the Triunfitos singing “Toy” at the beginning of the ESC OT Gala). This one even had her singing her newest song “Bassa Sababa” alongside “Toy”. Oh and there also was one of the Festivali i Këngës 56 alums coming by, Inis Neziri, to perform something for Romania after having won a music competition in Romania, and here’s her performance. But did she even have anything interesting in her backdrop as this?

We know you did Netta sweetie but do you honestly need to reminds us? I did not see Eleni doing shit like this and I don’t want you to do the same. Well if anything I am glad Netta only gracefully performed “Toy” on EYD 2019 (which I missed in my “National Final bonus” section for the UK’s review (as well as them reminiscing Eurovision’s best moments) but frankly I don’t think you cared anymore about it when you learned I was gonna write so many long-ass paragraphs, so yeah)...

• So what was the exact thing again that made everyone such bitter Betties? Well, everyone foresaw Bella and Laura battling it out in this NF, having succesfully qualified together. They even did well in the televote. But then the jury vote happened, and it included the God-forbidden Wiwibloggs duo voting separately and usualy picking all the similar favourites based on performances. They were very pleased with Ester Peony’s on-stage chair prop and her dramatic mess so they gave her their 12s. INDIVIDUALLY. And that’s one of things that pushed Ester higher for the win, despite only having 3 points from the televote lol. But the worst part about it is their opinions: they have praised “Dear Father” so much for mostly the same reasons others praised it so much as well, and were stunned. A what they thought of Ester’s song? That it’s boring. And their mindset switched when voting on this NF, with 12ing Ester and only giving a few feeble points to Laura. That’s where the backlash ensued - not when Emmelie de Forest (yep she was in the jury too) did not give any points to Bella Santiago’s song - just for that notion alone. Maybe it was because of a REASON. Laura’s song in the end is just an uninteresting pop ballad with some additional vocal exercising (too flawless that you even tire from flawlessness), Ester at least brought something to liven up her song, and maybe Wiwis changed their opinion accordingly by not being enthused by Laura anymore! And what’s the problem with that, eh eh eh?.. oh right, y’all accusing Wiwibloggs having rated Laura down because she’s a homophobe. Real friggen’ obviously because of that, you guys. NOT. Grow a brain a bit, will ya. (and even a contestant named Linda Teodosiu was pissed about Wiwibloggs not giving her enough points lmao... her song was a typical ”rent a NF songwriter” spiel so she has no effin’ reason to be mad her ‘originality’ wasn’t awarded lol.)

Worth noting that one of the other reasons people were mad that the juryvote points overpowered the televote big time (like 7 juror votes against 1 set of televotes - inequal) and therefore did not even listen to what they had to say (again, Ester had 3 freaking televote points lol). It’s a thing y’all should get used to - juries overrating an act one way or the other, against the televote’s will. It’s a given nowadays, remember. I know y'all Romanians wanted to scream "ESTER IS NOT OUR WINNER WE HAVEN'T DECIDED HER WE WANT BELLA/LAURA!!!" but that's the truth with the juries.

And thankfully, that is, what I think, all you need to remember from the SN headache this year. Fortunately it’s much smaller than the last year’s headache that, aside from 60 songs in total for 5 semis (!!!), also had a very strictly eliminative system that had 3 qualifiers each from a semi decided by juries ONLY (geez not even A Dal does that!), only to soften things up by having everyone fall down on televote’s hands only during the final. And then the final had the drama on its own. But if I reminisced it all on here, we’d be taking more than just all day, so it’s best that I stop this here and now, for all of ya who are already tired of all this waffle.

Good luck to Ester! and may all of your fans see you performing on a Saturday :)

[emilyl-b]

12 Reasons You Shouldn't Invest in best keyboard for beginners

Correction Appended

On an album of bittersweet childrens music that she wrote greater than ten years in the past, the lady who arrived to become known only because the piano Instructor provided what, in hindsight, looks like an eerie glimpse of her very own upcoming.

Im moving away these days to a place so far-off, the place no person understands my title, she wrote while in the lyrics of the music named Shifting.

When she wrote that music, she was young and vivacious, a piano teacher and freelance audio writer who beloved Beethoven and jazz, sunsets and river Seems, lengthy walks and every thing about New York.

On a kind of beloved walks, by Central Park in the bright Sunlight of the June day in 1996, a homeless drifter beat her and attempted to rape her, leaving her clinging to daily life. Following the assault, the terms to her tune came real. She moved away, out of Ny city, outside of her old lifetime, and all but her closest close friends did not know her identify. To the rest of the environment, she was — just like the additional renowned jogger attacked in Central Park 7 several years before — an anonymous image of an urban nightmare. She was the piano Instructor.

Now, about the tenth anniversary of your attack, she is celebrating what seems to be her complete recovery from brain trauma. She's forty two, married, with a little boy or girl. She is Kyle Kevorkian McCann, the piano Trainer, and she wants to explain to her story, her way.

Her medical professional informed her it would acquire 10 years to Recuperate, and Sunday was that talismanic anniversary. I really feel my lifetime has actually been redefined by Central Park, she said numerous days back, her voice comfortable and hopeful. Before park; right after park. Will there at any time be a time After i dont Assume, Oh, This is actually the tenth anniversary, the 11th anniversary?

She spoke in her modest ranch household in a wooded subdivision within a Big apple suburb. She sat within a dining place strewn with toys, surrounded by images of her cherubic, dim-haired 2-yr-previous daughter. A Steinway grand loaded fifty percent the home, and at just one point she sat down and performed. Her taking part in was forceful, but she seemed embarrassed to play quite a lot of bars, and shrugged, instead of answering, when requested the identify of your piece. She questioned that her daughter and her town not be named.

She calls that working day, June four, 1996, the working day After i was harm.

Hers was the 1st in a very string of assaults by a similar guy on four Girls above 8 days. The last victim, Evelyn Alvarez, 65, was overwhelmed to Loss of life as she opened her Park Avenue dry-cleansing store, and ultimately, the assailant, John J. Royster, was convicted of murder and sentenced to existence in prison.

Still the attack around the piano Instructor could be the one particular people today look to keep in mind by far the most. Section of the fascination should do with echoes of the 1989 attack around the Central Park jogger. But In addition it frightened folks in a method the attack within the jogger didn't mainly because its situation ended up so mundane.

It did not happen inside of a distant Component of the park late in the evening, but in close proximity to a well-liked playground at 3 while in the afternoon. It might have occurred to any individual. The tension was heightened by the secret of the piano teachers id.

For three times, as police and doctors tried using to see who she was, she lay within a coma in her hospital bed, anonymous. Her parents have been on holiday vacation and her boyfriend, also a musician, was in Europe, on tour. Eventually, among her students recognized a law enforcement sketch and was ready to discover her from the healthcare facility by her fingers, for the reason that her confront was swollen over and above recognition. The police didn't release her name.

The very last thing she remembers about June 4, 1996, is providing a lesson in her studio condominium on West 57th Avenue, then putting her extensive hair inside of a ponytail and heading out for just a walk. She will not don't forget the assault, Despite the fact that she has heard the accounts of the law enforcement and prosecutors.

To me its just like a fact I learned and memorized, she said. As if I were a scholar in school studying record.

She would not think of The person who did it. I might need been angry for a second, although not a lot longer than that, she said. How could I be angry at John Royster? He was declared not insane, but I suppose by our standards he was.

Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, her medical doctor at The big apple Healthcare facility-Cornell Healthcare Center, as it was recognized in 1996, told reporters that she had a ten per cent chance of survival. Doctors experienced to remove her forehead bone, which was later changed, for making space for her swelling Mind. When her mom built a community appeal to pray for my daughter, thousands did.

Soon after eight times, she arrived out of a coma, 1st in a vegetative condition, then in a childlike condition. As she recovered, she slept tiny and talked continually, at times in gibberish. I had been having mad at persons if they didnt respond to these text, she stated.

Like an Alzheimers affected individual, she had minor limited-expression memory and would neglect site visitors as soon as they remaining the room.

Above a number of months, she had to relearn ways to stroll, costume, read through and publish. Her boyfriend, Tony Scherr, visited every day to Engage in guitar for her. He inspired her to play the piano, towards the recommendation of her Actual physical therapists, who believed she might be annoyed by her inability to Perform how she after had. Mr. Scherr played Beatles duets together with her, actively playing the left-hand section when she played the ideal.

Which was my most effective therapy, she said.

In August, she moved back dwelling to New Jersey, together with her father, an engineer, and mother, a schoolteacher. She frequented old haunts and known as mates, hoping to revive her shattered memory. I was very obsessed with remembering, she claimed. Any memory decline was to me an indication of abnormality or deficit.

Her therapists imagined her development was wonderful, but her two sisters protested that she wasn't the deep thinker she were.

What bothered her most was that she experienced misplaced the opportunity to cry, as if a faucet inside her brain were turned off. One particular night time, nine months just after she was hurt, she stayed up late to watch the John Grisham Motion picture A The perfect time to Get rid of. Just soon after her father had long gone to bed, she viewed a courtroom scene of Samuel Jacksons character on demo for killing two Males who experienced raped his younger daughter.

The faucet opened, as well as the tears trickled down her cheeks. I considered my mothers and fathers, my father, and what they went by, she said. Little by minimal, my sensation returned, my depth of brain returned.

Urged by her sisters, she went again to highschool and received a masters diploma in new music schooling.

Not every little thing went well. She and Mr. Scherr split up five years once the attack, though they continue to be mates. She dated other men, but she constantly instructed them with regard to the assault without delay — she couldn't enable it, she explained — they usually hardly ever referred to as for any second date.

We have now to locate you anyone, her Buddy David Phelps, a guitar player, said four a long time ago, just before introducing her to Liam McCann, a computer technician and newbie drummer. For at the time, she didn't say nearly anything concerning the attack till she got to be aware of Mr. McCann, then when she did, he admired her energy.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who had frequently frequented her at her bedside though she was in the medical center, married them in his Times Square Workplace. She wore a blue costume and pearls. Though she was pregnant, in a very burst of creativeness, she and her buddies recorded Though Were being Youthful, an album of childrens tracks that she had prepared prior to the assault, such as the music Shifting. Her ex-boyfriend, Mr. Scherr, manufactured the CD. On it, her spouse plays drums and she plays electrical piano.

Is her lifetime as it was? Not precisely, however she is reluctant to attribute the dissimilarities to her accidents. Her final two piano students left her, without having contacting to elucidate why, she claimed. She has resumed playing classical new music, but straightforward pieces, because her daughter would not give her time for you to practice. As for jazz, I dont even consider, she explained.

She would want to travel extra, experience stranded while in the suburbs, but she is definitely rattled. She tries to be articles with keeping residence and caring for her daughter.

Dr. Ghajar, a medical professor of neurological surgical procedure at what on earth is now referred to as Big apple-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Heart, who operated on Ms. Kevorkian McCann following the attack, stated last week that her amount of Restoration was exceptional. Shes mainly ordinary, he stated.

Other professionals, who are not personally aware of Ms. Kevorkian McCanns circumstance, tend to be more cautious.

Regaining the ability to Participate in the piano may perhaps entail an Nearly mechanical system, a semiautomatic recall of exactly what the fingers must do, claimed Dr. Yehuda Ben-Yishay, a professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine at Ny University Faculty of Drugs. After brain-injured, you happen to be generally brain-wounded, For the remainder of your lifetime, Dr. Ben-Yishay said. There isn't any remedy, there is only intensive payment.

The greater telling Component of a Restoration, in his perspective, is psychological, and on that score he counts Ms. Kevorkian McCanns relationship and boy or girl as a significant victory.

For her element, the piano Trainer is familiar with she has changed, but she has made her peace with it. I used to be form of a hyper —— I dont know if I used to be a Type A, but I used to be formidable, she claims. Why was I so formidable? I used to be a piano teacher. I dont really know what the ambition was about. I actually did come back to the individual Im speculated to be.

[ghoultyrant]

FoZ Notes 20

Here we go. We’re really getting into Elves and the larger state of the world now!

----------------------------------

Somehow Derflinger was fully aware of everything that happened to Saito after the prior swordbody broke. He refuses to talk further on the whole "Gandalfr/Sasha using me to stab Brimir through the heart" thing because Sad.

Tiffania continuing to have self-esteem problems. Dammit. Can we go back to Badass Line Tiffania?

An island (kinda) known as the Dragon's Nest, a bizarre mass of pillars of stone sticking randomly out of the ocean. Luctiana has a friend who lives here. It used to be a volcano, but not anymore. Oh wait the buddy lives somewhere underwater. Luctiana apparently expects Tiffania and Saito to just be able to hold their breath for the whole dive, but when they object she rolls her eyes and casts a spell that lets them temporarily breathe underwater because of course such a spell exists. Oh and she makes Derflinger temporarily rustproof, because of course.

Said waterbreathing spell apparently turns water into air as it enters the throat. That... sounds really miserable, actually, but the story treats that as a perfectly good explanation with no unpleasant implications whatsoever.

Turns out Luctiana's friend is inside one of the pillars. Said friend? A massive Water Dragon called Mother Sea. She's actually a Rhyme Dragon because of fucking course. Dark silver scales that look blue at a glance somehow. Coral horns. Rhyme Dragons live long enough that Mother Sea's grandmother was a little girl six thousand years ago.

Mother Sea asserts that Rhyme Dragons have accepted they're going extinct so, like, whatever man. 's all cool dude. Bizarrely, she talks about God's will instead of, you know, the Great Purpose. And even though she keeps referring to Brimir as The Devil.

Wait, Luctiana is asserting 'barbarians' have no sense of shame in regards to kissing? Goddammit, she introduced herself completely naked and soaking wet! This isn't even cultural difference stuff with deliberate irony. This is just shit writing.

Finally get explicit confirmation that Shaitan's Gate/Devil's Door is the same place Halkeginians call the Holy Land. Derflinger alludes to a "Teleportation Gate", which is probably the same thing. I can already see the writing on the wall: whatever idiocy I'm imagining now regarding the Gate, canon will trump it.

There's a, what, third kind of Water Dragon? It gets compared to both eels and crocodilians. And it's a dumb, aggressive creature. You know, like Saito.

Derflinger just... talking underwater, ain't no thang. I... can't really criticize it (It’s not like he’s got vocal chords or whatever) but I still don't like it.

Submarine hidden in the sea nearby Dragon's Nest. Nuclear sub, specifically. And somehow Saito's Weapon Feedback Bullshit allows Derflinger to know that its power source is 'particles banging into other particles'. aaaargh

To no one's surprise except Saito (because he's retarded) the nuclear sub has nuclear weaponry. Shocking.

Oh my fucking god Luctiana ALSO has a spell for allowing people to talk underwater. (The quality gets compared to a shoddy radio)

For a minute there I thought the author was going to be quasi-intelligent and have Saito consider threatening the Elves by firing the nuke from the submarine. There'd be a lot of problems with this idea, but they're manageable, particularly when you consider that Colbert is a TinkerSpark. But noooo, Saito has looted the thing -because nuclear ICBMs are very small and lightweight, you see- and is thinking to himself how he can threaten the Elves via manually detonating the thing. This is insanely stupid nonsense, quite literally suicidal, and if he has to get close to detonate the thing they can just, you know, wreck the nuke -nukes aren’t even something that detonates explosively when shocked or something! This is just a bad plan on every level I can think of.

Supposedly the familiar summoning spell's words don't matter, only the feeling "in your heart". I have manifold issues with this claim, particularly since it's being introduced out of nowhere to justify Tiffania performing the summoning when the story finally feels like having it actually happen.

Oh my fucking god we FINALLY got a kind of explanation for Tiffania having a Ring of Andvari! Only ten volumes too late! Still no explanation for how she knew how to use the damn thing, though. Oh, and Elf Mom died by lol throwing herself in front of Tiffania when a knight tried to kill Tiffania. Yeah. Sure. THAT makes sense for an all-powerful wargod (ie an FoZ Elf) to do, as opposed to... casting Counter, or making the knight's head explode, or whatever.

Seriously fuck this author.

Elven council meeting room... is at the top of the tower? That's not what we were told last volume. [I seem to have lost almost all my notes from last volume on the Elves? Not sure how that happened. You’re not missing much, though]

"Steed-blooded party", an Elven political faction. They seem to be the Elven version of ultraconservative Catholics. Bidashal hates them.

As is typical of Japanese fiction, political leaders just don't want any fuckups happening on their watch so that nobody can blame them for said fuckups. So the Elven council is a bunch of people who don't want to do anything because they might get blamed if things don't work perfectly.

Bidashal is the Chairman of the Barbarian Countermeasures Committee.

For some reason, the Elves A: know Luctiana brought Saito to the Dragon's Nest and B: find this utterly horrifying. [The second bit actually kind of makes sense later. The first bit is never explained or justified]

Turuk is the current head of the Elven council. He's an old man in the same mold as Osmond, though so far not perverted, just a drunkard... wait a second. Osmond is supposed to be OLD, when we're introduced to him! Like possibly over two centuries old! I think the author entirely forgot about that, given how the story has been talking about Halkeginian and Elven ages for volumes unending.

Elves have a crime of "ethnic rebellion". It's unclear what it is, other than punishable with death. Really not selling me on this noble, peaceful Elves thing, here. The "Steel-bloodedparty" is all about killing traitors and 'devils', further undercutting said noble/peaceful thing. For that matter, the idea that they're wise and stuff is being undercut by how politicking for personal gain is occurring even though the Elves basically think they're on the verge of an apocalypse.

The Dragon's Nest apparently is where Earth crap gets dumped en mass by interdimensional shenanigans.

It's a super-duper secret that Shaitan's Gate connects to our Earth. 'Devils' seems to get used to mean Earth humans.

Elven "Nydus" Navy is made of "Dragon Whales". They look exactly like whales, but with scales. No, really, that's what the text says. I’m not mocking it here. I wish I was mocking it.

Fatima Hadat. A Steel-Blooded Party Elf woman with no practical combat experience but a drill sergeant's attitude anyway. She's trying to make up for an aunt's shameful behavior. Also Steel-Blooded Party members are Soviet Union people?? (Comrade etc etc all the time)

Mother Sea has been collecting the junk from Earth, thinking it's Halkeginian or Elven litter, basically.

Finally the story reveals that Dragon's Nest is Shaitan's Gate/the Holy Land. Credit where it's due: this makes perfect sense and I failed to figure it out before the story spelled it out. Six thousand years ago, this area was dry land.

Elves have rifling, Halkeginians... also have it, but nobles have suppressed it because they don't want peasantry getting good weapons. Eeeeeh. We also hear some nonsense about Halkeginian nobles believing weapons to be 'the path to evil'. Since when? And this is from the omniscient narrator, keep in mind, not some biased character where I could assume they’re just out of touch with the rest of their culture.

I just realized I'm halfway through this volume and Louise hasn't had ANY screentime. Would like to punch the author now.

Saito theorizing Derflinger has an Imp-style memory block Sasha put on him that prevents him from remembering things if they would threaten Elves. Sorry, no, shit explanation. A for effort, F for execution.

Random assertion from Derflinger that only 'skilled' Elves can use Counter. You know, that way we can justify Saito being able to win against Elves even though Louise is absent from the plot. Narratively-convenient construction strikes for the five millionth time! Don't think too hard about the fact that he's facing Elven soldiers who logically should be trained fighters, you'll just get an aneurysm and/or an all-consuming desire to murder the already-dead author.

Elves have Windstone-powered guns that work wet.

Oh. Here's the idiotic payoff of all this shit of Tiffania wanting to meet "Elves like her mother": her mom is Fatima's shame-bringing aunt, and Fatima recognizes her ring’s remains (Because remember, the Stone of Andvari part got used up) and gets pissed. sigh

WHAT the FUCK. Tiffania casting Summon Familiar SUMMONS FUCKING SAITO.

NO. THAT IS BULLSHIT. THIS IS THE FUCKING WORST.

YES IT'S BEING USED TO TURN SAITO INTO A FUCKING GODDAMN DOUBLEFAMILIAR KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL

Over with Vittorio he's talking with Julio about feeling bad about his lies: A, there is no 'device'. B, the Void ritual won't stop the Wind Stone Catastrophe. Sasha, the elf, was Gandalfr+other familiar six thousand years before Saito ARGHBLARGHLE THIS STORY IS SHIT

Now Julio is ALSO BECOMING A DOUBLEFAMILIAR BECAUSE HE'S AN EVEN BIGGER MARY SUE THAN SAITO MURDERVERYTHINGIT'STHEONLYWAY

Ominous dialogue implying it's somehow critically important to have the master/familiar folk die while in love with each other.

Elven airships are dragon-towed. The story pretends like this is a superior methodology to Halkeginian airships. Pffffff.

Utterly bullshit claim that Elves perform trade with Halkeginians, implied claim that Halkeginian nobles hate Elves but civilians aren't afraid of them or anything. So all that shit earlier of peasants thinking Elves are cannibals and so on? lol whatever man consistency is for, like, non-shit writers.

So remember how before there was a Germanian castle at the border of the Elf/Germanian border, in desert? Yeah, NOW there's "the Unexplored Lands", a vat region of forest and plains mostly occupied by demi-humans and separating Elven desert from Germanian land. Consistency is for losers lol!!! (Beastmen, ogres, and avianmen, specifically, not that this means much to the audience)

So you remember how alchemy/transmutation is the most basic of earth magics? Hahahahaha the author doesn't, asserting that Guiche is useless in an aerial battle because earth affinity lol.

Claim Elven airships have never lost to Halkeginian airships.

The Sahara has wild boars. I have no idea how plausible this is, so I’ll let it ago. Even if it is bullshit, it just does not rate compared to the whirling shitstorm of everything else going on.

This volume and the previous are implying there's a fair amount of language shenanigans occurring in the original Japanese. Stuff like Elf/people of the desert and Void/work of the devil being indicated to have been said via kanji shenanigans. I'm sort of disappointed at the evidence being that the unusual choice for desert Elves is probably just a pun that’s not surviving into English.

Urge to kill rising. Ali just saved Saito and Tiffania because... ostensibly because he's saving Luctiana and so he will need their help since saving her makes him a race traitor, but that's bullshit. It's just a super-thin way of ALMOST killing off Tiffania for DRAMA and then not having it stick. Fuck this writer.

Ali ALSO grabbed Fatima, because of fucking course.

So after making a big deal about that submarine [As in: Luctiana found the idea of an undersea boat just fucking unimaginable, and not in the “there’s no way barbarians have pulled that off!” sort of way, but in the “That’s not a thing anyone could possibly do!” sort of way] earlier... it turns out Elves have submarines based on having the Stupid Breed kind of Sea Dragon drag around an airfilled whatsit. This is fucking ridiculous, it's like the author has an active hatred of consistency and quality.

End volume.

--------

Aaaaand that's all she wrote.

Volume 21 is barely translated, and volume 22 isn't translated at all. So I'm done until such time as volume 21 gets translated.

This fucking series, goddamn.

So, since it's not gotten into by this point in the story, I went and used the Familiar of Zero wiki to look up what the fourth Familiar actually does: firstly, they can burn their life force to enhance their master's spells. Which. Why? The story has already established that people can do this with their own life force, why does it require a specific special familiar to be able to tap someone else's life force? Secondly, they can "stockpile spells" to "turn themselves into basically a bomb", whatever the wiki means by that.

Honestly, I'd forgive basically anyone for throwing it out entirely and replacing it with something more consistent with the other Void Familiars. Oh, and if I haven't mentioned it already, the name is Lífþrasir, supposed to be "the heart of God".

So. Yeah. I could see someone having coasted through the prior volumes, not thinking too hard and not noticing how the story is inconsistent nonsense, but holy fuck are we experiencing a sudden, extreme dip in quality. And the worst part is it looks like much of it was intended for a long time, so I don’t think I can blame this on whatever killed the author, if he like died of illness or something.

Fuck this series.

[itsokaybigcat-blog]

5 Secrets and techniques No one Tells You About Winning His Heart Permanently

Here is what guys are certainly wanting for (but won't - or can not inform you)!

Relating to obtaining a man to commit to a romantic relationship, quite a few females cannot seem to crack the code.

As many of us have noticed, there can be two kinds of men: Behind curtain #1 may be the type of man who's certainly smitten with his girlfriend - he puts her on a pedestal, treats her like a queen, and destinations her happiness above his very own. And behind curtain #2 is the variety who's labeled like a "commitment-phobe" - he isn't going to seem to like currently being within a romance, acting as though his dedication is within the involuntary type.

In truth, a research by Match.com located that 95 % of men openly admit to seeing marriage as one among their greatest lifestyle goals.

So if this is often what 95 % of them seem to want, how will you get a man to commit and actually fall in take pleasure in with you?

All of it comes right down to how a guy views dedication. To a man, it's like cracking a combination lock; should the numbers don't line up, he'll be emotionally distant and unavailable, as opposed to all in. He may perhaps even come up with numerous one-liner excuses that women undoubtedly unearth aggravating: "I should concentrate on my occupation," "I just want area," or, "I'm just not ready for any partnership proper now."

But these one-liners aren't lies. He extremely believes what he is saying for the reason that the "numbers" of his commitment code are not lining up.

In other words, when he says, "I'm just not prepared for any partnership appropriate now," what he actually suggests is, "I'm just not ready to get a romantic relationship with you."

When it hurts to hear this, knowing the right way to obtain a guy to commit - and why and just how he chooses to eventually consider the plunge - can conserve you heartache and help you recognize males.

The reality is, when he last but not least comes across that one lady who generates the right sequence of "numbers" to unlock his dedication blend, he'll feel compelled to hang onto her. He'll commit to a relationship as a result of he does not need to possibility shedding her.

So, now we know commitment is not some kind of guy allergy. What you should do is find out how you can crack his commitment code and get your man to commit - and sooner or later fall in love with you.

Less complicated stated than executed, certainly, considering the average guy is not great at communicating his emotional requirements. That is in which I are available in! 

Here are five points guys (will not inform you they) want ahead of they'll commit to a romance and begin to fall in appreciate with you.

1. He demands you to wish him.

One among the keys to figuring out easy methods to make your man happy is essential, animalistic want. Inside the pit of his stomach, he needs to want you, lengthy to suit your needs, yearn for you personally. He has to miss you when you're not all around and he needs to really feel a pang of lust when he has not observed you for a while. 

This want is designed by way of the play of opposites. He'll crave you after which he catches you; he'll miss you then falls into you; he'll lust for you after which you'll surrender to him. It truly is the generating and also the release of stress above and in excess of once more.

The way in which you make this tension is as a result of your sexuality - tease him and after that give in, playfully run from him then make it possible for him to capture you, include levity and spontaneity to his existence, give him lustful stares after which leave the space, send him sexy notes throughout the day, grab him and kiss him unexpectedly. In summation, use your powerful feminine characteristics to contrast his really serious and calculated masculine nature.

2. He requirements your respect.

Respect is definitely a cardinal virtue; it's the basis of any romantic relationship that endures and stands the check of time. Respect can assist re-ignite a romance prolonged after the flame of enjoy and lust has sputtered. Countless guys marry the lady who respects him, even more than the lady who loves him.

Guys can rest with, speak to, and care regarding the female they adore (and lust), but frequently really like only is not all they require.

A great deal of this must do with all the phrase "I adore you." To a man plus a female, this term can have several meanings. A man may possibly interpret it as "don't harm me" or even "you're trapped." Males see the really like from a woman as additional of the commodity than a thing novel.

In fact, the phrases make him feel really good when he hears them, however they never sing to his soul. Guys have crippling inadequacies they silently battle their complete lives.

So, figure out why you respect your man. What exactly are you proud of him for? What could you acknowledge him for? How will you make him feel great about himself? Then, tell him. Will not tell him simply that you like him, tell him why you really enjoy him.

An alternative option to express your respect will be to apologize when you've manufactured a error or said something incorrect. You (and he) should make the partnership extra essential than individual egos. When he knows you respect his character, he'll allow you in deeper, exposing other tender parts of his soul the place he requires healing and help.

3. He must feel emotionally secure.

The third point to keep in thoughts when studying the best way to preserve your man content is his emotional overall health. By surrendering your anger, bitterness, or any resentment you may have towards him, you give him secure passage for being vulnerable.

This takes place by you putting your believe in in him. Then, he can trust you. You each let by yourself to become vulnerable and that aids a romantic relationship get the job done. But for this vulnerability to take off, girls usually need to be the initiators. Men are looking for an individual to lead them in to the vulnerable abyss.

It's a woman's courage to open up and let down her guard that inspires guys to lay down their psychological shields and chill out.

So how can you do this? Effectively, it aids by learning how men believe. He must realize that you won't judge or criticize him. He has to feel supported, accepted, and encouraged that you are on his side. He has to realize that you won't tell your pals or (worse) your mom about any blunders he can make. He needs to understand that you will stand up for him when other folks say awful elements about him. He has to know that you may confront any injustices or challenges head-on.

4. He needs you to challenge him.

In the core of each man is challenge. Guys grow by way of challenge. Challenge speaks on the component of their masculinity that innately tends to make them like to conquer and win. Challenge could be the path guys get to attain results, which ultimately can make them come to feel respected.

Within a nutshell, it seriously comes down to possessing a powerful sense of the personal values - recognizing what exactly is crucial that you you and standing by it. This generates the challenge that strengthens the partnership. Another component of this challenge is being able to confront a guy after you feel like people values are compromised.

This might possibly demand you confronting him after you feel he owes you an apology, in lieu of letting it fall by the wayside. When you can confront him, he'll come across you amazingly enticing. Even though his initial response is anger, the fact that you could stand up to him will change the way in which he appears at you. It will eventually challenge him to become a much better guy.

five. He has to really feel awe and wonder. 

The ultimate step in learning tips on how to retain your guy completely happy is good, old-fashioned excitement. Even acting somewhat crazy is really a beneficial point; crazy, not insane - skinny-dipping in the ocean is really good, but faking your own personal kidnapping considering that he's been operating too late is not really.

All as well normally, females are taught to truly feel lousy about being emotional, feeling 'crazy,' and acting unpredictably. But these feminine attributes are in reality desirable to males. Therefore, embrace your femininity and enable it to enliven your romantic relationship. This will support a man fall deeper and deeper in like with you.

As you embody your instinctual feminine nature, you produce the room for him to say matters like, "There is just anything about her that I appreciate."

Study far more about this right here - como deixar um homem louco na cama

[dorothydelgadillo]

7 Brutally Honest Marketing Conference Survival Tips

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we can all agree that IMPACT Live 2018 was absolutely fantastic.

With more than 500 of our closest marketing and sales friends, we all experienced two very full and memorable days of learning, meeting new people, and having a total blast while doing it. (You can check out the recaps here and here.)

Heck, I even got to speak this year!

Here's the thing, though.

Marketing conferences -- especially the good ones -- are exhausting marathons that leave me at once elated and energized to take action, and completely and utterly ready to embrace a new life as a human contact-avoiding hermit.

In fact, this was me last Thursday, the day following IMPACT Live 2018:

  Current status.🐻 (📸: @chrisduprey82)

A post shared by Liz Murphy (@naptownpint) on Aug 9, 2018 at 1:20pm PDT

I spent the entire day on the couch in our office, hiding behind Bear, our team's cuddle consultant, while I did work. 

This emotional and physical deflation isn't a new experience for me. This was my second IMPACT Live, and I've been to INBOUND three times. 

I also know that both INBOUND and Content Marketing World are just around the corner. So, I want to take a few minutes this morning to share with you my favorite tips for surviving conferences -- and not the usual, "Oh, yeah, don't forget to network," kind of tips.

I'm talking about my favorite ways to get the most out of these epic, inspiring events without losing your sanity.

#1: Dress with Some Sort of Layering Strategy

Conference venues are fickle, independent ecosystems that have little to no regard for seasons, weather patterns, or expectations of attendees who wish it to be not too hot or too cold.

And often, rooms within the same venue will vary drastically from one to the other in temperature.

So, plan accordingly.

Bring a blazer or wear a light sweater with you each day, even it's the middle of summer. It doesn't matter if it's basically Death Valley or the dead of winter outside. You may freeze or, alternatively, remain a hot, sweaty mess indoors, depending on how effective (or functional) the venue's air conditioning or heating system is. 

If you're a female, don't forget to carry a hair clip or band with you in your bag, so you can quickly toss your hair up, as needed.

Which leads me to my next clothing-related piece of advice...

#2: Pack More Than You Think You'll Need

Like most normal people, I try to pack "lean" when I'm traveling for work. Even though I rarely take a plane -- I'm an Amtrak kind of gal, and I'll explain why later -- I just don't want to deal with the hassle of having a ton of luggage. 

But here's a fun fact: 

It was so ungodly hot in Hartford last week (and a touch on the warm side in our venue), that a few folks from the IMPACT team actually made a quick run to Target to buy some new clothes to wear while at the conference.

For the same reason, it was also not uncommon for IMPACTers and IMPACT Live attendees to perform a quick costume change during the day (or before evening festivities), because staying in the same outfit all day in 95+ degree weather would have been gross.

Here's another related truth:

I can't go a week away from home for work without at least three coffee-related shirt fatalities -- particularly if we're talking about conferences, where I'm spending at least 50% of my time rushing around. (I'm not really strong in the coffee-while-walking department.)

The moral of both stories is simple -- while you might need to put a little extra effort into closing your carry-on or suitcase, it's worth it to toss in a few extra shirts and underthings. 

Whether you're networking, sitting in an audience, or speaking in front of one, being around people comes with the territory of marketing conferences. You want to feel comfortable and at your best as much as possible.

A fresh shirt can do just the trick, so pack one -- there may not be a Target near where you are.

#3: Mind What You Carry  

Last year, when I got home from INBOUND, I had trouble bending over, or turning left or right at the waist for about a week.

Of course, I had no one to blame but myself. 

I had spent the week prior carrying a 2010 MacBook (which must have weighed 1,000 pounds), three notebooks, books I had purchased from the gift shop, pens, business cards, a hairbrush, my wallet, and much more in a tote slung over my left shoulder. 

Conferences involve a lot of walking. But because you usually don't get to go back to your hotel room until late in the evening, after the day is done, there's this compulsion to carry everything you could possibly need with you.

Learn from me. Resist this urge to be a pack mule as much as possible. If you don't, you will be miserable, and there's a good chance you could hurt yourself.

Here is what I carry now, after learning this lesson the hard way:

iPhone (and earbuds)

iPhone charging cable (and wall plug)

Small travel wallet (not my usual big wallet, and it only contains my ID, credit cards, a little cash and credit cards)

MacBook (now much smaller and only 3 pounds!)

Hairbrush (and clip)

Travel-size deodorant

Small body spray or perfume

Chapstick

That's it.

No books. No planners. No extra notebooks or water bottles. No extra weight. 

I may end up coming back each evening with additions to my daily haul -- like swag or books I've purchased, etc. -- but I spend most of my days only carrying around exactly what I need, and nothing more. And my shoulders and back are forever grateful.

What ends up going into your daily bag will likely be totally different from what goes into mine, and that's okay. My only request is that, before you walk out each morning, you take a long, hard look at what's in your bag and ask yourself, "Do I really need all of this?"

#4: Don't Skip Meals

Even though I'm a huge fan of food and an avid snacker, I'm awful at breakfast. I don't know what it is, but if you want me to put anything in my face besides black coffee before 11 a.m., you'll have to force me to do so.

The exception is when I'm at a conference. For example, every morning at each INBOUND I've attended, I've stopped by the New England mecca, Dunkin' Donuts, for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I do so under duress, but I know I'm saving myself a potential disaster later on.

In a surprise to no one, I've also learned this lesson the hard way. I won't go into details, but I was hangry and exhausted, and everyone around me suffered.

Even if meals are provided by the conference organizer, the line may be insanely long -- or you may miss a meal entirely due to conversations with your team or new contacts. 

If you hate breakfast like I do, suck it up, and eat a banana or something. If you miss lunch for some reason, don't skip it -- make it a point to take a quick break and grab a protein box from Starbucks. Finally, I don't care how tired you are at the end of the day, eat something before you go to bed. 

Conferences are an endurance test, so don't run on empty.

#5: Don't Forget Your Business Cards

I don't need a lot of explanation for this one, so I'll cut to the chase. Not so long ago, there was a  9-out-of-10 chance I would forget my business cards when packing for a work conference. And, being me, I would only discover my oversight in the middle of a conversation, when someone asked me for mine.

Don't be like me. Pack your business cards in your suitcase first. Every. Single. Time.

#6: Don't Stay Out Late Every Night

At most of these conferences, there are nightly networking events and sponsor parties. Also, if you're like us at IMPACT, you'll have client dinners, team bonding meals, and many hotel happy hour opportunities all over your calendar.

Besides eating, not running yourself into the ground (or, let's be honest, not partying too hard in the cocktails department) is the most important thing you can do to keep yourself in tip-top shape at a conference. 

While I know how awful it feels to miss out on a good time just as much as the next person, you don't have to go to every single party or event. Or, if you do, you don't need to stay until last call. 

Not only will you have a better chance of getting a good night's sleep, you'll keep your reputation in tact by not accidentally going overboard in front of coworkers or valuable new connections. Given how tiring these events can be, you have to recognize your tolerance may be lower if you're sleep-deprived, dehydrated, and/0r running on an empty-ish stomach.

(My usual rule of thumb is that I'll give myself one moderately "fun" night. Otherwise, no matter what post-session events I attend, I'm in my hotel bed watching Murder, She Wrote by 10 p.m.)

#7: Finally, Try Taking the Train

While trains are not always the most efficient way to get around, they are my favorite. 

For example, it's about five hours to travel via Amtrak from my home in Annapolis, Maryland, to Connecticut, where IMPACT Live takes place every year. And it's about eight hours to Boston, the home of INBOUND.

Traveling the same distance by plane would obviously be much faster, but the benefits of train travel far outweigh any efficiencies I would gain by flying.

Instead of rushing through airports, dealing with security, and generally hating life, my travel is stress-free. There's no security. I can carry full-size toiletries. I can bring a bag larger than a carry-on with no added cost. I can bring my own meals, snacks, and full-sized beverages.

But that's nothing compared to the peace and serenity of the Amtrak quiet car. I can work. I can nap in relative comfort. I can stare out the window as we go over rivers and lakes, and through large cities. 

Most of all, I have plenty of time to mentally prepare myself for the whirlwind of activity and having to be "on" for people 24/7. And, on the way back, I have those hours to myself to decompress in a totally calm environment, before I have to deal with puppies and all of the, "So, how was it?!" conversations.

In short, thanks to the train, I am able to bookend most conference experiences (at least those on the East Coast, heh) with some much-needed me time, with no one bothering me.

I know, the train isn't for everyone. But if what I described sounds like heaven to you, I urge you to give it a shot. It may take me longer to get from point A to point B -- so, my travel mornings tend to start pretty early -- but it's 100% worth it to me. 

What are your favorite tips for surviving conferences?

from Web Developers World https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/marketing-conference-survival-tips