#ep: make yourself hallucinate experiment

[afterhours-system]

omg transbipolar tips please? (if that's ok ofc!) if u do ty sooooo much (and no worries if not! ty anyway 4 being on tumblr :3)

hiii hello :33 heres some transbipolar tips from a cisBP II guything :D

general tips!!

track 👏 your👏 mood 👏!! i'd suggest one mood tracker for the moods/emotions you're actually experiencing (to track progress for example) (i use Daylio, it's great!) & one for the moods/episodes you want to experience! for BP specific moods (mainly depression/mania) i use Bipolar UK!

exaggerate your regular daily moods! if you've been in a good mood all day but suddenly feel a bit down play it up! i've gone from cruising in a very high mood (perhaps even bordering on hypomanic) to absolutely crashing for days because of one bad mood swing :P

hypomania & mania tips!!! (note: ive yet to experience a 100% manic episode, so i dont have as much personal experience there!)

hypomania: hypomania is characterized, for me, by very very high energy, high productivity (but never finishing anything), lots of inspiration & creative drive and feeling wayyy more social than usual!

also, completely losing track of my finances, needing less sleep (like. 2-3hrs & i feel well rested where i usually need 8-9,,), less need for food, almost no actual feelings of hunger (once in a month long ep i only ate One Piece Of Bread per day with the occasional (once a week max) pizza & was "fine") & being more open to drinking (and/or considering trying to get my hands on 'harder' stuff like psychedelics) where i usually straight up dont like alcohol!

i'd recommend going off of what's alr there for you; so if you notice you've been in a pretty good mood recently, say that's a hypomanic episode now! go out a lot (clubbing if you want to/can!), make efforts to meet new ppl & make friends, be very motivated & high energy and do everything (and i mean everything!) in excess (talk fast af & never stop talking, be restless and pace around, constanty occupy yourself w/ smth bcs otherwise you'll be understimulated af)

for mania: crank up everything about hypomania by about 300%. it's like there's a million bees inside your bones, you feel restless cant be still do a thousand things in a day, lose all sense of responsibility & become extremely reckless, either due to your extremely elevated mood or because of delusions or other psychotic symptoms.

oh yeah, psychosis! in a mixed ep i spent a day convinced i had somehow accidentally ingested alcohol (i hadnt)! intrusive thoughts, extreme anxiety around it, physical, olfactory & taste-based hallucinations around it, the whole package.

other BP based psychosis ive experienced: visual hallucinations (insects & spiders for me), jumbled & rapid thoughts (it felt different to adhd fast thoughts it was so weird lol)

see this article (link) for other psychotic symptoms during manic (or depressive!) episodes in pwBP!

i'd probably recommend "picking a theme" for delusions & halluciantions & the like, to make it easier to focus on them? tho i havent experienced psychosis enough to know if i have a 'theme' :P

depressive episodes!!

my least favorite (also, i feel like more things are known abt depression) (ALSO- i have seasonal affective disorder too which influences my BP episodes)

depressive episodes mean extreme lethargy for me. im tired 24/7 no matter how much sleep i get (& i'll be getting way more than usual. 10-12 hrs on average with the occasional 13 hrs 🥶).

very little movement. physical, mental, emotional, metaphyical. i often get stuck in bed, if not physically then mentally. spending my day anywhere but in my bed will feel weird & wrong. i will feel pretty numb/wont have access to my emotions anymore & often compltely stop thinking abt & processing my day-to-day life

^ this usually results in strong amnesia around depressive episodes but that might be a plural thing so. take it w a grain of salt lol

depressive episodes also make me self isolate as fuck. im talking forgoing my physical needs if theres a Chance i'll run into my roommate.

oh, yeah, also i just stop taking care of my basic physical as well as i do when balanced. i need to be starving to be able to get up & eat smth, & god forbid i want to actually cook smth rather than eating frozen pizza or eating out/ordering in

i also usually stop doing anything more creative than daydreaming (hashtag immersive daydreaming gang/silly) but even those are less immersive and less frequent. i'll be artblocked 24/7, have no inspiration or motivation and probably wont even miss drawing :P

& thats it! i hope you can find smth usefull in my rambling :3c /gen

and good luck & have fun with your transition!! you have my full support :D /gen

[commsroom]

The post about Eiffel you just reblogged really reminded me of my impression of Eiffel about halfway through the live show i.e. he's someone who really can't stand to be alone with his thoughts. You know the way he either starts hallucinating people (mayday, bolero, brave new world) or talking to himself (am I alone now, live show) and the only time we really see him quiet and alone is right after shut up and listen. It's like if he stops talking for a second he'll have to be alone with his own thoughts and just be left to deal with reality on his own. In early seasons he gives off the impression of someone who is constantly trying to run away from something but the thing he's trying to escape is himself.

There's also something there about how he cannot see himself as a real person until someone explicitly confronts him about it. Until that point he can only process his experiences through fiction like turning his life into a story or through endless pop culture references. Idk if I'm making any sense here I'm sorry if this is too incoherent but to conclude thinking about Eiffel for too long makes me lose my mind.

Also I love your wolf 359 analysis! It's always a joy to read and I hope you have a nice week! 🌻🌻🌻

YES, exactly!! i think that's all completely true. eiffel so desperately wants to narrativize his life. he talks to himself constantly. he talks about himself in the third person. like you said, it's how he processes the world and communicates via pop culture references and how the only time he stops doing that is also in constructive criticism. how sarah shachat said for eiffel to tell his story in limbo, he'd first have to make it a story. how he uses third person for all of the events up until the crash itself, and then it becomes "i"... and then in ep 44 "i felt like i was those mistakes. like i was just those mistakes."... and how in mayday he subconsciously puts his ideas into the mouths of other people - anything that might help him is externalized, is someone else's help that he's just reacting to, but when it goes wrong, it's always his fault.

ep 6 "the only things you've done for the past 500 days have been sleep on the job, endanger our lives, and continually make stupid jokes just to hide the fact that you're -" / ep 48 "it's taken me this long to realize that running from everyone else means that you're alone with yourself" / ep 51 "or are you just trying to not be bored for half a second? to distract yourself from how much you can't stand yourself?" etc.

there's something about how eiffel views himself as a vessel for communication more than an active agent (and the way that's mirrored in the dear listeners taking his voice/form), and also... how he sees himself as uniquely bad, uniquely doomed, etc. - other people are complicated and human and can always change, but not him. he has different rules for himself. confronting that in shut up and listen and then confronting himself both from a very internal and then a very external point of view in the finale is... a big part of why i feel the way i do about eiffel's memory. he's spent his whole life trying to get away from himself, and i just don't think it's satisfying or fitting with the themes of the show if in the end he actually kind of does. i think there's a good potential post-canon set up for eiffel needing to accept all versions of himself as himself to move forwards; it's just another step in line with his canon development - "the longer i didn't say anything, i felt like i was getting farther away from that person" - but he's still doug eiffel, and eventually he always has to deal with that. and maybe it'll be easier with people who want doug eiffel around.

(and aw, thank you!! i hope you have a nice week, too!! 💙)

[virtual-mythicality]

“i feel like i’m stuck to the mat.”

[x]

[twdmusicboxmystery]

The Awake/Asleep Theme (and How it Applies to the CRM)

Okay, this is an epiphany I had thanks to 11x06. All of us theorists noticed how much emphasis they put on the fact that Connie had not slept, and that was a big part of why she was freaking out the entire episode.

At one point, Virgil even accuses her of hallucinating what she saw behind the wall because of lack of sleep. So, it crossed most of our minds that the creatures in the house might not be real, but might be a hallucination.

That, it turned out, was not the case. But mentioning it at all felt like a nod to the hallucination theme.

But when I re-watched the episode, I noticed something else. At the beginning, when Virgil is telling Connie she needs to sleep, and she keeps shaking her head, he says the word, “Rest.” All by itself.

It reminded me of something Maggie said to Daryl in 5x10, Them. After she wakes up and the two of them talk about Beth, and he gives her the MUSIC BOX, she says, “it’s okay to rest now.” It makes sense in the context of the episode, since it seems he was awake, keeping watch while the others slept. She was just telling him that since she and others were awake now, he could get some sleep. But it’s just such a weird wording, you know? I always thought it must be symbolic of something, but I never knew exactly what.

So, we have this sleep/rest theme that ties Connie and Virgil (Beth and Daryl template) to Them, which was right after Coda, and literally minutes before the music box woke up.

The other thing that jumped out at me is when Caver said to Leah, “Shaw, wake up!” The way he said it just reminded me a lot of how Denise said it to Daryl and Rosita right before she was killed.

So, as I often do, I tried to step back and take a broader view of what the characters actually mean when they say stuff like that.

For Carver, when he said it to Leah in this episode, he basically means that she needs to wake up to the truth. She can’t see the truth (that Daryl is deceiving her) and she needs to stop being duped by him and allow herself to see the truth.

The way Denise used it was slightly different, but related. She was talking about how Daryl and Rosita weren’t even trying to deal with their issues. Basically, they weren’t really living, which is theme we heard from Beth at Grady. Kind of the equivalent of “sleeping through your life.”

And then I thought about the fact that we actually see Beth wake up at Grady. And as always, it makes sense in context because she was,  you know, unconscious, so clearly she’d have to wake up at some point. But they just emphasized it SO much. Seeing her eyes flutter open. Seeing her slowly sit up and look around. I mean, how many times has TD posted those shots?

And that’s when it all clicked for me.

I said in the Matrix theory that the truth, what’s really going on, has to do with what TF has not recognized yet. It has to do with the CRM and what they’re doing that is negative, but most of TF (excluding Beth and Rick at this point) are still completely oblivious to it. So that is the “truth.” The truth that people need to wake up to.

So, thematically, being “awake” represents knowing or being able to see the truth. Being “asleep” represents being blissfully ignorant of the truth.

Think about how they used this theme in 11x06 with Connie and Virgil. Connie hasn’t slept. She’s refusing to sleep, which we all know is a bad thing. You have to take care of yourself or you��re gonna start hallucinating, which Connie kind of does here.

But because she refuses to sleep and goes to check the house again herself, she sees the creatures in the walls. She sees the danger. Danger Virgil doesn’t see. Because she’s awake. When she runs back down to tell him, we actually see Virgil SLEEPING. See what I mean?

So how do we interpret this in other cases. When I started thinking through these, they kinda blew my mind. Such great planning on the writers’ parts.

Beth at Grady:

With Beth, as we’ve already said, Grady is most likely tied to the CRM. I said in the Matrix theory that Rick and co should have awakened to the CRM and what was happening when they visited Grady, but they didn’t. They left and went back “into the Matrix” as it were, and back into blissful ignorance where that was concerned. I’m gonna come back to that in a minute.

The point is that we saw Beth waking up, because she was basically waking up in “Wonderland.” She was in a place where it was possible to see the truth for the first time. So, she was both literally and symbolically “waking up” to it.

When Maggie says to Daryl, “It’s okay to rest, now,” I think that’s the writers’ way of saying that they all went back to sleep, as it were. Back into the blissful ignorance of the Matrix, not understanding that Beth really lived or what the CRM was up to. She says it’s okay to rest, and he agrees, and they all “rest,” closing their eyes to the truth. Because it’s just easier to do that than to stay awake after the storm. 

Now let’s look at Denise:

We immediately tied her death to Beth, because it was so similar to what happened at Grady. But that sequence indicated SO much more than that.

Denise was yelling at Daryl and Rosita about not being awake to their lives. And I’m not claiming Denise knew anything about the CRM. What was happening in her arc was its own thing, but thematically, yelling at them about not being awake could be seen as yelling at them about not understanding what’s really happening with the CRM. What’s really going on.

Think about what she said. She said they were both really good people, and they weren’t even “trying.” And literally the last words she spoke were, “and if you don’t wake up—” and then she was shot. In the eye. And died. On the TRAIN TRACKS. Right in front of Daryl. Just like Beth.

So, it’s almost the writers hinting that something about what happened with Beth should have woke them up to the truth. They need to wake up and see it, or they’re going to die.

And perhaps by extension, Daryl needs to wake up and see it or he’s never going to get Beth back. I mean, really think about that sequence. “If you don’t wake up—” Bam. Shot in the head.

Rick’s Old Man Coda:

Remember in S8, we kept seeing visions, which turned out to be Carl’s, of Rick waking up as an older man? Some things I want to point out here.

Rick is waking up in this sequence. It also has the vibrant color scheme that we often see in these dream-like scenes. I think the vibrant colors represent Wonderland, or the “truth” which means they represent the CRM or the world outside the one TF is currently aware of.

So, these “old man codas” as I liked to call them foreshadowed many things. They foreshadowed Carl’s death, the fact that we’d see Judith as an older child eventually, etc. But I also now understand that they represent Rick disappearing into the CRM. Thus, why he seems to be “waking up” in “wonderland.”

There are plenty of other symbols we could point to. The flowers, which are reminiscent of his hospital experience in ep 1, and thus also point toward Grady (tied to the CRM). The fact that the song, “Another One Rides the Bus” is playing in the background. That’s part of the yellow theme. Which applies to Rick in a big way, btw. I already talked about how we saw it during 7x12, which foreshadowed his death fake out.

But we also have this huge arc where Michonne, and of course Daryl, are looking for Rick along the river. But he’s not there. They’re looking in the wrong place. Yellow theme.

Grace in FTWD 6x12:

I won’t go into too many details about this, but we also saw this theme with Grace in Fear. She had a dream sequence that also employed these vibrant colors. And you could interpret this theme about 5 different ways in that episode. Parts of the dream had truth in them, which means she was seeing truth in the dream. Just a different truth than she thought. 

Parts of the dream were also false, so she had to “wake up” to reality. And then things that happened near the end of the season around these events led a chunk of her group to connect directly with the CRM. Several of them were picked up by a black helicopter in the season finale. So, the awake/asleep theme was definitely being employed there.

And finally, that brings me to Leah: 

We still think the vibrant and sometimes blurry colors of FM suggest a dream-like state. We’ve been trying to nail down the timeline and things just don’t add up. So at the very least, we still think some of this is being remembered wrong.

But I also think perhaps the reason for the vibrant colors is that Leah is Daryl’s Grady. In the sense that he’s just getting a tiny inkling of what’s going on, on the outside with the CRM, but really hasn’t put it all together, yet.

I think Leah is going to lead him, in a big way, to waking up to the truth of the CRM. I think that’s her entire function in the plot. And of course there’s all this back story and all the stuff with Maggie and the Reapers. Lots of complicated arcs going on. But Leah is how Daryl will finally “wake up” to the truth, which will lead him to Beth. And eventually Rick.

That’s all. Thoughts?

[bthenoise]

ICYMI: Here Are 12 Newsworthy Items You May Have Missed Over The Holidays

Hello everybody and happy new year! While getting back into the swing of things here at the office (aka our house), we noticed a handful of exciting things have been announced while we were off the grid safely celebrating the holidays.

So, instead of pumping out article after article for you to comb through and catch up on, we thought we’d compile all the things you may have missed into one, easy-to-read post.

Let us begin:

GOOD CHARLOTTE DEBUT SOMBER NEW SINGLE “LAST DECEMBER”

For the first time since 2018′s sensational LP Generation Rx, Good Charlotte has returned with brand new music. 

Written as a way to cope with the hard times as of late, guitarist Benji Madden says of the gloomy new single “Last December”: 

“2020 being the 20th anniversary of our self-titled debut album really made us feel like we wanted to release something for those fans who’ve gone on this journey with us. The holidays can be a rough time of year - thinking of the ones we’ve lost and longing for moments that have passed us by is definitely a part of the joy and melancholy. For us, this song speaks to both sides of those holiday feelings and we hope it brings some solace to anyone who needs it.”

To check out the new track, see the video below.

AFI DETAIL PLANS FOR BRAND NEW ALBUM 

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A post shared by AFI (@afireinside)

Great news AFI fans! Looking to follow up 2018′s five-track EP The Missing Man, Davey Havok and Co. have shared news regarding when you might hear some new music.  

Taking to their socials, the band collectively shared: “With the end of a year that has been, at best, challenging for all, we have news that we hope may bring you some joy. Very soon, new songs shall be yours. Before the year’s end, our 11th album will follow. We could not be more happy with our latest work and hope you will feel the same. Thank you for joining us upon this next journey. We are thrilled to take it and honored to have you at our side.”

Anyone else excited for a new AFI album!?

††† (CROSSES) SURPRISE RELEASE CHILLING NEW COVER 

As if a brand new Deftones album and 20th anniversary version of White Pony wasn’t enough, Chino Moreno concluded his 2020 with a brand new release from his thought-to-be-dormant project ††† (Crosses).

The song, which is a cover of Cause & Effect’s 1990 track “The Beginning Of The End,” is Moreno and guitarist Shaun Lopez’s first offering since their 2014 self-titled record.

To check out the track, see below.  

FOO FIGHTERS DEBUT SECOND NEW SINGLE “NO SON OF MINE”

Continuing their promotional push for their forthcoming tenth studio album Medicine At Midnight, Foo Fighters have released their second new single. 

Titled “No Son Of Mine” (and no, not an Every Time I Die cover), the latest from the hard rock staples leans much more on the louder side than their previous single “Shame Shame.”

To check out the new tune, see below.

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE GO “BLUE” FOR NEW EIFEL 65 COVER

It’s not everyday you hear an Italian symphonic death metal band cover an Italian techno group but here we are.

Ending their 2020 on a colorful note, noisemakers Fleshgod Apocalypse released a stirring rendition of the 1998 hit “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” -- yes, you read that correctly.   

Commenting on the mind-bending cover, frontman Francesco Paoli said, “After the amazing response over our latest single ‘No’ we wanted to release something that could make the end of this shitty 2020 a bit funnier for everyone. That’s why we took a popular dance track from the 90s and made it the heaviest, angriest, bloodiest party song ever.” 

“We’re ready to blast your ears again in 2021,” Paoli noted, “stay tuned!”

To hear the cover, see below.

AS IT IS DRUMMER AND FUTURE FIREMAN PATRICK FOLEY DEPARTS FROM THE BAND

Bummer news As It Is fans: Founding drummer Patrick Foley has decided to step away from the band to take on a new heroic role as a firefighter. 

The band took to their socials to share: “Our brother and friend Foley has decided to step back from As It Is, to pursue a brand new career as a fire fighter. We could not be more proud of him (and are keeping him on speed dial for when we next use pyro in a live show). All love, Patty, Ali, Ronnie x”

See the band’s emotional farewell video below. 

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A post shared by As It Is (@asitisofficial)

CANE HILL DEBUT DEVASTATING NEW SINGLE “KILL ME”

2021 is shaping up to be a busy year for Cane Hill. Continuing to churn out head-pounding singles, the New Orleans act recently released their blistering new track “Kill Me.”  

Vocalist Elijah Witt commented on the song saying: "I think if this year [2020] has taught me anything, it's that this dreadful voice of negativity in my head is loudest when my life is quiet. Just like everyone else, my mental health has taken a steep decline this year, and giving life to that horrific voice was the easiest way for me to try and combat it. ‘Kill Me’ is what I feel in the parts of me I can ignore when life is normal.” Witt adds, “‘Kill Me’ adds another chapter to ‘Krewe De La Mort’ that continues to bring Louisiana folklore to life. Building upon the visual intensity we established with ‘P.O.T.H.,’ we worked closely with Dreamseeker Productions in further exploring elements of witchcraft and the occult while staying true to these Cajun tales.”

To check out the new song and striking visual, see below.

ENTER SHIKARI SHARE BIZARRE NEW VIDEO FOR “T.I.N.A”

If you’ve ever wondered what Enter Shikari would look like as walking, talking (and dancing) human hands, you’re in luck. 

The band, in support of their latest LP Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible, have released a truly stunning clip for their track “T.I.N.A.”

To watch the video directed by Matthew Taylor, see below.  

CROWN THE EMPIRE RELEASE INTERACTIVE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “RED PILLS”

Will you take the red pill or the blue pill? This is the question you must ask yourself in Crown The Empire’s new interactive music video directed by Sam Shapiro. 

Set to their track aptly titled “Red Pills” off their 2019 release Sudden Sky, the band’s new clip leaves things in the viewers hands for once.   

Elaborating on the video, the band shared, “We created an interactive experience where you, the viewer, will be taken down a wormhole to decide your own ending. Choose your destiny wisely...”

Check out the video below.

MAYDAY PARADE DEBUT STRIPPED-DOWN VERSION OF “I’M WITH YOU”

Leave it to Mayday Parade to release something sad around the holidays. 

In collaboration with Decatur City Church in Decatur, Georgia, vocalist Derek Sanders and drummer Jake Bundrick have shared a new stripped-down version of their song “I’m With You.”

To check out the gloomy piano-led version, be sure to see below.

DARKO (EMMURE, CHELSEA GRIN) UNVEIL CHAOTIC NEW VIDEO FOR “PALE TONGUE”

While listeners patiently await the debut full-length release from Emmure drummer Josh Miller and Chelsea Grin vocalist Tom Barber, aka Darko, the duo have released a wild new music video.  

Set to their blistering track “Pale Tongue,” the band’s new clip provides insane visuals that will leave you feeling like you hallucinated it.

To check out the video, see below.  

WATCH ASKING ALEXANDRIA’S DANNY WARSNOP STAR IN NEW METALCORE COVER OF “YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH”

Who would have known a Dr. Seuss classic would go so well in the stylings of metalcore? 

Showing that the classic Christmas thief himself Mr. Grinch knows a thing or two about mosh pits and breakdowns, YouTuber/musician Jared Dines has teamed up with Asking Alexandria’s Danny Worsnop for a hard-hitting cover of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”   

To check out the rippin’ rendition and accompanying music video, see below. 

[littlememebox]

The Good Place (2016) season 04 ep. 1-6

“And I'm also embracing you because this feels warm and my hands are cold.“

“What about shaking someone by the head? What does that mean?"

“Clearly, I was in some kind of horrible accident, I'm on my deathbed, and this entire thing is just a hallucination constructed by my damaged brain as it slowly shuts down."

“It's not real, so I'm just gonna wander around until I wake up or die.”

“Let me say in response: I will destroy you.”

“That's like studying for a test, then acing the test. It's cheating.“

“Did you put those trash cans there just so you could crash into them?“

“That wasn't my fault, I was texting.“

“So you're saying wanting to do something isn't a good reason to immediately do it?“

“All I need is a bouncy house, some ninja stars, and a bunch of ambulances.“

“You fail and then you try something else. And you fail again and again, and you fail a thousand times, and you keep trying because maybe the 1,001st idea might work.“

“I spent my whole life in pursuit of fundamental truths about the universe, but I never actually fell in love with someone.“

“Yes, but to be fair, I only think that because it's true and I'm right.”

“If you go around acting like no one else matters then you end up doing things like knocking over cakes and pushing people into pools and just generally acting like a jerk."

“Yeah, I guess once you have the burden of saving humanity removed from your brain, life is dandy.“

“I have a ton of experience making ex-boyfriends' lives miserable. First up, we fill his acoustic guitar with wet cat food.“

“Maybe you need to be even more direct with him. Like, punch him in the face.“

“Riveting story. If only it were longer and sadder.“

“You're like the Pam Anderson boob motorcycle of people.“

“But I'm still angry he abandoned me, which makes me feel guilty, which makes me angry, which makes me want to talk to him because he's the person I go to when I'm angry.“

“It's been a tough couple weeks, and it just felt really good to be brainy and have a useness.”

“People were always like, "You didn't pay for that!" "How do you plead?" "He's flatlining!" "Clear!"”

“Yes, that also was a lie, but it was an inspirational one.”

“Well, I have no reason not to believe you, other than the three very recent examples we just laid out.”

“I think I speak for everyone here when I say I really have to see this.”

“I'm just practicing drawing viable horses ones that aren't crimes, you know, against nature.”

“I just feel like I made the world a little bit worse, and I won't be okay until I make it better again.”

“Fight the urge to blow stuff up, even if you feel like we're in a jam.”

“I mean, my comfort zone is basically, like, that chair, and honestly, the arms are a little sharp.”

“The Whatever Spoon is really only used for certain festive jellies.”

“So what's the story? Another one of your attempts to prove that humans are "good" and "worthy of respect" and not "big fat sacks of dookie"?”

“I mean, I couldn't actually go skiing because moving at an angle terrifies me.”

“Almost everything I did on Earth, I did without thinking or worrying about what would happen. That's how I got my nickname, "The Defendant.”“

“Oh, fun fact: the police sirens in the background are real. I was being chased as I recorded it.”

“Where does this hope come from, man? This insane hope that people are worth the trouble.”

“When people like him are ignorant jerks, why are people like us asked to forgive him?”

“That's a lovely idea. If you make a mistake, you'll always have a chance to redeem yourself.”

“You know, it isn't a sign of weakness to admit that you screwed up.”

“What matters isn't if people are good or bad. What matters is if they're trying to be better today than they were yesterday.”

[northcountry39]

QOTS Tarot Symbolism 3x08-3x11

Eyyy so I got way behind on these, and since I really want to wrap it up before the start of S4, here is a more general overview of the tarot card symbolism for the back end of S3 (eps 8-11). Will hopefully finish up the last two tomorrow - thanks for all your support for this series. It’s been fun!! 

Let’s get started with Episode 8 “El Carro” or “The Chariot.” Very fitting for an ep that is full of fast cars!

Episode 3x08 El Carro/The Chariot

This tarot card depicts a warrior riding a chariot and symbolizes victory, determination, and achieving your goals. The fact that he’s driving the chariot without reins shows that he’s achieving success through strength of will, and his standing position indicates that he’s all about action and moving forward.

If this card turns up in a reading, it can indicate that you will win an upcoming battle and that you will be able to overcome any setbacks through hard work, aggressive action, and courage. 

This episode we see Teresa making some moves and laying a lot of the groundwork for the defeat of Pecas and takeover of la Comision in the following ep. And there are certainly bumps in the road - losing some of their product, KG’s capture, Tonto’s death and Lil T’s injuries, to name a few. But their strategic move in making a deal with Mayo at the end of the ep is setting them up nicely – as Teresa says, “when the time is right, we’ll kill them all.” Victory is ahead! 

From a relationship standpoint, this card emphasizes the need to work through rough patches with good communication. We see Teresa having some honest conversations with James (both in the car and in the bathroom later) as well as with Pote to help clear the air after everything that went down in the previous ep (wine cellar etc).

Episode 3x09 El Diablo/The Devil

The Devil card shows, well…the Devil! This one is interesting. It can appear when you are on the verge of a big breakthrough or upward movement, which is certainly the case for Teresa in her takeover of Phoenix. She’s also making a “deal with the devil” (however briefly) in working with Mayo to eliminate Pecas. 

The Devil can represent entrapment, too, and Teresa and the gang pull off a clever ploy that ends with their enemies all dead otherwise “trapped” in jail. Plus my main man KG is sadly languishing in captivity, imprisoned by Cortez and his goons.

Teresa is also flirting with the “dark side” in her ruthless elimination of her competition - this card can symbolize a conscious choice to embark on a darker path with confidence and courage, and I think there are shades of that here (in particular executing Pecas + her phone call with Mayo at the end).

Pleasure, lust, and raw sexuality are also associated with the Devil, and the final moments of the ep do get pretty steamy... ;) 

On that note, in terms of relationships, the Devil encourages you to break free of any anxieties and inner fears that might be standing in the way of achieving your desires. And throughout the ep, we see James and Teresa coming back together (we’ll run Phoenix how we want, we’ll do it together) and building towards that epic moment where they tear off each other’s clothes and...yes. 

Episode 3x10 La Muerte/Death

A skeleton riding a white horse, but not as ominous as it looks! Death is about new beginnings, change, and transformation - it symbolizes closing the door on a certain phase of your life and embracing new possibilities. Letting go of the past can be challenging, but it’s to make way for a richer and more fulfilling experience in the present.

I think this is really the essence of Teresa’s hallucination experience. While in El Santo dreamland, she makes the choice to leave the familiarity and security of her memories and fantasy what-might-have-beens with Guero to embrace the life she actually has. To keep going despite all the pain and hardship and uncertainty. Quote Queenpin: “Your life is painful and ugly, but it’s yours.” 

When El Santo tells Teresa that the darkness that he saw in her before had is gone, I think it’s referring at least in part to that weight being lifted. Rebirth is also kind of El Santo’s schtick, which fits well with the death card - the old version of yourself has to die so the new one can emerge and thrive. The past is behind you, and the future is up for grabs! 

Episode 3x11 Diez de Copas/Ten of Cups 

Oh boy. The Ten of Cups is the “happy family” card. It depicts a loving couple with their children, and it is all about joy, contentment, and being surrounded by loved ones. Which is how we open this ep - Teresa and her gang having a delightful family-style BBQ pool party with lots of laughs and tequila.

Sadly, this idyllic scene doesn’t last. When reversed, the Ten of Cups represents increased distance between you and your loved ones, poor communication, and breakup of familial or romantic relationships. By the end of the ep, James and Teresa have had a falling out over the mole situation, and we all know the sad way in which Teresa’s friendship with Kelly Anne ends. :(

This card can also mean you are deviating from your personal moral code. Ordering KA’s execution, for example, is not necessarily in keeping with Teresa’s earlier idealism of “a better way of doing business.” But doing what is necessary to survive AND staying true to your heart is certainly no simple matter. 

Thanks for reading! Last two eps coming soon. :) 

[miguel-manbemel]

Aspects & Fanfics Ep. 9: A Journey to the Center of Thomas

New entry of the Aspects and Fanfics blog, inspired on Sanders Sides, created by Thomas Sanders and Joan. This one is the 9th entry, and it took longer than I expected, not only because it’s a long one again (still not the longest, that is still “Virgil’s Revelation”, the first entry, but this one comes really close), but because my computer got broken for a couple of days and that delayed me. In this one, I’m going to go ahead and give my own version of how the rooms that we’re yet to see are going to be. Because in previous episodes I realized that I lacked settings for some scenes, and since now this is a forked AU, why not? They probably won’t look at all like what the Foster Dawg team are planning, but I hope they’re nice, anyway.

As always, you can look up previous entries of this blog right here. Thanks to anyone who has liked or reblogged any of my entries. I really appreciate that anything I write is considered good enough to deserve that. In this episode I play with several ships for the first time, all in a platonic way... maybe... The most evident, some Prinxiety and some Moxiety.

SYNOPSIS: Joan hears in excitement about Thomas and the Sides’ last adventure and wonders if they could join in those adventures too, so they ask Thomas if they could enter the Mind Palace too. Logan tells them that synchronizing their brainwaves with Thomas’ with hypnosis, they could enter the Mind Palace. But something goes wrong during the process, and most of the Sides switch bodies. Roman gets in Virgil’s body and vice versa, and Patton gets in Deceit’s body and vice versa. Chaos ensues.

WARNINGS: This episode has moments of tension, but I don’t think it contains anything that could be a bad trigger to anyone, even though at the end card there are mentions to one of the original characters feeling loneliness, lost and not knowing where to go. I always like to give too much warning rather than not enough, so there’s the warning just in case that it could be a trigger to anyone.

EPISODE INDEX

[Thomas, Joan and Talyn are having cups of tea on the couch]

THOMAS: ...and then we shot a full rainbow right on his face, and he exploded as if he was a huge expansive wave of Skittles. You should have seen it, Joan.

JOAN: Yeah… I wish I could have…

TALYN: Thomas, your adventures with the Sides are amazing. I mean, if we hadn’t seen them with our own eyes we would think you’re hallucinating or taking… something.

THOMAS: [speaking quickly with a serious voice, like when Logan goes on a rant] Like when you two almost called my family so that they sent me to a sanatorium because you thought I had lost my mind and for a moment you made me feel desperate and that you didn’t trust me and the idea that you were not my friends crossed my mind? Like that?

TALYN: [beat, then remorseful voice] Yeah… like that…

THOMAS: [over the top happy voice] But no grudges, okay?

[short uncomfortable silence]

[intro sequence]

THOMAS: What is up, everybody?

JOAN: Who are you saying that to?

THOMAS: We’re recording, Joan. You never know when the Sides are gonna appear and I need all of their appearances to be documented in case I need them. And it’s not polite to start a video without greeting anyone watching, is it?

JOAN: Only you would greet potential viewers of a video that probably no one is going to see…

THOMAS: Hey, who knows? What if we were characters of a series where someone is watching us constantly on YouTube, clicking on like and writing commentaries about us?

[Joan and Talyn look at Thomas, too stunned to say a word, while Thomas looks around him. Then he looks to the camera and waves his hand with a wide smile]

JOAN: Again, what are you doing?

THOMAS: Just in case, I want to be friendly to these viewers, I don’t want them to press the don’t like button because they think we’re being rude for ignoring them.

JOAN: [beat] O… Okay, Thomas, let’s talk about something else. I wanted to ask you something.

THOMAS: What is it, Joan?

JOAN: The way you’ve said how you dive into your own mind and see a huge universe has made me wonder something… Could it be possible that… somebody else, other than you and your Sides, could enter into that universe, into the… Mind Palace of yours? I’ll cut to the chase. I want to know if it is possible that I entered into your Mind Palace with your Sides and you.

THOMAS: I… I had never thought about that. Of course, up until very recently I had never shared this experience with anyone, so I never had the idea of something like that…

JOAN: But could it be possible?

THOMAS: I don’t know, Joan. As Logan said, and I confirm it, I don’t know how my [making the quotation marks gesture with his fingers] “powers” work. I just use them naturally, but I still have a lot to discover about them.

JOAN: Could we ask Logan? Perhaps he knows something you don’t.

THOMAS: Well, we don’t lose anything for asking.

[They all get up and go to Thomas’ usual spot]

THOMAS: Logan!

[Logan rises up, he’s reading a book that reads on the cover “Fantastic Idioms and Where to Use Them”. For a few seconds, he doesn’t notice he’s been summoned, until he looks up and sees Thomas and his friends]

LOGAN: Um… What did I tell you about giving fair warning before pulling us into one of your vlogs, Thomas? One day you’re gonna catch us in the shower, and it won’t be pleasant. [slightly pedantic voice] Maybe for you, but not for us.

THOMAS: You take showers?

LOGAN: I’m offended that you would ask, Thomas. Do you think our clean, unpolluted shape is because we repel dirt or something? We have to do our part of hygiene like anybody else. It is you who have been wearing that same shirt you’re wearing right now for two months without letting it approach the washing machine. Again.

TALYN: [horrified annoyed expression] Thomas!

JOAN: [they had their hand on Thomas’ shoulder, upon hearing Logan, they remove their hand, disgusted] Ewww!

THOMAS: [annoyed and ashamed] Okay, maybe I should also summon Deceit so that he makes you cover your mouth before you say another inconvenience…

LOGAN: [the book disappears from his hands] Okay, Thomas, what do you want from me?

THOMAS: We actually had a question for you. Is it possible for someone other than you and me to enter into the Mind Palace? Putting it simple and cutting to the chase, I want to know if Joan can enter the Mind Palace.

LOGAN: [nervous look] No, Thomas, they can’t.

[Deceit appears, he also seems to have been caught off guard, as he’s holding a toothbrush full of a green viscous substance, and his teeth are all green]

DECEIT: [confused] Um… What am I doing here?

THOMAS: [looking at Logan with a suspicious face] I wonder…

JOAN: [face of disgust] What I wonder is what is that disgusting green thing…

DECEIT: [offended] Hey, cut me some slack! It’s not easy to brush your teeth when they excrete venom all the time. That thing destroys all my toothbrushes and I lose a lot of time invoking new ones again and again.

LOGAN: Do you see how we’re all on point with our hygienic routines, Thomas? Even Deceit.

DECEIT: [the toothbrush disappears and his teeth are now white, he frowns at Logan] I didn’t like the tone in which you said “Even Deceit”.

THOMAS: Okay, Logan, don’t divert the conversation. You said that it was impossible for Joan to enter the Mind Palace, and then Deceit immediately shows up without being called and without him doing it on purpose? Don’t you think that’s suspicious? What are you hiding? And what could be so serious that would push you to say a falsehood?

LOGAN: Okay, Thomas, you caught me with the bottle of crackers…

THOMAS: [beat] You mean with the cookie jar?

LOGAN: Oh… I think I wrote that vocab card wrong… Okay, Thomas, I’ll level with you. It is possible for Joan to enter your Mind Palace, but it’s tricky.

THOMAS: When isn’t it tricky?

LOGAN: And it also involves risks. Not for you, but for Joan.

JOAN: For me?

LOGAN: Yes.

THOMAS: What kind of risks?

LOGAN: Well, in order to enter into Thomas’ Mind Space, Joan must synchronize their brain with Thomas’.

THOMAS: What do you mean?

LOGAN: As you know, a brain produces brainwaves when functioning due to the electrical activity that happens into it. The figurative portal to the Mind Palace uses your brainwaves as fuel. But each human being has their own pattern of brainwaves. So Joan’s brainwaves must be synchronized with yours so that they can be “compatible” with the Mind Palace.

THOMAS: And how do we do that?

LOGAN: Well, the only thing that comes to my mind is putting you both in an alternate state of consciousness that allows for the manipulation of brainwaves. [looking at Thomas’ face of confusion] I told you it was tricky. I can’t think of a way to do that. A safe, healthy way, I mean.

TALYN: Could hypnosis be useful?

THOMAS: Hypnosis?

JOAN: Yeah, lately they’ve been reading books about hypnosis and watching YouTube tutorials about it.

THOMAS: There are tutorials about hypnosis on YouTube?

JOAN: Yeah, the more you know…

TALYN: It was just for fun, but maybe something I learned could help on this matter.

THOMAS: Could it work, Logan?

LOGAN: I don’t know. Hypnosis certainly seems to put a human brain in that special state of consciousness in which suggestion could help to manage that synchronization. As we have never been hypnotized, I don’t know much more.

JOAN: Okay, but you said it was dangerous for me. Why not for Thomas if we both have to be hypnotized?

LOGAN: Well, manipulating brainwaves is a risky task by itself. We don’t know what secondary effects that could have on your psyche, Joan, or even in your vital functions. Also, no offense, Talyn, but do you think it’s wise that you try to hypnotize them both by yourself? Wouldn’t it be better to get assistance from an experienced professional?

TALYN: [sarcastic] Oh, sure, I’ll search for a hypnotist on the Yellow Pages and I’ll tell them, “Hey, may you help me? I want you to hypnotize my partner Joan so that they can teleport to a magical dimension inside of my friend’s brain.”

LOGAN: [not getting the sarcasm] Sounds like a plan.

THOMAS: Logan, they were being ironic.

LOGAN: Oh…

THOMAS: Obviously we can’t do that, Logan. No one must know that you exist, remember?

LOGAN: Yes, yes, you’re right.

THOMAS: I am willing to try.

VIRGIL: [appearing] Not so fast, Thomas. I agree with Logan, if it’s dangerous, you should think twice.

THOMAS: Come on, Virgil, Logan has said that there’s no danger for me, so why are you so hyped?

VIRGIL: You forget that I also care about your friends’ security, Thomas.

JOAN: Well, thank you Virgil, but it is I who must make that choice, and I’m willing to try too. What could go wrong?

VIRGIL: Do I need to answer to that?

THOMAS: You don’t know, do you?

VIRGIL: No, but I know something can go wrong.

THOMAS: Vague as always, Virgil… But anyway, it’s settled. I’m ready if you’re ready, Joan.

JOAN: Ready, buddy.

LOGAN: Okay, if you say so. Talyn, are you ready? You can start by making them sleep, and I will guide you from then on.

TALYN: Luckily, I’m carrying this little pocket flashlight that will come in handy. Let’s go to the couch, guys, sit down in the most comfortable way you can and pay attention to me.

JOAN: Okay.

THOMAS: Gotcha.

[Joan and Thomas sit down on the couch by the wall. Talyn sits in the other couch with the kitchen behind it. Talyn starts turning the flashlight on and off in regular intervals, speaking with a monotone, calming voice. While Talyn speaks, Thomas and Joan slowly fall asleep]

TALYN: Now, relax. Concentrate on the light. Feel your own breathing. It is synchronizing with the rhythm in which I turn the light on… and off… on… and off… You’re so relaxed… The rest of the world ceases to exist… nothing exists… except this light… see how I’m relaxing the rhythm I turn it on… and off… on… and off… Your eyelids are getting heavy… You may drop them slowly, but with your eyes closed you still can see the light that is going on… and off… on… and off… I’m gonna count backwards and when I get to zero, you will be asleep. Don’t forget that the light still goes on… and off… on… and off… Five… Four… Three… Two… One… Sleep… [to Logan, with a low voice] Okay, Logan, it’s done.

[Logan is awaken, but Deceit and Virgil have fallen asleep too.]

LOGAN: It’s a curious state, hypnosis. All of Thomas’ functions are asleep, but unlike regular sleeping, I am relaxed but fully sentient… Okay… To synchronize their brainwaves, I’m gonna need something in Thomas’ mind to which Joan can cling to, some sort of beacon reference to guide them. I’m creating a room in Thomas’ Mind Palace. It is a white infinity, and I’m getting into it a wooden chair with my brain logo carved on the back. You must tell Joan to visualize that wooden chair in his mind, then tell them to travel there, and sit down on that chair. When they do that, wake them both up. Let’s hope it works.

TALYN: Okay. Joan. Can you hear my voice?

JOAN: [sleepy voice] Yes…

TALYN: You are no longer in Thomas’ couch. You are walking through a white void. Everything’s calm and safe. There is a chair in the distance. Can you see it?

JOAN: Yes…

TALYN: Get closer to the chair, Joan… One step after the other… The chair is closer… and closer… Now you are next to it. The chair has Logan’s logo of a brain with glasses carved on it. Can you visualize it?

JOAN: Yes… It is a beautiful chair…

TALYN: Good. Now, sit down on the chair, Joan. Are you sitting down?

JOAN: Yes… The chair is hard, but it’s comfy.

[Talyn looks at Logan]

LOGAN: Now, Talyn.

TALYN: Okay, when I count to three, I’ll clap my hands and you will wake up, and so will you, Thomas. Okay… One… Two… Three!

[Talyn claps their hands. Joan and Thomas open their eyes. Virgil and Deceit also wake up.]

TALYN: Okay, guys, how are you feeling?

THOMAS: Wow… I feel so refreshed… As if I had been sleeping for 12 hours.

JOAN: Me too… It’s a good feeling…

[Screaming by Virgil and Deceit startle everyone]

THOMAS: Whoa! Guys! What is going on?

VIRGIL: [with Roman’s voice] That’s what I want to know, Thomas. What have you done to my beautiful regal appearance!?

THOMAS: [shocked] R… Roman!?

DECEIT: [with Patton’s voice] Where… where is my cat hoodie, kiddos? And why am I wearing a bowler hat?

THOMAS: And… Patton!?

LOGAN: [chill voice] All right, I didn’t see this one coming, at all.

THOMAS: What has happened, Logan!?

LOGAN: I told you that hypnosis could have unexpected secondary effects, Thomas!

THOMAS: But you spoke about Joan, Logan! You never said that I, or any of you, could also experience secondary effects!

LOGAN: And I also told you that I had never experienced the effects of hypnosis, so everything I was saying were unverified theories!

[following instances show the Side that is speaking, even if they are in the body of other Side]

ROMAN: Will you two shut up!? Help us, for Fairy Godmother’s sake! I don’t wanna be an emo!

PATTON: And I don’t wanna lose my cat hoodie, it was a present from Logan and it’s very dear to me!

[Logan looks at Patton with a surprised and subtly happy, moved smile]

THOMAS: Okay… Let’s calm down. What were you doing, guys?

ROMAN: I was in my room, making plans for your future Cartoon Therapy episode, when I suddenly fell asleep, and then I woke up like this!

PATTON: Same with me. Well, I wasn’t writing anything about cartoons, but I was feeding Ultimate and Storytime.

THOMAS: Ultimate and Storytime?

PATTON: Two of the puppies Roman conjured for me as a present. I named them Ultimate and Storytime. When I was putting food in their bowl, I suddenly fell asleep and… [concerned] Oh, my goodness, the poor things! I didn’t get to refill their bowl of water! They must be thirsty!

THOMAS: [face of realization] Wait a minute… If you are here… then that means…

DECEIT: [rising up in Patton’s body, angry voice] You’ve gotta be kidding me!

VIRGIL: [rising up in Roman’s body, voice of panic] My eye bags! I can’t have highlighter on my eye bags!

THOMAS: Yep. Confirmed.

TALYN: [guilty voice] Oh, my goodness… This is all my fault! I did something wrong with the hypnosis!

JOAN: No, it’s my fault. It was me who suggested the idea.

THOMAS: No, guys, this is not your fault. It’s my fault. I should have considered the risks.

VIRGIL: [angry yelling] Will you all stop looking for a culprit and start doing something!? Don’t you see that we’re trapped in a body that is not ours!? I’m full of glitter and I hate it! And my bangs are full of bobby pins, it hurts!

ROMAN: Hey, don’t complain. You at least have ended up being quite improved with the change… [sassy voice] My… This is the first time I see my body from the outside, and I really love the view…

VIRGIL: [unsettled] Roman, stay away from me before you try to kiss me, okay?

ROMAN: [checking him with the look, with a seductive smile] Don’t give me ideas…

[Virgil looks at Roman with a mixed face of horror and bashfulness]

DECEIT: [uncomfortable] Guys, get a room…

LOGAN: [sighs] Only Roman would fall in love with himself. Why am I not surprised…

THOMAS: Okay, we’ll think of something, but first… where is Honesty?

DECEIT: And Wrath. Maybe they’ve been affected by this mess too.

THOMAS: I guess we’ll have to go look for them, then. Joan, are you ready?

JOAN: Ready for what?

THOMAS: Well, this was all because you wanted to enter the Mind Palace. This is your chance.

JOAN: Oh, cool. I wish it was under better circumstances, though.

THOMAS: We’re going to Honesty’s room to see if he’s okay. Besides, we have to check if it worked and this mess at least was worth for something. Logan, you’re coming with us. The rest of you, go to your rooms, and I mean the rooms of the bodies you’re occupying. It will be better if you don’t move around the Mind Palace for the time being until we can think of something to fix everything.

VIRGIL: [sinking down] You’re the boss, Thomas. [to Roman] Don’t touch my Disney posters, Roman!

ROMAN: [sinking down] And you, don’t touch Mrs. Fluffybottom, Virgil!

PATTON: [sinking down] Please, take care of Ultimate and Storytime, Deceit, see that they get some water.

DECEIT: [sinking down] I won’t! [giggles] Just kidding…

THOMAS: Okay, ready, Joan?

JOAN: Ready. But how do I do this?

LOGAN: Just close your eyes and let yourself get carried away by Thomas. He will lead you. Thomas, you know what to do to get to Honesty’s room. Taking Joan there is just like when you take us there. You already know.

THOMAS: Yeah, we’ve just been there. Although Joan’s gonna be a little disappointed… Okay.

[Joan closes their eyes and Thomas concentrates. Soon after, they both sink down, and so does Logan. Talyn stays alone in the living room]

TALYN: [tiny worried voice] And what about me?

[There’s a white flash. Joan, Thomas and Logan emerge in Honesty’s room.]

THOMAS: Okay, we’re here.

JOAN: And what’s the difference?

THOMAS: Told you you would be disappointed. Honesty’s room is exactly the same as the regular apartment.

JOAN: Okay…

THOMAS: But where is Honesty?

LOGAN: I don’t know, could he have gone to the outer world while we were coming? Maybe we crossed ways without noticing.

THOMAS: No, I don’t think so. He would have come earlier.

LOGAN: I’ll call him. Honesty! Honesty, where are you?

HONESTY: [voice yelling from upstairs] I’m coming!

LOGAN: Oh, he’s upstairs.

[Honesty walks down the stairs and goes to his position, he’s wearing an orange bathrobe and orange bath slippers]

HONESTY: What are you doing in my room, gentlefolks? Is anything wrong?

THOMAS: Honesty, there you are… It is you, isn’t it?

HONESTY: Thomas, are you okay? Of course it’s me. Who else would I be?

THOMAS: Then you haven’t noticed anything wrong happening. Didn’t you fall asleep?

HONESTY: As a matter of fact, yes, I fell asleep, but who wouldn’t? I mean, I was having a super relaxing warm bubble bath. I fell asleep several times. And I’m unaware of anything that could have happened in the last half an hour. I was in autopilot.

LOGAN: [to Thomas] You see how Honesty also takes baths to…?

THOMAS: [annoyed] Shut up, Logan.

HONESTY: [now wearing his habitual clothing] Has anything happened that I should be worried about?

JOAN: As a matter of fact, yes. As a quick summary, Talyn hypnotized us so that I could enter the Mind Palace, but in the process the rest of the Sides switched bodies. Deceit is in Patton’s body, Patton is in Deceit’s body, Virgil is in Roman’s body and Roman is in Deceit’s body.

HONESTY: [shocked with his mouth wide open] Oh, my giddy aunt Patty! You can’t go get a bath without missing all the juicy stuff, can you!?

THOMAS: For a moment we thought that you could be Wrath in Honesty’s body, but I see that you are okay… But why are you okay?

LOGAN: [thinking] Mmm…

THOMAS: Any ideas, Logan?

LOGAN: I was thinking on a crucial detail. When everything happened, Honesty was in autopilot. Maybe that’s the explanation. Autopilot prevented him to suffer these secondary effects.

THOMAS: That makes sense… Now we should go check out if Wrath is okay.

LOGAN: Thomas, no. Wrath’s room is in the Dark Realm.

THOMAS: But the Dark Realm is a safe place now, and now we know that the realm by itself doesn’t corrupt you as we thought. So, what’s the big deal?

LOGAN: I was thinking about Joan, Thomas. We don’t know how it could affect them. And you don’t want to run any more risks blindly, do you?

THOMAS: Yes, you’re right. One scare is already enough for a day. But then, what?

LOGAN: Perhaps it would be better if we summon Wrath here. You don’t mind, Honesty, do you?

HONESTY: No, of course not, consider my room yours.

THOMAS: Wrath! Wrath come here right now! Wrath, can you hear me!?

JOAN: It looks he’s not listening.

LOGAN: Perhaps he’s in autopilot too? If he is, he can’t sense you.

THOMAS: Well, that’s gonna be a problem.

LOGAN: Not so much. If he’s in autopilot, he can’t sense you, but he can sense me and other Sides while inside the Mind Palace, remember how I’ve just called Honesty. However, if he is in autopilot, he’s unaffected too, so we shouldn’t worry about him.

THOMAS: You’re talking to a habitual worrier, Logan.

LOGAN: Oh, yes… I forgot. But, seriously, don’t worry, Thomas. You still have the capacity of getting angry, don’t you? Think about homophobic people, disrespectful politicians, innocent victims of unfair circumstances. How do you feel?

THOMAS: Sad.

LOGAN: Only sad?

THOMAS: Yeah, and angry too, and that I’d wish to do something to change things.

LOGAN: Then everything’s fine. Wrath is okay or you couldn’t feel angry at all. He’s certainly in autopilot, let’s leave him alone for now. If he wasn’t okay, he would have come to us, wouldn’t he?

THOMAS: I don’t know. Wrath is quite a mysterious dude, we don’t know him quite well yet.

LOGAN: We’ll have our chance in time, if and when he decides to open up to us. It wouldn’t do any good to force him in, and we should respect his personal space.

THOMAS: Yes, I know. Okay. We should go to talk to the others, room by room, to warn them.

JOAN: Oh, great, a tourist trip through your mind…

LOGAN: Honesty, it will be better if you stay in autopilot for the next few minutes. I have the theory that, if we hypnotize Thomas again while we’re all in autopilot, everything should go back to normal.

HONESTY: Got it. Good luck gentlemen, and gentlefolk.

JOAN: Bye, Honesty.

THOMAS: Okay, we’ll start with Virgil’s room in the Light Realm. Remember that you can’t stay there for too long, Logan.

LOGAN: How could I forget?

THOMAS: [sinking down] Let’s go.

[Logan and Joan sink down too. Then they rise up in Virgil’s room. Roman is waiting for them in Virgil’s body, except that he has made changes to his outfit. Now he’s wearing a white hoodie over a red shirt, and he’s wearing dark eye shadow under his eyes, but sprinkled with glitter]

JOAN: [mumbling to Thomas] Virgil’s not gonna be happy about this extreme makeover, is he?

THOMAS: [mumbling back to Joan] When is Virgil happy, anyway? [to Roman, with an exaggeratedly happy voice] Hi, Roman, you look great!

ROMAN: [smiling] Hi, guys, I know! It was just a little royal touch in Virgil’s dismal appearance. He will thank me later, I’m sure.

THOMAS: [fake happy voice] Of cooourse, of course…

ROMAN: Did you make any improvements about all of this mess?

LOGAN: As a matter of fact, yes. We’ve discovered that Honesty was unaffected because he was in autopilot.

ROMAN: Oh… I see.

THOMAS: We’re going room by room, warning the Sides of this. You must enter in autopilot for the next few minutes. We’ll see if it works to revert the mess.

ROMAN: Okay, I hope you’re right and it fixes it. Now I’m more comfortable in the emo boots, after my little makeup, but since I’m trapped in Virgil’s body, the only stories that come to my mind are ghost and horror stories. I can’t think of anything else to write, and that’s a handicap for you.

THOMAS: Oof… Yes, it would be. These are not exactly the best stories for my habitual audience to watch.

JOAN: Well, I enjoy them. Please write them down for me to read them.

ROMAN: Okay, if you insist, Joan.

THOMAS: Remember, autopilot from now on, okay?

ROMAN: You can count on me, Thomas!

THOMAS: Okay, one down three to go. Next will be… Patton’s room. There’s Deceit, right?

JOAN: Right.

THOMAS: All right, let’s go. [mumbling] I hope he hasn’t done improvements to Patton’s outfit, he would hate to see his cat hoodie ruined.

LOGAN: And I would hate it too, Thomas.

[They all sink down. There’s a white flash, and they appear in Patton’s room. Deceit is there in Patton’s body. He’s wearing Patton’s old cardigan, and his polo shirt is now yellow instead of blue. He’s playing happily and cutely with two dogs. He’s so absorbed into it that he doesn’t notice Thomas and the others coming in]

THOMAS: [squealing upon seeing the dogs] Puppieeees!

DECEIT: [jumping scared] OH, GOSH!

THOMAS: Oh, I’m so sorry!

DECEIT: [trying to act cool as if nothing had happened] Oh… [clears his throat] Here you are. I was here taking care of Ultimate and Storytime. And you didn’t scare me, I was just… yelling at how cute these furry quadrupeds are…

THOMAS: [voice of obviously not believing him] Yes, of course you weren’t scared, Deceit, of course you weren’t. Well, we are here because we may have found a way to fix this all.

DECEIT: What is it?

THOMAS: You must enter in autopilot mode. Honesty was not affected because he was in that mode when everything happened.

DECEIT: Oh, glad to know that he’s okay.

THOMAS: So you must enter in autopilot for the next few minutes, and we’ll see if we can fix it all.

DECEIT: I don’t understand. I mean… I do, I’m a little nervous, you know, and when that happens I can stop lying. I mean… I can’t.

JOAN: Cool, two down, two to go. What room comes next?

THOMAS: We’re going now to Deceit’s room. But didn’t we talk about not getting into the Dark Realm with Joan?

DECEIT: Oh, don’t worry, I have a room in the Light Realm now, just like Virgil. It is a copy of my room in the Dark Realm, so it will be familiar to you.

THOMAS: Okay, I hope Patton decided to go to that room instead of the Dark Realm.

LOGAN: Don’t worry. I doubt Patton would have wanted to go to the Dark Realm on his own, and Deceit told us about his new room a couple of days ago.

THOMAS: Okay, let’s go, then.

[They all sink down. There’s a white flash and they rise up in Deceit’s room, which, as Deceit said, is identical to the old room. Patton is there in Deceit’s body. He’s wearing his cat hoodie over the capelet.]

JOAN: I love the posters!

THOMAS: Oh, Patton, there you are. I see you’re wearing the cat hoodie.

PATTON: I didn’t want to change Deceit’s outfit, kiddos, but I feel naked without my hoodie, so I sneaked into my room and took my hoodie.

THOMAS: Patton, we told you not to travel between rooms…

PATTON: I know, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it…

THOMAS: Okay, it’s okay. Anyway, we’re coming from Deceit’s room.

PATTON: Oh, how are Ultimate and Storytime? I traveled to my room and returned so quickly that I didn’t notice. Are they okay? Did they survive the thirst?

LOGAN: Patton, you’ve been out only for a few minutes. How do you expect two dogs to dehydrate in 30 minutes? Besides, Deceit has given them some water, they’re okay.

PATTON: [sighs relieved] Okay…

JOAN: Now, to the point we came here for…

THOMAS: Yes. Patton, you must enter in autopilot mode for the next few minutes. We think it could help to fix the issue with the body swapping that has happened.

PATTON: Got it, kiddo.

JOAN: Three down, one left.

THOMAS: Well, now the tourist trip starts for me too, because I have never been in the next and last room we’re going to visit, which is Roman’s room. I’m gonna discover it at the same time as you, Joan.

JOAN: Oh, cool.

LOGAN: Let’s go, then. Thomas, you must think about all the stories you have ever invented, all the characters you have created and all the works of fiction you have read, watched or listened to, anything that could have inspired you to create anything, and above else, all the things that are still in your mind waiting to be written, sung or filmed. That’s the path to Roman’s room.

THOMAS: Got it…

[They all sink down. Then, there’s a white flash and they appear in Roman’s room. In the back wall there’s a huge royal portrait of Roman riding a horse, holding his samurai sword with one hand. Below the portrait, on the back couch, there’s Mrs. Fluffybottom, the bunny doll, and the shelving is full of fairy-tale books. The kitchen counter is full of medieval-like pots, huge wooden spoons, a roasted turkey, etcetera. In Logan’s spot there are books of spells, magic wands and bottles with potions. In Virgil’s spot, the walls are covered with a forest of thorns, but there’s a beautiful purple rose blooming from one of them. Roman’s spot has a huge golden throne with Roman’s shield hanging above it, and red curtains framing it. In Patton’s spot there’s a whiteboard full of child-like drawings, and there are several color markers on its little counter. Virgil is in Roman’s body. But he’s wearing a black royal uniform with a purple cape, a crimson sash and a golden crown.]

JOAN: Wow… this room is as extra as Roman.

THOMAS: [mumbling to Joan] Not as extra as Virgil’s revision of Roman’s uniform…

JOAN: [mumbling back to Thomas] Guess he won’t have a right to complain when he returns to his body, then…

THOMAS: Um… Hi, Virgil.

VIRGIL: [cold malicious voice] Call me King Virgil, peasant, and kneel before me!

THOMAS: What?

VIRGIL: [back to his normal voice, he smirks] Just kidding, I made some tweaks to Roman’s dull uniform. He’ll thank me later. Okay, any progress?

THOMAS: Yes, you’re the last one we’re talking to. We think the solution for this mess is that all the Sides enter in autopilot mode.

VIRGIL: That’s not a thing I use to do. If I’m working, I’m working with my full senses alert, or else I’m gone with everything. I’m not the half measures kind of gay… I mean guy… Well, both apply, to be honest.

THOMAS: Yes, don’t remind me of the time you ducked out…

VIRGIL: Quack… Sorry, Patton’s not here, and it felt like something was missing.

THOMAS: But this time it’s necessary, Virgil. Enter in autopilot for the next few minutes, and we’ll see if it works.

VIRGIL: Okay, if you say so, Thomas.

LOGAN: Well, everybody has been warned. Now, we should go back.

JOAN: Um…

THOMAS: What?

JOAN: I understand that you don’t want to take me to Wrath’s room, because it’s in the Dark Realm and all that jazz, but Logan’s room is accessible, isn’t it? Couldn’t we take a roundabout route and visit Logan’s room? Please?

LOGAN: Joan, this is not a pleasure trip, we have a task to do…

THOMAS: Oh, come on, Logan, it’s just a couple of minutes. And I would love to see your room too, I don’t know it either.

LOGAN: [sighs] Okay, if you want it so bad, I’ll show you my room. Think of all the things you’ve learned in your life, like school, college, life in general… Not only that, but remember the studying techniques you used to apply when learning such things. Concentrate in all of that. Very good…

[They all sink down, then there’s a white flash and they rise up in Logan’s room. The back wall holds a periodic table and the shelving is full of books of chemistry. In Logan’s spot there’s a blackboard and some chalks. In Virgil’s spot there’s a teacher’s table, full of exams ready to be revised. In Roman’s spot there’s a school desk, with pencils, papers and pens. In Patton’s spot there are old exams with huge A+ marks on them, hanging on a cardboard fridge in front of the curtain.]

THOMAS: Wow… it’s as if we were back to high school again. That periodic table brings me so many memories.

LOGAN: Of course it does, Thomas, you dedicated five years of your life to study what these elements were and how they interacted with each other.

THOMAS: Yes…

JOAN: I still can’t believe that you are a proper chemical engineer, Thomas. You truly are a Renaissance man, like Leonardo da Vinci. He also dominated several sciences of his time apart from being a master of arts.

THOMAS: Well, you better don’t make me try to paint the Mona Lisa, Joan…

JOAN: Okay, maybe painting is not your strongest virtue. But you dominate the art of literature, the art of music, the art of stage performance… Add the art of science and we have a true reincarnation of da Vinci in you.

THOMAS: You are too kind Joan. And too exaggerated.

LOGAN: Okay, guys, you have seen my room. Are you happy now? Can we go back?

THOMAS: Okay, okay, let’s go back now. You’re happy now, Joan, right?

JOAN: Yeah, right, let’s go back.

[They all sink down. There’s a white flash and they all rise up in the regular apartment. Talyn is there sitting on the couch, looking at her phone]

TALYN: Oh, you’re back, finally! It’s been three hours! I thought something had happened to you!

JOAN: [in shock] Three hours already? It looked like minutes for us!

LOGAN: Well, time is relative. Entering the Mind Palace is in many ways like entering the TARDIS. What looks like minutes inside, can be hours outside.

JOAN: What’s the TARDIS?

THOMAS: [angry squealing] You haven’t watched Doctor Who!?

JOAN: Nope.

THOMAS: Cool, now I know what we’re gonna do for the next twelve hours in this house… Okay, the Sides are all in autopilot.

LOGAN: Not all of them, Thomas. I’m also going to enter autopilot, just in case. Talyn?

TALYN: Yes?

LOGAN: I’m gonna enter autopilot right now. When I do, I won’t be able to guide you, so listen carefully. I want you to hypnotize Thomas, only Thomas this time. You wait a minute, and then you wake him up. And we’ll see if everything goes back to normal. Got it?

TALYN: Got it.

LOGAN: Okay. Entering autopilot… now.

TALYN: Okay, Thomas, you know what to do, sit down on the couch and relax.

THOMAS: Right…

[They repeat the same operation of earlier, and Thomas falls asleep. After they wait for a minute, Talyn claps their hands and Thomas wakes up]

THOMAS: Well, it’s done. Logan, can you hear me?

[Logan ignores Thomas, as if he was deaf]

THOMAS: [yelling] HEY, CAN YOU HEAR ME!?

[no response]

THOMAS: Oh, my goodness gracious…

[Thomas starts jumping and waving his arms and legs almost as if he was a monkey. Finally, Logan looks at where Thomas is and sees him]

LOGAN: Oh, excuse me… [to himself] Autopilot off… now. [to Thomas] Sorry, Thomas, in autopilot we’re not able to hear you unless we decide to check on you.

THOMAS: [panting] Well, glad to have your attention now. Do you think it worked?

ROMAN: [rising up in his own body, yelling] Virgil has ruined my royal outfit!

VIRGIL: [rising up, also yelling] I didn’t ruin anything! You have ruined my appearance! How am I supposed to be dark when my eyes look like the Milky Way with so much glitter!

PATTON: [rising up] Where is my cat hoodie? I can’t find my cat hoodie!

DECEIT: [rising up, he has the cat hoodie on his shoulders] I don’t know where your stupid cat hoodie is!

LOGAN: [pointing at Deceit] FALSEHOOD!

THOMAS: Guys, guys! Everyone, relax! How is it going? Did it work?

[everyone suddenly realize that they’re back in their own bodies]

ROMAN: Oh, sing, sweet nightingale! It’s true! I’m back to my old self… well, almost. Virgil, I’m a prince. I’m not a king yet, so I don’t need a crown till I’m properly crowned. But it’s heartwarming to know that I deserve a crown in your opinion…

VIRGIL: Don’t jump to conclusions, Roman. It’s just that I felt more threatening with a crown, that’s all.

[Deceit looks at Virgil and smiles mischievously]

PATTON: Oh, I forgot I took my hoodie from you, Deceit, so now you’re wearing it.

DECEIT: [looking at his shoulders with a face of shock] How could you swap the hoodie on my shoulders for the cardigan without me noticing? I didn’t even see you there!

PATTON: Oh, it’s just a matter of practice.

ROMAN: My goodness… So you are an expert pickpocket, Patton…

PATTON: No, I’m not! Stealing is wrong! But I have frequently used that ability to put things on your pockets instead…

VIRGIL: So that’s why I suddenly find all kinds of sandwiches that I didn’t summon inside my pockets… It was you all the time?

PATTON: Yes, kiddo, did you like them? I was afraid that you would call me out for treating you like a child, but I couldn’t help doing it.

VIRGIL: I could have used a little mayo and mustard, but they were good.

PATTON: Glad to hear, I’ll write that down…

VIRGIL: And you didn’t have to be so secretive about it. I never reject a good sandwich, especially coming from the best of my best friends.

PATTON: Awww… Thank you, kiddo.

VIRGIL: No, thank you, Dad. You’re always looking out for me, taking care of me and making sure that I’m doing okay, even when I’m on my lowest, and I never thank you enough.

PATTON: It is my pleasure, son. Next time, we’ll do the sandwiches and eat them together, okay?

VIRGIL: I can’t wait, Dad.

THOMAS: This is so pure…

LOGAN: Okay, with this fixed, I’m going back to my room to take a nap, since I’m the only one that couldn’t do it today. [sinking down] I’ll be in autopilot, so don’t do anything I wouldn’t do while I’m asleep, Thomas.

THOMAS: Gotcha. Have a nice nap, Logan.

VIRGIL: Okay, I have a lot of work to do. Getting rid of this glitter will be tricky.

ROMAN: Then don’t take it off! You look good as you are!

VIRGIL: No offense, but if I intend to have a dark persona, and I need it for my job, it’s imperative that no one can see me sparkling from 500 miles of distance.

ROMAN: [sighs] You may be right… [sinking down] Come to my room, I’ll give you some extra strong makeup remover.

VIRGIL: Everything in your room has to be extra, right? [sinking down] Thanks for understanding.

DECEIT: Okay, Patton, here, have your hoodie back.

[Deceit throws the hoodie to Patton and it falls on his head]

DECEIT: Woops! I’m so sorry.

PATTON: [taking it off his head] It’s not your fault, kiddo. I’m not good at catching things.

DECEIT: And thank you for respecting my outfit.

PATTON: I did not have the right to change your appearance. I would have felt rattled if I did.

DECEIT: [sinking down] Well, you would have felt rattled anyway, you were being a snake, right?

PATTON: [sinking down, giggling] Right, kiddo, right.

THOMAS: You know what, Joan?

JOAN: What?

THOMAS: I think this experience has been overall positive, despite the struggle. Now each one of them have had time to physically put themselves in the other’s shoes, and that will help them understand each other better.

JOAN: I think you’re right. And I’m glad that I didn’t cause any permanent damage to you or your Sides in the end.

THOMAS: That only shows that we have to be brave when taking steps on doing something, but we mustn’t do it blindly, cause that’s not brave, that’s irresponsible, and I should have taken care of all possible risks before jumping into action. [to the camera] I hope anything you’ve seen has been useful to you in anyway, and until next time, take it easy, guys, gals and non binary pals. Peace out!

[end card]

[Deceit is in his room. Wrath appears]

DECEIT: Hi, Wrath.

WRATH: Hi, Deceit.

DECEIT: Are you okay?

WRATH: What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be okay?

DECEIT: So you haven’t noticed anything weird happening.

WRATH: No, I was in my room, in autopilot. I was watching The Sound of Music… I was so relaxed that I fell asleep twice.

DECEIT: I wouldn’t have pegged you to like that kind of movie.

WRATH: Why not? It has a lot of scenes in forests, hills…  and I love it. It may be my bear side and my love for nature.

DECEIT: Well, I am part snake and I don’t specially enjoy watching movies set in trees and holes.

WRATH: Could that mean that your human part dominates in you? It also called my attention that you barely hiss.

DECEIT: [hissing like a snake] Who knowsssssssss?

WRATH: Anyway, what happened?

DECEIT: It will be long to explain. What I’m interested to know is, when are you going to make up your mind?

WRATH: About what?

DECEIT: About opening up to us. I don’t mean to push you or anything, and I know that the others are willing to respect your personal space, but I know that you want to join in with us. It’s not good to be so alone as you are, isolating yourself on your own in the Dark Realm.

WRATH: I’m scared.

DECEIT: Scared? Of what?

WRATH: Of how they’ll treat me. I wasn’t exactly the kindest person when I introduced myself. Patton even slapped me.

DECEIT: Oh, Wrath. That’s in the past. We have also seen that, when justice was compromised, you took our side. You redeemed yourself and I’m sure they won’t hold anything against you. And, now that they’re not hearing us, I’m gonna tell you that Patton is the nicest person you could ever meet. He was also harsh against me in our first encounters, but we have made up since then, and now we’re friends. It will be the same for you.

WRATH: I don’t know… And also, there’s another thing I’m afraid of.

DECEIT: What?

WRATH: I’m Wrath. I’m the personification of anger and fury. And I’m afraid that because of me Thomas becomes an angry and bitter person. Now that the Dark Master is gone and I’m no longer under his influence, I can see clearly that, if I join in, I could mess everything up.

DECEIT: The key is self-control, Wrath. Look at me. Roman once called me Jack the Fibber because I couldn’t stop lying, and look at me now, I control myself most of the time.

WRATH: But you had Honesty. He helped you on your way. And I have to go down that road all alone, on my own.

DECEIT: No, you don’t. For starters, you’ve got me. We’re friends, you can count on me. And if you make up your mind, you’ve got six more friends waiting for you, plus Joan and Talyn on the outside.

WRATH: Thank you, so much.

DECEIT: You’re welcome. And I really mean it. You’re really welcome.

[Wrath gives a grateful smile to Deceit]

[rockinchicagomag]

Melissa Nestor’s Top 10 of 2017

Melissa Nestor is the bassist for Orinoco and is a concert photographer. 

10. Gravebloom by The Acacia Strain

The Acacia Strain has never put out a band album. Credited as one of the pioneers in the genre of “deathcore,” The Acacia Strain has continued to put out one album after the next and typically getting better and better with each release. However, I do not feel it was as strong as their 2014 release, Coma Witch, or even their 2012 release, Death is the Only Mortal. Still, Gravebloom was the best album released in the deathcore genre in 2017. Stand out tracks: “Worthless” and “Gravebloom”

9. Relentless Mutation by Archspire

Archspire is in the running for best guitar riffage on any album of this year. Even though I was completely in love with their prior 2 albums, they have more than sold me with the release of Relentless Mutation. They are one of those death metal bands that combine the perfect amount of melody and brutality to create one hell of a sound that has me wanting to throw all my guitars in a wood chipper.

Stand out tracks: “Human Murmuration” and “Relentless Mutation”

8.  Wizard Bloody Wizard by Electric Wizard

As a band that has so much history of creating legendary albums in their genre, it seems they are always under so much scrutiny when a new album is being released. People have expectations of it topping albums such as Dopethrone which is still considered one of the greatest albums in the doom genre to this day. While this album comes nowhere near topping that, it stood out enough to me to make it into this list. They went a little different route with Wizard Bloody Wizard than their last album Time to Die, which came out in 2014. Time to Die had their evil occult flavored lyrics as always and a sinister sound to go with it, while Wizard Bloody Wizard has the same lyrical content that everyone is used to but a bit lighter in the music department. Going a bit more vintage psychedelic musically caused a lot of criticism amongst Electric Wizard, but I think it was the right move on this album.

Stand out Tracks: “See You in Hell” and “Wicked Caresses”

7. Hiss Spun by Chelsea Wolfe

Chelsea Wolfe seemed to rise to popularity out of nowhere after her release Abyss in 2015, but she has been an active musician since 2010. While her genre is somewhat difficult to nail down, she is loved by fans of many different genres from goths to the most annoying black metal elitists. I have a friend that exclusively listens to country (I know…ew…) that loved this album. One of the reasons Hiss Spun made my list is because of the accessibility and relativity to so many different genres. When Chelsea sings, people pay attention. Her voice is just so haunting, it makes people pay attention. Hiss Spun has won my favorite production quality of the year. It was recorded with and produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou in Salem, Massachusetts. Any time Kurt Ballou and producer are used in the same sentence, there really needs to be no follow up conversation. I really loved Abyss, but think this has taken the throne for my favorite Chelsea Wolfe album.

Stand out tracks: “16 Psyche” and “Vex”

6. Emperor of Sand by Mastodon

Emperor of Sand is also a very controversial album among fans of the band. Mastodon has a history of changing sounds from album to album, but to a lot of people, Mastodon is really reaching with this one. To me, it is a balance between a call back to their more mainstream attempt of their last full length album Once More ‘Round the Sun and a return to their roots taking influence from Crack the Skye. I suggest anyone that shot down this album at first to give it another couple of listens and also look into the concept of the album.

Stand out tracks: “Show Yourself” and “Steambreather”

5. Reflections of a Floating World by Elder

Reflections of a Floating World has my favorite album opener of any album released this year. “Sanctuary” drew me into this album and didn’t let me go. Despite each of the tracks being between 8-13 minutes long, it never gets monotonous or boring. Usually on albums with only a few songs that are so long, I usually have at least one that I will skip. I can never bring myself to skip a song on Reflections of a Floating World.

Stand out tracks: “Sanctuary” and “Blind”

4. Rust by Monolord

Prior to this year, I wasn’t familiar with Monolord. I normally wouldn’t put such a “new to me” band on my end of the year list, but I have certainly gotten familiar with them over the last several months. Rust is the third full length album from these sludgy Sweden doomsters, and it is every good as the last two. I can usually pick out a favorite album from a band pretty easily, but Monolord has really made that a difficult task for fans of the band.

Stand out tracks: “Where Death Meets the Sea” and “Rust”

3. Wrong One to Fuck With by Dying Fetus

As soon as Dying Fetus released the gruesome and somewhat hard to watch music video for their single “Die with Integrity,” I knew these guys had something special up their sleeves. I’m always a sucker for the most gory and disgusting death metal videos so I tried to not let that make me play favorites when it came to putting them on my list. After listening to the album front to back several times, I realized there was no reason to play favorites. Dying Fetus earned their way to the top of many end of the year lists with an album of non stop brutality that will make you want to punch your neighbor.

Stand out tracks: “Die with Integrity” and “Wrong One to Fuck With”

2. Will to Power by Arch Enemy

It’s no secret amongst my friends and enemies that Arch Enemy is my favorite band and has  the release of War Eternal, I was shocked. All of a sudden, things were up in the air for my favorite band. I was a huge fan of Angela Gassow, who had been the bands vocalist since 2000. At first, I was one of those fans who folded their arms and refused to listen to the newest album with new vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, formally of The Agonist. Finally, curiosity got the best of me, and I bought a copy of War Eternal. I let my guard down and listened to the album un-biased. I fell in love with it and reclaimed my Arch Enemy obsession. I began to look forward to the release of Will to Power. I was looking forward to the addition of Nevermore guitarist, Jeff Loomis. I have always credited Michael Amott as my favorite guitarist with Jeff Loomis not falling too far behind, so the prospect of them working together was very exciting. Will to Power is not only one of my favorite albums of the year but in my top 5 of Arch Enemy’s expansive 10 studio album catalog. My favorite live performance of the year also belongs to Arch Enemy who I saw at Concord Music Hall this past November.

Stand out tracks: “The World is Yours” and “First Day in Hell”

1. Mareridt by Myrkur

Myrkur, like Chelsea Wolfe, seems to have become huge out of nowhere, however, there are some select people that know better. I have been following Myrkur since before she went by that name. Amalie Bruun has released music since 2006 but took on the persona Myrkur during her debut EP, which was released in 2014. Since I’m a creepy weird person, some of my favorite things to do are experience music in different environments such as sitting alone in a dark room or walking through forests just on the brink of being lost. Mareridt has been my favorite album to take on my musical journeys. Influenced from everything to folk to black metal, Myrkur takes fans on a trip through the darkest depths of her mind. A couple years ago, Amalie began to have such bad hallucinations in her sleep that she would scream herself awake. Now, some people would usually be so frightened by this, they would do everything in their power to try to forget. No Amalie. She found inspiration in her horror. Mareridt is a recollection of darkest thoughts during slumber.

Stand out tracks: "Måneblôt" and “Funeral (feat. Chelsea Wolfe)”

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Magi: Labyrinth of Magic

[Karen Smith voice] If your name is Alibaba why are you Japanese?

“Throwing me out like that is pretty mean,” he said, to someone whose house he had broken into in the night 

“Do you like money, mister?” “Yeah, I mean, since I need money” me too Alibaba

Ten minutes into this series and they’ve already introduced the concept of slavery in their society guess they’re not fucking around 

Alibaba are you seriously taking a baby to a brothel 

You know the girl in chains is a protagonist because of her Anime Hair

Is this some kind of Venus Wine Trap

Omg was Aladdin just waiting for Alibaba to exercise correct moral judgement before stepping in, those people were being digested

“All I ever did was lie, and not do anything” same my guy 

Now that he mentions it I would wonder why they didn’t bring any supplies to this Tower of Death

You know, I really thought Aladdin would be the one to bite the insect first

I hope that Alibaba continues to use that dagger no matter how magical his fights get like ‘guess u just brought magic to a knife fight’

“So I guess I better let him know why I entered this dungeon” I thought it was for gold and prostitutes 

“Labour is the duty of mankind” okay Lord Bourgeoisie 

This situation has really escalated we went from declarations of friendship to kidnapping and stabbing in like thirty seconds flat

This guy only has two reactions to people helping him which is tipping or stabbing Alibaba is truly living the customer service life

“Where’s Alibaba?” it appears that he has burst into flames

Can you really fault Morgiana for not responding to ‘Slave Lady’ immediately after you learned her name?

Morgiana: [Beautiful description of homeland delivered in monotone]

“But how?” “I’m immortal that’s how” Last episode you were being digested by a plant????

Morgiana displays the benefits of not skipping Leg Day

I guess if you’re immortal you’ve got endless time to master swordplay

Lord Jamil’s really got some issues what’s with this endless “kill him” chant

Divine Right seems like a very poor way to choose your leaders 

“I even messed up really bad one time” this is some kind of Reverse Foreshadowing it’s like Backshadowing

‘My Sinbad Dream’ sounds like the title of a bad fanfic

Where’s he gonna put all that gold does this ancient Arabian city have banks 

Update from ep. 11: Yes they do and they are corrupt

Amazing Alibaba used his treasure to abolish slavery truly the only honourable boy in this society

“The same blood runs through our veins” Baba implying they’re all inbred

“You’re Baba’s child now” should not be a comforting statement from someone you just met

Sure, when babies drink milk directly from the teat it’s healthy and a bonding experience but when Aladdin does it’s inappropriate

“Don’t worry Toya, I’ll protect you no matter what” Dude’s gonna die ain’t he

I don’t imagine that they’re going to get a peaceful submission to foreign rule from an independent and inbred nation 

I knew Ryosai would be a dick from the moment he opened his mouth

“Until I see the faces of my children’s great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, I’ve got to make absolutely sure I live on with everyone” WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK

Princess Hakuei is such a good leader even if she is an imperialist  

What kinda Sailor Moon-esque transformations are these and when do I get to see Alibaba’s 

“I’ll keep you in those chains for the rest of your life” Poor Morgiana that Jamil really fucked her up 

“You have a sense of justice and value your friends” “I’m telling you that’s not true” lmao what an objection Leila 

I’d call this guy Lipstick Kakashi but I feel that’d be insulting to Kakashi

“Don’t lump me in with those ridiculous bandits,” said the slave trader

Yikes @ Morgiana explaining the concept of slavery to this tiny girl but I guess it doesn’t help to sugar coat it

YAS MORGIANA KICK THE ASS OF ALL THINGS END HIM 

This is a sidenote but I’ve gotta imagine that if Goltass was one of the Plainspeople they should’ve noticed him because he’s massive??

I’m guessing this handsome sleeping man is Sinbad

“My name is Sin” not only was I correct but also he calls himself Sin pls

What kind of a fucking outfit is Sinbad walking around in my goodness

Lmao at Sinbad this is the equivalent of telling your two Indian friends ‘hey maybe you guys know each other’

I thought the guy with the black hair was Jafar? Did I hallucinate or is this a plot point

“I’m gonna fight with you” “Yes ma’am” is it wrong 2 hope they get married

What an honourable ruler he wants everyone to have autonomy

Sinbad just wants to cuddle with Masrur

“He’s only wealthy from your taxes. If you don’t believe it’s worth paying, take back as much as you want. But, don’t take any lives.” I! Love! Him!

This has got to be an Alibaba and the forty thieves reference

Oh no Alibaba and Aladdin look so sad I don’t care for this 

“We can’t let them end up like Mariam” the Backshadowing continues!!

Fsfjhdskjhfksdhgl I want men to look at me like they look at Morgiana and by that I mean terrified 

SHE JUST PICKED UP A GROWN MAN I LOVE MORGIANA 

Aladdin sure knows how to diffuse tension in a room 

“She was a prostitute of the slums” this childhood memory got dark real quick

It’s weird that brown people exist in this universe but none of the people with Arabic names are brown 

!!!! Alibaba is the rightful ruler of Balbaad omg

Oh shit I guess all of Alibaba’s skills aren’t just down to immortality

“They’ve been driven out by the state... something about re-development” this magical society is a little too real

Things are about to go terribly awry I know it Cassim is about to ruin everything

WHY ARE YOU STILL HANGING OUT WITH THIS GUY ALIBABA HE’S RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL YOUR SUFFERING???

Dfsdkfdsjfhksdjhfsdglfg Sinbad “eavesdropping is in such bad taste” ur right Jafar

I mean I get Cassim’s plight but I also don’t trust him 

“Cassim and I had a special bond, he was my family and friend” he is responsible for your dad succumbing to illness??

I want Alibaba to rule Balbaad but that would really not fit into this narrative arc of travelling

“It’s Cassim” who could’ve predicted that Cassim would ruin everything

Sinbad joining the Fog Troupe is simultaneously exactly what I expected and not at all what I expected?

“What kind of a hardened and callous man are you?” poor Jafar lmao

“I choose not to interfere with domestic issues” he said, after asking two contenders for the throne to speak in a public forum

“You aren’t even fit to be king dammit” them’s treasonous words my friend

What a creepy old man my goodness

Oh it’s Judar not Jafar that explains it I guess???

Poor screamy Alibaba trying to protect his nation’s people 

Damn Sinbad’s so charismatic he gives other people a complex just by standing next to him

The Humble King trope is my favourite Alibaba pleading for his people’s lives or in Naruto when he pleads for Sasuke’s life like that’s some Good Shit™

Judar: Hi I don’t want anything I’m just here to be an asshole

It’s ironic that a character who shares a VA with Natsu is proficient in ice magic

“Why are you doing these things?” Because he’s a dick that’s why

There are only like 3 known magical people here so I’m guessing it’s someone we haven’t met yet 

“I’ll remain and finish off this little child” why is Sinbad the only moral adult in this universe

All these poor Balbaadans must be like ‘I didn’t sign up for this shit I just wanted to know how the negotiations went’ 

I can’t believe that Sinbad defeated them through the Power of Handsome

Sinbad: Capitalism is an obvious trap how could you fall for it

Every single one of Alibaba’s reactions to being thrust into leadership roles are me 

Amazing all Matthew Mercer characters get drunk and trash talk their homies 

“It was Alibaba who saved me” Lmao @ Morgiana’s shoujo reimagining of her being freed

Sinbad captured Judar’s dungeon and I’m sure there’s a sex joke in there somewhere 

Uh-oh Alibaba’s about to get an inspirational lecture 

“Why do you think I should go back to where Sinbad is?” why do you have such issues with Sinbad, Cassim

I kind of love this trope reversal from “there are some things worth dying for” to “there is nothing worth human lives”

“He’s still my friend” Alibaba’s still protecting Cassim when he’s basically done nothing good ever in his life what kind of fuck ass loyalty

I love battle training!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

“I have a feeling that she’s a woman who’d lend me an ear” Sinbad’s gonna fuck her into changing her mind

Even though I’ve been questioning the logistics of Alibaba becoming king, Sinbad’s a king and he’s not in his kingdom so who am I to judge

“Could this be a case of the marriage blues?” Something old, something new

My boy and his new sword I’m so proud of him 

“I may not look like it but I’m a very powerful girl” “I know” actually I hope these two get married just so I can watch her toss him around forever

Lmao @ Morgiana partially destroying every building she comes into contact with

Real talk we know who got all the looks in the family like who was Ahbmad and Sahbmad’s mother yikes

Alibaba threw his brother’s sword away and then slapped him I love him

Props to Princess Kogyoku for taking the revelation that her fiance is gross in stride

“As of this moment, the country of Balbaad will be ending its monarchy!” OH MY GOD ALIBABA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alibaba’s doing the nationwide equivalent of declaring bankruptcy

“Are we saved?” A legit question, royal guardsmen

I’m so in love with Alibaba creating a democracy in a world of empires my baby 

“Doesn’t it seem like it’s all a big scam?” Why is Cassim like this he’s the worst

I’m gonna guess that Ugo belonged to Aladdin’s dad 

For someone who doesn’t want to be king Alibaba sure is good at leading

“Sounds to me like all you wanted was to be king yourself?” that’s about the size of it 

Why. Are. You. Like. This. Cassim???? Chill the fuck out 

“Is that thing Cassim?” He’s literally a demon beast now killing all the citizens of your country I don’t think you have to feel bad about fighting it

Sinbad is just constantly joining in the fray to he’s like the older brother Alibaba needed instead of the two dinky ones he had

“Later I plan on making you mine too” gay but rude 

“It’s because you’re you, Alibaba” <3333333333333333333333 Baby boy and his baby bro ah!!!

“Halharl infigare” sounds like something you’d say when you could no longer form words

“You never lost that radiance did you?” so what ur saying is that u hated Alibaba bc you had a little gay crush on him 

Alibaba refuses to let Cassim get away with being a dick just because his father was one

SHIT THE MONTAGES OF DIFFERENT PATHS ALWAYS GET TO ME

I weep for Alibaba who weeps for his lost friend

Thought the villains would be like 4 or 5 people but it turns out it’s a whole cult

What a beautiful turn of events I’m upset in a good way I’m tearing up a bit

Sinbad @ Alibaba: I’m kidnapping you out of love 

These people look so happy to see a giant sea monster bless them

“His lunacy might rub off on you” I’m not sure if I want to see Alibaba become a high-impulse swordsman but tbh his impulse control isn’t that good anyway

Oh my god Morgiana and Alibaba are so cute and bashful 

“I’ve already got family, each and every person who lives in this country” that is adorable but that’s also what Ashoka said and look how the Mauryan empire turned out

I love Morgiana’s commitment to saving people from oppression

“You should do whatever you feel like doing, now and forever” ALIBABA AND ALADDIN JUST INSPIRED HER SO MUCH SHE BROKE INTO DANCE

I thought the Djinn transfer would be much more complicated but there you have it I guess 

The entire royal guard is about to slut-shame Sinbad 

Fdgkldgjlkdfgjldkfgj I know that Sinbad didn’t actually do anything but this is still so funny 

“By the way, I’m the culprit” Ka Kaboun is such a mess lmao 

“You’re an upstanding person Ka Kaboun” she said, after he tried to frame a man for a sexual assau/t 

So this is a scarred man with designs against his own family’s empire who will probably team up with the happy-go-lucky protagonist I’m not saying that this is Arabian Zuko but he’s Arabian Zuko

Those long chains seem a little impractical for battle and walking around

I love that Alibaba is so incorruptible that even with a literal demon inside him he refused to hurt Hakuryu 

Kind of harsh of Alibaba not to help the little girl but I guess he is poisoned and Hakuryu stepped up right away anyway

Well at least this time they tried to bring supplies 

My three children are so beautifully in-sync with their battle maneuvers

I really thought when they split up that Hakuryu and Alibaba would be a team

“It kind of seems like he’s always trying to take on everything by himself and it kind of irritates me I guess” Pot kettle Alibaba

“I’m doing the very best I can, you know?” ME TOO HAKURYU 

I LOVE HAKURYU AND HIS CRYING FIT HE’S ADORABLE

“I’m counting on you to be right there” Brotp: Crybaby Princes

I love Sinbad worrying about his teenage homies A+ adulting

What happened to these people that they are psychologically scarred at any mention of war

WHAT THE FUCK WHY IS MORGIANA HURT WHY WOULD U DO THAT

I guess even King’s Candidates aren’t immune to PTSD

Everything is escalating so quickly I’m very worried about Sinbad and Alibaba

“If you’re the enemy then act like it!” oh no this is sad

“Why does everyone do such things as if it were perfectly normal?” THAT’S MY QUESTION ALIBABA

NO THIS ISN’T WHAT I WANT AT ALL MY BOY WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU 

I knew Zagan belonged to Hakuryu!!!! He wouldn’t have abandoned Morgiana if he hadn’t already healed her 

“You’re nothing more than a magician” “Sorry, you see I’m also a genius” I love Yam

“You’re Alibaba whom I love so much” I love grammatically correct declarations of friendship my nerd baby boys holding hands ah!!!!!

There’s so much I love about this episode Sinbad’s half-fallen reveal, the friendship between Alibaba and Aladdin, Hakuryu’s new power, Princess Kogyoku’s joining the Sindrians, everything is 10/10

“Just like Alma Toran, eh?” I guess we’re about to learn why everyone is so averse to war 

If Alibaba truly doesn’t want to be a nobleman he’s gotta stop acquiring so much money

“I’m looking forward to crossing swords with him” why does every challenge to Sinbad’s authority sound so homoerotic 

[blueberry-beanie]

Get to know the Coldplayer tag

Thank you @xmarksthexyloto, @deathandallhisfriendss and  @flamingplay for tagging me!

Here we go: Q1. Do you have favourite Coldplay album/era? If so what and why? Oh that’s a hard one... I LOVE the Viva era because it’s simply EPIC (and them curlsss...!) The first Coldplay performance I ever watched was MTV Live in Tokyo, and it fascinated me so much that I kept watching and watching... and never stopped xD.  BUT I also love Ghost Stories era because it has this mystical, magical feel about it and was the first era I really experienced as a Coldplayer as was happening.  AND (yeah, very long answer) I can’t leave AHFOD era out, since this is the first era of which I could experience going to concerts and yeah... it’s awesome xD

Q2. Favourite Coldplay song for when you’re sad: Always In My Head or the whole Ghost Stories Album

Q3: Favourite Coldplay song for when you’re happy: When I’m really happy I love (almost) everything and everyone :’D Probably Paradise.

Q4: X Marks the Spot, A Whisper, Princess of China, Fun: yay or nay? Yayyyy! yay. OH-OHHHHHH OHHHH OHHHHHHH-OH YAY! And YAY!

Q5: Best Album Art? Ghost Stories! 

Q6: Have you ever seen Coldplay live, if not - would you like to? Yes, two times. Last Year in Hamburg, this year in Hannover (and if everything goes as planned then next week in Hamburg, too).

Q7: If you could make Coldplay perform one song live, what would you choose? VIOLET HILL!!! Gravity. Hurts Like Heaven. Daylight, definitely.

Q8: What would your reaction be to meeting the boys in the street?

Depends on whom of the boys. 

All of them: Bring me to the psychologist, my hallucinations are getting out of hand.

Phil: “OwWW heyyyy! How’s Kaleidoscope going? How are ya and your friends?”

Will: *nervously* “H-hello.” 

Guy: lol a hologram walkin the streets. Looks real tho. “Guy? Hello!” Ow shit he’s real.

Chris: OMFG. Oh oh. Breathe...! “Hello? Chris?” *tells him how wonderful he is*

Jonny: “Hello, ambulance, yeah, if I don’t call in ten min, please come around I’m not okay then, bye.” *takes a breath* “Jon? Errm... I mean Jonny?” *tries not to die before writing down a full report of this encounter for N.*

Q9: The Chainsmokers, Big Sean, Rhianna: yay or nay? Yay! Idk yet. Yay.

Q9: Jonny goes Jazz or The Nappies? Jonny goes Jazz! Recently he even said in an interview that he started listening to Jazz!!

Q10: Carpool Karaoke or Three Boring Songs? Carpool Karaoke but I looooove Three Boring Songs, too. My wife said “Tom, you look so scary. Don’t wanna be rude, but your eyebrows are a little bit hairy...”

Q11: What song are you most hyped for on Kaleidoscope? Have you preordered the EP? I’m not so hyped about it I guess. But I’m curious because Hypnotised and AICTAIY are amazing. Also, Brian Eno has been working with them, that could be interesting!

Q12: Do you consider yourself an ‘Oldplayer’? No, actually I really hate this discussion. Everyone has their own taste, so an argument about personal preferences is kind of useless. Imo it’s important for a band to evolve and try new things. I love both older and new songs!

Q13: In your opinion, 4 or 5 members of Coldplay? What kinda question is this even? Five!!!

Q14: Live 2012 or Live 2014? Why is Live 2003 not mentioned? Hard question, since all concert films are so different... Live 2014 is beautiful, I love how it kinda is a circle, a repeating story. Live 2012 is colourful!! And Live 2003 is just so long ago... and the documentary is hillarious. Also: DAYLIGHT. Ok.

Q14: Bring back the curls?

YES. YES. YES. 

I’m gonna tag: @whereiwantedtogo, @amoonfullofstars, @flockofbirbs, @aheadfullofdreams2204 and @buckin-love (if you’re still here! Hello :D)

[jamesscythe]

Where Is James Scythe?

Summary

With the second EP they introduced the Callous Heart gang with the backpatches.

Their Halloween Homecoming show in 2015 was heavily themed and playing in the background all night was a fake radio show called CRPR radio playing old music (I don’t actually remember anything that played but I’m gonna go with 60s era because that’s the vibe it gave me and the Spectral Sceptic podcast says the majority of Callous Heart sightings have been in the 60s). The presenter kept giving warnings about the Callous Heart gang, describing their backpatches and appearance, and then before Creeper came on stage it had sounds of people breaking into the studio and taking it over.

The preorder for the third EP had the South Coast Coroners tshirt which had a phone number on it; when you called it, it would play a song that sounded like some sort of lullaby but it was too low quality to make out any words so we haven’t worked out what it is. Once the song finishes, you would receive a text saying “where is James Scythe?”. This was the first mention of him.

The third EP also introduced the character the Stranger, a cloaked figure that has various influences from sleep paralysis hallucinations and Pazuzu from the Exorcist to Tick Tock the crocodile from Peter Pan.

The night after they played Leeds Festival (August 27th), pictures of static kept being posted from their Twitter account and the tweets kept being deleted a couple of minutes later. The band tweeted saying they were being hacked and that they weren’t the ones posting the static and had been deleting the tweets. Then, all of their accounts went down, including all their personal twitters and facebooks and instagrams and the band’s accounts on all social media as well; everything to do with them was gone.

After the accounts disappeared, we called the South Coast Coroners number again and it played the same song but sent a new text with a link to a website: whereisjamesscythe.co.uk.

The website has lots of information about the disappearance of a man called James Scythe. You can look yourself, there’s a lot on there - missing posters, news articles, information about his life and job, evidence photos from the scene of his disappearance in the Dolphin Hotel in Southampton, and a video of the Stranger that seems to have been filmed by him and a link to his podcast The Spectral Sceptic.

The podcast has 20 episodes titled after famous urban legends and conspiracy theories. The point of the podcast seems to be to critically analyse the stories and explain/debunk their supernatural elements (similar to the purpose of his previous job). The first 19 episodes contain nothing but static noise, but the 20th episode talking titled The Callous Heart and The Stranger explains the stories of the two Southampton phenomena and how he believes they’re connected, and explains them through links to alien abductions, gangs and sleep paralysis - I’ve got a more detailed description of the podcast that I’ll throw in at the end or you can just listen to it: https://soundcloud.com/james-scythe

The video of the Stranger on the last page of whereisjamesscythe.co.uk was found in James’ abandoned hotel room and seems to suggest that the Stranger was involved in James’ disappearance.

Another evidence photo from the hotel room shows a scrap of paper with an address for the websitehttp://www.strangesouthampton.club/. This site contains similar information to the podcast about folklore in Southampton written by an unknown contributor. There are pages dedicated to The Callous Heart and to The Stranger full of information along with pages pages titled ‘Ghost Walk’, 'Tudor House’, 'Merchants Hall’, 'South Western Hote’ and 'UFOs over Southampton City Center’. This seem to be site or instances of supernatural events in Southampton such as hauntings or obviously UFOs but all of these pages redirect to a 404 error. The author of this website mentions in the page about the Callous Heart that it’s come to their attention that a former “Ombudsman of the Preternatural” arrived in Southampton and had been asking questions about the Stranger and the Callous Heart. We know this to be James as Ombudsman of the Preternatural is an apt title for James’ former job as described by whereisjamesscythe.co.uk, an OTP badge was found at the scene of his disappearance, and James would have been asking questions about these two subjects for his podcast. The author says they want to track down James to interview him as they believe James will be able to fill in the blanks of their own research on the Callous Heart and the Stranger. In an update the author says they failed to find James despite looking all over, but managed to photograph Callous Heart members after a day of door to door research. The author of strangesouthampton.club doesn’t believe the members of Creeper to be the immortal members of the Callous Heart, but instead “art crudely imitating life”, however his own photos of Callous Heart members appear to feature Will and Ian, as well as 'Madeline’, the girl from the Stranger album cover.

On August 28th, the band’s official Facebook page reappeared, and posted the missing poster for James Scythe as well as new missing posters for everyone in the band, claiming they had disappeared while travelling back to Southampton from Leeds. The bands Twitter reappeared later in the day, posting the phone number, James’ missing poster and an article about James’ car crash in 2006 in which his wife died.

All missing posters have a phone number to contact with information - the same number from the South Coast Coroners shirt. We tried calling the number again and instead of playing the song as it had been for months, it played a recording of what sounds like an artificially lowered voice, saying “on the second of October 2016, we’ll die holding hands”.

The Podcast

says he’s had a long week

podcast episode posted a “day late”

chose this subject for the episode because he’s received numerous emails about the cases

spent lots of time on the case

stranger case and callous heart are separate but both centred in southampton and he thinks they’re linked

covered southampton before in conspiracy theories about the sinking of the titanic

the mediaeval house and tudor house mentioned as having supernatural events

lots of ufo sightings in the city, mentions daily echo article about ufos and southampton group 'sufog’, oldest ufo group in the uk

youth gang named the callous heart has been in Southampton for over 100 years and has supposedly always been the same people not aging

documented earliest in newspaper in 1903

1930 newspaper article describes them as 2 girls and 7 boys with heart patches on their backs

appeared threatening but didn’t actually seem to commit crimes

no photographic evidence - account: saw 5 of them in his shop and kept a camera under the counter in case he saw them again, they returned 5 years later and he took photos of them, no images came out when they were developed, thinks they’re ghosts

Southampton proud of the stranger, offering a stranger walk like ghost walks

stories of the stranger involve a a visit from a tall stranger at night in a cloak with a skeletal face

people normally see him during sleep paralysis, seeing him in the corner of the room

sometimes speaks in a low voice

first account is from 1850, intruder in house in Shirley, man woke paralysed, saw a tall figure in the hallway, had too duck to get through the door frame into the room, didn’t talk just stared, purple mouth

another sighting in 1962 - woman staying with a friend and sleeping on the sofa, saw him staring through the window, seemed familiar and then she felt paralysed

tall genderless, long black cloak, painted face or mask, every report makes him sound intensely terrifying

always tied to themes of death - haunted a family after the death of a grandparent

james says that his whole life and show is about being sceptical and taking apart the myth

doesn’t doubt there was a gang, many gangs exist for a long time ie the scuttlers in manchester

thinks gang could have recruited younger members in the 30 years between first two sightings

thinks papers using fear to sell copies, exaggerating them

majority of reports in the 60s - birth of British counter culture

thinks it would have been an easy and appealing way for kids of that era to rebel

his explanation: gang members grow up and are replaced by younger people, camera that’s been under a counter for years wouldn’t work well

stranger mimics typical stories of ghost or alien sightings - visits occur at night when victim’s in bed

explains first ever alien abduction report as being influenced by media and pop culture - h.g. wells selenites, more ufo sightings while x-files was airing

thinks all people who have seen the stranger were experiencing sleep paralysis and hallucinating visions of the stranger

1850 first report of stranger, in 1843 Dickinson published Christmas carol, Scrooge visited by 3 ghosts, 3rd ghost described as scattering gloom and misery, tall, presence filled him with dread, didn’t speak, ghostly eyes, hooded phantom, suddenly disappears

thinks this character had a profound effect on the person, they therefore hallucinated the character during sleep paralysis, described it as a stranger in their house and the name stuck

word of mouth spreads the story, people become afraid of the stranger and he therefore begins to appear in their sleep psychosis episodes

people experience the same supernatural phenomena because people themselves spread it around

thinks they’re linked but are polar opposites of eachother - callous hearts never grow up and stay young forever whereas the stranger is a grim reaper who represents death and time ticking down

immediately after he says this about the stranger he starts to sound distressed and nervous and stuttering “i’m gonna …… i’m gonna have to go…… bye” and ends the podcast

Theories

James disappeared from room 309 of the Dolphin Hotel. The band had a “mysterious adventure” in room 309 of a hotel several months back which Will tweeted about the next morning, you can read a compilation of the tweets here: http://www.upsetmagazine.com/read/hotel-hell-creeper-story/. We’re now unsure whether this really happened or whether it was planned as part of the lead up to their disappearance. We can’t find any solid links between what supposedly happened to Creeper in their hotel and what has happened to James Scythe. Additionally, an evidence photo shows zener cards laid out for a zener test with evidence markers 2, 3 and 9. It seems out of place for the marker for 9 to be next to 2 and 3 as the rest of the numbers up to 10 are in order, so it has obviously been set up so that “309” is spelled out on the table with an out of place circle zener card not relevant to the test making up the 0 between 3 and 9.

Zener cards are use to conduct experiments for extra sensory perception (ESP), most often clairvoyance. James appears to have conducted a zener test by laying three cards face down on the right and then laying another three face up to the left of them as a prediction of what the three face down cards would be. An overturned card on the right shows that he predicted the square correctly. The band posted this evidence photo on Twitter on the 29th captioned with “+” suggesting that the next card to be overturned would be the cross which he would also therefore have predicted correctly. The results from this test therefore suggest that James had psychic abilities.

As shown in his podcast and by his former profession, James is supposedly sceptical of the preternatural and has spent his life logically explaining such things away, however the presence of a zener test and an EMF reader in his room suggest that he may have been beginning to believe in them; his obsession with the case of the Stranger could be explained by him believing it to be linked to his wife’s death. This would explain the photos of his wife in the room. Also, the EMF reader is in his bag which is purple, we think this might be signifcant because of the lyric in Astral Projection “purple and true, I do this all for you”. Alternatively, he states in his podcast that the Stranger sometimes begins to haunt people who have experienced grief such as the passing of a loved one, so the Stranger may have began to haunt James after his wife’s death.

The knocked over bin in his room, the incomplete zener test and the fact that all his belongings remain suggest that he either left in a hurry, or perhaps he was taken by the stranger

The video of the Stranger which was found in the hotel room has been posted from a YouTube channel under the name James Scythe. The description of the channel is “The Spectral Sceptic”, the same as the title of his podcast. We believe that this mystery is leading up to the release of Creeper’s first full length album, and that it will be titled The Spectral Sceptic. (This fits with the titles of the previous two EPs which have been about the Stranger and the Callous Heart. Its clear that their next release will be about James and as a former “Ombudsman of the Preternatural” you could say he was professionally sceptical of spectres).

There are many links to Peter Pan throughout the story thought none of them have helped lead us to anything which we think might be the next stage - There are various lyrical references to Peter Pan in Creepers songs: Henley’s Ghost has the line “tell John I miss him, tell my brother of my love”. In Peter Pan, Wendy’s brothers are called Michael and John. Also, J. M. Barrie’s inspiration for the character Wendy was his friend’s daughter named Margaret Henley, hence the title Henley’s ghost. Creeper have also previously introduced a character Madeline, the girl on the Stranger album cover. She has only come up briefly so far in the James Scythe story; several photos of her appear on strangesouthampton.club where the author is excited to have finally taken his own photos the Callous Heart gang. She’s mentioned in the lyrics of Black Mass (“Madeline, your friends don’t understand the thing we have” / “Madeline, when you were young did you think we would wed”) and is believed to be tied to Wendy in the same way that the Stranger is tied to Tick Tock. There are therefore split ideas about whether Black Mass is from the perspective of Peter Pan or the Stranger. Finally, the ending of Astral Projection (“That place between sleeping and awake, that half dreaming space is where I’ll always keep you”) is almost a direct quote from Tinkerbell at the ending of Hook (“You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I will always love you Peter Pan”). - Peter Pan was written by James Matthew Barrie. J. M. Barrie was born in Kirrimuir, Scotland before moving to London. This is described on whereisjamesscythe.co.uk as exactly what James Scythe did. J. M. Barrie married Mary Ansell, whereas James Scythe married Mary Darling, which is the name of the mother in Peter Pan. - James Scythe checked into the Dolphin Hotel on the 23rd of December 2015. The original Peter Pan play began on the 23rd of December 1904. - In photos of the scene of Scythe’s disappearance, evidence bags state that evidence was recorded by Matthew Barrie. - As well as sharing a name with J. M. Barrie, he also shared a name with Captain (James) Hook. Last names are also similar, a scythe being similar to a hook. Captain Hook’s hook is always on his left hand, and a news article on whereisjamesscythe.co.uk describes James severely injuring his left hand in a car accident (note that the grim reaper in the callous heart logo holds the scythe in its right hand). - The band have mentioned in several interviews that the Stranger is tied to Tick Tock the crocodile, and similarly represents the things that you fear as well as time ticking away. In Peter Pan, Tick Tock is to blame for Hook’s missing hand, so we believe that the Stranger may have been to blame for the car crash which injured James’ hand and killed his wife. - the Callous Heart are supposedly immortal and never age, much like Peter Pan and the lost boys. The band themselves have previously described the Callous Heart as being a gender-neutral lost boys.

[mycanadiancondition-blog]

Survival List On How to Turn Thirty and Not Give (too much of) a F*ck

I’m turning thirty in December. Being one of the last of my peers born in ‘87, I’ve had some time throughout the year to watch each of them go through the panic and self-questioning which seems to come with officially leaving our twenties.

I’ve felt this unease lurking beneath the surface since I turned twenty-five, when I realized I was technically a quarter of a century old, reaching its peak on my 29th birthday (my final year of freedom! supposedly..)  

It’s the kind of fear that wakes me up with a start in the mornings, feeling like I’ve somehow dreamt myself into someone else’s body and that makes me want to change my entire wardrobe, though I’m not sure what to…(ok, maybe it’s a little less dramatic than that but..)

Just something not girly, and not twenty-something-think-I’ll-get-respect-by-dressing-sexy BUT makes me feel like a woman. Yeah, something that makes me look serious BUT doesn’t make me lose my sense of humour, I think.

Eventually I opt for jeans and a t-shirt: my ‘inconspicuous’ outfit, chosen to make me blend into the world so that I can get around unnoticed while internally going through an identity crisis. I feel like someone has told me that from one day to the next I have to stop acting like a child and switch to behaving like an ‘adult’ but HOW!? (I can totally see where Peter Pan was coming from now)  

On other days, I think ‘fuck this’ and throw on the most sparkly outfit I have, happily bopping down the street and feeling the rebelliousness of my twenties still beating inside me.

I think the idea of ‘blending’ into the background is what I’m resisting when it comes to turning thirty. I’m a bit nonconformist and I admit that others may not be feeling so existentially tormented by this transition but there seems to be a societal undertone of expectation that one should start settling and giving up on any ‘unrealistic’, unfulfilled dreams when you hit the thirty milestone. And I think a lot of us feel uneasy about this.

The settling looks something like: having a long-term relationship (with one partner), making future plans to have a family, having a firm footing on some sort of career ladder and a mortgage (or at least renting your own place alone or with a partner and not with a multitude of room mates called Bob!…(Disclaimer: I’ve never actually lived with anyone named Bob, though I wouldn’t object to it)

If you aren’t able to tick the box in one of these areas I think it can make you feel uneasy and question whether or not you’re ‘successful’. As a millennial some of these objectives have become increasingly difficult to achieve, what with everything moving so fast, there being more choice than ever and less financial support to do it all.

But I wonder if there’s a reason we’re encouraged to think so much about our status in each of these areas at this particular time. If we’re still acting like twenty-year-olds, allowed to explore and experiment and change our identities from one day to the next, we might be a little bit unpredictable. We might even have our eyes wide open. 

But while I feel a sense of loss (of my youth or something like that) I also feel excited because I know that especially as a woman there’s a lot of freedom and respect given to you when you reach the age of thirty.

Though I don’t have the relationship, the mortgage, the stable career, or any plans to have a family (oh boy, I’m really not meeting the criteria!) I feel a deep kind of settling at my core. It’s not the settling which is about ticking any societal boxes but something that feels like maturity. I think it comes from the resilience I’ve developed over the last ten years and the faith I’ve gained that I can overcome pretty much whatever life has to throw at me.

Since turning eighteen I experienced my biggest heartbreak losing my father to suicide, I moved country with my family, I got a degree which I cried most of my way through (I’m a bit of a drama queen you might note), I moved in with someone who I then married (at that much-too-ripe age of twenty-three), I got divorced (obviously), joined a band for five years which was like a family, I left the band, wrote and recorded my first ever solo EP, moved country again after 9 years of living in the same place (alone this time) and I’ve developed strong friendships that have kept me going throughout everything. 

My point being that there’s a timing by which we think we’re meant to have achieved certain things, which not all of us are necessarily prone to do and that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re failing at life. 

It’s my experiences more than anything that make me feel like I’m approaching some level of comfort in my own skin and knowing within myself, which I’m looking forward to fully embracing with this turn of age and which I don’t believe materialism is capable of giving me.

That said, I also don’t believe in completely rejecting the opportunity that this slight pressure brings to think about whether I want to make certain choices about the lifestyle presented above, how and to what extent. I think it’s a wonderful time to be thoughtful about the next few years ahead but approaching it with a sense of excitement as opposed to letting any fear of looking like the odd one out dictate my moves.

I like the idea that you can still hold onto your dreams whilst thinking responsibly about how you’re going to pay the bills etc, even if it involves adapting them a little bit. We don’t all have to choose to live the insecure life of artists (I just can’t help it) but I think there’s something cool about being a doctor who also plays in a band or a musician who manages to raise their kid while on tour. They’re ways in which I would consider one has managed to live the ‘big life’, perhaps because they thought it possible. 

I’ve used this milestone to make a few ‘responsible’ choices this year. One of the main ones being to learn how to drive so that I can travel around Canada by next year and take my music on tour. 

Having seen most of my friends who’ve turned thirty breathe a sigh of relief and say ‘that wasn’t so bad’, I trust that I’m actually going to get through this one okay (who’d of known!?)

During the best moments, it feels like I’m piloting a plane which doesn’t yet have a landing spot but I trust that I’m going to get there (just maybe at a different speed to other people and I’m okay with that). I just wanna enjoy a bit of the free-fall for now.

Also, I’ve come up with a little ‘survival’ list for myself to navigate these last few months of unease until December strikes, which I’ll share here:

1) Make a list: cos that’s what adults do, right!? And then if you’re feeling uncertain about what you’ve achieved by this age you can just resort back to said list and be like see, I’ve made a list!!

2) Combat isolation: on a level, talk to everyone in your age-group about your apprehensions about turning thirty because they’ll reinforce the fact that you’re not alone and that they’re feeling the same way too.

3) Reality check: talk to people ten years + older than you because they’ll laugh at the fact that you’re worried about turning thirty and remind you that you’re still young (apparently they never went through that phase or it was so uneventful that they’ve forgotten all about it)

4) Incubate: DON’T read any articles about what you should have achieved by the age of thirty and why you should be doing certain things in your twenties to become a successful thirty-year-old, or about thriving twenty-year-old start-up owners (mostly because it will make you feel bad, we weren’t born in the ‘start-up’ era, you can’t change the past and you have to consider the agendas/aims of people writing those articles)

5) Ruminate: be thoughtful and make some choices cos it will empower you. DO at least think about your relation to some of the ‘serious’ topics of marriage, family, career and living situation. If you decide to reject any of the conventions at least you’ve done so purposefully (and can own that), instead of doing so in a knee-jerk reaction (which you might regret never having given thought to later)

6) Hallucinate: imagine talking to yourself in your forties and the things you would want your thirty year old self to know about what they might regret doing/not doing in the next ten years.

7) Ok, enough of the ‘ates’…BREATHE (because that’s what they tell you to do in any anxiety-inducing situation..)

8) Well, maybe one more ‘ate’… Rejuvenate: remember that you’re as young as you feel and just because you’re making big responsible choices now doesn’t mean life ain’t gonna be fun no more. Some of these choices can be seen as part of the next big adventure.

9) Affirm: look back over the last ten years and think about all that you’ve been through and the positive things you’ve achieved in all areas of your life. List them if you want and be proud of them (even you have to do so in secret).

[soyoureviewhiphoptoo]

Soundtrack of the Week 11/08/2017

It is time for the Soundtrack of the Week, the SYRHHT blog segment where I discuss latest music releases and other projects that I listen to over the space of 7 days. So, here is a slightly different Soundtrack!

ALBUM

Frank Ocean- Blonde Released August 20, 2016 Label: Boys Don’t Cry 

There is a list of albums that we, fans of hip-hop and music in general, wait for in anticipation but it is likely it will never be released. Dr Dre’s Detox, Kanye West’s Good Ass Job, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V, any album by Jay Electronica are just a few of many albums that we waited for eagerly. For a long while, the sophomore album by Frank Ocean was in this class. Following the release of the 2012 album, channel ORANGE, fans of Ocean waited for him to release more music. Despite being slated for a July 2015 release, the project known as “Boys Don’t Cry” would be delayed for another 13 months. Then one day, Frank Ocean released the visual album Endless, making everyone question if this was the project they had been waiting four years to listen to. In a cruel twist of fate, Frank would use Endless as a means of satisfying his record deal with Def Jam, independently releasing one more album the very next day. This album was Blonde

Boys Don’t Cry but, lyrically, this album is sad and depressing; I commend anyone who listened to this and did not shed any tears. Blonde shows a radical change in the demeanour and artistry of Frank Ocean. Gone were the unconventional yet exuberant alternative RnB style of channel ORANGE and enters a much more introverted, sombre style which experiments with a variety of sounds from techno, psychedelic-pop, soul, RnB and so much more than my feeble mind can not comprehend. On this album, Frank Ocean shows an intense level of introspection, openly discussing experiences of love, heartbreak and self-loathing that really takes you on a ride. I feel like it is hard to take songs out of this album to listen individually only because each song plays a part in the bigger story and experience that Ocean is portraying. This album is a full dive into the intense feelings of a melancholy man trying to understand himself following numerous instances of bad times in his life and it personally resonated with me. Blonde is a disjointed masterpiece that I openly recommend.

RATINGS

Concept: 4.8/5 Production: 4.5/5 Lyrical Content: 5/5 Flow and Delivery: 4/5 Repeatability: 4/5 Did I enjoy this project? Yes, I did Songs to Recommend? Nikes, Solo, Pink + White, Self Control, Nights and White Ferrari

Final Rating: 4.5/5

Frank Ocean- Solo Personally, I found it difficult to pick just one song to place here, as any song on this album can be easily recommended but I decided to pick this song. Solo is a long-standing double entendre, with Frank Ocean singing about feelings of embracing being alone while deep down, he feels “so low” and needs some kind of high to feel better about himself. This was one of the first songs that immediately resonated with me as I can fully relate to this cognitive dissonance of feelings

ALBUM

Kid Cudi- Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ Released December 16, 2016 Label: Wicked Awesome Records and Republic Records

 I will start by saying that prior to the release of this album, I had never listened to a full Kid Cudi project. While I had heard a few songs from him and his features on Kanye West projects (Welcome to Heartbreak is an amazing song by the way), I had never been drawn to him (this seems like a recurring theme on this blog). In 2016, Kid Cudi found himself in a very strange place. He went on a twitter rant of Kanye-proportions, calling out Drake and the aforementioned Mr West, immediately calling them out for having ghostwriters despite their constant bragging of being top 5 artists. This would lead to a harsh response from Kanye during one of his many on-stage rants, saying  "Don't You Ever Mention Ye name, I birthed you." (Drake also responded...it was wack. It does not even deserve a reference). All of this “drama” would come to an abrupt halt when Cudi would admit himself into rehab a few weeks later for depression and suicidal urges. (Drake would then release the diss track Two Birds, One Stone while Cudi was in rehab...which is also wack). All of this happens to him and strangely, I found myself drawn to him. A weird combination of sympathy, disappointment in two of my favourite artists and the release of the lead singles of Frequency and Surfin’ drew me in and I decided to give Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ a shot (that is an amazing name by the way).

Seeing as I had never heard a full project by Cudi, my expectations were naturally low but I can openly say that I was completely blown away by Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’. This album is lazily labelled as a hip-hop album but it is so much more than that. Cudi utilises the use of multiple instrumental sounds that generates a completely immersive experience. What is even better is Kid Cudi’s use of vocals and sounds he makes; throughout the project, he varies from rapping to singing to even humming. I do not think I have ever enjoyed a person hum more than I did when I heard Kid Cudi do it for at least 30% of the album. Aside from the stellar production, it is the lyrical content that helps set this album apart. In this album, Kid Cudi openly discusses his mental health.

These illusions in my head, ohh (I never wanna leave) Hallucinating, flying through air, ohh, so long To the demons in my head, ohh (No more misery) Hallucinating, flying through air, ohh, so long Free, free

Taken from ILLusions

Nightmares kept a nigga from closing his lids Since a kid, I've been haunted by visions of death Such a trip, now it's normal, I customed the grip

Taken from Baptized in Fire

You could try and numb the pain, but it'll never go away You could try and numb the pain, but it'll never go away

Taken from Swim in the Light

These lyrics only scratch the surface of the larger picture that Cudi is painting. He has spent seemingly a long time, consumed with these thoughts and feelings and while he goes out of his way to find ways of numbing this pain or blocking these thoughts, usually through drug use and sex, he is ultimately unable to overcome. The album starts out sombre and bleak, making you feel as if he will be unable to get out of this unfortunate situation however as it ends, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ changes its tone; becoming lighter and more positive. This shows me that there is hope for anyone who is going through any form of mental illness, showing that with the right help, you can cope and get better. We do not get a lot of music in hip-hop discussing the toll of poor mental health and Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ is a hopefully the first of many.  

Ratings

Concept: 5/5 Production: 5/5 Lyrical Content: 5/5 Flow and Delivery: 4/5 Repeatability: 4.5/5 Did I enjoy this project? Yes, I did Songs to Recommend? Frequency, Surfin’, Swim in the Light, Baptized in Fire, ILLusions, Kitchen, Rose Golden, All In and By Design

Final Rating: 4.7/5

Kid Cudi- Frequency The opening song of the album and the beginning of this tale. He is with a lot of women, doing drugs as they all try to tune into the same frequency. To me, this track shows Cudi trying to numb the pain he is experiencing mental with menial things like taking shrooms and having sex. (Which is supported with the next song on the album Swim in the Light, for which the opening lines are above)

ALBUM

SZA- Ctrl Released June 9, 2017 Label: Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records

This is the first album of the First Lady of T.D.E and the label’s first RnB act. The label, best known for Black Hippy members, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and ScHoolboy Q, the New Jersey singer SZA has found herself in a position to be one of the premier artists of her label. Long-suffering with label issues and album push backs, SZA finally treated the world with her debut album, Crtl. I’ve only heard her 2014 EP, Z and I can say that this album was a complete departure from the older project, showing a maturity in her singing style and a different range of lyrical content.

Spending time listening to the somewhat negative vibes of Blonde and Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, Crtl was a nice change of pace. In terms of production, the album presents a hybrid of RnB, hip-hop, soul and indie rock sounds that bring about an overall upbeat sound. What I appreciate about this album is the lyrical content. SZA is completely transparent about her past experiences of love and relationships. The album opens with the song Supermodel where she openly mentions she was having sex with her ex’s best friend after he dumped her on Valentine’s Day (messy...). She would go on to spend the album speaking of past love, loveless sexual encounters and a yearning just to love again. Although I’m not a woman so I cannot attest to all the experiences here, Crtl feels down to earth and ultimately relatable; her recent surge of popularity only makes sense. This is a great album to vibe to whether you are by yourself or with a loved one (I imagine it is a great thing to listen to during a breakup too).

Ratings

Concept: 4/5 Production: 4/5 Lyrical Content: 4.5/5 Flow and Delivery: 4/5 Repeatability: 4.5/5 Did I enjoy this project? Yes, I did Songs to Recommend? Supermodel, Drew Barrymore, Love Galore, The Weekend, Broken Clocks and Garden (Say It Like Dat)

Final Rating: 4.2/5

SZA- Drew Barrymore One of the calmer songs on the album and the lyrics are a reflection of this. The song shows the low self-esteem and insecurity generated in her mind from a bad relationship. While SZA is questioning herself and wondering if the relationship is even worth it, she still yearns for the affection of her lover.

ALBUM

J.I.D- The Never Story Released March 10, 2017 Label: Dreamville Records, Spillage Village and Interscope Records

It only makes sense to end this soundtrack with a rap album. So I decided to listen to another debut album, only this time it is an artist I have seen gain a lot of love and yet I had never heard of before. The Atlanta M.C. J.I.D seemingly popped up out of nowhere and had the hip-hop community talking about his debut project. The latest signee of J Cole’s Dreamville Records, J.I.D comes in as a perfect fit for the lyrical rapper style record label.

The Never Story is a very interesting debut for J.I.D. In this album, he immediately sets himself apart from his contemporaries, especially those from Atlanta who are mostly trap-rappers. He is not mumbling, he is not rapping about all the drugs he sells, he is not talking about going to the strip club every day, he is just rapping... J.I.D makes it very clear that he has a very solid rap ability and a unique flow that is complemented by his high-pitched voice and southern cadence.

Even before grades, going to my brother court dates And I asked my momma bout what he did but they'd never tell me Then I figured he killed a nigga or got caught for some dope he selling Kinda close but no cigarillo, he was armored up, that's a armadillo

Taken from General

J.I.D spends a large portion of the album discussing past experiences, growing up in East Atlanta but he is able to tell his stories in such an interesting way that keeps you hooked and makes you want to listen multiple times over. Production wise, the beats feel crisp and pristine yet they also have an underground feel that perfectly complements his rap style and his hood stories. J.I.D is certainly an artist to look out for and I am waiting for him to do songs with his fellow Dreamville artists (more specifically Cole)

Ratings

Concept: 3/5 Production: 4/5 Lyrical Content: 4.1/5 Flow and Delivery: 4/5 Repeatability: 4/5 Did I enjoy this project? Yes, I did Songs to Recommend? General, NEVER, EdEddnEddy, D/vision, Underwear and LAUDER

Final Rating: 3.8/5

J.I.D- Never The lead single of this album and his most well-known song to date. J.I.D speaks of times of struggle, being impoverished, unable to afford certain luxuries but what he switches this around almost immediately, saying he values his morals and would not ask for handouts or go for quick ways of making money like committing crimes.