#greatest pix

[ultra-francesca-mercury]

On 19 October 1981, the video collection 'Greatest Flix' was released, accompanied by the book 'Greatest Pix'. It was the first time in history that a group or artist published a collection of music videos.

[richesthermit]

A Scar stimboard! ❀ requested by no one ┈ with kururin MIRACLE themes!

all gifs made by me 🎇 sources: 1.

[xxxonetuffpuffxxx]

I drew Korekiyo in kids pix for the MEEEEEEMES

[notwxrriors]

WDYM OTTO SKIRT PIC????

oh THIS?

[xanthema]

hrgghhh

[ep2nd]

Incorrect quotes, Empires superhero AU edition. From @pacificwaternymph, go check it out on Ao3 too!

--

Xornoth: I have an idea

Sausage: Does it involve fire?

Xornoth: No

Joey: Does it involve burning something down?

Xornoth: No

Scott: Let's hear it

Xornoth: ARSON

Scott: NO.

--

Lizzie, who is temporarily blind: I'm not trusting my well being in the hands of Fwhip!

Katherine: It's either them or Scott

Lizzie: ...

Lizzie: So what are you doing today, Fwhip?

Scott: Hey!

--

Sausage: In my defense-

Sausage: *punches Fwhip*

Pearl: What was that for?!

Sausage: A good defense is a good offense

Gem: That's not how it works

--

Jimmy: This is a safety pin.

*cuts off end*

Joel: It is now a danger pin.

--

Shubble: Operation no more distractions is a go!

*not even 10 seconds later*

Shubble: Oh, look! A butterfly!

~

Jimmy: Ladies, gentlemen, I want to show you the greatest thing your eyes have ever beheld!

Scott: A llama?

Jimmy: No.

Scott: A baby llama?

Jimmy: No!

Scott: A baby llama with a little hat on?

Jimmy: NO!

~

Pearl: *spits mouthful of blood onto floor* You’ve become far more powerful since we last crossed paths.

Dentist: Please stop, there’s literally a sink right next to you.

~

Random Guy: *kicks Jimmy*

Jimmy: *starts crying*

Lizzy: *glares*

Random Guy: Awww what is this lil itsy baby child gonna do-

Lizzy: Your IP address is 157.134.166.42

Random Guy: Wha-

~

Sausage: Pearl, did you know you're my favorite sibling?

Pearl: *narrows eyes* Sausage what did you do no-

Gem: PEARL, SAUSAGE ATE ALL OF MY COOKIES.

~

Katherine: When Gem gets back, we're cleaning the building

The rest of the Alliance: *Looks at each other*

*5 hours later*

Katherine: Where's Gem?

Jimmy: Not back that's for sure

--

Jimmy: Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Scott: *sighs* That’s true…

Scott: But two negatives make a positive!!!

--

Pix, referring to Lizzy and Jimmy: Those guys are dorks.

Katherine: Yes, but they’re my dorks.

--

Pix: You know, people treat me like a god.

Shubble: How?

Pix: They ignore my existence unless they need something.

[caustinen]

Do you have anymore Hollywood AU h/cs? I love them

I had no ideas when I started this but I hope you like this!! Thank you for inspiration <3

hollywood au! pda video leaks

Despite making their relationship public they keep PDA low, practically non-excistant if Bucky’s crabby hands don’t count — he’s naturally touchy, so he doesn’t even notice he tends to have his arm around Buck’s shoulders as they walk down the street, or behind his chair as they sit at a group table in restaurants or galas, or a hand on his waist or back or thigh or hand, he loves to hold hands!!

That is why it causes another shock in social media when a paparazzi video of them making out HEAVILY at the back of a car leakes and then spreads everywhere. It’s dark-ish and pixely and doesn’t have a sound but they’re recognaizable enough and the heat is very present in their movements, making their fanbase absolutely insane.

John wakes up to his phone having blown up with notifs and he’s mortified when he sees what’s up. It’s clear the footage has been taken from the driver’s seat on their way home somewhere, and he immediately arranges everything with his assistant to make sure they never work with that particular car service again and for the person responsible for this to be found.

The few moments before Gale who’s still unaware of any of this stirrs next to him are killing John, of course it has go be a rare morning when he oversleeps Bucky (he had a late night at the office the day before). Bucky wonders how he should break the news, while he knows they both knew this was always a possibility he’s scared of freaking out Gale and esp wouldn’t want to ruin his day immediately upon waking up to a rare day off.

His sophisticated way to break the news ends up being the usual way, the moment Gale’s toussled blonde hair lifts enough to smile at him sleepily and murmur a low ”morning beautiful” Bucky’s heart clenches and he pushes his phone to his face and scrambles out of the bed to the kitchen with a hurriedly blurted out ”I’m sorry”

He’s just put the coffee machine on and bread to the toastmaker before sitting down by the table and burrowing his head to his hands when he hears Buck walk in, his bare feet making soft tuds on the wooden floor.

To his surprise gentle hands first push his face away from his hands and the table until he’s sitting up and then a familiar weight sits down his lap and wraps his hands around a sleepwarm waist. He presses his face to Gale’s neck and inhales the comfort of the scent of familiar soap, sweat and washing machine powder.

They sit like that for a while, Bucky’s heartrate coming down slowly to normal as Gale’s weight and tender fingers through his curls calm him expertedly. Finally Bucky takes a deep breath and looks up, and finds Gale looking sleepy/tired but not tense, a small smile on his lips as their eyes meet.

”Are you okay?” The question asked in Gale’s soft morning voice catches him by surprise. ”Am I- Yeah, I… I guess?” He hasn’t even really considered that yet — he was too preoccupied with being worried for Gale, but now he realizes part of his mix of emotions is the dull anxiety of having had his own and his partners privacy preached once again, something that he can never quite get completely used to after all these years. He squeezes Gale tighter and let’s himself feel the sadness for a second before taking a deep breath and kissing the shoulder in front of him.

”…Not that great if I’m honest, I guess. How about you?” Gale wraps his arm around his shoulder and kisses his forehead. ”I guess not the greatest either, but shit happens.” John is still staring up at him, admiring his beauty and appreciating the calm he always brings him. ”Yeah, I guess it does.” He pauses only for a brief moment before continuing. ”You’re not mad?”

His fiancé’s expression turns into a confused one for a second before leaning to bop his nose with his, probably sensing how tense John got under him. ”I’m mad at whoever decided it was okay to film us without permission. I’m mad at that person for posting it and I’m mad at people for spreading it around.” He sighs and shakes his head. ”But it goes without saying I’m not mad at you, right?”

John can’t help it when his lips tremble as he speaks. ”If it wasn’t for my job, or me wanting be able to talk about you on shows-” ”John.” Gale takes his face between his hands and makes him look at him. ”It’s not your fault. I love to be able to talk about you too, and post pictures about you, and be excited about our wedding and go out with you without having to worry about it. I don’t love to know all my clients and co-workers will be able to see me getting it on with my man without our permission like that but honestly? If you take that out of the equation it would’ve been quite hot to see how you look when you look at me, how we look when we’re together.”

They’ve taken pictures of each other over the years of course but they’ve been very careful with even those in the fear of being found out. While Gale hates paparazzi he’s found that seeing them from an outsider view sometimes gives him butterflies because before going public they only had few candids taken by the very few friends who knew about them before, and seeing how in love they both look makes him giddy despite the media attention that it comes with. The months leading up to the wedding have anyways been a new love bubble that not having to hide anymore only emphasized.

John turns his head enough to kiss Gale’s palm, then his wrist and finally leans for his lips. The kiss is chase and quick and yet it grounds John back to the present. After, he leans his cheek to Gale’s shoulder and squeezes him closer, moving his legs underneath a bit to keep them from going numb which slides him even further into his lap.

”Hm. Did you know I love you?” ”I had an idea, but I love to be proven right so you can tell me again.” ”I love you.” Gale smiles at him and turns to straddle him in the little chair as good as he can, elbows on his shoulders. ”I love you too.”

At Gale’s shy suggestion, they end up making a little video just for the two of them later that day, and that memory overlays the bad one from the morning as he rewatches their bodies moving together seemlessly, saved for their eyes only when he’s filming his final project before their marriage and homenymoon vacations abroad.

Bonus: Gale ends up doing a cameo in this movie Bucky films before they get married: it’s a 007 style agent film where he plays the smooth leading man. There’s a scene where he’s in a casino playing poker, and before he plays a big move he turns to a hottie next to him and pulls him into a passionate kiss. When the man pulls away it’s Gale, and he smacks his face in return. Bucky’s charachter turns back to the table with a big smirk and wins big.

More of Hollywood Au here!

This turned into more of a drabble than anything else, hope you enjoyed 💘

[minecraftbookshelf]

How To Become King of Mezalea

@sleepingjasminetea has once again spoken as the external executive function so!

How succession works in Mezalea.

Also a general note relevant to the succession criteria of the majority of the empires. Remember this whole thing, where Pix kind of accidentally changed the formal definition of war in the empires? That had a lot of implications for how royalty functioned in the Empires. While they still absolutely have internal duties and responsibilities and privileges, ultimately their most important job is that they stand ready to defend their empire and its people at all times. Part of this is that they also function as international ambassadors in a way, while most empires also have official ambassadors, the relationships and interactions between the emperors themselves are a very important (sometimes volatile) facet of international relations. A country cannot be recognized internationally as an autonomous nation without an official Emperor/Head of State.

Mezalea is a mortal realm, with a mixed human and hybrid population.

Like Mythland, they have a single royal family. However the exact succession traditions vary significantly from Mythland.

To ascend to the Mezalean throne, rather than completing a designated quest, the heir to the throne must defeat the reigning monarch in single combat.

This duel is an annual event, held before the entire court and a not insignificant portion of the general populace, with a great deal of ritual attached to it.

Technically any member of the royal family can challenge, once they have passed through the Mother Tree (the Mezalean coming-of-age ritual, more on that another time) but historically it was only the acknowledged heir to the throne who actually did so. This was usually the oldest child of the reigning monarch, but not always, if that individual did not consider themselves capable or was otherwise deemed unsuitable for the role the next in line would hold the title of heir, and so forth.

While this is a ceremony and a ritual, it is also very much a genuine combat, in which both parties give their all. Once the reigning monarch has been defeated, the new king or queen is crowned and Sleeps Beneath the Mother Tree, bonding with the tree and the Mezalean people, and their rule begins, usually with their defeated parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle/relative remaining in an advisory capacity for at least a few years.

Now.

Joel.

Joel is a bit of an unusual situation that has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works.

Joel was not intended to be the king, with two older siblings who both had children, even before he got married off to the Ocean Queen. His mother had multiple heirs waiting in the wings.

And then about a century and a bit after he and Lizzie settled into their relationship, a plague hit Mezalea.

The majority of the royal family was completely wiped out, along with far too many of the people. There were survivors, but they were mostly non-combatant adults and children. No one suitable to take the throne. So Joel, who had gone back to Mezalea to help during the sickness, took the throne, proving himself against the greatest soldier left alive in the Mezalean army, since none of his own family remained for the challenge.

His niece had been queen, succeeding her father, his brother, who had succeeded Joel's mother. And her only child, a toddler, had survived, though the illness had left them with damaged health. And several of Joel's grand-nieces and nephews survived in varying levels of fighting fit, though none of them were more than fifteen years old.

So the idea was that Joel would be king for five or ten years, until one of his grand-niblings was able to defeat him. Several of them showed promise, so although they decided not to name an official heir at that time, everyone had high hopes.

And then...Joel just...never got defeated.

It's been a few hundred years now.

It's getting mildly awkward.

He's not physically aging, so he's still in the full strength of what appears to be his late twenties/early thirties, while just getting older and more skilled as time goes by.

He's done amazing things for Mezalean infrastructure and international relations though, so its clearly working out. And as much as he adores his wife and did enjoy parts of being a trophy husband (once it transitioned to that from war prize) it was genuinely pretty boring so it's nice having a full-time job again.

-

AU Masterpost

[calmingpi]

Siblings computer ran out of battery just after lucrezia got downloaded into agatha, so heres the current sturmhalten (and end of circus arc) commentary

Im going to hand the phone to sibling, because they want to write it out themself, but also i told them they cant be too explicit so they said they'd censor things. I also put my foot down and said they cant call lars a "candy-ass," even if they meant it as a compliment about his ass

"Circus:

Payne and Countess Marie are both very fun characters, and good caretakers to the rest of the cast. Good Munkustrap and Cassandra vibes.

Lars is sweet, and im assuming he will die horribly and brutally. I have no hope for him. Nice butt. I wanna say Rum Tum Tugger but IDK, he isnt confident enough.

I want Zeetha to **** ** **** *** ***** *******-**** and i think her hair is neat. She should **** DuPree. Bombalurina, big time.

Pix is adorable and I love how schemey but sweet she is. She's like someone who steals your skittles then gives you a single peppermint and a smile. Like, not what i wanted, but you're very pretty so ill take what i can get, do you want my wallet too, or? Honestly, Rumpleteaser.

Thats honestly all my opinions on the circus people, the rest are fun but not fleshed out enough for me to hold harsh opinions.

Krosp is such a good contrast to Agatha and I like how much he obviously cares for her. she was one of the first people to show him kindness, and he clearly is repaying it in an angry feline way. Hes like a big brother who is also a cat. Hes an angry Asperagus the Theatre Cat.

I've hit Tarvek and I don't buy this cutesy sweet boy act at all. I KNOW YOU'RE A BITCH. MAN UP AND BE THE DIVA BASTARD I KNOW YOU ARE CUT THIS UWU BABY SHIT. loser. He's great. Mr. Mistofolees, but not the movie version. Pure classic era Mistofolees.

I think all the Jägers should **** ********* ** *** ********** and im not allowed to elaborate. Theyre all three Rum Tum Tuggers trying to out Rum each others Tuggers.

Anevka. Baby. Baby girl. She was the greatest guy arouuunnnnnddd! "What about the murder?" WHAT MURDAAAHH? im a transformers fan so robot women i am absolutely not immune to. Skimbleshanks if he wore prada.

Calm is making me stop. Anyway calm needs to post transformers opinions now becauses faes been watching that in exchange for GG readings."

... Sibling is a huge fan of cats the musical

[debdarkpetal]

From the book 'Greatest Pix'

Via Queen Rare Archive on Facebook.

[jayflying]

is New Life, Afterlife or Empires s2 part of the au? I believe they're all canon to Empires s1

As far as I am aware, New Life isn't canon to Empires, so it's not canon in any meaningful way to No Stranger Curses. There is a little easter-egg reference to it though, in that Lord Sausage of Mythland is offhandedly mentioned to have ghast hybrid heritage a couple of generations back in his bloodline. He's not a full hybrid himself, but he does still have a few of the traits: a fondness for perching in high places, a tolerance for high temperatures, and a habit of making ghast noises when very upset.

Afterlife... is technically canon, in the sense that it's a thing that happens, but it's not really plot-relevant. I must confess, this is partly because I'm personally unfamiliar with Afterlife: I'm somewhat aware of how Mythical Sausage made it lore-relevant, but I've never watched it myself and I would not feel confident working it in. The other reason it doesn't get focus is because Empires season 1 massively canon-diverges about halfway through in this AU, and I cannot even begin to work out if or how that would change the plot of Afterlife SMP.

Now, Empires season 2, though... that is incredibly relevant, for reasons primarily named Pix, Sausage, and False.

The last time we see the Empires season 1 crew, Sausage is quite possibly the guy with the most unresolved issues. For many reasons. (Not the same reasons as in canon, but just as emotionally devastating.) And now that his reincarnation is coming of age and beginning to learn just who he is, the Protector of Sanctuary is running straight back into all those problems. And that's without even mentioning the Rift, and the fact he's about to stand face-to-face with the man who founded the empire he destroyed...

Meanwhile, Pix, our primary POV character among this group, has no idea how much worse his life is about to get. The Copper King of Pixandria was always something a little more than mortal, and this Pix is painfully unaware of that. He knows nothing of what went down one thousand years ago, but there are threats creeping up from the darkness that remember him. The question is, will the historian's own history repeat itself?

And as for False, the clock-keeper, the Architect of Cogsmeade, the one none of them know... she has perhaps the greatest burden to carry. And Hermit-False is a terribly unreliable narrator. She never had a sister.

Has this happened all before..?

[mooncello]

Cole

“We’re fighting over TSwift,” Nya says.

“Yes, you can be the tie-breaker, Kai,” Zane says. “Pix and I think she is one of the greatest musical artists of the modern era, and Cole and Nya think she’s overrated and nothing more than—what was the phrase Cole used?—a conniving marketing genius. They are erroneous, of course. What say you?”

“Total legend.” Kai doesn’t hesitate.

I shake my head at him. “You are so so wrong.” I raise one eyebrow and waggle my fork at him. “I’ll convince you later.”

Kai’s lips curl into a smile as he cocks his head to one side, tongue sliding over his teeth. “You can try.”

“Were Zane and I this obvious?” Pix whispers to Nya, who smirks and slams the rest of her drink.

“Yes,” she says. “But in a different way. Softer. Less…bro-y.”

“We are right here,” I say.

Nya wrinkles her nose at me, and smiles. “I know.”

“Something smells good!” Jay and Lloyd enter the kitchen. Lloyd tosses his jacket on the dining table and joins us, followed by Jay who is walking—albeit slowly—without any braces or crutches.

“Happy birthday, Kai!” Jay says, wrapping his arms around Kai’s shoulders and squeezing. “Ooh, you smell nice.” His attention is suddenly on the cinnamon rolls and he gasps. “Did Pix make those?”

“I did,” Pix affirms, which sends Jay into a near-orgasmic state.

Lloyd is already eating the last of the shakshuka. Compliments it. Casually mentions between bites they’re now using they/them pronouns. We all send them chin nods and smiles. Jay gives Lloyd a giant hug and then sinks his teeth into the biggest cinnamon roll.

“That was a fast appointment. How’s your knee?” I ask him.

Jay’s mouth is stuffed with brioche and cream cheese frosting so it takes a minute to respond. “Good—doc is happy. I’ve got some new PT but I can pretty much return to normal activity.”

“In that case…” Kai’s eyes flash. “I know what we can do today.”

“That’s more like it,” Nya breathes, leaning forward. “Tell us.”

“Death croquet.”

“Death…croquet…?” Nya echoes.

“What is croquet?” Lloyd twirls their fork in the air.

“Deep fried food thingies, right?” Jay says.

“That’s a croquette,” I say.

“Isn’t that what Kai said?”

“Croquet is a lawn game created in the 1800s, comprising of wooden mallets and wickets,” Zane supplies. “An earl popularized the sport with croquet parties.”

“So…it’s a super old, rich white people game?” I ask.

“Death croquet,” Kai repeats. “I’ve wanted to check this out forever. You get a ball and a mallet, and the first person to whack their ball through all the wickets wins. But there are no rules. Cheating is encouraged. You can disrupt other players by whacking their ball off course instead. And the course is this huge field on a hill so you’re constantly fighting gravity. And there’s hidden pockets of fire that shoot out of the ground randomly. And other obstacles!”

I laugh out loud at the same time Jay gulps. This is the most Kai game ever.

“Sounds like anarchy,” Zane says. “I’m in.”

“Me too,” I add. Obviously.

Kai throws his sister a look and smirks. “You asked for epic.”

Nya, Pix and Jay all nod yes. Even Lloyd grins. “Work can wait,” they say. “This sounds fun. And you only turn 26 once, right?”

“It’s still morning though,” Nya says. “When does this thing start?”

“I think it opens at noon.” Kai taps at his phone to confirm. “This is death croquet, fam. You have to dress the part.”

I swallow down another laugh. This is getting more and more madcap by the second. Which is to say: Peak Birthday Kai.

“So…like skull and crossbones?” Pix asks.

“Studded leather,” Nya adds.

“Goth boots!” Jay cries.

“Neon pink,” Zane says.

“Yes. All of it, yes.” Kai is smiling from ear to ear, and the distress from earlier is nowhere to be seen. “Get your best death fits, and we’ll head out in an hour. Birthday lattes beforehand.”

Yeah, Birthday Kai is back.

~ ~

this chapter kinda has it all. birthday shenanigans, daddy issues, death croquet, sex, tenderness, vulnerability...

sometimes the characters take the story in directions i didn't anticipate. and i'm just along for the ride. hope you enjoy this one.

[cherrylng]

Showbiz Interview [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

"We grew up with a constant awareness of computers and technology, and I think we have a different attitude toward those things from the generation of Radiohead and others."

Interview and text by Tomokazu Hiroi (first published in Cool Guitar VOL.4) pix Yoshika Horita

On March 1, 2000, Muse held a memorable first concert in Japan at Shibuya's ON AIR EAST. Despite being a brand-new band that had just debuted in September of the previous year, the band's performance was confident and dignified. However, Matthew was still very new when he appeared for the interview, and he seemed a little shy when answering the question. Nevertheless, he calmly and carefully answered our questions, choosing his words carefully. At the time, he still had an innocent expression on his face and a boyishly slender body. I was left with a strong impression that I wondered where his power on stage came from. Incidentally, since this interview was taken for “Cool Guitar,” a guitar playing magazine, some of his comments about effects appeared in the interview.

Picture: Backstage at Summer Sonic in Osaka, 2000.

—First of all, I was surprised at your performance yesterday, not only by your technique, but also by your stage presence, which was far beyond that of a newcomer, and by your magnificent vocal performance. I think this is your first time in Japan, but it must have been a solid experience. Matthew: Thank you. We really enjoyed the gig yesterday. I thought we might be a little intimidated since it was our first gig in Japan, but our fears were quickly dispelled. I had heard that Japanese audiences are quiet…… I felt that way at first. But in the middle to the latter half of the show, they really expressed how much they were enjoying the show, which made it much easier to play.

—I got the impression that the live performance was quite different from the album. What I felt most strongly was the very positive atmosphere of the live show, which is different from that of the album. Matthew: Having been following the 90's for a long time, I think that although the US and the UK are a little different, the characteristic of bands like Marilyn Manson and Radiohead (who represented the 90's) was more of an inward energy, both live and on the album. That kind of music is definitely in our background. So people expect something like that at our shows. But we're hoping to bring more of an outward energy to our live shows. That's been our style since we started playing gigs.

—That's exactly what I wanted to say too. I know this is often compared, but in Radiohead's “OK Computer,” for example, Tom Yorke's expression is driven by a rather negative feeling of resentment toward the systemic material world. On the other hand, what I felt from you, who expresses with your whole body and serves the audience so well, was a simple "joy for music." I read in other interviews that you mentioned generational differences with Radiohead, etc. Do you feel that you are already living in a newer generation than they are? Matthew: Yes, I feel that there is a huge generational difference between us and them. In fact, I think 10 years can be said to be a cycle in which a new generation begins. For example, we are a generation that has grown up with a constant awareness of computers and technology. It was always right around us. I think there is a difference in the way we think about these things. Of course, more emotional feelings, such as anger, are hidden in the hearts of every generation, and expressing them in music has been done for a long time. However, I think there are differences in nuance and methodology between generations.

Picture: Dominic was then, and still is, Matthew's greatest confidant.

—I felt at the show that your generation shares an optimistic view of the current situation, rather than an angry one. Are you aware of this kind of generational view? Matthew: Well, I feel that we are at the beginning of a new era.

—Are there any bands that you feel are close to your generation? Matthew: Slipknot, and maybe Deftones …… I don't know much (about the other bands).

—How old were you when you started playing guitar? Was there a band that inspired you? Matthew: I think I picked up the first guitar when I was about 13 or 14. My older brother had been learning to play guitar for a long time, but he stopped and nobody used the guitar anymore. I think that's when I first got interested. I had been playing in a school band since I was 12 years old, but at the time I was playing piano with a jazz/blues feel to it. Around the same time, Dominic, the drummer, was in a punk band, and I liked them a lot, so I thought I might as well do something on guitar, so I started with some simple Sonic Youth covers. It wasn't until I was 17 or 18 that I started to take it seriously. I think I finally became aware of myself as a guitarist when I started playing the Spanish guitar because of my travels.

—Your guitar style seems to be influenced by a variety of genres, from rock to blues to classical, but who are the guitarists that are your direct roots?Are you a player from the 90s? Matthew: There was a guy in the classical world in the 1920s named Villa-Lobos (Note: Heitor Villa-Lobos: Brazilian composer, one of the most important composers of the 20th century, known for incorporating Brazilian music into classical techniques. Died in 1959), and I practiced a lot of his stuff. He really had a big influence on me. Then there is Jimi Hendrix, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), and Kurt Cobain (Nirvana). I would say those four are the guitarists who have had a big influence on me.

—The wide range of influences is very impressive, with each phrase having its own hidden interest. Matthew: It just comes naturally to me. The music I've been listening to has been a source of influence for me, and I think it comes naturally to me when I play music. When I was 13 or 14, there was a time when I only listened to so-called “indie” music, but when I turned 17 or 18, I became more open to all kinds of music, partly due to the influence of my travels. And I absorbed more and more new music. Well, I've been interested in blues and classical music since I was a kid. Once I became more open musically, I started listening again to music that I had buried in my “indie days”…… and that's where I am now.

“If you start out with an instrument and try to write a song, you end up limiting yourself by your technique and the tone that instrument has.”

—Furthermore, the way you make full use of effects shows that you are enthusiastic about using your technical skills. Matthew: Yes, I do. I use a pitch shifter a lot on guitar. I have two outputs on my guitar. One is for synths, and the other is for a normal amp. I can use any combination of these to create different sounds. I use three completely different types of amplifiers. One is normal, one is stereo, and one is for guitar synths. I can switch between them at will. The guitars are two Peavey “Wolfgang” guitars (note: Eddie Van Halen model). The main and the sub have slightly different heads. The sub can be played above the nut. The other one is a Yamaha. The body is Telecaster shape.

Picture: Chris was slender and quite handsome at the time.

—I think Johnny Greenwood, who defines the Radiohead sound, is very innovative as a guitarist. He once said in an interview that he sees the guitar as a tool and only one part of the band's sound, and I feel your approach to guitar playing is similar to that. Matthew: When I think of a show on stage, I think it can be said that the guitar is only one tool, as he said. But in terms of performance, there are many things you can do with the guitar. You can jump with the guitar, you can get wild, etc. I don't like the piano because you can't do that.

—Is songwriting a completely individual process? Matthew: Yes, it is. First of all, I try to picture every single note in the whole music, piano, guitar, bass, drums, vocals …… I try to picture it all in my head. Only when I have a complete composition in my head, do I take the instruments and start making sounds. The reason why I do this is that if I try to create a song with instruments from the beginning, I end up creating limitations based on my own technique and the tone quality of the instruments. If you do that, you will never be able to go beyond those limits. But there are also times when I try to take something I composed in my head and make it sound with an instrument, and it is still impossible. I have a new song that I'm working on right now, and there are some effects that I haven't been able to get to yet in terms of actually recreating it on an instrument. Until I get it, it's not possible to reproduce it as a song.

—Was your vocal style, with its impressive falsetto, established from the beginning? Matthew: I don't think my vocal style has changed since the beginning. I used to sing in the shower. I don't know if it was the humidity or what, but for some reason I felt my voice came out better. When I first started rehearsing with the band, we didn't have microphones or amplifiers. So I had to sing louder so that the other members could hear me. I guess you could say that my style became more defined through that experience.

—You will be touring the U.S. with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters (Note: Muse was recruited to open for Red Hot Chili Peppers on a 15-venue tour of the U.S. beginning in April 2000). Do you feel any sense of excitement? Matthew: I've played with the Foo Fighters for about three times in Paris, so I'm familiar with them. But this time, we are opening for 20,000-25,000 people. It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction we will get from that crowd, which will not necessarily be all of our fans. At the very least, we want to give it our all on stage.

—Any final message for our readers? Matthew: Well, check out Villa-Lobos (laughs). You'll hear some really amazing and exciting guitars. It's good to follow the new stuff, but I think it's also very important to look back and learn from the great history.

Translator's Notes: Okay, after translating the Memories of Muse 2000-2004 interview, translating this article, and extracting the latest texts for upcoming articles, I can't help but notice just how many times these Japanese journalists keep noting about how close Matt and Dom are.

Are they... were they already that obvious back then that it almost feels like these journalists found their friendship to be cute and adorable???? Am I reading this right????? Was Belldom already that obvious even in the year of 2000?????? Fellow Musers, please reply to tell me that I'm not seeing things??????

[inbetweenhours]

Scott dies in the arms of their sibling, returned to them at last from the corrupted god's grasp as both their lives slip away. This forever remains one of history's greatest mysteries. So we must look further back, past his death, and instead through the life of the elven king in hopes what little survived of his legacy could explain: who exactly was King Smajor of Rivendell, and what could have led him to his death at the end of the world? ---- Pix LacRiffs, student at Cogsmeade University writes a paper looking into the life and rule of the last king of Rivendell, from his death back to his birth. At the same time, we take a look at the truth of these historical events tainted by politics through the heart of the man in question, King Scott Smajor.

This was for an event months ago, but I've only just gotten around to uploading it aha! Enjoy!

[jaylikesrainbowtigers]

Empires SMP Stuff

Because I am thriving on that chaos right now.

The crossover... is perfect.

Scar in his train, Bdubs is now a god...

And Grian. His little “DID YOU THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE? YOU’RE NOT EVEN SAFE IN YOUR OWN SMP” was god tier.

Scott’s illegal black market. And Joel being like yes I want hats✨Sell toys✨And break the LAW✨!

Sausage having a bit of a mental breakdown every time he sees Pearl. Pearl being like that’s totally normal.... ha.

Joel being like guys I am not building a mega base like season 1. But I am going to build a massive floating temple. For me, the greatest, sexiest, tallest being ever. LORELORELORELORELORE...

Also him accusing Gem of betrayal because she worships another god? Bdubs v Joel??? What about when Pearl joins in, Joel? Even you have a temple to her?

Two Falses? One Gem who is afraid of her friends finding out she does LARPing?

✨Hermes✨

Pix is going to slaughter Scott. That has to happen at some point. It will.

The toy story costume prank💋✨. “Is this the scene in toy story where they all kill Woody?” “MY FAVORITE PART!”

Poor Jimmy is about to get pranked and teased so much.

[convexicalcrow]

Scar saw Cub crossing the Great Bridge from Pix's empire, eyes still sunken and glowing. He'd been trying to help with wrangling all of Joe's cats, but that was proving impossible, given he wasn't Joe, and the cats just did not care for him at all. Indeed, Joe had given up an hour ago, leaving Scar to feed over a hundred cats all clamouring after the fish Joe had left him with. Feeding a few cats was fun! Feeding this many cats was a nightmare.

To be fair, though, it had been a welcome distraction from Cub. Scar had grown used to always knowing where he was, because he could always find him through the hivemind. But he'd been cut off a few days back, probably when he got corrupted, and Scar hadn't expected that would hurt. Perhaps not seeing much of Cub helped the pain dissipate, along with all the work he was doing in Jimmy's base. Let his mind think of other things, his hands do other work, rather than think about Cub. He'd be fine, though, right? Cub knew what he was doing.

That thought lingered as Cub approached. His demeanor seemed… cheerful? He waved and jogged over, seemingly happy to see him. Scar, to his credit, was happy to see him too. He was just confused by what had happened and why he'd been kept out of potential prankage.

"Scar! Hello there!" Cub called as he fought his way through all the cats. "It's like season five all over again! Are these all yours?"

"Oh, no, no! They're not mine! Sir Joe of the Hills bred all these cats. I forget why now. I'm not sure he even remembers. I'm sure it was for something important, though," Scar said. "Haven't seen you in a while either, Cub. Been busy, hey?"

"Yeah, yeah, something like that," Cub said. "Just had some stuff to do, you know how it is."

"You've been spreading skulk all over the place, or so I've heard," Scar said.

Cub smiled. "Maybe, maybe. It's the best kind of prank, though, because it's invisible. You can't see what's causing the skulk to spread, just that it's coming from somewhere. It's genius."

"Genius, yes, and also very annoying. It's very you, Cub, I'm proud of you coming over this new server and pranking everyone just for fun. Right?" Scar said.

Cub laughed, and it wasn't a laugh Scar found reassuring. "Gotta spread the skulk, Scar, gotta spread the souls, and welcome the darkness, my friend."

Scar was afraid he might say that. Clearly someone had to intervene, and he wasn't sure anyone but him could get through to Cub. "Yeah, see this? This skulk possession thing? That's a problem. And it's not just my problem, but your problem. The Vex are so angry, Cub, because the skulk took something that rightfully belongs to Them! And even beyond that, I miss you! I can't feel you anymore! I want my Vex buddy back! Surely you're not going to throw away all our years of Vexing together away for skulk, right?"

Cub looked confused. "But I-I didn't… I didn't choose this, Scar. I didn't! I just- Shubble sent me into the fog, and I came out with all this extra power! And all we did was spread catalysts! There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"We are holy vessels for the Vex, Cub, and that vessel has now been desecrated! And you're just going to laugh it off as a prank? Nothing serious? You are the greatest Vex magician the Vex have ever known. Come on, Cub, you're better than that. This isn't you. Come back to the Vex. Come back to me. I can't live without you, Cub. We've been through too much together. Please," Scar said, unsure if any of his words would work but unwilling to keep quiet about it. "How much of the last week do you even remember?"

Cub gazed away, scratching the back of his head. "Bits and pieces. But it's like that with the Vex. What's the problem? Also, once again, I didn't choose this, Scar. I was taken. I don't even remember how! I just walked into the fog, and walked out looking like this! I don't know what happened! And I can't fix it if I don't know how it happened, alright?"

Scar crossed his arms as he looked him over. Part of him didn't think Cub was lying. But Cub was good at lying about things just like he was. It's why they got on so well. "Do you actually want to fix it, or are you just saying that? Because you look pretty happy to me."

"In the lucid moments, yes, yes I want to fix it. I just-"

Cub was suddenly grasping his throat, and Scar panicked, grabbing hold of him tightly. "No! No, we're not doing this. Not today, skulk!"

Scar summoned some Vex magic and sent it all to Cub, focusing on burning back the skulk corruption as best he could. It was an imperfect spell, of course; Cub was the master of this stuff. But it did seem to work a little bit. Some of the skulk on Cub's skin did seem to retreat, and Cub collapsed in his arms, breathing heavily.

"Alright, skulk, you've picked the wrong vessel to infect. The Vex are coming for you, and you can't win," Scar said as he lifted Cub into his arms and carried him back down the bridge.