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chad-valorant-enjoyer-and-writer · 2 years ago

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[ 2nd's journey ]

A Valorant-Fanfic made of the next generation and its problems.

Omega-Earth created a time-travel device to destroy Alpha-eath's agents while they least expected it. The 2nd's are now desperately trying to protect their predecessors from any threat that comes their way.

Sequel to [ Gilded Gold and Harmless Poison ]

Part-2

Tags:

Multi-work series, moderate language abuse, a few adult themes implied, parent-child fluff, etc. (Tags will be added along the way)

The ride to the Valorant base was contemplatively quiet, apart from Cypher replaying the footage over again.

"For the last time, Chamber are you sure that your radianite tech aren't accessible?"

Chamber was in the verge of prying chyper's mask. "Yes. For the last time! My tech is still in its prototype stage and I'm the only one who has it."

Brimstone and KAY/O were piloting the plane while viper, Chamber and Cypher are in the back.

"If so, how can we explain this?" Cypher added, rubbing his temples.

Chamber was in a splint, administered by Viper, because he sprained a ligament from the impact. "What else could it be? A time traveler the future?" Chamber groaned, both in pain and in frustration.

"That would be improbable, because you gave me your word your radianite tech would be for private use only!" Brimstone hollered from the cockpit.

Chamber pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes that is true. With my tech I nthe wrong hands, no one in this world would be safe. What do you think Cypher?"

Cypher just stared at both of them blankly. "Pardon me what?"

Viper just sighed. It was going to be a long ride.

---

The team immediately break away and separate into their own paths. Chamber went to Brimstone, Cypher called Kay/O for something, and viper to her lab.

She earlier proposed to test the blood sample for any data. She sampled the blood under the microscope first to see.

She plugs it into the machines and leave it to run for a few hours.

"Cross referencing the data might provide leads as to whom could've stolen Vincent's tech." She said worried.

His radianite tech is currently under heavy surveillance, rightfully so. Its undetectable through most of the world's secrutiy measures, hence why he was such fear mercenary, because no one could se him coming.

Someone with skills, equipment and probably a better version of his deployables could mean trouble. And they have one on the loose. This was already pain.

---

Cypher rpulled KAY/O into his room. "Okay, KAY/O please run me through on how you got here."

KAY/O titled his robotic head. "I am from a alternate time line that came along through a portal made by chamber– now destroyed."

Cypher nodded. "Alright, that is the same story you explained when we first found you." He rubbed his temples. "Do you have record of that day?"

A portal that opened through different realties and time would have a powerful signature. If they could cross-reference the data–

KAY/O nodded. "I understand where you're getting to, if we cross reference the data of that day to a week ago, we can shed some light on the incident."

Cypher was typing away as KAY/O plugged himself to the computer.

---

Chamber rode like a borderline madman in a golden SSC tuatara, drifting around police and civilian cars alike. He's zooming around Miami traffic to get to an office building now destroyed.

He exits the shining car and covers it over with a sheet, to blanket it and blend it in the dark. He got permission from Brimstone to search his old hideouts and safe houses. Probably whoever Silver, he has some sort of connection to his previous research.@

Chamber scours his desks, his data caches, his lockers, his armouries– nothing. This safe house in Miami was the last one. Nothing ties Silver to him. Nothing!

"This is preposterous... Nothing makes sense!" Chamber yelled, echoing in the empty building.

***

Viper was in the middle of mixing concoctions when the machine chimed annoyingly. "Finally."

She printed the results and just was outright confused. "What–"

Her eyes ran down through the page. "I dont believe this."

She inputs the same information again and waits again. "there has to be a mistake."

---

It was a new day and Silver was in a shipping boat headed for The united Kingdom. A gold bar passed underneath the table of a corrupt politician– then boom! A new identity. Silver's new name: Vincent Henry.

"A French-American orphan. Entrepreneur." He chuckled, taking a drag out of a crate of Cuban cigars. "What do you know? The same cigars that ole' Brimstone smokes are Cuban. This is a good opportunity indeed."

---

Brimstone was in his office writing mission reports when Four agents burst in at the same time.

"Brimstone! He's a time traveler!"

"Brimstone! Silver is Chamber's son!"

"Brimstone! I can't find a trace of his existence!"

The three look at each other. "What?"they look at Brimstone, who just plugged his ears. "Did you hear that?" they asked, speaking over each other.

Brimstone frowned. "One at a time."

Viper raised he rnahd and slammed papers on Vincent's face. "He's yours." She muttered angrily, walking out.

Chamber checked the papers, surprised to see the DNA test, even more surprised that its his son. "W-Wait! Mon amour!"

Cypher and KAY/O were giddy and excited. "Okay, so here's the just of it. Me and KAY/O cross referenced the energy signatures from when he traveled here and Silver's appearance!" Cypher summarized. KAY/O nodded, almost human like. "He's a time traveler Liam! Isn't that cool?"

Brimstone nodded slowly before sighing. "Okay. Dismissed."

The two unlikely duo kept chatting on as they left the room.

Chamber rushed after Viper who just walked, still somehow out-running him to her lab. "Mon amour, talk to me, why are you upset?"

To be continued.

#valorant #fanfic #valorant chamber #valorant viper #valorant fanfiction

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katytheinspiredworkaholic · 3 years ago

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WIP Wednesday

Title: Extraordinary

Pairings: HotchReid (more to come)

Summary: League of Extraordinary Gentleman/Vampire AU;

Within the FBI there is a specialized team full of an elite selection of people. Unique individuals with very particular skill sets. And their job is to take the unusual cases: the ones that need to not only be solved, but are undetermined if the unsub is human, or something else entirely.

In a world filled with Vampires, non-human creatures, and subspecies unknown, there is only enough information to have them vaguely regulated. Rules that are so easily, and violently broken, all while hidden in plain sight among the unsuspecting public. Unrivaled for eons.

That’s where the BAU comes in.

Official Posting Date: October 2021

Links: (Masterpost) (Snippet 01) (Snippet 02) (Snippet 03) (Snippet 04)

(TW/CW: dead body/crime scene, blood and bite wounds talked about in detail, hypnosis/compelling someone to do something against their will, overall discussion of murder (basically what we see in every episode of the show))

(the story so far/what you need to know for this clip at least: Absolutely nothing you don’t already know, this is legit from the first chapter. Hotch is a Vampire (although the LEOs don’t really know that), Rossi is a priest, Morgan is so empathetically telepathic he can touch the auras in the air, and Reid is Reid. I know I’ve been giving you the juicy HotchReid stuff but here have some case stuff too, to see what you’re in for with the plot and everything. This is FIRST DRAFT so it’s terribly unpolished, first part is generalized POV (hence the more professional titles) and the second is within the team dynamics so they get more familiar. idk my first drafts are messy and indecisive, enjoy anyway. 💕)

–

They approach the body and Rainer shoos away his pestering, hovering officers and --- winces once again at the sight of the bloodied woman. “This is the third body in two days; a jogger found her about 6 am. Coroner says she thinks she’s been dead for about 6 hours; killed in the middle of the night, just like the others.”

“Closer to five hours, I think,” Dr. Reid says, crouching down to look closer. All long legs and his gun looking too big on his belt next to his FBI badge. “Could still be within the Witching Hour, though.”

“Do you have accurate time of death estimates for the other two bodies?” Agent Morgan adds on, already picking up the train of thought Dr. Reid has started on. The detective pulls out an old-school flip notebook book and looks through it before answering.

“3:15am the first night, 9:30pm last night and now this.”

“Well that rules out hex, sacrifice, and spell gone wrong,” he concludes, as the other agents surround the body to inspect it from all angles. “So what are we thinking?”

“It’s a frenzied bite,” Agent Hotchner points out, looking from where he stands and not having to get as close as Dr. Reid to inspect it accurately. His eyesight is better than any microscope. “Shows multiple entries, it couldn’t get a good enough hold to rip her throat. Or she struggled, so it wasn’t strong enough to keep her pinned down.”

“The boys think it’s a Vamp,” Detective Rainer points out. “Maybe a baby one, still learning the ropes?”

“Vampire changes are regulated and no sire would allow whoever they turned to do this,” Agent Hotchner says, a colder flint to his voice that matches the way his dark stare cuts up to the detective. “No one has been turned in the United States in the past twelve years.”

“It’s not a Vampire bite,” Dr. Reid agrees, putting on latex gloves to further inspect the body and test the bite radius. “And it’s not a werewolf bite, either.”

“...Werewolf?” the detective says with a winded sound, eyes wide and looking to the three agents who didn’t even blink at the word. “There’s -- there’s such thing as werewolves?”

“Detective, I think you should let my team and I work, we will come to you with our findings and then help you track down your killer.” Agent Hotchner doesn’t leave room for argument, his dark brown eyes looking pitch black in the early morning light, and Detective Rainer… suddenly feels the overwhelming urge to walk away. Like he can’t breathe if he doesn’t comply; he fights it, tries to fight it, and feels his will crumble beneath him like a sand bank giving way under his feet. He turns, even that small gesture lessening the pressure crushing his chest, and takes a step away from the group, air swept into his lungs like a riptide. He makes a hasty retreat after that, winded as if he just ran up a flight of stairs and the sweet taste of oxygen being his only reprieve. He doesn’t know what happened, and wouldn’t upon further inspection until much, much later.

“That wasn’t very nice, Hotch,” Rossi points out with a look of glib reprimand towards their team leader. “I thought compelling feeble minded beat cops was for those who have no skills to avoid it.”

“My patience was running thin, and we need to move faster on this case before our unsub kills again. He’s escalating.” That much is obvious, by the timeline alone, but Father Rossi still gives him a side-ways glance that says he finds far too much amusement in the undead’s antics. “Reid, are you sure it’s not a werewolf bite? It would explain the lack of control and precision.”

“I’m sure,” Reid says with finality, and no one makes a mention on why. He had done more research than any human possibly could in the past few months on werewolf transformation and the after effects of attacks. With what happened to one of their former agents mere months ago, no one doubted his newly learned expertise. “It’s also not a shifter, or a ghoul. We can rule out ghost and poltergeist as well, no residue or temperature shifts.”

“Demon possession?” Morgan asks, looking to Rossi just as he does his customary Sign of the Cross at the mere mention. Can’t help the gesture, after his own past experiences. Giving anything the power of a name, even arbitrary, can be a dangerous thing.

“We can’t rule it out,” he admits. “The teeth marks are human, someone possessed would still have a hard time biting that deep and doing that much damage. Cannibalism is only reserved for the amusements of level three demons, however they aren’t usually powerful enough to reach the mortal plane or take possession of someone’s body. They would need help.”

“You really think someone would weaponize a demon like that?”

“We’ve seen people do worse things, as has history, but I’d like to hope it wouldn’t happen in my lifetime.”

“We need more information,” Hotch concludes, arms crossed and watching as Reid stands up and removes the blood stained gloves. “Morgan,” his gaze cuts to the tall man in his deep blue suit. “Can you walk the scene, tell us what you see?”

“Not with this many people around,” Morgan shakes his head, eyes glancing to every person within a twenty foot radius. “Too many readings, the aura field here looks like an oil spill. The only thing I can latch onto is…” his gaze is back on the ground, hovering over the dead woman, who would have no aura to speak of at all and therefore a blank canvas. He replaces Reid’s space, crouching down to touch the air over the bite wound. Fingers spread wide, less than a foot from her but not touching, palm suddenly curving as if over an invisible shoulder, the place where someone had once been not so long ago. It could have been the coroner, or the crime scene photographer, but with it being so close to the body -- chances were it was the unsub.

“They were crouched down, half on the ground, no… human thoughts that I can hear,” he says, closing his eyes and letting his hand glide through the air a little more, following the curve of someone’s spine and up their neck, resting where the head would be. “They have a fever burning them up, hot as a furnace--” he keeps his hand there too long, suddenly jerks it back as if it had physically burned him, then stands up again. Shaking off the aura reading still sticking to his fingers and the forefront of his mind. “Sound like anything you’ve heard of, pretty boy?”

Reid shakes his head, sharing a glance with Father Rossi. “We might have to go through some of your demonology books.” The older man grins wide.

“You just want to get your hands on them, at this rate you’ll have them memorized by next week.”

“Dave --” Hotch says slow, a reprimand of his own.

“Fine, fine, I’ll have Garcia send us some scans. If the Vatican knew I was putting a book like that in his hands they’d strip me of all my titles.”

“Didn’t they already do that?” Morgan teases with a grin.

“Ex-communicated. I got to keep the dog collar, the honorifics, bless the holy water, you know -- the party tricks.”

–

((if you want to be apart of the taglist just hit me up via comment, reblog tag, DMs or asks 💕))

#THIS IS JUST A SNIPPET #a really fucking long snippet but who's counting #I've missed WIP wednesdays #spooky season is upon us so I'm channeling that #a glimpse at how they handle cases that obviously don't look human #cw blood #cw murder #cw biting #paranormal stuff #sorry it's kind of all over the place but I got to play with Morgan's abilities and that was fun for me #Extraordinary #katyswriting #katyswip #wip wednesday #ALSO I DECIDED ON A POSTING DATE hope that doesn't bite me in the ass later lol

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minjungfmd · 3 years ago

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famed base magazine / interview

question and answers warnings / none

1. what one word or phrase would you use to describe your 2021?

“van gogh-esque.”

2. how have you and your group grown this year?

“we’ve scaled back on our promotions, but not entirely as fans predict. three to two doesn’t make that much of a difference, you see. we’re seven years in, and well beyond our rookie years — we’re veterans of some sorts or at least that’s how our juniors have addressed us. we’re mature doing bubble gum pink, showing age really doesn’t have that many limitations. suppose another year in the books would also make us closer, wouldn’t it?”

3. what has been your must-have fashion item recently?

“my must have fashion item... i’d say, my dior saddle bag. but that’s kind of too many times said and done. so, i’ll have to go with my vegan biker shorts. biker shorts have been coming around in circles lately, but the vegan leather is becoming a new trend — add in the change of blacks to browns, and you’ll have yourself a stunning fall. stray away from the black and white coloration and add some muted colors, that’s my big advice.”

4. how would you describe the concept of your solo pictorial and how you came up with it? what were your thoughts about it and during it?

“there’s a night crawler in everyone, i’d like to say. usually, people assume the night is when the real self comes out — i took a twist, and said the night is when the persona comes out. it’s a mixture of parts evil, parts coy. the coloration is reminiscent of japan’s city pop — hence why we traveled out to tokyo to do the shoot. i’ve been a fan of city pop, not so much the vibrant pinks and purples. but even if that trend has past, there’s always a resurgence waiting in the future. similarly, the persona changes from time to time, hence how the inspiration spawned. it was fun to visit japan again, and play into the tunes of city pop — that’s a concept equinox hasn’t done, and it was fun for me to live out the fantasies pretending like it was a teaser for something in the future.”

5. talk about your exclusive x base stage performance.

“it was fun — that’s the day time, when the true persona does come out. i got to bring along friends who aren’t that well known, but talented. jam and have fun as if it weren’t a job, but more so just a group of friends seeing each other for the first time in a long time. i got to bring elements that were important to me from my artwork, to my dingy guitar, and my pretty pug pickle. i’d say, it’s true to me, and where i felt like home.”

6. what are you most interested in these days?

“these days — i’m less about art, less sketching less painting. i blame time constraints, but also a new fascination in learning the guitar, and writing more songs. i don’t know why, but the thing about inspiration is that you have to seize it when you can or else it’ll dwindle at your fingertips — so, i’d say make the most out of it, and i have no regrets.”

7. what is something you want to do in the future?

“i’ll be corny. i want to fly to space via space x — maybe someday, space x will sponsor me.”

8. if you could describe yourself as a color, what would it be?

“i say it all the time — gray. but if i’m supposed to become a bit more creative, and love colors, i’d say an olive green. i like the muted earthy tones that doesn’t scream a field of flowers — there’s something mysterious about it, but almost an eerie gentleness. i think that’s why olive green is magical.”

9. what is your favorite concept equinox has done?

“is it vain of me to say psycho? it’s the first title track that i’ve partaken in — the eerie concept there with the classical victorian gothic themes are something we haven’t touched on. the song itself, in my opinion, is a taste of art that evokes a chilling feeling despite how many times you listen to it. it’s timeless, and i’ll make my cake and eat it too.”

10. how does it feel for the public have seen you evolve over the years?

“weird — nobody expects to stand under a microscope as they go through puberty. neither do you expect anyone to remember the embarrassing moments you’ve done in years past. it’s humbling, it’s awkward. it’s irony like the truman show — still, i can’t change the past and i’m glad that i’m still evolving. so, keep on watching me now.”

#famedbasemagazine

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ratisnotcrying · 3 years ago

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you’ll get him back

Summary: Morse had done foolish things before, on several occasions, often running alone into whatever half formed theory he had, and Jakes or Thursday usually found him bleeding, but mostly okay. Jakes used to be annoyed whenever he did this, thinking it a waste of time, but now he feels much the way he imagines Mrs Thursday does every time her husband leaves each morning.

Pairing: peter jakes/endeavour morse, fred thursday/win thursday

Warning: graphic depictions of violence, canon typical violence, murder, descriptions of murder

Word count: 2.5K

A/N: this is crossposted on AO3 under the same title - im working n a follow up piece but dont hold ur breath xoxo

~~~

Morse had done foolish things before, on several occasions, often running alone into whatever half formed theory he had, and Jakes or Thursday usually found him bleeding, but mostly okay. Jakes used to be annoyed whenever he did this, thinking it a waste of time, but now he feels much the way he imagines Mrs Thursday does every time her husband leaves each morning.

The thing is, Morse was good at talking. He could explain obscure classical references in layman’s terms, in a way that meant Jakes didn't have to listen to any bloody opera to solve a case - which he was always thankful for. At first he had thought it was condescending, some young bloke lording his knowledge over the lowly Cowley coppers, but when he got to know Morse, really got to know him, he realised that Morse had a genuine interest in this, that all this music really meant something to him. In a way, it meant something to Jakes too now, seeing as most nights he fell asleep with Morse’s records on quietly in the background.

Morse was good at talking about nothing too. Peter couldn’t count the number of times he had found Morse after he had run off, hands up and definitely scared, though not in any real danger because he just kept talking, a steady stream of thoughts and theories about this and that, distracting the suspect long enough that Jakes could cuff them.

This killer though, the way he killed, seemingly without mercy and with no signs of stopping, he wasn’t the type to be talked down.

It was a rough case. The only good thing about it was that no children were involved. The list of bad things gave Jakes a headache; the long and the short of it was that young men were being viciously beaten and then strangled, and they were all found in some remote expanse of fields on the outskirts of Oxford. That would have been enough to put anyone on edge, but the only thing that seemed to connect the victims was their appearance - tall, slim, blonde academic types.

Dr DeBryn had always been something of a rock to the younger officers, always calm and collected, even in the face of danger, but it seemed that the good doctor was shaken by this one. After the first autopsy, Jakes and Morse had gone to see Max; and the latter pair had looked like they were about to pass out - their expressions grim, their already pale skin almost sickly, and both shaking so much that Peter reckoned he could feel it through the floor. He likely wasn’t doing much better - the body on DeBryn’s table looked a little too much like Morse.

“This young man went through… quite the ordeal. Knife wounds and blunt force trauma all over his body, both sustained over several hours, and if you look here,” Max pointed to the victims fingertips and ears, “you can see the beginnings of frostbite setting in.”

Jakes nodded, glancing at Morse to make sure he was still upright before asking, “What about these bruises, on his wrist?”

“Yes, he has them on his ankles too, which indicates he was tied to the arms and legs of a chair, and you can see from the angle of the bruising on his neck that the killer was taller than him whilst he was sat down. What doesn’t make sense, though, is that there are multiple ligature bruises. It could mean that he was brought to the brink of death multiple times, but I suspect that the killer simply wasn’t strong enough to do it in one.”

Thursday went alone to the second autopsy, which was for the best because the killer had escalated to cutting out his victims tongues, and Morse would definitely have collapsed had he seen that. The third and fourth were the same as the second, the cuts were deeper and bruises bloomed over more pale skin, but ultimately they were the same.

At ten o'clock the morning after the fourth body had been found, Morse was surrounded by Jakes, Thursday, Trewlove, Strange and Bright who were all trying to convince him to stay with another officer at all times.

“These are very clearly crimes of passion.” Morse snapped, slamming the newspaper onto his desk. Strange and Trewlove looked taken aback by his outburst, but Jakes just rolled his eyes, used to Morse’s dramatics.

Morse stood, planting both hands on the desk as he continued. “Likely someone has been wronged - or lied to, hence the tongues - and is going after men who look like the guilty party. I don’t know if you’ve ever actually been to Oxford, but ninety percent of the male population look like the victims; the chances of me personally being targeted are so microscopically small that it would be a waste of manpower to have somebody protecting me instead of searching for the killer.” Morse all but shouted before storming out, his coat billowing behind him.

Morse had become restless after the second murder - people had made the connection between the victims and started hovering around Morse. He didn’t like people fussing over him when he had been shot, so, what with the amount of attention he was getting now, it was really no surprise that Morse had done a runner, Jakes was only surprised it took this long.

That didn’t mean Jakes was happy about it.

He was, however, less happy to find out that Morse had been snatched off the street, in broad daylight, not fifteen minutes after leaving the station.

They’d had multiple calls from witnesses and it didn’t take long to put two and two together, which was all well and good, but they still couldn’t work out where the men were actually being killed. Trewlove had been coordinating searches of all buildings surrounding the fields, to no avail, so their only option was to split up and search buildings further afield until they found Morse.

It was freezing. In reality, Jakes knew that was because it was in the middle of winter, but he couldn’t help feeling as if the real reason he was shivering so violently as he sprinted across the field was the mind numbing fear that this time he would be too late. Or too slow, because despite the fact he was running fast enough to give him a stitch, the rundown barn he was trying to reach didn’t seem to be any closer than it was two minutes ago. He had always reached Morse before he came to any serious harm - he almost laughed when he realised that being shot or drugged no longer constituted ‘serious harm’, at least not when it came to Morse - this time though, this time his Morse could be killed and he’s not sure he’s ready to deal with that possibility.

His shirt was completely soaked with sweat when he eventually reached the building - if you could even call it that. The doors were crooked, barely hanging on; there were panels missing from all of the walls, and the one that were still holding on were more rot than anything else. There were tyre tracks leading from the doors away and cross the field - how the fuck did I miss them? - and in the cold glow of dusk he could see spots of dried blood painting a trail pointing towards what would no doubt reveal Peter’s worst nightmares come true.

There were footsteps behind him, likely uniforms who were only now catching up, but he didn’t turn to check - he just needed to find Morse, he just needed to move, but his joints had locked into place and he couldn’t find it in himself to push open the doors. At least not until he heard someone cry out over the sound of his laboured breathing.

He couldn’t stand there any longer and with a sudden surge of adrenaline, he yanked the door open and rushed inside.

For a moment it seemed that everything was moving all at once - Peter was still hurtling towards the centre of the barn, the unis behind him were cocking their guns, the killer was scrabbling for a weapon and there, bloody, but mostly okay, was Morse.

The next moment was deathly still. Jakes stopped a few feet from where Morse was tied to rickety wooden chair and inhaled sharply at how terrible he really looked: his hair was matted with sweat and blood, his eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot, his skin as pale as the day he saw the first body and bruises almost as dark as the circles under his eyes after a long case.

“Do not come any closer or I will kill him.”

The unexpectedly feminine voice drew Jakes’ gaze upwards, where, standing behind Morse, holding a knife tightly against his neck, was a young woman.

“There are multiple ligature bruises. I suspect that the killer simply wasn’t strong enough to do it in one.”

“These are very clearly crimes of passion.”

Jakes could have smacked himself for not realising sooner that they were looking for a woman. Instead he raised his hands, signalling to the officers behind him to stand down.

“Alright, okay. No one else needs to get hurt, okay?” He hadn’t realised he was moving towards Morse until the girl waved the knife at him and he froze.

Looks really could be deceiving - Jakes reckons he should be used to that by now, what with Morse, but there was something about this girl that threw him off balance. Not necessarily because she was a woman, he thinks, more because there was something decidedly innocent about her. She was young, probably Morse’s age, though she looked much younger. Her hair was shoulder length and the dark curls bounced as she shook with rage; her pale yellow dress looked like a massacre in early spring, as did her coat which was discarded on some old equipment. Her eyes are what really threw Jakes off - a sort of unhinged sadness desperately looking for a way out that no one, especially not someone that young, should ever feel.

“None of the men you killed already are the one you really want, are they, miss?” Jakes said, hoping he sounded calmer than he felt, though his shaking hands gave him away.

She seemed momentarily distracted, as if she wasn’t about to kill a policeman, as if she was remembering a happier time.

“No, I suppose not.” She laughed humourlessly, a few tears falling to the ground. “No, no one can quite live up to my Jamie. He always knew just what to say to me. It’s a shame he had another girl on the go - we could’ve been awfully happy.”

There was a door on the opposite end of the barn, and over the girl’s shoulder Jakes could see Thursday creeping through it.

“I thought he was going to ask me to marry him - I was going to be Mrs Sarah Jones. I went to his house and I was trying to calm myself down - worked myself into a right flap, I had. But,” she took a deep breath, “as I was about to go and knock, the door opened and some… leggy tart came out, draping herself all over my Jamie.” The girl - Sarah - was getting agitated again and so was Jakes. Morse looked bloody terrified and he had the strangest notion to call out and tell Thursday to get a fucking move on.

“He didn’t even apologise. Merely told me to pack my things by the end of the week. I had a sudden urge to do the women of Oxford a favour and make sure they couldn't get hurt like I did.” Sarah was still smiling, but it was more sinister now and time seemed to slow giving Jakes plenty of time to watch as everything went spectacularly wrong.

Sarah pressed the knife against the side of Morse’s neck just as Thursday reached her and began to pull her back. Morse looked at Jakes, all doe eyed and teary, and all Jakes could do was look on in static horror as Sarah drew a line of blood that immediately cascaded crimson onto Morse’s already ruined shirt.

Jakes isn’t sure he’ll ever forget the sound Morse made - weak and broken, slicing right through his heart.

He moved on autopilot; if anyone asked he couldn't have said with any certainty how he got Morse untied, but he wasn’t really concerned about that. Peter used one hand to support the back of Morse’s neck and pressed the palm of the other firmly over the cut. Almost immediately, blood started seeping through his fingers, and Morse’s whimpering went up an octave, his eyes were glassy and unfocused, gazing vaguely at the other coppers who were standing around as if Morse wasn’t bleeding out.

“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get a fucking ambulance!?” He shouted over his shoulder. Morse flinched and Jakes turned back to him, ignoring the sound of now-moving heavy boots behind him.

“Morse, you need to stay awake.” Jakes pressed harder against the wound, trying to ignore the blood that was rolling down his wrist and soaking into his cuffs in favour of adjusting his hold on Morse’s neck as his head lolled and he fell silent, causing Peter’s panic returned anew. It was careless, what with the number of people so close to them, but Jakes couldn't help stroking his thumb across the cold skin of Morse’s jaw.

“Morse? Morse, come on open your eyes.” Peter was only rewarded with a feeble fluttering of his lashes, just as they had on their last day off: the sun had peered over the horizon and Jakes had kissed Morse awake, running his hand through golden curls and in return Morse had blinked up at him, grinning sleepily.

“Come on, Dev. Open your eyes for me, please?” This time he didn’t get a response at all. “Please, love?” Peter isn’t quite sure if anyone heard his voice crack. He’s not sure he cares.

It seemed an age before the ambulance arrived and when it did, Thursday had to bodily drag Jakes away. He was vaguely aware that, at some point, everyone except himself, Thursday and Morse had left - which was probably for the best.

“He’ll be alright.” Thursday said quietly, as if Jakes was a frightened animal. “Always is - he’s a stubborn bastard. Won’t let something like this stop him.”

Jakes didn’t really listen, too preoccupied with trying to light his cigarette. The matches were taken out of his hand, and he didn’t look up until he was exhaling the first lungful of smoke. Thursday pressed the pack back into Peter’s hands, guiding him out to the car, and in an almost characteristic display of kindness and acceptance, he handed Jakes his hanky to clean up with.

“You’ll get him back, Peter.”

#itv endeavour #peter jakes #hurt/comfort #human disaster endeavour morse #seriously he needs to be supervised #hes an idiot but hes jakes' idiot #theyre in an established relationship not that youd know #i think i just forgot that half way through

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hippriestess · 4 years ago

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Part 2: Cherry-picking

Cherry Red had been releasing The Fall's new music since 2011's “Ersatz GB” and we already knew that Smith had signed a further deal with them to look after what portion of the group's catalogue he owned. They had already made a start with the handsome seven disc “Singles 1978 - 2016” box set they had released late in 2017 (alongside a cut-down three disc “A Sides” collection). The set had originally been scheduled for release in 2016 but the production deadline for the all-important Christmas market was missed and the set was held back until after “New Facts Emerge” - from which no singles were taken - had been released. Following Smith's passing, the seven-disc edition sold out and was unavailable for a short time before Cherry Red did the decent thing and made a few more.

A reissue of 1997's “Levitate” had been in the works for a while; Smith had signed off the tracklisting and there had been a trailer of sorts with a Record Store Day-only 7” of “Masquerade” in 2017. Given that the album had been in contractual limbo for quite some time with original vinyl copies fetching 3 figures on the open market, Cherry Red's first posthumous release felt like a public service, doing the right thing both by Smith and by the fans. Released towards the end of May 2018, the new 2CD/3LP edition was justly well received and some kindly reviews appeared with mostly positive re-evaluations of one of their most awkward albums. Hindsight benefits the record; if it sounds like they were falling to bits, it's because they were and now that we know not just what happened next but how the whole story of The Fall continued for another 20 years, it has context. For the record (Portugal), yr present author is no more fond of the album than she was 7 or 8 years ago but “Ol' Gang” has clicked into focus and the second disc puts those great b-sides from the “Masquerade” CD singles back onto the shelves so it would have to be considered necessary.

Less impressive was “58 Golden Greats”, released at the end of 2018. A 3CD set in a clamshell box, this was, in essence, an extended version of the classic “50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong” collection from 2004, extending the tracklist to cover the remainder(er) of the group's career. It actually expands on the original in other ways, adding several songs from the era covered in the original version; the puzzling omission of “Big New Prinz” is corrected for one thing and other singles are added such as “Oh! Brother” and “Dead Beat Descendent”. Perhaps Beggars Banquet were more co-operative this time. Whilst one could always quibble with any attempt at a Fall “best of”, yr present author was not taken with this one and my purse remained closed. 58 was an unwieldy number (why not a round 60?), the cover artwork – a spoof of a different Elvis Presley sleeve – was far from appealing and the entry-point value of “50,000...” was lost, a 3 disc set at £17 being too big a serving at too high a price for the merely curious. However, it looks as if I'm just flat-out in the wrong. As we'll continually see, Cherry Red aren't just experienced, they are also smart and do not lack savvy. I'm sat here keyboard-griping while “58 Golden Greats” is sold out. Enough said.

In 2019, Cherry Red announced the beginning of the Fall Sound Archive, the title of which gave the air of a mission to preserve The Fall's work for future generations. Inevitably, they were starting with 40th Anniversary editions of “Live At The Witch Trials” and “Dragnet”. There was early disappointment. The 3CD edition of “Live At The Witch Trials” contained the exact same music as the 2CD edition from 2004 but spread over three discs. Any thoughts that the decision at least preserved the sanctity of the original 11 song album were hampered by the 3CD edition of “Dragnet” containing, as disc 1, the exact same running order – with single and outtakes – as the 2004 CD edition. The other two discs were 2 of the little-loved “Live From The Vaults” series (of which, more later, sort of..). The archive was perhaps, not so deep.

However, the plus points were the vinyl editions, which had been hatched with obvious care. Using the rare US edition of “LATWT” with an alternate sleeve and revised running order was a clever touch and one that acknowledged that the Fall's audience would need something more than just a nice colour of vinyl before they indulged the album yet again. Similarly, “Dragnet” came with a reproduction 7” of “Rowche Rumble”, a record which originally came with the thinnest paper sleeve in the history of music. That's not to say that we didn't get coloured vinyl, oh we did - “LATWT” came of red vinyl to match the US sleeve and “Dragnet” on black and white “splatter” vinyl. These both sold well, sold quickly and sold out, now being tricky to score except on the Discogs etc market. But perhaps more to the point, they suggested that Cherry Red's experience and nouse would, at minimum, keep things interesting.

Later in 2019, the Kamera catalogue came under Cherry Red's microscope and it was another mixed set of releases. For CD buyers, a 6 disc set called “(1982)” was developed. This contained “Hex Enduction Hour”, “Room To Live” “Fall In A Hole” various single and live tracks and the “Live To Air In Melbourne” album which had previously snuck out in the late 90's when MES was broke. There was no new music to be had here at all – everything had previously been released. As such £40 was too rich a price tag for many and the edition is still easily available. The new vinyl edition of “Hex” was well particularly well presented. For the first time, the 60 minute LP was cut onto 4 sides of vinyl – a long overdue move, this did the album real justice on the format and would have to be considered an essential for those who insist on twelve-inch slabs of wax for their music. A pleasing, sturdy fold-out sleeve showed that corners were not being cut, the vinyl again matched the colour scheme of the artwork and it also came with an excellent reproduction of the sterling “Look, Know/I'm Into C.B.” 45. What spoiled it a little bit was the inclusion of a third LP with Peel Session #5 on one side and some of the live tracks from the 2005 Sanctuary 2CD on the other. All this really did was drive up the price – a double LP with the 7” would have been perfect and would have been less heavy on the purse *NB – this didn't stop me buying it – that's my copy in the picture...). “Room To Live” was given a vinyl reissue too, this time as a double LP with sides 3 and 4 being the live tracks from the 2005 Sanctuary edition. Again, this didn't quite feel like the right choice – an alternative idea would have been a single LP with a 7”. Given that the classic “Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul/Fantastic Life” single had been added to the popular, widely owned German pressing, why not add a repro of that instead? It would have cost less and added more value to the package.

Despite these whinges “(1982)” would have to be considered an elegant, practical solution to a latter-day problem and demonstrates why Cherry Red remain a market leader in catalogue reissues. Can you really sell compact discs of these albums yet again? How else do you present the music in this format? The answer to parcel the whole lot together and present it as a “year-in-the-life” was a smart one that was only hampered by an optimistic £40 price tag (which translated to as much as £58 in stores) and the artwork being based on “Hex” which could have given a more casual customer the notion that the set was Hex and 5 discs of “other” material. The bottom line here is that there is nothing else in the cupboard; as with the IAKO ballet and the Hey! Luciani play, fantasies about things like the unedited “Winter” and the full 20+ minute “And This Day” ever appearing are exactly that – fantasies. Were they ever preserved, they're gone and anything that did turn up, almost 40 years hence would likely be in such a state of degeneration as to be unlistenable. From now on, all that can be done is to keep this material out there and try to present it with a fresh angle. That's precisely what Cherry Red have done here.

Come 2020, come the challenge of reselling what is not just one of the most widely-distributed but also one of the worst Fall albums: “Reformation Post TLC”. Cherry Red stuck to type with a double LP pressed into blue and red coloured vinyl, again matching the colour to the sleeve. Undoubtedly a handsome package, this version was snapped up with some enthusiasm although it does seem that sales were likely harmed by coinciding with the early, uncertain, often panic-stricken days of the Covid-19 pandemic reaching the UK. The 4CD edition was daunting: the whole album and 2 CDs worth of outtakes and rough mixes, followed by the “Last Night At The Palais” CD. The “Last Night At The Palais” DVD was not included. Time has passed, time has healed and it is clear that RPTLC is a terrific EP stretched out beyond the energy of the participants. There is even a strong 40 minute single LP to be had within its contents but, hey it was what it was. With almost all of the unreleased mixes having no vocals, interest wears off before we got to the excellent live disc but, on the other paw, Cherry Red have done exactly what we want; it is highly unlikely that there is anything left from the album sessions; this is the whole lot, every scrap. Up to us now what we do with them.

****************************

Now, if you're thinking I've skipped something, you're right but the story of The Fall's posthumous discography is difficult to tell in a linear fashion. So I invite you, friends, to join me in a diversion. Cast your minds back to Record Store Day 2019.

Cherry Red played a good hand by releasing a new vinyl edition of the superb “Imperial Wax Solvent” album. As with “Levitate”, vinyl copies were going for silly money, Universal having allegedly pressed a mere 500 for the world. It was a shame that Cherry Red therefore added only another 500 copies, this time pressed into yellow vinyl. These were almost entirely snapped up on the day and copies of this edition are routinely offered at £50-60. “IWS” had, of course, been out of print since 2008, having been deleted less than 6 months after its release. As such the RSD edition of “IWS” could be said to have undersold the record somewhat. Unless, of course, a properly “available” edition, maybe with that unreleased original mix of the album was to follow at some point...more on that later.

Sadly, we must also wade through the other Fall releases that were curled out for RSD 2019. That will take us into Part 3...

#the fall #mark e smith #hex enduction hour #dragnet #live at the witch trials #reformation post tlc #1982 #room to live #craig scanlon #steve hanley #paul hanley #marc riley #karl burns #imperial wax solvent

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untitledscut · 5 years ago

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Nyashinki -Lucky You Album Review (9.5/10)

Nyashinski has dropped what is arguably the album of the year so far in Kenya, I mean it’s only April, but Lucky You is pound for pound a solid album. Given this is his first solo project, I know I know there were the albums with Kelptomaniax (M4E — Maniacs forever) and a catalog of very solid singles over the past 3 years ranging from Malaika to club bangers like Free, Finyo, and Aminia to name just a few. But Lucky You takes us to a different level of storytelling and maturity that we have not seen Nyash expose us to yet (hope he still goes by this name).

Greener — Prod by Nyashinski

The album starts with Greener which is a self-produced song by Nyash, In this song we see the classic Nyash using his voice as one of the chords and laces a more mellow flow. The song is about comparisons and as it goes the grass always looks greener on the other side. It's basically an intro to set course for what is to unfold in the rest of the album. The song is more of a statement of Nyash reminding us that people will always be comparing and whatever he does people will always have an opinion that may seem otherwise (the other side).

Sweet Aroma — Prod by K Da Great

I gotta admit this is one of my favorite songs in the album. The beat by just gives the song such musicality and the combination with Nyash almost laid-back effortless flow gives it such a good finish. The song is a celebration of his success, as he hints at his come back in the first verse and how some folks are not feeling his success — neighbors complaining. Reminds the haters that he’s here to stay and the future is really bright. He continues his celebration telling us how he’s now living in penhouses and how he is enjoying his time. Best hint “watu wakingonga cheers wakicelebrate, na-wish kimoja kingekuwa kinarotate”. Certainly, Nyash is not hiding his feelings to the world.

Glory — Prod by Desmond “$ire” Bosire

Certainly, the song has a west coast feel to it…the beat starts off feeling like you’re in a low rider. The song is loaded with punch lines. Starting off with the title itself Glory, almost an oxymoron here Nyash saying he gives God the glory while the fans/industry glorifies him. He goes off to offer his first dose, “mamember hurudi home na hope, Pastor anaenda na ganji” an all too familiar situation in prosperity gospel scenes. He continues to diss promoters “Small talk yukuwa job. Ubaya ni hailipangi. Nimemaintain najiskizia, msiniite kaamnikanji”, simply stating show me the money and save your talk. “Hi ni miracle baby, Naona nikamnanidare”, he again reminds us of his rebirth into the scene, funny wordplay to compare to Pastor Deya bring miracle babies. Another diss to haters or people who aren’t putting in work and just want to shine on others backs (slay queens) “Kama ushachange na unapewa lift, Sijui utakuwa nani ukibuy kibenz”. The rest of the song is another reminder of how Nyash has turned the industry on its ears.

Traveler — Prod by K Da Great

Another solid display of producer and artist chemistry. I’m beginning to think these two have found a working formula like Nyash and Cee-do. This is one of those pick-up songs…reminds me of a bonnie and Clyde but only for a night. Nyash is putting himself in a traveler’s shoes and he’s throwing game on the road. Telling the shorty, don’t worry you will just be another memory on my mind, coz tomorrow I’ll be gone. Reminds me of his line in Sauti Sols Short and Sweet “And by sunrise, I’m gone. I’m not here that long. Keep it short and sweet”.

G.O.A.T — Prod by K Da Great

By this track, I have stopped being surprised by the levels Nyasha and K Da Great have pushed the music quality. This song reminds me a lot of a Latin song but with a very nice tempo that makes it work so well for a rapper. Nyash takes us back to how he has inspired the industry and how he is still on top of his game hence the term G.O.A.T. A key mention is the comparison to the two groups Mushrooms and P-Unit both made up of several members like Nyash used to be in Klepto, but now he’s reviving the industry (Industry ilikuwa flat kila vital sign) as a single artist. Another reminder that Nyash is back and here to stay and gives a shout out to Sauti Sol at the end as another group that has shown longevity.

Time — Prod by K Da Great

If you are a fan of artists like J.Cole, this is one of those songs is very similar to forest hill drive tracks. Nyash goes a bit philosophical on the song, showing us he is thinking of his time on earth and how he wants to maximize his time. The first verse is all about the industry and how he struggles with trust. While the second verse is more personal, he's implying there is someone in his life who makes him open up a bit more, “All gangsta mpaka tucatch mafeelings, Alafu alafu, jealousy..”. As I said this is more of a J.Cole type vibe…reminds me of G.O.M.D.

Everyday — Prod by K Da Great

Another track that brings that other side of Nyash out that we saw in Malaika. He is probably longing to see his partner/soul mate, it seems like he is writing the track while on the road. He gives credit to the Mrs and how she saw his potential, “Uliona Bima mahali kulikuwa na bicycle”. He is longing to see her and it seems she came and changed his life around and he is hoping she says I do. I guess this song is inspired by the Mrs 😊.

Lucky You — Prod by K Da Great

This is one of those songs when the artist tries to show people how what you think of the artist may not always be true. He is struggling with fame, lack of privacy and all he does is under a microscope. Takes us back to the first song — Greener…where he lays the theme that it's not always what it seems from outside. “Najua fame kutoka far inakaa painless” and “Room iko overcrowded after shows. Matym mi nataka tu kudoz” are just a few of the lines that show his struggle. In the end he reminds people that he has worked hard for his current status and it’s not just luck. Taking us back to Kapuka days and how he’s among the last surviving artist from that era.

Wach Wach — Prod by Sam “Are” Ali

Another one of my favorites from the album, such an old school vibe, you find yourself just head bopping as the beat flows. He pays tribute to Makaveli on the track, as it is one of those cautious rap tracks citing the state of the government and the levels of thievery in our society. The second verse is giving advice on how to stay on point and stay on course and ends the song with Nyash reconfirming he’s on top of his game.

Too much — Prod by Sam “Are” Ali

This feels like one of those songs were Nyash was probably just in his zone and lets out his feels. The song is more about him being on the edge and warning folks not to try him out otherwise he will unleash that stress on them.

Fathela — Prod by Nyashinski

Nyash is back on the dials with a second self-produced song in the album. You can feel the coastal influence on his flow, as he gives prop to God/ Fathela (deep Sheng meaning Father). He also plays on the word, taking the role of the Fathela as he gives advice like a father does, Usije ukapenda za bure bure pekee. Atokee anayekupa cha bure kwake upoteen.

Flowers — Prod by Sam “Are” Ali

The album comes to a close with another sweet track that fuses some traditional African sound with a nice modern Afro-beat. Certainly, another song destined to be a big club banger with a very relaxed feel of high life music. Could almost be mistaken for a Safaricom themes advert (sorry just had to throw that in there).

Overall this is a solid album with a very good mix of afro-beat, some daring tracks, and lots of culturally relevant topics. Nyash has truly demonstrated his breath and growth in the music scene. Coming back from a hiatus to still be not just relevant but setting the pace in the scene. I would have loved to see a song or two by Ceedo as I think their partnership was fire. But we know artists need to show their growth by working with other producers and Nyash didn’t disappoint.

Untitled’s Cut — by the Untitled.

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carmenlire · 6 years ago

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Higher than the Big Trees Ch. 20

read on ao3

Alec slips the cufflinks through his jacket, giving his sleeves a brief tug. Looking in the mirror, he likes what he sees.

It’s not an unusual sight-- fuck knows that Alec has an entire section dedicated to formal wear. Everything from tuxedos and more adventurous suits to slacks, blazers, and a dozen classic suits in black and similarly neutral colors.

His look today wouldn’t be amiss on Wall Street. His modern fit suit is hand tailored to perfection. His silk button down is in a snowy white, offering a beautiful contrast between the pitch black of the jacket and pants. His Tom Ford belt gleams subtly and his oxfords shine.

As Alec goes back into his walk in closet, he flips his collar up. He has a business meeting with one of his sponsors today, hence the extra effort, and truth be told he doesn’t really mind. There’s something to be said for his sweaters and jeans but Alec enjoys dressing up on occasion.

How fortunate for him that he picked a career where there’s always a gala or awards show or party.

His tie rack is teeming with bow ties and ties in a hundred different colors and patterns. Alec forgoes the more adventurous options-- there’s a light blue one with penguins on it that he usually wears at least once during the winter-- choosing instead a dark maroon tie.

He starts tying a Half Windsor Knot on autopilot as he moves out of his closet and back into his bedroom. His meeting is slated to start at nine and it’s half seven now.

With one last look in the mirror and a half-assed effort to tame his already messy hair, he grabs his phone, wallet, and keys and heads out into the penthouse. He takes the leather portfolio that has some reports and information his lawyer had put together with him.

He has the place to himself-- Jace is at work and Izzy wanted to spend the morning at Uptown Java, something about wanting to read one of her medical books.

As he walks to the elevator, he checks his phone. He sees a text message from Magnus and unconsciously starts to smile. It’s Wednesday morning and this will be the third day that Magnus is out of the country. While Alec had thought that things might fizzle out a little this week as the physical distance between them grew, he was pleasantly surprised to see that they talk just as much, if not more, than when they’re both in the same city.

While there are long periods between texts, they’ve kept up the same thread since yesterday afternoon. It’s something about the merits and pitfalls of public transportation and Alec chuckles in the elevator as he reads Magnus’s tale about accidentally shutting his jacket in a taxi door as he was being dropped off from a night out-- and not realizing until the driver started leaving.

Dave isn’t due to arrive for another half an hour and with that in mind, Alec walks a few blocks over to the closest Starbucks. The line is almost to the door and he messes around on his phone while he waits, unobtrusive.

It never fails to surprise him. Alec’s been in secluded boutiques and been mobbed but New York barely bats an eye most of the time. Oh, he still meets fans regularly wherever he goes, but he can also do normal things. He can stand in line at Starbucks and not worry that he’ll cause a scene.

As he thinks about how lucky he is to live in the city, he guiltily thinks about the internet snafu with Magnus a couple of days ago.

He didn’t have an excuse. While it was early as shit-- not even six in the morning yet-- Alec had been awake, training with Jace. They’d just finished their five mile race, Alec winning, when he’d walked over to his bag. Taking a few gulps of water, he’d heard his phone start vibrating. It’d been far too early for anyone to be calling him and as he’d seen Magnus’s name come up on the screen, he’d been curious. He knew that Magnus was flying out today but he hadn’t thought it was so early.

Jace had sent him a quizzical look as he’d picked up the phone, swiping to accept the call. Alec had mouthed Magnus and Jace had raised his brows, smirking.

Rolling his eyes, he’d turned away and talked to Magnus as he waited to board his flight. They'd talked for almost forty minutes and it had been chill. There’d been a few silent stretches where neither one had anything to say and hadn’t thought of a new topic yet and it hadn’t felt awkward.

Really, it made Alec content. They were both just happy to relax on the line with each other. Halfway through the phone call, though, Alec had been a little stunned to realize that he wasn’t following Magnus on anything. Especially since Magnus followed him, apparently.

He’d thrown the phone on speaker and Jace had been all ears at being the first to know what Alec’s new friend sounded like. Thankfully, Magnus had realized he was on speaker pretty quick and there hadn’t been any potential blackmail on the phone call for Jace to commit to memory.

Alec had went to Twitter first, following and liking a few tweets. His profile picture looked like it was taken in an office, dark wood walls serving as the background. He had a few thousand followers and Alec liked the mix of trivia, mundane observations, and photos.

Instagram was the same, though Alec couldn’t resist commenting on a few posts. When Magnus had told him that he regularly practiced yoga and was actually a certified instructor, Alec had almost swallowed his tongue. It was one thing just to be told that, however, and quite something else to see Magnus doing a One Handed Tree Pose (he looked it up) in nothing but form fitting black boxer briefs.

It was obvious that Magnus kept in shape but seeing him post a few workout videos not only got Alec a little hot under the collar, but genuinely made him interested in working out together. While he liked to work out alone, he also enjoyed having a partner. Alec thinks that there could be a little friendly competition going on between them and it’d be fun to see just how evenly matched they were.

Alec orders and pays with little fanfare, still marveling at how stupid he’d been. Or, not even stupid-- he’d just been oblivious for the first time in years.

Alec knows that his life is under a microscope, that the daily minutiae that is deeply uninteresting about everyone else is fascinating when it’s about him. He should’ve foreseen that his fans-- smart as hell and twice as tenacious-- would immediately noticed that he followed someone on not only one, but two platforms.

Alec might dedicate a lot of time to his fans but he’s also intensely private when it counts. He follows less than a thousand people and rarely adds to the number. His fans hadn’t wasted a minute.

After hanging up with Magnus, Alec had gone right back to working out with Jace who had mock scowled at him for taking so long. He’d just shrugged, a little helpless, and Jace had just shaken his head, clapping him on the back as they took their positions to spar a little.

When Jace had finally finished with him, he’d flopped down next to the mats and asked Jace to toss his phone over to him. Jace had gone over to their shit and in true brother fashion had unlocked his phone, scrolling through his notifications. He always acted like a kid, as if Alec wasn’t perfectly aware of what he signed up for when he asked Jace the favor but he just laid on the floor, catching his breath while Jace invaded his privacy.

After a minute or two Jace had handed the phone over, merely saying, “I never get used to how many notifications you have.”

Alec wasn’t in the mood to deal with it, so he’d just opened his messages, confirming lunch plans with Izzy and getting caught up on a few emails and calls.

He’d finally checked his phone in the early afternoon after lunch and had been surprised at the number of engagements. Even for him, it was high. When he’d tapped into the apps and seen the root of the damage, though, he’d wanted to kick himself.

He should’ve known.

He’d texted Magnus as soon as he put the pieces together, hoping that his few moments messing around on social media wouldn’t be the end of things between them. Alec’s very cognizant of the fact that his life isn’t for anyone and he’d promised Magnus discretion two weeks ago. This was the very definition of indiscreet.

He’d sweated it out, knowing that Magnus was still flying. He’d spent a couple of hours preoccupied, distracting himself with fine tuning the song he and Catarina had worked on. Thankfully, Magnus had understood and he’d ended up abandoning his song for almost an hour as he texted Magnus in a flurry.

Alec had taken the rest of the afternoon afterwards, messing around on his piano until the sun started fading and he was playing more by feel than sight. He’d finished the day cooking dinner for the three of them and Clary, retiring back to his bedroom by eight and falling asleep reading.

Alec’s pleased to realize that his writer’s block is officially over. All of those months of trying to string two sentences together, not finding the right chords or note runs and it seems to be a thing of the past. He’s not churning them out but he’s making steady progress. In addition to the collab with Cat and his song tentatively titled Angel, he has two or three others that are brewing in the back of his mind.

He’d really just been fucking around on his piano, a Steinway & Sons K-132. It had been one of his first large purchases and it’d been ages since he’d had time to play for fun, trying out chords and arrangements or playing some of his favorite pieces for pure, simple enjoyment.

The past few days had been quiet, especially without Magnus to potentially see. He’s spent that time writing half a dozen songs. While he wasn’t concentrating too much on the content-- really he was just writing whatever came to mind-- the tone was undeniable.

His last album had racked up the awards for being gritty, dark. He’d written about the price of fame, about one night stands and one city lovers and jaded ennui. There’d been one or two softer songs-- one he’d collaborated with another artist for, another that he’d written with Jace and Clary in mind-- but overall, An Arrow in the Dark had been cynical and cutting with an overlay of sensuality that the public had loved.

So far, this album looked to be forming as the total opposite. The songs were softer, sweeter, and Alec couldn’t help but notice that he was drawing on these burgeoning feelings inside him for source material. He thought of how easy things were with Magnus, how much he was enjoying making a new friend and learning about an incredibly interesting man. Then there were those fucking butterflies that wouldn’t leave him alone when they touched accidentally or he learned something else entirely endearing about Magnus.

He’d say Magnus was his muse but their arrangement was too platonic for that. You couldn’t write an entire album about a friend, after all. He refuses to look too closely at the fact that the only real thing that's changed to break his block is meeting Magnus. He doesn't think he could handle it-- not with everything else the man brings out in him.

As Alec walks back to the front of his building, he sees Dave pull up right on time. Dave gets out and heads to the rear door of the Lincoln town car, nodding as Alec approaches.

“Right on time, Alec. That’s what I like to see.”

Mock affronted, Alec holds out one of his coffee cups as he asks, “When am I ever not on time?”

Dave doesn’t respond, just hums as he accepts the drink and takes an appreciative sniff.

“Vanilla latte, my favorite.”

“You’ve been my driver for almost eight years. I would hope I’d have your order memorized by now,” he says, grinning.

Alec climbs into the back seat and spends a few minutes relaxing. The upcoming meeting wasn’t anything intense but his lawyer, Underhill, wanted to pin some numbers down and Alec wanted to brush up on the details before they walked into the boardroom.

He opens the portfolio, taking out a few handouts and skimming them as a refresher. He’d gone over everything when it was first sent but it never hurts to review things one more time.

Alec had a healthy relationship with sponsors. There were those for his tours but also a handful of companies that wanted his name and his face on their products. This morning’s meeting was to discuss a renewal of his Nike contract and Alec was looking forward to it. While the company might be sweating a little, Alec and Underhill had already talked things through and knew that they’d be walking out of the room partners for another two years regardless of Nike's offer today.

Traffic is brutal as ever in the early morning rush hour and Alec almost spills his coffee twelve times, taking ill-timed sips just when traffic slows to a stop. Still, Dave knows what he’s doing and they make it to the corporate offices with ten minutes to spare.

He gets out, without assistance, and waves Dave off with a mutual confirmation to return at two.

As he walks towards the glass and steel doors, he sees a familiar figure walking towards him.

“Hey, Alec,” Underhill says as he nears. His five thousand dollar suit looks impeccable and he look ready to do business.

“Morning, man. How’s Adrian,” Alec asks as the two move in for a handshake.

Underhill turns towards the doors, smiling and opening the one closest to him, gesturing for Alec to go through first as he answers.

“Adrian’s great. We have a vacation planned for next month in Aspen. He’s already got a dozen trails mapped out for us to try.”

“Yeah? Are you still going through with it?”

The two of them share a knowing look as the secretary calls for her boss.

Looking both giddy and unnerved, Underhill smiles. “Of course. I’ve had the ring for six damn months. I think it’s time that I actually used it.”

Alec claps him on the back just as one of Nike’s lawyers meets them in the reception area. There are a round of handshakes before they’re being guided to one of the conference rooms.

The room is utilitarian. Four walls of glass show a large conference table where six people are already sitting.

Underhill has shed his easy going demeanor. Instead, he looks serious, ready to do business and get Alec the best deal possible.

There are no pleasantries and as the three of them take their seats, Alec opens his notes up, face impassive.

He may not have gone to college, but he’s no slouch. He knows that Underhill has his best interests at heart-- has for four years now-- but you don’t get to be in Alec’s position without being screwed over a time or two, in both his personal and professional life. Alec spends not an inconsiderable time reading up on a variety of topics on a routine basis. Among those are music, business, and law. He may not be ready for his LSATS but he’s read through every piece of business that crosses him. The terms they’ve offered are a fair counterpoint to what Nike had initially given them and the next few hours promise to be lively if nothing else.

Underhill remains cool under pressure, no less intimidating for being one against six. While Underhill had his own firm with a range of junior partners, interns, and paralegals, he was always Alec's representative.

The room breaks after a few hours, reaching a bit of a stalemate. The opposing team offers it as an excuse for a quick bite to eat but when Alec’s and Underhill’s eyes meet, they know the truth.

They're going to the other partners to see if they can accept the new deal.

The two of them go to a close cafe where they each get a smoothie, drinking them as they walk around a park across the street. They return to the room when the thirty minutes are up.

Everyone sits down and it’s quiet for a minute before the partner in charge of this deal stands, buttoning his suit jacket, before reaching a hand out first to Alec and then Underhill.

“I’m pleased to say that the other partners agreed that the proffered terms are acceptable. We’ve reached an agreement and are pleased to announce that you’ll be partnered with our company for the next two years, continuing our contract without issue."

As he hears the words, Alec stands and there’s a few minutes as he and Underhill shake everyone’s hands. Alec is given a Montblanc pen and scrawls his signature a dozen times on a contract as thick as a book.

Just a few minutes later, they’re leaving. They wait until they reach the sidewalk before looking at each other and laughing, half relief and half pure amusement.

“Our terms were hard and I have to say that I’m a little surprised that Nike accepted them. You’re getting eighteen percent more up front with a two percent rise in your kickbacks. They must really like you.”

Alec shrugs, playing coy. Though really, he’s surprised at their luck, too.

“You know how much buzz they got for signing an openly gay man to represent their company. Those commercials went viral as soon as they were released. I am proud of you, though! They definitely thought we were going to back down first.”

Underhill shakes his head. “If only they knew that we would have accepted what they offered last week.”

Laughing, Alec says, “Another win for us.”

He takes a step back and looks at his watch, sees Underhill do the same.

Underhill waves his briefcase a little, saying, “I’ve got to head back to the office and file these. Plus, I think I’m going to try to meet Adrian for a late lunch. I’ll talk to you later but you should be good for the next few weeks on everything from my end.”

Alec nods, taking out his phone. “Sounds great man. Thanks for today-- you crushed it.”

The two of them smile at each other before heading off in opposite directions. Looking down at his phone, Alec sees that they let out about forty minutes early and he calls Dave to let him know that he’s not needed.

Alec takes the opportunity to do a little shopping. He’s not the most avid shopper but once in a while when he has some free time, he likes to kill some by poking into stores. He usually just ends up buying stuff for everyone else but it’s a nice way to spend an afternoon every six months.

He ends up buying a necklace for Izzy and phone case for Jace who insists on never using one despite the fact that he’s had to replace his iphone at least twice this year alone.

It’s calming, really. Alec spends most of his time with people, though he gets his fair share of time solo. There’s just something about walking around a city alone-- even his hometown-- that makes him feel like just Alec, anonymous. A free agent.

He’s walking down the street, heading towards the subway station, when he sees a cameraman headed his way. Sighing internally, he resolutely keeps walking.

“Hey man, it’s TMZ. How are you doing today?"

Alec smiles but it’s his public smile. Which isn’t to say that he doesn’t genuinely enjoy some interviews and promo. But sometimes there are certain reporters, or companies, that he’s not a fan of and so he has to use his public persona a bit more.

“I’m good, man. What about you,” he responds easily.

“Can’t complain. What do you have there?” He aims his camera at the few bags in Alec’s hand. There’s one from a jeweler’s, another from a small boutique, and a last bag from an independent bookstore around the corner.

Shrugging, Alec says, “Nothing much, just doing a little shopping.”

“Who are you shopping for, Lightwood? Do you have a special someone that you’re buying gifts for?”

Alec looks at him drolly. “My sister.”

TMZ guy nods along, still looking like he’s going to get the scoop. “We heard you followed someone on Instagram this week. What about him?”

Inside, Alec seethes but he keeps the bland expression pasted on his face as he continues walking. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think his name is Magnus? He’s a professor?”

Hoping the camera doesn’t pick up on his clenching jaw, Alec returns, “He’s a friend I met a few weeks ago.”

“Oh? Is that all there is or should we be worried that the music scene’s most eligible bachelor is finally taken?”

Alec smiles, though it feels more like a grimace. “No, I’m still single and unattached. There’s nothing going on there except friendship.” No matter how much I might want that to change.

The reporter looks at him like he’s digging for more information before turning to another topic. “What about your music? With your tour wrapping up, do you already have plans for your next album?”

Here, Alec can relax. The tension eases out of him at the familiar question. This, he knows. He grins a little but still remains facing forward as he approaches a crosswalk.

“I’m just in the studio seeing what we have. Every album has a different vibe and I’m having fun coming up with the concept for number seven.”

“Can you tease anything?”

Alec thinks for a minute. The words are on the tip of his tongue but he bites them back as he thinks about possible repercussions. In the end though, he decides to go for it. Even if he ends up completely scrapping what he has so far, this is where he’s at right now. Plus, it’s never too early to start building buzz.

“I think this album will be the best I’ve ever written.”

“Yeah? Why is that?”

“I’m experiencing something new for the first time in ages and I can’t help but write about what I’m going through. I think this album will explore a source bank I’ve never tapped into before.”

“What’s new with you?”

Alec declines to answer as the reporter asks a few more leading questions. After a minute, the TMZ guy backs off, throwing out a goodbye.

Alec returns it and continues on his way home.

He makes it back to his apartment twenty minutes later. The sun is starting to dip in the sky and the penthouse is washed in golden light. He sees Izzy on her phone in the living room. She looks up as he enters.

“Hey, hermano.”

“Hey, Iz.”

He tosses one of the bags at her and she stills for a moment before sitting up and opening it. When she takes out the necklace, she studies it for a few minutes. It’s a double tiered piece. The top is a choker but the second layer falls down, several inches longer. It’s gold with different colored stones every few centimeters. It’s colorful and unique and perfectly his sister.

Izzy must agree because she’s grinning. As Alec nears her, she leans over and hugs his middle.

“Thanks, Alec. I love it and can’t wait to show it off. You didn’t have to, though, you know that right?”

Alec just looks at her. “That’s half the fun of shopping for me. You know that. I saw this in the storefront and felt like spending money. It works out for both of us.”

Alec sits on the other end of the couch and the two of them relax in the quiet for a little while, both on their phones. It’s a companionable silence and one that Alec misses when he’s on the road.

After a while, though, Izzy looks up, excited. “You know what we should do?”

Alec doesn’t answer, remaining engrossed on a game on his phone.

Izzy kicks him and he groans before asking, “What.”

“We should go out tonight!”

lec must not look enthused with the idea because she glares at him. “What? It’s been a month since you last went out-- when’s the last time that happened?”

Alec opens his mouth to argue but abruptly closes it, realizing that she’s right. Alec might like to stay home with his book or piano but he also likes having a good time and usually goes out at least once a week. There are periods when he’s parties for days on end, passing out just to go out again a few hours later. Huh. This is different.

As he thinks, Alec just pictures Magnus. They’d only hung out a few times but any time spent with him was valuable and there was no contest between talking to Magnus or going out to the latest club.

A friend shouldn’t affect him like this. A friend shouldn’t change his patterns so thoroughly and so gently that Alec doesn’t even notice-- doesn’t even care.

Decision made, Alec looks over at Izzy and nods. “Alright, then. We’ll go out. Is everyone going?”

Rolling her eyes, Izzy stands up. “What do you think I was doing on my phone? Clary has an art class that runs late tonight but Jace can go.” She smiles as she starts walking toward her bedroom. “It’ll just be the three of us, like old times. Now I have to go get ready. We’ll head out at ten?”

She doesn’t wait for confirmation, just goes to her room, shutting the door with a resounding click.

Alec finishes the text he was writing to Magnus, relaxing against the couch as he presses send.

It had been ages since just the three of them went out. There was always a date or Clary or friends or it was for a special occasion. While Alec hadn’t planned on going out tonight, the idea doesn’t sound hideous. He’ll go, have a few drinks, dance with a few people.

Maybe this is what he needs. He needs to shake Magnus. Maybe if he meets someone else, he won’t be so hung up on Magnus’s eyes and his intelligence and his everything. He needs a distraction.

Maybe if he gets laid Magnus won’t get under his skin so damn much.

Alec stands up, stretching his back.

If Magnus is just his friend then by God Alec will get this thing out of his system one way or another. Something's gotta give and Alec is a master at distraction when he needs to be.

That thought in mind, he heads to his room.

He needs to get ready.

#I hope you like this!!!!!!<3 #httbt #my writing #malec fic #malec au #malec wip

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terranceford-phd · 2 years ago

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Digitalizing Pulpits & Pews

[Lecture Narrative]

The Peanuts cartoon characters, Lucy and Linus were looking out the window at a steady downpour of rain. Lucy says, "Boy," "look at all that rain. What if it flood the whole world?" "It will never do that," replies Linus. "In Genesis 9, God promised Noah that it would never happen again, and the sign of that promise is the rainbow." "You've taken a great load off my mind," says Lucy with a relieved smile. Linus replies, "Sound theology has a way of doing that." (Stevenson 4)

We began a determination to think through and develop a manageable Theology of Technology in the lecture narrative titled by that same name. The reason for such an endeavor is to take a load off your mind (by putting it on your mind) how we ought to view and even use technology as Christians.

In that discourse we established a few foundational things:

First was that at its core, theology is merely: How a person views aspects of creation, in light of the Creator.

Secondly we derived that technology is simply tools that provide ways and means of doing things faster and/or differently.

Finally, we made it abundantly clear that God does not need technology to be God!

This monograph brings into the discussion some practical and pragmatic applications for our new theology of technology. Hence, the key developmental question to this whole thing is:

How should we as Christians USE technologies in light of the Creator of the Universe?

But if you don’t mind, can I cut to the white meat and the comeback for the skin? The guiding principle when it comes to the use of technology for ministry and spiritual growth is this: God will not judge our technology…but He will judge what we do with our technology!

Remember that technology is merely a tool or extension of what we use to accomplish an action or do a deed! Someone illustrated it like this. They said that

“Our modern inventions are little more than the enlarging or elongating of our own faculties and organs. The telephone is the extension of our voice and of our neighbor’s ear; the bicycle the lengthening of our legs so that we reach 2000 feet instead of two; the telescope and microscope enlarge our vision so that we see 5 million miles instead of five” (Funk 318)

And just as Ecclesiastes 1 informed us last night that there is nothing new under the sun, Ecclesiastes 12 concludes by reminding us that God will bring every act to judgement (even that which is hidden) whether good or evil.

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (English Standard Version, Eccles. 12.13-14)

And therefore, technology is neither good nor evil, but the deeds done with technology can be either good or evil…God will judge the act, not the tech!

Let me explain it like this: Is a leather bound Bible good or bad? We call it the “Good Book” not because it is a book, but because of what’s in the book. What if, within this same leather cover, were spells of witchcraft or profane lyrics to song? Would you still consider this a good book? It’s not the book, but what is in the book. What’s in the book is the deed of the writer and God will judge the writer for what has been written and the doer for what has been done—regardless of the technology used to do it!

Recollect that technology merely allows us to do deeds faster, enhanced, or with more convenience…but it is still the deed itself which makes the difference. Just as “the book”—a ‘once upon a time’ technological advancement—this iPad—a modern technological advancement—allows us to do many things faster and with more convenience. And as a mere tool, it can be used for good or for evil. It can be a tool used to radicalize domestic terrorists OR it can be a tool used to evangelize sinners unto salvation. It is not the technology that is good or evil, it’s the deeds done with technology that God will judge. Just as a knife can take a life or save a life…technology can be used for good or for evil. As believers, it’s our theology of technology which informs us that however we use it, God will judge us accordingly. So, view technologies as tools given to us to do the will of God faster and more efficiently! A 13th century French proverb says: “A bad workman blames his tools”. But this Ecclesiastes statement wisely reminds us that God will judge our works—not our tools!

Now I can hear some of you thinking,

“That’s why I don’t fool with all of that technology stuff!”

You know what? Jesus knew you would say that! That’s the attitude He was talking about in Luke 5 when Jesus explained that:

37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’” (Lu 5.37-39) {KJV says they say: ‘The old is better.’}

Believe it or not, if that is your mindset, you are in some interesting company. Socrates—the highly revered ancient philosopher—was adamantly against the “then” new technology of writing! He felt that face-to-face oral communication was the only way to transmit knowledge and that writing would be detrimental to memory and minds. But the irony is that we would not have knowledge of anything Socrates ever said, if Plato had not written it down and preserved it for future generations! So, do not be dismissive of new technologies just because you are used to the old! For what you consider to be “old school” was once upon a time “new school” too!

Now let’s get to the skin of the game! William Gibson—a Canadian American speculative fiction writer—says that “The future is already here – it’s just unevenly distributed” (Gibson 152).

Perhaps that is no more evident than in the church and Christendom. Technologically, the Church tends to play a lot of “catch up”. However, this recent pandemic has exposed just how wide the digital gap is for many congregations. But truth be told, church pulpits and pews are becoming more and more digitized every day. It’s my particular scholarship interest to be a contributor to the study and effective advancement this “ancient meets modern” phenomenon. So from this point on, allow me to expose more of the ‘scholar’ in me, and highlight a few aspects of the unstoppable movement that is digitalizing pulpits and pews.

DIGITALIZING: WORSHIP

A new paradigm which highlights the trajectory of digitalizing worship is The “Hybrid Church Model”

This is the combination of an online presence and in-person gatherings that occurs simultaneously! The theology of this technology model to be considered is not only the benefits and quality of the digital experience and opportunity to reach a larger number of engagers—but what’s the strategy to ensure that the experience is personal, relational, and ministerial to those encountering it virtually? In other words, how can those who are online, access the same level of engagement for spiritual growth as those who are in-person.

HOW ABOUT THIS: For communion, send someone from the ministerial staff and their family worship at the home of an elderly member with them. And allow them to administer communion to them via Zoom and broadcast it on the big screen in church (real-time). So instead of them watching the assembled congregation online, the assembled congregation can interactively worship with them during a sacred moment. That’s just one way in which a theology of technology can guide your endeavors of digitalizing worship and the church.

DIGITALIZING: THE PULPIT

As it pertains particularly to preaching or homiletic oratory, there are four primary areas which I consider to be entry points for effectual digitalizing by the pulpiteer.

Preparation – This is where the proclaimer effectively use computerized study tools (such as Logos, Accordance) as well as internet resources in the preparation of spiritual food intended to feed the flocks of Christ.

Proclamation – In this area, the tech savvy homilist prudently, proficiently, and purposefully use digital tools and resources to serve the bread of life—without compromising its nutritional value!

Perpetuation – This is the sphere of technology wherein the Bible expositor strategically use digital resources to mobilize and spread the gospel message beyond the initial preaching moment and setting (think of it as ‘Uber Eats’ for sermons).

Preservation – The future-minded preacher intentionally and digitally archive your sermonic recipes. These clergy think not only about capturing their orations in the moment, but preserving their unique sermonic flavor for generations to come.

DIGITALIZING: THE PEWS

Now with regard to digitalizing the pews and tools for those who occupies them. In an effort to highlight a very narrow focus on this idea, let’s begin by simply acknowledging the fact that social media is in essence the new public square, and therefore it’s a new field for both public and personal evangelism. So then for the layperson in the pews, a great digitalized opportunity for personal evangelism exists right there on your social media platform.

Think about it. A mission field for evangelistic outreach is your social media FRIENDS & CONTACTS—not necessary the thread of posts and tweets itself. Here’s the challenge!

Intentionally set a goal each week to personally inbox at least 5 people in your social media contacts, and simply ask them “how can you pray for you, today?” Don’t do a general post or retweet a clever meme. Inbox them; use their name; reference something personal you remember about them. You are tilling the ground by asking the question how you can pray for them. After that, follow the conversation’s path and interactions and watch God work!

So those are just a few ideas to strategically leverage technology for ministry. And imagine, we’ve not even scratched the surface of what digitalizing pulpits and pews will allow us to do better and faster than we ever have before! My prayer is that you will use your thoughtful theology of technology to further digitalize the pulpits & pews in your sphere of ministry and perhaps begin or extend the technological reach of your faith into the realms of activism in social justice or support for mental health. God is certainly at work in this technological age, so let’s get our technology to work for Him!

WORKS CITED

ESV Study Bible. English Standard Version, Crossway, 2016.

Funk, I. K., ed. The Homiletic Review. Vol. 10. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1885.

Gibson, William. "The future is already here–it’s just not evenly distributed’." The Economist 4.2 (2003): 152.

Stevenson, John T. “Studies in the Doctrines of the Bible.” Angelfire, John Stevenson Publications, 2008, https://www.angelfire.com/nt/theology/Doctrines.pdf

#sermonic #scholarly #digitalstudies

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postsantablog · 5 years ago

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FROM THERE TO HERE - AND FROM HERE TO THE UNIVERSE FORTH

Curator Panu Johansson's thoughts about the media art pieces in the Young Arctic Artists exhibition of 2019

The third incarnation of The Young Arctic Artists exhibition is currently displayed in Gallery Napa and Studio Mustanapa in Rovaniemi, Finland. The theme for this year's exhibition is the Transmission of Knowledge and the show contains works from altogether eight artists around the Northern Hemisphere. The exhibition has been curated by yours truly in cooperation with Ninni Korkalo. In the following writing I will introduce some of the media artworks of the exhibition. Simultaneously I'll try to open up their background slightly and also present some of the thoughts they have managed to provoke.

The first piece of the exhibition greets the spectator already before arriving to the gallery space. Norwegian artist Guro Rex's video work The Universe Is Da Club is displayed on the gallery window. Short video loop documents an event where a young woman, dressed in the Norwegian national costume, pops up a bottle of champagne. What pops up on the screen after this, is the title of the piece on cheesy gradient letters. It feels almost as if the piece is asking: Are you glad to be alive today? Maybe you should, 'cos this particular space and time, this cosmos, is the place to be.

vimeo

The world of Guro Rex continues downstairs in the first room of Gallery Mustanapa. Firstly the space contains a monitor, where several videoworks are running on a loop. Secondly, on the walls there are a few examples of a somewhat autobiographical email project that the artist is running. And most importantly, this project is something that everyone can participate in. All you need to do, is send a message saying ‘what is love baby don’t hurt me’ to [email protected] and voilà – you will soon start to receive gallery spaces right in to your inbox!

The same personal voice of the author can be heard in the presented videoworks. They are an interesting mixture of just about everything, as if they were results of continuous creative explosions. As a spectator they make you anxious: you have a feeling nearly anything could follow. The colourful mixture of numerous elements create associations towards Jacolby Satterwhite and the continuous poses maybe a hint of Pipilotti Rist, but above all these works seem to be influenced by the current world of online videos on social media.

The ingredients of the videos are familiar, but they are somehow exaggerated so that the result becomes completely overloaded – and fun. The hand-held camera seems to suffer from a chronic shiver, images are transitioned with a very lofi pixelated crossfades and somewhat unrelated clip art animation loops just keep on appearing. Fairly cheap looking background templates are also in frequent use. The videos are mostly concentrated on a person or two, who speak or perform straight to the camera. Sometimes the outcome resembles a video diary, other times a performance. Expressions are unashamedly overstated and voices are often pitched either helium high or extremely low. The chit-chat rolls around topics we all know, from various ”projects” to why ”I'm better than him, they just haven't discovered me yet”.

vimeo

As mentioned, these elements are something that we all know, but it's also important to emphasise that these videos are not plain parodies, nor critique. They clearly benefit from being exhibited in large numbers, because this way it becomes obvious that they are rather parts of the personal expression – or dare I say universe – that the artist has created. Of course it easy to draw links and connections to many directions. For example, one could say that these videos reflect how the artist is looking at our own time through a distinctive prism and simultaneously manages to capture something that is culminating right now. This could very well be the case and that might partially create their charm. One the other hand, their appeal may simply come from the fact that this universe actually is _the_club - and nuff said with that!

https://vimeo.com/gurorex

The Norwegian Sámi artist Elina Waage Mikalsen presents a piece called “Mun bijan iežan beallji ránu beallji vuostá / I put my ear next to the looms ear” in the exhibition. The author defines the work as a sonic loom and that is indeed quite an apt description. During the exhibition the actual piece is displayed in two different contexts. First Waage Mikalsen performed with the piece at the exhibition opening and throughout the rest of the exhibition period the piece is displayed with a running audio loop that was recorded from this performance. Both forms also stand independently on their own feet, hence you can enjoy the exhibited piece without seeing the opening performance.

Elina Waage Mikalsen performing at the exhibition opening. Photo by Kaisa-Reetta Seppänen

The artefact of the piece is an old loom that used to belong to the author’s grandmother. For the piece the artist has modified the old device in a way that it has become something completely else: an instrument. Where there used to be weft threads, there are now strings. These strings are then bent with rocks whose weight tightens them and makes them playable. During the performance Waage Mikalsen also placed several mics around the object to capture the sound of the strings but also the resonances, tones and noises from the object itself. Further on, these sounds were yet modified with electronic effects.

Photo by: Kaisa-Reetta Seppänen

The cultural background of the piece lies in the Sea Sámi culture around the area of Olmmáivággi/Manndalen, where the author’s Sámi roots are located. This area has maintained a rare handicraft tradition of vertical loom, which is the type the loom of the piece also represents. These looms are used to weave multipurpose textiles called as rátnu. Previously used in various purposes in everyday life, today these textiles are more of a decorative. The making these handicrafts was traditionally concerned to be an area of women, and they were sometimes made also together in groups.

The audio of the piece lasts about ten minutes. It starts off with clacks of wood and scraping of the strings. Delay and reverb are apparent right from the start as well. As the works moves ahead, slowly but steadily more and more electronic particles start to appear in the sonic architecture. At one point the strings really start to vibrate and the intensity clearly grows. Banging of the stones can also be heard in the background.

During the last minutes of the audio the author's own singing voice sneaks in to the aural landscape. Do you know the moment when a piece all of a sudden comes beautifully together - when all just clicks? With this work, this is that moment. It is intriguing how this one additional element turns out to be the last piece of the puzzle, that nails the whole. The presence, that is already in the piece, suddenly becomes somehow audible, materialises. But whose presence is that? Is the voice a howl through times, from the past to the present? Or is it the other way around - from here to there? Or perhaps it's both at the same time? In any case one could say that in the piece several elements and their presence overlap in a natural, unforced way. That is: the presence of the author at this time and the strong presence of the history through the artefact. Thirdly there is the soundscape which reflects both today and the past and thus ties these two delightfully together.

Overall, the associations that the works creates in different directions are compelling. Bent strings of course point towards the world of traditional tonal music. When listening the piece, particularly Finnish group Memnon comes to my mind. However, to be precise this piece is not about that. It is neither a collage nor musique concrète which use old archival recordings to create new entities. Nor is it the type of experimental music, which is based on sole experimenting with the technology. Instead of all this this, I would say that this piece is a fascinating effort to interpret the material culture of the past and a soundscape related to it in a completely new way – to put one's own ear carefully against the loom's ear – and place it in the new framework of contemporary art.

https://vimeo.com/elinawaage

https://soundcloud.com/elina-waage-mikalsen

Guro Rex's pieces are not the only ones located in the Gallery Mustanapa. The large backroom of the gallery contains a two channel video installation In Silico by Laura Heuberger, who is a Swiss/Italian artist currently living in Northern Sweden. The title of the piece is an expression, which means “performed on a computer” or “via computer simulation”.

Photo by: Janne Jakola

The piece starts off with a monologue that addresses someone, perhaps the spectator, straightforwardly. The voice is soft and gentle, although the timbre sounds slightly like a machine:

“Hi. Please make yourself comfortable...I never know what to say in these situations. I'm very quiet sometimes. I'd usually rather listen...What's the best icebreaker you've heard? Once, I had someone approaching me with one of those very cheesy pickup lines. It was so weird...I like travelling, seeing new places, meet new people...But it's been a while ago. Now I'm here.”

As the piece advances the viewer travels through different micro- and macrocosms on the screens. Visions that unfold could be sometimes interpreted as pulsating stars and planets orbiting in space, other times as bustling bacteria and other microorganisms under a microscope. The flow of water or other liquid is also a reoccurring theme. The images are accompanied by occasional glimpses of peaceful ambient soundscapes.

On the audio track the aforementioned chat evolves into a long string of topics that reminisce old childhood memories, personal diary notes and philosophical pondering about the nature of existence. But not without interruptions. What takes turns with the gentle voice number one in the audio track, is a second voice, which is clearly synthetic. With a very dull intonation this second voice goes through conditions and details, which would allow a human mind to be simulated. In contrast to the previous personal touch, the overtone of the second voice is clearly formal and academic. That is not a surprise, since the parts spoken by this voice no.2 have been quoted from the article Are You Living in a Computer Simulation? by the Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom.

What Bostrom is claiming in the article has become known as the simulation argument. Basically what he is saying is, that in the future as the computing power increases the simulation of the human brain might be possible. Bostrom does not claim that we are currently living in a simulation. However, he argues that there are three different unlikely scenarios, out of which one is almost certainly true:

1. Mankind will never evolve to a level where human mind can be simulated.

2. Or then it does, but for some reason – such as ethical or simply a lack of interest – this kind of technology will never be taken in use.

3. Or, we are currently living in a simulation.

The idea that the whole reality as we perceive it is just an illusion, is of course not new. Already Plato presented The Allegory of The Cave that aptly demonstrates how our view of the existence could be only one out many possible. Also the Chinise philosopher Zhuangzi has introduced the famous dream argument, which has also been called “The Zhuangzi Paradox”. According to it we can't really say weather the whole reality is actually just a dream or not. The idea of the reality being simulated or otherwise artificial is also a common theme in Sci-Fi. Already in 1977 Philip K Dick presented that we are living inside a computer simulation. Still, I would say that the modern simulation theories are simply mind boggling.

If the reality around us can be just a simulation or a dream, how do we truly know what’s real? I guess the answer is, that we profoundly don't. But on the other hand: if something feels real, isn't it real - even at some level? And what is “real” anyway - how do you define it? What is the opposite of real? False, unreal, bogus or artificial? Are the stories in the piece real? Does it matter?

Photo by: Laura Heuberger

One of the biggest merits of In Silico is pointing out the vagueness of the border between something authentic and synthetic, real and unreal. It is almost impossible to define it - let alone in a universal way. Another important question that the work touches is the way we are accustomed to outline the situation. You have to be this or that: true or fake. Is this kind of starting point - a dichotomy - even a valid way to describe the actual situation? When talking about simulated reality, most people will probably go over to top and think of something like The Matrix. If something like this is even remotely the case, is a completely different thing. More probable is that this kind of simple reality/illusion juxtaposition is a man made concept. The validity of our reality can certainly be questioned, but a good way to begin the process might be to concentrate on our start off assumptions first.

http://www.lauraheuberger.com

http://www.lauraheuberger.com/#In_Silico

Young Arctic Artists exhibition is open in Gallery Napa and Studio Mustanapa until July 30th.

http://lapintaiteilijaseura.fi/en/gallery-napa/gallery-napa/1402

http://lapintaiteilijaseura.fi/galleria-napa/galleria-napan-nayttelyt/1402

Panu Johansson

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shablangy-blog · 8 years ago

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Branch Street Coffee Hosts Home Barista 101 Class

The word extraction brings to mind a very complicated process that involves difficult conditions, expensive equipment, and laborious methods. For anyone with a shade of interest about the world of specialty coffee, the elements of this process can seem like insurmountable obstacles that makes one quickly scamper into retreat. The amount of information needed to live and prosper in this craft can seem a bit daunting.

Enter Matt Campbell of Branch Street Coffee Roasters in Boardman Ohio. His ascension into the specialty coffee universe and his passion for capturing its glamour, has led him to operating a café and roastery that allows him the control and understanding of all the details that make the perfect cup of coffee. It is through trial and error, many, many cups of coffee, that has allowed him to hone the skill with which to make a darn good cup of coffee. His recent accolades of two highly rated in-house coffee releases, profiled in the industry recognized online coffee reference Coffee Review, has showcased his results for quality craftsmanship.

So how does one overcome those aforementioned obstacles and make brewing specialty coffee at home less intimidating/exotic/mysterious??? of a process. Matt’s answer is to invite the curious newcomer to attend a beginners course titled Home Barista 101 which he hosted at his café on Sunday March 26th. The title of the class sounds encouraging and very welcoming. When most people think of the word barista, ideas of rude and condescending college aged kids who roll their eyes at anyone not well versed in the coffee house customs appear. This notion is quickly torn down as Matt looks to have an approachable and engaging introduction to specialty coffee that anyone can begin to enjoy and experiment with at home. His goals are to inform and provide the basic tools to use. What are the basic ingredients and the essential tools with which to make a enjoyable cup of coffee?

Water of course makes up the largest percentage in the solution of coffee. So why shouldn’t it get its deserved look under the microscope? Matt reveals that the most often overlooked component in coffee plays a huge role in making the coffee you brew at home taste like what the coffee they brew at Branch Street tastes like. More specifically, the mineral content and treatment of the water plays a heavy decider in the finished result that ends up in the cup. How can someone harness the testing that is necessary to determine this? Not to worry, as Matt’s attention to detail, once again has him finishing up the homework most of us would be boggled over how to begin. We learned the areas in the Valley that have water that meets the minimum criteria for obtaining similar results to Branch Streets brews and alternative ways to adjust our water supplies should we find off tastes that may result even if we follow the coffee shop brewing style.

Next is the coffee itself. A quick tour through the industry adopted rating system used to distinguish quality according to raw green coffee beans was explained. This rating determines whether it is stamped as commodity coffee which makes up the majority of coffee produced or specialty coffee, the type with the highest quality standards, hence the higher fetching price, and the kind that shops like Matt’s are solely interested in working with. Most coffee growing regions of the world adhere to some type of ratings system. From the selection of beans to be acquired, the next step is the roasting, which takes place in house at Branch Street and imparts their mark upon the coffee. Once again, it is this attention to detail, in this stage that allows the control necessary to allow the coffee to be to star. The shop tests small batches being roasted until the desired result results in an appealing finished product. It is time consuming and taste testing determines the thumbs up/thumbs down rating to see if the roast passes onto sellable product.

We find yet another step along the path to a satisfyingly drinkable cup is the grind element of the beans themselves. It is here that we as home barista can begin our journey upon the control of the quality in what we are brewing with our equipment at home. Firstly, we start with a home grinder. Grinding whole beans freshly roasted provides us with the freshest tasting results far ahead of pre-ground coffees that have been sitting on the shelves of stores getting staler by the day. The choices of grinder are either hand operated or electric motor driven models, spotlighted by the burr elements that pass the bean through its cutting/crushing elements at variable fine or coarse settings according to extraction method. The grind size of the coffee is a consideration for the methods of extraction, for our home barista class Matt chose the method they employ for their customers, the pour over.

For the equipment being used, there is the coffee dripper. A funnel shaped container that houses a paper filter and contains a bed of coffee grounds that will have water poured over it in a predetermined time and quantity. This dripper sits upon a drip pot that will collect the extracted coffee and a scale beneath that which measures the water collected. We also need a timing device to control our rhythm of pouring and monitor the overall duration. We’ll need a water kettle with a gooseneck spout to have a small precise stream of water with which to control the flow of water as we dispense it atop the bed of grounds. Next we’re instructed to follow a recipe that Branch Street has utilized in their pour overs which has yielded consistent results and this we’ll be trying for ourselves, some of us for the first time. With a simple set of actions, I find myself rather overwhelmed with pouring a specific volume of water over the bed of grounds at intervals time. More to the point, having to both control the spout stream pouring evenly in the prescribed pattern AND watching the scale readout increase in volume measurement and stopping and starting at the noted intervals proves to be a skill that definitely must be practiced over and over to become proficient. Feeling the rush of the task and pressure of the clock against me I poured too aggressively and agitated the grounds a little too much. This resulted in a slightly bitter cup of coffee that overshadowed the sweetness that was maintained in the roast. My take away in the practical exercise of the class was that each detail of control cannot be rushed through and must be practiced to gain proficiency.

Not to be discouraged, I worked out my actions and results with Matt and some of the participants as we compared our brewing extraction methods and found the class and the interaction to be very insightful. The specialty coffee world takes every step and breaks it down so that mindful practice of workable parameters and actions will produce consistent repeatable results. I was very happy to hear of plans for another class in what looks like a continuing series of classes that are geared at educating the newcomer into the nuances of the specialty coffee world.

#coffee barista pourover hario beehouse

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