#proto flow review

[ukfrislandembassy]

Ok like nobody seems to have noticed but Juliette Blevins has recently put out a case that Great Andamanese might actually have been Austroasiatic all along (to complement Jarawan possibly being an Austronesian relative). There's some stuff that's certainly suggestive, but it'll be a bit more work needed before I'm ready to accept these 32 proposed correspondences as anything more than chance, particularly after the Indo-Vasconic debacle. Still, below the cut I'm going to try and give this a fair review.

All of this is from 'Linguistic clues to Andamanese pre-history: Understanding the North-South divide', in The Language of Hunter Gatherers, edited by Tom Güldemann, Patrick McConvell and Richard Rhodes and published in 2020 (a free version of the chapter can be found on Google Scholar).

Looking through the data, it actually seems relatively rigorous as a set of comparisons; she's done a shallow reconstruction of a Proto-Great-Andamanese from wordlists (seemingly a relatively trivial exercise, though with caveats noted below) and is seemingly comparing these to reconstructions from the Mon-Khmer comparative dictionary.

Many of the correspondences are basically identical between the two reconstructions with at most minimal semantic differences, e.g. (in the order PGA~PAA respectively) *buə 'clay' ~ *buəh 'ash, powdery dust'; *muən 'pus, dirt' ~ *muən 'pimple'; *cuər 'current, flow' ~ *cuər 'flow, pour'; *cuəp 'fasten, adjoin' ~ *bcuup/bcuəp 'adjoin, adhere'. However, I wonder if the Proto-GA reconstructions here have been massaged a bit to fit the Austroasiatic correspondence more closely; in Aka-Kede for example, each of these words shows a different vowel; pua, mine, cor(ie), cup. It's not fatal by any means (in fact if the correspondences could be shown to be more complex than simple identity that would actually help the argument), but definitely annoying.

There's a couple of PGA items which are presented as having a straightforward sound correpondence in PAA where the semantics is close but doesn't quite match, but also alongside a semantic match that differs slightly in sound, e.g. by a slightly different initial consonant, e.g. *raic 'bale out' ~ *raac 'sprinkle' /*saac 'bale out'; *pila 'tusk, tooth' ~ *plaaʔ 'blade'/*mlaʔ 'tusk, ivory'; *luk 'channel' ~ *ru(u)ŋ 'channel'/*lu(u)k 'have a hole'. I think there's possibly a plausible development here, with perhaps one form taking on the other's semantics because of taboo, or maybe due to an actual semantic shift (she notes that the Andamanese use boar tusks as scrapers, which could explain a 'blade'~'tusk' correspondence in itself).

There's an item which seems dubious on the PAA side, e.g. she proposes a correspondence *wət ~ *wət for 'bat, flying fox' but I can't find a *wət reconstructed anywhere in the MKCD with that meaning, not even in Bahnaric where she claims it comes from (there is a *wət reconstructed but with a meaning 'turn, bend'). Meanwhile, *kut 'fishing net' ~ *kuut 'tie, knot' seems wrong at first, as search for *kuut by itself only brings up a reconstruction *kuut 'scrape, scratch', however there is also a reconstruction *[c]kuut which does mean 'tie, knot'.

There's an interesting set of correspondences where PGA has a final schwa that's absent from the proposed PAA cognates, e.g. *lakə 'digging stick' ~ *lak 'hoe (v.)'; *ɲipə 'sandfly' ~ *jɔɔp 'horsefly'; *loŋə 'neck' ~ *tlu(u)ŋ 'throat'.

More generally, a substantial proportion of the proposed correspondences are nouns in Great Andamanese but verbs/adjective (stative verbs) in Austroasiatic, some of which are above, but also including e.g. *cuiɲ 'odour' ~ *ɟhuuɲ/ɟʔuuɲ 'smell, sniff'; *raic 'juice' ~ *raac 'sprinkle' (a separate correspondence to 'bale out' above); *mulə 'egg' ~ *muul 'round'; *ciəp 'belt, band' ~ *cuup/cuəp/ciəp 'wear, put on'. This also doesn't seem too much of an issue, given the general word-class flexibility in that part of the world, though there don't seem to be any correspondences going the other way, which could perhaps be a sign of loaning/relexification instead.

I mentioned that a lot of these seem to be exact matches, but of course what you really want to indicate relatedness are non-indentical but regular correspondences, and here is where I can see the issues probably starting to really arise. We've already noted some of the vowel issues, but we also have some messiness with some of the consonants, though at the very least the POA matches pretty much every time (including reasonable caveats like sibilants patterning with palatals and the like). However, that still leaves us with some messes.

The liquids and coronals especially are misaligned a fair bit in ways which could do with more correspondences to flesh out. Here's a list of the correspondences found in initial position in the examples given.

*l ~ *l: *lat ~ *[c]laat 'fear', *lakə 'digging stick' ~ *lak 'hoe'

*l ~ *r: *lap ~ *rap 'count' (*luk 'channel' ~ *ru(u)ŋ 'have a hole'/*lu(u)k 'channel' could be in either of these)

*r ~ *r: *raic 'juice' ~ *raac 'sprinkle'

*r ~ *ɗ: *rok ~ *ɗuk 'canoe'

*t ~ *ɗ: *tapə 'blind' ~ [ɟ]ɗaap 'pass hand along'

*t ~ *t: *ar-təm ~ *triəm 'old' (suggested that metathesis occurred, though to me there probably would need to be some reanalysis as well to make this work)

I invite any of my mutuals more experienced with the comparative method to have a look for yourselves and see what you make of the proposal as it currently stands. It would certainly be an interesting development if more actual correspondences could be set up, though I do have to wonder if more work would also be needed on Austroasiatic to double-check these reconstructions as well.

[softrobotcritics]

The past, present, and future of artificial life

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2014.00008/full

For millennia people have wondered what makes the living different from the non-living. Beginning in the mid-1980s, artificial life has studied living systems using a synthetic approach: build life in order to understand it better, be it by means of software, hardware, or wetware. This review provides a summary of the advances that led to the development of artificial life, its current research topics, and open problems and opportunities. We classify artificial life research into 14 themes: origins of life, autonomy, self-organization, adaptation (including evolution, development, and learning), ecology, artificial societies, behavior, computational biology, artificial chemistries, information, living technology, art, and philosophy. Being interdisciplinary, artificial life seems to be losing its boundaries and merging with other fields.

(...)

3. The Future

How can systems be built with metabolism, heredity, and membranes at the same time? How can adaptation at multiple temporal and spatial scales be achieved? Is there an inherent limitation to computer simulations of open-ended evolution? How to integrate adaptivity and autonomy? How can ALife benefit society?

These and other questions have been asked within the ALife community. Bedau et al. (2000) distilled a list of 14 open problems:

1. Generate a molecular proto-organism in vitro.

2. Achieve the transition to life in an artificial chemistry in silico.

3. Determine whether fundamentally novel living organizations can exist.

4. Simulate a unicellular organism over its entire lifecycle.

5. Explain how rules and symbols are generated from physical dynamics in living systems.

6. Determine what is inevitable in the open-ended evolution of life.

7. Determine minimal conditions for evolutionary transitions from specific to generic response systems.

8. Create a formal framework for synthesizing dynamical hierarchies at all scales.

9. Determine the predictability of evolutionary consequences of manipulating organisms and ecosystems.

10. Develop a theory of information processing, information flow, and information generation for evolving systems.

11. Demonstrate the emergence of intelligence and mind in an artificial living system.

12. Evaluate the influence of machines on the next major evolutionary transition of life.

13. Provide a quantitative model of the interplay between cultural and biological evolution.

14. Establish ethical principles for artificial life.

There have been advances in all of these problems since 2000, but all of them remain open. As such, they continue to serve as guidelines for future ALife research....

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[spacebigoffer]

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[darilto-blog]

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[randomvarious]

Today’s mix:

MTV Party to Go, Volume 8 by Chris Walsh 1995 Hip Hop / G-Funk / R&B

Before Tommy Boy Records went on to define a piece of the 90s by way of a partnership with ESPN to deliver us the stadium dance anthems of Jock Jams, they initially launched into a partnership with MTV in the early 90s to give us a different series called Party to Go. The conceit of it was that each CD or cassette had a ready-made mix that you could just pop in to your player to instantly get a party going. And this is its eighth installment, a DJ mix by an in-house guy at Tommy Boy named Chris Walsh who's also responsible for other mixes in the series.

I reviewed Volume 1 of this series a few months ago and that mix happened to represent what was then a totally confused hodgepodge of what a lot of mainstream American dance music was like back in 1991: hip-house, new jack swing, synthpop, party rap, dance-pop, and some R&B. This volume, though, from late 1995, appears to cast its scope much more narrowly. Besides its incredibly inexplicable inclusion of one of Sheryl Crow's weakest ever singles in the middle (I mean, seriously, what in the fuck?!) and an even more Italian remix of the classic Italo-dance banger, "Rhythm of the Night" by Corona, this album is more or less just a mid-90s top-40 hip hop-oriented mix.

But even though I said that the scope that was cast for this was narrow, it was also, in a way, kind of broad as well, because there's actually hip hop tunes here for different kinds of party atmospheres. Like, I'd say the universal party rap tunes on this mix are undoubtedly Skee-Lo's "I Wish" and Naughty by Nature's "Feel Me Flow." Things like sunshine, cookouts, and swimming pools just immediately come to mind when either of those two songs come on. But then there's songs on here that go with a much chiller type of vibe. Like, you could easily slow-grind on someone with The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa," the Puff Daddy mix of Method Man and Mary J. Blige's "I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need to Get By," and the Sting International remix of Shaggy's "Boombastic." Bone Thugs' "1st of tha Month" fits this theme too, even though it's not lyrically sexy or romantic like those other three.

And then there's Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," the biggest song in the world in 1995 that won so many accolades and also plaudits from critics across the board despite the, uh, lackluster quality of its rapping. It's still a great song that I also happen to love too, but it was funny to see Weird Al take it down a few pegs with "Amish Paradise" and then see Coolio get all huffy about it like some kind of proto-Kanye by saying his beautiful masterpiece had been 'desecrated.' It's a great, classic song, dude, but come on now. For what it's worth, though, Coolio eventually saw the light and cooled off, and his relationship with Weird Al appears to have been cordial for years now.

Anyway, that's more of a party song simply because everyone in the world knows it. It's a big production, but it doesn't really have much of a party vibe to it. It was intended to be a serious song, despite how corny it sounds today. Fool.

Two more things before I sign off here. There's an awesome R&B song on this mix by a female group called Brownstone that appears to have been relatively lost in the sands of time. It went to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was even nominated for a Grammy, but I feel like "If You Love Me" is a pretty big forgotten hit. Other thing is that the back cover of this release comes with a note that says, in kind of big lettering, "*includes exclusive mixes not available on any album." And that actually turns out to be a bit of a reach. What it really sounds like is that Chris Walsh couldn't figure out a way to mix this crop of songs together all that well, so he or someone else just simply constructed little passages of their own to make the transitions as seamless as possible. And those passages are sort of just, like, these little, feeble bridges that were hastily made in order to link each track together. And I definitely wouldn't then advertise this mix as having "exclusive mixes" because of those small, unique sections; I mean, that actually feels like a pretty big sleight of hand to me. But the change from that Brownstone song to the Method Man and Mary J. Blige one is actually *really* smooth.

Anyway, despite its faults, this is still a fun trip down memory lane. Can't really complain about a CD that has Biggie, Naughty by Nature, Skee-Lo, Method Man, Mary J., Coolio, Shaggy, and Bone Thugs on it. It's just not really the type of tunes I think of when I hear the words "party to go." However, if my music diet was restricted to just MTV videos that had been in rotation by 1995, then this might actually be what I'd expect the party to sound like too, since you couldn't really find much in the way of actual dance music on MTV back then, or really ever 🤷‍♂️.

This is a pretty good CD to reach for if you just wanna party with some mid-90s hip hop classics though. I mean, it's a bad DJ mix for sure, but the songs are good, and plenty of people love to get down to 90s hip hop tunes. So, this should do the trick, as long as you immediately hit next when that Sheryl Crow song comes on! 😅

Listen to the full mix here.

Highlights:

The Notorious B.I.G. - "Big Poppa" Naughty by Nature - "Feel Me Flow" Brownstone - "If You Love Me" Method Man and Mary J. Blige - "I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need to Get By (Puff Daddy mix)" Skee-Lo - "I Wish" Corona - "Rhythm of the Night (R.B.X. Euro mix)" Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "1st of tha Month" Coolio feat. L.V. - "Gangsta's Paradise" Shaggy - "Boombastic (Sting remix)"

[ducktracy]

What inspired you to do reviews? (Keep it up btw!)

it started as a motivator to watch all 1,000 cartoons and something to actually keep me going, but now it’s more so an excuse to talk about any and all cartoons as in depth as i want LOL.

i’m not the first person to do it—Stephen Hartley did the same thing years ago and that inspired me back in late 2019, and seeing as he never actually finished i decided i’d make it a mission TO finish.

i think at the same time it’s just SUCH a nice excuse to talk about what i want. dissecting these cartoons have been incredibly helpful—much of what i talk about i try to use in my own work, professional or not (“these two shots flow poorly due to a lack of hook-ups”, “this fade out to black and back in is more effective than a cross dissolve in this particular context and here’s why”, “this drawing is incredibly funny while maintaining its solidity and construction, i could use that as a reference for similar poses”) etc etc

AND at the same time, i have a lot of thoughts that are hard to initiate. kinda hard to make a random post that’s like “let’s discuss why Danny Webb’s Joe Penner impressions for proto-Elmer Fudd are more convincing than Mel Blanc’s in this context, but not in the other context. here’s also a brief history of Joe Penner because nobody has known who the hell he is since the 1940s” but maybe that’s just me HAHAHA

and i’m sure part of it is just liking to hear myself talk BUT… it’s exciting! i get excited knowing i’ll have a chance to talk about all of my favorite cartoons as in depth as i could ever possibly want and lay out every single aspect as to why i like it, what works in its success and what doesn’t, and how my knowledge of the series’ history and the players behind it further the success of these cartoons. it’s something to look forward to!

i know they get lengthy and i can’t quite say i see an immediate fix, because the more i like a cartoon the longer i talk and we’re starting to get into the good stuff now 😅 but i at least hope you enjoy them! they’re very much a labor of love and i put a lot of time and effort into them but it’s well worth it i’d say, even when talking about the less desirable stuff. i have such a stronger appreciation for the good having combed through and examined the bad

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

Being Human - Chapter 14

<= Chapter 13

Summary : Another restful night. Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826561/chapters/66681460

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

WARNING : GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF VIOLENCE, ABUSE AND GORE. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Hey ! How are you all doing ? Good I hope !

Sorry for the wait, I had to wait for something you'll see later in this chapter, but it was definitely worth it ! I hope you'll love it as much as I do !

Thank you for your patience, I hope you're still interested in this fanfic. Your comments bring me so much joy, I am always so, so happy to post something and see your reviews after that. Thank you so much for following me and following this story, this means so much to me.

Anyway, let's move on to the credit part, because yes... This chapter has two special things !

1) An art commission by my friend saltyh0td0g (https://twitter.com/saltyh0td0g), go check their amazing art !!

2) A voice acting commission, by - @puyo-proto​ (https://twitter.com/Puyo_Proto) - @jordanthecat11​ (https://twitter.com/JordantheCat11)

You can listen to it here !

Of course, the "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to @doodledrawsthings​​ !

Happy reading ! And, just like stated at the beginning of this note, please be careful. This chapter is disturbing. And since it's Halloween in France now... Happy Halloween you all :)c

Thank you again for all your amazing support, it means so much to me !

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Chapter 14 - “What did I do?!”

Sleep had become Lukas’s only refuge. When one was sleeping, they couldn’t feel pain, they weren’t afraid anymore, it was just peaceful and blissful dreams, very different from the reality… And the Prince was no exception.

His eyes opened instantly, pulled out of his enchanted sleep, a searing pain in his left arm waking him up. The young man glanced all around, his breath fast and heavy as he was forced to remember what had happened, reality hitting him like a slap in the face. Oh. Right. He was still there.

How long had he been sleeping…?

The pain made him wince, the ice on his cheeks cracking from the movement. A silent cry left his lips and he closed his mouth, gritting his teeth as he waited for the pain to die down a bit. Once it did, the Prince tried his best not to move too much and lifted his head, trying to find the cause of this vivid and unbearable pain. His left and now only eye widened as found what was causing him so much pain. A stalagmite was stabbing his left arm, visibly growing more and more as Vanessa’s magic seemed to summon more and more ice in the cellar. Lukas’s already pale face became as white as a ghost’s, a horrified expression plastered on his features and his mouth opened from the shock. Oh no, no no no no no-

The Prince’s heartbeat became faster and faster as panic settled upon him, adrenaline fuelling his body -or what was left of it at this point-. All around him, the ice was invading the room, much quicker than how it usually did. It hurt, it hurt, it just hurt so much-! Something was probably happening up there, was Vanessa mad or- but the pain was too much for him to think clearly. He wanted to move his arm away… But couldn’t. The chains were keeping him in place, leaving no possibility for him to escape this… And with broken shoulders, he couldn’t do much either. This realization made him even more terrified than what he already was. It was going to go through his arm, he needed to do something, quick, now, the pain was unbearable, oh Gods, why-!

Woken up from the shock that had paralyzed him, Lukas gritted his teeth and attempted to summon his fire magic, despite how weak he was being at the moment. This might be the only thing that could save his arm, he needed to do this, he needed to take the risk! And so, after taking a deep breath, the Prince focused on his left arm, trying to condense all of the warmth his magic could offer on this single limb. And while it did manage to stop the progression of the sharp stalagmite… It also made it melt, cold water flowing on his now open wound. His arm was also warm enough to experience how vivid pain could be, not softened by the cold temperature anymore. It stung, it stung so, so much-! At least, when it was cold, the pain was bearable, but now… Despite how mute Lukas thought he had become from the dehydration, a deafening scream left his mouth, echoing in the cellar, if not in the entire manor. His muscles, all atrophied from how weak he was, tensed up. If the young man still had tears to cry, they would be running on his grey cheeks by now. He was scared, he was hurt, he just wanted things to be over, he just wanted to be free…! Why did he have to suffer so much?

All of a sudden, the room became a bit warmer and the ice stopped spreading. What…? Why, what was- And then, it clicked.

Vanessa had heard him. It wasn’t a coincidence, it couldn’t be a coincidence, the timing was just too right for that! However, now, the thought of having the Queen coming down here didn’t bring him any hope anymore… No, it just terrified him, especially with how mad she had been the last and only time she had come to see him. After what she had done to his right eye… He had no idea what she could do next. She was just too instable for him to predict at his point, and… She just wasn’t the Vanessa he knew anymore. Or perhaps… Perhaps she had always been this way.

Maybe he had just been too blind to notice all the red flags.

Just as he was panicking over the possibility of his wife coming down the stairs, a burning sensation erupted in his left arm- wait. Burning? In this freezing cellar…?

The Prince turned his head to try to find the cause of that strange and worrying feeling… Only to discover that his hand had turned black, pitch black and clawed, just like Vanessa’s, just like once she had been… Corrupted with her magic.

-“No…” whimpered Lukas, shaking his head weakly as his emotions were slowly getting out of control. No, this couldn’t be happening, this just couldn’t be happening, no, no, no! He hadn’t meant to use his magic so much, he had just wanted to stay alive, to survive! Not this!

Magic had always required people to be careful when using it. Each person, through training and predispositions, could practice and use magic until their body couldn’t take it anymore. Lukas had always been very attentive to that and had learnt to know his limits with time. Once crossed… Magic could have very destructive consequences over one’s body and soul, corrupting them, changing them into things that weren’t human anymore. By using her powers too much, this is what had happened to Vanessa… And this is what was happening to him now.

Horror had engulfed him whole, making his entire body shake despite how painful it was. This couldn’t be happening, why, why, why!

His thoughts were instantly cut short as he heard something coming closer and closer, sounds that made his empty stomach turn. Someone was going down the stairs. That simple thought made him realize how what he had gone through could as well be nothing compared to what she might do to him. And, without really knowing why… He tried to hide his corruption by closing his hand, not caring if his newly formed claws were scratching his palm in consequence. It didn’t hide much… But it was still better than nothing.

He had no idea how Vanessa would react to that. However, he didn’t have the time to wonder more about this as he heard the door being unlocked… And then it was pushed open, a terribly familiar voice echoing all around as she called out to him:

-“My Prince?” she sang with a twisted, very twisted fondness, “I heard your voice, hehehe!” she added, gleefully. Soon, her dark and distorted form entered the room, making Lukas shiver even more, his lips sealed close tightly as his eyes fell on her, unable to look at anything else. He was scared, so, so scared. This was it, then? He was going to die now, wasn’t he? Maybe…

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, after all…?

However, his fear soon mixed up with confusion as he noticed the Queen was holding something in her hands, some kind of… Tray? A tray with a glass of water and some sort of dark little balls next to it, things he didn’t recognized… But then, a horrid smell greeted his nostrils, a sudden urge to throw up settling over him instantly. Thankfully, his stomach was empty, preventing him from throwing up anything besides bile… And yet, it wouldn’t be empty for long, as what his dear wife had brought very much looked like burnt food, whatever that used to be before turning out like this.

Somehow, no matter how disgusting the smell was… The Prince’s stomach couldn’t help but gurgle just at the thought of eating something, even if it ended up being the most abominable dish in the world. He was literally starving and, in this situation, wouldn’t complain if it meant he could eat something, anything. And, furthermore… She was bringing him water, a whole glass of it! His mouth was so dry, and his body so weak, so dehydrated… Even from melting the stalactites, he couldn’t get so much of water!

But, on the other hand, despite how relieved he was to know he’d finally get some water… Some part of him was disappointed. It just meant that he’d have to bear all of this suffering a bit longer, when he could die and finally be free of pain.

-“Oh, are you hungry, my love?” she asked with a smile, a terrifying smile on her inhuman face. She then lifted the tray in her hands as she added: “don’t worry, I made some cookies, just for you!”

Oh. Oh, so those things were supposed to be cookies. He knew Vanessa had never been good at cooking… But this, this wasn’t food anymore. It was completely black, looking like just the littlest touch would make them fall apart. Still… Lukas was starving and very much needed food, his survival instincts screaming at him to eat, no matter what Vanessa was going to give him.

-“I know they’re a little burnt… But you’re going to eat them, right? I put all my heart into them…”

The Prince could only nod swiftly and desperately, his stomach only gurgling louder. This seemed to satisfy the Queen, who smiled more. She looked nothing like she used to and while seeing her smile brought him joy before all of this… Now, the effect was very much different.

-“Oh, I’m so glad,” she sighed, looking at him fondly as she approached slowly. Lukas couldn’t help but shiver more, doing his best not to draw any attention to his hand. Seeing how unstable Vanessa was at the moment, he couldn’t predict how she would react to the sight of his own corruption. At least, his hand wasn’t cold anymore… But it wasn’t human either.

The Prince couldn’t help but shut his eyes as she eventually stopped in front of him. However, the young man was quickly forced to reopen them as he felt the temperature of the room get colder very suddenly. As soon as he did, he saw Vanessa extending one of her clawed hands to the floor… And summoning an ice block, large and high enough for her to put the tray on it. Lukas gulped despite the lack of saliva in his mouth: if she could summon an entire block of ice in a few seconds from nothing… He didn’t want to imagine the things she could possibly do to him if she ever got mad again.

Vanessa seemed to notice his fear and came closer, bringing her hands to his chest, rubbing it with her freezing palms.

-“Don’t be scared,” she murmured with that sweet voice of hers, much too cheerful to be sincere: “It’s me, it’s just me, it’s okay,” she cooed to him, just like she would to a child in need of comfort. But Lukas was not a child. He was the one she used to love… And now he was locked in the basement, chained to a wall.

This was not the type of comfort he needed. All he wanted was to be free… Whether it was literally or figuratively which, in that last case, meant free of this now painful and horrifying life. All he could do at her touch was to whimper silently, shutting his eyes once more, simply unable to look at her monstrous appearance. This was not the woman he knew, this was not the one he loved-

She hummed a song for a bit, still rubbing his chest, maybe at an attempt to reassure him… But it wasn’t like it was working, on the contrary. It just made him even more scared. He only wanted this to end! Was this asking for too much…?

After a few minutes that felt like hours to the young Prince, Vanessa stepped away, finally picking up one of the “cookies” she had made for him. She seemed so proud of them, so happy of her “act of kindness”… And that just made the whole situation even more terrifying. Lukas couldn’t tell if she knew if what she did was bad or if she was simply unaware of it… And, in any case, it wasn’t like it changed a lot of things, was it? He was going to stay stuck here no matter what… Given how she acted towards him, it was obvious that she wouldn’t let him go nor escape that easily.

Once she brought the “cookie” to his lips, the atrocious smell hit him in the face once more and he had to bite his inner cheek not to gag. It smelled awful, so awful… And yet, his body needed food.

-“Come on, dear,” she insisted, pushing the biscuit on his dried out and shaking lips: “I made them just for you…”

Lukas eventually opened his mouth, already bracing himself for what was to come… And oh, was it a good decision. The taste was absolutely terrible, as if the ingredients had been mixed up randomly, in quantities that weren’t following the instructions. It felt mealy and crumbled on his tongue in the worst possible way. It was dry and, for someone who was extremely thirsty… It was torture. Without being able to hold himself back, he coughed, feeling the dust of the biscuit going the wrong way into his lungs… And he spat everything at her, on what used to be her beautiful green dress.

Oh. Oh no. No, no, no, no-

A moment passed where they remained completely motionless, as if they were both trying to process what had just happened. The Prince stared at her, terrorised. This couldn’t be happening, he just didn’t do that, he couldn’t believe it. He was going to die now, wasn’t he? Why wasn’t he more careful, why didn’t he-

A violent slap on his face silenced his thoughts, hundreds of small ice crystals on Vanessa’s glove scratching his face, cutting his fragile and grey skin. A yelp of pain left his mouth at the shock, leaving him trembling even more, his eyes shut hard as he waited for death to come. Because this was the only outcome at this point, right?

Maybe he would finally be free…

-“I can’t believe it,” reprimanded the Queen with a harsh tone: “I did my best to cook something for you and this is how you’re thanking me?”

The Prince shook his head slowly and weakly, mouthing a series of “I’m sorry” relentlessly as his voice was stuck in his throat, unable to come out from how scared he was. But this wasn’t enough for his wife, no, how could it ever be?

-“Don’t you lie to me!!” she yelled out of the blue, a dozen of ice pillars coming out of the ground abruptly as her scream echoed in the room. Fury was plastered on her inhuman features, her hair standing up more and more and her claws becoming sharper as seconds passed: “You’re never sorry, you never were and never will be! You’re a liar, a liar!” Her voice was getting louder high-pitched, and more hysterical.

-“T-that’s… That’s not true…” he protested in a whisper, barely audible. Oh, but Vanessa definitely heard it very well and, considering how much the temperature dropped… She didn’t share his opinion.

-“You’re lying!!” Her scream was much louder than the previous ones, making Lukas’s ears hurt from how strident it was. He winced, closing his eyes once more, afraid of getting slapped again, or worse… And yet, silence just followed, a very, very tensed silence that made him both confused and worried. He reopened his eyes, wondering what Vanessa could be waiting for… However, the sight that greeted him made him freeze in absolute terror.

His wife was looking at his left hand, deadly silent and her expression unreadable. Oh no, no, no, no!

-“I-I’m sorry, I di- I didn’t mean to, I pr-promise,” he tried, his voice quiet and shaking as he tried to reason with her, no matter how foolish it was to do so: “P-please, y-you know me, Vanessa! I would n-never try to hurt y-you!”

Slowly, very slowly, her red eyes glanced from his hand to look at him.

-“How long were you planning on keeping this secret from me?” she asked, her voice calm and yet extremely threatening nonetheless. This wasn’t good, this wasn’t good at all!

-“I-It just happened before y-you came here!” Lukas tried to justify himself, though he knew very well that his wife wouldn’t hear any of it. She was past caring for him, she just treated him like less than an object, treasuring him like a thing and not like a human being.

Another slap answered him, drawing out more blood and more tearless sobs out of him. This was a nightmare, why was this happening to him, why…!

-“Liar!” screamed Vanessa as she approached her face from his, her fangs clearly visible for him to see. This was a terrifying sight for the Prince, who whimpered and glanced away, resisting the urge to close his eyes.

-“I’m not!” he retorted, his voice a bit louder than before, though his throat stung from the effort: “I’m not! I n-never lied to you!” Soon, his voice was desperate, as if all of his frustration and melancholy were transcribed as words for her to hear: “I d- I don’t know what I did that made you mad! I don’t know why you’re d-doubting my love for you! What did I do, Vanessa?!”

The Queen remained silent, as if she couldn’t believe his ourtbust. But Lukas had had enough, he couldn’t take this anymore, he just couldn’t.

-“What did I do?!” he repeated, louder, his throat burning and stinging so much. And yet… Yet he could only ignore the pain as he kept going, his voice sounding hopeless and devastated: “I j-just wanted us to be happy! I loved you! I wanted to have a family with you!” he paused, his tone now low and heartbroken as he lifted his head to look at her: “I thought… I thought you felt the same…! B-but then, why?”

Couldn’t he be free already…?

-“Why would you do this to me…?” he eventually asked, inconsolable. However, the Queen’s answer was not the one he had been expecting.

-“You ‘loved’ me?” she repeated, her intonation low and dangerous. The Prince was about to say that, obviously, he had loved her, otherwise he wouldn’t have stayed wit her this long… But then, he understood what she had meant by that.

The young man had used the past tense. He had said “loved”… Implying that he didn’t anymore.

Lukas’s face paled at the realization. He had made the worst possible slip of the tongue ever, the biggest mistake he could ever make in his position-

-“N-no, w-wait,” he attempted to rectify his claims, very much aware of how dangerous this situation was for him: “I didn’t mean-” But it was too late.

-“How could you?!” shouted the Queen, ice spreading all over the floor, covering the previous layers entirely. She was livid, she was furious, she was-

She was going to kill him.

-“You never loved me! You just used me!” her loud screams were resonating in the entire cellar, a few stalagmites falling down from how loud they were. Vanessa lifted her hands again, but this time not to slap him. On the contrary, her hands stayed away from his face… Grabbing his left arm strongly instead. Panic engulfed the Prince again as he started to understand what were her true intentions. A series of “no, no, no, please, no” left his lips like a mantra, but it was too late.

The harm had already been done.

Before he was able to protest any further, a sudden and vivid pain erupted in his arm as he felt it freezing from the inside, his blood turning solid as she pressed her palms over it. A deafening scream left his mouth, most likely audible even outside the manor from the agony, from how excruciating it was. Slowly, too slowly, he could feel his blood getting frozen, one vein after the other, his skin turning blue as the torturous process spread from his arm to his shoulder.

Oh God, he was going to die. He was going to die, this was it, finally-! And yet… Yet he didn’t want to die! He still had so much to do! He wanted to become a lawyer, he wanted a family, he wanted to die as an old and happy man…!

Not like this!

-“Va-Vanessa, no! Argh, p-please!” he pleaded, his breathing much heavier and quicker than ever, his heart beating fast, trying to pump more blood for his arm and shoulder, but in vain: “Please, please, please,” he breathed out, looking at her, begging her: “D-don’t do this, please Vanessa, don’t do this!”

But Vanessa wasn’t there anymore. What was in front of him was nothing like the woman he used to know, used to love. Instead, a feral monster was standing in front of him, freezing him to death, her emotions out of control. Tears were coming out of her eyes, all turning into ice as they fell from her cheeks, hitting the icy floor with a clinging sound.

The last sound the Prince ever heard… Before his heart was affected by Vanessa’s magic, frozen in a blink as her powers kept spreading in Lukas’s body. His eyes widened, air stuck in his lungs as he was suffocating, his whole body unable to move a single muscle. An unbearable pain erupted where his heart was, making him gasp for air… But he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t, he was dying, he was slowly dying, this was agonizing, he couldn’t take it, this was torture, it was so much painful, he couldn’t-

His body suddenly became limp, his head falling forward as he let out his final shaky breath.

The Prince of Subcon Village had died.

______________________________________________________

Snatcher woke up with a gasp, his forehead damp from sweat and his eyes fixed on the ceiling. What- what was that? The man remained motionless for a few minutes, trying to find his breath again, his heart beating fast in his chest, pounding inside. It took him a moment to realize where he was: in the kids’ bedroom, lying down in the pillow pool. It was dark, the room was only lit by the few lights on the walls, those representing stars. Glancing around in the room, he could see the little girls sleeping in the canopy-bed, peacefully and quietly. Hesitantly, Snatcher brought his left hand to his face to inspect it, though it was perfectly human, unsurprisingly.

Another nightmare, huh?

The former ghost let his arm fall down on the pillows again, with a sigh. His eyes stung. With a quick gesture, the man brought up his hands to his face, rubbing it… Only to discover that his face was full of tears. Oh, of course. Obviously. Snatcher scoffed: ‘dreams were his only refuge, the only times he could be protected from pain and fears’… Yeah, right. He sighed again. Gods, this was by far the worst nightmare he had been force to relive… Clearly, the one he had wanted to forget the most, but apparently fate had other projects for him.

His eyes glanced back to the kids. He remembered doing this “video game” thing with them before going to bed. Without much surprise, they were much more experienced than him in that field, crushing his already broken pride, but hey, it wasn’t like another bad experience would change a lot, right? Hah! In the end, the kids won, they bragged, and this was it, the end of the day. Or night. He had no idea how to get his bearings on time in this spaceship. It wasn’t like there was sun or a moon to help him find the time! In any case, once they were done playing this “video” thing or whatever it was, they took him to their bedroom, showing him a makeshift bed in the pillow pool. Better than nothing, he had guessed at the time. And, quite surprisingly, he had been quite comfy for him to fall asleep quickly!

Well, if he had known what kind of dream he’d have, maybe he’d have preferred to stay awake.

Snatcher turned in his “bed” several times, eventually burrowing his face in one of the colourful pillows. This wasn’t over, was it? He would get a lot of nightmares like this one, he was sure of it. But oh, this one… This one had been one of the worst. His grip on the pillow tightened as he gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes. He didn’t want to sleep anymore, he never wanted to do that ever again.

And so… Snatcher started to cry.

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I hope you liked this chapter !

Don't forget to check the amazing audio by Puyo-Proto and JordanTheCat11, they did such an amazing job !! Same with my friend saltyh0td0g, show them how much of a great artist they are !

Thank you again for all your support, it means so much to me, I will never say it enough. Now, updates will happen more regularly than this past month, hopefully. See you on the next chapter !

=> Chapter 15

[ferrariexhaustsystem]

Ferrari Exhaust System

Ferrari, when people think about this word they imagine almost two things: sport and speed. Ferrari is among the most well-known vehicles in history. Ferrari won many races compared to other car racing. It's also a sensitive machine because it is an extremely fast as well as furious sports vehicle. Ferrari has come to a good distance as its starts in the stock-races on to the modern road. Ferrari has been compared with many other wonderful vehicles as the Alfa Romeo and Bugatti. In my review let me tell you the starting and the future of this well known sports vehicle. Know more about Ferrari Exhaust

What's the best answer you ask? Novitec exhaust-system may be the answer. It's specifically designed for Ferrari characterized by the best quality materials, a superb fit, and amazing sound traits. However, most of all, the Ferrari Novitec-system goes over the power of roar from the rigorous legal bodies exactly where it should be to the vehicle owners them selves.

Ferrari 488 Exhaust System

You just need a couple of Ferrari Novitec back Mufflers with an X-pipe, flap regulation, that will enable the ideal conditions to combine gasses from each side of the V-12 engine and a Capristo remote-control to change the sound through the touch of a control button whenever you need.

There's a time and a spot for various sound-levels and the up grade allows the vehicle owner to use the valves positioned on silencers. This implies the car owner has complete control of sound delivery - for instance, choosing noiseless (valves-closed) mode for morning hours starts, night time returns, long-distance travels or city center traffic problems; and noisy (valves-open) mode for real traveling permitting the incredible sound to be removed from the engine.

Exhaust system and intake valve timing, geometry, velocity, and exhaust gas temperature, and Revolutions per minute all affect those features, and any system is just improved at one Revolution per minute range. The torque curve-shape is very responsive to these results, and it is inevitable a compromise between optimum power and driveability. The natural frequency of a pipe is scheduled by its size, every thing else is the same; the smaller the pipe, the much higher the frequency. As engine Revolutions per minute has increased through the years, the length of the exhaust-pipes for any provided engine settings has shortened

X Pipe Exhaust Helps make Ferrari F-430 Seem Like An Formula-1 Vehicle

It is probably the most F1-sounding road car we have heard.

When you're thinking of unique sports vehicle exhausts, Fabulous-speed has shown over and over again that it is a company that should be on every person's radar. The US-based performance exhaust system producer currently makes among the best exhausts around for the new mid engine Chevrolet Corvette, delivering weight-savings of Twenty-one pounds and approximately Eleven extra hp while appearing completely ferocious.

However even long discontinued exotics are worthy of some love, and Fab-speed is satisfied to oblige with its Ferrari F-430 Race Performance-Exhaust package. 

Proven side by side with the Ferrari F-430's stock exhaust-system, Fab-speed's race exhaust system can make it clear how "tame" the company exhaust is, the 3.4 liter flat plane crank V-8 also wailing because it approaches its 7,500 revolutions per minute red-line. In tests, the vehicle on open public roadways, individuals at high speed might or might not have had the cops called on them by a few irritated neighbors.

The reason why it is so noisy? Fab-speed's F-430 race exhaust is basically a "straight pipe" exhaust system, without silencers to dull the sound. An Xpipe junction stabilizes the V8's 2 cylinder banks, as well as the exhaust system, may be run both without or with catalysts, however after that, it is a right shot from the merge-collectors to the exhaust system tips.

The Ferrari range of exhaust-systems at CAR-iD is just amazing. Everyone knows that Ferrari is the make to choose when you'd like to produce a statement about your preference in good vehicles when you need unusual power and overall performance in a vehicle. Along with the exhaust-systems at CAR-iD, your Ferrari will dominate the roadways and take its right-ful location towards the top of the race-league. 

Produced from top quality stainless-steel, Ferrari exhaust systems are as strong as any thing comes, and can stay in a useful state as long as you have your Ferrari. These are made out of pure alloy, however, they're lightweight, a factor that can make them even a lot more good at increasing horse power in a vehicle. Exchanging the stock exhaust with some of these light alternatives is the simplest way to increase the weight to hp ratio for unequaled gains in overall performance.

Ferrari 488 Gtb Exhaust System

The 2 arrangements produce other implications, for example, the Ferrari exhausts enhance the mass of the tail-pipe, center of gravity, and part of the main pipes over the lower position possible with the McLaren-exhausts, and need heat protection for the body-work and top suspensions link, especially when they've produced in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Heat from the exhaust system also works on parts of the back wing framework which are usually spared and should be shielded or reinforced.

However, Formula 1 exhaust systems almost never complete over Twelve hundred kilometers since the need to help save weight ensures they need to be developed near to the limit. The width of the heat resistant alloy adopted in the aero-space industry can vary however is not over 2 mm. However what ultimately eliminates these waste gas artwork isn't vibration or temps of One thousand degrees and more, however, stress, Different radii of the several pipes eventually produce exhaustion which results in cracks in which the stress is greatest. Unsurprisingly, at this higher level of performance, even the very best exhaust system is soon worn out.

Ferrari  Free Flow Racing Exhaust

A situation of the art valve exhaust-system for the best fit for your Ferrari. The exhaust-system will fit both, the Ferrari Spider and the Ferrari Coupe, and functions a 75 millimeters exhaust system valve control and enables higher performance and exhaust note, and as much as thirteen horsepower gain over the stock system.

The Capristo exhaust provides the best of all possible worlds via its power to produce an aggressive-exhaust note under speed and acceleration, and a more quiet sound for city traveling. At reduced engine speeds and through cruise operation, the valves are closed and provide a much deeper exhaust system note. At a wide open accelerator, the valves open, releasing the complete symphony of the engine.

The closing or opening of the Capristo valves is regulated by the engine Electronic control unit, for that reason doing work, in the same manner, the main exhaust system was made to function. The Original equipment manufacturer vacuum-pipes fit directly in to the CAPRISTO-valve-system.

However, you can fit the optional wireless remote control for the exhaust valves, that can give you the power to close and open the valves at a touch of a single button. In the closed situation, control is delivered to the engine electronic control unit.

Ferrari 488 Exhaust

CAPRISTO Exhaust-systems are made and produced using more advanced 3-d Laser Scanning, Computer-aided-design Design, Digital proto-typing, and computer numerical control bending/milling at our company in Germany. Each exhaust system is manufactured from high-grade T-309 (1.4828) Stainless and hand-polished to a mirror finish. After a thorough study, this unique metal was selected for its sound resonance attributes, lightweight, and staying power that is near to the attributes of Inconel (found in Formula 1).

[konstantya]

Year In Writing Review 2020

Because I just barely wrote enough this past year to feel warranted in filling one of these out.  😂

.

List of fics:

The Larks, Still Bravely Singing  (Hetalia; 3,685 words) There Are Dreams I Must Gather  (This Gun For Hire; 4,043 words) Your Fortune’s Fallin’ All Over the Town  (TGFH; 1,384 words) They’ll Ask Me Why and I’ll Tell Them I’d Rather  (TGFH; 6,020 words) In Every Prayer  (TGFH; 3,024 words)

.

Total fic wordcount for 2020:  Somewhere around 20,000.  (And again, most of that actually ended up published!)

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted? Quite a bit more than I expected.  I wouldn’t say the clusterfuck that was 2020 really got my creative juices flowing or anything like that, but maybe I found myself needing a distraction a bit more than I otherwise would have.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2020? This Gun For Hire, for sure.  Did not expect a classic proto-noir film to grab me as hard as it did, pfft.

Did you take any writing risks this year?  (See above for unexpected pairings, etc.)  What did you learn from them? Don’t really think I took any risks, but I also don’t think you could blame anyone for creatively playing it safe this year, heh.  I wrote a decent amount of “non-fiction” (as I guess you’d call the film/book reviews), which is not something I usually do, so maybe that counts?

Do you have any fanfic or pro-fic goals for the New Year? Oh, man.  Not really?  I kind of want to continue exploring the TGFH universe I’ve (apparently???) created, and it would be nice to get back to some of my older WIPs (Hetalia, Star Trek, Catherine and the Pirate, etc.), but to be honest, if I can simply recover mentally and emotionally from 2020, I’ll be happy, pfft.

.

From my past year of writing, what was…

My Favorite Story:  Probably a tie between The Larks, Still Bravely Singing (because ballet/music fic and also pet rarepair fic!) and There Are Dreams I Must Gather (as that started my TGFH fic spree).

My Best Story:  There Are Dreams...  Honestly, I think they’re all really strong this year, but that one just seems *chef kiss* perfect, from the plot to the overall flow to the character interactions/dialogue to the way it ends.  I’m just really, really proud of that one in particular.

Most Popular Story:  The Larks... (which is still far from popular, but literally just about anything beats out my TGFH fics, lolol).

Story Most Underappreciated by the Universe:  Considering how incredibly niche my fandoms/pairings have been this year, I’m honestly thankful for every single comment, kudos, and even story hit, haha--but if I absolutely had to choose, I guess it would have to be In Every Prayer.  Non-existent fandom (save for those few tumblr friends I’ve been able to drag into my fixation thank you all, seriously XD), and then the fact that it was the latest published, so it simply hasn’t had much of a chance to be appreciated, or even just happened upon.

Most Fun:  None of them are really fun, per se, but In Every Prayer might count?  If only because there are some weird, semi-humorous bits to it?  (Philip Raven: the kind of guy who thinks the worst thing about being in the army during WWII is not the carnage or ever-present fear of death, but instead the whole “having to be around other people” thing, ugh.  Also, for as self-aware as he is about his personal issues, he’s still an utter idiot when it comes to recognizing romantic attraction, bless.  😂)

Most Surprising:  Again, all of my TGFH fics, but especially There Are Dreams... and They’ll Ask Me Why..., because they both ended up quite a bit longer than I expected.

Most Disappointing:  None?  I mean, maybe you could say Your Fortune’s Fallin’ All Over the Town due to how short it is?  But it was also never meant to be a long fic?  In Every Prayer might count, just because it took so long to really settle into Raven’s POV?  As usual, it’s probably the WIPs I have left that are the most disappointing, due to their unfinished status.  I started a fic that would detail how Ellen gets her cat, and another that focuses on Ellen and Michael’s relationship, post-movie (Michael: a good egg as far as 1940s dudes go I’m a lowkey Michael fan, fight me, but resentful of the fact that he’s basically indebted to a murderer for saving his gf’s life, pfft), but neither of them got very far.  Perhaps in 2021?

Sexiest:  None of my fics were all that sexy this year (I was more into soft, sweet romance, apparently), but I guess if I had to choose it would be The Larks... because of ⬇️

Sexiest Single Moment:  The weird, separate-but-related piano/ballet climax from The Larks..., lololol.

Hardest to Write:  Probably In Every Prayer, because it took me a long time to really get inside Raven’s head.  Once I finally did, it came together pretty quickly/easily, but I had been poking at something from his perspective for a good few months at that point.

Easiest to Write:  Oh, man, all of them came together with surprising ease once they really got going.  I guess Your Fortune’s Fallin’... would win, though, simply because it was the shortest (which made the writing quicker, and the editing/rereads easier).

“Holy crap, that’s wrong even for you” Fic:  Don’t think I have one?  Unless you count deciding to write for a now-obscure movie with, not even a small fandom, but absolutely no fandom (until I forcibly carved out a tiny one)?  Would that qualify?  😂  My fandom masochism clearly reached new levels this year.

Fic That Shifted My Own Perceptions of the Characters:  Hmm, maybe There Are Dreams...?  If only because that’s when the whole “Ellen probably has PTSD from the events of the film” idea really started to jell.

Most Unintentionally Telling:  The Larks..., and also a bit of They’ll Ask Me Why...

[doomedandstoned]

Meeting Bomg, Doom-Drone Legends from Ukraine

~Interview by Billy Goate~

Doomed & Stoned continues our week of epic interviews with a long overdue conversation with the great Ukraine doom-drone band BOMG, who have been desamating stages and blowing out amps since 2010. During that time, Nikolay Temchenko (guitar), Yuriy Temchenko (bass), and Anton Khomenko (drums) have put out two mammoth LPs, an EP, and a split.

I first got turned on to BOMG's sound with the record 'Polynseed' (2013), which released the year that Doomed & Stoned was founded. I recommend starting there if this is your first exposure to the mighty trio from Kyiv.

Bomg have been gradually drifting in the direction of full-on drone metal, executed in their own authentic and compelling way, as we're about to discover as we drill into 'Peregrination' (2020) -- which we reviewed last year and Robustfellow has recently reissued.

Give ear...

You state that BOMG means “vagabond” on your Bandcamp page. Can you elaborate on how the name ties in with the band’s history and core identity?

It’s an abbreviation literally meaning “with no particular place of living”. Funny thing is that its’ meaning is degraded in common use (like “bum”), but when it was incepted (60s – 70s in USSR) those who were stigmatized by it were better off going elsewhere than being part of the regime, taking it as a positive. This became somewhat of a short-lived movement even. We think that despite being prone to misunderstanding in every way, it fits the overall vibe. Blessing and a curse. But frankly, the name is a secondary thing at best.

How would you describe your distinctive sound, to someone who has never encountered it before?

Basically, trying to elaborate and add to “Black Sabbath spaghettified” idea. We try to squeeze out any possible amount of low frequency, volume, distortion and effect saturation to the instruments, not necessarily designed for it. As of similarities and influences, it’s 60s-70s heavy psych, proto-metal and proto-punk, 80s - 90s continuation of it (doom metal, stoner/desert rock, sludge, drone doom), besides that – dub, ambient, prog rock, experimental music, field recordings and whatnot.

Peregrination by Bomg

Your new album 'Peregrination' is an explosive bombshell, massive in every respect. When was the concept for the album born?

The first track was almost ready in 2011, we played it at our first show. As of concept, it started to take shape somewhere in 2013-2014, most of the lyrics were written back then. Then it took years to “grow.” First, we tried to make it so each track would fit one side of LP, but it seemed kinda compressed and landed too quick. Then we decided not to confine it to any time limit but each track landed itself around 40 minutes, so we made sure it evens out like this in final recording.

Tell us about the recording process involved. We’re very curious about instruments, gear, amps, and the general studio environment in which it originated.

Each whole track was recorded live (took roughly four weeks for four tracks), then layered with two additional guitars. Synths, field recordings, vocals were added afterward.

Gear: we used two Tank amps (Orange/Matamp clones) made from old soviet broadcast amplifiers and Tesla Disco 240 for guitar and bass (wish our Sunn concert bass was alive at that point, but it just burns transistors when turned on – we couldn’t find an exact schematic for it, even photos of the exact amp on the web, seems like it’s from some transition period).

The drums are '70s Rogers 13”, 16” toms and 24” steel shell bass drum from '50s-'70s (mass-produced for political celebrations, weddings and funerals), coupled with Meinl hi-hats, Paiste Rude China and Zildjian Mega Bell.

Guitars used were early '00s Gibson SG Standard, '72 Musima Eterna Deluxe and ’69 Musima Record; and ‘70 Cremona Violin bass.

Pedals: Poltava fuzz-wah, Noname “flanger” that is actually phaser for bass; Tesla Vrable fuzz-wah (the seller told us that his uncle was under KGB investigation for just having it), Noname dist (most likely a ProCo Rat clone), Vox wah, Boss BF-2, Lel’ parametric EQ, Lel’ digital delay, Boss dynamic wah, Roland Space Echo for guitar.

Recording equipment: Two '70s Oktava ML-19 for overheads, '50s-'60s Oktava ML15 and ML16 for room and various dynamic and condenser mics for everything else into Pro Tools, then later in mixing/mastering stage partly routed through mixer and cassette deck using beaten up cassette for analog saturation and vibrato.

Long story short, we tried to use most of the stuff we got in our studio, and at this point, it’s hard to remember every detail of the process. Referring to the environment, it is compiled of numerous weird gadgets which got to us throughout years, most of which were collecting dust somewhere for decades, and have a history (an entire topic by itself) we’re always asking for. And when used, they tell a story which then leaves a mark in recordings for sure. That was a hell of a fascinating process.

I noticed you had lyrics for each song on 'Peregrination,' but the singing doesn't seem discernable. Are there indeed vocals and, if so, how can I hear them?

Yes, there are vocals. They appear on low volume as reverberated and somewhat oscillated notes, more like presence; on high volume, you can hear words with 1-5 kHz correctly dialed in (on most audio equipment these frequencies tend to be excited, so lowering EQ at this range brings clarity), it appears as a whisper in a loud, saturated mix. Also, we added subtitles on YouTube, so you can know for sure where to find vocals. The point was to make them recognizable only with intent.

Talk about the album art. It seems there is hidden symbolism there, is that true?

It’s some sort of a window that leads to four areas, which are the visualized soundscapes to each track. There were no particular symbols, but the thing is that they fill in the picture as it is set - like a hallucination, which is often a well of meaning where symbols change and multiply interpretations, at the same time being just momentary blobs of form.

The process of making this album cover involved many iterations of drawing, running through GAN networks, editing the result to achieve the effect of a captured hallucination, close to the exact one. When hardwiring symbols directly into it, they would be eaten up by hallucinating AI. So by randomly forming a resemblance of shapes, things started popping out where they fit the most contextually - weird stuff. It’s a common thing in art to throw “open for interpretation” on everything, but this one might be.

What is the concept behind each "hobo" symbol and track on 'Peregrination'?

So, the first one means being quiet and alert, seeing what’s going on. The second one is a sign of a trolley – hopping from one soundscape to another, time travel. The third one – safe camp; it may be confusing when applied to the lyrics, but the position that is stated there facing the object is some sort of a “safe camp”, ground to stand on. The fourth one means “don’t give up”, even if applied in both meanings of this phrase to track. But the symbol references may lack context without diving into tracks.

I'm sure our readers would be most happy if you were to illuminate the meaning of each of the songs on your new album.

Well, it’s like trying to create a soundtrack to some introductory ontological theories (pretty blank, sterile stuff), realizing their intensity. Here uneven-numbered tracks touch on mind ontology, even-numbered - on reality ontology. Not diving into details too much, let them hang there.

I. Electron

Peregrination by Bomg

it's no light of star it's a light of mind walking thru a dream electron shamanism

"Electron" is covering the theme of mythical perception akin to humans and the discovery that put a dent into these beliefs. Variation on a Tunguska story, mythos surrounding Tesla, how people mythologize all around.

II. Perpetuum

Peregrination by Bomg

Across desolations Caravans astray Sand covered roads Forget old ways

"Perpetuum" goes more into sci-fi territory: endless cycles of dead and born-again civilizations, the Great Filter caused by cosmic events or beings themselves, and how we just might unknowingly observe such things staring at the sky.

III. Paradigm

Peregrination by Bomg

Giant web built and set in lines It works when mind reflects Leaving us with all the fears Or letting them disappear

"Paradigm" is based around the tendency of the mind to confine itself into some set of ideas, building a higher fence while thinking it broadens the space. Thinking of one thing while it is the opposite, fear of the structure collapsing while an event like this would alleviate any sort of fear. But breaking a paradigm usually leads straight to the next one, to which the same attributes apply. And keeping this notion brings a safe distance to it.

IV. Emanation

Peregrination by Bomg

Now the opportunity is To see the universe spinning Emit structures boundless Round its' endless borders It's the very first the very last small moment In periods of endless time When the structure merge infinite To manifest as something

"Emanation" goes somewhat contrary to the second one - a reality that may be started at some point, complicates itself, and never is truly repetitive. Also thoughts on subjective existence and the point of it, maybe being an instrument of the Universe to explain it to itself. Speculation on whether or not consciousness flows from one state to another, as energy does, returning to its inception or scattering across until equilibrium, or even said results being the same thing. And the uncertainty of these things that are left to be answered while we as beings, it seems, are just left to fade away.

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tyler, the creator: the very queer discography review!!!

Im bored of writing overly long threads on twitter so i wrote a look at tyler the creators discography and why hes gay and im gay and deserved to have his dick immortalized in gold when he dies. So tyler gregory okanma is a black man born in ladera heights california. He’s also my third favorite rapper and since he discovered my favorite rapper earl sweatshirt I guess he deserves goat status for that shit too. Tyler started his career around 17 years old as the ace the creator. He did features at the time with casey veggies and the inspirations in his flow to mf doom where already apparent even back then. From ace the creator mixtape you can already hear the very digital and jazz inspired pharrell production. Funny story if you look up any of his ace stuff now you'll mostly find some really old production that in the age of tyler the creator type beats doesn't really hold u all that great. From there Tyler went on to create odd futures and his first album bastard. He quite quickly followed up bastard with godlin. Goblin, bastard, and the OF tape vol.1 all feel pretty interconnected so im gonna speed round from worst to best. So odd future tape volume one is fun and punk and really crass, it's also completely eclipsed by odd futures other releases. I love odd future and the collective's ability too be both edgy teen skate rap garbage, and a risky artistic rap collective all at the same time. In odd future's first tape it seems pretty clear that tylers description of the groups early work as a bunch of niggas joking around in a studio is very apparent for better or worse. If you wanna get high with some friends can listen to some funny edgy and downright grimey tracks over left brains booking production skip this and listen to odd future's next mixtape but come back here to listen to some funny skits and a few proto mellowhype track with domo genesis. Goblin is Tyler's attempt to do a bigger darker more sprawling version of bastard but misses the mark. I like the album and I love singles on the album. Goblin the opening track is amazing and is a great look at tylers mental state attempting to live up to his newfound fame and anxiety about his infamy. I love yonkers and tron cat. Tyler says alot at this time that he doesn't make horrorcore and he's correct but the lack of emotional honesty and his immature deflections is really going off on all cylinders. If you dont wanna hear skits like “my bitch suck dick” and lines like “im not homophobic faggot” i would probably call it his worst album. Before i talk about bastard id like to go over his use of slurs and rape in his work. Tylers consistent lyrics about violence towards women and use of the lgbtq community really don't insult me. I feel like his lyrical content is filled with a clear look of how angry and insecure tyler was about not having a father or any way of processing his angst. Did he have to sound like a incel threatening to stalk and murder women who refuse to love him for over 3 albums? No, but i really enjoy looking at his early music. He doesn't shy away from how angry, sad and desperate he was at the time. That synthesis of need for fatherly love, anger from a lack of it and deteriorating mental state honestly makes the content more palatable. Also as a black trans women id rather hear tranny an faggot bars from a male rapper making intreeating music. Tyler at the time was being honest, angry and vulnerable not like eminem and action bronson who spit these bars with all the same rap bravado and violent anger toward women with zero pathos. Bastard is amazing, it's an intimate dark album. At the time it felt like it was tapping right into where I was at the time. The amount of mental anguish on bastards opening track really hit me. I was an angry kid with a lot of angst and bipolar disease so hearing a rapper yell about that same dysfunction really meant alot to me. The flows are amazing and it was a really good look at tylers ability to build a narrative. Wolf was tyler's next album. For a while wolf was my favorite album by tyler. His look at relationships and breakups on bimmer and ifhy are amazing and are expanded on his future releases. Find your wings and treehome are also a good look at his more melodic influence. It was such a good album I actually bought the mrech for and went to see Tyler at afropunk. Also hearing an entire song about the death of his grandma really hit me, my grandfather died around the same time. Cherry bomb was bad, now moving one. Ok im  joking i've listened to it two or three times but its really not worth going back to even though tyler put his all into it. The soul features and amazing production is worth listening to but even Tyler admits he rushed the album a little and that he needed to blow people away next time. Flower boy, is one of the most important albums in hip hop. That's it. Bar none. It was my favorite release of 2018. Flower boy is about tylers newfound isolation with his fame, and how he drives cars by himself in beautiful la vistas. Its also about how he’s gay (or bisexual). There are ALOT of stupid takes on this album. There is a contingency of tyler stans that think tyler has been “playing a character” since bastard. Now I'll admit that wolf haley and dr.teecee are clearly characters; they are also artists' representations of tyler's mental state. If wolf haley has adhd and no father that means tyler also has those issues. So whether or not Tyler is playing a character he has in fact “been kissing white boys since 2004”. I also have seen an insipid article that asks if “tyler the creator should be accepted into the lgbtq community” due to his homophobia? Much more controversial and actually homophobic and transphobic people are in this community hes tyler the creator, not milo yinnaoplous. I also dont think that it occurs to the reviewer that alot of gay men are very hmophobic before they come out and that self hate is very common. Lyrics like “im not gay i just wanna dance to some marvin” also has a much deeper context now. Listening to older releases you can see how in your face tyler was about his queerness. He even said he filmed himself kissing his friend Lucas to prove he wasn't a homophobe. I'm happy Tyler grew enough to make an album not only about being attracted to men but how lonely he felt in and out of the closet. As someone who came out as bisexual at the time it came at a perfect time. Being  gay is isolating and confusing and when you do you lose alot of friends and family. Garden shed, who dat boy, and 911 are real standouts. His collaboration with kali uchis was also so fucking smooth and she a born r&b star. Tyler gained a grammy nomination off the album and said he loved the feeling of finally making popular catchy music people wanna sing the lyrics too, so he followed it with igor. Igor opens with this addendum on the back of the physical album: 

This might be fiction, this might be about igor but it is fully about tyler okanga. The album is very hard to parse and barely has any rapping. It's more of a pop experimental album with a lot of lofi synth production. Tylers production chops are full force here. Igor is melodic, sad and full of the same anger and obsession from his previous albums. Its just more mature and really gay, and i fucking love it. Tyler was dealing with a tumultuous relationship with a guy and his refusal to be with tyler exclusively. Its about a breakup. A love tragedy that only becomes more depressing after the argument on a boy is a gun, the breakup in my love is gone, and the sad slump back into needing closure in can we be friends. The album is fun to sing to, and fucking devestating. I've dealt with a lot of similar issues with love and obsession so to hear it so clearly illustrated on igor really hit me. I think the album becomes even more depressing with the unreleased track best interest, about tyler being a side nigga. This is the kind of music that's sometimes made in r&b and pop but never in rap. There was an interview where Tyler says he hated his voice which is why he edits it so evident on igor. Tyler also said he wanted to send these songs to rihanna and Justin Beiber but they didn't want them, as cool as it sounds. I'm happy tyler was able to tell his own story. I would also recommend magic wand since it's my favorite track on the album and kicks you in the face with how angry and heartbroken Tyler was at the time. 

Tyler is an artist that talks and speaks about how he feels all the time, he's also a person who feels enigmatic and mysterious somehow. I think it has to do with how constantly he's put to the side of his other hip hop contemporaries. He always seems to be making music Tom weird, controversial and experimental to be treated like asap rocky, vince staples, or the late mac miller. A fact that feels ironic since he worked with all of those artists, lil wayne, and even kanye west. I'm as big a stan for tyler as he is for Pharrell, if it wherent forever I'd never take rap seriously and would never have chosen to make my own music. As a black trans woman I find a lot of tylers work really relatable. I've been in alot of the angry hopeless situations Tyler talks about in his music. I think he's the artist who hits me the most on a personal level and yeah when i was depressed i sat in my bedroom and listened to bastard in my low moments. I like riding in the car and listening to all of flowerboy. Igor is amazing as well for almost half a decade it's been amazing growing up and hitting the same emotional beats Tyler went through5 in his work. Hearing about him coming out as gay ajd dealing with very similar backlash mad me feel less alone if im being honest. Tyler has said he wants to take a more production heavy role in the industry moving forward but he says that a lot, i think as long as he has a story to tell he's always going to make music. His music feels like a diary and I'm happy to read it and sonnet to it in all its beauty and ugliness. 

Hi my name is lua o'reilly i make music on soundcloud.com/wormmother

If you liked this review let me know and I'll do a look into earl sweatshirt.

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A CCC Meeting with Proto Pt 3 (Proto Gil, Hakuno, Leo)

Previously on the Far Side of the Moon: 1, 2

___

Gilgamesh was still pulling her along when she noted the screens running in a classroom.

“Hold on.”

Hakuno freed herself, pushing the door open and glancing around. It looked like someone had actually tried to make the space more livable. A large, foreign and expensive looking rug had been spread out under a long table. The screens were moving over a bunch of data.

And there were three individuals chatting at the end of the table, by the screens, their eyes drifting to her. A young blond, a dark haired man in a big coat, and then… There was no doubt that the last was a servant. The armor and the strange facial features said he was not from around here.

“Good morning!”

What on earth…

Hakuno stared at Leo, sitting between the foreigner and Mr. Broody Coat Man, watching him smile proudly.

“…It seems that we’ve failed. Once more… Good- Come on! GOOD Morning!”

“Good morning,” the other two mumbled.

They waited, staring at her.

“Do not greet them,” Gilgamesh murmured from her other side.

“Good morning!”

Leo nodded at her, but the rather harsh pinch to her side said she’d be paying for that decision dearly.

“That was excellent. As you know, I enjoy bright and cheery-“

“The Leo I know is not like that.”

She didn’t move from the doorway, keeping a hand on Gilgamesh in case she would need him. It was early, far earlier than she’d expected for a fight, but if they wanted one, she’d bring it. It would be a good opportunity to see what kind of power Gilgamesh possessed anyway. In fact-

“Relax, Kishinami.” Leo sighed, shaking his head. His tone fell, his expression changing. “Here I had hoped to change my character completely. You would, of course, remember me well. We have things to talk about. Sit down.”

She really didn’t want to sit down.

“You already know us,” Leo argued. If we were to fight, there’d be more than me asking you to sit. I am Leo Harwey. This is my brother Julius,” he gestured to the Broody Coat guy with that before turning to the knight man. “And this is Gawain.”

Two nods.

“Hakuno,” Gilgamesh growled.

“Are you alone, Kishinami?”

“You three are here, aren’t you?”

Waiting any longer would mean confessing that Gilgamesh was with her. The man was thankfully giving her a break, pulling back, but letting her see his glare before he motioned further down the hall.

He’d be waiting, it seemed.

“Sit. Let’s not waste any more time,” Leo replied to her, gesturing to the other end of the table.

Sitting down felt like stepping into a boiling kettle.

Leo nodded.

“Sakura?”

“I’m here,” the infirmary nurse replied, forming at her side.

How much did she know right now?

Did she know that Gilgamesh had been lingering near?

“The goal of this gathering is for Team Escape the Far Side of the Moon to begin.” Leo looked at them all before sitting back. “Our former war was started when we were all absorbed into the black material that overflowed around the school. Given that many of us have lost bits and pieces of memory, it’s only right that we should piece together our intel and figure out how to get out of this endless loop.”

Sakura nodded.

“You are unfortunately repeated the day, but… My intel into looking into Miss Kishinami says that it has been three weeks’ time since the incident.”

Three weeks?!

No wonder Gilgamesh had been upset.

“Is there anything else your data is telling you?” Leo asked.

“You have been reviewing it,” Sakura pointed out. The best guess that has been offered by your brother is having been swallowed by a beast.”

A beast?

She really needed Gilgamesh now.

The fact that her skin was crawling-

“I am interested in hearing what you think, Hakuno,” Leo replied.

“I-I just woke up. I remember the battle and preparations and then… nothing.”

No, she remembered falling. She remembered the voice telling her to give in and Gilgamesh coming to her. She remembered well his blush and...

“I am intrigued, although I don’t know why,” Leo offered. “A-anyway, if we investigate further, we’ll learn about what’s going on and be able to once more resume the war without any further problems.”

“Great. Let me know what you find out.”

“See, we need someone to run the data here and someone to investigate with a servant.”

Hakuno glanced at the three men.

Leo and Gawain for investigating.

Julius for reading data…

Leo chuckled, pressing a hand to his face.

“Hakuno, as you know, I’m the best here amongst us all at analyzing.”

She didn’t know that. In fact, she didn’t really remember too much about this guy except for the fact that he was normally not bright or cheery. Most of her instincts were saying to fact check half of what he was saying right now. The boy was like a politician.

Probably had a future as one too…

“If Gawain went in, he would be at a disadvantage as well. Someone like yourself, showing an admirable amount of mana would be far more suited for the exploration.”

She felt weak…

“How many?”

“Hmm?”

Hakuno looked at the three, “How many others are on your team?”

Leo coughed.

“There were… problems. Many of the others haven’t been located. I can’t even recall our classmates right now except a few whom I suspect are masters.”

So he was having memory problems as well?

“Working with me means you get instant analysis. We could investigate into the depths of this place, escape, and be temporary allies on the other side of this far side of the moon or whatever Sakura wants to call it.” The boy waved a hand. “Waiting and seeing what will happen would mean relying on the fact that others would be open for alliances.”

Right…

Join or die.

Hakuno glanced over at Sakura, watching her fidget with her fingers. It was strangely human to see her like that. Not something she’d expect from an AI.

“Alright.” Hakuno nodded. “But Sakura gets to block all data on my servant.”

“Y-You want me to block him from the data flow?”

“I don’t want anyone seeing any information,” Hakuno agreed. “We’re temporary allies, after all.”

Leo smirked, leaning back. “Clever.”

Thankfully, she’d been thinking how much he’d hate being bothered. I should have thought about his data and information more.

Leo had the knight who was no doubt a Saber. That meant he was probably one of their worst opponents.

“Alright. Sakura will look at whatever data before I look at it, removing the data about your servant… What class is he?”

“A servant class.”

Hakuno stood up, leaving before she could cause any more trouble by not thinking.

She wasn’t meant for politics. Grail help her, she was hardly suited for a grail war with the fatigue she still felt.

I’ll investigate around a bit more and then find Gilgamesh.

Probably best to investigate quickly.