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partiallypoison · 3 years

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some people asked for a tutorial on how i’ve been doing my lyric edits (examples here!) i’ve never done a tutorial before so if something doesn’t make sense, let me know! i tried to explain as best as i could, but i’ve been using photoshop for like over 10 years so sometimes i forget to explain things that i do instinctively lol

alright so first, i start with a 8inx12in file. this is because i personally want to order these all as small postcards on my redbubble for a mini collage, which are 4inx6in lol. but any size works! just keep in mind the size if you want to print them/put them on a shop.

settings:

note that 300 dpi WILL make the file larger/slower, but it’s the best resolution for printing! dpi = dots per inch, which makes the image clearer when printing. if you’re not making things for print/shops, 72 dpi will be fine!

next you want to chose your song/lyrics. i’ll do this example with my disloyal order of water buffalos graphic i posted the other day! the lyrics i chose were ‘like buzz, buzz, buzz. doc, there’s a hole where something was.’

optional step: sketch it out. this is what my idea looked like before i even began. it’s messy but it got the job done to help me visualize what i was doing. this sketch was done quickly while i was drawing something because disloyal order came on and this image popped into my brain :)

note that this doesn’t even have the ‘buzz, buzz, buzz’ line yet!!!

alright, so you have your lyrics, and maybe or maybe not a vague idea of what you’re going to do.

if you have an idea for the image you wanna use, great! it’s time to search royalty-free* websites for something to use! if not, don’t fret! i have ideas on how to find inspiration.

*it’s important to note that if you wish to sell prints of your graphics, that you should be using royalty-free images so you don’t get into legal trouble. if you’re just posting them on tumblr, as long as you credit the original source, you should be okay! royalty-free websites i use a lot are pexels.com, pixabay.com, unsplash.com, etc. there’s a lot out there free for you to use!

okay, so i know i want a ribcage as the main image here. so i go onto one of my royalty-free stock photo websites and search ‘ribcage.’ not finding what i like, i search ‘ribcage drawing.’ and lo and behold, i find one on publicdomainpictures.net!

if you don’t know what kind of image you’re looking for, i recommend either analyzing the lyric and its meaning to you, or to search a word/phrase on one of the websites listed above. you can find inspiration just about anywhere. worst case scenario, ask a friend what the lyrics mean to them! for example, i’ve always interpreted these lyrics from disloyal order as the person’s heart being missing. someone else could interpret it differently, but there’s no wrong answer!

okay, so i dragged my image into my photoshop file. i like to save the image and drag it from the folder it’s saved in over to my photoshop file, as it helps keep the resolution of the image clearer when i mess with the size.

ignore the other layers for now, as this is my saved file and i do a lot of revisions :)

next step is to put the lyrics on. they don’t have to be fancy yet. just slap ‘em on!

this looks like a poster you’d see sitting in the exam room waiting for your doctor.

lately, i’ve been using impact font so i’m going to change my font to that. you don’t have to use it, but it’s been the font i like for these type of posters as it looks pretty clean. i use impact regular with all of my letters in caps. no additional bolding used, but sometimes i use italics.

so now that the lyrics are on there, i begin messing around with their placement. usually i separate words/chunks of words into their own text layer so i can play around with them. this is where the words end up on the final product:

note that this took a lot of playing around and even asking for advice! you will be constantly moving the text around trying to figure out how it fits with the image. i size them all a bit different, depending on what word or phrase i want to emphasize. doc, hole, and something are the three i want to pop out, so they’re larger and two of them are italicized.

my other advice would be to separate the lyrics as evenly as possible to distribute the weight of the graphic. you don’t want it to be too heavy on the top or bottom. some exceptions are made, like when i decided to add ‘buzz, buzz, buzz’ because the top of this looked a little bare.

also, i try to frame the image with some of the words, as it makes it look a lot more cohesive :)

okay, so i have my image and text placed. next up is color palette.

i already had a bit of a color palette ready, when i colored in my first sketch i used this off-white-ish green color and filled in the background with a red. i have a limited number of images, so i won’t post that lol.

i personally just did random colors that i liked, BUT you can always look up color palettes online to help you if you’re not good at picking colors. for example you can search up ‘muted red color palette’ and get something like this.

i usually use the middle color as my background color and the darker and lighter colors as my two colors for my text. sometimes i add a color or two where i color pick one of the colors and shift it up or down in tone or saturation, but i try to keep the palette as limited as possible. (once again, there are exceptions! like my the last of the real ones graphic, which has a lot of color but they’re smaller pieces of the graphic.) here’s what i mean by shifting in tone or saturation:

so with my colors selected, i change the background and font colors. i like to make the words i emphasized the lightest color, and the other words the darker color. i also like to add a solid drop shadow to the emphasized words using the darker of the two font colors, as it really adds to that emphasis. for the drop shadow i use these settings:

the distance depends on how large the font is and how far you want it from the text.

okay, so colors picked. next is the image.

first, hide all of your other layers so they don’t interfere with your editing of this image. this is an important step that could really mess you up later!!

since this is a black and white image, i do a few things to get rid of the background. one is to go to the top menu bar and click Select > Color Range and have your foreground color be the color you’re trying to erase. be careful with the fuzziness slider on the color range pop-up menu, as it can mess with your selection and select things you don’t want selected!

once you have that selected, you can either press CTRL + X to delete the selected pixels (you will have to rasterize the image if you do so). even though you can undo this easily with CTRL + Z, i don’t recommend this if you want to edit the selection.

i recommend going back up to the top menu bar and clicking Select > Inverse. then, i recommend creating a layer mask. this can be done by heading over to the layer panel and selecting the white rectangle with the hole cut out of it. this is usually located at the bottom of your layer panel! this is so you can draw on the mask to fix your selection without ruining the image itself. i usually have to touch up the selection because it missed a pixel or two.

if that doesn’t work out, instead of selecting the background color, select the color of the object in the image when you do Select > Color Range. then skip inversing it and go straight into a layer mask! it just depends on what works. i usually do have to end up cleaning these up within the layer mask no matter which one i do.

there’s two other ways i do this. one is just to set the image mode to multiply so only the black shows through. this works if you just want the image to be black. otherwise, do the above or the next option.

so i usually want my image to be a certain color. sometimes i create a new layer and do a clipping mask above the image and fill in with the color i want. it doesn’t always work out :( so instead what i do is Select > Color Range and select the color of the image itself with the eyedropper tool. next, i create a new layer and use the fill bucket with the color i want selected as my foreground color. this works but can also be a pain depending on the image itself!

you just have to try your best and figure out which method works!!!! this won’t work if it’s not a black and white image or an image with high contrast. that’s something for another tutorial :)

here’s what my image looks like so far:

nice, right? but wait! i didn’t add the heart in yet.

this one was done differently. i searched for a drawing of an anatomically accurate heart and *found one. i just wanted the shape, so it didn’t matter to me what it looked like :)

*this isn’t the one i used. i couldn’t find the one i used for this image, because i forgot to save it as which website i used. that was my mistake!

for this one, i used the wand tool to select the white background, and then did Select > Inverse so i had the heart’s shape as my selection. i converted the selection into a path (with the wand tool, right click > make work path) and then a custom shape (with the pen tool, right click > define custom shape) so i could add an outline to it and size it without it being distorted too much, but you don’t need to do that if that’s not your goal. if you just want the shape itself, you can create a new layer and use the fill bucket to fill in the selection.

but for this graphic after i created the custom shape, i change it so it had zero fill and a stroke only. i changed the stroke to be the lighter color (which is the color of the ribcage and the emphasized text) and changed it to a dashed line. you can change it to a dashed line next to where the drop-down is for changing the stroke size. this is located right below the top menu bar!

i noticed the light colored stroke didn’t stand out too much, so i added a drop shadow with the same settings as above (less distance) and used the darker shade of red that i used for ‘buzz, buzz, buzz.’

it still didn’t pop out enough, so i duplicated the shape layer (you can either drag the layer down to the new layer button at the bottom of the layers panel, press CTRL+ J, or right click the layer and select duplicate layer). i put the duplicated layer under the original one, and removed the drop shadow. then i set the stroke to zero and changed the fill to that same dark red shade as the drop shadow. i then lowered the opacity to 25% so you could see the ribs underneath. this ended up giving it more of a hole look in the end, so i was pleased!

this is what the final graphic looks like:

i hope this makes sense to you guys! if there’s any other questions or clarification that you need, let me know <3

#tutorial #ps tutorial #graphic tutorial #photoshop #i hope this helps!!!!

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solomonish · 3 years

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Hii I saw astrology and divination talk and got curious! If you are into it, do you have any even vague headcanon of what Solomon's relevant(?) placements could be? This topic always makes me go 👀 and its funny that even ancient demons got their lil sun sign listed on their profiles lmao.

Completely disregard this if u dont like astrology though oh 🙈😳 and also !!! hope you're having a nice day~💌

HELLLLLLLOOO my love I hope you meant big three signs because that's what I did lol! And no I did not BUT the moment I got the ask that prompted this I did wonder "hmmm what would Solomon's big three be?" and then this ask came in SO...I looked it up lol

I will warn you though that I don't know a lot about astrology other than my own sun sign (Aries) so this is all from a quick little search!! My descriptions of what they're about come from here so if it's wrong.........I tried <3

Solomon's Big Three

Explaining his Sun Sign - Sagittarius

starslikeyou describes Sagittarius like so:

"Born with the Sun in Sagittarius, you are gifted with an abundance of warmth, energy and positivity. Your sign is noted for a willingness to transcend the everyday by pushing boundaries, demanding freedom and seeking to explore unchartered horizons whenever possible. Your journey involves discovering all that is possible.

At a deeper level, your sign is also concerned with the cultural, philosophical and metaphysical frameworks which make life meaningful. Your life path involves searching for truth and then sharing that with others."

Honestly, I think this works for Solomon!! I think his energy and positivity are more calm, but he's very playful and welcoming just in general. Obviously he's all about exploring the unknown [gestures @ immortality] and I definitely headcanon that Solomon knows a little bit about everything. A true renaissance man...

IDK this was short I just wanted to address it lol. Onto the good stuff!

Guessing Solomon's Moon Sign - Scorpio

According to starslikeyou...

"Born with the Moon in Scorpio, you are likely to be sensitive and loyal, but have intense emotional needs...You are likely to give the impression of being perceptive, powerful, and transformational.

Scorpio is also a Fixed sign, suggesting that when you align your emotions with something you desire – be that a friend/lover or an anticipated outcome – you will be constant, enduring and unwilling to let go."

In terms of the emotional needs, I think this might be the weakest part of my argument - but hear me out. The website describes emotional extremes that may swing back and forth, as well as intense reactions to emotions. I could argue that Solomon does experience this - although I think he's gotten good at hiding it.

I wouldn't describe him as having mood swings, but I can think of a few instances where he has shown them. I think this would mainly take place in his anticipation of rejection. We've seen multiple times how he's willing to indulge in being with MC, only for a moment - happy, satisfied - but then he quickly realizes that they could reject him, that they might not want him, and he backs off and retreats again. This isn't exactly a mood swing, but it fits for my argument. He easily flips from accepting and eager to show affection whenever he has the chance to reserved and pulling away. From confident to almost insecure. Additionally, his emotional reaction to the possibility of rejection - or of returned feelings, like in the Threads of Fate devilgram - could also help my case. The website also argues that people with a moon in scorpio are self-aware, introspective, and private individuals, which definitely sounds like Solomon to me.

In terms of intimacy, the website accents a need for emotional honesty, and finding an inner transformation as you share more parts of yourself and expose your vulnerabilities. I've talked about this for long periods of time, but I really, really think that this is the type of beneficial relationship Solomon needs. He needs someone he can trust completely, someone who can get him to open himself up and be a little more free because they accept his past and the parts of him that are messy.

Also the website says this:

"Finally, the Moon here often also brings highly developed intuitive and psychic gifts. You may find yourself drawn to explore the mysteries of life, wanting to know more about magic, alchemy or anything occult."

And if this isn't Solomon, idk what is.

Honorable mentions i also considered: Moon in Gemini for emphasis on communication / knowledge exchange and intuition, Moon in Sagittarius for passion / creativity and a call to freedom, and a tentative Moon in Cancer for intuition and need for connections.

Guessing Solomon's Rising Sign - Aquarius

As starslikeyou says...

"Born with Aquarius on your Ascendant (or Rising), you will find a clearer sense of individuality is gained by stepping back to look at life from an objective perspective. A detached point of view allows for a logical assessment of the circumstances around you, giving you the ability to find, at times, lightning fast resolution to key issues.

This is the sign of the collective over the individual, the group over the singular. You are likely to have an especially broad view on society that allows you to mix with a great variety of people. Your awareness of group and social dynamics is paramount for your overall self-expression. Putting group endeavours first may override purely personal concerns.

There is likely to be a pronounced tendency to act in ways that will benefit the collective, rather than provide personal gain. This then is the rising sign of the true humanitarian, who gets what they need in ways that are socially responsible and considerate.

...You may also be drawn to arenas such as science, politics, communications or human resources, and have a strong social conscience. Usually open to scientific innovation, you can be an early-adopter or work with advances in technology."

This one really hit me as correct because of the whole collective over the individual part. Solomon acts as a sort of guardian for humanity, and he spares no expense to ensure the continued safety of humans. I understand that Solomon formed pacts beforehand and maybe for selfish reasons, but at least now he's put himself in the affairs of demons to make sure humans have some sort of voice. Now that he's in a position of power, he uses his leverage and makes his loyalties known. Demons probably wouldn't eye him so warily if they weren't suspicious of him turning on them or using them - and if he did so, it'd probably be for humans. Whether or not it's a side effect of his warped view on his own humanity, I definitely think he'd put himself in "harm's way" (though with him, the goalposts for that kind of shift compared to other humans) in order for the greater human good.

The sign also highlights intellect and the ability to make specific and well-thought out decisions with complicated information, as well as an impressive intuition. It describes those with this rising sign as idealistic yet practical, somewhat unorthodox or seen as eccentric (and paying the price for this perception), and a somewhat isolated and aloof front. Honestly, the further I read into the page, the more it reads like just an explanation of Solomon.

Honorable mentions i also considered: Rising Virgo for being humble yet sometimes self-effacing, critical and practical tendencies, and and urge to be useful over recognition. Also Rising Scorpio for transformation, charisma and perception, and insight.

ANWAY...I hope this is what you meant with this ask because if not I will feel SO dumb. But either way I hope you enjoyed, maybe even agreed, and I sure hope this information was correct!! And also....I hope your day was/is great too 😘

#obey me #obey me solomon #obey me swd #obey me shall we date #swd solomon #swd obey me #solomon #asked and answered #baalism

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justasparkwritings · 3 years

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Perpetual Bliss

Pairing: Kim Seokjin x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Little Angst, Bashful & Timid KSJ

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2.1K

Warning: Light Swearing

Summary: Seokjin and you have been seeing each other for a few weeks, but neither have you have crossed the line from casually dating to lust and desire... will tonight finally be that night?

Listening: This Kiss by Faith Hill

Notes: This is for @ksmutclub‘s Summer of Kiss event!

Tag: @jinpanman

Beta: @sugasbabiie of course

Lightning streaking across the sky.

The bubbles in fresh champagne.

A perfect scoop of ice cream.

Tingles down your spine.

Subliminal.

Driving on a summer day, music blasting, hair moving in the wind.

Butterflies over a first love.

A stolen glance.

Blush creeping over cheeks and ears, burning down your neck.

Plush pout, gentle lick of a bottom lip, nerves shaking as hands reach and hold.

A pivotal moment.

Ahhh.

Bliss.

The first kiss.

Seokjin isn’t one to lean in on the first date, to invade the space of his companions, asking to cross the line between friendly interactions and lust—which is why he didn’t kiss you on your first date. Or second. Or, third.

In fact, Seokjin has worked himself up in such a tizzy that he isn’t quite sure he remembers how to kiss anyone, let alone how to make the first move.

“Jin?” You call, staring up into his clouded eyes.

“Yes?” He answers, eyes coming back into focus, glancing past his lashes to stare at you. You’re beautiful, he thinks, sexy and charming, and so funny.

Do you know you are hilarious? That when he goes home after every date to relay the jokes you told, he can’t ever get them out because he’s laughing too hard? Which inevitably leaves Yoongi annoyed that he ever decided to ask, “hey, how was the date?” Do you know that he’s crazy about you, that in between rehearsals and practices, he’s counting down the minutes until he sees you again? That when he falls asleep, he’s wondering when he can ask you to spend the night, or stay at yours, so he can hold you, wake up to you, maybe even love you?

“I was just saying that I don’t really want you to go,” You repeat.

You’ve propped yourself up on his chest, chin resting against your hand, moving ever so slightly with each intake of Jin’s breath. Somewhere between the third act resolution and the credits, you’d started speaking to him, only to glance up at him and realize he wasn’t paying any attention to you at all. You can feel the rapid beating of his heart, not at all calm and steady as it was a few minutes ago. It is cute, really cute, watching his eyes go out of focus, his thoughts so deep he hadn’t heard the call of his name, not once or twice. But finally, eyes focusing, blinking quickly, lips pouting again, he’s returned to you.

“I don’t want to go either,” He smiles, “I have to, though.”

You sigh, fighting the urge to trace his cherry pout with your index finger.

“I guess, work or something,” You roll your eyes. “Not like you need to pay bills or anything,”

“I suppose I don’t, but I can’t miss practice,”

“I mean, you could,”

Seokjin scoffs, “Ya - you want me to call in sick?”

“Would it really be that noticeable?”

“I’m one of seven, of course they’d notice, and I need all the practice I can get,” Jin uses his index finger to bop your nose, the immediate scrunch eliciting a giggle from him. “You’re so cute.”

You glare, the finger you’d so desperately wanted to use to trace his lips, repeating his actions on his nose. “Anyway, you’re a great dancer.”

“I work really hard to be okay at it,”

“You’re great, better than okay,”

His heartbeat, which has evened itself out, picks up at your praise, and the wiggle of your hips repositioning yourself against him.

“If you say so,” Jin’s ears are burning, hot to the touch, and he can’t stop himself from glancing from your eyes, kind and soulful, to your lips. He notices the subtle poke of your tongue, wetting your bottom lip before your teeth rake over it. He’s watched you do this before, often taking your bottom lip between your teeth to gnaw at the flaking flesh, but never this close, never when his lust for you has reached monumental heights.

“When will I see you again?” You whisper.

Again, your voice pulls his focus back to your eyes, staring again, expectantly, hoping he’ll say soon, bracing for the potential that he’ll have to disappear for work for a week or two.

“Day after tomorrow?”

“Yes,” You nod.

“It’s a date,” Jin pulls you closer to him, holding onto you, a gentle kiss on your head. You exhale, breath fanning his neck, nose nudging the column of his throat. It’s safe here, cozy and welcoming, the giddiness in your heart echoing in the beating of butterfly wings in your abdomen. Seokjin’s hands, resting on your lower back, dangerously close to tickling you, are steady and calm.

“Your heart’s beating so fast,” You comment, lips coming in contact with the skin of his neck.

“Ya, of course it is; it always is when I’m with you. You’re acting like I’m so cool and collected all the time, I’m a mess,”

“You’re not a mess!”

“Ayesh, my ears are going to burn off my head. You’re cool and collected! So unphased. I can barely get a sentence out without stammering. You make me so nervous all the time. And then you just laugh at me!” Seokjin argues. You love when he gets worked up, his words hurdling past his angered pucker, not stumbling but gracefully gaining speed, one after the other until he’s not only red from embarrassment but red from fury.

You sit up, laughing while he tsk-tsk-tsks.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I keep laughing. What you’re saying is valid; it’s how you’re saying it that has me laughing,” You explain, laughter diminishing as his embarrassment ceases.

“Seokjin’s pain is just so funny,” He mocks, “trying to be cute and vulnerable, and this is what I get!”

“Here,” You take his hand, placing it gently above your heart. “Can you feel mine?” Your body stills, heart racing matching the pace of his, too quick, too unsteady, the warmth of his hand making the rhythm pick up speed.

“Hm,” He answers.

“Not just you, but my heart too.”

For what he can estimate is the hundredth time, his eyes linger on your lips, lowering to the placement of his hand before he takes it away.

“You should probably go; it’s getting late.”

He follows your lead, standing too. “Yeah, yeah I should.”

“Text me when you get home?” You ask.

“Yes,”

Seokjin hugs you, once again placing you in a position to listen to his heartbeat. The longer he holds you, the faster it beats. A kiss to your hair, and he’s gone—no traditional kiss goodnight, no lingering desire in his eyes. But if he isn’t mistaken, he saw yours: the slight disappointment, the gentle frown, the way you tucked your cheek between your incisors, gnawing as he walked away.

Had he missed his opportunity?

It isn’t until he gets home, tossing himself on his bed, shoes neatly tucked away, that he texts you. You respond immediately, and it’s your response that swells the lump in his throat.

Seokjin: Home sweet home

You: Great! Also, I kind of thought you were going to kiss me…

Seokjin: I should’ve, I wanted to

You: Why didn’t you?

Seokjin: I was scared – what if I’m bad at it?

You: Haha – I can’t imagine you are

Seokjin: But… I could be

You: I could be too

Seokjin: I’ve wanted to, before tonight, I’ve just been so nervous

You: I’ve wanted to, too… I think about it a lot

Seokjin: Really?

You: Yeah, I do

Seokjin: Me too

You: Well, then we better make it happen next time

Seokjin: It’s a date

Kissing you is all Seokjin can think about. Not just what it’ll mean for your relationship, but you.

Kissing.

You.

How will your lips feel - will they be supple and soft? Chapped and rough? What sounds will you make? Will you hold his waist or tuck your hands into his shaggy hair? Will you be greedy or giving? Will your tongue move past his lips, drawing his out?

But the one he cannot shake, cannot begin to comprehend: what will you taste like?

He’s tried not to venture down that path, the path of temptation, the path that moves from a kiss to kissing, to making out and hands slipping under clothes… clothes flying, sinful sounds… Seokjin has had to stop himself on more than one occasion. The temptation… the desire… it’s all too much when he hasn’t even kissed you once.

As he tries to focus in rehearsals, brushing his teeth, playing games with Jungkook, all he can do is wonder: have you thought the same things, wondered what he’ll feel like, what he’ll taste like?

“Hey,” You greet, stepping into the car. You’re glimmering, Seokjin observes, glancing at your bright smile.

“Hey,” Seokjin offers you a nervous smile in exchange, ears already a bright red.

“Jin, are you nervous already?”

He chuckles, “Aren’t you?”

You set your hand on the center console, palm up, waiting, expecting him to place his in yours. He complies, letting your thumb caress the skin as you speak. “I mean, yeah, but we’re still, us right?”

“Yes,” He hums.

“So, let’s go see the movie, and get pizza when it’s over,”

“What, and make out on your couch?” His nervous giggles betray his hidden desires. He really would like to make out with you on your couch.

“Do you want to skip the movie and do that instead?” You question. He turns his key in the ignition, shutting off the motor, and sighs.

“We’re good, you and me, right?” He asks.

“Yes, I think so,”

Seokjin takes your hand again. “Good, good, me too,”

“You’re asking because?”

“Because, at some point in the very near future, I’m going to kiss you for the first time, and I need to know that if it’s a terrible kiss, if I’ve forgotten how or my teeth hit yours or our foreheads bump, that we’ll still stand a chance,”

“You want a guarantee that if our first kiss is trash, I’m not going to ghost you?” You clarify.

“Yes,” He’s staring ahead at the empty street, wondering if being this vulnerable will result in you no longer finding him attractive or interesting. Though nothing could be more embarrassing than his outburst the other night. He’d been kicking himself over it; how was it possible that he could both embarrass himself fully and so openly share how quickly he is falling for you.

You squeeze his hand, still in yours. “Jinnie,”

“That’s a new nickname,”

“Oppa,”

“No, please, no,”

“Jinnie, how about this,” You tuck your leg underneath you, turning your entire body to face him. “Kiss me,”

“What?” He yells, head whipping around to you.

“Just a peck, nothing more,” You instruct.

“Okay,” His eyes are still wide, caught off guard by your sudden directions. He takes in your posture, the nervous habits he’s picked up on the last month or two, how endearing when caused by him.

“Meet me halfway,” You whisper, squeezing his hand once more.

Seokjin unbuckles his seatbelt, turning to mimic your posture. He inhales, steadying himself before leaning in.

“Wait,” You request.

“Oh god,” He groans.

“Shut up,” You laugh, your free hand pushing his hair behind his ear, slowly coming to rest on his cheek. Your thumb draws languid circles on the apple of his cheek, blush seeping into his honeyed flesh. His eyes, already a little blown, gazing longingly into yours. “I really like you.”

His eyes soften more, head leaning into the palm of your hand. The butterflies blossoming in his abdomen, he’s so relieved you can’t feel his heartbeat. “I really like you, too.”

It’s the confidence he needs, the security and safety of being in his car, with you, so close together, and admission of mutual affection, that inspires him. It pushes him over the edge, leaning in slowly, brushing his nose against yours in an Eskimo kiss, eyes drifting closed, lips finally, ceremoniously, meeting yours.

Unsinkable.

The bubbles in fresh champagne.

Centrifugal motion.

Tingles down your spine.

Toes curling.

Shooting star.

Everything is in slow motion.

Soft touch.

Heartbeat in your ears.

Sweet and gentle.

A pivotal moment.

Ahhh.

Perpetual Bliss.

Seokjin pulls away, resting his forehead on yours. His breath fans your face—it’s gentle, calming, not so nervous or shaking as it was before.

“Wow,” You whisper.

“That was criminal,” Seokjin says.

“Do you want to go to the movie?”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to focus, now that I know,” He answers.

“Now that you know what?”

“Now that I’ve had a taste, a feel, I don’t know if I can focus on anything but you,”

You groan, loudly, before opening your car door and stepping out. Seokjin follows, moving quickly to slip his hand back into yours. He’s following closely, excitement bubbling in his chest. Because now, now, that he’s experienced just a taste of kissing you, going a minute more without your lips on his, is completely unthinkable.

#ksmutclub #summerofkiss #thebtswritersclub #btsgoldnet #kim seokjin #Kim Seokjin fluff #Kim Seokjin fic #Kim Seokjin x you #Kim Seokjin x reader #Seokjin x you #seokjin x readeer #Seokjin / you #first kiss #kiss kiss #kiss #new relationship #Seokjin fluff #clubzerooclock #justaspark

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evakuality · 3 years

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Mia, episode ten

1. I like this little pile of girls she has going on here (and I love that it was recreated in s4). I really do enjoy this group together and it’s nice when we get to see them all in one group like this. ‘If he found out through someone else, that’d be worse’ - yeah it would, and I’m glad someone is finally working out that talking to each other is the best way to deal with things. The most frustrating thing about this season so far (apart from the Noora bits) is how so much could have been avoided if people just actually spoke to each other rather than making assumptions. I don’t feel like this was as big a problem in the other seasons. Hanna was built around how unhealthy this behaviour is and Matteo was actually relatively good at communication, at least in ways that didn’t end up with this sort of issue.

2. Druck: here are some shots of this school. Me: 💜💙💜 - every damn time. I really really love this school and its environs. It’s such a great place to create interesting shots and scenes in!

3. Okay, this bit seems better than the og. I absolutely loathed that William refused to listen to Noora at all and chose instead to believe someone who is absolutely 100% proven by him to be an asshole and manipulative. Here at least a) Mia genuinely did go and do something with Bjorn kind of on purpose and b) Alex is at least willing to talk; he hasn’t entirely shut her down. Alex has far more genuine reason to be upset in this case (she chose to hang out with Bjorn rather than go see Alex after all unlike Noora who was at William’s house and sort of pressured into doing stuff against her will while she waited for him). So the fact that Alex, while clearly hurt, is still willing to listen is a good change.

4. Hmm, this is a very interesting shot of Mia. Her costume is so dark and the background is so dark that her face stands out so starkly against it. It’s another sort of black and white thing, except that where Mia and Amira were both black and white (signaling that both had aspects of each), here Alex is white and Mia is black (meaning they’re framing him as ‘right’ here). I don’t necessarily love the way this season (and the og) tried to frame the William character as a misunderstood lovely guy when they both acted like absolute dicks. But I do like the way Druck uses costuming and cinematography.

5. I don’t think any of this backstory really absolves Alex of any of what he did or how he’s acted. But I will say, the acting is very nice and the things he’s talking about are quite poignant. Clearly, Bjorn shows all the signs of a classic abuser and this must have been a hard thing for a young guy to watch. But I guess the issue is that in order to stick to the og, Alex had to act like a similar sort of guy. Which doesn’t make sense. If he was as badly affected by all of this stuff as it seems he was, why start acting like the same sort of guy as the one who did this?

6. Interesting that by the end of the clip we’re back to a share of the black and white. Mia is absolutely in the right here, so this ‘nuance’ bothers me (there really is no reason for Alex to beat up Bjorn, and Mia’s right - she should be the one to deal with this in this instance). But I do like that again, Druck is using colours and light (there’s a lot more light on Mia and a lot more dark around Alex by the end of the clip) to make their point. It’s not absolutely one I agree with but I appreciate what they do with this stuff. It was great in Hanna’s season and it’s great again here. ‘Honestly Mia, this thing hasn’t worked between us from the start’ - hmmm, for once I agree with you, Alex. This is/was a high school romance that lasted for a couple of weeks. They’ll both get over it and move on, particularly if they’re going to be in different places. One thing I do like about the s4 stuff is that the show does acknowledge that and allows them to split up. That’s just life. That doesn’t mean they weren’t important for each other, but just that it was something that was with them for a short time, and it doesn’t have to be more than that. I know that isn’t how this season ends, but overall I like where it goes.

7. Oh, the often-talked-about ‘beanie boy’ scene. Sad that I have never seen this episode and yet I recognized it from what Jonas is wearing. Yes, I’ll admit it: I am a David fanatic and I’m so glad he had this little moment in this season. Also, Hanna my dearest love looks so lovely here. I’m not surprised Jonas hasn’t got himself over her yet. I mean, look at her!!! I do like how awkward this is. Hanna did the moving on, she grew up and made a decision and it’s great that it worked for her, but I have been in the place where the other person wants to be friends but it hurts too much so I get Jonas as well. This is a hard situation and I have to heap praise on the acting once again. They’re both doing such a a great job here of selling just how tough this is.

8. I have very few thoughts about the whole ‘sitting around smoking’ thing except that those glasses really suit Abdi! But big sigh... here we go having Amira being the ‘reasonable’ one and telling us what to think about Alex. Like Sana. she’s supposed to be the moral centre of the group and so we’re supposed to listen to her, and she’s telling us that we should understand him because of what he went through. But there’s no nuance here again - yes, he went through something really awful and yes he has some qualities that aren’t entirely awful. But he still did some manipulative and often plain horrible things and he shouldn’t get a pass for those just because he has a sad backstory. If he actually did something to make up for what he did, if he acted like he was sorry rather than ‘right’ (again, a hangup from the og so I get it, but I still don’t like it), then I might have some sympathy for this line of reasoning but as it is ‘he has a sad backstory’ isn’t the ‘gotcha’ these shows think it is. And ‘Jonas is actually worse than Alex’ is SUCH a terrible take. Is Jonas perfect? No of course not, but at least he didn’t deliberately do a lot of the awful things to girls that Alex did. He at least genuinely liked both Leonie and Hanna when he was with them, and didn’t string them along for cheap sex. Why do they always use the Sana character in this way? Kiki of all people has the right take here. It’s not up to outsiders whether they should or shouldn’t be together, but rather the two of them. All we can do in the end is support our friends.

9. Interesting placement with the message now being ‘follow your heart’ - again, I personally don’t think we should be making such a big romantic deal of this whole thing but if we listen to Kiki (rather than Amira’s ‘all men are assholes’ thing) then I guess we should applaud her. This whole thing has clearly been difficult for Mia and it’s good that she wants to fight for what she wants. Again I’ll slip in some praise for the acting - Druck (as with the og of course) really did seem to find some talented performers and then coaxed some lovely performances out of them.

10. Wow, Matteo even looks thoroughly uninterested in Sara even at this point. How did she not pick up on it? I do feel for Sam, though. She wants a boyfriend and what she gets is an Abdi which was just a hook up thing really. I wish we’d got to see her find someone good for her in all ways (and I’ll also never be over that we never did get resolution on some of Matteo’s and Amira’s stuff either... oh for even a short one-off like the abiball where we got some sort of closure).

11. In really shallow news, I love this place where Mia ia talking to Alex - it’s really cool and with the lighting and graffiti it looks really interesting. However, I know I talk a lot about pacing, but her again is an example of the issues I have with it. I know they had to condense 11 episodes from the og (some veeeeeery long) into 10 more evenly sized ones. But, this reunion in the last few minutes of the episode seems really rushed (though I am grateful that it’s not like the overly dramatic car reversing after William was yet again an asshole to Noora that we got in the og). Alex is still talking about how Mia doesn’t trust him, how much they fight etc etc and Mia is calling him out for all the awful things he di at the start (which he continues to deny!!!!!!). And it’s all true, and they don’t have time to actually talk about it before we get whatever fairytale they’re going for here. It’s too short. They could or should have rearranged a few clips (particularly earlier in the season) so we could get a better and stronger resolution of the problems they’re raising here. ‘Yeah we’ll still do and be all those things’ isn’t the romantic ideal they’re suggesting. They still don’t communicate properly, which I personally would have liked to see before this big reunion.

However, overall I much preferred this ending to the one in the og. William was a much worse character in the last episode than Alex is here. I don’t like him, I don’t think he’s a good match for Mia but I do appreciate that he didn’t do what William did in the final episode. And Mia was more at fault than Noora was and so there’s more balance between them. I’ll never like this type of relationship, and I’ll certainly never like the Alex type of guy, but at least there was some acknowledgement of the issues and some suggestion that they can work on them together.

#druck #og druck #mia - episode 10 #update on feelings about Alex - I still don't like him

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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nomadicism · 4 years

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In that one Voltron post about Keith in Voltron Force, you mentioned that "I don’t think that many western writers would ‘get’ that archetype". What do you mean by that exactly?

Hi! Great question, thank you for the Ask!

I’ll start this off by stating that when I say something like “western” or “American”, I don’t mean to conflate the two. The latter is a part of the former, and the cultural context is relevant to why I said “I don’t think that many western writers would ‘get’ that archetype.”

Not “getting it” comes down to DotU Keith’s original archetype is that of the super sentai team leader, and that’s not a thing that exists in the western popular media culture (we have something different in place of that). And, kind of like how westerners frequently misinterpret ronin and samurai, if you don’t grow up with it—both the culture that created it, and as a common story type within popular media—then you probably won’t ‘get’ it, at least not without a lot of study and work and awareness of what super sentai is about (and that’s true of anyone’s perception or experience of another culture’s media). It takes time to ‘get it’, and in some case one might not ever fully get it (and that’s okay).

The more I try to figure out super sentai—and the +40 years of popular Japanese culture around it—the more I realize that I have more to learn. Just like with super robot stories—while it’s really about selling toys and entertaining people—there’s something else to it, like the why of how its entertaining. That something else is the cultural time-and-place conditions that gave rise to super sentai and super robot in the first place. Those conditions did/do not exist in the west. Different cultures have different kinds of heroes, kind of like how Superman was borne out of the time-and-place conditions of his creators.

Super sentai team leaders (and for this, I’m including anime with super robot combining mecha team leaders that are based on the super sentai formula) are similar to pre-80s American super hero team leaders in comics, and thus some of the difficulties in writing them also happens in super hero comics too. This is how DotU Keith becomes Voltron Force Keith-with-all-the-toys, even though the story is supposed to be about the next generation of Voltron pilots or whatever (I never got the feeling that they made up their mind about that). It’s an awkward merging of two similar but different types of stories that come from different cultures. I don’t say that to imply that such a merge can’t be done, it’s just easy to do awkwardly (or worse).

What follows is some breaking that down a bit more:

VF Keith (and later iterations of Keith to a certain extent) is an example of the American tendency to de-emphasize the team-aspect of leadership, as well as the leader’s soft skills, while emphasizing solo action hero skills and lone wolf traits, and adding Marks of Specialness. I’m not sure if other western cultures have the same kind of Individuality vs Collectivism dynamic that we do in the U.S., but that’s something I see at play in how Americans write team leaders. It’s not a problem in the “Action hero has a backup team” story (and I think that type of story comes from the placement of the Individual over the Collective), but it doesn’t work well in a super sentai story where the Collective is structurally more important than the Individual, and the Leader is important b/c of his innate personality-based traits or virtues that inspire and bring together the Collective to save the day.

Technically, a super sentai leader doesn’t have to be a great leader, or the most qualified. He just has to inspire through personality and by being a virtuous paragon. It can be hard to quantify what a virtuous paragon is, but it is not the same thing as a moral paragon in the western sense, even though the virtuous paragon occupies an analogous place in a story. One could say that I’m splitting hairs there, but there is a distinction between “virtue” and “moral”.

So at first, DotU Keith had the super sentai team leader feel as he wasn’t changed too much from his counterpart in Golion. The most noticeable change to Akira’s character as Keith in 80s Voltron were that his spiritual traits were de-emphasized due to broadcasting/syndication rules at the time. Those spiritual traits are not a requirement for a super sentai team leader, but within the context of a Japanese story, they help define the leader’s soft skills and shape the kind of virtuous paragon he’s supposed to be. (that’s a tangent into some heavy cultural analysis though).

By the time we get to Voltron Force (nearly 30 years later), we run into the 90s Superman problem with DotU Keith (e.g. how do we make the boy scout relatable? plus edgy characters are en vogue). Voltron Force’s solution to that problem was to keep adding new traits/skills/marks of specialness to Keith in order to make him “more interesting” (in some cases, those traits/skills/marks of specialness were already present in other characters). The assumption is that “more interesting”, is how to get people (in this case boys aged 7-9 or 9-12) to pay attention to and relate to a character that was never meant to stand out in that way to begin with.

In the context of super sentai, of course Red Leader is the bestest Japanese Everyman and will lead his team to victory, but he doesn’t get all the toys, and he needs the team to come together to form the giant robot at the last minute. And since he doesn’t get all the toys, then that means that he doesn’t get all of the traits/skills/marks of specialness that are associated with having all the toys, nor does he get into conflict situations where resolution is completely dependent upon his ability to be the solo action hero or lone wolf with lots of toys. This is where Voltron Force goes wrong with Keith…and VLD S6-S8. (Arguably that could be S3, but a lone wolf/solo action star temporarily stepping into the moral-or-virtuous paragon’s leadership role can totally work as part of a growth arc.)

The problem here is the conflation of leadership with being “the most interesting” or being the solo action star, or that to be “the most interesting”, one needs to be edgy lone wolf. That’s literally not the point of a team-focused story, and that is not the place of a super sentai team leader.

In DotU, Keith doesn’t need to be the martial arts master brawler, that’s Hunk. Keith doesn’t need to be the tricksy-ninja, that’s Pidge (DotU de-emphasized that from Golion where Hiroshi had a ninja lineage). Keith doesn’t need to be cynical one that sees through the enemy’s tricks, that’s Lance. Keith doesn’t even need to be the heart, that’s Allura (in some cases the super sentai team leader takes on a larger heart role, but the real heart will always be the female character). Part of the super sentai team leader’s archetype is that he’s got a few things he’s great at (usually one combat skill set + driving/piloting + tactics), and he has flaws that are made up for by the rest of the team, as each member embodies the other archetypes that make up a super sentai team.

One of those flaws is a certain kind of naiveté, for example, Lance wouldn’t have gotten hit by a rock from behind by Lotor during a duel, as he never would have agreed to the dual in the first place, as Honor™ is not an innate part of Lance’s being. Honor is a virtue, and as the virtuous paragon, Keith’s sense of honor plays into his naiveté. Duals are honorable! Lotor gave his word, he must have honor! HAH. No. Honor in this context is an innate quality, and that’s very important for a super sentai team leader, even in an odd-duck combining mecha show like Voltron.

Not to be that weeb with a “the Japanese prize Honor” take, but they kind of really do when it comes to how to define villains and heroes within certain types of stories. Virtuous, noble, and honorable villains (or antagonists) exist, and they get a completely different kind of death (arc resolution, sometimes in an eastern tragedy this leads to the hero’s catharsis) than a villain who is dishonorable, or without honor (those are not always the same thing). The western concept of honor is different (that’s not a value judgement, and of course variations exist b/c not all western cultures are the same).

In the US—when we’re not appropriating samurais for cowboy westerns—we tend to make honor into more of an aristocratic thing (thanks England), and that’s exactly what Voltron Force does to Keith when they slap on a secret Arusian lineage and special parental legacy of an Arusian Honor Guard. That completely undermines Keith as a virtuous paragon. He doesn’t need any of those things…and again, wasn’t the story supposed to be about Daniel, Vince, and Larmina anyway?

A secret lineage would be the kind of thing you’d give to one of those three, in which case, that would be Daniel or Vince, since Larmina is already related to Allura, even though Allura told everyone that her entire family was killed by Zarkon when Keith et al first met her and Coran. Being Arusian and royalty were Allura’s toys, Keith didn’t need them, he already had enough toys. This is a way in which the writers didn’t ‘get’ the archetype, and tried too hard to make it into something else.

The DDP and Dynamite iterations of Voltron still “give other characters’ toys” to Keith, but it’s not a problem b/c those iterations are separate continuities that begin (or reboot) in a way that is not super sentai. A few of the super sentai trappings remain, but they are much more like American super hero comics, and that’s fine.

In DDP Voltron, Hunk’s martial arts prowess is given to Keith, but Hunk gains a different archetype in return (that I really love and wish I could have seen more of). Hunk still has combat skills, but his archetype is not the big dude kung fu brawler. Even though DDP Keith has gained DotU Hunk’s toy, he’s still well balanced between solo action star and team leader, since he is only team leader b/c that’s what he was assigned to do. He’s not there to inspire his comrades through innate virtuous qualities. He’s there to lead a hail Mary mission for the most powerful weapon in the universe that everything thinks is a space fairy tale.

Dynamite Voltron Keith is okay, but he kind of falls into the solo action star trap in parts of Vol 2. VLD started off strong with a different archetype for Keith, but ended up giving him all the toys as was done with VF Keith.

Any continuity can do what they want, and use different archetypes for the characters, but if part of the goal is to start off with that DotU feeling (or like actually continue the DotU story), then those writing should try to get a better understanding of why all the characters (not just Keith) are the way that they are in DotU (and Golion). And also question why there is this inclination to single out Keith as a solo action star, rather than one part of a five person whole. The inclination isn’t right or wrong, it just is, and it has consequences for characterization.

#voltron #voltron force #vf keith #character analysis #ask me anything #aquaburst3

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readingsbylibramc · 4 years

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birth chart reading for @kapists

hello! welcome to your reading. I’m gonna give you a quick overview of what I’m going to analyze about your natal chart. feel free to ask me anything if something isn’t clear, of course. you’ll find out your dominants’ influence on your persona, your physical appearance, impression on others and the way you approach the world; your ego, identity, the real you; your reactions, your desires, inner emotions; your way of expressing your feelings, your mind and ideas; your desires and approach to love; your energy tank, instincts and temperament; in-depth analysis of each house with their rulers and analysis of heavy aspects; love life + soulmates/karmic partners interpretation; your relationship with your friends; your family life; your approach to career and work in general + possible jobs suggestion; your style, fashion sense analysis; life purpose and past life description; basic transits’ analysis to describe your current mood and, last but not least, your secret skills, how to make the most out of your soul and manifest what you desire based on your birth chart.

🦋 chart shape, dominants

your chart is a splay shape, meaning that your planets are located randomly in different groups in your chart. people with this type of chart are usually very talented at different things. they can focus their attention on different matters, from family, to work, to love. everything is important for you, and you try to live your life to the fullest. you may be particularly talented at things that require action, it doesn’t matter whether it’s physical or mental. you may be very good at sports, dancing… or maybe you’re good at leading, you could easily be the boss on your work place. since you’re interested in so many things, you could easily be skilled at all of them to be honest. my advice would be to pick the hobby that is most important for you and care about it more than the others. that’s because people with this chart usually tend to do so many things that they may lack precision. it’s better to give all of yourself to what’s important for you.

your dominant planets are the sun, uranus and venus. you're an easy-going and bubbly person with great goals for life. you're probably an avid dreamer, and you want to be recognized for your success and skills in life. you probably love having fun, you're very creative and also romantic as well.

your dominant sign is capricorn. you're hard-working and stubborn, once you have something in your mind no one can stop you. you strive to be the best at what you care about, especially in work. you're very polite, and this may even make you seem snob sometimes. actually, you're a very loyal person, who's also a great listener.

your dominant element is fire. you have a warm heart, even though it may be covered by your confidence and indipendence at first. in fact, you always strive for the first place. people may be intimidated by your presence, as you're a serious competitor. thanks to this competitive nature of yours you may be very positive and optimistic, making you a good and supportive friend/partner.

🌎 ascendant in capricorn, 13° / 2nd decan ruled by saturn and venus

the most affectionate and approachable capricorn decan. you're a vivacious person, yet your heavy capricorn influence may make you feel restricted to share your vitality with others. others' first impression of you is that you look like some sort of authority, someone who needs to be respected. even when you're joking, you still have this seriousness to your aura that is hard to go unnoticed. you care about your manners, and just your overall impression in general. you may take extra care of your clothes, your hair etc. you don't want to look disorganized, in fact you probably own an agenda or even just write your appointments somewhere. you have a cautious approach to the world, you're very responsible, especially when people you love are involved. you may have a resting bitch face, even though your jupiter conjunct the ascendant and your sun dominance probably help you mitigate this. generally speaking, you still have a serious look on your face that looks quite intimidating. you also look introverted, and you most probably are. you're very modest, and that's because you're secretly kind of insecure about your appearance. you always feel like you're not enough, and that you constantly have to improve yourself to be accepted. this gets better with time, though. physically, you're probably very attractive and don't realize it! especially with your scorpio midheaven. you may have an amazing bone structure, with high cheeckbones, a defined jawline and naturally straight, pleasant teeth. you may probably also have an amazing posture and walk, even though you may suffer from scoliosis or other bones diseases in your early years. you may also have an olive skintone or any kind of warm undertones, together with very fluffy, flowy and thick hair.

capricorn ascendant square libra moon: you may have troubles understanding others’ real feelings for you. you may feel as if everyone hates you, like everyone is talking behind your back when it’s the opposite. the ascendant being in capricorn doens’t help either, as this aspect enhances its trust issues even more. you’re particularly sensitive about others’ view and opinion of you, you may get deeply hurt when people criticize you. you could have the tendency to act differently than you usually do, in order to preserve your feelings. this is obviously a toxic behaviour, that fills you up with your own stress and doubles it. due to that, you may become very moody and nervous, ending up hurting others yourself. or maybe, it’s the other way around; your feelings are so overwhelming that you can’t hide them, and that could put you in embarrassing, unpleasant situations. you may show all of your emotions on your face, ready to be read, therefore you end up feeling ashamed of your own emotions. the way to cope with this placement is finding someone similiar to you; someone who’s trust-worthy, and very sensitive and empathetic too. someone who’d never judge you for what you think or say, and that would always help you becoming the best version of yourself. someone that understands you, without having to explain all of your behaviours and habits.

capricorn ascendant conjunct capricorn jupiter: this is a placement that I find extra beneficial considering your saturn dominance. you're very benevolent and supportive of others, you're probably the type of friend who would do anything to help their mates, and you'd do also defend them if necessary. you are fun to be around, you have a nice sense of humor and people just love being around you, you have this particular charisma to you that makes everyone want to stick around you. you're extremely fun to be around, and you may also be very sociable, or at least you have the potential to be. you're probably very lucky, you may come across extremely beneficial opportunities in your life, and that's actually your way to achieve the best success you could ask for. you need to step out of your comfort-zone and challenge yourself in what life offers you. it was all meant to be, but with jupiter in this position you mostly attract beneficial situations to you.

capricorn ascendant square aries saturn: you may be shy and have self-esteem issues, especially during your early years. because of that, you may often appear as insecure to others, or even unreliable. you have a strong desire to be with someone and commit to them, you despise superficial bonds, but at the same time you may find yourself being too shy to approach others, especially during your early years. luckily, I feel like the effect of this aspect is mitigated by your sun in leo, which makes you more confident. you may not be the most confident person on earth, but you're not the most insecure either. this may apply more to the younger you, actually. you don't feel much comfortable around other people, and others can sense that; your insecurity is exposed to the world, and some may take advantage of that to hurt your feelings. you're afraid of being judged, whether it's for your appearance, or maybe because of your ideals or interests. hence, you end up becoming reserved. this is something that will be solved through growth and time; the older you get, the easier you'll be on yourself. also, thanks to this aspect, you're a responsible person with defined values. to cope with this placement, I'd suggest you to do what makes you feel the best. there are different ways to boost your self-esteem, so maybe you can work on that and then start expressing yourself freely; if you do it without the fear of being judged, you will shine even more.

🌞 sun in leo, 0° / 1st decan ruled by the sun

just like the sun, you shine brightly. you're confident, independent, brave and friendly. you're the only who can handle your life, no one can tell you who you are, what you want or what you need. sometimes you can get insecure, as you feel pressured to always be perfect. you try to be nice and kind to everyone, as you don't wanna be seen as someone unpleasant to be with. even though you may be into gossip and rumors, you try to avoid being involved with them at every cost. the thing with leo is, you're either loved or hated. no inbetween. some may admire your confidence, assertiveness and determination, others may be jealous of you. you have celebrity-like presence, you don't go overlooked. you're most probably the life of the party, and you enjoy living a life full of fun and amusement. you're also amazingly creative. with your heavy leo influence, you have the potential to do and achieve whatever you want, you're very resolute. even though you look very open to getting to know new people, you're secretly very picky about who you call your friends, or even when choosing a partner. you always try to be perfect, and hence you want someone that looks and tries just like you do.

🌙 moon in libra, 17° / 2nd decan ruled by venus and uranus

the most independent and creative libra decan. in life, you strive for equality and fairness. for example, you don’t want to give less than someone else, you would feel guilty about it. at the same time, you don’t want to be the one that gives more either; you’re afraid that people could take advantage of you. therefore, balance is what you find the most pleasant. ironically, you struggle to keep the same balance in yourself, though. you may appear a bit emotionally cold, as you don’t feel comfortable showing your true self due to your secrecy. you come off as kind of analytical, but you’re actually very romantic. you wish the world was just filled with love and peace, and you that you didn’t have to worry about malice or anything of that type. you hate vulgarity, and you try to be as kind as possible with your words, even though you may be too straight-forward and fail at that. even if you’re an introvert, you may know a lot of people. yet, you have troubles actually creating close bonds with others. you basically have more acquaintances than friends. you’re a nice mediator, you know how to get along with others and make others get along.

libra moon square capricorn jupiter: you enjoy making different experiences and living your life to the fullest, making you also a risk-taker. you may lack self-control, especially with your luxury-loving libra moon. with this trait you get bored easily, and you may have a reputation for being flaky. you tend to overindulge; you may spend too much money, or even develop eating disorders like binge-eating. at least, you're able to build your life again and have a fresh start, but you risk to get stuck in this cycle. you have the potential to master different talents, but you may struggle to develop them due to this placement. you're a procrastinator, and you find it hard to focus on more things at the same time. you may also attract people with different beliefs and ideas from you, causing you to fall out with them easily. there are also positive sides to this placement, though! you're probably naturally lucky, even though luck may not always be by your side. you have a nice sense of humor, making you more likeable to contrast your capricorn rising.

🗣 mercury in leo, 12° / 2nd decan ruled by the sun and jupiter

you take a lot of pride in your intellect and ideas. leo is a fixed sign, hence you’re quite stubborn with your thoughts. you have a spectacular way of speaking, almost dramatic, that could make you come off as a know-it-all. when telling stories, you may exaggerate a bit, but at least you’re entertaining to listen. you could also gesticulate a lot while speaking, and maybe you like mimicking voices as well. you aim to express your feelings through creativity, it’s very important for you to write poetry, songs, drawings etc., it’s also a way to relieve stress and worries. your way of speaking is very attractive, it’s like a magnet. with this charisma of yours, it’s impossibile not to listen to you, you most likely have an extremely soothing and entertaining tone of voice. you would do amazing as a teacher or even as a (voice) actor, especially with your leo dominance too, as you’re able to fully convey your emotions in your speech.

❤️ venus in gemini, 18° / 2nd decan ruled by mercury and venus

this is the flirtiest, most romantic gemini decan, but also the flakiest and most indecisive. your flirting style most probably includes jokes, teasing… stuff like that. even though you may seem flaky, as you like experiencing romance with different types of people, you’re actually quite picky. in fact, in order to fall for someone, you need to feel mentally attracted to them, not just physically. someone ignorant and stubborn that doesn’t care about learning something more definitely isn’t for you. you’re not the type to be super romantic and sweet with your partner or just people in general. you show your affection for example by sending them memes, making ironic jokes about them etc. also, when you’re into someone, you probably get very talkative! you start asking them simple questions about their life, even things like 'did you have lunch?’. also, you talk about them with all of your friends, and you find yourself thinking costantly about them. you’re very curious of nature, but you’re only interested in getting to know what catches your eye.

☄️ mars in gemini, 27° / 3rd decan ruled by mercury and uranus

you’re driven by the sense of intelligence. your intellect is your greatest strenght, it’s your energy tank. you’re interested in a bunch of things, and hence you may have troubles staying focused on one thing at the time. you probably have tons of hobbies, and you may end up not being much precise since you have tons of things that you have and want to do. you can’t stand boredom, you need your day-to-day life to be exciting and, above all, offer you something new to learn and / or experience. you probably fancy being very active: you go out often, you workout, you may also be the type to love partying and things like that. you’re extremely witty and curious, and you want to live your life to the fullest. you may often change your style, your opinions, maybe even your personality, and that could make you seem confusing and / or unreliable.

gemini mars square aries saturn: this is placement indicates that something or someone is trying to restrict you, they're trying to prevent you from following your dreams and taking your own choices for your life. that someone is most likely an individual that has a lot on impact on you, it's someone very authoritative. or perhaps, it may even be a bully or abuser of any sort. as a result, you either rebel and get extremely angry, or you hide all of your disappointment inside of you. but soon or after, all of your intense feelings are going to eat you alive if you keep going like this, it's a very unhealthy behaviour. you could find it extra hard to achieve your goals, as when you try you always come across some hardships. what matters the most, is that you try to be more positive, you could even try manifesting more patience or serenity. you can't hold onto anger so much, or it will just fill you with negativity that could damage you. let it all go, focus on your goals and try to understand how to be more patient. in fact, you may often feel like you need to do everything as soon as possible, when it's not like that. you can allow yourself to be more calm and live life as it comes, it will make you feel much better with yourself and you'll also get more mature, which is crucial to learn your saturnian lessons and increase your self-confidence.

🏡 houses, interceptions

your 1st house is in capricorn. neptune and uranus are both here as well. with these two planets here, you seem less intimidating than the typical capricorn rising. in fact, you may look more on the dreamy, reserved side. uranus also makes you stand out from the crowd, you’re very charismatic in your own way. you could be of average height or even tall, or at least you have long arms, legs and / or fingers. with your first house in capricorn, you care a lot about your status and about your goals. you always give the best of yourself, and you want to be acknowledged and praised for your achievements. it helps boosting your self-esteem, even though you may have the tendency to think that the compliments you receive aren’t honest. with the ruler of the 1st house being in the 2nd house, you fully embrace your identity when you feel stable, both emotionally and financially. you could feel happy and confident when you can go shopping, when you take care of yourself, or perhaps when you see the results of something, like losing weight after working out. you base your self-esteem more on concrete things rather than emotional support.

your 2nd house is intercepted in the sign of pisces, with the cusp falling in aquarius. saturn is also intercepted. I feel like you’re the type of person to daydream about having a lot of money, self-esteem… perhaps, you’d love to workout or do something to change your appearance, yet you struggle to take action and try to do what you want to do. you may even idealize your possessions too much, which eventually lets you down, as you realize that you need to work hard to achieve much less than what you dream about. overall, you constantly overlook your skills and worth, and that makes you act more submissive, like a victim. with also intercepted saturn being in this house, you may be particularly sensitive to criticism, you’re afraid that others may see you as weird or different from them. I find that this placement connects well with your other placements; probably, your insecurity comes from an authoritative figure in your life that didn’t show you the right way. someone that has a big influence on you taught you some wrong ideals, and this makes you lack some sort of piece in you that makes you understand your own value. this can only be solved as you grow up, as you’ll make more experiences that will allow you to understand that you’re worth it. also, since aquarius is in the house cusp, you can also rely on rebellion. of course it doesn’t have to be fiery, but being independent would be highly benenficial both for your self-confidence and even financial matters.

your 3rd house is in aries. when you communicate, you take a lot of pride in your opinions. you hate admitting that you’re wrong, especially since you’re a perfectionist. you could be quite impulsive, and you may speak with a naturally loud tone of voice. you’re extremely good at coming up with plans easily, even though I feel like you may struggle to stick to them due to your heavy gemini presence in your chart. with the ruler of the 3rd house in the 6th house, you may make money out of communication. hence, you could be a teacher, a therapist, a psychologist… everything that involves the use of words in some way. this is a placement that indicates that your future career involves not only communication, but also healing someone in some way. you could become a writer or a musician, as art can heal people in an indirect way. or maybe, you would also do well as a counselor or as a nurse, as they’re more challenging jobs where you need to communicate in order to help someone out.

your 4th house is in taurus. your childhood wasn’t very turbulent, it was actually quite serene. your parents were most likely a bit strict with you, possibly even violent, but nothing too serious. you most probably were a very artistic and creative child, but maybe your parents didn’t want you to focus so much on your creativity, and in general they could have interferred in pretty much most of your choices. the ruler of the 4th house, venus, is in the 5th house: you may end up following your parents’ same steps when it comes to hobbies and / or fun. you might have also been a very creative and bubbly kid, perhaps you used to eat a lot and didn’t gain weight, or you’ve always had lots of hobbies in your life that you still enjoy. you may also feel comfortable around children or in any fun situation in general, like a vacation. you may adapt very easily.

your 5th house is in gemini, with also venus placed there. you feel able to express yourself and your creativity through communication and media. probably, when you were a child you used to love puzzles. your hobbies are quite different from each other, and they have the goal to stimulate your mind in some way. in fact, since gemini is ruled by mercury, you’re probably interested in anything that involves communication. you may love reading or even writing yourself, and perhaps you could also be talented at acting or at least voice acting, you’re very expressive. you’re able to convey your thoughts clearly in your speech, and you may actually be good at mimicking others’ voices as well. you could also be a talented singer. also, since you share the same ruler, gemini, in both the fifth and sixth house, I’d truly recommend you to turn a hobby of yours into a job. hence, if you’re into acting, you should try becoming an actress; if you like singing, you may become a singer, if you’re into writing, you should become a writer, and so on. it’d be the most pleasant and suitable job for you. the 5th house is already about arts, love and fun, but the presence of venus here enhances this even more; you're probably fond of romance, you like being liked by someone and loving someone else yourself.

your 6th house is also in gemini. in your daily routine, especially at work, you have to communicate a lot. you come in contact with lots of people, or maybe you write stuff like blogs or books. generally, you have a very hectic schedule, as you have different hobbies and appointments that you can’t abandon. your mars is also placed in this house: this placement indicates that you may be prone to overwork yourself, as you put a lot energy in your job. you could be quite superficial in a certain sense, and you’d risk to waste your potential with as you may take your job as a challenge, for example, you need to feel mentally stimulated to like it. in fact, your ideal career has to include something that allows you to express your personal taste, ideas and interests. in this way, it won’t feel too heavy to you, and you’ll find pleasure in working. side note, but this placement also indicates that you may often date co-workers. you may also be prone to hurt yourself easily, perhaps you may trip often or find yourself having random bruises and / or scratches all over your body. or maybe, you may actually suffer from some disease. the ruler of the 6th house is in the 7th house: this placement indicates thay you may work in an environment filled with people, you may have to communicate directly to others. or perhaps, you may often date your co-workers or people you meet at your work place in general. you will most likely get to meet your future spouse there.

your 7th house is in cancer. in marriage, you’re looking for an affectionate and caring partner who’s willing to nurture you. you’re also the type to like younger people to nurture by yourself, even though your heavy leo dominance points out that you’d rather be in a relationship where your partner is older and can be the one to take care of you. you can’t have the burden of controlling someone else, especially if you have yet to solve your identity issues caused by your interceptions. your future spouse most likely comes from your same city or at least from your country, you most likely share the same religion, culture, language, etc. they’ll literally feel like home to you, perhaps you’ll have a more serene family with them rather than with your parents. also, in a partner you value feelings above all. you probably don’t have a high sex drive, or at least you don’t care about physical affection as much as your feelings. also, mercury here indicates that your future spouse will be someone very intelligent and talkative, someone that is always down for deep talks. you will feel comfortable sharing your private thoughts and feelings with them.

your 8th house is intercepted in the sign of virgo, with the cusp falling in leo. you may be too critical and pragamatic when it comes to taboo topics, such as sex or spirits. you may be skeptical, even though you’re intrigued by them, and hence you can’t make up your mind. you’re critical about these topics, and hence you may attract critical people too. for example, since the cusp of the house falls in leo, it’s possible that you may attract people that appear as very sunny and bubbly, yet they reveal themselves to be your enemies, talking behind your back. also, since mars is also intercepted, I feel like you also have troubles being intimate with someone on an emotional level. you struggle to create long-lasting bonds, perhaps exactly because you may be too picky or critical of others. you value honesty above all, yet people may often lie to you. to cope with this intense interception, you need to understand your value and gain self-confidence. people take advantage of you because they notice your insecurity; if you show a bold yet bright presence, no one will try to betray you again. love yourself first.

your 9th house is in libra. your beliefs and life philosophies were shaped by the outside world. that doesn’t mean you’re basic; you just don’t look enough in yourself, you prefer taking inspiration from others. in fact, when you realize that you don’t feel attached to a certain topic or opinion, you just leave it behind and seek other truth. you hate being told what to do, you want to be free in the decisions you make. your libra moon is also placed in this house; it could be that your family is bilingual / foreign, or perhaps they have a different religion / culture. you could also live abroad, possibly with them. or at least, your childhood was filled with experiences, you might have travelled a lot. your parents may also be academically successful, and you may have to travel a lot in your life, perhaps for your marriage. you could possibly meet your spouse abroad. the ruler of the 9th house is in the 5th house: you may enjoy hobbies that involve travelling, foreign languages, culture, etc. for example, you may prefer watching a movie in its original language rather than your own. perhaps you may have to travel a lot for work, or maybe you’ll actually move abroad to pursue your career. you may also write poetry or philosophy or even teach something as a hobby.

your 10th house is in scorpio. you may have a reputation for looking mysterious, as you’re probably not very sociable, or at least not during your early years. you’re extremely motivated to achieve your goals, even though you may feel lost and confused due to your hard aspects and interceptions. you’ll pursue a career that involves looking for the truth, hence you may be a detective, a scientist, a poet etc. your career will give you a major change in your life, and you’ll finally be able to embrace your self-esteem and indipendence thanks to it. overall, once you find your true vocation, you’ll have no problems working, especially if you decide to pursue a creative career that is the most indicated for you, even though it may take you a while to find the right job for you due to your midheaven being in scorpio. I feel like you may receive and earn a lot of money that mostly comes from other people, like customers or even fans, but you probably won’t work under a boss, you’ll be independent. you may even open a shop by yourself, for example.

your 11th house is in sagittarius. your friends may be very open-minded, and you might have met them in school. they could also come from a different cultural background, or maybe they’re directly from abroad. at first, you struggled to make friends, as you were very secretive. with time, you’re learning to trust people and to transform and grow up through them. you’re particularly fond of your friendships as they play a big role in your growth and fortune. you could get popular easily, or at least you’re very benevolent of others that it’s easy for you to be likeable and get to know new people if you try, even if you’re an introvert. this placement also indicates that people may admire you, and you may even be seen as someone wise, a role model. in fact, it’s a perfect placement for a celebrity, as you may naturally attract fame and fans to you. the ruler of the 11th house is in the 12th house: you may have very spiritual friends, or perhaps your friends were a part of your past lives, and hence they’re your soulmates. you may also dream of them often.

lastly, your 12th house is in sagittarius again. you’re particularly interested in religion and higher beliefs, hence meditation would be effective for you. yet, you need to get enough sleep, or you could not be able to fully embrace the spirituality of this placement. you may also be able to have prophetic dreams, or at least they have a strong moral beyond them. jupiter is also placed here, and hence you may find luck and relief in neptunian topics, such as meditation, dreams, astrology, religion, psychology etc. you may have a special bond with your pets, you’re extremely intuitive, you could even be able to predict the future, perhaps through day-dreams or even through your sleeping dreams. I’d definitely recommend you to get closer to your higher self in this lifetime, as it’s the key for you to find joy and pleasure. to do that, you may get into spiritual topics like astrology, tarots, psychology, meditation, yoga, religion… anything that allows you to detach from your everyday life is the key for your soul’s ease and peace.

❤️ love life, soulmates

in love, you attract cancer, leo, libra, taurus, gemini and virgo. your future spouse will most probably have leo and aries placements, hence they’ll be very outgoing, bright and confident, but also very loyal and stubborn. they’ll be more sociable than you, and they’ll probably love travelling. you could actually meet them abroad, or perhaps they’re foreign. they could also be a part of your group of friends, or perhaps you could be friends with them before starting a relationship. your children will be heavy in gemini/virgo placements, as well as libra and taurus, hence they’ll be very intelligent and talkative, maybe even too chatty. yet, they’ll be pretty ambitious, polite and serious individuals as well. they'll also be very beautiful and charming.

👶🏻 family life

your mother was very caring and affectionate with you, even though she could’ve been a bit too protective and/or materialistic. she’s probably a taurus or a libra, or she has at least some placement in those signs. your father is way more dominant than your mother, and he could be more scary. he’s very honest, but he may also be too possessive and controlling of you and the rest of your family in general. hence, he was the dominant figure in your house. he’s probably a scorpio or any other water sign, possibly an aries. if you have siblings, they’re probably aries or scorpio. you might fight a lot for control, especially during childhood. you’re also quite possessive of your things, but overall you also have a deep bond. even though you may argue quite a bit, you still have affection for each other.

📊 career

your chart points out that your future career could involve communication, as well as philosophy, foreign languages etc. my take on this, is that you may become a teacher of any kind, and you may also be able to speak more than only a language. you could teach a foreign language for example, or perhaps you could work abroad. or again, you could work in a place where you have to interact with people from all over the world, allowing you to get to know new cultures and languages and hence open your mind. you may also work in a field related to arts and beauty, like fashion, music, theatre, etc. also, since the ruler of your midheaven is squaring both saturn and your part of fortune, I feel like it may take you a while to find the right job for you, but once you do, you'll become very successful. you may earn a great income, and you may actually become some sort of leader or boss in your work environment.

👚 fashion sense, style analysis

I imagine you put a lot of effort into your outifts, yet you don’t show it. you want to look effortlessly good, you don’t want to give the impression that you tried. your style may be quite minimalistic and simple, with lots of jeans, sweatshirts, plain t-shirts… I see you being more into natural shades, like white, grey, beige etc. you’re also not very fond of using too many accessories, you’re stylish but still very simple. you have this natural charm to you, hence you still look good even though your outfits may not be too complex.

👁 past life, life purpose

during your past life, you probably didn't have as many challenges as in this life. you most likely used to depend on someone else; perhaps, you married someone rich, hence you didn't really have to work for your resources. this lifetime, you need to step up your game and detach from material things. instead, you should focus on creating stable bonds with others. another goal in your life would involve taboo topics, hence getting closer to things like astrology and spirituality are also part of your soul's purpose in this lifetime. basically, since you've booked a reading I assume you've already found your path in life.

🤔 major transits analysis / september 29th

this year, your focus is on your persona. you might feel new, like you’re born again. you’ve probably gone through a few hardships last year that made you question your value, but now you’re back on track. this year, together with 2021, will be crucial for your self-esteem. even though you may feel pressured to always look at your best, you’re finally learning how to accept and love yourself. also, the north node is transiting your 5th house, and most importantly it’s conjunct your venus, so you may meet someone who can have a big impact in your life romantically! keep your eyes open, especially in your work place/academy. I don’t see it being necessarily your future spouse, but they may be very helpful to find a better job or clear your mind about your vocation.

🧿 manifest what you want, secret skills

your secret skills revolve around finances and just security in general. with a positive attitude, you may attract material luck: money, clothes, houses… everything that you desire. since you’re a logical person, I assume the most efficient way for you to manifest through the LOA is writing! take a notebook and just write down positive affirmations, such as 'I have the car of my dreams’ etc. you may also write them on post-its and glue them around your house, so that you can accelerate the progress. you can also try to idealize your wish before trying to manifest it. for example, if you want a new sweatshirt, try to imagine yourself wearing it. you could also go into a shop and actually try that sweatshirt it on; being in contact with it will boost the law of attraction even more.

this is the end! thank you again for booking a reading, hope it resonated with you :)

check my pinned post to book a reading!!!

#astrology #birth chart #birth chart reading

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bensboynton · 5 years

Text

the bookshop on the corner b.h

this request was originally a blurb but then i wrote a few thousand words and it turned to a fic. so. oops?

WC: 3.3k

warnings: none besides typos!! only ONE curse word.

John Green once said, “As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.”

And as a hopeless romantic, Y/N has wished since the original publication of the novel said quote appeared in (The Fault in Our Stars; one of her more modern favorites) that she could relate. In even the slightest!

Although, it was quite hard being a hopeless romantic who had absolutely zero men who were even slightly interested in her, zero social skills, and zero opportunity to fall in love with anybody.

Until today.

Y/N works at a bookshop in the corner of a quiet East Sussex street, in a town called Rye. The shop is squished between a small deli and a bland boutique that sells flowy shirts she swears she’s seen her grandmother wear on a few occasions.

The store itself is quaint and small; an absolutely staggering number of seven whole bookshelves filled to the brim with words, a lounging area, and her desk where she also had an old cash register. Y/N often worked alone, as the owner had other businesses and placed almost all her trust in Y/N. The girl was completely okay with working alone.

Her routine was always the same; wake up at 6 am, get ready while dancing to whatever music she’d been listening to recently (you’d be surprised by how fast her music taste changes: just yesterday she was listening to Miley Cyrus and now she’s listening to various punk bands she discovered on the internet). She’d then walk to the café that was exactly 95 steps away from the stoop of her apartment (give or take a few) and she’d spend around 20 minutes talking to the old woman who runs the place.

After stalling at the coffee shop, she makes her way across the street to the book shop where she works with one other person; the owner of the shop.

Y/N’s life is very monotone, and to other people, extremely boring. But not to her.

Y/N’s entire life exists in a 5 block radius of East Sussex. She goes to the grocery store sometimes, but that’s about as far away she gets from her apartment and she’s completely okay with that. She eats takeout a lot, anyways.

As pathetic as that sounds, this is probably the happiest Y/N has been in her entire life. Besides when she adopted her cat. That was a very close second in her book.

Y/N was completely satisfied with her life. She’d talk with the woman who owned the book store she lived in, would greet her mailman with a cheery smile every morning. She knew everybody and everybody knew her. She was friends--scratch that, acquaintances-- with everybody who was around her. And that’s how she liked it.

In fifth grade, Y/N was bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to find a love like she saw in the movies her big sister watched on the TV all the time. While other kids her age were watching Finding Nemo, Y/N was watching Pretty Woman.

Then one day, Dale Erdelac, otherwise known as Y/N’s crush, asked her to be his girlfriend during lunch. She stood there with her mouth full of sharp metal braces and her heart full of adrenaline and butterflies. She said yes all too quickly.

Needless to say, Dale wasn’t serious. Y/N found out a few hours later that it wasn’t, in fact, a serious proposal. It was a dare from his snotty little friends. Y/N cried a lot more than she’d like to admit that day.

It would be completely immature and nonsensical if the only reason Y/N’s love life was so disappointing was because of a dumb mouth-breather in fifth grade. It’s not, but that’s definitely part of it.

Y/N has never truly been in love.

Her mom tries to tell her she has, but she knows she hasn’t. She dated a guy in high school for two years just to pass the time. She told him “I love you” and he said it back, but she didn’t feel love. She didn’t feel the speeding up of her heartbeat when she saw him, or the warmth that spreads across your chest when they laugh like the pretty girls talk about in the movies.

Her older sister, Peyton, tells her to move on a lot. “That fairytale love doesn’t exist,” she’d say, “it’s a creative outlet for fictional writers to display their nonsense dreams and desires. It can exist in your head, but never in real life.”

That’s what she said every time.

Y/N ignored her and kept on living her life in the small bubble of 5 blocks in Rye.

She was happy. She told herself that. No, she knew she was happy. She was secure! What else could she want in life?

And then he showed up.

The tiny bookstore in the corner of the block didn’t get a lot of visitors (although that could be easily inferred due to the description of the little community there). Y/N pretty much knew the name and story of every single person who stepped foot into the shop.

Until one day, she didn’t anymore.

It was a cold January day; not the kind where the wind pierces your skin like daggers. It was the kind of cold that felt dry; like it was sucking the water out of your body through your skin and leaving behind a red numbness in its wake.

A man walked in. He was tall and blonde, muscular and carried a chaotically calming energy. His eyes raked over the book store slowly, as if he was trying to imprint the old wooden rocking chairs and chipped bookshelves in his mind forever.

It was like every move he made had a perfectly logical purpose.

Y/N watched him intently from across the room, hidden by a pile of books she’d been meaning to put away for more than an hour now. She was so intrigued by him it made her stomach do a backflip. This was unusual for her.

As soon as the man started looking her way, she looked down into the book sitting open on her lap, scrambling to pretend she was deep in thought over the passage she was reading.

Her pupils glossed over the same paragraph three times, but she couldn’t comprehend a single word knowing he was in the same room as her.

“Excuse me?”

Y/N’s body jolted slightly due to the sudden sound of his deep voice. She was the only one in the bookshop at the moment, as the owner had gone home for the day and it was her turn to close up. The store was never populated by more than six people at a time, and it would be especially dead considering New Year’s Eve was two days ago.

“What can I help you with?” she spoke, mentally slapping herself for the way her voice sounded. It was pinched and sounded like a squeak. She cleared her throat desperately to return it to its normal sound.

“I’m looking for a book.”

“What kind of book?”

“Well... that’s what I need your help with.”

She smiled as an involuntary blush made its way to her already rosy cheeks, “I think I can help you.”

She stood up and walked from behind the desk, beckoning the tall blonde man to go with her. The pair made their way to the bookshelves in awkward and palpable silence. The girl was panicking- she had no idea what to say.

“I was wondering if you had any recommendations?” The Brit added to the nonexistent conversation.

Y/N thought for a moment, “...well, I’m not sure what kind of person you are, but I recommend any classic literature to people who ask.”

“Does the type of person I am happen to determine the type of books I like?”

“It’s the only thing that determines what type of books you like.”

The girl turned around, her fingers lightly dancing over the spines of the books as she walked. The tall man was on her heels, seemingly just as intrigued by her and she was with him.

“Of course we have Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, To Kill A Mockingbird, Wuthering Heights, and of course, my favorite of all time, The Great Gatsby.” She was picking out the books from their places on the shelves that she had memorized over her six years of working here. She knew the placement of books and authors like the back of her hand.

The man gazed at the pile of books in her arms thoughtfully, before meeting her eyes. “I’ll take it.”

“Which one?”

“All of them.”

She grinned at his eagerness.

After ringing up his books and a slight burst of confidence, Y/N was able to discover the man’s name and his reason for suddenly buying four books two days after New Year’s Eve.

Ben (a name she thought suited him particularly well) was starting a New Year’s Resolution; read one book a month. He confided in her his self-doubt on his ability, but with a small grin, she said she believed in him. His smile grew as he picked up the bag and left.

Y/N could’ve cursed herself into oblivion for not getting his number.

The girl walked across the street that next morning, balancing a coffee and a copy of the newest book that had arrived at the store.

That was one of the best perks of her job, she thought. Access to the newest stories. While she pondered the last chapter she had read of her book, a blonde head of hair in the distance caught her eye.

“Excuse me?” a very familiar voice spoke. Y/N’s cheeks almost immediately flushed at those two words. Deja Vu.

“You’re back!” she spoke, almost as to question why. It’s not often someone new comes back twice, much less is standing at the door before she even gets there.

“I am,” he spoke breathily, scratching the back of his neck, “I wanted to come back to... well...” he trailed off, eyes dancing to the floor.

Y/N waited patiently for him to say what he meant to (she knew that’s what she’d want if she was in his shoes).

“I needed to get your name, at least. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t.”

The girl bit the inside of her cheek to stop her mouth from stretching into a grin that was a mile long. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she stared at her shoes for a moment.

She made direct eye contact with Ben’s hazel eyes and smiled, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose slightly.

“Y/N.”

“Y/N,” he repeated, his eyes going hazy as he thought about it.

Ben followed her inside and sat down next to her desk quickly, almost as if he was afraid he’d run out of time.

“I read The Great Gatsby yesterday... you said that one was your favorites, right?”

Y/N nodded, taking a delicate sip from the paper cup of coffee still in her hand.

“Right. Well. I have a few questions.”

Y/N nodded vigorously. She could practically feel the twinkle in her eye, “I’m all ears.”

Y/N went home that day with a swarm of butterflies making a home in the pits of her stomach. Ben had spent the better part of four hours with her, discussing the book he read and many, many other things.

When Ben left the shop that day, she had learned that his favorite color was clear (he thought it made him quirky) and he had a dog named Frankie. Y/N saw quite a few pictures of Frankie that day. She was a cat person, but she couldn’t tell if it was the dog or the way Ben’s eyes lit up when he talked about her that made her heart swell.

She also learned that Ben hated reading, and that he was mildly confused as to why he seemed to enjoy the Great Gatsby so much.

“It’s got to be because of you,” he mused, “I’ve never enjoyed reading a book until this one.”

Y/N also learned that Ben was an incredibly smooth talker.

He made her blush and giggle like a school-girl almost all day. It physically pained Y/N when she had to leave him alone to help a customer. She wished she could sit there and bask in him and all that he was.

Y/N wasn’t positive if love at first sight existed before, but now she hadn’t been more positive of anything in her entire life.

Y/N hadn’t had anyone new to talk to in years (she wishes that was an exaggeration).

So you could definitely imagine the girl’s surprise to see a young British man with a shared admiration for the Great Gatsby at the book shop again before opening time.

The day prior seemed to repeat itself. And then, every single day after that.

For three months, Ben would come to the book store and wait outside for Y/N to come and open up. And Y/N spent three weeks barely getting any sleep and talking to her cat about how excited she was to see Ben the next day.

Y/N and Ben got very close.

Insanely close.

So close to the point that Ben knew every single secret she had kept to herself. He knew the name of her first pet and childhood address (which she realized Ben could easily use to change the passwords on innumerable online shopping accounts).

Ben knew about the one time she had an allergic reaction to a medicine she was on when she was younger, and he even knew about fucking Dale. That was a story Y/N kept to herself. But she told Ben.

But this relationship was definitely not onesided. Y/N knew just about everything there was to know about Ben.

She knew the names of his childhood best friends and his favorite flavor of ice cream. She knew about the one time he got arrested when he was a teenager because he was lighting off fireworks in the street at 3 am. She also knew that Ben was an actor that was currently working on a new film. But she wanted to know even more.

Ben left every day at around 11:30. Y/N had no idea where he went or what he did, but he was never more than five minutes late before he stood up, gave her a big smile and left.

Y/N had never been in love before but she knew with every fiber of her being, with every bone, muscle, and cell in her body that she was in love with Ben.

And almost as soon as she realized this, there came some news.

Earth-shattering, heart-wrenching news.

He was leaving.

“I have to go back to the states to finish this film in three days,” he muttered into the quiet air of the book store he had grown so familiar with, “and I won’t be back for at least two months.”

Y/N could physically feel her heart drop in unison with the butterflies in her stomach. He was leaving, and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

She had given him a sad smile and taken a thoughtful sip of the tea sitting on her desk.

“Oh well. Guess I’ll see you in two months, right?”

"Yeah,” Ben said with a grimace, “right.”

The two of them spent those last few days talking quickly; trying to fit as many words into as little amount of time as possible. It felt like they were suffocating with how fast they were talking and how fast the conversation was moving. Her head would hurt at trying to process so many conversations and stories and little peccadilloes the pair were hurling at each other.

It was like they were making up for the time the two of them knew they were going to lose.

On Ben’s last day, Y/N told him of her fear of love and the lack thereof in her life. She told him of her strong desire to be able to relate to the John Green quote. He didn’t say much to that.

She was so in love with him. And she didn’t think he was in love with her.

His flight was at 1:00 that day. He left at noon instead of 11:30. Y/N felt her heartbeat increase as the seconds passed by for that last half hour, almost like she was genuinely frightened of him leaving.

He said goodbye with the first hug the pair ever shared and a light kiss to the top of the head. Y/N’s face was comparable to a fire hydrant.

Ben swore he would keep in contact, but with the differing time zones, Y/N knew deep down that wouldn’t happen.

So, with a heavy heart, she caught up on some things around the shop she had been slacking on these past few weeks.

She blinked away the tears in her eyes a few times, mentally shaming herself for being so upset this man she met three months earlier was leaving. She should’ve known. Or even better, she should’ve said something.

The girl watched in agony as the clock hit 1:00 that afternoon, and felt a pang in her chest as she thought of him jetting far, far, away from her.

He would never remember her. She was a quiet girl who worked in a quiet bookshop that was located in a quiet corner of an even quieter town. There was nothing she could do.

She started sweeping lazily, letting the broom lightly drag across the floor. She didn’t even acknowledge the fact that she wasn’t sweeping anything up.

She almost peed her pants, though, when a loud noise sounded throughout the otherwise empty bookshop and the door was thrown open the fastest it’s been in its entire life. So fast, in fact, that it fell off its hinges and onto the floor, simultaneously shattering the glass panes that made up the middle.

The girl stumbled backward in shock, her heart pumping not only because of the loud noise, but also because of the person who broke the door.

Ben.

The widest smile to ever adorn her pretty face was stretching across her lips. In an adrenaline filled moment, she was off the floor and in his arms. He was stiff and shocked at first, but almost immediately melted into her strangely warm embrace.

“What are you doing? Your flight was supposed to leave 15 minutes ago!” Y/N exclaimed, the confusion finally finding its way to her intricate brain.

“I-I couldn’t do it. Not without telling you something first.”

Y/N’s heart was beating so hard she swore he could see it pounding out of her chest like it does in the cartoons.

“There’s really no easy way to do this, but here goes nothing,” Ben spoke, clearing his throat, “Y/N, I know we haven’t known each other for that long but I really, really, really like y-”

Before the beautiful, perfect man could finish his sentence, Y/N was pushing her lips against his in a mad frenzy to release a tension that had been palpable for months.

Ben melted into the kiss faster than he melted into the hug, his lips moving against hers oh-so-perfectly.

It felt like they were made to be together.

It felt like Y/N had been searching for the final puzzle piece to her life for 27 years, and now here she was, standing in the middle of the bookshop on the corner with the glass door shattered on the floor, finally finishing her life-long puzzle.

“I think I love you.”

“I think I love you too,” she whispered into the quiet that had again settled over the bookstore.

Maybe Y/N didn’t fall in love while watching Ben read, as John Green said one of his characters did. But she did fall in love like she fell asleep.

Slowly, then all at once.

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edward-trumpet-blog · 4 years

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Rick Braun:Life in the Fast Lane

BY TOM ERDMANN

Trumpeter, producer, composer, and arranger Rick Braun is an excellent example of a musician who has quietly worked hard for many years and suddenly is recognized as an “overnight success.” His album with saxophonist Boney James, Shake It Up, was number one on the Billboard magazine Contemporary Jazz Album chart for 11 weeks and has moved around in the top five positions for over a year. The first single from that album, Grazin’ In The Grass, hit number one and stayed there for nine weeks, crossed over to the R&B charts, and was named Best Song of the Year at the 2001 Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards. Braun’s awards also include the 2001 Oasis Smooth Jazz Award of or Best Brass Player and Best Collaboration with Boney James.

Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on July 6, 1955, Braun took up the trumpet in third grade, studied with Philadelphia Orchestra trumpeter Seymour Rosenfeld, graduated from Dieruff High School in Allentown, and enrolled at he Eastman School of Music. While at Eastman, he was a founding member of the fusion group called Auracle. Their distinctive style was quickly imitated by a number of jazz groups and their recordings became mainstays on jazz radiostations through out the northeast. Braun’s first song to hit the Billboard Top 20 was Here With Me, written for the rock band REO Speedwagon. As a trumpet sideman, Braun has worked and toured with an incredible list of musicians including Tina Turner , Rod Stewart, Glenn Frey, Natalie Cole, Rickie Lee Jones, and War.

Braun released his first solo album in 1992. It was, however, his time with Sade on her Love Deluxe tour that helped him focus on a unique style. Braun’s second recording, Night Walk, has been likened to “listening to Sade instrumentally.” Braun’s big break came on the heel s of his third recording, Beat Street, which spent 13 weeks as the number one contemporary jazz album in Billboard magazine, breaking a record previously held by K enny G . Beat S treet was eventually named the Smooth Jazz Record of the Year. It also won the G avin Artist of the Year and Album of the Year awards in 1996. Braun’s next release, Body and Soul, earned him another Gavin Artist of the Year award. His latest release, Kisses in the Rain, has also hit number one on the Billboard chart.

Braun has never been busier or happier than he is right now. Offered more playing and producing opportunities than he can possibly accept, he is also in demand as a jazz musician performing in clubs throughout the Los Angeles area. Braun is truly enjoying his time in the fast lane and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

TE: Why did you choose to play the trumpet?

RB: One of my older brothers played the trumpet and because of that there was a trumpet in a closet at home when I was eight years old. As a kid I was into everything, including the closet. I found the trumpet, put the mouthpiece in, and found that I could get a sound out of it. I think everybody who has ever played the trumpet knows that some people can get a sound out of the instrument, and some people can’t. It’ s not an instrument like the guitar where you just put your hand over the strings and a sound comes out. My first choice had been drums, but I grew up in a small row home in Allentown and I’m one of six kids, so as you can imagine, I was gently steered away from the drums. What my parents didn’t know was that the trumpet was the next most annoying instrument for a beginner to play. I didn’t give up much in the way of offense (laughing); I was still able to annoy my siblings!

TE: Did you come from a musical family?

RB: My mother, who is 84 now, is still very musical and has a good ear. She’s a self taught banjo player.

She played a four-string banjo, the really old kind, and learned piano by herself. On her side of the family my grandfather was a country fiddle player, my grandmother played the piano, and one of my uncles played the cornet. All of the musical talent was on my mother’s side. When my dad tried to sing to us kids at night we would pretend we were asleep so we wouldn’t have to listen to him. The only song he knew was the Notre Dame Fight Song, and he didn’t even like Notre Dame!

TE: I have read that you studied with Seymour Rosenfeld. I had the pleasure of interviewing him and was impressed by what a nice man he is.

RB: You know, he really is.

TE: When did you study with him and how was he able to help you?

RB: I started studying with him my junior or senior year in high school, during the early 1970s. We got into some of the mor e advanced trumpet studies, like thematerial from the Saint-Jacome Trumpet Method and other materials of that nature. He was also the first teacher to introduce me to orchestral excerpts. He wanted me to audition for the Curtis Institute and was really preparing me for that, but I didn’t get in. That year they took only one trumpeter from about 100 who auditioned. As it was I ended up at Eastman, where I really wanted to study jazz.

TE: Were there any other early teachers who inspired you?

RB: My first trumpet teacher, Richard Hinkoe, was great. He is still active as a director of one of the Allentown concert bands. My brother told Hinkoe about me and he agreed to teach me. Hinkoe brought me along especially in music theory. His high school theory courses covered collegiate-level material. When I arrived at Eastman I was put in with the advanced placement theory students and didn’t learn anything new . Hinkoe’s theory course included solfege, sight-singing, counterpoint, four -part harmonic writing, the rules of contrary motion and correct resolution, dominants, altered sixth-chords, and more! He was an amazing teacher!

TE: Allen Vizzutti has told me what an incredible experience Eastman was for him. What was Eastman like for you?

RB: Allen and I played together i n some of the bands at Eastman. He can play anything! I was at a concert where he played one of the Verne Reynolds etudes as a solo. He is just an amazing player. Eastman, on the other hand, was very tense. It was a nerve-wracking experience.

There was one student who developed a nervous habit of pulling out his own hair. I remember during winter midterms one year someone starting lighting couches on fire. That was one side of it. On the other side, it was an outstanding educational experience that was just not for the faint-hearted. It was a highly competitive atmosphere. I had a friend who would get up at 5 a.m. and practice out on the lawn to try to get an edge on everybody else. In many ways Eastman was a humbling experience for me. While in high school, I thought I was the hottest thing around, so I needed to be humbled! The major thing Eastman gave me was exposure to music I’d never heard before, like the music of Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, and Freddie Hubbard. I really started to listen to their playing. I worked to understand the way they played blues changes and how their styles were put together. The education I received at Eastman was exceptional.

TE: Did you graduate?

RB: No I didn’t. I finished my junior year and later took some extra classes at UCLA, but some of the guys in Auracle (Steve Raybine, percussion; Ron Wagner, drums; Bill Staebell, bass; John Serry Jr., piano) were one year older than me, had graduated, and were itching to do something. We planned our next step and realized California was the place we ought to be, so we headed west. Steve Kujala (Auracle’s woodwind player) and I left Eastman one year early, much to the chagrin of our families. It all worked out in the end.

TE: What happened once you arrived in California?

RB: We landed in a band house in the San Fernando Valley. Steve Kujala, Bill Staebell, Ron Wagner, and I all lived together. John Serry and Steve Raybine lived in another house. We struggled, made two records, and played the Montreux Jazz Festival, which w as a big deal. It was fun, we were all good friends, and got a little taste of what it was like to be recording artists at a very early age. Then the whole situation blew up. Our label, Chrysalis, broke up the band after our first recording by signing John Serry to a solo deal. He made a couple of records that didn’t sell well while the rest of us went ahead and made our second record. None of us was really up to the task of filling Serry’s shoes at that point, and it did not go well. It’s the classic story of a record label taking one guy out of a band and destroying the chemistry.

TE: After the band broke up and you found yourself living in California, what happened?

RB: That was probably the darkest time of career. I was not yet established as a trumpet player.

I had some early experiences at session work, but for whatever reason, at that early age, I wasn't able to break into the TV, movie, or commercial scene. I ended up doing odd jobs outside of the music business in order to make enough money to live. I remember being so broke that I wrote a bad check in order to buy food, but ended up taking the food back because I just could not go through with it. I would look at the phone wondering if it was off the hook because nobody was calling. Then, slowly, things picked up. I started to get some gigs playing with Latin bands in East Los Angeles and that developed into steady work. Then I got into playing with rhythm and blues bands and out of that work started touring with War. I also played a lot of bars and weddings, whatever I could find, and joined Jack Mack and the Heart Attacks. They were an R&B band that was very popular on the west coast. As a result of being in that horn section I began working with Glenn Frye and some other well-connected musicians including the guys in Tower of Power. I actually played in their horn section on a Tom Petty record (I played piccolo trumpet on that recording). At some point during that time I hooked up with some of the ended up receiving a call to join that band. I had been struggling, and all of a sudden I’m touring the country with Rod Stew art in a private plane, staying at Four Seasons hotels, and making more money than I ever had in my life. It was both a blessing and a curse. The blessing was that I was better off financially than I had ever been; the curse was that I started to get into drugs and began to drink a lot. On the road there are plenty of ways to get into trouble as far as substance abuse is concerned. The good new s is that I bottomed out and sobered up, and that became a major turning point in my life.

TE: Wasn’t it a kick to play for so many people nigh after night?

RB: It was amazing. I think the most people I ever played for was during a show I did with War in Chicago when the first African-American mayor of that city was elected. The city held a huge concert in Lincoln Park with several hundred thousand people. People were as far back as you could see. The columns of speakers went on forever. I’ve been fortunate; I’ve played for quite a few people in my life.

TE: How did your association with REO Speedwagon come about?

RB: When I wasn’t on the road with Rod, I come back to L.A. and look for gigs. As part of the Jack Mack horn section I played on a n album with REO Speedwagon. The lead singer and writer of REO, Kevin Cronin, and I became friends. Kevin and I had been playing clubs together in a band we had put together with some of the REO Speedwagon guys and some other people. We were both going through hard times over women so I wrote a song about my experience. I had composed it like the Beatles song Yesterday, just a series of verses. Kevin heard it and liked it, and was able to come up with a chorus that really fit the tune. He played it for the guys in the band and they loved it. REO Speedwagon recorded it and it went into the top 20.

TE: Can you tell me how your first solo record came about?

RB:I happened to be in Canada on the road with Rod Stewart and through Steve Kujala I had been introduced to Frank Davies, who is a publisher in Toronto, Canada. I met with Frank one afternoon and played him some of my songs. I invited him to come to the show that night, and it turned out he had worked for Rod way back on his first single. It’s a small world! When Frank heard my instrumental material he said he thought he could get me a deal. He took it from Toronto to Burbank, just 30 miles from where I was living, and got me an independent deal with Mesa/Bluemoon. On Intimate Secrets, my first record, I included a song called Theme from t he Midnight Caller. That song got some significant airplay. My next compact disc was Night walk, followed by Beat Street. During this time I went back on the road with Rod. We were in Europe when my manager called and said that, in America, Beat Street was getting a lot of attention and doing so well that I was going to have to make a decision. I was either going to have to continue to be a highly-paid sideman or give my notice and take the solo gigs that didn’t pay a lot of money but would help me build a career as a leader. I took all of two seconds to think that over. I gave Rod my notice and jumped on a plane back to the States. I was willing to take the risk.

TE: That had to be an exciting time.

RB: It was really exciting. When I first came out with Intimate Secrets, the promotion guy at Mesa/Bluemoon was trying to get some airplay for the recording. He told me that many stations would not play it because it featured a trumpet lead. At that time the only horn players getting airtime were saxophone players. I finally broke through when Beat Street was released and won Artist and CD of the Year Awards at the Gavin Convention (Gavin covers the American radio industry, collecting and compiling the playlists of more than 1, 300 radio stations). Beat Street broke Kenny G’s record for most consecutive weeks as the number one contemporary jazz record and helped set me up as a solo artist.

TE: You have stated that work you did with Sade was important to your musical development. Can you elaborate?

RB: The Sade tour was important because she helped me establish a style. Sade's whole show is about sensuality. I've never been a b listening lead trumpet player, and that tour gave me direction and helped me solidify the idea that I don't have to be an Arturo Sandoval type of player in order to get my message across. Sade is a minimalist on stage. From that, I realized that what I have to offer as a musician is valid, and as long as I believe in it and I'm committed to it, I can create a musical fingerprint.

TE: (Jazz saxophonist) Joe Lovano once told me that the great ar tists have a sound that is recognizable in the first three notes. I remember he and I were laughing about the truth to tha t statement and he said,“Three notes, boom, John Coltrane; three notes, boom, Eric Dolphy.”

RB: That is it exactly. Look at Miles.

TE: I read a critic who said that you are the man who reintroduced the trumpet to the contemporary jazz scene. For the longest time, the only music that was getting played by horn players was by saxophonists. How does it feel to have had that kind of an effect on the music scene?

RB: It feels good that I've got a house I can pay for by doing the thing I love to do. That is the ultimate gift—doing what I want to do for a living. I am amazingly fortunate. I think part of the reason I've been so blessed has to do with timing. When I came out with Beat Street, there was a need for another voice. At that time there were only saxophonists like Grover (Washington Jr.), David Sanborn, and Kirk Whalum; George Benson on guitar; and David Benoit and Joe Sample on keyboards. After Chuck Mangione stopped getting airplay, the only other candidate was Herb Alpert, and he had stopped making records with any degree of frequency. There was a window of opportunity and I was fortunate to be in a position to make records. Another thing that happened with Beat Street is that people started coming up to me and saying, "Man, I knew that hip-hop beat was going to catch on." Interestingly enough, the production on that album was minimal at a time w hen bands like The Rippingtons and SpyroGyra were doing complicated material. Beat Street by comparison is really very sparse.

TE: I have to admit I hate the term “smooth jazz,” but there are a number of traditional jazz musicians who have been putting out albums under that title; saxophonist Kenny Garrett and keyboardist Rachel Z come to mind. It seems that many jazz artists are going in this direction. I have found that with the best players there is no snobbery in music anymore.

RB: Well, I wish that were true for everyone. We cannot get a decent hearing from any of the reviewers in Los Angeles. The L.A. Times has the door totally shut. The reviewers won't even stay for the shows. I had a conversation with one of them who just started slamming the music. I was convinced he hadn't even listened to my record, which turned out to be true. I told him that maybe he should listen to it before being critical. He did go home and listen to my compact disc, and called me back to say that he enjoyed it.

TE: I've let a number of my collegiate jazz students borrow some of your recordings. The other day one of them came by and mentioned how he was surprised and delighted that you find ways to go past stereotypical smooth jazz, both harmonically and melodically.

RB: Last week I played a straight-ahead gig with Gerald Albright on saxophone, Harvey Mason on drums, Dave Garfield on keyboards, and Kenny Wild on bass. We played at the Baked Potato, which is just a little club here in California. We didn't tell anyone we were going to do it, but as often happens, word spread. For me, it is just so much fun to play straight-ahead. And when I practice, I practice that way. I practice scales, flexibility, etc. For me, the way I'm going to improve as a player is by learning how to play changes better. No matter what you have laid out as a solo, you still have to navigate the changes. It probably sounds simplistic to even mention it in that way, but that's the way it is. It's a lifelong challenge!

TE: Many musicians say it’s the struggle that seems to keep them going. They’re always looking for the next mountain to scale, pardon the pun, or the next musical peak to climb.

RB: Yes, exactly. Along with that thought, I always found myself thinking that the moment I ’m really pleased with something I ’ve played, I immediately find something else I didn’t like. It’s really about taking a Zen approach to the music. For me, when I practice, it’s about refining the craft, improving my technique, and increasing the number of too ls available to me. I’m always working to increase the number of scales, patterns, and other musical materials which I have available. When I perform I want to approach the music with the Zen concept of not thinking ahead or behind, just being in the moment. That’s when I think I’m doing my best work.

TE: Do you still find the time to practice?

RB: Yes, I really do. I don’t practice as much as I would like to. When I ’m producing, I need to spend a great deal of time with the artist. When working with other artists, there are a number of other things that go into the pr oduction, and those things take away from the time I want to spend practicing. When I’m traveling, I’ll have to spend the whole day on the road, and when I finally arrive in the hotel it’ll be time to sleep. I’ll have to go into a big show without practicing the previous day.

TE: Are there things you like to practice on a daily basis?

RB: What I’ll try to do now is find patterns of five or six notes that I really like and then explore them, fully develop them, interpolate them, and run them in all key areas. I’m trying to build my musical vocabulary. I also like to play the piano. Having an instrument that allows me to think of harmonies in a non-horizontal way helps to visualize what’s going on underneath the melody. Another thing, and I’m not ashamed to say this, is that part of my practice is done to the Jamey Aebersold recordings. For the most part, when the music is recorded with a live band, as opposed to when it sounds like it was sequenced, it is absolutely great. I have a studio here at home, and I’ll transfer a track like Joy Spring onto my hard disk, set up a microphone, and lay down several tracks. Then I’ll go back and listen critically. I try to under stand where my problems are and then work to improve my weaknesses.

TE: What advice do you have for young musicians?

RB: Here’s what I did that was a mistake. When I was at Eastman, I used to go to the practice rooms in the basement where everybody would walk by and hear you. I’m a natural ham. I always wanted to sound good and to impress people, so I would play the first couple of bars of Brandenburg No. 2. I couldn’t get through the whole thing to save my life, but I had the first entrance nailed! I think kids need to know that you have to practice what sounds bad. Play the material that sounds the worst, and practice it the most. Of course you want to play stuff you can play well, and I do too, but instead of always playing in F minor, play in B minor or F-sharp minor. Instead of playing a blues scale, work on the Lydian chromatic concept and Mixolydian scales. One of the things I did when I was learning the trumpet was to take the Clarke Technical Studies and incorporate them into as many different scale forms as possible. Early jazz education is usually restricted to major, minor, and diminished. Rarely do you learn about altered or Dorian scales until you get to a more advanced level. By adapting the Clarke studies i n a variety of ways, you create a big toolbox. If major and minor are the only scales that are second nature, you will be limited. It would be like fixing a car with only a wrench and a screwdriver. You’ll soon find that you need more tools!

Equipment

Mr. Braun plays a Getzen trumpet and flugelhorn from the custom series. His trumpet has a cryogenically treated bell. His mouthpieces are from his own signature series by Marcinciewicz Music Products.

#rickbraun #trumpet #beatstreet

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beccarooni · 5 years

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First Smash

(A.N: huge thanks to @woahthisguy for helping me out with this! mild infinity war spoilers, totally ignoring endgame but keeping new Asgard because who needs continuity)

Thor stared out at the ocean from the cliffside, watching it broil and move under the power of the storm that was seething under his skin.

His fists clenched, fingernails pressing red shapes into his palms.

He was angry.

But it was more than that.

It wasn't a bright flash of lightning, a sudden spike in an argument that he was able to yell his way out of. It was a deep coiling thing in his gut, a parasite that gripped his dreams and brought a pounding headache between his eyes.

He didn't want to brag, but he was getting pretty good at the whole 'suppressing your feelings' deal. Hours of his childhood spent waiting for royal portraits to be painted had taught him to take any problems or temper tantrums he had and push them down where no one could see them. Because no one wanted to know. No one needed to know.

He had a job to do. And at the moment, that was more heavy lifting and constructing buildings than sitting and smiling, but it was still a job. Still a facade, albeit one of strength rather than congeniality. New Asgard needed a king. And he had to fill that role, whether he wanted to or not.

But that didn't mean he was good at that. He had the strength to lift, but not exactly the skill. One wrong move, one piece of timber slipping from his hands, and the entire roof of the hut he'd been constructing had collapsed around him. He'd been fine- well, physically he was fine- but something inside of him had just...snapped. The weather wasn't listening to him anymore, and it seemed the more he tried to put things together the more they'd break apart. He was furious at himself, but he'd given up. Resolved to think the matter over once his head had a chance to clear.

If it cleared. And this wasn't just who he was now.

And of course, he didn't tell Bruce, even though he was certain he was curious. He'd felt the scientists eyes on him, sensed the beginning of the dreaded question, 'are you okay' being asked, and he couldn't have that. He couldn't risk snapping at Bruce. The scientist had so much to worry about already, and Thor's anger tended to manifest itself in... particular ways. Ways that Bruce didn't need to be subjected to. Doors got slammed, dishes set down too harshly, and Thor would rather die than make Bruce feel unsafe in their own home.

Maybe he'd avoiding Bruce, a little. But it was for the best. The ocean wasn't going to get scared by a bit of emotional thunder

The cliff tops reminded him of where Odin had died, the place that he'd labelled 'home' before he scattered into dust. It reminded him of Odin in general, really. Cold stone, colder water. Could be unforgiving and cruel or be sunny and welcoming depending on how you looked at it.

He chose the latter. These days, golden tinged nostalgia was in short supply.

It was so quiet, out there. Until the storm had arrived, the storm that he-

"What Thor doing?"

Thor yelped at the deep rumbling tones and the heavy hand that suddenly clamped onto his shoulder. The shock of which conjured a blast of lightning. Which in turn, destroyed the clump of land he'd been standing on.

A few cold, and ever more anger inducing moments later he was climbing out of the water with an awful squishing sound in his boots. Hulk had apparently climbed down some time ago, and was standing on the gravelly beach, green eyes staring at him with an innocent curiosity.

"Thor wet." Hulk grumbled, poking him roughly in the shoulder.

"Oh, is he? Is he wet, Hulk? Because I hadn't noticed!" Thor yanked a strand of seaweed from his hair, throwing it onto the ground, the scowl on his face etching itself further.

Hulk narrowed his eyes, looking over him in a way similar to Bruce. He was connecting dots, linking the burning skies to the dripping demigod in front of him, and it eventually lead him to a conclusion.

"Thor angry."

"Of course I'm angry, I just got dunked in the ocean! In mid September!" Thor shook his head, using his fingers to twist the water out of his hair with little care or comfort. "You can't just sneak up on me like that."

"Not what hulk mean." The green giant moved closer, prodding Thor in the chest, but with a softer gesture than before. More of a careful placement of the finger, hovering over his heart. "Thor angry in here. Before Hulk."

Thor felt the momentary expulsion dying out slightly, although that was more Hulk's fault than his. He couldn't exactly maintain burning fury when Hulk was so clearly just trying to help. To figure out what was wrong with his friend and eventually right the wrongs.

It wasn't that simple. But, Thor had enough sense to keep his manners in check- Hulk deserved respect. Even if it was only a politely phrased way of declining any offers he'd make.

"I'm fine. You just startled me." Thor lifted his own hand, pressing it against Hulk's wrist with a smile that he hoped didn't seem forced. "My apologies, beloved."

Hulk grunted in response, standing still for a moment, watching Thor carefully as Bruce might watch an important experiment. Weighing up pros and cons, equations dancing before his eyes, figuring out a hypothesis. Whatever hypothesis he'd figured out, he seemed pretty eager to put into practise, as soon Thor's wrist was being dwarfed by a large, green hand.

"Hulk take puny god somewhere. Help him be angry." Hulk turned his face towards the roadside, starting to walk before Thor could even let out a response, his ruined boots dragging muddy trails behind where he was being pulled.

"I don't want to go anywhere, Hulk. Honestly, I just want to be left alone for a while." After a great deal of protesting, Thor finally yanked his arm free, taking a few steps backward down the path. "And I'm not angry."

Hulk gave him a look, a slightly arched eyebrow and an unimpressed curl of the lip that said 'we both know I can just pick you up and make you do this, so let's skip all of that nonsense and go where I want to go'.

After a few seconds of this silent standoff, Thor sighed. He didn't fancy being tossed around like a sack of flour, so he limited his protests to rolling his eyes in what he hoped was a clear gesture that he wasn't going to enjoy this whatsoever, and offered Hulk his arm again. "Might I ask where we're going?"

"No." Hulk bared his teeth in a grin, a small sparkle of excitement dancing behind his eyes that put Thor's protests momentarily on hold, if only to give way to curiosity. "It surprise."

"You've been planning this, then?" Thor glanced up at Hulk as they walked, thankful at least that he was going as a pace that he could match.

"Thor avoiding Banner. Hulk thought of it then."

"Ah." He glanced down at the pavement, feeling the familiar tendrils of guilt begin to wind their way around his chest. "Is he upset?"

Hulk shook his head, large fingers subconsciously tightening their hold around Thor's wrist. "Worried. Both are." He paused in his speech, thick brows furrowing in an expression of intense concentration, carefully picking out the next few words. "But, Hulk think of surprise. Going to make things better."

***

Half an hour of walking, and a great deal of complaining from his part, they arrived at their destination. And Thor had to say, this was not what he was expecting. Or remotely hoped for.

He had imagined maybe a trip to some hot springs, or a nice piece of Nordic scenery.

Instead, Hulk had taken him to a garbage dump.

"Alright, you're going to need to explain this to me. Because I'm not exactly sure how this is going to make me feel better." Thor narrowly avoided tripping over a hunk of metal, wrapping his arms around himself to try and at least keep some of the biting weather at bay.

Hulk snorted, stomping back to where Thor was standing, and pointing to the large piles of wreckage. "When Hulk angry, Hulk smash. Now Thor try."

Thor blinked, turning his eyes back towards the landscape with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Firstly, I'm not angry. Secondly, even if I was angry, which I'm not, I wouldn't want to do...this."

"Thor not know how?"

"What? Of course I know how. I just don't want to do it." A few light spatterings of raindrops pattered onto his face, and he glanced up at the sky momentarily, watching as dark storm clouds loomed in the distance.

This wasn't working.

He ran a hand down his face, trying to find another excuse that maybe Hulk would understand. "Look, I'm freezing. Can we not just talk about this later?"

Hulk seemed to consider this second point, however the conclusion he reached wasn't really what Thor was getting at. Large hands pushed on Thor's shoulders, sitting him down on a fallen log. "Puny God watch Hulk. Learn."

The ground rumbled as Hulk made his way over to one of the larger pieces of wreckage - some kind of industrial metal. He glanced back over his shoulder, searching Thor's face for some kind of affirmation that he was watching.

He brought his fists down onto the scrap with a driving power, the pieces breaking clean in two with the force of it. He smiled, a toothy, wide grin that maybe lifted Thor's heart just a tiny bit, and looked back at Thor expectantly.

"Now Thor turn!"

Hulk said it with so much enthusiasm that Thor couldn't help but smile a bit, even if his answer remained a resolute no. "I'll be your spectator Hulk, but no more than that. You have fun."

"Thor boring! Puny God join in!"

"Hulk-"

"Please?"

Hulk's posture was suddenly unsure, big green eyes pleading at him in a way that he hadn't really seen since Sakaar, when the back of the quinjet was being torn to pieces while Hulk simply asked for his friend to stay. Now, Thor wasn't going anywhere, and that was kind of the problem. He was used to flying through the galaxy, to jumping down to Midgard to destroy the occasional foe. He was used to freedom. In all of that he'd forgotten how to have fun, and Hulk knew it.

So he was resorting to what he knew best. Smashing.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt…" Thor pushed himself to his feet with a small groan, feeling the bruises on his back really start to catch up to him which definitely didn't help his mood improve.

But Hulk was clearly waiting for something, and for once, Thor wanted to provide. He wanted to do the right thing, and if that meant smashing something to see his friend smile?

Then so be it.

His fingers crackled with lightning as he clenched a fist, looking for a suitable target. His eyes landed on the old remains of a vehicle, long since abandoned and stripped of anything worthwhile. And then, he let the anger fly. The arc of electricity spun out of his grasp, charring the metal black and spraying molten fragments out across the dirt, individual pieces still glowing red with heat when they hit the ground.

Hulk whooped, his large hand clapping Thor on the shoulder, teeth bared in a smile even wider than before. And Thor couldn't help but join him, a small laugh escaping his lips before he could stop it.

Because it did feel good. He'd been content to let the pressure inside him sit, to fossilize and whither with time, but this? It might have been wild, untamed, and definitely far from the kingly stoicism he was supposed to show, but this felt right. It felt true.

Hulk roared with the lightning, shoving Thor playfully to the side. "Blondie do the lights again!"

And, really, who was he to deny him?

He let the lightning surge again and again, and at some point the skies had split open and began pelting rain down onto the stone below, but he didn't care. His hair was a mess and his clothes were soaked and he couldn't differentiate between the tears streaming down his face or the rain - but Hulk was laughing, and he was laughing, and for the first time in a long while he felt happy. Like a weight had been yanked off his shoulders and ripped in half by giant hands the colour of emeralds.

Things took a turn for the considerably less serious when the dirt turned to mud, and Hulk decided it was a good idea to deposit a handful of it directly at Thor's back. Thor of course, being the warrior he was, retaliate tenfold. And then Hulk had returned that attack, and within the span of about half an hour things could truly be considered a mess. But a good one. One that harkened back to simpler times. To a sunny afternoon in Asgard, to fake duels in the courtyard with wooden swords and toy wands, to imaginary stories acted out through the looming castle corridors.

The two ended up sitting under a tree, taking shelter from the rain that hurled itself from the skies with such intensity that it looked horizontal. It had slipped out of Thor's control, and into the realm of the natural. The only thing left to do was wait it out, and as such, the adrenaline began to fade.

Hulk had been considered a hero of Asgard for quite some time after his defeat of Fenris, and that had called for those that could to band together and give him gifts of their thanks. One of these had been Asgardian attire, to cement his place among them, roaming from cloaks to full on robes that Hulk had politely accepted, but ended up wearing in completely the wrong way.

It was one of these cloaks that Hulk yanked off his own shoulders now, tucking the blue fabric around Thor's shoulders with an expression of fondness.

"Thor feel better?" He asked, almost nervously, watching Thor's face from the corner of his eyes, lifting his arm in somewhat of an invitation. A question- asking him to stay.

Thor nodded, huddling close into the Hulk's welcoming embrace, resting his head against the comforting warmth of green muscle and savouring the feeling of Hulk's arm around his shoulders, holding him close.

"A lot better, actually." He glanced upwards, twisting his head to press a shy kiss onto Hulk's side. "Thank you."

"Thor welcome. Puny God good at smashing- not as good as Hulk, though." Green features crinkled into a grin, and Thor felt the deep vibrations of his laughter against his cheeks, prompting a tired chuckle of his own.

Thor sighed, partly in contents but partly because of something...more. His brow creased in a small frown as an uncomfortably familiar feeling began to crawl its way back up, with the lightning not around to burn it back anymore.

Hulk's arm tightened around him, and the deep tones of his voice echoed from somewhere above. "Why Thor angry?"

The question was simple, but he knew it was much more than what it appeared. It didn't just mean why was he angry. It meant why the whole act. Why did he hide from Bruce, why didn't he just ask for help, why did he shut himself off from anyone for days on end?

Why didn't he stay?

"It was a year ago." Thor's answer was quiet, mumbled into the expanse of blue cloth that he really just wanted to draw over his head and hide, like a child from a nightmare. But he couldn't hide from this anymore. Hulk deserved to know. But that didn't make telling him any easier. "Heimdall, and...and Loki. They died a year ago. As did half of my people, and some of those from Sakaar."

"Oh." Hulk's voice was muted with understanding, and Thor felt a pair of large lips pressing against the crown his head before the rough voice continued. "Thor not angry. Thor sad."

"I'm both." Thor's throat was really starting to hurt now, but the second he'd started talking the words didn't seem to want to stop, continuing well past the point where he would normally stop. "I felt so useless- I feel so useless. I couldn't save them, couldn't even summon a spark, but the day before I rained thunder down from the skies. I should've done that, but I didn't, and I don't know why. And I never even got to apologise for it. And even now, with the village, I can't do anything and I'm useless and I just-"

Thor reached his limit not long after that, resigning himself to angry tears muffled by his hand. Hulk repositioned himself, holding Thor closer, tighter, with a grip that he was sure would kill a normal man. Fingertips the side of chest plates rubbed his back, puffs of breath hot against his ear.

"Thor not useless." Hulk rested his hands against Thor's shoulders, moving him until he was sitting cross-legged in his lap, making sure that the God was looking at him. "Thor help protect Banner. Help protect earth. Thor better than strong. Thor brave."

A small, bewildered, and tear stained smile found its way across Thor's face. He shakily moved to his feet, cupping Hulk's face in his hands.

"Thank you, Hulk." He pressed a kiss onto his cheek, grinning slightly as a darker green blush spread across the face in front of him.

"Hulk still stronger though. Puny God being soft." He shoved Thor back onto the ground, the God in question landing with a small 'oof' back into the mud they'd just escaped from.

"Oh, of course. How could I forget?" Thor stood up, trying to brush some of the dirt off himself before he realised that that task was going to be entirely impossible. "Now, I think I'm ready to go back home. Coming?"

Hulk grunted his agreement, beginning to step down the beaten path back towards the village, but not before picking Thor up single handedly and placing him over his shoulders.

"Do you mind? I do have a reputation to maintain. Y'know, King of Asgard, and all that."

"Thor being baby. Hulk also have reputation - strongest Avenger."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"No." Hulk snorted, footsteps shaking the ground around him. "Hulk talk about it forever."

"Aw, you're going to think about me forever?"

"Shut up."

#gammahammer #gammathunder #thorhulk #thor odinson #bruce banner #thunderscience #fanfic #mild angst #post infinity war #hulk

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playeroneplayertwo · 5 years

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The Ten: 5.19

It seems a good icebreaker, or as good an icebreaker as any, to lay bare my top 10 of all time. Clear the air, so to speak. Get to know each other. It’s fair to say that this may be a make or break moment for us. Hopefully, I won’t lose you. Let’s see.

This is a list I imagine I’ll update periodically (which is why it’s dated), as my wife Kathleen (Player Two) and I play a lot of games, and a lot of new games. I’m a notoriously curious and searching type, and I love trying new games, sometimes to my wife’s chagrin. More often than not, my spare change goes to new games for the house. New games that make a splash tend to spike pretty high and then slowly fade. It’s not a great trait to have, especially in someone who tries to speak or write critically about quality (ie write reviews). But being that I’m aware of this, I hope that tempers it at least somewhat.

Anyway, where’s the list, you say? Here we go:

1. Brass: Birmingham (2018)

Oh boy, it’s a new one. Cult of the new? To be fair, Kathleen and I have played this game fairly regularly for the last eight months. By our third play or so, I knew it had locked itself into my top spot. I’d done a fair bit of research on the OG Brass (now Brass: Lancashire) prior to purchasing Brass: Birmingham, and by the time I eventually took the dive and purchased Birmingham, I was as excited to try it as I was unsure we’d actually enjoy it. At the time, it was the heaviest game we’d played, and it also relies heavily on route building–it’s in fact one of the most important parts of the game. I mention this because tactical spacial elements are not Kathleen’s forte. In fact, it’s one of her least favorite mechanics.

This is a good time to tell you that Kathleen and I think (and play games) very differently. Kathleen is a strategic player, relying on long term planning and execution to maximize scoring/performance. I, on the other hand, do not make long term plans. I find it not only remarkably difficult, but also unenjoyable. I’m a short term/tactical player. On my turn, I’m more likely to look over the board, get a lay of the land, and make the best, most advantageous play available to me at that moment.

Brass: Birmingham remarkably manages to cater to both of our play styles, which is one reason it ranks so high. Birmingham presents a myriad options for players to pursue. You’ve got a whole pile of different factory tiles you can build, a whole mess of locations or regions to move into, and about as many different strategies to pursue on your way to the end game. I don’t think I’ve ever played the same game of Brass: Birmingham twice, nor have I ever pursued the same options. The card play means, for me, that I will go where the cards lead, and I find using these cards as a guide to build my engine incredibly satisfying.

2. Covert (2016)

Dice placement. For some reason, this mechanic sounds incredibly unappealing to me, and I think it’s because it’s literally a portmanteau mechanic consisting of the worker placement mechanic using dice, two individual mechanisms that I seem to enjoy less and less. Dice I tend to avoid for their randomness (yes, I know that’s the point), and Worker Placement, in it’s most stereotypical application, I find frustrating. Why can’t I just put my worker wherever I want and just run my engine? Being stymied in a worker placement game just annoys the hell out of me.

So why do I love Covert?

It’s a pretty straightforward points race built around mission cards that have specific requirements. And using the dice as workers seems a fairly typical euro mechanism, but what I like about Covert is how puzzly it is. When you place your dice workers, they’ll be placed on round tracks with spaces numbered 1-6, and you won’t be able to place a die unless it’s adjacent to another die. In this case, you can do anything you want, but only if you plan correctly and work well with the other players. It becomes an order of operations puzzle, which may frustrate some, but I love it.

Also, I can’t get enough of that spy theme. And the production is fantastic.

3. Eldritch Horror (2013)

Ah, Cthulhu. For being the spawn of such a troubled person (HP Lovecraft), I find Cthulhu’s mythos and surrounding universe positively enthralling.

But dice! Ugh yes, this is a huge, sprawling, long, and [sorta] bloated game that is built all around a very simple dice rolling resolution system. I have no way of justifying why this doesn’t bug me, but it just doesn’t.

Maybe I’m just a sap for the theme (Indiana Jones + Cthulhu = Win). Or maybe it’s nostalgia, considering this is the game on my top ten that I’ve played the most and had the longest. But, if I try to dig into the real reasoning here, it’s probably because this game manages to give you a big, rich, story-based experience that feels like an event when it’s over. Yes, it’s the biggest, longest play session on this list. But I love every minute of it. Even those maddening bad dice rolls.

4. Lord of the Rings: The Card Game (2011)

A long time ago, Kathleen and I came to this hobby via Magic: The Gathering, the deep, long standing king of the collectible card game. Magic is a great game, but it brings out the worst in me as a gamer. Playing Magic makes me both a bad winner and bad loser. Frankly, that’s a terrible combination. Why would you want to play with me at all?

This obvious problem led us to cooperative board games. If I’m gonna lose, why don’t I just lose with you. That’s a refreshing change of pace!

And speaking of losing, hey let’s talk about Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. The word used most frequently when talking about this game–by me and pretty much anybody who’s ever played it–is PUNISHING. And yes, it’s punishing. Kathleen and I have played a few punishing euros at this point (feed those people), but this is something else. Get a few bad card flips from the encounter deck and you’re suddenly up to your eyeballs in LOTR baddies. Orcs and goblins? Oh hai. But your dwarves or hobbits or whatever are never really out of it. Smart deck building (and luck) definitely has carried us out of the tall grass on more than one occasion. And there’s something to be said for a game as well balanced as Lord of the Rings. More than once, a game has concluded on a turn where we either win or lose based on that single turn’s outcome.

The theme doesn’t really do much for me, but I took the dive on this game because it looked like a well-designed and well-supported cooperative card game (of which there really aren’t too many). It’s stood tall over the years, and I hope it continues for a while. When I first played Arkham Horror: The Card Game, I figured it would knock this down a peg or two. But the designers’ ingenuity in the LOTR quests and encounter deck designs has been (for me, at least) a much more rewarding experience.

And I appreciate a cooperative game where you actually lose more often than you win. It seems a rarity in the co-ops we have.

5. Great Western Trail (2016)

I’d heard and read so much about this game prior to purchasing it that I almost didn’t even want to get it (which is exactly how I feel about Concordia and Trajan, subsequently). I dig the cowboy theme, but beyond that, I’d pretty much phased out all the actual details on this game’s gameplay.

But yeah, it really is good. Ya’ll were right. I love games that are heavy but are built around simple gameplay, and Great Western Trail epitomizes that. One your turn you move your cowboy on the (effectively) huge rondel board and then take an action on the space where you stop. That’s it.

The beauty of the game comes from the remarkable breadth of options you can pursue. Using cowboys to buy cows, hiring engineers to move your train and build stations, hiring carpenters to build buildings and busy up the board, and completing objectives are some of the main tasks you’ll be focusing on, and what really clicks for me with Great Western Trail is that it’s a tactical player’s dream. The board is constantly changing, and as it changes, so must your plans. The objective cards steer you somewhat, but you’ve really gotta cut your own path across the wilderness here.

Oh, and I love deckbuilding as a sort of side dish mechanic. It isn’t always enough to sustain a whole game, but it’s great as a single piece of a pie.

6. Gloomhaven (2017)

All right, so this big beast has moved all over my ranking in the year+ since my first game. I won’t lie, it sat at #1 for a while. Then it slid a little, then a little more. I mean, it’s still at #6, so it’s not exactly plummeting. It’s the Board Game Geek #1 game of all time (as of this writing), and it’s hard to say if it’s deserving of this (and if not, what deserves the spot instead). Again, this is so subjective, and games like this or Scythe tend to be lightning rods for people who want to take a shot at the new hotness.

But yes, it’s good. It’s very good. I’m not as enamored by the sprawling nature of it as I was, nor the campaign, but being a person who loves variety, it’s scope is certainly a nice bonus. But after you haven’t played it in a while, it becomes a HUGE box that takes up a whole shelf and is a bear to set back up. And even though the box is 20lbs and takes up a whole shelf and the game takes 20+ minutes just to set up, the card play in Gloomhaven is just stellar. I love that this is essentially a tactical minis game with a euro engine. Tactical minis games rank incredibly low on my chart o’ interest, but this game takes that standard tactical minis expectation and smashes the shit out of it.

Despite its niggling flaws, it’s an excellent game.

7. The Exit Series (2017-?)

This is the last co-op game on my list, and I just looked back and saw that there are four on here. I was just talking to Kathleen about how much I’d rather play competitive games instead of co-ops, and apparently I said that in a moment completely lacking self-awareness. Also, this is a cheaty kind of entry considering we’ve played at least eight Exit games.

Remember when I said that I liked Eldritch Horror because it was an event game that provided a big, rich experience? Well, the Exit games give you a meaty, brainier experience in a slightly shorter time period. There’s not much story–despite the designers really trying to cram one in there–but I’ll always love Exit because it’s become our Date Night game. Kathleen and I will get some nice booze, take out food, and sit down with a new Exit after we put our son to bed. The experience can be frustrating–remember we think very differently, but each experience has always been something to remember (except the Secret Lab; what happened in that one?). Special props to Exit: Dead Man on the Orient Express, in particular.

The puzzles are really satisfying when you crack them, especially after working on them for a while. We take longer than average to do these because we resist those hint cards as much as possible, so our games can stretch. But Exit should be an event, and when savored like one, it doesn’t let you down.

Also, if you have concerns about the value of an Exit game, if you look at it as an event (like going to the movies or *cough cough* playing T.I.M.E. Stories), it’s actually a very good value. Recycle it!

And finally, yes, Exit trumps Unlock any day of the week.

8. Glory to Rome (2005)

That Glory to Rome is out of print is a cryin’ shame. Our copy isn’t even a real copy, I printed a crappy DIY version at Staples and then cut and sleeved them with old Magic commons. Our copy looks bad, is cut unevenly, and has eery MTG watermarks shining through the thin weight paper, and I couldn’t care less. This game is awesome. It’s got about a million different combos that are all seemingly game-breaking, but the fact that everything is so powerful is really what makes this game so exciting.

Multi-use cards are one of my favorite mechanic, and this game is completely built around them. And like any well-designed game that is build all around cards, the design of this never leaves you feeling hamstrung by bad card draw. If you’re doing badly at Glory to Rome, it’s your fault. Sorry. You haven’t found the combo that will win the game for you. I can say this because I’m terrible at Glory to Rome, and I know it. That’s not saying I’ve not won before. I have, but more likely than not it was because I accidentally stumbled onto something good.

Like Brass: Birmingham, no two games of Glory to Rome are the same. There are so many cards in the box, and the subtle sense of humor that permeates some of the cards just tickles me (please see: latrine).

It’s fast and exciting, and giving you options on other players’ turns is also one of my favorite mechanics. I’ll happily play and lose Glory to Rome anytime.

9. Nippon (2015)

Full disclosure, this is the newest edition to this list, and Kathleen and I have only played this a few times, but there’s something about this game that really fascinates me.

At first blush, it feels like Brass, but it’s not. Like Brass, this is an economic engine, but it doesn’t allow the multi-turn build up to The Big Turn like Brass. Then I thought it was a little like Great Western Trail, but it’s not really like that either. Great Western Trail presents a ton of options, but by the end of the game, you really need to work on all of them, at least a little bit, or else your score will suffer. Nippon, however, doesn’t make you do a little bit of everything. There are a number of elements in Nippon (like trains), that can be all but ignored except for certain circumstances. It’s a game built around area control via slow burn engine building. A number of other elements to the game are very specific tools you can use to hone that engine, but could just as easily prove useless under the wrong conditions.

This may be misdirected musings by someone who hasn’t played the game enough, but it feels right to me. The last time we played, I came to the realization that the game felt so fraught because I was trying to do too much. The game presents you with a large amount of avenues to pursue because you don’t actually have to pursue them all; you can’t, there’s not enough time in the game (or money!). You need to choose your actions and build the best engine as quickly as possible.

Nippon is a cutthroat fight that feels both wickedly fast and frustratingly slow at the same time. Special bonuses for completely subverting the worker placement mechanic with its own implementation that runs the whole game. It’s a puzzle that I have relished greatly.

10. Star Wars: The Card Game (2012)

Two Fantasy Flight LCGs on the list? Sweet Christmas!

But yes, this is a great game. I’m not sure it ever got much love, and it saddens me that it’s now dead, but it’s such an interesting design. That it does a fine job of simplifying deck construction is just a bonus.

I appreciate that Star Wars feels like a game of high stakes gambling. The first few turns are slow and quiet as you work through your deck and build your forces, but once conflict erupts, everything tends to break wide open. Each decision you make has massive repercussions, as single large mistakes will lose you the game. Add in some actual bluffing and a ticking clock, and this is the simplified and streamlined (if safer and less wild) version of Doomtown: Reloaded, another card game that I absolutely love.

But where I think Doomtown ultimately fails, Star Wars succeeds. The game doesn’t get bogged down in complexity, and instead feels relatively streamlined considering its medium weight. Every time I play this game, I’m impressed by how smart Eric Lang’s design is. I feel like he played a ton of Magic: The Gathering, and then he removed all the things that bothered him (and bothered me, too).

I think this game is overlooked and underplayed, and dare I say forgotten, but for my money, it’s absolutely worth revisiting. And played over and over again.

Please remember, this list will change. Check back occasionally to see how. If you have any questions or opinions of your own, let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Eric (Player One)

#top ten #board games #board game #great western trail #gloomhaven #brass birmingham #star wars card game #nippon #glory to rome #exit #eldritch horror #lord of the rings card game #covert game #covert

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gazeelly1518-blog · 5 years

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Could Noise Cancelling Headphones Assist Children With Autistic Range Condition?

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sartorialonce · 6 years

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Emma Swan’s wedding gown: an astonishing failure by any metric

(Many, many pictures in this post.)

I hope that, as readers of this blog, you know that I have a great deal of respect for the work of Eduardo Castro on this show. It was with dismay that I began analyzing this dress last season, when friends began asking me to talk about it. I like talking about the successes—negative analysis can be fun and cathartic and all, but analyzing something that works, in order to understand why it’s really that good, is at least as valuable, if not more so. But sometimes, a thing is really that bad, and that’s where we are today. I hope everyone understands that this is a critique of this garment, not an analysis of the character.

But let me be very clear: this dress was poorly made, poorly fitted, and poorly suited to the medium.

Arguably the most famous wedding gown ever made is that of Grace Kelly, worn for the Catholic ceremony of her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco (the pair had been married in a civil ceremony the day before). Kelly’s gown was designed by a costume designer from MGM Studios, Helen Rose. Rose was a two-time Oscar-winning designer and ten-time nominee. She had designed costumes for Kelly several times, and she was also a well-regarded wedding gown designer.

This gown is without question her most famous work, and its influence has been far-reaching. Fifty-five years later, a dress inspired by Kelly’s was worn by Kate Middleton for her wedding to Prince William. Several European princesses of the same generation have also drawn inspiration from this gown.

Emma Swan’s wedding gown, however, does not draw inspiration from Kelly’s. It is a copy, and not even a good one.

Let’s start from the top.

The Juliet cap

It’s easy to underestimate just how ubiquitous hats were in American fashion at one time. Hats were a standard accessory both for men and women. In the 1950s, many women’s hats were far more decorative than functional, like the Juliet cap.

The Juliet cap has its roots in Renaissance Europe, when earlier traditions of women completely covering their hair had evolved into pieces that partially covered the head and accentuated hairstyling. This was true of the 50s version as well. The chignon was a popular hairstyle to pair with a Juliet cap. The Renaissance versions were often a net (beaded or plain) that held hair in place; by the 50s it was most likely to be a solid hat. Today the Juliet cap is strictly bridal, usually more like the earliest versions than the 20th-century ones.

Arguably it was the cap which doomed this costume. This piece, more than any other part, pegs this as a vintage design. The dress itself has had innumerable imitators over the last sixty years. The Juliet cap has not achieved that staying power. In Emma’s case, the cap goes awry on a few counts. First, the lace itself lacks the delicacy of the original. It’s coarser and lacks most of the tiny beads. Second, it’s way too big for her head. It touches her ear, while the original was about half an inch above. Third, the placement of the flower band makes it look like it’s sliding off the back of her head.

The final nail in the coffin is the actual outline of the piece. It’s hard to tell if they actually failed to copy the original accurately or if that original shape just doesn’t work well with JMo’s hairline. Either is possible.

If they had just given her a tiara, or braided her hair into a crown with flowers—well, I’d still be talking about how bad this dress is, but I bet a lot of other people wouldn’t have fixated on it and I’d just be stewing about it privately instead of writing a 3,000-word post about it.

Styling

I’m no hair-and-makeup expert, but to my eye this is all too severe. A softer lip color would have gone a long way toward helping this. The hairstyle may look really pretty in the back but we’ll never know because it’s covered up with a veil. I’m honestly a little surprised they stuck a veil on her at all, but we’ll get to that later. Anyway, what we can see of the hair is all repressed-librarian-chic and that is so not the intent of this look. At least I’m pretty sure. It’s also worth noting that while Kelly wore her hair up, she still had more volume to her hair than Emma does here.

Quality

There are some weird and frankly unprofessional quality problems with this costume.

The first and most noticeable problem is the seams of the lace jacket. I’ll be blunt: lace can be hard to work with. We’ve seen lace on costumes on Once before, but it’s often been handled using a technique called underlining. With underlining you layer two pieces of fabric together and treat them as though they’re one piece. For example, Snow’s white dress from 1.11 has lace on the bodice that was constructed this way. A major reason for underlining when you can is that it hides all the raw edges inside the garment.

However, when a garment is just lace, like this jacket, the preferred method is to hide the seams with the lace itself. This is done by cutting pieces larger than needed, following the motifs of the lace pattern. Then the irregular edge is appliquéd over the seam line, effectively hiding it. Kelly’s jacket is so well constructed that seams are virtually invisible.

I have to give some credit to the wardrobe folks, because they did actually use this appliqué technique on this jacket (which, when I first saw low-resolution images, I thought they did not). However, the motifs on this lace are so sparse that it doesn’t do a very good job of hiding the seams. And then, for reasons I suspect I will never understand, they decided to bind the seams. They took a white fabric and covered up the raw edges of the lace, so instead of masking the seams, they made them more obvious.

The thing is, those princess seams on the front are very unusual. Most princess seams are perpendicular to the waist and either run to the armhole or the shoulder seam, rather than creating that odd diamond shape. So the shape is odd and the seams are super-visible, and it starts calling attention to how it’s made. Those seams were in fact the first thing I noticed when I saw this dress, and I stand by what I said at the time: those seams are visible from space.

The seams on the sleeves are even more perplexing. At least the rest of the seams were all trimmed down, but the seam allowances on these are so wide. It’s like somebody forgot to trim and bind those seams or ran out of time. In some shots it appears that the side seams were treated similarly. This is just not standard practice, even if you discount the admittedly time-consuming process of hiding seams in lace. Standard practice is that whatever method you use to finish seam allowances—serging, French seams, flat-felled seams, Hong Kong finish, no finish at all—you use it for all seams in the garment. Especially when the seam allowances are visible from the right side.

Then there’s the buttoned opening of the jacket. Someone tried really hard to mirror the lace across the opening. They didn’t quite make it, which makes it more jarring than not trying to mirror the lace at all would have been.

On the back, the armhole has been cut in the strangest shape I’ve seen in a long time. Because this is lace, you can actually see where her underarm is and how far away the curve of the armhole sits. It looks like someone cut the front and back of the armhole symmetrically. The front is usually cut with a deeper curve than the back because the arm actually sits forward on the body and you need more room for forward movement than backward. This is just a weird choice and feels very much like a mistake.

Lastly, there’s the collar. Well, there’s not a separate collar here, technically, because there is no seam attaching a collar piece to the body. So this is actually a neckline. The salient point is, it’s badly off-center and there’s no good excuse for that. If I had to guess, I’d say someone failed to account for the placket while cutting the fabric. Or possibly that on one front piece, they measured from the edge and on the other front piece they measured from the center front (which in this case would be the line of buttons).

It’s just shoddy workmanship. Inexplicably shoddy workmanship.

Fit, or lack thereof

The bodice is too tight. This is a common problem in JMo’s custom-made costume pieces. There is stress and strain absolutely everywhere at even modest movement. Lace also doesn’t recover from stretching as well as some other fabrics, so the wrinkles caused by that strain tend to remain after the strain is reduced.

Even the bodice of the gown itself is too tight, as evidenced in this BTS picture. I have a very strong suspicion that this is the reason the pleats are off-center in other BTS pictures. Sometimes a garment being too tight will cause it to creep either up or around (or both).

The cummerbund is also too tight, but there are some other issues with that piece which we’ll get to shortly.

Straight lines vs. curves

Straight horizontal elements are rarely a good idea in clothing design. Most of the time, even if you appear to have a horizontal line, it’s actually a gentle curve. Waistlines, for example, are usually drafted a little higher in back and lower in front. It’s more aesthetically pleasing because straight lines on the body are pretty unnatural for most people, and a curve also tends to fit better than a straight horizontal seam.

Why use straight lines when gentle curves are more flattering? Straight lines are easier and faster. We’ll talk about that toward the end.

In this case, straight lines have been substituted in place of the original curves at the neckline of the gown (not the jacket) and the cummerbund. The original has an elegant sweetheart neckline that dips in the middle. The curve suggests the contour of the body without revealing anything. The curve of the cummerbund serves a similar purpose. It’s all about framing her figure in a flattering manner.

What went wrong with Emma’s? The neckline is kind of dipped—maybe a little—but not enough to be noticeable. The cummerbund is straight too, meaning instead of showing off her figure, it flattens everything.

Proportions

The most baffling choice to me in this garment is the changes in proportions of the bodice. The bodice of Helen Rose’s original design is all about the rule of threes. There are three sections—cummerbund, lace over gown, and lace alone—and each is roughly the same size. In particular, the high cummerbund gives visual lift to the bust. It’s all in service of the silhouette. The swan neck and the narrow, extra-long sleeves emphasize the vertical element of the design. The waist is also slightly high, which brings the eye upward to the more interesting parts of the dress.

As you can probably tell, the cummerbund of the costume has been significantly altered from the original. It’s much, much narrower, with a straight top edge instead of a curve. Kelly’s had a few well-defined pleats; this one is a mess. The edge that’s flipped up is also a sign that it’s too tight.

But more important is how the change to proportion and shape affects the whole. Instead of framing the bust, this flat neckline and narrow cummerbund make her torso look flatter. It’s the most baffling change they made in my opinion.

Less baffling is why they changed the train. You can’t really dance in a dress with six feet of fabric trailing behind you. But in that case, why have a train at all? Why have one this anemic? This looks like a mistake, and if they hadn’t done this, I wouldn’t now be complaining about how crappy that hem is. And yeah, the section on quality problems was a while ago, but the wild thing about this dress is that it’s nearly impossible to separate all its problems into single categories, and now you know why it’s taken me nearly a year to get around to writing this post despite the absurd amount of time I’ve been thinking about it.

The length of the veil was likely altered for the same reason (Kelly’s was floor-length), but could they have picked a more awkward length?

Updating period garments

In the post on Emma’s pink date dress, I talked some about recreating period garments. Helen Rose’s design would have been made to wear with a 50s-style bra, obviously, but also a girdle to shape the waist and a crinoline to shape the skirt. Not wearing appropriate undergarments for the design has a huge effect on how the garment looks. If you’re going to make this literal a copy of a garment, then you really need to go all in with the whole look. On the set of various Star Trek series, Robert Blackman famously had custom underwear made for everyone who wore a Starfleet uniform. Undergarments are that important.

If they weren’t going to have JMo in a girdle (which for the record I do not blame anyone for choosing not to do), then the crinoline needed to be larger. A critical part of the silhouette of the original dress is the waist-to-hip ratio. Emma’s version puffs out a little but not nearly as dramatically. The crinoline seems to be the one place where they attempted to modernize the dress at all. But instead of really updating it and using an A-line silhouette, they kept the bell shape and just made it less bell-shaped. Attempting to adhere to the original silhouette but not doing it at all faithfully is a large part of why this copy is so lackluster and unpolished.

Context

The original garment was designed for a royal wedding in a Catholic country, pre-Vatican II. Its modesty is in deference to those factors. This was a gown meant to look regal, even statuesque in photographs.

Emma Swan’s wedding is a musical number. She needed a dress for dancing. What she got is incredibly awkward. The skirt doesn’t swish nicely when she moves. It is, in fact, so heavy that whenever she spins around, she looks like she’s in danger of being knocked down by the skirt’s momentum. The tightness of the jacket is really exacerbated whenever she lifts her arms, which is a thing that happens pretty often while dancing. And the veil—the veil. That thing swings around so wildly that I’m amazed no one on set stepped in and had her take it off. There are shots where it looks like it’s going to whack her in the face.

It just looks like she’s being attacked and swallowed up by this monstrosity of a gown, and it’s shocking to me that anyone with any notion of how clothing behaves would look at the original gown and say “yes, this will be great for a dance number.”

I don’t want to get much into questions of “would Emma Swan wear this,” but... would she? Is she a big fan of Grace Kelly? Hugely fond of 50s style? Where did this dress even come from in the universe of the show? It wasn’t there at the beginning of the episode when she was looking at dresses. Was it custom made by some seamstress in town? Are we supposed to believe it was conjured up with magic? And if that’s the case why didn’t they show us that? It’s a show about fairy tales and they’re not going to take the opportunity to do a Cinderella-style magical dress?

This doesn’t feel like a decision made in the universe of the show. It feels like someone fixated on this dress and to hell with making any logical sense within the story.

Feasibility

Grace Kelly’s gown was made in the MGM costume workshop. Helen Rose had a team of 36 seamstresses to construct it, and it took them six weeks to complete. That’s thousands of hours of labor from some of the most skilled dressmakers in the country.

I don’t know how many people Eduardo Castro had working on this, but I doubt he had a staff of 36. I know they didn’t have six weeks—Castro has said that they only had two weeks to make it. (They also only had one fitting, which... explains a lot.) With those constraints, and a TV budget, making a good copy of this dress simply was not possible.

But Castro and his team have made beautiful gowns under the same restrictions before, so what’s the difference here? Castro’s most successful designs have been ones where the design itself is relatively simple. Most of the garments worn in the show are of relatively basic construction. The richness comes from the textiles used, like sarees or quilted fabrics. Patterns were also reused. Snow’s gown in 1.11 is the same pattern as Belle’s in 1.12. These are smart shortcuts for a workshop that doesn’t have unlimited time or budget. The latter in particular had a twofold benefit: it established a consistent style for the universe of the show, and it streamlined the work for Castro’s team.

The worst costumes produced for this show have been the ones that step outside of the design language Castro established early on, notably Elsa and Ingrid’s gowns. This one suffers from the same problem. Instead of starting from a known pattern, they had to start from scratch. Pattern drafting requires time, and as I noted in an earlier section, the jacket in particular has some unusual and challenging features that would need a lot of precision to get right. By picking a design where they couldn’t rely on the time-saving methods they had developed over the years, their ability to produce a high-quality garment was immediately hampered. This is probably part of the reason they used straight lines instead of curves to the detriment of the garment, why the seam finishes on the lace are so inconsistent and bad, and why something as simple as the pleats on the skirt look so sloppy.

And that’s not even getting into the budget. The materials alone for Kelly’s dress cost more than $70,000 in today’s money. The lace jacket was made from Brussels lace made in the 1830s. This was quite simply not something that could be replicated well on the budget of a network television series.

There is to my mind an ethical issue as well. Days of publicity went by before anyone mentioned that this dress was a copy of Helen Rose’s work. Almost immediately a narrative sprang up that Morrison had “helped design” Emma’s wedding gown, but this notion is patently false. No design went into this, only minor tweaks of another artist’s seminal work.

Helen Rose was highly acclaimed in her day, but her lasting legacy is Grace Kelly’s wedding gown. Her work deserves better homage than this poorly conceived and poorly executed disaster.

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #emma swan #ouat costume details #ouat costume historical reference

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doomonfilm · 5 years

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Ranking : Star Wars films

Ranking the Star Wars films with a fandom as dedicated and opinionated as that of Star Wars can be an exercise in futility, but it is a fun one regardless. Famously, George Lucas directed that stark sci-fi drama THX-1138, the nostalgia-fest that was American Graffiti, and then dove headlong into the Star Wars franchise, never to step out of that storytelling realm again. After tolling over this list for what feels like forever, and inviting debates from fellow film lovers, I think I can stand behind my opinions in the following list (which, in all honesty, will probably change as the years go by).

Films not included :

The Clone Wars (2008) / Star Wars : Revelations (2005) / Ewoks : The Battle for Endor (1985) / The Ewok Adventure (1984) / The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

I have not seen the animated films, and I personally feel that the Ewok films and the Holiday Special, while canon, do not provide anything necessary for the overarching narrative of the ‘main’ films.

10. The Phantom Menace (1999)

It pains me to have to call any Star Wars film the ‘worst’ film in the franchise, but there must always be someone that holds down the anchor position, and in this case, it’s The Phantom Menace. Certain aspects of this film are great, like the classic Pod Racing scene, and the casting of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, but ultimately, this film falls short on my list for introducing the concept of midichlorians and insinuating that Anakin Skywalker was an immaculate conception... an idea that (up to this point) has not been properly paid off, in my opinion. For the record, I have no issues with Jar Jar Binks, and am loving how people are attempting to peg him as a Sith Lord with ultimate powers... perhaps even a ‘reincarnated’ version of Darth Plagueis himself.

9. Rogue One : A Star Wars Story (2016)

This film holds an important place in the Star Wars canon for opening up the possibility to tell stories involving characters considered outside of the main narrative spectrum, and in that way, it expands an already deeply expansive world. Where Rogue One missteps, however, is in trying to expand what would normally equate to about two films-worth of lore into two acts. This rushed attempt to make you care deeply for what essentially boils down to a group of ‘cool’ characters really begins to become an afterthought once the film kicks into high gear in the third act, walking you right up to the front door of A New Hope. A good film, but in my opinion, a better idea than an execution, hence it’s low placement on my list.

8. Revenge of the Sith (2005)

I consistently find myself torn between Episode II and Episode III in terms of which film I like more. If I had my way, these films would be combined into a super-cut of sorts, taking the best aspects of both in hopes of muting out the forgettable. Revenge of the Sith finds itself placed lower than Attack of the Clones on my list, however, for slightly fumbling and mishandling the resolution of the original setup story. The seeds that Emporer Palpatine sowed in Anakin were a bit heavy-handed, especially the lore of Darth Plagueis, which is one of many ideas planted by the first three episodes that ultimately has no payoff. Combine this with Obi-Wan’s relatively easy dispatching of Anakin at the end, and all of the buildup towards Darth Vader, including the genius performance of Hayden Christensen of playing Anakin as an entitled and whiny adult that would grow up to be a feared power monger, and I found myself let down due to knowledge of the inevitable story resolution.

7. Attack of the Clones (2002)

This movie... man... so much that it throws at you. Hayden Christensen is a stroke of genius as Anakin Skywalker, as previously mentioned. Natalie Portman really got a chance to spread her wings in this film. Django Fett is awesome looking, but ridiculous as an homage to Boba’s ineptitude at times, and the story of his origin as the mold for all Storm Troopers echoes this. Ultimately, however, this film falls short by undercutting itself with a bit of slight silliness. General Grievous is an awesome concept on paper, but I find myself less and less impressed as the years go by. As excited as I was to see Yoda fight with a lightsaber, having it be digitally animated was slightly anti-climactic. The huge Jedi standoff was a nice touch, and the film is very entertaining, but overall, it falls short due to a slightly disjointed nature.

6. Solo : A Star Wars Story (2018)

It was enivetable that Han Solo would get his own film series in light of the way that Rogue One changed the Star Wars game, and like all things with the sacred series, many were prepared to scream foul that anyone outside of Harrison Ford would dare call themselves worthy of the role. Alden Ehrenreich by no means redefined the role of Han Solo, but he did capture the essence of the character, which worked well for me. Where this film really works, however, is in making concrete what was once only legend. Seeing day one of Han and Chewie’s friendship was wonderful, seeing Han involved in a love story as a vulnerable participant was refreshing, and Donald Glover put on a scene stealing performance. Solo will hopefully be the standard bearer for what the Star Wars Story series of films can be, but it falls short of the top 5 simply because it is outside of the narrative spine.

5. The Force Awakens (2015)

The Force Awakens is a successful bridge of the trilogy trilogy in all the ways that Revenge of the Sith failed to be. Seeing the last vestiges of the Empire in the form of abandoned war vehicles on Jakuu, and having that planet be Rey’s current home, work well in regards to the overarching narrative. The introduction of The First Order is a wonderful element that I believe will pay off greatly in Episode 9, and Kylo Ren (due to the performance of Adam Driver) is already an iconic character. Even BB-8, an obvious attempt at nostalgia via leaning on the R2D2 fandom, was enjoyable. Many people found that this story and the story from A New Hope were a bit too similar, but in my opinion, there is enough unique to justify a story that echoes similar threats, as those in power tend to use the methods of those before them in real life (to varying results). Overall, the casting in this film is on the money, it looks like a million bucks, and it seems there’s been some much needed levity injected into the series in this particular trilogy of films.

4. Return of the Jedi (1980)

The first time that we get to see Luke Skywalker be a badass... Boba Fett and his memorable armor... Princess Leia and her iconic brass bikini... the Ewoks and the battle on Endor... Lando and his devious ways... Han Solo trapped in Carbonite, his screaming face frozen for what seems like it will be forever... there is so much iconic about this film that it is hard to list it all. Wonderful character designs are abound in this film, we get one of the most random selections of locations in any Star Wars film, and we get proper resolution to a host of storylines introduced in this particular story grouping. Outside of George Lucas’s alterations to the group of ‘Force ghosts’ at the end of the film, it’s hard to pick this one apart. For what once seemed like it would be the final film of the canon, it is truly a satisfying conclusion.

3. Star Wars : A New Hope (1970)

Although this is now officially film 4 of the series, this will always be the beginning in spirit. George Lucas changed the game with this film, introducing a DIY aesthetic and spirit, as well as a true love for storytelling unique to the storyteller and their influences, that literally became a mark in time for what was and what will be. It is harder to imagine a more iconic collection of characters being successfully introduced than those in A New Hope, and the echoes of influences centered both in history and older films are integrated so perfectly that many are easy to overlook. Though not my number 1 placement, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect film created out of the blue.

2. The Last Jedi (2017)

I cannot think of another film in the Star Wars series that people were more prepared to hate upon release than The Last Jedi. Be it expectations set personally, wishes of what The Force Awakens should have been, or pettiness such as Porgs being involved in the promotional material, it was hard to find people that were either open-minded or gung-ho positive about the film. I, too, had my own ideas of what would happen, and certain information I had going into the film (mainly the death of Carrie Fisher) caused me to have gut reactions as well (the infamous use of the Force during what should have been her death). What I quickly realized, however, is that the handful of gripes I had with the film were 100% based on what I wanted to see, and not on what was provided. There are some great elements introduced and used in this film... Luke reverting back to his whiny self... the connection between Kylo Ren and Rey... the slow, methodical chase that makes up the main narrative of the film... and, in what is probably my favorite moment in all of the Star Wars film, the amazing destruction of the Star Destroyer courtesy of a hyperspeed jump. People tried to make this film problematic, but when it’s all said and done, this film may go down as the best thing in the series, with the exception of...

1. The Empire Strikes Back (1983)

I wonder if it bothers George Lucas at all that the most revered film in his story canon was one that he did not direct (Irvin Kershner made the series wonderfully dark with this film). This one takes everything that was wonderful about A New Hope and swiftly takes it away from you like a schoolyard bully. The beauty of space and the warmth of Tatooine is replaced with the biting cold you can almost feel of Hoth. The introduction of Yoda brings the entire narrative to new heights. Removing Luke from the conflict raises the stakes for (and profile of) Han, Chewie and Leia immediately. Outside of even the ending is jarring, eschewing a nice and pleasant story wrap-up for the bleakest of cliffhanger endings there is. The Star Wars canon of films is good, but The Empire Strikes Back is truly great.

Curious about why I chose to put films where I did? Do you disagree, or have another opinion/point of view? Feel free to comment via this article or the Ask Me Anything section... these opinions are certainly not written in stone, and with so many films to consider, there may be aspects I’ve not considered or overlooked.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #GeorgeLucas #IrvinKershner #JJAbrams #RianJohnson #StarWars #ThePhantomMenace #AttackOfTheClones #RevengeOfTheSith #ANewHope #TheEmpireStrikesBack #ReturnOfTheJedi #TheForceAwakens #TheLastJedi #RogueOne #Solo

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loadingclever207 · 2 years

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Oblivion Weapon Texture Mod

Apr 24, 2014 These are enhanced textures of the already made vanilla textures. Mod Features:-No changes to the texture resolution-Texture file size is slightly higher, (100kb)-Better colors, removes the light tint over the texture-Sharpened to add more detail-Steel and Iron armors shine and give a reflection effect when facing light sources Is compatible with. Weapon Extension PackThis huge weapon mod provides a massive 625+ brand-new weapons to the globe of Oblivion, like new Amber, Craziness, Mithril, Orcish, Great Metal, and Rusty Metal weapons. It also contains a complete collection of Orchish weaponry, Mithril weaponry (which are usually upgraded Metallic weapons), and more. This is a missing texture from some mod. The mod is calling for a particular texture to be applied to the weapons and is not finding that texture where it expects it to be usual place is Oblivion data textures modname. Oblivion Quest Mods Nexus E: Games Oblivion Data Textures Weapons MyMod longswordn.dds You will also might want to create custom menu icons as well. At the beginning, you can create placeholders until you finish with your changes and create the custom icons. Aug 06, 2014 Requirements: Oblivion 1.2.0416 Description: This is a project that aims (over time) to replace the vanilla weapon meshes and textures with completely new and more detailed rep.

Is Oblivion the best Elder Scrolls game ever made? Yes. I mean, probably. I don’t want to start a fan war.

But could the game be better? Of course!

The first time I tried to play Oblivion with mods was back in 2008. And since then, I haven’t been able to play any of my favorite single-player games without mods again.

Oblivion changed my perception of mods and why they can be fantastic additions to a game. And in this post I’m keen to share my picks for the best Oblivion mods with all you TES fans!

Before I begin, let me just point out that there are many Oblivion mods that tweak certain technical aspects of the game. I’ve only added a handful of those, as I really wanted to focus on other types of mods like gameplay changes, new additions, stuff like that.

To start off the list, though, I’ve added three mods in my early spots that are actually rated really high by the community.

I’m just ranking them lower on my list to raise your attention towards them first – they’ll really help you make other mods on this list work much better.

40. Unofficial Oblivion Patch

Look, all of us love Oblivion.

However, denying that the game was buggy as hell would be like trying to cover the sun with your thumb.

This mod was made by the community to help fix Oblivion as a whole. It’s safe to say that the job was done as properly as can be, as this mod currently “fixes over 2,500 bugs and 70,000 object placement errors”, as its description reads.

That’s a lotta stuff.

A must-have mod if you plan to play the game in the 2020s and beyond – even if you don’t want to install any other mods on your game.

39. Oblivion Mod Manager

As the name suggests, Oblivion Mod Manager allows you to properly sort mods and see them more clearly than you can with the original Oblivion launcher.

It really makes a difference when you have hundreds of mods installed.

If you’re planning on downloading more than a handful of mods to change the shape of your game, you’ll want to have Oblivion Mod Manager installed first. It’s a big time saver.

38. Oblivion Script Extender

This other must-have mod on my list is OBSE, a special mod that ensures the game extends its scripting capabilities to allow more complex mods to work.

This is another one that you’ll need to install if you plan on getting some of the better mods listed here.

Writer’s note: Starting from the 37th spot and downwards, all of the mods that you’ll find will be ranked as per usual on my lists. I just wanted to introduce you to these three mods first so you can download them before the rest!

37. Really AEVWD

I think it’s to the surprise of no one that the distant views in Oblivion were terrible.

It’s understandable, though, as the game was released for PS3 and Xbox. And even PC capabilities weren’t really great back in the 2000s.

In any case, this amazing mod aims to completely restructure the way we see stuff in the distance when playing Oblivion.

It improves textures as well as distant rendering, which makes those mountains a few kilometers away, as well as towns and cities, look far better and much more “defined”.

36. Dynamic Map

This is the best map mod that you can download – hands down.

It basically changes the map to display whichever new things you may have added to it.

If you’ve installed mods that add new towns to Oblivion, for example, they will show on your map if you have this mod installed. Neat!

It also adds color to the map which matches the actual terrain of Oblivion.

Even if you haven’t installed any mods that change the terrain or anything new, this one’s still fantastic.

35. Oblivion XP

Man, as someone who never really liked the way one levels up in Oblivion, this mod was an absolute godsent back in the day.

I can’t believe it’s been more than 10 years since I tried it!

Basically this mod changes the way the XP system works in the game.

You won’t only get XP for performing certain actions, as it is in the vanilla game. Instead you’ll also get experience for exploring new areas or doing trivial things like feeding off corpses as a vampire.

It gets crazy.

If you’ve played classic RPGs before you’re probably familiar with this type of level-up system.

34. AliveWaters

Tamriel is a place full of life, creatures, magic, and beauty.

However, the underwater regions of Cyrodiil are as dead as a corpse.

This mod’s aim is to add new things and creatures to be found under the waves. So you actually have a purpose to go there other than to find the eventual sunken chest.

You’ll probably need a potion of water-breathing or two once you have this mod installed. That’s if you’re not an Argonian, of course!

33. CandidENB Reborn

If you’re looking for an ENB to improve your game’s graphics by tweaking post-processing effects, this is the mod to download.

Please be sure to read the description and install it properly – it’ll make your game feel like something taken out of a movie.

Stunning views await those who use this RNB preset.

32. Frostmourne and Lich King Armor

Well, this mod doesn’t really suit the lore of the game, but screw it.

I absolutely LOVED playing with it back in the day.

In fact, I remember that my old PC couldn’t really handle the textures of the Lich King armor and it made my game laggy as hell.

However, as the Warcraft fanboy that I was 10 years ago, this one was a must-have.

As the name suggests, it adds Arthas’ Frostmourne and the Lich King Armor to the game.

31. Better Dungeons

Dude, talk about hard work put into a mod.

Better Dungeons changes every single cave in Oblivion into something that looks much better, while also adding a few more challenging aspects and features to each dungeon.

A fantastic mod altogether, although you might only want to install it if you’ve already finished the game once. Just to not lose the essence of the classic Oblivion caves.

30. Alluring Potion Bottle

If you’re bothered by little things like the moon not having enough resolution, the grass not being tall enough, or all bottles being basically the same… then you might have mild OCD.

But you’ll also want to check out this mod.

It changes every single standard bottle in the game for much more alluring versions of themselves.

The mod adds a staggering 108 bottles in total, changing the way potions and beverages look for the better.

29. Book Jackets

Another fantastic mod that you’ll love if you like the last one on this list.

This changes the covers of each book in the game to make them much more unique.

It might sound simple, but it truly adds a lot of personality to Oblivion.

28. Oblivion Grass Overhaul

I know this might not be the first thing that you think about improving in Oblivion, but wait until you add this mod and see how nature looks afterwards.

It adds thousands of new textures to make the grass feel much more alive and realistic.

By far one of my favorite mods – even with how much of a small tweak it seems to make.

27. Harvest Flora

Harvest Flora is a mod focused on improving plant behavior as well making plants change their appearance after you’ve harvested them.

It makes no sense for plants to remain the same after you’ve taken flowers, fruits, or anything from them, right?

This mod will change that. And it looks awesome.

Oblivion Weapon Texture Mod Minecraft 1.12.2

Install this with the Oblivion Grass Overhaul to fully satisfy your cravings for realistic nature in the game.

26. HUD Status Bar

This mod will completely revolutionize the way your HUD looks by adding many new bars and features to it, all of which you can tweak to suit your needs.

You’ll get a much better grasp of your character’s needs and the overall environment of the game if you install this bad boy.

Add new bars and remove others that you don’t need. Hey, it’s your game, you do you.

25. Sounds of Cyrodiil

I know this isn’t one of those mods that you might think you need. But please, give it a chance.

The creator of this mod made sure to add thousands of sound emission points to the game, as well as a total of 250 new sound effects.

All to make every environment in Oblivion feel much more alive and immersive.

The aim of this mod is to revitalize Oblivion through the use of new sound effects.

I think that it’s safe to say the creator did an amazing job with it. You’ll never believe some of the details you can see.

24. COBL

COBL basically works as an all-in-one that improves Oblivion and how it deals with mods.

It allows various mods of the same type (such as hair mods or eye mods) to work perfectly with each other, free of any bugs.

That’s not all, though.

COBL also adds many new things to the game, including the ability to sort your alchemy items much easier. As well as new types of beers, foods, containers, and many more things.

It honestly feels like a package of mods that works flawlessly. I really recommend you check it out.

23. Immersive Interiors

Alright, I’m not going to tell you that this is my favorite mod on this list.

But when it comes to small additions that make a world of difference, this has to be one of the best out there.

If you play Oblivion then you know how all of the structures feel as if they were separate from the outer world, mainly because they are.

Whenever you enter a house, things outside kind of just stop happening. With this mod you’ll be able to be sitting anywhere inside a house and look outside the windows. And you’re really looking outside.!

You won’t see any NPCs walking around or anything… but hey, it’s still makes the game feel much more alive.

22. Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul

Let’s face it, guys: Oblivion was never too much of a difficult game.

It didn’t even matter if you set the difficulty to the highest, the game still didn’t feel as challenging as other RPGs.

This aims to tweak that completely, and it does a fantastic job at it. If I may say so myself.

Gone are the days of monsters adapting to your level or killing creatures that you shouldn’t slay so early in the game.

If you install this mod you’re going to have to deal with a much more challenging Oblivion experience.

It’s a great mod to install if you’ve completed the game a few times already and you have the know-how to beat most creatures in the game.

Put your combat skills to test!

21. Improved Trees and Flora

Alright seriously, please just go install this mod with the grass overhaul that I mentioned earlier.

You’ll get a completely new perception of Cyrodiil and its natural endeavors if you get both of these mods in your game at the same time.

Add an ENB or any other graphical enhancement to your list and you’re going to be set for a long time.

In fact, once you’ve installed both of these mods plus the ENB I mentioned, embark on an adventure through the forests and mountains of the game.

Get a new grasp of how they feel and how alive the world looks. You’re going to love it.

20. Capes and Cloaks

Are you ready to ignore Edna’s advice and wear capes?

I mean, what could truly go wrong if you choose to do it? It’s not like you can get your cape caught on a plane turbine or anything, right?

Right.

Now, go on and download this mod. I know you want to wear a cape in the game as much as I did!

And I know what you’re thinking and the answer is yes – your character looks extremely badass with a cape around his neck.

19. Enhanced Camera

If you’re looking for immersion and the option to play entire game in first person, this is the mod you want to use.

It basically forces the game to always be in first-person, regardless of the situation.

That’s not all, though. EC actually makes first person feel much more realistic by letting you look down and see your own body.

I always wondered why games don’t make this a default look when in first person. But hey – don’t wonder any longer, just use this mod!

18. DarkUID

Look, the default UI of the game is pretty bleak.

I think we’ve known this since the game first released, as it always seemed to be one of the main complaints that the community had.

That’s probably why UI mods have always been so popular, and this has to be one of my favorites.

The “red” UI has always been popular among Oblivion players. And I remember that this mod (or a similar one, at least) was around when I played back in the 2000s.

In fact, this one seems to be such an improved version of the one I used that it’s probably a completely new one.

In any case, check it our if you want your game UI to look much better & offer more useful options in your menus.

17. Enhanced Water

When it comes to mods that make water look better, this one takes the cake.

I’m not going to lie – there are many, many mods that aim to make the water realistic.

But most of them fail spectacularly.

Why, you may ask? Simple: they make the water too crystal clear, which makes it basically a see-through surface.

That’s pretty unrealistic and actually helps the game lose immersion.

But the Enhanced Water mod turns the water into a tone of blue that truly resembles real water, while it also improves the way water looks when it “moves”.

If you’re searching for mods that enhance the game’s graphics, this one is a must-have to add to your collection.

16. Elven Map Redux

I’m adding another map mod to my list, but not because I think this one is better than the last one… but rather because I think more people will be able to get a good use out of this mod.

Elven Map Redux is a colored version of the traditional Oblivion map.

It does have a few enchantments that make it look better than the original one, too.

Try it out if you feel like the other map mod has too many features for your liking.

15. Natural Faces

Even though this mod doesn’t enhance any graphical aspects of the game, it does work fantastically well to clean up the messy face textures that Oblivion has always been known for.

The game is pretty old, but even back in the days when it was new, you could tell that something was a bit off with the character faces in the game.

Natural Faces aims to correct those issues with shadings, and with certain textures feeling a but too “stretched”. Also with some parts of the lips not matching properly with the talking animations.

It’s a good mod, and not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

14. Weather – All Natural

This astonishing weather mod is a compilation of the best weather mods ever released for Oblivion.

And it makes the game look so much more realistic that you won’t even believe that you’re not playing a remake of TES IV.

In fact, this mod is another one that you’ll want to install if you’re after a more photorealistic version of Oblivion.

Combine it with the graphics mods that I’ve mentioned on this list, but especially with the fantastic ENB preset that I talked about.

13. CM Partners

Yay, cool companions in Oblivion!

If there was one thing that was missing from TES IV and that TES V got quite right, that has to be the companion system.

This mod allows you to have a proper companion system in Oblivion, which includes almost a hundred NPCs to choose from and to have as companions following you around the lands of Cyrodiil… or into the depths of Oblivion.

CM Partners also allows you to create your own companions too, and have them be with you whenever you like.

That probably makes it better than the Skyrim companion system as a whole. Which is saying something.

12. Keychain

I know how painful it is to have hundreds of keys in your inventory.

I feel your pain, my friend. However there’s a practical solution that will remove that annoyingly awful clutter and turn it into a manageable set of items that you can quickly scroll through.

This Keychain mod has a perfectly accurate name, as it gives you a virtual keychain item where all of your keys will be relocated to.

Open the keychain and select any key you need. Gone are the days of seeing those damn keys get mixed up with other useful items when scrolling through the “All” section.

11. Oblivion Reloaded

Looking for an all-in-one graphic mod that you won’t have to install in parts?

Oblivion Hd Textures

If so, you’ll want to check out the Oblivion Reloaded mod.

It was made by the same people that brought us Skyrim Reloaded as well as New Vegas Reloaded, so they’re pretty good at creating graphical enhancements for games.

If you don’t believe me just check out this one for yourself.

Oblivion Reloaded removes many of the graphical limitations that come embedded into the Oblivion core.

It basically sets free the post-processing aspect of Oblivion and adds a ton of new tweaks to nature, climate, and creatures. A must-have mod for the graphics enthusiast.

10. Kvatch Rebuilt

I think that one of the fantasies that many of us had when we played Oblivion for the first time was to rebuild the once-mighty city of Kvatch.

This mod doesn’t instantly rebuild it… but it does give you the chance to embark on a quest, and at its end, you’ll be able to fully rebuilt the city. And even become its new count (or countess)!

It truly turns the dead city of Kvatch into one of the best places you can visit in the game.

A lot of work surely went to this mod, as I remember this was just beginning to be created when I played in the late 2000s. And as of this writing the mod was last updated in 2019!

9. Immersive Weapons

Immersive Weapons is not your average weapons mod.

It has managed to take one of the best spots on my list because it adds dozens, if not hundreds, of new weapons into the game.

All of the weapons are fully integrated into all systems of Oblivion, which means the ones you’ll find are leveled accordingly.

This means that the mod adds many new weapons but they don’t break the game at all. They fit perfectly into the world of Cyrodiil!

The most important thing about this mod is that it adds variety, which is something that an old game like Oblivion is always missing.

8. Unique Landscapes Compilation

Are you looking to overhaul the natural environments of your game?

Well I think there’s no better way than installing the Unique Landscapes Mod.

It basically compiles many of the landscapes that have been created by modders through the years and it turns everything into a single mod that makes your game feel as alive as can be.

New waterfalls, fantastic new locations to explore, and many new small additions that turn the lands of Cyrodiil into a region that feels much more in-touch with nature as a whole.

7. Coronerras Maximum Compatiblity

This mod is the one to end all other skeleton mods in the game.

Before we proceed, let me just point out that that “skeleton” refers to the structure of characters in the game. It’s not about actual skeletons at all; but rather the models that define the physics of each character.

This mod won’t do anything by itself. But you’ll notice the difference if you happen to install mods that ad races that have wings, or stuff like that.

It basically makes all parts of the body capable of interacting with others and moving. A fantastic mod altogether with lots of custom options.

6. Rens Beauty Pack

I wasn’t really keen to add beauty mods to the list, although technically this one adds a whole new race.

So it deserves a mention in my opinion.

The race comes with variants and it also adds a bunch of new hairstyles for male characters and female characters too.

I mean, this one isn’t anything out of the ordinary. But the level of detail that was put into creating it sets it apart from other beauty mods.

A cool one to add if you want more customization options.

5. Oblivion Graphics Extender

In terms of graphical enhancements, this one takes the biggest slice of the cake.

There are many mods that make the game’s graphics more beautiful, but I truly believe this one to be the best of the bunch.

Combine this amazing mod with the Landscapes mod that I just told you about, and throw in the flora and grass overhauls, and you’ll be set to embark on one of the most unique adventures of your virtual life.

The shaders do require you to have a solid computer though. So make your your graphics card is up to par.

4. Alternative Start

It’s not fair that you always get to be a criminal in Oblivion.

I mean, even if you decide to live the purest of lives after the tutorial of the game, you’ll always have your reputation tainted for having been the one who broke out of the Imperial Prison when the game started.

This mod allows you to select how you start in Oblivion, as your character arrives by ship instead of breaking out of jail.

You can choose your race, your favorite attributes, and you can even select the type of person that you are (which defines how much money you start with).

It’s even your choice to select your wealth, which allows you to tweak the difficulty even further. A really fun mod with lods of replay value.

3. Better Cities

This is one of the most popular mods ever created for Oblivion.

Honestly, it’s pretty easy to understand why after taking one glance at what this has to offer.

Basically this mod adds dozens of new buildings and activities to every single city in the game, making them feel much more alive.

Oblivion Weapon Texture Mod Curseforge

Gone are the days of cities being boring as all hell and feeling dead as a rock.

A must-have mod regardless of how many times you’ve played the game, but especially if you’ve been playing it on and off since release.

2. Midas Magic Spells of Aurum

I’m adding this one to the list because it was the first mod that I ever tried out for Oblivion.

I remember it was extremely popular back in 2009, when it hadn’t even been updated to its latest version.

Boy, has it become better than I expected!

The mod adds almost 300 new spells to the game, all of which you can learn to turn yourself into one of the mightiest wizards to ever set foot on Cyrodiil. Mages rejoice!

1. Natural Environment

Natural Environments is the best natural mod for Oblivion.

It improves weather, nature, climate, and more by basically adding cyclical changes that feel extremely natural.

It’s a super complex mod that will make your game feel extremely realistic. A must-have in my opinion.

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Oblivion Weapon Texture Mod 1.12.2

Last month, we informed you about a Texture Pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion that overhauled all of its textures to 4K and 8K resolution. And today, we are presenting you another Texture Pack using AI techniques (ESRGAN to be more precise) that improves all textures by 4X times and weights around 16GB in size.

This Texture Pack was created by modder ‘kartoffels’ and includes normal maps for all textures (though it does not include any parallax maps). According to the modder, all of the architecture, armor, characters, clothes, clutter, creatures, dungeons, landscape, oblivion realm, plants, rocks, sky, trees, water, weapons and wood textures have been overhauled.

Now while the zipped files are around 16GB in size, the uncompressed folder is 21GB (so make sure to have enough space if you are interested in these new more detailed textures).

Those interested can download this new AI-enhanced Texture Pack from here. The modder has included a “2X” version of his pack, though we strongly suggest downloading the “4X” version that has been uploaded in numerous parts.

Oblivion Weapon Texture Mod Minecraft 1.14.4

In order to showcase the improved textures, kartoffels released some comparison screenshots that you can find below. Vanilla screenshots are on the left whereas the modded screenshots are on the right.

Have fun!

John Papadopoulos

John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities.Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved - and still does - the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the 'The Evolution of PC graphics cards.' Contact: Email

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