#the sound is amazing too and well isolated so I can crank it up a bit without waking dad from a nap

[fly-sky-high-bug-games]

Legit sitting and daydreaming about finding hidden walls and secrets in Silksong and hearing that sound again

[letterboxd]

Truffle Hunter.

As Pig snuffles its way up Letterboxd’s best of 2021 ranks, Mitchell Beaupre hunts down writer-director Michael Sarnoski for a chat about some of the finer creative points of his Nicolas Cage-starring meditation on cookery and grief.

In a time when audiences know too many specific plot details of films months before they’re even released, the idea of a surprise sensation feels like a fleeting memory. Yet that’s exactly how one could describe Pig, the debut feature from director Michael Sarnoski. With minimal pre-release buzz and no flashy festival premiere, Pig is a film whose status has been created through sheer quality alone.

This is a true word-of-mouth smash, hailed by critics as one of the best films of the year, as well as quickly earning itself a high placement on our Top 50 of 2021. Jacob Knight praises the film as “an existential rumination regarding how people find meaning in a mostly meaningless world”, while Muriel declares it “the most unexpectedly wholesome movie I’ve seen in forever”. Not bad for a first feature.

Written by Sarnoski, from a story he developed with co-producer Vanessa Block, Pig opens on Rob (Nicolas Cage), a loner isolated in the woods with his truffle pig. Rob makes his living selling truffles to the eager and ambitious Amir (Alex Wolff), but when two people break into Rob’s home and steal his animal companion, he must do whatever it takes to be reunited with his only friend.

A rough day deserves a decent vin rouge.

While that setup led many to give Sarnoski’s film the moniker “John Wick with a pig” when the trailer dropped, the story ends up charting a course away from genre thrills and towards something else entirely. Pig is an exploration of grief, loneliness and compassion, featuring one of the finest performances of Nicolas Cage’s illustrious career.

Raised in Milwaukee, Sarnoski and co-producer Block met in college before working together on the documentary short The Testimony, which focused on the largest rape tribunal in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That film made it onto the shortlist for the 2016 Oscars, putting the two of them on a path that would lead to their breakthrough opportunity with Pig.

Sarnoski spoke with us about the origins of Pig, the long-term impacts of loss in his own life, the joy of hand-cranked pasta and Bruce Springsteen.

Congratulations on the film! How has it felt seeing this outpouring of love coming for your first feature? Michael Sarnoski: It’s been amazing. Everyone who made this movie felt for themselves that it was special, and we all put a lot of care into it. We also knew that it was a risk, a strange film we figured would hit right for some people, but then plenty of others would think it was boring and weird. We’ve been very pleasantly surprised that it’s a small minority of people who feel that way.

What was the seed of the story that would eventually sprout to become Pig? I had this image in my head of an old man in the woods with his truffle pig. There was something sweet and tragic about that. Then I began asking questions about who this guy is and why he’s out there alone in the woods. What’s his backstory? It all evolved from there.

While the first act inhabits that “John Wick with a pig” space that people were perhaps expecting from the trailer, the story then takes a swerve and becomes a somber, thoughtful character study. Could you speak about navigating that unique arc with your storytelling? We never set out to try and subvert that John Wick sort of genre. We knew that we were playing with that lone-cowboy idea of a film and some of those tropes, but we never wanted to poke fun at that or switch people’s expectations in some sense by choosing Nic to star. We never wanted to “surprise” people by making a quiet Nic Cage movie. It was always just about these characters, what this story is, what we’re trying to explore. I think if we had tried to be subversive it would have come off as hokey.

Silence plays a key part in the film, as so much is being said in those spaces between the dialogue and action. How did you want to utilize the impact of saying more with silence? From early on, we always knew it was going to be a very silent film, and that followed all the way through the edit. Some of us wanted that opening to start out the way it’s done in the movie, where it’s totally silent and the music only comes in at the very end, while others were worried that people would get bored with it. The argument against that was that if they’re going to get bored with that, then they’re going to get bored with the rest of the movie. So, we might as well just lean into it, and let them know what it’s going to be.

From there we gauged how we wanted to approach the silence throughout. There’s some beautiful music in the film that Alexis Grapsas and Philip Klein did an incredible job with that allowed us to bring this beauty and splendor into the scenes. But there were also a lot of really quiet moments where we wanted the audience to be focused on the faces of the characters, and really be feeling the space and letting the sounds of the forest, or wherever we were, come across.

Nicolas Cage, his knife skills, and cinematographer Patrick Scola.

Along with the faces, you focus a lot on hands in the film. Whether it’s in scenes of violence or making food, there’s a real emphasis on what hands are capable of. Where did the inspiration for that come from? Nic was very into the idea of conveying artistry through your hands. He spent a lot of time with local chefs to try and get the vibe of how they moved and how they worked. He was always practicing knife skills in his room. I was constantly waiting for the AD to come up and tell me that we can’t use Nic today because he cut off a finger, but thankfully that never happened. Nic really sold that emphasis on the hands. Those shots could have felt empty if it wasn’t for him. I still am surprised watching some of the little hand choices he made.

I remember there was one shot where we didn’t get it on the day. So, we set it up with his stand-in, and just had him wearing his gloves. We all watched it, and it just wasn’t the same. Nic agreed, and so we reset the entire thing just to get that one shot with his hands in there instead. It was totally worth it. He’s an incredible actor, and it comes through every part of him.

Cage is an actor with an almost otherworldly mythos about him, which allows people to sometimes forget what a tremendous performer he’s always been. What was your experience in building a relationship with him, not just as an actor, but also as a human being? I only have positive things to say. That’s not just a gimmick. From the moment he read the script, he was interested, and he really responded to the character. He was committed to bringing the script to life, and was extremely respectful towards everyone on set. He had no reason to respect me. I’m a first-time director. He could have been a total diva. He could have been whatever he wanted to be, and we still would have paid him and been happy with his performance.

He was very kind, and maybe some of this came from the character, but he was also kind of somber and quiet in general on set. At the same time, he can also be very playful and sweet, even though he was trying to remain in the mood of the character. He set the tone, in a way, for the whole crew. A crew could easily look at a first time director and decide to just slack off and scrape by, because I wouldn’t have even known the difference. The fact that Nic treated me and the material with such respect really trickled down, and was so valuable to the film.

We shot the whole thing in twenty days, so if there had been any weak link with someone not doing their job or not being totally on top of it, we would have been screwed. I credit a lot of that to Nic, and him treating this with an incredible amount of professionalism. I think that’s where a big part of his long career comes from. He’s an incredible actor, but he also takes the art form seriously, treating it as both an artist and as this being his job, knowing that you have to do both in order to get what you need across.

Do you have a favorite Nicolas Cage performance? Other than Pig, of course. There are so many incredible ones. I really love Moonstruck. I saw that a couple of years ago, right before we officially cast him, when I was going through some of his ones that I hadn’t seen. Part of it I think is because I’m half-Italian, and I felt like it was showing me a side of my life that I never realized because my Italian family is on the east coast, and we moved out to Wisconsin when I was very young. I never got to be a part of that kind of thick Italian family, and seeing that on screen gave me a taste of what that would have been like. I loved him in that role. He was the perfect balance of sincere and sentimental, and also over the top when he needed to be.

Grub’s up.

Speaking of being Italian, Pig gets deep into the transformative power of food, and of the right meal. Has food always been an important part of your life? Definitely. I’ve never worked in restaurants. The closest thing was when I worked at a snack bar at a summer camp, which was very fun and also kind of a nightmare in its own way. I think most of the importance of food for me came from when my grandma lived with us. It was after my dad passed away, when I was a little kid, and she became this sort of old Italian cook in the house who was using food as this language of love and also as a sort of control. It had a lot wrapped up in it, this sense that we’re going to have family dinners to prove that everything is fine.

I think any Italian family is that way, but especially in that situation, having that presence come into the house when I was a kid, it made food quite charged for me. It was both a form of bonding and love, but also that control. That was very important to me. As I got older she taught me how to cook some things, and I became interested in that. I had a lot of friends who were great cooks and taught me how to do different things. I’m not an amazing cook, but I love cooking.

I love that act of making something that’s about to disappear. I think if you can be okay with that, and put a lot of time and care into that, it’s kind of a therapeutic thing to do. Accepting transience is a big part of cooking.

What’s your favorite dish to cook? I would say over the pandemic I really got into making lasagne. I had my grandma’s old hand-crank pasta maker, so I was enjoying making my own pasta and lasagne with that. I don’t know if I could pick one favorite dish, but that is definitely one that contributed quite a bit to putting on the Covid pounds.

Rob (Cage) and Amir (Alex Wolff) discuss their business relationship.

There’s a scene in the film where Rob and Amir go to a restaurant and Rob has a conversation with the chef there, who used to work for him, about the idea of losing our sense of identity when we give up on our dreams in order to fill this role that society expects of us. Is that something that you personally connected with? Yeah, people ask me a lot about what I think of the high-end cuisine world, and I have to say that I wasn’t trying to solely express that this world is garbage and phony. I was looking at it as another kind of art form. Any time you have an art form that combines someone’s personal passion with some sort of economy there are going to be conflicts to navigate. Whether you’re a painter, director, writer, whatever, those are going to be things you have to juggle. How true to yourself are you going to stay?

For myself, I’ve definitely found that when I try to focus on doing something that I care about, that’s kind of all I have control over and that’s what I should focus on. Pig was that for me. This isn’t the kind of script that you write where you’re expecting a big payday. It’s this weird movie that for some reason really means something to me.

The scene climaxes with Rob saying the line, “We don’t get a lot of things to really care about”. What about this movie exemplifies the things that you really care about in your life? It’s so many things, and even more things came from going through the process of actually making it and falling in love with Portland. It’s become even more than what it was initially intended to be. I mentioned earlier that my dad passed away when I was a kid, and the most personal aspect of the film for me was exploring that idea of what grief does to us long-term.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve been watching how my family members changed the way they interact with the world and built their perception of the world around some aspect of grief. It’s not those immediate effects of shock or sadness. It’s how those things ingrain into your worldview. I became much more conscious of how I was doing that in my own life. That was the deepest, most general thing that I was bringing to it, and that I was exploring personally through the film.

As far as specific things that I care about, I think I have all the classic things. I care about my family, and my friends. I care about the world, which is why this year has been so devastating. I don’t have one single pig. I think we all have a few different pigs in our lives.

Director Michael Sarnoski on the set of ‘Pig’.

Another scene that really stands out is the one in which Rob returns to his old home and sits with this young boy, having a conversation about a persimmon tree that used to be there. Talk to me about the significance of that moment for Rob. One of the things I love about that scene is that it seems so simple, kind of quiet and basic, but it’s getting into a lot of different things. I will say one thing about that scene. That was the first scene that we shot on the first day of filming. That kid was great, but filming with a child on your first day of your first feature was very much a moment of wondering what I had gotten myself into.

That scene does a few things. I won’t get into spoiler territory, but for starters he’s going back to his old house, so it’s his first attempt to really look at his past in the face, and to acknowledge that. I like that in that moment this is also one of the first times that we hear him speak romantically of food, because those things are very tethered to each other.

We get both the sense that there was a past, a personal path that he left behind, but intricately involved in that was how he interacted with food and his art. It’s the first time that we hear him acknowledge who he was in a way that’s okay. He tells the kid his name, and he’s acknowledging his identity that he’s been trying to hide from or ignore. Through doing that, it’s engaging with his passions and how that tethers everything together. I also thought it was cute explaining what persimmons were to a little kid.

I’ve got to ask you about the use of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ in a very meaningful moment. What made that the perfect song choice for that scene? Obviously, who’s singing it is very meaningful. I liked that song, though, because it’s different from the sappy direction we could have gone with that moment. There’s something very passionate about ‘I’m On Fire’, of course, and it’s a pretty sexual song. It’s really charged, but it also has this kind of ethereal quality to it that’s seductive in a non-sexual way. It washes over you, and it feels very mystical. This sounds so “film talk”-y, but I liked that meeting of that transcendent, abstract feeling with that immediate sense of passion and love and obsession.

Finally, what’s the film that made you want to become a filmmaker? Probably Sam Raimi, his first Spider-Man movie. That was the first time I realized what directors do. I had a very strong association with Spider-Man growing up as a comic-book fan, and I was seeing how someone was filtering their own understanding of this character. Raimi coming from his horror background and being into the nitty gritty filmmaking with practical effects and everything, I got this understanding of how a director touches a film and shapes it.

Related content

Steve’s list of pigs in film

Melissa’s list of films featuring food, chefs, bakers, restaurants, cooking, hospitality, hotels, wineries, grocers

Rachel West discovers Nicolas Cage is her most-watched actor of all time

Letterboxd’s Official Top 50 of 2021—Jack Moulton’s list

Follow Mitchell on Letterboxd

‘Pig’ is currently in US cinemas via NEON, and available to buy/rent on digital.

[zoequeenz]

Extreme Aggressor (Part 1)

A/N: Hi, so here is my Criminal Minds rewrite that I started a few years ago. I only have the first three episodes written and uploaded on my Wattpad and Quotev and I thought it would be interesting to try Tumblr out. Hopefully y’all enjoy!

MASTERLIST

Seattle, Washington

034321

Z4SALE: I’ll send you a picture of the car…

Z4SALE: New Paint. New tires. Not bad, huh?

HEATHER: Why so low on the price?

Z4SALE: Moving. Must sell ASAP. You up for a test drive?

Heather though nervous really needs that car. She quickly grabs her red umbrella and goes to the meetup spot. The red Datsun Z pulls up and honks twice to get her attention. She smiles impressed. The man gets out of the car to introduce himself. Due to the pouring rain the man has his hood over his head.

“Hey.”the seller says.

“Wow!” Heather says with clear amazement in her voice.

The man runs over to shake hands with Heather.

“Hey, I’m Heather.” She states.

“Nice to meet ya.” The man remarks.

Heather runs to the driver’s seat while the seller gets in the passenger’s spot. Once they are both in the car Heather takes off.

“It’s a 2.4 liter, 6-cylinder engine.” The seller notes in a flat tone.

“With Hitachi side-draft carbs.” Heather mentions while smiling.

“That’s right. Wanna take a look under the hood?” The man chuckles.

“Yeah!” Heather declares.

They pull over and get out to look under the hood.

“You know your Z’s. I’m impressed.” The man congratulated closing the hood of the car.

“You should have your mechanic check it out anyway.” He continues.

“Okay.” Heather says in a small voice.

“How ‘bout I leave you my number and we can set it up?” The driver tells Heather.

“Thank you.” Heather replies as he opens the door to the car so he can drive her back to her office.

As she gets in the driver removes the inside door lock and Heather is locked in the car. She points signalizing the way to go.

“So it’s just...right up here.” Heather pointing to the right.

The driver doesn’t stop.

“Oh! That was..”Heather chuckles.

“Hello! There was the right.” Heather attempts to explain.

But the man continues to drive down the street.

“Uh, maybe just...pull over here, and we can try a U-turn.” Heather says in a nervous voice  trying to make the man to drop her off at the meet up spot.

As the man continues to drive and ignore Heather she starts to get distressed.

“What are you doing?” Heather questions becoming more and more uncomfortable.

The man continues to drive and ignore Heather. Heather is starting to become even more scared.

“Okay. Stop the car. Pull over now!” Heather demands in a firm voice.

The man continues to drive. Heather looks out her window then looks down and notices that the inner door lock is gone and that it is lock. She turns to look at the man with fear in her eyes. The driver hits her in the face knocking her out and continues down the road.

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Aaron Hotchner’s POV

Washington, DC

“How ‘bout Andrew? It’s Greek for ‘valiant’.” Haley suggested.

Haley and I are trying to pick out a name for our new baby. We know it is a boy, the only problem is we can’t agree on a name.

“Let’s call him..Sergio.” I suggest with a smile on my face.

“Please tell me you’re kidding.” Haley chuckles.

“Butch?” I throw out.

“How about Donald?” She asks.

“Hans.” I say quickly.

“No! Wait, wait. Um...okay. Gideon.” She states.

“Not a chance.” I say walking over to her.

“It’s Hebrew. Look what it means. It’s perfect. Gideon Hotchner. Haley says trying to persuade me.

“No.” I say raising my eyebrows.

“Yes.” she repiles.

“No.” I tell her moving closer.

“Yes.” she declared.

“No.” I murmured kissing my wife.

“Gideon.” She ended.

My phone rings. Both Haley and I already knowing what that meant we kiss and hug just as I get a fax. When I get the paper it says missing person with the picture of Heather Woodland.

Derek Morgan’s POV

(At the bar with three women at a table.)

“It’s the 1940s. He put bombs in train stations and movie theaters.” I question the three women.

“Uh, the “Mad Bomber,” George Metesky.” The woman in the blue shirt said.

“Nice. The winners sit. Losers, drink.” I exclaimed in an impressed tone.

“Hold on. Metesky wasn’t a serial killer. None of his bombs ever killed anyone.” The woman in the red dress adds.

“Well, you think all we do is serial killers? Trust me, we cover the whole spectrum of psychos. We profiled the “DC Sniper,” the “Unbomber.” We do terrorists, arsonists-” I explain before I get cut off.

“Supervisory agents trying to get trainees drunk?” The woman in the red dress questions while nodding.

Then my cell rings. It’s from the BAU. The woman in the striped shirt looks over my shoulder at my phone.

“Wow. Behavioral Analysis Unit. You work with Gideon? Were you with him in Boston?” She woman asked me.

I look back and answer “ I was supposed to be.” I turn back around to answer “Yeah this is Morgan.”

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Jason Gideon’s POV

(A Projection of various of victims)

“Anyone recognize these faces?” I ask the class I am teaching.

“Victims of the “Footpath Killer.” I female student answers.

“That’s what Virginia newspapers are calling him. We refer to him as the UNknown SUBject or Unsub.” I tell the class. As agents we don’t like to give the Unsub a name it just doesn’t seem right.

The lights come back on in the classroom. I keep on explaining how we figured it out as pictures of the victims flashed on the screen behind me.

“I told Virginia PD we’re looking for a white male in his 20s… who owns an American-made truck in disrepair. Works a menial job. I told ‘em you find him… don’t be surprised to hear him speak with a severe stutter.”

“Not to sound skeptical, but come on… a stutter?” She questions.

“Where’d the murders occur? Hiking paths. Isolated. If I’m a killer who has to use an immediate application of overpowering force, even out in the middle of nowhere, I lack confidence. I can’t charm them into my car like Ted Bundy did. I can’t because I am ashamed of something.” I tell the class trying to get them to understand how I came to this conclusion.

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Persephone Chase’s POV

I’m sat at my desk filling out some paperwork when my best friend Spencer Reid comes up to my desk.

“Spencer I have told you this a thousand times, you can’t keep showing me physics magic Hotch already warned you once.” I tell him before looking up.

“Actually Persephone we have a case.”he tells me.

I look up and notice a two files in his hands. He hands one to me and I look it over. It talks about the disappearance of a woman named Heather Woodland.

“Hurry we have to go get Gideon.”he tells me as he waits for me to get up.

“No, you need to get Gideon you just don’t want to go alone.” I state.

“ I hate that you can read me like that.”he laughs.

As we walk down he gives me more information on the case. Once we get to the classroom Reid opens the door and taps the file with his hand to gets Gideon’s attention.

“Excuse me.”Gideon dismisses himself from the class and comes with us to be briefed.

“They’re calling him the “Seattle Strangler.” Spencer informs.

“Four victims in four months.” I add in.

“He keeps ‘em alive seven days.” Spencer continues.

“The handle serves as a crank.” I finish.

“Allowing him to control the rate of suffocation.” Gideon tells us.

“To prolong it?” Spencer asks.

“To enjoy it. Seattle’s hit a wall.” States Gideon.

“He gets pleasure out of suffocation?” I ask out loud.

“I would assume so Chase.” Gideon answers.

“Physical evidence is nonexistent. There are no tangible leads.”Spencer says just as we arrive at an office.

“And another girl missing.” Gideon says grabbing the photo from Spencer.

“I looked the case file over. I’ll get some thoughts to you ASAP.” Gideon tells us as he stand behind a desk.

“You’re gonna be with us in Seattle ASAP.” Hotch says entering the room with Morgan right behind him.

“Hey Little One. How have you been?” Derek asks me.

“I’ve been good, lots of paperwork it’s like I never leave the office.” I tell him while pulling him into a hug. He then turns around to show Gideon a picture of the victim Heather Woodland.

“22-year-old Heather Woodland.” He says handing Gideon the picture and taking a step back.

“Before she left for lunch, she downloaded an email with a time-delayed virus attached. The killer’s virus wiped her hard drive and left this on the screen.” Hotch informs us handing the message to Gideon.

They look at each other for a while before Gideon walks over to the wall and begins to read “For heaven’s sake, catch me before I kill more. I cannot control myself.” When he looks up we all look over at a picture on the wall. It says the same thing and under it, it reads “ William Heirens, Lipstick Killer, 1945.”

“He never keeps them for more than seven days, which means we have fewer than 36 hours to find her.” Hotch points out.

“They want you back out in the field. Are you ready?” I ask him remembering why he took a six month leave in the first place.

“Looks like medical leave’s over, boss.” Spencer adds.

“They sure they want me?” Gideon questions.

“The order came from the director.” Smirked Hotch.

“Well, we’d better get started.” Gideon says blankly.

As we drive to the airport I get in a car with Spencer and Gideon. It is silent for most of the ride which makes me uncomfortable because is seems too quiet. Spencer looks back at me and notices my discomfort.

“Hey Persephone, do you think it’s weird that we don’t have nicknames for each other.”Spencer asks me.

“Why would you ask me that?” I ask him.

“Well don’t best-friends give each other nicknames?” he asks me.

“If you want nicknames then we’ll have nicknames.” I declare smiling.

Spencer turns around smiling. He has told me of his high school days and they were bad. I wish I could’ve been there to be his friend but sadly I lived in Indiana. A small town but a good place to grow up because it was small and everyone knew each other.

We get to the airport runway in front of the jet and jump out to meet Hotch and Morgan. We walk towards the plane and get ready to go to Seattle.

“Joseph Conrad said, “The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.”

Hotch and a female agent exit the other car and head to the plane with us.

“This girl may only have 36 hours to live. We’re not asking for a judgement of Gideon. We want an assessment. We want to know you’re there to step in if he can’t perform. Are we clear?” she asks Hotch.

“Of course.” Hotch states.

He then joins us on the plane. Hotch comes to sit with me and Spencer. As we take off I look around. There weren’t many girls on the team which kinda sucked. No one to talk to about girl stuff. Our team has always been like this, well I have Garcia but she doesn’t come to the field with us she is a technical analyst for the team. After we’ve been up in the air for a few minutes Spencer begins to read the profile from beside me.

“His first victim was 26-year-old Melissa Kirsh. Stab wounds, strangulation.” Spencer told us.

“Wait,wait. Back up, back up. He stabbed her...and then strangled her to finish her off?””

“Why would he stab her then strangle her? The stabbing itself should’ve killed her if he left her there.” I state.

“Other way around. Why do you think he started using the belt with the second murder?” Gideon asks.

“Strangulation with your bare hands is not as easy as one would believe. He tried, probably found that it took too long…” Spencer tells us.

“So he stabbed her instead.” Derek finished for Spencer.

“And realized it would be hours cleaning up blood.” Hotch adds in.

“Next time, our boy’s got a method-- the belt.” Derek shares.

“He’s learning, perfecting his scenario. Becoming a better killer.” Gideon finishes.

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Heather Woodland’s POV (Victim)

Where am I? Why is it so dark in here. There is tape over my mouth and eyes so I can’t see or speak but I can tell I’m in a wire cage when I feel around. I’m able to move my hands because the man who took me didn’t tie me up. I touch the tape on my face. All of a sudden I hear a voice that makes me gasp.

“What did I tell you about the tape?” here  asks in a mincing voice.

He is getting closer to the cage I can hear his footsteps. He smacks the cage and I scream. I can’t see or speak in this state I am very vulnerable. He reaches down and unlocks the lock but leaves the chain where it is.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I sob.

He then removes the chain. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I sob again through the gag.

The door squeaks. “I’m sorry.” I sob waving my hands in front hopping it would provide me some protection from my kidnapper.

He grabs my wrist pulling me towards him with struggle due to the fact that I’m trying my best to stay in the back of the cage. He gets out nail clippers and begins to clip my nails. He continues to cut while I cry out.

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Persephone Chase’s POV

We have finally landed and are currently driving to the FBI headquarters here in Seattle. I’m sitting next to Spencer when he turns to me and asks me a question.

“Have you thought of a nickname yet?” Spencer asks me.

“I have not, I am having so much trouble with it.” I tell him.

“Take as long as you need.” he repiles.

“Why do you want nicknames?” I ask.

“Well….”Spencer starts out but we pull up to the building and he rushes out of the car.

Odd, Spencer is never this nervous around me. He is an awkward person but ever since we started working together he became more comfortable with me. He grabbed what he needed and started to walk. I quickly got out and grabbed the last of what was needed and followed the team in. We have to put our bags through metal detectors as Gideon picks his up Derek nudges Spencer and I.

“He never stands with his back to a window. When I was between him and a doorway, he asked me to move.” Derek told us.

“So.” I said not understanding what he was applying.

“That’s hyper vigilance. It’s not uncommon in post-traumatic stress disorder.” Spencer tells us while Hotch catches up with us.

“Just how much disorder are we talking about?” Derek asks.

“Morgan, it’s been six months. Everything’s okay.” Hotch tells us calming me down more.

To be completely honest I’ve been worried about how this new case would affect Gideon. He has a soft spot for the team I know it and most importantly me and Spencer, but more for Spencer. He is a very good guy and I don’t want what happened to him six months ago affect his work. I know he needs time but you’d think six months would be enough. We walk to the bull pin a.k.a the place where all the agent’s desk are. Hotch introduces us.

“This is Special Agent Gideon, Special Agent Morgan, our expert on obsessional crimes, Special Agent Chase, and Special Agent Reid.” Hotch tells the agents of Seattle.

“Doctor Reid.” Gideon clarifies for Hotch.

“Dr. Reid, our expert on, well, everything, and after two years of busting my butt in this office, I hope you remember me.” Hotch jokes making everyone in the office chuckle, believe it or not he does have a sense of humor.

Gideon looks at the boards they set up then says.

“He’s willing to travel with the body.”

“Then he drives a vehicle capable of concealing one.” Hotch adds.

“One in 7.4 drivers in Seattle owns an SUV.” Spencer tells us. “Explorer with tinted windows.” Derek adds.

“Windows that keep whatever is hidden in your car away from public view.” I say.

“Explorers rate higher with women.” Spencer recalls.

This entire time Gideon has been glued to the board with the pictures of the victims. He looks at each board with each victim.

“But how do we know it’s his car?” Derek asks.

“Ted Bundy drove a VW Bug.” answering his rhetorical question.

“What about a Jeep Cherokee?” Hotch questions.

“Jeeps are more masculine.” Spencer tells him.

“We all know how an Unsub feels about asserting his masculinity.” Gideon says turning to face us.

“When did the Bureau become involved in the case?” Hotch asks.

“ After the fourth body. He dumped that one out of state.” an agent tells us.

“On purpose.” Hotch tells Gideon.

“If so, knowledge of law enforcement does suggest a criminal record.” Spencer says.

“Not always, it could just mean he knows the cops are catching on and he is trying to get them off his trail.” I say.

“Or that he watches television. May I?” Derek as extending his hand out to take a file.

“So you wanna see our suspect list?” asks another agent.

“No, we won’t look at a suspect list until after we come up with a profile. It keeps our perspective unbiased.” Hotch tells him.

“When do we sit down your task force?” asks Gideon.

“Four o’clock.” the agent responds.

FOUR..four. How are we supposed to create a profile before four. I haven’t done much field work in a while in rusty.

“An accurate profile by four o’clock today?” Derek questions thinking the same thing as me.

“That’s not a problem.” Gideon says.

Gideon walks towards the board and we all follow. I’m a bit nervous I know that I can do it, it’s just that I am a bit rusty. Like I mentioned before I have been doing desk work for a while, the field is a stranger to me at the moment. I guess Spencer noticed my discomfort and took a hold of my hand. I looked up at him and smiled. He always knew how to make me smile.

“Agent Gideon, where would you like to start?” Hotch asks him as he walks up to the board with victim number two Anne Cushing and he points at a photo and says.

“Let’s start at the site of the last murder.”

NEXT CHAPTER 

[pickalilywrites]

Sorry, not sure if your requests are still open, but can we get the 104th hearing an old record player from Marley for the first time and maybe having a dance? Thank you!

the only dances i know how to do are the electric slide and the hoedown throwdown ^^” 

***note: requets are no longer open so please don’t send anymore. sorry for the inconvenience!

Dance Party

Squad Levi 2.0. Nikolo. Canonverse. 

1251 words. 

Buy me a ko-fi!

“This music is…peculiar, isn’t it?” Historia asks as she gathers around the phonograph with the rest of her friends. 

It’s a big clunky mechanism that is used to record music. Of course, it’s been around for a long time, but Paradis’ isolation prevented them from ever encountering such an invention and their issues on the island made it difficult for them to ever create such a leisurely device. Nikolo shouldn’t be surprised that they’re all currently gawking at it, although it’s strange to have people younger than him that don’t know such a widely used device when it has been around for decades. This is hardly even the latest model. This one requires one to turn the crank in order for the tin cylinder to turn so that music can be heard, but newer versions of the device use a flat recording surface rather than a cylindrical one. This is but a crude listening device to listen to crackling recordings of musical pieces – sometimes recordings of a person talking, but Nikolo feels as if the others are not ready to hear that yet – but it’s enough to amaze the young Eldian soldiers.

“It’s not all that strange,” Nikolo insists. How can he tell them that it’s just that this island is far behind the times and just now catching up? Everything they have – from their military, their technology, and even their music – is simply outdated. Ah, but it’s not their fault, he thinks guiltily. He tries to remember that he needs to be patient when introducing them to new things. “This music is very common on Marley.” “How does this thing work?” Armin murmurs as he watches the crank work on its own, narrowing his eyes as he observes the metal cylinder turn and the needle move across the miniscule grooves that were cut across the silver surface. “I bet Commander Hanji will be ecstatic when they finally see this.” “It does sound a little weird,” Sasha says, bobbing her head to the beat as she listens to the jazzy brass. “Very quick and bouncy, right?” “I like it,” Connie says, snapping his fingers. He stands up and does what Nikolo thinks is a dance, but his arms are held out at an awkward angle and his legs are too stiff and slow to keep up with the music. Could it be that these people haven’t danced before either? “No, it’s like this, remember?” Jean says. He stands up as well, but his stance is too rigid. He holds out his hand to invite one of the girls to join him and Mikasa agrees, but their dancing is out of place with the quick tempo of the swing music. The way they dance is a little too graceful…and are they doing a waltz? Nikolo hasn’t seen anyone do a waltz in years. He’s not even sure if he’s ever danced a waltz. It’s rare to see even his parents waltzing, and he thinks it’s something his grandparents’ generation is more familiar with. “That’s not…,” Nikolo begins to say, but Eren interrupts him. “That’s not it at all, Jean,” Eren says, cutting him off and taking Mikasa in his arms instead. “It’s like this!” He begins to sweep her across the floor, but this dance is even more grandiose and old-fashioned than the previous one. “I don’t think it’s this either,” Mikasa murmurs as they glide across the floor. “Wouldn’t you know, Historia?” Connie asks, looking over at the queen. “I mean, you have to go to those fancy balls sometimes right?” Historia wrinkles her nose, shaking her head. “All I know about dancing is what I was taught as a trainee.” “Yeah,” Sasha sighs as she watches Eren awkwardly dance with Mikasa. She bites back a smile when she sees her friend step on Mikasa’s foot. Turning back to the others, she says, “I wasn’t paying attention when he was teaching us how to dance either.” “Well, it’s nothing like what you guys are doing,” Nikolo tells them. Did he say that too pretentiously? He hopes not. He clears his throat. “I could show you guys…if you’d like.”“You know how to dance?” Eren asks, letting go of Mikasa. “You have some moves, Nikolo?” asks Connie. “Well…yeah,” Nikolo says a little defensively. Why do they sound as if they don’t believe him? Is that really too difficult to imagine? “Stop standing around and show us then!” Sasha says, gesturing for Nikolo to take the dance floor. “Er, alright,” Nikolo says. Although he knows how to dance, he’s not much of a dancer. Still, he’s sure that his skills will amaze the others because the dances in Marley are nothing like those that they’re still doing on Paradis. He takes his place in front of them on the dancefloor – really just a cleared-out space in the middle of the room. There a lot of dances he could show them The movement starts mostly in his legs as he shuffles across the floor. It feels a little awkward to be dancing by himself, but he supposes they all need to learn from someone even if it needs to be him. As the music goes on, he grows bolder with his dancing, swinging his legs in time with the music. In a bit, he has his arms swinging around as well, moving in big, sweeping gestures opposite his legs. A difficult dance, he knows, but one that will surely interest the others. He looks up to see their reactions only to see most of them staring at him open-mouthed, not quite sure what to make of what he’s showing them. He turns red, his movements slowing, and thinks he should perhaps stop and tell them all to forget about it, but Sasha comes up to join him. “So, it’s like this, right?” she asks him, her legs moving spastically beneath her. She tries her best to recreate the easy shuffling movement he had done when he had first begun, but she’s a little too reckless in her dancing and nearly kicks him in the shin. “Not quite,” Nikolo says, wincing as he thinks about how much it would have hurt if she had kicked him full force. “No, no, it’s like this,” Connie says. He’s more ambitious than Sasha, dancing with his entire body like Nikolo had done. His attempt at dancing is impressive, but it’s too wild and uncoordinated, his limbs moving every which way, and Nikolo has to bite back a laugh. “Isn’t it more like this?” Eren asks, dancing even more terribly than Connie. He’s horribly offbeat and Nikolo isn’t sure if Eren’s in control of his body anymore. The others join in, correcting one another and demonstrating how they believe the dance should be done. In the end, it is Armin and Historia that are able to recreate the dance that Nikolo had demonstrated for them, but nobody else seems to mind. Eren and Jean are in the middle of a dance battle to see who can shuffle their feet the fastest while still staying on the beat. (They’re both failing terribly.) Connie and Sasha are taking turns being flipped and dipped by Mikasa. Armin and Historia are doing their best to improve their dancing, pointing out mistakes and watching each other dance. And Nikolo…well, he should probably be teaching them how to dance properly, but he thinks it’s enough that they’re able to just enjoy the music right now so he simply smiles and joins them.

[bux-blurbs]

Dystopian fictions depict a negative view of "the way the world is supposedly going in order to provide urgent propaganda for a change in direction”. Susan Collin's Hunger Games, Veronica Roth's Divergent series and James Dashner's Maze Runner series are popular dystopian science-fictions which consist of a few similar concepts and they really are amazing novels to dig into. I much prefer to read books before watching the film adaptation so that I can imagine and creatively picture the characters and events. Dystopian worlds have existed in all sorts of forms - whether we look at Narnia under the White Witch or George Orwell's Animal Farm or Frank Herbert's Dune - but these science fiction dystopians are a new twist on the genre. A few glaring similarities between HG & Divergent: One guy character who is so incredibly perfect you wonder where they make these men. (Peeta, Four) Check. One main female character who emerges as a leader and grieves for the losses she has suffered as a result of War. (Katniss, Tris) Check. The main guy is subjected to some treatment which makes him think that his female love interest is his enemy. (Peeta is implanted with fake memories, Four is injected with simulation serum) Check. The people are divided into different sections and each section's population acts in a particular way or engages in a specific profession. (Districts, Factions) Check. We can find young protagonists who are pitted against each other in winner-take-all battles to the death which reflect to what adolescence have turned into. If you spend your early teens being told that your future depends on how well you do on your exams and on effectively simulating the appearance of a socially, politically, and artistically engaged super-being.... well, you have no problem identifying with youngish heroes who must emit a constant stream of miraculous exploits or be crushed. HUNGER GAMES The Capitol is the cruel Government of the twelve districts of Panem which holds a tournament every year called the Hunger Games. Each of the country's 12 districts must offer one girl and one boy between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death on live TV. Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12, volunteers to take her younger sister Primrose's spot in the tournament. From her district, she's joined by Peeta Mellark. In the second book, Catching Fire, the Capitol are furious at Katniss for starting a second rebellion, so they create a special version of the Hunger Games for all the previous victors, which means that she and Peeta must return. During these games, they create a team of victors, who manage to destroy the arena and escape to District Thirteen, which most people thought did not exist. However, the Capitol capture Peeta, and they destroy District Twelve. The last book, Mockingjay tells the story of Katniss leading the revolution. They rescue Peeta, but he has been tortured and now he hates and fears Katniss. A team of rebels including Peeta and Katniss then go on a mission to assassinate President Snow in the Capitol, but Katniss' sister Primrose is killed by a bomb. Katniss later discovers that the president of the rebels made this bomb, so she kills her own president in place of Snow. She then returns to her home, District Twelve, to try to recover with Peeta. At the end of the book we see them married with two children. DIVERGENT When I first read Divergent, I was so awed that it got me hooked straightaway and I finished it in less than 24 hours. The story revolves around a young girl name Beatrice, aged sixteen, who lives in a divided society where people are split into five factions according to their personal qualities. The factions are Dauntless (the brave), Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent), and each individual must choose a faction at the age of 16. 'Abnegation fulfills the need for selfless leaders in government; Candor provides trustworthy and sound leaders in law; Erudite supplies intelligent teachers and researchers; Amity gives understanding counselors and caretakers; and Dauntless provides protection from threats both within and without.' Her aptitude test result is Divergent which apparently means that she possess multiple personality traits. She eventually choose Dauntless during the Choosing Ceremony and strive to be a member of that faction, otherwise she'll turn out to be a factionless, in complete isolation and in abject poverty which sounds like a fate worse than death. Once, she entered into the Dauntless faction, she changed her name to Tris. Divergent reflects the contemporary division of our society and also all those who find it difficult to fit in, can also relate. I wonder what would have been my aptitude test and which faction I would ultimately choose and came to the conclusion that Candor and Amity suit me best. 'We Will Rock You' style: Clap, clap, stomp. Clap, clap, stomp. Clap, clap, stomp. Clap, clap, stomp. We are, we are DAUNTLESS We are, we are DAUNTLESS Beatrice, Now called Tris, Made a big change Playing on the trains, She became a Dauntless one day She's got mud on her face A parental disgrace Now she'll be kickin your ass all over the place Singin' We are, we are DIVERGENT We are, we are DIVERGENT Tobias is a Dauntless, Divergent Shoutin' to them all, We can take on the world today Erudite got blood on their face We'll put them in their place Into the past, out of our Fear Landscapes Singin' We are, we are INSURGENT We are, we are INSURGENT The simulation training is really fascinating. 'The simulation stimulate the amygdale which is responsible for processing fear, induce a hallucination based on fear, and then transmit the data to a computer to be processed and observed.'  'Learning how to think in the midst of fear is a lesson that everyone needs to learn.' 'It's basically a struggle between your thalamus, which is producing fear, and your frontal lobe, which makes decisions. But the simulation is all in your head, so even though you feel like someone is doing it to you, it's just you, doing it to yourself.'  The less number of fears you've got and the less time you take to confront your fear, the most successful you are. This also left me wondering about the numerous fears I'll face if ever I'd taken part in such simulation. The last book, Allegiant, revealed blatant truths about the world Tris was living in which boost up my excitement but that did not last longer. The fun and laughter is over. I remember finding myself staring blankly in disbelief as it was an ending I absolutely didn't see coming and to be honest, I find the main character's sacrifice comes off as utterly meaningless. As it turns out, the world has apparently been so full of assholes that the government decided to eliminate the genes in citizens that caused dishonestly, selfishness, cowardice, stupidity, and aggression. Unfortunately, this backfired and just created more assholes that were more asshole-y than before, that is genetic damaged people. Hence, the government constructs gigantic city-sized behavioural experiments all across the country and get volunteers who had their genes screwed with to have their memories wiped and stick them into a city and force them to choose a faction. Eventually these people will reproduce enough times until they finally manage to have "genetically pure" (a.k.a. Divergent) babies that are free from messed up genes. The story shifted from the old unresolved conflict between the factionless and the factions to a whole new conflict between the genetically pure and the genetically damaged people. Much time and energy are spent fighting for something that isn't really a problem for the most probable reason: they have been taught that it is a problem. MAZE RUNNER The story starts off with a boy named Thomas who find himself in a strange place called the Glade where there are other guys known as Gladers. Outside the glade is a maze which has to be solved for the Gladers to be out. There is one threat stopping them from figuring out the maze, one threat stopping them from going out at night and from going too far into the maze, horrific animals that go by the names of grievers which are giant bug-like creatures. Many of them lost their lives fighting grievers and finding their way back, but eventually the rest of them made it till the end only to discover that they are all suffering from the most horrible disease known to mankind called The Flare. In the second book, The Scorch Trials, some of the boys discover another group of girls who also underwent the same experiment. Solving the maze was supposed to be the end but instead of freedom the Gladers find themselves faced with another trial. Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, much of the earth is a wasteland. They met Cranks who are people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim... and meal. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. In the last book, The Death Cure, we learn more about the Flare. The Flare virus was engineered by the founder of World In Catastrophe Kill-zone Experiment Department (WICKED) in an attempt to control the human population because there was so many people dying, the founder says that the virus was supposed to wear off after a while but the virus got out of control and now only the immunes can stop it before the virus kills all of the human species. Nothing mentions on how the immunes were suddenly 'immune' to the virus, and the number of them is massive, it is like as if it is an experiment to see who is strong enough to withstand the heat, this basically indicates that if they can survive the Flare virus, they can survive the heat, but that got out of control so they are now killing and experimenting on the immunes. In the end, everyone goes through the Flat Trans, and on the other side is a paradise. Like a legit paradise with green everywhere and an ocean and everything. So, eventually the Gladers really made it and are free. But that's not really the end. We get another epilogue with a memorandum from Chancellor Paige. In her memorandum, she says that the paradise for Thomas and the 200 or so Immunes was WICKED's Plan B. Once their Plan A had been ruined, they decided the only way to save the human race was to get a bunch of immune people to start civilization all over again; to do this, she made Brenda and Jorge help Thomas make it to paradise. In the end, WICKED does end up saving the human race, despite the awful crimes they've committed against humanity.

[douxbebearchives]

Author Profile: IWrite4Olitz

Stories on FFN; tumblr: @iwrite4olitz​

Your name/nickname/alias: 

Lynn, iwrite4olitz

How long have you been writing? 

Is “forever” too vague? Since I could properly grip a pencil...

How long have you been writing Olitz?

Since July 10th, 2015.

What drew you to Olivia & Fitz? 

Their combustible chemistry. Is there any other reason?

Outside of Olitz, where do you get inspiration to write? 

Everywhere. Anywhere. But my favorite inspiration comes from music. If I get stuck, I read a book. ;)

How do you describe your style of writing? 

::hyperventilates:: I...don’t have one compact sentence to describe it. I suppose it’s because I choose words and sentence structure to suit whatever tone I’m trying to convey, while also considering the “voice” of the character whose point of view I’m writing. So, for example, if I’m writing something romantic, I use more flowing sentences, but choose words that I think the character whose head we’re in would actually use. If I’m trying to convey something tense or urgent, I’ll use more concise, clipped language and structure. If I need to drive an emotion home, or incite a reaction of some kind, I choose visceral language. Ugh, this sounds so clinical! But I promise it’s not. It just happens naturally. I’ve been called “poetic” and “evocative” by readers. I’ve also taken this super fun quiz:

https://iwl.me/

...the results of which told me I write like Stephen King, which contradicts the poetic thing. Haha. Love Stephen though. Do you guys follow him on twitter? Follow him. He’s one of my best friends in my head. And he’s woke.

Do you write (journal, pen/paper) or type first? Depends. If I have it clear in my mind how a scene should go, I type until my brain is empty. Then I edit until it’s as close to my mental picture as possible. If it’s not clear in my mind, my brain automatically goes on high alert, snatching inspiration from anywhere, at any time. That’s when I scribble things in notebooks or type notes into a document to piece together later. Dialogue, action, events, settings...

Do you have a special notebook or writing utensil? 

I have several notebooks, Evernote, and Baby (my touch screen computer). But I plan on replacing her with a Mac soon, because she’s prone to viruses and my tech medical bills have been piling up!

Do you incorporate visuals, music, and/or poetry to help you get into the writing mood? 

Yes! Music is the most powerful inspiration for me. I can get several scenes, or a chapter, or an idea for an entire story from one song. I love creating inspiration boards to visualize big scenes more vividly (and sharing them is fun). I don’t read much poetry, sadly. I have a book of famous love letters and poetry collecting dust on my bookshelf if anyone’s interested. It’s red, vintage-looking, really pretty...

Do you use mood boards/aesthetics/Pinterest? 

Yes! Here’s the one for Pas De Deux: https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorLynnTurner/pas-de-deux/

Favorite kind of music or podcasts to listen to before/while you write? 

I don’t listen to podcasts as part of my process. I find them too distracting. My taste in music is all over the place. I have the same affinity for jazz or soul that I have for pop or indie. That’s not very helpful, I suppose, but it just boils down to whatever moves or inspires me. Would you believe that Pia Mia’s “Do It Again” inspired the one-shot that became No Regrets? She was a 19 year old youtube sensation at the time, and it was her summer smash hit (possibly her only hit) about a one night stand. Hey, I’m not proud. “Locked Away” featuring Maroon 5 inspired the gala scene at the end of that story. “Garden” by Emeli Sande played as I wrote the garden love scene in Pas De Deux, and “Dreamland” by Emilia Ali was playing when I wrote the scene that opens PDD Chapter 10. :-)

Where do you like to write (Home, coffee shop, etc.)? 

I prefer to write in isolation. I love cafes, but I tend to spend my time there doing research, or outlining, or creating inspiration boards. At home, I tend to write very early in the morning or late at night when everyone’s asleep...or during “me time” when certain tiny humans aren’t around to tug at my proverbial coat tails. If I have my headphones, I can pretty much write anywhere.

How long does it take you to write a chapter? 

Oh gosh...Okay, in a vacuum, with a chapter fully formed in my mind, tons of coffee and wine coolers, I can crank one out in a single day. Outside of that vacuum, it could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. There are so many variables: mood, inspiration, time. I’m trying to be better at forming good writing habits. John Grisham says if you aren’t writing at least a page per day, you’re not writing a book. Stephen King writes 600 words a day. Stephen King is not human.

A favorite line or paragraph you’ve written. 

This changes all the time, and I have different ones for each work, haha. By the time anyone reads this, it likely will have changed again. (There are some things I’ve written for the next Pas De Deux update that might upstage this, I dunno)...but I think this paragraph from Olivia’s point of view in Chapter 9 is my current favorite, It shows their dynamic so well, I think, and is quintessentially the Olitz I recognize no matter the writer, or whether the story is AU or canon:

She shivered, unnerved to be in his head, to see for herself the irrefutable evidence that he knew her. He knew her and she hadn’t told him a single thing.

Describe yourself in 5 words/phrases: 

You could give me 24 hours and the fate of the universe on my shoulders and I still couldn’t do this, hahaha. In a perfect world, my self is constantly evolving, so how about, in keeping with the theme of fifths, I choose something in iambic pentameter?

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” -Dr. Suess

Favorite TV shows/movies: 

This question is a rabbit hole. You’d need a “read more” button, and once clicked, readers would be subjected to pages and pages...so I’ll just list the ones I’d grab in case of a fire, or the apocalypse.

TV: Gilmore Girls, House, Girlfriends, A Different World, Living Single, the travelogue adventures of Samantha Brown and Anthony Bourdain, Sense8, Queen Sugar, Greenleaf, Underground, House Hunters, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black

Movies I can watch repeatedly and not get bored: Pride and Prejudice, The Devil Wears Prada, Focus, Pretty Woman, Love Jones, Ever After, The Wedding Date, Trainwreck

Movies with romantic elements: The Proposal, Trainwreck, Maid in Manhattan, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Something New, Serendipity, While You Were Sleeping, Maid in Manhattan, The Proposal, Miss Congeniality, The Cutting Edge, A Walk in the Clouds, Return to Me, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Under the Tuscan Sun, Love Story, Beyond the Lights, Circle of Friends, Belle, Closer, Stompin at the Savoy, Memoirs of a Geisha, Dangerous Beauty, Cinderella (the one where Whitney Houston plays the fairy godmother), Coming to America, Juno, You Me & Dupri, Parent Trap, Overboard, Braveheart, The Preacher’s Wife, Palm Trees in the Snow

Favorite vacation spot: 

Hawaii

Favorite books: 

You’d think that, since my movie list is a rabbit hole, my book list would be a labyrinth, but even with all of the books I’ve read, I’m selective about what makes my favorites list:

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid, Literally every book by Penny Reid, Hadassah: One Night With the King by Tommy Teney, The Twentieth Wife & The Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan, The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer, Wildseed & Lilith’s Brood by Octavia Butler, The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer (YES, okay? It’s not literary genius but it’s very entertaining, if you skip book two), Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, Master of the Game by Sidney, Sheldon, Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh

*With the advent of fanfiction, I’m much pickier about published books, which I’m sure you all understand. ;)

Favorite authors:  

I have a to-read list half a mile long, so I’m sure this will change, but these are authors whom I find consistently write entertaining stories, even if they don’t make my favorites list:

Penny Reid, Alyssa Cole, Alisha Rai, Nalini Singh, Philippa Gregory, Farrah Rochon, Stephen King, John Grisham, Octavia Butler

What do you like better? AU or Canon?

I enjoy both, so long as they’re written well. Writing-wise, I’m more comfortable writing AU. With canon, I’m constantly aware that these aren’t my characters, so I’m sort of hyper aware of the constraints. And I have control issues. Lol.

Favorite trope/scenario to read? 

Enemies to lovers, love at first sight

Favorite Olitz TV moment/conversation? 

Seriously??? Only one? How about top three? Top five? Okay, fine, since you’re twisting my arm, I’ll give you my top ten in no particular order. (You drive a hard bargain):

1. VERMONT

2. “You almost died.” “Yes.” “Don’t do it again.” (she went in there to get him to comply, but then she actually LISTENS to him, like, really listens...and he changes her mind. They show a united front in this scene that was gorgeous to watch)

3. “I hate you.” “I know.” ...which morphed into…”You are everything and I am nothing.” ::ugly, mucous-dripping crying::

4. “Sit with me and watch me earn you.” (and obviously the AMAZING sex that came after)

5. Can the entire episode of The Trail be one?

a.  “I got a guy.” “You got a guy? Another guy? Hell’s angel? Mobster? A kind hearted felon who owes you a favor?” “Technically, he’s on probation.”

b. Camp David. Allll the Camp David. They were so in love, cute and care-free.

c. Love scene from The Trail (It’s their best, IMO. Organic. Combustible. Raw.)

d.  One minute on the couch

6. Pre-State Dinner shenanigans, Post-State Dinner Navy t shirt

7. Literally every Olitz phone call

8. 503 Oval Office Kiss ::swoon::

9. Truman Balcony kiss, because he was so vulnerable

10. Fitz saying “I still want you” in the AU episode, because it was so real, and I *believe they’re destined to be together in every universe.

*Honorable mentions: Rose Garden, Deskgate, Constitution (These were gripping, but I have personal, nitpicking reasons why they’re not in my top ten), allll the Season 6 bedtime snuggles, and every hug.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Ava DuVernay is my other BFF in my head.

Someday, when I’m confident enough in my knowledge of the era I choose (which will take years and years of research and development), I will write a historical fiction with a WOC heroine...possibly with elements of science fiction.

[violetsystems]

#personal

I don’t think I’ve fully recovered from this past week.  My mood has been far more positive.  The last two weeks particularly have been the proverbial wind beneath my wings.  Though I don’t really say much about the origins of that feeling.  Nobody ever really asks.  They just expect me to maintain for some mysterious reason.  Most of my maintaining has been opening up options for myself that weren’t there before.  I went to a Google conference this week by myself.  I only stayed for the keynote then headed back to work like nothing happened.  I didn’t feel too out of place in the atmosphere but it was very corporate.  People keep telling me I’d never want to work in corporate.  Mostly in a group.  Never directly.  I’ve often said in my place of employment that it is not about the money.  My dad has an interesting theory that you should be comfortable with a job and a base salary.  From there it’s mostly about how effectively you live your life and what you want to do.  I got a pair of the Undercover Daybreaks for way less than I would have paid for a Yeezy.  They’re made very well in China.  Family on my Dad’s side lives in Hong Kong. The software I administer has a huge corporate headquarters there.  I was once interviewed on camera by them about technology in the arts at another conference.  It’s obviously nuanced about how I feel about the whole situation.  I’m overloaded with politics in America as it is.  And then there’s the whole subject of Imperialism and Capitalism and all the other isms out there in this world that give me a stomach ache.  In the midst of all these isms my job set up a bunch of patio seating in front of the building.  I thought it was brilliant.  Talked a bit with some of the people on the project about zoning.  Saw some people enjoying the view.  It was a good look to me regardless of how many negative opinions there were about it on Instagram.  The google conference had stickers for pronouns for your badge.  That was a good look too.  It’s still Google right?  Some people don’t even have a job to ditch for a day to drink the kool-aid.  I had been talking to one of my employees the next day about it.  We got on the subject of houses.  A lot of our coworkers were in the process of closing on homes.  I had said it’s hard to invest in something when you don’t know where you’ll be six months out of the year.  Let alone on one not for profit salary.  She told me not to drink the kool-aid.  Buying a home wasn’t exactly a great investment.  It was a lifestyle.  Location, location, location as they say.  Buying a home seems really stressful.  Kool-aid is pretty sugary.  The dentist told me I had no cavities and was on the right track.  That was after Toto’s Africa finished on the radio.  It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you.

I’ve had the luxury of writing these for over a year to remember how my teeth felt last summer.  I can remember the stress quite well and subsequently how my shit was not quite together.  A year later I can see the successes too.  My trip to New York is bought and paid for.  I paid for it.  People always ask if I’m going for work.  I never really say much.  I told the dentists I was visiting friends.  I just go.  It’s budgeted in such a way where every two months it’s the easiest answer to my frustrations.  I think about making more money.  I think about my cost of living often.  Imagine flying to New York for two days with no schedule, responsibilities or plans other than a place to stay.  You explore.  You find your own relationships to things and how you feel.  You take that back to your own city and think differently as a result.  New things open up to you but it’s still the same old you.  I know what you are thinking.  This must have been some dental visit.  But then again it was free because I have insurance.  Which is another luxury in America in regards to the for profit healthcare industry.  The progressive values people push for in the corporate sector are a way of life where I work.  I’ve grown from how I manage and interact with power.  It hasn’t been easy at all.  I wear Undercover to work and I’m not a cop.  I’m starting to think the police have figured that out finally too.  Though the streets are always on some fuck shit.  You don’t want to even know half the weird shit I’ve been dragged into in New York.  It doesn’t really phase me as long as people respect what I go through.  And in some ways branching out into a new industry just for a fractional sum of money seems counter intuitive to me right now.  More money, more problems as they say.  Money management is the move.  If I were to live in New York one day, it’s conceivably worth it to consider a different job.  If I were to live in Hong Kong I could crash on my cousin’s couch.  I’ve flown to Shanghai by myself.  Stepped out of the airport to eat McDonald’s.  I can pretty much eat anything I want.  I’ve run enough miles to prove it.  I might run some more.  Is anything ever going to change with me?  I finally have a week off from mowing my mom’s lawn.  That’s a good look too.  I take the bus either way.  Public transportation is about as real as it gets.  I drink that Kool-aid with a monthly pass from a transit benefit.  I don’t own a car.  I own a skateboard.  And nobody tells me what to do.  Sounds dangerous but my teeth are fine.

Some people at work left recently.  One on Friday.  Monday will be another crank in the vice.  I don’t really hate my job at all.  I get to do a lot of cool stuff with technology.  Our fashion program is amazing these days.  Years ago I was on the cusp of moving to Oakland.  I applied for another University out there and got a second interview.  The salaries were equal.  The cost of living and the art coming out of the school was not.  I decided to stay.  I talk matter of fact that I visited South Korea fourteen times by myself.  I did this twice a year for three weeks at a time on paid leave.  Dropped off the face of the earth by myself and got lost.  I did that with the help and support of my job.  Sometimes that can be a bit of a curse.  I don’t even leave the country these days.  New York is fine for me.  I stay near the World Trade center.  I stare out at the memorials and drink Blue Bottle coffee.  It’s not as dramatic as it is.  But then again it’s me we are talking about.  People can’t ever figure out what I’m about because nobody ever talks to me or asks.  At least where I work there’s a legacy and a context.  My exposure to Korea was through art, film and students.  These days there’s just as many mainland Chinese students attending classes.  It’s like a little hub.  A home base where I feel there’s a certain understanding and appreciation for progressive values.  People presumably talk about me behind my back elsewhere.  About how I fell off or was some kind of one hit wonder.  I’d rather they talk about how DJ’ing isn’t really a job.  I’ve had a job and a career for almost two decades.  My resume is like a morning star.  Maybe even a battle axe.  But I’m stronger than any weapon.  And these days I feel like I need to stand my ground more than usual.  It’s a rough and reactionary time.  A time where people only respond to negative news and scandals.  Good people get ignored.  Picked over and isolated.  And then good people grow into better people.  Connect with better people.  Share things like power, art, emotions and love.  And then some people just make more money.  Spend more money unhappily so.  I’ve been telling myself I’m worth way more than that.  For about a year I’ve had something mysterious in my life that’s worth more than that to me.  What made it possible is the mystery I have to solve for myself.  I’m not going to change up the formula or go for the plot twist.  But I am going to keep planning ahead and paying it forward.  Just like I’ll be back at work next week.  And thinking of you a large portion of it. <3 Tim

[blackbird-brewster]

I had two profound experiences today, extremely unrelated in context but both thought provoking after the fact. The first experience had to do with me getting my first library card in 18 years and how I was very anxious to go into the library for any reason other than to print something.  I will detail this experience in a different post but long story short, all of the embarrassment and shame I felt because of my learning disability melted away and I ended up spending nearly two hours just browsing books. I left feeling to included and happy, I actually cried tears of joy.  Fast forward to the second notable experience of my day. Tonight I went on a date with my flat mate to “Naked Girls Reading: The Feminist Propaganda Edition”. Naked Girls Reading is apparently a sort of “brand”, started in the US as a protest against the ways women’s bodies are usually sexualized when naked. The theory is exactly what it sounds like, performers are completely nude and read aloud to the audience.  I had never heard of this amazing concept, so I jumped at the invitation. ESPECIALLY since tonight’s theme was feminism. I figured naked women reading feminist works sounded AUHMAZING.  [Rest behind a cut for length and transphobia]

The event was hosted by a popular personality in the New Zealand LGBTQPIA scene. They are a self labeled transvestite that MC’s events as their drag king persona, Hugo Grrrl. I assumed, if it was hosted by a gender diverse person it was going to be fairly inclusive.  Welp, you know what they say about assuming. 

Things started promising as Hugo opened their monologue with my favorite greeting “Guys, gals and nonbinary pals”. Hugo then went on to talk about some of the topics of the night including body positivity, body hair, porn, sex work, sex positivity, etc. It sounded really exciting and inter-sectional, I was pumped.

Within the ten minute monologue there was also the disclaimer that “Although this is called “Naked Girls Reading”, gender is a spectrum and the binary is bullshit.” (woo, yeah!!) ”...We only call it that because it was started in America and we didn’t come up with the name.” (Wait, what?)

Ok... but you could literally just call it “Naked People Reading” or “Naked Folx Reading” or ANYTHING else if you want to TRULY be inclusionary. I wasn’t even concerned about the title UNTIL Hugo made the point to say gender binary is bullshit... but then to say “meh, we didn’t come up with the title we’re just being complacent in it” Was sort of shitty.  If you are trying to include people, then INCLUDE them. Don’t say “Hey I’m not transphobic, BUT....” There was no point of this disclaimer other than to point out you recognized a problem but would rather go along with it than change one word of the title of the show.  Things only went down hill from there. A few minutes later as Hugo was wrapping up the monologue they wanted to get the crowd pumped before introducing the performers for the evening. To do this, Hugo had “all the women cheer!” (which they did) then followed by “now all the men!” (which they did). It turned out it was just a set up to make the men a punchline of a very stereotypical “feminist hate men” joke. These jokes are always obnoxious and yes, I recognize Hugo was trying to connect to the large feminist audience so we could all laugh at how society views us...but again, we were back at only acknowledging the gender binary. 

Now I realize many people right now will think I’m being extremely cynical. “Kit, you can’t say someone is being trans exclusionary if they are a queer that self identifies as a transvestite!” But I can because they were.  If you are going to mention nonbinary people. If you are going to make a point of talking about how the binary is bullshit. If you want to have a disclaimer that gender is a spectrum. It’s ALL or nothing.  Inclusion isn’t “I acknowledged you, you should be happy” it’s “I acknowledged you AND included you with everyone else as if we’re all the same.

The monologue is over, I am properly uncomfortable and agitated, the performers come out. From the promises of topics, I expected diversity. Again, that nasty assuming sure got the better of me.

Instead I get two skinny women and one average sized woman. They all appear to be white (although one was painted head to toe in blue and pink body paint as a My Little Pony...and later I learned she isn’t actually white.) They’re naked. So I can tell body hair isn’t really happening. A bit of bush but perfectly smooth everywhere else. All have shoulder length or longer hair and present very feminine.  Idk, again, maybe I was just so cynical by this point that I let my critic get away with me. I just wonder how hard it would be to find a more diverse cast? Am I just too deep in tumblr culture to expect to see different size bodies at a feminist reading? Or people with actual body hair, especially since there was a point of mentioning it in the monologue? Tattoos? Scars? Short hair? Disabilities? More racial diversity? (Again, the one woc was painted blue. And I feel shitty for thinking she was white but they could have included dark skinned people too.)  Introductions are done. The de-robing has happened. We now have three naked women sitting on a couch. Let’s read “feminist propaganda”! Some pretty typical stuff, Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, big names of the feminist movement. There was a reading of an MRA’s post from some MRA website. (Why are we giving MRA’s an audience at a FEMINIST reading?!) Intermission.  During intermission, I got up the courage to go speak to Hugo and mention why I was peeved at the start of the show with the women/men division of the audience. They shrugged and said “well it was a set up to a punch line” I smiled and replied, “I realize that but don’t you think trans folks are the punch line enough?” They tried to back track but it got awkward and I walked away. Hugo does some “feminist” trivia during the break. Throwing prize bags of tampons and chocolate to whoever shouts the correct answer. 

One question asks what does “SWERF” stand for. A woman yells the answer and Hugo repeats it back to the audience and says “Sex work exclusionary feminism isn’t feminism. Sex work is real work!” It would have been so easy to also educate about TERFs. They don’t. The irony is not lost on me. 

More trivia. I win one. I’m told, “Here enjoy these tampons!” I catch it and yell back, “Not all women have vaginas” I turn to the women at our table and say, “Hello, I don’t need tampons and I hate chocolate. Enjoy” They gladly accept. Back to the readings... A dramatic reading of Spice Girl lyrics. Some very heteronormative erotica. A reading of a radfem manifesto of the 70s (that included very acephobic commentary) And then, the woman painted as a MLP says she’s going to read Ivan E Coyote.  Now, for those of you who haven’t been blessed with reading their works or seeing Ivan perform (I just saw them again last week!), they are a trans writer from Canada. Very well known in LGBTQPIA circles. AMAZINGLY pure and moving stories and poems and “literary Doritos”. They are an amazing human being and have quickly become one of my favorite queer authors.  SO I AM STOKED!! This night has been so cishet heavy and I’m crank, I am READY to end it with Ivan. Ivan has written four of five books, has mountains of published poetry and she chooses to read a piece that is so personal to me. She prefaces this with a quick word about Ivan being an LGBTQ author. But fails to mention they’re a trans masculine person who identifies as a Tom Boy.  The piece starts out as a love letter to femmes who are often erased from Queer culture because they are “assumed” to be straight. But then turns to Ivan’s journey through figuring out they were trans and how they became jealous of femmes sometimes and how they will never be seen as who they are. How they will always be coming out of the closet over and over and over. Because their identity isn’t “visibly recognized” because it’s outside the binary.  I sob every time I hear this poem because it is so personal to me. The first time I heard it was when Ivan performed in Chch last August. I was in the midst of struggling with how the world saw me and this poem touched a part of me I thought no one would <i>ever</i> understand.  I sobbed again tonight. My flat mate patted my hand. She sobbed too for the same reasons. The journey to figuring out your identity can be so isolating, terrifying and lonely. But when you hear your story being told by someone who is on a stage, with an audience, talking as if your journey was the most normal and natural experience....it’s an emotional time.  After she finished, the performer stated “As a cis woman, I obviously do not identity with the narrator. I do however think this poem speaks to me as a femme. Because we are often overlooked.” (This gets cheers from the audience) I feel sick inside. This cis woman just spoke the very personal words of a trans person bearing their soul and claimed it as a poem for her.  No. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to bend it to your whim. If you want to include poetry or stories about the trans experience, YOU FUCKING INCLUDE TRANS PERFORMERS.  Thank god the night was over.  My flat mate and I are sitting at our table deciding how to make our own event called “Naked Queers Reading” and how much better it would be. We’re minding our own business when out of the corner of my eye I see a crowd around the stage area.  Of course. There’s a man who has taken off his shirt to pose with the naked women so he can get his buddy to take his picture. Of fucking course there is. That’s when we left.  I don’t know if I am just lucky to live in such a comfortable Queer circle of friends that I’ve become blind to the world of heternormative, patriarchal bullshit or if I am truly too fucking cynical to go out in public...but fuck was I disappointed with tonight.  Anyway, if you made it through this entire post, thank you. I promise I’ll post a really lovely story about the library tomorrow. Right now I want to watch Ivan E Coyote performances on YouTube and drink my tea from my Unicorn Elixer mug. 

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Axis:Sova

Photo by Grant Engstrom

Axis: Sova has grown from a one-person operation to full-fledged heavy psych juggernaut with last year’s Motor Earth. In 2015, Ben Donnelly observed that, with Early Surf, “Axis: Sova make heavy psych that bears the traces of bedroom multi-tracking, epic and casual at the same time. Some more fidelity wouldn't hurt their fuzz forms, but the chunks of treble and simple beatbox steps give it an appealing down-to-earth quality.”  Founder Brett Sova contributes a list this week.   

ZZ TOP — “Under Pressure,” “Gimmie All Your Lovin’" and “Sharp Dressed Man” Live On The Tube 1983   

When it comes to the Little Ol’ Band from Texas, the first few records are undeniably hot and where it’s at. But Eliminator is mostly Billy Gibbons working with a drum machine if legend has it right, and top to bottom it delivers with extremely high impact. It’s a big commercial sound, for sure, but that type of ambition following a successful formula is a credit to Gibbons’ vision and willingness to morph and change creatively. BFG’s guitar tone here in particular is one I was after a little bit on Motor Earth — distorted amp saturation that feeds back whenever you’re not playing, bleeding. Something I always listen for with ZZ is the number of guitar tracks on each song — while they’re an exemplary power trio live, Billy tends to at least double track his guitar on a lot of recordings, and sometimes he’ll have two rhythm tracks panned to either side along with another track for the solo (check Tres Hombres, for example). Always pretty tasteful and subtle. (Axis: bandmate) Tim Kaiser and I set out to make our version of a boogie rock record with Motor Earth, and along with Beefheart’s Clear Spot, some Crazy Horse, and some requisite Stonesian scuzz, ZZ provide much blueprint for something of that nature for me, personally. All that aside, this footage of the band doing “Under Pressure” on 1980s British TV show The Tube is simply badass and I'd question the health of anyone who doesn't enjoy it.   

Les Rallizes Denudes  "Night of the Assassins" 3rd Sunset Festival Live 1976  

Been on a mild Japanese psych kick, and this is the original artifact: Les Rallizes Denudes playing one of their iconic songs live (of course) at a festival at dusk against a glorious, mountainous backdrop. Their noise comes atop something simple and repetitive to latch onto, which allows their feeding lead guitar squalor to fully envelop and carry me around as if strapped to a horse on a patient gallop. It's yearning for something, like anything FSA, if FSA was ever accompanied by Link Wray-ish, rhythmic progressions. Melody and groove on the foundation, a screech of feedback over the top: "I Will Follow Him," but decapitated. 

Electric Eels — “Splittery Splat”  

One of the interesting things about growing up in Ohio and then leaving at the age of 18, when your brain is still mushy, is slowly realizing, especially once outside of it, just how much great, fucked up music has come from the state. There are the obvious and hugely successful ones, like, say, Devo, and there are some like Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, a band I saw numerous times in high school and sorta just took for granted as simply being ‘the guy from Used Kids Records’ band.’ I just saw TJSA in September at Cropped Out Festival (a.k.a. the most important festival on the planet), in Louisville, KY, for the first time in 15+ years and they were phenomenal — they represent to me a lineage of Ohio punk/weirdo music that is entirely genius yet also entirely too out for a broader audience (major label support or no), much like V3 or Tommy Jay, or Electric Eels. This Electric Eels song was on a Scat Records cassette compilation that my friend discovered when we were teenagers in the late 1990s. Apparently I borrowed it and never gave it back, because I recently rediscovered it when going through a box of tapes not too long ago. It’s a perfectly fucked punk song, from composition to delivery to recording and mix. Seems like they’ve gotten a lot of reissue treatment, but I’ll always remember this song from the Scat tape.  

Fumio Miyashta (Far East Family Band) Live On Boffomundo 

Embedding is disabled but you can go here and watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHNLtEMl2dg

Killer live performance of mellow headtrips via one of Japan’s psych-rock purveyors in the proggiest sense, Fumio Miyashta (of Far East Family Band). These dudes he’s playing with really lock into it, with tasty, mellow guitar leads and a pulsing bass mingling with the space-synth sounds Miyashta is laying out there. A relaxing and deep listen, but also buoyant and light, at times reminiscent of Blackouts by Ashra, which came out three years prior to this performance on The Boffomundo show, an early cable TV show dedicated to progressive music.  

The Stooges — “My Girl Hates My Heroin” from My Girl Hates My Heroin 

Unmatched depravity — like The Stones recording at Nellcote to get that dusty, humid summer basement vibe for Exile, this jam/gem from a rehearsal around the Raw Power era comes from a neighborly basement with similarly thick air. I make no bones about worshiping at the house of Ron Asheton (Fun House forever), and therefore must point out his nimble and fluid bass playing on My Girl Hates My Heroin, pushing this grimy riff forward, but Williamson really had a gnarled, unhinged nastiness to his playing that’s immediately enjoyable, as well. Iggy sounds like hell, like he should. Bought this on CD at a record store in Paris when I was in high school, and listening to it made me feel like a tough dude for the rest of that year.

Alice Coltrane — Huntington Ashram Monastery  

Lacking depravity — empowering! Impossible to do a list without including Alice Coltrane. Journey to Satchidinanda is one of the few records I’ve ever bought new that I’ve truly worn out from excessive plays. Huntington Ashram Monastery might be more consistently played currently. It’s a power trio album, the Rashied Ali and Ron Carter rhythm section out to quake. Relatedly, last time I was in San Francisco I visited the Saint John Coltrane Church, where we listened to and meditated on A Love Supreme in its entirety. As a congregation — which didn’t consist of more than a handful of people — we collectively chanted/sang along when it was time, and otherwise actively listened free of distraction. The experience felt like an open window into the spirituality so prevalent in his and Alice’s music.

Royal Trux — Untitled (3rd album) 

“Your beautiful skin, your beautiful spine / You’re beautiful all the time.” Chunky acoustics, insulation, isolation and utter abandon in the form of serrated guitar squeals from the edges of Neil Hagerty’s torn up plectrum straight to your ears. The album begins as something earnest, almost pensive, a light haze akin to just waking up, and proceeds to slowly rise out of bed and begin to walk around, shaking out the legs and cracking the joints til the moss rolls off and the stimulant (or analgesic) hits the vein. From there, its loose openness stretches into a broad expanse, allowing for glorious feedback-laden solos to cover the sonic horizon, barely-there rhythm action holding it together by sheer will. Not much percussion, no bass? More room for what matters! Herrera’s voice right in the sweet spot with bad intent, “on top.”  The things I want and need from rock n' roll.  

Randy Holden — “Blue My Mind” from Population II

Randy Holden, the badass who spent a year and half an album in Blue Cheer, realized his vision with the unmatched velocity of his solo album, Population II. I was just hipped to one of his earliest bands, The Other Half, for whom Randy Holden played guitar prior to his stint in Blue Cheer, and the power and brilliance of his song construction is evident and completely identifiable even there— but Population II is the full realization of Holden’s six-string swagger damage, and “Blue My Mind” is the highlight for me. There’s barely a drop of effects (ok there are overdubs), it’s just the sound of one man blasting through a literal wall of 200 watt Sunn Amps (16 of ‘em?) with minimal bass and drum accompaniment. Sunn amps have a distinctive sound: their reverb isn’t close to sounding “sparkly” the way someone might describe a vintage Fender with admiration. Instead, when cranked, they sound kinda like a guitar being played through an overheated A/C window unit or maybe a tube-powered hairdryer in a tile bathroom that’s meticulously mic’d through a high powered PA System. It’s not for everybody, but that gnarled and blunt quality cannot be matched, requiring zero fuzz or distortion pedal whatsoever to achieve a gloriously saturated molten tone that somehow retains bell-like clarity. Early days for Axis: Sova was playing through a ’67 Sunn Sceptre exclusively. While that’s not the case anymore, it’s very present on songs from our previous album, Early Surf, especially the title track’s main riff. Guitars in front!  

Velvet Underground — “What Goes On”  Live at the Hilltop Festival 2nd August 1969  

Featuring Mo Tucker, the human metronome. I wish I could get a snare sound out of my drum machine like this. Its rhythmic simplicity set against skittering guitars produces counter beats and accents that start to feel like Terry Riley’s sat in — especially once the organ begins to fry. 

Sonny Sharrock — “Once Upon a Time” from Ask the Ages   

Stately and serene, a song beholden of wisdom and truth. You know, hopeful. The melody has a patient emotion that doesn’t force itself on the listener, but rather amplifies whatever feeling the listener has at that moment — be it upbeat, uplifting, or melancholy.  Especially gritty tone and saturation. Sonny Sharrock’s last album is amazing, with a killer band including Pharaoh Sanders and Elvin Jones.  

Steve Hillage — “Salmon Song” live in 1977   

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Hypnosis via riff-phrase, let it slip, put a driving, unwavering bass line underneath it, and soar towards a gassy nebula… its space-prog breakdowns and solos cascade and shimmer, and then the riff rises again. The whole album, Fish Rising, is cool, but not as tough to beat as this live performance of its best jam, "Salmon Song."

Rafael Toral — Wave Field   

Wave Field - Remastered by Rafael Toral =

Aside from Flying Saucer Attack, who regularly achieve something similar, there are few pieces of guitar music that convey as much emotional expression through feedback and drone as well as Wave Field by Portugal’s Rafael Toral.  It’s deep, theta brainwave meditation is enveloping and surreal — it drips and distorts reality like the best painters of the genre — to a liquid degree, akin to floating in a sensory deprivation tank. Having gone looking for it online, I just discovered that Rafael has remastered it to create what he feels is a more spacious sounding recording, more in line with his original vision. I’m not entirely sure which sounds better to me: both versions fit like a snug wetsuit in bath water. 

[iphonefmtransmitter]

Best FM Transmitter For Your Older Car Radio

The Best FM Transmitter for Your Older Car Radio

Sick of Static Noises? Are you looking for the best fm transmitter for your pre-bluetooth car? Tired of that humming noises from your janky car radio transmitter or those irritating wire from your crappy tape adapter?

Most pre-2010 car came with premium sound and integrated infotainment system, but no Bluetooth nor Aux Input. It makes it impossible to connect new headphone-less iOS and Android phones to these factory sound system.

The Gizmo Guy Gadget is the best FM transmitter for older car - a wireless solution to connect new phones to older car factory radio without the trouble and expense of a new Bluetooth compatible head unit.

This Best FM Transmitter features:

Crystal Clear with No Interference, even in densely populated Metropolitan Areas.

Plug and Play! No Installation! Connects easily without Bluetooth.

Safe to Use - Allows you to keep your eyes on the road while you listen to your podcasts, music, Siri - turn by turn directions or receive phone calls

Small and Discreet with a rechargeable battery. It will NOT spoil the integrity and aesthetics of your car’s design. No silly goose neck or mushroom thingy awkward positioned to “poke” your passenger.

Works Everywhere! Use it with your home stereo too!

Bluetooth technology was NOT an option until 2010. Most late model luxury cars 1999 to 2009 came with a premium sound system with integrated infotainment system, climate controls and digital display, but no auxiliary input. 

It is not possible to connect a new smartphone to these factory sound systems without a dealer add-on kit with an expensive professional installation. For DIYers, you may risk the danger of messing up the electrical system and disabling convenient options such as GPS, climate control display and steering wheel remote controls.

There are hundreds of different FM transmitters available on Ebay and Amazon. Popular brands - like Scosche BTFreq, VicTsing, SoundBot, GOGroove, LDesign, and IMDEN Bluetooth FM transmitters. Each of these come with a mix of positive and negative reviews and recommendations. Despite all the testimonials you might see - most of them DO NOT WORK!

Most wireless transmitters failed to work because most have a weak radio emission regulated by the FCC that gets filtered and interfered by the premium noise filter system.

I discovered this problem when I tried to connect my new iPhone to the older Mercedes Benz I inherited from my Dad. I didn't want to get a new head unit and spoil the aesthetics of the car. The old Benz had no aux connection and the only option was thru the tape player adapter which came with a long irritating wire and sounded horrible!

I tried everything available on Ebay and Amazon; the prices ranged from high to low, everything from the popular Nulaxy bluetooth fm transmitter to other big name FM modulators. Nothing worked to my satisfaction! The consistent problem was the persistence of the static noises. While some were less than others, they all had noticeable static and was unbearable for any kind of acoustic or bass sound.

I tried to mask the static noise by cranking up the volume, but that was not an acceptable solution when you switched from the transmitter back to the car radio. The radio would be so loud, it often scared me and could also damage the car system and speakers!

Through extensive research, I found the problem is NOT the strength of the radio signal. Boosting the radio strength would only result in more static and distorted sound.

Frustrated and without options; I decided to make my own Gizmo Guy Gadget as the best FM Transmitter designed specifically for today’s application with iOS and Android smartphones.

I discovered the cause of the static and humming noise problem is with the insulation of the electronic oscillator and its power source. By insulating the power source and isolating the oscillator of the transmitter, I can achieve better and near CD (compact disc) sound without compromising the quality. This allows my Gizmo Guy Gadget to tune in and connect your smartphone just like you would with Bluetooth technology. It allows you to use it as a wireless broadcaster for a media player, satellite radio, or other device in your car as a Bluetooth Alternative.

Check out How to Use the Best Fm Transmitter for Older Car Radio by Gizmo Guy Gadget on Snapguide.

Simply plug my Gizmo Guy Gadget into your smartphone (or dongle for the newer headphone-less iOS or Google Pixel 3 phones). Set your car radio - you can choose from one of the three fixed frequency 87.9 FM / 94.9 FM/ 102.7 FM. Identify the cleanest channel frequency for your local area and set it on your car's stereo. That is it!

Imagine yourself as Michael Knight behind the wheel of the “Knight Rider”! Instead of Kitt, it will be “Siri“ as your co-pilot or personal assistant who you can ask about the weather, have her read an audiobook from audible or your favorite podcast to you. You will get to stream music like Pandora, iHeartRadio or Spotify; also you will be able to talk hands-free and hear all your conversations loud and clear from your car speakers. You will also be able to use the GPS / Google Map / Waze to get turn by turn instruction thru your older car radio.

Conclusion:

Replacing the factory stereo on 1999 - 2009 model year vehicles may be more trouble than it is worth, as they are usually tied to different optioned features such as OnStar, Climate Control and Steering wheel controls to name a few.

Aftermarket stereos are an for invitation to vandalism. The Gizmo Guy Gadget is a non-invasive, inexpensive solution made for pre-Bluetooth era luxury vehicles. It will allow you to keep your cars’ aesthetics and give your sound system a new life. You can play iTune Music, Pandora, Podcast and make hands-free calls using your car’s speaker system. It works with any iOS and Android phones with no Bluetooth. This wireless radio transmitter is an unique gadget that brings modern day technology from your smartphone thru your car stock radio without Aux input.

The Gizmo Guy Gadget has been proven to be the best FM transmitter for sound quality at any price level with hundreds of amazing reviews by happy customers. (see reviews)

This gadget is ideal if your car was made after 2000 and has an infotainment system integrated with climate control and warning lights. Use

The Gizmo Guy Gadget in your luxury car! It’s perfect for cars like Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Jeep, Jaguar, Lexus, Mini, Mercedes-Benz and VW.

I am so confident that you will be impressed with this FM transmitter that I am offering a 60 days money back guarantee.

Don’t put up with your local radio anymore! Make your commute more pleasant with your own music, podcast, or audiobooks. Get yours now!

Customer Reviews:

“Travelled 5000 kms and used the FM transmitter for the 1st time. It was an awesome experience with listening to my driving music. My teenage daughter is saving to buy one.” by Roy

“Thank You Gizmo Guy Westley. Thank you for the troubleshooting. Now everything is working love it. I can listen to my music from my iPhone. Highly recommended no static at all”. by Gloria Rabino Bosaz.  

“ I have a 2004 BMW with No Bluetooth or auxiliary port. I have tried other transmitters and they were horrible. This transmitter works perfectly. It is well worth the money” by Keith Blazek

“This product works great in my 2007 BMW 328xi. I’m actually amazed how well it works. With the progression of the iPhone’s they became too advanced for my car and I couldn’t listen to my music in my car. Thankfully due to this product I can now. Love it!” by Ed Fox

“I live in Atlanta metro and started using this transmitter in May and honestly it’s the best sounding FM transmitter I have ever heard and it is way better than the one that came with my expensive 2013 XM Satellite Kit that I am using for my BMW....” by Mallie Eric Preston

“....for my 2004 BMW I couldn’t be more happy crystal clear and easy my whole family wants one. Good product!... Nice job” by Anthony Gagliardi

“I have a 2008 Corvette Z06...I can finally jam out in my vet and it only cost $90.” 

“I have a 2003 Range Rover and my radio and disc player would not work, so I purchased your Gizmo and it works like a charm, with my iPhone 7..... Thank You!!!” by John Turbbull 

from iPhone FM Transmitter: Latest News http://www.iphonefmtransmitter.com/blog/best-fm-transmitter-for-your-older-car-radio/

[musiccosmosru]

Mitski makes music that codifies our desires to be seen and our distresses about being alive. After years of growing a nearly religious fanbase with albums like Retired from Sad, New Career in Business and the indefatigable Bury Me at Makeout Creek, she become an indie rock household name with her 2016 album Puberty 2. Her latest, Be the Cowboy, is self-described as her saddest ever, but it is also very much about maintaining command of one’s own world. April Clare Welsh caught up with the Dead Oceans singer-songwriter to discuss touring, nihilism and Iggy Pop and to get under the skin of Be the Cowboy’s woman in control.

On Mitski’s fifth album, Be the Cowboy, the itinerant singer-songwriter explores the solitude of touring through the eyes of a woman seemingly in control – a persona she explains was inspired by Isabelle Huppert’s award-winning performance in The Piano Teacher.

Just as repressed piano teacher Erika Kohut ultimately falls prey to her psychosexual desires, Mitski’s character must try to stem the overwhelming tide of emotion rushing through her body. “This character is definitely something that is in me,” she says. “I do find that I have to be very controlled as a woman in trying to navigate the world.”

As with Mitski’s previous LP Puberty 2 – one of FACT’s favorite albums of 2016 – themes of love, identity, heartbreak and vulnerability abound on the new album. But where Puberty 2 cranked up the distortion on her grunge-rock guitar, Be the Cowboy comes wrapped in a glossier sheen from long-time producer Patrick Hyland – and it’s often at odds with the album’s underlying sense of isolation. Take the glitzy disco-stomper ‘Nobody’, for example. “It’s got these desolate lyrics, but ultimately it’s a dance song,” she says.

Be the Cowboy is a deft experiment in narrative that amplifies Mitski’s voice as a vital indie rock innovator capable of reeling you into her made-up worlds as much as she is willing to draw from her own raw experiences. We’re all still working out who we are and where we want to be – and we’ll happily join Mitski on her journey of self-discovery.

You recently supported Lorde on her Melodrama world tour. How did your intimate live act translate to a pop-friendly arena audience?

Mitski: Nobody really knew who I was so it was a great chance to present myself. I just played a lot of classics and didn’t try and experiment too much. It was also like going to a really cool school every day. Obviously, arena shows are a very different live atmosphere from anything I’ve ever experienced before. There are so many more people working behind the scenes and I learned about so many different job descriptions that I didn’t even know existed.

This album touches on the realities and isolation of touring. Does having a band help you to keep you in check emotionally, or do you ultimately prefer working alone?

Mitski: I think it’s good for me to work with people. My tendency is to just assume that I should work alone – I always write alone and the recording process is pretty similar in that I don’t let many people into the studio. But with live music there’s something about the dynamic of humans just playing together… it’s always just nice to see the band playing. Whenever I see a singer with dancers and backing tracks, or maybe the band is unseen, that’s fine and I always enjoy the show but as a musician, I just like to see the band.

When did you first envision the album’s protagonist and is there any particular reason you decided to bring her to life now?

Mitski: I’m not very good at being outgoing on stage, so I got to thinking about other ways in which I can be effective and create a mood for people. I went the other way and decided to try being completely inward and controlled, and I then began to ask myself “why am I even doing this,” investigating it with this character. But it all initially came from just playing live and from figuring out how to create a space for an hour where people can forget about the outside world and just experience the show.

“I have to be even more controlled than my male counterparts because if I show even the smallest amount of emotion, it’s immediately interpreted as ‘she’s hysterical’”

Was she inspired by anyone in particular?

Mitski: She was inspired very much by the heroine in The Piano Teacher. Something about that character made something click for me. The album sounds nothing like the movie, it was just the first spark. I watched that movie and just thought there is something about that character, where she is what you would call frigid, doesn’t express much… repressed, I guess you would say. But she actually has these crazy whirling desires inside her that when the young man actually gets to know her he realizes it’s way above his pay grade and he can’t fucking handle it. Something about the ending where she stabs herself – it’s like she can’t do anything about the desire she is feeling so she hurts herself – it’s something about that instinct, that I felt. Thinking through that and analyzing that and working through it all inspired the character.

How much of your own personality pervades the character?

Mitski: This character is definitely something that is in me… it’s just not who I am while I’m walking down the street every day. You contain multitudes. You are many people in one body. And so there’s an aspect of this character in me and I think I just wanted to exaggerate it. I think Björk once said in an interview that each of her albums is kind of like an exaggeration of an aspect of herself and I relate to that – I’m just not this one person all of the time, but I recognize that in myself. I find that I have to be very controlled as a woman in trying to navigate the world. In a way, I’m running my own business, I’m the person in charge having to tell people what to do, having to make all the decisions. And I find that it’s very hard, especially in a business setting… because I’m an artist, I react emotionally, but that’s not effective when you’re trying to get something done. And so perhaps I have to be even more controlled than my male counterparts because if I show even the smallest amount of emotion, it’s immediately interpreted as ‘she’s hysterical’.

Do you feel like you have to keep these two sides of you very separate – Mitski the business woman in control and Mitski the creative artist?

Mitski: I think they kind of feed into each other. I do really actually enjoy being in control in terms of making my art because I feel like if I’m creating a world, I want to dictate every aspect of it. I want to really create the song, I don’t want to just do a little part of it and then leave it to somebody else. I thought about getting a creative director for this album but then I decided that was like giving away my favourite part about making an album to somebody else, so I decided I wasn’t going to get a creative director, I’m just going to figure it out myself. If I’m creating a universe within a song or an album, I really want to dig into it and give it my all.

I think Be the Cowboy is my saddest album

How does it feel to hand over the reins to a video director when making your visuals?

Mitski: I give a lot of control away for the videos because I find that as an artist I thrive when I’m just given the reins and told “here are the resources, do your best.” So I try and give that to the directors as well, where I just kind of give them the song, give them what I meant by the song and then tell them “you do what you need to do.” People tend to work better when they’re given independence and given the reins. You just have to find a good artist and tell them to do what they want.

Both Puberty 2 and Be the Cowboy deal with self-identity. What state of mind were you in when you recorded Be the Cowboy?

Mitski: For this new album, I wrote and recorded it between tours, whereas Puberty 2 was very much like “let’s book a studio for two weeks,” which didn’t leave much room for my anxiety. I think it’s actually good to give yourself extreme limitations when you’re making something so that you don’t let your brain over-analyze or criticize it, because you just have to get it done. But with Be the Cowboy, I was just on tour, I was tired and I had a lot of time to ruminate over the recording after I’d done it. But I liked the idea of being tired and then making music that’s kind of rallying myself. With ‘Nobody’, for example, it’s got these desolate lyrics, but it’s ultimately a dance song. I kind of draw comparisons with Andy Warhol’s pop art, where it’s bright and colorful and pop, but he often said he had no real meaning in mind, he’s very nihilistic about it.

Would you say there is a nihilist element to your music?

Mitski: Obviously there is my personal meaning behind each song – I’m not saying my music doesn’t have meaning – but I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think this is my saddest album. It comes from the saddest place, but in the same way that I have the idea of this protagonist who is this woman in control, I kind of want to put upon this jolliness or upbeatness to it, because I think that it makes it somehow sadder.

Iggy Pop’s music is often spoken about in the same breath as existential nihilism. How did it feel to get his seal of approval?

Mitski: Iggy Pop is one of my heroes. I watch his live performances online and just listen to his music whenever I need reminding what I want out of music and what I want out of a live show. And he always reminds me of what is important. I finally got to see him at a music festival recently. I don’t know how old he is but he’s still fucking amazing. He’s just one of those people. So hearing him say that about me in his gravelly voice… I still haven’t processed it.

You end the album with a sad, slow song about an old couple. Do you feel older than your years?

Mitski: The road really just wears you down… this is why I think that so many rock bands have more and more songs about ‘the road,’ as their career progresses. You see more and more rock bands make more and more unrelatable albums, but I think that’s just because you’re in such an isolated society and you don’t have experiences that the rest of the world can relate to anymore, because it’s just such a specific way of living. So I’m really conscious of that and I try to avoid that. I always want to make sure my music is relatable to not just touring musicians. So I think that the challenge for this album was using metaphors that people would understand for experiences of being on the road, and I hope that it all makes sense.

April Clare Welsh is a freelance writer based in Lisbon. Find her on Twitter.

Elina Abidin is FACT’s social media assistant.

Read next: Feminist punk icon Viv Albertine on liberation, women’s anger and the value of writing

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[mopishblog]

Zolo Liberty+ True Wireless Headphones Review (& Giveaway)

Our verdict of the Zolo Liberty+: For the price, the Zolo Liberty+ are decent, but like most pairs of true-wireless earbuds, the sound quality certainly won’t knock your socks off. Battery life and comfort are impressive for the price, though.610

The idea of having truly wireless earbuds seemed like a dream just a few years ago. While they’re still not common, a few companies do offer earbuds that are entirely without wires.

Today, we’re going to look at the Zolo Liberty+, a pair of reasonably-priced true wireless earbuds with Bluetooth 5.0 and a charging case.

Anker ZOLO Liberty+ True Wireless Earphones, Bluetooth Earbuds with Graphene Drivers and 48-hour Battery Life, Sweatproof with Smart AI and Toggle Sound Isolation (Black) Anker ZOLO Liberty+ True Wireless Earphones, Bluetooth Earbuds with Graphene Drivers and 48-hour Battery Life, Sweatproof with Smart AI and Toggle Sound Isolation (Black) Buy Now At Amazon $135.00

When it comes to other wireless earbuds, the first ones that probably comes to mind are the Apple AirPods, which fall into a similar price range at $160. We reviewed the AirPods and gave them a middling 5/10 citing “passable sound and questionable comfort” as the leading problems.

One other popular wireless earbud out there include the Bose SoundSport Free at $200. Another well-reviewed model is the Jaybird Run, which go for $180. When it comes to more affordable headphones, these are the big competitors to Liberty+ as they sit within $50 and are well-received critically.

There are other pairs of headphones out there that are cheaper, including the Zolo Liberty at $99, but those, and other cheaper models, don’t quite stack up in terms of features offered, critical reception, or sound quality.

Specifications

Let’s just jump in with a quick and dirty look at the numbers that back up the Zolo Liberty+:

2 X 6mm Graphene Dynamic drivers

20Hz~20kHz frequency response

Transparency for letting outside sound in

Bluetooth 5.0

MEMS microphone with EC/NR technology

Up to 3.5 hours of continuous playtime (accurate in our testing)

Up to 48 hours of additional playtime with charging case

IPX5 + nano coating sweatproofing

Support for Siri without taking phone out

Zolo Life app support

So there’s a quick look at where your $150 is going when you purchase the Liberty+ earbuds. Most of the numbers are pretty par for the course in this price, with the big exception being Bluetooth 5.0. Not a lot of other models out there come with 5.0 and it makes a huge difference both in the reliability of the connection and audio delay. You can actually watch videos without ridiculous latency.

Initial Impressions

First impressions are strong with the Liberty+ earbuds. When you first pull them out of the box you’re greeted by surprisingly small headphones that look like they’d be quite comfortable (and they are).

You have to be impressed by the number of size adjustments that are included. There are multiple tips that’ll provide a comfortable and tight seal for just about any ear. If you can’t find a combination that fits your ears, you’re unlikely to suit anything other than a custom fit.

The carrying case offers a bit of surprise because of how heavy it is. That 48-hour battery life Zolo is touting comes from the fairly large battery tucked inside this case, so it makes sense that it would have a little more mass. That being said, it’s a nice-looking case that holds the earbuds perfectly, regardless of what size tips you’re using.

Getting the earbuds up and running is incredibly easy. You remove them from the case, find them in your phone’s Bluetooth menu, and connect. Once connected, you can choose to download the app, which gives you some control over the EQ, whether you want to have sound from the outside world enter the earbuds, and so on. It’s not required to use the earbuds, so if you’re worried about having yet another app on your phone, you can safely ignore it.

In the end, the Zolo Liberty+ impress at first glance. Of course, looking nice in a carrying case doesn’t mean much if the headphones don’t feel good while offering stellar sound quality, which is exactly what we’re going to examine right now.

Comfort

Before I dig into the quality of the comfort, I need to say that I’ve never been a fan of earbuds. Given the choice, I’ll always go for a pair of over-the-ear headphones first. I just don’t like having something in my ears, generally speaking. That being said, I’ve tested and used tons of different pairs of earbuds trying to find a pair that a like, so I have a lot of experience battling with in-ears.

With that out of the way, I have to say these are actually quite comfortable. I tried out every single tip internal hook to see which provided the best feel, and I actually ended up liking the setup that comes on by default the best. Even after wearing the earbuds for a few hours straight (running them through their entire 3+ hour charge), I only experienced very minor discomfort. And the only reason I had any discomfort at all is because I’m not used to having earbuds in. If I used them over a longer time frame, I would most likely get used to them and be able to go three hours without any issues.

The seal created by the earbuds is quite solid, and it’s quite difficult to hear anything outside (which is a good thing). You’re definitely going to want to take some time to experiment with the fit, because not having that tight seal will definitely impact your experience.

Another key thing when it comes to earbuds is how well they stay in your ear while moving. Assuming you’ve taken the time to fit them right, these things might as well be locked in your ears. I could head-bang as hard as I wanted and they refused to budge. If you plan on using these for any sort of intense physical activity, then this will be a huge feature for you. But even if you just want to use them while hanging out and working, knowing that they won’t fall out is always a good thing!

While cheap compared to other truly wireless earbuds, $150 is still a pretty penny to pay for headphones, so you should definitely expect comfort. And thankfully, the Liberty+ deliver. They’re obviously not going to be as comfortable as a pair of custom-fitted earbuds that cost over $1000, but for where they sit on the spectrum, they go above and beyond with fit and making them work for each individuals ears.

Sound Quality

The sound quality of the Liberty+ would best be described as okay. Nothing about it is particularly offensive, but nothing about it stands out. With the volume cranked to the maximum, the sound never distorted, even while listening to some pretty intense metal, which is one of the few standout parts of the audio experience.

The biggest issues with the sound fall on the high and low end of the spectrum. All the mids are there, and there are some highs, but the bass is sorely lacking. Depending on the genre you’re listening to, this might be acceptable, but if you’re listening anything that requires some thump, you might wish you had a different pair of headphones.

One thing that sound absolutely horrible on the Liberty+ is the transparency feature. This uses the microphone to push duplicate sounds from the outside: the opposite of noise cancellation, really. Unfortunately it sounds like trash and is quite unusable. Everything just sounds odd when filtered through the earbuds. If it’s a matter of life and death, then it’s a cool feature to have, but I’d prefer to just turn the volume down or take one earbud out.

Other Things To Consider

A rather unfortunate problem with the Zolo Liberty+ is that the buttons on the headset feel very mushy. It seems like this might actually be a defect with the particular pair I received, as the left earbud offers a bit more click than the right. However, upon checking reviews from other sites, it seems I’m not the only one having the issue. It’s not a deal-breaker, as the buttons always functioned as they’re supposed to, it’s still nice to get that tactile feedback when you’re pressing a button you can’t see.

Another slight problem with these headphones is the microphone — it’s just not great. Everyone I spoke to said they could hear and understand me without a problem, but that I sounded much better through my iPhone’s microphone. I was told it’s slightly better than my car’s built-in Bluetooth, but not my much. If you plan on making and receiving calls all day as you listen to music, this could be a big problem for you, but if you’re buying them with the main purpose of listening to music, a mediocre microphone shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

I know I’ve mentioned it at other points in the review, but Bluetooth 5 is awesome. Actually being able to watch a YouTube video on wireless headphones without a huge delay is fantastic. There’s still a minuscule amount of latency, but it’s hardly noticeable and not too much different than watching content on a pair of wired headphones. The added range and more reliable connectivity through obstructions like a bag or a pocket is great. Bluetooth 5.0 definitely pushes the price of these headphones up a notch (as mentioned, the $99 Liberty earbuds don’t have 5.0), and it’s worth it.

If you think you’ll often need to use only one earbud at a time, it’s worth noting that only the right one will work on its own. If you only take the left one out of the charging case, you won’t be able to make calls or listen to music. This isn’t really a negative or a positive, but it is something to keep in mind if, say, you hear better in your left ear than your right.

Should You Buy The Zolo Liberty+ Bluetooth Earbuds?

The Liberty+ put down a solid foundation that could be iterated on to create a fantastic pair of true wireless earbuds, but as they stand right now, the sound quality leaves a little too much to be desired. However, if you’re not too concerned about your headphones sounding amazing and you just want good comfort and convenience of true wireless, these are definitely worth getting, as they’re one of the more reasonably-priced pairs on the market.

Could they be better? Most certainly, but they could also be much, much worse. As they stand, the best word I can use to describe the quality of the Zolo Liberty+ is decent.

Enter the Competition!

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