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sailormoonandme · 3 years

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Where to start with Sailor Moon?

From time to time I’ve seen people ask about how to get into Sailor Moon or how they might introduce it to someone else.

As such I’ve made this to (hopefully) help people out.

Introduction

So first of all you should know that the official name for the over all franchise is ‘Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon’. This can (and has) been translated a few ways, but the current official name is ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon’. Basically everything connected with Sailor Moon carries this full official name, but for the purposes of this post I’m just going to shorten things to ‘Sailor Moon’.

Moving on, there are in fact different versions of the Sailor Moon story, even putting aside the various attempts at translating the story into different languages. Each version is best viewed as its own entity, sort of how there have been various versions of Sherlock Holmes that exist independently of one another.

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to mostly keep this post to the original Japanese iterations of Sailor Moon, albeit from the point of view of an English speaking audience member.*

The main versions of the Sailor Moon story are as follows:

1) The Manga

The manga iteration of Sailor Moon began around late 1991/early 1992. It includes around 50 chapters, a handful of side stories and a prequel manga of sorts called Codename: Sailor-V. There have been several different English translations of this material over the years. However, my personal recommendation would be to experience the story through the ‘Eternal Editions’. These are easily available in print and digitally. As of this writing Codename: Sailor-V is scheduled to be collected in at some point in 2021, thus collecting all the manga stories.

2) The 1992 anime

This is the most famous iteration of Sailor Moon and loosely adapts the manga to the point where it is its own entity. It spans 200 episodes across five seasons, with each season being given its own subtitle. E.g. season 2 is referred to as ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R’. Additionally there were a handful of shorts and specials connected with the anime and three films. I have already compiled a watch list for the show that I hope will help you navigate everything.

Like the manga, there have been multiple efforts to subtitle the show into English, particular among fan subbing circles. However, the easiest way to watch the show with English subs is to do so via a streaming service (last I checked it was available on Hulu and Crunchyroll) or to purchase the DVDs and Blu-rays from Viz Media, although you can also purchase them digitally on Amazon.com too.

3) The musicals

On and off since 1993 there have been stage musicals produced for Sailor Moon. If you ever see the term ‘Sera Myu’ being used by fans (or even official sources) understand that it’s shorthand for these musicals.

The musicals are based chiefly upon the manga and the original anime, although with some original embellishments here and there. The degree to which a musical cuts closer to the manga, or the anime or does something all its own varies from one production to another. I’m not very well read up on the musicals I must admit, but it is to my understanding that each production exists independently from one another beyond at times carrying over cast and staff members. In essence there is no particular order you need to watch the musicals in. However, if you want more info on the musicals see the below EDIT, which is more well informed than I am.

To my knowledge, (which is limited in this particular case) all the musicals have been filmed but there has never been any kind of official English release for them. There have however been fan subbed efforts made for all of them.

4) The 2003 live action TV show

In fan circles this show is referred to as ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon’ or ‘Pretty Guardian’ or ‘PGSM’. This is because it was the first piece of Sailor Moon media to bear that particular English translation of ‘Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon’. Basically if you see ‘Pretty Guardian’ or ‘PGSM’, understand it is referencing this show.

The show exclusively adapts the ‘Dark Kingdom’ storyline, the first storyline in every version of Sailor Moon. The show was made in a similar vein to shows like Kamen Rider or Super Sentai and the latter’s American adaptation, Power Rangers. However, it also incorporates elements of Japanese soap opera dramas too, original elements that were never in any version of Sailor Moon beforehand and many different spins on the plot points that had been covered before.

To my knowledge, like Sera Myu, no official English release for this show exists, but English fansubs are out there somewhere. If you manage to find the show then you should watch the various episodes and specials in their original broadcast order. For this Wikipedia is your friend.

5) Sailor Moon Crystal

Sporadically since 2014 a new Sailor Moon anime has been in production. This new anime cuts much closer to the original manga (although it still makes some changes ) than any other version of Sailor Moon. As of this writing, the show has yet to be completed and still has material from the manga left to adapt. The show is available to watch with English subtitles from the same sources as the original 1992 anime, including DVDs and Blu-Rays from Viz Media.

Like the original anime, Crystal’s story arcs and seasons have gone under different names. The first two seasons/arcs are officially just called ‘Sailor Moon Crystal’, whilst the third is explicitly titled ‘Sailor Moon Crystal Season III’. In place of a fourth season two films, Sailor Moon: Eternal Part 1 and Part 2, were produced. As of this writing, the Eternal films have yet to have any kind of English release. To make your life easier, watch this show in the order of the original air/release dates. Just remember the Eternal films are to be viewed after Season III.

Which version should you start with?

Whilst that is how the franchise breaks down, it is not the order a Sailor Moon newbie should try experiencing it in.

My personal recommendation would be to begin with the original 1992 anime and then move on to any of the other versions from there. This is because the original anime is aimed at a younger audience and was incredibly influential on basically every other version of the story.

However, if 200 episodes or more is too intimidating for you, then simply check out the manga. It’s far shorter, skewed a bit older and tells a concise and complete story.

And if you are still apprehensive then I’d highly recommend watching the first Sailor Moon film, Sailor Moon R The Movie. This is a very good film unto itself but it is a microcosm of the characters and themes that define the franchise as a whole. If you dislike this Sailor Moon just isn’t for you.

P.S. If you are simply dead set against subtitles then you should know the original 1992 anime and Crystal have in fact been dubbed into English by Viz Media. In fact, the first four seasons of the original anime, along with the first three films, have two English dubs, variously produced by DiC, Cloverway and Pioneer. These dubs were made in the 1990s and early 2000s and are currently not legally available anywhere.

*Things get more complicated when we consider that even in Japan there have been updated and altered versions of the Sailor Moon manga, anime, etc. We aren’t going to worry about that in this post though. They exist and maybe someday you might be inclined to check them out, but you know...baby steps...

EDIT #1: The following information comes from https://euribear.tumblr.com/

Just something I want to add on about the Sailor Moon Musicals.

If you see a musical with the word Kaiteiban (revision) at the end of the name, that means it’s a revised version of the previous musical. Things added or taken away, different cast members at times, etc.

Also, there are three musicals (technically four) that have a continuous storyline. Starring Miyuki Kanbe as Sailor Moon, Last Dracul, Transylvania no Mori (and its Kaiteiban), and Death Vulcan should be viewed in order.

The Bandai era of musicals were from 1993 to 2005.

The Nelke musicals started in 2014 and there was one each year for five years. One musical for each arc of the manga.

There are also the NogiMyu. These are musicals that solely focus on the Dark Kingdom arc and they star various members of the pop idol group Nogizazaka46.

There were two teams of cast members for the inner senshi for both years, 2018 and 2019. The same story overall, just different actresses.

There was also Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon The Super Live. My personal favorite, this was a musical performed only a few times. A couple of days in Japan in 2018 and then once in Paris in 2019 and then in Washington D.C. and later in NYC. I got to see this in person on one of the three showings in NYC. A dream come true. Unfortunately, this was never recorded, though they did release an instrumental musical album of the show.

#Sailor Moon #pretty soldier sailor moon #pretty guardian sailor moon #bishojo senshi sailor moon #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #Sailor Moon Crystal #PGSM #SeraMyu #Sera Myu #naoko takeuchi #Toei Animation

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curious-minx · 3 years

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Zippity Zoomer: Mining the Minecraft Generation

One picture is usually all it takes to transport the viewer, one picture can create many stories.

“Where Y’All Sitting” is an image meme template ripped from good ol’ Vectortoons, a ubiquitous nobody. This meme represents a leftover relic of the days of true Beliebers. This particular variant of the meme offers up a collage of usernames turned public personas of Minecraft content creators, and is not in fact secret gibberish code that Gen-Z uses for telepathic communication. For the record, and for the sake of offering my own POV, dear Reader I’m a rapidly decaying millennial screeching into my late twenties. The following is an investigation into a NEW BREED(Z) of Celebrity, The Minecraft Streamer.

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Millennials are more obsessed with generational categories because we have never felt an ounce of control in our own destinies.” - Me, a too wordy Millennial

My first impression when I started Googling these names one by one is that Google generously auto generates the word “merch” next to nearly every name on this list. In the Age of the Hustle, our children’s children are hawking off not just plain ol t-shirts; but also offer a wide array of: hoodies, cell phone cases, coffee mugs, pillows, stickers (oh god, the endless flood of stickers), clocks, shower curtains, coasters, jigsaw puzzles, magnets, tapestries, bedding (no, bedframes?), hats, fannypacks, flags, stationary, facemasks, baby onesies, coins, drinkware, pet clothing, and fake presidential campaign merch are just a smattering of the wares hawked by the people listed in this picture. This list of Minecraft enthusiasts turned digital entrepreneurs are all mostly various stripes of the same floppy haired young men variant. An unyielding crop of snarky cocky content creators. Most of them are banking off of the success of a digital experiment that asked, “What if Lego, but as a video game?” No! There’s more to Minecraft than that! So much more and a decrypted boomer like me could never hope to decipher.

Buy my Merch because I’m born to be on Merch.

The cockiness permeating from these content creators is understandable. Most of these current Professional Gamers were raised devoid of a functioning plausible civilization. These Gaming Content Creators can have faith in the digital system because it is through the stage of Minecraft they are accumulating millions of youtube and twitch subscribers. All of these content providers are part of millions of young people’s media diet, websites churn out articles tracking down their love lives. People want to know if badboyhalo is dating Skeppy ? People want to know if Addison Rae is joining a Minecraft based content farm collective Dream SMP? Why has Tommy Innit been banned from Tik Tok? Why did georgenotfound boycott Wendy’s? Were Minx and Wilbur Soot really dating? Does technoblade have ADD? Okay, mainly the website Distractify is asking these questions the Google algorithm certainly encourages them too). This onslaught of articles proves that not only are these largely Minecraft based Twitch streamers profitable from a merchandising stand point but they can also be mined for tabloid fodder.

Wilbur Soot - who is not an Incel. He’s just cheeky.

The connective tissue that brings all of these names together is not just Minecraft and Game streaming, but the common cause of a collective, the Dream SMP collective. Apparently, young people need a collective to believe in. I know I would be lost without an Animal Collective or an Odd Future to help illustrate what a collaborative effort should look like. Young people gravitate towards collectives and communities at large, because it is no longer available in the real world (and this was the case well before Covid). Take another name from the meme lunch room, Wilbur Soot, who is not only another Twitch based video game streamer, but he is also a musician with equally viral music videos . Soot’s general sound/vibe could be described as if Los Campesinos were extremely online and played less instruments (and just generally were worse, okay maybe that’s a thin, mean comparison). His music is not offensive, one song in particular “E-girl” finds Soot’s flipping expectations and criticizes the Internet for aiding an unhealthy romantic fixation. Surprisingly thoughtful material that is trying to articulate the raw feeling of people plugged in since birth. Seeing as most of these Minecraft based guys are known for being on the mic for hours at a time it does make Soot’s four minute song feel way longer than it should be. Soot’s got an impressive music production style down that makes his schtick go down easier. My verdict, Wilbur Soot is certainly a step above Hobo Johnson.

One of these e-boys were reported on for making an off colored jokes on a Jackbox stream, and is about a complete non-story as you would expect. I am sure most of the young men listed in this collage are walking Ninja/pewdiepie hate speech bombs waiting to happen, but I am sure that kind of controversy is saved for later down the road to get over that 10 million subscriber hump.For the most part, this is bunch of dorky tech savvy teenagers who indulge in wholesome trolling and have a fixation on serving the Sponsors.

These Minecraft based content creators’ main business pitch is a Maximalist Parasocial Bonding that specifically taps into the fan’s Good Friends based cortex. In no way am I adverse to freebasing on parasocial adult (mostly male) friendships. Being a human being, especially young and naive, is a lonely and miserable experience. People need all the faint grasp of human connection he/she/they can get. None of these kids invented this dehumanizing that rewards people who strip themselves down to the basic elementals, strip themselves down into a celebrity sized square.

A still from the upcoming DREAM SMP movie trailer that is currently nestled at 11,100,784 views

Writing this article has been a personal exercise in fighting against validating every one of my knee-jerk reactions against these Simple Minecraft Dreamers. I saw a sea of probable goons rolling around in their sponsored donated money pits where donors’ flex control over the content provider. Give badboy Skeppy 10,000 big ones and he’ll shave his head for you and put on a show. Digging deeper, and I assure you what is lurking behind every seemingly bizarre and incomprehensible faction on the Internet is a longing for community. An all too real human ache and urge to spin stories and craft personal mythos. Minecraft is not the Marvel Industrial Complex but the Dreamers, muffins and potatoes could change all of that. I keep thinking that Minecraft is just a video game version of Legos and that it will one day fade away, but I am dead wrong. It is I that will be doing the fading away. The stories and servers of Minecraft myth makers will outlive me. My body will decompose but a Minecraft streamer’s plastic phone case will endure.

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yconic · 4 years

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Guess who was bored and decided to make a Stonytasha pirate AU sjsj

Alright so!! What I had in mind: Th name of infamous pirate captain Tony Stark , stretched across all land for being the skilled and more than ruthless bandit that Steve Rogers, son of a navy/military general, finds himself to be too infatuated with.

Like, proper and posh Steve, with just a whisk of innocence and fragility falling for charming and flirty sea bandit that is Tony , who stops mid battle with his dad's crew to kiss his cheek while evading getting hurt?? Cuteness, I have no self control sksksk

When Black Sabbath ambushes the town of Brooks, Joseph Rogers is crimson to the hairline at being caught so unprepared. Due to celebrating his son's birthday the day prior.

Half his force stood ditzy on their feet, still so drowned into the debauchery they failed to realize the pirate ship they were supposed to guard was floating carelessly at the docks has been there for two hours.

In their surprise, Tony and his crew aren't spreading chaos or destruction. They carry the calmness of a silent storm, not thunder but raindrops as they collect what they can carry. From bare necessities such as food to a random jewelry that caught their eye.

Steve knows retaliation wouldn't result in a victory. At least 10 men against one aren't odds that favour him. Not only is he outnumbered, but he is also undertrained. Despite being a soldier in name, his father had been adamant about actually introducing him to the practice. Steve is tore between being grateful or regretful about his incliation to arts now.

They're not hurting anyone. That's what confuses him.

He would love to paint the Captain, however. Even a quick sketch would have sufficed, even if it wouldn't do justice to the undeniable beauty in front of him. Tony was a rarity he couldn't pry his eyes off of. Hair dark and soft looking curling at the nape of his neck, Skin kissed by sun, complimenting the gold beam smile that's too enchanting for it's own good.

The pools of brown lock with him for a moment, but it was enough to make his legs buckle slightly. Those were the Deadeyes, he told himself, that put fright in monsters and men alike. Except the cruelty, coldness, and blankness from the tales he's heard was missing. Tony was alive, and he was laughing.

The smile grew bigger as he advanced in his direction, dropping the sack of goods he's been carrying not even a moment ago. Steve made the effort of keeping his eyes past the pirate's shoulder instead of the sight of his bare chest, provided by the low cut red blouse.

Steve felt his face burning, which only seemed to amuse the Captain further if the chuckle sending shivers down his spine was any clue worth following.

"You're Rogers blood, " Tony commented easily, tone full of glee. Even if he was taller between them, Steve never felt so small. His form turned to wood when calloused fingers rested on his jawline, touch gentle.

Almost too loving for what they probably done. Steve wanted to melt into it. "Pretty fella, aren't you, sweetling?"

Steve's dry throat was, at once, workable again. "And you, the pirate sacking my town, " he responded, voice silkier than he intended. The darkness of Tony's eyes intensified with just a shade, but it was enough to make him swallow a whine. "You'd have better luck in Quinz. From what I hear they've been recently restocked. Why us?"

A rich laugh boomed from Tony. "Darling, " he started, grin crooked and voice dripping in honey. "You don't KNOW what a sacking done by me looks like." Steve was positive he never wanted to find out.

Silence washed over them for a moment before the pirate spoke again.

"We're just taking what we need, not want. We're housing a few extra guests and we regrettably ran out of food, which is terribly embarrassing for me. I've been told I hold the title of the best host over all 50 seas. My people shouldn't expect less than the best, as I'm sure you understand."

"If you wish, we can also provide you with an appron, " Steve said, waiting for the thin ice to crack. Tony's lips quirked upwards and somehow the nobleborn knew he won't sink just yet. The blonde's hand extended in invitation. "I'm not certain what the manner pirates use to introduce themselves, but here we shake hands. I am Steve Rogers."

"It may shock you, but some of us swap spit. I suppose however, since we're on your land I'll comply to your rules, " a wink and a tongue leaking with sarcasm, accompanied with a firm handshake enough to make Steve's skin raise upwards. "You know who I am."

Steve nodded. "Deadeyes. Parents and eldery tell the children about you."

"Jesus, " Tony swore. "I'm not sure if I should be proud of by my everlasting popularity or offended that so many consider me an ancient ghost ship. Why parents think I'm an appropriate subject for discussion escapes me."

"They do it so the children won't grow up like you."

"Grow up? Oh no darling I'm afraid I only grew old, " Tony chuckled, eyes dancing on the blonde's body, making Steve feel warm. "But only in certain fields."

"You could have tried to buy something if you were in need. Like all people do."

"I would love to, but not only are my pockets in great mourning, I must say your system makes it very difficult for people like me to make ends meet."

"The criminals?"

"The poors."

Before either men could say more, a fire was shot in the open. Tony reacted in a blink move, pushing the blonde to the ground with a shocking force. He heard someone shout Tony's name, but the ringing in his sensitive ears dafted all sound trying to stab in.

"Stay down until the fire dims, then find shelter!" The pirate's order came in form of a yell, but to Steve's ears it was more of a soft instruction. He could spot familiar boots with the glittering royal emblem shining blindly through the dust blinding his vision

The force is chasing the crew, more drunk than awake, shooting at whatever they can aim. The blonde's heart slammed against his ribcage, adrenaline and fear for his people coursing through his blood at an alarming speed as the men flooded the market place.

Steve was quick on his feet, body becoming it's own host as he helped the two men, -- whom by the looks of it were apart of Tony's crew, -- lead the people to the town's church where they would be safest. The tail of his eye spied a flash of red darting above them on the roofs, but before he had the chance of getting a better look, he was knocked aside by the crowd.

The gates were locked shut.

Steve resigned behind the closest beer barrels, placing his hand on the pistol harness tucked safetly on his hip, ignoring the slight tremble of his digits. He leaned over to peek through the tangle of soldiers and bandits huddled up together like fight dogs in a ring, at the violent scenery Tony painted with a mindnumbing grace.

The footing was almost too hard to follow with the bare eyes. The pirate seemed to barely touch the ground, blade cutting through the air with a force that temporality privated Steve from air. He was accustomed to battle, twin swords in each hand seeming at home and comfortable.

He trapped the wrist of one soldier between the edges of his weapon, head moving just in time before the bullet shot could crave his skull. The military man received a kick in the gut, sending him straight to the floor.

Tony was swift on his toes, predicting the sloppy moves of his adversaries and dodging them with ease, smirk sharp and lethal as the men around him hit the ground like rain. By gun shot, he realized, put to the ground by a shower of lead. His eyes hunted every direction in hope of finding the gunslinger but with no such luck.

The soldiers groaned from their spot on the ground, each holding onto their bleeding legs. Most of the damage was done to either their hands or inferior limbs area. The coin dropped. Whoever it was, their objective was not to dig graves, but a weeksworth of bed rest, if that. The symphony of battle got quieter and quieter for Steve, who failed to register Tony making his way to him.

"Love, we have to stop meeting like this, for the sake of your heart. " He thought he heard. Steve couldn't make out the words properly, sentences becoming incoherent .

Everything became white noise and unclear, blurry dark silhouettes. The nerves in his body all numbed, lost of feeling until a rough hand curled around the nape of his neck. The firm but tender touch provided him some much-needed grounding.

His senses awakened again, his being coming back slowly. His mind was sober enough to hear the pleasant graveness of Tony's voice whispering sweetly against his ear as he raised him from the soil that tainted the fine cloth.

"It's over now, " he soothed as a child does a spooked animal, thumb rubbing circles into the sweat coated skin. Tony did not hesitate to brush his lips across. "Please, sweetling, return to me, will you? You were brave, doing exactly as I told you. I have you. You're safe now."

"I was a coward, " he retorted, mouth bitter and eyes burning. "I HID from battle, from the danger, while my people were attacked. What kind of soldier does that?"

"So what? Better a dead hero than a living man?" Tony asked sternly. "Your people are safe, are they not? You lead them to the church, Steve. You protected them, and--" the cock of a pistol made them both pause.

A tiny gasp slipped past Steve's lisp as the soldier who they both missed sneaked behind them, firearm aimed at Tony's back. The smaller man planted between him and the attacker, not letting him be exposed to danger.

"You don't want to do this. Trust me." Tony warned mildly. "I am trying to give you a way out, you'd be smart to take it." The soldier was stilled, and the gun wasn't lowered. His finger caressed the trigger.

"I see, " strangely, he could hear a hint of smile in Tony's voice. "So. Is this the end of me?"

Steve's eyes were clamped tight, fingers clenched around the thin material of Tony's dress shirt as the bang of fire lingered in the air. After a passing minute, he felt something fast and hot shredding the oxygen right beside his left ear.

When the black faded away, Steve was not expecting to see Tony still standing, and the soldier shot down clutching at his injured soldier. The shot hasn't came from him, but from behind him. Whipping around, Steve paused in mild shock. A small woman, not tall enough to reach his shoulder without raising on her tips, had her slandered arm extended and wileding a pistol.

Her looks was deceivingly innocent, features soft yet sculpted pleasantly resting in a mask of winter were captivating. Her hair was red and her most eye catching asset, warm auburn and planted in a bun, reminding Steve of autum leaves painted in rusty undertoned he loved to collect when the season was of middle.

Fierce green eyes melted as they landed on Tony, the stone in them cracked. A glimpse of adoration washed over them, clearly exposing the nature of their connection. Steve felt his heart clench.

For some reason, her voice decreased some of the burn his chest scorched with. "Not today, Captain."

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dearkaelsman · 4 years

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I know that a lot of people (both CE and especially non CE and non Gundam passerbys) are probably looking at our ranting and wondering why we hate this redub. And like... I just want to make it clear, especially to potential new watchers that may think we’re nuts for having issue with the dub, we’re not angry with it just to be mean or spiteful. We’re disappointed. Ocean’s dub wasn’t god tier, but it meant a lot to western fans like us, and instead of polishing it, it rolled around in mud.

//THIS.

For me, SEED - in its original English dub glory - is why I was friends with the people I was in high school. It’s why I’m friends with the people I am now. It was the anime that first caused me to look up the voices behind characters, and the show that facilitated my learning about anime conventions, and the realm of RPing.

It (as well as discovering how much I enjoyed shooting hockey) heavily influenced why I went into photojournalism.

So the announcement of the re-dub, and now hearing it, kind of felt like a personal attack on my teenage self, given the show is really close to my heart. It sounds silly, but in a lot of ways it has contributed and been part of a foundation of the person I have become.

I know those of us expressing being upset about the re-dub/reflub aren’t attacking for the sake of being mean to the new cast, or out of spite. The actors involved have done a lot of good work on other projects, especially video games - I really enjoy Max Mittelman (redub Kira) as Ryuji in P5 and he’s probably my favourite character. I like Cassandra Lee Morris (redub Miriallia) as Morgana. Having met some of these voice actors, I can say I really like them personally, and love that we’re in an era where they can communicate with fans and show that they, too, are fans of the shows they work on, and I respect them for that.

I can respect that the original SEED dub may only be available in final mix form, and couldn’t be adjusted for the HD Remaster. I understand there are bidding processes, and the distribution company, Nozomi, that bought the rights to distribute the remaster, made the choice to go about redubbing it the way they did, likely because there is some legislation in place where “American” projects must have “American products” used (this caused some animosity between then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then-President Barack Obama on a port project in B.C. that an American company was awarded the contract for. Obama would not allow Canadian materials or workers on the project, despite it taking place in Canada and it was all really messed up because of bureaucratic red tape).

I am, however, deeply disappointed that the product we’re getting for SEED, as you said, isn’t an improvement to the original, or polishing, it’s a complete bastardization of the original, and there’s no excuse for it.

SEED is not a simulcast. They recorded this project in 2017, weeks after they announced the re-dub cast. They’ve had over two years with this, so with them casting “big name” L.A. -based voice actors, it makes it look like they defaulted to the simulcast process, and were lazy with the project and didn’t put a lot of effort into the casting, the research of the show, or the show itself.

I’m hugely disappointed that the director chosen has a penchant for not doing research or understanding what she’s involved with as a voice actor, and was given SEED to work on for her directorial debut. I hoped she would prove me wrong and that she’d take extra care with the project as director, but from what I’ve seen so far, she hasn’t.

She still has yet to acknowledge the original Ocean dub. The American “main” DBZ cast has NEVER shied away from acknowledging there was a Canadian dub. Kyle Hebert even credited Brad Swaile’s Gohan as being the first Gohan he ever heard, and that he incorporated some of his mannerisms into his performance.

Carrie Keranen (and granted, I haven’t checked since they were recording the project because she is the one Voice Actor I actually have a personal problem with so her Twitter makes me very upset) has flagrantly dismissed what was in that original dub, and why? Given how other redub projects have gone, it makes it look like she either wants to ignore the fact it exists as to not give it publicity, or looks down on it, and thought she could do better without putting the work into it that she should have.

She allowed script changes that ruined the integrity of the characters - allowing someone to portray Miriallia as a 10-year-old boy and say “fricken” like she actually is a 10 year old punk kid, modernizing Cagalli (she’s a princess, she shouldn’t talk entirely like a preteen girl at the mall, even if she had a penchant for running away), and stripping Kira of his attitude to be more...bland? In all honestly, she enabled a lack of effort and emotion in the scenes they’ve posted thus far.

She allowed liberties to be taken on the English language that were not taken in the original with no good explanation. This is seen in the pronunciation of Nicol, Tolle, Dearka’s names, the weird emphasis on Archangel, Gammow.

I’m deeply disappointed that she allowed/changed Dearka’s name to a racial slur, even if it’s one that only “white people” would consider a slur. Rather than being sensitive to how a choice of words can affect those around us, this decision actually perpetuates racism against Middle Eastern people, as if there’s not enough of that already. It also creates a divide between the longtime die-hard fans of Gundam SEED, and the new ones with pronunciation (and this has happened with other redub projects where fans have been lectured the “new” way is the “right” way to say things even when it’s not), ESPECIALLY if a movie comes out now, which will make officially make her cast the “main” English cast, and everything the old cast did will essentially be erased from the collective fandom mind.

As a Canadian, I’m also disappointed at what redubbing one of the larger anime projects to come through Ocean/Vancouver means for the voice industry here.I’m hugely concerned, and I have been for some time for my favourite voice actors, and it’s easier to express this concern with regards to a specific project, than just in general.

It’s hard to know that B.C. is becoming the “Silicon Valley of the North,” and animation studios here are doing exceptional work (Into the SpiderVerse was done in Vancouver, The Dragon Prince is animated in Vancouver/Kelowna, the new Magic the Gathering series will be animated by the same studio, they’ve done a ton of work for Disney, Cartoon Network, DreamWorks etc.), and yet our voice actors are being forced to move, take up side jobs/new careers, when they should be voicing those projects, in favour of L.A. based dubbers who sadly don’t seem to put the effort into their projects that B.C. was able to.

They had an opportunity to make the redub decent, and they squandered it, and they’re really overselling the idea that in a digital age people weren’t already aware of SEED. The only people who will watching it “fresh” now are the type that are obsessive about specific voice actors and would worship the ground they walked on, rather than really enjoy a show for the show’s own merit.

And given what they’re doing to it in this dub, they’re going to actually make more people hate the series than already do.

#gundam seed #gundam seed redub #gundam seed destiny #gundam seed hd remaster #nozomi entertainment #carrie keranen #ocean studios #vancouver voice acting #vancouver voice actors #voice actors #voice acting #suicunerider

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mszegedy · 4 years

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mszegedy’s nutrition guide for people who want to lose weight without getting another ED

This post was prompted by an acquaintance of mine who asked for help losing weight for trans reasons. It is written from a DID-centric point of view (because we both have it), and is intended for people who’ve already been through an ED, and are trying to be careful to not get another one. That said, most of the information in this guide is useful to everyone.

I know I am dipping my toes in a deep pool here, on a website where people have strong opinions about nutrition science, and about EDs, and about body positivity. Let me say this much: if you are currently experiencing or recovering from an ED, this guide is not for you. This is not a guide that will magically let you jump from hating your body and diet to being both thin and healthy. This is for people who already have a degree of confidence in themselves, and a degree of love for their body, and are just afraid of trying to make any changes to their weight at all, because they worry they’ll get an ED. If you still have an ED, then you need to get help for that first, and then, once you’re more confident, come back and read this guide.

Alright, so, as a system with a host who’s a trans biochemist with an interest in nutrition chemistry, and as a system that’s had an ED before (basic binge/restrict anorexia, but motivated by money rather than weight), this is what we’ve got to say about healthy weight loss:

First of all, the body positivity mantra, which I’m sure you’ve heard before but needs to be the headline of any weight loss guide: the healthiest weight is whatever makes you the happiest. It is not healthy to push yourself too hard to lose weight. It is also not healthy to hate your body. Find a comfortable balance between the two. For us, as a system experiencing gender dysphoria, that first meant putting a lot of effort into looking the way we wanted to, and then gradually easing up as we got more comfortable with the peculiarities of our body.

The single aspect of your diet that impacts your health the most is regularity. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to get the same amount of each nutrient every day, or even the same amount of calories per day. What it does mean is that you have to add eating each day to your schedule. If you have a history of ED, you may simply forget to eat most of the time. (I know we do.) That’s why you have to manually take control, and nail down a time window each day when you can eat. Even if it’s just once, although you should work your way up to two or three eventually. I don’t know how your system works, but in ours, basically, I do all the diet planning and execution, and everyone else whines about it (even our host, who shares our job as a biochemist).

Calories are good. Calories are fuel. If you are consuming calories, you are alive. Be far more afraid of not consuming enough calories than of consuming too many. Extra calories are ballast, supporting you on days when you can’t eat as much. Missing calories are death. Every calorie you eat is precious brain and body fuel. Your peak performance, especially brainwise, is when you’re not missing any fuel. Start worrying about whether you’ve had enough calories each day. But don’t count them! The number doesn’t matter! Trust me on this, the only meaningful part of your calorie intake is the digit in the thousands place, and if you try to calculate that, you’ll just end up counting calories again like a chump. Instead, just check whether you’re going to bed hungry or not. If you’re not hungry at the end of the day, and you’ve actually eaten, you’ve won that day. Learn to eyeball how much food lets you end a day like that.

Now that you’re forbidden to mess with the amount of calories you’re getting (beyond just making sure you’re getting enough), what can you mess with? Your diet’s nutrient breakdown. This is where knowing biochemistry comes in handy, because there’s SO many different kinds of nutrients to keep track of. First of all, the stuff that contains calories:

Sugars: The primordial fuel source. Pure energy, as far as your body is concerned. Avoid when trying to lose weight, but don’t feel guilty if you’re supplementing your calorie intake with it in small amounts on days when you otherwise wouldn’t be getting enough. Remember that there’s a really easy way to tell whether something contains sugar, namely whether it’s sweet. (Some things, like milk, aren’t sweet and still contain sugar. You just have to memorize those. And of course some things have non-sugar sweeteners in them, but in that case it’ll be obvious.)

Digestible starches: Sugars with a price. Still no nutritional value beyond energy, although they tend to come bundled with other nutrients like proteins. Again, not great if you’re trying to lose weight, but there’s no need to cut them out completely, unless you really don’t care about not being able to eat, say, potatoes. (There are also people who are helped by no-carb diets in other ways than weight loss for mysterious reasons, probably relating to allergies, but it’s not the end-all be-all of healthy diets that keto people make it out to be.)

Fats: A pretty inconvenient source of energy; breaking them down puts annoying, difficult-to-metabolize acids into your blood, and doesn’t net you all that much energy anyway. An ideal calorie source for losing weight; just make sure to consume as few sat fats as possible, and preferably no trans fats at all, which should be easy if you stay away from fast food places and stick to establishments that change out the oil in their fryers every, idk, 3 hours or so.

Amino acids and proteins: Now we’re getting somewhere! These guys are the “worst” energy sources out there. Breaking them up is very expensive, and turning the resulting amino acids into digestible calorie sources is a complicated and annoying process. But amino acids are a nutrient in their own right; every cell in your body is making tons of proteins continuously, some of them building important structures like skin and muscle, and they need a continuous supply of amino acids to do it. So, proteins? Great. Fantastic. You can’t have enough of them. Eat eggs and cheese and soy products, and if you’re that kind of person, meat. You can tell it's got amino acids and/or proteins in it when it tastes savory ("umami"); that's mainly the taste of glutamate, an important amino acid. Gluten is also made of proteins, but it’s even harder to digest than most other sources of protein, so you might have problems with it; and it comes bundled with a lot of starches, so, ehhh.

So, now for a couple non-calorie sources:

Vitamins: Vitamins have nothing in common with each other collectively; they’re just a bunch of random minor nutrients. If you’ve got your vitamins A, C, and D sorted out, then the only ones I’d worry about are folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12). B9 because it’s important for your brain, and tends to be missing in sufficient quantities from modern diets; we take methylfolate supplements every morning to make sure we get enough of it. B12 because it’s important in general, and may be missing in sufficient quantities from your diet, depending on what you eat. It’s only found in animal products, like meat, dairy and eggs. If you’re eating at least one of those regularly, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Technically contain calories, but not enough of them to matter. Found in fish, and good for your brain. We’re vegetarian, but we take two capsules of these every morning, because they really help with depression and memory, which are both problems for us.

Iron: Found in meat, beans, falafel, spinach, and lentils, among other things (like cocoa!). Needed to replenish blood. You shouldn’t need supplements for this unless you actually get diagnosed with iron deficiency, or lose a LOT of blood in a short time (which, uh, happens).

Water and sodium: Long story short, your blood is counterfeit seawater. Land organisms don't actually exist; we just brought the sea with us when we crawled out of it. To counterfeit seawater, you need water and sodium. Hence, why they're important nutrients to us. Your kidneys do an excellent job of maintaining a particular level of sodium in your blood, but if you eat too much more sodium than you drink water, or drink too much more water than you eat sodium, then they won't be able to keep up. You usually shouldn't have to worry about this, but if everything you eat is salty, then maaaybe you should drink more water, or dial down the sodium in your diet. (Anything wet contains water, from energy drinks to the juices of fruits to sauces, so it's not very hard to get water. But some things contain a higher sodium-to-water ratio than you need, so they won't help you balance out a salty diet. Be mindful.)

Dietary fiber, aka non-digestible starches: I don’t have anything interesting to say about these. Conventional wisdom about fiber seems to be correct, as far as I know. I only listed it because it’s in most nutrition facts in the US.

So, now that you know the roles of the various kinds of nutrients, just eyeball the correct amounts of them for your diet. Broadly, the less carbs you eat, the more weight you’ll lose, but it’s not a race. Find a nutritious diet that makes you happy. Think about all your favorite foods and ingredients, and think about their nutrient breakdowns. Mentally award yourself points for eating nutritionally diverse foods. It’s a healthy thing to turn your ED instincts towards. Good luck!

(If people ask for sources I’ll add them, but I’ve already spent way too much time on this guide, so I won’t do it immediately.)

#biochemistry #nutrition #did #trans #ed #weight loss #nutritron science #eating disorders #health

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bentenharuki · 4 years

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I generally don’t do these but...

I will do this because it’s a badge of honor and a thank you for @todayintokyo who gives me a daily vibe out of my second fav Country in the world (first one is my own, of course. My messy, chaotic, genius Italy).

So for everyone interested (I won’t tag people either... if you are among my 250+ readers, do it as freely as you like to share this unexpected hard time along others. Sharing makes us all feel less stranded I guess :))

1. Are you staying home from work/school? Yep. My University (Milano Bicocca) holds in-house lessons and curses and also exams and testing are/will be online. What I miss most are the lab works and the exchanges with foreign schools. I took one a few months ago in London and I was supposed to have another in May but... NOPE, of course.

2. If you’re staying home, who’s there with you? I am alone in my apartment. At first it was supposed to be shared rent with somebody else but then my parents just bought this out and lent it to me. I know. I am spoiled. But very grateful for what I have. I always try to give back the best I can because no one has merits in being born in a family instead of another. (pieces of second-rate philosophy in all my LONG answers courtesy of my mum and her influence on me. She’s a University Professor and her field is.. guess what.. ETHICS PHILOSOPHY)

3. Do you have pets to keep you company? Nope. Not allowed. But I like cats. Cats. CATS. They are elegant, refined, very clean, and they give you consideration and affection ONLY if they like you. I prefer to conquer somebody’s love instead than to have it by default. Then I am naturally a cat person instead of a dog’s. But I like all animals (I like snakes as well, so my range is pretty wide ;)), even though I don’t feel missing any in house. Generally I would be out of home most of the day and no pet would be happy in staying that much alone. I miss my grandparents’ kitty tho :)

4. Who do you miss the most? Family. Friends. Meeting new people when out. And... (is it fine to say it?) Well... in these lockdown times I miss... human touch. (You get what kind). I was seeing a guy when this all started and my old boyf also came back into the picture somehow. All on hold. And I avoid to think how that makes me feel because even in case I’d figure it out, what comes if one can’t act on the awareness? Exactly. So I put it all in a LONG pause. But yeah... I miss contacts. A LOT.

5. When was the last time you left your home? I go out every Thursday to buy all my grocery stuff. I am very methodic. My supermarket is pretty near and it’s BIG and I get there right before it opens (well... one hour almost before it opens, so I can be among the firsts in line). I look like a ninja: very sporty and technically dressed (like for a running competition!) with clothes and shoes which are easy washable, tech mask (it is for cycling competition, with filters specifically medical: the mask is washable as well after you’ve used it, while the filter is obviously not), cotton fit gloves and over them medical gloves (I can’t wear directly medical gloves because my skin is very sensitive and I suffer from nickel allergia, which makes latex gloves a NO NO directly on skin), teck googles which cover also the side of my face (those are from cycling items too) and of course PODS in my ear because I can’t live without music :)

6. What was the last thing you bought? I bought online a few garden tools for my biggest balcony. I have ZERO skill with plants (and I am supposed to become a biologist... the nerve! LOL) but I am keen at making grow at least rosemery for my recipes. I have a little peach tree and it is all fine so far. I have hope I can do better and anyway I have time now ;)

7. Is quarantine driving you insane or are you finally relaxed? I try to keep my routine as it was before. I wake up and perform all my tasks exactly as I was doing before this all started. I am VERY organized and to lax on that would ruin me, so I carefully focus on what I can control the best I can. It feels strange to say it maybe but... this way my mood isn’t particularly affected by this heavy revolution in my (and everyone elses’s) life.

8. Are you a homebody? NOPE. I love people, I love my Milan and its being always full of people everywhere. I love living in my town a TON, I love meeting friends anywhere, go dancing, I love to live my University life in this beautiful and renewed part of Milan; I like being surrounded by my people and meeting new ones. So being stuck at home would seem insufferable for me. But I learnt from this (there’s always something to learn in any experience) that I can be surprisingly ok with staying home too. I came to know better my neighbors. I feel a sense of community with everyone living nearby and I have come to love my domesticity too. It was a surprise for me first ^.^

9. What movies have you watched recently? In Italy, Italia 1 channel has had the WONDERFUL idea to rebroadcast all Harry Potter saga every Monday and Thursday. Today and tomorrow there are the last two installments, so I can say that is what I looked out the most for as in movie things these past weeks (funny how I never particularly adored the books of HP, I mean, I liked them but... being a Tolkien’s devotee Rowlings’ literary efforts always seemed lackluster to me.. and still I have always liked the movies. It’s incoherent I know ;)). But I have Sky at home so I can watch whatever movie I like to whenever I want to. And that leads to VERY little watch actually. I am reading a ton though. I watch what passes on in the National channels actually, out of digital and cable and decide to watch it or not. For instance last Friday Rai 1 (main Italian Channel) broadcasted one of my fav movies from the past three years, GIFTED (with Chris Evans and Octavia Spencer) and I rewatched it with immense pleasure.

10. An event that you were looking forward to that got cancelled? OLYMPICS. I was supposed to be back in Japan with a a couple of friends and my bro for experience the Olympics (especially the volleyball tournaments) between July and August and that got (of course) cancelled. We plan to move it all to next year of course. But it hurts SO MUCH because it was easily what I was looking forward to BEST for all 2020. Hands down.

11. What’s the best and worst thing you’ve had to cancel? Look up. For the other question, I never plan things I don’t like (or at least I try my best not to) and I almost never find myself in the position of being happy for something I had going on which I had to pass due to circumstances. I am a very honest (sometimes to the point of bluntness, though with age I got trained in the fine art of diplomacy, which for me is declined especially in the “IGNORE WHAT IS NOT WORTHY degree) person and if there is something I don’t like I tend to not get involved with it in the first place.

12. Do you have any new hobbies? Eh... the longest list... I love so many things. Sport don’t count as hobbies to me because I treat them as part of my daily life constantly. So take them off. I like to write, to draw, to paint... I like reading, I like learning... I am a tech geek; I like gaming (but that I have to cut it or it would absorb me too much)... I like TRAVELING (that is cut off too of course nowadays), and many other things so I guess I don’t literally have SPACE for new hobbies. My many ones makes it impossible to fall for new things though lately I am becoming a better cook out of needs ;)

13. What are you out of? My lists are made as soon my things become “two items in from having 0″. This way I can’t run out of anything. Did I say already I am a HUGE control freak? THAT ;)

14. What music are you listening to? My itunes collections lists so far 12376 ALBUMS. Then I have the random songs. Latest one I bought (because I buy them all) is Achille Lauro’s latest 16 Marzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb-9RESbeWA

I am also listening a lot to one of my bro’s fav bands Radiohead and as usual a lot to my beloved Imagine Dragons. My mum and dad are also telling me to listen to Bill Withers (who recently passed away) whole discography because he was amazing. I love many music genres. I love ALL which makes the spirit soar and rage and evolve and love and cry and hope.

15. What are you reading? So far in quarantine I read 5 books. I have now to start ORIGINS by Dan Brown. I pick the books I have left unread randomly and that was the pick this time (people gift me with books constantly because they know I am a bookworm when I have spare time).

16. What are you doing for self-care? Keep loving myself and life and the world exactly the way I used to before this all started.

17. Are you exercising? Yup. Tapis roulant, golf training, stepper (all in my house lucky me) and mat and weight training. I have a routine for which I have to train at least one hour a day. NO EXCEPTION. I miss swimming but I will do. I am also in recovery after January’s knee meniscus intervention so my schedules are also taking that into consideration.

18. How’s your toilet paper supply? I'm OK. :)

19. Have you made any changes to your hair during quarantine? Nope. I love to stylize my hair but I don’t have specific cuts. It grows long and then I play with them hairstyles: braids, buns, ponytails, partitions and the likes.. But I have bleached hair and I had to follow my hairdresser advice because I can’t allow ugly roots to take dominance of me ^.^ So I bought the necessary to self bleach them. No need to say as soon as I will be able to, Hairdressers and Massages and SPA will be my first destination ^.^ (beside visiting family and friends of course).

I am fairly sure I put lots of typos and mistakes in this but I have my online lesson just starting in 8 minutes and I can’t review this (I generally never do it anyway). So forgive me and have a beautiful day ;)

STAY SAFE OUT THERE!!! Hugs K.

#ask list #wow my first one #and probably my last #covid19 #quarantine #lockdown #italy #milan #tag your friends #coronavirus

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jobtypeblog · 4 years

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As a label we have made efforts to properly engage in marketing bureaucracy and online visibility tactics that are required if you wish to engage certain audiences with your brand (especially younger internet-integrated generations). However, for creative satisfaction, and as experimental speculation with these micro-capitalist tendencies, as a transmitter of audio/visual media, we confront the orthodox of music marketing and media consumption by subverting these conventions in through poster design and music branding. We have continuously worked very closely with Gabriel Thomas, a visual graphics designer and 3D animator who has been instrumental in developing the accompanying visual language to our sound work. With 3D clay simulation software, we have designed typography and graphics that presents our collective warped vision of futurism and accelerated rave culture. We take inspiration from the radical science fictional and virtual visual styles of techno EDM music that has evolved through the 20th and 21st centuries. Below are some scans from a book titled Techno Style: The Album Cover Art, put together by Martin Pesch in 2003:

Below this is the artwork for DJ Haus’ Artifical Intelligence EP on Rinse:

Below are various Slump Sounds visual materials, flyer posters and visual branding eperiements:

^The above typographical experiments quite literally embody a visual comment market capitalist consumerist branding, by integrating the words ‘YOU MUST CONSUME’ backwards within the name ‘SLUMP SOUNDS’. To this end, we started plans for a website (shown below), and with Gabriel’s experience in web design assistance, have put together a conceptual mock-up that successfully incorporates the virtual potential of digital software and immersive screen art with DIY cyber-punk imagery. The visual concept is to can be accessed here: https://elated-shirley-a5af24.netlify.com/

These are collaborative efforts that involve a dialogue with Gabriel and direction from me and Al on the visual concepts behind the website, and though i consider this project a successful ongoing collaboration that will form a major part of my sonic practice, and that of the future of Slump Sounds, I am personally relatively unexperienced with design software and coding. Therefore I wanted to explore an alternative avenue of creativity, with the intention of a decidedly lower-fidelity visual language as a possibility for my final graduation exhibition in April. I have been drawn towards physical and more laborious methodologies of visual and sonic art, such as collage, printing, zine-making and sound production using analog hardware, without the need of a laptop. This sensibility can be seen in the virtualisation of non-virtual things such as graffiti or a marsh.

The search for meaningful and creatively satisfying sound work has led me to the world of analog art and audio programming with physical machines and tactile buttons and nobs. Admittedly, I’ve been very slow to embrace the potential of analog gear for a long time. I believe this has something to do with a sense of not believing myself to be as scientifically inclined as I felt was needed, or feeling the need to learn more about the engineering and mathematics of synthesis or sequencing. In hindsight, this is an unproductive outlook, especially considering the lineage of radical electronic artworks that were born from mistakes or glitches in systems of sound creation and reproduction that characterises a cyberpunk reading of experimental music. This desire intensified through a process of familiarising myself with pre-digital sound gear; what began as the need to hear cassettes and not owning a cassette deck, which forced me to choose one, locate it, buy it, and figure out how to get it to play what I wanted to hear, which then turned into vinyl and a mixer, and then cheap and simple drum machines. It still remains a part of my practice that I believe requires much more actual play and practice time... Still I contemplate the elusive nature of analog signal processing as when I first played a Casio electric keyboard at a young age. It is important to point out, however, that this does not thus lend me a masterful understanding of digital media processing either, only an ability to abuse to it to my own indulgent ends. Any effort to demystify this practice is a step in a right direction. Since my introduction to the keyboard, I can say for certain that my interest in electronic sound production and the history over human-machine interaction that defines parts contemporary society and techno-futurism has become a creative obsession. To live and work with meaningful creative disposition within the modernity of media noise and cultural saturation, and having been introduced to the infinite-possibility blank canvases of digital audio work stations at an early age, where my lateral creative mind quickly fostered an addiction to the stress of sonic novelty, erratic compositions that quickly deconstructed or changed an idea or process without allowing time for deep listening or trance-inducing sonic immersion, it has become impertinent for me to seek more visceral, authentic and tactile methodologies. Efforts to correct this habit of laptop art-making are a defining feature of my current personal interests, and my efforts to engage in a more authentically rooted and personal relationship to my sonic practice, extending beyond music and sound production into physical and visual art practices that steer clear from the transience of digital media online allow me to distance myself when I want to from digital work. My peers and I working within Slump Sounds are slowly making progress with collaborative analogue hardware production systems and studio building. Money and time are major factors in this process, though, as Simon Reynolds explains in his lecture on DIY, in some ways the romanticism of investing resources into more meaningful outcomes more appropriately reflects ‘a convergence of energies and passions‘. On the rare occasion I can return to Leeds during term time for longer than a day, I take the oppurtunity to connect with the label crew to work on the upcoming releases and discuss label business. Al owns a Roland SP808, an Arturia Microbrute and some decent speakers. I brought along my Korg Volca Beats, a reverb pedal and a folder of samples and noises from my own work and sampled from floppy disks and youtube videos. The attached Soundcloud file at the beginning of this post contains the resulting noises we made over about an hour of twiddling and listening. To me the sounds are an evocation of our collective interelations with Grime, Electro and DIY electronics. At the time we discussed as much as we could about the potential of performing with such a setup, and how possible it would be to get a project like that underway, with a focus on the ‘total package’ concept of physical releases, sleeve inserts, flyer promotion etc. that was conceptually a step back from the hyper aesthetics and digital marketting of Slump Sounds. We shared our fascinations with symbolism and aesthetic reflections of experimental arts cultures and avant-garde modes of living, carried through subversive strategies of music branding with the politics of contemporary DIY culture and cyberpunk. In an age characterised by rampant commercialism and media saturation, to what end can alternative practices provide meaning or transcendence from societal norms? Our decision was to begin developing a more DIY post-punk inspired subgroup uber the banner of Slump Sounds, where we could experiment with tactile art-making and more ambitiously conceptual projects not necessarily intended for club systems or commercial profit - enter, LosBundazGanks.

During this session, I talked with Al about my visual investigations into truth, hyperreality and simulation for my Major Research Project, and we decided to begin working on and combining the sounds we were producing with the visuals I have been collecting and researching. Of the 300 hundred or so images that we curated, all of them relate in some form to the idea of simulation and reproduction. The examples below consist of digital cuttings from an online version of the Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Trademarks, which were selected on the conditions of their visual or conceptual affiliation with the idea of simulation, truth or audio/visual fiction. My intrigue in the catalogue, which gives a written description of each logo, was in the symbiotic relationship between the written definitions and meanings of the symbols, which in turn represented aspects of market capitalism and commodification. These first drafts were then processed through effects on an old version of Microsoft Word. The ‘edges’ function can, with experimentation, produce a digitally rendered appearance of stamping or screenprinting, much like the DIY Zine making methods of hardcore music and art communities:

After this, we highlights the inherent entanglements of audsio/visual simulation and truth by juxtaposing these images with other found visual materials. The intention was to build moodboard for reference in the future when we will have the time and resources to develop the idea of a Los Bundaz Ganks physical release or performance.

This process has completely shaped my outlook for future projects, and I have decided to introduce a significant portion of this research into the ideas for the graduate exhibition in April. For an effective audio installation or performance, I consider it important to side-step the context of a gallery situation, which too often in my experience has provided little to no communication in some form other than the actual pieces/sculptures/sounds of the conceptual analogies or research methods that brought the artist to design/build/draw attention to in the first place.

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cici-celestial · 5 years

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I litterally couldn't sleep until I made this post.

Ooookay. SO.

As an avid pokemon fan, I am pretty excited for Pokemon Sword and Shield. I always am excited when a new game gets announced. I start counting my dollars, getting ready to preorder whenever I can, because I adore the games to an insane degree. I cannot wait for a Sobble to call my own.

But they also have announced that, as of the moment this post was written(June 20th, 2019), about 80% of the roster from the previous games will not be returning. And that made me pissed as all hell, even though most of my personal favorites were returning - Weavile, Milotic, Manectric, Ninetales, Mimikyu, etcetera. But still - I couldn't bring my growing collection of Pokemon into the Galar Reigon? Because they wanted to make the animations better, although they've stagnated past 2 gens? My Absol, my Emolga, my Venasaur, Staraptor, Luxray, Kommo-o, Floatzel, Ampharos, Typhlosion, and my large collection of legendaries, all gone, in what may now be considered a Pokemon graveyard. It makes me sad to think about.

Now, I know I sound like a spoiled brat whining about not being able to have all her toys, but to me, these were more than little digital creatures meant to battle. I'm emotionally attatched to these critters, for better or for worse. I want to keep them by my side as long as I can, and have the old generation step down and train the new one, making way for new favorites and memories while still holding onto the ome's I've kept with me since I was 10. I still have my Torterra from my first completed copy of Pokemon Pearl with me in USUM. I have my Absol, given from my brother, who became my favorite pokemon ever because of how much we bonded through our journey through Pokemon X. I have my Milotic - that I will get to keep, thank the gods - the best Pokemon I've ever trained and raised from an egg ever since Sinnoh, helping me in online and in game matches alike. Long story short, they're my friends, digital companions I've come to love.

I get what they are trying to do here, however, and I am mostly fine with it - balance the game's meta so it isn't flooded with overpowered 'Mons and Legendaries so newcomers can enjoy the online functionalities, too. They want to put most of their efforts into animations, good models, and the story. And that is fine. Better than fine, actually - I was waiting a model overhaul, or an animation overhaul to make things more interesting. And a lot of it is. Dynamax moves are visually impressive, as are the in-game cutscenes. But the normal attacks? The ones you'll be seeing through most of the game? The same as the ones since Pokemon X/Y, just cleaned up a bit. The models? Same as the ones since Pokemon X/Y, not counting Galar exlusives, just cleaned up a bit. They were good models and decent animations for the 3DS.

But I know Nintendo and Game Freak could do better. Especially on the Switch.

Niether Nintendo nor Game Freak aren't small companies. Pokemon isn't a small franchise. It might be the second most recognizable franchise in the world after Disney, in fact. The Switch is a pretty capable system that can hold some amazing games and a ton of data on it. So, if they are going to remove approximately 80% of all previous Pokemon, why not make this game and the pokemon within it the best it can be? They have the money for it, no doubt. Updated models, Unique animations for the pokemon and some of their moves, maybe. Like Stadium, or Gale of Darkness rather than 2 animations depeicting a special move and a physical move. Maybe have 2 more thrown in, one for each, if the stadium approach is too much. Maybe a Pokemon like Keckleon could change their actual color. Maybe the pokemon could follow you around in the overworld again, like in HG/SS or the Let's Go games, because they only have a limited set of models to make instead of over 800. There's so much potential to personalize the adventure if you limit the dex and the amount of Pokemon available in the game, more than what I could come up with at 1 am.

And yet, all I see is the same stuff from the 3ds games, and some stuff from Let's Go. Nothing new or exciting or anything that seemingly makes the lessened dex worth the loss. And no, Pokemon Home isn't the solution or the compromise I was hoping for.

If I'm going to lose my partners and leave them in Alola or in Home, then I at least want Galar to be good enough to be worth it. And I hope I'm eventually wrong by saying this, but right now, it doesn't seem like it will be.

TL,DR;

If they're gonna remove 80% of the previous pokemon and not allow you to transfer them to and from SW/SH, I at least want Pokemon SW/SH to be the best it can be with better animations and other such things, but that doesn't seem to be happening. Here's hoping that changes.

#pokemon swsh #pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon community #WOW that was long #but i needed to get this off my chest #it was driving me crazy #lol #rant #aaaand #goodnight

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dotzines · 5 years

Photo

Artist spotlight: aaron!

✿ Commissions ✿ Ko-fi Tumblr ✿ Tumblr ✿ Instagram

header source: [X]

Introduce yourself I'm aaron and I'm a filipino artist in California! Tokyo Mew Mew was the first manga I ever owned, and my favorites are Ichigo and Lettuce! I also love Kiyotaka Ishimaru from danganronpa, musicals, and the color yellow. When did you start drawing? Are you a digital or traditional artist? I've been drawing ever since I can remember! I used to draw random people, teen titans, or inuyasha. In high school, I got a hand-me-down wacom tablet from a friend and from there, I started creating my own ocs with backstories. I've been a digital artist since then. Do you use any traditional mediums? If so, which are your favorites? I use mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens. I really like using pink, blue, and purple highlighters to color in values, but recently I've been trying to collect actual artistic markers. I think they're calligraphy markers tbh, but they're double sided and they give me more colors so idc XD Why do you prefer traditional over digital? (or viceversa) I really like the accessibility of traditional- I can draw wherever I want, as long as I have a pen and paper. But for showing off my work, I'd much rather it be digital. Digital gives me access to so many colors and I can zoom in to create more details. It's also a lot cleaner than taking a picture with my shaky phone quality. What do you think is the most challenging part about being a traditional/digital artist? It's difficult for me to choose the correct colors. When I only did traditional, I'd only color in greyscale because that's what mangas did and that's all the colors I had. I can't really work with more than 3-5 tones/colors or else it'll get scared it'll look too busy. I always have to filter my colors to give them a little more life, because the first ones I choose are usually washed out. What inspires your pieces? I draw my ocs a lot! Drawing them in different ways and scenarios helps me solidify their designs and personalities. I will often have phases where I'll draw a LOT of my current favorite oc. Explain your "everyday" drawing process I'll either draw one single character in a flowy pose, or two characters interacting/posing together. I'll digitally sketch something out and keep erasing and re-drawing the lines on the same layer until I have my line art. I block out colors with a binary pen so that my basic color palette looks good and then select each color so I can put detail in it. Depending on how much energy I have, I'll do simple shading or I'll keep the lineart layer a little sketchy and just color over it for a lineless piece. I don't have a lot of practice with lineless because it takes a lot out of me, but sometimes I get really into it

image source: [X]

Do you have an artist you admire (or more than one)?

https://www.instagram.com/treindraws/ (lines/ colors)

https://www.instagram.com/pimikyuu/ (THICK lines, very cartoony)

https://www.instagram.com/thronekin/ (plush shaped characters, cute blush)

https://www.instagram.com/robobogart/ (designs)

https://www.instagram.com/fukashi_gimmick/ (recently followed, bright colors. interesting shapes/flow)

Is there an artwork you are most proud of? Why?

https://ubetaro.tumblr.com/post/182234099603/ubetaro-oh-mom-this-might-be-as-far-as-i-go

I really like this one because it's lineless and I put a lot of effort into the hair and giving it different colors

https://ubetaro.tumblr.com/post/181532773553/1shimaru-danganronpa-secretsanta

I am also proud of this one because it's TWO full body characters with a background and soft lighting. It took a lot of effort out of me but it was really satisfying to finish!"

Do you listen to music (or tv shows/films/anything else) when drawing? Yes! I listen to musicals, chill beats, or 80's/90's music. I can't hear what I'm thinking when the music is too jumpy and fun. I also get distracted when there are people talking, so I can't listen to films or letsplays when I draw

Johnny Balik - Honey khai dreams - through and through NIKI - I Like U Forrest. – Your Soul Lemon Boy - Cavetown Lyin' Eyes- Eagles Billy Joel- For The Longest Time Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love

image source: [X]

What makes art interesting for you? I like making things! I like how my brain comes up with things and i can make those things become a reality through my art. What do you do when art block strikes? If I want to draw, and my art is looking Ugly, then I draw big and messy. Whatever comes to mind naturally, I'll just put it down. I'll draw random people, or big anime eyes. I'll redraw something with a premade design so I don't have to think of the designs myself, or I'll draw someone in a spine-breaking pose and over-exaggerate the features. What’s the most valuable art advice you’ve ever received?

Experience things! When you experience things, it gives you a personal connection to use in your art.

#aaron #artist spotlight #red zone artists #red zone

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strontiumsun · 5 years

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New 8tracks! As I do around the holidays, I have prepared for you guys the next and final (for now) Heroes of Thantopolis character playlist! This time it’s for Redburn, the last of the main characters to appear in the story. His playlist is based around rhythmic and percussive-led songs. Give it a try if you’re tired of Christmas music!

Track listing and full lyrics under the cut:

Redburn playlist lyrics sheet

“Alphonso Muskedunder” by Todd Terje

Instrumental

“It Takes a Village!!” - $10,000 (FCC/Explicit Warning)

Lyrics source: Interpretation from music

Go!

It takes a village!

Oh it takes a village to settle

And every time that I meddle because I leave

Just like she’s over

Just like they’ll bring you down

[?]Bottomless bottomless service taxes!

My mates’ll bring me round.

Gogogo!

It takes a village!

Please allow me anybody else would see you now

Whoever you are

[?]and check will bounce

Oh yeah you’re gonna go far!

It takes a village! (fuck!)

“The Burglars” by Animal Collective

Lyrics source: AZ lyrics, likely official lyrics

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/animalcollective/theburglars.html

I could be a hare and I’d sneak into my private rivals dreaming I’m a burglar

Quick as any day in my fleeting little chest of hopefuls lost it to the burglars

I can be aware and ya maybe I’m the same like pirates likened to the burglars

Threat on any day and I’m hiding from the hare who’s also hiding from the burglars

I didn’t catch his name pow shot him on the range yow cause he was a burglar

Happens in the parks boohoo even in the old days stinking of the burglars

Happens in my home I never see it coming

When I was young we used to put alarms on our doors and screens like a burglar net

now that I’m older I’m sure that’s absurd that’s the word for the man who collects who’s he stealing from next

When I was young my parents yelled beware of the ivory man that will steal and sell

now that I’m older those words are still pure not the look of a crook in his books what’s he taking from you?

And worried peeps go on about it

Say a lot of changes better come

A pocket full of change is emptied by

A little gawky bright and bubbly bird

Lots of heroes out there thinking bout it but minutes of their lives are ticking down

and bottles full of love are drunken by a tricky trite and thirsty hungry bird

Blooming tips on tulip cones that

Don’t pay out they keep on growing

Costume thieves who never hand back half of what you end up owing

Has this town really gotten much better are the burglars gonna keep on trying to meddle with it?

Probably driving your car with someone

Close up your head cause are they reading your letters come on pack up the bed for betters

What you think you own you don’t watch out the burglars

Stealing from the day. Didn’t take a second. Listened to a record and they got away sneaky are the burglars.

When I cross their way like a helpless chicken bones will soon be clinkin wearing me for play bracelet on a burglar

Thought I was ok not as bad as some and sunset on the slums see another day happy are the burglars

Brush it all away or do I let it sink in? Is it my ambition just to turn away? Freedom for the burglars

What you think you own you don’t watch out the burglars

“I’m So Free” by Beck

Lyrics source: AZ Lyrics

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beck/imsofree.html

I'm on a tangent

Textbook ephemeral

Facts are confusing me

I'm so free now

I'm on a one-man waiting list

I'm bored again

I buried all my memories

I'm so free now

I see the silhouette of everything

I thought I ever knew

Turning into voodoo

I'm so free now

A panic cycle, sentimental

Feel it out until you know

It wasn't meant for you

I'm so free now

And the way that I walk

Is up to me now

And if I breathe now

I could scream now

You can hear me

From Topeka to Belize now

I'm gonna freeze out

These enemies out

They never see what I got

No need to bend my knees down

Heaven forbid

Time is running out

Nothing new under the sun

Better get down

I'm so free

Free from me

Free from you

Who am I supposed to be

In the middle of the day

With no good connection?

I'm so free now

They try to keep me down

With affliction

Alpha male fell asleep in the engine

I'm so free now

A horizontal aspiration

In the basement

With a digital lust for life

I'm so free now

I coin the phrase of the realm

Let it roll into the street

Like a token of sweet nothing

I'm so free now

And the way that I walk

Is up to me now

Hey nobody's going to keep me down

Nobody's going to keep me down

Gonna do, gonna do, gonna do what we want

I don't want to go

I don't want to go down

Gonna do, gonna do, gonna do what we want

“Amazing!” by Indicator Indicator

Lyrics source: Official video

https://youtu.be/g4y__Wm78II

Like some climactic scene

Hanging by fingertips over a ravine

In my mind I just let go, but it isn’t so

My hands must know what my head doesn’t know

Amen I live with a friend

Who wakes me up and picks me up from the floor again

In my mind I just let go, but it’s never so

My body must know what my heart doesn’t know

Oh, A-maze-ing Amazing, A-maze-ing Amazing

Amazing!

It is what it is and it is what it isn’t

Go about your day like it’s somehow your decision

All the noise saying there’s no choice

I mean it’s right but we don’t have to act like it’s right

You twist and twist until it’s you that gets twisted

Unassisted by a vision that seems for real but isn’t

Saying effort is rewarded, gold stars forever

It’s sordid and distorted but it’s how we keep the order so

The body solves what the mind makes

Muscle through the mental mistakes

The heart pumps through the heartache

Don’t know about you but I’ll have the steak

Oh, A-maze-ing Amazing, A-maze-ing Amazing

Amazing!

<It’s who you are>

So send a little love into the deep

To the tired old solider who never retreats

The machine watching everything

As you lie asleep

Releasing your soul out as steam

Oh, A-maze-ing Amazing, A-maze-ing Amazing

Amazing!

“Dbl Trbl” by Dinmachine

Instrumental

“The Death Graduates” by The Octopus Project

Lyric source: interpretation from lyrics

Shake down to the water, shake down where you wanna Chained down to the rail, shapes telling your secret Oh-oh-oh no, oh-oh-oh no, oh-oh-oh no, oh-oh-oh no Oh-oh-oh no, shapes trapped in stone, oh-oh-oh no, work, ten feet tall Oh-oh-oh no, secrets are been told, oh-oh-oh no, oh-oh-oh no Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh

Oh-oh-oh no, secrets are been told, oh-oh-oh no, words down below

Oh-oh-oh no, shapes covered in stone, oh-oh-oh no, oh-oh-oh no

Tigers only we all have them

Welcome someday will come power

Rising power, rising flower, rising tower and []

“Lots” by Dan Deacon

Lyrics: lyricsbox

https://www.lyricsbox.com/dan-deacon-lots-lyrics-dx136bf.html

Head south headstrong Wake each grey dawn Hold on weakness No prints princess Mother my nest Once choice to make Get ready to go Feel like we've been here before Without a choice and insecure Of where we'd be without this net around Yet we've always hated it

Now we stand a chance to break the chains And break lance that cuts into the heart And burns the essence of our dreams desire No hope in sight Held on too tight Skylines burnt down No crops dust cloud Blind dogs run deep Pale surf, cold feet Once choice to make Get ready to go Cold throne, no sire Black earth past fire Flushed out regret No past, no sense Brave days ahead None rest, none yet Once choice to make Get ready to go

“You’re My Best Friend” by Buhu

Lyrics source: Interpretation from music

Tracing hands, racing thoughts

Keep it close before they all split apart

Dollar bills and textured seams

Chasing myths, he says you’re abandoning

Well I can’t stand to see you suffering

You’re my best friend

Flash of light, so invoke

We can change or we will never all alone

Don’t short ending between

Chasing myths and he says you’re abandoning

Well I can’t stand to see you suffering

You’re my friend

You’re my best friend

Well I can’t stand to see you suffering

You’re my friend

You’re my best friend

There’s a sense of looking back

My best friend

#8tracks #heroes of thantopolis #music #playlist

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jghouse-asia-pacific · 3 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://www.jg-house.com/2021/08/21/message-kinshasa-part-i/

Message from Kinshasa, Part I

Outside the wall of gray fog approached, rolling down the mountain, rushing through the village, blotting out the sun. Inside Ronald sat in a chair, holding a cup of tea in one hand and pointing with the other at boxes of medical supplies in one corner of the room. The supplies had arrived the previous day, allowing him to treat the men, women, and children of Rutshuru in his clinic for another four to six weeks. But he wouldn’t turn away others, not even the hollow-eyed child soldiers, regardless of pressure from outsiders, including humanitarian agencies in Kinshasa or Paris. If he ran out of medicines early, he would find a way to obtain more.

“Everyone in these mountains,” Ronald said, glancing out the window at the fog, “is trapped in a cycle of violence from which few have hopes of escaping.” He looked at Sylvere for a moment before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.

When Sylvere himself looked out the window, straining to see through the fog, he could make out the mighty volcano, Nyamuragira, which still erupted from time to time, sending lava flows and noxious-gas clouds down on peoples and animals, including the critically endangered mountain gorillas.

“The only solution to the never-ending bloodshed in eastern Congo,” Ronald resumed, “is a precious metals and minerals industry developed by our people so we finally can provide opportunities for hopeless young men and women.”

Ronald, who sat next to a set of double doors at the front of the room, leaned forward in his chair and looked across the room at his young daughter who sat at a table at the back of the long space used as both a warehouse for the storage of the clinic’s supplies and an office for the administration of its operations. She was reading a book, probably acquired in Kinshasa, which appeared to be a textbook of either scientific or medical content from an academic institution.

“When Claudette grows up,” Ronald commented, gazing at his daughter, “she will become a doctor too, an even better one than I am.” His face beamed. “She will take over the medical practice from me when I am too tired to work any more,” Ronald added.

Suddenly, a noise, the loudest sound Sylvere ever had heard, pierced the air as six men, three who wore military fatigues and three who wore faded soccer jerseys, crashed through the set of double doors and burst into the room, firing automatic weapons. Sylvere didn’t move and couldn’t make a sound. Claudette screamed, and Ronald fell to the ground, his life gushing out of him in a pool of blood which expanded rapidly across a hard, concrete floor.

Man on Horse-Drawn Cart

***

Sylvere awoke with a start. He raised his head from his pillow and looked around. A heavy, red curtain extended the length of the sliding-glass door of the room, holding the darkness in place. A gathering of light, although faint, was visible at the edges of the curtain. He replayed the pictures of Ronald, his closest friend from school many years before. It was all a dream, a terrifying scene which haunted him.

Still it was true. Ronald was dead.

In the darkness, already giving way to encroaching light from a rising sun, Sylvere rolled over in the bed and reached for the digital clock on the night stand. The tips of his fingers just touched the back corner of the clock. Pushing it slightly so he could view its face, Sylvere saw the time—5:38. Early Saturday morning.

Sylvere noticed his violet-colored polo shirt and gray trousers, with the dark-blue suit jacket to one side, spread out neatly on the other half of the king-size bed. He recalled falling asleep on top of the covers still wearing his clothes around 9:30 the previous night. He also remembered taking off his clothes, putting on his nightgown, and crawling under the soft layers sometime in the night.

Pushing back the sheet and the gold comforter above it, Sylvere shifted his body to the edge of the bed and raised himself to a sitting position with bare feet planted on pale stone tiles. The tiles were not too cold. He looked once again around the room. It was, more precisely, a suite. Comfortable but not extravagant, it was a structure which occupied the southern side of the roof of Hotel Rastelli in the heart of Tervuren, a town in the Flemish section, also known as Flanders, of the land now called Belgium.

In his dream, Sylvere realized, Ronald was a younger man and his daughter, Claudette, approximately ten years old.

The date on which Ronald was killed by a group of heavily armed assailants in eastern Congo surged to the forefront of Sylvere’s mind. Less than a month earlier.

“What was I doing when Ronald was shot to death?” Sylvere asked himself in Kikongo. He tried to think, but he couldn’t recall. Most likely, he was relaxing in his recently renovated and newly enlarged house on Rue Gustave Hervé in Combs-la-Ville, or maybe visiting the cottage of his pal, Pinto, several streets to the west.

Then a new thought entered Sylvere’s mind: Ronald had become a father only once in his turbulent life. Now Claudette, Ronald’s only child, might be dead too. Just the day before Claudette, who recently had turned 20 years of age, had gone missing somewhere in the untamed mountains outside Goma, the largest city in the eastern Congo, on the opposite side of the country from Kinshasa.

Woman Wearing Blue Scarf

It was a beautiful but violent region, home to fragile communities of oppressed peoples and exotic, endangered animals under attack by heavily armed militants moving back and forth across borders.

A motion on the bed caught Sylvere’s attention.

Looking for the source of the motion, Sylvere focused on the suit jacket folded on one side of the bed. He realized the vibration had come from his mobile phone in the pocket of his suit jacket. His thoughts started racing.

“What is it?” Sylvere muttered in Kikongo.

He didn’t make an effort to check his device. He walked over to the table pushed up against the east wall of the room, picked up the half-full bottle of water, and drank the remainder of its contents. His glance fell on a second green bottle of water on the tabletop. This one he had not yet opened.

A scene from the previous evening appeared before his eyes.

On the roof-top deck, Chérubin, holding a glass of scotch in one hand, had revealed he and his bosses, Anna Adenuga and Carolina Dokolo, needed help from somebody in finding Claudette. As Chérubin spoke, he looked directly into Sylvere’s eyes.

Now Sylvere, turning back toward the bed, considered the possibility Chérubin was suggesting Sylvere should offer ideas regarding the whereabouts of Claudette.

Sylvere realized at no point on the previous day did he let it slip that his friends, Dikembe and Pépé, had been sheltering Claudette in Goma in eastern Congo after the attack in Rutshuru, 70 kilometers to the north. It had left the father dead and the young woman clinging to life. Didn’t Chérubin, Carolina, and Anna already know about Dikembe and Pépé and, therefore, that Claudette no longer was in the care of Dikembe and Pépé?

Sylvere admitted he never revealed any of this information, which he himself had learned only the previous afternoon. The question became, Sylvere realized, what should he divulge about his friends to Chérubin, Carolina, and Anna?

Anna, one of the richest women in Africa, and her personal secretary, Carolina, had arranged for Chérubin to bring Sylvere to Belgium for a meeting to determine how to rescue Claudette from eastern Congo.

Small Girl in Sand

Walking back over to the bed, Sylvere considered what might happen at the meeting, which was to be held that afternoon. He lifted up his suit jacket from the gold comforter covering the bed and removed his phone. When he looked at the screen, he saw a notification of an incoming text message from his wife, Josephine. Then he saw a second, earlier notification of an incoming text message, which had arrived while he was asleep. The earlier message had been sent by his second-youngest daughter, Kandgela. The time stamp showed 1:09am.

Sylvere opened the message from Kandgela. It was a complete surprise. She never sent text messages to him.

“I have more information regarding the man from Kinshasa, Justin Kabumba, who reached out to me through Facebook yesterday,” Kandgela wrote in French. The rest of her message contained details which came directly from the man in Kinshasa himself in addition to data Kandgela had collected from the man’s social-media account.

Sylvere looked up from his phone. As he allowed his gaze to drift toward the sliding-glass door covered by the heavy curtain, he started moving his bare feet across the pale stone tiles of the floor. His thoughts, too, started moving, at first slowly then very quickly.

Abruptly, Sylvere called his wife, Josephine, who now was awake and in the kitchen of their home in Combs-la-Ville. He wanted to assure her he was okay. “What do you hear of Serge and Penelope?” Sylvere asked instead, speaking in Lingala, the primary language of Kinshasa, where the two of them had met many years previously.

“Serge et Penelope Ntaganda? Les intolérables?” Josephine responded, speaking in French and using a popular description for the couple in the Congolese community. “Since when do you care about them?” she asked, switching to Lingala.

For the first time, Sylvere realized his wife knew nothing about his current activities nor about the people involved. He decided to ask his friend, Pinto, for his advice. For the moment, though, Sylvere remained silent.

“Well,” Josephine resumed, “now that you mention it, my friend, Berenice, just yesterday told me something interesting.” She paused for several moments, as if she wanted to build up the suspense and provide as much dramatic effect as possible for her husband’s benefit. “According to Berenice,” Josephine continued, “Serge and Penelope last week bought a new house in that recently completed gated community on the other side of town.”

***

#Africa, #Europe, #France, #LifeCulture #Africa, #Art, #Beauty, #Culture, #Europe

#Africa #art #beauty #culture #Europe

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cathal-mathers98 · 3 years

Text

Responsive Website Stages/Reflection

For my project IXD304, I decided to create a responsive website on Webflow. I already created a digital eBook, so I wanted to enhance my skills at creating websites. At the beginning, before I began researching websites, typography and Illustrations to draw, I already had an idea in my head as to what style I would like website to follow. And that was Art Deco.

I always liked this kind of style, how rich and wealthy it looked. It was more than a style, it was a type of ideology if you like. Highlighting the status of wealth and upper-class. My initial idea/plan was to create an art deco style website surrounding Sherlock Holmes. The reason for this was, that whenever I would see a Sherlock Holmes movie poster or banner etc. they all appear to be quite dark and gritty, which is expected from Sherlock Holmes stories, because its about crime and murder. I have watched quite a lot of Sherlock Holmes movies and TV shows to know this. But during my time viewing these, I have never seen a poster of Sherlock Holmes be associated with the art deco style. To be honest, I wouldn’t expect there to be, but I used this opportunity to do this exact action.

I wanted to combine the art deco style with Sherlock Holmes, as I thought it would be unique and interesting to see once completed. Anyway, the first stage of this was to collect some interesting art deco frames from Pinterest and Google, so I could conduct some Master/Apprentice tasks. As the content itslef was already provided, this saved me a lot of time working on the layout and typography. I was mindful not to collect too many frames, as I didn’t want to bombard my webpage with all these different types of art deco designs. The reason for this is that art deco can be overwhelming and too much to look at when included too many times.

Wireframes

Once my research was conducted and I had collected all the necessary assets needed for the website, I began drawing my design idea. The layout of the design came to me pretty quickly, as when I was researching websites, I’ve seen webpages laid out this way, in a two column layout. I thought this would be suitable for my design as it adds to the simplicity of the site. The bottom sketch is my first ever draft of my website, so there may be some elements which I have changed or improved on from then. I wanted to keep this wireframe quite simple, by mainly focusing on the layout and the illustrations etc. You can check the drawings out to see more detail on the layout.

Which then leads me to my second wireframe. For this one I decided to draw it as two columns to give me and the viewer an idea of what it would be like to scroll through the webpage. I made a few minor changes to this one, by adding extra border frames around images and icons. All the icons you see will be ( and is) created by myself so I can properly say the website is from my own creation. These sketches I thought were very helpful and vital to the organisation and presentation of my final design.

Frames

Once the sketches were complete, I then began using Webflow to make the foundations of my website. The first thing I did was add a frame, which will be the starting point of my banner. To cut it short, I had a few templates saved to my computer for me to trace in Illustrator. And one of these frames I used within my banner, which is shown above. It was nice design that didn’t take too long to create, as it only consists of shapes. I put it all together in Illustrator and added it as an image on Webflow. The links and the content I create in Webflow of course. This was an example of the frames I included in my websites. You will find more as you scroll through it. Each of these templates were created the exact same way in Illustrator, so there is no need to go into much detail about them all. The colours used in them were from examples I found online of posters and banners etc.

Typography

With regards to the typography, I used two types of font throughout the whole website. These were:

Andes

GatsbyFLF Bold.

I obtained these fonts on my research stage at the very beginning. I collected them on dafont.com and Adobe fonts. I simply researched art deco fonts and these were the best I could find. I really liked these two fonts because in places they were similar, however one was thicker/bolder than the other, which was exactly what I was looking for, for headings.

An example of these two fonts (from my website) used together would be this image:

Illustrations

These are like icons, maps and portraits I created in Illustrator to use on my site. There are quite a few Illustrations I made that is evident in my project. The first icon I created was Sherlock Holmes head, which is found on the Life and Times section. And also the map of baker street, which is seen below. This version was actually the first draft. The final design has some animation to it, which I did in Photoshop animation and also the buildings are gold, to correspond with the text colour.

The process to add animation to this image, is probably the hardest challenge I had to face within the website. I was advised by my lecturer to add animation to the image, but this is something I haven’t properly done before. So I had to watch videos on YouTube to see how I can carry out this task. Eventually after quite a lot of attempts I was able to make it into an animation, successfully. The only downfall was that the quality reduced. This was because it changed from a PNG to a GIF. And as GIFs have less colours in them, it appears quite pixelated. This was the only downfall. If I was to create this project again, I would look more into animation and how I could create a better graphic without making it a GIF.

Another illustration I created, which took more time than the others and also is larger, is the 221B Baker Street icon. Again, just like every Illustration I do, is from Adobe Illustrator, created by tracing an image of a front door and simply adding a few lines to indicate bricks and lanterns. Even though it took longer than the others, I still really enjoyed creating it. And if I were to do it again, I would probably add a bit of animation to the lanterns to get a bit of a flashing/diming effect.

With regards to all the other elements used in my website, there is nothing new to say about how they were created or its purpose. Every frame and icons is created the same way and the main purpose of the layout, frames, colour etc. is to add to the overall design of consistency, attraction, user-friendly and so forth.

In conclusion, I am pretty pleased with how the website has turned out. It took up a lot of time to create, but nevertheless its been rewarding. It is always fun to create art deco styled designs, this is a thing this project as taught me. It has taught me creating an appealing website can be very time-consuming and at times challenging if I am not sure about a particular areas which I am trying to accomplish.

If I was to do this project again, the thing I would do differently would be to add some JavaScript to my bar chart, so it appears more interactive, using Chart.js. I was unfamiliar with this application until I received feedback. I was already to begin using chart.js, until I found out that you have to upgrade your package on Webflow to unlock the ability to add CSS, JavaScript or any other code to your website and considering I have the starter package, I was unable to require this code. This was frustrating, as I am already a paying subscriber to Webflow, but not eligible for this action. Nevertheless, this is what I would do differently second time around, if given the chance.

The one thing I wish I learnt before doing this module, was the ability to create animations from static images or graphics. For example, the process with creating my Baker Street map. If I had the knowledge to animate this before, I wouldn’t have to waste time watching videos on YouTube on how to animate, or even the effort of creating the animation several times, until I get it right.

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cinemamablog · 4 years

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Children’s Books about Hollywood and Film History

I’ve collected children’s books for Oliver since before I even knew Oliver existed. I saved my own copies of Tomie dePaola’s The Art Lesson and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. I bought used copies of out-of-print childhood favorites, like A Baker’s Portrait by Michelle Edwards. Books were a major part of my childhood. My parents once owned a children’s book store, first in Sioux Falls and later in Sioux City. (I was no intelligentsia though; I also played video games all afternoon and stayed up until 3 AM watching infomercials.) I wanted to give my children that same foundation and love for books, because I’m convinced that strong reading skills can help you in every aspect of your life. (Communication, empathy, problem solving… Those skills apply to pretty much any profession ever.)

Once I gave birth to Oliver last July, I discovered many options for inclusive books about artists and scientists from all different time periods and backgrounds. I struggled to find similar resources for children on film or Hollywood history, though. Movies are such a key component of our household, I worry my kids would be flummoxed by their parents’ passion for film if we don’t teach them some of the basics. I want to write my own children’s book about women in film someday, but in the meantime, I figure if I want Oliver (and soon Ezra) to develop a base knowledge of Hollywood history, I needed to start searching out books about film for children.

I’ve compiled my favorite children’s books about film here, ranging from board books for babies to chapter books for independent readers or reading together. These books cover a variety of topics: animation, performers, Universal Monsters, early Hollywood history, and more. I’ve also embedded links so you can order them online, though I do encourage you to search your public library’s online catalog first (for the Sioux City Public Library, click here) or consider ordering copies from your local bookstore! In Sioux City, Book People is our only independent bookstore and they can order almost anything for you. You can visit them online here or on their Facebook page here.

For itty bitty babies who would rather chew on their books than read them, the pickings are slim but at least you have a couple options. I recommend the “Little Artist” board book set, written by Emily Kleinman and illustrated by Lydia Ortiz. The collection includes four books, each book featuring four artists. Kleinman organizes the artists into these categories: painters, sculptors, musicians, and performers. In the “performers” book, your little one will enjoy bright, vivid, and simple illustrations of Charlie Chaplin and Josephine Baker, accompanied by a simple sentence describing why they matter in art history. (Chaplin for his success in silent film, Baker for her dancing and spy activities.) This series clearly makes an effort to maintain gender balance, featuring two men and two women in every book, and also racially inclusive, featuring at least two people of color in every book. “Little Artists” also earns some bonus points because these books are the perfect size and texture for teething babies.

Another board book option for your tiny baby is the “Little People, Big Dreams” series. The series publishes most of their books in paperback, as well as condensed and simplified board books, so your child can grow with the series. The books focus on a variety of fascinating achievers throughout history, in professions from fashion to science, but your film history choices include personalities like actress Audrey Hepburn, dancer Josephine Baker (there she is again!), and martial artist Bruce Lee. I personally own the Frida Kahlo and Ella Fitzgerald board books from this series and find them engaging and informative without getting too lengthy for a baby.

Moving on to picture books! Both of these books are ideal for reading aloud to your little one, though one is a bit more complex than the other.

Let’s start with the simpler of the two picture books: Mary Blair’s Unique Flair, written by Amy Novesky and illustrated by Brittney Lee. This appropriately colorful book tells the story of Mary Blair’s artistic childhood, and later, her career at Disney. The book takes time to explain how Blair drew inspiration from Latin America and other geographic landscapes, which influenced her concept art for classic movies like Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Mary Blair’s Unique Flair respectfully emulates Blair’s style and celebrates her career and achievements. Blair serves as a positive role model for any young artist.

For a bit heavier of a picture book that tackles identity and gender politics head on, I recommend Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor, written by Laurie Wallmark and illustrated by Katy Wu. The book explains to the young reader how Lamarr’s glamorous screen persona and otherworldly good looks actually worked against her inventive ambitions. Lamarr was an amateur scientist and inventor with great ideas, but she had a hard time getting people to take her seriously because of her gender and world-renowned beauty. The government went as far as ignoring her most groundbreaking invention (frequency hopping, the precursor to Wi-Fi) for years and therefore keeping her major contribution to science a secret until the 1950s. This book makes for a brilliant companion to the recent documentary Bombshell: the Hedy Lamarr Story, currently streaming on Netflix. A whole lesson plan can be built around the book and film: you can teach your child(ren) about the scientific method, classic film, and the dangers of judging a book by its cover (or its gender).

For independent readers or for parents wanting to introduce little ones to long-form storytelling, I adore the “Who HQ” series of non-fiction books. The series includes what seems like every topic in history ever, but I especially enjoy their film history books, including Who Was Charlie Chaplin?, Who Was Alfred Hitchcock?, What is the Story of Frankenstein?, and Where is Hollywood? (While the Frankenstein book covers the entire history of Mary Shelley’s story and subsequent cultural impact, it dedicates many pages to the history of the classic Universal Monsters, so I chose to include it in this list.) I appreciate how this series spotlights supporting players in the narrative by providing sidebars for significant persons or events. For instance, the Alfred Hitchcock book dedicates a page to the career of Patricia Highsmith, the writer of the novel that inspired Hitch’s screen adaptation, Strangers on a Train. (I also love how the Hitchcock book stresses the collaborative nature of Hitch’s relationship with his wife, Alma.) Each book in this series provides supplementary materials, like illustrated timelines and bibliographies for further independent research. (A great resource for a research project or just for finding more books to read for fun!)

For parents who enjoy teaching and engaging with your kids at home using multimedia elements, or even for homeschooling families, as your children grow older (I’m thinking toddlers and onward), you can pair most of these books with full films or clips, as I suggested for the Hedy Lamarr picture book. For shorter attention spans, you can watch Josephine Baker dancing the Charleston, Charlie Chaplin short films, Bruce Lee fight scenes, and Audrey Hepburn dance numbers from musicals like My Fair Lady and Funny Face for free on YouTube. You can Google Mary Blair’s concept art together and then watch the resulting films either on Disney+ or through a digital rental. For older children, you can pay $11.99 for a monthly Criterion Channel subscription and dive into entire filmographies after you read about prolific filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, and Carl Laemmle Jr. That’s one nice thing about the Production Code of early Hollywood: most movies are family-appropriate, though you may have to address dated or problematic elements. (Such as the pre-code trope that if a female character makes immoral decisions, she either must repent or die, but usually both.)

I might write a follow-up post as I get introduced to more children’s books about film history. I’m especially interested in finding books for children that describe the inner workings of a movie set. Message me your recommendations! I didn’t learn about how movies are really made until I went to college and fell in love with the art form! It’s never too early or too late to learn something new. I also want to put together a zine to share with my readers, one that serves as a prototype for one of my dream projects, the “Women in Film” book I mentioned earlier in this post. Keep your eyes open and keep reading; your local CineMama has big dreams and you just might watch them come true in this space!

#books #critique

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