#but i had to delay it and now everyone who was born before 2000 makes babey jokes >:(

[catbountry]

It has been 22 years since 9/11; I was 15 years old in second period art class when a kid, who'd been running down the hallway, opened the door and announced a plane had hit the World Trade Center, and then ran off down the hall, leaving everyone confused. The principal advised teachers not to turn on televisions for us when this was happening, leaving us in further confusion as he tried, feebly, to carry out the rest of the day. We were dismissed before lunch, before fourth period ended.

There are people who are able to legally drink that weren't born yet when this happened and let me tell you, the actual event was fucked up but what happened afterwards, the decisions made in the wake of this fucking event, are a big reason why everything is so fucked up now.

I remember the color-coded terror threat chart, explained by Tom DeLay, who would become a minor internet meme just because of a weird photo of his face. I remember the phrase "known unknowns" in regards to justifying the invasion of Iraq. The "yellow cake" uranium. Being assured that there were weapons of mass destruction. Shock and awe. Bush in a flight suit in front of that "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" sign. The 2000's was the decade of neo-conservatism and 9/11 was a glorious and golden opportunity to have what America had lost with the fall of the Soviet Union; an ideological enemy that hated us because of how great we were. A perfect vessel to pump patriotic sentiment into the public. And it worked... kind of. Not so much for us younger people, those of us who were teenagers or in our 20's. You have to understand that we were at a point where Jon Stewart, the host of the Daily Show, was considered to be some sort of beacon of truth. We would rather get our news from a satirical news program than the actual news, because Stewart would at least recognize the absurdity of it all. A lot of artists did. Green Day's American Idiot is considered to be their most important album and the whole thing was a protest album. I've always had a soft spot for Radiohead's Hail to the Thief for the same reason. Counterculture was dark and bitter and cynical and brooding, and often incredibly edgy, flying directly in the face of the propaganda about how great America was. Counterculture was more queer, more atheist, dressed in black and online, making memes about 9/11. 9/11, this day that was supposed to be symbolic of the nation's greatest modern-day tragedy since the assassination of John F. Kennedy or the bombing of Pearl Harbor, was being photoshopped to make it look like Hulk Hogan was taking down the Twin Towers through sick wrestling moves. 4chan seems to have since been infected with reactionary brainworms over the course of the 2010's, but in the 2000's, counterculture wasn't conservative. It was making conservatives upset. We saw destruction and mass human death played on repeat over and over and we grew numb to it. Desensitized. We saw the obvious emotional ploy that was being used as an excuse to inflict even more violence and oppression on people on the other side of the globe. We reveled in shock sites, in edgy jokes, in transgression, in scaring the normies.

The young men who fall into the alt-right rabbit hole, who might not even be old enough to remember 9/11... I can't help but wonder what they think of it. Because they still want to be edgelords, but now to own the libs. To work in service of the very same people that we were trying to piss off 20 years ago. Trump spoke on 9/11 about how now, the Trump Tower, which had once been the tallest building in Manhattan, was now back to being the tallest building in Manhattan. He's a completely different breed from Bush, Cheney and company. Completely self-interested. Not even bothering with the pretext of things like conviction or truth. Truthiness incarnate. Embrace it. Feel it. Be it.

I think back to a few years ago, I posted a doge meme with the child doge in front of the Twin Towers, with a joke about how great the future was going to be in the coming decade. I had a teenager try and educate me on how insensitive this was. They hadn't even been born yet and I snapped at them that the meme was a real sentiment, that all of us who were old enough to remember essentially watched our futures explode on television, over and over, in a fireball of jet fuel.

This went stream of consciousness again. It always does. It's hard to summarize 9/11 and its aftermath in a cohesive way because we're still living in the shadow of it. COVID-19 is now the big historical event that traumatized us all that we will have to reckon with for decades to come, and how it affected young people growing up at the time. The new scar on our collective psyche. But 9/11 will continue to be that formative scar. Before that for me, it was Columbine, but only because the aftermath did directly affect me. Before that? Princess Diana's death, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the O.J. Simpson trial, and of all of those, the bombing was perhaps the most actually impactful on us. Before 9/11, it was the largest terrorist attack on the United States, carried out by a far-right racist retaliating against the FBI firebombing a compound because a pedophile cult leader with a bunch of guns refused to give up and used his child brides as human shields. That'd be Waco, by the way.

There was another bombing of the World Trade Center that happened in 1993. It was much smaller, using a bomb inside a van in a parking lot underneath; it's the reason Biggie rapped about "blowing up like the World Trade." Osama bin Laden was also behind that one but that wouldn't be fully realized by us until 1996. It only killed six people. It was considered a failed attempt; it was supposed to take down the entire North Tower. It didn't come out of nowhere. The CIA knew that this was in motion since Clinton was in office, and this ball got rolling because of training the United States offered to resistance fighters in Afghanistan against the Soviets in the 80's. I remember the shock I felt first seeing that photo of Donald Rumsfeld shaking Saddam Hussein's hand, knowing about the Gulf War and living through the War in Iraq. All these puzzle pieces are scattered on the floor and my brain is making connections between all of them as I try and fit them together. I'm looping red string around push pins and asking who Pepe Silvia is, except it's not a conspiracy, it's just me trying to fully grasp this event that happened in my lifetime, before I was an adult but after I'd started paying attention to the news regularly and had developed an interest in politics. Just as I was forming my own political beliefs. 9/11 and its aftermath has informed so much of who I am politically, and what my values are. George W. Bush is my Nixon, and yet, somehow, things got so much more cartoonishly worse as I entered my 30's that I was in denial about it until COVID. Trump's presidency felt like a clown show. How on earth was I supposed to take this man seriously? This motherfucker made the neoconservatives appear restrained and reasonable by comparison, and those motherfuckers are actual war criminals.

I can only really tell people who are too young to remember what this era was like what it was like. It's hard to explain if you weren't there in that moment. We're seeing Y2K nostalgia become a thing, which fits, because of the 20 year minimum big nostalgia cycle, as those whose childhood was 20 years ago are now young adults. And some of those adults were born after 9/11. They never knew the world before it. I knew, but I was a child and couldn't really fully grasp it. The 90's felt very distinct from the 2000's, with it's very open cynicism and even nihilism in the very first years of a society with no Soviet Union.

If only we knew how bad things really would become.

#not fan fiction

[incorrect-hs-quotes]

Nepeta: :33 < man 2008 had some bangers!!!!!!

Aradia: there was a financial crisis

Nepeta: :33 < sorry i was like 11 i only remempurr the bangers

#me too 🤘😔🤘 #every day i see people talking about being like . double digits in 2008 #the mid 2000s yknow #and im sitting here. like. 🙃 i was Seven #i still remember the bangers tho. i definitely remember the bangers #man my parents got married in 1996 they wanted a fuckin kid right tf away #i just. REFUSED to show up. for FIVE YEARS #i was like NO. NO !! NO !!!!!!! FUCK YOU and then 2001 and i just went ok. yknow what. fuck it #so like #i coulda. very easily been like. born In Johns Birth Year #but i had to delay it and now everyone who was born before 2000 makes babey jokes >:( #but thats a double edged sword cause if i was currently 24 then i wouldnt be able to be friends with all the people im friends with rn #like online ways cause a lot of you are younger than me #cause itd be a little weird !! #i cant be 24 saying im friends with like. a 14 year old #14 right NOW is pushing it and im 19 #so . HH #homestuck #incorrect homestuck quotes #submission #peridot-the-kitten #mod dave #nepeta leijon #aradia megido

[calzona-ga]

She might change her mind; she certainly has before. But midway through an interview, Ellen Pompeo casually drops the bomb that after more than 360 episodes, the upcoming 17th season of “Grey’s Anatomy” may be its last.

“We don’t know when the show is really ending yet,” Pompeo says, answering a question that was not at all about when the show might end. “But the truth is, this year could be it.”

Pompeo has played Meredith Grey — the superstar surgeon around whom “Grey’s Anatomy” revolves — since its start. The show, created by Shonda Rhimes, premiered on ABC on March 27, 2005, and became an immediate, noisy hit. Since then, for a remarkably long time in Hollywood years, the drama has been among the most popular series on TV, even as the landscape of television has changed seismically. At its Season 2 ratings height, the program drew an average audience of 20 million viewers. And all these years later — in a TV universe now divided by more than 500 scripted shows —“Grey’s” ranks as the No. 1 drama among 18- to 34- year-olds and No. 2 among adults 18 to 49. In delayed, multiplatform viewing, Season 16 averaged 15 million viewers.

Strikingly, technology is such that teenagers who were born when the show premiered, and later binged “Grey’s” on Netflix, watch new episodes live with their parents. The series has spawned two successful spinoffs for ABC, “Private Practice” (which ran from 2007 to 2013) and “Station 19” (which enters its fourth season this fall). “Grey’s Anatomy” has been licensed in more than 200 territories across the world, translated into more than 60 languages, and catapulted the careers of music artists — from Ingrid Michaelson and Snow Patrol to Tegan and Sara and the Fray — whose songs have played during key emotional sequences.

In its explosive initial success, “Grey’s Anatomy” was an insurgent force in popular culture. The Season 1 cast featured three Black actors — Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr. and Isaiah Washington — as doctors in positions of power at the Seattle hospital where the show is set, and Sandra Oh played the ambitious intern Cristina Yang, who would become Meredith’s best friend. For the women characters, the “Grey’s” approach to sex was defiant and joyful, starting in the pilot with Meredith’s one-night stand with Derek (Patrick Dempsey), who turned out to be one of her bosses at the hospital.

Rhimes presented these images to the world like they were no big deal, when in fact, nothing like “Grey’s” had ever been seen on network television. Krista Vernoff has been the “Grey’s Anatomy” showrunner since Season 14, as anointed by Rhimes, and was the head writer for the first seven seasons. She remembers the moment she realized how radical “Grey’s” was — a medical show driven entirely by its characters instead of their surgeries — as she watched an episode early in Season 1. “My whole body was covered in chills,” Vernoff recalls. “I was like, ‘Oh, we thought we were making a sweet little medical show — and we’re making a revolution.’”

Still, no one expected “Grey’s Anatomy” to become the longest-running primetime medical drama in TV history, outlasting “MASH” and “ER,” the previous record-holder. Since 2005, “Grey’s” has inspired countless women to become doctors, and along the way, its depiction of illness has even saved a few lives. The show has remained popular through three presidential administrations, the Great Recession, tectonic shifts in how people watch TV and two cultural reckonings — one feminist, one anti-racist — that demonstrate how ahead of its time “Grey’s Anatomy” has always been.

And they’re not done yet. When Season 17 premieres on Nov. 12, “Grey’s Anatomy” will tackle the subject of the coronavirus as experienced by the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, all while filming under strict COVID-19 protocols. The season is dedicated to frontline workers. And Pompeo, a producer on “Grey’s” — whose Meredith has removed a live bomb from a patient’s body, was in a plane crash, was widowed after Derek died in a car accident, was beaten nearly to death by a patient and, in a separate incident, actually did die briefly after a ferry accident — is intent on making the show top itself once again.

“I’m constantly fighting for the show as a whole to be as good as it can be. As a producer, I feel like I have permission to be able to do that,” Pompeo says. “I mean, this is the last year of my contract right now. I don’t know that this is the last year? But it could very well could be.”

Pompeo has been refreshingly transparent about her fight to become the highest-paid female actor on television, having detailed a few years ago how she negotiated a paycheck for more than $20 million a year. She clearly knows what she’s doing with these frank pronouncements as well.

As Pompeo laughs over the phone from her car, she says in a near shout: “There’s your sound bite! There’s your clickbait! ABC’s on the phone!”

The “Grey’s Anatomy” team — led by Rhimes and executive producer Betsy Beers — created the first season in a vacuum, because the show did not have an airdate. The 2004-05 season was a comeback year for ABC because “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost,” both of which debuted that fall, became phenomena — not only ratings successes but also watercooler events.

But at “Grey’s,” Rhimes was getting noted to death by network president Steve McPherson. According to Vernoff, McPherson — who resigned in 2010 under a cloud of sexual harassment allegations — stonewalled with “pushback every step of the way,” as ABC’s then- head of drama, Suzanne Patmore Gibbs, fought for the show. Vernoff was close with Patmore Gibbs, who died in 2018, and recalls her talking about her clashes with McPherson.

“He just didn’t get it; he didn’t like it,” Vernoff continues. “Honestly, I’m going to say, I don’t think he liked the ambitious women having sex unapologetically.”

Wilson, when she was cast as Miranda Bailey on “Grey’s,” was a New York theater actor (“Caroline, or Change”) relatively new to series television. But she was well aware of the network’s issues. “We took a creative break around the Christmas holiday, which to me meant ‘Oh, we’re out of a job.’”

Pompeo was frustrated: “Once we finally got an airdate, two weeks before that airdate they wanted to change the title of the show to ‘Complications.’”

In an email to Variety, McPherson disputed these assertions, saying, “I made the original deal with Shonda. I developed ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ at the studio. I picked it up at ABC.” He praised Patmore Gibbs, and added, “As for defaming me again and again, I don’t know what to say other than it’s sad that anyone feels the need to spread lies about me.”

Yet there was so little faith in the show that the writers were asked to clear out their offices when they finished the season. But to Vernoff, who had clicked right away with Rhimes, the early episodes had “felt like a labor of love.”

And it was worth the battle. “We fought for the right for Meredith and Bailey to be whole human beings, with whole sex lives, and not a network TV idea of likable,” Vernoff says. “You might not have been likable, but now you’re iconic.”

As far as the medicine went, the cases were often ostentatious. “Every kind of crazy accident that had ever caused terrible harm to any human ever, that was our homework at night,” Vernoff says. It was up to Zoanne Clack, an emergency room doctor-turned-writer, to be a sounding board in the writers’ room. She began as the only doctor on staff during the first season, and is now an executive producer. “What was interesting was that the writers don’t have those boundaries because they don’t know the rules, so they would come up with all of these scenarios, and my immediate thought was like, ‘No way!’” Clack says. “Then I’d have to think about it and go, ‘But could it?’”

When the program finally premiered — on a Sunday night after “Desperate Housewives” — to massive ratings, it was a shock to the cast and crew, given that they had shot the first season under a cloud, Pompeo says, adding, “So the fact that the numbers were that huge the first time we aired was a big f–k-you to McPherson!”

With Season 2 now a given, everything changed, Vernoff says: “It was like a hurricane-force gale, and everyone was just trying to hold on.” They had made 13 episodes for Season 1, airing nine of them and holding the final four for Season 2 — Meredith finding out that Derek was actually married (to Addison, played by Kate Walsh) had felt like the perfect finale. But upon the writers’ return, Vernoff says, the feeling was “Holy s—. We have to make 22.”

The entire cast — mostly unknown actors like Katherine Heigl as the sunny Izzie Stevens, T.R. Knight as the chummy neurotic George O’Malley, and Justin Chambers as the troubled, secretly vulnerable Alex Karev — had become famous overnight. For Wilson, whose Bailey was the stern teacher the interns called “the Nazi,” it was a new experience. “Folks were scared to talk to me, like in the store or in the Target — people would just kind of leave me alone,” she says. “It was like, ‘What’s going on?’”

According to Vernoff, “Paparazzi were following the cast to work — it was wild.”

The mid- to late-2000s were the height of glossy gossip magazines such as Us Weekly (and its copycats), as well as the inception of TMZ and Perez Hilton as celebrity-hounding, news-breaking forces that fueled (and soiled) the fame-industrial complex. The cast of “Grey’s Anatomy” was firmly in the sights of these new, often toxic forces in media.

Pompeo says the cast was so talented that it “was all worth it” — but yes, the transition to stardom was hard for the group: “At the time, it was just a real combination of exhaustion and stress and drama. Actors competing with each other — and envious.”

Heigl, Knight and Isaiah Washington all went through press cycles that made the show seem scandal-prone. To rehash it all now seems pointless; you can look it up. Washington was fired in June 2007. Knight and Heigl asked to be written out of the show preemptively, in Seasons 5 and 6, respectively.

Vernoff and the other writers were watching the internal messes unfold. They had to deal with how the fallout affected the show’s plot, as when Washington was fired just as Burke, his character, was about to marry Cristina. “When word comes down that an actor is leaving the show, and what you’ve got scripted is a wedding …” Vernoff trails off, laughing.

“There was a lot of drama on-screen and drama off-screen, and young people navigating intense stardom for the first time in their lives,” she continues. “I think that a lot of those actors, if they could go back in time and talk to their younger selves, it would be a different thing. Everybody’s grown and changed and evolved — but it was an intense time.”

Pompeo doesn’t want to talk about what happened with individual actors from the show, because when she has in the past, “it doesn’t get received in the way in which I intend it to be.” But she does make a point about the way television is produced. “Nobody should be working 16 hours a day, 10 months a year — nobody,” she says. “And it’s just causing people to be exhausted, pissed, sad, depressed. It’s a really, really unhealthy model. And I hope post-COVID nobody ever goes back to 24 or 22 episodes a season.

“It’s why people get sick. It’s why people have breakdowns. It’s why actors fight! You want to get rid of a lot of bad behavior? Let people go home and sleep.”

Debbie Allen would eventually be Pompeo’s savior in that regard, but that was years away. Allen — an actor and a dancer — began her directing career when she was on the 1980s TV series “Fame” as a “natural progression” because, she says, “I was in charge of the musical numbers, and so many directors didn’t really know how to shoot them.” She went on to be a prolific director and producer, most notably overhauling NBC’s “A Different World” after a tumultuous first season. As a fan of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Allen wanted to work on the show, and in Season 6, she was hired to direct. To prepare for it, Allen shadowed Wilson, who had been tapped to direct by executive producer-director Rob Corn. (“He came to me and said, ‘You should direct,’” says Wilson, who has now helmed 21 episodes. “And I said, ‘OK.’ Because I didn’t know what else to say.”)

Directing that sixth-season episode led to Allen’s fruitful relationship with “Grey’s.” In Season 8, Rhimes wrote Allen into the show to play Catherine, a star surgeon, a love interest for Richard Webber (Pickens) and the mother of Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams). Ahead of Season 12 in 2015, Allen became the show’s EP/director. Her duties included hiring all of the directors, weighing in on scripts and casting, and, as Allen puts it, “minding that people feel good about themselves.” Several years before the revived #MeToo movement would lead to calls for systemic changes behind the camera in Hollywood, Allen set a goal of hiring 50% women directors. She also increased the number of Black men who directed “Grey’s” during her first season as executive producer, among them Denzel Washington. (When she sold him on it, she recounts, he said to her, “I’m going to say yes, Debbie Allen.”)

Pompeo and Allen are close. Allen began her new role the year after Dempsey left, “at a time when we were really broken,” Pompeo says. “And so much of our problems were perpetuated by bad male management. Debbie came in at a time when we really, really needed a breath of fresh air, and some new positive energy.”

Pompeo continues with a laugh: “Debbie really brought in a spirit to the show that we had never seen — we had never seen optimism! We had never seen celebration. We had never seen joy!”

According to Pompeo, Allen began advocating for her to have more humane hours — Fridays off (Pompeo: “And I was like, ‘What? What? Fridays off?’”) — and for the show to shoot 12-hour days maximum, and ideally no more than 10 hours (Pompeo: “And I was like, I love this woman.”).

Allen speaks affectionately about her bond with Pompeo. “Coming out of Boston, she’s so earthy and real in a way that you might not know,” Allen says. “There’s a sisterhood between us — I guess you would say it’s almost a Blackness that exists between us. And she’s part of our tribe.”

Allen has been a key member of the “Grey’s Anatomy” brain trust since Season 12, and two seasons later, Vernoff returned to run the show. She’d left at the end of Season 7, consulted on “Private Practice” for a few years, and then went to Showtime’s “Shameless” for five seasons. As her contract was set to expire, Rhimes asked Vernoff to lunch, and told her she wanted her to take over. “It felt like she was saying, ‘Hey, our kid needs you,’” Vernoff says.

Before accepting the offer, Vernoff had to catch up on the show. She had always written “Grey’s” as a romantic comedy, and what she saw on-screen during her binge was dark as hell — especially after Derek’s death. “If this show that you are currently making is the show that you want ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to be,” she recalls telling Rhimes, “I am, in fact, not the right writer for it.” But Rhimes was insistent, saying it was time for a change after the mourning period for Derek.

Vanessa Delgado, who started as a production intern during the seventh season and has worked her way up to being lead editor and co-producer, says the show’s trajectory shifted when Vernoff came back — it was a return to the original, saucier tone of “Grey’s.” “We changed the music completely,” Delgado says. “The dialogue felt lighter and more fun, and wewere having fun again.”

That lightness will be difficult to maintain this year, of course, when, as Allen puts it, “COVID is No. 1 on the call sheet right now.”

Vernoff at first wondered whether “Grey’s” should ignore the coronavirus, thinking the audience comes to the show “for relief.” But the doctors in the writers’ room convinced her this wasn’t the time for escapism, saying to her, “This is the biggest medical story of our lifetime, and it is changing medicine permanently.”

When they’ve had doctors and nurses come speak with them this season, Vernoff says, “they were different human beings than the people we’ve been talking to every year. And I want to honor that, tonally. I just want to inspire people to take care of each other.”

Pompeo, who is not shy about offering criticism, sounds positively enthusiastic: “I’ll say the pilot episode to this season — girl, hold on.

“What nobody thinks we can continue to do, we have done. Hold on. That’s all we’re going to say about that!”

Pompeo has a few more months before she decides whether she wants to continue — and as Rhimes and ABC have made clear in recent years, the show will likely end when she leaves. “I don’t take the decision lightly,” Pompeo says. “We employ a lot of people, and we have a huge platform. And I’m very grateful for it.”

“You know, I’m just weighing out creatively what can we do,” she says. “I’m really, really, really excited about this season. It’s probably going to be one of our best seasons ever. And I know that sounds nuts to say, but it’s really true.”

Vernoff doesn’t worry about the creative well drying up. “We’ve blown past so many potential endings to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ that I always assume it can go on forever,” she says.

And Wilson knows how important “Grey’s” is to its audience, in that the characters have essentially become people who “live in their house.” As one of only three actors who’ve been on “Grey’s” since the beginning — the other is James Pickens Jr. — Wilson is in it until the end: “In my mind, Bailey is there until the doors close, until the hospital burns down, until the last thing happens on ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ That is her entire arc.”

Whenever the show does conclude, part of its legacy will be about the talent it launched into the world, beginning with Rhimes, who will soon release her first shows for Netflix, after her company, Shondaland, made a lucrative deal with the streamer in 2017.

But it will also be about the characters of “Grey’s Anatomy”— mostly women and people of color — who are trying to make the world a better place as they find friendship, love and community.

“The show, at its core, brings people together,” Pompeo says. “And the fact that people can come together and watch the show, and think about things they may not have ordinarily thought about, or see things normalized and humanized in a way that a lot of people really need to see — it helps you become a better human being. If this show has helped anybody become a better human being, then that’s the legacy I’d love to sit with.”

#grey's anatomy #Ellen Pompeo #chandra wilson #Debbie Allen #krista vernoff #season 17 #variety #news

[wdwqrfawes]

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[cxhnow]

THE KIDS ARE MORE THAN ALRIGHT: CHLOE AND HALLE ARE KILLING IT

At only 21 and 20 years old respectively, Chloe and Halle, the sister singing duo signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, have an almost preternatural poise and polish. You see it in on-camera interviews, their big smiles never breaking, or when they’re singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, their harmonies as sweeping and pristine as harmonies can be. Even in the homemade YouTube covers which made them Internet-famous as adolescents — a cover of Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts” (a song, interestingly enough, about the demands on young women to be flawless) caught the attention of Queen B and got them signed in 2015 in the first place — they have a peaceful and almost uncannily seasoned presence.

This seeming perfection has made them into major role models to young fans, and one of them into a future megastar fronting the massive Disney machine, as the younger Halle takes the lead role of Ariel in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid expected out in 2021. They’ve had real world ambitions for the entirety of their teen years, starting their YouTube channel when Chloe was 13 and Halle 11, criss-crossing the country multiple times as the opening act for their mentor Bey, and dabbling in acting, with roles on Kenya Barris’ sitcom Grown-ish.

But beyond the sheen they’ve developed, it’s nice to hear, on a quarantine Zoom call one Friday morning, that they are more steadfastly committed — even dogged — about their craft than they are the presentation. They write, arrange, and produce much of their own music in their home studio in Los Angeles. While their sophomore album, Ungodly Hour, features guestwork by super-producers Scott Storch and Mike WiLL Made-It, the sisters executive produced the whole thing, and still brought unfinished collaborative tracks home from sessions to tighten them up in their own way, on their own computer software.

Though their debut, The Kids Are Alright — an unlikely but satisfying cross between SZA and Björk — hinted at this artistry, Ungodly Hour is the true breakthrough. It’s a grown-up album in a number of ways, with lyrics about hook-ups, break-ups, and mess-ups. But it’s also just undeniably and straightforwardly cool. In the choreography-heavy video for the excellent “Do It,” their astonishing maturity begins to look more like bravado. They mine sounds from late-’90s R&B, recalling forebears like Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, TLC, and Blaque, but have come up with something refreshing and personal. There are no lags on Ungodly Hour, no saccharine ballads or misplaced attempts at massive over-the-top pop — just easily enjoyable bops with silky harmonies and relatable themes. That’s an achievement for an artist of any age.

In conversation, they are, yes, incredibly composed, but also engaged and interested in talking about a range of subjects, from 808s and Atlanta to politics and pain. Here, the two sisters offer a little glimpse into their lives — and how they got to be so on top of everything to begin with.

Note: This interview occurred after the death of George Floyd but before demonstrations surrounding the killing fully heated up across the country, and the sisters have since delayed the release of the album from the original June 5 to this Friday, June 12. At the bottom of this Q&A, we’ve included some questions and answers the two responded to by email this week concerning moving the release date and their solidarity with the protestors.

Have you been quarantining together?

Halle: We are quarantining together in Los Angeles. We’re in our family home, so it’s really nice to all be together.

Chloe: I think, you know, with any family being in close spaces, you all have to relearn each other. You can’t, like, escape and go to your own corner.

H: We’re learning more every single day in quarantine what not to do [laughs]. We know the trigger points for both of us. We both love to get our feelings out, so once we do that, I think it’s good.

Let’s get into the album: In the past, your music has had an innocence about it, but this album is pretty grown.

C: You know, with anything in life, we never like to force it. Halle just turned 20. I’ll be 22 in July. Naturally, the music will just grow with that. We’re sharing our experiences, sharing what we’re going through, whether it’s heartbreak or falling in love or our insecurities — what makes us tick. People only really know us as, like, little sweet angels and all of that. And everyone is multi-layered.

“Busy Boy” is about a guy who sleeps around and sends you unsolicited late night photos of, well, a very particular body part of his. Are lines like this born from real life?

H: Absolutely. All the songs on the album are pulled from real-life experiences, real-life relationships. And for “Busy Boy,” everyone can relate to knowing this guy who is just so hot, he is just A+ everywhere. But everyone knows him as a player. They know he jumps around from girl to girl. It was funny to talk about that because in our little girl group [of friends], sometimes we do find that one dude who has tried to talk to all of us. And we laugh about it and we kiki about it.

Are you able to find time to date and have fun, and do what young people do?

H: Of course!

C: You know, we explore. We date around. We’re learning as we experience life. And it helps stimulate the lyrics.

There’s a lot of tense back and forth between the sexes on the album, and I wonder if you thought of it as a kind of break-up album.

C: It’s that back and forth because that’s how it was in our lives at the time when we were creating this album. You know, my sister and I, we’re at that age where you’re learning yourself through relationships, learning how people work. Even though Halle and I are a year and a half apart, we were going through the same thing at the same time when we were writing. We were heartbroken and putting that into the music. But we also wanted to come from a point where we don’t have to be these weak girls crying over it, but instead take our power back.

H: Love is a huge theme of the album. But also feeling alone, and the rawness. These were all themes that we hadn’t really talked about before in music. Our deepest, deepest feelings. The title, Ungodly Hour, stemmed from everything that happens during those hours, you know, in the middle of the night when you’re about to go to sleep. You’re thinking of all your insecurities — your mind is swimming. You’re thinking of lustful things, you’re thinking of heartbreak.

C: It feels conversational because when we were writing it, we were simply having a conversation. My sister and I tell each other everything when it comes to these things. And as we’re sitting down, explaining, “I’m pissed because of this,” or, “I’m happy because of this,” we would just write it into the music.

You worked with the 2000s producer Scott Storch on “Do It,” and there’s almost a nostalgic feel for that time in R&B and pop.

C: He’s really a legend, and just seeing him on the keys when we had multiple sessions together, we were always left in awe. Production-wise, I’ve always been inspired by experimental sounds and the weirder side of music. But while we were making this album, I really started falling more and more in love with ’90s music and early 2000s production; listening to a lot of Kelis. We wanted this album to feel fun and flirty, but also grunge, in a way, and a little dark and mysterious and sexy. And I really feel like ’90s production with beautiful melodies on top truly embodied that. [‘90s producers] weren’t afraid to experiment.

How do you balance creative freedom and experimentation with what I imagine to be a lot of pressure to make a hit?

H: We were feeling a little bit, like, “So where do we go from here? What do we do now?” We were a little bit stuck at the beginning, because we were hearing from the label about doing songs a bit more commercial. Whenever we are given direction, it always throws us off. Whenever somebody tells us what to do, we don’t like it. At the beginning, we were making songs that didn’t really sound like us. And we realized we were trying to please everyone else.

So then we were like, You know what? Scratch that. Let’s go back to the beginning. Let’s remember why we’re doing this. Let’s make the sounds that make us happy. Let’s go back to doing those experimental things that have made us so happy all the time. With these sessions with [Ariana Grande songwriter] Victoria [Monet] and Scott [Scorch], we can also add a bop or two in there and find a beautiful way to do it without sacrificing our musical integrity. We never want to feel like we’re selling out.

You taught yourselves how to produce, arrange, write, and record your music at a very young age, but now that there is this bigger spotlight, is it important to still create in that more organic way?

C: Absolutely. Yeah. If we didn’t keep that, I don’t think we would even have finished this album. We love creating at home so much. You know, [our first album] The Kids Are Alright, we created the whole thing in our living room. [For this album], we converted the garage and carpeted it up and made it into our little studio here. We always prefer home and working on our laptop and arranging all the weird harmonies together and recording each other.

We worked with so many amazing producers and songwriters on this album, but at the end of every session, we would take the stems, and we would revamp them up and really add, like, our sauce to the songs afterward so it really felt like us. But also, half the album is strictly just us and our production and writing as well. We executive produced it. That’s the only way to do it. If it starts to feel forced or bad, we walk away.

What programs do you use to produce on your laptop?

C: I’m a huge Logic Pro girl. When we do live shows, I use Ableton, but when we’re recording each other and I’m making the tracks, it’s all on Logic.

You’re known for your harmonies, and you also produce all your own vocals. How do you think about the resonance and affect and power of your voices? What are you aiming for with a vocal?

H: There’s something really special about singing with your sibling, or singing with somebody who has the same blood as you. The Clark Sisters are one of our favorites, and every time we listen to their harmonies, it just takes us to another world. And I don’t know what it is, but every time I sing with my sister, I do feel like it’s a power, like it’s something special that’s happening when the two of us are singing together. It’s different than when I’m just singing alone.

C: We know how to fit and blend with each other. Usually I’ll take like more of the lower notes, and Halle will take a lot more of the higher ones. For me, ever since I was a little girl, I loved Destiny’s Child and Toni Braxton and Nina Simone. Our family would always play Erykah Badu and Jill Scott around the house. So I have grown up loving soulful tones. As I got older, being a female producer, I was really inspired by other female producers, like Grimes and Imogen Heap and Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards, and I really started appreciating and loving alternative music, where they use different experimental sounds. More recently, I was listening to a lot of Kelis and Missy [Elliott] and Timbaland production, and Aaliyah and all of that. All of my inspirations… I love how it’s in contrast with my sister. Because, you know — and she’ll tell you this — she is a huge jazzhead. She loves jazz melodies. And when the two worlds come together, it kind of creates us.

You mentioned Erykah Badu and Jill Scott as influences, so I gotta ask — what’d you think of the Erykah and Jill Verzuz on Instagram?

H: We loved it so much. We put it on our TV and watched the whole thing.

Who do you think won?

H: They both won. You know, you could sing those songs every single day and never get tired of them. We want our music to live on like those songs live on.

You both have childhood roots in Atlanta, which has become essentially the musical epicenter of America in the last 20 years. Does that influence your sound?

C: Oh my gosh, yeah. Atlanta music is so incredible. We’ve always been so inspired by OutKast. Ciara. Donald Glover.

H: Janelle Monáe.

C: It’s so much soul and rhythm and bounce. And I think that’s why I love big drums and 808 so much. We are true Atlanta girls at heart. And I think that also comes into why we’re really kind. It’s just southern hospitality.

You’re signed to Beyoncé’s management company, Parkwood, and I’m curious what kind of creative notes or advice she gives you when you’re working on an album.

C: She allows us to grow and flourish on our own. And, you know, as we’ve been finding our sound through the past five years, she’s just kind of sat back in the wings and let us do what we want to do. When we feel like we got the music to a special place, we always want her input. It’s Beyoncé! She has the experience, she’s incredibly talented, and she has such good instincts.

With her notes, a lot of the time, we’re on the same page. Whether it’s about what she hears in the layers of the production, if she thinks the production should change on one part, or how we sang a certain word or something, she’ll always recommend, but it’s up to us whether we want to do it or not. She allows us to do what we want to do, musically.

When we sent this album to her, she didn’t have any notes. Halle and I were like, whoa. She must really, really like it. And she could give us as many notes as she wants! She’s Queen Bey.

Halle, you’re about to be Ariel in the live-action version of ‘The Little Mermaid’ for Disney. What is it like wearing the mermaid tail?

H: [Laughs] Well, I can’t really .. [laughs] … that was a good try [laughs]. I can’t really tell you about that [ed. note: Disney is notorious for strictly enforcing a code of silence about a future production]. But it’s really cool being able to play one of my favorite characters from my favorite Disney movie. And show other little black girls that, yes, you can be Ariel too. That the part is not just for anyone who does not look like us. We can do it too.

There was a really dumb conservative backlash when Disney announced it was casting a black woman in the role.

H: Yeah, well, I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. People are hurting right now, so a lot of the times people take their hurt out on you. And you can’t do anything about that. We just gotta move forward in love and light and say a prayer for them, you know?

On one very serious note, you posted a cover on Instagram that blended the hymnals “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as a tribute to George Floyd. I’m wondering how you’re viewing what’s happening in America right now?

H: [That] week was very difficult for us. Just that video of George — I couldn’t watch it. This keeps happening to our people. When I see George, I think of my father, and I think of my little brother, and I think of them just wanting to live and to not be killed just for living their lives. I don’t think we will ever understand why it keeps happening. I don’t think we could ever wrap our heads around it.

So we just thought, What can we do? What can we do to make ourselves feel better? What can we do to make everyone feel better? And we decided to sing those two songs that have been sung for many, many years. It made us feel a little better, but it didn’t take it all away. It’s crazy that this keeps repeating itself. [That] whole week was kind of wonky for us.

When I see you two on camera and in interviews, I’m struck by how poised you both are, from such a young age. You present yourself almost perfectly. But I wonder if that ever feels like pressure? You’ve had to be really mature since before most kids ever really do.

H: It’s not a persona. It’s not something that we turn on and we turn off. It’s just the way that our parents raised us. Sometimes, we do get compliments, like, “Oh my gosh. You guys are always so happy and positive. You guys are angels!” And, you know, that’s one side of it, of course. I know some people put us on a pedestal. And I think that what hones us in on continuing to just be positive beings and lights is the way we grew up, our parents constantly reminding us that all of these things don’t matter. All of these grand things don’t matter.

But there’s also the other layers of us that people don’t see when we’re not in the spotlight. We do overthink. We do have insecurities just like everybody else. And that’s what with this album in particular we wanted people to get through their heads. Like, hello, we are just like you. At times, yes, it does get overwhelming. But that’s just a part of life. And that’s more fuel for inspiration for us to write.

As previously noted, the original interview occurred before demonstrations surrounding the killing of George Floyd reached full steam. Here, the two sisters followed up by email more recently in a joint statement to address changing the release date of the album in light of the uprising and how they are participating in protest.

Originally you were meant to release the album on June 5, but now it is coming out this Friday, June 12. How’d you come to that decision?

These past two weeks have definitely felt like an emergency call to justice that is much needed. It was important for us to push our album and bring awareness to everything else that’s been going on. We didn’t want this moment to be about us, but rather about getting justice for our brothers and sisters and making a change.

What are you feeling in heart and mind about what we’re witnessing?

Honestly, it has been very, very difficult for us this past week. Having to witness someone’s life being taken away just because of the color of their skin is just traumatic. Even though these days have been hard, we are thankful that people are now seeing what has been happening for a while. And we are grateful that the world is finally doing something about it! Seeing these protests happening all around the country and world truly makes us hopeful that a change is coming. We are so much stronger than we think and so powerful when we come together.

It’s your generation that’s in no small part fueling this movement — how does it make you feel to see people in your age group activated in this way?

It makes us so proud to see our peers standing up for what’s right. We are the future and deserve to be in a world that protects us, rather than harm us. We deserve to live a life not in fear.

How are you two approaching contributing to the protests — what do you find effective?

We are doing everything we can to speak up for what’s right: signing and posting petitions online, donating, etc. We will not let anyone silence us. We have also been singing a lot more, trying to use our voices as healing for the world right now. Music always tends to be the best therapy.

Where are you turning for information, solace, discussion, leadership, and creativity in a moment like this?

Social media has definitely been one of our main sources. We’ve been seeing and sharing content from our peers who are actually out there protesting on the frontlines and experiencing firsthand. We can now view videos and photos and form our own opinions, instead of being swayed by mainstream media. There’s a lot of stuff that’s not being shown on the news, that we may find on Twitter or Instagram. Because of social media and technology, more light is finally being shed on the injustices being done to our people. It’s helping change our world for the better!

Though it’s an invigorating moment in a lot of ways, it’s also a difficult one, and I’ve been hearing from people that they’re excited to be protesting but also feeling anxious and not sleeping well. How do you keep your mental and physical health up while staying activated around the movement?

As much as it’s our main source of information, we also take frequent breaks from social media. We will delete the various apps from our phones and almost block out the world, in a way. And when we really begin to feel hopeless, prayer and mediation has been so beneficial during these times. As well as working out, to clear our heads and let out any built-up frustration.

Do you have recommendations for your young fans of readings, songs, or movies that they can watch to further educate themselves on racial justice?

The movie American Son shows firsthand what it feels like for a mother to lose her son to police brutality. The book The Water Dancer reminds us of how our ancestors overcame slavery and found freedom through the pain. And even though Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album was released in the 1970s, it’s still so relevant to what’s going on now in the year 2020.

[Photos were retouched by High Snobiety to make the girls appear lighter. I have included two of the original versions where they are unretouched.]

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[whitehotharlots]

Castle of Delusion: The theft of the 2020 caucus and the liberal worship of failure

 I attended Iowa Democratic caucuses in 2000, 2004, 2008, and then 2020. I’ll spare you the narrative details, but immediately after Monday’s caucus I remarked about how smoothly the new system ran. The cumbersome head count voting process of past years was replaced with an easily grasped card system that allowed supporters of viable candidates to leave after casting their fist vote (previously, they’d have to stay through re-alignment and a second head count, a process that took us about 3 hours in 2008). So cards were easier, clearer, and came with the added bonus of a paper trail. Things seemed great.

In my precinct, Sanders tied delegate-wise with Pete and Biden. This precinct was, even by Iowa’s august standards, incredibly old and incredibly white, so a tie for Bernie boded very well. Everyone was convivial. Aside from the Yang supporters being unable to perform basic arithmetic after the initial vote, there were no delays or hitches. Sure, no one knew how the reporting app was going to work—information regarding as much had never materialized, in spite of repeated promises that they’d be on top of it—but it was figured that the county chair would simply report the votes via telephone, as had been the process as far back as everyone could remember.

Post-caucus, my stomach was shot and I was as emotionally drained as I’d ever been, so I got back to my parent’s house and commenced playing video games—staying away from social media and cable news until I could be certain the results had been called. Come midnight, I saw what everyone else saw: something bad had happened, something no one could quite describe, and so they weren’t going to release votes that night. Rachel Maddow’s weird gross skeleton face was beaming with relief: this is great news for the party, she said, because it was great news for Michael Bloomberg. I commenced to get blackout drunk and post threats on social media.

At first, I went against my personal experience (and intuition, and common sense) and blamed the failure on run-of-the-mill incompetence. We are now, however, more than 40 hours past the point when most votes were cast, and 24 hours past the Polk County chair confirming that his results—in one of Iowa’s largest districts, where Sanders was projected to dominate—had been submitted. The state party is simply refusing to count votes. They are rigging their own election, disenfranchising their own voters.

I’m not going to speculate on the strategic thinking of the mental defectives who have risen to leadership positions with state and national Democratic parties. Maybe they’ll never count the Polk County votes. Maybe they’ll only do so weeks from now, so as to deny Sanders any momentum and allow that rat-faced piece of shit Mayor Pete to continue to falsely claim victory. Maybe this is meant to protect the Biden campaign from total collapse. Maybe it’s meant to boost Bloomberg. Who knows, who cares. The point is, these people are cheating in plain sight. They are doing so brazenly. They are literally refusing to count the votes of members of their own party so as to squelch an election result they find unfavorable.

Partisan corruption is nothing new, and certainly not exclusive to the contemporary Democratic party. What’s striking about this, however, is the nakedness of both its machinations and the disdain the party is showing to its own voters. Yes, Mayor Daley most likely destroyed Nixon votes to shore up Illinois for Kennedy. Yes, the Bush campaign ginned up astroturf protests to prevent a full recount in Florida. Yes, the AP called the entire primary for Hillary the day before California was set to vote, so as to depress turn out. All of these acts were disgusting, the sort of raw cynicism that destroys the few remaining vestiges of legitimacy of this awful and broken country of ours. But all of these were done to seize power.  They all contained some element of deniability, some sense of awareness of the need to control public perception, to not so obviously telegraph the actors’ hatred toward democracy.

The theft of the 2020 Iowa Caucus is, in short, an act so proudly and openly corrupt that it has no fair parallel in modern American history. No reasonable observer can conclude anything other than that the Democratic party is run by some of the stupidest and most corrupt people alive. And the fact that the party does not seem to realize this is a profound indictment of how deeply our few remaining liberal institutions are in the grip of a sort of suicidal delusion, a form of illiberal madness that worships its own destruction.

The only reasonable question is how? How did the Democratic party and its media allies come to be dominated by idiots who derive psychological gratification from failure, people whose hubris and self-certainty is so strong they think everyone else is dumb enough to not see that they’re cheating in plain sight?  

Like many other of the most malignant aspects of contemporary liberalism, this suicidal delusion was born in the darkest corners of academe. The thrust of the last few decades of cultural studies has been to demand that people reject understandings of the world that are traditional, intuitive, and commonsensical—even when these understandings aren’t materially malignant, and especially when they are backed up through empirical measurements.

Sometimes this has led to what most decent people would consider progress. It’s good, for example, that we’ve destigmatized homosexuality. But many more assertions—particularly those that have been argued for the most viciously throughout the last decade or so—are either objectively untrue or so far divorced from the lived reality of most people that very few of us actually believe them. Most people don’t believe that there exist no biological differences between men and women, for example, or that fatness doesn’t come with health consequences and/or isn’t correlated with diet and exercise. We don’t honestly believe that whiteness is a metaphysical force that is the true cause of all the world’s problems, nor that an implicit bias test is a fair measurement of anything, nor that person’s worth is more a matter of their collective identity markers than of their beliefs and actions. These assertions are all incredibly fringe, despicable to anyone who cares about empirical reality or possesses a moral compass that’s not founded entirely in self-serving relativism.

There exists a small caste of delusionists, however, who have forged careers from making these and other assertions. They are very prominent within their own, closed circles, and they receive no material pushback for their beliefs, even from the vast majority of people who have not been initiated into their cult. This is due to the solipsistic validation mechanisms of contemporary cultural studies, a milieu which suggests, simply, that its purveyors are right, everyone who doesn’t defer to them is some variety of fascist, and the fact that disagreement exists is fundamental proof of the righteousness of their claims. To members of this caste, delusion isn’t merely a virtue; it’s a currency. The more they anger and confuse outsiders, the more correct and admirable they become, and the higher their position of prominence within liberal institutions. 

This is the lesson of the “Sokal Squared” hoax, in which a team of authors managed to get several nonsense articles past peer reviewers at cultural studies journals, making arguments which ranged from incredibly offensive to beyond the realm of plausibility. Or, if you’ve fallen for the woke apologia and believe these works to be unworthy of consideration, let’s look at a more earnest piece, in which an author argues that drone bombing “queers” warfare. It’s reductive to merely call these arguments stupid. They are delusional. They are absurd and offensive in manner that’s all but guaranteed to confuse and anger a large majority of people. They go against basic common sense and decency and can in most cases be disproven empirically—and that’s exactly why they got through peer review so easily. The value here isn’t in attempting to adjudicate reality or even morality; it’s instead found in giving its purveyors a chance to revel in one another’s unboundedness to reality. Radicalism can no longer be differentiated from simple stupidity. The point is to announce one’s membership in the delusional caste. It’s good to be insane. It’s good to be revolting. It’s good to fail, because then you know you’re good.

The caste’s members eventually reach a plane of delusion so all-encompassing that they begin to disdain those of us who still possess a desire to engage with the world in honest or rational terms. These people—the hoard, the uninitiated, the rubes—they only exist to confirm the righteousness of the insiders. What they think they see therefore doesn’t matter. Their opinions don’t matter. Their votes, especially, do not matter. We’ll tell them what to think. We’ll tell them how the world exists. And if they disagree, well, that’s just evidence of how wrong they are...

[amplesalty]

Christmas 2020: Day 5 - Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

FIVE EVIL KINGS!

“Christmas...in July?!” I hear you scoff “What a preposterous idea.” Well, maybe not. After such an unprecedented year as 2020 has been, governments around the world find themselves in the delicate position of trying to further the public health whilst trying to stimulate their economies that are circling the drain. Plus, do you want to be seen as the Grinch figure who cancelled Christmas? That’s going to look real good come next election season, isn’t it? Well, what if we didn’t cancel Christmas..just postpone it instead. Did you know that the retail industry does 50% of its business between December 1st and December 25? That’s half a year’s business in just one month’s time. But with the inherent risk of everyone piling into stores and the already lost time from all these lockdowns, why not delay things slightly to allow us all time to get this new vaccination. Seems to me that Boris Johnson would be wise to legislate a second such gift giving holiday. Create, say, a Christmas 2 next Summer to stimulate growth.

Thank you, Danny Trejo. I’m just surprised it took me this long to mention COVID-19. It took me like the very first sentence of the October marathon. I suppose the Christmas season doesn’t really lend itself to it as much, though Kevin McCallister was doing pioneering work in that whole social distancing thing back in the day.

But yes, Rudolph and Frosty. After seeing both their specials over the past couple of years, why not watch them together in some sort of superstar tag team in their own feature length motion picture epic? I’m jumping ahead slightly in the Rankin/Bass cinematic universe which apparently was a little unwise as I missed a couple of important plot points.

Like, apparently Frosty had kids at some point? How does that work? Do snowmen fuck? I mean, Frosty was always a little dim so it kinda feels a bit weird like Buddy the Elf having kids by the end of Elf. Did kids build him a wife, bring her to life and then their combined magic allows them to have sentient children? Or do they have to be built and brought to life too? How many magic hats to these kids have access to? Is there just a factory somewhere pumping these things out? I can’t believe I have so many questions about an anthropomorphic snowman.

Nevermind that shit though, there’s a whole backstory going on that we need to dive into full of evil wizards and deities appearing on Earth in human form. Many years ago the wicked King Winterbolt ruled over the land with an iron first and a frosty sceptre capable of great magic. But against him stood Lady Boreal.

Queen of the Northern Lights! Oh for God’s sake, first It’s a Wonderful Life comes back to haunt me and now this. Why do so many Christmas movies have so many instances of the goddamn aurora borealis?! Anyway, she rocks up and is like “Stop all this evil tyranny business.” and he’s like “lol, no” and tries to shoot her with his magic missile, to which she’s like “Bitch, please.” and puts him into a deep slumber. But nothing lasts forever and eventually Winterbolt awakens and finds like the North land has a much more jolly leader in the form of Santa and vows to overthrow him with a rather longwinded scheme involving him winning the love of all the children of the world by making Santa get lost in a great snow storm. Then, Winterbolt can emerge with his own supply of toys and become the new Santa!

But with her last ounce of strength, Lady Boreal transfers her remaining magic into baby Rudolph’s shiny nose. Or maybe this is some Biblical level shit and she put Rudolph upon the Earth to be the saviour of Christmas, that he might grow up to lead Santa’s sleigh through the dark and stormy night. Where was this angle in the original Rudolph?! Kinda re-writes that whole part about him being shunned by Santa and his own Father too. Does kinda take that whole ‘embrace who you are’ thing to a new level when you were pretty much created by a God to have this one seemingly life altering feature about you that actually means you’re destined for greatness. Bit of a test of these other reindeer too, this is how you treat he I have delivered unto you?!

So, now that we have some meddlesome reindeer getting in the way, Winterbolt sets off on some longwinded and convoluted plan that involves Rudolph and Frosty going to a 4th of July circus in order to trick Rudolph into committing an evil act that will void Lady Boreal’s magic. Plus, he gives Frosty and family some amulets that will prevent them from melting but only up until the last firework fades. And to do all this he uses some sort of magic snow which can implant ideas in peoples heads? So he gets this ice cream guy to encourage Rudolph and Frosty to be in the show to boost ticket sales and help his girlfriend. This guy by the way rides around in a hot air balloon and keeps a supply of ice cream at the North Pole. Dude, it’s called a freezer.

I love how they make this big thing about what an attraction Rudolph will be but his act is literally him standing in the middle of the tent, they use a fog machine on him and he uses his nose to shine through the fog. Then he just flies away. I mean, I suppose just having a flying reindeer is pretty spectacular in and of itself but give them a little more for their money, tell a joke or something.

This whole middle portion of the movie is a bit of a drag though. Just really boring and full of filler songs about the circus. I don’t know why this movie is as long as it is at like 98 mins. If you trimmed it down you’d have something a lot more solid. I’d say the one highlight in this portion is when Winterbolt goes to what seems to be this movies equivalent of a doss house and finds this really shady reindeer he can use to trick Rudolph. Just seeing this evil genius in Winterbolt interacting with this scuzzy landlord and finding this bum reindeer is just really weird.

There’s a neat version of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree too. Has this slight country, Dolly Parton feel to it and is a bit more uptempo than the original.

I was pretty disappointed during this whole section and was worried that it would end up like Frosty but it won me back again in the end by tapping into some of that uncharacteristic dark Christmas feel that Rudolph had. Where that was more cynical, this gets oddly morbid.

Like, the plan is for Santa to swing by and pick up Frosty and family in order to take them back to the North Pole before the fireworks finish so they don’t melt. Frosty is still really antsy though and is keen to duck out, even if that means missing the fireworks. Bizarrely, his kids question him on this and ask him what kind of patriot he is. I guess I never really thought of Frosty being American like that but I guess they did refer to him as having just being born when they put that hat on him. Plus he’s always saying ‘Happy birthday!’ when he wakes up so you could say he was born in America. Only trouble is, Winterbolt has whipped up a ferocious storm that means Santa is heavily delayed.

So you get these scenes of Frosty, his wife and kids all coming to terms with their own fragile mortality as they watch these 100 fireworks going off one by one, with each rocket flying into the sky acting like another grain of sand in the egg timer of their life, another second ticking away toward their impending doom. Just these kids looking up to their mother and telling her that they promise they’ll be brave...oh my God.

Or Rudolph having to give a false confession to stealing the takings from the circus in exchange for Winterbolt keeping the amulets powers going so that Frosty wont melt. Only Frosty knows the real truth, so everyone just shuns Rudolph. His friends turn their back on him, the crowd boo him and his nose wont light up anymore. Cue a mournful Rudolph solo which culminates in him crying as he sticks his nose in some glitter trying to replicate the beaming light it once gave off. Poor little guy.

But apparently not everyone has given up on Rudolph becomes he comes... a whale with a clock on it?! Apparently this guy was in one of the Rudolph films that came before this, just what in the hell did I miss?

Even after a showdown between Rudolph and Winterbolt where Rudolph gets Frosty’s hat back, Winterbolt is still out for vengeance and comes to the circus for a final showdown. To which the lady that runs the circus has the most appropriate response possible...

Reach for the skies, pilgrim! Only, her guns are just props that fire blanks so she just hurls the guns at Winterbolt and they promptly shatter his magic staff and he turns into a tree. Ooooooookay then.

I feel like Lady Boreal could have saved us a lot of hassle if she’d put Winterbolt to sleep and then took his staff away rather than just leaving it laying around for him to use again when he finally awoke.

For a second there in the middle I thought that this would be more of a Frosty than a Rudolph but it redeemed itself a bit by the end. Probably not quite to the levels of Rudolph but I enjoyed the bookends of it. If they’d cut some of the middle out and kept it under an hour, I’d be a lot happier with it. Apparently there’s another Rudolph movie that came out in the early 2000’s that revists a lot of those characters from the first one so I’m really tempted to watch that as well but I feel like I already rode my luck here and I’d really tarnish my positive memories of the original by watching a cheap cash in. I probably will just watch it anyway though so I guess we’ll find out next year.

#Christmas 2020 #Rudolph #Frosty #Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

[daphner20]

Aaron Roberts

Prologue It’s 2:45 pm sighed Aaron, there was a staff meeting for everyone in the Ballroom at 4pm. The rumors were swinging like a pendulum: we were being sold; we were having mass layoffs, we are closing our doors, and it went on and on. As Aaron, looked out of his office window, which overlooked one of the most beautiful beaches in the world ( don’t take his word, it is ranked in the top five of every Tourist/Travel magazine), he took a short walk down memory lane. He has been with The Kingdom, for the last 10 years, and he has no regrets. By the time he was 22, he had a bachelor’s in Accounting, A Master in Accounting, and a MBA. He had also sat the CPA exams and pass all sections on his first attempt. He worked at, CPDG, one of the largest accounting firms in the world, for 3 years, and he hated every minute of it. His salvation came, when his frat brother, told him about The Kingdom, the name alone piqued his interest. And 10 years later at 35, I was the youngest CFO at a major hotel resort. Yeah!!

The chime of his alarm, brought him back to reality, it’s 3:40. Time to make his way to the Ballroom. It will only take 10 minutes, but Aaron was a stickler for time. 'Good afternoon, every one, thank you for coming, said Mr Keith O’brien, (General Manager). First let me address the rumors, there will be no layoffs and we  are not selling the hotel. I will retire at the end of the month. I will stay on for an additional 2 months so that there will be a smooth transition. So without further delay, the next General Manager of The Kingdom is Mr. Aaron Roberts. What the #$&%?

Chapter 1 It’s has been 3 months now, since that incredulous announcement was made. I didn’t expect it. To be honest that promotion was the last thing on my mind. I think I ambitious as the next person. But to be appointed as General  Manager/CFO is a feat. Yes I retain my position as Chief Financial Officer as well. The Kingdom is a 700 room 5 star hotel, on an island in The Bahamas. With a staff compliment of 2000. We all live on the island. We are the sole employer as well. So my responsibility, is not limited only to the hotel, but the entire island. From the airport, staff quarters, beaches, etc. Not bad for that skinny, shy altar boy Yeah!! My family were so elated, when they heard the news, I think my mom is still crying, and my priest Father John Cooper, (who was also my math teacher in high school) and the entire parish family is still sending congratulations. Am I proud of myself? I think I am thankful and grateful to God. I remembered as a child in CCD, Sister Marva, constantly said, all good and perfect gifts comes from heaven above. Am I overwhelmed? No, I have a great team. We have nearly 100 % occupancy year round. But there is a feeling I can’t put my finger on I Am Lost!!! Chapter 2 I am the way, the truth and life, no one comes to the Father except through me. What does that mean, wondered Aaron. He keeps hearing it in his heart, whether awake or sleeping, those words are there. On top of that he felt lost. I don’t lost is the right word. I have a good job, a great family, am in excellent health, am single (I see it as a plus, so I can focus on my career). What more is there? I was about to find out. A few weeks later, during an executive meeting, the Director of Sales,  Shelby Robinson, said “that we have a group, that wants to book our entire hotel all 700 and meeting rooms for one week”.  Wow, everyone exclaimed, awesome. We’ve had groups before, but never on the scale. It was a religious group. It was a Pastor of a mega church in New York, a membership of 50,000 . It is considered an evangelical non-denominational Christian Church. I don’t know what that means. I was born and raised Catholic. My parents are Catholic, I was an altar boy, from the age of 8 – 18. I attended only Catholic schools and universities. We are the true Christian Church. Yeah!! Chapter 3 The hotel is a frenzy, in good way. After months of negotiating, the day of the big arrival had come. The negotiating had been relentless, they had so many demands. We’re used to that. But they had some non-negotiable items. No alcohol, no secular music, limit Internet access (block all ungodly sights). The list was exhausting!! After calculations, the revenue which was in the millions it was worth it. We will be in the black for years. Every meeting space and restaurant will be utilized. This was considered a conference for men. There were bishops, deacons, men's ministry and lay members. We had a total of 5,000 men descending on The Kingdom, it felt like another Kingdom was invading The Kingdom! On my career side my life was awesome, we were able to negotiate a deal of a life time. However, in my personal life. It was the tale of two cities. Some days I am overwhelmed by this emptiness, that I am feeling, that I can’t sleep or eat! Thank God, I have been able to conceal it with work, nobody seems to be the wiser. I have taken praying the Rosary even more. ( My mother will considered that a dream come true). What is “ I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me.” Lord, I cried out “ if you are real, what does this mean.” Help me please!! Mr. Roberts, they are here! Chapter 4 It is not a custom for the General Manager to meet hotel guests, but this was an exception and necessary. Arriving first Apostle Dylan Freeman, he was the Senior Pastor of Greater Cathedral of Brooklyn, New York. He looked like any ordinary man, I think because he had such a large congregation, that he would look ‘holy’. That’s just the Catholic  in me talking.  I have never meet a modern day Apostle before. The ones that I knew of , were Jesus disciples in the bible. “It is a pleasure to welcome you Apostle Freeman, to The Kingdom,” said Aaron. “I have come to The Kingdom, for such a time as this,” replied Apostle Freeman. His entourage laughed heartly . I didn’t get it, maybe it was Christian lingo or some inside joke. I escorted him to his suite which is on the 69th Floor. The Kingdom has 70 floors. The 70th Floor is our major Ballroom, which is called  ‘The Great Hall.’  This is where there will be a welcome cocktail reception. ( Minus the cocktails) at 7pm. I hate  cocktail receptions, but duty calls. It’s 6:30 pm. Most of the guests are here, taking in the breath taking view of the island. The Great Hall, has a panaramic view of the entire island. So, there were a lot of selfies. Apostle Freeman, arrived precisely at 7pm. My goal was to make light chit chat, then make my escape. Finally, he was alone, I eventually got to him, before I had a chance to say a word, he said “ I have a word for you.” “ You want a word with me? “ I asked. He looked at me, and just starting laughing. What was so funny I thought. He must have read my mind. Because he stopped abruptly. ‘ Forgive me, we pastor's believe everyone understands what we are saying, he said apologetically. “ I have a word for you, from the Lord,” he said somberly. I felt like I just got suckered punch, my insides felt like jelly. I didn’t know to say. I thought I was speechless for hours. But he graciously said to me, “ Don’t worry, everything you have been experiencing these last several months, will be made clear to you. And just like that he was throng again, by the other guests. For the next several days, I was eager to have an audience with the Apostle, but with his schedule,  I know that was impossible. It was the last day, I knew that it will be hectic, so my daily morning jog on the beach was imperative. As I was about to begin, Apostle Freeman suddenly appeared. “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father, except through me”, he said to me. “ Do you know what that means? I just shake my head weakly, saying no. Thus says the Lord, this emptiness you are feeling, it is your soul yearning for the one true God. And you can only have that with Jesus as your Savior. “Do you want to make Jesus Christ you personal Savior?” asked Apostle “Yes, “ I was openly crying now. Repeat after me: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I confess You as my personal  Lord and Savior. In Jesus name I pray Amen. As I prayed those word, the Peace of God flooded my soul, and the emptiness vanished. Thank you Jesus. As I looked on that beautiful water, I knew what I wanted more than anything. “Will you baptize me, Apostle”, I asked. As Apostle Freeman, baptize me in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I knew that I was truly alive and Jesus had given me a new life. Later that morning, while I was escorting Apostle to his car. He said this, “ I have two things to things to say to you. “ Jesus loves you and see you next year. Yeah!! THE END

[aggressivelyfestive]

What Makes the Sky Blue - Chapter 8: The One

Whoops, sorry about the delay. I got caught up in both GW and then the new story event.

Summary: 

During the fall a mysterious presence manifests and calls (Captain) a singularity, wishing to know the extent of (Captain)’s power and determination.

(Captain) awakens on Lumacie to the sight of overjoyed friends. Sandalphon, on the other hand, is beset by rage at the utter failure of his plan- that’s when the supreme primarch, Lucifer, appears.

Lucifer foresaw what would come to pass and worked behind the scenes to foil Sandalphon’s plot. He absorbs Sandalphon into his own core, thanks (Captain) and company for their efforts, then disappears with the other primarchs.

With peace restored to the world and reconstruction under way, (Captain), Vyrn, and Lyria continue their glorious adventure across the skies.

Episode 1: During the fall a mysterious presence manifests and calls (Captain) a singularity, wishing to know the extent of (Captain)’s power and determination.

The clear blue sky stretches out as far as the eye can see. How much time has passed? Has it been hours or mere seconds? Up is down and right is left. All sense of time is gone. Lingering in (Captain)’s head are visions of Vyrn, Lyria, and everyone else in the crew.

[Flashbacks start]

Vyrn: Say, are you serious about leavin’ the village?

-

Lyria: You should have seen it, Katalina! This hero saved me! It was so… heroic!

-

Katalina: Thank goodness she hasn’t been injured. Have you two been protecting her?

-

Rackam: If you plan on calling yourself a crew, you’d need at least one helmsman on board before anything got started.

-

Io: Nice to meet you… I guess I owe you one. Thanks.

-

Eugen: Hey! Nice work. You caught the ragtag bunch, eh?

-

Rosetta: Oh, I’ve gone and frightened you… little old me! You see I’m but a poor, defenseless woman.

[Flashbacks end]

Countless precious memories flood through (Captain)’s mind as consciousness gradually fades away. A mysterious roar sounds, and a voice speaks to (Captain).

Great One: Child of the Sky… I am the dawn and dusk of creation. I have come to you as you near the brink of death. The time has come to test your strength and resolve as a singularity.

The gravitas and divinity felt from each breath compels obedience.

Great One: As a singularity you are one of the seeds holding sway over the fate of the world. The contrasting fates of the crimson dragon and the girl in blue by your side will bring about much hardship. Much like the cataclysms the world has just overcome. Knowing that, you still reach for the ends of the skies?

> Absolutely.

Great One: …

> I don’t believe in fate.

Great One: To believe or to deny is your choice; regret will come either way.

Great One: The intertwining fates of the two will ultimately bring about the ruin of all worlds. Whom will you choose when that time comes? Your crimson friend or the one who shares your soul?

> I’ll save both of them.

Great One: What a bold thing to say.

> That time will never come.

Great One: What a strange thing to say.

Great One: And now for my final question. What is it that drives your conviction? How do you so fearlessly embark on this journey toward destruction?

> My friends make all the difference.

Great One: I suppose that is what gives you strength as a singularity.

> I’m not alone.

Great One: I suppose that is what gives you strength as a singularity.

Great One: Such childish resolve… Such frail strength… And yet I cannot deny the possibility that lies within…

Lyria (echoing): Open your eyes!

Vyrn (echoing): Wake up!

Lyria (echoing): Please, (Captain)! We need you!

Vyrn (echoing): Don’t give up yet, (Captain)!

Episode 2: (Captain) awakens on Lumacie to the sight of overjoyed friends. Sandalphon, on the other hand, is beset by rage at the utter failure of his plan- that’s when the supreme primarch, Lucifer, appears.

Lyria: Ah! (Captain)’s awake!

Vyrn: Phew! You almost gave me a heart attack back there, (Captain)!

(Captain) wakes up at the cape- as if the fall had never happened. Surrounded by relieved and overjoyed friends, (Captain) breathes a sigh of relief.

Lyria: Sniff… Sniff… I- I don’t know what to…

> I’m back.

Lyria: Yes! Welcome back, (Captain)!

Vyrn: Hehe. Good to see you up and about, sleepyhead!

> Crybaby Lyria.

Lyria: O-of course I’m crying! How could I not be? Hey, what’s so funny?

Vyrn: Ahaha! Crying one second, fuming the next- you’re having a busy day!

Katalina: (Captain)... I knew you still had it in you.

Rackam: Hahaha! You definitely had us on edge there. So… what happened at the bottom of the skies?

Io: How strange. I thought I saw Vyrn and Lyria summon something. Then the next moment (Captain)’s sleeping like a baby on the cape.

Eugen: Hah hah hah! Nothin’ wrong with that, is there? (Captain)’s alive, and that’s what matters.

Rosetta: Hehe, looks like even this 2000-year old archangel is confused.

Sandalphon: How could this be! The terrifying roar shook the world! Why hasn’t Pandemonium been opened? Is there some other condition I don’t know about? Or has the situation changed since I was last in there? Why, why, why!

Michael: Silence yourself. You’re obviously out of options.

Uriel: Want me to shut him up for you? I’ll have to hold back this time though so I don’t accidentally kill him.

Gabriel: Leave him. He does bring up some good points though… Did we simply luck out, or is there more to it all?

Raphael: There is only one possibility…

Brilliant rays of light suddenly surge from the bottom of the skies and pierce through the island, extending far into the welkin. An archangel gently ascends from the rays of light, softly flapping his wings on the way up.

Michael: The supreme primarch!

Lucifer: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael… You’ve done well, I appreciate all your hard work.

[The four primarchs straighten proudly.]

Lyria: Oh my! I’ve never seen them like that!

Vyrn: So that’s the supreme primarch… His aura’s just incredible!

Sandalphon: Lucifer!

Lucifer: Sandalphon.

Episode 3: Lucifer foresaw what would come to pass and worked behind the scenes to foil Sandalphon’s plot. He absorbs Sandalphon into his own core, thanks (Captain) and company for their efforts, then disappears with the other primarchs.

The eyes of Lucifer and Sandalphon lock in an intense gaze.

Sandalphon: So you’ve already manifested. I suppose that’s also why Pandemonium won’t open up.

Lucifer: Yes, I held in the core of the seal on Pandemonium.

Sandalphon: Hah hah hah… So you saw this coming… You ignored my rampage and kept watch on Pandemonium this whole time… Mwahaha! Am I so worthless to you that I’m not even worth confronting?

Lucifer: That’s not it. Archangels are forbidden from interacting with the world. I simply fulfilled my duty.

Sandalphon: That’s exactly the problem with you! You always filter out the things you don’t care about! How could you possibly understand the suffering of those deemed worthless! Those of us who get filtered out have no choice but to take things by force!

Lucifer: …

Sandalphon: It could’ve been anyone. Anyone at all. I just wanted one person in the world to tell me that I matter- that I’m needed! Do you even know what that’s like? Someone like you born out of necessity and looked up to by all the archangels could never fathom that pain! I don’t care if the whole world hates me! I…

Lyria: (Captain)... Sandalphon…

Lyria tightly grasps (Captain)’s clothing with trembling fingers.

Lucifer: Sandalphon… So I see the discovery of your purpose is what caused you to close off your heart.

Sandalphon: Humph… Call me childish if you wish.

Lucifer: You brought me peace of mind every time I came by the lab. Your lack of a role allowed me to look upon you as my equal. Your purehearted words would always instill me with such tranquility.

Sandalphon: …!

Lucifer: Forgive me for not noticing your feelings of inferiority earlier.

Sandalphon: Stop it! Don’t think I believe this farce for even a second! But it’s too late to make amends now! Hate me! Destroy me! Punish me! If you forgive me, my last 2000 years will have been for naught…

Lucifer: I am no less guilty, and so I deserve equal punishment. Take solace in my core, Sandalphon.

Sandalphon: Lucifer-

Sandalphon turns into an infinite number of tiny particles of light before being absorbed into Lucifer’s wings.

Michael: Is it over now?

Lucifer: Yes. (Captain), I thank you for stopping my fellow archangel before it was too late.

Lyria: Um… So what happened to Sandalphon in the end?

Lucifer: He has returned to my core. Think of it… as a baby returning to its cradle.

Lyria: Huh?

Lucifer: We shall meet again. Until then continue forth on the path you believe is true.

Michael: I applaud your efforts in stopping this whole mess. I’d love to spar with you next time we meet.

Gabriel: Teehee… Silly Michael. Bye, everyone. Hope to see you again!

Uriel: You guys rocked hard back there! We’d have such an awesome battle if it ever came to that!

Raphael: Safe travels and fortuitous winds to you.

The primarchs vanish one after another… Leaving an awestruck crew on the cape.

-

Episode 4: With peace restored to the world and reconstruction under way, (Captain), Vyrn, and Lyria continue their glorious adventure across the skies.

[At the Hall of Knowledge]

Arusha: What a relief. It’s a miracle that only a few volumes were damaged in that attack!

Johann: Yeah. Thanks to my barrier, you know…

Arusha: What’s that, Johann? Did you forget that you have to make up for breaking the lock on the secret archives? First I want you to pick up all the books on the floor and put them back on the shelves. In the right place!

Johann: Sigh… How many days is that going to take? Hm? Whoa, this text is amazing! You’re the best, Hall of Knowledge!

-

[At the Casino Liner]

Tycoon: Impossible! I lost my fortune in just a single night!

Richard: You have no one to blame but yourself. Putting stock in baseless rumors is one thing, but putting a bounty on a brave young lady?

Tycoon: Wait! You’re not going to get away with this!

Richard: Oh? Trying to take back your losses by force? That’s not-

Therese: That’s not smart! Hah hah! Come at me! I’ve got tons of arena experience. We’ll settle this with a duel!

Tycoon: You’re the undefeated champion, Therese!

Richard: Uh, Therese? Please don’t steal my thunder like that…

-

[At Fremel Island]

Stan: Graaah!

Juri: Yaaah!

[Their swords clash before the two push away.]

Stan: Huff… Huff… Man, you’ve got spirit!

Juri: Bleh… Huff.. Same to you, Mr. Stan. When did you get so good with the sword?

Stan: Just call me Stan. I’m self-taught, Juri- Oops, can I call you Juri?

Juri: Of course! So you’re self-taught. I suppose I should adopt more of my own style too!

Stan: How about another match? Dorya-

Aliza (coming out of nowhere): Doryaaa!

Stan: Augh!

Juri: Stan?

Aliza: What are you doing? You’re supposed to be helping with the reconstruction! Come one, let’s go! The mines are waiting, dummy duo!

Stan: Y-yes, Aliza…

Juri: Sorry, ma’am…

-

[At the Knickknack Shack]

Sierokarte: Welcome! We’re currently running a limited-time sale on all weapons and armor made from halo crystals!

Farrah: C-come on in! We’ve got some hot items for you! Say, Siero. Why are you selling this creepy stuff? It looks like it’s about to come alive at any minute.

Sierokarte: Don’t you worry your pretty little head. This is just a trader’s way of helping with the restoration, Farrakarte. We’re recycling, bringing in tourists, and donating some sales proceeds to the town! That’s three birds for one stone!

Farrah: Oh, I get it! Business is a really deep topic. I’ve got to keep studying! No, wait… Siero, I hope you know I have no intention of becoming a trader!

-

Every island is busy with repair efforts now that buoyancy has stabilized. The Grandcypher has also undergone maintenance and is currently performing test runs before taking to the skies.

Rackam: Hahaha! Excellent, excellent! The engine’s humming beautifully!

Katalina: Hehehe. That’s a relief, considering what we made the Grandcypher go through.

Eugen: Hah hah hah! That’s the first time we’ve had to push the Grandcypher so hard! I sure as heck wouldn’t wanna repeat it!

Io: Hm? But weren’t you romping about with excitement? You and Rackam both.

Rosetta: Oooh, this looks fun. We might not be able to go as fast as the archangels, but let’s try to feel the rush of the wind.

-

(Captain), Vyrn, and Lyria sit on the bow staring off into the vast azure blue.

Lyria: Hey, why is the sky blue?

Vyrn: Huh? That’s a weird thing to ask all of a sudden.

Lyria: Ahaha.. Well… I never really gave much thought to things that are obvious until now. Looking at it again makes me realize how beautiful it is. The size of it all is a little scary actually. That’s just me anyway.

Vyrn: Haha, what are you talkin’ about? It’s like you’re a rookie skyfarer. But after all those awful cataclysms, I get why you’d feel as if things had returned to the beginning.

Lyria: The beginning… Yes, it does kind of feel like when we first started our journey. Once the islands have been restored, everyone’s sure to come back to the crew!

Vyrn: Yep! Then we can get back to the real adventure!

Lyria: Teehee. Let’s do our best! Right, (Captain)?

The rumblings felt around the world have passed, and the crew once again sets out for the ends of the skies. Whatever hardships may arise, or whatever mysteries seem unsolvable, they believe in each other to overcome any obstacles.

End Chapter 8: The One | Start Wyvern’s Reverie

#GRANBLUE FANTASY #granblue #transcription #what makes the sky blue

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/caribbean-women-in-sport-morwenna-on-her-passion-for-archery/

Caribbean Women in Sport: Morwenna on her passion for archery

“Archery is not just a sport or practise, it’s an art, elegant yet fierce. It’s a way of life!”

That’s according to one of Curacao’s premier archers, Morwenna Minguel-Meijer.

She told Loop: “It all started when I got a videogame called Track & Field II on the very first Nintendo platform. It consisted of many of the Olympic sports, including archery. I would always choose archery and before long I was really good at it. I wanted to do what I was doing in the videogame. A lot of math elements were involved. Wind direction, elevation, how much do you draw according to the distance you were shooting… No matter the difficulty, I succeeded. I always hit the bullseye”

Morwenna said she mastered the sport through a video game and wanted nothing more than to test her skills on an actual field.

Unfortunately at the time, there was no way for her to practice the sport on-island.

Even so, her passion for archery never died.

Years later she happened across a Facebook page inviting applications for the Curaçao Archery School so she signed up.

Morwenna said when she threw her first arrow, there was no turning back. She’s been practising ever since.

The Curacao Archery School

The Curacao Archery School was founded by Domingo Wever in 2015.

Prompted by his love for the sport he started it in his backyard.

Morwenna said having observed his commitment to teaching those interested and raising awareness of the sport in Curacao, she needed to contribute to his efforts.

 “I am known for making things happen. Coach wanted more members, a bigger place to be able to shoot longer distances, become a federation and so much more. So I took all of this and started to do something about it. I studied the sport and expressed my interest in becoming a level 1 and 2 Archery instructor. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed. And guess what, everything was set for a coach from Trinidad and Tobago to come to Curacao to provide the course in becoming a level 1 and 2 archery instructor in May 2020. I hope that he’s still able to come this year as we do need extra instructors if we want the school to grow. I’ve created social media platforms to promote the sport and our growing school on the island. So yes, my hands are full, and it’s my utmost pleasure to give a helping hand to our coach.”

The passionate archer said they are now one step closer to realising their dreams to expand the school.

“We started with the process of becoming a Federation and we’re also planning to organize a workshop at our neighbouring islands Aruba and Bonaire with the ultimate goal of opening a school in Aruba.”

Who is Morwenna?

Archery is a huge part of her life but there’s so much more to Morwenna.

Born and raised in Willemstad, Curaçao she told Loop that as an only child she was the apple of her parents’ eyes.

She credits her success and the essence of who she is to their unwavering love and support.

“I was this skinny girl with huge glasses. Yes, I was a nerd. I was an A-student, always top of my class, from elementary through high school. 

My favourite childhood memory would be that I started practising Taekwondo and Iaido since I was 6 years old. By the time I was 12, I was the first female martial artist to obtain a blackbelt in both arts. I appeared in International Taekwondo magazines. To me, even though I hated to be the centre of attention, no one would dare mess with the skinny nerd at school. I was friends with everyone. I treated everyone equally, the popular ones and outcasts, I still do. It’s one of my foundations, treat everyone equally and with respect.”

Now 39 years old, Morwenna is happily married and has a daughter of her own.

She’s employed at the Dutch Caribbean Air Navigation Service Provider (DC-ANSP) where she is tasked with training Air Traffic Controllers.

“I’ve been working at DC-ANSP for 13 years now. Of course, I’ve had my ups and downs, but it was the love for my job that kept me there. It was my first ‘official’ job. If it will be my last? I don’t know what the future holds. But if I tell you that since I was 4 years old, I already knew what I wanted to be, you’d be surprised. I wanted to become a Gynaecologist/Obstetrician. I was obsessed with that profession. 

I was so ready to pursue my dream and then I changed my mind, one year before leaving to the Netherlands for my studies. I didn’t want to study for 12 years before I could work as a gynaecologist/obstetrician. Back then, I thought I would become too old before I would start to work. Hahahaha…it’s so funny when I think of it now.

Any regrets? No, not at all. But I still admire that profession.”

Accomplishments and challenges

Morwenna was the first female martial artist from Curacao to qualify for the Olympic games.

She was scheduled to represent her country at the 2000 Olympics, but as fate would have it, she suffered an injury while training.

Despite the disappointment, Morwenna said she drew strength from her family who supported her through rehabilitation.

She said one of the greatest takeaways from experience, is that despite the best-laid plans, things can be delayed or derailed.

What’s important she said, is ones ability to recover and move on.

“I have a back problem, a condition called scoliosis and I have been dealing with this since I was 11. Everything was fine until I got pregnant with my daughter. The perfect posture that I was taught for so many years was gone and the problems worsened to the point that if I sit for too long, I will lose feeling in my legs. Even though I am treating this with heavy physiotherapy, the best medicine is to be constant on the move. Archery, the form and posture you need to draw a bow, is helping my back greatly. And even though it took me a while to get accustomed to the movement as it something you don’t do every day, I didn’t let it intimidate me, let alone stop me. I studied the form and technique to its core and I have learned to adapt to execute it the best way I can. My challenge has always been my back…but I have managed to use it to my advantage In archery that it made me an ambidextrous archer.”

Plans and projections

So what’s next for Morwenna?

She plans to pursue courses that’ll allow her to coach up and coming archers and organise archery workshops in Aruba and Bonaire.

“In the meantime, I’ll keep practising, keep perfecting my form, and technique and who knows, maybe you’ll be seeing me in Trinidad competing like we did last year in December 2019. Even though I did not participate, I was so proud that we took home 3 silver medals for our country. The next tournament, I’ll be there, to meet new people, to learn and of course, to win!”

A message for the youth

 Morwenna hopes to be an example to up and coming archers in Curacao.

She had this message for the young people in her country:

“Don’t let anyone change who you are. You are unique, and destined for great things. Find something you love and do it with passion. Give it your all and never give up. 

And most importantly, you have something free yet so powerful in your hands. It’s called free will. Use it wisely because no one can tell you or force you to something you don’t want to do but yourself. Stand up for what you believe. Because everyone has the power to make a difference in this world.”

Archery in Curacao

Curaçao has a population of approximately 160 thousand.

Morwenna said at present only 28 people practice archery on the island.

She has accelerated her efforts to raise awareness and encourage participation in the sport that she loves so much.

“I have launched Facebook and Instagram pages, Archery in Curaçao, to create more awareness of the sport on the island. And it’s working!”

Misconceptions about archery

Contrary to popular belief, Morwenna said archery is not a dangerous sport.

In fact, she claims its one of the safest sports in the world.

“Believe it or not, according to the National Safety Council statistics, it’s safer than golf and even bowling. Safety is the number one priority when practising the sport. If you practise good form and follow all the safety rules, you will eliminate almost all risk of archery injuries.”

She said archery is ranked as one of the worlds most inclusive sports.

“You can start at any age, the moment you’re tall enough to hold a bow and you can keep shooting until the age of 90. At our club, we have a senior who’s over 70 years old and he beats me all the time! It’s one of the few sports that can accommodate people with various injuries and disabilities. For those who call me Robin Hood, I don’t feel flattered. Robin Hood’s technique is all wrong, hahaha.”

#Sports

[onlinemarketinghelp]

The Average Net Worth Of Millennials By Age https://ift.tt/2M7e6jE

Let's not sugar coat it - we're all a bit voyeuristic when it comes to other people's money. How much do you think they make? How much do you think they have? How did they afford that car? Can you believe that so and so is buying a house?

​So let's focus on one metric - net worth. And let's talk about millennials - which is likely you, and is me too.

​Why millennials? Well, the media seems to portray millennials as broke, unable to pay their student loans, and never able to buy a house. Millennials are supposedly delaying marriage and all sorts of stuff because they are poor and burdened by debt.

I don't think that's the case. With anything financially related, there is never an easy answer. But I think there are just as many millennials crushing it financially. I know first hand that some millennials are already millionaires. 

​Maybe the trouble is how we define millennials? Maybe there's a bigger picture here we need to consider. Maybe we just need to ignore the mainstream media when it comes to wealth. Let's break it down and then look at the average net worth for millennials.

To keep is easy, the average millennial net worth is $10,400. But that is really skewed given the age ranges. See our charts below.

Note: I originally wrote this article in 2016, and there was no data available to figure out millennial net worth. Over the last few years, several surveys have polled millennials, with the most recent one being Deloitte. In their survey, they found millennials have an average net worth of $8,000 - just shy of our estimate of $10,000. 

Regardless of $8,000 or $10,000, I strongly urge you to think about the high achiever net worth - trust me, I know plenty of millennials who are way above average and it's possible.

If you're looking for a way to improve your net worth, consider the free online personal finance app called Personal Capital. It's designed for millennials who want to take control of their spending habits and start making positive changes. ​Get started for free here >>

Quick Navigation

Who Are Millennials?

Factors To Consider About Millennial Net Worth

The Net Worth of Millennials By Age

Millennial Net Worth FAQ

How To Boost Your Net Worth

Conclusion

Who Are Millennials?

Millennials are technically anyone born between 1982 and 2000 (always subject to change). Basically, these people are roughly 19 to 37 today. That's roughly 81 million Americans. We more fully break down the millennial age range here.

​What makes them unique as a generation? Well, millennials likely were little kids in a time before computers and cell phones were everywhere. They likely remember getting their first computer and cell phone, and it was a big deal. The likely encountered technology for the first time at school - playing Oregon Trail on a green computer screen.

​When it comes to money, millennials do have some of the highest student loan debt rates of any generation in history. The average millennial has $30,000 in student loans.

​Depending on when the millennial graduated college, they could have entered a terrible or awesome job market. Remember, some millennials graduated from college before the financial crisis of 2007, some during it, and some after it. When you graduated from college played a huge role in your earnings right out of school.

Millennials are also all dealing with life events at different times as well - from buying a house to getting married, some did it before the recession and some after. As a result, even some older millennials can still be behind.​

So, it's really a mixed bag when it comes to millennials. They're hard to define financially.

But one thing's for sure - they're not dumb when it comes to their money. They are combining technology and money like never before (mobile banking, financial apps, etc), and they want their money to work for them. However, the traditional banking and finance sector hasn't caught up, and millennials really don't like engaging with traditional brick and mortar finance. As such, there is a divide here.

When looking at net worth for millennials, these are all factors to consider.

Factors To Consider About Millennial Net Worth

When I think of the main factors that fall into millennial net worth, here's what we need to consider.

First, we need to consider when millennials graduated. If millennials are 19 to 38 today, some haven't even graduated college yet. However, if you're 38 today, you likely graduated from college 17 years ago - or 2003. That was before the last financial crisis.

Second, we need to look at the average salaries of graduates by year. NACE has a great survey that they conduct to look at the average salary of college graduates each year. Here's how that looks:

Age

Starting Salary

38 (Class of 2003)

$40,818

37 (Class of 2004)

$43,124

36 (Class of 2005)

$41,376

35 (Class of 2006)

$42,881

34 (Class of 2007)

$43,094

33 (Class of 2008)

$42,414

32 (Class of 2009)

$41,546

31 (Class of 2010)

$40,766

30 (Class of 2011)

$41,701

29 (Class of 2012)

$44,259

28 (Class of 2013)

$45,327

27 (Class of 2014)

$48,127

26 (Class of 2015)

$50,561

25 (Class of 2016)

$52,569

24 (Class of 2017)

$51,022

23 (Class of 2018)

$50,994

22 (Class of 2019)

$50,004

Third, we need to discuss student loans. Student loans are a huge factor in millennial net worth, so we want to consider the average amount of student loan debt millennials had when the graduated (data here). Just look at the chart below - just within the "millennial generation", student loan debt has doubled, on average. For current students, I estimated how much student loan debt they'd have currently - with next years graduates on track to set records again.

Age

Average Student Loan Debt

38 (Class of 2003)

$18,271

37 (Class of 2004)

$18,608

36 (Class of 2005)

$19,669

35 (Class of 2006)

$20,790

34 (Class of 2007)

$21,975

33 (Class of 2008)

$23,228

32 (Class of 2009)

$24,664

31 (Class of 2010)

$26,125

30 (Class of 2011)

$27,707

29 (Class of 2012)

$29,384

28 (Class of 2013)

$29,455

27 (Class of 2014)

$29,526

26 (Class of 2015)

$29,597

25 (Class of 2016)

$29,669

24 (Class of 2017)

$29,740

23 (Class of 2018)

$29,812

22 (Class of 2019)

$29,900

Finally, we do have to make some assumptions about saving. Remember, net worth is all about assets minus debt. But income plays a huge role and how much income is saved and how much debt is payed off really makes a difference. For the "average" millennial, I'm going to look at average savings rates for the calculation. For the above average millennial, we're going to factor in IRA and 401k savings, as well as home equity.

Year

Average Annual Savings Rate

2003

4.8%

2004

4.6%

2005

2.6%

2006

3.3%

2007

3.0%

2008

4.9%

2009

6.1%

2010

5.6%

2011

6.0%

2012

7.6%

2013

4.8%

2014

4.8%

2015

5.1%

2016

6.4%

2017

7.0%

2018

7.6%

2019

8.1%

The Net Worth of Millennials By Age

As we compare the net worth of millennials by age, I want to look at average and stretch goals. I think it's important to always consider the average, but I also want to leave you with a stretch goal to get yourself in the top 1%.

Remember, net worth is assets minus liabilities. As we discussed earlier, the main assets we're focusing on is savings, based on income. The main liability is student loan debt.

Also, you have to remember that we've seen exceptional growth over the last few years due to a growing economy and bull market. These have helped compound growth at faster levels than can likely be expected in the future.

Finally, I want to re-emphasize that these are just my estimates. The Federal Reserve data lumps everyone under 35 into one bucket, so while we have some starting points, things can always skew one way or another.

However, I think it's a great starting point for discussion, so let's jump into it.

Average Millennial Net Worth By Age

Age

Average Net Worth

38 (Class of 2003)

$33,173

37 (Class of 2004)

$25,152

36 (Class of 2005)

$20,612

35 (Class of 2006)

$16,132

34 (Class of 2007)

$11,494

33 (Class of 2008)

$6,690

32 (Class of 2009)

$4,159

31 (Class of 2010)

$2,093

30 (Class of 2011)

-$1,989

29 (Class of 2012)

-$6,043

28 (Class of 2013)

-$10,168

27 (Class of 2014)

-$14,447

26 (Class of 2015)

-$18,988

25 (Class of 2016)

-$23,704

24 (Class of 2017)

-$28,706

23 (Class of 2018)

-$33,984

22 (Class of 2019)

-$38,915

I tried to make these estimates line up with the real data as best as possible, but most real data points exclude negative net worth for millennials buried in student loan debt.

For reference, the median of millennial net worth is $10,400. The true geometric average of millennial net worth is actually $75,500 - but that number is heavily skewed by outliers like Mark Zuckerberg.

So, what that means is, if you want to be "better" than average, the 50% mark is $10,500 overall. Here you can see my best estimate of the 50% mark by age.

Notes: This assumes that students don't work or work marginally during school, maintain an average amount of student loan debt, and get average employment after graduation. It's why you see the net worth jump a lot right after graduation - income! Also, the older millennials have benefited from a bull economy, seeing their small nest egg growing more over the last few years.

High Achiever Millennial Net Worth By Age

Now that you've seen what average is, what does it take to be above average? Well, anything better than the chart above is above-average. But I want to give you a stretch goal. I call this the high achiever millennial net worth by age.

How do you get here? A few key areas:

Eliminate Your Student Loan Debt (Read: How To Eliminate Your Student Loan Debt)

Boost Your Income by 25% (Read: How To Boost Your Income)

Save at least 25% of your income - can be through both personal savings or through employer matches (don't think 25% is possible? Here's an example of saving 75% of your monthly income)

Age

High Achiever Net Worth

38 (Class of 2003)

$435,405

37 (Class of 2004)

$415,341

36 (Class of 2005)

$373,844

35 (Class of 2006)

$341,174

34 (Class of 2007)

$329,624

33 (Class of 2008)

$308,441

32 (Class of 2009)

$287,593

31 (Class of 2010)

$267,169

30 (Class of 2011)

$231,957

29 (Class of 2012)

$215,082

28 (Class of 2013)

$193,302

27 (Class of 2014)

$166,425

26 (Class of 2015)

$142,767

25 (Class of 2016)

$104,765

24 (Class of 2017)

$72,706

23 (Class of 2018)

$41,518

22 (Class of 2019)

$28,915

What are some of your thoughts on this? Do you think an 2 year old can have $28,915 saved up and graduate college debt free? I think it's definitely possible - especially the high achievers that started working at 16 (or earlier) and saved a bunch.

I think that these high achiever net worth amounts are very do-able. They are a stretch, but not unheard of. And these amounts will clearly make you above average.

Notes: There's a huge jump around the 30 year old range, and that's all due to the Great Recession. The compounding just didn't kick in and there wasn't a big nest egg to start going into it.

Millennial Net Worth FAQ

Here are some common questions when it comes to millennial net worth.

What is the average net worth of millennials?

The average net worth of millennials is $10,400. However, this varies quite a bit across the millennial age range.

What is the millennial age range?

Millennials were born between 1982 and 2000, making them roughly 19 to 37 today.

What is the average millennial starting salary?

Millennial starting salaries vary quite a bit by graduation year. Starting salaries have ranged from $40,818 to $52,569.

What is the average millennial student loan debt?

Millennials have graduated with anywhere $18,217 to $29,000 in student loan debt on average.

Are millennials doing well?

There is a big divergence in millennial success. Many millennials are doing extremely well, but others are struggling. There are plenty of millionaire millennials, but there are also many millennials in poverty.

How To Boost Your Net Worth

Now that you know the average and above average net worth, how do you get there? It's time to start looking at ways to boost your net worth. 

As I mentioned above, it's essential to track your net worth. I'm a fan of Personal Capital, because it's free, has great tools, and it's online. Check out Personal Capital here.

The great thing is that you're still young and you have a ton of time on your side. Time is the biggest ally you have in building wealth. But if you want to grow it (and fast), here are two more key areas to focus on.

Boosting Your Income - As mentioned earlier, income is one of the key drivers in building assets and eliminating debt. The more income you have, the easier it is to grow your net worth. I want to challenge you to earn at least an extra $100 per month. We have a great list of ideas to get started. I'm a firm believer that everyone can earn more if they try.

Eliminating Your Debt - One of the biggest struggles millennials have is overcoming a negative net worth and making it positive. Eliminating that student loan debt is key. Leverage your additional income but also look at student loan repayment strategies to help lower that debt.

Conclusion

The fact is not everyone is average or above average when it comes to net worth. But knowing where you stand is incredibly important. It can validate your current financial plan, or it could provide motivation for you to make financial changes in your life.

Don't be discouraged if you're not hitting the bar yet. Follow the strategies we discussed and start working towards building real wealth.

What are your thoughts? Are you a millennials that's above average or below? What do you think is the driver of that?

The post The Average Net Worth Of Millennials By Age appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

Let's not sugar coat it - we're all a bit voyeuristic when it comes to other people's money. How much do you think they make? How much do you think they have? How did they afford that car? Can you believe that so and so is buying a house?

​So let's focus on one metric - net worth. And let's talk about millennials - which is likely you, and is me too.

​Why millennials? Well, the media seems to portray millennials as broke, unable to pay their student loans, and never able to buy a house. Millennials are supposedly delaying marriage and all sorts of stuff because they are poor and burdened by debt.

I don't think that's the case. With anything financially related, there is never an easy answer. But I think there are just as many millennials crushing it financially. I know first hand that some millennials are already millionaires. 

​Maybe the trouble is how we define millennials? Maybe there's a bigger picture here we need to consider. Maybe we just need to ignore the mainstream media when it comes to wealth. Let's break it down and then look at the average net worth for millennials.

To keep is easy, the average millennial net worth is $10,400. But that is really skewed given the age ranges. See our charts below.

Note: I originally wrote this article in 2016, and there was no data available to figure out millennial net worth. Over the last few years, several surveys have polled millennials, with the most recent one being Deloitte. In their survey, they found millennials have an average net worth of $8,000 - just shy of our estimate of $10,000. 

Regardless of $8,000 or $10,000, I strongly urge you to think about the high achiever net worth - trust me, I know plenty of millennials who are way above average and it's possible.

If you're looking for a way to improve your net worth, consider the free online personal finance app called Personal Capital. It's designed for millennials who want to take control of their spending habits and start making positive changes. ​Get started for free here >>

Quick Navigation

Who Are Millennials?

Factors To Consider About Millennial Net Worth

The Net Worth of Millennials By Age

Millennial Net Worth FAQ

How To Boost Your Net Worth

Conclusion

Who Are Millennials?

Millennials are technically anyone born between 1982 and 2000 (always subject to change). Basically, these people are roughly 19 to 37 today. That's roughly 81 million Americans. We more fully break down the millennial age range here.

​What makes them unique as a generation? Well, millennials likely were little kids in a time before computers and cell phones were everywhere. They likely remember getting their first computer and cell phone, and it was a big deal. The likely encountered technology for the first time at school - playing Oregon Trail on a green computer screen.

​When it comes to money, millennials do have some of the highest student loan debt rates of any generation in history. The average millennial has $30,000 in student loans.

​Depending on when the millennial graduated college, they could have entered a terrible or awesome job market. Remember, some millennials graduated from college before the financial crisis of 2007, some during it, and some after it. When you graduated from college played a huge role in your earnings right out of school.

Millennials are also all dealing with life events at different times as well - from buying a house to getting married, some did it before the recession and some after. As a result, even some older millennials can still be behind.​

So, it's really a mixed bag when it comes to millennials. They're hard to define financially.

But one thing's for sure - they're not dumb when it comes to their money. They are combining technology and money like never before (mobile banking, financial apps, etc), and they want their money to work for them. However, the traditional banking and finance sector hasn't caught up, and millennials really don't like engaging with traditional brick and mortar finance. As such, there is a divide here.

When looking at net worth for millennials, these are all factors to consider.

Factors To Consider About Millennial Net Worth

When I think of the main factors that fall into millennial net worth, here's what we need to consider.

First, we need to consider when millennials graduated. If millennials are 19 to 38 today, some haven't even graduated college yet. However, if you're 38 today, you likely graduated from college 17 years ago - or 2003. That was before the last financial crisis.

Second, we need to look at the average salaries of graduates by year. NACE has a great survey that they conduct to look at the average salary of college graduates each year. Here's how that looks:

Age

Starting Salary

38 (Class of 2003)

$40,818

37 (Class of 2004)

$43,124

36 (Class of 2005)

$41,376

35 (Class of 2006)

$42,881

34 (Class of 2007)

$43,094

33 (Class of 2008)

$42,414

32 (Class of 2009)

$41,546

31 (Class of 2010)

$40,766

30 (Class of 2011)

$41,701

29 (Class of 2012)

$44,259

28 (Class of 2013)

$45,327

27 (Class of 2014)

$48,127

26 (Class of 2015)

$50,561

25 (Class of 2016)

$52,569

24 (Class of 2017)

$51,022

23 (Class of 2018)

$50,994

22 (Class of 2019)

$50,004

Third, we need to discuss student loans. Student loans are a huge factor in millennial net worth, so we want to consider the average amount of student loan debt millennials had when the graduated (data here). Just look at the chart below - just within the "millennial generation", student loan debt has doubled, on average. For current students, I estimated how much student loan debt they'd have currently - with next years graduates on track to set records again.

Age

Average Student Loan Debt

38 (Class of 2003)

$18,271

37 (Class of 2004)

$18,608

36 (Class of 2005)

$19,669

35 (Class of 2006)

$20,790

34 (Class of 2007)

$21,975

33 (Class of 2008)

$23,228

32 (Class of 2009)

$24,664

31 (Class of 2010)

$26,125

30 (Class of 2011)

$27,707

29 (Class of 2012)

$29,384

28 (Class of 2013)

$29,455

27 (Class of 2014)

$29,526

26 (Class of 2015)

$29,597

25 (Class of 2016)

$29,669

24 (Class of 2017)

$29,740

23 (Class of 2018)

$29,812

22 (Class of 2019)

$29,900

Finally, we do have to make some assumptions about saving. Remember, net worth is all about assets minus debt. But income plays a huge role and how much income is saved and how much debt is payed off really makes a difference. For the "average" millennial, I'm going to look at average savings rates for the calculation. For the above average millennial, we're going to factor in IRA and 401k savings, as well as home equity.

Year

Average Annual Savings Rate

2003

4.8%

2004

4.6%

2005

2.6%

2006

3.3%

2007

3.0%

2008

4.9%

2009

6.1%

2010

5.6%

2011

6.0%

2012

7.6%

2013

4.8%

2014

4.8%

2015

5.1%

2016

6.4%

2017

7.0%

2018

7.6%

2019

8.1%

The Net Worth of Millennials By Age

As we compare the net worth of millennials by age, I want to look at average and stretch goals. I think it's important to always consider the average, but I also want to leave you with a stretch goal to get yourself in the top 1%.

Remember, net worth is assets minus liabilities. As we discussed earlier, the main assets we're focusing on is savings, based on income. The main liability is student loan debt.

Also, you have to remember that we've seen exceptional growth over the last few years due to a growing economy and bull market. These have helped compound growth at faster levels than can likely be expected in the future.

Finally, I want to re-emphasize that these are just my estimates. The Federal Reserve data lumps everyone under 35 into one bucket, so while we have some starting points, things can always skew one way or another.

However, I think it's a great starting point for discussion, so let's jump into it.

Average Millennial Net Worth By Age

Age

Average Net Worth

38 (Class of 2003)

$33,173

37 (Class of 2004)

$25,152

36 (Class of 2005)

$20,612

35 (Class of 2006)

$16,132

34 (Class of 2007)

$11,494

33 (Class of 2008)

$6,690

32 (Class of 2009)

$4,159

31 (Class of 2010)

$2,093

30 (Class of 2011)

-$1,989

29 (Class of 2012)

-$6,043

28 (Class of 2013)

-$10,168

27 (Class of 2014)

-$14,447

26 (Class of 2015)

-$18,988

25 (Class of 2016)

-$23,704

24 (Class of 2017)

-$28,706

23 (Class of 2018)

-$33,984

22 (Class of 2019)

-$38,915

I tried to make these estimates line up with the real data as best as possible, but most real data points exclude negative net worth for millennials buried in student loan debt.

For reference, the median of millennial net worth is $10,400. The true geometric average of millennial net worth is actually $75,500 - but that number is heavily skewed by outliers like Mark Zuckerberg.

So, what that means is, if you want to be "better" than average, the 50% mark is $10,500 overall. Here you can see my best estimate of the 50% mark by age.

Notes: This assumes that students don't work or work marginally during school, maintain an average amount of student loan debt, and get average employment after graduation. It's why you see the net worth jump a lot right after graduation - income! Also, the older millennials have benefited from a bull economy, seeing their small nest egg growing more over the last few years.

High Achiever Millennial Net Worth By Age

Now that you've seen what average is, what does it take to be above average? Well, anything better than the chart above is above-average. But I want to give you a stretch goal. I call this the high achiever millennial net worth by age.

How do you get here? A few key areas:

Eliminate Your Student Loan Debt (Read: How To Eliminate Your Student Loan Debt)

Boost Your Income by 25% (Read: How To Boost Your Income)

Save at least 25% of your income - can be through both personal savings or through employer matches (don't think 25% is possible? Here's an example of saving 75% of your monthly income)

Age

High Achiever Net Worth

38 (Class of 2003)

$435,405

37 (Class of 2004)

$415,341

36 (Class of 2005)

$373,844

35 (Class of 2006)

$341,174

34 (Class of 2007)

$329,624

33 (Class of 2008)

$308,441

32 (Class of 2009)

$287,593

31 (Class of 2010)

$267,169

30 (Class of 2011)

$231,957

29 (Class of 2012)

$215,082

28 (Class of 2013)

$193,302

27 (Class of 2014)

$166,425

26 (Class of 2015)

$142,767

25 (Class of 2016)

$104,765

24 (Class of 2017)

$72,706

23 (Class of 2018)

$41,518

22 (Class of 2019)

$28,915

What are some of your thoughts on this? Do you think an 2 year old can have $28,915 saved up and graduate college debt free? I think it's definitely possible - especially the high achievers that started working at 16 (or earlier) and saved a bunch.

I think that these high achiever net worth amounts are very do-able. They are a stretch, but not unheard of. And these amounts will clearly make you above average.

Notes: There's a huge jump around the 30 year old range, and that's all due to the Great Recession. The compounding just didn't kick in and there wasn't a big nest egg to start going into it.

Millennial Net Worth FAQ

Here are some common questions when it comes to millennial net worth.

What is the average net worth of millennials?

The average net worth of millennials is $10,400. However, this varies quite a bit across the millennial age range.

What is the millennial age range?

Millennials were born between 1982 and 2000, making them roughly 19 to 37 today.

What is the average millennial starting salary?

Millennial starting salaries vary quite a bit by graduation year. Starting salaries have ranged from $40,818 to $52,569.

What is the average millennial student loan debt?

Millennials have graduated with anywhere $18,217 to $29,000 in student loan debt on average.

Are millennials doing well?

There is a big divergence in millennial success. Many millennials are doing extremely well, but others are struggling. There are plenty of millionaire millennials, but there are also many millennials in poverty.

How To Boost Your Net Worth

Now that you know the average and above average net worth, how do you get there? It's time to start looking at ways to boost your net worth. 

As I mentioned above, it's essential to track your net worth. I'm a fan of Personal Capital, because it's free, has great tools, and it's online. Check out Personal Capital here.

The great thing is that you're still young and you have a ton of time on your side. Time is the biggest ally you have in building wealth. But if you want to grow it (and fast), here are two more key areas to focus on.

Boosting Your Income - As mentioned earlier, income is one of the key drivers in building assets and eliminating debt. The more income you have, the easier it is to grow your net worth. I want to challenge you to earn at least an extra $100 per month. We have a great list of ideas to get started. I'm a firm believer that everyone can earn more if they try.

Eliminating Your Debt - One of the biggest struggles millennials have is overcoming a negative net worth and making it positive. Eliminating that student loan debt is key. Leverage your additional income but also look at student loan repayment strategies to help lower that debt.

Conclusion

The fact is not everyone is average or above average when it comes to net worth. But knowing where you stand is incredibly important. It can validate your current financial plan, or it could provide motivation for you to make financial changes in your life.

Don't be discouraged if you're not hitting the bar yet. Follow the strategies we discussed and start working towards building real wealth.

What are your thoughts? Are you a millennials that's above average or below? What do you think is the driver of that?

The post The Average Net Worth Of Millennials By Age appeared first on The College Investor.

https://ift.tt/31lvaWB August 07, 2019 at 10:15AM https://ift.tt/2v2WXi4

[a-woman-apart]

Desperation

I wish that I had a goal in writing this. I should probably be in bed, since I get to bed so late every night and it really affects my ability to get up in the morning. The problem is that I feel somewhat disturbed underneath my haze of tiredness, and I want to get it out of my system before I try to go to sleep.

Today I slept until noon, so I really didn’t get up and get going until pretty late. Ideally I would go to sleep early and wake up early, as opposed to sleeping late and waking up very late, but that’s just one of the things that I’m bad about. I read about delayed sleep phase syndrome, and while I am not going to self-diagnose, I think that I would not be surprised if I had at least a mild form of that. If I don’t set any alarms or establish a strict bedtime, my natural sleep cycle has me waking up around 11am on average, and falling asleep at 1am or later. It is something that I have modified before, however, when responsibilities require me to do so. Changes have never been permanent, though.  

Apart from the late start, the day actually went pretty well. I was able to work on the song that I would be singing for the recital, and I went out for a few hours and shopped for things for my sister-in-law’s baby shower. Fortunately, I was able to get everything that I needed before the traffic really got too bad (even though I feel like I pretty much got stopped at every traffic light that there was). When I got home, I had a pretty low-key evening. I just finished a season of an anime that I had been watching. I did end up also watching some politically-themed and anti-capitalist videos on YouTube, but I don’t think that I “broke my brain” with “serious stuff.”

That being said, it is pretty depressing to think that the democratic system that we live under in this country really isn’t free and fair for everyone. Sometimes the alternatives aren’t very appealing either, but I know that something has to be done. I consider myself a socialist, in that I believe in more government regulation on corporations and that the government should care for the basic needs of its citizens. I will also admit that confronting the flaws in our government system is extremely daunting and overwhelming, and very often I complain without taking direct action against them. I was taught from an early age that capitalism was the best and most moral system that there was. Now I can see that in many ways that is wrong, but I couldn’t just quit my job and stop working. I’m forced to participate for my own survival, even if I don’t agree.

The lie that is pedaled in capitalist propaganda is that there are equal opportunities for everyone, and that as long as someone works hard they will gradually ascend to the top. The problem with this is that this also means that there is always going to be a hierarchy, with someone at the very top and other people below them. This also fails to take into account inequalities between people across geographical and racial divides, and the persistence of class in the capitalist system. It is often not the hardest working person who prevails, otherwise there would be no one who had to work two or three jobs and still struggle to make ends meet for them and their families. Also, while it is true that obtaining a good education helps to break the cycle of poverty, education is not freely available to all people in the U.S. and the ability to get a good education is still based upon those same geographical and class factors. In other words, very often the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, because the rich are in a position to obtain better education for themselves and their offspring, as well as already having more capital to invest into economic ventures. Additionally, those who are already better off financially can afford medical treatment that can give them increased ability to remain a part of the workforce.

Until we somehow put everyone on a level playing field by making education and healthcare accessible to everyone, we do not have a right to smugly criticize someone who is running into difficulty financially. The whole idea that someone is only as valuable as the work that they can put out is not something that I think that we want to propagate. No one should have to live on the streets, and no one should have to die of treatable illnesses because they cannot afford to be treated. No child should go hungry in this country, and every child deserves access to a good education. Without regulation, corporations would raise the prices of goods to whatever they desired, while at the same time lowering the wages of the people that work for them. It’s happened before, and it could easily happen again without government interference.

Maybe that is part of what bothers me on a daily basis. I have all of these new ideas taking up space in my head. A lot of the things that I once believed in are being challenged. I know that in the end it is something that is good, and that it is much better to be informed about things than not. For example, right now I am really hesitant about giving to charities that say they are helping people, because some “charities” have been shown to participate in unethical practices (I’m looking at you, Susan G. Komen and Salvation Army). Even charities that may have every intention to help, like charities for children in third world nations, sometimes destabilize the economies of those countries by flooding the economy with foreign goods. Sometimes someone panhandling on the side of the road is a crook. Ultimately, this doesn’t stop me from giving because it’s in my heart to help people, but I want to make sure that the help that I am offering isn’t causing harm instead.

Then there’s the ever-present matter of religion. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Christianity has helped people, but it has also hurt a lot of people as well, especially with regards to sexuality. Also, the Christian teaching that wives are to be submissive to their husbands has been used by many men to justify horrific abuse and subjugation of their wives. The shame that people have regarding gender and sexuality in some Evangelical Christian circles is immense, to the point where people are unable to talk about their fears and concerns. LGBTQ+ people are unwelcome in church. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, addiction to pornography is rampant because individual sexuality is so repressed. It has actually become so prevalent that it is rising to the surface and there are many ministries and groups within the church for men dealing with pornography addiction and sexual deviance.

Christianity and science often butt heads, as well. Evangelical Christianity has very much been the enemy of the theory of evolution. Also, many Evangelicals are proponents of conversion therapy or some sort of spiritual “deliverance” for LGBT+ people, whereas science shows that sexuality is hard-wired into the brain. You cannot “cure” homosexuality through therapy or rituals. Christianity in general, including- if not especially- the Catholic Church has historically stood against scientific progress and technology.

God hasn’t personally failed me. If I am being honest, if I look at my life it actually seems like I have been experiencing divine protection over the years. Things have always fallen into place for me, even though I have my struggles. Maybe I do have the option to be angry at God that I have schizoaffective/bipolar disorder, or that I had such a miserable childhood, but I am not. My problem with the God of Christianity lies in the fact that I am supposed to believe that despite his infinite power, the only way that he could forgive my sins was to horrifically torture and kill his only son. This also requires me to believe that each human being is born in sin in the first place, that somehow things that you do- or in this case, didn’t do- somehow stain your soul beyond all hope of redemption. I am also expected to believe that this redemption was held back for thousands of years, all so that humanity could “learn its lesson” and “know how much they needed Christ.” I am also expected to believe that after this horrific death, Jesus was raised back to life and ascended in physical form to sit at the right hand of said all-powerful God in heaven. I am supposed to believe that unless I believe all of this I am going to go to a place that no one has any evidence of, a place of “utter darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth”, a place of fire where people will burn forever.

Finally, I am supposed to believe that despite 2000 years of being absent, Jesus will one day finally return in all of his glory and smite the wicked, killing so many unbelievers that “the blood reaches to the horse’s bridle”. Never mind that this is an action that seems in opposition to his previous character. The great part is that there are even more difficult things to believe than that, like stars falling from the sky, and a seven-headed dragon arising from the sea.

I don’t care if you say that most of it is allegorical. In my opinion, the things that I mainly have problems with are the basic tenants and concepts of the Christian faith. There is no way for me to get back to it, because the very basic concept of sin and redemption is one that is lost on me. I just don’t believe it anymore, pure and simple. I have not fully given up on the idea of God, however, and I still believe in miracles. I can’t explain why it seems like people get answers to prayer, but I know that for everyone who gets their answer, there are others to whom the heavens are silent. Either God plays favorites, he/she/it doesn’t have ultimate power, or there’s no God really listening and breakthroughs are coincidental.

I’m not going to lie and say that it’s easy, but it’s not. Sometimes I “want” to believe. It would certainly make things with my family so much easier. It would also give me comfort to think that I was specially created and that God has a special plan just for me. Whenever I think this, though, I just think of the incredible human suffering that exists in this world, suffering that cannot be explained away if God is both all-merciful and all-powerful. I think of how unlikely it is that the miracles in the Bible really happened, when there is no parallel for them today. Ross Blocher from the “Oh No Ross and Carrie” podcast described a “veil of time” that people create by thinking that fantastical things are more likely to have happened if they occurred a long time ago.

So yeah, there are a lot of heavy thoughts in the back of my mind at any given moment. Maybe getting older has helped me to put some things into perspective. I know I have a fairly high dose of naivete, but not when it comes to things like this. I think that people are generally good, but I do not think that it is religion that makes them so. My hope is that I can continue to be fortunate enough to see mainly the good side of humanity and experience mainly good things. I also hope that I will one day be able to use my knowledge of the dark side of things to help me stay on the path of good.

Okay, that’s it for my late-night rant.

#late night ramblings #deconversion #ex-christian #ex-evangelical #capitalism #socialism #privilege #veil of time #bipolar depression #delayed sleep phase syndrome #delayed sleep phase #late nights #late mornings #tired as hell #charities #bad charities

[cnox]

Rowen for Distant Mirror Zine #1.* ROWEN is a project between Cristahel and Cantrith Knox. They play a subgenre of the dark ambient / dungeon synth movement they call Mythical Electronic. They have years of experience and also operate Hollow Myths in New England. I thank them for their contribution to the first issue of Distant Mirror. First, Rowen is a collaborative effort between Canrith and Cristahel Knox - do you have specialties which you like to focus on when creating (someone runs the drums and arrangement, someone finds the melodies)?

Eve, Thanx for the interview. We both play synths, drum machines and write together.  As of now, when playing live, Criss handles the synths, vocal whisperings and I play the electronic drums. Along with our visuals, fog and lighting. We are introducing more vocals on some new songs. In the studio, we also add our field recordings and percussion as part of composing. We sit and mix each song side by side.    

Tell us about your musical histories before forming Rowen, because its somewhat obvious you both have experience which maybe led to the result of what Rowen is on "Ashen Spirit"!

Both of us have electronic music in our past. Cristahel with Minimal Synth and I with Darkbeat. One of the first ideas we had for Rowen was to start all over. As part of the experiment, finding ourselves and each other through making music anew. See and hear our music become it's own entity. We started developing the concept in '14, in '16 we began recording and had our first release in '18. We set out with a clear vision of what we want to do with Rowen.

Also tell us how you discovered music and what your first true love in music was... How did you come to find music that would lead you to this underworld of music culture?

Canrith: I discovered music on a radio at age 3. First, second and third grade, I would stay up nights crashing on Ritalin (due to being diagnosed as Hyperactive) watching the first ever music videos on a UHF channel in Colorado called FMTV which predated MTV by a year or two. Laurie Anderson - O Superman, Kraftwerk, Barnes & Barnes - Fish Heads videos all had a great impact on me as a kid. During that time, late 70's - early 80's, I was hooked on the music and image of both Kiss and Devo. One of the first albums I owned was AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap on cassette that I purchased at K-Mart. Summer '81 NYC, I saw the first video air on MTV. Later, watching another UHF channel out of Boston called V66. Heavy Metal led me to the Black Metal and the dark electronic music underground. Dark Ambient and Dark Dungeon Music have always been a particular interest of mine. Mail order distro tapes and free box extras in orders started my collection as far back as the mid 90's. In the late 90's, I got really into BM, then obsessed in '03 onward, as many UGBM labels and distros were rising on the web. We are also into Minimal, Martial, Electro, Techno, New Beat, Cosmic, Italo, 8-bit, Video Game, Soundtrack, Old School Dungeon Synth, Winter Synth and so on...

Cristahel: My first exposure to music as a child was through my grandfather, who began teaching me to play classical piano by ear at the age of four. We would sit for countless hours at his black upright Steinway as he would play Chopin, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky etc. a few measures at a time for me to memorize and string together until I had the whole piece memorized. His love and enthusiasm for music, and the time he took to develop that in me, is something I will always be grateful for. Also my cousin Sue was a few years older than me and was like some kind of magical mixtape faerie, forever bestowing masterfully crafted gems upon me filled with things like Lush, Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, and Mazzy Star that served to mold/blow my little mind.  

By my late teens it was the late 90's/early 2000's and I was immersed in a maelstrom of kraut/prog, electro, early new wave and electronic/industrial, shoe gaze. I was fortunate at the time to have a lot of friends with varied tastes and massive record collections they wanted to share with me, because back then there was like, only Napster to try and download music off this nebulous internet thing they had just invented.  

I spent a lot of time not doing my homework and dancing around my room on speed and/or klonopins listening to things like Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Miss Kittin & The Hacker, Dopplereffekt, Chris and Cosey, SPK, early Human League, Slowdive, Clan of Xymox... all of which in their own ways began to inform the atmosphere of the music I create now, warped and haunted meandering electronic melodies, analog synths, string machines and rhythm boxes, pounding 303s and 808s, tape echoes, analog delays, layered sounds lost in chasms of reverb...

I moved to NY and started making music, playing shows and djing a bit (mostly playing gabber techno synth new age sets at London squat parties to kids who wanted to hear nu rave), getting into minimal synth, and beginning my love affair with collecting and recording with analog equipment.

Of course now anything you want is available immediately online, compared to how the 80’s and 90’s crowd discovered music. I’ve asked the other artists a similar question - how do you feel about the loss of mystery these days and what will happen in the future to return to that?

I feel the ability for creating mystique is greater now thanx to the internet. Almost anyone can record some music, upload it to bandcamp, make artwork, physical releases, open an online shop, start a label, etc..   If one is good at what they do, be it a hidden persona or being a face, presenting a strong sound, image and aesthetic, either way, when done right, it works. In some ways even mystery can be a gimmick.

You both are lucky to have grown up in the best time period for music. But what about movies and books people should check out?  

I collect children's books, read a mess of olde and new Black Metal zines, Books about Black and Death Metal. Sexy comics about Vampiress and Faeries. Presently reading The Devil's Cradle, a hard back about The Story of Finnish Black Metal. It was a gift from Criss. Everyone should read Lords of Chaos '98 (then '03) and Lucifer Rising '99. I still need a copy of that leather bound Mortiis - Secrets Of My Kingdom book '01.

As for films, we watch obscure horror, foreign horror and documentaries.  

Here are some if you have not already read or watched them; 

Read: Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs ('78) James and the Giant Peach ('61) Masquerade ('79) The World of the Dark Crystal ('82) The Book of Alien ('79) Moebius - The Collected Fantasies of Jean Giraud Series ('87 - '94) Flowers in the Attic - Dollanganger Series ('79 -'86) Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo ('78) William Klein: Films, 1958-99 ('99) Wreckers of Civilisation: The Story of Coum Transmissions & Throbbing Gristle ('99)

Watch: Christiane F. ('81) Out of The Blue ('80) Deadbeat at Dawn ('88) Combat Shock ('86) Street Trash ('87) Brain Damage ('88) Zardoz ('74) Excalibur ('81) Emerald Forest ('85) Wicker Man ('73)

If atmosphere seems to be a heavy orientation for your creative drive, is your local landscape an important part of this? or is it personal experiences driving the music towards such a dark and melancholy place? something about Rowen is both light and dark.

We live on a island North East New England and seldom see others. Most of our time is spent outside, alone with the wind, the trees, on the marsh, in the mist and rain, sea side mornings, hawks at dusk and in the woods every evening. Pretty, evil and sad is what we do. We are hoping folks will also consider us in the Nature Synth category.  

New England must be a very interesting place to live... what is your favorite time of year there, and what is your favorite part of the landscape there?

We love the woods, day hikes, mountain tops, swimming holes, water falls, gorges and quarries. Small towns, old houses, fields, orchards, pumpkin patches, bonfires. Train tracks, trestles, towers, castles, monuments and graveyards. I was born in October so naturally I love the fall. Hallow's Eve and all into November.  Leaves turn, death comes and things change. There is nothing like a cold moonlit night in the snow. I appreciate being where we can really experience all four seasons.

Also You are so fortunate to live on an island.. That’s amazing. It’s cliche to talk about misanthropy with dark music but is this the reason for being secluded? What do you feel is the best thing for people could do with themselves in (what is in my eyes the end of the world?)

We made the decision to come here for a time of research, get to know each other, talk about our dreams, foster our ideas. Focus on only that of which we love and gives us purpose. Live away from it all.  If everyone did what was the most important to them, a different world this might be.  

Rowen is listed among other trees in occult literature as a tree of magical powers... Is this the reason for using the name? Is there personal beliefs at play in Rowen?

As a band we have our own ideologies, as musicians, our own theories, as artists, our own creative processes and as members, a belief system. These are shared between us and are expressed through the music, words and imagery of Rowen.

The Greeks, Norse, Celts and Druids all told mythology of the properties and significance of this mystical tree. The Greek Goddess of youth who lost her magical chalice to the demons. An eagle was sent to retrieve it. From battle, it's blood splatter on the earth grew Rowan trees. It's leaves as feathers, it's berries, the blood. The Norse myth speaks of the tree from which woman was made. And man, from a mountain ash. Saved Thor in the underworld. Runes are burned on Rowan wood. In the British Isles they tell of the folkloric tree which protects against witchcraft. The red berries of fall make up the 5 points of the Pentagram. Goes also as the Goddess or Faerie tree. The Druids used the bark and berries to dye the garments worn during lunar ceremonies black. Rowan twigs were used for divining, particularly for metals.

I had no idea the importance of Rowen to ancient people. Yes, it is true that Norse belief teaches humans were originally trees before given life and awareness by Odin, Vili and Ve. Is there any interest for you both to express your philosophy on things in the music or is this an affair of escapism and pure magic.

"The Past is not Dead, it lives on in a Woeful Drift." We are connected to our roots, our family trees, where we came from, our heritage and lands. We could only hope that our music would offer an escape. Magic is the only way.

If you could live in any time period, what time period would you live in and what would you be doing?

Canrith: I feel lucky to have been a child of the 70's and we grew up in the 80's, 90's & 00's. We were there, I wouldn't change it. I would love to live in some medieval castle in the mountains, riding a black Clydesdale, wielding a mace, reeking havoc across the land.  

Cristahel: Same as Canrith but on a white Clydesdale with a halberd.

What's the most important part of the creative process for Rowen - is there a certain revelry for using old mysterious pieces of synthesizers or do you enjoy the vast possibilities of computers? There's always the game of analog vs computer in the electronic scenes, what is your thoughts on this?

For us, again, the most important part of the process is the experiment. We use all analog synthesizers, drum machines and record live. Roland, Korg, Yamaha. Same goes for our stage show. We have used and are not opposed to using digital synths on recordings and live. Casio & Yamaha synths, Simmons drums. For instance, "In Another Dream, You Were Mine" from "Ashen Spirit" was made almost entirely on a Casiotone. We record and mix on a desk top home computer.  

What are you both really enjoying listening to at the moment?

Listening to cult 80's video Game music on YouTube while answering these questions.

do you have any thoughts on where this rising momentum will lead as far as the dungeon synth genre is headed, and do you feel proud of your place in that? am i wrong in assuming you both also run Hollow Myths?  

We are proud of our place in DS. Though we set out to make our own mythical electronic music. And think the genre is progressing as it should. We have been very active in the scene going on six years now this November. As supporters, label, distro and band. We are most appreciative of the support we have received. And from the Black Metal Underground. Our first demo was released on pro-tape by Personnel Records, a sub-label of Seedstock Records ran by Marco Del Rio of Raspberry Bulbs aka He Who Crushes Teeth of Bone Awl. We are finishing our second release that will be out on CD & Cassette this time.  

Hollow Myths, the label and distro, is the work of us two. Releases, artwork, layouts, Photography, bios, press, promo, videos, zine, jewelry, leather work, patches, we also offer clothes that we call Cryptic Raiment for After Dark. Official Dungeon Synth, Dark Ambient, Black Metal, Hollow Myths* Shirts, Long Sleeves, Hoods, Record Bags, Altar Cloths...

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Hollow Myths has had to dig deep into the underground and re-release old gems, which is like reissuing from the archives.. many people don’t really appreciate that, can you tell us about what that’s been like and if anything else like that will ever happen?  

Hollow Myths* have re-released limited special versions of cult classics in a row of how I first discovered them back when. Being also from Dallas, TX, Equitant - The Great Lands Of Minas Ithil (City Of Isildur) '94 was one the first tapes I owned of the genre (and our first release from H/M* on cassette) after I found a copy of the Mournlord - Reconquering Our Kingdom Demo from '95 (SE) for a $1 in a bargain bin. These strange and very limited cassette releases helped crystallize what Dark Dungeon Music was to me. Like hearing the Caduceus - Middle Ages Demo '95 (LT) for the first time or later with the Corvus Neblus - Chapter I & II - Strahd's Possession tapes from '99 / '01 (LV). Our second re-released offering was Equimanthorn - Entrance To The Ancient Flame on cassette, another Texas born Ritual Black Ambient project with both Equitant and Proscriptor of the Mythological Occult Metal band Absu as members. After which, we made a chain of very special limited re-releases from; Gothmog, Depressive Silence, Solanum, Lunar Womb, Cain, two from Aperion, Arthur as well as Xerión with more to come. At the same time, we have introduced many new Dungeon Synth artists, some with their follow ups; Isåedor, Wyver and Wizzard to name but a few. We began in '16 and have 43 releases to date. Some mentioned above will see second pressings in the near future.

What has been your favorite release to work on this past year and what sort of artists does Hollow Myths look for?

We focus on outsider music and art and put our blood, sweat and tears into every release. Since we are primarily a physical label and distro (Tapes, CD's, Vinyl, Merch, etc.), it has been interesting to curate and mix the last three Shadowlore Compilations.

Each run over 2 hours long and feature new and exclusive songs by legions of Dungeon Synth artists from around the world. Being Digital, we offer it for Free or name your price for those who want to add it to their collections. Corresponding J-card "tape trade" layout print outs are included in the download, so one can make their own 2x cassette version. To be shared with friends, to inspire tape trading, for more reach and exposure for the artists' projects. Shadowlore Four will be released this Summer Solstice.  

Other releases from last year we are very proud of: Apeiron - Stardust / A Separate Reality. Cosmic / Dark Ambient / Black Metal from Austria. '95 & '97 and featuring a never before heard hidden track from '96 titled "Dimensional Chanting" exclusive only to this release. Xerión - O Espírito Da Fraga / O Trono de Breogán. Black Metal / Dark Ambient from Spain. The first two demos from '01 & '02 with 3 new songs recorded exclusively for this release including a Windir cover.  Galician Mythology and Folklore. Wyver -  Tragedies of Lost Village (Demo II). Dungeon Synth / Fantasy Music follow up. (PDX) Hypogeum - S/T. Introducing outsider, Raw Black Metal from the woods of Oregon. Wizzard - The Cauldron Descent. Cryptic Dungeon Synth follow up from Sweden. Morihaus - The Empty Marches. Eccentric Dark Ambient / Dungeon Synth debut from Kentucky.  

Tell us about Rowen’s plans to start touring.

We just played our first show at the Northeast Dungeon Siege MMXIX festival. Now we are working on piecing together a tour that will begin this summer in the north east coast with the plan to then head down, across the south to California, up the west coast, pacific northwest and back across the north and through the mid-west to return late fall. We recently put the word out that we are up to perform anywhere, anytime and received an overwhelming response. If we can get on tour, stay on tour, get back to Europa without haste, we would be more than pleased.

The first two shows will be outdoor camping events. Mythical Electronic, Dungeon Synth, Black Metal, Acoustic Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom, Crust, Folk, Country, . . . Both are on private land, in the forest and BYOB. Bring a tent, water, food and supplies. Crossbows and throwing knives.

Rowen   Seasons of the Savage at The Sonorous Glade June 22nd Topsham, VT w/ Haxen, Sombre Arcane, Fed Ash, Gorcrow, Melkor, Black Axe, Void Bringer, Acid Roach and Wild Leek River  

Rowen   Woods of Gallows II August 17th  West Chazy, NY w/ T.O.M.B., Worthless, Sombre Arcane, Ordeals, Malacath, Lightcrusher, Hræsvelgr, Graveren and Callous

[tonguetiedmag]

Anger in Female Literature

When you think of a woman consumed by fury, what do you think of? Is it the classical Greco-Roman representation of a woman scorned: Medea, Electra, and Medusa – tales of anger and revenge; or is it the modern-day stories of hard-bodied feminism and black widows – North Country (2005), If These Walls Could Talk (1996), Gone Girl (2014), or A Woman Scorned (2000)? It seems, historically, that if a man is furious, it is righteous fury, or biblical fury. Its violence is synonymous with justice and honesty, and if not at all times justifiable, it is always forgivable. The story of the angry man is not one of destruction, but one of rebirth. Women’s anger bears an entirely different image: the picture of the screaming woman, her anger neither acceptable nor forgivable. It is not a story of redemption, but a story of self-destruction; a story of women who choose a darker path, and never recover themselves. They, in a way, become less stories about angry women than they do about women stricken by madness – so unspeakable to society was the idea that women could be angry that they found it more acceptable that women simply sink into depression or insanity, such as the stories of Calypso and Ophelia. Today, society’s acceptance of women’s anger is slowly growing, but it is an agonizingly slow process. The image of the Victorian woman is a hard one to break free of, it seems – the soft woman sitting at home, accepting of what is given to her and taken from her, pliable and subservient. This is not a question of individual choice, but of social freedom. Even when accepted by popular society, it is an even smaller margin that accepts ugly female anger – the kind that cannot be fixed by a gentle word, or a man’s touch, the kind of emotion that almost transcends anger and moves to rage, a scream that refuses to be quieted. When we read of anger like this, we find it ugly and unpalatable – which bears the question: why do we accept it out of men, and not out of women? A passage by Ana Božičević, from her poem “Casual Elegy for Luka Skračić,” puts this in clearer words than I ever could with only two lines:

“I want to be the kind of monster you / don’t want to fuck—”

Alice Sebold put this a slightly different way, in her novel Lucky:

“I’ve always hated it in movies and plays, the woman who is ripped open by violence and then asked to parcel out redemption for the rest of her life.”

Today, three prolific female poets have agreed to share their viewpoints on the idea of female anger in literature – their own acceptance of it, other peoples return of it, and how it has helped to shape their work. The idea of this article is to disavow the idea of anger-versus-femininity, the reclaiming (or, in some instances, claiming for the first time) of female individuality and power through their anger, and to make anger acceptable simply because it is felt. When asked whether she personally believed that anger had a place in that reclaiming of power, especially in regards to her poems (THE SERPENT NEVER ASKED TO BE BORN A SERPENT; GIRL says: I AM MY OWN TRAGEDY; and TELL EVERYONE, OR ARE YOU TOO AFRAID TO?), poet Laetitia Keok replied:

“I guess anger has always had a place in my writing, especially in those pieces. I’ve felt very strongly about the powerlessness of women, and how we are often rendered helpless. The idea of women reclaiming what should be theirs, comes from anger, it comes from a deep-rooted tiredness of having settled for less, and still that is not enough, but we have had enough. These pieces are about fighting back. Anger definitely has a place in all of that.”

One of Laetitia’s most heart-wrenching pieces of writing comes from her poem “I AM MEANT FOR MORE”:

“WHY CAN’T YOU BE A LITTLE MORE

POETIC AND SOUND

A LITTLE LESS LIKE YOU’RE SCREAMING?

POETRY IS MEANT TO BE

SACRED GROUND AND NOT A

SLAUGHTERHOUSE.”

When asked if her feelings had changed in the years since she wrote that piece, she replied:

“It has definitely changed. I wrote this poem at a point where I absolutely hated my writing. I was very angry about a lot of things and I hated how that showed through in my writing. So I tried to hide the anger in corners only to have it lunge and claw at me from the shadows. I wrote this piece while I was struggling between who I was and who I wanted to be, what my writing was about and what I wanted it to be about. I felt that anger in poetry was inappropriate. A lot has changed since then, I’ve learned that poetry is anything we want it to be, however angry and however fist clenching. And I’ve learned to weave my anger into my work and that has healed wounds I never thought would heal. So I’d like to make an amendment to this piece: POETRY IS BOTH SACRED GROUND AND SLAUGHTERHOUSE.

Laetitia Keok is both a brilliant poet and a talented writer – author of her poetry collection titled Eleven Twelve. Her poetry is savage and authentic. It isn’t until you speak to her that you understand that all that anger exists beside a wonderful kindness. When asked “If you could speak out to young, female writers that are afraid to channel their anger into their own writing, what would you say?” she said:

“Please don’t ever be afraid, and everyone looks at anger like its a wild animal on the loose, and it’s not, it’s a feeling and it is as valid and as important as any other. You are allowed to be angry, and you are allowed to make art about it, so make art. Make messy, angry art. Write like it’s reopening new wounds, write in capitals, write like you're screaming, be loud about it. Anger is so so powerful, embrace it and let it be your voice. Use that anger, use your rage and make something raw and real and honest out of it. It’ll heal whatever needs healing, bare your fangs, take heart, and keep writing.

Emily Palmero is another incredibly accomplished poet, and author of three chapbooks: 2015, NOVEMBER, and From Between Lyre Strings. Many of her poems (such as Persephone; The Stare Down, The Stone Cold Stuff; and I Wanted to Tell You That I Hate You, But I Wrote This Poem Instead), deal with anger and redemption as it has to do with women. Asked whether she believes anger is important for the reclaiming of female individuality and power, she replied:

“I think anger absolutely has a place in that. The fact that individuality and power has become something that women must reclaim because they are not granted these things in the world [we live in] is infuriating. On a personal level, many of [my] poems, especially lately have been dealing with the fact that I was sexually assaulted when I was 18, and I went from feeling invincible and safe to helpless, and that loss—of safety, of always feeling like someone is hanging over my shoulder, of fearing anything that draws attention to myself—is a massive source of anger for me, and when I consider that so many women have it so much worse than I do and have been treated in the most inhumane ways, I can only deal with that fury by writing it down and hope that other people can relate and share in these feelings and feel like they’re not alone.”

Despite the anger with which Emily Palmero writes, her initial and resounding message to female poets is one of hope. Not only hope, but of strength, resolution, ambition, and pride:

“For me, at least, writing is a coping mechanism, a way to take apart these things that have happened to me and turn the individual parts of them over and over in my hands. And so often, this process includes this anger that I cannot express all the time, anger that gets denounced as hysteria or irrationality—anger that I am not allowed to own. As a woman, my anger is not allowed to exist as a pure emotion; it is rewritten and invalidated by a world that refuses to take my pain seriously. In poetry, however, I get to put that anger into words without any interference; I can write about everything in a pure, unadulterated way, in a way that allows me to experience the entire spectrum of emotions that weaves itself into the very core of our humanity.”

After reading this message, I was drawn to ask the question: Why do you feel it is that so many people are quick to invalidate female anger? Do you have any thoughts on how to change this? To which she explained:

“Such a long history exists that associates women’s emotions with a hysteria that is so easily invalidated, and I think those that dominate society fear above all things the loss of control. And female anger has the power to destabilize, to revolutionize, to change, and by writing it off as something excessive, this change can be delayed. Because of the history, because of this invalidating of female anger that’s occurred for centuries, the only way to change this [is] through rewriting the world that we live in, and it will be difficult and it will require all of us and it will be worth it.

Breanna Schurr was the author of a collection of poetry titled Stone Woman, Stone Bird which was self-published in 2014, but quickly retracted from the internet. She stated that “The amount of backlash I received for my poetry was overwhelming for me at the time. I am certain I will be publishing again, but my mental state comes before anything.” Breanna wrote primarily about the anger she felt toward the men in her life – mostly their refusal to stand up for what they knew to be right – and her deep-rooted distrust of kindness from men. This is an excerpt from her poem “Sex Appeal”:

“I go now from the harbor of a strangers arms,

still anchored to the docks,

when I leave - he tears parts off of me,

when I speak: I speak through the splinters,

YOU THINK you will silence me?

I have tamed worse waters than these,

YOU THINK a man is ready to part the ocean,

I am a salt-water woman,

and if you choose to enter me without

my permission: you choose to be drowned.”

Unfortunately, not all people agree with women allowing anger into their writing. All three of the poets above were asked, if they could say anything to the people who attempt to hinder and undermine the movement, who do not want women to be outspoken, who do not believe anger is appropriate in female literature – what would they say? These were their replies:

“It takes so much courage to channel anger into our art, to bare our wounds to the world. We have had so much taken from us. You are not to reduce us to whispers and curtsies, you are not to take our anger away from us. It is the only way we know how to survive.”

- Laetitia Keok

“Honestly, fuck those people. Or in more polite terms, I would hope that they could find the humanity to stop treating women as one-sided dolls that are meant for their pleasure and therefore, incapable of experiencing anything beyond a sense of apathetic placidity. Women are so goddamn creative and powerful, and the attempts to stunt that do more harm to our world as a whole in the long run.”

- Emily Palmero

“I want them to know that I will remain standing. Men have been trying my entire life not to allow me off of my knees, and it took me years to find my feet. Now that I have, there is not a single person on earth that can bring me back down. To the women, and men, who helped lift me up: thank you, thank you, thank you. To the people who have told me to “back to my place”, and “speak more carefully”

... fuck you. My uprising is not your downfall. Your ignorance is.”

- Breanna Schurr

This article, though is remains at the base about anger, is also about change. Much like the female poets featured in it, though the words may speak angrily, they have hope. They carry a message of amendment, of apology, and of optimism. Speaking to female poets about this project, I have personally seen so much passion and excitement – not only from the poets interviewed, but by women around me. I want, above all, this to be a message of support; of validation, comfort, and encouragement. Write with anger, write in a way that touches people, write in a way that is uniquely you – with all of your fire, and all of your rage. Mary Elizabeth Williams, staff writer for Salon and the author of A Series of Catastrophes & Miracles, stated: “... writers need to talk to each other.” Not just writers. All of us. Men, women, dark, light, gay, straight. We need to talk to each other. We have so much to say. [...] your struggle may not be my struggle. But your dignity is my concern.” 

And every word of what she said is true – this is a women’s issue, but it is not a burden for women to work through alone. Hugo Schwyzer, Pasadena City College professor and active feminist, said: “Men are afraid of women’s anger. It’s very hard for men to stand up to women’s anger.” - but we should not be afraid of it any more than we are afraid of our own anger. Men should not be standing up against women’s anger, but standing up for it. Now, more than ever, is when female poets and writers need our support. We are working toward something great, and together, our greatness is boundless.

I would like to give one last thanks to Laetitia Keok, Emily Palmero, and Breanna Schurr for their insight and openness with me while I was writing this article. Each one is an incredible poet in their own right. Their words forever change those who read them – thank you. If you would like to view their full works, they can be found at:

Laetitia Keok: softstained.tumblr.com

Emily Palmero: starredsoul.tumblr.com

Breanna Schurr: Not Currently Online

Article by: Isaak Frank

#Isaak Frank #interview #Laetitia Keok #Emily Palmero #Breanna Schurr #lit #Anger in Female Literature #female poets