#and it was so influential to my artistic development
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Okay so I've spent a while thinking about how to word my actual problem with homestuck 2, and the works that make up post-canon homestuck more broadly. I think a lot of people resort to nitpicking bits of awkward writing or art in some attempt to pinpoint a source to an underlying sort of hollow uncanniness, which is funny because homestuck's supposed golden age of acts 1-5 are themselves FAR more of a tonally inconsistent mess of odd character beats, jokes that don't always land, and janky looking art.
Homestuck 2 has been written and drawn by very talented and passionate artists from the beginning, I think the actual issue comes down to a mix between the general pitfalls of hiring fans and the particulars of hussie's outsider background and unorthodox writing style.
First is the issue of hiring fans in general; while it can seem like an easy shortcut to finding talented writers already familiar with the voice and story of the original work, you have to be very aware of how fan culture operates. Beyond the obvious pitfalls that fans are unlikely to approach the story from a detached perspective, there is the larger issue that past a certain point fandom becomes essentially self sustaining. Once a fandom has existed for a long enough period, its most avid members have likely spent FAR more time engaging with other fan works than they have with the original art object. Fandom and the art it produces are, in this way, a sort of a folk tradition; artists are imitating and responding to other artists, characters become archetypes through which to explore certain ideas and dynamics, and the values and tastes of the most prolific and influential fan artists become as inseparable from a participants mental image of the character as the original work itself.
For an example, the affected theatrical mannerisms and cruelty Vriska adopts while in her Mindfang persona have become inseparable from the popular view of the character. Despite the fact that it's heavily signposted as a sort of role playing performance from the jump and she's more or less dropped it by the back half of the comic, it was nevertheless how she had acted in the bulk of her scenes around the time the ur-texts of homestuck fandom were being written, and as so an understandable misread of a character became inscribed into the fandom canon, and by extension her characterization in Homestuck 2.
All of this is extrapolated by the sort of unorthdox, building-the-plane-while-flying-it manner in which Hussie's writing style developed.
Based on his commentary, I get the sense that Andrew is an incredibly clever and thoughtful writer who lacks the theory and vocabulary to precisely describe his process. He tends to communicate in sort of abstract metaphors which aim to bridge the gap in explaining the actual conscious process he uses to plot his stories, but the way he talks about technical nuts and bolts writing craft stuff gives me the impression that his approach is largely intuitive, bordering on unconscious. He's a lot better at describing how he writes than what he writes or why.
You can of course piece a lot this together—his approach to art draws from the tradition of videogame spritework, where the visuals exist as a utilitarian vehicle for conveying information first and a work of illustration only inasmuch is needed to serve the greater story. His character writing draws more from a synthesis of literary fiction, sitcom writing, and "making up a guy" style posting humor, where characters are defined more by their life experiences and underlying psychology than by their goals and values, but also seem to have largely been constructed backwards from a starting point of a funny or interesting manner of speaking. Importantly though, I don't get the sense that these were conscious decisions, just that to Hussie they seemed like the logical way to approach these tasks, and I don't really think he could outline them in a way that would actually help a new team of creators grok how to draw and write in a way that feels like homestuck. I also don't think Hussie could actually explain the psychology that undergirds his character writing, I think he was mostly just drawing on his own life experience and imagining how this sort of character might logically speak and act.
As a novelist, and Hussie is one, both your thought processes and the sum total of your worldview and life experience are just as important to your work as the actual conscious decisions you're making, and I think that where there are gaps in understanding, the new writers are filling in the gaps with both a more conventional approach to the creative process and over a decade of accumulated fanon, and I think that's why homestuck 2 never really rises above feeling like a very well-made fanfic to me?
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Tumblr ate the anon ask I was responding to so I'm gonna paraphrase it here:
what do mean llh gave di feisheng to fang duobing? the letter totally said something else
Yes, it did - but I didn't feel I could comment too deeply on it when it's been retranslated and people who are far more literate than I am have analyzed the contents already. -- The letter itself seems pretty straight forward.
However, what I wanted to focus on was analyzing unspoken social dynamics - so I'm gonna get in depth into my reasoning for my interpretation. And admittedly in previous posts I was playing fast and glib with my responses (they were just insomnia-fueled thoughts I typed real fast) so I wasn't really in depth or anything. Anyway~~~ That means it's time for me to get long winded.
So! First thing - this is the scene: The letter was written from Li Xiangyi and addressed in its entirety to Di Feisheng. However, when it was delivered the fisherman asked for both DFS and FDB. It was then read outloud by either the fisherman or FDB -- I assume read out loud, and loudly, because DFS never left his position by the rocks and emoted his distress at the contents. That means everyone there also was privy to the letter contents.
The letter itself is straight forward. It's addressed from LXY telling DFS that he regretfully can't make the duel and that he respects him both as a martial artist and as a person, and if he wishes, he can go to FDB who has inherited his skills and shows great promise, etc.
The thing IS - I firmly believe that this is not a message meant just for DFS.
Both LLH and DFS code switch between their non-leader selves vs Li-Menzhu and Di-Mengzhu. It's easiest to see based on what they're wearing. Li Xiangyi when he's dressed in the Sigu Sect uniform. Or the Styx flower hand-off scene where he calls him Di-mengzhu (not Lao Di or A-Fei or whatever else) likely as a reaction to his official regalia/red uniform which means DFS was showing up in an official capacity. Both of them know very well the importance of a certain.... how to say.... drama? They're both leaders and they were also very performative in their roles as leaders. They both expected that massive peanut gallery that showed up to witness the fight - the one filled with members of various sects, including Sigu Sect leadership -- because dfs was likely the one announcing it.
Imo - aside from the need to express the full weight of what he felt, part of the reason LLH was so formal in his letter is expectation that there would be other people there - influential people. The very people DFS and FDB would have to deal with in the future alone. FDB would be ok but he's largely unknown to the rest of jianghu and therefore his story is still malleable. DFS is known, but infamous and his narrative is as much of a trap as LXY's was. And now he no longer has the benefit of a sect to act as a buffer.
LLH's last act as LXY was not to save Yun Biqiu but to carve a new path open in the world for DFS and FDB:
Expresses that he bears deep emotion and the greatest and deepest respect for DFS despite a reputation of them being enemies
Informs everyone that DFS is not seeking dominion or 'the throne' but rather, is going the fighter-scholar path of studying and testing martial skill -- aka, this is message from one sect leader to all the others present. Spread the word, this man is NOT gunning for your power. None of you have reason to take him down.
Establishes FDB as his one and only successor - while also stating clearly it's entirely up to FDB to decide whether to continue down this path or not
Creates a pathway for DFS and FDB to maintain their connection with each other - and in fact lets everyone else know that there is a pre-established, legacy relationship between DFS and LLH that FDB will be inheriting.
Gently asks DFS to keep an eye on FDB's development - iterating that if dfs is the one asking, then FDB may make the decision to continue to train - aka help him see his full potential whatever his decision is.
At the same time, he silently wishes FDB to maintain connections with/keep an eye on DFS. In another reply I kinda went on about this: imagine a scenario where your friend's mom pulls both of you in front of her. And the whole time is telling your friend that they need to do, expectations, a list of goals, etc. The entire time she's only focused on your friend - but there is this silent implication that you, as the witness, is expected to act a reminder or even an enforcer if your friend isn't listening. If things go wrong, you're expected to go in there and help them to do the thing they were asked to do. This is the unspoken message I'm getting for FDB. Even though his name wasn't mentioned in the letter, it was explicitly delivered to both him and dfs. He's standing right there while an imaginary LLH talks to DFS. So if after all this, dfs disappears without another word = fdb can feel emboldened to go after him, knocking on doors until he answers. Should he decide to do so.
Entreaty - "These are LXY's (my) last wishes. Please respect my memory after my death."
Conclusion: LLH's last actions were to create a space where both DFS and FDB can make their own decision on their path in the world, without the weight of all those other people in jianghu influencing them.
Note: I also believe that on dfs' side, his clothing choices point toward his plans to publicly step down and leave the martial path with Li Lianhua. But llh sucker-punched him and left him standing on some rocks like a widow waiting for her husband who's lost at sea. They were technically on the same page, but it somehow went wrong because... well. Unfortunately that's DFS' narrative. He never quite reaches his goal without the hero either hindering or helping him. The entire drama was LLH being that karma busting fulcrum for him. But now, should he wish it, it'll be FDB's turn to step up and do the same.
#also as an aside - with all the marriage symbolism and the dead brides in every story arc - both lyx and dfs with red uniforms?#llh stealing dfs repeatedly away from marriages? sgd wanting llh to wear the red for HIM but instead llh wears it for everyone else but him#it's very much giving me sacrificial savior where the hero is for the people and not any given individual#mysterious lotus casebook#my royal ramblings#di feisheng#li lianhua#li xiangyi#fang duobing#lxy's last letter#meta
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Everything Happens For A Reason | LN4
Summary: Sometimes the people that love us hurt us the most but, you can't seem to stay away. After an immense break up, you've become the most passionate in your career. Going from casting to casting, concert to concert, audition to audition, you become one of the most famous artists of your generation. You were done picking up the broken pieces of your heart when somebody comes into your life and you place your heart in someone else's hands again.
Word Count: 945
Pairing: Lando Norris x female! reader ft. Carlos Sainz
Warnings: none
Chapter 1
Note: This is my first official fic, I hope all goes well! This isn't fully edited but, I just wanted to put it out there. I hope you enjoy and thanks!!!
Chapter 1
“Hey, hey!”, says your manager strutting into the hotel room you were getting ready in.
“Good morning!”, you say chirpily as you turn to look at the door she came through
Your eyes follow her as she comes to sit on the lounge chair across from the studio chair you're sitting on.
You're currently getting your makeup done as today will be a full day of press for a new Netflix show you just wrapped on. Considering you started acting at 18 and you're currently 23, it’s easy to say you’ve been pretty successful. Many say you’re the best actress of your generation, you got nominated for an Emmy after your first acting job and you're getting job offers left and right. But, you’ve always felt like it wasn’t hard work that got you where you are today; you’ve always believed it was just luck. You never even considered acting in the first place, it just kind of happened.
You had always lived a normal life, you were born and raised in California to a middle class hard working Mexican family. Up until high school you were just living life as normally as possible. During middle school you developed a love for music which led you to try and pursue it once you started high school.
You didn’t have to try very hard for people to notice you, you were just that good. But, that didn’t mean you didn’t work hard, after you got your record deal at 17 you tried your best to make hit after hit. You were always afraid the success wouldn't last very long. But after countless number 1s, sold out shows, and very passionate fans; you were sure you made the right choice.
Soon after graduating highschool you were put into a meeting with your team, they just wanted to know if you wanted to solely focus on music or explore other art forms. You only had eyes for music but they saw your potential and pushed you to try. It wouldn’t hurt to try right, so you gave it your best shot. If you thought you were successful back then you were in for a surprise. Your popularity skyrocketed and multiplied by millions it seemed. You were quickly considered one of the most famous and influential young artists of the generation.
…
“So, I have gone through and confirmed the schedule for these upcoming weeks. But, there is one last thing that just came up. I wanted to go over it with you before I set everything up” she says as she opens and begins typing on her laptop.
Jen, your manager has been with you since high school and has climbed every step of the journey with you. Although she works for you, she is more like an older sister you never had, that and the fact that she’s only eight years older than you.
“Mhm” you nod at Jen as to not disturb your makeup artist who is putting your lipstick on.
“It’s this car racing thingy, something about giving you a tour and meeting each team. I think it’s called Formula something. Anyways, I’m about to send the email back saying no, it doesn’t look like it’s worth our time.” She says nonchalantly
You sit there eyes wide, “Jen are you kidding me, never say no to Formula One!” you semi yell
“I looked into it, it just looked like funny cars going in circles for what seems like forever. But no worries, I’ll just change that no to a yes.”
“I didn’t even know you were into racing, when did you get into this anyway?” she says typing while looking at you waiting for an answer
“Umm, I don’t really remember the exact year but, I think in elementary school. My dad always woke up at 6:00 am to watch the races each weekend”, you say as the makeup artist fixes your eyebrows one last time
“Wow, you’re more into it than I thought. Why have you never mentioned it before?!”
“I mean I haven’t really been caught up with it at all, you know after everything took off I didn’t have time for it”
“Oh that reminds me, the race is in Monaco in exactly two weeks. So, it’ll be the last thing you’ll have to do right before your break” she says matter of factly
“Yes, I can’t wait for it!” you groan in delight leaning back in your chair as your glam team is packing up to leave.
“Yeah, I think I judged it too early, this seems more like a vacation than anything. And these racers, why didn’t you tell me they were this attractive” she says raising her eyebrows at you
You laugh and sit up, “I mean that isn’t what it’s all about but yeah, they’re easy on the eyes for sure. I had the biggest crush on Lando Norris like a year back.”
You feel your cheeks and ears heat up as you remember your crush, you’d never supported Mclaren until him. You’d always been a Ferrari fan, a die hard Tifosi. Your dad would kill you if he found out your heart was half orange.
Jen waves her hands in front of you, “Earth to Y/N”
“Umm it doesn’t really seem like this crush has passed. Now I know why you want to go so bad!” she teases and giggles at you
You cover your face and blush even harder
You get up and walk towards the closet, “Just help me get dressed Jen, please” you giggle and plead at her hoping she’ll forget about it
She gets up and follows you, “Whatever you say girlfriend” she laughs
#scenarios#fan fiction#fanfic#Lando Norris#lando norris#Carlos Sainz#carlos sainz#lando norris x reader#lando norris x you#lando norris x y/n#formula 1#f1#f1 x reader#f1 imagine#f1 fanfic#charles leclerc
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How a non-musician evolved into the 'Godfather of ambient music': teenage Brian Eno, here captured during his formative years while attending Roy Ascott’s influential and experimental ‘Groundcourse’ at Ipswich School Of Art back in 1968.
Today a highly acclaimed teacher, theorist and pioneer of new media, Ascott named his foundation studies program Groundcourse (learning from the ground up) and focused on the eradication of preconceived ideas through disorientation and various challenging and confusing practices designed to disrupt creative preconceptions and embrace this idea you are not a fixed thing, you can change things about yourself, you can see what it is like to be somebody else, through social experiments in class or personality exercises, so that students would express the process they had been through artistically.
thequietus.com/: "...Eno laughed as he explained how this next stage was the crux of the game.
"We had to design exactly the opposite person and live that person for the next 10 weeks. So, in my case, I wasn’t allowed to talk unless spoken to because I was always a chatterbox. I wasn’t allowed to initiate anything; I just had to do what other people asked me to do, so I had to execute other people’s plans. I was very physically energetic, and I had to sit on a trolley so that if I wanted to go anywhere, I had to persuade someone to push me. So, for 10 weeks I was another person, and so was everybody else, and yet we were trying to do these new projects together. The meekest person had to be the leader of the group, the direct opposite."
Ascott defined the ideas that developed, through disorientated projects, as being quite radical and challenging artistic preconceptions.
"They had boards which they folded in different combinations that would result in going to the next level, or not, then if you didn’t win you wore some enormous thing over your head. There were two stories that came out of it: Eno had to go around with a paper bag over his head because he couldn’t see for a period and Townsend was in a trolley for a few days. Basically, they would build quite large things that you would go into with lights, all kinds of stuff, but on quite an environmental scale. We gave them about six weeks for that.
You can imagine the scene within the art studios as the future destructive Who guitarist is pushed around by fellow students and the creator of Ambient music is quietened, redefining their natural impulses supported their development of cultural impactful work. Conceptual development through closely exploring personality interference into artistic creativity, supported a widening of some student’s minds, unpacking the creative processes of art forms."
Eno pondered the impact, saying he was a non-musician who entered the field through an alternative direction to traditional music training:
”So, I didn’t come into music from that route; I came into music from the route of thinking how do I make music happen, given that I can’t do the things that people normally do to make music happen. I very much took that notion that Roy had given, of creating scores actually. Activity maps, as it were, ways of getting to something.”
(via & via)
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Um question
during one of my “endlessly scrolling through tumblr looking at people’s opinions on Sky lore” nights I noticed one of your posts about a Valley Priestess? Several other people had drawn/talked about Valley Priestess and I am incredibly confused as to who she is
*RUNS FULL SPEED AT YOU
*GRABS YOU
OH MY DEAR FRIEND YOU HAVE **NO** IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE JUST AWAKENED.
PRIESTESS IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER EVER AND MY HYPERFIXATED ASS WILL TALK ABOUT HER JUST GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY.
SIT DOWN FELLA THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ONE.
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Let's go back in time, circa 2017-2018, when Sky was still in development, and was yet to hit the shelves.
During that time, TGC presented their pre-release concepts of what was back then known as Sky: Light Awaits, at CAFA GAME ART 2018 exhibition, held at Cetral Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China from september 8 to October 7.
In that exhibition, TGC presented the crowd with a bunch of concept art, story directions and ideas, and some world-building of their upcoming game. If you are interested in seeing the exhibits TGC put up, you can check those links:
1. Layout
2. World overview
3. Storyline
4. World Map
5. Character Designs
6. Level designs
7. Interaction and customization
8. Journey comparison
9. Bits and pieces
However, for the specifc question you asked, we need to focus on number 3. Storyline.
More specifically, this bit right here:
You see this? Right here?
"Descendants summon and challenge and ancient (priestess)"
YUP, THERE SHE IS, RIGHT HERE!!
That is one of the first, and frankly, the last times she gets officially mentioned.
Why? Because she was replaced by the Valley twins. That is also why the twins share one name: Samekh, because they used to be one elder, to whom this name belonged.
How do we know this? Because in the concept art where the twins start to appear, they are both labeled Samekh... Just like in this very little and crunchy concept art:
You see her? In the corner?
There she is!
As we can see, this singular figure is also labeled Samekh. And since we know that Samekh is the name of the valley elders and the singular Valley elder for the Priestess, we can conclude this is a concept art of her :) if you want to know more about elders' names, you can always check out Grandpa's (@grapeless-seeds) very neat doc right here!
Now, you may be asking: "If she is just a scraped elder that was already replaced by other elders, how did she resurface again?"
That is a very good question! And it has a VERY long and VERY interesting history behind it.
Despite her being in the concept art, not many acknowledged her existence, moreover being anyway related to the current Valley elders. Even though many asked themselves the question "Why were there two Valley elders, and why are they so much younger than the rest of them?", a big part of the fandom agreed on the headcanon that the twins were simply two parts of one being who got split. And so, Priestess laid dormant in the discarded concept art.
But things were about to change.
Let's jump into the future, circa 2020-2021, when the fandom's love for lore and elders was at it's height. Theories were flowing left and right, and as you know, Sky lore enjoyers often dig through countless concept art for crumbs of lore we usually don't get in the game. And one of said concepts through which a certain group of people dug through was the concept of Priestess. Unconciouslly, her image rooted itself in the minds of elder lore enthusiasts.
In 2020, Grandpa, who was a pretty influential Sky artist and theorist on Skyblr and the western Sky fandom, posted this headcanon on her twitter:
This, as far as I'm aware, was one of the first instances of the idea that not only the twins aren't just two halves of one being, but that they are actually children of an elder long gone: the Priestess.
Soon enough after it, a sketch by @artificial-radiance Was posted on Skyblr, featuring this idea yet again.
While the headcanon was still really obscure, it did manage to trickle down into the hearts of some very passionate (and lowkey insane) people, like me. I mean, How could it not! It was a perfect setup for drama, mystery, and the "dead mom" trope! It could finally give a much spicier explanation for the twins being younger than the rest of the elders than the "split theory" we knew beforehand.
And a few more fan arts and headcanons started showing up, here are some examples:
(two old sketches by me, inspired by artificial radiance)
(a short comic by @dogedepan also inspired by artificial radiance)
As you can see, back then the design for her was really close to the single concept art piece we had - a hooded silhouette with not a lot of unique features.
The awareness of Priestess and the idea of her being the mother of the current Valley elders rooted itself stronger. But you know what really made it bloom?
Eldertwt.
Eldertwt was a joke roleplay a bunch of sky fans started on Twitter dot com, where each created a profile after an elder or a Sky spirit, interacting and making a bunch of shenanigans.
The whole thing was filled with deez nuts and gay jokes, and it really didn't seem to be going anywhere serious...
Until, Grandpa, yet again, dropped a priestess bomb.
In a, surprisingly, heartwrenching Eldertwt storyline (no I'm serious, you HAD to be there when it went down), Grandpa introduced Priestess again, finally forever basing Priestess as an existing character and the mother of the twins.
With Grandpa drawing her in her style, a change in the way she was drawn was done
(credit to @grapeless-seeds)
And many who proceeded to draw her for Eldertwt based on Grandpa's design really hammered it down. Here are some examples
(credit to @dogedepan)
(credit to @fiomeras)
(credit to @krillcandles)
(credit to @thatskymoz)
As you can see, Priestess went from a hooded silhouette in a crunchy concept art into a full-fledged character with hair, face, and personality. With Priestess stopped being an obscured piece of concept art, she found her way into the hearts of many.
Before long, the simple little headcanon grew into a full-fledged fanon, with fanart, theories, ships, and fanfics being produced with priestess as a character in them.
And honestly? This perhaps was one of the most favorite things I got to experience in Sky fandom. How a bunch of strangers came together and out of pure love and interest took a piece of concept art and a little text that never made it past development, and turned it into a full, recognizable character.
And yes, this fanon might not be the most popular, and most people still go by the "split elder" theory for twins. But Priestess is THERE. She is no longer a forgotten and discarded piece of art. She is a character who holds importance to many, including me.
And you might say "Well, isn't it silly, to turn a character that doesn't even exist in the final game into a full-fledged fanon?"
And you would be right, it is silly. But it's fun. And in a game like Sky, where most of what we know is through concept art, is it really a stretch to give importance to a piece of it?
Besides... Once you learn about Priestess...
You start to notice that perhaps, she isn't gone from the game entirely 😉
Anyway, I hope I answered your question!
SOryy for making this SO long, it's just I love this character so so so so much, AND the history behind her is fascinating!!!
#sky: cotl#sky: children of the light#sky cotl#sky children of the light#thatskygame#that sky game#sky: the more you know#sky lore#thatskygame lore#priestess my beloved#sky priestess#valley elders#valley of triumph#valley twins#samekh#priestess samekh
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March 2024 Important Dates
AKA my notes on The Astrology Podcast's March Forecast.
February recap: The conjunction between Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto in Aquarius conjunction has aligned with new tech developments. The Venus-Pluto conjunction heralded OpenAI's new text-to-video generator and the ensuing discussion on its potential political, labor, and artistic effects. Mercury was conjunct Mars and Venus trine Jupiter (with Virgo Moon completing a grand trine & involving the Saturn-Pisces opposition) the day Neuralink tried its first human subject. How will different parts of society react to further developments in cybernetics and body augmentation? Past occurrences of astrological alignments can help us make predictions. Advances in robotics during a major transit in the humanistic sign of Aquarius will challenge us to redefine what it means to be human. On February 10th, around the Mars-Pluto conjunction, a group of people set a self-driving delivery car on fire in San Francisco. These robo-taxis are likely going to increase when Jupiter enters Gemini, and indeed a few companies are poised to launch in other cities.
In other Pluto in Aquarius news, last episode Chris noted there's work in using X-rays to ancient scrolls from Herculaneum and Pompeii that can't be opened without incurring damage. On February 5th, the day of the Mercury-Pluto conjunction, the first images of one of these scrolls have been made available. This fits with Mercury-Pluto themes of lost or buried information coming to light. On the same day King Charles of England's cancer diagnosis was announced--an announcement of mortality. We also had the first privately-funded lunar vehicle landing. Pluto makes large thing imperceptibly small and makes microscopic things enormous.
In Saturn in Pisces news, in 2020 Chris predicted success for Miley Cyrus's Saturn return and indeed she won the Grammy. This also marks part 2 of the Dune movie--the book was written under Saturn in Pisces as well. Other influential sci-fi & fantasy stories were written under Saturn in Pisces like Lord of the Rings, and our hosts predict that a new classic will be born during this transit. In other Mars-Pluto news, we have ambiguous stories about nuclear weapons and Israel's announcement of storming Rafah. Unfortunately the upcoming eclipses (connected to 6 months ago) do not bode well for cessation of warfare. On February 15th, farmers in India have begun striking again, and doctors in South Korea walked out on the job to protest working conditions--Mars in Aquarius squaring Jupiter-Uranus in Taurus reactivates these ongoing labor disputes.
Our hosts recorded the forecast before the perfect Mercury-Saturn-Sun conjunction in Pisces hit on February 28th (the day I'm typing this!), which is one of the major influences over the first half of March. The other big influence is Mars-Venus in Aquarius. In the mutable, indeterminate sign of Pisces, Saturn doesn't bring us as much order as he did in the previous two signs of his domicile.
March 2nd/3rd - Venus square Uranus
Venus in Aquarius squares Uranus in Taurus--either a change is needed to bring us peace and pleasure, or something is disrupting our pleasure. Austin says either way, this placement prompts us for significant changes. Venus's is overcoming Uranus (earlier in the zodiac, has the upper hand), so we can make good use of this placement if we shake things up a little bit in relationships.
March 9th/10th - Mars square Uranus, Mercury enters Aries
Mercury has entered the sign where he'll retrograde, stretching what would normally be a transit of a few weeks into 2 months. Mercury in Mars's sign amplifies the wishes of the red planet, who's doing some pretty interesting stuff. In a firey Mars-ruled sign, Mercury wants something practical to do. This clarity and decisiveness will be welcome after all the indecision of Pisces. However, the North Node is in Aries, with the power to obscure things even when it's not blocking the Sun's light. There will be an eclipse here in April, so the pathfinding is tricky. We'll definitely be doubling back as Mercury prepares to retrograde. Sometimes you need to dive into things while you have the vision, yet before you have the rationale. Austin likens it to clearing your way through thick jungle terrain to determine whether a route is viable--it's only by going forward that you find out that you're on the wrong path, and thus, where the right one is. Mercury retrogrades teach us to learn from our mistakes--third time's the charm!
Mars follows Venus's path, and along with Mercury, weighs heavily on the upcoming lunation. Mars-Uranus connotes surprise attacks, sudden severing, unexpected explosions. Internally this can make us feel restless and impulsive. Keywords: recklessness and action without planning. Think of a cigarette being dropped near an oil drum. Technology disruptions are also likely.
March 10th - Pisces New Moon
Saturn and Neptune are close by to this lunation, and though Mars-Uranus is weighing in, Mars in particular is ultimately reporting to Saturn's broader plan. As Neptune and Saturn approach their conjunction, we'll seek escapism and the imaginal as a respite for our fatigue. We need to step out from being immersed in these waters. Mercury conjoined Neptune on the 8th before he left Pisces, leaving the imprint of confused or empathic communications in the air as the lunar cycle resets for the month.
March 11th/12th - Venus enters Pisces
From here she builds up to a conjunction with Saturn at 11° on the 21st. As the sign of her exaltation, she's better able to bring harmony and reconciliation in our relationships, though Saturn brings a cool distance to our relationships. She'll conjoin Neptune in this sign next month. We may also see some kind of artwork that resonates with people on a deep emotional level.
March 17th - Sun conjoins Neptune, Electional chart
At around 1PM local time, this chart has Cancer rising with a dignified Moon in Cancer, applying to a trine with Venus at 7Pisces and sextile with Jupiter in Taurus in the 11th house. This chart occurs before things go crazy later in the month and is the best time to start something new. It's especially good for friends, groups and alliances and doing new things outside of the box.
March 18th - Mercury enters shadow (not pictured)
Mercury hits 15Aries, the point he'll retrograde back to, at the same time as he conjoins the North Node. This is a precursor of things that will occur in April.
March 19th/20th - Sun enters Aries
This puts the Sun in the same time as the Node that will eclipse it.
March 21st - Venus conjoins Saturn
Saturn and Venus bring a sort of melancholy beauty to things. Though we may see them at odds for signifying discipline and love respectively, Saturn does exalt in Venus's sign of Libra. In the sign of Pisces empathy is especially relevant--think understanding each other's feelings because we've suffered the same things. Nostalgia is another important keyword.
March 22nd - Mars enters Pisces
This puts him on track to contact to Saturn (exact cojunction c. April 10th)--a dangerous combination. Along with the Sun in Aries and Mercury slowing, this represents the event horizon of major developments for the rest of the month and early April. This will be the first Mars-Saturn conjunction in Pisces; note the Aquarius conjunctions in 2020 and later years coincided with the COVID lockdown(s). Sea lane transit will likely slam on the brakes as well, and current maritime conflicts will see big developments. More figuratively we may ask "where are we going, and what dangers lie ahead?"
March 25th - Libra Lunar Eclipse
For about a week things have been building up to this eclipse. Its twin will be visible across much of the United States in early April, meanwhile a comet will start to be visible in the night sky. Mars in Pisces copresent Saturn weighs heavily on this eclipse. The pace of events starts moving quickly and chaotically around eclipse season, and things start to move rapidly up or down, especially for prominent people & companies. This eclipse represents a culmination or next chapter of events started in October--major beginnings and major endings (in the Libra house of your chart for individuals). The picture may begin to get clearer. It's not the last installment, but things are clearly underway. Unfortunately this does not bode well for ongoing global conflicts. We can't see clearly with the eclipse, meanwhile Mercury is slowing down about to station retrograde, while right on the North Node. Combined with dangerous Mars-Saturn, it's a bit of a crazy situation. Jupiter's approach to a conjunction with Uranus indicates some surprising, amazing wins, and some people will find unexpected good fortune once the smoke clears. However, not everyone will be able to count on winning the Jupiter lottery here. (Later in April, when Jupiter conjoins Uranus exactly we can expect some kind of freedom and liberation).
The two weeks between these eclipses will be very active, dramatic, and chaotic, with beginnings and endings galore. In the Indian astrology dasha timing technique, the US Sibly chart has been in a time period ruled by Rahu (north node) since the early 2010s, making any eclipses visible in that country especially important to it. This is a time to be flexible!
#astrology#transits#forecast#the astrology podcast#march 2022#mars square uranus#venus square uranus#mercury in aries#libra lunar eclipse#mars conjunct saturn#mars in pisces#saturn in pisces#pluto in aquarius
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Jimmy Page and the Rolling Stones: 60 years of musical flirtations
Certainly, not all blues enthusiasts of the early 1960’s can claim to have become some of the most influential musical artists of all time. But that’s one thing that Jimmy Page and the members of the Rolling Stones have in common.
The first encounter between Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Jimmy Page occured in 1962, just a few months before the formation of the Stones. The three English boys travelled all the way from the South to attend UK’s first American Folk Blues Festival in the city of Manchester. They met at a blues collector’s house, and together they listened to Howlin’ Wolf’s masterpiece album commonly known as ‘Rocking Chair’—then newly released. For a blues fanatic back then, meeting someone with the same interest was something almost extraordinary. Most people weren’t interested in what was still a rather obscure music genre and preferred rocking and rolling to the songs on the radio. For this reason, if you liked the blues and met someone alike, you were going to remember them.
By the end of the same year, Jimmy was spotted during a gig at the Marquee Club in London and asked to play regularly on record sessions. This was the start of a short but prolific career as a session musician for the young man, who would soon encounter Mick and Keith again, this time with the rest of the Rolling Stones. He played on a number of demos for the band, three of which were officially released on Stones records:
These sessions were a great opportunity for Page to develop an understanding of how records were produced: he spent hours in the control room, and soon he was employed as house producer and arranger at Andrew Oldham’s Immediate Records. In 1968, the record company released Blues Anytime Vol 1-2-3, a series of records containing works by various British blues artists. Jimmy featured in two of these, producing a few songs on which Mick Jagger (harmonica), Bill Wyman (bass), Ian Stewart (piano) and Eric Clapton (guitar) were the musicians.
Around this time, Jimmy also gave a helping hand to Brian Jones on the soundtrack for the cult classic movie A Degree of Murder (recorded late 1966-early 1967), also using his now notorious trick of the violin bow. He recalls:
“Brian knew what he was doing. It was quite beautiful. Some of it was made up at the time; some of it was stuff I was augmenting with him. I was definitely playing with the violin bow. Brian had this guitar that had a volume pedal – he could get gunshots with it. There was a Mellotron there. He was moving forward with ideas.”
—Jimmy Page, from issue #1171 of Rolling Stone
Legend has it that the Stones had previously asked Page to join the band in order to throw Jones out, but he declined.
The group was again looking for a guitarist in late 1974, to fill the spot left by Mick Taylor’s sudden goodbye. Jimmy had recently jammed in the studio with them on a fun session which birthed the track Scarlet, but it was highly unlikely that he would leave the then biggest band in the world—even for the Rolling Stones. The track remained in the vaults for 46 years, and was finally released in 2020 as part of the expanded edition of Goats Heads Soup.
“I had completely forgotten about it. Someone told me it was Ginger Baker on drums. And I rang Jimmy Page up — I didn’t remember anything — and Jimmy Page remembered everything! This person played on it, it wasn’t Ginger Baker … he seemed so certain about it.”
— Mick Jagger on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, July 22, 2020
Jimmy Page and the Rolling Stones would cross paths again in September 1983 when both Jimmy and Bill Wyman played on the ARMS Charity Concert, later embarking on an American tour with the rest of the musicians involved.
As a result of this, several of said musicians were invited to take part of Wyman’s latest project, Willie and the Poor Boys. Inspired by the music of the early 1950’s, they congregated at Jimmy Page’s home studio, the Sol, and recorded numerous tracks, twelve of which were officially released on a 1985 self-titled album. Jimmy can be heard on two of them:
The Eighties were a time of turmoil for the Rolling Stones as its two principal songwriters, Richards and Jagger, had been feuding over the band’s direction for most of the decade. Nonetheless, right after the Willie and the Poor Boys sessions commenced the recording process for Dirty Work. Jimmy took part of another jam session with the band, immortalised on the hit single One Hit (To The Body).
In 1992, the 7th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took place, and among the chosen legends to be honoured that year were the members of the Yardbirds. Keith Richards also attended the ceremony, being assigned the role to induct Leo Fender, one of his idols and legendary creator of the Fender Stratocaster. Later on, an All-Star Band was formed for a one-off performance and Keith and Jimmy found themselves merrily jamming together once again on classics such as ‘Green Onions’, ‘Soul Man’, ‘Big River’, ‘Dust My Broom’, ‘Shout’, ‘All Along the Watch Tower’, ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Something Is Wrong With My Baby’.
After sharing much of their success over the past six decades, Jimmy Page and the members of the Stones remain close friends, now having earned a well deserved title as rock and roll legends.
#new little article!#jimmy and the stones are some of my fave artists ever and the fact that they've collabed many times makes me so happy 🥰!!#jimmy page#the rolling stones#rolling stones#led zeppelin#mick jagger#keith richards#brian jones#ronnie wood#mick taylor#charlie watts#classic rock#rock#70s rock#blues rock#rock and roll#rock n roll#rock music#discover jp#by dee dee 🌺🕯️#my writing
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I noticed people creating such descriptions on Tumblr, I assumed that I could do the same so that the people who visit my blog would be less confused about what they're seeing here. After all, I'm really open to communication, but it's probably better if you know what to expect from me:)
So, who the h am I?
> Obviously, Ohiko Amok is not my real name. Not only do I have Eastern/Central European origins, nobody can have a surname which stands for an aggressive dissociative behavioral syndrome (i guess).
I don't want to go by my real name on the internet unless it comes up in conversation with my mutuals.
> I'm a person of many professions: (1) personal tutor teaching adults with dyslexia, adhd, Asperger's etc.; to speak English (2) Marketing professional; (3) Graphic designer; (4) Apparently, I become an HR manager as well???
Sometimes I post some funny observations connected with my professional background, and even though some of them might seem tiny bit salty, I love my occupations wholeheartedly (except for some episodes of working with people, people are truly annoying sometimes).
> I have lots of hobbies; I like cooking (I'll gladly exchange recipes with anyone interested in mine), I like painting and drawing (both digitally and traditionally), I do yoga, I like reading (and sometimes even writing) and I like learning about skin issues (lol, I even have a certificate that I finished a course teaching about acne and how to properly deal with it xd). I also play a number of very simple computer games and enjoy board games, but I wouldn't call myself an enthusiast of neither. What I do adore is music - I'm the only person in my family who haven't had any musical trainings in the past, but being a daughter of a choir singer and a guy whose friends call him "Orchestra" for playing multiple instruments, together with being a sister of a sound designer and a former rock band frontman, I do have a strong appreciation for music. My taste in music is very vast and it'll be difficult to limit it to one genre or a group of artists, but I can easily name some of the most influential performers for me: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, Dusty Springfield, Judy Garland, Fleetwood Mac, Czesław Niemen, Marek Grechuta, Volodymyr Ivasyuk, Okean Elzy, Skryabin..
I would love to bond over music with anyone with similar tastes <3
I also absolutely ADORE cats, they are my "spirit animals", so they are going to appear in my blog sometimes.
> I do not identify myself through pronouns, sexuality, belonging to a certain movement. I think all of those labels are secondary and often limit person to a certain degree. Biologically, I'm a woman. I'm bisexual, but I do not consider myself to be a part of LGBTQ community. I'm not religious. I'm not a feminist of any kind. I have my own strong ideas developed through the years living in a certain context, my own preferences and worldview, but I don't want to label them in any way, as it seems redundant.
> I come from Poland<3 If at some point you might get confused by my posts' being inspired by both Polish and Ukrainian popular culture and historical background, it's because I was born in Ukraine (albeit in a Polish family) and feel a strong connection and love to both countries.
> Since I've started to post on Tumblr regularly, I very often get some horny messages (i'm talking about real people, not porn bots), so here's one bit of information which I feel obliged to add to my account description: I'm currently engaged and I'm not looking for any relationships aside from friendly ones
> I don't reply to messages in russian
Cheers, if you've managed to read this whole post, I hope you'll enjoy the content I post on this account<3 Feel free to ask any questions that might come to your mind, I really like talking xd
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Mokumoku Ren interview
Source: Crea 7th November 2022
The manga The Summer Hikaru Died began serialisation in Young Ace UP in August 2021 and quickly gained popularity, winning 11th place in the Web manga category and the Global Special Award [Traditional Chinese] at the Next Comic Award 2022 in August 2022.
The story takes place in a village. One day, Yoshiki notices that his best friend Hikaru has been replaced by something (Nanika). A strange daily life begins - and a strange life begins to unfold.
The Summer Hikaru Died, which depicts spine-tingling horror and the pure, sad craving to 'still be together' with an outstanding visual sense, was also supported by manga experts in the CREA 2022 autumn issue's 'Night Owl Manga Award'. The author of this work, Mokumoku Ren, is a gem of a talent who debuted in commercial serialisation with this work.
We spoke to the much-celebrated Mokumoku Ren in depth about the roots, from the continued fascination with the bizarre since childhood, to influential works, and the secret stories behind the creation of some of the most memorable scenes.
I have been drawing original characters since I was a child.
We were told that Mokumokuren-sensei conceived of The Summer Hikaru Died while still in high school.
I've really liked thinking up stories since I was little, and it was something I'd been doing for a long time. I didn't really give it form, but I would build it up in my head.
In what is called a 'stand-in' type story, where an ‘outsider’ takes the place of someone who already exists, the ‘outsider’ usually ends up becoming the enemy. But what happens to the feelings of this ‘outsider’? That's what I thought at first.
I still hold this in high regard, and while I write about the feelings of the people surrounding the person who has been replaced, I place more emphasis on the feelings of the person who has been replaced.
As you mentioned, one of the main features of this work is the establishment of the personality of 'Hikaru', the Nanika, but when you think about the content of each episode, do you start from the emotions, or do you come up with scenes and facial expressions as you draw?
I think from the development of 'This is what would happen if we moved them.' I've already made a start in the first episode, so I focus on how the characters will move, like 'this is the kind of problem that will happen' or 'this is the kind of reaction the characters will have when this kind of problem occurs'.
You mentioned that you have been creating since your childhood, how do you feel about the way you 'draw'? I read The Summer Hikaru Died and thought your drawing skills were tremendous.
Thank you very much. I have been drawing ever since I can remember. I only started drawing manga recently, but I've loved drawing illustrations since I was in kindergarten, and I used to make my own original characters. It is something that has been going on for a long time.
“I've been making stories and drawing pictures.” The fruit of that was "The summer Hikaru died", wasn't it?
Yes, it was. However, I wasn't thinking about becoming a manga artist, and I was doing it as a hobby, so I was approached (by publishers), and I'm grateful that it sold so well. I'm happy, but I'm still surprised, so is it okay to call myself a "manga artist"? That's how I feel.
No, no, I was thinking about what you said earlier about your kindergarten days, but I think that 'drawing' usually starts with imitating existing characters. Being able to suddenly create an original character is a glimpse of what it takes to become a manga artist.
There were quite a few people like that around me, so I thought it was normal. I think that the root of both writing and drawing is that “I like to fantasize”. I feel like those things have led me to where I am today.
Also, in terms of drawing, there was a time when I was doing sketches like hell every day. That has helped me a lot.
I would like to ask you about the creators and works that have influenced you, I heard that you were into 'Tokyo Ghoul' when you were a student.
Yes, I was really into it when I was a student. I always really liked reading the Jump series and shounen and seinen, and when I was in primary school I got hooked on Tokyo Ghoul. People often say that my drawings resemble a lot of other things, but I personally think that my base is "Tokyo Ghoul". I used to draw characters from 'Tokyo Ghoul' myself.
Tokyo Ghoul is quite precocious for a primary school student.
That's right. I read it behind my parents' backs (laughs). I've always liked non-humans, and Tokyo Ghoul has a great way of depicting them.
Also, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I think it's particularly noticeable in works such as Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, which has a bizarre aspect to it. I really like the way they create scary, horrifying and bizarre atmosphere.
In Tokyo Ghoul, the characters' facial expressions are also very distinctive. I feel the skill of projecting emotions such as fear and trembling onto facial expressions when I read The Summer Hikaru Died. Is this another point of influence?
It might be.. At that time, I was looking forward to reading the Young Jump magazine every week, and I thought there were a lot of expressions that caught me off guard. I thought there were a lot of expressions that made me gasp. As I was reading, I thought it was really interesting to see how the story would change completely the moment I turned the page.
I'm influenced by the cool composition of horror movies.
In terms of the bizarre, you have said that you are attracted to unexplainable horror.
Of course, I really like ethnic horror, horror that can be explained and horror that can be unravelled, but it's the unexplained horror that I find frightening at first glance. In The Summer Hikaru Died, I tried to include both.
We heard that you like 'Honkaku' (Really Scary Stories)/ Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi, 'Here it Comes' (i could not find this piece, the name is 『来る』) and 'Shin Mimibukuro'. Do you particularly like Japanese horror?
No, I watch both foreign and Japanese horror films. I also liked Midsommar and My Eri: A 200-Year-Old Girl, and I loved the atmosphere, the plot and the inexpressible sense of dread in I Am Ghost. In Japan, I have seen most of the films directed by Koji Shiraishi, including the ones you have just mentioned, as well as The Ring. I also read the original story "Bogi Wan ga, kuru" ("The Bogi Wan is Coming").
The direction of The Summer Hikaru Died was influenced by horror films in many ways.
I'm curious about what you pay attention to when you watch horror movies.
For example, I love Ari Aster's films, both Hereditary and Midsommar, but the composition of Midsommar, where you open the door to enter the bathroom in the room, which leads to the aeroplane bathroom, and you see it from above, was very ingenious and memorable.
I also saw Parasite and Remembrance of Murder, both directed by Bong Joon-Ho, and the compositions are insanely good. The way he dares to pull out the crying face instead of showing it at the most important part, and the way he directs it, it's like, "Cool!"
In The Summer Hikaru Died, the fear that lies in the cracks of everyday life is depicted in a subtle way, isn't it?
If I were to be influenced by other works, I would say that most of them are video-related, but I have also seen quite a few ghost stories originating from the 2ch occult board, so i though “Why don't I collect scary stories that aren’t horrifying enough to kill you?". Basically, they are more interesting than scary, and I don't find them scary at all, but there have been a few that were so scary that I couldn't sleep at night because they were so scary (laughs). In some parts of the drawn panels, I remember the fear I felt at those times.
After all, it is a detailed depiction of emotions.
When it comes to the emotional portrayal of the characters, I find it very useful to look at the people around me in my daily life. I don't have any models, but there are things that I think are similar to my friends, and when I'm interacting with my friends, I think the accumulation of thoughts like "this is what this person would say" is at work.
Basically, I want to make the characters' actions and statements in a way that people living a normal life can easily relate to. If a friend or someone very important to me were to be replaced by someone else, I would probably leave it as it is. In that way, I often do things like "If I were you, I would do this" with the characters in the manga.
Like in reality?
Yes, I think so. Of course, there are certain behaviours that I want them to do in order to advance the story, so there are times when they do things like 'this isn't how reality works', but for this piece, I've kept it to a minimum.
I like ghosts and horror stories.
I would like to ask you a lot about the onomatopoeia of The Summer Hikaru Died, the oppressive sound of the cicada 'shuffling' and frog 'gekogeko' are very intense. These are also present in the drafts?
Right. This was something I had planned to do from the very beginning. I think that horror films are effective in creating the fear of sound, but comics don't have sound, so I wanted to express that somehow well. I deliberately used fonts to make it so that the reader's eyes would be drawn to it even if they didn't want to see it.
However, rather than trial and error, I put it in naturally, and when people around me said, "That was interesting," it was the first time I felt like, "That's right."
The scene where you can see “Ku” in the distance was absurdly scary.
I was influenced by the internet yokai "Kune-Kune", the idea was simply that 'the moment when you realise that something you thought looked like this from a distance is 'different' when you get closer, that's scary'. I thought, "What kind of hiragana is the scariest? 'A' (あ) isn't scary" (laughs).
I feel that this might come from the fact that you have been attracted to scary things for many years, but has there always been a sense that scary = interesting?
I'm a little unsure about this, before I knew it, I already liked youkai and horror.I used to read all kinds of ghost stories in picture books and children's literature, and when I was little I was addicted to The Nightmare Before Christmas, and there was a time when that was all I would watch. Stories about ghosts, ghosts and Halloween - I read so much of that stuff that it was sickening, and I don't think I was just feeling 'scared'. It was like reading a book with the excitement of "Here it comes ......", which is probably similar to the feeling of riding a rollercoaster.
The name “Mokumoku Ren” is also from the youkai Mokumokuren.
Yes, it is. When I was discussing with a friend what to name my pen name, he said, "Why don't you use a yokai's name? I thought, "That's a good idea!
I love 'Gegege no Kitaro', so it made me smile (laughs). What type of yokai do you like?
I like the shin-kosuri - I really liked the 2005 version of 'The Great Yokai War'.
Shin-kosuri are cute, aren't they?
Yes, they are. I also like Kitaro (the anime), and I like yokai in general.
My inspiration is my grandmother's house where mysterious traditions remain
When I read The Summer Hikaru Died, I felt that the description of nature was excellent. I was almost in awe of the way life stirred in each and every tree, and I felt a connection to the worldview of Shigeru Mizuki (the author of Kitaro), who I have been familiar with since my childhood.
Indeed, I really like Mizuki's expression of grass. He draws each strand of grass as if it were trailing in the wind.
I was inspired by my grandmother's house when I drew nature and the countryside. I myself was born and raised in Tokyo, so I am not familiar with the countryside, but both my father's and mother's parents lived in the countryside, and I have seen the scenery whenever I visit them. My grandmother's house is a small shop in a rural village, just like the 'Yamakyu' in The Summer Hikaru Died!
There are only a few dozen households in the village, there are no convenience stores and only an old lady's shop. The rest is a guest house, the sea, mountains and a river, and there are some mysterious customs.
Traditions! It's an essential element in horror.
I laughed and said to myself, "Traditions really do exist" (laughs). There are also strange festivals and yokai legends, and in fact the same stories exist in Mie. The reason why this is so is because the divers from Mie moved to the region where my grandmother used to live many decades ago. It was spread over here by oral tradition.
That’s the area of folklore studies, isn’t it? By the way, I myself am from a rural area, and although The Summer Hikaru Died has a unique rural atmosphere, it also has a somewhat modern atmosphere, and I can see it from a slightly different perspective than those who live in that environment. I feel like I'm looking at it. After listening to what you just said, I can see the point.
My mother, who is from the countryside, also said to me, "It's the countryside as portrayed by city people" (laughs). However, I think that the "scary" feeling when I visit several times a year is really alive.
I think you're right, and that's what makes it so sharp. There are modern and stylish scenes before and after, so the rural feeling of the scene where the grandmother appears stands out.
I thought, “Old women in horror movies are scary, aren't they?'' when I drew her (laughs).The feeling I had when I went to the countryside and the stories I heard from people around me also helped me to describe it. For example, I asked my father and mother, "What was it like in the countryside? What did they say to you?" and interviewing them, or asking people around me, "What is the dialect of the young people like? Don't they have accents like that?" I make them up as I go along.
I have the impression that The Summer the Light Died was sparked by manga lovers and further expanded its popularity on social networking sites such as Twitter and TikTok. In that sense, I felt that the balance between the urban and rural feel of this work made it easy for many people to connect with it.
I myself wondered why the film was accepted by the younger generation. But I felt that the feeling of the countryside is unexpectedly present in everyone's mind as an original landscape. I found that interesting.
I used to be on Twitter a lot, so I thought, "I'm glad that the number of reactions has increased.", but one day my followers exploded and I wondered what was going on, and then I was told, "You're viral on TikTok". I downloaded it and was surprised, like 'wow, there's so many of them'.
The Summer Hikaru Died is a web serialization, and I think that there are parts that have attracted attention through the internet, but I feel that the texture of reading it on paper is also very interesting. That's because of the skill of "turning" that was mentioned in the story of Tokyo Ghoul. What kind of balance do you yourself have in regards to developing on paper and on the web?
Basically, I draw as if I were flipping through a piece of paper. In the early days, I didn't think about "flipping" at all, but after the editor told me about it, I started to consciously incorporate it. "Young Ace UP" is read vertically, so the spread is inevitably divided, so that's difficult, but I'm conscious of the spacing between lines and the viewing order from right to left.
When I read it on paper, I was also strongly impressed by the use of black - shadows and darkness, or the skillful expression of solid colours.
I try not to use too much solid black, and try to change the atmosphere with the amount of solid color. For example, in the scene where ‘Hikaru's face collapses at the end of Volume 1, I purposely made the background less solid than usual to bring out 'Hikaru’s exasperation. On the other hand, when I want to create a solid horror feeling, I put in a lot of solid colors to create a gloomy atmosphere, and change the solid and cross-hatching methods depending on the scene.
I can see the potential for expression in the black-and-white world, with dust-like things waiting in the background in different frames, and the use of shading.
I mentioned earlier that I used to do sketching (to draw), but hatching requires a lot of attention because you have to draw a lot of different textures in only black and white. I feel that these techniques are ingrained in my body.
The expression of 'Hikaru’ mimicking Hikaru also has a great impact. The cellular Paisley pattern of ....... How did you come up with that design?
I wanted it to be creepy but not too creepy, so I went for a cellular look and then the Mandelbrot set, which is a kind of fractal shape. I thought it was interesting that even though it looks like a geometric shape created by mathematical calculations, it is something that exists in nature, like the way leaves grow or the shape of vegetables, so I incorporated it.
So it is a fractal figure. By the way, how do you work with the editor you mentioned earlier?
I have them read the name I've come up with, and I often get feedback such as "What's going on here?" Readability, conveyance and structure are very difficult areas, so it's extremely helpful that they make my thoughts easy to understand and help me find the best form to convey the content.
Thank you very much for all the valuable things you have told us today. I know you must be busy every day with your first commercial series, but do you have any hobbies to relax with during your work?
It has to be "Splatoon 3". It's my favourite series and a new one has recently come out. I don't have much time to play it, but I work to play Splatoon 3 (laughs). When I have a break from work and play 'Splatoon 3', everything dissipates.
Other Mokumoku Ren interviews translated:
CREA (7th Nov 2022) | Da Vinci (5th Nov 2022) | Kono Manga ga Sugoi 2023 | Real sound 31st December | Real sound 5th July
#hikaru ga shinda natsu#the summer hikaru died#mokmok len#mokumoku ren#indoh hikaru#tsujinaka yoshiki#indou hikaru#indo hikaru#hgsn translation
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questions you would ask louis
another great question
as someone who’s been in the industry for years and has seen all sides of it, what’s something (or some things) you would change about it? what advice would you give to aspiring musicians who don’t know about how the industry works?
what’s your the step by step writing process? anything in particular you do that may be different to other writers? any rituals?
what’s one artist/writer (dead or alive) you’d love to collaborate with?
with the away from home festival and 28clothing, what’s another business endeavor you’d like to pursue?
at the beginning of your solo career you had a pop/mainstream sound, which slowly developed into the rock/punk/indie sound you have now (godbless). she is beauty, however, is more of a dancey psychedelic sound reminiscing of your early sound, which brings more flavor into the album. are there any other genres you’d be interested in exploring?
related to prev: i’m not sure if you’ve ever talked about it, but what made you go for a mainstream sound at the beginning? and how was the journey from that to finding your true sound?
speaking of, according to different interviews/tweets, you were working on an album around the back to you/just like you/miss you era. what happened to that album? what are your honest thoughts and feelings on it? how would have it sounded like? any songs from it (besides always you) that were reworked for walls and/or faith in the future?
you’ve said your favorite part of being a musician are the live shows. what is the main feeling you get when you’re up in stage? how does the energy level of the audience play into your feelings and overall performance? what is your favorite moment when you are performing? favorite fan projects?
louies louies louies. every night you express your gratitude and love for your fans, and something i’ve observed is how your relationship with fans and vice versa is quite different from any other musicians’ relationships with their fans. why do you think that is? what distinguishes it from others?
you wrote the majority of one direction songs and had more control of the band’s sound in the later albums. what motivated you to fight for more creative control? what challenges did you (guys) encounter? what was the label’s reaction if you’re comfortable sharing that? and how does it feel to know the band wouldn’t have reached the status it reached without you because you’re the heart of it you have the most writing credits?
how are them creative juices going? any new songs or ideas *eyes emoji*
(i think you’re one of the most influential artists of our time whether the public sees it or not. your music has helped us in many ways. your music came to me at a time where i needed it the most. i felt comforted by your words, knowing i’m not alone. you gave me a safe space to be myself, who i truly am, and feel nothing but pure joy. being at your show and seeing all those pride flags, being wrapped in my own flag, while listening to all this time, she is beauty and copy of a copy of a copy was an experience i will never forget. you’re the reason i met incredible people who i love with my entire life. i will always be grateful for that. thank you for sharing your art with us. you’re very talented and you deserve to shine as an artist after all the bullshit you had to deal with. i’m so proud of you and i’m happy to be here and be your fan) can i give you a hug?
send louis related asks because i miss him
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G’day, Clue Crew! Dropping in, to talk about one of my favorite artists: Alphonse Mucha. His work can be seen in several Nancy Drew games.
Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorative theatrical posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt. He produced illustrations, advertisements, decorative panels, as well as designs, which became among the best-known images of the period.
The slider puzzle box, as seen above, was featured in The Final Scene. The tiles have Mucha’s Zodiac decorating them. But this was not Zodiac’s debut in a Nancy Drew game—oh, no, no, no. She can first be seen in Abby Sideris’ bedroom, in Message in a Haunted Mansion.
Zodiac is again seen in the gift shop of Castle Finster in The Captive Curse.
However, Zodiac isn’t the only piece of Alphonse Mucha’s work to be displayed in a Nancy Drew game. Emily Crandall, from Secret of the Old Clock, has no less than 5 Mucha pieces, in her bedroom. She displays every print from The Seasons series, on her walls.
This was Mucha's first set of decorative panels and it became one of his most popular series. It was so popular that Mucha was asked by Champenois to produce at least two more sets based on the same theme in 1897 and 1900. Designs for a further two sets also exist.
The idea of personifying the seasons was nothing new - examples could be found in the works of the Old Masters' as well as in Champenois's other publications. However, Mucha's nymph-like women set against the seasonal views of the countryside breathed new life into the classic theme. In the four panels shown here, Mucha captures the moods of the seasons - innocent Spring, sultry Summer, fruitful Autumn and frosty Winter, and together they represent the harmonious cycle of Nature.
You’ll notice that the picture that “mysteriously keeps moving,” is not part of aforementioned polyptych. This Mucha piece is called Friendship. It was featured in the New York Daily News on April 3rd, 1904.
The New York Daily News referred to him as "the world's greatest decorative artist," and dedicated its Sunday Art Section to Mucha on April 3, 1904. For the illustration on the cover of that section, Mucha created a wonderful allegorical image entitled Friendship, in which America and France are each depicted as women. America, with stars on both her tiara and gown and red and white ribbons cascading from her hair, appears as the young protégé of France, who watches over her, protectively adorned with lilies in her hair and fleur-de-lys patterns on her dress. As Jirí Mucha points out, the two women are jointly "holding a wreath of lime leaves, [a] national symbol of Czechoslovakia.”
I personally adore Mucha’s allegorical style and really appreciate that he’s featured in the Nancy Drew PC games. One might even argue that Art Nouveau influences us, to this day. Perhaps it even played a part in the design and illustrations of some aspects of the games. Art is always changing—artists grow upon the backs of their predecessors. Mucha is still highly influential and relevant.
His work and the style he developed during the period of 1893 to 1903 came to define an era and forever serve as an influence to future illustrators
I loved the Alphonse Mucha pieces from the PC games, long before I went to university and wrote papers, on his work. I’d like to think I, in part, owe my love of Art Nouveau, to Nancy Drew. 🔎🖼
That is all. Happy scrolling.
#nancy drew#her interactive#clue crew#nancy drew pc games#nancy drew art#art nouveau#clk#mhm#fin#cap#alphonse mucha#secret of the old clock#message in a haunted mansion#the final scene#the captive curse
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Hi, Canary! It's really nice to see you back. You've been one of my favorite internet artists since I found your work a few years ago, and I really admire your sense of character and costume design! I found you through KH, but I've since fallen in love with your original characters and story ideas, which are lovely. I was wondering if you had any advice for someone hoping to develop their own original characters and worlds. I've been trying to for a few years, but it still feels pretty daunting.
Hello!! Oh my goodness, thank you so much. I'm so glad! ^u^
I absolutely can give some pointers!
Here's a little guide with a few methods I've used to creating characters and developing the world they live in. I'm by no means a writer of any kind (I rarely create stories, and struggle with plot) but I am passionate about developing funky little dudes who live in your brain.
Designing a Character
- Make a list. I somewhat recently compiled a document full of design elements, tropes, personality types, aesthetics I generally really liked to help build a small cast of characters I knew I’d have fun designing for. Think about your favorite characters in media and what you like about them! It could be a great jumping point to creating an OC you’re passionate about. That goes for relationship dynamics, too!
Grab a handful of things from that list, 5 or 6 maybe, and there ya go!
- Make a moodboard. I’ve used this method to create characters based on A VIBE and building off that.
I’ve even figured out personalities just based on the “aesthetic text” I found associated with a color. Part of Cherri’s backstory and personality came forth simply because I kept finding Marina lyrics in pink.
- Try using online dress up games! I used to use Dolldivine all the time to get creative.
- In addition to mood boarding, pinterest can also be a good resource for design inspiration with official concept art for movies/games and assets of those sort of dress-up games readily available. CocoPPa is a good example!
[Let’s please respect the wishes of individual artists and either give credit when posting for inspiration or respect their wishes if they state not to repost their work at all.]
- In depth character creators in video games! Or simple ones! I’ve built up such an affection for even a few of my stardew valley farmers with their own personal bits of lore, they could probably be stand alone characters separate from the game at this point. Sometimes developing a character from an established setting can be a good base. Dig some of your old fan characters out of the closet, even!
Get to know your character
Getting to know your OC is one of my favorite parts of the process, and is something I find really important if you want to get attached to them. And you should!! The more these guys are on your brain, the more you start asking questions about them, and the more bigger details start to fall into place.
- Go broad. Say you have the base concept of a character with their situation, their goal in life, their goal in the present moment, and the past/future that will effect them. What lies do they believe as truth? How has their childhood effected their habits and views? What's one secret they keep to no one but themselves? Who are the most influential people in their past and in their day to day life?
- Go detailed. They're practically a roommate living rent free in your mind, so think about what a day in their life is like. Observe how they do small things. What are they eating for breakfast? How do they carry themselves when they walk? Nervous habits? What are they wearing to go to get quinoa from trader joes??? Detail what a few hours of what it'd be like to observe them, doing what they do every day and how they'd do it.
- Give them an interview.
Here's a blank bio sheet with a detailed list of questions that could be fun to fill out at your leisure! A lot of good questions to chew on.
- Or quite literally give them an interview. Pretend they're sat down to answer some questions and think about how multiple characters would answer the same question. Do they overshare? Are they curt and to the point? Do they frequently lie and contradict themselves? What questions take them off guard?
- Write about your own experiences. Giving characters traits and experiences you can speak from in a detailed can really flesh them out as people and gives them that relatability. Even if they’re decidedly different from you as a whole, there’s that point of connection that anchors them to you.
Worldbuilding...ish
Developing a world is a little less easy for me to give advice on, as I’m very character oriented, so my worldbuilding is more of starting with the bigger picture and then filling in details that would affect the character directly, while some other things aren’t as fleshed out and water tight. (I’m working on it!) Some universes have more to them than others simply due to how much time I’ve spent with them over the years.
But it’s important, a lot of fun, and gives all the more weight to the universe you’re developing.
- Research. If you’re like me and either have no writing experience or have difficulty pulling key world-building aspects from imagination, there’s a PLETHORA of resources to learn from, a lot of it free and on youtube, even. Make yourself a playlist, grab a notepad and sit yourself down to gather info, and map things out. If you’re, say, creating a country from scratch, look into places with a similar climate and how it affects what species live there.
I’ve been researching dining etiquette and shipbuilding lately!
It would be of great help to learn from writers as well, if you aren’t one yourself. There's A Lot of advice out there.
- Ask cause and effect questions. I create a lot for the fantasy genre, so I get to ask questions like...”What does a world being shaped by the gods/guardians look like? How has their presence influenced the mortals they look after? Their culture, their customs, the way they communicate?
What’s the actual truth of ancient happenings and what has been passed down through a long, long game of telephone? What is the truth current day people believe about magic, technology and historical events?
What kind of questions could you ask from the world you’re creating?
-Appease your inner child. Think back on what captured your attention as a kid and how you experienced them through your eyes at the time. What sort of things did you feel experiencing your favorite games, movies or books that you can still tap into through a nostalgic lens?
I feel incredibly attached to my The Spiral OC universe when I’m playing Legend of Zelda games, especially Wind Waker. The mood, the sense of adventure. The feeling of sailing the seas, the quietness of Windfall at night, the reverent silence when arriving at Hyrule frozen in time.
Those feelings have lent an atmosphere to the world I’d go on to create for myself, and still illicit a strong emotional response when I visualize aspects of it. the adventure, the monsters, the sweet and emotional tone, and the heaviness of ancient legend lost to time.
- Immerse yourself in other people’s worlds. Get into a tabletop game podcast of your preferred genre! You’ve got high fantasy dnd, but there’s also plenty of sci-fi, modern fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and more. Listening to multiple people work together to build their world (sometimes as they go a long!) can really get that creative juice a-flowing.
Critical Role and The Adventure Zone are big ones, but I also recommend SkyJacks, Friends at the Table, Dimension 20, Dungeons and Daddies and JemJammer!
Worldbuilding prompts/generators! X X X
I hope ANY of this was helpful, I’m happy to answer specific questions as well.
#sorry for the delay in answering!#its my birthday go out and give ur OCs some love#INDULGE!! INDULGE I SAY#masterpost#character design#original character#text#letters to the bird
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HAIIII how about 1, 11, 26, and 34 for the OC ask game :3
alola >:D
1.Have you ever picked up a habit from developing/writing one of your own characters? And if so, who and what?
i don't think so actually. generally I give my habits (and habits from friends and family and other irl people) to ocs instead. I have picked up some odd habits from drawing and cartoons in general though, especially anime. mostly cause my brain can't exit artist mode and i'm constantly thinking about how i would draw stuff, so it's like that 'making weird faces when your drawing an expression' but instead it's 'over exaggerates my every movement because i am thinking about how i would draw that movement'
11.Which character has been through the most design changes?
gosh! a lot of pokemelody characters have beeen through DRASTIC design changes but not like, the most. so probably my sona character! here's a sketch i did once showing the basic progression. during the redesign segments though there's a bunch of mini phases of drafts that didn't stick. they've been through a few different eras. I like to split it into three main eras! the primative era (defining traits are galaxy hair and high fantasy aesthetics) the Sailor era (this era had the most story as a self insert oc, defining design traits is a sailor-fuku outfit and pigtail buns.) the confused era (era where i rebooted my sona but was still figuring stuff out, this era's defining traits is a visible ribcage, and way too busy/unfocused of a design) And finally the modern era! (simpler and more focused design but has a couple other forms with the shape shifter aspect. notably while theres still some scrapbook/sewing aesthetics the entire body is now bjd/doll instead of being a confusing mix)
fun facts about the design/s
-sailor era design had no heterochromia and had my irl brown hair, because i was younger and cringe culture was still super prominent: specifically that part where every 'character design tips thing' would tell you to avoid stuff like heterochromia and fangs and cool colorful hair unless they god forbid look like a mary sue.
-i think i've said this before but a year or so after I added that front bangs super long back hair short thing (plus litterally had my hair cut to match) a popular/influential artist made a character with this trait and it suddenly became a more common design trait. obvi i'm not trying to 'gatekeep' the design or claim i'm the first guy EVER to come up with it. but i would be lying if i didn't say i feel 'ahead of my time' and think it's funny to joke about this super big artist that def doesn't know i exist having 'copied' me fndjask
-one main design shift is the shift from the angel aesthetic to adding in some demon aesthetics
-all throughout the confused era the angel wings changed color according to mood, the chart used was to inconsistent and complicated though so this trait ended up being lost.
-starting with the confused era and sitll present in modern era my sona is a shapeshifting shiny mimikyu :3 and the idea is that their humanoid form is like, lowkey hollow, so the mimikyu body is inside
-despite having more inhuman traits i'd actually say modern era sona takes more inspo from my irl appearance than any previous design
26.What's your favorite relationship/dynamic between a set of OCs?
afndsjkfna i can't choose because i love different dyanmics for different reasons fnsdjkaf. ummm heres some honorary mentions!
-Sunny and Daisy, they're dorks in love, nice simple and wholesome! good ol' healthy loving relationship! classic malewife x girlboss lowkey
-kazumi and fukusha have this thing where they hate each other's guts, it's fun!
-SCOTT N TIP i've only posted about them once and they're lowkey co-owned sorta? (i designed them on my own and then an irl friend of mine took a likeing to them and started writing short stories with them, we'd like to make a point and click game series called 'Dectective Cardimen Scott + Tip' with them someday :3) Scott and Tip's designs litterally came from a little excercize I did on designing duos. Scott's a private investigator and was looking for an assistant, the enthusiastic Tip took up the job! they have this cartoon-inspired dynamic where their relationship is vague and up for interpretation. They're business partners and roomates at the least :3
34.What scene that you've written/imagined is your favorite?
hmmmmmmmmm generally speaking i prefer the like inbetween anti-climatic slice of life-y scenes but theres this climatic/hyped-up scene in arc '1.5' of Pokemelody that I'm excited for in the theoretical future where i make this a thing. arc 1.5 is the start of a redemption arc for the final villain of arc 1, the plot is the villain searching for someone she did something unforgivable too with the goal of apologizing.
also scenes where the characters are finally happy and content and theres shojo sparkles to express this my beloved.
scenes i include a lot of because they're what i want to see more of is like, characters having weird inhuman-physical traits both as casual details that are dispersed throughout but also like, when it's directly addressed or played around with. I feel like everything only ever gives me little hints of that sorta stuff and fanfic focusing on it is hard to come bye so i guess i'll just have to do everything msyelf around here lmao.
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Fifteen Days of Disney Magic - Number 6
Welcome to Fifteen Days of Disney Magic! In honor of the company’s 100th Anniversary, I am counting down my Top 15 Favorite Movies from Walt Disney Animation Studios!
To introduce today’s entry, I have only this to say: “Most Everyone’s Mad Here.”
Number 6 is…Alice in Wonderland.
This is the other film, alongside “The Great Mouse Detective,” where I feel – if you know me well – it’s high placement will not remotely be surprising. Whereas, if you don’t know me well, it will likely be VERY surprising. Honestly, I can settle why “Alice” is so high on my list with a single sentence: Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” stories are my favorite books, and I personally think the Disney version is the best movie treatment of the books, as well as one of my personal favorites. That’s really all I NEED to say.
But you came here to hear me ramble, I think. Possibly. Maybe. So I guess I have to. :P
The history of Walt Disney and “Alice” is actually pretty fascinating on its own, leaving the movie alone: this, alongside “Peter Pan,” was one of the first movies Walt wanted to make, and was actually considered for his first feature film, and then his second, way back in the 1930s. Ultimately, Walt went with “Snow White” for his first film, but he never gave up on “Alice.” It’s pretty clear that Walt loved the story, because even before the Disney film ever got put into development, he’d used Wonderland as the basis for several of his earlier works. There were the famous “Alice Comedies” he produced during the silent era, which were not so much directly based on the books so much as just inspired by them, but are still worth noting. Later there was one of the best Mickey Mouse cartoons ever made, in most people’s minds, “Thru the Mirror,” where Mickey goes through the Looking-Glass, dances with the Queen of Hearts, duels the King, and has to deal with a multitude of animated objects.
Initial treatments of the “Alice” story were much darker and more surreal than the final product; most notable was a treatment of the film by artist David Hall, which has sort of become legendary amongst Carrollians and fans of Disney trivia and lost media alike. However, it wasn’t until artist Mary Blair came onto the project – and after World War II drew to a close – that Disney finally felt confident in making the movie. Interestingly, when the film finally came out in 1951, it was something of a disappointment: critical reactions were lukewarm, at best, and it underperformed at the box office. However, over the years – with subsequent re-releases and exposure through various forms of merchandising and rides at the parks – the film gained a bigger and grander following. Nowadays, “Alice” isn’t exactly considered a great Disney classic, but it’s definitely not considered a failure.
In fact, in some ways, one could argue it’s one of the single most influential Disney movies of all time. It was certainly influential on later renditions of the story: coming from somebody whose obsession with the Carroll classics is well known, I can say with certain fact that the Disney film is actually far more responsible for the public perception and love of Alice today than perhaps ANY other version of the stories, including the books. (The only other possible contender is the video game “American McGee’s Alice” and its sequel, “Alice: Madness Returns.” Incidentally, RIP “Alice: Asylum.” May flights of EA idiots sing thee to thy rest.) A lot of things in this film that weren’t in the books now seem to just be accepted as common knowledge: for example, the Cheshire Cat in the books was an ordinary orange or gray tabby cat. The popular purple-and-pink design you’ll find riffed on in some fashion throughout so many interpretations was ENTIRELY the invention of Disney; it never existed before them, to my knowledge. Similarly, characters and story elements that are in the books but WEREN’T in the Disney film tend to be forgotten, even if they’ve been used and reused in tons and tons of other adaptations: there are plenty of versions of the Duchess and the Gryphon out there, but since neither of them are in the 1951 movie (nor the 2010 feature made by Tim Burton, for that matter), most people forget they even exist.
Even beyond other versions of Alice, however, the film has had a huge impact on pop culture, and even Disney itself, than most other films in the canon. Heck, at Disneyland, right now, there are no less than four rides that all reference “Alice in Wonderland.” Four! And that’s not even counting any other shows or attractions, or even any of the other rides at other parks. Nor is it counting video games, nor the numerous other Alice reimaginings that have come out and in some way been influenced by the 1951 picture JUST from Disney’s vaults alone, nor the ABUNDANCE of merchandise – both official and fanmade – based on this one movie. It isn’t a film that has the depth of plot, character, and thematics as something like “Beauty and the Beast” or “The Lion King,” nor is it as historically important as movies like “Snow White,” but I think “Alice” makes up for it by just being fun. It’s a fun, weird, psychedelic ride through the wilds of the imagination, and really, that’s always been what “Alice” SHOULD be, at the end of the day.
Really, given my love of the story, in general, the REAL question should be not why “Alice in Wonderland” ranks so highly for me…but why isn’t it even higher? All I can say is, perhaps the films that do rank above it will offer some explanation…
The Top 5 are upon us! The countdown continues tomorrow with my 5th Favorite Disney Movie!
HINT: It’s the Only Modern Movie on The Countdown.
#disney#disney 100#disney 100 special#list#countdown#top 15 disney animated movies#fifteen days of disney magic#number 6#alice in wonderland#disney alice in wonderland#alice in wonderland 1951
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15/02/23 ~ NTS Radio - Yukihiro Takahashi Special
Presenting to you, the music of the late Yukihiro Takahashi - a leading figure in Japan’s music scene for nearly 50 years and a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra.
As a drummer and a vocalist who embraced music technology, he had a wide artistic range - from city pop and arty new wave to acoustic folk-rock, in addition to producing material for several pop acts and composing film and video game soundtracks.
Born in 1952 in Tokyo, he began his music career early, playing drums with college bands while still in junior high school and starting as a session musician at 16. He studied design at an Art University in Tokyo, without graduating. Like many of his peers, his artistic output had no limits - he developed his own clothing line in the 70s (Bricks), often designing the outfits worn by Yellow Magic Orchestra. He also took the role of actor in several films - mostly comedic roles (he seemed to have a good sense of humour!) & some of which, he produced soundtracks for.
Takahashi loved to collaborate, forming bands on the fly and bringing in friends to play on individual tracks.
So - I hope you enjoy this chronological deep dive into Yukihiro Takahashi’s musical catalogue as I pay tribute to his iconic and influential life. I’ve listened most of his 43 albums and have done my best to condense them into 2 hours! Let’s go!
1992 - Expected Ocean Umi Sora Sango no Iitsutae Soundtrack
Movie soundtrack by Takahashi acting as a bed for the show’s intro.
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2. 1975 - Sadistic Mika Band - Time To Noodle - Hot! Music
Sadistic Mika Band were formed in 1972 - the founding member, Kazuhiko Katō moved to Kensington in 72 and was impressed by the upcoming glam rock scene led by T.Rex and David Bowie - so he formed the band in Japan, including his wife Mika and Takahashi on drums. The name is a parody of the 60s band, Plastic Ono Band.
The band were popular in the UK, touring with Roxy Music in ‘75 - the first ever UK tour by a Japanese band. During this period, they performed on the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test. When they appeared, the name of the programme (usually shown hung from the back wall) was spelt as The Old Gley Whistle Test as a nod to the Japanese pronunciation of the letters L and R.
Sadistic Mika Band’s albums were released on Doughnut Records - Japan’s first private label that was founded by Katō.
Around the time of Hot Music’s release, members of Yellow Magic Orchestra started working together on solo projects and as a part of each others bands.
3. 1978 - Sadistics - Nao - We Are Just Taking Off
Katō and Mika divorced and left the band. The remaining members, Takahashi, Takanaka, Imai, and Gotō continued for several years as The Sadistics. They released two albums and two live albums before the band eventually petered out in ’79 as the members became busy with their solo careers & other projects.
4. 1978 - Present - Sarravah!
This was Takahashi’s first solo album, created whilst on tenure from The Sadistics. It was produced by Sakamoto - he also features on keys. Plus Hosono on bass, with Tatsuro Yamashita, Minako Yoshida & Rajie on backing vocals.
Named after Pierre Barouh’s record label of the same name, Takahasi based the album on French pop music - this influence would later show up in early YMO material.
Sarravah! Was released the same year that YMO fully formed, recorded & released first album.
5. 1980 - Numbers From A Calculated Conversation - Murdered by the Music
Second studio album & his first release whilst he was a member of YMO. Murdered by the Music did pretty well in the Japanese charts, reaching #12.
Features contributions from Sakamoto, Hosono & Sandii.
6. 1981 - Extra Ordinary - Neuromantic
This is my favourite album from Takahashi’s collection - synth-pop goodness and his vocals are perfection!
Neuromantic was self-produced, again with contributions from Sakamoto and Hosono + Tony Mansfield and members of Roxy Music.
The name, Neuromantic, is a pun on the early 1980s British fashion movement, the New Romantics.
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7. 1981 - Drip Dry Eyes - Neuromantic
Another classic from Neuromantic. My favourite song of his, probably yours too. Was also covered by Sandii. & the video! Ah!
8. 1981 - The Beatniks- No Way Out - Exitentialism
Formed by Takahashi & Keiichi Suzuki in 1981. More of an Alt-rock tinge. They released several albums, including soundtracks for Yohji Yamamoto’s catwalk shows.
Their first album in 7 years was released in 2018. That same year, they performed live in several concerts, despite Takahashi’s recent eye surgery.
9. 1982 - Flashback - What Me, Worry?
Fourth solo album. More features from Sakamoto & Hososno + Zaine Griff, Tony Mansfield, and Bill Nelson.
Takahashi’s first release on YEN Records - An imprint of Alfa Records that ran from 1982 to 1985 fronted by Hosono and Takahashi, releasing music from Sandii, Hajime Tachibana, Miharu Koshi & more. They also produced most of the albums.
10. 1983 - Kagero (Live Version from Time & Place) - Tomorrow’s Just Another Day
This album reached 11 in the music charts - the highest ranking for Takahashi’s solo work! Tomorrow’s Just Another Day really emphasises Takahashi as a singer.
This version, taken from Time & Place was recorded live at Shibuya Kokaido in Tokyo, Aug. 1983.
+ peep the cute cover!
11. 1983 - And I Believe In You - Are You Receiving Me?
Had to include this one as it’s another favourite. Released as the B Side to the single, Are you Receiving Me? This is classic Takahashi synth-pop goodness <3
12. 1984 - Walking to the Beat - Wild and Moody
Sixth and last solo album on his YEN label.
Wild and Moody is quite mellow. He sings mostly in English, hoping to pursue more of a global audience. The lyrics for Track 2 were written by Steve Jansen who was a close collaborator of Takahashi and Jansen considered him as a mentor.
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13. 1985 - Instrumental - Poisson d'Avril
Soundtrack from the comedy film "Poisson D'avril" (April's Fool in French), released in 1986. Takahashi plays the lead role!
14. 1985 - I Saw The Light - Once A Fool
Another fav and it’s a Todd Rundgren cover. It’s just perfect pop.
Once A Fool was the first album from the T.E.N.T. label that was started by Takahashi and Keiichi Suzuki (of the Beatniks). With Sakamoto on keys and synths, Hosono on bass & synths & Hiroshi Sato on the organ. + backing vocals from Miharu Koshi!
15. 1986 - Moonlight Feels Right - Only When I Laugh
Second release on T.E.N.T. Only When I Laugh feels quite fresh with more of an acoustic tinge to it.
16. 1987 - Parfum De L'Aube - La Pensee
Music for Yohji Yamamoto’s S/S ‘87 + A/W ‘87 - ‘88 collection, shown in Paris.
Takahashi & Yamamoto often collaborated, and YMO often wore Yamamoto’s designs on tour. In 1991 Takahashi & Hosono walked the runway for Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons legendary collection “6.1 the men”
17. 1987 - Main Theme - Ginga No Sannin OST
Takahashi composed a lot of music for video games, and his work in YMO had a major influence on early video game music.
18. 1988 - Sea Change - Ego
Features some of his bolder synth arrangements and arena-ready tracks, with contributions from Sakamoto.
19. 1992 - mis - Life Time Happy Time
Another classic pop album from Takahashi - this one flew under the radar a bit and doesn’t stand out from his collection as much as others.
20. 1995 - Fate of Gold - Fate of Gold
Takahashi wanted to collaborate with a wide variety of artists of all different ages, “with the attitude of: "I'll let you mature when you're mature” “ Featuring Skapara, KYON, Rei Ohara, ICE's MAYUMI and Takenaka Naoto.
21. 1997 - Pulse - The Choice - Pulse
In September 1997 Steve Jansen and Takahashi formed UK based, Pulse and completed a 6 track album in Tokyo and London under the same name. Released on Yukihiro's own label, Consipio Records.
A very experimental, more “contemporary” album! The Choice features vocals from Indian classical singer Sonia Mehta.
22. 1999 - For Men - The Dearest Fool
Takahashi returns to the 80s techno-pop sound! + another collaboration with Steve Jansen.
23. 2002 - Sketch Show - Gokigen Ikaga 1 2 3 - Audio Sponge
After YMO decided to “spread out” (they didn’t want to say “split-up”), Takahashi and Hosono formed Sketch Show. Sketch Show had ore of an electronica output as opposed to pop.
Sakamoto often joined Sketch Show performances and recording sessions. He later proposed they rename the group Human Audio Sponge (or HAS) when he participates.
Sketch Show played live shows at Japanese raves and a headline slot at the 2003 edition of SONAR in Barcelona.
24. 2008 - Pupa - Jargon - What’s Pupa - Floating Pupa
Takhashi put together Pupa in 2007 - formed of Tomoyo Harada, Hiroshi Takada, Ren Takada, Hirohisa Horie, and Tomohiko Gondo. The band name Pupa is a term from fly-fishing, a sport that Takahashi loves.
25. 2013 - Shadow - Life Anew
Aged 61 - Takahashi goes back to basics yet you can tell he’s feeling musically inspired with Life Anew, which sounds more like a rock band than anything else he’s put out before.
Features contributions from former Smashing Pumpkins member, James Iha.
26. 2014 - Yukihiro Takahashi & Metafive - Drip Dry Eyes (Live) - Techno Recital
Takahashi originally assembled Keigo Oyamada, Yoshinori Sunahara, Towa Tei, Tomohiko Gondo, and Leo Imai to serve as the backing band (billed as Yukihiro Takahashi & Metafive) on his 2014 tour - this version of Drip Dry Eyes was taken from the Roppongi Theatre show, for which they were billed as Yukihiro Takahashi & Metafive. In 2015, the band changed their name to Metafive.
They disbanded after the release of their last album, METAATEM in 2021, after the release was originally cancelled due to controversy from Oyamama’s past history of bullying.
The line-up of Imai, Sunahara, Nagai and Shirane changed their name to TESTSET and released their debut EP in 2022.
youtube
27. 1998 - Stay Close (Live) - Once A Fool
We end on another favourite - a joyous live version from 1998 of Stay Close. - another collaboration with Steve Jansen.
Thank you Yuki-san for everything you’ve given the world - your legacy will live on forever <3
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I adore your art style! What inspired it?
OMG thank you for asking!! It’s kinda hard to say? I’m hugely inspired by a lot of manga and comics I’ve read, but they’re so mixed in together that it’s hard for me to pull them all apart and point out what has been most influential to me. For my comics, Jay Hosler was a massive help when he was mentoring me! Speficially, though I adore Clan Apis/Way of the Hive and his scientific work, Last of the Sandwalkers is my favorite work he made. It’s all about found family beetles on an adventure. I decided to make black and white comics, because that’s how he and a lot of other awesome American comic artists got their start. It’s the only way to cost-effectively self publish stories with a lot of pages.
However, my art style was also developed out of convenience and what was fastest. As a kid I grew up absolutely loving drawing with pencil and a lot of people ask these days if I still do that, seeing my work. I don’t! Everything’s digital now. However, fiercely scribbling with a pencil-like brush is a fantastic way to texture stuff. Thinking hard about it, I think the final fantasy tactics advance and pokemon andventures were some of the most influential on me as a little kid. I had an edgy phase in highschool where I got really into Johnen Vasquez’s work too.
My color use came from drawing a lot of flight riding dragons, my own mom’s color sense in her blankets and photos, and the colors of sunsets. I’m rather insane about the shifting hues especially when they become a vibrant pink or orange.
I hope that answers your question!
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