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doubleddenden · 6 months

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Anxiety is rampage tonight, so it is time to hyperfocus on pokemon

Specifically I'm going to be thinking about the next 3 years of the franchise. It's long, so you're welcome for the read more

I know pretty much 90% of the fans want them to slow down (with 9% wanting them to stop all together and 1% wanting more games of lower quality, which yes is a take I've seen (source for these numbers: me I made to those numbers but it feels accurate yknow?)).

That being said, we know Game Freak are stubborn. In fact, TPC has said, on record, they want to maintain their cadence of releases while "ensuring quality."

So if nothing is changing in terms of pace of release, then oh well, all we can do is wait for more releases and judge from there.

But with that knowledge out of the way, let's get talking.

I'm gonna make a radical prediction. Gen 9 is going to last 4 years rather than the usual 3. SV released in 22, and guess when the 30th anniversary is?

2026.

Now here's the thing. They COULD drop gen 10 in 2025 on regular schedule and drop dlc in 2026. But let me ask this: would that be AS profitable? My take is that Pokémon has succeeded because of genius marketing strategies and timed releases, so the 30th anniversary, being a huge year for them, would probably boast much better profits by dropping a new generation, which would also give them an extra year to develop the game.

Let's also keep this in mind: the Switch 2 is almost upon us. It's not in the wild yet, but devs have been talking about getting dev kits for a while, they've been talking about ps4 level specs or close to it, and how they want it to be an easy transfer from Switch 1 owners to Switch 2- name not final obviously.

If that's not enough, there was a very accurate leak regarding Indigo Disk a few months back on 4chan that stated they were working with a new system for performance tweaks.

So basically what I'm getting at is that by 2026 we will have the Switch 2 or Switch U or whatever, and gen 10 will launch on that- but it won't be a launch title. Pokémon mainline games don't really do that for some reason.

Let's back up a bit before I go further. Assuming gen 10 releases on the 30th anniversary in 2026, that leaves a blank period in 2024 and 2025. Make sense?

This has been very long winded, but this is what I think will happen.

2024

Pokemon reveals intent to revisit Unova in 2 separate instances of games.

Nintendo reveals the Switch 2 to the public and announces a launch for late 2024 or early 2025.

The Unova revisitation titles are the last mainline pokemon games for Switch.

2025

Johto revisits are announced as the first mainline titles on the Switch 2. Most likely Crystal reremakes, but I'm not sure if it'll be precisely Let's Go style.

In addition, pokemon Switch 1 titles will have some better performance, particularly gen 9 games.

They might do a Legends title, but not just for Johto.

2026

Lots of Pokémon celebration, music videos, ports, and eventually gen 10 as the finish line of a huge celebration.

Now you may be asking "why 2 remakes in a row? Didn't they just remake gen 4?"

Hence why I said "revisits" instead. Because of Legends Arceus, we truly don't know what kind of curve ball could come next for us. Could be straight up remakes, could be new games entirely. We can't even say that they'll just 1 game a year because Legends Arceus and SV both dropped in 2022.

Something else that complicates things is this: Unova didn't have a Platinum or Emerald that they can just ignore the enhancements of. Well. They CAN, but I'm pretty sure we all agree that if they just remake BW1 and completely ignore BW2- aka a game most hardcore and long time fans hold as the GOAT of all Pokémon games in the same area as HGSS- fans will be absolutely livid.

That is... if they choose to REMAKE BW1 at all.

The Revisit clause opens the door for alternative takes. Perhaps a BW3, a BW0 or prequel to BW1, or perhaps something completely different all together like Legends Unova by itself. Or Paradox versions.

My personal predictions

BW1 remake, Legends following

BW1 and 2 combo remake, Legends following

A completely new game set in Unova that acts as a soft sequel to SV and its DLC, possibly merged with the concept of a Legends game OR a Legends game following said soft sequel set in either the past or future.

How do we know Unova is coming anyway? I mean it's kind of obvious if you've been paying attention to the DLC recently, but it's pretty much the most obvious hints since the KANTO KANTO KANTO re remake flags they kept waving in gen 7.

Blueberry Academy is in Unova

They keep highlighting and singling out specific Unovan pokemon such as the Unovan dragons or the starters, particularly Tepig and Snivy after giving Oshawott love in Legends Arceus.

There's an area that strongly resembles Chargestone Cave, apparently.

There's characters that may or may not be related to Unovan characters, like Drayton and Drayden

Ingo is in Legends Arceus

Now you may think all of this is easily explained because of the first point. Let me counter with this:

Why put BBA in Unova specifically?

Now are the gears turning? Sure there's a chance it was just a name thrown out- but if it were a nothing name, why not something different? They could've put Blueberry Academy near Kitakami, they could have put it in the real life chain of islands called the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain, they could have just left it unnamed in the middle of the ocean, heck they could have made it the Indigo Academy from the anime or place it in Kanto in general and nobody would have batted an eye. Or Sinnoh for that matter since we know that's a done revisit.

So the fact they choose Unova has to be of some significance.

Here's something else: the concept of the paradoxes blends seamlessly with Unova's tradition vs futurism that's present in certain areas such as the desert area, Opelucid, and Black City or White Forest.

Plus... cmon guys, Game Freak LOVES money. That's EASY money. Idk if I want it because I'm still in shock of how bad BDSP were and just how abysmal SV perform, but they generally follow the money, whether the game is finished or not. They have multiple teams, they are willing to use outside studios, they can and will do anything for the dollar.

My next point actually leads quite well with the next remake topic

The specific choice of paradoxes for Violet are the Unovan Musketeers

Now this is the clincher: why choose these specific pokemon for future paradoxes? Perhaps a hint to the future? For that matter, there's also plenty of Paradox Pokémon from gen 5 (Brute Bonnet, Slither Wing, Iron Moth, and Iron Jugulus) and plenty of gen 5 variants and cross evolutions.

Perhaps the musketeers pair nicely with the Johto Beast paradoxes given their similar purposes and design styles.

... so why the Johto Beasts for Scarlet?

Now comes my argument for JOHTO revisits, and granted the points aren't as strong as it is with Unova, but I still think there's a compelling case.

The idea was already brought up in the ending for Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee.

I'll pause: "but Game Freak said they weren't making another Let's Go game-"

Lying is a thing. My name is Pinkrillabussy von Skalkatrass, I'm a Capricorn born in July of 1757, and I have 10 wives from Canada and Antarctica. See? Easy

They changed their minds because money

They maybe had no plans at the time

NDAs are a thing

It might not be specifically a Let's Go game

Now, back on track

The Switch 2 will launch in the next year or two, and let's be honest, GSC re remakes would sell the console like hot cakes just like Yellow remakes did for Switch. Pokémon is a system seller after all. Let's not kid ourselves, it will/would outsell Unova.

In SV, there are various gold and silver colored items. By itself that's not a huge hint, but 2 prominent items are sets of mirrored sunglasses- no other mirrored glasses are in the game, and they both show some odd reflection of other locations.

In Teal Mask, Kitakami is in Japan, same as Johto, and has a decent chunk of Johto representation.

Also from Teal Mask, we got some photo music, including 2 very specific remixes from the GSC games, including very muffled versions of the Johto wild Pokémon battle musuc, and the Pokémon March song from the Pokegear. Muffled as in maybe pretty far off, but soon ish. Probably the strongest point.

Billy and O'Nare, the rich assholes we chase around Kitakami and Paldea. They dress in golden colors, have some silver under tones to their hair, and give out a ton of nuggets- gold- and pearls- kinda silver in the menu.

In the same way that paradoxes line up well with BW, the use of the time machine itself is also relevant to Johto, given that the original GSC games had backwards trading compatibility with RBY via a time machine trading system- the exceptions being that you couldn't send a gen 2 Pokémon or a gen 1 Pokémon with a gen 2 move back to the gen 1 games.

While not exactly damming evidence, the variants, Convergent species, and cross gen evolutions- Wooper, Tauros, Wiglett and Wugtrio/Diglett and Dugtrio, Toedscool and Toedscruel/Tentacool and Tentacruel, Annihilape, Farigiraf, Dundunsparce, Clodsire- with exception to Kinggambit and the other cross gen evolutions and covergents introduced in the dlc, these are a lot of Kanto and Johto pokemon or derivatives that can easily be brought to gen 2 re remakes in the same vein as the Alolan forms and Megas in LGPE. For that matter, there's also Certain Hisuian Pokémon, and certain Paradox Pokémon that line up with this as well.

Lastly, johto now is the main region we have spent the longest time since last revisiting. Go figure, Unova is second.

So what could a revisit to Johto look like? Unlike Unova, Johto isn't as complex to approach. In fact, there's several directions they can go, but most likely they'll try to stay true ish to the originals.

Let's Go Johto

Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee had a few signs pointing towards its creation from gen 7, but one of the funnier ones was the phrase Let's Go written directly on the box of Ultra Sun and Moon.

In SV, we have the Let's Go mechanic.

I personally don't want a Let's Go game because I hate motion controls and the Go aspect of it all, but I won't deny the possibility.

An ILCA style remake of HGSS

Hang on, a remake of a remake?

Well, BDSP were straight up just Diamond and Pearl with a few extra bells and whistles, almost frustratingly so. In fact, they even have the same glitches as the originals, and the coding is basically just ported directly to the Unity engine.

HGSS were DS games as well, and most hard-core fans will say they're the absolute best of the franchise- I'm not included, but I do respect just how much shit is cram packed into these games by Morimoto. I'm pretty sure most people would be just fine with straight up ports with modern amenities to reduce the grind.

Different Gold and Silver remakes

This is the deal- HGSS were already Crystal remakes split into 2 versions. They could just remake GS and remove the crystal isms, but that seems unlikely to me

A new take on gen 2

A Legends Kanto and Johto game since they're connected, a revised version of the original ideas for Gold seen in the Space World demo, etc. By now, GF have to be aware that WE are aware of that demo and several of the beta pokemon and chamges. Some fun could be had.

Personally, my bet is a safe Crystal remake split into 2 again. Nothing too fancy, just gen 2 in 3D. Don't wanna scare genwunners or og fans.

Anyway, that was a lot for what could ultimately be nothing at all. In fact, they could follow SV with Johto first and then Unova, or do neither in favor of something new. I'm not gonna deny the possibility of one happening and the other not, and hell, they could drop gen 10 in 2025 on schedule. Could also do a Legends Unova game or similar by itself, then Johto by itself, then gen 10. Could even be a second set of dlc. Who knows, man.

Anyway thanks for reading if you've come this far. Anxiety is a bitch and rambling about this series helps me relax.

#pokemon #dd's theory corner #unova remakes #johto remakes

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hoodharlow · 4 years

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Poolside Views

AN: This came from an ask @be-ready-when-i-say-go sent me about Cal’s long hair. Then este guey had some audacity to work out, looking like a full course meal. Thank you to @chickensass for screen recording this and sending it to me, ilysm. As always thank you to @d-oaks for always taking time out of her day to beta read and edit my stuff.

Requested?: Kinda, Hunter sent me an ask that was supposed to be me just going ‘ashgdskjdsjk’ but it lead me to writing this.

Warnings: smut...kinda

Word Count: 2.3k words

"Your ass looks so good in those shorts." Calum said leaning against the makeup display and earning an eye roll from Claudia.

She dropped an eyeshadow brush into her basket and made her way over to the hair care section. Calum pushed off and followed her.

"You know you can give me your number and we can meet up for—"

"Hey, are you ready to go?" A girl asked while approaching Claudia. She gave Calum a suspicious look before smiling at Claudia. She leaned over to her. "Pretend you know me. Maybe he'll stop hitting on you."

It took Claudia a second to process what she meant. "Oh, no. This is my idiot boyfriend. He likes to hit on me for no reason. Sorry for that." She quickly explained.

"Oh."

"Sorry." Calum apologized. The girl gave Calum a final glare and walked over to the Urban Decay display.

Claudia turned around and playfully smacked Calum's arm. "Menso."

"I'm getting a smoothie. You want one?" Calum asked her.

"Please." She nodded. She reached for her bag, pulling out her wallet. She fished out a card. "Here, Danny gave me a gift card for my birthday a few years back and I always forget to use it."

He took the card and strolled over to the Jamba Juice kiosk. A few minutes later he walked back to Sephora with their smoothies and a waffle for Claudia. He spotted her nodding along, bored, at what some guy was telling her. Calum realized exactly why that girl walked over to Claudia earlier. It was clear that the guy was flirting with her, and she was not interested. He also saw how her shoulders tensed as he took a step forward, and she took one back.

Calum walked over to them. “Here’s your smoothie.” He told her, handing her her drink. The guy watched Claudia take the offered drink, and he slinked off.

“Thank god you’re here. He was getting on my nerves.” Claudia said before taking a generous sip of her smoothie. She hummed and smacked her lips at how good it was, a habit she picked up from him.

She led him to the Fenty Beauty aisle to get herself a new foundation. She was supposed to only get some hair treatment for Calum’s hair because the blond ends were starting to split, and the avocado and egg mask she used on herself wasn’t helping him.

At first Claudia suggested that he should buzzcut it, but, much to her dismay, he rejected her idea, saying that he wanted to bring back the curls. Luckily her sister in law went platinum blonde sometime before and recommended this deep conditioner that worked wonders on her.

Claudia unlocked her phone and checked the picture she took of her old bottle to make sure she was getting the correct shade. She also grabbed an eyeliner and some bronzer. When she checked the eyeshadow shades, Calum rested his chin on her shoulder. He snuck a few kisses on her neck, earning a few incoherent sounds from Claudia.

Casually, Claudia pulled his arm and swatched some of the eyeshadow from the neutral palette on it. She made a face and reached for the redder palette and tested those colors on him. She liked how they shimmered against Calum’s skin, so she placed a palette on her basket.

“It says that if you get two they’ll cost you $45.” Calum pointed out with his drink. He grabbed a purple-shade palette for her and placed it on her basket. “I’m saving you money here.”

“I don’t take money advice from someone who thought that a roll of fabric only cost $5.”

“How the fuck was I supposed to know they sell it by the yard?”

“That’s how they sell in Lincraft. When I went with your mom, she bought like three meters of fabric.”

“No shit, they sell in meters, not yards.”

“It’s the same concept!”

While they waited in line ‘Wildflower’ sounded through the store. Both of them looked at each other in disbelief. Calum pulled her to his chest and swayed her to the music, ‘cause he wanted to hold her.

“You’re the only one that makes me...” Calum began.

“Laugh.” Claudia cut him off, filling in the pause.

“Every time we...”

“Talk.”

Claudia got too into the song that she didn’t realize what her hips did to Calum. He was quick to point out that she wasn’t wearing anything under his ‘Drop Dead’ t-shirt she was wearing. She had somehow tucked it into itself, making it look like a crop top. Once the song ended Calum took the basket and placed it in front of himself, waiting for their turn.

Their last stop at the outdoor mall after Sefora was lunch. They wandered into a taphouse and restaurant where a hostess led them to a table in the back patio.

Claudia was slightly nervous. She looked around to make sure no paparazzi were present to jump out of the bushes and ambush them with pictures. Once she was sure they were safe, she read over the menu, instantly picking the chicken sandwich and spicy margarita. A waitress came by and took their orders.

"I'll be right back, gotta take a piss." Calum said. He got up and walked over to the waitress asking for the restroom.

Claudia pulled out her phone and decided to check Twitter in the meantime. She was speechless to say the least when she saw something new on Cal’s IG page. She couldn’t wrap it around her head why Calum would do something like this. The one time she decided to lurk through his tagged posts, she stumbled on this. It was a boomerang where he’s casually curling weights.

She should be used to him working out, but in all honesty, she can barely handle him in a t-shirt and basketball shorts. Now she’s seeing him shirtless with his shorts stuck to his legs.

"What are you looking at?” Calum asked her.

"You said you were working out with your trainer the other day." Claudia accused him.

"I did. When you left for your meeting, he came over. He made me swim a few laps and then we did some weight training." He shrugged. He took a sip of his beer and crossed his ungodly arms on his chest.

Claudia showed him her screen playing the boomerang. "This is not working out. This is thirst trapping."

***

Calum adjusted Claudia's leg around his waist as he fucked into her. They didn't even make it through lunch before they asked the waitress to put their food in take out containers. Once home, their clothes landed on the floor, and Calum was on his knees in front of Claudia. Which brought them to now with Calum on top of her as he made her chant his name for the third time in the last hour.

Her moans filled his ears, egging him on. He was close. His thrusts became messy and quick. He felt one of her hands release his arm. Slowly it wandered down to where they were connected to each other, and she slowly rubbed herself.

"Cal, please come with me." She said softly.

It was all he needed. He slowed down, making his thrusts more precise. He leaned down and kissed her. She pulled her hand away from herself and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

With a final thrust, Calum got them both off. He kept thrusting into her. He loved how she felt around him as they came together. Without pulling out of her, he maneuvered them so all his weight wasn't on Claudia.

"If my trainer posting videos of me leads to this, then I'm going to work out all the time." he said, earning an eye roll from her.

To bring them back from cloud 9 haze, Calum blew raspberries on Claudia's stomach. He kissed up her stomach to her neck until he reached her lips. The kiss was soft and carefree. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding her up. He pulled away and exaggeratedly wiggled his tongue as he kissed her, making Claudia giggle. She wrapped her fingers around his hair and sighed.

“We gotta fix this Maruchan head of yours.” Claudia mumbled twirling his hair.

He pulled out of her, making her sigh, and slipped on his shorts. He went to the kitchen and grabbed his army green Hydro Flask from the fridge. He sat on one of the stools and mindlessly scrolled through Twitter, reading all of the fans' reactions to him working out.

Seconds later Claudia came in with the conditioner and shampoo. She leaned against him, reading the instructions of the conditioner. He rested his chin on her shoulder and read the bottle with her. She motioned him to the sink.

Calum leaned back on the sink, and Claudia washed his hair. Her fingers untangled his messy curls as she massaged shampoo in them. She reached over and grabbed the sprayer hose to rinse his head. She turned around to get the conditioner. She poured some on her hand before Calum stopped her.

“Woah, woah, wait a minute,” he began. “What is this for?”

She looked at him confused, as if he didn't just read the bottle with her. “It helps your hair get all soft and less, like, stiff. Mede used it when she went blonde after having Sebas.” She looked over the bottle. “Mira, it has keratin, your hair is going to look super shiny and actually healthy.”

She didn’t wait for his response before she generously lathered the conditioner on all the dry and blonde parts. Duke wandered in the kitchen, but turned back when he saw Calum getting washed.

“Now we wait half an hour for it to work its magic on your hair.” Claudia said. She washed all the product off her hands. She eyed him and smirked. "I got an idea on what we could do for the next half hour."

***

Just as Claudia slipped him in her mouth, he suggested they get a pizza. Calum made his way to the front door for their dinner.He was so focused on the pizza order, he didn't notice Claudia left him to get some sun.

He tipped the delivery driver and made his way to the back yard. He caught his reflection in the mirror. His hair really looked shiny and healthy. He pushed it back and fluffed it up. Calum couldn't keep his hands off his hair. In all his years, his hair never felt this soft.

He set the pizza on the kitchen counter and went outside. He sat on a lounge chair surrounding a metal table. He looked over to the pool and saw a bikini clad Claudia napping on a floatie while Duke rested his head on her ass. He grabbed his phone and quickly snapped a few pictures of them. Without much thought he posted one where her face was hidden. He captioned it, 'Poolside Views' and locked his phone. He'll check the chaos he provoked later.

He grabbed a pool rod and leaned over, pushing the pool floatie to the edge. Duke woke up and yipped at him causing Claudia to wake up.

"It wasn't even ten minutes." She sighed.

"Good because you start school on Monday, and your sleep schedule needs to get fixed." Calum said.

She flipped him off. She reached for Duke and safely placed him on concrete. She grabbed the edge of the pool and awkwardly pulled herself up.

Calum was ready with a towel and one of his flannels for Claudia to slip on. He sensed that it was going to be a chilly night, so grabbed a few pieces of wood and went inside to start a fire in the living room's chimney.

Claudia emerged minutes later dressed in a lace teddy under his flannel. She placed the pizza on the coffee table in front of them and arranged the pillows so they could lean against the couch. She mindlessly scrolled through their watch list on Peacock. She smiled to herself as she queued up '3rd Rock from the Sun' knowing how much it annoyed Calum because Claudia would be heart eyes for Joseph Gordon-Levvit the whole time.

Once they finished their pizza, they cleaned up and found themselves back in the living room. They continued watching where they left off. At some point they ended up cuddling on the couch with Calum on top. Claudia was twirling around Calum's now soft curls in between her fingers when she felt him sigh in contentment. He nuzzled his head closer to her chest.

"Thank you." Calum told her quietly.

"For what?" She asked him, surprised at the comment.

"Making my hair nice and soft. I like how your fingers felt when you washed it. Made me feel special."

Claudia smiled to herself. Sometimes she just couldn't believe how sweet Calum could be.

"Maybe we can make it a day?" She suggested. She pushed back his hair. "Like selfcare Saturday, where we spend the day relaxing. We could sleep in then get some breakfast. The rest of the day we spend it with some hair care, skin care and all that jazz."

Calum lifted his head and smiled at her. "I'd like that."

"Yeah?" She asked him. He simply nodded and went back to watching their show. Three episodes later, Calum fell asleep on her.

Claudia reached for her phone and scrolled through Instagram. She dropped her phone in shock. The phone fell on Cal’s back, starting him awake briefly before he closed his eyes again. Claudia sighed; of course that would be the first picture of her that he posts. She scrolled through the comments, relieved some weren't as bad as she assumed. Until she saw her dad's.

'Pinche Calum.'

Taglist: @another-lonely-heart @sunshinebabycal @calumscalm @karajaynetoday @cherryxwildflower @myloverboyash @idontneedanyone @findingliam-o @5-secondsofcolor @spicycal @sexgodashton @sunshinebabycal @another-lonely-heart

#calum hood imagine #calum hood blurb #calum hood smut #calum hood #calum hood fan fic #calum hood fanfic #El Novio series #el novio

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troutfishinginmusic · 3 years

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The story of Grass Records: From Brainiac to Wind-Up and Creed

Images via Grass of ’96 compilation

Everything isn’t available in the streaming era. There are notable gaps in the seemingly bottomless amount of music currently available. Some of the most noticeable exclusions are albums released on Grass Records.

If you’re a fan of ’90s indie music, this short-lived New York label mattered. Though sometimes dismissed as a sibling label to Homestead Records, Grass released over 60 full-length albums ranging from pop to punk to noise to experimental music. It raised the profile of influential bands like Brainiac, Toadies and the Wrens.

The amazing thing about the label is how consistent it is. Every time I thought I was done with this article, I would listen to a band like Baboon and be completely blown away. These are all fascinating, idiosyncratic bands. This is more incredible considering the label was only around for about four years.

Much of this music is hard to find. The odd song might be lingering on YouTube, but you’re almost better off looking at your local record store or ordering from Discogs.

Why are the albums in this weird limbo? Mostly because the monied interest who bought the label in 1996 thought it wasn’t yielding a big enough return on the investment. Grass was gutted and rebranded into post-grunge/nu metal giant Wind-Up. Money poured in and these wonderfully weird records were swept to the side.

The following interviews were conducted via email, Facebook messenger and phone over the last few months. Quotes from the interviews have been edited for style/clarity. I’m eternally grateful to everyone who got back to me. I am also willing to expand this story if more former Grass artists want to reach out. If you’re one of these artists, my email is at the bottom of this story.

Seedlings

“I started in the music business purely by chance,” said Camille Sciara, who founded Grass Records.

Sciara got her start working at Record World in New York as a second job and became friendly with the store’s buyer. After attending a manager training program, she moved on to become a manager of the store. Her second job became her first.

“Then, after two years there, I became bored managing a record store and my friend Mike, the buyer, told me about Dutch East India,” Sciara said. “I started there as a salesperson and, after a year of sales, became the buyer when that position opened up. I never envisioned starting a label.”

While working as a buyer at Dutch East India Trading a friend sent her a Toadies cassette. She “loved it” and started Grass in 1993 to release it.

Grass released the Toadies EP Pleather soon after, which contained an early version of the band’s inescapable alternative hit “Possum Kingdom.” After Pleather, the band scored a major label deal with Interscope. The platinum-selling Rubberneck arrived in 1994.

“They did really well on their first major release,” Sciara said in an email interview. “But then it appeared that Interscope just dropped the ball or lost interest. They were such a great band live, I never understood how they weren't huge stars. And super cool people.”

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Tall grass

Sciara would go on to sign unique and influential bands like Brainiac and The Wrens.

“Since I had never run a label before, I was going purely on how much I liked what they submitted,” Sciara said. “Obviously not the best business model for running a label, but for the money we offered it worked to some respect. The longer I ran the label, the more I understood what was needed from them [the bands] regarding can they tour etc.”

There were few bands of the 90s that radiated weirdo energy as brightly and brilliantly as Brainiac. The documentary Transmissions from Zero chronicles the significant impact the band had on the music scene at the time. It also shows a band on the brink of mainstream success. Brainiac released two albums on Grass, Smack Bunny Baby and Bonsai Superstar, before departing for Touch & Go. The band’s forward motion was sadly cut short by Tim Taylor’s death in 1997. Prior to this, Interscope was expressing interest in the band.

“If Tim hadn't passed I'm pretty sure they'd have been the biggest [band on the label],” Sciara said.

Original Brainiac guitarist Michelle Bodine said Grass’ association with Dutch East India made the label initially attractive.

“[Camille] was super excited about us and we had total creative freedom,” Bodine said. “We also liked the 2-record deal with the option of 3 contract.”

After leaving Brainiac, Bodine would go on to play guitar and sing in O-Matic. The band released its lone album Dog Years in 1996. The album is one of the overlooked gems of the ’90s.

The Wrens’ influence reverberated in more subtle ways. The band’s first two albums, Silver (1994) and Secaucus (1996), provided a blueprint for much of the post-Pixies landscape of ’90s indie rock. They could’ve been much bigger, but still made a significant impression.

“The depth of realization in this record is unparalleled: every angle is perfected,” Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber said about Secaucus. The band’s third long awaited album, Meadowlands, dropped in 2001 and received a “Best New Music” tag from the same publication.

Rumblings of a follow-up to Meadowlands have been thrown around for the last 10 years, but a record has yet to materialize.

The level of talent the label had was staggering. A few groups Sciara thought would be bigger ranged from the Irish dream-pop band Chimera to Georgia punk band Sunbrain. “There's more, it would be long list,” Sciara said.

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New shoots

Baltimore

Baltimore punk band Liquor Bike had released one album before signing a two-record deal with Grass. The band’s first release on the label was Neon Hoop Ride in 1993. Liquor Bike was excited to be on the label because of the Homestead Records connection.

“We loved being on Grass, we toured like crazy,” singer/guitarist David Koslowski said. “We had great booking with Creature Booking.”

Between the booking agency, which had done work with Nirvana, Helmet, the Lunachicks and Jesus Lizard; and the new label things were looking up for the band. The band would have posters up in whatever towns they were playing in and mentions in the local paper. The label would keep them up to date if they had to do things like impromptu radio interviews. When they got off the road, they entered the studio to record The Beauty of Falling Apart. During this time Alan Meltzer, who bought the label from Sciara in 1996, entered the picture.

“At the onset we were pretty psyched because this guy’s got major label distribution,” Koslowski said.

It also helped that Sciara stayed on after the transition.

“We could still work with Camille, who we love,” Koslowski said. “We slept at Camille’s house when we would play up in New York. She’s an amazingly nice, sweet person and very giving.”

Koslowski said the band was given significantly more to record the follow-up based on buzz the band was getting at the time. J Robbins, of Jawbox and Burning Airlines fame, did the cover art and Drew Mazurek produced the album. The band even hired John Lay, who had previously worked with Squeeze, to manage the band.

“By that point we were having decent guarantees,” Koslowski said. “Those two years when I was on Grass I barely worked a real job. I wasn��t making a rockstar living or anything, but I was certainly able to pay my rent and utilities.”

Liquor Bike went on tour with Gas Huffer to promote the forthcoming record. On the tour Koslowski noticed there weren’t posters out and the band didn’t receive write-ups in the local press. To make matters worse, they never received CDs of The Beauty of Falling Apart to sell at shows. Koslowski said Grass had promised this.

“We were pretty confused," Koslowski said. “I mean our record had been mastered already, everything had been sent to the factory.”

Lay soon informed the band Sciara had been fired and the band had been dropped. Koslowski said the band decided to stay on the tour even after being kicked off the label. The band had old records and T-shirts to sell. They had put a lot of work into the tour and didn’t want to waste it.

Liquor Bike eventually released its third album on Merkin after failed meetings with Amphetamine Reptile, Columbia and Interscope. It was the band’s last before the members went their separate ways.

Seade was another band on on Grass that was unfortunately overlooked. Their lone album (Perf) is an underrated ’90s classic.

Prior to Meltzer, Koslowski said that he didn’t think there was any favoritism toward any one band despite the label being so prolific.

“I just think the woman loved music and wanted to spread that out to people,” Koslowski said of Sciara. “I think she legitimately wanted to help people, you know, help these bands out. She was nothing but giving.”

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Omaha

Mousetrap, an Omaha-based punk band, hoped to initially get a deal with Homestead when it sent in two 7” singles.

“Camille really liked our singles and got in touch with us.” Patrick Buchanan, Mousetrap’s singer/guitarist said in an email interview. “We developed a great relationship with her, and eventually she offered to sign us — we were given the opportunity to sign either with Homestead OR with Grass, which was a brand-new label at the time.”

Buchanan said the band thought it would possibly get overlooked in Homestead’s large stable of well-established bands and decided to sign with Grass. He also said Sciara made a large difference.

“Camille was one of the coolest people we had ever met in ‘the business’ – she just seemed really genuine, straightforward and honest,” he said. “Those are the types of people we wanted to work with. So our relationship with Camille was probably the main thing that made us sign with Grass.”

Mousetrap would go on to release three albums on the label, starting with Cerebral Revolver in 1993. The band was a big influence on Commander Venus, an Omaha band featuring a young Connor Oberst.

“They were definitely a big deal in Omaha and everybody loved them,” Oberst said of Mousetrap in an episode of the Turned Out a Punk podcast earlier this year.

Commander Venus came in contact with Grass through Mousetrap. The band signed to the label when Oberst was only 14. The band also featured Rob Nansel, who would go on to co-found Saddle Creek Records. Oberst said the band recorded its first album, Do You Feel At Home, in 1995.

“That was a good experience and a learning experience,” Oberst said. “I also think it kind of made it more apparent that even if you do get an opportunity like that, you know, you’re a little fish in a big pond. And maybe people aren’t going to work as hard or care about it.”

He said that this was mitigated by having the support system of a local scene in Omaha. The band ended up releasing its 1995 debut on Lumberjack, which later became Saddle Creek. The band released one more album, The Uneventful Vacation, before Oberst formed Bright Eyes.

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Promoting growth

Alan Meltzer came into the picture with a retail background. He had previously owned Titus Oaks Records in Long Island. He went on to found CD One Stop in 1985, which was purchased by Alliance in 1993. Meltzer became Alliance’s president during this time but left the company in 1995. Meltzer acquired Grass in 1995 from Dutch East India Trading (the label’s owner/distributor), finalizing major label distribution through BMG in 1996.

“When I heard the Grass repertoire, I almost fell down,” Meltzer said in a 1996 Billboard Magazine article. “I heard so much good material.”

“Alan was shopping around looking to purchase an established label with an extensive catalog that he could pour endless money into,” Sciara said. “He originally wanted Homestead Records. A great label owned by Dutch East as well. But once he saw the contracts and issues with some of the ‘grey’ areas in them, he then moved on to Grass.”

Meltzer did have some legitimate interest in the label as an artistic venture.

“He absolutely was obsessed with the Wrens once he heard them and Commander Venus,” Sciara said. “He was sure with all his resources, money and big ass staff he could make them huge stars. He failed. Not the bands’ fault.”

Grass would have the name (and credibility) of an indie, but the corporate reach of a major. Meltzer looked at the new situation as the best of both worlds.

“We’re not a major label, but we’re not an undercapitalized, disorganized independent that’s out there on a wing and prayer,” Meltzer said. “We’re somewhere in the middle. We’re staffed, we have the organization, and we’ve got the know-how. I opted for major distribution because the majors are better at it.”

Grass kept Sciara on as a VP of A&R (artists and repertoire) and expanded Grass’ workforce to 20 in-house employees, according to the Billboard article. The label’s future looked bright. Bodine left Brainiac and formed O-Matic (also signed to Grass) when the change happened.

“…It seemed better – they had a nice office in Manhattan with an open stairwell area and glass walls,” Bodine said. “It was very modern and cool. The budget was much bigger. They hired more people and we felt like we had a good support system.”

“When we went there it felt like money,” Koslowski said.

Koslowski only met Meltzer once at a Grass Christmas party.

“He was a typical New York money guy when I met him,” Koslowski said. “I didn’t get a good vibe. He didn’t have that indie spirit that Camille had unfortunately.”

The meeting didn’t go well.

“I remember drinking a bit and messing with him,” Koslowski said. “I said ‘hey Alan I wanted to see if I could run this by you. You know that new Liquor Bike record we’re working on? We got the artwork but we just wanted to run the title by you and make sure it’s cool. We want to call it Eat My Fuck Asshole.’”

Meltzer and his wife were horrified, according to Koslowski.

Yellowing, patchy

In an oral history with Stereogum, Wrens bassist and singer Kevin Whelan said the band was picking up steam.

“So Secaucus came out and it started to do somewhat well and “Surprise Honeycomb” was starting to get recognized and played on different shows, and we thought that international fame was around the corner,” Whelan said.

And then the call came in.

“He [Meltzer] said, ‘Well, boys, I’m not going to give you any more money. If you don’t sign with me today, it’s over.’ So, I remember, we sat in the van, we looked at the empty gas tank and we were like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not signing, let’s get the credit cards out and see how we can get home.’”

According to the Wrens’ website bio, Meltzer wasn’t pleased.

“[Meltzer], infuriated, commences layoffs of involved record company personnel and vows that ‘the next band to walk through that door will be made famous – at any cost,’” the bio states. “The next band through the door is Creed. Grass Records becomes Wind-Up Records. Creed becomes famous at any cost.”

By the time of the Wind-Up transition, Moustrap had already fulfilled its contract when it released its third album The Dead Air Sound System.

“At that time, Mousetrap was not very active,” Buchanan said. “I think we had become rather disheartened by how much time and love we put into the band, while getting very little recognition on any type of national level. At that point we were physically and mentally exhausted by constant touring and recording, with very little in the way of tangible success to show for it. So we didn’t really have any relationship with the label by the time it became Wind-Up.”

When the label wasn’t as successful as Meltzer thought, he brought in Steve Lerner. This was effectively the end of Grass Records.

“I was let go along with 8 to 10 others when Meltzer brought in Steve Lerner to run the company,” Sciara said. “The new staff felt Grass was too much related to me so hence a name change.”

“With Lerner serving as his right-hand man, the duo transformed Wind-up into a $100 million-plus sales operation with multi-platinum acts like Evanescence and Creed,” a 2007 Billboard article said.

Death, new high-yield crops

Grass was rebranded as Wind-Up, a key player in the nu metal and post-grunge universe, in 1997. Many of the Grass bands were dropped to make room for the likes of Finger Eleven, Creed and Evanescence. Meltzer, who ran the label with his wife at the time Diana, finally found his cash machine.

“I was extremely happy because, although Creed was a mega-seller and saved his label, I wanted nothing to do with that and the direction the label was taking,” Sciara said. “Not knocking it. You need artists like that to sustain a label that had an enormous payroll and nice offices. I totally get it, it’s a business. But I was happy running a small label with smaller contacts and cooler bands that didn't have to compromise their sound to write a ‘hit.’ That’s what he was always looking for.”

The transition to Wind-Up in 1997 did have some overlap with former Grass artists. The second Commander Venus album was released by Wind-Up and Thick (with a later release on Saddle Creek). Pollen, a rough-edged pop-punk act that had released two albums on Grass, dropped Peach Tree on Wind-Up. Baboon’s sophomore album Secret Robot Control was also released in 1997 on the new label.

Slowpoke’s Virgin Stripes, the final vestige of Grass Records, was a co-release with DGC in 1998. The album didn’t break the band, but it’s not a stretch to imagine it could have (especially since it boasted a song as infectious as “Belladonna”). The album retains some of band’s outsider noisy energy, but delivers it in a package palatable enough for the post-grunge crowd. Past this point, Wind-Up focused mostly on its new sound.

Koslowski didn’t initially know Wind-Up was the successor to Grass. One day someone mentioned to him that he was labelmates with Creed.

“I was like ‘wow, OK I guess he got his hit,’” Koslowski said.

Meltzer died in 2011 at 67. He made headlines by leaving $1 to his chauffeur and $500,000 to his doorman. Bodine saw this as frustrating because of how he left things with other Grass bands.

“He owed lots of bands money so it’s just really fucked up that he didn’t pay them/us. Liquor Bike did get theirs before he died only because they were persistent,” said Bodine.

In 2013 Wind-Up was purchased by Bicycle Music Company with distribution by Concord Music Group. In 2015 the two companies merged to form Concord Bicycle Music. Craft Recordings manages the label’s reissues.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wZBpr1tDktI

Rare strain

Aside from Brainiac and The Wrens, many of the bands on the label aren’t on streaming platforms. The physical releases on Grass are mostly out of print. A sea of fantastic experimental indie music remains in this gray area. This doesn’t seem to be changing.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t a clue about if there are plans of Wind-Up re-releasing any back catalog,” Sciara said. “It’s sad really. Holding peoples’ artistic work hostage or just ignoring it seems cruel. Hopefully Wind-Up did the right thing and gave them back their masters, rights etc. Or at least license it to someone else to release.”

The three Mousetrap albums are stuck in this place.

“I wish more people had the chance to hear our music, so yeah I wish it was easily available,” said Buchanan. “Sure, we wanted to be popular — but the most important thing for us was that we made the music we wanted to make. We always did things our way — for ourselves, with no regrets. So even if the albums are harder to get, we’ll always have the memories — and those who were there to witness it will, too.”

Liquor Bike’s lawyer was able to secure the master tapes and artwork for The Beauty of Falling Apart with no questions asked. The band also has the master tapes for Neon Hoop Ride.

“Crazily enough, Grass did not make us buy Beauty of Falling Apart from them,” Koslowski said. “I have heard from some of my fellow Grass artists that they wanted to charge an incredible amount of money.”

Neon Hoop Ride was remastered and briefly available on streaming services. The album was only available digitally and did not get a physical rerelease.

Greener pastures

Following her departure from Grass, Sciara started Ten23 (Oct. 23, 1996 was the day she was fired from Grass). The label released The Wren’s EP 1135 before folding.

“It seemed like a great idea,” she said. “Didn't put out anything else after that release. It was an expensive endeavor starting a label from scratch, so to speak, and at the time I was unemployed.”

From there she went on to work at the Knitting Factory label group and eventually Narnack Records. She uprooted from N.Y. to move to L.A. to work at the latter. She eventually ended up back in N.Y. where she was a manager at Petland Discounts for 12 years until it closed in 2019.

Buchanan has gone on to release music as Vicious Lovers. Mousetrap has plans to release new music for the first time in 20 years according to Buchanan. Some of Mousetrap’s music can be streamed here:

Michelle Bodine went on to play guitar in Shesus, which was signed to Narnack. The band released an album and an EP before splitting up. Bodine has since been participating in Brainiac reunion shows and was featured in the Brainiac documentary Transmissions from Zero.

David Koslowski went on to play in the post-rock band Vivid Low Sky and the power-pop band Gerty. He currently owns a coffee shop/record store in Baltimore called Baby’s on Fire.

“I loved every aspect of being on Grass, except for the very end,” Koslowski said. “I also loved how diverse Camille had the label. A lot of friends from that time from those bands, I’m still friends with them. It was like a really cool little group of people that all got to share in something for as brief of a time period as it was.”

If you have questions, information or concerns I can be reached at [email protected].

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article spelled David’s last name as Kozlowski. It’s actually Koslowski. Also, J. Robbins just did the cover art for the band’s third album. Drew Mazurek actually produced it. Godplow is a great band but they’re from Minneapolis, not Baltimore.

#grassrecords #indie #90s #brainiac #thewrens #mousetrap #liquorbike #baboon #toadies #omatic

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timeaftertime-chriscornellfanfic · 4 years

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Chapter 34 - Remember To Let Her Into Your Heart Then You Can Start To Make It Better

Houston Texas, May 25 2017

(Chris is 52, Andi is 29)

CHRIS: Swiping the steam from the mirror in the hotel bathroom, I grab my shaving cream, pouring some in my hand then pat my cheeks and grab the razor to clean up this stubble a bit. I rinse my razor a few times and continue on, leaning in close and gently swiping it across my cheek when I suddenly hear my acoustic in the other room being softly played for a few chords. I stop for a second to listen, and hear Andi softly singing and strumming.

I missed that voice of hers, no matter how much she always said she never had one, that playing was her thing, she always sounded so beautiful when she would just let go and sing. I close my eyes for a moment and just focus, listening to her then turn my attention back to finish shaving. Once I've rinsed my face and gently slap on some after shave, and with the white towel around my hips I make my way out of the bathroom.

"Happiness is like an old friend I miss, How can I tell you what it feels to be like this...?" She sings, sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard with my guitar across her lap, in one of my white v-neck t-shirts with the collar slipped off her shoulder, and nothing else. She stops for a moment and picks up her phone, typing something and then glances up to see me.

"Hi," She smiles and bites her lip nervously.

"Hey," I chuckle as I approach her.

"Sorry, I just had an idea, or a melody... something, and I just didn't want to lose it," She says, setting her phone back down beside her.

"S'ok baby, don't stop on my account," I smile at her. She then dismissively waves her hand and sets the guitar aside on the bed, moves to her knees and crawls over to me.

She places her hands on my chest as I reach out for her, leaning down and placing my lips on hers. My hands cup her face holding her to me as she begins to suck on my bottom lip.

"Chris?" She says when she pulls away from me but I touch my forehead to hers.

"Yes baby?" I breathe. It was all I could do to not just lay her back down on the bed and make love to her again... for the third time today.

"Am I coming with you, when you head home this afternoon?"

I lift my forehead from hers and look at her confused by that question.

"Um, yea, why? Do you not want to?" I ask, raising my eyebrow and she flicks her eyes to mine.

"No, I mean, yea I want to, I'm just worried is all,"

"Worried about what?" I ask.

"I don't know... I think I'm just worried about us. Me... specifically. I don't want to slip again," She says as she studies her hands on my bare chest.

“I don't want you to slip again either," I say as I brush a few curls out of her eyes. She stays quiet for a few moments and I touch my forehead back to hers, her fingers reaching up and playing with my damp curls.

"I'm so sorry Chris - "

"Shhhh, you need to stop apologizing to me," I chuckle.

"But - " She starts.

"No,"

"Chris - ?"

"Shhhh," I hush her again and she starts to laugh.

I take her hands and bring them up to my lips, placing soft gentle kisses to her fingers, then lean in and place my lips back on hers determined to convince her that I've long forgiven her for whatever it is that she feels guilty of - her time slipping. I deepen the kiss, making it long and passionate while my hands make their way down her sides, to her hips, slowly inching up my t-shirt that she's wearing so that I can feel her perfect ass in my hands. She then presses her body to mine, her fingers lacing through my hair.

"Ok, go on and take your shower before I end up back in bed with you again, making us late for our flight," I say pulling away from her. She giggles that cute little laugh and places a quick kiss on my chest, then climbs off the bed as I watch her remove my shirt. Her curls falling down around her as she sets my shirt on the bed and heads into the bathroom.

*****

A short while later, we meet with Kim Matt and Ben down in the lobby of the hotel to make a plan to meet up in Seattle in a week to start more work on the new record. Once we say our goodbyes, Andi and I head out to the airport.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Martin Kirsten is no longer in the picture. I fired him just after Andi had figured out that he was slipping me unknown pills. I still don't know the motive as to why he would do that and after an argument with him privately, I fired him. I am determined now to fix every mistake I've made over the last 18 years, starting with getting back to my roots like Kim said.

"Alright, Mr. Cornell here is your exchanged ticket and you'll be boarding at terminal 11" The receptionist says to me as she hands the tickets over to me.

"Thank you," I say and turn to Andi to hand her one of the tickets.

"I thought you had set up the private jet to fly us back home?" She says sweetly.

"I try not to fly in that thing too much. It freaks me out sometimes. Anyways, this is more economical," I explain as I take her hand in mine while we head over to the waiting area.

"Wait... Chris, these are for New York?" She says as she looks over her plane ticket.

"Uh huh," I say as we find a few empty seats in the waiting area and set our luggage down.

"You live in New York?" Andi looks up at me as I fumble with my jacket for a second.

"Uh huh," I say and slide the luggage handle down then flip my curls out of my eyes to look at her. She looks back at me with an inquisitive expression but I'm not quite sure how to explain how I don't exactly live in Seattle anymore, at least I haven't lived there fully since 2001.

"Flight 52 to New York City, now boarding. Flight 52 to New york City, now boarding"

"Well, that's us babe," I smile at her and she gives me a half smile back as I pull up the luggage handle and she takes her bag, slinging it over her shoulder once more. I take her hand in mine and place my lips to the back of her hand as we walk to the board the plane.

*****

New York City, New York

(Andi is 29, Chris is 52)

ANDI: Pulling up to Chris's house was an unreal experience to say the least. Never mind me time slipping 18 years in the future, I never even thought that he would find himself living in New York of all places. It wasn't exactly right in the city part, more so just on the outskirts in a small suburb. The house was beautiful. A dark red brick 2 storey home and very upscale. Different from the gothic home that he and I bought around '97 in Seattle. It was large, 4,500 square feet to be exact - from what he explained - and it definitely looked that way on the outside.

"Come on babe, let me show you inside," He says as the cab drives away and he picks up our bags. I follow him to the porch, while he takes a few minutes to find his keys and he opens the door.

Once I step inside, it's just as beautiful as I had thought it would be, and so entirely different than I thought. There is a large foyer at the front door with an incredible chandelier that hung over head. Straight ahead was what looked like a sitting area/living room that was completely made up of black and white furniture with a white shag throw rug underneath the glass coffee table. Once he sets our bags down and hangs up his jacket, he takes my hand and shows me the rest of the house. He first leads me into the kitchen which was also large and very white, with stainless steel appliances, the dining room which again was white with white leather dining room chairs and a black steel framed dining table. He then leads me to another room that was more of the living room than the first one, with a huge 60 inch TV and surround system - still in the pattern of black and white but mostly white.

Upstairs were 4 bedrooms and a Master, 2 of the rooms once again very white and 'clean'. The other two you could tell were a little more lived in, sort of like a teenagers room, but looked like no one has lived in those two rooms for months. Then there was the Master bedroom that also had an ensuite bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. Again, so much white. I was beginning to get the coldness feeling from this house. I think Chris could tell what I was feeling so he saved the best room for last.

Down in the basement, was one of the most beautiful studios that I had ever seen. It was warm and inviting but yet so simple. Hardwood floors throughout, sound proofing on each wall, inset warm lighting and his guitars lined beautifully along one side. At the far end was a drumset and opposite of that was a desk with a mixboard, and a computer for mixing and recording. Along with the soundproofing hung each award for each album that had gone Gold - selling 50,000 copies or more, Badmotorfinger and Superunknown. There were also plaques and frames for all the soundtrack work he did, and even ones for...

"Audioslave?" I ask as I turn and face him, pushing my curls behind my ear while he stand near the doorway.

"Yea it's uh... The band I had after Soundgarden. After you um... y'know, Susan helped get me in touch with the guys from Rage after Zach left. Apparently Rick Rubin really wanted me to work with him and the guys since they wanted to try something different I guess," He explains.

"You did three albums?" I say looking at each one framed. The first record with a 3 x Platinum award for selling more than 3,000,000 copies in the U.S and Canada. The second - Out Of Exile - and third -Revelations - with Gold awards much like Badmotorfinger and Superunknown did when they were released.

"Uh huh," He says as he watches me walk to the other side of the studio and see his original pressings for Ultramega Ok, Screaming Life and Fopp, Louder Than Love and Down on the Upside all framed.

"I remember these though," I giggle and he smiles as he walks over to me. I then find the record that he was working on before I slipped, The album cover with him on the front, exactly how he looked before I lost 18 years with him and framed with a dedication plaque on the front.

"You finished it?"

"I did," He says sweetly.

"To my disappearing one: forever and always, this is for you," I read the plaque more to myself than to him, hearing my voice shake.

"It's uh... that's also written in the album credits too," He says quietly as I glance down and see the row of guitars in which the first three catch my eye.

"You kept them?" I ask as I run my hand along the first - the silver sparkle Gretsch I got for my 20 birthday - then the one that he stole for me when he was 15 - the jet black Gibson Standard and the next one, the one that my dad had given me for graduation.

"Well yea, I mean... they're yours, what am I gonna do get rid of them?" He chuckles.

I turn and look up at him, my brow furrowing as I desperately try to not bawl like an absolute baby in front of him. I really had no idea what to say. He should hate me. He should never want to have anything to do with me again for all the times I left him alone and all the years that I wasn't with him.

"Chris I - "

"No, don't say it. I told you I don't want you apologizing anymore," He says and he cups my face in his palms as I look down, still feeling so guilty of everything that's happened. "Hey, baby look at me... you saved me remember? You saved me from the biggest mistake I could've made remember?"

I glance back up into those beautiful blue eyes of his and he presses his lips to mine. Softly and gently at first then once again quick becoming passionate and full of hunger as he draws me into his arms. He then lifts me up and I giggle against his lips while he carries me out of the studio.

#chris cornell #soundgarden #time after time #time travel #also on wattpad #alternate universe #also on ao3 #chris cornell fanfiction #soundgarden fanfiction #fantasy

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astrojmonaf1 · 5 years

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A Neutron Star Merger, The Fall of A Formula One Hero, and a Belgian Maiden Grand Prix Win

The LIGO/Virgo collaboration teams, observed a gravitational wave event of a Neutron Star merger "with the probability that the source may have at least one object in between three and five solar masses" said LIGO, on September 1st.

📸: LIGO Twitter

Kilonova observations are extraordinarily rare, for when Neutron stars collide, the remnants left are showers of gold and platinum scattered into the universe. These showers bring forth metals like the ones found on Earth.

Elements beneficial to our very existence.

Although the remnants here are believed to have merged into a black hole.

Who would have imagined that to the world of Formula One, that same rip to the fabric of space and time of a binary system hundreds of millions of years in the making, could have different consequences in the racing track.

It would arrive the same day that Charles Leclerc would make his Maiden Grand Prix Win.

While one can’t be certain what Einstein meant when he said, "God does not play dice with the universe,” we can only think of this moment. The Universe may be 14 billion years old, and with that, heroes and legends can be made because heroes are not born. Through pain and tears, downforce and minimal drag, Gravity much like F=ma, can be good friends, but in one wrong Turn, all can become the enemy, to Formula One drivers.

They are made, on the track and in moments such as these.

Racing For Anthoine

Like the great Carl Sagan once said, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.”

Anthoine Hubert, 22, of France, lost his life at the Belgian Grand Prix on August 31st.

The Renault French driver, was involved in a major accident with American Sauber driver, Juan Manuel Correa, at the Spa-Francorchamps. Hubert's car hit the bars then collided with Correa’s.

Correa, underwent surgery and “will remain in intensive care for at least another 24 hours to ensure that his condition can continue to be monitored by his surgical team,” read the official statement released on his website.

Anthoine Hubert, succumbed to his injuries after that tragic accident at Spa-Francorchamps.

A childhood friend to Charles Leclerc, someone he raced Karts with, laughed with, and joked with, perhaps looked up to race with head to head in this very track, the Monegasque now ran alone.

For Charles Leclerc, securing his maiden win at the Belgian Grand Prix, wouldn’t be the first place in his legacy, but a bequest to honor the memory of his now departed childhood friend.

Notwithstanding, everyone was racing for Anthoine and to honor his memory.

This was no ordinary race and as challenging as it was it would become one to remember.

The morning of Charles’ race, he'd been seen by the media talking to Anthoine’s family.

His mother, Nathalie, Father Victhor and brother Francois, gave him their support, as Nathalie embraced him.

That heartbreaking sight will live in the hearts of fans forever.

The Love of a Mother

📸: Kym Illman

It might have instilled love and strength in the Monegasque and a little extra push to go with the respect of millions of fans as a reminder that Anthoine would have wanted him to get to P1.

His last race having been practically stolen in Bahrain, this time, nothing would get in his way.

Phased, and unbelieving that any of it had happened, Anthoine’s loss, and his win, Charles said: “We were four kids dreaming of getting to Formula One.”

Anthoine Hubert, Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.

“We have grown up in karting together, so to lose him is a big shock for me, and everyone in the sport.”

“It was definitely the first situation for me where I have lost someone and then raced the following day. It is obviously quite challenging to close the visor and go through the exact corner —where he died— at the same speed as I did the day before.

Pierre Gasly, the Toro Rosso driver, gave Leclerc a little fuel to win the race too, had the words “ALWAYS WITH ME #AH19,” above the open view of his halo:

“I've grown up with this guy since I was seven in karting, we've been roommates, we've lived in the same apartment, in the same room for six years."

“We’ve been class mates, I’ve studied since I was 13 until 19 with him, with the same professor at a private school that the federation did. I’m still shocked.”

“You have to put it out of your mind because otherwise, you can’t race,” he added,

“I told Charles before the race: Please win this race for Anthoine, as we started racing in the same year, Charles, Anthoine, and myself. And Anthoine won the French Cup in 2005. We raced for many years and knew each other.”

Overtaken in Bahrain by a one-two Mercedes win, and getting wheel banged by Red Bull's, Max Verstappen in Austria, back in July, costing him-his first win, this one; means more.

“We lost a friend first of all — I would like to dedicate my first win to him. In my first race, we drove together, it's a shame what happened yesterday, I can't enjoy my victory fully.” Charles added.

"It is difficult to enjoy this victory, but hopefully, in two or three weeks, I will realize what happened.”

Everyone was cheering for Ferrari’s 16 to win it for Renault’s 19.

In the aftermath of Hubert’s passing, it’s hard to express what Leclerc must’ve felt like when he got to lap 19.

19 was Anthoine’s racing number, and the crowds paid tribute as well when the drivers came through.

it was no consequence that of all days, that Neutron Star Merger would be named S190901ap. The date that recorded the LIGO/Virgo's Neutron Stars Merger, which coincided with Anthoine's number.

And then you heard a solemn “This one is for Anthoine,” coming from Ferrari’s radio, said by Charles Leclerc upon finishing first.

Everyone burst, there was commotion everywhere, a good day and a sad day in Motorsports indeed for all the right reasons.

“It’s a good day but on the other hand losing Anthoine yesterday brings me back to 2005, my first ever French championship,” continued Leclerc during an interview.

📸: Kym Illman

A League of His Own

Seeing the Monegasque separate the Silver Arrows and keep good pace through and through, was what Formula One is all about, but is unfathomable to know how he must’ve felt while driving down Spa’s circuit or how he feels now that it’s been completed.

As youth of this new century, explorers and pioneers, one often forgets that millennials have much on their shoulders.

They’re here to make a name for themselves, and it's undeniable that on the way to greatness, they’re bound to lose those they love because this sport is ruthless.

Charles Leclerc won't be the exception, to the rule, but he's been the valid example of losing in every aspect and yet here he is. Racing and winning. Nothing deters his will to keep going.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver, and godson to Jules Bianchi, the last casualty to the sport before Hubert, is the living reminder that today's youth, still have plenty to look up to and much to fight for.

You could see him in the podium wearing a black armband with his entire Ferrari Team, as he raised his Trophy to the sky in honor of Anthoine.

Empowering generations of new drivers to not feel like outsiders. He might have lost a friend, his godfather, his father, that battle on two multifarious and defining races before, but on his third, he got his maiden trophy with a little help from above.

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes spoke encomiums of Charles Leclerc after the race.

"It's not easy for any driver to jump into a top team like Ferrari against a four-time world champion, with much more experience, and then to continuously out-perform, out-qualify and out-drive him. But Charles’ results speak for themselves. There is a lot more greatness to come from him, and I am looking forward to racing alongside him in the future.”

“Then once I got in the car, as I did for my father two years ago, you need to put all the emotions to one side and focus on the job.”

Said, Leclerc “I was happy to win and remember him the way he deserved to be and, yeah, happy to do it on this day.”

"They are so much faster than us and Monza is all straights ... We will do our best, but it is going to be a tough job to match them.”

He lamented his inability to master those straights like Leclerc, before. Something the Monegasque is seemingly able to do. Monza will be the place to put the five time World Champion to a test.

"So, there's a lot more greatness to come from him and I'm looking forward to seeing his growth and racing alongside him ... Today, it was fun, trying to chase him. He was just a little bit too quick.”

Maybe, Chekhov was right after all about Entropy, that beautiful chaos that makes our universe work, It does come easy, but as I wrote in my book, “Entropy comes easy, but Love outgrows the Universe,”©️

"I was struggling in the corners, so that allowed him to get close," said Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Leclerc's Team mate.

"I couldn't hold him off for a very long time. I tried to obviously make him [Hamilton] lose time in order to give Charles a cushion, and in the end it was just enough, so it did the job.

"I couldn't stay in range to look after myself, and I was sort of playing a road block to make sure that Charles was gaining some time." He did everything to help his team mate achieve his first victory.

In a statement given by Daniel Ricciardo from Team Renault, he too admitted not wanting to race following Hubert’s untimely death.

“I know that, weirdly enough, the best way we can kind of show our respect was to race today,”

“But I don’t think any of us actually wanted to be here or wanted to race”

“At least, I’m speaking for myself, but I’m sure I’m not the only one. It was certainly tough to be here and try to put on a brave face for everyone.”

“I know a lot of people in the paddock are hurting so I think everyone’s relieved it’s done, we can move on from here, and hopefully it’s the last time that this happens.”

For the Renault fans, Ricciardo racing that day meant everything.

To know that a driver from his team had perished, how does one reconcile, to keep the morale high for the millions of fans aching so racing is the answer.

Is the one thing the Aussie does to help the fans, and he does it well. We appreciate the effort even when we know the heartbreak he's feeling. A collective effort from everyone now to help each other heed the call of the F1 neighbor even on social media.

We love him for it.

It becomes a Labor of Love.

“Since I was a child I’ve been looking up to Formula 1, dreaming to be first a Formula 1 driver, which happened last year, then driving for Ferrari this year, and then the first win today.”

“It’s a good day, but on the other hand, as I said, losing Anthoine yesterday brings me back to 2005, my first ever French championship. There was him, Esteban [Ocon], Pierre [Gasly] and myself. We were four kids that were dreaming of Formula 1. We grew up in karting for many, many years, and to lose him yesterday was a big shock for me but obviously for everyone in motorsport, so it was a very sad day.” - Charles Leclerc

A day filled with grief, racing, camaraderie, and the inextricable reminder that; the Universe is always at work.

Congratulations, Charles Leclerc and Team Ferrari for a well-deserved win.

We knew you had it all along.

“And when you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Paolo Coelho

Jen McCulley TM Sep 2, 2019

#charles leclerc #anthoine hubert #sebastian vettel #lewis hamilton #daniel ricciardo #pierre gasly #esteban ocon #scuderia ferrari #charles 16 #formula 1 #formula1 #essere ferrari #formula one #f1 #racing for anthoine #belgian grand prix #belgiangp #belgium gp 2019

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incorrectheartbreakers · 5 years

Text

20 things I learned before I turned 69.

By IHB Tom Petty

Tom: According to my birth certificate I'm turning 69 today, which is odd because part of me still feels like 30 while the other part of me feels 149 but my current age (until the clock strikes 12) is actually 68 and it's 2019, people have said that sharing is caring so here's 20 lessons that I've learned.

One: I learned to read contracts carefully.

It was one of life's hardest lessons about being a musician that I have come to learn is reading a contract carefully and understand what everything means. Understand what publishing is, know how much you should be paid to make your record and when in doubt, file for bankruptcy, write a song about it, go on tour to pay for legal fees, don't give into the big business guys, if you're recording a record during this whole ordeal and the court they start to imply that they have the right to come and seize anything you're working on, get someone to switch the names on the master tapes and have them hide it where no one can find them after you get done recording. So if you're asked in court where the tapes are..you don't know. And be sure to have drills to see how fast you can get them out of the studio.

Two: Being a snakecharmer to dogs comes in handy. From carrying treats on you to learn how to read the body language of a dog. Being a dog charmer is quite the catch.

Three: Playing pranks on your kids is the best form of entertainment. When one of your daughter's ex boyfriend's accidentally leaves a pair of his underwear at your house, It's a free for all. Put them on her car, put them in a box, wrap it up and leave it under the Christmas tree for them to open on Christmas morning. It'll be talked about for years and years to come. Trust me.

Four: Payback from your kids is the worst. Sometimes the result of pranking your kids is the worst you could experience. Okay that's a little far fetched but it definitely isn't pleasant. I couldn't tell you how many times AnnaKim bugged me about buttless chaps...all chaps are buttless AnnaKim.

Five: Know the difference between fin and not fun. Being on a tour bus and mooning people while they drive by with your drummer as the rest of the band looks on in shock? Fun. Getting chased by your bassist's cat while your trying to eat because they want your dinner and everyone else is laughing? Not fun. Buying a bunch of hash in a country where it's legal? Fun. Getting pulled out of line while you're trying to get to your flight on time because they found some residue on the pipe your drummer has in his suitcase and then missing rehearsals for a TV show you're supposed to be on? Not fun. Seeing your bassist eating a whole chunk of hash while customs is questioning said drummer? To be honest I'm not even sure where to put that one. For me? Not fun. For him? Fun. Lighting fireworks on the fourth? Fun. Putting a bunch of bottle rockets next to each other in a straight line and then lighting them all off? Not fun. We almost burned down our old house.

Six: If you're moving, get a U-haul. We would have had way less trips to make between our current house and our old house if we just rented a U-haul.

Seven: Recently, I discovered command tape and Blu-tack, and I would definitely have less holes in my walls if Howie mentioned it sooner. Thank you Howie, thank you command tape. And no this isn't paid advertisement, they're just great products.

Eight: There are times where tough love doesn't work, and you lose the people you care most about because of it and there are times where it does work but that's not always the case.

Nine: Don't get too close to the front of the stage. After getting ripped down the first time I've learned the hard way not to get too close.

Ten: Climbing on top of the roof isn't a good idea either, after we got done doing that episode of incorrect heartbreakers it took almost four hours just to get me down from the roof. We had to call the local fire department.

Eleven: Some modeling clay can be put in the oven while others are not made to be baked all together. Earlier this month Howie wanted to test some random modeling clay he ordered off of Amazon, so he handed me a piece and had me put it in the oven to see if it would bake. Needless to say when I checked on it not even five minutes later it turned into a puddle.

Twelve: Take your driving lessons seriously, back when I took my first driving lesson I didn't take some things the instructor was saying into account. I didn't pass the first five tests. I'm still not good at driving after all of these years either.

Thirteen: Just because you don't think it's a good idea to put a new song on a greatest hits album doesn't mean it won't do well. When the greatest hits album was due I really didn't like the idea of doing it let alone putting new songs on it. But the album sold 12,000,000, was certified 12x platinum in the US and the only single released from it went number 1 on the US Billboard album rock tracks, so what do I know?

Fourteen: Breaking your hand is not a way to resolve things you're struggling with. During the recording process of Southern Accents, I broke my hand out of frustration due to my own fault. I wasn't in the right mind and if I was I probably could have avoided the whole thing.

Fifteen: Fashion is all about playful experimentation. If you don’t look back at pictures of some of your old looks and cringe, you’re doing it wrong. See: Marcus Amphitheater, 2001 and Bridge school benefit, 2002.

Sixteen: Everyone deserves to be treated equally. From a very young age I was always enraged with injustice. As the years went on and I learned more and more I took every chance I got to stand up, voice my opinion and I think every person should.

Seventeen: A very more recent one, always have band-aids on you, in every room possible, in every suitcase and in your pockets in general.

Eighteen: Never judge someone until you talk to them one on one. I took this one from a friend after having a two hour conversation over the phone. You never judge someone until you talk to them one on one.

Nineteen: Love isn't forever, I've had my fair share of breakups and heartaches. But the one thing that I have learned from it all is that love doesn't last forever. People grow apart, feelings change and so do people. And sometimes it's for the better.

Twenty: if you see it bubbling after you get done heating something up, don't touch it. Another recent one as I just made myself my own birthday cake, I decided to put caramel on it and I touched it, thus burning my fingers. At least it tastes good.

Bonus: if the instructions say 3 tablespoons add more, if it looks well still like nothing but powder keep adding what the recipe calls for until it looks right. And if you add too much. Pour some out, it'll be fine. Or add in more flour or mix.

#tom petty and the heartbreakers #tpath #tom petty & the heartbreakers #tom petty #source: taylor swift #source: elle magazine #(i got the idea from Taylor doing it back in February when she did her 30 things i learned before i turned 30. so i did it with tom.)#(it was a last minute idea but hey i did it. happy birthday tom. -admin)

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sage-nebula · 5 years

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I hope you dont mind my asking, but wouldn't GF have decided to remove the national dex long before LGPE released? I can see those games selling well confirming to GF that "pokemon sell well regardless of cut features" but it feels strange to blame it on LGPE when the development time on the games would suggest they made this choice awhile ago. (Not to defend lgpe lack of content) Sorry if this is a bother, I just feel like I'm missing something and would really like to understand your reasoning

For almost any other game I would agree, however for Pokémon in particular:

The National Dex (insofar as the ability to transfer old pokémon over) was never going to be a Day One feature. It’s never a Day One feature in the first games of the generation. Even if they wanted to make it one, in this case they couldn’t because Home isn’t releasing until 2020. As I’ve said in other posts, if they wanted to patch in the NatDex, they’d have the time to do it. Technically speaking, they’d have the time to do it, especially since the fanbase would be willing to wait (even if there’d be a few whiners here or there) the extra time.

Since it’s not a Day One feature, it’s something that can be worked on later in the development cycle (/can even continue to be worked on after the development cycle, or at least it could be if this series were treated with the respect of, say, The Legend of Zelda series). Again, I’m not talking about DLC that’s already on the game card that needs to be activated later, I’m talking about DLC that’s patched in, content created after that you download either to the harddrive or (though I don’t know if Switch DLC works this way specifically) onto the game card itself. Given the type of content they generally want to show early in the release cycle (the general theme / concept of the games, scenes of the various areas in the region, new ‘mon), and the fact that this would be a feature added post-release anyway, we can make a safe bet that the NatDex is something they’d work on much later in the development cycle, possibly even in the last year since, again . . . they’d have that time if they wanted to use it (and if this series was treated with genuine respect).

The Let’s Go games were stated by Masuda to be the future of the franchise if they sold well. They featured a Pokédex that was limited to only the Kanto ‘Dex, plus Meltan and Melmetal. They released in November 2018, and indeed, they sold well. In early 2019 (February, IIRC) Sword & Shield were released. While of course I don’t work at Game Freak and thus can’t say for sure, I would place money on the idea that if they were even a bit on the fence about adding the National Dex, the fact that Let’s Go sold so well despite being limited to 153 ‘mon pushed them right over the edge to, “Cut the National Dex from Sword & Shield, there’s no point in working on it.” I mean, why should they expend the effort if people will buy the games anyway? Especially when President Ishihara went on record saying that long-time fans only cared about “new pokémon and features” around the time of Let’s Go’s release. Sure, they might have already been thinking about cutting the National Dex beforehand, but Let’s Go no doubt assured them that it was a safe and correct call to make.

So that’s what I mean when I say that Let’s Go’s positive sales figures sealed all of our fates. To be entirely honest, before the National Dex announcement, I was certain that we wouldn’t see the shockwaves from Let’s Go until Gen IX. But Sword & Shield having a limited ‘Dex just like Let’s Go, and having special feature ‘mon behind $60 paywalls like Let’s Go, and having core features stripped out like Let’s Go, and the fact that it’s starting to look frighteningly like the starters won’t be able to evolve like in Let’s Go . . . the effect is pretty apparent. Sure, some of this stuff was present even before Let’s Go (namely the whole “let’s ditch useful features in the name of simplifying things” tack that Masuda has been married to for years now), but in the wake of Let’s Go, it’s success, and what Masuda said would happen if it was successful, it’s really hard not to see the link.

(Note just in case anyone read too quickly: I’m not saying the starters WON’T evolve. I’m only saying that I’m starting to fear that’s the case since we’re less than a month away from release and we haven’t even seen second stage evolutions yet. Maybe they’re just trying to keep starter evolutions a surprise, that’s entirely possible, but it’s also highly suspect, and Game Freak destroyed any trust or good faith I had in them a while back.)

As a final note, the reason why I say that the Pokémon games aren’t treated with respect is . . . well, there are a few reasons:

Game Freak stated themselves that they put their B Team on Sword & Shield while their A Team worked on Little Town Hero. They also said they wanted to create something, “as exciting, or perhaps even more exciting” than Pokémon. They’re tired of working on Pokémon, and it shows. Which, I mean, I get it, it’s been 20+ years, but in that case tell Nintendo so that they can shift the main games over to another studio. I get that Game Freak was created for the sole purpose of making Pokémon, and maybe Taijiri-san is pissed at how you’re disrespecting his baby (I would be), but for the good of the series, if you don’t want to work on it, give it to someone who does. Don’t just shift it onto your bare bones secondary dev team.

These games are in a hellish development cycle where a new one is popped out every year. Contrast this to The Legend of Zelda where, while we’ve had some anomalies where assets were able to be largely reused and so games came out only a couple years apart (see: Ocarina of Time to Majora’s Mask) --- even that had two or three years before releases, not one the very next year. Most mainline Zelda games spend five or six years in development. I’m fully aware that we will likely be waiting until something like 2022 for Breath of the Wild 2, and I am prepared to wait that time because I know the game we get will be incredible. Granted, I’m going to be dying every single time they announce a release date to push it back, but it’ll be a death I’m grateful for because I will know that the end product will be worth it. The Pokémon games used to have a similar luxury. While there were a grand total of five games released during that time (with “five games” being used loosely, given that one was a slight upgrade and the other four were really two games with slight differences between versions), Gen IV lasted for a grand total of four years. We had Diamond & Pearl in 2006, Platinum in 2008, HeartGold & SoulSilver in 2009, and then finally, Black & White in 2010. By contrast, Gen VII didn’t even last three years, technically. I mean, this November would be its third anniversary, but that’s when Gen VIII officially starts instead. To be fair, it could be argued that Gen IV didn’t have a full four years since it came out in September 2006, and Gen V came out in September 2010. But even if you make that argument, it still had a full year on Gen VII, and to be honest, that showed. The Sinnoh games are far and away not my faves, but they were still full of content. HeartGold & SoulSilver are often considered to be the best remakes in the entire franchise, and considering the content that was cut from OmegaRuby & AlphaSapphire and Masuda’s reasoning for why that content was cut, I can’t exactly argue with that even though I did genuinely enjoy ORAS. And the games that Gen IV ushered in? Controversial opinion, but I think that the Pokémon games peaked with Gen V. Black & White not only initially had a ‘dex that was nothing but new pokémon (and yet STILL included the Nat Dex later, because in Masuda’s own words he felt it cruel to keep people from playing with their faves forever!), but it also introduced a METRIC TON of new mechanics, some of which we no longer get to use (Rotation Battles? Game Freak doesn’t know her). Who knows what exactly Game Freak did with that extra year, but it was clearly a lot of work given how wonderful the games were in Gen IV and Gen V. The extra dev time showed.By contrast, Gen VII got 2.5 years (or 3 if you’re being generous). Every single game released during this gen had massive content cuts, even when comparing to Gen VI, which also had massive content cuts. Mechanics were stripped away, and Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon technically didn’t have a NatDex either, but at least you could still have all of your ‘mon in them at a later date if you wanted to. Now with Sword & Shield, we don’t even have that, despite the Switch being far more powerful than the 3DS. (We also don’t have Mega Evolution for whatever godforsaken reason, even though the Kanto Mega Evolutions at the very least were already used in Let’s Go, the fuck, Game Freak). Pokémon games print money and always have, and Game Freak has taken this and their lack of interest in the series to the depressing but I suppose logical extreme of “do whatever and they’ll buy it anyway.” There’s no love here, there’s no respect here. They just don’t care anymore, and as someone who does care an awful lot, it’s super upsetting to me.

And while people have tried to argue that the games can’t be delayed because of the anime or the card game or whatever else:

The games come first. They’ve always come first. I know some people mistakenly think that the anime came first and that the games were created later, but that is 100% false. Pokémon started as a game series and the anime was created to advertise the games, straight up.

Filler episodes exist, and the PokéAni is no stranger to them. The Orange Islands arc was an entire arc of filler created to pad time between Gens I and II. The Delacora Islands (or whatever they were called) was a filler arc meant to pad time between Gens V and VI. Arguably the majority of the Sun & Moon anime was filler, given its slice-of-life genre, meaning the anime was even less of an excuse not to delay Sword & Shield. You can’t tell me people wouldn’t have been happy with another year of the Alola crew running around getting into random adventures. People would have eaten that up and loved it. We could have had it all.

I’m not even going to dignify “but the card game” with a response lmao. This isn’t Yu-Gi-Oh!. Sure, the card game makes money, and probably a decent amount of it (merch sales probably make up the franchise’s greatest source of income, and as someone who easily spent several hundred dollars in two weeks at the PokéCenters in Japan---including over $100 in one trip to a PokéCenter while I was there, and we went multiple times---I am a big part of that), but they come up with bullshit new expansions all the time and could easily keep doing it. Again, not a reason to delay the games if the games need more time in development.

So all in all, at the end of the day, Game Freak is no longer treating these games with love and respect, which makes them an awful lot like the villains in the games they create. The Let’s Go games were harbingers of disaster for the games, and we were told this very plainly, and just about no one listened. In fact, I legitimately lost friendships with people who got mad at me for making Facebook statuses about how they should buy Let’s Go used if they absolutely had to have them because how DARE I believe Ishihara when he said that Let’s Go were considered core titles, and how DARE I believe Masuda when he said that Let’s Go would usher in the last twenty years of the franchise. Clearly, I was just being an ugly bitch. (I wish I was exaggerating, but this actually happened, I got blocked over it, it was ridiculous.) And now here we are as a result, with no hope of things getting better unless Nintendo forcibly rips Pokémon out of Game Freak’s hands, which I don’t even think they can legally do given that they only own 1/3rd of the IP. (The other 2/3rds belong to Game Freak and Creatures Inc., as I understand it.)

TL;DR:

Pokémon is still my favorite fictional fantasy world, but as someone who has always loved the games first and foremost, the current state of it depresses me to no end.

#this kind of got off the original topic but i hope it's coherent at least #pokemon salt #pokemon negativity #long post for ts #Anonymous

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leoninapelliolovesconchitawurst · 5 years

Text

ENGLISH TRANSLATION (by me)

WATSON.DE 22/10/19

https://www.watson.de/unterhaltung/interview/421417472-conchita-wurst-tom-neuwirth-rechnet-mit-esc-conchita-ab-hatte-keinen-spass?utm_source=main

Conchita Wurst gets rid of ESC-art figure: "I was unhappy"

Five years ago, Austrian Tom Neuwirth won the Eurovision Song Contest as Conchita Wurst. But the role of the eccentric diva with beard and wig did not fill him in the long run. Now he returns as a new art figure "Wurst" - with electric and brand new, male appearance. With ‘Watson’ he spoke about rebellion, crisis of meaning, thinking in drawers and finding and seeking personal freedom.

Watson: Tom, we know you as a conchita with a wavy wig and a floor-length dress. Why did you choose to show the public a "Wurst" page that we did not know before?

Conchita Wurst: I felt the need to evolve. Before that I moved too long in the same world for my circumstances. And by that I mean that I locked myself into a set of rules that reduced me to a color of my being. And I call this color the "President's wife".

President's wife?

A president's wife has a certain protocol and can not do many things. And through this years-long reduction of myself, I became unhappy. I understood that I need a challenge, something new. For years I was in the songwriting camp and I thank my record company that I was able to find out to be completely talent free in songwriting (laughs). And then I thought: why don’t I just do the music that I hear privately? And I love electronic music, I love Robyn and Björk. I have found a great team for the new album that understands me, my story and my vision. And although I did not write or compose the songs myself, it has become so much more authentic than much of what I've done before. Or closer to my life.

Did you have any concerns about taking a new path or did you care less about the opinions of others?

When it suddenly became clear what the details should look like, how each mosaic fits into the other, I no longer had the feeling that I had to think about it. I was really very egocentric (laughs). Of course, I'm happy about everyone who likes my music. But I understand that I just have to do more things for myself. Because it's my life - and that's so beautiful. And my manager always says: Only then is it better than perfect. So I'll just do it and throw one dart at a time. We will see which one gets stuck.

Is there a song that has a lot of heart and soul?

I can not commit myself to one. Many songs deal with a specific time in my life. I deliberately refrained from explaining the meaning of each in detail. For the people who hear the music, I do not want to force a picture on them. It's like having read a book and then watching the movie. Then your own world is suddenly gone. That's why I hold myself back and do not say that's what it's about and the other's about that. Because once the child is born, it's not just me anymore and I accept that. But let's put it this way: Every song is intense.

What is the basic message of your songs, like the very striking "hit me"? Do not let anyone restrict you?

Absolutely. Nobody has the right to decide about your life. And that's the point. And yes, many messages are similar to those that were important to me five years ago. By now it may have become a bit more concrete and I am spreading it with more self-confidence.

Were you uncertain in places?

Everyone doubts. But I've stopped apologizing, in public and with my friends. With one caveat: I would apologize if I make mistakes, absolutely. And I do that too. But this album and this whole process has brought me so much closer to myself.

"I was in a situation where I realized I'm not feeling well anymore, I'm not enjoying what I'm doing."

And there is only one way out.

Which one did you choose?

I've worked hard with myself, started therapy, talked to my family and friends, and worked things that were years back and were never properly pronounced. And of course you do not just hear nice things.

And then to take that, to apologize, try to do better, but also to accept that you can not do everything well - that was very liberating.

In what way?

I always try my best - but in some ways I'm just a bit too brisk. And sometimes I'm just a bit too nice. And to realize that as a whole, has given me a whole new sense of security. Because I suddenly knew better where my range of motion lies - what am I sure of and what is not. And knowing that means incredible freedom and that helped me to be more confident. Not only in terms of the music, but also my appearance.

"I stopped wearing wigs, some said it was just marketing, so I just say, F ... you all, I'm still me."

And even if the name changes - at the end of the day it's always wurst (not important). Whether I am more feminine or masculine now, always this kind of thinking - I've stopped thinking about it.

An easy process?

Not at all. Because when I finished the album and it went to the videos, I have even operated drawer thinking. I was so anxious to be masculine. Now I think: There are no rules anymore.

What has changed since your first album five years ago - and what has remained the same?

Of course, the sound has changed and also that I am now much more personal stories in my songs. The fire remained the same. Or let's put it this way: the fire has come back.

Was the flame extinguished?

I knew as a child: I'm a star. I did not care if anyone wants to hear that. And then I lost this self-evidence, I was uncertain for a long time. Now I know again: I am a star. But that's the only thing I can do (laughs). So I focus on it. And to have such a clear positioning and to say: I love myself incredibly, I think I'm gorgeous, I'm funny, I'm talented - to be able to say, but at the same time to say - you are incredibly beautiful and it is so inspiring to listen to you. There is room for everything and everyone. I had to learn that first. This has nothing to do with arrogance, if you think yourself great. I find myself incredibly great - but I also find others incredibly great!

Did you arrive at the end of your journey to self-fulfillment?

No, that's not over yet. There are enough situations in which I manipulate myself and discover: I'm not myself, I'm not relaxed. But jealous, angry, impatient.

Are you pondering a lot?

No, but hello! I think I've improved, just living for the moment. Just after the song contest things came one after the other. And now just sitting here to tell you about me, I can enjoy that. I do not do anything better than talk about myself (laughs). But now I'm anchored here right now and have no stress at all. I could not have done that a few years ago.

What about your plans to film your autobiography?

Of course they are still standing. I also really want to do a musical. I mean, my story: The little boy from the mountains goes to the song contest with a wig - that's a story (laughs)! But the near future also brings a lot of great things. For example, I'm really looking forward to my performance on 2 November at "WUK" in Vienna. Only the cool kids are playing and I'm so happy to be allowed to perform with my band. I'm very curious what people say about "Wurst". And of course I am happy to go on tour again, also in Germany. And if all goes well, I'm still traveling a bit in Europe, that could be very exciting. And then comes a small TV show. So I have a lot to do.

Speaking of which, "Queen of Drag" will start on ProSieben on November 14th. Why did you want to be there?

These kind of requests came very early in my career. But the parameters never were for me. But in that case I could not refuse. I mean, Germany's biggest private station, Prime-Time, 8:15 pm. And the format will both entertain and touch. And I have never seen this range of entertainment, talent, humanity. We laughed and cried while filming. We had such a great time. And of course, I hope that's what the audience sees. And even if not - that was such a beautiful experience for me, nobody can take that from me.

What wishes do you have for you this year as Conchita, Wurst and Tom?

I wish I had at least as much fun as last year. I wish that I spend enough time with my family and friends and also have enough time with me. I want to be challenged and creative and just keep going like before. That would be great. No such bold wishes, or (laughs)?

Conchita or Tom? Wurst!

New album "Truth over Magnitude"

Tom Neuwirth released his debut album "Conchita" in 2015, which took first place in the Austrian album charts and was awarded Platinum. Also his second studio album "From Vienna With Love" achieved gold status in the release week. On October 25, the 30-year-old will be releasing an electric album for the first time with "Truth over Magnitude". From the 14th of November he will be looking for the "Queen of Drags" again as Conchita Wurst, alongside Heidi Klum and Bill Kaulitz on ProSieben.

#conchitawurst #wurst #tomneuwirth #singer #artist #esc2014 #escwinner #music #performer #celebrity #lgbt #translation

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hulri42-blog · 7 years

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NEIGHBORS- J. COLE

For my spoken rhetorical analysis I decided to analyze the lyrics by a song that was released recently by the rapper J. Cole. This just being one of the tracks featured on his record “4 Your Eyez Only” that addresses social issues, especially within the African American community. J. Cole being African American himself and being from Fayetteville, North Carolina can be all to familiar with the life a young African American male can go through. With a new generation of the hip hop industry sweeping in (something I like to call; noise rap”, J. Cole is one of the few rappers who keeps it real these days. J. Cole may still reference nonsense within his lyrics but has to the ability to tackle real social issues with them as well. In this track “Neighbors” J. Cole discusses the time the neighbors within the wealthy neighborhood in which he rented a house for a studio was busted in and raided by a SWAT team because they thought they were selling and growing drugs.

J. Cole is an artist. An artist has many purposes than meets the eye. Most artist like to use the talent they have in order to address something that is far bigger than a song. For the song “Neighbors” J. Cole would be addressing for one; his neighbors. For two, J. Cole is addressing the rest of the nation of an issue that occurred based off the color of him and his friends skin. He also throws a hot beat over it and turns this story into a rhyme. As I referred before there is a new wave of hip-hop arising and many listeners may still enjoy J. Cole because the process behind his lyrics, not only something to get you hype. When the listener is an individual who seeks meaning, listening to the music takes on a whole different experience. I don’t think J. Cole is trying to create a huge message or change with this story but it is more of a “why are y’all doing this to me?”. Why must there be this terror sweep over because I am black man in your neighborhood.

[Intro] I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope Okay, the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope Sellin' dope, sellin' dope, sellin' dope

[Verse 1]

Yeah, I don't want no picture with the president I just wanna talk to the man Speak for the boys in the bando And my nigga never walkin' again Apologize if I'm harpin' again I know these things happen often But I'm back on the scene I was lost in a dream as I write this The team down in Austin I been buildin' me a house Back home in the South, ma Won't believe what it's costin' And it's fit for a king, right? Or a nigga that could sing And explain all the pain that it cost him My sixteen should've came with a coffin Fuck the fame and the fortune Well, maybe not the fortune But one thing is for sure though The fame is exhaustin' That's why I moved away, I needed privacy Surrounded by the trees and Ivy League Students that's recruited highly Thinkin' "You do you and I do me" Crib has got a big 'ol back 'ol yard My niggas stand outside and pass cigars Filled with marijuana, laughin' hard Thankful that they friend's a platinum star In the driveway there's no rapper cars Just some shit to get from back and forth Just some shit to get from back and forth Welcome to the Sheltuh, this is pure We'll help you if you've felt too insecure To be the star you always knew you were Wait, I think police is at the door

[Hook] Okay, the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope Hm, I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope sellin' dope The neighbors think I'm—neighbors think I'm— (Don't follow me, don't follow me...) I think the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope (Don't follow me, don't follow me...) I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope Sellin' dope, sellin' dope, sellin' dope Well motherfucker, I am

[Verse 2] Some things you can't escape: Death, taxes, and a ra- -cist society that make Every nigga feel like a candidate For a Trayvon kinda fate Even when your crib sit on a lake Even when your plaques hang on a wall Even when the president jam your tape Took a little break just to annotate How I feel, damn, it's late I can't sleep cause I'm paranoid Black in a white man territory Cops bust in with the army guns No evidence of the harm we done Just a couple neighbors that assume we slang Only time they see us we be on the news, in chains, damn

[Bridge] Don't follow me Don't follow me Don't follow me Don't follow me

[Hook] Okay, the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope Hm, I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope The neighbors think I'm...neighbors think I'm— (Don't follow me, don't follow me...) I think the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope (Don't follow me, don't follow me...) I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope Sellin' dope, sellin' dope, sellin' dope Well motherfucker, I am

[Outro] I am, I am, I am, I am Well, motherfucker, I am I think the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope I am, I am, I am Well, motherfucker, I am So much for integration Don't know what I was thinkin' I'm movin' back to south side So much for integration Don't know what I was thinkin' I'm moving' back to south side

J. Cole is pretty much explaining the time him and his crew were at SxSW one of his paranoid neighbors called the cops on the house he was using to record this record. When the neighbors called the cops they told them that they were growing and selling dope. With the war on drugs agenda that is streaked across the acts of authorities, they assembled a SWAT to tackle the drug giant, J. Cole. To the police surprise when they busted into the house that J. Cole had been using to record, they found nothing. Just a studio. J. Cole speaks of the paranoia the African American community can experience when surrounded by maybe a little too many jumpy whites. Also the misplaced paranoia white folks experience when a couple friends passing a blunt outside a nice house. That paranoia brought someone to call the police. I think J. Coles purpose to this song and the point he really wanted to get across was that while me and my friends were away while this happened this is the behavior that creates situations like the Trayvon Martin case. The paranoia against the black man but suburban whites is not okay. That message is necessary. Let’s not justify obscure paranoia, lives could be at stake.

#spoken

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leoninapelliolovesconchitawurst · 5 years

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ENGLISH TRANSLATION (by me)

WATSON.DE 22/10/19

https://www.watson.de/unterhaltung/interview/421417472-conchita-wurst-tom-neuwirth-rechnet-mit-esc-conchita-ab-hatte-keinen-spass?utm_source=main

Conchita Wurst gets rid of ESC-art figure: "I was unhappy"

Watson: Tom, we know you as a conchita with a wavy wig and a floor-length dress. Why did you choose to show the public a "Wurst" page that we did not know before?

President's wife?

Did you have any concerns about taking a new path or did you care less about the opinions of others?

Is there a song that has a lot of heart and soul?

What is the basic message of your songs, like the very striking "hit me"? Do not let anyone restrict you?

Were you uncertain in places?

"I was in a situation where I realized I'm not feeling well anymore, I'm not enjoying what I'm doing."

And there is only one way out.

Which one did you choose?

And then to take that, to apologize, try to do better, but also to accept that you can not do everything well - that was very liberating.

In what way?

"I stopped wearing wigs, some said it was just marketing, so I just say, F ... you all, I'm still me."

And even if the name changes - at the end of the day it's always wurst (not important). Whether I am more feminine or masculine now, always this kind of thinking - I've stopped thinking about it.

An easy process?

Not at all. Because when I finished the album and it went to the videos, I have even operated drawer thinking. I was so anxious to be masculine. Now I think: There are no rules anymore.What has changed since your first album five years ago - and what has remained the same?

Of course, the sound has changed and also that I am now much more personal stories in my songs. The fire remained the same. Or let's put it this way: the fire has come back.

Was the flame extinguished?

Did you arrive at the end of your journey to self-fulfillment?

No, that's not over yet. There are enough situations in which I manipulate myself and discover: I'm not myself, I'm not relaxed. But jealous, angry, impatient.

Are you pondering a lot?

What about your plans to film your autobiography?

Speaking of which, "Queen of Drag" will start on ProSieben on November 14th. Why did you want to be there?

What wishes do you have for you this year as Conchita, Wurst and Tom?

Conchita or Tom? Wurst!

New album "Truth over Magnitude"

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