#the chloe appeal are the fairy tales | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

booksandwords · 4 years

Text

Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection

Read time: 102 Days (Intermittent) Rating: 4/5

Contains Stories By: C.M. Stunich, Elizabeth Briggs, Margo Bond Collins, Laura Greenwood & Arizona Tape, L.C. Hibbett & N.M. Howell, Lena Mae Hill, Eva Chase, Julia Clarke, Bea Paige & Skye MacKinnon, Amy Sumida, Chloe Adler, AJ Anders & Amanda Perry, Angelique Armae, Joely Sue Burkhart, Caia Daniels, May Dawson, LA Kirk & Lyn Forester, Jackie May, Cecilia Randell, Erin Bedford, Catherine Banks and A.E. Kirk

Overall It took me a while reading this to figure out what was frustrating about it, primarily the stories are first stories or prequels. I would have preferred more stand-alone stories. It is not impossible to create a world in this shorter space but it seems that authors have used it to provide fanservice and some background they wanted but had not written previously. I really hope most of these get published as individually, especially the 1st stories. This is a reasonable collection if you like reverse harem and want something to break up your other reading, none of the stories are taxing. And there is something for all tastes.

See No Devils by C.M. Stunich Disclosure: See No Devils is why I bought Realms and Rebels. I have written a full review which I will post when and if C.M Stunich publishes the story individually. I'm glad I bought it See No Devils is a fast-paced fun ride with brilliant characters that engaged me and made me theorise the significance of characters, of situations. Any story that can do that in 10 chapters is impressive. I loved the characters and the writing, both are amusing and intelligent. This is definitely a series I will be keeping an eye out for. 4.5 stars.

Light the Fire by Elizabeth Briggs Light the Fire is a prequel in the Her Elemental Dragons series (1st book Stroke the Flame). It's not a series I have read but this does make me want to read it, as any entry in an anthology should. The lore is brilliant, there are reverse harems woven into the world, the mythology and I like the fate angle that was used. What really struck me reading Light the Fire is the feeling of fan service, Calla and her men appear in Her Elemental Dragons as supporting characters this feels like something that fans wanted, had asked Ms Briggs for. (Full review is available here.) 4 stars.

Her Big Bad Wolves by Margo Bond Collins Another story with editing issues. Days and names were wrong sometimes. Liam was originally Seth I think and there is one instance where that wasn't changed. And there are continuity issues in the timeline. It is a helluva into a world with decent lore. I would love to spend some time getting to know, James, the pack historian. He is the brains trust and after the alpha the best person to introduce a reader to the world. Has the feel of a prequel if or when the series continues I don't think this will be a necessary read just a pleasant addition. But it did it the nail on the head to a degree S's options are a complete, balanced man. This is common in a reverse harem. (Full review is available here.) 3 stars (.5 loss due to bad editing)

Fifth Soul by Laura Greenwood & Arizona Tape Fifth Soul feels like a lost opportunity. The harem is 3 men and 1 woman centring on a bisexual protagonist. It is a situation I had thought of but never seen in a stand-alone. Given the authors have a series for this universe (Dragon Soul, Torn Soul protagonist Holly makes an appearance) it could have been published left on its own and done very well because that is a situation that is a fantasy for some. It is lost in here this anthology. It's also odd, the lore isn't explained well, the writing isn't consistent and there is too much focus on a single relationship. It's rushed and disappointing because of that. I can't even make this 2 stars. 1.75 stars

A Nightmarish Mystery by L.C. Hibbett & N.M. Howell I have never read any of the Cats, Ghosts and Avocado Toast series, that put me at a distinct disadvantage reading A Nightmarish Mystery. This story fits between A Vet Vanishes (book #2) and A Devilish Disappearance (book #3) and is admitted fan service, though not the kind of fluff one expects from fan service, this is heavy and dark. It can be read as a stand-alone though that is not its intention. I give props to the authors for creating a situation that allowed for fans to get what they wanted but didn't mess with the continuity of the series. I know from the authors note that A Nightmarish Mystery is different to the series but reading this first does not endear me to the series, does not make me curious to read it. Might that defeat at least part of the purpose of the story? 2 stars.

Twisted: A Fairy Tale Mash-up by Lena Mae Hill Another 1st book in a new series unlike the others though this one is explicitly aimed at the YA market. From the time I read it's intended audience I questioned its place in this anthology, Realms and Rebels seems to be aiming at a more mature audience. But Twisted had more sexual intimacy than a few of the others and some seriously dicey consent. Twisted has a well-executed setup Little Red Riding Hood meets Three Little Pigs. Having the leading man be not particularly likeable was a good thing in the scheme of things but Cayenne frustrated me a combination of her Red Riding Hood nature and her attempted modernity, it rubbed me the wrong way. My biggest issue was the questionable consent she sort of assented to their actions but not strongly enough for my conscience. (My full review of Twisted) 3 stars.

Raven’s Fall by Eva Chase Raven's Fall plays with Odin's raven Muninn, the raven of memory and the idea of shapeshifting. When Muninn transforms she appears as standard with a gorgeous black dress. What I really like is the use of the phrase "what in Hel's name" this is possibly the origins of the curse used now, Hel guardian of Helheim the Norse equivalent of the underworld. The language in Raven's Fall is fantastic, it is beautifully descriptive. The raven, the rogue, the healer and the charmer. They are an intoxicating combination. Muninn's innocence/ naivety is endearing because it is understood, she isn't human she is an immortal who has never experienced humanity's joys. Her men share easily, but their stories broke my heart. Mythology is always a whole lot of fun, make it Norse and it becomes even more bloody and vindictive. Reading Raven's Fall certainly made me interested in reading more of the Their Dark Valkyrie series.

Charms of Attraction by Julia Clarke Fantastic characters. Charms of Attraction focuses on the relationships the protagonist has with not only the men in her life but her sister. The portrayal of the sibling relationship between protagonist Katerina and sister Ana is particularly good. I really liked one date in particular. There is potential in the series, as with so many in the anthology though polyandry in the norm in the society. I will say though this story does really need a warning for those sensitive to domestic or psychological violence situations, violence plays a major role in Katerina's past and is discussed in some detail. 3.5 stars

Hell’s Calling by Bea Paige & Skye MacKinnon The first book in the Infernal Descent series re-imagining Dante's Inferno. I enjoyed the characters and the plot definitely looking forward to reading more. This story establishes the word, the characters, some of the internal relationships but stops short of anything drastic physically. Hell's Calling does for me what an entry in an anthology needs to do It makes me want to read more in the series. I want to know what happens to Ciera, Maro, (Cer)Beres, Plutus & Tris. 4.5 stars

Twisted by Amy Sumida What a brilliant take on the Wizard of Oz. It just works for me, nothing feels out of place. The origins are obvious and the twists are so clean and logical. My full review of twisted

Inconceivable Origin by Chloe Adler I read two chapters and stopped. I found the protagonist insufferable, she rubbed me completely the wrong way. Also, I have major issues with rape, I'm sure that there the author finds a way to write her way out of it (we are talking about magic here) but I can't do it.

On The Edge Of Forever by AJ Anders & Amanda Perry WTH just happened? So much promise, so much build. It was so rushed at the end I got head spin. Actually, the story felt incomplete, there is nothing confirming the status of the story as a first or a prequel, it just ends. I was so happy reading the start of this. It has an interesting lore that the authors did their best to explain as briefly as possible. The men having a pre-existing relationship helped for succinct writing as they could talk among themselves rather than just to her. The protagonist is badass and her familial relationships are brilliant. but their end is disconcerting. It's still a 3.5/4 star story.

Eclipse by Angelique Armae Bastet is a fave deity. I had to attempt to put aside some of my own issues to read this, I try to stay away from titles with any BDSM elements, even light ones. Spanking is part of the makeup of Eclipse. So this is an alright read if you don't mind your mythology being butchered. I liked the characters, to a degree I liked the lore but I cringed at the use of Egyptian mythology it just wasn't working for me. The truly appealing aspect of this story was the relationships, the reader meets the immortal daughter of Egyptian Goddess Bastet, Marcus the Lion, Lucius the Tiger and Horatio the Panther in present-day Manhattan but their relationship has existed since 30 B.C. It is an established, happy relationship. There are intimate moments with two of the three men but not the 3rd that was disappointing. 2.5

Queen Takes Jaguars by Joely Sue Burkhart Absolutely gorgeous. So much sex-positivity. I really loved the confidence and the owning of womanhood. I definitely made want to read more of the series (despite it having a different perspective). There is a whole scene in a hotel which is both hot as hell and emotionally devastating. I really liked the characters and the lore. (Full review is available here.) 4 stars.

Sovereign of Soul by Caia Daniels 3 chapters in I gave up. it didn't grab me and had done an awful job of explaining the lore and wtf was going on. Essentially it felt like a combination prequel and fanservice piece, despite only being a prequel. The series does have an interesting basis for the harem creation though.

Ugly Magic by May Dawson This is one of the stories I skipped for no real valid reason. I stopped 4 chapters in one day and didn't pick it up for about 5 weeks. By which point I was completely lost and it just made more sense to skip it.

At Water’s Edge by LA Kirk & Lyn Forester To me At Water's Edge is more a journey of self-discovery than a typical reverse harem, it feels like it's more about her than her relationship with them. The ending is just gorgeous. The story is quite self-contained. There is a lack of explanation that didn't detract from the enjoyability, I get the feeling there is some serious lore in play. I really like the portrayal of the neriads is perfect, they are quite bratty, teenage girl. 4 stars

My Soul To Keep by Jackie May A nicely written, pleasant story with lovable characters in an interesting setting. The protagonist is window-able, she is quite easy for you to see yourself in. Fairy-tale but in the best possible way. A shared trait to Her Big Bad Wolves by Margo Bond Collins with day by day dating to try and choose a man. 4 stars

Blinded Beauty by Cecilia Randell Odd, not bad just odd, it wasn't gripping for me. Blinded Beauty makes decent use of fantasy themes. it doesn't get bogged down in the lore it just gives you tid bits. Polyandry relationship is a non-issue is just happens, which works well. I quite like the characters though. 3 stars

Indebted to the Vampires by Erin Bedford I skipped this one. I just couldn't. it's short the synopsis just didn't appeal. I can see a way to make it not dangerous but it would be difficult.

Moon Academy by Catherine Banks Again the skipped because the premise really didn't appeal. It is possible it might have worked but by the time I got to Moon Academy I was done. I might come back to the 4 (?) I missed but I don't know.

Demon In Distress by A. E Kirk Demon in Distress is a definite book one, or possibly the working base for a book one. It just comes to a dead stop. After reading it I felt like it shouldn't be in here, I really hope they publish it stand alone. It is a dissatisfying end to the collection. It isn't awful but it does just stop with a clear indication of the future direction. I didn't enjoy it, I did enjoy See No Evil which faces the same issues. 2 stars.

#anthology #realms and rebels #reverse harem #book review #read 2018 #ktreviews

3 notes · View notes

lady-charinette · 5 years

Note

For the title/story ask: The Beast in Her Home :1/6/7/13/14/15 For the ship ask: 1. Marichat 2. Lukanette 3. Kataang 4. Tokka 5. Chloe/Luka With you explanation/emotion towards each ship. And my own questions: which of ur fics do you like more : The Beast in Her Home or Dinner for Two and why? Which is your fav fic ever written? What is your favorite scene youve ever written? What is the steamiest scene youve ever written? How much forshadowing and lil hints do u put in ur writing? -ʕ♥ᴥ♥ʔ

1. My inspiration? Huh…it’s actually kind of funny. So, I watch crime shows every Friday night (also during the week, but Friday’s I write while I watch). It’s either watching Special Victims Unit or documentaries based on real life crime/investigations/criminals. I wrote out a scene on my phone I had thought of while watching (it was the scene where Marinette first brought home Chat Noir, where she typed on her computer and he was behind her trying to intimidate her). I thought of different ships and fandoms to go with that scene, since I really wanted to write it and (miraculously) thought of Marichat. Thus, the birth of The Beast in Her Home! :3

6. Ohhh 6) is such an interesting question! *_* Ahem, well for once, I guess the tone of it all. It’s serious and tense, it reminds me a bit of a different fic that’s still ongoing (Fandom: FF7 “Zack Fair the Bad Boy”) and yet it’s so different. It’s a bit edgy, but has a bit of realism to it. All my stories have some elements of realism, but I guess TBiHH (The Beast in Her Home) is that AU that turns an originally canon kids show into a dark adult world with criminals and corruption, with blurry lines between right and wrong and criminals who may not be *the* true criminal of the story. There’s more to come in the story later, but it’s also about how humans react not just as a private person, but the choices they make as the person they are while “on duty” and the ones they do off it and how it changes their decisions.

7. Oh that’s a cool question too! The title stemmed from the idea I had of Chat Noir in the AU. At first it was a criminal, then a broken, self-loathing man. I thought of his backstory, the origin, of how ‘the birth of Chat Noir’ Paris’ first ranked criminal came to be. It’s still yet to be revealed, but despite who he really is behind the mask and his criminal record, there’s also a side to him that’s ‘feral’, like most brand him a monster, a ‘beast’. Marinette’s view of him at the beginning is also like that, the moment she looks at his eyes she thinks ‘beast’. He’s also (symbolically) something like the lion with a thorn on his paw in Marinette’s home, he roars and people are terrified of him, but once you remove the thorn, he’s calm and good-natured. ‘Beast’ is an intruder, a monstrosity that’s only associated with evil, but as the story progresses, we find that the ‘beast’ in (Marinette’s) home might just not be what he appears.

13. I did listen to some songs. Hmm… in no particular order: The Asking Price by FFH, Angel by Aerosmith, Diablo by Simon Curtis, The Monster by Eminem ft. Rihanna, Fight Back by NEEFEX, Good to You by Marianas Trench, The Reason by Hoobastank, Monster by Skillet, Hero by Skillet, Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi. Some of them you can listen to when there are action/tense scenes (like Diablo, Monster or Fight Back) but others are meant to portray the ‘softer’ moments (yet to come, some written). :) Good to You may seem out of place, but I already pre-wrote a scene for that particular song :3

14. Haha, it’s a small scale story really, but what I thought that may stick with readers (or will as it progresses)… How people should stay open minded, try not to have prejudices, especially against people who had rough pasts or even criminal backgrounds. Institutions like prisons should be correctional and help convicts to learn the error of their ways, shape them into better people and re-socialize them into society when they get released. I realize it’s very often not like that, sadly. Sometimes, certain life decisions force people who are normally good-natured to make bad decisions, do stuff they would normally never do…etc. Like I said, Chat’s story has yet to be revealed, but it should reflect that. Also: even when he is a criminal (according to laws), he has another moral code he follows (like some real life criminals do).

15. Oh so many things, things the FBI might find suspicious once they start looking for me (“I swear, my search history is purely for research for my fics! I don’t plan to kill ANYONE!”) haha but jokes aside, a number of different things. For one, the justice systems of several countries I’ve researched, how many prisons with fearsome reputations (check: ‘the world’s worst prisons’ you’ll get a shock for sure) there actually are in the world, that are allowed to still operate 0_0 Just how thin the line between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ and ‘lawfully correct’ but ‘morally questionable’ is. It’s like those RL cases you sometimes hear of, a husband cheats on his wife/does morally very questionable things, but it’s not against the law and yet it still brings great mental harm to a person. I also learned something about myself, after reading/watching the news about all the things going on with the world: many people say, they would change so many things if they get to a position of power. I used to think that too, but I’d rather enable other, more qualified good people to rise to power and distribute and handle it responsibly, since, while my ideals are good-natured, I have no idea how to realize those ideals or run something like a country responsibly. My role is better suited as an enabler for those who can and want to do good, not just those who want to.

Ships Asks:

Ranked from Favorite to Least Favorite:

1. Marichat/Lukanette (I’m sorry I can’t decide, they share first place), 2. Tokka, 3. Kataang, 4. Chloe/Luka.

So, I’ve been a Marichat shipper since day one, but since the arrival of Luka…ahem, anyhow, I ship both Marichat and Lukanette and can see the beauty in either of the ships. Fanon Marichat of course, canon disappointed me a tweeny bit in that respect. Both ships not only give respect to the guys, but to Marinette too, she’s appreciated and loved and put as an equal in those ships, which I love and find sometimes lacking in the show (for now).

I always shipped Tokka tbh, Toph seemed like she had a crush on Sokka in ATLA and with their chemistry and their personalities, I think they would go well together (even if I like Suki, Tokka is the one for me!).

Kataang…oh boy. I’ve never really seen the appeal of the ship, even if it is canon and the main one of the show. It’s basically the whole discourse, not necessarily concerning their age difference, but just their chemistry, Katara has always striked me as more ‘motherly’ towards Aang and there are just too many hints pointing at Zutara in the beginning (the chemistry, the Oma and Shu parallels, the ‘opposites attract’ trope, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope, the hard earned bond they formed…etc.

Chloe and Luka, huh? I’m sorry, I did see some fan content for them, but I just couldn’t really imagine a good pairing to come from Chloe’s personality and Luka’s (but I can recognize why some other fans would fancy the idea).

Your questions:

- That’s a tough decision, Beast in Her Home or Dinner for Two…hmm… they both have different appeals that make them special in their own way. ‘Beast’ is more dark, more gritty but also hopeful and speaks of broken things being mended again. Dinner is more cute, fluffy, but has it’s deeper mysteries (which will soon be revealed!) and (I think) speaks more to my readers (I’ve read so many comments that relate to Marinette, with her daily life, job and her reactions etc. it’s so cute!) I brushes more with daily life as we know, while Beast is a darker version of it maybe more familiar to people from that milieu (it may not be as realistic, but for the crime/enemies-to-lovers fans out there). If I think really hard, I THINK I just may like Dinner for Two a tweeny bit more (I’m a sucker for the stuffed toy in restaurants for lonely people idea CHEERS TO MY FELLOW LONELY BRETHREN!)

- My fav fic? (wipes tear) it’s “Shikuro: A Caribbean Fairy Tale” by Inuma Asahi De (a Inuyasha fic) on FFnet, I’m not sure if it’s my favorite, but its pretty darn close. I’ve read it years ago, but it’s so fresh in my mind, the beauty of the writing, the magical mood it sets for every moment. Read it. I highly recommend it. I wish I could write as magically. Cheers to my fellow fic writers with such talents!!

- My favorite scene I ever wrote? Ah damn…that’s hard to pinpoint. I have many, I can’t decide.

- Ohh the steamiest, huh? Hm…I rarely ever write steamy stuff. I think a few are Marichat based (I posted it on tumblr, called ‘Feral’) the few others I can remember are from different fandoms (they’re never very direct, always a bit subtle ;)). The other ones I can remember are from different fandoms (Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi and such)

- Oh I normally try to pace myself (pff as if that ever works), I guess you could say a lot. Not too much, but I always try to have an organized structure when it comes to foreshadowing, not just one day be like: SURPRISE BITCH, didn’t see that coming! ^_^ In any story I wrote, there’s always some type of foreshadowing and hints, some more obvious, others more subtle. :3

P.S. OMG, I’m SO sorry if this went far too deep into the questions! I just got caught up with everything, I’m sorry! >.

#ask #ml #ml ask #my stories #fanfic #the beast in her home fic #dinner for two fic #anon #anon ask #anonymous

0 notes

jacq0003 · 6 years

Text

2017

Age Coin ‎- Performance (Posh Isolation)

Alessandro Cortini And Merzbow (Important Records)

Alocasia Garden - A Double Life (Holy Geometry)

Ancestral Voices ‎- Divination (Horo)

Andrea Belfi - Ore (Float)

Angeles & Internazionale ‎– Vigilance (Janushoved)

Assel - This Will Not Stand (Where To Now?)

Basses-Terres - Counting Pulsations (BFDM)

Ben Frost - The Centre Cannot Hold (Mute)

Biosphere - The Petrified Forest (Biophon Records)

Blanck Mass - World Eater (Sacred Bones)

Bloom Offering - Unmasking The Wound (Clan Destine)

Boy Harsher - Country Girl (Self Released)

Carla Dal Forno - The Garden (Blackest Ever Black)

Chino Amobi - Paradiso (NON)

Coil - Time Machines (Dais Records) *

Coucou Chloe - Erika Jane (NUXXE)

De-Bons-en-Pierre ‎- Crepes (Dark Entries)

Dedekind Cut ‎- The Expanding Domain (Self Released)

Demdike Stare ‎- Circulation (DDS)

Drab Majesty ‎- The Demonstration (Dais Records)

Drew McDowall ‎- Unnatural Channel (Dais Records)

Dufwa - Fältinspelningar från Terres de l'Ebre (XKatedral)

éntha - Vuidur/Lyfíd (Strange Rules)

Equiknoxx - Colon Man (DDS)

F Ingers - Akwardly Blissing Out (Blackest Ever Black)

Felicia Atkinson - Hand In Hand (Shelter Press)

Fis and Rob Thorne - Clear Stones (Subtext)

Foreign - Redemption (Eye For An Eye Recordings)

Foudre! ‎- Earth (Gizeh Records)

Gonçalo Salgado - Vulcão da Cólera (Eye For An Eye Recordings)

Goner - Yogascum (Hospital Productions)

group A - group A (Mannequin)

Heavenly Music Corporation ‎- Lunar Phase (Astral Industries) *

Hypnobeat - Prototech (Dark Entries)

Horoscope - Nature will grow even after you have lost everything (Ascetic House)

Internazionale - The Pale And The Colourful (Posh Isolation)

JASSS - Weightless (iDeal Recordings)

JS Aurelius - Emergency Contact Ringtone (Joy De Vivre)

Kara-Lis Coverdale - Grafts (Boomkat Editions)

Kedr Livanskiy - Ariadna (2MR)

Konrad Sprenger - Stack Music (PAN)

Krikor Kouchian ‎- Pacific Alley (L.I.E.S.)

Kyo - I Musik (Posh Isolation)

KӢR - Mramorje (Yerevan Tapes)

Lakker - Eris Harmonia (Eotrax)

Laurel Halo - Dust (Hyperdub)

Lee Gamble - Mnestic Pressure (Hyperdub)

Luka Productions - Fasokan (Sahel Sounds)

M.E.S.H. - Hesaitix (PAN)

Machinery Attack Vol. 1 (Smashing Tape)

Maurizio Bianchi / Abul Mogard ‎- Nervous Hydra / All This Has (Ecstatic)

Mika Vainio - Reat (Elektro Music Department)

Mondkopf ‎- They Fall, But You Don't (In Paradisum)

Morteza Hannaneh - Tchashm-E-Del (Collapsing Market) *

Nene Hatun ‎- Metacommunication (Bedouin Records)

Nico Niquo ‎- In A Silent Way (Orange Milk)

Noveller - A Pink Sunset For No One (Fire Records)

Nuances - Punctuations Of Joy And Despair (Bastakiya Tapes)

OAKE ‎- Sentiment Of Callousness (SNTS)

Oiseaux-Tempête ‎- Al-'An! الآن (And Your Night Is Your Shadow - A Fairy-tale Piece Of Land To Make Our Dreams) (Sub Rosa)

Oto Hiax ‎- Oto Hiax (Editions Mego)

Pact Infernal - Infernality (Horo)

Pan Daijing - Lack (PAN)

Penelope's fiance - Farasan Racer (Detriti Records)

Pessimist - Pessimist (Blackest Ever Black)

Petit Singe - Akash Ganga (Haunter Records)

Pharmakon - Contact (Sacred Bones Records)

Philippe Hallais - An American Hero (Modern Love)

Pye Corner Audio - The Spiral (Mondo Tones)

Rabit - Les Fleurs Du Mal (Halcyon Veil)

Raime - Our Versions Of Their Versions (Reel Torque)

Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement ‎- Ambient Black Magic (Hospital Productions)

RAMZi - Pèze-Piton (12th Isle)

Rosen & Spyddet ‎- Fantasia (Janushoved)

Ryuichi Sakamoto ‎- Async (Milan)

Shit And Shine - Some People Really Know How To Live (Editions Mego)

Sixth June ‎- Virgo Rising (aufnahme + wiedergabe)

Smersh - M Appeal EP (Knekelhuis)

Sofia Ozdravovna - Housewife At The End Of The World (AVA)

Soho Rezanejad - Uplifter (Janushoved)

Somali Extract - Pareidolia (Ascetic House)

Sote ‎- Sacred Horror In Design (Opal Tapes)

Still - I (PAN)

Sully - Escape (Keysound)

The Bug Vs Earth - Concrete Desert (Ninja Tune)

The Sprawl ‎- Reel Torque: Volume 17 (According To Bananenbrood)

Tomoko Sauvage - Musique Hydromantique (Shelter Press)

Tourist Gaze - To Grow Across Meetings (AVA)

VA - 80s Underground Cassette Culture Volume 1 (Contort Yourself)

VA - BFDM015 (BFDM x LIES)

VA - Farewell (Atrium)

VA - Mono No Aware (PAN)

Varg - Nordic Flora Series Pt. 3: Gore-Tex City (Northern Electronics)

Visible Cloaks ‎- Reassemblage (Rvng Intl.)

Visionist - Value (Big Dada)

Why Be & Backtearer - dc (Janus)

Wolf Eyes - Undertow (Low Floor Music)

Yair Elazar Glotman & Mats Erlandsson - Negative Chambers (Miasmah)

Yves Tumor ‎- Experiencing The Deposit Of Faith (Self Released)

2 notes · View notes

buttonholedlife · 4 years

Text

Techno-Fix Futures will only Accelerate Climate Chaos – Don’t Believe the Hype - Resilience

Thanks to the efforts of climate activists, the climate and ecological emergency has never been more prominent. But acknowledging the problem is just a starting point. Now this momentum must be harnessed to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reverse habitat destruction.

To accelerate this transition, we need a vision of the future – and there are many out there. The problem is that some of these visions severely misunderstand and underestimate the nature of the crises we face. If we rally behind the wrong one, we may end up propelling the planet all the more quickly towards destruction.

Building a future in sync with the natural world will not be easy. Our collective imagination is bound to ideas that have delivered us to the cusp of environmental catastrophe. The ways we work, travel, eat, and even think are all locked into systems that perpetuate the use of fossil fuels, encroach on the natural world, and exploit wealth and resources from the Global South.

This means that to avoid the worst of climate breakdown, we have to transform every aspect of society as we know it. But to do this well requires deep understanding of why industries have been allowed to pollute the upper atmosphere, and how we can build economic and political infrastructure to stop emitting greenhouse gases and degrading ecosystems.

Worryingly, this understanding is sorely lacking in two of the most popular emerging visions of the future – ecomodernism and left accelerationism. In a nutshell, both envisage that technological progress will allow us to address climate and ecological breakdown while also dramatically increasing production and consumption.

These imagined futures have obvious appeal to those who enjoy the luxuries of consumption and technological innovation. But the premises on which they rest are fatally flawed.

The latter is completely disengaged from sustainability sciences. Ecomodernism is more engaged, but it tends to ignore the unjust distribution of environmental benefits and burdens from climate breakdown, and downplay how our the organisation of our societies drives ecological crises. As a result, it focuses only on superficial social change. Proponents of both are often hostile to many ideas and individuals within the environmental movement. As such, they are seriously derailing momentum in tackling the climate crisis.

Wouldn’t it be easier if we just lived on the ground? James Vaughan/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

The scientific evidence tells us that it is simply not possible to continue increasing consumption and greenhouse gas emissions on the current trajectory without exhausting Earth’s resources and crossing planetary boundaries – limits to Earth’s biological, chemical and physical systems that represent a safe operating space for humanity. Beyond these boundaries, we run the risk of causing abrupt and irreversible environmental changes that threaten the stability of Earth’s systems and human civilisation.

Fairy tale futures

For starters, all technology-focused future visions require wildly unrealistic increases in energy generation. This is a problem because since we have used up most of the easy to access sources, the quality of our energy resources is declining. Compared to a few decades ago, we need to input much more energy for every unit of energy we produce. While the energy cost of renewables is falling, vast increases in consumption only make the transition to renewables harder, and will put a huge additional burden on our already vulnerable energy systems.

To navigate the high resource demands of their imagined futures, ecomodernist and left accelerationist visions rely on fairy tale technologies that do not exist. For example, the future vision of Fully Automated Luxury Communism (FALC) peddles promises of asteroid mining to address resource shortages on Earth.

But we do not know if low-carbon space travel is possible. Ecological crises are happening now. We need to take action now. Searching for low-carbon space travel takes attention and resources away from social changes that we know can work.

FALC’s vision has been accepted uncritically in prominent media outlets such as The New York Times and The Guardian, despite being thoroughly debunked by environmental scholars.

This distracts from the hard but necessary work of changing the energy system now. Given the risks presented by climate breakdown above 1.5℃ of global heating – possibly just a decade or two away – we cannot afford to back future visions that do not prioritise immediate and large-scale cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Same mistakes

More fundamentally, the ideas underlying technofix futures arguably aren’t far from the type of thinking that created the climate and ecological crises in the first place. They imagine luxury as heavily based in material consumption – as author of FALC’s manifesto Aaron Bastani says: “Cartier for everyone, MontBlanc for the masses and Chloe for all.”

As a result, they tend to overlook and devalue aspects of our world that are less obviously associated with luxury: the natural environment, clean air, animal life, time spent with family and friends, local communities. These things may not provide material luxury, but they do make life worth living – and do not necessarily have to use up our scarce energy and material resources.

Where FALC attempts to provide for all using the notion of luxury, feminist and ecologically-oriented economists and design theorists look to alternative strategies to generate prosperity. We propose a redesign of future ways of living based on different values: the ethics of care, regenerating nature, and distributing its benefits fairly.

Cooperatives, time-banks and community-owned renewable energy systems are already putting these values into practice. These organisational models create regenerative and distributive systems supporting prosperity for all, and addressing climate breakdown at the same time.

Of course, these alternative futures will require us to fundamentally transform our culture as well as our economy. Clearly technofix futures are more attractive options for many of those who are not on the frontlines of climate chaos – and who might be able to continue living high-consumption lifestyles for a decade or two more.

But nothing other than dramatic societal transformation will be sufficient to avoid catastrophic climate change for the vast majority of the world’s population – and eventually, everyone. It may sound daunting, but rejecting the ecologically harmful assumptions on which our culture is currently built offers us a unique chance to build a healthier and fairer world.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Teaser photo credit: James Vaughan/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

This content was originally published here.

0 notes

iceicywendy · 7 years

Text

6 Elegant Brands for Girls’Wear

Dressing up is the biggest happiness to a little girl. But how to achieve it is also a headache for most of parents. They always wonder why others children could be so lovely when you dress your kids not attracting at all. As parents, you might be wondering what can you do to dress your children better if not on trend. Below are some of the brands that are elevating children’s wear to a whole new level. .

1. Elie Saab

Elie Saab just started it kids collection from 2016 Spring. And the one and only one collection it has is just amazing. Although the collection is exactly the same as its Haute Couture collection but in kid’s size, it makes children look like fairies in the fairy tales. The natural color stone composing with the accent flowers and butterflies as decoration qualify the garments a sense of elf.

VOGUE, Photo: Kim Weston Arnold, Elie Saab 2016 Couture

2. Monnalisa

Monnalisa differs from other brands in this list, is that it’s a brand dedicates to kids’ wear only. The brand dedicates on creating well fit garments for children and all of its designs are going for what kids like. Its collections have very strong European style. Many of its inspirations are from Ancient Rome and Italy. Some popular elements like sunflower and rose are used in the design. One of its best known designs is the puff skirt with stripes. It’s a irresistible seduction to every little girl.

Monalisa SS 2016

3. Stella McCartney

Kids’ collections of Stella McCartney have the elements that appeal to kids, such as the pink color and light blue color, and also the design of various flowers in different sizes and shapes. Its collections show us what a little girl should be and buying one of them as a gift to any little girl can be the most safe choice among all.

Stella McCartney SS 2017

4. Dolce&Gabbana

Dolce&Gabbana continues it’s colorful style in its kids collection. Whenever mentioned elegant, D&G must be mentioned for its gorgeous colors. And in it’s kids collection, the vibrant colors red and yellow feel even more lively than they are on Haute Couture. The newest collection of it is the animal inspired collection, which looks super elegant and graceful when they are created in that rich color forms. It’s telling us a 7 years old girl can also be feminine and sexy with D&G’’s Kids’ wear.

Dolce&Gabbana SS 2016

5.GUCCI

GUCCI is always one of my favorite brand that it can always make good connections with current trends and the old fashion. And this enrich its contents and designs a lot. So when I look at its kids’ collections, I can always see the difference between them and the women collections by GUCCI itself. They look more natural, more energetic and more colorful. And these are just like the hint for kids to be happy via their unique designs.

GUCCI SS 2017

6. Chloe

The kids’ collections of Chloe look completely not like its RTW collection. Its kids’ collections stand for minimalist. No matter color use or tailoring or designs are created in the simplest way. You can’s normally see more than two colors or two type of designs in a single garment. With this simple designs and high quality fabrics it tells us what is elegant.

Chloe SS 2016

I believe with these brands your little girl will be the spotlight all the time. And you have a little boy? Let me show you next time.

#kidsfashion #elegant #girls wear

1 note · View note

thespoonieandherbooks · 6 years

Quote

Title: The Sugar Queen Author: Sarah Addison Allen Published: May 20, 2008 Read: Audio book in July, 2014 Rate: 4 out of 5 Summary: Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night…. Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey’s narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them—and who has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that’s just for starters. Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love—and the enchanting possibilities of every new day. Review: First line: When Josey woke up and saw the feathery frost on her windowpane, she smiled. These books are whimsical superstitious (but not the scary kind) southern setting where.. bad things do happen but it doesn't prevent some sort of happily ever after. One of the story features in this is... Josey has a woman named Della Lee living in her closet. "Josey, of all people, understood the appeal of living in there. If Della Lee wasn't in the closet, Josey would crawl in there right now. She would eat raspberry caramels and chocolate-covered cherries and read a romance novel." My Goodreads comments: 1. Her books feel almost the same but dressed with different characters. I know different things happen in them but...it's a feeling not always logical. 2. It's bizarre how these characters are more upset with this guy for telling his girlfriend he cheated than the fact that he did cheat. 3. These characters are annoying. I liked her other two books. Oh well. 4. Buy the house right under her? How is the heck would that win her back? 5. What on earth, usually, the magic in these stories are only background wasn't expecting that. Recommend?: Yes. I wouldn't start with this one if you are wanting to read her books. It was good but compared to other ones, start with something else. I'd recommend reading Garden Spells -- they're not related I just liked that one over all her other ones.

http://www.spoonsnbooks.com/2018/05/the-sugar-queen-by-sarah-addison-allen.html

#Book Reviews #Spoonie #Spoonies #Spoonie blogger #Spoonie Reviewer #Chronic Illness blogger #Books &

0 notes