Nooks & Crannies #3 · 9:30pm Feb 17th, 2016
Whoops! 
Sorry I missed out on last week; Chinese New Year was quite a storm that took a lot of time away, even from my writing! First snag in the schedule already at the third one... not a good sign, if you ask me. Still, better late than never!
Hope you guys remember the formula! Now, we shall dive into:
The Pick Of The News
Now to get the heavy stuff out of the way.
- The biggest news just came in a few hours ago (as of writing this) in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. A car bomb exploded, killing 28 and injuring 61 others, according to their deputy prime minister. No one knows who's behind it yet, considering how the country's being plagued by different terrorist organizations lately, but we're sure to get an announcement from one of them eventually.
- In Germany yesterday, two commuter trains slammed into each other head-on, which killed 11 and injured 80. It was believed to be a result of human error caused by the train dispatcher, whom they believed sent a wrong signal to both trains which caused the crash.
- In Pennsylvania, USA, the ongoing snowstorms caused a whopping 50 vehicle pileup that saw 3 people killed and many others hospitalized.
- On the other hand, doctors in Egypt are protesting against police abuse after a doctor was beaten up and put into custody when he told a police offer that his cut did not require any stitches. Some called the riot politically charged, echoing back to the days of rioting against long time leader Hosni Murabak which saw many being sent to prison.
- Manny Pacquaio, a professional boxer from the Philippines who also serves as one of the country's elected members of the House of Representatives, is receiving a lot of flak for his latest quote: "homosexuals are worse than animals". Not a really nice choice of words to live by. Though he had already apologized, the world had already struck back: Floyd Mayweather Jr., his opponent for the hyped fight last year, tells him to 'let people live their lives' and Nike had fired him for his 'abhorrent' comments.
- The Grammy's were quite a doze to go through. Summing up the biggest acts: the tributes were mediocre at best, save for Lady Gaga's tribute to David Bowie, which was entertaining despite feeling rushed. The only heartfelt tribute was by Miguel, who gave a stripped down rendition of Michael Jackson's She's Out Of My Life. Adele's performance was forced to flatness after a mic fell onto a piano string, The Weeknd's transition was jarring and the others were all but memorable.
All of that was ended on a frustrating note when Taylor Swift's 1989 won Best Album, in which she took a jab at Kanye West in her speech, and Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk won Record Of The Year. Both were total letdowns in my opinion when compared to the other nominees and the show ended with Pitbull (what the fuck) which made me doubt whether I should tune it to next year's. The only two things that lit up the night were the Alabama Shakes, which commanded attention the moment they performed, and of course, Kendrick Lamar, who finally woke us up from the snooze that is almost the rest of the show with his brilliantly charged-up performance.
- Last but not least, Kanye West: the modern pinnacle of insanity. Feuding with Taylor Swift was one thing, announcing his US$53M debt was another, but the most deluded of them all would be about his latest album, when after multiple days, he announced that the album would only be available on Tidal and would never be sold on the shelves of the record stores. This didn't really fare well, as his album was now one of the most pirated albums ever, with a whopping 500,000 downloads so far on the first week alone. All I could say was that it didn't really help that the tracklist was ever changing like some Changeling on acid. Still is, actually.
My Little Study
Yes, this is a story from FimFic.
Once in a while, I would find something on this website that would captivate me beyond my wildest imagination. Ptomely was one of the very first that I stumbled upon when I first came to this site. It was a journey that I never knew I needed to take; a narrative that was probably born from a single line in an episode. It was a story of grandiose proportions and is, to this day, one of the best stories I had ever graced my eyes with on this website.
So what is it about anyway?
Wellspring's Ptomely tells the story of a young mare who wants to resurrect her dead friend.
Simple right? Well, there's more to it than that.
There are only two chapters, though the first one is at a whopping 61k words! The second one was at a meager 1k, though it didn't really matter since it was an epilogue. It describes what I would call a fall from grace, featuring Twilight Sparkle as the protagonist, who also plays the tragic villain of the story. The motive was clear: to bring back her dead friend back to life. If I elaborated any more after this, I would spoil most of the story. I've linked it above so that you guys can have a read yourself, so if you ever have the time, do stop by and take a gander.
What is it about this story that was so captivating? The spectacle was one, definitely; there's nothing arguing against the fact that the premise was well-crafted and immersive, the twists and turns were placed at the right spots, and the tragedy came to a tumultuous, perhaps uplifting finale with enough horsepower (had to put that in there) to blow everyone's minds away. Still, I've seen many stories with spectacle that failed at what Ptolemy did best: character dynamics.
Wellspring really pushed for a highly original concept here, but what amazed me was how every character seemed to fit into place. Each of them played a role in the story, which is really hard to find these days. Some characters can just be there for the sake of comedy or a thrill; some are just there because they're there. Not for Ptolemy however; they all had a reason for being there and they were all in character as well. When every character is at the right place, the dynamics that occur between them would be quite a ride to sit through. Ptolemy, suffice to say, was a ride of a lifetime.
I recommend this for more experienced readers. Even if you are one, grab a cup of coffee and some biscuits while you're at it. I assure you, this would be a story you wouldn't want to miss out on.
Updates
On the notion of Chinese New Year, Mamihlapinatapai was snagged a little, but I managed to get the chapter out soon after that. Next chapter will come out really soon to make up for that, which will see one last new character added to the cast. If the schedule is right, the fifth entry would be out on the day after tomorrow. See you guys then!
The other stories are churning in the background also and will be updated by March, with the exception of Diprosopus and Worlds. I can't promise anything after that, as I made some plans for real life in that month. We'll see how everything goes by then.
Music Of The Week
New Bermuda
Deafheaven
Album, released on October 2nd, 2015Black metal, Post metal
Now for something really, really different.
Deafheaven has a unique brand of metal that is bountiful in atmosphere which earned acclaim and criticism alike from fans of the genre. If you're not a picky fellow like me, however, you would be introduced to an album that is lush with atmosphere, blossoming with warped sounds and expansive melodies that beams with an enigmatic resonance. It is heavier than their previous two albums, yet this is perhaps one of their best works so far. The clash of sounds are more chaotic, the moods are more jumbled than ever, yet it is their most complacent and, to that extent, most beautiful album to date. This is one of those albums where you have to listen from start to finish; there shouldn't be any standout tracks to begin with!
That's it for this weeks Nooks & Crannies! Please feel free to share what opinions you might have! Who knows, we might start up an interesting discussion because of it!
See you next Tuesday / Wednesday! 
This sounded ridiculous, especially as I'd never heard of this "Tidal"; I had to check it out, and wow, that guy is really something else.
Yes. Yes indeed. I read Ptolemy something like a year or two ago, but I still recall the the story, as it threw me for a loop. I don't want to say too much because of spoilers, but... that story manages to turn the pieces around and make the unexpected happen.
Fully agreed on the recommendation to anyone with some time to spare for a different kind of ride.
Hm, I didn't add much to the discussion, but thanks for the news at least!
I actually read Ptomely in one sitting a couple years ago, it was hell, well worth it though.