waddup

Deep voice clip: “COME.”

Dude: *starts laughing* “Thanks-”

DVC: “COME.”

Dude: *laughs harder*

DVC: “COME. COME.”

Dude: *laughs even harder* “Only one of you had to do it for it, for it-!”

DVC: “COME.”

Dude: *squeak-laughs* “Thanks, ‘preciate it.” *chuckles a bit more*

A soundbyte of Kirby’s victory dance plays in response to the superchat.

Dude: “Hoo, fuck.”

The superchat is read in a feminine text-to-speech voice: “Come.”

DM: roll a perception check

*nat 20*

*rolls a 1*

DM: roll a perception check

*rolls a 9*

DM: Roll an intimidation check.

*nat 20*

DM: Poseidon quivers before him!

Fighter: rolls a nat 1

DM: Roll for Dodge.

Fighter: *rolls a 1*

In reality, technologies are frequently discovered, lost and rediscovered, often multiple times, and frequently in parallel. A Dark Age in one region may be a time of rapid technological development in another region, and it’s not uncommon to encounter evidence of ancient civlisations using technologies a thousand years out of whack with the “proper” order of discovery… where “proper” is defined in terms of the order in which those technologies were discovered in Western Europe - there’s that Eurocentrism again.

I mean, just to give you an idea of how flexible the order in which technologies are developed can be and how ultimately wrong-headed the notion of linear technological progress is, there are Central American civilisations that had indoor plumbing, central heating and hot and cold running water before inventing the wheel. Some of the First Nations in what is now Eastern Canada had sophisticated climate models and reliable weather prediction - including functioning barometers and other simple meteorological instruments - before they figured out metallurgy.

The Inca are often accused of “not knowing about wheels.”

Except, they did have wheels. They just didn’t use wheels for long distance transportation. They had a huge road system. On which everything was moved by pack animals and people. The Inca road is an incredible feat of engineering.

So, why didn’t they use wheels?

Because their land was so freaking mountainous that the road would repeatedly turn into this:

Tell me what earthly use a wheel is when your road keeps having to have steps and narrow bridges because you live on top of a mountain.

But that image shows us what they did have.

That’s a suspension bridge. Europeans didn’t invent those until centuries after the Inca did.

Because when the most efficient route through your home hits chasms, guess what?

You get real good at making bridges!

And when the best way to move goods through your desert homeland is a big river?

You get real good at making boats.

Minoan Greece was also a sea power. They had huge fleets of ships, which meant they did a lot of exploration. They also built one of the biggest trade networks in the world, reaching as far as Egypt, Cyprus, Canaan, Syria,  the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal), the Levantine coast, Anatolia and Mesopotamia (modern-day Turkey, Israel and Iraq).

A volcano eruption on a nearby island, which caused a tsunami, possibly destroyed their sea power and left them vulnerable, which is why most of their technology was lost.

The Late Bronze Age Collapse a few centuries later led to the simultaneous destruction of advanced civilisations in Greece, Egypt, the Near East, Asia Minor, North Africa, Caucasus, Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. This caused a dark age across two continents which created isolated village cultures, and is the reason most of their advancements were lost.

But on the flip side…they came up with a way to use water to basically hydroplane those giant stone blocks in their buildings across the desert. Which is a hell of a lot more useful in an unpaved sandy region.

Likewise let’s not forget the Aztecs, who came up with a farming system so efficient (chinampas) that parts of it are still used today and really ought to be revived on a wider scale as part of sustainable farming. And also Native Americans, and I’m using that term BECAUSE it’s so broad: look at tribes across the country and you’ll see something interesting. Iroquois, living in a cold, well-forested, and often icy land, built immovable longhouses—which would survive the bitter northeastern winters. Plains tribes developed the tipi/teepee—while they also faced long, even dangerous winters, they also lived in a place where travel was far easier and the worst of winter could be weathered by heading south. Or down where I live, the Sinagua (later assimilated into the Hopi) built their homes IN CLIFFS. And by that I mean “off the ground, built into the cliff face with adobe.” Aka, some of the best pre-refrigeration insulation against the heat that you could possibly hope for. We still don’t know how they did it, incidentally. “With ladders, dumbass” is an obvious answer in some of their dwellings, but in others it’s not clear how they just….hung over a sinkhole, a quarter of a mile or so above the water, and chipped out the front doors so they had a place to sit while they made the rest. Scaffolds? Very well-balanced rope ladders? Smaller cliffs they chipped off afterward to prevent enemy incursion? We don’t know, but we do know they found a way to make the extreme heat survivable and even sort of a nonissue. They never bothered with stuff like modern central AC because they found a way to let the stone and clay do the job for them.

Technology isn’t always a race. Sometimes it’s just an evolution.

Your solo album’s activities ended well. Are you satisfied? Because it’s my first solo album, there was a lot of pressure. I went back to having the heart of a rookie and worked really hard preparing. But I still remember being more nervous during the first broadcast than my debut stage. There was a strong pressure that I have to do everything myself. But, as if they were anticipating it, I was really touched seeing my fans pouring everything out and supporting me.

I feel it would have been a lot more different than when you promote with your group Mamamoo. Solar’s music, not Mamamoo’s, was not known, so I wanted to make it known that Solar does this kind of music and likes this type of thing. It also feels like a process of finding my real self. I’ve gathered everything I normally wanted to do and put it into this album. Liking all genres like hard hip-hop and exciting dance, this album showed what kind of color Solar’s music can create. However, it felt empty not having my members who are always by my side. Until now, if I made slight mistakes, the other members would fill that in, but going on stage completely alone, it’s something that needs a greater responsibility than I thought.

How was the reaction from Mamamoo members who watched your stage? Wheein and Hwasa cheered me on a lot. And, (Moon) Byulie kept acting like a senior (laughs) I remember laughing a lot when I would give an opinion, she would joke a lot saying, “How dare you [say that] to a senior”

On stage, your visuals stand out. Whether they’re your nails, gloves, or lipstick color, you paid attention to details. I collected a lot of various references. Because style is a part of the stage. Whether they suited me or not, I attempted bold lipstick colors. Of course, the thing I paid more attention than style was my singing. ‘Spit It Out’ live is a lot harder than you’d think, so I spent a lot of time in the practice room.

In your revealed teaser photos, the one where you had a shaved head/bald makeup garnered a lot of attention. It was intended to show my raw appearances. Of course, I can’t show all of me through that one thing, but I wanted to attempt something that I haven’t living until now.

You’re in the position where you receive judgment from the general public in every moment. Aren’t you fraid of the response to your new attempts ? Honestly, I’m scared (laughs) 99% of my company staff was actually against my shaved head makeup, too. It’s something I did because I wanted to do it, but I thought some people may not like it. I just followed my heart. I like myself being brave and attempting new things, and attempting things is one of the ways I live enjoying life.

Would it be because of the sense of accomplishment you feel after succeeding? There are people who dislike it, but, on the other hand, there are people who do like it. I’m proud when I feel my attempt is meaningful and valuable. Most of the things I do are because I don’t want to have regrets.

The attitude touches on this title song, ‘Spit It Out’ It’s a song that had my thought to get on with my work with passion, even in adversity. I like fun and enjoyable things. That position also applies when I stand on stage for Mamamoo’s performances. It’s the reason why we always attempt new styles, and sing while actively communicating with the audience.

You’re consistently working on composing and writing lyrics, too. I talk about myself the most. In a past Mamamoo’s album, the song ‘Hello’ is a song where you can think about the person Solar. It’s about a lover, the first verse being what a woman says to the guy, and the second verse being what the guy says to the woman. One day, I wanted a ‘Big Booty’, so I wrote a song titled that. Rather than my writing songs with a particular style, I portray emotions or situations I experience at that moment. Our fansong, ‘Never Letting Go’ as well.

Solar also enjoys various collaborations. Is there an artist you want to meet up with in the future? While working on music, I grow musically and see the positives of other artists and learn from that, too. If I have the chance, I want to work with the musician Changmo. I listened to his song ‘Meteor’ a lot, too. The way he treats music is cool.

If you were to have a solo concert, what kind of stage do you want to create? Until now, I’ve made various attempts through solo stages as Mamamoo concerts. I’ve done pole dancing, and flew around [tied to] wires. If I was to do a solo concert, I think it’ll become a set of art performances. Like a circus (laughs) I have a lot of interest in circus performances, so I’ve looked them up myself as well. I’m usually in charge of high notes as a group, but fans have said my low notes are charming too, so I want to present a song where I can let them hear my low voice. Whatever the genre, I’m planning on changing it to my own style.

It seems your attitude wanting to make various attempts are in the Youtube channel you run, ‘Solarsido’ as well. The Youtube channel name also has the meaning of ‘Solar’s challenge’. I started it at first simply because it seemed fun, but, reaching 1 year now, I think it’s now another window for me to express myself.

I feel you’d have to be diligent to run a channel. Since you have to plan, film, and edit. How do you feel about living as a Youtube for a bout a year? It matches me really well. I relieve my stress from music promotions creating Youtube videos. ‘Solarsido’ is my only hobby. So, Mamamoo’s members worry saying, ‘We need to play with Solar unnie’. But, even while having music activities, if I get an idea whenever, I create filming plans. Normally, I plan content about a month or two in advance, and Byulie occasionnaly does the filming. Editing is something that’s impossible with my own power, so my company is helping.

The way you bravely read malicious comments for your Youtube content was impressive. It’s already been 7 years since I debuted as Mamamoo. As time goes on, I’ve slowly become dulled and stronged toward malicious comments. I can tell if a malicious comment is sincere advice for me, or if it’s just criticism to criticize me. if it’s sincere advice, I’m the type to carefully listen to it.

You also showed the process of your album preparation in a vlog. The way you kept asking for advice from staff around you also stood out. When it’s difficult to make objective decisions, I always ask people around me. Occasionally, I am told, “the answer is already there, you just have to say it” (T/N : shortened phrase that basically means it’s a rhetorical question / the person asking it already has their decision made in their head), but I listen to and take in as many various opinions as I can. Because there are areas of things that I know really well, and some that I don’t. It’s for greater results.

Your ‘Yonglish’ content where you learn English is also fun. I heard you’re good at Japanese and have various certifications. Are you greedy when it comes to learning things? I’ve forgotten almost everything [I know of] japanese (laughs) Recreation leader or laugher therapist certifications were things I attempted when I was in college, suggested by my professor. At times, certifications that don’t seem to have any relation are helpful in my activites as a singer. I started leaning english because I wanted to write better lyrics, but it’s so hard that I’m at a stage where I’ve kind of given up (laughs).

What video had the best response ? I think my singing or dancing videos have the best responses. I feel happy all the time when I hear compliments.

Is there content that you want to attempt in the future ? I’ve been doing small projects so far, but I want to attempt a bit, long-term project. For instance, spending 1 night and 2 days on a deserted island (laughs)

There are a lot of people waiting for Mamamoo’s album. When will we be met with a group album again? I’m not sure when it will be, but the members and I are working hard preparing. You will be able to meet another different Mamamoo that we haven’t shown before.

What do you want to do when today’s interview is over ? Eeven in this moment, I’m shooting a vlog for ‘Solarsido’, I’m thinking of organizing videos when I get home. Solo album promotions have ended, but I’m still busy. I like being busy. That way it’s Solar-like (laughs)

Hey yall! First I’d like to say thank you SO SO much for preordering the @supercorpzine ! I’m continuously blown away by the support yall continue to show this charity effort. I know this year has been wacky and downright gross, so I thought I’d try to help spread some good vibes and give away

10 PDFs of the Zine

Here are the rules!

Reblog this post ONCE. (If you reblog it more than once I will only count ONE reblog, sorry last year got a little bonkers!)

If you are only boosting this post, please try to say so in the tags so I don’t accidentally count your reblog as an entry!

You have until May 24 2020 MIDNIGHT EASTERN TIME. 

That’s it.

I’ll tally up each reblog (excluding people simply boosting/my own reblogs) and will randomly choose ten (10) winners. If you are chosen, I’ll just need a viable email to send you the link to download the zine later this summer. If winners don’t respond within a week (7 full days, or MAY 31), I will choose someone new.

I will contact winners on MAY 25. So make sure you keep your ask box open.

Good luck!