How to be a Good Bloop Master
"Wherever we go, we are friends" -Sloth and Manatee
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When you hear a sound you can't identify, do you insist on finding out precisely what it is? Unidentified noises can be really important, like when the car makes a new clunka clunk or when there's water running somewhere.
In An Immense World by Ed Yong, he talks about how incredibly tricky animal vocalizations and hearing are, 'cause if you're a frog making a "baby baby go on a date with me" racket, you're also giving away your location to some predator, and so you've gotta be sneaky about your warbling.
The great horned owls by our house have been having big conversations in the night lately. I love listening to them.
Sloth and (Moon)atee
Sloth and Manatee and friends have encountered an Octopus near the moon, who is managing something called an inter-dimensional bloop. This seems to be a place where fellows of all stripes can travel from one dimension to another, with the help of Octopus who makes sure they don't get lost.
To be a good bloop master, Octopus has developed an ear for the knocks of the inter-dimensional travelers. That helps Octopus open the right doors, and assist everyone properly. Until... an unusual knock?
Do you know about the Wilhelm Scream?
You've heard it a ton of times. It's a scream used in movies and TV and everywhere, whenever someone gets thrown out a window or off a cliff or any other scream-worthy thing happens.
We just heard it in Star Wars, The Return of the Jedi. There's a Wilhelm Scream when one of the hapless fellows falls into the pit of the Sarlacc.
Here is just the scream itself, so you can hear it and then start to hear it everywhere and never un-hear it. You're welcome.
There are a particular cat meow and baby cry that are used in everything also, I've noticed.
Here is a compilation of the scream in movies. It's kind of too much guns and shooting but then, that's when a lot of screaming happens, so watch it if you'd like to hear just how often this sound is used.
Isa wrote a book, and I got to illustrate it - at Chapter 510, a writing center in Oakland, CA that develops young people into authors and poets and publishes them. The idea of having a voice that is your own is not a message that young people get often in this world, especially not in such a big and supportive way. This story is funny and smart and you can even get copies in their bookstore! Support Chapter 510 and other youth writing centers. They are telling kids important things about themselves.
Several of the animations I made in December had to do with some frog or fish doing a boogie - here they are, pick out your own tunes to go with em!
There's a video of all 21 of them together, accompanied by the fabulous Trimmo, on my Instagram and on YouTube.
Okay! That's enough nonsense for now.
May you hear a fascinating new noise, may you also hear an owl or other night bird, won't you be my neighbor?
-Betsy
HELLO AND THANKS FOR READING!!
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