#2001 superiority here

[jooheons]

spider-man 2099 / miguel o’hara reading guide 

miguel o’hara was a young genetics genius employed at mega corporation alchemax, in the future city of nueva york of the year 2099 (a future universe where all superheroes got wiped out). he became spider-man when one of his experiments to replicate the powers of spider-man is used against him, his dna is rewritten and became fifty percent spider. 

essential reading:

spider-man 2099 (1992), #1-10

spider-man 2099, #11-14

spider-man 2099 annual, #1

2099 unlimited #1-3 *

spider-man 2099, #15

ravage 2099, #15 *

x-men 2099, #5 *

doom 2099 (1993), #14 *

punisher 2099 (1993), #13 *

spider-man 2099, #16-22

spider-man 2099, #23-33

2099 unlimited #8 *

ghost rider 2099 #7 *

spider-man 2099, #34-38

spider-man 2099 special #1

spider-man 2099 meets spider-man #1

2099 unlimited #9-10 *

spider-man 2099, #39-46 *

2099: world of tomorrow (1996), #1-8 *

2099: manifest destiny *

* in early 1996, editor joey cavalieri was fired. it led to the cancellation of the 2099 titles. for spider-man 2099′s case, peter david (creator and writer) chose to resign in solidarity with his editor, finishing his run with issue #44. the last two issues of spider-man 2099 were done without his input and the series ended with issue #46.

* cross-overs are optional reading, they’re grouped together with the original spider-man 2099 issues because it’s part of their collection. 

non-essential reading (crossovers):

fantastic four 2099 (1996), #4, #6, #8

captain marvel (2000) #27-30

exiles (2001-2008), #72 *

exiles #75-99 

exiles annual #1

timestorm 2009-2099 (2009),  #1–4 *

* exiles!miguel is a variant (not the same from his 1992 run), he’s from earth-6375 here. 

* timestorm!miguel is a variant, he’s from earth-96099 here.

semi-essential reading (main marvel universe):

superior spider-man (2013),  #17-21

superior spider-man #22-26

superior spider-man annual #1

superior spider-man #27-31

superior spider-man annual #2 

essential reading (spider-verse event):

spider-man 2099 (2014) #1-5

amazing spider-man (2014) #1

amazing spider-man (2014) #9-15

spider-man 2099 (2014), #6-12

spider-man 2099 (2015), #1-5

spider-man 2099 (2015), #6-10

spider-man 2099 (2015), #11-16

spider-man 2099 (2015), #17-21

spider-man 2099 (2015), #22-25

spider-man 2099 meets spider-man (1995)

amazing spider-man (2018), #32-36

semi-essential reading (back to 2099):

spider-man 2099 (2019)

spider-man 2099: exodus alpha (2022)

spider-man 2099: exodus #1-5

spider-man 2099: exodus omega

spider-man 2099: dark genesis #1-5

other media:

spider-man: shattered dimensions (2010, video game)

spider-man: edge of time (2011, video game)

ultimate spider-man, the spider-verse: part 1 (2015, animated series)

spider-man: into the spider-verse (2018, film)

spider-man: across the spider-verse (2023, film)

this reading guide will be updated should any upcoming projects arise! 

#spidermanedit #comicedit #marveledit #miguel o'hara #spider man 2099 #spider man: across the spider verse #atsvedit #* #heavily inspired by coolgirl's jason guide :) #very big thank you to zee (@tresrachas on twt) for the graphics help!

[joyish-little-boy]

One Backstory to Rule them All

Anyone else think about how Sanji's backstory parallels every other Strawhat's backstory?

1. Luffy - Luffy is the most obvious, as they quite literally flashback to Shanks losing his arm right after Sanji explains how Zeff sacrificed his leg for Sanji. It's interesting the parallel here - because Shanks sacrifice is what took Luffy a step further in his dreams and made him determined to be the captain of his own pirate crew rather than simply joining Shank's crew, which is what he wanted to do previously. Now, for Sanji, Zeff's sacrifice had the opposite effect and Sanji chained himself to Zeff and what remained of Zeff's dreams rather than being pushed forward by it.

2. Zoro - I find it interesting that all of the Monster Trio parallel each other in their backstories in that all of them constantly lost when they were kids. Zoro lost 2001 times to Kuina, Luffy lost 50 fights to Ace and 50 to Sabo every day, and Sanji was constantly being beaten by his siblings. Each were called weak by those beating them, and each grew past that. What's also interesting to me is that there's the specific method of losing in Sanji's losing montage that's a direct callback to Zoro's backstory, as Oda includes multiple scenes of Sanji being beat at fights with wooden swords.

The difference being that Kuina is a decent human being and doesn't abuse Zoro. She calls him weak, but ultimately respects him as a rival and Zoro respects her in turn. Luffy also eventually earns that respect, though Sanji never does which leads to a noticeable difference in how Zoro and Sanji see themselves and their places on the crew - Thriller Bark I think being a perfect example of how Sanji believes that he's replaceable in a way that Zoro doesn't.

3. Nami - Nami and Sanji were both kids that found themselves in abusive situations, though at different ages. For both of them, their abuse centered around a man who's belief in their own superiority led them to a sense of entitlement to what was theirs. Arlong believed in his own biological superiority and Judge believed in the superiority of the Vinsmoke name, as well as genetic superiority which led him to experiment on his own children. Arlong values the lives of fishmen, the lives of the rest of his crew over the lives of Nami and the rest of her village. Judge values the lives of his other children over Sanji, seeing him as a failure for the way he was born (although it's also mentioned he blames Sanji for what happened with Sora). I think another very interesting parallel in their stories is the role of their respective older sisters. Nojiko and Reiju both privately support their younger sibling but both cannot stand up to the abusive figure in their lives. Nojiko gets tattoos to match Nami's to help her feel less alone, she listens to Nami, and does her best to try and support her through the 8 years of hell (8 years being another parallel to other members of the crew including Sanji). Reiju for her part laughs along with her brothers, but never lays a hand against Sanji and does her best to patch him up after everyone is gone. Their actions are indirect and discreet, save for the final fights, and that muted care is a very interesting part of each of their characters and it's why, I think neither of them felt it was their place to accompany their siblings on their journey. When Nami leaves, Nojiko lets her go, like she's always let her go. And Reiju pushes Sanji to leave, just as she pushed before. That regret of not being able to help more will stick with them forever.

4. Usopp - Usopp's backstory is all of 5 seconds long and still manages to parallel Sanji's somehow??? If I had a nickel for each strawhat who's mom was sick and died from illness when they were young, I'd have 2 nickels-

5. Chopper - HOO boy the parallel of your biological family hating you for the way that you were born and neglecting/abusing you for it hits right on Chopper's blue nose. Now, it's not all bad for either of them, though - considering they each had someone that accepted them for who they were. Chopper had Hiraluk and Sanji had Sora. Hiraluk inspired Chopper to be a doctor, emphasizing he had the most important qualification - a big heart. Sora meanwhile cried about how kind Sanji was to Reiju and her nurse, when he told her to "get better soon", calling him the "sweetest boy in the world". That kindness - that caring nature, is something that Hiraluk and Sora would do anything to protect and it's so evident that these two cared deeply for their kids. It's why Hiraluk ate that poisoned mushroom and encouraged Chopper to become a doctor and Sora ate the ruined food despite her fragile constitution and asked Sanji to cook for her again! This is love, baby!

These two kids were willing to risk so much to bring nourishment and care to the ones they loved, BOTH standing up to their biological families - Chopper fighting through his old herd of reindeer to get the mushroom, and Sanji sneaking out risking his father's wrath and braving the storm and wild dogs to deliver the food. Hiraluk and Sora are Chopper's and Sanji's source of encouragement which kick start each of their passions. And both of them tragically die which is honestly just heartbreaking. But all hope isn't lost, and both Chopper and Sanji find a new mentor, ones who are strict - but do care a lot for each of them, and help them develop the discipline they need to learn their respective crafts. Kurehara and Zeff are interesting parallels, both tough older mentors who are sharp of tongue and strict with their new apprentices. They can be this way without discouraging Chopper and Sanji, because the passion has already been ignited and so it's easy to see how they're good fits for helping these two live up to their full potential.

6. Robin - the big parallel with these two boils down to these two scenes and I sob about both of them.

Saul and Reiju, telling them to set out to sea, placing faith in the vastness of the world, knowing that they've done everything they can for now and planting that seed of hope that someday Robin and Sanji will meet people that can give them what they deserve is just such a touching moment. While this parallel is interesting, what's also interesting is the ways in which these two characters differ. The danger that Robin runs from is something that chases her, whereas the danger that Sanji runs from is his family and once he's made it onto the boat he's free. Robin thought she would never be safe, Sanji thought he was safe up until the wedding fiasco. And precisely the thing that hurts Sanji - the fact that his family wanted him gone - is so different from what's hurting Robin - the fact that she'll never be left alone by the government. Robin is wanted for the skills she and only she has, her story is (wo)man vs world, her bounty set at 79,000,000 which is the literal value on her head. Sanji is unwanted for the skills he, and he alone (in his family) lacks. There's no bounty, no one goes after him. His story is man vs self and undoing the damage that was done to his psyche as a child. It's so fascinating to me the way that both of these characters are saved by the crew in similar but such different ways, the way that each of them wanted to die, but for different reasons. Robin wanted to sacrifice herself because she's been betrayed and hurt by the world so many times that she couldn't trust in the strawhats' love. She loved them too much to risk being hurt like that again. Sanji wanted to sacrifice himself because he'd rather die than inconvenience the crew. Rather than not believing in their love, he doesn't believe he's worth that love, preferring to solve his problems on his own. And I think that it's so fitting the way that both of their stories intersect in Wano, with Robin being able to protect Sanji and Sanji finally believing in his own worth enough to ask for help. They're such different characters, with Sanji wearing his heart on his sleeves and Robin holding her's close to her chest and such interesting mirrors of each other.

7. Franky - they're cyborgs, what else can I say? The difference here is clear - Sanji's body was modified without his consent, whereas Franky modified himself. They're also both unwanted children, with Franky's parents abandoning him on Water 7 whereas Sanji's father was happy when Sanji left.

8. Brook - the parallel here is in the loneliness that both of them experienced, and really Sanji just got a taste of what Brook went through. Sanji and Brook were both parts of different crews before they were on the strawhats, albeit Sanji as a child and for a very short time, whereas Brook was with the Rumbar pirates for a longer time as an adult journeying very similarly to how the strawhats are now. Both were the sole survivors of their respective crews after being attacked, and though Sanji had Zeff on the rock, neither of them communicated with each other for the first 70 days after their initial agreement. Sanji felt a taste of the 50 years that Brook had to go through, with no food or water or way to escape off his abandoned pirate ship.

9. Jimbei - honestly I don't really have a good comparison for these two, other than they're both people who when confronted with the cruelty of others chose irrational kindness. Jimbe eventually learned how to live with and respect humans, and Sanji wouldn't let his family die, even after everything they put him through. They're both people who derived their codes of honor from others - Jimbei from Fisher Tiger and Queen Otohime and Sanji from Zeff. Idk maybe there's more there, but i don't really have too much to say about these two

Anyways, idk i just think they're neat 👉👈 and the way that Oda threw in parallels to all the other character's when completing Sanji's backstroy is so fascinating to me

#monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #nami #vinsmoke sanji #usopp #franky #nico robin #tony tony chopper #brook #one piece #jimbei

[mercurygray]

Merc, what kind of Historical Military Man gets the wheels turning for you? What are the markers of 'Oh, that one, that one is now mine'?

Nat, I'm going to be honest, this question provoked something of an existential crisis. so I went back through, like, 20 years of fandom favorites to see if there's a pattern.

Spoiler: there isn't, apart from a perennial need to be different. This is kind of long .

2001 (ish) - Lord of the Rings is coming out, and you are either a Legolas or Aragorn girl. I am deep in my 'not like the other girls' phase and decide Boromir is actually the superior choice here. (This leads me to watch A LOT of period dramas that are probably not appropriate for for me at this age, including Clarissa and Lady Chatterley's Lover.) It also leads me to the Sharpe books, which are great and awesome. Richard Sharpe doesn't necessarily do anything for me as a character, but that gets me into Hornblower, which gets me into the Aubreyad, which leads me to read a lot about the Napoleonic Wars in high school. Cliff-diving into a different historical period is now something I do every single summer.

I also spend about 5 years (2008-2013) writing a 225,000 word fanfic in which Boromir doesn't die.

2010-2015

Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) is really only in the army a brief while but who can say no to the blue eyes and the absolute vibe he has going with Mary?

During the Downton phase I decide to raid the library for other period dramas, again, and watch The Forsyte Saga. Soames Forsyte is not a man you love, but Damian Lewis has A Face and I know he was on Band of Brothers, which the library perennially never has a copy of.

2011

I finally watch Band of Brothers in its entirety my senior year of college and am a little disappointed I appear to be missing large parts of the story. (Future rewatches will explain that this is actually a feature of the show, not a bug.) My recollections of this are hazy, but I'm fairly certain my favorite character the first time I watched this was Lewis Nixon (Ron Livingston). He's dark-haired, he's funny, he's an absolute mess with a trust fund. Dick Winters (Damian Lewis) also has one hell of a face. He's a red-head, he's in charge of everyone else, he doesn't say much, and he is tall. I know there must be fic for this show but am also very, very sure it is shippy in a direction I do not want to read, so I do not go looking for it.

TURN - 2014-2017

Ben Tallmadge (Seth Numrich) is the guy to watch on TURN: he's a lieutenant, he's tall, he struggles with rules, but the entire fandom is also crazy about him and the leading queen bee in the OC end of that fandom is a real pain about it, so I decide I will not be writing for him no matter what it costs me to hold off admitting I want to. However, in the next episode we meet his best friend, Caleb Brewster (Daniel Henshall) who is short, bearded, dark-haired and chaotic. The moment he comes onscreen I love him. Sadly, no one is reading fic for him and this project is abandoned.

In Season 3, we meet the Marquis de Lafayette. Historical Lafayette is a tall, awkward redhead in need of a father figure who makes up for war experience with boundless enthusiasm. His letters home are adorable. Show Lafayette (Ben Wiles) is tall and enthusiastic. I love him anyway and I make it everyone's problem for, like, a year.

2016-2017 - Mercy Street

Henry Hopkins (Luke Macfarlane) is a military chaplain in a hotel-turned Union hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. He's tall, he's a little tortured, and he has a knack for putting others first. Wrestling with some past choices, his romance with Emma Green, the privileged daughter of the family who owned the hotel, is sweet and full of pining. I write so much fix-it fic for them it's not even funny. (I love this show because the female characters I love come pre-installed. Please watch this.)

2016 - Dunkirk

I see this movie three times in theaters and love it more each time. Collins (Jack Lowden) is a blonde RAF flyboy with a very adorable face. (Tom Glynn Carney is also a face I like but he's on a backburner for a bit.) I write a lot of fic about it and affectionately refer to this as my first Planes Go Zoom phase.

2020

Two weeks into the pandemic I decide rewatching Band of Brothers is a good idea and buy the book and the DVD set from my local secondhand bookshop like I am doing a drug deal in a parking lot. Two weeks after that I am writing a fanfic for Dick Winters (Damian Lewis) because I am a loon who likes men in charge and painfully slow burns.

2021

Still in the middle of a pandemic I decide to watch The Pacific, because I make good decisions, apparently. Hoosier Smith (Jacob Pitts) is a taciturn, wise-cracking friend of Leckie's who is joked about as being the pretty one. He is. Andrew Haldane (Scott Gibson) is quiet, unassuming, and in charge, and played college football for Bowdoin. Very dad energy. Extremely charming. Dead in three episodes as history intended. Fix-it fic incoming.

2022 Top Gun Maverick comes out. Jake "Hangman" Seresin (played by Glen Powell, who I loved in Hidden Figures and The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society) has a jawline you could cut something with and an attitude. My friends think I am mental. Second Planes Go Zoom phase coupled with Devotion, which comes out shortly after.

SAS Rogue Heroes comes out. I have been really looking forward to seeing Tom Glynn Carney in something else and he delivers. Mike Sadler is blond, extremely good at his job, not capable of suffering fools, and far too attractive for the desert.

2024

We do not even make it out of trailer season before I realize I still have a Thing (TM) for Callum Turner's face, which I have known since he was Theseus Scamander in Fantastic Beasts. Watching The Boys in the Boat before this all starts doesn't help - he has regrettably blond hair but thighs for days and shoulders you could hang the universe on. John "Bucky" Egan, is tall, dark-haired, incredibly generous spirited and nominally in charge. I want all of it. The rest of the fandom does too. I try to make peace with that and write anyway. Third Planes Go Zoom phase.

#asked and answered #emilykaldwen #more about me

[d3d9]

Official Akira Pre-movie Timeline

Character childhoods, historical events etc.

hiiii Akira tumblr, I haven't been around here much but here's a translation I did. I've never seen this full timeline translated anywhere, so maybe it'll be of interest !😳

(I did a condensed version on Twitter a while ago, but I figure it's easier to follow in its original format .)

(Long post under the cut)

Source is the book Poster & Graphic Akira released in 1988. Also a special thank you to my old friend Shina-san for the photos from the book, I don't yet own a copy myself !!

1970

Nezu's birth - Born in Chiba as the third son of farmers.

1976

Colonel's birth - Has an older sister and an older brother. His father served in the Japan Defense Agency, JGSDF major.

1977

Nezu age 7 - Started elementary school.

1982

Nezu age 12 - Started middle school. Excellent grades.

1985

Nezu age 15 - Started high school.

1988

Nezu age 18 - Started law school. The disaster of Akira’s awakening occurred. In the chaos of the next 3 years, he studied life as a black marketeer. During that time he became acquainted with the people of this underworld.

Colonel age 12 - His father died to Akira’s first awakening. (He was on a special mission, suspected to be related to the Akira Project). After the world war (which ended after 3 weeks), until he was 15 he spent the next years of chaos with his mother and siblings. These events would profoundly shape his later development. (Until 1991, Japan lacked a governing body and was controlled by the US)

1992

Colonel age 16 - Started night school. Studied while working.

1993

Colonel age 17 - Having regained autonomy, Japan emulates the US and establishes an American-style military.

1994

Nezu age 24 - As university resumed operation, he returned to school.

1995

Nezu age 25 - Graduated. Passed the bar exam, and became a lawyer.

1996

Colonel age 20 - Graduated night school. Enrolled in the newly established military academy (National Defense Academy).

1999

Colonel age 23 - Graduated military academy with excellent grades. Admitted to Officer Candidate School on recommendation.

2000

Nezu age 30 - From around this time he begins to appear in politics.

Colonel age 24 - Graduates from Officer Candidate School. Enlists in the Army as a First Lieutenant.

2001

Colonel age 25 - Studies abroad at the US Department of Defense.

2002

Nezu age 32 - Hears about Miyako-sama, and becomes a devoted believer.

Colonel age 26 - Returns to Japan. Establishes the Army Special Forces. Becomes its commander. Promoted to Major.  Dispatched in the Soviet-DPRK War, which had been ongoing since 1996. He is awarded a decoration for his service.  

2003

Colonel age 27 - Through matchmaking by his superior officer, he gets married.

Kei - Born in April. Her father, born 1967 (age 36), is a teacher. She has an older brother. They're 14 years apart.

2004

Kaneda - born in September (at this time, schools would have September enrollment and August graduation). His father born 1977 (age 27). His mother born 1978 (age 26).

Yamagata - born in November. His father is a Yakuza.

Colonel age 28 - By creating a new unification of land, sea, and air defense systems, he successfully allows Japan to gain independence from the US protective defense system.

2005

Nezu age 35 - He trains diligently under Miyako, and establishes himself. From around this time he separates under a new sect of Miyako's religion, and starts a political organization, becoming its president. Behind the scenes he is backing anti-government activists at the same time.

Kai - Born in January. His father works in the construction industry. He is blessed with a good home environment.

Tetsuo - Born in July. His father born 1980 (age 25). His mother born 1981 (age 24). In 1984, as part of the Akira Project, experiments were conducted on children around the age of 10, and genetic manipulation was (secretly) performed on newly born children. The effects of this skipped a generation and manifested in Tetsuo… and are gradually beginning to show in other children.(His grandfather was a genetic engineer. He participated in the Project. He died during Akira's awakening in 1988)

Colonel age 29 - He and his wife separate. They have no children.

2006

Yamagata age 2 - His father is arrested. He will serve 25 years. His mother makes a living as a hostess.

2008

Kaneda age 4 - His little brother is born. His parents open a laundry service. His little brother is born with a disability, and goes between home and treatment centers since the time he's 2 years old.

Yamagata age 4 - His mother gets a boyfriend. A little brother is born.

Kei age 5 - Her father dies. (Illness)

Tetsuo age 3 - His father (a graduate student), who's been sickly since birth, develops pneumonia from the common cold, and dies. His parents were never officially married, so as his father's child born out of wedlock, he's poorly received by his mother's side of the family.

Colonel age 32 - He is appointed commander of the nation's top secret 'Akira Plan' as Colonel. (The 'Akira Plan' began 3 years after Akira's awakening in 1988, when the US began investigating, and in 1996 it was turned over to the Japanese government. Since then, despite organization of records and repeated experiments, there hasn't been much progress. This may be why the US let go of it….) The heads of government began to feel threatened by the Colonel's excessively growing power, so even though it was a top national secret, they appointed him to this do-nothing position to force him to withdraw from the front lines, as a means of dismissal. …As for why the Colonel resigned himself to this sinecure, perhaps it's because he was seeking answers about his father's death, or trying to fulfill his father's dying wish, or maybe he himself saw potential in this investigation…. There are various possibilities, but one can only speculate.

2009

Yamagata age 5 - His mother gets another boyfriend. A little sister is born.

Kei age 6 - Starts elementary school. Her older brother is 21. He's already a student activist while also supporting the family.

Tetsuo age 4 - His mother remarries. Tetsuo is adopted by another family. But he can't get used to his new home and is gradually shunned as a gloomy child.

2010

Kaneda age 6 - Starts elementary school. Due to the fatigue of nursing his younger brother, his father collapses.

Yamagata age 6 - Starts elementary school. Another little brother is born.

2011

Kai age 7 - Starts private elementary school. Gets excellent grades.

Tetsuo age 6 - Starts elementary school. At this time he starts repeatedly running away from home.

2012

Kaneda age 8 - Changes schools due to his little brother changing treatment centers. His mother runs off. They live off of government assistance. His father shows a distinct turn towards alcoholism. 

2013

Kaneda age 9 - His father is deemed unfit to take care of the children, so Kaneda is sent to an orphanage. His little brother is kept at a hospital. Half a year later, Tetsuo comes to the orphanage.

Tetsuo age 8 - His parents try to return him, but his birth mother won't accept him, so he's sent to an orphanage. He then meets Kaneda.

2014

Kei age 11 - Starts middle school.

2015

Kaneda age 11 - Graduates from the orphanage and goes to a boarding middle school. He's separated from Tetsuo.

Yamagata age 11 - Starts middle school. His mother continues to have children, both boys and girls. She also keeps changing boyfriends.

Kei age 12 - Her older brother is arrested as a suspect in a major incident. (Something like the Mikawashima train crash). There are rumors that it was a US plot against the organization her older brother was connected to. Following this, Kei's family was supported by donations from her brother's group, organized by her brother's junior, Ryusaku.

2016

Kaneda age 12 - His defiant attitude stands out in school.

Yamagata age 12 - Caught by the police for shoplifting. He was stealing sweets for his little siblings.

Kai age 12 - Goes to the same private academy for middle school.

Tetsuo age 11 - He's adopted again by another family. He then starts middle school.

2017

Nezu age 46 - He may be doing it to spread the religion's ideals, or he may be using the religion for his own desires, or perhaps both….?

Kaneda age 13 - A complete juvenile delinquent. His grades are above average.

Yamagata age 13 - His mother joins a new religion. He leaves home.

Kei age 14 - Her older brother dies in prison. The authorities claim it was a suicide, but it's suspected that he was tortured. Kei leaves home and asks Ryusaku if she can become an activist too.

Tetsuo age 12 - Becomes truant. Frequently runs away from home.

Colonel age 41

2018

Kaneda age 14 - Expelled after a brush with the law. Starts at vocational school.

Yamagata age 14 - Starts at vocational school.

Kai age 13 - His father runs away from home. They find him. His father confesses: "I'm gay, and have been deceiving our family this whole time…." 

Kei age 15

Tetsuo age 13 - Due to misconduct with an elementary school student, he gets in trouble with the police. From this point forward he stops going to school.

2019

Kaneda age 15 - Forms a motorcycle team at the vocational school.

Tetsuo enrolls.

Kai age 14 - As junior representative, he reads an essay titled 'Is Life A Joke' to the graduating seniors, and is suspended. One week later, he turns in his notice to withdraw, and enrolls in vocational school himself.

Tetsuo age 14 - His parents convince him to go to vocational school. He reunites with Kaneda, and is admitted. There, he joins the motorcycle team.

#akira 1988 #AKIRA #translation #nezu #colonel shikishima #kei #kaneda #yamagata #kai #tetsuo #ryusaku #kaneda shotaro #tetsuo shima

[pyreofsunflowers]

I legit don't understand why Alutegra is the fanon-canon ship in Hellsing. i don't get it for the life of me. Aluseras is a superior pairing in like every regard. -> before I go on this rant. I HAVE NOT READ THE HELLSING MANGA. I also really dislike the writing in a lot of Hellsing and take problems w/ a lot of elements in the plot. I probably have a different reading of the story than you. I might be missing something. Don't take this THAT seriously.

I guess I could see it in Ultimate purely because Alucard is really rude to Seras for no reason (which in my opinion is out of character and is just written in to make him more "edgy" and a lot of his mean-ness seems to be an attempt at humor but I digress) but like - that's the only reason? He and Integra have no screen time alone and Integra is hardly a character in Ultimate. There's also pip? But c'mon no one actually ships pip and seras or saw that as actual love right. Lets be honest here. At most they fucked. But personally I think Seras would do better than a guy who literally just harasses her.

But if were talking about 2001 - which has vastly superior writing and characters, even if it isn't perfect - Alucard and Seras obviously have affection for eachother and FUCKING KISS IN THE FIRST SCENE OF THEM TOGETHER. Seras feels safe around him, he's always looking out for her, there flirting like every time there together. Even when she sees him at his most monstrous she still respects and harbors obvious feelings for him. Oh - and Integra even implies attraction between them by chiding Alucard for his "young girl companion" in reference to Seras. Compare that to the way Integra treats him - she's constantly pissed off w/ him and there relationship is professional at best. She hates his ass! There is no way she's into him!

And I know a lot of people say "oh but Hirano said there like father and daughter!" but he didn't? He said the opposite - that there relationship is complex and involves a lot of dynamics. even though there written with no real relationship in Ultimate and 2001 is p. standrard implied attraction w/o enough time for it to develop) and if anything Alucard and Integra share more of a familial relationship seeing as he watched her grow up and says shit like "you'll always be that little girl to me..." I think that's way more father-daughter than kissing on the mouth and flirting but YOU KNOW that's just me.

anyways yeah. Aluseras sweep.

reblog and comment if you want another post about how much I love Aluseras and want to hear about the version of there story I made up in my head that involves the reincarnation lore from 1992 Dracula

#hellsing #hellsing ultimate #alucard #integra hellsing #seras victoria #aluseras #alucard x seras #alucard x integra #if yall want me to take this out of your tag i will #no hate if you ship alutegra btw it just doesnt make any sense to me #especially considering its popularity #theres nothing unethical abt it to me

[nancywheeeler]

omg!! please share what other heist films you watched, that’s such a fun idea. and which was your fav!!!!

i would love to share my watchlist for heist week!! all are films before 1970, because i wanted to watch heists new to me, but i'll also include some modern heist movies i love at the bottom!

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) — the granddaddy of the heist genre. it's really good! and it has every aspect of the heist (the planning, the execution, and the fallout), which i love.

The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) — so goofy and fun. features fantastic Alec Guinness performance and some great screwball elements (one of the final sequences reminded me a lot of the climax of What's Up, Doc.)

Ocean's Eleven (1960) — eh. I felt the problems were threefold: 1) took forever just to get to the heist, 2) all the guys looked the same and most did not have a defining role in the heist, and 3) Hay's Code ending. It's not terrible, but not worth watching when there is a far superior remake.

The League of Gentlemen (1960) — i can often be found on letterboxd bemoaning the fact there is probably an alternate universe where monty python made a heist movie and we're not in that universe. but! this film is definitely the closest we're gonna get. similar to the lavender hill mob in that they're both very british and very, very funny. really loved the level of shenanigans going here.

Gambit (1966) — my favorite of the week! it's a smaller heist (three person crew), but the film really plays with the idea of expectation vs. actual execution, and the assumptions white british guys make about, among other things, everyone who is not also a white british guy. bonus: shirley maclaine and michael caine have incredible chemistry. a great watch! highly recommend!

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) — love when hot people commit crimes and other hot people try to stop them. the pacing here is a bit wonky, but it has a slick, sexy opening sequence and i'll never say no to a cat and mouse game. the heisting is definitely secondary though, just so you know that going in.

All the Heists I Loved Before: The Killing (1956), The Italian Job (1969), Sneakers (1992), Ocean's 11 (2001), Inception (2010), The Town (2010), Logan Lucky (2017), American Animals (2018), Ocean's 8 (2018)

#ask #i actually do these little theme weeks a lot and i love planning them #so if anyone is ever curious about what else i'm watching or wants a watchlist based around a certain theme please hit me up! #also i didn't include the usual suspects or reservoir dogs in my other heist movies list #just because they're so unconventional it's hard to justify calling them true heist movies #but i love them both as well!

[droughtofapathy]

The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Caroline "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (Donna Murphy)

A queen among her people, Mrs. Astor rules over New York high society, and spends the show being challenged by New Money Bertha Russell at every turn.

Two-time Tony winner Donna Murphy is one of Broadway's greatest Divas. Though most recognize her as the voice of Disney's Mother Gothel in Rapunzel, her voice is better known to me personally as one of my earliest gay awakenings for her audiobook performance of Ruby Holler, but that's a separate story. One of Sondheim's most beloved interpreters, Donna has such an expansive repertoire that limiting myself proved damn near impossible. Her Tonys for Best Actress in a Musical were in 1994 (Passion) and 1996 (The King and I) and I will forgive her for the later despite my documented hatred of that musical.

Other sumptuous performances include: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Ensemble, later Drood), Wonderful Town (Ruth), Hello Dolly! (Bette Midler's Tuesday night alternative and superior performer in every way), and Encores! Dear World (my #1 theatre experience of 2023). With the later two, Donna is well on her way to achieving the Jerry Herman trifecta. Someone mount a production of Mame starring Donna Murphy as Mame.

#1: "Could I Leave You?" Follies - The Stephen Sondheim 80th Birthday Concert (2010)

Many a Diva has taken on this song, but no one can come close to the rapturous performance Donna Murphy gives during the iconic Ladies in Red segment of the Sondheim 80th birthday concert. This video right here is the reason I am the Sondheim woman that I am. There have been many women who have played Phyllis over the years, and I've fallen a little in love with all of them (Jan Maxwell, my beloved), but Donna is everything.

Surrounded by five other iconic Divas dressed in red, Donna shows that her acting choices whilst singing remain unmatched. The controlled start, the rapid devolution, the rage in that final word. And the strands of hair that will not stay out of her face. I am obsessed. The reactions of the other women (note Patti LuPone's glee and Marin Mazzie, dear friend and Passion co-star's bursting pride) say it all. The entire concert is one marvel after another. Do yourself a favor and watch it.

I consider this song one of Sondheim's greatest works (Send in the Clowns, eat your heart out...but also...Donna did that at the 90th birthday concert, so there's that too).

#2: "Hit Me With a Hot Note," a benefit for Fran Liebergall (2015) and What About Joan (2001)

I couldn't decide which version to post, so you get both. Congratulations. This song showcases Mrs. Astor's wild side as Donna delves into growls, shimmies, shakes, and belts. "Hit Me with a Hot Note" is a Duke Ellington song that appeared on Broadway in Jelly's Last Jam (which will receive an Encores! production this spring). I never thought a white woman could scat, but I'm not mad about it.

The first video is a concert benefit for Fran Liebergall in 2015. The second is from a short-lived tv series in the early 2000s where Donna plays Ruby Stern, a smart and staid doctor who has a dream of appearing on Broadway. Apparently, the producers of the show were totally unaware that two-time Tony winner for Leading Actress in a Musical Donna Murphy could sing. I'm just as shocked by that as you are.

#3: "Surabaya Johnny," LoveMusik (2007)

Mrs. Astor is one of many real-life historical figures on Donna Murphy's acting resume. Another real-life figure is that of Lotte Lenya, an Austrian-American actress and singer best known for her work/marriage with Kurt Weill. LoveMusik explores that relationship. Lotte Lenya had a distinctive voice, and here Donna transforms her own signature voice to match Lenya's.

LoveMusik received mixed reviews, but garnered four Tony nominations for Best Musical, and Best Leading Actors for Donna and for leading man Michael Cerveris, The Gilded Age's Mr. Watson.

Donna has truly perfected the way to break down during a song.

#4: "The Story of Lucy and Jessie," Follies (2007)

Prior to the Sondheim 80th, Donna played Phyllis Rogers Stone in the 2007 Encores! production of Follies (alongside Christine Baranski). This was considered her triumphant return to the New York stage following an unsteady attendance record in the early 2000s owing to a long battle with vocal hemorrhaging (running concurrently with multiple miscarriages). Her turn as the jaded former Follies girl was nothing short of sublime. In those days, Encores! concerts weren't remotely the fully choreographed shows they are now. Donna, who describes herself as a "singer who moves well," proves that in spades.

To my everlasting devastation, this clip omits the opening verse, but I think her legs more than make up for it. The little glove removal moment is a nod to an alternate number that has been used in place of this one depending on the production. For singers who are not as dance-capable, "Ah, But Underneath" offers up a sensational strip tease, and I, for one, would have liked to see that too, even if Lucy and Jessie is a better number.

#5: "Loving You," Passion (1994)

Though her riveting portrayal of a chronical ill woman who seduces a soldier in mid-19th century Italy earned Donna her first Tony, it was not a well-received show. Audiences disgusted by the obsessive and unattractive Fosca would cheer when she collapsed onstage every night. They couldn't fathom how Giorgio (Jere Shea) would leave his affair with the beautiful Clara (Marin Mazzie, who appears totally nude for the opening number) for a sicky woman like Fosca. Since then, like most Sondheim shows, we have come to appreciate the brilliance of the story, the score, and the actors with time.

Donna's immersion into this role is the stuff of Broadway legend. This song in particular, though simple in melody and lyrics, carries such deep emotion, and the way she sings as if every note pains her just ruins me. Her dramatic range cannot be praised enough. The entire proshot can be found HERE, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Story time: a few years ago I bid on the original lobby board that hung inside the theater, and I am now a proud owner of a piece of history. It stands in my living room and is nearly as tall as I am. It is my most treasured possession.

Bonus: For a more comprehensive of all things Donna Murphy, please enjoy this playlist curated by @princesspufferr. And if anyone wants a bootleg of Dear World, I've got you covered.

LINK TO MASTERPOST

#the gilded age #donna murphy #lina astor #sondheim #follies #lovemusik #passion #broadway #musical theatre

[hauntedselves]

I know you've covered AsPD/NPD, PPD, and SzPD comorbidity but what would SzPD and NPD comorbidity look like? (Please feel free to redirect me to it if you've already covered it)

Here is what one person has said about NPD and SzPD:

"I think schizoid and narcissistic comorbidity is a very interesting dynamic! In my opinion there can be a decent amount of overlap, and it’s one of the reasons I’m suspicious about the possibility of me having narcissistic traits in addition to SzPD. There’s a webpage produced as a project from Appalachian State University (though it’s from 2001) which talks about a variety of PDs versus NPD in the context of differential diagnosis. Of SzPD in this framework, it says: “Emotional aloofness and lack of mutual interpersonal relations or genuine deep interest in other people are common characteristics in both schizoid and narcissistic personality disorders” … which I thought was a good description of overlapping traits. (Link) It’s definitely true that both are described as involving lack of empathy, so it makes sense to have such similarities."

And some other quotes from other posts I've written:

SzPD is completely different from that need for (perfect) relationships/perception of themselves as perfect - although both NPD & SzPD use superiority as self defence, SzPD has no need for people to see them as perfect/admirable/etc, and no hypersensitivity to criticism

both SzPD & NPD will value things other than relationships, but NPD will seek out relationships for validation

[Both] use fantasy as an escape method (+ self-esteem booster in NPD). Fantasies are often linked to a need to feel in control, which is also common in [both]

someone with NPD will find it difficult to manage anger. SzPD tends to see (any) emotions as dramatic and distasteful, so won’t express anger readily

Greenberg theorises a subtype of SzPD with NPD features (the “Narzoid”)

I think the biggest similarity between [both] is relationship fear. This presents itself in vastly different ways: [...] NPD “uses” people, and avoids revealing their true self for fear of their flaws being seen (again, rejection and criticism); and SzPD avoids for fear of engulfment/control.

All may idealise people they see as safe (+ superior, in NPD)

SZPD & NPD also have similarities [...], particularly grandiosity and idealising people they see as superior (may be “safe” people, as in PPD & SZPD). all of these also have “not feeling like a ‘real’ person”/having a “false self” that they use to interact with the world (masking).

the two NPD traits that are conflicting with SZPD [...] are fragile self-esteem and needing admiration. [SzPD doesn't have] particularly low self-esteem, and [...] may be uncomfortable with admiration/praise [...] due to fear of engulfment/control

so someone with [NPD & SzPD] would have their NPD low self-esteem and need for admiration conflict with their [...] SZPD, but overall would feel grandiose, idealise people (to a lesser extent than someone with just NPD), [&] mask their true self

#dogasks #npd #szpd #pd comorbidity

[ervona]

shorter version of what's been on my mind as I browse old dnd books, Ashemmi has changed a lot through the editions, especially 2e to 3e and you can break her down into different elements

EDIT: notes on gender because of Spellfire

(novel) Spellfire, first appearance (1987)

named as one of the Zhentarim, one of the powerful mages (not one of the magelings)

he/him

(2e) Forgotten Realms Adventures (1990)

half-elf

Sememmon's apprentice

second in command of Darkhold

she/her from hereon (see 3.5e)

(2e) Darkhold, renamed Castles (1990)

elf

Sememmon's apprentice

Sememmon's love interest

second in command of Darkhold

has her own tower

used to be an adventurer

changed alignment from good to evil

(2e) Villains' Lorebook (1998)

uses the above two as a source

elf from hereon always

(2e novel) Thornhold (1998)

cackling evil

had a child with Dag Zoreth (Cara) for a power grab because he (and Cara) is the descendant of someone important. idk...

(2e) Cloak & Dagger (2000)

Sememmon's love interest

former second in command, lost her position to both Dhamir Ercaln (Cyric priest) and Lord Aumraven gaining more power

has a personal relationship with Dag Zoreth (see Thornhold) and trying to convince him to act against his superior (Dhamir Ercaln)

(3e) Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001)

Sememmon's love interest

both on the run from Fzoul taking over the Zhentarim but no mention of anything else regarding those various plots in the faction

(3e) Realms Personalities: Ashemmi (2001)

follows the above

had a high rank in Darkhold

described as evil and ruthless

(3.5e novel) Blackstaff (2006)

follows 3e

works with Khelben in the present

(3.5e) Renegades of Darkhold (2007)

used to be an adventurer

Harper spy in the Zhentarim

joined first in disguise as a human man

Sememmon's love interest

broke up for a while... had a child with Dag (Thornhold) but she isn't cackling evil here

both betray the Zhentarim, specifically Manshoon even before Fzoul took over

on the run only after Fzoul took over

changed alignment from good to evil (eh. Manshoon cursed her to be more... mean)

currently not evil but still a bit mean

in contact with her daughter Cara

(5e) Darkhold... 2! (2020)

used to be an adventurer

Harper spy in the Zhentarim (still active)

second in command of Darkhold (probably? and not under Sememmon who already left because of Fzoul's takeover but Pereghost)

not evil but ruthless

so I like a bit of everything from some of these but with the Blackstaff + Dragon magazine one being the version I fell in love with I wish they'd expanded on what her position in Darkhold was and what she worked on... since as you can see from the changes over time I can't just assume it's the same as back in 2e though I can use it...

these interpersonal relationships went through reframing re: what they should be thematically especially Sememmon and Manshoon which is another post because this isn't about them. yes this is the short version... since it has no quotes

#realms tag #basically reframing the apprentice relationship is hey. manshoon treated his apprentices pretty badly so maybe sememmon should betray him #so ashemmi's role in this new context has to be refit again which may be why she's not an apprentice aka replicating that structure. idk #like “we can't make ashemmi the sememmon to sememmon's manshoon if we're reframing the latter relationship into something to break free of”

[rel124c41]

2, 4, 5, 11, and 33 please! Hope that isn’t too much, very curious about your answers though!! Happy early birthday btw :D

ah thank you very much for the birthday wishes (≧∀≦) getting a drum set tomorrow and i’m so hyped bout it

& the amount of questions was perfecto!! i left my answers below the cut!!

(ask game)

2: How do you come up with your plot ideas?

8/10 times, my plot ideas come from my fabulous, otherworldly, superior music taste ᕦ(ò_óˇ)!!

nah but to be serious, music and creating AMVs in my head works brilliantly for creating plots. i listen to music A LOT. i do not always construct a story based on a song but my ideas flow easier when there is a melody in the air. snippet of scenes come and go, and i scribble them down; music powers the whole process of my writing.

additionally, i think coming up with plot ideas/to strength that part of your brain to be creative and original, one should always read MORE. to lazily siphon off a Stephen King quote i can’t find: “a great writer knows to read” and then there is the 1/10, where an idea hits me, completely uninspired from anything. 

but really, when coming up with plots remember this saying: no one can reinvent the wheel!

4: How do you channel characters’ voices and personalities?

studying the source material is always my go-to for channeling a character. 

have not played twst in 2 yrs 💀 (bc i was on an expedition for different video games and discovered i hated rhythm games) but i always use @/yuurei20 like a study guide for the characters. and i read the translations for each event (birthdays or otherwise) to see how the characters act at different situations

and if a character has done something out-character in canon, i analyze the shit out of that. it’s really important to me when writing already canon characters to think of this one question: what’s their drive/goal (in everyday & in specific situations & in long-term)?

5: What techniques do you use to create believable dialogue?

one of my biggest insecurities in specifically the “fanfiction” writing realm is my dialogue so this question is crazzzy to me. believable dialogue?? hasn’t happened!

i still don’t think i’ve done it successfully even once, so techniques? god i really don’t have any. here’s me talking out my ass tho: 

certain characters have certain mannerisms in how they talk: those i can pick up upon bc some characters it’s black and white how they go about talking — floyd ain’t gonna sound all sophisticated u know. however, knowing how to structure what they are conveying, ah that is much harder for me. 

sorry for this dead-end answer 💀

11: Are there any tropes you particularly enjoy writing?

rubbing my hands together and grinning like the fucking grinch at this,, let’s fucking goooooo! 

1: unreliable narrator my pookie bear <3!!!! a mixture of being a fan of memento (2001) and a haunting of hill house (the BOOK, not the awful movie or show), unreliable narrators are my favorite trope!! whether this narrator is high off a substance, is as clueless as the audience about their situation, OR even so egotistical that their worldview is skewed, I EAT THAT SHIT UP EVERY TIME WITHOUT FAIL! 

2: karmic retribution,, listen i love seeing someone get their just deserts (￣个￣) there is something so gutturally satisfying about karma

ALSO, i love the indomitable human spirit trope!!! 

maybe one day i’ll chat about my more shojo/booktok tropes i enjoy like “just one bed” and “colleagues to lovers” bc hey i know what sells.

33: How do you incorporate world-building elements into your fics?

Disney is such a huge realm to play around it. from the original Grimm fairytales (my beloveds mwah (*≧∀≦*) !!!!) to the movies Disney has made, world-building elements for twst is like a gold mine. it’s perhaps the biggest playing field i’ve ever seen from a fandom. 

how i go about incorporating it? well i always go look for faucets of the world everyone else is overlooking: when writing Schism, the ghost camera was untapped potential i had to jump on. i’m working on another oneshot that incorporates Disney’s 1963 The Sword in Stone; there is SO much real estate, you just got to dig around for it a bit.

ACTUALLY,, i have more to say

also about world-building in writing in general, let me siphon off Stephen King again: ok imagine a table covered by a table cloth.

really, imagine a table. secondly, imagine a table cloth.

ok, everyone who reads that imagines something completely different. someone might have imagined a circular table or a rectangular, the table cloth could have reached the ground or could have hovered a inch off the surface, the table cloth, there could’ve been lace on it or it could’ve been this striking red or dull blue.

when world-building, as the writer, you decide what elements you want to bring into the story; the rest? you give that creative liberty and trust to your audience.

#re l rambling #re l reveals she's a fucking stephen king fan

[thesinglesjukebox]

BILLY JOEL - "TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON"

The theme narrows a little, maybe...

[4.15]

Hannah Jocelyn: The first Melodyne’d word of this song -- P L E A S E -- had me worried. This is the latest in a series of '70s and '80s rockers coming back one last time, normally with Post Malone's producer Andrew Watt at the helm. The results can either be pleasant, like the Rolling Stones' Lady Gaga collaboration "Sweet Sounds of Heaven", or abysmal, like Elton John's horribly edited "Always Love You." But Watt's not here; behind the boards instead is industry songwriter Freddy Wexler, a Billy Joel fanboy who convinced the artist to release music again. If the song sounds a lot like "Piano Man" and "Summer, Highland Falls," repeated listens reveal it's not just a cheap nostalgia grab. It sounds exactly like a new Billy Joel song should in 2024, P L E A S E aside, with a tasteful build and some grandiose but lovely lyrics: “Pride sticks out its tongue/laughs at the portrait that we’ve become/Stuck in a frame, unable to change.” Joel occupies a weird place in pop culture -- not as acclaimed as Dylan or Springsteen, but more thoughtful and introspective than the Eagles or anyone else in his imagined supergroup. With "Turn the Lights Back On," it all makes sense. He invented an archetype now filled by musicians like Adele post-21 or even Hozier: pop songwriters with enough depth to earn them a devout following even if they’re not critics' favorites. The liner notes reveal more connections. Eclectic producer Emile Haynie drops in to provide some additional production, the same way he did on "Hello" almost a decade ago, and the song is mixed by Adele's engineer Tom Elmhirst. It's an effective repositioning of Joel not as a "33-hit-wonder", not as a poet, but as one of the great pop balladeers and craftsmen. And my dad loves it, which is all that really matters. [7]

Alfred Soto: Despite the co-writers and a video whose nostalgia bid is as, ah, shameless as Paul McCartney's last year, "Turn the Lights Back On" sounds like any generic thing that might've appeared on Storm Front or The Bridge. Which is the point. [4]

Aaron Bergstrom: A direct descendant of Elton John's far superior "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore," as underlined by their similar music video treatments. While Joel was able to use cutting-edge AI technology to de-age himself in his video, Sir Elton had to make do with the tools available to him back in 2001, which is to say, Justin Timberlake. (Both AI and Timberlake are now trying to make their own music, with limited success.) [5]

Ian Mathers: Get the fuck outta here with this uncanny valley "AI" CGI shit. I'm not shocked boomers would cling to yet another way to deny they're old as fuck now -- it'll happen to all of us, I'm sure -- but it's still repugnant. Despite Joel being away for years, god knows you still hear the hits, so I'm kind of shocked that his voice seems to have lost most of its distinctive timbre. If you'd played me this blind I don't think I could have told you the singer, although the voice would have felt weirdly familiar. And look, respect to the man's undeniable achievements in his craft (which even haters should admit he takes pretty damn seriously) and especially stardom/mass popularity, but partly given the characterlessness to his performance here, my answer to "did I wait too long, to turn the lights back on?" is... yeah, you kinda did. I don't think the reason I loved the ABBA comeback singles and not this is just because I like ABBA and don't care for Billy Joel; I genuinely think they did a better job on playing off their context than he does here. [5]

TA Inskeep: I'd like to keep them off, please.  [1]

Isabel Cole: Billy Joel was one of the few artists my whole family could agree on during long trips in the car; my first concert was his dual tour with Elton John at Madison Square Garden. So on the one hand, the sheer nostalgic sentiment aroused in me by the thought of Billy going back to songwriting after all these years is real, and powerful. On the other, I know whereof I speak when I say that even assessed by the generous lens of someone who was once a 13-year-old girl glad to name Songs in the Attic as her favorite album, this is mid-level Billy at best. Lyrically, so much of his appeal has always been his willingness to indulge—in shamelessness, in sentiment, in spite, in just being kind of an asshole—but this song is too busy wrestling ponderously with its own existence to have that kind of fun; musically, it’s just “I’ve Loved These Days” but not as good. [4]

Rachel Saywitz: It's good, for a budget store "Piano Man."  [5]

Dave Moore: The best thing I can say for this lugubrious comeback ballad, loosely patterned on vintage Billy Joel and a dollop of "Hey Jude," is that it technically clocks in at under four minutes. The worst thing I can say about it is that I am not yet convinced the vocals aren't BillyJoelAI, though it does sound like him really playing the piano (derogatory). [3]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: God, what a trudge — the type of pianoman mewls I thought every Joel song would be as an uneducated youth. But then I heard "Movin' Out," and what a fuckin' joint! (Fun fact: I think a quick browse of Billy Joel's biggest hits has taught me "Movin' Out" is, uh, the only BJ jam I like. Sorry.) [3]

Katherine St. Asaph: I dislike the term "overproduced" in criticism; it's often a way to sneer at pop without having to say something so gauche. But when you have a swelling string section -- a mercilessly effective cheat code to make a listener moved -- and yet that listener cannot be moved because she can't fucking hear it over everything else in the arrangement, your song is overproduced. When you autotune everything about your singer's voice except the notes that he actually flubbed, your song is -- well, not overproduced exactly, but produced poorly. Can't imagine how I'd feel if I were even a Billy Joel fan! One singular point because I learned something: it's not just the de-aging "AI" (scare quotes), Billy Joel really did look kinda like Harry Styles back then. (Harry Styles would probably love to remake this. It would still be a [1]). [1]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: This absolutely shouldn't work on me. I, of sound mind and body and possessing no strong relationship with the music of Billy Joel, ought not to have any reaction to this at all. It's a Billy Joel song that is once again about the romance between the performer and the audience, hitting all the marks he last hit 30 years ago. If nearly everything else he's done leaves me inert, then this should do the same. Yet something about its twilight glory, the way Joel puts himself through his own paces, moves me nonetheless.  [6]

Brad Shoup: I know I'm not the first person to interpret this as a metaphor for Joel's relationship with the public. For me, he's always been a sort of pop midpoint, and I've never been able to budge him. Everything he's ever done has been... fine: the bangers always fuck up somewhere, the groaners are never that embarrassing. So leaving things off with "The River of Dreams" (my favorite) wouldn't have been a bad way to go. This is confident schlock. The snare smacks like a worn copy of "Bridge Over Troubled Water"; he does a little "Piano Man" twirl before the orchestra goes for broke. I don't think he waited too long; I think this song was within him the whole time, for better or worse. [5]

Nortey Dowuona: I understand the hatred. For us, being smooth and easy on the ears is a crime. To refuse the challenges that push the artform of popular music and music culture, or worse, to fight them tooth and nail, is enough to make you an enemy in our eyes. But I do understand the actual reason to simply play to the middle of the road: to connect with everyone since you have learned, possibly later or earlier, we are a rare and bold breed, despite the infighting, backbiting and slimy behavior I will not detail here. Billy Joel has waited long enough -- he at the height of his popularity was despised and condemned, a figurehead for the stultifying demands of white yuppiedom. Unfortunately he was wrong; the fire was started, and will never stop. We, as a far more revered and loved writer said, made our choice as a species, and it's just a question of how long it takes to play out. Billy once wrote of New York being destroyed and its citizens fleeing like rats to Miami, reminiscing over their glory days. But now in 2024, New York refuses to go away. Our mayor, as Wiki and MIKE said, is a cop, and millions are homeless and starving, struggling to keep afloat and trying not to crumble every time a blank, greasy-faced kid with worn-out clothes playing with a iPhone 14 who could afford to give you $5 shakes his head to ignore you. I understand the hatred. But I can't feel it because the hatred feels pointless, empty, a target for those old timers who have fled the sinking ship and their ancestors who only know to despise the old place from stories and memories. He might've waited too long to turn the lights back once since the wires have rotted and the bulbs are broken, but not because the city is empty. It's full of your fanboys and their grandchildren, who now feel the sour bitterness that drove you to flee and cannot choose any other feeling. It's not too late -- it's never too late. [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#billy joel #music #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

[scotianostra]

July 20th 1651 saw The Battle of Inverkeithing when Royalist force supporting Charles II failed to halt advance of army of Oliver Cromwell heading for Perth.

It was during the night or early morning of 16th /17th July 1651 that the troops of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army landed on the north shore of the Forth in the vicinity of Inverkeithing Bay. Whilst they had inflicted a heavy defeat on the Scottish army at Dunbar on 3rd September 1650, they had been thwarted by attempts to advance further into Scotland. Cromwell came to the conclusion that Fife was the key and by 20th July, 4,500 of Cromwell’s Parliamentarian force were dug in on Ferry Hills, whilst a Scottish force of a similar size had grouped at Castland Hill. The threat of Scottish reinforcements coming from Stirling provoked Cromwell’s Parliamentarians to attack and force the Scottish infantry to retreat north towards Pitreavie Castle.

On land close to the Castle, the Scottish infantry made a final stand but were soon overwhelmed by the more experienced Parliamentarians who had the additional advantage of cavalry. The Scots suffered heavy losses. This became known as The Battle of Inverkeithing (sometimes The Battle of Pitreavie) and was the last major battle of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in Scotland. From 1652, Scotland was wholly under control of Cromwell’s Protectorate.

Of course the battle was and straightforward as this, there are always stories within the battles themselves;

Clan Maclean of of Duart, Mull was commanded by their chief, Sir Hector, they found themselves surrounded by superior enemy forces. The clansmen fought fiercely in defence of their chief, calling out, “Fear eile airson Eachainn!” (Another for Hector!),  he was supported and covered from their attacks by these intrepid men; and as one brother fell, another came up in succession to cover for him, seven brothers of the clan sacrificed their lives in defence of their leader, they were traditionally Hector’s foster-brothers. He too was killed in the battle that day.

The first photo shows the monument at Pitreavie, it reads

Battle of Inverkeithing Memorial

“Near here Sir Hector Maclean of Duart was killed at the Battle of Inverkeithing along with some 760 of his men. 20 July 1651. Another for Hector!*

 Erected by the Clan Maclean Heritage Trust 20 July 2001 The day was remembered very vividly for several generations, the Annals of Dunfermline record that….“A rill, traversing the valley, called the Pinkerton-burn,” tradition says, “ran with blood for several days, and the appearance of the little mounds, or heaps of the slain, resembled a hairst field of stooks of corpses.” *harvest field of stacked sheaves

#scotland #scottish #history #battle #civil war

[quinnigallagherjones]

hi! 💙 tell me about your favourite films!

hi nat !! 💙💙

this is so fun because i love filmssss so in no particular order:

knives out (2019) - best movie to ever exist imo !!!!!! there are so many things i love about this movie but the main one is that i never get bored of it, i can't even count how many times i have seen it at this point but every time i do watch it i am just amazed at how good it is !!! the cast, the score, the flow of the movie like it's so PERFECT, i could keep going on about this movie but let's move on so this post isn't really long hahaha

everything everywhere all at once (2022) - i still don't have words for how this movie made me feel, it was such a wild ride like i was crying one moment and then laughing the next and then back to crying, it's an amazing story and also the visuals in this movie are STUNNING !!! would recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't already seen it

emma (2020) - i am a sucker for period drama / romance films and let me tell you THIS IS THE ONE !!!!! jane austen's stories are all so beautiful and this adaptation is truly so so good !! anya taylor joy and johnny flynn have the wildest chemistry i have ever seen and play the tension perfectly !!!!

ready or not (2019) - this isn't shocking to anyone i am sure as i used to be tumblr user gracelcdomas but LISTEN !!! SHE IS THE SUPERIOR FINAL GIRL !!!! i think i am just in love with samara weaving but this movie is so so good and it's another movie that i never get tired of, it's so funny and fucked up and such a wild ride

the grand budapest hotel (2014) - OKAY so i finally watched this movie recently and omg it instantly became a comfort movie for me !! this movie deserves all the hype and praise it gets truly like it's visually stunning but also an amazing storyline with an incredible cast !!! it's also very funny to me that two of my favourite films have will readings that end up in absolute chaos hahahah

spider-man: into the spider-verse (2018) - this movie man !!!!! i am so fucking happy that we finally got a spider-man film THIS FUCKING GOOD !!! when i tell you that this is the best spider-man movie i MEAN THAT SHIT !!!!! miles morales and gwen stacy are my beloveds and also whoever cast jake johnson as peter b. parker i owe you MY LIFE !!!! seriously everyone needs to go watch this movie even if you don't give a fuck about superheroes pls DO IT

chicken run (2000) - i can't talk about some of my favourite films without mentioning chicken run !!!! this is a movie that is very nostalgic to me as my siblings and i used to watch it all the time but listen even as an adult i still ADORE THIS MOVIE !!!!! i feel like this movie is so good on so many levels but the best part about it is rooting for them the whole time and seeing them finally free at the end is just SO DAMN GOOD !!! like listen this film is CINEMA BABY !!!! PLEASE EVERYONE GO WATCH IT !!!!

i really want to keep going on about films but this post is already too long so i am just going to add a few honourable mentions here: wwdits (2014), monsters inc (2001), portrait of a lady on fire (2019), pride and prejudice (2005), get out (2017), puss in boots: the last wish (2022) and tick tick boom (2021) !!

sleepover asks !!

#thank you so so much for the ask !!!!! #i enjoyed this so much :') #nat tag #mutuals tag #answered #ask

[hanasnx]

i think i’m on episode 7 or 8! i really really really really really like terry. he’s so…i don’t really have the words to describe him that well bc i’m still learning his character but i do like him a lot and he is my emo bf. bruce wayne could still get it even at his rickety age idc. victor fries (mr. freeze) is one of my fave dc villains, he’s always evil but also teeter tottering on “morally grey” and i like that so i’m so glad he made an appearance this early on in the show. i also really liked inque’s powers and she was really kicking ass like when terry was like “i take it u don’t like water” or smth and then she went into the grout around the pool and blew up the pool or whatever ??? like yeah i was rooting for terry but i have to give credit where credit is due. i also really like the jokerz, not as actual villains but its funny that this random gang of people think they’re evil fr when they could never ever touch the actual jokers level of villainy and even bruce acknowledges that when him and terry are taking them down together. i also really like the art style, it reminds of some of my absolute fave cartoons and it has that late 90s early 2000’s graininess that’s so nostalgic. literally about to get a little snacky snack and then tune in again

-ivysangel

i wanna put terry in my mouth and chew him tbh and he is so emo bf youre right. also calling bruce "rickety" made me blow air out my nose

i do adore mr freeze :) i love that he was included, i especially love his voice actor i think he does such an incredible job with victor fries. my favorite depictions of him always include his aversion to actual crime lords bcos he thinks of them pretentious self assured simpletons. sure he kills people sometimes, but he doesn't suck his own dick about it, hes here with a righteous purpose! telling this shit to himself as if hes not self assured. i dig it. uses his wife as a scapegoat a lot of the time, like when was the last time he asked nora what she wanted? hes so funny

inque! my darling inque. truly her character design is superior. smooth, easy to read. shifts between human and entity. she's very defined as a villain tbh, someone interesting to watch without needing to name drop one of batman's past villains for views, you know? she's sick as fuck tbh, her statements always rock like the pool one.

"its funny that this random gang of people think they’re evil fr when they could never ever touch the actual jokers level of villainy and even bruce acknowledges that" this

i adore the art style, im pretty sure its bcos the same guys that worked on batman: the animated series went on to create batman beyond, so it's familiar. also they and the justice league (2001) + unlimited are a part of the dini-verse/timm-verse which is paul dini and bruce timm who've worked on those projects and exist on one plane.

i hope u enjoy your snacky snack im rly happy youre enjoying the show

#indy shoots the shit #thanks for the msg!! #batman beyond #anon: 🍃

[wolf-2099]

do you have any recs for miguel comics??? ive been meaning to get into his comics n usually id just go chronologically, but i think youd have good recs for his comics :D

Chronologically actually works pretty well I think, cuz I do like a lot of his comics! I mean sure some of them suck but like. They're charming. And also there are like, 3 or 4 times where his universe/timeline just gets hard reset so just. Take a lot of that with a grain of salt.

His original run from 1992 is of course recommended, even despite a lot of the shitty writing at times. The art is phenomenal I love Rick Leonardi's work. And I do love the foundation for Miguel's personality and story that's built upon. He's very different to Peter Parker and it shows and it's shown in an interesting way that makes him an enjoyable character (just wish the writing wasn't so fucking overly mean to him for no reason sometimes).

There are some 2099 (World of Tomorrow) comics that show not just Miguel but the other 2099 versions of heroes but I'll be honest I haven't read those yet. I heard they were confusing. And also I think Punisher 2099 sets up a villain for Miguel's comic but god it's. Messy. I realized you asked me what's the best to read and I'm trying to give the comprehensive timeline KJDSHGJDS sorry autism moment

Going back to what I do recommend and like, it's a one shot but the Spider-Man 2099 meets Spider-Man is fun I love that one a lot. This is not at all required reading but he does join the Exiles in the 2001 run at around Issue 75 and ngl I skipped there cuz I really do like the Miguel bits in this one. He's not the main character but I think what he adds is fun :) It's a different canon from the main timeline Miguel but it's fun. Captain Marvel (1999) issues 27-30 also bring Miguel back and I think like, set up for future stuff but tbh you don't have to read this and I haven't yet so idk if it's good.

From here it gets. Messy cuz there's the 2014 run but that requires previous reading in The Superior Spider-Man but you can also technically just, skip that and start the 2014 run cuz they do kinda catch you up, but if you want backstory his stuff starts there. I did like his stuff in Superior Spider-man tho. ANYWAYS I like the 2014 run a lot. Then there's Secret War 2099. I cannot remember if I read that DSLJGHSLDJ. But from there is the 2015 run which again you can just kinda jump into and they catch you up. I like it! I think it's fun. Hate once he gets his white suit but hey. He's still cute in this run.

There is a 2019 oneshot that's... Fine. It's fine. I don't really like it but it's a hard reboot of Miguel's timeline and universe again. But not necessary reading. You can read it if you like! But I didn't care much KJLDSFHGHKF

After that there's Spider-Man 2099 Exodus which I DO really like! 2099 Exodus Alpha is actually really good and has one of my favorite covers. And then the latest run he had was 2099 Dark Genesis which I REALLY LIKE. There's Carnage 2099 and I fuckin love this one I actually own all 5 issues.

This got long sorry however I'm not done. Not a comic but if you ever wanna watch smth he's in, the video game Edge of Time is Very good and has Great Miguel characterization and dialogue. There are full playthroughs on Youtube and I really do love this game.

Ok now I'm done sorry for the TED Talk enjoy comics

#this isnt comprehensive no. but its also very long for u who just asked for what i liked so. sorry KJDSHGLJDS

[forabeatofadrum]

Thank you @aroace-genderfluid-sheep​, @artsyunderstudy​ and @captain-aralias​ for the tags. I too hate losing an hour because of daylights savings time.

Well folks, it’s still Kill Your Darlings, thesis edition! I usually try to find six, or ocassionally seven, sentences for the SSS posts. I know it’s not a hard rule, but I like doing it. Unfortunately I had to kill quite some darlings for my thesis, and as a result I have a lot more sentences today, so here we go.

Conforming to the heterosexual order is also referred to as homonormativity (Duggan, 2002). Homonormativity shows that the heterosexual norm is superior and as a result the queer community seeks inclusion and recognition of heterosexual institutions. This is done by disowning anything that is seen as abnormal. This can be done through media representation, among other things. Homonormative representation can lead to a victim role and to assimilation with heterosexual culture (Dhaenens, 2013; Yue, 2014).

This is actually 4 sentences. And yes, “homonormativity” is a weird term. You kind of assume it defines the opposite to heteronormativity, but nope, it is an extension of it.

But next darling that I needed to kill (kinda), is long, so let’s move this under the cut.

To understand how queer representation leads to societal consequences, it is important to look at how queer representation came to be. Queer characters appeared in media from the early 1920s, but new regulations in the 1930s and 1940s made it illegal to show explicit queer characters in America. As a result, a lot of subtext and symbolism was used. Not only that, but these characters were used in a negative way, linking homosexuality to immorality (Rodriguez, 2019). Gay men were the dorky “sissies” (Rodriguez, 2019) and the lesbians were the ugly, sneaky “dykes” (McNicholas Smith, 2020b). Often a storyline for a queer character ended in death, something that still occurs and is known as “Bury Your Gays” (Birchmore & Kettrey, 2022; Bridges, 2018; Waggoner, 2018). From the 1970s, things gradually changed and around the 1990s, the era of modern queer representation arose. Since the 1990s, the number of queer characters has increased and representation is becoming more diverse (McNicholas Smith, 2020b; Rodriguez, 2019).

However, the queer community is still under-represented and limited in the roles in which it is portrayed (Waggoner, 2018; Woods & Hardman, 2022). The queer community is always portrayed in a heteronormative way to show that heterosexuality is the norm (Allen, 2022; Avila-Saavedra, 2009; Dhaenens, 2013; Marwick et al., 2014; Weber & Weeks, 2022). When Ellen Degeneres came out, it was an important moment for the community, but the moment was also criticized, because everything queer about Ellen was taken away for the heterosexual viewer, because queerness is seen as something abnormal (Dow, 2001; McCarthy, 2001). Thus, representation of queer characters must appear very standard, non-political and non-sexual: the characters must adhere to traditional values such as family, monogamy and stability (Avila-Saavedra, 2009), or they are portrayed as a victim to let see that it is easier to be cisgender and straight (Dhaenens, 2013; Rodriguez, 2019).

On the other hand, normalisation is seen as a positive thing. Dhoest and Simons (2011) criticise the idea that simple, standard queer representation is always bad representation. They say that it is wrong and oversimplified to claim that there is only one right way to represent the queer community. Viewers also acknowledge this by stating that even if they do not feel represented by some depictions of queer characters, that those queer characters can still be important to others (McInroy & Craig, 2017). Some studies show that viewers appreciate normalisation (Dhoest & Simons, 2011; Gomillion & Giuliano, 2011). While some viewers like a more abnormal queer representation (Sender, 2011), others even reject this “overkill” and “extreme” queer representation (Dhoest & Simons, 2011).

Yeah, this is a big darling. As I said, I sort of have to kill it? First off, I have to shorten it. But I can save some parts of it and I need to put it in another section of the thesis. Basically, I have to restructure my entire theoretical background, which honestly was valid criticism (I talked about this on Wednesday). But this means that even after I trim it down, I need to be able to split it up and put the relevant parts under “recognition”, “respect” and “identification”.

Unfortunately, I love all of this section, so shortening it is going to be rough. My supervisor also said that this is all too “subjective”, but I am not entirely sure I agree with that criticism. As in, this isn’t my opinion. I put the sources right after it. My supervisor tells me to summarise earlier research and I did and these are the results from those earlier studies. This happens multiple times, because she said that my usage of the terms “positive” “negative” and “better” representation is subjective, but I also take those terms from the sources. Hmmm.

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos​ @blurglesmurfklaine​ @coffeegleek​ @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict​ @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme​ @you-remind-me-of-the-babe​ @takitalks​ @justgleekout​ @cerriddwenluna​ @tea-brigade​ @ivelovedhimthroughworse​ @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch​ @confused-bi-queer @ionlydrinkhotwater @1908jmd​ @special-bc-ur-part-of-it​ @larkral​ @chen-chen-chen-again-chen​​ @cutestkilla​​ @nausikaaa​​/@wellbelesbian​​ @martsonmars​​ @facewithoutheart​​ @shrekgogurt​ @boyinjeans​

#six sentence sunday #tagged in #thesis lol