#With PEAK ant drama

[vino---delectable]

Get to Know Me!

This is just a fun little thing I’ve been wanting to do since the dawn of time but could never find a post to reblog that satisfied what I wanted. So I made this, feel free to reblog and use it yourself!

❤️ how tall are you? 5'5?

🧡 what is your sexuality? ------- there's your answer

💛 what is your favorite feature on yourself? Eyes?

💚 where are you from? Earth. Of that I'm certain

🩵 do you have any pets? A dog, and chickens

💙 do you have any siblings? 3 sissies

💜 describe yourself in five words or less! Quiet, loving, energetic, fantasizer, peaceful

🩷 dream job? Writer

🖤 favorite hobbies outside of your blog? Writing, reading, drawing, watching tv, walking

🎂 when is your birthday? Do you want the black market to find me?

🌙 your zodiac (Sun, Moon, Rising) I know it, I just don't want to share (kidnapper thing)

💉do you have tattoos and/or piercings? Ear piercing

🚗 can you drive? A bicycle

✈️ favorite place you’ve traveled. Its a place in Michigan called zender's I think

🎤 have you been to a concert? I want to... But no

🎵 favorite artists. The Beatles, one direction, Queen, Taylor Swift, the killers, bob Dylan, the Monkees, green day, Fleetwood Mac, led zeppelin. Niall horan.

🎧 last song you listened too... In my head by Jason Derulo.

📺 last show you watched.. One called northern exposure

📝 last thing you wrote. A song I started to write

🔐 something no one would guess about you. I secretly have a dirty mind

🧟‍♀️ scariest thing that’s happened to you. I went to get my dog out of a truck in the dark and I seen all these eyes staring at me.

🔥 craziest thing that’s ever happened to you. I've never actually told anyone about this, except my sister... But when the Crosby part of Crosby still and nash, (can't think of his name right now, lol) died, before I found out about his death I had A dream where me and my mom were cruising down the road , across A beautiful field of sunflowers, and the song playing on the radio was Southern cross... And I tell you what, when his death was announced I was like: "hang on a sec"!! biggest coincidence ever..

🍓 favorite food? Chocolate

🍅 least favorite food. Lima beans

🍊 favorite season? Hard to say, but I guess autumn

🍋 favorite genre to read / watch / write. Its a toss between comedy drama, period drama or dystopian

🍐 if you could make one character real, who would it be. Hard question, but probably Vincent Nigel Murray

🫐 some place you’d love to visit? London baby

🍇 a word your friends would use to describe you. Goofy

🍒 what is your earliest memory. Eating my first bologna sandwich

🍌 what is one talent you wish you had. Writing, lol

💌 why did you start this blog? There was great Beatles content

✏️ when did you start writing fanfic. I barely do, but when I was 14

🖇️ what are your favorite asks to answer.. I've never had any of these, not popular enough, lol

📚 how do you come up with the fics you write. Music, darling, music

📌 what is the fic you’re know for... None

🔍 what character do you enjoy writing for the most... Sherlock holmes

🖊️ what character do you not enjoy writing for. And Vincent Nigel Murray

💔 is there a fic you wish you didn’t write.. Yes

❤️‍🔥 what character do you simp for most often.. Again, Vincent Nigel Murray

🧚‍♀️ favorite characters of all time. This will take a minute... Vincent Nigel Murray, Zack Addy, Phantom of the opera, finnick odair, Peeta mellark, temperance Brennan, katniss everdeen, haymitch Abernathy, Johanna mason, lance sweets, Sherlock Holmes, john watson, Louisa Clark, will trainor, Peter Parker, doctor strange, ant man, Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennett, Henry Tilney, Emma Woodhouse, Mr. Knightley, joey tribbiani, Chandler bing, Phoebe buffay.

🪐 favorite shows / series of all time. Bones, monk, psych, Downton Abbey, the mentalist, Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes 1984, f.r.i.e.n.d.s, Golden girls, Emma 2009, north & south, the x files, twin peaks.. Book/movie series: hunger games!

🌝 a show you would recommend to anyone. all of the ones mentioned above

🌚 a show you’d tell people to stay away from. Idk yet

🌹 favorite kinks to write for. Idk

🥀 kinks you would never write for. Idk

🌊 a kink you would like to write but you think you’d be judged. Again, idk

❄️ full fics, imagines or head canons, can't tell you

☂️ your favorite fanfic from another writer, I have one but it's on another website

A couple of in depth questions!

🍄 what is something that’s happened in your life that you wish you could go back and change? My mean grandfather living with me

⭐️ what is one of your biggest accomplishments? Why is it so important to you? Being a nice person, speaks for itself.

🪻what is the toughest thing you had to go through, but can say you’ve successfully overcome? Death of my step grandfather

🌺 what is the best gift someone has ever given you and why is it so important. My mom gave me life?

🍀 what is your comfort show/series and why is it your comfort show? How has it helped you? The Monkees helped when my one grandfather died.

#Me #About me #get to know me #the beatles #one direction #queen #taylor swift #the killers #bob dylan #the monkees #green day #fleetwood mac #led zeppelin #niall horan #crosby stills nash and young #vincent nigel murray #zack addy #poto #finnick odair #peeta mellark #temperance brennan #katniss everdeen #haymitch abernathy #johanna mason #lance sweets #Sherlock Holmes #peter parker #jane austen #bones (2005) #joey tribbiani

[kimwexlers-brownhair]

Tagged by the fabulous @cauldronofmorning for eight shows to get to know me! Thanks so much for the tag!

1) Twin Peaks. Agreeing with Char on this one. One of my friends calls it “Pacific Northwest Gothic” and I couldn’t agree more, especially as a girl named Laura from the PNW. Thankfully my life is far more blessed than Laura Palmer’s. It’s really one of the most influential shows of all time. All of the procedurals or dramedies that came after, especially ones with weird avant-garde feels to them, might not exist without Twin Peaks. One such show that has Twin Peaks all overs its DNA is:

2) Yellowjackets. It’s a young show that I’ve only recently become obsessed with, but it’s like somebody put all my favorite narrative choices in a blender in a way that doesn’t feel pandering. 

3) Succession. It’s pretty enthralling, innit? The comedy-drama line is a very tricky tightrope, and damn if Jesse and co. don’t knock it out of the park every time. We really get under the skin of these terrible, terrible people, and you find yourself empathizing at least once with every major character.

4) Columbo. As for shows that might have influenced Twin Peaks, I wonder if Columbo was one. They have surprisingly similar vibes, at least sometimes. Columbo himself is a more slovenly, seemingly absent-minded precursor to Dale Cooper. They’re both unconventional weirdos with hearts of gold who present the opposite to the standard cynical TV sleuth -- not to mention they wear the same raincoat, only Coop’s is crisp and clean next to Columbo’s...less crisp and clean coat. There’s also that kind of groovy, mellow ‘70s vibe that can get very unsettling very quickly. I never get tired of watching Columbo.

5) Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul. I’m grouping them together in one because BCS wouldn’t exist without BrBa, and they both do scratch many of the same itches for me. Magnetic casts and writing that transcend the genre -- again, and this might seem like a stretch, I see the DNA footprints Twin Peaks left behind in that the tropes get flipped upside down. Sometimes you’ll start the show on a little boy capturing a tarantula or a closeup of ants devouring a dropped ice cream cone. Pure Lynch.

6) The Simpsons, I’d say about the first eight seasons. It first aired when I was close to two years old, so I don’t remember a time in my life without it. My dad was at first a little nervous about letting me and my sister watch because of how intense Itchy and Scratchy was, but darn it, he wanted to watch it and he rightly knew we would have been little nightmares to deal with if he didn’t include us. It shaped my sense of humor, while also ruining a lot of good kids fare at the time. If you’re raised on The Simpsons, Sesame Street probably won’t do it for you. I do kind of regret that, I think The Simpsons probably made me a bit of an insufferable kid. I still don’t know who I’d be without it in those formative years, though! Too bad it’s now the bloated corpse of what it once was, and I stopped watching years and years ago. It was a sad day when I realized there are now far more bad seasons than good.

7) Mystery Science Theater 3000. Another one that shaped my humor early in life, although not as consistently as The Simpsons. I actually don’t remember seeing it at all apart from my early years until my teens, when the Sci-Fi channel started airing them. I’ll always be a Crow girl, I am not original in that regard.

8) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I hate a lot of their choices especially in the early seasons, and I won’t defend those choices. But I do see growth in how they choose to satirize the world without falling into the trap of appearing to endorse it. (Most of the time). It’s the funniest cast on Earth with the funniest writing on Earth. Little green ghouls, man.

Tagging: @georgeromerosanalcavity, @thewildwestpyro, @kimberly-wexler, @bluestockingbaby, @tinylilvalery

#sad that 30 rock and bob's burgers and adventure time didn't make the cut but it's a tough life #cauldronofmorning #twin peaks #yellowjackets #succession #columbo #breaking bad #better call saul #the simpsons #mystery science theater 3000 #It's always sunny in philadelphia #brba #bcs #mst3k #iasip

[classicmarvelera]

When Avengers and X-Men turned Thirty

If you tell an Avengers fan today that the 90s belonged to the X-Men, it’ll be hard for them to even imagine such a reality ever existed. The mutant super-team which was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, carried on by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams until its end, revived by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum in 1975, catapulted by Chris Claremont along with John Byrne who gets succeeded by Jim Lee which led to the publishing of the record-breaking comic book: X-Men Vol. 2 no. 1 in 1991   

The Avengers on the other hand started out strong in 1963 with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at the helm. They would continue their strong run till the 80s thanks to Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Steve Englehart, George Pérez, and Roger Stern, but something happens in the 90s that makes them the 2nd most popular franchise within the House of Ideas when Bob Harras and Steve Epting took over 

If one looks at the Marvel Checklist from the 80s and 90s, we find X-Men from having five ongoing series (The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, New Mutants, Wolverine, and Excalibur) to having seven (The Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, Wolverine, Cable, and Excalibur) leaving behind Avengers with six ongoing titles (Avengers, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, West Coast Avengers, She-Hulk and Captain Marvel). A stark difference between the two franchises was that X-Men titles were spin-offs of The Uncanny X-Men ongoing series whereas the Avengers came into existence thanks to characters established prior to the team formation (Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America) thereby having fewer ongoing spin-offs than X-Men 

It was the year 1993

Under the leadership of Tom DeFalco and Bob Harras, a year-long celebration of both teams was announced with 30th-anniversary special limited series, cross-over events in ongoing titles, poster books, posters, trading cards, and even a Survival Guide to the X-Mansion 

This was the year when (what is now condescendingly referred to as) gimmick covers peaked. This was the year when Magneto’s real name was revealed only to be retracted/changed in X-Men Vol. 2 no. 72. This was the year when Captain America wasn’t leading the Avengers, instead it was Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Hercules was without a beard, the short-lived brown leather jackets were introduced for both teams and lastly, this was the year when both teams would be facing off against Magneto and his Acolytes

Trading Places and the Drama that came with it

Magneto’s son Quicksilver (married to the In-Human Crystal) had joined X-Factor, the Eternal Sersi is an Avenger; and so is Crystal. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, She-Hulk, Warbird, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye (to name a few) take a back seat with some not even seen throughout the anniversary year which was quite disappointing for Avengers fans 

However, for X-Men fans, seeing Magneto return with an enraged Messiah Complex thanks to being betrayed by one of his own disciples; to exact revenge on his long-time friend and rival Charles Xavier for what he and his students had done to him and his fortress of solitude in X-Men Vol. 2 no. 1-3; by breaking one of his students away from him 

Friends becoming mortal Foes, crossing the lines which they had themselves established between them. Disillusionment amongst their followers, raging fanaticism fueled by a cruel past of a leader and his followers. Infidelity, and being forced to help a mortal enemy are some of the themes that were explored by the creators 

Why 1993 remains important? 

Increased digitization and the existence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have adversely affected Marvel Comics. Making a buck out of selling comics is now harder which in turn has made Marvel introverted, and risk-averse; and as we are now in the 60th year of both teams; there are hardly any plans of celebrating both's history in an impactful as well as meaningful way like it was done three decades ago by Marvel Editorial 

While the 30th Anniversary came without contributions from the very people that had made these teams Super-Fan Favorites; it sure occupies an important place within the hearts and minds of X-Men and Avengers fans to this day 

The Gallery

Crossovers 

Holographic Cards (Fatal Attractions Covers) 

A30 (Pre-Bloodties) 

Spin-Offs and Limited Series

Posters and Poster Books

Other Merchandise

#X-men #Avengers #X-Men: 30th Anniversary #Avengers: 30th Anniversary #X-Men: 60th Anniversary #Avengers: 60th Anniversary

[jq37]

I don't think my heart can take five more episodes of this. I thought episode 4 had reached peak drama, but ep 5 just anted up. Brennan taking a sniper shot to our emotions, Andhera's charged moment at the end, whatever the eff is about to go down with Binx's storyline. Thank god for Lou and Emily for playing messy bitches, cause the laughs they bring to the table are my life preserver in all the drama we're drowning in.

Just in time for next episode, let's check in with what these disasters fairies are doing!

Rue is just as much of a dramatic bitch as an owlbear as they were as a supermodel fae, which I respect. The glamour was fake but that Attitude (tm) was real baybee! And speaking of drama...

Hob is making me crazy. One the one hand, I appreciate Brennan for not metagaming and for playing true to Hob's repressed, self-deprecating, status-conscious nature. On the other hand on my GOD. Come ON. Aabria said, "Roll an insight check against yourself," and I wanted to scream. Hob's inner monologue is torturing both himself and me.

Binx's secret is out! Ooh, I cannot wait to see how this pops off. I've been wondering what's up with her for the longest while, as I'm sure everyone has since we learned she had a secret. I was wondering if maybe her court is the one that produced all the archfey patrons? Since it seems like most other fae don't really interact with mortals and she seems so weirdly protective of Wanessa (sidenote: shoutout to Aabria for the phrase "study in human averages" which totally broke me). Maybe the Court of Wonder (or whoever stole their magic) didn't like the court giving any of their limited magic to humans? Idk, just spitballing. Can't wait to see how this storyline goes. And circling back to Rue, I love that they were the one Binx chose to confide in. Their dropping their glamour was the perfect narrative point for Binx to be like OK, possible ally. I love it when these things dovetail.

I LOVE that Andhera is always picking the Vegan option to all his conflicts, trying to just make friends with everyone...until it comes to his Bitch Of A Sister (TM, Adaine Abernant) in which case he's like double middle fingers, "Get fucked!". That's such a funny line in the sand. Like, if you follow me you know I love sibling stuff like nothing else but God that betrayal was fantastic. Also, I love Omar stirring the pot for some regency romance for himself. Secret secrets in the dark. So regency. That was not a potential pairing I called (though, nothing can top the shock of RuexHob so they will have to settle for second place here.) Anyway, shoot your shot my man. Looking forward to see these two awkward talkers talk about this later.

Meanwhile Lou is instigating with Apollo and and Emily is getting a secret rumor phrase as she runs the betting pool? Icons. Faves. Lords of the Wing for life. I am in awe of their chicanery.

Great ep as always and I cannot wait to see how things get even more chaotic tomorrow!

#asks #dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #a court of fae and flowers spoilers #a court of fey and flowers #acofaf #farmer-10

[thepaintpirate]

IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED EPISODE 2, SCROLL NOW.

Live action review -

One piece: The Man in the Straw hat

Just my thoughts and opinions on episode 2...

Crew dynamic forming kinda, they're a lil meaner than I remember but I'm loving it. These interactions are fun

I love the flashbacks to Shanks, I think that's really good. Again, great performance from him and mini Luffy, Makino is surprising good too I actually like her a lot as a character anyway and I'm glad that minor characters are being highlighted

If you thought the casting had peaked, don't kid yourself because BUGGY CASTING IS PERFECT?!

His whole entrance, the dark turn take too. He's a villain here, we know that but also I think it's going to be really fun later on when we see bigger threats that make Buggy look like an ant

Uhh I don't remember all the details of Romance Dawn but I do know Morgan was arrested... Are they not going to do that? I guess there's a change in plot, not a bad one it's just different. (He did just get arrested I redact my opinion)

Garp's stupid little hat and Bogard actually talk too. Love that for him.

No but I'm loving this Buggy characterisation. I'm living for every moment he's on the screen

He's such a drama queen, especially when we know he's being dramatic about Shanks and the old crew. Cry me a river you silly little clown man

Murderous Zoro really showing through though and I'm liking it? This show is actually showing that they can and do kill people

Him and Nami moments are mwah chefs kiss

The switching between Shanks and then to Buggy during the water scene is a nice touch

I think by far the CGI in the sea king scene, the way it's set out and built up... It's just as good as the anime scene (don't come at me you anime elitists I said it's equal) and the acting way just as good. So far my most favourite scene.

And the Conquerors haki part ah that always gets me, it makes me so hyped

Body horror power Buggy is part of my nightmares

The hat scene is so magical and sweet, I could rant about it for days. And the best part is that because it's live action you can see expressions so much more, like Shanks looking a little teary eyed oh save my heart before it explodes

Nami you sneaky gal

I think in contrast to the first episode, this is a good example of moving forward and showing the potential of the show. This was top tier, the acting was great and I didn't actually get any second hand embarrassment this time which is a massive win.

Everyone in it was dedicated to their characters and the makeup and costumes are fabulous, they really did pull out all the best stuff from the budget.

I'm so looking forward to more but I'm stopping here for today because I have to go to buy furniture :)

Please express your takes though, I'd love to hear them.

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #nami #one piece zoro #one piece live action #one piece spoilers #one piece live action spoilers #spoilers #coby one piece

[hannahsmusings]

Renee

*I had never seen Anthony like this, I had seen every emotion a person could have but this one was new, it was foreign and I didn’t know how to handle it so I was more than happy to walk away, him not necessarily scaring me but it was intense and I knew he needed to figure it out on his own* *I sigh, closing my eyes, all of that bitterness that I carried around with me for so long was finally gone, that heaviness on my shoulders felt lighter now, realizing that I needed to get those words out, I had never expressed them out loud besides to my mom and never to that extent* *I sigh before walking over to the door and cracking it open as I peak out, just wanting to make sure that Ant wasn’t pacing the halls waiting for me, feeling relief as I see the hallway was deserted and I exit, deciding that I just wanted to go home and sleep away this horrible night, feeling utterly embarrassed and just hollow now* *I make my way back to the kitchen, trying to find Aliyah pushing through sweaty drunk bodies* 

*Liam was right by the back door when he saw Anthony all but run outside, his brows furrowing as he watched his friend, his brows knitting together when he sees him throw the glass at the fence, knowing that Ant sometimes held a lot of his rage inside and it came out in this sort of way, it being helpful on the ice during games but not in these sorts of situations when there was liquor involved, figuring that he was just a drunk mess and was going to smoke some and get over it, but he would keep an eye on him until they headed back to the hockey house* *he watched his friend for a while, noticing that he was just sat outside barely moving, seeing the smoke so he knew he was high but usually he rallied by now, but it seemed that his friend was going to wallow all night and that worried him* *he walked over to their other frat brother, Jack, nudging him in the side* Yo, Ant is a fucking mess out there… he just threw a glass so we gotta keep an eye on him, yeah? I don’t know what happened, probably some girl drama.

*I was stood right by two guys in the kitchen as I pulled my phone out, deciding to just text Aliyah and tell her I was heading out, not wanting to be in this too hot and too small house any longer* *my ears perk up when I hear Ant’s name, immediately feeling concerned because he sounded concerned, biting my lip as I turn and see the sliding door right behind us, assuming Anthony was out there and weighing my options, either going out there to console him and make sure he’s actually okay or going home and letting him deal with this shit on his own, closing my eyes, mumbling ‘fucking hell’ under my breath before turning and opening the sliding door, slowly making my way over to the hunched over figure, crossing my arms over my chest since it was chilly and I was just in my dress* You having a fun pity party out here? 

__________________________________

*I was so drunk that rolling a spliff was hard work, hands trembling with all this unexpressed emotion, feeling like I wanted to scream or cry or smash things, hating how that conversation had gone and hating even more that I couldn’t express myself, my thoughts feeling like mud in my head and honestly I just needed to be black out drunk to forget this evening had ever happened* *chugs some more of the whiskey, hissing at the burn before lighting up the spliff and smoking it, immediately knowing it was a bad idea as a wave of dizziness falls over me but I push through, feeling like I deserved to feel this shit as obviously I was a fuck up of a human* *I sit with my thoughts, trying to make sense of things but everything was spinning and I just felt so tired, leaning my head against the wall as I smoke, hearing the door open and slurring out* Go away...*to whoever it was, wanting to be alone and not wanting to deal with any happy people right now, feeling like shit and often retreating when I felt this way* *looks up as I hear your voice, my vision blurred and spinning as I move my head too quickly, wondering whether this was actually happening or whether I’d hallucinated you, fucking hell* Renee? *asks, the hope being clear in my voice even though I tried to hide it* *finally processes your words, frowning and turning away as I shake m head* No. *pouts*

#renee plot

[jaybarou]

.

More rants about the hell hotel!

Particularly the Stayed gone song.

I know the fandom likes a superpowerful alastor, I mean, he's a Gary Sue, or at least that's what we are supposed to think.

But!

Failed Adam's fight apart,

"you still pissed he ALMOST beat you that time?"

So either they have only had one fight that Vox won, or they have had multiple and Alastor has not won any.

"welcome home"

We knew this was personal! But home sounds very personal! He could have sung welcome back. "Home"!

Status quo and new dawn

Despite Alastor almost losing, he was seen as above the tv media. What year is it? Because video killed the radio star long long before the seven year absence of Alastor. Velvette is at least a 2005 sinner, take 7 years from that

Clout (50s slang) buffering, podcasts, that's the tea.

What these words say is on the one hand, Alastor has been keeping up with the times, despite pretending not to. That 50s word implies that it has not been a recent thing, he's just evolving like the rest of hell. And on the other hand, that his power might come from knowing who he's talking to, who will get hurt more when his words cut closer and who to hide his recent language acquisitions from to look old-timey and more quirky and approachable.

"the demon is a coward" "while he hid in radio"

More fodder for my "actually Alastor is only hiding behind a veneer of power". (Lucifer doesn't even know his name). I'm not taking vox at face value, but this and Val's comment about the beating makes me think that somthing is not clicking. First the comment about hiding in radio. Both of them (and the Vs) are distance fighters. They are not made for close fights. Except Alastor can eat sinners like ants. When exactly did Alastor hide in radio? And why? What's the timeline here? Alastor started to pick overlords and add them to his power one by one. We are assuming the vox alastor fight happened just before the 7 year break. Which should have been at the peak of Alastor's power, but we know that he lost. Against vox whe he was an up and comming demon. Sure in 7 years with allies and no competition he's consolidated his power, but would he be impressive at all 7 years ago?

So I think that timeline doesn't work.

I think Alastor was comfortable with his power until tvboy started to steal his listeners. They fought and Alastor Almost won. But didn't.

And that made him nervous. His control was slipping through his fingers. And that's when he got power hungry.

Anything to go back to being the Radio Demon. First to get back what was his and then just out of power lust. By then Lilith was still in Hell, and she has affinity for music, she saw an asset that would be useful at some point and exacted a deal out of him. She would help him consume any overlord that was giving Lilith trouble to get more powerful, she could use his radio emissions to control her subdits.

That's when Vox got scared(and horny, let's be honest). Alastor was gaining power fast, so in order to remain in power he decided to recruit Alastor. And he got laughed out the door.

Well now Vox was fucked. Because Alastor was really stronger than the Vs together, and he clearly had someone powerful backing him up (maybe that's where the coward comment comes from).

So you know when Vox says Alastor is a nobody? What if he is right? He used to be a nobody until Lilith made him rise and Vox still sees him as that little nobody who he angered until he grew thorns.

Then something happened. It all stopped. Alastor disappeared, he never even challenged the Vs (again, maybe where the coward comment comes from). Something happened to Lilith, and Alastor's chain was yanked along with her. Leaving him powerless again.

7years to contact again Lilith and get his powers back. He didn't get into this deal thinking his powers could abandon him.

So my pet theory is that Alastor is not a huge demon powerhouse contained by Lilith, but some rando who would love to tap out of this royal drama and go on his merry way. (It's not working, now he's deeper in the drama)

Thank you for coming to my rambling.

[ieatsurveys]

54.

Have you stayed up past 3 in the morning this week? No, I go to bed so early.

What was on the last sandwich you had? A chicken salad sandwich.

What does the soap you use smell like? I'm too lazy to check.

Do you prefer to wrap gifts or use gift bags? Wrap gifts.

The last person you spoke to, do you know their eye color? Blue.

Does anyone you know have their hair bleached? Maybe? But I don't think so.

When you’re on the phone, do you doodle? No.

Is there anyone you know by the name of Frank? Yes.

Do you own a trench coat? Nope.

Name the sturdiest piece of technology you own? Um, I don't know.

Have you ever written with a pen that had pink ink? Most likely.

Do you remember the last thing you took a picture of? No.

From where you’re sitting, can you turn the lights off? Yes.

When was the last time you accidentally slept in? I don't know.

Tell me the last thing you searched on the internet? Ha, too lazy to check my history.

The last argument you had, who started it? Me.

Do you wear a ring on your left-hand middle finger? I don't wear rings.

Are you currently in a smoking environment? No.

Can you remember the title of the song you last sang aloud? I do not.

If a stranger smiles at you, do you smile back? Yes.

Tell me the current time? 4:01pm.

Are you currently listening to music through earphones? No, usually I do.

What color shirt are you wearing? Is it your favorite color? Blue flowery shirt, and yes.

Do you own a pair of rubber boots? No.

Have you ever owned a tire swing? Negative.

Does anyone you know own a bird that can talk? Yes.

What make-up are you wearing currently, if any? None.

Name one thing you are glad you accomplished today? Got my medicine and got my eyeglasses.

Name one thing you wished you accomplished today but didn’t? Drink coffee, haha.

Have you ever been afraid to call someone, even if you knew them well? Yeah.

Do you ever not speak to someone because you’re afraid you’ll annoy them? Yeah.

Is there any drama going on in your circle of friends? Yes.

Have you ever known a guy who caused a lot of drama? Yes.

Is there anyone you know who wears their hair in pigtails regularly? Nope.

Personally, do you think you have a nice smile? Sure.

Do you have a nervous twitch? Nah.

Have you ever taken care of a drunk friend? Yes.

How about a hungover friend? No.

Does the idea of snow peaked mountains and a large lake sound appealing? Always.

Pick any number that has personal significance to you? I don't have a number that has personal significance to me.

Have you ever lost your luggage at an airport? Nope.

Have you ever been on a rollercoaster that actually scared you? I'm always a bit scared as soon as I get in a rollercoaster, but then the fear is gone as soon as we go down the first hill.

Do you know anyone who can fluently speak more than two languages? Yes.

The last person who texted you, have you ever fought with them? Yes.

How many windows are open on your computer right now? 1.

Do you have a fairly fast or slow internet connection? It's pretty fast.

Have you ever gone in a sauna? Nope.

Out of these colors, which appeals most to you: orange, blue, or green? Blue.

Have you celebrated your birthday yet this year? Yes.

Is there anything you’re saving up for? A car.

Are you taller than most of your friends? We're basically all the same size.

Know anyone with a really annoying laugh? No.

Have you ever punched someone and broke their nose? No.

What is the longest time you have gone without sleep? A week.

Have you ever been someplace tropical? I guess.

If given the opportunity, would you act in a commercial? Sure.

You see an ant on the ground, do you squish it? If it's inside my place, yes.

Have you ever baked a pie? Have not.

What is your favorite social networking site? Facebook.

Who was the last person to call you? It was an unknown number.

Does anyone in your family tell funny stories? Meh.

Is there a war memorial where you live? I think so.

Has anyone in your family fought in any of the wars? They were in the navy.

Would you make any changes to your current bedroom? Yes, but I don't know what.

Has a stray dog ever tried to bite you? It wasn't a stray.

When riding a bus, do you prefer to sit up front, down back or the middle? Back.

Have you ever been on a cross-country train ride? No.

Are you normally a person to tell people off? No.

Name an object that most would consider odd that’s special to you? Mugs.

What animal have you always wanted as a pet but couldn’t have? Cat. I now live in a place where cats are allowed.

Do you currently have any bug bites? Nope.

Is where you live on a boulevard, road, street, or avenue? Road.

Is there currently any caffeine in your system? Nah, the coffee has probably worn off.

Look around, are things organized? Somewhat. I just cleaned.

Is there any TV show that ended that you wish hadn’t? Yes. Parenthood and This is Us.

Know what you’re planning to do after this? Just hang out at my place. Probably clean some more, but I don't know. I might deep clean tomorrow.

[thedjmusic]

Traxsource Weekend Weapons May 6th, 2022

DOWNLOAD: https://thedjmusic.com/music/traxsource_weekend_weapons_may_6th_20220

DATA CREATED: 2022-05-11 TOTAL: 262 GENRE: House, Tech House, Afro House, Jackin House, Deep House, Soulful House, Funky House, Organic House / Downtempo,  Progressive House, Nu Disco / Disco,  Melodic House & Techno, Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic), Techno (Peak Time / Driving), Dance / Electro Pop, Indie Dance, Nu Disco / Disco

8nine Muzique - Sunday Nights

AdomasLP, DJ Alone Again - Pay The Price

Adri Block, Paul Parsons - Late At Night (Nu Disco Club Mix)

Afefe Iku - Sista Georgia

Afro Wav - Jazzy Escapades (Afro Electronica Mix)

Afro Wav - StrangeTides (Afro Electronica Mix)

After The Tide, Alex Gómez - Call Me Baby

After The Tide, Live For Love - Bumping

Ainz - The Sacred Corner

Alex Agore - Polarity

Alex Gómez - Disco Drama

Alex Preston, Julia Church - Pink Rocket

Alexny - Mr. Magic

Amir Alexander, Tim Collins - The Masquerade (Original)

Amorhouse, Tonix - What We Do

Anderblast, Steve Sax - That Mood (Edit)

Andrea Erre, Soul Groove, Venessa Jackson - Who Are You (Soulbridge Mix)

André Hommen, Manuel Tur - Pantone (Manuel Tur Remix)

André Hommen, Michael Mayer - Pantone (Michael Mayer Remix)

Andy Wave - Victoria

Angelo Ferreri, Nicolo' Polidori, Karmina Dai - Deep Inside (Radio Edit)

Ani & Horacio - Ibaye

Ant Schillaci - That's Progress

Antonio Grassia - Hear The Soul

Antonio Grassia - Keep The Vibes

Art Of Tones - Crazay

Art Of Tones - Not The Same

Atjazz, Fred Everything - Stay A Little While (Original Mix)

Ayala (IT) - Azteca

B&S Concept - You Got The Power

BNinjas - Just Go

Babert, rion s - Be What You Want To Be

Baby Weight, Hutchtastic, Cody Nu Skool - Body Language

Back Is Beautifull - Beautifull World

Barney Osborn - Basement Vibe

Bekail, Moody Hertz - Baby Bae (Original Mix)

Ben Sun - Transmission

Benson - Funktion

Biscits - The Judge

Black Legend Project - Close Your Eyes (Black Legend Remix)

Blazers - Sensations

Blazers - Sounds From The Waves

Blvckr - Mind Shaking (Extended Mix)

Boddhi Satva - Variable Temporaire

Bonetti - Been Too Long

Chemars - Sunday Crush

ChiLow - Road To Heaven

Cho & Random Impetus - Brother Sister (Ray Mang Dub)

Chris Fry - 11:11

Cody Currie, Eliza Rose - Night Sky

Curio Tones - Analogica

DJ Couza, Sir James On Keys - Beautiful Colours

DJ Dove - Get Away (Edit)

DJ Gomi, Sandy B - Relight My Fire (Dub)

DJ Roland Clark - I Love A Black Woman (Bang The Drum Remix)

Da Funk Junkies - Nothin Stays The Same

Dan Laino - Strong (Dan's Re-Rub)

Dan Rubell - Dunkler Raum (Du & Ich)

Danny J Lewis - Never Let Go (Radio Edit)

Darius Syrossian - Mercy Me

Darren Regan, Sebb Junior - Higher Ground (Sebb Junior Dub)

Dave Anthony, Dawn Souluvn Williams - Better Days

David Body - Jack Me Baby

David Morales, Iossa - Why Me (Cevin Fisher Vocal Mix)

Dee Montero - Satori

Deecross - Rock It 2022

Deep-Dee - Unification

Deeplomatik - Disco Player

Demarkus Lewis - Hard Fire (Vincent Caira Edit)

Destroyer - Love Like This (DJ Spen & Karizma Vocal)

Di Saronno, DJ Gomi - Rhythm Roulette

Diego Forsinetti - Souvenirs

Disaia, Fer Mesa - Fuego

Disco Lust - Tonite (Original Mix)

Distant People, Morris Revy - Give It Up

Djoko - Take Me Back

Dominic Balchin - Supersonic SpaceFunk

Dominic Balchin - What You Do

Doorly, Rowetta - Give Me Love

Doug Gomez - Chibchacum (Drum Mix)

DuBeats - Honey

DuBeats, Memo Rex - Daylight

Duck Sauce, A-Trak, Armand van Helden - Put The Sauce On It

Duskope, Criss Korey - Show Me Love

Eastwest Connection - The More I Get (Neil's Piano Dub)

Echo Deep - Drums & People

Eman, Master Fale - Not This Poem

Emanuele Esposito, Mavhungu - Tuwani

Erik Bo, Mack Bango - Le bien le mal

Erik Bruce - Sensor (Main Mix)

Eskana - Don't Wanna Waste Your Life

Eugenio Fico - Keep On Moving (Original Mix)

EverMode - Phares

Evil C - No Fiction

Ezirk - Saturn Disco

FLIP-DA-FUNK - Saturday Night

FabioEsse - Deeper Love

Franck Roger - You Made My Soul

Fun Kibrothers - That Funky Day (Vocal Edit)

Funky Gangster - Expected (Original Mix)

Garas - Keep Moving

George Cynnamon - I'll Set You Free (Original Mix)

George Munro - Where I Belong

Gianluca Guida, Gabriele Di Pietro - Got That Groove

Grace Bones - In Groove

Green Tree - Puppet on a String

Groove Synergy - Right Now

Gy Fos - Think It Over

HDSN - Sunny Days Wouldn't Be Special If It Wasn't For Rain

HP Vince - Mary J Blige (Edit)

HP Vince, Silvio Gigante - So Close

Hani, Jamie Green - I Am : Your Love (12" Acapella)

Hassio (COL) - Leolopolis

Hassio (COL) - Sahara Desert (Original Mix)

Hassio (COL), Cuentero - Afro Low

Hiva - Shadows

Hotmood - Midnight Soul

InQfive, Dr Feel - Msiba (Dub Mix)

Incognito, Bluey - Could Heaven Ever Be Like This

Inner City - Your Love (Kevin Saunderson's Clubbed UK Dub)

Interstate, Tilman, Interstate, Tilman - Caught Slippin' (Tilman's Mood Mix)

J.B. Boogie - Saxtrack

Jalal Ramdani, Mr. Silk, Lizwi - Imbongi (feat. Lizwi)

Jason Herd, Ross Munro - Blow (Original Mix)

Jason Hersco - Sad Girls Luv Pizza

Javi Lopez - Slap (2022 Remastered)

Jay Vegas - Come Back (Sax Dub)

Jazzman Wax - GTA

Jesusdapnk - The Long Night

bond - Work Your Body (Original Mix)

firefly - Love Is Gonna Be On Your Side

Jesusdapnk - Tranquility

Joe Ventura, Sulene Fleming - I'll Wait (feat. Sulene Fleming) (Radio Edit)

John Beltran - Ondas

Josh Wink - Balls Back

Juan Di Lago - It's Over (Bauuer Remix)

Junior RZ - Bring It Back

Junior RZ - Krazzy

Jurgen Bouman, Byron the Aquarius - Fo Sho (Original)

Jurgen Bouman, Jamie 3:26 - Yo Hands (Original)

Just Jake - Booty Shake

Just Jake - Do One More

Just Jake - Tip Tap

Kahu - You Rock

Kassian - San Junipero

Kasto, Niles Shepard - Ride

Kasto, Niles Shepard - Slow It Down

Kekko Navarro - My House Is Your House

Kennedy, The Stoned - Come Alive

Kiberu - Aname

Kimara Lovelace, Roland Clark, Fuminori Kagajo - When Can Our Love Begin (Unreleased Fuminori Kagajo Remix)

Kinetic T, Zaza Lords - Wendoda (Original Mix)

Kino Todo - Division X

Kinree - Instinct

Kollective Groove - Storming

Krystal Klear - Mega Chords (Edit)

Kyle Walker - All You Need

LLeiL, TOSHI - Ndakunika

LTJ XPerience - Feel the Real (Black Piggy Remix)

LTJ XPerience, Taka Boom - Feel The Real

Lance Ferguson - Got Myself a Good Man

Lebedev (RU) - True Time

Lee Burridge, Lost Desert - Open Doors

Lesny Deep - House Nation (Original Mix)

Luis Radio, Pietro Nicosia - Barraka (Darbuka's World Mix)

Luxxury - I Need Somebody

MADVILLA - Gelato Dream

MS Pika - Mist Draw (Original Mix)

Maffa - Cosa Nostra (Our Thing)

Make A Dance - I Need Somebody

Makito - Get On Down

Makito - Work

Marcello Marotta, MASINO - Just Don't Care (Original Mix)

Marcos Carnaval - La Vida

Marix Green - The Night

Markyño - Tech Nation

Massimo Barri - You Bring Me Joy

Massimo Barri, Morris Revy - What If I Told You

Matt Black, Scott J - Come On In

Maurice Joshua, The Whispers - Praise His Holy Name (Steppers Remix)

Mauro Novani, Dj R3ZZ - A Soul Thing (Original Mix)

Max Marinacci - Deeper Strings

Michael King, Afro Wav, Takue (SBT) - Coulors Of The Rainbow

Micronoise - You Got It (Original Mix)

Mija - Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless) (House Kitsuné America)

Miky Junior - Make You Dance

Mr Black - Ohh Baby (Edit)

Mr Black, Leon Reis, BHR - Black Diamond

Mr Joe - Jungle Rumble

Msolnusic - 'On Me'

NUMA A TFIVE - All Night (Original Mix)

Nash La Musica, Pilogram Stylze - Phambili (Nash La Musica Soulful Mix)

Neysa - Ride It Out

Nitescape, Joseph Bound, Liz Jai - Supernatural

Nomar Boltier - My World (Original Mix)

Obdurate, DarQknight, Bobo - Dedi (Original Mix)

Oggie B - La Trica

Oli Hodges - Move It Back (DJ-G Remix)

Paco Caniza - Time For This (Original Mix)

Paolo Bardelli, Raffaele Giusti - Just Dancin'

Patrick Meeks - Your Love (Radio Edit)

Pedro Gil, Juan Carlos XS - Sunset Affair

Phonk D - Anoa

Platinum City - Enchanted (Dr Packer Radio Edit)

Pressa (UK) - First Move

Q Narongwate - Feelin You

Raffaele Ciavolino - You Know You Need It

Realm of House, Vigor Season, Futhi Mahlasela - Ithonga Lami (Arawakan Drum mix)

Retromigration - Heat It Up

Rhode & Brown, Benjamin Fröhlich, Rhode & Brown, Benjamin Fröhlich - Days Of Innocence (Nature Mix)

Rick Marshall - Hypnotise

Ricky Montana - Cry No More

Robin Orlando, Nick Hollyster - System Raw

Rok Primec - From The Paradise

Romain FX - Back In Time

Romain Villeroy - Once Upon

Romain Villeroy - We live forever

Sam O.B. - Just A Slice

Samuel Delgado - Vanilla Garden

Saturday Love, Kon, Fiorious - 2 B Free

Sebb Junior, Sammy Deuce - Throw the Dice

Sexy Lazer - Future

Shredder SA - Star of Sigui

Simon Doty - Living Sound (ABGT481)

Simone D Jay - Just Enough

Simone pagliari - Don't Love Me (Vocal Mix)

Spiritual Power Control - As One

Stan Zeff, Tiger Wilson, Stevo Atambire - Za Wani Bo (Ceremonial Mix)

Stanny Abram - Bootylicious

Stefan Thomas, Morris Revy Onuegbue - I Just Want to Dance (Main Vocal)

Super Drug - Strings Of Love

Syren Rivers, Frankie Feliciano - By My Side (Feliciano Classic Vocal Mix)

Teknicoz - Keep It

Teknicoz - Periquito

The Deepshakerz - I Got The Soul (Extended Mix)

The Gruv Manics Project - Clearly

The Realm, Tony Momrelle - Take You There (Squirell Soulful Mix)

The Shamanic, Ralphi Rosario, Craig J Snider, Joaquina Daphaney - Higher Ground (Club Mix)

The Space Knights - Live Life

The Stoned - Happy Love (Original Mix)

The Stoned - What We Do This For (Original Mix)

The Stoned - When You Dance

Todd Terry, House of Gypsies - Samba (Original Mix)

Tom VR, Midland - Soared Straight Through Me (Midland Remix)

Tonis, Narda - Quicksand

Tony Cortez - Sabroso

Tour-Maubourg - Longing For U

Trimtone - Come A Little Closer

Trimtone - I Like It

V.O.T.U., Costantino Padovano, Funky Junction - Grooves

Vanessa Williams, Black Sheep - Work To Do (Ken Lou 7" Mix With Rap)

Vince Watson - Mystical Rhythm (Omid 16B Remix)

WDZY - Mr Funky

WDZY - My House

Wex TBK - Tribalism

Wez Whynt, Elle White - Love's Taken Over (Mikki Funk Dub)

Whatever Charles - Mistake 63

White Ocean - On The Dance Floor (Original Mix)

Wipe The Needle - It's My World Ya Heard

Zonum, Xavi V, M M Key, Rachel Berg - You Are The One (R3V3S Remix)

the magician, Kolombo - I Love to Watch You Dance (Club Fever Part. 3)

youANDme, Kristina Sheli - Moment

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael in the Mainstream: The Dark Knight Trilogy & Its Negative Impact on the Superhero Genre

Superhero movies have come a very long way in the past couple of decades, cementing themselves as a genre unto themselves rather than the odd action movie here or there. Almost every year a few new ones of varying quality pop up that incite equal parts excitement and derision. It’s definitely a genre people feel very strongly about, but even people who tend to not love superhero films will admit that Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is fantastic.

From 2005 until 2012, Nolan reinvisioned Batman in a way that grounded the character in reality. There’s no fantastical elements, there’s no insane science, there’s no superpowers… Everything in these films could happen in the real world. In a post-Batman & Robin world, this was seen as a breath of fresh air, and the critics loved it. In particular, The Dark Knight helped to usher in the modern age of superhero films, releasing the same year the MCU kicked off and widely being hailed as one of the greatest films of all time. That’s right, not even superhero films, films period. These films were impressive, groundbreaking, and… they fundamentally ruined superhero movies for quite a while.

Look, I don’t particularly hate these films. I think all of them are pretty good, in their own ways. But they have a lot of glaring issues that really hamper them a fair bit and yet, somehow, they became the blueprint that studios decided to look at for what they thought a successful superhero movie should be. Nolan’s films are serious, brooding, dark, and lack the whimsy and creative insanity that makes comics such a fun and engaging medium, and I think this right here is what has hurt comic book movies the most over the past decade. These are films that feel absolutely ashamed to be comic book movies, and they desperately want to seem like they’re “mature” and for “adults.” And, unfortunately for the rest of us, this shame translated over into a lot of other films, something we’re only just now recovering from.

Looking at the greatest strength of the trilogy shows this issue pretty well, that being the villains. Nolan’s films gave us truly iconic portrayals of characters like Bane, Joker, and Scarecrow, and you’re not gonna hear me say much bad about them. Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Aaron Eckhart, and Heath Ledger all do fantastic jobs as the insidious rogues of Batman. But the issue I have is that by grounding these characters in a realistic setting like this, it kind of misses the point. Joker isn’t using exploding cakes and laughing gas, Ra’s al Ghul isn’t an immortal warrior, Bane isn’t a drugged-up super soldier… They’re all just Guys. They’re Guys With Gimmicks, yes, but at the end of the day they aren’t what should be looked at as the be-all, end-all of the character’s portrayals.

And yet everyone acts like no one should ever play Joker again, because Heath Ledger’s Joker was just so good, guys! And he was good, but I don’t think Ledger’s Joker should be the absolute final Joker ever. Quite frankly, I prefer Phoenix’s Joker, because even if that version is also in a rather grounded film missing the overt weirdness of comics for the most part, he still dresses in a colorful costume, acts weird, tells jokes, and is in general more Jokery. Out of all of these villains, I think Bane and Scarecrow at least come within the ballpark of being close to how they should be, but Scarecrow is horribly underutilized and Bane is given a rather undignified sendoff.

Then there are the bigger issues. Batman himself is really downplayed throughout the trilogy, getting fairly little screentime compared to villains and side characters. This was a huge point of contention when The Dark Knight Rises came out, with most of the film featuring Bruce Wayne, and in hindsight it highlights how unwilling Nolan was to engage with the comic book trappings of what he was adapting. I like Christian Bale a lot, he’s a great actor, but I don’t think he really carries any of the films; in fact, it’s usually the villains carrying the movies. Bale is certainly not as bad as Val Kilmer in the role of Wayne/Batman, but he’s no Keaton, he’s no Clooney, he’s not even an Affleck. A lot of the time, he also just feels like… a Guy. And Batman should not ever, ever just be a Guy.

But perhaps the most egregious fault of the films is what it did to Gotham City itself. In Burton’s films, you really get a feel for the Gothic atmosphere of the city with how it’s designed, and this goes for Batman: The Animated Series too. And even the more cartoonish, colorful Gotham of Schumacher’s films pops and leaves an impact. But Nolan’s Gotham? It’s very much just a City. There is nothing distinct about Nolan’s Gotham, it’s literally just a generic city, and if you even have the faintest knowledge of Batman you will know that Gotham is not just a city. Gotham is pretty much a character itself, a dark, imposing landscape in which Batman does battle with his costumed foes. Every other adaptation I can think of knows to make Gotham feel unique and distinct, but this one just absolutely drops the ball. You might as well just have the city be New York if you’re going to put no effort into giving it personality.

And that all brings me to this: every reviled superhero movie of the past decade, from F4ntastic to The Amazing Spider-Man to Dawn of Justice, all have their genesis in Nolan’s trilogy. He laid the groundwork for these films to exist, and a large majority of the blame needs to be put on Nolan for sapping the fun out of comic book movies. Now, to be totally fair to Nolan, he’s not entirely responsible for what happened to the comic book film landscape; prior to him, the X-Men film series was giving all of the heroes dark costumes and being a bit more serious. But despite those films playing a bit of a part, there’s one major reason I don’t fault them nearly as much: The X-Men films never once felt ashamed to be comic book movies.

You have to understand, people loved grit and edginess in the 90s and had just violently rejected Batman & Robin a few years prior to the original X-Men film, so it’s hard to really fault it for wanting to avoid being too campy. But much like Blade, the films never tried to act like they weren’t still crazy comic book films. Scott still has eye lasers, Mystique is still blue, Nightcrawler looks like a demon, there are Sentinels and Apocalypse and even Dazzler shows up at one point! The X-Men franchise wasn’t always good, but it managed to balance between being silly and taking itself seriously pretty well for the most part. Magneto is still a Holocaust survivor, his relationship with Xavier still has impact, there are still emotional moments here and there, but then you also have Deadpool movies and the multiple comic book style retcons to the timeline that leave the continuity a mess, and something about that just feels right. And all that makes Logan less egregious despite being the sort of brooding, angsty superhero drama Nolan would make, because even if it is those things, it still centers around a dude with metal claws coming out of his hands trying to stop his best friend from wiping out everyone with psychic seizures. Nolan could never make this superhero film.

Nolan’s films, on the other hand, did. These films did not feel like they wanted to be comic book movies, they felt like they wanted to be serious crime films but Nolan was stuck with Batman so he just mashed the two together. And honestly, I’d probably be more forgiving if it weren’t for the hugely negative impact these films and their critical success had on the superhero genre even until this day. The first decade of superhero films as a major contender in cinema were colored by these films. People outright balked at silliness in superhero movies for quite some time, with a lot of criticism levied at the early phases of the MCU for being too goofy; in fact, at times it seemed as if the MCU was going a bit too far in the goofy direction without striking the proper balance, with films like Age of Ultron having most of its tension defused by constant wisecracks. And on the DC side, Nolan’s grounded approach lead to Zack Snyder’s flaccid filmmaking with dark coloration, moody atmosphere, and not a shred of joy to be found. Nolan is essentially the peak of dark, grounded superhero films, and Snyder is the nadir, but Snyder’s awful DC films wouldn’t exist if not for Nolan.

It was a slow crawl getting to what superhero movies should be. Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man were films tossed out only when Marvel was certain they could take risks, because absurd concepts like those would just not have been able to survive if not for years of good will beforehand. That’s not even getting into some of the more bonkers elements of later films, such as Ego the Living Planet and basically everything about Doctor Strange. In fact, Doctor Strange, for all its issues, is still a massive step forward for a genre that outright rejected magic for a long time, instead for a time turning Thor and his costars into a cast of hyper-advanced aliens, with later films having to clarify that there is magic and zombies and so on. The recent WandaVision was able to further clarify this by making Wanda unambiguously magic and not an evil Nazi science experiment.

Superhero animation didn’t suffer quite so much, but that’s mostly because, much like comics, animation is still seen as “kid’s stuff” by way too many people. And even then, they didn’t escape the shadow of Nolan totally unscathed; one need only look into the infamous Bat Embargo, which limited Batman villains so there could only be one given incarnation of said character in media. For instance, the Scarecrow being in Batman Begins meant he could not appear in the animated series The Batman. This lead to such things as no Batman characters appearing in Justice League Unlimited. It was truly a stupidly frustrating time to be a Batman fan when some of his most iconic foes were relegated to only certain appearances because it “might confuse kids.”

Let me again clarify this: I mostly like the Nolan films. I usually like Nolan, though he has become unbearably, obnoxiously pretentious these days. I think a lot of elements of them are great, I feel like they mostly have strong villains, and I don’t disagree that The Dark Knight is a fantastic film. But the thing is these are only good as AU stories, as their own thing; they should not be the template every superhero movie should follow, or any superhero movie for that matter, because they lack the ability to engage with the things that make people love comics in the first place. People love wacky, off-the-wall concepts, superpowered aliens, magic, talking animals, evil living planets, alcoholic ducks, and all that fun stuff.

People desperately want the fun, camp, and wacky stuff back in comic book films, as the success of the goofier DC films like Aquaman, Shazam, and Birds of Prey as well as the success of shows like Doom Patrol in comparison to the critical and audience revulsion of Snyder’s films, with Shazam in particular giving us such bonkers concepts as an entire family of superpowered children and Mr. Mind, the evil alien caterpillar. Thor: Ragnarok and the Guardians of the Galaxy films have become some of the most beloved MCU movies despite being weird, wacky, and wholly embracing the joy of comics to the point the latter films feature Howard the Duck and the aforementioned Ego alongside bizarre characters like Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Taserface. And the thing with all of these films is that they’re able to balance the weirdness and wackiness of comics without losing sight of human emotion, moving storytelling, and drama. They’re both fun and deep, goofy and yet meaningful. This is what comics are, and what they should be, and anyone who thinks comics should be grim and gritty really needs to think about why they think an entire genre needs to be colored in with only the dullest colors.

I think what I’m trying to say here is this: Make a Detective Chimp movie, you cowards.

#Michael in the Mainstream #mitm #review #movie review #the dark knight trilog #the dark knight #batman begin #the dark knight rises #superhero movie #christopher nolan #DC

[elindae-writes]

Disney MCU : not really my thing and I don’t really care Elindae writes MCU : this is mad this is bogus and I love it so much

Okay, so I only watched the first few MCU movies. I'm gonna be honest, I think the franchise peaked with only the first Iron Man movie. I read a lot of MCU fanfiction before I ever saw any MCU movies at all so I just had no clue what was going on.

There are actually a few MCU fanfics I like: In The Home , (A City Full of) Helping Hands, A Hospital Full, and Wilting Yellow Flowers, all by aloneintherain. I like the spider-man.

I still don't know what's going on. I'm only caught up to the atrocity that is the second Thor movie, the one with Padme in it and the teleporting trash? That entire movie was trash. I will try to construct the storyline of the MCU based off of what few details I know:

There is a raccoon?

The Avengers break up and the Hulk is just unfazed and immediately asks: "like the beetles?"

There is an evil purple man named Thanos with a small green child and the child grows up into a tall green woman?? who is his daughter? and they talk about resources and supply and demand.

Apparently some long-haired hot man with a metal limb shows up and Steve loses his shit trying to save this bud of his

who the hell is bucky

Harley Quinn is apparently not a MCU character and that genuinely shocked me

Thor is hot. wait is he still alive?

Aunt May is hot? like wtf? how?

There's apparently a scene where Spider-Man and his Aunt are eating Thai food and they're seeing replayed Spider-man battles on a TV and she's like. "peter. petey. pete boy. NEVER get involved in those fights! run away!"

And spider-man is just like

"t'was not me"

Spiderman then ends up homeless (and friends with karen??)

There's a fishbowl man who makes images with his hands but then Spider-Man defeats him while they're on a gondola

Steve wields mjolnir? i thought Steve turned into a villain

The new Spider-Man theme is a hot bop. Same goes for the Avengers film

Benedryl Cucumberspaz is there and he has a cloak with a stupid-looking collar

there was a cat-man movie with Bilbo in it

People cast spells via throwing orbs of light into the air

JARVIS DIES?? see, i don't like that. rip. i think? i think he's dead?

They have a big spat where there's some civil war. I remember the marketing for that movie. I was trying to buy bananas at Wal-Mart and all of the cashiers were wearing "ARE YOU TEAM IRON-MAN OR CAPTAIN AMERICA?" and this was apparently a spicy debate there. I was just like "i am team banana"

Iron Man was upset about his mom and pop for some reason whereas Steve was upset because he wanted to save his bud (the one from the 1940s) so they beat the shit out of each other in the snow.

wait i remember now. the 1940s bud mURDERED Tony's mom and pop. ohhhh. oh? oh. i don't think that got resolved.

everybody wants a magical glove and the stones for the magical glove but then they fail so they try again and win

Spider-man gets attacked by a guy with a mechanical bird suit and then also there is a ferry. Spider-man also harasses a man and his ice cream

There's a sitcom show with a boring evil witch lady with red magic (very boring) and a cool groovy purple witch lady with a very good theme song

Robert California voices a robot!! But I don't think he declares himself to be "The Lizard King." disappointing.

They're making a new movie where there is a guy with arm ring jewelry with super-powers

OH and they're making a new movie where there is a bollywood dance scene and i'm a sucker for 3 hour long Indian drama so who knows, that might be my style

There's a movie where some lady punches an old lady on a train

There was an atrocious movie about a boring shrinking ant guy. I only saw like five minutes of that movie when it was 10:30 pm at night and I just happened to be in the kitchen eating muffins when I saw the movie. Kate from Lost is in it??? the ant guy is a convict, i know that much. the fuck did he do? probably got sent to the clink for being weirdly into ants tbh. i switched it over to Antiques Roadshow and lemme tell you it was 10x more exciting okay some old lady came in with an autograph from Abraham Lincoln!! I mean my god he's dead you just can't get those anymore :(

Tony gets Peter some bling

some norse dude makes out with himself. nasty

Twilight Sparkle voices a clock that harasses people

The guy who played the cowboy in Night At The Museum is also in the show, the guy who says "wwwwoooowwww" in that way that makes me crack up

steve goes back in time??? and does not prevent any of the horrors he knows will happen? for some reason? also he turns into joe biden.

Pepper Pots marries Tony or something? wha

and he gives her a SUIT? whY? the goop lady??

tony dies (rip. i liked him. i appreciated how he was an ass to everybody. i bet he'll come back though because this is comic book logic)

DOES STEVE TURN EVIL I CAN'T TELL

Anddddd apparently the comic book industry is in the trash and is getting its ass handed to it by Japan

There you have it guys! Elindae's Hot Recollection of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Believe it or not I actually am the Resident Authority On The MCU in my house so whenever my family has MCU questions they consult me.

That's probably a mistake.

Wait, by MCU did you mean McPrime Universe or Marvel Cinematic Universe?

I am still stuck in the 2012 MCU fanfic mindset where the Avengers are all living together in the tower, Steve has a sketchpad, Hawkeye travels in the vents, and Thor likes pop-tarts. I like that era of the MCU.

#not transformers #marvel #i only really like norse mythology loki tbh not whatever in the world MCU loki is #i like batman #i also prefer real norse thor #actually i just like the mythology better than the mcu's version of it really #Iron Man was PEAK MCU everything after was just a mistake #well okay the third iron man was nice #okay well the whole avenger's live in the tower together thing is actually pretty cute so maybe that's when the mcu peaked #in my opinion the mcu movies are just the kinda thing u play on the side as u do something else #like perhaps i will turn on a movie as i type out more horrendous mcprime universe content

[gossipgirlbrasil]

ELI BROWN PARA FLAUNT MAGAZINE | SE A TINTA ESTIVER FRESCA, VAMOS FAZER ISSO

Eli Brown o Obie Bergmann de Gossip Girl é capa da edição especial da revista Flaunt Magazine. Confira a tradução completa da entrevista:

Eli Brown está sentado em seu novo apartamento no Brooklyn na companhia de um violão e um trompete que ele literalmente fez tornar parte de sua vida dias atrás. Os livros estão empilhados em todas as superfícies. Ele responde às perguntas casualmente, exibindo um sorriso infantil. Eli acabou de se mudar para Nova York para perseguir a atuação na série do ano: Gossip Girl. “Assinei o contrato antes mesmo de ler o roteiro”, admite ele, como se aceitar o emprego fosse algo óbvio. “Mas é isso que estou dizendo... a equipe por trás disso é tão incrível, e o legado da última série é incomparável.”

O reboot da HBO Max segue o personagem de Brown, Otto “Obie” Bergmann IV, o garoto mais rico da escola particular de elite St. Jude's School para garotos, ao lado de sua namorada, Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander), enquanto ela navega pelo estrelato de influenciadores e drama de meia-irmã. Humilde e contra a superioridade que o dinheiro incentiva, Obie é considerado um rebelde contra seus pais magnatas do mercado imobiliário - Otto e Helena Bergmann, do Bergmann Property Group. Obie mora em seu próprio loft modesto - em Dumbo, em vez de Uptown Manhattan - e sua determinação em defender seus valores é evidente apenas no primeiro episódio.

Vindo de Eugene, Oregon, Eli estrelou The F ** k-It List, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists e na Netflix a série Spinning Out nos últimos dois anos. Antes de dar o salto para seguir seu sonho em Los Angeles, onde se deparou com o corajoso e também com o estranho vislumbre de glamour - o jovem de 21 anos afiou suas facas de atuação durante seu tempo no colégio. “Meus colegas de classe de alguma forma me convenceram a fazer um teste para uma das peças”, ele conta, “e foi o que fiz, e me apaixonei por isso. Acho que foi um processo de crescimento muito importante, e acabei fazendo uma peça a cada temporada nos últimos dois anos do ensino médio, então definitivamente trabalhei no meu atual trabalho por lá.”

Com uma semelhança fantástica com a série original 'Penn Badgley como Dan Humphrey, Eli tem um gosto pelas coisas boas, muito parecido com Humphrey: a escrita. “Eu trabalharia com qualquer pessoa”, ele me explica de sua posição relaxada no sofá. “Eu desempenharia qualquer papel. Eu farei qualquer coisa, desde que a escrita seja boa. Basicamente, nada mais importa. Obviamente, você quer um bom diretor. Você quer colegas de elenco talentosos e tudo mais. Mas, realmente, se a escrita for boa, estou totalmente envolvido”. Além da semelhança física com o garoto solitário Badgley, Eli e seus colegas co-estrelas Whitney Peak (Zoya Lott) e Alexander chegaram à conclusão de que Obie é “como um Dan muito rico”.

Embora a identidade de Gossip Girl seja revelada no piloto da série e não mantida misteriosamente, o personagem de Eli compensa a falta de suspense no primeiro episódio. “Os episódios pilotos são complicados porque você está criando o mundo inteiro em que vai operar”, continua ele. “Em certo sentido, eles têm que ser um pouco expositivos. Os episódios pilotos são sempre um pouco - por falta de um termo melhor - lentos nesse sentido, mas foi legal. Eu amo o fato de ser o mesmo mundo em que essa série já existiu, mas estamos na HBO em vez de na CW, então podemos ser nervosos. Podemos levar isso a lugares que o original não conseguiu. Eu também adoro o quão progressivo toda a série é. Todos esses monólogos sobre 'Foda-se o patriarcado' e isso, aquilo e muito mais. E terá muito sexo pela a frente. É muito Geração Z.”

Filmando em locais que lembram a série original, o primeiro dia de Eli no set foi memorável. “Foi definitivamente a primeira vez que tínhamos todo o elenco junto [e] estávamos filmando a cena nos degraus do MET”, lembra ele. “Foi um momento tão icônico em um lugar icônico. Esse dia foi uma loucura. Havia toneladas de pessoas passando e… paparazzis. Foi tão caótico de uma forma muito legal. Lembro-me de pensar comigo mesmo: 'é assim que é filmar esta série, vai ser o tempo todo?'”

À medida que a série se aproximar do final das filmagens, Eli espera escapar dos Estados Unidos depois de quase um ano incorporando a mente de Obie e navegando na vida de um ator durante a pandemia. No entanto, sua popularidade e demanda de mercado estão apenas começando. “No dia seguinte ao lançamento da série”, ele relembra, “eu me juntei a Thomas em Manhattan, no Lower East Side. Íamos de bicicleta até o distrito de Flatiron. Literalmente, a primeira coisa que aconteceu depois que nos conhecemos, nós pedalamos como alguns quarteirões e os paparazzi estavam nos perseguindo um dia depois que a série foi lançada. Então, durante todo o dia, as pessoas passaram a nos reconhecer por toda parte. Foi diferente. Isso foi estranho, e é estranho porque eu estava realmente querendo entrar em Manhattan. Mas agora estou tipo, talvez o Brooklyn seja um pequeno refúgio.”

Confira o ensaio fotográfico com o ator para a revista:

Tradução: Angel

Fonte: Flaunt Magazine

#gossip girl #gg #flaunt magazine #eli brown flaunt magazine #obie bergmann #magazine #photoshoot #interview

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Shang-Chi: A big MCU success story

Just came back from watching Shang-Chi and boy was it an absolute blast. In terms of solo MCU outings, this is the best since Thor: Ragnorok, and the best origin story since Ant-Man. The film is almost relentlessly entertaining.

The thing that stands out in the film is the action. The martial arts on display here makes for some of the most fun hand to hand action sequences I have seen in superhero movies. The bus sequence is a major highlight of the film as is the Macau action sequence. The visual imagery is gorgeous. The final act becomes a lot more mystical and has some fascinating sequences of dragons and other creatures in picturesque landscapes. Its all executed quite beautifully. The film is well paced and has a good balance of drama and humor. There are times when MCU overdoes humor in place of drama but this film plays it just right. Its funny when it should but also serious where it needs to be.

The performances are strong across the board. Simu Liu is wonderful as Shang-Chi. He delivers a performance that feels like he is very much an every day guy. And that's what makes him unique. Apart from maybe Scott Lang, all the heroes are special in some ways. So he very much feels like a down to earth hero but he also pulls off being a badass when he has to be a badass. His dynamic with Awkwafina is wonderful. Awkwafina is funny and sweet and I love they played that relationship completely platonic. Her character very much could have been the annoying tag along but she infused it with enough heart and humor. She is the audience surrogate into this world. Meng'er Zhang is also very good as Xu Xialing. Her character has depth and she's shown to be very much Shang-Chi's equal. Michelle Yeoh is lovely as the sagely mentor and aunt for the siblings. Ben Kingsley makes a fun return as Trevor Slattery in what can be called an extended guest appearance. Benedict Wong pops up in a cameo. Tony Leung is a major highlight of the movie. He's a villain but also not really. He's basically just a tortured husband whose grief over his dead wife drives him to extreme measures. He's simultaneously sympathetic and badass and you almost wish for a bit more of him.

There is not much to say in terms of flaws. If I were to start nitpicking, I would say the film peaks a bit early. The first act is the best and the best action scenes are the bus action scene in SF and the Macau action scene. While the mystical scene in the last act are gorgeous, you almost wish for more of the hand to hand combat. There is a stretch in the middle where the film slows down a bit and while Ben Kingsley is funny, his character was perhaps not strictly necessary to be around for as long as he was. Also, a little more depth to the sibling dynamic would have made certain moments hit harder emotionally. In general, I would say both Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing could have done with a bit more depth in the movie. Otherwise, the film is a lot of fun. Definitely worth watching. I would say its the the second best thing they have put out in phase 4 after WandaVision. Its a bit of a return to form. I liked TFATWS and I liked Black Widow, and Loki was mostly decent though a tad disappointing towards the end, but this is a major step up. An 8.5/10.

#shang chi #simu liu #awkwafina #tony leung #michelle yeoh #ben kingsley #benedict wong #meng’er zhang #mcu #marvel cinematic universe

[jazzviewswithcj]

A deeper look at Merci Miles: (Warner Records, 2021)

Miles Davis: trumpet; Kenny Garrett: saxophone; Deron Johnson: keyboard; Richard Patterson: bass; Ricky Wellman: drums

By July, 1991 Miles Davis was music royalty.  The previous decade saw him reach a level of popularity and stardom seldom seen in jazz.  By the early 80’s the trumpeter had changed music multiple times, 4 to be exact, with his foray into hip hop, the first recording to be issued after his death Doo Bop (Warner Bros, 1992) , marking the fifth groundbreaking turn in his career.  Prior to his passing from stroke complications in 1991, he maintained a vigorous touring schedule, and the performances of his sextet of the period, the finest late career band he ever led (and arguably one of the best bands of his entire career) were supercharged.  The music captured on the newly released Merci Miles: Live at Vienne (Rhino, 2021) marks the first time anywhere save two YouTube videos the concert has been available in full, and is significant and historically important for two reasons:  it is one of Miles’ final performances in France available legally, and it features two compositions by Prince, the cheeky entendre laden titles “Penetration” and “Jailbait” that the late icon wrote specifically for Davis.  

The picture of the late singer/composer/multi instrumentalist’s involvement with Davis is much clearer through the release of Prince’s own Sign O’ The Times multi disc mega box set and the official release of “Can I Play With U?” a track originally written by The Purple One during the legendary Rubberband (Rhino, 2018) sessions.   Prince’s track was going to be included on what eventually turned out to be Davis’ first album with his new label, Warner Bros. Tutu (1986) but was eventually shelved.  The track was then slated to be issued in the original, much more substantial The Last Word: The Complete Warner Brothers Recordings box set from the early 2000’s (of which promo copies existed) but was fazed out due to rights issues.

The trumpeter always regarded France warmly, from the time he first set foot on French soil as a 22 year old in 1949.  The country was also where in the late 1950’s he recorded the innovative soundtrack to Elevator To The Gallows or Ascenseur pour l’echafaud director Louis Malle’s smoky noir film of which the trumpeter’s soundtrack, completely improvised featuring a top French rhythm section crystallized some of the ideas the trumpeter later would apply on Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959).  France was also the setting for the infamous romance with the late French starlet Juliette Greco.  More importantly, France, being the first country to wholeheartedly embrace jazz and recognize creative improvised Black music to be on par with European art music, was ready for whatever Davis brought to the table, instead of the misdirected pining that many fans and critics demonstrated in the U.S. for his past, acoustic centered work.  

Merci Miles was captured on July 1, 1991 at the Jazz a Vienne festival, at a picturesque Roman amphitheater filled to capacity.  7 days later on July 8, Miles would revisit the material from Porgy and Bess, Miles Ahead and Sketches of Spain at the Montreux Jazz Festival  with a double orchestra conducted by Quincy Jones and featuring the late trumpeter Wallace Roney as a second voice alongside occasional spots for alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett.    The appearance featuring this music was followed by an appearance with former band mates in Paris on July 10 (a concert that unfortunately of this writing is  being thieved by bootleggers for album release), and the European swing wrapped up in Nice, France on July 16th.

Miles’ band that July 1st evening, featuring Deron Johnson (who grew up with Miles’ nephew and former drummer Vince Wilburn, Jr) on keyboards; Kenny Garrett on alto saxophone and flute) lead bassist and Parliament alumnus Foley, bassist Richard Patterson, and the late Ricky Wellman on drums were inspired and smoking.

“Hannibal” written by Marcus Miller, which appeared on the group’s latest studio album Amandla (1989) is the high energy set opener, with the rhythm section of Johnson, Patterson and Wellman in perfect sync.  Miles flies free with some solo lines before the head appears, and Kenny Garrett makes his first appearance with a lengthy solo.  Garrett (who has a new Mack Avenue studio album in August) is like a heat seeking missile, the rhythm section responding and creating inner dialogues with him in response to his impassioned, pulpit stirring cries.  Deron Johnson, often alongside with Garrett in taking some of the best solos of the evening, briefly dialogues with Miles before spinning off into his own, substantial solo turn.  Johnson is a complete history of the keyboardist’s who played with the trumpeter and distills everything in his sparkling, distinctive soloing voice, swinging slightly behind the beat against the mightily funky bass and drums underneath.

“Human Nature”, the classic ballad   from Michael Jackson’s Thriller (Epic, 1982) Davis first debuted on You’re Under Arrest (Columbia, 1985).  The sensuous existential track became a blank canvas for the Davis band to paint on nightly.  The trumpeter renders the melody with longing, then gradually shifts into a resourceful solo with a double time sprint.  Within Davis’ solo and the use of Spanish tinged scales, and the colorful keyboard backing, the intense drama of the beautiful arrangements that Gil Evans crafted for Sketches of Spain (Columbia, 1959) which Marcus Miller expanded upon in a sense for the film soundtrack Siesta (Warner Bros, 1989) are clearly felt.  Davis quotes “Nature Boy” and a few other asides before passing the baton to Garrett, who used the tune as a nightly feature for intense late period Coltrane trance like meditation.  Garrett fits in a quote of the old spiritual “Joshua Fit De Battle of Jericho” before rocketing into space; Wellman in particular follows him wherever he goes.  Every now and then Miles jabs some mood setting chords with his Oberheim OBX synth as cues, while Garrett continues to combust.  The saxophonist bursting at the seams as a fragment from the bridge to “Milestones” is used as an ostinato, Davis signals a quick blast with his trumpet and the tune ends.  Garrett brought the audience and listeners at home on a thrill ride.

“Time After Time” , the Cyndi Lauper classic is ushered in as volcanic applause erupts from the audience, nearly drowning  out the music.  For 9 and a half minutes, the show belongs to Davis, as he gently finds all the melodic contours he can in the tune.  Like “Round Midnight” and “My Funny Valentine” of decades past, “Time After Time” became one of Davis’ signature ballads.  He drives his improvisation the same way  as Aretha Franklin, Pavarotti, Bocelli or Carreras would, with a marked sense of passion and timeless beauty.

Disc 1 closes with one of the Prince tunes, “Penetration” where everyone gets off on the raunchy funk.  Davis and Garrett are one during the track, and it truly shows the admiration and border less musicality that both icons would have shared, Davis struts with swagger between melody statements and Johnson rips into his solo with passion, Garrett’s searing alto ups the ante further.  As a contrast, “Jailbait” on disc 2, is a gut bucket blues where both Johnson and Garrett take scintillating solos..

The show closes with “Wrinkle” a wondrous maze of a melody that is awe inspiring when played a top speed, and “Finale” a drum solo feature for Wellman that showcases his patented bass drum triplets while keeping rock solid time on the snare, a sort of shuffle where the bass and snare switch roles, and some lightning samba as well as his signature Go-Go groove.

Sound:

Merci Miles is taken directly from the original tapes recorded and mixed by Patrick Savey and Mastered by John Webber at Air Studios in London.  Similar to Sony/Legacy’s Bootleg Series releases for Davis, the tape is from the official broadcast, in this case captured by the small Zycopolis studios.  Curiously for 1991, the sound is mono which could be due to whatever technical limitations of the tape, but it is very good strong mono.  The Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC manages to wring out very nice separation for the band in the mono soundstage: In particular, Davis trumpet is vibrant, brassy, golden and present.  Richard Patterson’s bass is commanding and takes the center of the sound stage, deep and rich.  Ricky Wellman’s drums are full of gusto, there is a reason his nickname was “Sugarfoot” and you hear that in all it’s glory.  Kenny Garrett’s passion radiates past the speakers, Deron Johnson’s keyboards float above the proceedings and Foley’s lead bass provides a wonderful textural contrast to everything else.

Concluding Thoughts:

The 80’s and early 90’s Miles cannon  has seen relatively scant archival releases versus everything from the 50’s-70’s.  Merci Miles is a welcome document of a band that truly was at the top of it’s game and at the peak of its powers.  Miles Davis, judging from this concert was showing little sign of slowing down in his playing, there is a vitality and joy here that  easily places this alongside his Montreux concerts of the period and the excellent Live Around The World (Warner Brothers, 1996).  A wonderful present honoring the great musical icon thirty years on from his passing.  The CD (reviewed here) and LP packages contain some particularly touching photos in a triple gatefold in the French Flag colors of Miles memorabilia from that final tour provided by Vince Wilburn, Jr and a superb liner essay from noted scholar Ashley Kahn contextualizing the history of the trumpeter’s French sojourns and the event itself, alongside some great photos.  The cover also features some nice embossing of the album title text and Davis’ name.  If there is any doubt about physical media, this album is a compelling case for why it’s so good to OWN a physical copy of an album.

Music: 10/10

Sound: 8.5/10

Equipment used for this review

Audiolab 6000 CDT  transport

Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC

Marantz NR 1200 stereo receiver (as pre amp)

Marantz MM 7025 stereo power amplifier

Focal Chora 826 speakers

Audioquest Forest and Golden Gate cables

#miles davis #jazz #trumpet #prince #funk

[luisemontoya]

Hablemos un poco de AD.

Vamos a empezar hablando de un poco de historia antigua. Como ya todos saben, o les ha pasado, las experiencias en el mundo del rol son como una montaña rusa. Buenos y malos momentos, buenos y malos tratos con usuarios, buenos y malos tratos con la administración, buenas y malas experiencias. Cada quien habla de cómo le fue en la feria, repito como ya lo dije en el lugar donde despotrican.

 Sí, me río de los comentarios que leo, de esos comentarios que “dan su opinión” o que afirman como si su palabra fuera la única verdad, sin pruebas o datos tangibles. Si eso me hace un pedante, bueno, soy un pedante. Que les recuerdo que Salem fue administrador en dos lugares altamente reconocidos por su toxicidad, HC y Verdammnis.

 Así como muchos usuarios que, debido a experiencias poco gratas en otros foros, yo fui uno de ellos que, motivado por querer tener un lugar seguro y cómodo para rolear con mis amigos y gente de confianza, me vi envuelto en crear AD. Un proyecto que nació en el 2019, para ser específicos desde el 15 de Mayo del 2019.

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   Todo chiquito y todo panzón, comenzamos con la idea del foro, un mapa, nombres, etc. Pero creo que me estoy saliendo del tema principal. Entonces ya empoderados con el foro -que abrió sus puertas hasta inicios del 2020.- comenzamos a pensar en lo siguiente, que, no me van a mentir, todo mundo a tenido en cuenta. El NRDA -Nos Reservamos el Derecho de Admisión-.

 Claro que todo mundo tiene sus enemistades, personas que en la vida quiere volver a ver o saber de ellas, o personas que te banearon de sus foros y CLARO que quieres pagarles con la misma moneda. Personas non gratas, las fichitas del mundo del rol.

 Yo hablaré de mi punto de vista personal y mi propia experiencia. Claro que yo tenía a muchos en mente que no deseaba siquiera pisaran nuestro foro. Como las personas de Counting Stars que hicieron que me banearan por exceso de rol homosexual y porque pensaban que les iba a bajar el novio de rol. O gente de Temporali, Omegaverse… pero ¿Para qué? Yo de por sí era considerado una fichita de alto rango, la peste negra o peor. Yo era motivo suficiente para mantener a la gente alejada de nuestro foro, no se les iba a ocurrir pasarse por ahí.

 Entonces ¿Para qué pensar en banearlos? Demostremos que somos mejores y no paguemos de la misma forma. Los problemas y dramas se quedan fuera del foro, atrás de la puerta. Si tuviste problemas alguna vez conmigo, bueno, lo siento, fue en el pasado y con una vieja versión de mí. Si quieren venir a pasar un buen rato y a disfrutar del rol, son bienvenidos todos. Fuera quien fuera.

 A mediados de Marzo del 2020 se me ocurrió incursionar en un foro que era la comidilla de todos, que lo crucificaron por ser quien le robó ideas a Verdammnis y que eran altos traidores. Estoy hablando de Variété. Entré al foro, me hice una cuenta, recibí color y fui abordado por Laurel en redes privadas. Ya que, tengo entendido, alguien de su foro pedía mi cabeza en charola de plata y mi inmediata expulsión, cosa que no se le hizo. Al final me fui de ahí porque yo debía atender mi foro por completo y porque mi ex novio me la armó de pedo.

 Si no me banearon-expulsaron al momento de mi registro en un foro donde, ojito, lo tenía sentenciado ¿Por qué yo habría de hacerlo? Sería muy caradura de mi parte, muy hipócrita decir que los dramas y problemas se quedan atrás de la puerta, en el ayer. No nos vamos a engañar, muchas administraciones usan el NRDA simplemente para no tener personas que les caen gordas o les pueden quitar un físico, o un partner.

  Transcurrió el 2020 y el jardín se fue podando. La primera cabeza de la administración que se cortó fue la de Mérophe, por abuso de poder, grupismo, no cumplir sus labores como administración, y dañar la convivencia con los usuarios. Nos costó muchísimo que los afectados -usuarios de nuestro foro- nos dijeran qué ocurría, porque en palabras de ellos, pensaban que no le haríamos nada porque era admin y amigui de todos los admin.

 ¿Cuántos no han pensado así? Que los intocables del staff no reciben su merecido. Incluso mandamos un anuncio global por MP y publicamos un tema correspondiente.

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 https://www.arkadien-denken.com/t599-anuncio-asuntos-personales-y-mas#6070

 Y así fuimos cortando cabezas en la administración, por no cumplir con lo que deberían. Así se fue Nyle, así se fue Eustass.

  Pero volvamos al tema principal que tanto parece importarles, Kazama.

 Kazama llegó aproximadamente a mediados de Febrero del 2021. Con la cuenta de Madara Uchiha y otra cuenta con la que usaba VPN. Si mal no recuerdo yo fui quien le aceptó la ficha -No puedo mostrar pantallazo de ficha aceptada porque ya se baneó esa cuenta y se eliminó hace tiempo.- y, ojito, yo no sabía quién era el fulano. Yo me enteré a los días.

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 ¿Por qué no lo baneamos al instante? Sencillo, y seguramente ya lo habrán entendido con parte de lo dicho más arriba. Si el tipito no ocasionaba problemas aquí, no acosaba personas, ni empezaba con sus actitudes nefastas que tanto describen en los Tumblr, no teníamos motivos realmente.

 ¿PERO POR QUÉ SE ATREVEN A DEJARLO AHÍ? Abrimos nuestras puertas para todo aquel que deseara rolear, sin excepción, que no buscara problemas ni viniera a arruinar el ambiente con actos dentro del foro.

 Y así permitimos a varias fichitas que en su momento ya fueron baneadas de AD. Permitimos a personas recientemente expulsadas de Variété, que tan pronto causaron quilombo, pa fuera. Hubo mujeres acosadas por otras mujeres -cosa que, con pruebas en mano y reporte hecho, detuvimos en su momento.- bueno, cuentas de mujer, porque no sabemos qué hay detrás de ese nombre de usuario. Permitimos a gente que gustaba de rolear furros aunque, seguramente, terminarían por irse al no encontrar con quién rolear porque, bueno, no todos lo ven bien y no a todo mundo le gusta.

 Kazama llegó al foro y la cacería de brujas comenzó la semana siguiente, cuando -justamente, las mujeres que acosaban mujeres- nos hicieron llegar un MP informándonos de quién era y lo que hacía. A lo que respondimos que nosotros nos encargaríamos y que, ante el mínimo acoso o lío sería castigado. Kazama había llegado solo, y luego a saber de dónde consiguió a alguien para rolear. Se hizo más personajes y le ponía ganitas en buscar roles, hasta roleó con otros pjs hombre. Se metía a la CB y, por más que mucha gente le hiciera vacío o lo tratase mal, seguía como si nada saludando y conviviendo.

 ¿Molestó a alguien en plena CB? Seguramente por el simple hecho de existir, sí. ¿Recibimos algún MP de alguna usuaria siendo acosada por Kazama en AD? Tampoco ¿Se estaba comportando a la altura? Parecía.

 De todas formas, lo baneamos.

 ¿Por qué? Bueno, nos enteramos que brincó a otro foro… Hopes Peak si mal no recuerdo, luego nos enteramos que brincó a Anthurium y que fue baneado.

 Con nosotros intentó volver con otra cuenta llamada Zao Feng, que muchos ya conocen porque siempre publica la misma búsqueda “My Maverick”. Fue baneado, nos mandó MP y se le explicó el por qué. Anexando el hecho del abandono de su primera cuenta, sin movimiento alguno 2 meses, sin aparecerse por el foro -no conectarse- un mes. El uso del VPN -que si leen las normas de AD, está prohibido.- y aparte, reiterando lo que todos los otros foros decían, salvaguardar la convivencia e integridad de nuestros usuarios, el mentado NRDA que, en palabras de muchos de ustedes, nos TARDAMOS en hacer.

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  Aclaro por cualquier cosa o malentendido que SIEMPRE se llega a dar, porque aquí todos leen y entienden lo que quieren entender. YO no estoy defendiendo a Kazama ni mucho menos ¿Sigue en AD? No, y si incurre de nuevo en usar VPN, será baneado otra vez. ¿Kazama acosó a usuarias/usuarios de AD? Que los afectados lo digan, no vayan a creer que me estoy inventando cosas si digo un sí o un no ¿De dónde consiguió Kazama rol? Quién sabe.

 Para todos los usuarios que abandonaron AD en su momento por Kazama, yo les ofrezco una disculpa y les sugiero encarecidamente buscar ayuda psicológica, para que puedan superar cualquier trauma o mal trago que les pudo ocasionar; espero que no me tomen a mal el comentario. Hicieron lo correcto en retirarse del foro y buscar un lugar donde se puedan sentir seguros y cómodos para rolear. Ya que, como dejaron en claro, no sentían que AD lo fuera.

  Y ahora la cerezita del pastel respecto a mis cuentas en el foro:

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¿Qué hace la cuenta de Arkadien ahí? Bueno, todos los admins tenemos acceso a ella, no solo Arkadien. Todos somos Arkadien.

 Yo aquí presento mí versión, con las pruebas que están a mi disposición para mostrarles. Tomen lo que quieran tomar, crean lo que quieran creer.

 Arkadien Denken seguirá abierto para las personas que quieran disfrutar del rol y no busquen joder el ambiente de la comunidad. Dejen sus cosas en la puerta.

 Si quieren hablar conmigo, saben dónde encontrarme por el foro. También, Childe#9256 es mi discord. Como se dice coloquialmente… yo no me ando con mamadas ni pendejadas, ni me ando ocultando detrás del anonimato para dar mi opinión o versión.

 Les agradezco la atención y también el que me dieran motivos para responder. Nuestro foro se defiende por sí mismo y sigue vivo gracias a todas las personas que quieren seguir ahí, roleando y conviviendo.

 Atte.- Christhian Wolf, Salem Jaasai, las cuentas del pantallazo de arriba, Luis.