#davi x endeavor | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shrekgogurt · 24 days

Text

An ask game for writers to procrastinate working on you WIP(s)

Thanks for the tags @theearlgreymage and @wellbelesbian !!!!

🦈Tell us the name of your/ one of your WIP(s)

For the sake of this endeavor I’m gonna focus on I Knew A Boy, I Knew A Man which is also more affectionately referred to as IKABIKAM, eyecab eyecam, 👁️🚕👁️📸, etc.

🍄Describe your wip/one of your wips in the format of “___ + ___ =___”

Natasha as like a vaguely Margaret Thatcher figure but she was in office in the late 90s not the 80s don’t think about it too hard okay the exact policy/praxis doesn’t matter so much as the ideology/vibes/dynamic + Davy (The Mage) as like a fucked up Welsh caricature (of his own design) because he’s overcompensating and has the media literacy of the worst film bro you’ve ever had the misfortune of talking to = their sons falling in love through football/soccer against all odds as juxtaposed between childhood and adulthood.

🌍What tags or warnings will your / one of your wip(s) need if you intend to share it?

Trauma

🧭An alternative title to your/ one of your WIP(s)?

Solsbury Hill for obvious reasons

⚠️Which wip you’re most likely to finish or update next?

This one :-)

💾What is your document of your wip/ a wip called? (not the stories actual title but what you’ve saved it as)

Okay, I’m usually absolute ass at naming files in any helpful fashion but this project is so organized on Google Docs. My notes app is a different story. Those don’t even have titles. I just launch into my whims as they come.

Most interesting answer I can give is that the folder containing all my fic documents is titled “kill the part that cringes.”

🖍Post Any sentence from your wip

Listen, I warned y’all.

To be in love with Simon Snow—a life sentence, an encyclopedia of grief.

♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP

In the original musings of IKABIKAM—titled Scarborough Fair as the club was gonna be in Scarborough—Simon was Irish rather than Welsh and raised by Ruth. I know. Wild to think about now. But it’s true. And then I did some excavating on canon and the story we have today was born. Lost to time (the original idea of this fic which was actually two fics) is a whole very fun scene. I had planned that after the international break match against other, Simon convinced Baz to go out on the town with him. I wrote this snippet back then. It didn’t make the cut for obvious reasons and honestly I don’t know how much I stand by the characterization. Or the prose. Everything about IKABIKAM is better to me but this sexy little number deserves the people’s attention. I’m slightly concerned it’s offensive.

They’re playing INDUSTRY BABY in this club right now? I’m not dancing with Simon Snow to a Lil Nas X song. That music video…I’m only a man. I’m also not exactly sober. I will not risk a Snow relapse. Besides, Snow himself just downed the rest of his drink.

He leans toward me to say something. With the combination of his drunkenness and his accent I can barely make out his words, “eye gahta gohbakta da barrr.” (Translation: I’ve got to go back to the bar.) He really doesn’t.

I pluck the glass from his hand, “this last one is on me.”

He goofily smiles. His head is drooping to the side and his eyes are half-lidded. It would be adorable if I wasn’t worried about him falling over. I scan the room. One of the other Irish players is nearby. I hook Snow’s arm in mine (both my hands are full!) and drag him towards his teammate. He stumbles behind me looking completely blissed out.

I tap the other player on his shoulder. Clancy I think? The left winger. “Hey, I’m going to force Snow home so he can avoid a stomach pump. Could you make sure he doesn’t wander off while I close out my tab?”

He nods. I throw Snow at him and maneuver through the crowd up to the bar. It’s packed. I finish my own drink before I can push an opening to order. The bartender nods at me. She looks worn out from the night. I don’t blame her.

“Soda water with lime please.”

“Sure. What’s the name on the tab?”

“Grimm-Pitch. Could you close it?”

She nods and turns on her heel. A minute or so later she returns with the drink and my card. I take them.

“Is there any chance I could close out my mate’s tab too. He’s pissed.” I gesture back at the direction of Snow and Clancy. A circle of women have surrounded them. Honestly, fair.

The bartender gives me a wary eye. “What’s the name?”

“Snow.”

“Snow? Like the footballer Simon Snow over there?” She points at Simon.

I nod. The bartender scoffs, “Sure I’ll give Simon Snow’s card to some random Englishman.”

Random Englishman? Am I really going to have to do you know who I am this woman? I go for a subtle approach and just sort of lift an eyebrow and draw attention to the name on my own card: Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch. The realization hits her. I was afraid I would have to tie my hair up.

“Oh shit. Fuck you’re Baz Pitch.” She stares at me. I hold out my hand. “Right, the card!” She hands me Snow’s card.

I nod, “Alright. Thanks.”

She shakes her head at me, “No, sorry for the hassle. Have a good night English…defensive midfielder…Baz Pitch.” She says my name with a laugh like she’s awestruck I’m in this Dublin nightclub (fair), “and thanks for the win today!”

I’m beyond tired of hearing that line.

When I return Snow is having the time of his life: posted up surrounded by ladies singing along to Ayyy Ladies. They’re not being subtle in their flirting. (Again, fair. Good for them.) Snow is incredibly respectful despite being off his face. Good lad. He’s still far too drunk to consent to anything so I don’t feel terribly guilty for pulling him away from the grind fest.

When he sees me approach he lights up, “Baz!” His arms fly open. “Took you long enough.”

I hand him his drink. There is a blonde woman dancing on him. She throws her arms around his neck. He knocks back the drink and chugs it in one go. A little water dribbles down his chin and he wipes it away with his thumb. It catches on his bottom lip. He hasn’t looked away from me once. And this fucking song…

“When I hit it from the back, don't fuss, don't fight

When I put it in ya mouth, don't scratch, don't bite”

I need to get the fuck out of here.

He hands me back the glass, “That drink was awful. What was it?” His speech is a little less slurred than before.

“Water. I’m taking you home.”

He blushes, “What?”

“You’re plastered. So, you should get sick in your own loo rather than on this lovely woman,” I give the blonde a wink. She dances away.

I’m pretty sure tabs aren’t even really that much of a thing in Ireland. And like…I don’t think you can close them out for someone else. So like. I don’t know what the fuck I was on while writing that. Obviously not Google.com, or reality. But most of all I was absolutely jump-scared reading that back and discovering I was gonna make Baz a defensive midfielder? WTF!?

🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

A hockey one-shot. Whenever it happens the chirps are gonna be out of this world.

🤡How many Wips are you actively working on?

One in a way that’s meaningful. Maybe two. It’s a fresh thing.

��Is there a scene or anything in the WIP you are struggling with right now?

The chapter is really expositional in an isolated way and so I have to backtrack for context without being boring.

❤️Not a question, just a second kudos to send.

Blessed beyond belief.

Now tagging @artsyunderstudy @brilla-brilla-estrellita @cutestkilla @facewithoutheart @hushed-chorus @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @j-nipper-95 @noblecorgi @prettygoododds @thewholelemon @valeffelees @roomwithanopenfire @youarenevertooold @you-remind-me-of-the-babe omg and @emeryhall tell me everything

#ikabikam #bonus content

26 notes · View notes

thislovintime · 9 months

Text

"Lady's Baby" (Tork) alternate vocal [More on YouTube.] Photo 1 in this video by Nurit Wilde, photo 2 by Bridgeman Images.

"[At the Troubadour, Peter] sang one of his new songs, ‘Lady’s Baby,’ and was called back for an encore." - Disc and Music Echo, May 18, 1968 (x)

“Peter isn’t sure what he’s going to do now [that he has left The Monkees], but he’s feeling free for the first time in months. Toward the end of the Monkees’ run at Screen Gems, Peter said they’d go into recording sessions and not even speak to each other much less play together.” - Circus, June 1969

“[Davy] got sick of banging the tambourine all day long. And [Micky] lost faith in himself. He never did believe he was a decent drummer, so he didn't want to do it anymore. Mike wanted to produce his own records. He wanted to have total control. I was the only one who believed in the group per se, and so there I was all by myself, wanting a group, with nobody to be a group with.” - Peter Tork, When The Music Mattered (1984)

“Taking the expression of following one’s muse quite literally, [Peter] sought to re-create in the studio the very environment that inspired him to compose the song. This endeavor included having a recording engineer crawl on the ground after young Justin to capture real-life ‘smiles and coos’ (as in the song’s lyrics). Both lady and baby giggled and squeaked through hours of expensive recording time, which seemed to infuriate some members of the band and their musical coordinator, the late Lester Sill. ‘“Lady’s Baby” was a very weird and ridiculous situation,’ recalls engineer Hank Cicalo. ‘To accommodate Peter at the time, he wanted to do this thing and he wanted it to be real spacey. So what we did was we set up the studio and brought rugs in and made a little room with pillows. He would bring his friends in and they’d sit around and he’d play a little bit. It was pretty outrageous: days and days of doing the same piece of material. ‘They would just sit around for hours and drink wine and carry on, and try to get takes of this tune. Maybe we would make one or two takes. It was OK for me as an engineer because it was like taxi time. But he wouldn’t take any help from anybody. At this point in time I thought my communication with the guys was pretty good, and I could talk to them and whatever else. There were a couple of times he got a little hot about doing this. I’d say, ‘Hey, you’re wasting a lot of time. Either we do this track, or we get on with it.’ We must have done a hundred takes on that thing. He sort of went off on his own in a lot of ways. And there was a little resentment between the guys in not working together.’” - The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees box set liner notes

“Hey listen, fair is fair. They laugh and joke about that [‘Lady’s Baby’]. OK, it cost as much to do I think as ‘Good Vibrations.’ They were laughing about Peter Tork, but that [song] is a true-to-life thing. He was living with a woman [Karen Harvey] at the time and she had a little baby [Justin Hammer] and that changed his life, you know? That gave him something to think about. He was being downtrodden by the studio in regard to his recording and his playing and his songs and everything else, but the guy was the salt of the earth. It wasn’t just Hare Krishna, waterbeds and brown rice. That guy was a very, very accomplished musician. He needed magic to be able to get in and do ‘Lady’s Baby.’ It’s a nice song. It’s true. It’s got the warmth and everything of what he was living. ‘Lady’s Baby’ touches me, lets me know that I am free, whatever it is. I remember it so well. It’s a real tune, you know? I love it.” - Davy Jones, The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation (2005) (x)

"[M]y darling Karen, with whom I am still very good friends all these years later.” - Peter Tork during his My Life In The Monkees & So Much More tour, 2013 (x)

"We’re still very, very good friends." - Karen Harvey, The News Journal, July 16, 1989 (x)

Q: “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees sessions was a productive time in the studio for The Monkees. However, none of your stuff like ‘Lady’s Baby’ and ‘Tear The Top Right Off My Head’ made it to the album. How come?” Peter Tork: “To tell you truth… I… I never was able in those days particularly — I’m getting better at it these days — but in those days I was almost entirely unable to fight for what I saw as quality. If I didn’t get somebody fighting on my behalf then it didn’t, just didn’t come to pass. And none of the other guys was much interested in supporting my sense of quality, they had their own agendas and each one of them… I mean, not that I was left out in this regard, no one of us really supported any of the others except that, that I like to think that I tried to support Micky in a way which, for some reason, he never did pick up on. I mean, I think that Micky has a certain kind of genius that he was never able to acknowledge in himself. But be any of that as it may, I just basically think that I wasn’t feeling a part of it anymore already by that point, I’d already felt like I was odd man out, and of course I quit almost immediately thereafter. In fact, I think it’s The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees that has some tunes that were recorded after I quit.” - Headquarters radio, September 1989 (x)

#Peter Tork #Tork songs #Tork quotes #long read #Lady's Baby #Karen Harvey #Justin Hammer #Davy Jones #Micky Dolenz #Michael Nesmith #Hank Cicalo #et al.#The Birds The Bees & The Monkees #<3 #Disc and Music Echo #Headquarters Radio #When The Music Mattered #The News Journal #can you queue it

24 notes · View notes

lena-after-dark · 1 year

Text

Masterlist

Who I write for is listed below:

Individual masterlists will be linked as they are created. Don't see a character you like? Send me an ask! I may be willing to add them.

American Horror Story

The Countess Dandy Mott Misty Day

Bates Motel/Psycho

Norma Bates Norman Bates

Blade

Deacon Frost Eric Brooks/Blade Mercury

Bleach

Byakuya Kuchiki Findorr Calius Gin Ichimaru Jin Kariya Kenpachi Zaraki Kensei Muguruma Mayuri Kurotsuchi Retsu Unohana Ryo Utagawa Sosuke Aizen Szayelaporro Granz Yoshi

Cabinet of Curiosities

Jenkins Brown (possessing Walter) Richard Pickman Walter Gilman

Cobra Kai/The Karate Kid

Da-Eun Kim Daniel LaRusso John Kreese Terry Silver

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Black Puddle Queen Freaky Fred

The Crow

Eric Draven Myca Top Dollar

Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale) Edward Nashton/The Riddler (Dano) Edward Nygma/The Riddler (Carrey + Smith) Fish Mooney Harley Quinn (Robbie) Jervis Tetch/ Hatter Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Murphy) Joker (Ledger + Phoenix) Orm Marius Oswald Cobblepot (Taylor) Victor Zsasz (Carrigan)

Dead to Me

Jen Harding Judy Hale

Disney (* denotes live action only)

Claude Frollo Cruella DeVil* (2021) Diaval* Maleficent* King Stefan*

Evil Dead Rise

Ellie

The Faculty

Edward Furlong Elizabeth Burke Joe Willis

Firefly Trilogy

Baby Firefly Otis B Driftwood Foxy Coltraine

Final Fantasy

Cid Bunansa/Dr. Cid Kadaj Loz Lulu Rufus Shinra Sephiroth Seymour Guado Vayne Solidor Vincent Valentine Yazoo

Funny Games

Paul Peter

Game of Thrones

Brienne of Tarth Cersei Lannister Jaqen H'Ghar Margaery Tyrell Melisandre Petyr Baelish Ramsay Bolton

House of the Dragon

Aemond Targaryen Daemon Targaryen Larys Strong

Hunter x Hunter

Chrollo Lucifer Hisoka Morou Illumi Zoldyck Uvogin

Insidious

Josh Lambert + Parker Crane possessing Josh Steven "Specs" Fisher

Jujutsu Kaisen

Choso Kamo Geto Suguru (+ Kenjaku) Mahito Mei Mei Nanami Kento Ryomen Sukuna Toji Fushiguro

The Legend of Zelda

Ganondorf (Twilight Princess) Ghirahim Midna Sidon Zant

The Letter for the King

Jaro Viridian

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

Beorn Grima Wormtongue Thranduil

MCU

Agatha Harkness Heimdall Hela M'Baku Melina Vostokoff Namor/K’uk’ulkan Natasha Romanoff Norman Osborn/Green Goblin Okoye Olivia Octavius/Doc Ock Otto Octavius/Doc Ock Peter Parker (Maguire) Ultron Wanda Maximoff

My Hero Academa

Enji Todoroki/Endeavor Shota Aizawa/Eraserhead

Naruto

Deidara Hidan Kakazu Kisame Orochimaru

One Piece (Live Action ONLY)

Buggy Garp Kuro Sanji

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Amber Sweet Luigi Largo Nathan Wallace Pavi Largo

Saw

Adam Faulkner-Stanheight Amanda Young John Kramer

Silent Hill

Pyramid Head Vincent Smith

Stranger Things

001/Henry Creel Dmitri "Enzo" Antonov Joyce Byers

Thirteen Ghosts:

Dana Newman/The Angry Princess Dennis Rafkin Horace Mahoney/The Juggernaut Royce Clayton/The Torn Prince Ryan Kuhn/The Jackal

Us:

Abraham Tex

Wednesday

Larissa Weems Marilyn Thornhill

Would You Rather

Julian Lambrick Shepard Lambrick

X-Files

Cecil L'ively Dana Scully Fox Mulder Luther Lee Boggs

Misc. Characters

Adrian Tepes/Alucard (Castlevania) Albert Shaw/The Grabber (The Black Phone) Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls) Bo Sinclair (House of Wax) Cesaire (Red Riding Hood) Commodus (Gladiator) Creepy Thin Man (Charlie's Angels) Daniel Robitaille/Candyman (1992) Doug Davis (Cooties) Dracula (Lugosi + Bang) Ellie (Evil Dead Rise) Habit (EverymanHYBRID) John Ryder (The Hitcher) John Wick Kruger (Elysium) Kusuriuri/Medicine Seller (Mononoke) L Lawliet (Death Note) The Man (Hush) Moira (The Princess) Quentin Shermer/The Blissfield Butcher (Freaky) Rachel Summers (The Uninvited) Ransom Drysdale (Knives Out) Ross Humboldt (In the Tall Grass)

Celebrities* (see request rules)

Angela Bassett Idris Elba Jeffrey Dean Morgan Kathryn Hahn Patrick Wilson Sigourney Weaver Vera Farmiga

#masterlist #fandom list #character list

22 notes · View notes

soniahdavis · 6 months

Text

I'm so terrible with updating this page, partly because my tumblr app won't let me post (I've even tried updating it, still doesn't work).

Anyway, here is Part II of Sonia's contribution to amateur journalism. It's quite a doozy. If you haven't read Part I, which I recommend that you do, here it is:

I loved writing this post so much, that I'm considering expanding it into a book. Even with the length of this post, there was still so much left to say.

If you have not subscribed to The Papers of Sonia H. Davis, please make sure that you do, so you may stay up to date on my posts.

You may also follow/friend me in Twitter (X), Facebook, and Bluesky.

Thanks for reading and your support in this endeavor! 🖤

#sonia greene #scholarly academia #sonia h greene #hp lovecraft #sonia h davis

1 note · View note

whatisonthemoon · 1 year

Text

The Tragic History of Cults

▲ Pictured: Ricky Rodriguez, victim of sexual abuse and adopted son of David Berg, founder of the Children of God or the Family International (not to be confused with the DC-based The Fellowship or The Family)

Originally submitted to WIOTM on January 6, 2017 by “Frank Frivilous”

Watching the Children of God video last night I realized that the young boy whom the Messiah figure, David Berg selected to be his successor was obviously suffering from trauma. Judging from the other accounts, it may be safe to suggest that it included sexual abuse. The young man was extremely resentful and violent and eventually murdered his nanny and took his own life. The behavior he exhibited on the video was hauntingly familiar and could be attributed to a number of other apocalyptic cults. None of them seemed to have ended well. The Waco, Texas incident with the Branch Davidians comes to mind. Similar themes there including the wholesale loss of innocent lives. It’s interesting to note that the popular media is loath to remind the public about these events and in fact, misrepresented themselves when they reported the worst massacre in American history happened at a gay club in Orlando Florida. That dubious distinction actually belongs to the congregation of Jim Jones in Guyana. Whether you believe it was a mass suicide or not doesn’t alter the outcome. The leader compelled his followers to give up their lives for him. Not surprising when you delve into the essential teaching of these people. Obedience. Self sacrifice for the leader. Glorification of the leader. Never, ever, ever question the authority of the leader. Calculated veiled threats of violence toward anyone who questions the leaders authority. Have we seen this behavior exhibited by Hyung Jin Moon lately? He is claiming an inheritance from his father that may not even be represented in his fathers own teachings. Now he is even promoting his own son as a likely successor to his own outrageous claims. Where does it end? Is he also exhorting his followers to stock pile weapons? Is it a good idea to encourage him in these endeavors? I can’t help feeling that the followers have a moral responsibility to reject this nonsense before it goes too far. I think it’s time to sound the alarm and shine a spot light into the dark recesses of ALL the Moon family cults.

Frank F

Related links and notes

We should have seen Tetsuya’s violent act coming

Note from this old WIOTM post: “David Berg, founder of the incestuous hippie Christian cult, a self-proclaimed prophet, regretted not having sex with own mother.”

From X-Family.org:

At least seven women, including both his daughters, his daughter-in-law and two of his granddaughters, have publicly alleged that Berg sexually abused them when they were children.

In 1974, Berg's daughter-in-law Sarah Berg (who married Berg's son Paul when she was 15) alleged, in testimony to the New York Attorney General's Charity Frauds Bureau, statements on national television and in a deposition taken by New York attorney Aaron F. Klein, that Berg made sexual advances towards her, exposed himself to her and attempted to have intercourse with her "three or four years before my teens."

Berg's eldest daughter Deborah Davis has written a book in which she accuses her father of sexually molesting both her and her sister when they were children, and attempting to have sex with her as an adult.

Her sister Faith Berg corroborated these claims, but described them in a positive way. Sarah Berg also partially corroborated these claims, noting that: "David, at times, would try to get away with things with his own daughters and he tried it with me when I was a little girl, but I was too young to really know what was going on."

In a child-custody case in the United Kingdom, Berg's granddaughter Merry Berg testified that Berg sexually molested her when she was a young teenager.

Another of Berg's granddaughters, Joyanne Treadwell Berg, spoke on American television about being sexually abused by her grandfather.

Davida Kelley, the daughter of Sara Kelley (nanny for Berg's informally adopted son Ricky Rodriguez), accused Berg of molesting her in a June 2005 Rolling Stone article.

In the same article, a woman identified as Armendria alleged that Berg sexually abused her when she was 13 years old.

Ricky Rodriguez wrote an article on the website MovingOn.org in which he describes Berg's deviant sexual activity involving a number of women and children.

Ricky Rodriguez page on X-Family.org

1 note · View note

yukihime-mikeys-girl · 2 years

Text

Freedom

Dabi x reader

Warnings - dark angst, mentions of death, killing and torture, kissing.

Minors DNI.

So here is a Dabi x oc oneshot because I have been in a very emo state this past few days...

I turn to Dabi every time I feel low because I relate a lot to him in my life. A scary lot. To add on top, we're birthday twins as well. Sometimes, I get this scary feeling that the author must have seen my life in a dream while designing Dabi. From his character, to his backstory to his pain.

Anywho, I'll stop rambling now and share the oneshot which I wrote for him.

Please excuse any errors since this was a super short rushed work thanks to my emotions.

- ❄Yuki❄

"Is it time?"

"Not yet. Patience love. It will be time soon."

"Mmm ... I cannot wait Dabi~ I wanna spill blood so bad!", she whined into his ear.

"So do I. We've both been waiting for this for a long time. Let's go crazy when we're in there, but let's make it count.", Dabi replied while stroking her hair.

They both were perched on a roof, waiting for Endeavor to meet up with Mr. Kurosawa.

Y/n was Mr. Kurosawa's daughter. He'd been the one to abuse and kill her mother. But no one seemed to believe her when she tried to get help. Instead, Endeavor had chosen to take Mr. Kurosawa's side in the case.

So, y/n had gone to the one person she knew who could help her.

Dabi had taken y/n under his wing. He'd trained her to use blades in the league of villains and then practiced with her so that he'd fire up her blades as she seared her opponents instead of just cutting them.

All of this has happened in a span of two years.

In these two years, they'd also fallen madly in love with one another.

An opportunity had finally shown itself.

Kurosawa was visiting Endeavor for a favor in his office.

_____________________

The perched couple waited impatiently for the two sinners to be in clear view.

Dabi had procured a couple of guns, both of which had bullets made out of quirk cancelling materials. They'd painstakingly melted quirk cancelling handcuffs to form bullets and two daggers.

________________________

Once y/n saw both the scum men, she smiled a twisted smile as she turned to Davi and said, "Now's our time to shine sweetie. I'll meet you outside. Be ready to escape like we'd planned."

"Mhm ... Good luck princess."

Dabi kissed her forehead as he jumped with her.

He quickly shot three bullets in succession towards Endeavor and dropped her inside the window.

Endeavor was stunned and could not move thanks to the quirk cancelling bullets. He fell to the floor and tried his best to shoot flames towards the window, but he was powerless.

Y/n crashed inside as she slashed at Kurosawa, forming a huge X shaped gash on his torso.

As Kurosawa lay bleeding, she smiled wickedly at his pained face, saying, "This, is for mom. You fucking piece of shit! I'm going to gut you like a fish and kill you; send you to the hell that you belong to."

Before Kurosawa could say anything, she placed the tip of her blade in his mouth and screamed Dabi's name.

He wasn't around, but he'd heard her through the earpiece and made his flames flow towards her.

The flames seemed to know the path to her blades as they made them glow red.

Y/n then pushed the blade deep into Kurosawa's throat and saw him gurgle blood before becoming a lifeless corpse.

She then moved to Endeavor and did the same.

"It's done. Get ready.", she spoke into her earpiece.

Y/n then jumped out of the building, landing onto the sidewalk on her feet. She could've fooled anyone watching into believing that she might be a cat.

"Let's roll!", she said, as she felt the rush of adrenalin in her.

Dabi coolly smashed his lips to hers, kissing her harshly. She seemed to return it with the same vigor.

He felt light and free.

Just like how she felt.

As if a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Revenge always felt sweet.

Especially if it ended in death.

Death of the person who'd tormented them.

Freedom felt great.

Both put their shades on as Dabi put their favorite song on loop.

Down to ride - YOUNGDIVY

He sang along to the lyrics as he drove away in their Lamborghini Aventador at breakneck speed.

"You can be my Bonnie, I can be your Clyde."

#Spotify #dabi and me are birthday twins #dabi oneshot #angst oneshot #bnha #bnha dabi #dabi x y/n #dabi x oc #dabi x reader

7 notes · View notes

kendrixtermina · 2 years

Text

The Types as Musicians

i was initially doing research to make “unstereotypic own words playlists” for the other 8 types after i made the 5 one, but i soon realized that i wouldnt have enough material for many of them.

Personality Database proved utterly useless in this endeavor because they type everyone & their dog as infj 4.

It’s like they’re too preoccupied with empty praise to really try to understand what makes their favs the way they are.

Still, this is what i noticed trying to look up musicians of different types.

drawing a blank, maybe they’re all in classical or some other genre I don’t listen to.

I can only think of Dolly Parton

Their songs come in roughly two genres: “self-referential badassitude hymn” and “unironic passionate lovesong” ( can also be directed at friends or Family). The latter are the really good ones IMHO.

Examples:

Britney Spears

Taylor Swift

christina aquilera

madonna

bebe rexha

I think most of you can picture this one. theyre very concentrated in the arts. Back in my day it was rockbands, nowadays a lot of them are in indie.

Of course saying this is tantamout to summoning att the ones from the woodworks who like some completely different genres and do not want to be associated with the above

[ducks]

Examples:

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Emilie Autumn

Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless

Toopoor

marylin manson

the frontman from mindless self indulgence.

the mcr frontman

lana del rey

Jonathan Davis from Korn

Avantgardistic and high-concept stuff. Grunge, Metal, and a sizeable fraction of european bands that dont sing in English

Also, nearly all those “one guy and his laptop” acts

Examples:

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana

Trenz Reznor of NiN

Honey Malecki of Welle Erdball

Matt Bellamy of Muse

Thom Yorke

Whoever was in charge of lyrics for the earlier albums of In Flames. i bet you my glasses.

Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten

Sophie Xeon

supposedly theres quite a lot of them in hiphop/rap as well but im not an expert in that. probably punk & alt rock, too. You’ll recognize that those two genres often have alot of quick rapid fire lyrics.

The ones I was personally familiar with were mostly singer-songwriter types

Examples:

Mitski

Meg Myers

La Roux

if you asked me to find the common denominator of these, i would say “a lot of feelings”.

Also come in two grenres: “Terribly Sad Wailing Breakup Song” and “associative Thinking galore creativity explosion”, surprising propensity of ‘layered’ writing where a song will sometimes be about several things at once

Sometimes the same artist will go back and forth between Wailing Breakup and Creativity Explosion, or even pull off both at once.

Lady Gaga

Tori Amos

Lindsay Stirling (the violinist)

amy winehouse

rihanna

Fiona Apple

Cardi B

There were not many examples but i did find a few:

Garbage’s Shirley Manson

P!nk

Peaches

What would I say the common denominator is? It’s dangerous to extrapolate from so few data points, but I’d say a love of scandalous costumes, and the more emotional songs having an undercurrent of tiredness.

Many widely beloved, ‘iconic’ artists with devoted worshippers. A lot of colorful dreamy/whimsical clothes & aesthetic.

Otherwise run a pretty wide gamut. I see a lot more common through-lines with 9 writers. (though many of them are also super beloved household names)

Examples:

Shakira

Hayley kiyoko

Lil nas x

Beyonce

Ashnikko

Björk

Enya

Note that contrary to popular belief not all of these even have a vibe that could be described as particularly chill. if anything the through line seems to be flexibility & quirkyness.

its striking that i was familiar with so many of their names & the few most famous songs though im not a big fan of any of these nor intently following popculture. theyre just very popular & ppl frequently gush about them.

Seems like type 9 has the optimum balance of unique creativity and broad relatable appeal. Plus, you can talk in normal-sized sentences unlike us head types

#enneagram

14 notes · View notes

ao3feed-shigadabi · 5 years

Text

Alley Cats

by TipzyCat

Izuku is a little kitten left behind by his owners. Bitten with what some would call a curse, other call it a blessing, he must now learn the tricks and survival of the streets. Fighting along side his new friends to keep their territory safe, Izuku has to grasp onto the power that has claimed his life. With stories of the past wielders of his quirk, he must decide which side he wishes to stay on, and what path he wants to follow.

Words: 2001, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, The Sight Series - David Clement-Davies, Warriors - Erin Hunter

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki, Todoroki Shouto, Kirishima Eijirou, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Todoroki Rei, Todoroki Fuyumi, Kaminari Denki, Todoroki Natsuo, Sero Hanta, Uraraka Ochako, Asui Tsuyu, Ashido Mina, Midoriya Inko, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Shinsou Hitoshi, Shiretoko Tomoko | Ragdoll, Amajiki Tamaki, Dabi (My Hero Academia), Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Todoroki Touya

Relationships: Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Kirishima Eijirou/Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto, Kirishima Eijirou/Todoroki Shouto, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor/Todoroki Fuyumi/Todoroki Natsuo/Todoroki Rei/Todoroki Shouto/Todoroki Touya, Kaminari Denki/Kirishima Eijirou, Kaminari Denki/Sero Hanta, Asui Tsuyu/Uraraka Ochako, Ashido Mina & Kaminari Denki & Sero Hanta, Midoriya Inko/Todoroki Rei, Natsuo Todoroki/Amajiki Tamaki, Amajiki Tamaki/Kirishima Eijirou, Shiretoko Tomoko | Ragdoll/Todoroki Fuyumi, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Dabi/Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Midoriya Izuku/Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Dabi/Midoriya Izuku, Dabi/Todoroki Shouto, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Izuku/Shinsou Hitoshi, Bakugou Katsuki/Shinsou Hitoshi, Shinsou Hitoshi/Todoroki Shouto, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Shinsou Hitoshi

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Cats, Cats with powers, Angst, Heavy Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Quirks (My Hero Academia), All The Ships, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Blood and Gore, Blood, Midoriya has a different quirk, The Sight AU, male x male, Female x Female, Warrior Cats Reference, Character Death, Inko is dead, Legends, Alternate Universe - Mythology

from AO3 works tagged 'Dabi/Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko' https://ift.tt/34upI65 via https://ift.tt/HeCC5o

#ifttt #shigadabi #dabishiga #boku no hero academia #fanfic #ao3feed

3 notes · View notes

ao3feed-shindeku · 5 years

Text

Alley Cats

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/34upI65

by TipzyCat

Words: 2002, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, The Sight Series - David Clement-Davies, Warriors - Erin Hunter

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, M/M, Multi, Other

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/34upI65

#shindeku #bnha #shinsou #deku #izuku #midoriya #fanfic

2 notes · View notes

nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany · 5 years

Text

CalPERS in Bed With Jeffrey Epstein Client and Co-Investor, Apollo’s Leon Black Even After Apollo Pay-to-Play Scandal Led to Conviction and Jail Term for Former CalPERS CEO

Digital Elixir CalPERS in Bed With Jeffrey Epstein Client and Co-Investor, Apollo’s Leon Black Even After Apollo Pay-to-Play Scandal Led to Conviction and Jail Term for Former CalPERS CEO

CalPERS, which has endeavored to wrap itself in the mantle of ESG virtue-signalling, now finds itself embarrassed by its connection to Leon Black, the founder and long-standing head of private equity heavyweight Apollo, who in turn is more than trivially connected to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whose misdeeds are now coming under renewed scrutiny.

It’s telling that image-above-substance-sensitive CalPERS is bothered by being tainted by being one of many limited partners in Apollo funds, when it chose to look past lasting institutional damage done to CalPERS when a pay-to-play scandal that had Apollo providing the overwhelming majority of the dodgy money led to the conviction of former CEO Fred Buenrostro for bribery. Yet, as the letter embedded at the end of this post shows, CalPERS’ attorney Robert Khinda of Steptoe & Johnson, who headed the whitewash investigation of the pay-to-play affair, the giant fund took a fawning posture towards Apollo in accepting a settlement proposal from Apollo that may never have been properly papered up or accounted for.1 And more important, it looks likely that CalPERS got shortchanged on the fee reductions it was promised.

But back to the current scandal, which has a Master of the Universe looking like he’s been caught with his pants down. Not only is Leon Black’s name in Epstein’s infamous black book, but Epstein was an “original trustee” of the Leon Black Family Foundation, dating from 1997. Black has attempted to disavow state filings that reported Epstein as still on the board through 2012, years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution. Black has tried claiming that the filings were in error and Epstein left the board in 2007.

Even less credible are Black’s claims about his relationship with Epstein. Bloomberg published a story earlier this week, Jeffrey Epstein Had a Door Into Apollo: His Deep Ties With Leon Black, which depicted Black as having permitted Epstein to solicit other Apollo executives for his “personal tax strategies”. The Bloomberg piece was clearly based on inside accounts. The article also had a section on CalPERS’ hand-wringing:

“Calpers takes this issue very seriously,” Wayne Davis, a spokesman for the Sacramento-based pension, said in an email last week. “The actions our general partners take, both in professional and private contexts, impact our assessment of which firms we desire as long-term partners. We consider any issue, including reputational risk, a serious matter if it impacts a firm’s ability to be successful.”

He said Tuesday that the pension fund is “in the process of contacting Apollo to discuss this.”

All CalPERS can do is make sanctimonious noises. The idea that Black would do anything other than repeat his official story is ludicrous. One wonders who CalPERS thinks will be impressed by its efforts to have a tea and cookies chat with Black about his poor taste in friends. Dumping its stakes in Apollo funds on the secondary market would come at a very high cost, particularly given how much CalPERS would need to unload.

But for CalPERS to act like some sort of naif about Black and Apollo and cop that had every reason to think Black was an upstanding guy is laughable. Not only is chicanery the default in private equity (see numerous articles about how the industry rips off investors, as well as SEC fines and disgorgements, including by Apollo) but Apollo was at the center of the bribery scandal from which CalPERS has yet to recover.

And there would be quite a lot to discuss if Black could be persuaded to be candid. Black claims that he turned to Epstein for professional advice on taxes, philanthropy, and estate planning. Why would someone like Black turn to Epstein, who has no training and no demonstrable basis for claiming expertise, when Black and Apollo have access to the top professionals, including tax attorneys who could treat discussions as attorney-client privileged?2

However, Black sent a letter to Apollo limited partners, which quickly made its way to journalists. Black also read it out loud on the Apollo earnings call earlier this week. It didn’t seem to do much to assuage doubts. For instance, the New York Times pointed out:

Mr. Black described his relationship with Mr. Epstein as one largely limited to tax strategy, estate planning and philanthropic advice.

“I want to emphasize that Apollo has never done any business with Mr. Epstein at any point in time,” Mr. Black said in his letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The New York Times.

Most important, he wrote, “I was completely unaware of, and am deeply troubled by, the conduct that is now the subject of the federal criminal charges brought against Mr. Epstein.”

But so far, Mr. Black has not discussed a company that he and his four children — as well as Mr. Epstein — invested in three years after Mr. Epstein pleaded guilty to a charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida. Mr. Epstein’s financial advisory firm took a roughly 6 percent equity stake in Environmental Solutions Worldwide in 2011. Two of Mr. Black’s sons serve on the board of the company, which makes emission control products, according to the company website.

Similarly, from Dan Primack at Axios:

Leon Black yesterday spoke publicly for the first time about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, in response to a question from JPMorgan analyst Ken Worthington.

He mostly just read, verbatim, the letter sent last week to Apollo employees (which is quite similar to a letter Apollo sent yesterday to its limited partners).

But he also said:

“There has been a virtual tsunami in the press on the subject. It’s seems to be the gift that never stops giving. For the press, it’s salacious. It involves elements of of politics of me too, of rich and powerful people and and my guess is it will continue for a while.”

I can’t speak for other media, but my interest in this story isn’t because it’s salacious or because Leon Black is rich. It’s because he continues to refuse to answer a central question about judgement ⁠— why he donated $10 million years after Epstein plead guilty ⁠— and Black’s judgement is a big part of what Apollo sells its shareholders and limited partners and portfolio companies. So, yeah, this will continue for a while.

Back to CalPERS. Let’s look at the key section of the deal that Black offered to CalPERS to make up for a pay-to-play fee that was so ginormous that it looked like a bribe, and some of that money did go to CalPERS CEO Fred Buenrostro in cash in paper bags.3

We’ll charitably assume this flimsy commitment was firmed up and properly commemorated.

Notice how this section twice refers to funds managed “solely for CalPERS”. That means a dedicated fund, not a “co-mingled” fund, meaning the common form of private equity fund. These dedicated funds are called “separately managed accounts”.

If you look at the list of CalPERS’ current Apollo investments, you’ll see only one that looks like a separately managed account, the 2007 “Apollo Special Opportunities Managed Account.”

In theory, there might have been other separately managed accounts in 2010 that were liquidated since then, but the fact that Apollo hans’t wound up 1998 and 2001 funds makes that seem unlikely.

The Apollo proposal says it agrees to reduce its “management and other fees on funds it manages solely for CalPERS by $125 million.” It also has verbiage about a new fund that appears never to have been consummates, since its “vintage year” would have been 2010 or later, and we see no fund like that (Apollo VIII in 2013 is a “flagship fund” with lots of investors).

But what are “fees on funds”? Aside from management fees, it’s hard to think of any. This clearly means (well, clearly if you’ve gotten down the curve a little bit on private equity sharp practices) means fees paid at the private equity fund level, not at the portfolio company level. Note also that fund expenses, like the cost of preparing books and records, are expenses, not fees, and aren’t eligible either

The Apollo VIII limited partnership agreement (and any CalPERS agreement is likely to closely parallel i) makes clears that

Similarly, the so-called “carry fee” is not a fee as defined in the limited partnership agreement. Pages 37 through 39 set forth “Portfolio Investment Distribution,” known in the trade the “waterfall.” And the 20% cut of the gains that goes to the general partner is repeatedly called a distribution, not a fee.

So CalPERS had $800 million of committed capital that was eligible to have its management fee waived until the $125 million was exhausted. Recall that management fees usually step down after the fifth year and are usually based on the amount of capital then deployed, and not the committed amount.

Some simplifying assumptions:

1. CalPERS was already a full three years into its 2007 fund by the time its fee reduction agreement with Apollo was effective. So it would have only two years of fee reductions at the full management fee rate

2. Due to the size of the commitment, the management fee was 1.75% (this if anything is conservative)

3. It effectively dropped to half that after the investment period of five years, meaning after the two years left at full rate on this fund.

2 x $800 million x 1.75% = $28 million

7 x $800 million x (.5 x 1.75%) = $ 49 million

Total = $77 million

So a reasonable guesstimate is that CalPERS got less than 2/3 of the face amount that CalPERS was supposed to receive from Apollo as compensation for the harm suffered by CalPERS, when CalPERS expected to get it all back in five years or so.4 And that’s before recognizing that letting Apollo and its fellow bad boys pay not a dime in cash was a ginormous concession. Black is worth nearly $7 billion. His worst take-home pay in recent year was $142 million and it’s been as high as in excess of $400 million. But CalPERS is too cowardly to demand that Apollo, which in this case would have been Apollo principals, to be personally responsible for their bad acts.

But the economics for CalPERS are even worse than the simple math suggests.

Remember those portfolio company fees we mentioned earlier? They are hidden from investors like CalPERS but really add up. Remember that the total cost of investing in private equity has been estimated at 7% a year. A bit over 60% of the total, meaning over 4% in total across the industry, are fees that don’t relate to performance, meaning not carry fees. That gives an idea how hefty those hidden charges are.

Some of those portfolio company fees are “offset” against the management fee. We say “some” because only fees that are specified in the limited partnership agreement are offset (and private equity firms have cleverly dreamed up other fees) and those specified fees may not be fully offset (the average in recent years across all funds is 85%, but CalPERS is generally able to get higher offsets, but the level of offset also depends on how hot the private equity market is).

The effect of getting rid of the management fee is that there would be no management fee against which to “offset” the portfolio company fees that would otherwise be offset against them. The effect is that Apollo could pocket all of the portfolio company fees, rather than have to reduce the amount of management fee to reflect the portfolio fee offset. That effect would reduce the economic value of the management fee reductions by at least 50%.

So I welcome seeing Leon Black squirm. And I wish the press were making CalPERS squirm for the right reason, for being such a dupe. But sadly, reporters and limited partners would rather play supplicant to private equity overlords, even when that amounts to becoming their victim. ____

1 As the post discusses and the letter below shows, Apollo was supposedly willing to provide $125 million in fee reductions. The so-called Steptoe Report touted that four funds, Apollo, Relational, Ares and CIM had “agreed” which means “offered on their terms” to provide $215 million in fee reductions. Yet of the total in pay-to-play fees, $48 million came from Apollo and another $10 million from Relational, Ares, CIM, and Aurora Capital. So we already have the head-scratcher that Apollo is on the hook for 58% of the givebacks when it supplied 83% of the dirty money.

2 The conventional view is that Epstein’s wealth came from extorting men who took advantage of the women and underaged girls he had in tow. I don’t find that credible since procuring and extortion both are crimes. Anyone Epstein tried to shake down on that basis could stare him down and tell him to try risking going public, it would be a sure-fire jail sentence for Epstein.

However, I am told that private jets get cursory to no checks when coming in from overseas if the jet owner is seen as being reputable and not coming in from a destination perceived as a risk for drug hauls. So I wonder if the real service Epstein was offering was indeed tax “planning” in the form tax evasion by transporting high-value assets to tax havens.

3 The Steptoe & Johnson report attempts to depict Apollo as a victim of the placement agent Al Villalobos. If you think Leon Black could be victimized, particularly to the tune of $48 million, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.

4 Reading just the excerpted paragraph, it’s clear that the real intent of the fee waiver was to induce CalPERS to sign up for a new separately managed Apollo fund, which it appears never happened.

Calpers Apollo Fee Reduction Agreement

CalPERS in Bed With Jeffrey Epstein Client and Co-Investor, Apollo’s Leon Black Even After Apollo Pay-to-Play Scandal Led to Conviction and Jail Term for Former CalPERS CEO

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2GIQAVK via IFTTT

#Digital Marketing #SEO #Social Media Marketing #Nigeria Digital Marketing Company #Lead Generation

1 note · View note

nathanhsantos · 5 years

Text

Berlin, 1964: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Miles Davis

To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose, under heaven

What was Pete Seeger feeling in 1961 when he was compelled to open the Bible to Ecclesiastes 3: verses 1-8, and compose a melody to these words to give to his publisher to sell? Artists tend to be hyper-sensitive to changing conditions so as to gain more insight about how their body acclimates. Many will accept their instinct for adaptation as a part of survival with minimal notice. Artists, however, endeavor to preserve these human reactions for future study or to facilitate further change. Seeger and the band that would most prominently represent this song, The Byrds, were communicating a change of season—a season of turbulence, agitation, defiance, revolution, introspection and awakening. A season that compels us to look deeply into our inner world, address our grievances, and bring them unabashedly out into the summer sunlight for all to see.

Change is never easy: it invites criticism, resistance, defensiveness, counter-operations. It challenges long-trusting relationships and often results in permanent destabilization. But as we all occupy a living, rotating planet, we are always adapting to each moment. This is what we are celebrating today as we honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was dedicated to a mission of reconciling his moment’s turbulence by exposing it and initiating a grand conversation about it. As perhaps one of the first indicators that the world was moving forward into the Postmodern Age, he uttered the words “I have a dream….” His hopes for a peaceful and unified march into this new season were soon dashed by bullets of those resistors aiming their own passions at those prominent voices of change: JFK, Malcolm X, RFK, MLK Jr., John Lennon, Ronald Reagan, and on, and on….

Although his historic sermon in 1963 was strategically given at the Washington D.C. Mall to reach the heart of the American politic, King also traveled overseas to expose international audiences to the mission.

At the inaugural Berlin Jazz Festival in 1964, he was asked to give the opening address. The festival’s mission: “to document, support, and validate trends in jazz, and to mirror the diversity of creative musical activity” was christened with Dr. King’s words:

“God has wrought many things out of oppression. He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create—and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope with his environment and many different situations.

Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph.

This is triumphant music.

Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument.

It is no wonder that so much of the search for identity among American Negroes was championed by Jazz musicians. Long before the modern essayists and scholars wrote of racial identity as a problem for a multiracial world, musicians were returning to their roots to affirm that which was stirring within their souls.

Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.

And now, Jazz is exported to the world. For in the particular struggle of the Negro in America there is something akin to the universal struggle of modern man. Everybody has the Blues. Everybody longs for meaning. Everybody needs to love and be loved. Everybody needs to clap hands and be happy. Everybody longs for faith.

In music, especially this broad category called Jazz, there is a stepping stone towards all of these.” (King, 1964)

The closing act of the 1964 Festival in Berlin was the Miles Davis Quintet, now historically significant as the first recording of his Second Great Quintet with Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on sax, Herbie Hancock, piano, Ron Carter, bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Miles Davis, only Dr. King’s senior by three years, also was in Berlin to communicate a message that the season was changing.

Davis by this point had reached the highest points of financial success for a Bebop artist, but was demonstrating that he had no intent to coast on the achievements of previous projects. His mission, like King’s, John Lennon’s, and others in their generation, would be to adapt to the changing times and continue moving forward. This ensemble, his Second Great Quintet produced a remarkable body of challenging, searching, abstract music through to 1968, that violent moment when peaceful protests turned to militant insistence. True to form, Miles turned also.

youtube

#Miles Davis #Herbie Hancock #Ron Carter #Tony Williams #Wayne Shorter #1964 Berlin Jazz Festival #Jazz History #Martin Luther King #Miles In Berlin #Second Turning #Consciousness Revolution

2 notes · View notes

jhelsabatin · 2 years

Quote

THE SUICIDE SQUAD

A CRITIQUE PAPER

A “BALLS TO THE WALL” SUPERHERO ROMP

Back in 2016, following the decisively mixed reviews / thoughts on Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. Studios and DC Comics released the movie Suicide Squad, the third feature film in the studio’s planned DCEU shared universe franchise. Directed by David Ayer, the film, which starred Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, and Jared Leto, sees a secret government agency (led by character Amanda Waller) recruiting skilled and imprisoned supervillains to execute a dangerous black ops mission of saving the world from an ancient and powerful being. With the much anticipation for this project being rolled out, Suicide Squad was met with a very decisive thoughts and feelings from both critics and moviegoers alike, with some really liking the film and others loathing it completely; finding the fandom spilt on the overall verdict of the feature entirely. Despite debate on whether or not if the movie was good or not, Suicide Squad was still considered a box office success, with the film raking over $746 million worldwide against its $175 production budget. Now, after five years of the release, Warner Bros. Studios and director James Gunn return to the DCEU for another lease on life with these “worst superheroes ever” with the standalone sequel film titled The Suicide Squad. Does this new movie bring a better cinematic light to DC’s supervillain team up or is it a failed attempt that never really goes anywhere?

THE STORY

Special government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has been given a task by her superiors to temporary take control of the South American island known as Corto Maltese, but not for its sovereignty control or dictator leadership. Instead, Waller’s mission is a prison structure on the island known as Jotunhiem, which contains the mysterious “Project Starfish”. With that in mind, Waller restarts her Task Force X program, forcing the likes of incarcerated inmates Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Malchoir), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) to take on the mission. Expendable and complete strangers, these misfit / outcasts mercenary killers are joined by Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) to help find The Thinker (Peter Capaldi), a scientist who can provide entry into Jotunhiem. However, the team struggles to work together cohesively, with egos clashing and violent tendencies running amok, making the mission on Corto Maltese quite messy along the way.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

It goes without saying that WB’s DCEU has certainly been up and down on a bumpy road since its inception back in 2013, with the release of Man of Steel. From studio interference to too much creative freedom, the shared cinematic universe of DC Comics has criticism from moviegoers, critics, and fans alike. Personally, I liked some of their endeavors, especially some of the earlier projects (i.e., Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman), but the latter releases (Shazam!, Birds of Prey, and Wonder Woman 1984) are taking the franchise in a completely different direction and are a bit “meh” in my opinion. 2016’s Suicide Squad was one of those movies that I really couldn’t make heads or tails of. I kind liked it, but didn’t at the same time, which is very odd. I loved the cast (Smith, Davis, Robbie, Kinnaman, Leto), but the film’s story was incredible thin and weak. Plus, after the criticism that the previous two DCEU movies were considered “too serious”, it seems like the movie was trying too hard to be something akin to the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy, including a recognizable music soundtrack of song selections. It just felt something that was a bit of disappointment and clearly seeing that the higher ups at WB were interjecting a lot into this final cut of the feature. As I said, some embraced the film, while a great many hated the movie, with rotten tomato score of (currently) at 26%, which I know that scoring has to be taken with grain of salt, but what’s the saying…. the proof is in the pudding. Overall, my thoughts of Suicide Squad were mixed, but more on the bad side as I wish the film could’ve been so much better. Definitely one of the lower installments in the DCEU.

his is also accompanied by the fact that Gunn makes the feature much lighter in tone that compared to the 2016 Suicide Squad. Given Gunn’s approach to Guardians of the Galaxy, the director shapes this particular superhero film with a somewhat same sense of madcap comedic relief throughout the entire film, which translate into something more entertaining and compelling to watch. In fact, I actually found myself laughing more during the first act of the film (I did laugh a lot during the other two acts as well) than I did during the entire run of 2016’s Suicide Squad. Heck, even some of the various deaths that befall the multitude of characters in the movie are played for laughs, with some of the action sequences, while gruesome and full force of violence are played with some comedic timing. That’s not to say that Gunn makes The Suicide Squad all laughs and over-the-top violence as Gunn does help balance the feature with action and drama; proving to have a more wholesome feeling for this super criminal team up. Theirs is a madcap glee to this feature and Gunn relishes in that endeavor; cultivating in a movie that has a very distinct swagger and definitely dances to its own beat within the DCEU. It is …perhaps…the more comedic and entertaining endeavor within this shared DC cinematic universe. In short, I think that Gunn’s touch of directing makes this movie quite enjoyable; reveling in his own madness and generates plenty of goofy / crass laughs, a sense of action superhero aspect, and dramatic violence that makes the feature entertaining from start to finish.

As a whole, The Suicide Squad showcases plenty of characters throughout the movie and sometimes drops the ball in trying to create some type of well-roundness to the feature. Again, as I mentioned above, I knew that this was going to be a sort of a problem, so it wasn’t a super big deal. However, it might be a problem for some out there, with less focus on certain characters, with a lot acting more as “joke gags” of Gunn’s violent punchline. Also, the second half of the film feels a bit underwhelming, with Gunn deciding to lose focus on certain aspects and make the feature’s main point. This is most apparent with the film’s third act, which tries to go “big” with a climatic large-scale battle, but ultimately backfires and feels underwhelming and bloated; finding Gunn’s work fumbling and lacking the necessary cinematic superhero punch that the feature needed / wanted to be. Basically, the first half of the movie is great, and I loved it, but the second half kind of looses steam.

The cast in The Suicide Squad has a buttload of characters throughout the entire movie, with some major ones, some minor, and some that are somewhere in-between (you know what I mean…. when you see the movie), with the talented selected up to the task to play whatever roles that are set for the feature’s various characters. While there is plenty of characters in the movie, the feature certainly focuses on the two particular characters that I would consider to be “lead characters” of the film, with Suicide Squad characters Robert DuBois / Bloodsport and Cleo Cazo/ Ratcatcher 2, who are played by actor Idris Elba and Daniela Melchior. Elba, who is known for his roles in The Losers, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and The Wire, has proven himself to be a capable in the lead role position and demonstrates that again in this movie. Sure, its not his grittiest nor meatiest role for the actor to play, but its quite obvious that Elba is having blast playing the role of Robert DuBois. It’s kind of amusing to see Elba in such a ridiculous and totally bonkers movie, but he surely does fit the part and helps ground the feature as the de facto leader of the group. Likewise, Melchior, known for her roles in Parque Mayer, Massa Fresca, and A Herdeira, does a great job in character role of Ratcatcher 2 (yes, there is a reasoning behind the name). She’s not a relatively well-known actress, but The Suicide Squad gives her a great platform for most viewers to show her acting talents of which handles quite well. I actually didn’t think she was going to play such a large part in the film from when I initial saw her, but she does develop throughout the entire film. In truth, both Bloodsport and Ratcatcher have the greatest growth in the movie and have the greatest emotional arc in the feature, with both Elba and Melchior demonstrating what they are capable of achieving within the performances in the film.

Behind Robbie’s Quinn, the character of Rick Flagg, the field leader of the Suicide Squad / Task Force X, returns, with actor Joel Kinnaman reprising the role. Kinnaman, known for his roles in The Killing, RoboCop, and House of Cards, was pretty good (in my opinion) in the first Suicide Squad movie, so it was great to see him return to reprise his role in this 2021 sequel feature. Plus, I kind of like how he once again acts as the field leader by trying to manage everyone as well as his mutual relationship with Harley. Lastly, the character of Amanda Waller, the government director of A.R.G.U.S. who runs Task Force X program, returns with actress Viola Davis (How Do Get Away with Murder and Fences) reprising her role. The 2021 The Suicide Squad showcases that Waller is not weak link, with Davis demonstrating that ruthlessness and extreme measure that Waller will go to complete her mission. However, while Davis is great actress (and I’m glad that she has returned), all that she does for most of the movie is threat people and scream, especially during the second half of the feature. Heck, I think there was more development of her character in the 2016 film. Still, I think these three characters / actors (Robbie’s Harley, Kinnaman’s Flagg, and Waller’s Davis) form the backbone of The Suicide Squad, with their effective performances as a whole.

FINAL THOUGHTS

To gain access on Corto Maltese and discover the mystery surrounding Project Starfish, Amanda Waller restarts Task Force X, with a new team spearheading the mission, and crazy violence to ensue with the movie The Suicide Squad. Director James Gunn’s latest film takes the concept idea that was established in the 2016 Suicide Squad film and expands upon it in a very different way that brimming with more characters, more violence, more visual imagery, and more comic book entertainment throughout. While the film does falter in being overstuffed at a few times, a few rough edges within its plot, and a “eh” third act, the movie still manages to vastly superior to its predecessor, which is due to Gunn’s direction, better colorful characters, a very distinct cinematic swagger, and within its goofy / dark humor of violence and goofy deadpan. Personally, I thought that this movie was good. I think that it wasn’t the superb “best of the best” DCEU installment that many are claim it to be as there are some faults that I have with the film. However, it is indeed ten times better than what the original 2016 Suicide Squad and a had a lot more fun with this movie than I did with previous film. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is quite a favorable “recommended” as I’m sure it will please plenty of DC fans out there, especially those who were turned off of the previous film as well as the casual moviegoers that are looking for some cinematic distractions. With the success that this movie has, it’s almost a forgone conclusion that another Suicide Squad movie will be in the works in the near future, with (I hope) James Gunn returning to direct the next chapter. There is also the Peacemaker TV series on HBO Max, which I am looking forward to seeing and to see where this spin-off project goes. Until then….2021’s The Suicide Squad is crazy, fun, and visual entertaining superhero romp that embraces its violent (yet totally bonkers) persona fully of over-the-top ridiculousness and superhero antics.

#The Suicide Squad #Critique #creative nonfiction #blogging

1 note · View note

if-you-fan-a-fire · 2 years

Photo

“Break Window To Rob Tailor Shop,” The Province (Vancouver). January 25, 1932. Page 7. ---- Thieves Escape With Loot - Proprietor In Hot Pursuit. ---- Breaking a window in the tailor shop of Wo On, 343 East Hastings, at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, thieves carried off cloth valued at $24. Wo On was asleep in a room at the rear of his store and was aroused by the breaking of the glass but was unable to prevent the robbery, arriving at the front of the premises just as the two thieves leaped into an automobile and drove away.

Store of A. Vanatta, 553 Prior street, was broken into and a cash register, containing approximately $100, carried off. The register, which had been battered open and looted, was found at 4:30 a.m. Sunday by Constables D. Grant and O. Plant on the grounds of Lord Seymour School, Keefer street and Vernon drive. A youth is being held by police for Investigation in connection with the case.

Forcing entry to I. X. L. Grocery, 1099 Davie street, Saturday night, shopbreakers stole a quantity of tobacco. Burglars stole personal effect from th horn of W. Larsen, 228 Clark drive. and jewelry from residence of H. Kaino, 1182 Powell street, police report.

A sneak thief stole $17 from a cash register in the office of Motordrome Service Station, 822 Seymour street, Saturday night, during absence of an attendant.

John Holyk, 1490 Adanac street, was awakened at 10 p.m. Saturday to find three prowlers attempting to force entry to his home. One man was endeavoring to break in the rear, while another attempted to unlock the front door. The trio fled when Mr. Holyk telephoned for police.

According to the police, it has been ascertained that the value of the goods taken Friday night from Flemon's Dry Goods Store 1366 Kingsway, by shopbreakers is $600. No trace of the missing merchandise has been found.

#vancouver #shopbreaking #shopbreakers #theft #stolen clothes #chinese laundry #stolen jewelry #stolen tobacco #burglars #crime wave #service station #sneak thief #great depression in canada #crime and punishment in canada #history of crime and punishment in canada

0 notes

moonprincess101 · 6 years

Text

One-In-A-Billion (Platonic! Chester x Kristen (MC))

(Shortly after her Endeavor in the Ice Vault,Kristen is called over by an unexpected person: Something’s Happening to him,and as far as he knew,she could help. But what he doesn’t know is that his ‘problem’ hits surprisingly close to home)

“Kristen Xavier?”

Kristen perked her head up and glanced over at the source of the voice,it was a girl,same year,Ravenclaw from the blue and gold robes.

“Um... Yes? What is it?” She looked at her,the Ravenclaw Girl pants a little since she ran,but managed to speak up.

“S-Someone wants to meet you tonight after class hours... I-I can’t say who...”

“Tonight? But why...?” The gears in the Slytherin’s head were turning

“In the Courtyard.” The messenger quickly added before speeding off.

“...In the Courtyard... Tonight?” She mumbles,more confused than ever.

It was a bit of a mystery,and considering what has happened ,Kristen has had enough Mystery for this year.

—

The Courtyard at night was surprisingly quiet,which was pretty different from the hustle and bustle she’s seen during the day.

Kristen’s footsteps were the only things heard as she entered the main area. By the fountain was a young man,back turned to her and lightly rubbing his hands.

“You... wanted to meet with me?” She inched closer,wand in hand,he froze a little and turns to her.

Her brain racked for who could this guy be,he wasn’t a bad looker,tall,slightly curly dark hair,brown eyes...

Then her eyes fell onto the gleaming prefect’s badge pinned into his robes.

‘This... but this is Rowan’s Prefect!’ She thinks,’Why would he ask to meet me?’

“I didn’t think you’d come,if I may be honest,Miss Xavier...” he slowly stood up and extended a hand for her to shake,”I’m Chester Davies,and I think you might be able to help me.”

“Okay...? But why-“ She grabbed his hand to shake and immediately retracted it,eyes wide,”Holy crap that’s cold! Your hands are like ice!”

“That’s...” Chester lowered his hands,”That’s my problem actually... M-My hands... I don’t know if it’s Cursed Ice or anything but things started to freeze in my hands and next thing you know,” he points to the fountain where she spotted growing frost in the water,”I don’t know what’s wrong! I-It... it doesn’t feel like magic I know of... and Madam Pomfrey can’t explain it.”

“Ice...?” She thinks thoughtfully,then realization hits her HARD,enough that she accidentally drops her wand.

Madam Pomfrey can’t explain it,and he says it doesn’t feel like magic.

“...Does it... Does it feel natural? Like... something you feel like has been there your whole life?”

His nod confirms her suspicions.

It was a Mutation.

Chester Davies was a Hybrid. A rarity. A one-in-a-billion just like her and Jacob.

And what little they knew about the Hybrids is that they’re more powerful than the average wizard and mutant.

“I... You’re problem...” she feels a grin creep into her face,”You’re in luck,Mr. Davies,Not only do I know how to help you... I also know what are you.” She uses her telekinesis to slowly lift her wand from the floor to her hand.

She knows her priority should be the Cursed Vaults and her studies. But she’ll admit:

Hogwarts just got a lot more interesing.

—

I hope you all liked this! I’ll admit,the idea itself is a little out there,but I can provide a little explanation:

Mutant-Wizard Hybrids are pretty rare,and there haven’t been many records of them at all. Kristen,Jacob and now Chester are the first in a very long time.

Jacob has Mimicry and Power Replication,Kristen has Telepathy and Telekinesis,and Chester has Cryo and Hydrokinesis.

If you like I can make a post explaining other bits and pieces but i think this is a good enough explanation.

#hogwarts mystery #jacob’s sibling #hphm #harry potter #harry potter hogwarts mystery #ravenclaw #slytherin #chester davies

6 notes · View notes