#i originally had a second apollo one slated

[characteroulette]

DIRECTOR'S CUT! give me the rundown on Lemon Boy!

Oh god uhh. That is three whole chapters lol it's gonna be a bit long oof

Okay so like. The concept started from this Cavetown Album (called Lemon Boy, fittingly) and me singing Lemon Boy to myself one day and going, "huh. Apollo and Snufkin both fit this song. I should do something with that." (I pretty easily spiraled into shipping the two help)

I wanna be ten feet tall!! I wanna grow big red horns!! I wanna eat fire and snow!! And scare everyone!!

Uhh yeah go listen to Ten Feet Tall it's a good song. Very Apollo vibes.

(I love to write to music, if you couldn't tell. Sprinkling in the motifs or imagery of them is like my fave thing to do it's so much fun.)

It is very important to me that you understand that Apollo's love language is to shove. This is my headcanon and I will go to the grave pushing this agenda. XD

The concept of Apollo tracking down one of his old foster caretakers was actually something I came up with while jamming out a different story with Tega. It was a nice little heartbreaking thing to include in Apollo's backstory and so I put it here. Shit's fucked, my boy, I'm sorry.

(Maple and Ginger were purely named for food. Also lesbian couple because idk I will also die on this hill that Apollo is gay and had a lot of gay in his life.)

I am pushing an Agenda and y'all will have to live with it. XD

But for real, I just like the concept of a young Snufkin, not really knowing any other way to console his friend, kissing him first and explaining it after. Snufkin and Apollo can understand each other in a way not a lot of the other kids around them could, so of course they'd also have a bit of a different relationship than those others.

This was also a good setup for the final chapter but it's really the entire reason I wrote this fic, I wanted this scene where Snufkin kisses Apollo and then Apollo pays it forward later in his life.

so uh I wrote the Clay chapter *after* finishing the first and last chapters!! I was originally just not gonna include a Clay segment (he was giving me too much trouble), but then I had a burst of inspiration and slammed it out so hey Clay gets to be in this lol.

Also furthering my Apollo will bite agenda. I love the idea of Apollo not actually getting bullied because he fought back, but getting ignored and avoided actually because, again, he fought back. I think it fits his character pretty well to have that in his background, considering how desperate he is for validation.

Clay is also weird to me. Like, he's such a blank slate for characterisation that I end up not knowing what to do with him half the time and that kinda makes him boring to me. He's only fun because *I* made him fun, which can be nice but like. The Ace Attorney roster is filled with too many good characters for him to stand out at all. Dual Destinies made Clay an important fixture in Apollo's backstory, though, so fuck me I guess.

Finally, Klavier chapter!! I got to start off with Apollo just buying the concert tickets Klavier sent, which as you know is my favourite little detail. Klavier sending these tickets is such an unhinged move but Apollo then buying them without a second thought is just as unhinged, these two are dumbasses and perfect for one another. XD

IT'S ME I'M STILL MAD ABOUT THIS. Phoenix goddamn Wright you cannot make Apollo present two (two!!) pieces of forged evidence and then never apologise for it!!! And then Spirit of Justice rolls around with Dhurke's whole deal and!!! Makes everything worse!!!

I have a whole ten or so rants about how AJ's ending is made worse actually by SoJ's inclusion (because how could Apollo be "too new" to law when he grew up with a literal disgraced defence attorney?? How could he have nothing to say on the poisoned system when he's known Dhurke and Khura'in's whole deal for all his life??? I'm upsetti I am so upsetti about this) but I'll save that for another time >T

I just really like this bit. Absolutely added this scene it does not exist in canon, but. I like Apollo's last line. Maybe one day you won't be such a coward, Klavier. Maybe one day you'll stop running from the truth.

And agh. The whole conversation scene in the lobby is just. Catharsis but not. I ended up playing the comfortable-but-also-not mood the two got stuck in, Apollo reaching out and Klavier dodging his advances (like the coward he is lol) until Klavier finally does accept that offer. I just like their dynamic, two men touched by ruin and reacting to it in vastly different ways. Klavier runs until he sees someone else in need and Apollo reaches out against all of his better instincts. They're my faves <3

*screaming from the rooftops* IT'S ABOUT TRUST!! IT'S ABOUT TRUSTING SOMEONE WHOM YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES NEVER THINK ABOUT TRUSTING!!! BUT YOU TRUST THEM ANYWAY!! AND THEY TRUST YOU IN RETURN!!! agh

I like the whole scene of them talking outside the car (and fun fact, I have an actual location in mind for them to be at; it's near the Conejo Boulders, which isn't LA whoops but is a view ingrained into my mind), but particularly this bit (of course) --

YEAH KISS!! it's a parallel (or rhyme??) to the one Snufkin gave him in the first chapter!! It's Apollo internalizing that lesson and paying it forward!! Yeah.

The end bit is funny specifically to me. Like yeah Apollo just spent a whole day making out and talking with Klavier and only when Klavier is like, taking care of him (making breakfast) does Apollo go "oh. Shit. I might desire this man romantically." Like lol amazing my fave. XD

ANYWAY YEAH LEMON BOY. I LIKE IT. At some point I'll finish the two sequel stories I've got in the works....

#Momo replies to things #Momo writes stuff #Americanjack #Ace Attorney #Lemon Boy #Apollo Justice #Klavier Gavin #Klapollo #Snufpollo #Thanks for indulging me Verse XD #God Apollo is my boy #I love he so much

[lonestarflight]

Leftover Apollo Hardware

After the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975, NASA completely shifted all of its resources to the Space Shuttle program. However, NASA still had a large inventory of the Apollo hardware and much of it was given to museums and/or put on display at NASA space centers.

Much of the leftover hardware would have been used to support Skylab B missions.

At one point, the Skylab B was going to be used for the Apollo-Soyuz mission. This was scaled back to just the command module with a special docking port due shifting focus to the Space Shuttle.

The breakdown of the hardware and their current location:

Saturn V (SA-500 series)

SA-513: only third stage left after the first and second stages were used to launch Skylab. This stage is displayed at Space Center Houston. Originally slated to launch Apollo 18.

SA-514: first, second and third stages with the IU (ie the rocket's computer). The first stage displayed at Space Center Houston, the second and third stages are at Kennedy Space Center. Originally slated for Apollo 19, briefly considered for Apollo 18.

SA-515: first, second and third stages with the IU (ie the rocket's computer). The first stage is displayed at the Infinity Science Center in Mississippi, the second stage is displayed at Space Center Houston, and it's third stage was converted to the second Skylab. Originally slated for Apollo 20, later would have launched Skylab B. The backup Skylab is displayed at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

Saturn IB (SA-100 series)

SA-109: on standby for a Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz rescue. Late, the cancelled Skylab 5 mission to lift Skylab workshop's orbit to endure until Space Shuttle was ready to fly. (In hindsight, this mission should have been flown considering since it took the shuttle longer than anticipated to fly. But it was not known at the time Earth's atmosphere would expand like it did in the late 1970s, causing drag on the station and reentering the atmosphere in 1979.)

SA-110: was used for the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

SA-111: Unused, possibly slated for a Skylab mission. The first stage is displayed at Alabama Welcome Center on I-65 in Ardmore, Alabama. The second stage is displayed outdoors with Skylab underwater training simulator hardware attached at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

SA-112: Unused, possibly slated for a Skylab mission. The first stage was scrapped and the second stage converted to Skylab.

SA-113: Unused, possibly slated for a Skylab mission. Only the first stage was completed when the Apollo Applications Program was curtailed in 1969. This stage was later scrapped.

SA-114: Unused, possibly slated for a Skylab mission. Only the first stage was completed when the Apollo Applications Program was curtailed in 1969. This stage was later scrapped.

Command/Service Module (block II CSM-100 series)

CSM-111: originally slated for Apollo 15 when it was a H-type mission, this mission was swapped for a J-type when the lunar missions would be cancelled after Apollo 17. Later, it was used for the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

CSM-115: Incomplete, originally slated for Apollo 19, later Apollo 18. Note: there are some discrepancies in the documents between 115 and 115A. Some list two different CSM and some list 115A as a modification of 115. My research has yet to determined which is the case.

CSM-115A: Incomplete, originally slated for Apollo 20, later Apollo 19. Displayed at Space Center Houston.

CSM-119: on standby for Rescue mission for Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz. Later, the cancelled Skylab 5 mission. On display at Kennedy Space Center.

Lunar Excursion Module (LEM or LM)

LM-9: originally slated for Apollo 15 when it was a H-mission, this mission was swapped for a J mission when the lunar missions would be cancelled after Apollo 17. The J-mission LMs differed from earlier LMs with the inclusion of the lunar Rover. It is displayed at the Kennedy Space Center

LM-13: originally slated for Apollo 19, later Apollo 18. Partially completed, it was later restored by Grumman workers. It is on display at Cradle of Aviation Museum in Long Island, New York.

LM-14: originally slated for Apollo 20, later Apollo 19. It was about 15% complete when it's construction was cancelled, later scrapped.

LM-15: unknown which mission this LM was original for, possibly Apollo 20. It was later intended for modification into Apollo Telescope Mount. It was about 5% completed when it's construction was cancelled and later scrapped.

The ATM was later incorporated into Skylab sans the Ascent Stage.

source, source, source, source

#Saturn V #Saturn IB #Skylab #Skylab B #Apollo Applications Program #Apollo Program #NASA #cancelled #long post #SA-513 #SA-514 #SA-515 #SA-109 #SA-110 #SA-111 #SA-112 #SA-113 #SA-114 #CSM-111 #CSM-115 #CSM-115A #CSM-119 #LM-9 #LM-13 #LM-14 #LM-15 #Space Station #Cancelled Mission #my post #1970s

[sophistopheles]

Where’s Ace Attorney 7?

A few days ago it was the third anniversary of the most recent Ace Attorney game, Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2- which means we’re going through a 36-month hiatus; longer than any we’ve had before, excluding the gap between Trials & Tribulations and Apollo Justice.

So what gives? Why haven’t we seen AA7 yet? Will we ever see it in the future, or is the franchise dead? 

Well, I have a few theories for the first question, and some evidence concerning the second. This will probably get long, so I’ll put it under a cut.

Why is this hiatus so long?

Theory #1: Difficulties in porting the franchise to Switch

Ace Attorney has been on handhelds for its whole lifespan, so the sudden change to consoles may be slightly problematic in terms of gameplay- forensic evidence mechanics, the loss of a touchscreen, etc. The problem with this theory is that by all (w)rights, it should already be resolved; a port of the Trilogy already came to consoles last year, fingerprinting and all, and it worked just fine. It’s possible that creating a new AA game from scratch is difficult in its own way, and/or producing games for multiple platforms takes longer, but it doesn’t account for such a long delay.

Then again, Switch games might just take longer to make. I’d rather have a well-crafted AA game every three years than a rushed/poorly-made one every year.

  Theory #2: Difficulties in finding a new director for the franchise

As most people know, Yamazaki, the director for the AAI duology, AA5, and AA6, left Capcom about a month ago. However, he said all the way back when SoJ was released that he only really stayed as AA’s director because of the fans, and also had Fuse, the games’ artist, step up as co-director for SoJ.

Takumi, the original trilogy/Apollo Justice/DGS writer and director, should theoretically have been available since 2018, but he has stated that he’s done with Phoenix’s story, and given that his last games haven’t sold very well (more because of marketing and bad timing than any flaws in the games, but I digress) it’s not guaranteed that he will return for AA7. Maybe if he does, we’ll get some answers to the many loose ends and questions left by AA4, but given that Apollo’s relocated to Khura’in as of the end of AA6, that’s not guaranteed either.

This leaves the only other candidate, co-director of SoJ Takuro Fuse. Personally I think his involvement as a full-on director in the future is quite likely, for reasons I’ll explain later.

  Theory #3: We were supposed to get a game in 2019

This is just a pet theory of mine, but hear me out.

Dai Gyakuten Saiban was originally supposed to be a trilogy of games, until the Switch absolutely flattened the 3DS as the definitive Nintendo handheld, and Takumi decided to compress the remaining two games into just DGS2. This is why the third-case culprit and twists in DGS2 feel so sudden; the culprit was supposed to appear all throughout DGS2, and be arrested at the end, with DGS2-3’s big twist as a finale cliffhanger. DGS3 would have then completed the story.

My point is that DGS3 was likely slated for a 2019 release, given the release pattern of DGS (2015) and DGS2 (2017). That would have lessened the current three-year hiatus to just a two-year one, more standard for the AA franchise.

  Theory #4: The franchise is dead, there are no plans for more games.

I find this difficult to believe given that Capcom is still creating content, running café promotions, releasing ports, and has stated plans for more AA games in the past, but I have to acknowledge the possibility.

Is Ace Attorney 7 coming soon?

After the 2018 Kotaku UK rumour (suggesting that ports of all six games and a new game were going to be released on the Switch by the end of 2018’s fiscal year) was disproven, I almost lost hope for any future AA games- but this year, there’s been a lot to suggest something’s coming soon.

1.       The July 2020 Café

This one pretty much explains itself. If Capcom has decided to put money towards a café feature that promotes both the Trilogy and Apollo Justice- with Klavier and Apollo both featuring prominently on the café’s menu and in its merchandise- it stands to reason that they’re doing something with it. You don’t promote a franchise if there’s nothing to promote, after all.

2.       The Café Art

So, remember two months ago when Ace Attorney dropped this new official art of Phoenix, Edgeworth, Maya, Apollo and Klavier, and the fandom lost their shit to the point of Ace Attorney trending on tumblr for about half an hour? Well, what I personally found most interesting was the style of the piece- because it was new. A quick scroll through Capcom Café’s twitter proved that as far as I can tell, when non-chibi art is called for, the official artists of the brand in question are the ones to draw the art. So who drew this one?! I could rule out Iwamoto, Fuse, Suekane and Nuri by their styles (Apollo especially looks quite unfamiliar)- so unless there’s someone I’ve forgotten, it seems like there’s a new Ace Attorney official artist.

And, well… they don’t hire new artists for fun. This artist, whoever they are, probably weren’t hired for a one-time café promotion either; as far as I know, most of the old AA artists are still working at Capcom. They’re probably doing something for the franchise.

Remember when I said Fuse, AA5/6’s art director, was a candidate for full time director? My personal theory is that he’s become the main director, and this new artist has taken his role as art director. It’s all speculation, of course, but it stands up to scrutiny.

3.       Capcom X B-Side Label Maya Acrylic

Capcom have also had a recent merch collab with B-Side Label, and a certain merch image of Maya stood out to me… because it’s an entirely new design.

I could understand if it was only a discrepancy in the fact that she has four necklace beads while appearing to be an adult, or that she has arm guards but lacks an under-robe; they’re minor details. But to leave out her topknot, one of the most distinctive parts of her design?! Either the artist made a major mistake and no one called them up on it, or it was intentional- that this is a design meant to be an older and wiser Maya, who we’ll see in an upcoming game. I wouldn’t be surprised.

4.       The 20th Anniversary

This is more of a meta point than anything else, but it’ll soon be 2021, the twentieth anniversary of Ace Attorney. AA is usually very good with anniversaries; in 2011 (10th anniversary) we got Investigations 2, and in 2016 (15th anniversary) we got both SoJ and an AA anime. I think if they’re ever going to release AA7, they’ll do it next year: at the very least, we’ll have another orchestra and more official art. And with TGS 2020 hosted online and fast approaching, I’m hoping for news very soon!

Either way, the future of Ace Attorney isn’t as dark as it seems! Keep your hopes up!

#ace attorney #aa7 #speculation #phoenix wright #soph's meta #this will either age like wine or milk #mine

[rivalsforlife]

Different anon, but I for one enjoy reading 2k rants on Ace Attorney. Do you have any thoughts on the changes they made to AA4 Phoenix? Like do you think it worked? (also if these are getting annoying feel free to ignore)

Glad to hear I’m not completely annoying everyone for constantly dunking on AA!!!

AA4 Phoenix... I’ve got to admit that the first time I went through AA4 I did not exactly like him. But I feel like there’s a LOT of potential there that would have been great to explore in laTER GAMES -- ahem. Well, I did just play the first case of AA4 yesterday with my best friend, and honestly, Phoenix is an absolute delight. My perceptions of characters tend to change upon further playthroughs and reading meta/content on the characters (Iris and Pearl being others who I really started liking later that I didn’t like at first)!

Firstly, I think making Phoenix a dad was a great move, the man already had some good dad-vibes going with Pearl in the trilogy so making it official was good. I also enjoy how they made Phoenix a dad in a way that didn’t feel... off? Like, giving Phoenix an official love interest and him having a biological child would kind of feel weird. But Phoenix has kind of been accumulating children/teenagers that like to follow him around for a while, and having Trucy actually stick around and make it official is really sweet, and their relationship and dynamics are such a great part of the fourth game. It’s done in a way where at first I was like “wait what do you MEAN Phoenix has a child???” but upon learning how he came to adopt her, I thought it made a lot of sense, it fit so well with the Phoenix we’ve come to know over the past few games.

Also one of his first lines is just a dad joke (”I-I’m fine!” “Mr. Fine, was it?”) which made me laugh a lot when playing it yesterday.

It’s also good to see him be a little mean, and show just how much of a genius he’s really capable of being. He’s always had that snarky streak throughout the trilogy and having him actually speak it out loud is great. And he’s also always been a genius, even if people around him don’t acknowledge it, and seeing him take a leaf out of Mia’s book and be the Cryptic Slightly Ominous Mentor is an interesting development for him. Like, it’s been seven years, I can believe Phoenix went through a lot of growth in those seven years.

(I do feel like a lot of the hate AA4 Phoenix gets tends to be from people who projected too much onto Phoenix as the protagonist in the trilogy -- which makes sense since he was originally kind of just intended to be a blank slate protagonist. ... Which I might’ve bought if they didn’t give him the elaborate backstories about becoming a lawyer to save Miles and the Dahlia backstory. Anyways, point is, I don’t really ever see myself in characters because I have a very loose sense of self to begin with, so I never really had that issue...?)

The things I DON’T like about AA4 Phoenix... first, it does kind of sting that two months after his Great Big Finale where he’s finally come into his own as a lawyer, he gets disbarred, and that isn’t resolved for seven years. Seven years is a long time! But I can live with that. There’s also the fact that AA4 rarely brings up any of Phoenix’s friends -- which in the one hand I get, because it’s Apollo’s game, not Phoenix’s -- and it’s odd. I know that Investigations was written after AA4 and is not by Takumi, so he didn’t really have any say in this, but even BEFORE Investigations I can’t believe that Miles would presumably abandon Phoenix over the gap. Particularly not after the ending of the second investigations game. Maya, too. She gets a few offhand mentions, sure, but even in the flashback there isn’t any mention of Phoenix having any contact with Maya, Miles, even Gumshoe... Ema mentions she didn’t even know Phoenix had a daughter, implying they weren’t really in contact either... and of course when only Maya gets a mention about Steel Samurai stuff in the fourth game, it feels like all his friends completely abandoned him. Which is why there are so many older fics written before DD was released where Phoenix was completely alone over the seven-year-gap. And while of course having the characters make an in-person appearance wouldn’t make any sense, having maybe a few random dialogue lines mentioning Phoenix was still in contact with them and they were still close would have been nice. DD and SOJ kind of fix this, but... still.

The other issue is that he kind of ends up overshadowing Apollo’s story particularly in the final case. He is the one who connects everything, and sets everything up, pretty much just using Apollo as a puppet to take down Kristoph since he can’t. Also since the whole story is about Phoenix and uncovering his past, Apollo’s own choices have much less weight. This, again, is something that could be resolved in the sequels by having Apollo have a larger role and not be overshadowed by Phoenix. Haha. hahahahaha. imagine that.

Overall I think Takumi had the right idea making Phoenix not be the protagonist since his story was done with T&T, and it’s interesting to see his growth throughout the years. I don’t necessarily think the disbarment itself was necessary -- Phoenix could still be the ominous cryptic and slightly meaner mentor/dad with his badge, and not in the spotlight, which is what I think DD and SOJ should have done after giving him his badge back. Would have liked it if it wasn’t so easy to walk away from the game with the impression that all of Phoenix’s beloved friends cut contact with him, though. 

#aa4 spoilers #if anyone still needs that warning #also I should start tagging these if people don't want to see them #aa rants #asks

[blue-tongue]

Examining the Group Dynamic of the Seven

      I feel like I see a lot of posts complaining about the lack of friendship between the various seven members. Since I have an ungodly about of time on my hands, I’ve taken it upon myself to take a deep dive into all of the friendships between them. 

       Before anything, I should note- there are seven main characters in this series- Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel. That means you have twenty one relationships you have to develop (each of the seven times each of their viewpoint on the other six divided by two to make the relationship go both ways). 

I’m going to breakdown how their relationships develop book by book-

1) The Lost Hero (TLH)- POVs: Jason, Piper, Leo

Percy and Annabeth- well developed from the previous series.

Jason and Piper- complicated as frick. Since Hera just happened to plant fake memories of their relationship in Piper’s head, there’s this awkward one-sided relationship going on while they have crushes on each other. Percabeth started on a clean slate and had four years to slowly come together. Jiper is condensed into one book/quest, meaning that their relationship has less time to develop.

Jason and Leo- Best friends. Similar Percy/Grover in the sense that Jason is supposed to be the HeroTM and Leo doesn’t fit the archetype as much.

Piper and Leo- Sibling-esque friendship.

Piper and Annabeth- Beginning a best friend relationship

Jason and Annabeth/ Leo and Annabeth- Acquaintances I guess? They have to work together? They might call each other friends but only in the vaguest sense of the word? They’re work colleagues?

2) Son of Neptune (SoN)- POVs: Percy, Hazel, Frank

Percy and Hazel- Big brother/ protective friendship. Hazel literally thought Percy was a god when they first met. It should be noted that Percy sees the chemistry between Hazel and Frank and starts ashipping like there’s no frigging tomorrow.

Percy and Frank- Friends. Percy sees Frank’s potential besides his deep insecurities. Percy serves as the older, more experienced (although he can’t remember his experiences) one. Again, Percy is a huge Frazel shipper. 

Hazel and Frank- Everything that is good and pure in this world.

3) Mark of Athena (MoA)- POVs: Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Leo

The group is finally together! Yeehaw!

Things that happened in the time jump between TLH and MoA:

Piper and Annabeth- Best friends

Piper and Jason- Have a stabler relationship. Congrats on that.

Things that happened in the book:

Percy and Annabeth- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I can’t describe it better than this)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Percy and Jason- BROS. Little bit competitive because they’re both alphas, but BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS

Leo and Hazel- Long sigh. Leo is a carbon copy of Hazel’s ex (from seventy years ago) and Leo’s like oh. Hazel’s kinda pretty. I mean she has a boyfriend sure I respect that but still. Pretty. (Turns out she’s his great grandpa’s girlfriend. wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.)

Leo and Frank- They start of great. Frank is paralyzed with fear that Leo’s going to steal his girlfriend and then murder him with fire. Leo spends the entire book teasing Frank without realizing this. Yey.

Annabeth and Frank- The have one scene together where Annabeth’s like “Aw look at this adorable manchild” and that’s pretty much it. 

Leo and Percy- Leo’s kinda disappointed that Percy’s so basic. Percy’s big brother instinct kicks in and he’s like “Listen here lil’ punk *jabs finger into Leo’s chest* if you lay one hand on Hazel and break up this pure relationship I SWEAR TO THE GODS-”

Piper and Percy- Piper’s kinda disappointed that Percy’s so basic. Percy’s like okay. Her. My girlfriend’s friend. We’re work colleagues. She’s okay I guess. 

Also as a side note:

Annabeth thinks Nico has a crush on her 

4) House of Hades (HoH)- POVs: Hazel, Annabeth, Leo, Percy, Frank, Jason (literally everyone except Piper WOW)

Percy and Annabeth- Surviving through Tartarus. There’s So Much Development To Their Relationship. Downside being Dark! Percy. Which isn’t really acknowledged as much as it should be. Like do they ever really talk heart to heart about it? No?

Leo and Hazel- Leo gets a girlfriend so he stops his weird soft pining @ Hazel. 

Leo and Frank- Frank’s not scared of Leo stealing his girlfriend and then murdering him with fire because he now has a ^girlfriend^ and Leo gave him a fire-proof pouch thing for his stick. 

Hazel and Frank- Frank’s hot now so... yeah!

Leo and Percy- .....So we’ve both on Calypso’s Island, huh? 

Piper and Hazel- They... apparently practice sword fighting? I mean, it’s not much but it’s something? Points for that?

Jason and Frank- They bond over being praetor/ roman although WE DON’T GET TO SEE THEM ACTUALLY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION DO WE RICK? 

Bonus relationships:

It should be noted that although I love Nico, he really isn’t one of the seven. I think Rick originally intended him to be a secondary character like he was in the first series, but then he became a main character. This wouldn’t be a problem except Rick is having enough trouble juggling the seven on their own.

Nico and Percy- SO SOMEONE HAS A CRUSH (although honestly wow doesn’t have a crush on Percy at this point). Their relationship is still strained from the last series.

Jason and Nico- Jason is basically Nico’s supportive Straight AllyTM/ Life Coach/ Mom who wants to grab Nico by the Ramones t-shirt, shake him a bit, tell him that there there are millions of queer kids in the world finding love everyday, that he’s his own worst enemy, he needs to get away from the underworld, go outside, make some friends, stop hating Percy, get some hobbies and then who knows maybe he’ll develop a disposition that others find more approachable (yes this is Contrapoints reference thank you for noticing)

5) Blood of Olympus (BoO)- POVs: Jason, Reyna, Leo, Nico, Piper (Note that Percy, Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel are not included >:((((()

Jason and Piper- Their relationship is developed a little bit. They work together the most out of all of the seven to defeat Gaia. They say I love you to each other at the end of the book (*represses all my knowledge of Trials of Apollo for the sake of this post*) Except for Leo’s “death”, everything’s great! 

Percy and Annabeth- Everything’s fine. Percy’s fine. Percy doesn’t have a dark side. Nope. “If I can’t drown neither can my pancakes!” Haha. Ha. Funny. 

Piper and Annabeth-  Let me cup your face, pull you forward until our foreheads are touching, and feel your rapid pulse as I whisper softly, “Fear can’t be reasoned with. Neither can hate. They’re like love. Stop thinking about it. Just feel. Let it scare you. Trust that it’ll be okay anyway”~

Leo and Percy- They address the Calypso thing (in the middle of a battle). So. You know. They’re on okay terms I guess?

Piper and Frank- Frank goes and “Brings the family full circle” offscreen and he’s like ‘yeah they didn’t like me because I’m not white’ and Piper’s like ‘well white people do suck sometimes’

Leo and Hazel/Frank- Oh hi I know we just resolved the awkwardness between us a few seconds ago but can collude with me on this top secret plan in which I’ll die and then maybe (if we play are cards right) come back to life? 

Bonus relationships:

Hazel and Nico: They’re cute siblings and I love them

Reyna and Nico: They’re cute adoptive siblings that have shared trauma and I love them.

Nico and Percy: Nico comes out. Percy’s confused because he doesn’t understand how internalized homophobia works (Wait... but you hated me... but then... you liked me this whole time??? What?????)

Nico and Annabeth: Oh I guess you didn’t have a crush on me then. Well. Good for you anyway *high five*

Nico and Will: SOLANGELO!!!!!  *rainbow flags*

Nico and Jason: Aw Jason’s so proud of him. 

Reyna and Piper: Reyna! Doesn’t! Need! A! Man! To! Be! Happy! She Has Friends! And Two Camps! They can get some sleep now! Wheeeeee!

In Conclusion, the Underdeveloped Relationships Are:

Percy, Piper, & Leo BROTP

Annabeth and Hazel

Piper and Hazel

Annabeth and Jason

Annabeth and Leo

Jason and Frank

Jason and Hazel

Piper and Frank

       All in all of the underdeveloped dynamics, you’re really left to believe that they’re just acquaintances fighting in the same war together. And I honestly believe that Rick just gave himself too many characters to work with. That, and tacking on two major characters in the end of the second to last book made a lot of the developments of Blood of Olympus feel rushed and weak. We call them the Seven, but honestly, it’s really the Nine. Part of what I really enjoy about this fandom is that people fill in the gaps and try to make all the interconnected friendships within the nine main characters really strong.

  In PJO, there was only one POV- Percy’s- and each book consisted of a core group of three or four characters going on one major quest together. The simplicity of both the narrative and group dynamic made developing character relationships more straight forward. Although the alternating POVs in HoO allows for more complex characterization and group dynamics, it’s a hard ship (pun intended) to handle.  The structure of a core group of three characters going on one major quest continues in TLH and SoN, but dissolves when all the characters come together in MoA. The sheer number of main characters mean that characters and character relationships get starved of development. Riordan has himself said that although he loved all his characters, having he regretted having so many. 

#percy jackson #heros of olympus #annabeth #annabeth chase #leo valdez #jason grace #Piper McLean #reyna arellano #Nico di Angelo #frank zhang #hazel levesque

[callioope]

Good Things in 2019

@theputterer and @the-strongest-stars tagged me in the awesome annual end-of-year Good Things meme! I’ve done this in 2018 & 2017 and always think it’s a fun exercise of both reflection and looking forward.

Oh boy, though, my first thought was, what even happened in 2019? (Looking at a calendar helped! It reminded me of a few things I forgot)

It’s been a Rough Year, friends. Between OCD and basically travelling almost every weekend in the latter half of 2019, I am very much ready for a new year and hopefully a new slate.

But this is about the positives!

Personal

Played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons! I am now officially in two campaigns. This year, I endeavored to recruit more women to play, including the wonderful @allatariel. I play both my beloved cleric, Maritsa (who I’ve been playing her years now) and my new character, Noara, a ranger elf with a red panda familiar (yeah, my DM let me do that for funsies, so I could get an animal sidekick but also still try out the Horizon Walker subclass). 

Speaking of red pandas, I accomplished my LIFE GOAL of meeting a red panda face-to-face. I got to feed Harriet at the Cincinnati Zoo for 30 minutes. She was adorable. 

Completed all my dental work and had a clean bill of dental health two cleanings in a row! 

Attended DC’s Around the World Embassy Day event, always fun

Attended Star Wars night at a local library, where I got to participate in a short demo/lesson on how to fence with a lightsaber!

Attended 50th Anniversary Celebration of Apollo 11 / landing on the moon (dude they projected the rocket on the Washington Monument and it looked so cool)

Returned to the NY Ren Faire and upgraded my ren faire garb

Celebrated at THREE friends’ weddings and got to catch up with old friends I hadn’t seen in awhile

Ate ice cream at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Vermont

Went to NYCC for the third year in a row. Got to wear 2 costumes this year: a 1920s flapper interpretation of an occamy and my Endor!Leia costume (repeat of 2017). Learned the True Pain of sewing. Created feather shawl for my occamy costume. Learned the True Pain of crafting.

Celebrated one year anniversary with hubbie down where we got married: visited the museum we got married in and actually got a chance to enjoy the exhibits, went to our favorite brunch place down there, got to check out Fleet Week and tour an aircraft carrier and uh... I think it was a missile cruiser? 

Went up to PSU for a women’s hockey game for sister’s birthday (made embarrassing HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign for the cameras); also it was an absolutely wonderful fall drive on the way up there

Got to see The Rise of Skywalker in IMAX at the Smithsonian Air & Space Center with the awesome @allatariel! (thank goodness we had each other to get through that movie lol) also got to reuse my Endor!Leia costume. I did my own braids for the first time ever! (usually my talented sister does them) They looked like braids done by a n00b, but I didn’t care because they were passable and I did them myself and that was a Big Thing for Perfectionist Me (to not just... say screw it and undo it and just. give up. but to just let them be as is)

Worked hard at therapy and self care

Got a Sleep Number bed and holy shit let me tell you. i can actually sleep now.

OH! I almost forgot!!! Started playing Assassin’s Creed! I’ve only ever really played the LEGO Star Wars and Harry Potter video games so like. This was big for me. 

Writing

Finally finished Learning Curve. TBH I was a bit shocked that this was in fact the only fic I published in 2019. What a travesty.

However! I have been writing

@allatariel & I sat down, overanalyzed You’ve Got Mail, and drafted up the outline for my in-universe AU, something I’ve been dreaming of starting for years. Have about 4300 words so far.

Just under the wire, I did manage to start my NatGeo AU, which I’ve been dreaming of since my honeymoon in Nov 2018

Started editing/revising my original young adult fantasy novel

Poked a little at my epic fantasy pirate travel novel idea

Books

I read exactly one book, Among the Red Stars, which I enjoyed. It’s about women fighter pilots in Russia in WW2. Inspired by real people.

Music

Saw Panic at the Disco! in concert. I went along with my sister. Not like a huge fan, but they put on a pretty fun show!

Saw Waitress on Broadway!! OH MY GOD. And Sara Bareilles was starring in it. Amazing. I freaking love her music (”How does she know / what a heart sounds like?” gahhh). She was so good, and the show was so good. I literally cried all the way through it just because I was so happy to be there, but also because of the content. Man.

Saw Sara Bareilles again, in concert, in Philly. I love her so much.

Television

Finished Critical Role Campaign 1! Oh man, what a ride. Gosh, I love that show. I really need to catch up in C2 now. I’ve started it but I’m only on episode 26 or 27.

I’m not sure whether I finished The Clone Wars in 2018 or 2019. I think it was early 2019. This show was amazing and this was the character development that Anakin Skywalker needed. I love Ahsoka Tano. I cannot wait for the last season.  

Finished Rebels!!! AGAIN, what a ride!!! I still love Ahsoka Tano. I also love Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren. Sabine’s Darksaber arc was fantastic.

The Mandalorian OMG BABY YODA!!! Yes, I have succumbed to the adorableness of Baby Yoda. Most adorable SW character forever. But also just an enjoyable story in general. This, this is how you craft a story. still NOT over the darksaber omg. 

The Good Place is continuing to be good. Not as crazy about season 4, but I’m so glad they decided to limit the seasons.

Got my sister to watch Rebels!! And then even a few episodes of The Clone Wars!!! Mwahaha >) 

Finally got around to watching The Great British Bake Off, what a sweet show!

OMG I ALMOST FORGOT Anne With an E!!! Gosh what a wonderful wholesome delightful show. No I haven’t watched S3 yet because I am Lawful Good to a fault and just patiently waiting for it to come on Netflix

Film

So, I woefully neglected to mention The Aeronauts in this post about my favorite movies in the 2010s and that was a Mistake. Because I really enjoyed this one

But otherwise probably check out that list. Because I don’t go to the movies that often, actually, and anything I really loved from 2019 is most definitely listed there.

Did I meet my 2019 Goals?

Writing: Fandom

Finish Learning Curve YES

...and How to Lose a Spy in 10 Days Uh, no, not so much

Begin and complete the in-canon universe You’ve Got Mail AU YES, it is begun but no it is not complete

Try to knock out a few other projects on my 30+ SW ideas Umm, I did start / poke at a few things in addition to the YGM and NatGeo AUs, but nothing really “knocked out”

Try my hand at creating more visual fan works (like moodboards/photosets, step 1, learn proper terminology) ahahahah, no. 

Writing: Original

Query more agents for my completed original novel YIKES, No. But I wasn’t anticipating that I’d decide to heavily edit/revise my manuscript.

Actually get around to deciding which idea I want to work on next and work on it Yeah, sure, I decided. How nice of past!Liz to make this goal so reachable as “deciding” lol

Reading

Be more supportive in helping my friend run Book Club so that it can actually meet more regularly HA, oops. Book Club died, but kind of in favor of being able to start a second D&D campaign. At least that’s the trade off I’m looking at. I had some OCD-related glasses issues this year that inhibited reading a lot.

Try to read at least one book for myself outside of Book Club lol WELL the one book I read this year was not part of Book Club sooo

Goals for 2020

Writing

I’m not going to make this a completion goal, but instead...

...I’d like to just focus on creating a regular writing schedule/habit. Whatever the project, I just want to make sure I carve out significant time each week just to write. I don’t want to set a specific goal like “x hours a week” for now, but I want to make sure that I am writing each week.

To achieve that (because what are goals without maps):

If the words don’t immediately jump onto the page, then I’m going to try outlining or summarizing. I’m going to let go of overthinking how sentences are phrased, and just pretend I’m describing the story idea to a friend.

That blank page is staring at me and I’m just going to fill it with words no matter what I might think of them!

And I’m going to let everything else expand from there. And see how that works.

Edit my original manuscript

Query more agents re: original manuscript

Look into the idea of perhaps forming or joining a writer’s group for original writing oh gosh that is so scary

Other

Get back into reading

Develop a routine for working out

Eat healthier

Continue focusing on therapy goals

Get around to watching: Black Sails, Mad Max: Fury Road, Arrival

Get better at responding to things in general

Tagging: @allatariel, @magalis, @mythologicalmango, @skitzofreak, @threadsketchier, @brynnmclean, @ruby-red-inky-blue, @siachti and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it!

Happy New Year y’all!

#tag meme #the latest with liz #annual good things post #happy thoughts #for future reference #goals

[eurosong]

Undo my ESC ‘19 (semi-final two)

Good morning, folks, and welcome to part two of Undo my ESC, the feature where I look at the year’s songs and make a change – as small as altering a minor detail like a lyric or a small staging decision, or as big as going for a completely different national final song! Again, it’s just my opinion and is often delivered in jest. Generally speaking, there are fewer things that need drastic changing in this semi-final, but there are always exceptions...

Armenia: When I first heard this song, I was a bit non-plussed. Cut to a few days later, and there was a constant stream of “walking out, aooooo” in my head. I fear that it’s a song that takes a while to win people over – and that it doesn’t help matters that it’s difficult to completely understand what Srbuk is singing. I’d be tempted to shift the verses into Armenian.

Ireland: I was underwhelmed initially by this effort, but it ended up charming me with its low-key nostalgia. It seems like Björkman has done his level best to kill of Ireland’s chances, and RTÉ have done the rest with the garish, Liechtenstein comics meet 50s Americana staging. I’d change this to something a bit more low-key and elegant.

Moldova: As if to detox from 2 years of crazy staging and outlandish songs, Moldova have sent something incredibly dull and beige, which now they’re trying to cover up by using a decade-old Ukrainian gimmick. There were better songs in their national final, particularly “Sub pămint,” a rocky-folky effort with a lot more to hold my interest than “Stay.”

Switzerland: The Swiss were another country to abandon their national final – no real surprise after the years of mediocre entries it produced. I’d take Stones, Apollo and even Last of our kind over the cringeworthy, self-satisfied Justin Timberlake meets Despacito meets Fuego infernal blend that was “She got me.” I’m going to have a laugh with this one and have it so that Switzerland accept “Sister”, which would have been a passable Swiss entry, instead of rejecting it and having it end up in Germany where it screwed a perfectly good national final.

Latvia: Latvia, like its northern neighbour, Estonia, have gone from having one of the most promising and avant-garde national finals to one that has lost its shine, albeit not só much as Eesti Laul did. Credit where credit is due, they picked by far the best of a lacklustre bunch for me – a lovely, understated, saudadic effort. I wouldn’t change much about it at all.

Romania: Whilst it seemed that almost everybody and their mongoose wanted either the creepy poperatics of Laura “No to marriage equality” Bretan or fueclone #382 from Bella Santiago, by far the song that intrigued me the most was “On a Sunday.” I’m glad this delectable and dark tune won and couldn’t be happier for Ester, who was such a lovely person when we met. What I would change, if I could, would be the bizarre voting system that led to her victory – I’d have had her win by a clear margin in the public vote so as not to be the unfair recipient of hate for the way her song was elected winner. I’d also ensure the oddities on stage with her, pretending to play instruments, were relegated far out of view!

Denmark: Speaking of unpopular opinions, I also didn’t think much of “League of light”, a song so dull that the fact that it incorporated Greenlandic still didn’t quit its beigeness. I found the nicest song of the night to have been “Love is forever”, though I would replace the song’s English lyrics with Danish ones, teach Leonora how not to stare into the viewer’s soul and cause an existential crisis, and trim some of the tweeest excesses away such as the sashaying on the top of that massive chair.

Sweden: Another year, another edition of Melodifestivalen where the all-powerful juries have a real fear of anyone without the Y chromosone representing Sweden. “Too late for love”, at least, breaks the chain of self-satisfied boys singing empty pop songs. Instead, we have a barely soulful soul song sung by a more mature man. I would have gone for “Torn” or “Not with me” any day, though.

Austria: Austria’s labyrinthine internal selection came up with a little-known electro artist and I didn’t have the highest expectations, but I was intrigued. It ended up being an unexpected highlight, a true pearl of emotion and exquisite vocals. I don’t know what PÆNDA’s staging will be, but at the minute, I wouldn’t change anything except for her pronunciation of you as “Hugh/hue”!

Croatia: Oh, Croatia. Returning to a national final after Serbia and Montenegro did last year, and having enjoyed Beovizija and Montevizija respectively, I had hopes. Maybe not high hopes, but medium hopes. It was a collection of dated songs, bizarre songs, and then the eventual winner was both bizarre and dated: a screaming angel shrieking out a maudlin ballad that would have been dated even in the early 90s. I don’t have much of a horse in this race – I think my personal favourite was “Tebi pripadam”, which was harmless but pleasant, but I might go for the colourful “Brutalero” as the most likely to make an impact in Tel Aviv.

Malta: Malta bringing something interesting to ESC is one of the Four Horsemen of the Europocalypse, but before the other three come, I’m living for it. I worry how well a young balladeer with static performances will adapt to the sass and sizzle of Chameleon, but for the moment, I wouldn’t change anything other than remove the letters that overshadow the wild and colourful MV.

Lithuania: Lithuania’s NF is another for which life is too short to follow, especially since it takes the best part of 3 months to come up with – well, songs like this. One wonders how something can be both weird and dull, but this is, in turns. As pretty much the majority of folk rewriting this, I guess I would opt for “Light on” instead, though I’d be tempted by the quirky fun of “Mažulė.”

Russia: I can’t begrudge Sergej’s return to try to win after he found himself losing at the juries’ hand in 2016. I won’t even join those criticising him for not bringing another “banger” and instead returning with something a bit more solemn and musically complex. It’s not in my favourites but there’s not much I’d change, other than make the tune a little less repetitive.

Albania: Albania had another good Festival i Këngës – one of my favourite NFs in keeping an orchestra and maintaining national language throughout. My pick of all the songs to win was Ktheju tokës, and I wouldn’t change a thing about this powerful cri de cœur, except, perhaps, change it so that the second verse had different lyrics and was not just a repeat of the initial verse.

Norway: One of the absolute scandals of the season for me. In the red corner, we had one of the best composers to have represented Norway in the past 20 years with a sweeping, moving, classical tune, “En livredd mann”. In the blooo corner, we had a “what if Aqua moved to the woods, discovered they had animal spirits, thought they could joik and created this forgotten b-side in 1998?” Somehow, the latter won, but I feel the former really ought to have.

Netherlands: Though I cannot understand the fuss about this compared to other downtempo songs that I see being forgotten at best, slated at worst, it’s a decent track. I’d change the video so that it didn’t hinge so dramatically on gratuitous nudity, so that we could see who’s praising this for the music and who’s just in for a good looking lad’s bare arse.

Macedonia: It’s a nice, sincere effort from Macedonia – it feels a bit of a step back from me from the experimentation in the past two entries, but at the same time, I think it has a better chance of doing well than them. Not sure what I would change, other than the video. It’s very melodramatic and reminds me of an even more extra version of Bebe’s “Ella”; no small achievement given how extra that is.

Azerbaijan: I’m no great fan of AZ at this contest, but for the second time in 3 years (let’s try to forget the disaster that was “Delete my heart”), they’ve brought a decent song with some local character. My change would be to forget about the overproduced official music track and go instead for the delightfully understated unplugged performance, where Çingiz’ voice and the poignancy of the text come to the fore.

And the automatic qualifiers of this semi:

Germany: Because of my mischievious change for Switzerland, Germany would be free of the non-sisters perversely called Sisters and would have dodged the hole that they keep falling into – including unexperienced wild card artists in the national final that folk vote for out of sympathy, landing them in or near the bottom for several years, except last year, the one time they didn’t. There were plenty of good songs in the German national final, making the choice of S!!$Ŧ4ZZZ! even more perverse. I really enjoyed “The day I loved you most”, but, despite a somewhat dodgy live, I’d have to give the nod instead to the atmospheric, brooding “Surprise.”

Italy: This song and its artist are utter perfection to me. I wouldn’t change a single second. Unfortunately, Eurovision’s rather arbitrary 3 minute rule means that I would have to excise several seconds from the original. Mahmood’s actual solution seems to have been getting rid of the repetition of “[sai già] come va, come va, come va”, which for me sounds odd and wrecks the flow. I’d instead probably remove the “non ho tempo per chiarire, perché solo ora so cosa sei” line. It’d still be a change I wouldn’t ideally make, but I feel it’d be a bit less abrupt.

UK: The UK came onto the scene this year with a massive fanfare about a new format where YOU DECIDE in song duels which version of a song was better. Except, as it transpired, You the Punter didn’t decide – a dubiously qualified trio of “““experts””” did instead. The whole element of intrigue of the new format – finding out which version of a song is best – was taken away from the viewer and in doing so, all they got to decide between was 3 songs, 1 version of each. In the process, they eliminated the best version of “Bigger than us” – opting for the bombastic, X factor winner version by Michael Rice instead of the low-key but likeable country version by Holly Tandy. I’d have picked that instead. I’d have also not gone for that stupid format and instead tried to find at least 6 decent songs instead of 2 versions of 3 mediocre ones.

BONUS ROUND!

Ukraine: When I was doing SF1, I forgot that another country should have entered that semi who were under my imaginary purview. I’m talking Ukraine, of course, whose broadcasters instigated the scandal of the year by humiliating its artists with political questions on live TV, and then basically forced the winner to nót represent Ukraine by giving her a scandalous contact that didn’t offer any help with the financial burden of going to Israel and putting on a show, would shackle her to patently unreasonable terms, forbade her from speaking out of turn or improvising on stage, and threatened her with massive fines for the slightest unauthorised change.  Part of me really wants to say that I’d deal with the mess by ensuring that Tayanna (who should have won in 2018 with Lelja) wouldn’t withdraw, thus leading to the inclusion of Maruv at the last minute who ended up winning. But no – a bigger wrong must be righted and, even though her bizarre burlesque is not to my taste, I would have undone poor Maruv’s poor treatment and let her go to ESC with “Siren song” like the majority of voters wanted.

#eurovision #esc 2019 #eurovision song contest #opinion #esc #eurovision 2019

[aion-rsa]

Creed 3: Everything We Know About Michael B. Jordan’s Directorial Debut

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Creed III is happening. The third entry in what initially started life as a continuation of the Rocky boxing franchise is now moving forward as a series of its own… and without Rocky.

The movie will follow up 2018’s Creed II, in which Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) faced off in the ring against Viktor Drago (Florian Monteanu) — son of the man who killed his father, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) — while also becoming a family man and continuing to come to terms with the legacy of his dad, Apollo Creed. Not nearly as fresh and urgent as 2015’s original Creed, the second movie was still received warmly enough by audiences and critics to make a third entry possible. Although there are some major new wrinkles this time around.

Everything you need to know about Creed III is right below, so check it out and keep coming back for more updates.

Creed 3 Cast

It won’t surprise you to know that, duh, Michael B. Jordan (whose new movie is the Tom Clancy thriller Without Remorse) is coming back in what is quickly becoming his signature role, Adonis “Donnie” Creed. Jordan had been acting since 1999 and had even scored some notable roles in shows like The Wire and Friday Night Lights, but his breakthrough effort was 2013’s powerful Fruitvale Station, in which Jordan played a real-life Black man named Oscar Grant who was killed by a cop in an Oakland train station.

The Ryan Coogler-directed indie led almost directly to Jordan’s next two collaborations with Coogler, in Creed and the history-making Black Panther. But it was that middle step with Creed that established Jordan as not just a Hollywood leading man but a bankable star.

Also coming back for the third round are Tessa Thompson as Donnie’s wife Bianca, and Phylicia Rashad as his adoptive mother Mary Anne, both of whom appeared in the two previous pictures.

Not returning this time is Sylvester Stallone, a bit of an eyebrow-raiser since this is, technically, still part of the Rocky franchise (Stallone also co-wrote the screenplay for Creed II). When we last saw Rocky Balboa in Creed II, he had made peace with both Creed and his own estranged son, also meeting his grandson for the first time.

While the first two Creed movies were to some degree about passing the torch from the generation represented by Rocky and Apollo to the new one embodied by Adonis, Rocky’s mentorship of the younger Creed was a large part of the films’ connective tissue.

But Jordan said recently in an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, “I feel like this is the Creed franchise… We really want fans to be interested in Adonis and what that story has to say.”

Jordan added that Stallone’s presence will still be felt, explaining, “There’s going to be so many Rocky-isms that are forever going to stay with Adonis as he moves forward.” But he also emphasized, “Whether or not Rocky comes back for this one, this is the Creed franchise moving forward.”

Stallone is said to be developing two Rocky movies on his own — one set after Creed II in which Rocky mentors a boxer who’s in the country illegally, and one detailing the champ’s early years — so he seems to be okay with the decision. He said about Creed III on his Instagram account, “It will be done, but I won’t be in it.”

Creed 3 Director

Creed III will include another big development in terms of who’s behind the camera: After Ryan Coogler (who will have a story credit on this one) directed the first film, and Steven Caple Jr. (who’s now directing the next Transformers movie) handled Creed II, the threequel will be directed by…Michael B. Jordan himself in what will be his directorial debut.

Jordan moving into the director’s chair for Creed III has been rumored for a while, but he made it official in March. The actor said in a statement, “Directing has always been an aspiration, but the timing had to be right. Creed III is that moment — a time in my life where I’ve grown more sure of who I am, holding agency in my own story, maturing personally, growing professionally, and learning from the greats like Ryan Coogler, most recently Denzel Washington, and other top tier directors I respect.”

He added, “This franchise and in particular the themes of Creed III are deeply personal to me. I look forward to sharing the next chapter of Adonis Creed’s story with the awesome responsibility of being its director and namesake.”

Creed 3 Story

While Jordan said that the themes of Creed III are “deeply personal” to him, little has been said about the actual story for the movie. We suspect it will involve a boxing match or two, a fearsome opponent in the ring, a love-hate relationship with a trainer (will Tony “Little Duke” Evers be back?), and perhaps some of the old self-searching on Adonis’ part. Plus, maybe some drama on the home front, as well.

But for now, we don’t know anything, including who Creed’s nemesis will be. TMZ reported back in 2018 that heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder was interested in playing the son of Clubber Lang, Rocky’s opponent from Rocky III, who was portrayed indelibly by Mr. T. But after doing the whole deal with the Dragos in Creed II, it might be a little tacky to bring back yet another offspring of yet another previous Rocky antagonist (and contradictory to Jordan’s stated intent to make this one strictly about Creed).

Creed 3 Release Date

There’s no word yet on when production is scheduled to begin, but as of now, Creed III is slated to arrive in theaters on Nov. 23, 2022.

So far that puts it in direct competition on the same date with only an untitled Disney animation project, although that month will feature the release of several expected box office behemoths, including Captain Marvel 2 and The Flash.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[survivor-rotuma]

Tribal Council #7 - Mauri

Welcome to your first tribal council as a merged tribe.

Apollo, with only two Mea left in the game, it seems like a potential division in the merge could be Sumi vs. Tuai. Is this an accurate assessment of the game? How else are alliance lines shaking out?

From the outside looking in, i could see how that would be the expectation but this is an individual game at the end of the day. People might have different personal agendas than that matches the goals of their previous tribe.

Boris, knowing that there are a mix of new and returning players in the cast, is there any way to suss out who’s who? Does it matter who’s played before and who hasn’t? Are you worried you’re unknowingly playing with winners?

I'm sure there are ways to try and find out who's who, and maybe some people are thinking like that, but for me personally I don't think it matters. I'm viewing this game as a completely clean slate, I just want to play to the best of my ability without preexisting factors getting in the way.

Brianna, are there any obvious targets tonight at tribal? Now that the votes can’t be about keeping the tribe strong, what’s your logic in choosing who to vote for?

l don’t believe there are really any obvious targets and that it is kind of up in the air. But mainly my logic in choosing who to vote for has to be how to keep myself strong.

Cassie, how do you plan to play in the merge stage of the game? Do you want to be cutthroat and strategic, a social player, a challenge dominator, or something else? What will best advance your game?

I plan to adjust my game a little bit as I get to know everyone else since there wasn't much time to do so before. I know I'd like to win some challenges as I'm sure others would, but I'm still figuring out the small bits of my game. It will be best for me to figure out what works for me and stick to my gut.

Felix, is it too early to start thinking about a resume to present to the jury at the end? Should people be making big moves or playing it safe in the early merge?

I think it’s never too early to build a resume. However, in regards to big moves, you’ve got to be sure that it’s not going to put a huge target on your back or, if it does put a target, you got the numbers to back you up in the upcoming rounds. But a resume is not just big moves as it is the subtle and smaller moves that add up and make you a great Survivor player!

Flint, now that we’re in an individual game, how do you decide who to trust? Is it all about who will vote with you or are there bonds beyond that?

trust is a huge factor in this game, even more so now that we are merged. I’m sure there are still old tribal lines but new bonds are forming. How well can you trust your original relationships verse your merge bonds? Only time and votes will tell.

Joey, we now know that the idol hunt has been updated for merge. We still haven’t seen any idol plays in this game; do you think that streak will be broken soon? Does anyone stick out to you as someone who may have an idol?

naw, any idol(s) could literally be anywhere. i keep forgetting to look for it so i dunno if theres anyway to know for sure if its out there or not but you gotta keep on your toes!

Lysandre, congrats on winning the challenge! Do you think your continued ability to do well in challenges makes you a threat? Why or why not?

Thank you Jay! I believe that my performance ability could definetly make me a threat in this game but I can't possibly win every single immunity challenge : / . I hope people understand that people have had higher scores than me in premerge challenges so I'm no   champion or anything

Marie, coming from a tribe of two, how are you working to get yourself into the numbers? Do you see Mea as on the bottom, in the middle, or somewhere else entirely?

coming from a tribe of two is stressful especially because the other two tribes have four. trying to get lys and i out wouldn't benefit anyone, using us as swing votes however would. theres always a crack.

Zest, how has the alias element of the game impacted dynamics? Does it make you suspicious of others? Why or why not?

There are pros and cons to the alias element.I think no matter whether you have played the game before or not, you will have some suspicions. That is just how Survivor works. Some people have played this game before and they may be able to figure out who someone is based on how they chat in the group. At the same time, I am grateful for the new friendships I have made. I’m also super excited about the how the merge has allowed me to interact with new people. 

 If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so.

Nobody stands

I’ll read the votes. Once the votes are read, the decision is final and the person voted out will be asked to leave the tribal council area immediately.

First vote: Brianna

For me this was kind of easy, but also hard because you seemed like a nice person. Sorry, Brianna

Second vote: Brianna

I hope it's you and not me

Third vote: Cassie

I’m so sorry. I genuinely wanted to work with you in the game, but it seems as if you weren’t able to hold your tea.

Fourth vote: Cassie

I'm on your hit list apparently???

That’s two votes Brianna, two votes Cassie, six votes left.

Fifth vote: Brianna

I hope I’m making the right vote tonight

Sixth vote: Cassie

You are super sweet, but, I have stick with my alliance. Xoxo!

Seventh vote: Brianna

sorry! i dont know you and just along for the ride

Eighth vote: Cassie

congrats on making jury

That’s four votes Cassie, four votes Brianna, two votes left.

Ninth vote: Cassie

sorry about this :/

That’s five votes Cassie, four votes Brianna, one vote left. If this vote is for Cassie, she will become the first member of our jury. If it is for Brianna, we will have a tie and a revote.

Tenth vote, and the first member of our jury: Cassie

sorry!! Not really sorry because you were putting my name out, but I wish you the best anyway!

Cassie, thanks so much for playing. You now become the first member of our jury.

#tribal

[alienvirals]

Alien: Covenant why Ridley Scott’s facehuggers and chestbursters will never die

With their bad robots, evil capitalists, terrifying xenomorphs and exploding humans, the Alien films turned cinema into a primal freakout zone. As the latest lands, heres what made them so irresistible

At various points in 1979, Ridley Scotts Alien was released into cinemas, a nasty-minded B movie with hopes of shifting a certain number of action figures. As you may have noticed, it did better than expected. Out this week, its latest descendant is Alien: Covenant, the second of four intended prequels. In the 80s and 90s, three sequels were added to the original, and these four were then marketed as a quadrilogy, a phrase bursting horribly through the frail chest of the English language.

For the film business, Covenant is a big deal in the battle against a future where actual movies are subcontracted to Marvel and everything else ends up on Netflix. Its important to the rest of us, too, even if the brooding scene-setting of the film before it, Prometheus, was a little dry for some. Covenant, while a very good movie, can also feel like a carefully planned family holiday, designed to let Scott explore his favourite places robotics, evolution, Hows and Whys but with regular visits for the kids to the bloody fairground of facehuggers and xenomorphs.

Scott, of course, is a victim of his own success in creating a monster this moreish. The original Alien was planned as an intergalactic spin on Jaws, another terror looming from the dark to upset humanitys delusions of grandeur. But where the shark had us for breakfast, Alien did something still more psychically traumatic it made us the unknowing host of a baby that ripped us open from the inside.

Fuse that primal freakout with HR Gigers famous creature designs and you get images that can never be removed from the mind. But Alien was a strange kind of cultural juggernaut. A decade after the first Apollo moon landing, with the gleam of the space age dulled, the scene onboard the commercial spaceship Nostromo was rarely less than glumly claustrophobic. The film seemed to be saying that, if we as a species ever make it into space en masse, our lives will end up like this: an underpaid, cooped-up grind that left you looking like Harry Dean Stanton.

The bloody fairground of facehuggers Ian Holm and John Hurt in Alien. Photograph: Alamy

In the new films, there has been a sly pleasure to be had in seeing that grimy distant future joined up to a bright-eyed version of life not too far from now: the advance publicity for Prometheus featured a video of a purported TED Talk given by entrepreneur Peter Weyland (played by Guy Pearce) just around the corner in 2023.

Whereas most blockbusters rouse, Alien has always been a tune played in an ominous minor key. The characters you meet in each film are usually dead by the end of it. The alien keeps coming until it gets you. The continuation of the series created a need for what you might in the broadest sense call happy endings, but they were usually tired, ambivalent things. It came as no great surprise to learn Scott had wanted the first Alien to close with the death of Sigourney Weavers Ripley, her escape-pod bound for Earth with a lone, triumphant xenomorph on board.

Not doing that there was panic among studio executives was probably best for the series. Still, the popularity of the first two films can obscure the fact the next two nearly destroyed their directors careers. After James Cameron made the bullishly irresistible Aliens (the first sequel and still his best film), both David Finchers sombre Alien 3 and Jean-Pierre Jeunets deeply 90s Alien: Resurrection were regarded as fiascos.

The master builder Ridley Scott and Katherine Waterston on the set of Alien: Covenant. Photograph: Mark Rogers/Mark Rogers / Fox Film

Interviewing Fincher years later, I told him I thought Alien 3 was underrated. He looked at me as if Id brought up a family bereavement. Jeunet, meanwhile, returned to France to make the sugar-sweet Amelie. That the series returned at all was tribute to the deathless appeal of Gigers monsters, and the feeling that Scott was the one filmmaker who could properly wrangle them, Prometheus marking his return as director.

But the Alien movies, however flawed, never felt irrelevant, always connecting to the realities of Earth. For anyone who sees blockbuster cinema as the place the collective subconscious bubbles to the surface, the films are rich pickings. It was hard to miss the timing with which the original arrived in 1979 opening in Britain four months after the election of Margaret Thatcher, and shortly before Ronald Reagan won the US presidency.

As such, the era of Alien has precisely mirrored the age of modern capitalism. You see it in the story of faceless corporations killing off their staff to chase a profit and in the xenomorph itself, remorseless and voracious. Now, the role of founding father has been assumed by Peter Weyland, a billionaire industrialist, whose expansive plans to help mankind would fit right in with those of Mark Zuckerberg or Larry Page.

The feminism of the films might feel haphazard the first script of the original involved a male hero but still, in an era in which the film business has struggled to put women front and centre, Ripley was routinely the best hope for humanity. In the latest film, Sigourney Weavers place is taken by Katherine Waterston, deadpan and stoic, just like her forerunner. But, more than just being female-led, the Alien films always hummed with ticklish thoughts about motherhood and reproduction; the hero is the ultimate final girl, the last woman left standing, with men seldom saving the day.

Ultimate final girl Sigourney Weaver in David Finchers Alien 3, 1992. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

And then we have the androids. If Ian Holms treacherous Ash in the original gave audiences a whisper of unease about the march of technology, it has since grown deafening. Having built both Prometheus and Covenant around Michael Fassbenders turn as a primly gifted synthetic, Scott is clearly concerned with the point where circuitry acquires a soul. In the era of coming automation, why wouldnt you be? (In recent weeks, as Fassbender and Scott have been promoting their movie, they have shared media attention with the all-powerful Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma, warning that the world is about to enter decades of pain caused by artificial intelligence.)

The scowl, the voice of gloomy fatalism, is much bigger in the new Alien episodes: films about the rise of robots in which the humans are usually messy, fleshy, venal and feeble. In his heartfelt sci-fi epic Interstellar, Christopher Nolan told a tale of space travel tied up with misty childhood memories and the bonds of family. You suspect Scott would take one look at all that and ask someone from the crew to pass a bin bag.

Scotts Alien films have always put the sheeny efficiency of xenomorphs above the feelings of people. Now planning at least two more lavishly mounted episodes, alongside a slate of other projects, he remains a force of nature himself, a master builder turning 80 this year, using his industry clout to pursue big ideas while throwing the crowd enough red meat to keep us turning up.

And space? In the years between Alien and Covenant, the prospect of commercial space travel has advanced spasmodically at best. Scott for one believes other beings will get to us long before we reach them. Of course, he has said, there is life out there. It is smarter than us and violent. Four decades after that first doomed voyage, his advice is simple: When you see a big thing in the sky, run.

Alien: Covenant is released in Australia on 11 May, UK on 12 May, and US on 19 May.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us

The post Alien: Covenant why Ridley Scott’s facehuggers and chestbursters will never die appeared first on AlienVirals.com - Latest Alien & UFO News.

from AlienVirals.com – Latest Alien & UFO News http://www.alienvirals.com/alien-covenant-why-ridley-scotts-facehuggers-and-chestbursters-will-never-die-2/

[ashxgx0044adfd-blog]

   NEWS TECH SPACEFLIGHT SCIENCE & ASTRONOMY SEARCH FOR LIFE SKYWATCHING ENTERTAINMENT VIDEO Space.comSpaceflight SpaceX Launches US Spy Satellite on Secret Mission, Nails Rocket Landing By Irene Klotz, Space.com Contributor | May 1, 2017 07:50am ET 155 26 9 41 0 MORE  00:0000:00 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX Falcon rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday (May 1) to boost a classified spy satellite into orbit for the U.S. military, then turned around and touched down at a nearby landing pad. It was the 34th mission for SpaceX, but its first flight for the Department of Defense, a customer long-pursued by company founder Elon Musk. The privately owned SpaceX once sued the Air Force over its exclusive launch services contract with United Launch Alliance (ULA), a partnership of Lockheed-Martin and Boeing. Advertisement  Monday's 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 GMT) liftoff of a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) officially broke ULA's 10-year monopoly on launching U.S. military and national security satellites. [In Photos: SpaceX's First US Military Satellite Launch] Launch was delayed one day to resolve a problem with a first-stage engine sensor.  A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the NROL-76 spy satellite on a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office on May 1, 2017. The mission launched from Pad-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: Michael Seeley/USAF NRO Launch Services Integrator contractor Ball Aerospace arranged for the Falcon 9 flight on behalf of the NRO, said agency spokeswoman Karen Furgerson. Advertisement  In addition to the NRO's business, SpaceX has won two Air Force contracts to launch Global Positioning System satellites in 2018 and 2019. For now, the military's business is a fraction of more than 70 missions, worth more than $10 billion, slated to fly on SpaceX rockets. But with up to 13 more military satellite launches open for competitive bidding in the next few years and ULA's lucrative sole-source contract due to end in 2019, SpaceX is angling to become a major launch service provider to the Department of Defense. At the request of the NRO, SpaceX cut off launch coverage 2 minutes and 48 seconds after liftoff, some 30 seconds after the booster’s first-stage separated from the upper-stage. At that time, the rocket's second-stage had fired up to carry the spy satellite into a low-Earth orbit , SpaceX’s launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration showed. The NRO declined to provide further details about the satellite or its orbit. SpaceX continued to broadcast the booster's return flight and touchdown at the company's nearby Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. "And we have touchdown! The first stage has landed back at Landing Zone 1," SpaceX lead mechanical design engineer John Federspiel said during launch commentary. "Another good day for us at SpaceX. That is a beautiful sight to see." A month ago, SpaceX for the first time launched one of its previously flown rockets to send an SES communications satellite into orbit, a key step in Musk's quest to demonstrate reusability and slash launch costs.  SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket first stage stands atop its Landing Zone 1 pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after successfully launching the classified NROL-76 satellite into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on May 1, 2017.. Credit: SpaceX General John "Jay" Raymond, head of U.S. Space Command, told reporters at the Space Symposium earlier this month that the Air Force is open to buying rides on previously flown rockets. "I would be comfortable if we were to fly on a reused booster," Raymond said. "They've proven they can do it." SpaceX landed its first orbital rocket in December 2015, a feat it has now repeated nine times. Four of those touchdowns have occurred at a landing pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and six returned to a platform floating in the ocean. The landings at sea are an option if the rocket doesn't have enough fuel to return all the way back to the launch site. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Advertisement  EDITOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS Blastoff! Spy Satellite Launched by SpaceX for First Time | Video The Most Dangerous Space Weapons Ever SpaceX Breaks Up US Spy Satellite Launch Monopoly | Video SpaceX Drone Ship Cameras Capture Historic Used Rocket Landing | Video Ads by Revcontent FROM THE WEB 25 Rare Pictures From Inside North Korea Watch How This Simple Method Can "Regrow" Your Hear Naturally. Try Tonight Watch How He "Regrow" His Hair Naturally in 14 Days! Try Tonight Mix This Herb with Your Drink to Regrow Lost Hair (try Tonight) This is the No.1 Reason Why You Loosing Your Hair (do This Daily) SUBSCRIBE TO SPACE.COM  enter email here SUBMIT FOLLOW US MOST POPULAR  'Grand Finale' at Saturn Begins: Cassini Spacecraft's 1st Ring Dive in Pictures  The Lego Has Landed! NASA Apollo Saturn V Moon Landing Set in Pictures  Cassini's 'Grand Finale' at Saturn: NASA's Plan in Pictures  SpaceX Poised for First Military Launch Sunday  Presidential Visions for Space Exploration: From Ike to Trump HomeAbout Us FOLLOW US SUBSCRIBE TO SPACE  enter email here ... SUBMIT  Copyright © 2017 All Rights Reserved.  Close

[sciencespies]

Seeing Earth from space changes astronauts' minds forever. Here's why

https://sciencespies.com/space/seeing-earth-from-space-changes-astronauts-minds-forever-heres-why/

Seeing Earth from space changes astronauts' minds forever. Here's why

When astronauts first saw Earth from afar in the Apollo 8 mission in 1968 – the US’s second manned mission to the Moon – they described a cognitive shift in awareness after seeing our planet “hanging in the void.”

This state of mental clarity, called the “overview effect”, occurs when you are flung so far away from Earth that you become totally overwhelmed and awed by the fragility and unity of life on our blue globe. It’s the uncanny sense of understanding the “big picture”, and of feeling connected yet bigger than the intricate processes bubbling on Earth.

In a Vimeo video by Planetary Collective called Overview, David Beaver, co-founder of the Overview Institute, recounts the sentiments from one of the astronauts on the Apollo mission: “When we originally went to the Moon, our total focus was on the Moon. We weren’t thinking about looking back at the Earth. But now that we’ve done it, that may well have been the most important reason we went.”

Seeing cameras turn around in a live feed of Earth for the first time – even for viewers at home – was absolutely life-changing. The iconic “Earthrise” image was snapped by astronaut Bill Anders.

Until that point, no human eyes had ever seen our blue marble from space.

“It was quite a shock, I don’t think any of us had any expectations about how it would give us such a different perspective. I think the focus had been: we’re going to the stars, we’re going to other planets,” author and philosopher David Loy said in the Planetary Collective video.

“And suddenly we look back at ourselves and it seems to imply a new kind of self-awareness.”

NASA astronaut Ron Garan explains this incredible feeling in his book, The Orbital Perspective. After clamping into an end of a robotic arm on the International Space Station in 2008, he flew through a “Windshield Wiper” manoeuvre that flung him in an arc over the space station and back:

As I approached the top of this arc, it was as if time stood still, and I was flooded with both emotion and awareness. But as I looked down at the Earth – this stunning, fragile oasis, this island that has been given to us, and that has protected all life from the harshness of space – a sadness came over me, and I was hit in the gut with an undeniable, sobering contradiction.

In spite of the overwhelming beauty of this scene, serious inequity exists on the apparent paradise we have been given. I couldn’t help thinking of the nearly one billion people who don’t have clean water to drink, the countless number who go to bed hungry every night, the social injustice, conflicts, and poverty that remain pervasive across the planet.

Seeing Earth from this vantage point gave me a unique perspective – something I’ve come to call the orbital perspective. Part of this is the realisation that we are all travelling together on the planet and that if we all looked at the world from that perspective we would see that nothing is impossible.

Author Frank White first coined the term, the “overview effect”, when he was flying in an aeroplane across the country in the 1970s. After looking out the window, he thought, “Anyone living in a space settlement … will always have an overview. They will see things that we know, but that we don’t experience, which is that the Earth is one system,” he says in the Vimeo video.

“We’re all part of that system, and there is a certain unity and coherence to it all.”

He later wrote a book about it in 1998.

While this effect is usually relegated to astronauts and cosmonauts, civilians may too be able to experience this effect – that is if space tourism plans ever get off the ground.

A company called World View is slated to start floating people to stratospheric heights in a balloon in 2016. And Virgin Galactic, despite recent road blocks, may eventually zip wealthy customers 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth for a view of a lifetime.

To get more perspective on the overview effect from astronauts and writers, check out the full Vimeo video here:

[embedded content]

This article was originally published by Business Insider.

More from Business Insider:

#Space

#Space

[itsworn]

10th Anniversary Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals: Greatest Muscle Car Show on the Planet

The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) has become a dynasty in automotive entertainment. No other muscle car show comes close to the annual gathering of the faithful in Chicago on that crisp weekend just prior to Thanksgiving. The rise to glory could not have been scripted better, with a cast as colorful and charismatic as any Hollywood blockbuster. It’s been my privilege to attend every one of the MCACN shows, and the 10th Anniversary MCACN gives rise to a few subjective observations that might translate to significant life lessons.

First: Success takes hard work and commitment to goals and objectives that you believe to be worthwhile. MCACN show manager Bob Ashton, his wonderful wife Vicki, and the MCACN Board believed that they could build the greatest muscle car show on the planet. Ten years after, the thousands of people who have now included MCACN on their yearly calendar of events have proved the Ashtons and the MCACN partners correct.

The spotlight of MCACN X was on the Scat Pack and Rapid Transit System Invitational Showcase that featured the Dodge Scat Pack cars from 1968 to 1971, and the Plymouth Rapid Transit System cars from 1970 to 1972. The foreground shows Ricky Greer’s 1971 Road Runner equipped with the 440+6 engine, A34 Super Track Pack, and N96 Fresh Air Package. The Scat Pack/RTS showcase was bolstered by an incredible art display presented by Jim Secreto and Ken Hanna.

Three of the four Rapid Transit System Caravan cars were together for the Scat Pack/RTS Invitational. These three cars were sourced from the late Steven Juliano collection. (See our Feb. 2019 issue for complete coverage of this landmark display of historic Mopar cars and memorabilia; bit.ly/2LkIDHq)

MUSCLE CAR REVIEW editor Drew Hardin was among the journalists and other guests asked to award a pick from the show. Impressed by Jim Kramer’s 1968 BO29 and LO23 Hemi Super Stock Cars Invitational, Hardin gave his award to Pete and Jack Toms’ 1968 Hemi Dart called That Dart. The two brothers are the original owners of this highly original car, which has never been tubbed, still wears its first paint job from 1968, and sports a working emergency brake and emergency flashers. Bucky Hess and his son, Travis, brought the car to MCACN for the Toms and accepted his award on their behalf.

Second: One can never rest on one’s laurels. The show began with the priority that no muscle car, no matter how awesome, would be in the show more than two consecutive years. The MCACN partners knew that “same as last year” reviews would bring certain death to the venture. In some respects, bringing back some of the muscle cars presented in the first few years of MCACN could be justified. But Ashton and the MCACN partners have never faltered in presenting fresh offerings to keep the show from getting stale. Ten years after, muscle car enthusiasts anxiously await what next year’s MCACN will produce.

Third: You can always do better than your best effort. When the 27 of the 42 Hemi E-Body convertibles showed up at MCACN VII, the conventional wisdom was that there was no way MCACN could ever be better (“MCACN Resets Perfection,” Mar. 2016; bit.ly/2BoAg9k). The thought was Ashton had made the show so good that the following year would certainly be a letdown. But MCACN VIII was even better (“Great at 8,” Mar. 2017; bit.ly/2QYhlMk). When I would ask Bob how he could top the 27 Hemi E-Body convertibles, he was genuinely convinced that the next MCACN would be better, and it was. Ten years after, MCACN continues to reach for the better show.

An overarching 10th Anniversary observation boils down to MCACN’s formula for success: It has always been about the people. MCACN breathes life into the simple philosophy that, while on the surface this muscle car obsession is about the cars, it’s really about the people. There were so many times over the 10 years that Ashton would describe an incredible muscle car find, and then quickly brag up how great the owner was. Ten years after, that genuine friendship and respect continue to be infectious.

Yours truly was also given the privilege of awarding a MCACN pick. I chose John Kennealy’s 1970 F-85 W-31 Oldsmobile. The car was fresh from restoration, shod with Motor Wheel Spyders and Firestone Drag 500s out back, and dressed in Sherwood Green, the best 1970 Oldsmobile color ever offered.

MCACN was abuzz with the unveiling of this 1969 Hurst/Olds prototype. The proposed rear wing and the gold stripe continuation over the backlight never made production. The “Forced Air” hood was familiar, but also unique. As a featured Premiere Unveiling, this car was the talk of the show.

The crowds stormed the highly anticipated unveiling of the Shelby double-prototype 1968 EXP 500 Green Hornet, owned by Craig Jackson. Painstakingly restored to be as authentic as possible, down to the fuel injection and independent rear suspension, the Hornet will be featured in an upcoming issue.

The formula for creating the world’s greatest muscle car show is simple. Get about half a dozen brilliant business professionals who are passionate about muscle cars, who are never satisfied with their past achievements, who never lose focus, who never stop reaching, and who know the importance of treating people with respect and friendship. Then you can also have the most successful muscle car show in history, even 10 years after.

MCACN Decade One is in the can. It’s been a good start. Prepare for MCACN Decade Two.

Editor’s note: You can start preparation by marking November 23-24, 2019, in your calendar as the dates for the next MCACN show. Visit mcacn.com for full results of the 10th Anniversary show and information on the 11th.

Thanks to Brian Henderson of the Super Car Workshop (for bringing Rick Thayer’s Chevy II Nova), and car owners Jim Kramer (Hemi Barracuda) and David Garton (Cobra Jet Mustang), our Nov. 2018 cover story came to life at MCACN (“1968 Super Stock Cars”; bit.ly/2S7mUVU).

This 1969 Ford Boss 429 (Kar Kraft No. 1225) was the first Maroon Boss 429 produced by Kar Kraft, and the 10th car invoiced in the Kar Kraft production line. The Boss 429 was restored by Dave Riley at Vintage 60’s Restoration, with body and paint work handled by Nyle Wing at Wings Auto Art. Ed Meyer and Bob Perkins contributed technical support during the restoration. The Boss 429 retains its born-with drivetrain.

The Class of 1968 Invitational Showcase included Tom Mackey’s stellar 1968 Hemi GTX convertible. It is one of 36 produced for U.S. distribution, and one of eight known to exist today. It comes complete with all original body panels and floors, and is dressed in the original color combination with blackout hood treatment.

Dave Heilala from Brighton, Michigan, is the original owner of this 1968 W-31 Ram Rod. In 1968, he worked in engineering for Oldsmobile. He was able to supervise the production of this Ocean Turquoise car, and then drive it off the assembly line. His Olds is equipped with a Muncie M20 four-speed transmission and 3.91 gears. He drag raced the car for 20 years in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags, where his best e.t. was 13.40 at 105.11 mph.

The MASCAR 1970 Sunflower Yellow Yenko Deuce shop car is slated for a concours day-two restoration this coming year, and will debut at the 2019 MCACN show. Plans call for a vintage all-aluminum 427 ZL1 motor that would put the Deuce in the 9s without tubbing the car.

The 1968 Hurst/Olds Invitational Showcase was highlighted by Joe Spagnoli’s incredible Hurst/Olds Demonstrator four-speed convertible. This car was often used at motorsports events, with Linda Vaughn riding out back on a platform that transported the enormous and iconic Hurst Shifter display.

Brian Henderson from Super Car Workshop organized the 1968 Chevy II Nova Super Sport Invitational MCACN Showcase that had included Rick Thayer’s Fred Gibb/Dick Harrell Chevy II until we stole it for the MCR “Cover Come to Life” Showcase. Super Car Workshop restored the beautiful red Chevy II Nova Super Sport 427 conversion car. Super Car Restoration perfected the body, with metal work performed by Joe Griffith and paint by Jamie Cooper.

Ajesh Parikh assembled the Buick GSX-tasy Invitational Showcase. Examples of the 1970 GSX in the two colors offered that year, Apollo White and Saturn Yellow, were displayed, as were cars wearing five of the six colors available in 1971. One of the 44 GSX cars built in 1972 was on hand, as was the 1970 Buick GSX prototype that had been displayed in various exhibits in 1969.

According to owner Darryl Wischnewsky, Plymouth made 108 440 Six Barrel ’Cuda cars with the D21 A833 four-speed transmission, and his is one of them. The B2 Glacial Blue ’Cuda is equipped with a number of desirable options, including the A34 Super Track Pack, N96 Shaker hood, and Backlight Louvers. Apex Autosports restored the never-rusted E-Body in 2017.

In 1972, Randall Motors in Mesa, Arizona, built 12 or 13 Gremlins with an AMC 401 V-8 transplant. Bob and Denise Hoogstra had Scott Tiemann at Supercar Specialties restore their Randall Gremlin X. Speed parts include an Edelbrock intake, 750-cfm Holley carburetor, Hooker headers, and 4.10 Sure Grip axle. Stewart-Warner gauges keep the driver informed. If AMC had built Gremlins like this one, it would still be in business today.

That is original owner George Krem standing by the “Plain Brown Wrapper” 1964 Studebaker Lark Challenger. Krem’s car has competed at The Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race 18 times from 1998 through 2018. Best-ever elapsed time is a 12.61 at 114.03 mph. The Studebaker is powered by a supercharged R3 304ci/335hp engine mated to a T10 close-ratio four-speed transmission and 4.27 Twin Traction differential.

Gobi Beige never looked better than on Mick Price’s 1970 Yenko Deuce. The Deuce was sold new through the legendary Yenko Chevrolet dealership in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of only 176 produced in 1970. Power comes from a 350ci/360hp LT-1 small-block featuring an 11:1 compression ratio, a solid-lifter camshaft, and a 780-cfm Holley carburetor. A close-ratio M21 four-speed manual transmission made for fun times with this small-block screamer.

Justin Hargrave restored the 1969 Plymouth GTX that his dad owned before he passed in 2012. He said that his dad was his best friend and instilled in him a love for muscle cars. The GTX impeccable, powered by a 440 four-barrel that spins the A833 four-speed transmission. The Track Pack option includes the Dana 60 with 3.54 gears, while the heavy-duty suspension helps plant power to the road. His dad would have been proud.

As we were producing the Feb. 2019 issue, which included John Chencharick’s 1970 Torino Cobra SportsRoof (“Ford’s Better Idea”; bit.ly/2GlwaEF), we spotted the 429 Cobra Jet-powered Ford at MCACN. The bright yellow and black Torino Cobra is set up for the open road with a C6 automatic transmission and a Traction-Lok 9-inch rearend with 3.00 gears.

Troy Angelly brought an unrestored original 1966 Coronet 440 with the optional 426 Hemi engine and TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The car was purchased at Andis Motors Inc. in Greenfield, Indiana. It was equipped with the Sure Grip differential and padded visors.

Brad VanHemert brought out the Malibeater MCR project car. Midwest Muscle Cars built the car, complete with a Chevrolet Performance ZZ427 with relic detailing, an M22 Muncie four-speed transmission, and a 4.10 12-Bolt Positraction rear. It was good to see an old friend. The car. I can call Brad any time.

Bill Jelinek from Rt. 66 Motorsports in New Lenox, Illinois, brought out Wally Staszko’s 1966 Chevy II Nova L79 four-speed Sport Coupe. The L79 car was raced at US 30, and was exercised on the street until 1973. It went into hibernation, and was just recently brought back to life by Jelinek and the crew at Rt. 66 Motorsports. The exterior and interior are 95 percent original, with a touch of day-two speed parts to keep things interesting.

Everyone who attends MCACN should play the what-one-car-would-I-want-to-drive-home game. My choice would be this 1968 Tuxedo Black L72 Biscayne. This incredible factory sleeper is unrestored, with 720 actual miles on the clock. It is powered by the 427-inch, 425hp L72 engine backed by a Muncie four-speed transmission and 3.55 Positraction rear.

1970 Superbird, Mike Fitzgerald The Chrysler wing cars, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona and the 1970 Plymouth Superbird, have long piqued the interest of many. They recall a day of stock car racing when games were played and deception was employed to gain advantage. Unearthing mysteries and rumors about these cars has been sport for many racing fans.

For example, the scoops on the front fenders were not functional on the street car. They were functional on the race cars, though, with holes cut open underneath reportedly for tire clearance. But Chrysler had found that the scoops served as air extractors that reduced drag by 3 percent. Altering a fender for tire clearance was legal in NASCAR, but creating an air extractor in a fender was not.

Many people have theorized that the crazy rear wing was high in order to clear the trunk opening. However, John Pointer, the Chrysler engineer who conceived the wing and the nosecone, did not care about the trunk opening. He put the wing up high in order to get it into clean air. By doing so, racers could make proper adjustments for effective downforce at high speeds without having to deal with the turbulence coming off the roof.

The 1970 Plymouth Superbird owned by Mike Fitzgerald is a recent acquisition for him. Previously it belonged to the owner of a pizzeria in New Lenox, Illinois, who had stuffed it away for a future restoration. Unfortunately, he passed away before realizing that goal, and Fitzgerald bought the car. He then sent it to Magnum Auto Restoration in LaSalle, Illinois. I had seen the car while it was undergoing metal surgery, and, to put it mildly, it was not an easy task. But it was one of the Premiere Unveilings at MCACN this year, to the delight of Mopar wing car fans from all over the world.

The signature front nosecone and huge rear wing were installed on the 1970 Road Runner to woo Richard Petty back to Plymouth. It worked.

Mark Sekula and his crew at Magnum Auto Restoration did a magnificent job restoring this Corporate Blue Superbird. The car required a good deal of metalwork, but Magnum is no stranger to a challenge.

Mike Fitzgerald’s wing car is powered by a 440 Six Barrel engine that was rated at 390 hp. A 727 TorqueFlite transmission and an 8 3/4 rear with 3.55 gears complete the drivetrain.

Interior is the basic Road Runner, with console, 150-mph speedometer, 8,000-rpm Tic Toc Tach, and floor shifter.

Of the 1,920 Superbirds built, fewer than 50 were painted Corporate Blue, and only 30 are known to exist. The street cars had the scoops installed like the race cars, but they were not functional.

1970 ’Cuda 440 Six Barrel, Darryl Wischnewski Apex Autosports presented Darryl Wischnewski’s 1970 ’Cuda as one of the 2018 MCACN Premier Unveilings. The Apex Autosports team performed the complete rotisserie restoration in 2017 and 2018, under the watchful eye of owner Andrew White. Apex is a rising star in Midwest, having presented high-quality restoration work on very special Mopars in the past few years at MCACN.

Power for Wischnewski’s 1970 ’Cuda comes from the E87 440 Six Barrel 390hp engine. The ’Cuda had spent some time at the dragstrip, so part of the restoration included returning the car to OE standards. Having seen the Apex facility firsthand, it is immediately evident that its cars are right. The Black Velvet paint on this ’Cuda is hypnotic.

Speaking of commitment to excellence in restoration, many might be concerned about the roadworthiness of a newly restored muscle car. Apex is a shop that cares about the details. It has a chassis dyno that helps the crew dial in all the powertrain systems. The attention to detail and care for the final drivable product is something that speaks of a commitment to excellence.

The laser-straight TX9 Black Velvet paint on the 1970 ’Cuda is better that what Ma Mopar ever produced. But because the paint is a single-stage enamel, it does appear to be closer to factory appearance than the modern two-stage process.

Darryl Wischnewski’s ’Cuda is equipped with the highly desirable A34 Super Track Pack with 4.10 gears. The D21 A833 HD four-speed transmission makes for fun gear-banging acceleration tests.

The 440 Six Barrel engine in the black engine compartment, highlighted by the big Shaker hood, is sheer artwork. Once the Shaker is removed, it reveals the beautiful three-two-barrel induction system. The entire presentation is spotless, and dialed in prior to final delivery to the customer.

The striking H6XW high-grade white vinyl interior with the C55 white front bucket seats provides a stark contrast to the Black Velvet paint. Options include the R22 AM/eight-track radio, J25 three-speed wipers, and four-speed Pistol Grip shifter with no console.

Exterior features include dog dish hubcaps, W25 HD stamped-steel wheels, U82 Goodyear Polyglas GT E60-15 tires, M26 wheel-lip moldings, and gold Pentastar emblem.

1962 Catalina Super Duty, Duane Strohschein If one were to open the annals of automotive history in the 1950s and 1960s, there would be a record of economy runs or performance trials among oil companies and auto manufacturers. Economy runs would be organized typically by oil companies to offer objective information on a vehicle’s performance, fuel economy, and braking ability. The automotive manufacturers competed to rise above other brands.

The Mobilgas Economy Run was probably the most famous, though other companies certainly were involved. Not surprisingly, the long game for the oil companies was the promotion of their products to a car-crazy generation. Automotive manufacturers would benefit when their particular model outperformed the competition.

Economy runs and performance trials might involve a long road trip to gather data on a vehicle’s capabilities, or it might be hosted at a particular race track for various tests and trials. The Pure Oil Performance Trials of 1962 were held at Daytona International Speedway. Pontiac sent the featured 1962 Pontiac Catalina Super Duty to compete. The Super Duty Pontiac did very well, scoring the highest percentage of potential points for all classes and events.

Duane Strohschein was thrilled to discover the history of his 1962 Catalina, which he had found in a Michigan junkyard. He concluded that only the very best restoration would do for this very special Pontiac. He enlisted the services of Scott Tiemann and the team at Supercar Specialties. The Pontiac was restored to as-participated condition at the Performance and Economy Trials at Daytona.

Duane Strohschein had Scott Tiemann perform a “no compromise” restoration on this one-of-24 1962 Catalina Super Duty sedan. Strohschein participated in the process, sourcing the best parts and components that could be found.

Though large by today’s standards, the big Catalina fared well when it participated in competition. The Super Duty Catalina was equipped with special aluminum front brake drums and a 4.30 Traction Lock axle.

The 1962 Pontiac Super Duty 421 engine was conservatively rated at 405 hp at 5,600 rpm and 425 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. The four-bolt-main block was equipped with a forged-steel crankshaft, forged-steel connecting rods, a solid-lifter cam, and forged pistons that produced a healthy 11:1 compression ratio. Twin 625-cfm carburetors fed the beast. Note the heat block-off panel on the firewall.

Bench seats, a steering-column-mounted tachometer, and the four-speed shifter lend an all-business feel to the interior.

Strohschein found the Catalina in a junkyard in Michigan in August 2011. Upon its discovery, he and Scott Tiemann embarked on the hunt for genuine parts and equipment to bring the Pontiac back to life.

1971 Mustang Mach 1 429 Super Cobra Jet, Stefano Bimbi The majority of automotive enthusiasts will cite the 1971 Mustang, with its longer and more portly dimensions, as a tragic redesign. I call it Mustang’s best year. Radical styling cues, including the almost-flat backlight, turned off many customers. Others believe the 1971 Mustang, especially when equipped with the 429 Super Cobra Jet engine, was pure big-block Pony perfection. Growing popularity among collectors seems to indicate that the 1971 Mustang has gotten better with age.

The 1971 Mustang offered the best performance selections ever available. True, the Boss 429 was gone, but in its place the customer who knew his way around the order sheet could be driving the potent Boss 351 with factory-rated 330 hp. The new-for-1971 429 Super Cobra Jet, even in the heftier Mustang, was an impressive performer. As an aside, no car wears a set of Magnum 500s better than a 1971 Mustang fastback.

Stefano Bimbi of Nickey Performance heard that the second owner of this factory black 1971 Mustang Mach 1 429 SCJ was interested in selling. The 429 SCJ car came with a numbers-matching drivetrain, Drag Pack option, and all original metal. Bimbi had a friend check the car out, and ran the Marti report for verification. He discovered the car was one of 531 equipped with the 429 SCJ engine/Drag Pack option, and one of only 351 four-speed versions.

Stefano Bimbi of Nickey Performance discovered this two-owner 1971 429 Super Cobra Jet Mach 1 in California. Upon purchase, he immediately sent it over to MASCAR Classics in Costa Mesa, California, for a complete concours restoration.

Although the Mach 1 did not have this wing on it from the factory, Bimbi was told that the original owner had the wing installed after purchase. For that reason, it remained on the car after the restoration.

The 429ci Super Cobra Jet is factory rated at 375 hp. The engine is part of the Ford 385 series engines, and is separate from the FE engines. The 429 SCJ was blessed with a solid-lifter cam, an 11.3:1 compression ratio, and a Holley 780-cfm carburetor.

When the Ram Air engine was ordered, the factory made these scoops functional by installing a vacuum-actuated door that fed air through a fiberglass underhood plenum.

The big Hurst shifter with console and the comfortable surroundings make for one awesome touring vehicle. The Ginger interior is a bit unusual, but looks fantastic in the black car and increases the rarity of the Mach 1.

The Mach 1 chin spoiler, correct F60-15 Firestone Wide Oval tires, and 15×7 Magnum 500 wheels create an aggressive front-end stance. If there had been a sequel to Bullitt, Frank Bullitt would have driven this car.

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[marthatravelsjan2017]

Essay II

So if you were curious I actually got a 92 on my last paper (yay!) and here's the second. I don't think I did as well on this one since I spent far too long talking about Rome and not nearly enough time on the sites it overtook. Whoops. Honestly I could have written this entire paper on how Rome's growth affected its architecture and city planning structure but I had to cut myself off when I realized it had become 2/3 of the paper. Yikes. The story begins with the city that was built from the ground up and became the center of an empire—Rome. Although there are large amounts of mythology and stories of the founding and establishment of Rome and what lead to it, hardly any of it is absolutely verifiable. However, what we do know can astound us more. Rome started out as a series of circular and oval huts made of wood, reeds, and clay spread out over a series of hills. It had a few geographic advantages, such as Tiber Island creating an easy crossing point for the Tiber river and the Tiber River itself creating a natural expressway for commerce both further inland and out toward the sea, but fundamentally the fledgeling community of Rome was like any other in the area. Rome was initially ruled by a series of kings, starting with its founder, Romulus, who essentially started the community as a cultural blank slate. He welcomed anyone and everyone to his new community regardless of background, but failed to attract enough women to support the population he had created. To remedy this he threw a festival and invited the nearby tribes, and at this festival he and his men captured their women and made them their wives. The wives not only extended the diversity of this already colorful community, but also served as a bridge to create an alliance between Rome and the communities they were taken from. From the beginning the Romans were a diverse and historic people. This was the foundation of a community some feel was destined to become the empire it became. Perhaps they believe the myths that claim Romulus and Remus were descended from the gods, or perhaps it can be attributed to something that can be seen more realistically. In truth, the Romans started from a vantage point not different than most of the communities in the area. But, what set them apart and made them successful was their diversity and history. The initial diversity of the community made it adaptable, and its history gave it pride. The adaptability and pride of the Romans shaped their nation, allowed for growth, and eventually made them conquerors. The first big shift that the Romans made to develop their community outside the norm from the surrounding area was the creation the forum in the valley between the hills. This created a common gathering place accessible by the roads connecting the hills and from the river for the residents of all of the hills. This in turn enforced the unity of the community by having a civic center. However it actually shows unity just by its very existence as it was a massive project that would have required planning, cooperation, vision, a sufficient workforce, and skill to create the area. Around this forum, other buildings of civic and religious importance began to appear. These structures were different than the standard hut, as they were rectangular structures that were roofed with ceramic clay tiles. One of these structures was the Regia which became the office of the Pontifex Maximus. The others were mostly temples, of which the plan and decoration of shows the diversity of cultures represented in early Rome. The terra-cotta used in these structures was painted in vivid colors. This mixture of cultures may have had in impact on architectural norms. At this point, there were no statues of statesmen or historical figures, but works that glorified Roman history and tradition became popular in both public and private spaces. This shows how the early artistic tradition of Rome was global rather than local. This was reflected in the religion of the temples as well which could be to a variety of gods including the traditional Roman Triad as well as more obscure gods and cults. Under the rule of the kings, Rome had developed a modicum of control over the people who lived in the area surrounding Rome—when the monarchy ended, those people fought back, inspiring the Romans to their first of many battles. It was at this point that their conquest of Italy began. Their terms and conditions for the communities they oversaw were extremely tolerant. The people could continue life as normal, so long as they provided soldiers for the Roman army. In return they got the spoils of war and protection and had opportunities to enter Roman society. This tolerance is the result of understanding and respecting diversity in the way that only a community founded as Rome was could understand. This was far from the last of the Roman conquests, and with time the idea of winning your family line glory through battle became developed into a part of the social culture and structure of the Roman people as the Republic slowly became an empire. This of course only further encouraged these wars and conquests as it became a matter of pride. Upon the successful completion of a campaign, monuments could even be erected to your glory in public places. These monuments included elaborate columns decorated with the events of the campaign or huge triumph arches. These monuments were a show of power and pride and nationalism to the Romans. Two examples of Roman domination during its time as a republic and then later on as an empire are the cities of Pompeii and Paestum. Their status as a captured city can be seen in structural differences and fixes in the cities. Their tolerance for diversity ensured that they never maliciously enforced their new institutions, but changed them to suit the customs and practices of their conquerors in keeping them up to date. Paestum is an excellent example in this as the town has mostly Greek architectural and civil planning origins, as the Lucinian effect was mostly cultural. The layout of the town is definitively Greek with its large temples dedicated to Hera and Athena bookending a large agora. The Greeks also established the circular building used for public assemblies. One of the big changes under Roman occupation was the update to the public gathering space from a Greek agora to a Roman Forum. Because the forum is located in the same area as the agora it is likely the Romans simply viewed this as an update to the existing social gathering area rather than a willful distraction of culture as they left many other evidences of the Greek lifestyle alone. The Romans were also responsible for the creation of the gladiatorial complex. This is an unsurprising addition that was made once Romans began occupying the city en masse because it was an essential part of their religious observance. To not have an area to conduct these practices would have been like missing a temple. The Romans were in fact very respectful of temples and other gods even when they were not their own since they viewed them as another interpretation of the same base religion. It is perhaps for this reason that the temples to Hera and Athena still stand today. The presence and preservation of these temples showcase the classic Roman tolerance for practices outside of their cultural norms. Pompeii too came under Roman rule during its expansion and here too we can see its religious tolerance in its respect for the temple of Apollo, the most important religious structure in the city. We can also see their tolerance in how the structure of the city changes in the old city which is not in the traditional Roman grid pattern. This was left alone by the Romans during their updating efforts to the city since it was inoffensive to their ideals although it may not have been what they might build upon expansion. The Romans did their best to update Pompeii to their standards. They added the gladiatorial combat area and by added baths and a forum which are all marks of a prominent Roman civilization. The Romans obviously highly valued this city to put their work into updating it to be more like their home of Rome. Updating cities to be more like Rome was expensive but it was done because it was an act of pride in the city they had taken. So too can we see the Roman’s pride for their conquests and triumphs in the presence of the triumph arch. The triumph arch was actually a great symbol of unity. The arch could have been built anywhere but the Romans wanted to build it in Pompeii to demonstrate that Pompeii was really one with Rome to them. It is a symbol of pride and unity. From the beginning, Rome was diverse and so the community became unique in that the Romans called themselves such because of where they lived, rather than the language they spoke, or the culture they shared. This definition really opened the doors so that anyone could be Roman and eventually that anywhere could be Roman. The diversity of the original Roman community fostered adaptability and tolerance for the future civilization, because they created their culture through the absorption and mixture of others. This adaptability and tolerance served them well as they became conquerors and their pride in doing so well as conquerors kept them expanding and created an empire that was proud of itself as it felt welcomed into the fold.