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the-bi-space-ace · 5 months

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For the character ask, I'm going to be wild and ask about two characters: Crosshair and Teal'c. Feel free to only do one, if you'd like, or both!

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

Oooooh I'm excited about these two!

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

Crosshair - He was a 'I have to touch the stove to make sure it's actually hot' kid (I was too so this is a self burn (lol burn... bc the stove is hot... I'm sorry). He's gotta learn the hard way. Ya know, Crossy, you could just not learn the hard way. You could just not do that.

Teal'c - (I hate saying anything bad about you my darling boy I'm so sorry) my least favorite thing about Teal'c is that he doesn't always get that people are hurt by his actions because he did them for reasons he believes in. Like leaving his family when he started fighting for the freedom of Jaffa. It fucking hurt his wife and son and he just... didn't get that for awhile. Or when he undermines Ishta. Again, he is doing and fighting for what he believes in but he doesn't seem to get that just because he is doing something for the right reasons that doesn't erase the hurt and pain caused by them. He learns. He grows. But it's frustrating to watch him not get it sometimes.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Crosshair - you know what would be funny? Dropping him in a musical. I'm talking Grease or Mean Girls or Cats. Just. Any musical. And make him aware that he's in a musical and has no clue what's going on. Do you know how funny it would be to watch him try to talk to people and have them break into song????

Teal'c - Parks & Rec. Why? They would love him. I think April would love him so much and he'd just have such good comedic timing. Imagine him looking into the camera with judgement on SG-1. Also maybe he'd eventually get to be a fire fighter like in that one episode where he was seeing himself in an alternate reality and I just think Teal'c as a fire fighter was really cool.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Crosshair - Good 4 U by Olivia Rodrigo. The drama. The angst. The lyrics. That is a Crosshair song to me. Like yeah. Good for you! You're doing so well and loving life without me isn't that great WELL I'M NOT! Idk. It just really hits for me.

Teal'c - Born For This by The Score. Just. His commitment to his cause. The way he has such faith that one day all Jaffa will finally be free. He will fight for every single last one of them. He doesn't give up.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

Crosshair - maaaaaaaaaybe. On one hand I think he'd stick to himself and mind his own business and like having cats around and also scare away unwanted visitors with his general demeanor and protectiveness so that part I like! No strange men would literally ever try anything bc I mean... look at him. No one is messing with him... on the other hand I feel like he'd wander around in the dark and throw knives at the wall and be really territorial over his stuff to the point of me being afraid to touch anything so... it's a solid 5/10 chance we'd get along. I lived with 7 other people at one point and all of them had very different personalities so I can get along with a wide variety of people but he's a good toss up for me.

Teal'c - yes. 100%. I've seen the episode where he has his own apartment and that man is a perfect neighbor and probably a very respectful roommate. He's sweet! He watches out for people! He'd have a lot of candles which I like! And quite like Crosshair he'd scare away unwanted visitors. He's a quiet person and I'm a quiet person so we'd be able to sit in silence and it be okay and I looooove that. He also likes star wars so we're gonna do movie nights :)

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

Crosshair - I love Protective Crosshair in fics. It's my weakness. Give me protective Crosshair any day. A man who is grumpy and snarky and petty but loves so fiercely it's almost scary. Someone who doesn't know how to show how he feels so he covers it in snark and still covers the people he cares about in his own brand of love.

And something I don't like... okay... Sometimes people pretend he doesn't gaf bc he's evil or whatever. OR they act like he doesn't exist. Both things bother me. SO he's either overly callous in a way that is just plain mean and nasty and not callous in the way Crosshair actually is. Yes he can be mean. Yes he is sharp and he speaks his mind and he's grumpy and all of that is true. But his portrayal can veer into something that is less a personality trait and more an outright evil villain caricature. It's a double edged sword in fics. There's a weird idea that he doesn't have a single good trait and he's clearly just evil and it makes my blood boil. IT'S EITHER THAT OR I'VE SEEN STUFF WHERE HE JUST HATES ECHO ALL OF THE TIME. Like... I'm not sure we're all watching the same show... but... I don't think he would constantly belittle and try to harm Echo and I've seen plenty of fics where they simply never ever get along and I just don't know where that comes from. (I'm sorry I have so much to say about this ohmygoodness)

Teal'c - THAT HE'S FUNNY. And he's a good person at his core and even though he doesn't always talk very much in fics his personality is still there. I haven't read many Stargate fics yet but anytime Teal'c is in them I am hoping he's got a pretty good role in it because he is just so entertaining.

Sometimes he just stands in the background. AND LISTEN okay I know in the show a lot of the time he doesn't speak bc he's not much of a conversationalist BUT HIS PERSONALITY STILL SHINES. He's still funny and kind and interesting and sometimes he's just forgotten. So forgotten. I love him pls don't forget him.

I had so much to say thank you for coming to my TED Talk :)

#I JUST LOVE TEAL’C AND CROSSHAIR SO MUCH #they’re so beautiful #also thanks for sending me these it was a lot of fun 🤍

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michaelsheenpt · 3 years

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Michael Sheen's beautiful love letter to Port Talbot

The actor takes us, and Jennifer Saunders, on a trip down memory lane as he shows us where he played footy and worked in Wales' first drive-thru

Actor Michael Sheen has done something tonight no-one has ever done before.

He managed to make Port Talbot look awesome, without saying that the steelworks looked like Blade Runner.

Now, I'm not being facetious - ok a little - but Port Talbot often has the face only a mother could love, and you can apply that cliché to many parts of Wales - did you see the valleys in the grip of the pit heads and chimneys? I'm from Treorchy, I'm allowed to say that.

We, and Michael, know that where we come from is pretty awesome and his return to live in Wales after two decades away is testament to that appreciation.

It's often said that we can only appreciate where we come from once we have either been away, or are shown it through someone else's eyes.

Those eyes actually belong to Jennifer Saunders. Michael is her guest on her one-off special, Jennifer Saunders' Memory Lane with Michael Sheen, which follows her and the Quiz, Staged and Prodigal Son actor bombing around Michael's favourite parts of the country in a swanky Jaguar E-type, with the latter in an even swankier waterproof cape.

The programme starts with waving tara to parents Irene and Meyrick, fantasising about having a ski lift to get back up the hill to his home and visiting the pitch where he played most of his games for Baglan Boys club - the Evans Bevan Field.

"I was obsessed with football," said Michael. "I played for Baglan Boys Club at the Evans Bevan pitch. My memory of playing football here was the stinging feel of rain on 10-year-old legs.

"I used to feel a mixture of joy at playing and utter terror. One [because] wanted to play as well as possible and also there was always a sense of latent violence constantly," he laughs.

"There was one famous game, [I was]probably around 12/13 and someone started to have a fight, in the middle of the pitch, and we had been told that if a fight starts you have to find your opposite number.

"Everyone started looking round for their opposite number and our goalkeeper, I believe his nickname was 'Unky' he ran, I remember watching him run, all the way across the pitch to hit the other goalkeeper.

"The match was abandoned."

Not perhaps a rose-tinted view, depends who you are really, but he added: "To this day if I can't sleep I imagine myself on this pitch and certain goals."

It wasn't all football and fighting, though, he also tantalisingly asks the Ab Fab creator: "Would you like to see the site of Wales' first drive-thru burger bar?"

You can't say that Michael Sheen doesn't show visitors all the good places, so off they went to a disused patch of land off the A48 where Burger Master once stood, a drive-thru restaurant that opened in 1988 and where Michael worked while waiting to audition for drama school.

Okay, so you might be thinking 'how is this a love letter to Wales?'

But it's the funny, warm, vivid memories Michael shares with the backdrop of sweeping aerial shots of the lush, green and rust brown backdrop of Port Talbot and golden sandy beaches of Aberavon, the site of the culmination of his huge theatre event , The Passion, in 2011.

And it's the trip to Hay-on-Wye that really shows just how much Wales means to Michael, a place he requested to visit one birthday and then hankered to return ever since.

As the pair leave Port Talbot to the intro of Super Furry Animal 's Juxtaposed with U and weave up towards the near-border town via the A4059 (the moor-road that takes you from Penderyn to the Beacons Reservoir) and the A470, the show, and Michael's memories just invoke the wow-factor you get every single time you travel that route.

From dodging the ponies and sheep, to the view back down to the Cantref reservoir and the stone tower that sits at the tip of the Beacons Reservoir, if Welsh expats weren't homesick before, they definitely were by then.

The 51-year-old actor said: "I remember the first time we ever went to Hay-on-Wye and I was looking out the window and I'd never seen landscape like it, it wasn't just fields and I remember just going into bit of a trance and my imagination going wild.

"The first time I saw that [stone tower] I thought I was in Lord Of The Rings and some sort of wizard lived there."

Back at Port Talbot a visit to the Plaza Cinema - which is currently in the middle of being regenerated - reminds Michael of going to see Star Wars, people dancing in the aisle to Grease and flicking Maltesers down to the people below. Jennifer asks him if seeing the places from his past changing and disappearing is the reason he returned home to Wales.

"It is a weird thing to see the old footsteps just disappear it has forced me to think about how fortunate I'd been," he answered. "Suddenly it makes you realise that things aren't there forever and unless you fight for them they can go.

"I found myself starting to do more things around [on a] community level and I thought 'I just want to be here now.'

"I'd got myself to a point in my career where I had a lot of resource, not just financial, other resources and I want to use that to at least do my bit to try and make sure that the people where I come from have the same opportunities, at the very least , like I had."

The episode ends with a trip to Aberavon seafront, where The Passion came to it's grand end back during Easter 2011.

After making a joke - "We are now approaching the roundabout I was crucified on, not many people can say that' - the master impressionist who's taken on a mastered Kenneth Williams, Tony Blair (x3), David Frost and Brian Clough, talks about the National Theatre Wales production which involved thousands of locals as well as the actor as the lead character. And he gets emotional.

"It was incredibly emotional," he said, noting that the images projected behind him on the cross were home videos, memories from Port Talbot in years gone by.

"Home videos, events from the past, my mum and dad's wedding, over the years of developing it I kept a list of people who had died and events that used to be put on in the town that weren't put on anymore, things that has been lost."

Explaining the final words of The Passion: "It has begun!" he told Jennifer how important his home is, and why he returned and you can feel the authenticity in his strength of feeling. He said: "It was the story of the rebirth of the town. The story of The Passion was always the story of this town. I remember thinking I will never do anything as meaningful as this again.

"It changed my life in all kinds of ways, the time I spent working on it I developed a new relationship with this place. I got to know it in a way I never knew it growing up here and it pulled me back."

You can see Jennifer Saunders' Memory Lane on ITV player.

SOURCE

#michael sheen #jennifer saunders #itv #memory lane #port talbot #wales #its gonna be so emotional

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carbonatedcosmo · 3 years

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all the fandom questions for DMC

OH THAT’S NEARLY ALL OF EM LMAO THIS IS GONNA BE A DOOZY

“What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?”

ok so i know a pretty good portion of the dmc fandom is SUPER on board with nero x kyrie but like??? they’re basically adopted siblings??? and i HATE the adopted sibling romance trope so in my personal dmc canon nero and kyrie do love each other but Only As Siblings

“Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?”

again, nero x kyrie! the way i see it, nero sees kyrie as his sister and kyrie sees nero as her brother because nero grew up with her in an environment that would lend to their relationship being more like that of siblings

“Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?”

uuuuhhh yes?? kind of??? they were someone who shipped nero x v, which is a ship im not overly comfortable with myself but that’s all i’ll say on that

“Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?”

uuuuuuhhhhhh???? i’ve seen a decent amount of fanart of vergil x dante like. come ON they’re BROTHERS stop making them KISS

“Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?”

uh? not that i can recall? i used to be on board with nero x kyrie myself but then i remembered that in kyrie’s character description in dmc4 it says her relationship with nero is that of a “brother, friend, and lover all in one” and that’s the fault of capcom themselves for describing the relationship that way, not necessarily the fandom’s fault

“Most disliked character(s)? Why?”

none i like all of them they’re all amazing

except arkham. absolute garbage dad in dmc3, lady deserved a better father than him

“Most disliked arc? Why?”

hm. im not really sure? i think all of the main characters have pretty decent arcs tbh

“Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?”

are there any unpopular characters in the dmc fandom??? i have no idea. i’ve seen a little bit of hate for nero (mostly in youtube comments) but idk if that counts. if it does, fuck those people nero’s baby and i adore him

“Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?”

again, i don’t think so? i don’t really get too into the discourse in the dmc fandom so i don’t have a full grasp over what’s popular and what’s not. though, i do recall seeing a bit of stuff about how people don’t like that v seems to have just been a one-off character and how they wish he could’ve been a completely separate character from vergil, but, as short as it was, i enjoyed v’s arc! i think, in the time that vergil’s human and demon halves were separated, v was able to grow a little and also sort of begin to start healing from his trauma when vergil wouldn’t let himself deal with it properly, and since v realized how important everything he threw away really was, i think vergil retained that when he became whole again and i think it’s really cool!!!

“Unpopular opinion about XXX character?’

SLAMS MY HANDS DOWN. LADY AND TRISH ARE BADASS QUEENS AND I AM LITERALLY SO MAD THAT THEY’RE ONLY IN DMC5 TO BE SEXY. THE ONLY THING THEY DID THAT IMPACTED THE PLOT EVEN A LITTLE WAS UNWILLFULLY BE SERVANTS OF URIZEN AND WHEN THEY WERE PULLED OUT OF THE DEMON BODIES URIZEN TRAPPED THEM IN THEY WERE NAKED AND A POINT WAS MADE OF SHOWING OFF THEIR BODIES AT LEAST A LITTLE AND I THINK THEIR POTENTIAL WAS WASTED

“Unpopular opinion about your fandom?”

why do so many people in this fandom seem to ship spardacest of any degree. why. can i just go through the dmc5 tag without seeing vergil smooching his son or vergil smooching his brother or v smooching nero or-

“Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?”

nothing the dmc anime is perfect in every single way

“If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?”

nothing the dmc anime is perfect in every single w-

“Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…”

ok there are very few moments in the game i would replace with something new entirely, but i would add nero calling urizen a whore at least once like just imagine nero gets yeeted into a wall by urizen and he just goes “ow...whore” like that’d be so fucking funny

“Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or biased?”

absolutely fuckin not my dude sometimes you’re just not on board with the most popular ships in the fandom and that’s totally okay! as long as ur not shipping incest or any kind of abusive dynamic i literally dont care if you don’t ship the popular ships

“What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?”

*inhales deeply* spardacest

“What is the purest ship in the fandom?”

ok i’ve seen literally NO ONE ELSE who ships these but lady x trish and nero x nico. lady and trish are lesbians that are dating each other and my proof is that episode of the anime where lady and trish don’t know each other so they’re fighting because trish is a demon and lady’s someone who hunts demons and trish was just trying to Not Die so they fight for the whole episode but then they find out that they’re each a friend of dante’s so they go and buy a bunch of expensive clothes together and send the bill to dante and that was their first date and now they’re girlfriends and idk man nero and nico just have a fun dynamic that made me go “they’re totally dating each other”

“What are your thoughts on crack ships?”

ok so like, in general, crack ships are fun as hell just for some shits and giggles but i haven’t really seen any crack ships in the dmc fandom??? though i think there’s plenty of potential there for a few of those and im interested to see if the fandom will come up with any crack ships!!

“Popular character you hate?”

none i absolutely adore all of them

“Unpopular character you love?”

are there any unpopular characters in this fandom? are there??? though i guess if i wanna go back to what i said about seeing a little bit of nero hate (again, mainly in youtube comments), i absolutely LOVE nero and to those people who say he doesn’t have a lot of character: yes he DOES you’re just not LOOKING HARD ENOUGH

“Would you recommend XXX to a friend? Why or why not?”

OH YES ABSOLUTELY, bro even though i certainly have my gripes about the dmc franchise, it’s SUCH a good series in spite of all that! the combat system is pretty neat (and only gets better in the later games), the music is absolutely bangin, there’s so many fun, iconic characters, the story is, for the most part, incredibly engaging and compelling, and honestly pretty much the whole series is just a family squabble but if everyone in the family was superpowered by having demonic heritage and OH YEAH THEY HAVE SWORDS

“How would you end XXX/Would you change the ending of XXX?”

i wouldn’t end the dmc series any differently than capcom did!! i really enjoy that dmc5 ended with dante and vergil finally settling their differences and ending their lifelong rivalry (after nero bitch slapped dante and beat the shit out of vergil), and it looks like dante and vergil’s story has come to a very satisfying end! i don’t see where else capcom can go with the twins, but if they do make more dmc games, i would absolutely love to follow more of nero’s adventures and see how he continues to grow, both as a person and a devil hunter!!! you hear me, capcom??? give me more content with my hyper wild boy or i’ll personally come kick your asses

“Most shippable character?”

hm. im gonna say dante, i think!! let the man have a boyfriend

yeah i said it dante’s gay whatcha gonna do about it

“Least shippable character?”

vergil. definitely vergil, but that’s only because i personally see him as aromantic! i think he certainly wants to be loved, yes, but less in a romantic sense and more in a familial sense, ya feel? i would love to see him interact with nero more and see how he navigates that relationship, because i think it would be really interesting to see how he takes to having a son of his own!! but that’s a discussion for another post entirely; i view vergil as aromantic so he’s not really looking for a romantic relationship with someone but that won’t stop (and hasn’t stopped) him from sleeping with people lmao

was that all of them? i think that may have been all the fandom related ones but please let me know if i missed any!! hoo boy it feels good to go off about this LMAO

#senatorkyloren #ask #dmc #dmc5

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spaceymcspaceship · 4 years

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22?? maybe??

time heist

circa nowhen

me being like u can have a little 12, as a treat, as a break from 10

i really love this episode idk why

is it all the familiar faces? is it my childhood love of ocean’s eleven? is it clara’s fucking suit? is it the doctor calling himself out in yet another scene so brilliantly delivered by capaldi? is it the line “not the last of its species, the last two” and its subtle parallel to two time lord disasters?

whatever it is i do genuinely love this episode

the runaway bride

circa 2007

i just really really really love donna

like yes she’s so mad and spends the first twenty minutes yelling at the doctor

oh god i missed that he called her unimportant too that kills ME

but then by the time we get to her finding out that her fiance was just using her? like the doctor’s realization of that moments before her? my heart is aching

her protectiveness immediately after of the doc?

and then he takes her to the creation of the earth???

and she stops him??? from taking vengeful time lord thing too far???

and then the end scene is so tender and Soft and i’m crying because i want them to be best emotionally supportive buds travelling the universe together forever

blink

circa 2007

i was trying so hard to figure out why this was 2007 and not 2008 like the rest of season 3 and finally i think it was bc at the end we have a year later and then she meets 10 and martha, but it hasn’t happened yet for them, but i still don’t know exactly how we got that time

anyway time is one big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff

both doc and companion lite episodes are interesting to me and i’ll have to keep an eye out moving out of rtd era bc i can’t really recall many?

anyway this whole ep is gold and baby mulligan sells it here

thanks for making us afraid of statues doctor who

turn left

circa alternate 2007 (and 2008 and 2009)

i put this one here bc the turning point is in 2007 and i was trying to mix up 10 as much as i could...but it does lean heavily on the events of seasons 3 and 4 so idkkkk

anyway i love donna noble just gotta repeat that

rose!!!! i forgot that every time rose comes back on the show she just glows up more and more

also it really strikes me how much she is playing the doctor’s role here (she even points it out herself) which makes me have a lot of 13 feels thx

‘i shan’t it’s christmas’

ICONIC

‘the most important woman in the whole of creation’

it’s so wild bc that line stuck with me when i first watched it in high school and it still makes me emotional

but you know what resonates now?

the ‘i’m tired. i’m so tired.’

she doesn’t want any of that responsibility and weight and doesn’t think she’s important and doesn’t want to keep fighting

and that’s me crying

i forgot how hard this episode goes with the alt timeline stuff like it is not even remotely in the vicinity of fucking around

and honestly the risky choices they make could potentially not land at all and could feel like they’re there for shock value but everyone onscreen (and behind it too i imagine) is pouring as much truth as they can into it and is committed to the actual horror that is this alternate timeline and it absolutely lands

god what an episode

nightmare in silver

circa nowhen

so that may have been a lie i think this one actually goes vaguely in the future

anyway here it helped breakup 10 eps so that’s good

i was like why an abandoned amusement park that’s cool but odd

and then i realized neil gaiman that’s why

anyway cybermen are more interesting when there’s more than just a painfully slow build to a reveal of a cybermen army ready to take over oh noes

and so HOLY SHIT SMITH

11 vs the cyber-planner is actually unbelievable???

his acting my god

it’s interesting bc there are a lot of similarities to the end of season 12 plot wise

but tonally this episode is so wildly different and serves a completely different purpose in the narrative and season that i have no motivation to draw parallels bc they’re both just doing interesting but separate things

smith and jones

circa 2008

who’s ready for some martha jones????

martha just deserves better. like. all the time.

i mean this is martha ‘you’re a doctor? yeah well i’ll call you that when you earn it’ jones

judoon platoon upon the moon

that’s all

haha dr. stoker i see what u did there

there are so many moments where you just have to be like what the fuck am i watching and the vampire lady drinking out of the doc’s neck with a straw is definitely up there

i level up every time martha calls herself a doctor or says that she’s going to be one

the lazarus experiment

circa 2008

we r rolling folks

how many doctor who episodes has gatiss been in my god????

black tie episode niiiiiiice

we’ve been name dropping harold saxon in literally every single episode present day this season and last my goodness

i can’t imagine what that’s about lol

maybe we’ll find out tomorrow

#chronological chaos #lots of progress today #lots of gushing about donna #thoughts #time heist #trb #blink #turn left #nis #saj #tle

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sol1056 · 5 years

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EPs: "we chose Netflix to explore things like sexuality" (nothing was explored or was explicit for even 2 seconds) "when they told us u cant kill Shiro, we knew we could push the reveal 4 later" (so nice of them to admit they stopped our rep just to be able to kill him) "when we found out about byg we knew we coulnt kill Shiro & we thought we'll find rep w another character. Then we learned we could go on w/ Shiro as the rep" (theres ANOTHER REP WE DIDNT GET?? Was it vague then erased? Whatt??)

I think these are two separate issues. One is related to who made VLD, and the other is related to the EPs’ ignorance of characterization. The second overlaps with a bunch of asks I’ve recently gotten about race and representation, so here I’m just keeping it to a general discussion of characterization, with Lance as example. And then about Shiro in particular, how the EPs’ statements reveal their lack of thought.

Behind the cut.

remember where these people came from

The team behind VLD is almost entirely formerly Nickelodeon. DreamWorks wanted to break into television on a much larger scale, and since they almost always promote from outside the company, they lured over Margie Cohn from her position as a Nick VP. As VP/exec levels tend to do, Cohn brought a bunch of people with her.

One of those was Mark Taylor, who’d been involved in both AtLA and LoK. Taylor, in turn, brought JDS, LM, and I think one or two of the other producers. Taylor also probably brought over Hamilton, Chan, and Hedrick, as known entities with proven track records.

These are people who — for for the last ten or more years — have swum in Nickelodeon’s considerably more conservative fishbowl. It’s entirely possible (given what people tell me about storylines in HTTYD, and DW’s open support of She-Ra) the former Nickelodeon team automatically downgraded DW’s “go ahead and explore these heavier/darker topics” to mean “maybe kinda mention in passing but don’t be too obvious about it.”

Now, to be fair, the EPs may have pushed for more LGBT+ rep, and their obstacle might not have been DW, but Taylor. It’d explain how the EPs could praise everyone (read: DreamWorks staff) as supportive, yet allso complain about pushback (read: Taylor’s Nickelodeon-influenced sensibilities). Two different parties were calling the shots.

It’s also possible what the EPs saw as ‘rep’ was still considerably toned-down from what DW execs (and the VAs) may’ve expected. After all, that one-minute scene in VLD might’ve required an act of god at Nickelodeon. VLD’s staff may have genuinely considered this scene landmark because even that tiny bit was far more than their previous employer would’ve allowed.

Cue the victory lap and excited chatter, and seeming blindness to Korra being long since surpassed by Steven Universe, Young Justice, Bob’s Burgers, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, RWBY, Rick and Morty, Clarence, BoJack Horseman, Danger & Eggs, Big Mouth, and Summer Camp Island. Remember, it wasn’t until 2016 that Nickelodeon would have a married gay couple (in The Loud House), and they’re not even central characters. The VLD staff may’ve thought itself bold, and unprepared for the reality of modern (non-Nickelodeon) audience expectations.

No, I don’t think that absolves them. It just seems the most reasonable explanation. That is, short of seeing the EPs as so utterly cynical they’d pump up the audience for what amounted to a nothingburger in light of what else popular media now delivers.

and then there’s representation

VLD’s troubles can all be traced to one crucial detail: the EPs don’t understand that characters are the bedrock of stories. And as such, there are no shortcuts.

Ever had the misfortune to catch a home decorating show? Here we have a windowless basement: mock up a mantle from polystyrene, paint the walls gray, put up sconces with flickering lightbulbs… it’s still a basement. It’s just now desperately pretending to be something it isn’t. The bones of the structure are undeniably American Suburbia, not generic castle keep, and those bones are integral to how we experience the space.

The average person isn’t trained to be aware of those bones — the underlying architecture — and its subtle impact on our experience, just as most non-storytellers aren’t trained to see how and where and why characters create plot. I guarantee you, though, you will never mistake a late-century Kmart for the Centre Pompidou or the Forbidden City or Mount Vernon. Just as you would never mistake a beginner’s first novel for Lord of the Rings or Left Hand of Darkness.

That is, the dressed stone isn’t paint and plaster; it’s a core element informing (even dictating) height, width, and depth of a space. Characterization is the same: it must be structural. In turn, characters inform the breadth and depth of the story. If your characterization is shallow, wild swerves and dramatic reveals can make the story fun, but they will never make it deep.

I empathize with the (hopefully genuine) intent to avoid making Shiro’s sexuality a ‘reveal.’ The unfortunate truth is: waiting 60+ episodes to even mention in passing makes it a reveal. It wasn’t structural, or viewers would’ve been sensing it from the very beginning.

This isn’t a haircut or a pair of jeans. It’s a person’s identity, and that has crucial impact on hopes, fears, desires, and needs. It doesn’t start only once the audience is let in on the secret; it was always there. It should’ve informed the character’s actions and reactions all along.

If Lance is Cuban, and the story takes place in a quasi-future America, then to understand Lance’s perspective, we need to ask questions like: is Cuba still under embargo? Is it a free democracy now, or did Lance’s family flee at some point? Is he part of an exchange program, or is there a lottery that let him come to the US for his education? Did he leave his family behind? How young was he, when he left? What was his childhood like, and how does that differ from what he found in America? What was his parents’ relationship like, and how does that influence his expectations for friends and lovers?

Was he fluent in English when he arrived, or did he only become fluent later? Does his Spanish have a noticeable accent, and if so, has he felt isolated from other Latinx at school? Or is he the only Latino at the Garrison? Is he proud of his heritage, or ashamed of it? Did he get bullied for being foreign, and how did that change what he says/does? Even if America is joyfully multi-cultural, he’d still be an immigrant or foreigner, and that’s a different experience from a non-white community that’s multi-generation American. What was his impression of his new life? What compared favorably (or not) to his childhood?

It’s not just, “He’s a boy from Cuba.” You have to think about what it means to be ‘from Cuba’ and how this is different from, say, growing up next door to the Garrison (like Pidge probably did). If you put that much thought into it, if you talk to people who’ve lived that experience, if you push yourself to imagine as deeply as you can how Lance’s life would have shaped him?

By the time you’re done, Lance would never need to say a word.

His reactions, his assumptions, maybe a few mannerisms, his humor, a few throwaway comments about his family or things he did as a kid — and there would be Cubans in the audience going, “hey, wait a minute, he’s just like my cousin.” Or brother or uncle or friend. By the time someone asks at a panel? Half the audience would be saying, yeah, we were right, Lance is totally Cuban.

Or you don’t think about it, and you use stereotypes in hopes that’ll do the work for you. As @sjwwerewolf commented:

Man, I’m ready to rant about Voltron. I’m Cuban. Lance, oh boy, Lance. From season 1 on, he has been written as a huge stereotype. The flirtatious, passionate comic relief character who’s dumb. Like. He’s literally Antman’s sidekick. That character. All you need to make him a full caricature is like, “I have a gangster brother.“

The stereotype is a shortcut. It’s slapping on behaviors without thought for a real person’s experiences or perspectives. VLD is, sadly, full of them: the Latino (wannabe) lover, the big guy who likes food (with only the slightest twist to have him actually good at cooking), the boyish-girl who’s a brain and likes computers more than people, etc.

just pull shiro out of a hat

At some point early on, the EPs said (once again in an interview, not in the story) that VLD is a world without homophobia. The story itself contradicts that ideal, or at least, it emphasizes a certain level of heternormativity over an open embrace of diverse relationships. What’s in our face for six seasons is Lance’s lover-boy stereotype, Allura’s attraction to Lotor, Lotor’s attraction to Allura, Matt’s attraction to Allura, and so on… and the closest we get to anything resembling an alternate attraction is one blush from a servant in a flashback, and Kuron’s startled reaction to Keith’s return.

All VLD had to do was have Hunk mention his moms. Or Coran mention his late husband. Or Lance mention his sister’s wife. Something explicit to offset the heterosexual attractions going on. Frankly, for six seasons it was an open question whether homosexuality even existed in VLD: the absence of a negative is not proof of the presence of a positive.

That absence means we really have no idea how being queer in VLD’s world would affect a character — and it would, have no doubt. Our sexuality affects every single one of us; it’s just that straight people have the benefit of seeing the roadmap of their sexuality played out in a million books, movies, and television shows. If you haven’t given thought to whether this is also true in your world, then you don’t really know how a character could discover, define, and map their sexuality, or how they’d quantify or qualify relationships that overlap their sexual preferences. You don’t understand the structure.

That lack of thought means, nine times out of ten, the creator has said to themselves, “it’s easier to just say this character’s experience of their sexuality is exactly like the one I, as a straight person, vaguely recall having (that I never actually had to question because it was already mapped out for me, everywhere I looked).” That’s not a queer character. That’s a character with a label slapped on their forehead that says here be a queer character. It’s paint, because the structure underneath is straight person.

Which means that of course the EPs could consider making someone else “the rep,” because they really seem to believe this is as easy as removing the label from Shiro’s forehead and sticking it on someone else. And it’s not. People don’t work like that. Sexuality is no more a simple paint-job than race, gender, culture, or dis/ability. Each of these things is etched on our bones, literally or metaphorically, and that changes us all the way through.

The short version, then, is: no, we wouldn’t have gotten any other rep, just as we haven’t truly gotten any rep as VLD was delivered. Shiro has a label on his forehead, but unless and until the canonical story demonstrates this goes all the way down to his bones… he’s just a straight suburban basement with a mediocre paint job and some fake queer columns.

#vld #voltron #characterization #representation #sol thinks about stuff

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missunknown624 · 7 years

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Someone to Stay

Liam Dunbar X Reader

Author’s note

TEEN WOLF FOR EVERYONEEE! :3 So this is, Season 4 Episode 11, a little scene where Liam attempted to make Mason stay at his place, who apparently has things to do. In the process, he got a little down and a bit lonely— (poor pup) well, let’s say help is on his way. Spreading warm fluffs to all! +w+

~***~

The strong pouring weather resounded outside the Dunbar resident’s. Instead of hearing the audible thunderstorms and restless splashes of rain, the smashing 2D sound effects echoed around the beta’s room. Their friendly gaming competition was nearly finished, clearly because Mason’s life bar was almost the size of a pea. Usually though, he normally would’ve won every game Liam insisted to play, but this time was a bit different. His strategies were completely useless from his best friend’s unbelievably quick response to his strong attacks. Then after one little blow, Liam ended the game, declaring him as the winner.

“Oooh!” The both of them expressed, having a two-sided rhythm. Mason briefly threw his arms in the air, slightly chuckling and looking a bit surprised from his friend’s unexpected victory.

“Dude! When did you get so good?” Smiling proudly, Liam almost shrugged at the compliment.

“Hey, have you been practicing? Or did you just suddenly get superhuman reflexes?” The other teenager exaggerated in a joking manner.

“U-Um…” Liam widened his eyes involuntarily, averting his gaze from him as he immediately answered back.

Of course he knew that his best friend was being sarcastic, but really, he couldn’t help to be a little taken aback towards the mere coincidence. “I… uhm— P-Practicing! Yeah, I-I’ve been practicing.” The anxious male blurted enthusiastically while Mason nodded as response.

‘Thank god he’d bought it.’ Liam barely sighed in relief, feeling uneasy about the sensitive topic.

The black male glued back his eyes to the screen and grinned in astonishment at the little battle they had. Then, he suddenly remembered something important, as he announced rhetorically, “Right, and I should be studying.” Putting down the game controller, he slowly elevated from his seat.

“W-Wait! Where are you going?” Liam dramatically reacted, making the other throw a skeptical look upon his overwhelmed glance.

Just within the brunette’s tone and his peculiar demeanor lately, he vividly expressed his vulnerable state how afraid he was of isolation. But more than that, he was certainly terrified. He obviously didn’t want to spend another night by himself after those ominous delusions that constantly haunting him up for the past few days.

Mason narrowed his eyes in bewilderment, replying from his odd questioning tone. “Um, home? Besides, I got this History test tomorrow.” On the other hand though, Liam kept insisting him to stay a little longer, his voice cracking a bit. “Come on. One more game.”

“Sure, you said that four games ago.” And with that, Mason entirely stood as he strolled his way at the end of the room.

Panicking, the beta exclaimed and stumbled from his words, hinting the desperation between. “S-Study here! You can stay over!” His friend halted, turning over by his concerning pleas.

For a moment there, his voice resonated like he was entreating his life on the line. But the truth is, Liam just wanted company. He just wanted someone to talk to, like… someone to have this problems melt away for just a tiny moment, even if he was given little chance to get their time. He extremely needed someone like that, especially with the things happened when his supernatural status almost made him leave his normal teenage life behind. Well, almost…

“Come on, one more game. Just one.” The troubled teen tried calling out, but it was left unanswered.

“You okay?” Mason prompted, his eyes flowed in both worry and confusion.

With a struck of realization, Liam was quite surprised at himself as he caught how eager he acted. Completely ignoring eye contact, the helpless boy forcefully pierced his eyes shut in dismay and disappointment, meekly distracting himself from the game console in his palms. “Y-Yeah. You’re right. You should go.” He stuttered.

Replying ahead, he gave a weak uptight tone. “I should p-probably study too.”

He shook his head a little from his foolish act, as he bid a farewell to his friend. “See you at school.”

At some time later, Mason went home as the beta ended up cleaning his room from the mess they made one moment ago. Liam leaped into bed, merely making himself comfortable. While he whipped around momentarily, he soon landed his eyes at the lamp switch. He started to feel hesitant if he’d grow comfortable with the room scorching in pitch black.

Flashing images of that monstrous creature paused in the back of his mind. Hearing the wild echoes of the berserker’s deep growl made the male pull up and sit from the rickety mattress. His azure eyes scanned the almost dimmed room, alarmed of the fact that something might be secretly watching over him. Apparently, everything was at place and nothing was out of the ordinary. All he knew is he saw his regular old bedroom. But, he had this strong feeling that it wasn’t just it.

He brought himself back to bed, still cautious of his unpredictable environment around him. Swiftly turning the lights off, he was shutting his eyes one second then doubtfully shifting them open after.

At that moment, silence was the most distinct sound that his senses could hear, but the colorless scene became clear when the once faint drops of rain became louder as it balanced through the ears.

Slowly, he heard the wooden floor inagruably creak. The boy’s breathing almost hitched, exhaling and inhaling very heavily. Trying to convince himself that he’d mistaken the sound, the fast pace of his frightened heart didn’t faltered a beat. He couldn’t tell if it was true or just a pigment of his imagination. Maybe this terrifying beast was real that he was just waiting to be slaughtered alive?

Pausing, he heard a profound snarl. Violent heavy footsteps soon approached him. Its massive silhouette followed each crushing steps, but Liam never bothered to move a single inch. He anxiously panted as he felt this large figure hovering around him.

“Y-You’re not there.” Trembling, he said in fear repeatedly. He chose to close his eyes, hoping for this nightmare to end.

Before a few ginger knocks came at his door, he suddenly heard a low soft heartbeat enveloping his supernatural senses. With that, he instantly sat up and went flicking the lights up hastily. His eyes fixated towards the room right before him. Once again, he found it normal as it was before, yet the eerie atmosphere that extremely disturbed him somehow evaporated into thin air. It was like his nightmare faded away upon feeling a heartbeat.

The boy heard the person on the other side sigh lightly, creating a tiny cough to clear their throat out. Imagining some murderous voice at his door, he heard it far more feminine and gentle than he could’ve imagined. “Um, hello? Liam? Are you there?”

He then recognized her melody. The boy vaguely arranged himself altogether and he blinked relentlessly, realizing he was already sane. He rested his right palm on his forehead as he sighed in relief.

Soothingly, her reassuring voice cooed kindly. “Liam… I’m coming inside now, is that okay?”

Letting himself answer a quick hum, the hinges of his door squeaked slightly, some soft shuffling steps followed after. A female entered his room with a small tender smile on her lips that sent strange unraveling feelings inside the beta’s stomach. How odd.

“Hi, Dunbar.” She waved a bit and shyly walked up to his bed. “Are you alright?”

“Uh… yeah. W-What are you doing here, (Y/n)?” He wrinkled his brows, a dazed expression plastered his face. Chuckling lightly, she told him honestly. “Well actually, a certain person told me that you need someone to talk to and unfortunately, he’s busy at the moment… so, I wanted to help you with it.”

In a heartbeat, Liam got flustered at the scene and carefully broke eye contact with her. “It was Mason, wasn’t it?” Nonetheless, the girl nodded in response.

(Y/n) sat on the male’s bed, although the teenager beside her flinched at the abrupt closeness. As respect, she made a little space for him to be comfortable towards the situation. She graciously smiled, hoping to encourage him quite a bit. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Like any other being, they would be taking second thoughts about heart to heart talks, but Liam wanted to say every single word of what he’s been bottling up inside, though nothing came out. He wanted to have this long conversation with her, believe me he really does; but, something was still having him hold back. His innocent blue irises articulately stared back at her curious (e/c) ones. They didn’t needed a voice to explain every detail, their eyes already spoke.

“Ah, it’s okay… I’m not trying to force you out of it.” Withdrawing those delicately caring words out, the beta slightly smiled at her assuring rhythm. She reciprocated the gesture, but with a bitter appearance. “It must’ve been hard for you, wasn’t it?”

The boy furrowed his eyebrows and laughed nervously. “What do you mean?”

She sighed as a smile curved her lips. “You see… you reminded me of someone I know. It might not look like it but I can feel the strong resemblance inside of you. Even if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re really the same as him.”

Liam glanced at her in wonder, noticing her eyes lit up when she warmly looked back towards his blue orbs. “So… who was he?”

“He was someone who always protected his friends and stood beside them against all odds. He’s someone who cared for his pack very much, which now included you too.” She pointed, as the boy’s once large pupils shrank at the unpredicted revelation. He froze momentarily.

Slipping her hands into his, she squeezed his hand comfortingly. He found it very endearing of her, and couldn’t help but be struck in astonishment. His eyes narrowed down with a tender glimpse on to her. The female locked their gazes together and said. “I already knew, Liam… Whatever or whoever you’ll be, I’m not afraid of yo—” Halfway to complete her sentence, (Y/n) felt the mattress shuffle across her and a sudden warmth radiated her body. Liam wrapped his strong arms around her waist, terminating the short distance between them once and for all. He leaned his chin over her shoulder as he was hugging her from behind. Both of their hearts hammered inside their chests, feeling the same awkward predicament. Soon after, the two of them relaxed, though stayed put like that, never breaking the silence nor the connected contact.

He held her tight like he was going to lose her at any moment, yet at the same time kept her safe like a frail feather. He felt himself melt entirely, as if this dangerous cruel world stopped and all of his worries were erased entirely. Hesitantly, he softly mumbled under his breath, subtly tickling her earlobe. “(Y/n)? C-Can you— uh… s-stay over for t-the night?”

Unexpectedly, he then heard a small giggle from her. “Oh, Liam…” Turning around to meet him, she smiled warmly. “Of course I will, silly.”

(Y/n) bundled her arms around his neck as he buried his burning face on to her (h/c) flowing locks near her collarbone. Liam focused his hearing into her steady heart, gladly closing his exhausted eyes. In that perfect moment, he felt very delighted and secured in her kind fragile touch, he even found himself clinging into her like a poor scared puppy.

As she stroked his hair affectionately, she reached over and planted a brief loving kiss on his temple. “Remember that we’re here for you, okay? I’m here.”

~End

#teen wolf #mtv teen wolf #teen wolf mtv #liam dunbar #teen wolf liam #liam #liam dunbar x reader #someone to stay #dylan sprayberry #teen wolf x reader #teen wolf dylan sprayberry #puppy love #stiles would've raged

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airadam · 5 years

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Episode 122 : Drop It Heavy

"Scripture tell me no one excluded when rain drippin'..."

- Tobe Nwigwe

This month has been a rough one, but here we are once again with a brand new selection for your headphones and speakers! We remember the great KMG, and then sprinkle the selection with some strong UK tracks, overlook gems, rapid genre jumping, and one absolutely amazing remix. While individually there aren't many obscurities in the mix, I'll be impressed if anyone already knows every track on here...

Twitter : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Above The Law : V.S.O.P (Remix)

Been waiting a long time to play this one - it was quite a few years of looking to find a decent 12" copy (thanks Discogs!), and then it was one I was determined to save for an anniversary of KMG's passing. The original from the excellent "Black Mafia Life" is proto-G-Funk, but this version puts a just a touch of extra chaos (and bass) into the mix, courtesy of Cold 187um on both occasions. An ode to late-night partying and cognac, but still bringing the battle edge to the second verse, this has KMG handling the hook solo but going back and forth with Cold 187um on the mic. A much underrated tag team from the west!

Jigmastas : Too Ill (Instrumental)

I love the fact that the "Resurgence" album came with a complete set of instrumentals, just so you can get that DJ Spinna flavour undiluted - here's just a taste!

Tobe Nwigwe ft. FAT : PEEP GAME

Another #GetTwistedSundays killer! I'm bringing this Texan back for a second appearance in the last four months, with a track I think a lot of you will really enjoy. The producer Nell brings a fresh style, with some great change-ups in the beat - and the other half of the bargain is held up with skills galore. Tobe absolutely crams meaning (and syllables) into his devastating monotone flow, and his wife FAT provides a great spoken-word-like breakdown in an efficient eight-bar appearance. This is a trio of brilliant artists (along with their video crew) doing amazing things.

BADBADNOTGOOD ft. Kaytranada & Snoop Dogg: Lavender (Nightfall Remix)

Canada's BBNG first released the original version of this track on their "IV" album, but Snoop Dogg heard it and somehow knew it could benefit from his own unique enhancement! This version ended up as an inclusion on his 2017 "Neva Left" album; his added verse addressing police brutality, in addition to the controversial video, thrust it into the consciousness of a much larger audience.

DRS : All Time High

I was reminded of this track from the new "From The Deep" LP when DRS performed it live at a Manchester International Festival event recently. He's one of the most important artists the Manchester scene has ever had, with his influence spreading far and wide - whether fully acknowledged or not. While he's now mostly known for his drum & bass work, he was of course one-third of Broke 'n' English (alongside Strategy and Konny Kon) and this album has him displaying his Hip-Hop skills over the production of Pitch 92.

Lowkey : Hand On Your Gun

If you like politics in your Hip-Hop, then Lowkey is someone you should definitely be checking for - a British MC of Iraqi descent, he brings his worldview to the mic with strength every time. His second album, "Soundtrack To The Struggle" gives us this stinging condemnation of some of the big players in the global arms trade, with ShowNProve providing the Wild West-themed track.

Kaytranada ft. Karriem Riggins and River Tiber : Bus Ride

A nice instrumental from the "99.9%" album. The guest star Karriem Riggins gets busy on the drums in a subtle way through most of the track before showing out right at the end with a little double-time flair!

Children of Zeus : Respect Mine

"Travel Light" is now a year old and it's still getting just as much play as it did on release! Juga-Naut on production, Mr.Thing on the sharp cuts, and Tyler and Konny Kon putting it down on the mic make up a major league quartet.

Robert Glasper Experiment ft. Norah Jones : Let It Ride

As strong as this track is, it's not even one of my top three from "Black Radio 2", which speaks to just how good that album is! Mark Colenburg earns his money on the double-time drumming that you'd think had to be a programmed drum machine, setting a furious pace that the rest of the groove languidly follows. The bass and piano are low-key and do their thing without upstaging Norah Jones on the vocal of this classy cut.

Janelle Monáe : Cold War

This is an absolutely furious cut. The video is definitely worth a watch - similar to the one for Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U", it stays focused on her face for the entire running length and is packed with emotion, as are the lyrics. Clearly one of the standouts on "The ArchAndroid", with the themes of isolation and struggle articulated by one of the best artists of this era.

OutKast : B.O.B

I've been wanting to do the blend from "Cold War" to this for ages! One of my favourite tracks from this duo, this pretty much made my brain explode when I first heard it back in 2000. I was surprised to find out recently that this wasn't a big hit even on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, but they were actively trying to go against the grain and a lot of the audience probably just wasn't ready. To me, this is Andre and Big Boi at the peak of their lyrical games, keeping up with a track that really would fit the name "organised noize" - but was actually produced by the group themselves alongside Mr.DJ. That's a real gospel choir you're hearing on the hook and the outro, a really serious guitarist letting loose all over the track, and a real MPC being beaten into submission for those drums. Stone classic from the "Stankonia" LP. Oh, and "got a son on the way by the name of Bamboo"? Well, time flies...

[The Alchemist] Cam'ron : Wet Wipes (Instrumental)

This fit the bill here as something electronic-sounding that was also half the speed of the frenetic OutKast track, allowing us to come back down to earth a bit. The Alchemist cooked up a thudding, menacing beat for what was a typically disrespectful Cam'ron track from 2006's "Killa Season". This was actually Alchemist's first MPC beat (he was a devotee of the ASR-10 up to this point) and has the chopping and aggression that is very reminiscent of a track he did years later, Raekwon's "Surgical Gloves".

The Lady of Rage : Raw Deal

I finally sat down to listen to the "Necessary Roughness" album from front to back for the first time recently, and I can confirm that it was indeed slept-on. This was probably a consequence of it being pushed further and further back by Death Row, until it finally got a very quiet release in 1997. If you'd forgotten about the skills that made her a people's favourite, here's a reminder over a Daz Dillinger and Tyrone Wrice beat, laid-back enough to give her the space to get busy.

Glenn Lewis : Don't You Forget It (Curtis Lynch Remix)

FIRE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥! The original Glenn Lewis cut from "World Outside My Window") has always been a favourite of mine, and it's one you don't want to mess up with a clumsy remix - for example, the Desert Storm attempt with the most "missing the point" guest rap verse in music history. I can't remember how I found this one, but it stunned me - the re-interpretation is perfect. Lewis is from Trinidadian and Jamaican roots, and the move to connect with someone like London's Curtis Lynch for this remix was a natural but also an inspired move. It sounds like this one has been re-voiced rather than just swapping instrumentals, and it's a rootsy dancehall masterpiece with the drums, bass, and every single accent on point. Turn this one all the way up!

London Grammar : Non Believer

I'm not even sure what genre you'd count this as - Wikipedia claims "indie pop", but even that doesn't quite hit the mark. For me there are definite vibes of what they used to call "trip-hop" - I can imagine previous eras of Portishead or Massive Attack doing a tune like this. This track from "Truth Is A Beautiful Thing" is itself a melancholic beautiful thing, with Hannah Reid's crystal-clear vocals soaring over the moody beat.

Sean Price & Illa Ghee : 2Pac by the Locker

If you know "Juice", you know what this title is all about! I'd describe the track as "short and sweet", if there was anything remotely street about it. Sean P and Illa Ghee come through like a pair of brass knuckles as they do on every other cut on the "Metal Detectors" EP - just beasting.

Jake One : Gangsta Boy (Instrumental)

Coming through slamming like a new take on Dre's "Lyrical Gangbang", this is a monster of a beat from Jake One's "White Van Music Instrumentals". It had to be, since the MCs on the vocal version are the rugged neva smoove M.O.P.

Raekwon : Canal Street

Raekwon is one of the greatest picture painters in Hip-Hop history and this is an absolute art masterclass. From the first lines "All of our fathers is bank robbers, holding TECs/Eights of hero'n, shooting in the steps" he grabs your mind's eye and never lets it go until the track ends. Flawless street imagery all the way from "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt.II" to such an extent that the video actually takes away from it! Icewater Productions bring a fairly well-used sample in that brings the crime-flick menace the lyrical content demands. One nice touch on the production side - the sudden turn up of the volume in a matter of a beat or two in the transition from the intro to the first verse - definitely makes it hit you in the chest.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

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vinaysarupuru-blog · 7 years

Link

Each year, there are a ton of game releases, but only a few appeal to the masses. Popularity is an aspect that can be misleading, for a game can be highly flawed, yet been discussed so much (in memes) that it gets famous. But you’re not looking to play a buggy game, now, are you? If you’re a gamer, you’d surely be aware of the huge costs of games for either of the platforms, and you’d obviously want to spend your money wisely. While there may be people that tend to take the road not taken, in the end, you do want to play games that everyone else is playing. Why? Well quite simply because you do want a greater community support, and how else can you share with your friends your achievements if they don’t even know about the game. And lastly, how can we even forget the joys of having a great multiplayer experience. Multiplayer gaming is the sole reason why Battlefield is running great. So, if you have been wondering about the most hyped yet amazing games this year, we bring you 15 most popular games of 2017 you should be playing:

1. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Ubisoft Tom Clancy series is one of the most widely acclaimed tactical shooter games. Wildlands comes as the tenth installment in the Ghost Recon series, but it’s the first one to feature an open world environment. The game moves away from the futuristic setting introduced in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and instead feature a setting similar to the original Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon. If you were one of those 6.8 million people that played the beta, you were restricted to only one province; whereas the final game includes more than 20 provinces, some smaller, some larger, all packed with things to do.

Each province has a boss, and to learn that boss’ identity and draw him/her/them out from hiding you need to complete four to six missions. While the number of characters in the game may be limited, the open world structure of the game allows you to fire up your imagination, go outside, and make your own ridiculous fun. Wildlands’ standard enemies may not be special, but it does a fine job of turning cartel bosses into more than just targets. If you want a game that’ll keep you busy for a while, Wildlands absolutely has your back.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($49.99), XBOX One ($49.05), Windows ($59.99)

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Second, on our list, we have Nintendo’s most ambitious and impressive game to date, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a monumental achievement in game design. It’s big, bold, beautiful, and nearly flawless in its design. Plus, it’s fun, and better than any game that has come out in the past decade of gaming. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild manages to revolutionize the Zelda saga and puts it on another level with the latest addition.

Gorgeous graphics, miles of open world to explore, a charming soundtrack, beautiful cut-scenes, and a thousand little brilliant touches that make the game feel new every time you pick it up. The world of Hyrule is teaming with life and mystery, all of which are constantly tugging at your curiosity as you roam this magical place. While most games of the current generation are fixed on trying to force a story despite creating an open world environment, Breath of the Wild unleashes you on a huge world and dares you to explore. As a matter of fact, the game has sold even more than the entire sale of the Nintendo Switch console. For me, Breath of the Wild has everything I want from a game and it has given me one of the most rewarding experiences ever.

Buy: Wii U ($58.89), Nintendo Switch ($54.99)

3. Horizon: Zero Dawn

Probably one of the most gorgeous games to ever grace the PlayStation 4, Guerilla Games’ Horizon: Zero Dawn is a refutation of the developer’s nearly 20-year history with the Killzone series. From what was presumed to be the only work that could come from the developer’s end, came this brilliant game that set new records for the entire team. As a matter of fact, Horizon: Zero Dawn is the second-best-selling PlayStation 4 video game with 3.4 million copies sold worldwide.

Horizon: Zero Dawn can be thought of a Far Cry game set in a post-apocalyptic environment, where the massive skyscrapers and technology of our modern civilization have been abandoned. What humans remain form tribes, hunting with bows and spears and living a life shaped around an earth-based, shamanistic religion. In the game, you take control of Aloy, a talented young huntress cast out from her tribe and desperately seeking answers about where she came from. While the open world environment allows you to drive the story your way, it is the combat that deserves the highest praises. The world’s intricately crafted environments teem with electric beasts and warfaring cultists, and the pronounced excitement of controlling Aloy in the midst of rampaging enemies is a near-constant thrill.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($39.78)

4. Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect – the series that easily is one of the best offerings from Electronic Arts, has defined the level of intergalactic wars in a video game for a long time. Andromeda is the fourth major entry in the Mass Effect series and the first since 2012’s Mass Effect 3.

The game begins within the Milky Way Galaxy during the 22nd century, where humanity is planning to populate new home worlds in the Andromeda Galaxy as part of a strategy called the Andromeda Initiative. The player assumes the role of either Scott or Sara Ryder, an inexperienced military recruit who joins the Initiative and wakes up in Andromeda following a 634-year journey.

Even though the game does improve on its combat and visuals, the game’s story writing does tag some mixed reviews. While the developers have tried to set this game apart from the series with clever gameplay, Andromeda just can’t stop itself from retreading some major plot ideas from the original trilogy, including another long-dead civilization that’s left advanced technology lying around. Even though it’s a game that never lived up to the standards of the previous Mass Effect trilogy, Andromeda is still, nonetheless, a game worthy of its praises.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($38.34), XBOX One ($30.00), Windows ($35.72)

5. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Capcom took a rather well-decided turn on its long running and highly acclaimed Resident Evil series, by taking the game to the first-person mode. Inspired by the likes of Outlast, Resident Evil 7 is a first-person survival horror video game, which follows the same trend as its predecessors.

You play as Ethan Winters, a milquetoast protagonist whose search for his missing wife leads him to the bayou of Louisiana. Once there, Ethan finds himself kidnapped and tortured by a family of murderous cannibals known as the Bakers. With one of the creepiest single settings since the Spencer Mansion and an enticingly bizarre mystery to unravel, this is the most fun you’ll have with a Resident Evil game in years.

While the game quickly became one of the scariest games ever to be played, the developers decided to take things to the next level and even brought out a VR version for the PlayStation VR. Biohazard, in my opinion, is the ultimate love letter to horror fans. Whether it’s horror movies or games, it’s an experience you can’t miss.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($34.99), XBOX One ($34.99), Windows ($34.99)

6. Hitman: The Complete First Season

I don’t think the name “Hitman” needs any introduction, for it is the world’s most famous and loved third-person stealth shooter game series. Probably the best game of the series was Blood Money. Don’t get me wrong here, Hitman: Absolution was great too. But the franchise has been known for the freedom it gives the user to go on with their missions in assassinating the target. It has never been much about the storylines. Absolution, on the other end, was much more of a story driven game, which was great but swayed away from the entire point of the Hitman series.

That all changed back in 2016 when IO Interactive’s new take on the Hitman series was released to the stores. Much like everyone else, what struck me quite peculiar was the fact with how each mission was released as an individual episode. Now, come 2017, Hitman: The Complete First Season was released with all prior content included.

In Hitman, players take control of Agent 47, a genetically enhanced assassin, traveling to international locations and eliminating contracted targets. Everything fans loved about Blood Money has been replicated, but on a larger scale and with more options. Finally, Hitman is back to being a standalone series of sandbox murder playgrounds. Hitman does have a story, but it’s a tale told in post-mission cutscenes, overheard dialogue, and, later on, specific mission objectives that nonetheless follow the regular template of Blood Money, that the fans have always admired. Throughout its six episodes, Hitman is a well made and entertaining successor to Blood Money and a return to form for the series.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($49.99), XBOX One ($40.99), Windows ($59.99)

7. Tekken 7

The current generation may be fans of the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat series, but the Tekken series is by far the best fighting video game franchise ever made. I remember spending my entire afternoons, playing Tekken 4 on those arcade gaming machines. As a kid, what appealed to me the most was the pure joy that I got from mashing those buttons and beating the crap out of my opponents. Tekken 7, in my opinion, is a love letter to the long-running franchise and its staggering complexity.

Tekken 7 proves that family grudges are just as hard to kill as the franchise’s resilient characters, who reappear Lazarus-like as soon as they’re needed. The struggles between Heihachi, Kazuya, Jin and everyone else still caught in their webs may start to feel a little tired, but the fighting bits are the best yet. Each fighter has their own unique Rage Arts and Rage Drives, attacks that are accessible when players drop to 25 percent of their health bar and can knock off a third of an opponent’s life. Following along for more than 20 decades, the Tekken franchise has been in the heart of every gamer that has been fond of arcade fighting games, and Tekken 7 takes that emotion to new heights with an improved gameplay, superb graphics and tremendous action that keeps making you say “Just One More Fight”.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($49.99), XBOX One ($49.80), Windows ($42.49)

8. Sniper Elite 4

The Sniper Elite franchise is one of the best sniper games to be ever made. Few shooters pack so much consequence into each copper casing, as the Sniper Elite series does. With the release of Sniper Elite 4, the franchise has clearly taken a few steps forward in the right direction.

You see, when you refer to the term “sniper”, the word “stealth” isn’t far behind. And neither is “tactical”. Set in the backdrop of World War II, Sniper Elite 4 gives you the means to stalk your enemies, scare them, and utterly dismantle them if you have the patience. Furthermore, in Sniper Elite 4, you don’t have to just take out enemies with a Rambo-style aggression. You have the tools to go full Batman on these guys. That being said, while Sniper Elite delivers options galore, the gameplay doesn’t force you to consider all of them all the time. For everything sniping related—spotting, positioning, mind games, sound suppression—Sniper Elite 4 is an all-in-one package.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($59.99), XBOX One ($59.99), Windows ($59.99)

9. For Honor

Announced at E3 2015, For Honor is a hack and slash fighting game developed and published by Ubisoft. The game allows players to play the roles of historical forms of soldiers and warriors, including knights, samurai, and vikings within a medieval setting, in a third-person perspective. For Honor’s combat is the kind of brutal melee which players have always wanted, but never actually got to play.

At the start of the game, you’ll think it’s one of those action-adventure games likes Ryse. And that’s your first and probably the biggest mistake in the game. Its third-person action-game exterior hides a strategically complex fighting game, mixing team-based action with less interesting solo modes, all built on the most flexible and technically complete melee fighting system ever. The players get to choose from multiple classes, and then fight against one another, “for honor”. For me, it feels like a third-person action game with the “The Art of Battle” (as Ubisoft likes to call it), similar to that of Street Fighter. The game does require you to put in time to better plan your attacks and understand the entire gameplay, but thankfully, the game itself encourages you to play it.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($59.99), XBOX One ($59.99), Windows ($59.99)

10. Nier: Automata

Square Enix is known for pushing the boundaries to traditional concepts of game designing, with purely out-of-the-box thinking, and Nier: Automata is a clear example of that. Designed to be a post-apocalyptic action RPG, Nier: Automata with its intense combat sequences and fluidic gameplay, is much more than just that. It’s safe to say that there are very few games – if any – quite like Nier: Automata.

The game is set on a ruined Earth, in which the last fragments of humanity are locked in an endless war with a robot army. Controlled by a mysterious alien intelligence, these machines have conquered the planet and driven the survivors to flee to a base on the Moon. From here, in a facility known as the Bunker, mankind wages war on the invaders using machines of their own. Androids are sent to the surface to work with local resistance fighters and battle the machines. The user controls one of these androids, a powerful combat model designated YoRHa No.2 Type B, or 2B for short. Automata’s striking art style and an enormous sense of scale are mesmerizing to look at, and it is one of the most unique and compelling action games to ever grace the gaming universe.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($59.99), Windows ($59.99)

11. Injustice 2

I’d be wrong if I were to say that you ‘finally’ get to decide who would win in a fight of Batman vs. Superman, for there have been games that have allowed you to simulate that for a very long time. But the fact that Injustice 2 allows you not just that, much more than any other DC based fighting game is what sets it apart from the herd. The detailed graphics and an improved fighting gameplay make it a serious contender for one of the most fascinating action-fighter games ever to be made.

Building on its predecessor, Injustice 2 is a fighting game inspired by the likes of Mortal Kombat (which is also developed by NetherRealm Studios). A much faster, deeper action and a wealth of content make this fighting game feel superb in all ways. Having one of the biggest rosters of the DC Universe, and more to be coming along in the form of DLCs, the cast of heroes of Injustice 2 is exceptional.

The game strikes a fine balance between retaining the strengths of Gods Among Us and making smart changes to improve mechanics. On top of new versions of memorable environmental attacks in which you slam enemies with everything from cars to giant stuffed alligators on the detailed stages, flashy transitions between different areas of the battle locations, and a full arsenal of over-the-top Super Moves. Thanks to NetherRealm, this is the best, most polished, and the most impressively produced story mode to ever feature in a fighting game.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($59.99), XBOX One ($59.99)

12. Prey

One of Bethesda and Arkane Studios best works till date, Prey is a first-person shooter with a variety of play styles. Set in an open-world environment, Prey is a first-person shooter with role-playing and stealth elements with strong narratives. Following along the same lines of gameplay as the Dishonored series, what sets Prey distinct is the backdrop of the game that completely makes you forget about any other setting

Set in the year 2032, Prey casts the player as Morgan Yu, a scientist that finds himself trapped on Talos I, a space station overrun by a race of highly intelligent aliens called the Typhon. Build upon the building blocks of System Shock, the game provides the player with several potential means of progressing within the game. The twists and turns that this game offers within the storyline, make you question everything that’s told to you in the game and pushes you to go out explore the enormous and fascinatingly anachronistic space station, Talos I. This creepy space station is fantastically explorable, and its shape-shifting enemies maintain tension when combat doesn’t.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($38.99), XBOX One ($39.90), Windows ($39.99)

13. Outlast 2

Continuing from the highly acclaimed first-person horror-survival series of Outlast, comes Outlast 2, the latest offering from the developer. Not for the faint of heart, Outlast 2’s relentless scares, unforgiving monsters, and provocative meditations on faith are an anxiety-inducing but cathartic horror experience. Just like the previous iterations, Outlast 2 casts you as a hapless everyman with zero fighting skills and no tools beyond a camcorder. Your only option, when confronted with grotesque, bloodthirsty murderers, is to run and hide.

In Outlast 2, you are Blake Langermann, a cameraman working with your wife, Lynn. The two of you are investigative journalists willing to take risks and dig deep to uncover the stories no one else will dare touch. Unlike the cliche concept of a mental asylum, the game is set in the less-trodden road of the Sonoran Desert, where you’re armed only with your camcorder’s battery-reliant night vision mode to make your way through the omnipresent darkness. Overall, the game is a panic inducing experience for the hardcore horror fans, which lives up to the fame of the original game, as well as to the fans’ expectations.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($29.99), XBOX One ($29.99), Windows ($29.99)

14. The Surge

Previously covered in our article of some of the best games available on Origin, The Surge is a fantastically drawn game that takes the best of most of the action-fighter simulators out there and brings out a whole new experience for its users. Build on the foundation of the developer Deck13’s own largely successful game – “Lords of the Fallen”, comes The Surge, that provides the player with almost everything that one can imagine when I use the words “human”, “machine” and “combat” together.

Unlike Titanfall where you drive the machines, here, the players combat the machines, though equipped with a highly powerful exoskeleton like the aforementioned Titanfall, or probably even Crysis for crying out loud (pun intended). Set in a dystopian future where mankind has exhausted the world’s resources, The Surge is easily one of the best action RPGs of the year. The Surge assimilates the difficult and labyrinthine style of games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls and adds its own unique flavor to deliver a challenging and fun sci-fi survival adventure. While drawing comparisons it quite easy, the overall gameplay does have its own stature, and the well-scripted storyline is sure to keep you engrossed for countless hours.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($49.99), XBOX One ($49.99), Windows ($49.99)

15. Little Nightmares

In the most basic of descriptions, Little Nightmares is a 2D stealth puzzle platformer. You guide a tiny, raincoated character called Six from left to right through the sea-swaying innards of The Maw, an ocean facility avoiding instant-death hazards. The game focuses on a gentle puzzle about how to proceed – but it rarely feels as plainly mechanical as that.

While most horror games are built on the concept of hide-and-seek, Little Nightmares breaks down that concept and focuses on one of the aspects only – the fear of getting caught. The background details of the game are never explicitly explained, but it’s clear from the beginning that you must escape. If you thought Limbo or Inside was great, wait till you’ve gotten a taste of this. The game cleverly braids together puzzle design and storytelling, mixed with the salt of horror. The environment Maw, in itself, feels like the world’s worst doll house. It alludes as much as it repulses, adding up to make for one of the best gaming locations you’ll see in years, startlingly new and painstakingly tooled to encourage cautious exploration.

On the whole, Little Nightmares confidently captures the exhilarating fear of waiting to be found by something that’s hunting you, and probably the reason why it is one of the most popular games right now, in such a short span of time.

Buy: PlayStation 4 ($19.99), XBOX One ($19.99), Windows ($19.99)

SEE ALSO: 18 Best Open World Games for PC You Can Play

Play The Most Popular Games of 2017

It is always beneficial to stay a part of the curve in the field of games, as you get a huge multiplayer base and both official as well as community-based support. If you were looking for the most trending and popular games right now, this list should cut it. So, what are the most popular games of 2017 you are planning to play? Let us know your favorite games of 2017 in the comments section below.

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