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theartisticpixelbit · 9 months ago

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Alright, It's finally time for Twilight's B.B.B.F.F! I didn't change his design too much, mostly just added a beard, grey'd his coat and styled his hair. I did add a few healed scars, he's the captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, of course he's going to have a few.

════ •✧• ════ MIDDLE NAMES WORK THE SAME AS LAST NAMES IN MY AU, MOST CHILDREN TAKE THE LAST NAME OF WHICHEVER PARENT THEY WANT ════ •✧• ════

~Bio~ Name: Shining 'Star' Armor Nicknames: B.B.B.F.F (Twilight Sparkle), Gender: Male (Straight) Race: Unicorn Parents: Twilight Velvet (Mother), Night Light (Father) Siblings: Twilight 'Star' Sparkle Partner: Mi Amore Cadenza (Wife), Queen Chrysalis (One Night Stand) Children: Mi Amore Aphrodite 'Flurry Heart' (Daughter), Mi Amore Ares 'Platinum Shield' (Son), Mi Amore Eros 'Crystal Reflection' (Adoptive Child) Other Relatives: Celestial 'Del' Dawn (Aunt-In-Law), Lunar ‘Del’ Dusk (Aunt-In-Law), Princess Amore (Ancestor-In-Law)

~Headcanons~ 🛡️ The day Twilight was born, Cadence and Shining Armor stayed in the waiting room, playing games and butting horns jokingly, practicing for his dream of becoming a Royal Guard 🛡️ Shining doesn't know how to feel about his aunt-in-law, Celestia, married to an alternate reality version of the stallion that tried to take his's wife's kingdom from her three times. 🛡️ Shining Armor is not only the husband to Princess Cadence, he is also the top of her Royal Guard. He spends years training new recruits. 🛡️ Although his look and behavior is rather jock-like Shining actually really likes to enjoy the nerdy things in life like reading comics and attending monthly dnd sessions with his friends. He also adored reading books with his L.S.B.F.F (Little Sister Best Friend Forever).

🛡️Once a month he has Spike, Big Mac, Discord, and a couple of his old school friends over for D&D sessions.🛡️ Shining Armor was the firstborn to Twilight Velvet and Night Light. 🛡️ His grandfather on his mother's side was captain of the Canterlot royal guard. 🛡️ Shining Armor dreamed from a young age to be captain of the royal guard one day. He worked hard to prove himself and was a natural at shielding magic.

[Image Description: A digital art reference sheet of a redesigned Shining Armor from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. He is a male unicorn pony with a light grey coat, his mane is a mix of 3 different hues of blue, a dark navy, a lighter navy, and a sky blue streak, he has a medium sized beard with the same colors. He wears a golden wedding ring on his unicorn horn, a golden crest with his royal guard symbol on his chest, and golden metal shoes on his front two hooves. He has long straight fetlocks on his back hooves. His back two hooves are a navy blue. His cutie mark is a golden shield adorned with different shade’s of gold and a purple six pointed star. His horn is also displayed casting a magenta colored magic. The image also includes a watermark reading 'TheArtisticPixelBit'. End ID]

#(✿~autistic_artist~✿)#(✿my_art✿)#mlp #redesign #art #oc #mlp art #my little pony #shining armor #image ids

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mcrmadness · 4 years ago

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die ärzte stuff from my sketchbook 2/?

I wanted to keep these separate from the previous sketchbook post because this is all about hair "studies".

I know how to draw realistic hair, and I know how to draw comic book hair. But to draw something from between those? That was a huge challenge. So I tried out things and eventually watched some video tutorials too, and tried to use those freshly learn tips and tricks.

This was my second attempt with that one Richy Guitar scene I'm (still) trying to draw, but Bela's face was too difficult to draw once again, so I abandoned this one. And that failure is under the censored one because it really looked awful. I ended up making an edit of the scene in photoshop so that I can draw Bela's face from a more easier angle. Or the angle itself was not difficult, it just made him look quite weird to begin with and that was not fun nor easy to draw because it was impossible to get to look similar but also like Bela - when he doesn't even look like himself enough in that original screenshot.

But yeah, to the hairs now. The Farin/Richy on the left was my first try of these, and the second one was by using something I saw in video tutorials. I think all those Bela hairs I drew before these and really had a hard time figuring out how to draw black hair! I tried the brush pen and I tried fineliners but nothing seemed to work.

Then I went to watch some tutorials.

And this is what I came up with. It definitely was getting better and better, but this time Farin's hairstyle was causing me problems. It was really difficult to find even any tutorials because every "spiky hair" tutorial was about manga or anime, and most "hair colouring" tutorials were for digital art or real hair and that was not what I was looking for.

What comes to the texts... you see, I tend to become bilingual or even trilingual when I make notes. I switch between Finnish and English all the time and don't even notice it myself. The texts under Farin hairs go: "Meh...", "Could work." and "That is lacking something."

But otherwise I'm really proud of those Rod hairs! Finally managed to nail the black hair shading and highlighting :D And holy shit Rod's hair is actually so much fun to draw! Bela's 13 hair also turned out pretty nicely, and the last 80s Farin hair is already a step to the right direction.

This is the last scan so far and with this I decided to look for Farin photos just to figure out how to exactly draw this hair. It was not an easy task but I think the right top one is the best one of these.

The middle one has too round head so it looks more like Rod than Farin, but it tried to be one of the 80s Farin photos, the same one as the middle one on the left. I can see already things to fix and practice next time - some of the "spikes" at the back in the one on the bottom are too small, and it doesn't look like pointy hair between that and the front part - unlike it does with the top right one. There's still some stuff to do and practice, but this is already a LOT better than e.g. the first sheet in this post!

#mcrmadness draws #my sketchbook~#my dä sketches #dä fanart #die ärzte

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peace-coast-island · 4 years ago

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Diary of a Junebug

Rock and roll the night away!

What better way to escape than getting lost in music? Headphones on, thoughts off - nothing like some good bops to help get you through the day.

KK Slider's been looking into expanding his musical repertoire so he's been playing around with different genres in hopes of creating a brand new sound. And that's how rock and roll night came to be!

Joining us on this musical adventure are Sonja, with her siblings Robbie and Tiffy, and cousin Bubba. It's been ages since Daisy Jane and I have last hung out with Sonja so it's nice that she and her fam dropped by for a visit. I've hung out with Robbie and Bubba a handful of times while this is the first time I've met Tiffy.

Sonja's been meaning to stop by the camp for a while but life has gotten busy. She also wanted her dad and stepmom to come along too but then something came up so they were unable to make it at the last minute. Same thing for her grandma, though to be honest, camping isn't really her thing so it's probably for the best that she didn't come.

Old Thelma Lou may come across as a cantankerous old lady but she really is a nice person once you get to know her. Underneath that rough exterior is a protective, dedicated, and tough mother figure who wants what's best for you, even if she kinda has a hard time showing how much she cares about you. We video chatted with her before the concert and she's still the same old Thelma Lou, keeping an eye on her children, grandchildren, and their friends in her own unconventional ways.

We also chatted with Buzz and Skeeter, both who are doing well. The reason why they weren't able to join us at the camp is because Skeeter's pregnant again. She and Buzz were going to have a boy last fall but there were complications and the baby was stillborn. So far things are moving along smoothly, but to be safe, Skeeter's on strict bed rest. In about four months, Sonja, Robbie, and Tiffy will have a little sister!

Sonja has been busy working on her graphic novel, which she plans to release in the fall. She's a freelance graphic designer and illustrator, known for posting relatable and funny comics online. I love her art - it's got a sketchy and loose style that's sorta minimal yet super expressive. When I got into digital art, I took some inspiration from Sonja's work by using pencil brushes for line art and the gouache brush for coloring.

After working in the studio for hours on the book over the past several weeks, Sonja felt she could use a change of scenery - which was the main reason why she wanted to come to the camp. She also wants to get back into using traditional mediums like painting so she brought along some canvases and paints. The great outdoors is perfect for finding inspiration when you're in a rut!

Robbie runs a fix-it shop in Elmstown with two of his friends. His specialties are clocks and anything that has a lock thanks to his grandma and dad - Thelma Lou likes collecting clocks and Buzz's a locksmith. He's the reason why the family saves so much on repairs - Robbie and his friends can pretty much fix anything! Elmstown is pretty far but I'm keeping his business card in case I need something fixed like my computer since that'll be more cost effective than sending it to the store where I'll probably get overcharged.

It's a good thing we have Robbie here to help KK Slider with the equipment. He had some old amps and guitars that he'd been meaning to get fixed but since they were custom made, it's hard to find parts that need replacement. Thankfully, Robbie never leaves home without his toolbox and with his magic, we were able to improve the stage setup.

Bubba's still living with Thelma Lou, though he's in the process of moving out to his own place. He's not leaving Rayetown though, just moving to the other side of town so he can be closer to the post office. Along with delivering packages for the citizens of Rayetown, Bubba's also a drummer and occasional lead singer for The Cogwheels, a local band that regularly performs at the Chili Bowl.

Thelma Lou and Bubba have a sweet relationship. He's the oldest of the Harp grandchildren through Thelma Lou's daughter. His parents pretty dumped him on Thelma Lou's doorstep when they moved halfway across the country, which wasn't very nice of them. His mom and grandma have a stormy relationship so that explains why Thelma Lou's kinda overprotective of him, and in return he respects her a lot. Recently though, Bubba and his mom have been keeping in touch sporadically - thanks to Uncle Buzz and Aunt Skeeter. As for his dad though, since he walked out on his mom, he hasn't heard from him in years, which he feels is probably for the best.

And there's Tiffy, the youngest (so far) of the grandchildren. She's seven and a half years old and likes to sing and dance. This is her first time being away from home for a couple days so she's pretty excited about it. Plus, she gets to spend time with her siblings, something she always looks forward to since they live far from home. By the time she was born, Sonja and Robbie had already long moved out of Rayetown. Up until Tiffy came along, Sonja and Robbie rarely visited home, a deliberate choice that they both kinda regretted but at the same time felt it was necessary.

Tiffy's looking forward to the new baby - and she's absolutely certain that things will work out this time. She was really bummed about what happened with her brother, especially since she always wanted a little sibling. Buzz and Skeeter had been trying for years to have another kid - they didn't have Tiffy until about six years into their marriage - and that was after being told many times that they missed the boat. It's a good thing they didn't give up or else Tiffy wouldn't be here today!

While helping KK Slider set up for the concert, we also went sightseeing outside the camp. Now that the weather's warming up and the sun's staying out longer, we can venture further out. The first place we went was the mountains, where Sonja was inspired to pull out her canvases and paints. She's been working on landscapes and backgrounds so it was the perfect opportunity. Since she had a lot of fun doing that, I figured we could do the same in other places outside the camp like the woods or the meadows.

As they were testing out the equipment, KK and Bubba were jamming out while Tiffy danced. She definitely inherited Buzz and Skeeter's dance skills! Tap dancing and ballet are her favorites and she definitely wants to branch out to other forms of dance. Her parents are looking into more dance classes for Tiffy, which she's excited for. One of the reasons why she's looking forward to having another sibling is so she can have a dance partner in the future. Imagine, Tiffy and her little sister, dancing together!

Later, Robbie joined in on the jam session, playing the bass. Apollo, Static, and Cherry joined in as well, and before we knew it, all of them were writing new songs that eventually became the setlist for the concert! Sonja later got into the jam session after Daisy Jane showed her around the cabin and her studio. I sense a collaboration between the two in the near future...

Around 5 we finished setting up for the concert and began preparing for a barbecue dinner. By the time all the food was set up, it was time to rock and roll! I have to say, KK and the campers really outdid themselves with the stage setup. It was a mix of performances by KK Slider and jam sessions by us. The concert was an awesome experience!

In the span of one hour, Bubba and KK wrote Road Ode. KK came up with the intricate melody that's a perfect fusion of his signature sound along with elements of classic rock. Bubba came up with the lyrics, taking inspiration from his relationships with his mother and grandma. Easily one of the highlights of the night.

Apollo sang lead on a number he co-authored with KK Slider titled Old Man Blues. It's a bluesy rock and roll tune with a catchy guitar riff that's stuck in my head as I write this. The light show visuals really add to the vibe of this song, elevating it to another level.

Static and Cherry performed Heavy Metal Ballad as a trio with KK Slider - another song that was just finished today. The song was actually three different compositions that merged into one. Cherry has been playing around with a cool heavy metal beat for a while. She had a good thing going on but had trouble turning it into something, so she put it aside in hopes of finding the right spark to kick it off. Static came up with lyrics for the chorus, originally through a little ditty he called Lightning Muses. And like Cherry, he had something but couldn't figure out what direction he wanted to take it. Then along comes KK Slider, who saw the potential in these two wildly different compositions. Somehow, with his verses and additional melodies, he created an instant hit!

In an unexpected surprise, KK Slider got Daisy Jane and I on to perform a new KK original as well as a couple songs from Lilac and the Cadillacs. The new song, Sky Blue Twilight, is a collaboration between me, Daisy Jane, and KK Slider. It was something we came up with a while back, and I had almost forgotten about it until today. I'm pretty rusty from songwriting but working on this piece was pretty fun! I really should get back into writing music...

Sonja, Robbie, and Tiffy also joined Bubba on stage for another new song, titled All That Rock 'n' Roll. Tiffy sang lead vocals with Sonja on the keys and Robbie on bass. Along with being a fantastic dancer, Tiffy's a great singer! I filmed the whole thing for Bubba so he can send it to Thelma Lou, Buzz, and Skeeter. I have to say, KK Slider and Bubba make a great songwriting team!

Another fun song is Violet Blaze, an upbeat rock and roll tune by KK Slider, Candi, Kabuki, and Spike. KK Slider really outdid himself on that guitar solo! With riffs like that, there's no other song fitting to be titled Violet Blaze. What one can't put into words, music expresses it - one just has to listen and feel.

And of course, in between the new songs were KK Slider classics, but remixed. It's amazing how changing up the genre can give well known songs a fresh makeover! That's what I love about KK Slider's music - the versatility. In terms of reinventing his sound while staying true to himself, I'd say KK Slider succeeded with flying colors!

Aside from Tiffy and the early risers, the rest of us have been rocking and rolling way past midnight. I'm still a bit buzzed from the concert, which just ended less than an hour ago, so I'm gonna unwind for a bit before going to bed.

#animal crossing #animal crossing pocket camp #Diary of a Junebug #headcanon ramble

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comixology · 5 years ago

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For Immediate Release:

ComiXology Kicks Off Comic-Con International San Diego 2019 with Press Event Revealing ComiXology Originals Debuts & News, ComiXology Trends & More

ComiXology also announces show exclusives including comiXology Originals 2019 Pin Sets, Promethee 13:13 screen printed poster & The Stone King poster only available at the comiXology Booth #2121

July 15, 2019 – San Diego, CA / New York, NY – ComiXology, Amazon’s premier digital comics service, will kick off Comic-Con International San Diego 2019 on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 with an invite-only press event showcasing comiXology Originals debuts, news and creators, as well as providing data-backed insight on comics industry trends and more.

ComiXology Co-founder and CEO and Head of Digital Comics Worldwide at Amazon, David Steinberger, will kick off the press event with a keynote speech about the state of the comic book industry, giving way to comiXology’s Head of Content, Chip Mosher who will spotlight special comiXology Originals guests Andy Diggle, Max Dunbar, Joe Glass, Clive Hawken, Jock, Shawn Martinbrough, Kel McDonald, MK Reed, Richard Starkings, C. Spike Trotman, Jim Zub and even a few surprise creators. Fans who want to receive the news in real time can follow the comiXology Twitter and #ComiXologySDCCLive.

Ahead of the press event, comiXology also unveiled today their 2019 Comic-Con International convention booth exclusives which include a comiXology Originals 2019 Pin Set featuring five enamel pins that spotlight Durn from Stone Star, the “odd goat” from Delver, Bear from The Pride, the comiXology Originals logo, and a pin of a yet-to-be-announced comiXology Originals title! Attendees can also get a high-end limited-edition screen print Promethee 13:13 poster by Jock and a limited-edition poster of the Eisner Award-nominated series The Stone King with art by Tyler Crook.

The comiXology Originals 2019 Pin Set and the posters for Promethee 13:13 and The Stone King will be free while supplies last and exclusively available during signings at the comiXology booth (#2121) during Comic-Con International. The full panel and signing schedule will be available to check out across all of comiXology’s social media including, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Additionally, attendees who sign up for comiXology Unlimited at the comiXology booth (#2121) will receive one of three free comiXology Originals print trade collections while supplies last: Elephantmen 2261 Season One, Ask for Mercy Season One, and the Eisner Award-nominated The Stone King.

Timed to Comic-Con International, comiXology Originals will debut the following titles on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 including:

Promethee 13:13 #1 Headed by veteran editor Will Dennis, written by Andy Diggle (Green Arrow: Year One, The Losers, James Bond) with art by Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves, Batman: Detective Comics, The Black Panther, Hellboy, How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling), colors by Dave Stewart (Hellboy, Gideon Falls), lettering by Simon Bowland (Skyward), with covers by Jock (Batman, The Losers). ComiXology Originals and Delcourt Group, the leading independent comic book publisher in France, bring readers everywhere a prequel to Christophe Bec’s best-selling, 19-volume mind-bending, science-fiction bandes dessinées Promethee. Promethee 13:13 issue 1 is available today.

“In 2015, we joined with the French publisher Delcourt to bring more bandes dessinées to the digital-first, English-language market,” said Steinberger. “Today’s release is an exciting development not only for fans of the original iconic graphic novel series, but readers everywhere who want to experience the spirit of French Bandes Dessinées through the lens of superb writing and art found in Western Comics thanks to the talents of Andy Diggle & Shawn Martinbrough!”

“The release of Promethee 13:13 underscores comiXology’s mission to make everyone in the world a comics fan,” said Chip Mosher, comiXology’s Head of Content. “This unique prequel springs out of the pages of one of the most popular French Bandes Dessinées. Promethee 13:13’s all-star creative team is internationally renowned. And the story they are telling is widescreen science fiction at its finest.”

Ask for Mercy Season Two #1 Written and lettered by Richard Starkings with art by Abigail Jill Harding Set more than a hundred years before the “incredibly mesmerizing and… haunting” events of Season One, Kasa takes Mercy, Ratmir and Budgie into the Black Hills of North America, 1876 where the course of history is at stake!

Delver #5 Written by C. Spike Trotman and MK Reed with art by Clive Hawken, colors by Maarta Laiho, and lettering by Ed Dukeshire The role-playing game inspired series’ first season concludes! Find out if Merit makes it out of the Dungeon – and if she does, how will she be transformed by her experience?

The Pride Season Two #2 Written by Joe Glass with art by Cem Iroz, colors by Mark Dale, and lettering by Mike Stock The LGBTQ+ superhero series The Pride continues. The team faces obstacles and the addition of new members, all while working to solve the mysterious attacks on the world’s biggest pop star.

Initial D Volumes 39-48 Written and drawn by Shuichi Shigeno Finally, completely translated in English for the first time, manga fans throughout the English-speaking world learn how the all-time, high-octane manga series about Japanese street racing, Initial D,concludes with comiXology and Kodansha Comics releasing Volumes 39-48 of Initial D today. More than just manga, Initial D is a cultural phenomenon. Upon its release, Initial D perfectly captured the world of Japanese street racing and kicked off a global craze, spawning a legendary anime series, video games, movies, and an immortally beloved techno soundtrack. It also inspired the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Customers can enjoy comiXology Originals releases on a variety of Amazon’s membership services. Prime Reading offers all Amazon Prime members a rotating selection of over a thousand top Kindle books, magazines, short works, comic books, children’s books, and more – all at no additional cost. Kindle Unlimited offers over 1 million titles, thousands of audiobooks, and select current issues of popular magazines for just $9.99 a month with a 30-day free trial at amazon.com/kindleunlimited. ComiXology Unlimited now offers over 20,000 comics, graphic novels and manga for just $5.99 a month with a 30-day free trial at comixology.com/unlimited. All titles are also available as individual purchases on Kindle and comiXology.

For more updates on comiXology Originals, check out http://comixologyoriginals.com and follow comiXology on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. About comiXology ComiXology, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is a revolutionary, cloud-based digital comics service. With content from over 125 publishers as well as thousands of independent creators from around the world, comiXology provides an unrivaled library of comic books, graphic novels, manga and bandes dessinées. The company’s first-in-class innovations include the exclusive Guided View technology which provides an immersive and cinematic reading experience and a new monthly subscription service. ComiXology is based in New York City, with operations in Seattle and Los Angeles. For more information, visit comixology.com and follow the company on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. About Amazon Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

#press release

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sailolive93-blog · 5 years ago

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The best Guide to Reddit Marketing around 2019

"Yep, i do all my modelling in C4D as I just know the tools so well there. I do minimal retopology in Zbrush on organic shapes but any hard surfaces I make in C4D. I'd recommend the "Introduction to Subdivision modelling in C4D" by Shane Benson on Vimeo (he goes by Sheppard O'Neill on YouTube if you prefer that) and it was his tuts that got me into box and subdiv modelling.

I'm also releasing a modelling workshop in C4D and models from the kitchen scene that these belong to will be in there to learn. Just not these two as they belong to marketing for the workshop. very well "Brand new Reddit account with two extensive comments defending Boa Vista Orchards huh...? We joked earlier about spotting the Boa Vista account in here but it looks like we actually have lol! > I just talked to the dude who does the marketing for Apple Hill and he sent me this So you just randomly talked to the guy and he emailed over his entire statement...? " "I too wonder why they didn’t just create a new line and call it the mach-e instead of mustang, I believe it has something to do with the marketing department since they knew it’ll stir a lot of discussion" "Precedent suggests it depends on the marketing around the product being sold and the implied purpose. " "Wow, ha. The��fact that you think that it’s ok for the government to strip away my personal health insurance so that I HAVE to be on the same shitty plan on everybody else is crazy. If healthcare is “free” and universal, the quality of healthcare is bound to decrease. I can choose to pay for whatever the fuck I want and whatever healthcare I want. I give to charity and I have plans on giving a lot more to charity as I get further in my career and start making more money. Believe it or not, you aren’t the only one that cares about people just because you want “free” healthcare for everybody. And there is also no such thing as free healthcare. It has to be paid somehow and middle class taxes will go up no matter how complicated you try to make the source of payment sound. And regarding free college, that will also raise middle class taxes. You keep bringing up this. 02% of financial transactions bullshit as if that’s going to cover all costs. Have you done studies on this yourself? Do you even know that? You act like all these things can be magically paid for without anybody in the middle class being negatively affected. I have a bachelor’s degree and I didn’t feel like college was very challenging. It was more like a series of annoying classes I didn’t need when all of college could have been boiled down into one year of the core classes of my major of marketing. College is a fuckin scam and it’s only truly necessary for a very limited amount of majors. You’re just another minion that kisses the feet of big-government Democrats that try to make us feel like horrible people for not allowing them to sucks insane amounts of money out of the economy and spend it how they would like to. inch "That's including the localization teams for every language though, as well as PR and marketing. >! Some of them might even be legacy accreditation for the Gen 6 models they're *still* using.! < " "Time is a cost and you should track where that cost is going. That said, if you are working on general administrative/nonbillable stuff within your own department, it's pretty easy to have that time automatically go to the right cost bucket, so generic entries for that sort of thing are fine imo. The stuff that really has to be tracked is anything for clients or for departments that are outside your default (e. g. engineer writes a blog post, that's marketing time etc). micron "I believe there are some lessons on Google Academy for Adss (now called Skillshop) but hands-on experience is tricky. Two ways are possible, 1) is for you to have your own website and use Google Ad Sense, but this is more from the advertiser side rather than publisher or technical side 2) ask a digital or marketing agency that is near you if you can shadow/assist/internship/work experience for a week or so. This may be difficult depending on where you live and agency people are always very busy, so if you do ask tell them how you could help THEM not the other way around. To be honest, start with Analytics and Paid Search as they are arguable more accessible and have more out there for you to learn" "We are in the same boat, but different industry. Here's my approach, starting this week: I'm joining business groups that my target clients are a part of, for example, manufacturer groups. Then I'm going to target that organization with our services. I'm then going to offer to speak about the service I offer and how it helps businesses. Not a marketing spiel, an educational talk. Good luck" "One might consider a lawsuit if a car or alcohol company advocated or implied the action of drinking and driving in their marketing" "This post has been removed for breaking Rule 1. No Spammy Titles. Do not mention anything about selling anything in the title. Absolutely ZERO marketing in the title. Do not even ask for people to contact you for more. Be enticing. Post quality pics with quality titles. Read the rules for info on how to market yourself here. If your posts keep getting removed then you will be banned. READ THE RULES! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Remember to[contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/? to=/r/feetpics) if you have any questions or concerns. *" "I came of grew up and came of age in Chicago during Jordan's time with the Bulls and the shortest answer is that it's almost incomparable because the level of fame basketball players before Michael Jordan was laughably lower than now. Even today MJ has a logo that might be more identifiable than the company that created it. I would argue no athlete in any sport has surpassed MJ's level of fame. MJ pioneered so many avenues of endorsements, its like comparing planes in the era of propeller planes with jet planes. Jordan like most greats, stood on the shoulders of giants, specifically Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Those two spent the better part of the late 70's and early to late 80's dominating the sport of basketball. Also add in Isiah Thomas of the Pistons and arguably "Dr. J" Julius Erving of the 76ers and those four were the superstars of the four teams that won EVERY NBA championship of the decade. Before Michael Jordan won his FIRST NBA Championship in 1991, he was arguably bigger than all of them. Before MJ, being a big name athlete meant getting your name on a breakfast cereal box called Wheaties, and doing the commercial saying the plug line "Gotta eat your Wheaties! " That's not a joke. Check 'em out on youtube, they're cringe worthy. MJ's meteoric rise in my opinion was helped by a few special advertising campaigns. I think first would have been his Nike commercials with Spike Lee, another pioneer. He just made "Do the right thing" at a time when black people making movies with black people in the movies wasn't really a thing. Spike Lee also happens to like playing characters in his own movies and Mars Blackmon was a character in that movie that Spike Lee chose to portray in a series of commericals with Michael Jordan. Again, pardon me for repeating, but I have to say it again for context. You have a supremely talented and charismatic young athlete being marketed by a young shoe company (Converse Chuck Taylors were still THE basketball shoe) hiring a visionary and ground breaking director to do something that had not been done before. And they crushed it. Again, at this time Michael Jordan wasn't winning NBA championships. He was having savant level performances, but get bounced out of the first round by the Celtics, or getting manhandled in the playoffs by the Pistons. By the time he did win it all in 91, MJ was doing things that no one had done in fields well outside basketball. Michael Jordan in Flight is one of the first videogames to have 3D. He had already supplanted Dr J in the one on one basketball video game with Larry Bird. Gatorade put out a marketing campaign with the song "Be Like Mike" and that song was the top song for the summer of 92 in Chicago on most radio stations regardless of genre. You're already familiar with Space Jam, but before Space Jam, the Looney Toons were relegated to afternoon after school syndicated (rerun) television stations. Michael Jordan made Bugs Bunny cool again to a whole new generation that knows of them only through MJ. I hope that helps. inches "Yeah I don't want to turn it around and criticize Musk over this or anything, but Tesla is great at PR and marketing while convincing people they don't actually try to be. inches "No, you dont need more parties, you need to ban all parties and establish government funded elections where everyone with a certain amount of support by the people can run using government money and marketing channels. Equal funding, equal marketing, equal candidacy, by the people, for the people. Sounds too good to be true? Well fuck you, because parties are corrupt barbaric cavemen shit. " " Funny Cartoon Images for website content - Family Funny Images and illustrations, Ultimate single panel funny cartoons used for websites, social media and emails https://www.freecartoonsdaily.com https://www.cartoons.cafe www.cartoons.cafe www.acmeblanks.com sign up now! Funny Cartoons, Funny family cartoon images, Custom Cartoons, Niche Cartoons, Humorous Illustration Services, Business Cartoons, Medical Cartoons, Custom Comic Strips, Book Illustration Services, Political Cartoons, funny hospital cartoons, cartoons for marketing, corporate cartoons, work cartoons, business cartoons, Computer Cartoons, farmer cartoons, farm cartoons, tractor cartoons, Pig cartoons, pig farmer cartoons, cor farmer cartoons, wheat farmer cartoons, soybean farmer cartoons.... inch "That's including people associated with the marketing and promotion of Sword and Shield, which means people at Nintendo and the Pokemon Company rather than actual programmers at Game Freak working on the game itself. The same article you're looking at gives 200 at Game Freak - which is likely wrong since Game Freak had 143 employees, and Game Freak openly stated most were working on Town. You could include the modelers from Creatures Inc, but given that the models are the same as those developed for X and Y by Creatures Inc years ago, they are likely still being credited for "work" on this game that was actually done quite some time ago. " "Imagine what a lucky break JonTron was for FlexSeal. Their products are actually pretty decent, but their marketing was almost typical infomercial stuff that no-one over fifty would've seen. Next, out of nowhere, some YouTuber makes them famous amongst younger customers. People make "that's a lotta damage, " and "I sawed this boat in half, " memes. Everyone knows who they are. Chances are, when you need some stuff like this you'll at the very least know about their existence and you might buy their stuff because at least you know they're legit. Some people will buy it when they need something like that, literally for the meme. All they have to do is keep the ball rolling with tweets like these (because, of course, people actually follow them on Twitter now). " "That's my point. The pub you linked to is disney land. I'm looking for somewhere that recreates the a more authentic historical experience. I think these places have got their marketing wrong which is why they are closing. They should be trying to recreate an experience closer to that in the Pathe news reel. If you just sold fresh baked bread, potted Hare, a variety of local ales you could heat with a poker while smoking a hilarious pipe you could capture a huge slice of the real ale / hipster / foodie market. " "No game in the genre had been competition for the Diablo franchise since it's inception. D3 no matter how you look at it was a huge commercial success being in the top 10 video games sold of all time at one point. Diablo now has become what WoW was before, tons of games saying they are a WoW killer and none of them doing it. So now we looming at Diablo killers but they all end up falling off somewhere because they don't get the same $$$ support / marketing. inch "8M opening weekend bad = bad marketing. Bad quality movie would be revealed in the multiplier (word of mouth and no rewatches). In this case I don’t think there was anything compelling from the movie they could focus the marketing around which led to the 8M OW. " "I’m in the same boat. I have to get 14 credits by may2020. In the last 2 weeks I did principle of marketing 3 credits score 66 and principal of management 3 credits score 62. This week I’ll take precalculas which is 5 credits and calculus which is 4 credits. I did not pay the $89 for the test because I did modernstates which pays the testing fee. It also reimburses me for the $20 testing fee" "Marketing. McAf€€ gets money from users, Micro$oft gets money from McAfee. They beget the green, motherfuckers that they are. Sometimes http://tipofmytongue.topreddit.info who install 3^^rd party stuff tho, it's not only Microsoft. Anyway, it's a motherfuckery of bloatware if not malware. "McAfee antivirus is one of the worst products on the planet" -John McAfee" "You're arguing entirely from marketing hype instead of actual quality, which is entirely stupid and comes down entirely to Sont having far greater of a userbase and them having less games to pump more money behind. Besides, let's not pretend Sony has an actual library of games here. Both Xbox and Sony have completely shit the bed this console generation in terms of exclusive libraries. Sony has had like, 8 good games this entire generation as exclusives. You have Death Stranding, Uncharted 4, Horizon, Until Dawn, Bloodborne, God of War, MLB The Show... That's about it? I guess you also have Detroit and Last Guardian depending on who you ask, but I defo don't wanna throw Days Gone on that list. But in any case, you could lump all of those games into loke 3-4 genres. Am I missing anything? But yeah, stop saying dumb shit like "Well its not a household name so its irrelevant" because you're entirely missing the point and reducing the entire industry to what can or can't be marketed. As well, its telling that Sony has stated their goal next-gen is to have less games release but have them be bigger, where Microsoft is going the opposite direction. Keep the the big titles, bur also have a little something for everyone. Diversity is important. Your Battletoads reboot might not sell as well, but its important to folks who like it. Games shouldn't be live or die based on how well they fit in established and marketable trends. Its absurdly reductive" "I actually never had injected one, whats the main difference? And is it really a big improvement or rather a marketing bait" "It’s all part of his NYC persona. Marketing. inches

#tag #statics

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hollyplays · 6 years ago

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Top Ten Movies of 2018

Alright. Now that it’s *checks watch* March 14th, I’m ready to give you my top ten movies of last year. I know, it’s absurdly late, but a lot of the big movies didn’t show in my theater so I had to wait til they hit digital or blu-ray to see them. Hell, there’s some I still haven’t seen. We’re all doing our best, right?

(I’m gonna spare you the “sorry for how long its been”. you know how long its been and how sorry i am by now. <3)

#10- Eighth Grade

You can tell this is gonna be a good list, because a movie this good is at the bottom. Eighth Grade is a hard, brilliant time capsule of a time in our lives we all do our best to black out. It speaks eloquently and simply about the effect social media has on the process of maturing without sounding like an after-school special for baby boomers. It’s phenomenal on a technical level as well- the cinematography is gorgeous and the soundtrack is immersive and haunting. I cannot reccomend Eighth Grade enough. (Nor can I spell recommend properly, apparently.)

#9- Hereditary

This movie fucked me up. I don’t have the biggest tolerance for horror (which I’m working on!) but typically a jumpscare movie like Sinister doesn’t do much for me afterwords. Hereditary had me on edge for days. You should absolutely go watch this movie wrapped up in a blanket, and you should absolutely read the doesthedogdie.com page for it so you’re completely prepared. Because trust me- you do not know what is going to happen.

#8- Thunder Road

Thunder Road had my number one spot for a long time, but there’s so many other excellent movies this year. I expected this movie to make me cry, but I didn’t expect it to hit me as hard as it did. Thunder Road is a fantastic indie movie with a fantastic cast and script. Jim Cummings delivers a picture-perfect performance.

#7- Roma

Roma is so hard to rank among the other movies, because I know it’s going to be a part of the film “canon” for years. Alfonso Cuaron is an excellent director, but I didn’t get into any of his other films as much as I enjoyed Y Tu Mama Tambien. Roma changed that. It is hauntingly beautiful, especially for black and white. It’s engineered to make you crave color, to make you crave depth from it’s characters and it’s scenery, and it delivers hard. Roma was so interesting and striking I wanted to do research on it after it was done. That’s some hardcore shit.

#6- First Reformed

My first Paul Schrader. (Far from my first Ethan Hawke, though. That man can get it.) This is one that haunts me, too. Every time I see some shit about Jeff Bezos’ wealth growing or workers being exploited, I hear Ethan Hawke’s voice in my head saying “Will god forgive us?”. This was especially striking to me as someone well-versed in the teachings and customs of Christianity. Planning a rewatch soon. First Reformed absolutely deserves it.

#5- BlacKkKlansman

I was nervous to watch this one, and I’m not sure why now. I think I had it in my head it wouldn’t be very good? I don’t know why I thought that. Spike Lee is good, and it’s no surprise that this movie is also quite good. John David Washington should be the next Batman. This movie doesn’t break the fourth wall so much as it glides through it like a permeable membrane. Casting Alec Baldwin as the KKK spokesman in the beginning of the movie is brilliant- Spike Lee knows you associate him with Trump thanks to SNL, and it forces you to both recontextualize what he’s saying with modernity, but also to recontextualize what Trump is saying with the horrible history of his rhetoric. And then that ending, jesus christ. There is exactly one (1) feel-good moment. Everything else is designed carefully to make sure you know- nothing has changed.

#4- Sorry To Bother You

Okay, from #6 on you cannot hold me responsible for how I rank things. Everything is so close to everything else. It’s all so good. Please do not yell at me in the comments.

Sorry to Bother You is fucking amazing. Everything about it is phenomenal. The script is tight, funny, depressing satire. The dialogue is believable and surreal. The cast is incredible. The soundtrack is wonderful. I could watch this movie forever. Don’t read any spoilers for it. Don’t look up anything. Just watch it.

#3- Blindspotting

Blindspotting was the only movie on this list that had me genuinely sobbing and shaking in fear. Blindspotting on paper should not work, but it works so, so well. Diggs and Casal fucking kill it. Blindspotting has so much to say about gentrification and the justice system and parole and it says it so eloquently. It’s so hard to rank Blindspotting next to Sorry to Bother You and BlacKkKlansman because they’re all such exceptional movies, but Blindspotting’s visceral third act keeps it a touch above the others.

#1- Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse

Spider Verse is the perfect superhero movie. It stands so triumphantly above the rest of the comic book movie canon. And I love superhero movies! Everything about Spider Verse is to be commended. The writing is fucking impeccable. The first act is devastating. The character work is phenomenal, especially for a film that literally shoves three spider-people at you in a single scene.

That’s to say nothing of the absolute visual treat that Spider-Verse is. The animation is like nothing I’ve ever seen. The colors are striking and blended so perfectly.

Spider Verse is a superhero movie, but it’s also a visually enthralling artistic masterpiece. It’s tied for me for the best movie of 2018.

#1- The Favourite

I hated The Lobster. I thought Killing of a Sacred Deer was a solid 8/10. But The Favourite is so, so far above Yorgos Lanthimos’ other work.

The cinematography is amazing. I never thought I’d enjoy a fish-eye lens in a movie, but it works so well here to distort your perspective of these people’s home and lives.

Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Colman are all amazing. Any one of them could’ve won Best Actress.

The Favourite is a movie about lesbian love. It never feels voyeuristic- even when scenes where it by all rights should- or fetishistic. It never objectifies lesbian sex or romance.

The script is amazing. The dialogue is smart and complex and simultaneously understandable. It never feels stuffy or forced. It’s often laugh-out-loud funny.

I was /not/ prepared for how good The Favourite is. I don’t think you are, either.

So that’s my top ten movies of 2018! I’ve got something special in the pipeline for you, so look out for that soon!

#holly plays #top ten of 2018

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abitterlifethroughcinema · 6 years ago

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#ABitterLifeThroughCinema’s WOKE! Film Reviews

The Top Ten (+1) Best Movies of 2018 and where to find them!

Lucas Avram Cavazos

+1…11. Overlord Having its premiere at this year’s Sitges Int’l Film Fest, Overlord not only happened to be one of the fave films screened there this past festival, but this cinematic fantasy is an all-too-real and stark portrayal of a horror that actually occurred, and it deserves a nod from the Barcelona film critic family, so here it goes. Duly noted, I’d say. It starts with an insane aerial combat mission on the night of D-Day, one which goes awry and sees only a handful of paratroopers surviving the drop when enemy fire rains hell. They land in provincial France and the plot sets out to detail some of the inner workings of the Third Reich in reference to the insane, gruesome experiments done on captured Europeans and Jews. Those stories you’ve heard about turning these poor people into guinea pigs for super soldier intent using potent, injected serums…yeah, those? They’re true, if you believe the words of JJ Abrams. Are they as utterly brutal and horror/zombie film-like as displayed here? I sure as hell hope not. (now available On Demand and DVD)

10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs There once was a film called O Brother Where Art Thou? While this is not its sequel, there is a sharp-witted vein to this film that could only be crafted and gifted to us by the Coen Brothers. What a hoot it is, even if it is a rather darkly-tinted hue of that hoot and humour. It is also one of their finest in years. Revolving around the singing cowpoke Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson) and five other tales brought to us with the commonly-threaded theme of death in often brutally funny ways, this film is a fine return to oddball form from two of the finest sibling directors of all time. Starring Liam Neeson, James Franco, Zoe Kazan, even Tyne Daly and so many in its vignettes, and that acting star power fuses this Western comedy into new territory for the brothers. Their previous works set in the west always seemed to be re-hashing works of years gone by but here, with their usage of almost comic-book-like details and witty banter make this much more enjoyable than their other historical works like O Bother and their remake of True Grit. Best western in absolute years! (available on Netflix or VOD)

9. Eighth Grade This poignant little film, which should have been wide-released everywhere the world over, is given fierce and bittersweet star power by Elsie Fisher, protagonist and student at the heart of this film. Comedian Bo Turnham has brought us the quintessential coming-of-tweenage story and along with Fisher, everyone in this film is so perfectly placed in their roles, especially Josh Hamilton as her dad, who deserves some nominations for this film but is unlikely to get any. Telling the story of 13-year old Kayla, we the audience get a sneak-peek into the minds and lives of today’s young adults. From her simple YouTube videos made to encourage other young kids to her obvious desire to fit in with older kids to her insecurity with boys, this film paints a stark reality that too many have lived through and this little indie film deserves aplomb from anywhere it can get it! (now available On Demand and DVD)

8. A Star is Born I skipped the critics’ screening of this film for the mere fact that I couldn’t bear to see if the acting and plot lines were another torrid take on a much-redone film. Even into the holiday season, I had not yet seen it and then when I did, I certainly took back any reservations. Bradley Cooper’s update of the film starring himself and Lady Gaga is just about as good as everyone said it was, and that was beyond refreshing to note post-viewing. In many ways, I feel that Cooper is likely revealing a few things about himself with the guise of “it’s a movie” being a nice cover; in some ways, he gives us what I believe are hints of his covert life, and it’s with Gaga’s turn as Ally that we really see him shine beyond the shtick of his character, country-rocker Jackson Maine. In a tad corny-tad, gripping way that takes hold the moment you see Gaga, let’s be frank and real, this film goes on to detail a Diet Coke version of the grim realities that often detail too many a tale of celebrity in Hollywood. Without revealing too many details of the film’s plot and denouement, we are looking at a necessary conversation about alcoholism, drug addiction and fame (plus a lack of ’NO’ men/women in many relationships) that needs to addressed for all ages. Well done, Mr. Cooper Goes to the Oscars. (At select screens, On Demand & DVD)

7. El Angel Incidentally, this may be the first time in a rather long time that I say something good about Argentinian men, so do take note. Telling the true story of fresh-faced boy killer Carlos Robledo Puch, played to Oscar-worthy perfection by newcomer Lorenzo Ferro, the masterful detail to which director Luis Ortega has crafted this arthouse meets dramedy-thriller is astounding and easily touches heights set by dePalma and even, dare I say it, Scorcese. We follow young Carlitos Puch, who is just nearing the edge of seventeen, as takes up with a rough and tough family of his devilishly attractive school chum Ramon, played by the spirited Chino Darin, son of Ricardo Darin. But as Carlitos comes to find out, his street crimes can easily be paved to real ones and his sadistic tendencies suddenly yet gradually paint a picture of someone who is in part desperate for attention and tacceptance and in part a fairly smart, well-to-do young adult. He parlays his sociopathy at pubescence into psychopathy with time, and this film will likely be, but should definitely not be, forgotten come awards and Best Of lists time.(available On Demand and DVD)

6. Black Panther As Oscar season comes to a head, it is worth talking about one of the most striking films that you’ll see for a while. Black Panther is that good, not only because of its genre but also because of its message: that seeking freedom through recreating systems of oppression will only extend the ill-treatment and broken nature we find ourselves in nowadays. Set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, protagonist King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) brings us the first real black superhero from the Marvel universe. With a cast including Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Michael B Jordan, the acting is beyond impressive. What is even more amazing, however, is how the plot power-plays many elements of our world’s current political climate. (now available On Demand and DVD)

5. Chappaquiddick Another film which is nothing short of striking in its relevance to the current political situation in the USA. Senator Ted Kennedy was the only remaining Kennedy that I was familiar with throughout my adolescence and early adulthood. Jason Clarke as the Massachusetts senator is astounding, as is the cut of his jib and chin, although the accent was a tad weak, to be ever sincere. This is a complete revelation on the many details that were only gingerly touched upon during the course of the week following the death which this movie is detailing . As the facts are laid out in the film, it astounds me that the American people continued to vote and elect Kennedy for decades after. This is a study on arrogance, class and governmental ambiguity. And if that was the case with liberals in the Sixties, how much more so with conservatives in this digital age? My favourite film of last year’s BCN Film Festival. (now available On Demand and DVD)

4. Private Life Good Lawd this is such a heartwarming/breaking story with the finest elements of believable comedy and situational realism that define the art of the classic Gen X film from the 90s to now. May we never forget that it was Gen, and even those a few years before them, who gave us the digiverse-Netflix-instant oatmeal www.orld in which we live today and when I see a very NYC film like this one, it makes it a true reality check. Being the age that one should be married with kids, I watched Kathryn Hahn as Rachel absolutely slay the silver screen and am eager to see if she picks up any more accolades throughout the current awards season. Simple plot…she’s in her early 40s and her hubby Rich (played by Paul Giamatti) is entering his late 40s and they are fully entrenched within the confines of every single way to conceive a baby. Following the couple through their trials and tribulations really get pushed up an ante when sort-of relative Sadie (the lovely Kayli Carter) decides she will be the surrogate mum for them as things get a tad pear-shaped. This could easily be dubbed a dreamed, for in effect, it is; what needs to be known is that this is also a morality tale for a new age. The old-fashioned ethics of yesteryear just do not apply anymore, at least not in big cities, and the less is more factor easily makes this one of the finest films released within the last year. (available on Netflix)

3. BlacKKKlansman Without a doubt, this is the finest work in all too many years by Spike Lee, and he takes no prisoners in letting you know that the spilled essence of blaxploitation all over this celluloid is to egg you into knowing that this story is 100% true…and crazy. The mere fact that David Duke is literally cheerleading for the current President of the United States should scare us all and wake those who are not. Watching actor John David Washington portray Ron Stallworth, the real-life cop who slyly infiltrated the inner workings of the Klu Klux Klan 40 years ago. After signing up for the Colorado Spring PD, he realises the lack of trust in the 98% Anglo-Saxon workforce, as he’s thrown into monitoring the goings-on of any Black Panther student situations. Eventually, he takes up with a guy on the force that he can dig called Flip and played to skilled excellence by the oddest of lookers Adam Driver. Basically, the plot follows the twosome, as they tag team the aforementioned white supremacist movement, Ron being the voice and Flip being the wingman as they start an investigation on grand wizard bastard himself David Duke, played to troubling perfection by Topher Grace, evoking all of the calmness and utter sociopathic tendencies of a man reviled by most yet revered by still too many. And watching this taut film and how it rolls through such a daunting story with comedic aplomb and vicious realness gives you goosebumps. That said, as the film gets toward its ending, is when Lee gives you the goods when he flashes to scenes from the crazy Charlottesville, Virginia, riots, AntiFa protesting and subsequent death of Heather Heyer, may she rest in peace. God Save the World…and Amerikkka.

2. Fahrenheit 11/9 Premiering a few weeks ago here in Spain at very select cinema screens across the country, this is the first documentary in some time by Michael Moore that could play across an international landscape and should be required viewing on any critic’s or person’s list. The titular oddity refers to the day after we all woke up across the world in shock and awe that Donald J Trump had won the Presidency of the USA. Even if this is not Morre’s best film to date, it is undoubtedly the one that holds the viewers’ feet to the fire and calls for them to fight the nasty funk of this administration. But, it’s when he takes it back to his roots, to Flint, Michigan, and ends up involving all local and state politics, that we start to see the more sinister undertakings happening amongst conservative parties, ideals and societies. When you add in the fact of the Parkland High School shooting and the way Moore later fuses footage of Hitler and his minions and followers with a rally speech made by the current occupant of the White House, it becomes all too obvious that things are exactly as we think they are (A HOT MESS!) and we have very little recourse rather than claiming truth. (now available On Demand and DVD)

1. ROMA There are tender moments of realism that are permitted to happen with the rise of instant cinema on VOD and direct-to-home films, and it has been a pleasure to see that sites like Netflix and Amazon and Canal+ have truly added to the foray in which great celluloid can be brought to the masses. Case in point comes the finest piece of dramatic celluloid that graced the silver screen in the last year. Being a Mexican whose father is a naturalised citizen of the US and a mother who is Chicana from the US, like myself and my siblings, the sentimentality ran deep with this film. One of the differences I experienced was the fact that we were the only Mexican-American family in a stately US country club…and we had an entire childhood spent with loving housekeepers, which is what this film inherently is honouring and depicting, using the backdrop of Alfonso Cuarón’s take on growing up in 70s-upper middle class Mexico City in the neighbourhood of Roma. Depicting the life of the house assistant Cleo (first-time performer Yalitza Aparicio in a J.Hud moment, frankly) and the family of Sr. Antonio (Fernando Grediaga), a doctor in the Mexican capital, what Cuarón has called his most personal film to date, is also a B&W modern tale in the vein of Gone with the Wind, and the fact that he centres around a privileged Mexican family is poignant for several reasons: it not only takes a focus away from how Donald bloody Trump has painted Mexicans, in general, to the world, but it also highlights a very human element to how many classes of society function and live there in the frontier regions of North America and, more importantly, EVERYWHERE…easily put, this is a sweet, oft-times simple, oft-times brutal story on humanity. What binds so many critics together on this film’s merits is that fact that Alfonso Cuarón has crafted the past year’s most enigmatic movie, leaving us to make our own answers to what happens to Lady Cleo, her best mate Teresa, and this beautiful family. Absolutely and quietly stunning! (available on Netflix and selects screens across the country)

#abitterlifethroughcinema #BCNinEnglish #englishradiobcn #overlord #theballadofbusterscruggs #eighth grade #elangel #a star is born #blackpanther #chappaquiddick #privatelife #Blackkklansman #fahrenheit119 #roma film #LucasAvramCavazos

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greensparty · 6 years ago

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BEST MOVIES OF 2018, #10-1

For #15-11 and honorable mentions read here.

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story

Ron Howard

This Han Solo prequel (takes place before Episode 4) got a bad rap, but it had some great set pieces and filled in the gaps like how Han and Chewbacca met!

9. Halloween

David Gordon Green

Setting the reset button on the franchise and ignoring all of the Halloween movies after the 1978 original was a bold move, but it was the best one we’ve seen since the original!

8. Black Panther

Ryan Coogler

Coogler has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a big way with one of the best comic book adaptations Marvel has made yet.

7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Bob Persichetti / Peter Ramsey / Rodney Rothman

One of the most fun comic book hero movies in a long time. It was original, charming and fresh! Bravo for taking the Spider-Man story we know all too well and making it seem new again!

6. A Quiet Place

John Krasinski

Krasinski, of all people, has created a horror film for the ages about a family trying to survive by keeping quiet from monsters attracted to sound. Emily Blunt has never been better!

5. Ready Player One

Steven Spielberg

Spielberg’s best popcorn movie since Minority Report is a fun sensory-overloaded Willy Wonka meets Inception. The tribute to The Shining is worth the price of admission alone!

4. The Last Movie Star

Adam Rifkin

Burt Reynolds as a faded movie star going to a small film festival wasn’t just a tribute to Reynolds (in his best performance since Boogie Nights), it was a love letter to big talents whose phone stopped ringing. Most underrated film of 2018!

3. BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee

Lee’s best movie since 25th Hour, hands down! Between the true story of an African-American cop infiltrating the KKK in the 1970s, Lee’s takedown of President Trump, and an impressive cast, Lee is back in a big way!

2. Vice

Adam McKay

Adam McKay is one of the most exciting directors working today. After The Big Short, he brought his clever and funny voice to the story of Dick Cheney in a biopic that actually challenges the conventions of movie biopics. Christian Bale and the cast are at the top of their game too!

1. Eighth Grade

Bo Burnham

There have been honest teen movies before, but this debut from Burnham about the last week of junior high captured that era in all its awkward, uncomfortable glory thanks to a star-in-the-making performance from Elsie Fisher. It also had so much to say about the digital era. Burnham has made one for the ages!

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comiccrusaders · 6 years ago

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Oni Press announces Dream Daddy comic based on the popular video game

Will you go out with Teacher Dad? Goth Dad? Bad Dad? Oni Press welcomes Dream Daddy, a new comics series based on the acclaimed Game Grumps visual novel video game co-created by Vernon Shaw and Leighton Gray! Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator invites the player to Maple Bay, where they play as a single Dad new to town and eager to romance other hot Dads. The comic series tells five standalone stories, each focused on different Maple Bay Dads.

You can pick up the first print issue, with a cover by Kris Anka (Runaways), at the Oni Press booth #6305 all weekend at PAX West (Penny Arcade Expo) in Seattle, WA. If you’re not attending, don’t worry! The issue will also be available in the Oni Press online shop. All subsequent print issues will also have covers by Kris Anka, and will be available via the Oni Press store and convention appearances at RCCC, NYCC, and PAX Unplugged. Digital versions of each comic are available monthly on Steam, Comixology, Amazon/Kindle, Google Play, and iTunes/iBooks! Fans can sign up for Dream Daddy comic alerts here.

“There are so many more stories we wanted to explore in the DDADDS universe,” said Vernon Shaw. “And Oni is giving us this amazing new outlet to tell them. Hope everyone likes Dad jokes!”

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

“It’s always been a dream of mine to work on a comic book series,” said Leighton Gray. “I couldn’t be happier that we got to make all these cool new Dad stories with such cool people!”

Issue #1: “Much Abird About Nothing” (Aug. 29) Wendy Xu (A/C) Ryan Maniulit

It’s college reunion time! Who’d have thought that it’s already been fifteen years since Keg-Stand Craig and the new Dad on the block went to college? This one’s like a buddy cop comedy, only there are no cops and more avoiding old flames while trying to stifle an existential breakdown, bro.

Issue #2: “Let The Right Dad In” (Sept. 26) Lee C. A. (A/C) Jack Gross

There’s a new Dad in the cul-de-sac… and he’s already sunk his fangs into the neighborhood! But Robert knows a vampire when he sees one, and he’s armed with enough garlic and rewatches of F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Issue #3: “Dream Ad-y” (Oct. 24) Leighton Gray, Vernon Shaw (A) Jarrett Williams (C) Jeremy Lawson

Sales are dropping at the Coffee Spoon, and Mat is looking for a way to drive new customers to the shop. Thank goodness the rest of the neighborhood is filled to the brim with enough seasoned craftsmen of the film industry to create the best local ad Maple Bay has ever seen! Just kidding, have you ever asked a Dad to take a picture of you? What can we say? The Dads and their kids try their best.

Issue #4: “Fair Deal” (Nov. 21) C. Spike Trotman (A) Drew Green (C) Reed Black

The science fair is tomorrow, and Daisy hasn’t started her project yet! All she wants is a ride to the library and a participation ribbon. But Brian has bigger plans for her: wind turbines, working replicas of Mount Vesuvius, human genome editing. Turns out Daisy’s not the only one who procrastinated, and Joseph is out to force Christian and Christie to become the next science superstars. Can the kids get their presentations ready before the librarian kicks them all out for a no holds barred Dad-off?

Issue #5: “Dungeons & Daddies” (Dec. 19) Josh Trujillo (A) D.J. Kirkland (C) Matt Herms

Hugo has been preparing for this moment for months, and it’s finally here. He’s wrangled all of the Dads to play an extremely popular but non-descript tabletop role playing game together! And with his carefully laid plans, Hugo is sure he’ll be the best Dungeon Master they’ve ever seen… as long as they all take the game as seriously as he does.

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator was released on July 20, 2017 for Windows and macOS, and on September 22, 2017 for Linux.

Who’s Your Daddy? Oni Press announces Dream Daddy comic based on the popular video game Will you go out with Teacher Dad?

#comics #Dream Daddy #KRIS ANKA #oni

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Zack Snyder’s Justice League Review

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

When fans gathered beneath the “#ReleaseTheSnyderCut” billboard at San Diego Comic-Con a few years ago, a finished version of Zack Snyder’s Justice League didn’t exist. Sure, there was a rough edit the director kept for his own collection, saving it from Warner Bros. after being effectively replaced by Joss Whedon during reshoots in 2017. But with unfinished effects, no music, and apparently little polish, this version turned out to be a glorified assembly cut which contained everything, plus the kitchen sink. Yet that fact mattered little to fans who demanded more—more movie, more Snyder, and ultimately more content.

Well, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, as it’s now called, is here. And if more content is what you really want, you’re about to be submerged up to your eyeballs in it. With a running time of just over four hours, the Snyder Cut is four minutes longer than Gone with the Wind and nearly 15 minutes lengthier than Lawrence of Arabia. One suspects Snyder hopes this is considered a cinematic epic on that scale. The new version even bizarrely reverts to a square frame, foregoing the widescreen format the film’s shots were originally composed for—and perhaps coincidentally mirroring recent arthouse darlings like The Lighthouse and First Cow.

But these details are simple affectations, the pretensions of a filmmaker who is otherwise making no hard choices about the excess of comic book gibberish he’s assembled. And for all its now (mostly) finished CG and numbing slow-motion, this still very much is gibberish: a movie that mistakes ponderousness for poignancy, and which remains an assembly cut so rough you’d be forgiven for wondering if anything was left on the cutting room floor. Despite its cinematic airs, this has ironically become bona fide streaming service content, the kind that’s as undercooked or unwieldy as anything else greenlit solely in fealty to an algorithm.

Picking up where Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice left off, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is at heart the same dopey story as the theatrical cut. Following Superman’s death, “the bell has been rung” and a computer-generated behemoth named Steppenwolf—now with a lot more spikes on his armor and a gravellier voice courtesy of Ciarán Hinds—has arrived on Earth to retrieve three “Mother Boxes.”

In spite of that Saturday morning cartoon setup, these elements are unspooled at a glacial pace and with a funereal self-seriousness as Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) recruit a team of superheroes. The newcomers include Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller), Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and perhaps most importantly Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher). Together they will brood, recite copious amounts of exposition, and eventually resurrect Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) from the dead. Also they’ll tease an armada of sequels featuring far off aliens, and heavily foreshadowed betrayals, that will never come to anything.

As a finished product, the most interesting thing about Zack Snyder’s Justice League is how it contrasts with the studio-approved version rushed into theaters by Whedon. While effectively the same story, Snyder’s version is the more satisfying iteration, if only because it’s so purely Zack Snyder. It is also a noticeable step up from Batman v Superman thanks to concessions made at the beginning of the Justice League‘s production. Gone is the pseudo-intellectual dialogue about gods and character motivations that better resemble Philosophy 101 term papers.

Nevertheless, we again have a film in which the heroes spend as much time posing for some unseen sculptor as they do interacting with one another, and the protagonists still have a uniformly glum outlook on humanity. Superman remains an ambiguous presence (if not outright insidious at times), and Batman again enjoys blowing holes in his enemies (now with digital blood!), although they’re Parademons instead of human beings this time.

All that said, this is wholly Snyder’s vision played to the hilt, with the filmmaker occasionally finding his peculiar brand of grace notes, such as when he puts Nick Cave’s “There is a Kingdom” over an Aquaman swim. By contrast, the “Whedon Cut” is further revealed for the Frankenstein’s Monster it is—a patchwork of unfinished ideas stitched together on the proverbial slab of a studio committee’s table. There are elements that work much better here. For example, Lois Lane’s grief over losing Clark Kent. And there are others that don’t, such as Batman’s mentoring of the Flash (gone is the “save one” speech).

But taken as a whole, this is a piece with Snyder’s Batman v Superman and Man of Steel, and his insistent grandiloquence can at times be charming in its stony-faced earnestness, if still also exhausting.

Perhaps the characters who are best served by the extended edition are the hero Cyborg and the villain Steppenwolf. The former was reduced to a handful of clichés in the theatrical version. Here Ray Fisher gets a lot more screen time and is good in all of it. New flashback scenes still stumble at making the character fully compelling, but Fisher at least depicts a complete arc across the four hours. None of his other teammates can say that.

Meanwhile Steppenwolf is given a discernable motivation for retrieving Mother Boxes, even if it essentially transforms him into a middle management baddie in the process—the supervillain equivalent of a parking valet waiting on the off-screen Darkseid. Indeed, the latter appears briefly as a CGI brute who’s built up to like Sauron from Lord of the Rings, even as he comes across closer to a mindless Cave Troll in his first big scene.

Darkseid is eventually given a fuller texture as the film shambles along, but then that might be the biggest problem of this iteration of Justice League: the amount of time it takes to get anywhere. Divided into seven chapters, complete with title cards, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is structured, and more frustratingly paced, like a television series. If it had been released in that medium, then more power to HBO Max. But the refusal to make any attempts to wrangle the material down to even three hours means a full 68 minutes will go by before the Flash is introduced, and hours will pass before supporting characters reappear. It gives the proceedings a listless, meandering quality, and that includes the action sequences.

In the end, Justice League 2.0 breaks the cardinal sin of not committing to anything while indulging everything. Even its new scenes from Snyder’s own reshoots last year (you’ll know them when you see them) add nothing to the overall film other than gratifying the director’s worst impulses, which are now unburdened from the restraints of logic or cohesive storytelling.

For the most devoted disciples, moments like Justice League’s new, inexplicable epilogue will be treated like scripture, which is fine. To everyone else though, know that Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a cold and it’s a very broken hallelujah.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League premieres on HBO Max on Thursday, March 18.

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The post Zack Snyder’s Justice League Review appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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rsbexpressions · 7 years ago

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Black Super Hero’s

AWSUM ISLOVE / SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

As you rave over Luke Cage, and soon Marvels’ Black Panther, Black SuperHeros have had a presence and history that out dates these two series. While this may the first time Black Superhero’s have been prominent on white owned media platforms, independent Black owned media platforms have been doing this for decades.

There are #AfrikanSuperHero movies, t.v series, & comics written, produced, directed & illustrated by actual Afrikans & the Afrikan Diaspora.

Black Comic book conventions such as E.B.A.C.C (www.ecbacc.com/wordpress4) (Yumy Odom, Founder and President) of the largest Black Comic book convention on the East Coast was created in May 2002 in Philadelphia. The Schomburg will be doing its 7th Annual Black Comic Book Festival in January 2018, co-produced by John Jennings. The producers of the festival are replicating it in California. In the Midwest for have MECCAcon ( https://meccacon.wordpress.com/) (founder, organizer, CEO, Maia Crown Williams)

OYA: RISE OF THE ORISHAS is a short film originally released in July 31, 2016. Created by Nigerian-UK filmmaker, Nosa Igbinedion, it was nominated for the Efere Ozako Award for Best Short film. You can currently watch the new installment, YEMOJA:Rise of the Orishas, on demand via the website.

(www.riseoftheorisha.com/)

This generation of Black-African Super Hero creators has done what #SidneyPoitier #HarryBelafonte, #RubyDee, #OssieDavis, The Black Arts Movement, & many more have done before them. Most millennials, born between 1980-1999, only know Ruby & Ossie as the old couple from Spike Lee’s, “Do the Right Thing” film. What you probably don’t know is that they owned/operated a production co. for audio recorded cassettes of music and ent. Emmalyn II Productions Co., Inc. and a business consulting service Dee-Davis Enterprises in 2010. Ossie was a film, television and Broadway actor, director, poet, playwright, author, and civil rights activist. Ruby was an actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and civil rights activist.

Ivan Dixon, director of “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” in 1970, was an actor, director & producer from 1957 to 1991 . Brock Peters, producer of 1970 film “Five on the Black Hand Side” made his film debut in Carmen Jones in 1954, and sang background vocals on the 1956 hit "Day-O" by Harry Belafonte. He did voice overs in Batman: the animated series, and Darth Vador for the radio adaptation of the original Star Wars trilogy for National Public Radio (1981-1986).

White owned media saw the mass amounts of money that was being made by independent Black owned business & entrepreneurs that contribute to African diaspora characters. Not only was it making money, but it was taking money from their pockets as #BlackConsumers went to their own for empowering images of themselves. Prior to this, they cared nothing of us (and still don’t) only our money.

A living, elevated example of that transition, is Pamela Thomas. Culminating her collection as an adult, she looks back at her childhood. Disappointed with the lack of empowering Black representation, if any, in main stream comics, she looked elsewhere...and found it! The Museum of Uncut Funk, (http://museumofuncutfunk.com/) is an online digital museum of BlackSuper Heros, She-rah’s, & paraphernalia that, “ celebrate[s] our contribution to history year round!” Everything from Fat Albert, The Jackson 5 cartoon, Mr. T comics, The Harlem Glob Trotters cartoon, and stuff I never knew existed. Her traveling exhibit, “ Funk Turns 40: Black Character Revolution” debuted at The Schomburg in 2014. That exhibition also eye-marked a new curation style for the Schomburg center; the walls were painted in bright solid colors dipping the viewer inside the luscious array of diversity and beauty, that is Black culture. It was this authors official introduction to Black Characters & the History of Black Characters. Since then, everything in regards to Black characters on t.v. and advertisements, failed in comparison. We have set a very high bar. That bar, is the norm for the independent Black image creators. Since then, everything in regards to Black characters on t.v. and advertisements, failed in comparison. We have set a very high bar. That bar is the norm for the independent Black image creators mentioned in this article.

“ Since then, everything in regards to Black characters... failed in comparison. We have set a very high bar. That bar, is the norm for the independent Black image creators...”

And again, my people have drunk the Koolaid of a white owned representation of something Black, thinking it will be "sweeter" & “cooler” than what we create for ourselves. This is a falsehood, (& an act of cultural treason) that must stop. Wanting Black content is not enough. We have to want ourselves.

* Pay Attn to the Dates.* Your vision got drowned out by the white accredited version of a Black Superhero. (HHHmmmm) Their approval is not necessary for us to be fabulous, amazing, talented, disciplined, successful, & valued.

The best pple to represent our stories is US! And it is EXCELLENT!

In Order of Mention:

The Schomburg Center: Black Comic Book Festival ( https://www.nypl.org/locations/scho...)

Cosplay at the 5th annual Black Comic Book Festival

John Jennings (http://jijennin70.tumblr.com/)

EBACC

Yumy Odum: Founder/ Ceo Of EBACC (East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, Inc)

MECCAcon

Maiya Crown Williams; CEO, Founder, Organizer of MECCAcon: (photo from www.sugarcayne.com)

Nosa Igbinedion ( https://www.nosa-filmmaker.com)

Sidney Poitier / Bahamian Actor, film director, author and diplomat.

Harry Belafonte

Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis (Power Couple)

Ivan Dixon

Brock Peters

The Museum of Uncut Funk / Pamela Thomas

HCIC Pam Thomas, with actress of Blaxploitation films, Pam Grier.

For a full article review with pics on the Funky Turns 40 exhibit http://www.a-r-t.com/funky/

Premier of FunkyTurns 40 at the schomburg; 2014

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Other Independent African Diaspora Creators Links:

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Banned Cartoons: What images of the African Diaspora ( & references to our culture) used to look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNr...

OYA: Rise of the Orishas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMb...)

The Rise of Sango and tthe Lagos Comic Con https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duV...

Michael Rima (Visual Effects artist):

Sango trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLa... / https://vimeo.com/user37190487

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sunnydaleherald · 5 years ago

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, May 21

AMANDA: Do people ever think you're weird? BUFFY: Um, I guess. Sure, in a charming, endearing, loveable... Yeah.

~~Potential~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Work In Progress (Xander, Scoobies, not rated - worksafe) by Val_Creative

Sparks, Steaks, and Stakes (Spike/Buffy, T) by DarkVoid116

Duke/Spike fic snippet (crossover with Haven) by cookiedoughmeagain

More Grimm Tails (Spike/Buffy, R) by Twinkles

Sparks, Steaks, and Stakes (Spike/Buffy, PG-13) by DarkVoid116

Dainty Ankles & Wolfboys (crossover with The 10th Kingdom, Dawn, Wolf, PG13) by Skaldic

[Chaptered Fiction]

Redux Chapter 1 (Spike/Connor, M) by beetle

Compelled By Love Chapter 13 (crossover with The Vampire Diaries, M) by Buffyworldbuilder. COMPLETE!

Earth Through The Looking Glass. Chapter 3 (Dawn, Willow, Faith, Buffybot, Kennedy, T) by steeleye

Far From Home Chapter 17 (Angel/Buffy, ensemble, M) by aboutafox

The Great Moppet Caper Chapter 5 (Giles/Buffy, Xander/Dawn, T) by ElladuSang

A Life Given-A Life Lived Chapter 3 (crossover with Avengers, G) by Buffyworldbuilder. COMPLETE!

[Images, Audio & Video]

Vid: Please, please, please (let me get what I want) (Spike/Buffy, worksafe) by Double Dutchess

Artwork: Enemies with Benefits (School Hard) banners (Spike/Buffy, worksafe) by Double Dutchess

Vid: Please, please, please (let me get what I want) (Spike/Buffy, worksafe) by Double Dutchess

Artwork: Enemies with Benefits (School Hard) banners (Spike/Buffy, worksafe) by Double Dutchess

Artwork: Buffy and Faith icons (Buffy, Faith, Buffy/Faith, worksafe) by coldbloodedjellydonut

Artwork: Faith/Buffy digital painting (worksafe) by valc0

Artwork: Buffy (worksafe) by gianelson

Sims: Buffy Summers from Buffy The Vampire Slayer in The Sims 3 (worksafe) by Sideshow_Snob_Sims (sideshowsnob)

Vid: Boss Bitch by Doja Cat (Buffy) by Lor3nzzo

Vid: Fearless (Buffy) by Avery DeeVon

Vid: Monster (Faith) by Laura Winchester

Vid: Buffy & Angel Appreciation (Buffy/Angel) by Payton G.

Vid: I want you to get out of my face (Buffy, Buffy/Angel) by Wanda Snow

Vid: Dance Monkey (ensemble) by BloodyThorn

Vid: i was all over her; (Buffy/Angel) by leah;

Music: Rest in Peace cover by Jack E Chambers (song starts at 2:57)

Music: Going Through the Motions and three more OMwF covers uploaded by William Robinson

Fandub: Beats being alone all by yourself (Cordelia) by A Pixie's Whisper

Fandub: Here's the part where you make a choice (Buffy) by A Pixie's Whisper

Makeup tutorial and cosplay: GRWM | Buffy the Vampire Slayer Look (Buffy) by Don Nguyen

Video: The Graveyard farm (part 1) (Stardew Valley fusion) by Katarina Cakić

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Intro Recreated With Stock Footage by Matthew Highton

Artwork process video: Buffy - Sketch (Timelapse) (Buffy) by Cem Iroz

Artwork: Buffy from 'The Harvest' 6" Custom Figure (worksafe) by Chosen01

[Reviews & Recaps]

Buffy vs. Dracula by myst-l-vie

Books by Kiersten White ["Slayer" and "Chosen"] reviewed on Read This Book by Lisa Von Drasek, Tim Johnson (umnLibraries)

Comic Uno's Best Comics of the Week with BtVS #14 at the top of the list, by haydenclaireheroes

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #14 - Released 4/1/20 (Boom! Studios) by Priceless

Help by flow

The Body? So. Much. Tears. by elenadearest and others

What is your view on five by five and sanctuary? by Carrierunaway, purplemackem, and others

And some people DON'T love Tabula Rasa?? by purplemackem, jekyllcorvus, and others

PODCAST: Still Pretty 116. Triangle (S5.11)

PUBLICATION: Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #14 by Jideobi Odunze (beyondthepanel.net)

[Recs]

More Links Than A Bag Of Sausages by petzipellepingo

Rec request: post-Chosen Spuffy stories where Spike doesn’t end up in LA and instead comes back to Buffy requested by weareinastormoffuck

Top Ten BtVS Crossover Stories from Twisting the Hellmouth recced by Puppet

[Community Announcements]

Signup for the 2020 Summer of Giles is open at summerofgiles

[Fandom Discussions]

Jesus Christ like WHY DIDN’T BUFFY AND SPIKE END UP TOGETHER by vitruvianwatson, merelypassingtime, and others

we all know buffy suffers from depression/suicidal thoughts and actions later on in the series but by volatilevampyr

Buffy and Faith’s chemistry by roqueslayer

comparison between how She-Ra subverts the chosen one narrative and how Buffy does it by mybitca

[Fuffy "They were roommates" AU headcanon] by daisys-quake

am i the only one mad over the fact that joss whedon said he’d make willow bisexual in the remake? by tweekbrews

[Trope inversion/subversion in Bangel canon] by buffysummers, aboutafox

Which Buffy Is Your Least Favourite & Why? by burrunjor, DeadlyDuo, Puppet, AlphaFoxtrot, and others

Angel's Fetishes (cont'd) by SpikeRocks, TriBel

Why do you prefer s5-s7? hosted by BuffyBot22

Do you think that Faith ever had to prostitute herself for money? (cont'd) by bespangeled

Re: Joss Whedon Would Have Made Willow Bisexual If Buffy Was Made Today by anutnac, honest-hearts, and others

Translations of The Spells in Buffy - Contribute with the ones you can understand or translate! hosted by wendyangeladarling

Season 4 appreciation thread/discussion by cultclassic80 and others

The Buffy/Faith dream in Graduation Day by purplemackem and others

[After Doyle died, I was hoping that Wesley wasn't going to join team Angel] by Salvatore-Charmed

Spin Off shows I'd like to see by Ridwyn

Video: Altering Xander Harris in Buffy the Vampire Slayer by TheComixkid2099

Video: Book recommendations for BtVS characters by Kjersti Gulli

Video: Renee and Dennis on Buffy S1 by Dennis Tardan Vidcasts

News Post: May 21, 2020 by Myrabeth

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Is Coming To UK TV & Streaming Platform "All 4"

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

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comixology · 6 years ago

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ComiXology Originals Reveals Details on the Next Wave of Exclusive Creator-Owned Comics at Comic-Con International San Diego 2018

Launching Titles are Free to Read Today for Members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited Members

Also Exclusively Available for Purchase Today on Kindle and comiXology

Goliath Girls Available in Japanese Same Day in Japan and Worldwide

July 18st, 2018 – San Diego, CA / New York, NY – ComiXology, Amazon’s premiere digital comics service, announced today the creative teams and titles for the next wave of comiXology Originals creator-owned comic books and graphic novels, during a press event today at Comic-Con International San Diego 2018.

The comiXology Originals debuting today include: Goliath Girls by writer Sam Humphries and artist Alti Firmansyah, Grave Danger by writer Tim Seeley and Mike Norton, Hit Reblog: Comics That Caught Fire by writer and artist Megan Kearney, along with over a dozen webcomics superstars and editor, Hope Nicholson, and Teenage Wasteland by writer Magdalene Visaggio and artist Jen Vaughn. Readers can dive in immediately: the books are free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited and are also available for purchase on Kindle and comiXology.

Also unveiled at Comic-Con International were future comiXology Original titles to be released in the coming months including: The Dark by writer Mark Sable and artist Kristian Donaldson, Delver by co-writers C. Spike Trotman and MK Reed with art by Tish Doolin, and The Stone King by writer Kel McDonald and artist Tyler Crook.

Alongside today’s content announcements comiXology debuted a convention exclusive comiXology Originals 2018 Preview Book, featuring story pages, creator bios and behind the scenes process sketches from current and upcoming comiXology Originals creator-owned series. The comiXology Originals 2018 Preview Book will be given away at comiXology’s panels and during creator signings at booth #2547 throughout Comic-Con International, which takes place at the San Diego Convention Center July 18-22 in San Diego, CA. At the booth fans can also receive a limited edition comiXology Originals enamel pin, free – small quantities of the pin will be available at the start of each day, first-come-first-served. ComiXology will also be hosting 10 panels at this year’s convention and during every panel limited quantities of signed Savage Game Print-on-Demand books along with other giveaways to be given out to attendees. For the full panel and signing schedule check out comiXology’s social media and Tumblr.

“When we debuted the first wave of creator owned comiXology Original titles, we launched all five issues of the Superfreaks series in one day so readers could binge read the series at once. No one had ever done that before, and that’s just the tip of what we have planned,” said comiXology’s Head of Content Chip Mosher. “Today we are making history again with Goliath Girls which is releasing simultaneously in English and Japanese. Going forward we’ll continue to push the envelope with new ways to connect with readers. It’s great to be able to offer the over 100 million Prime members worldwide the opportunity to experience these great books.”

More about the comiXology Originals titles available now can be found below:

Goliath Girls Written by Sam Humphries with art by Alti Firmansyah Monsters will rise, cities will fall...but best friends are forever! Zelda, Eunice, and Juliet are three best friends: orphans of the Kaiju Generation, and adoptive mothers to their own baby Goliath! For years they’ve searched for the elusive King of All Goliaths, the one fabled to bring the Forever War to an end. But they’re not the only ones on his trail.

• 5-issue miniseries – available monthly – $2.99 per issue on Kindle and comiXology • An industry first: simultaneously available in Japanese same day in Japan through Amazon.jp, and worldwide • Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited • Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand exclusively on Amazon.com

Grave Danger Written by Tim Seeley with art by Mike Norton She is Grave Danger, agent of Headstone, a joint clandestine espionage organization that handles all unspeakable crime! [Unspeakable Crime- Illegal acts committed by paranormal entities such as vampires, witches, demons, and Frankensteins.] Agent Danger leaps into action from the suborbital Mourning Angel base, afraid of nothing! [Except getting her sneakers dirty. And heights.] [Also, her past.]. The first release from Daniel Alter and Jeff Forsyth’s new company Comix AF. • 5-issue miniseries – available monthly – $2.99 per issue on Kindle and comiXology • Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited • Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand exclusively on Amazon.com

Hit Reblog: Comics That Caught Fire Written and illustrated by Megan Kearney, edited by Hope Nicholson Hit Reblog: Comics That Caught Fire showcases the viral sensations of the webcomics world and the true stories behind their creators. Follow the ups and downs of internet fame, from IP theft to book deals, and all the trials of becoming an overnight sensation after gaining 10,000 reblogs in a single night. Learn about the origins behind the hit comic strips "This is Fine", "All Houses Matter", "No Take, Only Throw", and frequently-viral webcomics such as Owlturd, Cyanide and Happiness, False Knees, and Poorly Drawn Lines. Each of the twenty artists featured includes a biographical intro by award-winning comic artist Megan Kearney (Disney Princess, The Secret Loves of Geek Girls).

Hit Reblog: Comics That Caught Fire includes comics by webcomic superstars: Anelien, Joshua Barkman, Rob Denbleyker, Adam Ellis, Reza Farazmand, Nick Franco, Craig Froehle, KC Green, Ryan Harby, Maya Kern, Fran Krause, Dami Lee, David Malki!, Dave Mcelfatrick, Alex Norris, Branson Reese, Nick Seluk, Katie Shanahan, Brandon Sheffield, Shen, Kris Straub, and Zach Weinersmith, Kris Wilson. Edited by Hope Nicholson of the multi Eisner-award nominated publisher Bedside Press. • Collection 120pg – $6.99 on Kindle and comiXology • Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited • Available for pre-order in print for $9.99 as a Print-on-Demand graphic novel exclusively on Amazon.com

Teenage Wasteland Written by Magdalene Visaggio with art by Jen Vaughn Smart-mouthed Ellie Tweed is the jerkhole new girl in school who falls in with the wrong crowd, who happen to have an explosive secret: they aren’t just jerkhole teenage girls with attitude, they are the Earth’s secret defenders! And Ellie’s their newest recruit. From the creative duo of Magdalene Visaggio (Kim & Kim) and Jen Vaughn (Betty & Veronica: Vixens) comes this action-packed series where after school activities include transforming into superheroes and fighting monsters! • 5-issue miniseries – available monthly – $2.99 per issue will be available on Kindle and comiXology • Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited • Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand exclusively on Amazon.com

Titles arriving in the coming months:

The Dark Written by Mark Sable with art by Kristian Donaldson After a worldwide cyberwar ends technology as we know it, a former super-soldier teams up with a biopunk to fight the rise of a biological internet forcing humanity to connect to it—whether they want to or not. • Original Graphic Novel will be available on Kindle and comiXology • Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited • A print edition will be available soon via Print-on-Demand exclusively on Amazon.com

Delver Written by C. Spike Trotman and MK Reed with art by Tish Doolin When the door to a living dungeon surfaces in the tiny hamlet of Oddgoat, village girl Temerity Aster has two choices: abandon the only home she’s ever known to carpet baggers and sellswords, or carve out a place for herself and her family in the new and dangerous world of delving. • 5-issue miniseries will be available on Kindle and comiXology • Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited • Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand exclusively on Amazon.com

The Stone King Written by Kel McDonald with art by Tyler Crook A young adult fantasy adventure about finding who you are through taking responsibility for your mistakes, The Stone King explores the life of a teen girl thief, working to determine her future path but instead provokes a giant. • 4-issue miniseries will be available on Kindle and comiXology • Free to read for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited • Print collected edition will be available via Print-on-Demand exclusively on Amazon.com

These titles join Savage Game an original graphic novel created by NFL player Ryan Kalil, written by Shawn Kittelsen, with art by Chris B. Murray, Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty issues #1-2 from writer Richard Starkings, and artists Axel Medellin and Boo Cook; and Ask For Mercy issues #1-2 from writer Starkings and newcomer artist Abigail Jill Harding.

In addition, Superfreaks, a debut series from co-writers Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet, and newcomer artist Margaux Saltel with all 5 issues released at once for bingeable reading, is available today as a digital collected edition.

Customers can enjoy comiXology Originals releases on a variety of Amazon’s membership services. Prime Reading offers Amazon Prime members a rotating selection of over a thousand top Kindle books, magazines, short works, comic books, children’s books, and more – all at no additional cost. Kindle Unlimited offers over 1 million titles, thousands of audiobooks, and select current issues of popular magazines for just $9.99 a month with a 30-day free trial at amazon.com/kindleunlimited. ComiXology Unlimited now offers over 15,000 comics, graphic novels and manga for just $5.99 a month with a 30-day free trial at comixology.com/unlimited. All titles are also available as individual purchases on Kindle and comiXology.

For more updates on comiXology Originals, check out http://comixologyoriginals.com and follow comiXology on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About comiXology ComiXology, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is a revolutionary, cloud-based digital comics service. With content from over 125 publishers as well as thousands of independent creators from around the world, comiXology provides an unrivaled library of comic books, graphic novels, manga and bandes dessinées. The company’s first-in-class innovations include the exclusive Guided View technology which provides an immersive and cinematic reading experience and a new monthly subscription service. ComiXology is based in New York City, with operations in Seattle and Los Angeles. For more information, visit comixology.com and follow the company on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

About Amazon Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

#press release

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enterinit · 5 years ago

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New Xbox One Games for May 5 to 8

New Xbox One Games for May 5 to 8.

Pushy and Pully in Blockland – May 5

Pushy and Pully in Blockland is a cooperative arcade game with a retro feeling. Pushy and Pully are travelling through space when their spaceship breaks. They end up falling into Blockland, a planet full of blocks and monsters. The only way for them to escape is to move from room to room while defeating the monsters, until they find a boss that has a piece of the spaceship. Help Pushy and Pully get back their spaceship on their trip across Blockland. Push blocks to defeat the monsters, join blocks of the same colour to get power ups and defeat the bosses to recover the parts of your broken spaceship. Features: Play solo or with a friendClassic gameplay with never-seen-before twistsCombine blocks of the same colour to create the power up you need or the bonus points that will bump up your position in the leaderboardsEnd the stage by defeating all the enemies before time runs outDefeat more than one monster at the same time or pop more than two blocks to get extra combo points.50 lovingly handmade levels5 unique bosses to challenge youLeaderboards and stage rating. Can you make more points than your friends?

Emma: Lost in Memories – May 5

Poetic, surrealistic and melancholic, EMMA: Lost in Memories offers a unique experience in a strange and dangerous world where walls fade away as you touch them. The main character, Emma, is young, vibrant and intriguing: she leaves her home following an owl, and soon loses herself in a world which she slowly finds more and more dangerous. Features: One fast and simple mechanic: all the platforms and walls start disappearing when you touch them!The character runs automatically at a fixed speed! Control her special abilities (double jump, dash and climb) and do your best to react at the correct time.Minimalistic 2D artistic style completely drawn by hand.Dynamic gameplay in a poetic and eccentric world.Single-screen levels which combine skill and ingenuity with planification and strategy.Two game modes: Main Story and Memory Chest. Complete the Main Story first to enjoy the levels in the Memory Chest!Delicate reflexion on memory loss.

Reed 2 – May 6

Reed awakens… to the memories of the old supercomputer… Reed failed. The reboot failed and now the digital world is once again breaking down. Before the old supercomputer malfunctioned, it gave Reed backup files that must be delivered to the Developer. Collect information cubes once again in a desolate version of the last remnants of the digital world. Dodge floor spikes, razor blades, enemies, and wall arrows to reach the next stage! Find hidden survivors trying to escape from the new horrors of the corruption. The virtual world is now doomed, can you get to the Developer? Features: 52 levels to conquerDesolate pixel art graphicsAmbient chilling OST

Task Force Kampas – May 6

Arcade space shooter action reimagined! A team of outcasts who happen to be in the wrong place during an evil invasion must contain the breach, save their friends and defend the universe from corruption! Drawing inspiration from the golden age of Japanese shoot‘em ups, Task Force Kampas combines retro action with modern conventions, adding new mechanics and randomly generated stages with hand-crafted bosses. In a unique twist, the game can be finished, but skilled players will find a way to continue past the ending and claim even higher scores! Rhythmic gameplay and a pulsing soundtrack work together to create an intense audio-visual experience. Features: Blast through randomized stages with high-intensity gameplay!Challenge a variety of hand-crafted bosses.Test your skill in endless runs to claim the high score on a single credit.Kill enemies to boost your power or stop shooting to repair your ship.Get in the mood with a punchy techno/synthwave soundtrack!Unlock alternate color palettes and extreme difficulties.Save the stranded cocos for unlimited happiness!

Zombies Ruined My Day – May 6

This is the story of how the best day of your life can become a nightmare full of zombies. Survive in a hostile environment using all sorts of weapons. Defend your position with barricades, blow up groups of zombies with grenades, sweep the area away with a Gatling and more! All in a fully action packed game with colorful backgrounds and fearsome monsters. Show us that you're more than a snack for zombies! Features: 27 challenging levels across 3 distinct zones6 zombie types and 3 huge bosses8 weapons to unlockColorful cartoony graphicsAnd an amusing background story! Professional Farmer: American Dream – May 6 Live the “American Dream” on your ranch in the USA. Professional Farmer: American Dream – the latest spin-off from the Professional Farmer series – takes you to a ranch set in the captivating landscapes of the Midwest. Surrounded by towering mountain ranges, build your dream as a rancher in America with lush fields as far as the eye can see.

Infinite: Beyond the Mind – May 7

Infinite - Beyond The Mind is a slick 2D action-platformer where you take on evil Queen Evangelyn Bramann, ruler of The Beljantaur Kingdom as she works towards her dream of world domination. Play as either Tanya or Olga, two girls who have the power to stop the Beljantaur Kingdom’s growing army and take down the evil Queen. Take on a range of different bosses in either single-player or co-op across a variety of stunning chibi pixel art style backdrops as you explore the Beljantaur Kingdom. Your agility is the key to your survival on the battlefield and your strength is what will prevent the Queen's reign of terror from taking over the world… Do you stand a chance against her Majesty?

Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes – May 8

A classic reborn! Casual, turn-based strategy in a land of fantastical creatures and deadly machines! In the aftermath of a great flood, a vengeful leader threatens to conquer the world with the aid of a once lost technology, and only a small but determined army stands in their path. Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes is the definitive release of the 2009 turn-based strategy classic, Mecho Wars. Fully remastered in high definition, it features new hand painted art, new visual effects, an expanded single-player campaign and six previously unreleased multiplayer maps.

Fury Unleashed – May 8

Fury Unleashed is a combo-driven rougelite action platformer - each kill you make increases your combo. Hit certain thresholds and your damage resistance and healing powers will kick in! It's a game you can even beat in one ultimate combo. Are you up to the task? ABOUT FURY UNLEASHED Fury Unleashed was created by combining inspiration from modern roguelite platformers, like Dead Cells and Rogue Legacy, with nostalgic memories of old-school platformers, like Contra and Metal Slug. We have spent five years polishing our creation to make sure that your experience with the game will be as memorable as the aforementioned titles and we wholeheartedly believe that you won't be disappointed. MAIN FEATURES • Ever-changing comic book – Explore the pages of a living comic book where ink is your most valuable resource and each room is a comic panel. Find out why is John Kowalsky, creator of acclaimed Fury Unleashed series, having a creativity crisis and see if you can help him deal with it. • Gameplay-impacting combo system – Kill enemies quickly enough to unleash your fury and rip through everything in your way without getting injured. Learn to play flawlessly and beat the entire game in one, epic combo! • Game customization options – Choose either challenging Hard mode, which will put your skills to the test - or Easy mode, where you can adjust the difficulty parameters any way you want. Beat the Hard mode to unlock access to even harder Incredible and Legendary modes. Disable blood and gore if you don't like it, or if there are young children around. Go solo or bring in a friend for a local co-op session. • Choose your hero's skills to match your playstyle and modify their appearance to your liking! • Roguelite with soft permadeath – Discover worlds created by a mix of hand-designed levels and procedural generation algorithms. Choose the best items to assist you in your playthrough and unlock permanent upgrades when you'll die for your subsequent runs. • Ravishing environments – Play through the pages of visually distinctive comic books and dive into the creator's sketchbook. Master each enemy's behavior patterns and overcome a total of 40 bosses. All that accompanied by epic soundtrack composed by Adam Skorupa and Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz, the creators of music for The Witcher, Bulletstorm and Shadow Warrior.

SuperMash – May 8

SuperMash is a game that makes games! Mash together two game genres to get a completely unique new game each time, then challenge your friends to see how they do! Jume’s game shop is in trouble, and she needs her brother Tomo’s help to save it! Mash together iconic genres to create never-before-seen gaming experiences. Jump through classic Platformer levels with a tactical Stealth character, fight as spaceships in engaging JRPG battles, and more! Anything is possible with SuperMash’s emergent game system, which creates a unique game every time you play. You can even customize your Mashes with the help of Dev Cards! Think the Mash you made is impossible? Share its MASH Code with a friend or streamer and see if they can beat it! Features: The Possibilities Are Endless! – Pick two genres (or the same genre) and watch the game create a completely unique game each time!Six Classic Genres to Mix and Match – Platformer, Action Adventure, Shoot ‘Em Up, Metrovania, Stealth, and JRPG, but stay tuned for more genres in the future!Customize Your Games – With Dev Cards, you can customize elements of each Mash you make, like enemies, players, mechanics, and environments. Complete Mashes to collect them all!Sell the Next Big Hit! - Win Mashes requested by customers to unlock the mysteries of the PlayType machine and save the game shop from a nefarious threat.Challenge Your Friends – Every Mash generates a unique MASH code. Share it with a friend or streamer and see if they can succeed where you failed—or impress your friends by completing someone else’s!Let the Game Decide! - Glitches and dozens of goals and obstacles change up the gameplay to make every jump and shot meaningful. Plus, with three difficulty modes, you can choose the challenge!

Sin Slayers: Enhanced Edition – May 8

Sin Slayers is an RPG with roguelike elements set in a dark fantasy world, where your choices determine how challenging the fights and enemies will be. Create, equip and lead a team of heroes. Each unit will have its own abilities and weaknesses, so plan your combat strategy accordingly. You’ll journey through stinking primeval forests, boneyards riddled with crypts and the graves of fallen warriors, and other places even the bravest adventurer would fear to tread. Battles, traps, and bizarre enemies… Everything and everyone wishes to take your life, but don't succumb to despair. Between fights your party can take their rest at a fountain, or while on the road in an old church which leaves its doors open to the weary and wounded. Travel every path and byway of the Valley, obtain new weapons on the field of battle or by fulfilling quests, gather ingredients for magical elixirs and resources to craft armor and amulets. If a certain item is beyond your crafting ability, ask the blacksmith in the Old Church for help. The best gear will allow you to challenge the deadliest monsters.

Ultimate Ski Jumping 2020 – May 8

Ultimate Ski Jumping 2020 is an oldschool, pixelart sports game in which you play as a ski jumper. Compete in tournaments, beat your hi-scores. You can play in campaign mode or challenge others in multiplayer. Have a competition with AI jumpers on 5 difficulty levels! GAME MODES · Campaign – a set of ready to play competitions with a brief plot · Tournament – events taking place on selected ski jumping hills · Quickplay – you choose the hill, number of opponents, difficulty level, and start playing · Multiplayer Online – play with your friends and fight for a position in direct online games · Training – a place to hone your skills FEATURES · Old school graphics · Different types of ski jumping hills from summer and winter to jumping on the Moon and beach · Simplified and advanced jump models · Personalized jumpers · Multiplayer mode to play with players from all around the world! Features: Campaign – a set of ready to play competitions with a brief plotTournament – events taking place on selected ski jumping hillsQuick play – you choose the hill, number of opponents, difficulty level, and start playingMultiplayer Online – play with your friends and fight for a position in direct online gamesVarious types of ski jumping hills from summer and winter to jumping on the Moon

Duke of Defense – May 8

Get ready for a tower defense game that takes an uncommon approach to player interaction. Slash goblins with your sword, roll through waves of enemies, and build towers as fast as you can. Collect coins from fallen foes, but be careful not to get hurt when maneuvering through the action! Use nine powerful towers to build a strong defense, each tower more unique than the last. Upgrade your character as you advance through the story with a plethora of game-enhancing abilities. Anything unlocked in your skill tree will also apply in co-op mode, so everybody benefits! Unique towers, exciting abilities, and planned future game modes ensures you'll be back for more. Discover a world brimming with humor, interesting characters, and adventure. Interact with overly observant villagers and egotistical wizards. You'll find yourself in a role more significant than a knight could ever dream of!

Ghost Files 2: Memory of a Crime – May 8

The life of a private detective is tough, and no one knows it better than Arthur Christie – an ex-cop, effective and tough as a nail. This time he will face an investigation in which not only truth is at stake, but also his life in this hidden object puzzle game. Read the full article

#Games #XboxOne

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westcoastwonderlandrp · 8 years ago

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Catching Up with the Rebellion.

March 9th, 2017.

Sunlight bled pale indifference over the slanted windowsill. Aeron watched Max slither into his hoodie and turned the page of his comic book absently. Debating.

Comic books weren’t always his thing. They’d become a habit, almost, something he picked up from Max, who hoarded them in little sleeves of plastic and hid them places he thought nobody would find them in their crooked Victorian conversion. Aeron took quiet pride in the fact that Max allowed him the opportunity to read the books he held so dear—campy, colorful things that they were, with the same man in magenta and fuchsia declaring “equality for all mutants” on every other page, seemingly.

Looking from Magneto to Max, Aeron thought he saw some similarities. More in the defiant set of Max’s jaw than even in the wink of a gold Star of David disappearing under thin black fabric.

Max caught Aeron’s gaze in the mirror and smiled back at him, turning slightly.

“Don’t look so worried.”

“Who’s worried?” Aeron quipped back, closing the comic he’d been perusing back up and slipping it into its glossy plastic sleeve. “Not me. I know you can handle yourself. Whatever it is you’re up to.”

“Up to!” Max’s smile was lopsided. It bore resemblance to something much homier and knowing; more man’s best friend than wild predator. “That just makes me sound like I have a plan. A diabolical one.” Shaggy blond hair scattered in a canine shake as Max pulled his hood up over his head, chuckling faintly.

“You said it, not me,” Aeron pointed out, sliding off the edge of the futon-sofa with a quiet sigh. Max’s brown eyes sobered, though the rest of his face reflected in the hall mirror stayed warm and soft. It was so often these days that Aeron saw the ‘wolf peering out at him, not the man. It was in this instance he glimpsed it again—snooping behind a human mask of faintly-freckly skin and old, fading scars. Hesitantly, Aeron reached out to take one of Max’s hands. As if tamed by this, the creature—the half of Max he held in dark places like basements and crying sessions—backed off. Max returned to Aeron in the blink of dark brown eyes, in the soft curve of a knowing mouth. A squeeze solidified the steadiness and Max clasped his free hand over their joined ones, lifting Aeron’s digits to his lips.

“It’s only been a few months,” Aeron said finally. Max glanced up, lowering their hands. His thumb curved across Aeron’s knuckles, fingers tracing his palm. Aeron felt the ghost of a laugh breeze by his ear. It tickled. He lifted a shoulder to nudge the sensation away, eyes steadily fixed on the werewolf in secondhand Abercrombie.

“I know. But everything’s settling.” Aeron’s face hardened a little. “It is,” Max murmured, dark eyes earnest. “They’re rebuilding, yeah, but the guys at the top—it’s all smoke and mirrors. They’re trying to be bigger than they are. H, N--” He referred to the Handlers not by name outright, but by initial. Even in his own house, Max was meticulous. Methodical. Did Aeron not trust him even half as much as he did now, it might’ve been unsettling. As it stood, he simply accepted and absorbed it as another fact of Max. “They’re just figureheads.” Aeron was silent. “The real power is in the IDEA of them, not what they can actually do…”

“Please, just--” Aeron lifted his free hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. Max relented, the fire in his eyes fading to sparks of interest. The unmentioned weight of Aeron’s mother pressed upon them both. “…Just…promise me,” Aeron finished faintly, looking back up.

“I’ll be careful,” Max reassured the witch softly. Aeron cocked a brow and set his jaw. Max, noting the look and the sharp descent into hot water to follow should he break his promise, sighed a little. “I swear,” he added. Aeron squinted, then leaned in to press a kiss to Max’s forehead that imparted blessing as much as it did exasperation.

“You better be,” Aeron murmured. He felt the ‘wolf retreat reluctantly.

Their hands held together for as long as possible before Max turned away, leaving Aeron to the empty shell of a house, his music, and the comic books with their careful plastic coverings.

“Well, look at that.” His smile was shit-eating; a surfacing explosion detonated by fuses of bemusement. Rocks and hills moved before it. The world stopped turning momentarily. “Max and Marx, together at last.” Max crinkled his nose faintly. The bar stank of petrol and piss; of wayward sweaty figures and something not unlike asphalt in the Summer rain. An Englishman from the North sat adjacent to him on the bar, half-laid out on the scratched-up surface. Everything inside glowed red; the calm, pulsating red of something predatory. Something angry, but willing to wait. Max took a breath to steady himself and folded his hands on the bar, sliding into a seat.

“Doesn’t really work—seeing as Max is--”

“Your ‘first name’. I know, right?” The Northerner’s grin widened slowly, and he swung around from the bar, lifting his beer to his lips. “Not exactly the smartest move; mate.” Amusement faded sharply into icy judgment. Max felt a chill spike his spine. “Flipping the two…Derek.” Heat; retroactive and reactive, rushed through Max at the name-drop. “Derek Maxwell,” Russell continued, and lowered his beer to the counter. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Max felt the sharp pang of old and familiar anger—fingers curling and popping with a longing to grasp Russell K. Marx by either side of his head and drive his smug face into a well-positioned knee.

The satisfying crack of bone on bone was something Max could deal with. Easily.

Not the rest of this.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“Oh, so you’re a psychic now?” Max fired back before he could stop himself. Russell’s face never changed—cornered animals confronted with threats didn’t faze him much, apparently.

“Nah, mate, but you’re an easy read.” Russell swung back in his seat a little, arms slung over the bar. One hand motioned vaguely. “Look at you—wound up like a spring. A little more application of pressure…” Russell’s finger ghosted closer in the air. Max tensed; readying himself. “Bchew,” Russell feigned an explosion in motion and sound, hand flying open and fingers fanning. Golden light danced in his palm; briefly—so brief that it could’ve easily been a reflection of the lights around them, though Max knew that it was not.

“No more Mr. Nice Wolf.”

“This isn’t why I came to meet you,” Max mumbled, rubbing his nose. Russell watched him with bright hazel eyes; reddish in the all-crimson encompassing room. The hum of electricity in the air ran currents under their feet; wrapped serpentine around the stools. Patiently waiting. Outside; the traffic had picked up as rush hour began. Max caught a whiff of hard drugs on the lean figure to his left, something mean and unforgiving that had its teeth in Russ’s veins. Maybe Russell saw it on his face; maybe he was prepared to run, but whatever the case, he shifted positions and sat up with a lazy lift of his scuffed-up chin.

“I know. You came looking for an ally and you get…” Russell motioned grandly to himself. “This.” His face shifted slightly, hands folding around his beer.

“I have a stake in this, too, you know,” he said finally, much more serious than before. Max quieted, watching him with care. “I didn’t schlep myself all the way to the Golden Coast in the hopes of making a quick buck, no, I came because I’ve friends who’ve moved here.” He scanned the room and Max did too; though without turning. He listened. Scented. Let Russell do the looking.

“They’re planning something big,” Russell noted. Max glanced sidelong at him. “Something that’s drawing people here. Not just your Handling problem--” Max shot a look around swiftly and hunched up a little, tugging on his ear. Just a guy having a chat with another guy. Not a big deal. “But something else, too. Other players are entering the game, Max.” The werewolf felt another uneasy shiver shake his spine. Shadows seemed to briefly overtake the bar—the color of blood faded under the color of bruise. Russell glanced up, watching the lights overhead shake and rattle. The earthquake passed, and Russell sipped his beer again, glancing down once more.

“Here.” He reached under his coat and set a thin gray file on the bar between them. Max glanced at it, moments before it slipped beneath his sweatshirt for safekeeping. “That’s got the information on the…I can’t believe I’m sayin’ this—‘old gods’ y’asked for.” Russell tipped his beer in Max’s direction as Max rose away from the bar. “There’s been a shift in weather patterns; more bizarre incidents reported—even a resurgence of New Wave, New Age, whatever it is—paganism. It’s wild. Werewolves, witches, vampires…” Russell shook his head slightly, expelling a breath through his teeth. “Superpowers? Sure. Supernatural? Keep it on the CW, mate.”

“You’ll be in town a while?” Max asked, ready to duck out as quick as he came. He had places to be—Aeron to return to; graffiti messages to leave, and connections to make in the Mousehole. His chores for the afternoon into evening were far from over. And he’d already spent too much time being shady somewhere semi-public with someone already shady. Russell looked up from turning his bottle in his hand and smiled faintly, lifting an arm in a flippant shrug.

“Till the wind changes.” Max just stared. “Mary Poppins? No? Tough crowd,” the reporter mumbled, lowering his bottle with a ‘clunk’ against the bar. Max pulled his hoodie up and headed for the door, caught only by Russell’s final words—

“Max?” The ‘wolf on the lam glanced back at Russell, hugging the folder a little closer to himself. “It was nice to finally meetcha,” said Russell. Max blinked, then ducked out the door.

The time for pleasantries had ended.

The time for action had once more begun.

#plot post #also HAP BIRTH HEATHER

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