#Michael 5 Morphs

[amomentsescape]

Hey, in a school play thats coming up in a few months and just got back from practice. Feeling super exhausted and under pressure cause I might have to miss a dress rehearsal for an important field trip and I dont want the teacher to be disappointed be like "oh my God that upping bitch ditched the 2nd dress rehearsal to go on some stupid field trip" (leaving this is an almost unreadable color so if it gets made I dont have to see that part and feel anxious again) so can I request slashers with a significant other in that situation and they support them all through it, the anxiety, lines, and coming home super exhausted and feeling discouraged all leading up to the play? Cause its still somthing they're determined and wanna do? Thanks in advance if you decide to write this then ill be rereading it till the play is over and maybe after it. Its probably dumb my feelings about it all seem stupid but I'm nerodivergent and things are just extra for me then most people.

Slashers with Overwhelmed! Reader That's in a School Play

Includes: Freddy, Michael, Jason, Thomas, Bubba, Brahms, Norman, Billy, Stu, Vincent, Bo, & Lester

A/N: Hey, your feelings are very much valid no matter the situation! Thank you for sending in your request, and I hope you find some rest soon <3

Freddy Krueger

He's grown a bit concerned over the past couple of weeks

Seeing you show up in his world with that exhausted look on your face wasn't something he liked to see

Has listened to you rant about the situation while he just held you

But he's also been there to keep you going even when you thought about giving up

If you need help with lines and preparing, he's happy to be of assistance!

Can literally morph the world into a stage for you

Anything that makes you feel a little more at ease is worth it

And he'll happily keep you in his world for however long you desire

Something about being with him helps you get the rest you've so desperately needed recently

Michael Myers

He honestly doesn't understand what the big deal is at first

You're stressed from the busy schedule? Then quit the play

But once you express how important it is to you and why you want to stick with it, he takes a little pity on you

Doesn't really help with lines or anything

But whenever you need some alone time, Michael is happy to oblige

If you need to rant, Michael is willing to lend an ear

It might not look like he's listening, but he is

He has offered to "get rid" of your problem a few times

Which you quickly said no to

Overall, he may not be the most supportive person to go to, but he does his best to be there for you in his own way

Jason Voorhees

Jason has already gotten used to the routine now

In fact, whenever you come home, he already has a fluffy blanket laid out on the couch for you along with a warm beverage

Forces you to take at least 5 minutes to sit down and chill

Even if you protest, Jason refuses to let you jump straight into more work

If you're feeling particularly anxious, he's more than happy to hold you or just sit beside you and rub your back

He's happy to help you with anything you need too

He's not the best at giving lines since he's not much of a talker...

But he's very good at following along with your script and giving you a nod if you memorized something correctly

He cares a lot about your wellbeing, so whatever will help you out is what Jason wants to do

Thomas Hewitt

He's also become a bit worried about you recently

He just hates seeing you look so worn out all of the time

Happily makes you dinner and snacks when you get home since he knows you appreciate not having to do it all yourself

He'll also run you a warm bath on evenings when you are particularly stressed out

He admires your dedication for sure, he just doesn't want you to burn out

Will not let you stay up late either

The moment it's bedtime, he makes you go to bed

It doesn't matter if you protest or not

He knows rest is important, and he'll happily lie right on top of you to make sure you don't get up from the mattress

Bubba Sawyer

Every time you come home looking worried, Bubba is all over you

He's hugging you, holding your hand, and even following you around like a puppy the whole night

He hates seeing you as anything but happy

Will do crazy charades and dances to get you to smile

He's also been stalking up on a lot of your favorite snacks and candies so that you always have something for a little more energy

He also cares a lot about you getting enough rest too

If you ever try to pull an all-nighter or stay up late in order to practice your lines, Bubba is right there with you

And seeing him forcing himself to stay awake just ends up guilting you into finally going to bed

He may seem innocent, but Bubba knows how to persuade you when he deems necessary

Brahms Heelshire

Brahms also recommends just quitting the play at first

It seems to be stressing you out too much, and he hates spending so much time away from you

But when you tell him that this is all important to you, he gives in

He'll (begrudgingly) go through lines with you and help you memorize them

Reassures you that everything will be fine and work out

Is happy to give you as many cuddles and kisses as you want in order to help you feel better

He still expects you to follow the rules list

But he's willing to be fairly lenient if you really need it

Norman Bates

He's very sweet and understanding about the whole situation

Doesn't even question why you're still doing everything even with all the stress

Meets you at the door each night and grabs your things, putting them aside

Has dinner already prepared for you

And he's happy to help you with lines or anything else you need!

He's actually the one who offered

If he sees that you're feeling extra stressed, he urges you to tell him what you're thinking

He refuses to let you bottle up your worries

He always responds with reassurances or advice depending on what you want

Billy Loomis

Believe it or not but Billy has had a little experience in theatre back in his day

He's a heartthrob; he always got cast in good roles

He's actually good at acting too and makes learning your lines feel a lot more legit

Even helps you with the delivery of the lines as well

He waits for you to come to him if you need anything

Advice, cuddles, questions, you name it

If you need it, just ask, and he'll be happy to supply

If anyone gives you a particularly hard time, Billy will go have a "talk" with them

Don't worry, he won't kill anyone

Well, unless you ask

Stu Macher

Stu somehow always makes a stressful situation better

If you need help with lines, he'll go all out

Will throw on random clothes and grab just about anything to use as a prop

Delivers his lines with such charisma that you'd think he was Shakespeare

He pushes you to take frequent breaks when you can

A nice walk outside, a little TV sesh, or even going to get some ice cream real quick are all frequent suggestions made by Stu

He admires your passion for what you're doing, he just doesn't want you to push yourself too hard

Every night while in bed, he's there whispering reassurances to you and telling you how proud he is for what you're doing

Vincent Sinclair

Vincent really wants to help, he just doesn't know how

But the moment you ask anything of him, he'll jump on it immediately

Brings you water and food frequently while you're busy

And on overwhelming days, he already has your bags and meals prepped for you so you can just head right out the door

Makes sure you're asleep every night before he'll even let himself rest

He also offers a lot of physical reassurance too if you need it

His hand on top of yours, gentle back rubs, and long hugs are all done if you initiate them

He really focuses on taking care of you and making sure you're not exhausting yourself too much

Bo Sinclair

It honestly pisses him off

You coming home each night feeling anxious and looking so tired makes Bo angry at your school

Would really love to invite your teacher over to have a "talk" about everything

But he knows you'd never allow that

Will help you with lines if you insist

He's not very good at it, but the sentiment is there

His help is really focused on the practical

He makes sure you eat dinner, drink enough water, get enough sleep, etc.

He's not much of a cuddler, but that definitely changes when you're going through a tough time

He's very much looking forward to when the play is finally done

Lester Sinclair

He always gives you lots of compliments

"You're such a hard-worker" "I know you're gonna do great" "It'll be all worth it"

Will give you a ride to wherever you need to go whenever you need to get there

Will spoil you quite a bit during this time too

Multiple bags of snacks, new comfy clothes, late night drives around the town, etc.

Whatever he can do to make you feel better, he wants to do it

He worries a lot about you though

So there will be a few times when you're the one needing to reassure him that you're alright

[novemlia]

LOVE ME, NOT HIM!

sum: kaiser gets jealous when your attention is no longer on him, but on a certain bastard müchen midfielder, Alexis Ness. warnings: kaiser, kaiser being jealous, gn!reader, kaiser deserves being a warning, kinda ooc!kaiser and being overprotective, me being biased when it comes to Ness

ft. Michael Kaiser, Alexis Ness a/n: i hate and love kaiser and ness so much, this is also a kaiser x reader but slight possible ness x reader if ykwim

wc: 0.5k words

He doesn't like that you've gotten so close with Ness. Scratch that, he hates it. He's so used of people fawning and swooning for his good looks and great goals. The prodigy, the genius, the ace and main striker of Bastard Müchen, the Michael Kaiser. Yet here he is, frustrated that he can't even obtain a single drop of attention from you. All because you and Ness became best friends.

It's not a big deal, not at all. He could handle it. If you could just stop talking about Ness all the time, maybe he could.

Every time you visit, you make a beeline straight towards Ness and not him! Like he just let out the biggest shocked gasp when you hugged Ness first before him. Before the Michael Kaiser??? How could you do such a thing?? He was flabbergasted, appalled, dumbstruck, too stunned to speak to the finest point where you'd be shocked it was Kaiser making that sour face whenever he saw you prioritize greeting Ness before him.

Kaiser was excited that you were coming to assist one of his practices. He was ecstatic, over the moon when you called him to tell him about that. He could finally show you why he was deserving to be the ace of the team. No matter how arrogant or rude he seemed, he always treated you as an equal. Unbeknownst you, he just so happened to have the biggest crush on you in which you attending gave him a chance of showing off like always. He made sure you were looking at him playing, making sure he was the only one you couldn't keep your eyes off.

After practice, he approached you on the benches with Ness tailing right behind him.

Seeing the duo coming closer, you waved and greeted them with a smile. "You guys were great as always!" Oh my god did you just boost his ego tenfold which is supposed to be practically impossible considering his ego is as big as Megamind's forehead and his as well if not even bigger but surprise surprise, you just did. He was looking at you stand up from the bench thinking you were going to approach him, but instead you decided to hug the male behind him. Kaiser's face morphed into the most petrified and betrayed face like you just grew 15 heads and ate his so-called beautiful hair.

Ness, however, being the well-mannered nice best friend he is, hugged you back. Kaiser now just wanted to unsee what was happening right in front of him. So, he proceeded to break off the long hug between you and Ness and picked you up like a potato sac, dragging you away. "Wha- Kaiser put me down!" He didn't consider that at all yet still put you down once you guys were far away from the magenta haired midfielder. Once you were down, you started scolding him as he pouts like a 5 year old throwing a fit. Yeah, sure, he may be an annoying jealous prick. There is no but, he is one, but he'll always be your annoying jealous prick.

He'll just tell you one day about how feels but for now, he'd rather not and decides to just hug you as an apology. He'll make sure however that everyone knows that you're his, sooner or later.

extra a/n: i hate and love that turtle smiling looking dude. both him and ness. reqs are also open so feel free to drop some for me to write!

[sinner-sunflower]

P.2 HH Lucifer-centric AU 7/?

STORY 1, PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, PART 8, PART 9, PART 10, PART 11, PART 12, PART 13, PART 14, PART 14.5, PART 15, PART 16, PART 17, PART 18, PART 19, PART 20, PART 21, PART 22, PART 23, PART 24, PART 25, PART 26

Thank you for everyone giving their thoughts in my dms as well as reblogging and liking each chapter!

Italics are flashbacks and I'm sure you can tell which ones haha

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Lucifer doesn't go back to the hotel right away. Instead, he opened a portal to the Palace. The place is as barren as the day his wife and daughter left, no servants, not a single soul except his.

He wondered why they even built something this big. He thinks it's probably because of Charlie and their need to give her a sanctuary that's untouched by Hell but him and Lilith weren't even planning a child when this was first proposed.

Lilith: You need a palace! Fit for a king!

Lucifer: I don't feel like a king, Lily. Besides, we're just two people. I feel like we won't even see each other with all this space.

Lilith: My love, it is only a matter of time before human souls arrive and we must establish our authority the moment they step foot in Hell. No king should mingle with the commoners. You are no human, you are an angel! A being so divine that you must stay untouchable.

Lucifer: But I don't want that, honey. I'm no angel, not anymore and this isn't my kingdom, it's my punishment.

Lilith: Then we make it one.

Right. It was Lilith.

He guesses it was fitting for her. All her life, she was told to basically be a servant for Adam. And when the opportunity of being something higher arose, she took it. Who was he to deny her of her newly found purpose?

Lucifer never wanted to be King but his wife was right, someone has to keep the sinner souls in check. That's his only reason and definitely not because of the guilt eating him alive every second of every day.

Keekee meows at his feet, demanding pets. He smiles at the cat, moving to bend down and giving in to her requests.

Lucifer: Sorry I had to cut the meeting short. I got pretty angry there didn't I? I don't even know why...

Keekee meows in response, head nuzzling his hands. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she's understanding but also berating him.

Lucifer: Yes yes. Your wish is my command.

Michael had done one thing right and that's gifting him Keekee. He may have been the angel of creation but back then, he wasn't powerful enough to magically summon the materials needed to build the Palace out of thin air.

Whether it was because his guilt or some other reason, Michael sent down the one-eyed cat their way. Not necessarily delivering it himself but there was a note that indicated it was from his brother.

Lilith was understandably apprehensive at first but grew to love the cat (Keekee! Cause she turns into a key, my love!) overtime.

He stands up and makes his way further inside his house. Not home. It hasn't felt like a home for a long, long time.

Stopping at the end of the hallway to a dead end, he addresses his companion once more.

Lucifer: Would you mind opening the garden, Keekee?

Without hesitation, the cat jumped morphed through the wall. Not a second later, the wall glowed with an almost Heaven-like pattern, runes moving to unlock a door that was never there.

Lucifer felt a breeze hit him as the door opened like an old friend greeting you with a kiss.

It's the one place in the Palace that he, Lilith, and young Charlie used to spend time on. A place that's made to be a total contrast of Hell's red and chaotic environment. A place where they can pretend to be okay, to feel like a normal family. A place that can rival the original made by his Father.

His own little Garden of Eden.

With Lilith's help, they managed to copy Eden from the unique clouds to the flow of the stream. He remembers almost crying when they looked at it finished for the first time.

Lilith: It looks just like home, Lucifer.

Lucifer: Yeah. It does.

And when the exterminations started, it was where they take Charlie to keep her safe.

Didn't last long anyway. They were all taking a nap one day but then Charlie found a way out and saw her first demon killed by an exorcist blade.

'It all went downhill from there.'

Keekee must be irritated with him zoning out because she scratches his leg to get him back to reality. He laughs at her attempt to pull him inside.

Lucifer: Sorry, sorry! I'm coming, I'm coming.

The cat pulls him to his usual spot under the tree with the flower bed. He picks up Keekee as he sits.

Lucifer: Why don't you go and tell Charlie or Al that I'm back? Tell them I'm just exhausted and that I'll talk to them after resting.

Another meow.

Lucifer: Okay... but only Charlie can come here if she asks where I am.

After licking his face, Keekee bounced off out the door back to the hotel.

As Lucifer drifts off to sleepyland in the comfortable bed of grass, surrounded by flowers and peace, he pats his jacket for a specific pocket containing something that he never got rid off. When he finds what he's looking for, he holds is up to the sky, blocking the artificial sun of not-Eden. A piece of paper that, though he may never admit out loud, gave him just a little bit enough will to continue and live.

He holds the paper to his heart as his eyes flutter shut and dreams of ducks.

'Thrive, Samael.'

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the note and keekee are from Michael!

[freshcut-chetney]

no see because the fight in s2e4 does such a good job of highlighting the different fight styles for the trio!!

Micheal is a brawler and a bruiser. We also saw this earlier in the fight with Vincent. In the church, he's less concerned about precision and restraint, he quite literally goes HAM, using his surroundings more as weapons and at some point picking up someone, twirling them before slamming them onto the ground. A few seconds later, he's seen body slamming onto two guards like he's on WWE. He's a brute, swinging his arms around wildly (but not inaccurately) and headbutting priests, wailing on guards with no regard to himself or anyone around him. He's a beefy tank and he wants his enemies to know this.

Beatrice's martial style shows that she's spent years under a more disciplined art and the control she has. When she first walks in, she quickly overpowers the first 5 demons because they're not trained. I'd even go as far as to say her movements are less composed at this stage because she knows she's going up against lesser demons in bodies of untrained civilians. They are a threat, but not one she can't easily eliminate. It's when she begins to fight the cultist guards, who are trained brawlers and much bigger than her, that's when we see her training. She can't slam these folks down into the ground but they can certainly toss her around like a sack of potatoes, so her strikes become more precise. She begins to use her opponent's strength and size against them. This works especially well for her because, though the cultist are trained, their fighting style is more like Michael's. Less of a dance and more of a desperate scramble to deal damage. They flail around in an attempt to both intimidate and make themselves look bigger, which gives Beatrice plenty of openings that she readily exploits by redirecting the flow of the fight even against multiple cultists. Only once does she seem to lose control (when she's slammed against the side of a wall) but she quickly situates herself, she is constantly dodging, parring, and redirecting an enemies strike onto either an object or another enemy.

Ava's style tries to mirror Beatrice's, but only briefly as we don't get to see her fight for as long. They've only been training together for a few months, she can't pick up everything Beatrice has learned in her years of training but we do see her employ some of that dodging against the first guard, and then some more hand work later on but it's during this that her style morphs. At this point, those strikes and dodges seem to be getting her nowhere as she gets nailed in the face, she's also noticed Beatrice seems to be getting swarmed and we see a sense of urgency in trying to subdue her current opponent to help Bea. So she defaults to a more brute force style, much like Michael's. She begins to throw her weight around more, her arms flail more with every punch, she's shouting. She wants these last 3 guards, or at least some of them, to notice and focus their energy on her.

[lucem-stellarum]

So this is what, the 3rd time Porter has been decked by a character because of his attitude? At minimum?

Under the cut for long and rambling character and literary analysis

We have the initial fight 4-5 years ago between Porter and Vincent

We have Lovely getting him during their "Switzerland" talk before the Summit

Now we have Asher at the Summit (part II electric boogaloo)

At this point, I'm starting to wonder if we're even supposed to like him as a character. Sure, he's charismatic. Porter got Treasure wrapped around his finger in less than an hour. But Mr. Redacted is usually pretty clear about delineating between who is intended to be the characters we're supposed to be supporting (with enough moral grayness to make them complex and interesting). So many of his characters are a great example of the difference between the narrative 'protagonist' and the narrative 'hero'. Going back to the more technical literary term, a protagonist* is the character the story is about, but they're not necessarily the same as the hero of the story. Yandere!Ivan was a great protagonist, but he's very obviously the villain of that plotline. If you want a classic example, Michael Corleone (The Godfather) is a villain protagonist.

*I'll point out that depending on what exact definition you're using for "protagonist" that you can argue that the listener character is supposed to be the main character. I don't think that fits because in many of Redacted's cases the listener falls into the "sexy lamp" trope, where by design they have few if any character traits of their own so we as listeners can project on them. To me, they're the point of view character, which though usually is not always the same as the protagonist. IMO, a protagonist should play a more active role in the story. Overall it's a fascinating way of capitalizing on the limitations of Mr. Redacted's chosen medium, and I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this phenomenon.

Most characters fall into either the 'hero' or 'villain' category. Characters like David, Asher, Vincent, Elliott, Guy, Ollie, and Gavin are all clearly hero protagonists**. Their respective stories revolve around their interactions with the listener character, they're the good, upstanding citizens that we want to support. They've got flaws, sure, but for the most part they're meant to be appealing characters that we agree with. Characters like Marcus, Yandere!Ivan, and Regulus are clearly the villain protagonists; they're the "bad guys", we want them to fail in whatever terrible thing they're trying to do. (Which isn't to say you can't enjoy their particular brand of twisted. Dark characters and themes are important and have their place).

**with the caveat that different focal length of a particular story can change who is the technical 'protagonist' and 'antagonist'. Kody, in his Water Elemental videos, is a 'villain protagonist'; when you look at the DAMN series overall he's better classified an antagonist of season 1. The fact that there's so many perspective changes across Mr. Redacted's overall work means that a lot of these terms can get muddied depending on which specific set of videos you're referring to.

Which brings me to the 3rd type of protagonist, the anti-hero. The anti-hero is a protagonist that the reader/listener wants to succeed, but generally lacks the traditional/universal moral traits that usually define the classic hero protagonist. Examples of an anti-hero protagonist include: Deadpool, Walter White (Breaking Bad), Huckleberry Finn. In particular, the mark of a well-written antihero protagonist is the fact that it can be difficult to distinguish them from a villain protagonist. Vega is a good example of this; in the Sadism's Hold/DAMN S1 series he's an antagonist for Freelancer and Yandere!Ivan. He graduates to a villain protagonist in early Carpe Deus, and with his stated goal of preventing another Cacophony he's morphing into an anti-hero in the more recent videos. I'm sure you can get hyper-specific if you start going through all the TVTropes pages to find the perfect flavor for individual characters, but most major protagonists can be classified as one of those three groups (with eternal, ongoing debates on where specifically you draw those particular lines based on your particular morals).

Bringing it back to Porter, I'm not sure that he's meant to be an anti-hero. He's charming, intelligent, capable, and likeable (to those not biased by his history like Vincent and Sam). But I don't think we're supposed to support him as a character overall. We've had too many "hero" characters come to conflict with him; Vincent, Asher, and Lovely explicitly. Even without getting into the fine distinctions between a protagonist/supporting character/POV character that's an awful lot of animosity from some very well established people. We might not know all of his goals/motives yet because they haven't been revealed to us (Porter wants to support William, wants to gain 'power', but why? What history drives him? What is his specific end goal with that power?) but his manipulation of other people, ruthlessness, and his own acknowledged boot-licking to increase his own social power disqualify him from a traditional "hero protagonist" role. An anti-hero is one we still are intended by the author to want to support, a character we want to see succeed. But because Mr. Redacted keeps putting Porter into direct conflict with more traditional protagonists it sets him up to be an opposing force; by definition he is an antagonist to our established hero protagonists.

I've talked a lot about the different types of protagonists and some of the minute distinctions between the different types of protagonists. Antagonists can be even more variable; you have your classic Devil, Sauron, and Darth Vader trying to kill your protagonist heroes. Technically speaking, antagonists don't necessarily have to be characters, either, they can be forces or concepts. An antagonist is just someone or something that opposes the protagonist. I won't divert into the different types of conflict in a story, but I'll point out how much more variety there is for your villains than your heroes based on their particular blend of moral alignment and narrative framing. (It's a lot easier to make things go wrong than it is to make things go well). You can also have sympathetic antagonists, where the villain has acceptable motives even if their methods are objectionable and cement their status as villains. Think the Wicked Witch of the West; Dorothy killed her sister, revenge is an entirely reasonable motive even if we're not supposed to be on her side. Adam and Quinn are the clearest unsympathetic antagonist villain characters in Redacted-verse. Blake is a sympathetic antagonist, vacillating between a villain and an anti-hero depending on whether we're looking at him from Sunshine or Bestie's POV.

As far as my initial claim that we're not supposed to like Porter, we have to consider which lens we're looking at him through. From Vincent's perspective he's an unredeemable asshole. William, however, clearly sees something in him. Other characters we trust that don't have that skewed perspective because of baggage, like Asher, don't like him either. While Porter is the protagonist of his own videos (you are the main character inside your own head) he's not being cast as a classical hero. Morality wise, even in his own story he's an anti-hero at best (he wasn't honestly trying to warn Treasure off, he was luring them in to SkySide). He's got the potential to be sympathetic (at least, according to Sam and William) but he's outnumbered in the narrative of protagonists (at the very least, by Vincent, Lovely, Asher, and there's evidence for Milo and David because of what he put Sweetheart up to) who consider him an antagonist, causing them problems or otherwise being obstructive. Considering the weight of numbers and length of existence in the overall story Mr Redacted is telling, Porter so far is generally being portrayed as an antagonist to our hero protagonists but not necessarily as a villain (like Vincent wants him to be) of Close Knit's caliber. So, this leaves him in a very interesting position on the morality/perspective spectrum. Essentially:

[Photo ID: a graph running from Villain to Hero along the horizontal axis and Protagonist to Antagonist along the vertical axis. Gavin, Lasko, Guy, Ollie, Caelum, David, Asher, Milo, Vincent (post-Adam) are in the Hero-Protagonist Corner. Regulus, Yandere!Ivan, Kody, Vega (DAMN S1) are in the Villain-Antagonist Corner. Vega (early) is in the Villain Protagonist Corner. Vincent (early) and Vega (later) are in the Protagonist Antihero area. Porter is in the Antagonist Antihero area. /end ID]

Because of these mostly negative relationships to our established characters I don't think he's meant to be "supportable". There's too many reasons someone could write him off as unredeemable, based off of his history, his current actions, and his morals. Mr Redacted obviously intended us to be pitted against certain characters like Adam, Kody, and Yandere!Ivan in the same way the author intends us to like and support wholesome characters like David, Huxley, and Guy. I think Porter was written in such a way that we're supposed to disapprove of him despite his likeability in the same way we're "supposed to" disapprove of most of the Imperium characters or Alexis. There's a glimmer of "redemption" deep down for how good they could be if the universe was a little kinder towards them and they didn't have to resort to morally questionable (at best) actions and perspectives, but harsh circumstances left them protecting themselves with sharp edges designed to make anyone who gets too close bleed. Character complexity is attractive, but that's not the same thing as being sympathetic.

After all of this I have to say, death of the author is 100% valid as a concept. At least half of a story is determined by the reader themselves, and this in particular is just my interpretation of these particular facts and classifications. Depending on how you want to weight certain factors and perspectives you can come to a completely different conclusion. By trying to define a particular character the act of applying a definition means you have to be reductive; making a decision on which box to put them in flattens out their complexities. You don't have to APPROVE of a character to LIKE them. There's also a difference between a morally GOOD character and a COMPELLING character. Not every character has to be redeemed, it's not a prerequisite for finding them interesting. Just because Mr Redacted wants us to hate certain characters doesn't mean everyone is obligated to; you're entitled to your own opinion.

[shichidikai]

wip game: ah shit howl au or zs canon fic 2?

these ones are just lil sproutlings right now with no real snippets to share yet, so i'll put them both here~

howl au is pretty much what it says on the tin, except that i'll be creating a delightful mishmash of the book and ghibli versions and making it zosan (because it's me and of course i will). at its core there's nami (sophie) who ends up in the castle of wizard sanji (howl), his apprentice chopper (michael/markl, specialty medicinal magic), and his grumpy demon zoro (calcifer). i get to play around with both magic and (please act surprised) germa tech angst, rehash my hatred of judge yet again (i'm actually delighted), and do things like have kaya train as an apprentice witch under kureha, get creative with sanji's magical door wheel and what it represents, give shanks a kingdom maybe, include usopp, robin, and luffy, and a bunch more fun stuff! it has equal chances of either ending up my lightest-weight multi-chap fic yet or becoming an absolute behemoth, so we'll see how the dice lands when i really get into it lmao

+

zs canon fic 2 (working title "these are our get-along tapes" 😂) is a 5+1 based off of the idea that nami is sick and tired of the collateral damage that happens when zoro and sanji fight and demands that they start keeping a video log of it via a cameko (which they've stolen, of course). very unserious and an idea i'm sure has been done a hundred times before, with no real plot to speak of other than tracking the progress that zosan make towards maybe liking each other and maybe some eventual recorded confessions (cough cough and it's not planned to be smut but... i can't ever promise anything in that area idk i look away), just intended to be a short little oneshot (i say this but watch it morph into like 5 chapters now that i've put that in writing kjhslkjhlskjhs)

more wip game »

[transsexualhamlet]

🎶 - Are there any songs/lyrics you associate with a character or event in the podcast?

💔 - Which fear entity would produce the least catastrophically bad romantic partners?

🌑- Which statement did you find the most frightening?

my silley tma ask game

hehehe. oh boy do I

🎶 - Are there any songs/lyrics you associate with a character or event in the podcast?

I have whole playlists for Michael and Jane because those guys r my favorite but there's one song that I cannot stop thinking about in relation to Jon in seasons 4 and 5

This is Emerging by The Mountain Goats (there is a mountain goats song about literally everything, including "I am morphing into some sort of Fucked Up Beast that feeds on unsuspecting innocents and I feel really really bad about it"

I feel so insane for this but like do you see it

💔 - Which fear entity would produce the least catastrophically bad romantic partners?

This was something I was thinking about last night in ridiculous detail because you know there are the big obvious ones that would make terrible partners for obvious reasons. Lonely isolates you or ghosts you. Web controls and manipulates you. Corruption is literally and metaphorically toxic. Eye is horribly invasive and reads your mind. Spiral gaslights you. Stranger you can never get to know enough to form any sort of emotional bond with. The obvious big no's.

It sort of depends on your own personal fears a lot, I think someone who is thrill seeking and doesn't mind heights could have a hell of fun with a Vast avatar. And in a way I think that the buried is kind of romantic (or maybe that's just me). Most of the rest would be a lot too distressing or depressing.

🌑- Which statement did you find the most frightening?

What's so embarrassing is that the one which got me the most was Tucked In... because it's such a juvenile thing to get scared over but like. I think that's what's so brilliant about it, because knowing it's a stupid thing to be afraid of doesn't make it any less horrible. And it's so funny because it highlighted the exact way that I handle being paranoid at night and sort of made me lose multiple nights of sleep if im being honest

With protocol though there's been several that have already really unsettled me. Man. Making Adjustments made me so physically ill I had to lay down about it. I feel like I'm the only one that gets genuinely terrified by Ink5oul despite the fact that she's such a ridiculous influencer. I have nightmares about NORMAL tattoos.

[wiiildflowerrr]

Dork: 'The 5 Seconds Of Summer Show is a phenomenal bow out at London's O2 Arena'

'The 5SOS Show arrives as a victory lap to cap off the last decade.'

'It’s been seven years since 5 Seconds Of Summer last played The O2. In 2016, they were a very different band and have undergone quite a transformation on the journey back to the top.

Tonight’s performance, dubbed The 5 Seconds Of Summer Show, honours every version of the group so far, flexing their outstanding versatility over the course of a two-hour spectacular. Amidst a disjointed touring schedule (last year’s album ‘5SOS5’ was toured before its release, in conjunction with a late tour of 2020’s ‘CALM’), The 5SOS Show arrives as a bit of a victory lap to cap off the last decade.

The boys have long been vocal about their want to be taken seriously as a band, but in 2023, the show speaks for itself. Worlds away from the touching album preview show at London’s Royal Albert Hall this time last year, the ability to morph tracks old and new from those sentimental orchestral moments to these wildly fun arena bangers is a testament to the band’s skill and creativity.

Opening with ‘Bad Omens’ – the track they closed that last London show with – it kicks off a run of their more mature tracks: the nostalgic ‘2011’, lovelorn ‘Caramel’ and huge sax-solo number ‘BLENDER’. Where previous tours have seen the boys settle into this flow, with setlists comprising mostly of recent material, this one throws that out of the window, instead enlisting endless fan favourites and tracks that haven’t had live outings for years.

Older album cuts like ‘Babylon’ and ‘Why Won’t You Love Me’ from 2018’s big switch-up ‘Youngblood’ earn a place, but it’s ‘Sounds Good Feels Good’ – the album they were touring on their last stop at The O2 – that really gets its dues, with ‘Vapor’ and ‘Waste The Night’ getting the biggest ‘if you know, you know’ reaction.

5SOS know exactly what the fans want to hear, doubling down by rolling out an inflatable dice with heavily requested tracks printed on it across the crowd to select one, eventually ending up on debut album cut ‘English Love Affair’. One fan also took matters into their own hands by lobbing a DIY dice plastered with ‘If You Don’t Know’ on every side towards the stage; guitarist Michael catches it but unfortunately doesn’t cave in to the request.

It’s just one of the moments in the show that sets 5SOS apart from their peers. The set is divided by occasional video interludes, including one where the boys dress up as surgeons and diagnose the audience as 5SOS fans. Another segment sees drummer Ashton do a bonkers solo in a battle against the crowd for who can be louder, which ends in the other three boys returning to the stage to set off ketchup and mustard bottle-shaped confetti cannons following a vocal cue of “GET SAUCED”.

The whole show is outrageous fun, whether it’s these moments that call back to the nonsense of their old live shows or purely just rattling through the bangers; 5 Seconds Of Summer prove their longstanding relevance throughout the mammoth set tonight. It’s not just a performance that sheds light on the boys’ own skills, but one that also demonstrates the ways in which 5SOS and the fandom have coexisted for over ten years, something shown rather literally during ‘Best Friends’, 5SOS’ ode to one another, that turns that camera on the audience and encourages them to have a cuddle.

As 5SOS prepare to take some time off, The 5 Seconds Of Summer Show is a phenomenal bow out until further notice. Much like their discography, it’s consistently surprising, equally ridiculous and emotional, their growth as a band more obviously laid out than ever before.' X

[mywifeleftme]

292: Various Artists // Abstract Magazine Issue 5

Abstract Magazine Issue 5 Various Artists 1985, Sweatbox Just got up to flip the record after sitting cross-legged on the couch typing on my laptop for quite a bit, not realizing my leg had fallen asleep until I tried to plant on it and had to pinwheel my arms to keep from falling flat out and cracking my head into my turntable. Absolutely how the coroner will shoot my body someday too, ass-naked and alone on the floor of my apartment, surrounded by instruments I can’t play and books I haven’t gotten to, bleeding into my record collection with a scythe propped sardonically against the wall in the background.

Speaking of ignominious deaths, while doing some research on the compiler of today’s record, a post-punk compilation / fanzine combo from 1985, the first thing that came up was a 2007 post from Burl Veneer’s old Typepad blog, specifically this inimitable sentence: “Abstract was the brainchild of Rob Deacon, who died last month in a canoeing accident at age 42 (same as me).” Strange nautical coincidence that, and a neat trick for Burl to keep blogging after death too (in fact, he’s still at it here on Tumblr), but I kept link hopping, and have learned that Deacon was quite a special guy, and a pivotal figure in two or three generations of UK music.

There’s genuine fondness and grief in The Guardian obit, the kind they reserve for lesser-known people who busted their asses and made a difference behind the scenes in media, and they spell out a resume I’m a little ashamed not to have been more up on. He was in his late teens when he started Abstract magazine, profiling the cream of the post-punk crop and cajoling exclusive tracks out of a bunch of them. Abstract would eventually morph into his own label, the influential Sweatbox, but the magazine + compilation bug stuck with him, and he’d go on to start the CD-era Volume series, which moved real numbers for an indie comp and featured… Jesus, everybody, apparently. He followed that up with the groundbreaking Trance Europe Express and Trance Atlantic electronic compilations, became a dance night impresario, did music photography, started a label (Deviant)… and then he fell out of his fuckin’ boat. Damn.

Abstract #5 is a real time capsule of 1985, featuring songs and interviews with the likes of Swans, Gene Loves Jezebel, Cindytalk, Colourbox, and the Jazz Butcher, interspersed with record reviews, scene reports, comics and more. The written pieces are all over the place stylistically, some transcribed in a borderline-incoherent fashion, others fighting for their lives against the adventurous two-tone printed layouts, but it has a wonderful fanzine energy and a level of ballsy spite you don’t see much these days.

Nearly every artist has a bone to pick with their label or journalists or bands they used to like that sold out or fans who have any sort of expectations of them. (The editorial pages get into it too, describing Morrissey “prancing daffodilously” and previewing a new New Order tune called “I’ve Got a Cock Like the M1,” which would see daylight as “The Perfect Kiss.”)

It’s zany and vulnerable and, even just shy of 40 years later, totally inspiring stuff. Highlights include Swans’ Michael Gira’s typically serial killer-coded interview, in which he talks about watching TV for 14 hours a day and shares the trans body horrific lyrics to a song called “BASTARD” that would eventually come out during the band’s maniac 1986; an account from industrial music pioneers Test Dept of the ’84 miner’s strike in South Wales, with a photo of one member who appears to have two sets of upper teeth like a shark; and the 400 Blows talking about having recorded their contribution to the issue in an echoing drainage pipe in which they nearly became trapped and drowned.

Musically this is by design a mixed bag (side one is kind of the uncommercial, experimental bits; side two the peppier guitar pop stuff). None of these exclusives would make anyone’s definitive collection of any of these bands, but as a complete listening and reading experience, Abstract #5 is a beautiful celebration. Cheers to Rob.

292/365

[impactmj]

Michael Jackson: sus primeros pasos

En la actualidad la mayoría de las personas conoce a Michael Jackson, su música a perdurado generación tras generación, hasta la fecha no ha caducado y parece que nunca lo hará, el es muy conocido como "El rey del pop", y vaya que es verdad, en pleno 2023 no existe otro artista que lo haya superado, si nos ponemos a pensar muchos artistas fueron influenciados por MJ por ejemplo: Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Beyoncé, Selena Quintanilla, Zendaya, etc.

Me atrevería a decir que también fue una fuente de inspiración para el mundo del kpop, pues en 2020 BTS lanzó su primer canción en ingles titulada "Dynamite" y en el se pueden ver múltiples referencias hacia el gran artista.

Por esto y muchas otras cosas más conoceremos mas a profundidad a Michael Jackson sus primeros pasos en la industria musical.

Michael Joseph Jackson nace un 29 de agosto de 1958 en Indiana, a pesar de que es un cantante perteneciente a los años 80 se le sigue considerando como el mejor artista ¡por supuesto! por algo lo llaman el rey del pop, el es muy conocido por sus increíbles pasos de baile y por tener una peculiar voz. Además de ser cantante y bailarín, era un excelente compositor y actor.

Nació en una familia afrodescendiente, el era el octavo de los 9 hermanos junto con sus hermanas La Toya, Janeth y Rebbie Jackson, y tan solo a sus 11 años formó parte del grupo The Jackson 5 a cargo de Motown, siendo líder y vocalista principal. La banda fue muy exitosa, pero para el pequeño niño no le fue tan bien, Michael llego a contar que sufría maltratos físicos y psicológicos por su padre.

Al mismo tiempo que estaba en la banda, consideró ser solista llegando a grabar canciones como "Go to be there", "Ben", "Music and me" y "Forever Michael". Por el año de 1975 la banda firma con Epic Records, ahora con el nombre The Jacksons hasta 1985.

Por otro lado, Michael continuo ejerciendo su carrera en solitario en la música y en la actuación, lo que lo llevó al siguiente nivel fue "El mago", su papel era el de un espantapájaros, al verlo Quincy Jones director del filme lo respaldo en su carrera, y así es como obtuvieron Off the Wall álbum de 1979, aquí podemos destacar canciones como "She is out of my life", " Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" y "Rock with you", en este álbum se pude sentir las vibras y la energía que caracterizaron los años 80s.

Después de esto llega su mayor hit, el disco que marco un antes y después en la industria musical y en la manera de hacer videoclips, por supuesto, me refiero a Thriller, vendió 50 millones de copias en todo el mundo,

En tan solo una noche aquel chico de tan solo 24 años rompió el récord de llevarse 8 Grammys. Esta canción no puede faltar en la época de Halloween, aquí se destacan temas como "Billie Jean", "Pretty You Thing" y "Wanna Be Starting' Somethin'. Haciendo dueto a lado de Paul McCartney para "The girl is mine" & "Say say say".

Después realizó proyectos como la canción "We are the world" a lado de grandes artistas. La fama tiene un precio alto, las personas y los medios lograron manchar su imagen a base de graves acusaciones.

Ya para el año de 1987 (en lo personal es mi era favorita) llega BAD un álbum con un concepto rudo. No puedo creer que no haya ganado Grammys. Y como curiosidad para la canción "I just can`t stop loving you", existen otras dos versiones en francés (Je ne veux pas la fin de nous) y en español (Todo mi amor eres tu). La dicción del cantante fue muy buena para ambos idiomas.

En 1991 lanza Dangerous, el cual incluían "Remember the time", "Black or white", "Dangerous", "Jam", etc. Lo sorprendente de esta etapa del cantante fue el video clip para Black or white, los cambios de rostro que aparecen de varias personas parecía imposible por aquellos años. Para eso utilizaron la técnica de Morphing

«El morphing es una de las características de la post-imagen, una sola de un conjunto más amplio de significaciones de transformación tecnológica que están ocurriendo en la cibercultura contemporánea, como por ejemplo el mashup. Tecnológicamente suele definirse el morphing como la gradual transformación de una imagen en otra, se trata del paso de una imagen a otra, no como simple sustitución sino como creolización. Este fenómeno no es único de la imagen, suele aparecer ya en audio y video » (Sánchez Martínez, 2010).

Luego en 1995 colaboró con su hermana Janeth Jackson para la canción "Scream". Por allá del 2001 sale Invincible. Después de varios años comunicaría en una rueda de prensa su ultima gira "This is itª, gracias al documental que publicaron en 2009, sabemos que serían una serie de increíbles conciertos y estupendos vestuarios.

Para el mismo año el mundo se paralizó, la muerte del Legendario Rey del pop fue una gran pérdida para los Moonwalkers (fans del cantante), y es así como nos deja con un gran legado lleno de historia que siempre recordaremos y no dejaremos morir.

Solo nos queda esperar la película biográfica que están grabando sobre Michael Jackson, del director Antoine Fuqua y de la productora Lionsgate , se preguntarán ¿Quién interpretará Michael Jackson? la respuesta es su sobrino Jafaar Jackson.

Sigue a Jafaar en Instagram

¿Lo sabías?

Los videos musicales "Thriller" y "Beat it" ya se encuentran en calidad 4K disponibles en la plataforma de YouTube, esto debido al 40 aniversario de "Thriller".

Imagina un mundo paralelo y que en lugar de "Thriller" se llamará "Starlight" aquí puedes encontrar el demo ¡Es totalmente diferente!

Escucha "Todo mi amor eres tu".

Pero... ¡Esperen! esto es solo el comienzo aún falta más por saber! descúbrelo en el próximo blog:)

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 s02e02 Revelation

S02 Table of Contents • previous episode

Londo are you really going to call Kosh out for anything at all? However, your annoyance is a little bit fair with Delenn and G’Kar. Ohh nevermind, Kosh is there lurking in the corner.

Fuck yeah G’Kar. Loving this glimpse of more alien ships. What is this morphing mesh? Whose are they? Morden’s allies?

The year the great war came upon us all...so there’s going to be some major fighting soon? Unless this season portrays less than a year. Hmmm. I like Sheridan’s introduction to the show. And Harlan Ellison consulted on this? That’s so fucking cool.

Ehhh leave Garibaldi in the coma, imo. Tried and failed to contact his next of kin! Ok...that’s actually very sad. Yeah, use Laura’s cool device! It’s probably literally the safest option for any person with a medical issue. Laura certainly used it to great effect, and I’m sure the denizens of Down Below miss her very much. And I totally called the machine coming back!

“Hi big brother,” un-fucking-believable. As one of six kids I can confidently say that that affectionate hug should have been accompanied by a loving “Hey shitbag.” Just to keep the new commander of B5 from getting too big of a head.

If Londo had half a molecule of common sense he’d vaporize Morden on the spot. That’s a terrifying and very malevolent level of power he displayed with the 10,000 Narns dead, and there’s absolutely no guarantee he won’t turn it on the Centauri next!

Anna...a sibling? A spouse to one of them? Sheridan’s spouse, I’m guessing. Poor guy. Grief do be like that. Ah, yes, spouse. Go to therapy, Sheridan. Or maybe a grief support group.

Lennier is such a caring cocoon caregiver. A little creepy with that vocal overlay. But caring.

G’Kar: “Close the door.” Na’Toth: “Close” Door: closes

LMAO. Did she remove him from the voice authorization while he was gone?

Details on Morden’s allies?! And G’Quan was a real person that was deified?

This is so metal.

“After a thousand years, the darkness has come again.”

Laura’s machine worked! Now the Presidential Assassination Plot may commence. Inside Guy is gonna do more inside crimes!

That’s either some very convenient amnesia, or very subtle acting on Jerry Doyle’s part, because I could not tell if he saw or recognized Inside Guy at all.

G’Kar’s armor is so gorgeous.

Delenn is out!!! All that TLC really paid off, Lennier. Hair now? Or hair later?

I didn’t suspect the scales.

Nice exposition, Sheridan Siblings. It is very tragic and sad. Moral of the story: don’t be a workaholic lest a tragic accident befall your spouse.

A shell within the cocoon! I bet the makeup was a bitch and about ten hours to apply, though.

Londo _do not _report this to Morden. Augh, of course you are, you idiot. For fuck’s sake.

Ah, so Garibaldi really didn’t remember who shot him.

Talia seems to have her powers heightened by skin to skin contact. I wonder if that’s standard, or a her-thing.

Inside Guy caught by the reflection! And tricked out of his quarters by the lure of a Butterfly Delenn - that’s fragging hilarious.

Police Brutality Garibaldi is back. sigh.

Lovely that the death penalty still exists. Even lovelier that Garibaldi wants to administer it himself. I do think that Inside Guy is going to escape, though.

Ah, so the current president is interested in the plot against the former president now! And both Inside Guy and all the relevant evidence is definitely vanishing en route to Current Pres. Who’s looking shadier and shadier by the second.

Thanks to the Narns I now know that you have to travel within hyperspace to coordinates before moving back into normal space. And thanks to Londo, no one will know that they saw evidence of the Evil Fae Folks.

Hair now! How handy that Lizzy came with info and a kick in the ass out of his grief so that he can be attracted to the newly conventionally-hot-by-human-standards Delenn.

Does this mean the original plan before Michael O’Hare needed to leave was for Sinclair/Delenn? Because I was picking up on those vibes. Hence all the frothing.

Garibaldi’s putting some pieces of this vast conspiracy together. It’s kind of funny that he’s putting the PsiCorps-related pieces together and not Ivanova, who has far more of a personal connection to PsiCorps and more of a personal reason to heavily scrutinize them. But perhaps she’ll put some pieces of her own together later that seem more personally relevant to Garibaldi’s past.

And Lizzy’s off, back to Earth! But is this the first shuttle back to Earth that Inside Guy is going to be on? If so, she is 100% a dead woman walking. I am sure that Inside Guy is going to “die” on the way by means of a catastrophic shuttle accident, or shuttle disappearance, or the ilk. 

Partner was excited to exercise his MFA in poetry and tell me this poem that G’Kar reads to Na’Toth is Yates, and super, super abridged. The whole thing is very worth reading. In a weird way, I think the way they cut it for G’Kar to read makes it less impactful for the B5-verse situation. But this poem, and the edited version presented in B5, definitely suits the heaviness of a rolling tide of dark change about to crash down uncontrollably.

Things fall apart the center cannot hold mere anarchy is loosed upon the world the blood-dimmed tide is loosed and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned And what rough beast its hour come round at last slouches towards Bethlehem to be born -the B5 cut

OH. Inside Guy was transferred to an unidentified “earthforce” ship. I’m glad Lizzy lived, but yeah, Inside Guy and all the physical evidence is gone. The Pres is absolutely a shady motherfucker.

next episode

[l-1-z-a]

Leo Hourvitz's notes from SIGGRAPH 2003 which relates to The Sims

The highlight of this SIGGRAPH was the technical program -- in particular papers and sketches. The transition of SIGGRAPH from batch-rendering oriented work towards real-time interactive rendering continued -- by far the majority of the papers I went to were research on interactive techniques. The most exciting stuff was in new-model lighting techniques (see Radiance Transfer Papers), but there were also some other great real-time ideas like the real-time soft shadows and the billboard clouds. Below are some links to the things I saw this year.

Paper: Skinning by Example

Alex Mohr and Michael Gleicher (from UWisconsin) wrote a paper about another technique for automatically computing weights for use in a skinning system given a set of example meshes. Like the Multi-Weight Enveloping technique from last year's Symposium on Computer Animation, this system takes a set of example poses for a skin, which can either be sculpted or simply created using a skinning technique that's not suitable for real-time (such as Maya's influence objects, a complex muscle-and-skin dynamics model, etc.), a set of skeleton poses that correspond to those skins, and then calculates a set of rigid bones and skin weights which express that as well as possible.

However, the particular trick this paper uses to get higher-quality results is that the authors automatically add extra joints to every joint in the input skeleton. In particular, they add up to seven extra joints per input joint -- one which splits the rotations on the input joint and six which represent scale transforms in various places around the input joint in order to express muscle bulges. Because it wouldn't be acceptable to have seven times the joints in the output skeleton, the authors manually specify which input joints to add these extra joints to.

The advantage of this paper over the Multi-Weight Enveloping technique from last year is that although they do add joints, their added joints are implemented in exactly the same fashion as any other real-time skinning system, and so can be hardware-accelerated much more easily. Unfortunately, because their system results in a skeleton with a lot of joints, it's not clear that it would actually be hardware-acceleratable on current-generation hardware.

I was initially very excited about this paper, since I think that skinning by example is fundamentally a more efficient technique. However, what this paper really does is allow approximation of other skinning techniques (twists, bends, morphs, influence objects) by extra joints. Therefore, it's only the change of tool that this technique saves you -- you would have to skin your muscle bulge via some other means (e.g., a morph), and this technique would then approximate that morph with 3-5 extra bones. While that could certainly be useful (for instance, in converting a face rigged with morphs to one rigged with bones), I'm not sure the savings in a typical Sims-style body-rigging case would be worth the extra step.

The full title of this paper was "Building Efficient, Accurate Character Skins from Examples", by Alex Mohr and Michael Gleicher from the University of Wisconsin.

[musingsofabookworm1]

Reads from October 2024

Only four reads to start October. But most quality!

The Measure by Nikki Erlick - The reader meets eight characters in this speculative fiction novel. One morning, the entire world wakes up to a box. This box contains a string. The string reveals how long you will live. Some open the box immediately. Some wait. Some never open it at all. What are the pros and cons of doing so? The reader finds out through this cast of characters. I sped through this one in two nights. I was afraid the ending might be disappointing, but it was quite satisfying indeed! 4 stars. 

King of the Armadillos by Wendy Chin-Tanner - This is the second book I’ve read set in Carville: the only home for those diagnosed with leprosy in the US. I didn’t love the amount of prose in this book. It felt much longer than it was. It’s the story of teen Victor Chin who is sent from his home in Brooklyn to Carville when he’s diagnosed with Hansen’s Disease (leprosy). Born in China, he’s lived in the US most of his life with his father and brother. His mother remains in China, and she does not know he’s been shipped off to Louisiana for treatment.This eats away at Victor who does get to speak with his brother in small doses over the phone during his time at Carville. Overall, just average for me. 3 stars. 

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly - Kelly is one of my favorite middle grade authors. And she did not disappoint with this one! I’m not going to try to do justice to a summary or divulge too much, so here’s what the official jacket summary is:

It's August 1999. For twelve-year-old Michael Rosario, life at Fox Run Apartments in Red Knot, Delaware, is as ordinary as ever—except for the looming Y2K crisis and his overwhelming crush on his fifteen-year-old babysitter, Gibby. But when a disoriented teenage boy named Ridge appears out of nowhere, Michael discovers there is more to life than stockpiling supplies and pining over Gibby.

It turns out that Ridge is carefree, confident, and bold, things Michael wishes he could be. Unlike Michael, however, Ridge isn’t where he belongs. When Ridge reveals that he’s the world’s first time traveler, Michael and Gibby are stunned but curious. As Ridge immerses himself in 1999—fascinated by microwaves, basketballs, and malls—Michael discovers that his new friend has a book that outlines the events of the next twenty years, and his curiosity morphs into something else: focused determination. Michael wants—no, needs—to get his hands on that book. How else can he prepare for the future? But how far is he willing to go to get it?

5 stars. Cannot recommend enough!

The Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung - This one was heavy. Even for me. You know you’re not getting the feel-good book of the year when you’re picking up a novel set in Community China. The daughters in the title are those of the Ang family who has only daughters so no male heir. When the Communist army closes in, the father ups and leaves his family. And due to having no male heir to punish, the Communists beat the oldest daughter to within an inch of her life. Her mother decides to take her girls and escape in hopes of finding their freedom and the husband that abandoned them. Endurance. Resilience.  You name it, this mother and her daughters have it all as they live through some of the most cruel situations full of danger, sorrow, and all the negative descriptions you can think of. Not for the faint of heart, but an eye-opening, important read. 4 stars.

[tfblovesmusic]

Maligayang Pask-OH SHIP! Mixtape 2, Listening Guide 2

Section 15: Happy Golden Days of Yore

The Mexican barrio morphs into a rural, snowy English town in the early 18th century. The Gesualdo Six’s Guy James, Joseph Wicks, Josh Cooter, Michael Craddock, Samuel Mitchell, and Owain Park stand outside a church, singing Michael Praetorius’s “Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen.” The listener stops by the pub, and Heather Dale serenades one with “This Endris Night.” Sara Stowe stops by to serve the listener a cup of “The Gloucestershire Wassail.”

Refreshed, the listener enters the said church, in which one finds peasant clothing-clad James Bowman and Michael Chance pray Francois Couperin’s setting of the Magnificat. Dame Emma Kirkby appears also in peasant clothing, her singing the final movement of Alessandro Scarlatti’s Non so qual più m'ingombra – “Nacque, col Gran Messia” – with the London Baroque under Charles Medlam.

Section 16: Nochebuena Spread

Festive scents inundate a dining room as Sophie Retaux’s charming organ transcription of the Dance of the Mirlitons from The Nutcracker wafts.

Collin Paul welcomes the listener in the kitchen, declaring that “It’s a Marshmallow World.” Jody Dee and the Starliters cook up a storm with “The Peppermint Twist.” Lesley Gore helps one whip up Christmas “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows.” The listener helps Chance mix mulled wine, brew the nonalcoholic hot cocoa, and heat up toddies as he sings Purcell’s “If Music Be the Food of Love.”

All the dancing and cooking makes the listener hungry, and the cast of Promises, Promises help one set the tables to ensure that everyone has a “Turkey Lurkey Time.” The guests are in fact the King’s Singers, who join you in a “Banquet Fugue.” One of the Kidsongs Kids tells the listener at the jovial table, “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.”

Section 17: The 1740s Menorah Lighting Hour

The listener once again heads to the 18th century, this time in a Jewish neighborhood. Matthias Maute’s Ensemble Caprice’s “Fa Nye Mama” fill the air, and so do the scent of laktes frying in oil.

As Sydney Fixman lights the candle on a silver menorah, the Pro Cantione Antiqua sing Salamone Rossi’s Elohim Hashivenu. The Maulbronn Chamber Choir, accompanied by Musica Florita and conducted by Jurgen Budday, sing “See the Conquering Hero Comes” from Handel’s seasonal oratorio, Judas Maccabaeus. Il Gardellino – under Marcel Ponseele – signifies another Hanukkah night illuminated with the 3rd movement of Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe Concerto in D minor, S D935.

Ensemble Il Continuo lends a festive air with the opening chorus of Benedetto Marcello’s I cieli immensi narrano, S.618. Helmut Lotti leads everyone in a rousing hora to his cover of “Shalom Alechem.”

Section 18: Give Love on Christmas Day

Seasonal romance intertwines with the festive atmosphere as the segment starts with Jose Mari Chan’s “A Perfect Christmas.” The listener waltzes with a friend (or significant other) as Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack sing “As Long as There’s Christmas.” The Cambridge Singers and Farnham Youth Choir croon, “I Wish You Christmas.” The Jackson 5, aptly, advises the listener, “Give Love on Christmas Day.”

The Carpenters reminisce about “Those Good Old Dreams” while Susan Ashton and Collin Raye share “The Gift” with each other. Chan tells the listener, “Give Me Your Heart for Christmas.” Sandi Patty and the kids remind one, “The Gift Goes On.” Mariah Carey affirms that the listener’s love is the best gift of all, as evidenced by her greatest seasonal banger, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” And Barry Manilow says, “I’ve Got My Love to Keep You Warm.”

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[internationalrealestatenews]

[ad_1] A trio of builders are betting on demand for residences in Miami's Overtown neighborhood. Michael Simkins' Lion Growth Group, Property Markets Group and Alex Karakhanian's Miami-based Lndmrk Growth scooped up a 1.5-acre growth website at 105 Northwest Eleventh Terrace, in keeping with the consumers' information launch. They plan a multifamily challenge with market charge and workforce models on the positioning, which is 5 blocks north of the Brightline station. The event companies paid $16.5 million for the property, and scored an $8.3 million mortgage, the discharge says. Metropolis Nationwide Financial institution is the lender. Information present the vendor, RNG Overtown, is led by Mitchell Newman of Morganville, New Jersey. The consumers haven't hammered out challenge specifics such because the unit rely and peak, in keeping with their spokesperson. The deal marks Simkins' continued funding in Overtown, and factors to growth creeping into the traditionally Black neighborhood. In recent times, close by downtown Miami and Park West areas have morphed right into a canyon of high-rises. Simkins began investing in Overtown over a decade in the past with the $3.6 million buy of 10 heaps north of the Brightline station. In 2020, I've paid $5.2 million for 13 heaps close to 226 Northwest tenth Road in Overtown. E11even Companions, led by Simkins, Marc Roberts and Dennis DeGori, and PMG are growing the 449-unit E11even Lodge & Residences Miami at 20 Northeast eleventh Road and the 461-unit E11even Residences Past at 90 Northeast eleventh Road. PMG, with places of work in New York and Miami, is led by Kevin Maloney, Ryan Shear and Dan Kaplan. Others betting on Overtown embody a partnership amongst Swerdlow Group, SJM Companions and Alben Duffie. This summer time, they're anticipated to finish the 578-unit senior residents low-income housing challenge Sawyer's Stroll, which may have 175,000 sq. toes of retail. The event, at 249 Northwest Sixth Road, has 130,000 sq. toes of places of work that had been bought by transport and cruise firm MSC Group for its new headquarters. [ad_2] Supply hyperlink

[321spongebolt]

If there was ever an "Animaniacs" video game that came out on modern-day platforms like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and even PC, I made a mock menu for if that game were to have a level of difficulty.

My OC, Wizard Waldo is used in each window in his alternate forms. For "Easy Mode", I stuck with Waldo in his signature robe and hat. For "Normal Mode", I went with Waldo as Overlord Waldo, who would debut in my version of the episode, "King Yakko" as part of Waldo's first two wishes from Babes Bunny (my "Tiny Toons" OC). For Hard Mode, I went with Waldo's most powerful form, Shadow Genie Waldo, also from my version of "King Yakko", as Waldo's final wish, which ultimately results in his defeat by being sucked into his own lamp, before the Warners, Background Singer, and Babes deal with Umlatt.

The level of difficulty, I was thinking should make all enemies stronger depending on what you choose. And for Waldo, to make him seem like an intimidating boss to fight, I would want his attacks to be stronger depending on the level of difficulty.

Normal Waldo = Maybe for Waldo, if the player tries to fight him before he attacks, Waldo should disappear in a cloud of smoke and reappear. That, or have the player get hurt if Waldo were to use lightning or fire-based attacks. But after Waldo uses his magic and taunts the player, there would be a time limit for the player to fight Waldo and drain his health.

Overload Waldo = Overload Waldo should be stronger in regards to his previous attacks, in fact, Waldo wouldn't use his scepter when he's Overlord Waldo, as his magic would be performed by his hands instead.

Shadow Genie Waldo = Shadow Genie Waldo could be the hardest of them all, since Waldo cannot take damage, making him invulnerable. However, I was thinking his Achilles heel should be his scepter, which would've morphed into Waldo as a belt. Also, Waldo's voice would be deepened and as he talks, Shadow Genie Waldo's voice echos (similar to villains like say, Michael Dorian from "The Mask", or Ursula from "The Little Mermaid", or even Jafar from "Aladdin" when he's Genie Jafar.).

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Wizard Waldo © 321SPONGEBOLT (Me) for "Animaniacs"