#Ultra Drive: character profiles

[kae-luna]

Character Profile

(Picture made with Lilimaker)

AlexiKa Raiden

Story: Ultra Drive

Full Name: AlexiKa Raiden Alias(es): Lexi (by friends and family, Lex (by Chet), sport (by her father) Race: (born as) human, mutant (Episode???) First appearance: Episode 1: Willowston Pt 1

Profile

Age: 19-20+ Gender: Cis female Pronouns: She/her, they/them Height: 5'8 Ethnicity: Italian-Japanese Voice claim: Ashley Burch Abilities: above average strength, enhanced reflexes, enhanced agility, pain postponing, regenerative healing factor, enhanced endurance, enhanced flexibility Status: Alive

Affiliations: Red Dragon gang (formerly), Ultra Resistance

Occupation: gang member (formerly), courier, spy, criminal (according to the Veniculan government)

Family: Alessandro Raiden (father), Yuki Raiden (mother)

Favorites

Music artists: Spiritbox, Queen, Muse, Depeche Mode

Food: chicken curry

Color: orange, blue, purple

Appearance

AlexiKa is a young, slightly taller than average cis woman with light tan skin. She has a slender, fit physique with subtly muscular abs and shoulders. For a majority of the series, her hair is cut short. It's naturally black but when she's a teen, she dyes it blue and cuts it in an angled, inverted, choppy chin-length bob with the right front lock longer than the other. Her eyes are a medium brown and angular with long eyelashes. She also sometimes has a slit on her left brow. Her face is triangular-shaped.

Personality

AlexiKa inherits personality traits from both her parents. She gets her stubbornness from her mother and playful nature and temper from her father. As she gets older, her anger, impulsiveness, and snarky nature is only amplified as she witnesses the oppressive actions against the poor, immigrants, and mutants by the Veniculan Empire. That isn't to say she isn't sensitive and caring, though she can be rude at times. Her whole life, she has questioned authority and doesn't show respect to elders just because of their age. When shown affection, she can get embarrassed and hide it behind a grumpy facade.

Abilities

Once she survives the Ebony Plague, she ends up with multiple enhanced abilities that render her an ideal superhuman fighter. She possesses enhanced agility, reflexes, flexibility, strength, the ability to postpone pain, and a regenerative healing factor that allows her to grow back limbs.

[heliopauseentertainments]

In Memoriam

Part of MegOp Week 2024 Prompt - Day 7: Vulnerability/Acceptance

Continuity: IDW1

Rating: Teen

Relationships: Megatron & Optimus Prime

Characters: Megatron

Warnings: Vignette, Referenced Character Death, Grief, Mourning, Swearing

Summary: In which before being taken to have his sentence carried out, Megatron is granted a final request.

Crossposting: AO3 | Dreamwidth

Fic under cut. See AO3 for complete notes.

It had taken some finagling, but Ultra Magnus had gotten the Galactic Council to grant Megatron a final wish before he would be rendered insensate in isolation.

It might as well have been death; it was functionally death.

But he had been allowed this one indulgence. Even Prowl, in a rare display of mercy, had been in agreement that Megatron could have this.

It wasn’t the exact place that Optimus had met his end, but the Earth, a planet so fateful to their kind, was the closest solid ground Megatron could get to. Of course, the various governments of Earth had been against his visit, no matter how brief. However, on the condition that he was disarmed and squarely in the sights of more guns than could be considered reasonable, even the humans had allowed him to come to their world one last time.

Standing now in front of a monument erected in a joint effort by some of the few survivors of their species and the humans that did not detest all Cybertronians, Megatron could say farewell to his friend. In a strange way, they had been friends.

Ultra Magnus stood several paces away, having been allowed to accompany his “client” on this little journey. He kept his back respectfully turned, giving Megatron the dignity of a veneer of privacy, even if none of the soldiers ready to fire upon him could give him the same courtesy.

The monument, a large, polished white marble stele with the same dedication engraved in multiple languages. Neocybex, of course, but the remainder were several of Earth’s languages. His universal translator was able to decipher most of them in a sort of flat way, but he was sure much nuance was being lost.

“In memoriam of Optimus Prime of Iacon—“ Incorrect, Primes traditionally lost their city names upon ascension. “—our friend from the far off planet of Cybertron—“ No longer extant. “—who selflessly sacrificed himself—“ As he had been wont to do his entire life, yes. “—to protect Earth from destruction.”

An etching of Optimus’s face, in partial profile, had been placed in the center of the slab, surrounded in scrollwork and geometric shapes, a fusion of typical Iaconian styles with the more organic aesthetic of Optimus’s favorite mudball world—Megatron oughtn’t call it that.

Knowing that Optimus was dead and seeing the purported proof were vastly different things. An icy weight, a grief he had not borne since he had believed Terminus dead, tugged inward on his spark, compressing it until it seemed like it might implode.

In the grooves of the carved glyphs and artwork, Megatron could see traces of color, as though the monument had been the victim of graffiti. Forcibly bringing a previously sovereign world into consortium with alien governments tended to not be popular. Megatron ought to know, after all.

For all of the love and admiration and worship foisted upon Optimus, there would, of course, be those who wholeheartedly disagreed. Megatron could hardly blame them.

At least Optimus had had the luxury of actually dying.

Lucky bastard.

Megatron was to be punished with an endless undeath. Alone forever with his thoughts whenever the drive they would hook his spark up to would fluctuate, interrupting his senseless, slumbering void.

He reached out with his hands, his wrists awkwardly cuffed together. He could have broken the cuffs easily, but there was no need. It wouldn’t change anything.

Placing his palm on the etching of Optimus’s face, he smiled. A warm pressure bloomed in his spark, pushing through the cold grief.

“You finally did it, you foolish hero, you finally did it.”

There was a heavy sigh as he brushed his palm over the ridges in the marble.

“And, like usual, you didn’t bother to wait for me.”

[jassicaleo318]

Whiskey Market: A Spirited Journey through Diversity and Growth

The whiskey market is a thriving and diverse sector within the global spirits industry, characterized by a rich history, varied production methods, and a wide range of flavor profiles. Whiskey, also spelled whisky in some regions, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash, typically aged in wooden casks, which impart distinct flavors and characteristics to the final product. With a global consumer base that spans continents and cultures, the whiskey market has experienced steady growth in recent years. According to industry reports, the whiskey market reached a value of around USD 65.46 billion in 2023. The market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.9% between 2024 and 2032, to reach a value of 100.68 billion USD in 2032.

Market Overview

Whiskey is produced through a meticulous process that involves mashing grains, fermenting the mash, distilling the liquid, and aging it in wooden barrels. The choice of grains, distillation methods, aging duration, and cask types all contribute to the flavor, aroma, and character of the final whiskey product. Varieties of whiskey include Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, American whiskey (including bourbon and rye), Canadian whisky, and Japanese whisky, among others. Each type of whiskey has its own distinct production techniques, regulations, and cultural significance.

Market Segmentation

The whiskey market can be segmented based on various factors, including:

Type: Whiskey can be categorized into different types based on factors such as production methods, ingredients, and geographic origin. Common types of whiskey include Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, American bourbon, rye whiskey, Canadian whisky, and Japanese whisky. Each type has its own unique flavor profile, production regulations, and cultural significance.

Age: Whiskey is often aged in wooden barrels for a certain period to develop its flavors and characteristics. Age statements indicate the minimum number of years the whiskey has been aged, with categories such as young whiskey, aged whiskey (e.g., 10 years old, 12 years old), and rare or vintage whiskey (e.g., 18 years old, 25 years old). Older whiskeys typically command higher prices and are perceived as more premium.

Price Segment: The whiskey market encompasses a wide range of price segments, catering to consumers with different budgets and preferences. Categories include value or budget whiskeys, mid-range whiskeys, premium whiskeys, and ultra-premium or luxury whiskeys. Price is influenced by factors such as brand reputation, aging duration, scarcity, and packaging.

Distribution Channel: Whiskey is distributed through various channels, including liquor stores, supermarkets, duty-free shops, bars, restaurants, and online retailers. Each channel offers different levels of convenience, selection, and shopping experience, catering to different consumer preferences and occasions.

Market Dynamics

Several factors drive the dynamics of the whiskey market:

Globalization and Consumer Preferences: As global travel and cultural exchange increase, consumers are becoming more adventurous in their tastes and seeking out premium and craft whiskeys from around the world. This trend has led to a growing appreciation for diverse whiskey styles and regional variations.

Rising Disposable Incomes: Economic growth in emerging markets, coupled with increasing disposable incomes, has created new opportunities for whiskey producers. Emerging middle-class consumers in countries such as China, India, and Brazil are embracing whiskey as a symbol of status, sophistication, and luxury.

Craft Distilling Renaissance: The resurgence of craft distilling has revolutionized the whiskey market, with small-scale producers creating artisanal and innovative whiskey expressions. Craft distillers focus on quality, authenticity, and unique flavor profiles, appealing to discerning consumers seeking distinctive drinking experiences.

Premiumization and Collectability: Premium and ultra-premium whiskeys are experiencing strong demand among connoisseurs and collectors, driving up prices for rare and limited-edition bottlings. Whiskey enthusiasts are willing to pay a premium for aged, single malt, and small-batch whiskeys with exceptional quality and provenance.

Marketing and Branding: Effective marketing and branding play a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and driving sales in the whiskey market. Distilleries leverage storytelling, heritage, and craftsmanship to differentiate their brands and create emotional connections with consumers.

Challenges

Despite its growth prospects, the whiskey market faces several challenges:

Regulatory Compliance: Whiskey production is subject to strict regulations and legal requirements, including aging specifications, labeling standards, and geographic indications. Compliance with regulatory frameworks can pose challenges for producers, particularly in international markets with varying regulations.

Supply Chain Constraints: Whiskey production relies on a complex supply chain involving sourcing raw materials, distillation, aging, and bottling. Fluctuations in grain prices, barrel availability, and production capacity can impact the supply chain and lead to production delays or shortages.

Counterfeiting and Fraud: The whiskey market is vulnerable to counterfeiting and fraud, with counterfeit products posing risks to consumer health and safety as well as brand reputation. Distilleries invest in anti-counterfeiting measures such as holographic labels, bottle authentication, and blockchain technology to combat illicit trade.

Future Outlook

The future outlook for the whiskey market remains positive, driven by evolving consumer preferences, expanding global markets, and innovation in production and marketing. Key trends shaping the future of the whiskey market include:

Exploration of New Markets: Whiskey producers are increasingly targeting emerging markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where rising affluence and changing lifestyles are driving demand for premium spirits.

Innovation in Product Development: Distilleries are innovating with new whiskey expressions, flavor profiles, and aging techniques to cater to diverse consumer tastes and preferences. Experimentation with different grains, cask finishes, and aging environments is fueling creativity and differentiation in the market.

Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility: With growing awareness of environmental issues, distilleries are implementing sustainable practices such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, and water conservation. Sustainable whiskey production resonates with environmentally conscious consumers and enhances brand reputation.

[vividracing]

New Post has been published on https://www.vividracing.com/blog/top-5-best-na-miata-mods-1990-1997/

Top 5 Best NA Miata Mods (1990 - 1997)

Welcome to our latest guide, focusing on enhancing the performance and driving experience of the iconic Mazda Miata NA! In this blog, we’ll delve into the realm of the top five upgrades that can transform your Miata without breaking the bank. Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or a newcomer to the world of automotive customization, these mods, all together, are priced under $3000 and are sure to add an extra layer of excitement and thrill to your Miata driving adventures.

1. Konig Hypergram Wheels – 15×7.5 4×100 35mm

This rad NA Miata featured above is from @lexworxllc If you want to see an exceptional example of a NA build check out that page!

The Hypergram is a lightweight, 12-spoke design that is motorsport inspired in its construction, appearance and its ability to clear many big brake cars and upgrades! Utilizing Flow Forming Technology allows the Hypergram to be lighter and stronger. With a large range of aggressive sizing the Hypergram is finished in either Matte Grey, Race Bronze, Metallic Carbon with Machined Lip or Matte Black in 15×7.5, 15×8, 15×8.5, 17×8, 17×9, 18×8.5, 18×9.5, 18×10.5 and 18×11 sizes.

Specification:

Color Finishes: Matte Black | Race Bronze | Metallic Carbon w/ Machined Lip | Matte Grey

Max Load: 1102

Center Bore: 73.1

Type: Flow Formed

Weight: 12.72

Size: 15×7.5

Offset: 35 mm

PCD: 4X100

Center Cap Code: CAPFFB

Back Space: 5.63

2. Tomei Full Titanium Muffler Kit Mazda Miata MX-5 NA 1990-1997

The Tomei Full Titanium Muffler Kit is a premium aftermarket exhaust system designed to enhance the performance, sound, and aesthetics of your Mazda Miata NA. Crafted from lightweight and durable titanium, this exhaust kit offers a range of benefits that make it a standout modification for enthusiasts.

One of the key advantages of the Tomei Full Titanium Muffler Kit is its weight savings compared to the stock exhaust system. Titanium is significantly lighter than traditional stainless steel, reducing overall vehicle weight and improving power-to-weight ratio. This weight reduction not only enhances acceleration and throttle response but also contributes to a more agile and responsive driving experience.

In addition to weight savings, the Tomei Full Titanium Muffler Kit is engineered to optimize exhaust flow and minimize backpressure. This leads to increased horsepower and torque throughout the RPM range, unlocking additional performance potential from your Miata’s engine.

Beyond performance gains, the Tomei exhaust system delivers an exhilarating exhaust note that enhances the auditory experience of driving your Miata. The unique tone and character of the titanium construction provide a distinct sound profile, adding a sporty and aggressive soundtrack to your driving adventures.

Furthermore, the Tomei Full Titanium Muffler Kit features precision craftsmanship and attention to detail, resulting in a visually stunning upgrade for your Miata’s rear end. The polished titanium finish not only looks impressive but also resists corrosion, ensuring long-lasting durability and aesthetic appeal.

Overall, the Tomei Full Titanium Muffler Kit is a must-have upgrade for Miata enthusiasts seeking improved performance, a captivating exhaust sound, and a touch of premium craftsmanship to elevate the overall driving experience.

Features

Main pipe 60.5mm, Improved throttle response and power feeling

Dramactically improves driving enjoyment of lightweight MX5

Ultra-high quality sound from straight through titanium design

1.0mm thin-thickness pure titanium achieved amazingly lightweight of 5.7kg

Flangeless slip joint identical to racing cars

Sound reducer included

Fitment:

Mazda Miata MX-5 NA 1990-1997

3. Weapon-R Dragon Intake System Mazda Miata 1.6L 90-93

Weapon-R Dragon Intake Systems are one of the mostly highly rated intake systems in the world. Used in many countries in many different forms of racing. Also recently rated “Best Overall Performer”, outperforming Cold Air & Short Ram Intake systems, in the 2003 Tuner Performance Reports, Intake system Battle. These Intake Systems are CNC Mandrel Bent out of 6061 aluminum, and then Hand Tig Welded to ensure a positive seal and proper fitment. Each one is carefully tuned, by matching the engines displacement, air intake capacity and airspeed to the intake systems tube size and length, maximizing every engines performance output.

Dragon Intake Systems are matched with the World Famous Dragon Filter, which provides maximum airflow with the protection of high quality dense Poly Urethane Foam. Many studies have shown Flow rates of up to 80% more Air and Better Dirt Filtration with Foam Filter than the conventional cotton filter. The Dragon Filter features a Computer CAD Designed and Flow benched Tested Velocity Stack, which greatly increases airflow and air volume into the engine, therefore increasing engine performance.

This intake available in Polished or Carbon Fiber finishes. Please make your selection below.

Additional Information:

Many applications CARB approved

Open pore high density re-usable foam filter

High-polished Aluminum piping

Everything included for a clean installation

Fits: 90-93 Mazda MX-5 Miata 1.6L only.

4. TEIN STREET BASIS Z Coilover Kit Mazda Miata NA6C FR 1990-1998 USA

The Tein STREET BASIS Z Coilover System combines affordability and comfort packaged into a masterfully constructed suspension system. These coilovers utilize a Twin-Tube setup that when compared to the regular mono-tube systems, these twin-tube systems attain longer stroke with a smaller repulsive force, resulting in increased ride comfort. Thanks to this unique characteristic, you can negotiate gaps and bumps steadily on rough roads, meaning a smooth ride at low speed and stability at high speeds.

Front Specifications:

Damping Force Adjustment: N

Full-Length Ride-Height Adjustable: N

Upper Mount: OEM

Recommended Ride Height (mm): -35

Recommended Ride Height (inch): -1.4

Ride Height Adjustable Range:

Max Low (mm): -77

Max Low (inch): -3

Max High (mm): -12

Max High (inch): -0.5

Recommended Low (mm): -45

Recommended Low (inch): -1.8

Recommended High (mm): -25

Recommended High (inch): -1

Spring

Rate (kgf/mm): 7

Rate (lbs/in): 392

SP PART#SW070-13175

Free Length (mm): 175

I.D. (mm): ID70

Rear Specifications:

Damping Force Adjustment: N

Full-Length Ride-Height Adjustable: N

Upper Mount: OEM

Recommended Ride Height (mm): -30

Recommended Ride Height (inch): -1.2

Ride Height Adjustable Range:

Max Low (mm): -70

Max Low (inch): -2.8

Max High (mm): 6

Max High (inch): 0.2

Recommended Low (mm): -40

Recommended Low (inch): -1.6

Recommended High (mm): -20

Recommended High (inch): -0.8

Spring:

Rate (kgf/mm): 6

Rate (lbs/in): 336

SP PART#SW060-13175

Free Length (mm): 175

I.D. (mm): ID70

Fitment:

Year: 1990-1998

Make: Mazda

Model: Miata

Drivetrain: FR

Chassis: NA6C

Motor Size: 1600

Vehicle Region: USA

Notes:

2Dr/4Cyl

Features:

Steel Construction

Twin Tube internal construction

Thread Type Ride Height Adjustment

Utilizes OEM Mounts

16 way adjustable dampers, compression and rebound combined

High Durability and Reliability

Anodized brackets with Teflon coated shock body for heavy duty rust prevention

5. Cuscu Sway Bars Front and Rear

Cusco Sway Bars, also known as anti-roll bars or stabilizer bars, are crucial components that significantly impact the handling and performance of your Mazda Miata NA. These bars are designed to minimize body roll during cornering, enhancing overall stability, grip, and control.

By installing Cusco Sway Bars, you can experience a noticeable reduction in body lean when navigating tight turns and curves. This improvement not only enhances the driving dynamics of your Miata but also instills confidence, allowing you to push your vehicle to its limits with greater precision.

The front and rear Cusco Sway Bars work together to promote balanced handling characteristics. They help distribute weight more effectively, keeping all four tires firmly planted on the road surface. This translates to improved traction and responsiveness, especially during spirited driving or track sessions.

Additionally, Cusco Sway Bars offer adjustability, allowing you to fine-tune your Miata’s handling characteristics to suit your preferences and driving style. Whether you’re seeking sharper turn-in response, reduced understeer, or enhanced overall stability, these sway bars provide the versatility needed to optimize your driving experience.

Overall, investing in Cusco Sway Bars for the front and rear of your Mazda Miata NA is a smart choice for enthusiasts looking to elevate their driving pleasure, cornering prowess, and overall performance on both the street and the track.

Cusco Stabilization Sway Bar Front 24mm Mazda Miata

Cusco Sway Bar 16mm Rear Mazda Miata NA8C 89-97

[futur3juli3]

-DATA BE BOPS-

PROFILES:

No. 05

Name: Suzuki

Age: 15

Birthday: July 16

Occupation: Middle school student

Gender: Male

Blood type: A

Likes: Evangelion

Dislikes: School

Hobby: Lego

Plans to use the Groovetron for: Clearing the Ultra Super Hard Mode of "Guest Wa Debu S" (dance game his team likes. The name is similar to Bust a Move in Japanese, and roughly means "the guest's a fatass"

Worries about: There being few anime shows on air in the country

Personality: 100% attack, 0% defense

Special skills: Certain-kill technique: all fighting games

Collects: Videogame posters

Dream: #1 in the world game ranking

Respects: Edajima Heihachi (character from Sakigake!! Otokojuku)

Releases stress by: Bowling

Favorite word/phrase: Manly

When drunk... Can't drink alcohol

With 1 million yen... I'd buy an arcade cabinet

Quotient: Super Gamer quotient: 99

Epilogue: Suzuki became No.1 dancer, but thought that after all

he has to clear the Ultra Super Hard mode of "Guest wa Debu S" with his own skills

to claim to be a "man amongst men".

"If I didn't use my own skill it'd be just boring...let's use Groovetron for something else."

Afterwards, Suzuki cleared the Ultra Super Hard mode of "Guest wa Debu S" with his own skill,

thus moving one step forward in the history of videogames. That moment, for some reason he was 1m 85cm tall.

No. 06

Name: Honda

Age: 15

Birthday: June 21

Occupation: Middle school student

Gender: Male

Blood type: O

Likes: Ridge Racer

Dislikes: Dating sims

Hobby: Graffiti

Plans to use the Groovetron for: I'd like to ride a F1 car just once

Worries: Not having a girlfriend

Personality: Becomes rabid when holding a steering wheel

Special skills: All racing games

Collects: Foreign countries' car plates

Dream: Draw graffiti in undergrounds all over the world

Respects: Keith Haring

Releases stress by: Riding his motorbike (he has a moped for now)

Favorite word/phrase: No one's going to run ahead of me, baby!!!

When drunk... Minor

With 1 million yen... I'd buy a 750cc motorbike

Quotient: Hi-speed quotient: 88

Epilogue: Honda became No.1 dancer and prayed to the Groovetron.

"I'd like to ride a F1 car, not a game one, at least once."

8 years later...

"The first Japanese world champion is born!"

With the driving techniques trained through games

and his inborn speed sense, Honda became the greatest

champion of motor races.

No. 07

Name: 3D

Age: 14

Birthday: January 19

Occupation: Middle school student

Gender: Male

Blood type: O

Likes: Discovery Channel

Dislikes: Heavy Metal

Hobby: Electronic blocks

Plans to use the Groovetron for: Turn my brain into a computer

Worries: His eyes getting irritated because of his glasses (which are his favorites though)

Personality: Binary

Special skills: All puzzle games

Collects: Old game magazines

Dream: Becoming a CG artist

Respects: Bill Gates

Releases stress by: Hacking

Favorite word/phrase: accept (originally in English)

When drunk... I do not drink, to protect my brain cells

With 1 million yen... I'd build a custom PC

Quotient: Digital Devil Quotient: 88

Epilogue: 3D, who became the No.1 dancer, actually possessed

a great ambition.

"I want you to turn my brain into a computer!!"

230 years later...

"Hey, I know this place, it's that super rad and popular dating spot."

"You knooow it, it's the commemorative stele for the first human to

realize a brain PC, Mr. 3D"

"Really...OK, I'ma record it to the HD too."

"I'm thinking of adding 2 gigs ya see, I just can't remember people's names..."

"Yeaah, got to check'er out..."

*the dialogue reflects slang from 230 years in the future

No. 08

Name: G-Pan

Age: 14

Birthday: December 22

Occupation: Middle school student

Gender: Male

Blood type: O

Likes: Kiteretsu Hyakkaten (Anime by the same creators of Doraemon)

Dislikes: Mode-kei fashion (a type of fashion employing B&W or multi-colored clothes arranged in a absurdly extravagant way.

Hobby: BMX

Plans to use the Groovetron for: I'm thinking of participating in the Game Olympics with the others

Worries: About his legs getting cramps easily

Personality: Merciless in gaming competitions

Special skills: All sports games

Collects: Kyoro-chan merchandise

Dream: Participating in the Olympics

Respects: Takahashi Meijin

Releases stress by: Club activities (handball club member)

Favorite word/phrase: Teamwork

When drunk... Minor

With 1 million yen... I'd buy a training suit.

Quotient: Taiikukai-kei quotient: 66

Epilogue: G-pan became No.1 dancer and prayed to the Groovetron.

"Please let the Game Olympics be held"

And so G-pan, with the Data Be-Bops, participated in the

Game Olympics as Japan's representative, but unfortunately

stopped at the bronze medal.

After that he aims at participating in both sports and gaming

Olympics, and keeps training every day.

[project-rebirth]

PROFILE: Kirishima Sayuki

Name: Kirishima Sayuki

Gender: Female

Age: 17-18

Nationality: Japanese-American

Family: Kirishima Tokiomi (Father), Kirishima Nia (Mother)

Professional Status

Classification: Human

Kirishima Sayuki, is a character who first appears in A Certain Magical Index: Rebirth Testament, and then gets a expanded role in A Certain Irregular Mental Academy. She is a mercenary and a victim of the New York Cataclysm. An orphan as a result of the Great War between America and Syria that was indirectly caused by Kihara Eiichiro. She travels the world, seeking to find the cause behind the war and to kill the real people behind it.

In Rebirth Testament, she makes her first appearance in the Inquisitorial Invasion Arc where she is hired by Grand Pope Biscas T. Benedict to aid the Fallen Roman Catholic forces in eliminating certain members of the perceived 'Kamijou Faction.' Here, she is assigned to assassinate Bowen Chunno and those around him, because of his nature as an Unknown Element.

In Mental Academy, she is later revealed to be a member of the international dark side group known as IDEAL, having been recruited by the Ouroboros Society where she learns of the truth of the New York Disaster and the identity of who caused it. Here, she becomes dead-set on killing Eiichiro as an act of vengeance. Her preferred method of assassination is through silence, however when the situation calls for it she can also go close combat.

She is the only member in IDEAL that has extensive knowledge in both magic and science. Capable of using both in tandem with one another for highly unpredictable assassinations and subterfuges that could easily take out all of her opponents with ease.

Personality

Initially, Sayuki had an immense hatred for Eiichiro. As she was affected by the New York Cataclysm and her life was ruined because of it, blaming Eiichiro for the misfortune that she had to go through during her childhood. When in battle she is cold, efficient, ruthless and logical. She is a brooding and conflicted person who is traumatized by the war between America and Syria and is often haunted with the cries of her dead friends and parents as she watches them get killed, with some even dying from illness that were too late to be cured. She was described to be a person who never smiles, she is often seen with a brooding face, or a depressed expression.

In order to pursue her dream of killing Kihara Eiichiro, she polished in her combat skills and studied everything she can in espers and magicians to combat him when the time comes to confront him. The death of Kihara Eiichiro is what drives her throughout most of her life, wanting revenge and killing him for the suffering she has caused her. Despite that, she has a close connection with her fellow members at IDEAL due to her past of having her friends killed by causes out of her control. As such she is very over-protective of them, and is willing to sacrifice herself should she be given the chance to do so.

When outside of combat, she has shown to be the silent type. Not speaking unless required to, and would mainly answer in one sentence. She is a woman of a few words, as described by Olivia. Her robotic lifestyle even translates to her daily life, buying things that are only necessary and avoids anything detrimental to her health or social lifestyle.

Powers and Abilities

As a mercenary, Sayuki is extremely skilled in close combat and has mastered the use of different types of weapons like handguns, missile launchers, etc. After barely surviving her first job, she was taught by her mentor, Osamu, how to actually fight and survive in war zones as a mercenary. Eventually, she gained experience handling all sorts of weapons along with tactics on how to use them effectively. Not only that, as an ex-member of the Japanese Military, Sayuki is trained in their style of combat and arresting techniques, plus she also has experience and knowledge on how to engage espers and magicians, as well as understand their fundamental abilities and spells to search for a weakness.

Sayuki specializes in all-kinds of ranged combat, but she is also competent in basic hand-to-hand combat. She is also a professional sniper, capable of sniping a target from 3km away. She knows how the underworld works, and as such she prefers to kill targets with a shot to their heads where people can see in order for her to be ensured that not only are the targets dead physically but also socially, preventing body doubles to take advantage of the situation and claim that the target is still alive.

Genius Level Intelligence

Sayuki is a brilliant, virtually peerless, detective, strategist, scientist, tactician, and commander. She is widely regarded as one of the keenest analytical minds anyone has ever known. Given her lack of any esper powers or highly complex magic spells, she often uses cunning and planning to outwit her foes, rather than simply fighting them head-on.

She has studied Biology, Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Mythology, Geography and History. A testament to her genius level intelligence is that Sayuki was able to master Criminal Science, Forensic Sciences, Computer Sciences, Chemistry, and Engineering by the time she was 8 years old. She had mastered Diverse Environmental Training, Security Systems, and illusion/sleight of hand by the time she was 10. Gained even more proficient skills in Biology, Physics, Advanced Chemistry, and Technology by the time she was 12, and has also learned Medical Sciences and Expanded Computer and Engineering Sciences before then as well. She is also multilingual in that she has shown to speak multiple languages fluently from around the world due to her status as a mercenary and travelling all around the world.

Having experience in Mechanical Engineering, Sayuki is capable of designing and creating mechanical apparatus and machines that almost equal that of Academy City, described to be at least 8 years apart. Which was displayed when she, along with Kihara Chinatsu was able to create a highly powerful armor known as the "Eradicator" which was fitted with the Level 5 Program Software. Showcasing that she at least has enough mechanical skills to assist the extremely talented Chinatsu.

Using her knowledge of Chemistry, Engineering, and Biology, Sayuki was able to produce synthetic skin. Synthetic Skin that allows Sayuki to replicate the faces of female individuals by taking photos of them and with Chinatsu's help, render them. Posing as other people and tricking her targets into engineering their own downfall. While posing as other individuals, she has shown to use her knowledge of psychology and in ventriloquism to replicate almost any voice that she hears from other people. This is however only be limited to people with higher pitched voices as she has never been shown to copy deeper voices. The synthetic skin has a severe flaw in that it can only last up to 99 minutes in the light as they are photosensitive and would dissolve back to it's prior state when stuck in the light for 99 minutes.

Anti-Magic Tactics

Sayuki has the mindset of a skilled assassin, and rather than facing another magician in a direct duel of abilities, such as in a battle between their Spiritual Items; she makes use of various plans, traps, and schemes that utilize both magic and modern weaponry in order to take out her targets. She preys on the weak point of magicians' magic spells by having knowledge on the spell's origination and basis. She follows the methodology that the attack the enemy does not expect is a shortcut for all battles; and preys on the fact that they constantly stay on alert to the slightest trace of magic.

Magicians generally only hone their skills, counter measures towards other magical threats; ignoring any attack that is purely physical, and void of magic. They view the sharpest knives and strongest bullets as secondary menaces they have no need to fear. Before such an attack actually pierces their flesh, they are confident in their illusions, paralysis methods; and defensive barriers being more than capable to negate such attacks. Some magicians despise technology and science, underestimating what a human without magic or esper powers can accomplish, which makes some of them weak to non-magical attacks. When faced with a magician's headquarters, she expects magical security systems like magical furnaces, spirits and apparitions, and a large barrier; Sayuki would not go through that and instead would blow up the entire headquarters instead of mounting a direct offensive against the defenses inside.

Not only is Sayuki able to dispatch most magicians with her magical runes and traps, as well as modern weaponry, but even in some special cases she calls "formidable enemies", she is still able to once again follow the methodology that technology is a blind spot to most magicians to easily overcome many of them by night vision and a heat sensor scope. However not all magicians underestimate the usage of modern technology and science, against these type of magicians who apply technology or scientists who apply magic to their technology, she tends to use magical runes as her main weapon. Even facing such an opponent, she is extremely adept at forming strategies and analyzing enemy movements and their magic, performing well even under tremendous stress from active combat.

Rune Pattern Magic

With the help of the skilled Magic Users in IDEAL, Sayuki acquired a method of casting magic through the usage of Runes. Runes (ルーン文字 Rūn Mojii, Runic Letters) are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets, which were used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet. Sayuki uses runes placed on cards to activate various things such as: create a field that no one can enter, casting elemental spells, producing strong ultra-violet rays, hiding her presence, creating illusionary bodies and even increasing the effectiveness of weapons and her physical capabilities. She primarily places the cards around a specific area and chants in Notarikon Codes to increase the speed of her magic casting prowess.

When in battle, she likes to place the laminated runic cards around the strategic places in which she can expect the battlefields to be taken place. While she can use individual runes to cast spells, such as Kenzas to cast fire spells, or Laguz to cast water based elemental spells. She can create multiple spells, attacks and use different techniques by combining the different runes that are placed in multiple places that are near her. Such as combining Teiwaz and Kenzas to provide her modern weaponry with the ability to project fire-based elemental rounds. Sayuki also analyzed the patterns and laws behind different runes from all over the world. She then combined and condensed them, refining them into single attack patterns which she can use, and constructing completely new spells in the process.

[itcars]

BMW 4 Series Begins Production at Dingolfing

No fewer than five new models celebrated their series launch at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing today. The first new addition is the BMW 4 Series Coupé, which continues the sports coupé tradition at the BMW site in Lower Bavaria with its individual and sporty character. 

Updated models of the BMW 5 Series Sedan, including the BMW M5 and the BMW 5 Series Touring, will come off the production line at the same time. All vehicles with four and six-cylinder engines will now offer not only sharper design, but also highly efficient 48-volt mild-hybrid technology – ensuring improved driving performance with better fuel economy and enhanced driving comfort. This will also benefit the new BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo, which impresses customers with its outstanding long-distance capabilities.

The new BMW 4 Series Coupé

Elegant sports coupés are an essential part of BMW model history and also have a long tradition at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, beginning with the BMW 6 Series Coupé in 1976. 44 years later, the new BMW 4 Series Coupé is now rolling off the production line in Lower Bavaria, bringing its standalone design and distinctive character profile to the premium mid-size segment. The biggest sales markets for the two-door coupé are the US, the UK and Germany.

The new BMW 4 Series uses intelligent lightweight construction to support its uniquely sporty handling: The bonnet, front side panels and doors of the new BMW 4 Series Coupé are made from aluminium at the Dingolfing press plant. Key chassis components also come from the adjacent BMW Group Plant 02.10: The Dingolfing component plant supplies the galvanised front axle support, front and rear axle and axle transmission for assembly at the vehicle plant.

A BMW M440i xDrive Coupé (fuel consumption combined: 7.1–6.8 l/100 km, CO2 emissions combined: 163–155 g/km) will make its debut at the top of the range. Its especially powerful 275 kW/374 hp six-cylinder in-line petrol engine delivers outstanding performance, capable of sprinting from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. Two four-cylinder petrol engines and a four-cylinder diesel unit will also be available from market launch in October 2020. Two six-cylinder in-line diesel engines will also join the line-up in March 2021.

The interior design and equipment options are also clearly focused on creating a particularly intense driving experience. The new BMW 4 Series Coupé is fitted with a retractable seatbelt extender and windscreen with acoustic glass as standard. The worldwide market introduction of the new BMW 4 Series Coupé will begin in October 2020, with prices starting at 45,800 EUR.

Model update for BMW 5 Series and BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo

Four updated BMW 5 Series and 6 Series models will also be launched at the Dingolfing location in July 2020, alongside the new BMW 4 Series. Stefan Schmid, Chairman of the Works Council at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing: “Five at one go. With the start of production for the new BMW 4 Series Coupé and updated BMW 5 Series and BMW 6 Series models taking place at the same time, staff in Dingolfing have proved once again that they can master complex launches and the company can rely on our location. Our plant is now ideally prepared for more models later this year, as well as the series launch of the BMW iNEXT in 2021.”

The BMW 5 Series has been a real success story for BMW Group Plant Dingolfing since 1972. More than 630,000 vehicles from the current model generation have already been sold worldwide. Targeted optimisations are now creating the necessary conditions to continue the success of the BMW 5 Series. For example, the BMW kidney grille has been enhanced and the LED headlights given new graphic elements, while the rear lights have undergone three-dimensional modelling.

BMW M GmbH has also given its BMW M5 high-performance sedan (fuel consumption combined: 10.6–10.5 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 242–239 g/km) a sharper look, including a redesign of the front and rear aprons.

The BMW 5 Series now offers even more electric drive train options: The BMW 530e Sedan (fuel consumption in l/100 km (combined): 1.8-1.7; CO2 emissions in g/km (combined): 42-39; power consumption in kWh/100 km (combined): 14.8-13.7) is available right away with the latest battery-cell generation – enabling a pure-electric range of 62 to 67 kilometres. The battery will be manufactured at nearby Plant 02.20, the BMW Group’s Competence Centre for E-Drive Production. From autumn 2020, the BMW 5 Series Touring will also be available for the first time as a plug-in hybrid. The BMW 545e xDrive Sedan (fuel consumption combined: 2.4–2.1 l/100 km; power consumption combined: 16.3–15.3 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions from fuel combined: 54–49 g/km) will be the first plug-in hybrid with a six-cylinder petrol engine. This means, from November 2020, five electrified model variants of the BMW 5 Series alone will be available.

In addition, all four and six-cylinder engines will come with ultra-efficient 48-volt mild-hybrid technology as standard. Depending on the driving situation, the starter generator either allows brake energy to be regenerated or provides an electric boost of 11 hp. This will also benefit all model variants of the new BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo, which is proving very popular in markets like South Korea or India, thanks to its elegant appearance and exceptional comfort over longer distances.

[watusichris]

You Oughta “Get Carter”

Another old Night Flight piece, tied to a Turner Classic Movies airing, about a movie I never tire of watching. (Unfortunately, the Krays film “Legend” turned out to be not so good.) ********** The English gangster movie has proven an enduring genre to this day. The 1971 picture that jumpstarted the long-lived cycle, Get Carter, Mike Hodges’ bracing, brutal tale of a mobster’s revenge, screens late Thursday on TCM as part of a day-long tribute to Michael Caine, who stars as the film’s titular anti-hero.

We won’t have to wait long for the next high-profile Brit-mob saga: October will see the premiere of Brian Helgeland’s Legend, a new feature starring Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dark Knight Rises, Locke) in a tour de force dual role as Ronnie and Reggie Kray, the legendarily murderous identical twin gangleaders who terrorized London in the ‘60s. The violent exploits of the Krays mesmerized Fleet Street’s journalists and the British populace until the brothers and most of the top members of their “firm” were arrested in 1968.

The siblings both died in prison after receiving life sentences. They’ve been the subjects of several English TV documentaries and a 1990 feature starring Martin and Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet. However, the Krays and their seamy milieu may have had their greatest impact in fictional form, via the durable figure of Jack Carter, the creation of a shy, alcoholic graphic artist, animator, and fiction writer named Ted Lewis, the man now recognized by many as “the father of British noir.”

Born in 1940 in a Manchester suburb, Lewis was raised in the small town of Barton-upon-Humber in the dank English midlands. A sickly child, he became engrossed with art, the movies, and writing. The product of an English art school in nearby Hull, he wrote his first, unsuccessful novel, a semi-autobiographical piece of “kitchen sink” realism called All the Way Home and All the Night Through, in 1965.

He soon moved sideways into movie animation, serving as clean-up supervisor on George Dunning’s Beatles feature Yellow Submarine (1968). However, now married with a couple of children, he decided to return to writing with an eye to crafting a commercial hit, and in 1970 he published a startling, ultra-hardboiled novel titled Jack’s Return Home.

British fiction had never produced anything quite like the book’s protagonist Jack Carter. He is the enforcer for a pair of London gangsters, Gerald and Les Fletcher, who bear more than a passing resemblance to the Krays. At the outset of the book, recounted in the first person, Carter travels by train to an unnamed city in the British midlands (modeled after the city of Scunthorpe near Lewis’ hometown) to bury his brother Frank, who has died in an alleged drunk driving accident.

Carter instantly susses that his brother was murdered, and he sets about sorting out a hierarchy of low-end midlands criminals (all of whom he knew in his early days as a budding hoodlum) responsible for the crime, investigating the act with a gun in his hand and a heart filled with hate. He’s no Sam Spade or Phillip Marlowe bound by a moral code – in fact, he once bedded Frank’s wife, and is now sleeping with his boss Gerald’s spouse. He’s a sociopathic career criminal and professional killer – a “villain,” in the English term -- who will use any means at his disposal to secure his revenge.

Carter’s pursuit of rough justice for his brother, and for a despoiled niece, attracts the attention of the Fletchers, whose business relationships with the Northern mob are being disrupted by their lieutenant’s campaign of vengeance. As Carter leaves behind a trail of corpses and homes in on the last of his quarry, the hunter has become the hunted, and Jack’s Return Home climaxes with scenes of bloodletting worthy of a Jacobean tragedy, or of Grand Guignol.

Before its publication, Lewis’ grimy, violent book attracted the attention of Michael Klinger, who had produced Roman Polanski’s stunning ‘60s features Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac. Klinger acquired film rights to the novel before its publication in 1970, and sent a galley copy to Mike Hodges, then a U.K. TV director with no feature credits.

Hodges, who immediately signed on as director and screenwriter of Klinger’s feature – which was retitled Get Carter -- was not only drawn to the taut, fierce action, but also by the opportunity to peel away the veneer of propriety that still lingered in British society and culture. As he noted in his 2000 commentary for the U.S. DVD release of the film, “You cannot deny that [in England], like anywhere else, corruption is endemic.”

Casting was key to the potential box office prospects of the feature, and Klinger and Hodges’ masterstroke was securing Michael Caine to play Jack Carter. By 1970, Caine had become an international star, portraying spy novelist Len Deighton’s agent Harry Palmer in three pictures and garnering raves as the eponymous philanderer in Alfie.

Caine had himself known some hard cases in his London neighborhood; in his own DVD commentary, he says that his dead-eyed, terrifyingly reserved Carter was “an amalgam of people I grew up with – I’d known them all my life.” Hodges notes of Caine’s Carter, “There’s a ruthlessness about him, and I would have been foolish not to use it to the advantage of the film.”

Playing what he knew, Caine gave the performance of a lifetime – a study in steely cool, punctuated by sudden outbursts of unfettered fury. The actor summarizes his character on the DVD: “Here was a dastardly man coming as the savior of a lady’s honor. It’s the knight saving the damsel in distress, except this knight is not a very noble or gallant one. It’s the villain as hero.”

The supporting players were cast with equal skill. Ian Hendry, who was originally considered for the role of Carter, ultimately portrayed the hit man’s principal nemesis and target Eric Paice. Caine and Hendry’s first faceoff in the film, an economical conversation at a local racetrack, seethes with unfeigned tension and unease – Caine was wary of Hendry, whose deep alcoholism made the production a difficult one, while Hendry was jealous of the leading man’s greater success.

For Northern mob kingpin Cyril Kinnear, Hodges recruited John Osborne, then best known in Great Britain as the writer of the hugely successfully 1956 play Look Back in Anger, Laurence Olivier’s screen and stage triumph The Entertainer, and Tony Richardson’s period comedy Tom Jones, for which he won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. Osborne, a skilled actor before he found fame as a writer, brings subdued, purring menace to the part.

Though her part was far smaller than those of such other supporting actresses as Geraldine Moffat, Rosemarie Dunham, and Dorothy White, Brit sex bomb Britt Ekland received third billing as Anna, Gerald Fletcher’s wife and Carter’s mistress. Her marquee prominence is somewhat justified by an eye-popping sequence in which she engages in a few minutes of steamy phone sex with Caine.

Some small roles were populated by real British villains. George Sewell, who plays the Fletchers’ minion Con McCarty, was a familiar of the Krays’ older brother Charlie, and introduced the elder mobster to Carry On comedy series actress Barbara Windsor, who subsequently married another member of the Kray firm. John Bindon, who appears briefly as the younger Fletcher sibling, was a hood and racketeer who later stood trial for murder; a notorious womanizer, he romanced Princess Margaret, whose clandestine relationship with Bindon later became a key plot turn in the 2008 Jason Strathan gangster vehicle The Bank Job.

Verisimilitude was everything for Hodges, who shot nearly all of the film on grimly realistic locations in Newcastle, the down-at-the-heel coal-mining town on England’s northeastern coast. The director vibrantly employs interiors of the city’s seedy pubs, rooming houses, nightclubs and betting parlors. In one inspired bit of local color, he uses an appearance by a local girl’s marching band, the Pelaw Hussars, to drolly enliven a scene in which a nude, shotgun-toting Carter backs down the Fletchers’ gunmen.

The film’s relentless action was perfectly framed by director of photography Wolfgang Suchitzky, whose experience as a cameraman for documentarian Paul Rotha is put to excellent use. Some sequences are masterfully shot with available light; the movie’s most brutal murder plays out at night by a car’s headlights. The breathtakingly staged final showdown between Carter and Paice is shot under lowering skies against the grey backdrop of a North Sea coal slag dump.

Tough, uncompromising, and utterly unprecedented in English cinema, Get Carter was a hit in the U.K. It fared poorly in the U.S., where its distributor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer dumped it on the market as the lower half of a double bill with the Frank Sinatra Western spoof Dirty Dingus Magee. In his DVD commentary, Caine notes that it was only after Ted Turner acquired MGM’s catalog and broadcast the film on his cable networks that the movie developed a cult audience in the States.

Get Carter has received two American remakes. The first, George Armitage’s oft-risible 1972 blaxploitation adaptation Hit Man, starred Bernie Casey as Carter’s African-American counterpart Tyrone Tackett. It is notable for a spectacularly undraped appearance by Pam Grier, whose character meets a hilarious demise that is somewhat spoiled by the picture’s amusing trailer. (Casey and Keenan Ivory Wayans later lampooned the film in the 1988 blaxploitation parody I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.)

Hodges’ film was drearily Americanized and relocated to Seattle in Stephen Kay’s like-titled 2000 Sylvester Stallone vehicle. It’s a sluggish, misbegotten venture, about which the less that is said the better. Michael Caine’s presence in the cast as villain Cliff Brumby (played in the original by Brian Mosley) only serves to remind viewers that they are watching a vastly inferior rendering of a classic.

Ted Lewis wrote seven more novels after Jack’s Return Home, and returned to Jack Carter for two prequels. The first of them, Jack Carter’s Law (1970), an almost equally intense installment in which Carter ferrets out a “grass” – an informer – in the Fletchers’ organization, is a deep passage through the London underworld of the ‘60s, full of warring gangsters and venal, dishonest coppers.

The final episode in the trilogy, Jack Carter and the Mafia Pigeon (1977), was a sad swan song for British noir’s most memorable bad man. In it, Carter travels to the Mediterranean island of Majorca on a Fletchers-funded “holiday,” only to discover that he has actually been dispatched to guard a jittery American mobster hiding out at the gang’s villa. It’s a flabby, obvious, and needlessly discursive book; Lewis’ exhaustion is apparent in his desperate re-use of a plot point central to the action of the first Carter novel.

Curiously, the locale and setup of Mafia Pigeon appear to be derived from Pulp, the 1975 film that reunited director Hodges and actor Caine. In it, the actor plays a writer of sleazy paperback thrillers who travels to the Mediterranean isle of Malta to pen the memoirs of Preston Gilbert (Mickey Rooney), a Hollywood actor with gangland connections. Hilarity and mayhem ensue.

All of Lewis’ characters consume enough alcohol to put down an elephant, and Lewis himself succumbed to alcoholism in 1982, at the age of 42. Virtually unemployable, he had moved back home to Barton-upon-Humber, where lived with his parents.

He went out with a bang, however: In 1980, he published his final and finest book, the truly explosive mob thriller GBH (the British abbreviation for “grievous bodily harm”). The novel focuses on the last days of vice lord George Fowler, a sadist in the grand Krays manner, whose empire is being toppled by internal treachery. Using a unique time-shifting structure that darts back and forth between “the smoke” (London) and “the sea” (Fowler’s oceanside hideout), it reaches a finale of infernal, hallucinatory intensity.

After Lewis’ death, his work fell into obscurity, and his novels were unavailable in America for decades. Happily, Soho Press reissued the Carter trilogy in paperback in 2014 and republished GBH in hardback earlier this year. Now U.S. readers have the opportunity to read the books that influenced an entire school of English noir writers, including such Lewis disciples and venerators as Derek Raymond, David Peace, and Jake Arnott.

Echoes of GBH can be heard in The Long Good Friday, another esteemed English gangster film starring Bob Hoskins as the arrogant and impetuous chief of a collapsing London firm. Released the same year as Lewis’ last novel, the John Mackenzie-directed feature is only one of a succession of outstanding movies – The Limey, The Hit, Layer Cake, Sexy Beast, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels among them – that owe a debt to Get Carter, the daddy of them all.

[kevrocksicehouse]

 Disney studios became synonymous with great animation. A few other independent studios that became the star.

Hammer Films (1955-72). A British studio founded in 1934 that became famous for cheap, bloody horror films, usually based on Frankenstein (played mostly by Peter Cushing) or Dracula (Christopher Lee.) My favorite is Quartermass and the Pit, a Lovecraftian variation on Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

American International Pictures. (1954-1980). Founded on ultra-cheap, ultra-exploitative films aimed at the youth market. Legendary producers like  Samuel Z. Arkoff, and Roger Corman made films like The Beast With a Million Eyes, Teenage Caveman, X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes, Count Yorga, Vampire, and any number of drive-in fodder, but they also made the great concert film The T.A.M.I. show and gave filmmakers like Woody Allen (What’s Up Tiger Lily), Martin Scorsese (Boxcar Bertha) and Brian De Palma (Sisters) a start. Trash Heaven.

Pixar. (1986-present). Practically invented computer animation. Their first feature 1995’s Toy Story blew up cartoon features and the brilliance of their psychological concepts on such films as The Incredibles (Individualism), Inside Out (emotional complexity) and Up (loneliness), made most of their films as critically renowned as they were popular.

Marvel Studios. (1996-present). After Marvel Comics sold off film rights to their most lucrative properties (Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man) they made a series of films with their “second tier�� characters like Iron Man, Thor and the Avengers which became the biggest film franchise of the millennium. Now a part of Disney they haven’t made a movie in twelve years that wasn’t one of the year’s top ten.

Blumhouse Productions (2008-present). Smart, cheap horror, often putting across social commentary or satire like in the films series The Purge, The Oscar nominated Get Out, and this year’s The Invisible Man, which had more to say about spousal abuse than any number of high profile dramas.

[majsalvadxrr]

MacBook Pro cleaning, how do you do it

MacBook Pro cleaning, how do you do it? They correspond e.g. those of the Cherry Initial, but overall the keyboard is much flatter and almost reminiscent of a notebook keypad. The design of the key labels is unusual in this price range, the keys are not glued, but the characters are lasered. On the one hand, you can feel the lettering a little, on the other hand it makes it significantly more durable - there is no risk of illegible or detachable letters. However, the lettering will become something after a while. Different language layouts are also available and some gamer keyboards have additional or multimedia keys, some of which can be individually assigned. Saved game profiles are saved in the onboard memory of the keyboard and can sometimes be selected using special macro keys. That was mentioned here somewhere in the forum, I do not find it again. The case (black plastic top, sheet steel underside) is rather not the problem. Most games can be played with a standard keyboard without any problems - but if you want to take advantage of the fact that you can make even faster and more precise entries, you can benefit from a gaming keyboard. If you are serious, you can use so-called macro keys on the gaming keyboard or save different profiles for different games. I would be interested in whether the scratched or the lasered letters etc. are no longer properly readable, etc. it is also easier by just taking the buttons out and cleaning with a brush, if necessary with compressed air. i know is not ultra clean but better than half a day to screw on the g 15 and in the worst case is broken or can not get together. Part of my potato chips fell between the keys. Can I remove the spacebar or is it somehow attached. And do I get a replacement if the keyboard doesn't work afterwards?

The easiest way to get coarse dirt is to use the keyboard. li>

The high keys are no longer for everyone these days, but they are still ergonomic for precise typing.

Yellowing of housings of the Commodore computers and periphery is an unexposed to collectors.

Read / write heads on disk drives are carefully cleaned of dirt with Q-Tip and isopropyl alcohol.

Use a supermarket electronic device cleaning brush to remove stubborn dirt. Consider professional cleaning for an expensive laptop. Laptops are much more sensitive and difficult to clean than normal keyboards. A professional can check the internal components of the laptop for damage. Be careful not to damage them. The laptop keyboard is not as robust and parts break off quickly. You should therefore be particularly careful. If you want to remove several keys at once, it is a good idea to first snap a picture of your keyboard. This means that every key will find the right place at the end. Soiling from spilled drinks or food can be removed easily, but stubborn dirt remains. The same applies of course to a manual rinse with warm water, washing-up liquid and a soft sponge (no rough pot cleaner!). The effect of warm water with detergent can be significantly improved by adding cheap oxide cleaning agents. If there are parts that can be inserted for an hour without any problems, the dirt in the cracks is also loosened.

What to do if the keyboard is moved?

Type numbers instead of letters on the keyboard and press the [Num] key. On laptops you sometimes have to use the key combination [Fn] + [Num]. If the keyboard layout has changed to English, the X and Y keys have been swapped. Use the key combination [Alt] + [Shift].

Cleaning the keyboard is very easy. With expensive keyboards, special cleaning kits for keyboards are also worthwhile. In addition to a special plastic cleaner, these also contain a sponge with which you can easily reach the gaps between the keyboard.

[penniratley650-blog]

Amazing Colour For Bedroom

Titanium has been on the marketplace for ring bands for just a couple of years right now. Combining reddish and also green coating with each other will offer you a brown, blending reddish, yellow, and blue together will certainly drive you in the direction of black, and so on. The simple fact that neutrals in fact consist of numerous different colors is part of what permits all of them to look excellent alongside any kind of shade. For additional clinical electronic books go to: and also KEYWORD PHRASES: Kundalini Yoga exercise Gayatri e-books profile Expert world peace mind subconscious god nerves understated awareness soul magnificent trance bodily hormone glands ESP Chakras plexus reflection focus intellect prophecy thought presuming Cheiro Nostradamus Aurobindo bliss brain Vedas sunlight sunshine energy blessed pure sense body organs Prana Avatar Upanishad pale tissue hypothalamus gland pituitary improvement futurist prediction serpent electrical power lifestyle human principles integrity character vagus Tantra Mooladhar atom neutron proton SUMMARY: Free e-books on Future Scientific Religious Beliefs, Gayatri Science & Kundalini Doing yoga associated to Neurosciences-ESP, Endocrinology, Anatomy, Psychology & Sociology for 1) component & metaphysical success & 2) unifying the globe comfortably as a loved ones. Many people make the oversight of assuming they are going to save loan getting a more affordable inkjet ink-jet printer instead of a colour laser, yet gradually they end up costs a great deal on shade ink cartridges that they can have merely received a color laser printer. The basis of 18th century colour idea was actually located around the tip that the 3 primary color were actually reddish, yellowish, and blue which were actually taken into consideration the different colors that every bit as mixed with each other to encompass each of the tones of shade when mixed as pigments or dyes. Once the BrightWhite Skin De-Pigmentation Body system Gel is totally dry and also taken in, observe along with a coating of BrightWhite Skin layer De-Pigmentation Body Lotion during the day and also BrightWhite Skin layer De-Pigmentation Body system Oil during the night. Elect for newsport-john2018.info a dark block or climbed shade, after that apply to your fingertips and also make use of the colour merely on the apples of your lips; don't flex the colour beyond this stage, because it may actually produce your face look even slimmer.

Wisteria sinensis 'Cooke's Violet', grows into a sweet-smelling, purple stream of pea-like flowers, tracking lengthy and complied with through eco-friendly, glistening leaves that are chilly robust from area 5 - 9. A grape-like collection of purple blossoms give off a fragrance of grapes along with true white blooms in the cultivar; Wisteria tree, Wisteria sinensis 'Texas White', is actually an outstanding white-flowering Wisteria plant. If I ever, ever before personal release a compilation of "13 tales of terror" or even any other indie scary publication, I will certainly compose the cover and pull it with Derwent Graphitints, due to the fact that whether I carry out monochrome blue or even brownish or even use all the different colors together, it is going to possess that sort of somber pall of spookiness and unclear ghostly sensation throughout. Administer a generous and also also coating of Neo-Ultra Skin Illuminating Body system Cream on clean dry skin after using a level of Neo-Ultra Skin layer Illuminating Body System Gel during the day and the Neo-Ultra Skin Layer Illuminating Oil in the evening.In 2009 blue lightings were actually set up by the end of platforms on Tokyo's Yamanote railway line to decrease the incidence of suicide Due to the effectiveness of these illuminations (suicides fell by 74% at terminals where the blue lightings were set up), identical coloured illumination has actually been actually set up at Gatwick Airport train platforms These measures were taken based upon the case that blue lighting can create people less impulsive and also even more levelheaded, yet there is actually little medical proof yet to sustain these cases: a three-year study (future) through Nicholas Ciccone, a PhD researcher in our team, found ambiguous documentation for the result of coloured lights on impulsivity.

[funkymbtifiction]

In your own point of view and experience, what is the most interesting characteristic about each type?

(I am not sorry for the Star Wars gifs. Everything is SW, and nothing hurts.)

I may go with the unexpected. Things the online profiles don’t prepare you for.

ESTJ: their perverse sense of humor. You expect an ESTJ to be some hard-assed fascist dictator and instead they crack you up with a story about their first day on cop duty how they accidentally tasered someone in their privates. It’s that low-order Ne, man. It’s hilarious but not in a mixed company sort of way.

ISTJ: how much they actually can admire rule-breakers and how considerate they can be. I have sat through movies with ESTP protagonists who you’d just expect the stoic, sensible ISTJ to look at them and go, “Geez, what a loser, he takes too many risks,” and instead… they walk out with the ESTP being their favorite character. Shadow function envy? Also, they tend to be really hard on anyone who tries to shame other people and/or refuses to allow the other person to be their true self.

ESFJ: the stereotype is the class cheerleader, but a lot of the ESFJs I know are more serious (and often successful) business owners who build up a trust system with their clients which makes everyone feel warm and invited. I’ve met a few ‘intellectual’ ESFJs who are free spirited, who have globe-trotted (without a plan, I might add), who got married on impulse (and made it last), who have a ton of different interests (and a huge amount of knowledge about all of them), and are fine with ‘any lifestyle’ provided it is not cruel toward others.

ISFJ: tend to be much more strongly opinionated than you might expect, and a lot of them want to foster a sense of independence and respect. They tend to hunger for ‘more’ and to push away from tradition as they get older. And, contrary to stereotypes, I have actually seen many of them change their minds over a relatively short period of time given time to orient themselves in an idea. If you can prove to them how it works better, they are happy to use it.

ESTP: how totally chill a lot of them are and how, contrary to profiles might suggest, many of them are not thrill-seeking psychopaths, but instead good-natured neighborhood dudes who sometimes enjoy popping a beer in the backyard with some friends and just having a good time. Unfortunately, a few bad ESTPs (fictional and real) have given them a bad reputation for being hotheaded jackasses, but a lot of them are just… chill. And not inclined to speak with their fists first.

ISTP: how low-key mild mannered and considerate they can be. They are not the gushy, affirming types, and they are not Sherlock Holmes; a lot of them do seem to work in computer programming jobs, but none of the healthy ones I know go out of their way to earn praise or attention, and many of them actually make friendship decisions to protect their friends’ feelings and not overwhelm them with needs. Yet, they need encouragement much of the time.

ESFP: you would expect them to be the party hard type, and instead what I often find is witty, funny and intense people who care about their job performance and in making good impressions,and who have razor sharp insights into people that are not often delusional; they take people at face value, they make judgment calls on their behavior, and a lot of them are not into those notorious tert-Te smack-downs you hear about; most of the ones I know would rather let you keep their borrowed pants forever than charge into your closet and take them back.

ISFP: some of the purest, most sincere people I have ever met, but also those who show the most frankness in expressing their views. They tend to be thoughtful but also have a sharp sense of right and wrong, and are not going to back down on it, but a lot of them hate confrontation so will not ‘provoke’ anything. They tend to be very hands on people, and I’ve seen them know the people they care about most better than their loved one does themselves.

ENTJ: I never expected the ENTJ to be the most emotionally mellow, and considerate, person in his work office, but… he neither takes anything personally nor especially judges the people he works with, for their emotional outbursts; he simply sits and listens to them, a bit puzzled perhaps that this incident caused this torrent of emotion, but he is generous almost to a fault, and if he’s going to blow his money on something, it’s usually on his friends.

INTJ: online profiles would have you think INTJs are egocentric robots, who have almost uncanny insights and never change their minds… so imagine my surprise to run in their circles and find intense, thoughtful, dry-humored people who take a long, long time to make up their mind and form careful arguments (which, yeah, can be unshakable unless you bring solid evidence). Some of them (weirdly enough, often the men I’ve met) tend to have an emotional storm inside, and no way to get it out.

ENFJ: I’m not sure where the idea of ultra-extroverts came from, if it’s a hold-over from their friends the ESFJs, but ENFJs seem to need less socialization and constant stimulus due to their aux Ni function. Many of them will step back and allow the sensors to dominate the floor, because they simply do not need that kind of external sensory fulfillment. Many of them tend to be far more spontaneous than you might expect from an NJ, and a lot of them just trust that they can seize the right moment when it comes and do not waste a lot of time worrying about it. Things will just… work out. They know it. And, most of the ones I’ve met think they’re introverts half the time.

INFJ: you expect Ghandi and find someone who is genuinely weird (I mean that in a nice way) and eclectic and occasionally says peculiar, abstract things right before they go back to psycho-analyzing Hannibal Lecter for 6 hours while they plan the Star Trek story you’re co-authoring with them in their heads. True story. I was blessed. And also slightly terrified.

ENTP: you go looking for Benjamin Franklin, and instead you find a brilliantly moronic maniac who puts just as much thought into figuring out what drives the villains in Star Wars as they do abstract systems and proving people wrong. Far from the stereotype of an absent minded professor, these ultra-thinkers will actually engage you in the most loony nonsensical conversations you have ever had in your life and either leave you thoroughly entertained or very confused right before they turn around and suggest they’re an ENTJ instead.

INTP: you expect a college professor, and instead you wind up with Terry Pratchett, someone who quite enjoys poking holes in every theory, mocking all that is sacred (for his amusement and yours) and is often… surprisingly, not that offensive while doing it. You expect a certain level of jackass from inferior Fe but I’ve seen INTPs go out of their way to avoid offending people!

ENFP: have a reputation for being inconsiderate, self-centered flirts, and instead can run themselves into exhaustion trying to help you out of every mess you find yourself in, because their Ne cannot bear to leave you as you are, in a hole, when there are so many ways to fix this!! A lot of them tend to forgive easily. Maybe because within 10 minutes, they forgot your name. ;)

INFP: have reputations as being the most easily hurt of all the types, but considering I’ve seen INFPs walking around giving no damns what anyone thinks of their appearance, their interest, or the BB8 following behind them, I think that’s a myth. I’ve also known a fair few to be quite fussy and even to undertake the “mothering” role toward those they love in ways that put ISFJ stereotypes to shame.

- ENFP Mod

[nealtv8]

Because we already got a route to Gold Island, all we needed to do to beat Island Tourism is to use our CNG bus and drive it at evening. Now with Greenwood, we would have to connect it with a route to Saint Antony via Gold Island and transport 20 passengers on the new shores mission. After that, we have to buy a new bendy bus and raise Greenwood to level 2. Ignore the long route, wasn't quite sure on why I did gone crazy with connecting everything to the long route while I could had with the local one. Finally, we got the Social Service mission which we connect Copperpot to two of our existing routes. We will do more of the Social Service mission by beating the transporting 20 passengers goal and shrink the long route to a few stops at Greenwood also getting rid of that new route from Copperpot which is unnecessary. Yet, this video is long but yet I recorded this as two videos but merged it into one which I had reckoned the title would be long and squished due to the 100 character limit because 5 missions got covered. Buses Used: Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Mercedes-Benz Citaro Setra S417 UL Business MAN Lion's City 18 MAN Lion's City 12 Other Channels: Twitch: https://bit.ly/35N8IHF Non-Gaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/2nealfire Twitch VOD Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/AnthemKiosk Social: Discord Server: https://bit.ly/2QcI4Ty Facebook: https://bit.ly/3sydSV9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/neal08ni Instagram: https://bit.ly/3mhIr0m Steam Profile: https://bit.ly/3gd46CH Steam Group: https://bit.ly/3j0MMCN Support: Donate/Tip: https://bit.ly/2TNoG29 Anonymous Donate/Tip: https://bit.ly/2GhjeN8 Affiliate Links: Epic Games Creator Code: NEALTV8 CdKeys: https://bit.ly/3iY5RV5 Patreon: https://bit.ly/2m3POFY Green Man Gaming: http://bit.ly/2cqrL3k Fanatical: https://bit.ly/33YQmWH Humble: https://bit.ly/2DPdgTs Download TubeBuddy: https://bit.ly/2Z0MLVQ Main PC Specs: CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8GHz, Dozen-Core CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 Motherboard: MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC (AM4 ATX) RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200MHz SSD1: Western Digital Black SN750 1TB SDD2: Samsung 870 EVO 2TB HDD1: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM HDD2: Western Digital Blue 4TB 5400RPM HDD3: Western Digital Black 6TB Case: Thermaltake View 71 GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 XC2 Ultra ICX2 (8GB GDDR6) PSU: EVGA Supernova 850 G5, 80+ Gold Case Fans: 5x Deepcool RF120M Encoding PC Specs: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X 3.6GHz, Octa-Core CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i V2 Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING (AM4 ATX) RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200MHz (2666MHz due to 1800X) HDD1: Western Digital Blue 2TB 5400RPM HDD2: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM HDD3: Seagate Barracuda 4TB 5900RPM SSD1: Western Digital Black PCIe 256GB SSD2: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC ACX 3.0 Black Edition (8GB GDDR5) Case: Thermaltake View 31 PSU: Corsair RM750x, 80+ Gold Case Fans: 5x Deepcool RF120M Controllers: Logitech G29 Logitech G Driving Force Shifter Logitech Heavy Equipment Side Panel Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Saitek X52 Pro Honeycomb Aeronautical Alpha Flight Controls Yoke Honeycomb Aeronautical Bravo Throttle Quadrant Simu SKRS Thrustmaster TFRP Rail Driver Steam Controller XBOX One Controller PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller Track IR 5 Cameras: Logitech C922 Panasonic HC-V770 Audio: TC-Helicon GO XLR RODE PodMic

[nealtv8]

Paris, the capital of France and its most populous city, is a global center of the arts, science, and commerce. A top world destination, the "City of Light” is lionized as one of the most beautiful locations on the planet due to its historic and contemporary architecture. From the air, you’ll get incredible views of Paris's individual facets, neighborhoods, and expansive vistas, day and night, gaining a unique appreciation from a rare perspective. Located in northern central France, Paris lies along the banks of a large bend in the river Seine, which provides an excellent visual reference from the comfort of your cockpit. Roughly circular in shape, Paris is composed of 20 ‘arrondissements,’ or municipal boroughs, that radiate outward from the city's center, each of which has its own inimitable character -- an unforgettable backdrop to countless points of interest waiting to be explored. Other Channels: Twitch: https://bit.ly/35N8IHF Non-Gaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/2nealfire Twitch VOD Channel: hyperurl.co/yg8i18 Social: Discord Server: https://bit.ly/2QcI4Ty Imgur: http://bit.ly/2ckec28 Facebook: http://bit.ly/2bPiBMt Twitter: http://bit.ly/2cpGHfa Instagram: http://bit.ly/2c66vRn Steam Profile: http://bit.ly/2bWgCD8 Steam Group: http://bit.ly/2bVD1lw Support: Donate/Tip: https://bit.ly/2TNoG29 Anonymous Donate/Tip: https://bit.ly/2GhjeN8 Affilatite Links: Epic Games Creator Code: NEALTV8 CdKeys: https://bit.ly/3iY5RV5 Patreon: https://bit.ly/2m3POFY Green Man Gaming: http://bit.ly/2cqrL3k Fanatical: https://bit.ly/33YQmWH Humble: https://bit.ly/2DPdgTs Download TubeBuddy: https://bit.ly/2Z0MLVQ Main PC Specs: CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8GHz, Dozen-Core CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 Motherboard: MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC (AM4 ATX) RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200MHz SSD1: Western Digital Black SN750 1TB SDD2: Samsung 870 EVO 2TB HDD1: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM HDD2: Western Digital Blue 4TB 5400RPM HDD3: Western Digital Black 6TB Case: Thermaltake View 71 GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 XC2 Ultra ICX2 (8GB GDDR6) PSU: EVGA Supernova 850 G5, 80+ Gold Case Fans: 5x Deepcool RF120M Encoding PC Specs: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1800X 3.6GHz, Octa-Core CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i V2 Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING (AM4 ATX) RAM: G.SKILL TridentZ 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200MHz (2666MHz due to 1800X) HDD1: Western Digital Blue 2TB 5400RPM HDD2: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM HDD3: Seagate Barracuda 4TB 5900RPM SSD1: Western Digital Black PCIe 256GB SSD2: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC ACX 3.0 Black Edition (8GB GDDR5) Case: Thermaltake View 31 PSU: Corsair RM750x, 80+ Gold Case Fans: 5x Deepcool RF120M Controllers: Logitech G29 Logitech G Driving Force Shifter Logitech Heavy Equipment Side Panel Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Saitek X52 Pro Honeycomb Aeronautical Alpha Flight Controls Yoke Honeycomb Aeronautical Bravo Throttle Quadrant Simu SKRS Thrustmaster TFRP Rail Driver Steam Controller XBOX One Controller PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller Track IR 5 Cameras: Logitech C922 Panasonic HC-V770 Audio: TC-Helicon GO XLR RODE PodMic