#and dp gets to bring along the “anchor being”

[starliteonearth]

Paradox is not a poorly written villain. He is a Hollywood executive who sees that Deadpool is still highly valuable (making bank) and therefore offers him the chance to jump ship from the dying universe (Fox) to the current thriving universe (the MCU) before the dying universe (Fox) is ruthlessly ended by him.

[threewaysdivided]

Hey, I know this is like a billion years from where you are in YJ:DW, but I had this thought strike me: what if Danny could see and talk to Jason Todd's ghost? (assuming Red Hood isn't YJ canon) There's so much potential for angst there, especially if Danny is the only one who can see him, and decides to try and get Jason to cross over. Or heck, what if Danny had a hand in Jason's revival?

That’s a neat idea that definitely has some good angst potential.  Have to admit though, I’m not entirely sure how it would work within the ghost-lore headcanons I’m using for YJ:DW specifically.  

I can write a longer post on this if anyone wants but Basically ghosts in the Deathly Weapons-verse break into 2 unrelated categories that get lumped together for looking sort-of-similar on the surface:  Ectoplasmic (the ones we see in DP) and what we’ll call Shades (DC ghosts like Secret, Deadman etc).  Ectoplasmic “ghosts” are their own inter-dimensional entities so they can’t really “revive” in the traditional sense, and “passing on” is pretty much limited to accepting what they are and chilling in the Ghost Zone forever or straight-up discorporealising/ re-dying.  Shade ghosts are the more traditional original-soul-bound-to-the-physical-world; either because external force is trapping them there, or because they were willful/ powerful/ knowledgeable enough to bind themselves.  These ones can potentially be “revived” more easily, and can “pass on” if they’re released from whatever is holding them to this world.

If Jason came back as a Ectoplasmic ghost he’d work the same way DP ghosts do; most likely everyone would be able to see him unless he had some kind of Young Blood-esque visibility condition (in which case anyone who fit the criteria would also see him), and outside of extreme edge-cases revival would be off the table.  (Throw a ‘plasmic ghost into a Lazarus Pit and they’ll just climb back out,  except now wet and mad at you for giving them a skin condition.)

More likely that Jason would come back as a Shade-ghost (especially since he seems intended to revive in some capacity in YJ canon), in which case he might only be visible to certain people.  In such a case though, I’m not sure it would be Danny who sees him. 

I feel like Danny would be the least emotionally and symbolically connected to Robin!Jason of the Wayne-household residents who’ve appeared in YJ:DW.  As mentioned in this post Danny kind of falls in this weird spot of being Dick’s Brother first and foremost where all the other Bat-Kids are Bruce’s Son/Daughter, and he has some personal qualms about Dick handing off the Robin mantle (and how close he feels he can/ “should” be to Jason) to work through because of that.  Outside of the both-technically-death thing, I’m not sure there’d be much reason for Jason’s shade to attach himself to Danny as an anchor compared to Bruce, Dick, Alfred or even possibly Tim or some location of personal significance (unless Danny seeing him is due to the ectoplasm, in which case other ecto-ghosts should see him too).

Although, in this very specific hypothetical, Danny is probably one of the better people Jason’s ghost could attach too.  We’re about a billion years from the end of YJ:DW right now but Grief and Healing is going to be a major theme of the core emotional arc, so by the time Jason comes along Danny’s going to be much better equipped to deal with even his canon death.  Add to that that Danny’s had to work with ecto-ghosts and therefore tangentially-death-related problems since he was 14 and he’d be less thrown by Jason’s “reappearance” and more likely to think “this could be a ghost problem” early on compared to Bruce and Dick whose first thoughts would likely be “this is an illusion caused by losing my mind from guilt/grief”, especially if Danny can’t also see him.  Plus, by that point Dick and Bruce do trust Danny pretty implicitly and let him take point where ghosts are concerned.

If Jason did appear as a Shade ghost, Danny’s process would probably look a little something like this:

Confirm that Jason is, in fact, a ghost and not a product of him going nuts

Work together to find a way to prove this to the others (while also working through any personal feelings and unresolved communication/ conflict issues)

Call in Bruce, Dick and Alfred and let them know

Family drama/ angst ensues

Collectively find Dr Fate/ John Constantine/ any other amenable magic-spiritualist hero who exists on Earth-16 to figure out how best to Deal With This.

As for Danny helping Jason (or other ghosts) to “pass on”, I kind of feel like that’s…. not really his ballpark.  I don’t see Danny as someone who’d compulsively seek out other ghosts and feel obliged to “move them along” unless they were actively in distress or causing damage/ distress/ fear/ pain to others.  Like, Johnny 13 wants to ride his motorcycle at full tilt through the streets of a town, terrifying the citizens?  Get in the thermos or get out.  Johnny 13 wants to ride his motorcycle at full tilt down a long, deserted county road?  Fine, just don’t go into towns or bother other drivers.  He’ll leave them alone so long as they leave other people alone.

In that regard I see Danny as sort of the fixer compared to Jazz’s counsellor - if a ghost is acting up because of some problem (or comes to him for help) then he’ll deal with it so that they can leave, or at least chill out.  And if he can’t fix it (because the solution is harmful, the ghost’s nature/powers are too inherently dangerous or they’re just there being dicks by choice) he’ll capture and send them back to the Ghost Zone (or find someone who can exorcise a Shade) to remove the problem that way.  He might gently float the suggestion, but if Jason wanted to pass on then that would be Jason’s choice to explore unless he specifically asked for help or became distressed/ disruptive enough to force Danny’s hand.

Similarly, I think revivals wouldn’t really be Danny’s ballpark either; it’s not a solution he’d like and he has neither the knowledge, interest, skills or equipment to actually facilitate any of the rare reliable edge-cases methods of resurrection.  Danny prefers to keep to the ‘best left alone’ side of ‘Meddling with dark forces best left alone’ as much as is possible.

Personally I kind of prefer the revival stories where Jason isn’t around until his actual return.  I think there’s more easy gut-punch mileage in most of those versions.  That structure forces the other characters to accept that he’s “not coming back” and try to process all the conflict and pain that it brings, only to then sledgehammer the new status-quo by having him reappear, now changed, at point where his death has significantly altered their dynamics with him, his memory and the other characters.  By comparison, having him come back as a ghost and then revive kind of smooths and flattens that trajectory to one where anyone who can interact with him (even indirectly) gets their emotional healing accelerated, and the status quo eventually slips back closer to how it was (with them mostly just having to adjust to physical limitations of the new form he takes), only to reform fully when he “comes back” for real.

But, anyway, that’s part of larger personal nitpick with the use of “ghosts” in stories.  I find that the meaningful thing about death (and that seems to get weirdly missed by a lot of works) isn’t the moment of impact itself so much as the persisting loss and how the survivors cope.  We are haunted by absence more than by presence.  Most cases of bringing the dead character (or at least their mind/personality) back in some capacity tends to soften the weight of that for me, unless the ghost is meant to function as a some kind of metaphor for the healing/ acceptance/ closure process and “move on” when the other characters do.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this long and somewhat tangential ramble.  It probably won’t be happening in YJ:DW or YJ:DW-EU but in a story which took a more hardline all-ghosts-are-dead-people/ horror approach to world-building, I can definitely see the someone-seeing-Jason’s-ghost set-up having a lot of angst and uncanny potential.  (I know there are a couple of fics like that already out there but I can’t remember their titles right now, sorry!)

[thomasroach]

Elder Scrolls Online Elsweyr: 6 Biggest Changes

The post Elder Scrolls Online Elsweyr: 6 Biggest Changes appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Elder Scrolls Online article we’re going to be taking a look at some of the bigger changes coming to the MMO, along with some of the smaller ones. Elsweyr releases in just a few days, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t give you a heads up of what’s in store. We have not covered Class changes in this, and these will be covered by a separate article, since there are simply too many to list here. So, keep your eyes out for that while we fill you in on the changes coming with Elsweyr.

Elder Scrolls Online Elsweyr: 6 Biggest Changes

The first of the major changes to the game probably comes as no surprise since it’s been advertised all over the place, and that is the addition of Necromancers to ESO. Players will finally get to summon undead and use the forces of darkness to aid Tamriel.

1. New Class – Necromancer

The Necromancer Class features 3 new Skill Lines: Grave Lord, Bone Tyrant and Living Death, and these are their DPS, Tanking and Healing lines respectively. Though this Class is not a “Minion Master” type of Necromancer that maybe some players wanted, you can summon at least 1 undead at a time and use corpses to further enhance your spells, some of which use the undead in unexpected ways.

In addition, practicing necromancy in Tamriel is a criminal act. In most cases, mages caught casting necromantic spells can feign ignorance or insist that the spell originates from a different school of magic. Some spells, however, are too horrific to overlook, and any necromantic ability marked as a “CRIMINAL ACT” is a major crime, and will offend the locals and alert the guards. You can see what these are in your Skill list or on the Wiki.

This Class will only be available to players who purchase the Necromancer expansion, and much like the Warden (at the launch of Morrowind), all early indications are that it will be very powerful at launch. Prepare for the rise of the Necromancer, as you see them spring to life all over Tamriel, including Cyrodiil. This brings us to our next topic: PvP.

2. PvP Artifacts

PvP Artifacts have finally made their way to Cyrodiil in ALL campaigns. These legendary Weapons will replace your entire skill bar with a brand new set of Skills, and your stats will be adjusted accordingly as you become the living embodiment of these Weapons. These will spawn in Cyrodiil 4 or 5 times a day, but whether or not they will make their into Battlegrounds remains to be unseen, however it seems unlikely.

Players will have a small tutorial explaining these weapons led by none other than Sheogorath at each Alliance stater gate (where quest boards are located). There players will learn that you must keep feeding these weapons Alliance Points (repairing structures or resurrecting other players doesn’t count) or else the power of the weapon will drain your life, killing your character.

Currently only Volendrung has been added to the game, but more are expected to be added with future Updates, all containing their own unique Skills.

3. Cyrodiil Campaign Adjustments

All currently-existing campaigns will be shut down once Elsweyr launches, and will be replaced with entirely new ones. In keeping with the Season of the Dragon, Zenimax will be introducing 6 brand new campaigns with some additional rules added, all named after Dragons. These are as follows:

Bahlokdaan: 30 Day No Champion Points & Alliance Locked

Kaalgrontiid: 30 Day Champion Points Enabled & Alliance Locked

Yolnahkriin: 7 Day Champion Points Enabled

Mulaamnir: Levels 10-49

Imperial City: No Champion Points

Imperial City: Champion Points Enabled

Alliance Locked Campaigns are a new style of Campaign that’s only being applied to 30 day variants. In these Campaigns, each account will only be able participate with, and represent, a single Alliance for the duration of the Campaign. This means no more switching between alts that belong to different factions if you don’t like how the map looks.

There are two methods of locking in your Alliance for a Campaign. In both cases, Alliance selection is determined by the Alliance of the character you are currently logged in with. Method 1: Assign a “home” Campaign in the Alliance War menu. Method 2: Enter Cyrodiil on a Campaign you’ve not previously joined. Once you’ve locked in your Alliance, only characters of the same Alliance on your account will be allowed to enter Cyrodiil in that Campaign.

There is no option to change your locked Alliance until the Campaign duration has elapsed. Multiple in-game notifications have been added to warn you when you’re about to join an Alliance-locked Campaign. Campaigns not flagged with the “Alliance locked” rule set remain unchanged. Any character above level 10 from any Alliance can play in those Campaigns at any time.

Imperial City is now its own Campaign and the doors in Cyrodiil have been shut down and no longer work. To get into Imperial City, you simply use the Campaign selection menu. You’ll end up in the Sewers just as if you had entered from Cyrodiil. Note that Imperial City now has its own population cap (including the Sewers and Districts) which is now removed from Cyrodiil’s population caps. Rejoice!

Guest Campaign will no longer exist as a status, so you no longer need to manage your “guest” Campaign and are now free to play in any Campaign at will. Note that a Home Campaign status is still needed for earning Leaderboard rewards at the end of Campaigns and participating in Emperorship leaderboards. Emperor Leaderboards have also been adjusted. Once you have served as Emperor in a Campaign, you cannot be crowned as an Emperor for a different Alliance for the rest of that Campaign’s duration.

A few other miscellaneous Cyrodiil changes are as follows:

Melee guards will no longer use Bash or Power Bash.

The roof of “cathedral” style Keeps can no longer be destroyed, such as Bloodmayne.

Towers can no longer be destroyed.

Siege damage in CP-Enabled Campaigns will now hit approximately 30% harder than prior update adjustments. Damage in No-CP Campaigns remains the same.

4. Guild Finder

Guild leaders now have the ability to list their guild within the Guild Finder, a new tool for connecting players to like-minded guilds. A new section is present within the Guild menu for Recruitment. Here, a guild leader can fill out information about their guild, as well as include a custom headline and a guild description. Once they’ve provided enough information, they can then list their guild in the Guild Finder. Other players within the guild will be able to see their guild’s listing while it is active as well.

If you’re looking for a guild, you can now access the Guild Finder within the guilds menu, located below the list of any guilds you may be currently in. From here, you can browse by multiple different types of guilds and filter down potential matches by several additional criteria. Once you’ve found a guild that looks like a fit, you can send an application to the guild that includes some basic information about your character and account, as well as the option to include a custom message. Members of a guild with the new “Manage Applications” permission will be able to view and respond to applications. Accepting an application adds the player to your guild, and declining removes their application.

5. Skyshard Achievements for Alternate Characters

Fully completing a Skyshard Hunter achievement on one character will now unlock the ability to purchase that achievement on other characters from the Crown Store. The purchased achievement will award all associated Skillpoints, or any remaining Skillpoints, that your current character has not yet acquired. This is huge because one of the biggest things that prevents players from rolling alts is not the XP needed to reach max level, but the Skillpoint grind. This will give players the option to bypass this all together, albeit for money. Still I’d rather have this option than not, and will probably end up using this on my Necromancer, as I have a ton of Crowns from ESO Plus with nothing to spend them on.

Image taken from PTS, does not reflect updated crown prices

6. Dragons

Lastly, it wouldn’t be the season of the Dragon without actually having Dragons, and now they have finally made their way to Elder Scrolls Online. With the Elsweyr Expansion players will face these terrifyingly huge monstrosities out on the landscape, and they will need all the help they can get to bring them down. Featuring unique mechanics and health pools of 8 figures, Dragons will not be defeated without the help of many players, and they should see tons of action at launch. Imagine Dark Anchors at the release of One Tamriel, but more fun…and with Dragons!

But that’s not the only place players will face them, as they make an appearance in the game’s new Trial: Sunspire, as well. There you will do battle with several Dragons, again all with their own mechanics, and all new Trial Sets as rewards. Team up with 11 other to take them down, in Normal, Veteran, or Hard Mode.

Miscellaneous Changes

In this section we’ll take a look at some miscellaneous changes coming to the game that are somewhat notable and we felt should be shared. These are as follows:

Removed the 200ms post global cooldown from cast time abilities. This was done to improve the feeling of using these abilities in rapid succession with other abilities, to allow for a more fluid transition, and less down time between usage. We also made some adjustments to the cast times and power levels of specific abilities, which will be called out on a per case basis in further notes. Note that channeled beam attacks, such as Soul Assault or Radiant Destruction, retain the post global cooldown, but have had them reduced to 100ms rather than 200ms. This was done to prevent animation errors.

Player abilities that fear targets will no longer cause them to flee in terror. Instead, they will now cower in terror, unable to move while feared. Note that this does not affect abilities that monsters can cast. This should be an interesting change in Cyrodiil to say the least, oil anyone??

All Immobilizes from player abilities and item sets will now apply Immobilization Immunity once applied, to prevent multiple Immobilizes from applying on the same target. Once an Immobilize from these abilities ends, you gain immunity to Immobilizes for 3 seconds after, similar to the Dodge Roll mechanic. Thank god!

Befouled: Reduced the maximum value of this star to 35% from 55%. This was done to allow better balance between Healing bonuses and reductions within the CP system. RIP Befoul…

Decrease Health Enchant (Oblivion damage): Reduced the damage of this enchant by 33%. Probably a needed change.

Dubious Cameron Throne & Witch Mother’s Brew: Reduced the Max Health and Max Resource (Stamina or Magicka) granted by these drinks by approximately 12%. The Recoveries remain unchanged. Damn I have a full stack of Witch Mother’s…

Artaeum Takeaway Broth & Clockwork Citrus Filet: Reduced the Max Health and Max Resource granted by these foods by approximately 15%.

Shield Breaker: Redesigned this item set so it no longer deals damage when you Light Attack a target with a shield active. Now, it increases your damage dealt by 6% at all times. This effect is doubled when attacking targets with a damage shield active. This is a great change and will see a surge of players using this Set.

Removed the snare applied from all abilities that deal with character charges, leaps, teleports, or other movements. Removed all minimum ranges from these abilities. Drastically increased the speed of all of these abilities, and increased their auxiliary effects’ (damage, debuffs, etc.) range to ensure they always apply to their target. Note: Dragon Leap and its morphs are an exclusion to some of these changes. They will continue to fire a snare, which has new visual effects introduced to it. This is due to the fact it cannot be used in quick succession compared to other instant cast abilities. Dragon Leap has had its speed increased as well, but not as drastically, to ensure the visual fidelity remains.

Final Thoughts

These are some pretty big changes to the game, or I should really say improvements. The addition of Guild Finder will be a god send for new players and those who play less frequently, and should help Guilds in general become more active. I fully expect Guild rosters to see a substantial increase, and that’s great news for everyone. Nobody likes being a part of a dead guild, and Guild Leaders can get exhausted from recruiting constantly.

Cyrodiil has also made some great changes, with the addition of character locks for the 30 day campaigns. This prevents some players from just swapping to the character of the faction that’s dominating when things look grim. This should help to keep the longer campaigns more interesting, and with this change (and the the Imperial City change), hopefully decrease queue times to get into them as well.

Removing Guest Campaigns is also a great change, and I’m really looking forward to the increase in Siege damage in CP campaigns. This has been sorely needed for a long long time. What I’m not sold on is the new PvP Artifacts, as there is potential for abuse by factions already dominating. This is something that could go either way, and my guess is that we’ll find out real quick.

With the addition of the Skyshard Achievements carrying over to other characters if you pay in the Crown Store I think you will see many more players trying out new characters. There isn’t an overabundance of things to spend Crowns on if you’re like me and don’t care for all the cosmetics, and this seems like a good use of them. I am sure, however, we will see a few people scream “pay to win” at this addition. It should make for some “interesting” forum discussion to say the least.

Stay tuned as we dive into the Elsweyr Class Changes in detail. There were simply too many to fit in this article, so we decided to cover it separately. Elsweyr releases on PC on May 20th, and Xbox One and Playstation 4 on June 4th, 2019.

The post Elder Scrolls Online Elsweyr: 6 Biggest Changes appeared first on Fextralife.

Elder Scrolls Online Elsweyr: 6 Biggest Changes published first on https://juanaframi.tumblr.com/

[avaliveradio]

1.21 New Music Monday with Jacqueline Jax

TODAY'S LIST OF WHAT'S FRESH COMING INTO A.V.A LIVE RADIO. THIS IS A MIX OF INDIE POP, SONGWRITER AND ROCK SONGWRITERS THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU AND SEND YOU SEARCHING THE ARTISTS PAGES FOR MORE. EPISODE HOSTED BY JACQUELINE JAX.

Listen to the show : starts Monday at 12 pm et on all broadcasting outlets including:

The Anchor Fm page: https://anchor.fm/ava-live-radio

iHeartRadio station page : https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-AVA-Live-Radio-Musi-29336730/

The Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2toX0f3dPmI8gmUSOKZicx

Featuring:

Artist: Alicia Michilli New Release: Back Down Genre: Soul/Pop

Located in: Nashville, TN

This song is...  I am a Soul/R&B artist from Detroit, my music is heavily influenced by Motown and Soul. My song, "Back Down" was tracked live, except for horn and vocal overdubs, which gives it a very authentic, raw vibe. This compliments the lyrics perfectly since they are very honest and uplifting. It’s a reminder to myself (and others) that even when life gets crazy and hard, we just need to lean on each other and keep moving forward. It’s about being resilient and remembering where you come from. The only thing that can stop you from getting where you want to be is yourself.

The music we are creating is... This release, "Letters From the Edge", is important to the direction of my music because it is the stepping stone to the next phase of my career. This is the first project that I feel really captures who I am as a person and as an artist. I believe it will open the door to a lot more opportunities to share my music with beautiful humans around the world. I believe a lot of people can connect and relate to the stories being told in these songs.

Right now we are.. I am most excited about my, “Letters From the Edge” EP release show. It will be on March 5th, at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, TN. I am also really excited to be hitting the road from April-June in support of the EP release. I will be traveling through the mid west, Europe, and the West coast. I’ve also got a music video in the works as well which should be a great time!

LINKS:  https://fanlink.to/Letters https://soundcloud.com/alicia-michilli-1/sets/letters-from-the-edge/s-in7u4 facebook.com/aliciamichillimusic instagram.com @aliciamichilli twitter.com @aliciamichilli aliciamichilli.com

Artist: Chris Driver

New Release: 'Lightning'

Genre: Folk-Country-Pop / Singer-songwriter

Located in: Brighton and Hove, UK

This song is... With his emotive and captivating vocals and heartfelt lyrics, Chris Driver is a singer-songwriter based in Brighton. His debut single ‘Lightning’ was released in October 2018 and conveys his love of harmonies and a stripped back raw acoustic sound. Chris’s influences include Neil Young, The Beatles, Radiohead, Band of Horses and First Aid Kit to name a few. Expect an eclectic mix of folk-country-pop.

The music we are creating is... As my debut single, 'Lightning' is very important to me and a song i'm so pleased to be able to share as I start the journey of releasing my music as an artist.

Right now we are... I have 3 more single releases planned over the next 5 months, and have just finished mixing the follow up to 'Lightning' and filming the music video.

LINKS:  https://open.spotify.com/album/3iasj3uqLWUuCNXl5yIG9i https://www.facebook.com/chrisdrivermusik https://www.instagram.com/chrisdrivermusic https://twitter.com/ChrisDriverMus1

Artist: The Hesh Inc. (band) / Hesh Meister (solo)

New Release: Convention Hall

Genre: Rock, classic rock, singer-songwriter

Located in: Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA.

This song is... This song is the opening track to my album, "Soul In Exile 3: Love Runs Aground," and it is a frank exploration of how a relationship or marriage disintegrates from the inside out, couched in the imagery of a legendary old building on the Asbury Park boardwalk crumbling by itself. It starts off sounding like a piano-and-voice ballad but the lyrics soon turn pointed and are underpinned by organ, drums, bass, and especially guitar. Anyone who has been through the demise of an intense, sustained relationship will be able to relate. Be forewarned, though - this is NOT a simple three-minute pop gem - it is pure album rock, the way it was once made in the golden era.

The music we are creating is... This song keeps the album in the public consciousness, for those who seek this type of music. THE HESH INC.'s musical mission is to keep the album-rock epic alive during a time when trends have gone elsewhere.

Right now we are... Right now I am in the writing phase, making early plans for the recording of the next album, which will be a continuation of this one.

LINKS:  ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/theheshinc/song/30406248-convention-hall Spotify (full version): https://open.spotify.com/track/2Pqd6Rkb6lU11krfLRDB9B?si=xFTU5KxAS1O6GmL751n9Kg Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHeshInc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHeshInc.music Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theheshinc

Artist: Cwiredband

New Release: Climb the Mountain

Genre: Resurrection Rock

Located in: Berkeley Springs, WV - Nashville, TN

This song is... about Spiritual Growth and Ascension. Where are all here to transform from our egoic me centered self (our Dragon) into an awareness of Unity and Relationship. It’s a journey. The song is somewhat epic in nature. Sonically we feel the writing, lyrics, and arrangements fits the life long process of always becoming more aware of our true selves and our true identities. It’s a trek that leads us to an understanding of just how magnificent we all are.

Right now we are... Working on our next EP. C Wired has more than enough material to record a full-length album, but both he and producer Addison Smith are really comfortable with more frequent releasees every 3-6 months utilizing the 6 song EP format. It’s more in tune with the way we consume and listen to music today anyways. Most people are not taking the time to listen to an entire album. They select the one or two songs they like and add them to their playlist. Working on getting booked for European and US based tours, festivals, etc.

LINKS:  https://open.spotify.com/track/6Bnw1WTJthvvGoCyNjxGRj?si=geDOHL3_R9ywOpi1OkxB2A https://www.instagram.com/c_wired https://www.facebook.com/cwiredband

Artist: Mack H.D

New Release: FotoLove

Genre: Pop, Electro pop

Located in: White Plains,NY

This song is... Daft Punk inspired; I made the beat and recorded this song with LS at our studio 5 years ago. Unfortunately, I never released the song due to fear. I am mostly a Hip Hop Producer I helped dozens create their own sound but yet I never really created my own, so I was afraid that people would simply hate the song because it is so different. The song was inspired by a long distance relationship I had with my girlfriend which is now my fiancé. The song is about a guy that is in love with a woman and he becomes this super fan that has many pictures of her. The whole song is about this delusional guy talking to a photograph.

The music we are creating is... This release is important to me because it's unique and it's different than what I usually do. It brings out my skills as a music producer. It shows that I can step out my comfort zone which is hip hop and still create a banger that I cater to every generation.

Right now we are... Right I'm working on the video for the song FotoLove. I'm also recording for my upcoming album which will be a compilation album that will Produce.

LINKS:  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/42MTRsCl7JI2TMUdMMYrBd?si=x0SRR5mNSFmnxhFmms1tnw Twitter: https://twitter.com/realmackhd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmackhd/?hl=en Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-_0sfiAhPFKN535Fi54QQ

Artist: Houndwolf

New Release: Tempted to Abuse

Genre: Heavy Metal

Located in: Witten, NRW, Germany

This song is...  "Tempted to Abuse" is Heavy Metal song with a strong blend of Hard Rock. Tempted to Abused stands out due its organic sound, the straight songwriting and the unadorned and open-minded lyrics. The song comes along with a genuine and driving Heavy Metal sound, easy recognizable roots in Hard Rock and an in-your-face attitude.

The music we are creating is... "Tempted to Abuse" is the title track of the last released EP. The EP Tempted to Abuse (Label: M71) features four brand new kickass songs and was released on 27th April 2018.

Right now we are..  The band actually works on new material and plans several concerts. Houndwolf just started to work together with the All Metal Agency.

LINKS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houndwolfofficial  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/houndwolf_metal Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtUJMPOjbithPj5wWUZXoRg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houndwolf_metal Spotify-Profil: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Al0pyqTX99nMXM6fE5oFl iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/de/artist/houndwolf/1156166188 Amazon: https://www.amazon.de/Beware-Dog-Explicit-Houndwolf/dp/B07BTY8HYK/ref=sr_1_3? Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/de/artist/11048430 Qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/interpreter/houndwolf/download-streaming-albums Bandcamp: https://houndwolf.bandcamp.co

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Love Like Ours by Melissa Foster

Sugar Lake #3

 Delightful from beginning to end! Piper and Derek meet when she is distracted and nearly hits him while she is driving. They meet again when he attends her class and though her perceptions of him are off-target at first glance she soon realizes that this man who on the surface seems all wrong for her is truly the man for her.

 Piper has a big loving family that provides her with love and warmth and a lot of goodhearted teasing. She is the quietest of the group and yet perhaps the anchor. Derek is an only child predominately raised by a loving and wonderful father – a father he is losing a little bit more of every day. As the main caretaker of his father he is loving, kind, patient, caring and giving AND he brings those same attributes to his relationship with Piper…along with some sizzle and steam and charm and so much more.

 Watching Piper and Derek grow together as a couple was a delight. Hearing about the cartoon sketches drawn by Derek and his father to commemorate life events was charming and made me want to look over his shoulder as he was drawing. Wondering who will get their story told next left me eager to read the next book in this series although this is the first I have read in the series so far. AND did you know that the cartoons in this book are actually collected together in another one so perhaps I will get to look over Derek’s shoulder after all!

 Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake Romance and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 5 Stars

Love Like Ours Synopsis:

One wrong move, and she meets a guy with all the right ones…

Talia Dalton lives her life on cruise control. Despite her successful career as a professor, she prefers protecting her broken heart to taking chances. She’s calm, cool, collected, and steady. Until the morning she takes her eyes off that familiar road and almost runs over the sexiest man she’s ever seen. It may not be the best way to start the day, but it might be the type of shake-up she needs.

Male dancer Derek Grant has goals, and nothing is going to get in the way of achieving them. As a graduate student and the sole caretaker of his ailing father, he hasn’t much time for relationships. Then Talia crashes into his life. Sweet, pretty—and so buttoned-up that he can’t wait to help her cut loose.

For Derek, falling in love was a beautiful accident waiting to happen. And it might be exactly what Talia needs—if she’s willing to let go of the past and embrace every surprise Derek has to offer.

**LOVE LIKE OURS is being published by Montlake (an Amazon imprint) and won’t be available on other ebook retailers, but you can download a FREE ereader app to read it here, or order the paperback.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Like-Ours-Sugar-Lake-ebook/dp/B07BK5F3RX/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536600823&sr=8-2&keywords=love+like+ours

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4cf78adb702/

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   About Melissa Foster:

Melissa writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa's fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big-family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summer, Harborside Nights, Wild Boys and Bad Boys After Dark, and the Montgomerys. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented-- perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about loyal, wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines with complex and relatable issues.

 Melissa also writes sweet and clean romance under the pen name Addison Cole.

 Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

 Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on social media or her personal website.   

 Where to find Melissa:

 Links:

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[lorrainecparker]

Meet Me at Arri Burbank on January 19th

If you’ve got some time to spare on January 19th, and you’re near Burbank, stop by and see me at the Arri Burbank Training Space.

That’s me, a long time ago, beta testing an early Alexa model in San Francisco.

My career is on an interesting path. I love shooting, but I’ve become an accidental technologist and teacher along the way. Long ago I started out in film as a camera assistant, but found it easier to find jobs in video as there weren’t so many people interested in hiring someone so young to shoot film. I was ambitious: while most people spent a decade or more as a camera assistant before moving up, I was chafing at the bit after about five years. It’s a good thing I didn’t know how much I didn’t know, as the thought of moving up so quickly, but being relatively clueless, now fills me with horror. Back then, though, I was blissfully unaware, and somehow I survived.

Learning video was a good move. Not only could I freelance as a day hire for magazine shows like Inside Edition and a Current Affair in between film gigs as a budding feature film operator and second unit DP, but I managed to become a creature of both worlds. That served me very well when I moved back to my native San Francisco Bay Area, having grown tired of the LA feature film and television grind, where the vast majority of the local work was video.

The San Francisco market was unique. Most of the sound people started out working on staff at rental houses: they’d be paid a salary, but were hired out on corporate and broadcast gigs at full rate, which their employers pocketed. In return for a two year commitment, the rental house trained them to become full time freelancers, while making some money off them along the way. The Bay Area has always been heavy on tech, so most of these sound people were also trained up as video engineers in order to maximize profits for the rental houses. One day they’d be mixing audio, and the next they’d be matching three cameras for a live event.

This was a huge advantage for me. Whereas in LA I was strictly responsible for video and the sound person was strictly responsible for audio, I found that my sound person would bring along a waveform monitor and vectorscope and paint the camera at the beginning of the day. Being the curious sort, I observed the process and asked a lot of questions. By the time the first film style cameras came out (the Sony F900 and the Panasonic Varicam), I was up to speed and ready to go. I was able to light for film, but shoot for video—and I knew enough to work to video’s strengths while avoiding, when possible, its weaknesses.

The release of the original RED ONE was a huge turning point. The camera was basically an alpha release, and through software updates RED built it in front of my eyes. Build 15 showed color shifts in clipped highlights while build 16 didn’t—and that clued me in to the fact that there was a lot more going on in software than I’d known. I would spend hours experimenting on that camera with the best video engineer in town. Fairly regularly I’d point out some weird thing that other cameras didn’t do, and he’d tell me, “Oh, they all do that, but other manufacturers hide it better.” And then, with the next software build, that weird thing would disappear.

As I learned, I wrote about what I learned. As more and more people read my theories and observations, I found that folks who knew a lot more about cameras than I did became willing to talk to me. And I learned even more.

REDs were a bit daunting early on, but the great thing about them was that they kicked all the other camera manufacturers into gear. Panavision released the Genesis, which eventually became the Sony F35. Panasonic stuck with the prism camera model and cranked out lots of variations on the Varicam, as well as the HDX-900, which became the “bargain Varicam” for a number of years. Arri launched the D20 and D21, which looked great but were a bit heavy and unwieldy. (A friend told me how he grabbed a shot of a kid fishing in a stream by wading into the water with his key grip, who anchored one side of the camera while he moved the other side.) Dalsa developed the Origin 4K camera, which was truly ahead of its time in functionality but severely behind the times in size and maneuverability.

It was truly the wild west.

Then came the Arri Alexa. I remember looking through the user interface and thinking, “These people get it.” The camera was simple, elegant, looked great, and was nearly indestructible. At one early demo the audience was told that one could pour a Coke through the intake vent at the top of the camera and the worst thing that would happen is that a PA would have to go to the nearest hardware store and buy another fan. And a few years ago at NAB Arri showed a camera that had been involved in a truck fire and still powered on even though, externally, it looked like a pile of molten slag.

I was captivated by both the dynamic range and the color. Fourteen stops of dynamic range was almost obscene. And the color was to die for. In particular, highlights rolled off beautifully in ways that other cameras couldn’t manage. Best of all, overexposed flesh tones looked great! In film it was common to light and expose older actresses a stop or two brighter than everyone else, both to make them stand out but also to push skin imperfections up into the shoulder of the film’s gamma curve, where they’d compress and become less noticeable. Alexa was the first camera that allowed me to perform this same trick. Video’s great weakness, until then, had been overexposure latitude: most cameras didn’t allow for many stops of overexposure before hitting white clip, and colors would severely distort flesh tones on the way. Alexa gave me seven stops of overexposure headroom without any compromises.

With the release of each new camera—from Arri, Sony, RED, Panasonic, Canon—I always ask myself, “Why does this camera look the way it does? What is it doing differently? How can I bend this thing to my will? How can I make it do things the manufacturer never intended?” Along the way I’ve learned tons about camera design, physics, color perception, optics, and codecs. I didn’t plan this; it just happened!

I never set out to teach. I just tried to become a better cinematographer by learning everything I could about my tools in order to create better images faster. After a while I found joy simply in learning new things and “solving the riddles” of the next big camera, and eventually found an audience with which I could share my discoveries.

And here we are.

If you’re interested in attending this Arri Academy event and geeking out with me, you can sign up here.

I’m honored to be part of this event, and who knows: you may see me at more Arri training events in the future.

Art Adams Director of Photography

The post Meet Me at Arri Burbank on January 19th appeared first on ProVideo Coalition.

First Found At: Meet Me at Arri Burbank on January 19th

[vfxcompetition]

11 Indispensable Pieces of Advice from 2016's Best Cinematographers

Prepare to be more than just a photographer

When asked what the biggest misunderstanding about cinematographers was, John Toll was quick to respond that the job always demands more than people could ever know.  "They don’t realize everything we do," he explains. "Because there’s a lot to the job, more than just being a photographer. Incredible organizational skills, you’re a manager, you’re an organizer, that’s all part of the job."

Depending on your director's style, you might have to fill in the blanks

It's no secret that every director has a different style, and as a result, different aspects of the film shoot that they tend to put more emphasis on. "Sometimes you work with directors who really don’t care about what the film looks like so much and others are much more attuned to visual imagery," Caleb Deschanel remarked. "So you have to adjust yourself depending on what the director is really interested in." For the cinematographer, this is two-fold. You have to make sure you've accomplished what the director is most interested in, while simultaneously picking up the slack on any area where their focus may be missing.

Let the director's drive fuel your drive

Time and time again, from screenwriters, directors, and producers alike, we hear that you should only set out to make a movie if you really, really have the ambition to do so. Mr. Deschanel agreed. "The reality is that you really want to go in and meet a director and have him draw you into their excitement and enthusiasm for the project they're doing. You need to have that, because to make a movie, you have to have an incredible drive and enthusiasm for something." As director, you're going to be the leader on that shoot, and if you're not giving it 100% all the time, your crew is going to follow suit. "You can’t let it wane," Deschannel insisted. "No matter how many problems you have along the way. You have to just keep going. So it's wonderful to have a director like that."

As a director, you need to have your DP's back

When he took the job for Arrival, Bradford Young knew two things: he loved Denis Villeneuve and he had zero experience using heavy VFX. "The challenge was like, when I’m totally clueless and I don’t know what the hell is going on, can I look at you say 'I don’t know what’s going on?' Can I trust that you will say, 'No problem man, let's hand this off to someone else.' Being vulnerable, and being able to be honest and saying, I don't know. I'm not sure if I trust this. I'm not sure if this is actually working. I'm not sure if this is the way to do it. Or the way we would do it if this wasn't a heavily visual effects environment." It was a lot to reckon with, but in a healthy collaboration, these sort of problems are a non-issue. "I knew that Denis would be supportive in that sense," Young went on to explain. "To know that I would have support in that way was really important.”

Ask yourself how where you come from influences your own unique and personal vision.

Don't forget what makes you a valuable storytelling asset

Charlotte Bruus Christensen, who worked on both Fences and Girl on A Train this year, grew up on a farm in Denmark. She attributes her fascination with light to working in the stables of her father's pastures.  "You bring something of yourself," she pointed out. "You come from somewhere and even though we are trained to adapt to a script and a story and a director's story, you always get something from home that I feel that you offer the story, and that is what you use to adapt." For your own work, you should ask yourself how where you come from influences your own unique and personal vision.

Don't hang on to a specific take

When asked if they've ever gotten upset that one of their favorite shots wasn't included in a final film, it was the most experienced DP of the group who was quick to laugh. Deschanel admitted that, while it may feel great on set, there are so many other factors that contribute to the final decision that you have to be ready to shed any attachments to specific takes. "It’s interesting about the right take," he began, "because I think initially a director will pick a certain take and then you get in the editing room, and as the scene evolves, you find that actually another take has a certain kind of emotion that you want more but didn’t realize it at first. It’s a very fluid process."

Don't sign on to project if you're not comfortable with its director

A lot of us may not be at the point where we're receiving a ton of requests from directors to interview for their projects yet, but when the time comes, it's important not to be overeager. In fact, as John Toll sees it, "It’s a two-way interview because you need to feel that you’re the appropriate person for that job." In that mindset, you need to have certain strategies in place to learn quickly about your collaborator and their vision. "In a way, you need to encourage the director to express all this, what is this, what are their ideas, what are they trying to pull out of a piece. And sometimes you’re not the appropriate person for that picture. So it’s important to know that before you start shooting."

No matter what your preference is, the medium should always fit the project

Caleb Deschanel has been around for both film and digital. If you watch the whole discussion, it's not hard to see which medium he prefers, but that doesn't mean it's the right medium for every project. "A problem I always had with digital is actually photographing faces, because you have to be really careful about how sharp an image is," he explains. "I mean the thing I always liked about film is that each frame is different, so the fact that one frame goes to another and the grain is in a slightly different place is actually much more forgiving for the human face. It actually gives you a certain quality that I find really fascinating."

As time moves on and technology improves, however, it's better to embrace than resist. "John shooting [Billy Lynn] at a high frame rate and projected at high frame rates and 3D," Deschanel admitted, "that's what artists do, they take a technology that somebody brings to them and they explore it and see what they can do with it. And sometimes you succeed remarkably. And sometimes you fail. But that's the process.”

"Film vs. digital is a conversation going in circles, and it’s become kind of a self-destructive one too."

The film vs. digital debate may not be dead, but it needs to evolve

At this point during the roundtable, the age old film vs. digital debate flared up and things got a little emotional. Bradford Young staunchly supports the democratization of film, a phenomenon which leaves everyone with an opportunity to tell their story. "I think the whole universal conversation about digital vs. film...This idea of pixels of information, how much is there, how much isn't there? It’s a conversation going in circles and it’s become kind of a self-destructive one too," he laments. "It’s not the medium. It’s what anchored in it. Finding your voice, finding your language, that’s the real struggle. I’m interested in having a conversation about why film could be a revolutionary venture in our evolution as human beings. I think we keep getting caught in the conversation between ARRI and Sony, and all they’re doing is providing us with the stuff and saying 'Y'all do whatever you want with this stuff. I can’t tell you.' The conversation should be how do we anchor it into something that gives us feeling? How do you bring feeling? That’s the most important thing."

Be open to the possibility of mistakes

In today's film landscape, there are an unbelievable and ever-growing number of ways to ensure that no one on your set ever makes a mistake. Monitors, in particular, ensure things are captured exactly how they should be, with little room for accidental artistic magic or mystery. Christensen believes that all this expensive tech may actually be causing more harm than good. "Sometimes it’s like, oh man, that little bit of feeling of not being in control. And then sometimes there's a mistake. But that mistake adds something. Sometimes not being in control, by having the monitor village and having all the buttons that you can go and check and see and do and try it, is a good thing.”

Her argument is that it really takes you out of the process. " Sometimes I don’t want to try out. Right now I just want to be here with this scene and this idea," she concluded.

Like it or not, the DIT is now a key cog in the machine

With such a wealth of post-production tools available, the DIT has clearly become an integral part of any production. And why not? The ability to manipulate a shot so it looks better in post should be an incredible thing, right? Well for La La Land's Luis Sandgren, the idea is a scary one. "I am very nervous about the DIT," he admits "Because I don’t want it to look any different than what I intended. That’s my biggest fear. To me, the DIT is one-third of the possibilities of what you can achieve with the look of a film. I think whatever you do on set, so little of it should actually have to do with a DIT.  The more you do there the more you screw up the image from how it was captured."

Rodrigo Prieto, however, has a much more open mind to the situation. "I think DIT is kind of a two-edged sword," he explains. "I loved the possibility of continuing the creative process into post production and being able to tweak the image to a certain extent." Of course, even a DITs work can't be the fix-all end all solution. "I try to put it in all on camera because, contrary to belief, you can't re-light a movie even in the DIT. No matter what you do, the position of a light is the position of a light and the character of the scene. Certainly, you can do a lot," he said.  What's most important is to be there through the whole process to ensure your vision isn't tampered with. "I manage the movies I make if I have to do a DIT or not, and I've turned down work to be able to do this. Because it's such an integral part of the whole process. It's like missing pre-production and going straight into a movie. It's crucial."

John Toll agreed, "The only way that cinematographers can guarantee their original visual intent is to carry it through to the completion of the picture. And we have to be there to basically participate in that process. Sometimes there are well-intentioned people who get involved in that process who feel they have better ideas about how the film should look. But we as cinematographers need to be there and guarantee that what people are seeing at one point is what was intended. You can't phone it in. You have to be physically sitting there. Because you have other layers of producers, other layers of studio people — their job is to basically finish the picture. So it's good to have a clear distinction of who's doing what."