#geoff statement

[hawkzeyes]

Folks this is weird shit and if you believe this you need to unfollow me now. I’m so serious. This is not a safe space for you. If you think that 17 year olds should date grown men you’re not welcome on my blog. I don’t care about what the law legally says. There is a lot of things that are morally reprehensible and bankrupt that is still legal. That doesn’t mean it should be done.

Comic books authors are fucking weird about ages often and I will call that out. Just because she is “old enough legally” to consent doesn’t mean Al should be sniffing anywhere near her. She is literally freshly 17 here. Her birthday was a couple pages forward. So actually she was 16 when these thoughts started. He should know better as the adult in this situation and Geoff Johns is a fucking weirdo for writing it otherwise.

[sockssoakedwithgreentea]

Gertrude Robinson in her recordings:

This statement is worrying. It would indicate that the Evil Bastard Conglomerate™ is more active than ever. How is Geoff Von Poopenfarten involved in this? What are his intentions towards the Scrimblo artifact? This completely changes what we know about The Scrunkly, and what it wants. I have to consult The Dipshit League on this matter! If you're listening to this, I will store all the answers in my secret base on Mars that i have built. They should be safe from prying eyes there.

Jonny boi sitting at his stupid little desk, listening to his stupid little tape recorder:

:0

[liamnews]

Liam's death was an unspeakable tragedy. This is a time of tremendous grief and pain for those who knew and loved him. Liam ought to have had a long life ahead of him. Instead, Bear has lost his father, Geoff and Karen have lost their son, Ruth and Nicola have lost their brother and all of Liam's friends and fans have lost someone they held very dear.

We understand that the investigation into Liam's death was absolutely necessary, and the family recognises the work done by the Argentinian authorities. However, the family accepts the Court of Appeal's decision to drop all charges.

The constant media attention and speculation which has accompanied the process has exacted indescribable, lasting damage on the family, particularly on Liam's son who is trying to process emotions which no seven-year-old should have to experience.

The family has always wished for privacy to grieve and asks that they be given the space and time to do so.

This weekend, at the Brit Awards, Liam was remembered for his phenomenal contribution to British music and for his wider, positive impact on millions of adoring fans the world over. We joined in that celebration of his life and will forever remember the joy that his music brought to the world. Liam, you are so loved and missed."

Statement from Liam's family

[dramaticallytotal]

For Your Entertainment Headcanons: Part One

Idea Post

• Chaos Gremlin Noah, my beloved! Chris purposefully starts drama in the show to entertain Noah because, as mentioned before, a bored Noah is a scary Noah. This is why he was so mad at Duncan for quitting. Noah was looking forward to the love triangle drama! Now what was Chris supposed to play on?

• Noah getting Harold kicked off was more brutal than any of my other aus. Bro compared Harold to Chris, and Harold took that personally. This happened after the challenge in Egypt was over, and they settled into the hotel they would be staying at for a while. A lot of people were chilling by the pool, and Noah was one of them. Noah really liked pools despite the crowds they attracted. Plus, he promised Izzy he would watch her do a handstand and walk the entire length of the pool while doing so. He had been doing so until he got bored and started reading Construire avec le peuple (Architecture For The Poor) by Hassan Fathy when Harold decided that he absolutely had to interrupt Noah to start a debate.

He had done this four times previously, and Noah was done.

Apparently, Harold could not let go of all the cultural insensitivities they encountered today and just had to tell the 50th person around so. All the while wearing that stupid tinfoil hat he made. Actually...that gave Noah an idea. An awful idea. It gave Noah a wonderful, awful idea!

• He laid into Harold about wearing the tinfoil hat and that by wearing it, he was being culturally insensitive. "You're basically stating that you don't believe in their history. You wearing that...thing...is a statement that you agree with erasing people's hard work and labor for a brain-dead conspiracy theory. Hard work and labor that was significantly important to not only their history but their culture.

You keep harping on about Chris and the Network but are just as bad as them. Maybe even worse, too, considering you keep telling everyone you know everything about Egypt. If you're so well read and educated about it, that makes your fashion choice all the more insulting. And all the worse because I'm pretty sure Chris's knowledge of Egypt is purely from The Mummy, Cleopatra, Gods of Egypt, and other movies.

Do better."

• Absolutely destroyed Harold. This made Harold determined to prove Noah wrong and to maybe appease himself of guilt. Which cultivated in him having to point out everything that could be seen as culturally insensitive.

• Each time Harold annoyed someone, Noah had to hide his widening smile. Especially if the someone was Chris, his annoyed expression was just too funny!

• Alejandro flirting with Leshawna and Bridgette was also really entertaining to Noah because of how the others reacted. Especially Harold! He was so mad and sad, and it was hilarious because he kept trying harder to seem cool and good, and it was failing spectacularly!

• Like I said before, Noah is pretty apathetic and only cares about Team E-Scope and Owen. He also holds little grudges against some competitors! Like, noticeably, Harold. Another one that may come as a surprise is Bridgette, which is why he found such joy in her predicament in the Yukon. Before he got eliminated on Island Noah, he didn't like many people there, but he thought Bridgette was pretty cool and nice, and he did think she was pretty. It was a small crush, one he knew he wasn't going to pursue but that didn't mean he couldn't be her friend.

Apparently, this must have given something away, though he had no idea how, and instead of talking to him, she joked about it to some of the girls knowing damn well that Geoff and his "bros" were listening in. It was most likely to see if the guy would get jealous, considering everyone knew the two were crushing on each other. That somehow made it worse to Noah because from then on, he started getting the Harold treatment from Geoff, Duncan, and DJ.

That pissed him right the hell off. He had done nothing, and all of a sudden, he was getting shoulder checked when walking to the mess hall. His books would go missing from time to time if he didn't hide them first. Just small shit like that, and he was over it.

It was one of the reasons he got himself voted off. He was not about to stick it out in a shitty summer camp while these dude bros wanted to act like high school movie bullies instead of focusing on the competition.

• He had no remorse. He had more fun watching the competition from the luxury of his resort room or the game room.

• So he has little grudges against Bridgette, Geoff, DJ, and Duncan because of that whole mess. Everyone else he just doesn't care about. He tried to get to know some of them on Island and in Aftermath, but it was like they were humoring him. And he knew some only interacted with him because he was Owen's best friends. He was content with that, though, because the way he saw it, he at least tried, and that's more than he can say for the others.

So yeah, he doesn't really care what happens to everyone else.

• Izzy and him are chaos siblings, and Eva is terrified that they are on the same team without her being there to keep an eye on them and be their stern voice of reason. She should be.

• The number of times that Chef has had to carry them under his arms away from areas they weren't allowed is too much. All the while, the two are giggling maniacally.

• When Noah told Alejandro "Good Work," about Bridgette in the Yukon. Alejandro was afraid his teammate had found him out and went on the offense, which was flirting. He figured he could distract Noah with the flirting, and they could forget the whole mess.

It seemed to work if the blushing was anything to go by. Or the way Noah looked away if he complimented him and smiled a little. He was a little surprised when Noah would compliment him back of whisper snide comments to him, and he figured that was the snark's way of flirting back.

He assumed his plan worked and didn't pay any more close attention to his teammate. Which was a mistake he later learned.

• Noah knew he shot himself in the foot when he complimented Alejandro on a job well done with Bridgette, but he didn't care because it led to more entertainment for him! Alejandro started flirting with him, and the expressions of the females were delicious! So he acted shy and coy and would reciprocate the flirting here in there in his own way, and the way Alejandro fell for it was also hilarious. It took everything in him not to cackle.

• The crew and interns love their gremlin boss, which is why they have a code for if they think he's getting bored and they really can't have that! So if they see even an inkling of boredom, they call a Code B-72 and rush to find something that will entertain him. Most of the time, it's helping sneak him to Chris and Chef's room so Chris and Noah can watch Love Island together with excuse that Chris misses his trash TV buddy.

Or they sneak him books!

• After the confrontation in the cargo hold, Alejandro is always close by Noah looking at him with absolute moon eyes. Noah thinks this is still Alejandro flirting with him because he caught him, but no....Alejandro is just a simp now.

• Before their next challenge, Noah makes sure to get Alejandro alone so he can tug him down by his necklace again. He doesn't notice that the guy doesn't seem bothered by this in the least. "You're going to try today. That's not a question. You are going to actually try and win with the rest of us, and if we lose. We lose. But at least we lost when putting in effort. If we win? All the better. Understand?"

Alejandro, breathless, "Si."

"Good boy." After making his point, Noah once more patted Alejandro on the cheek before walking away again. And again, he left Alejandro absolutely flustered and heart eyed.

• Next challenge was the Amazon, and Alejandro did still get punched by Owen, but Noah thought it would be funny to fuss over the hunk of a guy in front of everyone, especially the girls. Alejandro could die happy with the attention he was getting from his zorro.

• Alejandro went down the zipline with Noah, and Noah let it happen because there was no way he was doing that himself. He just went along for the ride and clung to Alejandro, who swore he was in heaven the entire ride down.

• When they stopped to make camp, Noah made sure to act like he wasn't doing much besides indulging Izzy and Owen in their shenanigans, but he was also telling them to go get firewood while Alejandro told Trent, Tyler, and Justin set up their sleeping bags and such while he and Noah went to find some food.

Thank goodness Noah was in the Boy Guides of Canada when he was younger even though he didn't stay long. Plus, he read those survival handbooks, and his sister was studying to be a horticulturist, and she had a phase where she wanted to harvest her own food or take trips into the forest to find "hidden snacks" and of course he got dragged along.

• No Owen being taken by the giant caterpillars. Alejandro is a simp, and he knew Noah would be angry. Of course, Noah noticed his anger with the oaf and how he didn't let him be taken, so he rewarded Alejandro with a smile and pat to the head. It had Alejandro on cloud nine.

• Noah's all about reward systems.

• Thankfully, his friends respond to them, too! And so does Alejandro! Win win.

• They don't win the challenge, but Noah still gives Alejandro a smile because he knew the guy was actually trying. Noah may or may not start being fond of Alejandro more than he was before. But according to his observation, Alejandro seems fond of him, too.

• Alejandro starts to let Noah see the real him behind the masks and feels so relieved when the guy doesn't hate him or finds him weird. He feels accepted, and he doesn't fail to notice how Noah opens up to him in return or the way they both get closer, and Noah gets more touchy feel-y.

Noah finds the real Alejandro worlds more interesting than his mask and realizes that he's starting to get a crush on the guy.

• Chris and Chef also notice this development and are thankful that Alejandro is keeping their little gremlin entertained, but also, how dare that charmer make goo-goo eyes at their gremlin!?

Next

[twopoppies]

Poor family! 😢

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrnv5g6lkjo.amp

Just awful. The way people treated it like a mystery to solve, and endlessly picked apart every single thing. I honestly can’t imagine.

In full: Statement from Liam Payne's family

"Liam's death was an unspeakable tragedy. This is a time of tremendous grief and pain for those who knew and loved him. Liam ought to have had a long life ahead of him. Instead, Bear has lost his father, Geoff and Karen have lost their son, Ruth and Nicola have lost their brother and all of Liam's friends and fans have lost someone they held very dear.

"We understand that the investigation into Liam's death was absolutely necessary, and the family recognises the work done by the Argentinian authorities. However, the family accepts the Court of Appeal's decision to drop all charges.

"The constant media attention and speculation which has accompanied the process has exacted indescribable, lasting damage on the family, particularly on Liam's son who is trying to process emotions which no seven-year-old should have to experience.

"The family has always wished for privacy to grieve and asks that they be given the space and time to do so.

"This weekend, at the Brit Awards, Liam was remembered for his phenomenal contribution to British music and for his wider, positive impact on millions of adoring fans the world over. We joined in that celebration of his life and will forever remember the joy that his music brought to the world.

"Liam, you are so loved and missed."

Full article here

[total-drama-brainrot]

Thinking about the fake dating AU again. 🤯

What if, during his segment on the Aftermath, Noah plays off his 'cheating' as something so emotionally detached it makes him look almost psychopathic, in an attempt to make himself as unlikable as possible?

The 'cheating' was simply strategic, is all. It wasn't his fault the two of them had to go and catch real feelings; Noah was just playing the game. Nothing more.

What? You thought he had feelings for them? Don't be ridiculous, Noah felt nothing for either of them- they were just there to carry him through the competition.

(He doesn't anticipate the ache that twists through his chest after that statement. It isn't true in the slightest, yet even just pretending to not care about his partners is physically painful.)

At first, both Geoff and Blaineley commend him for enacting some long overdue karma/vengeance on the antagonistic duo, but the more Noah intentionally digs himself into a hole- the more hateable he makes himself- the more people actually begin to pity both Heather and Alejandro. Which was the plan from the beginning, so Noah fully commits to it, playing off every interaction as just another cog in his manipulation machine; he's the 'High IQ', after all, of course he planned it all.

And he hides the nausea writhing in his gut from the blatant lies he's sprouting under a carefully blank, uncaring mask of indifference. Every claim he makes is said in the most casual tone- as if he's commenting on the weather instead of admitting to masterminding the heartbreak of two strong competitors- and that's somehow worse than if he would at least seem smug about his achievement. Because at least then he'd (appear to) care.

So, when the Aftermath finally ends, Noah becomes persona non grata. No one wants to even look at him- who knew the little snark could be so ruthless? So uncaring?

And Noah, knowing that he can't confide in Owen (who can't keep a secret to save his life) or Izzy (who's too unpredictable to trust- and who also 'leaked' fake information about him to Sierra during her time on Celebrity Manhunt, so who knows what else she's leak?) turns to his friend Eva, who promptly decks him in the face.

"I'm not friends with cheaters."

And when he tries to explain himself, clutching at his quickly bruising face and hoping that she'll see reason or at the very least afford him some decency, she throws his actions back in his face (actions have always spoken louder than words with Eva). Claiming that, if he's willing to lead on two people romantically, who's to say he isn't also faking their friendship? How can she trust anything that comes out of his slimy mouth?

It hurts. Every accusation is like a wave of searing heat against his already blistered heart, and yet Eva's eyes are so cold as she looks at Noah like he's the scum beneath her shoes.

So he flees to his hotel room.

And, for the first time in years, he weeps.

.

Given the informative finale of World Tour, the Aftermath crew were given the go-ahead to host one last hurrah, to properly question their finalists about their scheme, and to clear Noah's name.

Their audience was practically frothing at the mouth for an update.

During their interview segment, Blaineley (in an attempt to stir up some drama- she's always endeavouring to stay on brand after all) plays clips of Noah's callous 'confessions' on his Aftermath segment post-elimination, hoping to cause some trouble in paradise for the lovely throuple by sewing the seeds of doubt in their minds.

To her surprise, both Heather and Alejandro start laughing at the clips as if they're the funniest thing they've ever seen, huddling closer to Noah as they poke and tease him. Noah, in turn, sinks in unto himself, red-faced and mortified.

"What? How can you be alright with him saying that?" Cries Blaineley, scandalised that her attempt at brewing tension somehow didn't work.

"Because he does not mean it." Alejandro explains. To his side, Heather nods in agreement.

"How can you be so sure?"

Heather points to the screen, where past Noah is lying his ass off for the world to see, stoic save for the barely noticable twitching of his fingers and the occasional jump of his leg.

"He's lying through his teeth! It's so obvious- you weren't even trying to hide your tells, and after all the practice we did!"

"I didn't need to. Neither of you were there to call me out on the bluff."

[apopcornkernel]

some thoughts on jason, post-reread of teen titans #29

the curious thing is that geoff johns writes jason wanting to be remembered, memorialized with the other dead titans—he throws tim into donna's statue, yells, where's MY statue? so i wonder—have i been wrong all this time? would he have actually appreciated bruce's horrific glass case?

another thing. if jason, according to this issue, knows that batman didn't arbitrarily "replace" him, so to speak, then why did he go to all that effort to beat tim up? ... in the comic he says smth about tim being nowhere near good enough to be robin/to measure up to jason's robin... perhaps he was lying to himself and Did feel resentment for the replacement despite his statements to the contrary. and jason notably keeps children away from his gig but perhaps he reasoned with himself that tim was trained by batman ans he could take it. perhaps he just wanted to have an excuse to vent his frustration and anger and grief onto the boy even if he knew it was wrong, even if it went against his moral code. or perhaps (see panel) he was even pulling a leslie and hoped the beatdown would also decommission tim and get him out of the vigilante lifestyle? EDITED TO ADD: im feeling more of the first explanation tbh. i talked about it with a friend and its really so easy to forget how young jason is. i think he was genuinely just very upset and deliberately took it out on tim despite knowing it wasn't exactly tim's fault. hey maybe some selfish part of him wanted bruce to never move on. maybe some part of him recognizes tim as a driving factor for it and resents tim ror that. girl idk. i don't even want to say that this comic is ooc or not because revived jason media is all so wildly varying in characterization so once again this is a reminder that i am simply Working Within The Confines Of The Text

of course, it could always be mischaracterization/shaky writing of character motivation. but i think there's merit in looking at complicated comics and examining the messy dynamics, especially since this issue has been more or less accepted as unmissable canon.

speaking of complicated comics, i actually also have thoughts on dick and jason's dynamic based on how they were written in nightwing: brothers in blood. remind me to crosspost from my private twt acc!

one last thing: i actually love that jason is aware of bruce's "spiral into darkness" and STILL continues to enact his plan. it's the whole false equivalence of "bruce kills the joker == bruce loves me", "bruce doesn't kill the joker == bruce doesn't love me", or at least not enough. he's refusing to accept bruce's grief as penance. jason has already named his price, and he will not recant it. he will accept nothing less than the death of the joker 😋😋😋

[scoundrels-in-love]

This could be the one (Could this be the one?) Our new year

When Meryl storms to scold her grumpy old neighbor for misfire of fireworks, who she meets instead might just change the trajectory of her new year. | VashMeryl | First meeting | Fluff | Also on Ao3 | | Commission me! |

Meryl’s evening goes from bad to worse with a sudden burst of noise and color in her neighbor’s garden.

She’s been fighting a headache the entire day while three articles demand her full focus, tomorrow’s work party looms over her like an axe and her general dim mood around holidays gnaws away at a hole in her chest. 

“For fuck’s sake,” she exclaims to no one in particular and pushes her chair away from the table angrily, sparks still firing off beyond the window. Her boots and winter coat are put on with equal annoyance and Meryl practically stomps over to the gate of the property next to her.

She’s never gotten along well with the old man next door, not since he decided he had any say in how she kept her garden and generally poking his nose in her business. Nothing she did was half as disruptive as this, Meryl groused as she rang the bell with more force than needed.

But instead of the expected grump, a young man with messy mop of blond hair near tumbles out of the house and down the driveaway. He is bundled up in a bright red coat and when he skid-halts at the gate, huffing and puffing, she has to tilt her back to have a proper look at his face, that’s how tall he is. But it’s a pretty face, Meryl has to admit, even through her annoyance. Angular, brightened by his awkward smile and expressive blue-green eyes. He looks nothing like her neighbor and she hadn’t known he had any family in the first place.

Still. She’s here for a reason. With her hands on her hips, Meryl juts her chin out: “Excuse me, could you please tell Mr. Geoff to wait until New Year’s for his obnoxious fireworks? Some of us would like some peace and quiet when the calendar doesn’t dictate otherwise.” 

The man flushes and shrinks a little on himself, a hand scratching at the back of his neck. “Oh no, that was me. Mr. Geoff doesn’t live here anymore, I moved in last week.”

Oh.

Shit.

Well, actually.

It’s not like she’s in the wrong, even if this is one hell of a first impression to make.

“My statement still stands,” she doubles down in the typical Stryfe fashion, as Roberto calls it. 

Her new neighbor shrinks beneath her stare and his whole face falls. It’s almost the theatrical perfection of misery.  “I am very sorry about that, miss. But I can explain, I swear. There’s this kitten that lives in my backyard, I keep trying to capture it to bring inside, but she always eludes me. And while my friend was helping me set up the fireworks ahead of time, we noticed her again and in the rush to get a hold of her, he dropped his cigarette and accidentally ignited the chain we’d just set up. It wasn’t on purpose at all!”

He speaks so fast she barely catches everything, gesturing to accompany his story, and now he’s giving her unreasonably effective puppy eyes. The combination of it all is somewhere in the miracle zone between annoying and oddly charming (closer to the latter) and Meryl feels her disposition shifting accordingly.

“Well, if that’s the case, you’ve definitely scared her off with fireworks for the night if not more,” she states and watches the man’s shoulders slump. “However, if she does come back, you’d have more chances in the future with a trap, rather than chasing her around the yard. If you want, I could help you set one up.”

Bright blue eyes widen almost comically as he gasps, clasping hands together, which is when she notices his left is curiously clad in black leather glove while the other is bare: “Really? You could?”

“Yes, I’ve written an article on it, so people would know how to set up traps for local TNRs,” she nods, confidently.

In return, she gets an almost blindingly bright smile from the blond. “That’s wonderful, miss! You're a reporter? Amazing! Would you like to come in? Oh, I forgot to introduce myself - my name’s Vash Saverem.” He fires it all off all the while opening the gate and gesturing an invite and extending hand for a shake, all of which Meryl accepts. 

“Meryl Stryfe,” she says as he leads her further inside and realizes that despite everything, her headache has eased as if Vash has miraculously melted it with his overeager energy.

Maybe there is something to look forward to in the next year, after all.

[incorrect-green-lantern-quotes]

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts/hcs about the Indigo Tribe if you have any! They’re sorely underdeveloped imo :(

The Indigo Tribe is absolutely fascinating to me, because of the weird moral quandary that it presents, and what its very existence says about its creator, Abin Sur.

Like, I joke about the Indigo Tribe being "the most unethical criminal rehabilitation program in the universe" but if we take Natromo at his word, it's not even that. Supposedly, Abin made the Indigo Tribe as a personal army to take on the Guardians of the Universe, with no real intention of redeeming the villains he was effectively enslaving.

Green Lantern (2011) issue #9

It's a rather dark statement about Abin and the lengths he was willing to go to reach his goals, but also somewhat contradicted by the rest of the narration. Because according to Natromo, the Indigo Tribe was also a test run for the Guardians themselves, and Abin's plan was to try and change them. Which frankly seems like more trouble than just getting rid of them entirely, as Atrocitus or Sinestro would happily espouse.

Mind you, all of this is from the mouth of Natromo. And while we have no reason to doubt his honesty, we also don't know how well he really knew Abin. What we do know however, is that Geoff Johns writes Abin as being generally heroic. Not always in his actions (see how he treats Atrocitus and the other Ysmault demons) but certainly in his motivations (Abin crashes his ship deliberately so it won't land in Coast City and kill a bunch of people).

So it's possible that Abin was only thinking of the bigger picture and focused on using the Indigo Light to fix the Guardians after they go off the rails. But it's also possible that he intended to try and rehabilitate some of the universe's worst villains as well. After all, not everyone who gets an Indigo ring is completely brainwashed:

Ray Palmer and John Stewart are virtually unaltered from their normal personalities while Indigo Lanterns, and it's noted that both of them are already compassionate individuals. Even those who are more deeply under the ring's control do retain some aspects of their previous selves, as Fatality observes regarding Pink Thanos Munk in Green Lanterns: New Guardians (2011) issue #5.

And of course, the rings do cause permanent change to their wearers after being worn for longer periods, as proven by Indigo-1/Iroque being able to provide the spark of compassion needed to rebuild the Central Power Battery.

Granted, there's not any solid evidence to suggest Abin knew any of this. It is possible that he did, since we don't get to see how much he really studied/experimented with the Indigo rings. Personally, I believe that Natromo understood how the Indigo light functioned on a mechanical level enough to be the architect of the Tribe's rings and lanterns, but Abin was the one who fully understood the power of compassion and how it affects living beings.

Even if we accept that Abin meant well though, the actual reality of his actions is still very much an moral dilemma. After all, none of the Indigo Tribe's permanent members are there by choice. Every one of them was forcibly conscripted, initially by Abin but later on by the Indigos themselves.

Yet it's also worth noting that the Indigo Tribe is made up of sadistic psychopaths. When their battery goes offline, they all immediately revert to murder mode and try to kill Hal and Sinestro. Natromo straight up calls Iroque "the child-killer." It isn't as though these are random innocents who were kidnapped, every last one of the Indigo Tribe are violent and dangerous to society. Most legal systems would toss them into an Arkham cell next to the Joker and throw away the key, if not outright execute them.

Now, one could argue that being conscripted into the Indigo Tribe is tantamount to a death sentence. The original personality is effectively erased and overwritten by a new self. Granted, they do retain their memories, but who they are is fundamentally changed. But this way lies philosophical paradoxes that I am not prepared to ponder, so let's get back on track.

From a purely utilitarian perspective, the existence of the Indigo Tribe is a net positive. Take the most evil and unrepentant murderers in the universe and pump them full of compassion until they become a force for good. If you believe the ends justify the means, this is a solid alternative to lifetime imprisonment or capital punishment.

But if you believe that people should not be mistreated simply for being found guilty of a crime, then the fate of the Indigos is not quite as easy to accept. Kidnapping, exile, brainwashing- these are things we would consider to be violations of a person's rights, yet they are the modus operandi of the Indigo Tribe.

We joke here on Tumblr about our favorite character being dragged kicking and screaming through a redemption arc but this is what it actually looks like when taken literally. With a side of "I have no mouth yet I must scream" to boot.

[tomorrowusa]

Republicans for Kamala is taking off and includes some high profile former office holders and staffers. This is more than just the usual handful of mid level and obscure officials.

At least three former governors including Jim Edgar of Illinois (1991-1999) have publicly announced their support for the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Nine days into her 2024 candidacy, Vice President Kamala Harris picked a couple of notable Republican endorsements: Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan threw his support behind the Democrat fairly quickly, and John Giles, the mayor of Mesa, Arizona’s third-largest city, endorsed her soon after. Given the state of the cotemporary GOP, it’s not easy for any Democratic candidate to pick up cross-party backing, so this represented a decent start. But hanging overhead was an obvious question: Would other Republicans soon follow? The question received a rather emphatic answer over the weekend. NBC News reported: >> The Harris campaign on Sunday unveiled more than two dozen endorsements from Republicans, including former governors, members of Congress and Trump administration officials. Many of the endorsements came from politicians who were already openly critical of former President Donald Trump, including former Republican Gov. Bill Weld of Massachusetts; former Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va.; and former Trump administration press secretary Stephanie Grisham.<< Those names are, of course, just a sampling. According to a press statement from the incumbent vice president’s campaign, Republicans for Harris includes endorsements from former Trump White House officials Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye; former Secretaries Chuck Hagel and Ray LaHood; former Governors Jim Edgar, Bill Weld, and Christine Todd Whitman; former U.S. House members Rod Chandler, Tom Coleman, Dave Emery, Wayne Gilchrest, Jim Greenwood, Adam Kinzinger, John LeBoutillier, Susan Molinari, Jack Quinn, Denver Riggleman, Claudine Schneider, Christopher Shays, Peter Smith, Alan Steelman, David Trott, and Joe Walsh; and former GOP State Chair and State Senator Chris Vance, among others. “As a proud conservative, I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for President,” Kinzinger said in a written statement. “But, I know Vice President Harris will defend our democracy and ensure Donald Trump never returns to the White House. Donald Trump poses a direct threat to fundamental American values. He only cares about himself, and his pursuit of power. “That’s what we saw on January 6 when he sent a mob to overturn our lawful election, who violently attacked law enforcement and ransacked our nation’s Capitol in the process,” the former member of the Jan. 6 committee added. “There’s too much at stake to sit on the sidelines, which is why I wholeheartedly endorse Kamala Harris for president. Now is the time for us all to unite to save our democracy and defeat Donald Trump one last time.”

[thevindicativevordan]

it’s a shame that after Tom King’s Strange Adventures clearly positioned Mr Terrific as the clear avenue character for DC to do modern sci-fi adventure stories, they still never choose to do anything fun or worthwhile with the guy outside of the short lived Terrifics and lame ass JSA stuff. he’s SEVERELY underutilized and i’d love for Waid to have him be a big part of the new JL run. personal thoughts on the guy?

I love Holt because he’s such an American character.

We Americans love our trash talkers. Oh we publicly make a big deal about the need to stay humble and respectful, but don’t believe that for a second. Look at our heroes and icons! Only thing Americans really respect are winners, and we love winners who can walk their talk. Michael Holt comes from the proud tradition of American heroes who can do just that. He’s incredibly smart and he knows it. He’s fantastically competent and he shows it. He’s Mr. Terrific! - able to cut through the bullshit with his mind or his fists as need be. And he doesn’t take crap from anyone.

Like Hal Jordan or Barry Allen before him, Holt might not be the first character to hold the mantle, but he’s the one who made folks respect the name. No offense to the Terry Sloane fans out there (if you exist), but there’s a reason Holt is the only Mr. Terrific who ever gets used. He’s simply cooler than his predecessor in every way. His backstory, his design, his attitude, his powers, despite sharing the name I even hesitate to call Holt a “legacy character”. He’s more in the vein of a Hal Jordan, taking the title but reinventing the concept, than a Barry Allen or Wally West who is steadfastly trying to live up to a pre-existing ideal. How many people even know that Holt wasn’t the first Mr. Terrific? Who would care if they did know?

Holt is living in the timeline that John Stewart fans wish they had gotten after the DCAU. Far as the general public is concerned, there’s only one Mr. Terrific. Which I would be happy to see DC continue to act as if that were the case, I know this rubs against how most people view legacy as central to DC, but I don’t believe that any story about Holt “struggling” to live up to his predecessor’s example will ring true. Besides, it’s unnecessary.

Mr. Terrific already has plenty of baggage on his own to deal with. His unresolved trauma over the deaths of his wife and their baby, his mentally disabled older brother dying young also, his need to excel at anything he sets his mind to, his atheism in a universe where the gods are not only real but actively involved, the all but stated fact that he might be smarter than Bruce and Lex, but put himself in third place to not attract attention, and leading his own team the Terrifics. Returning to OP’s statement, I too bemoan Holt being trapped on the Boomer Squadron. Yes it’s expected given Geoff Johns created him to be part of the team in the first place, but like Wally on the Titans, Holt has outgrown his original team.

Making him the leader of his own team simply makes sense. Unlike most of his peers you can justify all sorts of adventures for Holt on the basis of SCIENCE! or simple adventure-seeking. The JL are not wont to taking field trips but the Terrifics have no problem doing that. Holt became an Olympian athlete simply to prove he could. He’s exactly the type of character who can easily justify a trip to space or through time simply because he felt like doing that. DC made it explicit but Holt always has been the natural counterpart to Marvel’s Reed Richards.

DC struggles to create teams that don’t languish in the shadow of the League. No matter the protestations to the contrary the Titans and the JSA absolutely are stuck in said shadow. Mr. Terrific and his Terrifics however don’t have to be. Market them as explorers and adventurers rather than crime fighters and they would have a niche that isn’t covered by anyone else at DC, with a mandate to go anywhere and do anything.

[thirteens-earring]

[ No, I have no regrets. I will die from this disease that I may have caught in a place like The Slot. It will consume me. Unfortunate, maybe. But I have no regrets. I loved my world.

Why is it I always cry when I hear Piaf sing “C’est a Hambourg?” How many docks have I waited on only to discover the joys and brotherhood of the world’s special men. “Les bras s’ouvrent à l’infini.” Yes, I embraced infinity many times. It was indescribable. One can never turn back.

Somewhere in the corner of the room a claw moves, a pen scratches. Self-delusion, decides the scribe. To the point of death. Characteristic of psychoses is a blind adherence to a course of life that flirts with danger and even death.

The scribe can write what he wants. I have written my sentences in words in which I believe. Willful pride? The sexual delusions of a whore? The insatiability of a pig-hole? What is there to believe in these days except the sound of the rain? I tell you, I wouldn’t mind if you did this to yourself, or if you let me into the sleaze of your manhole. Or if you did it to me again. I knew what I was doing, what I did. I understood there were dangers, even death, in the fire. I faced those dangers in statements of love and intensity and I stand by them. In the long run, I feel better for it. Me, the rebel. Listening to the sound of the rain. ]

Geoff Mains, “The View From a Sling,” from Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice, ed. Mark Thompson, 1991

[waterparksdrama]

Less of a question but more of a ‘wondering who is in the same boat’ statement. Is anyone else incredibly stressed about all of this? Obviously, the victims are what is important here and Geoff being aware of cheating is not comparable to the actual abuse from Jawn. But at the same time, as someone who loves this band to my core, I can’t help but feel stress in the waiting period between this coming out and something being said. It’s not what’s most important but it will be something that will impact this situation and I know so many of us have been through other bands falling apart and it’s devastating. While i’m hopeful that this situation will be handled well from Awsten/the band itself, I can’t help but stress myself out either. It doesn’t help that people on twitter are making this out to be way more dramatic than it needs to be which is fueling the fire but in the least beneficial way. I’m sure i’m not the only one feeling like this but it is not a fun feeling. I’m hoping this is handled correctly and effectively so we can all feel some relief and truly focus on the victim.

honestly the best thing you can do is try to calm yourself by doing something else. you're not gonna see things clearly if you're paranoid on high alert and also so many people have misread and misinterpreted the post being spread around socials rn probably as a result of the former. i know we shit on them a lot (and i mean a fucking lot) but that's bc we know they have the capacity to do the right thing to atone for what's been done - iz

[keyofnow]

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The fifth instalment of The Beatles mythology — and the first to be delivered in a self-contained album form — is their groundbreaking eighth Parlophone LP.

Painting testimonial pictures...

Released on 1 June (UK) and 2 June (US) 1967, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band heralded a bold new phase in The Beatles' saga.

Besides redefining who The Beatles are as musicians (and moreover as artists), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band stretches the conceptual bounds of what a record album is and how the audience is meant to relate to it. The medium is now the message: The Beatles are no longer touring as The Beatles, they're donning an alter-ego constructed as an imaginary band playing an imaginary concert, and sending this album out on tour on their behalf — with the album intended to be listened to in its entirety just like a live performance.

What's it all about?!

Even before the first note, the message of the cover art is unmistakable: the Beatles of olde are represented as wax dummies with matching haircuts and identical suits, while the four real-life Beatles are dressed in fluorescent satin uniforms of distinguishing colours with hair in different styles (and moustaches even!), and the “death” of The Beatles is “memorialised” with a “funerary floral display” laid out at the lads’ feet. (They even take a shot at the “Beatles vs. Stones” sub-myth with a visual shout-out to their supposed competitors as “good guys”.)

Meanwhile the music itself is something else entirely, like 4% Beatles and 96% from another (uncharted) dimension. No one had ever made sounds like this, neither then nor at any preceding time in recorded history. The layers, the textures, the counterpoints and interweaving voices — it's at once part Rock and part Romantic. Only the writing and production credits indicate that this is, indeed, still predominantly the handiwork of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting team and their steadfast producer George Martin (with a first-time shout-out to engineering wizard Geoff Emerick).

Even the back cover suggests that not only is the music important, but also so are the words. This was the first time that pop lyrics had been regarded as worthy of printing in their entirety on the record sleeve, and it would not be the last.

The deeper you go...

Prior to this point, all Beatles mythology had been received from various scraps of music journalism alongside copious radio and TV appearances, and periodically compiled (and codified) by visual and literary works. All their recordings to date could be interpreted either as standalone pieces; as reflected in the light of their public image at any given moment; or as a natural progression of the group.

Sgt. Pepper is essentially the four guys (John, Paul, George and Ringo) playing make-believe, as an escape from the prison of their celebrated personae as “Beatles” — aided and abetted at every step by their Classically-trained (and technically-minded) producer George Martin.

Furthermore, “Within You Without You” — George's deepest foray yet into the realm of Indian sounds — is given the middle slot as symbolic centrepiece to the “concert”, presenting their prevailing philosophy that “Love is all and Love is everyone” (part of the closing statement on their preceding album Revolver) with even greater urgency: “With our Love, we could change the world. If they only knew!”

And in the end...

On one level the album was intended to demolish the Beatle myth, so that they could get on living normal lives. It utterly failed in that respect, as it was so well received that it only furthered to deepen the aura of their myth. They had in fact reinvented themselves, as intended; but as an unintended consequence, they were now more famous than ever.

One another level, it was an excuse for them to reach out musically. In that regard it was hugely successful, as the album was produced not only with advanced playing and arrangement, but also with a high-fidelity listening experience in mind. Beyond the distinctively dynamic midrange (the portion audible on any functioning sound systems) lives a sparkling top-end never before achieved on record, as well as an equally unprecedented low-end.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band — including their post-Pepper live international satellite broadcast of their recording session for “All You Need Is Love” — would serve as the soundtrack to the Summer Of Love and beyond, and open the door to a brave new world of musical and artistic exploration and expression, not only for The Beatles but also for artists of every stripe...

🍏

[blazehedgehog]

Thoughts on this years Game Awards ceremony?

I want to like Geoff Keighley. Every year he gets on camera and the dude is practically radiant. He's beaming. He's living his best life and loves getting to be the host of that show. And I truly believe that. I don't think it's some gameshow host act, where the moment he steps off stage his expression goes dark. I think that dude is doing his dream job and his life cannot get better.

But there are so many problems with The Game Awards. Rushing through winners lists just so they can get to showing more trailers, visibly flashing "WRAP IT UP" warning signs to people who are tearfully eulogizing dead colleagues, while also giving extended time slots to Hollywood celebrities and people that are friends of Geoff just to say effectively nothing. Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele spent eight full minutes on something that was effectively just a logo.

And, like did y'all catch that bit with Anthony Mackie? On stream we heard nothing but solid, constant applause as he walked out. But when he got to his mark I'm pretty sure he called out how the the real people in the theater all stopped clapping for him almost immediately save for one specific section of seats on stage right. Meaning all the cheering and clapping and people going "Ohhhhh!!" at exciting things happening on screen is fake. Nobody in the audience is actually doing that. It's the awards show equivalent of a live laugh track. Think of all the times they cut to a shot of the crowd and everybody appears to be sitting in silence.

Which is to say nothing of literally everything else happening around The Game Awards. They have something called "The Future Class" every year, a diverse selection of (international?) up and coming game developers, and a non-trivial percentage of the Future Class this year asked for The Game Awards to make a statement about ending the crisis in Gaza. They were ignored. Geoff couldn't even spare table scraps.

Increasingly longer and longer shadows are being cast on The Game Awards. It's starting to go beyond just being "a bad awards show." It's starting to feel like four hours of advertisements with the thinnest pretenses of "honoring our industry."

Keighley may be living his best life but it sure seems to be focused on making him not only look good, but making him a lot of money in the process. All while dodging responsibility for anything beyond those two goals. For something that probably puts literal millions of dollars into his pocket, he sure doesn't want to take it very seriously.

Bad taste.

[zot3-flopped]

Bizarre that Geoff Payne thought a multimillionaire businessman would roll over and accept being labelled as Liam Payne's 'nurse' and as such, responsible for his safety and deserving of 15 years in jail.

Roger went ahead and hired the best lawyer in Argentina and Geoff's lies fell apart. Geoff does need to apologise or Roger will go ahead and sue him for defamation.

The Payne family also needs to issue a statement imploring the JusticeforLiam trolls to stop yelling that Liam was murdered, or is even still alive. Soon it will be too late and Liam's legacy will be an insane conspiracy theory.