#justice for show pony not getting a music video

[orville-peck]

@tolerateit EDITING PROMPT OF THE MONTH: Fashion

Orville Peck custom shirts for each album era (x x x x)

[chaos-in-bright-pink-hair-dye]

hey i'm new to the fandom uhh. what's the general kinda. commonly-known lore. like i know the bare minimum and i would like to know more if that's alright :D thanks!!

Hi and welcome! I hope you're having fun so far :D

But commonly known lore, that's a tough one because honestly there's very little official lore, ofc the music videos are great base followed by the comic(definitely go read it, many of us still ignore the lore from it but it's great starting point) but from there most of us just run completely of the rails.

I have compiled some basics like important characters, main ideas and believes, some resources etc. but probably the best way to learn more is to discover. Look through different blogs, enjoy fanart, read fics, talk to people, this fandom has wide range and no two people have the same version of the world and that's the most beautiful part. And ofc you are always welcome here if you have questions or just to chat! Maybe don't even read all these boring paragraphs and go explore instead if you want. And here's a link to a masterpost by vinyls-and-valentines with even more links. Oh and definitely read the comic before this post if you haven't yet, there are some spoilers here and it will be more enjoyable that way.

There are archives of the twitter accounts which many use as a reference but the posts themselves are kinda incomprehensive and the only important part are some characters that are not included in any other media but I'll mention those later

Besides the main characters - The Fabulous Killjoys often also called The Fabulous Four and the Girl who they hope will save them all we also have:

Dr Death Defying, a radio host and as many believe, adoptive father of every lost kid he finds

Agent Cherri Cola, killjoy as old as the fab four, he's both in the comic and on twitter but his personality completely changes between these two medias, it's wildly accepted he hosts Cherri Cola's poetry corner on the radio

Tommy Chow Mein, runs a shop in the zones - the shop where the Girl finds Party Poison's mask in the comic, he is the seller, wildly overpriced, also robs corpses for anything that's still usable, popular joke is that he and Dr Death used to be married

The Ultra Vs, the gang from the comic, not really that popular since the characters are very underdeveloped, but many people still write awesome fics with them and do them justice, highly recommend if you get tired of the usual fab four stuff at some point, also we hate Val Velocity

Red and Blue, the two droids from the comic, they are girlfriends obviously

Korse (the bald bad guy, a Scarecrow=agent specially trained to hunt killjoys), Exterminators (soldiers with white sacks over their heads) and Draculoids (guys with ugly latex masks, usually believed to be dead people/killjoys that got turned by the mask) if you need bad guys for your fan work these are your people, no danger days fanart can exist without them

Show Pony, the killjoy on roller-skates from na na na music video, believed to be non-binary by many

NewsaGoGO, a character from twitter, also a radio host

DJ Hot Chimp, a character from twitter and a radio host as well

When someone mentions the Radio crew or something in that sense they usually mean Dr Death, Cherri Cola, Show Pony, Newsie, Hot Chimp

Also as you can notice pretty much no one uses the full names they are too long but you'll get used to it in no time

Mad Gear, probably the most popular singer in the zones, has a band called Mad Gear and the Missile Kid, sometimes Missile Kid is an actual member other times it's more of an imaginary concept, here's an EP MCR released

Oh yeah also the desert is often referred to as the zones, here's a map as well. The zones surround Battery City which is run by Better Living Industries, shortly BL/Ind, how the whole situation came to be is explained shortly here. Killjoys are people who escaped the city because of the way it's run (different versions but usually brain washing, propaganda, pills etc.) and obviously BL/Ind is not very happy about that so they send scarecrows, exterminators and draculoids to catch/kill the runaways. Also the city turns souls of dead people into electricity.

Big part of killjoy lore are also their masks and bad luck beads, masks tie their owner's soul to them and so when the owner dies (gets ghosted, dusted etc in killjoy slang) the mask is put into a special mailbox where a deity called Phoenix Witch saves them from being turned into electricity in the city. In many cases she can also return people back to life if she wants to. (also Witchfucker Wednesday is a thing I think you can guess what that's about) Bad luck beads are beads killjoys wear around their wrists and they are supposed to keep them lucky

Forementioned Phoenix Witch and Destroya are deities, both are quite well explained in the comic.

Also people often mention Graffiti bible in their works, that's a book similar to bible created by droids, but when I say book it's more of an idea usually it doesn't have an actual physical form of a book rather some scattered pages at best.

And if you see someone talking about Party Poison's piss kink that relates to hanky code and Party's yellow bandana they wore around their leg

That reminds me of another thing, go wild with pronouns and gender when forming your versions of the characters, some people use he for one character, other use she or neo pronouns for the same character and it's all fine and gender is fake there's only sand but also everything is very gender and everyone is very queer, it's a lot of fun

Some more interesting stuff to look into:

Little list I made with common headcanons (since venom brothers isn't explained people often use it to refer to Party and Kobra)

Dr Death listening Party

Sing outtake version (the story goes slightly different here)

Mousekat episode (Mousekat is presumably a show for kids made by BL/Ind as a form of propaganda. It's also Party Poison's furry head)

playlist of few other interesting videos

[titusmoody]

2021 Q2 stuff

Games

Return of the Obra Dinn -- Very different. A great experience to play, it doesn’t use any typical “gamer” skills or knowledge. It also hit on a lot of my personally prefered sensibilities (stories self-contained to ships, non-linear storytelling, mysteries, and meticulous attention to detail)

Kentucky Route Zero -- Even more different. I’m glad I played it for the atmosphere, though it didn’t click with me the way Obra Dinn did. Extremely atmospheric and cool, but also has a strong academic curiosity to it.

DOOM (2016)-- Okay, we’re back to regular video games. Everything about this one seems very carefully crafted. I had a good, mindless time with this one.

Spider-Man -- Not as well-crafted as DOOM, but also less juvenile. I also had a good, mindless time with this one.

Metroid: Samus Returns -- Feels like Metroid. The moment-to-moment combat is different than Super Metriod and Fusion, which is a nice way to keep things from getting stale.

TV

Shadow and Bone -- Sometimes tropes exist because they make for good stories. This show was a good example of that.

Pani Poni Dash -- WTF Japan, in a good way

Princess Tutu -- Much like I felt about Cowboy Bebop, this show was very well-made and I had an easy time appreciating what it was doing, though in the end it’s not the kind of thing that’s really for me

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid -- Pleasant to watch, mostly lighthearted but could definitely have emotional moments here and there to keep you interested.

Kakegurui -- Shows like this are the reason anime fans are so self-depricating. It was thoroughly trashy, but I’d be lying if I said that the trashiness didn’t lead to a lot of fun.

Love, Chunibyo, and other Delusions -- An excellent comfort-watch. About a high-schooler trying to run away from his cringe-y middle school phase. I definitely have criticisms of it, but I’m also definitely going to watch it again.

Devilman Crybaby -- I swear, Masaaki Uasa takes the most overdone premises and portrays them in such bonkers ways that they become pretty cool. This isn’t one of the best examples of that, but it still works.

Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket -- Part of Gundam’s brand is that it shows the effect of wars on individuals. This is a great small-scale example of that. 

She-Ra -- It’s good. The plot kinda meanders and the backstory lore is presented confusingly/unclearly at times. But the central characters are good enough to carry at least a few seasons, and the secondary characters really elevate the whole thing. I was personally very fond of Scorpia as well as the way the writers used Entrapta both in the plot and as a character foil.

Chernobyl -- Second time watching this, it’s definitely a favorite. 

Movies

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again -- You already know what this is like and whether or not you enjoy the sort of thing it is. 

Moulin Rouge -- It’s hard to watch Mamma Mia without thinking of this one, so I watched it soon after.

Minari -- My personal reward for being fully vaccinated was to go to the movies by myself. This was a good movie, though overshadowed by the circumstances in which I saw it. I would’ve been very happy to be seeing anything.

My Fair Lady -- An iconic pop-culture touchstone. Not my favorite musical, for sure.

Interstellar -- This movie is in the odd position of currently being my favorite Christopher Nolan movie despite the fact that I don’t like it nearly as much as I liked either The Dark Knight or Memento when I saw those for the first time.

The Perfect Storm -- George Clooney, big wave.

Legally Blonde -- I didn’t hear the term “sitcom” until oddly late in life, and when I heard it, I assumed it meant movies like this where there aren’t a ton of jokes, but the characters are constantly in inherently funny situations. I don’t like this type of humor that much.

Jurassic Park -- A big “moral” of the movie was “don’t trust computers to do anything important” but today it’s hard not to get the message as “never underpay your system administrator” instead.

Apollo 13 -- Pretty good

ET -- I really didn’t like this movie and I don’t quite know what it doesn’t do that Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones do. Imminent danger seem to be part of it, but I don’t think that’s the whole picture.

The Day After Tomorrow -- *shrug* I had fun watching it

Pearl Harbor -- expected it to be bad, it was bad. It was definitely bad in interesting ways, and was almost good a lot of the time.

Die Hard -- I was looking for suspenseful movies with clear character motivation and this fit the description. It was good, though I didn’t like it quite as much as I hoped to.

Star Trek V -- Star Trek is often silly and I just can’t get on board with some of the silliness, like the last part of this movie.

Terminator 2 -- Yeah, I do like suspense. I don’t think I’ll look back on this as a favorite, but I was pretty into it. Moreso than Die Hard.

Cast Away -- Pretty good

Predator -- Somewhere between Die Hard and Terminator 2. I was a bit bored by the end, which ironically was the part that most closely resembled what I was looking for.

Braveheart -- I think romanticising medieval Europe is fun and cool. Unfortunately this movie has some creepy sexual hang-ups as well as rampant “no step on snek” energy that ruin the whole thing.

Redline -- Just a cool looking movie

State of Play -- I forgot the whole plot of this already, but I enjoyed it

Troy -- It’s not as bad as its reputation suggests, though the end does get really over-the-top cheesy

Demon Slayer -- I liked going to the movies by myself so much the first time that I did it again. This time it was in a much more full theater and I was one of very few people over 17. Fun action anime movie, though.

Gladiator -- I’m so disappointed that I didn’t connect to this movie, since over and over I felt like I was very close to loving it. I think the revenge motivation was what ultimately prevented me from really getting into it.

K-19: The Widowmaker -- Hell yeah, extremely tense submarine scenes, that’s exactly what I wanted.

The Manchurian Candidate (2004) -- The movie felt like it wanted its premise to feel plausible, but it really didn’t. Still pretty good, though

The Big Lebowski -- Still not a big fan of this one. 

The Naked Gun -- This confirms that my sense of humor has not gotten more refined since age 17 or so. I still thought this was pretty funny.

Dances With Wolves -- Mostly just boring. 

Angels and Demons -- Even at age 15 the book’s riddles and clues premise felt a bit too contrived. The movie has the additional disadvantage that verbal explanations are the most boring way to resolve questions, unlike books where words are all you have.

Chinatown -- Meh, a fine detective story but nothing really clicked with me. The director’s life is wild, though. He escaped the holocaust, had his pregnant wife murdered by the Manson family, and is currently a fugitive from justice for raping a 13 year old.

The Core -- Like The Perfect Storm, appealing in the “so bad it’s good” way.

Porco Rosso -- Think the type of character study of Kiki’s Delivery Service, but about a middle-aged man, so it doesn’t resonate with Miyazaki’s audience enough for many people to talk about it.

Uncut Gems -- My second time watching it, it’s definitely a favorite. Between this and A Serious Man, I seem to love extremely stressful movies about mediocre jewish men.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) -- Interesting to compare/contrast with the other version. I like both

Galaxy Quest -- another movie that fits my personal definition of what “sitcom” should mean. Again, not my favorite type of humor

Fantastic Planet -- Looks like something between the animated sketches in Monty Python and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Very weird, it personally really worked for me.

Scarface -- I think romanticising organized crime is fun and cool. 

In the Heights -- colorful, catchy, happy and fun. 

Books

The House in the Cerulean Sea -- a good comfort-read. very simplistic and a little clunky and amateur-ish, but ultimately pretty cute.

There There -- not a comfort-read at all. A super raw look at the modern life of a variety of Native American situations. Very harsh but also interesting.

Six of Crows -- Fine YA fantasy fluff.

[jlf23tumble]

Top 10 Niche Interests

Fixations? Obsessions? This is incredibly hard because I have wayyyy too many niche interests, so instead of stressing about it, I tried to channel the 10 things that immediately speak to me and maybe aren't so obvious from what I post here, like how much I'm obsessed with wigs, doll furniture, incredibly specific blogs, all forms of clothing with pockets, swimming pools, whimsical bus stops, over-the-top bathrooms, etc. etc Instead, I opted for some specifics that feel a little more evergreen and long tailed, like, so LIFE-long tailed that it's tough to nail down when or how they became part of the national psyche. I thank @alienfuckeronmain​ for the initial tag, and I'm tagging her AGAIN for round two because I know she has a billion additional niche things, and she'll post them, and I'll scream because it'll trigger five other things I neglected to post here, and I'll probably post my own round two, arggggh, insert aggressive sighing. Anyway, I tag ANYONE who wants to do it, just tag me so I can see! 

1. Indoor Trees

I have no idea why this concept PULLS so hard because houseplants are kind of meh to me, but you want to plant an entire-ass TREE indoors, in the place where you live? Me, too, and I'd add a conversation pit plus a combo gold/red bathroom, among other things, and, bam, we're in my imaginary dream home, which I have literally, constantly ALWAYS mentally constructed from the time I was about six or so. (If you're curious, it has multiple themed rooms, and the closest I've seen to it recently is the outstanding Dita von Teese AD feature, but Amy Sedaris’s apartment comes close, too). There are two (2) 1960s houses in Long Beach with magnificent indoor trees, but I can't find them online, so have this modern interpretation and cry with me about how I can't visit the multi-story fake tree inside Clifton's Cafeteria for a good long while:

2. Conventions of Fans of Any Kind

One thing that I don't think I'll ever lose is how much I *love* people who are fans of SOMETHING, people who have a passion and create something about it or cosplay it or simply gather to celebrate it and connect to other people through it. The Internet provides in all kinds of ways, but I'm talking specifically about IRL conventions and the way my heart pitter pats when I first walk in those doors, SWOON! And it doesn’t matter how big the convention is or how random, I've been to smaller events like CatCon and the My Little Pony convention all the way up to biggies like WonderCon and Comic Con, and I have yet to be disappointed. I might know jack shit about what I'm walking into, but I want to see the merch, hear about the panels, and check out the people who are fucking PUMPED to be there. Sadly, I think it's gonna be a lonnnnng time until these come back, but I can live vicariously through my old photos, sigh:

3. Dutch Wax Fabrics and African Fashion

I'm not the snazziest of dressers, but textiles, colors, and patterns have been an obsession that has soothed my visual soul for as long as I can literally remember. Wax fabric marries all three of those touchpoints, plus throws in a healthy dose of style, and I count myself lucky to have seen two big exhibits on the subject (this was one of them), oh, how I wish there were more! For sure, there's a fucked up underlying colonial/imperialist history here, but there's also humor and color and vibrancy, a reclamation of sorts, and multiple levels of fashion that take my breath away. I cannot do the different patterns justice at all, but the fan motif is one of my faves:

4. Hearst Castle vs. Madonna inn

These two fall into my #home tag because they're where I'm from, and they speak to me as equally sublime and ridiculous, camp and kitsch writ large and small, different (yet similar!) versions of Xanadu that two rich white men built as shrines to their own personal "taste." And the irony is that a lot of people shit on Alex Madonna for being tacky (the Madonna Inn is...uh, something else), yet praise WR Hearst for all the high-class art and architecture, most of which is fully lifted from desperate churches between and after world and yet they're both more or less the same concept (lodging for weary travelers, self-aggrandizement, questionable taste-mixing). Hearst Castle edges out slightly for me because it's bigger and has spectacular scenery and history, plus it gives me doses of LA noir thanks to the way Hearst killed a guy in a jealous Charlie Chaplin-related rage and Hedda Hopper covered it up, all kinds of old Hollywood shenanigans happened up there, etc. But I'm low-key an expert on both houses of the holy, I'm OBSESSED with both, and we can leave it at that. I mean, come on:

5. Snow Globes

I had to cull my personal collection slightly just to fit it all on the dedicated shelf in my bathroom, and I seriously need to refill all the water lines, but nothing beats a snow globe in terms of memorable souvenir, especially when you put it in a bathroom. The majesty!!! The jewel of my collection is the one from Sherwood Forest because WHY NOT celebrate a historic place and moment in the basic way?? He robbed from the rich to give to the poor, and the gift shop about 100 feet from the tree he hid in does the same! The circle of life! The irony of all the watermarks on this blessed image...protect:

6. Highly Specific Museums

Look, we can all agree that the more venerated museums in the world are a form of garbage in terms of what they represent, what they've done, and who runs them, but I'm here for the museums that collect and celebrate things that tend to get overlooked. There are too many to list that I love that are still thriving, so I'm going to say goodbye to four recently departed faves. RIP to the Pez museum, I'm so glad I saw you and purchased your stale candy souvenirs. RIP to the museum of terrible food, you were a pop up when Phoenix and I saw you, and I will forever think about the worker describing people literally vomiting during their visits. RIP to the currywurst museum in Berlin, I've had currywurst exactly once and it was not for me, but I respect the Journey you took me on, including obscure east German TV shows that helped make you so popular (??). Finally, RIP to the velvet painting museum, there's no way to mince words, the person who owned you was crazy AS FUCK and had zero clue how to run a business, but I'm so glad I saw you multiple times and purchased my own velvet treasure (not this exact one, but remarkably similar):

7. Liminal Spaces: Grocery Store Edition

Confession time for those who don't know me all that well, I'm a big time voyeur, and nothing fills my heart with joy like a walk at 7 or 8 pm, the witching hour when people haven't pulled the curtains, and I can scope out their decorations/furnishings without it being "weird." Another confession is how much I unabashedly adore grocery stores in other countries and will spend at least an hour wandering aisle by aisle, falling in love with how much everything is different yet completely the same:

8. Agatha Christie Novels:

As a child, I was a fairly compliant reader--I had to read something for school? Okay! For my mom? Sounds good! But the books that sparked the initial fire for me to read something purely for myself were second-hand (probably fourth- or fifth-hand, judging by cover art) Agatha Christie short story anthologies, which were the gateway drug to full Agatha Christie novels, then other mystery novels, and so on. But getting back to Agatha, I obviously loved all the stories, but every decade spawned incredibly good cover art (like, exceptionally good), and this particular artist's are right up near the top for me (I go back and forth on a lot of the '50s and '60s ones):

9. Scopitones

I link my obsession with scopitones both to my love of music videos in general and a shop in Austin, TX, that sold DVD compilations of them in particular, but either way, they're underappreciated and kitschy all in one! Francoise Hardy and the rest of the ye-ye's are my forever girls for this medium, but seemingly every country cranked them out, both actual set videos and "live" performances? If you don't know what they are, scopitones were machines that played music videos in French cafes in the '60s (??), so it was sort of your proto-MTV way to see your faves sing and dance. Oh, Francoise...so moderne!!

10. Cover Songs

I have so much patience and love for cover songs of any stripe, the more genre-bending and/or surprising, the better! My only minor beef is the trend in slooooooooowing down songs to make a point, but even those ones have a special place in my heart if they're effective. Live Lounge feeds my hunger the best, but my meta fave for representing this concept is Pulp's Bad Cover Version, which was already lyrically INSPIRED, a song about bad cover versions in terms of relationships, but then they did a video that was a visual "bad" cover version, with actors lip synching over an audio "bad" cover version, and all of it just worked? The cover for the single is someone in the band as a boy, making his own bad cover version of a Bowie album cover, it's meta meta meta, and I love love love, here's the video, if you're curious. In the more sublime cover category, I'm absolutely addicted to all of Orville Peck's covers, I truly hope he officially releases them sometime soon, but I wholeheartedly support any artist who does it:

[janethepegasus]

So i saw Matpat’s latest video about shared universes (starting with Doom and somehow connecting it with Kingdom Hearts) and my crazy brain thought it would be a good idea to expand it even FURTHER all because he used Spider-Man to connect to Thanos in Fortnite (yes seriously)

So behold, all the shit i had to go through to make connections to everything i can find and think of

So since all Spider-Mans are in one multiverse, that means all versions of Spider-Man are canon, so let's look at two cases of alternate Spider-Mans. Theres the Japanese Spider-Man, which was created by Toei as a collab by Marvel, Toei also created Super Sentai, which has connections to Kamen Rider (Super Hero Taisen), Metal Hero (some crossover movies), and obviously Power Rangers. Power Rangers had a crossover with TMNT, which has connections to not only other versions of TMNT but also other series like Batman (basically the whole DC universe is involved), Archie, X-Files, Ghostbusters, Rabbids (they were an extra character in a fighting game, as like a promotion for the new game), and all the toons that showed up in Cartoon All-Stars, like the Smurfs, Alf, Garfield, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Winnie the Pooh (which is already tying back up to Kingdom Hearts), Muppet Babies, Looney Toons, and Ducktales.

Now Muppet Babies is part of the Muppet franchise, the Muppets are connected to Sesame Street, which opens up a can of worms for connections. Some characters cameoed in Between the Lions, Mr Rogers' Neighbor Hood, The Electric Company, Reading Rainbow, Poky Little Puppy, and a bunch of these characters appeared in a We are Family music video, which has *inhales* Bear in the Big Blue House, Barney, Arthur, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Rugrats, The Magic School Bus, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Blue's Room, Blue's Clues, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Kim Possible, The Proud Family, LazyTown, Lilo & Stitch: the Series, Madeline,Little Bill, The Fairly OddParents, Zoom, AND a whole bunch more shows.

Obviously Jimmy Neutron and Fairly Odd Parents had a crossover (three in fact), but those other shows had crossovers too, like Rugrats having a crossover with Wild Thornberrys, Lilo and Stitch had crossovers too, they had crossovers with The Proud Family, Kim Possible, Recess, and American Dragon Jake Long. Spongebob is connected to a lot of Nicktoons shows through the bumpers on the channel and had a major crossovers with Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Phantom, Jimmy Neutron, Tak, and Invader Zim in the Nicktoons Unite games.

Looney Toons is connected to all other Hanna Barbera property, which had crossovers as well (look at Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry, they're LOADED with crossovers with other series), as for the Looney Toons cast themselves, examples include Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, Pokemon (in a commercial in Kids WB), The Justice League, Wild Kratts (Kinda? The two characters, Road Runner and Wild E. Coyote, were pretty much referenced as a way to say that real life coyotes can catch up to road runners), and The Amazing World of Gumball. And Pokemon had a crossover game with Nobunaga's Ambition called Pokemon Conquest. AND Ducktales is connected to Darkwing Duck and the same goes with the reboot.

Okay now back to where we started, Power Rangers had a crossover episode with Masked Rider, which is an adaptation of Kamen Rider Black RX, Kamen Rider had a FEW crossovers with other series, like Crayon Shin-chan, Pac-Man, Osomatsu-San, Hello Kitty, Pretty Cure, and a few others. Pretty Cure only had crossovers with itself but there is one pic floating around the internet showing one of the Cures standing in front of Arresterdramon Superior Mode, so it might hint to a commercial happening during that time. Hello Kitty has a ton of crossovers with different series, such as Sonic, Cookie Run, Pac-Man, Puzzles and Dragons, Doraemon, Yokai Watch, and several others. In Osomatsu-San Hesokuri Wars, they have costumes/sets of the six brothers being yokai, magical girls, monsters, angels, knights, super heroes, greek

gods, and others. Yokai is also connected to Yokai Watch, which has it's own crossovers with other series, like Final Fantasy, Terminator, Inazuma Eleven (which had commercials that crossed over with Despicable Me), The Seven Deadly Sins, Detective Conan, Hello Kitty (which brings this back to Hello Kitty and its crossovers), Inuyasha, Professor Layton, and several others. Professor Layton had a crossover game with Ace Attorney, which has many references and a small amount of crossovers.

Now let's move on to another Spider-Man, the one from Ultimate Spider-Man, obviously he's connected to the other Marvel shows that take place in that universe, but Spider-Man had crossover episodes/specials with Phineas and Ferb and Jessie, Jessie having connections with other Disney Sit-com shows like Austin and Ally, Good Luck Charlie, Liv and Maddie, and a few others, HOWEVER Mr. Moseby from the Suite Life of Zach and Cody appeared in one episode, which means that Jessie is in the same universe as That's So Raven, Hannah Montanna, Cory in the House (yeah yeah yeah, i can hear the anime memes from a mile away -_-), and Wizards of the Waverly Place. Phineas and Ferb also had crossover specials/episodes with Star Wars and Milo Murphy's Law, Star Wars has many crossovers and references in other shows, like the Muppets, Seasame Street, Captain N, Mario (in that old Mario cartoon episode where they parodied it), Putt-Putt, Megaman, Duke Nukem, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Dragon Ball, Transformers, Metal Gear, Angry Birds, Lego, Club Penguin, and several others.

The Star Wars references were in Megaman V and Megaman Zero, sprites from Megaman Zero were used to create sprites of TV Tome Adventures, which then became TOME: Terrain of Magical Expertise and then it turned into the video game version of that show, the creator of the show, Kirbopher, did an animation related to Super Mario RPG, and had many voice roles like in Mob Psycho 100, Pokemon, and other series. Dragon Ball is the prequel of Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Z Super made it clear that there's other universes so all of those are connected as well, and Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z had crossovers with other shows like One Piece, Dr Slump, Astro Boy, Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo, and a few others. Metal Gear had crossovers and references in Terminator, Gundam, Castlevania, Mario, Zelda, Ape Escape, Yugioh (which connects itself to the other seasons like GX, 5D's, Zexal, Arc-V, and Vrains), Monster Rancher, Yoshi, The Standley Parable (only in the demo), and several others. Transformers, since it's made by Hasbro, is also connected to other Hasbro property, such as My Little Pony (and Equestria Girls), and they had references to other series in both the show and in the IDW comics, like pony versions of Rick and Morty appearing in one episode, pony versions of characters from Sailor Moon, Gravity

Falls, Kill La Kill, Scooby Doo, Powerpuff Girls, Frozen, and few other shows and even pony versions of IRL people like Gordon Ramsey. Transformers had crossovers and references to other series as well such as G.I Joe, Doctor Who, Spider Man, Star Wars, Marvel, and several other shows, and apparently Jem, Inhumanoids, C.O.P.S, and Robotix takes place in the Transformers universe.

Angry Birds had crossovers with other series like Rio, Star Wars, Puzzles and Dragons, Transformers, Sonic, The Muppets, and many levels in their games make references to other series. Lego Dimensions is full of crossovers, like The A-Team, Adventure Time, Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, DC Comics, Doctor Who, E.T, Fantastic Beasts, Ghostbusters (both the original and the 2016 reboot), The Goonies, Gremlins, Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Knight Rider, Legends of Chima, other Lego property, Lord of the Rings, Midway Arcade, Mission: Impossible, Portal, Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo, Simpsons, Sonic, Teen Titans Go!, and The Wizard of Oz. Speaking of The Simpsons, they had crossovers with other shows like Family Guy and Futurama, AND they cameoed appeared in South Park, and Family Guy is in the same universe as American Dad and The Cleveland Show. The Simpsons also had crossovers with The Critic, X-Files, King of the Hill, Robot Chicken, Bob's Burgers (which means it's also connected to the Archer Show), Rick and Morty, and several series get mentioned in the show itself. As for Sonic, he had a crossover comic series with Megaman, he had crossovers in the comics with Sabrina the Teenage Witch and DC (it was part of a Sonic Super Special comic but for some reason the Wikis won't tell me if it's generally DC or some part of it >:/ ), Sonic had levels in Sonic Lost World that were crossovers with NiGHTS, Legend of Zelda, and Yoshi's Wooly World, in Sonic Forces, there's DLC costumes that are based off of NiGHTS, Beat from Jet Set Radio, AiAi from Super Monkey Ball, and Joker from Persona 5. Sonic had crossover games with other SEGA series, but in Sonic Dash, they had events that had crossovers with Angry Birds, Hello Kitty, and Pac-Man. In one of the Vocaloid games, Miku had a costume that was a Sonic hoodie, to celebrate Sonic's anniversary, Vocaloid made many songs and some of these songs branch out into their own series, one of them being Black Rock Shooter, and i swear BRS was a guest character in some fighting game but i don't remember what the name was.

Okay, now let's head back to Marvel, one of the characters that's paired up with Spider-Man (except for the Movie universe) is Deadpool, and in one comic, he takes a girl to see Hamilton. In one of the Hamildrops, they did a crossover song which was a mix of Story of Tonight and You'll be Found from Dear Evan Hansen called "Found Tonight", one of the actors from Dear Evan Hansen is now playing the role of Jeremy in Be More Chill, and in the original 2015 performance of BMC, the actor who played Jenna also played Martha in Heathers, and Eric William Morris, who played Squip, also played Jordan in The Ballad of Little Jo. And since we're using actors to connect series...*inhales* Lin Manuel Miranda (who plays Alexander in Hamilton) also had roles in In The Heights, 21 Chump Street, Mary Poppins Returns, Ducktales Reboot, Do No Harm, Looking for Maria Sanchez, Sesame Street, House M.D, and a few others. Mary Poppins Returns is a sequel to the original Mary Poppins so they instantly connect, and i'm gonna make a crazy theory of House M.D taking place in the same city (or state) as Blue Bloods and Forever, both shows have characters played by Eric William Morris, who had roles in Trust, Greed, Bullets, and Bourbon, Royal Pains, As The World Turns, and few other small roles. But one of his current roles is Carl from King Kong Broadway, which is based off of King Kong, and King Kong had a crossover film with Godzilla, and there's a short film that had Ultraman and Kamen Rider (i think it was Godzilla?? It was a giant lizard thing :/). However, King Kong was the inspiration behind Donkey Kong, which now has connections to both Mario and Donkey Kong series. Donkey Kong had crossovers/references with Frogger, Pitfall, Qubert, Mickey (from Disney), Punch Out, Mother, Earthworm Jim, Kirby, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo Kazooie, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Scott Pilgrim, The Fast and the Furious, Class of 3000, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Big Bang Theory, Metroid, Pushmo, Minecraft, Gravity Falls, Wreck It Ralph, Pixels, Skylanders, several others, and had japanese exclusive songs in Donkey Konga that had songs from Super Sentai, Pretty Cure, Pikmin, Naruto, Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Z, Star Fox, Fire Emblem, Kid Icarus, Ice Climbers, and several others.

Minecraft had a Super Mario texture pack in the Switch version of Minecraft, plus a Steven Universe texture pack as well, there are console exclusive skins based off of characters from Gears of War, Halo, Banjo-Kazooie, Dust, Tony Hawk, Left 4 Dead, Boarderlands, Conker, Half-Life, Portal, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, and several other shows. Steve from Minecraft can be an unlockable character in games like Super Meat Boy, Choplifter, Retro City Rampage, and Creepers can be found in Blocks that Matter, Boarderlands, Torchlight, and Minecraft is refernced in Adventure Time, Octodad, The Stanley Parable, Skyrim, and South Park. And since Minecraft has Halo skins, this ties into Red VS Blue, a show that uses assets from the Halo series. And Red VS Blue appeared in a promotional video alongside the main cast of RWBY. Mother (or Earthbound) is the inspiration for Undertale, which had a sequel called Deltarune, and in one of the locations in Deltarune is a place called "Ice-E's Pezza", and Burgerpants mentions a guy named "Purple Guy" which is a reference to Purple Guy from Five Nights at Freddies. Crash Bandicoot had two crossover games with Spyro the Dragon and had references in Uncharted, Futurama, Johnny Test, Family Guy, Jimmy Neutron, The Country Bears, Jak and Daxter, Friends, The Simpsons, Tomb Raider, and several others. And Mickey is one of the characters in Kingdom Hearts, so now we come in full circle with Matpat's theory.

So started with Spider-man (well two versions of Spider-man) and ended it with Mickey, i'm sure there's other series out there that i forgot to bring up but eh, this is long enough :/

[cosplay444-blog]

The Prince Of Tennis Cosplay Costumes Tips, Tricks, And Techniques To Succeed

Video Uta No Prince-Sama Cosplay Costumes are a wonderful way for children to have fun, but sometimes Once Upon a Time Cosplay Costumes can come with hidden dangers. Some Once Upon a Time Cosplay Costumes offer content that is not appropriate for their ages. To prevent them from getting their hands on these Diabolik Lovers Cosplay Costumes, you as a parent have to step in, and the following article will show you how to do just that.

Before buying a Sword Art Online Cosplay Costumes for a child, ask questions about types of Fantastic Beasts Cosplay Costumes they like. You need to know if the One Punch Man Cosplay Costumes is good for the child's age, and if you have only one option available to purchase, then it might not be appropriate to buy it for that child.

When purchasing a K-On Cosplay Costumes for your computer, make sure you have the specs to run it. Particularly, if the Fairy Tail Cosplay Costumes is new, and your computer is old, you may be disappointed unless you check first. Look at the CPU speed and RAM, in particular, to determine if a TV Cosplay Costumes works.

If you can't get past a particular level, turn off all noise, whether it is the in-Osomatsu-Kun Cosplay Costumes sounds or music that you have put on. This will help you to really focus on what is happening in front of you and you may have a better chance of progressing in the The Future Diary Cosplay Costumes.

Parents must always verify the ratings on NieR: Automata Cosplay Costumes. There are Free Cosplay Costumes that seem to be appropriate for children at first but end up being quite inappropriate. Check the rating, paying attention to the reason for the rating, such as foul language or violence.

Turn off chatting capabilities on A Certain Magical Index Cosplay Costumes for Fullmetal Alchemist Cosplay Costumes that are young. Preschool aged The Avengers Cosplay Costumes do not need to use these features. Only purchase Dragon Ball Cosplay Costumes that allow you to disable chat, so it is important to do your research. The Internet is a great source of information for parents, but you can always ask to sales associate in the store as well.

Get in shape with Anime Cosplay Costumes. Many Green Arrow Cosplay Costumes are now interactive and use your body movement. If you are getting bored with your exercise routine or don't have one yet, invest in a Neon Genesis Evangelion Cosplay Costumes and get into shape. You will find yourself having a great time and getting in shape all at once.

Save money on The Incredibles Cosplay Costumes through online re-sellers or auction sites. Many sites like Ebay or Amazon offer a wide variety of Fairy Tail Cosplay Costumes at deeply discounted prices. Look for sellers who have a highly positive rating from many buyers. This is a great way to stretch your Fresh Pretty Cure Cosplay Costumes dollars.

When buying K-On Cosplay Costumes for your Legends of Tomorrow Cosplay Costumes, consider their interests. There are enough Anime Cosplay Costumes out there now that your daughter, who likes ponies, can get a fun Smile Precure Cosplay Costumes just as well as your son, who enjoys army The Melancholy of Haruhi Cosplay Costumes. Browse the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosplay Costumes store and ask the clerk for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosplay Costumes recommendations for all interests.

When purchasing an unknown Captain Marvel Cosplay Costumes, check out its Metacritic score before purchasing. Certain The Future Diary Cosplay Costumes are on sale because they are awful. This means you've wasted your money in such a purchase. The Frozen Cosplay Costumes's score will tell you whether it's worth buying or not.

If your Smile Precure Cosplay Costumes get tired of Justice League Cosplay Costumes quickly, rent them instead of buying them. You will save quite a bit of money this way. In addition to local renting options, you can also get a subscription to an online service that lets you get a Kamigami No Asobi Cosplay Costumes or two at a time, depending on what type of subscription that you buy. Then, your Black Lagoon Cosplay Costumes can simply swap out titles when they get tired of one.

Now that you've read this article, it's time to take action. You and you alone stand between your children and Legends of Tomorrow Cosplay Costumes with inappropriate content. Just remember what you've learned from the article above and you can keep your children away from Green Arrow Cosplay Costumes that were never intended for them in the first place.https://www.qualitycosplay.com/

[dcarevu]

DCAU: Beware the Gray Ghost

“When crime haunts the night, a silent crusader carries the torch of justice. Those with evil hearts beware for out of the darkness comes the Gray Ghost!”

Batman meets his influence, while simultaneously, in a way, meeting himself from another universe. How is this possible? Find out next time, same bat-time, same bat-channel! Well, okay, maybe not, you could just scroll down… So was this episode a tired, old has-been or a star worth remembering?

Episode: 18 Robin: No Writer(s): Garin Wolf (Teleplay), Tom Ruegger (Teleplay/Story), Dennis O’Flaherty (Story) Director: Boyd Kirkland Animator: Spectrum Airdate: November 4, 1992 Grade: A

Beware the Gray Ghost is a fantastic episode of Batman the Animated Series with something there to satisfy the older and newer fans, bridging the gap between them. And in fact, historically, it kinda did just that, bringing new respect to a certain actor who guest starred in this one! It is also an episode that I noticed has a very distinct feel to it, turning it into a tribute to not only the old Batman show from the 60’s, but also just old, Twilight Zone-esque noir crime shows in general. The music, the plot, some of the more subtle details, it’s all there. But instead of using these to craft some sort of parody or critique, it all ends up being a very respectful look at days past while undoubtedly still being Batman the Animated Series.

“The Graaaaaayyyyy Ghost!”

Spectrum animation is back with this one (which is odd, because apparently they shut down after bankrupting themselves with Heart of Ice… Anyone know how this all worked?), but in addition to that, my copy of Batman the Animated Series on Blu Ray just arrived! I couldn’t be happier that the first episode we watched on Blu Ray was a Spectrum episode. This created a very noticeable leap in animation quality. I’ll go more into detail at the end of this post also, giving my basic first impressions on how the Blu Ray release stacks up against the DVD one. But yeah, I’ll say it right now, it makes the show go from beautiful to breathtaking. Some of the color-usage in this episode is the best the show had done up to this point, and a variety of styles was used.

We have the scenes which are in exclusively black and white (displayed when we get a look at the original Grey Ghost tv show), we have the sepia-toned bits showing Bruce Wayne’s childhood, we have the bloody reds when explosions and fires happen (fire count!), and then we have the typical dark-deco look of the show. They all flow together seamlessly, and you can’t help but admire how realized this episode must have been before it was finished and then aired on TV. I cannot think of a single way I would improve the look of this one, aside from one or two funky-looking shots of Batman. 

One of the few funky shots of Batman...

...but they’re made up for by how awesome some of the other shots are.

The closest to a perfect episode (animation-wise) you’re gonna get. Period. Char (again, my watching-buddy, and DCAU-virgin) pointed out the animation for when Batman and Grey Ghost are hauling ass away from the exploding remote-controlled cars too. Very dynamic angles were used that only studios like Spectrum and TMS could have pulled off.

If Akom worked on this scene, it would have been such a disaster. Speaking of Akom, now I’m thinking of their version of an explosion/fire vs Spectrum’s. Just for funzies, let us compare shall we?

From The Cat and the Claw (Part 2).

These next few are from Beware the Gray Ghost.

The difference is quite clear. One makes you jump out of your seat in awe. The other makes you jump out of your seat because you’re about to upchuck your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

When I mentioned earlier something about this episode never straying into parody-territory, well, it does not necessarily look back at the genre/Batman show and play it completely seriously either. They walked a thin line between both and decided to put Bruce Wayne into a setting that we can all relate to; sitting in front of the tv, watching your favorite show before bed.

The Gray Ghost in this story isn’t an old, retired superhero, or a superhero turned villain. He’s an actor, and one that played in a somewhat dated, silly “superhero” drama. This immediately adds a sense of seriousness and realness to it while also managing to not let the cornier aspects go. Both worlds exist in this episode. The whacky Gray Ghost show, and the noir, gothic world of Batman the Animated Series. They don’t necessarily have to merge in a typical way and clash tones, because they are able to reference and display the Gray Ghost show as fictional. The way it’s used makes it all relatable, and it gives us a look at what influenced the dark knight, along with a borderline-tragic story about the downsides of fame and being known for one thing and one thing only. Batman may seem super-powered to the many thugs that he battles in the alleyways, but he is a human just like you and I, one that did have a childhood at one point. Even if that childhood was tragically ended with a few bullets. Batman feeling the level of nostalgia that he feels in the episode is so god damn adorable, and it’s another moment, much like The Cat and the Claw, where we see him being Bruce Wayne, not Batman, but also somehow being himself. It's that middle ground between the brooding, shadowy figure and the rich, chillax playboy.

A smile we rarely get to see.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Bruce acknowledges the cheesiness of the explosion causes.

While Batman is enjoying his childhood tv show, at one point almost seeming to forget why he’s watching it in the first place, we see Alfred subtly bringing that memory to life even more. Batman may no longer have a father, but Alfred is the closest thing he could ever hope for. TV superheroes clearly are not Alfred’s thing. He even mentions that fact when he says he prefers his fireplace to a black and white screen. But that’s not the point. The point is that Bruce is being transported back to feeling the warmth and protection of a father figure, while throwing out all of his worries for a bit and feeling a sense of thrill and enjoyment. Alfred seems to understand this. He knows Bruce more than anyone else could. Almost all of the flashbacks we see in this show are sad ones. And that gives the ones like this so much more power.

Alright, now, for those of you who don’t know (like all two of you), this episode has the very special guest star, Adam West. To me, this elevates the episode immensely, and strengthens the central themes and thesis tenfold. We go from a story about an actor being kind of a one-trick pony to the same story being told by someone who lived it. We go from a story where Batman gets to meet his idol to that same story featuring that very idol. And not just an idol to Batman, but an idol to many kids and adults who were around when Batman was still airing. Even those who went back and watched it later! Hell, when I was 5 or 6, I watched the shit out of Batman: The Movie, and I’m only 23. And y’know, we have things like Catman in The Fairly Oddparents, and the Fearless Ferret episode of Kim Possible. I’m not knocking on those, but damn, Adam West had to get tired of Batman goofs at some point. In fact, the team behind Batman the Animated Series was a little bit nervous that he wouldn’t wanna participate. But I’d be willing to bet that this episode made him feel good.

The Gray Ghost kinda reminds me of Arthur from The Tick. Great shot here, by the way.

The Gray Ghost is posed in the same way as Batman in the end credits. Such a cool detail that I actually missed my first time watching.

I love that despite wanting to stay far away from 60’s Batman vibes, the team wasn’t ready to dismiss it as bogus. And I get the sense that maybe Batman’s reverence in this episode is not only representative of all the Batman fans’, but also that of the crew behind Batman the Animated Series. They wanted Adam West to feel welcomed, and like the show wouldn’t exist without him (because it likely wouldn’t). So honestly, hats off to them. To further show a lack of satire, it wouldn’t surprise me if that is why Bruce Timm’s voice and image was used for the main villain.

Bruce Timm’s voice acting wasn’t the best, and I’d be willing to bet that he hated doing it, hahaha. Still a really fun nutjob of a character.

I’ll relate it to the episode of The Nostalgia Critic where he squares up against Mara Wilson. Mara Wilson, in real life, saw a Nostalgia Critic video about one of her films, and was kinda offended by it. But through a series of events, she and Doug Walker (the main creator and actor of NC) ended up cool, and he even put her in one of his videos! To make it even better, he actually had her play the antagonist, or probably more accurately, the protagonist. She basically ended up embarrassing and getting even with the Critic character in the episode. It’s still one of Doug’s favorite episodes to this day, and I have a feeling that he set the plot up like this to show her that he actually respects her quite a bit, and to soften the blow of the shit he’s thrown her way over the years. The team behind Batman the Animated Series may have done a similar thing in making Adam West’s character, along with Kevin’s Batman, defeat Bruce Timm’s character together, and if that’s the case, I love it. Not only does Adam West get the admiration of their version of Batman, but he also gets to help Bruce Timm’s character get his comeuppance. And then, of course, West’s character gets the attention he deserves at the end.

I know this is a video release, but it looks a lot like a thicker Blu Ray case. Kinda like, well, the Blu Ray release of Batman TAS!

Oh wow, never noticed this foreshadowing either. Matt Hagen will be a name that we’ll see pop up in a couple of episodes.

Garin Wolf, Tom Ruegger, and Dennis O’Flaherty obviously treaded carefully, but likely without even thinking about it. Because it is so genuine-seeming and charming. And honestly, thank you, Adam West, for being such a great sport throughout all the time you were alive. I wish there could have been another official DCAU tribute after his death, but this being the one thing we got should be more than great enough for any Batman or comic book fan out there.

This dude was pretty obviously voiced by Alfred’s voice actor. Times when having a voice with so much character takes me out of the show!

A look at some of the Gray Ghost episodes. I’d kill for a Gray Ghost animated series, following what we have shown here.

Wow, that Batmobile is awfully close to the ground.

Just a nice still. Boy does he ever look like a classic pulp costumed crimefighter. They nailed his design. 

A picture of Bruce Timm after he saw the finished product of I’ve Got Batman In My Basement.

Before I go, I’d like to, yes, mention the Blu Ray copy of the show I just received! So far, I’m mixed on it. While the visual and audio quality is mostly superior, there are a few moments of a shot being too bright or whatever. Also, I don’t know, I think that the dirtiness is part of what made the original show look so charming, and it was truly meant to be seen on the technology that was around at the time. Everything is so crisp now, and it just doesn’t look as old as it once did. On the other hand…they got rid of the spot above Batman’s lip during the theme song! Hot damn! That makes it about 10x easier to sleep at night… From what I understand, there are also some new special features and such that I can’t wait to view. All of the old ones are there too, which brings me to the pilot, The Dark Knight’s First Night. I was really, really, really hoping that they would bring in the original sound for it. On the volume 1 DVD, I was always kinda weirded out that it said the original music and sounds were lost. I mean, as far as the music goes…it’s just music from the 1989 Batman film, how hard can that be to get ahold of..? Hell, one of the versions on Youtube has the original music and sounds, so what gives? Could it be a copyright issue or something? I don’t know, but this same problem exists on the Blu Ray release too. Kind of a shame. Oh, but wait, as a plus, this complete series doesn’t just include every episode, but it also comes with Mask of the Phantasm and Subzero! I hate when complete series box sets don’t come with the movies that are just as much part of the series. This is an incredibly consistent problem across basically every tv show ever, and I get why it’s a thing, but it still annoys me. This problem doesn’t exist with Batman the Animated Series any longer. Well. Kinda. Mystery of the Batwoman is strangely…not included? I know that this one was technically released much later, and I also remember it sucking, but it’s still a part of the show! Why not include it? Personally, if I were in charge, I also would have thrown in Batman and Harley Quinn too, but believe me, I wasn’t banking on that one. I can forgive its absence. Overall, though, I’m super happy to own this, and even though I’ve seen all of Batman the Animated Series already, this gives me something new to enjoy with it. Also, even though it’s not a perfect release, I think I still consider it a step up over watching the show on DVD. At least, if we’re talking flat screen TVs (watching the entire show on VHS would be awesome, honestly). I give the Blu Ray release a B. Maybe a low A.

Char’s grade: A Fire count: 9

Next time: Prophecy of Doom Full episode list here!

[airadam]

Episode 139 : Safe & Sound

"Give your mama enough money to bury ya."

- E-40

We've just about dragged ourselves to the end of the year whose name shall not be spoken, and we're not out of the woods just yet. The winter is drawing in, and so we have not a festive selection, but one which in many parts sonically fits the season. There are some deep album cuts, B-sides, and mixtape tracks here, making it one of those months where pretty much everyone is going to learn at least one new tune! Get those headphones connected and let's go...

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

E-40 : I'ma Teach Ya How To Sell Dope

The title of this track from "Revenue Retrievin' : Day Shift" wrong-foots you, because this is A-grade "B-side of the game" material, as Ice-T would say. If you ever thought the drug game was glamourous, E-40 lets you know that it's a dangerous, paranoid, and depressing dead-end - even for the few who live long enough to make a bit of money. 

The Cool Kids : Tires (Instrumental)

This had just the right slow pace, boom, and space to form a bridge between the tracks on either side. The vocal version appropriately comes from the 2009 "Merry Christmas" EP and features Boldy James, but this instrumental is available as part of the "Gone Fishing : Instrumentals" mixtape (despite not being on the "Gone Fishing" album, so far as I'm aware!)

Jane Child : Loot$ville

Take the rhythm section alone and you could imagine someone like Above The Law or The Dogg Pound getting busy on this track. It's been a very long time since the release of the "Surge" LP, the last from Jane Child, but it still stands up! Child's production and playing skills, alongside those of Cat Gray have this instrumental growling along at the low end, and then her vocal elevates the whole package into a quality song.

Jay-Z : Where I'm From

A clear standout from "In My Lifetime, Vol.1", this is one of the tracks for the streets, and a stark contrast to the many songs on the album that were obviously aiming for mass appeal. Jay lays down the facts of life in Brooklyn's Marcy Projects over a menacing beat from D-Dot and Amen-Ra, with DJ Premier contributing the cuts.

Scarface : The Fix / Fixed

I decided to blend the opening and closing tracks from Scarface's "The Fix" LP here, since both are excellent, but also very short. Scarface and Mike Dean handle the production, and it would surprise many to know that Scarface is also the singer here! This musical motif was re-used by the great Pimp C for UGK's "Still Ridin' Dirty", which also featured Scarface - another track to check out.

Sean Price ft. Buckshot and General Steele : Apartheid

This tune from "Imperius Rex" is the exact kind of darkness and coldness that matches the current season, especially in a year like this. Crummie Beats provides the score, and Sean is accompanied by two of the absolute foundation BCC members to go all the way grimy with it. Check the video - as well as all the artist guests, Sean's wife Bernadette and daughter Shaun both make appearances.

Mad Cobra ft. The Geto Boys : Dead End Street (Instrumental)

From the early 90s, when all sorts of Hip-Hop groups were trying to add a little Jamaican flavour (to wildly varying effect), there were a few artists from JA with the budget to cross over the other way. This 12" had multiple versions of the GB-featuring gun tune headed by dancehall don Cobra, and this is the thumping instrumental to the main mix.

Bronx Slang : Copy That

Jerry Beeks and Ollie Miggs are back with a new single, which just had to be shared here. Beeks has been doing his thing for a long time and continues to tweak and refine his approach - his flow here is alternately conversational and then more dense, and shows a real level of comfort expounding on serious subject matter on the mic. Grab this either as a single or on the "Bronx Kill" mixtape!

Ghostface Killah ft. Trife : Be Easy

The horns on "Copy That" brought this track to mind, and it's a worthy follow-up. One of the big singles from "Fishscale", it's a triumphant Pete Rock blast flipping "Stay Away From Me" by The Sylvers (this info is already out there), and Ghost leading the charge over the top with an assist from Trife in the hypeman role.

Phat Kat ft. T3 and Black Milk : Danger

All the Detroit on this cut, which has appeared in a few places - Phat Kat's "Carte Blanche" LP, Black Milk's "Sound Of The City", and even the "Saint's Row" soundtrack. As "SOTC" was released two years before the Phat Kat album came out in 2007, I guess that kind of makes it Black Milk's track and may explain why he's on the first verse - although Phat Kat is a beast on the third verse cleanup. Black Milk is on the beat, of course.

Dilated Peoples : Clockwork

I'd somehow forgotten that DJ Premier had done this beat for Dilated, but it's a great bi-coastal collaboration between him and this LA crew! The "Expansion Team" LP, their second, is full of heavyweight production, with Alchemist, Da Beatminerz, and JuJu from The Beatnuts among the boardsmen on the project. This track bumps but has a kind of thriller film soundtrack energy at the same time, and Rakaa and Evidence do it justice on the mic.

Fingathing : You Fly Me

The pairing of bassist Sneaky and world-class turntablist DJ Peter Parker was not the kind of thing that was at all common when they started out, but their original concept went from sensational live performances to quality recorded output. This number comes from the first full album, "The Main Event" (which was preceded by the "2 Player EP"), and is a glorious mix of bass and strings with some jazzy drumming action.

Zo! ft. Phonte : Everything She Wants

Now this is how you do a cover version! The last track recorded for "...just visiting three", this was a left-field idea from Zo that Phonte loved, as he'd always loved the original Wham track and wanted to remake it himself! It's much slower than the original, and as Zo points out, it helps to maintain the focus on the lyrics, which were some of George Michael's best from that era. The multi-talented Phonte kills it on the lead vocal (as well as some choice ad-libs), and Zo has the beat sliding and slumping, with a great switch-up at the end if you go and get the full version... 

Freeway & Jake One : The Product

I hadn't played "The Stimulus Package" for ages, but it's still really good. When this was released, it seemed like an idea from a bygone era to pair one MC with one producer for a whole album, but one that was very welcome. Philadelphia's Freeway's addiction-themed lyrics are pretty much timeless, and as is usually the case, Jake One's beat nods to tradition while not being bound by it.

Sadat X & El Da Sensei ft. Bumpy Knuckles : 3 Rounds To Spar

Wall-to-wall rugged MCs right here, with the pairing of Sadat and El joined by the king of the third verse, Bumpy Knuckles for a pure mic workout over some heavy boom-bap (which is never a perjorative round here) by Divine Drummah - a producer I could only find this one credit for, but who definitely cooked up a track with the appropriate weight for the MCs on it. If you check the full version from the "XL" album, you can enjoy the intro where you hear the main sample in a more open form before the chops and drums come in.

Boot Camp Clik ft. Twanie Ranks : Smile In Heaven

This one probably snuck past most of you, as it was buried on the end of the Black Moon "Rush" 12" and didn't appear anywhere else except the "Collect Dis Edition" compilation in 2003. It turned up when I was digitising vinyl and I thought it was a fitting one to play mood-wise, with the contemplative street lyrics and the sombre vibes of the Beatminerz' instrumental underscoring it all. Twanie Ranks adds to the whole with his reggae-styled vocals at the end of the hook sections.

K-Def : The Final Thrill

One of those guys you could describe as a producer's producer, New Jersey's K-Def quietly has an amazing discography! I went back to his "Willie Boo Boo" album for this one, which is so short I had to loop it up a bit to make it long enough to work here - that said, there's no downside to hearing a beat like this for a little longer :)

Tribeca : Charlie Hustle (Pony Express)

With a sample that almost everyone will recognise, even if you can't name it, Tribeca does double duty as MC and producer on this 2003 12". On the mic, he takes on the persona/viewpoint of the former baseball player Pete Rose, who was banned from the major leagues for gambling, and as such is also excluded from the Baseball Hall of Fame (the "Cooperstown" you hear mentioned). When it comes to the production, he pounds the MPC in his characteristic fashion to supply the low end to complement the piano track. 

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[kahran042]

More of my favorite YouTube comments

(in response to Musical Hell's review of Legends of Oz: Dorothy's return) "There's no way you're going to make a rainbow look threatening to anybody but a FOX news anchor." Allow me to offer some counterexamples. Prism Justice, Disgaea 2. Sonic Rainboom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. All of the light-elemental attack spells in Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. Depending on how you interpret its appearance, Prismatic Spray, Dungeons and Dragons. And many more, I'm sure.

(in response to the educational video Social Acceptability) If I were writing this, it would probably end with Marion, Clara, and Pete starting a revolution and eventually overthrowing the clique, er, "cleek".

(in response to Off Camera Secrets | Pokemon Snap - Boundary Break) I know it's probably a coincidence, but I found it interesting that you said "The Rapidash that GALLOP behind the scenes," since Gallop is Rapidash's Japanese name.

(in response to MasaeAnela's Let's Play of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze) Searching for keys in an underwater maze as a mammal with a limited air supply while awesome music plays. Now, am I talking about Shoal Atoll or practically every level in the Genesis Ecco games? :)

(in response to MasaeAnela's Let's Play of Super Mario World) "Who wants to eat dolphins?" The Vortex Queen, for one.

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of Suikoden II) Random fun fact related to the Jowy gender issue: I actually had a female friend in high school who sort of looked like Jowy.

(in response to SlimKirby's Let's Play of Sonic CD) Sonic: "I'm outta here!" Kids in the background: "YAY!"

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All) Other commentator: Is yours and Maya's priorities being similar/the same a good thing, or a bad thing? :) Me: If we knew that, we'd probably know a lot more about the nature of the universe than we do now.

(in response to Shoot for the NBA! 10 cats obsessed with Basketball) Air Bud...WITH CATS! =^_^=

(in response to SlimKirby's Let's Play of Sonic Adventure DX) It took you two minutes to find One Piece? That's pretty impressive - Luffy and his crew still haven't found it after like 800 episodes. :)

(in response to MasaeAnela's Let's Play of Donkey Kong Country Returns) World 2 boss: We Bare Crabs.

(in response to Eye of Sol's review of Family Guy) "Esoteric"? Sol, Family Guy is not a food. :) Seriously, though, it's nice to see a non-negative review of this show.

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of Suikoden) Say what you will about Tesla's "Albert" disguise, he at least knows not to use his name and portrait in his text box when using it. :)

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations) Other commentator: So for those that remember Phoenix being in the hospital earlier on, I think we can conclude that the guy is legit invincible. Chewed and ate glass/metal that had poison kept in it, been punched on two separate occasions by massive dudes, threatened by gangsters, attacked with a 600,000 volt stun-gun, hit over the head with a fire extinguisher, and has now fallen into a river infamous for having bodies that end up in there never turning up. Phoenix is hacking the game so hard it's unreal. Me: And, worst of all...eating Jean Armstrong's cooking!

(in response to Resulka's Let's Play of Ultima VII: Serpent Isle) The fact that Voldin is the senior member of the royal council should be proof enough that the city of Fawn doesn't banish people just for being ugly. :)

(in response to Bobsheaux's review of The Duke) Look on the bright side: at least you aren't a solid gold lion. :)

(in response to Bobsheaux's review of The Duke) Other commentator 1: You know this movie doesn't sound all that enjoyable. Me: That's like saying the Pacific Ocean is moist.

(in response to Failous' review of Beauty and the Beast Bevanfield) So...wait. You don't hate the 17th century, or you don't know why you hate the 17th century? :)

(in response to Failous' review of Cricket on the Hearth) Other commentator: Old Man makes every movie better. Me: Let's agree to disagree.

(in response to Failous' review of Anastasia (Golden Films)) Other commentator: The only credit I give to goldenfilms that they at least know about the tsar tragedy and didn't sugarcoat they're tragic deaths...While those 3 godawful  crappy animated films of titanic took a crap on the tragic deaths of the million of people whom died on the titanic............etc...... Me: How can millions of people have died on a ship with a maximum capacity of 3547?

(in response to BCSBuster's Let's Play of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time) Maybe it's just me, but those eyespots on the back of Ruto's head are pretty disturbing.

(in response to BCSBuster's Let's Play of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time) Counterpoint: The Deku Tree is dead, so how's he going to stop you from going inside? :)

(in response to Lewtoons' review of Beauty and the Beast) This is automatically better than Phelous' review on the ground of containing 100% less Phelous.

(in response to Bobsheaux's review of The Swan Princess 5 & 6) Other commentator: Elise should probably be more grateful for her princess title and being adopted by the unrealistically nice royalty, considering she, you know, came from a family of wood cutters? Me: Agreed. After all, Derek and Odette didn't kill her parents and destroy her village, only keeping her alive so that she could tell them where the village's secret treasure was kept.

(in response to MasaeAnela's Let's Play of Katamari Damacy) My personal theory about why people don't notice katamaris is that they generate SEP fields.

(in response to MasaeAnela's Let's Play of Katamari Damacy) What would the "hunk" constellation be, though? I picture it being Hercules or Orion.

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of D*ng*nr*np*) Other commentator: Bacula is the son of Dracula from Phoenix Wright. Explaining why Bacula has the Edgeworth voice. Because Bacula is Edgeworth. Edgeworth is part of the Phoenix Wright trilogy which has three games. Triangles have three sides. Illuminati has a triangle shaped symbol with three sides. Bacula is Illuminati. Me: And my brother is my sister and my sister is my mother and Sakunoshin is my sister and Akai Homura is a woman!

(in response to Phoebe Kalinowski's Let's Play of Terranigma) And, of course, part of the path to becoming two-legged was to become a rabbit with the face of a cat.

(in response to Musical Hell's review of Peter Pan Live) I believe in coyotes and time as an abstract.

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of D*ng*nr*np*) Spoiler alert: Rosebud was Charles Foster Kane's sled.

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of D*ng*nr*np*) Other commentator: Aaaaaand Hifumi's dead. Yeah, no big deal. Seriously though, I still can't help but feel bad for the guy. A murder is a murder, after all. And he was a funny dude in his own way, so it's kinda sad because of that, too. Me: I officially lost any sympathy I might have had for him once he started creeping on Alter Ego. Sorry, but that's just how I feel.

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of D*ng*nr*np*) Multiple killings with hammers...it must be Maxwell Edison! I know he used a silver hammer and these ones are wood, but you take what you can get.

(in response to Children's Film Riffs' commentary on Why Did The Bus Stop?) Why did the bus stop? Because it crashed. Why did the bus crash? Because Jimmy was driving. Why couldn't Jimmy drive? Because he didn't have any arms or legs. Why didn't Jimmy have any arms or legs? Because he was a potato.

(in response to Movie Nights' Mary Kate and Ashley Triple Feature #1) Say what you will about this, I do like that one twin's black tank top with the gold dragon or whatever.

(in response to Bobsheaux's review of The Legend of Frosty the Snowman) Karen doesn't need Frosty anymore because right after the first movie, she fell off the roof where Santa left her and died instantly.

(in response to Thomas the Riffed Engine and Friends' review of Fiery Flynn) "It would only make sense for Thomas the Tank Engine to have a fire engine character..." By that logic, it would only make sense for Fireman Sam to have a steam engine character to teach about railway procedure.

(in response to Phoebe Kalinowski's Let's Play of StarTropics, specifically the My Country 'Tis of Thee/God Save the Queen snippet) Let's just split the difference and say that it was the anthem of the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen. :)

(in response to Bobsheaux's review of The Nutcracker: The Untold Story) In a world of living toys, I'd say that, yeah, toys ARE the worst things you could burn.

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice) Too many glands...so he's the anti-Zucotti Manicotti?

(in response to Phoebe Kalinowski's Let's Play of Equestria Bound) Other commentator: You know, as much as Mother 3 was a good game, I am still completely frustrated by its ending.  Was it a happy ending?  A dark ending?  I still have no idea. Me: It's whatever kind of ending you want it to be. Personally, I like to think of it as a happy ending because Lucas deserves one, dammit.

(in response to Top 10 Worst RPG Dungeons - PlayStation Edition) The Kislev Sewers is, indeed, the pits - literally and figuratively. :)

(in response to Miss Nightmare's review of Gumby: The Movie) I haven't seen the actual movie, but I have seen Bobsheaux's review, and you are right about the song being a total earworm.

(in response to a video of the Ritual of Fire going wrong in Ultima VIII) Other commentator: Lol in Ultima VII I would take items from dungeons and it would be "stealing," guards would come etc lol. I remember in Ultima V the best way to get good items is to steal magic keys from the merchant in Minoc then raid British's basement. I think the only thing bad it does is make the mage in Trinsic not tell you the mantra of Honor. I wish getting rich was that easy in real life! Hey could you do me a quick favor and tell me if you are able to watch my uploads or if they are blocked Me: And, considering that the mantra of Honor never changes... ;)

(in response to Lucahjin's review of D*ng*nr*np* 2) Other commentator: Remember when Lucah was so mad about Mahiru's murder? And really anxious to find the culprit? I guess we know just how much she actually cared for her. Let's not forget in our rush of sympathy that Fuyuhiko murdered a girl while in high school with a baseball bat. And that Peko murdered Mahiru. They might love each other but that does not make them good people. Me: I actually like Peko more because she murdered Mahiru. Good riddance.

(in response to Lucahjin's review of D*ng*nr*np* 2) Let me be frank: I'm mostly just watching these for the executions these days, and that last one was pretty weak. Not exactly heartbreaking, but definitely disappointing.

(in response to the Cinema Snob's Let's Play of Christmas with a Capital C) Personally, I favor Happy Boxing Day Eve. :)

(in response to MihariofMabinogi's Let's Play of Chrono Trigger) I think that those people talking about how Robo speaks were referring to the fact that in the Japanese version, he speaks in kind of a weird mix of hiragana and katakana. The closest English equivalent would probably be having him put emphasis on the wrong syllables.

(in response to Phoebe Kalinowski's Let's Play of Pony Fantasy VI) I like to think that the ghost isn't so much "unwilling" to help after that point as "unable" - the Train's influence prohibits it from proceeding any further without being taken over by its consciousness.

(in response to Treble0096's Let's Play of Mother 3) Another mole cricket fact: They're apparently edible. If nothing else, I saw them listed in an article on strange canned food in Uncle John's Ahh-Inspiring Bathroom Reader.

(in response to Treble0096's Let's Play of Mother 3) Who would make wallpaper look like a filled bookcase? Probably someone pretending to be an intellectual.

(in response to Golden Book Video Killers XXV) The song that you said was about slavery clearly wasn't, because it mentioned Jenny being paid, with the implication that she could be paid more if she worked faster.

(in response to Autumchild's Let's Play of Breath of Fire III) I recently had a dream about using the dolphin's battle form as transportation in another game.

(in response to His Theme from Undertale: The Musical) I'm not normally the type to cry over fictional characters, but this song can come pretty drat close to making me do so.

(in response to SlimKirby's Let's Play of Lemmings) Me: If I'm not mistaken, I think almost every level without a unique tileset gets remixed at least once. SlimKirby: you are mistaken. There are definitely some levels that are unique beyond that classification. Me: That's why I said "almost". :)

(in response to Musical Hell's review of Happily Ever After) "There's only one Shadow Man!" (referring to Dr. Facilier) I'm guessing you've never played Mega Man 3, then?

(in response to Bobsheaux's review of The Swan Princess 2 & 3) Other commentator: I think all of these characters’ mothers were hamsters. Me: But did their fathers smell of elderberries?

(in response to Laws Broken: Dark Knight) Can Batman use self defense? Yes, because he's motherbleeping Batman.

(in response to Lucahjin's Let's Play of Suikoden II) Ah, Coronet. Jowston's leading producer of cheesy educational shorts.

(in response to MasaeAnela's Let's Play of Banjo-Kazooie) Clanker's Cavern is definitely the worst level in the game, but at least that means that it can only get better.

(in response to Top 6 Worst Characters from Good Cartoons) I know it's weird, but there is no South Park season 20. It just goes right from 19 to 21. Kind of like how there's no Leisure Suit Larry 4, I guess.

(in response to Bobsheaux's review of Miracle in Toyland) Other commentator: There is a woman with the word Nazi In her last name? Me: Ironically, Eskenazi is actually a Jewish surname. If you don't believe me, Google it.

(in response to Phoebe Kalinowski's Let's Play of Final Fantasy Tactics) If you're using Brett, better watch out for stray bullets. :)

(in response to The End of Time from Chrono Trigger: The Musical) "Unless time gets very desperate, in which case you could risk it." Anyone else have a feeling that this is foreshadowing?

(in response to the Media Hunters' review of Titanic: The Legend Goes On) Other commentator: The uncut version is somewhat better but that’s not saying much Me: Which is like saying that Death Valley is somewhat cooler than the surface of the sun.

(in response to the Cinema Snob's review of Gotti) Looks more like Ingeni-theta-us to me.

(in response to Phoebe Kalinowski's Let's Play of Illusion of Gaia) You say never to trust a man named Edward, but what about a blue engine named Edward?

As before, they literally are my comments unless specified.

[nicomoviewatchinpsychopath]

Steven Universe: The Movie review

STEVEN UNIVERSE: THE MOVIE:

THIS CARTOON NETWORK TV MOVIE IS A “GEM” TO TREASURE!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

CARTOON NETWORK

Garnet, Steven Universe, Pearl and Amethyst in Steven Universe: The Movie

           Taking another detour from theatrical movie reviews to talk about another TV movie premiere and the second one this year following my review of the live-action film adaptation of Kim Possible. This time it’s for Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe: The Movie, based on the series of the same name created by Rebecca Sugar.

           Before I dive into the movie let me take a moment to discuss my history with the Steven Universe show. It’s no secret that I’m an “oldie” when it comes to Cartoon Network as I grew up with their earlier programs like The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Samurai Jack to name a few and I remembered the late 2000s-early 2010s to be a dark age for the channel when it comes to programming with an experimental phase of live-action shows, game shows desperately trying to compete with Nickelodeon, and cartoons that just weren’t all that good with some exceptions like Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.

           It wasn’t until the releases of acclaimed shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show and a new management team was brought in to Cartoon Network when I got interested in their programs again. One of the shows that really took off aside from Adventure Time was Steven Universe which became a critical and cultural phenomenon with cosplays, merchandise, and garnering viewers of all ages and genders being completely engrossed in the gorgeous animation, memorable characters, and poignant and mature stories and themes geared towards a family-friendly audience but done in an intelligent and thoughtful way (Not gonna lie, there have been episodes that actually got me teary-eyed!), it quickly became one of my favorite shows on the network, got the DVDs, and even had a couple of encounters with Steven’s voice actor Zach Callison at Comic Con.

           Because of the success it had over the years, we have Steven Universe: The Movie celebrating its six-year run (as of this review) and as a thank you to the fans for making one of the greatest and most influential animated shows of all time. Does the movie live up to the hype and do the show justice? The answer…ABSOLUTELY! And it has the honor of being not only one of Cartoon Network’s best movies but also one of the best films based on an animated series I have ever seen whether theatrical, television, or direct-to-video.

           After redeeming the Diamonds on Homeworld, Steven Universe (voiced by Zach Callison-Diary of a Single Mom, Sofia the First, Just Add Magic) who is now sixteen-years-old returns to Beach City and reunites with the Crystal Gems, Garnet (voiced by Estelle-Empire, We Bare Bears, OK K.O. Let’s Be Heroes), Amethyst (voiced by Michaela Dietz-My America, Mighty Magiswords, 101 Dalmatian Street), and Pearl (voiced by Deedee Magno Hall-Dellaventura, Rear Window (TV movie), Third Watch) as well as his dad Greg (voiced by Tom Scharpling-Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Adventure Time) and friend Connie (voiced by Grace Rolek-Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Lou and Lou: Safety Patrol, Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five) to finally have his “Happily Ever After”. However, a new threat comes in the form of Spinel (voiced by Sarah Stiles-Tootsie, Get Shorty (TV series), Unsane) who plots to inject a toxic liquid into the Earth’s core and destroy the entire planet.

           That is the least of Steven’s problems as Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl lose their memories in battle with Spinel and Steven’s gem reverts back to its old state where he’s unable to use his powers…again. Steven along with gems Peridot (voiced by Shelby Rabara-Glee, The League of Extraordinary Dancers, Me and My Grandma), Lapis (voiced by Jennifer Paz-The Defender, The Angry Beavers, As Told by Ginger), and Bismuth (voiced by Uzo Aduba-Orange is the New Black, My Little Pony: The Movie, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir) must find a way to stop Spinel, fix Steven’s gem, and get Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl’s memories back through nostalgic callbacks and references to events of the series.

           However, the key to stopping Spinel’s wrath may lie within Steven’s past and the actions caused by his gem mother Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond. If he’s able to get his powers and his friends’ memories back in time, Steven might be able to confront Spinel and put her on a different path.

           Overall, Steven Universe: The Movie offers the same magic, beautiful animation, and LGBTQ themes that made the show a hit done in the style of a Broadway musical much like other films based on cartoons such as South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and the first SpongeBob Squarepants Movie. Given how the songs and music in the show are just as popular and acclaimed as the series itself, the musical tone works perfectly for Steven Universe.

           Since the series’ creator Rebecca Sugar also has a successful career as a singer-songwriter you can tell her determination was set to overdrive in creating the best songs she could for this movie, and it shows in the musical numbers on-screen. From the lyrics, vocals, and the animation set to the music there is a kinetic energy to these songs that makes the movie feel bigger while still retaining the Steven Universe charm.

           Like the series, the animation and art design are absolutely gorgeous and despite being a made-for-TV movie the animation looks higher in quality than the show with extra polish, shadows, and vibrant colors to make the characters and environments really pop. It makes me wish Steven Universe: The Movie had a theatrical release because of how stunning and lively this animation is.

           However, the animation definitely embraces its wacky and bouncy side as well with the villain, Spinel who I can best describe as a gem version of The Mask running entirely on cartoon logic and one of the show’s more comedic antagonists. She’s completely cuckoo and psychotic and can stretch, inflate, and transform parts of her body like an old Tex Avery cartoon but she also has a tragic backstory that makes you understand why she’s doing all this and like most of the show’s antagonists she’s more of a lost soul rather than an evil entity.

           I don’t know what else to say, Steven Universe: The Movie is absolutely wonderful and one of the best movies Cartoon Network ever put out alongside Ed, Edd n Eddy’s Big Picture Show and the Samurai Jack premiere movie as well as one of the best films ever made based on a cartoon. It’s guaranteed to satisfy fans of the show and I’ll go on record and say it’s a great movie to watch with the entire family, whether half your family is gem or not it’ll make you laugh, cry, and “Believe in Steven” over and over again.  

For more movie reviews please visit www.moviewatchinpsychopath.blogspot.com

[ekakinomi-forgrownups]

Questioning Neverland--My Thoughts On the Michael Jackson Controversy And Idol Worship In General

※

Warning!

The following post deals with a disturbing, but important social issue that I feel people should know about. If you’re not in the mood to read that, however, use that symbol as a reminder to back away from this post and read another one.

10 days ago, HBO released a documentary called “Leaving Neverland”, which out-lines the lives of two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who explain they were sexually abused by pop mega-star Michael Jackson as young boys for years, in disturbing detail.

The documentary explains how Mr. Jackson used a friendly facade to “befriend” the then-super-fans Robson and Safechuck at different times, and used his super-star glamour to charm and enchant their mothers into letting their little boys stay with this man (who, in both cases, only knew him for a few hours) at his Neverland Ranch, a sort of indoor amusement park for kids…which served a much more devious purpose than just a fun getaway with their favorite pop idol.

Because Mr. Jackson’s favorite attraction at that “park” was, in fact, his bed–where he took the boys almost immediately after meeting them…so that he could start touching them inappropriately, on a regular basis, for years and years–as if these innocent children were just his play-things. And many witnesses report that there were a lot more where that came from–no girls, no men, no women–just little boys. He even went as far as to buy an engagement ring for James Safechuck! (*shudders!*) And to ensure that nobody knew about this “dirty little secret”, he lied to the boys’ parents, brain-washed the boys into thinking that this was how people “show love” to one another, and anybody who would dare tell on him would either get paid huge sums of money to be quiet or be threatened with anything from jail-time to death.

This documentary practically shook the world when it came out–America in particular. It seems everybody’s taking sides now– one side who absolutely won’t defend him after what he did to innocent children, and another side, mostly loyal followers and family members (the Jackson Estate tried to stop HBO from releasing this documentary at first) who say that these men are compulsive liars and/or just out for his money, and that Jackson was just an innocent, child-like weirdo.

And then you’ll find people like me, who don’t know the real truth, and are confused and completely conflicted as to whether it’s better to burn or hug their posters and record collections. Now, I’m not saying I’m a fan of his work myself–but I have experienced this dilemma many times over the course of my life. In a different way than most, however.

You see, it’s odd, but when an autistic person loves something (and that can be anything from a pop star to, say, a pretty color scheme on a fictional character), they feel this sense of true love for that particular thing, and like it could never do us wrong in any way. So when anything even remotely bad does happen (and that can be anything from the character changing designs and getting an ugly new color scheme to the pop star turning out to be an abusive scum-bag), it’s complete emotional turmoil, and we feel like the thing we love had just been ruined for us forever. And this happens for two reasons–1. Autistics tend to think of things only one way or the other, and it’s weird for us to think of something in a neutral way. And 2., we’re way too emotional. Neurotypical (“normal”) people tend to think that we’re not able to feel any complex emotions or empathy. The truth of it is, we actually feel too many–far more than we can express sometimes.

There was a point where I felt like everything I love has been “ruined” for me at some point. To name just a few examples: “The Amazing World Of Gumball” had its aesthetic changed to something I don’t like after its first season. “Pastel Yumi”, a magical girl anime I really liked when I watched the first episode, turned out to have loads of fan-service (meaning characters acting sexy to please the audience) of the 10-year old protagonist. The “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” toys only became better-built and actually accurate to the show after I stopped liking the show (I stopped watching it after Season 3). And speaking of My Little Pony, even though I think Nightmare Moon had the prettiest color scheme of any character on the show, I’d feel bad for liking her more than Princess Luna, because call me a goody-two-shoes, but I usually don’t root for evil characters. And, the same goes for the Once-Ler from “The Lorax”.

Since then I’ve changed a lot, and I’ve started finding ways to cope with most of these things and “un-ruin” them…but that’s because they’re all small things, mostly media of different types. I feel very differently on the matter of real people–which brings me back to empathy. While I’m all for #MeToo, it also devastated me. Not because a lot of my favorite creators and directors were being put out of jobs–but because they turned out to be horrible human beings that only think of women as helpless toys that they can stalk, grab and kiss whenever they want. I’ve never been in any of these situations (*knocks on wood*), but just hearing the fact that beautiful, innocent people are getting treated this badly just boils my blood and, at the same time, makes me want to cry for years.

Yet that still doesn’t stop me from watching the kids’ sit-coms created by Dan Schneider or the Disney/Pixar movies directed by John Lasseter, and it doesn’t stop me from wanting to check out The Loud House, which was created by Chris Savino.  All the men mentioned here were very talented, but all sexual predators themselves. Which brings me back to Michael Jackson.

He was a house-hold name when I was a kid, and my first knowledge of him came from both “The Simpsons” episode “Stark Raving Dad”, which featured his uncredited voice, and the Jackson 5 song “ABC”. But I got my first real exposure to his artistry and music during my Dad’s 50th birth-day party last October, where we all sat around, ate cake and watched music videos, and we played several of his hits in a row. I fell in love with the song “Remember The Time”. I also binge-watched that corny “Jackson 5ive” cartoon from the 70’s (which featured a huge portion of their early catalogue) the following November. So to be exposed to such amazing talent and good looks only to be compelled to forget about it all a few months later because he was a horrible person certainly boggled my mind a little. (Bad or confused reactions to sudden changes in plans are another casualty of autism which can be difficult to handle at times).

Suddenly, I begun to seriously ponder my own morals. If I’m a so-called “social justice warrior”, then how can I possibly still enjoy work made by awful people? If I care about minorities so much, then why do I still get joy out of art made by people who obviously don’t care about them? If I can’t bring myself to sympathize with people with such horrible attitudes, then why is it so hard to just ignore them completely? It’s going against my character, and it’s going against my own common sense. Yet if I push these things out of my life, my life will turn up-side-down. What’s a poor puzzled panuki like me to do?

Well, if there’s one up-side to this whole Michael Jackson thing, it’s that it gave the entire world a huge lesson in the dangers of idol worship. So naturally, everybody else is writing about the same types of issues I’m having with this, and how they choose to resolve them. I looked at some of the things they wrote for answers. After looking at the opinions of several different people, I finally found the one article that rang with me the most, and it was written by Constance Grady of Vox. It’s called “What do we do when the art we love was created by a monster?”. You can read it here, but to put it more shortly, this woman basically looked to 3 different literary professors for advice and reference, and they all explained different ways of separating art from artist through different types of methods, created by classical literature theorists. Ms. Grady presented each one in her article, and how it works, to show that there are many different ways of handling a situation like this. To quote Ms. Grady: “All these tools are there, just waiting for me, just as they are waiting for you. And the moment we start to question how we should think about any work of art, we can pick them up and wield them accordingly.”

Another helpful piece of advice came, believe it or not, from Pete Davidson of “Saturday Night Live”, who gave a surprisingly insightful lecture on the “Weekend Update” segment of the show that basically said, that it’s OK if it feels right to let some artists go. But if there’s another artist whose work resonates with you on a personal level so much that they’ve become a part of your heart, you shouldn’t put them out of your life completely. But you should acknowledge that these people did bad things each time you enjoy their work. Basically, that just because someone is talented doesn’t mean that they’re just as good on the inside, and you should acknowledge that. One of the things he said was very smart: “Any time any of us listen to a song or watch a movie made by an accused serial predator, you have to donate a dollar to a charity that helps sexual assault survivors.” After reading all these articles, I found my final, set-in-stone stance on the matter, that bridges the gap between my morals and my enjoyment of a piece of art. Here’s what I think:

If you really don’t like what an artist did in real life, then directly rooting that to their art will only give the real person power over your brain, your fun, your happiness. My mommy told me that no matter what the original artist intended, a piece of art stands alone, and is open to interpretation by anybody who looks at it. Anybody. It’s what she told me to help me understand the appeal of abstract art. And on top of helping me separate art from artist, it also helps me read (some) fan-fiction without cringing, watch modern adaptations of classic books without being to critical, and on top of it all, it also mirrors the Barthes and Livingstone theory mentioned in Constance Grady’s Vox article.

Besides, acknowledging or enjoying their work doesn’t necessarily mean I support the people behind it (as far as their companies are concerned, at least). To these famous people, money is one of the most important things in the world–a lot of times, more important than other people. So unless you have some money to throw out, you’re completely anonymous as far as they’re concerned, because you’re not rewarding them for their work, even if you enjoy it.

The only time I’ll completely make an exception with any artist is if the work they make is too similar to their real life. For example, the Cartoon Network show “Clarence” is about a boy…named Clarence…who has a positive attitude, but things and does things in very weird ways. An eerie mirroring of Skyler Page, the creator, who was fired from Cartoon Network for grabbing the breasts of a crew member for “Adventure Time”, and was later revealed to be a complete mental case…by one of his best friends, who turned out to be the inspiration for one of Clarence’s own friends! (*shudders again!*)

The same thing is very real for R. Kelly, an R&B singer who I never took interest in or even listened to, but who is said to have a catalogue full of highly sexual songs, a lot of which regard age differences and mutual consent. (*shudders one last time.*)

As for Michael Jackson…I don’t really associate his songs or performances with his real self because, if you really think about it, it’s pretty obvious that his pop persona was way different from that. a lot of his popular hits never mention hanging out with little boys. He mentions girls, a lot of which actually prey on him…he also never mentions any of his child-like interests that he had in real life…in fact, I think the only connection the artist Michael has with the real Michael are a few songs that are based on the good side of him (his humanitarian values) and those that are based on his awful childhood, where he himself was abused (not sexually, but still abused) as a boy…which could actually be one of his reasons behind his own abuse crimes. Almost as if he had this secret mentality, like “if I couldn’t have a childhood, then no boy will.” Or maybe he became overly obsessed with male children because he felt like he was getting back a piece of his life that was stolen from him, but expressed his love and sentimentality for it in the most disgusting way possible. I’m not excusing it at all, I think it was still horrible and completely uncalled for. These are just a few theories I had.

Yes, these are all just my personal opinions. And of course, you shouldn’t take that, or any of my personal opinions, as the gospel truth just because you’re reading my blog–everybody has their own individual opinions. And if you haven’t really formed your own, I suggest getting opinions from everyone and everything around you–your friends, your parents, other news sources, other blogs–and see what other people have to say on the matter, and let what you find help you form your own. It’s just like building a puzzle–it takes more than one piece of information to get the full picture.

As for my big picture, the real Michael Jackson doesn’t exist, as far as I’m concerned, and doesn’t deserve to. Just his character that he plays on the stage. And just like the rest of the male characters I’m attracted to, he’s someone I’d never want to be around in real life–just pretty, talented, and charismatic. And in a world where always thinking about the little things can drive you completely insane, sometimes that’s all that really matters.

[starpiper3]

So Much More than I can Carry

I don’t know if anyone has come up with this idea yet but I really like the song since I’ve been walking on glass lately. I just thought that I could do something with a song that seems to relate to the fandom. As always, never know where to put the music videos so I’m just going to put it at the bottom, in case anyone hasn’t heard the song before.

Also, there will be a death, incase anyone is sensitive to deaths at the moment. I care deeply about the Mercy76 fandom and I don’t want anyone to get triggered while reading something they hoped to enjoy. 

I know I don’t really do author notes and such, but I feel that it needed to be said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m holding on

Why is everything so heavy?

I keep dragging around what’s keeping me down

Soldier huffed as he walked along the dirt path in the forest. The sound of crunching leaves echoed around him with every step. The sky was a cheery blue and a couple clouds were puffed up in the air. Even though he had rejoined forces with Overwatch, he still didn’t like how close he would be to everyone if he had lived on base. They had been recalled for some time now. A year and a half to be exact, was when he got the call. Without a moments hesitation, he accepted the recall and arrived as soon as he could. The second he showed up, all heads were cocked and all eye brows were raised. None of them could figure out why this masked man had responded to the call.

“And, you are?” Winston questioned. Everyone had their eyes on Soldier.

“Soldier 76,” he responded in a weak voice. There was a defining silence in the air, “Jack Morrison’s brother.” He lied.

“Brother?” Mercy cracked. She took a step towards him. Tracer put a hand on her arm, giving what little effort she had to hold her back. She wore her white lab coat, indicating that she had been one of the first people to respond to the call. Her hair was a a pony tail with her fringe out to the side, something that hadn’t changed after all the years. Her flawless skin glowed from the light with her broken smile that was plastered on her face as a frown.

He looked at Mercy for a very long time. He had never seen her so broken and hurt like this. Had she really kept her heart closed off to everyone else she loved? Was he really the only one who got to see into her heart?

Her petite figure was eventually a foot away from his. She reached out and touched his mask before letting her fingers skim over his forehead.

“I didn't know. He never said...” She trailed off. Tears were suddenly in her eyes as her heart began to ache once more. She quickly drew her hand back and held it close to her as if she were a wounded animal, “I... It was nice to meet you, but, I have to go.” She said as she darted off with tears streaming down her face.

Winston let out a sigh before saying, “you’ll have to excuse her. She’s been very sensitive to the recall.”

Soldier decided to play dumb and ask, “what happened?”

“She lost someone she held dear to her,” Pharah said in a quiet tone, “So far, every war she’s been through has taken someone or something away from her. She has nothing left.”

“Her parents, Strike Commander Morrison, granted, we all miss him, we all wish that he was still here with us. I’m sure you do too, seeing as he was your brother.”

Soldier gave a curt nod and scanned the rest of the group. They all looked very glum and down. Never before had he seen them like this.

Why is everything so heavy?

And I drive myself crazy thinking everything’s about me

The wooden door swung open and dust was rattled around in the air. Granted he came back to this place everyday, yet he never gave cleaning a second notice. Today, she wouldn't be here for long.

“Soldier?” She called out, “it’s time to go on a mission... Soldier?”

His body shot up in bed.

She hadn't knocked, she just let herself in.

Shit.

He scowled as he quickly searched for his mask to put on. Oh god... Where was it? His heart raced at the thought of her seeing him without his mask on. He couldn't go through that pain, never again. He couldn't bare to see the disappointment on her face and the agony in her eyes. Such a perfect human shouldn't have to feel such feelings. He swore to himself once more before he finally found it and put it on his face just in time.

“Soldier? I-” Mercy stopped in her tracks as she peaked into his room. There he stood. Ripped chest and boxers. His silvery hair did a number on her and his muscular arms didn't seem to help at all. She quickly looked away out of respect, but it gave Soldier enough time to notice that she was suited up with her wings tucked behind her body. Her golden blond hair was up in a pony tail like it always was, yet it some how made her look more stunning than ever before.

“I-”

“No need, it’s all good,” He said as he waved a hand at her. A light sweat had formed on his forehead ever since he searched for his mask, “anything you'd like to say? Inform me of?”

Mercy’s eyes darted up and down. It was only then did he realize he was practically naked. His cheeks burned red as he quickly threw some pants on, but it didn't seem to do Mercy and justice.

“I... mission in 5... Be there or we leave you behind.”

“Roger that Dr. Zieg-”

“Soldier, what did I tell you last night? Just call me Mercy ok?”

It’s not like I make the choice, to let my mind stay so fucking messy

Bomb shells shattered all around her, letting the memories swamp her damaged brain. She couldn't go through this, not again, not after losing Jack. Sure, they had Soldier on their side, his brother, that he never told her about, but it still didn't make up for his absence.

Suddenly, one had exploded next to her and the only thing she could hear was her own scream and her tight chest.

Mercy shot up from the covers on her bed. Sweat stained the sheets beneath her as well as her vibrant skin. She huffed and puffed hoping to slow her heart beat down, but nothing seemed to work. Her blond hair stuck to her skin in a wild manner with her hands shaking by her sides.

There was a knock on the door and whomever was on the other side let themselves in.

“Dr. Ziegler? Dr. Ziegler? Are you ok?” Soldier asked with half of his body in her room. Her head turned to him frantically before she let out a long sigh, “bad dream?”

She nodded her head as she curled up into a ball in the sheets.

“I’m fine,” she whimpered, “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“No no, it’s ok, I was just passing by.”

“Just passing by?”

“I...” he started, “I don't necessarily sleep at the OW facility. I have a small hut not too far away from the base... I only came to get some food. Then I heard you screaming.”

“Oh,” she said as her chest swelled, “I suppose...” She stopped herself. Why in the world would someone like him want to stay with her for a little longer?

“You suppose..?”

“Oh, never mind. Don't worry about it,” she grumbled as she rolled over in the bed.

“Would you... I don't know... like me to stay for just a little bit?” Without a second of hesitation, she looked over at him with her sparkling blue eyes and begged, “please?”

He gave a slight nod and walked over to her in bed. She made room for him to lay with her and the second his body touched the bed, she squirmed right up next to him, needing the comfort of another human.

He stroked her hair gently making sure to care for her in the best way possible. He wanted her to know that he was there for her, just like he’s always been. She was his everything and she still was, she just couldn't see under his mask. He let out a breath as she cuddled closer to him.

“Soldier?”

“Yes Mercy?”

“Why are you so kind to me?”

“Well...” he began, “You're just too kind of a person to not be cared for,” there was a pause, “besides, you remind me of the girl I used to love. Kind, caring, beautiful...” he trailed off.

There was a long silence between them and as the minuets passed by, Mercy started to lose her grasp on reality. She wanted to so desperately believe that the man under this mask was her lover, but she knew that his brother just wouldn't do for her. Granted, he cared for her the same way he did, spoke to her the same way he did, treated her the same way, yet, he was not the same person. She knew that deep down in her heart that she couldn't love anyone but him, there fore, she couldn't love him the same way.

She couldn't love him the same way she did Jack. 

Oh Jack....

“Sometimes,” she said sleepily, “I see him in you, and sometimes,” her voice was just a whisper, “I believe it really is you Jack....”

I know I'm not the center of the universe, but you keep spinning round me just the same

The minuet they landed, everyone was shoved off the air craft.

“That was just too small of a space for me man.” Lucio complained. 

“Hey, could've been worse,” Pharah pointed out, “besides, we don't have the money to fund Overwatch anymore, so we just have to use what we are given and what we have.”

“I hate when you have a point,” Lucio whined.

“We should be approaching Talon’s secret quarters.” Winston announced.

“They don't know we’re here do they? Like, are they gonna shoot us?”

“Of course they’re gonna try and shoot us,” Zarya huffed, “what would be holding them back?”

“A fair fight?”

“Oh come on you guys, I will be watching over you, no worries. Besides, I think this facility is vacant, right Winston?” Mercy asked.

“Most certainly. We’ve been keeping our eyes on this one for a long time.”

Once they had finally gotten to the entrance to the base, it was time to infiltrate.

“I’ll check just to make sure we’re good,” Tracer chirped as she darted inside. She was out within minuets of her entering, “all clear,” Tracer cheered as she zipped on into the building.

“Alright, remember, we are looking for any kind of evidence that suggests that Talon is after the other members of Overwatch. The only acts they are pulling off right now lead up to trying to take Overwatch down again. This means finding a screen, drive, anything that poses a threat to us. Just destroy it all,” Winston grunted as he headed inside. And with that, everyone had split up and were on their merry way.

~~~~~~

Mercy stalked the halls. Seeing as this so called ‘Secret Quarter’ seemed completely vacant, she thought that knew she could go in by herself. The halls she walked through were hollow to the bone and a gentle whisper hushed through the air. This place sent shivers down her spine. How could something be so empty when it was once so full. The loneliness she felt shook her bones.

The more rooms she creeped by, the more she began to wonder about the others. Was this a trap set up for them? Would they need her help? And if so, how would she ever find them.

“God Merc, why do you insist on going by yourself?” She questioned herself. Sighing, she decided to peak into one room. The door was slightly ajar and there was a glowing white light that shinned from the cracks. She took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open and what she saw boggled her mind.

They really weren't kidding when they said the were after us.

Her eyes went wide when they were greeted with dozens and dozens of screens lined up next to one another. They glowed a vibrant grey, unable to produce colors for the eyes to see. Hallways and different rooms were produced by the pixels and the images horrified her, yet she couldn't help but move closer and closer to the screens. Her breath was caught in her throat. Soldier was a smart cookie when it came to his secrets. He knew that there was everything to lose when it came to his life. And when he said that people were watching their every moves.

He wasn't lying.

Before her, glowed pictures of their base, the OVERWATCH head base. Their rooms, their conference rooms, the dinning hall, kitchen, hallways, recovery rooms, everywhere. The cameras were everywhere. They were watching their every move.

She slowly backed away from the screens only to bump into a body.

“Ah!” She swiftly turned around startled, “Oh,” she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the jacket the man was wearing, “Soldier, you gave me quite a-”

She looked up only to see an unfamiliar face looking back at her. It was masked and the only thing looking back at her were strange amber eyes. He swiftly reached out and grabbed her neck. Her ear piece was knocked out of place, leaving her unable to call for help. 

“Too easy,” the man snickered as a couple other bodies entered the room.

“Come on,” one of them said, “it’s time to get busy.”

I drive myself crazy cause I can’t escape the gravity.

Soldier was getting antsy. He didn't like the fact that Mercy was all alone in this so called “abandoned” building. He kept getting an ill feeling that something was going terribly wrong.

“Relax man, your shoulders are tense.”

“I’m sorry Winston, I just... I just have a bad feeling that Mercy is in trouble.”

“Oh I’m sure she’s fine, she’s a smart girl. She would've called for help if she needed it.”

“But... what if something or someone is preventing her from calling for help?”

“You have feelings for her don’t you.”

Soldier went quiet for the rest of the mission.

The pain was too much for her to bare.

“You lost the only one you loved! How does that feel? Mercy.” The men snickered and laughed at her as she was tied to a chair. They had a gag in her mouth, making her unable to scream for help. Only seldom whines left her body when they could.

For what felt like hours, Mercy was under relentless attack. Not physical, mental, attack. She wanted nothing more than to run away and escape these men. Sure, they had ripped her wing off and destroyed her suit, but that was all nothing compared to the things they were saying. 

“Your worthless Mercy. Worthless! you’ve let so many people down. Why they keep you on the team is beyond me!” The men laughed and all Mercy could do was cry. She was beyond broken, she was shattered into pieces.

“Poor Mercy, she couldn't even save her man, how weak.”

“How many of them even know that you broke the rules? You know what that’s called right? Betrayal”

“Will they ever trust you again after what we’ve been doing to you? They’ll think you’re giving us all of the answers. What trust will they give you then?”

“With all of your technology, the only person you’ve managed to save is your self. Selfish little girl.”

“You should’ve stayed far far away from them when Winston pulled a recall.”

And they continued to say horrid things

For hours.

“Alright sugar pea, you want the pain to stop don’t you?” At this point, Mercy didn't even respond. The men then proceeded to continue with their evil plan. They gently tilted her head to the side while removing the gag from her mouth. This is when she started to struggle.

“N-no!” She mustered out, “don't touch me!” She whimpered as them men held her down.

“You’ll feel a little prick-”

“Ahh!” She screamed out, “Hel-” The gag was quickly shoved back into her mouth.

In the cartilage deep inside of her ear, the men implanted a very small device. It was about the size of the tip of a needle and had one purpose and one purpose only.

“Now you can hear us when we’re near or far away sweetie. How does that sound?”

She looked at them with a tear stained face, her make up mixing with her tears.

The men chuckled before leaving her in the empty room as she passed out from exhaustion.

“There’s nothing here, I’ve looked everywhere!” Tracer exclaimed.

“It just doesn't make sense,” Winston huffed, “there has to be something, anything.”

The small group waited for everyone else to return so they could pile on the air craft and leave. It didn't take long for everyone to come together as one, the wait was on Mercy now.

“She should be here any minuet now,” only minuets quickly passed them by. No response and no appearance from her at all. Nothing.

“Something isn't right,” Soldier stiffened, “I told you! She’s in danger-”

A loud sheik suddenly filled their ears and Soldier was in a dead sprint the second he heard it. The rest of the group followed him through the long corridors. His breathing was heavy and his legs burned, but that didn't stop him from reaching his end goal: finding Mercy.

Finally, after mere minuets of searching, she was found. The sight horrified Soldier as his eyes landed on her. Suit torn to pieces and head down, she sat there unable to move any further than the bindings around her would allow. Her hair was mangled and messy and her face was caked with her tears. He should’ve known better than to let her go all alone.

“Mercy!” He cried out as he ran to her. He pulled out his heavy duty Swiss army knife and began to cut away at the ropes that held her immobile. She fell to the ground, as she was beyond unconscious. Her body was limp and her face was far from peaceful.

“Mercy...” Soldier whispered as he scooped her up from the cold hard ground, “I’m so sorry...”

“Is she ok?” Tracer asked as she zipped over to them, “oh no, Mercy my love...” The group grew quiet.

“Let’s go,” Soldier growled, “now.” Without any further questions, the group left the facility and piled on to the air craft. The air was tense and the group fell silent. They let Soldier sit alone with Mercy. They didn't want to piss him off any more than they had already.

Soldier hesitantly laid Mercy in her bed. He wanted to hold on to her for as long as possible. He didn't want to risk putting her life in danger ever again. There was just too much at stake. The team couldn't afford to lose their head medic.

“Come on Soldier, maybe food will put you at ease,” Pharah suggested, “besides, she needs her rest. She’s been through a lot.”

He sighed as he stood from his knelt position, “alright, but I won’t stay for too long.”

She nodded her head before he walked over to her. Gently closing the door behind him, not wanting to wake her, they headed towards the dining hall.

You say that I’m paranoid, but I'm pretty sure the world is out to get me

Not long after they left, the voices started again, waking Mercy with a startle.

“Wh-who goes there?” She chattered as she looked around the room, only there was no one to be found, she was alone.

I’m sorry love, did we wake you?

“Where are you guys?” In your head my dear.

Mercy gritted her teeth wishing that the voices would stop. She was already on the brink of losing her mind once again.

You know they really wouldn’t miss you all that much. You aren't that important to them. You could end it all and be free.

She laid down in her bed once again and hugged her knees to her chest. The voices continued to berate her for hours. There was no end them.

If I just let go, I’ll be set free

She went from being okay to going insane once again. She held her hands against her ears and rocked back and forth. It didn’t seem to do her much justice. She tried humming loudly to herself, only it seemed to intensify the voices.

Maybe she really was just a bad person that no one liked. Did the team really accept and trust her along with all of her mistakes? She started to question herself. She couldn’t be too certain. Her heart kept pounding in her chest and soon the pounding became a demonic chant.

If I just let go, I’ll be set free

She could ever so slowly feel herself lose her hold on reality. She no longer knew her rights from wrongs. Everything seemed to change. Her past became twisted and the truths became lies, lies became truths. It wasn’t long before she began to listen closely to the voices in her head.

Two little pills, that’s all it takes to make the pain end Mercy.

If I just let go, I’ll be set free

We know you have them. Little red and blue pills

If I just let go, I’ll be set free

You’ve been saving them for a rainy day, and today is set to pour.

If I just let go, I’ll be set free

Come on love, it’ll be quick and painless, over in mere seconds.

If I just let go, I’ll be set free

You can do it love, we’re counting on you.

If I just let go, I’ll be set free

“That’s it,” Mercy sobbed, “that’s it, you win, I’m done. I just want it to end.”

With tears cascading down her face, she ripped open her night stand drawer. She reached all the way back and managed to wiggle her hand out while holding a small white box.

No turning back, she thought as she opened the small lid. Inside, two colored pills laid parallel to each other. One red, and one blue, when taken together, a deadly combination. She snatched the glass of water off of her night stand and tilted her head back in panic, fear and frustration.

Without hesitation, she swallowed the two pills whole.

Why is everything so heavy?

Her cold body was in a painful position when they found her. Dried blood around her mouth and on the crystal white floor, eyes drained of their angelic luster. They were broken, they had no idea that this event was to come to them. Her radiant skin had turned dull and her lips and finger tips had turned blue.

“Mercy,” Soldier cried as he held her body close to his. He let his mask clatter to the ground. The group before him gasped as the reveal of the old vigilante and the death of their Mercy seemed to be too much for them to manage.

“I know it’s practically useless now, I was going to tell you, I swear. Mercy, it’s me, Jack Morrison, Mercy, it’s me.”

Why is everything so heavy?

(again, I know its awful (plot was not the greatest) and not the best (I know I started to rush at the end), but hey, rough times call for rough measures.)

Always open to comments 

~Starpiper3

[ncstings]

#3 a kiss on the forehead: georgia & benjamin

she’d probably never get used to walking down those halls. they’re cold, a bit musty--- frankly they make her feel like she should either be way smarter, or have way more money. but hey, she couldn’t imagine benjamin teaching anywhere else. 

it wasn’t like most times. most time she had the intention of entering his office and having him throw everything off his desk just so he can ravish her in the way she deserves. this time was a bit different. she knew his office hours would be coming to a close soon, but she didn’t mind waiting in the hall until he was done. 

she hears chatter coming from down the hall, only to grow louder until she finally looks up to see two ladies walking together. she clicks off her phone and listens to them.

“he called me girl last week and i nearly passed out.” one of them says. it’s enough to peak georgia’s interest, listening closer. she sees out of the corner of her eyes as they start to slow down. 

“sometimes i don’t even care what he’s saying i just close my eyes and listen.” the other one says.

ah. georgia can’t help but smirk. mostly because yeah, she’s been there too. a lot. she figured she’d be over it by now but sometimes it hits her. sometimes they’ll be laying on the couch or at the dinner table or in the kitchen and he’ll say something and it knocks her out. fully renders her speechless for a few seconds. there’s of course the times she can’t even understand him but even then she still finds it attractive.

“you ever hear him swear?” georgia finds herself speak up. the girls are lingering not far from her, they since stopped walking and seem to be loitering, or waiting for something. she figured, why not. “heard him say ‘fuck’ the other day and i’m pretty sure i lost it.”

the girls look at her, eyes gaping. there were a few moments of silence and she’s not sure if she broke them by them imagining what that might sound like, or they were just weirded out some stranger started talking to them.

one of the girls finally looks away, clicking her tongue. “i knew he was different with the grad students. tyler told me he heard he’s way more chill.”

grad student? georgia looks down at herself. she’s dressed in her pencil skirt, blouse, and long dusty pink coat. her hair’s still a bit wavy from curling it yesterday but she put it in a pony. did she look like a woman of science? god she didn’t think so. to be imagined in a room full of nerds talking about potions or whatever it was he taught.

“yeah,” she nods though. why not roll with it. “still not any easier though.” she shrugs. 

one of the girls sigh, slumping down into one of the chairs. “sucks he’s married.”

uhm. 

georgia inhales a speck of spits and breaks into a fit of coughs, putting a hand over her chest. that definitely wasn’t what she heard. “i’m sorry, what?”

the girl who’s still standing gives her a sympathetic look. “last semester someone saw him wearing a wedding band for a bit.” she fishes out her phone, pulling up a picture to show her. “it was just for a short time but we figured since he’s such an unorthodox guy he just doesn’t wear it sometimes.” she shrugs. “there was also the time he brought up his wife in class.”

georgia looks at the photo. kids were sneaky little shits. sure enough, there was benjamin in front of the whiteboard, sweater on his chest, stubble on his jaw--- looking handsome as per usual, but with a wedding band on his outstretched hand. gold, glimmering in the florescent light.

“well what did he say about this elusive wife?” she leans back from the phone. this answer would be super important.

“clarie, you were there that day, what did he say?” the girl turns to the one in the seat, waiting for a response.

“oh uh, he was talking about some molecular chemical reaction and then he was like ‘my wife told me i sound boring when i bring up this up so i made a fun power point’ and then he showed that presentation where he danced.” she rolls her eyes in a huff. “what i wouldn’t give to be that man’s wife.”

well how about that. first off, nice to know she’s the wife in this situation and not some secret woman. second off, a dance? she would certainly have to inquire about it more. “yeah me too.” she chuckles, though sounds like she might already be halfway there.

“are you here for a meeting with him?” the girl in the chair asks.

“yeah, something like that.” she presses her lips together, hoping the questions don’t get too specific.

the door opens, and a young man walks out, thanking benjamin before he’s soon following behind him, standing in the doorway to the hall. he looks at the sight of the girls first, right in front of him, then turns his head and looks down at her, a bit shocked. “hey,” but there’s a smile on his lips, “i didn’t know you were coming.”

“i wanted to surprise you.” she smiles back. from the corner of her eyes, she sees the two girls glued to the situation in front of them. “i wanted to do something nice.”

his eyebrows raise, looking to the girls for a moment before leaning in a bit, twisting his torso to try and cut them off a bit. “the typical nice or---... something different.”

“different.” she nods, reaching up to put her hand on his chest. “but you should help these girls out first.”

it takes a moment for him to look away from her. maybe not the typical look of undressing her with his eyes but the kind of look when he hasn’t seen her in a while and he’s drinking up every ounce of her. like he forgot. or like his memories didn’t do her justice. or maybe just looking at her overwhelmed him.

“ladies.” he straights his back. “office hours end in just a few minutes i hope you can make it quick.”

“claire has a question about the assignment. we were coming out of another class and figured to just drop by on our way back home.” the one still standing speaks up, and the girl named claire raises from her chair, giving an awkward smile. they’re both looking uncomfortable, to different degrees from the sight they just saw.

“benjie, can you please save these girls and yourself the future trouble and introduce me.” georgia sighs, standing up from her seat.

he clears his throat, entering the hall fully. “is it really that important.” he says quietly, looking down at her.

“they think you’re married, asshole, and they think i’m your grad student.” she glares.

“well now that’s a lie you could have solved yourself.”

“you called me your wife.” she states hastily.

that gets him to shut up. also gets a blush to creep over his face and she knows she caught him red handed. so he clears his throat, and addresses the girls again. “ladies, this is my girlfriend georgia.” his tone was a bit exhausted. “she is not my student she is a very talented wedding planner. i am not married i simply wear the ring sometimes and make those comments when i am uncomfortable.” it was recited like a speech, and he sounded tired by the whole ordeal.

“what do you mean when you’re uncomfortable?” claire speaks up, but they’re still looking at georgia.

“she’s so young.” the other squints.

“i am old at heart.” georgia puts her hand on her chest.

“no you’re not.” benjamin rolls his eyes, and she smirks at him, smacking his hip. he looks back at claire. “sometimes students can be a bit... overzealous towards me. usually they back off if i wear the ring or drop a hint.”

georgia frowns. she knows he’s attractive, but the idea that he’s ever be uncomfortable in his own class space with girls who are a bit too forward, hurts her. she knows the girls in front of her aren’t those types. they are the type to gossip and fantasize, but georgia was like that in college too so who is she to judge?

“oh.” one of them says. 

benjamin reaches up to rub his jaw. “what’s your question claire?”

claire instantly reaches into her shoulder bag to pull out one of her textbooks, and she approaches him to ask her question. georgia’s tuned it out at this point since she’s got no clue what they could be talking about, but she approaches the other. “were you expecting some old hag as his wife?” georgia smiles

“well shit i was hoping.” she smiles back. “thought it’s not a huge surprise. though i would have figured he’d gone with another stem gal.”

georgia hums and nods. “mmm, i think he probably likes having a person with a job he knows nothing about.” she shrugs. “and i know nothing about his.” she pauses for a moment. “hey, do you have a video of that presentation? he was dancing or something?”

“ah,” she nods, getting her phone out again. she makes a few taps and holds it out. sure enough. the video plays. the lights are off and even though there’s light through the windows, it’s pretty dark. there’s club music playing and the screen flashes with some party lights as benjamin starts to dance and jump around, also explaining some sort of reaction she’d never understand. there’s some laughter in the class, most people have their phones up. he doesn't stop. it goes on for longer than she’d ever thought and she’s shocked he can talk and move around like that without sounded completely unintelligible. she can hear herself snickering, and when it ends, she hads the phone back. “well did it work? did you learn it?”

“yeah i guess.” she shrugs. 

“hey.” benjamin taps her forearm. he now, got his coat over his arm and bag over his shoulder. “you ready?”

“you done?”

“it really was a quick question.” he smiles, looking back to the girls. “ladies, i hope you have a lovely evening. please don’t try and let this newfound information run too rampant but i understand i can’t control you.” he smirks. 

georgia waves, her other hand soon taken in his. when they’re a bit away, she turns to look at him. “you just keep a wedding band laying around?”

he shrugs. “it really does get weird sometimes.” 

she pouts, leaning over to kiss behind his ear. “i’ll fight off all the thirsty girls for you.” she brushes back some of his hair.

“that’s very reassuring. don’t think that’s really appropriate though.”

“well, as long as you know it, that’s what’s important.” she shrugs. “saw that video of you dancing.” she says as he pushes the door open for them, leading them to the crisp spring air.

“did you now?” he raises his eyebrow. 

“you don’t have that kind of energy for me.”

“oh i definitely do.” he nods, giving her a tight look. “but you wouldn’t give a shit about molecular redox reactions so i just channel that energy into fucking you.” he shrugs, fishing for his keys. “my car?”

she snorts. “fair point.” she looks around the parking lot. “we’re actually not going far we could just walk.”

“oh?” he says, intrigued. “what do you have played for us this evening, love?”

she grins, nudging him onto the patch of grass until he’s against a tree. “you know you’re still not off the hook for calling me your wife.” she brushes their noses together.

“you want to make me regret it?”

“you gonna keep calling me your wife when people flirt with you?”

“you want that?”

“i don’t mind being called your wife.” she looks over him, her grin fading just the smallest bit. “i know that’s not where we’re at but i don’t mind the sound of it.” she reaches up, her nail tracing his jaw. “and i hate thinking about anyone making you uncomfortable and i want you to know that even if i’m not there physically, i don’t mind you using me to keep yourself safe.” her other hand presses to his chest. “i know i’m batshit but i’ll never be offended or hurt if it’s to keep yourself out a situation you don’t want to be in.”

he looks down at her, finger tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. leaning forward, he presses his lips to her forehead. “you’re my kind of batshit, though.”

she hums. “don’t think you’re not crazy either.” she points a finger to his chest. “that girl said she thought you’d be married to some old science hag and i was being to polite to say you’re much too off your rocker to handle a woman so well put together.”

he laughs, tilting his head back. his eyes crinkle at the corners and she’s sure her heart bursts while she watches. making him laugh like that always put her on some other level. making him laugh felt more powerful than making him hard. 

“you know i think you’re right.” he kisses her forehead again and nudges her off to continue on their walk. “now take me to this mystery place.”

“yes.” she nods, taking hold of his hand again. “away we go.”

[nulledscripts5]

*NEW* STARTER PACK SKIN! THE ACE SHOWCASE WITH ALL FORTNITE EMOTES & NEW DANCES! (New Fortnite Skin)

*NEW* Fortnite Starter Pack Skin “The Ace Skin” also known as the New Starter Pack Skin! Fortnite The Ace Skin was just got released in Fortnite Battle Royale as the New Fortnite Starter Pack Skin. This New Starter Pack Skin costs $5 and you will get The Ace Skin, Swag Bag back bling and 600 VBucks. The Cuddle Team Leader skin costs 2000 VBucks, Darn Vanguard skin costs 2000 VBucks, Love Ranger skin costs 2000 VBucks, Deep Space Lander glider costs 1200 VBucks, Orbital Shuttle glider costs 1200 VBucks, Tat Axe pickaxe costs 800 VBucks, Electro Shuffle emote dance costs 800 VBucks, Flippin Sexy emote costs 500 VBucks, Dazzle skin costs 1200 VBucks, Spectre pickaxe costs 800 VBucks, Buckled back bling costs 800 VBucks and Jungle Scout skin costs 800 VBucks. This epic The Ace skin costs comes a long with epic Swag Bag back bling and 600 VBucks.

This skin is showcased with all my current Fortnite emotes and dances collection. The dances and emotes showcased with The Ace skin are: Dance Therapy, Shake It Up, Capoeira, Fancy Feet, Job Well Done, Boogie Down, Intensity, Living Large, Hand Signals, Breakdown, Breakin, Disco Fever, Electro Shuffle, Freestylin, Fresh, Groove Jam, Hula, Pop Lock, Reanimated, Rocket Rodeo, Squat Kick, Star Power, The Robot, True Heart, Baller, Best Mates, Boneless, Calculated, Chicken, Confused, Dab, Eagle, Flapper, Flippin Incredible, Flippin Sexy, Floss, Hootenanny, Hype, Infinite Dab, Kick Ups, Kiss Kiss, Laugh It Up, Make it Rain, Orange Justice, Popcorn, Pure Salt, Rambunctious, Rawr, Ride the Pony, Rocket Spinner, Step it Up, Swipe It, Take the L, The Worm, Tidy, Twist, Wiggle, You’re Awesome, Zany, Breaking Point, Bring It, Brush Your Shoulders, Click, Dip, Face Palm, Finger Guns, Finger Wag, Gentleman’s Dab, Gun Show, Jubilation, Red Card, Respect, Rock Paper Scissors, Salute, Slow Clap, Snap, Sparkler, Take 14, Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up, True Love, Waterworks, Wave, and the default dance called as Dance Moves.

New Dances: Dance Therapy emote, Shake It Up emote, Capoeira emote, Fancy Feet emote and Job Well Done emote.

Other Unreleased Emotes: Intensity emote and Storm Salutation emote.

Fortnite Item Shop August 25: ➤ Cuddle Team Leader skin ➤ Dark Vanguard skin ➤ Love Ranger skin ➤ Deep Space Lander glider ➤ Orbital Shuttle glider ➤ Tat Axe pickaxe ➤ Electro Shuffle dance ➤ Flippin Sexy emote ➤ Dazzle skin ➤ Spectre pickaxe ➤ Buckled back bling ➤ Jungle Scout skin

This content is made by Cinema Of Gaming. If you steal this video there will be consequences from us. Same with video thumbnail. If you have any questions, send a email to our business email all the way down below.

► Download Fortnite Battle Royale for PC & PS4 here: https://goo.gl/o5rsQD ► Are you new here? Subscribe now! ► 🔔 Turn on notifications 🔔 So, you don’t miss any of our great videos!

► Don’t forget to like the video, to add favorites & SUBSCRIBE!

► I do not take any ownership of music displayed in this video. Ownership belongs to the respected owner(s). Used under fair use policy.* Music used for entertainment purposes only.

► For business inquires and copyright related issues email us: COGBusinesses@outlook.com

As always, Family Friendly Content 🙂

from https://battleroyalefortnite.club/new-starter-pack-skin-the-ace-showcase-with-all-fortnite-emotes-new-dances-new-fortnite-skin/

[tigerlover16-uk]

I'm gonna be that person and ask you ALL of them! ;P (Also I've been meaning to message you lately!!)

... Well, I walked right into this one. Oooookay then, let’s do it.

1. selfie

N/A

2. what would you name your future kids?

Good question. I’ll answer you when I have any and I’ve made up my mind.

Seriously though, I have no idea. It’d probably depend on how I feel at the time and how my possible future wife would feel. I’d like to name any kids I have after characters I’m fond of, maybe Peter for a boy after Peter Parker. Probably give him Clark as a middle name too after superman. On the off chance I ever marry a Japanese woman though I’d insist we name our son Goku, but that’s a very specific situation so I don’t see it happening.

I guess if I ever had a daughter I’d name her Prima after my mother.

3. do you miss anyone?

My mother, my paternal grandparents, and all of my old pets that have passed away.

4. what are you looking forward to?

Tonight’s Dragon Ball Super episode and the My Little Pony movie. Also, my dog’s having puppies in a week, so that’s exciting.

5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?

My mum probably could have

6. is it hard for you to get over someone?

Are we talking in a romantic relationship ending sense or a friendship ending sense? If it’s the former I have no idea, no dating experience. It does take me a while to get over not talking to a friend anymore, but I cope pretty easily after a while. I like keeping to myself for the most part, I don’t have a lot of friends offline so it’s not too big a deal for me.

7. what was your life like last year?

Pretty meh, had a number of ups and downs, some really bad days, and some very good ones. And of course I discovered just how unbearably frustrating and depressing politics can really be and how much America and my own country make me want to bang my head against a wall. So, not a great year, but for me personally I coped alright. I just wish I’d done more to move forward with my life, like finding a full time job. i’m stuck in part time and I’m still looking.

8. have you ever cried because you were so annoyed?

I don’t think I’ve cried for that kind of reason. I usually only cry if I’m very sad or depressed over something, extreme annoyance tends to manifest in anger, ranting and fidgeting for me.

9. who did you last see in person?

My dad. He’s downstairs from me. Same as my sister. I just got back from seeing my nan aswell.

10. are you good at hiding your feelings?

Don’t think so.

11. are you listening to music right now?

No

12. what is something you want right now?

A cola lolly. I just finished the one I had.

13. how do you feel right now?

Alright.

14. when was the last time someone of the opposite sex hugged you?

My nan about an hour and a half ago when I left her house.

15. personality description

Nice and well meaning, and also a big idiot with low self esteem and easily frustrated, but ready to do whatever I can to help.

16. have you ever wanted to tell someone something but you didn’t?

Yes. Can’t think of any specific cases right now

17. opinion on insecurities.

They sure are worrisome?

18. do you miss how things were a year ago?

NO!

19. have you ever been to New York?

Nope. Only other countries besides Wales I’ve said foot in are England, Kenya, and Ibiza.

20. what is your favourite song at the moment?

None. I don’t really have favourite songs

21. age and birthday?

23 and February 7th

22. description of crush.

Non-existent.

23. fear(s)

Spiders

death

disappointing people

failure

24. height

No idea. I never measure myself. Around six feet though, I would imagine

25. role model

Real life: Jesus Christ, Lewis “Linkara” Lovhaug, my mother, Stan Lee.

Fictional: Peter Parker, Clark Kent, Son Goku, Steve Rogers

26. idol(s)

Isn’t this the same thing as role models? If so, then the above examples basically qualify. If this is the music term, then none.

27. things i hate

Pretty much every selfish, cruel, hateful and all around bad trait that people can have. Also, Sports. I HAAAAAAATE sports.

28. i’ll love you if…

You give me money :P

Kidding. I’ll love anyone just so long as they’re kind hearted, thoughtful and nice to me.

29. favourite film(s)

It always varies depending on how I feel at any given time. Some examples would probably include Spider-man 2, DBZ: Battle of Gods, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Wolf Children, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tangled, The Avengers and Rugrats: The movie

30. favourite tv show(s)

Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z/Dragon Ball Super, Spider-man: The Animated series, Rugrats, Ed Edd n Eddy, My Hero Academia, Power Rangers Wild Force, Justice League, Spectacular Spider-man, Digimon Tamers, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

31. 3 random facts

I named my first cat Socks.

I Didn’t realize there had ever been any cast changes on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers until Kimberly left because I missed the episode writing out Jason, Zack and Trini, so I somehow didn’t notice that the black and yellow rangers were being played by actors of completely different races in the later parts of season 2 and season 3 until years after the fact. No, seriously, I was just that stupid as a really little kid.

Once when I was a kid I drew on the walls of my parents bedroom to make the place look like a jungle, as well as drawing whiskers and animal markings on me and my sister’s faces. I don’t remember it honestly, but I can tell my parents were mad about it.

32. are your friends mainly girls or guys?

In school most of them were boys, same for at work because there are only two women at the kennels compared to two male co-workers and my male employer. Online I’m friends with more girls than guys though.

33. something you want to learn

How to make YouTube reviews in the style of Brony Analysts like Silver Quill and Commander Firebrand. I’d like to make reviews of animation and comics, and comics related media into a hobby. but I have no idea where to start.

34. most embarrassing moment

I tend to repress those memories straight to heck, so I can’t tell you

35. favourite subject

Anything involving learning about animals.

36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill?

Being rich.

have a pet tiger.

Bring about world peace.

Something tells me none of them are coming true any time soon though. But hey, most dreams are unrealistic.

37. favourite actor/actress

I sincerely have no idea. Very hard to pick, and I don’t follow any actors religiously

38. favourite comedian(s)

Linkara

39. favourite sport(s)

NONE!

40. favourite memory

My holidays to Africa

41. relationship status

Single

42. favourite book(s)

The Harry Potter series, the Dragon Ball manga

43. favourite song ever

N/A

44. age you get mistaken for

Hasn’t really happened to me yet.

45. how you found out about your idol

No idea.

46. what my last text message says

“Can you pick up the prescription on your way home please?”

-My dad, in relation to his and my sister’s medication I picked up from the doctor’s. I actually couldn’t pick it up until the next day, but I forgot to tell him that sooner.

47. turn ons

If you mean this in the way I think you mean, then I’m not answering.

48. turn offs

See above.

49. where i want to be right now

Marathoning One Piece. I’m going to do that in a minute.

50. favourite picture of your idol

NA

51. starsign

Aquarius

52. something i’m talented at

Walking dogs

53. 5 things that make me happy

Cartoons

Cute animals

Video games

comic books

Anime

54. something thats worrying me at the moment

I have to book an appointment with the dentist soon.

55. tumblr friends

hayley566, perladelsur2000, dbzebra, and supersexyghotmew95 are the most notable. I’m not sure who else really considers me a friend, it’s not like I talk with everyone else a lot.

56. favourite food(s)

Fried chicken, pizza, salt and vinegar or sour cream and onion pringles, chocolate

57. favourite animal(s)

Tigers

58. description of my best friend

I can’t pick a best friend

59. why i joined tumblr

Just felt like it. Seemed like as good a website as any to start using, I followed a few youtubers I liked like Linkara and Joshscorcher on here anyway. Also, my friend Hayley566 was on here, so that was pretty convenient

60. ask me anything you want

Was there anything you wanted to ask?

[porgiamor]

Friday December 23rd, 2016; about two weeks after SoloRecitalDebut @arraymusic, I decided to book a couple hours in the morning to do some live video shoots of myself performing so I could promote my future recording project. It was stressful because I had so much to accomplish in the span of 120 minutes: Shoot Eight music videos all live takes, and record a couple audio tracks, again all live takes. And who was responsible for all of this - Me, Myself and I. Yet on this cool crisp morning I felt energized because I was coming off the high of giving a concert on Mon, Dec 5th, and I was looking forward to outdoing myself. The challenge was to capture the magic of the concert experience on video and present myself simply as I had done a couple weeks earlier, but with even more commitment, passion and refinement. Today I was going to work to be my own booking manager, my own videographer, my own artistic director, my own singer and all this was to be accomplished on a shoestring budget. This was my personal "dog and pony show", and I did the work and I was so proud of the results. here's why: Come Again Sweet Love is an English Elizabethan song composed by John Dowland. It has been around forever, well not quite exactly but it has been in existence for centuries and it's classified by Western musicologists as "early music". And I was determined to put my own personal stamp on this work because sometimes when a song enters your life, it has a subtle yet powerful energy that latches onto your body, mind and soul. The song becomes you, and you become the song. David was not fond of my love for English song. He wanted to cut this out from the recital program. So I stood my ground. I explained to him that almost every opera singer and too many countless counter tenors, etc. do not do this song justice. Their performances always left me wanting... When a singer debuts a music video and music album, what an artist is saying to the world at large is: This is my vocal contract with you. When you hear me - YC Lee, this is the type of performance and the type of voice that you are going to receive. It is full voice, not a croon, not a childlike voice. I sing with full breath, full support and a mature sound that is growing even more mature as I am typing this blog in April 2017. I learned that through my own process of self-discovery that a singer has only two choices throughout his/her career. They can remain stagnant and be happy with their voice in a state of Unarrested Development and vocal immaturity; or they can make something of themselves and build the voice by adding more strength, agility, refinement and beauty. So this is why I fought tooth and nail with David to keep this simple yet substantial song in the recital. I wanted to welcome all my listeners with this first piece because it is deceptively easy to learn yet a hard song to master. It is a strophic song which talks alot about endless misery, but is cheerfully happy sounding due to its major tonality. The melodic line asks a question during the first half of the song and is answered with a melodic climax during the second half of the song. I acheived clear diction by avoiding unnecessary consonants and by doing the opposite. I treated this song like a bel canto Italian aria - I sang with the vowels. An opera singer I greatly admire is Joan Sutherland. Her voice was like ribbons of pearls and silver rippling away and it was a powerful voice that glowed and radiated. This is what I strive after in my voice too: a big beautiful stream of warmth to wrap my listeners with... She was always criticized for her lack of diction to which I reply that her way of singing was way more relaxed and beautiful to the listener because she did not let the words get in the way. Just listen to her performance of Casta Diva by Bellini. My answer to people who say "well, i didn't really understand her diction..." is simply go look it up on google and find the damn words yourself! If you're too lazy to comprehend the Italian from Bellini's Norma then you go make the effort to read the original libretto. And so underneath my vimeo video for Come Again Sweet Love (in the description) I do provide the words for you my lovelies. I made my artistic choices and I am happy to defend them. Why am I so proud of this acheivement? I did a couple unique things which I rarely hear from others. First off, the opening phrase of the second stanza, "Come again that I may cease to mourn through thy unkind disdain" - I perform all in one breath. It is a nearly impossible task to sing all in one breath with full voice. This can only be accomplished if the body is fully connected with proper bel canto technique. The full impact of the English diction is made more powerful if performed this way. Also I create my own climax and add to the grandness of this song by ascending to the high octave "A" at the very end. And it is not delivered weak. It is sung triumphantly as in the original lyrics "for mighty triumph laughs" and this further illustrates the artly poetry. I think John Dowland would be proud. I think he would have said, "Thanks YC for being the reactionary badazz that you are and for putting your unique Canadian impression on this old English dinosaur of a piece, and reinventing a brand new version and creating a new artistic vision".