#scott cortez

[lovejustforaday]

Shoegaze Classics - Xuvetyn

Xuvetyn - Lovesliescrushing (1996)

Main Genres - Ambient, Shoegaze, Ethereal Wave, Experimental

A decent sampling of: Drone, Noise, Dream Pop, Post-Rock, Neo-Psychedelia

I'm not gonna lie - I'm super excited to gush about this record. I've been meaning to get around to reviewing this bountiful, fascinating little gem for years now. Let's hope that I can do this often unsung masterpiece the much needed justice that it deserves.

🙙

I touched on this previously in my Ride review, but for all of the talk of the 'Big 3' of shoegaze, I think that many of the younger shoegaze fans these days would agree that Slowdive and My Bloody Valentines' discographies are a cut above the Ride catalogue. Not to diss on the band, but the Big 3 is really starting to feel more like a Big 2 these days, with Slowdive's relevance to new fans only increasing over time whilst Ride's relevance seems to be stagnating.

This has left a potential vacuum in the consensus online. Don't get me wrong; plenty are still going to champion Ride as one of the giants of shoegaze, and most folks that were around for the original scene that celebrated itself are most likely still diehard for Ride as the scene's closest group to being mega rockstars.

But in terms of the legacy of 90s shoegaze, could there still be a record that is missing from all-time canonization? One that has oft been overlooked when discussing this supposed "Big 3"? Is one of indie rock's most beloved and revisited eras still hiding an elusive diamond in the rough?

In case it wasn't already obvious, that's the case I'm going to be making today. And I don't think I'm entirely alone on this one. Few shoegaze bands from the 90s have had such a considerable late resurgence like this band, though they've always had a cult following.

Today I'll be making the case for Lovesliescrushing, the creative juggernauts behind the 1996 experimental ambient shoegaze masterpiece Xuvetyn.

The Band

Lovesliescrushing are one of the rare American bands of the original 90s wave.

The project began in 1991 as the brainchild of avant-garde guitarist and producer Scott Cortez, who teamed up with the apparitional soprano voice of singer Melissa Arpin-Duimstra, a vocalist who more than any other shoegaze vocalist before or since has dedicated her artistry to using the singing voice as a medium to carry and modulate the properties of sound timbre first and foremost.

Daringly, Lovesliescrushing as a band decided to forego having a rhythm section altogether. Not even a drum machine. The band's radical ethos right from its inception would seem to have been to distill shoegaze rock music down to a purified elemental substance, achieving the platonic ideal by creating an undisturbed solution of dense and glorious blended textures.

Indeed, where reverberated guitar sounds with bizarre effects and blended vocals were what set apart bands like Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, and Curve from being otherwise ordinary indie/alternative rock bands, the qualities I just described encompassed the near-entirety of Lovesliescrushing's early output, taking the concept of the subgenre to its logical extreme.

The band pioneered what is essentially the fusion of ambient music and shoegaze, a match made in heaven as far as I'm concerned. This marriage of genre ethos would give way to some of the most unyielding sublime auditory sensations that I have ever been so fortunate to have experienced.

Lovesliescrushing also had one foot steeped firmly in the murky waters of ethereal wave (particularly on the sophomore record), the goth subgenre which served as shoegaze and dream pop's most apparent predecessor and influence. Indeed, some of the band's material can be seen as building upon the prototypical blueprint that can be found in Cocteau Twins' fourth LP Victorialand which similarly removed the rhythm section in order to create pure blissful atmosphere.

Some may see Cortez's work as hero worship, and I've heard a dozen or so folks accuse this band of being "My Bloody Valentine without the melodies and drums", but this is a grossly reductionist take that does a huge disservice to just how brazenly groundbreaking and experimental this band's early work was at the time and still remains to this day.

Lovesliescrushing also regularly made their foray into other schools of experimental music like drone, sound collage, and harsh noise, incorporating these ideas into their creative process. Some of their material even sounds like experimental music with no apparent roots in any particular legacy whatsoever.

This is honestly some very radical music. I can't think of much of anything really quite like early Lovesliescrushing. Perhaps MBV is one of the closest points of reference, but then only because they were a shoegaze band that also sounded quite unlike anything at the time.

Information on the beginnings of this band is scant on the internet compared to many other shoegaze artists, and they were never well-documented by the alternative music press the way that bands like Slowdive or even Catherine Wheel were. And as far as the North American scene goes, Drop Nineteens definitely overshadowed their popularity.

I think it's a fair assessment to say that Lovesliescrushing were truly underground in the band's formative years. I remember only as far back as 2017, when I was just getting into this band through online recommendations, that even many avid fans of Slowdive and MBV had never even heard of this band. But I digress.

Lovesliescrushing released their debut LP Bloweyelashwish twice: first as a casette tape in 1992 on their own indie label with a shorter track listing, and then as a longer full-length album in 1993 on Projekt Records, with newer recordings and mastered versions of the songs.

Bloweyelashwish is a beautiful record in its own right. More generally noisy and droning than its successor, with crunchier guitar sounds, blown out distortion, and a listless melancholic atmosphere. Somewhat closer to very early Sonic Youth, or some of A.R. Kane's weirdest output. What the record does somewhat lack, at least in comparison to its successor, is relative cohesion.

Nevertheless, some very brilliant tracks on the debut LP. "Babysbreath" is music for when you need to smother your tears in a pillow with all of the lights off, "Sugaredglowing" is one of my favourite ambient tracks ever (and a surprisingly potent form of migraine relief), and "youreyesimmaculate" is a stunning and ethereal foreshadowing of what was to come next.

Speaking of which...

The Record

Xuvetyn is... what even is it?

Xuvetyn is a series of documented sound frequencies that would be made by a sentient, shimmering blue light galaxy consisting entirely of trillions upon trillions of frozen ice shard particles. Alternatively, it is the contradictory sound of the bitter coldness of the universe itself caressing the listener in a warm cocoon.

The fact that most of all of this is accomplished with guitar, pedal, vocals, and some studio effects here and there is still unfathomable to me. That is an incredible feat in itself.

Judging solely by the ability to create awe-inspiring atmosphere, I don't believe that there is any other shoegaze band that has managed to accomplish the level of mastery that Lovesliescrushing consistently demonstrates on this record. Yes, If Loveless was the zenith of shoegaze texture, then Xuvetyn is the zenith of shoegaze atmosphere. Completely surreal and captivating.

As I've described the band's sound itself, Xuvetyn really is the concept of shoegaze distilled into its essence, then manipulated ever so slightly with a delicate songcraft and expertise, in order to give these tracks a semblance of form and structure. But make no mistake - there is no solid seabed foundation to this ocean of resonant sounds like there would be on any other shoegaze record. No, this is just infinite, icy sonic fluid that flows all the way down into a multi-dimensional abyss. And holy fuck is it ever beautiful.

Which is not to say that there is no songwriting here - just that it is incredibly subtle. But also incredibly effective.

People who generally don't care for or listen to ambient music often stereotype the genre as being uninteresting, low-effort, or too non-descript, when in fact all of the truly greatest ambient musicians know that making a masterpiece is about learning how to do miraculous things with precious little. It requires immense patience (as does the listener sometimes), a keen ear for detail, and meticulous perfectionism. Unsurprisingly, Scott Cortez strikes me as being just that kind of guy.

The album is a double LP in length, with an hour and sixteen minutes runtime and a listing of 18 tracks. Most songs generally run over the five minute mark, with the A, B, and C sides of the record all padded out every one or two tracks with these really curious little intermissions that are generally less than a full minute each.

These intermissions are often the most experimental recordings on the album, like the abrasive hailstorm noise collage of "Aquan 1" and the gloomy factory white noise of "Hum VIbralux". I could see how someone might want to omit these, but personally I think it adds to the record's pacing by giving it room to breathe, and they made the right decision to let up for the last set of tracks. Plus, the little intermissions are all so deliciously weird that it kinda reminds me of the way that your brain will just plant these bizarre, inexplicable little blips in the middle of your dreams sometimes.

Also hey, can I just nerd out about something really silly for a second? Has anyone ever noticed how a bunch of the track names on this record end in an "-ed"? "Threaded", "Handed", "Blue-Eyed", "Honeyed", "Blooded". Just another cute little detail, adding to the esoteric nature of this record, and I appreciate the alliteration.

OKAY, let's just get to the track by track analysis already.

Admittedly this is one of those records that hits you with the very best it has to offer right out of the gate. Listening to "Valerian (Her Voice Honeyed)" is among the most sublime feelings I have ever experienced in my life, literally ever. Not just in music but like, anything.

Think of any familiar place, or perhaps a virtual space in a piece of media, that held a sort of transcendental significance to you during your childhood, as though it carried a life of its own, a place that you may have revisited in your warmest dreams - for me, it's the lost woods in Ocarina of Time. Think of the sensation that those transcendent spaces would give you.

This track is that same sensation, only on steroids. As soon as that heavy ambient wall fades into the foreground and the sense of infinity takes hold, this gently flowing waterfall of dark sound matter creates a sort of window of reflection into wherever it is in your soul that you have ever felt the most at home. I get that music is a subjective experience at the end of the day, but I feel like what I just described would be inevitable for almost any listener, unless they simply weren't listening to this track the right way. One of the greatest songs ever? I'd wager a hard fucking yes.

The good news is that from here, you have only just begun your journey into a world of many more sublime and mysterious figures.

"Xarella Almandyne" is like the sound of a choir of angels in a massive hall the size of an entire city - the unknowable, lovecraftian, biblically-accurate seraphim kind of angel. Somehow soothing, yet oddly paralyzing at the same time. Based on this track alone, I must say that I'm not entirely convinced that Scott and Melissa are regular mere mortals of this world.

"Blooded And Blossom-Blown" is an eerie, gleaming, and loudly piercing void. I find the majority of the songs on this record to be overall comforting, sometimes somber and darkly mystifying if anything, but this might be the one odd track that genuinely unsettles me; in a way that I cannot get enough of, mind you. Compared to what we often call white noise, this piece represents sound that I visualize in the distinctly unnatural shades of negative blues and turquoises.

"Virgin Blue-Eyed" is a very rare departure in the band's early discography from their guitar ambience, focusing on the incantations of Melissa's euphonious elven voice, with clanging little bells in the background (which, funnily enough, technically makes this the most percussive track on either of the band's first two records).

My favourite of the intermissions is "Seesaw". Transitory shoegaze in a continuously elevating loop, like music for the loading screen that would take you to the shoegaze version of heaven, or perhaps the mythological world of Mag Mell.

"Golden-Handed" is soft, swirling, hypnagogic, and lamenting. This ambient ethereal wave track manifests as the faintest, loneliest light flickering in the gloomy hush of an otherwise dead midnight. Completely arresting atmosphere.

"Bones of Angels" is a two parter - first there's "Bronze Lit Feathers", a labyrinthine chorus of resplendent, inharmonious, and rippling guitar impressions, drifting almost aimlessly and forming only vague constellations with the help of Melissa's frail melody, and a foundation of ambient bass notes cutting through the discordance with great magnitude. This is contrasted by the second part "Her Tongue Pulled Out", wherein the sky parts and the drifting guitar sounds align into a shrill cry, forming a radiant column of sonic light, as if something gorgeous is beginning to descend upon the world. Music for high priestesses summoning divine power.

Xuvetyn reaches its second greatest peak with the penultimate track "Ghosts That Swirl", a piece which opens with this really foreboding orchestra of dreary, gargantuan ambient chimes, sounding as though the world around the listener was compressing in on itself and then stretching in and out of itself, like alternating waves in the membrane of the universe. This overture leads into an ominous, secluded, and crystalline dreamland soundscape, further removed from reality than any other track on the record, and unlike any other song that I have ever experienced. This is music that could only be dreamt up from the confines of a comatose slumber, wherein Melissa's whispers in your ear are the only traces connecting you to the corporeal world, though only audible as faint echoes far off in the distance of a seemingly endless cerulean.

I could go on all day but I've decided to end the track-by-track analysis here. The entire record is vividly evocative beyond what should be reasonably possible (and what I can convey words). You might get something entirely different from my descriptions of these tracks, but I guarantee that you will experience something unearthly.

What Came After That?

Lovesliescrushing followed up their first two records with a series of two records in 2002 that were more just straight up ambient music, rather than comprising an ambient shoegaze fusion.

The first of these is Glissceule, a similarly icy record to Xuvetyn with less dark edge and more of a reserved calm, plus more electronic elements. Second was the more ambiguous Voirshn which I enjoy significantly less than previous projects unfortunately.

The band has sporadically released more ambient records over the course of the last couple of decades, which I have yet to really deep dive into. Scott has worked on a few separate projects, most notably his other band Astrobrite which releases much harsher noise shoegaze records. Nothing from this band has really grabbed me like Lovesliescrushing's work, so I am not very familiar with it.

Like I mentioned previously, Lovesliescrushing's relevance in online shoegaze circles has seen a steady increase over time for a little while now. But Scott and Melissa have always been favs amongst the more hardcore followers of the scene, achieving an almost mythical status as figureheads of the experimental shoegaze micro-scene. And they're pretty much always one of the first bands I see people recommending nowadays when someone online says that they're looking for more "weird shoegaze".

And believe me, I'm one of those nerds recommending this band with every relevant opportunity that I can seize. This should be among the first dozen records we play when the aliens come down to Earth, in order to plead our case for the culture of humankind. This is a very special piece of art.

I won't pretend that this is going to be music for everyone, but if you really wanna transcend your corporeal existence in way that doesn't involve experimenting with potentially harmful substances, I can't really think of any better method. Xuvetyn is from beyond our plane of existence - some people native to our world (allegedly) just happened to manifest it one day.

Join me next time where, in case this review wasn't goddamn long enough, I will be doing a series of reviews on every major Slowdive release from the self-titled EP all the way up to their latest record 🙃.

10/10

Highlights: "Valerian (Her Voice Honeyed)", "Ghosts That Swirl", "Bones of Angels", "Xarella Almandyne", "Golden-Handed", "See Saw", "Blooded and Blossom-Blown", "Virgin Blue Eyed", "Flowered Smother", "Mother of Pearl", "Mandragora Louvareen", "Milkysoft", "Hum Vibralux", "Staticburst"

[tomscottnumber]

does a youtube VOD of a twitch stream count? if so, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a tom scott number of at least 2 due to appearing in hbomberguy's Donkey Kong 64 charity stream, archived on youtube in the video "DK Nightmare Stream 10: Hours 46-51"

if not, i have no clue what her number is

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a Tom Scott number of 2.

Thanks for the help!

[am-i-the-master86]

if whatsapp was in gta vc

[mooneytried]

I MISS DRAWING FOR MYSELF YAY

Ref down below :]

[justdealingwithsomeissues]

The fear of Magneto coming for him for punishment was one of the few things keeping Fabian in check, but now he knows he doesn't have to worry about that anymore.

[freshthoughts2020]

[nerds-yearbook]

Security specialist Vic Martinelli made his first appearance in The Invincible Iron Man 132#, cover date March, 1980. He was created by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and Jerry Bingham. ("The Man Who Would Be Hulk", The Invincible Iron Man 132#, Marvel Comic Event)

[voidfalcon]

The twins, special aren't they?

[secretcherimaybe]

Challenging you all!

Put your music library on shuffle, then list the first five songs that come up in a poll to let people vote for which one they like the most!

Then tag Tumblr friends to keep the game going!

[gaydepressedtheatrekid]

What One Drink Starts: Chapter 1

Jess was silent as she leaned against the counter in her kitchen. A long since cold cup of coffee was in her hands as she took the occasional sip. Her senses had all been dumbed down since she heard the words that crossed the lips of Colin. SHe hadn’t reacted much then; even if she knew what was coming, nothing could have prepared her for the words.

In the year since they broke up, Jess had thrown herself into her work. Her visions had been more frequent, helping solve cases faster, but at the cost of her emotions. It felt as if she had made a deal that took away a smidge more of real emotions every time she got a vision. The power she had didn’t seem like a gift anymore, it felt like a curse.

She had gotten a dog to help herself fight against the slipping emotions. A two-year-old Italian Wolf Dog named Rush that was rescued from a hoarder. Said dog was laying down on her feet.

Sprawled across the counter were drawings of the women from her visions made by one of the sketch artists Jess had secretly gone to from the Bureau. Papers that held every detail of the repeating visions of them were set in a crude mimicry of a stack.

“This is pointless,” she muttered as she grabbed the papers and put them in the respective folders. Each of the women had their own folder.

 Bartender (The big fish in the unexplored ocean)

Photographer (The closed book)

Punk (Rebel with a cause)

Gardener (The tree from which apples fall)

She didn’t know what made her put those changed idioms next to the titles. When she had been writing down the information, she had subconsciously wrote them down. It was clear what the changed sayings meant, but why they were accurate—if they were—wasn’t clear.

Glancing at the clock on her microwave, she noted that she still had about an hour until she had to start getting ready. She slid her feet out from under Rush, waking him up.

“Hey, pretty boy,” she cooed as she sat on the floor next to him. Her hands went up and down his back and scratched through the thick fur.

He plopped his head in her lap and seemed to smile up at her around the ball in his mouth. It was his favorite ball; a black ball with blue birds as the pattern. His stubby tail smacked against the ground and he dropped the ball in his human’s lap.

A small smile appeared on Jess’ lips as she grabbed it and rolled it across the floor to the other side of the apartment. He chased after the ball like he was training for the Olympics.

Jess sat in her car for a few minutes, gazing into the rearview mirror. Her eyelids were currently drooping and made her look like she was about to fall asleep. She forced her eyelids to open more and let the LED lights above give a small shine to her eyes. Her lips twitched upwards to show a relaxed smile.

She climbed out of her car, closed the door, and locked it. Most of her attention was focused on keeping her smile in the fixed position on her face.

Colin had taught her a few tricks on how to keep her cover if she were to ever be sent out undercover again. The main thing she remembered was to ignore how her FBI training wanted to act. Act how she wanted to be perceived.

The elevator opened up and she stepped out of it. She let her feet lead her over where her team currently stood; in front of the boards used to keep track of information during a case.

“Hey, guys,” she said, raising her hand up to greet them.

“Mastriani, you’re late,” Pollock said, striding out of his office with papers in his hand.

“I, uh, traffic was backed up on 3rd Street.” Jess lowered her hand and stood between Antonio and Nicole as Pollock put the papers on the board.

Nicole grinned playfully at Jess. “Was Rush keeping you behind?”

“Markus Owens, age 43, self-described as the ‘son of Mars’, thus the name change from Bobby Winters. Lives in Charles Village, Baltimore.” Pollock turned to face the three of them. “He used to be one of us, but was put on indefinite leave after suffering from a psychotic breakdown a few years ago.”

“What made him break down?” Nicole stepped forward and investigated the photo like it would start speaking and say where Markus was.

Pollock turned and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “An official report was never officially entered into the databases. Cortez work on getting us that report. Scott and Masriani, I want you questioning the neighboors—take the jet. Away with you, my underlings.”

Jess nodded and turned back around to headed to the elevator. She pulled her badge from her pocket and reached for the button.

Nicole grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the side out of the way. “Jess, we need to talk.”

Jess gave a confused look. “About what?” She pushed her hands into her back pockets as she looked at the other woman.

“Look, I know that a breakup can be hard—” Nicole glanced away for a moment— “but, please know that I’m here for you. All of us are, even Pollock.”

The hands in her pockets curled to fists. Jess was fine. Sure, she was a little bit sad, but who wouldn’t be?

“I know, and thank you.” With those words, the two of them stepped into the elevator together.

Jess grabbed her phone and put it up to her ear when it rang. “Mastriani.”

“‘Hey, Jess, I finally got a list of the neighboors,’” Antonio said as the clacking of computer keys became background noise. “‘You’d probably want to start with a woman named ‘Icarus Lazar’.”

Jess furrowed her brows as she put the phone on speaker. “‘Icarus Lazar’? That’s a strange name. What else can you tell us?”

“‘Used to live in Rionmas, but immigrated to the U.S. about 5 years ago. Bartender by night, street musician by day.’”

“Isn’t Rionmas the country that had their prince kidnapped a few years ago?” Nicole asked.

“‘He abdicated the throne, actually. That was a popular theory that never died down. Regardless, many didn’t like the next in line, so they left the country. Icarus was just one of many.’”

Jess peered out of the window to watch the land below slowly pass by. “Why should we start with her?”

“‘Because Markus Owens moved from Rionmas a few years after Icarus did. I doubt it’s a coincidence they just so happened to live in apartments next to each other.’”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Scott Dworkin at The Dworkin Report:

We are 8 days into Trump’s return, and it’s clear as day that the pushback from Democrats is disjointed, and needs to be much stronger. But there are some absolute bright spots: outspoken, forceful, determined leaders, who will never cower to Donald. If we want to get serious about winning this fight against maga, these are the types of champions we’ll need to rally behind. US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has been an extremely effective messenger, who triggers maga at a baffling level. AOC’s slams get viral news coverage, and she knows how to cut through the nonsense better than most anybody out there. Just last week, AOC called out the Broligarchs who once criticized Trump, saying they’re now in a “kiss-ass race,” and enjoying “a billionaire feeding frenzy.” AOC also dropped the mic on Donald, calling him “the quintessential New York con man.” When Trump threw a tantrum about Colombia’s president refusing to accept deported immigrants, AOC said: “Trump is about to make every American pay even more for coffee,” and cause inflation to be “worse for working class Americans.” Spot on.

Then there’s US Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who truly knows how to command an audience. Crockett constantly takes on Marge Greene, Nancy Mace and the rest of the maga cult—during hearings and in public. In Crockett’s DNC speech, she said Trump “is a career criminal, with 34 felonies, 2 impeachments, and 1 porn star to prove it.” “If you’re looking for me to sugarcoat the reality we’re facing, I can’t do that,” Crockett recently told Harper’s Bazaar. US Sen. Tammy Duckworth has been taking on Republicans in ways few others could. A Purple Heart recipient, who lost her legs and severely injured her arm in battle, Duckworth said: “Trump is despicable. He doesn’t deserve to be commander-in-chief.” On cabinet picks, Duckworth took the gloves off, saying Tulsi Gabbard is “compromised,” and doubts “she could actually pass a background check.” Duckworth’s also sounding the alarm about the most unhinged nominee, Kash Patel—warning he’d use “law enforcement to seek retribution against his political enemies.” And as always, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren continues to completely decimate Trump on his corruption, and long list of failed promises. Just last night, Warren blasted Trump: “his failure to even try and move in the direction of lowering [grocery] costs is a betrayal of the American people.”

Happy to have AOC, Duckworth, Warren, and Crockett fighting for what is right.

[astriiformes]

How did you see that your senators assisted Booker by asking questions? I'm trying to find a list of who joined in and failing.

Someone on Bluesky linked this senate website that has what essentially amount to minutes for each day they're in session. You'll have to go a page or two back to find the folks who spoke up with questions during Booker's filibuster, but it should be everyone.

For those uninterested in digging through the Senate minutes, however, I've done my best to put together a list. Forgive me if I managed to miss anyone though.

Arizona - Mark Kelly California - Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff Colorado - Michael Bennet Connecticut - Scott Murphy and Richard Blumenthal Delaware - Lisa Blunt Rochester and Christopher Coons Georgia - Raphael Warnock Hawaii - Mazie Hirono Illinois - Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin Maine - Angus King Maryland - Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks Massachusetts - Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren Minnesota - Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar New Hampshire - Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan New Jersey - Andy Kim New Mexico - Ben Ray Luján New York - Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer Nevada - Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen Oregon - Ron Wyden Rhode Island - Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed Vermont - Peter Welch Virginia - Mark Warner and Time Kaine Washington - Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell Wisconsin - Tammy Baldwin

I'm definitely planning on writing my senators to thank them, and would encourage anyone whose representatives were also involved to do the same. On the one hand, the filibuster itself hasn't materially changed anything, but on the other, it's still a more overt act of resistance to the current state of things than we've been seeing thus far, and I know it's the kind of thing I want to see more of from my representatives. I can only hope if we encourage this more aggressive stance from the Democrats, it will pay off in the long term.

[1americanconservative]

@elonmusk

These awful people all need to be voted out, either in the primaries or the general election. They sully the Capitol Building with their presence.

THESE ARE THE 158 DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST DEPORTING SEX OFFENDERS Alabama: -Terri Sewell California: -Pete Aguilar -Ami Bera -Julia Brownley -Salud Carbajal -Tony Cárdenas -Judy Chu -Jim Costa -Mark DeSaulnier -John Garamendi -Robert Garcia -Sylvia Garcia -Jimmy Gomez -Jared Huffman -Ro Khanna -Sydney Kamlager-Dove -Barbara Lee -Ted Lieu -Zoe Lofgren -Doris Matsui -Kevin Mullin -Grace Napolitano -Nancy Pelosi -Katie Porter -Linda Sánchez -Adam Schiff -Brad Sherman -Norma Torres -Mike Thompson -Maxine Waters Colorado: -Jason Crow -Diana DeGette -Brittany Pettersen -Joe Neguse Connecticut: -Rosa DeLauro -John Larson -James Himes Delaware: -Lisa Blunt Rochester Florida: -Kathy Castor -Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick -Lois Frankel -Maxwell Frost -Darren Soto -Frederica Wilson -Debbie Wasserman Schultz Georgia: -Sanford D. Bishop Jr. -Lucy McBath -Henry “Hank” Johnson -Nikema Williams -David Scott Hawaii: -Ed Case -Jill Tokuda Illinois: -Sean Casten -Danny Davis -Jesús “Chuy” Garcia -Jonathan Jackson -Raja Krishnamoorthi -Robin Kelly -Delia Ramirez -Janice Schakowsky -Mike Quigley -Bill Foster -Brad Schneider -Lauren Underwood Indiana: -André Carson Kentucky: -Morgan McGarvey Louisiana: -Troy Carter Maine: -Chellie Pingree Maryland: -Steny Hoyer -Glenn Ivey -Kweisi Mfume -Jamie Raskin C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger -John Sarbanes -David Trone Massachusetts: -Jake Auchincloss -Katherine Clark -Bill Keating -Seth Moulton -Ayanna Pressley -Richard Neal -Lori Trahan -James McGovern Michigan: -Dan Kildee -Debbie Dingell -Rashida Tlaib -Shri Thanedar -Haley Stevens Minnesota: -Betty McCollum -Ilhan Omar -Dean Phillips Mississippi: -Bennie Thompson Missouri: -Cori Bush -Emanuel Cleaver New Hampshire: -Ann Kuster New Jersey: -Andy Kim -Rob Menendez -Donald Norcross -Bonnie Watson Coleman -Frank Pallone New Mexico: -Melanie Stansbury -Teresa Leger Fernandez New York: -Jamaal Bowman -Adriano Espaillat -Hakeem Jeffries -Yvette Clarke -Gregory Meeks -Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -Jerrold Nadler -Nydia Velázquez -Paul Tonko -Dan Goldman -Ritchie Torres -Grace Meng -Joseph Morelle North Carolina: -Alma Adams -Valerie Foushee -Deborah Ross Ohio: -Shontel Brown -Joyce Beatty -Greg Landsman Oregon: -Earl Blumenauer -Suzanne Bonamici -Valerie Hoyle Pennsylvania: -Madeleine Dean -Mary Scanlon -Summer Lee Rhode Island: -Gabe Amo South Carolina: -James Clyburn Tennessee: -Steve Cohen Texas: -Greg Casar -Veronica Escobar -Joaquin Castro -Sylvia Garcia -Lloyd Doggett -Lizzie Fletcher -Al Green -Jasmine Crockett -Marc Veasey Vermont: -Becca Balint Virginia: -Donald Beyer -Gerald Connolly -Jennifer McClellan -Bobby Scott Washington: -Suzan DelBene -Derek Kilmer -Rick Larsen -Marilyn Strickland -Pramila Jayapal Wisconsin: -Gwen Moore -Mark Pocan Source: Newsweek

[rei-ismyname]

X-Men #6 FROM THE ASHES

Last issue is starting to make a lot more sense - I think Jed McKay might have strong feelings about the Morrison era. Spoilers, obviously.

Hi Xorn! Hi Magneto! Good to have you join us. It's nice to see Magneto is progressive, polite and welcoming. It's still an ideological regression from where he was at in X-Men Red/RoM/Uncanny X-Men #700, but I guess he's mostly scenery in this comic sadly. As a fellow disabled burden on society I empathize with him, but I'd like to see him still be a character of focus. Otherwise, why put him in the book? It's a shame his moment makes Xorn look like a fool - is that really his first question? Dude is a fucking monk and these people are right there.

He's wearing his Morrison/Quitely uniform too, which is not a great comparison to be drawing imo. He was last seen hanging out with his brother and Legion in Way of X, but I suppose this is as good a place as any for him to be now. Hopefully we see more of him.

Look how much Quentin has grown since Riot at Xavier's. Or maybe he's depressed. Either way he's definitely looking sharp. Idie notices one of the protesters throwing up the M.

People want Beast to solve their problems but he doesn't have the same experience and knowledge as old Beast, not that X-FORCE Beast did any of that. It's a character beat, but one we've seen before. Maybe he'll learn magic again! Magik is still very defeatist it seems, and perhaps her determination is waning. Can't say I blame her.

Quiche is dope but jokes about it aren't. Not this millennium. The Glob/Quentin dynamic is another Morrison callback. Don't worry, there's plenty more this issue 🙄. One pitfall with light-hearted quippy nostalgia is it undermines serious events happening next to it and gives mood whiplash. Somehow Idie knows Ilyana is communicating secretly with her brother. It doesn't come up again. Based on how McKay has been seeding beats we'll find out in issue #10.

Okay, so we know Magik is smart and now Idie does too. It'd be nice if more of this team started acting like friends - maybe this is the start of something beautiful. I can't say I buy Magik undermining Cyclops on a whim but she lays out the dilemma then puts Idie in charge.

They walk into the trap by putting Cobb Sr to sleep. Idie's secret is pretty cute and an effective 'cost of magic' shorthand. I am wary that it refers to nostalgia about a time that was already hyper nostalgia, but I'm getting used to it. We get to see the Cobb family dynamic, utterly predictable.

I enjoy everything on this page.

- Cyclops and Psylocke sparring

- Expanding on Hank and Mags' budding relationship with reference to their history.

- Building on Beast's fear of becoming a monster again.

- Magneto being emotionally supportive.

No new information here, though I love a jab at Fabian Cortez. This is more of a reference than anything else, though it's good to see some self awareness from Max. Although, Cortez showed a lot of growth on Krakoa.

This is a nice moment too. This version of Hank was a massive horn dog. Not saying that's where it's going but he's gregarious and it does make sense to have him be welcoming to another non-passing mutant. Glob too, though he comes off as massive dork. We still don't know much about Jen or Ben which makes it hard to get invested. If they do stick around they'd be inflating a cast that's already being covered unevenly.

Okay, Piper is here and Scott isn't pleased. Idie would have a point but it would have taken 2 minutes to talk about it. Yeah she asked for help and came willingly but as Scott says she's a minor. Her home life looks miserable and tracks closely enough to many queer experiences, but society unfortunately says children are property. It sucks, but she needs support. Nobody wins when her mother calls the cops. Is this about Piper or Idie here? I would love to see Idie being the moral core of the team but this just makes her look naive and impulsive - which is at odds with her 15+ years of characterisation. She was in jail last year!

Piper reveals that the 'Wild Sentinel' was after her and the Iron Night was her 'fault.' It's left on a cliffhanger but let's hope this doesn't torch the X-Men's relationship with Merle, Alaska.

The Morrison thing - Psychic rescue, Quentin and Glob, scientists making mutants, Cassandra Nova, Xorn is still in his uniform from the time, wild sentinel mention (which is super bizarre and out of place.) It's a lot and I'm probably missing stuff. My question is who this is for? New readers will just be confused. Morrison super fans are more likely to roll their eyes, judging by responses to last issue.

Overall this issue was pretty good. It progressed the plot, gave us time with the 3 characters who'd been ghosts, introduced new information and setup conflict with the town for next issue. I really wish the creative team would get their batting average a little higher in terms of solid issues. 33.3% is low enough in the abstract to make me drop the book - and this is one of the better ones. I know we can do better than this and it disappoints me how aggressively mid the X-books are right now.

I'm starting to recognise the formula they're working off, with information dribbling out at a snail's pace to the point that any issue becomes skippable then ending on a cliffhanger that's rarely paid off quickly. Uncanny has the same issue, which makes me think it's an editorial problem. Hell, solicits usually give more information than issues do. I'm not talking about tropes, I'm talking about the narrative tricks that allow them to publish issues that move at a glacial pace and use nostalgia to disguise the characters not being developed. One can hope :)

[yallemagne]

Season 4!!! Of X-Men: TAS!! This season was FUN. I've been taking notes while watching, that's probably apparent, it leads to more bullet points.

Episode 1: The Juggernaut Returns

SCOTT AND LOGAN WERE VISITING MORPH!!!!! <3333

“We’re saving Juggernaut’s sorry life. And don’t bother telling me you don’t like it.” “I don’t like it >:((.”

Charles trying to dig through Cain’s trauma, getting his own trauma instead and wondering “dog, why do I let this mf live, he sucks”

Chuck: “Don’t tell me to forgive my brother.” Storm: “I was literally just telling you to let him die, man.”

Cain literally knows why his father neglected him, he knows his father was a piece of shit after nothing but money… but he still scapegoats his brother. Dog. At least he doesn't beat Chuck's ass after the man saves his life. I guess.

Episode 2: A Deal With The Devil

Me: “Who’s the Devil in this scenario? Omega Red or whoever’s thawing him?” The people thawing him: *have American accents* Me: “Ah. Them.”

Dog… how you gonna be this stupid. FIRST OFF the Russian government just THREW HIM IN THE SNOW??? WhAT?? You had him in a locked up facility before!! And then the dumbass American government is like “not even the Soviet Union could handle Omega Red… get me my ice pick we’re diggin him up”. 

Omega Red: *makes fun of Wolverine’s PTSD* Me: “oh no a new problematic fav”

“I’ve been promised my humanity, Wolverine, something you above all others should be able to appreciate.” This hoe is so petty, I.. uhhhh...

Wolverine: *starting shit* Storm: “You dumbass, I’m about to have a panic attack.”

“Well, whattaya know, they oughta use this tub in one of those battery ads with the rabbit.”

The Way Omega Red Pronounces Colonel.

“What was I saying about not needing these lungs?”

Wolverine’s lines in this episode are only matched by Omega’s. Speaking of—

“My country created many great weapons but never had the will to use them! Is it not a great sadness, Storm? To be created, never to be used?” “Weapons do not have feelings.” “Oh, if only that were true.” WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME FEEL THINGS ABOUT OMEGA RED. 

And now he’s just. Down there. He’ll come back. Some other idiot country will fish him up and say “you gotta do this for us, but don’t you betray us, okay?”

Episode 3 & 4: Sanctuary

The US delegate blaming the Russians for the disappearances of engineers in space and the Russian delegate asking “DID WE STEAL OUR ENGINEERS TOO?? DICKHEAD??”

“The mutant race will no longer be managed, Mr. Delegate.” YASS QUEEEN tell him Magnus, tell him. 

Magneto HAS RECEIPTS. Uh wait… girl where did you get all this footage. Hahah using video of the X-Men like “LOOK AT ALL THEY HAVE DONE! MY STEP-CHILDREN!”

Apocalypse watching the broadcast on television. SINISTER WATCHING THE BROADCAST ON TELEVISION. Oh hey Mjnari, nice to see you.

Like okay dog, we can say Magneto is right about a lot of things, but KIDNAPPING MUTANT WORKERS and taking them to a centralized location where they will obviously be targeted even more harshly because there are no non mutants present? That’s bad. Like yeah a good lot of mutants went willingly but before that, many… didn’t… and were kept there. 

The haters protesting Asteroid M: “go home, muties, get out of here” …uh yeah dipshit. That’s literally what they’re doing. 

“You coming back, Cajun?” “Promise, chere.”

Cortez is sus. 

Amelia: “How dare you not want to live your entire life closeted? How dare you fight for the rights of the oppressed? You’re making good, unobtrusive mutants look bad!!” 

“So then Gambit become the first X-Man in orbit.”

ROGUE TEARING APART THE SHIP TO FIND GAMBIT!!!

I wanna put a bullet in Cortez’s head, he’s annoying… nah fr, he’s a fucking op. He’s a plant, there is no explanation for his stupidity other than that he wants to ensure the genocide of mutantkind himself.

“He wouldn’t have wanted a memorial, so I will keep this brief.” That explains why he didn’t have a funeral in ’97.

“The Earth’s magnetic field has healed me as a mother nourishes her son.” Dog that line is wiiiiild y'all driving me mad.

“Gambit!? COME IN YOU LOWLIFE SWAMP RAT!!” “Chére, it almost sound like you miss me.” “Remy! When I get my hands on you…” Romy fans are EATING with this one. 

Off topic... but we literally have an acknowledgment that Magneto wouldn't want a funeral but we're shown them having one. WHY WERE WE NEVER SHOWN MORpH'S FUNERAL??

Episode 5: Xavier Remembers

I love when I call shit. The attack at the start of the episode seemed suspicious and I was like “hmm, maybe this isn’t real. Maybe this is trauma.” And then the Sentinel head blew off and showed Evil Xavier’s face and I was like I KNEW IT. 

Chuck: “Mother! I never thought I’d ever see you again! Though, I don’t recall you being in bluescale...”

Is the void a harsh punishment for stealing? Sure. But that’s what the Shadow King gets for messing around with children.

Love that Jean and Xavier beat his ass with the power of teamwork. Xavier literally saves Jean from being trapped in the Astral Plane with a hug. 

Jean’s consciousness returns to her body and Scott is holding her bridal style, lol babygirl how long were you standing with her in your arms? Cute. 

Episode 6: Courage

“Eight hundred million on robots and the phones don’t work.” I hear ya.

A factory gets robbed by Sentinels and the report is that they think mutants did it. THEY’RE FUCKING COVERING IT UP. THAT’S THE ONLY EXPLANATION I WILL TOLERATE. Like, you’re telling me none of the witnesses mentioned the giant purple and red robots? Well, I say they did and their testimonies never got to news outlets because the government killed them to cover it up. And they aren’t even in charge of the Sentinels at this point! They’ve gone rogue! “We’re investigating, we think a mutant did it” with the fucking SENTINeL TRACKS??? It’s obviously like… they want to cover up how badly the government failed for even considering the Sentinel project by blaming the mutants who inevitably gotta clean up this whole mess. 

MORPH!!!! :DDD ALWAYS WITH THE JOKES!!! They soothe me, their presence heals me, I love them, I wanna kiss their forehead.

So Morph and Wolverine go to investigate and on the way they’re just glancing at each other like “would it be bad to make out on Morph's first mission back”

Logan wanting to evacuate as soon as possible because of sentinels :,0

“I-I froze, Logan.” “Oh, Morph.” OOOOH MORPH

GyrICK and TRASH are gay married (derogatory). This episode… this just reaffirms me asking what the FUCK about Trask and Gyrich reviving their Sentinels. What were they fucking thinking?

OMEGA RED, SASQUATCH, MIMIC, LONGSHOT, Morph really likes turning into Omega Red, huh? Morph is the MVP here, I love them.

NOOO MORPH!!! NOOOOOOOOO DON’T GOOOO

Episode 7: Secrets, Not Long Buried

I love it when Scott gets to be a cunt to people. He’s really super fun when he gets snippy. 

My biggest frustration here was really just that the villains were soooo childish. They behaved like playground bullies. But I guess that could be a parallel to the bullies at the start of the episode. Scott is just infinitely bulliable.

I appreciate that the town didn’t actually fall for Solarr’s nonsense, they were just waiting for the right moment to strike. It would have felt so stupid if they actually believed the guy and would have been too reminiscent of the bullshit with Cortez. 

Episode 8: Nightcrawler

“Man doesn’t break a sweat against Apocalypse or Magneto. So- so what nails him? A pine tree.”

I really love how Nightcrawler is written. It would be so easy to depict him just as blindly faithful, but he has layers. He has flaws he acknowledges that make him more sympathetic to those who wrong him, but his sympathy does not prevent him from feeling anger or bitterness, it just makes it easier for him to overcome those negative emotions.

Logan taking Kurt's words to heart :,0

I like that like Kurt's faith is treated with respect and so is Logan and Remy's lack of faith. It's totally understandable why they don't believe in God. Logan can't believe that there's a God that loves unconditionally with all the terrible shit he's witnessed and been put through. And Remy believes in chance, not some divine plan... but moreso Remy struggles with the idea of redemption.

Do we really never get an explanation for why that one monk tried to murder Gambit? Like roll back roll back WHY.

Episode 9 & 10: One Man’s Worth

Seeing the Age of Apocalypse crew was real fun. Also MORPH MORPH MORPH ONSCREEN CAMEO.

LOGAN AND ORORO ARE MARRIED <3333 I hate that the show tries to enforce the idea that they can only be together in the AoA timeline. Bullshit. They’re literally on a date in present day, don’t TEASE ME. 

I really like that they acknowledge that Logan doesn’t want to carry through with it for fear he and Storm will never be together, but it doesn’t make him betray the team, he continues on for the good of the future :,0. 

Does anyone else notice that they blatantly whitewashed Shard in the reboot?? Like they didn’t just lighten her already fairly light skin, they made her look like a white woman in '97, it’s so fucking weird. I wish I could say it was just weird lighting, but they whitewash so many other characters in the new series, it honestly puts me off. 

Episode 11 & 12: Proteus

Kevin’s innocence :,0 this, folks, is why you don’t hide from your kids that their father isn’t worth shit. Explain as early as you can in terms they can understand that their father is a no-good, deadbeat son of a bitch. 

Rogue feels for Kevin because her father was an ass too. 

Logan freezing up!!! AHHHHH. Rip that he was able to accept and account for Morph having trauma that caused them to freeze, but he won’t give himself that same grace.

The ending, for Proteus, doesn't really feel satisfactory bc you know Joe is just gonna go right back to being a shitty deadbeat after this. I would have liked it better if the lesson Kevin learned was that blood ties aren't guaranteed, that sometimes you choose your family.

Episode 13: Family Ties

Xavier not reacting when finding out that Magneto harmed Wolverine to get past security. And then sending Wolverine to play bodyguard for Magneto.

Magneto: "I gotta go do this thing. Do NOT interfere." Xavier: "Why did you break into my house if you didn't want me to interfere??? You inconsistent hoe."

The reference to Dr. Moreau was stellar. 

The conflict in this episode really pales in comparison to just the reveal of Pietro and Wanda’s parentage. Like I don’t care about this Moreau guy at all and I was paying so little attention I didn’t even catch how they defeated him.

Episode 14: Bloodlines

YOOOOO You got me acting crazy here. World’s most awkward family reunion.

Kurt is just. So good. I like that they don’t have him say a line like “I’ve already forgiven you” nah, he’ll pray for the strength to forgive. 

Mystique laments how being a shapeshifter means she is an outcast even among mutants because no one can trust who she is, which is a potent moment but… well telepaths are a thing… and you’ve literally hooked up with Sabretooth, who can sniff you out. I think people mostly distrust you because you are a liar and backstabber. 

I appreciate that the FoH won’t take Graydon back, he’s a little shit, and I think they should isolate him so hard that he give in to accepting his roots.

THEY DROP HIM OFF AT SABRETOOTH’S HOUSE. Look, I do not condone corporal punishment… but in this case, I am soooo for Sabretooth beating up his son.

Episode 15: Lotus and the Steel

Awww Jubilee going after Logan <333 I’m happy that she wasn’t like taken hostage or anything, wasn’t forced to be a burden on the plot

I’m pissed that Logan had to kiss that woman. Let this man meet a woman without having a romantic entanglement with her for fucks sake.

Episode 16: Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape

THEY MANUFACTURED THEIR TRAUMA??? DOG. That’s motherfucking wild, but I suppose you could say it was foreshadowed. They switch between showing Sabretooth in and out of costume attacking Silver Fox and Wolverine. I thought it was just the first was a dreams reinterpretation and the second was the real deal, but then they played the memory again and Sabretooth was costumed again.

Also it’s wild that the majority of the memories that the team were given were to create distrust in Sabretooth, they fuckin used him as a scapegoat. AND THEY GAVE HIM DADDY ISSUES. Some absolutely wild shit, this was a ride. 

I thought at first that Silverfox and Maverick wanted revenge on these two for leaving them behind and I was groaning a bit at that, but then it wasn’t that, it went five layers deeper, and it was revealed that that didn’t even happen. 

THEIR NAMES CARVED INTO THE TREE.

Episode 17: Have Yourself A Morlock Little Christmas

Everyone’s giving Storm shit for not prioritizing the Morlocks when they could literally just call. They’ve established that there’s an emergency line they could call.

Making a big deal of Storm relinquishing responsibility to Callisto… you already did that in the episode you became the Morlocks’ leader, you declared her the de facto leader. Also it’s not much of an honour to be told “these people are your responsibility” when you were already taking care of them. 

Jubilee shows amazing older sister potential giving attention to Mariana when all this is going down.

Jean and Gambit fighting over cooking was wiiiild. Jean was gonna kill him for wanting to season the meat.

Episode 18, 19, 20, 21: Beyond Good and Evil

“I’m not malevolent. I simply am.” I mean… nah you’re pretty evil, Apocalypse. It’s honestly really petty. 

I love that all it takes is Cable telling him that they’ll keep fighting to throw Apocalypse into a midlife crisis. 

I finally figured out why Sinister kidnaps only Jean anymore, Scott’s beams fucking fry him. 

I suspected that this would probably be the weakest part of the season since it’s a 4-parter… the Shi’ar showed up and I was like “there goes my enjoyment”… and then they had no bearing on the plot and all was well!

Mystique, as Shard: "LOOK OUT PSYLOCKE THAT'S MYSTIQUE! a SHAPESHIFTER!!!" Logan, who smells her, Psylocke, a telepath, and Shard, herself: "Do I look stupid to you?"

“How nice to see you, Logan, all tied up and nowhere to go.” Homosexual? Gay? Gambit, that's queer?

“Too bad we lost Sabretooth” I was like “y’all don’t care about him” but then I remembered he is Mystique’s baby daddy. I need the backstory on that big time. 

Poor Bishop, forced to be useless until the very end of the episode.

ALL THE TELEPATHS WRECKING APOCALYPSE'S SHIT!!

I love every time Scott and Jean reunite they share a kiss <333

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

[nyadatm]

MEAN GIRLS: THE MUSICAL CAST LIST

cady heron (lead): annie bridgeport

regina george (lead): harmony pearce

ms. norbury (supporting): rachel berry

mrs. george (supporting): juniper thatcher

kevin gnapoor (supporting): miles scott

mr. duvall (supporting): blaine anderson

gretchen wieners (supporting): brittany pierce

janis sarkisian (supporting): dani cortez

aaron samuels (supporting): jesse st. james

damian hubbard (supporting): kurt hummel

karen smith (supporting): heidi moreno

mrs. heron (featured): marley rose

company (ensemble): madison mccarthy, tina cohen-chang

stage crew: daphne eaton, gabriel moreau