#sgt-phoenix

[geocube15]

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but it's Ace Attorney

here's the cover i made for it too

[todaysdocument]

Photograph of Members of the Headquarters Company, 480th Port Battalion Set Up Between the Columns of the Ancient Greek Temple of Neptune

Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal OfficerSeries: Photographs of American Military Activities

At desk, front to rear: Sgts. James Shellman, Gilbert A. Terry, John W. Phoenix, Curtis A. Richardson, and Leslie B. Wood. In front of desk, front to rear: T/Sgt. Gordon A. Scott, M/Sgt. Walter C. Jackson, Sgt. David D. Jones, and WO Carlyle M. Tucker. Italy. September 22, 1943.

Black and white photograph of soldiers working at makeshift desks in the middle of ancient ruins.

[brokehorrorfan]

Demolition Man will be released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on December 17 via Arrow Video. Laurie Greasley designed a new cover for the 1993 sci-fi action film; the original artwork is on the reverse side.

Marco Brambilla directs from a script by Daniel Waters, Robert Reneau, and Peter M. Lenkov. Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, and Nigel Hawthorne star.

The film has been newly restored in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative, approved by Brambilla, with Dolby Vision. Both the the domestic "Taco Bell" and international "Pizza Hut" versions are included via seamless branching.

Special features and limited edition contents are listed below, where you can also see more of the packaging.

Special features:

Audio commentary by director Marco Brambilla and screenwriter Daniel Waters (new)

Audio commentary by film historian Mike White of the Projection Booth podcast (new)

Audio commentary by Marco Brambilla and producer Joel Silver

Interview with production designer David L. Snyder (new)

Interview with stunt coordinator Charles Percini (new)

Interview with special make-up effects artist Chris Biggs (new)

Interview with body effects set coordinator Jeff Farley(new)

Somewhere Over the Rambo - Visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson (new)

Theatrical trailer

Image gallery

Also included:

60-page book featuring new writing by film critics Clem Bastow, William Bibbiani, Priscilla Page, and Martyn Pedler

Double-sided fold-out poster with original and new art by Laurie Greasley

6 art cards

Three Seashells and Edgar Friendly Graffiti stickers

In 2032, arch criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) awakens from a 35-year deep freeze in CryoPrison to find a world where crime is almost non-existent – a serene utopia ripe for the taking. With the police no longer equipped to deal with his 90s-style brutality, they revive ‘Demolition Man’ Sgt. John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), the no-holds-barred police officer unjustly sentenced to CryoPrison who originally took Phoenix down. Old-school cop against old-school criminal, settling their scores on the streets of San Angeles? The future won’t know what’s hit it.

[gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot]

(Bad, lousy, no good) Renders

I don't know what I'm doing

London fluff (Ghost and Riot)

Super Sergeants - Soap, Gaz, Riot

Zhar and Riot

Sgt. Vega's Urban gear

Bravo 0-7 and Wolf-7

Eyecandy: Price

Eyecandy: Gaz

Eyecandy: Soap

Eyecandy: Ghost

Masquerade ball trope: Ghost x Riot

Eyecandy: König

Soap and Riot on holiday

GAZFEST 2023: Pool

Sgt. Vega at the gym

GAZFEST 2023: Sofasoap's First time

Eyecandy: Nikolai (kind of...)

Zhar and Riot drinking wine

Wolf-7 (Sgt. Vega)

HeadHunters quarters: Riot, Laswell, Cpt. Rico

GAZFEST 2023: Care to join, dove? (sauna Gaz)

The Log Cabin fanart (@rileyslibrary )

Task Force 141 at the bar

Early morning at the MacTavish family farm

Needed a nap - Christine and Johnny

Nikolai and Zhar

Attending a wedding fanart (@rileyslibrary )

Hallway WIP

Eyecandy: Graves

Phoenix Squad's last coffee

Riot and Laswell

Late night munchies

A Heart Full Of Pity Chapter 1: Nikolai and Zhar

A Heart Full Of Pity Chapter 4: Nikolai and Zhar

Powerful women: Kate Laswell

Powerful women: Valeria Garza

Powerful women: Farah Karim

Rock, paper, scissors

Eyecandy: Frank Woods

Eyecandy: Alex Mason

Sergeant Christine 'Riot' Vega, beach scene

Heli nap

Eyecandy: Alejandro Vargas

Beach scene: Lieutenant Simon 'Ghost' Riley and Sergeant Christine 'Riot' Vega

MacTavish family farm's bathroom: Johnny and Christine

Fanart: This or That (@rileyslibrary )

It's the little things part 7

Captain John Price and Dr Heather Price (neé Green)

Nak, Zhar and Riot (go into a bar... ah, no, it's not that)

Kate Laswell and Gabriella Cruz

Soap and Gabi

Eyecandy: Horangi

OC Dressing game ask: One / Two / Three (with small fic)

Request: Nikolai x Mini MacTavish

Request: Frank Woods x F!Reader

PTSD

Zhar and Riot

Laswell and Riot

Soap and Laswell

Soap and Gabi

Two disasters

Three disasters and their long-suffering handler

Yuri

Request: Soap x F!Reader

Farah Karim

Zhar and Riot training

Christine Vega

Halloween 2023 - The Firebird

Halloween 2023 - The Dark Knight

Gaz and Diego (and Stork)

Halloween 2023 - The Highlander

Halloween 2023 - The Buccaneer

Halloween 2023 - The All-Father

Halloween 2023 - The Enchanter

Request: Nick Reyes (Infinite Warfare)

Halloween 2023 - The Nymph

Halloween 2023 - The Charioteer

Halloween 2023 - The Healer

Halloween 2023 - The Warrior

Halloween 2023 - The Gunslinger

Halloween 2023 - The Executioner

Price and Ghost

Angst (GhostxRiot)

141 out and about

Soap and Riot - Nil Desperandum

Full 141 + Laswell + Gabi

Request: Soap and Gabi

Request: Nikolai x Mini MacTavish NSFW

[buckets-and-trees]

"You can tell a lot about someone by the type of music they listen to. Hit shuffle on your iPod, phone, iTunes, media player etc and write down the first 20 songs. Then pass this on to 10 people. One rule: NO SKIPPING."

Thanks so much for the tag @nouis-bum! I didn't get to take a proper lunch break today, so I'm having a bit of an afternoon brain break...

The King of All Birds - Aoife O'Donovan

About Today - The National

Love Will Take You - Angus & Julia Stone

Today Has Been OK - Emiliana Torrini

Two Points for Honesty - Guster

Boyhood - Jump, Little Children

Higher Love - Prides

Splendor - M83

Called Out in the Dark - Snow Patrol

Fury - Henry Jackman (CA:TWS OST)

Thank Your Lucky Star Date - Michael Giacchino (Star Trek Beyond OST)

Goodnight, Travel Well - The Killers

Two Step - Dave Matthews Band

Rome - Phoenix

Would've, Could've, Should've - Taylor Swift

Two Ghosts - Harry Styles

Insomnia - Young the Giant

Dr. March's Daughters - Alexandre Desplat (Little Women 2019 OST)

Neon - John Mayer

Spirit Cold - Tall Heights

Tagging @sgt-seabass @biteofcherry @stargazingfangirl18 @witchywithwhiskey @sergeantbarnessdoll @nickfowlerrr @gaysindistress and anyone else who wants to play (I'm such an audiophile)

[quinobiweek]

QuinObi Week Day(s) 2&3 Fic Roundup!

I'll Be There For You by @palfriendpatine66

Obi-Wan comforts Quinlan on the flight home having rescued him from capture after a failed mission during the Clone Wars. The moment of vulnerability and time to think leads Obi-Wan to ponder their relationship.

In Sickness and in Health by @kenobster

Since arriving at the Temple, Anakin has become wary of strangers. Obi-Wan has been trying to nudge Anakin out of his shell and help him make new friends, and luckily for him, Quinlan and his Padawan Aayla are scheming to ensure all his effort pays off.

Empty Gold by @sgt-pepperony94

Following Asajj Ventress' burial on Dathomir, Obi-Wan and Quinlan share a bottle of whisky and talk about their lost loves.

Christ, You'll Be the Death of Me by @kcrabb88 (your friendly neighborhood mod)

A year after Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan struggles with resurgent grief and worries he's not doing enough for the Padawan he adores. When Aayla comms him to help an injured Quinlan after an ambush in the lower levels, Obi-Wan comes to the rescue. As it turns out, Quinlan might be doing some rescuing, too.

or

Aayla and Anakin are siblings, and Quinlan knows Obi-Wan really, really well.

After the War (Part the First) by @kcrabb88

The war is sucking the Jedi dry.

It's Quinlan who goes undercover as Rako Hardeen, and it's Obi-Wan who has to hear the words "Quinlan was killed yesterday."

Throughout everything, three words echo in Obi-Wan's bones.

After the war.

Nothing, if not for the Light by @ooboowoonkoonooboo

Few things call a Shadow home from the field. News of Obi-wan Kenobi, battered after weeks on Rattatak, is on the top of Quinlan's list.

@fanfic-phoenix's Knighthood piece

“You drunk yet?”

“So drunk,” Obi-Wan assured him.

(A belated knighting celebration)

@fanfic-phoenix's Clone Wars piece

He couldn’t take a leave of absence on the grounds he hadn’t been fucked in a while and could not, therefore, be expected to operate at maximum efficiency.

(This opening made me almost spit out my cider like 1000/10)

[schneegloeckchen]

I absolutely love the Mood Photo for Blooming Version of Jimin's second album MUSE that dropped today. Just one picture and I already can't contain my excitement. So I came here to add my 2 cents.

First, our flower boy is back. He loves a backdrop of blooming vegetation and it's 100% on point for a Version called Blooming. Expected nothing less of him. The blue flowers are Smeraldos, telling us where we are. The white ones reminded me of Jimin's birth flower - Spirea or bridal-wreath.

And Blooming being the Version focusing on the ME of MusE...genius. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a nod to his birth flower, especially after the Weverse Post mentioned 951013 poems. It makes sense for the concept of MusE Blooming version to have more direct links to Jimin. The first track is literally called Rebirth, might as well remind us all when that birthday actually is. We know it's important to him.

Now, with all the Smeraldos blooming around him, we're clearly in the Garden already. Hello, connection to TTU and that whole tragic backstory. So, we're in the garden of that ugly guy who wanted to confess his love for the girl that stole his flowers by/after breeding Smeraldos for her to sell. Or something. In the story, after he successfully grew the Smeraldos, the girl never showed up again, and he later found out she died. So he missed his chance to ever confess to her, thus making it The Truth Untold. Tragic romance. Not sure how much of that setting is gonna be relevant for MUSE, but he made it a point to feature the garden that whole story is taking place in by making a Marching Band for it. Alright. Makes me really curious what Smeraldo Garden Marching Band is going to be about. I know we have connections to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. His styling in the Mood Photo also made me think of Black Parade by My Chemical Romance (but that might just be my emo teenage nostalgia talking).

I'm 100% here for his styling. Sadly, just a tie, no choker... But man, that belt? That crop-top? The black tips in his hair? His tattoos?! Please, I'm so here for it. Leader of the Smeraldo Garden Marching Band - Park Jimin is coming and I really can't wait for the Concept Photo and Clip tomorrow!

With the description of the album, SGMB is giving Set me free pt. 2 × ON vibes. Hell yeah! Can we appreciate the absolute genius of Jimin and his team for coming up with the story for both albums, since they were clearly created together and it seems like the FACE was only part 1 of the story he wanted to tell. The more raw, personal part maybe, about his struggles and how he finally overcame them. But baby, we ended with Jimin finally setting himself free, and the ride has only just begun.

How genius is it to start FACE with a tired, dieing Marching Band in Face Off, to then describe his struggles, finally setting himself free at the end, to continue the next album with Rebirth -> Showtime~☆ -> NEW MARCHING BAND!!!! I mean, just his song titles already tell a clear story. If SMF pt.2 was a phoenix rising from the ashes, that lead-up from MUSE looks like he's catching fire, taking flight and lighting up the sky! And I'm so here to watch the fireworks!

[tocitynews]

Lake Havasu Arizona Police Use Slur Before Tasering, Arresting Man With Special Needs – Phoenix Arizona reporting

Arizona man with developmental disabilities files lawsuit against Lake Havasu City for excessive force and battery after repeated tasering

David Adams, 25, was arrested by the officers on June 7, 2023, after his brother called 911 wanting police to evict David. The brother later told officers he was locked out of the family’s apartment after he and David fought over a blanket.

Lake Havasu City Police Department declined an in-person interview due to ongoing litigation, but emailed ABC15 stating officers have “regular training in reference to high liability issues including Taser, firearms, driving, case law, and interacting with subjects that have special needs.”

This is what was heard on the body worn police camera :

“These are those three f***ing d***heads that me and Danielle dealt with.”

“Mom is out of town. That's why they are acting up... is because mom usually keeps them under control.”

“They’re all like special needs, yes.”

When a police supervisor, Sgt. Clint Wilcox, arrived, one of the officer’s descriptions of the brothers became more vulgar and demeaning. He used the R-word, a slur to describe someone who is intellectually or developmentally disabled.

“These are those three brothers that are f***king ret***ed,” said an officer. “They are all like special needs.”

An internal investigation found multiple officers used unprofessional language while at the scene, which violates department policies.

The Police Issued Themselves A Letter Of Counseling.

[laaundromat]

WHO I WRITE FOR:

REQUESTS ARE OPEN ♥︎

ALL PEDRO PASCAL CHARACTERS

STAR WARS:

Din Djarin Boba Fett

Obi-Wan Kenobi Luke Skywalker

Cassian Andor Lando Calrissian

Jyn Erso Poe Dameron

MOONKNIGHT:

Steven Grant / Marc Spector / Jake Lockley

↳ OSCAR ISAAC: Jonathan Levi; Llewyn Davis; Miguel O'Hara

THE

LAST OF US: THE BEAR:

Joel Miller Carmen Berzatto

Ellie Williams Sydney Adamu

Abby Anderson Richie Jerimovich

CALL OF DUTY: TRIPLE FRONTIER:

Kyle "GAZ" Garrick. Santiago "POPE" Garcia

Captain John Price Francisco "CATFISH" Morales

Johnny "SOAP" William "IRONHEAD" Miller

Simon "GHOST" Riley Benjamin "BENNY" Miller

Alex "ECHO3-1" Keller

TOP GUN Maverick:

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Robert "BOB" Floyd

Natasha "PHOENIX" Trace

THE PUNISHER:

Frank Castle / Pete Castiglione

↳ JON BERNTHAL: Josh (Sharp Stick); Sgt Manuel Rodriguez; Julian Kaye + others on request

OTHER CHARACTERS:

Charlie Kelly

Holland March

Ted Lasso

Tangerine

Peter Parker

Micheal Bluth

[boypussydilf]

sam and 4 + 23 for the character ask game:)

YAHOOOOOOOOO

4. if you could put this character in any other media what would it be

Ok well now I just have to go imagine literally anything ive ever watched but sam is there and how bad it would be. ive already said that i think sam and max would fit in sgt frog perfectly well. Although for this i am going to commit the grave sin of separating them and imagine Just Sam in things. If you had to split them up he works better on his own than max does. Not that you should split them up. But. Anyway 12 Monkeys but Sam is there and he can’t even make things worse because everything is shit already- brain is immediately spiraling into “12 monkeys (tv show not the movie btw) but sam and max are cass and cole”. Momma Bosco is Dr Jones I guess? Or geek but that’s. Insane. Who the hell would be Jennifer. Sam Jr. No wait sam jr has to be athan. SOMEONE has to be athan. Deacon…………… Deacon can be girl stinky. Jesus Christ that would be a terrible au that’s so funny. anyway uhhhhh. what are other things you can haphazardly throw sam into. oh sam and max would work in hlvrai as well back in 2021 i used to daydream about sam & max/hlvrai crossover all the time

sam in ummmmmm. sam in ace attorney. he would almost work. sam and max vs phoenix wright video game when. i really would like to see that crossover actually. that’d be. something. okay i cannot seem to think of anything else. everyone submit your games movies and tv shows to put sam in for comedic effect to the number currently on screen

23. favorire picture of them

How could I possibly, at this moment in my life, pick one favorite? That’s why I’ve made this very extensive compilation of good Sam images. Most of them are funny but some are just like, neat. I like it when he has his tongue out it looks very silly. Big dumb puppy

and finally, an honorary mention to what sam looks like from maxs pov:

[chaosincurate]

My month in music - July 2023

Prince - 1999

New Order - Power, Corruption, and Lies

The Beatles - Revolver

Squid - Bright Green Field

Squid - O Monolith (relisten)

Nothing But Thieves - Dead Club City (new)

Slowdive - Souvlaki

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland

Madvillain - Madvillainy

Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

King Crimson - Discipline

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

black midi - Hellfire (relisten)

Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch (relisten)

Gabriels - Angels & Queens (new)

JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - SCARING THE HOES (new)

Alvvays - Alvvays (relisten)

Injury Reserve - By the Time I Get to Phoenix

Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope

Regina Spektor - Far

Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee (relisten)

Alvvays - Blue Rev (relisten)

Regina Spektor - 11:11

JPEGMAFIA - LP! (Offline)

Write-ups below

Prince - 1999

In a continuation of my "I was wrong about Prince" arc, I gotta say, this album is incredible. One of the most admirable traits Prince's music has, is the ability to lock into a groove and just keep it going for insane runtimes without it overstaying it's welcome, and that is very much a trait that is on display on this album, with only two songs being under 5 minutes, and only a couple of the others are noticeably long.

I imagine it's safe to assume anyone reading this has already heard the title track and Little Red Corvette, so realistically you've already had a taste of this album, but if you're looking for another song to try, D.M.S.R. stood out to me as an exceptional example of that previously mentioned ability to lock into a groove for ages without it becoming noticeable.

New Order - Power, Corruption, and Lies

A brighter, more hopeful version of Joy Division, as they are often labelled, New Order creates a distinction between itself and it's predecessor by simply being a less challenging listen, emotionally and intellectually. That isn't to say that it's any less deep, though. There is still plenty to dig into here, but I would argue that it is more optional here than with what I've heard from Joy Division.

I think if I were to recommend an individual song, I'd put forward the opener, Age of Consent. It's an excellent establishment of the band's personality, whether or not you're familiar with Joy Division, and therefore the majority of New Order.

The Beatles - Revolver

I think it's time to admit that I'm never gonna get The Beatles. I understand that they were incredibly influential and that some of my favourite bands wouldn't exist without their work, and many of them would be drastically different, but I just don't understand how people can listen to it with the developments we've made since and not find them incredibly lackluster. After listening to Abbey Road, Help, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (not a concept album btw), and now Revolver, I have only enjoyed the first of those as a whole project. Granted, I hear picking a version of Sgt. Pepper's to listen to is like playing Russian Roulette with a half full revolver, so maybe I just chose wrong there, but the other two don't have that excuse. I just don't get the hype when it comes to modern listening.

Squid - Bright Green Field

I remember seeing this album a lot when it was first released, and my tastes must not have been ready for that yet, because I do remember, quite distinctly, listening to something off of this album. Clearly though, I was right to hold off, because my tastes have since broadened enough for me to absolutely love this. Bright Green Field is an energetic art-punk album with a compelling breadth of themes and executes all of them with a very engaging subtlety that balances having a clear meaning with allowing the listener to have their own interpretations. The way this manifests, is that you will have a general idea of what the song is pointing towards, but will have to fill the nuances in for yourself, which I find gives you a better connection to the music.

A great example of that in action, and possibly my favourite song off the album, is Narrator. It is pretty clear that, no matter what your interpretation is, whatever the woman in the song represents is being victimized and forced to beg for scraps from a more powerful being. For me, the interpretation that makes most sense is that the song is about patriarchy, and how both men and women are pushed to act a certain way, but how men often get the better deal, even if there are many ways in which they are equally trapped, playing their respective parts. However you look at it though, it is a great demonstration of how power dynamics like that are entirely damaging.

Squid - O Monolith

For the most part this album is pretty stylistically similar to Bright Green Field, but I'd say this one is more consistently experimental than their last effort. Overall though, if you liked BGF, you'll probably like O Monolith. There's not a lot that you can say about the former that doesn't apply to the latter.

My favourite song off the album is The Blades, another great song by Squid about power, in this case the abuse of it and the loss of it, seemingly through the perspective of a police officer or soldier who inflicts pain and torment under the guise of protection, and then feels inadequate when they lose their position. The line "Another man's hand on the joystick instead of mine" feels full of the kind of jealousy one would feel when they are being cheated on. A righteous spite and tinge of self-hatred, like an all encompassing emotional poison.

Nothing But Thieves - Dead Club City

Nothing But Thieves are a band I talked about before, in my Top 100 One Song Per Artist post (at 52 to save you some time if you're interested), and I made sure to mention that they were crucial to developing my music taste, but I do feel like I've largely grown to have a disdain for their music. I look at their older stuff with a similar love to the one I had in my younger days, albeit with a slight undercurrent of acknowledgement that if it weren't for nostalgia I may not like it so much; but their new music always feels strange to listen to because of that. There are only a few songs I can actually get into without it feeling like a hollow nostalgia. This isn't their fault, of course, it's me who's changed, but it does result in a strange experience.

Also, for a more objective criticism, what is it with bands just having, like, 3 songs that contribute to a theme or story and calling it a concept album? This could have been a cool concept album, but there's just an opener which introduces you to a concept (a thinly veiled metaphor for the internet, most specifically social media and the other dopamine pumping addiction machines across the web), then maybe slightly touches on it a couple times, then has this epic, riotous closer that has no payoff because there was basically no buildup. I understand most people just don't care, but I really like concept albums, and the amount out there that claim to be one while offering no greater cohesion than the average album is infuriating to me.

Anyway, I did really enjoy Do You Love Me Yet? It felt like it was contributing kinda well to the concept, and the way they mix orchestra and crunchy, headbanging alternative rock is novel and works surprisingly well. The lyrics are painfully mediocre, but the concept of the song and the instrumental carries it well enough for it to not be that big a deal for me.

Slowdive - Souvlaki

I feel like I've kind of been unintentionally circling and prodding at the genre of shoegaze, especially since listening to, and subsequently adoring, Blue Rev by Alvvays. This month I decided to take an intentional dive into this music that seems like such a good fit for me by listening to one of the subgenre's most beloved albums. Unsurprisingly, I liked it. I was a little hesitant to listen to something shoegaze, because my first experience was with my bloody valentine a little while back and I didn't like how the lyrics were seen as so secondary to the music. I've since become a little more open to that, so maybe it's worth a revisit, but that experience with the shoegaze album kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. Fortunately, between Blue Rev and this, my palette has thoroughly cleansed and sweetened.

I love how the genre, when done well, entirely envelops you similarly to metal, but with a sweetness, like the difference between a hug and a sleeper hold.

That being said, my favourite song off of the album is probably the one that probably adheres to it the least, that being Souvlaki Space Station. The guitars here have this kind of alarm-like sound that gives you a deep sense of something going very wrong, and that enveloping that I mentioned earlier feels less like a hug now and more like a crowd of panicked people rushing past you for the nearest exit. It's an incredibly anxious atmosphere, and the album would be harmed by more than the sum of the songs parts were it not on the track list.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland

Not much needs to be said about this one. It's a classic for a reason. If you're after a captivating experience that melds charismatic vocals and one-of-a-kind guitar playing, then look no further than The Jimi Hendrix Experience. You've almost certainly already heard and fell in love with the incredible cover of All Along the Watchtower, so you have no excuse to not bless your ears with more of the same as far as I'm concerned.

If you must dip your toes a little more though, I'd recommend Rainy Day, Dream Away personally, with the 15 minute Voodoo Chile also being a highlight.

Madvillain - Madvillainy

This is a very deceptively rapid fire album. The beats aren't super invigorating and DOOM is so laid back as he makes history with his dense flow and wordplay. It makes for a very hard album to keep up with for someone with as little melanin as me, but what I kept up with was exceptional and hinted at a deserved legacy.

It's not just MF DOOM that makes this album great though. Madlib's beats are complex enough to be captivating, but not enough to feel like they're trying to take the spotlight off the awe-inspiring lyricism and flow that DOOM brings.

If I were to recommend a song, I'd struggle first and foremost because it's a very consistently amazing album, but the one that has really stuck with me is Fancy Clown. You really can't go too wrong though.

Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city

I'm not remotely likely to reach anyone who hasn't heard this album before (or at least knows if they ever will) with this, but I really loved this album. It is one of the best examples of an album that I have ever heard. The sequencing is damn near perfect, making the album feel noticeably effortless in a way that is hard to explain. It's so rare that an album is sequenced in such an excellent way and it feels so primally easy, like the very core of your being was made to listen to this album, like it has some ancient understanding of this project that predates both you and the album. It's immaculate. It's glorious. It's beautiful.

Kendrick is also clearly great at making albums that feel significantly more cohesive than albums that are supposed to be concept album. I've spoken about how irritated I get about albums just being called concept albums when that label doesn't apply, but for reference, this is how concept albums are done. Not having one or two songs connected to the concept, but only having one or two that don't. It's focused and it makes it so much more affecting.

With that in mind, I'd first and foremost recommend just listening to the album if you haven't already, but if you need to hear a song to be convinced, Money Trees is my suggestion. It is, as you'd expect from the title, a well executed depiction of the hustle culture and money obsession that comes with growing up in an economically deprived area, where the safety it can provide is invaluable.

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

I feel like the entirety of this album would be ruined if there were a single point where the performances slipped. On a conceptual level, it seems like there is a sense that it is better than it is. Like it doesn't recognize its simplicity, but because Janelle Monaé is an incredible performer, and the band is on point constantly, it elevates it and makes that conceptual simplicity a positive somehow. The incredible execution legitimizes the concept, at least it does for me.

To demonstrate Janelle Monaé's awesome skill as a performer, take Tightrope and imagine some random X Factor or American Idol finalist making it. For me, it turns into childish, top 40 slop in my imagination. But because it's Janelle Monaé, it feels sincere and meaningful, if a little self-aware in it's lack of conceptual complexity.

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

Probably the album at the top of the must-listen list for prog-rock. I enjoyed the album enough to agree with that too. The songs are all really long but the experimental nature of the album really makes the album consistently attention-grabbing and entertaining.

It's a basic choice, but I really enjoyed 21st Century Schizoid Man. It's huge, it's anthemic, it's got bombast and aggression, along with that previously mentioned experimental nature.

King Crimson - Discipline

Discipline didn't impress me quite as much as In the Court of the Crimson King, but it was still a pretty great experience. It's very much more of the same great sound that made Crimson King such a standout record, but just to a slightly lesser quality in my humble opinion and with more of a focus on settling into a repetitive groove than on their earlier record. I'd definitely recommend that you listen to that before Discipline if you're interested and haven't already.

The standout track for me, and the song I'd recommend is Thela Hun Ginjeet. I feel it embodies the unique elements of this record in particular pretty well.

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

I don't really think I'm a Bob Dylan sort of guy because I just couldn't get into this on anything other than an intellectual level. Because of that, and the fact that as I write this I'm a few days past the day I wanted this to be posted by, I'll just say that I'd recommend listening to Tangled Up In Blue if you're unsure and move swiftly on.

black midi - Hellfire

I've spoken at length about this album multiple times before, so I'll keep this pretty brief, but this is quite possibly my favourite album of all time. It was my first exposure to black midi because, based on the album art and the name, I assumed it was heavy metal or something equally heavy. I was very wrong about that. They are absolutely a band that will overwhelm on first listen, but not in a heavy metal sort of way. There is a complex intensity to the album that, at least for me, inspired an almost religious experience where I couldn't even begin to grasp what I just experienced, but it just felt right to me.

I could very easily recommend any song off the album, but today I'll go with Sugar/Tzu. It's a very theatrical song, using a boxing match as a metaphor for... Something. It's pretty abstract and open to interpretation. I'll leave you to come up with your own.

Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch

Another one I've written about a lot already, I should really just write about these albums so I can link somewhere when they pop up in future.

Anyway, I've been on a bit of a Regina Spektor kick lately and been listening to some of her other albums, and I gotta say, as much as I love and appreciate those albums too, they all just make me appreciate how special this one is even more. None of her other albums that I've listened to have the same quirky, artistic charm that this does. It's all a little different. Here, the songs feel of-the-earth, dug up in this incredibly affecting, raw, primitive state that spoke directly to emotions in the language of emotions. It's incredible and I don't expect I'll hear anything quite like it for a very long time, if ever.

Recently, I've really enjoyed Chemo Limo, and I see no reason not to suggest that as a single song for those who want to dip their toes.

Gabriels - Angels & Queens

I'm going to be honest, I was distracted when I first listened to this album and never revisited it fully. That being said, the title track popped up on shuffle a lot and I got really into it in that less focused context, so I imagine that's a good recommendation for an individual song.

JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - SCARING THE HOES

This whole album is so chaotic, anthemic, exciting, and weird enough to earn it's title. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown's energies click so perfectly too, which really gives this album an infectious, propulsive flow. It's definitely my favourite hip-hop album of the year so far and I'm disappointed that it took me so long to listen.

I think this album is at it's best when it's chaotic energy is at it's highest, so if you're looking for a song to try it out first, I'd go with the opener, Lean Beef Patty. It's an explosive start, and prepares you perfectly for the experience you're about to have.

Alvvays - Alvvays

I've made no effort to keep the fact that I absolutely love Alvvays under wraps. In fact, I've made a whole ass post about it. That being said, this is clearly a version of the band that wasn't quite as keen to explore new sonic palettes as they have since become. It's pretty one note, but they chose a great note to linger on, like an F#. Solid note for sure, but if I were to nitpick, I'd like a few more.

As I implied in that first paragraph, the album is incredibly consistent, so it's another one of those albums where you could close your eyes and point to a song to try if you were unsure, but here I'd like to recommend fan favourite Archie, Marry Me. Much like the rest of the album, it's dreamy, twee, and euphoric, with some sardonic lyricism courtesy of Molly Rankin, where, depending on how sarcastic you think she's being, she's either targeting the pressure to marry, or the person who is unwilling despite their shared commitment to one another. It's really good and fun and full of indie charm, you should give it a listen.

Injury Reserve - By the Time I Get to Phoenix

Much like the Bob Dylan album I talked briefly about earlier in this post, I enjoyed this way more on an intellectual level moreso than on any other, although I was able to get into this one a little bit more. It's a very intense experimental hip-hop album generally centered around grief, which makes it more intense and, at the same time, more harmonious for the way it intensifies that innate intensity.

The best songs off the album are towards the end in my opinion, and to suggest you listen to one of those before the album as a whole would probably lead to a worse experience with the album, so I'll suggest Superman That as an introduction instead. It's glitchy and stuttered which grants a heightened level of desperation to the sound of the song as the hook "ain't no saving me or you" punctuates it.

Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope

As I said earlier, I feel like Regina Spektor, if she was trying to, struggled to recapture the very specific charm of Soviet Kitsch, but as they say, shoot for the stars, and if you fall short you'll make it to the moon. There is still plenty to love here if you aren't comparing it to a once-in-a-lifetime record. The lyricism is still fantastic, albeit in a different way now, with Samson in particular being a song from this album that felt incredibly poetic. Après Moi on the other hand shows off her ability to make lyrically focused music instrumentally interesting. It's still a great album, just not as unique as I was hoping after hearing Soviet Kitsch. I'd still highly recommend giving it a listen if you like lyrically focused art pop ballads.

Regina Spektor - Far

A lot of what I said about Begin to Hope applies here too. I saw a few people pointing out Eet as their favourite Regina Spektor album, but I'm going to have to disagree there. Personally, my favourite ended up being One More Time With Feeling. It's just one of those songs that make you feel backed up and supported in whatever challenges you may be feeling. It somehow reminds me of Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads in that respect.

All in all, this was by quite a way my least favourite Regina Spektor album so far, but it is still very much worth a listen for me. She's just a very special artist, the likes of which don't come around very often, and that has been clear in every single album I've heard so far.

Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee

I imagine I've written about Jubilee before, but not often enough. It's such a great example of an album being fun without sacrificing depth. Admittedly, not every song here is positive, but the majority are, as the title would suggest, and I can't describe in words alone how happy I am that there is an album out there proving to the depression snobs that you don't have to be sad to be interesting, and proving to the lazy that you don't have to give up meaning to make music that expresses the positive sides of life.

The example I adore most is the opener, Paprika. Its an absolutely gorgeous song that has dug it's way deeper and deeper into my mind since I listened to it to the point that I'm convinced one day my whole personality will be Paprika by Japanese Breakfast. The song, and by extension, the album, opens to slow, ascending synths that are instantly positive and comforting. Then you hear the beautiful lyrics, "Lucidity came slowly, I awoke from dreams of untying a great knot". the words that have not left my head for more than a day in months. Gorgeous. Then you get a triumphant drum line to give the song a soft drive, and eventually the chorus

"How's it feel to be at the center of magic to linger in tones and words?

I opened the floodgates and found no water, no current, no river, no rush

How's it feel to stand at the height of your powers to captivate every heart?

Projecting your visions to strangers who feel it, who listen, who linger on every word?

Oh, it's a rush"

I had to share it in full. It's such a beautiful ode to music, it brought a tear to even my dry eye.

This has grown to be my favourite song off the album for it's summation of everything within the project, but aspects of this beauty are reflected in other moments on it. If left-field pop is even in the vague vicinity of "your thing", this is a must listen. If not the album, Paprika at least.

Alvvays - Blue Rev

I've talked enough about Blue Rev by now. It's a fantastic noisy, shoegaze album. Listen to After The Earthquake if that sounds up your alley. Even if you've heard it before, treat yourself. You deserve it.

Regina Spektor - 11:11

I really loved the sparse production on this album. It allowed the lyrics to take center stage alongside Regina Spektor's amazing, expressive vocals, that prevent the music from feeling empty. It's some great artistry on display to almost make the sparsity go unnoticed.

I think there are two great songs that serve as microcosms of the album as a whole. First, Rejazz. Here, there's only a bass and Regina Spektor's immaculate vocals which cover ground from deep growls, to delicate highs within the space of seconds in a way that feels natural, as if it's just an attempt to squeeze out every single bit of emotion she can as she sings of losing someone and recognizing the catastrophizing she is doing, convincing herself that she will cry forever and realizing how untrue that is.

Next, I wanted to bring up I Want to Sing because it is a great example of the intimacy that the sparseness of the album creates. Here, there are no instruments at all, taking that acoustic idea to the absolute max without literally having a silent track, and therefore making it feel almost as if you're in the room with her in some cheesy romance film moment. That's not to say that this is a simple love song though, because she recognizes the absurdity of her situation with glimpses of that aggressive anti-cliché writing that initially drew me to Spektor's music with Soviet Kitsch.

JPEGMAFIA - LP! (Offline)

After listening to and being blown away by SCARING THE HOES, I developed an itch for that sort of sound, and considering JPEGMAFIA was responsible for my favourite parts of that album, I decided to start here, and I was impressed. I didn't enjoy it as much as STH, but it was an abrasive and chaotic enough experience that the itch is very much scratched for now.

As much as it seemed out of place as the fourth track on the album, I'd recommend listening to the song END CREDITS as a first taste of the album.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023:

Book 13 of 2023

Title: Up-Close & Personal: In-Country, Chieu Hoi, Vietnam 1969-1970 Authors: Robert C Bogison ISBN: 9781097969142 Tags: AC-47 Spooky, EOD, FSB Dirk (Vietnam War), FSB Schroeder (Vietnam War), III Corps (Vietnam), KHM Cambodia, KHM Cambodian Incursion (1970) (Vietnam War), Military Police, THA RTA Royal Thai Army, UH-1 Huey, US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US USA 159th Transportation Bn, US USA 159th Transportation Bn - 5th Transportation Co. (Heavy Boat), US USA 18th Military Police Brigade, US USA 1st ID, US USA 212th Military Police Sentry Dog Co, US USA 25th ID, US USA 284th Military Police Co., US USA 39th Infantry Regiment, US USA 39th Infantry Regiment - 2/39, US USA 458th Transportation Corps, US USA 504th Military Police Bn., US USA 504th Military Police Bn. - 188th Military Police Co., US USA 557th Military Police Co., US USA 615th Military Police Co., US USA 716th Military Police Bn., US USA 720th Military Police Bn., US USA 720th Military Police Bn. - B Co. (Bushwhackers), US USA 89th Military Police Group, US USA 90th Replacement Bn, US USA Army Tugboats, US USA Colonel Robert A. Rheault, US USA Combat Trackers - K9, US USA Fort Gordon GA, US USA Fort Leavenworth KS - USDB CTF Correctional Training Facility, US USA Fort Leavenworth KS - USDB United States Disciplinary Barracks, US USA Fort Riley KS, US USA Fort Riley KS - CTF Correctional Traning Facility, US USA PBR Patrol Boat River, US USA Sgt. Alvin Smith, US USA ST 2122 El Cid - Small Harbor Tugboat, US USA United States Army, US USMC United States Marine Corps, USA 5th SFG, USA 9th ID, USA Green Berets, USA Special Forces, VNM 1st ID, VNM An Hoa Hung Village, VNM Bearcat Base / Long Thanh North Airfield (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Bien Hoa Airbase (Vietnam War), VNM Camp David Long (Vietnam War), VNM CIA Phung Hoang / Phoenix Program (1965-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Cu Chi, VNM Cu Lao Ba Xe Leper Colony, VNM Da Nang, VNM Dong Nai Province, VNM Dong Nai Province - Buffalo Shack, VNM Dong Nai Province - Cogido Bridge, VNM Dong Nai Province - Duck Farm, VNM Dong Nai Province - Finger of the Land, VNM Dong Nai Province - French Fort, VNM Dong Nai Province - French Pier, VNM Dong Nai Province - Heel of the Booth, VNM Dong Nai Province - Rabbit Ears, VNM Dong Nai Province - Rice Mill, VNM Dong Nai River, VNM DRV NVA Thai Khac Chuyen / Chu Van Thai Khac, VNM Green Beret Affair (Vietnam War), VNM Highway 1, VNM Hill 15, VNM Hill 85, VNM Lai Khe, VNM LBJ Long Binh Jail - USARVIS US Army Vietnam Installation Stockade (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh, VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Michelin Rubber Plantation, VNM Operation Corral (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Stabilize (1967-1970) (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN MP Quan Canh Military Police, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police, VNM Song Buong - Black River, VNM Tan Hiep, VNM Tan Mai, VNM US Project Gamma - Det B-57 - E Co (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 24th Evacuation Hospital - Long Binh (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 93rd Evacuation Hospital - Long Binh (Vietnam War), VNM USA MRF Mobile Riverine Force (Vietnam War), VNM Vung Tao Rating: ★★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Military Police Description: The Vietnam War has tormented American consciousness for more than half a hundred years, and shows no sign of flagging. Up-Close & Personal is a signal contribution to understanding that drawn-out conflict from a soldier's point of view, informed by knowledge gained from being "up-close" at the basic, ground-pounding or river-patrolling combat level. The author pulls no punches. Detail is uncompromising, hard, often excruciating. All this amid the tumult of politicized youth on the home front shouting "Make love not War" and "Tune in drop out.

Review:  I tend not to give 5 stars to books, as I like to reserve that for books that have a profound effect on me. This book qualifies and let me explain why. It's not a perfect book by any means. There are little errors here and there with spelling and such, plus the story isn't that captivating/page turning thrilling. It can even be a slog at times. So why 5 stars? Because Bogison does what few others can - he really conveys the emotional aspect of his thoughts, his feelings, his mental state, his wrestling with what to do, how to do it, what is right and what is wrong... in big decisions and small. He doesn't just tell the good, but also the bad, he explains the stuff he wrestles with and not everything gets wrapped up nice and clean and with a little bow. When I grabbed this book, I was expecting a story about a Military Police in Vietnam. I was expecting a lot of bar fights, investigations of murder and accidents, regular law enforcement stuff. By the title, I also expected discussion of the Chieu Hoi Program/Force 66 - Luc Luong 66. - Let me be clear, this book has 0 of that... none.. nada... zip zilch... NO. Instead it's a book about an MP who is assigned to correctional facilities in the US (Ft. Riley) and Vietnam (LBJ) and ends up in a very special unit of MP's that is called an Ambush and Recon unit made up of MP's instead of infantryman! Because of the location in the Delta, they also have a joint unit with PBR's and skimmers that he finds himself leading as well. It was fascinating to read, the people, the stories, the bureaucracy, and more was captivating and it left me really thinking about the choices he made and how his personality affected his life's course. His temperament is always to attack, to challenge, to push - even against those who are trying to help him. He either sits quietly or attacks ferociously even when confronted with cooler heads to learn from and imitate - he does neither. Whether it was the helicopter crash, the tug boat incident, or a handful of other stories included, one can't help but really feel what the author felt as he just did his best, and all too often memoirs like this one are more about snippets of stories, or tell you what happened but forget the human element. This one has a consistent narrative and does well to really put you in his boots, and look through his eyes.

[shadeops21]

I posted 331 times in 2022

That's 51 more posts than 2021!

38 posts created (11%)

293 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sleepyconfusedpotato

@ronoken

@lisbetadair

@makarovkin

@rainboq

I tagged 94 of my posts in 2022

#call of duty - 41 posts

#call of duty modern warfare - 34 posts

#cod - 28 posts

#cod mw - 25 posts

#simon ghost riley - 21 posts

#modern warfare ii - 17 posts

#cod mw22 - 14 posts

#call of duty modern warfare 2022 - 14 posts

#modern warfare - 13 posts

#fanart - 13 posts

Longest Tag: 78 characters

#which people who’ve known me for years still spell on emails and letters to me

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

MWII Cosplay Guides - Los Vaqueros

A two-for-one guide tonight, as both these characters only have one visually distinct loadout each (I won't count the suit-and-tie for one of them as that doesn't need a guide).

I present to you our beloved operators from the Mexican Special Forces: Colonel Alejandro Vargas and Sergeant Major Rudolfo Parra.

Previous guides can be found below: Sgt Johnny 'Soap' Mactavish Lt Simon 'Ghost' Riley Soap and Ghost's Helmets Side Guide

A reminder that some of what you may see may not be commercially available as it either might be government sales only, or not physically exist in that colour/pattern.

See the full post

133 notes - Posted November 24, 2022

#4

MWII Cosplay Guides - Helmets

Just a quick side-guide of sorts, as I didn't include these with the relevant main guides, but here are the helmets worn by Ghost and Soap during the opening mission we are introduced to them in.

Both are mostly the same, but with small differences. The relevant guides for Soap and Ghost can be found by clicking on their names.

Anywho, here are their helmets!

Future side-guides will probably focus on common details or smaller, less significant features like headwear or additional one-off accessories.

And please share this (and past and future) post around, so as many people can see it as possible. I want to share and spread this knowledge with as many as possible!

252 notes - Posted November 23, 2022

#3

So I’ve done some digging into the different characters introduced in TG: Maverick, specifically with their home squadrons.

I’ve done the best I can to look at production stills and freeze-frames from trailers and behind the scenes material, and this is what I’ve been able to identify.

Pre-note: this is done more to educate and assist cosplayers in obtaining the right patches than to criticise the movie and costume department. I’m also noting down real-world assignments and the aircraft they use.

Lt Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw - VFA-87 “Golden Warriors”

F/A-18E Super Hornet

Air Wing 8 aboard the USS Gerald R Ford.

Squadron callsign “War Party”

Lt Natasha “Phoenix” Trace - VFA-41 “Black Aces”

F/A-18F Super Hornet

Air Wing 9 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln.

Callsign “Fast Eagle”

See the full post

373 notes - Posted June 3, 2022

#2

MWII Cosplay Guides - John "Soap" Mactavish

So, I have access to the character models from MWII (don't ask me how or where, you can find that stuff yourselves), and I have been pouring over the models and studying them for what gear each character uses.

I have a fair number of online friends who are artists and/or writers, and many a time I have been consulted on pieces of equipment and uniform/clothing worn by different characters in different scenarios.

I'm also a budding cosplayer, and I wanted to see what I'd need to buy in order to properly replicate different pieces of equipment.

So, I'm put together a cosplay guide/gear breakdown for different characters in their various appearances throughout MWII. This will be for SINGPLEPLAYER ONLY, as I'll be fucked trying to go other every MP operator's kit with each seasonal update.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the three I've made for our much beloved Sergeant! A point of note, both "Interdiction" and "Nightwar" are physically the same model, just alternate colour schemes. Another point I'll raise here, and will be reoccuring in future breakdowns, is that the texture artists have likely taken liberty with asset colours, as IRL some of these pieces actually may not exist physically at all in given colours or patterns, or at the very least, not for public retail/sales.

See the full post

542 notes - Posted November 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

MWII Cosplay Guides - Simon "Ghost" Riley

Part two in a series I'm now undertaking in providing the fandom with reference resources for artists and cosplayers alike. The first post, for Sgt John "Soap" Mactavish, can be found here in case you missed it.

Ghost also has three 'core' loadouts seen in the campaign, all visually distinct in terms of clothing and equipment. A reminder that some of what you may see may not be commercially available as it either might be government sales only, or not physically exist in that colour/pattern.

See the full post

564 notes - Posted November 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[fereality-indy]

My Personal GI Joe Universe

My personal Joe-verse loosely follows the Hamaverse for the most part, but not completely. Also pretty much if I can buy a figure of a character, that character is still alive.

- I add some ideas/characters from Sunbow (Mainframe/Zarana romance, Honda Lou, Teiko, Green shirts, etc), DiC (in my version, Armadhila is the Alley-Viper that was friends with Scoop in Operation: Dragonfire, Evy the Range-Viper, etc), DDP (Firewall, Mayday, Mariner, Alexander McCullen, Mistress Armada, [American] Red Shadows II, Phoenix Guard, etc), IDW (Hashtag, Ronin, Lighthorse, etc), etc.

- A lot of Legacy characters get renamed: Resolute/RoC/IDW Dial Tone is Landline, IDW Hard Drive is Network, Sean Collins is Kamakura and Throwdown is one of his brother, Sunbow's Daina is Krasa (Russian for Beautiful), etc

- Final Faction is a branch of Star Brigade that deals with alien encurscions to Earth.

- MASK is based more on the original season of the cartoon, but has ties to GI Joe.

- Street Fighters are a loose collection of street fighters that include members of Interpol, British intelligence, US military, etc that regularly deal with various low level threats that would not require action by any of the larger teams. There is a healthy working relationship between the the Joe's and the Street Fighters.

- Oktober Guard is made up of Brekhov, Daina, Horrorshow, Schrage Stormavik, Krasa, Volga, Vorona, Gorky, Misha, Dragonsky, Red Star, Big Bear, Wong, and a couple of Original Characters.

- Action Force is made up of non GI Joe characters (ie Skip, Scout, Doc, Wheels, Jammer, Quarrel, Stalker, Steeler, Moondancer, etc) and the Joe's that were of European nationality (Big Ben, Action Man, Natalie Poole, etc). They are Europe's GI Joe equivalent.

- Argen7 is the Argentinan Joe equivalent. Made up of Shimik, Glenda, Sokerk, Redmack, Manleh, Topson, & TNT.

- Commandos En Açāo is the Brazilian version of the Joe's. Made up of Athena, Sparta, Estopim, Tigor, etc. They actually work a lot with the Argen7 team to fight Cobra in South America.

- India has the Commandos Force made up of the original characters from Funskool (Rednok, Canary Ann, Streethawk, [red Caucasian] Stalker, Wireless Tracker, Super Cop, Skydiver, etc)

- Bronze Bombers (original & 97 characters) are a private contractor group that operate out of the African continent. They operate along the lines of the A-Team in the fashion that they usually work for the oppressed and underdogs. And don't let them find you poaching if they are in the area.

- The Corps are the UN equivalent of the Joe's. They are made up of the original & modern characters.

- Cobra is based around the Hamaverse version. There are also South American & Indian branches of the group based around the figures released in the area (Armadhila, Mortal, En Aco, Kangor, O Invasors, etc for Cobra SA and Snake Shadow, Scorpion, etc for India).

- Iron Grenadiers are Destro's personal army. Other named characters are Darklon, Roddy Piper, Mayhem, Voltar, Metal Head, Copperback, Alexander McCullen, Mistress Armada, etc.

- Athena is the private contractor company owned by the Baroness' family. They were really only seen once in the DDP comics, but I have a couple of Fortnite figures I used to represent them. (Calamity is an officer and the Elite & Rogue Agents are the troops).

- Dreadnoks are a multinational biker gang lead by Zartan. Pretty much a combo of the Hamaverse & DDP versions of the group.

- SKAR is a terrorist group led by Iron Klaw. They occasionally encounter either the Joes, Action Force, or Oktober Guard.

- IRON Army is a group of cyborgs created by the former ally of Sgt Savage, Garrison Kreiger aka General Blitz.

- Red Shadows are the main enemy of the Action Force. They have a small branch in the Americas based around the DDP version. Baron Ironblood, Black Major, Red Laser, Red Jackal, Red Wolf, Red Vulture, Red Scream, etc are the command force of the European branch with Wilder Vaughn, Arthur Kulik, & Dela Eden lead the American branch.

- Marauders are a former private contractor army that went rogue. They are one of the two enemies of the Corps. Ravage, Plague I, Vulture, Road Rash, Remora, Hak Luger, & (formerly) Dusk are the named members.

- Curse created by the former Corps member Shadow, the Curse are almost all infected with nanobots that augment them in some fashion. Plague II, as Shadow now goes by, has recruited several allies; Puma, Impact, Reaper, Occulus, etc.

- Pyro's Band Of Thugs are essentially a group of mercs made up of the enemies of Bronze Bombers. Cool Breeze, the Baron, Chilly Pop, Backdraft, Crazeblaze, Firebomb, & Scorch.

- Shadaloo is a small nation that offers sanctuary to many evil people.

[phoenixrising0308]

Meet My MC

Face Claim: America Georgine Ferrera

Why the face claim: I wanted to write a strong Latina lead. The actress is very vocal about what she believes in and supports various charities and causes that resonate with this blogger. (some listed here).

Book: The Royal Romance

Full Name: Jessica Maria Garcia

First Appearance on Tumblr: June 30, 2019 (under a previous username *same author*

Nicknames: Jessie, Agent Bossy Pants, Jecca (to her family), and only to Liam Jess or Muñeca

Birthday: March 8th

Nationality: Latina of Puerto Rican Descent

Height: 4’11

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Education: John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Double Major in Political Science. Jessica also has Ph.d. in Criminal Justice.

Languages: English, Spanish and Italian fluently. Conversational French painfully taught by Leo. Greek lovingly taught by Liam. Spoken well enough to be considered for Legal attaché for FBI offices in those regions.

Occupation: Federal Agent (on loan to Cordonia) currently undercover as one of Liam’s Cabinet Aides

Love Interest: Liam Rys is her OTP but in various A/U dating Damien Nazario and Ethan Ramsay or Bryce Lahela.

Things that annoy her: People that park too close to her car and the lack of pockets in dresses

Children: None in Agent Phoenix but in various future A/U yes

Family: Mateo Garcia (Captain NYPD) Adam Garcia (NYPD Sgt.) Daisy Garcia (Wedding photographer)

Family Traditions: Super Cereal Sunday - every Sunday, the Garcia siblings gather together to have cereal and talk about their week.

The Epiphany (Three kings or little Christmas)

Favorite Cereal: Fruity pebbles

Personality Traits: Loyal, loving, and fierce

Positive: Opinionated

Negative: Opinionated

Favorite things: Mail order clubs like chocolate of the month or IPSY, and dancing with Liam.

Book: The Birth of Venus

Film: Real women have curves

TV show: Cobra Kai, The Office, Superstore, Ugly betty, and Jane the virgin

Perfume: A custom curated blend of Roses, Vanilla, and Lavender created by Liam (private reserve)

Clothing brand: Valentino

Where is she living: Cordonia in the palace

Hobbies: boxing and baking

Music: Listens to everything but loves Selena

Three Random Facts:

Sleep eats

Sings in the shower

Loves to binge-watch shows with Liam. (who plays with her hair so she can fall asleep and so he can change the channel)

[quinobiweek]

QuinObi Week Day 1 Fic Roundup

Just gathering all the fics from today in one post!

Intimacy by @sgt-pepperony94

Five time Quinlan Vos blew Obi-Wan's mind.

Some Dance to Remember (Some Dance to Forget) by @palfriendpatine66

Obi-Wan has been feeling down after his return from his year long mission on Mandalore, and Quinlan is determined to bring him drinking and dancing to distract him from his woes. Their night out leads to more than just Obi-Wan’s feelings for a certain duchess being explored.

Flu Season by @coruscantrhapsody

Obi-Wan Kenobi comes down with a nasty bout of flu right as Quinlan Vos sits down next to him. Surely it's a coincidence.

It Was You All The Way Down by @kcrabb88 (aka your friendly neighborhood mod)

Quinlan returns home from a difficult mission with Tholme. Overwhelmed by the side effects of his psychometry and doubting his own capacity for light, he seeks out Obi-Wan. A trip to Dex's diner and a long talk later, the two Padawans admit some feelings.

Maybe.

And this adorable fic by @fanfic-phoenix

Obi-Wan and Quinlan are sent to meditate and end up playing tag instead.