#synergy 2017

[joelletwo]

AHA. hi yasu

[mrfoox]

I love Fabian so much.... 🥺

[familiarscars]

Lost In Control | Bad Omens | CHAPTER 10

adult content | minors do NOT interact.

⋆ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. Bad Omens X ex-girlfriend and singer!Reader.

⋆ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒. You and Noah had a difficult ending, but you still need to support each other for the band.

⋆ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆(𝐒). melancholy, ex-boyfriends, difficult relationships, alcohol abuse, swearing, drug addiction, violence.

It's okay to not agree with the characters' attitudes during the fic. It's good to remember that the story is fiction from the author's sick mind, and of course they will make dubious decisions according to my fantasies. Nothing is done to be compared to reality.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 24, 2017

Bad Omens left Richmond.

The previous year had undoubtedly been the most hectic of your lives. After months of hard work and merging all your ideas, you presented the tracks to a record label that seemed interested in the band's concept, and they suggested releasing your first album.

Since then, you’d been on a constant quest to make a name for yourselves on the road, playing shows in small venues for crowds that weren’t always the most engaging, and posting YouTube videos with the label’s support. Every bit of creative input came from your minds, and it was impossible to disagree when the synergy seemed to resonate with each of you.

A simple stage at Warped Tour felt monumental to you all, and naturally, you gave it your all the moment you stepped in front of the audience for the first time. Each time you heard more voices singing along at your shows, it warmed your heart in a way you couldn’t quite describe.

The chaotic routine was bearable because, to you and the guys, it felt like fun. Every performance outdid the last. You and Noah danced, jumped, whipped your hair, spun around, played with your voices, dove into the crowd, and teased your friends as they played. It was impossible not to feel at home when you were with them.

"Thank you so much, Warped Tour!" Noah said, breathless, a hand over his chest in gratitude.

"You made this afternoon so special for Bad Omens!" you chimed in as everyone gathered beside you. "We’ll never forget this!"

The crowd applauded, and you all exchanged glances, your eyes shimmering with emotion. It happened every time—those butterflies as if it were the very first show. Linking arms with Noah and Ruffilo, you all bowed deeply in gratitude, smiling wide. Folio tossed his drumsticks into the air, and Jolly followed with his picks before you all exited the stage, exhilarated and one after another.

"THAT WAS FUCKING AMAZING!" he yelled, startling you as he grabbed you from behind, lifting your feet off the ground and stumbling with your steps backstage. "Have I told you you were great today?"

"Only about a thousand times," you laughed, trying to dodge his desperate kisses on the side of your face as you shrank your neck.

In the distance, you could hear the crew dismantling the stage while you all drifted apart, each clutching a bottle of water. The guys greeted members of other bands and received praise for the stellar performance as you watched the hustle and waved at most of them. The adrenaline still surged through your veins, bubbling as intensely as your breath.

Your eyes met Noah’s just a few feet away. He seemed utterly oblivious to what the other band’s vocalist was saying, so focused was he on you. That familiar glimmer in his eyes was routine by now, and the soft wind barely stirred his long hair, lightened by the day’s glow.

It had been two years this month.

Two years of spending every day together from sunrise to sunset, and your stomach still fluttered whenever you caught his lips curving into a shy smile, as if it were your first date. The one that never actually happened thanks to the rain.

But you’d never been so grateful for it, for introducing you to him in his best and most vulnerable form. Just one look like the one he was giving you now—when your bodies collided against the damp ground after a dance without music—and you’d decided you needed to be his.

Since then, everything about the rain had become your shared trademark.

"Hey!" Jolly’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. "There’s a radio team interviewing some of the bands performing today, and I managed to get you and Noah into a quick chat with them!"

He seemed thrilled, and his energy was infectious.

"That’s fantastic!"

"Yeah! I think it’s a great idea, and they’re already waiting!"

At the exit from the backstage area, near the trailers serving as dressing rooms for the bands, a crew stood with cameras, microphones, and a panel displaying the radio’s logo. Rock Radio was the main and most respected source for the genre, and the chance to speak with them falling into your lap was too good an opportunity to miss.

"This is my first introduction to Bad Omens, and I have to admit, your sound is incredible! How does it feel to play a festival for the first time?" the interviewer asked enthusiastically, directing the first question to Noah, who looked just as excited and still buzzing with post-show adrenaline.

"Surreal!" he began, gripping the microphone a little too tightly. "I couldn’t ask for better company when the entire band works so hard to be unique. They’re responsible for every single one of those claps, and we all feel like we truly deserve to be here after so much dedication to make this happen!"

"Amazing! The vocal alternation is truly fascinating, and you both execute it so naturally—it’s like you’re one!"

"None of this would happen without the most talented person I know." As he finished, you felt your face gradually warm as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, pulling you into a hug. "It’s crazy, but I really see her voice as part of mine, and I feel like I could never do this alone. Without her, I’m just Noah."

Your attention instinctively turned upward, catching him smiling at you from the corner of his eyes. The interviewer pursed his lips, speechless for a moment, before refocusing, his gaze now entirely on you.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, smiling wide at you. "It’s undeniable—your voice is so unique, unlike anything the genre has seen before, especially when paired with the riffs and growls. Bad Omens has been around for two years, but do you still face challenges as a female vocalist in this space?"

"Well, ignoring some criticism doesn’t make it go away. I always try to filter whether the feedback is about my work or something I can improve…"

"Impossible, when she’s so good," Noah interrupted, tilting the mic toward him for a second.

"If it’s not…" You reclaimed the mic, shooting him a playful side-eye. "I do my best to disregard it. Honestly, the band has built a great fan base—open-minded, respectful, and always supportive of what we propose. That’s important to me because it helps me see if we’re on the right path."

"Impossible because she really is that good!" The interviewer couldn’t hold back his laughter, nor could you, as Noah cut in again, swiping the mic to emphasize with a raised finger.

"There’s no doubt who your number one fan is, huh?"

"We’re an excellent duo! I don’t think I could have done so well if he hadn’t believed in me first." Your eyes briefly wavered as they met his, then turned back to the interviewer, your teeth lightly biting your lower lip. "I owe Noah all the confidence in myself that I’ve been learning to embrace over time."

Butterflies danced in your stomach, fluttering back and forth. Your hand gripped the microphone tightly, nerves taking hold as you faced a camera and answered questions about yourself for the first time. Talking about him remained one of your favorite topics, and bringing him into the context of the interview made the atmosphere less tense.

The interview had been incredible, good enough to make it on the air, and a pleasant sensation tingled across your skin. Things were heading in the right direction, and you felt... happy.

The guys were gathered, helping the crew load the instruments into the van. Noah was coiling some cables, and the others signaled to each other to pick up the pace. Smoke escaped your lips as you watched them work like a colony of ants preparing for winter, flicking the ash from your cigarette onto the ground.

"We have exactly four hours to get to the next venue," Gerard approached, speaking on the phone as he handed you a flyer. It had the band's name and the time of their set later that night at a bar a few miles away. "The crew left another outfit for you in the dressing room. Change on the way."

"Wait." You called for his attention, and as he turned back to you, he put the phone aside and faced you completely. "What do you mean, another show in just a few hours?"

"This slot opened up to open for a friend’s band. They had hired someone else, but something came up, so I suggested you."

"We just performed, and doing this again in a four-hour window is too much for us!" Your fingers crumpled the flyer into a small ball before stuffing it into the pocket of your shirt. "If I’m not mistaken, you’re supposed to let us know when you're adding something to our schedule."

Gerard let out a loud sigh, scratching his left eyebrow with his index finger before leaning in to meet your height. His breath reeked of alcohol, his eyes bloodshot with some irritation, and his nostrils flared.

"Sweetheart, your memory should also remind you that your band is nothing right now. If you really want to make it, you need to stop dragging your feet," he growled.

"How about you get on stage and scream into a mic for two straight hours? Do that, and then tell me who’s dragging their feet!" Your voice was steady as you stepped forward. "Now, let’s talk about something interesting since you want to turn this into a business meeting, Gerard. What’s the revenue from the merch sold today at the festival?"

"Sales weren’t that great," he snapped back. "There’s still plenty of inventory left, which, by the way, is in the van."

"Along with the extra stock you brought without our permission?" Your eyes narrowed. "Am I wrong, or did you bring more pieces to intentionally create this excuse of poor sales to report the wrong figures?"

This wasn’t an empty accusation. You had taken advantage of your friends’ distraction after the interview and wandered around the festival until you stopped at the merch booth. Every single Bad Omens item had been sold, even though, suspiciously, the booth had been placed far away from the main crowd, almost as if it were meant to go unnoticed.

"You’re so insolent," Gerard muttered, shaking his head. "The revenue split will be discussed when we’re back in the office. You should get over yourself because if I really wanted to steal something, it wouldn’t be from someone as irrelevant as you!"

"Like your son’s band?" you shot back with a lazy smirk, watching his expression darken. "That might be a good option to take our place tonight because Bad Omens won’t be playing again today!"

"Everything is already set for this show, and your tantrum won’t change that. You don’t get to pick and choose jobs when your band is trying to make it, and you all signed a contract obligating you to appear at any event the label sets up!" He jabbed a finger at your chest. "I don’t care if you’re tired or if this pushes you to your limits. You will perform, and for every off-key note, I’ll dock your pay if you don’t do this show with the most enthusiasm of your life. Understood?"

That damn contract.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Gerard pull something from his pocket—a small packet with a single pill inside. Discreetly, he slipped it into your hand, clamping it shut with his own, holding your fist tightly.

"If you can’t handle the routine you signed up for, take a little incentive," he growled, tightening his grip to focus your attention. "But don’t forget—you’re required to give me a stellar performance no matter what you use to get there. See you in four hours."

Abruptly, he released you and sniffed sharply before walking away, leaving you alone with the unfamiliar object. Your eyes carefully studied your palm. Inside the packet, the light pink pill was small, marked by a single line across the top. You’d always hated taking medication, not even for headaches. The taste was awful, and your body took too long to dissolve this kind of stuff.

Outside the packaging, you kept studying that thing between your fingers. It had a rough texture and no discernible smell.

"Ready to go?" his voice startled you, and in an impulsive gesture, you shoved the pill into your mouth, swallowing it immediately. The bitter, unpleasant taste lingered on your palate, scratching down your throat. Noah watched as you slowly turned toward him, narrowing his eyes. "Hey, what's with that face?"

Noah chuckled, touching the tip of your nose with his finger to dissolve the strange expression you were making.

"Nothing." You forced a smile, squinting to hide the unease caused by that peculiar taste clawing at your throat. "Shall we?"

Growing up alone had placed the weight of solving every problem solely on your shoulders. There was no one to share the burden; wherever you looked, you only saw yourself. Crying for help or seeking support from someone wasn’t an option—your four walls reflected only one face: your own. The most painful part was having to build your own ground while learning to walk, with no support, no safety net—just the obligation to take firm, flawless steps.

Even surrounded by people who genuinely cared about you and wanted the best for you, something deeply rooted in your subconscious insisted that the problems in your life were exclusively yours. No one should cross that line. For you, relying on someone felt like selfishness; it was your responsibility to be strong enough to bear everything on your own, never asking for help.

The stage lights flickered in hues of orange and purple, creating an atmosphere that wavered between the real and the surreal. You stood at the center of it all, draped in a dark dress that clung to your body like a second skin, paired with high vinyl boots. Every movement felt calculated yet disconnected, as if an invisible force was pulling you into a parallel reality. No one noticed the peculiar gleam in your eyes—a reflection of whatever was coursing through your veins.

The first note left your throat like a whisper laced with melancholy. Your voice was flawless, slightly drawn out, as if trying to trap each syllable in the air before releasing it. You sang in a rhythm that fluctuated—sometimes slow, sometimes almost provocative, as if each verse were a confession. There was no fault in your pitch, yet something about the melody felt unusual—heavier, more intimate.

"Are you okay?" Noah asked discreetly during the intro of the next song. When your eyes locked onto his, a distorted vision took over—he seemed blurry, almost comical. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Of course I am!" You playfully shoved his broad shoulder, noticing his expression shift, though something prevented you from fully identifying it.

Surely, he was having as much fun as you.

Your steps, however, were a different story. Slowly, you crossed the stage with movements that defied balance, teetering between sensual and erratic. Each gesture carried an exaggerated languidness, a broken grace, as if you were dancing alone in a world only you could see.

"Are you with me tonight, aren’t you?" Your voice came out honeyed, laden with an unsettling charm, as your eyes scanned the crowd with a gaze that blended sweetness and debauchery.

Your sweaty hand gripped the microphone like a lover, pulling it closer to your lips as you laughed softly—for no apparent reason. “Ah... It’s so good to see such beautiful faces staring at me. You’re all so gorgeous. You have no idea how much…” The last word came out almost like a moan, leaving the audience caught between discomfort and fascination.

The beats of the music seemed to synchronize with whatever was happening inside you. As the song progressed, your movements became freer, more erratic, as though each note was guiding you further from where you were. But no one knew—or maybe didn’t want to know—that there was something more to this night.

You were the star, and even under an influence that made the world spin in strange ways, you were too perfect for anyone to question it.

“What the hell was that earlier?” Noah’s tone carried a sharp edge, and you froze before him. In your mind, ever since you left the stage, nothing had been wrong. You were a star. “Are you hearing me?”

“Why are you talking so loudly?” Your body leaned backward, and he caught you before you could collapse onto the table with the water bottles.

Noah leaned closer to your mouth and sniffed—a gesture you clearly misinterpreted as you tried to kiss him, only for him to turn his face away.

“There’s no smell of alcohol, so why are you acting like this?”

“STOP BEING SUCH A BORING!” you shouted suddenly, wrenching your arm free from his grip. “Holy crap, you’re so annoying sometimes! Why can’t you just enjoy things without ruining the fun all the time?”

He stood there, analyzing everything coming out of your mouth as if looking at a stranger. Your heartbeat was so fast it felt like your heart might burst from your chest at any moment.

“What kind of joke is this?” he asked, stepping back when you tried to approach. “Why are you treating me this way?”

“When you try to fit me into a box like I’m just a piece of a Rubik’s Cube, I feel…” you began, but the words seemed to die on your lips as sweat trickled down your temple.

“You feel?” he pressed, his tone firmer. “Say it!”

“Suffocated.”

For the first time in two years, you saw him look at you with different eyes. They didn’t shine with the fervent passion you were used to seeing, nor the euphoria of your presence. Noah’s eyes held disappointment.

“I heard some shouting outside and thought it was strange coming from you guys…” Ruffilo’s voice cut through the tension as you both stared each other down. “But you’re just joking around, right?”

“We’re definitely not,” Noah replied without taking his eyes off you.

Sniffling to regain his composure, he stormed out of the backstage area as swiftly as a gust of furious wind, leaving you and Ruffilo in a painful silence.

⭑ @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard ; @iluvmewwwww75 ; @anarchydomainglory ; @foliosgirl ; @lma1986 ; @chey-h ; @supersquirrel1996 ; @zozaline ;

[cityof2morrow]

Glass Repo Set 001

Published: 8-21-2024 | Updated: N/A SUMMARY Inspired by several brainstorming sessions with fellow simmers over time, here are glass versions of several items from  my NetworkMAT series (see the #co2networkmat tag). Use them to build walk-through aquariums, gardens, observations rooms, scenic tunnels, air-locked pathways in space, and more – get creative!

DETAILS Requires all EPs/SPs.~ 44-1008 poly. ~§9-1000 | Build > Architecture You’ll need the BBNiche “MASTER” file and the Glass TXTR Repository mesh – you can get ‘em both from my Repository Pack (Simmons, 2023). DOWNLOAD (choose one) from SFS | from MEGA

NOTE: When several glass objects are placed behind one another in Sims2, shadows/reflections may appear slightly distorted in-game. The objects themselves are fine – that’s just a game quirk FYI. See below.

CREDITS Thanks: Sims2/Simming communities. Sources: Any Color You Like (CuriousB, 2010), Beyno (Korn via BBFonts), Solar Tunnel Highways (LoM, 2015 via Cities Skylines), Cities Skylines (Paradox Interactive and Tri Synergy, 2015), EA/Maxis; Modulo_Sewer_01 (Polo_Art, 2022 via Creative Commons Attribution), Modular Tunnel (Just8, 2024; 2023 via CCA), Nooks & Niches (Buggybooz, 2012), Offuturistic Infographic (Freepik), Spawn of Square Stair (Khakidoo, 2007), Textures (CuriousB, HugeLunatic, 2018; Simmons, 2023; 2010; Stonemason, 2011; Klevestav, 2013; 2010; EA/Maxis); Urban Future 4 (Stonemason, 2011), Tunnel Entrances (Ronyx69, 2017).

[the-virgoperspective]

The Signs As The Most Iconic Albums of The 2010’s (IMO)

Aries: DAMN by Kendrick Lamar (2017)

This album brought heat. Heat that could burn this planet straight to ashes. It’s confrontational, angry, fast-paced, and entirely innovative. There were levels upon levels upon levels to the songs that embarked you on an exhilarating auditory adventure. It’s an aries album! Specifically aries moon and ascendant (this is not a biased decision) because of how each house I feel is represented here. If you really listen to the lyrics and notice the flow of how Kendrick placed each song; there’s no question about it. It covers self identity, finance, communication, family, birth, love, death, travel, community, and the subconscious. It. Covers. Everything. There is a bold confidence here that almost seems like overcompensation for vulnerability/fear in some songs. It focuses on black on black crime, it goes back to its roots, and it’s downright funky (very aquarius in 11th vibes). It’s brash, bold, fiery, and energizing! I could go on about this album for days. It literally won 11 awards in one year! There’s just so much to it!

Songs I Recommend: BLOOD, ELEMENT, PRIDE, XXX. (FEAT. U2.), & DUCKWORTH

Taurus: Ego Death by The Internet (2015)

Sheeeeesh! This album is spectacular! There is such a romantic and smooth vibe to every single song; even the ones that aren’t particularly loving in its lyricism. The r&b/soul elements are alive and well here. The Internet brought the true feeling of that genre back with their own modern and homely twist to it. There is a lot of focus on devotion to another, strong love, physicality, situationships, the low key grind, and enjoying the finer things in life. It has a very venusian vibe but not in an airy way; more so steady and sensual. You can’t help but to move your body in whichever way feels most natural to this album. It’s rich, it’s svelte, it’s earthy, decadent, and simply smooth as butter. The taurus energy is just so strong here, esp taurus sun and venus, as there is a consistent and calming energy within this album. I heavily associate it with this sign because it also speaks to an element of hedonism, as there are clear indications of money/material belongings/love never being enough from life, but I’d consider that aspect to be an extreme.

Songs I Recommend: Gabby (feat. Janelle Monáe), Under Control, Palace/Curse (feat. Steve Lacy & Tyler, The Creator), Get Away, + Girl (feat. KAYTRANADA)

Gemini: Notion by Tash Sultana (2016)

If you have never heard of this artist or album, I implore you to give them a listen, especially if you are a lover of true musicians. This album is difficult for me to describe, mainly because it renders you speechless (which I find funny for a gemini album). It is very mercurial. Tash (this artist is genderfluid and goes by they/them pronouns) was groundbreaking with this album, with it only having a mere 6 songs, and they each hold a different tone yet carry the same message. Tash really shows how exploratory/changeable they are when it comes to various sounds and emotions throughout one song. This album is so varied, tantalizing, and profound. It’s even more mind blowing knowing they created all of these songs on their own and played every single instrument themselves. No joke. Bonus points for Tash being a gemini sun! The lyricism is also very powerful here, as they discuss topics of coming into oneself, paving new paths, and the ramifications of toxic love and habits. This album carries so much versatility and musical passion and that’s really all I can think to say. Such a fantastic introduction. Bravo.

Songs I Recommend: Jungle, Synergy, Notion, Gemini, + Big Smoke

Cancer: + by Ed Sheeran (2011)

Ohhh my. This album still has my heart under lock and key. I had to give cancer (specifically moon and asc) this album because it’s just so delicate and so extremely precious. This album feels like drinking a warm cup of tea while wrapped in a blanket and it’s drizzling outside during fall. Literally. The water/cardinal element and energy is very present here. The way Ed put each song in order to flow so perfectly and cover nearly every emotion was just beautiful. The feeling in this album is very heavy and raw, discussing deep traumas, heartbreak, grief, and addiction; yet also focuses on the sheer joy/love of life and the confidence that can be found within it. This album screams cancer. Bonus points because Ed is a cancer ascendant! He really poured himself into this one and dug very deeply into his own heart. I just feel like this one isn’t debatable or even should be explained. It’s soft, saucy, simple, solemn, and comforting. Honestly, what more can I say? It’s just a perfect cozy album especially if you need a good cry or have been bit by the love bug.

Songs I Recommend: Lego House, Grade 8, Kiss Me, Give Me Love, + Sunburn

Leo: Electra Heart by Marina & The Diamonds (2012)

This is another one of my favorites. It’s timeless, satirical, and downright genius if you ask me. It has a nuance of impulsivity and pomp that is so electrifying; paired with heavy bass and powerful pop beats. It’s leo energy! One thing I have always personally associated with leo placements is power; not only career wise but in their movements, their way of life, and the way they carry themselves. This album was and is powerful! It has carried its popularity through two generations of teen/young adult populations and it’s going absolutely nowhere. I still see memes and references to it circulating! The lyricism is what stuck the most for me (personally) as the entire album is a reflection of what society expects and at times demands from young womxn. It is also a reflection of young womxn trying to figure out who they are, to find themselves, and trying to love. It demands you to look at societies’ expectations and how damaging it can be to a person, and that brings forth (imo) a lot of emotion and self reflection.

Songs I Recommend: Teen Idle, Power & Control, Primadonna, Sex Yeah, + Radioactive

Virgo: channel ORANGE by Frank Ocean (2012)

Oof. Okay, here we go. This album carried me through a lot and I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little biased. It’s difficult to describe this album and how it makes you feel. It covers so many things, loneliness, love, desire, addiction, nepotism, etc. Frank has a criticizing lyricism in some of his songs while also being extremely articulate in the delivery (huge virgo energy). There isn’t a single word that is sung or spoke that I don’t understand. This album is quite varied in feeling and carried a lot of mutable energy to me. It is very intellectual, calm, caring, engaging, and changeable. There is an anxious feeling to it as well and it showcases vulnerability in a way that is inviting yet compelling. You can tell Frank put an incredible amount of thought and time into making this album and that speaks so much for virgo placements to me. I’d associate virgo mercury and venus more than the others but they all still apply. Such a thorough and beautifully constructed album. It’s an A+ and always a classic.

Songs I Recommend: Sweet Life, Crack Rock, Thinkin Bout You, Pink Matter (feat. André 3000), + Forrest Gump

Libra: Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay (2011)

I already know I might get shit for this but let me explain myself. This is such a libra album mainly due to its strong focus on being with someone (companionship). There are many songs that focus on being in love and in a relationship. It also focuses on the beauty and pleasure of life and love, which is very venusian. This album takes you on such a beautiful auditory journey that you really never want it to end. It hits the highs and lows, as libra is not always all about love and light, as isn’t any other sign. The band touches on impulsivity, indecision, relationships, and the strength/health of those relationships. Despite its jovial sounds, they can be discussing such deeply poetic subjects. They can really make anything sound pretty; even ones that are really meant to be sad but are still so stunning in its delivery. Coldplay absolutely did something with this one, as it brings forth such an array of emotions and daydreams. Their music (imo) is made for movies (specifically romances or romcoms).

Songs I Recommend: Hurts Like Heaven, Princess of China (feat. Rihanna), Us Against the World, Paradise, + Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall

Scorpio: AM by Arctic Monkeys (2013)

Let me start by saying that this is one of my favorite albums and I still have every song in my library, so obviously, I’m still obsessed. Which leads me to my next point, this album screams “be in love with me, obsess over me, tell me I’m yours and you’re mine” in nearly every song. The lyrics are a bit possessive, very detail oriented, and make many references to knowing something beforehand or finding something out that they already know (intuitiveness). This is scorpio through and through in my opinion. It’s dark, it’s powerful, it’s sly, and it’s captivating. Alex Turner and his leather clad band were honestly the cherry on top of their sound. They looked the part, with their smoldering gazes, gelled and curly classic hair do’s, and black and white filters in their music videos. They also blew up the alternative scene when it came to western style alternative music, so they had a very distinct sound that set them apart from everyone else. Verrrry scorpionic and yes, once again, I am still obsessed.

Songs I Recommend: Arabella, One For the Road, Do I Wanna Know?, Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?, + R U Mine?

Sagittarius: Tourist History by Two Door Cinema Club (2010)

Alright folks, this is another one of my favorites. This is an album that you can dance and/or lose your mind to. There are a lot of metaphors in the lyricism and TDCC did a great job of portraying their messages without revealing much; really leaving it up to you to interpret them in your own way. This album is hard to pin down (much like sagittarius) but focuses mainly on change, passion, independence, travel, taking charge, appreciating life, and appreciating the people you may encounter in your life. It has a very approachable and energizing feel to a lot of the songs and carries that jovial/jupiterian energy that is associated with sagittarius placements. This album has high energy songs and even the low energy ones still have a high to them; much like a rollercoaster. In my opinion, it’s a strong portrayal of the fluctuation of feeling and time, just with its melody and song. This one is very special to me for many reasons, but the biggest one is it just makes me so happy!

Songs I Recommend: What You Know, This Is the Life, Undercover Martyn, Cigarettes In the Theatre, + I Can Talk

Capricorn: Ctrl by SZA (2017)

What a beautiful album. This one I also had on repeat constantly and I know I’m not alone. SZA brought the subjects of internal pressure/expectations of the self and the huge importance of self-worth to the forefront here. It has a huge cardinal energy to it. This is such a coming of age album and focuses a lot on growth of the self and the heart. She really poured herself into this one. It feels very personal, like she is singing straight to you at times, and feels very down to earth as a whole. This album I associate with capricorn asc and venus more than any but I feel like it could apply to other placements as well. Bonus points since SZA is a capricorn asc herself! She used many sound bites of her mother giving her words of true wisdom throughout the album (saturn energy/wisdom from elders) that added a very familial aspect. This album got personal and was very suave and casual in its delivery. It feels like your closest homegirl made it just for you. She was so real for that.

Songs I Recommend: Doves In the Wind (feat. Kendrick Lamar), Prom, Go Gina, Anything, + 20 Something

Aquarius: 2014 Forest Hills Drive by J. Cole (2014)

Y’all, I had this album on repeat constantly in high school. This album is so well rounded and touches on some compelling wordplay; and it’s very poignant and intelligent. J. Cole touches on important topics that most rappers would find difficult or uncomfortable to speak on in their music. This album is very indicative of love/faith and the lack thereof within the self and the community. There are songs that are uplifting, nostalgic, introspective, and at times comical and sexual. There are songs that focus heavily on the rigidity of hyper-masculinity and how hard it can make someone, especially when considering their environment and upbringing. He touches on the hood lifestyle and mindset, growing up in poverty, being the odd one out, and struggling throughout life. This album is two sides of the same coin, casting light on the restriction of the mind, heart, and soul (strong saturn energy) and the beauty of healing. In conclusion, wow, this album opened me up in a way I didn’t think was possible.

Songs I Recommend: Apparently, G.O.M.D, A Tale Of 2 Citiez, No Role Modelz, + St. Tropez

Pisces: Hozier by Hozier (2014)

Where do I even start?! This album is absolutely everything and a bag of chips. It’s affectionate, it’s ethereal, it’s watery, at times lonely, and haunting. The pisces energy is so heavy in this album! It feels like you’re traveling through a forest in search of a lover from a past life; pining, crawling to the one you love. I heavily associate pisces venus with this album (esp with it being exalted in venus). Hozier’s lyricism is poetically profound and transports you to another time with nearly every song. This album has so many elements to it, paying homage to bluegrass, folk, r&b, and fables from his homeland of Ireland. He nurtures the themes of life and death, love and hate, and how they like to mingle with each other. The love he sings for is dreamy and purely devoted, with depth in its rhythm. It’s such a great album to use as an escape as well! This album is incredible and was truly a gift to us all. What an introduction, Hozier.

Songs I Recommend: Run, Cherry Wine, It Will Come Back, Work Song, + In A Week (feat. Karen Cowley)

☥ ombré divider by @cafekitsune ☥

[cognitivejustice]

Rural China goes solarpunk

Viewed from a distance, Lianxing looks more like a solar energy farm than a rural village of 457 households. There are solar photovoltaic panels on almost all its rooftops and in every courtyard.

For generations, residents of the village in Wuyuan county, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, depended on straw, firewood and coal for cooking and heating. But they have now abandoned those fuels, which often made their homes dirty, 40-year-old villager Shi Baohong said.

The new power generation facilities have also brought villagers a consistent stream of income with little effort. Shi earns almost 10,000 yuan ($1,400) a year from his solar PV panels and said there is still enough space between them to plant herbs and other cash crops in his courtyard of more than 300 square meters.

As China forges ahead with energy transition and rural vitalization, Lianxing and its almost 1,400 residents are a microcosm of the synergy that can be generated when the two campaigns are promoted simultaneously.

Local authorities said the distributed solar PV system in Lianxing went into operation in 2017, three years after villagers moved into new homes fitted with solar panels. Households in the village now make an average of 8,000 yuan a year from selling solar energy to the grid.

Villagers did not have to pay for the new houses or power generation facilities thanks to a land-use rights transfer project. After their resettlement, the land previously covered by the villagers' old, dilapidated houses was turned into more than 130 hectares of farmland.

"Villagers didn't pay even a single penny. It was a house-for-house deal, and that's not half bad," the village's Party chief, Li Chou, said.

All the costs for the new houses and solar panels were covered by the company that invested in a large-scale agricultural development project.

In Donglian village, in Gansu's Gaotai county, many families can earn 1,000 yuan a year without having to make any investment or do maintenance work. They lease their rooftops to a company for distributed solar PV development.

source

[brawltogethernow]

I actually misremembered who made the suggestion; this is @heyyoufriendthere (orange⬇️)'s fault. Plaintext with annotations below the cut.

This is the very picture of an intellectual rights fracas Comics will warp to be like films as fast as you can say "huzzah" But when a megamonopoly swallows up the competition It yanks our blorbos back and forth in an ugly retcon perdition When only Fox can make a movie about the Fantastic Four, The Disney-owned comic office will shove the Four right out the door Until the Disney studio absorbs those rights and then you'll find The comics are suddenly awful sorry they left them behind(1) Then in the instant comic fans begin to cheer an awful lot The news comes in from Bleeding Cool(2) the writer is that fucker Slott(3)

Oh yes when comics warp to be like films and leave you quite agaw This is the very picture of an intellectual rights fracas

When Disney didn't have the rights to film the X-Men and their friends The Inhumans were their idea to have that same magic again But absolutely nobody could give a damn about their deal There was a gas or something uh, the Moon? Nobody cares get real EXCEPT for Ms. Marvel, the only Inhuman breakout success They want her all over the screen at excited public behest Oh yes when comics warp to be like films and leave you quite agaw This is the very picture of an intellectual rights fracas For years the MCU was not allowed to say the word "mutant" They twisted themselves into pretzels out to recoup every cent The silver screen had two Quicksilvers purely for dumb spite reasons With roots in even dumber masturbatorial rights reasons(4) Wanda and Pietro had their sixth or seventh origin retcon(5) To fit the "No More Mutants!"(6) edict corporate decided upon Then Disney bought the M word back for 73 billion bucks (A number that should make you want to strangle all these greedy fucks)

Oh yes when comics warp to be like films and leave you quite agaw This is the very picture of an intellectual rights fracas

Now suddenly it's mutant city all over the comic line They let the X-Men start a sex cult; also they can never die With no need for Inhumans they admitted that they're pretty cringe And nobody will ever give their lore a proper reading binge The MCU made Kamala a mutant like immediately Faster than you can say "bad adaptation" or "brand synergy" In short order the comics gave her the murderization hook In such a hurry it wasn't even in her own fucking book(7) Now big surprise she's coming back on the fucking sex cult island They gave it less than one whole month before they played their fucking hand So Kamala's a mutant now(8) and got a shitty mourning book(9) Which when she's coming back NEXT MONTH you might call a pretty bad look

IT'S TRUE WHEN COMICS WARP TO BE LIKE FILMS AND LEAVE YOU JUST AGAW THAT IS THE VERY PICTURE OF AN INTELLECTUAL RIGHTS FRACAS

~ (1) "At the time, we were told that the Fox-licensed X-Men books weren't to be cancelled as they made too much money for the publisher, but the FF as a middling sales solo title could be missed without hurting the bottom line."

From 2014, when Fox was preparing its 2015 release of Fant4stic, until Disney's film branch recovered the rights by absorbing Fox, the FF were conspicuously absent from comics. The Fantastic Four book was discontinued for the first time since 1962 (for most of those decades they'd supported multiple titles at once) along with all associated merch tchotchkes. By 2017 there was a Twitter hashtag, #WhereAreTheFantasticFour. If you want to hear some people be driven slowly insane by this, Stormcast had a segment called Stormwatch where they analyzed any Johnny Storm appearances in a given month. We're talking deep analyses of single panels.

(2) I know I just linked them, but part of the joke is Bleeding Cool's weird place in the geek news ecosystem. They report everything first, so for the first week you know something you can't strictly confirm it's actually true.

(3) I don't have time to enumerate Slott's crimes but we hate him. Source: Dude trust me👍

(4) How A B-List Hero Became Hot Hollywood Property Fox could adapt him because they had the rights to all mutants, and Disney could because they had the rights to all Avengers. Some characters are both because the comics didn't use to care about this. This is the entire reason the MCU introduced a Pietro Maximoff and then killed him off. Like seriously who kills off one twin. No that was not based on any comic story.

(5) They're not currently Magneto's kids in the main comic line. Everyone hates this.

(6) This is a cheap reference to the comic storyline "House of M".

(7) They killed her off in Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #26 and none of her supporting cast was there.

(8) Kamala Khan to Return in “Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant”

(9) Look at this thing:

WHO are those anonymously multiracial teens and what are they so goddamn happy about?

~

Bonus

[fanlore-wiki]

Ship Sunday: Pharah/Mercy

This Ship Sunday, we’re featuring Pharah/Mercy, a femslash pairing between Fareeha Amari and Angela Ziegler from the video game Overwatch.

They became a popular ship because of their strong synergy and ability to work alongside each other - notably because their skills allow them to fly when tethered to one another.

Though there have been some noted shipping wars, Pharmercy still remains one of the most popular Overwatch pairings, and most popular femslash pairing overall within the fandom, as confirmed by an official Google tweet in 2017.

Are you a fan or simply eager to learn more? Check out their Fanlore page!

___

We value every contribution to our shared fandom history. If you’re new to editing Fanlore or wikis in general, visit our New Visitor Portal to get started or ask us questions here!

[magicwithclass]

Yawgmoth's Bargain

Yawgmoth's Bargain is banned in commander and legacy. This would be a completely different conversation if this card was legal in those formats. The card is absurdly powerful, but is it good enough to banned alongside the power nine? Is yawgmoth's bargain as good as a mox or a black lotus? Most people would argue that while Yawgmoth's Bargain is an extremely broken card it is not quite in the same tier as many other cards banned in legacy or commander. I should note that while there are many cards on the reserved list that are banned, very few are banned because they are simply too good to be played. Some reserved list cards are banned because they reference ante while other cards have issues in tournament play. For instance, dexterity cards and cards that trigger a subgame are banned because they cause headaches and confusion in official tournaments. Yawgmoth's Bargain does not have this issue so why can't you play it? Surely, newer cards like dockside extortionist or jeska's will are just as powerful so why does the bargain sit on the banned list while my goblin makes me 20 treasures? Undoubtedly, yawgmoth's bargain is potent. One card for one life has always been an exchange that I would pay all day everyday. Yet many cards offer that rate. Necropotence is not banned in commander and even the new necrodominance offers a similar effect for modern. Both of those cards only cost 3 mana while Yawgmoth's bargain costs double that! Six mana is a huge investment and a player really needs to be able to cast the bargain early. You can not drop this on turn six and then just pass, even with a fresh grip of cards. However, this card has always benefited from combos and synergy. You can bury the opponents in card advantage but you are more likely to combo out using this reserved list card to find your combos. Getting access to the cards immediately is a major upside and should not be underestimated. The one life payment is negligible but ensures you can not just draw your entire deck without another combo piece. Otherwise, you could just play this, draw your deck, and cast thassa's oracle. Speaking of the oracle, is yawgmoth's bargain really stronger than the demonic consultation/oracle combo? I do think that yawgmoth's bargain has a legitimate chance of getting unbanned one day. The game has evolved since the card first landed on the ban list. The card would still see a tremendous amount of play but I do not see it warping formats. Black decks might run it as a generic staple draw spell but how much better is it than phrexian arena if you are using it purely as a draw engine. Even as a combo piece, this card is 6 mana. The skipping your draw step is also not really a drawback when you can draw at anytime for one life. In fact, the card gets around nekusar and sheoldred. Currently, the card is around ten dollars in price. That is actually quite a lot for a card that can not be played in most formats. There has always been speculation surrounding this card, though, as everyone always believes this card is about to get unbanned. The card was over 5 dollars even in 2017, so this card was not bulk even before the reserved list buyouts of 2018 and 2021. Even so, the card was below 2 bucks before 2017. Of course, the card has been banned long before significant price data was calculated. In 2021, the card did go to almost fifty dollars but a banned card just can not keep that price tag. What are you playing it in? Albeit, some reserved list cards have a high price due to scarcity and not playability but I can still put those cards in decks even if they are not very good. Today, you can get the card for about 10 dollars. I have a few copies that I got in 2015 for very little and I will hold those cards until the day the card finally is liberated off of the banned list. On that day, the price of this card will rocket to the moon. I should also note that this card is one of the few reserved list cards with a foil version. The foil version is about 150 dollars which is a big discrepancy between foil and nonfoil.

[s10127470]

A response to myst1calx

So a few weeks ago, a made a post titled The MCU Synergy Problem.

In that post, I discussed how a lot of Marvel's projects during the 2010s and 2020s have been somewhat dragged down by being constantly forced to be adjacent to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If you want to check it out for yourself, here's the link to it below.

As of right now, the post has gotten six likes and a reblog.

However, the reblog I got was essentially a written response.

And somewhat hostile one.

And weirdly enough, it was from one of the six people who liked the post.

So I'm not sure on whether or not they actually liked it or they hated it.

From the way the reblog was written, it seemed like they didn't really like it.

And in addition to that, they're also a sense of confusion as well.

So today, I decided to make a response to the person that did the reblog: myst1calx.

I'm going to respond to all the points they brought up in their reblog while trying to be as civil as possible.

Though there may be a point in this where I do seem pretty angry.

Now that we got that out of the way, let's get started.

"ok but the shows in the 2010s didnt suffer from mcu synergy because they activley fought against it"

This one is a both right and wrong.

Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man (2017) are really the only shows that didn't suffer from MCU synergy.

Spidey hadn't been introduced into the MCU yet when Ultimate came out and when he was, it was during Ultimate's final season.

When Spidey wouldn't even get his own movie in the MCU until after Ultimate ended.

And Spider-Man '17 surprisingly didn't really have a whole lot of MCU influence despite lasting for most of Spidey's MCU trilogy.

It took more influence from Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and Dan Slott's run on Amazing Spider-Man.

Avengers Assemble, despite being created just to ride off the success of the first Avengers film, didn't really have a whole lot of MCU synergy at.....for the first two seasons.

But I'll touch on that a little later.

Guardians of the Galaxy.

Dude, out of all the Marvel shows of the 2010s, this one was undoubtedly the most blatant with the MCU synergy.

I mean, just look this promotional poster.

Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. also has blatant case of MCU synergy, but in a more subtle and honestly, sinister way.

The show was about the titular Agents of S.M.A.S.H. learning how to be a family and fighting off bad guys with a variety of high-tech gadgets.

Not exactly something you would think of from a show about the Hulk of all characters.

But let's turn our attention to the villains of this show.

Out of all the villains, this show only really features 7 of the Hulk's foes.

The Leader, The Abomination, The Absorbing Man, Titania, Wendigo, Xemnu and Maestro.

Yeah! No Wrecking Crew, U-Foes, Zzzax, Madman, Bi-Beast, Gargoyle, Flux, Grey Gargoyle, Umar, Nightmare, Man-Beast, Ravage, or John Ryker.

Now compare this to the other villains included in the show.

Besides the Hulk associated villains, the other villains in show include the likes of Annihilus, Blastaar, Ego the Living Planet, Laufey, The Mole Man, Doctor Doom, Galactus and his heralds, Impossible Man, Loki, Malekith the Accursed, Dormammu, Sauron, Ronan the Accuser, The High Evolutionary, The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, Pluto, and The Supreme Intelligence.

Upon reading this, you probably that most the villains listed here are predominately connected to the Fantastic Four, not really Hulk himself.

This, along with the aforementioned focus on family and use of technology, has led many people to theorize that Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. was originally meant to be a new Fantastic Four cartoon, but was changed to be a Hulk cartoon at some point development.

The potential reason for this was that this show did come out right at the beginning of Marvel's "The Fantastic Four and X-Men don't matter anymore" phase because of the whole movie rights bullshit.

And while there hasn't been any official confirmation about this theory from any who has worked on the show, the connections are still quite apparent.

As for why they decided to make Hulk the star of the show instead if they couldn't use the Fantastic Four, I guess besides the fact he's among the most prominent allies of the Four, it was because he was the only other option that people could see working with this premise.

The other ones that could possibly fit this would be The Avengers and maybe Spider-Man, but they already had their own shows going on around that time.

So all in all, the MCU synergy did affect most of the 2010s shows.

Some were definitely more apparent than others, but still.

"if you wanna make the claim that its all mcu synergy, you can see it starting in 2017, not 13"

Now this one is weird because a good chunk of the MCU synergized elements that occured in the comics happened before 2017.

-The current, obviously MCU-inspired Loki was introduced in 2011

-Hawkeye with the tired dad energy was introduced in 2012

-The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver happened in 2015

-Literally everything with the Guardians of the Galaxy in 2015

I think maybe they were trying to say that the MCU synergy became more apparent starting in 2017, which.....yeah, they are kinda right about that.

But I reason I say this is a weird statement is because what myst1calx says later in their reblog.

Which I'll get to.

"also advertising doesnt always mean mcu syndication slop dude"

Dude, I never said anything about the advertisement for the MCU being the same as MCU synergy slock.

Advertising for the MCU is perfectly fine. I mean, Marvel would want their project to do well, right?

But the problem is using a piece of Marvel media that isn't connected to the MCU and having it resemble the MCU.

It just doesn't allow it the product to stand on it's own.

"like dont bring avengers assemble and aos and usm into this"

Why shouldn't?

Avengers Assemble does play a part in the MCU synergy problem.

I didn't even mention Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at all in my post.

And for Ultimate Spider-Man.....

I only brought up the comic for a point I was making about a weird similarity I noticed between most modern non-MCU projects and most recent Spider-Man media.

And if we're talking about the cartoon, I literally just said it didn't suffer from any MCU synergy at all.

"this is entierly a thing that started with the 2017 uni and it comics. just correcting because i'm tire dof the whole “ mcu syndication rhetoric” when talking about aa it's so fucking annoying"

The MCU synergy has been around before 2017, they think were just saying that it became before prominent and explicit than before.

But the whole "MCU syndication rhetoric" when about AA.....

While yes, Avengers Assemble may not have the most blatant case of MCU synergy out of the non-MCU TV shows of the 2010s (Guardians of the Galaxy say "hi" again.), it's hard not to mention it as it does play a big part in that show.

From the content within the show, to literally why the show was made in the first place.

"look at the comics or anything from like. idk 2017 onwards."

This one I do agree (sort of).

I don't what the comics have to do with AA (they're completely different continuities), but I do know that the MCU synergy has gotten worse with the comics since 2017.

I mean for God's sake, the latest case of this was just last year with Ms. Marvel being retconned into a mutant.

"like you COULD make a claim abt this but honestly i see it more as you guys just not liking new shit"

But I like some of the new Marvel shit.....

the Insomniac Spider-Man games, the Spider-Verse films, Midnight Suns, those Marvel animes, and that upcoming Marvel Rivals game.

Hell, I actually like Avengers Assemble as well.

I know I didn't mention it in my post, I actually do like this show a lot.

I know it's not as good as the show that came before it, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but I still acknowledge it merits and enjoy it as its own thing.

But most of the other non-MCU projects I'm just not that wild about.

Since let's be real, they're kinda just.....

"like being fr, have you ever watched or played any of these games or do you see that at face value"

Yes, I have watched and played both Avengers and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.

And both of these are just not that good.

While they're definitely not the worst games ever, they're just nothing really home to write home about.

For Avengers, this game was pure wasted potential.

I mean, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics had access to an IP that at the time of acquiring it, had over 50 years worth of history!

That IP had hundreds of comics with numerous storylines worth adapting, an enormous roster of characters, a multitude of other iterations to easily take some influence from, and most of all, a movie franchise that helped make it into the powerhouse it is today.

But with all that, they found some way to screw it up!

The plot is nothing home to rave about. It's just you're standard "getting the band back together" plot.

The graphics are....passable. Just your standard very realistic-looking game.

The gameplay is repetitive as all hell and fails at making any of the characters feel distinct from one another.

The bonus content is a total joke. I mean putting aside the obvious micro-transactions, most of the purchasable costumes absolutely suck. They're either just half-assed attempts at recreating outfits from whatever source material they came from, or just recolors of each other.

And most of all, the game has some of the most pitiful representation of the Marvel Universe ever put to screen.

I mean, can you name any notable locations from the comics that was featured in the game?

The only one was Wakanda, but even that could've been done a little better.

There was no Asgard or any of the other Nine Realms, no Latveria, no Kamar-Taj, no Dark Dimension, no Atlantis, no Savage Land.

Hell, we don't even get to go to New York! Despite the fact that like 90% of the Marvel characters are based there.

All we got were primarily generic-looking bases, deserts and forests (occasionally with some snow).

And in my post, I mentioned that there was a list of playable characters planned to be in the game.

In addition to Spider-Man and Hawkeye, this list included the likes of Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Captain Mar-Vell, Daisy Johnson, Doctor Strange, The Falcon, Kate Bishop, Mockingbird, Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk, The Vision, The Wasp, War Machine, and the Winter Soldier.

But only five characters from that list made it into that game, plus the Jane Foster Thor, which let's be real, that was only done just to coincidence with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder.

You can't tell me that the roster we got by the time the game finished updating was better than the one that was initially planned.

And I reason I say this game was pure wasted potential was because.....look at who the Avengers have had as members over the decades!

People don't seem to know this a lot or ever really acknowledge it, but the Avengers are like a melting pot, as they've had members from basically every corner of the Marvel Universe!

Heroes from the mystical side like the aforementioned Doctor Strange, Hercules, Black Knight and White Tiger.

Heroes from the cosmic side like the aforementioned Captain Marvels, Monica Rambeau, Moondragon and Nova.

Several street-level heroes like the aforementioned Spider-Man, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and Shang-Chi.

A couple of mutants have been members like Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch and even members of the X-Men, namely Wolverine, Beast and Storm.

Hell. Literally every member of the Fantastic Four has been a member of the Avengers at one point!

Like, does anyone else see the potential I'm bringing up?!

There could've easily been several DLCs that got to explore much greater Marvel Universe.

But alas, we never got that....

As for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite....

Jesus....

Apart from the admittedly decent gameplay, there's just nothing else good about this game.

The graphics totally suck. They threw away the gorgeous cel-shaded, comic book-inspired look from 3: Fate of Two Worlds for this bland, kinda ugly pseudo-realistic look for the sake of just like damn-near everything else in that game: MCU synergy.

Not to mention they look pretty cheap, especially in the cutscenes.

The reason being that this game had a pretty low budget.....and it really shows.

The music was mid, since, once again, they changed many of the characters themes in order to make it more MCU-inspired.

And while I do respect that this game is the first one in the series to have a story-mode, it's unfortunate that the story-mode sucks.

The plot was just so lame and was obviously riding the hype for the then-upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.

And I already brought up the absolute disgrace of a roster and the behind-the-scenes drama of this game in my poster.

All in all, these games may not be the worst games of all time, but they're just not worth anyone's time or money.

If you like these games, more power to ya.

"because i see more misconceptions about characters in deisgn and charaterizations in the 2010s morethan anything"

I'm not sure about this one.

Most of the stuff I said about the designs and characterizations in the comics is largely truly.

But maybe one of them was possibly exaggerated and not nearly as prevalent as most people make it out to be.

"and the thing is is that marvel will just keep doing this bullshit because you guys keep buying into it"

I just pointed it out that most of the stuff on the designs and characterizations is largely true.

It almost feels like they're trying to downplay just how prevalent the MCU synergy is in the comics.

Which is weird since they just admitted early with how prevalent the MCU synergy is in the comics!

And also.....

Fuck off with that bullshit.

Don't blame this on the fans.

They're (mostly) not the ones clamoring for this MCU synergy!

Marvel is doing this on their own term and are obviously doing this to appeal to more contemporary fans who got introduced to Marvel through the MCU.

And as I mentioned in my post, I'm convinced that the people at Marvel believe these guys have never heard of the word: adaptation.

Not only that, but they also seem to believe that these fans will get confused that the comics don't line-up with the movies 1-to-1.

And trust me, this isn't the first time something like this has happened with Marvel.

"this doesnt work for most of the shows pre 2016 in the 2010s marvel area because they didnt suffer from it until marvel started forcing it on them for maximum profits #which then ended up biting them in the ass when avengers assemble fans dropped the show after relazing that s5 became shitty mcu syndication"

Now this part is true.

The MCU synergy started to become much more prominent roughly around 2016/2017.

I already went into how this negatively affected stuff like Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, but let's head back to the main focus of this part, Avengers Assemble.

Although AA was created to obviously ride the wave of success caused by the first Avengers film, it surprisingly had very little MCU synergy....for, as I mentioned earlier, the first two seasons.

The only examples I can think of from the first two seasons was when they recreated the Chitauri in the Impossible Man, and a few references that got turned on their head like when Hulk tries to punch Thor, but he blocks it with Mjolnir.

But when season 3 came around....that's when everything changed.

During that season, it was pretty apparent they were really striving to be more like the MCU than in prior seasons.

The season featured Ultron as the main antagonist be he was in the latest Avengers movie at time, Age of Ultron.

Despite the fact that when the season premiered, Age of Ultron for almost a year at that point....

The Avengers got new outfits, pulled directly from the movies.

Hulk and Black Widow had something going on between them....like in the movies.

Klaw, who first appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man (which is connected to AA), receives a major redesign, looking like how he did in the movies, whereas before, he looked like how did in the comics.

The last four episodes were based off Civil War (I wonder why?).

They move their headquarters to a compound....once again, like in the movies.

And they predominately featured the Inhumans as recurring characters, since this was back when Marvel were trying to push them as the next big characters in order to replace the X-Men and promote their then-upcoming movie.

Which ended up getting cancelled and got replaced by a shitty TV show....which was cancelled after just one season.

In Season 4, this synergy was thankfully less present.

There was aforementioned Falcon redesign.

And Doctor Strange got one as well, to look more like how he did in the movies.

But then came along Season 5....

Dear God....

Not only was the MCU synergy just as prevalent as it was in Season 3 (maybe even more so, especially with the fact that it was heavily focused on Black Panther), but it even took place in a completely different continuity.

Yep! Season 5 was completely removed from the previous 4 seasons!

And to make matters worse, it was set in the same universe as Spider-Man 2017.....and Guardians of the Galaxy!

Which itself was connected to the first 4 seasons of AA.

HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?!

"this didnt START from the 2010s. it started midway throu"

Once again, the MCU synergy has been around since the early 2010s.

It was only at the midway point of that decade where started to become more prevalent than before.

And outside of the comics, the earliest case I think of for this was with EMH, which had Iron Man acting exactly like how he did in the movies.

Hell, even Hulk looked pretty similar to how he did in his solo film everybody forgot about.

"and creeped its way in because you guys LET IT HAPPEN"

Once again, fuck off with that bullshit.

"half of the things mentioned arent even mcu syndicationy they just suffer from current realisitc game trends that we are the norm"

I can definitely tell they're talking about Square Enix's Avengers.

But in all honesty, but game didn't really have a whole lot of MCU synergy.

It was still there, specifically with how the characters look.

I mean, everyone has said it before, but the Avengers looked like the stunt doubles for the MCU actors.

But it wasn't as prevalent as some of the other Marvel media to feature it.

Doesn't really make it much better though.

The game is honestly sort of a Schrodinger's video game, where doesn't take much from the comics or any other iterations of the Avengers, but doesn't take much from the MCU either.

"like what is your point here? “oh not every marvel property is the same is the comics” dude nobody buys comic shit because they arent as easy to get into the manga you guys perpetuate this shit and then wonder why cb fandoms are always filled with normies"

And here we are....

Now this is the last part of the reblog, and the one that really annoys me the most.

My point of that post was to show how not only was the constant MCU synergy incredibly tiring, but also been doing a lot of harm to their recent projects that aren't connected to the MCU.

Like, Avengers Assemble could've gone down as one of the greatest Marvel cartoons ever made!

But it got bogged down by the MCU synergy of the later seasons.

So much so that the final season wasn't even connected to the previous ones!

And now, it's usually just seen as the "we have the MCU at home" show.

And I do I even need to bring up Infinite into this?

And not only that, but it's also been bringing out the worst in Marvel.

I mean, just look at my post and read up on how much they made Capcom suffer during the production of Infinite.

But the synergy has not only harmed potentially good projects and lead to promising upcoming projects to be thrown to the Shadow Realm, but even good projects in unintentional ways.

The Guardians of the Galaxy video game was really good and the people who played it all agreed that this was what Avengers should've been!

But despite the positive reception, the game ended up flopping hard.

And while this was largely thanks to the failure of Avengers (since Guardians was also produced by Square Enix), I feel like the growing annoying towards MCU synergy may've played a part in this as well.

Since remember: out of all the characters of Marvel, the Guardians have been the ones undoubtedly changed by the MCU the most.

It's like....not even a contest.

And not only is this synergy doing harm to their non-MCU projects, but also gonna start (and it's possibly already has been) doing harm to the Marvel brand itself.

This is largely because of how homogenized they've made everything, which is not gonna be helping them because of rapidly declining interest in the MCU (aka Marvel Fatigue).

I mean, last year was just not a good year for them.

Besides Guardians of the Galaxy 3, two other films that released that year (Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels).

Both those films were met critically with what could be described as a resounding "meh".

But the real damage came in their box office.

Quantumania was a box-office disappointment, grossing $476.1 million worldwide against a gross production budget of $326.6 million, being one of the few MCU films not to break even in its theatrical run.

And The Marvels.....

Oh man, The Marvels....

That film was a box-office bomb! Grossing $206 million worldwide against a gross production budget of $274.8 million. And it now holds the record for being the lowest-grossing film in the franchise's history!

That had to be hurting Marve!

And it seems so as just recently, Marvel Studios announced they would be limiting the amount of MCU projects they release a year.

And while Marvel largely targeted towards the MCU itself, I feel like could also potentially start harming non-MCU projects.

Since let's be real, one of the many issues people have had with the recent MCU is how formulaic and generic it's become.

From the trademark forced and frankly mediocre humor, to having damn-near every threat be potentially world-ending.

I'm pretty sure the same could be applied to what people usually expect from a modern non-MCU project.

It's gonna have a semi-realistic art-style.

It's gonna feature the big characters (Avengers, Guardians and Spider-Man) featured in the MCU and barely anyone else (Fantastic Four, X-Men, street-level heroes).

They're all gonna be wearing their MCU outfits.

Every character is gonna be a quippy asshole (expect the ones who are suppose to be quippy assholes like Hawkeye and Spider-Man).

And it's gonna have a world-ending threat, with either Loki or Thanos as the main villain.

(Maybe Ultron if you're lucky)

And if this keep going, I'm sure Kang the Conquerer will essentially become the next villain to always be the main villain.

Well, if he's still going to be used in the MCU....

On to the next point.

“oh not every marvel property is the same is the comics”

Okay.

This has been a topic of debate when it comes to comic book adaptations for years.

Whether or not all comic book adaptations should strive to be like, 100% faithful to the source material.

To me, I think the answer to this is, in the words of the Pirate Captain,....

If this is for a series like Watchmen, 300 and Invincible, I feel like you should definitely make the adaptation as faithful as possible.

But even then, there would be definitely be some changes to the source material, since they would have story elements that were either weak or just plain bad.

Basically, maybe people's ideas on adaptations is to utilize what works, and either strengthen or get rid of what doesn't.

But when doing an adaptation for the big dogs like DC and Marvel.....this is where things get really tricky.

Because DC and Marvel have ongoing continuities with no end in sight, doing a largely faithful adaptation of any of their characters' stories would be an absolute nightmare since that characters will often have literal DECADES of history, plus hundreds to thousands of comics to read in order to understand said history.

If you've noticed, a lot of adaptations of DC and Marvel aren't exactly 1-to-1 adaptations of the stories from the comics.

But the reason why they're held in such high regard is because in spite of that, they manage to stay faithful to the spirit, tone and characterizations of the comics.

And even then, they will still adapt storylines and elements from the comics, but just little more streamlined.

Essentially, the best way I can describe how adaptations of DC and Marvel work is that they use the comics as a basis (along with other iterations) and essentially strive for something that's familiar while still being different.

For example, let's look at some of the Batman cartoons.

Although having some similarities, the three shows I'm about to bring up are still largely different from each other.

Batman: The Animated Series focused on the adventures of an already experienced Batman (having been at this gig for years and already knowing his villains) and his relationships with those around him.

The Batman, while somewhat similar to its predecessor, is focused on a younger and slightly-less experienced Batman learning to become a better hero.

And Batman: The Brave and Bold, is completely different from the prior two shows as it's focused on Batman's adventures interacting with the much greater DC Universe, specifically the lesser-known side.

But despite that, from watching these shows, you can still tell that they all used the comics (along with other iterations) as a basis and just built upon that in unique ways.

Contrast that with many of the non-MCU projects/products of the 2010s, which were obviously using the movies as a basis....and nothing really else.

And not only is this limiting to what these projects could do, but it's also kind of disingenuous.

Remember, the Marvel characters existed DECADES before the MCU even came around.

But to see Marvel not really even bothering to utilize said source material (in addition to constantly trying to alter it for the sake of brand synergy) is kind of a dick move.

And as I stated before, they're obviously doing to this to appeal to a certain demographic.

All companies have done this before.

And that certain demographic are the people who got into Marvel via the MCU.

And that leads us to the tail end of this part.

I get it.

It's REALLY hard to get into comics, specifically of the big two: DC and Marvel, especially the latter.

This is largely because of how long their characters have been around.

And if that wasn't intimidating enough, these characters will often have multiple runs (sometimes running at once) and that can last to hundreds, even thousands of issues!

Though not all comics books are like that.

Namely the limited series ones.

Hell, even franchises that have had multiple comic runs like Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Sonic the Hedgehog surprisingly don't have this issue.

In spite of having multiple comics runs, the reason they don't suffer is because each one (no matter how long they've ran for) usually takes place in a completely different continuity from the other.

And also, using the term "normies" is so lame and kind of insulting.

I mean, I thought that term died back in like 2016.

A better term for these people would be "contemporary fans".

But anyway, contemporary fans shouldn't be blamed for people not buying comics much anymore.

If anything, the blame should be more placed towards the companies themselves for not really having anything that could help ease them into the world of these characters and, as I mentioned before, constantly changing the continuity of the comics in order to make it easier for those fans to get into (which ironically I think actually makes it harder).

Like, remember back in the 2000s and the early 2010s, when Marvel used to have to storybooks, novels and encyclopedias that went into detail on the backgrounds of the Marvel characters.

I'm pretty sure that helped a lot of contemporary fans of that era get a good understanding of the Marvel characters.

And I'm sure it can work for the contemporary fans of today as well.

Well that's all I have to say.

This isn't meant be a call-out post, I just wanted to response to the points myst1calx brought up in their reblog.

And while writing for this, I kinda feel like I should've gone more in-depth on some of my points in the original post.

And even then, I do feel like they are confused on some points I made in the post.

But anyway, myst1calx, if you are reading this, I do hope we can reach a better understanding on this whole topic.

And if I sounded somewhat angry at some points, I do apologize for that.

But other than that, I'm gonna go eat something to eat.

Peace.

[frank-olivier]

Bayesian Active Exploration: A New Frontier in Artificial Intelligence

The field of artificial intelligence has seen tremendous growth and advancements in recent years, with various techniques and paradigms emerging to tackle complex problems in the field of machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. Two of these concepts that have attracted a lot of attention are active inference and Bayesian mechanics. Although both techniques have been researched separately, their synergy has the potential to revolutionize AI by creating more efficient, accurate, and effective systems.

Traditional machine learning algorithms rely on a passive approach, where the system receives data and updates its parameters without actively influencing the data collection process. However, this approach can have limitations, especially in complex and dynamic environments. Active interference, on the other hand, allows AI systems to take an active role in selecting the most informative data points or actions to collect more relevant information. In this way, active inference allows systems to adapt to changing environments, reducing the need for labeled data and improving the efficiency of learning and decision-making.

One of the first milestones in active inference was the development of the "query by committee" algorithm by Freund et al. in 1997. This algorithm used a committee of models to determine the most meaningful data points to capture, laying the foundation for future active learning techniques. Another important milestone was the introduction of "uncertainty sampling" by Lewis and Gale in 1994, which selected data points with the highest uncertainty or ambiguity to capture more information.

Bayesian mechanics, on the other hand, provides a probabilistic framework for reasoning and decision-making under uncertainty. By modeling complex systems using probability distributions, Bayesian mechanics enables AI systems to quantify uncertainty and ambiguity, thereby making more informed decisions when faced with incomplete or noisy data. Bayesian inference, the process of updating the prior distribution using new data, is a powerful tool for learning and decision-making.

One of the first milestones in Bayesian mechanics was the development of Bayes' theorem by Thomas Bayes in 1763. This theorem provided a mathematical framework for updating the probability of a hypothesis based on new evidence. Another important milestone was the introduction of Bayesian networks by Pearl in 1988, which provided a structured approach to modeling complex systems using probability distributions.

While active inference and Bayesian mechanics each have their strengths, combining them has the potential to create a new generation of AI systems that can actively collect informative data and update their probabilistic models to make more informed decisions. The combination of active inference and Bayesian mechanics has numerous applications in AI, including robotics, computer vision, and natural language processing. In robotics, for example, active inference can be used to actively explore the environment, collect more informative data, and improve navigation and decision-making. In computer vision, active inference can be used to actively select the most informative images or viewpoints, improving object recognition or scene understanding.

Timeline:

1763: Bayes' theorem

1988: Bayesian networks

1994: Uncertainty Sampling

1997: Query by Committee algorithm

2017: Deep Bayesian Active Learning

2019: Bayesian Active Exploration

2020: Active Bayesian Inference for Deep Learning

2020: Bayesian Active Learning for Computer Vision

The synergy of active inference and Bayesian mechanics is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of AI systems. Some possible future developments in this area include:

- Combining active inference and Bayesian mechanics with other AI techniques, such as reinforcement learning and transfer learning, to create more powerful and flexible AI systems.

- Applying the synergy of active inference and Bayesian mechanics to new areas, such as healthcare, finance, and education, to improve decision-making and outcomes.

- Developing new algorithms and techniques that integrate active inference and Bayesian mechanics, such as Bayesian active learning for deep learning and Bayesian active exploration for robotics.

Dr. Sanjeev Namjosh: The Hidden Math Behind All Living Systems - On Active Inference, the Free Energy Principle, and Bayesian Mechanics (Machine Learning Street Talk, October 2024)

Saturday, October 26, 2024

[themusecoterie]

demystifying the met gala 2024 theme

‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’, the theme announced by the Mets Museum of Art’s Costume Institute for the 2024’s Met Gala, invites attendees to embark on a journey through fashion history – an odyssey to its timeless beauty.

Unlike previous themes, this year's concept isn't to be taken literally, though hints of fantasy, magic mirrors, and princesses may grace the red carpet. In contrast to past galas, such as 2019’s ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’ which called for theatrical and playful attire, as defined in Susan Sontag’s essay, or 2017’s ‘Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between’, summoning unconventional silhouettes and unexpected elements inspired by the Japanese designer, this upcoming gala beckons guests to indulge in fashions intricate past.

Around 250 items carefully curated from the Institutes collection, including rare archival pieces, will be on display. The heart of the ‘Sleeping Beauties’ exhibition refers to the 400 years of fashion craftsmanship, structured around 50 intricately created pieces, each holding commemorative significance, too fragile to ever be worn again. Work by icons such as Yves Saint Laurent, Elsa Schiaparelli, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen contribute to this showcase.

This exhibition gives a more contemplative experience. Innovative technology and sensory stimulation will be employed, allowing guests to be emotionally immersed in this exclusive journey. The 3 main zones, Land, Sea and Sky, will structure the exhibition, exploring changing attitudes to the natural world through creative use of natural materials in design.

As we anticipate the looks on the red carpet of fashions biggest night out, designers are encouraged to peruse the work of their predecessors, reimagining historical masterpieces in a contemporary light. This not only showcases their talent but pays homage to the art that has paved the way for creatives of this age.

#themusecoterie wonders how designers and celebrities will collaborate and interpret this ingenious theme. We expect to see meticulous looks from designers’ archives, aligning into the fast-growing trend of sustainability and pre-loved fashion. Garments as enriched and redefined with technology are also anticipated, creating a synergy of heritage and innovation.

Perhaps the misinterpretation of the title will inspire magical creativity, with reference to the zones adorned with flora, fauna and weather.

[zahri-melitor]

Hi! How and when did you get into DC comics?

Well my original entry to DC was that I was a fan of Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman when I was a kid and it was originally showing. This actually was a decent entrypoint to the DC mythos, as it's famous for having probably the best TV-comics synergy of all time: the Death of Superman was written to have a plot running while Lois & Clark built up to the wedding, so they could do simultaneous weddings in the comics and the show.

It worked out pretty well for DC.

But DC Comics, as comic books? Well somewhere around 2006 or so I'd transitioned into reading some fic for Lois & Clark, as a change. I then moved on to stories about Bruce/Selina (which I had a reasonable amount of background for from the Burton & Schumacher movies), and ended up in the scans_daily scene on LJ. This was the heyday of scans_daily, when you could pretty reasonably follow along a lot of major comics via the 1/3 posting rule; you didn't get everything, but that plus the summary got you across events pretty well.

I'd liked Barbara Gordon as a little girl, watching the movies. It was at this point I discovered Oracle.

The first comics graphic novel I ever purchased was Birds of Prey: Perfect Pitch. I've still got it. I ended up reading a bunch of runs recommended via content I liked on scans_daily: Birds of Prey, Robin, No Man's Land, Nightwing, Batgirl 2000, Blue Beetle, and Young Justice. A couple of these I was buying trades for (BoP and Blue Beetle); the rest I was reading via ye olde torrent packets. I was also reading and collecting a bunch of Vertigo titles: The Sandman, Fables, Y: the Last Man, and one or two Marvel titles (Runaways and Power Pack).

I dropped out of DC fandom, like so many others, around 2010-2011. It was actually prior to n52 in my case: I wasn't enjoying Batman Reborn, they'd cancelled my two favourite books (Birds of Prey and Blue Beetle), but the last straw was probably when they murdered Lian Harper.

I noped out. And it was a pretty good call on my part, given that n52 was barrelling down anyway.

I was still occasionally dipping in to read fic, mostly about characters I particularly cared about, but every time I took a breath and paid attention to gossip about what was currently happening in comics, it was mostly terrible news (Lian was still dead; people told me Roy's personality had been obliterated; Barbara was Batgirl and magically healed; the universe resets sucked and everyone hated them; Jason was somehow still alive; everyone was mad about something that had happened to Dick; etc etc)

It was during 2022, when I don't even know how I came across it, but I discovered that DC had finally reprinted Young Justice in trade. This was huge; collections had refused to do this during the 2000s aside from a trade of Sins of Youth back when it came out. There was a general attitude that the group of largely younger and largely female fans weren't worth catering to. The fact that DC now saw us as a lucrative market suggested to me that my contemporaries were finally getting their chance to start running the asylum.

So I dipped back into the community. It was a little hard at first, because hubs had changed, and locating fans who liked the things I personally liked took a little while. But I got back into the fandom, and got back into the fic, and discovered that back in about 2017 there'd been a revival to start reprinting a lot of my favourite comics runs, and that DCUI was the best way to read comics these days, and I could get access to it in Australia.

And because DCUI was just so much better than the methods of reading comics I'd been dealing with 15 years previously, and I'd had an idea for a story I wanted to write, I started a canon read through review, starting all the way back in ALPOD with Tim's earliest comics.

And here I am. I often have older opinions on things simply because I remember being in these debates 15+ years ago, and then I missed the intervening period, so my opinions never updated or heard the changed details (or are only slowly doing so now). I'm a preboot girl at heart because that's where I fell in love with various characters. I, like every other Batfan with a similar history to mine (and there are a lot of us) went through that moment of sheer bemusement over the Tim & Jason tag at AO3 as my most prominent memory of their relationship was Tim kicking Jason in the nuts.

And I've bought a lot of trades ever since getting back into the fandom, because I can't lose access to them AND they're just so far superior for collection purposes than floppies.

[cityof2morrow]

NetworkMAT: Solar Build 001

Published: 8-14-2024 | Updated: N/A SUMMARY The Network Materials (NetworkMAT) (Simmons, 2023-2024) series includes assets for building modern road networks in Sims 2. Use these items to enhance your city’s streets, walkways, highways, skyways, bridges, and so on. Lay the way to the future with the Solar Build 001 (Simmons, 2024) collection. The set comes with solar-themed building accents including walls, overlays, tunnels, and floors. This is especially useful for those who might want to make a solar/power plant which matches the in-game solar panels. Use the #co2networkmat tag to find related CC on this site.

DETAILS Requires all EPs/SPs. §9-25 for walls/flrs and §2000  for tunnels | Build > Walls/Floors/Architecture You need the BBNiche1Master from the Repository Pack (Simmons, 2023). Objects are center-aligned and meant to be used with 1-story or 2-story walls. Rain/Snow will fall through them unless you add floor tiles on top. For the road overlays, get the meshes from the links below.  ITEMS 3 Niche Recolors 9 Solar Walls/Floors (they match my Streets of 2morrow set HERE) 10 road overlays (for CuriousB’s road overlay rug, included in the Streets of 2morrow set) 10 road overlays (for the Modern Future Highway road pieces HERE) Large Solar Tunnel (12x20 ) (780 poly) Small Solar Tunnel (6x9) (780 poly) DOWNLOAD (choose one) from SFS | from MEGA CREDITS Thanks: Simming, Blender and Cities Skylines Community. Sources: Beyno (Korn via BBFonts), Solar Tunnel Highways (LoM, 2015 via Cities Skylines), Cities Skylines (Paradox Interactive and Tri Synergy, 2015), EA/Maxis, Nooks & Niches (BuggyBooz, 2012), Offuturistic Infographic (Freepik), Road Overlay (Wedingo, 2017; CuriousB, 2012).

[longlistshort]

Christina Bothwell, "Spirit Animal", 2014, Cast glass, ceramic, oil paint

Christina Bothwell and Robert Bender "Cloud Pillow", 2016, Cast glass, ceramic, oil paint

Karen LaMonte, "Etude 11", Cast glass

Leah Wingfield and Steve Clements, "Low Winter Sun, Shadow III", 2016, Cast glass

K. William LeQuier, "Synergy 2", 2017, Cut and sandblasted glass

Above are some of the amazing glass works from a 2021 visit to Imagine Museum in St. Pete, Florida. For more work by artists Christina Bothwell, Robert Bender, Karen LaMonte, Leah Wingfield, Steve Clements, and K. William LeQuier, head to the links in this post.

This weekend (9/30 and 10/1) you can visit the museum for $5 (normally $15).

[jyt-120]

The Everlasting Influence of #MeToo: From Online Hashtag to Real-World Change

Introduction:

Social media movements, the phenomena that are redefining contemporary activism, find their roots not in the digital world but in the lived experiences of individuals. They originate in the offline spaces, the daily lives of ordinary people who are driven by the need to stand up for what is just and right. These movements are deeply entwined with social and political activism and serve as platforms for the disenfranchised and marginalized to have a voice.

However, the trajectory of social media movements, as impactful as they may seem in the digital realm, often faces criticisms of "clicktivism" and "slacktivism." These terms reflect the concern that online participation might lack real-world impact. To truly understand the influence of social media movements, it's essential to recognize the synergy between online and offline spaces, where the most successful movements thrive and endure.

The #MeToo Movement: A Case Study:

A prominent example of a social media movement that has transcended both online and offline spaces is the #MeToo movement. It is a testament to the fact that these movements do not begin with hashtags but with the earnest efforts of individuals who strive to bring about change. The #MeToo movement originated in 2006, created by social activist Tarana Burke. Burke's vision was to create a movement that empowers survivors of sexual violence, particularly young women of color in underprivileged communities. She coined the phrase "Me Too" to symbolize empowerment through empathy, laying the foundation for a movement against sexual abuse.

The movement remained largely under the radar for over a decade until 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano shared her personal experience of sexual abuse on Twitter using the hashtag #MeToo. Her call to action resonated with countless others, encouraging them to share their own stories. The hashtag quickly spread across Twitter, being used 1.7 million times in 85 countries. It received support from numerous female celebrities who echoed the message of "Me Too."

The Symbiosis of Online and Offline Spaces:

While the #MeToo movement gained immense traction online and earned recognition as a global digital campaign, its impact was not confined to the digital sphere. It transcended into the physical world, sparking campaigns against sexual violence across various industries, including film, music, politics, education, sports, military, and medicine. The movement prompted legislative and legal actions, such as the Me Too Congress Act, and led to convictions of rapists and sexual abusers, especially those who held positions of significant power in society. One of the most notable outcomes was the conviction and downfall of Harvey Weinstein, a former film producer who had enjoyed a position of authority. The #MeToo movement mobilized diverse groups, including celebrities, activists, survivors of sexual abuse, and everyday citizens. It spanned multiple spaces and platforms, from social media to workplaces, red carpet events, and courtrooms. The movement leveraged social media for awareness, and this digital presence spurred real-world efforts against sexual violence.

Conclusion:

Social media movements are not born with hashtags but with the dedication of individuals determined to champion social justice. The #MeToo movement exemplifies how social media can amplify voices that have been silenced and ignored, providing survivors of sexual violence with the power to share their stories. While hashtags are crucial for mobilizing these movements online, it's essential to acknowledge the pioneering work of activists like Tarana Burke, who laid the groundwork long before hashtags began trending. Social media movements thrive when they bridge the gap between digital and physical spaces, forging lasting change in an increasingly connected world.

The #MeToo movement illustrates that social media movements are more than mere hashtags; they are driven by individuals committed to societal change. This movement, initiated by Tarana Burke in 2006, showcases how real-world impact transcends the digital realm. By sparking campaigns against sexual violence, inspiring legislative changes, and leading to high-profile convictions, it demonstrates the tangible influence of social media movements. Their continued relevance underlines the significance of bridging the gap between online and offline spaces. Social media movements amplify silenced voices and exemplify that true change begins with dedicated individuals.

References:

Hashtag Activism. (2012). Margaret Rouse. Retrieved October 28, 2023, from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/29047/hashtag-activism

Goswami, M. P. (2018). Social media and hashtag activism. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326655352_Social_Media_and_Hashtag_Activism,viewed on 28 Oct 2023

alignmedia. (2023, March 16). More than a Hashtag: The #MeToo Movement is 10 years in the Making - ALiGN: Alternative Global Network Media Lab. ALiGN: Alternative Global Network Media Lab. https://carleton.ca/align/2023/more-than-a-hashtag-the-metoo-movement-is-10-years-in-the-making/,viewed on 28 Oct 2023

Burke, T. (2022, October 12). Tarana Burke: What “Me Too” made possible. Time. https://time.com/6221110/tarana-burke-me-too-anniversary/,viewed on 28 Oct 2023.

Jeff Grabmeier. (2023, August 8). Why #MeToo remains a rallying cry for sexual abuse survivors. OHIO STATE NEWS. Retrieved October 28, 2023, from https://news.osu.edu/why-metoo-remains-a-rallying-cry-for-sexual-abuse-survivors/

Rosa, J. (2019, October 16). Alyssa Milano on sharing alleged sexual assault story 25 years later. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/alyssa-milano-sharing-alleged-sexual-assault-story-25/story?id=66317784,viewed on 28 Oct 2023

TEDx Talks. (2021, May 1). Can a “Like” change the world? The power of clicktivism | Jenk Oz | TEDxYouth@Engomi [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evvv45BAYvc,viewed on 28 Oct 2023

TEDx Talks. (2018, November 12). Slacktivism: Social Media’s Effect on Activism | Sophie Egar | TEDxYouth@PepperPike [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhPIgES_hws,viewed on 28 Oct 2023

Giphy. (n.d.). GIPHY - Be animated. GIPHY. https://giphy.com/,viewed on 28 Oct 2023