#this is so overdue and so epic and so unlikely and it’s happening!!

[twobrokenwyngs]

can’t believe one week from today bal and I are gonna be hugging @trillgutterbug in real life and belting oasis at the top of our lungs while she transports us to the remote location which will surely be the site of our inevitable grisly deaths

I can’t fucking waitttttttt 😭😭😭

[aeferkssr]

“good morning, welcome to the shop! how may i assist you today?~”

GENSHIN IMPACT DR SELF

fan page for my fav script🫶 i love you my genshin script🫶

possible cw: soft angst, lots of jamaican references, cianna says box cover😱, cianna calls herself a furry (once), reality shifting terminology, not x reader

CIANNA - POTESTAS DEORUM

a young lady brought to teyvat by the power of foreign gods. embers, reignited again to serve a new purpose

CHARACTER STORY I

long and boring. those were the words cianna used to descibe her days, every day it was the same thing. on weekdays it was: wake up, get ready for school, try and convince teachers to give her an extension on overdue work, feel left out, walk to mommy’s office, get home around five or six in the afternoon depending on the traffic, try to complete homework and study for upcoming exams, hear her father complain about her wasted potential, brush teeth, tie down hair, and sleep.

the weekends were a a little bit better, she would get to sleep in a bit but would still need to wake up early to attend her extra lessons. this continuous cycle of trying and trying but never seeing results wared the young girl down. you would swear that she looked a little bit paler, or a little more tired than the last time you two met, but exams were coming up so that was to be expected.

oh how she dreaded the word. just the mention of the upcoming may-june exams had cianna’s mood drop to alarming levels. she wished that she could just run away from it all, all her unfinished SBA’s, all the teachers who seemed to want to do nothing more than make her life miserable, the people who ignored her for sport, but most of all, she wanted to run away from herself.

the feeling of overwhelming guilt washed over her frail body constantly. you did it back then so why can’t you just do it again? its really not that hard to focus on whatever the teacher is saying, just do it, dimwit! every day that cianna woke up she wish would be her last. maybe when she’s gone people will recognize that she was worth being around. after all, you never need something the most the second you can’t find it.

life wasn’t worth living if you had nobody to live it with.

nobody seemed to give her the time of day anymore. maybe she was too “out there” and made them all uncomfortable? maybe they all hated her from the start but never did anything about it until now? maybe… maybe cianna was unlikeable.

continuing on with cianna’s boring daily routine, she had just received a call from her school’s office that she had just been suspended for something she didn’t do. cianna, who is beyond numb at this point, looks up to the sky trying to delay her tears just for a little longer. the walk in the sun was terrible, as she relied on muscle memory to steer her to her mother’s office. starting the day off with being publicly humiliated by peers and ending the day with a suspension on her record. could the day get any worse?

“do you want to leave, my child?”

great, now she’s delusional.

the same voice continued to call for cianna for the next week, flooding her dreams with epic sceneries and ruins that were overflowing with mystery. in one of these dreams she sat in front of a coldron as it bubbled with unidentified liquid, and in another she soared through the sky on what seemed to be a broomstick. cianna laughed to herself when she woke up, maybe if she told someone about this they would burn her alive… and at the time, it didn’t seemed like a bad idea.

cianna barely pushed through another day at school before having to walk down to her mother’s office for the day. muscle memory took over once again on the short walk as cianna heard the strange voice again. she stopped in her tracks just to check if there was anyone around her, she didn’t want to look as crazy as she felt. with a deep breath, cianna contined walking not before answering the unfamiliar voice with a small “yes”

cianna herself still doesn��t know what happened there because the next thing she knew, she was floating. panicking a bit, she squirms around the pitch black sea trying to gain balance and also looking around to try and find an explanation, cianna wasn’t that smart so a long and in detailed explanation was due.

a light shone from behind her, as she quickly spun (or a quickly as she could) around to meet eyes with a glowing figure. the rather androgynous figure shone with a soft yet bright light behind it. their jet black hair, that rivalled the darkness that surrounded you two, swayed as their pure white clothes did. their grey eyes pitted the widened obsidian eyes that stood before them. as cianna snapped out of the trance that they unintentionally put her in, she speaks up, her voice slightly trembling:

“who are you? and where am i?”

the being simply smiled and answered:

“i go by many a name, but for now you may call me ze█r██ll”

cianna didn’t quite hear the name it said, but pretended that she did and nodded

“and as for where you are” they continued “you are in the void.”

she looked around the so-called “void” with a look on her face that said ‘what kind of hippee, flower-sniffing, scooby-snack bullshit is this?’

it chuckles as if it just read her mind,

“the void is a place that connects all universes and realities. it is the passing ground of those who shifts their subconscious minds at will, and a resting place for those who wish for a moment of peace. it can be seen as what you humans call a bus park”

“but with less wolmerians?”

the being chuckles once more, this time covering its mouth with the back of their palm,

“yes, dear. with a lot less wolmerians”

ze- uh.. ze-something reached into its pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. it looks up to cianna again before turning the long hand anti-clockwise. another source of light appears as it shows a lush forest, briming with both flora and fauna. the little fox-like creatures that run around chasing each other to the grand fir wood trees that housed birds, all of it looked so peaceful.

as cianna looks back up to the deity, whom she has underestimated their height since they basically tower over her, it spoke:

“i have been watching you for a while, cianna. watching you has entertained me to no end, and i am one who repays what is due” they gesture to the portal. “i have traversed through this world once, the people there are unforgettable and are sure to welcome you with open arms. go. experience what it is like to be wanted, to be loved, and most importantly: to have purpose.”

cianna couldn’t see clearly because of the tears that wheled within her eyes. she couldn’t even say thank you, she just looked back at the portal, then to the deity, then to the portal again with her mouth ajar. the tears fell and the only thing that came from her mouth was “thank you.” she has never really understood the term ‘tears of joy’ until now.

with a slightly runny nose, and a dizzy head from bowing down repeatly, she used her arms to help her manoeuvre the void. before she could “swim” through the portal, the psuedo-deity had one more thing to say:

“when you find your way in inazuma, give my regards to the general of the watatsumi resistance and the kamisato clan’s housekepper, if you will.”

cianna nodded, although confused as to what an ‘inazuma’ was, and turned around to say a final goodbye and thank you to ze- …maybe she should really ask them to repeat their name., but ther was nothing their but the void. despite this, she still shouted a quick goodbye before pulling herself into the portal created, awaiting her very first adventure in the land of teyvat.

CHARACTER STORY IV

if you were looking for the girl that, as the adventurers say, fell from the sky all those years ago, she would be found in the favonius library with her nose stuffed in a book. you would think that she would be reading some sort of fairy tale due to her youthful face, but in actuality she is running on pure impulse to look for materials for the spell shes about to cast.

cianna swishes a bubble of air in her mouth before letting it go, she had found the spell she was looking for! cianna quickly gets up, dusting off the sundress she usually wears and jumps around with the book clung close to her chest. she swiftly borrowed the book at the reception and made her way back to her small witch hut.

now, is this the best idea cianna has ever come up with? absolutely not. but! who would dare to bring her down when shes practically skipping through the whispering woods on her way home? cianna even starts to hum a soft tune, something she use to obsess over as an infant. cianna’s really healing her inner child today!

making it home, she takes off her shoes and shut the door quickly behind her. cianna placed the book gently onto her bed, and went to go and find the ingredients for the potion. when she returned, the coldron (which she set to boil prior) was ready to be used. she names off the ingredients before putting them in

“flowing spring water, to dash as fast as a hare, slime condensate, the better to bounce with…”

cianna continues to list off the ingredients one by one. when the final ingredient is added, the caldron erupts with smoke and reveals a portion of the coldran’s interior filled with a light pink substance. cianna squeaks as she runs to find a bottle to hold her concoction in. she comes back with a triangular base flask and scoops up the liquid at the bottom, all of it following itself into the flask

“good thing i made one serving, i would of blown the roof off if i didn’t” cianna says as she looks up to see small water droplets dripping into her coldron, most likely the steam from earlier condensing. cianna takes a deep breath before shouting::

“down the hatch!”

the texture of the slime condensate with the potion made it an awful experience. but, if she was being honest, it really wasn’t that bad. soon after the potion settled, the side effects started. cianna wasnt expecting such instant resulte and was shocked by the sudden headache. the pain was unbearable, she threw herself onto her bed and muffled her screams with her pillow. she couldnt even think straight, why is she doing this to herself.

well, a few hours late (all of those hours cianna has either been crying, screaming or sleeping) the results finally came. a charming pair of rabbit ears crowned her head and a fluffy tail poked out from over her underwear. of course, other features like increased stamina, a bigger appetite and even bigger feet came on later but cianna was beyond happy with herself!

“damn, i look like a furry”

years later, cianna looks at her acheivement as a baby witch with a sense of pride, but also bone-crushing embarassment because why would you actually do this..?

CHARACTER STORY V

cianna has always longed for a relationship. she desperately wanted someone who she could rely her innermost feelings to, and trust wholeheartedly that they won’t leave. she would read all manners of fiction, the main character and their love interest living together happily ever after. but when was it her time to feel such bliss?

where cianna was raised, relationships were bound to end up failing. literal blood was shed because of failed relationships and she wasn’t about to go get herself killed. men were so wicked and lying and deceitful but so were the girls, nobody could win in situations like these. yes, cianna has had her own relationship experience, but burnt herself out because most of the effort was put onto her. both her lovers ended up breaking it off first because they had lost feelings for her, but she struggles to figure out whether she had feelings for them in the first place. maybe it wasn’t a fear of being rejected, but a fear of rejecting someone.

coming to teyvat didn’t make it any easier. the people who were in her age group, at least she thought they were, were too busy seeking out their own adventures, their own passions. thus, cianna decided to dive head first into what she was passionate about, witchcraft. more specifically, metaktisis, summoning magic. her faunal features and the small flying ball of energy she named gabby were all results of this.

cianna was so happy that she could finally see her hard work bloom into fruition. something she could never achieve back in her old world. plus, the people of mondstadt and their affinity to freedom gave her all the reassurance she needs. maybe she doesn’t need anyone after, she i quite content in how she’s living now.

the witch rests her chin in her hands that are placed onto the dark oak stall where she sold her potions, one hand reaching to fidget with the tip of her left ear out of habit. cianna hasn’t known true tranquility for most of her life, so she basked in the fading glow of the sun.

“wakey wakey miss!” a childlike voice brings cianna out from her trance as she faces foreward to be met with flying shoes and a toned abdomen. clearly, the flying shoes didn’t peak her interest as her eyes trailed along the masculine figure from his navel all the way to those bright golden eyes of his.

“woah…”

cianna stared at the boy for a little longer before the flying shoes cleared her throat. quickly snapping out of her trance she fixed her pink dress and straighten her hat before pretending that absolutely nothing happened

“good evening guys, welcome to my shop! can i help you with anything?”

the blonde finally spoke after being in a trance of his own

“well… we wanted to see what this shop had, since we are kind of new here.”

new to mondstadt? or new to teyvat? but cianna knew better than to ask someone she just met their whole origin story.

“well im glad you asked! i sell a variety of potions i make here myself…” cianna starts to ramble off about her potions as the blonde stood there and listened with a big grin on his face. this didn’t go unnoticed by cianna, of course. she had always thought that her potion rambles were boring for those who weren’t witches but he stood there and listened for the whole time. the two had even started talking about completely different topics.

unfortunately for both travelers the sun ha already set and a bright full moon shone down on the pair. paimon had long fissapeared into wherever she goes to leave the two "lovebirds" alone.

"box cova, its a full moon! it completely slipped my mind... and i was suppost to close up early today" cianna said as she ran around the stall picking up her belonginfs and placing them onto a blanket. she 5ook the edges of the blanket, tied them to the end of her broomstick and quickly sprinted out the gate.

aether's smile never left his face and his cheeks were hurting because of it. joy turned into confusion as he saw cianna eunning back to him, broomstick still in hand.

"hey, whats wro-"

he couldnt even finish his sentence before the witch placed a small kiss on his cheek. cianna looked back at aether for a breif moment before fixing her hat and running iut the gate again.

aether doesn't think he's smiled this wide in years, the conversation thag lasted about an hour only felt like a few short minutes. he didn't even know your name, nor did you know his. but little did he know, that won't be the last time he saw you.

a day or two later, cianna set out to help a long time friend of hers run an errand. both of them were in an never ending game of IOU as it was her turn to return the favour. why they had asked her to meet at the church of favonius at midnight was beyond her, but it seems like something he would do.

"hey venny!" she waved, with venti's specific order in a basket she was carrying.

"well, if it isn't my favourite witch! how are you, cia?" he says before returning a quick side hug

"other than curious as hell as to what you need to be invisible for, i'm doing okay"

venti laughs as he jestures to the boy that stood beside him. you gasped when you noticed who it was:

"you're the cutie from a few nights ago!" cianna exclaimed as the so-called "cutie" flushes at the compliment.

"oho? so you two know each other?"

"mhm! he listened to my rant about my potions so of course i'd remember him!"

"but blondie aside," aether flushes once more at another nickname was given to him "what do you need these for, ven?"

venti ushers cianna to come closer as he takes off her hat and watches as her ears stand up. cianna leans down further to allow venti to whisper his plans into her ear. cianna's other ear twitches as venti finishes relaying his plan

"you're going to steal the what.?"

©eenie-teenieweenie

tagging ; @elychee || @0rah-s

zephyrll belongs to @/elychee

[nirikeehan]

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Prompts, Part One

I originally made this prompt list for personal use, but decided to make a rebloggable version. Feel free to use for your own writing prompts. 🥰

Adapted from here.

watashiato n. curiosity about the impact you’ve had on the lives of the people you know.

etterath n. the feeling of emptiness after a long and arduous process is finally complete, which leaves you relieved that it’s over but missing the stress that organized your life into a mission.

austice n. a wistful omen of the first sign of autumn.

ringlorn adj. the wish that the modern world felt as epic as the one depicted in old stories and folktales.

aftersome adj. astonished to think back on the bizarre sequence of accidents that brought you to where you are today — which makes your long and winding path feel fated from the start, yet so unlikely as to be virtually impossible.

agnosthesia n. the state of not knowing how you really feel about something, which forces you to sift through clues hidden in your behavior, as if you were some other person.

lilo n. a friendship that can lie dormant for years only to pick right back up instantly, as if no time had passed since you last saw each other.

midding v. intr. feeling the tranquil pleasure of being near a gathering but not quite in it—feeling blissfully invisible yet still fully included.

pâro n. the feeling that no matter what you do is always somehow wrong—as if there’s some obvious way forward that everybody else can see but you.

scabulous adj. proud of a scar on your body, which is an autograph signed to you by a world grateful for your continued willingness to play with her.

kuebiko n. a state of exhaustion inspired by an act of senseless violence, which forces you to revise your image of what can happen in this world.

lachesism n. the desire to be struck by disaster.

exulansis n. the tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people are unable to relate to it.

the meantime n. the moment of realization that your quintessential future self isn’t ever going to show up, which forces the role to fall upon the understudy.

occhiolism n. the awareness of the smallness of your perspective, by which you couldn’t possibly draw any meaningful conclusions at all, about the world or the past or the complexities of culture.

opia n. the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable.

nodus tollens n. the realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore.

vellichor n. the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time.

nighthawk n. a recurring thought that only seems to strike you late at night—an overdue task, a nagging guilt, a looming and shapeless future.

dead reckoning n. to find yourself bothered by someone’s death more than you would have expected.

gnossienne n. a moment of awareness that someone you’ve known for years still has a private and mysterious inner life.

anecdoche n. a conversation in which everyone is talking but nobody is listening.

mimeomia n. the frustration of knowing how easily you fit into a stereotype, even if you never intended to, even if it’s unfair.

monachopsis n. the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place, as maladapted to your surroundings as a seal on a beach.

semaphorism n. a conversational hint that you have something personal to say on the subject but don’t go any further, which you place into conversations like those little flags that warn diggers of something buried underground.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

A spate of weekend mass shootings leaves 6 people dead and dozens injured across the US (AP) A spate of weekend mass shootings and violence across the U.S. killed at least six people, including a Pennsylvania state trooper, and left dozens injured. The shootings follow a surge in homicides and other violence over the past several years that experts say accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. They happened in suburban Chicago, Washington state, central Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Southern California and Baltimore. “There’s no question there’s been a spike in violence,” said Daniel Nagin, a professor of public policy and statistics at Carnegie Mellon University. “Some of these cases seem to be just disputes, often among adolescents, and those disputes are played out with firearms, not with fists.” Researchers disagree over the cause of the increase.

Blinken meets Chinese President Xi in bid to ease soaring US-China tensions (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday as he wrapped up a two-day high-stakes visit to Beijing aimed at easing soaring tensions between the countries. In earlier meetings between Blinken and senior Chinese officials, the two sides expressed willingness to talk but showed little inclination to bend from hardened positions on disagreements ranging from trade, to Taiwan, to human rights conditions in China and Hong Kong, to Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea, to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Despite Blinken’s presence in China, he and other U.S. officials had played down the prospects for any significant breakthroughs on the most vexing issues facing the planet’s two largest economies.

After a Winter Deluge, California Rivers Are Too Dangerous to Enjoy (NYT) Gwyny Pett has been visiting the Kern River for decades. But though Ms. Pett, 66, recently looked ready for a swim at a popular riverside campground, there was no way she was getting in. “I mean, this is dangerous,” she said, gesturing at the water speeding past. After a parade of epic winter storms, the Kern River and other major waterways fed by melting Sierra Nevada snow have become wild torrents—a transformation so dangerous that several counties in Central California have prohibited people from entering the water. Since April, at least 16 people have died or gone missing in rivers across the state, according to The Mercury News, including two young siblings who were swept away on the Kings River in Fresno County in May. On Wednesday, a kayaker died on the Kern River, about 20 miles upstream from the campground from where Ms. Pett was sitting. “There is a historic amount of water right now: faster, colder and more deadly than we’ve seen in recent years,” said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “There is no amount of training or exercise that prepares a human body.”

Deep-sea craft carrying 5 people to Titanic wreckage reported missing (AP) A rescue operation was underway deep in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Monday in search of a technologically advanced submersible vessel carrying five people to document the wreckage of the Titanic, the iconic ocean liner that sank more than a century ago. The vessel was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply.

What Really Saved The Kids In The Colombian Jungle? Maybe It Was Faith (El Espectador) "Miracle, Miracle, Miracle!" were the first words Colombian soldiers said after finding 13-year-old Lesly Mucutuy and her younger siblings, Soleiny Mucutuy, 9, Tien Noriel Ronoque Mucutuy, 4, and Cristin Neriman Ranoque Mucutuy, 1. The indigenous children had been lost for 40 days in the dark, dank forest of the southern Colombian department of Guaviare. A miracle—first, because finding them alive seemed so unlikely. They had survived a plane crash, and weeks in the jungle alongside panthers, snakes and insects, under relentless rain. But the soldiers also felt divine intervention had helped them find the children. The children's grandfather, Fidencio Valencia, said "Thank you to all the people who prayed, who gave faith and ... all the love to see the children again, alive and well." He meant the "metaphysical strength" that comes from prayer, regardless of any particular religion, as an intangible act of human solidarity. Spiritual practices are frequently dismissed in the modern world, as irrational, banal and incidental. And yet, I cannot help thinking how the spiritual practices of all those searching for the children would have helped preserve hope and build a sense of community, bringing sense to the inexplicable.

In Argentina, Inflation Passes 100% (and the Restaurants Are Packed) (NYT) In Buenos Aires, Argentina’s cosmopolitan capital, a world-class culinary scene is flourishing. That would not necessarily be news if it were not for the fact that Argentina is in the middle of an extraordinary financial crisis. Inflation is at more than 114 percent—the fourth highest rate in the world—and the street value of the Argentine peso has crumbled, dropping about 25 percent over a three-week period in April. Yet it is the peso’s downfall that is fueling the restaurant industry’s upswing. Argentines are eager to get rid of the currency as quickly as they can, and that means the middle and upper classes are going out to eat more often—and that restaurateurs and chefs are plunging their revenues back into new restaurants. The boom, in a way, is a facade. Everyone appears to be out having a good time. Yet, in much of the country, Argentines are scraping by and hunger is on the rise. And in wealthier circles, the rush to go out is a symptom of a shrinking middle class that, no longer able to afford bigger purchases or travel, is choosing to live in the here and now because people do not know what tomorrow will bring—or if their money will be worth anything.

Ukraine clamps down on corruption as Western supporters cast watchful eye (Washington Post) The photos showed hundred-dollar bills laying in piles on furniture and jutting out of a safe—the results of what officials from Ukraine’s main anti-corruption body said last month was a $2.7 million bribery scheme involving the chief justice of the country’s Supreme Court, Vsevolod Knyazyev. Last month, anti-corruption investigators said they caught Knyazyev “red-handed” receiving a payment of about $450,000. Knyazyev was arrested and dismissed from his position, and a criminal investigation is ongoing. “This is huge,” said Tetiana Shevchuk, a lawyer with the Anti-Corruption Action Center, an anti-graft watchdog in Kyiv. “This is not an ordinary judge in a local court taking a bribe—it’s the highest judge in the system.” As Ukraine mounts it counteroffensive against invading Russian forces, law enforcement officials in Kyiv are waging a war on corruption with similarly high stakes for the country’s future. Ukraine is surviving not only on donated weapons but also on foreign economic aid, and Western supporters want to be sure their money is not lost to the graft and malfeasance that has long stunted Ukraine’s democratic aspirations. Ukraine’s dream of joining the European Union will hinge in part on the anti-corruption fight, and the political future of President Volodymyr Zelensky—who won office four years ago promising to eliminate corruption—could also hang in the balance. Amid a war that has required heavy physical and emotional sacrifices, polls show Ukrainians’ tolerance of endemic corruption has evaporated.

The Word From Ukraine's Frontline: Counteroffensive Expectations Are Too High (Die Welt/Germany) Worldwide, expectations for the recently begun Ukrainian counteroffensive are huge, fueled in part by Ukrainian representatives themselves: Commander-in-Chief Valery Salushniy announced that the nation would "take back what belongs to us." Secret Service chief Kyrylo Budanov released a video in which he stares silently into the camera for 20 seconds, before the words "Plans value silence" appear on screen. But anyone who talks to Ukrainian soldiers hears a great deal of humility on the ground. After 15 months of war, many are exhausted, both physically and mentally. Almost everyone now knows someone who has died on the battlefield, and they all know that thousands more are likely to follow in this offensive. I have the impression that many Ukrainian soldiers do not share the exuberant optimism of some experts for this summer. Even the highest-ranking U.S. General Mark Milley had recently called a Ukrainian recapture of all territory this year unrealistic.

North Korea says botched satellite launch was ‘gravest failure’ (Reuters) An unusually candid North Korea has said the botched launch of a military satellite last month was the “gravest failure” but it vowed it would soon succeed in its quest, state media reported on Monday. North Korea’s ruling party made the assessment of its May 31 launch at a three-day meeting that ended on Sunday, ordering workers and researchers to analyse the mission that ended with the rocket and its spy satellite pay load plunging into the sea, and to prepare for another launch soon. Nuclear-armed North Korea had earlier said it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite to boost monitoring of U.S. military activities, another step in a military programme that has raised fears of war.

Years after invasion, Iraqis still waiting to come to US (AP) Ammar Rashed has a stack of letters from U.S. troops attesting to his work during some of the most dangerous days of the Iraq War. But six years after he applied to immigrate to the United States under a program for interpreters who helped America, he is still waiting. “You don’t have to keep me and my family suffering for, for years waiting,” said Rashed during a Skype interview from Jordan, where he lives. “It’s really frustrating.” Rashed is among thousands of Iraqis, many of whom risked their lives by working closely with Americans during the war and its aftermath, trying to enter the U.S. An estimated 164,000 Iraqis already have found homes in America. U.S. officials cite multiple reasons for the delays, including an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a hack of a refugee database, the COVID-19 pandemic and cuts to the refugee program.

3 Palestinians killed, 29 others wounded in Israeli raid in West Bank (AP) Israeli helicopter gunships struck targets Monday in the occupied West Bank as a gunbattle raged in the city of Jenin between Israeli troops and militants, killing three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, officials said. The violence marked a rare use of Israeli airpower in the territory. During the clashes, Palestinian militants detonated a roadside bomb next to an Israeli military vehicle. At least 29 Palestinians were wounded, six seriously, and Israeli media said a number of Israeli soldiers were hurt. The escalation was the latest in more than a year of near-daily violence that has wracked the West Bank. The Israeli military said troops came under fire during an arrest raid in Jenin and shot back at Palestinian gunmen. Israeli media reported that multiple Israeli troops were wounded in the fighting but did not provide more details.

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Paramount War (Part Two)

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

ace’s execution is, in a way, the exception that proves the rule when it comes to one piece’s themes of blood and family. ace is set up to die for the crimes of a father he never knew and never wanted, and he does die here, but in the end he dies for the family he did choose, in the form of luffy, rather than the one he didn’t. 

god do i wish we knew more about ms portgas d. rouge. with ace’s storyline pretty much wrapped it looks unlikely that we’re going to be learning more about her than what we got, which in my opinion is an absolute tragedy, because what little we do know about her is amazing and she’s an absolute badass. oda give us more female ds please.

whitebeard’s power is so cool. it might be one of the visually coolest devil fruits we’ve ever seen, in my opinion. he he causes earthquakes and tsunamis while far past his prime; he pulls the sky apart with his bare hands. this whole arc is world-shaking, and whitebeard’s power is perfectly appropriate for it. 

doflamingo’s speech on justice and rightness is one of the most well-remembered quotes from this whole saga, and rightly so. i’ve always found it fascinating, myself, because he’s right. he dead-on hits how the one piece world works- the world government and the marines rule the world not because of any inherent actual goodness or justice or right, but because they won a war a very long time ago. 

in a way, this reminds me of blackbeard’s line of “people’s dreams never die” from jaya. i like how oda isn’t afraid of letting his villains be right about the themes of the story, sometimes even having better awareness of them than the protagonists. 

man, if i had to pick a single favorite spread out of the whole manga, it might be luffy’s marineford entrance. it’s so epic, and so completely unexpected for everyone else there. absolutely nobody was expecting strawhat luffy to drop out of the sky with a posse including two former warlords. it just makes me grin!! so much!! 

it also gets followed up by a solid two pages of just people’s reactions, from smoker’s “what the HELL is he doing with CROCODILE” to moria’s immediate incoherent rage, and i just love that the world and cast of one piece is so well-established and built up that we know exactly how all of those people know luffy and why they react the way they do. 

going back to what i mentioned in the last post about marineford being luffy’s conflict of interest arc, i’d say it’s also the only time where he isn’t the future king first and foremost. in this arc, before anything else, he’s a little brother.

there are a lot of what-if moments in marineford. moments where you kind of have to ask “what if this specific thing hadn’t happened, had gone differently?” would things have turned out differently? squard’s betrayal is one of them. does this change the outcome? would whitebeard have been able to survive if not for this injury? there’s no way to know. marineford is a lot of little tragedies, and they just pile up and up.

marineford has just so many incredibly striking spreads. all of the momentous moments (and there’s a lot of them, in this arc) are done full justice. this is such an image heavy post just because marineford is such an incredibly visually strong arc. 

conqueror’s haki is so cool and i love the way it’s set up and built up throughout this saga, with luffy’s constant inadvertent uses of it, from duval’s bull to marigold and sandersonia to the wolves in impel down, all leading up to this moment. 

i’ve heard people complain about conqueror’s as kind of a deus ex machina, but i honestly love it, it’s very cool and honestly i think it just seems to fit luffy as a power. if there was ever gonna be a character who turned willpower into a weapon, it would be monkey d. luffy. 

i’m gonna take this chance to talk about garp, because this sequence of panels is heavily implied to be garp’s thoughts just before luffy punches him down, and it hurts. garp is a flawed person who makes some bad choices, and there’s no arguing that, but i think it’s very obvious he really, really cares about his grandsons, even if he never could understand them as people and that they never would have been happy as marines. and that’s just tragic, really. 

the moment ace gets freed and the brief span of time where he and luffy can fight together feel so triumphant, and i think it’s one of the reasons the final tragedy of marineford hits so hard and feels so cruel, because luffy succeeds, here. he saves ace. he gives absolutely everything he had and makes it, and saves ace. the ultimate failure isn’t his. there was nothing more he could have done. 

the first time i was reading one piece, i hit this page (which is also the last in the volume) and had to put the book away, take the bus downtown, wander around for a few hours, and buy myself some candy and some new books before i started feeling okay again.

the thing about ace’s death, i think, is that it’s a tragedy, but it also feels so completely essential to the story going forwards and luffy’s character growth specifically that it’s really, really hard to imagine one piece without it. there are a lot of (really excellent!) fix-fics out there for marineford, and although those are often really good and their authors super talented, i think it’s really hard for them to ever hit the same way canon does with regards to this. 

i always think of this scene specifically in contrast to zoro and mihawk’s fight, back on baratie. zoro and mihawk are both people who believe in honor in battle, true victory or death, and that’s reflected in their fight, in zoro’s refusal to turn and run even in the face of imminent death, and mihawk’s respect for that resolve. whitebeard, too, is an honorable man. he refuses to turn to run, even when facing certain death. 

the blackbeard pirates, however, are not. 

i do enjoy how, just like roger’s, ace’s execution backfires tremendously on the marines. this was entirely a predictable outcome, too! this exact thing happened twenty years ago! the marines don’t learn. they don’t change. they’re so assured of their own rightness and power that they make stupid mistakes like holding a massive public execution after the last one blew up in their faces. 

(this is why they need coby so badly, for the record, and why it’s important that he still decides to become a marine after witnessing their corruption firsthand in shells town. the marines are long overdue for a reformation, one that orients them towards real justice.)

i really, really enjoy crocodile in this saga. mostly because he hasn’t been redeemed at all, he’s still pretty much the exact same kinda awful person he was in alabasta, he’s just on luffy’s side this time, and it lets us see him in a better light, when he gets angry at whitebeard for nearly dying or when he helps luffy and jinbe escape to keep the marines from getting their way. few of one piece’s characters are truly so one-dimensional as they can seem, and i really appreciate that. 

i really really love all the interactions between luffy, ace and sabo as kids. they’re so fun and bounce off of each other so well. even though we only see them together for a brief time, they really feel like siblings. (which of course only makes later events hurt so much more.

i’ve always been a little fascinated by the fact that it takes us this long to get luffy’s full backstory. it’s almost a fakeout, because we get part of his backstory in the very first chapter, and we’re kind of led to believe that’s all there is. it’s not until ace’s introduction nearly two hundred chapters in that we’re given any indication there’s more.

but at the same time, it makes sense. marineford is luffy’s focus arc, as arlong park to nami or thriller bark to brook. he hasn’t had a focal arc that’s really about him before this, while all his other crewmates have. it makes sense that this would be when he finally gets his flashback. 

i think it’s cool that dragon and the revolutionaries show up at the grey terminal fire, because it’s one of the only looks we’ve gotten so far into what their actual regular operations are like. and, of course, they’re saving people. i really like this about the revolutionaries, that helping people in trouble is basically their modus operandi, when pretty much everyone else in one piece’s world mostly does saving on an incidental basis if at all. 

i think a lot about how the last line of sabo’s letter to ace is also both of their last words to the strawhats. 

death in one piece always feels much realer and more impactful to me than in most other series, and i think this is part of the reason why: in one piece, we are always shown the mourning. nami at bellemere’s grave, carrot grieving pedro, ace and whitebeard’s funeral. 

there are fewer deaths, comparatively, than most other series, but they’re given so much room to echo. we’re still feeling the impacts of ace’s life and death in the most recent chapters of wano. it ties into the theme of inherited will and all the way back to hiriluk’s final speech, of men not being dead so long as they’re remembered. 

the picture of luffy at marineford always kind of strikes me. he looks so young and so solemn, and yet much more himself than he did when we last saw him losing his mind on amazon lily. i really like it. 

sometimes i just think about the sheer depth of trust and love the strawhats must have in each other to separate for two years, far longer than they were ever together, to solely dedicate themselves to improving for the sake of crew and captain. none of them even hesitate, and none of them ever doubt that the crew will be reformed at the end of it.

after all, luffy keeps his promises. 

[choicesenthusiast]

Blades of Light and Shadow, Ch. 1-2 AKA I. Am. Obsessed.

What happened this week:

Your character can be a male or female human, elf, or orc, and none of the above are OH MC. Sure, they used ILB, but who cares? This is the greatest relief of the whole book, and it hasn’t even started.

A prologue about elven kings and shadow monsters. It isn’t even the main narrative yet, but man, I love it already.

An MC who doesn’t fall under the Dumbass MC category, a brother who is so likeable that I know he’ll be taken from us at some point in this book, and a mysterious adventurer emanating just enough “cocky, yet lonely” vibes that I don’t want to hit him with a chair on first sight. I like him.

Skills that affect your choices! And XP that will help gain skills instead of buying them yourself! This book is so fucking good. It’s only the beginning of chapter one, dammit!

Nia, a priestess apprentice and her mentor Vash are in trouble with an owlbear and just because you felt like it, you decide to help them out. We love an MC with proper ambition!

Diamond choices that have been labeled as “sidequests” in order to make them sound more compelling. Smart move, writers. The first one involves learning more about Nia and her magic.

In Chapter 2, we accompany Nia and Vash to the temple ruins that they’ve been searching for and find Gabriel and Kailani look-alikes dead (RIP). That character art was awesome. Anyways, in the temple there’s a ton of boobytraps and treasure.

A diamond scene with shadow ball killing and whatnot. Obtain some gold shit. Literal solid gold shadow monster feces. That’s some quality content right there.

Mal is captured and forced to unlock a glowing blue box by a tall shadow duke-knight-thingy. Whatever it is, it desperately wants whatever’s in the Tesseract.

Turns out the Tesseract contained and Onyx Shard, used in tandem with three others, to open up magic gates into the shadow realm. It also eats unsuspecting bard brothers in the process. I knew they’d take Kade away from us. He was likeable, too!

Another diamond scene to learn more about the “cocky, but lonely” Mal.

This book’s collection seems to be Lore Tablets, in which they tell you lore about the world. And as I am a sucker for worldbuilding, these Lore Tablets will definitely strike my attention.

Vash dies because he was stabbed by the Duke’s magic dark sword, and herein lies the introduction of the quest: collect the shards, purify them to prevent the opening of the gate, and save the world.

Thoughts:

It’s all been worth it. Months of crappy writing, unlikable characters, and the Great Choices Drought has all led up to this, and it’s incredible.

The character art? Holy shit, it’s amazing. We’ve already had one for each LI, plus the campfire scene, plus that Gabriel/Kailani one if you count it. I’m so excited to see whatever else they can create.

The music! If you know me, I’ve definitely got musician’s bias, and this weirdo listens to epic orchestrals in their spare time. This soundtrack fit right up my alley.

I’m glad that they can finally reuse the old assets like Gabriel and the shade monster in context again. Remember that weird medieval wedding in StD, or the acid-trip in BP? Bad excuses to reuse assets. A themed book like this? Good reason.

Different creature MCs with ambition and common sense? Check. Choice-based skills and XP? Check. Visually appealing characters with personality? Check. Sensible plot? Check. Lore? Check. This book checks all the boxes for your classic fantasy, and since TCaTF3 wrapped back in 2017, it’s way overdue we have another one.

I could rave about this for ages, but you’re probably tired of scrolling past, so I’ll go away now. I hope that this book maintains the same excitement, hype and energy to the end, unlike TRM. I’m pumped for this, y’all!

[caden]

Honestly thank you for saying that. I also don't hate Travis but can't stand the way he goes about proving his "wokeness" he's obviously good natured but his approach is just so off and it's awkward when listening to the other brothers try to swerve around it, being more self aware than he is. I can't listen to the new Adventure Zone arc because her went out of his way to create a disable character and then be like "are you gonna ask me about my wheelchair" it's just too fucking much dude.

This is a super long rant-y response that doesn’t really say much of consequence, but...

yeah i have not enjoyed his arc so far sadly. I’m still going ahead with it for the time being, it’s worth listening to but honestly TAZ hasn’t gripped me all that much since balance. I feel like one of their issues is that balance really really tactically built up to its big emotional dramatic moments, everything felt really natural and just flowed so well-- whereas with these other arcs, I feel like they just jump the gun and try to constantly have dramatic stuff happening without ***earning*** it. The nature of most roleplaying games is just that they’re long form, and IMO the most important element of nailing a podcast like TAZ is making sure that the downtime is really enjoyable-- that means having really charismatic side characters, engaging and open-ended worldbuilding that allows for lots of different situations, and PCs that have clear and interesting motivations. Travis just isn’t a good enough DM to pull that all off. He’s decent at roleplaying IMO, but his personality / skills are just better suited to being a player. He clearly isn’t as good a storyteller as griffin, and even griffin’s storytelling has been strained from time to time. 

I honestly really really really wish that they would play a more Critical Role / MCDM style DnD game, where the worldbuilding took front-stage over the characters, and where it was assumed that the main players would cycle through MULTIPLE characters because their characters could actually die if it was dramatic-- or even just if the players fucked up in combat. I’d love to feel like they were in a setting that allowed them to have guest players on, where the world has internal consistency (unlike the live shows which are always fun but clearly not sustainable for a long-form story), and where the whole thing isn’t all built along railroading players down an ultra long-form epic story in the vein of Balance. Like one thing that’s great about DnD for me is that if you don’t currently feel like you’re gelling with the character you’re playing, you can just make a new character! If the quest you’re on isn’t incredibly engaging, you can tell the DM that you want to explore something in your character’s past or independently pursue some other motivation instead. I really wish they would experiment with a more freeform, noncommittal story, where they could lean into their improvisation skills (which is what they’re very good at) over their storytelling skills (where they're sort of lacking). 

I also feel like-- and this is just an unintended byproduct of the general vibe that they’re going for-- one big problem that I notice with their storytelling is that all of their characters are just like... too good. I feel like they’re so committed to being wholesome and non-stressful that everything about their worlds just has no edge at all. I’m not saying that I want TAZ to be game of thrones, obviously that would suck-- but so much of the conflict in their worlds feels awkward or forced because they don’t create their characters to be as flawed as I think they should. Justin usually being the exception. I think this is reaaaalllllly coming to the forefront in the new arc, Travis just isn’t capable of putting the kind of tension into his stories that Griffin was because he’s too committed to making his world crunchy and chill and, dare I say, woke. But I think the wheelchair thing is coming from a different sort of bad storytelling-- writers put a diverse character into their story and then feel so immediately proud of themselves that they forget to actually make the character interesting or memorable beyond that, inadvertently tokenizing the characters. 

Griffin also did something really smart when he was DMing, which was that he intentionally never told us anyone’s race. He explicitly said that it being an audio medium allowed the listener the freedom to imagine whatever race they want, as well as imagine trans-ness, disability, etc. Which, even though it might sound kind of like a cop-out, is IMO the best way to handle it. If they play characters outside of their race, people will be mad. If they don’t have enough diversity, people will be mad. If they have explicit diversity but portray something insensitively, people will be mad. I personally think that griffin would have been smart enough to do these things sensitively, but he’s always erred on the side of caution. The only exception in balance was them explicitly stating that Lup was a trans woman, which was also handled very well IMO. Travis just isn’t taking that level of subtlety to his DMing because he isn’t as perceptive about these things as Griffin is. He’s stating all this stuff explicitly because he wants people to know that his world is diverse. Which is cool, but it comes with the baggage of actually having to execute that diversity with some level of insight. In this case, I honestly think the players should be more comfortable going ahead and making characters that are explicitly NOT cis white (or white-coded) men. They made the move after balance to start playing women, which was good. The alternative is just constantly having protagonists that, even in fantasy/sci-fi settings, are cis-coded, white-coded, or male-coded. 

All in all, the big issue for me rn with the Mcelroys is that i have much more of a sense now that they’re the types of creators who are entirely just trying to please their fanbase. This is really visible in the style of comedy that they’re doing these days as well. They aren’t trying new things, they’re just finding what’s comfortable, what fans clap for in live shows, and doing more of that. I remember once in a live show they said “okay guys, we’re making a change. we’re no longer gonna allow you guys to ask questions that are just you bragging about a cool thing you did”. That was one of the best decisions they made from a content perspective, lol. Their most interesting work of the last three years has been the Trolls 2 podcast, because it’s stylistically VERY different from their normal stuff, and because NOBODY was asking for it. And as a result, it was able to be a novel, funny concept. I feel like in the age of streamers, youtubers, creators who are basing their brand off of PERSONALITY over CONTENT, we’re gonna be getting more and more of this kind of art. As creators, the Mcelroys aren’t trying to do something new, to create exciting thought-provoking funny content. They’re just repeating the things that have found them the most success. They take the desires of the fans a bit too seriously, which keeps them from going in new directions, because fans can’t validate things that don’t exist yet. The fans shouldn’t be the ones who create new trends or decide the tone of the content. That should be entirely in the hands of the creators. You can sorta tell that at times Griffin and Justin are unhappy about it. I think this was at its worst about a year or so ago, and they’ve realized it and started to work on course-correction. They stopped doing TAZ live shows with the balance characters, which was a good choice. I DON’T think that the issue is that they ran out of ideas, it’s just that they’re overdue for a creative renaissance. I would love it if instead of just doing more TAZ and mbmbam, they continued to do a bunch of small unusual projects in the vein of Trolls 2, the old Monster Factory videos, the new non-DnD TAZ live shows, etc. I’m also enjoying The Besties (I listened to it before it got canned and was excited when it came back), because I feel like Griffin and Justin act more like normal humans on that show and less like Mcelroy brothers. 

WITH ALL THAT SAID, their content is still often very fun, and I think it’s really good that they exist as successful creators. They’re a net positive force in the world, the small attempts people have made to cancel them for dumb shit will always be petty and stupid. They’ve more than earned a spot in the podcasting hall of fame, I don’t think they’re just has-beens, and I will continue to listen to plenty of their stuff for the conceivable future even if it’s not always exactly what I want from them. 

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Finland to Eurovision with a meme icon and his side-kick

“heeeeeey what is that song on that video???” Definitely not Darude - Sandstorm. Grow the fuck up.

I mean that they basically threw off the open call for songs from Finnish artists, instead opting for having one artist national final, usually one very known but very gettable-bored-of name so that they could get some more viewership rather when they pick a random nobody from a bunch of other random nobodies. Last year YLE got themselves an artist whose Eurovision ticket was long overdue, but this year they went the extra step and brought us HIM.

No, not that HIM. They can't go anyway as they've already disbanded. I'm talking about HIM.

Yes, THAT HIM. Meet Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen, which thankfully has a pseudonym to publish his music with - Darude. Almost 20 years ago he published this beautiful techno single "Sandstorm" with lyrics like "du du du du du du du du du du du du". And now it's become the big-ass target of memery for the past few years on the Internet, with Darude being very well aware of it all - I don't think he has escaped questions about "Sandstorm" now that the Eurovision interviewers media is on horizon and interviews literally every single representative, no matter if they're shy or unpopular with the bookies at all.

And even if "Sandstorm" was the only thing to shake his tiny little Finnish world, it did not break Darude to be just a one-hit wonder (well he still looks like one but yeah) and he's got more music out ever since. And it probably sounds a little too tragic when YLE resorts to just nagging and begging Darude to represent their nation, even kinda secretly hoping that thanks to him Finland can have a qualification just solely for the meme factor. Darude even said so that he at first rejected their calls, but this year became THE year for him to go, and he's not alone obviously - his credited vocalist friend for this ride to Tel Aviv became Sebastian Rejman, a bit washed-up media star who already did some collaborating with Darude.

So the format was basically the same for this year's UMK - artist announced separately, then each of their 3 songs gets published every week on a specific weekday, with single cover art and a music video already, and the Finnish people together with international juries vote for the best track. Simple as that. Unlike with Saara Aalto though, all Darude & Sebastian songs were barely even distinct from one another in sound - just techno songs that have a piece of "Sandstorm" with themselves. Well only 2 do anyway. But still, techno/house songs to listen to on the radio when you're driving and minding your own business. And I had hard time picking favourites but all of them were alright I guess. Yet somehow my least favourite happened to win... and that was "Look Away", very much so inspired by natural disasters and how do we all ignore everything around us. No matter if it's a storm or hurricane or tornado or wind throwing sand at our eyes.

I don't know why the song didn't click with me all that much at first, I suppose it was because it's just a mindless gloomy techno song that raises global awareness (we already have Denmark talking about that, but they're insisting that "love is forever", while Finland is just... getting up more seriously in all this), and besides that, it's just incredibly repetitive. It consists more of the pre-chorus-ish chorus (I mean the line "is it in my head? Am I the only one?" and that other line preceding) and the actual chorus that mostly goes like "look away, look away, look away...". Even to the point when the song ends with some additional “look away”ing but under a different drum beat. What's it with Finns having a passion for the word "away"? We already had seen them sending a "Sing It Away", which was basically a cheer-up tune telling you to sing your problems off... while this year? We're trying to NOT look into the problems dead in the eye. We're looking... erm, uh, away.

But now I do have to say that I somewhat like it. Tell it to ya - the B minor chord is possibly one of my least favourite music keys, so I might as well be a little bit more negative on it if takes the song with itself to sound incredibly dull and painfully meh. So thankfully we'll be hearing it live half a step lower (idk if that's what it is with most EDM singers in Eurovision that shit like this can be possible, as well as idk why are they allowed into Eurovision in the first place. But seriously, why can't you just choose the same key you sang in in studio for Eurovision...), which made the song sound better to me - as a Nightcore junkie, I am passionate about hearing songs in different keys all the darn time, to see in what key would a certain song sound the best. It's usually the song's key that makes me like a song better or worse live rather than a live performance itself (though in some NFs I can see which of my favourite acts are DoA by not even emoting towards them - my emotion has to be evoked, and if I evoke it on purpose, well then, I'd just rather stay motionless completely on anything and only yelp if a song causes me to do this unexplainedly). We'll see how Sebastian will execute his singing live. As for now, he's the captain of this sinking ship that hit a small iceberg (another one of the disasters we usually "look away" from until it's found in our history books). Not Darude. Darude's just merely a musical hold-up of the disaster. It all has to depend on the vocalist and if the staging clicks with the audience. Sure, Darude can put on a red wig and green sunglasses so that he could click with the meme audience, but that won't get the Finns far.

So I like this song, it actually has some cool musical moments thrown in (I like the piano for one), I can enjoy this off my free time. But Estonia does it better at the "Finno-Ugric EDM-ish entry about Mother Nature's tantrums" category and I ain't even sorry for saying this. But I gotta be sorry for Darude. This year's UMK had the lesser care about it because... well, these songs weren't exactly inspiring or anything, and with people wanting something groundbreaking, their hopes kept on vaning away with each and every song release of the UMK entries': "oh so the next 2 two songs will be good right?" "oh so then the last one will be the best one, yeah right?" "...oh, okay then .-." And him, as the Finnish meme king, should have deserved a better year for a better Eurovision stint, so he could have become something à la Epic Sax Guy. Right now I mostly see a middle-aged DJ with 2 kids, not a redhead dude with green sunglasses looking shadily on us. And that's okay sometimes because memes don't necessarily need to be remembered for memes (just like I mostly remember Kanye West for music, and then memes come second), but Finland's gonna take a miracle to get through, and I hardly see any. That's an aina mun pity.

Approval factor: Eh, it's alright, but I would certainly not hold it up to high regards post-contest? lol.

Follow-up factor: it's kiiiiinda bleak knowing that after giving us probably one of the most favourable dark horse efforts for Eurovision they're now going down the dancier route, with one entry after being a banger, the other being a dad banger. Ah well. It doesn't flow so neatly in my eyes, it seems.

Qualification factor: almost dead in the tracks. Finland flows anywhere they can, having a lot of bad luck for 3 years this decade, and I doubt that the juries will be supporting this heavily, considering they are better at rating good vocalists over bad ones, so I don't think this will sail through. But I secretly have hopes in this. It's not that bad, but Estonia is in this semi too, and it's a friendlier EDM track, so I don't quite think that repetitive will out-compell the good formulaic. Plus, Sebastian has a lot to fix vocally, and I doubt that he will carry Finland any further if he doesn't fix anything, so so far the chances of Finland aren't looking up imo. Bottom 5 at the semi is more likely if not already the actual outcome. Maaaaybe 10th in the semi at best, but I doubt it.

NATIONAL FINAL BONUS

The more this section pops up in my works, the less I wanna recap national finals anymore. I hope there’s more breather moments with me having to review a lot of internal selection songs in between the ones from NFs, because this whole season was an utter disaster, and it’d help if the next one isn’t. So let’s check in on Finland's selection’s best:

• But seriously, did anyone ever see Darude as a Finnish representative coming??? No??? Me neither. I was just sitting there, waiting to see if there's a hope for Mikael Saari (you know, that balladeer guy from previous UMKs - I do believe some audiences love him just as much as Saara Aalto, who only was on one UMK and one Euroviisut) to be announced on this special separate programme. Nope - the trilingual hosting trio of the programme that included Krista Siegfrids in it as the token Swedish speaker just happened to happily proclaim Darude as THE Finnish hopeful... and the world was s h o o k e t h. Just look at him go. His smug grin is still iconic on here.

• During the wait for all the UMK songs to pile up, the excitement for Darude faded away and everyone moved on to support other countries. I can't blame them, because I have found like one decent song this UMK that's still worth listening to twice a year or so - "Superman". Where Darude becomes the everyday hero for ordinary people that have difficulties in live to do mundane stuff. Maybe this song would have made him look like a better meme than his current entry would have? Just watch him go on his DJ booth dressing like a knock-off superhero because EBU doesn't allow blatant advertising. A way better gimmick than Gromee's snakey hands. Alas, no one will have to hear "Superman" anymore. Granted it's just an EDM song just like any other, but somehow I liked it best, end of.

• There's at least one memorable screenshot from UMK as well, so I'm happy with that. I saw this pop up on my Twitter time line and I could not stop laughing inside. Seriously. Krista and this other guy should host ESC provided Eurovision is ever coming back to Finland. They had a lot of iconic outfit changes during the NF itself (and the NF itself had "Look Away" with some dancer on a cube but they scrapped the tall cube for Tel Aviv entirely), but those floral onesies are my favourite.

Now I kinda hope that there’s something that will alarm YLE in the meantime that Finland needs a better approach for Eurovision and we’ll see another fully-fledged UMK in the works next year, and then Finland can be great again. For now, I’ll just wish “onnea” to Darude and Sebastian, with hopes that people don’t look away from their song at all! (but most likely they will so what’s the point.)

[ethenell]

Best Films of 2017, Part II

5. Blade Runner 2049 (dir. Denis Villeneuve)

“Mere data makes a man … A and C and T and G … The alphabet of you, all from four symbols.”

Making a satisfactory sequel to a widely beloved masterpiece like Blade Runner is a borderline impossible task – the weight of expectation is oftentimes simply too great. In keeping with that wisdom, Blade Runner 2049 is not at all a satisfactory sequel - Luckily for fans of the groundbreaking original, it is much, much more than that. A daringly-conceived blockbuster epic that flies in the face of today’s rapid fire genre filmmaking rulebook, 2049 is the kind of bold, visionary sequel that Blade Runner has always deserved, but most of us lacked the optimism to hope for.

With a gargantuan runtime and an average shot length dwarfing that of the average blockbuster, it’s hard to understate the sheer ambition of what director Denis Villenueve has brought to the screens with 2049. But the true miracle is that the magnitude of 2049’s ambition is matched by its achievement every step of the way, thanks in no small part to the partnership of Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins, whose Oscar-winning work (!!) on 2049 deserves consideration alongside the best of his unparalleled career. Their collaboration is central to the hypnotic mood and texture of the film – a significant departure from that of Ridley Scott’s 1982 film. It would have been easy for Villeneuve and Deakins to replicate the look and feel of the original – many have done it over the years, with varying degrees of success. But rather than do what was easy, they took the original’s oft-imitated cyberpunk world and filtered it through their own creative lens – coming out on the other side with some of the most indelible imagery the year in cinema had to offer. That the film also treads novel thematic territory in the well-worn debate on the existential border between man and machine, cements 2049’s status as one of the all-time great film sequels. 

In keeping with the film’s heavy Tarkovsky influences, Villenueve focuses more on finding the right way to ask the hard questions than on constructing tricky ways to answer the easy ones. But Tarkovsky, as brilliant as he was, never made a film that looked anything like this. It’s with this delicate marriage of grand imagery and even grander ideology that Villinueve has defied the odds and done what most thought was impossible … He’s made a brilliant follow-up to an undisputed masterpiece.

In doing so, he just might have made one of his own.

4. Lady Bird (dir. Greta Gerwig)

- Lady Bird. Is that your given name?

- Yeah.

- Why is it in quotes?

- I gave it to myself. It’s given to me, by me.

All too often, authenticity in filmmaking is synonymous with directorial transparency - passive camera and observational direction have become the du jour techniques to achieve a realist aesthetic. But there is a special authenticity to crafting a film that fully and authentically inhabits a specific point of view. Greta Gerwig’s splendid semi-autobiographical debut Lady Bird is just such a special film. Far from being passive and observational, Gerwig’s distinctive voice as an actress transitions beautifully behind the camera as she bottles up all the emotional tumult of high school and unleashes it through a powerhouse performance from one of cinema’s best young actresses.

Though a realistic Oscar push never quite developed, Soairse Ronan has now delivered two performances more than worthy of the honor - at 23, she is already far overdue for greater recognition. As Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, she works in perfect harmony with Gerwig to deliver big-time laughs and well-earned tears while casting even the most tired coming-of-age tropes in a fresh new light. And, while it’s not clear whether it’s even possible to steal the show from a performer of Ronan’s caliber, leave it to the reliable character actress Laurie Metcalf to give it her best shot. Her big-hearted but overly-critical mother is career-best work that often serves as the film’s emotional backbone. She’s the perfect foil to Ronan’s bursting-at-the-seams teenage rebel, and their fraught relationship is the crux of Gerwig’s film.

The best thing that can be said about Lady Bird – and there are more than a few great things to say – is that it simply rings true. It’s earnest portrayal of a young girl clashing against the boundaries of her world, and herself captures something deeply true about the contradictions of young adulthood. Despite it’s modest packaging, Lady Bird is a genuinely moving and supremely confident debut, bursting with creative ambition and boasting immaculately-realized characters expressing ideas that resonate with audiences beyond the film’s pointedly narrow scope. If that’s not the sign of a brilliant filmmaker, then I don’t know what is.

 3. Call Me By Your Name (dir. Luca Guadagnino)

“Nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot.“

On the heels of Moonlight’s stunning Best Picture win, few would have expected another masterpiece of LGBTQ cinema to emerge so quickly. But the consensus best film from the Sundance Film Festival’s 2017 iteration was just such an effort. Luca Guadagnino’s entry to the festival was immediately pegged as one of its more buzzed-about titles. His previous two films, 2009’s I Am Love and 2015’s A Bigger Splash - both featuring characteristically excellent performances from Tilda Swinton, with the latter boasting a very uncharacteristically off-the-walls and thoroughly underappreciated turn from Ralph Fiennes - established Guadanigno as a premiere actor’s director. But Call Me By Your Name showcased a newly-subdued directorial style, giving his impressive cast of players even more room to shine.

On this note, it’s hard not to point to Guadignino’s pairing with 2017 breakout Timothee Chalamet as a gift of fate. Working with Guadanigno, Chalamet is revelatory. He delivers a performance with nuance and complexity far beyond his years. As the film follows Chalemet’s Elio finding first love, he projects confidence only to be betrayed by moments of utter vulnerability, hitting those extremes – and every note in between – with absolute perfection. In this year’s Best Actor category, Gary Oldman had the perfect industry narrative, but Chalamet gave the most deserving performance – no one will ever convince me otherwise. Surrounding Chalamet’s masterful work is a stellar ensemble, of which Michael Stuhlbarg is the clear standout. In hands-down the best moment in the year of film, Stuhlbarg delivers a monologue for the ages with his voice hardly rising above a whisper. His is an absolutely brilliant performance that, like most of his unerringly impressive character work, has been criminally ignored.

Call Me By Your Name is destined to join the ranks of the all-time great LGBT romances, but it’s thematic reach and the appeal of its characters are universal. It’s a masterpiece of storytelling that perfectly captures hesitant intimacy blossoming into the kind of love that burns bright and leaves marks that last a lifetime. Guadagnino guides us gracefully through the tender connection at the film’s center without sacrificing the complexity of Elio and Oliver’s emotional journeys. These moments of self-discovery – and discovery of a part of yourself in another – are never straightforward endeavors, but Guadagnino’s warm camera conjures the melancholic beauty in every intricate detail as though he’s recalling a fond memory. Times like these call for films as tender, earnest, and full-hearted as Call Me By Your Name. It’s unmissable.

2. Dunkirk (dir. Christopher Nolan)

“You can practically see it from here ...

What?

... Home.”

Leave it to Christopher Nolan, who already revolutionized the superhero movie, to produce a war film unlike any I’ve ever seen. Like Saving Private Ryan before it, Dunkirk throws out the playbook and finds great power outside the bounds of convention. An absolute masterclass in structure and formal editing – in many ways more ambitious even than the groundbreaking structure of Nolan’s grandiose mindbender, Inception – Dunkirk juggles three different storylines, all of which occur over different timeframes, until they all converge in a breathlessly tense climactic sequence. Weaving these threads effectively is a gargantuan task, but Nolan proves himself more than up to the challenge.

From a directorial perspective, Dunkirk is not far removed from Nolan’s previous efforts. His precise technical command and vision for spectacular set-pieces is nearly unmatched in modern studio filmmaking – but this isn’t news for anyone who’s familiar with his previous work. Where Dunkirk improves dramatically over Nolan’s previous efforts – particularly his more uneven films, like Interstellar and The Prestige – is on the page.

One of the biggest knocks against Nolan as a filmmaker has always been his over-reliance on expository dialogue. (Honestly, how many different perfunctory monologues did it take for him to explain Inception’s dream-within-a-dream structure? Or wormhole travel in Interstellar?) So how did he respond when writing Dunkirk? With a ruthless editorial pen, he chipped away at each bit of dialogue until all that remained were the truly essential elements. The result is the most sparse film of Nolan’s career – it also happens to be the best.

Even with the lack of dialogue Nolan’s cast is given to deliver – or perhaps precisely because of it – Dunkirk is filled with memorable ensemble performances. Cillian Murphy’s shellshocked sailor, Tom Hardy’s steely, resilient pilot, Mark Rylance’s calmly resolved civilian, and yes, even Harry Styles’ fearfully cruel foot soldier, all leave a lasting impression despite limited screen time. It’s a testament to the efficacy to the show-don’t-tell philosophy when embraced by a director as immensely talented as Nolan.

Filling in the gaps is composer extraordinaire Hans Zimmer’s droning score, which might very well be the best, most thematically effective work of his career. Propelling and underlying the cacophonous atmospherics is the simple tick of a clock – so ubiquitously present that you only notice it when it suddenly drops away. It’s a simple gambit that makes for one of the most thrilling moments of the cinematic year. Without Zimmer’s score, it never would have materialized. His work elevates the film – there’s no greater compliment that a composer can be given.

Like The Dark Knight before it, Christopher Nolan has also crafted Dunkirk to be uniquely resonant in the present geopolitical landscape. It’s a morally resolute film, firm in its assertion that certain battles are worth fighting and unambiguously optimistic about the willingness capacity of good people to do so, no matter the cost. It’s an empowering message, harkening back to a day when Western civilization was left with no choice but to do away with equivocations and rise up to face an unambiguously evil force at work in the world. As we see hints and shadows of that same fascistic ideology re-emerging in our present politics, Dunkirk reminds us that we are capable of defeating it, but only at a terrible cost.

1. Phantom Thread (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

“Kiss me my girl, before I’m sick.”

With each subsequent entry to his already-legendary filmography, Paul Thomas Anderson further stakes his claim as American cinema’s greatest living auteur. His latest, Phantom Thread marks a particularly fascinating step along his journey to filmmaking greatness. As with all of Anderson’s films, there’s more to Phantom Thread than initially meets the eye. What initially appears to be a peculiar period romance slowly reveals itself to be a devilishly subversive take on power dynamics and love. The film’s austerity and elegance belie it’s prickly subtext, but (of course) it is this exact contradiction that makes Phantom Thread so damn interesting ... There’s not a film this year that has more frequently occupied my thoughts.

In what is reportedly his final role, Danial Day-Lewis is as impressive as ever, doing away with the towering theatrics of his best-known performances (there’s hardly a hint of Daniel Plainview or Bill the Butcher, here) in favor of the meticulous character work that initially brought him to critical esteem. In his hands, Woodcock’s cartoonish mannerisms feel thoroughly organic with nary a false beat to be found, while bringing Anderson’s words to life with extraordinary skill. Lines that could feel like throwaways to another actor take on legendary status as delivered by Day-Lewis. If it is indeed the final time that he will be gracing our screens, then he’s picked a finale befitting his storied career.

As if taking cues from his star and uncredited co-writer, P.T. Anderson directs his latest masterpiece with an uncharacteristically gentle hand. Thrown to the wayside is the visionary flash and technically prodigious camerawork that defined his earlier greats. Instead, Anderson hones in on his unmatched sense for interweaving character and theme and lets his actors the heavy lifting in largely still frames. Unsurprisingly, the results are brilliant, the product of an assured and confident master working at the very height of his powers while refusing to lean on his past successes.

But while the continued collaboration of Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis sits at the center of any assessment of Phantom Thread, it’s greatness is often solidified by the masterful contributions outside of this titanic duo. Another frequent PTA collaborator, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, turns in his best work since his groundbreaking score for There Will Be Blood. His lush piano work and elegant strings match the film’s beats to perfection, rooting out its subtleties and amplifying them beautifully. And Day-Lewis’ co-star, the previously unknown Hungarian actress Vicky Krieps, may well be the most exciting discovery of the year. Acting alongside Daniel Day-Lewis must seem a daunting task to even the most experienced of thespians, but Krieps fearlessly matches him step for step.

Phantom Thread, though it’s the director’s most austere film to date, is a P.T. Anderson film, through and through. By that I mean that it’s deeply strange and continually surprising, but ultimately narrows its gaze on something uncomfortably and fundamentally true about our common human condition. It’s gorgeously made and subtly provocative cinema from a virtuoso filmmaker … What more could you ask for?

[charmedtheselfproclaimedking]

Charmed Again: Season 2 (Charmed Fanfic)

Episode 2 - Back to Black: Part 2

Warnings: I don’t own the rights to any of the characters from the hit TV show “Charmed” or the storylines related to the show those rights belong to original creator Constance M Burge.

15+ Moderate/Graphic Displays of Violence, Sexual Innuendos, Witchcraft and Potentially Triggering Scenes.

PART ONE HERE

“I’m so glad I managed to learn to close my door,” Paul said as Drake blink into his office room within the Stevens and Summers Law firm’s building.

“Listen I felt bad about ditching the family brunch earlier so I was thinking maybe you and I could go grab a really late lunch/early dinner?” Drake replied.

“You want to go somewhere with me?” Paul asked in shock, as he stood up with excitement. “You never want to do things outside of Charmed duties with me.”

“Well I was thinking considering my birthday’s popping up soon we should probably have some long overdue father and son time.” Drake suggested nervously. “I mean if you don’t have the time, we can always do it another time.”

“Oh no I’m completely free in fact I’m free all day my schedules just been wiped clear.” A delighted Paul responded.

“Okay but considering I’m the son and our first birthday under the same roof is coming up I think it’s only fair that you pay…dad.” Drake told his father making Paul’s face light up by being called dad by his son for the very first time before rushing over to Drake and giving his son a hug.

“I don’t understand if Drake’s finally deciding to celebrate his birthday on Halliwell the day he was actually born then why can’t you just stay until then?” Pan asked her grandmother Piper as they began sorting the table in the kitchen for dinner.

“I had to pull so many strings just to get down here now but clearly I came when I was needed most.” Piper explained to Pan. “Drake’s birthday going forward is about his future, this family’s future and I’m pleasantly placed in the past.”

“You’re always going to be in both my present and future grams.” Pan promised her, making Piper smile at her granddaughter’s kindness.

“Oh, honey I know that but I don’t belong here anymore my time has passed and I’m happy where I am now it’s truly wonderful to watch over you all while finding a peace that can’t be described.” Piper revealed to her just before Quinn orbed into the kitchen much to their shock.

“Hey girls I sure hope you’ve missed me like I’ve missed you all.” Quinn said with a smile before he was instantly greeted by a hug from Pan.

“Of course, we’ve missed you,” Pan admitted before breaking off their hug. “Wait this doesn’t mean Lacey’s fired does it?”

“Thankfully your aunt Paige managed to convince the other elders I would be beneficial in helping Lacey become the best white lighter possible and that with the source and the triad hot on your trails having two white lighters was better than one.” Quinn revealed to Pan and Piper.

“Not that Lacey isn’t a delight as a white lighter even though she was rush trained unlike any other white lighter.” Piper said to them both. “But I’m really glad to have you back Quinn I just wish they never lost you in the first place, but the elders tend to be jerks like that.”

Drake and Paul walked into the foyer of the Halliwell Manor laughing away at themselves happily for a moment until they both notice Piper and Pan stood with the recently returned white lighter Jason Quinn leaving Paul shocked and Drake instantly furious.

“Listen Drake I’m so sorry I never came to say goodbye after being relocated but I didn’t want to anger the elders anymore.” Quinn apologised while walking towards Drake.

“You’re not even worth the energy needed to get mad at you!” Drake coldly replied.

“Trust me when I say there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by since I last saw you that I ever stopped trying to return here.” Quinn promised his charge in front of his father, aunt and great-grandmother.

“What made them change their minds suddenly?” Paul butted in, curious to know the answer.

“I had to promise I no longer had feelings for you,” Quinn revealed to Drake. “And even if I still did to never act on those feelings again.”

“Sometimes there’s questions you just shouldn’t ask brother.” Pan told Paul.

“I guess you made the right decision for everyone then.” Drake replied to Quinn. “Because Lacey clearly needs some training and I’m sure as hell not interested in being anything with you ever again.”

“I guess this means a nice family meal is going to have to wait until I’m next summoned back from the dead.” Piper said with a frustrated sigh.

“I don’t mean to be the nosy grandmother…” Piper began to say as she walked into the kitchen to see Drake sat at the kitchen table holding a large glass of wine.

“Then don’t be.” Drake interrupted before taking a large drink from his wine.

“Quinn’s not a bad guy and sure he didn’t say goodbye after being relocated by the elders, but his heart was breaking having to leave you.” Piper told her great-grandson as she sat down next to him. “That man is in love with you and I know you love him too.”

“Look today’s actually not been the worst day despite Quinn’s sudden return which I’m so not ready to talk about right now.” Drake admitted before finishing his wine and placing the glass down on the table. “But I do want to thank you for what you did for me today I can’t begin to tell you how incredible it was to see my mother again. I never realized just how much self-hatred and loathing I had gathered inside since losing them only for it all to somehow to be soothed with just a few moments with my mum.”

“That’s because you got to speak with your mum and a mother’s loving words is sometimes all a child really needs.” Piper explained to him. “Nobody around here would ever dare trying to replace your mother or your father we just want to extend the family you already have.”

“I know grams, or should I be calling you great grams?” Drake asked making Piper smile by his acceptance. “I’ve never actually had a grandparent before.”

“I’d love for you to call me grams.” Piper happily told her great-grandson.

Several Weeks Later

Drake walked into P3 to see Nina Nesbit on stage performing her song loyal to me while everyone within the club were dressed in a variety of different Halloween style costumes before he moved through the crowd of costumers before making her way to the family both to see his father Paul dressed as a pirate, his aunt Pan dressed as a devil and his best friend Lacey dressed up as an angel all sat within the booth and drinks in their hands.

“I guess this is us just crash landing into Halloween without any caution.” Drake said to the four of them before noticing Quinn dressed as the grim reaper while working behind the bar.

“He offered to work so Pan could have the night off to celebrate with her nephew.” Lacey told her best friend as she walked over to Drake. “You know what I’m going to tell you to do now right.”

“He really is a great guy Drake even if he messed up a little.” Pan was next to butt in. “You don’t have to do anything other than not hate him.”

“Just add him to your forgiveness list please.” Paul asked his son before Drake began walking away back into the crowd as Paul, Pan and Lacey continued to watch Drake to make sure he walked over to Quinn and not towards the exit.

“The irony of you dressing as the grim reaper is not lost on me.” Drake said to Quinn instantly delighting the white lighter just by talking to him.

“Thank you.” Quinn replied with a sincere smile.

“When it gets less busy around here feel free to come and join us.” Drake invited him. “Maybe we can try being friends.”

“I’d really love that.” Quinn admitted.

“I guess this means we’re all back to playing happy families again.” Lacey said to Paul and Pan as the three of them continued to watch Drake and Quinn talk to each other from over in their booth.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Pan replied before kissing Lacey. “I’ll just settle for no world war three happening at home anytime soon.”

“I don’t know even that seems like an awfully big ask.” Paul joked.

“I’ve got to admit managing to not only get Quinn back as the charmed ones’ white lighter but convincing them to not relocate Lacey as well must have taken a lot of work especially considering I don’t think witches have ever had more than one white lighter before.” Piper said to Paige as they both appeared within the clouds up above. “I just wish those damn white lighter and demon rules were overruled already.”

“Oh I will be working hard on breaking those archaic rules you can believe me there I’m just not sold on Drake and Quinn being right for each other especially after everything that’s went down between them in fact I think the best thing for both of them is to be alone.” Paige replied to her older sister. “I know forbidden romance is kind of your song considering you did marry Leo, but I don’t think their like you two.”

“Paige you were always so cynical when it came to love.” Phoebe interrupted as she appeared next to her sisters. “You should know by now that some of the most epic loves come with many complications.”

“Is this you still trying to justify your ill-fated affair with Cole Turner?” Prue asked as the fourth original and eldest charmed one appeared in the clouds amongst her younger sisters. “Sometimes complications are just signs to quit a guy you should’ve learned that from Cole after all it’s not like that had a happy ending.”

“I was meaning with my husband being cupid and me being a witch and somehow we made that work.” Phoebe replied, defending herself. “Although admittedly the elders did send him to me but that’s beside the point.”

“Well I for one think Drake and Quinn are meant for each other clearly my great-grandson takes his taste from his mother.” Piper told her three sisters.

“Well you did also date a demon, but I don’t think he’s been getting with any ghosts...yet.” Prue joked with Piper.

“Hey!” Piper shouted at her eldest sister.

“Well I for one think this is just the beginning for Drake and Quinn.” Phoebe said in agreement with Piper.

“I don’t think it’s the ending, but I sure think it should be.” Paige revealed her opinions to her sisters. “Because the longer it’s dragged out the more painful it’s going to become for the both of them.”

“Or maybe they’ll get their happy ending like me and Leo did.” Piper argued with her youngest sister.

“I agree with Paige let’s just hope this is the end of it all once and for all.” Prue said standing up for her youngest sister.

“Of course, you would,” Phoebe scoffed at Prue. “You’ve always been the most cynical out of all four of us.”

“I believe the right term is called practical something our descendants can learn a lot from being.” Prue replied to Phoebe.

[ramajmedia]

10 Exciting New Netflix Originals Still Coming In 2019

2019 has been another good year for streaming giant Netflix. With heaps of new content published and Stranger Things' third season smashing through previous streaming records. Despite the arrival of new streaming platforms like Disney plus just around the corner, Netflix is powering forward regardless.

Obviously, some titles are going to start disappearing and reappearing on new sites, but Netflix still has an incredible breadth of content in television, film, stand-up and documentary. This list will look at new Netflix originals still to come in 2019, some of the most exciting and the most intriguing titles being prepared for your streaming pleasure.

RELATED: Why Netflix's Prices Went Up In 2019 (& Why It'll Get Worse)

10 Between Two Ferns: The Movie  

Zach Galifianakis's satirical celebrity interview show is getting the movie treatment with the show's curmudgeonly host going on the road to interview a number of new guests. Those familiar will know that the Zach who hosts the show often has a total disdain for his guests and is frequently annoyed that no one takes what he's doing seriously.

Directed by Scott Auckerman, the film will follow Zach as he tries to reinstate his reputation as a serious interviewer and will no doubt explore more of the character than we've seen before. As for who will be appearing, very few details have been given, so we'll have to wait and see when the film is released on September 20th.

9 In The Shadow Of the Moon

There's no denying that crime drama genre is having a moment right now, and the new Netflix film In the Shadow of the Moon, coming September 27th, is going to be continuing that trend. Set in Philidelphia in 1988, the film will follow a police detective (Narcos' Boyd Holbrook) as he obsessives over an elusive murderer.

There's been no official trailer yet, but loose plot descriptions suggest that the film will be exploring the cost of being married to the job and the inability to disconnect from the mystery when catching the killer is all you can think about. Michael C. Hall and Cleopatra Coleman also star.

8 The Politician

Also dropping on September 27th is a new comedy show The Politician starring Ben Platt fresh from Broadway superstardom. Co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, the show will focus on Payton Hobart (Platt) and ambitious high schooler with dreams of becoming President of the United States who must first fight to be his student council president.

A show like this is going to have its finger on the pulse of contemporary culture and will deliver it with biting satire and more than a little hint of darkness as the race to the top brings out the worst in everyone.

RELATED: Netflix's The Politician Reveal First Look At Ryan Murphy's New Show

7 El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

The Breaking Bad movie is happening and with a release date of October 11th, and it is coming so very soon! As can be expected, plot details are being held pretty close to the chest. All that's been said is that it will follow Jesse Pinkman after he escaped from Jack's gang at the end of the series.

With the teaser trailer pretty much just confirming this plotline, it's unlikely we'll hear more about the film until we actually get to see it. Show creator Vince Gilligan is writing and directing, and, with Better Call Saul further invigorating the Breaking Bad brand, this film is surely not going to disappoint.

6 The Irishman

The long-awaited cinematic reunion of Scorsese and De Nero is finally happening, and it's coming to Netflix on November 27th! The Irishman will follow the life and death of notorious criminal Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino. With a thoroughly de-aged De Nero playing opposite his contemporaries, the film promises to be a fascinating piece of work. Plus, if the talent alone wasn't enough to get you, even Joe Pesci has come out of retirement for this film.

This is an incredibly good get for Netflix, and, with a confirmed running time of 3 and a half hours, it will be a true cinema epic made for you by one of the maestros of the medium.

RELATED: The Irishman Gets A Netflix Release Date & Theatrical Roll Out

5 Green Eggs and Ham

Coming this fall is a new animated TV series based on Dr. Seuss' beloved Green Eggs and Ham. A 13 episode series, executive produced by Ellen Degeneres, and a co-production with Warner Brothers Television, the show will follow the main characters from Seuss' book as they go on a cross-country journey to save an endangered animal. Netflix's animated output has been very strong, and, with a cast that includes Adam Devine, Jillian Bell, Michael Douglas, and Keegan Michael-Key it's likely that this will be a big bet for the site's family programming.

4 American Son

On 1st on November Netflix will release another film, but one of their first forays into Broadway: an adaptation of the smash hit American Son. With the original Broadway cast returning, which includes Kerry Washington, the story focuses on an interracial couple who reunite at a Florida police station on account of their missing son.

A hard hitter that will tackle very strong themes about contemporary America. Certainly, one to watch out for, especially if you missed it on stage. Depending on its success, American Son could open the doors for Netflix to adapt more Broadway shows.

3 Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

It seems that Netflix just can't get enough shows about people cooking and people eating, and, this Fall, there will be even more. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner will mark the second collaboration between Netflix and celebrity chef David Chang after the success of Ugly Delicious. Chang will bring more of his food passion and infectious charm in this new series that will see him travel, with a different guest each show, to a city where they will take in culture and food, over three separate meals, over the course of one day.

2 Marriage Story

Another Netflix-produced Noah Baumbach picture (The Meyerowitz Chronicles) following another story about the trials and tribulations of family. Scarlett Johanssen and Adam Driver star as a couple trying to raise their son while they go through a particularly difficult divorce.

Baumbach has already proven himself as a master of the family dynamic, nailing both realistic dialogue and equally sympathetic and infuriating characters. With an advertising campaign that tells the story from both parents' perspectives, this could prove to be quite a divisive story. We'll have to see when it arrives this December 6th.

RELATED: Netflix Sets Release Dates For The King, Dolemite Is My Name And More

1 The Witcher

No official release date yet, but The Witcher is likely to come out at the end of this year and may one of the most hotly anticipated series of 2019. A lot of people may know the character from either of the phenomenally successful video game or book series, and this has been long overdue a screen adaptation. With Superman himself, Henry Cavill, stepping into the role, the series already has some serious clout.

Reportedly, it will follow the plot of the books—so don't worry if you haven't played the game—which have enough political intrigue, medieval horror, magic, and action that it could fill that Game of Thrones shaped hole in your heart.

NEXT: The Witcher TV Show Trailer: First Look At Henry Cavill's Geralt In Action

source https://screenrant.com/netflix-originals-coming-this-year/

[petergrantkavinsky]

Things I wish to happen in RQ4

from my rational mind:

More #girlpower: Mare, Farley, Evangeline, and Iris ruling and slaying 

Cal getting his shit together (i.e. realizing his greatest mistake before it’s too late) 

Cal and Maven’s long overdue one-on-one confrontation, brother to brother

Iris Cygnet slaying and being a complete badass Queen of Norta (thus, making more obvious what a horrible excuse for a king Maven is)

Evangeline giving Cal an earful for not choosing love when he had a chance, unlike herself who’s always had to follow her parents’ orders

Evangeline finally getting the nerve to speak out against her parents and fight for what she truly wants (Ptolemus may or may not help his sister)

Cal and Evangeline somehow helping each other unbeknownst to his Nanabel and her parents (includes plotting behind the oldies’ backs)

Mare and Cal trying to be civil with each other despite the presence of strong sexual tension

More longing and sexual tension between Mare and Cal

Mare building a facade in front of Cal and the others, but her heart is breaking deep inside because she really loves him (present tense because it’s not easy to unlove someone you really love)   

Cal regretting his stupid decision more and more every time he sees Mare and her post-breakup glow 

Mare and Cal’s confrontation after their breakup

Mare and Cal eventually clearing up all their misunderstandings 

Cal learning more about Coriane (and the truth behind her death) from Sara and Julian

Mare and Farley getting closer, supporting each other, and acting like sisters 

More Kilorn scenes (because c’mon, the fish boy and his shit-eating grinning face is a breath of fresh air)

The Barrows more supportive and loving than ever

Epic war / action scenes  

Maven and all the bad guys (may or may not include Ptolemus) dying painful deaths or getting the saddest ending possible (Maven especially)

Cal surviving and ending the war (like what Coriane wanted for her son)

Demolition of the monarchy and the Burning Crown

Establishment of democracy and a world where Reds and Silvers are equal and get along well

A peaceful (not perfect, because entropy) and warless world to live in for baby Clara  

Farley and Clara’s cute mother-daughter moments

Farley telling Clara a story about an awesome guy named Shade Barrow

Farley getting nostalgic because she sees parts of Shade in Clara as she grows up

Julian and Sara’s happy ending (Coriane would be so happy for them)

Evangeline and Elane’s happy ending (these ladies deserve it so much)

Cal asking Mare for forgiveness 

Mare and Cal finally reuniting in the end (a little romance never killed anybody) 

from my Marecal shipper heart (a.k.a. my irrational mind):

Mare and Cal solving all their problems, reuniting, getting married, making beautiful babies, and loving each other eternally. Jesus Christ. 

[lair-of-books]

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This weeks topic spotlights the top 10 Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019!!! I thought I’d have trouble with this topic since It’d been. very slow bookish year for me however, it turns out I have closer to 20 smh. For this list I’ll keep it to 10 but Yikes! my Goodreads is Poppin’ now 😂 …yeaaaaa I lied! 🤷🏻‍♀️ there are 12 & I would’ve felt bad leaving any of these out! 🖤

June 17th: Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019

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The Good Luck Girls (The Good Luck Girls #1) by Charlotte Nicole Davis – Described as Westworld meets The Handmaid’s Tale 😱 who wouldn’t stop dead in their tracks & with a STUNNING cover to match?!?! 😍 Historical Fiction/Fantasy, this one is about children who’re sold to a “welcome house” where one is accused of murder. they escape & are on the run from both human & inhuman forces.

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones -YA Fantasy/Horror, honestly the synopsis mentioned a few things that made me go OOooO! ahhh!: Fae, Mapmaker, Corpses coming back to life & a decades old curse. Fascinating!

Kingdom Of Souls by Rena Barron– STUNNING cover! 😍 this is one I’ve been following closely on Twitter. As soon as I heard Witch Doctors my soul did a little shimmy 🤗 this one features a MC who is having difficulty calling on their powers. Pretty soon, she may just have to go to her last resort & exchange years of her life for magical powers. INTRIGUED!

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern– Full transparency here, Erin Morgenstern could write up a grocery list & I’d soak it in! ever since reading The Night Circus years ago, I have searched the internet for any morsel of info on when if ever we’d get a new book by this author. Whelp! not only are we getting it but it has PIRATES in it! 🤗 “a timeless love story set in a secret underground world–a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.”

Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin– YA Fantasy “Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.” I am MOST intrigued by this one, with lines in the synopsis like “The war between witches and Church is an ancient one” we get the story of a witch who crosses path with one who has taken an oath to the church to kill all witches. They are somehow wed & I’m just wondering how that happened and what the repercussions will be…

The Revolution Of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert– “Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Nicola Yoon comes a novel about first love and family secrets  from Stonewall Book Award winner Brandy Colbert.” I’ve been meaning to get to Brandy Colbert (have Little & Lion hauled) & then I see for fans of Nina LaCour…YASSS PLEASE! 😍 YA Contemporary/Realistic Fiction; this one features a MC who is trying to please her parents by sticking to studying at all times until she meets a boy who is sweet but has a troubled past. We also meet her aunt who moves in after leaving a treatment facility for addiction. I can already tell this one is right up my alley & I will most likely love! also…it’s set above a hair salon & I’m here for that! 🤗

Steel Tide (Seafire #2) by Natalie C. Parker–“The second book in a heart-stopping trilogy that follows the captain of an all-female ship intent on taking down a vicious warlord’s powerful fleet.” This is one of the sequels I am HIGHLY anticipating! after reading Seafire last year & LOVING it! I’m due for a dose of Caledonia & crew. I can’t really go into detail this being a sequel & all however, If you love pirates & are looking for a feminist take then I’d say this one is def worth a shot! 🖤

Tarnished Are The Stars by Rosiee Thor– “The Lunar Chronicles meets Rook in this queer #OwnVoices science-fantasy novel, perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Sharon Cameron.” I mean it’s like they know exactly what to say to hook me in! 😩“A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher’s chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog — donning the moniker Technician — to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner’s tyrannical laws…I’m long overdue for a f/f romance 😍

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo– Ha! when my Dark Queen writes ANYTHING! all else fades 😌 this is a boarding school Fantasy & I was blessed enough to have a friend lend me her copy sooOo this ism next read & I legit can’t contain my excitement 🤗

Children Of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy Of Orïsha #2) by Tomi Adeyemi– Last year I read Children Of Blood and Bone which left me with quite the book hangover. This is the sequel & so in the spirit of staying spoiler free, I’ll just say that COBAB ending was EPIC! 🔥 the world building is A+ and if you’re a fan of sibling relationships, well written magic systems, and a MC who rides a giant Tiger then I’d say def give this one a go 😉

The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World #1) by Rin Chupeco– I fell in love with The Bone Witch trilogy & now we get a Duology by my new fave author?!?! 💓 “Frozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.” …Two things here that had me nodding yes! Frozen & Furyborn 🤗 Unlike Ana & Elsa though, the sisters (Twins) in this story are torn apart by a betrayal. Their worlds are literally split in half & they’re set to rule apart. Each sister is raising a daughter & circumstances make it so they must come together and save their world. This is one of the arcs I wasn’t able to get at BEA & so my wait begins…worth the wait! 🖤

Gideon The Ninth (The Ninth House #1) by Tamsyn Muir– I need all the Necromancy books to line right up & proceed to making themselves comfy on my nightstand 😌 This one leading the pack, LGBTQIAP+ Sci-Fi Fantasy…Lesbian Necromancers…sitting here wondering if it’s too soon to count down to September *taps fingers*

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

I need nothing more than this ^^^

🖤FOLLOW LAIR OF BOOKS🖤

Instagram: @LairOfBooks

Twitter: @LairOfBooks

Goodreads: LairOfBook

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019 Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to 

[nirikeehan]

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Prompts, Part 1

Adapted from here; rebloggable version here!

watashiato n. curiosity about the impact you’ve had on the lives of the people you know.

etterath n. the feeling of emptiness after a long and arduous process is finally complete, which leaves you relieved that it’s over but missing the stress that organized your life into a mission. - Fill, Blackwall & Sera

austice n. a wistful omen of the first sign of autumn.

ringlorn adj. the wish that the modern world felt as epic as the one depicted in old stories and folktales.

aftersome adj. astonished to think back on the bizarre sequence of accidents that brought you to where you are today — which makes your long and winding path feel fated from the start, yet so unlikely as to be virtually impossible. - Fill, Thalia & Metrion

agnosthesia n. the state of not knowing how you really feel about something, which forces you to sift through clues hidden in your behavior, as if you were some other person.

lilo n. a friendship that can lie dormant for years only to pick right back up instantly, as if no time had passed since you last saw each other. - Fill, Thalia & Varric

midding v. intr. feeling the tranquil pleasure of being near a gathering but not quite in it—feeling blissfully invisible yet still fully included.

pâro n. the feeling that no matter what you do is always somehow wrong—as if there’s some obvious way forward that everybody else can see but you.

scabulous adj. proud of a scar on your body, which is an autograph signed to you by a world grateful for your continued willingness to play with her.

kuebiko n. a state of exhaustion inspired by an act of senseless violence, which forces you to revise your image of what can happen in this world.

lachesism n. the desire to be struck by disaster. - Fill, Samson

exulansis n. the tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people are unable to relate to it. - Fill, Thalia & Metrion

the meantime n. the moment of realization that your quintessential future self isn’t ever going to show up, which forces the role to fall upon the understudy.

occhiolism n. the awareness of the smallness of your perspective, by which you couldn’t possibly draw any meaningful conclusions at all, about the world or the past or the complexities of culture.

opia n. the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable. - in progress

nodus tollens n. the realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore. - Fill, Cullen & Samson

vellichor n. the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time.

nighthawk n. a recurring thought that only seems to strike you late at night—an overdue task, a nagging guilt, a looming and shapeless future.

dead reckoning n. to find yourself bothered by someone’s death more than you would have expected.

gnossienne n. a moment of awareness that someone you’ve known for years still has a private and mysterious inner life.

anecdoche n. a conversation in which everyone is talking but nobody is listening. - Fill, Cullen/Thalia

mimeomia n. the frustration of knowing how easily you fit into a stereotype, even if you never intended to, even if it’s unfair.

monachopsis n. the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place, as maladapted to your surroundings as a seal on a beach.

semaphorism n. a conversational hint that you have something personal to say on the subject but don’t go any further, which you place into conversations like those little flags that warn diggers of something buried underground. - in progress

[kupogames]

Humble Bundle Results

So this blog is a few months overdue…

Back in January Epic Battle Fantasy 4 was invited to take part in the Humble “Overwhelmingly Positive” Bundle. EBF4 has been bundled before, but it was a few years ago and in a very small bundle (5K sales), so that barely counts. Back then I didn’t expect to EBF4 to have such a long sales tail, so I figured there was no harm to be done by bundling. But it turned out that EBF4 would be selling well for years after release, thanks to Steam’s Discovery update which does a lot to recommend the game to Steam users. I told myself I wouldn’t bundle EBF4 again until the sales dried up and I was invited into a more prestigious bundle. It’s quite flattering being a new Steam dev and getting tons of bundle offers, but one quickly realises that most of them want to bundle your game with garbage and devalue it.

So a long time later comes along Humble Bundle asking to sell EBF4 next to games like Shantae, N++, and Day of the Tentacle. I hadn’t played these at the time but I knew they were very popular and well rated, and also not as old as EBF4, so I was definitely bundling up rather than down with this lineup. Another major stroke of luck was that the Steam review system was changed shortly before this offer, so that reviews from key activations don’t count towards the review score. EBF4 has a Steam review score of 98% (overwhelmingly positive), which is why it was included in this bundle, and this change meant that opening up the game to a more general audience was unlikely to hurt it even if a lot of them didn’t like it. It would have been rather embarrassing if EBF4 lost this high rating during the bundle, and being the somewhat niche Flash game that it is, I would have absolutely expected that to happen.

The bundle ran for two weeks, and with EBF4 being in the $1 lowest tier, it sold 135K copies. Around 92K of the keys were actually activated, and the amount of user engagement was incredibly low, as expected from a bundle. Very few of them left reviews or posted in the forums, and the ratio for players to owners drastically decreased (the bundle more or less doubled the number of owners on Steam). Success! This is the best result I could have hoped for: Free money for almost no work! No user complaints to deal with! Though it did hurt a bit that the other games got more attention for being in the bundle. (I lurked Reddit to see which games people were most interested in) (also the few reviews EBF4 got during the bundle were around 75% positive, so definitely much worse than usual)

Overall the bundle almost doubled my income for the year, and with Brexit plummeting the value of the UK pound, the incredible exchange rate boosted my earnings further, making last year my most profitable year ever! And I didn’t even release a game that year! Being self employed is weird. (note: the UK tax year ends in April for reasons unknown)

The only real question left is whether or not bundling EBF4 hurt its long term sales. It’s hard to say. Sales have been a bit lower after the bundle, but they were already slowly going down, and the Steam autumn and winter sales shipped a lot of units shortly before the bundle too. EBF4 has been on Steam for over 3 years and hasn’t been getting any updates, so it’s still doing remarkably well either way. Today it still more than covers my living expenses, which is all a developer could ask for really.

[walruspush87-blog]

The Militant's Epic Militant CicLAvia Tour XXVI!!!!

Interactive map! Click and drag to navigate. Larger map here!

Love reruns? This Sunday's 26th CicLAvia would fill the bill, as it's a reprise of the March 6, 2016 route, which The Militant covered here. That one went through the communities of Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima (which, if you're a longtime reader of This Here Blog, is Tongva for "Place of Running Water").

Like the last CicLAvia located in BFE-afjacent eastern San Gabriel Valley, this route is also not accessible by any of the Metro Rail lines (tsk tsk tsk...shame...), but at least Earth Day's Heart of The Foothills route was well-accessible by Metrolink. For this route, there are two Metrolink stations several miles away, but none are directly along or adjacent to this CicLAvia route. So, if you drive here, The Militant won't trip (because that's what he did, too...). However, Metro wants to eventually make the entire CicLAvia route part of a 9.2-mile light rail line serving Eastern SFV.

This 3,8-mile route is rather short and is limited to one street -- Van Nuys Boulevard between Roscoe Boulevard and San Fernando Road. So while there are only six points of interest on this CicLAvia route proper, The Militant has included 15 more within a quick bike detour away from the boulevard.

Anyways, for the sake of continuity, The Militant presents a slightly-updated redux of his previous Epic CicLAvia Tour of this route!

SEE YOU OR NOT SEE YOU ON THE STREETS THIS SUNDAY!

1. The Plant/Site of GM Van Nuys Assembly 2003/1947 7876 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys

No, despite the name, this is not a nursery or pot dispensary. This ginormous, sprawling car-oriented shopping center on the east side of Van Nuys Boulevard where one can catch a movie, buy some hardware or satisfy their "IN-N-OUT URGE" originally began its life as a large General Motors automotive plant (hence the name), pumping out Chevrolet trucks, other Chevy auto models, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs for nearly half a century, built mostly by residents who lived nearby, before closing down in 1992 to satisfy AQMD requirements. The plant was torn down six years later and Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude resurrected the site into the ginormous shopping center in 2003. GM still operates a testing facility east of the stores.

2. Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center 1962 13651 Willard St, Panorama City

Another major employer that made Panorama City is Kaiser Permanente's Panorama City Medical Center. Though it opened in 1962, it was envisioned as far back as 1948 when industrialist Henry Kaiser developed his residential neighborhood (more on this later), and a large plot of land by Roscoe and Woodman was set aside for the construction of a hospital.

3. Wat Thai Los Angeles Temple 1976 8225 Coldwater Canyon Ave, North Hollywood

This Teravada Buddhist temple is the spiritual and cultural center of Los Angeles' Thai American community. It is also home to a massive outdoor Thai food bazaar that was popular in the last decade (The Militant posted about it in the early days of This Here Blog, you know, when he used to blog several times a week) before being so successful. it was shut down (by neighbors who complained about parking issues). Now that those issues have been ironed out (and that you don't have to park a car anyway), ride on down here, because the weekend food bazaar made a comeback in 2016, and you can now enjoy it as part of your CicLAvia experience this Sunday!

4. Site of Van Nuys Drive-In/Vista Middle School 1948 15040 Roscoe Blvd, Van Nuys

In the post-war area, not only did the Panorama City community flourish with homes, shopping and industry, but what more appropriate way to take your shiny new Chevy made down the street to watch a drive-in movie? In the SFV, the Drive-In was king, but every king's reign comes to an end. The Van Nuys Drive-In was the last drive-in theater in The Valley, eventually sporting three screens (in 1983) with a capacity for nearly 900 cars. The drive-in closed for good in 1992 and was demolished in 1998. The property was purchased by the LAUSD, which built Vista Middle School on the site in the early 2000s.

5. Panorama Mall 1955 8401 Van Nuys Blvd, Panorama City

When it comes to shopping centers in the San Fernando Valley, North Hollywood's Valley Plaza might have been the pioneer, the Topanga Plaza might be the first enclosed mall (1964) and the Sherman Oaks Galleria might get credit for being ground zero of 1980s "Valley Girl" culture, but Panorama Mall deserves its own induction in the 818 Mall of Fame. It was part of Kaiser and Burns' plan for Pano to surround their hood with commerce and industry, as a place, unlike the regional shopping center behemoths of the time, where residents can simply walk to not have to drive very far to. Upon its opening as "Panorama City Shopping Center," it sported The Valley's flagship Broadway department store. It also housed Orbach's, Robinson's, and Montgomery Ward. In the mid-1960s, the shopping center focused on the indoor mall format. Having endured the decades, Panorama Mall was given a long-overdue internal remodeling a few years ago and now sports over 50 stores.

6. Chase on Chase 2009 (Built 1965) 8450 Van Nuys Blvd (corner Chase St - get it?), Panorama City

You would think that this location would be the product of some clever marketing. But corporations don't think that way. Rather, it was a matter of happenstance. Originally established as a Home Savings of America in 1965, it went under the guise of Washington Mutual in 1998 until WaMu was eaten up by J. P. Morgan Chase Bank a decade later. As fate would have it, this Chase Bank is on the corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and none other than Chase Street. You can't make this stuff up, folks. Now all that's missing is Chase Utley leading a high-speed chase that ended up here, The Militant would asplode.

7. Plaza del Valle 2000 8610 Van Nuys Blvd, Panorama City

Plaza del Valle (Plaza of the Valley), originally built in the 1970s as a strip mall is an outdoor shopping court, nestled behind the nondescript storefronts on the east side of Van Nuys Blvd between Chase and Parthenia streets (and the perfect counterpoint to the mostly-indoor Panorama Mall down the block), was heavily influenced by Downtown's Olvera Street. The old strip mall was re-imagined and re-built in 2000 by its non-Latino developers to serve Pano's growing Latino community. The complex features retail shops and stalls, eateries, fountains and an entertainment stage.

8. Pacific Electric San Fernando Valley Right of Way 1913 Van Nuys Blvd at Parthenia St, Panorama City

Now that The Militant made his epic Pacific Electric Archaeology Map and detailed where every passenger Red Car line went in Southern California, you all should know by now that Van Nuys Boulevard used to be a PE right of way (and if you didn't, then THE MILITANT IS DISAPPOINTED IN YOU!) So you wouldn't be surprised at all that the westward sweeping curve on Parthenia Street is where the line, which reached this part of The Valley in 1913, diverges from Van Nuys Blvd and continues westward, then northward again to San Fernando.  Due to the rising costs of maintaining and operating the line (and not because of some silly Roger Rabbit Judge Doom conspiracy), it was partially shut down in 1938 (years before the supposed conspiracy happened, BTW...but no matter how many facts get shown in your face, you still continue to believe it, right? RIGHT?) up to Sherman Way, and the entire SFV line was closed in 1952 (y'allz should have that memorized by now...).

9. Kaiser Homes 1948 Area bordered by Van Nuys Blvd, Osborne St, Woodman Ave & Roscoe Blvd, Panorama City

Whatup, homes? There's a bunch of them here east of Van Nuys Blvd here in Pano. When World War II was winding down in 1945, real estate developer Fritz B. Burns and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser purchased 400 acres of former dairy farms and alfalfa fiels for $1 million to build their own planned residential community consisting of affordable, pre-fab, single-story homes on winding streets to break up the SFV grid monotony. They built it, and they came.A General Motors factory set up shop down the street, space was reserved for a future hospital, and nearby breweries and aerospace companies also generated employment centers. A large shopping center was built, and Mr. Burns (no, not that one) brought his own personal reindeer to the Panorama Mall to delight shoppers each holiday season (and also found it an opportunity to market some houses to them). Of course, back then in the era of discriminatory housing covenants, you had to be white (and purely white, to be exact) to own these homes, a practice that was in place until the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1968. Today, the majority of residents who live in the former Kaiser Homes development are non-white and primarily of immigrant background -- predominantly Latino, as well as Filipino and Thai, providing the proverbial middle finger of justice extended to the legacy Burns and Kaiser.

10. Marty McFly House 1985 (Built c. 1950s) 9303 Roslyndale Avenue, Arleta

Just a couple years after Marty McFly traveled into the future, it couldn't be more appropo to take a short detour from the CicLAvia route southeast down Canterbury Ave, left on Kagel Canyon and right on Roslyndale to see the very house which portrayed the McFly family residence in the "Back to the Future" movie saga.  NOTE: This is a private residence, please do not bother the current occupants, and please refrain from shouting, "HELLO, MC FLY?!" outside.

11. Back to the Future "Lyon Estates" Location 1985 Sandusky Ave at Kagel Canyon Street, Arleta

And if you haven't felt enough of The Power of Love yet, head back onto Kagel Canyon, turn right and stop at the intersection of Sandusky Avenue to see the very street where Marty McFly skateboarded down in the first "Back to the Future" film. It don't take money, don't take fame, don't need no credit card to ride this train (well, unless you're talking about a TAP card...).

12. Pacoima Mural Mile 2012  Van Nuys Blvd between Arleta Ave and Bradley St

Spurred by a local need to increase community pride and aesthetics, several local artists painted murals along the Van Nuys Blvd corridor in Pacoima and thus was born Pacoima Mural Mile. Famous native Ritchie Valens (more on him later) is a popular subject on these walls, as well as cultural icons from Frida Kahlo to La Virgen de Guadalupe to Danny Trejo. Think of this as an Epic CicLAvia tour within an Epic CicLAvia Tour! View the Pacoima Mural Mile map here: http://www.muralmile.org/#!/zoom/csgz/coq6

13. Ritchie Valens House 1947 13428 Remington St, Pacoima

This was the house that '50s rock star and Pacoima native Ritchie Valens purchased for his mother, Concepcion Reyes, in 1958 from the proceeds of his newfound "La Bamba" fame, and was also his final residence until The Day The Music Died on February 3, 1959. NOTE: This is a private residence, please do not bother the current occupants, and please refrain from shouting, "RITCHIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" outside. 

14. Ritchie Valens Park 1994 10731 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Pacoima The former Paxton Park, re-dedicated in 1994 to Pacoima's most famous native in order to spur community pride, Ritchie Valens Park isn't just a patch of grass with a famous person's name on the sign, it features a skate park, a baseball diamond, basketball courts, a swimming pool and a children's playground with historical and interpretive displays highlighting the life of the local Mexican American rocker, whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 17 on a Wisconsin plane crash. Weeeeeeeeeeeeell come on, let's go, let's go, go, everybody...to this nice little detour not too far away from the main CicLAvia route.  

15. Metroink Antelope Valley Line/CA High Speed Rail Corridor 1876 Van Nuys Blvd at San Fernando Rd, Pacoima

This is the very first time a CicLAvia route will cross an active mainline railroad track, so please do not ignore the warning lights, bells and gates! These tracks were originally built in 1876 by the Southern Pacific Railroad to connect Los Angeles to Saugus, where continuing lines on to Ventura and the Antelope Valley were built. In the early 1990s, it was taken over by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, otherwise known as Metrolink, for a commuter rail line from Union Station to Santa Clarita, which opened in October 1992. But on January 17, 1994, the earth shook violently and the 5/14 freeway interchange collapsed. To facilitate commuters coming in from the Antelope Valley during the post-Northridge Earthquake period, the line was extended to Lancaster (which wasn't planned to be built until 2004 at the earliest under normal circumstances) thanks to FEMA funds and was opened IN ONE WEEK. In the near (or distant) future, running parallel to the existing railroad tracks will be the proposed California High Speed Rail system from San Francisco to Los Angeles (...which may or may not get built).

16. Tresierras Supermarket 1956 13156 Van Nuys Blvd, Pacoima Established in San Fernando in 1944 to serve the growing Mexican American community in the area by Francisco and Pilar Tresierras while two of their sons served in World War II, and operating from this very location for 60 straight years, Tresierras Supermarket is a full-service Latino supermarket featuring produce, dry goods, a carniceria and an in-house tortilleria. It's one of the long-time anchors of Pacoima's Latino community, serving local residents for generations. And we're quite sure that Ritchie Valens himself shopped here back in the day.

17. San Fernando Gardens 1942 10995 Lehigh Ave, Pacoima

This public housing project next to the northern terminus of the CicLAvia route features 448 apartments built in the World War II era by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. It was built to house workers from the Lockheed aircraft factory in Burbank (though it's pretty far from Burbank -- no freeway and no PE line back n the day) and was unique in that it was racially integrated, and comprised the largest African American community in the San Fernando Valley at the time.

18. Ritchie Valens' Childhood Home c. 1940s 13058 Filmore St, Pacoima

Though Ritchie Valens' birthplace is unknown, this was the very house where he spent most of his childhood in (after living briefly with an uncle in Santa Monica as a kid). At the age of 9, he taught himself how to play guitar at this very house and took it to Pacoima Jr. High School where he performed for his classmates and joined a local band, The Silhouettes as their singer, until he was discovered by record label owner Bob Keane, and the rest was history.

19. Discovery Cube Los Angeles 2014 (Built 2007) 11800 Foothill Blvd, Lake View Terrace

The de-facto successor to the nbow-defunct Childrens Museum of Los Angeles, which operated out of the Civic Center for most of its 20-year existence, this building was originally built in 2007 to house an expanded version of the museum. but after the nonprofit went bankrupt in 2009, this building sat as a white elephant on the corner of Foothill and Osborne for seven years, until the City entered a partnership with Santa Ana's Discovery Science Center and operated the intended Children's Museum site as "Discovery Cube Los Angeles" in 2014. But despite the museum's corner location, it's a horribly pedestrian-unfriendly experience just getting to the dang place, where one has to enter through the Hansen Dam Recreation Area's main entrance on Osborne Street, and drive some distance before entering the Discovery Cube parking lot. Whatup with that? 20. Site of Rodney King Beating 1991  Foothill Blvd, east of Osborne St, Lake View Terrace Just behind the Discovery Cube building on Foothill) was where African American motorist Rodney King was beaten in March 1991 by four mostly-white LAPD officers after a brief freeway chase (they didn't televise those things back then). But they did televise the grainy VHS handicam video (no smartphones back then, kids) that was shot by local resident George Holliday, who lived in the apartments on the north side of Foothill. The beating, after airing on KTLA a few days later, sparked outrage in the city's African American community and called to attention the issue and history of police brutality. The acquittal of the four cops over a year later triggered the largest riots in Los Angeles' history.      

21. Hansen Dam 1940 11770 Foothill Blvd, Lake View Terrace

Built in response to the Great Los Angeles Flood of 1938 that caused catastrophic flooding near the Los Angeles River in The Valley, the City tapped the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a 2 mile-long, 97 foot-high flood control dam on the site of Homer and Marie Hansen's horse ranch (apparently you get naming rights in exchange for eminent domain). It's designed to contain and control runoff from the San Gabriel Mountains, entering the dam area from Bug Tujunga Canyon, where water ultimately enters the Los Angeles River via the Tujunga Wash (and millions of gallons of water just get wasted in the ocean...). But the area, which also sports a large park and recreation area, can also be a part of Los Angeles' water future as the area sits on a large aquifer. The LADWP has long-term plans to clean up the SFV aquifer in the future to allow more harvesting of local groundwater (which currently comprises 10-15 percent of our city's water source), and open the possibility of stored or recycled water.

Oh yeah, if you made it this far, DO NOT PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY to ride your bike on the dam itself (there's a dedicated bike path)!

Happy CicLAvia and STAY MILITANT!

Source: http://militantangeleno.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-militants-epic-militant-ciclavia.html